Author's Note:
Sorry, guys 'n' gals! I just sorta took winter break off from… well, just about everything besides video games, really. My sloth gets the better of me yet again, it would seem…!
Shout-out to Quagsire12 (no, it is not, and will probably never be in this story) as well as to UNinja12 and Eeveefan1290 for their mutual Follow and Favorite. The attention is appreciated as always!
Disclaimer:
Pokémon and any other referential materials found in this story do not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners and subsidiaries, and I claim no ownership of them.
Of Children, Men, and Monsters
Chapter Twenty-Two: Tiring Treks
Cue music – Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal Version soundtrack – Cherrygrove City
It took Marza approximately one more half of an hour to get to Cherrygrove City. Contrary to the "City" part of the title, it was actually quite small – a decently sized village is what the girl thought it to be at its potential largest.
'I know that the non-town /city parts of names are sometimes shared across places – hence the re-usage – but making a name such an obvious oxymoron to differentiate the two seems just a touch stupid…' concluded Marza. For indeed, the place consisted of no more than four dozen buildings. What especially caught Marza's eyes, however, was the brightly colored orange building, as well as the bright blue building just next door to it. A sign bearing a very clearly intentional resemblance to a Poké Ball was noticeable on the building's sloped roof, which went flat in its center.
Marza realized rather swiftly that the primarily orange structure must be the Pokémon Center that was previously mentioned to her. Before she could finally – finally! – end her day's trek, though, an old man came running up to her with a surprising amount of speed. His very presence reeked of eccentrism, and Marza prayed to no deity in particular that this person was not some creep. Oscura, too, appeared weary, stepping in front of Marza protectively, but Marza shook her head. The Rock Skin Pokémon backed off as requested with a huff, attempting to cross her stubby little arms but failing to do so, as they were too short for the undertaking. The other female barely stifled her would-be snort at this, and when the bearded, blue-shirted man drew close, he spoke to Marza:
"Well, hiya there, kiddo! You remind me a lot of this other girl who ran by a few minutes ago!"
"In what respect?" she inquired, both genuinely curious and weary.
"Why, you both look like newbies to the whole "trainer" thing! And judging by my keen intuition – it's hardly ever wrong when it comes to these sorts of things, y'see – I am completely right! C'mon, kiddo, let's show you the ropes and sights of Cherrygrove!"
"Uh – I don't really think–"
But he was already sprinting off, turning back to glance at her only when he was (somehow already) a couple dozen feet in front of her. She sighed morosely, beginning only now to truly regret taking up that enigmatic man's offer.
'I just hope that this world doesn't consist only of people with these over-exaggerated…traits… Guess I'd better follow after him – I don't think that he's one to be easily dissuaded, and I suppose that it's only polite that I take him up on his generous offer, no matter how pointless it will likely be in the end…'
"If you insist…"
Thusly was how she was shown around town by an overly eccentric, potentially crazy man.
Needless to say, really, but Marza was having quite the first day in this unfamiliar, alien world.
The man appeared fairly angsty as Marza sluggishly trotted over to the building he was standing in front of, as she was once again tired of all of this blasted walking, especially considering her not-so-athletic, relatively scrawny nature.
"This, my girl, is the Pokémon Center! Stop by here to receive your Trainer's License and–!"
"Heal up my partner Pokémon for free, yes," Marza cut off, just wanting to get her day over and done with.
"Looks as if you know your stuff, kiddo!" he replied, thankfully not appearing annoyed.
He next sprinted over to the neighboring building, saying to Marza when she again drew close: "And this, lassie, is the Poké Mart! Here, you can buy various wares, most all of which are extremely handy for any Pokémon Trainer to possess and use! As your collection of more Gym Badges expands, so, too, will the wares of these stores. So, be sure to stop by every now and then and shop a bit!"
Next up was a trek to the shoreline. Marza made a mental note to stop by here later, take her shoes off, and walk around bare-footed in the sand: walking in the stuff was a sensation she had yet to experience, and she was rather curious about it.
"This is the sea, y'see?"
Before Marza could even open her mouth to rebuke him, he continued:
"Well, obviously it's the sea. I'm just showing you this to remind you that Pokémon can be found just about everywhere. In fact…"
A few splashes came from the water's surface, and yet another new Pokémon emerged. It had large, red lips, a reddish-orange-on-white coloration, and a small, sharp horn emerging from its forehead.
"Great timing as usual, Goldeen! Here is your reward…"
He took a small pouch out from his left pants-pocket, spraying a few small pellets – likely food – onto the water. Just before the Pokémon re-submerged, Marza took out her Pokédex. It recorded the following data:
"Pokédex Number One Hundred Eighteen: Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokémon. Typing: Water. Ability: Water Veil. It swims upstream no matter the speed of the opposing current at a steady five knots. If it senses danger, it will strike back with its sharp horn."
The man appeared to barely even take notice of her drvice, continuing on to a building that was a decent deal smaller than the previous two. It looked rather normal, as if it were a residential home rather than, for example, a building serving the sole purpose of selling wares. And that was because…
"This is my humble abode! Why am I showing you this? Because I simply can!"
