CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
Amy awoke with a yawn, not immediately remembering where she was. The scratchy fabric of her clothes and the cushy interior of her sleeping bag and the feel of Growlithe licking her face brought it all searing back - a white-hot knife which began to recede as she realised the throb of people around her. Young boys and girls rose from their mattresses and sleeping bags, hair askew and mouth dry and bodies unwashed, collecting into a queue like sleep-deprived, starving zombies in front of the kitchen counter. The same elderly lady with her hair scraped back into a bun was serving a meagre breakfast onto trays while Pokemon bit at fleas on their tattered fur or picked at food scraps on the ground.
Amy couldn't believe her eyes! She was at the lowest ebb of her life - sleeping in a communal facility where the most hope these youth had for themselves was to be fed, to sleep all day and to avoid the harsh realities of life. They were outcasts, down on their luck with not a penny to their name. All the while, Amy felt a kindred relation to these poor people - she was now one of them.
She rose from her sleeping bag, tying her hair into an elastic band and putting her backpack on. She didn't want to remain poor. She understood why Celadon needed a place out of the way, to feed and clothe and house the city's youth while maintaining its consumerist sparkle, but Amy wanted no more of it. Today, she decided, she would continue her journey and no longer would she allow the unexpected troubles of her journey to bring her down and grind her progress to a complete halt.
Amy exited into the alleyway, glancing up at the sky. It was much fairer, though droplets of water still dripped onto the pavement. The day looked a lot better - a sign that she was getting better, too. As she walked down the alleyway and passed through the wrought iron door, she followed the instructions she had been given last night to find a laundromat. She held a plastic bag containing the sodden clothes she had been wearing in the rain last night and had been told that a laundromat was a public service offering washing machines and dryers for those who could not afford to have them installed in their own home... or were without a home.
Once upon a time, Amy's expensive clothes would've been sent to a professional dry cleaner after each use, but now she would rely on the industrial machines set up for convenience, not quality. She caught sight of the laundromat easily enough - it was a faded, worn building with a broken sign advertising 'Discount Laundromat' and grimy window panes showing a bank of washers and dryers inside, with only a few people entering and leaving. Amy moved past them, found a washing machine and pulled upon the lid, dumping her clothes into the machine.
"You'll need washing powder, dear," spoke an elderly lady, with liver spots dotting her sparse grey hair and quivering hands fetching her dry laundry from the machine. "Here, you can use some of mine."
"Thanks," said Amy gratefully.
She took a scoop of detergent from the elderly lady and poured it into the machine. She closed the lid, inserted a coin and looked at the display, unsure of which dials or buttons to press. She sat on a chair as the machine began its spin cycle. Sighing, she pulled at the patchwork sweater that itched her skin and glanced down past her elastic waistband pants to where she wore the only expensive thing she had left, a pair of stylish leather boots which cost a cool $1,300.
She was wondering if there were any designer resale shops in Celadon to make a few extra hundred dollars once her clothes were washed when she looked up and saw one of the most frightened faces of her life. It was Louise, one of the maids at her parents' mansion, wearing a grey uniform and her dark hair scraped back into a bun.
"Miss... Miss Amy?" she gasped, nearly dropping the bag of clothes she was carrying.
"Louise?" Amy asked, realising that for the maid to be here, in a laundromat, she would have to be on her day off, washing her own clothes.
Louise turned tail and fled, leaving the store as fast as her pudgy ankles would take her. Amy leaned back onto the chair, her head on the cool metal of a washing machine. She didn't want her mother to see her like this. In fact, she didn't want to see her mother at all. As if in a daze, Amy stood up and walked out of the laundromat, leaving her expensive clothes spinning in the wash to be picked up by whoever person came upon them.
Let them have it, Amy thought grimly, as she emerged into a slight breeze and walked along the pavement. I'm not waiting around to come across my mother.
Walking along the street, past boarded-up apartment blocks and tiny shops with the smell of incense coming from their windows, Amy came across a discount supermarket and entered through the door. The supermarket utilised a large space, but it was dimly lit with flickering lights and the concrete floor did little to provide her feet with warmth. Amy picked a trolley at random and searched the aisles, picking up items here and there which she would need. Most of all, she would have to let her hair go back to its natural colour. She wasn't naturally a blonde.
The afternoon sun shone brightly, removing the last drops of water from the sides of the road and on store front windows. Shopkeepers milled about as they began moving their outdoor furniture back into the open, while the first customers walked about avidly, wondering if any discounts had been announced during the bad weather.
