Author's Notes: Thank you all for reviewing! I discovered today that I forgot to uncheck the box that says "don't accept anonymous reviews". I of course remedied the situation, so I may now accept reviews from any source, signed or otherwise.
PNEK MEKS, you can get my email address from the link on my profile; it's not blocked. As for why I chose LG over FR, green is my favorite color, and the game cartridge is very close to my favorite shade as well.
Finally, you'll notice in this chapter that I don't use Nurse Joy as the nurse in the Goldenrod Pokemon Center. I've always thought it rather impossible for only a single individual to oversee the operations of an entire Pokemon Center, Chansey assistants or no. I also find it strange and somewhat disturbing to think that all of said nurses should look and act exactly the same. Therefore, although Nurse Joy exists in my fanfic, she does not play such a major role in the running of the various Pokemon Centers across Johto.
Chapter 10: The City
Arcanine's long strides shortened as he slowed down to a walking pace. The streets of Goldenrod were too crowded to allow him to run freely. Trainers and civilians alike bustled in and out of the stores and skyscrapers lining the cobblestone streets. Here and there crowds had gathered to watch one of the many Pokemon battles that flared up inside of the city. Magikarp salesmen lurked on street corners, pouncing on unsuspecting passers by and trying to bully them into buying one of the incredibly weak fish Pokemon. The crowds were making Katherine nervous. While the relatively open Route 34 and Ilex forest were sparsely traveled, Goldenrod's bustling downtown was chronically congested. While no one would find it unusual to see a trainer talking to one of her Pokemon, they would take immediate interest in one that began talking back. "We'll finish this conversation later," Katherine told Jeremy firmly. "It's too crowded here. Someone might over hear you."
Jeremy nodded. Katherine guessed that he was probably happy to get off of the subject anyway. She, however, still had many questions for him. Annoyed by giving him an excuse to clam up again, she leaned forward to instruct Arcanine. "Make for the Pokemon Center, okay, Arcanine?" Katherine asked him. He obligingly changed course, angling left.
That dealt with, Katherine turned her attention to the sights and sounds of Goldenrod. The largest city in Johto, its winding streets held surprises around every turn. Tall buildings stood proudly over the streets, a testament to the city's booming economy. Katherine's ears caught a far-off rumbling roar as the Goldenrod-Saffron train barreled into the station at the north end of town. She could recall the awe and wonder that the city had evoked in her when she first entered it several months ago. Her native town, Ecruteak, which had seemed so large and amazing to her before she left on her journey, dwindled to a small and rather boring place compared to the constantly moving Goldenrod. The Pokemon Center, built the same as every other one in the region, seemed too small and common to belong to the marvelous city. It was crammed between two towering skyscrapers, appearing small and dejected in comparison.
Arcanine halted, and Katherine slid off of his back. "Take a rest, Arcanine," she said, holding out his Pokeball. He dissolved into a cloud of red energy that was vacuumed up by the Pokeball, which Katherine then returned to her belt.
A battle had begun outside of the Pokemon center. The trainers were enthusiastically yelling orders to a Granbull and a Bayleef who were ferociously trading blows. Ordinarily, Katherine would have stopped to watch, but she was mindful of Pidgeot's condition and instead pushed her way through the crowd that had gathered to watch and that was blocking the Pokemon Center's doors. As she approached them, the doors slid back with a cheery "ding!"
The young nurse behind the counter smiled as Katherine approached. Her hair was an odd shade of brown-red that Katherine couldn't recall having seen before and very dark eyes, nearly black. Her pierced nose and eyebrows seemed to clash with the white apron that she wore and the small white hat with a red cross on it that perched atop her head.
"Four Pokemon to be healed," Katherine told her. "One asleep, one poisoned, one knocked out, and one that just needs a rest."
"This will just be a few minutes," the nurse informed Katherine as she accepted the Pokeballs. "Please have a seat."
Katherine obligingly walked over to the Center's expansive waiting area. She plopped down on one of the comfortable couches and took a look at the people around her.
