Bird On The Wire
A story following Corey, who due to a fortunate moment of ignorance might finally get to experience his very own Pokemon journey in Kanto.
Chapter 1: Saffron
Swinging a dead Rattata that had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, with a five-foot-long rope at my side, my eyes remained glued on the pretty bird circling above.
Waiting...
Trying to judge exactly the right moment...
Now!
The slight angling of the wings just as he was about to turn in my direction.
"Wing Attack!" I shouted giddily, filled with anticipation.
Gaze still fixed on my Pokemon, I saw no indication that he heard me, but my grin didn't slip an inch because I noticed that the angle of the wings adjusted by the tiniest margins. Instead of a level turn, the raptor's beak was now pointed downward, straight towards me, and his target swinging at the other end of the rope.
Then, in one smooth motion, less than a heartbeat later, his great wings gave a single powerful flap, and instantly I felt like I was standing in the path of a feathered comet.
Utmost trust and the sheer lack of time, however, prevented me from getting nervous as I struggled to follow the blur that was heading my way.
A blink of an eye… and it was already over. Dimly, I registered the wind hitting the side of my face and the rope going limp in my hand. The rope was now significantly shorter after it snapped under immense force.
Whipping my head around, I ignored my companion doing a low flyby along the edges of the little clearing. Wingtip almost touching the ground and the trees only a hair's breadth away, told me quite clearly that he was pretty pleased with himself, so I let him to his victory lap and decided to focus on the aftermath of his attack.
The Rattata was a broken mess, but by now, that was to be expected. Gaze quickly shifting upwards, I inspected the splintered bark at the spot of the tree where it obviously smashed against.
"Already bigger than last time," I muttered in awe, which apparently was the moment my prideful bird had been waiting for because not a second later he landed right in front of me and puffed out his impressive plumage, literally basking in my admiration.
I couldn't help but smile and crouched, intending to give him the scratches at the back of his neck, which he obviously demanded as tribute.
"Yeah, yeah, you are the best, the fastest, and the most beautiful bird in all of Kanto," I waxed like a bargain poet, knowing he would soak it up like a sponge anyway.
As if to answer my thought, he closed his eyes in satisfaction and lazily opened his beak in pleasure.
"Pidge…"
Feeling my Pokemon suddenly go uncharacteristically rigid under my fingers and hearing him stop mid-trill, however, had me snap an alarmed gaze down at his face in an instant.
"Tweety, are you al…"
Stopping mid-sentence myself now, I was suddenly reminded of an eerily similar situation. Although I hadn't been this close and personal at the time, I knew what to keep an eye on.
And sure enough, I felt the muscles in his neck rippling and bulging, and the feathers of his crest slowly but surely lengthening. Taking a slow and cautious step back so as not to startle my buddy but give him the space that he no doubt was going to need, I was fully aware that evolutionary transformations could either be slow and gradual or explosively quick.
This instance, luckily, because these were stressful moments for the Pokemon, was over in less than ten seconds despite the slow start. Starring in awe at my companion, I was suddenly hit by the realization that we were eye to eye, and I wasn't even crouching anymore.
I couldn't help but laugh in relief and happiness, a quick step forward, and my fingers were back on his neck, intent to give him the best neck scratches humanly possible.
"Pidgeot," The magnificent bird screeched in obvious glee, which was followed by a more relaxed but just as content trill when he suddenly registered my massage.
Seeing him stretch his neck to give me better access, I was suddenly hit again by his sheer size, and I couldn't help but wonder.
"Tweety…" I murmured to get his attention.
Eyes still closed, a low and quiet trill was his answer and the sign that he was listening.
"Please spread your wings," I calmly asked my Pokemon, somehow keeping a lid on my excitement.
"Pidgeot."
Then, as if in slow motion, Tweety spread his wings, maybe trying to get used to his new dimensions as well.
"Holy crap," I breathed out and unconsciously took a couple of steps back to get a proper view.
This had to be some 6 meters or more.
Shaking myself out of my amazement, I clapped my hands once to get Tweety's attention.
Eyes instantly snapping open, I let him get a good view of himself first before clapping my hands once more, which managed to snap his amazed gaze towards my figure.
"Alright, do some rounds," I said and absently made a circular motion with my finger, which was our sign for him to do his usual flight routine, which I established to warm him up before our training sessions. Dives, quick evasive maneuvers, bursts of high speed followed by gentle gliding using the thermic higher up.
"Then we visit Nurse Joy for a quick check-up," I finished, secretly hoping she would have the time for a quick coffee in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria.
Unseeing eyes on the Rapidash race currently being broadcasted to the old TV hanging from the ceiling, the cup of lukewarm coffee in my hand was almost forgotten by now. Attempts to relax on the couch in the waiting area while trying and failing to ignore the chatting teens all around me were as bleak as my mood.
Of course, she wouldn't have time at the start of the season with all the excited and bubbly kids crawling out of the woodwork.
Frown threatening to become more pronounced, I suddenly noticed creamy white legs enter my vision, which forced my gaze to slowly wander upwards over an outfit that I thought was perfectly innocent and yet always managed to get me bothered.
"Christy," I exclaimed in pleasant surprise, my mood instantly shifting upon seeing her.
Before I could tell the kids on my other side to get lost to provide more space for the beauty in front of me, those soft legs were already in the process of smoothly sliding in the little space between me and the armrest, which apparently, she thought was fine enough.
