The fact that I had finally arrived in Santalune City wasn't even in my mind at the moment. All I could think about were my words that I exchanged with Calem before I separated myself from the rest of the group. I felt cornered as they pestered me with questions, and the response I had given them was already too much for them to know. I shouldn't have to explain myself to them, yet I still told them. Gah, I had to make sure the same thing would never happen again.
I didn't agree to go on this journey to make friends; I agreed to travel in hopes of putting my misery in the past.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I decided to use the Town Map to investigate what Santalune City had to offer. After pulling the device out of my bag and powering it on, I waited for my location to load. My eyes fell upon the red pin flashing with the words "Santalune City" appearing above it. Everything about this place was available to me when I tapped on the information tab. Unfortunately, when I read the time displayed at the very top of the screen, I knew my exploring would have to wait until tomorrow.
Aside from not having a proper lunch earlier today, I also wanted to rest for the night. I haven't particularly gotten used to traveling by foot and I no longer had access to my bike during the move. Powering off the Town Map, I put it away and made my way to the Pokémon Center. Hopefully, there were still rooms available to book for the night. I didn't plan on staying here for more than a day anyway.
The automatic doors opened the moment I stepped on the black mat near them. I was welcomed with a cool and relaxing air when I stepped foot inside. Since it was around eight o'clock at night, the lobby was rather empty. Only a few people lingered about: Pokémon Trainers, a businessman, a breeder, and an Ace Trainer.
I walked toward Nurse Joy, who had been typing on a computer at her desk. When she saw me, the pink-haired nurse stood up and waited for me with that signature welcoming smile. I had no intentions on healing Froakie since he was perfectly healthy. I flashed her a small smile as I reached the counter.
"Hello and welcome to the Pokémon Center! Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?" she offered, but I shook my head.
"No, but thank you," I kindly rejected. "I was wondering if I could book a room for the night, please."
"Of course!" she beamed, excusing herself to the computer. A few minutes later, she came back with a bronze key card and a clipboard with a pen attached to it. "We have a room available for you. I just need you to sign in and you're all set!"
Once I signed my name that had a number highlighted, I grabbed the keycard and thanked Nurse Joy before heading to the room. It didn't take too long to find the room since it was rather close to the lobby. When I arrived, I inserted the bronze keycard and waited for the door to unlock. A small green light flickered on the electric lock, which was accompanied by a small buzzing noise. I twisted the knocked and pushed the door opened.
I closed the door behind me after I flicked the light switch on. My room was nothing special; it was the standard decor you'd find in any kind of inn or motel which contained a bed, nightstand, lamp, and desk. The bathroom was to my right when I first entered the room. After dropping my stuff onto the bed, I brought my arms over my head and stretched. I paused when I heard that monstrous growl coming from my stomach.
I guess it's time to eat.
"What a letdown," I mumbled after filling Froakie's bowl with Pokémon food.
My starter didn't hesitate to dig in right away, not even concerned that he might choke with the rapid pace he was eating it. I would do the same had the cafeteria had other options to choose from. A scowl made its way onto my face when I gazed back at the steaming clam chowder in front of me. Not only was I not in the mood for soup, but I also wasn't particularly fond of clam chowder. That was an understatement; I strongly disliked clam chowder.
Thankfully, the vending machine was still working, which earned me a bag of organic potato chips and a chocolate bar. I wouldn't normally get this much food, but I was very hungry. Plus, I had a feeling I wasn't going to finish the clam chowder despite only serving myself a small amount.
Begrudgingly, I scooped up some of the soup and blew on it to cool it down. Once steam no longer emerged from the scoop, I shoved the portion into my mouth. My scowl deepened once the taste settled in and then forcefully swallowed it. Ugh, I wish they were still serving cheddar and broccoli soup and not this crap. Then again, I had no one to blame but myself for waiting until now to eat. Each spoonful that followed was just as terrible as the first.
I barely managed to finish half of the small serving before I decided to spare myself and dig into my bag of chips. The salted chips and sweet chocolate was able to rid my mouth of that horrible clam chowder taste. As I was about to pop another chip into my mouth, Froakie's loud croak reached my ears. I looked over to see what was going on, only to chuckle at what was going on.
