With the newly evolved Togetic by my side, I entered Ecurteak City.
I can safely say I like the city. In fact, I can say I liked it very much. I enjoy that feudal Japan touch they gave to the place, with the slanted roofs and whatnot. It's like Violet City, although this city has got less of the misty shadow feeling. Instead it has more of a vibrant energy with it—the past has not been forgotten, but neither does it bar the future.
I entered the Pokémon Center, only to discover that a younger version of Professor Oak was at the front desk.
I'm not kidding...well, not by much. This man had sandy colored hair and thick drawn in eyebrows, and he looked almost exactly like Oak, at least in the face.
The man turned to me after I started to approach the front desk.
"Hi, I'm Bill. And who are you?"
I stopped and stared at him.
I mean, I didn't even know this guy, but he just randomly introduced himself and asked for my name. That was pretty...weird?
"Uh...Lyra?" I said. I was so startled I didn't withhold my identity.
"Hmm, Lyra, huh..."
"Yes...?"
"You know what? I'm the one who developed the system to transfer Pokémon."
"That's interesting." Why are you telling me this?
"But it couldn't have been done by me alone," Bill continued. "For example, do you know the Hoenn region? This girl Lanette made the Pokémon Storage System easier to use."
"That's wonderful." I don't know a damn thing about computers, so don't ask me to help out.
"My friends all over the world are working together to improve the Pokémon trade and storage systems," Bill told me. He seemed very pleased with himself.
However, at this point I had zoned out. Upon hearing some words, I blinked and gaped at Bill. "Did you just say that your friends are improving the slave trade?"
"Pokémon trade," Bill said, irritated.
"Huh," I said.
Some moments ticked by. Bill awkwardly cleared his throat. "I have to hurry back to Goldenrod and see my folks. Buh-bye!"
He went past me to leave, but I called him back.
"Wait, you related to Professor Oak? As a grandson, maybe?"
Bill frowned. "Uh...no?"
I nodded, trying not to look embarrassed. "Ah, okay."
"Maybe you're confusing me with Blue Oak, the grandson of the Professor." Bill took out his smartphone. He showed me a picture of that very esteemed person. "See?"
I squinted at the picture. "Nah, there is no family resemblance."
"You sure?"
"Quite. Perhaps you and Blue had been switched at birth."
Bill looked shocked. "Really? You think that?"
"Certainly," I said. "You have obviously gotten your love of research and Pokémon from genetics, correct? Everything comes from genetics. As for this Blue individual...he is but an arrogant Champion, if I recall him correctly from late night MTV. He's foul mouthed, rude, and has contributed nothing positive to humanity. Also, he dances horribly. He has none of Oak's intelligence. You on the other hand..."
"Wow," Bill said, looking impressed. "That has got to be a compliment...to be compared to the brilliant Professor Oak..."
"Am I complimenting you, or feeding you facts? It would not be a strain to say that you are one of the greatest young minds living today."
"Ooh!"
I smiled before adding, "By the way, weren't you heading to Goldenrod? You can settle any disputes about your lineage there."
"I will!" Bill yelled, and he ran out of the Pokémon Center without ceremony.
After that intriguing discussion, I got my Pokémon healed. I walked around the town, curious of the town's history—I mean, when a town is as traditionally built such as this one, it must have an exciting history, right?
I finally came to a house that was home to a kind individual that gave me a Dowsing MCHN. He had a history book on the dinner table, which he allowed me to read.
I stopped reading fairly quickly into the book because it was full of nonsense.
In Ecruteak, there were two towers. Each was the roost of powerful flying Pokémon. But one of the towers burned to the ground. The two Pokémon haven't been there since...
For the first (extremely short) passage, there were questions already popping into my mind. What were the two Pokémon? Pidgeys? I mean, there could be powerful Pidgeys out there. I wouldn't know. Anyway, a Pidgey could be found anywhere, so I don't see the point. Thing is, the identities of the Pokémon weren't elaborated on, which I was mildly disappointed about.
Ecruteak was also home to three Pokémon that raced around the town. They were said to have been born of water, lightning, and fire. But they could not contain their excessive power. So they say that the three ran like the wind off into the grassland.
Now, about the last one—where in the world was Animal Control when all this water, lightning, and fire destruction was in place? How could Pokémon be born of the elements?
See, I think I'm getting too old for this Pokémon legend crap. I have been too educated and too well brought up to suspend my disbelief for these kind of stuff. I just think that's outright disgusting that the only history recorded in Johto is a bunch of mumbled legendary shit and our connection to Kanto. There is no pride in our country itself.
