Chapter Text
Waking up to paws pressing on his back insistently is nothing new to Hwanwoong, and he smiles into his pillow. The room is warm, and the bed squashy and comfortable; one of his arms is numb, and he thinks that his sleep must have been deep for him to stay in the same position for so long. When he cracks open one eye, he sees that sunlight is already pouring in through the window, and he rolls over with a yawn and a frown. Usually, his mom would have woken him up by now.
He blinks up at the ceiling for a second before his vision is obscured by his Growlithe jumping first onto his chest, and then licking his face. ‘Gross!’ he groans, but he is laughing. As he sits up, he manages to move Growlithe into his lap, and then he jumps at the realisation that this room is not his bedroom.
The memories flood back, on a slight lag from the long sleep, and he gulps.
Growlithe jumps from his lap down onto the floor, scratching for his attention because it is past breakfast time already, but Hwanwoong is distracted by his surroundings. The room is small but beautifully kept, a vase of bright yellow flowers on the nightstand and a mural of water-type Pokémon covers the opposite wall. This is the Busan City Pokémon Centre, and this is Hwanwoong’s room for the night.
Once he checks-out, strictly before 11, he and his Growlithe will be alone in the world again, just themselves and the road ahead to rely on.
He’s finally begun his Pokémon journey, only a few years after everyone else.
He remembers the day that his classmates, the ones who dreamed of becoming Pokémon masters, finished up school once and for all and then set out with their starter Pokémon to take on the world. Hwanwoong wanted to join them, God he wanted to join them, but his mom said no, that it was too much of a risk to his health, and even at that age he was too scared to argue. Instead, he attended the vocational college in the nearest town, a short bike ride from his village, and sat alongside his friends who wanted to become Breeders or Nurses or Scientists, dreaming of the road.
It’s not that he didn’t enjoy the classes. Learning about Pokémon every day could never be boring. He just wanted more. He wanted the fresh air in his hair as he biked from town to town, the weight of Poké Balls heavy on his belt, and the exhilaration of joining a Pokémon battle out in the wild or even in one of the city gyms. While he was sick, all he did was watch the Pokémon League on television. He never imagined that it would be his illness that would make everyone tell him that he couldn’t pursue that dream.
Today, though, those arguments feel like a distant memory.
He’s here, now.
Growlithe runs around in excited circles when he climbs out of bed and treads on his feet in his excitement. Hwanwoong yelps as the claws dig into the top of his foot, and stumbles to his bag to find some clean clothes. Growlithe is disinterested in such a menial activity as dressing, and paws at his ankles, jumping up. Hwanwoong brushes his fingers through the fur on his head and allows him to take his finger between his teeth. Growlithe would never really bite him, but he likes to pretend.
They have a shared language that they’ve developed over the years, since his parents first brought home Growlithe to keep him company while he was sick, when he couldn’t go into school. Unlike most of his kind, Growlithe never whines, because he knows that Hwanwoong can’t always pick up the sound; if he really wants his attention, he barks, loudly, or jumps up at him. This morning, he’s getting impatient, and if he isn’t careful then Hwanwoong is going to end up with torn jeans.
‘Growlithe! Stop!’ he laughs, and Growlithe sits down, sandy tail sweeping across the floor in excitement.
Hwanwoong understands – his mind is the on the canteen downstairs too as his stomach rumbles. He’s nervous, though. The Pokémon Centres are the social hub of any Pokémon city, and Hwanwoong has never been so good at making friends. Maybe he was when he was very young, but he doesn’t remember. Now he’s years behind his peer group and he wonders if they’ll think it’s weird, and he doesn’t like being in groups at the best of times because it’s too difficult for him to keep track of what everyone is saying.
Making friends, though, is an integral part of the Pokémon journey. It’s hard to make it across the nation, navigating forests and seas and mountain ranges, without people around you. Hwanwoong knows this. He’s just tried not to think too much about it until now.
He reaches for the gold Poké Ball on the nightstand that contains his hearing aids, and picks up his bag. ‘Come on, Growlithe,’ he says, with a reassuring smile. His partner doesn’t need to feel his human anxiety, doesn’t need to feel the bubbling nerves in his stomach.
Out in the corridor, as he closes the door behind him, Growlithe bounds ahead, like he remembers the way from last night and will launch his way to the canteen, accompanied or not. Hwanwoong follows a little slower, his feet dragging. The hallway is deserted, and he hopes that he might have missed the breakfast rush, but when he walks down the stairs he sees that there are people hanging around in the lobby. They’re all in groups of twos or threes, their conversations a mist in the air.