He let out a somewhat loud bellow concluding this statement.
'And not, say, to spite my incredibly sore feet…?
"That concludes my lil' tour of Cherrygrove City! Any questions, my girl?"
The lass simply shook her head, by this point eager to sit herself down on a comfy bed and head off to Dreamland.
"Alrighty, then! I'll be inside if you decide you want another one of my tours!"
He then opened the door and retired to his home, promptly closing the door behind him. Marza wasted nary a second after this, slowly walking over to the Pokémon Center, Oscura in tow. The automated, glass-made doors slid open when she drew near to them, and she, too, headed indoors to rest.
Not before once again being intercepted by someone, however. This time, it was a familiar brunnete, crashing into her for – what was it? – the third time?
"Has anyone ever told you to work on your reflexes? You probably saw me on the other side of the door, as well as its opening several seconds in advance, and this still ended up happening!"
Lyra chuckled uncertainly. "Actually, yeah. I've been doing a few exercises just before I go to sleep, in fact!"
"And what, preciswly, do these "exercises" entail?"
And so Lyra elaborated, "Well, it's actually pretty simple. So, I have this stopwatch, right? And I set it to a few seconds, and what I do is stop the clock as soon as it gets to the set time! Again, pretty simple, right?"
Marza sighed. "… That is a timing exercise, not a reflexive one!" She barely held back the additional "you dolt" at the end.
"… Is it? That would explain the lack of improvement for my reflexes despite using it for nearly a year daily… Oops…?" She said next, a singular finger upon her cheek and a pout on her mouth, as if she genuinely had not realized that at some earlier date.
Marza now felt like groaning. "Just… try something else? I'm not the biggest fan of being knocked around and to the ground, especially when it happens thrice a day."
"Will do!" said Lyra with cheer, finishing up this topic of conversation.
"Why is it that you were practically sprinting for the door in the first place?"
The other girl seemed rather enthused about this particular explanation. "Okay, so, I was going out in the first place to look for you – you were taking your time getting here – and I crashed into you a minute or so ago on the way! And here we are, talking to each other! Speaking of which, I assume you don't know how to get your Trainer's License?"
'An assumption in not knowing something? That would be rude, were it not for the fact that she is true… Unintentional rhyming aside, however…'
"Indeed, I do not. Would you care to show me the process?"
"Would I ever!"
Cue music – Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal Version soundtrack – Pokémon Center
Lyra waved her fellow lass over, and she followed her to the counter present on the opposite side of the building from the entrance. Standing behind it was a cheerful-looking woman with a hair color of vibrant pink. Her attire gave away the fact that she was a nurse rather quickly – a frilly, white-on-pink outfit and a small hat with a pink cross on her head were obvious signs of what her occupation was.
'This must be that "Nurse Joy" that Joey mentioned. It would seem that she is joyous enough, though I must wonder if that smile on her face tires her facial muscles out…'
Indeed, she had a gentle, caring grin on her face. Though It looked just a tad strained, as if she were keeping that smile on her features all day, every day.
"Heya, Nurse Joy! Marza here's a new Pokémon Trainer, so she'll be needing a License. Care to make one for her quick?"
The nurse responded in a kindly voice, "Why, you already know that it would be no trouble, Lyra! Now, Marza, was it? All I need from you is a bit of information about yourself."
Said lass nodded, showing her consent to the proposal. The nurse's smile widened slightly, and she turned to the computer just next to her to begin the process of creating Marza's License.
"Okay, then! I don't believe that I need to ask for your gender… Full name?"
"Marza Vernel Gaurdia." She said this a touch slower than her usual, somewhat faster than average pace of talking to make she that she understood her properly and avoid mistakes, spelling it out character by character when she asked her to do such.
Nurse Joy typed this in with a borderline surprising amount of deftness, taking only three seconds to input this information.
"Right… Age?"
"Twelve. I'll be turning thirteen in a month and a half, though."
Her eyes widened when she realized that the odds of her world and these other girls' having a time-keeping system even remotely similar to each other was astronomically small, but before she could rescind her mistake, the nurse nodded, putting this data in.
'… This is a truly amazing coincidence in terms of sheer chance," she internally exhaled.
"Starting Pokémon?"
Oscura decided to make her presence known here, hopping up to the counter and hanging onto it's edge to look at the pink-haired nurse. Once she was certain that the nurse had gotten a good, long look at her, the Rock Skin Pokémon released her grip on the counters edge, returning to Marza's feet in a speedy fashion.
"A Larvitar…? Not exactly the most common of first Pokémon for beginners, but it still works, I suppose. Does it have a nickname?"
"Yes, and her name is Oscura."
The Joy shot her an odd look at her emphasis on the "her", hut paid it little heed. The clicking of a keyboard followed for a second or two before she asked her next question:
"Any past incidents that are of note? And be honest." She sounded irked when she said that second part, as if she had to deal with such dishonesty on a daily basis.
She probably did, in all actuality.
"Not that I am aware of, self-defense from bullies aside."
A prompt nod and some more clicking, as well as momentary, curiosity-filled glance.