Arm hastily shooting up and over the back of the couch to give her at least a little bit more space, I desperately tried to play it cool when I felt her lithe form all over my side. Emboldened by her initializing what had to be the next stages of our relationship, I calmly, or hoped what passed for calm, settled my arm over her shoulders, which she took in stride without comment.
The cheers that exploded in the back of my mind weren't even dampened by the massive yawn she let loose. Quite the opposite, because I felt her relax against me even more and watched her hand lazily reach across my lap, obviously intending to grab my coffee, which I relinquished more than willingly.
Fully aware that she had been here since the early morning shift, I kept quiet and let her enjoy this quiet moment.
Watching her take a small sip of my coffee and grimace slightly, the gentleman in me instantly roared to life.
"I can get you a fresh coffee," I offered in a murmur, unwilling to disturb the relatively quiet moment despite all the kids and teens mingling around us.
"Don't worry," she answered with a tired smile and, as if to prove her point, she proceeded to down the whole cup in one go, which made her shudder a bit and made me chuckle.
Putting the empty cup on the coffee table in front of us, I watched her reach into the little pouch at the front of her dress and pull out a shrunken Pokeball, my Pokeball, which she deposited in my lap without much fanfare.
The unspoken question was obvious because she gave me a quick peck on my cheek and a happy smile.
"Tweety is perfectly healthy," she began while I absently clipped the Pokeball to my belt. "Even as a fresh evolution, he's already on the bigger side of the scale, and there's no reason why he should stop growing at the same rate."
"Does that mean there might be a situation in the near future involving you, me, and a nice tropical beach somewhere at the Orange Islands?" I suggested the obvious in a playful manner, my initial nervousness having been blown away by our casual interaction.
"Well," her voice now becoming seductive, playing along. "There are two things you have to do for that to happen." By now her tiredness was all but forgotten, and her blue eyes very close.
"First, a little bit of strength training for Tweety," she told me matter-of-factly. "Secondly," her voice became lower, and I involuntarily leaned in closer. "You have to help me pick a new swimsuit."
I couldn't help but cough when that image popped into my head in nothing less than high definition, which made her laugh, which in turn made me smile.
"Christy!" A female voice, not unlike the young woman's voice in front of me, shouted from the reception desk.
"Chansey!"
"Coming, Mom!" Christy shouted over her shoulder, before she turned back towards me, a small smile still on her face.
"Just so you know, Mister, that wasn't a joke," she gave me a quick peck on the lips again. "I've got a free day tomorrow, and I intend to drag you along for a little shopping trip."
"I honestly can't wait," I answered truthfully, which I noticed made her smile just a tiny bit bigger.
"Oh, man," I groaned tiredly and massaged my eyes. They couldn't help but settle on the pile of mail that just didn't seem to get smaller, no matter the hours I had already spent sorting them into their respective shelves.
Celadon, Vermillion, Cerulean, and Lavender for the Pidgeys, Pewter, Viridian, Fuchsia for the Pidgeottos, and two large bags with mail for my brother and his Pidgeot, headed for Cinnabar and our uncle in Goldenrod City.
I just loved my job.
Suddenly, the door to my little dinky office opened, and I was greeted by the sight of my older brother already in his fancy black flying coat. It told me that he was already done for the day and ready to fly home to his beautiful wife and their little kid.
Good for him. Must be nice to be the boss.
"You are still not done?" he asked in a mixture of surprise and disappointment, which made me struggle to keep my face straight.
"Obviously," I gave a hollow smile that wasn't even close to reaching my eyes. "Business is doing great after all."
Ignoring my reply in a tried-and-true manner, he walked up to my desk and somewhat carelessly tossed what seemed to be a FAX in front of me. A short glance down, which was not enough to discern the contents, and my gaze was back on my brother, who obviously had something on his mind.
"Can you explain to me why the City Council felt the need to send me a missive, telling me that my employee is in possession of a Class Three Pokemon and that his work permit is revoked until further notice?" he asked innocently, giving no hint of what he was feeling.
"What?" I asked, admittedly somewhat dumbly, in return.
"What," he echoed my words, the first hints of his mood shining through.
"What this means, you moron," he went on, and I decided to ignore the insult in favor of what seemed to be serious business. "Is that you need to get three gym badges within 30 days, otherwise, the league is going to confiscate your overgrown Pidgey and your provisional trainer license," he finished with a scowl, and despite the situation, I was a tiny bit glad that I didn't detect any schadenfreude in my situation.
"But," I struggled for a moment to formulate a straight sentence before I shook my head once to get my thoughts in order. "But, I don't want to be a Battle Trainer, I have no idea about this whole strategy stuff."
"Yes, well, Corey, you don't have much of a choice in this matter if you want to keep Tweety," my brother answered straight to the point before he threw up his hands and began to pace in front of my desk.
"For fuck's sake, let me repeat myself, you are not allowed to work with Pokemon, you are not allowed to use Tweety in the vicinity of a settlement," he shook his head in frustration, not slowing his pacing before he went on with his tirade. "If you wanted to fly around, you could have asked for Valkyrie. She likes you well enough. But no, you had to somehow evolve your bird, how did you do that anyway? You said you didn't like battles," he stared at me, and I couldn't help but let my brows wander towards my hairline at the seemingly stupid question.
"We trained," I stated the obvious, apparently, I was missing something here because my brother stared at me like I was a puzzle.
