Sorry for the delay!
Chapter 24
Eevee's Debut
"...And after that, I got an HM! It's HM 01, and it teaches Cut!" exclaimed Marina, smiling in delight. The yellow egg was wrapped securely in her free arm as she strolled along Route 34. Brisk, salty winds gusted from the bright blue sea that lay east of the path. She aimed her bright grin toward the thin beach lining the water.
"That's great, Marina!" Jackson's voice rang from her PokéGear. "Everyone can count on you for everything! I wish I was there to see it with you."
"You should've seen it. That lake was just beautiful!" Marina gazed around at the long grasses surrounding the neatly-defined dirt road.
"Hm! Anyways, I'm going to battle Bugsy...again," Jackson forced a laugh, "Wish me luck, Marina!"
"Good luck," she replied happily. "I guess I'll call you if the egg hatches, okay?"
"Okay! Later!"
"Bye!" After announcing her farewell, she turned off the portable phone, slinging it around her neck as usual. As she did this, a fair girl Trainer clad in a green short-sleeved shirt and shorts approached her.
"Excuse me!" she called out, grinning shyly when she had gotten Marina's attention. Marina made her way toward her, and the girl nodded as a polite gesture. "Hello, I'm Gina from Azalea Town," she introduced. A gleaming red badge, Azalea's Hive badge, was pinned on her evergreen cap that she wore over her short, dark brown hair.
Nodding as well, Marina smiled back. "Oh, I was just there! My name's Marina, and I'm from New Bark Town. Do you want to battle or something?" Marina grasped her Quilava's Poké Ball with her free hand.
Gina's eyes wandered to the two badges on Marina's collar. "Hm, I'm not too sure if I can win, but since we're Trainers," she plucked one of her three Poké Balls from her belt, "Let's battle then! Just a quick one; is one-on-one good for you?"
"Yup, fine with me."
"Okay then." She ran a few steps away, throwing the sphere in the air as soon as she turned. "Let's do our best, Bulbasaur!"
Emerging from the Poké Ball's light was a small, teal Pokémon with a large, green bulb its back. It moved it stubby legs to scuttle in front of its Trainer.
"Oh, a Bulbasaur!" Marina exclaimed, and released her Quilava from his Poké Ball. "Go, King!"
"Magu!" exclaimed King, leaping energetically in place. Giggling, Marina took out her red Pokédex and directed it toward their opponent.
"Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon. Type: Grass/Poison
It carries a seed on its back from birth, and it is filled with nutrients. As Bulbasaur grows older, the seed also grows larger. With the bulb, this Pokémon can go for days without food."
Gina gawked at Marina before smiling in wonder. "A Pokédex, too? How lucky, I really chose an interesting Trainer this time! Okay, Bulbasaur, use your Tackle attack!"
"Fushi!" Bulbasaur barked and charged toward King.
"Tackle too, King!" Marina ordered with a giggle as she put away her Pokédex.
"Magu!" King, beaming, bashed headlong into the incoming Pokémon. They recoiled slightly, but got up immediately, staring each other down.
"Leech Seed!" called Gina.
"Use Ember, King!" Marina countered.
A number of small seeds shot out from Bulbasaur's bulb, soaring toward King, who fired a shower of flaming orbs. Within seconds, the embers collided with and incinerated the seeds. Bulbasaur growled and extended two vines from under its bulb, whipping them at King. Dancing around aimlessly to dodge, King winced each time a vine lashed with a stinging crack on his fur.
Marina, frowning in concentration, ordered, "Smokescreen, King!" Her Quilava nodded hastily and coughed out a black ball from its mouth, and a cloud of impenetrable dark smoke engulfed the two Pokémon.
"Get out of that smoke, Bulbasaur!" Gina pleaded, appearing relieved as her Bulbasaur reemerged from the cloud. It coughed, its eyes squinted shut.
"Okay, King, use your Flame Wheel!"
"Magu!" King's voice called from within the dense, polluted air.
"F-Flame Wheel?" stuttered Gina. Her Bulbasaur forced its eyes open in response, peering into the cloud to prepare for its opponent. It released its vines once more just as a bright, lively light burst from the vanishing smoke.
"Maguma!" King roared, flames twirling around his body completely. Like a bullet, he dashed toward Bulbasaur, who took a step back in fear.
