Chapter Seventeen
Golden Time

"Wow. Goldenrod City. It's changed so much since the last time I was here."

"And when exactly was the last time you were here?" Paul eyed Annabelle with a quiet scepticism.

"I dunno. Beginning of the year maybe? I think I'd taken a trip up to pick up some supplies the breeders here didn't need when I was setting up."

It had taken the better part of a week to arrive in Goldenrod City, yet both Annabelle and Paul had arrived in its bustling hubbub in relatively good moods. Sticky, dirty and smelly they may have been, but the burgeoning view of Goldenrod City in the distance had instantly wiped clean their fatigue.

"A city can't change that much in a few months, can it?"

"Goldenrod… it's like a world of its own," Annabelle smiled as the two jogged across a road before the next car came hurtling down. "There's always something new coming up, something old being taken down or replaced. It's like this great big living… thing."

When Paul returned her a blank stare, she blushed a little and bowed her head down. "Doesn't matter," she said with an airy shrug. "I suppose you're wanting to head straight to Cianwood?"

"You're the one so desperate to get there, you tell me."

"W-well, it probably would be a good idea to get there sooner rather than later." Annabelle chuckled. "You've got to get to Blackthorn soon, yeah?"

"I have… a few weeks to spare," Paul chose his words carefully. "But your… sanction or whatever? Don't you only have a small window of time you can appeal it?"

"Well, I wouldn't know exactly. I've never been sanctioned before."

"So… you're basically just turning up there and hoping for the best?"

"No." Annabelle said coyly. "We are turning up there and hoping for the best."

Paul rolled his eyes.

"Anyway!" Annabelle said grandly. "I was asking because I wanted to know if we should stop at a Pokemon Centre first before heading for the ferry. You know… clean off a little?"

"Is there any point? What if we miss a ferry?"

"Fair point. Well, come on, let's go then."

"You do know where you're going, right?" Paul asked to Annabelle's retreating back, but his voice was lost to the roar of the traffic.

As the two threaded their way through the labyrinth of side streets, Paul allowed his mind to wander. He understood what Annabelle meant about Goldenrod being a law unto itself, although he reasoned he would never have admitted it. He had visited Goldenrod a handful of times in his life, once as a child dragged on an expensive holiday and a few more in his early adult years to visit his sister. All when his parents still held the power over his actions.

The thought of his sister made him cringe and he looked up at down the streets in apprehension, seeing her image in everything. The peppy barista in the coffee shop window. The nonchalant teen checking her phone. The businesswoman clip-clopping down the street in heels altogether too big for her. He bowed his head to continue walking.

Goldenrod was a strange place. That was the only logical conclusion he could ever draw. The smell of backfired cars and grease, mingled with the salty tang of sea air blowing in from somewhere he could not see yet – hidden behind skyscrapers and department stores. A place where everything lay in gridlocked patterns. Even the plants – installed along every street corner – while it was the coffee shops and fast food outlets that sprang up like weeds.

The ferry terminal lay a bit beyond the city limits. Annabelle seemed to know her way, pausing on occasion in a quieter street or intersection to glance around and get her bearings back. They spent more time in wait at road crossings, waiting for the "CROSS" sign to blink green and ferry them safely to the other side.

At first he thought they must have been travelling further and further away from the water's edge. His nostrils filled with the smell of petrol; he couldn't detect the scent of brine and he wondered whether Annabelle knew where she was going after all.

Then, they rounded a corner and after following a harsh uphill climb, he saw it. Like a smudge of paint on an easel, its bright blue azure almost seemed to hum on the horizon. He remembered the ocean from that one time they were on holiday. Sitting on the rooftop of an expensive hotel in the west side of the city, he had gazed over at the strip of blue that looked so small he felt he could have fit it in his fingers. Can't we go and swim in the ocean, he asked his mother. Of course not, she said. We have a pool. We don't need the ocean. And then she spoke of slimy seaweed and fish with teeth and salty pain at the bottom of your feet until Paul let the matter drop.

"It's huge, isn't it?" Annabelle wheezed, her chest juddering up and down with the effort of the uphill climb.

