A new day begins with a sun, shining right into my face. Not a bad start, considering how were the last ones.
With an effort I managed to get up from the bed. Jane is already gone, maybe, she prepares a breakfast. Tasty smell from the current direction proves it. It was a hard day and quite hard night, to tell the truth. So, I prepared myself for a good meal and followed to the bathroom. A splash of cold water in my face really made this morning. First time for many days I feel myself alive.
Very soon I reached the kitchen and noticed Jane, working very hard on her cooking skill. I got to say, it looked like she did her best. Vully helped her with table servicing. Smart pokemon carried different cutlery in her mouth, preparing table to the meal. Not a very good thing from the point of hygienic, but, again, considering how long it`ve been since I had a proper meal last time, I did not wanted to complain.
"Oh, you`re awake." Jane noticed me. "Good, the cake is almost ready. Please, sit down." She pointed at the chair near the table, and I followed her words. Vulpix stared at me with a spoon in her mouth, asking with her eyes to take it. I took the spoon and stroked her head. Pokemon seemed to like that very much.
In a few moments Jane brought to table a plate with a nice fragrant cake. Despite being a guest, I got the honor to cut it. With long-forgotten pleasure of being so close to civilization I took the knife and started to divide the cake.
"Four pieces, please" – Jane said and took her place at the table too. For a moment I wanted to ask, why four, but without any questions I cut it into four pieces and handed over one to Jane. The second one I took for myself, but the third one Jane gave to her pokemon. Creature happily started to devour this delicious thing, and the last piece was left on the plate. We all started to eat. I wonder if Jane`s assistant will feed my Charmander? I hope so.
"So, what now? Are you leaving to Pewter City?" Jane broke the silence.
"I guess, so." I replied. If Viridian City gym is closed, I have no other choice but to move on to the next.
"It will be hard, you know. Type disadvantage and all that…"
"Yeah, I know. I`ve got to think something. Maybe, on my way I will manage to catch some new pokemon that will help me…"
"You sure will." Jane cheered me. "Maybe, now you should visit pokemart to stock up on items for travel?"
Suddenly one thought struck my mind - I have absolutely no money. Really, past few days were really hard making me feed myself almost nothing but fruits on my way, and I have totally destroyed the last chocolate bar in my pocket I had. What am I going to do?
"Yeah, about that… Don`t you know where I can quickly earn some money? I have not a single pokedollar with me."
Jane stared at me with a suspicious look for a few seconds and, after taking another bite from her cake, answered.
"I heard, pokemon trainers usually bet their battles. That`s their main profit. You really should try."
That sounded interesting. I never was a venturous man, but some sense this idea really had. I actually could make some money on the trainers I defeated on Route 1, if I had some start-up capital. Some of them actually offered a bet battle, but I refused. And yet the problem remains.
"Anyway, I don`t have money to bet at start."
Jane leaned to chair`s back and crossed her hands on chest, thinking. It took some time for her to come up with an idea.
"You know what? I`ll help you." She stood up and walked into corridor to her handbag. Vully followed her and made a few circles around Jane, when she stood still. After some searches inside of it, she found a card.
"What is it?"
"This is a special silver card of local pokemart. You can exchange it for a bunch of items in pokemart, for total sum of 7,500 pokedollars."
"That`s… not bad, I guess. But what do you want in return?"
Jane made a sly smile in reply.
"I will think of it later, my dear. When I will need you."
I know Jane for a long time, and remember very well how cunning she can be. She will wait for a long time, carefully choosing the right moment to appear out of nowhere and take her debt back, in any form, no matter what... Well, maybe she is not so bad, of course, she will not leave her home and job in Viridian City just to find me on the opposite corner of Kanto, but she is a woman that should be feared of. Anyway, I have no choice. I really need some money to prepare to journey – buy some potions, pokeballs, equipment, maybe, some new clothes. The last one, maybe is really needed for now.
"Okay, I`ll take it. Thanks." I came to Jane and took a card from her hands. With some satisfaction she looked at me and smiled again.
"Good. Now, I think, you should go, before my husband returns."
That statement really shocked me.
"Wha… WHAT? Your husband?"
