The caravan passed the New Bark gate – a lone guard slept within the gatehouse – and continued on to Route 29. The morning was not far away. Even at that early time, the pink glow of the morning sun crept above the tree line to the east. But, they were heading west, into darkness and towards Cherrygrove.
They had a small group of only five people. Ethan sat in the back of the stagecoach along with the cargo and the brown-haired twins, Gulin and Kalin. Their older brother, Dontin, was a fat, balding man, and he was in the front of the stagecoach, steering. His donphan led the stagecoach. The fifth member was riding ahead of the caravan, scouting the road to make sure it was safe.
"You couldn't have got me outta that shit town faster than a juiced-up pikachu," Dontin said. He had been bitching to his brothers about New Bark ever since Ethan met up with them. Apparently, based on what he had heard, the three brothers went to New Bark trying to sell some trinkets and candies some other merchant had sold to them in Violet City. Clearly, they didn't know their clientele well because they left without selling a thing. "No wonder Gold here was trying to leave so quick."
Gulin and KalIn both laughed. It took Ethan a moment to remember that Dontin was talking about him. When he introduced himself to the caravan goers, he used the name on his trainer card. Gold, he reminded himself. I'm Gold now. The change was jarring, but it was a change he would need to get used to quickly lest he break his cover.
"Did'ya hear me, Gold? Is that why you left?"
Ethan looked up. Dontin was looking over his shoulder, waiting for an answer. Gulin and Kalin stared at him expectantly, too. "Yeah, just wanted to leave," Ethan muttered. Briefly, thoughts of his mother flashed in his mind, but he quickly pushed those away.
The sun's heat could already be felt even as it barely sat above the treeline. Its rays showered the grasses and trees in gold, and for a moment, the sickly plant life looked beautiful. But, as the sun continued to climb, the grasses returned to their brown color. This late into summer, they should have been a brilliant green, but the drought had badly affected the area. The leaves on the trees still had some green left, though. Looking back, towards New Bark, Ethan saw plumes of dust kicked up by the stagecoach.
By late morning, Dontin stopped the stagecoach by a dried riverbed. His donphan pawed the ground looking for water, but to no avail. "There he is," Dontin said, pointing toward some trees. A large figure emerged in the distance, quickly crossing the distance between it and the caravan, a cloud of dust trailing it.
"He sure is moving fast," Gulin and Kalin said simultaneously. Dontin nodded in agreement, a look of worry on his face.
Ethan agreed. Even in the morning light, the figure seemed exceptionally bright. Gradually, as the distance closed, the figure took proportion. Half a minute later, the rider was right next to them. He sat tall on a rapidash that glowed a brilliant orange. Amazingly, the flames flaring from the rapidash's neck seemed to dance around the rider. He had a thick, white mustache, and his gray hair was tied in a ponytail. A rifle sat across his lap.
"Everything clear ahead, Hajime?" Dontin asked.
"I en't sure. I passed another rider 'bout a couple miles away. He turned 'round and left 'fore I could catch up to him. That's when I turned 'round too."
Dontin frowned. "Did you catch a look at him? You think he's a bandit?"
Hajime shook his head. "No. He en't anything of that kind, I think. Meaner. Stronger-lookin'."
Dontin's frown deepened. Gulin and Kalin copied their brother.
"I oughta take a closer look," Hajime continued. "Make sure nothing's up with them. That man gave me the damndest feeling."
"Take the kid with you," Dontin said, pointing his thumb at Ethan. "Never too early for him to earn his keep."
"What say you, Gold? You up for some scoutin'?" Hajime asked.
Eagerly, Ethan nodded. So far, the start to his grand adventure was rather dull. The three brothers made for boring company, and at times, Gulin and Kalin were downright weird.
Hajime extended his hand, and Ethan nearly took it, but then pulled his back. He looked warily at the rapidash, its flames dancing in the sun.
