Leaving the warehouse with his mouse at his side Ash can still hear the loud hum of the CB machine ringing in his ear. The size of it was daunting; it took up the entirety of the room it occupied along with an exhaust port through the ceiling. Taejon had assured him that the bear was back to optimal health, but Ash was hesitant; the last time Ash saw him he was hunched over on all fours only inches from death. He left from the warehouse in a hurry; the crowd – that's meandering about outside waiting for the next match to commence – was giving Ash dirty looks. Taejon had warned him that most people lost money on that match and it was best in he left quickly. He had wanted to say goodbye to Olman, but he'd be all right. He rushes past the harbor – the bearded man is still slouched over with his sign – and onto the main street where he cuts through the market in search of the stableman. His heart's beating hard as he shuffles through the thinning crowd; the sky above is turning an ominous yellow as the sun hangs in its descent. He finds him, sitting atop a barrel flirting with a barmaid whose clearing off her outdoor table. As he nears the stableman jumps down and meets him halfway; out of the bar maids hearing.
"So you came back. I was worried you were going to leave me having to care for that poor horse on my own." He says with a joyful smile.
Ash isn't convinced; he remembers all to well his last conversation with this man, "I have the money. Where's my horse?"
"Excellent. May I see it? You can never be to sure in a town like this."
Ash pulls out twenty-five silver and presents it to him. The stableman takes it from his hands and inspects it closely. "This will do. Now wait here and I'll be right back with your horse."
"Could I follow you instead?" Ash insists.
"No, that'd be highly irregular; you'd frighten the other horses." The stableman says with his hands clenched in a regretful posture.
Ash is ambivalent of the situation. Why is he walking away so fast? Aren't his clothes a bit too formal for stable work? The man takes a corner and Ash chases after him, but as he rounds the corner himself the man has already vanished into the market. He walks to the nearest stand and asks, "Excuse me sir, where are the stables at?"
"There are no stables in this town, but if you need a hitch; there are some out near the docks."
He thanks the attendant and buys his ripest shaddock. It's possible the man left in a hurry to retrieve his horse quicker for him. His only chance of seeing it again will be to rely in him and wait for his return.
The sun hangs over the horizon and clouds drift in from the sea perched above the harbor. It's been nearly an hour and he's no longer waiting for the stableman as much as he's punishing himself mentally for being so naïve. He's seated on the planks of the main street with his feet soaking in the mud below. He has his head hunched low as Pikachu chases after fireflies blinking in the night's cool air. He will need to find shelter tonight; he shudders to thinks of the last time it rained. The sound of footsteps dies out, he looks over his shoulder to see the stalls of the market shutting down. Only a dozen incandescent bulbs are left on in the street and swarms of insects and amphibians of all sorts surround them. Pikachu makes hops from left to right gorging on the throng.
Behind him can hear the planks creaks signaling someone's approach; for a moment he ponders the possibility that the stableman returned for him.
"The hell are you still doin' out 'ere?" Ash recognizes Olman's voice though it's a little staggered.
"I-uh," Ash stutters out and then remains quiet to keep from choking up.
Olman steps closer and Ash and he can smell the lingering aroma of cigars and whiskey.
"You 'ear me kid? You alright?"
Ash holds back tears as he explains his predicament with the horse swindler; by the end of his rant he regains his composure and makes sure to leave out many of the pertinent details.
"Well why in the hell did your parents jus' leave you out with a god damn horse anyway?"
He hesitates to respond, "My parents… "
"What are you, a runaway or somethin'"
"They're in Pewter City." He blurts out, "They sent me out here to get food from the local markets."
"What kind of shit-for-brains parents would send their son all the way out here alone? It's no wonder you got robbed like you did kid," he turns his head and belches. "This is a rough town, don't you know that."
Ash stares blankly back at him, he has nothing left to say, Olman appears to be nauseous and the words Ash speaks don't seam to be registering properly with him.
"I tell you what," Olman looks over Ash in a dense gaze. "You won me some good money today, before I bet it all on that hack after you and who blew it." Olman hocks a lougie into the swamp in dissatisfaction. " 'sides Pewter isn't too far from here. I'm through with this town."
Ash rises up and beckons his mouse over.
"Just do me a favor," his eyes blink slow "wipe off your damn feet." He grunts out as he stammers forward in to the bulb's light swatting away at the flock of flies.
Ash follows Olman to the back lot of the warehouse where a solitary group of raggedly dressed men are shucking away at a pile of oysters. They eye the two suspiciously as they walk through the empty lot and huddle themselves closer around the pile to hide their treasures. Olman steadies his hand on his hip and returns the glare.
"Don't mind these schmucks, the car's right over here." He gestures towards a cerulean two door with a black vinyl top and tattered white wall tires. Lying across the hood napping is a kid not much older than Ash but twice his size.
Olman picks up his pace once he notices him. "Wake up damn it. If you dented my fuckin' hood I'm not giving you a thing."
The kid jumps up "Look, see." He rubs the hood gently in reassurance; "Nothing's wrong, just as you left it. See?"