The Pokemon Center, was, naturally, very busy. A pair of trainers was having lunch at a small table over to the left. A trainer on the couch to her right had apparently dozed off, his head lolling against the back of his sofa and his mouth hanging slightly open. The pair that Katherine had just seen battling outside the center hurried in to heal their Pokemon. A multitude of trainers milled about the waiting area, pacing nervously or running over to greet old friends. Katherine sighed and sat quietly, twiddling her thumbs.
After what seemed an eternity, the nurse behind the counter rang the bell and called out, "ID 766502, your Pokemon have been healed." Katherine hurriedly went over to accept her Pokemon before once more stepping out onto the busy street outside.
She looked about for a minute to try to get her bearings. It had been several months since she had last been in the city, and its numerous streets and unhelpful signs made navigation difficult. At least she knew that Mark's mother lived near the train track; she hoped that once she saw the house she would recognize it.
After about an hour of searching, Katherine finally found what she was looking for. Mark's house was nearly identical to the ones on either side, being small and rather squarish with a red roof and flower boxes hanging below the windows. Katherine stepped up to the door and rang the doorbell.
It was opened by a short woman, Mark's mother. She had blonde, curly hair and pale blue eyes. Despite her size, Katherine knew that she had a strong spirit. She had been a trainer herself in her younger years.
"Why, if it isn't Katherine!" Mark's mother exclaimed. "It's been ages! Please, come in, come in." She stood aside and gestured into the house's interior. In no time at all, Ms. Leafbaum, Mark's mother, soon had Katherine seated in the living room with a Squirtle Soda in her hand. The house's interior was cozy, with comfortable furniture and all manner of Johto League paraphernalia. Over the fireplace in the living room's west wall hung a portrait of Mark's mother and her prized Pokemon, a Rapidash.
"So, what brings you back this way?" Mark's mother asked, taking a seat opposite Katherine.
"I'm looking for Mark, actually," Katherine answered. "I wanted to see my old Vulpix again and show him the Arcanine that he gave me."
Mark's mother nodded. "Ah, yes, I remember that trade. Mark was so excited when he brought that Vulpix home for the first time. His license doesn't allow him to capture wild ones, of course, so he was happy to have gotten one at last."
Katherine smiled to herself. She had been quite pleased with the trade also. She had always liked Arcanine better than Ninetales, and had been disappointed to learn that her license didn't allow her to capture them. "Do you know where I can find him?" she asked.
"You're in luck, actually," Ms. Leafbaum said with a smile. "Mark should be here tomorrow. He's on his way to the Johto League headquarters so that he can participate in the big closing tournament for this season. He said that he would stop by. If you plan to meet him, you can spend the night."
"Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't want to be a burden," Katherine replied.
"Nonsense!" Ms. Leafbaum chuckled. "I don't get many visitors around here, and the guest bedroom could stand to be put to use. It would be my pleasure to have you."
"Sure, that would be great," Katherine said, truly enthusiastic. While she enjoyed the "roughing it" atmosphere of training and had no problem with sleeping out under the stars, it would be a treat to be staying in a nice bed. She also felt slightly sorry for Ms. Leafbaum. Mark's parents were divorced, and with Mark gone on off on his Pokemon journey, his mother was left all alone at her home.
"Tell you what," Mark's mother said, "Why don't you take a little time and have a look around the city? I'm sure that you'll find something interesting out there, and it'll give me a chance to get the bedroom all made up. Just be sure to be back by six for dinner."
Katherine nodded. "Thanks, that would be great." Mark's mother shooed her out of the door and, before she knew it, Katherine was once again standing on the streets of Goldenrod City with three hours before she needed to return to Mark's house.
She had a lot to mull over as she wandered, however. So Mark was on his way to seek the title of Johto League Champion, was he? Katherine felt a twinge of jealousy, though she hastily squashed it. It was her dream, as was it the dream of many other trainers, to obtain such fame and notoriety. She had chosen a different route than Mark, however, and was focusing more on exploring and training her Pokemon than she was on making a straight shot for the championship. She knew that she could probably take on the competition, but something inside of her seemed to hold her back. She was reluctant, as though if she really did become champion, she would never have anything in her life to dream about again.