"You trained…," he trailed off faintly before he shook his head to focus on the matter at hand. "Whatever, thanks to you, I have to make a trip to Uncle Denjiro and ask for a temporary replacement for you or look for someone reasonably suited here in Saffron, while you stumble around the wilderness."
"Good luck with that," I said dryly, implying he should better get on his knees in front of our uncle and beg because I doubted someone in this city was stupid or desperate enough to get roped into this shitshow.
"What was that?" He asked with an edge. "You think it's funny that I have to clean up after your mess?"
And suddenly I felt my temper begin to bubble under the surface. That ungrateful prick.
"I said, I'm terribly sorry, that for once I wasn't one hundred percent convenient for you," I said with a scowl of my own, accentuated by a mock bow in his direction.
"You," he began, but I cut him off.
"No, you, shut up and listen," I said and stood up, despite the four-year age difference we were of the same height…and I was in significantly better shape. The perks of having a shitty job.
"Look at you in your fancy coat, living with your beautiful wife in a nice little house in the residential area. Things always went just right for you, while I ate shit!" I bit out venomously, which made my brother shut up.
"You are twelve and get to join Falkner for training and tuition," I said it like it was no problem for me, which it wasn't. I had long outgrown this petty jealousy. "And I sit at home with a father who wouldn't shut up about the grand adventures he was missing." My stare was now cut from stone before a hollow smile slowly split my face.
"How convenient for him, that you returned three years later. Now he could have his mid-life crisis and fuck off to who knows where." I shrugged, by now I didn't give a damn about the guy.
"Luckily Uncle Denjiro offered to take us in and provide for us," I said with honest gratefulness before I went right back to vitriol. "But you, you decided you had other plans. You would go on your journey so that our good uncle wouldn't have to feed two more mouths. You are truly a saint!" I gushed with disgustingly obvious fake admiration.
"Three fucking years again you had your fun, while I cleaned up bird shit, sorted piles of mail, manned the shop desk plus dealt with all the other crap that tended to turn up regularly," I stopped short and cocked my head. "Will you look at that, it's the same old shit I do today at almost 18," I said in mock realization before I went back to the right spot on our shared timeline.
"After three years, you come back and get right into management. You had the proper Trainer license, you had the experience, and you had seen all of Johto and Kanto. And little old me had to stay as a convenient little helper to run the fucking Pidgey Express," I finished with proper anger coloring my voice, while my face felt like it had shifted into a truly ugly scowl.
"You know what," I finally said to my brother, who looked at me with wide eyes and an open mouth. I closed my eyes for a second and took a single deep breath.
"Fuck it," I began in a flat tone and made my way around the desk and my brother towards the door. "I quit, lock the door when you go...or don't. I don't care anymore," I finished and carelessly tossed my keys onto the pile of unsorted mail.
I could have slept in; I could have enjoyed a nice and relaxed morning. Nope, crack of dawn, and I stepped out of my little apartment like usual.
Maybe that was another reason why I never became a proper trainer; I was too fond of routines.
Shaking my head, I made my way to the staircase and stoically ignored the door to my right, which led to an apartment just like my own, repurposed to function as office space.
This was a routine I was more than glad to leave behind.
My workday was a vexing mess and a significant reason why I didn't regret my decision from last night for a single second.
Living in an old ten-story building without an elevator at the edge of town was acceptable since rent was ridiculously cheap for exactly these reasons. The savings, that basically accumulated themselves were just as nice as the ability to treat my pink-haired goddess to various nice things whenever I felt like it.
Working in an old ten-story building without an elevator at the edge of town while the proper shop for the customers was right in the middle of the city was understandably a lot less pleasant, however.
Even more so because I had to make the trip by bike three times a day and on the way home usually with a big bag of mail on my back.
Standing at the balustrade of the stairwell, I couldn't help but let my gaze wander towards the stairs that led to the roof where our multiple Pidgey and Pidgeotto coops were erected.
Slowly but surely, I felt a frown worm its way onto my face. I had fed them and cleaned their nests just yesterday before I had started to sort the mail.
"They are fine," I had to say it out loud, but I just couldn't shake the lousy feeling in my gut, that told me leaving just like that without saying goodbye was… wrong.
I knew the little buggers were too smart for their own good; they would notice the change. How could they not?
But going up…
I would start regretting my choice the moment I heard their happy chirping, and saw their innocent little faces light up upon seeing me.
I was such a damn wimp.
Scowling I headed downstairs, I was a coward either way, but I just couldn't risk the slightest possibility of crawling back to my brother and asking for forgiveness. Never!
This was maybe the first decision that was really my own; I was going to make my own mistakes from now on. My choices, my consequences.
Still.
What now?
Take my bike and do what exactly?
I could take a leisurely walk to Christy; we had a date anyway, but did I really want to disturb her this early on her free day? Put such a downer on our day right from the get-go?
What did real trainers do when they arrived in a new town?
Take a shot at the Gym?
Go to the Poke Center?
Stock up? ... Stock up on stuff they would need for their travels? Feeling my wallet in my back pocket, a trip to the Pokemon Mart might not be such a bad idea.
Five Pokeballs and a handful of potions were a no-brainer.
Would have been easy to take from our stocks or at the very least our loyalty card for a discount, but I somehow didn't feel like cutting corners.
Who knew I could be so resolute?
Unlocking my bike and pushing it out of the hallway onto the street, I wondered if there was something like a How-to-be-a-Trainer manual for an idiot like me. Surely, I wasn't the only late bloomer in Kanto?
