As peaceful and sleepy as Natrium Town appeared on the surface, its metro station was anything but. When the station was first built, the walls were covered in in slick white tile, like the scales of a Dragon Pokémon. Almost immediately, people took permanent markers and paint to the tile, leaving all kinds of graffiti behind. Almost three decades of vandalism were on those walls, only ever cleaned with the occasional disinfectant.
INTERTRAIN C – NATRIUM TOWN/PLUMBUM CITY, ARRIVAL: 10 MINUTES
'Right on time,' Cyrus thought, faintly smirking.
As the trio descended the stairs, a large television screen flickered on. A familiar man—the same one from the orientation video—smiled happily with the Kinzo flag behind him. "Welcome to the Kinzo Inter-Metro," he announced merrily. "Please keep an eye on your belongings at all times. If you see any unattended luggage, please report it to Metro Security immediately. Have your Metro Pass ready before you arrive at the turnpike. If you lose your Metro Pass…"
"Have you been to Plumbum City before, Campanella?" Cynthia wanted a little conversation before they made it to their station. "Is there anything worth visiting out there?"
"I've been all over Kinzo," Campanella huffed. She already sounded like she was out of breath. "Plumbum's not my kind of scene. Wait until we reach Aurum City. Aurum's an experience."
"I guess the Kinzo Pokémon League wanted to save the best for last. That's where the eighth Gym Leader lives." Cynthia felt a little disappointed. "There's really nothing worth noting about Plumbum City, then? It's just another city?"
"Not…hn…quite. There's plenty to do, but I can't stand the people." Campanella rushed ahead, pushing her way past other people on her way to their destination. Cynthia wasn't sure what the rush was. They'd all be waiting around for the train together anyway.
…
Apparently, Campanella's rush was to the ladies room. Cynthia didn't have to go, so she offered to stay behind and watch her colleague's suitcase. It leaned slightly onto her rolling bag. Once she and Cyrus found a bench to sit on, she pulled out her travel guide and flipped to the section about Plumbum City.
"Maybe we should find out how far the station is from the Trainers Lodge," she suggested, "just in case we run into any delays." Although Professor Myrtle insisted she'd do her best to expedite nocturnal excursion permits with the Kinzo government; that could take a while.
"You didn't read the part about the Metro yet, did you? They haven't experienced a delay in nine years."
"You're kidding. That long?! That's impressive!"
The tunnels looked a bit run down and overused, but Cynthia caught a glimpse of a train when Train B whizzed by. It appeared to be brand new: a vision of pristine, perfect, uninterrupted locomotion. By the time she turned her attention back to her book, she noted Cyrus had pulled his out, too.
"I found the Lodge," she remarked. "It looks like it's close to a lot of restaurants, most of which have takeout and delivery options." If they ended up spending a long period of time in Plumbum City, that could come in handy. "If we get there with a couple of hours to spare, maybe we can have dinner together."
It was around that time that Campanella returned with a canned drink in her hands. Judging from how much steam came from the can; Cynthia could only guess how hot it was. "I heard dinner." She beamed, leaning a bit closer to Cynthia. "You're buying?"
"Um—"
"I'm kidding, of course! I know you kids ain't made of money!" The redhead took a big gulp from the can and sighed. "I'll give Plumbum City this much; they have a nice selection of chain restaurants. I reckon that's kind of a prerequisite for being a successful tourist trap."
"I haven't seen some of these chains since I was a little girl!" Cynthia felt a wave of nostalgia hit her. She just had to check and—yes! One of them had a specialty dessert (the Baked Froslass) that had nothing to do with the Pokémon. It was ice cream shoved inside of meringue, which was then baked to a crisp. The meringue kept the ice cream cold in the center and could be styled in all sorts of amazing patterns. "What about you, Cyrus? See anything of interest?"
"We obviously don't have time to do this today, but the Ædranos Ruins are on the outskirts. Check out Page 12."
Cynthia flipped her travel guide to Page 12. "You had me at ruins." Still, she wanted to read about them.
Ædranos was a precolonial port town on the outskirts of Mt. Solarian. The locals believed a god lived inside the volcano and occasionally took the shape of a fire-covered bird to spy on them. If the bird was angered by what it saw, Mt. Solarian would unleash a portal to the fire world and purge the town of all wrongdoers. Historians now suspect this bird was the legendary Pokémon Moltres.
In 28 CE, Mt. Solarian erupted without warning. Ædranos and its adjacent towns were covered in several meters of searing-hot ash. There were no survivors.
For centuries, Kinzo historians believed that Ædranos was little more than a myth, but the city was rediscovered and excavated in the 1800s. Among the beautifully preserved ruins were also the victims of the natural disaster: petrified forever within the ash.
While some of the buildings have since collapsed, some (most notably the bath house, forum, and coliseum) are intact and welcome for visitors to explore prior to national curfew hours.
Cyrus noted the twinkle in his traveling companion's eyes, as well as the way her smile grew wider with each paragraph. This was a safe choice: one they could both agree on.
