Chapter 20 - Gau Ramen


"So, this is gau ramen!" Yurie exclaimed as the group were served three big bowls of noodles.

The broth in the ramen that Logan had had up to this point had always been a bit more clear or brown, but this broth was white; it looked nothing like the ramen that he was used to.

"They take a lot of pride in their milk here in Lavender Town," Seshiru explained. "The ramen is made from a milk broth. There's nothing else like it in our part of the world."

"Amazing," Logan said as he picked up some of the noodles with his chopsticks. It had taken him almost a year, but he was now able to slurp noodles with little issue. He was like a child in the way that the broth splashed around and dirtied his shirt, but he was trying his best.

"It's delicious!" Yurie exclaimed, her voice muffled by the noodle and milk broth.

Seshiru looked around the restaurant as she slurped on her own noodles. She had been through Lavender Town before, and she was used to the area being relatively quiet, but with the exception of the lone noodle worker, there was no one else in the restaurant. It was primetime for dinner too, which made her feel even more uneasy.

After the group finished their dinner and left the restaurant, they walked the streets of the small town. In contrast to the bustling cities of Celadon and Saffron, Lavender was empty. Lavender was quiet.

"I miss that small town feel," Logan muttered. "We've been around too many people for the past few weeks."

Yurie nodded. "And it'll let me train for my next contest in peace!"

"When I came to Lavender Town, it was quiet, but it wasn't this quiet," Seshiru said. "Something feels really off, guys."

"It could just be that it's finally cooling down," Logan said. "Maybe not as many people want to leave their homes?"

Seshiru nodded. "That could be the case. Maybe I'm overthinking things."

Yurie yawned while she stretched out her arms over her head. "I can't wait to get back to the Pokémon Center, take a nice long bath, and then get some rest."

"I agree!" Logan exclaimed.

"You two can go ahead," Seshiru said. "There's some place that I want to go to before it gets too dark."

Logan and Yurie paused before looking at one another. "Do you want us to go with you?" Logan asked.

Seshiru shook her head. "No thanks. I just want to be alone with my thoughts."

"Alright, we'll see you back at the PC," Yurie said. She winked before turning and walking away with Logan, leaving Seshiru alone with her thoughts.

Seshiru watched them for a little while, and then she was off towards her destination. Being alone allowed her to calm down for a bit and enjoy the simplicity of Lavender Town. Much like Fuchsia City, Lavender was considered much more countryside. Unlike Fuchsia City, Lavender Town didn't have wild Pokémon running about peacefully.

Most of the town was made up of farmland and dirt roads. Farmer owned Miltank and Tauros quietly grazed in the fields, ignoring Seshiru as she passed by.

The closer that she got to her destination, the colder it became. She always opted to wear her short shorts, but she was beginning to regret it as the chill creeped up her legs. Then the chill continued to her spine as she came to the place that she only remembered in her nightmares, the Pokémon Tower.

"Face your fears," Seshiru mumbled quietly.


Logan and Yurie had arrived at the Pokémon Center, and similarly to the rest of Lavender Town, it was empty.

The two went to the counter and reserved a room for their group, and then Yurie decided that she needed to call her mom, as it had been awhile. She missed her home, and she had never been this far away before. Meanwhile, Logan was still indifferent to contacting Juniper, and he instead bought an Alola Cola from the vending machine. He sipped on it slowly while Yurie made her call.

Yurie's mom answered. She had her hair wrapped up in a towel and wore a green facemask. "Moshi moshi! Kawahara residence!"

"Hey, it's me," Yurie said. Her face appeared on her mother's telephone screen. "We've made it to a place called Lavender Town. I'll be competing for my third ribbon in a couple of days."

Her mother's face lit up, although it was hard to see under the mask. "Yurie! It's so nice to hear from you. You won't believe this, but your brother called the other day. He's doing so well."

Logan perked up in his booth, but he didn't look back at Yurie, wanting to appear cool.

"He has five badges currently, so he's on track to be finished with the gym challenge and training in only a few months," she said. "I'm so proud of all of you!"

Yurie smiled. "It's good to hear that he's doing well."

"And Yui too!"