Glad that the streets were still empty, and I could enjoy a relaxed pace for a change, I decided that I may as well just look at what's for sale, do some browsing, and look over the shoulders of some 'pros'.
Talking about pros, Christy did a journey as well I suddenly remembered. Something like there being a five-badge minimum for Nurses.
Huh…maybe I'll get to see her in a swimsuit and get some proper help?
Fingers crossed.
"That was a lot less embarrassing than I had expected," I couldn't help but think as I stepped back out of the store.
Pokeballs and potions, what I reckoned were the bare necessities, were done and dusted, along with a six-slot belt.
A pleasant surprise was the flyer section I honestly had never bothered with for obvious reasons. Goggles, gloves, and a special rope to hold on to while flying, which was also supposed to be very comfortable for Pidgeots. Definitely something to test when working on Tweety's strength.
Note to myself, keep the receipt.
Two more little items, which I honestly hadn't thought about, were the topographic map of Kanto specifically made with 'pilots' in mind and a compass.
What had been little more than wishful thinking since last night was starting to take more and more shape.
As long as I dismounted far enough away from towns and cities, I wouldn't have to make a single step on the various routes. The 30 days that had kept me awake for hours and had never left the back of my mind now began to feel… not exactly comfortable, but definitely manageable.
Holy shit, was I starting to look forward to this?
"So," Christy began as she hooked her arm into mine as we stepped out of the rather fancy apartment building where she and her family lived. "Where to first?"
I closed my eyes for a second and took the moment to enjoy the pleasant midday sun on my face after we stepped out of the air-conditioned lobby.
"Hmm," eyes still closed, I pretended to think things through before I came to a rather abrupt decision. "Swimsuits, definitely!"
A laugh and a playful slap against my shoulder were my answer.
"Jerk, am I not sexy enough for you?" she asked teasingly, and I instantly took the invitation to give her a long critical once-over. A lone eyebrow raised was a sure sign that she was suddenly very keen on my answer.
Jeans, a form-fitting dark blue sweater, and her pink hair in a simple ponytail.
"Darlin'," I put my arm around her shoulder, my best attempt at a roguish smile on full display, while my voice tried to emulate the movie stars of old. "If I had a ring right now, I would be already on my knees."
Then I waited and watched as she bit her lip, making a truly valiant effort not to laugh out loud.
Breaking eye contact, which I took as a sign of victory, she grabbed my hand and began to drag me along.
"So, love?" I began innocently as I took my position next to her again with my arm over her shoulders. "Where to?"
"Swimsuits."
I didn't even try to contain my chuckles.
As much as flying from town to town was making my task look appealing, this did the exact opposite.
A simple bench in the park, the afternoon sun shining over the Silph Co. building warming me just as much as my companion right next to me. The ice cream in our hands was literally the icing.
Sighing in defeat, I let my eyes wander over my surroundings.
A boy playing with his Growlithe, an elderly lady petting a Meowth in her lap, which had its eyes on a couple of Pidgeys drinking from a fountain.
All day I hadn't been able to keep myself from staring at people and their Pokémon. Be it a businesswoman, seemingly using her lunch break to take a walk with her Eevee, or a technician working on a streetlamp with a Magnemite hovering around him.
My thoughts weren't even clear, a jumbled mess of types and nonsensical strategies.
It wasn't like I never battled a Pokémon. A rival Pidgeotto, a Fearow defending its territory, a wild Meowth looking for dinner, or a bunch of pissed-off Mankeys looking for a fight.
Getting into a battle in or around Route 5 was the rule, not the exception, and the further you strayed from the path the more dangerous it got.
But as long as you could hit them harder and faster you were golden, right?
I couldn't help but purse my lips, however, as a memory suddenly resurfaced. A memory that forced me to hide my frown from Christy with a bite into my ice.
I had been lucky once. Very lucky.
If I hadn't stumbled over a rampaging and, more importantly, noticeable Primeape, but a stealthy Arbok or a silent Persian, I could have easily gotten myself killed and no one would have known.
Yup, I thought with an absent-minded nod, that settled that part of my journey at least. Screw camping!
Feeling curious eyes bore into my side, I looked at my girlfriend with a questioning gaze, wordlessly asking what was wrong.
"What's on your mind?" she asked straight to the point, with a hint of concern, which made me smile a little.
"The white one-piece swimsuit," I answered, still with the little smile, which slowly began to drop, however, when I noticed her flat stare. Absolutely unwilling to upset her further by stalling, I shoved the remains of my ice into my mouth, ignored the headache, and pulled out the folded fax from the inside of my red jacket.
"Here."
Deft, dainty hands handed me her ice, and she instantly unfolded the piece of paper. Intelligent blue eyes scanned the text in record time, while a frown was becoming more and more pronounced.
Finished, her eyes immediately met mine, and with some relief, I noted that the frown by now was replaced by a determined expression, which was further cemented when she shot off the bench and dragged me along.
"Let's go, Mom has the night shift, and Dad is out the whole week at the power plant," she told me over her shoulder.
'Oh really?!'
"Get your head out of the gutter!"
"Alright, come in and sit down," I dutifully followed Christy into her room and saw her absently motion towards her bed.
While I gingerly took a seat next to a Chansey plushie, my girlfriend was already two steps ahead and rummaging around in a small cabinet next to her desk.
Hesitant to distract her, I decided to keep my mouth shut, at least for the moment.
