A/E (Author's Excuse)
Well, it really is horrible how often I've been updating.
Part of the reason is that I wrote some of the chapters by hand, like I usually do. Thing is, I rarely type anything I write up. So it took me a nasty while to get things up and going, and after a while I simply forgot about the whole thing. School happens, life happens, you plain forget about it after a while. Final exams are drawing near. Time goes on, and that's the main part of the reason. flew over my head in the midst of everything else. It's been weeks, heck, months since I've made much progress. I hadn't thought of that until I came back onto here and see when the last time I updated was.
So that's up with me.
But really, I appreciate the comment, the followers, everything...now, I just need to get working on this again! :)
It was afternoon when I walked out from the Pokémon Center. In the daytime, Violet City lost the strange mystical feeling it had at night. To be honest, I liked that. Halloween freaks me out.
The place felt nostalgic, in a weird kind of way. Everything made a big effort to look traditional, as though the city was trying to fit in with feudal Japan and it wasn't working. The buildings were purposely made darker, even the Pokémon Center. I suspect that a bright red building seemingly out of nowhere wouldn't look nice. Really, they must be smart people to realize something like that. If it was up to me, I would spread my knowledge to darken Pokémon Centers everywhere, but this isn't a perfect world. You just never will know how people would react to that. In fact, they may just even make me buy the paint myself.
There were stone roads too, and traditional looking Japanese buildings. Not that everything isn't Japanese, but this was one for the places that didn't pretend like they were from badly researched American suburbs. The place gave me a sudden burst of happiness for some reason. I don't exactly know why, but whatever. I shouldn't complain when I feel happy. We are both well aware that there's enough to complain about already.
I walked, even whistling a little, and then I found a sign. It read:
Violet City
The City of Nostalgic Scents
Well, that explained a lot.
On my way, I got some information about the gym leader. I don't think he'll be hard to beat at all. He got the gym by inheriting it by his father, and not by actual skill (although everyone in Violet City would foolishly argue otherwise). I also found out from another girl that he's hot. I'll be the judge of that.
You hear that, Daddy's boy? I'm comin' for you.
I just don't know when.
I stared at the Pokémon gym, considering. Then I was approached by a weirdo.
He spoke in broken English. When I told him that I have yet to beat the local Daddy's boy gym leader, he jumped and twirled.
I stared.
Beckoning to me, he pointed out a building, then ran over there. I followed him to the building, but I assure you, I had my Pokégear ready in case I have to call 911. Just because I'm a preteen traveling the region without any parental supervision whatsoever doesn't mean I don't have safety standards. I do have safety standards. I just don't use them most of the time.
The guy beckoned to me the building. I blinked and kneeled down to read the sign for the building:
Pokémon School
I didn't believe that such an absurd thing existed.
"Good for you to study here!" he said, apparently being the school's advertiser. Then he got inside the building.
It was such a weird advertisement that I actually just stood there and stared for a few minutes.
I didn't want to go in. I mean, I'm actually a fairly decent Pokémon trainer. I'm not bad enough at it to go to school. Still, the building looked cool. I really liked the old Japanese look they were going for, with the low purple roof and all.
But if I wanted to become a Pokémon Champion before Pikachu, I had to hurry the pace up.
I went north from there, and let's just say that if I don't control myself I'll gush like it's nobody's business. It wasn't nighttime yet, but the two flickering lanterns near the stone bridges made a brilliant image. I stood between the lanterns on flattened gray stone, breathless by the natural beauty. I was surrounded by clear, gleaming water. It seems like the stones were coming out from the water and were conveniently good for traveling across the body of water. And above it all was a tall brown tower. It was of traditional Japanese style, of course, and fitted in so well. I thirsted to see this landscape at night. How lovely the lanterns' light would have looked in the dark, the light reflecting over dark, clean water. Above it would be the tower, bright with lamps inside and standing proudly-
Just then I got a phone call. Damn. I just about to mention Japanese philosophy into this.
It was some kid named Joey. I tried to remember, and sure enough, he was the first boy who asked for my phone number.
"Hi, Lyra! How are you?"
"I'm alright. How are-"
"Hey, do you remember my super-cool Rattata?"
Briefly, I thought. I think Joey was referring to that horrible Pokémon that lost all the time.
"Yeah, I remember." Though I wasn't quite sure if I was thinking about the right Rattata. He could be talking about a better one.
"My Rattata is different than regular Rattata," he said.
