Chapter Four: Guiding Star's In A Cloudy Sky
"Did you get it?" Tally asked eagerly.
Carla took her hand out of her pocket and uncurled her fist, revealing the Balance Badge nestling in her palm.
"I knew you would!"
"Thank you. And thanks for all the training. It really paid off." Carla sat down, took her notebook out of her backpack and carefully wrote down the amount of money she'd posted to her sister. This time, she had carefully divided her winnings before buying supplies for both herself and her team and setting some aside before sending the package. Hopefully Sandra would get it soon.
"Is that your diary?"
Carla snapped the notebook shut. "No. It's just a record I'm keeping, that's all."
"Oh. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going for Roxanne's badge now?"
"I don't think so." Carla wasn't sure what she was going to do next. But now that she was thinking about it, challenging the Gym Leaders for the prize money wasn't a bad idea.
"In that case, do you want to come with me to Slateport? I've always wanted to see the market there. I won't be able to afford anything, but it'll be nice to look!"
Carla thought for a moment. She wasn't sure where else to go, and there were bound to be trainers in Slateport - rich ones. "All right. Let's do that."
"Great!" Tally pulled a map out of her bag and unfolded it. "If we go back the way we came, that's through the wood and back to Oldale, we can go across the river on Boing's back."
After a quick glance on the clock resting on the small table between the two beds, Carla said: "Tess and Zoe are still being healed. If we leave after lunch, we'll be able to get to Oldale in about three days. But we'll have to move."
Tally shrugged. "That sounds OK."
"There's something I have to do before we leave."
Carla pushed the door open, expecting a bell to tinkle overhead. When it didn't, she quietly closed the door behind her. "Hello?"
In front of her was a small wooden desk with a small selection of haircare products arranged at one end. A man in a dark blue shirt sat behind the desk; he looked up and smiled at Carla. "Hello! How can we…whoa. No offence, but I think I can tell why you're here."
"The notice says you do a discount for trainers?" Carla gestured towards the door she'd just walked through.
"We do. There aren't any appointments for today, so just go on through. When you're done, show me your ID and I'll give you a discount."
"Thanks."
When Carla walked through to the main area, she was immediately greeted by a young woman with black hair cropped close to her head. "Hey there!" The woman's wide smile made her green eyes sparkle. "I'm Jenna; what can I do for you today?"
Carla placed her hand halfway between her chin and her right shoulder. "Can you cut my hair up to here?"
"Sure I can! Do you want me to put your bag in our cloakroom while you sit down?"
"That'd be great."
Carla's hair ended up filling the entire washbasin. She felt herself relaxing as Jenna ran warm water over her head.
"When do you leave on your journey?" Jenna asked conversationally.
"I already have."
Jenna started rubbing shampoo into Carla's hair. It was deeply soothing, and Carla sank further back into the seat. "How long have you been travelling?"
Carla thought for a moment. "About a week. I think." It felt a lot longer than that.
Had it felt longer to her family? The thought was like a kick in the guts.
Had Glennis received another visit?
"Are you OK?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"You just looked a bit worried for a moment there. How many pokémon do you have so far?"
Another wave of water ran down Carla's hair and she relaxed again. "Three. Snorunt, Vullaby and Misdreavus."
"Misdreavus? Aren't they the ones who…"
"…like to pull hair. Yeah." Carla smiled.
"Well, he won't be trying anything with your hair when I'm done with it!" Jenna laughed. "My parents kept asking me if I wanted to go on a journey when I was younger, but I said no. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had gone, but I'm glad I didn't. Always wanted to work with hair, always." She turned off the water and wrapped Carla's hair in a towel before leading her to an empty chair that was positioned in front of a large, rectangular mirror.
"You wanted it up to here, didn't you?" Jenna asked, pinching Carla's hair at the exact spot the girl had motioned to earlier.
"Yes. Thank you."
Carla kept completely still, watching as each snip of the scissors caused a lock of hair to fall to the floor. When she had finished, Jenna blew what was left dry with a hairdryer and held up a mirror to the back of Carla's head, allowing her to see it from every angle.
"What do you think?" she asked, beaming.
"I like it!" Carla said. Her face looked different somehow.
"And your head feels a lot lighter now, doesn't it?"
"It…" Carla raised a hand and touched the ends of her hair. "Actually, it does. Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Don't forget to show your ID to Tom at the desk."
Carla collected her knapsack from the cloakroom and walked back through to the desk. Tom gave her ID a quick, careful glance, nodded once and said: "That'll be seventeen dollars. I hope your journey goes well."
She handed over the money, strangely reassured by the friendly smile before her. "Thanks. I hope so too."