"Rose won't hurt you," the older man said, a comforting smile on his face. "'Least, she won't hurt you so long as I'm riding, too."
With trepidation, Ethan grabbed Hajime's hand and pulled himself onto the back of the pokemon. Much to his surprise, the flames seemed to dance around his legs. He didn't feel the heat at all.
"Told ya she won't hurt," Hajime said. "Pokemon can be amazin' like that, the control they have over their bodies." He kicked Rose's side, and the rapidash trotted off.
Rose plodded along at a pleasant pace, much to Ethan's relief. Truth be told, this was his first time riding a pokemon. He wrapped his arms tightly around Hajime in fear that he would otherwise fall. He shut his eyes in fear of… something. It just felt right, comforting.
"Relax, kid."
Ethan opened his eyes to find Hajime looking right back at him.
"I said relax," Hajime said with a laugh. "Ridin's easier with yer eyes open."
"Very funny," Ethan muttered. He bounced to the steady trot, his stomach growing uneasy and his legs growing sore.
"You en't ever rode a pokemon before, have you?" Hajime asked.
Ethan shook his head. He would have spoken, but he was afraid that he might vomit should he open his mouth.
"Yep. I 'member ridin' my first pokemon. 'Twas actually Rose, here! Back when she was a ponyta, that was." Hajime leaned his head back, closing his eyes and smiling at the memories. "That was - I don't know – thirty, forty years ago?"
Ethan swallowed. The nausea passed. "Wow, she's that old?"
"Never ask a lady to her face how old she is." Hajime massaged Rose's neck. "Believe you me, it's good for yer' health."
The rapidash whinnied in response.
They stayed on the narrow dirt path for a couple minutes before bearing right into grass so tall that it reached Rose's knees. The tips of the grass burned slightly as the rapidash passed over them. Hajime noticed this and muttered under his breath, a look of concern crossing his face. After another minute, he pulled Rose back onto the dirt path. He jumped off the rapidash and helped Ethan off. Ethan walked slowly around the path, stretching his legs. He couldn't believe how sore they were! It seemed that they only rode for ten minutes, at most.
"Yep, feels good to stretch the legs after a ride, don't it?" Hajime recalled Rose back into her pokeball, then slung his rifle over his shoulder. He retrieved a second pokeball from his belt. "Well, yer' in luck: we'll be walkin' the rest of the way. I'd ride Rose out there but…" He gestured to the brown grass with his arm. "It's so dern dry out here that I'm 'fraid a wayward spark from Rose'll light this whole place up."
The grasses grew so high that they tickled Ethan's nose, and some stood even taller. It was too easy to lose sight of the older man, Ethan stayed only a step behind Hajime. He's got a pokeball out, Ethan thought. He grabbed Doresey's pokeball and gripped it tight.
Somehow, Hajime noticed this. He was looking forward, but seemed to turn his head at the exact moment Ethan reached for his pokeball. "You said you gotta quilava, right?"
Ethan nodded.
"Keep it inside. If Rose can light up this place, so can your 'mon." The older man paused for a moment. "On second thought, keep that pokeball on hand. But don't open it 'less I tell you. We may need your quilava."
The grasses were so dry and brittle that their stalks cracked and crumpled as Hajime and Ethan walked by. The sun was already high in the sky; it was going to be another hot day. They crossed into a grove of trees that provided some nice relief from the heat. Overhead, some pidgey flocked among the branches. Then, a fearow flew in and howled in anger, scaring the pidgey off. After a few minutes of enjoying the shade – and by Arceus, did they enjoy those precious moments out of the hot sun - Ethan and Hajime left the trees and found themselves back in the tall grasses and in the heat. Shortly after, as they scurried up a hill, they started hearing voices in the distance. Hajime stopped. Ethan did as well, trying to hear what the voices were saying, but they were too far away to make out the words.
"Walk slowly, and follow me," Hajime said. "Do as I say, when I say. Most important: don't speak."