"Get your grimy hands off of my car." The coldness of his tone stops him solid. Olman searches deep into his pockets for a substantial time before he finally pulls out a single silver coin. He flicks it ineptly into the general direction of the poor kid causing him scurries off after it into the field behind them. Turning to the car Olman's shaking hands and brief curses to himself delay unlocking the doors, so Ash takes the time to look over the car. At the crest of the hood is an intimidating emblem of a growling wolf with scythe-shaped horns.
"Come on. Let's go, let's go." Olman barely managed to get the door open and he's already barking orders.
Was the calm mannered personality Ash met earlier today just a façade? This can't be the real Olman, if he didn't need this ride so much he'd probably reconsider.
Olman slouches into the car and starts blaring the horn, the oyster eater look up from their meal and start shouting for silence.
"OK. OK. I'm coming." Ash shuffles quickly to the passenger door to find it locked, Olman reaches across and pulls up the knob. Ash sits down and stomps his feet together before getting in.
The interior has gold embroidery running the length of the ostrich skin upholstery with an alluring fragrance of pure leather that dances in Ash's nostrils. Being enclosed in such a small place with such a hectic personality makes him feel oddly out of place. Olman reaches across Ash's lap and unlatches the glove compartment above his knees. From within he pulls out a half empty bottle with a glass blown handle and unscrews the top.
"Need my medicine to calm my nerves before we ride." He takes a few big swigs and pounds the bottle into Ash's chest. "Here. You 'ave some. It's good for you." The blue cabin light makes the liquid slosh about like an eerie chemical. The old man down the street had a bottle just like this in his kitchen, so it couldn't be all bad. He takes a deep gulp and grimaces at the pain of trying to fight from spitting it out. Olman pulls the bottle away and takes a few more drinks before screwing on the top and lurching the engine to life. Thankfully Olman stays quiet as he concentrates on the road.
Other than the dirt illuminated by the headlamps Ash can see little in the darkness around them. He closes his eyes and listens to the gravel being crushed beneath them as Olman begins fumbling his hand through the back seat. He grabs what appears to be a large cassette and inserts it into car's center console. He flicks up a switch and in a few moments after a soft winding sound a piano melody begins to play a rhythmic song that eases Ash's nerves.
Olman rolls down his window and starts yelling over the wind and music. "I 'ad this car 'mported straight from Sinnoh. It's got state of the art techn'l-gy that you can't find on this side of the ocean." He rolls up his window and flips another switch; cold air starting filling the car. "This is the first of its kind; it's an integrated system with heating and cooling all from the same unit."
Ash takes in what he's saying but can't find the words to respond. Instead he stares out the windshield in front of him at the indiscernible cloudy night. The melody continues and Ash drifts away to sleep. Far away from the car a dark shadow follows in the distance.
An abrupt swerve jolts Ash back to consciousness; the road they are on is no longer paved and has become a much more rugged terrain. The suspension of the car is putting in over time and the ride is still unstable. Outside they have cleared the reach of the storm and the stars shine bright, from their placement he can tell they are indeed heading west. Cautiously he gazes over to Olman and sees the nearly empty bottle still clutched in between his fingers and the wheel. It's hard to tell whether it is shaking from the unsteady road or his high blood pressure.
"How much longer until we're there?" Ash breaks the silence.
Olman stays intently focused on the road and allows the tension to build with a long awkward pause. "Not long."
Anxiety begins to swell up inside of Ash. What was he going to tell him once they reached Pewter? This man has driven all this way surely he will be upset once he finds out it's a lie, and once he knows he has no family; then what? There's no telling what this guy's unstable personality is capable of. He edges himself deeper into his seat and prays that they don't reach Pewter anytime soon. Not before he figures out a plan of what to do or what to say. As if Olman can feel the tension brewing within Ash he steps heavier on the pedal. The engine revs up to a fever pitch; Olman's bottle rattles out of his hand banging to the floor, and all the objects on the dashboard come tumbling down. Ash braces himself and yells out to Olman through the ruckus, "Please, can you slow down?!"
A smile creeps over his lips. Is this man mad? And with that, just as soon as he had begun his speeding tirade he pulls the hardtop to a complete stop on the side of the road. The driver door flies open and Olman steps out into the glow of the headlights to relieve himself in the middle of the road. Ash has had enough; he reaches to his feet slowly and grabs his backpack checking to confirm that Pikachu is inside. He pulls one foot out onto the dirt road and then the other.
Olman turns his head and furls his brow. "What 'n the 'ell are you doin'?"
"Ee- I have to go." He steps out of the car and quickly disappears in the high shrubbery before Olman can react. A liberating feeling rushes over him; it felt good to be going on his own way again. In the distance he can hear Olman yelling out to him, more likely cursing to the heavens. He keeps pressing through the leaves and bushes until he finds an opening. He must keep pushing forward unless he comes to find him. The clearing passes and he's back into dense foliage, having to high step and shrug through vines he's at least grateful the moon is bright enough to see in front of him.