Green pressed the heel of her boot into a pile of smouldering ashes. Embers flared defiantly, spitting up in spirals around her leg and singing the worn denim of her jeans. She cursed as they stung her calf and she gave the dying campfire a few more hardy stomps. The fire tried its best to claw onto life but died all the same. Green kicked dirt over the small pit, gave it another stomp for good measure and turned back to continue cleaning up their makeshift camp. The abandoned cabin she and Abby had found had been a welcomed surprise. Rather than a cold night spent huddled up in her tent, they had spent the night shielded from the bite of the cold night air. Even so, it hadn't been entirely comfortable. The decaying roof, while it allowed the smoke of their fire to escape, also took some of the warmth with it. The walls were patchy too and occasionally a draft would creep in and chill Green right down to the bone. The silence had been unbearable once again. Not that Green dared break it. Abby's anger had never quite left after her battle with Leah. Her already bad mood had somehow gotten worse. A permanent scowl now plastered her face and she did every task with an unsettling level of aggression. When she'd been packing up her part of the camp she'd practically punched her sleeping bag back into her bag. It was best that, that anger stayed with Abby rather than be directed at herself Green had decided.
Green gave the dusty, overgrown floor a once over for anything that might have been left behind. Once she was satisfied, she packed away her rolled-up sleeping bag into her hiking bag, exchanging it for a thick jacket. She'd need to bundle up for the flight to come. The air down on the ground was cold enough, Green could only imagine the brutal cold awaiting her above the clouds. Once she had the jacket zipped up, she considered her jeans. They felt warm enough down here but she doubted they'd be enough to protect her from the rushing air during the flight. She remembered packing a pair of thick snow pants after her mother had insisted she might need them. Changing was tempting but Green didn't want to keep Abby waiting any longer. She decided against the snow pants and fastened her belt around her waist. When she pulled it tight the belt squeezed her jacket under her bust making her breasts seem to pop out, much to her satisfaction. Her mind went to Fuchsia and its beaches with excitement. She'd only ever worn a bikini a few times and never in front of a crowd. The idea of wearing so little and having eyes linger on her body sounded alluring. A few weeks ago, she might have found that thought an odd one. But now it felt as normal as fantasising about a big meal when she was hungry or a warm bed when she was tired. Her mind wandered to Machoke and she had to shake her head to push the fantasy to the side before her imagination got too carried away. Green chuckled to herself and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. She stepped outside and joined Abby in the small ring of cleared forest separating the cabin from the trees. To her delight, Abby's anger had seemed to fade during the time she'd spent waiting for her. Her scowl was gone as she watched the clouds above and rolled a shrunken pokéball between her fingers.
"Alright, all set," Green said cheerily.
"Okay," Abby said.
Abby held down the button of the pokéball and it expanded, filling her hand. Green turned away and shielded her eyes as Abby went to press the button. Even through closed eyes and hands on her face, the flash Gyarados made on release attacked Green's eyes with unrelenting ferocity. After a few moments, the glare faded and Green cautiously opened her eyes. She was met with Gyarados's huge, grinning face looming over them. Even with his head resting on the ground, his head was more than twice Green's height. His long body looped around the cabin, reaching all the way around the circle of cleared ground to join back up with his head. The large, fan-like blue fins of his tail rested beside his head glimmering slightly with light-blue light.
"DOS!" He exclaimed, his mighty voice shook the ground.
He beamed at Abby and nudged her with the side of his head. While Green was sure he meant to be gentle, he ended up knocking Abby off her feet. She fell onto her back with a gasp and looked up at Gyarados with wide, shocked eyes. Still grinning, Gyarados rested his head before her feet, his eyes full of excitement. Abby smiled back at him and got up. Carefully, she placed her hand on the side of his head and stroked him.
"Missed you too," Abby said, her voice little more than a whisper.
Gyarados's beaming grin grew even wider and his tail began beating the ground ecstatically. Green laughed and approached Gyarados.
"You ready to fly, buddy?" She asked.
"Dos!" Gyarados exclaimed.
