--

The two stared at each other for a while, then the spearow shot back into the air and continued circling.

Bleeding from his head, Red kept his guard up, while time passes.

.

"Red!"

While red moved his head towards the sound, the spearow landed a few meters away and observed the intruder.

A familiar old man and his quagsire arrived on the scene!

Inspecting Red for a moment, he asks with concern, "You're bleeding?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Red slumps down, "Yeah, thank god you got here, I'm not sure me and Bulbasaur could handle that spearow in our present state."

Looking towards the spearow perched on a jutted rock Madrik laughs, "Do you know? I might not have found you at all if not fer that spearow forcing me to follow em."

Seeing Red's disbelieving look, Madrik sighs, "Ysee, he may be a cranky old bird, but he never harmed me, sometimes I give em a few scraps of food, n he repays the favor, not that I'd enjoy eating what he brings, mind you, raw staryu is not my cup of tea, ysee. "

The spearow gives a disdainful chirp, and in response, Red asks, "You can understand us?"

Getting no confirmation other than a tilt of the head, Madrik speaks for him, "Aye he can, been talking to him for years, it's not strange if he picks up a word or two."

Feeling guilty for his assumptions Red addresses the spearow, "Sorry for my words, and thank you for your help."

Turning his head away, the spearow accepts the apology with a few caws.

Looking around for a moment, Madrik asks, "Where's your partner?"

"He's in my pokeball, he was close to fainting so I returned him, do you have my bag?"

He asked that, but he could see Quag holding it,

"Go on Quag."

Red rifles through his bag and pulls out a potion, then releases Bulbasaur from his ball, which revealed the pokemon's bloodied appearance.

While Red begins healing Bulbasaur with a potion, Madrik spies the massive tidepool a good distance away, and his mind clicks in realization, "Aha, I see, so you met the local staryus, no wonder, no wonder, shoulda warned you about em after all," Madrik waves his arms for emphasis, then said, "Had a run-in once, nearly lost my life"

With Bulbasaur patched up, Madrik gives Red a shoulder and they hobble their way back while taking frequent stops due to injury.

During one stop Red asked, "I noticed the staryus were much fewer today, any idea why?"

Sitting against a rock, Madrik ponders for a moment, "End of the staryus breeding season happened right before ya showed up. When the tide rolls in a few more times, Well, eventually they'll be none left, Ah, except for that big pool ysee. Yer perhaps looking to add one of em to yer team?"

(So they came in with the tide...)

Red then says after a moment, "Ah, yeah, I was just looking for the right one, then I ran into trouble."

.

The group continued on.

It was morning when they had left the house, but now it was already late afternoon when they returned to the foot of the path.

Red had put most of his weight on Madrik, but he noticed the old man was plenty able to shoulder it, "You're stronger than you look"

Quag puffs his chest up with pride, while Madrik chuckles, "I think he meant me Quag!"

Shouldering Red up the inclined path, the overhanging trees blacken the way, so Madrik squints to see.

Some ways up the path, Madrik tries to make conversation to distract Red from the pain, "It's really dark without them webs, But, It's good ta see, good ta see, that Ariados as you call it kept his side of the bargain didn't they?"

Exhausted, Red croaks a reply, "Yeah, I wonder if they moved away, and sorry for cutting your day short like this."

"Ah, No No, I was about done when that spearow came ta get me."

Red cracks a smile, "Thanks"

.

Back in the cozy home, Red lays on the bed while Madrik applies some ointment to Red's cuts after helping him get cleaned, "It's gonna sting"

After finishing, he's surprised when his patient didn't even wince throughout, "Got a higher pain tolerance than most do ye?"

"I'm used to it."

Getting up off the floor, Madrik dusts himself off, "Well, there we go, got nothing fer the swelling, and there ain't no need for a splint, but now an infection ain't yer worry anymore."

"Thanks again."

.

During the night, Red has a dream. He was back in the lab strapped to the table.

It's dark, but he can make out a door.

Footsteps are heard, and then the door begins to quake, and something was scratching and clawing, trying to get through to the other side.

Red panics, " NO, DON'T COME IN, NO MORE!"

He doesn't know why, but whatever is behind the door somehow fills him with endless dread.

After a few moments, the door goes still. It was as if it were responding to his words.

Dimming dimming dimming, the room goes absolutely dark, then he hears Mewtwos monotone voice, which makes his heart tremble, but he doesn't know what he's saying.

Sweaty, and with his eyes open he finds he doesn't have the strength to move.

Madrik walks nearby and inspects him, " Not looking too good there are ye, looks like you got yerself one nasty of a fever too, I'll wet a cloth fer ya"

Red croaks through chapped lips, "Thanks."

When Madrik returns, he wipes Red down and feeds him some water.

Drifting back to sleep, the same dream appears, the same room, the same voice.

Trembling awake from Mewtwos immutable words for the second time, tears well up in Red's eyes,

(Look at me, I was brimming with confidence... and now that I'm feeling fragile, I can finally see my true self... Even in a dream, I'm too spineless to even stomach Mewtwos voice without shaking... My true self is this pathetic, isn't it?)

Feeling himself alone in the darkness, his belly heaves to say some words, "I forgive you, I miss you, please just come back to me. Please please please."

Tears drip down as he falls to sleep.

.

This feverish state continues for a week, and soon Red is able to sit up, and there he finds Madrik sitting by the fireplace chiseling something with an old knife, lying next to him is Quag.

"Hmm?" Madrik turns in his seat, to find Red staring.

Madrik goes back to chiseling, while he hums, "Good, good, looks like yer partner here is through the worst of it, isn't that right Bulbasaur?"

"Sorry for making you take care of me like this."

Sighing, Madrik continues to chisel away at something, "No bother, no bother, Bulbasaur was a good help to me in the past days ysee."

From beside him, he feels Bulbasaurs presence.

"I see," then Red turns towards Bulbasaurs face, which was lit up by the crackling fire, "You've done well, thank you for saving me back then, it couldn't have been easy on you."

Bulbasaur gives him a confused look.

"Is it weird for me to say that?"

Turning away, Bulbasaur lays his head back down on the mat.

"I haven't been treating you as I should, have I..."

.

The next day Red got up, he felt much of his strength return and felt as if his depressed state had melted away. Now that he was feeling better, he wouldn't be spending the day inside.

After having breakfast, the four entered the trail going down. Stopping at some point, Madrik led them through another path. Today they would be collecting some more wild berries.

Somewhere along the way, a buzzing sound was heard, and latching to his backpack was a familiar ledyba.

Still feeling a bit weak, the extra weight on his back nearly tripped him up, " LEY BAA"

Steadying himself, Red gives a slight smile, and unfashioned his bag while looking up at the Ledyba who was waiting impatiently on the trunk of a tree, "Well, I did promise to give you some the next time to visit, but what will you give me?"

The ledyba just looks down in incomprehension.

"Ah, that's right, you can't understand me, well, here you go."

Red held out his hand near the trunk, and the ledyba ate the food from his palm until it was all gone. Buzzing to show contentment, the pokemon buzzed away.

Listening to the sound until it fades, Red thinks inwardly, (The next time, I should introduce Bulbasaur to you, and see if he can warm you to the idea of joining me... since I can't speak pokemon.)

Red then slaps his head, (Dammit what am I doing, I'm treating Bulbasaur as a tool again. He saved my life, and all I can do is make these dirty schemes like an ungrateful sewer rat.)

The three look at red in confusion, and after a moment Red shakes his head, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something unnecessary again, shall we go?"