The League Tournament, Chapter 30
I will, like I often do, spare you the details of what transpired in Bill's house. That isn't to say I stayed with him often, but every time I seemed to be invited to stay at someone's house, something would always turn up to make it either impossible, or just downright awkward. David's place in Fuchsia City may have been awkward before turning hostile, but Bill's... suffice it to say, I'm pretty sure he knows I won't ever be his guest again. Least, not in his parents' house.
Then again, I knew and understood the reason for his invitation. See, Bill wasn't exactly on the greatest terms with his folks. Not that they were estranged; far from it, just that the entire family had this air of eccentricity about them. And when two eccentrics are in close proximity, it's never a pretty sight. Such was the case at Bill's that night, where the eccentrics accounted for everyone there save me.
Bill's grandfather, according to him, was the inspiration for creating the Pokemon Storage System. His mother, on the other hand, claimed it was her idea to tie it all to the Pokeballs the trainers used. His sister said it was her idea to involve the Pokemon League, and thus make it all a legitimate affair that could also bring in money. Bill's position in all this? He has none, he just lets his family bicker amongst themselves as he cooks up more ideas.
Amidst the chaos, Bill told me that he always has to be working on improvements to the system, as other experts and nerds around the world are constantly striving to perfect his system. One of these, a woman named Lanette in the Hoenn region, is close to topping his system, meaning it'll be her name on the screens from now on.
"Not that I'm worried about it," said Bill, taking me to a slightly quieter part of the large house that night. "Doesn't matter who makes the system better now, I'm still credited as the creator."
"Wouldn't you want to try and make it better yourself?" I asked him. If it were my idea, I don't think I'd like others making it better and then just adding my name as a footnote in the fine print.
"Not really. There are other projects involving Pokemon and technology that require attention and creativity such as mine. It's actually why I'm here in Johto: I'm looking not only into the possibility of transforming people into Pokemon, but time travel!"
"Time travel?" I was no stranger to concept, having only just recently tasted it. Still, it was one thing to have a Pokemon with the ability, and another for people to have total control of the ability.
"Not for human use, but Pokemon use. Pokemon are constantly evolving, changing natures and adapting the ever-changing world around us. A time machine would allow trainers from the past to commune with us, and thus allow us to shed light on the mysteries surrounding Pokemon!"
"Okay..." Bill seemed to forget that I was ten years old, and a number of the things he and his family spouted were just gibberish to me.
"This'll be your room, Star," he finally said after getting his head out of the clouds. The room was rather plain, but it had the most essential thing: a bed.
"It used to be my sister's, but she won't be staying here tonight. Feel free to come downstairs to ask for anything, I doubt we'll be getting much sleep ourselves."
"Okay, thanks Bill! Goodnight!"
And Bill had a point. While I slept soundly throughout the night, I could hear the family downstairs debating something computer related as I drifted off that night. In the morning, they were still screaming, this time about allowing Pokemon to roam free on some island somewhere. Curious though I may be, I decided to not butt into anymore of their conversations, and slithered past them all on my way out. Bill was kind enough to see me off outside, before I saw him get dragged back inside the house to continue the debate.
~o~
Goldenrod City was much like Celadon the more I explored. I saw a Game Corner along the way, but went against entering. The last time I let myself into one of those, Team Rocket whisked me away and I was nearly left for dead in a storage closet. Among other things, I noticed quite a few people staring intently at the large TV screens outside, watching Pokemon battles take place. I also saw a number of other people with Pokegears glued to their ears, listening in on something.
"Excuse me," I asked a man with a Pokegear in a similar fashion, "What are you listening to?"
"The radio. You can get a Radio Card attachment for your gear at the Radio Tower."
The Radio Tower was possibly Goldenrod's star attraction. Since Kanto and Johto were so close together, unlike a few of the other regions, the two often shared many of the local technologies, one of them being radio. The Radio Tower in the city broadcast to the world over, or so I heard, but their biggest hit shows were the local stations, only available in Johto and a few in Kanto.