Along the sides of Gyarados's head were three ridges, each at a different height. Nestled between the two lower ones, was a large fin that jutted out of the sides of his head. The fins were tucked in flat and folded up like fans. Abby placed her foot on the lowest ridge, stepped up and reached high to grasp the next one. She climbed Gyarados's head like a ladder, making her way up beside his sharp eyes. Once at the top of the three ridges, Abby took hold of the three-pronged ornament that covered Gyarados's forehead. Like three horns, the ornament started just above his eyes at a single point and fanned out above his head in three prongs. Abby swung up on top of Gyarados's head and looked down at Green with an expecting look. Green pressed her lips together as she approached the ridges. Carefully, she stepped up onto the first ridge. She began falling immediately upon extending her leg, the weight of her back toppling her backwards. Her arms shot up almost instinctively and by some miracle found the second ridge and took hold before gravity pulled her back to the ground. With a sharp, gasp of a breath Green steadied herself. Climbing the rest of the way was a slow and steady process but eventually, Green joined Abby on Gyarados's head.
"Where do I-"
"Hold onto the gaps between the plates," Abby answered preemptively. She spoke quickly with a harsh tone.
Green winced a little and hurried to scoot back. She took hold of the plate behind the one Abby was holding onto, finding her handholds and footholds after a few moments of feeling around. It felt as if she were sitting on a motorbike, the kind used for racing.
"Ready?" Abby asked.
"I guess." Green adjusted her grip. "How fast-"
Abby gave Gyarados a kick with the side of her foot and in an instant, he rocketed up through the trees. Air bombarded Green as if an invisible wall had just hit her front on. The great weight of her bag worked together with the wind to try and tear her from Gyarados's back. Green screamed. Not intentionally, it just sort of happened on its own. But once she started she couldn't stop. She held on as tight as she could but it wasn't enough. No matter how hard she gripped the edge of the plate, how deep she dug in her feet or how close she pressed herself against Gyarados's back Green teetered on the edge of being swept away and sent hurtling back to the ground. Against her better judgement, she looked down and found that below Gyarados's snaking body the ground was hundreds of feet away. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against Gyarados. The flying energy surging through his body made him feel warm as if she were pressed up against a radiator on a cold winter's night. She tried to focus on that, to pretend she was back home in her room but the constant howling wind attacking her ears forbid that. This must have been what Abby felt during her battle, hanging on by a thread, inches from death. Green didn't even want to imagine what doing this while battling must have felt like. Just as she was sure she was about to start crying a wet cold enveloped her.
A choked gasp stopped her screaming and she opened her eyes. There was no change, everything was still pitch black. Green could still feel Gyarados beneath her but no matter how hard she squinted her eyes she couldn't see him or anything. Meanwhile, all around her, it felt like she'd suddenly been plunged into a shower. Spraying water hit her from all sides while also seeming to float around her as if suspended in the air. Suddenly, a light pierced the darkness ahead of her like a hole being punched through the wall of a dark cave. She was met with the silhouette of Gyarados's head against the full moon. Then, all at once, the world returned. A vast ocean of clouds opened up around her, shimmering silver under the full moon. It rolled on and on like the dunes of the desert, rising into mountains and falling into valleys. Green raised her head from Gyarados's back, the wind be damned.
"It's beautiful!" She yelled over the wind.
Abby looked back over her shoulder with a faint smile. Her mouth moved but her words were lost in the howling wind. However, the nod of her head spoke for her. Gyarados levelled out and began lazily meandering across the clouds. Abby tapped the side of his head with her foot. He didn't react. She kicked it and he turned a little. Again, she kicked and he turned a little more. They repeated the process until Abby had Gyarados heading in the right direction. Green felt bad for Gyarados. That was until she considered how large he was. She imagined someone small enough to ride on the back of her neck kicking her head and figured it probably wouldn't feel like anything. The realisation that neither she nor Abby could hurt Gyarados even if they wanted to both made Green feel safe on his back while also making her keenly aware of just how powerful some Pokémon can really be.
As Gyarados slowed down to a lazy crawl, the howling wind also calmed. Green sighed and let herself relax as she was finally given a rest from the noise.
"How long will it take us to get there?" Green asked, no longer needing to shout.
"A few hours probably. He needs to take it slow to conserve energy," Abby said.
"More time to enjoy this place then," Green said, grinning.
"Yeah." Abby nodded. She looked up at the stars.
Green did the same. Without the trees to block their view or the lights of the city, the stars shone unimpeded. Each and everyone was visible, even the tiny ones which were the first to be lost in the city lights stars Green hadn't seen in quite a while. The bands of milky way stretched across the sky from horizon to horizon in a dazzling arc of galactic starlight. Green lowered her eyes back to Abby. The pale, silver light caught her creamy skin and auburn hair in a way that made her glow with an otherworldly aura. Green couldn't help but stare as her stomach tied itself up in knots. Some part of her knew what she said next wouldn't go well but she did it regardless.
