Welcome to the first story to 2018! This is a companion fic to Usurping, and to a lesser extent, Holly Rising. This is also part of the Traveler series. Although it is not required to read the other fics in the series, it does have spoilers for some of them. In particular, this fic has heavy spoilers for Holly Rising, Knowledge, and Homecoming. It goes without saying that this fic also has spoilers for future story Usurping.
It's also worth noting that unlike the other companion stories written so far, this fic is intended to be a multi-chapter story. However, it will be short, probably only about five or six chapters.
Also, as a warning, this fic deals heavily with children in peril, sometimes on-screen. It isn't anything graphic, but it's a bit more than what is seen in the other books in the series (other than a few chapters of Holly Rising).
As always, I do not own Pokémon, and see the author's notes for details.
1. Finding Out
Sunlight streamed through the windows of a large house in Celadon. The beams hit the house's occupant dead on, and she slowly opened her eyes,
Immediately, the occupant was alerted to a rush of other sensations. She could hear the calm flowing water from Celadon's many ponds. If she looked closely she could see the small house across from one of these ponds, and the elderly man that lived there.
The occupant could hear the ringing of the casino in the distance, and cringed. She'd never been fond of the place, as didn't blend in with the rest of the city. And it had gotten so many young Trainers dangerously hooked… There was an arcade next to it as a safe alternative, but the occupant doubted many used it…
Yet the intrusive noises of the casino were soon canceled out by the pleasant music drifting through the air. The occupant nodded approvingly. The people of Kanto had asked to build a Radio Tower in Celadon, in order to mimic the one in nearby Johto.
She had let them, and it proved to be one of the best decisions she made in her life.
Not only did it attract more people to the city, but the music always was quite pleasing to her ears. However, the occupant liked a lot of music, so pleasing her wasn't hard. But still, she appreciated the development.
Now, the Radio Tower's music was mixed in with the calls of the early rising merchants. They were from the local department store, and they hoped anyone would try their products. The massive department store towered over everything, so the occupant didn't think it needed shouting merchants to draw attention.
But, not everyone was immediately interested in the store, she supposed.
The occupant wondered why the merchants were always up before anyone else, but she figured they must have been shouting about their famous daily deals. And such deals were best started in the morning. They almost had to be, with people coming from far and wide to partake. The occupant wondered how long it would be before the streets would be filled with people running in a mad rush, fighting against each other to the best deals.
One might call it insanity, but to Celadon, this was normalcy.
After all, the department store deals were one of Celadon's more popular attractions, and not without reason. The prices were almost always reasonable, and the items almost always useful.
The occupant would know. She'd been to a few of the deals, and felt they were well worth the rush. Perhaps she would head to the store today.
Yet now, the occupant looked out the window, seeing people scurrying to and fro. She noticed that most of them were from the massive apartment buildings, and immediately focused on where the people were going. The occupant realized some of them were heading to the department store merchants from before. If she wanted to get her share of the day's deals, she needed to be quick.
But she couldn't move.
Not when she was captivated by an ocean of green.
This ocean was quite different from the calm waters elsewhere in Celadon.
For instead, it was a sea of trees.
The trees blew gently in the wind as the sun glistened off their branches. They contrasted heavily against the bustling crowds further in the city, yet they still stood tall and proud. Flowers and plants also decorated the entire landscape, illuminated by the warm sunlight. And then there were the elaborate gardens kept by the city's residents, filled the brim with greenery of every kind. The occupant was quickly reminded of the enormous garden she herself kept, and that tending to the garden took priority over any shopping.
But she still smiled.
Celadon may have been a massive city, but it was the city of green and beauty.
And the occupant wouldn't have it any other way.
For she was Erika, leader of both Celadon and all of the Kanto Gym Leaders.
And her specialties were Grass Type Pokémon and beauty.
Both of which suited Celadon perfectly.
Erika was suddenly torn from her thoughts by the cries of Pokémon. She let out small sigh, and couldn't help looking a little forlorn.
As mesmerizing as the greenery outside was, she couldn't stare at it forever.
