A Maiden's Voyage
Chapter 3: The Professor's Words
My Dad left me a backpack filled with objects I had never seen before in my life. Rotom and I were walking all the way to Sandgem Town to greet the Professor. He might have some words of advice about my journey and my Dad made me promise would make sure I spoke to him before heading on to Jubilife City.
As I and Rotom walked and levitated along, respectively, we were walking on a path that surrounded us on two sides by trees. I've lived my entire life in an urban setting and only a few times have my Dad and I gone to Sandgem Town. But that was with his car and walking to Sandgem Town takes about twenty minutes on foot.
"So how long are we walking for?" Rotom inquired. I was getting kind of sick of his whining.
"2 hours." I said. No response from him.
"Great." He said flatly. Then, he didn't say anything to me for another five minutes of walking.
We passed by Starly infested trees and I even saw a Shinx playfully hiding from a Bidoof. There were also two Burmy hanging from a tree and I could see a Mothim who guarded them from above, on a different branch. It looked down at us with stern silence as we passed underneath it and wouldn't take its gaze off of us after we had left, as though we would attack in a moments notice. The Burmy were nestled in their leafy abodes hanging limply from a tree like a Kakuna before it evolves into a Beedrill. I didn't quite understand the evolutionary line of Burmy because it could either evolve into a Mothim or a Wormadam, which I think the Wormadam look cooler. They come in three different forms, too: one of Grass, Ground or Steel.
"Are you sure it takes two hours, because I'm seeing Sandgem Town in the distance, Aria?" Rotom beckoned at the upcoming town whose buildings were closer to the ground than Twinleaf's.
"I said two hours to scare you, looks like it worked. Guess I really am a Ghost pokemon after all." I laughed. He scoffed but emitted a chuckle as well. We came up to Sandgem Town without any injury and I saw a building my father described: Large red lab with lots of windows. I spotted it going down Willow St. and approached the friendly-looking laboratory.
Before I could even knock a kid my age opened the door and ran into me. He wore a red cap with what appeared to be a dark green pokeball on it. He wore a blue jacked with a red shirt underneath and perfectly nestled on his neck, was a white scarf. I could see the outline of a rectangular object in the pocket of his dark-brown pants and it almost seemed like I was looking at a person from the future.
He stared at me with his dark blue eyes for a second before speaking.
"Can I help you?" he asked me. He looked at Rotom almost frightened.
"Hi, my name is Aria Ketchum and I'm looking for Professor Rowan, he's a friend of my father's." The boy looked interested. Almost. He darted back inside, saying nothing to me as though I had vanished and reappeared almost instantly beckoning me inside the lab. Inside I saw some people dressed in stereotypical lab coats operating desktop computers and some even had a floating Magnemite near their work station.
"This way please." The boy guided. "My name is Lucas Moriarty, I uh work as the Professor's assistant." He told me as we walked through a narrow hallway into a second region of the lab. He told me to wait by a wall as he knocked on a door and was allowed entrance by someone who wasn't Professor Rowan. I couldn't really justify that because I hadn't seen him in seven years. Rotom and I waited and waited until Lucas came back out and told me Professor Rowan was glad I had stopped by. I walked into the room Lucas had gone into and saw an old man sitting in his chair, almost menacingly. He was looking through a window until he noticed I was standing at the desk, which he was sitting at. He was a gruff, old man in his sixties it looked like and I feared his hearty voice when he opened his wide jaw to speak at me.
"How was the walk here?" He asked me in his gruff voice to match his stark appearance. The way he was talking to me it felt as though I were a child being scolded by their parents.
"It was fine, Rotom and I got a little exercise here and we even saw some Burmy." I told him. To my surprise, though, the Professor was absolutely marveled at my story and stood to shake my hand. I dropped all my assumptions I had about this man when he asked me more questions about the Burmy, almost forgetting I had existed.
"Before we get off track, Aria, I want to take a good look at your pokemon." The Professor said turning his attention to my Rotom. Rotom didn't utter a word, not to me nor the Professor. He looked all over Rotom's ghostly body and could find no imperfections about the pokemon's exterior. Rotom didn't bat any eye when the Professor reached out and tried to touch the pokemon, only to find his hand had gone through the incorporeal body of the ghost rendering him untouchable by physical mediums.
