Chapter 17

Viridian city was loud. Almost too loud. It made it hard for Matt to hear any of what Amber had told him over breakfast. He apologized, asking her to repeat herself.

"I said you always get yourself into the strangest of messes," Amber said, raising her voice over the table beside them. A bunch of country boys had made it into the city, it seemed, with their guns holstered and their Pokebelts full and at the ready. They were hooting and hollering, laughing at the highest decibels.

Matt pushed his plate of blueberry pancakes away. They were good, but he was still completely full from dinner the night before. His eyes caught his Holly-Band screen lighting up, seeing Sissy's Growlithe icon doing a little dance. A line of text ran along beside it.

"It feels stuffy in here," the text read.

Emie's Persian icon was shown sitting, completely still, pixelated eyes closed shut. Craig's Sandslash icon was also shown idle, with the exception of their being floating Zs fluttering around him. Text beside his icon read Sleeping.

"You mind showing me that clothes shop you were talking about?" Matt asked, desperate to get away from the loud crowds of the crowded diner beside the Pokemon Center. With Amber happily paying their bill, she left their waitress a large tip. Service hadn't been particularly great on account of how packed the diner was, but Amber loved the Nosepass Pokemon pin she wore as well as her positive attitude in such a stressful work environment.

As they stepped outside, Amber took a big whiff of "fresh" air. Matt swore it smelled of gasoline and hairspray. Loud booming speakers played near the front of the Pokemon Center, with flashing lights on even during the day. Didn't this city ever sleep, Matt wondered. Although it wasn't much better, Matt found it easier to hear his own thoughts once they left the diner across from the Pokemon Center.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, Matt followed Amber as she lead him through town, crossing various busy streets, with cars honking at each other, with drivers leaning out of their windows from time to time. There was a lot of swearing, shouting, and demands, from both drivers and pedestrians. Amber didn't seem to notice any of this.

"Normally I'd suggest just shopping in the Pokemon Center," Amber mentioned as they marched along the dirty sidewalk of Viridian. "But since I'm just oh so sick, I don't think I should be around my coworkers. So, we'll have to settle for the next best thing."

"Which is?" Matt questioned, seeing their supposed location coming into view. Amber pointed at the storefront across the busy street ahead of them. It seemed like a complete hole in the wall, with Matt at first not even realizing what Amber was trying to get his attention towards. If not for the small sign pasted beside one of the building doors, he wouldn't have even realized that was the clothes shop Amber had been talking about that morning.

"Culture Verge is a small shop only locals really know about," Amber mentioned as Matt opened the door for her. "It's probably better to dress you up as a local anyways."

"What?" Matt joked, taking in the sight of many many racks of clothing. "Does that mean I have to wear an apron too?"

"Oh, fuck off," Amber laughed, punching Matt in the shoulder. A blue spark fluttered upon contact, with Matt's Holly-Band lighting up. Their was a shield beside Craig's name, with the Z's disappearing. There were question marks in their place, fluttering around his icon. After a few seconds passed, the Z's returned, showing the word "Sleeping" beside Craig's name.

"I'm not exactly the hip and trendy type," Matt confessed playfully as he perused the clothes with Amber.

"Clearly."

"Thanks."

"Lighten up, buttercup," Amber giggled.

"And I'm not wearing whatever maid outfit you decided to wear," Matt added, motioning his hand to the black and white dress Amber wore. It seemed to go perfectly with the steel toed boots on her feet.

"Does it look bad?" Amber asked.

"Well, no, that's not what I meant," Matt corrected. "I just don't think I could pull off that 'porcelain doll from the depths of hell' look you got going on."

Amber's face flushed enough for Matt to see it even in the dim lighting of the clothes shop.

"I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me…." Amber chuckled, moving to a shirt on a nearby rack. She hid her face from Matt as she rummaged through their options.

"Seriously?" Matt murmured. "That's kinda sad…."

Amber said nothing, instead pulling a shirt from a hanger, handing it to Matt.

"I think this would fit you perfectly," Amber mentioned, with a slight grin. "Yeah, it would make the blue in your eyes pop out more."

It was a black shirt with print that read "Matt V Would Be Proud Of Me." in white font.

"Oh hell no," Matt laughed. "And for your information, I did not approve this design."

"I don't think you're really in the position to complain about it," Amber giggled, sweeping her orange bangs out of her face.

"Fair point, but the moment I can show my face again, I'm gonna raise hell about this."