There was the Pokemon Music Station, hosted by DJ Ben, which played all sorts of melodies specifically catering to Pokemon. The Lucky Channel Station was another favorite, where they announce random trainer ID numbers, and give the lucky winner amazing prizes. It was like a lottery drawing, only without having to pay anything! But most famous of all was Professor Oak's Pokemon Talk, hosted by DJ Mary. This was the station you listened to your entire life if you wanted to be a Pokemon trainer.
Normally, you'd think a station that is all talk about Pokemon all day wouldn't do so well. However, it is the most widely listened to station in the region, because of the huge benefits it provides to trainers on the move. Pokemon are always moving around in swarms to different routes, and Professor Oak always informs trainers where to go to see them in person. Of course, because he has other duties, he rarely hosts the show himself, so that falls to DJ Mary, the most sincere voice you could ever hear in your life.
After I arrived at the tower, a simple meet and greet at the front desk earned me a Radio Card for free! As the lady put it, they were standard issue on all Pokegears, so any older models would get the attachment for free. That's customer service you can rely on! Before I could get right to hearing something on the radio, though, I noticed the rather large group of people watching the TV screen in the lobby of the tower. The same thing that was showing all over the city was on here, which was a Pokemon battle. This time, it was a Venusaur against a Pidgeot.
I looked around the lobby for a place to sit, and spotted an empty chair by a young man wearing a black hat. I sat down, keeping Vulpix on my lap as to not lose track of her in the crowd. On the screen, the Venusaur was taking a pounding from the much faster bird Pokemon, leading me to believe the trainer wasn't a very smart person to send a grass type against a flyer. I looked over to the person sitting beside me, noticing he had a Pokemon in his lap as well. It was an Abra.
"What is this?" I asked, pointing to the TV.
"League Tournament, all they're showing today." I turned my gaze back at the TV, watching as the Venusaur took the final blow from the Pidgeot. The trainer in the distance called the Pokemon back. A window came up on the screen, showing that Venusaur was the second Pokemon belonging to that trainer, as was Pidgeot for the opponent. I couldn't believe my eyes as to who the trainers were: Deneb and Gary!
"That's...! Deneb is fighting Gary?"
"Yeah, I think those are the trainers. It's the first round of the semi-finals, so not much more of this, thank god."
I ignored the young man next to me, and leaned in closer to try and hear the announcer. With the noise in the lobby, and the low volume setting on the TV, that was practically impossible. I saw as Deneb sent out his final Pokemon, a Magneton. Surprisingly, Gary didn't switch out Pidgeot. I got up from the chair and ran to the TV, pressing the volume up button until I could finally hear the announcer.
"-and Magneton's Sonic Boom just misses Pidgeot! The bird takes to the skies, unleashing a mighty Whirlwind that sends Magneton flying! For having a type advantage, this Pokemon doesn't look-"
"Hey, kid! Turn that down, will ya?" Someone yelled at me from the crowd.
"Please! That's my best friend on the screen!" The security guard in the lobby shook his head, pointing at the screen again. Rather than get in trouble, I reluctantly lowered the volume again, and sat down. I made sure to pout a little at the guard, for all the good it would do me. On the screen, I saw Magneton deliver a crippling Thundershock on Pidgeot.
"You friends with that Deneb on TV?" The young man asked me.
"Yeah, he's my boy-I mean, best friend," I corrected myself, though I could tell the teen caught on.
"I see. I'm Luke, by the way," he said, putting forth the Abra on his lap, "And this is Amy."
"Star, and Vulpix. I never gave her a nickname, couldn't pick one." Despite it being rather rude, I turned away to see how the match was going. Deneb's Magneton was now trying to outlast Gary's Exeggutor. The battle wasn't going well.
