Finding a Bellsprout meant venturing out of the city again, something I didn't feel like doing. I wanted to find a place to drink some water, maybe take a bath too if the water wasn't too deep and nobody was looking. Maybe I'll find a pond on my way. I didn't want to go back on my words. Effie valued my words, and I wasn't about to let her down.
As I remembered, the eastern exit would lead us into the wilderness again. The Pokemon Center was also close to that gate, so maybe we'd run into Cheryl and Kemuri on the way.
My intuition turned out to be correct, as we found Cheryl sprawled on her back on the rooftop of the Pokemon Center, eyes closed, her long tail dangling from the side.
"Cheryl! You okay there?" Effie called out. I was afraid she might act spiteful towards Cheryl, but to my relief, she sounded as cordial as ever.
Cheryl's eyes darted open. "Lady Effie! And Nemo, too! I feel fine, thank you."
She rolled over on her stomach, rubbed her face and got back on her hindlegs. Cheryl looked quite well now. She most likely got herself treated here. I couldn't spot Kemuri. The city was slightly noisy at this hour, so I couldn't track things using sound anymore. Maybe he was nearby, hunting or seeking an even warmer place. The sun was starting to get to me, but it was probably not hot enough for a Fire-type.
"Good to see you two have made up. The way you just left, Lady Effie, you had me worried." Cheryl spoke again before swiftly climbing down from the top of that building. I envied her ability to move so swiftly. I could run pretty fast in open places, but skillful maneuvering wasn't my strong suite. Her words got me wondering exactly what happened in the morning. Has Effie told the two about my true identity? I doubted it, she didn't seem like the type to gossip.
"Nemo is a good guy, you can't stay mad at him." Effie let out a soft laugh before turning serious. "Where is that Vulpix? Did he run off already?"
"He wanted to say goodbye to his pack and get their blessings. He looked pretty excited about finding Yuki-hime." Cheryl informed us. She was no longer going off blabbering at every turn of the conversation, which I thought to be a good thing. Maybe this was what she was really like without stimulants in her system.
"So, he's coming with us?" I asked. I did tell Kemuri that he could tag along, but I didn't seriously think he'd take up on that offer. It meant he was no longer frightened of us or held a grudge, which was a good thing. Being at odds with my family my whole life, I loathed the feeling of having to constantly watch over my back.
"Hey, Nemo -" Effie leaned in closer to my ears before lowering her voice into a whisper, "I don't really trust him. You might want to reconsider."
"I will." I affirmed. I couldn't figure out what she was worried about, but I didn't need to decide anything just yet. I wasn't planning to leave this city anytime soon unless things went haywire. I still had to find a Bellsprout to vouch for us, consult with the people at the Sprout Tower, maybe check up on grandma in secret, too. She was the only family member who had been unconditionally nice to me. I'd hate myself if we were in the same city and I didn't even get a chance to look at her. So we had plenty of time to decide if we wanted Cheryl or Kemuri to come along. What was Cheryl's motivation, anyway? Now that I thought about it, she never said she'd keep traveling with us.
"Ah, budding love." Cheryl said in a teasing manner, causing me to jump away.
"It's nothing like that! Just a strategy meeting!" I protested, while Effie simply looked amused. She probably got a lot of attention from the boys, so she was probably used to getting teased for it, too. I didn't feel like prying into her personal life. But I had to admit, if I saw her getting too friendly with another boy, I'd probably feel a little jealous. She was the first friend I made in my new life, I'd hate to see her taken away by someone else.
"What are you planning, Mountain God?" Cheryl wouldn't let up.
"Please stop calling me that." I sighed. "I want to find a Bellsprout."
"Yes, only I get to call him that." Effie tapped her paw on the ground. "Isn't that right, Mountain God Nemo?"
"Actually, that's the first time you called me that." I pointed out, causing her to pipe down.
After explaining to them what a Bellsprout looked like and how the people at the Tower held them in very high regards, we set off to find one. Surprisingly, neither of them were familiar with the creature. I had interacted with them in school, they were pretty timid and friendly; maybe finding one wouldn't be as troublesome as tracking down a Vulpix.
The guard at the gate gave us a weird look, but let us pass without inquiries. I guess our odd trio was bound to get some unwanted attention now and then. At least nobody was chasing us around or anything.
