The morning following the Fireleaf Tournament dawned hot and tepid, the air humid from the recent rain, the haze thick enough to take on tints of the sky, like vague auroras.
Julianne woke only under protest, to the urgent whining of Uli. She groaned, pulling the covers over her head, not wanting to face the day. She didn't think she could stand one more person congratulating her or calling her by her stupid boyish pseudonym. Cinnabarans reacted two ways toward the mainlander who had taken their tournament: treated "him" with the respect deserved by a talented amateur trainer and requesting repeatedly to see the champion Pokémon and the thoroughbred Ponyta, or give "him" the cold shoulder, as if "his" victory was a fluke at best, but likely to have come about through foul play.
In her current frame of mind, Julianne felt more in agreement with the latter group. Girls were so obviously banned from tournaments it wasn't even in the rules. It was so accepted, it wasn't even mentioned, not as being an expert had been in the rules to the Fireleaf. She hadn't just broken the rules: she had broken the law. And for what? To humor a stubborn Pokémon? Or was it more?
Why had she entered the tournament? Had the power of her disguise gone to her head? Had her freedom made her into a fool?
Or had it given her a chance to taste the freedoms she had so long yearned for?
No! It was wrong! Girls didn't battle, and their Pokémon certainly didn't either. She had to get home, where she was supposed to be. Her parents had to be worried to illness. A girl her age, missing without a trace, had no honorable paths: it was basically a choice between slavery and prostitution.
In comparison, maybe impersonating a Pokémon trainer wouldn't seem so bad…
Slipping out of the bed, she again prepared herself to face the day. A fresh shirt and breeches from a tailor who offered her a discount felt luxurious after almost a week in the same attire. They didn't fit quite properly, since she'd claimed not to have the time to be measured, but she didn't have to stuff the pantlegs into her boots anymore. A silk Johtoan handkerchief a little girl had given her tied her hair back, and a pack made from soft-cured Tauros hide she'd purchased the evening before replaced the rough burlap she'd carried her belongings in. Opening the window, she pulled the doublet off the sill where she'd hung it for the night to freshen it.
What had happened to the sky? There wasn't a single cloud to be seen from horizon to horizon. What fickle weather Cinnabar had! A storm like that which had come over but two days before would have lingered a day or so more amid the hills of Fuchsia. Not that she was about to complain! The sea was as azure as the sky it reflected, clearest blue hazed with gray: it begged to be crossed. The day was likely to become like those when she wandered the dry flats, brutal as a Magmar's tail.
She clipped her pokéballs – white for Xavier, red for Uli, blue for Runt, and now a pearl-shined white for the as yet unnamed Ponyta – to the belt loops of her breeches after slipping the cool doublet over her blouse, wrestling with the dampened laces. At last, with the pack thrown over one shoulder and Uli carried under the other arm, with Xavier following close behind, she headed down to breakfast.
"Ah, hail the mainlander!" the innkeeper greeted her with a friendly grin. And why not? She'd refused to take the room for free the night before. "All rested for your trip, now? And aren't ya glad ya stayed!"
"Yeah… glad." She forced a smile as she took a seat at a small table, letting Uli romp around the floor while Xavier pulled a chair over to sit beside her. Understandably, the Ponyta and Runt could not be allowed loose in his establishment, but the innkeeper had given her permission to allow Xavier to roam freely – and Uli as well, so long as the young Vulpix didn't damage anything.
"What'll you have then?"
"Fried beef and eggs would be nice… and maybe one of those oranges, if you still have some."
"All right then…"
"And if you could, some greens for Xavier? Some jerky and milk will be enough for Uli."
He chuckled. "All right then," he said again. "And not to be forgetting any honey bread while y're here. Better then the wheat loaf. M' cousin traded a few o' the Tentacool he got for a half a swarm of Beedrill. He'll be 'Comb' 'stead o' 'Mariner' soon enough."
"Your cousin?" she echoed curiously. "Is that Alexus' father?"
He gave her a look of surprise. "Nay, but you've met Alexus?"
She nodded. "I came with a fairly bad sunburn. I bought some balm from his master the apothecary while Alexus was in charge of the stall."
"Aye! Aye, I recall how red ya were when ya came. Didn' know y'd met Alex!"