"Yui?" Yurie said. Her sister was traveling in Johto and competing in contests, but Yurie wasn't keeping track of her progress.

"She has three ribbons, the last time that we talked, so I'm almost sure she'll be in the Johto Grand Festival."

"Three ribbons?" Yurie asked. "I have to move faster if I want to catch up."

"And I know that you may not be interested, but I have news about your father."

"Dad?"

Her mother nodded. "Yeah. He recently lost against a challenger. The trainers in Sinnoh aren't pushovers. He could lose his position if he's not careful."

"I see."

"Then who knows? Maybe he'll come home."


Seshiru entered Pokémon Tower. It was a quiet place, and when she opened the door, the old metal hinges creaked, sending sounds across the entirety of the first floor. She slowly closed the door, and took a look around the room. There was nothing there, and it was dimly lit up by torches.

So, she made her way to the second floor. The staircase was old and made of wood, and with every step, it seemed to groan under the weight of the small girl. But she moved forward, keeping her head up.

There was a lot more to look at on the second floor. Dozens of stones were placed around with names written on them. Some of the stones were decorated with flowers. Most of the flowers were fresh, but a few had seemingly died out. No one had cared to throw the dead flowers away.

Seshiru slowly walked through the maze of stones, looking at each one and reading the names of the Pokémon that had passed. Then, she came to stone near the next set of stairs. She knelt down in front of the stone and smiled.

"Chunky, it's been awhile," she said.

The stone read "Chunky the Blastoise" and it had a small picture of a Pokémon covered in a massive shell scribed into it.

"Mom, still misses you, of course. She asked me to come here on her behalf. I'm happy to see that you're still resting soundly. You and mom traveled the world together, so you should definitely get your shut eye," she said before taking a seat on her rump.

"I've only been traveling for a little over three years now. It's been really fun, but I've had my fair share of problems. Don't get me wrong-I love traveling-but I don't love the stress. I'm not sure if I'm cut out for training anymore," she said.

She paused and then took a deep breath. "You remember my little Eevee? You met her before I set out from Fuchsia. I wanted a Squirtle, but ya know. You thought she was really cute. She evolved into Vaporeon, and she was really really strong. I even think that she could have gone toe to toe with you, Chunky."

Seshiru looked down. "Last year, I went to Sinnoh. She got sick. I wasn't sure what to do. I took her to the Pokémon Center, but it wasn't something that they could fix. I tried letting her go so she could live a peaceful life on a farm. I thought that maybe the stress of battling had been too much for her body. But none of it worked. Unfortunately, my Vaporeon-"

Before Seshiru could finish her sentence, she finally heard something echo throughout Pokémon Tower. It was coming from the floor above Seshiru, and she slowly stood up. It was a loud and continuous noise, similar to a drill.

"What the?" Seshiru wondered. She stood up and then ran up the stairs, leaving her conversation with the stone unfinished. Upon entering the third floor, she found a familiar face.

On the other side of the room, standing next to a machine that was digging up some of the gravestones, was the boy that battled with Logan on the bridge. He wore his leather jacket with the red 'R' sewed into it. He looked back at Seshiru and then spit on the floor before using his hand to check if his pitch black hair was still slicked back. It was.

"What business do you have here?" he asked. "Wait, do I know you?"

"What are you doing?!" Seshiru snapped back. She examined all of the uprooted stones.

"We heard that there was some rare Pokémon to be found in Pokémon Tower, but when we got here, there was nothing," the boy said.

A girl, only a few years older than Seshiru nodded before leaning on the boy's shoulders. She wore black lipstick and had long hair that was dyed blood red. Similar to the boy, she wore leather clothing. "Mizuki here thinks that if we make some noise, it'll bring out the Pokémon."

"That is not okay!" Seshiru yelled.

"Aira, you think you can take care of this girl?" Mizuki asked.

"It's not okay to mess with the graves of Pokémon who have passed!" Seshiru snapped. She drew out her Poké Ball. "A little girl like you doesn't scare us," Airi said while she pulled her Poké Ball from her belt.


"Seshiru is still not back," Yurie muttered. "I wonder if we should have stayed with her."