"Vine Whip! Stop it in its tracks!" Gina commanded.
Bulbasaur raised its vines and slashed at King, only to cry out as the vines sizzled with a burn. The fire ermine tackled into his enemy, and the vines fell onto the warm ground where he was.
King huffed as he stood on his back legs. The fire dissipated into invisible waves of heat, and he looked back at Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon shut its eyes, collapsing in fatigue as steam trailed from its charred wounds.
"Oh, no!" Gina exclaimed, rushing over to her Bulbasaur. Placing a gentle hand on its head, she recalled it with a sigh. "Oh, I knew I couldn't win."
Grinning broadly at Marina, King sprinted toward her as she did the same. He closed his eyes happily as his Trainer petted him in praise.
"Great job, King! You were awesome, as always," she told him, giving him a quick hug with her free arm. Her smile almost matching that of her delighted Quilava, she lifted his Poké Ball. "Return!"
"That was a fast battle," Gina said. "No wonder you're so strong, you have two badges."
The blue-haired girl turned to her, smiling still. "I'm still new at it; but my Pokémon deserve all the credit."
"Your Quilava just responds so well to you, though. To be honest, I've been looking for a good battling partner. But whenever I see a strong Trainer, I want to be their cheerleader instead!" Gina excitedly unhooked her PokéGear from a clip on her belt, and held it up. "Can I have your number?"
"Sure!" Marina's eyes lit with glee, and she took off her PokéGear to face Gina's. As she scrolled through the options, straining to remember how to add a new number to the list, the other girl continued on merrily.
"Sometimes when I go on a walk, I find some pretty cool things. I've got a knack for it now. If I ever find anything interesting, I'll let you have it if you want!"
Marina made an honest, relieved smile as she managed to begin exchanging PokéGear numbers with the girl. Looking back up at her, she giggled. "Really?"
"Yup! I'll call as soon as I get anything good," Gina confirmed with a nod. "Or we could just talk, too, or even battle again when Bulbasaur and I are up to it."
"Okay, that sounds great," Marina said, putting on her PokéGear once more. "Your Bulbasaur needs to go to the Pokémon Center, right?"
"Definitely, he'll be so impatient to get going again," Gina concluded typically.
"Can I come too? If you're going to Goldenrod, I mean."
"Sure. It's the closest way from here, anyways. This way!"
The girls walked down the path together, the wind breezing past them in heavy gusts as the dirt road curved near the water. A few maple leaves were carried away, and Marina admired the ongoing blue sea twinkling in the sunlight. As the two fell into friendly, energetic conversation, they grew closer to the metropolis of golden roofs and skyscrapers that touched the cloudy sky hovering over the seaside city of Goldenrod.
"What a wonderful day," Marina said to herself as she stretched her arms. She sat gratefully on an unoccupied bench, looking around in amazement at the large lobby. When she and Gina had approached the building, it towered over them with over four stories and a showy modern structure unsurpassed by any other Pokémon Center Marina had seen thus far.
The girl looked across the waxed floor. A crowd of Pokémon Trainers filled the area, the most she had ever personally seen at once. Some briskly walked to their destinations, others tended to their Pokémon, some were enveloped in conversation using the videophones, but many sat in wait like she was. She had already bid farewell to Gina, who had luckily been able to heal her Pokémon first and went on her way. She was left to her own, but it did not take her long to start feeling bored and antsy.
"It's so busy here. Guess it'll take longer for my Pokémon to heal than I thought," she said to herself, standing. After notifying one of the nurses that she would be out, Marina checked her backpack to make sure that her saved-up money was still locked perfectly in her wallet before heading toward the exit.
The golden brick roads welcomed her and she skipped past the sign of the Goldenrod Pokémon Center, known largely as the Pokémon Communication Center. Marina skimmed across the main street of the city. Large buildings surrounded her as she stood within a sea of pedestrians, taking her breath away once more. Compared to the slow pace of New Bark Town, this metropolis was an entirely different experience she found hard to describe.
But she tried not to stay distracted and searched the various signs and advertisements vividly tacked onto the structures.