The tall grasses slowly gave way to a rocky outcrop. At the top of the outcrop was a grouping of tents and two men in a heated, but quiet, argument. Both were muscular and tanned presumably from long hours spent outside. The green-haired man seemed to be dictating the conversation's course; he waved his arms wildly, pointing in various directions, while the second man – taller, with a shaved head – stood still listening.
"Him right there," Hajime said, pointing toward the green-haired man. "He's the one I saw. Looked me right in the eyes, then scampered back up this hill here."
"He looks pretty mean," Ethan said. If the green-haired man was trying to act the part of a gangster, he certainly had the look down. He was dressed in a black overcoat in spite of the heat with a bandolier wrapped across his chest. Three pokeballs hung off the bandolier. Aside from the shocking green hair, the man also had a deep scar on his left cheek. "What do you think they're doing out here?"
"Damned if I know." Hajime spread his arms towards the tents. "Looks like they're having a party though."
The two continued their approach upwards towards the rocky outcrop. Abruptly, the green-haired man stopped gesticulating and turned to face Ethan and Hajime. He grabbed a pokeball from his belt.
"You folks walk as loud as rhydon." The green-haired man held the pokeball in an outstretched arm, but he didn't release its content yet. The taller man walked to his partner's side and retrieved his own pokeball. "What the hell are you doing up here?"
"Hold yer' ponytas, we en't enemies," Hajime responded.
"Hard to believe you with a pokeball and rifle in both hands," the green-haired man retorted. The tall man nodded in agreement. "A smart man might think it a threat."
"If I was threatenin' y'all, my pokemon would be out and the rifle would be aimed at yer' face, believe you me. But, I see yer' point." Hajime placed his pokeball back on his belt and slung his rifle over his shoulder. He motioned for Ethan to put his pokeball away too, which he did. "Let us start over. My name's Hajime. This here's my partner, Gold. We saw y'all a while back from the road. We just wanted to introduce ourselves. Figure we show some proper roadside manners with those we share the road with."
The green-haired man stepped forward, looking over Hajime and Ethan. After a moment, he nodded his head, muttering to himself, and placed his pokeball away. "The fuck kind of hillbilly accent is that, old man?"
"Solaceon, from up north."
"Never heard of it."
"It's way, way up north." Hajime crossed his arms. "Beg yer' pardon, but I don't believe I caught you or yer' partner's name."
"That's none of your concern, Hajime." The green-haired man winked. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "But since you're that curious, my friends and I are having a nice picnic in the country. Thinking about visiting the surrounding area. You ever heard of a town called New Bark?"
Upon hearing that, Ethan's stomach sunk. Something felt wrong, very wrong, with the short man. He had a sinister demeanor to him. And he said he had friends, he thought. Are there more of them besides the two standing here? Ethan couldn't see any, but now that he noticed, there were a lot of tents behind the two men. Definitely more than necessary for only two people.
"Yeah, just came from there," Hajime said. "It's east a ways. Not far from here."
The green-haired man blew a smoke ring. "Heard there was some kind of pokemon lab there. That true?"
"En't sure," Hajime said. "We weren't there for long."
The green-haired man blew another cloud of smoke as he leered at Hajime. "Thanks. Appreciate the info," he said after a few seconds. He waved his hand. "Now git'. This is our campsite, and we ain't sharing."
"I figured," Hajime said, his voice flat. "Come on, let's go Gold." Hajime waved goodbye to the two men. Neither returned the gesture.
That sinking feeling in Ethan's stomach was near full-on panic by the time they reached the copse beneath the outcrop. New Bark? And, they knew of Professor Elm's pokemon lab? Elm was once a famous across the various Regions, that much Ethan knew, but apparently he wanted a quieter life, so he relocated to the sleepy town of New Bark. It was well off the beaten path, somewhere where he could operate in peace. And also not draw too much attention to his ulterior priorities. That was the story told to Ethan, at least. If they were looking for a pokemon lab in New Bark, then that meant they were looking specifically for Professor Elm. There could be no other reason. The only question was: why did that green-haired man need the professor?