So, Erika rapidly brushed her short black hair. She threw a red headband into it, making sure that it was squarely on her head. Erika dressed in her favorite tan kimono, the bottom the color of autumn's leaves. Brown eyes shone back at her from a nearby mirror, almost matching the clay colored sandals she wore.
Erika smiled and nodded as she headed out of the room.
However, she paused when she passed another room. The door was closed, but Erika could still see the room was dark. The Celadon Gym Leader could faintly hear a fan going.
Erika was about to put a hand on the doorknob, but stopped herself.
This room belonged to her adoptive daughter Holly, and right now, it seemed Holly wasn't awake.
Not that there was anything wrong with that.
Normally, Erika would have gotten Holly up early, making her help out around the city. It was mostly a punishment. Holly had been more and more defiant lately.
But now she was behaving herself, doing whatever Erika asked with hardly any complaints.
So, Erika decided to let Holly sleep in today. It was something her daughter loved to do, and Erika figured it was a fitting reward.
The Celadon Gym Leader trotted down to the kitchen, deciding to make herself breakfast. Within minutes, the kitchen was alive as she scurried around. Food sizzled on a nearby stove, and its mouthwatering aroma filled the air.
Erika nodded, but she couldn't help looking towards Holly's room again.
She thought the sound and smell of pancakes and sausage heating up would wake her daughter, but there was no response.
Erika shook her head, and let a small chuckle.
Perhaps it was still too early, even for food.
Holly always was a late sleeper (well, provided she could get away with it). She usually slept deeply, too.
But while the food did not rouse Holly, it did catch the attention of a few others.
The Pokémon from before let out more cries, and Erika could make out some of their shadows as they started moving towards her. Celadon's Gym Leader smiled, but held up her hand.
"One moment. I'm getting my breakfast first, and then you can have yours."
The Pokémon let out dejected cries before slinking back. However, Erika knew despite how hungry they were, they could wait.
And they didn't have to wait long.
A few minutes after the Pokémon appeared, Erika's breakfast was ready. She set it on a plate, and then a table. After that, Erika rapidly dashed out of the kitchen and headed to where the Pokémon had come from.
The area first seemed dark and ominous, but Erika only had to look up to see sunlight streaming through. It was as if trees towered over everything, but Erika knew they were nowhere near as large as the ones outside. They couldn't be, within the confines of a house. Smaller plants and flowers of every kind were here too, and they did match their counterparts outside. Erika could feel grass crunch beneath her feet, and for a moment, it was as if she stepped into a different world.
She inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent of the indoor forest.
What better way to please her Pokémon!
And her idea had been so popular that a young Bug Type Gym Leader in Johto had decided to use it too. Last Erika had heard, his Pokémon had never been happier.
As if on cue, the forest rustled, and Erika's own Pokémon appeared.
She could see Grass Pokémon of every shape and size. They ranged from the small and the frail, to the powerful and the mighty. Some were as tall as the trees, while others barely reached the tree trunks. Still others stood in plain sight, hungrily waiting for their food. In contrast, there were those that camouflaged with the area, and Erika squinted to see them. Some Pokémon fell from the canopies, while others marched on the forest floor. A few Pokémon even popped up from the underneath soil, shaking off dirt as they approached.
But despite their differences, the Pokémon were all united for one purpose.
And that purpose became apparent soon as Erika grabbed the Pokémon food.
Instantly, countless Grass Pokémon crowded around the Celadon Gym Leader. Some licked their lips greedily. Others tried using their vines or hands to grab at the food she carried. A couple attempted to barge through the crowd, anxious to get Erika first. And then there were those who waited patiently, occasionally casting glares at their impolite comrades.
Yet the Erika was unperturbed by all the chaos.
Instead, she expertly dodged flying hands and vines. The Celadon Gym Leader gracefully danced around those who tried to shove their way to her, not even coming close to tripping over all the Pokémon. Some of the Pokémon lashed out, but only succeeded in tripping over each other. Erika had no time to ponder if the Pokémon were hurt as she seized the moment to chance away. Thankfully, the confused Pokémon did not follow.
Eventually, Erika stood a safe distance away from all of them, stopping to catch her breath.
She shook her head, firmness entering her eyes and voice.
"Now, you know you all have to wait your turn. The most patient Pokémon get fed first."