A small fiery orange chick-like Pokémon had its entire head inside Froakie's food bowl. My starter was not happy having his food being eaten by another Pokémon. I believed Froakie and I had that thing in common as well: we didn't like sharing our food with other people. Deciding it would be best to stop the Pokémon before Froakie attacked it, I reached over and picked up the little chick. Its beady eyes stared at me before tilting its rather large head to the side.
"Don't look at me like that," I said, referring to its innocent look.
The Pokémon blinked a few times as I settled it down onto my lap, but I was taken by surprise when it started to peck at my potato chips. My eyes hardened in annoyance as I held the greedy Pokémon away from my food. Now I knew how Froakie felt when this thief was eating his food.
"Torchic! What are you doing?!"
The Pokémon in my grip, Torchic, and I turned around and found a young woman running toward the table I was at. She took a moment to catch her breath before taking the Pokémon out of my hands.
"I'm very sorry about Torchic!" The woman apologized. "He's very energetic, so he runs off without warning."
"I could tell. Torchic helped himself to mine and Froakie's food," I said with teasing sarcasm. "Other than that, I guess it's fine."
"So much for raising baby Pokémon…" She sighed. "Anyway, I'm Teresa. I work here in the Pokémon Center."
I took a moment to take in her appearance. Teresa's pin straight auburn hair was pulled back by a bright red bandanna. Her light brown eyes held pure kindness, which made her out to be an easy person to get along with. She wore a white tank top with a red sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans. Her maroon colored high tops completed her whole outfit.
"I'm Emilia, pleasure," I introduced myself with a lazy wave. I tilted my head to the side at my agitated starter. "That's Froakie and apparently he doesn't like sharing food. I guess there are still some things I have yet to learn since I just got him."
"Oh?" Teresa mumbled as she walked over to my starter. "You only just began your journey as a Pokémon Trainer?"
"Yeah," I confirmed with a nod.
"That's really cool!" she gushed. "As a Pokémon Breeder, I am very impressed how good you are at handling your Pokémon. Not only that, but I can already tell there's a close bond forming between you two."
I couldn't help but grin lightly at Teresa's comment as she gave Froakie an affectionate pat on the head. Like I've said before, Froakie and I have a few things in common already, but I still have more to learn about him. He was already beginning to take after me, making a fuzzy feeling of warmth stir in my chest. I was glad to have chosen him as my starter. Things wouldn't have been the same if I had chosen another Pokémon.
Teresa stood up and stretched her arms over her head, releasing a relaxed moan from her lips. Dropping her arms to the side, the Pokémon Breeder looked at me with a satisfied look in her kind eyes.
"Froakie will go far with you as his trainer." She smiled. "Anyway, it's time for me to hit the sack. I need to wake up bright and early to help Nurse Joy with checkups and stuff. Nice meeting you, Emilia."
"Likewise," I replied. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight to you too." She turned to Torchic. "C'mon, let's get some sleep."
Torchic followed the auburn-haired woman and the two left the cafeteria. It was kind of amusing watching the little thing trying to keep up with its tiny legs. Glancing over at my wristwatch, the red numbers flashed bright red. It was barely nine o'clock and I was feeling the exhaustion trying to send me into a deep sleep.
"Maybe we should get some shut eye too, Froakie," I told my starter.
The next day came by rather slowly, mostly since I went to sleep at around nine thirty at night. It was strange waking up without having Fletchling poke my eyes out, but I wasn't complaining. I quite enjoyed having both eyes in my sockets thank you very much. After getting dressed in my usual clothes and handing the key card back to Nurse Joy, I walked out of the Pokémon Center with the Town Map in my hand. I was trying to get more information about the city.
My eyes perked up when I saw an icon with a PokéBall that merged into a bolt of lightning on the white part of the capsule. I pressed the icon and information of the city's local gym popped up. According to what's on here, the gym was run by a woman named Viola, who specialized in Bug-type Pokémon. As long as none of her Pokémon had any Grass-type moves, Froakie should have no problem taking them on.
Looks like there was another purpose to this journey aside from closure.
