Saphiria sat outside the door, playing with Sakura. She looked at the door, waiting, bored. She rested her chin on her hand and sighed. She then heard the door open. Riku walked outside and looked at her.
"We ready?" She asked. Riku nodded looking at the coins he received. He and Saphiria decided that, while there, they would see if there were any ways to make money in Viamoth. They did small tasks around to get enough money to just catch a bus to the next town. Saphiria was excited to ride a bus, considering it would be her first time.
"How much do we have now?" Saphiria asked. Riku pulled out his wallet and counted the money. He smiled.
"There's enough to get us there, but not quiet for food. I guess we can try finding a job in the big city," Riku replied. Saphiria pouted.
"But you really need to eat. You haven't for a full day," Saphiria whimpered. The previous day Riku had given Saphiria all the berries, saying he had some already. Saphiria later discovered he was lying but knew there weren't enough to satisfy them both. "Let's use the money and get some food, I don't mind walking," Saphiria urged.
"I promised you we'd take the bus, though, and I intend to keep that promise," Riku pointed out. He stood up and looked at Saphiria who was pouting. "Please don't look at me like that."
"You need food," Saphiria repeated. Riku sighed and patted Saphiria's head.
"I'll eat when we get there," he told her. Saphiria sprung to her feet.
"Promise?" She asked, clasping his hands and thrusting her face in his.
"Promise," Riku replied. He looked at his watch and gathered the money on the ground. "We should head out now," he added before heading towards the bus stop. Saphiria followed after him, slightly nervous. He stopped at the sign that said wait for bus here. Saphiria sat down, eager for the bus. She heard the sound of a vehicle and looked down the path. She saw a large white bus veering down the path.
"There it is! There's the bus!" She exclaimed springing onto her feet. The bus stopped in front of them and the doors opened.
"You folks heading out?" the bus driver asked. Riku nodded and the driver signalled him to enter. Riku walked up and stopped by the driver.
"Two, right? That'll be thirty dollars," the driver said holding out a hand. Riku's eyes widened.
"Last I checked it was fifteen for the both of us," he defended. The driver shrugged and sat up in the seat.
"Prices went up," he replied. Riku bit his lip; he was now fifteen dollars short. The driver cocked and eyebrow, waiting for his pay. Riku was about to say something when Alex popped up behind him.
"Don't worry, I got this!" He told Riku, pushing him aside and paying the drive forty-five dollars. Riku was confused but the driver clasped the money tightly and shoved it into his pocket.
"Well thank you," he murmured. Alex strolled through the bus and Riku trotted after him. Saphiria followed close behind.
"What are you doing here?" Riku exclaimed. Alex sat down on one of the seats.
"I've been bored lately, and since you were able to take out my first Pokémon you looked like a lot of fun to follow. So I decided I'll be tagging along with you until I get bored," he replied. Riku's mouth dropped open for words he couldn't grasp. He closed his mouth and sat on another set of seats. He looked at Saphiria who was amazed by the bus.
"I've seen bikes and motor cycles but I have never seen, let alone ridden, a bus before!" Saphiria gasped. Riku smiled as she plopped herself beside him. Riku watched as people loaded themselves onto the bus, sitting around. It took a few minutes for everyone to get on but once they did the driver made no hesitations to take off. Saphiria almost fell over, surprised, but Riku steadied her out. Saphiria looked out the window and watched the scenery fly past them. It was really exciting for her.
"So, where are you going?" Alex asked "After we arrive, of course." Riku looked at Alex and adjusted his seating.
"We are going to find some jobs to do to get more money. Can't live of fifteen dollars forever," Riku replied.
"I could loan you some money," Alex offered. Riku shook his head quickly.
"No way! I already owe you for this bus, I don't need to be any more in debt to you," Riku replied. Alex shrugged his shoulders and looked at Saphiria.
"What's her deal anyways?" he asked. Saphiria turned her head and smiled.
"I have been in the forest most my life and Riku promised to take me to different places. I'm going to be a coordinator!" Saphiria cheered. Alex cocked an eyebrow.
"Don't you need to be a licensed trainer to do that?" he asked. Saphiria rested her head on her shoulder, confused.
"Yeah, that's why we need to go to the city. We can register her there," Riku replied. Saphiria looked between Riku and Alex.
"What do you get out of that?" she asked. Riku dug through his pocket and pulled out his trainer card. He showed it to Saphiria who snatched it from his hands and examined it. "You get a piece of plastic? That's lame."
"No, that's a trainer's licence. Without it I would be able to do gym battles or enter trainer-only areas. You will need one to do contests," Riku explained. Saphiria looked at the card and giggled. "What?"
"You look funny," she replied. Riku's face went red and he took away the card. Alex laughed.
"Don't be embarrassed! My first trainer card looked ridiculous. But now I look awesome since I'm not just any trainer!" Alex bragged. Riku put away his card and Alex pulled out two. He handed them to Saphiria. The first one was from when he was just starting; the second was his current one.
"You're 29? I thought you were younger!" Saphiria gasped. Alex laughed again.