"He was the one who pointed out your inn to me."
"Good lad, good lad he is. Good t' the family, little as he stands that loon of a master apothecary."
"I'm sorry?"
"Nah, nah… none of yours t' worry 'bout, boyo. Wretched toad, that ol' man is, but he pays well and it makes the lad feel good 'bout himself, methinks."
Julianne was left to ponder this while the innkeeper went to fix breakfast for herself, her Pokémon, and a few other patrons who shouted their orders as he headed toward the kitchen. Some of the others were giving Xavier curious or uncomfortable looks, but she forced herself to ignore them. As if sensing how ill at ease she felt about the day before, Xavier's natural hunch seemed more pronounced than usual, that with his drooping mustache he had the look of a weathered old man with horns for ears and a muzzlish nose. In truth, Xavier was only about four or five at her wager: he's been no more than one when she'd found him fast asleep in her mother's vegetable garden when she herself was only nine. For a Pokémon, his age made him mature, but not elderly: Uli would probably have his other pair of tails within a month, though it'd take another two or three before the little vulpine reached full size.
How had Xavier gotten enough experience to evolve? Certainly there had been the occasional skirmish – wild Rattata and Sandshrew that'd gotten into the garden, nibbling things until they spoiled and digging up bulbs to ruin the flowers. Avius was supposed to take care of those, but he was often lazy, and his pathetically pampered Pokémon took after him. While he'd needed just as much sleep as the next Abra, Xavier had been more likely to deal with troubles that came around, scaring off the garden's invaders with a show of teleportation or flitting thoughts of predators sneaking up on them. The worst had been the Raticate who'd bitten her father when he went to check on the tomatoes: Avius had been away at a training exercise with his Pokémon and the vicious little monster had already bitten and clawed their garden Pokémon into submission, that her mother's quartet of Oddish were hiding beneath the soil and Catcher and his mother were using their Vine Whips to hide in the cherry tree, out of reach of those cruel teeth.
It had been about a year ago, hadn't it? Yes, late summer of the year before. When Avius came home from a month's worth of hard training, he gloated constantly over Javelin's evolution. Xavier had gotten some harsh wounds that took a long time to heal from that vicious old Raticate, but he'd been the only one able to chase it off before it ruined the entire garden.
She blinked herself out of her thoughts when she noticed Xavier's curious expression: she'd been staring at him blankly. How long had she been doing that? She smiled sheepishly, an expression that faded as she noted the odd-looking mark on the front of his heavy left shoulder: an pale brown oval, thicker at the top and bottom, like a reverse-colored kohl drawing around an aristocratic woman's eye. It was easily overlooked if she hadn't known where it would be. Apparently, scars did not erase with evolution: the worst from his bout with that Raticate was still there, the mark of the Hyper Fang he had taken just above his heart.
"Fried t' perfection, beef an' eggs an' some orange from the kingdom's of the name. Saltweed an' tubers should keep ya Kadabra goin' all day long, right an' filling. An' milk'n jerky for the pup. An' the honey bread o' course. There y'are, boyo." Julianne smiled gratefully at the feast set before them, especially the tea kettle placed next to her steaming breakfast: the innkeeper here let the leaves seep until there wasn't a bit of flavor left to them, making for a broth almost as dark as stew and so strong she'd winced at her first sip of it. But the taste! She had never thought of tea having much taste on its own before. When she'd complimented it he'd been confused: it must be how Cinnabarans brewed theirs. Her mother was always careful to strain the leaves with a piece of cheesecloth when she poured the tea, that she could save them to be used again. Her mother believed in getting at least three kettles out of one portion of leaves. Julianne had always wondered why she didn't just use a third of the leaves, and why her mother insisted that consuming the leaves reversed any good effects the tea did for whomever drank it.
Xavier looked down at his breakfast with an expression of resignation. As appetizing as Julianne's looked, his did not. The innkeeper had ground whatever he had deemed edible to Pokémon into a singular, moss-green mush that smelled somewhat of dirt and greatly of salt. Uli danced at the innkeeper's feet, whining impatiently until he could get his snout into the mix of milk and dried meat. At the rate he ate it he likely didn't have time to taste it.
