Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. My only consolation is you don't, either.
Hooray for the weekend! I officially have twelve hours more to finish this! And then I can do other stuff besides.
Anyways, thanks for all your reviews… Mes sounds cool, if a little scary. I'm sorry to hear you won't be reviewing for the next two weeks… but have a great holiday, Bigfoot12310! That just means you'll have about 14 chapters to read when you come back. And if WickedWolf09 replies to my message in time I'll be introducing the new OC in this chapter! Considering how I got the character profile at somewhere around 8 pm the last time, however, I doubt it. Whatever it is, I'll begin writing first. This is the 19th chapter of Pokémon Go! I hope you enjoy it.
He was dragged by the arm into a chair. Looking around, he noticed the room was entirely circular, with just a single door leading out. On the walls hung pictures of disgusting things, oozing green juices… out the window, which led back into the main chamber, he noticed other people, watched helplessly as those same oozing things forced their way down their throats on the long, silver implement… turning back, he gasped in horror as a full-size picture of equally disgusting monstrosities stared him in the face. He opened his mouth to scream as it grew closer…
"Would you like to order, Ash?" Erynn asked, handing him the menu.
Ash shook his head in despair. A vegetarian restaurant; who would've thought it?
"Err… I have no idea."
He looked down the menu, the names of foods unfamiliar to him jumping out from it. Erynn watched his indecision for a moment, and then sighed, taking the menu from him.
"I don't believe this… here. Take a look at this page."
She flipped the pages of the menu and stopped at one of them, pushing it towards him. She'd already made her choice previously.
Ash's eyes widened.
"I thought this was a vegetarian restaurant…?"
Erynn shook her head and pointed to the word
Mock
Which was written at the top of the menu.
"Oh."
He looked at the selections, unable to decide between the stuffed Pikachu and the sautéed Clamperl. Finally he turned to the waitress.
"I'll have both, thank you."
The two of them sat at a table in Oak's, one of the most prolific fast-food chains in the Elem region. Its founder was a certain Samuel Oak, and while the chain had only recently come to the Elem region, it grew to be one of the most popular outlets in a remarkably short time.
RJ chewed on a Spoinkburger™ while Dave stared out the window at the passing clouds.
"Actually, I'm staring at the crowds."
Exactly what I said. The passing crowds.
RJ turned to look at Dave curiously.
"Who're you talking to…?"
Dave snapped out of his trance.
"Wha…? I'm not sure… must've been the PA system…"
RJ shrugged and resumed his eating. Dave looked at the tray between them.
"What's that shiny thing?"
RJ removed the plastic bag from its place in the tray, taking out the shiny orb within.
"Oh… this? Comes with every Extra Value Meal. It's a Spoink orb."
Dave looked at it askance. Palladium was probably one of the only places without an Oak's.
"And… what do you do with those…?"
RJ shrugged.
"Just about anything, I guess. I've gotten a limited edition gold one I'm keeping."
Dave mulled on the idea for a full second, then shrugged it off and began to eat his own Corphish Salad.
"Hey… this isn't half bad…"
RJ nodded.
"It's also very expensive. You'll be running out of money pretty quickly if you keep eating this way."
Dave shook his head no, while continuing to eat the salad. Swallowing, he spoke.
"The money we earn on our battles should entitle us to at least some form of respite, though, doesn't it…?"
RJ finished with his Spoinkburger, shrugging as he dumped the wrapper into a nearby bin.
"I guess it does… hey, want to buy another EVM? I've decided to start collecting."
Dave shook his head.
"Just like that? And anyway, I think it's time to get back to the Square."
Standing up, he waited as RJ did the same, pocketing the Spoink orb.
"A collection's always got to start somewhere… and… oh fine; let's get back."
Ash was impressed.
"If I didn't know this was a vegetarian restaurant, I'd swear this was the real deal…"
Erynn lunched contentedly on her meal, trying not to look at the food on Ash's side of the table. While she was glad he wasn't eating meat, she never could get used to the sight of mock meat; even if it only slightly resembled the Pokémon it was meant to be.
"…?"
She looked up as Ash began to make strange gagging noises, making her wonder about the effectuality of back-thumping. Before she'd made up her mind on what to do, though, he'd swallowed the piece of mock meat. Making a face, he swigged a mouthful of orange juice.
"The texture is all… wrong!"
She sighed. She should've known it wouldn't have been so easy. To a food lover like him, eating any mock food would simply go the wrong way.
She pushed her bowl over to him.
"Here. Try this."
It wasn't that Ash hated vegetables. In fact, he really didn't mind them much. The main problem was the way they were presented. The vegetables didn't look like vegetables anymore; the life-essence of a chef had turned them into works of art. Works of art which he had no way of appreciating.
"Whatever that is, I'm not eating it."
"Oh for crying out loud…" but then she paused, unsure of what it was called herself.
"It's…" she squinted at the unpronounceable name on the menu, then pointed to it.
