Arrival in Oldale Town

Mari may have been exaggerating about how late she was going to be. Tyson and Max were waiting by the side of the road where the group had agreed to meet. Even though they were both glad that Daichi turned out to be okay, Tyson griped about being left behind. Max pointed out that it was because their Pokémon didn't have any tracking skills that could prevent them from also getting lost. Ray and Treecko re-joined the group shortly thereafter, followed closely by Hilary and Ralts and then Kai, Togepi and Poochyena. Hilary also scolded Daichi and the group welcomed Jason to travel with them for the rest of the way to Oldale Town. Daichi spent most of the time recounting his mini-adventure in the forest and showing off the new knowledge that Mari had bestowed him with, gloating that he knew it first.

It was getting dark but Mari assured them that, according to her PokéNav, they could make it to the town if they pushed on a little further. By the time they reached the town the sun was gone, leaving only a thin streak of pale colour just above the tree line under the indigo sky. The streetlights and houselights were up but the streets were still quite dark since the area they had entered seemed semi-rural. Like Littleroot, Oldale was also a small, country town. Jason went his own way, saying he was fine and wouldn't get lost in town. They bade him farewell as he ran off and turned a corner.

They kept walking down the main street that led straight off Route 101 and kept going to the centre of town. The buildings were closer together but still low lying and sleepy and it was only marginally brighter than it was in the suburbs.

"It's too dark to do any training now," Ray said. "Can the PokéNav tell us if there's any place in town with vacancies?"

"It can," Mari replied, checking her device. "Seems like the Pokémon Centre is having a slow day. We can stay there but…" Mari switched the screen to display the time, staring at the digital numbers pensively.

"But…?" Tyson prompted.

"We need to get some more supplies before we start training tomorrow. Might be able to make it to the mart before it closes. Would be great if we could, it would save time tomorrow morning."

"Then what are we waiting for? We should go," Tyson said.

"Hold on, is it really necessary for all of us to go?" Ray wondered sensibly.

"We can split up here for a while," Max suggested. "Some of us can go and find a hostel while the others shop."

"Good plan," Mari agreed. "Anyone who wants to shop can come with me and the rest of you can go to the Pokémon Centre. It's somewhere near the town centre, easy to access. You'll find it, it's hard to miss. Just look for a big, white building with a red roof."

Mari pointed in the general direction of the Pokémon Centre. The group split up with Kai, Hilary and Mari going one way and Tyson, Max, Ray and Daichi going another. The group of four followed Mari's fairly vague directions to the town centre. They managed to find a bland town square in the middle of an intersection surrounded by market stalls. There was a farmers' market but many stalls seemed to just be there for second-hand items, trinkets and art, fuelling rural tourism and contributing to a 'trendy country town' feel that the main street had. The sellers had already started packing up for the night and the last stragglers of what had been quite a crowd during the day were leaving.

"Hey, I wonder if this market is a regular thing," Max thought aloud. "Do you think it'll be here again tomorrow?"

"I hope so," Tyson replied. "Markets like this always have awesome food."

"Just ask someone," Ray said. "And while we're at it, we should ask about the 'Pokémon Centre' too. I don't see a red roof around here."

"Me neither." Tyson looked up and took in all of the rooves of the buildings around them, none of which were red. "I thought Mari said it was near the town centre! This is obviously the centre!"

"Then it's probably nearby somewhere," Max concluded. "I'm going to ask someone." Max strolled off to a jewellery stall nearby where a woman and a teenage girl were finishing up the closing of the stall.

Tyson and Daichi nodded to the proposal and stood by to wait for Max to come back. Then Tyson suddenly blinked as if he'd just remembered something and rushed over to grab Max by the collar before he could start talking to anyone.

"Hold it! I'm not letting you go by yourself! I'm coming with."

"What? No, it's fine. I don't need someone's help to do this," Max protested.

"Come on, I know what you're gonna do in this situation. I'm coming too."

"Can I come?" Daichi asked.

"Sure."

"No!" argued Max. "I can handle it by myself."

