Chapter 18: The Oceans of Olivine City!
Like the Everharts said, Cadmium Town wasn't anything special. It was just a small town full of greenery and plenty of rest stops, with some schools and shops in between. It didn't have a Pokemon Center for reasons they weren't able to find out, but they did provide little bed and breakfasts the kids could stay at for the night, ATMs included. The kids made absolutely sure to stock up on much needed items such as toilet paper, paper toilets, potions, non-perishable food, pokemon food, water bottles, plastic bowls, toothpaste, etc. This made the rest of the eight day journey to Olivine City far more bearable. There were no visual phones, so Julia couldn't call her parents and see their faces. Already, she was homesick, but knew she had to press on.
Finally, after a grueling ten days on the road, the kids saw a sign pointing north that read, "Olivine City, 100 feet up ahead" in bold black paint. Julia was practically beaming. "We're getting close, aren't we?!" She chirruped, jumping up and down excitedly like a little kid.
"I'll check," Perrine pulled out her PokeGear and brought up the map function. "Wow!" Her blue eyes lit up with joy. "We're practically almost there!"
She was right. They passed through a wooden gate that had a line on it with some flags hanging from it. Soon, a shining white metropolis appeared before them, spreading all the way out to a pristine, glittering blue ocean. Boats of all shapes and sizes sat at the ports. A metallic, mineral-like smell wafted in the air, giving the city a very modern air about it. A grey stone lighthouse towered over everything else, overlooking the vast ocean as though it had watched the ocean for centuries.
It didn't look nearly as modern as Goldenrod City. Nothing could compare to Goldenrod City's skyscrapers, the buildings made entirely of glass windows (or so Julia thought), the bright lights, and the big houses. But that didn't mean Olivine City didn't have any charm of its own. All of the houses were made of stone or brick, with steel roofs reflecting the sunlight back into the sky. People bustled about to and fro, going wherever they were going, without a care in the world. Shiny cars, old fashioned or brand spanking new, rode across the streets.
"Wow...so this is Olivine City!" Perrine's blue eyes were sparkling, just like the ocean reflecting sunlight. "It's so different from Goldenrod!"
"Yeah. Really," Julia agreed. As much as she liked Goldenrod City, Olivine felt more open and spaced out. None of the buildings looked too cramped together like Goldenrod's buildings were. It made it come off as less overwhelming and suffocating. Still, the mineral-like smell in the air didn't quite sit right with her. She wasn't sure why.
Caiseal held a hand over his eyes and looked around. "I wonder where the gym is at?" He asked out loud. "It's gotta be around here somewhere."
"So...who's the gym leader here again?" Julia asked.
"Jasmine Pitt is the gym leader," Perrine began, holding her index finger up. "She uses steel type pokemon, but rumor has it she has pokemon of other types as well."
Immediately, Julia began strategizing. Fairy types like Saoirse and Tokiko were weak against steel types. Saoirse knew Fire Fang, sure, but that could only go so far, she told herself. But she did know that steel types were weak against ground types, fighting types, and fire types. However, she didn't catch any fire, fighting, or ground pokemon during her travels. She knew Nidoran could evolve into ground types, but as of now, both Rina and Rino wouldn't stand a chance. Poison types had absolutely no effect on steel types. She wondered if any of her pokemon knew fighting type moves.
"Do you think we should go to the Pokemon Center?" Julia suggested to Caiseal. "Someone there might show us where the gym is."
"Good point," Caiseal stretched his arms outward. "My pokemon do need some TLC."
It didn't take long for them to find the Pokemon Center, with the help of the map function on the PokeGear. However, the minute they laid eyes on it, their jaws fell agape. The Pokemon Center was in shambles. The glass windows were completely broken, with some pieces still hanging onto the frames for dear life. Other glass shards had fallen to the floor, breaking into even smaller pieces. Black burn marks painted the once pristine white walls, along with large holes that even an eevee could easily crawl through. Some roof tiles were missing, looking as though they had been ripped right off. The P and K and T signs in Pokemon Center were missing as well.
"Whoa!" Perrine yelped. "What in the world happened here?!"
"I have no idea!" Caiseal brushed a hand through his blonde hair. "But man! This sucks! My pokemon need to be healed!"
Julia was the first to notice a large sign standing in front of the doors. She ambled up to it to get a closer look. The sign read, in big black letters, 'NOTICE: Last week, the Pokemon Center was completely decimated by unknown vandals, possibly members of Team Rocket. All of our machines are destroyed and out of order. We will reopen when all of our machines are running again. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.'
"It says here someone vandalized it last week!" Julia pointed the sign out to them.
Perrine cracked her knuckles. "I'll bet Team Rocket tried to steal some pokemon," The kids shivered upon feeling the deathly air she gave off all of a sudden. "If I see them lurking around, I'll kick their sorry butts into oblivion!"