"Just try it on and see if it fits already," Amber laughed. "We might wanna get you some new pants too. And some shoes. And maybe a mask."

Amber grabbed a purple bandanna that was folded on a shelf, tossing it to Matt.

"Isn't that excessive?" he asked her.

"Not if you're going to be live on stream," Amber winked.

"So it's that easy to make money these days, huh?" Matt questioned, standing beside Amber as they watched a Primeape boxing with a Poliwhirl on her phone. It was a live feed, coming straight from the battle park in Viridian city." Even for what was considered a small stream, there was over two hundred people watching live, with donations popping up on screen. It was displayed, with the words "Prize Pool" beside it. From Matt's understanding of the current match he was watching, whoever won the battle won the collective donations. One of many options for those streaming fights, as Amber was sure to explain as they watched together.

"Akimbo95 is getting FUCKED up right now," someone narrating the fight announced. "I don't think LucyLube02's Poliwhirl can take much more of this. Oh SHIT, another punch from the Primeape!"

Amber closed her phone screen, looking up to Matt as she admired the outfit she'd put together for him.

Purple sneakers were covered over by black baggy cargo pants. The shirt hugged his skin, but Matt confessed it was comfortable. Even if he wanted to punch whoever made the damn thing. He was impartial to the plain black baseball cap on his head, although thought the purple bandanna around his neck was a bit much. He glanced at a nearby mirror on the wall. Matt watched the reflection of Amber bounce up and down with glee.

"You look so HOT!" she beamed.

"I look like I spend my free time drinking coffee while contemplating the human condition," Matt interjected. "You sure I couldn't wear something else?"

"Would you normally dress like this?" Amber asked, still looking at each other through the reflection of the mirror.

"Fuck no."

"Then there you go," she laughed. "The perfect disguise!"

"And nobody is going to assume I'm me, considering I'm wearing my fucking name on this shirt?"

"You don't look like you used to," Amber told him. "When people see that, they're going to think about how you looked when you were nineteen. Not the you now."

"I guess that makes sense," Matt sighed. "But wouldn't it be smarter to not battle right now?"

"And make money how?" Amber asked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind paying, but there's no telling how long you're going to have to stay under the radar. And if you get a normal job anywhere, they're going to need your background. Like your legal name and junk."

"I don't think I could even prove that if I wanted to," Matt laughed. "I left my birth certificate at home, and that's a long ways away."

"Pallet town isn't that far."

"Pallet isn't my original home," Matt said, instinctively.

Amber looked stunned.

"But…. That's where you grew up, isn't it?" Amber asked. "I've read practically every article ever written about you. You grew up in Pallet town, and your mom, Lily Inferno, raised you after she settled down from being an iconic Pokemon Trainer."

Matt looked from the mirror, directly to Amber. She did the same, smiling with a squint.

"It's not creepy that I know everything about you, is it?" she nervously laughed.

"It would be if you actually knew," Matt sighed, rubbing his head; that headache from before was trying to work it's way back, but he denied it. He knew it was from the stress of…. Well, just about everything.

"But-"

"Amber, those articles are full of shit," Matt laughed. "I'm not even from Kanto."

"I knew it!" she burst, with the shop owner looking confused by the outburst. Amber ushered Matt to the door, somewhat embarrassed by the scene she had made. Amber added, in an awkward whisper, "You're really from Johto, aren't you?"

"Not even remotely close," Matt sighed.

"What about Hoenn?"

"Nope."

"Sinnoh?"

"Amber, I come from a far far away place that I don't even think you'd understand," Matt told her, feeling slightly frustrated. "I don't wanna seem ungrateful, but I don't know how to even be honest with you about where I'm really from. And frankly, it would probably be easier if you didn't know."

"Uh…. Okay…." Amber nodded, swallowing hard. "Well… do you still wanna check out the Battle Park? If you're okay with that, that is…."

Matt pulled out the wad of money in his pocket, carrying his old clothes in a plastic bag. There was a decent amount of cash left over from what Dante and Mom had given him, but he knew it wouldn't last long. Considering he was hiding, and had no other means of income, Matt considered that battles were going to be the only way to keep himself financed throughout his new journey.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea…." Matt sighed.

The two of them began to walk their way in the direction of the Viridian City Battle Park, being only a few blocks away. As they walked along the sidewalk of the city, Matt glanced at his Holly-Band. His crew was still alright. Although Matt could tell Amber seemed hurt. She kept her head down a little more than usual, not having the same pep in her step as before.

"I'm sorry, Amber, I didn't mean to be a dick about it," Matt spoke up.

