CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
After the two-on two Pokemon battle alongside Zoe, Amy had healed her Pokemon and continued west from Lavender Town, along the route which led to Saffron City.
She felt a renewed vigor about her circumstances, in light of helping Zoe to win against the arrogant duo earlier. She was back to square one with little money and no help from her family, but now she was back on track. She would continue forward and try not to look back.
Amy noticed that there were fewer Trainers about, most likely because some of them had gone to the Fishing Competition. Growlithe, Nidorina and Cubone walked beside her, for security and company. Amy approached the checkpoint to Saffron City and entered the building, offering a 'good afternoon' to the receptionist and continuing on through, the vast city of Saffron open to her.
Amid the frenzied honking of traffic and constant construction noise, Amy retrieved her Pokeballs. "I don't want you to get lost. You'll be safe inside your Pokeballs."
Amy returned her three Pokemon to their Pokeballs, then began walking the streets of Saffron City. She passed department stores advertising discounted rates on clothing, supermarkets with fresh produce outside their doors, boutique shops for Pokemon who wanted to be pampered and massaged, and finally, Amy found a PokeTreats store and entered, the bell above the door jingling as she did so.
"Welcome!" exclaimed the kind, elderly lady behind the counter. "Quite packed out there, isn't it!"
"It sure is," Amy demurred. "May I buy three packets of PokeTreats, please?"
"Certainly," smiled the lady, retrieving the stock and pressing some buttons on her till. "That'll be three hundred dollars, please."
Three hundred dollars? Amy asked herself. Do I have that much money?
With a twinge of humiliation, Amy retrieved three hundred dollar notes from her purse.
That's my budget for accommodation... I need to win another Pokemon battle by today. I have no idea how to spend on a budget...
"Thank you," smiled the lady, wrapping up Amy's purchases and handing it to her in a tote bag. "Have a lovely day!"
"You, too," Amy smiled, exiting the store.
Amy began walking south, in the direction of Vermilion City. She had a difficult time avoiding the onslaught of midday pedestrians, with their constant level of chatter and ignorance of how much space they took up, especially groups of friends.
How can anyone live in this city? Oh, right. I used to live in Celadon City... less congested, but still oppressive and formidable in size.
Brief images of her glamorous, metropolitan life in Celadon City entered her mind and she forbid herself to think of them again. It would do no good.
Eventually, the streets thinned, with less foot traffic as she crossed a pedestrian crossing and made her way to the checkpoint which led to Vermilion City. She entered the building, checking the sign to make sure she had not got lost. 'Saffron City to Vermilion City', the sign on the receptionist's desk read.
Amy walked through the connecting door, the bright light blinding her for an instant. The view was quite picturesque: there was a neat pathway, interspersed with tall grass, where Oddish and Bellsprout frolicked with Rattata and Mankey. A river not too far off shone in the sun's rays, where she could see Goldeen and Poliwag jumping to and fro in the water, while at the bank Psyduck and Krabby were bonding. Psyduck was bipedal, a cross between a duck and a platypus with a yellow body, while Krabby was a small crab with two strong pincers that scuttled sideways when it moved.
As Amy admired the view, she was startled upon noticing a Bug Catcher was running up to her.
"Hey, you!" he said, clutching the stitch in his side, out of breath.
"Would you like to battle?" Amy finished the sentence for him. The boy nodded, stepping back to make room for a battlefield.
"I have to warn you," he gasped, standing up to full height, which was shorter than Amy. "I'm pretty good!"
Amy smiled indulgently, selecting her first Pokemon.
"Wait!" he said. "I just started out and I only have one Pokemon. Is it OK if we battle with just one Pokemon each?"
Amy hesitated a moment, considered this, then nodded. "Sure. It's OK with me."
"Cool," the boy said, retrieving his Pokeball. "I'm Elijah, by the way."
"I'm Amy."
Elija threw his Pokeball onto the field. "Go! Butterfree!"
Butterfree burst forth, a shimmering array of colours as it dipped and dived under the sunlight.
"Growlithe. I choose you!" Amy said, throwing Growlithe's Pokeball onto the battlefield.
In a flash of red light, Growlithe appeared, stepping forward to face its opponent.
"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" shouted Elijah.
"Growlithe, Roar!" said Amy.
Growlithe let out a fearsome roar before Butterfree could complete its move, rendering it immobile as it regarded Growlithe cautiously.
"Growlithe, Ember!"
Growlithe opened its mouth and released a volley of flames which pelted Butterfree, burning it badly and sending it plummeting to the ground.
"Finish it, Growlithe! Bite Attack!"
Growlithe ran towards Butterfree at a fast pace, its eyes locked onto Butterfree who could barely move for pain of breathing.