"I'm pretty sure Tsubasa will do that for you," Julia pointed out. She couldn't help but wonder how her pidgeotto and the rest of the gang are doing. She hoped they were well and behaving themselves. Knowing Tsubasa, for all she knew she might be causing her poor parents a lot of grief.
"Still, our pokemon are in no shape for gym battles yet," Caiseal grumbled. He sat down on the ground and crossed his arms, like he was put in time-out. "I want to battle Jasmine already!"
"That's not possible right now," An old man's voice pulled the kids out of their thoughts. They looked up to find a large man in his sixties, dressed in red fishing gear. He had three fishing rods in his arms, a red hat, a red vest full of lures, white pants, and brown rain boots.
Not possible? "Why's that?" Julia asked.
"The gym's closed," The old man explained. The kids all stared down at their feet, further drowning in disappointment. "See that lighthouse over there?" He pointed to the stone lighthouse near the ocean.
"Yeah."
"That there's the Glitter Lighthouse. Jasmine's ampharos, Ampere, lights it up so sailors and boaters can dock at night and so people don't lose their way," The old man elaborated further. "But now, Ampere's mighty sick. Too sick to use its tail light," The old man shook his head glumly. "Jasmine's been takin' care of him, but nothin's workin' good. Ampere'd be healed right now if the Pokemon Center hadn't been vandalized."
Julia looked down at the stone beneath her feet, her heart going out to Ampere. "I see. I hope Ampere gets better," She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if her own pokemon got sick and she couldn't access a Pokemon Center.
"I dunno…" The old man scratched his head with his free hand, keeping the three fishing rods in the other. "Since he's sick, boats don't go out at sea no more 'cause of the potential dangers, and the only medicine that can help is somethin' called a Secret Potion, and you can only get those at Cianwood City. But it's across the sea."
Another good point. It didn't help that none of the kids had any pokemon that could swim across large bodies of water with ease. Then again, Caiseal had Flippy, his beloved quagsire. Could a quagsire be able to cross the ocean? They weren't sure at this point.
"By the way," The old man pulled out one of his fishing rods. "Do any of you kids want a free fishing rod?" The one he held out was a long, shiny black one that stood taller than the three kids. It still had a line on it, so one could easily use it right as they received it. "I have too many of them."
Before anyone could think about it, Perrine suddenly raised her hand before shouting, "Oh! Oh! I'll take it!" With a smile, the man handed her the fishing rod without hesitation. "Thanks, sir!"
Fishing rods in hand, the old man left the kids to their own devices. But hearing the story about Jasmine's absence only made things worse. Not only could they not get their pokemon healed at the Pokemon Center, they couldn't battle Jasmine at the gym either. Could things get any worse?
"So...we came here for nothing," Julia mused to herself glumly.
"It's not a total loss!" Perrine held her fishing rod high in the air. "The beach is nearby, so the pokemon can go for a little swim if they like! Plus, we can use this to fish for water pokemon! Maybe one good enough to cross the ocean with!"
Caiseal and Julia looked at each other. Perrine did raise some valid points. Perhaps a day in the sunshine and beach water could help the pokemon somewhat. Except Geo, Apollo, Kitsune, and Mallow. Fire, ground, and rock types don't do well in water. It helps that Olivine City's ports were well known fishing spots. Who knows? Maybe they could catch a good water pokemon.
It took them an hour to get to the nearest beach, since it was so far away on foot. The sight of the vast ocean and white sand didn't disappoint. Perrine found herself wishing they bought bathing suits so they could go for a swim. All the kids let their pokemon out so they could play. Immediately, Hikaru, Saoirse, Lucretia, and Tokiko danced across the burning white sand, splashing water at each other. Apollo and Kitsune sat in the sand making sand sculptures. Geo simply curled into a ball and let Papillon, Fuwari, and Baloo jump all over him. Florian laid down on the sand, content to rest underneath the sun's warm rays. Chirin and Fukuro just sat down and watched everyone.
Perrine faced the ocean, her brown shoes digging into the hot sand. She held the fishing rod back before swiping it forward. The thin line flew gracefully across the sky before the lure splashed right into the water. Soon, it was bobbing up and down as Perrine sat down on the sand. The orange haired girl kept her blue eyes glued to the lure, determined to get at least one new pokemon. She hadn't caught any new pokemon since she was in Ilex Forest, and that was a long time ago.
"Yeowch!" Some sand creeped down into one of Julia's socks, hot as fire. She yanked her shoe and sock off, letting the sand flow right out. Her foot and toes felt as though someone stuck them in a hot oven. "Hot hot hot!"
"You okay?" Caiseal asked.
