he Maddy smiled happily as she walked back to the Centre. 'I caught my first pokemon! I bet Kai will be so jealous! Or surprised! Either way, I proved I'm not stupid!'
When she reached the PokeCentre, she saw Ian sitting on a chair in the lobby, waiting for her. He was all alone, so chances were, Kai was still asleep.
"Maddy..?" Ian mumbled, hanging his head miserably.
"Yeah?" Maddy's smile turned into a concerned face once she took a glimpse of Ian's worried expression.
"Kai's been… well, umm…" Ian stumbled over his words, trying to find the right one.
"Yeah?" Maddy sat down next to him and tried to look into his face.
"Kai's been mean to me, and I don't really like it…" Ian looked at Maddy, his expression one half of anger, half of confusion.
"Are you sure you haven't done anything to make him angry?" Maddy raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know! Why are you taking his side? He's the one making fun of me! God!" Ian stood up and went to punch Maddy's shoulder aggressively. Maddy shielded herself, but Ian stopped.
"If you tell Kai about this, I won't hesitate next time." Ian stared at Maddy, and walked off.
Maddy sat there, stunned. She knew Ian was a bit prone to overreacting, but hadn't thought he would try to hit her.
'I need to talk to Kai…' were the only thoughts in her head. There was one mistake that she had made - Kai had been right about Ian. Maddy got up, and ran to the room. Unsurprisingly, Kai was still asleep.
"Kai! KAI!" Maddy shook his shoulder and he awoke, with a pokeball ready in his hand.
"What?!" Kai snarled at Maddy.
"Shh, don't yell! I need to tell you something important." Maddy looked around for Ian, making sure he wasn't eavesdropping.
"What, that I'm being mean and nasty to Ian, and I should stop this instant?" Kai continued to speak loudly, in a singy-songy voice.
"Shh! Get out of your PJs, we're leaving now!" Maddy chucked his clothes onto his bed and packed her own.
"What? Why? What about Ian?" Kai stared blankly at Maddy, slowly packing his clothes.
"Who cares about Ian! Just do it, and quickly!" Maddy replied hastily, shooting looks at the windows and doorways.
Kai raised an eyebrow, but did what he was told. Maddy put Eve in her bag, shoved food, water, potions and important supplies in her bag. She flipped her bag over her shoulder and quickly helped Kai put his stuff in his bag. He put his bag on his back and slowly trudged out the door. They passed the buffet door, and Kai stopped and looked wistfully at it.
"Hurry up!" Maddy snapped at Kai.
"What? No breakfast?" Kai drooped his head and continued to drag his feet.
"Hurry up, geez!" Maddy quickly scanned the area, looking this way and that for any signs of Ian.
"Why? There's no rush," Kai mumbled. Fuming, Maddy grabbed his ear and yanked him out the door.
"Yes, there is. We need to get out of here, at least somewhere else in this town…" Maddy sighed, and stopped.
Pulling Maddy off him, Kai sat at a nearby seat and said "What's wrong? Is it something to do with Ian?"
"Eh, uh, no…" Maddy scratched the back of her head nervously.
"Yeah, right. No, really, what's wrong?" Kai looked at Maddy in the eyes.
"Well…" Maddy started, but a loud shout interrupted her.
"HEY! I told you not to tell him!" A loud voice was heard from afar.
"Oh no..." Maddy cringed as Ian approached the two.
"What?" Kai's brain exploded in confusion as he looked first at Maddy, then at Ian.
"I said NOT to, and you did!" Ian stared at Maddy and breathed deeply.
"I didn't!" Maddy looked at him as he ran closer.
"You lie! Go, Growlithe! Attack her!" Ian shouted in rage. An angry Growlithe (which had seemed to have grown a considerable amount since the forest) ran towards Maddy and threw her off the seat. Growling, it pushed her to the ground and held her down. Kai jumped up and tried to kick the Growlithe off, but it snapped at his heels and stood its ground, still keeping Maddy pinned down.
