Author's Note:
I actually had to debate with myself whether the review that earned this chapter should count, but in trying to decide I came up with a new plot point to help fill out the story, so I decided that was useful enough. Also this review came nearly instantly after I announced the next chapters would be longer, so Kudos to realizing that you were a review away from the longest chapter yet!
The moral of the story is that just because one person reviews doesn't mean you shouldn't. It may not always impact you right away, but more reviews will help me write more efficiently and more often. So before you go read this next chapter, go back and tell me if I made the ceremony suspenseful enough.
I will also remind you that bonus chapters require a review too for bonus chapters consecutive weeks.
Now on to the fun stuff! I noticed this chapter was missing a few descriptions when I gave it one last review, but I may have missed some, so let me know if you feel there are any descriptive elements (body gestures, thought processes, emotions, environmental details, ect.) missing either in the reviews or via PM.
Lastly, I introduce to you mid-chapter line breaks!
Today is 7/12/2015 and this chapter is 2400+ words.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, just dream it.
Chapter 11: The Townfox
The forest rejoiced as dawn vibrantly painted the shadows of night with vibrant colors of day. The day promised to be bright, sunny, and full of activity, at least that's what the meteorologists predicted according to Melody.
"People survive by simply predicting the weather?" Kieren asked in curiosity. He and Melody had only made a minute's stride into their new journey from the edge of a forest clearing where they slept for the night. Melody made sure to pick a spot where the sun would wake them bright and early before any other members of the tribe found them.
"People survive doing all sorts of different jobs," Melody explained. "They have businesses for everything. Some manage money. Some provide health. Some invent new forms of technology. There's even businesses for entertainment."
"How come we don't do that? Wouldn't that make our tribe stronger?" Kieren asked while staring at the glittering dew on the roots of trees.
"Your tribe actually behaves like one business."
"What kind of business?" Kieren asked, turning towards the vulpix.
"Well, you provide products made from nature, especially rare and powerful medicines, so you're very prominent in the medical industry," Melody answered with a snap of her six tails.
"And your family runs that business aspect in town?" Kieren tried.
"Well my parents do," Melody confessed. She turned her gaze ahead. "I simply deliver the letters and transactions."
"And what about Taylor?"
"The vaporeon officer? He handles supply counts according to Celestia's plan."
"Hah! That's another thing my lame father was supposed to do," Kieren scoffed, rolling his eyes and turning away. Melody dropped her tails as her eyes widened in shock.
"Regulate supplies? That's a fulltime job itself! How could you get anything else done?"
"I meant my father was supposed to create the supply plans, not Celestia," Kieren grumbled.
"Oh," said Melody. Like yesterday she had lead Kieren into another personal topic, although this time Kieren was more open about it. She allowed silence to fall between them as they walked onwards. Eventually the trees stopped. Around them was a field of grass as vast as the forest itself. Kieren stared at the upward slope in front of him, curious at what was hidden behind it. He had never wandered outside of the forest. He noticed how all the green strips of plant life from the earth all swayed in unison in every rush of breeze, causing streaks of reflected sunlight to shimmer off the morning dew. So was this Melody's world?
"Just start walking up the hill; I'll catch up," said Melody as she dashed off. Kieren had only made it halfway when Melody returned with her satchel.
"That was quick," Kieren remarked.
"Nah. I ran while you walked," Melody answered. "Anyways, I have a few things to deliver, so I thought I could give you a tour of the city in the process. And then we can decide what to do from there."
"The city?" Kieren asked, but Melody didn't have time to answer before Kieren stopped midstride. He gazed up in awe at the towers and patterns of white and grey that bloomed in the skyline with majesty and perfection. "Wow! That place is huge!" Excitement danced through his blood as his curiosity overwhelmed his senses.
"Welcome to Eon City!" Melody announced, only to realize that Kieren was already making a mad dash over the top of the hill and onwards.
Fortunately, Melody was able to catch up as Kieren was there waiting by the street for her, unsure of what was going on. His head raced back and forth at every car that passed from either direction.
"Those are cars, Kieren," Melody patiently explained as she walked up next to him. "People use them to get around the city quicker, as well as move between cities."
Kieren turned and nodded. He figured there was a reason why they only existed on that weird, hard, flat path, but it was probably too complicated for him.
"So how do we get to the city without being hit by one of those car-things?" he asked.
"This way," Melody responded swinging her head as she turned to the right.
They made stride in the grass alongside the road; Kieren was listening intently as Melody gave him a lecture on street safety.
"So is this a sidewalk?" Kieren asked as they approached a paved path ahead that crossed over the street via bridge.