"Sorta. This sand burns! Yeesh!" Already, Julia found herself uncomfortable with everything. The blindingly bright sun shining in her face, the intense sparkling reflection on the ocean, the burning sand, it was all just too much. She was never a fan of the beach, especially when there were little kids running around screaming, shouting, crying, or a combination of the three. That especially grated on every nerve she had on her body, like nails on a chalkboard. But at least with why the sand was hot, she knew the answer: sunlight was beating down on it the whole time.
All of a sudden, the lure was pulled downward. Perrine felt a yank on the fishing rod. "Oh! I got one! I got a bite!" She screamed, pulling the rod closer to herself. Her feet planted firmly on the sand, and her grip tightened around the rod.
"Bay bay!" Florian raced over to his trainer and wrapped his vines around her, should Perrine wind up getting sucked in by a big pokemon. Baloo ran over and put her hands on Perrine's right leg. Kitsune gently pulled on her skirt. Even Caiseal and Julia stepped in to help.
With their combined efforts, they managed to yank whatever was at the end of the line out from the water. The force wasn't strong enough to send them all sprawling on the sand. Once Perrine regained her bearings, she came face to face with a round, blue fish pokemon. Its round, yellow eyes only had black plus-shaped crosses for pupils. Small fins waved up and down, and the pokemon waddled around on its small, stubby feet. Two thin antenna sprung out from its head, with large, yellow, tear-drop shaped orbs.
"Chinchou!" The pokemon squeaked, taking notice of the welcoming committee.
"Awwwww!" Julia clasped her hands together and found herself squealing, her green eyes brimming with unbridled joy. "How cute! A little chinchou!"
Caiseal pulled out his PokeDex to examine it. "Chinchou, the angler pokemon. Chinchou have the ability to conduct electrical currents from their two tentacles which flow positive from one end and negative to the other. Chinchou can also communicate underwater by flashing their tentacles, especially when they live in depths beyond sunlight's reach. Chinchou's two antennas are filled with cells that generate strong electricity. This Pokémon's cells create so much electrical power, it even makes itself tingle slightly," A pink female sign appeared.
Hikaru found herself crawling up to the fish pokemon, her little black nose crinkling up and down as she got a whiff of the new pokemon. All chinchou did was stare at the yellow mouse with a confused yet curious look on her face. "Pichu pichuuuu?" ("Do you really live underwater?") She asked.
"Chinchou chinchou!" The blue fish pokemon waved her fins in a welcoming manner. ("Oh! There really are pokemon who live above the sea!")
"Come on, Perrine!" Julia begged. "Catch her! Catch her!"
Perrine had already pulled out a pokeball. "Of course! Florian!" The dinosaur pokemon adopted a battle stance. "Use Razor Leaf!"
"Bay-eeee!" Florian flung his leaf in a circular motion, sending four sharp, crescent shaped leaves right at the chinchou. Since she wasn't underwater, she didn't have time to get used to the new environment. Thus, she couldn't evade the attack. The leaves cut through her slimy blue skin, leaving some fresh scratches.
All of a sudden, the blue pokemon opened her mouth to emit a sharp, shrill cry that made everyone cover their ears. The high pitched sound seemed to rip through everyone's eardrums. By the time it was over, Florian found himself wobbling back and forth, his eyesight completely blurred. "Bay...leef...bay…" He couldn't even keep his footing and almost slipped.
"Owowowow! That's some Supersonic!" Julia yelped, her hands desperately trying to block out the awful noise.
Perrine wanted to catch that chinchou at any cost. But now that Florian was confused, two things could happen: he could hurt himself, or he could manage to hit the chinchou with another attack. It was too risky. The possibility of her friend getting hurt was too high. She couldn't put Florian through this. "Fuwari! Use Bullet Seed, and don't go easy on her!"
"Popo!" Fuwari was quick to hop onto the scene and fire a barrage of green seeds at the helpless fish. Once again, the chinchou was unable to dodge the attack. Chinchou did attempt to run, but the sand was hot on her stubby feet, and the pain made her slip and fall.
"Now's my chance!" Perrine wasted no time throwing the pokeball. "Pokeball, go!" Chinchou tried to push herself up, but her fins were too short, and she couldn't stand upright, leaving her wide open. Once the pokeball tapped her on the back, she turned into red light and was sucked right inside. The tension was already thick like someone poured too much maple syrup on their pancakes. The pokeball wiggled from side to side, with the red light flashing. Perrine crossed her fingers.
"Come on...come on…" She kept praying in her heart that the chinchou stay inside. Thankfully, her prayers were answered. Click! The red light stopped flashing and the pokeball stayed completely still. "Yay!" She jumped up once and cheered. "I caught a cute little chinchou!" Julia clasped her friend's hands and the two girls began jumping and skipping merrily, rejoicing in the capture.
Florian shook his head. No longer did his head hurt. His eyesight returned, and the first thing he noticed was that the chinchou was gone. "Bay? Bayleef?" ("What happened? Did I miss something?")
