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Buymeacoffee mypokemonafterlife

"What? She OWNS the entire department store? The Celadon Department store?" Bill asked on the phone, incredulous.

I was sitting on my bed, barely awake.

"Yes, Bill, but please, don't shout into the microphone. Going deaf here."

"But, but, how can I NOT get excited? Do you realize how much we've been searching for a way to distribute resources? And, and, information?!"

This was true. While Misty and Brock were able to control things in the Northern areas of Kanto, they were experiencing a blackout in the other areas. They didn't know who to trust, and it proved difficult to recruit new members into the Resistance.

But the newfound alliance was welcome on both sides. Erina was caught by Team Rocket because she was trying to prove herself to her sister. Erina was trying to prove herself to her sister because her sister had no other help. But with new allies, Erika saw that she could keep Erina within reasonable boundaries of safety.

"She is fine physically, just a few cuts and bruises," Erika said, about her sister's injuries. "But she was scared. Fear broke her, and it will take her some time to recover from that. We reached a consensus about how she can help me and Celadon City without putting herself in harm's way."

I was glad to hear that.

"That's where YOU come in, Bill," I said.

I had proposed that Bill take Erina under his wings, teaching her about his Pokemon research and cutting edge technology. Erika liked this idea because it appeased Erina into a support role, while keeping the younger sister out of the line of fire. Erika even agreed to finance some of her considerable wealth towards Bill's research and development.

"Hmm," Bill considered the idea. "Well, I could always use the help, and well… the funds…"

"Uhh.. hello? Bill? You still there?"

Bill sounded lost in his thoughts. It was clear that he was thinking of what he can achieve with the sudden increase in budget.

After that conversation was over, I set out to prepare to depart Celadon City. The Resistance members and I had our meeting yesterday, and it was time that our plans were set to motion, albeit slowly and carefully.

My first stop was near the Game Corner, which was, understandably, closed today. Makes sense, we destroyed half the basement. But the affiliated shop next door was open, and with my Game Coins, I purchased a Dratini, Porygon, Scyther, and Pinsir.

The second stop was at the Celadon Department Store, where the Manager of VIP Customer Service was waiting for me. He welcomed me with the utmost politeness and top notch service, leading me to the VIP lounge that was, wow, let me just tell you, very nice. A staff member brought over some iced tea while the Manager started to explain to me the various services that were available to me.

"This VIP card is for you, compliments of the owner of Celadon Department Store," the Manager said, and by the way he said this I could tell that although he was instructed to say this by one of his bosses, he had no idea who ACTUALLY owned the Celadon Department Store. I doubted that even the Manager's bosses knew themselves either.

"Please present this card to any of our stores or restaurants, and you will be able to use the available funds. Let me just check the balance on this for you with this machine… Hmm.. that's odd… It says there is no limit on this card… Oh, it must be one of those cards limited by an expiry date. Let me check that for you, young sir. Oh… there's no expiry date on this either… Uhmm… I'll be right back, I just have to make a phone call."

The Manager excused himself, taking the VIP card with him, supposedly making some phone calls to check whether it was really okay to give a young kid the power of god in the Department Store. He came back in a few minutes to present the card to me.

Let me just say, my girl Erika knows how to hook up a friend.

I went on a veritable shopping spree. Got an entire new wardrobe, new camping gear, Pokemon accessories (plenty of Pokeballs), potions, etc. I even went to the supplements store to get not only the best Pokemon food but vitamins and other boosters that would give my Pokemon a physical edge. These were all paid for, of course, using the VIP card.

Then the Manager took me to a different floor, entirely devoted to more expensive luxury items. Most of the stuff were for the small demographic of clientele that might be interested in having indoor furniture for Pokemon (think cat towers except… Pokemon towers), pajamas for Pokemon made of silk, super expensive jewelry with Pokemon-related designs, etc. But the Manager must've read my face because he took me to a section where, my oh my, there were…. STONES. Fire stones, Water stones, Thunder stones, Leaf stones, even a few of the rare Moon Stones.