As he reaches the bottom of the stairs he slips his hearing aids into place and hangs the case back on his belt. Almost immediately, like the volume has been turned up on the world, their voices become clearer, more discernible from individual to individual but still difficult to make out from such a distance. He scoots past them into the canteen and joins the dwindling line for breakfast.
‘Growlithe!’ he hisses, when his Pokémon darts ahead again and starts to dodge between the legs of the other trainers waiting. Growlithe looks back, and cocks his head to one side, but then bounds back into action in a second. Hwanwoong sighs, but his Pokémon has never known how to behave himself, and he can’t begrudge him the excitement when the room is buzzing with trainers and other Pokémon.
In front of him in the queue are two trainers, one with an Aipom sat atop his shoulder nibbling snacks while his trainer talks, and the other petting the Mareep by her side. There are squawks in the air from a huddle of Spearow and Pidgey who are gathering around someone holding out bowls of feed. The noise is much louder than in the lobby and Hwanwoong hits the volume control on his aids, suddenly uncomfortable. The canteen is only half full, with plenty of space on the long tables, but it is still more people than he is used to being around back home in the village.
When he gets to the self-serve bar, he fills his tray with as much as he can and then loads a bowl up with Pokibble for Growlithe. On turning around, his eyes scan straight to an empty section at the end of one of the benches and he makes a beeline for it. His mom’s voice rings in his mind – ‘Sit with some people! Start a conversation! Make some friends!’ – but he ignores it and sits on the very last spot. Growlithe jumps onto the bench next to him and places both paws on the edge of his tray until he places the bowl down on the bench.
Hwanwoong pulls out his map, a gift from the Professor in his town, and lays it out on the table. The city of Busan is a thriving metropolis for Pokémon trainers, with a major gym and all sorts of competition facilities, but Hwanwoong needs to train up Growlithe and catch some more Pokémon before he can even think about that. If he heads north along the coast then there will be plenty of towns before he reaches Ulsan, but if he heads inland to the low mountains that he has a better chance of encountering wild Pokémon.
‘What shall we do, Growlithe?’ he murmurs, and then he looks up, stomach flipping over when he realises that Growlithe is gone. His eyes fly around the room in a panic, and then his face flattens in a long-suffering kind of way when he sees that Growlithe has attached himself to a pair of trainers on the next table along, and is currently eating the treats they’re handing out. ‘Oh crap,’ he mutters.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Growlithe does not share his fear of strangers.
He collects his map and slopes over to the table nervously. ‘Come on, Growlithe,’ he says in an awkward voice, ‘don’t bother them.’
Growlithe doesn’t look up at him, intent on consuming the treats, but the two trainers do. They both have friendly faces. One is smiling such a radiant smile that his eyes turn into little half-moons, and the other has a gentler, quieter sort of face that doesn’t match his stocky body. ‘It’s okay,’ the latter says, ‘we don’t mind! Sit down.’
There doesn’t seem a reasonable way to argue, so Hwanwoong slides down onto the bench and fiddles nervously with the hair over his ear.
‘I’m Seoho, this is Geonhak,’ says the boy with the charming smile. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Yeo Hwanwoong,’ he answers in a more formal manner. ‘This is Growlithe. Just Growlithe.’ He never gave his partner a nickname, even though the other kids did. Because Growlithe already responded to that name and Hwanwoong didn’t want to confuse him by changing it. ‘I’m sorry he came to steal your treats.’
Seoho laughs. ‘It’s okay. He could smell them in my pocket. Our Pokémon are with the nurses now – it took us a long time to get through the parks on the way here so they were exhausted.’
A quiet falls, in which the only close sound is Growlithe munching on the treats in Seoho’s palm. When Geonhak starts to talk, Hwanwoong looks up quickly by habit. It’s easier to keep up if he starts to reads lips as he goes, even when he’s wearing his aids. Having that back-up is almost comforting. Geonhak’s voice is deep and warm, so rich in tone that it sounds like singing. The sound reverberates through Hwanwoong’s mics. He’s always found it harder to keep up with lower pitches when speaking.
‘Are you here to challenge the Gym Leader?’ asks Geonhak.
‘Oh no, no!’ he laughs. ‘I’ve – well I’ve only just started my journey. Growlithe is my only Pokémon.’
At that, Seoho looks up curiously. They’re both older than Hwanwoong but not by much. ‘You’re a little old to be starting out aren’t you?’
