Chapter 27
Route 5 was all downhill from Cerulean City. It felt that way both literally and figuratively for Felix and Daisy as they faced no real threats the whole way down the declining slope. The two of them found it strange that not only was Team Rocket nowhere to be found, there were no upstart trainers or beggars along the route. The road was barren with nothing but fields, ledges, and the occasional Pidgey. The only other human being either of them saw was each other.
With the road quiet and private as it was, Felix thought it to be a good opportunity to train his Charmander. He would arise before Daisy and run through a few drills Bill taught him. When he and Daisy rested, he would have Charmander spar with Weepinbell or Nidorina. While they traveled, he would have Charmander fight the wild Pidgey and Pidgeotto that got territorial.
One day, the two trainers stumbled upon a small cottage. They remembered the words on the back of the ticket telling them to trust no one, so they tried to sneak around it. The two of them tip-toed through the tall grass. Because they kept their eye on the cottage and weren't paying close attention to where they were going, Felix didn't notice an old man picking berries and bumped into him.
"Ow!" squeaked the old man, falling over.
Felix turned red from embarrassment and his heart pounded from nerves.
"I'm so sorry!" he said sincerely and pulled the man back up.
"That's quite alright, my boy!" assured the old man. "Say, I don't see many folk in these parts. Where are you two young kids headed off to?"
"We'd rather not talk too much about it, but we're hoping to pass through Saffron City. How much farther is it?" asked Felix.
"I understand. Can't be too careful these days. I never thought I'd see the day the Johto Empire collapsed. Certainly not in my lifetime!" rambled the old man. "But if you're looking to enter Saffron when you pass through it, I'm afraid you're out of luck. The entire city is in lockdown. Because of the political strife, I reckon. Unfortunately, Saffron is surrounded by city walls with only four points of entry, one in each cardinal direction, and the guards aren't letting anybody in. No one is allowed in or out of the city for the time being."
"We might need to rethink our plans," said Daisy to Felix.
"If you're going to Lavender Town or Celadon City, it's a long way from this point, no matter which way you wander. But if you're going to Vermillion City, there's an underground tunnel that will take you to Route 6. It was built in case of an invasion to sneakily move troops to different cities. It might even be quicker than going through Saffron," said the old man.
"Which way is the underground tunnel?" asked Felix.
"It's mostly east from here. Brick building, not far from Saffron's city walls, can't miss it. A human made tunnel that will take you right under Saffron City. It's a long tunnel, so hopefully you brought enough supplies."
"We were hoping to restock in Saffron," thought Felix aloud. Daisy nudged him with her foot.
"Well, if you're in need of supplies, I can see what I have to spare in my cottage," offered
the old man.
"That won't be necessary," said Daisy with a polite smile. "We can manage. Thank you so much for your offer!"
"Oh no! I insist! Come on back to my cottage!" said the old man. He put his arm around Felix and guided him over to his cottage. Daisy reluctantly followed, her hand over Nidorina's Pokeball.
Inside the cottage was a tiny living space: a living room and small kitchen divided by a small table with one bedroom, and a bathroom.
"Please have a seat on the sofa. Kick your feet up and relax. I'll go find you guys some food," said the old man.
"You really don't have to do this. I think we'll just head out," said Daisy.
"Nonsense! I noticed you carry Pokeballs! I have some Pokemon food! Do you think your Pokemon would like some?" insisted the old man.
"I don't think–" Daisy began, but suddenly Felix's Charmander burst out of her Pokeball.
"Charmander!" the orange reptile cried, looking up at the old man.
"I think someone is hungry! Let me get you a snack! I'll have provisions for your trip in no time!" said the old man, and he scurried off to the pantry.
"What are you doing?" whispered Felix. "I was going to feed you soon! You blew our cover! You couldn't go without eating for five more minutes?"
"Char…" sighed Charmander. She looked sorry about her eagerness to be fed.
"This feels fishy," whispered Daisy. "Why is he so insistent on feeding us?"