The squabbling Pokémon shrunk back, ceasing their anxious movements immediately. The ones that had not grabbed at the food fixed the others with gazes that silently stated "I told you so". Their companions could only look back sheepishly, and some of the Pokemons' faces flushed with embarrassment.
Erika again shook her head at them, and waited until all the Pokémon were standing still.
It was then that she realized some of them were missing.
But Erika didn't think anything was wrong.
Those that weren't wanting food now might come later.
After all, not everyone liked eating first thing in the morning.
So, Erika gave food to each of the Pokémon that were present. However, the Celadon Gym Leader kept her word, and the Pokémon that were polite had their food first. The others didn't even stir, although some of them cast mournful glances at the patient ones.
Eventually though, every Pokémon was fed and satisfied, and Erika walked back to the kitchen.
Erika walked back to the kitchen, quietly sitting down to eat her own breakfast. Before long, she had finished.
Erika walked over to wash the dishes, and stole a glance at the clock.
Concern crossed her face.
Holly still hadn't gotten up.
It was still fairly early, so Erika supposed her daughter could sleep a little longer. The Celadon Gym Leader decided she would wake her daughter up soon, though. She didn't want Holly to be unable to sleep that night.
For now though, Erika felt it was time to head to the garden. It was nearby and she had a lot of work to do.
Surely Holly would be up by the time she finished.
So, Erika wasted no time grabbing her tools and going to her destination.
The plants in the garden were just as varied as the ones Erika had seen from the window moments before. Blue, violet, red, yellow, orange, green, pink, white, black… It seemed as though one would be hard-pressed to find color that wasn't there.
And the sizes differed as much as the colors did. Some were so tall they threatened to reach the sky. Others were so tiny that they could barely be seen as they cowered in the shadows of their larger companions.
Most of the plants glistened in the sun, illuminated by its rays. The glistening sunlight and dazzling colors made the plants almost resemble the world's largest rainbow.
Erika smiled.
It was places like this that made people call Celadon the "City of Rainbow Colors".
But rainbows or not, there were still things she had to do.
So Erika went to work, the sun beginning to beat down on her back.
There were so many tasks to do…
Pulling weeds, rearranging soil, watering plants, putting new seeds into the ground…
Erika thought about calling some of her Grass Pokémon to help, but decided against it.
It was good to have some time alone now and then.
So Erika worked peacefully, bothered by no one.
After some time had passed, she glanced up, a frown on her face.
The sun was rising high in the sky, and there was still no sign of Holly.
Erika sighed.
Looks like she'd have to wake her up…
After quickly washing up, Erika headed to Holly's bedroom door. The room was still dark, and the fan was still going.
Erika nodded, once again reminded that Holly could be a deep sleeper.
If she wanted to wake her, she would have to be loud…
Erika knocked on the door and cleared her throat.
"Holly, Holly, time to get up! You slept pretty late!"
No answer.
After a few minutes, Erika took a deep breath and tried again.
"Holly, Holly, wake up! It's almost the middle of the day!"
Still no answer.
Erika took her hand away from the door, placing it on the handle.
Yet when she tried to turn it, she found it was locked.
Erika winced.
Why had she allowed Holly have a lock on her door again?
But there was no time for regrets, as Erika rapidly ran over to the kitchen and rummaged through one of the drawers.
She seized a bright red screwdriver and returned to the door. Erika carefully placed the shimmering silver part of this screwdriver in the doorknob's hole. She turned the red handle like it was a key.
Erika let out a sigh of relief as the lock clicked open.
She wasn't much for tools. However, her parents resolved to teach her how to open the door without a key as soon as they found out Holly had a lock.
At the time, Erika thought that unnecessary.
Now, she was nothing but grateful.
The Celadon Gym Leader slowly pushed the door open, and made almost no sound as she entered the room.
Erika's left hand shot towards the light switch that she knew would be on the wall.
She shouted. "Holly, what-"
But Erika's sentence died in her throat as soon as she turned the light on.
The large window in Holly's room was closed, yet the bed looked as though a tornado had torn through it. Covers were everywhere, and Erika could see the wrinkled sheets. Holly's pillow was lying on the center of the bed, so Erika had a feeling Holly hadn't used it.
