Part 4 – The Cerulean City Lighthouse
"There it is, Ponyta," I said. "Cerulean City. There's a Cascade Badge in that city with my name on it." Ponyta whinnied assent, and I patted her neck from my place atop her back.
It had been 3 days since the tragedy on Mount Moon. My Clefairy was already well into its training. Already it could speak human language in its mind and use telepathy quite well. It was very intelligent, and caught on to psychic powers more quickly than any of my other Pokemon had, except for Kadabra, of course.
Rainne had stayed near Mount Moon, determined to catch more Pokemon before going to Pewter City to get her own Boulder Badge. When we separated, she had a Cubone, a Drowzee, an Eevee, and an Oddish. I wasn't sure when we would see each other again. Already, I longed for her company, or anyone's company. I even longed to see Gary again.
I sighed, patting Ponyta's neck. "Let's go into town and find a hotel Ponyta. Its getting dark."
I sat down on the bed in the hotel room I had just rented. It was a decent hotel, better than the one I had stayed at in Viridian City. The money Gary had given me made it possible for me to get myself this better room. I slowly pulled the green and yellow medallion he had given me, the one he used to always wear, from under my shirt. I held it loosely, staring at it. "Why do I feel like I want to be with Gary, yet at the same time, I want to wait for someone better," I said softly to myself and my Pokemon. "Gary is great, but something in my heart tells me that there's someone better out there." My Pokemon just stared at me. We were all at a loss for an answer to my problem.
The next morning dawned beautiful, warm and sunny. I rose early, determined to get to the Cerulean Gym, win my badge, and be on my way. There was only one problem. I had no idea what Pokemon I wanted to use. I couldn't use Growlithe, Ponyta, Scyther, Seel, or Onix, and not Eevee. That only left Clefairy and Kadabra, and I didn't know how well they would fair against water Pokemon. I sighed. I obviously needed another Pokemon. Now, what was good against water? I knew electric was, but there was one other type. I shrugged. I couldn't remember what it was, and besides, having an electric type might be nice.
This brought up another problem. Where was I going to get an electric type? I knew that Eevee could evolve into Jolteon with the use of a Thunder Stone, but I didn't have a Thunder Stone and the only places I knew of to get one were Stone Town and Celadon City, both of which were quite a distance from here. I didn't want to travel all that way and then come all the way back. That could take a week or more, and what a waste of time! I could use a TM to teach one of my Pokemon an electric-type attack. I did have TM 24, which I knew to be Thunderbolt, but were any of my Pokemon compatible with that move? I'm sure Clefairy and Kadabra are, but do I want to teach them that move? It seems like it would be better for me to wait and give the move to some Pokemon who would use it more effectively.
All of these thoughts ran through my head as I bathed, repacked, gathered my Pokemon, and left my hotel room. I wandered the streets of Cerulean City aimlessly for most of the morning. I had planned to be in Vermilion City, or at least Lavender Town, by sunset, but my hopes of that were pretty much gone. I paused in my walking, glancing at a house guarded by a police officer. I linked into the dark-haired man's mind, wanting to know what had happened.
--Those lousy Rockets. Break into this house, steal some crap, and now I'm stuck guarding it. This job sucks.--
Rockets! There were Team Rocket activities going down in Cerulean City! I shivered. I didn't know much about Team Rocket, but I had heard that they abused Pokemon and that drew me to the conclusion that they were horrid people. Who could look at a cute, defenseless, innocent Pokemon and do something mean to it? I couldn't even conceive of such a thing.
I was so engaged in thinking about how awful Team Rocket must be that I didn't see the boy until he had come up next to me and grabbed my arm. "Hey!" He called, waving his hand in front of my face. "Hey, Girl! Do you have Pokemon? 'Cause if you do, you have to battle the five of us," He gestured at four other trainers, "Before you can cross this bridge!"
I stared at him incomprehensibly. He looked to be about 15 or 16, and seemed very sure of himself. I looked out at the other four trainers, two girls and another two boys, and at the bridge they were standing on. I recognized it almost instantly as the Route 24 bridge, leaving Cerulean City. If my memory serves me correctly, I remember that it goes to the Sea Cottage, but I can't remember who lives there or why.
"Are you stupid or something?" He asked, breathing hot, foul breath in my face, "I asked you a question. Do-you-have-Pokemon?" He enunciated each of these last four words with a squeeze of my arm.
