Chapter 37: Real Estate
Lucas returned to the Pokemon Center after his battle with Candice at the Snowpoint City Gym to be embraced by the warmth of the building's heating system. Just one left to go now. One more Gym badge, and he would earn the right to face the Elite Four and challenge the current Champion. He was the most excited he had ever been in his life. Yet for all his excitement, Lucas remained amazingly calm. The fact that he had earned seven badges gave him a kind of quiet comfort, that his Journey was not some fluke. He had not earned all his badges easily. He had made mistakes, had serious doubts and was forced to work incredibly hard in order to receive them. The physical incarnation of his quest, the first leg now so close to completion. He was not just meant to be a Pokemon Trainer, he was meant to be a Champion, even when the road was difficult.
After the Center's nurse healed him team, Lucas went to the PC to once again rearrange his Pokemon. He brought back Hotrod, and decided now was the time to reunite Gizmo with his Espeon wife Donna. As the two Pokemon played on the Pokemon Center floor, the tattooed teen dropped himself onto a soft couch and planned on getting to the final Gym. A couple of months earlier, Lucas had attempted to go to the location of his now final Gym in Sunnyshore City, only to learn that no one was entering or leaving the metropolis until a potentially dangerous electrical problem was corrected. Since then, Lucas ended up in the city in the northern most part of Sinnoh, Sunnyshore located furthest east. Having gone to Pastoria City, he could have flown there and walked to Sunnyshore, but flying over Mt. Coronet had its own hazards, and walking back was an unrealistic option. As the young man weighed his choices, he noticed that a group of Trainers on the sofa behind him were talking.
"It's still closed? Are you kidding me?" said one tall boy with brown hair.
"Yeah, I know. You know he's going to lose his Gym for sure over this one. The Pokemon League is royally pissed over the situation," said a densely built man with a thick neck.
"What are you guys talking about?" Lucas interrupted.
"Sunnyshore City," the man stated.
"Are you telling me Sunnyshore City is still closed off! It's been two months. I know, I was there when they first shut down the road," Lucas blurted in disbelief.
The tall boy nodded, "Yup. Rumor has it the electrical problem is being caused by the Gym Leader. A few years ago he started a similar fiasco when he upgraded his Gym. Caused the city's power grid to be down for over two weeks. Pokemon Center, stores, everything had to use generators while the repairs were being done. To avoid stress on their resources they also didn't let anybody in. Apparently because Volkner caused such a problem over this blackout, the Pokemon League is going to strip him of his Gym,"
"Wow. That's a big deal. If something like that is possible, why would Volkner do it? Seems stupid to me to risk the Gym," the Mohawked teen asked.
"Who knows. Volkner is known for being one of the best Trainers in the League, Champion material, but also known for being very temperamental, and a real pain in the ass when he's bored. All I can assume is that he got bored again," the man shrugged before changing gear, "Listen kid, a bunch of us that got the Icicle badge have been here a while, so we're going to get the ferry that takes people to the Battle Zone and see if there isn't a way to get to Sunnyshore, or at least talk to people from the Pokemon League. Want to come with?"
"Yeah. I was trying to figure out how to get out of here anyway," Lucas nodded. The teen remembered hearing about the Battle Zone from Morgan, saying there was the only other place to catch a ferry to the Hoenn Region. Normally only people with eight Gym badges were permitted in the area, but because of the chaos in Sunnyshore exceptions were being made.
Lucas called to Donna and Gizmo and followed the other Trainers to the small shipping yard south of Snowpoint where a huge crowd of Trainers were gathered in front of a ferry. To see so many Trainers who won the Icicle Badge was overwhelming to the teen. Though it made sense that after two months of waiting that dozens of people would accumulate in the area, it was the first time the young man had seen so many people who were also fighting for the Championship. All the Trainers Lucas had run into before were simply people who fought Pokemon for a hobby or for extra money. Suddenly seeing what were essentially all his competitors for the title made him feel somehow smaller. But just as the doubts were beginning to creep in, he reminded himself of something important. These people may be working towards challenging the Elite Four, but he was actually going to win. The Championship was going to be his, no matter what. With a more confident stride, Lucas followed the other Trainers as they loaded onto the ferry and left for the Battle Zone.
As the ferry slowly lurched towards the open sea Lucas could feel the air get warmer and the sun brighter. He let Donna and Gizmo wander around his feet as he looked at the horizon. Around him Trainers were excitedly discussing their plans on challenging Volkner and going against the Elite Four. It reminded him of the trip from Olivine to Canaclave when he was being shipped to his brother John as punishment. He remembered the excitement of the Trainers then, too. Except this time, he was one of them. It made him smile.