Kitsune put a paw on her big friend's leg reassuringly. "Vulpix vulpix vul," ("You're good. Looks like we have a new friend.")
Pleased with her victory, Perrine picked the pokeball up and cupped it in her hands. A warm smile touched her round face. Just looking at her new friend made an idea pop up in her head immediately. "You'll be called Luminita. Nita for short," Perrine whispered out loud, hoping her new friend could hear it.
Catching a pokemon was all well and good, but the kids knew the pokeball would disappear, since Perrine already had six pokemon on her. The orange haired girl didn't mind. Her parents did arrange for her pokemon to be sent to her house, so she wasn't worried. However, after a few seconds, it dawned on them: the pokeball didn't disappear.
"How come it's not going to your house?" Julia asked, scratching her hair with one finger. "You have six pokemon already."
"I was just wondering the same thing."
"I wonder if it's because the transporter is broken," Caiseal chimed in. "The Pokemon Center was vandalized, right? That's the only place where we can exchange our pokemon," The girls nodded in agreement. "I don't know any other places around here that have transporters."
Julia stuffed her hands in her pockets. "Is that even possible?"
"Possible or not," Perrine interrupted. "I don't mind. I caught a new friend! Come on out, Luminita!" A white light sprung forth from the pokeball, taking the shape of a chinchou before turning into Luminita herself. The scratches from Florian's Razor Leaf were still there. Perrine was quick to pull out a potion and kneel down to her friend's level. "Hi there. I'm Perrine, your new trainer," She told her in a soft, dulcet voice. "You got hurt. Sorry about that. This'll help."
She expected Luminita to back away or resist being sprayed. Oddly enough, the angler pokemon didn't even protest. She just stayed silent as Perrine sprayed the disinfectant on her wounds. Gradually, the scratches disappeared, and the angler's blue skin retained it sleek, shiny look. The orbs at the end of her antennae gave off a soft yellow light for a brief moment.
Light...lighthouse…Ampere being too sick to do so... "Hey! I got it!" Julia pounded her palm with her fist. "We should go to the lighthouse!" She exclaimed.
Everyone turned their heads to face her. "What brought that on?"
"Did you see her antennae glow just now?" Julia pointed her index finger right at Luminita. "What if we go see Miss Jasmine at the lighthouse? Luminita can light up the lighthouse so Ampere won't have to, since he's too sick to do so!" Julia wasn't sure what gender Jasmine's ampharos was, so she wound up using male pronouns on impulse. This was a habit she never did manage to break.
"I see what you mean," Perrine told her dubiously. "But will Nita's light be bright enough?"
"We won't know if we don't try!" Julia protested. "I don't know if it'll help, but we should at least do something!"
Caiseal stood up, calling his pokemon back to their pokeballs. "I don't see why not. Let's go and see her. Maybe we can help her out somehow."
Perrine could tell that they both seemed pretty set on it. Their minds were made up. Doubts were already running through her mind. How could they help? Wasn't Ampere's welfare Jasmine's business? It didn't feel right to just barge in on her, even if it was out of good intentions. But then again, it doesn't hurt to ask. "Alright. Off to the lighthouse!"
Thankfully, Olivine City had taxis, so the kids were able to get in one. No walking all the way to the lighthouse on foot. By car, it took them an hour and a half to get there with no traffic. Just being in front of the stone lighthouse made the kids look like ants since it was so tall. It looked to be about as tall as the Tin and Brass Towers, or just a little bit shorter. It didn't make it any less awe-inspiring. But this was no time to be sightseeing.
The inside of the lighthouse was oddly dark, only being dimly lit by some small glass windows. They took an elevator to the upper floor, thinking Jasmine might be there. It really said something when the elevator looked brighter and safer than the actual lighthouse. The kids waited in the elevator for about five minutes, standing in silence as they ascended to the top. Finally, a robotic woman's voice said, without any emotion, "Level 5. Top floor," The shiny metal doors pulled themselves back, allowing the kids to step out.
Sitting in the center of the room was a pretty young woman who looked to be in her very early twenties, with long, flowing light brown hair that cascaded down to her lower back, with two small, pointed pigtails pointing upward, held up by orange, pearl shaped hair clips. The woman was wearing a simple, pure white dress going past her knees with a large bow on the torso, along with matching sandals. Lying next to her was an ampharos, just like the one back at Julia's house.
The first thing they heard was harsh wheezing, coming right out of the ampharos's mouth. With every breath it took, it sounded like he was dying. Julia's hands flew to ears, it's breathing was that bad. Not only that, sweat trickled down the sheep pokemon's yellow face, completely dampening the pillow its head rested on. The ampharos lied down on a makeshift bed consisting of a grey blanket and a white pillow, nothing else. The woman kept gazing down at him abjectly, her brown eyes trembling, looking as though she would burst into tears at any given moment. The women exhaled an audible sigh that even the kids could hear.
