Why did Nate leave us two alone? He attacked me this morning and who's to say he won't do it again?
Turning to my left, I see the Growlithe sitting in front of the door where Nate just left. His eyes look deep in thought though his body is calm. Letting him be, I turn around to where the couch is and go to sit on it.
Jumping onto the couch, I curl up into a ball to wait for Nate's return. In doing so, I notice the Growlithe leave where he was and start to approach me. Panic begins to set in as the dog approaches me, potentially wanting to have another battle like this morning.
Please don't do anything.
The Growlithe just walks past me and jumps on the other side of the couch, imitating me and curling himself into a ball. In his ball, his back is facing towards me, making me unable to see his face.
Thank goodness he doesn't want to battle again!
"I'm sorry about this morning. I was hungry and now you have a scar on your face because of me," the Growlithe apologizes in his language of barks and growls.
Stunned but appreciative, I accept his apology. "It's fine. You were hungry and I can't blame you," I shyly mutter in his direction. As I'm not well associated with him, this is all I need to say.
He just lets out a sigh of relief as I'm not holding a grudge against him and we end our short conversation with us curled up on opposite side of the couch.
And now we wait.
I press the button for the lobby floor as soon as I enter the empty elevator. As no one else is there, the doors shut and the elevator falls at a constant rate with smooth jazz playing over the speakers.
I zone out while the elevator brings me down to the lobby, the smooth jazz relaxing me. All ends too soon as the doors open to the lobby floor, prompting me to get out and return back to reality.
As opposed to earlier today, multiple groups of people are here. Some conversing with friends, others in line to get their Pokémon healed. I look to the nurse stationed behind the counter and it's no longer Jenna, but another who has taken her shift.
Finding an empty seat in the waiting room, I walk over there to figure out what I should do for dinner. Feeling as the seat is fairly comfortable, I hang my head and put my hands together over my lap, something I do when trying to figure something out.
Should I eat here at the food court and get free food with my V.I.P. card, or should I go out into the town and get a feel of the city? I wouldn't have to spend any of the money Holly gave me if I ate here but then again, I wouldn't know how much anything would cost so I'd have to budget my money. What if the food court sucks too? I don't want to eat bad food. I might as well make the best of this and go out and explore the town for a little bit.
Deciding upon what I'm going to do, I get up from the chair and leave the lively PokéCenter to find food. Seeing how the sun is just over the horizon, the amount of daylight I have left till nightfall is limited.
Not knowing in which direction to go, I decide to go left. Walking aimlessly in that general direction, my mind begins to wander about everything that's been going on.
This has been some crazy four days. Transported to the Pokémon world, becoming my childhood fantasy of a pokémon trainer albeit with some differences and even getting exclusive access at all Johto PokéCenters. Whoever sent me this ring, I've got to thank them personally for this opportunity. Wow, it's still hard to believe that all of this is real, even though I've been here for a couple of days. Just wow.
Streetlights begin to turn on as the sun starts going below the horizon; its orange light illuminating only some of the sky as darkness begins to take over.
What about my family and friends back home, though? Who knows how long I've been away from Earth as one day here may not equal one day back home. I'm sure my family misses me; same as my friends. Have they sent a police report of a missing child? What is happening back home anyways? School was a month in when I found the ring so I guess things would be pretty normal back home. Anyways, I'll find a way back home and will I have a story to tell everyone.
Just be positive about not being home; don't want to have another episode like what happened under the willow with Layla. Okay, moving on, what'll happen from here on? I can no longer base myself in regards to games as things are quite different. Maybe it'd be best if we continued on to Violet City or go to the metropolis Goldenrod. Goldenrod would probably have a lot of things and possibly information on my current predicament. But getting there would not be easy at all, possibly even life-threatening. One step at a time, and the first step is food.
Returning back to the world around me, I stop walking to find myself in front of a burger restaurant as the name of the store is Jeff's Burgers. As I have no intention of searching somewhere else to eat, I enter the restaurant.
Inside, it's fashioned as an upper class fast food restaurant. There are wooden floor panels, table booths lining the walls, wooden tables on the main floor, and a cashier behind the counter ready to take my order.
