Episode 15 - Incompetent little man

“Kellie!” Callahan shouted.

“Uncle Callahan! You’re back!” The little girl sprinted into Callahan’s open arms.

“Whoa there, tiger! You almost tipped me over. You sure became strong in the short time I was away!” Callahan laughed while lifting her up onto his broad shoulders.

Kellie laughed with him, but slowly her laughter fell. Callahan looked at her questionably. “What’s wrong sweetie?”

“Well, I became strong, but you are still weak, little Callahan,” the childlike voice sang. Callahan's head shot up to meet his niece’s, but she was no longer there.

A voice to his left continued. “Yes, you said that you would become the strongest of the strongest trainers, but you can’t even beat some lowlife scum. How would someone like you be able to become the Pokémon Champion?”

To his left stood his sister. “You’re just a simple, good for nothing, liar. A big mouth is your only gift. No strength, no skills, simply… nothing.”

Callahan shook his head wildly. “No, Mia! You’re wrong! I’m not weak!”

“Yesss, you are,” Mia whispered eerily, cupping his cheeks with both hands. “How will you ever earn all the badges needed in this short time span? No, you will only let Kellie down with your pitiful, self-centered lies.” She shoved him away. “We do not need you. Luckily, we have a great substitute for you.”

“Heh, they sure do,” a voice spoke directly from behind his ear.

Callahan sprung aside, standing eye to eye with Mia’s new friend.

“Damn you, Mark,” Callahan spat.

Mark merely gniffled. “They don’t need you anymore, Callahan. I’m what they deserve. A competent family man.”

“No…” Callahan weakly retorted.

He turned around and his eyes met Risa’s; her eyes gentle. Suddenly, handprints began to form around her neck. She coughed and struggled against the invisible hold. “Sir–” she gagged between gasps. “Help m–”

“Risa! I will–”

A deafening crack echoed across the empty space.

Everything went black around him.

“You’re a weakling,” a familiar voice said.

A single spotlight appeared in front of him.

Everyone had disappeared.

In Front of him, stood his own beaten and battered self. “You won’t be able to make it. You don’t have any strong Pokémon. You can’t protect those you treasure– hell you can’t even protect yourself. You haven’t trained a day in your wasteful life. What? You think that an untrained Sudowoodo and Abra can defeat literal masters in their craft? Don’t make me laugh. No, you’re just lying to yourself. It’s time to wake up from your unrealistic little dreams.”

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Callahan shot up in his bed. In front of the bed stood a man in a lab coat, seemingly unimpressed by the sudden reaction from his patient.

“Morning sleepyhead– Alright, let’s sum this up,” the doctor said instantly while flipping through his small notebook, “you’ve got: a heavy inturníl and ethernol overdose, three broken ribs, more bruises than a battered housewife–sorry, you don’t want to know how many of those we get to patch-up each week–a sprained ankle, and a light concussion. Do you have any response to all that?”

Callahan groaned, trying to make sense of what was happening, where he found himself and what the doctor was even going on about. He let the question bounce around in his head for a little until it finally sunk in. “I fell from the stairs,” Callahan mumbled out automatically. His words felt like glue in his mouth.

The doctor released a deep sigh, before grabbing a pen from his lab coat, licking the tip and jittering something down in his notebook.

Memories resurfaced, and his eyes widened in shock. “Hey, doc, how’s Risa?!” Callahan almost screamed as he tried to rush out of the scratchy ER bed. His movement was simply halted by a hand on his forehead that pushed him straight back onto the bed. The doctor held his hand there for a moment while checking the numbers on one of the beeping machines next to Callahan’s nightstand.

“Temperature is residing,” the doctor mumbled while scribbling away in his book. He scratched behind his ear with the pen before eying his patient. “Risa's condition is steady. She’s still asleep. Although I can assure you that it’s because of exhaustion, not because of a serious health threat. Your condition, Callahan, was on the other hand far worse.”