"Yeah, my seventh one." Jane replied to me so calmly that made me a bit nervous. Maybe, more than a bit.
"A seventh..? Last time I saw you were dating just the second one!"
"Huh, time flies, yeah? Now it is the seventh." She winked at me again. But this time I wasn`t feeling okay with that.
"You`re a dangerous woman, Jane. And you tricked me. Again."
"And you again didn`t learn, my dear."
I had nothing to say. I just put on my coat and proudly leaved the house. Jane said nothing too. She knew we will meet again, when she will need it.
My first direction was toward the Pokemon Center. I wanted to take my Dumpling back and then head to the pokemart. Maybe, I can ask some locals about Team Rocket`s latest activity to get some trail on them. These bastards were really in a hurry that time, so something definitely was happening somewhere here two days ago.
As I entered the Pokemon Center, some strange feeling appeared. Something inside the building changed, and I couldn`t tell what. Cautiously I approached the man behind the counter – Jane`s assistant was still on duty, busy with polishing some kind of pokeball I never saw before.
"Welcome to PokeCenter!" He said with smile. "Would you like me to heal your pokemon back to perfect health?"
"Actually, you already did, I hope. I left my Charmander yesterday for a healing, I guess, the very last order."
"Oh, I remember, you`re a friend of my boss." The guy bowed to me. What a flunky. "Let me find your pokemon. It will be here in a moment."
"He…" I corrected him.
"Excuse me?"
"He will be here in a moment." I corrected him again.
"Do you call your pokemon "He?"
"Yes, I do." Such a question made me angry a little. "Everyone around talks so much about friendship, respect and strong bonds with pokemon. But how can your pokemon respect you, if you call him "It"?"
"That`s… logical." Jane`s assistant scratched his head while thinking.
"Of course, it is. Now, please, give me my Charmander."
"Yes, sir." He bowed to me again and turned to the machine on the wall. After checking the book near him, he entered something in the console. Machine turned on and soon a pokeball appeared in it. My pokeball.
"Thank you for waiting. We`ve restored you pokemon to full health! We hope to see you again!" He handed over Dumpling`s pokeball to me and smiled again. This guy really freaked me out with that.
"You know…" I said looking at my pokeball. "See you again – is not a thing you would ever want to hear from a doctor, actually."
"Why?"
I had no time to explain this to him.
"You will understand, someday."
I sent out Dumpling to the ground. He looked rested and ready to battle again.
"Looks like again you`re ready to conquer the world." I said him. Dumpling raised his claw in reply and spit some small embers into the air.
"So… Good job in returning this little guy back to the top health." I turned to the assistant. But there is something else… Let`s talk a bit about something more necessary, dude."
"What is it?" He looked a bit confused and, maybe, even frightened.
"Do you know something… about Team Rocket?"
This question made him wince. He really knew something, and this something was definitely not good.
"Well, Team Rocket… It is…" He looked at the window, like expecting something to happen. Does he want to show that he is watched? "It is an organization of some sort. They do some… stuff. I… don`t know much about it, but I don`t like it."
It is useless, whatever he knows, he won`t tell. Team Rocket definitely got him in the past, and this poor guy is afraid of even talking about it. I will not get anything from him, but maybe will come back here someday.
"Well, okay, I understand. You don`t want to talk – I will not."
I turned back and headed to the exit. At the very door I stopped. Something inside me wanted to calm him down.
"I… I am sorry for your wife." I said him, not turning back.
"What? How did you…"
"You still have a new shiny wedding ring on your finger. And another one, not that shiny, is in a chainlet on your neck. It still has a blood drop on it, so maybe you should clean it. It is a memory, nevertheless."
Damn, that wasn`t calming at all. I left pokemon center with Jane`s assistant confused, frightened and shocked at once. The feeling wasn`t good at all. That didn't help him, but it did help me. Team Rocket kills people that stand on their way, or maybe even those who just happen to be nearby. Maybe they are more than just a gang of bandits.
Suddenly I noticed Dumpling`s accusing look on me, crossed his small hands on his chest.
"Yeah, I am not the kindest person in the world, Dumpling. But, at least, I`ve tried."
He just lowered his head with nothing to say back.