Hwanwoong swallows and his fingers reach out to stroke Growlithe’s back as he sometimes does when he’s nervous. ‘It’s not that strange. I’ll catch up fast!’ He hunches up his shoulders until they almost touch his ears, like if he makes himself small enough he’ll be able to disappear from this conversation altogether.
‘I didn’t mean to offend you!’ says Seoho with wide, apologetic eyes. ‘I was just curious. You won’t want to challenge the Gym Leader here, yet, if you only have your Growlithe with you. The Leader here uses water-type Pokémon. Do you know where you’re going to travel next?’
‘I thought about travelling up the coast, or heading inward towards the mountainous regions. I’m not sure.’
‘The coast would be a good way to get some water-type Pokémon under your belt. But it’ll be difficult to win battles with only your fire-type,’ says Geonhak. ‘If you hang around the city for a while you could catch an electric-type, that would help you out a lot in the coastal regions. There is a warehouse downtown that I’ve heard becomes filled with Magnemite at night!’
Hwanwoong wonders whether he could really catch a Magnemite. It’s not like he has never battled wild Pokémon before, but so far it has only been the Rattata and occasional Zigzagoon who found their way into his garden back home. A steel electric type would be a new challenge. Growlithe is brave and strong though and Hwanwoong has a bag filled with Ultra Balls that his mom gifted him before he began his journey, and they should be strong enough to catch most wild Pokémon.
‘I think I’ll go there tonight,’ he nods.
‘Here,’ Seoho pulls out another map, this one a closer diagram of Busan city itself. He circles the Pokémon Centre and draws a wiggling line down the streets until marking an X over another building. ‘This is the place. You’ll need to wait until nightfall. But be careful, I’ve heard that Team Rocket are operating in the area.’
Geonhak elbows him in the ribs. ‘Don’t scare him. It’s all just rumours!’
‘It’s not!’ says Seoho in defence. Hwanwoong’s head glances from one to the other to keep up. ‘Officer Jennie was in the Pokémon Centre last night when I came down to check on Skitty. She was talking to the nurses asking if they’d heard anything. The police are involved.’
Hwanwoong gulps. He knows all about Team Rocket. Ever since the takeover of their new leadership, he knows that they have expanded out their regions of operation into many different countries. The low-level grunts can be found all over towns, committing petty crimes and trying to steal Pokémon. They are weak, but Hwanwoong is only just at the start of his journey. He decides to leave at dusk rather than night-time, when there will still be plenty of people about in the streets.
‘Thank you for your help,’ he says and he climbs off the bench. His shyness has overtaken him, and he begins to worry that he’s intruding on their breakfast together. He gives them both a bow. ‘Come on Growlithe.’
The guys look surprised, but they don’t object when he hurries away. He has to grab Growlithe under his arm, because the puppy Pokémon is not eager to leave his source of treats.
~
Twilight is a pretty time of day in downtown Busan. The town is still thriving. On one corner, a busker is singing with a guitar and a Clefable. Two neon signs from all night cafes flicker pink and green across the darkening street and the sound of music emerges from a club that is just beginning to wake up. This sort of sound grates at him, a constant hum that he can’t make out; it nags like tinnitus. When Hwanwoong passes an alleyway, a small collective of Meowth shrink into the darkness. Not wanting to disturb them, Hwanwoong hurries on, following the map that Seoho gave to him in the direction of the warehouse.
Growlithe bounds ahead in excitement, like he can tell they’re in for an adventure.
The warehouse is down two further roads, buried in amongst an industrial estate. A few Machop laze around, their work for the day done, and Hwanwoong bows to their trainers but he’s so focused on what is coming, his first attempt at catching a wild Pokémon.
When he reaches the right warehouse, he can see why it would be the perfect habitat for Magnemite. The building is visibly disused, in a state of disrepair. Broken cables have broken free from their protective cases and flicker with ominous sparks; the shutter over the old truck entrance is only half down, and there is a large dent so deep that Hwanwoong could sit in it. He looks up at the grey sky and takes a long, deep breath before heading towards the broken shutter.
He ducks underneath and pulls out his torch.
As soon as it lights up, he catches movement from the corner of his eye. His eyesight is sharp, because he learned a long time ago to rely on his other senses more than his hearing. The torchlight scans around the large empty space, but there is nothing to see. If he couldn’t sense the presence of Pokémon, he would think that the warehouse was deserted. The Magnemite won’t appear with the intrusion of the light. He switches the torch off and swallows, waiting for his eyes to adapt to the darkness.
It’s scary to be without his eyes.
He has his Growlithe, though.