Let's see...There! Marina made a beeline toward the Goldenrod Department Store, which was even bulkier than the Pokémon Center. Shoppers flooded in and out of the numerous revolving doors, and she flew inside without much effort. Extending her arms over her head, Marina smiled.
"Shopping!" she shouted jubilantly. But she froze as she was met by a quiet lobby with benches, information booklets, and a grand information desk. To the left were a couple of elevators, and to the right a large staircase scaled to the next floor.
Marina stood stiff, looking around. People, either walking past or reading, turned toward her with surprised stares. Some smiled and laughed to themselves at her enthusiasm, while others raised a bothered eyebrow.
"Second floor and up, dear," the dark-haired receptionist told her, smiling and pointing up.
"O-Oh," Marina laughed, turning pink in embarrassment. "Thanks!" She turned and dashed up the flight of stairs, preparing to scale as much of the building as possible.
There were countless stores and numerous café-type shops within the gigantic five-story Poké Mart. Unlike the quiet first floor, the second and higher were littered with supplies for Trainers, and plenty of them roamed the aisles. Some space was reserved for converse, even miniature trading stations, while customers discussed with venders for advice about possible purchases.
Much to her pleasant surprise, the fourth floor contained the basic necessities outside of Potions and Poké Balls. Gear such as backpacks, clothing, headgear, footgear, and even random Pokémon dolls were offered on endless racks and shelves. In one corner, battles techniques were explained and a big-screen television aired the strategies of previous Champions of the Johto League Tournament. Marina hung around that area and beamed ear-to-ear once she saw one of her brother's battles. She giggled, imagining Chris's gloating face if he were there watching with her. On her way to the next floor, Marina made sure to pick up a small booklet about Technical Machines, explaining how TM's varied from region to region and what moves each individual TM taught. It was difficult to not waste all of her money in this grand shopping mall, but she somehow managed to responsibly hold herself back.
The fifth was less focused on Pokémon, but more on everyday supplies for both homebodies and Trainers. As she passed a rack of notebooks, she closed her eyes and chose one at random. Picking it up, she tilted her head at the little orange notebook, which was closed shut by a button seal. She also snatched a pack of gel pens and walked over to the cashier desk to pay for both items at the very affordable price of 250 Poké.
Once at the roof, Marina heaved a sigh and sat at the first table she could reach, setting down her backpack and shopping bags on the table. The entire city could be seen from the roof behind the safety of a guard rail, where several binoculars were set up. Vending machines and prize cranks sat beside each other among the umbrella-shaded tables.
A half-hour of rest and a can of soda later, Marina opened her notebook and wrote a few pages before putting it away. She stared out at the city, where a dark gray radio tower seemed to stand near a bustling harbor. Her thoughts wandered to Route 31, where she had received her Pokédex at Mr. Pokémon's house.
Didn't Professor Oak say he had a radio show here? She wondered. Yeah, he did! I remember hearing it a couple times back home, but only a little.
"Maybe I'll go there next," Marina said, scooting over to the railing to judge which roads to take. Trying trace it in her memory, the refreshed girl discarded her empty soda can into the recyclable trash can and picked up her bags before descending the stairs.
In the distance, far off in the sky above, a peculiar humanoid creature levitated in place to no one's notice. It gazed blankly, and the purple crystal at its core glittered. Its appendages flickered on one side, while on the other its hand grasped hold of something tightly, certain never to drop it by accident.
At a sudden harsh breeze, it twitched in unrest. Within a fraction of a millisecond, the orange creature's figure slimmed and vanished amongst the wind.
"Argh! It's so close!" Marina shouted at the outline of the radio tower, which was just beyond an impenetrable row of houses and stores. She sighed, frowning at the dead end she had come upon. An hour or more had already been wasted away in her attempts at weaving through the maze of golden-colored buildings, but without any luck.
"Caves, forests, now cities...I'm just not cut out to navigate," she complained, fixing her bandana a little in defeat.
A lighthearted laugh came from behind her, and she turned around. She could not identify the young man himself because her eyes immediately latched onto the little brown fox in his arms. Bearing a fluffy tail, long fox ears, and a collar of white curls, the adorable Pokémon stared back at the Pokémon Trainer with a set of coffee brown eyes.
"Are you lost?" the man questioned with an eccentric optimism.