Once they cleared the trees and back into the tall grass, Ethan couldn't contain his concern any longer. "Those guys seemed pretty… strange, let's say. Do you think they'll be a problem?" A dumb question, for sure; Ethan damn knew that they were a problem, he was just hoping that Hajime could persuade him that they weren't as big of a problem as he thought.
"Oh, they'll be a dern problem, that's fer' sure. But, they won't be our problem. We should be in the clear on the way to Cherrygrove."
The answer did nothing to comfort Ethan. "Do you think it was smart to just… you know, confront them like that? They seemed pretty nasty."
"Gold, this en't my first rodeo. I've spent a lotta time in the wilds. I know how to deal with pokemon and people. Sometimes, the best thing is to confront the problem head on. We'll be fine." Hajime stopped, then looked at Ethan. Concern filled the older man's face, as if he could read the young trainer's mind. "Yer' from New Bark, en't you?"
"What do you mean?" Ethan's answer was strained with grief.
"I mean, you were born there, right? You seemed pretty anxious back there when they mentioned New Bark."
Ethan hesitated a moment. His hometown wasn't something he divulged to Hajime or Dontin and his brothers. He was hoping he could keep his personal information private, but he saw no reason to hold back now. He nodded his head. "Yeah, I was born there," he said as he kicked a rock. It rolled down the hill and into some shrubs. "And yes, I am worried that they said they were heading there. They seem like bad news."
"You thinkin' of goin' back home?" Hajime asked.
"Yes." Ethan surprised himself by the suddenness and sincerity of his answer. In his heart, he knew it to be true; he already started missing home the second he left, and hearing the green-haired man talk of New Bark helped nothing. He walked over to a tree and put his arm out, leaning against the trunk. "It's pathetic, isn't it? It feels wrong – I've been gone for, like, half a day – but, it's true. I don't know, something feels wrong."
"You probably just miss home, and there en't nothing wrong with that. The homesickness gets particularly bad when you hear some creeps talk 'bout it, believe you me. Come, let's grab a seat." They both sat down. Hajime continued. "Listen, Gold: yer' a rookie trainer –"
"I'm not a rookie!"
Hajime broke out into raucous laughter. "Oh, that's rich Gold! You might be able to fool Dontin and his idiot brothers, but not me. I look at you and see 'rookie' written all over ya'! You were dern scared to ride Rose fer' cryin' out loud!"
Ethan blushed, but made no effort to conceal his embarrassment. Hajime had seen clearly through his ruse. He was able to convince Dontin and his brothers that he was a veteran trainer – he even released his quilava to prove it. Ethan said that he could act as a trainer guard alongside Hajime. That was the only way Dontin would let him join the caravan. "Yeah, you found me out, Hajime. Good job. What of it?"
"Nuthin' of it. I know what yer' goin' through. Hell, I did the same dern thing when I ran from home. Was probably 'bout yer' age, too." Hajime shrugged. "We were all beginners at some point. No shame in hidin' it."
Ethan sighed and dropped his head into his arms. "I'm just – I'm worried. That man mentioned New Bark, and – well… I'm just worried is all."
"I en't one to pry, Gold. I'm sure you had yer' reasons for leavin'. When I left Solaceon all those years ago, I never looked back." Hajime stood up and extended his arm, which Ethan graciously took. The older man lifted Ethan to his feet. "People talk all the time. New Bark was in good hands when you left, and it'll still be that way. My advice Gold: keep lookin' forward. You left fer' a reason, and I think you should remember that."
Thoughts of Professor Elm flashed through Ethan's mind. He had a mission – an important mission, and he couldn't forget that. Ethan was sure that the professor could handle whatever that green-haired man had for him. By Arceus, there was no guarantee that the green-haired man had any ill intentions anyway! The professor probably had lots of strangers of all stripes make sudden appearances every now and then.