Amy walked past the store fronts, past bakeries and greengrocers and antique stores, past the imposing façade of the Celadon Department Store and out onto the route west which led to the Cycling Road. The tall buildings and cobblestoned paths were soon a memory as tall trees bordered Amy on either side and wet grass dotted the route.
With what spare money she had left, Amy had invested in a new wardrobe to be packed away in the backpack she bought. Now she wore a parka over a long-sleeved sweater, warm leggings underneath athletic track pants and a beaten pair of sneakers worn over woollen socks. She had never looked so outdoor casual in her life.
As she walked down the route, she caught sight of a young boy and girl heading her way, both steering bicycles with their hands as they trudged through the wet grass.
"Hey, look!" the girl cried, pointing to Amy. "A Trainer!"
"Let's go ask her to battle!" cried the boy.
Amy stood her ground as the boy and girl ran up to her.
"Hey!" shouted the girl. "Do you want to battle?"
Amy paused a moment. This would be a good time to train her Pokemon for the next Gym.
"OK," Amy nodded, too sullen for small talk. She wanted to get this over with.
The boy stood out of the way as the girl stepped back to make room for a battlefield. She had two Pokeballs on her belt.
"What's your name?" asked the girl. "I'm Lea."
"I'm Amy."
Amy? Who is that? Who am I now, really? I don't even recognise myself in the mirror.
"Go, Ponyta!" shouted Lea, throwing her Pokeball onto the field. In a burst of red light, Ponyta materialised. Ponyta was a cream-coloured horse, with flames billowing on its mane, body and tail, with sharp hooves which it stomped into the ground in a display of force.
"Cubone!" said Amy, as Cubone walked past her and raised his bone club in a show of solidarity. "Let's get this over with."
"If you think my Ponyta is a pushover, you better watch out!" cried Lea. "Ponyta, Ember!"
"Cubone, use Bone Club!" shouted Amy.
Cubone ran towards Ponyta, dodging the volley of flames which burst from Ponyta's mouth and weakly lit the wet grass on fire. Stamping it out with her sneakers, Amy watched as Cubone leapt into the air and laid a hit on Ponyta's head with its bone club.
"Ponyta!" cried the girl, as Ponyta nearly tripped over, dazed.
"Finish it, Cubone!" Amy shouted. "Headbutt!"
Cubone launched itself at Ponyta, lowering its head as it did so. Ponyta cried in pain as Cubone bashed it with its skull, tripping over its own hooves and falling unconscious to the ground.
"Nice work, Cubone," said Amy.
Lea returned Ponyta to its Pokeball with a flash of red light. She selected her next Pokeball with caution.
"Careful, Lea!" cried the boy. "This girl's tough!"
"I know," Lea shot back. She watched Amy warily, throwing her Pokeball into the field. "Go, Vulpix!"
Vulpix appeared in a flash of red light, wiggling its tails as it faced Cubone down.
"Vulpix, Quick Attack!"
"Cubone, Bone Club!"
Vulpix disappeared into thin air as Cubone looked around wildly to see where it had gone. All of a sudden, Vulpix tackled Cubone in the side and sent it rolling into the grass.
"OK, Vulpix!" Lea had regained some of her confidence. "Roar!"
"Cubone, Headbutt!" shouted Amy.
Vulpix let loose a terrifying roar which stopped Cubone in its tracks.
"Nice work! Ember!" shouted Lea.
Vulpix opened its mouth and released a volley of flames, burning Cubone as he took the full brunt of the attack.
"Hah!" shouted Lea, spinning around on one foot. "Your Cubone's no match!"
As the flames began to die down, Cubone suddenly leapt at Vulpix, its body barely burned and bashed it on the head with a single whack of its bone club. With a cry of pain, Vulpix fell to the ground, struggling to get up.
"No, wait!" Lea cried, holding out her Pokeball. Vulpix returned in a flash of red light.
"Do you concede?" Amy asked, as Cubone fixed an eye on Lea.
"Yes, yes... I concede." Lea cried, clutching her Pokeball. "Oh, my poor Vulpix..."
"Hey! I'm Jed!" the boy stepped forward. "I'll battle you next!"
"Tough luck, kid. I'm on my way to Fuchsia City," said Amy, moving past him. She accepted her prize money from Lea.
"Hey! You have to battle me!" shouted Jed, as Amy turned to face him.
"I don't have to do anything," said Amy, an edge in her tone as she walked away from him, heading for the Cycling Road.
As she walked down the path, Amy came across a clearing in which a tall building held precedence. The sign in front of it read 'Cycling Road - rent or buy your bicycle here!'. Amy entered the checkpoint.