Ray chuckled at the childish back-and-forth between his friends. A nearby rustle and twitch of movement caught his attention. He turned to the stall directly next to him. The owner was only halfway finished putting things away. It was flower and pot plant stall with a variety of plants from tiny cacti to large, leafy indoor plants. One of those plants had wide leaves that were like giant lily pads and beneath those huge leaves someone was crawling around. To Ray it looked like a small child wearing a green onesie. He smiled but cocked one eyebrow and crouched down to the child's level.

"Hey, what are you doing down there?" he asked. He moved aside a large leaf and found that the child had also put a leaf on their head. He reached over to pull it off but they felt the tug on their head they turned around. Ray was met with a red, bill-like mouth and red claws instead of a human child.

The other three bladers turned around sharply when they heard Ray suddenly scream out in pain. They quickly forgot about their petty argument and rushed over, finding Ray lying on the ground with scratches across his face.

"Ray, what happened?" Tyson asked. He helped his Chinese friend sit up and Ray immediately pointed to the weird human child look-alike.

"What is that!?" he said quickly.

A short, teal-haired girl wearing denim jeans and flannel shirt hurried over to them from the pot plants she'd been shelving. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed. "Rudi didn't mean to hurt you, just gets very startled sometimes. Sorry!"

"Hey, don't sweat it," Max said, putting his hands up in placating gesture. "Ray's tough enough, he'll be fine."

"Seriously, what is that?" Ray demanded, standing up and staring at the Pokémon in shock. "I thought it was some kid crawling around under the plants."

Daichi captured the Pokémon on his Pokédex camera and the encyclopaedia said: "Lombre, the Jolly Pokémon. Lombre's entire body is covered by a slippery, slimy film. It feels horribly unpleasant to be touched by this Pokémon's hands. Its features are so humanoid that it is often mistaken for a human child."

"I take it that means you aren't the first, Ray," Tyson joked.

"Rudi helps me take care of my pot plants and the flowers I grow for the stall," the girl explained, "but that's no excuse. How can I make this up to you?"

"Like I said before, no hard feelings over here," Max said. "Ray is probably more shaken than hurt. We can patch up the scratches ourselves."

"Actually we can't," Daichi piped up.

"What?" Tyson and Max said simultaneously.

"Hilary has the whole First Aid kit in her bag, remember?" Daichi replied.

"That's okay, the Pokémon Centre isn't far from here," the girl interjected hopefully. "I can lead you there."

"Really? That's great," Tyson grinned. "We were looking for that place."

"Follow me," she said, returning her Lombre to its Pokéball and taking the group down the main street.

Meanwhile, the PokéNav was able to lead Mari's group very easily through the streets until they came across a white building with a blue roof. The words 'Pokémon Mart' were written in green print across the shop window. The white lights were still on inside but business looked slow as there were only two people browsing at the moment.

"Is this…?" Kai asked, not quite completing his question.

"The Pokémart," Mari answered. "A specialty shop for people with Pokémon, travellers too. It's a chain mart that has shopfronts in almost every town and city in the world. There're all sorts of travelling supplies and things for Pokémon, including Pokémon food, training equipment, medicine and even Pokémon League merchandise."

"Great! I haven't been here for two days and I already get to go shopping," Hilary giggled. "Or at least window shopping since I don't actually have any money."

The sleek glass door opened automatically as they stepped into the shop. Mari ran off a list of the things they needed to get before they started their training and they split up around the small store. Kai browsed the shelves, not really sure what he was looking for exactly. Mari had asked him to find some more potions and something that she vaguely called 'an anitdote'. An antidote for what, exactly? The shelf in front of him had several spray-type medicines and syringes. They were all very clearly labelled but the titles in and of themselves were very vague from his perspective. Togepi wriggled in his arms. He looked down at his baby Pokémon and also caught sight of a little girl in a blue dress with her pink hair tied in two buns on either side of her head. Her large green eyes blinked cutely and she smiled at him.

"Hi," she said. "Never seen you before. What's your name?"

What is it with these little girls? Kai wondered this and rolled his eyes.

The girl cocked her head to the side when he didn't reply. "You deaf? Mute?"

Kai's eyebrow twitched. "No."

"Why don't you answer then?"

Kai grunted and looked back at the shelves.

"I see…" the girl muttered, nodding her head and putting her thumb and forefinger to her chin. "Don't like strangers, eh? Well, I'm Miki and I'm nine years old. There! Not a stranger anymore."

