CHAPTER 13

"Riverwood Town?" Rylan asked. "So you can get supplies in town?"

"Yep," Vulpix said. "Just follow us, and you'll see for yourself."

Vulpix and Buizel quickly exited the guild with Rylan following right behind them. Rylan glanced around the forest, remembering all that had happened recently every time he left the guild.

"Are you nervous?" Vulpix asked. "You're just staring off into space."

"Well, I suppose… Yeah," replied Rylan. "After everything with Raticate, I'm hoping I don't see him around ever again."

"Just stick with us," said Buizel. "We know this forest inside and out, so finding Riverwood Town is second nature to us."

"All right," said Rylan.

The two led Rylan through the thick forest, eventually coming to a halt at a small group of trees.

"Let's see… Rylan, look over here," said Vulpix, pointing to the trees.

"Is there something about these trees?" Rylan asked.

Vulpix nodded. "These trees have intertwined branches. Gallade said that the two Grass-type Pokémon who built most of Riverwood Town were the best of friends with each other. They played in these trees all the time. They had to go their separate ways after the town had been finished, but they intertwined these branches as a symbol of their unity and friendship before they parted. The trees also serve as a marker for locating the town itself."

Rylan looked closely at the branches. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"See how some of these intertwined branches are pointing to one side?" Vulpix asked. "One of the Grass Pokémon made them point towards the town so that the other, who was leaving, could always return to this tree and locate the masterpiece he helped to create."

"It's an interesting story," Buizel added. "Such a friendship is a wonderful thing to experience in life. Wherever those Pokémon are now, I hope they're happy."

Rylan remembered Vulpix asking him if the two of them could be friends. He also remembered how happy he was being with Vulpix before.

"Vulpix," Rylan asked, "are we…friends?"

Vulpix blinked. "Why would you ask such a silly question? Of course we're friends."

"I just… I don't think I know what a friend really is," Rylan said.

"Well, when you're with me, what do you feel in your heart?" Vulpix asked.

Rylan put a paw to his chest, though he knew Vulpix didn't mean "heart" in a literal sense.

"My heart…" he started.

Vulpix smiled. "Go on."

"I do enjoy talking to you, and I feel… Well, when you talk to me, I feel less burdened. I don't know what is burdening me, but whenever we talk, I can feel it fly away… That doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"Makes enough sense to me," Vulpix said cheerfully. "See? We're friends, and there's no doubt about it."

Rylan looked up at the trees again. What he just realized about himself and what he learned before… He started to think about all the negative traits he had been displaying since he woke up among the flowers. What kind of life was he living before arriving here? It must have been pretty depressing.

"We should get going," said Buizel. "The missions won't wait forever."

"Oh, yes," said Vulpix. "Come on, Rylan."

Rylan nodded and turned to follow the others as they left.

The three of them proceeded down the path indicated by the direction the tree branches were pointing. A short walking distance later, they arrived at a quietly flowing river. Buizel walked over to the edge of the calm water and dipped his hind paw into it.

"I hope we can have a vacation someday," he said. "I'd love to come here and swim in this river all day."

"Here's the river," Rylan said, "so, where's the town?"

"Just over there, across the river," said Vulpix, pointing.

Rylan looked ahead. He could see several small buildings standing, and many Pokémon were entering and leaving the vicinity. "Wow," he said. "That's pretty cool."

"Let's go," said Vulpix. "There's a bridge nearby that we can use to cross to the other side of the river."

Rylan spotted the bridge in the distance. It was constructed rather well and appeared to be quite safe. The three made their way over to the bridge and crossed it, then continued their pace into the town.

"I never knew Pokémon built towns," Rylan said as he looked around. "I admit, after seeing the guild, I shouldn't be surprised by this, but this Pokémon world really fascinates me sometimes."

"Well, you learn something new every day," Vulpix said. "Now, let's show you around town."

Vulpix pointed to various different facilities around the town, explaining their purpose as she did so.

"The town is maintained by Grass and Water Pokémon, and they take very good care of it," she explained. "First of all, we have Quagsire's Bank. Any money we find on missions and receive as rewards is stored here. Next, we have Kangaskhan's Storage. Her business is very popular around this region as well as others. She stores items we don't need at the moment but can utilize for later missions."

"Over there is the item shop," she continued, pointing ahead. "Vaporeon and Leafeon sell a variety of useful items, food, and TMs."

"TMs?" Rylan asked. "You mean they have Technical Machines here?"

"Yes, they do," Vulpix replied. "As you most likely already know, TMs teach different techniques to Pokémon."

Vulpix pointed to the last few buildings. "The Synthesis Station is run by Tropius. It was named as such because it was quite popular among Grass Pokémon, but all types visit it nowadays to relax and rejuvenate with a nice, refreshing drink. Breloom's Dojo is pretty close by. You should go there if you ever need some training. Finally, we have Ludicolo's Link Shop. For a small price, Ludicolo can teach you how to effectively combine your techniques to gain an advantage in battle."

"Neat," Rylan commented. "Where's the best place to start?"

"Best place would be the Item Shop," Buizel replied. "You never know when extra supplies may come in handy."

The group entered town, and Rylan took his time looking around. Seeing this place, an entire town constructed and managed by Pokémon, was very fascinating to him. As they neared the Item Shop, Rylan could see a variety of things for sale. There were apples, berries, gummies, TMs, odd-looking orbs, and a wide assortment of ribbons and bows.

Vulpix and Buizel approached the Pokémon who ran the shop, Vaporeon and Leafeon, gleefully conversing with them as they made a few purchases, though Rylan stayed behind. For one, he was still feeling a bit shy. Two, he had no money on his person, so he couldn't buy anything. He started to feel pretty useless as he watched his friends pick out a few choice ribbons for their next mission. After a minute or two, Vulpix and Buizel returned to meet up with Rylan.

"Did you find anything you needed?" Rylan asked.

"Yep," Vulpix replied. "And, in fact…"

Vulpix smiled and held out her paw to Rylan. She was holding a scarf.

Rylan looked surprised. His heart started to beat a bit faster. Was Vulpix giving him a gift?

"I…I can't take this, Vulpix," he stammered. "Really."

"Come on, I know you don't have any money," Vulpix said. "I had a little to spare, and the mission we're going on today calls for a good physical attack specialist such as yourself, so we're going to really need your help. Please use this Power Band."

Rylan reached to accept it, but hesitated.

"I suppose I could always accept it if you can't," Buizel said. Rylan grumbled and took the Power Band. "Thank you," he said to Vulpix. "By the way, what kind of mission are we going to do?"

"I've accepted the task of finding and apprehending an outlaw Graveler," Vulpix said. "He's hiding in Stone Overpass, where a recent rockslide has helped him escape the authorities. Officer Magnezone and his team are having trouble finding volunteers to clear the rocks, so I figured the three of us could really help them out, especially you and Buizel since Fighting and Water Pokémon shouldn't have much trouble clearing away such obstructions."

Fighting types were capable of smashing rocks? It sounded like every man's fantasy to Rylan. He could never hope to smash rocks with his bare hands as a human, but after what he did to Raticate, he started to feel a bit of confidence in his abilities as a Pokémon. "All right," he said. "I'll help."

"Thanks," Vulpix said. "Now, are we all set?"

Rylan checked his pack. He had set aside a few fruits from breakfast to help him on the mission since he couldn't buy any himself just yet, and there was always the possibility of finding edibles while at the mission location. He also saw the conch shell concealed underneath the supplies and remembered that the Pokémon who intended for him to receive it was an outlaw. He began to wonder if Graveler was the Pokémon who was looking for him.