"Um… could Xavier have a spoon at least?" The mound of mush looked far too soft to attempt any other utensil, and not only was it lumpy, but the flat plate it was served on made drinking it seem silly.
"A spoon? For a Pokémon?" The innkeeper laughed. "That's the day! Whatever ya like, mainlander." When he returned it was with the asked-for utensil, as well as a second teacup. "I suppose he drinks tea as well?"
"Only when he's been ill, but I bet he'll like it! It's really strong here, Xavier; it makes Mother's taste like water." Xavier raised a muscle over his eye in curiosity, reaching for the tea kettle agreeably.
The innkeeper burst out laughing as the Kadabra served his trainer before himself. "No wonder he outdid that ghost back there! Never seen the day, a Pokémon with manners!" The innkeeper wiped his eyes free of tears. "You gots 'im real well trained in more'n battle!"
"Xavier's my best friend. He's always been this way."
"Y'r lucky then, I s'pose, or mebbe them mainland Pokémon are just not so rough as sea-bred or fire-born like we's got here." He couldn't help but snigger as Xavier took a sip of tea, though his expression grew more uncomfortable at the Pokémon's pleasant smile and all-too-human nod of approval. "Right ol' aristocrat, ain't he!"
"He certainly has better manners than most of the people in my family," Julianne agreed with a laugh. "He's a really good influence on the others. If my brother's Pokémon took notice of him they might learn a thing or two."
"Oh ho, another Miller trainer? No sendin' 'im here on us now, boyo!"
She wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn't want to torment you."
"Nothin' like a bit o' rivalry to help ya do y'r best. I bets he's done most o' your trainin' with ya."
"Not really. Father's let him go to training twice over the summer, and is looking into getting him an squireship in the Emperor's guard next year."
"The Emperor's guard, truly? And not you?"
Julianne bit her lip. Stupid! Why did you keep with this foolish conversation? "Well… he's older."
Understanding passed over the innkeeper's expression. Age always determined worth among sons, unless one was an absolute idiot. "And as talented, I hope, for the Emperor's sake."
"We've never battled, and the mill's so far away from anywhere, I've never seen him train against anything more than a couple wild Pokémon. I honestly can't say."
"Well, as said, for the Emperor's sake may the talent be part of your family's line! P'haps in some years you c'n be known as Trainer or Pokémaster and show that brother o' yours when he's still a Miller!"
"Yeah…" Julianne focused her attention on her breakfast to hide her expression from the innkeeper. "As you say… that's the day." At her apparent disinterest, the innkeeper took the hint and continued on with his own business.
Julianne ate in silence, disturbed only as she was finishing when a little girl perhaps half her age peered over the edge of her table. "Is that the 'dabra who beat the Haunter in the finals th'other day?"
"Mmhmm," Julianne replied, mouth full of the last of the eggs. She swallowed quickly, doing her best not to choke from not chewing. "That's him all right."
"So y'r the Miller." She looked at her curiously with honey-colored eyes that seemed eerily familiar. Her thick waves of haystack-like hair were tied with more control than seemed possible in a trio of thick, hot-iron curls clipped together at the back of her head. Julianne had never bothered with hot irons: they were better for shorter, finer hair than she had. Her heavy, back-length brown reeds of hair would probably melt before they took a decent form wound about a red-hot iron rod. "You wons the Fireleaf yest'rday," the girl stated with the motley accent of a local.
"That's right…"
"Do you gots lots o' Pokémon?"
"No, not really."
"What kinds ya gots?"
"Well… there's Xavier here." The Kadabra nodded politely to the child's stare. "And Uli's under the table." The Vulpix was busily trying to lick all of the splashed milk off the floor as well as his muzzle. "And I have Runt, who helped Xavier battle yesterday, and the Ponyta I won. At home I have a Bellsprout named Catcher because he's really good at finding things and catching any bugs that get into the house. Do you have any?"
"My uncle giv'd me a Magikarp f'r m'birthday, but I let it go 'cause it was mean, so my cousin tried really, really hard and gots me a Goldeen instead awhile ago."
"Really? That was nice of him! What's your Goldeen's name?"
"Cuz didn't give 'im one so I didn't neither."
"Oh."