"Huh?" Amber chirped. "Oh, you're fine…."

"No, seriously, that wasn't okay of me," Matt told her, feeling the plastic bag with his old clothes brushing into his cargo pants. "My situation is really complicated, and I don't know how much of it you would even believe. Like, it's really out there."

"Well, you're a pretty 'out there' type of person," Amber told him with a weak giggle. "And I get you don't need someone like me fan girling over you."

"I'm flattered," Matt told her, "but I'm stressed. I don't know who put that contract on my head, and I don't know when I'm going to meet Herman."

"You told me he was a Hypno, right?" Amber questioned, with the sound of the Battle Park being heard in the distance. Loud music was being played, with people cheering and hollering. It grew louder as they approached.

"Yeah, he's one of Mom's—I mean Lily's Pokemon. Or at least was."

"And he might be able to help you find out where to go next?" Amber added.

"Yep. That's about all I'm standing on at the moment, and it isn't much to work with. A friend of mine managed to stall for time, but sooner or later people are going to start coming for me again. I just wanna figure out who wants me dead so badly."

"Have you spoke with Rachel or Otto about this?" Amber inquired.

"I don't know what happened to them," Matt sighed. "They're just…. Gone."

Matt figured he did know what happened to them. But he thought it best not to tell Amber Otto whipped up a device to hop into a different dimension.

"That sounds kinda fucked up, to be honest," Amber mumbled. "I would have never just left you like that…."

"Yeah…." Matt sighed, with the two of them entering past the metal gates of the Battle park. There was another Gail grunt in a booth, though he seemed more distracted by a nearby battle going on. The Gail Company member greeted Matt with a simple nod, going back to watching the nearby fight.

Matt struggled to take in everything at once.

There was a small child in the nearby tall grass located by the Gail Company security booth. They held a net in both hands, which had seen better days; most of the net was falling apart. Even still, that didn't stop the young child from trying to swoop his net over a resting Pidgey on a tree stump. The bird Pokemon, of course, flew away with ease, with the kid racing after it. Their frog boots beat against the overgrown grass beside the security booth, with the little one racing deeper into the park.

Young teenagers were sitting on a bench roughly twenty feet ahead of Matt and Amber along the walking path, sitting together and holding hands. The young girls nestled their heads beside one another, with a Clefairy and a Magby sitting on their laps.

An old man was breaking apart bread, tossing it to a small flock of Farfetch'd gobbling up what was thrown their way. One of them tried to snag the bread bag entirely, with the old man pulling out a pistol from the waistband of his sweatpants. He waved it at the Pokemon, who respected the threat, as well as another chunk of bread tossed their direction.

And then there was the battle between two trainers happening on some open area from the trees. They fought with one another on the grass as two trainers cheered their Pokemon on. It was the same battle Amber had streamed from her phone. Even beaten down terribly, the Poliwhirl was still throwing punches back at the Primeape.

A tiny black drone was hovering over the battle, moving periodically from time to time in order to get a better angle. It swooped past the fighting Pokemon with an action shot, with another trainer nearby with a set of headphones with a bulky cotton ball of a mouthpiece. They were mouthing something in the distance, with Matt hearing a delay of the battle coming from the security shack, which apparently had a device playing the stream. Music was playing with the announcer going on about how badly the Pokemon were being beaten. A moderate crowd had started to form around the action, cheering on both trainers.

Amber and Matt continued walking along the path of the Battle park, with Matt trying to take in everything at once.

"This place has wild Pokemon too?" He questioned, catching a glance from the Magby sitting on the teenage trainer's lap. It gave him a little wave, with Matt awkwardly waving back to it.

"Sure does," Amber nodded. "You wouldn't believe how many Pokemon and Trainers come rushing into the Pokemon Center."

"Considering I saw an old ass man just pull a glock on a Farfetch'd," Matt commented as they walked, "I don't think it's that hard to believe."

Amber looked confused.

"What's a glock?" she questioned.

"It's a type of firearm," Matt added quickly, wanting to change the subject. He kept forgetting there were both major and minor differences from the Pokemon Universe and his own. Some strange similarities, but not the same root of how things came to be.

"Sounds like something from the Old World, now that I think about it," Amber mentioned, placing a hand on her temple, trying to think. A vein was nearly popping from her forehead as she strained to recall where she had heard it before.

"How much do you know about the Old World?" Matt asked her, with the two of them slowing down as they neared an ice cream stand. A handful of people were lined up, along with their Pokemon, blocking part of the path. They paused, with Amber considering this question too.