The Pokémon pushes ahead, and with the tiny glimmers of light that make it inside Hwanwoong can make out his bright tail. He follows, notching a Poké Ball ready at his belt, and tries to listen, but all he can make out is a low hum. It could be the buzz of electricity, but more likely it is the interference of the electric Pokémon with his aids. His eyes catch sight of a slight movement in the darkness, and he shouts out a command to Growlithe. ‘Growlithe, use Howl!’
The haunting sound echoes around the empty warehouse. It’s an attack that gets Growlithe fired up, and it also intimidates the opponent. Sure enough, one of the wild Magnemite appears, confused by the sound and there is a flash of electricity. It hits something overhead and Hwanwoong has to duck out of the way in a panic. The blinding yellow bolt brings the place to life for a second, like a freeze-frame, and Hwanwoong sees the small Magnemite travelling overhead.
‘Growlithe, Ember!’
The fire-type attack will not do too much damage against the Magnemite’s steel body, but it is Growlithe’s most powerful attack that he’s learned so far. Fire lights up the warehouse again, this time with a reddish glow, and Hwanwoong watches as the steel scorches black. His hand shakes as he pulls free his Poké Ball (he doesn’t want to waste his Ultra Balls yet so early in the journey) and he launches the ball through the air.
For a second, the warehouse goes black again, and then the dim red light of the Poké Ball opens into a beam and Magnemite is sucked inside.
The ball falls somewhere far away from Hwanwoong, and he has to withdraw his torch again because he did not catch the sound of where it fell.
When the torchlight brings light back, he sees the Poké Ball shudder twice before settling to stillness.
His heart in his throat, Hwanwoong creeps towards the ball. When he picks it up, his hands shake a little, like it might explode. He can hardly believe that there is a Magnemite held inside. Growlithe skips up beside him and nuzzles at his leg, so Hwanwoong scratches his head to tell him that he did a good job. He hooks the ball onto his belt, thoughts on returning to the Pokémon Centre right away to heal up his new Pokémon, and ducks out from the warehouse before any of the other angry Magnemite – or more worryingly Magneton – set upon him.
The sun has faded altogether now, and blue twilight has taken over the greying light. Growlithe runs ahead again, and this time Hwanwoong starts to run after him. Excitement is beginning to set in as his mind catches up with what has happened. The first Pokémon that he has caught for himself. A Magnemite. He laughs and the sound carries on the light spring breeze.
Growlithe opens his mouth to bark, but from the distance between them Hwanwoong doesn’t hear it. He doesn’t need to. He recognises the movement and anticipates the bark instead.
Then, before his eyes, a Poké Ball flies in front of him and just misses Growlithe.
‘Hey!’ he shouts, spinning around. The street is deserted. ‘That’s my Growlithe!’ He glares, angry that someone would try to catch a Pokémon in the street without checking for a trainer first. He calls Growlithe over, but Growlithe only makes it halfway before a figure launches from the shadows in front of Hwanwoong and tries to grab the Pokémon. ‘Hey!’ Hwanwoong shouts again, and this time fury takes over.
His heart launches into panic as the figure tries to scoop up Growlithe, and Hwanwoong does the only thing that he can think of – he jumps up onto his back. The stranger lets out a grunt of surprise as Hwanwoong pulls him back and they both fall in a bundle to the ground. ‘Get off!’ the man yells, but Hwanwoong does not let go.
Growlithe is barking, so loud that people will surely come to help.
‘You tried to steal my Pokémon!’ says Hwanwoong, through gritted teeth. Whatever happens, he cannot let go. Growlithe is his closest friend, his beloved companion, and he will not allow some dirty thief to get his hands on him. Growlithe lets out a low, loud growl and bites the man’s leg. The thief lets out a yowl like a cat and tries to kick him off. ‘Get him, Growlithe!’
A gasp breaks out from Hwanwoong’s mouth as an elbow smacks into his ribs, and he is at last thrown off. He clutches his stomach, the pain beginning to radiate, and watches helplessly as the man manages to kick Growlithe away. To his relief, though, he does not make a grab for him, because at that very second Hwanwoong catches the distant sound of a siren.
To the thief, it will sound much closer. The man starts to run but he is limping, one hand on his bleeding leg, but Hwanwoong can’t chase after him. The wind has been knocked out of him and his ribs ache. Growlithe snuffles up beside him and licks over his shirt as if to heal a hidden wound.
Hwanwoong closes his eyes and pants heavily, his fingers winding into the fur. ‘It’s okay,’ he says, ‘it’s okay.’