After about an hour the weather got so hot that Lucas was forced to change out of the winter clothes he had bought for the journey to Snowpoint City. He was not unhappy to get rid of them, finally able to feel the sun again on his tattooed arms and its heat softening his stiff muscles as he stretched out. An island appeared before him as the boat got closer and closer to its final destination. Lucas could understand why the heat was getting so intense. As the boat approached the dock the teen could see the land dotted with palm trees. The Battle Zone was clearly a tropic area, a stark contrast to the ice and snow of Snowpoint City. As the ferry approached the land, a man came down the deck with an official Pokemon League badge on his chest and a box of armbands.
He called out for the Trainers to gather around him, "Attention! Your attention please! Since we are approaching the Battle Zone we need to explain some things to all of you. Since none of you have eight badges you will need to put on these special arm bands. These bands will prevent Trainers from challenging you, or allow you to turn down a challenge without penalty. The Trainers in the Battle, Survival and Resort Zones are all much stronger than your level, which is the reason we normally don't allow you here. Also avoid the grassy areas as the Pokemon are also a lot stronger. There are Pokemon Centers in every zone as well as ships to Hoenn for those who would like to leave the region. The Pokemon League is currently working to resolve the issues in Sunnyshore City and we thank you for your patience,"
Shortly after taking and putting on the Pokemon League armband, the ferry docked and Lucas started wandering around the island. His full intention was to find another person from the Pokemon League and figure out a way to get into Sunnyshore, but in the meantime he wanted to explore. A friendly girl with thick glasses and a big sweater from the ferry explained to him what these zones were. The Battle Zone was home to the Battle Frontier, a series of challenges that were equal to, or possibly more difficult than the Elite Four because it tested not just the Trainer's ability in raising and battling their own Pokemon, but their mettle as battlers using specially trained rental Pokemon. Also well as submitting to handicaps like not being able to use the same Pokemon twice in a row. The Survival Zone was home to the strongest Pokemon in Sinnoh and was a common place for both Gym Leaders as well as the region's strongest Trainers trained. The Resort Zone was the safest of the three areas, the location for the Ribbon Club, an exclusive resort for the best Coordinators in the region to gather and compare their victories. It was also home to several vacation homes owned by some of the wealthiest Trainers in any of the regions.
Lucas stayed around the Battle Frontier first, observing exactly how the area worked. The Pokemon League official on the ferry wasn't exaggerating, the Trainers he was watching were definitely very high level. Their teams were made of powerful, well-trained, and often times rare, Pokemon that nearly blew each other away in each round. Other Trainers used rental teams made of Pokemon that were of a certain size for another challenge. Lucas had to marvel at the obstacles the Battle Frontier presented, and decided once he completed his goal of getting his four Championships and defeating his brother John, he would look into participating in the Battle Frontier. After spending several hours at the Frontier and learning some new strategies while watching the others battle, the teen decided to move on to see what else was on the island.
To get to the Survival Zone required going through the Resort Zone. The Resort Zone was very similar to the resort at Lake Verity. There was a calm, leisurely atmosphere as Trainers in expensive clothes wandered around, enjoying the sheer fact that they existed. Along with the more snobbish people, men and women in designer clothing were excitedly showing off each others Pokemon, pointing out the details in their coats, scales and feathers. Lucas recognized these people as Coordinators and seeing them made him think of Ashley again. The teen may have been sidelined by Cynthia's beauty and her allure, but his crush on her was mostly superficial, he was more than aware he was out of her league. Ashley, on the other hand, even with her rejection of him, was still the object of his affection. Thinking about her distracted the teen, and he began to sink back into his gloom.
Just as he got into a high quality bout of teen angst a loud, boisterous voice jarred him out of it, "Hi there! You look like an upstanding young man!"
Lucas looked up to come eye-to-eye with a man in an expensive Italian suit, big sunglasses, slicked back hair and an oily smile. The teen scowled at the man saying nothing but thinking, I don't know what you're smoking, dude, but since when do I look like anyone's definition of an upstanding young man?
The man ignored the look. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a set of keys, "Listen young man, I'm a real estate agent by trade, but I plan on moving. I only have one house left to sell before I can leave,"
"I may be a pretty good Trainer, but there's no way in three lifetimes I could raise the cash to pay for a house around here," Lucas finally said to the man, his tone acidic and to the point.
The real estate agent waved off the comment and smiled, totally ignoring the boy's prickly attitude, "My employer is a charitable man, so I'm sure that he would be more than happy for his house to go to a worthy Trainer such as yourself,"
The man shoved the keys into Lucas' hands. The teen examined the objects skeptically, "You're joking, right? A free house? What's the catch?"
"No catch, just consider it good karma or something," the man responded nervously. Though Lucas couldn't see the stranger's eyes, the man's head moved around slightly like he were carefully examining his surroundings.
Lucas was not convinced, "Listen dude, no one gives away a house for free, especially not to some random teenager. You're not even trying to lie by saying I won a contest or something. What's going on?"
"There he is!" Before the other man could answer, two more larger, angrier men also in expensive suits appeared at the top of the road. The man's sunglasses slipped slightly down his nose and revealed his eyes, which were now wide in terror.