"Not much," Amber admitted. "All I know is that some people are crazy enough to believe it actually existed. I read about how there's a group of people who claim they're from there. Talk about wanting attention."

"Yeah, sounds pretty crazy," Matt sighed.

Amber raised a pierced eyebrow, trying to get a read on Matt.

"You act like you have personal investment in those kinda folks."

"I wouldn't say that," Matt lied. "It's just a complicated subject when it comes to home."

"Look," Amber said, placing her hands on Matt's shoulders. "If you don't wanna tell me where you're from, it's none of my business. I get you're this mystery guy who acts all tough, but I just want you to know that I've always liked you. I've followed up on everything you've been through since you were in the spotlight. Maybe all those stories weren't true, but I know some of them had to have been, because I was there."

Matt looked to the line of people getting ice cream, shoving his hands in his pockets again, trying to find the right words.

"I don't know how to feel about myself," Matt told her. "But that's a story I'm not going to get into. I've done some pretty awful things in my life. Awful shit happened to me too. But right now, I don't know if I have the energy to get into it all. Where I come from, and what happened since I got here. Some of it is hard to even remember. I've killed a lot of people. I've said a lot of stupid things. Now my friends are god knows where, and life has been a clusterfuck ever since. I really don't wanna get into my baggage more than I have to."

Amber smiled back at him, finally with the line of people clearing enough for them to continue their way on the walking path. She reached out to grab his hand, with Matt not knowing how to react. It was an awkward few steps before either one of them mentioned it.

"I'm not sure if I'm what you really want, Amber," Matt told her.

"Do you care if I hold your hand?" Amber asked him.

"I mean…. I don't really care, but…."

"Then that's what I want," she said, the two of them passing by a pack of wild Bellsprouts wandering by a decorative fountain beside the walking path.

"You know I'm actively in a relationship with two of my own Pokemon, right?" Matt mentioned to her, casting her an uncomfortable side glance.

"Well aware," Amber laughed. "I took last weeks test to see if I was more of an Emie or a Sissy. The test said Sissy, but I still think I'm more of an Emie, personally."

Matt stopped in his tracks, with Amber still walking. She pulled him along, refusing to let go of his hand. Matt didn't fight her on it, with his feet shuffling forward.

"Just how much buzz is there around me?"

"Not as much as there used to," Amber confessed, smiling as the sun shined down on her as they passed a clearing from the trees. "But there's still a solid following of V girls."

Again, Matt stopped in his tracks with Amber finally letting go. She stopped too, turning to face him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"V girls?" Amber questioned. "Oh, it's just a name for hopeless romantics like me call ourselves. We all share artwork, share stories about you, and some people even write fan fiction of you."

Matt held his head, trying to compile all she had said in such a short amount of time.

"So I'm basically treated like a boy band, but it's just the bad boy?" Matt questioned.

Amber considered this as two joggers jogged by, with her train of thought derailing.

"Damn that's a nice ass," Amber whispered as they went by.

"What?"
"I said 'yeah, basically,'" Amber lied, followed with a forced innocent smile meant to be taken sarcastically.

Matt couldn't help himself; he had to see what Amber was smiling at over his shoulder. With a pivot of his foot, Matt turned. A pair of wide hips and thick buns clung to a pair of skimpy jogging shorts. It took a moment for Matt to regain his focus.

"I'm not even mad—you're not wrong."

"Right?!" Amber giggled.

They shared a quick laugh before continuing on their way through the battle park.

"How about we just drop your past entirely," Amber mentioned, speaking again all of a sudden.

"That's probably best," Matt said. "Seriously though, thank you for all the help."

They continued further, having to walk over a wooden bridge that arched over a small pond, with a pair of Venomoths nearby. Light shimmered against the surface of the pond, only to be splashed away as a Magikarp flopped from the depths, slamming into the surface.

"You realize this is like a personal fantasy for me, right?" Amber added after a long pause in conversation.

"If you say so," Matt chuckled.

"No, seriously, you don't know how frustrating it is that I can't say that I'm hanging out with the Ma-"

Amber stopped herself, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I keep forgetting I'm trying to help you keep a low profile," she confessed. "I gotta chill…"

"Just treat me like you would with anyone else."

"I work with a lot of assholes," Amber commented.

"Well, treat me like you treated that waitress earlier. Just like a normal person. I'm not Matt anymore. I'm…. uh…. Just call me Cool Guy 87."