A receptionist at a desk was signing in entrants, while another presided over a display rack of bicycles. Amy approached the receptionist first, signing her name and ticking the 'rent' box'. She paid a fee of two hundred dollars and moved over to the range of bicycles, noting that the new ones were shiny and polished, while the ones for rent were worn and a little battered.
"Are these safe to use?" asked Amy, gesturing to the bicycles available for rent.
Surprised, the attendant replied, "We test them regularly, ma'am. Which colour would you like?"
"The purple one, please," replied Amy, as the attendant removed the bicycle from its stand.
Taking hold of her bicycle, Amy was handed a helmet and a pair of arm- and knee-pads.
"Is this your first time riding?" asked the attendant kindly.
"No," said Amy, lying through her teeth as a pair of cyclists walked past her, lost in their conversation as they wheeled their brand-new bicycles into the open doors to where the track began.
"Are you sure?" repeated the attendant.
"Yes." said Amy. There'd be no way she'd have someone show her how to ride - or attach training wheels - in front of her peers. She'd be laughed at the whole ride down. "Thank you."
Amy took her bicycle through the double doors and out into the sunshine, where several cyclists were strapping on their helmet and protective pads. Amy copied their action and got onto her bike unsteadily. It was harder than she first thought. She wobbled a little, her face reddening as she narrowly missed putting her foot through the pedal and slipped over into the mud.
"Damnit," she gritted her teeth. Blessedly, nobody had noticed. Amy stood, shaking the mud off her clothes and gripped the bike handles tightly as she tried again. Her feet were straining against the pedals, but she had to pedal if she wanted to stay upright. The ground was slightly muddy, but the bike relented against the pressure and Amy began to ride.
She rode slowly through the throng of cyclists sharing last-minute suggestions and compliments and found herself a space of her own. She took her first look at the track before her and paled.
It was a long stretch of land, with bumpy hills and patches of tall grass interspersed between. There were dips and recesses in the earth which led Amy to believe she was insane for even trying.
"Excuse me!" shouted the attendant, once the conversation had died down. "Please remember! There are wild Pokemon in the tall grass! Please do not ride through it or you risk an unwelcome encounter!"
Wild Pokemon? thought Amy. What sort of Pokemon?
"On your mark! Get ready - "
Amy saw that the other cyclists had their feet firmly on their pedals, their hands clamped over the brake lever. Amy hurriedly mimicked their action.
"Get set - "
Amy forced herself to stare at the valley below. There was no way to get out of this now. Her heart was hammering like a Spearow's Fury Attack -
The attendant blew her whistle sharply, startling Amy. Cyclists blurred past her and she released her hand off the brake lever, her wheels in motion as she began pedaling. The air began to whip past her as she took flight, her bike slamming onto the ground as it landed from a mild jump.
Amy couldn't help a smile painting her features as she wove down through the valley, riding past patches of tall grass where Oddish and Gloom peered curiously at her and Ponyta with fiery manes ran alongside her, keeping their distance from the other riders. Amy laughed as she watched them, turning to face the track and veered a little to the right to avoid a patch of tall grass in her view -
She felt a hard thud right before her body left her bike and she was flying through the air, her vision a blur before she crashed into the undergrowth, pain lancing through her body as she rolled several times down a hill and fell face first into a puddle of wet mud. Paralysed from shock, she lay for what seemed like minutes. Pain seared through every inch of her body, weakening her further.
She glanced up when she could manage it, spitting mud onto the wet grass and blinking several times to clear her vision. She couldn't hear any cyclists passing her by, not that she had the strength to call out. Her mouth felt dry and hoarse. Half-obscured by scrub, Amy shook as she tried to raise herself from the ground, but collapsed back onto the ground, fatigued. If only she could reach her Pokeballs... but one of her arms refused to move and the other was twisted out in front of her, set at an odd angle. She realised with a jolt of horror that it was bent to suggest the bone was broken.
Tears formed in her eyes as she lay there, completely immobile as the wind gently nipped at her. The sounds of the trees waving in the wind did little to comfort her. She was all alone.
From what little she could move her head, Amy managed to rest herself awkwardly on her outstretched arm, trying to soothe her conscience. She should never have rented the bicycle. She should've traveled to Fuchsia by foot, by way of Vermilion City. She should've stayed with friends, should never have deserted the offer of companionship.
She opened her eyes as she heard the sounds of wheels on mud and realised it must be a straggling cyclist, one who perhaps was a beginner just like her but hadn't yet succumbed to disaster.