"Some people need their alone time," Logan said while he wildly ran a towel through his dark brown hair. "She's a big girl who's traveled the world by herself. If she's not back by morning, then we'll have reason to worry."

"That's fair," Yurie said quietly. "I guess it'll give me time to think about my contest."

Logan sat down. "Maybe your boyfriend will be at this one too."

Yurie was stunned into silence, having no idea how to respond to Logan. She genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.

"I imagine that you want to see him again, right? Omori?" Logan asked.

"Omori?!" Yurie screeched. "What in the world are you talking about?! He-he's not my boyfriend!"

"You're blushing."

"I'm not blushing!" Yurie screamed, her face red with anger and embarrassment. "What makes you believe that he's my boyfriend?!"

"I heard you two talking after your last contest. He said he'd make a good boyfriend for you. I assume he's your type. He does contests, and all of the other girls love him."

"No!" Yurie screamed. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Is he your type?"

"No!"

Logan was taken aback. "You're awfully defensive. Was it supposed to be a secret? I can keep it a secret if you want me to. If Himawari found out, he'd have a day with it."

Yurie bawled up her fist and she began to tremble with anger. "Are you not hearing me? He's not my boyfriend! I don't even consider him a friend!"

"You two seemed pretty close. He held your hand on the stage and everything. I guess I just assumed. And, I figured you're at the age where you want a boyfriend, so it wouldn't surprise me," Logan said. "I'm sorry."

Yurie was furious, and she refused to look at Logan, glaring daggers at the table that sat in between them. "Even if he was my boyfriend, what does it matter to you?" Yurie said quietly.

Logan folded his arms. "It's your love life. I don't want to judge you."

"You're an idiot," she whispered.


"Go, Poliwrath!" Seshiru yelled while she threw her Poké Ball forward. Her large Pokémon emerged, and he stretched his arms before taking notice of his opponents. He recognized the sinister look in their eyes.

Aira tossed her ball up before catching it. "Weak." With that, she launched it forward, and a Vitreebel appeared before her.

"We're used to fighting against our weaknesses, so don't think you have us figured out," Seshiru snapped.

Aira chortled to herself. "Whatever. Use Power Whip!"

She's hitting hard straight out of the gate, Seshiru thought. "Dodge!"

Victreebel swung around the massive vine that was on the back of her head. It began to glow with a bright green energy, and just in the knick of time, Poliwrath managed to leap over it. However, the vine continued, crashing into the stones that surrounded them.

"Oh no!" Seshiru yelled.

"One more!" Aira's voice called through the dust.

"Catch it!"

This time, Victreebel connected directly. As Poliwrath was knocked backwards, he reached out, grabbing ahold of Victreebel's vine. The Grass-type screeched as Poliwrath squeezed, refusing to let go.

"Ice Punch!"

Poliwrath's free hand started to crystalize with energy formed from ice. He then yanked on Victreebel's vine, pulling in her close. With one massive jab, he knocked Victreebel's body clear across the third floor of Pokémon Tower. Her body scraped against some of the stones, and she disappeared into the darkness.

Aira didn't appear disturbed by her Pokémon's state. She continued to look at Seshiru with a cocky expression on her face. Slowly, Victreebel emerged from the smoke, and she hobbled to her trainer's side.

"You're not terrible, kid," Aira said.

Suddenly, Poliwrath collapsed to one knee, and he held at his stomach where he had been keeping Victreebel's vine in place.

"But letting your Pokémon get hit is stupid."

Poisoned, Seshiru thought as she observed a purple energy pulsing off of Poliwrath's body. She must have had Victreebel cover her vine in some kind of venom beforehand. I can't afford to get hit, but I also can't let them continue to destroy the gravestones.

"You look so lost," Aira said. "Let me give you a little push. Poison Jab!"

Victreebel screeched as she raised her vine above her head. It now started to glow with a purple hue, and she darted across the floor to strike.

"We're already poisoned," Seshiru said. "I'm sorry! Use Ice Punch!"

Poliwrath was a warrior, so he didn't mind fighting through an ailment. He rose from the ground and charged at Victreebel with no fear on his face. When the two were close, they both jabbed. Their attacks connected directly, and they froze in place. Within only a few moments, the two collapsed.

