Adrian inhaled deeply, breathing in the fresh air of Route 104. "Thank Arceus we're finally out of there. I'm guessing Cerulean isn't too far ahead?"
Cassie smiled, pointing to where they could see city lights glimmering in the distance. "Not too far away at all. We should be able to get there in just another hour or so."
Adrian groaned inwardly. Great. Another hour's worth of walking and my legs might just drop off. "How about a break first? We've been walking for ages, let's sit down for a couple of minutes and rest our legs. It's not like the city's going anywhere, after all."
Brian shrugged. "Adrian's right, we may as well take a break. There's no sense in exhausting ourselves."
Vee nodded his agreement and Cassie sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. She pointed to a small patch of flat grass just off the road a couple of steps ahead. "There. It's flat, no trees overhead so we can see the sky, and it's literally right next to the road so there's no risk of us getting lost. There have been sightings of wild Ekans around here though, so we had better be careful. Although by now they're usually picking tree branches to wrap themselves around for the night."
They walked over to the patch of grass and threw themselves down, stretching out on the green grass. A slender purple snake Pokemon, disturbed by the vibrations caused by them doing so, uncoiled itself from where it had been sleeping and hissed angrily at them, causing Cassie to nod towards it. "Speaking of Ekans, there's one now."
Vee growled gently as the snake Pokemon slithered closer. Adrian reached down to his belt, tugging a Pokeball free. "Spring."
The Ivysaur burst from the red and white ball, nodding to her Trainer. "Ivy!"
"Keep an eye on that Ekans. If it tries to lunge at us, then grab it with a Vine Whip."
A couple of minutes after Adrian had spoken, the snake Pokemon leaped at them. Long vines instantly lashed out from the bulb on Spring's back and coiled around the Ekans, stopping it in midair. Adrian pulled a Pokeball from his jacket pocket and nodded to Spring. "Slam it into the ground."
Spring did so, and Adrian threw the ball in his hand. Ekans disappeared into the red and white orb in a flash of energy, and the ball dropped to the ground, shaking a couple of times before settling. "Could you pass the Pokeball to me please, Spring?" Adrian asked.
The Ivysaur nodded, using her vines to skilfully and dexterously pick up the ball, which had sealed itself with the usual red glow, passing it to her Trainer. "Thank you."
Adrian tucked the Pokeball into his jacket pocket, pulling out his Pokedex and glancing at it. It prompted him for a nickname, and he considered his options before remembering a name that he had come across during his studies, which had stuck with him ever since. "I'll call you… Apophis."
He tucked the Pokedex away and recalled Spring, putting her Pokeball back on his belt. The companions sat in silence for a little while longer before Cassie spoke. "Any thoughts on what team you're going to use against Misty? Keep in mind that the battlefield of her Gym also doubles as the swimming pool they use when they put on shows, so the strategy you used against Brock probably won't be as useful in this case"
"I'll definitely be using Spring. She's my strongest Pokemon apart from Vee. As for the second… Either I'll do some serious training with Kai on Route 12 tomorrow or I'll catch an Oddish on that same route. Maybe both."
"Both would be a good idea, to be honest. Misty's Pokemon, especially her Starmie, are deceptively powerful."
A few minutes passed in silence after Cassie had spoken before the red-haired girl got to her feet, brushing the loose grass from her pants, and nodding to the others. "Come on, we'd best get a move on. If we make it there before it gets dark, I'll give you a tour of the city."
Adrian and Brian got to their feet as well. Adrian seemed to consider something and then held out Vee's pokeball, recalling the Eevee. "Tell you what. Let's make things more interesting. How about a race?"
Brian and Cassie exchanged looks before Cassie nodded, and the three Trainers burst into a run. At that speed, it took them less than an hour to reach the city, all three stopping on the grass outside the Pokemon Center to catch their breath. Adrian quickly held out Vee's Pokeball, releasing his partner again. He gave Vee an apologetic scratch behind the ears. "Sorry, partner. I just didn't want to risk you falling behind while we were running, that's all".
Vee nodded understandingly. Once the three Trainers had all caught their breath, Brian turned to Cassie. "So, how about that tour?"
Cassie laughed. "Alright. I guess I did promise. As you can obviously see, we're in the centre of town now, right in front of the Pokemon Centre. Cerulean Gym is about 10 minutes walk east of here. The roads are well-signposted, so it's very difficult to get lost."
She led the way south, passing a couple of houses along the way. She paused in front of the third one, where a woman with red hair similar to hers (though slightly greying from age) was gardening. The older woman looked up at the sound of their approaching footsteps, a gentle smile spreading across her face at the sight of them. "Cassandra! James told me you'd left Pewter, I thought you would have used your Staraptor to fly back already"
Cassie smiled, hugging the older woman tightly. "There was a change of plans, Mom. I was on the way to the Pokemon Centre to have Staraptor sent to me and I ended up running into someone who needed directions to the Gym. I ended up staying a bit longer to watch his battle and found his strategy genuinely intriguing, so we agreed to travel together."
She unwrapped her arms from the older woman and gestured to her companions. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Adrian and Brian, my travelling companions and friends. And the Eevee is Vee, Adrian's partner. Guys, this is my Mom."
Cassie's mother smiled at Adrian and Brian. "Lovely to meet you two".