Still, something seemed wrong. Ethan pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He would have to try his hardest to not let himself get distracted will paranoid notions.
"Let's keep walkin' Gold. I figure Dontin's whinin' to those idiots right 'bout now, wonderin' where we are," Hajime said. "You'll be homesick for a few days; en't nuthin' you can do 'bout that. But that feeling will pass, and if you need help, I'll be right here."
They continued walking through the trees, through the tall grass, and back onto the dusty road. After a half-hour, they spotted Dontin and his brothers up ahead. The donphan was unhooked from the stagecoach and was grazing on the grasses by the riverbank.
"I had a thought, Gold," Hajime said. "You ever catch a pokemon before?"
Ethan considered lying, but he decided against it. The older man had already called him out as a rookie, and there was no reason to continue hiding behind untruths. "No, never."
Hajime smiled. "Well, I think I know what we'll be doin' later."
…
When the sun set below the trees, the caravan pulled to the side of the dusty road, settling in a particularly barren, stony spot among the tall grasses. They lit no fire that night; Hajime's concern for the area's dryness was still on the forefront of his mind. The white-haired man didn't even let Rose out of her pokeball to graze.
Ethan, however, insisted that Doresey should come out and train, and Hajime reluctantly agreed. He had one rule: the quilava could not, under any circumstance, light his back flames. Ethan agreed, and relayed the information to Doresey upon the pokemon's release. The quilava only looked in confusion at his trainer's babbling, and slowly his back flames grew. Upon seeing this, Ethan and Hajime exploded in nervous shouts and wild gestures, and Doresey responded by extinguishing his flames in shock. Only then did the pokemon understand the humans' concerns, and he kept his back flames unlit.
The rest of the caravan was sprawled out around the barren spot. Gulin and Kalin were sleeping in a particularly uncomfortable position against a stagecoach wheel, their heads so close together that they could've been kissing. Dontin was passed out on his sleeping mat, and his donphan was next to him rolled in a ball, also presumably sleeping. After the near fiasco with Doresey's back flames, Hajime disappeared into the tall grasses. He said that he was going to take a look around their perimeter, make sure that nothing strange was going on. The three brothers assumed it was a simple standard procedure, so they proceeded to fall asleep. Ethan, on the other hand, was positive that Hajime wanted to make sure those thugs they saw earlier weren't stalking them. The very thought of them made him shiver. In particular,
Neither Ethan nor Doresey were tired. The young trainer was still energized from the day's excitement, both its good and bad. He tried his hardest to push aside the bad, especially the green-haired man and his cruel, leering eyes. The very fact that he was spending his first night outside, on his own, was reason enough to focus on the good. The quilava just seemed happy to be outside his pokeball. Ethan decided that the best use of their time was to train, so they both crossed the tall grasses and made their way to the road. There wasn't much they could do – Ethan did not want to practice fire attacks lest he face Hajime's anger – so the young trainer decided to practice dodging. It was dark, and he figured that most pokemon attacks would be difficult to dodge anyway. Thus, he deduced, the current conditions were perfect for Doresey to practice his quickness and agility.
Practice did not start as efficiently as Ethan hoped. The young trainers gathered whatever he could find that could be thrown – sticks, rocks, clumped mud, and so on. The first couple projectiles hit Doresey square in the face. The quilava caught the third one – a stick - in his mouth, and he brought it back and dropped it at the young trainer's feet. Ethan sighed; Doresey yipped in delight.
It took some time for Ethan to properly explain what he wanted from the quilava. As he had learned from Professor Elm, most pokemon couldn't understand the nuances of human language. Over time, they could learn words and short phrases, but explaining something with long sentences was far beyond their capabilities. That didn't mean pokemon were dumb; far from it, as even the simplest bug pokemon could pick up and understand basic concepts such as attacking and dodging if properly trained. The issue lay solely in communication. Ethan learned that his quilava was quick to grasp a concept once he understood what was being asked of him. The only problem for the young trainer was properly conveying the information.
