David spent a few minutes inspecting the road once he and Pidgey reached it. The road cut a gradual curved line through the woods and led off into the distance with no end in sight.
It wasn't the tarmac he'd seen in the city nor the stone slabs and packed dirt he'd seen on the Route paths. Instead the flat surface seemed to be some sort of hardened clay. Large terracotta patches with a softer dirt like clay filling the gaps between.
But why was it here? This wasn't the route path. There was no way the narrow trails he'd previously walked on shifted to this. This road hadn't been on the journey map of Kanto from the library or the Route 7 map at the Ranger's office either. Was it hidden? And if so, why?
David gave the road and the area one last check but found little else. After a short internal debate he set off on the road.
Whatever reason behind why the road was here, it was a sign of civilization and it would lead him to Celadon.
-.-
Pidgey soon grew fed up with the tough surface of the road. She couldn't sink her talons into the hardened areas and the soft areas were too far apart for one hop. After a particularly bad skid across the surface, she made one last hop off the road and another over to a tree by the side of the road. There, she turned back to David and let out a low squawk.
"Did you see something?" David asked as he followed her over. He peered into the woods but saw nothing.
Pidgey didn't respond but continued hopping further into the woods.
After several more paces into the woods with nothing showing up, David turned to the Pokemon beside him. "You didn't see anything did you?"
Pidgey continued to hop.
David pursed his lips and stopped. They needed to follow the road. It had to lead somewhere and anywhere was better than wandering aimlessly away from the sun. His method of navigation grew more difficult and less reliable as the fiery ball rose in the sky. On top of that, it was unlikely that the road counted as a Pokemon's territory. Preventing any more Growlithe pack incidents was a priority.
"We can walk on the side of the road if you want?" David suggested. It was a shame. He'd quite liked being back on flat ground after trudging over uneven surfaces for days.
Pidgey hopped forward again.
"Pidgey!" David called.
When she turned back towards him, he communicated in the clearest language they had. After over ten days together they had ironed out one sure fire method of letting the other know what they wanted. A system that had never failed either of them. It was quite soon to be using it again and while he hadn't planned on it, the morning had proved that Pidgey was ready.
He held his arms out to the sides and bounced them up and down.
Pidgey hopped back towards him, chirping happily.
David picked her up and lifted her above his head as he walked back towards the road.
-.-
Pidgey let out a light shrill as she glided back to the ground.
David's hand shot up to grip her Pokeball and he looked around cautiously.
"What's wrong Pidgey?"
Pidgey pecked towards the road.
David searched the woods opposite them for a tense second before following the line of trees down the road. He had to squint and raise a hand to adjust his hat before he was able to make anything out under the setting sun.
A dark blob was barely visible. A blob appearing from around a bend in the road and heading their way. They had company.
"Into the trees." David ordered.
He'd had plenty of time to think through what to do if they met anyone on the road. In the end he'd come up with a simple answer. Don't. There was no benefit to socialisation.
At this point it was unlikely that it would be a member of Team Rocket but they weren't his only concern now. He was certain that he wasn't in a zero badge zone. He didn't know exactly what rules or laws he was breaking but he had no interest in finding out about their consequences. Whoever this was might not let him off with a warning like the police officer in Saffron city had.
He picked up Pidgey and carried her into the treeline. He sat down with his back to a tree and placed Pidgey in his lap. With several trees between them and the road he was confident that they were out of sight.
"Stay quiet alright?" David asked his Pokemon.
Pidgey stared back at him blankly.
David fingered the pokeball on his chest for a second but decided against it. Pidgey would be helpful if anything went wrong and he wasn't sure if she would accept being recalled. Knowing her current temperament she might just make more noise. Instead he held a finger to his lips and hoped she would understand one of his requests.
In barely any time at all, David could hear the other road user. A general hubbub of noise grew and pounding thumps became clearer amongst snorts and grunts. A regular drum beat against the ground separated out from the thumps and grew louder as it grew closer fast.
David pulled Pidgey a little closer and tapped his finger against his lip again.
The drum beat slowed then ground to a halt with an awful cracking noise. Seconds later three ear splitting warbles blared out. Each warble started slightly after the other which made the whole effect worse.
David winced and grabbed his ears to try to muffle the noise.
There was a pause and then a voice yelled out.
"Come out or I'll be forced to treat this as an ambush."
David tried to ignore the gentle ringing in his ears and moved his hands from his ears to his eyes to rub them slowly. Of course. Of course Some Pokemon was able to detect him even after leaving the road. The bloody creatures seemed to be nothing but trouble at this point. Far from the trusted partners he remembered.
Pidgey let out a squawk which made him freeze and look down at the Pokemon in his lap. Thankfully she was looking off behind him back towards the road. David relaxed as he remembered that she couldn't read his mind.
"Uproar in 5."
David's heart sank. He hadn't seen the move in action yet but sound travelled far faster than he did. He wouldn't be able to run.
"4."
"Wait!" David shouted and placed Pidgey on the ground so he could stand up.
He debated recalling her. The occasional crunching noise from the road, a road that Pidgey hadn't been able to scratch, told him that this wasn't a fight she could win. This trainer wasn't alone either given the growing noise in the distance. The pounding thumps had grown slower but were gradually becoming louder.
Pidgey made the decision for him and started hopping towards the road.
David leapt up to follow her and the road came into view soon after. Or really, the Pokemon on it did.
A triple headed bird Pokemon clawed at the clay road, digging deep furrows into the tough surface with talons larger than David's hands. As he looked at the Pokemon's feet which were longer than his entire arm, he wondered how he had ever been worried about Pidgey's talons. They seemed such a reasonable size now.
As he stepped out from behind a tree, the Pokemon shifted and its two outer heads turned towards him. Both heads breaking from their watch over both directions of the road.