Callahan released a sigh of relief while swatting the doctor’s hand away. “Doc, I’m as fit as a fiddle. I’m fine, can’t I—”

“No,” the doctor cut him off. “You’re feeling fine thanks to the gallon of drugs we pumped through your system to balance and neutralize your overdose. By the way, did you really consume a whole bottle of Potion? You know that is made for fucking Pokémon, right?” The doctor gently tapped the IV-bag that Callahan hadn’t noticed until now. A steady drip of liquid was being transferred to him by an IV in his arm.

Sighing, Callahan lifted a hand to his forehead, taking the time to inspect the man in front of him. The doctor couldn’t be a year older than twenty-five. He had blond spiky hair, blue stern eyes, and fluent movements–which probably were an indicator of years of experience; his crude way of talking and humor surely a coping mechanism the boy had to develop after seeing his fair share of hellish events. Callahan read his name-tag.

“Kevin, is it?” Callahan asked.

“Doctor Kevin, yes,” Kevin said as he moved the privacy curtain aside to let a nurse pass. She carried a tray full of menacing and glistening utensils and bottles filled with pills.

“Your breakfast has arrived,” Kevin said with a smile that Callahan couldn’t really place. The nurse deftly placed a handful of pills on a plate, raising it to Callahan’s face. Callahan took the plate and rested it on his chest, wincing at the pain it brought, making no indication to swallow any of them. Kevin raised a thin eyebrow expectantly, offering Callahan a glass of water.

“Very well,” Callahan relented.

He took the glass of water and swallowed the pills.

The pills took a while to take effect. When they did, his torso still ached numbly, but didn’t hurt half as badly. His head pounded.

“That was about it for now, Callahan. Oh, before I forget.” Kevin held Callahan’s ID between two fingers.

“How did you—?"

“I fished it out of your wallet while you were unconscious. How would I otherwise have known your name? We need to register you into our system and check for any allergies to the prescribed meds,” Kevin simply explained. “By the way, normally if a man rushes in with an underaged girl who is not their relative according to your family records and is covered in bruises, we would contact the police. However, considering you were in a fuck all state yourself, well… let’s just say if we had any suspicion that you had caused her injuries, we would’ve chained you to the bed like a dog.” For a brief moment, a dark gleam flickered in the blond man's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. “But that appears to be not the case. Officer Jenny took your prints when you were out; didn’t match the fingerprints on the girl’s neck– what kind of rat bastard even tries to strangle a fifteen-year-old girl?” He bit out before releasing a frustrated sigh. “Anyway, for now you’ve got to stay here until the IV has done its job. After that, you’re free to leave if you feel ready. You might feel some uneasiness when you stretch your legs, but that’s not uncommon for people that stay unconscious for that long, so I suggest–”

“Wait, hold up, Doc. What day is it! How long was I out for?!”

The nurse gave him a sideward glance.

Kevin glanced at the medical chart that hung at the end of Callahan’s bed.  “Two days straight. Don’t stretch yourself.”

With that, Kevin turned around and exited the room with the nurse. The last thing Callahan heard was Kevin inquiring about the condition of another patient.

Callahan looked up to the ceiling, eyes tense. In the corner of his eye he could see the IV slowly dripping its contents into his system. The drips fell in an irregular rhythm while the heart-rate monitor suddenly began to beep faster and faster.

His eyes focused on the movement of the hands of the clock. Time moved slowly. Every ‘tick’ of the clock seemed to shake the entire room.

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The nurse who had brought him lunch before came by again to ask if everything was fine. Callahan tried to coax her into talking about Risa, but Denine, as she was called, was a woman of few words. Her gaze was almost as implacable as Kevin’s. In the end, she left Callahan without any more information on his companion.

After what felt like an eternity, the nurse finally gave Callahan the green light to leave the hospital. Though he was eager to step outside and breathe fresh air, he quickly shot up and rushed to the nurse.

“Where’s Risa?!”

The nurse just blinked, and pointed to the room at the far end of the corridor.

With long but slow and cautious strides he marched towards it, his body still aching from the injuries he sustained. The broken ribs made every breath a reminder of the ordeal he had been through.

Callahan carefully opened the door. A pained expression washed over his face. There she laid, in a bed beside a large window that overlooked the village’s square. Risa looked so peaceful. Her face wasn’t pained like it was last time, but what was visible from her skin was covered in dark purple bruises. The only area that wasn’t covered in bruises was her arm, which was completely wrapped in a cast.

