"Let's see..." I grasped the Pokedex in my hand, checking the area setting for Oshawott's general location. It wouldn't show me anything, but it did function as a handy alternative to a town map, even with the large 'AREA UNKNOWN' smack dab in the middle of the screen. I traced a path with my finger, then squinted and traced it again. I then shut off the Pokedex and slipped it back into my pocket.
"It looks like we've got about a day more to travel till we reach Striaton City!" Cyan bounded up out of his resting spot with a loud, confident "Osha!" I gave him a quick pat on the head, and he nibbled my palm playfully. Unlike Cheren and Matthew, I didn't mind Pokemon biting me - teething was natural, or at least I thought it was, considering my escapade with another baby Pokemon.
Well, Cyan's teeth didn't break the skin, at any rate.
We had been together for about two weeks, and we had caught two more members. One was a Purrloin, like Cheren's, except mine was female. I named her Refia, and she enjoyed teasing and toying with Cyan. On the contrary, Cyan didn't enjoy it at all, so Refia generally stayed in her Pokeball, except during meals. As for Cyan himself, he had begun to bond with me, although the whole first week he was very meek and quiet - he only started to open up when I lightly scolded Refia for teasing him.
My other new catch was a Mienfoo, who I called Erin. I had actually caught her just the night before (I hadn't even let her back out of her Pokeball yet), and I didn't know much about her personally. I had checked her Pokedex entry when I caught her (seeing as I hadn't seen another Pokemon like her so far – mostly it was just Patrats and Lillipups), and I had been very surprised (and more than a little troubled) to find that Mienfoo generally made their habitat in Victory Road. Victory Road! A Pokemon that normally lived in the final test for trainers, somehow found all the way down here! I had called Juniper (who had been calling Cheren at the time) to ask her about what I should do with it, and she had simply recommended for me to take it with me. Seeing as I had no real other choice, I had kept Erin's Pokeball with me. I made a mental note to myself to let her out sometime today.
I stood up, and let Cyan clamber up into my hair, where he would sit when we walked. Of course, I made him walk sometimes, if only to get some consistent exercise, but he preferred my hair to his feet, probably for good reason. He stood up tall and proud, and pointed forward, brandishing his swordshell, calling out a battlecry-esqe yell of "Oshaaaaaaaaaa!" Thankfully, nobody was around the area of the countryside we had camped out in, so there wasn't anyone to give him (or me) strange glances. I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder and began to walk. I had to admit, Unova was incredibly different from Sinnoh. The routes seemed far more straightforward, and I even saw patches of tall grass blocked off by a white-picket fence and gate, something I never saw in any of the regions I'd explored before. In fact, I got so caught up in the scenery that I nearly crashed into the couple in front of me that was calling my name.
You know what, scratch that, I won't lie. I did crash into them, and I flopped over on my back hard, the wind getting knocked out of me. Cyan had leapt out of my hair beforehand, and he sprayed my face with a Water Gun to try and wake me up.
"Cyan, I'm…" I breathed in deep. "I'm not unconscious, stop it…" While it was admittedly nice to have a near-infinite supply of water to wake anyone up from fainting, Cyan didn't really have his Water Gun under control yet, and he was mostly soaking my hair. I could hear the couple chuckling under their breath, then I felt the Water Gun cease, and I sat up, shaking my hair to get the excess water out. One of the two trainers was struggling with Cyan, who was now spraying water everywhere. I stood up and took the little otter from the trainer.
"Cyan!" Cyan stopped using Water Gun, and stared at me. I smiled. "I'm fine now. You don't need to flood everywhere." He looked around at that quip, noticing that most of the area was now mud. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of "Oshawott". I gave him a quick hug and patted his head.
"Apology accepted. Just don't panic as much next time." I set him down on the ground and turned, my eyes locking with the couple's. Wordlessly, I plucked a Pokeball out of my bag and tossed it. Refia came out, meowing playfully, and she licked her claws. Cyan took a stance next to her. The couple tossed out their own two Pokeballs, and the battle commenced.
The couple's twin Lillipups collapsed, multiple scratches from Refia's claws littering their bodies, and they returned them to their Pokeballs. I did the same with Cyan. The two Lillipups had used a sand-attack on the poor guy, but due to the water he had sprayed moments before, he had been completely blinded by a double serving of thick mud. This caused Cyan to be easy pickings for tackles, and he had quickly fainted. Refia, on the flipside, had used her natural catlike agility and reflexes to avoid most of the clumsy attacks the Lillipups had thrown at her, and had taken both of them out all by herself, earning her a well-deserved petting and an Oran Berry. I waved as the couple ambled off in the direction I had come from, speaking amiably about nothing in particular.
I stepped out of the muddy area and looked forward. A large clump of buildings stood before me. Finally, I had reached Striaton City. Straining my neck, I caught a glimpse of a red roof among the other houses, and began to stride towards it. The automatic glass doors swished open, and I walked over to the main counter, where the red-haired nurse bowed with a smile.