"Huh? What is?"

"The ocean, you dumbass!"

"Oh. Yeah. I guess it is."

The ferry terminal was small and modest, a handful of uniformed staff flitting between the docks and an old building nestled a little way from the water. There were no ships in to dock but the keen-eyed could make out a handful of tiny sailing boats flitted away in the distance. It reminded Annabelle of dancing Surskit she had seen skittering on the pond near her breeders.

All of a sudden, Annabelle dumped her bags down and studied a large, upstanding sign posted at the precipice of the dock. She ran her fingers down the smeared protective glass, muttering what sounded like days and times under her breath. Eventually she stood up, letting out a deep sigh.

"Well, we've literally just missed one."

"You are joking, aren't you?" Paul felt his entire body slump.

"Nope." Annabelle straightened her back. "One a few hours ago."

"Typical. So when's the next one?"

"There's the irony." Annabelle tapped a section of the timetable, highlighted in red. "Apparently there's staff shortages. We're likely going to be stuck here until Saturday."

"Saturday? You mean four days from now Saturday?"

"I don't know any other Saturday, Paul." Annabelle retorted. "But yeah... 9am on Saturday is the next ferry straight to Cianwood."

Paul let out a prolonged groan.

"Cheer up." Annabelle elbowed him in the belly. "It's not like we're short of things to do in Goldenrod. Come on. Let's head straight to the Pokemon Centre and get freshened up?"

.-.

Paul felt he could have stood under the waning water pressure of the Pokemon Centre showers for a month and still not have felt entirely clean. Still, after two rounds of shampoo and so much mud and dust sluiced from his body that it probably could block a drain and become sentient, he stepped out, knowing it was as good as he could realistically achieve.

Annabelle was bouncing around the room when he got back, dishing out plates of pellets to each of the Pokemon. Paul dropped his soaking wet towels to the floor and stepped over them to join Indiana and Ledyba on the bed, now covered in a healthy dose of crumbs.

"Feeling more human yet?" Annabelle teased. Her own dripping wet hair was loose around her shoulders and her bare face looked strangely stark.

"A little," he said. Noticing the Pokemon scarfing down their treats, he felt an envious rumble in the bottom of his stomach. "So, what are we doing for food when this lot is finished?"

"Uh… you know, I was just gonna eat here." Annabelle said quickly.

"What? In Goldenrod?" Paul scoffed. "For the person who couldn't stop harping on about all the things to do here, you don't wanna go out and sample it?"

"Goldenrod is… an expensive place." Annabelle said after a moment. "Not all of us are as well off as you are." She added with a forced laugh.

"I know that," Paul shuffled closer to the edge of the bed. "Surely you must have some money? Some sort of income?"

"My income comes from my Breeders. Which, if you'll remember, is closed for business." She was laughing again, like it meant nothing, but she wouldn't meet Paul's eye. "And it wasn't like I had a lot coming in from that anyway."

"No part time job? Savings? Parents?"

"I ran through most of my savings in the first few months. And as for my parents, after the disaster with my first Pokemon journey – you know, spending all of my Dad's money and then demanding to come home after a few months – they were pretty much adamant I was to make my own way after that." She paused, stopping to nudge a few discarded pellets back in Dusty's direction. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Come on. I've seen the way you flash the cash like it's nothing. You must be loaded."

"Not really."

"You worked, though?"

"Yeah, I worked. Probably not as much as you think, though."

"Then you must save a lot?"

Paul shrugged. "I didn't have a lot of expenses. Rent in my flat is cheap. I get groceries at a reduced price from the supermarket I worked in. And I don't do much outside of work."

When he looked over at Annabelle in expectation of a response, she looked strangely sad. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing." Annabelle looked back up at him. "I just… well, isn't that quite a lonely life?"

"Isn't yours a lonely life too? All alone in that breeders day in and day out. I've never heard you talk about friends or any other family."

"W-well… being a breeder means you don't get a lot of time for friends. A-and I'm not lonely. As long as I have Pokemon around me, I'm not lonely."

"I don't believe that. Everyone needs some sort of human contact now and again. Heck, even I get that."

