Chapter 7: Cerulean City (Part 1)
I don't own anyone but Terra
Gary and Terra decided that their first day in Cerulean City was going to be a chill day. Both of them felt as if their Pokémon still needed time to heal and they had to re-fill their supplies. Walking the small city was peaceful and it smelled of the cape's salty air. After visit the Pokémart, Gary and Terra decided to buy bikes to make the travel a little bit easier and an option so Tory did not always have to carry them when they were too tired to walk. They headed for the furthest part of the city where the town's only bike shop was located.
The bike shop was very small and gentle in terms of the atmosphere of the shop. Yet at the same time there were a huge variety of bike that lined up in the front window display or lining up the walls of the place. In the back was a repair shop to restore bikes and re-sell them as 'used' bikes. Suddenly, a little man appeared who displayed the role of grandfather very well and seemed very fit.
"Ah…welcome to my shop. What can I do for this lovely couple?" Terra vehemently denied that they were a couple and that they wanted bikes to make traveling easier.
"I think that we should get the pair of Acro bikes. We would be able to side-jump and bunny hop along the bunny slopes." Gary was stating in a manner as if he was deciding for the two of them
"Um…excuse me Gary but I think that the Mach bike would be better for the two of us. It's the fastest bike out there. It can do all of the same things as an Acro bike but at the faster speed. Terra was not about to let Gary make this decision. In her opinion, it was all Gary's fault that took forever to get through thanks to his 'amazing' directional skills.
"You just want the Mach bike because I want the Acro bike. Besides, how are you going to pay for your bike, Terra?" Gary was doing a devilish smirk towards her.
"Well mister big shot…I can afford the bike because my Dad gave me a black credit card for my journey to cover all of my expenses. So I will pay for my Mach bike and you can have your stupid Acro bike. No offense, Sir, but he just aggravating me." She stated towards the elderly gentleman and the hedgehog aka Gary.
"Are you two sure that you're not a couple?" A definitive 'no' rang out throughout the store. "So that will be one Mach and one Acro bike. Cash or charge?" The old man was blushing at the now pissed off customers. Terra pulled out her credit card while Gary pulled out his. Looking back at Gary, it looked as if his pride had been hurt but he did not object to anything. Only disappointment was written across his face.
They left the bike shop on their bikes and headed back to the center to check on their Pokémon. Nurse Joy told them that their Pokémon were healing nicely and would be fully recovered by tomorrow morning. Gary and Terra thanked the nurse and then decided to get dinner at the café. Both of them were mentally planning for the gym battle.
"Gary, are you ok? You've been acting different since the bike shop." Gary just shakes his head 'no'. "Then tell me what's wrong."
"Just…trying to work through some feelings that I am not use to. Also I did not appreciate you taking rein and making all of the decisions for us." Terra looked stunned and wondered what feelings the 'Great' Gary Oak could be working through.
"I'm sorry…Gary. It's just most of my life I've been told what to do, how to do it, who and when to do it. It's like I cannot be trusted to think for myself unless I am in a battle. So when you were deciding for the two of us, I had to speak up and stop." Gary could tell that Terra was telling the truth. Part of him wanted to know what Terra's past was like.
"Do you mind if I ask some personal questions?" Gary looked at Terra in a sheepish manner. Terra shrugged a 'no problem' response to him.
"What can you tell me about your family?" Sadness crept into Terra's eyes. It was going to be hard for her to tell him more about her family.
"Well like I stated before my father is strongest trainer in Viridian City besides running the family business. My mother and grandmother died together when I was three. I hardly remember them other than the information my maternal grandparents and father tell me about them. It was a car crash. My parental grandfather died when I was five, which was right before I started school. I see my maternal grandparents at special events or during the summer. I also have an uncle named Alfonso and a cousin named Silver that live in Hoenn but I hardly ever see them. My best friend, Artemis, works for the league now. I'm just not sure how she is doing right now or what she does for them. What about you?" Terra wanted to learn more about Gary.
"Well I have an older brother, named Green, and an older sister named Daisy. My brother was the champion of the region till Red, Green's rival, defeated him. Daisy is a top coordinator of the Kanto region but now does appearances, writes bestsellers, and has her own business. Also there is my Grandfather. No explanation needed there. I'm just the lonely runt trying to make it out on my own. I'm trying to get out from under their shadows. My parents died a few months after I was born. My Mom suffered from a severe form of postpartum depression and it was never caught on so a few months after I was born she killed herself. My Dad coped with it by doing drugs. One day he overdosed and could not be saved. Ever since then my Grandfather took care of us. Basically, I do not have the best relationship with my family. How did you get Bam-Bam? It's an odd Pokémon to start out with."
"Well…I got Bam-Bam when I was five. It was after the first day of school. I came home and my father was there. He requested that I come into his office. My Dad heard that I had exceled at the battling aspect of the trainer school that I attended. So he was going to give me a battle Pokémon and I trained with him after school every day. So he gave me a Pokéball and I opened it. Out pops Bam-Bam with its little blue ribbon and it became my partner but also my best friend. For five years I would attend school during the day and then trained with my Dad at night to prepare for my journey. I know that I can face anything because I want to make him proud of me."
After chitchatting for an hour or so like this, Gary and Terra began to feel closer to one another and developed a better understanding for each other. "Well time for bed. Good night Gary." Terra headed for her room. Gary just sat there and stated good night to Terra.