Rising (A Pokémon Adventure)

Chapter 3 - Shy Kids Stay Together

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The morning was as always, the buzz of the city rising to a crescendo as the first few Fletchlings and Rattatas woke up. A lightly snoring black-haired boy rested on his messy bed, the tossed away and worn sheets barely gaining a spotlight from the sun shining through the grimy windows and ratty blinds.

"It's time to wake up! It's time to wake up!"

"Mmrrgh," The ravenette grumbled, blindly reaching and pressing the button on his cube of an alarm clock to shut it up. He yawned, opening his forest-green eyes and sitting up to look around at his home. It looked more like a workshop than a home, a workbench cluttered with strewn spare parts and tools. The only other table in the room holding a microwave that had a few wires sticking out of it and a stack of paper plates. Other than those and a small closet there wasn't much to the place, not that they were needed with the little random gadgets around that filled up what little space the room had left.

"Time to get today started," The boy decided, getting up and yawning once more while stretching. He walked over to his 'kitchen', crouching down and searching through the cupboard underneath the table for something. He quickly found it, humming in satisfaction before continuing on with his morning. Filling up the bowl with water from his fridge he placed it in the microwave, turning the machine on and waiting for his oatmeal.

His head perked up at the faint cry of a Pokémon, the sound coming from outside of the building's thin walls. Glancing at his microwave with a sorrowful expression the boy walked to his bedside table, not even glancing at his hands until they were covered by gloves. The boy sighed when he saw the familiar leather, shaking whatever stray thoughts out of his head before exiting the small and musty apartment. He jogged outside, the creaking of the old building's floors not making him flinch from years of hearing every whine and groan. The exterior of the building looked ten times better than inside, no flaking paint, creaky doors, or unexplainable stains tainting it.

The boy ignored the obvious lie that the outside of the building told of the inside, instead walking closer to where he had somehow heard the poor Pokémon. The absolute paper-thin walls helped him for once as he found the Pokémon in the alley between two lying buildings. A box hid the creature's body but the ravenette didn't much care for it, still approaching with caution nonetheless. His mouth opened a little, taking in the sight before him before he tried to speak. A small Pichu laid there, shivering and huddled up in a ball while covered in scratches and burns from other Pokémon. The two most noticeable features of the Tiny Mouse Pokémon being a small nick in the tiny one's ear and the bright green eyes that were now staring at the ravenette in fear. "Hey little guy, I'm Michael. I'm gonna help out your little injuries, okay?"

"Pichu Pichu," The Electric-type tried to back away, stopping with a wince when open skin pressed up against moldy cardboard.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Michael reassured, holding up his hands in surrender. Pichu seemed to calm down a little, Michael took that as a good sign. "Is it okay if I pick you up?" Pichu hesitated, Michael's soft tone reflecting his eyes. Pichu slowly nodded, the ravenette smiling and slowly letting his hands approach the other's small body. Pichu whimpered when Michael's gloved hands by accident brushed past a few scratches. Michael winced when he realized his mistake, being an ounce more careful when he fully picked up the Electric-type. The little Pokémon was pretty much engulfed in the leather gloves but couldn't really complain. Pichu instead snuggled into the boy's warmth, the other smiling while the two moved back to the small room.

"Imma set you down here real quick, I have to grab my stuff," Michael continued to speak in a soft tone, placing the Tiny Mouse Pokémon on the bed while talking. Pichu watched Michael in mute interest as he took out his long since finished oatmeal with its spoon companion. The ravenette ate his meal quickly, looking at the calendar on the wall as he devoured the rather plain meal. "Hmm, gotta go to the professor today huh?" Michael mumbled after taking his last bite and trashing the cup.