"I gots another Pokémon too. My daddy broughts it back when he went climbin' the volcano. It's a real, real little Geodude. She lets me dress her and lots o' other stuff."
"It sounds like you have a pair of really nice Pokémon then."
"Uh huh. Are yours nice?"
Julianne chuckled. "Runt can be a handful… but-"
"Elsie! On with you, sprat!" The innkeeper hurried back to the table. "My apologies if Gelasia's chattering's vexed ya, boyo…"
"No! I don't mind." It'd been nice to talk to someone who was still small enough that how she spoke and what she said didn't matter. "I have a little sister a bit younger than… Gelasia?" The girl blinked at her, as if noticing some strange disfigurement she had overlooked before. Those honey-amber eyes really were fairly unnerving, at least when their attention was fully upon her. "I'll be going home soon: I'm looking forward to seeing my sis again."
"I wanna go to the mainland but P'pa says I'm too little."
"And you are! Imagine, being so far from home!"
"I've gone farther than Fuchsia on my Uncle Thathes' boat tons o' times."
"Twice at best," the innkeeper corrected, "and I'll thrash that bother of a brother yet again if he so much as thinks t'do it ag'n."
"Thathes… that wouldn't be Alex's father, would it?" That's where she'd seen Gelasia's eyes before: they were the same unearthly amber as Alexus had.
"Thathes? Nah, Thathes hasn't any children – no missus, y'see. So he spoils his brothers' children when he has the mind to. No, Alexan dis'peered some years 'go out t'sea… left just his missus, the four girls and Alex. That's when the poor lad 'bout sold himself t' the apothecary. Not so good o' pay f'r a fishwife, not enough for the four gals to live off of. There were dowries to think of."
The innkeeper shook his head, waving away the dark story he wove as if to drive away a foul odor. "Three o' the four're married, now, 'course, all 'cept the youngest who's betrothed t' Canner's second. Good lad, tad uptight, but up an' comin' and sure t'keep her happy. Alex's the secon' youngest y'see. His mum c'n take care of 'erself, certain enough. Could likely marry again if she thought to… Alexan's been gone a good few years now, an' he wasn't the sort to do so."
"That means Alex doesn't have to work for the apothecary if he doesn't want to, doesn't it?" Julianne asked. It seemed to make sense. If he really didn't like the work, why should he stay if he didn't have to?
"And t' go where, then?" the innkeeper retorted.
"It's a big island," she replied. Was that ever the truth! She had the sunburn to prove it! "He could collect Pokémon."
"Cuz's got near ever' Pokémon on th' isle!" Gelasia cried. "He's got Tentacool an' Magmar an' a Ponyta an' two Growlithe an'…"
"Elsie!" Gelasia bit her lip in chagrin. The innkeeper shook his head at her but ruffled her hair with affection. "Aye, Alex's got his share o' the Poke's 'round 'ere. If I could convince the boy t' go t' the mainland I sure would, but like it or not he's islandborn. Likely stick out sore're than you do here, no offense t' ya, boyo." Truthfully, Julianne was getting used to it.
"Do you have any family on the mainland?"
The innkeeper laughed outright, smacking a hand on the table at the hilarity of the concept. "Mariners's stick t' where they do their good, lad, and that's at sea! Any o' 'em that trade away their sea legs don' keep touch – too costly, truly, to send th' mail overseas u'less they're sendin' money or gifts f'r their family back 'ere anyway." Snagging an empty chair at a neighboring table, he swung it around to sit down, leaning on his elbows to lower his voice. Xavier frowned a bit at him, but the innkeeper took no notice. "Y' wouldn't think it too forward t' ask, but d' y' think it'd be likely y'r folks not mindin' boardin' Alex f'r a bit? He'd sure enough do his share t' earn his keep, he's a good lad, as y' know. An' I'd forward any coin y'd think they'd ask for 'im t' 'ave a roof awhile."
"Alex… stay with me?" She hoped her voice didn't crack. Come home with a boy she barely knew! Her father would be as likely to throw her out to the street as to demand they marry to avoid a scandal. She certainly didn't intend to marry yet! And besides that… if Alexus was to travel home with her, even if she did convince her parents that he was only an escort… there was the slight problem of Alexus thinking she was a boy. And not just a boy, but an up-and-coming Pokémon trainer who had won the Fireleaf. There was no telling how he'd react to that! "I… I really don't think they'd allow it," she stammered, cursing herself for not sounding more certain of it.
