Chapter 12 – Cerulean City Blues
Last time…
A gross error in judgement has resulted in both Daniel and his Machop suffering bad injuries. Now, the young Trainer must come to terms with what has happened, and either rise above it, or give in.
…
Daniel didn't know when Chris and Maddie got back to the Pokémon Center. All he knew is that they weren't there, and then they were. The door of their room being opened woke him up from an uneasy slumber. He opened his eyes and looked at the window. Though the curtains were drawn, there was no trace of light on the other side. Clearly, it was still night-time.
"Daniel? Are you awake?" Chris whispered.
"Yeah," he replied softly, still lying in bed. There was a gasp, and suddenly Maddie was leaning over him. Even in the darkness, he could make out concerned expressions on their face.
"Are you okay? The nurse told us everything!" she exclaimed. Soon, Chris was also at her side, a worried expression on his face too.
"I'm fine," he mumbled. "I'm sorry for running away."
"Don't worry about that," replied Chris. "But you shouldn't do that again. What if you'd hurt yourself worse? You could've broken something!" he admonished. Daniel slumped his head back against the pillow, avoided his friends' gazes.
"I know, I'm sorry," he apologised again.
"We're just glad you're alright," said Maddie with a sad looking smile. But her words of reassurance fell on deaf ears. Daniel was already asleep.
oOo
The sound of movement woke Daniel up from his deep slumber. Through his eyelids, he could see that the room was now filled with light. With a groan, he opened his eyes just a crack. Immediately, he was met with the sight of his two friends bustling around the room. Chris appeared to be carrying a basket filled with dirty clothes, and Maddie was doing her best to sweep up what appeared to be dirt on the floor. He groaned again as he sat up.
"Hey, what're you guys doing?" he asked, shielding his eyes with one of his bandaged arms.
"Oh, just some cleaning. We fell behind on our laundry," replied Chris, stopping in front of Daniel's bed and holding up the maroon shirt he'd been wearing the previous night. The garment was stained with dirt, and dark splotches Daniel assumed was blood. His eyes widened.
"You guys aren't cleaning up after me, are you? I'll handle that stuff!" he protested, jumping out of bed. Chris raised his eyebrows at the younger Trainer, who was wearing nothing but underwear. Unfortunately, jumping out of bed so fast agitated his bandaged arms, and he doubled over in pain. Chris put down the laundry basket and rushed over to Daniel, Maddie close behind.
"Hey, are you alright?" Chris asked, a concerned frown on his face. Daniel took a deep breath and straightened up. He tightened his lips and nodded.
"Yeah, just moved a little too fast, is all. I'm fine," he said, walking over to the laundry basket and moving to pick it up. But Chris saw what he was doing and beat him to it.
"Nope, we'll take care of that. Its Saturday, go watch some cartoons or something," Chris suggested, picking up the remote for the room's television and turning it on, before walking out of the room. Going to the laundry room most likely. The sound of Maddie laughing echoed through their room. Daniel huffed and switched off the television.
"I'm gonna go for a walk," he called to Maddie, before he threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt and stepped out of their room, making his way to the lobby. There were a few people hanging around, but it wasn't very busy. Nurse Joy noticed his footsteps and looked up from her computer.
"Daniel! Are you feeling alright?" she asked, standing up from her desk and walking over to him.
"I'm feeling fine, thank you. I was just wondering if I could see Machop?" he asked, his chest tightening. The nurse nodded and smiled.
"Of course you can! Just follow me," she said, motioning for Daniel to do just that. She led him behind a door and through the back corridors of the Pokémon Center. The young Trainer looked at his reflection through the glass windows of various recovery rooms. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair looked like a birds nest.
He was still running his fingers through his messy hair when they arrived at Machop's room. Daniel could see the Superpower Pokémon lying on the room's bed. He appeared to be asleep.
"Your Machop was suffering a bad paralysis but has since recovered overnight. Now it's just sleeping," the nurse informed him with a smile. Daniel tried to return the gesture, but found he couldn't. Nurse Joy noticed this and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I was talking to your Machop earlier this morning when I went to check up on it. I promise you there's no hard feelings towards you," she assured him, opening the door and letting Daniel into the room. Machop was a light sleeper, and opened his eyes when the door squeaked on its hinges. Daniel slowly walked up to the bed, a regretful frown on his face.
"Hey, Machop. How're you feeling?" he asked. For a moment, Machop stared into his Trainer's eyes, his face expressionless. But thankfully, he smiled and gave Daniel a thumbs up. Daniel felt the weight in his stomach vanish, and he sighed in relief.
"I'm glad you're feeling better," he said with a small smile. Then, he held up his bandaged arms. "You aren't the only one who took a beating last night, you know. Guess that'll teach me to look where I'm going, huh?" Machop began to laugh, and despite himself, Daniel joined in.
"I gotta know though, Machop. How come you don't like dodging attacks?" the Trainer asked. Machop began to speak to him in his own language. Daniel couldn't quite decipher every word, but he got the general gist of what Machop was saying. The answer he got was along the lines of what he expected.
