1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

A Heart of Steel

by JPGebbert

JPGebbert Nick Walls, the son in a family of coal miners, only wants to be a benefit to others. He thought his future would be with his parents' Full Coal Mining Co., but an unusual encounter with a Pokemon could change everything.
Nick woke up to the glorious scent of cooked eggs and bacon, his mouth drooling over his pillow. To him, there was no better event than breakfast. It gave him energy and made sure the rest of the day went smoothly. He sprang out of his bed with a thud, loud enough to warrant a shout from his mother, which he promptly apologized for.


He met with his parents downstairs as they set the table and quickly joined them. In moments, the whole family only spoke through loud chewing and laughter, with Nick in a hurry to finish his meal faster.


“Nick, slow down. You’ll cho-ack!” The father choked out while scolding. Nick’s mother began hitting him on the back as he worked the food down with some water.


“Come on Jack, you need to be more careful!” she said. She continued to rub her husband’s back while she turned to her son. “And you, what’s got you in such a rush?” Nick refused to answer, but continued to hold his large grin.


“You’ll see. Anyways, I’ll head out a bit early. There something I want to get done first!” He took his empty plate to the sink and ran out the door before he could hear any response. The boy knew that his parents wouldn’t mind anyways; they could trust him as much as he trusts them. He made sure to grab his cap before running out, the black one with a Pokeball on the front.


Now, it’s time I start giving more back to my family. Nick thought to himself as he exposed himself to the chills of Oreburgh City. His family moved into the outskirts of the city years ago, passionate about starting a coal mining business. They always believed that working hard mentally and physically would build great character, and perhaps they were right. Now, Nick’s parents are the owners of a quickly growing success of a company.


After a half hour jog, he arrived at the job site, just as the sun began to rise and fill the sky in a beautiful orange color. He made his way to the garages, where their industrial vehicles were stationed. The sight made him smile.


As of today, Nick was now 18 years old. The young adult had just finished Pokemon schooling and decided to go full-time in the family business. While working part-time, he was being trained to operate the machinery and heavy vehicles, a dangerous task even while supervised. But now, Nick wanted to prove that he could handle the opening of the facility himself, a feat that could reduce much stress from his parents. He wanted to ensure they can start living life easier.


This plan came to a halt, however, when he noticed a piece of machinery come flying at him. He reacted just quickly enough to avoid a collision, but immediately began looking for a cause to the attack. A bit further ahead, past the gates that sealed off the vehicles, was a furious Bronzong. Its eyes were glowing, warning Nick of the impending danger.


A warning that Nick ignored.


He sprang into action, running towards the attacker with his hands in the air, trying to signal that he meant no harm.


“Stop, please! I’m not going to hurt you! Please calm down!” he kept shouting. The Bronzong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately refused to let its guard down. In moments, Nick was only several feet away. He spoke to it once more. “Please, I just want to help. We can work this out.” It seemed like his words began to reach the Pokemon.


Until he made the mistake.


While creeping closer, Nick tried to reach into his back pocket, fumbling to grab a sandwich he took for lunch. He assumed that this wouldn’t provoke any response, but the Bronzong saw this as a potential attack, and responded in kind. Nick couldn’t remember much more than seeing its eyes glow more fiercely, followed by having his body be thrown against a jagged rock in an instant.


After a moment, he came to, but felt a bit light-headed. The distressed Bronzong was right by his side, clearly upset at what it had done to the human. Nick tried to raise his left arm to comfort it, but noticed he couldn’t. Not only that, but it was extremely painful to try. Looking at it, his eyes widened to find a deep, massive scar running up his arm.


Looks like that rock did a number on me, he thought to himself with a chuckle, but I can’t show anger towards the Bronzong. It must know that I don’t mean harm. He moved his right arm into the pocket and pulled out the sandwich, presenting it to the Pokemon. It hesitated once more, but accepted the food and sat next to Nick. The man realized that it wouldn’t leave his side. He put his arm onto the blue body and began to pet it. The gesture seemed to calm it down.


The last thing Nick remembered seeing was the Bronzong’s eyes glowing once more, then it went dark.


He woke up to find himself in an emergency room, surrounded by a nurse and his parents. Jack, his father, sharply rose from his seat to hug his son.


“Mary look! He’s awake!” In a second both parents were hugging Nick, careful to avoid his bad arm. Nick took this moment to hug them back but noticed his left arm in a cast. He immediately thought of the inconvenience of having to pay for this trip to the ER. The thought didn’t last long, however, since he knew this family would do anything for each other.