"It's actually just a 'walking path.' It doesn't run alongside a street," Melody answered. "As you will see in a few minutes, though, it will turn into a sidewalk."
Kieren nodded again, attempting to craft the distinction in his mind. They crossed the bridge and continued to walk. The buildings growing closer and closer until suddenly the path veered off to the left next to a road; a road, Kieren noticed, which went right through the city.
To Melody's expectations, Kieren was dashing off again, being dragged ahead by his strong sense of curiosity, but this time she was right behind. Kieren didn't make it far before he stopped, catching Melody by surprise as she flew past her now oblivious friend. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
"Kieren! This is downtown! Come on! There's plenty to see!"
"But…what if…they catch us?" Kieren asked, stuttering with nervousness as he stared at all the people who wandered about with their bags which way and that.
Melody chuckled.
"Trainers' pokemon roam through here all the time. No one will ever guess we're wild. Plus I can speak to them, so there's nothing to worry about," Melody boasted with confidence.
Kieren tentatively began to follow the red fox.
To Kieren's surprise, Melody was right. People hardly took notice as the two of them strolled along between the various shops and businesses.
"So what do these businesses all do?" Kieren asked, grazing his glance back and forth across all the signs and doorways on the busy streets.
"Well most of these places are shops where people can go and buy what they want with the money they have," Melody explained.
"Hey that place sells elemental stones!" Kieren shouted, pointing to a banner in the air ahead. He especially recognized the signature lightingbolt on the yellow thunderstone painted with excellent detail against the red background.
"Yep. That's Horizons: Treasures and Apparel," Melody read. That's where we buy the ceremony stones from. Come on! Let's go inside!"
"Wait, we're going inside?" Kieren asked, but Melody was skipping ahead as she turned in through the doorway. Kieren shortly followed.
"Morning Tommy! Melody greeted as she stepped inside and approached the back counter of the small shop, fanning her tails in merry greeting.
"Why if it isn't Aubrey's daughter Melody!" the man acknowledged with a chuckle that spawned from deep within his gut. "How ya doin'? And look you've brought a friend along! Is he from the reserve too?"
"Sure is!" Melody cheered. "This is Kieren. I'm giving him a tour around the city. Anyways, I have with me an order shipment reception confirmation you requested after the incident yesterday."
"Ah. Thank You. If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about that," Tommy requested.
"Sure, what have you heard so far?" Melody asked, jumping up onto the counter.
"Just a sec. Your friend looks a little confused," the man noted, turning Melody's gaze to a stupefied Kieren. "Kieren! Feel free to look around and try stuff on. See what you like and don't like while we chat over here."
"Kieren, shopping doesn't mean you have to buy things. You might even discover a little about yourself," Melody added, after noticing Kieren wasn't moving. Kieren shrugged and began to wander around observing both the various stones, some of which he didn't recognize, and the apparel of the same shapes as the ones humans outside wore. Meanwhile Melody and Tommy discussed the previous day's events. Their conversation continued with the ceremony, and Tommy was pleased to hear that it was a success; nevertheless, he was surprised to also hear about Kieren's trouble.
"So you're having trouble deciding what to evolve into, huh, Kieren?" Tommy asked.
"Dude this hat looks awesome on me!" Kieren blurted without a clue as to what he was asked.
Melody laughed. "I think that's my sign we need to get going. See ya later Tommy!" She hopped down and walked towards the exit. "Come on Kieren. Put the hat back and let's go explore some more." Tommy laughed with a "Thanks for coming!" as he watched the two leave.
Now with his newfound knowledge of what a store was like, Kieren took interest in what each of the shops had to offer as he and Melody trotted down the street.
"Hey, what's that big place up ahead?" he asked, lifting his head up to a building with lots of flashing lights.
"That's the movie theatre I've always told you about," Melody answered with delight.
"Really? That's so cool! And what's that place? It don't look like a store either." Kieren could not contain his excitement and curiosity, learning all about his best friend's secret world.
"That's a bank."
"Hey, isn't that the money saving place?" Kieren asked.
"One of them," Melody answered, happy he was catching on.
"There's more than one?"
"There's more than one of almost everything in the city, and they all have different names."
Kieren nodded with only partial understanding, but his curiosity continued as he glanced to the left. "What about that place? And why is everybody there fat?"
"That's Galactic Burgers, a fast food restaurant," Melody answered with a slight giggle at Kieren's observation. "And the people are fat because the food is shit."
"Literally?" Kieren asked.
"Pretty close."