"You think it's cowardly?" he confirmed, just to be sure. Machop nodded. Daniel pressed his lips together in thought. He wouldn't dwell on it right now, but he'd have to think about solving the issue later.
Daniel stayed with Machop for a little while longer, but eventually was shooed out of the room by the nurse, who wanted to perform another check-up on him to check for nerve damage caused by 'excessive exposure to electricity'. With a sigh, he returned to their room, where Chris and Maddie were now relaxing on the couch watching cartoons. Daniel raised an eyebrow at their choice of channel, but neither of them seemed to care. The youngest member of the group sat down at the small table and let his eyes wonder while his older friends watched the children's programs. He stared at the clock on the wall, then the small pot of flowers in the middle of the table, a rip in the arm of the couch, and then a pebble stuck in the sole of Chris's shoe. The silence became deafening.
"Do you guys still think I'm a good Trainer?" he blurted without thinking. Both Chris and Maddie turned to look at him with odd expressions.
"What?" asked Chris. Daniel felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck, but it was too late to go back now.
"Well, 'cos of last night. You know, Machop getting hurt from that Magnemite, and then me running back here and leaving you guys alone in the dark," he elaborated. His heart rate skyrocketed as he thought about what they might say in response.
"Oh, Daniel. Of course we still think you're a good Trainer," said Maddie with a smile. Chris nodded.
"Maddie's right. You showed a so much concern for Machop that you ran all the way back here in the middle of the night with torn up arms. Would a bad Trainer do that?" he asked. Daniel shook his head and looked down, his brown bangs covering his eyes.
"A good Trainer wouldn't have let that happen in the first place…" he mumbled, staring at his bandaged arms, which were folded on top of the table. He heard a rustling sound, and saw both Chris and Maddie walk over to him. They both stood behind his chair.
"Hey man, you're still new at this. You can't expect yourself to be perfect right away," said Chris.
"Mhm! And plus, you're still really young. Look at Chris and I, we're both fourteen and only just now starting to travel," added Maddie. Daniel thought that was an unfair comparison, but he didn't have the energy to push the issue.
"I might go for a walk or something. Maybe check out Cerulean City," said Daniel, standing up and brushing his hair out of his eyes.
"You'll be alright on your own?" Chris asked. Daniel nodded in response.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Shouldn't be too long."
oOo
Cerulean City was said to have a "mysterious, blue aura" surrounding it. Daniel didn't quite understand what that could mean, but he was feeling a little blue. He huffed to himself as he walked past one such sign describing said aura around the city. Probably intended for tourists. He walked aimlessly long the city blocks, his eyes trained firmly on the pavement, his hands fiddling with his silver ring. It was probably his eyes playing tricks on him, but the normally reflective surface seemed to have lost some of its sheen.
He didn't know how long he wondered the city. After a while, the different streets started to blend together until it all looked the same to him. Then, his foot bumped into something. Thinking it was a person, he looked up to apologise, but there was no person. He'd collided with a sign. He'd read the words on it without thinking.
Nugget Bridge.
Despite himself, he smiled at the unusual name. There was more written on the sign, and he read that too.
Voted the most inspiring place in the Kanto Region in 2006, Nugget Bridge is said to be the place where dreams start for both the locals of Cerulean City and visitors from far away. It is named for the unique gold paint that covers it. It isn't known exactly when Nugget Bridge was built, but it is generally accepted that it was constructed by the kingdom that was present in the land that is now known as Cerulean City some thousand years ago.
That was interesting. Daniel looked past the sign at the bridge itself. It certainly looked dated, being made up of cobblestones and large wooden panels. But most striking was the vibrant gold hue that coloured the bridge. Nugget Bridge crossed a small estuary where the ocean and a river connected. Shrugging to himself, Daniel stepped onto the golden bridge and began to walk across it.
Almost immediately, visions filled his head. Visions of the months leading up to his tenth birthday, and the emotions he'd felt during that part of his life.
The excitement he'd felt when Indigo League representatives had visited his school to explain the life of a Pokémon Trainer to his class in preparation for their first year being of age to own Pokémon.
The crushing disappointment when his parents had told him that they didn't want him to register with the Indigo League.
The growing sense of dread in his stomach as the end of last year drew closer and closer.
Pretending to be nervous about which of the three starter Pokémon to choose.
And the bittersweet feeling he'd had when he'd stepped out of Pallet Town with a Squirtle in tow. The nervous excitement and guilt he'd felt at the same time as his hometown got further and further away.
The visions cleared away as he found himself standing in the middle of the bridge, staring out at the ocean. The sun was halfway down, and its brilliant orange light reflected off the sea, bathing it and everything else in a fantastic hue. In short, it was the most glorious sight Daniel had ever seen. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore washed away the tightness in his chest in the same way that it washed away the sand on the beach.
Daniel understood.
He couldn't give up now. His parents had said he wasn't ready to train Pokémon or experience the world on his own. He refused to prove them right by quitting after a setback. He would never prove them right.
