Chapter 4: Friends' night out
When we exited the dojo, it was almost nighttime.
Can't believe we spent six whole hours training and I just feel lightly exhausted. Who would have guessed that Pokémon have more endurance than humans?
"Alright, so what do we do?"
"Maybe the tour through the city you promised?" I suggested.
"Oh yeah. I promised you I would give you one"
"Oh, so not only do I have to act as a personal trainer, but also as a tour guide?"
"You get to spend more time teaching things! How is that bad?" I asked with a smirk.
"Alright, so we should probably do a quick tour if we wanna do something, since most of the locals respect curfew and close. So, since the residential area has not much to see, and we are coming back to this part of town later, how about we start from the town's exit?" Ember explained.
"Sounds good" I said.
So we walked to the small fountain that comprised the center of the town and walked towards the small street that led to the exit of the town.
After some time, and a relatively silent trip, we arrived at a gate where some Pokémon where guarding the entrance to the town.
"This is the main entrance to the town and also the exit. The 'mons guarding it are hired by the mayor himself to protect the town. And there are more small patrols around the edge of the city. Getting in is not too easy" Ember explained.
Kit scoffed. "That's what you say. I'm sure a well done illusion can distract the guards enough for you to sneak in"
"You think that the guards are that dumb?" I questioned.
"No he doesn't. He just wants to pretend that he's the best at doing his illusions" Ember said.
"And I am" he replied.
Ignoring the brewing discussion, I took another glance at the gate. There were indeed a lot of Pokémon guarding it. A Machoke and a Raichu were playing with what looked like cards on top of a box.
An Ampharos that was carrying some sort of weapon was directing a group of Raticate to do something I couldn't hear.
"What I was saying..." Ember finished the discussion. "Is that it's hard to evade all of the security and enter without anyone noticing you. That's why they were so feared"
"They? Who's they?"
Ember shuddered, but didn't say anything. Kit sighed and answered me. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you will know about them when you become an explorer"
Ember perked up. "What?"
"Didn't I tell you? I always liked exploring and helping people, and I thought that joining or forming an explorer team could be a great idea, and also help me with my memory"
She forced a smile and tried to sound natural. "That's great. I'm sure you'll manage to do it". She was gritting her teeth so hard, they could break.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes. Now lets go. We have more to see". She was clearly not ok.
Kit whispered to my ear. "What did I tell you? I think she doesn't want you to become an explorer so that whatever happened doesn't repeat itself. We have to find out what exactly "
I nodded. I was going to help my friend, no matter what.
We turned around, giving our back to the gate, and walked back to the city. Not too far from it, there was a big black building with some small yellow accents.
"This is the bank. Everyone stores their savings here"
"Pretty much what a bank is" I said.
"You would be surprised by the amount of uses a building can have. You'll see"
I nodded and we continued. In this street there were some houses, but not like the ones that I'd seen before. These ones were big.
Next, was a building that had a gigantic sign popping out of the building itself. The text in it was illuminated. The building itself was tall and had loads of windows.
"This is the hotel. All of the travelers, tourists and wandering merchants stay here to pass the night. Much less expensive than renting an apartment"
"When I first came into this town, I spent some nights here with the little money I had. The rooms have just what you need to live: A bed and a small kitchen" Kit said.
"Where did you work before?" I asked.
He tensed up. "I don't want to talk about it"
I looked at Ember, and she just shrugged.
We continued walking down the street. Near where the fountain was, I saw our last stop. You had to be blind not to. It was a astonishingly decorated building. It was big, and looked like it could handle three hurricanes. It had a big plate with a drawing, which I couldn't clearly see from my position. It also had two flags hanging. One that looked like Hoenn's but slightly different, and another one, completely new. This one had red colors on top of a blue background, all of that surrounding a yellow circle.
"This is the town hall. Breath-taking? Of course our mayor would build an amazing building for himself. He deserves this and more. He's the best mayor we ever had"
I nodded.
Wow. They even have a complete political sistem? Incredible. And I thought we humans were special.
"Come on, guys! Time for my favourite part of town!" Said Kit while walking towards the fountain at the centre of town.
"Wait for me!" Ember yelled while following him.
As I was about to walk, I felt that sensation I felt this morning again. As if someone was watching me. I quickly looked behind, but saw no one.
Am I going crazy? I hope not. Should I tell them? Not now. I don't want to ruin the night.