"Good evening!" She said. I checked my Pokegear and raised an eyebrow. Somehow, the battle had taken up most of the late afternoon – it was seven o'clock. "I assume you need to get your Pokemon all healed up?"
I nodded, fumbling around in my messenger bag for Refia's Pokeball. I felt my shoulder lose weight, and I saw her leap onto the counter, where she let out a soft meow and lay down, napping. I gave her a soft smile, finally managing to grab her Pokeball, and returned her to it. "Sleep well, Refia." I said, the cat forming into a red sphere of energy that the ball absorbed. I took the other two Pokeballs out of my bag and gave all three to the nurse. Taking them, I watched her as she placed them into a tray and slid them into the healing machine. Pressing a few buttons, the machine began to click and whir as the process began. Another, louder noise groaned above the machine, and I looked down to see that the perpetrator was my own stomach. The nurse couldn't help but laugh loudly, and I soon joined her. After a while, we died down, but the nurse still had on a laughing smile.
"On that note," I began, still chuckling. "Where's a good place to eat around here?" The nurse turned to tend to the machine, her eyes scanning the screen for any discrepancies.
"Well, there's really only one place around here: Striaton Restaurant and Gym, just next door." I instinctively turned my head out the window, and saw a large, stylized Pokeball symbol – the mark of a Pokemon Gym. Wait, Restaurant and Gym? I turned back to the nurse.
"It's both?" I asked, a bit skeptically. The nurse simply winked at me.
"It'll take some time for your Pokemon to finish healing up. Why not go over there and see what you're up against?" My mind cleared up a bit, now understanding the wisdom in her suggestion, and I casually walked out, waving to the nurse. "I'll see you later, then!" I called to her, and she waved back.
Stepping outside, I noticed the air was a bit crisper, an anomaly compared to the muggier nights Cyan and I had spent around Nuvema and Accumula. The city itself was still bustling with activity, parents walking around with their children, who themselves were walking around with their Pokemon. I noted that they mostly seemed to have Lillipups, Patrats, or Purrloins, although one blue-jacketed boy that was entering the Trainer School had a Snivy on his shoulder. I guessed that this was probably Cheren and that I ought to go say hi later, but for now, my stomach took priority. I pushed open the door to the gym, and walked inside.
It certainly looked strange. It was like a combination of a standardized gym battlefield, with tables for paying customers littering the edges of the room, far enough away so that patrons wouldn't be harmed by any attacks (unless an attack was directly aimed at a table, although that would probably result in getting booted out of the place). I crossed between the familiar Rhydon and Kangaskhan statues that stood at the sides of the entrance, and a white-shirted man strode over to me with an order-pad.
"Good evening, and welcome to the Striaton Restaurant and Gym." His voice was rather gravelly, and he coughed somewhat to prove my point. "Have you a reservation, or are you eating out tonight?"
"I'm eating out tonight, thanks." He handed me a menu and a bottle of fresh water (which I thanked him for), and my eyes looked over the choices. I had to admit, they had a lot of stuff I didn't think they would, and some of the more expensive stuff was mouth-wateringly delicious-sounding (especially to a hungry guy like me). However, I had to remember that I was paying for a meal for four (even if three of those four were Pokemon), and I settled on ordering a shared plate of fried Magikarp. Even if I didn't like fishy foods too much (a bad childhood experience with some canned Magikarp does that to you), I knew that Cyan would enjoy it, being a water type, and he would probably want to enjoy something after his defeat earlier today. The caretaker sat me down in a separate chair to wait for the food to get ready, and I decided to watch the tail-end of a battle that seemed to be taking place. How I had missed it when I arrived, I don't think I'd ever know.
The challenger was a young kid, probably ten years old, wearing shorts and a yellow baseball cap turned backwards. His Patrat was standing, albeit weakly, and it looked like it was on its last legs. The other battler, who I assumed was the Gym Leader, was a red-haired man in a waiter's outfit, hopping up and down in untamed excitement. His Pokemon, a strange red monkey with a fire-shaped hair tuft, was doing the same.
"Go, Pansear! Use your Incinerate!" The monkey leapt up and threw back his head, yelling loudly. The heat seemed to rise in the entire room, which shocked me quite a bit, and Pansear spat a large ember at the Patrat, knocking it flat onto its back, completely unconscious. The referee stepped forward and waited. At the ten-second mark, he raised a flag, pointing towards the red-haired waiter, who immediately wrapped his monkey into a rather uncomfortable-looking hug. The monkey just let his arms and legs flop around and closed his eyes. The youngster picked up his Patrat, thanked the waiter, and rushed out of the restaurant.
"So... the gym is a fire-type gym, eh..." I grinned devilishly. I could work with this. Suddenly, a pair of rather-close-to-my-face hands placed a plastic-foam box marked 'Magikarp' in front of me, and I yelped softly in surprise. I turned to find myself looking at a blue-haired man in a waiter's outfit, the exact same kind as the red-haired man's.
"Too wrapped up in watching Chili battle, eh?" I nodded meekly, then thought a moment. Chili? That was the leader's name? Who would name their kid 'Chili"?