There's an old man eating a burger in the corner, but otherwise, this restaurant is empty. Worried about the lack of service, but not wanting to go anywhere else, I look at the menu posted above the counter.
What sounds good for me? I don't want a regular cheeseburger, I want something nice. Hmm, this mushroom Swiss avocado cheeseburger sounds good and for eight hundred bills, that doesn't sound too bad. That'd normally cost me eight dollars back home, so knowing the conversion rate here, one hundred bills is approximately one dollar.
Walking up to the counter, I tell the man behind the cashier what I want. "I'd like a mushroom Swiss avocado cheeseburger please," I tell him in which he pushes buttons on his cash register, inputting my meal.
"Would like anything to drink or a side to go with your burger?" he asks me.
Looking up to the menu again, I pick my drink and what I'll get for Layla and the Growlithe back at my room. "Can I get water and I'd like to place an order to go, also. Can I get two of your cheeseburgers to go?"
He again punches in the items I said. "Will that be all?" he asks me looking up from the register.
"Yeah, that'll be all," I tell him as he prints a receipt to give to me.
"It'll be eighteen hundred bills for your meal."
Pulling the envelope of money out of my pocket, I pull out four, five hundred bill notes, handing them to him.
He takes the money and counts it. "Out of two thousand, here's your two hundred back," he says as he hands me the money which I take from him. "I'll come over to you when the food is done." I nod as I go find a table to sit at, putting the envelope back into my pocket.
Not planning on sitting by the old man, I find a booth on the opposite side of the room where he's seated. With hanging lamps above every table and booth, I notice how this isn't a typical burger shop as opposed to back home.
This place seems a little more laid-back than the fast food restaurants back home. Is this how it is here? Do people just go with the flow, or is it just this place only? I guess I'll find out more while I'm here.
While in thought, a young man around the age of nineteen enters the restaurant and stands right behind the counter, already knowing what he wants to order.
Overhearing people's conversations is a nasty habit of mine. "I'll have a glass of water and a bowl of chili fries. Just that'll be good," I hear him say to man working the register.
"That'll be seven hundred and twenty bills," the man says, punching in the order.
Using my peripheral vision, I see the exchange of money take place with the man putting the change into his wallet. He looks around before starting to walk over to my table.
"Do you mind if I sit here with you?" the man asks me while I'm sitting down.
I turn my head to look at who he is. Though not exactly a giant, this man is definitely taller than me by at least half a foot. His brown hair is slicked back, giving him this American fifties look. His face doesn't have an overly masculine structure to it, but he does have a more squared-out chin than mine. His high forehead compliments his thick eyebrows above his slanted, brown eyes. He has a mid-sized, arched nose that fits perfectly onto his face with his other features.
Something catches my eye on his belt while I'm looking at him. Six miniaturized Pokéballs fit onto the side of his belt, prompting me to realize that he is a knowledgeable trainer, potentially even skilled.
Maybe it's a good idea to let him sit here. He may have some advice to give me in regards to me being a novice trainer.
"Yeah, sure. Go for it," I tell him as he grins and sits on the other side of me.
Taking the seat in front of me, he pulls out his flip phone from his pocket and puts it at the side of the table touching the wall. "Sorry, I haven't introduced myself right away, but I'm Andrew Cooper. Nice to meet you," he greets me.
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Nate Mendoza," I tell him, offering my hand out as it is customary for me to always greet someone new with a handshake.
He takes my hand with a firm grip, but looks at me questioningly. "Hmm, you're one of the few people who actually still greets another with a handshake." We release our grip, returning our hands to our bodies.
"What do you mean? Where I am from, it's quite common to introduce one's self with a handshake," there is intrigue in my voice.
"Well, it's not common here. By the way, where do you come from?" he asks me.
I just answer with the only response that won't make me sound like a lunatic, "I'm just not from around here." I have a tone that makes sure that this topic is over. He gets the message and luckily, the waiter brings over my food and drink along with Layla's and the Growlithe's meals in a bag.
"Here you go," he tells me as he places the mushroom Swiss avocado burger in front of me with the glass of water. He next puts the bag on the edge of the table. "Enjoy your meal," he says as he promptly leaves to go back behind the counter.