"Help!" she croaked weakly, as the bike zoomed past her without a change in speed.
She could hear the bike continuing to descend, riding further and further away from her, but now she could hear an additional two bicycles riding towards her position.
"Help!" she shouted, hurting her throat in the process. "Help me!"
She heard the bikes skid to a stop and a pair of footsteps approach where she lay.
"I'm over here!" said Amy, trying to lift her head.
Then, a set of familiar voices met her ears:
"Look who it is, Zeke!" guffawed a harsh voice.
"Very good, Dwayne." said Zeke. "It's her. Just like he said."
Amy's eyes snapped open to attention. She tried to move but her body screamed out in pain and she lay rigidly immobile on the grass. The horrors of the Underground Path came back to her in a flood.
"Is that her purse?" asked Zeke, his shadow blanketed on the grass before Amy's eyes. She watched as the other shadow belonging to Dwayne made a movement. "It doesn't have much money in it..."
"I thought she was rich!" exclaimed Dwayne.
"It doesn't matter. What's this?" asked Zeke.
"I've never seen anything like that!" said Dwayne, amazed. "Is that a Moon Stone?"
A screech of tyres alarmed her senses. She heard footsteps, then a loud voice:
"Hey, you two! Drop the purse!"
"Get lost, kid!" shouted Dwayne. "Before you get hurt!"
Amy tensed even more. What if it was Liam? To see her on the ground, battered and bruised -
A flash of red light flashed on the edge of her eyesight and she heard another pair of feet join the party.
"Get away from her. We'll have a Pokemon battle." said the newcomer. It was a male voice.
"Are you crazy, kid? We'll tear you to pieces!" shouted Dwayne.
"Let's indulge the kid, Dwayne. You want a battle? Let's go!"
"Nidorino, support her on your back." said the boy.
Amy heard footsteps rush towards her and flinched. A Nidorino came into view, its quadruped body nudging Amy into a more comfortable position so she could climb onto its back.
"T-thank you," said Amy, running her hand over Nidorino's purple back and noticing it had a sharp horn on its forehead. She gingerly lifted her head and with a shock of horror, felt her broken arm swing uselessly against her side.
"You alright?" asked the boy.
Her vision was blurry, but there was no mistaking the features.
"Joshua?" Amy croaked.
Now Amy could see the landscape that had been behind her after the crash. Alongside a series of tyre tracks caused by the others, hers ended right where a small boulder sat. She had been thrown several feet upon impact. Her bike was nowhere to be seen.
"Go, Weezing!" shouted Dwayne, throwing his Pokeball.
"Raticate, let's go!" said Zeke, joining in with his Pokeball.
Weezing and Raticate burst forth from their Pokeballs in flashes of red light. Amy recognised the Raticate as the same one that had attacked her in the Underground Path. Weezing was the evolved form of Koffing, hovering above the battlefield and breathing noxious gas. It had two heads and was larger than a solitary Koffing.
"Watch out!" Amy croaked, as Zeke turned around in irritation.
"Quiet, little girl!" he retorted. He turned back to Josh. "You'll have to take on both of us if you think you're man enough!"
Joshua reached under his belt. Alongside Nidorino's empty Pokeball, there were two others.
Two Pokemon? Amy looked at Zeke and Dwayne's belts. They had a reserve Pokemon each. He's outnumbered!
Joshua threw his two Pokeballs into the muddy grass, where they burst open with bright light, revealing Golbat and Primeape. Golbat flew into the air upon materialising, flapping its large wings and baring its sharp teeth. Larger and more deadly than a Zubat, it watched the opposing Raticate and Weezing with a malevolent glare. Primeape had a round body with messy white fur and black shackles on its wrists and ankles which served to enhance its strength rather than hinder it. Primeape punched a large fist into its outstretched palm in a show of aggression.
"Weezing, Smog!" shouted Dwayne.
"Golbat, Confuse Ray!" shouted Josh.
"Raticate, Quick Attack!" yelled Zeke.
"Primeape, Focus Energy!" shouted Josh.
Weezing expelled toxic fumes from its mouth as Golbat blasted it with a psionic wave, Raticate disappeared into thin air as Primeape pumped itself, readying itself for battle. Blasted by the Confuse Ray, Weezing shuddered in the air and dropped to the ground, unable to expel its fumes any more. As Raticate appeared out of nowhere next to Primeape, Primeape delivered a Karate Chop directly into Raticate's shoulder, sending it to the ground, instantly unconscious.
