This chapter will be back in Rachel's POV. Sorry if this is getting confusing
I could hardly believe my eyes as we entered Cerulean City. I mean, sure, I'd seen it on video games, but it was just basic on there. Pokemon Center, a store, a few houses, maybe a river nearby, then you're on your way to a new Route. This…this was downright amazing!
Storm led me towards the center of the City, stopping by a huge fountain. I instantly fell in love with it, but I'm not sure why. It could have been the fact that the fountain had a stone Vaporeon spitting water into the heavens, or it could have been the fact that there were a bunch of Water Pokemon swimming around inside it, imitating the Vaporeon statue and spewing streams of water upwards, only to have it smack them back in the face. Ewww, I can imagine that's not the most fun experience you could have. But the Pokemon didn't seem to mind, making what I thought was little giggling sounds and diving underwater and sneaking up on each other. It was pretty cute, and I immediately relaxed. This beat seven shades of snot to having to just play the game.
Lining the edges of the city were tall pillars. The kind you'd expect to see at the Parthenon, y'know? In between the pillars were mini-waterfalls that seemed to be angled to catch the sunlight in just the right ways. It was so beautiful, if I didn't have any dignity or pride left, I woulda swooned on the spot. I wish dearly that cities could be like this in the real world. That would be awesome beyond all frickin' reason.
Storm glanced back at me and I looked up, a little startled. Had I zoned out again when he was talking?
"Uh, erm…yeah?" I asked meekly, not sure why he was watching me so intently. He only stared for a moment longer, those piercing green eyes seeming to search my soul…So I like to be poetic, got a problem with it? Sheesh, everyone's a critic these days! But, moving back to MY story, he just kept watching me for a second longer, then shrugged, his expression clearing and he smiled.
"Nothing, guess I just spaced out like you seem to do. You must be rubbin' off on me," he teased. I blinked, then grinned and gave him a playful shove in the back.
"Well sorry if I've never seen anything like this. We don't have stuff like this back at home." I didn't think anything of it when I said it, but a sharp glance from him made my laugh catch in my throat. Which, just for the record, is fairly painful. Storm narrowed his eyes at me this time and I felt nervous. I wanted to look away, but I felt like that would just offend him further. HAD I offended him? No clue. But he seemed rather intent on what I had to say, and having played Pokemon since the age of 7, the glare was setting off every RED ALERT my mind could blast in my head. But again, after a moment's tension, he turned away, actually smiling again.
"So I guess you know what you've been missin' out on now, huh?" he said, and not giving her time to respond, he stopped in front of a huge building, which being the Pokemon wanna-be-Master I am, knew instantly was a Gym. This was the Cerulean City Gym. Ho-ly crap…
"Welcome," he said dramatically and I almost chuckled, had I not been so riled up from the strange looks earlier. "To the Cerulean City Gym," he continued. "Or as I like to call it, 'home, sweet home'."
Has your jaw ever literally dropped? I mean, like, just BLAH and hang open? Well, I have. And I would watch it, because flies are sneaky little jerks.