Pokemon Slate Gray

Season 1 - Episode 12: Homecoming

"Did I hear that right?" Slate called out, springing to his feet.

"You found Slate's mom?" April asked the professor. She then turned openmouthed to Slate, who dashed over to the videophone.

"My mom's there? Is she okay? Let me see her!" Slate demanded.

"Oh, hello, Slate," Professor Larch greeted nervously. "She's okay, dear. I think you should come here as soon as you can, though. I have to go now. See you both soon."

"Wait!" Slate pleaded as the feed cut out abruptly. "Why did she hang up?"

April looked as confused as he was, but suggested, "Well, she might not be able to stay on calls for long in case of being tracked or something."

"Let's just go then," slate said. "We can be there in under an hour if we hurry."

"Slate," April said softly, "we're waiting for Cryote."

Slate's heart sank. How could he have forgotten? Did his new partner mean that little to him?

April put a hand on his shoulder and guided him back to the chairs. "I can guess what you might be thinking, Slate, but it's your mom! It's natural for you to be concerned about her, especially given what's happened. Cyrote's going to be just fine, and as soon as he's recovered, we'll head back to Almony," she said.

Slate nodded in reply. April bought drinks and snacks for the two of them from the Center vending machine, but Slate wasn't in the mood to eat. His mind was consumed with thoughts of guilt. He felt like a failure as a son and a Trainer. Maybe he would be better off abandoning his dream of being a Trainer?

After an hour of agonizing this way, the Center nurse appeared from the back, wheeling out Cryote. Slate jumped up and ran to meet them, where Cryote leaped off the gurney and into his arms. Slate felt conflicted while the pup licked his face. As happy as he was that Cryote was okay, he wasn't sure he deserved the Pokémon's forgiveness.

Once Slate was satisfied that the Pokémon was restored to full health, he and April left the Center with Cryote trotting along by their side. They jogged down Hazell Town's southern route and were happy to find themselves in time for the sitting ferry.

Slate found the slow sail across the water excruciating, tapping his foot impatiently. He stared longingly at the opposite shore, ignorant of the beauty of the setting sun behind him, willing the ferry to go faster.

April, it seemed, could sense his tension and chose not to bother him, which he was privately grateful for.

"Hey there! Want to battle?" asked a well-dressed passenger out of the blue, eyeing Cryote with interest.

"No!" Slate snapped a little louder than intended and turned back toward the ever-approaching island. Even if he wasn't still affected by his recent defeat, he couldn't think about such things right now. All he wanted to do was get to his mother as quickly as possible.

"Not today, thanks," April added sheepishly, and Slate heard the stranger's footsteps walking away.

Soon, the ferry docked, and Slate, who had positioned himself at the front of the pedestrian queue, broke into a run across the gangway and onto Marcona Village High Street.

"Slate, wait up!" April called out as he dashed off in the direction of Professor Larch's place, but he didn't slow down. Cryote barked happily bounding along next to his Trainer, but April could be heard huffing in annoyance. Slate allowed himself to smile momentarily, recalling how April had been the one running through town with the bad attitude the previous day. Now their roles had been reversed. He, however, wasn't chasing after a donut.