"This."
Ash rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't look very edible to me…"
Erynn put her sunglasses on again.
"Fine. Close your eyes."
Ash cringed, but didn't back down.
"Close. Your. Eyes."
She began to get out of her chair. Ash closed his eyes.
"Now… take a bite."
Ash reached for the bowl, but couldn't quite find it.
"For Jirachi's sake…" she got out of her chair and put the bowl in front of him, spearing a mess of salad with the fork.
"Now eat."
Ash held the fork, but no more. Exasperated, she took the fork from his hands and stood behind him.
"Open your mouth."
Ash kept his lips shut as she gently nudged against them with the fork. She sighed in wonder at his childishness.
"Open it…!"
He shook his head.
"Before I get Griven."
He opened his mouth. The instant he felt the pressure on his tongue he shut it again.
"It's awful!" he gagged, spitting it out of his mouth.
"Ash… that was a fly."
The fly flew, dazed, out of a cross-dimensional warp and disappeared. Ash gagged again, and opened his mouth.
"Look, Erynn, I'm not going to eat that and you ca—"
He realized that her face was mere inches from him. How it happened, he didn't know. Of course, that wasn't what had stopped him from speaking. The fork had been shoved firmly in his mouth.
"Now, chew."
Reluctantly, Ash chewed. She removed the fork and smiled, humming a happy note. Ash rolled his eyes again.
"How does it taste?"
Ash wanted to spit it out, but he couldn't. It really did taste quite good.
"Better than the mock Pikachu, anyway," he mumbled.
They stepped back up onto the platforms.
"This is getting all too familiar now…"
RJ glanced at Dave as he made this remark, and then turned back to the arena.
"Espeon and Machop… I'd say we have a fairly decent combination…"
Dave swore.
"Not against that we don't…"
A Misdreavus. The Ghost Pokémon floated in the air, its presence ominous. The other Pokémon was far smaller; it hovered a few inches above the ground, covered entirely in the shadow of the ruins which were their battlefield. It glowed with a white, iridescent light.
Curious, RJ and Dave simultaneously flipped their PokéNavs open; since they spoke in different voices the author decided to use a textbook description instead.
Cefira, the Dark Star Pokémon. A recently discovered Pokémon native to the Elem region, it has been said to be the counterpart to the Pokémon Cleffa. In light, nothing can be seen of it but shadow. In darkness, the reverse is true. Evolutionary stages are currently unknown, possibly non-existent.
"What now…?"
Dave shrugged.
"We'll have to wing it, I'm guessing."
RJ nodded.
"Dave, it's been a pleasure."
Dave did a double take.
"Sheesh… it's not like we're dying or anything…"
"I just always wanted to say that…"
Erynn's eyes twinkled with a spark visible even behind her sunglasses.
"I told you it wasn't bad…"
Ash slowly chewed on his second bite of This. It wasn't that he found it difficult to eat, but the proximity of Erynn to himself was a little too close for his liking. Tentatively he eased himself back in his chair.
"Erynn… you know I can eat by myself…"
At that, Erynn stopped, subsequently dropping the fork and practically running back to her side of the table.
Amazing how some people can run in such a small room.
Incidentally, of course, she crashed into a wall, but without much harm being done.
"Go… gomenasai…"
Ash stared blankly. Her face was a tad red, he saw now. It came out clearer because her normal skin colour came up very clearly against her clothes.
"Ugh… sorry…"
Ash picked the fork up and put it back in the bowl again.
"When did you learn to speak Japanese…?"
Erynn shook her head to clear it of the dizziness.
"What Japanese?"
She looked utterly confused. Ash slapped his forehead.
"No… nothing. Don't worry about it…"
She got into her chair. He continued eating the salad. As he ate, though, he became aware of a pair of eyes watching him. Looking up, he stared her in the eye.
"Aren't you going to get anything else for yourself, then?"
She hesitated, and then shook her head no.
"I'm full, thanks."
He had no idea what to say; now he'd eaten her lunch as well.
"Fine… I'm full as well. Let's go."
He stood up, donning his OPL jacket again. Erynn was still confused.
"Go…? Go where?"
Ash lifted his jacket to reveal an empty belt.
"Two choices. Return to the PokéCentre and let me get my Pokémon, or… whatever. I have no idea."
Erynn caught the look in his eyes this time. She smiled.
"Not shopping. I promise."
He nodded.
"Dodge it, quick!"
In response to RJ's cry, Machop ran to the left, heading for the shelter of an abandoned structure. Its stone might not have been incredibly durable, but it would hold for a few attacks. The Psywave it dodged went whizzing past, impacting a few feet from the audience.
"That one missed… but just barely."
On the other side of the battlefield, the Cefira dodged in and out of the shadows, playing a deadly game of tag with Espeon.
"Shadow Ball, Cefira…"
A lightning-swift missile made of pure darkness hurtled toward Espeon.
"Espeon! Dodge it with a Quick Attack!"