"I am simply fascinated by your pokemon, Aria." He said my name so gently, like he knew me or something, but I hadn't seen him in over seven years. I was even surprised he remembered my face, let alone my name.
"How many years has it been?" He asked me.
"Seven." I told him flatly.
"Seven." He repeated, still staring at Rotom.
"Well anyway, I already know why you're here. Is it because you took me up on that journey I offered you those years ago?" He guessed. And he was correct.
"Yes." I smiled. "After Rotom got better my father and I decided to keep him. And he's become my best friend."
"That's so cool. I don't think I'll ever become friends with a ghost pokemon." Lucas blurted.
"That's pleasant, Lucas. But I have something I want to ask you about, Aria." He looked at me intently. "When I was your age, I received a Chimchar as my starter pokemon. We went on breathtaking adventures through all of the lands exploring new places, meeting new people and pokemon. Something that I couldn't keep away from was the evolution of pokemon, something I chose to study for the rest of my life. It's evolution that perplexes me, such like the Burmy you saw. They have not one, but two evolutionary lines. A female Burmy in time, will evolve into a Wormadam, but a male Burmy will evolve into a Mothim. Another strange thing is Combee. Why is it that female Combee evolve in to Vespiquen and male Combee do not evolve whatsoever? It's these perplexities that haunt my thoughts day and night. It seems like I walked the world with my pokemon, until I settled down here and became a professor who studies pokemon evolution. Perhaps my ultimate dream is to find all of the pokemon, because there were just too many to come by. I already have Lucas here with his brand new pokedex getting ready to explore the vast reaches of the Sinnoh region and find new pokemon. I want you to also take on that journey with your pokemon. I want you to explore the vast reaches of this beautiful land mass. I want you to meet new people and new pokemon on your journey in discovering yourself. I want your dreams to come to true, Aria because your dreams are my dreams. The war between the factions can't stop you from completing your dreams, right Aria?"
I looked at him, speechless. His words penetrated my soul like daggers slicing through raw meat and I almost turned to Rotom and said: Wow. But Rotom and I just awaited the Professor to reopen his mouth and divulge us with more stories about his past and getting me ready for my very own voyage.
"There's no point in rambling on, so will you accept a pokedex from me and pursue the whole garrison of pokemon in the world?" Rowan stared deeply into my soul.
"Yes." I told him grinning widely as the excitement in my body raged. Rowan handed me a pokedex with dimensions similar to the object in Lucas's pocket and I touched the futuristic device with my hands, opening it, observing its features.
"When ever you discover a new pokemon, the pokedex will enter the findings into its archive where you will be able to record your details of the pokemon." The Professor explained. Rotom looked happily at my pokedex as if to posses it. I gave him one look that said he would never be able to desecrate this fine piece of machinery.
"I suppose I can let you get on with your journey, Aria. No reason to keep yourself cooped up in a cramped place like this." Rowan chuckled as he escorted us to the front of the laboratory.
"I can't thank you enough, Professor. I'll stop by sometime and show you my pokedex and the new pokemon I've caught. How's that sound?" I smiled at him.
"I couldn't ask for anything more, Aria. Farewell."
Rotom and I walked down the road away from the small town of Sandgem after parting ways with Lucas and the Professor.
"Can I see your pokedex?" Rotom asked innocently.
"Only if you don't posses it. I saw you eying it before." I sneered. Rotom scrunched the corners of his mouth like a child and I held out the precious pokedex as he observed it spinning around my hand like a planet orbiting the sun.
"That's pretty cool, have you heard of the pokemon watches?" Rotom asked, inquisitively. I remembered my Dad put a box that said something along the lines of pokemon watch sealed in a box.
"I think my Dad packed one in my backpack, I'll open it when we find a place to nap." I told him.
"We're sleeping outside?" Rotom asked, hurriedly, noticing that the sun was beginning to go down. I told him that since we set out, we'd be sleeping outside frequently, and at first it bothered him but he grew to like the outdoors since he spent most of his life outside of a pokeball and indoors.