"Stop!" screamed Elijah, as a flash of red light shot out and engulfed Butterfree, returning it to the safety of its Pokeball.
Growlithe stopped, regarding Elijah's sudden move and turning to Amy for its next command.
"My Butterfree..." Elijah said tenderly. He looked up at Amy. "You've won. Here, take this."
Elijah walked over and gave Amy two hundred dollars, before running off in the direction of the nearest Pokemon Center.
"Well, that was easy, Growlithe," said Amy, patting him on the head as he bounded over to her. She remembered her time in Viridian Forest, when her Fire-type reigned supreme and thought how lucky she was to gain pivotal experience for Growlithe so early in her journey.
Amy continued walking, letting Nidorina and Cubone out of their Pokeballs to enjoy the sunshine with Growlithe, passing by two Trainers who were battling each other.
"Come on, Rattata!" shrieked the girl, whose Rattata was snarling at the boy's Squirtle.
"Squirtle, Bubble!" shouted the boy.
Amy walked on, ignoring them, as Vermilion City came into view. She ducked as a Pidgey flew close to her head, surprising her, shaking the dust from her clothes when she saw a lone Trainer standing at the entrance to Vermilion City.
"I saw you take on that Bug Catcher," he said, walking up to her. His arms were folded in a cocky manner. "How about you take me on?"
More money for me, thought Amy. But do you have enough?
"Sure. I'm Amy."
"I'm Jeff," he said, as the two of them made room for a battlefield.
Noticing Amy and Jeff's unfolding battle, the girl with the Rattata tugged on her boyfriend's sleeve, shrieking, "Ooh, a battle! Let's watch!"
The boyfriend sighed, following in his girlfriend's wake as they watched the unfolding battle.
"You were really good, I saw you before!" said the girl. "You took down his Butterfree no sweat!"
Amy shrugged modestly, enjoying the compliment. "It was a good battle."
"He always gets me with Sleep Powder," pouted the girl. "But my boyfriend's won against him!"
Her boyfriend looked bored and exhausted, slouching with his Squirtle by his side.
Startling Amy out of her conversation, Jeff catcalled, "Are we battling or what?"
He selected a Pokeball from his belt and tossed it into the fray. "Go, Spearow!"
Spearow appeared in a flash of red light, immediately taking into the air and circling around its Trainer's head.
"I choose Nidorina!" said Amy. Nidorina stepped forward, eyeing Spearow carefully.
"Spearow, Fury Attack!"
"Nidorina, Poison Sting!"
As Spearow flew at Nidorina, Nidorina opened its mouth and released a volley of poison barbs at Spearow. Spearow was hit by several of them despite its best efforts to evade the attack, falling to the ground as it became poisoned.
"Tackle, Nidorina!"
"Spearow, don't take that lying down! Attack Nidorina again!" shouted Jeff.
Spearow weakly got up, but before it could fly to safety, Nidorina had tackled it, sending it rolling across the field and resting at its master's feet.
"Wow!" exclaimed the girl who was spectating.
Jeff returned Spearow to its Pokeball, his face puce. "You want a challenge? You've got one! Go, Raticate!"
Raticate appeared in a flash of red light, baring its enormous teeth and readying itself to attack.
"Return, Nidorina," said Amy. "Cubone, you're next!"
Cubone stepped forward, its grip tight on its bone club.
"Raticate, Quick Attack!"
"Cubone - "
But Cubone had already been hit, flying across the field with a yelp of pain.
"Raticate, Hyper Fang!"
Raticate bared its teeth as it ran towards Cubone.
"Cubone, Bone Club!" shouted Amy.
Cubone dodged Raticate's attack and landed a hit on Raticate's head with its bone club. Stunned, Raticate spun, trying to maintain its balance.
"Headbutt, Cubone!"
Cubone launched itself at Raticate, its hard bone armor colliding with Raticate and causing it to screech in pain as it fell to the ground, unconscious.
"She won!" exclaimed the girl.
"She won?" Jeff repeated in disbelief.
Amy walked over to Jeff, her Pokemon by her side. "Thank you for the battle."
Still stunned, Jeff handed over three hundred dollars. "Yeah, thanks..."
Amy accepted the cash and tucked it into her purse. She was startled to see the girl with the Rattata run up to her.
"I can't battle right now." smiled Amy. "I'm heading to the Pokemon Centre."
"Oh, no, I wasn't gonna ask that," said the girl, her eyes wide. "I was wondering if you, like, could show me some tips on battling sometime?"
"Sure," smiled Amy. "I have my afternoon free."
"Super!" said the girl. She turned to her boyfriend. "I'll see you later!"
Her boyfriend shrugged, a sour expression on his face, as Amy and the girl walked towards Vermilion City.