When Carla was on her own, she could walk as fast as she wanted, but things were different with somebody beside her. And Tally just wouldn't stop talking.
At first, Carla found the constant questions and chatter annoying. But she couldn't ignore Tally, and before long the sound of the other girl's voice became as natural as leaves rustling in the trees above.
"I'd been hinting I wanted to go on a journey for a couple of months, but I couldn't actually ask my parents if I could leave, you know?"
"Why couldn't you ask them?" Carla knew she had no right to ask this question considering the circumstances of her departure, but she was still curious.
"My parents run a berry farm. That takes a lot of work: planting berries, watering, pruning, making sure wild pokémon don't raid the grounds...they can't do everything themselves. I've lived on the farm all my life, but I wanted to see more of Hoenn. Know what I mean?"
Carla nodded.
"So a few weeks ago, my parents called me in after I'd finished watering the saplings. I went through to the kitchen and I didn't even notice Treble standing on the table! Mum had to point at her - and then I realised they'd got her for me."
Carla pictured the scene in her mind: the Cleffa in the middle of the table, Tally walking right past her and then doubling back, her mother pointing at the tiny pink creature with a wide and hopeful grin on her face, and Tally's squeal of joy as she finally...
"Excuse me!"
Someone was hurrying towards them. Carla's breath froze in her lungs; she'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realised where they were.
He stopped a little way away from them and held out his hands. They were overflowing with pecha berries. "These are for you."
"Oh wow, thanks!" Tally beamed as she took three from him.
Carla stood frozen, unable to look away from the figure in front of her. "I...Thank you." Mechanically, she took the berries and slipped them into her bag.
"That's a really nice house," Tally said, gesturing towards the small white building to the left.
"Thank you. It's been in my family for years. I've got berries growing in the garden, and I like to give them to any trainers who pass by. You never know when you might need one."
"Really? My parents own a berry farm, except they grow all kinds of berries, not just medicinal ones."
The man smiled in approval. Silver threads were weaving their way through his thick, dark hair.
"Thank you so, so much!" Tally said.
"You're welcome."
It was only when he'd reached the house and was opening the door that Carla opened her mouth to call after him. "Wait..." But the door closed, cutting her off.
"What time do you think we need to leave?" asked Tally.
"If we get some breakfast at about six-thirty and leave right after that, we might get to Slateport at about noon." Carla was watching Tess and Zoe chase each other in circles, while Rakel floated aimlessly near the ceiling.
"Six-thirty?" Tally frowned. "Yeah, that sounds OK."
She unzipped a tiny compartment of her bag and pulled out a small knife. Carla recognised it as one that was specifically designed to cut berries; it didn't surprise her in the least that Tally would have one if her parents owned a berry farm. "You got three pechas too, right?"
"Yeah, I think so." Carla watched as Tally took a flask and a tiny bottle of clear liquid from her bag. "What are you doing with those?"
Tally grinned. "I'm making my own medicine. Mum taught me; do you want to see?"
Intrigued, Carla followed her into the bathroom. Tally stood in front of the sink and carefully cut up two of the berries, dropping the slices into the flask. "You have to make sure the berries are cut up into small pieces or they won't dissolve properly," she explained as she filled the flask with water from the tap.
"What does that do?" Carla asked, pointing at the bottle of liquid.
"That acts as a preserver and emulsifier. Just add a few drops and after a while, the berry flesh will completely dissolve and we'll have a makeshift antidote! You can add other things like roots and powders as well, but my pokémon don't like it when I do that."
They didn't have to like it, Carla thought. The medicine was for their own good.
"That's amazing," she said. "How many other trainers know how to do that?"
Tally shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't met anyone else who does."
"You know trainers used to put oats into bags, add water and carry them around on their backs until their body heat cooked the oats?" Carla said.
"Really?"
"Yes. Hopefully they remembered to bring a spoon."
Tally burst out laughing. "What else do you know?"
Carla thought for a moment. "Alola and Galar were the first regions to allow female trainers."
"What?"
"In other regions, women were only allowed to own pokémon; they couldn't train them or battle with them." Carla huffed, shaking her head. "I sounded like my mother just then."
It was mid-morning, and the day was already blazing hot. Carla could see the cycling road in the distance; it wouldn't be long before they reached the river. They'd be in Slateport before lunch at this rate.
The cycling road looked ugly against the blue sky, but at least it provided shelter from both the sun and the rain.
"It sounds like your mum knows a lot of awesome stuff!" Tally said.
Carla didn't say anything to that. She thought she could hear running water ahead of them. "I think we're close to the river."
"Have you ever ridden a Water-type before?"