"Can I ask you something, Aria?" Rotom said as we found a comfortable spot to sleep for the night. I accepted the question and got comfortable for a discussion.
"If we live so close to the Professor, like within walking distance, why haven't you seen him in seven years?" I took this in considerably. To be honest, I didn't know the answer to that. I just hadn't seen the Professor since that night Rotom came into my life.
"After you moved in with us, I guess I just never saw him. My dad talked about him a few times but I never really bothered with seeing him again. That was before I learned what happened to him, through my dad." Rotom looked at me with his curious blue eyes.
"The Pokemon Society needed the Professor's work and my dad said the Professor had moved into the Society Headquarters in Canalave City to conduct tests for them on Iron Island. My father never said what the experiments were because even he didn't know." That was my answer.
We quickly snoozed to the sound of Noctowl cooing in the warm night sky. I dreamed of all the new people and pokemon I would meet and the friends I'd make along the way. I was still upset that my friends from home couldn't come with me on my adventure but that was fine, at least I knew they were safe at home. I remember crying my eyes out after Daniel told me his parents scolded him for asking such a ridiculous request and Veronica's mom wasn't about to let her daughter pursue her own death at her hands.
That morning we set out again. I heard a rush of cool wind brush past my body as Rotom and I walked along a trail and near the edge of a small cliff I could see the tall buildings of Jubilife City. It was a stunning view of the city I had never seen before. I saw the Global Communications Building in the south western part of the city with its trademark oscillating globe on the top of the building. Even Rotom was astonished at the beauty of artificial creation.
We descended into the city expecting to see lots of people, when in actuality there weren't too many people outside. I wondered if there was something keeping all of the people from the outside when I realized there was a large building dispensing people now, and written on the building was, Enjoy this beautiful work in Pokemon Cinema: Jirachi and the Prince of Stars! People were walking out of this theatre with their pokemon discussing after thoughts of the film and it stole my attention as I stood in the middle of the sidewalk as cars passed by.
Rotom and I spotted a pokemon center in the front reaches of the city and we crossed the street and found our way into the building. Inside there lots of people with sick and injured pokemon waiting to be healed. Nurse Joy and her Blissey were avidly working with guests to properly treat their pokemon and some people were even their to have injuries of their own to be treated. I walked passed the large amounts of people as I made my way to the front desk.
"One moment please." The Nurse said as she spoke to a man whose Yanmega had a tear in its wings. The Yanmega was taken in a gurney by two Blissey as the Yanmega's trainer followed behind it worrisome. Then Nurse Joy turned back to me and sweetly opened her mouth again.
"Hi, sweetie what can I get for you today?"
"Hey, I'm actually not here because of any injuries." The nurse stopped smiling so brightly and only looked at me like I was wasting her valuable time.
"Sorry but I was hoping you could show me a map of the Sinnoh region?" I asked nicely.
"Try looking over there on that desk. See if there's a map in the cubby holes." Nurse Joy directed me and immediately shut me out as a girl who was next, ran up to the desk holding a baby Zigzagoon that looked like it was paralyzed.
Rotom and I observed a map that was tucked poorly into a cabinet. We spread out the map on a table in the pokemon center as we looked for our location. Another set of Blissey walked alongside a Hypno and its trainer, as the trainer thanked the Blissey for their help. I found the city marked Jubilife on the map and learned that the first city I would have to take a Gym Battle in was Oreburgh, which was just through a cave down the road from Jubilife City.
"What's the plan, Aria?" Rotom asked impatiently.
"We can hangout in this city or start getting to Oreburgh City, your call."
"Oreburgh. It is." Rotom said spontaneously. "I really wanna see what these Gym Leaders do to make their names so big in the book, ya know?"
"Yeah, I got you, alright let's not waste these people's time here anymore." I said as we exited the center. Two Pokemon Society members were walking with a Glameow as they paused to look at a little boy and his Shinx then pointed at him and laughed. I was puzzled by their rudeness and walked up to them. They saw me walk up to them and eyed me icily. One who was a girl who seemed to be the ring leader. The little boy playing with his Shinx was crying into his sleeve and ran off as the little electric pokemon ran after him.