Kai still wasn't sure how this logic worked. The people in Littleroot also used the philosophy that this 'Miki' used. "Fine… I'm Kai."

"Kai? Cool name," Miki said. "You have the best balance: coolness and cuteness and toughness and smartness and beauty."

Kai tilted his head to the side slightly and gave her a puzzled look.

"You got a cool name and a cute Pokémon," Miki explained. "Cute nose too! You look tough and your eyes show smartness. Your face and hair are really pretty too. If you were a Pokémon you'd be the ultimate contest Pokémon."

"You're another person who likes Pokémon?" Kai said.

"Think everyone likes Pokémon," Miki replied. "Don't know anyone who doesn't. When I finally get my first Pokémon, I'm going to train it to enter contests. Wish I had a cute Pokémon like your Togepi though, then it would be a cinch!"

Kai looked at his Togepi again. She looked up at him and smiled. She suddenly giggled for no reason and waved her arms about, wiggling around and making it harder for Kai to keep a good grip. Miki also giggled.

"That's a cute Pokémon if I ever saw one. You gonna train it up for something special?" she asked.

Kai looked away, thinking about it. His only other Pokémon were a largely useless fish and a puppy that he didn't yet know the capabilities of. As it stood, Togepi barely even knew how to walk since he carried her around all the time. At this stage, aiming for the Gym Challenge and the League didn't sound practical.

"I suppose," he eventually replied.

"What?"

Damn, these people sure were nosey. "For battle. I'm going to participate in the Gym Challenge."

Miki's eyes lit up. "Really? Amazing! Must be collecting Pokémon to have in your party too. How many do you have?"

"Three."

"Show us the other ones! Please!"

Kai sighed. On one hand he didn't really want to give into the demands of a child to spite her but he was also bored and wasn't making any headway with these Pokémon medicines. He took out his Pokéballs and released Magikarp and Poochyena anyway. Magikarp did nothing except flop around with that dumbfounded expression she always had. Poochyena tensed up and backed into Kai's leg with her tail between her legs, looking around the strange new environment fearfully. They both appeared so pathetic in this light but Miki didn't seem unimpressed by that.

"Awesome! Magikarp's so tiny but she looks so energetic. She'll be a wicked Gyarados when she evolves," Miki said. "And Poochyena looks really tough. Great if you want to challenge Gym Leaders. You need powerful Pokémon to win."

"You know all about this?"

Miki nodded. "Used to want to train Pokémon myself but now I'd rather be a coordinator. Closest Gym is in Petalburg City but you need three Pokémon to challenge it. You're pretty set, all you need is to make them strong."

Kai returned his Pokémon and started to actually examine the products on the shelves, wishing the girl would go away. Miki continued, as if Kai wasn't trying to ignore her. "Yep, got the feeling you're gonna be a really good trainer. I want you to have this thing…"

Kai turned to her again and she held out a thin case with a stylised blue Pokéball shape on the lid. Togepi grabbed it before he even considered touching it and flipped off the hinged lid. Inside was soft padding and eight spaces for holding badges. Kai eyed her suspiciously. That was the second time a stranger had given him something completely free of charges and conditions.

"Don't want to be a trainer, so I don't need that. Every time you get a badge from a Gym Leader you can keep them in the badge case. I'll make sure to watch you in the Pokémon League."

"You won't even remember me," Kai assured her.

"Yeah I will," Miki retorted. "How can I forget you? You could have been the ultimate contest Pokémon!"

Kai snorted.

"Don't say it! I know you'll make it to the Pokémon League. I'm gonna help." Miki took a white box with a picture of a burgundy serum inside a syringe off the shelf and paid for it at the counter. She returned promptly and forced Kai to take it. "Use that anitdote if your Pokémon get poisoned somewhere out in the wild. Poisoning sometimes heals itself but if it doesn't and your Pokémon faint somewhere far from a Pokémon Centre it'll take a long time for them to recover. Good luck on your journey to the Pokémon League."

Kai just nodded, unable to think of something reasonable to do or say other than two words he used so rarely: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Miki smiled. "Better go, though. It's already dark and mom'll be worried about me. See you at the Pokémon League."

Miki skipped out of the store and waved back at him through the glass door. Kai watched her skip out of sight behind the wall and then looked down at the gifts she gave him.