I would've gone to the gym right now, but none of us could battle on an empty stomach. Luckily, there was a café not too far from the gym. It looked rather fancy, but it was just for aesthetics considering how surprisingly cheap the prices were. After ordering a breakfast sandwich and an iced coffee, I took a seat at a table outside since it was rather packed inside. Plus, Pokémon weren't allowed indoors and Froakie needed to eat.
Once Froakie was out of his PokéBall, I poured some of those pellets into a bowl in front of him. When it got full, I put away the can and Froakie began to dig in.
"Eat up, bud. You have a big day today and you'll need all the energy you can get," I told him, giving his head an affectionate pat.
Minutes later, the waiter arrived with my iced coffee and breakfast sandwich. I couldn't believe it, but this was the best sandwich I ever had. Hell, it even put Reese's homemade breakfast sandwiches to shame. If she ever found out I said something like that, she'd kill me. The sauce in this sandwich made the whole thing taste heavenly. I had no choice but to savor it because it was so damn delicious. Imagine my disappointment when the food was gone out of my hand despite how slowly I ate.
Since there was still time, and the weather was really nice, I decided to put the finishing touches on my drawing of the Pichu family. I took out my sketchbook and pencil and proceeded to work on it. For once, it felt nice not getting interrupted by a certain energetic teenage girl. Although, I wish I had my color pencils with me. Coloring it would've made this drawing more vivid and alive.
Once I finished the last few things needed for the drawing, I completed the whole thing by signing my name at the bottom right corner and the date. In all honesty, it wasn't like my other works, but still not bad after a four-year hiatus. With some work, I could probably get back how I use to draw.
"Excuse me."
I tore my gaze from the drawing and turned around. An older woman, perhaps in her mid-twenties, stood there with a camera in her hand. Her bright blonde hair was in a bobbed haircut and her equally bright green eyes stared at me. She wore a white tank top paired with olive green cargo pants.
"Um, yes?" I asked.
"I was passing by and I caught glimpse of your drawing. It is absolutely beautiful!" She held up her camera. "Would it be fine if I took a picture?"
I sighed and mumbled, "Knock yourself out."
The blonde woman nodded and positioned her camera before snapping a photo of my drawing. The sudden flash caught me by surprise, leaving me in a dazed state for a moment before blinking it away. I was never fond of taking pictures for that reason. I looked over at the woman, who was admiring the new photo she had just taken.
"Wow, you're rather talented. How old are you?" she asked as she moved her gaze from the camera to me.
"I'm seventeen," I answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Seventeen years old and you have the artistic talent of a veteran. I'm very impressed." She chuckled. Her eyes caught sight of Froakie as he drank some water. "And you're a Pokémon Trainer? Talk about going far in life."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that. I've only just started my journey not too long ago…" I mumbled.
I was already getting uncomfortable with this woman trying to make conversation with me. I had hoped she just wanted to take the picture of my drawing then leave, but I was wrong. How does one kindly tell another person to leave me alone?
"Are you going to challenge the gym by any chance?" she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah, I am." I nodded, feeling a sudden rush of confidence run through my veins. "Froakie will dominate that gym leader and her Pokémon."
The woman raised an eyebrow at me and crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk rising to her lips. I rose an eyebrow as a response. Why was she looking so cocky all of the sudden?
"Well then, nice to know I found myself a challenger with a fiery spirit." She winked. "Looks like I'll be seeing you there soon. Good luck!"
A small gasp left my lips as I stood up from my seat before she could walk away.
"Wait, what?!" I gave her an incredulous look, only making her smirk widen.
"My mistake. I forgot to introduce myself." She giggled. "I'm Viola, Santalune City's gym leader. I'm looking forward to battling with you."
My eyes widened as I watched Viola walk out and in the direction of the gym. Had I accidentally underestimated the gym leader in front of the gym leader herself? I crossed my arms over my chest with a huff. You know what? I didn't care. That badge was going to be mine because I believe in Froakie.
Placing a tip on the table for the waiter, I put way Froakie's bowl and my sketchbook. My starter looked up at me, probably noticing a change in my mood.
"Let's go kick some ass, Froakie."
With that, we both made our way to the gym where Viola was no doubt waiting for us.