The idea was simple, but its execution was more difficult. Teaching Doresey commands for fire attacks was easier, as fire came naturally to the fire-type. Dodging was a harder concept to convey. Ethan started by slowly explaining what he wanted - placing emphasis on specific words, such as "dodging" – and would then pantomime the action. Then, Ethan would toss an object, either a stick or rock.
The same issue arose as before: Doresey would catch the object, drop it at Ethan's feet, and yip happily.
Ethan grunted in annoyance. Training was never meant to be easy. So, he repeated the process: explain the action, emphasize the command, and act out the action. It took a couple tries, but Doresey finally dodged the projectile when Ethan commanded, "Dodge!"
The young trainer clapped in jubilation and fed Doresey an oran berry. Positive reinforcement was the most important aspect of training, as learned from Professor Elm.
Rustling came from the grasses. Ethan jumped up, heart racing. Doresey's ears flicked, then he emitted a low growl.
"Who's there?" Ethan called out.
A dark shape emerged from the grasses. Its head – which looked like a shapeless-blob in the darkness – growled deeply, and its tails flickered violently. Doresey jumped in front of Ethan, his flames exploding with a brilliant glow against the night sky.
"What did I tell you 'bout that quilava's flame?" Hajime emerged from the tall grasses, his stern face shining orange in the light of Doresey's fire. The pokemon beside him – a mightyena – ceased growling. It looked up at its master expectantly.
"Sorry about that," Ethan said. He motioned for the quilava to put out his fire.
"Don't be sorry; be better. You gotta understand that fire pokemon en't just cute companions, they're weapons of destruction. By nature, fire destroys. As does fire pokemon."
"Understood," Ethan said, and he nodded his head.
Hajime answered with his own nod-of-the-head. "Good," he added. "Just wanna add that I en't tellin' you not to train that quilava of yours. Just, be careful with its fire is all."
"Understood," Ethan repeated.
"Now, that that's outta the way, recall your quilava and follow me. It's time you learned some more 'bout pokemon training." Hajime whistled, and the mightyena jumped to it side. He took something from his pocket, and the wolf-like pokemon began to smell it. Its ears perks, then the pokemon planted its nose into the ground and bounced into the tall grasses. "That there is Kuji. He'll be our guide."
Their path was winding and nonsensical underneath the starry night. For about twenty minutes, Kuji led them through the tall grasses and groves of trees, up hills and down hills. At one moment, they forded a stream, although the stream itself was little more than a trickle of water. All the while, Hajime would take frequent pauses - looking at the night sky, looking at his compass – before continuing.
When they reached a starlit meadow, Hajime flicked his hand back, a command recognizable to both human and pokemon: stop. Kuji didn't make a move nor a sound, but the pokemon leaned back on its haunches, waiting for his master's order. The older man lifted a finger. Following its direction, Ethan spotted a dark shadow sitting upon a tree stump or a rock – it was too dark to tell. Hajime crept so close to Ethan that he could smell the onion on the older man's breath.
"Stay quiet. Do you know what this is?" Hajime whispered. He retrieved a feather from his pocket.
Ethan shrugged.
"It's a feather." The older man pointed back to the silhouetted blob. "Specifically, a noctowl feather."
A well of excitement grew in Ethan's stomach.
"Do you know why I had Kuji lead us here?" Hajime said.
"Noctowl are psychic-types. Mightyena are dark-types, so he can block the noctowl's psychic powers." And suddenly, everything made sense. "You used Kuji to block that noctowl's psychic powers so that it couldn't spot us!"