The lavender feline was a blur as she raced toward her target; unfortunately, her target moved just as quickly; as it dodged each attack with grace, it faded in and out with the lights and shadows.
"Now… Faint Attack…"
Espeon only had a moment as the Cefira materialized in front of her again; a flash of dazzling light. Then she was hit back into the wall for the second time.
"Ugh… Espeon! Get up…!"
"Machop! Help Espeon…!"
Before RJ could finish his sentence, Misdreavus had materialized through the wall.
"Holy…"
The Psywave impacted. Machop was blown through the wall, landing on the ground a few feet away.
"Espeon! Use Confusion on Misdreavus!"
The ruby on Espeon's head glowed as she intensified her concentration. The Ghost Pokémon stopped in its tracks, allowing Machop a chance to escape. But the respite was short lived; Misdreavus shuddered, and broke the psychic control, sending part of the attack back toward Espeon.
"Machop! Counter!"
Espeon turned to see Machop in front of her, the Shadow Ball attack stopped in his palms; the Shadow Ball that had been meant for her.
"Now! Machop, release the attack at Misdreavus!"
With a grunt, Machop turned, releasing the full force of the attack on a surprised Misdreavus.
"Heh… whaddya say, Dave…? Time to give these guys a taste of their own medicine?"
Dave smiled back.
"Definitely. But if I were you, I'd lose those clichéd lines."
Erynn and Ash stepped out of the room. When Ash had first entered the place, he'd found it surprising that it was so popular. Now, leaving, he was less surprised, but equally wondrous that so many people would rather do without meat.
Where do they get their Proteins and things then…?
Musing, he thought that might've been why Pokémon dietary supplements were so expensive in other regions. He'd heard that in most of the other regions, entire societies never ate any meat.
And I never believed it possible…
Suddenly, Erynn pressed her nose against one of the other glass-paneled doors which lined the corridor. Ash looked in as well.
"That's her!"
The first thing he noticed was that the room only had a single occupant. Two, if you counted the Manetric which stood by her. She sat there, absent-mindedly picking at her food as the pencil she held in her hands flew over a sketchbook placed on the table. She was about their age; while Ash was inclined to say she was younger than he was, she seemed to be about his height.
Her hair was about a little longer than Erynn's, he noticed, but it was difficult to tell, the way she'd tied it up and all. She was wearing a red and white hoodie; the colour almost identical to that on a Pokéball. Jeans and sneakers completed the outfit.
"… She a friend of yours…?" Ash said after waiting a minute without Erynn saying anything.
Erynn looked away from the window.
"No… I just saw her in a Pokémon Battle at Trainer's Square a while ago… she was really good, too."
Ash sighed.
"Is that all, then?"
He pushed the door open.
"After you."
The girl in the room looked startled to see them; in a single movement she'd swept the sketchbook out of sight. The three of them just looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Finally, when an introduction wasn't forthcoming from either of them, the girl spoke.
"Umm… hello."
The room maintained its deathly silence, except for Ash, who was being mauled by the Manetric. Erynn looked between Ash and the red-haired girl, unsure of what to say.
"Leon… please get off of him."
The Manetric backed off, allowing Ash to reclaim what little dignity he had left.
"So…" he began, prompting Erynn to continue.
"I just wanted to say that I saw you battling in Trainer's Square today, and it was really cool…"
All the while, she kept her eyes on the Manetric in the background, a tad uneasily. The girl smiled.
"Don't worry… Leon won't eat you… yet."
It was hardly the most reassuring thing to say.
She stood from her unfinished meal, hastily packing her sketchbook and stationery into a sling bag. Hesitantly, she proffered a hand to Erynn, who took it in relief.
"My name's Michelle Smith…"
"And mine's Erynn Fyrre."
Michelle tilted her head to a side, appraising her.
"Then… the Rubidium Gym leader… Seryn Fyrre; you're her sister?"
Erynn nodded.
"Younger sister. Nice to meet you, Michelle."
Michelle smiled. Her green eyes met Erynn's violet ones.
"Likewise."
A/N: This chapter is now officially done! Forty-one minutes over the deadline, but I'm not picky.
Anyways, the reason this story took so long wasn't because of WickedWolf09's answering my question, but because I got back to playing a certain online game…
But whatever it is, that's only short-term. I hope to continue this chapter for another 300 chapters… so I might finish a year.
Oh… and I got a concept… I'd like to post a birthday chapter for each OC submitted so far… if you'd like your OC to be involved, and his/her birthday hasn't passed yet, please tell me the birth date; I'm planning to write it on the day itself… but please don't tell me it'll be tomorrow; It'd be too sudden for me to cope.
Either way, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; it's a tad short considering the time I had to finish it, but it's leaving it at a lot of cliffs, I guess. Not the extra-suspenseful cliffs, but I hope you're just as anxious to find out what happens as I am.
So… once again, thanks for reading, and please review!