I took a two month break .
Butterfree: The Butterfly Pokemon.
Considered to be among the largest insect pollinators in the world, Butterfree engage in semiannual migrations between the northern and southern regions of Kanto and Johto in search of expansive flowering plant gardens secluded from the world. They gather pollen on their legs and body hair, and while flying, pollinate other flowers by scattering them upon the wind, like the many moves they use such as [Stun Spore], [Sleep Powder], and [Rage Powder].
While the species is not immune to water, the scales on their wings are coated in powders not unlike Shield Dust; they are hydrophobic in nature, allowing Butterfree to fly in rain. The pokemon also have a quite potent sense of smell- however, it is not located in their snout-like appendage, but in their antennae. These organs allow Butterfree to sense objects from miles away, avoiding danger or finding flower patches.
The habitat in which Butterfree reside vary wildly among climes, ranging from verdant forests to even suburban skylines. They are very adaptable to local stimuli, some even have been noted to be omnivores and consume small insects and animals to survive. Despite this versatility, Butterfree require clean water in order to survive for any extended period of time.
Their mating cycle begins in courtship during the early days of April, finding partners by showering extravagant displays of pheromones (also known to cause severe allergies to local observers). After finding a mate, the pair lock antennae with each other and float off along the wind. This event does not end until they descend onto the ground, and within several weeks, the female Butterfree will lay a clutch of eggs, which hatch by the end of the month.
Our group left the pier and the Professor hailed a taxi from the street, taking a twenty minute ride along the boardwalk to a hotel conveniently placed next to the Pokemon Center. While it wasn't as large as the luxurious Hotel Richissime I've heard about in the rumors, it looked quite grand, floors covered by a mirror-like exterior, extending far up into the distance. The clouds, grey and heavy with imminent rain, moved slowly overhead, with the occasional lightning arc flickering between two edges.
Past the glass double doors and inside the lobby were expensive furniture and lavish adornments I haven't seen since the Silph Co building during the Rocket Incident (I've had an aversion towards that place ever since). Plush floors incomparable to the fur of even a Ninetales, and widescreen ultra high definition television sets lining the walls. The lavishness of Unova's largest city suddenly hit me, especially in comparison to wealth found at home. I can only assume that the economic prosperity between this region and Kanto was just on a different level. Was it because of its history as a rich kingdom? Or the prosperity of being the global financial center, which reached its hands over every corporation across International League jurisdiction?
We checked in and obtained our room keys, in the shape of a canine - the pokédex noted it as a Lillipup (it also scans QR codes!) - and wandered around in a daze. Besides whole floors for swimming pools or exercise centers or meeting room, there were also, to our surprise and elation, a floor for trainers to practice with their pokémon or hold mock battles. I retired while the Professor, Blue, and Gold decided to entertain themselves on battles (only to be rudely woken up at two in the morning because two dunces lost their keys and locked themselves out of the room) and went to sleep in anticipation of tomorrow.
Waking up the next morning, it seemed that the overcast sky had cleared up overnight and the sun began rising up from the forest line east of Castelia. Flocks of Pidove and Ducklett -according to my Dex- could be seen flying overhead, slowly passing by the skyscrapers in squawking V shapes.
The World Tournament was slated to sound off in two weeks, so that gave us only a short amount of time to travel past Route 4 to Nimbasa City and across the Driftveil Drawbridge and get to Driftveil City in time for the event. But we had leeway. If it came to it, I could have Charizard shuttle us to Driftveil in only a couple of hours (reminiscent of an almost missed league fight appointment in Cinnabar, leading to mach one flight speeds and shattered windows from the residences that we had passed over) so there wasn't any reason to rush.
We were checked in only for last night, so I got dressed in a blue corduroy and slacks (Mother brought along a suitcase full of clothes), and left the room to the others who were going to sleep in until the front desk called to wake them up. Touching the belt to my waist, I felt the warm spheroids strapped to their holders, admiring the life that lay within, frozen into data stasis.
The technology that is the Pokéball was the work of thousands of engineers and physicists over two decades of research, enabling us to bond closer to the wild and powerful enigmas called Pokemon. Without this, we'd still be trying to tame sentient and willful creatures with physical restraints, leading to destruction and death. Even now, constant communication must be held with our partners in order to form a mutual relationship and respect. This is one of the reasons why only those who scored in the top ten percentile under League examinations starting at eleven years of age were allowed to hold the title of Pokémon Trainer, and given a vetted starter by the League endorsed professor of the region. In my case, it was Professor Oak, who opened my eyes to the vast world.