"You look like a Pokemon trainer, trying to follow your 'friend' into the League?" Luke asked, trying to divert my attention.
"Actually, I was supposed to enter with him, but decided not to. I didn't know they'd be on so quickly!"
"Past week, all that's been on TV. Rather annoying, I liked it better when cartoons were on. Amy likes them more than watching fights, you see."
"Are you a trainer, too?" Luke shook his head.
"I don't like to battle, I just try to help out where ever I can. Amy here has helped me out a bunch of times, too."
"I see, I was like that when I first started. But when you're on a journey, it's hard not to end up fighting with others." I glanced back at the screen, the stalemate between Magneton and Exeggutor still holding out.
"Maybe, but until now I've tried to stay out of them, to some degree of success, too. Of course, when you go looking for fights at gyms..." Luke's voice trailed off a bit, and I knew exactly what he was getting at. I was too preoccupied with the fight to start a debate, though.
"I'm sorry, I'm just too focused on the fight." Right as I said that, I watched as Exeggutor finished off Magneton, stomping the metal Pokemon into the ground with its large foot. The window popped up on the screen again, declaring Gary the winner after Magneton's icon was scratched out.
"Looks like your friend lost," Luke said, adjusting himself in the chair. "He has one more chance to stay in the game."
"What do you mean?"
"These are the semi-finals, so that means every match-up is determined best two out of three. This was the first between these two, so they'll have another fight later." Meaning I had a chance to talk with Deneb before he had to fight Gary again.
"Do you know if there's anyway of calling the battlers?" I wanted to wish Deneb the best of luck before he faced off against Gary again.
"I don't work for the League, Star, sorry."
"There's got to be a way. Maybe if I call into the League..." I turned on my Pokegear. The phone menu had a list of preloaded numbers, but it dawned on me that I didn't have any information on the League itself.
"I think that'd be pretty hard to do, considering. The League keeps the trainers under wraps on purpose, so that no trainer has an unfair advantage over another, see." For someone who didn't work for the League, or didn't like battling, he sure did seem to know a lot about the inner workings of Indigo Plateau.
"I wish I had told Deneb about the Pokegear before I left! I could've gotten his phone number if he had bought one for himself."
"I have a proposition, if you really want to talk to this Deneb." Luke piped up.
"Really? What is it?" Luke put his forehead to Amy's, and then handed me the small yellow critter. Vulpix jumped over to Luke's lap in return.
"Amy is willing to use Teleport to take you directly to Indigo Plateau. She knows her way back here, so just let her know when you want to come back."
"Really? Are you sure?" Luke nodded, but quickly raised his finger, indicating a but.
"You'll have to leave everything else behind. Amy isn't the strongest Abra in the world, so she won't be able to Teleport both you and all your stuff. You may want to leave your stuff with someone you trust." I took off my Pokeball belt and strapped it on Vulpix. I also gave her my bag, though it was clearly too much for her to carry.
"If it's okay, can I leave it all with you? You seem pretty nice, and Vulpix seems to like you. You're willing to trust me with Amy, so... can I trust you with my friends?" Luke gave me a gentle smile.
"And that's why Amy asked to help. Go on, Star. I'll be waiting right here."
I carried Amy out of the chair, and stood in front of the TV screen. It panned out to show the entire arena, and I pointed at it. Amy nodded, and I suddenly felt the pit of my stomach rise up. For a split second, I was floating in the air, before a bright flash forced me to close my eyes.
~o~
It was only a blink of the eye, but I was suddenly standing right in the middle of the arena. The crowds all around started yelling, pointing to the strange girl that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the stadium. Whistles went off collectively as referees dressed in black and white outfits ran towards me. Amy was still in my arms, and just sat there quietly. Within seconds, I was surrounded by people.
They all bombarded me with questions, demanding to know who I was, who I worked for, and what I was planning to do. Rather than give me a chance to answer, which would clear everything up, they escorted me off the field, leading to many confused spectators in the bleachers around the arena. Down the hallway, I saw both Gary and Deneb, each poking their heads out of their adjacent rooms to see what was going on. Once Deneb made out it was me, he stopped the referees.