Oh, great, I thought. I figured that he was going to give excuses on why his Rattata keeps losing. Like, it's genetically mutated to have 10 HP max or something like that.
He continued on. "It's like my Rattata is different than regular Rattata." Pause. "Do you know what I'm saying?"
"Sorry, no," I admitted. We both hanged up shortly afterwards. I placed my Pokégear in my pocket, shaken.
What other Rattata has he met?
I have no idea what he sees in his Rattata, but frankly, it's his life.
I turned back to the tower, and noticed a sign with questionable grammar to the left of it. What was on sounded like something from a Pokémon Amity Park commercial:
Sprout Tower
Experience the Way of Pokémon to Cast Aside Your Doubts
Still, what the hell? I got in.
I found the most weirdest thing.
I was in a barely lit wooden room, the sight of a shaking pillar at the center of it. Traditional Japanese instruments played in the background, though the musicians were out of sight. I saw people, mostly monks. Two golden statues of Bellsprouts stood at either side of the entrance in all their leafy glory.
So, these people worshipped Bellsprouts. And this was the shrine.
I couldn't really get my mind around that.
The place made me feel uneasy, but there were some people in it so I couldn't just leave. I walked into the room nervously, self conscious of the way my 'Murican tennis sneakers made loud noises on the wood.
I turned to the old woman near the entrance and inquired about the shaking pillar. Apparently, there was a rumor that a Bellsprout over one hundred feet tall became the pillar. That freaked me out.
I approached the girl facing the pillar. I was ready to leave by then. Her back was to me, but she turned to me long enough to explain that people were training their Pokémon upstairs.
"Really?" I said, glancing at a weary monk.
The monk nodded. "Yes." He looked at me square in the eye. "Only those who reach the top will receive a wonderful move."
That about settled it. Cinder and I rushed up the ladder next to the monk and started the challenge (we navigated up by using old school ladders). Well, Cinder needed some extra help, but otherwise we were good to go.
Upstairs, I ended up tripping on a Rattata-can you believe it? All this talk about the place being historic and everything, but they don't even bother to clean it well.
I came across a sage—that is, a self proclaimed one. A sage is one of great wisdom and knowledge. I couldn't judge the sage myself. We had a battle, which I easily won. Then I asked why nobody bothered to clean the place up. Even as I spoke, I saw flicker of movements from the corners of my eyes. There wasn't just that one rat from when I first came upstairs, there was practically an infinite amount of them. In fact, it was insane just to consider all the rats that could fit in there.
The sage answered that without Pokémon lurking in the tower, there wouldn't be as strong a challenge for Pokémon trainers climbing the tower.
Okay, but I doubt the longevity of the tower now, if that's the way the place will be carrying on. You never know when the whole damn thing will fall down just from all the rats. And that's to assume that the tower doesn't have any other problems, which it probably already does. The shaking pillar comes easily to mind. At this rate, ten years down the line the tower will fall down like London Bridge.
While I was busy considering safety and other worldly concerns, the sages thrusted their beaded necklaces out and uttered philosophy while Cinder incited their untrained Bellsprouts in merciless bursts of flames. Maybe I shouldn't be too harsh, but it was ridiculous to see all the feeble little leaves not enduring one puny little hit. I was proud, but still frustrated that all I was doing was the same old shit over and over.
Eventually, after a battle Cinder came to a stop. His tiny figure winced, of pain I supposed.
I looked him over, but he was in good shape. All he'd had to do all day was blow up fire on plants, which is a simple thing for him to do. I decided to urge him onward. I had little luck with that.
I stopped and turned back to Cinder. Externally, nothing was wrong with him. "What?"
Then small white sparks came from Cinder and pulsed. Yellow flashes occurred, I had to cover my eyes. I screamed and backed away from Cinder.
"What is going on?" I shouted at the nearest sage.
"Your Pokémon is evolving!" he yelled back, staring at Cinder. Even with all those Bellsprouts running around to worship, I suppose they've never actually tried evolving them in case they'll lose their holiness. I guess. To be honest with you, I'm not very religious.
I didn't understand him for a moment. Gradually, the news sank in my mind before I comprehended exactly what evolution meant.
Then I freaked out.
MY POKÉMON IS EVOLVING
MY POKÉMON IS EVOLVING
OMG IT WON'T BE CUTE ANYMORE
Little hospital sirens bounced around in my mind as I wobbled to the floor. I can't really remember what happened after that very well. The sage said I fainted.