"Make a new friend?"

Kai's head snapped up to meet Mari. She grinned, carrying two armfuls of supplies for Pokémon care. He looked around to see if he could find Hilary anywhere. She was checking out the Pokémon League clothing merchandise while holding her share of items in one arm.

"Come on, all we need is the medicine then we can meet everyone at the Pokémon Centre."

Kai just nodded and put his antidote away in his bag. Then he turned to the shelf and started to pick up more potions and antidotes, realising that there really wasn't anything more specific than the instruction he'd been given. The shopkeeper flinched at the sight of Kai's frustrated glare when the three of them took their items to the checkout. Logically, he thought, a general purpose medicine for all venom and poison was absurd and impossible. Or maybe it was more absurd that he didn't think that such a thing was possible in this world, given everything else he'd already seen. In his brooding, he didn't notice the shopkeeper shuffle away from him in terror as his moody expression darkened and his glare intensified.

The girl didn't take Tyson, Max, Daichi and Ray very far. The Pokémon Centre was just down an arterial road branching off the main street and only a block away. It was a three storey white building with a bright red roof, just as Mari had described it. There was a short, paved path cutting straight through a lawn with a hedge fence that led up to automatic glass doors. The arch pediment bore a white, stylised Pokéball and the words 'Pokémon Centre' in large block lettering. It really was hard to miss.

Daichi smacked himself in the forehead. "Now that I think about it, I did see that roof from the main street."

"Yeah, me too," Max said. "Man, I feel kind of stupid now."

"There's no point putting yourselves down," Ray told them, "we're all new at this and we've never been here before."

"Good point," Tyson remarked. "Thanks for showing us the way," he said to the flower girl. Then he dragged Ray down the path by the arm. "Now let's get this fixed up before it gets infected."

Daichi followed them, giving the girl a quick goodbye but Max stayed back and gave her his brightest smile.

"Thanks a lot, we might have been wandering around for ages if not for you," he said.

"You wouldn't! This place is really close. You'd have found your way eventually."

"Either way, this really helps us out. Did I get your name?"

"Oh! Um, I'm Katie."

"I'm Max, nice to meet you. So, since Ray's totally going to be fine and it still isn't that late, do you want to hang out tonight?"

Katie giggled. "Well, I still have to finish closing up my stall but okay."

"I can help you with that too if you want."

"I'll manage," Katie smiled.

"Cool. Shall I meet you at your stall in twenty minutes or…"

Before Max could finish that thought, Tyson grabbed him by the ear and dragged him to the Pokémon Centre. "You're not going anywhere tonight!"

Katie laughed and waved at them. "Bye Max."

"I'll be here for a while so you'll know where to find me," Max called back to her.

"My stall is open at the night market tomorrow," Katie replied. "See you soon."

Tyson waved back to her and then shoved Max through the doors roughly. "Can you please try not to be a shameless flirt?"

"At what point was I shamelessly flirting?" Max responded.

The interior of the Pokémon Centre was an open and brightly lit space but the colour scheme may have left something to be desired. Everything was pink and white. Anything that wasn't pink or white was red (and the occasional blue object). The lobby was clean and organized and looked like a lounge with couches and armchairs, a TV, some booths near the window and a row of PCs against a wall. A small hallway on the right side of the room jutted to the back and led to the surgery and intensive care ward, while a staircase disappeared to the second floor on the left. At the reception desk a redheaded nurse with bouncy curls was working on a computer with a pink Pokémon at her side looking on.

"Excuse me miss," Daichi said, walking up to the desk. "Are you a nurse?"

"I am," she replied. "Call me Joy. What can I do for you?"

"We have a patient." Tyson dragged Ray to the desk.

"Oh my, that scratch looks like it hurt," Nurse Joy said, eyeing the wound worriedly, "but I can help you with that. Please come this way."

Nurse Joy took Ray down the hallway and ushered him behind a white curtain where a room for triage assessment was set up. She told Ray to sit down and poked her head around the wall to tell the others: "If you kids are travellers Chansey can put you down for a bed, she'll just need to see your trainer ID." She nodded towards her Pokémon, which was pink and egg-shaped and had an egg nestled in her pouch. She happily jumped onto the chair Nurse Joy had previously occupied and started to work the computer. "Sorry that Chansey isn't as adept as I am at using the computer. She's a bit slow but can do bookings just fine."

