Ch. 6: The Jubilife Ruins
The bustling city of Jubilife, a prosperous city where both pokemon and humans would go about their daily lives. The tv station broadcasting the latest shows, whether it was some kid catching a Bidoof or the weather in Snowpoint, everyone had a chance to shine. The Poketch company advertised their products by giving free products to the few privileged people who were chosen to answer incredibly easy questions from clowns. The trainer school was filled with eager students, ready to learn about the basics a trainer needed to know about pokemon. But this was all a long time ago, and the city was only a shadow of what it once was. The school and station were all destroyed, believed to promote independent thoughts which Team Galactic did not approve of at all.
Free thoughts led to emotions and as the Supreme Overlord Cyrus stated, "Emotions are naught but weak illusions that cannot stand against death." And though he could not stop people from feeling, he could do his best to try.
Few apartments still stood and the poketch company went out of business years ago, they were now rare objects to obtain. Jubilife was now considered the slums of the Sinnoh region. Bryce walked along the worn out road, it didn't even faze him that the city was once so full of life. Hardly anything caused by the corrupt monarchy mattered that much. But Turtwig seem unnerved, she kept looking around, he eyes wide as she examined the ruins.
She'd never heard of what'd happen to the outside world, and why should she? She was only born a month ago in captivity with the other two pokemon. Hatched from an egg in a largely sheltered life, she realized that truly, ignorance is bliss. Bryce noticed his nervous Turtwig after a couple of minutes in the city. He stooped down and scooped her up in an attempt of comfort, he tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.
So he kept walking until they arrived at Pokemon Center. He pushed the doors open and a pink-haired woman smiled back at him. A Happiny stood on the desktop next to her and started to dance around at his arrival. "Good Afternoon!" She recited in a well rehearsed voice. "Welcome to the Jubilife Pokemon Center! May I heal your pokemon?" 'Happiny Happiny!' chirped the pink pokemon obviously trying to help.
Bryce nodded and put the Tiny Leaf pokemon down on the ground, pulled out her pokeball, returned her, and handed it to Nurse Joy. She smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of your Turtwig." 'Happiny!' She turned around and placed the pokeball in the tray with a sign above it stating, "15 Minute Waiting Period" Bryce took the opportunity to pull out his pokedex and scanned the baby Happiny.
Happiny, the Playhouse Pokemon. Happiny carries around an egg-shaped rock in imitation of Chansey, it gives the rock to its friends.
Bryce tickled it under its chin while it gave a peal of laughter in response, flailing its arms and legs. The mention of Chansey however, reminded him. "Miss, don't nurse pokemon have to be trained for this sort of job? I mean, Happiny looks as though she was born a little while ago." Joy sighed at the words, her braids visibly drooping as though to symbolize her emotions. "I'm afraid, her mother passed away last week, so we're shorthanded. She's here so she can have a little experience before she's sent to the Nurse's School." Bryce blinked, "They still allow those?" Joy smiled a bit warily, "Of course, even Team Galactic need someone to heal their pokemon. She was actually my mother's partner, "She stated, mentioning Happiny's mother once more. "before this happened," She motioned out the window with an outstretched arm at the ruins. Bryce nodded, "I'm sorry about that."
Joy withdrew her arm, nodded and wiped her eyes, her back still turned to him as though she was putting all her attention into the machine that was healing Turtwig. "It's alright, she had a nice long life, but it's a little hard when you lose a childhood friend. I'm not sure you'd understand." A vision of Brandon flashed in Bryce's head as soon as the words were spoken. "I understand completely" He murmured a bit more to himself than to Joy. Happiny, sensing his displeasure, put a small hand on his forehead to gain his attention and started to do her dance again which resulted in a tiny smile from Bryce.
After a few minutes, the machine "dinged!" and Bryce received his pokeball once again which he hung on his belt. He noticed a row of video phones and walked over to them. He inserted 50 Pokes and dialed his mom's number. After a few rings, Dawn's face showed up on the screen and beamed at him. After a few ritual "Hello's", "How are you's?" and "Have you changed your underwear?" Bryce hung up and noticed a poster on the wall. A Torterra and an Empoleon were facing each other, sparks visible between their eyes while over their heads read, "The Pokemon League! The ultimate test to determine the best of the best! Don't hesitate, sign up now!" Underneath it was a blank white sheet with a couple of names scrawled on it. Bryce shrugged and picked up the pen provided on the table under it and signed up to. "Well, I guess if I want to be strong enough to overtake Team Galactic and get back Brandon, this is the best way to do it," He murmured to himself.
He started to walk out the door but was stopped by a call from Nurse Joy, "Wait! You signed up for the Pokemon League right?" Bryce turned around and nodded, walking back to the counter. "Well you're going to need these, Happiny?" The playhouse pokemon held out two rectangular items, one that looked entirely too heavy for her. This was proven when she toppled off the counter, but Bryce was already reaching out to grab the items so he managed to catch her in time. She smiled at him. 'Happiny!' and held out the items once again. Bryce replaced her onto the counter and retrieved them. One was a card that had his name printed in gold letter and ID numbers. The other was hollow but when he opened it, there were eight empty spaces, all in odd shapes. "This," She states pointing to the card, "Is your trainer card, you'll need it if you make it to the Pokemon League, and this is your complimentary badge case. Good luck on your journey." She said with a smile and a nod. 'Happiny, Happiny!" Called out the tiny pokemon, jumping so hard her egg-like stone almost fell out of her pouch.
Bryce smiled at the display, waved and left. He walked along the worn-out road once more into Route 203. As he walked he noticed it was starting to get dark, he'd have to find a place to sleep if he didn't want to get caught out after curfew. He found a tree by the pond outside of Oreburgh cave, an area shrouded by the dark and nearby bushes, and pulled out his sleeping bag. (You know this was coming, characters on the tv show somehow manage to magically stuff a large sleeping bag in a backpack with no problem so I'm using it as an advantage) As he settled in, he listened to the sounds of the forest, Kricketots in the tree above him and the wildlife all around, knocked their hollow antennae together to produce their own music.
The sound of fluttering Zubat came to his ears as they flew out to find their daily (or nightly) meal. The Bidoof scurried into their hollows, calling out to others as they turned in for the night, and a Shinx murred and flashed in the moonlight as it neared other pokemon before finding a place to sleep. Bryce let out a sigh. It relieved him that though Jubilife was in ruins, it had no effect on the wild pokemon. It made him think though Team Galactic could reign over humans, they had no effect on the outside world, and it comforted him. He rolled over in his bag and watched the Shinx's natural light dim before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.