"Yes." Kelvin, Theo's Crawdaunt, used to give Carla and Glennis rides on his back when they were small. The trick was to find something to hold on to and stay as still as possible so they wouldn't slide off and into the water.
"Look, there it is." The girls hurried up to the water's edge; on the other side, a fisherman was concentrating heavily on his line. It didn't look as if the trip was going to take long, but Carla privately thought Boing's bulk was going to be very helpful when it came to resisting the current.
Tally took out Boing's capsule, tossed in the air once, then threw it towards the water. The Wailmer materialised, his grin barely visible above the surface.
"Boing, can you take us across the river?"
The Wailmer nodded twice, turned around and lowered himself deeper into the water.
"You go first," Tally said, motioning towards him.
Tentatively, Carla stepped onto the Wailmer's back. Boing's skin was rubbery and smooth; Carla wobbled precariously before settling herself into a kneeling position, with her palms against his back for support.
"Go on," she said. Boing set off, steadily moving towards the other side. Carla took care to keep as still as she could, her eyes fixed on the approaching shore. Boing stopped just before he reached the other side; Carla shakily got to her feet, hesitated, then hopped ashore. "Thanks Boing."
It was a relief to watch him head back towards Tally. Riding a Water-type was a lot less fun than she remembered.
"Hey." It was the fisherman. "While you're waiting for your friend, do you want to have a battle with me?"
"Sure."
Like Petalburg, the Slateport had its Centre placed close to the outskirts of the city. Carla couldn't resist a sideways glance at the Contest Hall and the queue outside it. If she listened closely, she could almost hear the sea over the constant voices all around them.
"I hope there's at least one spare room." Tally sounded worried. "There are a lot of people here."
"There's bound to be spare rooms. This is a market town with a Contest Hall," Carla reminded her. "But we should get booked in quickly."
Judging from all the people heading in one direction, they'd reached Slateport during the market rush. Carla wasn't sure how long her companion wanted to stay in the city, but she was prepared to stay for a few days if necessary. Tally could always move on without her.
Despite the mass of people outside, there were surprisingly few people in the Centre. Carla and Tally walked up to the desk, and Tally rapped smartly on the surface to get the nurse's attention.
"Hi! Could we get..."
"Hold on one moment," the nurse said, holding up a finger. She looked at the computer screen for a second and raised her voice, calling out: "OK, trainer with the Noctowl, Shinx and Corphish - your team's ready for you!" She turned her attention back to Carla and Tally, a bright smile on her face. "What can I do for you ladies?"
"Could we get a room, please?" asked Tally. She quickly moved aside to allow a boy in a red jacket to take three pokéballs from the nurse.
"And I'd like to get my Snorunt healed," Carla added, placing Zoe's capsule on the desk. The battle with the fisherman hadn't been particularly long or hard, but a quick check-up wouldn't do Zoe any harm.
"Sure, that's not a problem. We've got three single rooms and two doubles - which do you fancy?"
Tally and Carla looked at each other. Carla sensed the other girl was hoping they'd be sharing again, so she said: "We'll take a double, please."
The nurse slid two keys across the desk. "Room 207 is yours. Enjoy your stay!"
"Do you want to go to the markets right after lunch?" Carla asked Tally as they made their way up the stairs.
"We could get lunch at the market. There's bound to be lots of great street food there!"
Somehow, Tally managed to persuade Carla to buy herself a combination of cheese, eggs, potatoes and cream from one of the food stalls at the market. "I've never had this before," she said as she handed money over in exchange for her own portion, "but it looks good!"
"It is good," the vendor replied proudly. "You won't find anything better to eat here!"
As she took her first mouthful, Carla had to admit he was right. It was hot, delicious and surprisingly filling. She ate the rest slowly, savouring it as much as she could and trying to banish the disappointment when the paper plate was empty.
"Hey, Carla. Look at this!" Tally held up a pink incense burner. "Isn't it pretty?"
"Can I interest either of you in some rose incense sticks?" asked the lady behind the stall. "It's got genuine Roselia essence; it'll attract Grass-types from miles around."
"How much?" Tally asked. Her eyes widened when the vendor gave the price. "Think I'll pass on that, thanks!"
As they walked away from the stall, she said: "A lot of items I've seen here are really expensive. How can trainers afford these?"
Carla honestly wasn't sure they could. The market probably wasn't for trainers, but for Slateport residents and for people who could actually afford to waste money on an incense burner.
Then Tally stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening with excitement. "Wait - look at that one!" She hurried over to a stall that was virtually surrounded by a crowd of trainers; Carla barely had time to notice most of the trainers were girls before Tally was saying: "Are those accessories?"