"But hey, cheer up! We`re going shopping!" I showed him a gift card. He looked at it with an interest, but after that I remembered the way I got it, and all mood vanished. "Well, I definitely going to regret this someday, but I hope it is not today! Let`s go to pokemart."
After Dumpling`s approving nod I returned him to the pokeball and headed to the shopping center. Pokemon culture became too popular these days, so pokemarts started to unite all other shops, not connected to the pokemon items.
I decided to visit a cloth shop first. On such a long journey I am going to begin I need something that doesn`t attract that much attention. I need to be careful and cautious. They may still watch over me, so I need something that will help me stay out of sight. Something light and comfortable at once. And with many pockets – I like many pockets, especially hidden ones. After some hours of wandering around the shop I have finally found this – a long black greatcoat with a matching black cap. With this and a shoulder belt for pokeballs I really feel like a real trainer. Now I can mingle with the crowd in a big city, hide in the shadow if a huge forest. I will find these bastards from Team Rocket and take back what`s mine, and they will understand, what troubles they brought to me. And troubles ten times worse I will bring to them. Now I stand on my path of vengeance.
Vengeance… Yes, this describes me very well now… Someday vengeance will reach my enemies and make them pay. Maybe with blood, I don`t know. Depends on how long it will take, but I promise to keep myself in hands.
But this is a very long road to the victory. Me and my team have to train hard to achieve these goals. And it all starts here.
"Give me five potions, one revive and… um… five ultraballs, please." I had to distract myself from all these thoughts and concentrate on the main quest for now.
"Sorry, sir, but we`re out of ultraballs." Vendor replied to me.
"Well then…" I looked through the guidebook to find the page with pokeballs types. "What about greatballs? They are effective too, right?"
But he shook his head again.
"No, sir. Our last shipment was stolen, and we have only simple pokeballs here."
"Stolen? Wonder if it was Team rocket."
"What, do you know these guys?" Vendor stood up from his counter, coming a little closer to me.
"It depends on what do you mean… No, I don`t know these bandits. But yes, I have met them and that wasn`t very nice experience."
"I can see it right on your face." Replied he with a snicker.
"Oh, no, this is not theirs…" I said, touching the scar on my eye. "But this one is." I showed him the bite on neck. Despite it wasn`t so deep bite, the view wasn`t very pleasant too. The time will pass until this scar recovers himself. I hope it will.
"These crooks… I heard something about them, but never saw any." The seller replied with a disappointed tone.
"You know, I am going to investigate something about their activity around here. Any information can be useful." I tried to sound as intriguingly as I could. Maybe I can do something about that.
"You can?" Vendor looked at me with eyes full of hope. "I afraid I can`t tell much. Our delivery car was intercepted about a day ago somewhere on Route 3, and nobody saw our deliverer anymore."
"Intercepted? I bet they were on my car…" Feeling a little paddywhack I bumped the counter with my fist.
"Your car?" The seller asked.
"Yes, they stole my car… For their own damn purposes…"
"And you`re going to return it?"
"Yes, but… It`s not the car that worries me, but what`s inside…" I barely managed to stop myself from continuing. "Ehm, but that doesn`t matter that much. Anyway, thanks for your help. I will definitely visit Route 3 and search it."
"Thanks a lot, mister!" Vendor shook my hand. "If you will do something about this, all of us will be very grateful! And I will give you a discount for any items you need."
"Yeah, about that… We`ve come far from the subject. Five potions, one revive, five… usual pokeballs… How much?"
Vendor looked at my card and after that gave me a serious look.
"You know what? I`ll give you that for free. I want to help our investigation, if it is possible."
The answer shocked me. That was really surprising.
"Wow, that`s… unusual. I can`t refuse such an offer." I picked the bunch of items and hid them into my greatcoat`s inside pockets.
"The Red Rob is always ready to help!" He gave his hand to me. I shooked it and turned back to the exit. Now, when I finished all my business in Viridian City, it`s time to move to Viridian Forest.
"Hey, dude!" Rob shouted at me. "What`s your name?"
I stopped and half-turned to him. Again, this so simple question made me think. But, I guess, for the last time.
"Vengeance. Call me Vengeance."