"Listen kid, just take the house, I don't have any more time to argue. Just go to the county clerk's office and they'll set up everything so the deed will be put in your name. Once you do that I don't have to look back here ever again. Now just do it!" the real estate agent barked. Before Lucas could add anything further to the argument the man ran away, the two larger men chasing after him. The teen let out a frustrated sigh and looked back down at the keys he was handed. There was no way that this was possible. There was no way he just randomly received a free house. There had to be more to it than that. For no other reason than morbid curiosity, Lucas started looking for the county clerk's office.
The office was not particularly hard to find, though the building itself did not stand out much. It was the smallest building on the street and just a little way away from the Resort Area's Pokemon Center. The young man stepped into the gray, badly lit reception area and walked up to the receptionist who was busily painting her nails a bright pink. In addition to bad lighting, things were badly marked, giving no indication of where he was supposed to go and what he was supposed to do to claim his new 'house'. After several moments of waiting silently in front of the receptionist's desk she finally addressed him without looking up from her nails, "May I help you?"
"Um, I guess. This guy, I don't know, he gave me this set of keys and was like 'hey, you've got a house now.' He then told me I'm supposed to come here and sign the deed or something like that," Lucas explained awkwardly, not sure how he could more clearly present his information without sounding completely insane.
Much to his surprise, the receptionist nodded in understanding and while she blew on her left hand to dry, reached into a drawer with her right hand a pulled out a form which she then handed to the teen, "Just put your name, your previous address and any other information the form asks for and then I'll need you to sign the deed,"
"Wait, you're telling me this is legit? I'm actually going to get a house out of this?" Lucas blurted, gingerly taking the form the woman had handed him as though it might have been booby-trapped.
"Well, it's legal, yes. Legitimate I suppose would be in the eyes of the beholder," The receptionist finally looked up from her nails and gave a dry smile towards the teen, "You got this house from Jim Pickett, the local real estate agent. He's known for dealing and selling the nicest houses in the Resort Area. He's also known for being a gambler. Ol' Jimmy boy recently made a bet he can't pay up for and now has some not-so-very-nice men coming after him. Problem was he couldn't leave until all his properties were taken care of somehow. If too many people start asking questions it makes a person easier to find. So he arranged it with us that if anyone comes in with those keys, give them the deed. So Mazel Tov, you're the one he managed to stick it with,"
"Yeah, but what about the house's original owner. Aren't they going to be pretty pissed with me that I got their house without paying them?" Lucas asked as he finished filling out the first form.
"Any problems that this creates is with Jim and the owner, not you. You're not doing anything unethical or illegal," the receptionist switched the form for the deed and started work on her other hand, "Once you've signed that, I'll give you the address so you can see what you got yourself into,"
The address was written very sloppily on the piece of paper the receptionist handed him, her favoring keeping her nails not smeared instead of writing clearly. But after about a half hour Lucas finally located his new home. He probably would have arrived earlier, but he didn't believe the piece of paper when he first passed by the address. The set of keys he received from the real estate agent, and then confirmed in the county clerk's office was to the largest house on the street. It was a massive villa with giant palm trees and a pool out front. The teen slid the key into the first lock and then the second, each successfully turning the tumblers and allowing him into the house. Hesitantly, the young man pushed the door open, almost more nervous to come into this home in the bright sunshine than the haunted mansion in Eterna Forest. Gizmo popped in first, eager to explorer this new area. With his Eevee's lack of fear, Lucas stepped inside his new home with Donna trotting behind him.
With the flick of a switch, the Trainer illuminated the inside of the mansion. The inside seemed even more spacious than the outside, clean white walls and a set of stairs that led to the second floor. The house was unfurnished, though drop clothes on the ground and some minor scrapes on the hardwood floors suggested the previous owner must have moved out at least several months ago. Lucas' boots created a booming echo as he walked across the floor to check out all the rooms. There was a massive kitchen, a sun room, a small bathroom and a study that all connected to the living room which was the largest room on the first level. The second level lead to another study, at least four large bedrooms with giant closets and their own bathrooms, including a master bed and bath with a tub Franky could comfortably fit in. A third story lead to a storage space and the only sign of the previous occupant: a set of papers appearing to be some kind of research on Pokemon evolutionary stones. The situation still felt entirely unreal, but Lucas decided to make the most of it. Going through his duffel bag, the teen removed everything unneeded for his Journey: photographs of his family, posters from his old room, extra clothes, some CDs, old Pokemon books, the few old toys he never wanted to get rid of but always hid from his friends, and Lumpy, the dogeared Snorlax doll he held onto since he was four years old. He smiled at the pile of possessions, called to Gizmo and left the house with his bag considerably lighter.
He took one last look back at his new villa and shook his head. The Journey of a Pokemon Trainer was always filled with surprises and new discoveries. Earlier in the day he had received his Icicle badge, now he had a house in the Resort Area. Life was always filled with strange events, and for Lucas, this had been among the strangest.