Seshiru wasted no time, and she withdrew Poliwrath back into his ball. Aira paused a moment before she pulled Victreebel back in through the red light. She slowly grabbed her next Poké Ball and grinned.

"Victreebel isn't my strongest Pokémon, dear," she said. "But, I get a feeling that Poliwrath was yours."

Seshiru bawled her fist and gritted her teeth before she made her next selection. From her ball, Floatzel appeared, and she barred her fangs at Aira, immediately understanding that the girl was evil.

"Alright," Aira said while lazily throwing her next Poké Ball forward. A large Bug-type Pokémon with long spears for arms and a sizable stinger came out. It buzzed around, looking back at Floatzel in the eyes.

"A Beedrill," Seshiru muttered.

"Don't go thinking that my darling Beedrill is weak. Far from it," Aira said. She slowly raised her wrist into the air, revealing a metallic bracelet with a yellow stone connected to the middle of it. The stone started to surge with energy, and then the air flow through Pokémon Tower slightly shifted. Beedrill's body was engulfed in a ball of light. The ball then exploded, revealing a new form. Beedrill was now slightly larger, and her spears looked sharper.

"Not good," Seshiru said under her breath.

"My baby can mega evolve," Aira said. "And now she's stronger than you could imagine."

"Mega evolve?"

"Twineedle!" Aira commanded.

"Spea!" Beedrill hissed as she darted across the field. In a blink of an eye, she reached Floatzel. She easily jabbed into the Water-type once, knocking her back.

"Duck!" Seshiru screamed.

As Beedrill attempted a second strike, Floatzel swiftly lowered her head, narrowly avoiding it.

"Ice Fang!"

Floatzel continued her downwards motion, and she bit onto one of Beedrill's many spears. Ice started to crystallize from her mouth, but Beedrill didn't appear bothered by the strike.

"Poison Jab!"

Beedrill shifted her body in an almost cartwheel fashion, sending Floatzel into the air. She then put her spears together before jabbing forward, getting one more direct hit on the Water-type. Floatzel's body was blasted backwards, and she landed directly in front of Seshiru's legs.

Seshiru quivered as she looked at her unconscious Pokémon. Her hand shook as she raised the Poké Ball and let the red light retrieve Floatzel's unconscious body. "What kind of power-"

"You stand no chance," Aira said. "Why don't you turn around and go back to mommy."

Seshiru slowly reached for her belt and her third Poké Ball. But before she could make her selection, someone yelled, "Stop!"

Everyone turned their attention to find an elderly woman behind Seshiru. She was short in stature, wore purple clothes, and held a cane in her hands to help keep her standing.

"What are you going to do about it, grandma?" Mizuki asked.

The woman had a stern expression on her face, and she slowly walked forward with the help of her cane. "I'm not going to do a thing. But if I were you, I'd prefer battling with me rather than what's going to actually happen."

The two looked at one another, confused by what the old lady was saying.

"Whatchu mean?"

The old lady took a step in front of Seshiru. "Right now, there are a hundred or so ghosts who have been disturbed by your actions today. You've woken them up. They're not happy with you."

Mizuki and Aira looked around, unable to see any of the ghosts that the old woman was referring to.

Mizuki laughed. "You're senile."

The old woman lifted her cane a few inches before slamming it down. For less than a second, there was a flash of purple light throughout the entirety of Pokémon Tower, revealing hundreds of spirits. But just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared, and the tower became dark yet again.

"Leave, or they'll tear you apart," the old woman said.

Mizuki and Aira didn't appear frightened by the sudden appearance of all of the spirits, but they exchanged glances before coming to a mutual conclusion. Aira returned her Beedrill back to her ball, and the two turned towards the wall.

"We'll be leaving. Can't make a name for ourselves if we're dead," Aira said.

"Make a name for yourselves?" Seshiru wondered quietly.

"Kid," Mizuki said. "Don't get in our way anymore. You see this?" He motioned towards the red 'R' that was embroidered on the back of his jacket. "We're bringing Rocket back, baby, and we don't need anyone small, like yourself, getting in our way."