I looked to my sides repeteadly to confirm it was empty, but was met with something else. When I turned my head to look back, I saw a pair of yellow eyes with crimson irises looking at me, and what looked like the tip of a magenta pointy hat.
But as soon as I blinked, it was gone.
What?! Was that real? Am I going crazy?!
"Jake! Are you coming?" I heard Ember yell.
"Y-Yeah..." I said walking without stopping looking back.
"Are you ok?"
"I-...Yeah. Lets go"
And with that strange vision, we headed towards the street where all the 'fun stuff' was (as stated by Kit).
It was not as crowded as you would expect for a street that mainly consists of bars. Was this criminal problem really that of an issue?
"Alright, so there is not much to see here. Here, you enjoy things by entering. I'd suggest going to the casino for a bit, but I don't think you've got a lot of money to spend, do ya?"
"Why don't we go have something? Like a drink? Maybe we can talk about something?" I suggested.
"Sounds good to me" Said Ember.
"Same. I know a bar where there is a good bunch of drinks for our friend" said Kit.
We walked through the semi-crowded street towards a bar that had some small illuminated sign. I think I stood a bit too much looking at it.
"Don't you know how to read either? Really, who are you?" Said Kit.
"Can we get in, please?" Interrupted Ember.
"Yes, ma'am" I said.
"Don't you dare ma'am me! I'm still on my twenties! And I'm pretty sure I can outrun you"
I snickered and followed Kit inside. It was a small bar, with a Grapploct behind the counter, cleaning some glasses.
"Hey, Lance! How you doin'?"
Lance perked up at Kit's voice and looked at the three of us.
"Ah Kit. Welcome! And you brought some friends this time! I suppose you want the usual?"
"More like they brought me with them. And yes, the usual will do"
"Alright then. Pick a table and I'll go in a moment to take your orders"
With that, we went and sat on a small table, in front of the window. Kit sat in front of Ember and me, while I was near the window.
Gonna be hard to discuss such a matter like that. We should start slowly.
Lance came to our table with a block of notes and what looked like a pen.
"So what will it be?"
"I'll take some Totter Seed juice" said Kit.
"Make that two" said Ember.
"Ummm" I had no idea what to order. I still hadn't drink any sort of drinks with alcohol and I didn't know how it would affect me. And if Ember told me that whatever Totter Seed juice was was just like alcohol, I didn't want to risk being drunk.
"Make that three" I finally said
There's always a first time for everything, right? I can always stop drinking whenever I want.
Lance nodded and went to the kitchen.
"You ordered Totter Seed juice? You better not be drunk after this! I refuse to carry you!" Said Kit. That last part was accompanied by a wink which clearly meant: "You better not try to discuss such a serious matter while being drunk!"
"Relax. I'm sure it's not the first time he tried it, is it?" said Ember.
"It...actually is"
"In that case, I'm not carrying you either!"
All three of us laughed at that. Having a bit of fun was just what I needed after that fal-
You know what? No more thinking about that. It's time to move on.
Soon, our orders came. The glasses full of some creamy colored liquid. It didn't look bad, at least.
"Alright, guys! Time to drink!" said Ember
"Hell yeah! I thought you'd never say that!" Replied Kit.
"Lets go!" I said.
We made a small toast and we drank a sip. The drink was not bad, in fact, it was quite pleasant. It was a both sweet and a bit salty. The thing that worried the most was the fact that my head hurt a bit after that. Maybe not just a bit.
"Damn! This is some strong thing! My head hurts..."
"I see it is indeed your first time" said Kit.
I nodded. It was going to be a little while before I took another sip of that.
"Don't you dare get drunk this soon! This night has just begun!" Ember said.
"Never expected you of all people to say that" I said.
They both took another sip of their drinks. I didn't like leaving the drink alone, but my head was hurting from just a little sip. Who knew what would happen if I drank more?
Kit and Ember seemed to have some conversation about what they had been doing for the past year. Apparently work was too much for them to hang out together.
Of course, I didn't have anything to add.
I am the one feeling like the third wheel here, Kit...
Kit seemed to notice my silence and decided to include me in the conversation.
"How about we play a game?" He said.
"A game? Like what?" I answered.
"More like questions. We've only known each other for 2 days, 3 in Ember's case, so I want to know more about you. I'm sure you want to know more about us, don't ya?"