"You look beautiful, Abby," Green said.
Abby's whole body stiffened as if she had been turned into a statue. She stared ahead, only showing Green the back of her head.
"Thanks," she muttered, barely loud enough to hear.
Green had never felt so small in her life. She shrank back and looked down at the clouds, feeling stupid. They spent the rest of the flight in an increasingly familiar silence, watching the clouds roll below and the night sky gleam above.
"Gyarados…" Gyarados complained.
After hours of non-stop flight, Gyarados was becoming unsteady in the air. His body trembled beneath Green and the veil of light-blue light covering him was starting to flicker. Abby leaned forward and stroked the side of his head.
"Alright, we'll stop. Go down," Abby's voice was soft and reassuring, but still Green swore she could hear a hint of reluctance.
"Surely we've made it far enough by now," Green said hopefully.
"I doubt it," Abby muttered.
Abby kicked the side of Gyarados's head and dove down. Green held on tight and tried not to think about the distance between her and the ground as the weight of her backpack shifted above her head. They entered the clouds and were plunged into darkness again. Rainwater attacked, making sure to get any part of Green that had somehow remained dry the first time. After a few moments of being bombarded by water, Gyarados broke through the bottom of the clouds. The rain disappeared and the world returned. Immediately, Green saw Abby was right. They were far off from their planned landing site. They'd planned to land in one of the few patches of forest along Route 15, far off to the west right at the beginning of the route. Gyarados had only made it halfway down the route. The forest was but a distance tiny speck of dark green on the horizon. Instead, they were headed for the hilly plains that made up the majority of Route 15. After a few minutes of rapid descent that once again threatened to tear Green off his back, Gyarados landed on top of a grassy hill. He landed with a thud that made Green bounce off him and slammed back down but Green wasn't about to complain. She flung herself off his back and landed on the ground, staggering as the impact shot up through her body and threatened to buckle her knees. Green gave in and fell to her knees. She took handfuls of the grass and gave a relieved sigh. Never before had she been so happy to feel the ground beneath her. Abby hopped down beside her, landing nimbly. She got out Gyarados's pokéball and returned the exhausted Pokémon.
"Get out Primeape he'll-" Abby stopped abruptly and stared past Green over her head.
Green stood up and followed her gaze. Out in the plains, meandering down a skinny dirt path was a yellow light. It swung lazily back and forth, like the arm of a metronome. As Green and Abby stared, the silence of the night gave way to a faint whistling. The low notes of a man's voice carried through the air, a jolly melody that bounced playfully.
"Fuck," Green sighed.
"We've been seen," Abby hissed. Her hand went to her belt.
"Should we run?" Green asked, keeping her voice hushed.
"Run where?" Abby gestured to the now seemingly endless plains. She popped open the pouch on her belt containing Dragonair's ball.
"Wait!" Green hissed. "Maybe they haven't seen us. They haven't called out."
The whistling stopped.
"Are you lasses okay?!" The man called out.
For a moment Green thought she recognised the voice but she didn't have time to think about that. Abby had Dragonair's ball in hand, enlarged and prime for release. Green stepped in front of her.
"Wait!" She insisted, a little louder this time. "We don't know if that's a ranger. You can't-"
"Who else would be out here this late?" Abby raised Dragonair's ball. "Move."
"Hello? Are you lost, lasses?" The voice was close now.
All of a sudden, the voice wasn't a stranger to Green anymore. She whipped around, struck with disbelief. Standing before them, holding a lantern in his plump hand was a large-bellied man with a feathered cap and a huge backpack on his shoulders.
"Willis?" Green asked.
"Aye, that's- Green?" Willis asked, his face became struck with shock.
"You know him?" Abby lowered Dragonair's pokéball.
"Yeah, he's a friend."
"God, you're both drenched!" Willis exclaimed. He rushed towards them, his face was now full of concern.
He swung his bag off his shoulders, dropped to his knees and pulled two blankets from it.
"Here, take these. You must be bloody freezing," Willis got up and offered the blankets to them.
Green took one and wrapped it around herself. She hadn't really felt cold up until Willis had pointed it out, but now that he had Green felt chilled to the bone. Abby on the other hand just looked at the remaining blanket with a sceptical look. A look that she directed back to Willis himself.
"What are you doing out here?" Abby asked.
"Well, I live here," Willis answered, confusion slowly taking over his face.