"You scum! And to think we let you join our group! I knew there was something wrong with you! Taking Eve! Complaining! Overreacting at everything! And now this!" Kai shouted at Ian, and snatched a pokeball off his belt.
"Hah! You can't beat me!" Ian kicked Maddy in the ribs and the thigh. The pain was pounding and the heat from Growlithe meant that if Maddy tried to defend herself, she would be made into toast.
"Yeah, right! Leave Maddy alone! If I win, you leave her alone!" Kai threw his pokeball at Ian, which hit him in the
forehead and bounced back, releasing a Gastly.
"And if I win, you leave me alone to do what I want!" Ian threw another pokeball from his belt which flew up in the air, and released a Sneasel, a dark pokemon with razor sharp claws.
"Fine!" Kai snapped. "Gastly! Use Hypnosis!"
"Hah! Sneasel! Use Agility to dodge, and use Quick Attack!"
A large mist erupted from Gastly's mouth, but Sneasel was gone before it had hit it. Sneasel appeared in front of Gastly, and leapt at it, but flew straight through the ghost pokemon.
"You should study more! Normal type moves are useless on ghost pokemon!" Kai sneered.
"Shut up and battle, you filthy slob!" Ian turned a slight shade of pink.
"Don't call me a filthy slob! You stinkin' coward! Without your pokemon, you're a helpless mound of trash!"
"Shut up and battle already!"
"You're so stupid! You smell like a wet Furret dipped in Houndour crap then smothered in smelly cheese!"
"KAI! Shut up and BATTLE ALREADY!" Maddy yelled.
"Oh, right..." Kai grinned nervously and remembered the position Maddy was in.
"Yeah, shut up and bloody battle! You delay too much, now battle!" Ian shouted.
"Gastly! Disappear and use Lick!" Gastly vanished and flew over to Sneasel and gave it a big wet lick on the cheek.
Sneasel became stiff and motionless.
"What? Just from a lick?!" Ian threw rocks at Sneasel, trying to 'wake it up'.
"Gastly's lick paralyses pokemon. You don't read much do you?"
"Shut up, you foul, stupid... thing! You're dumb and ugly!"
"Stop insulting me, you little brat! You think I'm ugly? Look in a mirror!"
"You're so ugly, your momma thought she had a Slakoth for a child!"
"Don't you dare bring my mother into this, or you can worry about something other than idle threats!"
"Like what?!"
"Like something that will make you cry like a little baby in the night!" Kai danced around and put on a high pitched voice. "Mummy! Oh mummy! Where's my teddy bear? And my bottle? Mummy!"
"That is IT!! Sneasel! Use Dark Pulse!" Ian demanded and pointed directly at – not the Gastly – but Kai! Sneasel obeyed and shot a black wave at Kai, forcing him to the ground and knocking him out.
"Hah! That'll teach you! Sneasel! Scratch him now!" Ian laughed. It was a high, humorless sound.
Maddy watched in horror as the Sneasel slashed Kai in the ribs and made the cuts deeper… deeper…
"You vile, disgusting little worm! How could you do such an evil thing? I HATE YOU!"
Ian stopped dead.
"Sneasel, stop… W-what did you say?" Ian looked like he had stopped breathing, and turned pale.
"I said I hate you!"
"WAH!" Ian ran toward Maddy and kicked her several times in the ribs. "You can't hate me! You can't!" Ian shouted over and over with tears in his eyes. He stopped kicking Maddy and returned his Pokemon.
"Ah… you…" Ian turned around and ran. Tears flew from his eyes as he ran, but he didn't turn back.
Maddy quickly got to her feet, and ran to Kai.
"Kai! Kai, are you okay?" Maddy gently shook his head. His eyes opened slowly and he tried to get up.
"Maddy… What happened?" Kai moaned, and saw the blood in his chest and sighed.
"We need to get to the PokeCentre." Maddy took off her bandana and tied it tightly around the wound.
Kai smiled as Maddy reached for the spare clothes in her bag. She wrapped it around the deep slashes, and smiled back.
"Thanks." Kai put his arms around Maddy and held her tightly in his arms.