"I'm not lonely." Annabelle reiterated firmly. Then, she softened and her head dropped down to her chest. "Well… at least not now. Not as much!"

There was silence between them for a few moments. Then a burning question that Paul could contain no longer forced its way out.

"What about after Cianwood?"

"Huh? What about it?"

"Come on, Annabelle. Don't be dumb. After we get you to Cianwood and we sort out the breeding thing, you'll be going home, won't you?"

"Well… yeah," she shrugged. "I need to get the Little Stars back up and running as soon as possible. I can't afford to miss out on any more business."

Paul hesitated. Perhaps he was simply reading too much into this. Or perhaps Annabelle just didn't quite understand what he was getting at. He floundered under her quizzical gaze, searching for the right words to use.

"Well… once we leave Cianwood, you'll be going home, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I… well… I won't be. I'll be heading on to Blackthorn."

"I know."

Her blunt response surprised him and he felt himself withdraw slightly. He felt foolish. Of course Annabelle wouldn't care that they would be going their separate ways. Travelling together was an arrangement of convenience. A means to an end. Embarrassment darkened his cheeks and he turned his head, hoping Annabelle wouldn't see.

"I mean, you'll come visit when you get back, right?"

Her voice was light and airy, her head propped to one side like a curious Growlithe, eyes wide and innocent. Paul's embarrassment flushed even darker. "S-sure. I mean, if you want." He replied gruffly.

Annabelle was smiling now. "Course. You'll have to show me that flawless Riolu when you get him. Let's face it, it might be the closest a lowly breeders' like mine ever gets to seeing something of such a high calibre." She chuckled. "And Ledyba and Indy. I'd like to see how they get on after some more training and travelling."

"Mm." he grunted. "Yeah. I'll bring 'em then."

"I'd like that." Her smile was too bright and too kind. Paul felt that if he looked at it any longer he would probably go blind.

"A-anyway. We kinda... really got off the subject."

"Yep. We did." Annabelle said with a firm nod. "What… was the subject?"

"Food." Paul said with a timely grumble of his stomach. "I wanted to go out for food."

"Oh yeah…"

"Seriously. Let's go out."

"But I can't afford—"

"My treat. And no arguments." He added, just as Annabelle opened her mouth.

He expected protests. An argument. Some sort of promise of "I'll pay you back!" or even a barrage of insults. But instead, her grin spread even wider, she jumped to her feet and grabbed her bag. "Alright then!"

-.-

"So, of all the places in the world you could have picked to eat, you chose a generic Big Bite?"

"Hey, it's cheap and they don't skimp on the portions." Paul said definitively, cramming a handful of fries into his mouth.

"That's for sure." Annabelle said, nervously eyeing the tray in front of her and the formidable pile of meat and grease that constituted "food".

The menu had been alien to her – everything had funny names and descriptions were added in like an afterthought in tiny fine print. The Mt. Ember burger – a monstrosity with four patties, spicy cheese and a generous slathering of chilli beef was a popular choice. The Tyrantum burger was another – a behemoth sporting three patties, six slices of prime bacon, countless slices of cheese and packed to breaking point with crispy onions. Annabelle had looked up and down the menu and other peoples' choices and felt sick, eventually choosing the smallest thing she could identify.

Yet her simple cheeseburger was still around the size of Paul's fist, dripping with cheese and crammed full of pickles and tomatoes. She wasn't quite sure how to tackle it, looked around for anything resembling a knife and fork, but there was nothing. Paul was depositing his eponymous Big Bite Burger – easily twice the size of hers – straight to his mouth with only his hands and an optimistic hope. Annabelle gingerly pulled out the tomatoes and pickles with her fingers like she was playing Jenga, trying to make it a little more manageable.

"Ohh… so good." Paul slurped, tomato sauce dripping down his chin.

"Enjoying that?"

"You have no idea. I wish we had a Big Bite in Cherrygrove. I can't get enough of these whenever I get away from there."

"I suppose that's the price of peace and quiet," Annabelle said coyly, but it was lost on Paul who was too busy devouring his food.