I exited the building and wandered the streets, admiring the expanse of the cityscape that blotted out the sky and the bustling masses of people and cars moving between streets and intersections. Officers ran rounds at regular intervals, directing traffic and ensuring the peace. I noticed that only pokémon like -according to the Dex- Herdier or Delcatty or Eevee were allowed besides their owners. Apparently large or non-pedestrian pokemon were disallowed from the premises, probably to prevent injury or unintentional vandalism. A Jenny rode past on an Arcanine (at least that hadn't changed), and I bumped into a pedestrian, a little boy in a beret who snickered and transformed into a small dark-furred quadruped and dashed away into the crowd, much to the amusement of the onlookers.
Eventually I found myself standing behind a line that extended half a block down the downtown streets of Castelia, dozens of patrons in wait for some product called a casteliacone. I checked my watch and seeing that it was nearly a quarter to eleven, thought I had enough time to see what the buzz was about and excuse myself to lunch before meeting back with the rest of the group.
I sorely underestimated the length of the line. Even before the view around the corner came in sight I could hear the clamoring of maybe fifty people crowded around what amounted to be a stall in the center of the downtown district. Commercial stores lined down the street, but even with the abundant amount of white collar workers coming in and schoolchildren and shoppers moving about no other establishment had as much of a crowd as the one selling the casteliacones. It was now eleven-twenty. Maybe I should just leave?
As I was about to slip out of line, I noticed a peculiar person situated by the myriad of tables and chairs where people gathered and ate their lunches, staring at me. I caught his gaze and he extended his index finger, as if conspiratorially beckoning me to come to him. I went over, and what he was doing was drawing sketches on an easel, pictures of white and black pedestrians occasionally dabbed with watercolors, which lay strewn across the table. A girl with a wide-brimmed hat in a white sundress staring at signs in front of a store, a father and two children eating besides a leafy tree with low hanging fruit (which I learned later were Cherubi), and myself, blue blotches dabbed across my front corduroy and looking helplessly lost.
"Did you need something? These are some nice paintings you've made."
"Nah. I just thought that you looked familiar...are you from around here?"
"No. I'm a tourist."
"I see. Well, it's certainly a good time to go on vacation to Unova. In a couple weeks the Pokémon World Tournament is starting, you know? A lot of people from all over the world, even outside the League jurisdiction will be coming to Driftveil to see the best of the regions compete against each other. Are you planning on seeing the festivities?"
"Yeah."
"That's great! Maybe I'll see you there." He winked, and finished dabbing the red banner of the Casteliacone stand behind my figure before wiping at his brow, half covered by ginger hair under a red beret. "Ah, I'm Burgh. I'm the incumbent gym leader for Castelia. Nice to meet you."
"The same."
We shook hands and I checked my watch again: eleven-forty. I should probably get lunch and meet back up with everyone else. After bidding goodbye to Burgh, I began walking away and heard him call after me.
"Hey, I didn't get your name!"
I turned around and mouthed, "Red", before brushing down my pants and taking leave.
An hour later I met up with Blue and Gold at the Pokémon Center after I had enjoyed a soothing lunch in a quiet place called Café Sonata. Pikachu, who spent the last day wandering around with the two, clambered onto my shoulder and I took my hat from him, opting to put it snugly over my brown locks. It was growing a bit long, maybe I should get a trim soon.
"So, where are we going now?" Gold asked, munching on an ice cream cone. Where did you pull that from?
"I say we go to the Castelia gym. Gramps showed me where it is", Blue brought out his dex, opening out the map function from the menu. It zoomed in the location of where we were, and then outlined a yellow route to where the gym was located. How handy. Can it tell me how to get out of a cave as well? Although I just usually wander around until I find an exit or use an escape rope...
"All in favor? Aye."
"Aye."
"..." I nodded my head.
The mediator grinned, and then began to pull us out the Center, Joy's prim 'goodbye' echoing past the doors.
We found ourselves outside a gaudy building, windows of stained glass towering down from at least three stories up. The front side tilted back into the structure, the shape of a pokeball plastered above the overhang of the double doors.
Inside, we were greeted by two clerks at a center counter, who pointed out that the gym was also a training center for pokemon and an art gallery (one of them jokingly pointed out that the gym leader had so much art that Studio Castelia refused to hold all of it so he made his personal gallery).
"Alright. Who gets to go first?", Blue questioned. His voice was tinged with anticipation.
"I'll go first!" Gold jumped forward and made a pose.
I raised my hand and took a step.