"I've been there," Campanella grumbled. "It's teeming with tourists and covered in graffiti. In case you haven't noticed," she gestured upward in all directions, making grandiose motions. "Kinzo has a vandalism problem."
"I'm surprised the government hasn't declared the Ædranos Ruins a national landmark."
"They've got more important things to deal with. The government can't focus on preserving the past until they sort out the present. You guys can visit, if you want. It's really only worth it if you pay for a private tour."
"Then we'll do that," Cynthia decided. "Once I beat the Plumbum City Gym Leader, I'll have a little prize money. It should be more than enough!" But she didn't appreciate the way Campanella started chuckling.
Train C zipped into the station at rapid speed, halting precisely where it was meant to. The doors opened and the worn-down Natrium Station was filled with a proud, march-like song.
"Thank you again for choosing to ride the Inter-Metro," Jet's voice merrily announced over the intercom. "Train C, Natrium Town to Plumbum City, will now begin boarding. You have 90 seconds to locate a seat. Please be sure to offer priority seating to the elderly, small children, expecting mothers, and people with disabilities."
The party wasted no time finding seats. Cynthia took a seat across the row from her partners, only one row behind the priority seats. As more passengers boarded, she decided to visually study them. She recognized a few people from the airport, which briefly left her wondering if—
'I'm being ridiculous. There's no way she'd be on public transit. I saw her get into a limousine…'
She was about ready to open her travel guide again when the doors shut. A couple of people scrambled to find seats, including a little girl who couldn't have been much more than seven years old. "Over here," Cynthia offered. "I can let you have the window seat."
"Thanks, lady!" the girl piped up. Her face was covered in freckles, especially at the bridge of her nose and on her plump cheeks. Big blue eyes stared up at Cynthia from beneath clear blue plastic frames. "Folks're supposed to give the good seats to little kids an' old people, but they never do."
In fact, Cynthia could see a pair of perfectly able-bodied teens claim those seats for themselves, just so they could sit together. A platinum blonde girl chatted excitedly to a black-haired boy, showing him the contents of a pocket notebook. Their outfits were nearly identical: black combat boots and gloves, faded blue jeans, brown leather moto jackets with fleece collars, and coffee-brown turtlenecks.
"My nana sometimes brings her cane along for Metro rides," the kid continued, "just so she can whack people to get that seating."
"That sounds like something my grandmother would do!" Cynthia chuckled and held out a hand so she could properly shake with her seatmate. "My name is Cynthia. I came all the way from Sinnoh for business. How about you? If you're riding this train all by yourself, you must be a really resourceful little girl."
"Not really," the girl admitted. "Mama an' Papa work a lot, so I don't see much of 'em. An' everyone's got a Metro Pass, y'know? Like…I can use it, make day trips to other cities, and do stuff." It was then she realized she never introduced herself. "I'm Trixie, an' this is my Cleffa: Princess Sparklebutt."
Cynthia was surprised when Trixie let her—a total stranger!—hold the ball. It already had a few scratches and dents in it, but she noted it was a homemade apricorn ball. "That's quite a name. I'd probably name a Cleffa something like that, too." She wouldn't. She didn't name her Pokémon. "How long have you had her?" Unless the Princess was a boy. Then she was sure Trixie would correct her.
"Papa caught 'er for my fifth birthday. He was on a business trip somewhere in Kanto an' 'e saw pink Pokémon everywhere." Judging from the color of Trixie's overalls and how her sneakers were covered in sparkly pink rhinestones, it didn't take a genius to figure out she loved pink. "So 'e caught me one. I'm glad 'e did 'cause she's my best friend. Do you have any Pokémon, Miss Cynthia?"
It was weird to have somebody outside of a formal setting call her Miss, but she was pretty sure little kids called every girl older than 13 Miss by default. "They're in quarantine, but yes. I have a full Pokémon lineup waiting for me. We've even completed league challenges together in other regions."
"Whoa! No way!"
"Hey, kid?" the black-haired boy occupying the priority seating gruffed. "Shut your yap."
"You shut yours, mister!" Trixie snapped back. "I made a new friend!"
"Whoop de freaking doo." The guy stood up, dragging his rolling suitcase behind him. In his other hand was a Poké Ball. "Nobody gives a Rattata's ass if—"
"Cooper…" The blonde beside him warned, grabbing him by the arm. "Relax. She's just a little kid." Cooper made a motion like he planned to move closer to Cynthia and Trixie's seats, but the girl forced him to sit back down.
"Freakin' hate kids," Cynthia heard him growl. "Never shut the heck up…" The girl rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side until he piped down.
…
By the limited amount of turbulence the train provided, Cyrus suspected at least part of the Kinzo Metro operated via magnetic levitation. 'Impressive.' His Physics teacher would find this fascinating, though he had to wonder how long the Metro was in operation. The travel guide didn't say. It simply prided itself for being on time and accident-free for nine consecutive years.
At a low volume, an orchestral piece played through the train's speakers. It sounded neoclassical: like a turn-of-the-century parade march. He closed his eyes, thinking it would be best to concentrate on the music rather than the other passengers. A few seconds after he took his seat, he felt the presence of another human being beside him.