Blue light overtakes his vision and he props himself up on his elbows. A police motorbike has pulled up beside him, alerted by Growlithe’s barks, and an Officer climbs from the seat. She is small in stature, but her posture makes her seem taller. Her hair is dark but bleached blonde at the front, and her clothes are not the dark blue of the city police, but a lighter colour with purple stitching. It is the colour of a special taskforce.
‘What happened here?’ she calls out, clear and loud. ‘I heard a Growlithe!’
Hwanwoong sits up and takes his Pokémon into his lap with protective arms. ‘I was attacked. A man tried to steal my Pokémon!’
The Officer crouches down beside him. ‘It’s alright. I’m Officer Jennie, part of the special taskforce sent to investigate the activities of Team Rocket. I think that you may have been attacked by one of their agents. Did you see which way he ran?’
Hwanwoong nods towards the dark alley. ‘He was limping, my Growlithe bit him.’
Officer Jennie smiles and ruffles the fur on Growlithe’s head. ‘Good boy,’ she says. Then she speaks into a police radio fixed to her collar and asks for cars to come to the area and give chase. ‘Here, let me help you,’ she says to Hwanwoong, helping him to his feet. ‘Are you hurt?’
He shakes his head. ‘No, I was just scared for my Pokémon.’
‘Of course,’ she says. There is anger in her eyes. She draws out a notepad from her pocket and a silver pen. With expectant eyes, she asks, ‘can you give me a description of the attacker?’
Worry starts to rise up in Hwanwoong’s mind. It was dark, and everything happened so fast. He wracks his brain for what he can recall. ‘He was taller than me, but not super tall. Dark hair. He was dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and a black jacket. But I can’t remember… it was dark.’
‘That’s okay. What’s your name?’
‘Yeo Hwanwoong,’ he says in a shaky voice.
‘Hwanwoong, there is an operative of Team Rocket in the area. We don’t know his full identity yet, but some of our sources tell us that the code-name is R-A-V-N, like the raven, because of the way he dresses in all black. This may have been the agent who attacked you. Don’t you worry, we are on the case! Do you want me to take you back to the station?’
‘I – I’d rather go to the Pokémon Centre,’ he says, ‘I just caught a Magnemite and I want to get it healed up.’ He doesn’t know why he told Officer Jennie this, but she gives him a smile.
‘I feel like we’ll meet again, Yeo Hwanwoong. Be careful. These cities are not as safe as they used to be. You should stick with your friends.’
He nods rapidly. He’s not going to admit that he doesn’t have any friends yet. As she sets off in the direction that the Team Rocket agent fled, he picks up his Growlithe. For once, Growlithe does not protest at being carried, and instead buries his face into Hwanwoong’s jacket. He makes a mental note not to let him run ahead anymore.
As he begins his walk back to the Pokémon Centre, all he can think about is the dangerous thief, the man dressed all in black. R-A-V-N. He says every letter aloud, tasting them on his tongue, and then shudders.
He cannot understand why someone would choose to join Team Rocket.
Why would anyone want to make a life out of stealing Pokémon?
~
At the Pokémon Centre, everyone is talking about the sighting of Team Rocket downtown. Hwanwoong does not know how news travelled so fast, but he finds himself caught on a wave of interest when he slips between the automatic doors and heads to the counter. A crowd of trainers set upon him, shouting out questions and asking for a blow-by-blow of how he and Growlithe escaped Team Rocket’s clutches. He gulps and tries to concentrate on handing over his Magnemite to the nurse.
‘Coming through! Coming through!’
The loud shout makes him turn around in search of the source, and he sees with a strange relief that Seoho and Geonhak are barging through the crowd. Or, rather, Seoho is barging through the crowd, and Geonhak is following in his wake and bowing in apology to some of the trainers knocked aside.
‘Hwanwoong-ah, we heard what happened!’ announces Seoho, as if they’ve been friends for years. ‘We were so worried.’
‘I’m okay,’ he says.
Seoho creates something of a perimeter around him and leans close with his big smile. ‘Forget Team Rocket, though, did you catch a Magnemite?’
Hwanwoong gives him a shy nod.
‘Awesome! You’ll be ready to leave with us in the morning, then?’
For a second, Hwanwoong just stares at him, unable to figure out what the words mean. Seoho laughs and rests a hand down on his shoulder, making him jump.
‘We’re going to head north. I earned my Busan City badge today and Geonhak wants to challenge the Gym in Daegu. We’re going to start travelling through the National Park. You’d be able to catch a lot of new Pokémon there. You in?’