"Alright. You start" I said.
"Sure, what do you want to know?"
"What did you do before working at the dojo?"
"Getting straight to the point huh? Did some personal business with an...old friend. We were the best with that"
"You haven't answered my question, but ok"
"My turn. When was the time you evolved? Seeing the skill you have at fighting, you must have dealt with some pretty strong enemies"
Kit shuddered. "I don't want to talk about it. In fact, it's a memory I'm trying to erase"
"Oh. I'm sorry" She apologized.
Kit quickly regained his compusture and put that characteristic grin of his on his face.
"It's ok. After all, I was the one that suggested this game. Next up, Ember. You also got some trivia I want to know"
She nodded. Kit looked at me and winked. He's going to ask that?! Just like that?
"Alright, Em. I'll repeat your question. How did you evolve? You are not the best at fighting, if I say so"
I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I think Ember's mouth twitched a bit.
"Pretty boring, actually. You know, just how non-fighters evolve: By growing up. Boring, but that's how most of us evolve here. Not everyone can spend enough time training to be able to evolve prematurely."
"So, to evolve again without fighting, how old do you have to be?" I asked.
"Until my body decides it's mature enough"
"Jesus christ"
Kit raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. I took another sip of the drink to act as if I didn't say that.
I'm screwing this cover up. I gotta get used to not saying things that don't belong here.
"Your turn, Jake. Ask" Ember said.
I looked at Kit. He nodded. I was nervous.
What to ask? I can't just ask her "What incident did you have that put you off exploring?". I have to think...
"What was your childhood dream?"
Now I saw it. Her mouth twitched. More visibly this time.
"I-"
She sighed and quickly put a small forced smile. "Believe it or not, I always wanted to be an explorer too. But when I grew up, I quickly realized I was not fit for that"
"Did something happen? You can tell us. We are your friends, after all" I said.
"Can we continue?"
Both Kit and I sighed. It was going to be harder than that.
"Alright, then. My turn. Wanna start, Ember?"
"Sure"
She took a while to think her question. Probably because she needed to ask something that wouldn't reveal my condition.
"I know you are amnesiac, but do you remember something about who you were, or any family members?" She finally said.
"Pretty sure you asked that same question back when we first met"
"I know. Lets see if something changed"
Alright, so what to say? I could just say I remember nothing, but that wouldn't be fair. I'll have to watch out for what I say.
"Alright. So I don't remember a lot about my family, but I think I had a friend named uhhhh...Emily, I think. She was always a fan of science and unraveling those things that no one is bothered enough to unravel"
"Strange name, huh? So I guess she must have heard every one of the legends? She seems like the kind of girl who would go nuts over trying to prove if a legend is real or not. What 'mon is she?" Said Kit.
What 'mon?! I don't know! Quick, think! She always wanted to research all the Pokémon species from other regions, like Alola. Just pick a random Pokémon, dude!
"She's a Panpour. You had to see her face when she accidentaly used Water Gun on some of her research papers and made them completely useless. It was hilarious!"
"Alright, Jake. Anything else? Something about you, maybe?" Said Ember.
"I don't really remember much about me. All I know is that I finished my studies not too long ago and was searching for a job until, well, you know, this happened. Don't regret it though. Met some nice people after that bad of a situation"
"Really? So at least you must have some basic knowledge? What's 2 plus 2?" Asked Kit.
"Let me think...No way dude. Too difficult of a question. I will never guess it..."
"So was that your question, Kit?" said Ember to prevent any further, more complicated questions.
"Nope. I may be repeating myself a bit here, but I want to know how you evolved too, Jake. If you have no idea how to fight, and, as you already said, you are 18, how did you manage to evolve?"
I felt my face go pale, and even though Ember's fur was already white in color, I could see that the same happened to her.
There was no escape from this one.
"I, ummm...trained a bit with my parents. Guess it was enough to skip some years of waiting?"
"If I remember correctly, you said that even though you didn't remember anything, you were sure you didn't know how to battle. And also, to skip at least two whole years of development, you would have to fight at least three times with a very tough opponent every week, and not just 'train with your parents'"
There is no way this guy doesn't know. I'm literally trapped in a corner, with nowhere to escape. Should I tell him? I don't know if he will be able to hide this secret. But again, he probably already knows.
