Chapter 5: The Marsh City
Holiday's view

I woke up.

A couple of things were wrong with my surroundings.

Firstly, sunlight was streaming through a closed window.

Secondly, the room I was in had gyprock walls.

Thirdly, there was a small open cupboard with a coat hanger bar inside it, and hanging on coat hangers were my usual outfit, my field suit and a satchel which seemed to have something in it.

I swung out of the bed and leapt over to the window, slamming it open. Sticking my head out, I looked around.

I was on the second storey of a red building, and a small stream of people was coming and going out of it. Gravel roads wove rather haphazardly between houses, and on the edges they were dotted with small muddy patches. A flock of pigeon-like birds flew through the air.

It looked normal enough.

I stuck my head back in, closed the blinds, and changed.

I looked in the satchel. A small bag with a label "Berries", another bag with no label and plenty of spray-cans labelled "REPEL" occupied it. I pulled the drawstring of the berry bag and tipped it into my hand. A few handfuls of blue spherical fruits and pink heart-shaped ones fell out. Along with them came a typed note: "These berries are Oran (blue) and Pecha (pink).The Oran berries will give you energy and the juice will speed up the healing of cuts and bruises. The Pecha berries will cure any kind of poisoning you may get. Make haste towards Sandgem Town." There it was again. Sandgem. I looked warily at the small fruits, and picked up one of the newly-dubbed Oran berries. I took a bite and a very nice sort of flavour filled my mouth. It was a bit dry with a tang, though not unpleasant, and it left a spicy aftertaste. I felt more wide awake instantly. I liked it. I put the rest back into the pouch, which I placed in the satchel. I reached into the bag, and my hand brushed plastic.

Picking the object up, I discovered a blue-and-yellow fold-out computer of sorts. I pressed a small power button on the inside and pixel words "TOWN MAP" appeared. Raising an eyebrow, I pressed another button and a map of Hokkaido filled the top screen, except there were towns, cities and mountains where there should have been other landmarks. A small hourglass icon appeared on the bottom screen, and then it zoomed its focus towards a place labelled "Pastoria City". A little arrow appeared, pointed to the marked square on the screen, and on the bottom screen the words "YOU ARE HERE" appeared. Must be a GPS, I thought. I selected the search option on the bottom screen and typed "Sandgem". The focus zoomed over to a tiny town near the shore on the bottom left corner of the island. Words appeared on the bottom screen: "Sandgem Town – next to the sea, this town is not only a hotspot for vacationers, but the home of the famous Rowan Pokémon lab."

Pokémon?

Why did that sound familiar?

Wondering, I packed my other belongings into the satchel, shouldered it, and left the room.

Looking around what I guessed was the entrance hall, I saw a few people sitting together, a few wandering, and one teenage boy sitting alone. I started to walk past them.

"...Hey." The teenager had spoken.

I turned to look at his pale face, framed by black hair with one streak of orange. "Yes?"

He looked at my face more closely, and his eyes went wide and he mouthed what suspiciously looked like 'Holiday'. I blinked, and asked, "Are you... looking for someone?"

He looked left and right and replied, "...Not really. I don't know why you're here, or if anyone else from Providence is, but-"

I was shocked. "What?"

He ignored me. "I came here a couple years ago. Probably in the same way as you did. I started having dreams, and then I woke up here one morning... Don't ask. " I was even more shocked. He continued. "Don't make eye contact with anyone. They'll challenge you to a battle, and you don't have any Pokémon. Travel along Route 215, then Route 210. Turn left at Hearthome City and head west, through Mt Coronet, to Oreburgh then Jubilife. Head south and you'll reach Sandgem. Or..." He said, seeing the incredulous look on my face, "you could take this bike to speed up the journey." He handed a walnut-sized sphere to me. I raised an eyebrow. He smiled. "Throw it," he said, "And don't show surprise. I'm Dusk, by the way. Tell Professor Rowan you met me. Arceus be with you." And he vanished into the crowd that was now pouring through the doors towards the exit. "...Arceus?" I muttered. Shaking my head, I walked outside.

I could see how the Marsh City had gotten its name. The bog patches dotting the road's edges were almost quicksand, as I found out after losing control of the bike. Stowing the bike in the same fashion as it had appeared, I left town, following the signs that pointed to Route 215.

That's it! Chapter 5. :D Thanks to anyone who's following!

xXSpiritKeeperXx, signing off~