"Surely if there's coins and work enough f'r it another head under the roof won't be too much, would it?" he insisted. "If the house isn't so big, he'd have no troubles sleepin' on y'r floor." A boy sleeping on her floor! Even Avius wasn't allowed to do that when they needed a spare room for guests. He slept with his Pokémon in the stable. "An' if the Poke's would be the problem, then jus' say so t' 'im an' he'll not bring all the lot."
"I… I really just don't think it'd go well to bring a stranger home with me… I was supposed to be home already, and coming home late with someone in tow really won't sit well with my parents. I'll already have to explain why I'm late…"
"Late!" The hand hit the table again as the innkeeper laughed. "Show 'em that fine stallion o' y'rs an' I don' think they'll argue too harsh wi' ya." That much, at least, held a ring of truth: with a Pokémon like the Ponyta not only could she ride home with ease, but imagine how much better work around the mill would be with a strong Pokémon like that! If she could lie convincingly about how she had gotten it, such a prize would likely become part of her dowry if Avius didn't somehow beg it off of her…
She shook her head, more to focus herself than at the innkeeper's insistence. "No. Forgive me, but it'll not be so easy as that."
"Aye… well, if that's that then. I'm sorry t' be a bother 'bout it, boyo, but as y'r seein', Alex's the only boy o' th' family, his gran'father's only grandson. I've Gelasia, Alexan had the five… Thathes hasn't a missus and Ferrio's had three and not a kid with one o' 'em. He's not much for th' sea: jus' tryin' to look for his interests, is all."
"Not much for the sea?" Julianne echoed.
"Cuz gets seasick real easy," Gelasia replied.
Julianne suppressed a smile. A seasick Mariner! She could see where that would be difficult. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful."
"Nay, boyo, s'not your fault." He smiled to show he was joking, a kindly expression a bit soured by his yellowing teeth. "'tis your folks' loss, not t' meet a lad like Alex."
"I'll be certain to let them know," she lied.
Walking out of the inn was like walking into a blanket soaked in boiled water; Julianne reeled before getting her bearings. "Ugh!" she muttered, leaning against the wall for a moment. She shaded her eyes against the ferocious glare with her hand as she started on her way toward the north pier. If she was sweating, she couldn't tell from the cruel humidity in the air.
The north pier had undergone a transformation after the rain, crowded now with hawkers and fishmongers, boats preparing to set sail and an eerie-looking man missing a front tooth trying to sell gray-skinned, worn-out-looking Lapras to those who passed him. The last was Gap Jack, no doubt. Runt looked more worthy than every one of the ones Gap Jack was trying to sell combined. A gold piece certainly seemed like a fair price now.
As she walked she shook her head slightly from side to side, thereby automatically dismissing any hawkers who noted her. It was a trick she'd seen her father use, and while it looked a bit silly, it was fairly effective. She headed for the edge farthest from Gap Jack, not wanting to chance him seeing Runt and trying to convince people she'd stolen her. She wanted to avoid any troubles today.
Glancing over the side of the dock, she frowned; up close, the sea looked green today. Was that a good thing or not? It seemed calm enough, but she'd heard about how calm the ocean could seem before a great storm. She looked back over her shoulder: most of these people made their livings by the sea, and would meet their ends by it if they didn't know how to read it. She tapped the arm of the closest wareseller. "How long do you think the weather is going to hold?" she asked.
The boy couldn't be much older than she was, though a faint fuzz of a beard was just beginning on his face. "Weather? Ah, yer the Miller! Quite the battle yesterday!" He looked upward, eyes scanning the sky, then opened his mouth a bit before sniffing the air. All Julianne could scent was salt. "Least the day. I'd say we'd get a bit o' rain again tonight but nothin' near the wretchedness a couple nights ago."
"So… it should be okay to head back now…"
"Got yer tan an' yer rep and leavin' us so soon, Miller? Ah well. How's yer catch?"
"Catch?"
"Aye, with the peelin' yer at you've been here awhile, yeah? Get any Pokémon beyond the filly?"