"There it is," she exclaimed, apparently happy that she found what she had been looking for so quickly. 'It' was quickly revealed to be a little book as she turned around in triumph.
"This is the diary I wrote in when I traveled with Victoria and Valentina," she revealed, and I watched her smile fondly. Quickly snapping out of the memory lane and back into the present, however, she continued. "First-timers are usually encouraged to write down all their experiences. Routes, noteworthy landmarks along the way, habits or characteristics of yours or wild Pokémon." She paused for a moment and took a seat on the bed next to me. "…and the Gyms."
"Seriously?" I stared wide-eyed. This was literally the Dummy's handbook I was dreaming about.
"Don't get your hopes up," she warned, seeing and hearing my pure relief. "Something that was hammered into our heads at the end of Nurse School, right before our journey, was that the Pokémon world is always unpredictable. 20 miles away, a hungry Snorlax decides to wander into new territory and scares away a pack of feral Houndours. Suddenly they might be roaming near a route, and the next Ranger patrol isn't due for a couple of days," she shook her head minutely, apparently trying to get back on track.
"This is just a little help, and the notes about the Gyms might not be up to date. If you want, we can do some basic tutoring while you get Tweety used to your weight," she finally offered with a tired smile.
"I don't know what to say," I was almost genuinely overwhelmed, so I let actions speak louder than words, which she eagerly responded to.
"We are not done with planning," she eventually murmured against my lips, and I reluctantly opened my eyes to meet her gaze. Apparently deciding that some distance would put a lid on our passion before it went too far, Christy stood up again and began to pace.
"Your job at the Pidgey Express makes things a lot ea…"
Apparently, me raising my hand like an embarrassed schoolboy, and my grimace were enough to prevent her from finishing that particular sentence.
"Yeah, uhm," I struggled for a hot second with my phrasing before I decided to rip the band-aid right off. "Long story short, I told my brother to screw off and quit. I acted a lot more mature than it sounds like, honest," I hastily added the last bit.
I quickly stood up when I saw her eyes widen and gently placed my hands on her arms.
"Listen, it was a long time coming…and it meant a lot to me," gently rubbing her arms, I carried on. "As crappy as this deadline thing is, I never felt this…free, I guess," I revealed the weightlessness that had been lurking under my skin since I uttered my resignation to my brother.
"Screw it," Christy cursed, to my surprise and utter delight, before tiredly placing her forehead on my shoulder.
With a broad smile on my face, I wrapped her in a gentle hug.
"Ms. Joy, I better not hear such potty language again," I warned in a playful manner.
"It's your fault," she murmured still against my shoulder. "You are a bad influence."
"And you are a good influence. We are Yin and Yang, baby! Now," I gently detached her head from my side and led her back to the bed. "Let's get comfortable and, more importantly, back to the train of thought I so successfully managed to derail."
"You need backing," she said, lying next to me, both of our gazes on her ceiling.
"…a sponsor," correctly interpreting my silence, she thankfully began to elaborate. "A 'home base,'" she did air quotes. "Or a job. A place that you would regularly call from a Pokémon Center during your travels. A place that would receive and forward your mail and, more importantly, can receive your Pokémon if something were to happen to you."
She grew quiet for a second before she finally settled on the easiest description.
"It's a fixed link between you and the League or the government, that you can trust to keep you up to date."
"Some Professors and Gyms do that, don't they?" I vaguely remembered some talk about Professor Elm and later Falkner, when my brother had decided to leave.
"Yeah, promising beginners or those with connections are chosen by a professor. Gyms might grant a handful of scholarships to those that impressed during their apprenticeship," I felt her shrug next to me before she continued. "Most of the time they provide the service by simply charging a small fee. It all depends on the number of applicants. A parent or a company, that has a certain number of badges or years of experience with handling Pokémon, is usually fine, too."
"So Gyms for me," I felt the need to point out what I thought was the obvious choice to clarify things, which was why I was suddenly quite confused when I felt Christy feel up my bicep.
"You still do your workouts when you are training Tweety?"
"I, what?" I blinked in surprise at the seemingly random question, before I felt slightly self-conscious and the small need to defend what might be considered unorthodox.
"Yeah, well, of course. Pokémon can be smart, and I think it's good for their motivation when their trainer isn't just shouting orders but pushes himself, too."
"Relax," she laughed lightly and patted my arm in a mock-soothing way; apparently, someone was highly amused at my defensive tone. "It isn't unusual, at least here in Saffron, which is my point."
"Since Mr. Marsh and his daughter Sabrina opened their Psychic Gym, the Fighting Dojo is apparently struggling to get new members, which in turn influences the amount of league money they receive."
She suddenly sat up on her elbow and looked me in the face.
"The more I think about it, the more I believe it would suit you. I really think the straightforward manner of Fighting Types is exactly the right thing, at least at the beginning until you have more experience."
I stepped through an open gate, and the view that greeted me left me, honest to Mew, to my own surprise, unbelievably giddy.
Martial artists in various shapes and forms were instructing, helping, and even joining a variety of Pokémon in their training.
A severe-looking man helped a boxer-like Pokémon with sidesteps, a teenager did stretches with a Machoke, and all around me hung an air of focus and intent.
All in all, the pleasant surprise at the welcoming sight followed me all the way into the lobby of what seemed to be the main building and until I stood at a reception desk manned by a young woman decked out in judo gear, that did a more than passable attempt to hide her boredom.