"Um, yeah! Kind of." Marina glanced at his casual brown hair and a cat-like smile, smiling back when she again looked at the little Pokémon.
"Do you like him?" he asked, amused with the girl's reaction.
Unable to help herself, Marina cooed, "Definitely! It's so cute!" She clumsily reached into her backpack's side pocket and took out her Pokédex. The scrawny adult opened his mouth in surprise as Marina booted it up and listened to what the device had to say about the fox.
"Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Type: Normal
This Pokémon has the ability to alter the composition of its body, allowing it to adapt smoothly into any environment. It is the only Pokémon known to be able to evolve in many different ways; currently, seven different evolutions have been confirmed."
"Evui?" the Eevee murmured, twitching its ears.
"Aww!" Marina squealed. "It's so much cuter in person!"
"Yes, it is," the Pokémon's owner agreed. "Is that a Pokédex you have there?"
"Yeah," Marina replied, nodding.
"Fantastic! You must use my storage system then," the cheerful brown-haired man replied.
"Huh?"
"You see, my name is Bill. I created the Pokémon PC Storage System. Have you heard of me?"
"I have!" Marina replied, her mouth opened wide in shock. "Are you really him? I thought you lived in Kanto somewhere!"
"Just visiting my folks. They live here in Goldenrod."
"Ohhh..." Marina stared at the Eevee, who gazed back at her wearing an identical look of wonder. Bill chuckled.
"Speaking of this Eevee, would you do me a favor and take care of him for me?" he asked, causing Marina to look up at him in disbelief.
"Take care of him? You mean keep it?" she gasped, and nearly dropped her Pokédex as she put it away. "Yes! B-But why? Are you sure I can just have him?"
Bill looked down at the brown fox, whose curious eyes were fixed on Marina. "To tell you the truth, I obtained this little guy by accident. My favorite Pokémon are actually Eevee and its evolutions, and I've collected them all, but I never anticipated what would happen if I put them all together at once... See, a couple of them are male and a couple of them are female, and before I knew it I've been taking care of one Eevee litter after another. They're a handful! It's really getting out of hand."
"Wow!" Marina commented with a giggle. "That's like one bundle of cuteness after another to me!"
He laughed. "Yes, yes, but far too much work for me. I don't go outside enough to handle them all. I've been giving them away to my associates. But I see some great potential in this one right here. I want this Eevee to see the world. A strong Pokémon Trainer would be the best match for him, especially one with a Pokédex like yourself.
"And last but not least..." Bill stopped to glance at his Eevee. The Pokémon still stared at Marina, completely intrigued and flipping his fluffy tail back and forth. Bill put on another cat-like smile of his. "He seems very fascinated with you, for sure, so here," he finished. With great care, he held the Eevee out to her.
"...Are you really sure?" Marina questioned one last time.
"Well, do you want an Eevee?"
"Yes," she replied instantly.
"And do you love Pokémon?"
"Yes!"
"Then I'm sure Eevee will be happy to partner up with you," Bill concluded. He smiled fervently as he passed on the Eevee from his hands to hers.
The girl's eyes sparked in joy and she giggled, squeezing the Pokémon gently as she hugged him. Eevee jerked his ears up and down, and he wiggled for a second before grinning, content when she loosened her grip on him a little.
"Thank you so much, Bill! Take my word for it; I'll take very good care of this Eevee!" Marina promised. She looked up just as Bill handed her the Eevee's Poké Ball, which was simply an ordinary—but very new—Poké Ball. Giggling at it and her new Pokémon that looked up at her curiously, she clipped the sphere to her empty belt.
"I'm glad to hear that. And now that I think of it, weren't you on your way somewhere?"
"Oh…Oh yeah!" Marina, cuddling Eevee close, looked over her shoulder at the steel structure towering over them at a distance. "I was trying to go there, to the Radio Tower."
"There?" Bill crossed his arms. "Nothing to see there nowadays. They've tightened up the security so much that you can't even go higher than the second floor."
"Why'd they do that?" Marina asked, just as perplexed.
"Who knows? Maybe too many people were interrupting the radio shows. But, trust me here; the only thing I got out of going to that place recently was a cheap lottery prize and another Radio Card for my PokéGear."