Callahan made his way over to her bedside, gently taking her hand into his own, an act that she wouldn’t normally condone in the slightest.

“I-I’m sorry… Risa,” Callahan mumbled softly near her forehead, pulling his beret over his eyes. He gently moved some hair out of her face, before taking a brochure and marker from a nearby table, distancing himself from his companion. He wrote a quick note, saying that he would be back soon and needed some fresh air, telling her to wait for him if she awoke before he had returned. He made sure to underline the part where he said that he would return. He placed the card on her nightstand, before making his way out of the room and towards the exit.

As he made his way outside, he felt a mix of relief and trepidation. The world seemed both familiar and foreign to him. He decided to take a walk, hoping the gentle exercise would help him feel better. He ‘strolled’ through the nearby park, his steps careful but determined.

As soon as he spotted a nearby bench he made his way over, trying to catch his breath.

“Damn, drugs,” he spouted. His eyes wandered over the lush park. It seemed peaceful, a place where villagers came to exercise and unwind from a busy day. It seemed like the only piece of grass that could be found on these rocky planes. He doubted it was natural. Groups of adults ran in groups, teens were practicing yoga on the grass, and numerous parents were picnicking with their children.

The peaceful sounds around him slowly grew fainter in his ears. A cloud passed, and the scenery turned dark. Slowly but surely, he let his own predicament sink in. He closed his eyes.

Risa’s hurt– we lost four days total; twenty days left and not a single badge to show for our efforts– for our damn struggles, injuries, the things I’ve done, everything! Not a ‘single’ one. I should not have dragged her into this mess. She… She… almost… died. And it’s my god damn fault. I am–!

Callahan wildly shook his head, clenching his fists atop his shaking knees. The sound of genuine laughter pulled him from his thoughts. The cloud passed. On the bench next to him, Callahan noticed a rather cheerful, dark-skinned girl with a tomboyish charm, surrounded by a group of fire Pokémon. She exuded an infectious energy that seemed to brighten the surroundings around her. A warm laugh filled the air as she got licked in the face by her Ninetales. The girl, sporting a red sports bra and shorts, noticed Callahan looking their way, and shot him a warm smile.

"Hey there! You okay?" she asked suddenly with genuine concern, inspecting his bandages and facial expression.

Callahan mustered a weak smile as he put up his usual mask. "Yeah, just recovering from a few injuries, but I'll be fine," he said while leaning his head back, resting it atop the backrest of his bench.

After a deep breath, Callahan turned his head to face the cheerful girl sitting at the bench next to his. Her warm smile and concern were a stark contrast to the heavy emotions he had been carrying.

“How are you doing now, mister?” the girl asked concerned.

“Nah, it ain’t too bad, at the moment. I’m getting there,” Callahan replied with a small smile, “Just trying to clear my head after everything that happened. Oh, and you don’t have to call me mister, just Callahan.”

The girl nodded sympathetically. "I can understand that,” she said while rubbing the belly of one of her Pokémon. “Sometimes, a quick walk in the park can give you a great sense of peace. Name's Emma, by the way. And these are my fiery friends," she said, gesturing proudly to the group of fire Pokémon gathered around her.

Callahan couldn't help but notice the bond between Emma and her Pokémon. There was a sense of trust and love that brought a spark of envy to his heart. They probably were strong, and well-trained too by the looks of it. He admired how freely she interacted with them, as if they were her closest confidants.

“Well Emma, it’s nice to meet you,” Callahan said, angling his body towards the stranger.

Emma smiled, and it looked like she was mulling over something in her mind before she spoke again. "If you don't mind me asking, you seem like you've been through a lot. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Callahan hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should share the details of his recent experiences with a stranger. But there was something about Emma’s presence, the look of innocence in her eyes, that felt reassuring.

"I... I was involved in a terrible… accident," he began slowly. "My friend, Risa, and I were attacked, and I ended up ki—in the hospital with several injuries.” He quickly corrected himself.  “She's still there, recovering."

