Chapter 34: A New Metropolis
As Eli continued to venture down Route 7 with his blue egg shielded inside a glass cylinder, he and his Bulbasaur admired the beautiful landscape of the path. Various berry bushes speckled the sides of the aging path, while Stanlers, Furrets, and Sawsbuck grazed in the open parts of the field. Bulbasaur often picked Pecha Berries off of unsuspecting bushes with his lengthy vines, and placed them in a pocket of Eli's black backpack. Both of the friends were beginning to feel the beast of hunger creep upon them, so they stopped at a small rivulet to eat lunch. Eli unleashed the rest of his Pokemon from their capsules. Golbat swooped overhead, grinning to the best of his ability while he anxiously waited for food. Arcanine walked over to Eli and rubbed his muzzle on the boy, which caused Eli to dispense an extra Pecha Berry from his backpack. The dog thanked Eli by licking his hand before pacing over to the stream to snag a sip of water. Larvitar, the newest addition to the team, sat, frightened, below one of the tree stumps. Eli saw this occurring, so he invited the rock Pokemon to come gather additional food for the group. He happily agreed, and the three acquaints, Eli, Bulbasaur, and Larvitar, all walked around the campsite in search of more food.
Luckily, the group of friends came upon a hive of Combee. These would be an easy target for stew ingredients, as the honey would sweeten the flavor of the dish. Normally, acquiring this delicious nectar would be a challenge, as the wild Combee could punish Bulbasaur with the use of their bug type moves. However, with Larvitar being comprised of both rock and ground types, it could easily rummage through the Combee nest to recover some honey. Eli commanded the rocky friend to do so, and it happily burrowed through the line of raging Combee to recover a full quart of honey. Eli thanked Larvitar, and the trio headed back to the campsite with the other Pokemon.
When the trio arrived, all of the other Pokemon were frolicking about in the organic playground. Eli's egg still lay peacefully in the backpack, while his money was still tucked tightly in his back pocket. Both Arcanine and Eli then went over to collect a mass of firewood for the group, so that their lunch today could be warm. While Eli struggled to bring back three logs, Arcanine hoarded up more than 15 easily. Again, the duo walked back to the campsite, where they began to assemble a fire.
Arranging the firewood was no easy task, as all of the logs had to rest upon each other for support. With the help of Larvitar and Bulbasaur, Eli was able to construct a teepee with the wood, with smaller sticks contained in the middle of the wooden house. Arcanine then shot out a small ember of flame toward the smaller sticks contained in the middle, and the fire roared with life. The temperature gradually rose as all of the friends, people and Pokemon alike, assembled a stand so that a cauldron could rest above the warming flames. When all of the necessary parts were assembled, Eli filled the cauldron with water and rested it above the flames. Gradually, Eli added Pecha Berries to the boiling water, so that their flavors could roam the swirling stew. Finally, he generously poured the honey in to the symphony of flavors. Sweeting the stew, the honey added a pleasant kick to the end of the stew. Now, the group would play the waiting game to let the flavors that they had applied clash and mix, so that the perfect stew could be achieved. After all that waiting, Eli lifted the steaming cauldron from the stand it rested on, and he poured five large helpings of the meal into plastic bowls. The group devoured the delicious stew, and they were prepared to finish their journey through Route 7.
Since Eli had already caught his Pokemon from this route, he decided to attempt to get to the city quicker than if he chose to walk. He returned all of the other Pokemon to their Pokeballs, except Arcanine. Arcanine was left out for the sole purpose of Eli riding on his back to accelerate the speed of the trip down Route 7. Eli hopped on the back of the majestic Arcanine before calling out for him to run. The beast howled with excitement, and shot off at a reckless pace towards the city. Wind coursed through the beast's fur, as it was now free to run for the first time in quite awhile. Eli called on Arcanine for stop when they reached a massive arch with a sign drilled into it. The sign divulged that the duo was now entering Chromium City. Eli immediately found the Pokemon Center to get more information, and to reheal his Larvitar.
After giving his Pokemon to Nurse Joy, he would need to kill some time before his Larvitar would be fully healed. So, he decided to explore the city. He walked up and down the streets of the quiet city. It was a stark contrast from Neon City, where cars buzzed and hummed at every hour of the day. Eli then located a massive, shining building labeled 'GYM'. Eli walked up to the sign to receive information about the gym he would be challenging. Apparently, it was a steel type gym and the leader's name was Colby. Using Arcanine, this gym would be a breeze. Eli, with his egg in hand, headed back to the Pokemon Center. Before he was about to open the door to the hospital, the egg Eli had been holding pulsated strongly. Eli, in shock, set it down on the ground. It pulsated again, before a small crack emerged at the top of the egg. Quickly, Eli removed the cylinder that encompassed the egg. Now, the egg split right down the middle, and an unfamiliar creature slithered out of its egg.
End of Chapter 34