"She's with me, guys! Thanks for leading her here!"
"Really? She just teleported into the arena with this Pokemon." The man pointed at Amy, who just slumped deeper into my arms.
"I know, I asked her to come as quickly as possible, and no faster way than by Abra, right?" Deneb wasn't doing much of a job convincing the men, so Gary came out of his room to back him up.
"Don't worry, guys. We aren't breaking any rules by letting Star here join us for a chat. I'll take full responsibility." I guess because Gary had won, or because of his assertive attitude, the referees started to warm up to the idea.
"Very well, Mr Oak, your call."
After the men left, Deneb showed me into his room, and Gary followed in, surprisingly. The door closed behind him, we all sat down around the table in the center, which was packed to the brim with all sorts of snacks and sweets. Of course, I couldn't resist but snack on a cookie while I was there!
"Star, just what are you doing here? And how did you get here with that Abra? No one's allowed into the arena unless you're a combatant!" Gary was about to ask the same question, but I made sure to answer it before any more popped up.
"Amy here isn't mine, I'm borrowing her. I just wanted to come here and wish you luck on your next fight! I saw you lose on the TV in Goldenrod City."
"So you didn't enter the tournament? I thought you were collecting the badges to get in?" Gary asked next. Deneb eyed Gary, wanting to know just how he knew I was on the badge hunt. I don't think I ever told him how I encountered Gary on my travels before.
"After getting the Earthbadge, I decided not to enter. I've been traveling Johto ever since." Gary looked pretty disappointed in my decision, as if the opportunity to battle me had been lost forever.
"So, you just came here to cheer me on?" I nodded at Deneb.
"Yeah! Amy here will take me back as soon as I have to go, but I can stay a little while longer to see your next fight!"
"Well, then I guess I should head back to my own room," said Gary, suddenly feeling left out. "I'll see you later, Deneb."
After Gary was out of the room, I sat Abra down on the couch seat next to me, and ran after him.
"Star? Where you going?"
"Sorry, Deneb, I have to say something to Gary. I'll be right back!" Just outside the door, I saw Gary standing in the middle of the hallway, pondering something instead of returning to his room. He instantly noticed me walk up to his side.
"So, you and Deneb...?" Guess he had caught on.
"I'm sorry, Gary, I never said anything before, because I wasn't exactly sure myself. It all happened in Viridian City, after we fought Giovanni. So I have to ask you, now: is there something you want to talk about?" Gary turned away, unable to look me in the eyes.
"No, not really."
"Really really?" Gary remained silent. I sighed, and turned my back on him.
"Star, wait." He said, just as I started walking away from him.
"Yes?" I turned around again, but he was still looking away.
"I... I'm sorry."
"About what?"
"I didn't know, you and Deneb. Guess I remember now, you two were always together. When I saw you that day, outside Mt Moon, I never said what I really wanted to say. I guess it's too late, now, right?"
"What are you talking about?" In truth, I was genuinely confused. It didn't help that Gary wasn't making much sense, and was talking in circles. He finally turned around, and I noticed something that shocked me so much I gasped. He was actually trying to fight back a blush.
"Are you... blushing?"
"What? No! I mean, yeah, well..." He stammered, finding it hard to say the right words. "What I meant to say was..."
"Yes?"
"I like you, Star. Since that day, I just, I couldn't say anything." At this point, I was the one flushed red.
"I thought I'd have all the time in the world, to be able to finally say something after the tournament. I never expected this." It was getting harder and harder for Gary to talk, so I decided to lift the burden off his shoulders. I leaned in close, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"It's okay, Gary. I'm sure you'll find someone out there cool enough for you. And thank you, for telling me."