It takes Hwanwoong a moment to answer, and then he nods, unable to imagine that he’s made two friends on his journey already, and that he won’t be alone travelling north. His heart flutters, and he has the sudden urge to send an email to his mom. Then he remembers that he’d have to tell her about what happened with Team Rocket, and he thinks that she might march all the way to Busan to drag him back home to the village so he decides against it.
‘Yeah, I’m in,’ he says with the best smile that he can muster.
The Pokémon Centre permits him to stay for the second night on the house, because no one has stopped talking about his heroics down near the warehouse. Somehow, the more times that people tell it, the more ridiculous the story becomes. One group approaches Hwanwoong over dinner to ask whether he really apprehended the Team Rocket agent all by himself and held him prisoner until Officer Jennie arrived.
It is a relief when Hwanwoong can escape to his room and collapse onto the bed alone.
He doesn’t even pull back the blankets, just pressing his face into the mattress and sighing. Growlithe bounds up beside him and paws at his back. There’s a beam of light and his newly healed Magnemite bursts from its Poké Ball and starts to float around the room in interest. It emits a low hum, and it reminds Hwanwoong that he can settle into silence for a moment.
He takes out his aids and puts them back into their case.
A blanket of quiet settles over him, the hum of Magnemite and the distant chatter of trainers in the building no longer audible. Loud sounds would still alert him, but in the private room, for a minute everything is silent. He rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling. There are small engravings of Pokémon on the coving that he had not noticed before. Growlithe lies down across his stomach and Hwanwoong strokes his fingers into his warm fur.
The stress of chaos outdoors starts to fade as he finds comfort in the touch, like he used to when he was sick as a child. Growlithe licks his hand and he laughs, watching as his new Magnemite flies overhead and pauses by the electric light fitting as if examining it. Hwanwoong wonders whether this Magnemite has ever seen the outside of that warehouse, and he speaks a silent promise to show him all of the amazing sights in the world. They’ll discover them together.
This day under his belt, two Pokémon with him, two friends waiting for his company and a route set out, Hwanwoong finally feels ready to start his journey for real.
Despite the excitement of the day, he drifts into an easy sleep.
~
Setting off with Seoho and Geonhak is a new experience. In the past, Hwanwoong has always travelled alone or with his mom. To the Pokémon college in town, he rode his bike by himself, and before that whenever he was allowed to attend school it was his mom that dropped him off. Being with friends, more or less his own age, is exciting. And to his relief, Seoho and Geonhak do not make him feel like a third wheel. In fact, when they set off on their bikes from the Busan metropolis, they make Hwanwoong ride in the middle of the two of them.
Sunlight pours across the streets and the spring air is cool but pleasant as it rolls through his hair.
‘So why did you start your journey so late?’ asks Seoho as they pass the sign pointing towards the National Park. They have officially left the relative safety of the city and from this point forward are prepared to encounter wild Pokémon and other trainers looking for a battle.
Hwanwoong looks down at the ground ahead, watching his bike tyre turn like a hypnotic wheel. He knows that this kind of thing is normal for friends to talk about, so he clears his throat. ‘I was sick when I was a kid.’
‘What did you have?’
‘Seoho!’ says Geonhak in an aghast voice, like he can’t believe his friend has asked such a thing.
‘Poképox,’ he answers without pause. He’s not ashamed of it.
‘Oh…’ Seoho pulls up his bike with a scrape of shoes on gravel. Hwanwoong is grateful, because it’s harder to hear when they’re moving. ‘That’s pretty serious, huh?’
‘Yes,’ he shrugs, ‘but it’s okay. The infection caused some permanent damage to my hearing, and sometimes I get sick more easily than other people now, but I made a good recovery.’
After finishing, Hwanwoong cringes, waiting for the usual barrage of questions. Usually, people begin to stumble over themselves in their haste to make him feel comfortable, and in the process tend to make him very, very uncomfortable. Sometimes people start to talk so loudly that he winces, or they begin to move their mouths so unnaturally in their attempt to enunciate that he can’t read their lips the way he used to after familiarising himself with their patterns.
After a second though, Seoho just gives him a nod and a smile and starts to pedal again. ‘That’s good.’
They haven’t asked him the usual rude questions: are you still sick? Is it contagious?
Hwanwoong smiles to himself and follows on.
He notices Seoho and Geonhak starting to get excited when they see a pair of trainers up ahead, and he can tell that they’re raring for a battle. He gulps, hoping that they won’t ask him to join, because he’s not sure he’s ready for that yet. ‘Do you mind?’ asks Seoho, nodding towards them, and Hwanwoong shakes his head quickly.