Curiosity got the better of him, so he opened one eye to discover it wasn't Cynthia next to him, but Campanella. The stench of cigarette smoke should have been a dead giveaway. "Don't mind me," the redhead insisted, but her eyes were drawn toward his jacket pockets. "I just figured you'd rather sit next to a devil you know versus one you don't."
Maybe rest wasn't such a wise idea.
Cynthia was preoccupied, talking to the little girl sitting beside her. It wasn't hard to overhear their conversation. The girl, Trixie, was quite loud. Cyrus was fairly certain the entire train now knew Trixie was traveling alone, her parents worked long hours, and nobody was supervising her: all of which were dangerous things for a child to advertise.
At least Cynthia had no trouble making friends with total strangers: something Cyrus had always struggled with. He could fake a smile, shake hands, and be every bit as professional as a businessman; but he'd given up on his Sunyshore peers ages ago. People were either going to like him, or they weren't. At least his classmates were too nice to bully him. Being ignored wasn't so bad by comparison.
'So far, this expedition has felt less like work and more like a glorified field trip, complete with an insufferable chaperone.'
The sooner he and Cynthia gained permission to travel the terrain, the sooner they could ditch Campanella. Ideally, they'd get to a point where Campanella called for ten minutes every day or so, just to report if she found anything of interest. The less time he had to spend with her, the better.
'Tomorrow morning, as soon as curfew breaks, I'll take a walk around the city to see what we're dealing with.' Not just people, but Pokémon too. Even though the wild terrain was off limits for the time being, many cities—including his own—had wild Pokémon lurking around. When Cynthia talked a bit about her Unova adventure, she'd casually mentioned that even the garbage could turn sentient and walk around.
'If I find anything, I need to go into capture mode. If I fight with just the Eevee, I'll be at a disadvantage.'
He didn't know if Professor Myrtle would let him evolve Eevee into something more useful. That would have to be discussed over a phone call, but only after Cyrus figured out which evolution would give Eevee the greatest advantage. There was no point in confronting his new boss unless he went to her with a clear plan and could rationalize his choice.
His eyes kept going back to the travel guide, reviewing the Ædranos Ruins section. As fascinating as the mythology and history of the ruins would probably be—and he was looking forward to learning more about that on the tour—he had an ulterior motive for encouraging the private tour.
'Ghost Pokémon tend to congregate in ruins and abandoned buildings. If they're anywhere in the city, they'll be there.' And they would be less likely to appear in front of a large group of people. 'The only problem is Eevee's moves are useless against Ghosts. I'll have to catch something else first. Anything…'
…
"Train C, Natrium Town to Plumbum City, has successfully arrived at its destination. You have 90 seconds to disembark before new passengers board the train. If you plan to ride the train to our next destination, Kalium City, please remain in your seats. Again, thank you for choosing to ride the Kinzo Inter-Metro. We hope to serve you again soon."
The doors rushed open. Trixie made a whoosh sound with her mouth and scampered off in a hurry, acting as though the doors would shut at any moment. The dark-haired boy and his lady friend also got off, but split up and left in opposite directions.
Cynthia did one last double-check to make sure nothing slipped out of her bag or went missing. It was fortunate that she did, considering the little girl accidentally forgot to grab her Poké Ball. "Trixie, wait! You almost forgot the Princess!"
"You're awesome!" the kid insisted, giving Cynthia a big grateful hug around the waist. The blonde couldn't help but smile, glad the little girl wasn't separated from her Cleffa forever.
"Train C, Plumbum City to Kalium City, will now begin boarding. You have 90 seconds to locate a seat…"
Cyrus had to push his way past the passengers trying to get onto the train, if only because Campanella took forever to move. He could smell traces of some girl's cheap perfume smeared on his left jacket sleeve. At least it only mid-afternoon. That gave him a couple of hours to explore. "I assume we're going to the Trainers Lodge?"
Campanella hoisted her bag over her strong shoulder and huffed. "The Lodges are nothing but glorified hostels. Sure, they're free, but all you're gonna receive are a bunk bed and a locker…unless you pay for an upgrade. I'm staying in a hotel. Here." She held out a piece of paper. "It's the address, my room number, and phone extension. If you need me or want to meet up, call first."
Once Campanella left, Cynthia turned her attention toward Cyrus. "I'm still fine with using the Trainers Lodges. If Professor Myrtle loses her grant, then we'll be working on a tighter budget. We'll need to cut costs where we can. I'm fine with splurging a little for a private room, if you don't mind sharing."
"Depending on how cheap the upgrade is, we might not have to share."
Cyrus's parents worked for two of Sunyshore City's most lucrative tech firms. Both firms paid them handsomely, so they could afford to give their child a hefty allowance. Cyrus seldom bought things and tended to hoard his finances, mostly because that money would need to support him someday…provided he ever worked up the nerve to run away.
Considering he'd done that by accepting this internship; now was as good a time as any to use the nest egg.
"How about you scout it out and let me know how it looks?" Cynthia asked. "I kind of offered to escort Trixie home to her grandmother's apartment…"