I would like to change that, to modernize Johto just a little bit, to the point that we could create our own history again. Something that doesn't have to do with a powerful Pidgey and the legendary, inexistent Bellsprout. You know, just to create something that the people could be proud of, Pokémon or not. I just don't like all the silly tall tales that are still about, because they are the only thing we know about our Johto heritage. It just doesn't seem right...
I'm in a bit of a rant right now, so I'll move on to something else.
I'll start with the gym.
It's colored in nice darker shades, and I've got to give some praise for that. I love the way that it blends in with the rest of the town, because you can just tell that the standard bright colors would be jarring for a Pokémon gym at this location. According to the sign at the front, the gym leader's name is Morty and he is "the mystic seer of the future." That sounds pretty mystic.
I wasn't about to beat him up in battle right then, though. I had some sightseeing to do.
There was a Dance Theater, which I was surprised to see. I mean, I hadn't had much experience with Dance Theaters before, so I got in without knowing what to expect.
Only to hear some rapid shouting coming up from the stage.
"Hey! Hey!"
Glancing up, I saw on the stage a Team Rocket guy and the Kimono girl, face to face.
"Stop dancing such a serious dance. Show me something like a Hawaiian dance!"
You've got to be kidding me.
The Kimono girl looked physically restrained, from what I don't know. She didn't back away, she simply stared back at the Rocket guy. The Rocket guy was right up at her face, and she swallowed, blinking back tears.
"You mustn't push me such a request on me," she said softly. I was barely able to hear her voice.
The Rocket guy jumped up and down. Geez, it's like he was five years old or something.
"Are you telling me you don't respect what the customer wants?" said the disrespectful customer.
The Kimono girl backed up. She stared at the Rocket guy intently in the eyes, suddenly seething with anger. "Well, then, I'll show you how to dance. I'll show you a great one."
For no apparent reason whatsoever, the Rocket guy started spinning around and around in place. I didn't know what the heck was going on, but it sure seemed ridiculous. I went right up to the Rocket guy and told him to quit acting like a child.
"Huh?" he cried out. "Who are you?"
"The inevitable," I said.
"You dare get in my way?"
"Yes," I said bluntly.
The Rocket guy took out a Koffing. I gestured Kitty to him.
The Koffing couldn't take one hit.
"Looks like I lost," the guy said, retreating his fainted Koffing.
"Yeah."
The guy scowled. "You make me look like a villain!"
I glanced sideways at the Kimono girl, who looked on thoughtfully. Then I looked back at the "villain" with a shrug.
"D'you think that means I'm the hero?" I said.
The guy backed up, looking offended. Realization sparked into his otherwise dim eyes. "Oops! I have an important mission. If they find out I was wasting time here, they'll make me start over as the lowest Team Rocket grunt. I better leave now."
"Tell me your whole life story, won't you?" I said.
The grunt rushed out of the theater, unable to take more of my rude comments. At this I looked back to the Kimono girl, and I flat out left the stage at that point. I didn't want to speak with her. She was just too confusing, and...I don't know.
As I went down the stairs, an older man in a suit approached me.
"Wonderful!" he said, beaming at me. "You were so courageous for your age!"
"Thank you," I said, fighting the urge to glance at the Kimono girl's reaction.
"It was a rare sight to see," the man went on. "I want you to have this."
He gave me the disc for HM03. It was warm in my hands as I placed it in a pocket inside my shoulder bag.
"That's the move Surf," the man was explaining to me as I zipped the pocket back up again. "It's a move that lets Pokémon swim across water with ease."
He turned and left.
I looked over the rest of the people watching—there was only two. An old lady who was smiling at me, and a boy my age who frowned at me with a shocking degree of intensity.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him.
"I was supposed to be the hero...!" he said hopelessly. "So much for getting close to a Kimono girl!"
I pointedly looked away and left the theater.
The Poké Mart, which I do not consider a valid sightseeing attraction, was to the left of the theater. Beyond the theater was an ancient seeming establishment. The sign next to it read thus—
Barrier Station to Bell Tower
No Trespassing by the Unworthy
It sounded pretty cool, so I got in. The monk inside told me to go get a Gym Badge (and a life) and come back later. Figured.
However, the tower to the left of that one was unrestricted.
Burned Tower
It was destroyed by a mysterious fire. Please stay away, as it is unsafe.