‘No, no, go for it!’
The area is grassy, plush green and shaded by several large trees. Hwanwoong knows that there is a forest not far ahead in the middle of the National Park. ‘Do you mind if I go ahead?’ he asks, eager to see what grass and bug Pokémon he might find in the woods.
‘Sure, sure, we’ll catch you up!’ grins Seoho.
Hwanwoong rides on with a glance over his shoulder to see Seoho throwing the Poké Ball holding his Skitty. Geonhak’s first Pokémon is a Marill.
The forest region of the nation park is only a short ride away, and he pedals faster when he sees it coming, excitement in his chest. The trees are tall and densely packed, and there is a sign warning that the area is protected by conservation laws. Trainers are reminded to be responsible with their catching and never take more than one of the same type of Pokémon. It will be impossible to ride here, so Hwanwoong dismounts and walks his bike in amongst the shade of the trees.
The grassy part of the park is left behind in no time, and a darkness descends from the dense canopy. Growlithe hops down from his hood and starts to jump through the undergrowth, nose alight with action as he takes in the new smells. Hwanwoong peers around, but there are no other trainers in sight at the moment.
At one point, he gasps as he almost walks straight into a hanging Kakuna. He clutches his hand over his mouth to stop himself yelling out. The eerie cocoon swings and he takes a few hurried steps back; he does not want to disturb an angry pack of Beedrill it they are in the area. The Kakuna looks back at him with narrowed dark eyes, and he takes his leave quickly in the direction of a more well-worn path.
A few small Caterpie make their way across the dirt path ahead, but Hwanwoong does not think to catch them. They’re so peaceful, going about their way. He just smiles and avoids stepping on any. Deeper in the forest, he knows there will be the rarer species: Scyther, and maybe even Bulbasaur. He has an advantage in the woods, because Growlithe as a fire-type should be able to win any battles that he encounters.
There is a movement in the leaves to his left and he swings around, eyes scanning for the source. When he looks up, he sees a Treecko scaling one of the trees, and he gasps with excitement. His hand goes to his belt for a Poké Ball, but at that moment he sees something else out of the corner of his vision.
He pauses and narrows his eyes.
In amongst the trees there is a person, and he’s sat down on the floor, back against the tree as if he is hurt.
Hwanwoong swallows and looks around. With a sigh, he forgets the Treecko and climbs in amongst the shrubs and vines that cover the forest floor. Growlithe stays back, and when Hwanwoong turns with a frown he sees that the Pokémon’s lips are drawn back to bare his teeth. ‘Growlithe, what – ’
‘Don’t move!’
Hwanwoong looks back and his heart drops when he sees that the figure has stood, one arm bracing himself against the tree.
The man is dressed in black, a leather jacket and jeans and combat boots more suited to the woods than Hwanwoong’s sneakers. Growlithe knows him. It can only be the agent from the city, the man who attacked him in the street. The one with the codename RAVN. Hwanwoong’s heart starts to pound and he takes a step back in panic, but then he sees the Pokémon on the ground. He cannot run away, not when there might be a Pokémon in trouble.
It is curled up, and Growlithe starts forward again this time with a cautious gait.
‘Did you hurt that Pokémon?’ demands Hwanwoong, and his voice sounds braver than he feels. He straightens up and puffs his chest out, even though he knows he will not be able to take the man in a real fight.
Ravn looks back, then takes a shaky step from the shadows. His leg is still hurt. ‘No. That’s my Pokémon.’
In the light that breaks through from the trees overhead, Hwanwoong can see that his eyes are red, like he has been crying. Suddenly less intimidated, he frowns. ‘Prove it!’
‘I don’t have to prove anything!’ Ravn snaps, and right before Hwanwoong’s eyes he pulls out a knife from his belt.
Hwanwoong stumbles back and the fear returns, this time grabbing hold of his throat. ‘What are you doing? Fight with your Pokémon, you coward!’ Once again, his terror doesn’t show in his voice. It’s typical of Team Rocket, this kind of disgraceful behaviour. Carrying weapons.
‘I can’t!’ Ravn grits his teeth, and then his bitten leg gives out and he drops back down to the ground, throwing away the knife. ‘Raven is sick.’ His voice breaks, and Hwanwoong notices that Ravn looks hardly any older than him. His hair is dirty and unwashed and there are dark circles around his red-rimmed eyes. He looks thin and uncared for and there is no sparkle in his eyes.