"Good morning and welcome to the Fighting Dojo, Sir, how may I help you?" she welcomed me in a manner that didn't really make me feel welcome, although I had to give her props for the professional-sounding delivery.
"Good morning," I returned with far more levity than strictly necessary. "I'm interested in a membership," I finished by getting straight to the point.
Nodding, the young woman set up a small 'Be-Right-Back' sign on the reception and motioned me to follow her the way I came in.
Unbothered by the lack of verbal communication, I took the chance for a few last glances around the interior of the building while I followed in her wake.
A hallway behind the reception desk lined with half a dozen doors on both sides, to my right a small area with various gym machines, and to my left a big open space with what had to be a stack of floor mats at the far end.
I guess it's what it said on the tin.
"Master Kiyo," the lady spoke in a surprisingly respectful tone to the man, that I had seen at the beginning with the unfamiliar Pokémon. The moment she saw him turn, she even gave a short bow, which made me instantly aware, that a laissez-faire attitude probably wasn't going to fly around here.
"Yes, Laura, what is it?" Master Kiyo asked, and I saw his gaze pass over me without any reaction. His Pokémon, meanwhile, apparently thought that shadowboxing was a decent way to pass the time until it had the attention of its trainer back.
"This young man is interested in a membership," she proclaimed listlessly.
"I see," his gaze had been on me for a second again before it settled back on Laura, and a small smile began to grow. "Thank you, you may go back to the desk."
Despite the seemingly formal setting, I saw her shoulders slump noticeably in a mix of frustration and misery.
Knowing better I decided to refrain from commenting.
"Please excuse Laura; her Primeape ripped a punching bag apart again, which got her the desk job for the week," he revealed with a small smirk.
"Now..." His eyes were now firmly on me, and I saw the motion with his hand, that signaled, that I had the stage now.
"Good morning, Sir; my name is Corey Swift, and, yes, I'm interested in a membership to your Gym," I told him directly and with a straight face.
A single raised eyebrow and a quick once-over were the response to my admittedly rather ham-fisted declaration.
"That's great, Mr. Swift. Fresh blood is always welcome, and you seem to be no stranger to exercise," Master Kiyo began with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and betrayed his lack of enthusiasm. "That said, may I ask for your credentials? I'm sorry for being direct here, but you are almost a grown man, and yet I see only one Pokeball. Furthermore, I don't think I ever saw you do my Gym challenge."
"I'll be honest, sir. I have no credentials besides my time spent at the Kanto Pidgey Express. The reason why I'm here is that I need an official partner for my League challenge in the coming month," I continued with the truth and refrained from putting some kind of spin on my situation.
"I sense a story there," he pointed out the obvious and bid me to explain. "Let's start from the beginning."
"To put it in a nutshell, I managed to raise my Pidgey into a Pidgeot, and now I have to collect three badges by the end of the month; otherwise, the League is going to confiscate my partner," I explained, not mincing any words, and all the talk about my task had the unfortunate side-effect of me suddenly feeling an invisible clock ticking in the back of my mind.
"And why come to my Fighting Dojo?" he asked, this time with more intent.
No embarrassed head-scratching or wincing on my part, because I genuinely stood by my decision, I went ahead and elaborated on my current situation.
"I told my brother, the boss of Pidgey Express here, quite forcefully that I quit, and my girlfriend, an aspiring nurse at the Pokemon Center, thought that your gym's straightforward manner and my hands-on approach to training would mix well."
"I see," he eyed me for a second before he seemingly came to a decision of some sort. "Can I trust your discretion?" he suddenly asked, which made me pause for a second before I nodded, perhaps sensing no other choice than to go along with whatever he had in mind.
"Good, then let's make this quick. 6000 Poke-Dollars and the membership is yours."
For a hot second, I thought I misheard the guy in front of me before my brain finally caught up with what he just said so casually.
I sputtered, caught flat-footed; those were my fucking savings.
The rent for this and the next month was already paid, but what then?
"Is such a price the norm?" I asked carefully because Christy didn't mention any of this shit.
"Oh no, you are a special case so there's going to be a special price for our services," he revealed, totally unbothered by my initial reaction.
"I wasn't joking when I said that fresh blood was always welcome. Preferably, however, are obviously young kids that already did their apprenticeship with us. Young trainers we can guide from a young age, trainers that we know are loyal to us and the cause. It's those kinds of members we and by extension the League want to see. Those who come back to us after their journey and guide the next generation or become highly competent Poke-Rangers, that keep our city and the routes safe. Maybe even both," he finished his lengthy explanation before he crossed his arms, and his gaze became noticeably steely.
"For you, we are the means to an end; we cannot expect you to be of any value to us after you did your little task…or failed at it. So…"
Here he gave a little shrug. I could see where he was coming from, but that didn't stop me from getting slightly pissed. "I want money that can help finance the development of real trainers with potential."
"Fine," I ground out, swallowing whatever just crossed my mind. "I don't care about lodging, but I want proper help when I ask for it like any regular member."
"Certainly, you will get all the help; we don't want you to embarrass us after all."
I couldn't help but sigh, trying to focus on the task ahead of me, priorities, and so on.
"Heads up, sonny; you are a fighter now. Learn to live with tough love, because we don't give up; we power through obstacles and problems," he gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up, which somehow failed to put a smile on my face.
"Let's get inside and deal with the paperwork. After that, I want to see the bird that got you in so much trouble in the first place."