"No," I blurted quickly, seeing that I didn't have the time or the supplies for a battle, let alone five battles. "No, I don't have any Pokemon."
He glared at me skeptically. "I don't know if I should believe you. If you don't have Pokemon, why do you have an…imitation…Pokemon League Pokeball Belt?" He put emphasis on the word 'imitation', and it obviously was, because I had made the belt myself. "And with Pokeballs on it, too!" With his final words, he reached down and jabbed my belt roughly with his fingers, hitting my stomach.
I smacked him right across the face. "Don't touch me," I growled at him harshly. "I have it because I like the style and because I plan to have Pokemon in the future. In case you didn't notice, there are eight Pokeballs on the belt, stupid, so I obviously don't have any Pokemon in them. I'm obviously not even licensed yet."
He drew back, embarrassed because I had hit him and called him stupid and now the other trainers were laughing at him. "Just let her pass, stupid, she's not even licensed," one of the other boys called, and they all laughed harshly. I tossed my hair proudly, as I often did, and continued on my way. One of the girls flashed me a thumbs-up as I walked past, and the other shouted, "You should have made it a punch!" with a smile on her face. I grinned, and crossed the bridge.
A short distance off the bridge, Route 24 hit ocean, and swung sharply to the east, becoming Route 25. I followed the curve of the trail, staring out at the sun's light reflecting on the gentle ocean waves. I loved the ocean. I always had. I watched the water, seeing movement beneath. Probably a school of Magikarp, or perhaps Horsea. Looking out at the ocean off the cliffs, the waves crashing, made me think about the legendary water-dragon Pokemon, Dratini. There were also its evolved forms, Dragonair and Dragonite. All of these Pokemon are extremely rare, and the only person I know of that has one, or three rather, is Lance, the Dragon Trainer. It must be awesome to be a Pokemon Master, especially a Dragon Trainer. I sighed, thinking about my own Pokemon. Would they one day be strong enough to make me a Pokemon Master? I didn't know. The only thing that was for certain was that I needed to broaden my types a little bit. And right now I needed an electric type. I sighed again. Certainly no area near the beach was going to yield me an electric Pokemon.
Suddenly I wanted to be down on the water, not up on these cliffs. I walked on a little farther, and saw a trail, very steep, but still a trail, that led down the cliff and to the water. It would be easier just to use a Pokemon, I knew, but I felt like being alone at the moment. So I braved the trail myself, climbing down carefully.
It seemed that I was climbing down for a very long time, before I finally hit the water. When I got there, it was more than worth the climb. The beach was beautiful, the sand warm and white, the water clear turquoise and obviously warm. I kicked off my shoes and dug my toes into the sand on the beach. Absolutely beautiful.
I walked slowly along the water, letting the waves lap my feet. I was focusing out on the ocean, not watching where I was stepping, when suddenly there was no sand under my foot; only water. I nearly fell headlong into the deep pool of water right in front of me. I gasped, drawing myself up sharply. There was a small cave mouth in the rocky cliff, and a stream of clear water ran from inside it. The stream was lined with rocks, as was the four-foot deep pool that was formed by it. I dipped my toe into the water. It was pleasantly cool, a bit cooler than the ocean water. I bent, put my finger in the water, and licked it. The water was fresh, too, very fresh, almost sweet-tasting. I marveled at the existence of such a pool. Right here by the ocean, a stream of fresh water! It was really strange.
You should take a swim.
The words drifted pleasantly through my mind. I looked around, startled. Who had said that? It was spoken through telepathy, but there was no one around, and I hadn't recognized the voice, so it wasn't one of my Pokemon.
Relax. Just swim.
There was such a calming serenity in that voice that I did relax. It suddenly didn't seem so important who was speaking to me. I wanted to swim.
I slowly unbuttoned my shirt, letting it slip off my shoulders. I wore a white tank-top undershirt beneath it. I tossed my shoes, shirt, and backpack full of supplies onto a nearby rock, then stared down into the pool. It was crystal-clear, so inviting. I removed my belt with my Pokeballs, set it at my feet, and plunged into the water.
The water enveloped me, cool and fresh. I had always loved to swim, but it had never felt this good, never been so relaxing. I surfaced, pushing my hair out of my face. I could easily stand in the pool with my head and shoulders out of the water.