That means that I should totally get in, right?!
Inside, the wooden floor had empty patches that looked over the bottom floor. I was able to see, as shocking as it was, three Pokémon down there. They were large and quite colorful—you couldn't miss them.
I went further in—to get to the ladder down, you know?—when a man ran up to me.
"My name is Eusine," he said, as unnecessary as it was. "I'm on the trail of a Pokémon named Suicune. And you are...?"
"Lyra," I said stiffly.
"Lyra? Glad to meet you. I heard rumors that Suicune is here, so I came to look. Take a look at the hole that looks over the basement...there. Suicune is down there."
"I am aware."
"I could go on downstairs," Eusine blabbed, "but I know it would run away in no time."
"Really?"
"I know. I have tried it many times..."
I nodded in sympathy before going past him. It seemed like no use, though, to do nothing about it. Maybe Suicune would wait for me, I didn't know. Those other two Pokémon are fair game in my opinion, as well. Any one of them would do for me.
It was then when I noticed the blond boy with a purple headband.
I asked over him, and he graciously replied back.
"My name is Morty. I am Ecruteak's gym leader."
He explained that he was here to investigate the Burned Tower with Eusine. Ecruteak had a legend of the Pokémon Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, and Morty said that they were right there in the basement. Considering my own views of the legends, I was a figure of skepticism at this, though I said nothing. My mouth shut, I listened to Morty's desire to have an understanding of the legends, though something nagged me at the back of my head.
I turned, walked a bit, and I saw him. I stopped.
The unfriendly neighborhood Pikachu Boy got right into my face. He said nothing for a few minutes, staring intently into my face.
It pissed me off so much, I can't even give you the merest image of it.
"What?" I shouted, practically screaming. (After that, I wildly hoped I hadn't scared the legendary Pokémon away.)
Pikachu Boy frowned. "Oh, it's you."
"Yes, yes, thank you for establishing that fact," I said, my fury raising up. "What is it?"
"You must be here to catch the legendary Pokémon to make yourself look strong," he said, trying to sound defiant (emphasize at "trying"). "That is only a dream. You see, the legendary Pokémon suits a trainer like me who has sworn to become the strongest trainer—"
At this point he abruptly stopped.
Because I apparently spat at him.
I am ashamed to admit it, but at that point, I laughed so hard I may or may not have accidentally spat on his face. As far as I see it, it's his fault for being right up close to me for no reason, though Pikachu Boy strongly felt otherwise. Evidently, a Pokémon battle was ensured.
He took out his Gastly, I my Lorcan. Gastly cursed at Lorcan, losing half of its health in the process. It seemed unnecessary to me, but it spooked Lorcan as hell so it probably has its purposes. Still, the Gastly was gone in one hit, and out came out Croconaw.
I directed Kitty to the battle after that. Then Cinder. But really, you don't need me to tell you he'd lost. We both know how pathetic he is.
When he took out his last Pokémon, I asked Pikachu if he'll bite his words. He wasn't exactly the most straightforward bloke when he answered:
"Out of desperation, weak people sometimes do okay at fighting back."
" 'Sometimes?' " I said. Cinder then hit Zubat with a blast of flame so hard, Zubat was left to flail around in pain.
Pikachu scowled. "Don't you get that I'm being easy on you?"
"You had no reason to 'go easy on me.' But you had every right to go hard."
Cinder finished up Zubat with one quick attack. The Zubat fell to the ground in defeat.
"Humph!" Pikachu said as he retreated his Zubat. "I'm not battling another weakling ever again. It's just too much playing around."
"I had no idea that you enjoyed losing so much, Pika," I answered back coldly as I returned my own Pokémon. I took the prize money from Pikachu's defeat, and I caressed the money in front of him. Pikachu looked away.
"Meh," he muttered. "It's not like you'll ever catch a legendary Pokémon..."
He stormed off. Yeah, okay.
I went down the ladder in contentment. Soon, I was down at the basement. I began to approach the three Pokémon, my heart beginning to quicken. There was a short staircase down, in the basement—there were only a couple more stairs to cross. But I stopped before the staircase, unable to get myself closer to them. They were, by then, alerted at my appearance, and acted thus.
They cried at my arrival, cries of joy and identity more than anything else. I stood where I was, willing to let them go, for that was what they wanted. I couldn't go forth and take them by force, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be fast enough, nor would they be pleased to be captured that way. So I stood there, on the hard dark stone. And I watched them leave.