"Got to admit, it's a fine bird," my new Gym-leader admitted with a small dose of genuine respect while we stood side by side and watched Tweety doing his rounds above the running track, that surrounded the training field still filled with half-a-dozen trainers and their Pokemon.
It was a curious sight to see the effect my partner had on other Pokemon. Machops and Mankeys kept a very close eye on my bird, their gazes filled with a healthy dose of apprehension, which apparently made concentrating on their trainers almost impossible, given the growing annoyance I was noticing.
Pokemon such as Machoke and Primapes had similar problems. It wasn't fear, however. They were simply looking at him for a challenge or a straight-up brawl. Curiously, the Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were completely unbothered by the flying predator in their vicinity.
Noticing my gaze and guessing my thoughts correctly, Kiyo gave a quick explanation.
"Discipline," he began with pride in his voice. "It's in their nature."
Shifting my gaze until it settled back on my Pokemon, I was relieved to note that Tweety was thankfully unfaced by the attention and kept to himself and his current task.
Said task was a sandbag on his back and two ten kilo dumbbells in his claws.
The undignified squawk when he had initially failed to lift off and him perhaps having sensed my humor had ruffled some feathers and pride alike. The minor episode had luckily only motivated him and had spared me unnecessary drama.
I stood straight-backed and spoke with a clear voice, which seemed to be the norm here. No pulling punches or something like that.
"Do you have any advice, grab a Mankey and get started?"
Barely finishing my sentence, I saw Master Kiyo already shake his head in a negative.
"You only have a month, so I advise against it. Mankeys are very versatile, but they are like hyperactive little children in the sense that they need a lot of attention and need to be raised accordingly," he began, and I got the impression that he had this argument before.
"Primeapes, following the same analogy, are like unruly teenagers who can make an issue out of everything."
"My advice," he said and pointed to a grey humanoid little Pokemon. "Take the time and look for a Machop."
"They also need a lot of attention, but in the sense, that they constantly have to be pushed to new limits," his voice gained an unmistakable excitement. Talking about fighting-types really seemed to get him into his grove.
"Their single-mindedness to gaining strength and your hands-on approach could sync pretty well."
I nodded along, taking his advice for face value, because frankly it sounded good, and I didn't know any better.
"You should look northeast in the mountains. Those that live there are quite strong given the rough terrain, and the environment giving them ample opportunity for rudimentary strength training."
"I will think about it."
"Hello, Mrs. Joy."
"Ah, Corey, it's good to see you," the pink-haired woman gave me a quick affectionate hug and welcomed me inside. "Come right in. Christy is in her room."
"Thank you."
Slipping out of my shoes when I stepped into the entryway, I felt somewhat grateful that Christy apparently hadn't revealed my current predicament to her parents yet. I had the uncomfortable, potentially unreasonable, feeling that things could get awkward between us, because, honestly, who wants their daughter to hang with a problem guy?
Giving the retreating figure of Christy's mother a small wave as she headed down the hallway to the living room, I knocked gently on the first door to my left.
"It's me," I simply said and only had to wait for a handful of seconds before the door was ripped open.
"Hey," a quick glance down the hallway by my girlfriend, and her hand shot out to grab mine, which was followed by a forceful pull into her room.
"Oh my, quite eager, aren't we?" I chuckled and gently closed the door behind me.
"You wish," a small impish smile accompanied her answer, and I felt the need to keep playing.
"I do."
Not having let go of her hand, I gently pulled her back and gave my best 99-cent-Casanova impression, which earned me a peck on the cheek.
"How did it go?" she asked, still comfortably close but being always the voice of reason, finally getting to the task at hand and my reason for visiting in the first place.
"Pretty good. I'm a full-fledged gym-member and got some decent advice. Tweety even made some solid progress," I told her and made it sound honest. I really, really didn't want to reveal the price and the potential money issues. Those were future-me's problems, my problems now were badges and keeping my bird.
Apparently, I sounded honest enough, because I got a heartfelt hug out of it, which told me clearly how relieved she felt for my sake.
"That's great news," she beamed up and pulled me towards her desk, which had two chairs prepared.
"Let's get started," she said as we took our seats while my gaze was inevitably drawn to her diary and what appeared to be a basic map of Kanto. "I want to work on the different types first and then we see what that means for the various gyms."
I watched my girlfriend pace in her little room and couldn't help the feeling that I should be pacing right alongside her.
And, yet, here I was almost as cool as a cucumber, not resigned or anything, just strangely relaxed despite this being my last night in the city for the foreseeable future given that I was departing tomorrow morning.
"We covered the basics yesterday," Christy muttered under her breath, while I kept quiet and let her think about anything we might have forgotten. "Tweety is ready, and Master Kiyo got you up to speed on Machops this morning."
Here I held up my steadily filling notebook for emphasis, but still refrained from commenting.
"He still thinks you should look in the mountains northeast?" she asked. Her pacing had ceased, and she gazed at me with a pensive expression.
"Yeah, he even gave me a pretty solid run-down of the signs to look out for. You know, caves, trails, and such," I answered, not quite seeing the problem, aside from the fact that mountains weren't made with comfort in mind and that I would spend considerable time there.
"It is good advice," she relented, somewhat resigned, and plopped onto the bed next to me. "It's just…I know, I mean, I heard of the area. The power plant where Dad works is in there."