After eating, the two of them once again took to the streets of Goldenrod. It was a warm day with a refreshing breeze and they had an eventual goal of heading to the nearest Pokemart to replenish some supplies. Paul ambled down the road, enjoying for what felt like the first time in forever he was able to walk at his own pace.

Annabelle kept her mind engaged, looking down every street at the endless array of shops, eateries and galleries. There was so much to see in big cities, especially Goldenrod, and she had to stop herself from wandering off down a different street when something caught her eye. She talked aloud, pointing out cute things and practical things and pointless things she would never need to an only occasionally responsive Paul.

It was after a particularly enthusiastic squealing over a Torchic tea cosy that she realised Paul had disappeared from her side. She eventually spotted him halfway down the street, llingering in front of something. He was staring up at the slanted roof of a building unassumingly tucked away between a takeaway food hut and a dishevelled discount goods store.

"Whatcha staring at?" she called, coming to join him.

"This building here. Little Kickers Dojo."

"Clever name," Annabelle said with a chuckle, squinting to read the chalk writing on the board by the door.

"Come and join us for INTENSE training sessions!

Strength! Defence! Speed!

Learn from our experts!

Are you brave enough to take on the Master?!

Sessions: Monday to Friday

9am to 6pm

All Welcome"

"I like the little drawing." Annabelle pointed out a crudely sketched monster under the writing. "It's a Hitmonlee. Right?"

"If the Hitmonlee had a nasty accident, maybe."

"But what's so special about a dojo?" Annabelle asked. "So special you had to stop in the middle of the street for it?"

"I've never seen one before." He admitted. "Dojos weren't a big thing in the games. I was just… curious… as to… as to their purpose, I get. Obviously… you know a bit more than me about… this real life shit so…"

He was turning steadily redder the longer he spoke.

"Well, dojos kinda… they filled this gap in the market for trainers, cos there weren't many place for trainers to go specifically to train. I mean, yeah, you could battle random people on the streets or challenge Gyms but there was nowhere to kinda… learn from other trainers and refine skills. That's what Dojos do, essentially. But you generally only get them in big cities. Oh! And sometimes the people in charge put on tournaments and really fun competitions like scavenger hunts against other dojos."

"Wow. Tour guide Annabelle."

Annabelle tipped an imaginary hat. "Thank you!"

"So, anyone can walk in and train?"

"So far as I know, yeah. There's loads of space and equipment, plus people to battle and masters to learn from. Why? Do you wanna go in?"

"Well… I was thinking it might be best. I've got a Ledyba who is… well, a Ledyba. And Indiana doesn't know much at all. I need to do something to train them. I can only do so much with trees and rocks."

"Very true. Well, if you wanna stop by, I don't mind."

It was all the invitation Paul needed. The doors had swung open and he had disappeared inside before Annabelle could protest. Letting out a fond sigh, she shook her head and stretched out her aching limbs.

Around her, the city moved on. People wove in and around her like she wasn't even there. She had loved cities for that reason as long as she could remember. She felt safe in cities. Protected. Safe. Anonymous in the crowds of people. People rushed by and didn't see her. Didn't even register her beyond another blank face in a sea of many.

She had to push aside the sentimentality. They would only be here a few days, then it would be purely business from then on. The thought of the impending hearing at Cianwood was like a heavy weight across her shoulders, pressing her all the way into the ground so that every step was an effort. What could she say? What could she do? How could she convince them to lift the sanction? And what would happen to Paul after she was gone?

"Stop worrying, Annabelle…" She chastised herself. "Everything will be fine. It has to be."

Reassured for the moment, she pushed the door open and slowly followed Paul inside.

Author's Note

Wow. I'm sorry. That's all I can say. I've actually had this chapter completed for about two weeks but never had the chance to put it up.

Work got in the way. As did Pokemon Go. And applying for university. And a week or so of complete nihilism didn't help whatsoever either.

I'll try really hard to keep releasing chapters. I have a fun few ideas planned for the next couple of chapters and after that we'll be delving back into the proper storyline.

Thanks for keeping up, guys, if anyone out there is still reading this!

See you next time.