The gate led into the outskirts of the city. I didn't know what was the name or number of this route, and I couldn't find a road sign indicating it. There was a cave in the distance, a pond on the side of the road, and finally, some vast grassy areas as well. The grass would be the most likely spot to find a Bellsprout, but there were hindrances - a bunch of people lurked nearby, too. Judging from a large net one of them was carrying, they specialized in Bug-type Pokemon. I couldn't tell if the others were trainers or not, but I couldn't risk getting their attention. I should've anticipated this, but I didn't. I've been a little too relaxed today for my own good. I had stopped analyzing every sound that came within my earshot, for starters. It gets tiring after a while.
"What do you want to do with them?" Effie asked, pointing at one of the guys. We hadn't been spotted yet; I was hiding behind a tree, Cheryl climbed atop another, and Effie was behind me. Her pink color would stand out quite easily in these grasslands.
"You tell me. You're more experienced with the world than I am." I asked for her suggestion.
"I could distract them." Cheryl offered.
"That'll scare the Bellsprout away." Effie said. "Why don't we come back later?"
I took their thoughts into consideration. Effie had a point. If we started a ruckus around here, the ones we were after will probably just flee. They were pretty timid to begin with. Plant-like creatures running around was also an unnerving sight, in my opinion.
"I guess we'll have to come back later." I concluded. We couldn't come back at night, either. Being Grass-type, Bellsprout preferred the sunlight. We might have to try again in the afternoon or come back again tomorrow to try our luck. Maybe we won't need to find one at all if they let us inside the Tower.
So we headed back into the city once more. Life doesn't always go your way, I knew that all too well.
We slowly walked back into the town square and then sought out some shade behind a statue. The sun felt scalding on my furs. My ears radiated away a lot of heat, but it didn't seem to be enough to cool me down. I checked the PokeGear. It was a little past noon. Around the same time Effie and I had set out on our journey from the Burned Tower. I wondered what Roro and Rori were doing right now. I was beginning to wish I had simply stayed there instead of leaving on this uncertain journey. I was too afraid to stay in my hometown then, but right now, it seemed pretty tempting to give up on my quest and return there. Effie used to live there, right? Maybe we could live there together, along with the others. Maybe I'll do just that once things settle down and people stop trying to find me. I thought about mom and dad for a fleeting moment. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to see them again. I forcibly shook my head, trying to ward off the slip of judgment. I can't go back there. It wasn't my home anymore.
"What's wrong?" Cheryl asked. It was just the two of us; Effie had excused herself from our group after reaching the town square, saying that she sensed something threatening and wanted to investigate.
"Nothing, I kind of miss my home." I ended up admitting. "Do you ever miss yours, Cheryl?" I tried to keep the conversation moving to distract her from getting too curious about where I actually come from.
She thought for a moment before answering. "Sometimes. Living with Whitney had been nice. But I had to leave."
"Why?" I asked. She seemed pretty fond of Whitney, so I doubted she got kicked out or anything.
"I didn't really belong there. Not good enough to be with the rest of the team. There was this devious Miltank who could take out an entire team of challengers on her own."
I didn't like the mental image it conjured - a very angry-looking Miltank running around the stadium, mercilessly knocking its opponents out by headbutting them. It probably knew other moves, but I couldn't imagine how a Miltank could be that powerful. But I didn't feel like asking Cheryl anything else, I knew how it felt like to be not good enough.
"I'm sorry." I apologized.
"What for? I'm happy, you know. I get to meet those like you and Kemuri; Lady Effie, too." She paused to take a breath. "Don't you think Kemuri is cute?"
Her question caught me off-guard.
"Well, yes, he is." I simply said.
A Vulpix looked pretty adorable, Kemuri was no exception. But why was she asking me that? And when is he supposed to return?
"When is he coming back?" I asked out loud.
Cheryl glanced at the sun. "Before dark, he said. Why are you all looking for Yuki-hime, again?"
I couldn't decide whether to tell Cheryl the truth; if she doesn't already know, then it might be better to not let her know at all.
Before I could tell her anything, however, I noticed Effie in my peripheral vision. She was dashing towards us, looking frightened. It was so unlike of her that I began feeling frightened, too. What could possibly scare someone like her?
"Nemo, Cheryl, hide!" She shouted.
"What is it?" I shouted back, scanning the area for any place that might be a good place to hide. There were houses a short distance away, we could break into a garden or something.
Effie reached us within seconds. "That man." She panted, "That man from yesterday."