"Raticate!" shouted Zeke in distress. "Get up!"
"Golbat, Wing Attack!" shouted Josh.
Golbat flew at Weezing, delivering a sharp hit with its glowing wing. Weezing expelled a final breath of poisonous fumes and fainted, unable to move.
"No way!" shouted Dwayne, as he and Zeke returned their Pokemon back to their Pokeballs.
"I'm just getting started," said Josh, rolling up his sleeves. "You want another dose?"
"Let's get this kid, Zeke!" roared Dwayne, throwing his reserve Pokemon into the fray as Zeke copied his action.
Both Pokeballs burst open with bright light, revealing Zeke's Electrode and Dwayne's Graveler. Electrode was a larger, spherical version of Voltorb with sharply defined facial features, while Graveler readied itself to attack by jumping up and down to gather its adrenaline.
"Golbat, Leech Life!" shouted Josh.
"Go on the defensive, Electrode! Light Screen!" yelled Zeke.
"Primeape, Low Kick!" shouted Josh.
"Graveler! Harden!" shouted Dwayne.
As Golbat and Primeape headed for their enemies, Graveler curled into a ball and hardened its body, while Electrode conjured a shining, golden barrier in front of its body. Golbat managed to avoid flying into the Light Screen just in time, while Primeape delivered a damaging kick to Graveler that sent it rolling down the hill and out of sight.
"Graveler!" shouted Dwayne, spotting his Graveler lying unconscious, having collapsed into a tree.
"Grr! You little runt!" shouted Zeke, as Electrode's Light Screen disappeared. "This battle is over!"
Amy's eyes widened as Electrode began to tremble and emit millions of tiny pinpricks of light.
"Nidorino, take her and run!" shouted Josh, as the light began to blind Amy.
Amy held on as tight as she could manage as Nidorino began to run down the hill, jumping over rocky outcrops and avoiding patches of tall grass as Electrode used Selfdestruct, causing an ear-splitting explosion which caused nests of Spearow to take flight and startled Ponyta to join Nidorino in its haste to escape. Amy closed her eyes and held on tightly as she heard the rumblings of a minor avalanche coming her way. She could hear the hurried gallop of hooves and the shouts of wild Pokemon as Nidorino stopped all of a sudden. Her palms hurt from clenching onto Nidorino so tightly and she worried that she had hurt him, but he was unhurt, glancing up at where his Trainer had been only seconds before.
"Nidorino, are you OK?" asked Amy, stroking his neck.
Amy glanced up to see a figure speeding towards her in a blur. It was Joshua, pedaling his bike down the hills and skidding to a stop in front of Nidorino.
"Joshua," Amy gasped, noticing his torn shirt and blackened face. "You're hurt - "
"I'll be fine," he said, waving the injury off. "How about you? What's wrong with your arm?"
Amy glanced down to her arm, which swung uselessly from side to side like a pendulum.
"I don't have any feeling in it. I can't move it at all!"
Joshua regarded her with a blank stare. "Fuchsia City's not far off. Nidorino can take you on his back. I'll meet you there on bike."
Nodding, Amy put her good arm around Nidorino's neck. As Joshua put his feet to the pedals and began to ride, Nidorino followed beside his Trainer, taking off at a canter, taking special care to keep Amy on his back.
It took them a few minutes to reach the southern end of the Cycling Road. The road became a lot more stable as it veered east, towards a building which had a mechanism feeding used bikes on a gondola up to the northern end of the Cycling Road. As they reached the entrance of the building, Joshua dismounted his bike and walked the rest of the way, steering his bike by its handles. Amy uneasily dismounted Nidorino, gave him a quick pat on the head and ambled along, following Joshua into the building.
The receptionist took one look at them and gasped, drawing a crowd of passersby to their presence.
"What happened?" she gasped, glancing at Amy's mud-splattered figure and Joshua's burned clothes.
"We were attacked... " Amy took a deep breath, steadying herself on a nearby display of magazines for sale. "Two bikers took us by surprise."
"An Electrode exploded," Joshua indicated his ripped shorts. "Took out a chunk of the mountainside."
"I'll have to inform the police and fire departments," said the receptionist, picking up the phone. "You two need to go to the clinic in Fuchsia City. I'll call the ambulance to send a van to pick you up - "
"We'll be fine," Joshua held up a hand. "It's a short walk."
Amy looked up at Joshua, who offered his shoulder to lean on as they headed for the exit.
"Thanks," she said gratefully.
Joshua nodded, but said nothing in return. Amy didn't notice that her purse was considerably lighter.