"I'll take 3 of each," I said, pointing to the elemental ones.

After all the shopping spree, the Manager personally escorted me to a fancy car outside, which took me to one of the best restaurants in the City. It was a Pokemon friendly restaurant, and they gave me a very large room all to myself so that I can dine with my Pokemon as well. The Chef came out and personally thanked me for visiting her restaurant.

"It was requested that I keep the food coming until you and your Pokemon have had your fill," she said. "Oh, don't worry about the bill. It is already all paid for."

Huh. I thought maybe I should stay in Celadon City for a few days. Maybe a few weeks. I was being pampered by this VIP service.

But I felt I had indulged enough. There was work to be done. This world was not like in the games where you can wake up safely after a defeat and continue from there. If I ever lost a battle with Team Rocket, it could be the end of me. Or even worse, it could be the end of the entire Resistance.

So after my shopping spree and fancy meal, I asked the driver to take me to the address that Erika had shared with me.

"I need a quiet place to train," I had told her. "But not your gym, of course. Team Rocket might be watching, and it would be weird if I were to keep visiting the gym that I'd already earned the badge from."

Erika smiled.

"There are places in the city that are in place for things just like this."

So the driver took me to a small office building with a sign that read "Celadon City Pokemon Foundation." There were posters on the windows that explained opportunities for community service and charitable donations to help Pokemon that were unable to survive in the wild.

I walked into the office and there were two staff members that warmly welcomed me. They must've been expecting me because they immediately led me to a consulting room in the back, even though I hadn't the slightest clue why Erika had sent me to a charity foundation (although it was nice!).

"Please be seated," one of the staff gestured to a single office chair in the middle of a sizable room.

I was a bit puzzled, but I went along. When I took my seat, the staff left the room, closing the door behind them.

A few seconds passed in silence. Then suddenly, I felt a gentle rumble as I felt the floor beneath me move down. The damn room was an ELEVATOR. And it was taking me down below to… what?

What felt like an entire minute passed by, and the movement stopped. I went and opened the door I walked through, and it was pitch black. The light from within the elevator attempted feebly to illuminate the thick darkness of the unknown space.

I mustered up the courage and walked through, and was wondering if I had to look for a lightswitch when a motion detector must've detected my movements. The lights suddenly came on with a loud click, and it flooded the entire space.

It was just like a Pokemon gym, but without the seating area for spectators. There was a console with a blinking light, and when I turned it on, it gave me options to change the field conditions (rocky, muddy, partial pool, full pool, artificial forest or grass, etc.). It was a training area for Pokemon.

There was also a door close to the elevator that led to something that led to a lengthy hallway with more doors. I opened every single one of them. It was crazy. There was every possible room that I could ask for if I wanted to become a better Pokemon trainer. A room for Pokemon strength training (weights), a room for dexterity and agility (robot combat machines and several reflex test machines), a room for recovery (a machine much alike one you'd find in a Pokemon Center), a room for rest (bed and bath), etc. There was a room with computers for Pokemon analytics, an automated kitchen that was fully stocked, a room with shelves upon shelves of Pokemon medicine, etc… Of course, there was a fully furnished apartment for me as well.

I was just finishing up a tour of the place which left me in awe when I heard the elevator being activated. Something was coming down. I was getting ready to send out my Pokemon just in case it was an unwelcome guest, when the door opened to… no one. There were just some wooden crates in the middle of the elevator, neatly organized.

It was several crates full of Pokeballs, each carrying a Pokemon inside. There was a note on top:

These are being loaned to you to help you train. They're some of our very best. Good luck.

It was written in a dark green ink, so I don't have to explain to you who wrote it.

It was going to be an interesting time training against other well-trained Pokemon.

Would appreciate your support as I continue this journey:

Buymeacoffee mypokemonafterlife