"Ampere…please hang on..." The woman pleaded in a soft, trembling voice. Even looking at them made the kids look back.
But Perrine wasn't one to just stand idly by. "Excuse me!" The sound of the girl's voice was enough to make the woman gasp, like someone snuck up on her.
A hand flew to her chest as she whipped around, her long hair flowing in a circular motion, eyes wide like saucers. "My goodness! You scared me!" Once she took a breath, she got a better look at them. "Oh. You're just some trainers."
"Sorry," Perrine apologized, feeling bad that she unknowingly frightened the young woman. "We didn't mean to scare you. "Would you happen to be Jasmine by any chance?"
Jasmine nodded, confirming Perrine's suspicions. "Yes. I'm the...Olivine gym leader and Ampere's trainer."
Caiseal held up his PokeDex to examine Ampere. "Ampharos, the light pokemon, and the final evolved form of Mareep. The orb at the end of its tail can glow with a light so bright, it can be seen far from the ocean, and even from space, no matter how dark. Because of this, ampharos have been treasured as a beacon for lost travelers since ancient times. People in the old days used to use ampharos's light to send signals to each other from far away, guiding lost people to safety," A blue male sign appeared.
All of a sudden, one of Perrine's pokeballs opened by itself. Chirin came popping right out, approaching Ampere with a concerned look on his face. "Flaaaaffy…" ("You don't look so good.") He said, stroking Ampere's forehead with his pink paw. The only response he received was more wheezing.
"Chirin…" Perrine found herself touched by her flaaffy's kindness.
"What in the world happened to him?" Julia asked. Hearing Ampere's wheezing made her tremble somewhat.
Jasmine hung her head down, continuing to stroke her yellow friend abjectly. "Ampere always kept the sea lit at night when he slept. But last week, he...suddenly came down with pneumonia," She seemed to spit the word out like it was just too horrible a word to utter. "The Pokemon Center's been...completely decimated...so I can't take him there, and...Nurse Joy doesn't have the means to take care of him right now."
"I can imagine why," Caiseal crossed his arms.
"I suppose...you came here having heard about what happened," Jasmine assumed, using her free hand to knead the large bow on her dress. She kept on twirling the end of one ribbon around her finger, back and forth, like she was expecting something to happen. "I'm afraid...I can't battle you all right now," She told them kindly. "I can't leave Ampere unattended."
"We weren't gonna ask for a battle," Julia chimed in. "We were wondering if we could help you and Ampere out, if that's okay."
"What?" This caught Jasmine's attention.
"Yeah! We heard from a fisherman that something called a Secret Potion can make him feel better! Is that true?" Julia asked.
"Yes," Jasmine nodded. "I've heard of such a thing."
"You're forgetting something," Perrine interrupted. "That fisherman said you can only get those at Cianwood City, and it's way across the sea. None of our pokemon are big enough to carry us across the ocean."
Julia hung her head down, disappointed. "Oh. You're right."
"It'd be one thing if the sailors went there on their boats," Jasmine mused sadly, continuing to stroke Ampere's red hot fur. "But with Ampere being as sick as he is, the sailors are scared to go out to sea. There's also the matter of the Whirl Islands. There's whirlpools everywhere, and they're very dangerous."
"Actually…" Caiseal let the word drift away as he let Flippy out of her pokeball.
"Quaaaaag," As usual, Flippy drew out her soothing, laid back hello. The girls stood there and got a good look at Flippy. She stood at least two feet taller than Caiseal, and her body was quite large and wide, enough so that Caiseal could easily ride on top of her.
"Flippy and I could go to Cianwood and get that Secret Potion for you," Caiseal suggested without a hint of irony.
"That's a great idea!" Julia exclaimed happily.
Perrine raised an eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look. "But can quagsire even withstand whirlpools?"
Julia pulled out her PokeDex to examine Flippy despite having done it before. "Quagsire, the water fish pokemon. Although quagsire prefer living in freshwater lakes and other areas of the like, they are capable of living in any kind of watery environment. They can swim across the ocean for as long as a whole two days without rest. Their heavy bodies allow them to resist whirlpools."
"That answer your question?" Caiseal asked.
Jasmine looked down at Ampere. Her heart was aswirl with lingering doubt. As much as she appreciated their kindness and offers to help, she wasn't sure. Sending one child off to cross the ocean seemed too dangerous. She didn't even dare try to think about what would happen if he died on the journey. The guilt would be too much for her to bear. At the same time, she had no other options. The Pokemon Center's machines were down. The sailors won't go out to sea. Ampere needed that Secret Potion, and he needed it RIGHT NOW.
"I know...this is a tall order…" Jasmine confessed, her soft voice catching in her throat. "And I can't imagine what I'd do if you got hurt or killed, but...I'm out of options," She clasped her hands together and sat in front of Caiseal. "Won't you please...go to Cianwood and get the Secret Potion for Ampere?" Caiseal could hear twinges of regret in her voice. "I'd go myself, but I can't leave Ampere unattended, and my own pokemon can't fly such a long distance."