He lost himself in the magnificent view of the setting sun over the ocean, his determination renewed. Like the beach that was constantly smoothed by the ocean, his doubts were swept away.
oOo
Meanwhile…
Ben was sitting in his car in the parking lot of the Pewter City Pokémon Center, cursing the roundabout way the highway for cars was built in Kanto. In order to preserve traditional travel routes taken by Pokémon Trainers for nearly a hundred years, the national highway was a disjointed, indirect mess. What would normally take a few days to walk took several to drive.
With a grunt, he got out of his car and walked into the building. One of those identical clone nurses was standing at the main desk. Ben remembered during the mid '80s when the staff of Pokémon Centers became identical looking women nearly overnight. It had unsettled him then, and it still did now. He walked up to her and she looked up from the computer she was typing away at and gave him a smile. He tried to return the gesture, but it came out more as a grimace.
"Excuse me, but I'm looking for information about a Trainer named Daniel Robertson. I'm his father," he said, showing her his ID and a small photograph of both him and his son, taken on an outdoor camping trip the previous year. They were both grinning widely into the camera. The nurse took the photo from him and smiled at it before handing it back.
"Yes, I remember a Trainer called Daniel. He was here with his friends trying to win a Boulder Badge about a week ago. On his second attempt, he beat Forrest and won the Badge. After that he said he was headed to Cerulean City," she recalled, tapping her chin in thought. Ben was doing some thinking of his own. So, Daniel had made friends on his travels. Probably other kids his age leaving Pallet Town as well.
"Can you tell me what his friends look like?" he asked. The nurse tapped her chin again as she tried to remember Daniel's friends' appearances.
"Hm, well one is a boy and the other a girl, both older than him. Their names were…. Chris and Maddie, I believe. Chris had black hair and Maddie had hair that was sort of reddish brown," she answered.
"Thanks for your help," he said with a nod, before turning and exiting the Pokémon Center. The sun was setting, and he was too tired to do anymore driving, so he decided to stay in Pewter City for the night. He got back into his car and reached into the glovebox for his guidebook. It was a few years old, but new enough to hopefully help him find a cheap hotel for the night. He couldn't stay at the Pokémon Center due to no longer being a travelling Trainer anymore.
He rummaged around in the compartment for a few seconds in search of the elusive book. Soon, he got impatient and began to brush items aside harder than he should have, causing a flat metal case to fall out of the glovebox onto the floor of the car. With a pop, the case opened. Eight metal objects tumbled out of the case and spread themselves across the carpeted floor of the passenger side of the car. With a groan, Ben got out of his car and walked around to the other side. He opened the passenger door and bent down to collect the Badges.
They were his Kantonian set, earned on his very first year as a Trainer. His wife wasn't fond of seeing his 'Trainer stuff' around the house after yet another argument with Daniel over becoming a Pokémon Trainer, so he'd stuffed all his Badges and other awards in his car to keep them out of sight. What once had been something that brought their small family together had become a source of pain for them all.
One by one he picked them up and looked at them, remembering the struggles he'd endured to earn each one. He was still missing one, his Boulder Badge. It didn't seem to be on the floor, so he felt around under the seat. Sure enough, the Badge was under there, along with the guidebook he had been searching for. He pulled them both out and stared at them. In one hand, the Badge that he and his son now had in common. In the other, a guidebook that would help him track down Daniel and put a stop to his son's misguided efforts. He dropped the book on the car seat and looked at the set of Badges.
Yes, he remembered earning these years ago. He placed the Boulder Badge back into its case, completing the set. The Badges sat in two rows of four on a strip of black padding with the words League Badges, 1978 printed underneath the second row. Since the League changed the designs of the Badges very slightly each year, they were unique to 1978. With a sigh, Ben closed the case and put it back in the glovebox. He picked up the guidebook and walked back around to the driver's side. He tried to read the guidebook, but his mind kept wondering.
He thought back to his discussion with Samuel Oak.
"Yes. I received an email from Forrest Harrison, the current Pewter Gym Leader. He attached a video of the match captured by the Gym security cameras. Daniel is already an impressive battler. I can forward the email to you if you'd like."
He hadn't watched the video yet. He pulled out his phone and checked his emails. Sure enough, the Professor had sent him the video footage as promised.
Ben began to watch. And, if he was being honest to himself, he liked what he saw.
oOo
Next time…
With his confidence renewed, Daniel prepares to resume his training! But just as the son loses his doubts, his father gains them! Their meeting grows ever closer, so stay tuned!
► TO BE CONTINUED….
…
Hi everyone! Thanks for waiting for this chapter! And more importantly, thank you so much for the readers who left reviews! For the reviewer who left character profiles, I'll be sure to incorporate them into the story somewhere in the future! To everyone else, I hope you're enjoying the journey so far! I must apologise for the lack of 'plot progression', but I tried to make up for it by including a scene with Ben Robertson. I really enjoy throwing in his thoughts on certain things that have changed since his own Pokémon journey, such as the identical nurses that run Pokémon Centers. Anyway, I hope you all have a great day!