I moved about in the pool for awhile, and then decided to share the beauty and utter calm with my Pokemon. I grabbed my belt, and opened each Pokeball in turn. Scyther's was the first Ball opened and he took one look at me and then plunged into the water. I laughed, splashing him. Scyther was one of the only bug-type Pokemon I had ever heard of that could tolerate water, and Scyther enjoyed it. Next came Growlithe. Growlithe was, of course, a fire-type, but because he doesn't have any actual flame on his body, he can enjoy water as well. Growlithe splashed into the pool, barking happily. The next Pokeball was Kadabra. It was difficult to bring out Kadabra's playful side, and at first he simply sat by the pool and stirred the water with his spoon. I knew that he would join the rest of us soon enough. I had to think twice about bringing out Onix. Onix hated water, of course. I brought him out anyway. He stared at me, then curled up by the rocky cliffs and simply watched the rest of us. Next came Eevee. Eevee adored water and she dove right in, splashing. I smiled at her. Perhaps one day I would evolve her into a Vaporeon, simply because she loved water so much. Then it was time for Seel, the one who was truly adept in the water. Seel glided gracefully into the water, swimming slowly. I couldn't wait for him to evolve into Dewgong. Dewgong were beautiful and powerful, yet still graceful, swimmers. The next Pokemon was Ponyta, who loathed water. Her fiery mane must never be put out, so she had to avoid water like plague. She gazed at me for a second, then went and joined Onix, a good distance from the water. Finally, it was Clefairy's turn. Clefairy was still a relatively new addition to our family, and she appeared uncertain at first.
I opened my arms to her. "Come on in, Clefairy. The water is very nice. Very…soothing." And it was. An aura of calm seemed to pervade this water and all things that entered it. Kadabra had since entered the pool, and all of my Pokemon were floating around peacefully. They all called gently to Clefairy and I smiled softly. "See, Clefairy? Everyone loves it. Come on in. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Clefairy looked at me, and trust and love reflected in her eyes. She hopped into my arms, splashing and smiling. I caught her, laughing. I dipped her feet in the water gently and she smiled, seeming to enjoy it. I set her in the water and let go, but kept my hands near her. She floated on her own and I smiled proudly. "See, Clefairy? Swimming is great."
I floated next to Clefairy, supporting her if she grew tired (she was, after all, still rather young) and watching my other Pokemon. Kadabra told me telepathically that he would take over Clefairy watch-and-care, and I was free to float with my other Pokemon. I naturally floated right over to Scyther. Scyther and I had the closest relationship of all my Pokemon, he being the first one I had ever caught, and the kindest and most supportive in my beginning years as a trainer. I wrapped my arms around him, floating, and he nuzzled my face with his own. I loved him so much.
"It seems a crime for me to disrupt this moment."
Instantly, Scyther pushed me behind him, unsheathed his razor blades, and held them out, protecting me. "Scyther…" He called, glaring at the figure that had appeared above us beside the pool. It was a young man with slightly wavy green hair. He wore knee-length maroon-colored shorts and a green tank top. He knelt down, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and began to scribble notes into it.
"Fascinating," He said, "I've never seen or heard of a Scyther behaving in such a manner. This one is fiercely protective, and very affectionate. Scyther have never been known to show such characteristics, especially not for their human trainers."
The man continued to scrawl notes, and then he pulled out a small camera and snapped a photo of Scyther in his protective position. "Fascinating." He repeated, and began snapping photos of my other Pokemon.
I was taken slightly aback. Who did this young man think he was? Just waltzing up here and taking pictures! He didn't even know who I was!
"Excuse me sir, but I don't believe you have my permission to be photographing my Pokemon or myself. Perhaps I'd feel better if you introduced yourself."
He looked at me, and his face reddened. "Oh, yes," He said, seemingly somewhat embarrassed. "I have to beg your pardon. Sometimes I get a little caught up in researching Pokemon and I forget about people…Let me help you out of there." He held out his hand, offering it to me.
I put one of my hands on Scyther's shoulder.
--It's alright Scyther. I think we can trust him.—
I said through our telepathic link. Scyther glared at the man, and then turned to me. –I don't trust him.—
--Well I do. Just relax.—
Reluctantly, Scyther allowed me to take the man's hand, and he pulled me up onto the bank of the pool, exhibiting much greater strength than I had expected from him.