As there's some room between me and the wall, I grab the bag and put it there, filling up the gap. I look up at Andrew, "I'm going to eat, if you don't mind."
"Ah, no problem. Anyways, my food should be arriving soon."
Returning my attention to the burger, I pick it up in both hands. The smell of having one of my most favorite foods of all time takes over me as I take a large bite out of the juicy, delicious piece of meat in my hands. The grilled meat is the first thing that overwhelms my palette as I chew on the burger but the cheese, the mushrooms, the toasted bun soon find their way onto my palette, filling me with ecstasy of this delicious meal.
As I'm too occupied eating, the waiter comes back with Andrew's chili fries. "Here's your food," he tells Andrew with him simply thanking the waiter. He now turns to me, "I take it you're enjoying your meal?" he asks me.
Making sure to swallow my food before answering, "This is delicious. Please tell the chef to keep doing what he's doing, because this is the best burger I've had in a long time."
"I'll make sure to tell him," he says to me as he goes back to his post behind the counter. I hear him say something back to the kitchen but my attention is on the burger, not them.
Andrew looks up to me after taking a few bites of his fries. "Is it really that good or are you just hungry?" I look up to him and notice a bit of chili on his cheek which I point out to him by showing him its location on my cheek. He wipes it away. "Thanks."
"A little bit of both, but I've got to be honest, this is one hell of a burger," I excitedly tell him. I put the last bit of the burger in my mouth, devouring it, but enjoying it at the same time.
"I may have to give it a try another day, then," he says, taking another forkful of chili fries to his mouth.
Is it a good time to ask about him being a trainer and all? He should know a lot, but then again, those six Pokéballs could just be for show. It's worth a shot at least.
I find a way to phrase the question. "I noticed earlier that you have six Pokéballs on your belt. Are you a Pokémon trainer?" I ask him in a highly curious tone so he doesn't get the impression that I want to battle him.
He swallows his fries and taking a drink of water. "Yes," he says affirmatively, though not in a condescending manner. He takes another forkful of his meal as he continues to finish his fries.
"I, myself, am I trainer, but I've just started out recently. Do you mind giving me some tips to help me along on my journey?"
As he has just finished his fries, he answers my question positively. "Sure, I don't mind giving you some pointers," he tells my which I mentally cheer in my head. "Where would you like me to start?"
"Um, how about general pointers? I just started a few days ago, so I don't have much knowledge on this subject."
He closes his eyes and slightly nods his head up and down, "Okay, I can do that. It might take a little while, if you don't mind."
"Nah, I don't mind. It just can't be too long, since I have to bring this food back for my Pokémon back at the PokéCenter," I tell him while lifting up the bag of food at my side.
"I can condense the information, so let's begin," he says before going straight into giving his advice. "First off, before you have them battle each other, you want to develop a close bond with all your Pokémon, so you don't have to keep the Obedience Number on their Pokéball too high. Instead, you'll both have trust in each other in whatever decision needs to be made."
Okay, so develop a strong bond with my Pokémon. I believe that Layla and I are fine, but what about that Growlithe I just captured earlier today? I'll have to start to develop a bond with him from now on.
He continues on while I understand what needs to be done. "Second, with the actual training of your Pokémon, take it slow. Don't go battling against Dragonite with a Magikarp; it's not going to work, and the Magikarp would most likely die." He pauses for a second before continuing, "What I'm trying to say is: battle within yours and your Pokémon's capabilities. There have been too many trainers who have gone over their heads challenging something much more powerful than they were, losing everything in the process."
So basically, play it safe, at least that part hasn't changed from the games themselves.
He stops talking as he closes his eyes, trying to find something else to say. "That's all I can think of right now, but is there anything else you would like to ask me?"
Is there anything else I need to ask him? Um, I'm curious what his team consists of.
"Since you have six Pokéballs on you, who do you have on your team?"
He's silent as he weighs the pros and cons of telling me his team. After a quick contemplation, he tells me, "I have a Gyarados, Gengar, Alakazam, Ninetales, Dragonite, and a Raichu. Since you're new to this, I assume you have one or two with you at least, right?"
I affirm his question while saying what Pokémon I have. "Yes, I have a Pikachu and a Growlithe on my team so far."