"Team Rocket," Seshiru exclaimed. "No…"

Mizuki grinned. "We actually prefer the name Neo Rocket."

Without anymore words, he pulled a device from his pocket, pushed a button, and there was an explosion, filling the entirety of the third floor with dust. Seshiru closed her eyes and held up her arms to try to defend herself while the old woman stood still.

When all of the commotion from the explosion died down, Seshiru could hear motorcycles revving in the distance. She collapsed to her knees before pounding her fist against the floor.

The old woman looked back at her. "Pick yourself up, child."

Seshiru continued to look down at the ground.

"You're one of the old duff's kids, aren't you?" the old woman asked.

"Old duff?" Seshiru asked once she could find the will to say something.

"Oak."

Seshiru slowly nodded.

"You should be enjoying your journey while you can. Don't get wrapped up with fools like that anymore." The old woman extended her hand, and Seshiru lightly took it before she stood back up. "Don't go searching for danger in dark places, child."

"Thank you for helping me," Seshiru said. "Thank you so much."

"Had I not sensed that something was afoot, the spirits would have not only torn them apart, but you too. Count your blessings."

"Thank you."

"Now, go back to the Pokémon Center."

"Yes, ma'am."

Seshiru turned around, and she slowly walked towards the staircase that would lead her to the second floor.

"Child."

"Yes?"

"Your Vaporeon is happy. She wants you to know."


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Alright. So, a few things. Logan and Yurie (not sure what kind of shipping name they should have) drama, Neo Rocket, cute old lady (WHOISIT?!), and I wanted to confirm that Seshiru's Eevee/Vaporeon has indeed passed away. I hope that some of her quietness now makes a bit more sense.

Okay. So, now time to move onto the first "Kickin' It In Kanto" "movie" story! I want to take a different approach, so the lead characters won't actually be Logan and Yurie. Instead, it'll be following part of Seshiru's OG journey through Kanto. I'll post the first scene in two days!

REVIEWS:

pokemonking0924 - "A nice day relaxing with a bit of training for our protagonists. Glad to see that everyone's Pokémon are getting along, although I do hope we get to see Seshiru's other two Pokémon soon. I think that everyone's comments about siblings means that some are going to pay a visit soon. Eevee and Charmanders training seems to be progressing nicely. It was also a nice surprise seeing Turtwig evolve into Grotle, although Yuries comment about the grass types love to battle makes me think she might trade it for one of Logan's future Pokémon that might love contest (similarly to Ash and Dawn from the anime)." - Seshiru only has four Pokemon on her at the moment. She wants to focus on her best four. As for siblings coming back, I think it'll be awhile.

Sudipto Dam - "Ah ! A Very Nice Chapter. It Was A Very Important Chapter So As To Remind The Readers Of Seshiru's Previous Bond With Eevee And Also The Strength Of Her. She Defeated Yurie With No Serious Difficulty Even Though Turtwig (Now Grotle) Was At A High Level And Had A Type Advantage. There Was No Haruto In The Story For A Long Time Now. I Wonder When Does He Come Back To The Chapters ." - Seshiru's Poliwrath was her second ever Pokemon, so it's easily her strongest on her team right now. I think Haruto won't appear until around Chapter 31-32.

wisdom-jewel - "Grotile would be Yurie's strongest Pokemon if she keeps it. Unless she trades it with another Pokemon which I doubt. And poor Charmander. I'm guessing he needs some time before he becomes a powerhouse. Maybe he finds something that would spur him into that direction. A rivalry or Logan's new Pokemon might be a love interest for him and he tries to prove himself." - I think Charmander is simply fighting with something within. Logan has to find a way to drag it out of him.

CrescentApple - "I was just thinking how funny it was that all of Yurie's pokemon are around the same size, until Grotle broke that chain. Nothing like a good battle to make friends. Express all that pent up energy haha. I find it embracing when its mentioned Nidorino kept losing to Mightyena, but the poison pokemln kept getting back up. It was a good first battle for Eevee. It's great Charmander finally won, even if he himself fainted. But dang Eevee a running circles around the fire type. If Eevee was a bit stronger I would have given the win to him." - What I think is funny is that Eevee doesn't even like battling. She just doesn't want to get hit.