“How bad was it?” he managed to ask. Mary hesitated to answer. She knew Nick didn’t like the idea of being an inconvenience for the family. Before she could, Jack decided to tell him straight.


“To be honest,” he started, “your arm was in bad shape. Not only was your arm broken, but it also needed about 20 stitches to seal the deep wound. You lost a lot of blood.” They sat in silence for a moment, and Jack saw the sadness in Nick’s eyes. He tried to perk up. “Fortunately, we share the same blood type, and you’re going to recover just fine, aside from not being able to move that arm as well. I’ll call that pretty lucky!” Nick looked at his father, then shared his own smile.


“You’re right! I am still alive after all, this is only temporary!” The mood in the room brightened considerably. He looked at both his parents in the eyes. “What about the Bronzong, is it ok? Did anyone hurt it?” he asked.


His parent’s eyes widened.


“Hurt it? Why would we? It saved your life after all!” Jack started explaining. “Why, we were on our way to the facility and saw it using its psychic ability to carry you to us. It probably didn’t know where it was going, but thankfully we were able to meet up. Looks like you took a nasty spill down in the coal mines.” Nick raised his eyebrow. “If it didn’t carry you out, we might not have found you in time before you lost too much blood.”


Wait a second, Nick thought, that means they don’t know it was the Bronzong that did it.


After two days, Nick went to the worksite with his parents. They insisted he get more rest, but his body told him not to get lax, or he’ll develop bad habits. He could at least keep the schedule and observe the work for now. Plus, he could still operate some of the machines. When the day was over, he decided to go back to the site where the encounter happened. Jack tagged along to make sure the same thing wouldn’t happen, but he remained optimistic, something he wanted to make sure his family always did.


It was surprising for them to see the Bronzong there, along with a Bronzor. Seemed like it waited for Nick to come back so it could properly apologize, in whatever way a Bronzong could apologize. The Bronzor stayed behind its own parent; it seemed a bit shy. Nick made his way to get close to the Bronzor. The Pokemon held its ground, ready for any punishment he would dish out.


It was surprised to feel Nick’s good arm wrapped around it to hug it. It cried with happiness, thankful for the forgiveness that he displayed. Jack stood proudly in the back, even if he misunderstood the situation. But, Nick felt like his parents needed to know. He turned to face his dad.

I have to tell the truth, he thought.


“Dad, I just wanted you to know that I didn’t take a spill in the mines. The truth is that Bronzong happened to throw me into a jagged rock.” The Pokemon shrunk down at the mention of the words. Nick tightened the hug. “Even if it did, it was completely justified. I made a mistake in how I approached it, and I got punished. And no matter what happened, I have no hard feelings. After all, we share this world together, and you have taught me that there is no reason for us to hate one another.” Jack’s eyes began to water, and he briefly joined their hug.


“Son,” he said behind a sniffle, “I just want you to know how proud of you I am. Your good nature will affect more than you can possibly imagine, I just know it.” They stayed in the hug for what seemed like minutes, until Nick felt something bump into his leg.


He looked to see the Bronzor hovering close to him, happily interested in him. Bronzor made a gesture towards Nick, then to its child, then to Nick again. The young adult looked puzzled, unsure of what it wanted, but Jack let out a hearty laugh. “Looks like it approves of this Bronzor joining your side!” he declared. Nick was shocked at the statement.


“You want to be with me?” he asked the Bronzor. It responded with an energetic movement, almost like a dance, and the Bronzong nodded in approval. Nick was almost in tears. “Wow, that would be amazing. I’m sure we could, but I don’t have a Pokeball for now!”


“Have no fear,” Jack interrupted, “I happen to have a spare Pokeball just in case we needed to make an emergency catch. But it looks like there couldn’t be a more perfect use for this than now!” He handed the ball to his son. Nick’s hand began shaking in excitement as he pressed the ball onto the Pokemon, and watched it disappear in a red light. After a quick sound of confirmation, Nick was now the proud owner of the Bronzor. The two men looked at the Bronzong, who looked pleased with the outcome.


“Well then,” Jack said, “looks like it wants this Bronzor to learn from you. I feel like you two can learn a lot from each other, and this Bronzong probably thinks the same way. Make sure not to let it down!”


“I won’t,” Nick said, tears streaming down his face. This Pokemon may have given him a broken arm, but he was sure that this encounter was meant to be. This would be the beginning of an interesting relationship.
Skyst and Fraseandchico like this.