"Melanie was this way. Maybe he randomly knows my father," replied Felix.
"You know, I can't help but notice your Charmander. I mean no disrespect, but she seems to lack confidence," the old man called out from the kitchen. "Do you battle with her? Does she perform well?"
"I mean no disrespect, but that's none of your business," said Felix through gritted teeth.
"I only ask because I run a daycare center. Pokemon training can be hard. I have thirty years experience training Pokemon in the art of combat. I can train your Charmander for you for a while if you'd like," said the old man, approaching them with a bag of snacks and goodies.
"No thanks," said Felix shortly.
"Oh, come on! For just a small fee, I'll have your Charmander fighting like a Charizard in no time at all!"
"I'm confident in my own methods, thank you very much. I don't need your help. Thank you for the treats," said Felix. He turned to Daisy. "Come on, let's go."
The two trainers stood up to leave, but the old man stood in their way.
"Nothing beats the convenience of having a battle-ready Pokemon without going through the grind of training it yourself. I'll tell you what. To prove to you I'm the real deal, I'll train your Charmander for half off," said the old man, still in a friendly voice.
"I'm not interested. Now please move out of my way," said Felix.
"Not before I give you a sample of Pokemon I trained myself!" said the old man. "Go Butterfree!"
A butterfly-like Pokemon with a purple body and white wings with black patterns on them came flying out of the Pokeball the old man threw.
"Are you challenging me to a Pokemon battle?" asked Felix, perplexed.
"If you're so confident you don't need my services, then yes!" said the old man.
"It's just… I've had two Pokemon stolen and I don't trust–"
"Butterfree, Poison Powder!" interrupted the old man.
A golden powder came floating out of Butterfree's wings, poisoning Charmander.
"Charmander! Ember!"
Charmander blew sparks of flame toward Butterfree, severely burning her.
"You knew I was using a fire type! Why did you send out a bug type?" said Felix. He talked louder every time he spoke.
"To prove how much my training methods work that not even type advantage matters! Plus, it'll show you how much your Charmander needs my help!" explained the old man, never losing his friendly pitch.
"I won't let you continue to disrespect my Charmander like that! Ember now!"
Charmander sent forth more embers. Butterfree fainted on impact.
"I meant no disrespect–"
"But it sure felt that way," said Felix. "Now move over before I call the authorities!"
"Oh, that won't be happening," said the old man, his friendly tone vanishing.
"What do you mean?" asked Daisy slowly.
"Team Rocket is on their way," said the old man. "And I cut the phone line."
"You didn't!" whispered Felix gutterally.
"You're not going anywhere," said the old man triumphantly.
"This whole daycare place is a scam to steal Pokemon, isn't it?" accused Daisy.
The old man nodded.
"We gotta get out of here before Team Rocket shows up!" said Felix. "Who knows how many they're sending."
Daisy lowered her head and sent out Nidorina to tackle the old man.
Felix, Daisy, and Charmander made a break for the door, followed by Nidorina. The old man cackled on the floor. Without prompting, once her three allies were a safe distance, Charmander turned around and blew embers at the cottage, setting it on fire. She screamed out in anger, and suddenly was engulfed in white light, appearing before them as a Charmeleon.
The two trainers looked in awe, but came to their senses when they heard helicopters in the distance. Felix and Daisy returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, but not before using an Antidote to heal Charmeleon's poison, and made a break for the east. There wasn't a lot of cover from where they were to the brick building that led to the underground tunnel, but they made it there safely without having been there before. They flung open the door, entered, then slammed it closed. Felix sent out Graveler and used Rock Throw to block the door.
The children sighed a breath of relief only to see someone standing behind them. They sighed a second breath of relief to see it was merely a child. Felix handed the kid three hundred Pokedollars and told her not to tell anyone they were there.
"Team Rocket is going to be waiting for us on the other side," said Daisy.
"I know. So we'll have to be ready for them," said Felix.
Without another word, the two friends descended down the dark staircase to the underground path that would lead them to Vermillion City.