Joy disappeared into the hall and shut the curtain screening the triage room. The bladers put their trainer ID cards on the desk. Tyson stared at the Pokémon slowly navigating the computer files and got out his Pokédex for the information: "Chansey, the egg Pokémon. Chansey is a rare and elusive Pokémon that is said to bring happiness to those who manage to catch one. It lays several eggs a day. The eggs are rich in nutrients and extremely delicious."

"I guess that's cool," Tyson muttered, not really all that impressed by the Pokédex's explanation. He was more intrigued by what she was doing right now. "And it can use a computer to check us into a room! I've never even seen a chimpanzee do that and they're supposed to be the smartest animal on Earth or something."

"Yeah, even I don't know how to use a computer," Daichi said, leaning over the desk to watch the screen as Chansey worked. "There are three more of us, by the way. Can you find some room for them too?" he asked her.

"Only more proof that you are, indeed, a monkey," Tyson ribbed.

"Hey!"

"How do we pay for this place, though?" Max said, taking his wallet out of his pocket and flipping through his receipts and notes. "I only have yen and a few American dollars."

Tyson and Daichi stared at him and then slowly turned to look at each other. "Yeah…" Tyson muttered. "I can see how that would be a problem."

They started going through their pockets, trying to find more money to put towards their accommodation. Chansey suddenly let out a joyful cry, letting them know that she'd finished the booking and leaned over to access a drawer. She found two sets of keys and threw them onto the desk in front of the bladers.

"Thanks, Chansey," Tyson said sheepishly, "but, uh… we kinda have a problem. We might need to wait until the others get here."

Chansey just shook her head (the way her head could move on its own despite being one with her entire body looked extremely creepy to the beybladers) and hopped off her chair. She skipped off to the surgery section of the ground floor to take inventory and paid no more mind to the visitors. The bladers looked at each other.

"Okay, now what?"

"Maybe they don't ask for payment until afterwards?" Max guessed, picking up the keys. They heard someone call to them from the doors and turned around. Mari, Kai and Hilary had returned, carrying their supplies in paper bags from the Pokémart. "Wow, great timing."

"Did you guys get us a room already?" Hilary asked.

"We did," Tyson replied, "but we just realised that we probably don't have enough money to pay for it."

"Uh-oh," Hilary muttered.

Mari just laughed. "Pay for it? Guess since this is your first time in a Pokémon Centre, should let you know that everything in here is free."

"Free?" the bladers and Hilary echoed.

"Yep. Pokémon Centres are managed by the Pokémon League and the government. Don't have to worry about paying for meals, boarding or even surgery."

"You're kidding," Max said, dumbstruck by that information.

Tyson's jaw dropped. "Free food?"

"Totally!" Mari nodded.

"All better!" Nurse Joy chimed, leading Ray back into the lobby with his scratches cleaned and covered in iodine. "Just keep your face dry for the next day or two and they'll heal perfectly. And how are the rest of you?"

"Hi, we just got here," Hilary said. She pointed at the boys who were already at the counter, "and we're with them. Whoa, Ray, what happened to your face?"

"He was scratched by a Lombre," Daichi answered for him, the grin on his face proving that he found this funnier than it really was.

"A Lombre?"

"It's a long story, I can fill you in later," Ray said, planning for 'later' to be some time so far in the future that everyone will have forgotten and he wouldn't have to tell.

Nurse Joy checked the bookings on the computer. "Well that's good, Chansey booked enough beds for all of you. But newcomers still have to show me some trainer ID."

Hilary and Mari presented their ID cards. Kai couldn't reach the ID card in his bag while holding Togepi so he showed her the ID screen on his Pokédex.

"Thank-you," Joy said, inputting the information on the computer. "Welcome to the Oldale Pokémon Centre. Enjoy your stay!"

A/N: sorry, this was really long and not much happens but Pokémarts and Centres are kind of a thing that they have to go through as part of compulsory PokéWorld initation. Good news is that starting next chapter they'll start doing much more exciting things (likerunningintobadguys), albeit still having one-shot mircoadventures every now and again. The road ahead will be fun.