Sure enough, in the direction Willis had come from Green could see the distant lights of a village.
"It's midnight." Abby still didn't take the towel.
"Aye that it is. Beautiful night for a walk ain't it?" Willis shoved the blanket into Abby's arms, forcing her to accept it.
"I thought you were surveying Mt Moon?" Green asked.
"I was but I finished with that. Well, at least all that I'd set out to do. It'd take a hundred lifetimes to survey the whole thing!" Willis laughed.
Green giggled while Abby wrapped herself up in the blanket.
"Was that your Gyarados?" Willis asked with wonder in his eyes.
"Nah, her's." Green nodded to Abby. "This is Abby, we're journeying together."
Willis gave an impressed whistle.
"You must be quite the trainer then, Abby. Not just anyone can evolve a Magikarp." Willis beamed at Abby.
Abby looked to the side.
"Thanks." She gave a small smile. A smile that only lasted a moment before returning to a stern look. "We need to get moving," she said to Green.
"You can stay in me village if you want. There's more than enough room for you," Willis said.
"Okay, good." Abby nodded before hurrying past Willis and making her down the path.
Willis turned and watched her runoff. He clutched the back of his head.
"Quite the character you've got there, lass," Willis said.
"Yeah." Green joined Willis by his side. "She's just been having a hard time lately."
"Ah, I see."
Green and Willis began making their way down the dirt path, taking a far slower pace than Abby.
"It's to be expected I guess, journeys aren't all sunshine and roses. Mine certainly wasn't!" Willis laughed.
"You went on a journey?" Green asked.
"Aye, that I did. Oh, but it was a long time ago now, back when I was a lad." Willis suddenly flashed Green a grin. "Why do you think I have all these fellas?" He gestured to his full pokéball belt.
"How'd you do?" Green laughed.
"I finished the gym challenge and got all eight badges. Took me a full year, but still, eight is eight!"
Green eagerly scanned his belt for the badges but found none.
"So where are they then?" Green gestured to his belt.
"In a draw somewhere I suppose. There's no point wearing them anymore, I haven't battled properly in ages now! Besides, most of them aren't up to date nowadays." A sheepish look crossed Willis's face.
"You must have been a great trainer! Did you ever challenge the Elite Four?" Green asked.
"The Elite Four? Oh lord no. That wasn't my place."
"But you completed the challenge? Isn't challenging them the point?"
"For some, maybe. But my place was on that mountain." Willis looked up, over Green's head.
In the distance, peeking above the far off skyline of Saffron City, Mt Moon's peak was caught in the silver light of the galactic bands dipping beneath the horizon.
"You didn't even try once?" Green asked, her voice sounding small.
"Nah, but I'm sure you'll give it your all when you got there." Willis grinned at her.
"If I get there!" Green laughed.
"Well, you're halfway ain't yeh?" Willis gestured to her belt. His grin widened. "Who have you got there? Oh! How's the big fella? Still as massive as I remember him being?"
Green found herself blushing.
"Oh, ah yeah. He's still big." She placed her hand on his ball. "I won't get them out, they're sleeping. But this is one has Machoke." Her hand moved across the belt. "Graveler. Primeape. Elekid."
Willis nodded along and stroked his beard, his brow furrowed.
"That's quite the team. Raising Primeape's isn't for the faint of heart let me tell you! And an Elekid? Bloody hell, their nothin' but little balls of anger and lighting! Not a good combination."
"Yeah, I can't really disagree." Green laughed and shrugged.
Willis laughed with her. The lamp shook, flashing yellow light all around the tall grass that lined the trail. Off in the distance, floating on top of the grass were grey orbs billowing black and purple smoke. Howls and screams carried across the plains.
"Bloody Gastlies," Willis tittered with a shake of his head.
Green giggled as she watched him. She couldn't help it, when he talked Willis's face became so lively and energetic that she was forced to smile. Willis looked over at her and they stared at each other for a moment. His smile dropped, he looked away and cleared his throat.
"You've, uh. Come quite far, lass. I haven't been able to catch any of your challenges but if you've gained four badges in less than a month then you must have some promise to yeh."
"Thanks, Willis." Green couldn't help but be intrigued by his sudden awkwardness. Although, some part of her still made it hard to push it any further.
They walked for a few minutes in silence, drawing near the village. It was a casual silence, rather than a tense one. Still, Green felt compelled to break it.
"So, uh what does your village do? Do you guys farm or?" She asked.