Emma, noticing the weight of the conversation, jogged over towards his bench, plopped down next to him, and nodded, her expression compassionate. "I'm really sorry to hear that. It sounds like a difficult time for both of you."

"Yeah," Callahan sighed. "I just hope she wakes up soon and makes a full recovery." He took off his beret and shuffled it around in his hands.

"You care a lot about your friend," Emma observed, her voice gentle. "I believe she'll feel your presence and care, even while she's asleep." She gently placed a hand on Callahan’s shoulder.

Callahan smiled.

As they continued talking, Callahan found himself opening up more to Emma. Her understanding and kindness were comforting, and he felt a sense of relief in sharing his burdens with her. Time seemed to pass quickly as they conversed, and Callahan's heart felt lighter than it had in days.

The girl introduced him to her companions. At first Callahan felt awkward, due to the suddenness of the situation, but as they interacted, Callahan's spirits lifted enough for him to relax his guard. The Pokémon's playful antics and the girl's cheerful demeanor brought a sense of joy he hadn't felt in a while, almost fully dominating his darker thoughts.

“So, what do you do in your daily life?” Emma asked.

“Well, don’t laugh, but I’m setting out to collect the gym badges required to enter the grand Pokémon championship. Times’ getting short though. Way too short…”

Emma’s eyes grew as large as dinner-plates, and Callahan almost thought he could see actual stars glistening in them. With a burst of motion, she leaned in, quickly closing the distance between them, causing Callahan to instinctively lean back a bit. His thoughts quickly fell into old patterns. “Yeah, I’ll have you know, I’m quite a legend in Fula City, a city in the region next to here. Now I want to conquer this one as well,” he said with a nervous laugh and a scratch to his chin.

“Really!” Emma beamed. “That’s great! Then we’ll see each other again rather soon!”

“Eh, what do you mean, Emma?” Callahan questioned, a dark sense of foreboding entering his body.

“Well, not to gloat, but I’m the gym leader of this city!” she said joyfully, playfully pressing her nails against her chest as a way of showing off.

Callahan forced his lips to curl into an awkward smile. “Oh really! What a coincidence!” Just my luck…

As if energized by his acknowledgement, the girl hopped up from the bench, bouncing in place for good measure as if ridding herself of excess energy. “Yup. I’m currently taking a li’ll break. Got people waiting in line to battle me.”

“Really?” Callahan said with feigned surprise.

“Yeah,” the girl said smiling. “The gym used to be my father’s. I’d always watched him battle since I was little. So when I was finally ready, dad and I battled it out, and I got promoted to gym leader the very next day.” She grinned, probably reminiscing fondly on good memories. “Dad’s always watching every battle.”

“Seems like a great guy,” Callahan remarked.

Emma’s face lit up. “He’s the best!” A huge ‘lion’ peacefully rose to its feet and pushed itself between Emma’s arm. “Hey!” she laughed sweetly. “Can’t wait to have some attention, huh? This was my dad’s Arcanine. He’s called Hellfire. It’s quite an intimidating name, but he’s a real sweetheart, aren’t you?”

The Arcanine barked playfully, almost seeming to melt as the trainer ruffled up the fur on his mane. “He has been watching over me since I’ve been a kid. When I became thirteen, dad gave him to me to watch over me. We've been best buddies ever since.”

“I can see that,” Callahan said slyly.

Leaning closer again, far into Callahan’s personal space, Emma asked, “So what are your Pokémon?”

“Huh?”

“You’re the best trainer in Fula City, right? What kind of Pokémon do you have?”

He looked around the park. Emma already had six Pokémon, and strong ones at that. For a moment, his mind wandered back to the bandit base, towards Brandon and his words. Recalling how easily he got defeated.

The happy mood within himself muddied.

“I have…” He suddenly felt tired, exhausted, not even having the energy to lie, “one Sudowoodo and a flying yellow rat.”

Emma stayed silent for a moment before bursting into laughter, playfully prodding him against the shoulder, thinking it to be a funny joke.

“Alright,” she chuckled, “you keep your secrets.” Her eyes caught sight of his watch before they dilated, and she shot up comically, nearly tripping over her own legs as she quickly balanced herself and stowed a sandwich between her lips. “Shif! I gwotta gwo! Swee wyou wlater wat twe gwym!” the girl said, hopping in place, before rushing off with her Pokémon following closely behind.