"Last question, and I again ask that you answer honestly: What is your overall goal as a Pokémon Trainer?"
Marza internally cringed, mildly struggling to keep her outer Visage as cal, and collected as it usually was.
'… Shoot, how can I answer this without appearing suspicious?'
After several moments of quick thinking, she settled upon simply winging it.
"… Would "personal reasons" suffice as a reason to become a Trainer?"
Lyra brows rose in curiosity. The nurse's grin, meanwhile, widened.
"Luckily for you, we get that one somewhat often. And you seem to be at least somewhat of a good person, so I'll let this secret of yours slide."
Marza let out a mental sigh of amelioration.
"Now, if you would allow me, I need to take a picture of you…"
She tilted the top part of the bendable computer to face towards Marza.
"Smile for the camera!"
A flash from the camera lens oriented on the top of the machine later, and a picture of a smiling (if only to a miniscule degree) Marza was taken.
After a slightly longer period of typing, Nurse Joy finished up entering information and the like, saying,"Alright! Your License ought to be all set by tomorrow morning. Those last two questions won't actually be going on your License, by the way; they're more of a quick personality check for those in charge to see if you need to be monitored or not. Whether they do so for you?"
A shrug.
"Well, I'm not the one who makes those decisions, now am I?"
Marza certainly understood the "why" of those last inquiries; she had had her share of encounters with not-so-nice people herself, after all.
"Is that all, Lyra?"
Lyra let out a small chuckle before responded, "Actually, no. I think we'll both be staying the night here."
Marza frowned slightly at Lyra act of putting words in her mouth, but let it go; she was going to ask if these facilities allowed for such things, anyways.
"Very well. Marza, here, I think I understand, but why are you doing this?"
Lyra thought about what to say for a moment or three.
"Well, I was supposed to grab some groceries for Mom, but then I ended up getting side-tracked with some other favors I owed my neighbors. Ethan, especially, had a pretty big one for me: it took me a pretty long while to convince Elm that that Pokédex wasn't for me and that I would give it to Ethan ASAP, especially considering how many of his things I've broken in the past…"
'Doubtless because of her clumsiness,' she thought before she could stop herself. 'Gotta wonder how she learned that Ethan needed a Pokédex when he is apparently a mute. Does they both know sign language…?' she pondered, genuine in her wonder.
After a bit of digging around in some shelves beneath the counter, the good nurse pulled out a key.
"Here is the key to the door of your room – those being singular because we are currently booked aside from that one room. Sorry about this, girls…"
"Oh, it's no problem, 'Joy! At least we won't have to go sleeping on the chairs!"
'Ah. That would explain why all of them appear to be so plush, not to mention large.'
Now that she bothered to actually look around, in fact, the Pokémon Center was a rather homely place. The walls and flooring were a pale shade of orange, and the carpets were a shade of blue that complimented the otherwise hard-to-match orange with some surprising fidelity. The aforementioned chairs were this same shade of blue, and the soft, pale lighting made even the lobby look like a relaxing place to sleep in. In the center of the building's flooring was the immediately recognizable Poké Ball symbol in a slightly more vibrant shade of orange. The upward stairs just to the right of the counter presumably led to the rooms the nurse had just given them, with this educated guess being proved correct as Lyra near-sprinted up them and opened he second door down the hall, beckoning for Marza to come along.
She did so without hesitance, her eagerness to finally stop using her feet for the day ironically propelling her forth with more speed than usual. The raven-haired girl closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the soft blue bed, sighing loudly as the pain in her bottom half began to fade. The Larvitar, as usual, followed suit, hopping onto the bed, though not appearing all that exhausted.
'Ah, the sweetness of relief and relaxation…'
Lyra just about leaped onto her own bed, crashing down onto it and sending the pillows flying, ruffling the blankets and sheets quite heavily, as well. She let out a childish giggle, ruffling the bedding up some before falling relatively still and silent.
"I'm used to walking a lot, so I'm not really that tired. It may also help that I'm just this big ol' bundle of energy that never seems to run out of the stuff!"
Marza sort of envied her, now that she said that. She was far more bookish than athletic – really, it was only due to some decent genes that have prevented her from gaining any visible amount of "real" weight.
Thus far, at least.
Maybe this whole "journey of a thousand miles" was something that she should undergo, if not for her overall goal of ending the mystery man's plot than to get stronger in a physical sense.
"Who knows? Mayhaps I'll even grow stronger mentally…' she concluded.
Speaking of conclusions, however, she began to feel drowsy. She Thusly decided that it was time to end her day, regardless of its being roughly two hours short of her usual time of slumber.
"Sorry to cut off the would-be conversation, but I'm gonna go to sleep here shortly…" She said, already beginning to undress and slip into her pyjamas.
"Aw, really?"
"Yes, really."
The brown-haired lass heaved an over-the-top, melodramatic sigh before saying, "Well, I guess I'll leave you alone for the rest of the night, then. No promises that Marill, Oscura and I won't make tons of noisemakers though!"
Marza just let out a muffled, indiscernable reply before she began heading off to Dreamland, the noise that Lyra had said would likely occur starting to become loud mere moments after Marza fell asleep…