"What's your name?" asked Amy.
"I'm Nancy. What's yours?" she asked.
"Amy," she replied.
The tall buildings of Vermilion City came into view. One of the first buildings that stood out was the Pokemon Center.
"So, where do you live?" Nancy asked. "You're not from Vermilion City, are you?"
"No," Amy shook her head as they approached the Pokemon Center. "I'm from Celadon City."
"Celadon City?" Nancy gasped. "I love that place! I try to bring my boyfriend along to buy stuff for me, but it's all so expensive in that huge department store!"
Amy knew Nancy was referring to the Celadon Department Store, the multi-storied building which sold all kinds of items for every type of Trainer.
The two of them walked into the Pokemon Center, standing in line as Amy returned her three Pokemon into their Pokeballs. Amy noticed that Nancy held two Pokeballs in her hands.
"I saw the Pokemon battle between you and your boyfriend," said Amy. "Your Rattata looked strong."
"Thanks!" said Nancy. "I also have a Pikachu. They're my pals."
"Pikachu are hard to find," said Amy. "I've never seen one before."
"Lt. Surge is the only other person I know who has one." said Nancy.
"Who's Lt. Surge?" asked Amy.
"You're kidding, right?" Nancy blurted out. "He's the Gym Leader of Vermilion City!"
"The Gym Leader?" asked Amy, as they came to their turn in line. Amy allowed Nancy to go first.
"He uses Electric-type Pokemon." said Nancy, handing over her Pokeballs to the nurse. "They say he used to be in the army. He's really tough - and between you and me, he's really good-looking!"
Amy was next to heal her Pokemon, passing her Pokeballs to the nurse and waiting patiently. After her Pokemon were healed, Amy and Nancy exited the Pokemon Centre together.
"It's such a nice day," said Nancy, blinking in the sunlight as she glanced up at the cloudless sky.
"Sure is," nodded Amy. She turned to Nancy. "If it's OK, may I see your Pikachu?"
Nancy released Pikachu from its Pokeball in a flash of red light. Pikachu was a quadruped, short rodent with yellow fur and a tail in the shape of a lightning bolt. It had long ears with black tips at the top of them and two red circles on its cheeks. It stood on its hind legs and looked at Amy.
"How cute!" gushed Amy, kneeling to pat Pikachu. Pikachu ran to Nancy's leg, clutching it tightly.
"She's so shy..." Nancy apologised, scratching Pikachu behind the ears affectionately.
"Nancy!" called a voice. It was her boyfriend, slouching about. "Can we go home now?"
Nancy rolled her eyes and smiled at Amy. "I'd better go."
"It was nice to meet you," Amy and Nancy shook hands.
"You too," smiled Nancy, turning to leave. "Good luck for the battle with Lt. Surge!"
Amy watched Nancy leave. She wished she had a confidante, someone she could talk to, besides her Pokemon. All of her old friends were back in Celadon City; who knew what they would think of her now. Amy walked around Vermilion City for a while, looking for an inn to stay at.
"Good afternoon, dear," said the proprietress, as Amy entered one at random. "Looking for a room, are you?"
"I'm interested in a room that allows Pokemon," replied Amy carefully.
"Well, of course, we allow Pokemon! We charge two hundred dollars a night."
Amy cast her memory about to remember how much money she had without rifling through her purse. She had enough to cover tonight. After handing over the cash, she received a key to her room in return.
"Have a lovely stay, dear."
"Thank you," Amy said, walking up the stairs to find her room on the first floor.
The room was small, with an even smaller single bed and a Pokebed in a corner for her Pokemon. With a flash of red light, Amy's Pokemon materialised from their Pokeballs and began investigating the room inquisitively. Growlithe settled on the Pokebed, Nidorina drank from the bowl of water and Cubone got onto the bed and looked out of the window at the ships docked in the bay.
"Off the bed, Cubone," said Amy absently, as she entered the bathroom to wash her hands.
She turned off the tap and regarded her reflection in the mirror with shock. Her hair, usually maintained with expensive lotions, had gone from silky to frizzy in a matter of days. Her skin was paler and she had dark circles under her eyes from stress. She tried to adjust her hair into a more flattering position, but there was none to be had. Her hair had become a permanent mess.
Sighing, Amy dried her hands on the towel and entered the bedroom. Growlithe and Nidorina were curled up asleep in the Pokebed, while Cubone ran up to her. Amy picked him up carefully and walked to the window, looking out at the view.
"It's nice, isn't it..." Amy mused, remembering when she had boarded, when all in her life was fine.
She set Cubone down upon the floor, walked over to her bed and set the alarm for an hour. Fully clothed, she slumped onto her bed for a nap.