"Why are you laughing at that kid and his pokemon?" I asked the girl who appeared not too much older than myself.
"Do I know you?" She sneered. "How about you go play with your pokemon like that sap and get out of my face."
"Is that a threat?" I got up in her face. She was chewing gum and eyed me coldly. I wasn't about to take any bullying from this chick and I was prepared to fight her. Her companion, a man several years older than her held her arm back.
"Caroline, don't bother with her, let's just go." the man said to his cohort.
"Don't tell me what to do, Bill. I'm itching to fight this girl." She smiled dastardly at me. At this point Rotom was buzzing intimidatingly at the two Society members who noticed my pokemon's presence for the first time.
"Cool Pokemon." Caroline said. She wouldn't take her slimy eyes off Rotom until I grabbed her attention.
"Where's your pokemon?" I asked her. She threw a pokeball and released an Empoleon waiting to fight.
"We're gonna do this right here, stiff." Caroline spat at me.
"You will call me by name, Aria." I told her. I wasn't going to let her get away with making that little boy cry for no reason.
"Empoleon take a good look at the Ghost you're about to demolish." Empoleon stared down at Rotom as we created a vacuous space for our pokemon to brawl.
"Empoleon, use Metal Claw!" Caroline roared as her Empoleon raced at Rotom at incredible speed, and struck Rotom with a clear cut Metal Claw sending Rotom flying backwards.
"Let's retaliate with a Discharge!" I yelled as Rotom released a blue burst of radiant energy colliding into Empoleon as it pushed the penguin pokemon back a little ways but not enough to take it off its feet.
"Ha. Empoleon, let's try Water Pulse!" Then as Rotom was preparing its next assault, Empoleon lurched forward and emitted a blue burst of water aimed perfectly at Rotom.
In response, Rotom dove under the blast of water as it struck a nearby tree, almost leveling it. Then Empoleon fired more water pulses as some barely managed to get close to Rotom, but none would ever connect. I had Rotom use an Ominous Wind, but to my surprise, Empoleon was able to defend itself from the ghostly aura with its own metallic arms.
"Water Pulse!" Screamed Caroline as Empoleon released another burst of pulses, one of which hit Rotom square in the face.
"Rotom!" I yelled. Rotom lifted itself off the ground again, showing everyone that it had survived the worst of the blast.
"Rotom can you get closer to Empoleon then fire off another Discharge?" I told Rotom and Caroline prepped Empoleon on their retaliation plan. I couldn't hear but I figured out that Empoleon was running at Rotom who was flying at Empoleon, in turn. This was a huge mistake on her part.
"Use Discharge, now!" I yelled. Rotom released a great blue burst of radiant blue energy and this time the momentum had sent Empoleon backwards and caused it to lose its footing. Empoleon wasn't able to get back up.
"Are you freaking serious!" Caroline raged. She returned Empoleon into her pokeball as she stormed off the scene, while her nervous-looking boy friend followed her. Rotom and I rejoiced when we had won and I treated Rotom to a day of relaxation before we would head off to Oreburgh City. We found a small stay-in home that took us in. These were quite common in the Sinnoh Region and both Rotom and I were allowed into a cramped room where I put my backpack on the table. I opened it to explore its contents and found the poketch my father had left me. I opened it from the package and waited impatiently as it installed applications to get me started. After learning all the crooks and crannies of the device I slipped it comfortably around my wrist as I saw Rotom falling asleep.
I also climbed into bed as the words of Professor Rowan resonated through my skull: I want you to meet new people and new pokemon on your journey in discovering yourself. I want your dreams to come to true, Aria because your dreams are my dreams. His voice echoed in my brain as I thought hard about the upcoming gym that was in Oreburgh City and what I would have to face going in. I couldn't imagine the difficulty that this gym would pose but I knew after having Rotom with me for all these years we've learned a thing or two about battles. We've come out of some pretty tough instances and Rotom was once able to beat three trainers in a row each with three pokemon a piece because Rotom and I were so in synched. I knew it could be done but it would be one of the most arduous things we'll ever have to do. The last thing I remembered before dozing off myself, was Rotom's pleasant breaths as it slept on the ground next to my bed.