We looked at each and Gold bared a feral grin.
"Alright...Rock…", I wound my arm back.
"Paper…", Blue was already throwing his fist out.
Scissors!"
I walked into the arena triumphant while the other two hung their heads and took the stairs up to the viewing platform.
The metal doors closing behind me and I found myself in a surreal world, dark metal floors and walls covered in all sorts of webbing, casting elongated shadows (thanks, strategic light placement) all over the place. Spindles of white reached out to grasp the ceiling, cut out to show multiple floors above. Already with a feeling of apprehension, my nervousness was amplified when a hand suddenly clasped me on the shoulder, making me jump in fright.
A man in his mid thirties faced me, shaved head and glasses reflecting off the dim lighting. He smirked for a couple of seconds before I kicked him in the shins, mouth warping into a silent yowl.
"!... Okay, I deserved that…" He hopped around for a little while before he returned (with ice on his knee procured from who knows where) and handed me a flashlight.
"I'm going to take a breather in the break room. There's the staff exit if you need me to explain anything." He limped away again. Ah. So he was the gym guide. Oops.
I have to say, for my first gym back in civilisation, it isn't very impressive. Trainers came out of the woodwork -literally- and kept sending out ittie bittie pokemon called Sewaddle and Dwebble at us. I could tell that they weren't very trained, since a single [Tackle] from Pikachu could knock them all out, but at least the floor design wasn't too lame. I mean, crawling around on string tightropes and through vertical tubes were a pain and probably a hazard to my back, but it was surprisingly well crafted. Apparently the webbing also served as a net to catch trainers who fell down (not like I did), which was pretty well designed.
I finally ended up at the last hurdle which involved scaling web walls and a 3d maze to find myself back on the first floor, looking at the largest spindle that spun itself all the way up to the top of the chamber. Behind me was a blockade of white, impenetrable fibers that prevented me from seeing the entrance. No way but in, right?
After exiting the tunnel, in which case was a surprisingly comfortable wooden staircase within a metal tube, I emerged from the floor to find myself blinded by light. After my eyes had adjusted to the odd lighting, I could see the sun from outside the ceiling windows filter inside. It lighted up a carpet of dyed silk strewn across the floor and canopying from the rafters. In between the multitude of webs were glass cases with paintings inside. Paintings of the gym, bug pokemon, and Burgh.
"Ah, it's you, the one I met back besides the Casteliacone shop. So, you were a trainer, huh?"
I glanced away from the paintings to find a familiar beret.
"I guess."
"Well, welcome to my sweet crib!" Burgh did a flourish. "Designed by moi, it combines both aesthetic and practical sense. Perfect for my bug pokemon to go crazy. Plus, a perfect environment to engage in art."
I looked around. "How about fire?"
"Well, I'd request for you not to burn my building down, but I have already installed some precautions in case. The webbing is all fire retardant, my cases shock resistant, and with a touch of a button," He then raised a paintbrush shaped remote in his hand (steadily dripping paint), and pressed the bottom tip. "The healing rooms can be accessed just next door." The painting behind him shifted over a couple meters to open a cavernous entrance, bright with clinical lights leading down into another hallway.
"Ah. I have to remind you, though. No Wailord or Steelix in here or [Earthquake]s and [Explosion]s. I don't have the space capacity or the structural integrity to support giant craters in my floor. We do have an outside field for that."
"Oh," I replied, letting a little bit of disappointment tinge my voice. Unova gyms are quite eccentric compared to Kanto's and Johto's. Brock's gym in Pewter is just a dirt mountain at the center of a football-sized warehouse, layered with boulders (making the whole event a dodge and run festival), and Jasmine's gym in Olivine was almost completely empty bar the arena. Although she did take an expensive loan for a gigantic underground rototiller...I wonder if I should check up on that.
"So, does that mean that this floor is really made of silk?"
Burgh waved it off. "Oh no, while a floor completely made of silk from Ariados string would be a novel concept, it would be impossible in terms of funds and capital. Instead, underneath the floor is insulated concrete with a thin polymer webbing on top of it to give the impression of spider webbing.
"I am looking into conductive webbing, though." I looked up. "There is a type of pokemon, named Galvantula, who are able to shoot out electrified fibers from their thorax. How amazing would that be? Ah, sorry, I got a little too passionate." Huh? Did he see my eyes glaze over already?
"Anyways, lights, please! Time to show you what bug-type Pokemon are made of!"
He clapped his hands, and the ceiling windows began shifting outwards, letting in the full brunt of the midday sun.