"Berry farming." Willis raised the lamp and pointed out into the murky night.
Green squinted her eyes and could just barely make out the dark silhouette of an orchard just beyond the village. Willis sighed.
"Been having trouble with that lately. Some bloody wild Pokémon keeps getting in and stealing. Doesn't matter how well we secure the place, it always manages to find a way in." Willis shrugged. "Should probably get a ranger out here I guess."
"Have you tried battling it?!" Green asked, far too urgently.
"I have…" Willis gave her a queer look. "He's smart though. If I get one of my strong Pokémon out he'll just run away and if I get my weaker ones out he'll just beat them. Little bugger's fast, strong too!"
Green made herself calm down.
"What kind of Pokémon?" She asked.
"A Tyrogue."
"A Tyrogue?"
"Yeah, they migrate through here during Spring. They train in the plains, fighting just about anything they come across. They all left to go evolve on Fuchsia's shores. Except for this one," Willis said.
"Well, don't bother with a ranger. I'll deal with him," Green insisted.
"Will you now?" Willis smirked at her.
"Yup, I've got promise remember?" Green giggled.
Green and Willis entered the town. The small dirt path widened up into a long wide street of mud and gravel. Small wooden cabins lined either side. Each one had its own unique flair, different roofs, windows and yards that made them stand out amongst their peers. All unique, except for identical front porches. Yellow light shone in a few of the windows but most were dark. Abby was waiting for them by the first house along the street. Willis waited until they had caught up with her to speak.
"I'm afraid I've only got one spare room for yeh, lasses. So unless you're willing to share one of you'll have to stay there." Willis pointed to a cabin at the end of the street. "It's empty so you won't be bothering anyone."
"I'll stay there," Abby answered at once.
Abby marched off down the street at the same brisk pace. Before Green could even begin to feel bad about that, Willis slapped her on the back.
"Come on, lass. Let's get yeh out of the cold. I live here." Willis pointed to a cabin three houses down the street.
"O-Oh, yeah okay," Green said.
She trailed after Willis while watching Abby hurry off and disappear into a cabin. Abruptly, Willis stopped. He turned around with a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head.
"That is if you wouldn't rather stay with your friend, you don't have to stay with me." He hunched slightly as he spoke, seeming to shrink.
"No, I'll stay with you," Green stepped around him and made her way up the cabin's porch.
"Okay then." Willis sounded upbeat again.
He joined her on the porch, opened the front door and waited for her to enter.
"Thanks," Green said.
Inside, Green was greeted with a rush of warmth. She sighed, slung off her bag and sat at a table in the centre of the large, single room. Two closed doors led to other unseen rooms. The walls were plastered with hand-drawn maps. One large one that hung above a couch depicted all of Kanto in full colour with immaculate detail. Another showed Mt Moon and all the tunnels within. They looked like a mass of tangled worms wriggling up through the mountain from the base. There was a map of another mountain labelled, Mt Silver. Green didn't feel like studying that one as closely.
"Hey, Willis?" Green asked.
"Yeah?" Willis joined her at the table.
"How come Tyrogues migrate through here? I thought they only lived in Mt Mortar?" Green gestured to the map of Mt Mortar hanging in the small kitchen.
"Well, you're sort of right, lass. They're born in Mt Mortar during the late summer. But, when autumn comes about they migrate into Northern Kanto. Then during winter they loop back around through Eastern Kanto and come through here during spring. Only to head back into Johto to give birth in Mt Mortar during summer. The journey is a right of passage for them. They train for the whole year, batting each other, wild pokémon and trainers alike. Some find that they're strong. While some find that they're tough. Depending on which they are, they'll evolve into either a Hitmonchan or a Hitmonlee when they pass through Fuchsia," Willis explained.
"I think I remember Professor Oak saying something about that…" Green said. She racked her brain for a moment. "The Tyrogue Parade?"
"Close," Willis chuckled. "the Tyrogue March."
"Oh yeah! I remember now."
"I'll tell you more about it if you like!" Willis said with a flare of passionate excitement. "Oh, but first you should get those clothes off."
Green's heart skipped a beat.
"W-Wha-"
"No!" Willis looked flustered. "I meant… in there." He pointed to one of the doors. "Your clothes are still wet is all," he muttered.
"Oh, yeah I knew that." Green's face felt hot.
Green shot up, grabbed her backpack by one of its straps and hurried over to the door.
"Thanks for letting me stay!" Green shouted before slamming the door behind her.