"Stallion… actually… and I really… um, didn't have the time."
The seller spat over the edge of the dock. "What kinda amateur are ya? No stronger Pokes of water or fire are found but on Cinnabar. Even if ya have the types don' mean you can't have dupes. You gotta have skill in trainin', but that's a waste if ye don't have the power t' back ye up!"
"I'm fine with the ones I got," Julianne retorted. "And I have to get back home. Thank you for your help…"
"C'mon, now, to have gone to Cinnabar and not gotten a Poke?"
"I got a Lapras from Sanulus just the other day."
"Sanulus! Well, y'know good ones at sight I suppose. M' p'pa sells the land Pokes. Ground and fire types, y'see."
"Thank you but no. I have no need for either."
"Bah! 'less you been trainin' one o' yer land Pokes years now they ain't gonna be a match to a good Cinnabaran attack! Our litt'lest Magmar could boil out yer Lapras I betcha."
Maybe… no! What was she thinking? She didn't need any more Pokémon! Besides… "My Ponyta is a fire type, and last I saw was bred here," she pointed out.
"Aye, aye, I suppose it's so."
"And it's my understanding that ground types from the mountains of Indigo are far greater than the ones you can trip over here."
"That might be-"
"Thank you for your help, but I have to be going." She turned away, swallowing a sigh of relief. Never again would she roll her eyes over Avius's prattlings! He had been sent to Indigo a summer ago but had come home empty handed. "I have to go back next year," he'd demanded, to their father's dismay. "They were too strong. Nothing's stronger than mountain-bred rock and ground types. I must have one! I have to!"
"Let's go home, Runt!" she said, taping open the Lure Ball. "And about time, too."
Once in the water, the Lapras looked upward, mouth slightly agape in eerie similarity to the wareseller. Did she learn that way from humans, or had humans adopted it from Lapras? How could the people of the Orange Kingdom really eat such intelligent-looking creatures? Julianne's stomach soured at the thought. So much of life relied on Pokémon – not just for protection, but also for leather, for brute work, and for both harvesting and becoming food. Everyday at home she had to check the coop to see if there were any Pidgey eggs to be made into omelets or used in baking, and her father also used the better-trained Pidgey to scatter seed in the spring for planting. Only the better trained ones though… the others were too likely to eat it…
Runt's impatient whinny brought her back to the present. A dull ache in her chest told her how badly she missed being home: why was she delaying it like this? It was true that the wareseller's words sparked the tempting urge to stay just a day or so more, trying her hand at catching some land Pokémon here, but what was the use? Certainly they could be helpful around the mill if trained, but more likely than not they would simply be given to Avius. She wouldn't torture a Pokémon like that.
"All right, Runt. You're right, I get so worked up about going home… and now…" By now, her hand had long fallen to her side, her eyes adjusted to the glare. Where once the overwhelming smell of fish and tar would have turned her stomach, it had a more fulfilling quality to it, proof that even in such a harsh land as this there were those who would not trade it for an emperor's ransom. And here, there was no one who knew…
But they would know, she told herself, shaking her head at her own foolishness. For now the doublet suits my purposes, but in a year or so it won't be enough. She doubted she could make a living out of Pokémon training here – that required a great deal of traveling, which would mean going to the mainland sometime. And going to the mainland would mean the chance of someone recognizing her. And the chance of someone recognizing her would mean…
Cautiously she sat on the edge of the dock, reaching out with one foot toward Runt's back. Obligingly the Lapras moved a little closer, but still she bobbed on the waves, making a firm foothold impossible. Grimacing a bit, Julianne gave herself a push; neither foot found purchase on Runt's shell, instead sliding off to either side, that she found herself straddling one of the protruding horns. She quickly grabbed hold of it to keep from falling off. She winced as the impact traveled up her spine, but mused that it was fortunate she was not as masculine as she dressed.
"Sorry," she replied to Runt's look of disdain. "Not real used to this." Using the horn to steady herself, she slid one foot up the shell, forcing herself to balance on it as she used the other to step closer to the Lapras' head, where there was a slightly wider space amongst the horns. Once there she sat down with relief, both legs on one side as she was supposed to. "Okay. To the mainland!"