"I see. Oh well," the girl said, shrugging. She stared down at Eevee's furry face. "Looks like we've got nothing to do but go back to the Pokémon Center here."
"Evui," Eevee purred softly.
"As a Trainer, there's always the Goldenrod City Gym to go to," Bill suggested.
"But I don't have any other Pokémon with me right now," reasoned Marina. "They're all being healed at the Pokémon Center."
"Ah, but this Gym Leader is usually very busy. She gets many challenges daily. You don't have to fight, just spectate. You know?"
"Really? Then I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch," Marina said.
He's right. And if I study her technique, then I'll be able to plan how to counter it!
"I'll do just that, then!" She bowed. "Thank you so much!"
"Hold on just a moment." Bill took out a small notepad and a pen from his shirt pocket, writing something briefly. He tore out the page, folded the paper, and held it out to her. "Take this. That's my—."
"Evui," the Eevee barked, extending his neck and snatching the paper in his mouth. Bill and Marina looked at the cute fox and laughed.
"That's my phone number," Bill repeated with a smile. "If you ever need to know anything about the Storage System, you can call me. Professor Elm—that's who gave you your first Pokémon, right?"
Marina nodded attentively.
"I know he usually keeps track of the Pokémon that his Trainers store, but he's a busy guy."
"That's so true," she agreed.
"He won't be available all the time, so..." The programmer paused, suddenly checking his wristwatch. He made an appalled gasp. "Whoops, I've got to go! My folks ought to be wondering where I went."
"Alright, see you later then! Thanks again, Bill," Marina said, beaming gratefully.
Now I'll have even more to write about in my notebook, she quickly thought.
"No problem! I hope you two get along just fine." Bill briefly bent over to the Eevee. "Good luck, little guy. Don't you eat that note, okay now?"
"Bui," Eevee replied, his voice muffled by the paper.
"So, this is it, huh?"
The girl and her Eevee, despite the seemingly easy directions, got lost countless times trying to find the Goldenrod City Pokémon Gym. After seeing the city's Game Corner, many rows of apartments, a bike shop, the Magnet Train, a couple of strange people wearing black uniforms, and plenty of Trainers and non-Trainers alike wooing over Marina's Eevee, the two finally stood before the building they sought. It, like so many others in the city, was colored gold. Dozens of sweet-smelling potted flowers lined up around the building, giving it the appearance of a gardening warehouse.
"It kind of reminds me of Bugsy's Gym." Marina held her Eevee close, petting its fluffy head. "Ready to go in, Eevee?"
"Evui, evui," the Pokémon chirped. She smiled at him and strolled through the automatic double doors, sneezing briefly as she passed by the little garden.
Once inside, they were met by a maze of plants, stacked up high and sturdy as walls. A string of pleasant fragrances in the air chilled Marina's senses. Behind the sweet scents and colorful surroundings, it was—strangely—gripped by a grave sort of quiet.
"Hello?" Marina called. Only her voice returned in echoes. She looked up wearing a doubtful frown, glancing at the dimmed lights. It was only close to evening, with the sun still shining heavily on Marina through the windows.
"Is the Gym closed today? But why would the door be unlocked?" she wondered aloud, twirling the locks of her bangs between her fingers. Somewhat disappointed, Marina turned to leave.
A screaming crash of glass, followed by furious Pokémon cries ripped into her ears. Marina's body jolted, as did her Pokémon's, when the vibes streamed down her spine. Marina whirled around, seeing no physical change in the two paths available. The ears of her Eevee twitched sensitively, suddenly alert.
"What was that?" she asked, spooked. She pressed Eevee close to her chest and waited.
Seconds afterward, commanding voices echoed in the air, followed by a loud sputtering hiss. Another whined in pain. They listened as the yells and thumps erupted again—without the sound of a single soul cheering either side on in the scuffle. Bill had said that people watched the Gym Leader's battles, but there seemed to be no crowd in earshot.
"A...A Pokémon battle?" Marina nearly sighed in relief, yet she was unable to shake off her uneasiness. Her Eevee's little body shook, and her eyebrows rose as she looked down at him. He was quietly growling, flattening his ears.
Even Eevee can sense that something's up.
Marina stared at him worriedly and sprinted further into the Gym, taking the rightward direction just as another round of hissing echoed throughout the maze of flowers.