"The few times he talked about it made it sound pretty harsh. He had said something, that the plant was so far out of the way by design and that it's only accessible via Teleport or going upstream by boat."
Suddenly her eyes widened as if struck by a sudden realization.
"When you go up there, you have to stay well clear of the plant!" she said forcefully and grabbed my hand, making me look up into her concerned face.
"Apparently a lot, and I mean a lot, of electric pokemon have been migrating or breeding there since the beginning. Dad even told me that he had seen wild Raichus and Magnetons roaming the area."
Suddenly I knew where she was going with this and nodded quietly in understanding.
"If one of them gets you while you are riding Tweety…"
The pensive look was back in full force, and I gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Don't worry, I got a pretty good flyer-map at the store. I will fly around the plant and the surrounding area, I promise," I told her earnestly, having no intentions of getting zapped out of the sky by an angry rodent myself.
My eyes still on her face, I watched how most of the tension left her and she gave a minute sigh of relief.
"That said," she finally carried on, her eyes now on the wall opposite her bed. "The area has merit. A Pokemon-Center is only a couple of hours away from the power plant further upstream. Apart from hikers or scientists, trainers apparently don't really bother with the area."
Watching her side profile, I noticed, to my surprise, that the pensive expression was back yet again, but this time it was less worry and more of a calculating look.
I couldn't help but raise my eyebrow in anticipation and question as she ripped her gaze from the wall and locked eyes with me.
"Gym Battles," she began, obviously trying to formulate her sentences despite her mind still racing in the back. "Aren't as straightforward as you might think."
"Remember, you are dealing with official league representatives that spend most of their time battling challengers, be it rookies or advanced trainers," she continued, her voice now gaining confidence, a sign that she had her thoughts in order.
And suddenly, there was a smile, too.
"They know what they are doing…they know when to let a trainer win."
I blinked in surprise when she suddenly jumped up and resumed her pacing.
"Think about it, what trainer earns more points in their eyes?" she asked the apparently rhetorical question, given that she carried on immediately. "Someone that bets everything on a type advantage or someone that truly accepts the challenge and uses his pokemon with strategy?"
"With Gyms the way they are, imagine you walk up to the challenge with the same type. It's bound to raise your chances even more! Seeing a promising trainer use their style is a win in their book, too," she exclaimed, enthusiasm clear, while I struggled to see where all this was going.
"However," she kept going, and slowly but surely, I got the impression that my pink-haired girlfriend had turned into a weird mix of schoolteacher and sports-coach. "Type advantage can be your insurance in a pickle. Don't lead with it though!" she warned and turned to check if I was still following, which I signaled with an affirmative nod.
"If you lead with something like this, the Gym Leader will react accordingly and probably look at you less favorable compared to you using, for example, the same type to the best of your abilities."
Seeing her wind down somewhat, I hesitantly took it as my cue to get back into this entire process.
"That's…good to know," my tone suggested that I got the gist of it, but was unsure what got this whole spectacle of her rolling.
"The area around Route 9 and 10!" she exclaimed.
"You can get all the Pokemon perfectly suited for your Gyms," she enthused and launched herself onto the bed and me, seamlessly carrying on with her strategy for me despite her position straddling my stomach.
"Fighting, rock and ground, water, and electric. All types are useful for the first three gyms in close proximity and you have almost a month still to work on them."
Ignoring Tweety, who was currently burning a hole into the back of my head with his impatient stare was a bit of a challenge. Coupled with his antsy hopping on the spot, not unlike an overly excited Pidgey, gave the unmistakable impression that he was really desperate to finally get going.
Just because I understood him, however, didn't mean I wouldn't give my girlfriend a proper goodbye or my full attention. Bros before hoes had its limits after all.
"You got my old tent?" she asked in a manner that was eerily similar to a mother sending her child to their first overnight school trip. Better not think too much about it, I reckoned, just nod with a smile and I should be golden, shouldn't I?
"You collected the survival and first-aid-kit at the Pokemon-Center I prepared for you?"
"I did," I dutifully replied. I might have lost count on the various items and survival rules she had rattled off on our way to the city limits, but I couldn't help but appreciate the way she worried for my sake.
"I called my cousin to expect you, oh…, and don't expect a shiny Pokemon-Center, apparently it's a log cabin at the foot of a mountain."
"Don't worry," I gave her a quick hug when I noticed she seemed to run out of stuff to remind me about. "I mapped out a simple flight. It isn't the shortest route, but the landmarks should be pretty obvious. Tweety and I still have to get used to this navigating thing, anyway. I'll be careful, and I didn't forget the power plant."
"That's good," she replied absently, mind still racing apparently.
"Hey, I'll be fine," I tried to inject her with the same confidence I was feeling. "I'll call regularly or leave a message. Oh, and don't think I forgot," I paused. My voice had gained a serious edge towards the end, which made her look up, startled.
"The second I'm back with my three badges, we are off to some tropical island. You, me, and that white swimsuit," I smirked when I saw a mischievous smile grow on her face, ready to engage in naughty banter.
"I can't…" she began when suddenly an ear-piercing shrill punctured our romantic farewell and told me quite clearly that Tweety was now at the end of his rope.
"I better get going before he flies off without me," I muttered with a sigh.
"You better," she stepped on her toes and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before I finally made my way to the impatient bird, that was already in the position for me to slide onto his back.
Last check, yep, map and compass were secured in my jacket.
"Let's go, buddy. Show me what you got," I challenged him with an eager smile.