He picks up the curled-up Pokémon and takes it into his lap, and Hwanwoong’s fear evaporates. He realises after a moment of confusion that the man is talking about his Pokémon, not himself, and Hwanwoong steps towards him. ‘Let me look.’
The man holds his Pokémon away protectively, but Hwanwoong crouches down and holds out his hand.
‘Let me look,’ he repeats.
Ravn holds out the Pokémon called Raven and Hwanwoong lifts it gently into his own arms.
The Umbreon is jet back, with sleek short fur and a bushy yellow-ringed tail. It is a beautiful Pokémon, one of the rarest evolutions of Eevee. He wonders whether Ravn stole it, but he shakes the thought from his mind; that isn’t important right now. The agent clearly cares for this Pokémon.
‘She’s been sick for days. She can’t fight anymore, and she can’t even walk out of her Poké Ball,’ says Ravn, and his voice cracks.
‘A female Umbreon? This is very rare,’ murmurs Hwanwoong. He strokes her head and she opens one sleepy eye, but he notices that her eyes are claggy with infection. ‘If this is Raven then what is your name?’
‘It’s none of your business!’ he snaps.
‘You tried to steal my Growlithe! It’s absolutely my business! And I won’t help you unless you tell me.’
‘Youngjo,’ he mutters. ‘My name is Youngjo.’
‘This Pokémon is very sick,’ whispers Hwanwoong, ‘she needs to go to the Pokémon Centre.’
‘No. You help her. You must carry potions!’
‘A potion won’t be enough to heal her, she needs to see a nurse,’ he says. He tries to keep authority in his voice, because that’s the only way he can keep in control of this situation. There is a phone in his bag, and he knows he could call the police, but then Youngjo will flee with this sick Pokémon and she might never get help. He must be careful, careful with how to handle this.
He wonders if Seoho and Geonhak are already on their way to catch him up.
‘I can’t go to a Pokémon Centre. They’ll arrest me and – and they’ll take Raven away from me.’
It is hard to feel sympathy for a criminal, especially a criminal who tried to take away his Pokémon, but already Hwanwoong feels his heart wavering. He’s always been a very empathetic person. ‘I – I’ll go to the Pokémon Centre.’
‘You’ll bring back a nurse?’
‘No,’ he sighs, ‘I’ll take Raven to the Pokémon Centre myself.’
Anger glints across Youngjo’s eyes and he reaches out to grab her back. ‘No!’
‘What other solution do you have?’ he demands.
‘Then you have to leave your Growlithe with me until you get back!’
‘No chance,’ he says in disgust. ‘I’m the one helping you. You’re a criminal. You don’t get to negotiate.’
There is a moment of silence, and then Youngjo winces as he tries to stand and drops back down again. A glance at his leg tells Hwanwoong that blood has soaked through his jeans from Growlithe’s bite. For a second, he feels a wave of pride for his Pokémon, but then he reminds himself of the issue at hand and he sobers his expression again.
‘You ought to see a nurse yourself.’
‘I’ll fix this up once I get back to camp. It’s not a big deal.’
‘Camp? You mean Team Rocket’s camp.’ He shakes his head and pulls a face of disdain. ‘I hate you guys. What makes you think you have the right to take other people’s Pokémon, huh? And all for money!’
Youngjo grits his teeth. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. You wouldn’t understand.’
‘I understand. I just think you’re sick.’
‘No one chooses to join Team Rocket! You have no idea.’
What that can mean, Hwanwoong doesn’t know, but he holds the Umbreon close in his arms and stands up. ‘There are two friends who will be looking for me. Their names are Seoho and Geonhak. If you see them then you must tell them that I’ve gone on to the next town to visit the Pokémon Centre. And if I find out that you’ve caused them any trouble then I’ll call the police right away. I mean it.’
‘How will you find me, when you bring Umbreon back?’
Hwanwoong pauses. ‘There is a sign about the conservation of the forest, back the way I came. Stay close to this area and I will find you.’
There is a moment in which their eyes meet and Youngjo seems to be deciding whether to beg him or threaten him. He ends up somewhere in the middle. ‘Please bring my Umbreon back. If you don’t then - ’
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can!’ shouts Hwanwoong, and he runs to his abandoned bike, basketball shoes slapping on the earth. If he keeps following the main path then he’ll find his way to the next town in no time. And this sick Umbreon doesn’t have time to spare. He tucks her into his jacket as Growlithe climbs up into his hood, and he only looks back once as he starts to pedal away.
Youngjo is stood in the middle of the path, tilted to one side as his bad leg buckles. Alone and vulnerable, he doesn’t look like a Team Rocket agent.
He just looks scared.