After that, I didn't speak with Gary again. Maybe it was too much for him, maybe it was too much for me. Was I really that pretty that two boys liked me? Well, my daydreaming aside, I went back into Deneb's room, where he was busy entertaining Amy. The small Pokemon was having her fill of the various snacks on the table, which snapped me right out of my daze.
"Deneb! Don't feed her anything!" Both him and the Pokemon dropped what was in their hands.
"What? Why not?"
"I don't know if she's allowed to eat anything! Luke was a nice enough guy, but I don't know if Amy is on some diet or something." I picked up Amy, who looked sadder than usual, probably at being denied the tasty human foods.
"I'm sorry. So, what is it you talked to Gary about?" The question alone caused me to blush, and Deneb noticed.
"Oh, nothing. Just never thanked him for something he did back when we ran across each other in Lavender Town. Nothing at all."
"Well, if you say so. I know I should be planning my strategies for the next match, but let's hear about your travels. Win or lose, it doesn't matter anymore."
~o~
We didn't get to talk for long, but I did share the better part of my Johto journey with Deneb, excluding some of the sadder details. He seemed genuinely happy with the story, almost sad himself for not going along with me. In fact, he even offered to join me on the road, if he should lose against Gary. Tempting though the offer was, I only had to remind him of what he told me back on Route 22, all that time ago. A Pokemon journey was a solo affair. So even though I would've loved nothing more than to travel alongside him, I had to do this on my own. This was my journey now, and I wanted it to remain as such. We'd have our shared time afterwards.
Of course, Deneb understood all this, and didn't force the issue. When the time came for him to participate in the next round, a referee came into the room to pick him up. I was going to follow him out into the field, to watch from the sidelines and cheer him on towards victory, but seeing Gary changed my mind. It wasn't fair to Gary, being all alone on the other end of the arena, especially considering how involved I was in the triangle amongst us. So, I told Deneb I wouldn't be staying for the match.
"What? Isn't that why you came here?"
"I'm sorry, but look at Gary. It just isn't fair that you have me to cheer you on, and he fights alone. Plus," I said, leaning in closer so he could hear me over the screams of the crowd, "this is something you have to do on your own, right?"
"You're really strange, Star. You know that?" I smiled at him, choosing not to part with a kiss. Again, it just wasn't fair to Gary.
"Oh! Before I forget, here's my Pokegear number," I said, finding the number on the little device. "You can call me here at any time, from anywhere."
Deneb asked for a pen from a referee, and wrote down the number from the screen onto the back of his hand.
"Let me know how your battle goes, okay? I have to be moving along." I told him.
"Okay. You be careful out there, okay?" I knew Deneb only meant well, but I couldn't resist the urge to debate what I used to fear so much.
"I'm not a baby, Deneb, I can take care of myself!" I gave him a little smirk, and he smiled at me. I hugged Amy close, and whispered into her ear.
"Let's head back."
I closed my eyes, feeling that strange floating sensation again before the noise from the crowds vanished.
~o~
A moment later, that noise was replaced with the much quieter murmurs of the people in the Radio Tower. I opened my eyes, finding myself right where I had left from just a short while ago. Luke was sitting in the same chair, and Vulpix instantly leapt from his lap and into my arms when she saw me. I walked over to the teen, handing him his Pokemon.
"That was pretty quick," he said, petting Amy on the head. "I thought you would stay for the match?"
"Thanks, Luke, for doing me that favor. I owe you one." I gave Vulpix a hug, and kissed her on the back of her head.
"It's okay, I was happy to help. Amy, too." I picked up my bag, and made for the exit.
"Where you off to? Aren't you going to stay for the match?"
"I should be going," I said to him, before another voice cut me off completely.
"No one's going anywhere!"
Everyone turned to the source of that threat. The man was dressed in a black get-up I knew all too well. The bright letter 'R' marked clearly on the grunt's chest, as well as the chests of over a dozen others standing in the entrance to the Radio Tower.