The first Legendary Pokémon I've met, and I allowed them to get away.
It wasn't a conscious decision—it simply felt right. I just knew, as I stood before that rocky staircase, that it wasn't my time yet.
And so, I watched Entei and Raikou left. Suicune left as well, but before he did he went directly in front of me. He was so close, I could see the wind softly rustling his teal blue fur, the sadness in its eyes. As I looked on, I realized that it was my sorrows, my despair, that were contained in its solemn red eyes. The emotions in its eyes were reflections of my own, and I caught my breath at the misery it contained.
I watched speechlessly as it jumped away and left with the others. I stood in place, breathless. The desolation that lurked in Suicune's eyes haunted me, because I knew much too well where it came from. I knew the story behind the sadness, and the details of it teared me apart all over again. Though the tearing came more gently this time, with the pieces remaining large, and I realized that I had unintentionally shared my suffering with Suicune. Suicune had lightened the burden on me, some way or another. It had come to me, asking to share my grief, something I couldn't fathom to understand. Who cared about me? How can it...just know?
At first, I was barely aware of Eusine walking next to me. When I was aware, however, I tensed. I wondered if he would get angry at me for disturbing the Legendary Pokémon.
Instead he began to speak in a soft voice, almost encouraging. The voice loudened in exhilaration as our conversation went by.
"Did you see it?" he said. "Suicune raced by like a blur, right in front of my eyes!"
His childish enthusiasm made me recover from my momentary dejection. I looked at him, duly noting the barely restrained excitement in his eyes.
"I have been chasing Suicune for almost ten years, but I have never been this close! I'm all choked up!"
"Hey," I said slowly. "I know that this may be a bit sudden, but...do you know Falkner?"
"Falkner?" Eusine said. "From Violet City?"
"That's the one."
"Why, he's my second cousin! How did you know?"
"Just a thought."
"Ah." Eusine blinked and examined me. "Wait, you are Lyra, right? Falkner was talking about you during the most recent family reunion. He was crying. Something about rejection?" Realization dawned on his face. "You ran away when he asked for your number."
"Well," I blurted out awkwardly, "wasn't Suicune so amazing? Did you see the way he looked at me?"
"Ah, yes!" he said. "It was clear to me that Suicune took notice of your presence. Ecruteak's legendary Pokémon are said to come to people only when they recognize their talents."
"Not all that people say is correct." My voice came out sounding hollow.
"Still...perhaps I should be more aggressive towards Suicune..."
"Please. Don't do that."
Eusine shook off the thought. "Anyway, Lyra, we will meet again!"
He sped off.
Right on cue, I got a phone call from Joey.
"Lyra, howdy!"
How many Western movies does that boy watch?
"It's Joey, how are you?"
"Good, and you?"
"As fit as a fiddle. Oh yeah, I took down a Weedle in the wild the other day."
"So?"
"So, it was a cakewalk."
"You can't honestly expect it would be difficult."
"Well, I guess it can't be helped, us being so tough. All right. Later!"
And that was the end of that conversation.
Food for thought
(A ridiculously dramatic, present tense extra)
The wood creaks under my feet. There are patches in the floor that reveal the basement, and the charred wood is tainted with the smell of fire. A great fire had ravaged this tower, rendering it in the condition it is in now...
I see, to the distance, a Poké Ball. It is small and frail looking, and a wave of determination hits me. Cautiously, I begin to walk to the Poké Ball. My heart thunders in my chest as the wood underfoot shifts slightly.
"Don't worry, us fire breathers know what to do!"
I yelp and jump back, almost to my death! It is a man breathing fire, right in an ancient historical building that can collapse in minutes! I scream, though there is no escaping it—there is no escaping my doom! I was fated to battle in a match of fire and poison. I play with wits, fighting the poison and fire with ESP. I win, which is somehow not a surprise.
The man looks up at me, his stomach plunging and smoke appearing in wisps near his mouth. As he speaks, tufts of fire brush off into the air.
"Thanks for such a heated battle!"
"What?" I snap. "Why do you tempt fate in this godforsaken place?"
The man frowns. "What are you talking about?"
"This place has been burned. Why must you breathe fire in it?"
"The reason this tower's burned is that it was hit by lighting. The fire I'm breathing is tiny in comparison..."
Oh.
After that, I get a phone call from a boy named Todd. He says that his Psyduck is looking more and more like him.
Humanity is taking a dark turn.
