Finding My Voice

Let's Brock and Roll!

Eventually, I found Daisy sitting on a log and with her face buried in her hands. I ran up to her, though the girl didn't seem to notice me. I wasn't sure how to let her know that I was there, so I crouched down next to her and gently tapped her shoulder.

Daisy looked up at me and I could see that her green eyes were now full of tears. "Oh, hi Red. I'm sorry I ran off." The girl looked off to the side. "Blue just... knows how to get to me."

I signed to her that it was alright and that Blue was a complete jerk. Daisy nodded. "The lengths he goes to just to make me feel worse about myself... I don't understand why he's like this."

I let her continue talking. "I hate that he can get me so worked up. It just strikes a nerve when he tosses my feelings aside. I don't really want to get into it right now, but what he said was extremely hurtful."

I put my hand on my friend's shoulder, and then I signed to her that I was there for her. "I appreciate it, Red. I'm sorry I've screwed up your journey so much, and now we're lost."

I held up the Viridian Forest map and the girl's face lit up. Daisy wiped the tears from her eyes and grabbed the map. "You got it from Blue? Alright! Now we can get out of here!"

I quickly signed to ask if she was sure she was alright. Daisy waved her hand dismissively. "I'm ok, let's drop it. We've got an adventure to continue!"

The girl hurried off, and I decided I wouldn't press the topic further. I hadn't seen Daisy in such a vulnerable state before, and I didn't want to upset her by telling her that I had hit Blue. Hopefully, Blue would get back to his journey and leave us alone. Though, if Blue was taking on the Pokémon League in Kanto there were plenty of opportunities to see him.

We navigated through the forest, now successfully making our way out of the forest. Finally, we reached the exit and walked out to the other end of Route Two. It was a straight shot to the city from there, and we wasted no time heading to Pewter City.

I hardly understood why it was called a city. There was a small house at the entrance, nearby was the Pokémon Center. Further back was the Pokémon Gym and the museum. There was also the Poké Mart and another house to the left. The small collection of homes made up the location.

The city was famous for being a repository for all sorts of ores. Pewter City had sprung up as a mining town outside of Mount Moon. Nowadays, there was very little mining done in the mountain.

"We made it! Grandpa took me here once when he was investigating the fossils." Daisy recalled. "Though it seems like it hasn't changed much. I guess that makes sense, it's a pretty static place. Though that was like, three years ago." I was glad Daisy was back to her chatty self.

My eyes were fixed on the gym, I walked forward over to the Pokémon Center. We should wait until tomorrow to take on the gym. It's been a long day.

I was eager to test my battling skills. After Blue beat me, all of my experience had been on random trainers and wild Pokémon. This would be a chance for me to see if I had what it takes to be a Champion.

"I can tell how excited you are, Red," Daisy observed. "Are you ready to take on the gym?"

I shook my head. I signed to Daisy that I wanted to wait until the next day, that way we could rest and I would be at my best. Daisy seemed to understand that, and we decided we would get rooms at the Pokémon Center.

I used the PC to send a message to my mother, letting her know that we had arrived at Pewter City successfully. Then, Daisy and I spent the rest of the night chatting about our adventure so far.

The next day, I was incredibly eager to get to my Gym Battle. I got ready, went through my team, and met up with Daisy. We left the Pokémon Center and set off for the gym while the sun was high in the sky. There was a small chill in the air, though the sky was clear and I felt confident.