Hajime shushed. "Stay quieter. That bird may be blind with its psychic, but it can still hear us. But, yer close. Noctowl do have psychic powers, but they en't psychic-types. Don't ask me why. And, yes; I did use Kuji to cover us. Whoever taught you the basics did a good job." He retrieved a ball-shape from his belt – a pokeball. "But, they didn't teach you all. Here, take this. It's empty. Now comes the fun part. Tonight, yer goin' to catch yer first pokemon. Follow my lead."
The older man jumped up in a flash; the noctowl turned its head. "Kuji, go!"
The mightyena leaped forward with bared fangs. The noctowl flapped its wings, futilely attempting to escape. Kuji slammed his head into the bird and knocked it down.
"Gold, prime the pokeball! Press its center!" Hajime ordered. "Throw it when I say so!"
Ethan pressed the central button. He heard mechanical whizzings and noises within the pokeball. Then, it clicked, and the noises ceased. The central button glowed a faint white.
Squawks and growls filled the air. The noctowl attacked with heavy wings; Kuji responded with a vicious kick of its front legs. The noctowl thrust its beak but narrowly missed. Kuji grabbed hold of a wing with its fangs, and with a twist, threw the bird to the ground. The noctowl stood up, its eyes glowing a dazzling array of colors. The hypnosis dissipated as the mightyena struck the bird with another fierce headbutt.
"Now, Gold! Throw it now!"
That excitement in Ethan's stomach exploded. The noctowl was a dark shape on the ground – helpless, and at his mercy. With a primal yell, Ethan leaped forward and tossed the pokeball. His aim was true, and the noctowl dematerialized into a red miasma and disappeared within the pokeball.
The pokeball rocked back and forth for two, four, six seconds. Ethan clenched his fists. A manic grin spread on his face.
The pokeball exploded into shrapnel. The red miasma reconstituted into the noctowl which wavered dazed and disoriented. Abruptly, Kuji headbutted the noctowl again. The bird collapsed to the ground once more.
Hajime broke into racous laughter. "Almost had 'im, Gold. Here, try another!" He tossed Ethan another pokeball.
Biting his lip in determination, Ethan primed the pokeball and tossed it back at the noctowl. Two seconds, four seconds, six seconds it rocked back and forth. Then, it stopped moving. The pokeball clicked, and its central button glowed a faint red.
Ethan slowly approached and picked up the pokeball. He stared at it for… he didn't know how long he stared at it. But, it felt like a long time. Something touched his shoulder, and he looked up to see Hajime smiling back down at him.
"Congrats on yer first catch, kid," Hajime said.
Ethan nodded, smiling stupidly.
"Enjoy the feelin' now, cus' training' that bird will be a pain in the butt. Trust you me." Hajime looked around, hands on his hips. "Now, I don't know 'bout you, but I am damned tired. Come. Let's go back to camp and get some sleep."
…
Ethan awoke to a colony of sentret emerging from the grass. The sun hung low in the sky, its rays barely peeking over the treetops, and yet the air was hot and stuffy. The sentrets' star-like bodies were glued to the ground, their pink tongues licking the dirt. They must be searching for water, Ethan thought. Speaking of, his throat felt particularly parched too.
When the sentrets' beady eyes made contact with Ethan's, they scurried back into the grass. The young man – trainer now, he thought with a smile – leaned up and yawned and stretched his arms. By his side were Doresey's pokeball and the noctowl's pokeball. He hadn't given the bird a name yet, but he figured he had plenty of time on the ride to Cherrygrove.
After breakfast and coffee, the caravan assembled and returned to the dusty road. By late morning, they started passing homesteads that broke up the monotony of the forest. By early afternoon, the homesteads grew in clusters, and soon enough they could spot the Cherrygrove gates down the road.
"First thing I'm gonna do in Cherrygrove is grab a beer," Dontin said amidst yawns. Gulin and Kalin needed in agreement. "They got the best damned brewery down by the water."