She held out a hand to Vee, who sniffed at it warily before rubbing his head against it gently. At Adrian's surprised look, she laughed. "I'm very good with Pokemon. Always have been."
Cassie nodded. "Everything I know about caring for Pokemon I learned from Mom."
Her mother blushed. "Well, most things, anyway."
After a few more minutes of conversation, Cassie gave her mom another hug. "I hate to say goodbye again so soon, mom, but I promised I'd give my new friends a tour of the city since we got here before dark".
After the others had added their own farewells, the companions left, following Cassie again as the red-haired girl led the way further down the path. When it eventually turned right, Cassie stopped, pointing to a shop with boarded up windows. "That used to be the local bike shop. It closed this year when the owner decided he wanted to move to Johto. They haven't decided what to replace it with yet. Hopefully they will soon, it's honestly kind of an eyesore the way it is."
Further along the road, she stopped outside a familiar building with a blue roof. "And of course here's the local Pokemart. Not much difference in stock between this one and the one in Pewter City really"
The tour continued, and eventually they were standing in the city centre again. Cassie pointed north, indicating an immense lighthouse that loomed over the city. "That's the Cerulean Cape lighthouse. We'll get a closer look tomorrow when we cross Nugget Bridge onto Route 24. Cerulean Cape can be quite treacherous at night, so it comes in handy. Anyway, that's Cerulean City!"
"You know your home city well, then. Now, shall we go see about rooms at the Pokemon Centre for the night?" Brian queried.
Cassie shook her head. "You guys go ahead. If the three of us are going to keep travelling together the rest of the way around Kanto like we agreed, I'd like to spend one more night with my parents first. It'll give me a chance to say goodbye to them, at least for now. And to get that recipe of my mom's. I'll meet you both out front of the Pokemon Center tomorrow."
Vee gave an annoyed chirp, which caused Cassie to laugh gently. She reached out and ruffled the silver Eevee's fur slightly. "Right. Sorry, Vee, I didn't mean to forget you. I'll meet you three in front of the Pokemon Center tomorrow, then. Night!"
She darted off towards her house, leaving the others standing there. A few seconds after she had disappeared from sight, Adrian sighed. "I guess that just leaves the three of us then."
"Guess so."
Current Pokemon
Adrian
-Current team:-
Eevee (Vee) - Level 17. Knows Covet, Sand Attack, Tackle, and Quick Attack.
Nidoran (Khonsu) - Level 9. Knows Leer, Poison Sting, Peck.
Butterfree (Jade) - Level 13. Knows Tackle, String Shot, Confusion and Gust.
Ivysaur (Spring) - Level 16. Knows Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Zubat (Bruce) - Level 10. Knows Supersonic, Wing Attack, Bite and Absorb.
Clefairy (Starlight) - Level 12. Knows Metronome, Double Slap, Sing and Encore.
-With Professor Oak-
Nidoran (Amara) - Level 5. Knows Growl, Poison Sting, Scratch
Rattata (Nibbler) - Level 3. Knows Tackle and Tail Whip.
Weedle (Lancer) - Level 5. Knows Poison Sting and String Shot.
Spearow (Copper) - Level 8. Knows Pursuit, Growl, Leer, Peck.
Mankey (Stiller) - Level 8. Knows Karate Chop, Leer, Covet, Scratch.
Pikachu (Kai) - Level 9. Knows Growl, Tail Whip, and Thunder Shock.
Pidgey (Aeris) - Level 8. Knows Tackle, Sand Attack, and Gust.
Ekans (Apophis) - Level 12. Knows Wrap, Glare, Poison Sting and Bite
Cassandra/Cassie
-Current team-
Onix - Level 28. Knows Slam, Rock Throw, Dragon Breath, Bind.
Tangela - Level 27. Knows Mega Drain, Knock Off, Bind, Poison Powder.
Chansey - Level 25. Knows Soft-Boiled, Minimize, Double Slap, Defense Curl
Slowbro - Level 37. Knows Water Pulse, Confusion, Disable, Headbutt.
Snorlax - Level 33. Knows Rest, Sleep Talk, Snore, Body Slam.
Lapras - Level 32. Knows Ice Beam, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Perish Song.
-With Professor Oak-
Staraptor - Level 34. Knows Take Down, Aerial Ace, Whirlwind, Double Team.
Starmie - Level 21. Knows Scald, Swift, Psywave, Confuse Ray.
Psyduck - Level 18. Knows Confusion, Water Gun, Fury Swipes.
Brian
Current team
Electivire - Level 42. Knows Thunder Punch, Flash, Swift, Discharge.
Dewgong - Level 40. Knows Ice Beam, Take Down, Aurora Beam and Surf.
Scizor - Level 45. Knows Bullet Punch, Double Team, Iron Defence, X-Scissor. Capable of Mega Evolution.
Marowak - Level 40. Knows Boneclub, Bonemerang, False Swipe, Fling.
Exeggutor - Level 40. Knows Hypnosis, Egg Bomb, Psyshock and Wood Hammer.
Kangaskhan - Level 44. Knows Dizzy Punch, Crunch, Mega Punch, Outrage. Capable of Mega Evolution.
-With Professor Oak-
None.
Pokedex entries:
Ekans - The older it gets, the longer it grows. At night, it wraps its long body around tree branches to rest.