He looks mildly surprised at my answer, "Since you are new to this, I thought you would have had a Caterpie or Sentret on your team, but a Pikachu and Growlithe, now that's something."
My confidence boosting that I have an uncommon team for a beginner reminds me of something else, I allow my Pokémon to speak. I go to ask Andrew one more question before it's time to leave. "Is it uncommon for a Pokémon trainer to allow their Pokémon to speak?"
He looks at me, curious as to why I would ask such a question. "I would think so. Besides myself, I've only met a few others who allow their Pokémon to speak. Why do you ask?"
Besides myself? He also allows his Pokémon to speak?
I pull out the lightning bolt pendant from underneath my shirt. "I allow my Pikachu to speak to me and I wouldn't mind if my Growlithe also did the same." I return the pendant under my shirt.
"Equality at its finest," he mutters under his breath. "You are a very interesting person, and if you want to find a pendant for your Growlithe and any other Pokémon you capture, I can give you a little more advice about this subject."
I don't even hesitate to think about it. "Yes, that'll be appreciated," I say, trying to hold in my excitement.
"This will be a bit more complex subject, but I'm sure you'll understand it," he beams at me positively before continuing. "The thing with these pendants is that you won't be able to find them at your typical market, but at a specialty store, and even then you may still not find it or it may be fake."
He now puts his hand out in front of himself. "May I see your pendant please? I'm going to tell you something about it." Not disobeying his request, I take the necklace with the pendant off and hand it over to him. "Another thing is that these types of pendants are type-specific to the Pokémon, meaning that this pendant will only work with electric Pokémon. So if you want to give one to your Growlithe, you need to find two pendants in the shape of a flame for you and him to share."
He returns my pendants back to me, which I put around my neck. "It sounds as if you found a much better way to allow your Pokémon to speak to you."
He grins, happy that I noticed. "That's what I was about to talk about." He now pulls something from underneath his shirt and dangles it in front of him. He holds in front of me a flat, circular piece of metal resembling a Pokéball but it has Japanese symbols vertically written on each half of the Pokéball. "This is a master pendant. It allows you to carry only one pendant but to speak to all of your Pokémon."
I get but what he's saying, but there must be a catch to this. There's always a catch to something as good as this.
Taking up a serious tone, "I'm pretty sure they don't give these out at any store so..."
He looks down at first, his face void of his previous glee, "The one who makes these, as far as I'm concerned, is an old man in his final stages of life. When I saw him a couple of years ago, he was old, but who knows what has happened since then?"
"If he's still alive, where can I find him?" As finding this person would be very useful for me, I would like to know where he is.
He slowly exhales, "You would find him in Azalea Town. He's known locally and regionally as Kurt the Pendant Master as he creates pendants like these in exchange for some sort of service from the person asking."
That name sounds familiar. Didn't Kurt create Pokéballs from Apricorns? Well, if he is still alive, I need to find him, and hopefully he'll help me out.
Silence envelops both of us as the conversation has ended, neither of us wanting to bring out another topic. Andrew takes one last drink from his water and stands up, ready to leave. "It was nice talking to you, Nate; I've got to leave now." He pulls out his wallet and leaves a five hundred bill note on the table, "That tip's for this meal."
"It was nice chatting with you, also, and thanks for all the advice you gave me. It's going to be a big help on my journey," I thank him happily. I offer my hand to him. "I'll see you around sometime." He takes my hand and shakes firmly.
"Yeah, I'll see you around." We release our grip and he turns around, leaving the building as I go over our conversation.
At least I have somewhere to go instead of wandering aimlessly, trying to find a way home. It may not be directly related to my situation, but who knows? I may find some clues along the way. And I need to find these pendants, too, since Kurt may or may not still be alive.
Standing up, I grab Layla's and the Growlithe's food and leave the restaurant. Once I'm outside, I search for the largest building in the area that is the PokéCenter. As soon as I find a large building with a large letter "P" lit up in red, I walk in that direction with the bag of food in hand.
Not thinking of anything while walking, I reach the PokéCenter in ten minutes. Entering the building, the nurse behind the counter greets me. "Good evening, how may I help you this night?" she asks me.