As I was about to speak, however, Kit beat me to it. "But again, it's none of my business. If you say so, I will believe you. This is no place to tell anything too important, is it?"
Yeah, alright. He definitely knows.
I took another small sip of my drink. I hadn't really drank a lot of it.
"Not a fan of it?" Said Ember trying to change the topic.
"Not really. Too strong for me. I hate wasting drinks, but I just can't"
"Hmm" Hummed Kit.
There was no more talking for the rest of our time at the bar. I could feel that Ember was trying to drink a bit faster.
After some time, they both finished. When Lance came with the bill, Kit decided that he would pay this time.
We exited the bar and we were met with an almost empty street. There were no residents in the streets, and those who were out, were running home.
"Alright. So do we end this night now? Or is it too soon?" Asked Ember.
Kit sighed. "It's too soon! But hardly anything is going to be be open with those stupid criminals! It's been weeks since they started appearing in massive numbers! I miss those nights of partying until dawn!"
"How about before ending the night we go to the plaza and sit for a bit in the benches? I feel like I'm going to faint after that drink" I said, clutching my head.
They both agreed and we set off towards the small plaza. The fountain was illuminated and looked amazing in this time of the day.
We sat on a small bench, Ember being the one sitting in the middle. And it wasn't just a random decision.
She was looking towards the stars above. "They look beautiful. Even though they can't be seen in they entire glory from here, what can be watched is amazing. Sometimes, I could stare at the stars for hours..."
I looked up and saw what she was talking about. Since my hometown was huge and illuminated, I never actually experienced a completely full night sky. And despite knowing that this wasn't as full as it could be, it was breath taking.
"It's beautiful. I never saw a night sky so beautiful back where I'm from, I can assure you that"
We spent a big amount of time looking at the stars. They were too beautiful to not do that.
"I used to look at the stars with my parents when I was young. They taught me all they knew about the night sky. It was one of the best time of the day, when the three of us enjoyed just chilling on the grass. Together" Said Ember.
It was subtle, but I saw something. Something on her eye.
That looks like a tear. Is she crying? Maybe something happened to her parents? I'm just assuming things. She could just miss them after she went to live on her own.
I looked at Kit. He looked back. We both nodded. It was now or never
"Ember"
"Yes, Jake?" I said trying to hide the small tear in my eye.
"Are you alright?"
I visibly tensed up. "Why? Yes, I am! Why wouldn't I be?"
"Ember"
I looked at him. He sighed before continuing. "Look, I know that we only met each other three days ago, but listen. You are my friend. You saved my life, and now I want to help you too"
He looked at Kit, and then back at me, sighing.
"I know that you don't like exploring because something happened when you were young. Kit told me that he only knew it involved your family, somehow. I don't know what happened, but seeing how are you reacting by thinking about your parents, I guess it had to be related to them. I just know that it must have been hard for you. Heck! You told us that your childhood dream was to become an explorer! And now you can't even talk about them! I just want to know you are alright, and Kit also wants that, but we can't know how if you don't tell us what happened!"
...
...
So they knew. They knew something was up. That's why they asked me about my childhood dream before. That's why Jake wanted to know what I knew about explorers.
"You...How long have you known?"
"Since when Kit had to stop telling me about exploring when you came through the door. I knew something was up after that. I'm sorry that I didn't ask you directly, but I was afraid you would get angry at me or something"
...
I didn't know what to say. How long have they been planning this?! Was this an excuse just to make me tell them? I always hated secrets, but I hated this even more.
"Angry?! I wouldn't get angry for you asking about what concerns you, Jake. I would get angry if you hid it, like now!"
"Ember, calm down. We are trying to help you! But we need you to tell us what happened" Said Kit.
"You too? I thought I already told you it was nothing, Kit! And now you made Jake worry for nothing!"
"Ember! You were crying just a second ago! If it was nothing, then why did your dream suddenly change from exploring to whatever it is now? Why are you so reluctant to talk about exploring? Heck! Why are we even having this conversation?! Please, Ember. Of course we would worry about you. You are our friend, and we will always be there to help. But we need you to tell us what happened! Is it really so hard?!"
...
He is right. I shouldn't be angry at them. But I can't help it. I-I thought I got over it already, but no. Every single time I remember them, every single time I think about it, I can only feel as if I was the only culprit. The drink has to be taking some toll on me.
I couldn't help it. I felt some tears starting to fall from my eyes. But it didn't matter anymore.