"Most people do - it's his battle style, I think. He's so full of energy, even if it does make him make mistakes sometimes." I raised an eyebrow. How did this guy know so much, even if he was a worker here?
"I suppose you're wondering who I am. I'm one of the brothers who runs this gym." I did a double take.
"Wait, what?" He stifled a laugh and attempted to mask it as a cough.
"Yes, this gym has more than one leader. In fact, it has three!" I felt my jaw open slightly.
"The leader you face depends on what you chose as a starter Pokemon from miss Juniper. Whoever you chose is at a disadvantage. It's a test for new trainers to see if they're really ready." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. That threw a wrench into my plans, although I suppose it never was as easy as a type-advantage sweep. I picked up my box of food, handed the blue-haired waiter some cash, and walked out back towards the Pokemon Center. The scent of fried fish seemed to leave an unseen trail, and many people's Pokemon raised their heads, sniffing. I quickly got to the Pokemon Center as to avoid a crowd of Pokemon trying to get at my food. The nurse bowed again, and handed me the tray of three Pokeballs. I took them and slipped them into my bag.
"Ah, do you have any rooms available?" She nodded, taking a key from under the counter and handing it to me. I checked the key, which said Room 7. I nodded my thanks.
"See you in the morning!" She smiled, and I walked down the hall to the left. Stopping at the room marked '7', I slipped in the key and unlocked it. I stepped in.
It wasn't anything special, just a typical Pokemon Center room. A couch, a table, a bed, and a small Pokemon bed if a trainer chose to let his Pokemon say out of their Pokeballs. I placed the box of fried fish on the table and reached into my bag, pulling out my three Pokeballs. I pressed the button on the first one. Out came Erin, who looked around the unfamiliar area in wonder. I pressed the second one. This time, Refia appeared, her eyes sparkling at the smell of fish. Opening up the last one, I saw Cyan emerge, and he immediately ran to me, tugging on my pantleg tightly. I picked him up and sat him in my lap, and Refia jumped up onto the couch, sitting next to him. She began to yell (for lack of a better word) at him in what I could only describe as a half-condescending, half-angry tone. Cyan's eyes widened at the onslaught of incomprehensible insults, and so did Erin's.
But Refia didn't stop there. Before I could even reach over her to distract her with food, she was sticking her face right in Cyan's, screaming at him with loud, grating hisses and meows. Cyan began to bawl. I realized exactly what Refia had been yelling at him about, and I groaned - I had gone to all this trouble to begin building up Cyan's self-confidence again, and Refia had torn it down even further in the span of a few minutes. Goddamn brilliant. I was about to return Refia to her ball as punishment for acting out of line when I heard a loud 'RRRRAOW!' and an even louder crash. I immediately looked up, and my jaw dropped for the second time that night.
Erin, as her first act of being under my ownership, had taken it upon herself to administer her own punishment to Refia, that being of a rather powerful fighting-type move, which I later learned was Rock Smash. Erin herself was breathing hard, standing on the couch next to a completely dumbstruck Cyan, who was eyeing her in awe, and what I thought was admiration. I looked over at Refia, who had flown all the way to the other wall, completely unconscious. I groaned again, and returned her to her ball. The silence that permeated the room afterwards was ridiculously awkward, and I opened my mouth to say something to break it. However, I felt a movement in my lap, and I saw Cyan dash over to Erin, hugging her tightly, beginning to bawl again. This caused Erin to go numb, as she simply stood there, blushing slightly. I couldn't blame her. I mean, if you had a little otter crying onto your chest, you'd probably be blushing too.
I stepped out of the room to give the nurse Refia's Pokeball. I'm pretty sure she was going to ask what happened, but the tired look I gave her answered any question she might have had. I dragged my hand across my face as I slowly, ever so slowly, walked back. Today had been a long day. As I walked back into the room, I was greeted to the sight of Cyan and Erin sitting on the table, chowing down on the fried fish, chattering with each other in their adorably nonsensical language. I smiled wide. Feeing rejuvenated, I sat back down on the couch and plucked a piece of fish out of Cyan's hands playfully.
"Hey now, leave some for me!" I said, snickering. I felt my face get hit with a Water Gun, and my eyelids lowered halfway in a mock-disapproving look. Erin began to laugh, and so did Cyan. I lowered the piece of fish into my mouth and chewed. Somehow, even though it was fish, it didn't taste like anything other than the breading - which made me want even more of it. Soon enough, Erin, Cyan and I had polished it all off, along with the fresh water bottle I had nearly forgotten about. We all sat back, patting our stomachs, and I loosened my belt a little. Cyan and Erin hopped off the table clumsily, flopping around due to their full bellies, and they eventually clambered up onto the bed and fell asleep, Cyan hugging Erin tightly to him. I was going to wake them up so that I could have the bed, but I decided against it as the picture was just too adorable. I grabbed a blanket, and fluffed the couch cushion - no sense sleeping on the floor. I fell asleep before I even hit the pillow.