~Chapter 5~
Memories
The Pokemon Center was located at the very easternmost part of Cherrygrove, which was a fairly large town. Sven and Ariana traversed the busy streets. There was no gym in Cherrygrove, so it did not attract very many trainers. They saw very few Pokemon, save for along the shoreline where many fishermen were dragging aquatic Pokemon out of the sea, which glittered a shade of golden-orange in the sunset. At the end of the shore the main road turned sharply into a pine forest. A large sign hung over the entrance to the forest that read "Johto Route 30". The journey through the city had taken a bit longer than Sven thought, but he knew for a fact that Violet City was the next town over. The road was relatively straight-forward, and there was not much to see along the way other than trees. But it was long, and the two trainers were only about halfway to their destination by the time the sun had set completely. The trees blocked any light from the moon and stars, and soon they were completely lost in the dark. Ariana had tripped in a hole in the ground and scraped herself up, and Sven was soaking wet from walking straight into the pond he hadn't seen.
"Sven!" Ariana cried. "I can't stay out here! We need to find shelter!"
"Uh..." Sven was at a loss. They were too far to turn back now, and Violet City was much too far to reach without being able to see. He tossed his partner's Pokeball. "Cyndaquil, light our way, buddy!"
No sooner had Cyndaquil lit the area with its flames than Sven suddenly noticed the group was being watched. Two very irritated-looking Pokemon were nearby, staring them down. One was a Rattata, defending the tiny burrow that Ariana had tripped in just moments before. The other was a Poliwag that had emerged from the pond, angrily slapping its tail on the ground.
"I think we invaded their territory!" Ariana said, nervously readying Snubbull's Pokeball.
"We can take them," said Sven. "Cyndaquil try Ember!" Rattata was quickly burned by the flames that Cyndaquil let loose and hissed in pain. Poliwag, however, didn't seem phazed. "Ariana, I can't risk Cyndaquil getting hurt by water, so you deal with Poliwag!"
"Alright," she said, releasing Snubbull. "Bite Poliwag!" Snubbull clamped down on Poliwag's tail, causing the small Pokemon to cry out and flail around.
"Cyndaquil, Tackle Poliwag while it's weak!" Cyndaquil turned its attention away from Rattata and rammed into the helpless Poliwag, knocking it to the side. Meanwhile, Rattata had shrugged off the burn and snuck up on Snubbull, giving it a Bite attack of its own. Snubbull howled in pain.
"Snubbull, Headbutt it!" Snubbull tried to reach around to hit Rattata, but the small Pokemon had attached itself firmly to Snubbull's rear.
Sven saw this and decided to act. "Cyndaquil, you need to hit Rattata with Ember, but don't let the flames touch Snubbull!"
"Quil!" Cyndaquil nodded in understanding. They had practiced this at the Pokemon center. It concentrated a small burst of flames that hit Rattata's tail. Though not a direct hit, the wild Pokemon was not used to enduring so much pain. It swiftly ran back into its burrow. The flames also startled Poliwag, so Ariana decided to take advantage of the situation by tossing an empty Pokeball at it. The ball shook once, then twice... and finally remain motionless.
"Really? Another one?" Sven asked, dumbfounded.
"Awh, sorry, Sven! I just saw the chance and took it! Had I waited any longer, it would have recovered and attacked again." Ariana patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll get one soon!"
"Hmm..." Sven looked at Cyndaquil. "Great work, bud. Come on back." He recalled Cyndaquil. Looking up, he started up in surprise. "Hey! Ari, look!"
Ariana turned to follow Sven's gaze. Across the pond was a house. It looked ancient and decrepit, as if no one had been inside for a long time.
"I'll bet nobody lives there! We can stay there for the night!"
Ariana was thrilled at the idea of a place to rest. "Let's go see if we can get in!" They ran around the pond and knocked on the door of the house, which up close looked to be no more than tiny cottage. It was built on one story, and on the door was a sign. The paint was all but completely peeled away, but the sign's message could still be made out to say "Welcome to the home of Mr. PkMn!"
"Mr. Pokemon..." Sven said slowly, making sure he had read correctly. "I know that name. He was an old friend of my grandpa! Died when I was really little... This house hasn't had an owner in years. I think it's safe to say that we can go in."
Inside, Ariana found a few blankets and made two large makeshift beds on the floor, along with a few smaller ones for their Pokemon. They let everyone out of their Pokeballs, and Cyndaquil and Snubbull were so exhausted from their battle that they immediately fell asleep. Poliwag, feeling awkward since it had just battled these Pokemon moments ago, kept its distance. With a little coaxing from its new trainer, it finally snuggled up with her to sleep.
Phanpy, fully awake and energetic, decided to follow Sven around the house as he looked through Mr. Pokemon's belongings. They had been left completely untouched after his death, and the house was like a tangible biography of the old man.
"Whoa, hey..." Sven took a dusty old diary off of a bookshelf and blew away the dirt. Phanpy sneezed. Sven laughed and nudged it over to where the group was sleeping. He took the book to bed with him, reading of Mr. Pokemon's many sightings of rare Pokemon in Johto.
"My good friend Elm determined that Pokemon eggs hatch quickly when around a trainer's Pokemon...
That boy, Gold, is quite something. He managed to get Suicune to approach him... Or perhaps it was the other way around...
I never thought I'd ever see the legendary guardians of Johto return. That boy found the keys to their hearts in the Kanto region of all places...
The spirit of the Ilex Forest... the people of Azalea Town are convinced that it exists, but I have spent many long nights camped out near the shrine, only to be disappointed..."
Soon, Sven's eyelids grew heavy, and he submitted to fatigue.