She glanced at Jeremy to see if she could discern his thoughts. They weren't hard to read. He was staring at the Radio Tower in unabashed awe.
At first this puzzled Katherine. Sure, the tower was impressive, but it was certainly no grander than any of the other buildings in the city. Then she realized what it was. He hadn't been in Goldenrod in at least ten years; it must certainly look different than it had before. The new Radio Tower was one of the most grandiose additions of the recent past, but there were many others.
"Looks a bit different around here, doesn't it?" she asked him. He nodded slowly. "Let's see the sights, then."
Katherine used the remaining hours of the afternoon to give Jeremy a thorough tour of the city. She showed him the new train, a miraculous innovation made possible through the study of the electromagnetic fields generated by Magnetons. The pair browsed through the dizzying array of merchandise in the Goldenrod Department store and gazed up at the enormous Radio Tower. They even stopped in at the game corner and tried the slots. Katherine didn't win anything, but she had fun all the same.
When the pair returned to Mark's house at nearly six, they were once again ushered in by his mother. She led them promptly into the kitchen from which drifted wonderful smells. Jeremy and Kathrine gazed in wonder at the spread of food set out on the table.
Ms. Leafbaum had certainly outdone herself. The modest kitchen table was groaning underneath the weight of a huge bowl of spaghetti and a nearby pan holding Ms. Leafbaum's own homemade sauce. The rest of the table was taken up by a long loaf of bread and a massive bowl of salad. "I know that it's a bit much," Ms. Leafbaum said sheepishly, "but I don't have guests by often. I guess I just got a little carried away."
"That's okay," Katherine said enthusiastically. She noticed that Ms. Leafbaum had set a bread plate off to the side of Katherine's plate. At first she couldn't figure out what it could be for, but when Jeremy leapt off of her shoulder and on to the table, she realized that it had been set for him.
Noticing this, Ms. Leafbaum smiled and explained, "I don't mind having Pokemon at the table, provided that they behave themselves." She looked pointedly at Jeremy, who stared up at her with wide, innocent eyes.
Katherine and Ms. Leafbaum sat down to eat. For the first few minutes there was no conversation as the three diners concentrated entirely on the delicious food that was laid out before him. Jeremy wasn't able to get any food for himself, being too small to wield the serving utensils, so Katherine found herself constantly refilling his plate. He was able to eat an amazing amount of food for such a small Pokemon. Watching him enjoy his meal, Katherine felt slightly guilty, knowing that the rest of her Pokemon were missing out. They weren't hungry, however; a Pokemon's body consumes almost no energy at all during the period when it is inside its Pokeball, so they usually need to be fed only a modest meal once a day. Her Pokemon would still be satisfied after their lunch and might make themselves sick if they tried to tackle such a large dinner.
As the meal began to wind down, Ms. Leafbaum and Katherine struck up a conversation. Ms. Leafbaum asked how Katherine's training journey was going, and Katherine was more than willing to recount her recent exploits. She gladly spoke about her battle with Jasmine and how her Heracross had single-handedly defeated Jasmine's massive Steelix. The pair talked for quite some time. Ms. Leafbaum was an excellent audience. Having been a trainer herself, she understood what Katherine was describing and was always willing to offer congratulations on superb battling or advice to help with difficult opponents. When it seemed that all had had their fill of dinner and talk, Ms. Leafbaum set about cleaning up, clearing away dishes and bowls. "The guest room is just down the hall there, dear," she told Katherine. "Second door on the right."
Katherine stood and waited for a reluctant Jeremy to polish off his last piece of bread and hop back onto her shoulder before walking off down the hall to her room. It was small and simple, the bed occupying most of the space. There was a window on the right wall that looked out to the house's back yard, which was small and flanked on all sides by buildings. The first stars were just beginning to appear, struggling to make their radiance seen over the artificial light cast by the numerous streetlights, neon signs and lit windows that filled the city. The moon was nearly full, casting a pallid glow over the outside world.