The blonde boy had heard stories of the beautiful steel type trainer, Jasmine. How she looked sweet and nice, but could prove to be a formidable force in battle, and how she supposedly doesn't take garbage from anybody. Seeing her so sad, so desperate just wounded his heart. He balled his fists.
"I'll do what I can," Caiseal replied.
A small, involuntary sob escaped Jasmine's mouth. Tears came strolling right out, trickling down her pale cheeks, but a light dawned in the woman's eyes as she took Caiseal's hand in her own. "Thank you. Thank you so much. All of you. I'm so sorry for all the trouble I might be causing you."
"No problem!" Julia exclaimed. "Ampere needs to get better, after all."
Caiseal slowly took his hand out of Jasmine's. Not because he hated the touch. In fact, Jasmine's hands were soft, warm, full of kindness. He only wished his mother would touch him in that way (NO, not like that!). But an idea hatched in his head. "Here's what I plan to do," He began. "I'll go to Cianwood on Flippy, and as soon as I get the Secret Potion, I'll send Ravenclaw back to Olivine with it. Flying pokemon can get to cities faster than most water types can, and that way I won't have to deal with Whirl Islands again."
"I can see that working!" Julia exclaimed.
"A brilliant idea," Jasmine chimed in. "But even on a quagsire, it'll take at least a day for you to get there without stopping. Can you handle it?"
"Quaaaaaag…" ("Sure I can...no worries…")
"No need to worry!" Caiseal pounded his chest with one fist. "I'm a pokemon trainer! We live for stuff like this!" He exclaimed boldly.
"Just don't bite off more than you can chew," Perrine added.
With that, Caiseal and Flippy immediately set off for Cianwood. He still had food on him, so nobody was worried about that. He had his other pokemon with him, too. Julia and Perrine stayed with Jasmine to take care of Ampere.
"I hope Caiseal gets there okay," Julia mused.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Perrine told her reassuringly. But doubts were swimming in her own heart as well, like a pod of gyarados.
"Oh!" Jasmine's mouth made an O shape, and one of her hands almost covered it. "I never got to ask your names, did I? How rude of me!" She exclaimed, the revelation hitting her like a Dynamic Punch attack.
"It's okay!" Perrine told her reassuringly. "I'm Perrine, and that's my friend Julia," Julia bowed a little bit, preferring not to speak right now.
A warm smile touched Jasmine's face. "It's nice to meet you two. You seem like good pokemon trainers."
To say Olivine and Cianwood Cities were vastly different would be a massive understatement. Comparing the two would be like comparing jello to a rock. Cianwood City was practically a beach town, boasting of crashing waves and white sands. Some white regalia tied to wooden poles stood at the ends of the beach, allowing for any travelers to know that they had come to Cianwood. Rows and rows of wooden houses with blue tile roofs lined up behind the boardwalk. The sun had almost set, with the orange sphere shining over the ocean, turning it into a pool of liquid amber.
This was no time for sightseeing, however. As soon as Flippy reached the shore, Caiseal leaped off of his friend and searched for the pharmacy. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find it. A small house made of brown bricks and a grey stone roof stood out from the wooden houses sitting behind the boardwalk. A small chalkboard hung from the door, reading in white chalk, 'Cianwood City Pharmacy. 500 Years of Tradition. We Await Your Medicinal Queries.'
"Here it is!" Caiseal mused to himself. Flippy laid down on the sand, her big body dead tired from so much swimming. She wasn't going anywhere, so Caiseal left her out of her pokeball.
Impatient as usual, Caiseal burst through the door. A yellow bell atop the door chimed and rang with a gentle sound, catching the attention of the pharmacist behind the counter. Said pharmacist was an odd sort: a middle aged man with a thick brown afro resembling a bird's nest, with a long beard covering his chest. Black sunglasses covered his eyes, and a mustache tickled his nostrils. The man was wearing a mauve-pink sweater, blue jean pants, and brown boots.
A minty smell assailed Caiseal's nostrils. Mahogany shelves filled to the brim with glass bottles, medicine bottles, and other assorted things lined the entire inside of the pharmacy. Some of the bottles even had strange plants and herbs in them. Caiseal was able to recognize some. Many of them were flowers. Parsley. Rosemary. Sage. Thyme. Chamomile. Basil. Lemon Balm. Marigold. Peppermint.
"Hello there," The pharmacist greeted him with a hearty welcome. His voice was clearly on the cusp of mid-adulthood, deep and hoarse. "What can I do for you today?"
Caiseal wasted no time approaching the front desk. "I hear I can get a Secret Potion here?"