Ethan nodded absently. It suddenly occurred to him that finding this Mister Pokemon in a city of tens of thousands would be easier said than done. It would be like finding geodudes amongst rocks. The only clue Professor Elm had given him was that this stranger could be found close to Route 30. It wasn't much, but at least it was a start.
The gatehouse was guarded by four guards, each armed with rifles. A mustached guard approached the caravan, scrutinizing the donphan before turning his attention to Dontin. "Identification please. If you're pokemon trainers, I'll need your trainer license and pokeballs for a count." A machoke stood behind the mustached guard, its muscled arms crossed.
Dontin, Hajime, and Ethan each gave the guard their trainer cards; Gulin and Kalin weren't trainers, so they handed him their Golden Prefecture identification. The guard took a long time looking over Ethan's card before finally returning it.
"Gold, eh? I swear, the names on these trainer I.D.'s get dumber all the time," the guard said with a grin. "Alright, pokeball check."
Dontin and Ethan's check went quickly. They each had two occupied pokeballs, well below the legal carrying capacity of six occupied pokeballs. Hajime proved more troublesome. First, the guard took his rifle and opened the breach, removing the slug. "Keep this rifle unloaded within the city, or you'll get problems," the guard said casually. The pokeballs were even more problematic. Hajime had five occupied pokeballs, and numerous unoccupied ones.
"The hell is this? You have way over the legal limit," the guard said. The machoke behind him uncrossed its muscles, looking quickly between its master and Hajime.
"No I en't. I got five right here," Hajime said, separating the occupied pokeballs. "The rest are unused. Just in case."
"Just in case, huh? What's in these five, then?"
"A mightyena, a rapidash, a pidgeotto, a boldore, and a staraptor."
"And why the extras?"
Hajime's frowned deepened underneath his mustache. "I go into the wilds a lot. They're good fer' protection."
"Another vagabond, eh? We've been getting a lot of your kind coming this way lately." The guard scratched his mustache while staring down Hajime. Finally, he waved his arm. "They're clear. Let 'em through."
When they were clear of the guardhouse, Ethan turned to Hajime. "What was that?" He said. "That guard didn't give Dontin and I such crap!"
Hajime shrugged. "The guards on the Route 30 gatehouse gave me the same business. They get scared when they see a well-armed trainer."
Ethan snorted. "You don't see checkpoints like that in New Bark."
"Eh, New Bark is different," Hajime said, stroking his mustache. "These bigger cities, they wanna make sure the people enterin' 'em are… desireable. Them guards are just doin' their jobs."
"They're acting like power-tripping assholes is what they're doing."
"Like I said, they're just doin' their jobs," Hajime said.
…
To someone from a large city, Cherrygrove was nothing more than a glorified lay-over town. To someone like Ethan, Cherrygrove was a loud, overcrowded, amazing peak of human civilization. The road from the guardhouse led straight to the main street. The buildings here were massive rectangular behemoths – some as tall as ten stories! People and pokemon crowded the street, but it was okay because the street was wide enough for two stagecoaches to pass by each other easily.
Dontin maneuvered his donphan to the side of the road. "This is where you get off, Gold. Main street, just like you said."
With a nod, Ethan jumped off the stagecoach. He shook Hajime's hand and nodded towards Dontin. "Thanks for the ride. Much appreciated."
"Of course, The pleasure is mine." Dontin stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We'll be around town for a while selling our stuff. Listen, if you suddenly find yourself missing our superb company –" Hajime broke into laughter "- we'll be down by the water grabbing a beer. Place is called Mystic Water Brewery and Company. Once sun sets, we'll be there. That I can guarantee you."
With a bellow from its trunk, the donphan pulled back onto the street and turned a corner, disappearing from sight. Breathing deeply, Ethan gazed out onto the crowded city street lined with buildings. This was it. Professor Elm had instructed him with an important – no, vital – task, and it was up to him to see it through. Success would mean one step closer to a better Johto.
First, he had to figure out how he would accomplish it.