Katherine sighed and set her pack down, slumping gratefully onto the bed. Jeremy bounded off of her shoulder and over to the windowsill. He sat looking out of it wistfully. "So much has changed," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's as though I've come back to find that a whole new world has come and taken the place of my old one. That building, there," he said, pointing to a soaring skyscraper that jutted above the city skyline, "that was just a little family-owned store when I was here last. Now it's some giant megamall, trying to compete with the department store."
"Everything changes," Katherine said with a shrug. "Might as well get used to it." She was a little uncomfortable having Jeremy speak even here, in the home of a friend.
"Who knows what happened to the people I used to know," Jeremy said morosely, still staring out of the window. He didn't seem to have heard Katherine. "They've grown up. Stopped being trainers. Or maybe now they're the champions or gym leaders. They probably don't even remember me."
Katherine was a little irritated at Jeremy's self-pity. She had a strong urge to tell him to get over it, but she held her tongue. Besides, there was a question that she had been meaning to ask him, one that she had forgotten over dinner. Of course, it would probably just put him into an even deeper slump. "If you were a trainer, what happened to all of your Pokemon?" she asked. "Did they all get cursed too?"
Jeremy was silent for several moments. Katherine was beginning to doubt that he had heard her and was about to pose the question again, when he finally admitted, "I don't know." His voice was hollow and despairing. "I haven't seen them since the day that I turned into...this. They weren't on the island, that's for sure. The Mistress must have found some way to release them or to send them off somewhere. But if that's true..." he trailed off, hanging his head. "Why didn't they try to come back for me, to find me?"
"Umm, probably because of the whole curse thing," Katherine pointed out. "I don't think that I'd be willing to go near that Ninetales again if I'd somehow managed to escape."
"You would if your Pokemon had been captured by her, though, wouldn't you?" Jeremy said softly.
Katherine considered this. Her Pokemon were her most trusted companions. She loved them dearly, and they respected and admired her in return. She wouldn't just let them be captured by some sadistic Pokemon-gone-mad, curse or no curse. "Yes, I suppose I would," she agreed, somewhat reluctantly. "But then, I'm not known for making wise decisions, either."
"So would I have," Jeremy agreed, "so would I. I always thought that they would be more than willing to return the favor, that they would come looking for me. But no, in all those years not a one has returned in search of me, not a one come to my aid. Perhaps the Mistress is right, and I was never truly their friend. Perhaps I did indeed mistreat them, kept them locked away and miserable in the Pokeballs."
"The Mistress said that to you?" Katherine asked incredulously.
"Yes," Jeremy said. "She hates trainers, didn't tell you? She thinks that they are evil slavers, people who capture Pokemon and force them to fight. She dislikes all humans, in fact, as she feels that she condones trainers and their behavior."
"Wow. That's a bit harsh," Katherine observed. "I'm sure that you were a wonderful trainer, though. That Ninetales has things all wrong. Pokemon are friends with their trainers. Sure, there are a few bad apples out there, but you get that in any profession." As she said this, however, Katherine realized that she wasn't actually so sure. Jeremy seemed nice enough, but she really didn't know that much about him.
Jeremy didn't reply. He continued to stare pensively out of the window. Katherine suddenly felt overwhelmed with fatigue. "Look, I'm really tired. We're no doubt going to have another whirlwind day tomorrow, so why don't you get some sleep?"
"I will, I will," Jeremy replied. "Just not right now. You go ahead and turn off the light."
Shrugging, Katherine obliged, plunging the room into darkness. Jeremy became a dark silhouette against the faint glow that leaked into the room through the window. Katherine got into bed, but sleep didn't come as easily as she had hoped. Whenever she closed her eyes, she felt as though something was watching her from the other side of sleep, waiting for her to enter.