Unlike their Hoennian counterparts, Sinnovan coordinators used accessories in their performances. Carla was unable to see the point of it at first but realised why they were so effective while watching a televised performance: the appeals round didn't just show off the pokémon's moves, but their poise and balance as well. Performing while making sure your decorations remained in place took dedication and skill.
Carla found herself following Tally towards a tiny space at the stall. "Wouldn't this look good on your Snorunt?"
She was holding a long, thin top hat with a red band around it.
Carla barely suppressed a giggle at the thought of Zoe wearing a hat half as big as she was. "It'd go right over her eyes."
Now Tally was showing her a pink plastic bow. "Wouldn't this look cute on Glossie? Or on your Tess?"
"It might." Carla imagined Tess with the tiny bow clipped to her crest feathers. It would be pretty on her, but there was no point in buying it; the bow would get in the way of battling and they'd lose points for using it in a contest. Besides, she couldn't afford to waste money on something as unimportant as an accessory. "It might look nice on Treble."
"Hey, look, um..." The vendor waved a hand, trying to get their attention. "Are you going to buy that?"
Tally studied the bow for a few seconds. "Yes, I think I will!"
"It is cute on her." Carla leaned against the wall, watching as Tally clipped the bow on the small curl on top of Treble's head. The bow was the exact colour as the spots on the Cleffa's cheek.
Treble blinked twice. She looked as if she didn't care whether she wore the accessory or not.
Carla glanced towards the window. Outside, she could see a heavy grey sky; the clouds looked as though they were about to burst with rain. She walked back and forth in front of the window, her arms folded.
"Are you OK?" Tally asked.
"I don't know. I feel really restless."
They'd spent virtually all day on their feet, and now Carla wanted nothing more than to go outside again. Normally, she couldn't wait to get some rest after a long day of walking around. Was this agitation normal for some trainers?
Darkness was coming early because of the clouds. If she was going to go outside, it had to be now. She quickly pulled her hoodie on over her T-shirt. "I think I'll take Rakel with me."
"Shall I come too?"
Carla hesitated for a moment. Then she said: "No, thanks. I won't be long."
The Centre lobby was quiet. The nurse glanced up from the book she was reading and smiled once at Carla before turning back to the pages. The only other person there was a girl watching the silent television.
Carla stepped outside into the cool air. She could hear the sea in the distance now that the streets were quiet. She started walking in the direction she thought the sound was coming from.
Rakel floated between pools of lamplight and shadows cast by the buildings. Her own shadow was a patch of grey mist on the ground, and although she seemed to be enjoying the dusk she never went too far away from her trainer.
Eventually, they wandered away from the large main streets into a set of narrow avenues. Carla came to a halt, unease spiking through her. She hadn't meant to go this way.
Maybe it was time to turn back.
"Please...please don't hurt us..."
Carla froze, eyes wide. The terrified whimper had come from the street just ahead of them.
"Keep quiet and you won't get hurt. Understand?"
Carla was breathing far too loudly. She swallowed hard and sidled along the nearest wall towards where she'd heard the voices. The concrete was cold and hard against her back. She peered around the corner and saw two trainers cornered against a wall by three bulky figures.
A flash of red caught her eye; someone else had encountered the scene and was watching in horror. He didn't seem to have noticed Carla and Rakel.
"Give us all your money and pokémon. Now," one of the men growled. The trainers took off their bags and began to unzip them.
What was Carla going to do? She hadn't expected this. Those girls were in danger. She didn't know what to do, but she couldn't do nothing.
She looked up at Rakel. "Go up to those guys and scream at them," she whispered.
Rakel's eyes widened. She stared at her trainer as if she'd never seen her before.
"It'll really scare them."
A slow, malicious smile spread across Rakel's face. Then she disappeared.
Carla held her breath as she watched one of the trainers reach inside her bag. Then Rakel was there, her scream shattering the night air. The next moment, a large bird was beating its wings at two of the men while Rakel floated around the third.
The girls were gone, running away as if Giratina was after them.
Carla returned Rakel as quickly as she could and then she was running as well. She didn't even know if she were going back the way she'd come; all she knew was she had to get as far away as she could, away from the men, away from them.
Eventually her lungs failed her. She staggered to a halt, heart pounding at her ribs. Gasping for breath, she collapsed onto a nearby bench and doubled over, staring at the ground. She heard someone running past her, but when she raised her head again, the streets were completely silent.
Thanks for reading so far! Please leave a review.
Fun fact: If Carla went to Hogwarts, her wand wood would be either ebony or pine.
This chapter's title is from 'Keep Hauling' by The Fisherman's Friends.