"I get that a lot," he smiled. Riku took the new card and looked at the picture. Riku felt a ting of jealousy since even when younger, Alex still looked better than him. Alex was recognisable by his dark hair and lively eyes. In the picture he was wearing goggles on his head instead of his hat and it looked pretty cool. Riku threw it back to Alex who caught it. Saphiria handed him the other one.
"I am excited to get mine!" Saphiria cheered. Alex smiled and looked out the window. The bus pulled to a stop and Alex got up.
"Looks like we're here," he declared parading off the bus. Riku and Saphiria got up and followed after him. Saphiria walked off the bus and her eyes lit up like a light. She looked around the city at all the tall buildings and busy streets.
"This is so cool!" She cheered. Riku smiled and looked around. Alex stood behind them, looking disinterested in the city.
"Let's go get you registered as a trainer," Riku thought out loud, "Then we can find a hotel."
"Then we can get you some food!" Saphiria added. Riku smiled slightly and nodded. He began heading to the trainer registration building. He soon found it and entered. The way to register was new, meaning more people could become trainers easier. That had its ups and downs all in itself. Saphiria looked around at all the people and smiled.
"This is so cool!" She chirped. She began exploring the floor. There was a row of people standing behind a long wall with windows so you can see them. There was a seating area with couches and tables.
"I'll come with you to the registration booth just to help," Riku explained. He remembered doing his registration alone, it was stressful enough but with Saphiria not knowing much about anything it would kill her. Saphiria nodded to him and walked over to one of the lines. She was surprised with all the trainers. Some were updating their existing card while others were signing up. Saphiria kept looking around. Alex was in the sitting area talking to some trainers. Probably bragging Riku thought bitterly. Soon they arrived at the person. There was a space below for submitting and handing out papers and a hole in the center so they can hear each other. The woman at the desk looked up at Saphiria.
"Hello, how may I help you?" she asked. Saphiria looked at Riku.
"She's here to register as a coordinator," Riku replied. Saphiria nodded. The person pulled out the papers and handed them to Saphiria. She began filling it out. The first questions were easy and strait forward. Name, Age, yada yada. She stopped at one. Where do you live?
"Just say outside Viamoth," Riku whispered. Saphiria nodded and wrote down what he said. Then there was her starter. She looked at all her Eeveelution and began writing each of their names and types down. She had to write off the line since there wasn't enough room for all of them. She finished filling out the rest and then gave them back. The woman took them and read through them.
"Alright, if you could go down the hall over there, the first room on your left. There you can get your picture taken," The woman explained. Saphiria nodded and followed her directions. Riku followed her to make sure she didn't get lost. She followed the directions and entered the room. There was a man with a camera set up in front of a white screen.
"You here to get your picture taken?" The man asked. Saphiria nodded. The man lead her to the chair between the screen and the camera. Riku waited and watched. Saphiria waited for her picture to be taken then went over to Riku.
"Alright, if I could get your name then I can match your picture to your name," the man said.
"Saphiria," she replied. The man nodded and wrote it down. Riku left the room and Saphiria followed after him. Riku scowled when he saw Alex surrounded by girls.
"Yeah, it was exciting. Just when they thought they'd won I turned right around and clocked them into tomorrow!" Alex exclaimed. The girls clapped and cheered. Riku rolled his eyes and sat down on one of the couches. Alex looked at Riku and smiled.
"Hey, look, it's my travel mates!" He explained. Riku began walking away. Saphiria looked between him and Alex confused before running after him. Riku left the building with Saphiria hot on his tail.
"Where are you going?" Saphiria asked.
"To find a hotel. It will take a day before your Trainer Card is ready so we should find somewhere to sleep. Way to much has happened to me lately and I want some good rest," Riku replied. Saphiria stopped and scowled. Riku also stopped and turned to her. "What?"
"You still haven't eaten!" Saphiria barked. Riku felt his heart skip a beat. She seemed really angry because of that. He swallowed and walked over to her.
"I'm sorry, but it's not in my budget. I don't have nearly enough money for hotels and food," Riku explained gently. Saphiria put her hands on Riku's shoulders, shoving her face in his.
"But you promised!" Saphiria whimpered.
"Saphiria," Riku murmured. Saphiria rested her head on his chest. He could feel her tears soak through his shirt. He placed a hand on her head.
"It's not going to kill me not to-" Riku stopped. Technically it could. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't get them a hotel room and feed them. He looked up and saw Alex leaning against the wall.
"Want another loan?" he teased. Saphiria turned her head and looked at Alex. "If you want I can pay for your hotel." Saphiria stepped away from Riku and whipped her eyes.
"R-Really?" Saphiria asked. Riku began walking away.
"I don't want a loan," he replied. Saphiria pouted and ran after Riku.
"Come on, please Riku? Why not let him help?" she asked. Riku looked at Saphiria. He could still see the remnants of tears in her eyes. He stopped for a second.
"Fine," Riku replied. Saphiria smiled wide and walked over to Alex. She hugged him.
"Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. Alex patted her head and looked around. Saphiria let go and returned to Riku. "Come on, let's go find you some food!" Riku nodded.
"I'll meet you in the hotel lobby," Alex called walking away. Riku hesitantly nodded and began searching for somewhere to eat.