I turn my attention to her. "Good evening to you too. I'm just returning back to my room."
"Have a good night then," she tells me as she sits down in an otherwise empty lobby.
Must be pretty slow tonight.
"Good night," I return back to her as I press the button for the elevator to come to the lobby floor. The door opens immediately, allowing me to enter and press the floor I am currently staying in. The door shuts as the elevator ascends to the fifteenth floor in a short amount of time.
Exiting the elevator, I pull out my trainer card as I approach my room. Sliding the card on the lock, it opens allowing me to enter the room. The first thing I notice is that the room is not destroyed at all, letting me be at peace. The other thing I notice is that Layla and the Growlithe are curled up on opposite ends of the couch.
Quietly shutting the door, I walk to the kitchen and find two plates to put the burgers on. With both burgers on each plate, I carry them to the couch and place them on the coffee table in front. Taking a seat between them, I wake both of them up by rubbing their heads. "Hey wake up, I got food for both of you," I say to them soothingly.
The Growlithe is the first to wake up. He looks at the food then to me for approval. "Go for it," I tell him. He jumps off of the couch and with him on all fours being only a foot and a half, he has to put his front legs onto the table to enjoy his meal.
Layla wakes up shortly afterwards, her eyes glossy from being closed. "Nate, you're back," she says with her speech slightly slurred. She turns her head to the coffee table and sees her burger on a plate, "And you brought back food."
I lift her up and put her on the table, "Go on and eat, I know you're hungry." Quickly after I say that, she begins to eat the burger to her heart's content.
I grab the TV remote on the table and turn it on. Finally coming across the news channel after flipping through many of the programs, the headline has a large, menacing "R." Changing scenes, a news reporter comes on with the details.
It's night and he's wearing gray windbreaker with blue jeans. "After many years of lying inactive, the feared criminal gang, Team Rocket, strikes again. Here in Violet City, a family's Pokémon were stolen and the family themselves were brutally massacred. Due to the horrific nature of the crime, we cannot show where it took place. Back to you, Josh." The scene cuts out as another man behind a desk comments on it before going to the next article.
Team Rocket murders people? Yep, I can't go off my knowledge of the games and anime that this gang consists of weak punks but actually cold-blooded murderers.
I turn off the TV as they were no longer going to comment on the Team Rocket. I look down at both of my Pokémon, who are now done eating. Getting up, I pick up their plates and head over to the kitchen to clean them off.
I still have to give the Growlithe a name. What would be a good name? Kirito from Sword Art Online? No, Kirito is a bitch. Koyomi from the Monogatari series? I don't know if he'll have a harem, so probably no. Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann? I think that'll work, he may become an inspirational leader and a powerful fighter. Yeah, I'll ask if he likes it.
With the dishes now cleaned, I head over to the Growlithe who's lying on the floor, content with the meals he has gotten. Kneeling next to him, he gets up and sits right in front of me. "Since I don't want to call you Growlithe the whole time you're with me, I've come up with a name for you. I hope you like it." He continues to look at me, egging me on to finish what I'm trying to say. "How do you like the name Kamina?"
He gives a quick bark while I look at Layla who translates it for me. "He says he likes it."
Jenna enters my room with my trainer card in hand. "Here's your card," she says, handing it over to me. She also pulls out a Pokéball from her pocket and hands that also over to me. "Since you're going to need a Pokémon, I got you a Ponyta."
Looking at the information on it to verify it's all accurate, "Thank you, sis, for helping me out," I beam at her gleefully with the card and Pokéball in separate hands. "I'll try and find Nate in the morning."
She smiles a bit, but her eyes show little joy as she's going to be saying bye to her little sister soon. "Just don't leave without saying bye, alright?" she tells me as she turns around. "I'm tired, so I'll be going to bed now. Good night, Emily."
"Good night, Jenna," I say to her as she closes my door. Lying down on my bed, I stretch my arms in front of me while holding the Pokéball. "I shall name you Apple," I say to it, though I know it can't hear me right now. Putting the bottom of the ball to my finger, I let it extract some blood from me, registering Apple to be mine officially.
As it is late, I turn off the lights to get ready for tomorrow. "I'll see you tomorrow Nate."