"IF IT'S HARD?! You know what it feels like to lose the only family that you have because of your mistakes?! You know how hard it is to keep moving forwards as if nothing happened, knowing it is your fault, and only your fault?! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS, BOTH OF YOU?!"
Silence. No one said anything. It wasn't needed.
I stood up and ran back to my house, without even looking back. I heard Jake say something, but I didn't know what
The tears burned, but it didn't burn nearly as much as what I just did. I got angry at them just because they wanted to help.
I felt horrible. I just wanted this day to end. I just needed some time alone to think.
"Ember wait!" I yelled as she ran away.
She didn't stop and kept running until she was out of view.
"Ember..."
...
"Was-Was it my fault? Should I have just kept my mouth shut?"
Kit just sighed and got up. "It wasn't your fault, Jake. In fact, we managed to know more. Even though she says the opposite, you heard her. She lost some part of her family. And because she cried when she thought about their parents, I would guess that family were them. That's why she doesn't want to talk about it. She thinks it was her fault, and she feels too guilty to just move on"
"But we just wanted to help..."
"I know, bud, I know. Everyone has done some regretable things in the past. The best we can do is leave her some space"
"But I have nowhere to spend the night!"
"Follow me. I'll take you to my place. It's the least I can do"
"Sure..."
I should have just kept my mouth shut. Now Ember's sad, and it's my fault. I shouldn't have talked.
Kit noticed my internal fighting. "Hey, Jake, relax. She will be ok. She just needs some time for herself. Come on, it's getting late"
I weakly nodded and followed Kit to his house.
"Here we are. Not much, but it will do. Sorry for the disorder, I kinda forget to tidy everything up"
He wasn't lying. Kit's house was small, much like Ember's, but it was so disorganized I could hardly see the floor.
"Alright, are you hungry?"
I shook my head. Kinda lost my apetite after what happened.
"Ok then, don't worry. I understand. I am not too hungry either. Lets just go straight to bed"
I looked at his sofa, and I saw that it was full of papers, some cups and what looked like an...MP3?
Do they have this here? I should ask Kit about it tomorrow. His sofa is a bit full of stuff, so where do I sleep?
"You ain't sleeping in a sofa tonight. If I tried to tidy up now, I would never finish. Luckily for you, I have a double bed in my bedroom. I used to have a...roommate. Yeah, roommate. She moved out a long time ago and I still have this bed since then"
I nodded and walked into his bedroom. It was a quite small room. It had a double bed in the middle and two small tables on each side.
One of them, had a picture. I walked towards it and picked it up. It had a rather childish looking Zorua making faces at the camera. The photo seemed to be teared in half.
"Is this you?" I said while showing him the photo.
He smiled. "The good ol' times. Back when I was a small kid, without a care in the world..."
"Why is it teared?"
He tensed up. "The other 'mon in that picture and me...had some personal issues. I was angry at that time and didn't think straight, so I teared it apart"
"Oh. Sorry I asked. Seems like my big mouth has messed up twice now" I said while leaving the photo.
"Don't worry. Lets just go to sleep. I'm so tired I could faint right here. By the way, this is my side of the bed. You've got the whole other side for you. Be aware though, I sometimes throw some sick kicks in my sleep!"
"You better not! I swear I will wake you up with my fists!" I joked while getting under the sheets.
He also got into the bed, but didn't miss a chance to pull a prank on me. When he leaned, he slapped his long mane on my face. "Oops! Fur's in your way?"
"Stop!"
He chuckled and switched off the lights.
"Night, Jakey"
"Goodnight Kit. Thanks for letting me sleep here"
"No problem"
With that, silence fell over the room
I tried to sleep, but I kept thinking about what just happened. I was rolling inside the sheets, trying to find a posture to sleep, but to no avail.
"Jake, please, stop thinking about it. I'm sure she'll be fine. It wasn't your fault. She can be a bit sensitive sometimes. Just rest now"
"Right"
I should just sleep. If he says that it's no big deal, it isn't. I hope Ember is ok. I said I was going to help her, and I will. One way, or another.
And with that, I went to sleep, thinking about what I would do the next day
END OF CHAPTER 4
This chapter was a bit hard to write, since I am not good at this sort of things, but I think I managed to give some lore for the characters.
Don't worry, the exploration team part will come soon.