"The fuck?" Amber scoffed.

"It's my registered name on my Holly-Band network thingy," Matt explained to her. "I couldn't think of a good name, so I'll have to come up with something better. But if I'm gonna be a Trainer again, I might as well just say my Trainer name and call it a day."

Amber placed a finger on her chin.

"Well, considering that name sucks ass-"

"Gee, thanks."

"-We'll have to come up with a better one," Amber finished. "How about something like-"

"Hey you!" a shrill voice cried down further from the trail. "Yeah, you! With that stupid hat and that anime doll wannabe!"

Amber and Matt turned to discover a young child sprinting towards them. They wore a white track suit, covered in grass stains and dirt. Skidding along the path in his track shoes, he stopped himself by doing a roll, with about as much grace as a Rattata on skis. He was panting, wiping his hands on the front of his zipped up track jacket. He didn't appear to have any form of undershirt.

"Uhh…." was all Matt could muster.

"Duuuuh!" the kick mocked, doing what children do best. Matt pulled his head back with a sneer.

"Where the heck are your parents?" Matt asked. "And why are you so dirty? Did you walk through a tornado or something?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, weather boy." the dirty kid laughed. He raised two middle finger towards Matt.

"That doesn't even make sense," Matt scoffed.

"Well," Amber said, choosing her words wisely. "That's not very nice."

"Stuff it, whore!" the kid spat, turning his middle fingers towards her.

Amber and Matt needed a moment to look at one another. Sure enough, neither one of them had any idea what they had done to provoke the wrath of the young child before them in the dirty, white track suit.

"That's not a nice way to talk to someone," Amber said, speaking in her customer service voice. "You shouldn't say such things to strangers."

"You can suck it!" the kid laughed. He looked old enough to know better, but not old enough to fully understand the consequences of his actions. Matt opened his mouth to call the child several colorful names, but Amber stopped him with a single "No." with strong emphasis. She stepped forward, lowering herself to her knees.

Matt saw the little brat pull his arm back, as if preparing to strike.

Amber caught the jab with her other hand, clenching tight. The child struggled, trying to pull away.

"Let go of me!" he demanded. "I'll tell on you!"

"Are you going to try and hit me again?" she asked, not shaken in the slightest, with her words a soft as clouds and unicorns.

"Let go!" the child demanded. Amber did so, with the kid pulling back, holding the hand that Amber had restrained. Then, he reached into his jacket. He pulled out a minimized Pokeball, letting it expand as he twisted the top. Even the Pokeball was covered in grass and dirt stains.

Amber placed her hands on her hips.

"No." she said, firm and unmoved.

The kid put the Pokeball back into his jacket, somewhat annoyed.

"I just wanted to battle…." he huffed.

"There is a nice way of asking someone to battle you," Amber told him. "And then there is just being cruel. We don't say those kind of words to people. Ever!"

"I can think of a few times I'd call someone a bitch—hey!"

Amber pinched Matt on the back of the neck. He wasn't sure how such a simple pinch could hurt so much. He rubbed his neck, letting Amber do all the talking.

"Are you wanting to battle my friend here?" Amber asked, still watching her tone of voice. Even when dealing with an annoying little shit, she kept herself together. Working at the Pokemon Center must have been far more difficult than Matt had even begun to consider.

"Yeah…." the dirty track suit kid huffed, kicking a pebble on the path.

"Then how about you ask nicely," Amber insisted.

Matt kept his hands stuffed in his over sized cargo pants, watching the kid shuffle forward, refusing to look up. His hair was an absolute mess.

"Mister, would you please battle me?" he asked Matt. At this, Matt had to consider.

Whatever Pokemon that kid had, Matt knew it couldn't be much. Sissy, Emie, and Craig had all been through hell and back—both emotional and physical mountains they had been forced to climb and conquer. Letting any one of them battle whatever weak Pokemon he had was not a good idea.

However….

There was something about the way the little shit looked at Matt with his big, sad eyes. He just wanted attention. Maybe even to strive towards a dream that felt far away from him.

"Alright, but you gotta go easy on me," Matt said with a smile. "My team has been through a lot and they're pretty tired. How about we keep the stakes low, okay?"

The kid smiled, nodding with a burst of enthusiasm.

"Okay!" he cried. "I've got 20 Gail Marks!"

Matt considered this, frowning a little.

"How about 10 Gail Marks?" Matt asked him. "I don't wanna loose too much."

The kid grinned, acting like he had won a jackpot.

"Deal!" he burst.