"Secret Potion?" The pharmacist raised an eyebrow, giving the boy a quizzical look. "What do you need that for?" The blonde boy was quick to explain the situation. "The lighthouse pokemon is sick with pneumonia and the Pokemon Center's down?" The pharmacist nodded to himself before going in the back. Within a few seconds, he came back with a small yellow bag in hand. "Here's the Secret Potion. It works too well, so I only use it for emergencies. Hurry, boy! Send it over to Jasmine!"
"Thank you, sir!" Caiseal raced out the door and released Ravenclaw from her pokeball.
"Murkrow!" ("This is my cue, isn't it?") Ravenclaw sat down on the grass as Caiseal tied the bag around her neck. It was light enough for her to carry, and not heavy so it won't slow her down.
"Take it to the lighthouse in Olivine City. It's the tallest structure there," Caiseal told her. "Whatever you do, DO NOT let ANY pokemon attack you or peck at it no matter what!" He wagged his finger at her to empathize his point. "It is extremely important that you give it to Julia and Perrine. Go straight there, and don't let anything distract you. Get it?"
Ravenclaw held one of her wings up in a sailor's salute. "Murkrow murkrow!" ("You can count on me, Cash!") She squawked before ascending to the sky, the bag bouncing against her torso as she flew.
'Please…' Caiseal held his hands together and prayed with all his heart. 'Please get there in one piece.' While he was at it, the Pokemon Center was open. This was the perfect time to transfer one of his pokemon out for that pinsir he caught in National Park.
Milky morning light poured into the top of the lighthouse. The kids, Jasmine, and Ampere all camped out there, eager for Ravenclaw's delivery of the Secret Potion. The only problem was, Ampere's harsh, incessant wheezing kept everyone up at night, so by the time morning came, they all had bags under their eyes.
"Uuuuugh," Julia groaned, her eyesight blurry. "I know it's not Ampere's fault, but jeez!" She blearily rubbed her eyes with her fists. "That wheezing noise is so annoying!"
Jasmine, being the devoted trainer that she was, was quick to hold a bottle of water to Ampere's mouth. The sickly ampharos gulped it all down without hesitation. It didn't do anything to stop the wheezing, but it would at least help cool down his throat. Perrine was still asleep, holding onto a sleeping Kitsune, both of them laying against Florian's body.
The brown haired girl looked out the window. The morning sun was bright, causing her to recoil and cover her eyes with her hands. She rubbed them once more before noticing a black silhouette in the distance. It grew bigger and bigger until she made out a set of wings. Hanging from its neck was a yellow bag.
The Secret Potion.
It was a success! Caiseal received it! "Perrine! Perrine! Wake up wake up wake up!" Julia kneeled down to her friend's level and shook her back and forth, forcefully pulling her out of dreamland.
"Ugh! I need some sleep, by Arceus!" Perrine complained, not happy with her friend yanking her out of sleep mode.
"Ravenclaw's back! She's got the Secret Potion!" Julia pointed out the window like she saw a meteor about to crash down and destroy the world.
All of a sudden, Perrine was awake and alert. "Murkrow!" True to her world, the faithful murkrow perched inside the lighthouse. Jasmine kneeled down to the black bird and untied the bag from her neck before stroking her head gently. The woman gave the bird a grateful smile, beaming with relief. "Thank you, my friend. You are very kind."
"Murkrow!" ("You're welcome!") Ravenclaw replied politely.
"I'm sorry, but...Ampere is very fussy around strangers," Jasmine apologized. "He won't take anything from anyone but me. Please don't be offended," She told them before ambling over to the ampharos. But the smiles on the girls' faces told her that they were everything but offended. In fact, the girls were beaming.
Ampere continued to wheeze. His mouth was wide open, ready for anything. Jasmine pulled out a small, round, brown ball that resembled a chocolate ball. "Ampere...take this," Desperate to get better, Ampere scarfed down the single brown ball. The effects were immediate. No longer was he hot to the touch. His airway cleared, returning his breathing back to normal. His body no longer felt as though a pile of cinder blocks had been piled on him. His black eyes shot wide open, and the orb on his tail flashed a bright yellow light. It was so dazzling that the entire room lit up.
"Palulululuuuuuuu!" Ampere let out a cheerful, happy squeal, standing on his two roly-poly legs, like he was on top of the world.
"We did it!" Julia clasped Perrine's hands cheerfully. "Ampere's all better!"
"Oh…" Jasmine wrapped her skinny arms around her friend. Tender tears dropped from her face, melting into Ampere's golden fur. "I'm so relieved you're alright now…" She turned to the children. "Thank you. All of you."
"No problem," Julia stroke Ampere's cone shaped ears gently. "We're just happy he's okay now."