"Damn!" Kieren remarked. "Sounds like the perfect place to ditch Samantha on a fake date!" Melody laughed at his ridiculously cheesy humor. Kieren turned ahead, realizing that there were no more shops but rather the towering buildings decorated with windows he first saw from the hillside.
"Where to next?" he asked, turning back to his friend with a slightly lost expression.
"The Pokemon Center," Melody replied.
"What's the Pokemon Center?" Kieren asked tilting his head slightly as they continued along in a new direction.
"It is a place where trainers can take their pokemon to be nourished back to health after battles or other incidents." Melody explained. "Every Pokemon Center is run by a Nurse Joy that is a specialist in pokemon medicine and recovery. She'll even care for wild pokemon that trainers may find in need of help."
Kieren paused, taking in all the information Melody gave her. "Were you ever taken there?"
"Once."
"Really? What happened?" Kieren's face shot up in astonishent.
"Well it's kinda embarrassing." Melody slurred blushing a deep red.
"Alright. We don't have to talk about it," Kieren responded, allowing Melody to relax in relief. "Is this it?" Kieren asked looking up at one of the buildings.
"Yep. They all have that red and white symbol at the top," Melody confirmed, nearly astonished at the pace Kieren was learning.
"Cool!" Kieren said excitedly before dashing off with Melody on his tail.
"Morning Nurse Joy!" Melody greeted as they entered the Pokemon Center.
"Good morning, Melody. I suppose you have the medicine catalog today?"
"Right here," Melody responded cheerfully as she reached into her satchel and handed the nurse an envelope. The nurse took it and ripped it open while Kieren observed the surroundings. There was a strange sense of familiarity to it. Had he been here before? The nurse stood behind a counter which encased a doorway to a large room with all sorts of machinery. On the left side of a counter was another doorway that a large round pokemon walked through wheeling some table-like mechanism.
"Are these patients?" the creature asked. Kieren assumed it was called a 'Chansey' based on the way it communicated.
"Chansey, can you check on the other patients?" Nurse Joy asked not fully understanding the Pokemon's question.
Around the room were empty chairs and benches. It was a quiet day at the Pokemon Center. On the right side of the counter was an open hallway with several cushioned benches and tables.
"Oh, good. I see you have Oscillerperoxcidrydone Emphcillicynidrin." Nurse Joy stated. Kieren turned to her blankly not comprehending the strange pattern of syllables she produced. His reaction caught the nurse's attention. "My apologies. I don't believe your friend remembers me."
"This is Kieren. He's from the reserve. I'm giving him a tour of the city today," Melody explained. "And what do you mean by remember you?"
"Nevermind," Nurse Joy answered while turning towards Kieren. "It's great to see another pokemon from the reserve. Why don't you two stay for lunch? I have plenty of questions to ask if you don't mind."
"No problem. And thank you," Melody answered. As the nurse turned away, she gave a sneaky glance at Kieren. His gaze was stuck on one particular hallway which Melody knew lead to several intensive care units. A suspicious thought crossed her mind. She shivered.
"Here you go. How does it taste?" Nurse Joy asked as she handed Kieren and Melody plates of food.
"Excellent!" Melody applauded after biting into the crisp kibble filled with a blend of berries and vegetables. Kieren nodded in agreement after tasting the food himself.
"So where are you off to next?" Joy asked.
"Well," Melody began, turning to Kieren, "that's up to Kieren. The main reason he's out here is because he can't decide what to evolve into."
"Zach," Kieren recalled. His ears sprung up catching Nurse Joy's attention.
"Zach? Who's Zach?" Melody asked confused.
"The warden's son," Kieren answered, staring into space, as his fur stiffened.
"Zach the warden's son?" Melody asked, speaking human so that Nurse Joy could understand.
"Oh, you must mean Mr. Clesse's son Zachary. He has been working at the country club on the west side of the city."
"The country club?" asked an elated Melody.
"That's right!" Nurse Joy confirmed. "Mr. Clesse owns both the country club and the reserve so he can please both people and pokemon. His son Zach has been working extra hours there for an upcoming event. He knows a lot about raising eevee as well." Kieren stood in excitement upon hearing that Zach was an eevee expert. A glance at Melody told him she had something else on her mind. She turned to him with excitement littered all over her smug face.
"Kieren, wait until you see this!"
Author's Note: So do you like the longer chapters? Do you like the city setting? Did Kieren make you laugh? Could you visualize every detail in the scene? Who's your favorite character so far in the story? Who do you want to see more of? Can any of you guess what happens next? Are any of these questions rhetorical? Nope. So if you get stuck writing a review, answer a minimum of 1 questions (bad grammar intentional) and you are good to go! Stay safe this summer! ~Dreaming I'm Latios