"I'm Bill, a Pokemon Researcher," he said, shaking my hand before releasing it. "I live in the old lighthouse on that cliff." He pointed to a large lighthouse. I stared at it for a few seconds, and then turned back to the man.
"I'm Aurora Aston, from Pallet Town. I'm training to be a Pokemon Master."
Bill looked properly impressed. "A Pokemon Master, huh?" He paused. "How long have you been training? I can see you have a good selection of Pokemon. Your Scyther is fascinating…and you have an Eevee! I simply adore Eevee and its evolutions!"
"I guess I've been training for about three years now…but I just started my Pokemon Quest a week ago."
Bill's eyebrows went up. "Why did you train for so long before leaving on your Pokemon Quest?"
I didn't answer him immediately. I thought about how I should answer, and then finally said, "It's a long story." And that was all.
Bill obviously decided not to push the issue. "So…these are all your Pokemon? Let's see…you have, of course, Scyther and Eevee," as he spoke, he wrote down the Pokemon's names in his notebook, "And Onix, Ponyta, Kadabra, Seel, Growlithe, and…a Clefairy! Wow! That's quite a rare Pokemon! And it's a juvenile, as well! Amazing!"
I smiled at Clefairy. "Yes, she's quite a treasure. We all really love her."
Bill watched Kadabra for a moment, marveling at its behavior. Kadabra was, of course, still "Poke-sitting" Clefairy. "If I didn't know better…" Bill said slowly, "I'd say your Kadabra is…looking after your Clefairy, like a parent."
"Well, you obviously don't know better," I said, tossing my hair, "Because Kadabra is doing just that. He offered to baby-sit Clefairy while I swam."
Bill looked incredulous. "Offered? How did it offer?"
I tapped one of my temples. "Through telepathy."
Bill's eyes widened to an almost frightening size. "Y-you communicate with your Pokemon through…telepathy? That's incredible!"
It was then, with Bill eyeing me excitedly, that I realized I had been standing here this whole time talking to him in my shorts and undershirt! I turned away from him hurriedly, suddenly embarrassed. "Uh…I think I..uh..neeed to…" I scampered around the pool to where my shirt was lying on the rock. I picked it up and quickly threw it on over my undershirt. When I turned back to Bill, he was looking out toward the ocean, and his face was flaming red. His eyes darted back to me, saw me looking, turned away again, and then he turned his head, facing me again.
"I sincerely apologize," He said, "I was so caught up in the Pokemon that I didn't even realize…didn't really notice…" He trailed off, and shrugged helplessly.
I smiled softly. "Its okay, really. I mean, its not like I was naked or anything." At this, Bill's cheeks burned red again, and he coughed. I looked down, giggling insanely, feeling the pink rising in my own cheeks.
When I had composed myself, I looked up, and Bill had regained his composure as well. He approached me slowly. "Aurora," he said, "I would be greatly honored if you would bring your Pokemon and come stay in the lighthouse for a little while. I would love to hear more about your telepathy, and I'd like to run a few tests on your Pokemon. Would you be willing to do that Aurora? I assure, you would be given the best accommodations in the lighthouse."
The question flashed through my brain, and both Scyther and Kadabra turned, alarmed, and glared at Bill.
-WHAT did he just ask? He wants you to go stay at his place, some complete stranger? Say no Aurora, absolutely not!- This was Scyther's voice, and he sounded alarmed and distrustful.
-I don't believe it would be intelligent to go with this man. He is completely unknown to you Aurora.- This was Kadabra, sounding just as suspicious as Scyther.
I'm going to go, you guys. Don't you want a nice place to sleep tonight? I certainly do. I communicated this to them, and then turned to Bill. "Of course I'll go Bill."
A smile crossed his face and he offered me his hand. "Call back your Pokemon then and lets get going."
I called my Pokemon into their Pokeballs, with some fuss from Kadabra and Scyther, and walked with Bill down the beach, toward the lighthouse. I was looking forward to a hot meal, a warm bed, and a nice room. I sighed in contentment. There was only one problem right now. I needed an electric type to defeat the Cerulean Gym Leader, and I still didn't have one. How would I get one now, especially since I was going to the lighthouse with Bill? I sighed, and buried myself in thought as the sun began to set over the ocean.