With a firm resolve in her heart, Jasmine stood up, facing the children. "I'd love to battle you after this, but I want to help Nurse Joy and the others rebuild the Pokemon Center," She told them kindly, in her sweet, pretty voice. "It'll take a while. But I happen to know a sailor named Gilbert who runs a boat called the S. S. Minerali. He goes to Cianwood every now and again, and Cianwood has a gym. If you talk to him, he might be able to take you to Cianwood City."
"It's okay," Perrine told her kindly. "We appreciate it. What does this Gilbert guy look like?"
Jasmine explained everything to them before showing them pictures of both Gilbert and the boat. "It should take you about a day to get to Cianwood. Tell your friend Caiseal thanks for helping Ampere."
"We will!" With that, the girls left Jasmine and Ampere with light hearts, happy that they did a good deed.
Raikou, Suicune, and Entei dashed across the ocean as though they were running away from something. Their paws touched the water gracefully, looking as though they were walking on it, making no splashes whatsoever. But the looks in their eyes were solemn. Finally, a small crop of land appeared before them. The three beasts gathered at the crop of land, watching as a mighty whirlpool roared as it swirled.
"This isn't good…" Suicune mused out loud, gazing at the roaring whirlpool, his ears memorizing the cacophony of the waves. "That pokemon hunter is after us…"
Entei shot a murderous glare at Raikou. "This is your fault!" He roared. The spines on his back stood straight up, and his smoky mane billowed. "If you hadn't shot that lightning bolt into the sky, that woman wouldn't be chasing us right now!"
"My fault?!" Raikou growled defensively. Electricity crackled across his body, dying to come right out. "How was I supposed to know my lightning would catch her attention?! It's not like I knew she was there!"
"Humans have pursued us for generations!" Entei countered, stamping one paw into the sand. "You should know that every move we make attracts their attention!"
A roar from Suicune frightened the two bickering beasts into silence. "This is no time to be arguing like children!" Suicune scolded harshly, his streaming, aurora-like mane sparkling in the morning light. "We must throw her off somehow. We can't allow her to catch us, Mother, or Lugia. You both know this well."
"How about we split up?" Raikou suggested. "It's not as though she has the means to pursue all three of us at the same time. Not only that," He elaborated. "It'll divert her attention away from both Mother and Lugia."
"I don't know…" Entei growled. "Humans are fickle. For all we know, she might let us go and still go after both Mother and Lugia."
"No," Suicune interjected, shaking his large head in disagreement. "We are legendary pokemon. She will catch all of us by any means necessary, whether we split up or not. I say Raikou's right," Entei found himself rendered silent. He hated it when Suicune agreed with Raikou, even if he knew it was for a good reason. "Let us all split up. I will head to that beach town over there," Suicune pointed toward Cianwood City. "You two go wherever you please. Make sure no other humans or pokemon get hurt at that woman's hand, and be careful not to disturb Lugia here. He prefers not to be involved in our affairs."
Both Raikou and Entei nodded in agreement. In Entei's case, reluctantly. With that, the three beasts went their separate ways. The whirlpools continued to swirl in the ocean. A deep, dark shadow loomed right underneath, with long wings and a long neck.
"Ho-Oh…" A deep, solemn voice echoed underneath the ocean, heard and understood by no one but the speaker. "...is in danger?" Ripples ripped through the ocean, and the pull of the whirlpools grew stronger.
I found out something awesome: All of the cities in the Kanto region are named after colors. Same with Johto being named after flowers. How cool is that?! In fact, one city I made up, Cadmium Town, is based on the cadmium green color!
By the way, for those of you who've played Mother 3 (Awesome game, by the way. Everyone should play it!), guess what the name of the boat is supposed to be borrowed from.
Random Fact: I used Jasmine's original Gold/Silver/Crystal design for her this time around. I don't hate her new design. I actually kinda like it. But I felt her original plain white dress seemed easier to describe without going into pretentious purple prose.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pichu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Tail Whip
Tokiko (Togepi, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Protect
Ladybug (Ledian, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Iron Fist
Attacks: Flash, Comet Punch, Tackle, Silver Wind
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Lick, and Scary Face
Papillon (Butterfree, Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Compound Eyes
Attacks: Confusion, Sleep Powder, Psybeam, Stun Spore
Lucretia (Eevee, Female, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Anticipation
Attacks: Quick Attack, Helping Hand, Bite, and Shadow Ball
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Vulpix, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Chikorita, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Reflect, and Poison Powder
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Sleep Powder
Chirin (Flaaffy, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Charge, Cotton Spore, and Tackle
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Round
Fukuro (Noctowl, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Confusion, Peck, Hypnosis, and Dream Eater
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Cubone, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Club, Headbutt, Growl
Apollo (Quilava, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Tackle, Quick Attack, and Smokescreen
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Gun, Mud Bomb, Mud Slap, and Slam
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Oddish, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Stacey (Pinsir, Female, Serious Nature)
Ability: Hyper Cutter
Attacks: X-Scissor, Swords Dance, Seismic Toss, and Double Hit