Many pictures lined the walls. The fan produced a gentle breeze, occasionally causing flimsier pictures to flutter. The rest of the pictures remained untouched and unmoving, but they held no clues.
Erika glanced over to Holly's desk, normally filled with objects that were scattered everywhere.
Now was completely spotless, something so foreign to Erika she almost did a double take. Holly's closet and bathroom doors were shut tight, but Erika didn't doubt those areas were also tidied up.
She had been getting after Holly to clean her room, and Holly had been grudgingly obeying.
But now a chill ran down Erika's spine.
She didn't know why Holly's desk was sparkling clean, but she suspected it wasn't because Erika had told her to keep it that way.
So Erika glanced towards a huge window to the right, hoping that the object would give her some hint.
But there was nothing.
The window was closed and securely locked, as if Holly had never used it.
Erika felt the blood drain out of her face, and she let out a cry. She was aware of her eyes going wide, and it took all her composure to keep from trembling. Erika could feel nausea seize her stomach, and desperately hoped she wouldn't vomit.
She may not have understood what happened here, but she did understand one thing.
Holly was gone.
Author's notes:
-So this was originally intended to be a one-shot, like the other companion fics. However, I realized it was getting a bit too long, and turned it into a multi-chapter. However, this also means that chapters will be a bit more varied in length than what I usually post. This one was a bit on the shorter side, but the next one should be longer.
-Erika not liking the casino comes from the games. Some of the Trainers mention that the Game Corner is bad for the city's image, and it otherwise looks very out of place. The idea of getting young Trainers hooked comes from a real-life concern with the games. Some rating systems were concerned that the Game Corner would promote gambling in children, and asked that the Game Corners be phased out or the rating increased. So the Game Corners were phased out.
-The idea of an arcade comes from a fan idea. Some fans believe that arcades would replace the game corner, it would make sense because it would be a safe alternative. While arcades never really came into existence, there are several other mini games that use the same concept of earning a special type of currency that can be spent on prizes. I thought an arcade would make sense for Celadon, though, so that's why it's here.
-The Radio Tower in Celadon has to do with my own interpretation. Originally, there is a Radio Tower built in place of the Pokémon Tower in Lavender. However, I thought it didn't make much sense there, so I moved it to Celadon without replacing any building. There is still a reference to the Radio Tower in Lavender, but it probably won't be seen in this book.
-Erika having a lot of Grass Pokémon has to do with the games. Erika has a lot of unique teams during each of the games (around four or five), so I thought it would make sense that she would have a lot of different Grass Pokémon to create those teams.
-Erika's parents are never mentioned in either the games or the anime, but in Pokémon Special manga, she is mentioned as being the daughter of the richest family in Celadon. Therefore, I figured her parents would have to be around in some capacity. Her being the leader of all the Kanto Gym Leaders also comes from the Pokémon Special manga, where she has this position alongside her normal duties as a Gym Leader.
-The idea of the forest inside Erika's house for her Pokémon comes from the anime. In the anime, Bugsy is stated to have built a Gym in the middle the forest, so his Bug Pokémon can be in their natural habitat while he battles. Since Grass type Pokémon naturally live in a forest, I figured Erika could do something similar. The reference to the Bug Type Gym Leader who used Erika's idea is a reference to Bugsy. The idea of the forest being inside the house comes from things like zoo enclosures and museums, when often different types of terrain are built for different types of wildlife living there, even though people visiting never leave a single building.
-The merchants Erika refers to come from the games. In some of the games, the player will receive announcements that there are deals at department stores. These deals allow the player to find items that they typically wouldn't find anywhere else, and often at better prices. Something like this is never seen at Celadon, but I figured it wouldn't be out of place. The elderly man living in a house across the border from Celadon has to do with someone in the games. If the player crosses a pond in the city, an elderly man will be waiting and will teach their Pokémon the healing move Softboiled, provided they can learn it.
-Erika opening up a door with a screwdriver actually is a way to open up a locked door, working exactly as the story described. However, it only works for certain types of doors, so I just decided that Holly would have that particular type of door.