Memories of the Past +Part 5+

~*~Part 5: Pewter City~*~

Aberius had been carrying Kitty for several hours before he finally reached a town. The sign said "Pewter City." Out of breath, Aberius began to sit down, but then shook his head.

I should really get Kitty some medical attention... Her ankle might make her start to feel sick. Has she eaten yet, either...? Aberius thought. A sleeping Kitty's stomache grumbled. Guess not... He continued trudging forward. He'd never been outside of his village and all the sights and sounds were unfamiliar to him. His instincts told him to panic and run away, but his head continued to overrule that for the sake of his strange new companion. He knew he was lost, so he decided to ask someone for directions. An older man with brown, spikey hair was walking past.

"Um... Hey, you!" Aberius called out. The man stopped and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me where the nearest doctor is, now!" The man was taken aback by Aberius' forceful nature. Aberius felt a tug on his shirt.

"Hey..." Kitty said, groggily, "that won't do, you have to be polite. Apologize to the man."

"But you need help!"

"I'm not in such a terminal condition that you should forget your manners."

"But..."

"Aberius," Kitty said seriously. "I will get out of your arms and flip you again if you don't follow my directions."

Aberius groaned. He didn't want to be flipped. He didn't want Kitty standing on an obviously painful injury. And he didn't feel like putting her down. He sighed and looked back to the man. "I'm sorry..."

"Yes, please forgive him," Kitty said to the man, smiling somewhat weakly. "He's not aware of the customs outside his village."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," the man said, still looking slightly incredulous. "I've just never seen any of the local Absol be so concerned for a human, before. They usually stay inside their village except for a few of the elders. How is it you managed to obtain one?"

"I haven't obtained him. He's my comrade," Kitty smiled and petted Aberius' head, "but if you must know, it's because I'm a magical fairy." She winked.

The man smiled and bowed, "I could see such a thing being truth," the man grabbed Kitty's hand and kissed it, "as someone as beautiful as yourself must be a magical being." He smiled and a twinkle shined off his teeth. Aberius growled at him. However, out of nowhere, a random Croagunk punched him in the stomache, and dragged him off. Aberius stared after them and felt his brain hurting.

"What the heck was that all about...?" Aberius still staring.

"I hope he's alright," Kitty said, looking concerned.

"Oh I'm fit as a fiddle, M'lady," the man said appearing out of nowhere from behind them. The two of them, jumped, startled by his sudden reappearance.

"Listen, buddy, just tell me where the damn hospital is," he snarled.

"Abbie..." Kitty scolded.

"I'm not gonna use my manners this time." Aberius pouted, his eyebrows at such an extreme angle, you'd think his head would split in half from the pressure. "Now is not the time to be flirting. You need medical attention or you'll be worse off than you already are. Plus you need food."

"If you need medical treatment, I know how to treat various injuries. Allow me to introduce myself..." the man bowed again, "My name is Brock. I happen to be the gym leader here. I took a brief absence to travel, and have learned different remedies along the way. What seems to be the problem?"

Aberius growled again, "Thanks, but I'd much rather have a professional"

"Are you sure? You just be spending more money on the same services... I would do it for free. I can also cook."

Kitty grabbed Aberius' shirt in an iron grip, "Never turn down people's hospitality, Ab-kun..." Her eyes glared with a frightening expression. Aberius felt a chill up his spine worse than when the Makuhita showed up.

"F... Fine." he said looking away, making he wasn't shortening lifespan. "We'll take you up on your offer, but no funny business. I'm watching you, Rock." Aberius glared.

"It's Brock. And don't worry, I'll be careful with her," he smiled. That didn't make Aberius feel any better. He didn't trust anyone on the outside world too much. He didn't even really trust the Absol in his village. For some reason, though, he trusted Kitty, and he wasn't about to lose the only person he could depend on because someone was careless. He didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone with someone who was most likely a pervert, either.

"You have tools with you, don't you, Gravel?" Aberius glared warily at Brock. "You'll fix her up here." He sat down on a nearby bench with Kitty in his lap.

"Um, Aberius," Kitty said, "you can sit me down on the bench by myself, you know..."

"I don't fully trust this guy," Aberius snapped, not taking his eyes off the man. "I owe you for your help and I'm not going to let you get kidnapped by some pervert who likes little girls..."

"I'm older than you..." she bopped Aberius on the head. "And of legal age, anyway. I'm sure he's not a pedophile, either."

Is that what pedophile means? Aberius' furrowed his brow, then blushed slightly upset remebering her reference to Absols in his village being pedophiles. Aberius refused to let Kitty sit on her own. "Her ankle's swollen," he told Brock, frowning. "She sprained it when she fell into a hunter's trap.

"I see," Brock said, squinting over Kitty's ankle. It has swollen bigger and was almost the size of a tangerine at that point. Brock set his bag down on the bench and pulled out an ice pack setting it on her ankle. "You can leave that on there to reduce swelling while I make something to eat. Any requests?"

Aberius barked an order at him, "Get me some fruit and make her a sandwich. This dummy threw hers at a wild Makuhita." Kitty bopped him on the head again. "If I get brain damage, I hope you take responsibility..." he frowned. Brock walked around behind the bench and began to set up a table to begin preparing food. Kitty squirmed in Aberius' lap, making him blush. Ack...! Don't do that, silly girl...

"Abbie?" Kitty said. "Can I sit on the bench, at least? It's a bit too warm on your lap and I feel uncomfortable..." She looked like she was sweating. Aberius put a hand on her forehead and flet that she was burning up. Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have spent all that time arguing with Brock-a-nova...

"Hey, Stone!" he said to Brock. The man made a face, but didn't correct him.

"Yes...?" he responded.

"Do you have any medicine to bring down a fever? She's burning up..."

"Look in the side pocket on my bag."

Aberius rummaged through the bag and pulled out some liquid medicine and poured some into a small cup. "Here you go, Kitty, drink this, you'll feel better..." he said, holding the cup up to her mouth. She sipped the medicine down, but there was still a drop left on her lip. Aberius found himself staring. "Um, you have a little... here..." He wiped the medicine from her lip with his thumb then tasted it himself. It tasted like Oran Berries. It was one of his favorite fruits. He looked back at Kitty's lips and wondered if there was any more. Realizing what he was thinking about, however, he shook his head and regained a little composure. Why do I keep having so many weird thoughts since meeting her...? When he thought about it, he realized he hadn't actually been around any females in his life. Raised by his father until he was 13, when his father disappeared after saying he was going on a journey. Aberius thought that maybe that was the reason he stayed in the village, hoping that his father would show up again.

Aberius felt Kitty's head again and she had cooled down a little bit. The swelling on her ankle had gone down a bit, as well. Brock came over and took the ice pack off, sprayed some medicine on it, then wrapped her ankle.

"Alright, the food's done," he said smiling and wiping his forehead. "You hungry enough?"

~*~To Be Continued~*~