“Yeah,” Callahan waved half-heartedly, before slowly lowering his hand. “At the gym…”

He gazed up at the intimidating structure in the distance, his face turning melancholic. Pocketing his hands, he turned around, heading back towards the hospital.

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Callahan's heart raced as he made his way back to the hospital, a feeling of restlessness entering his body as soon as the hospital came into view. He made his way through numerous neatly white corridors, until he saw his destination.

Entering the hospital room, his restlessness faded. Callahan's eyes fell upon Risa's battered form still lying motionless on the bed. Her face looked pale and fragile. He sat down beside her in the orange chair, taking her hand again gently in his own. "Hey Risa, I’m back,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. He opened his mouth to say something else, but quickly closed it again.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours. He sat like that for what felt like an eternity. Denine had come by several times, checking on Risa, and after her second visit offering Callahan without a word being spoken some coffee in a dixie cup, which he gratefully accepted.

Night had fallen. Callahan's head rested on Risa’s bed. His sleeping body angled at an awkward angle. Suddenly a faint tremor ran through Risa's hand. Callahan's heart skipped a beat, shooting awake. He leaned in closer, his eyes fixed on her face. Another tremor followed, before her eyelids fluttered slightly.

"Risa?" Callahan said, his voice filled with relief. "Can you hear me?"

A soft moan escaped her lips, and her eyelids opened, revealing tired but conscious eyes. "Sir?" she murmured weakly and barely conscious.

A smile broke across Callahan's face, and tears of relief welled up in his eyes. "Yes, it's me," he said gently.

Risa tried to speak, but her voice was barely a whisper. "What happened?"

"We were in a tough battle, but we made it out alive," Callahan replied, his voice trembling with emotion. "You took quite a hit, but you're safe now. That’s all that matters."

Risa's eyes closed briefly, as if trying to process everything. "I remember... it was—" she said, suddenly wincing in pain.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Callahan said, quickly opening up a water bottle with one hand, before holding it to her lips, “here, have a sip.” But she didn’t process the motion. Callahan wondered if she was even conscious enough to recall this moment in the morning.

A faint unprotected smile appeared on Risa's lips. "Thanks, sir."

The relief of seeing her even somewhat awake was overwhelming, Callahan quickly turned his face away before his emotions would take over. "Rest now, Risa. You need to heal," he said tenderly. "We'll take it easy for a while until you're fully recovered. The doc—I mean Kevin will see you in the morning."

Risa nodded weakly, her eyes slowly closing. "Okay," she murmured, not having enough energy to continue the conversation, drifting back fully into her slumber.

Callahan sat by her side, thoughts swirling behind his eyes. After a while, his hand clenched into a fist. His face contorted, shifting between sorrow and pain as he watched her sleep through tear-stained eyes. The words he wanted to say from the start formed on his lips. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his face reflecting regret, sorrow and self-disdain, “I’m sorry, that I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry, that I’m so—weak.”

He trembled, his fist tightly clenched, before sitting back down, crossing his arms, and letting his head rest on his chest. There he sat, keeping watch over her, like a personal unqualified guard dog.

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A/N: Hey there, Sidiko here, the writer of this story you’re currently reading,

This chapter was an absolute blast to write, even though nothing really special happened in this chapter, just some foreshadowing and set ups for the grand gym battle. Let’s talk a bit about two new characters: Kevin and Emma. It was fun creating their personalities and quirks. Emma, what a sweetheart, right? And although Kevin might seem tough on the outside with his mouth of a sailor, deep down he's got a soft and gooey interior. I promise!

Having said that, let’s talk about our main cast: Callahan is sure on a low point at the moment. Hmmm, I sure wonder how he’s gonna fare from here. How will he possibly beat the fiery gym leader? And Risa, will she fully wake up any time soon or will she keep drifting in and out of consciousness?

Now, let’s open up a new Word.docx and my usual Youtube-playlist, and let’s type-away at a new chapter.

See you in the next one!

Much love,

~Sidiko