David's breath slowed as he met the central head's eyes. Eyes that had been tracking him the whole time.
"Mew's grace."
David broke the unintentional staring contest to look at the person riding the Pokemon. They wore thick clothing and their face was covered with only a pair of googles poking out. As he watched, they dug a whistle out from their scarf and gave it four piercing blows. With a sigh they turned back down towards the way they had come.
David followed their gaze.
A couple of hundred metres away a convoy was in the middle of coming to a halt. Pokemon panted as they slowed and their cargo ground to a halt. Large bull-like creatures tossed their heads to the side, displaying gleaming horns. David could just about make out large tufts of hair floating above the creatures as tails swayed angrily. Beside these Pokemon were Rhyhorn. From this distance David could only make out their slate colour and general shape but the creatures were unmistakable.
Attached behind the Rhyhorn and bull Pokemon were large metallic containers. These containers towered over the Pokemon pulling them and were easily double the height of the Rhyhorn. No symbols marked the sides of the containers but given the number of containers and Pokemon this was a big operation.
He wondered just what he had stumbled onto as one of the bull Pokemon broke away from the pack and started to run towards them.
Pidgey let out a loud chirp drawing David's attention back towards the Doduo evolution and its rider. She hopped up right to the giant Pokemon and raised her wings.
"Pidgey!" David hissed as the much larger Pokemon's right head lowered towards Pidgey.
Narrow eyes stared at Pidgey from the ball of hazel fur? Outside of its neck and legs, the Pokemon was mostly covered in these thin strands of fuzzy hair. Only the base of its torso, ears and tail had black feathers. Its beak dipped down towards Pidgey, the sharp spear of bone longer than Pidgey was tall.
The rider chuckled and patted the Pokemon's central head.
"Don't worry. That's Bicker's friendly head. I think she likes her hopping. Most Flying types tend to fly above or away from Dodrios."
David gave the rider a weak smile but it didn't stop him worrying as the Pokemon dipped down and raised a large foot - with talons - to move it closer to Pidgey. Pidgey hopped over to inspect the foot, skidding a little on the ground.
The talons shimmered beige for a second before a loud crack rang out. The clay road shattered and David flinched.
The trainer let out a sigh as the Dodrio lifted its foot and Pidgey hopped onto the cracked road with a happy chirp.
"You need to stop destroying the road." The trainer said in exasperation and slapped the base of the right head's neck.
The right head rose up and away from Pidgey in surprise. The central head took the chance to butt against it. The right head squawked and smacked the central back with its beak. A small downy feather detached itself from what David had previously thought fur.
David and Pidgey stared as the smacks turned into a small pecking battle and beaks clashed. The Pokemon's trainer groaned and raised a hand to their face.
The left head let out a cackle, pausing the central and right heads. The two heads turned towards the left head, previous conflict forgotten as they attacked the heckler.
The trainer pulled something out of a pocket and clapped their hands together. All three heads paused.
"Enough. Left, this is yours." The trainer called and threw something to the left head. The head's beak snapped forward to catch it quickly. It swallowed the object as the other two heads turned to it with a fervour. A second passed and all three heads relaxed.
"Dodrio and Doduo don't taste with their mouths." The trainer offered an explanation as David stared bewildered at the Pokemon. "They taste with their stomach and enjoying the sensation centres them. Just a helpful tip if you're planning on expanding your team in Celadon."
"Thanks." David replied by rote. He hadn't known that Duduo were found around the city.
"Libby. What's the situation?" A new voice shouted out.
Both trainers and both Pokemon turned at least one head towards the newcomer.
Like Libby they had a scarf around their face but the rest of this man's face was left uncovered. Wrinkles from smiling stood out between his short dark curled hair and dirty white scarf. He rode closer on one of the bull Pokemon. Up close it's horns still gleamed but David could make out gashes and scars scattered along their length.
"Looks like a new trainer who set out early and got lost." Libby replied.
The newcomer looked towards David and puffed his cheeks out. Sucking his cheeks back in, he looked behind them at the stopped convoy.
"What are the Rangers up to these days?" The man muttered, He sighed and turned to Libby. "Let the train know we will camp here then scout the area."
Libby nodded then paused. "It's still early. We could continue on."
The man shook his head. "The Pokemon won't want to stop for hours if we set out again. Better to get an early night."
Libby nodded and gave Bicker a slap. They turned and rocketed away towards the convoy.
The man turned his attention back to David.
"Join me will you?"
David carried Pidgey as they moved back towards the convoy. Pidgey squirmed until David held her to his right side. She was fixated on the bull Pokemon plodding along beside them.
After a short pause to think, the man spoke.
"We've no Rangers with us at the moment - They must be taking a break before the avalanche of work hits them." He shook his head at David. "So you'll be making the rest of your trip alone after we point you in the right direction, but you're welcome to make camp with us tonight."
David hesitated. He had many questions but he didn't want to raise more suspicions or questions from these trainers. In the end he went as generic as possible.
"Why are you out here?"
The man turned to blink at him before his eyes widened.
"Oh. I forgot to introduce myself again. I'm Noah. I'm a member of the White Pokeball."
"David."
"And you're a new trainer so of course you wouldn't know." Noah clicked his tongue. "This is a food shipment from Celadon to Saffron. I'm tagging along as it contains some Pokemart goods."
David looked towards the large metallic containers being pulled off the road.
"That's a lot of food."
Noah chuckled. "Saffron is a big city. Besides, convoys leave Celadon for each of the cities a couple of times a week. It's a big trainer employer. Get a couple of badges and you'll want to get a job protecting the convoy like Libby."
"Protecting the convoy?" David asked. It explained a little about this world if badges were required to get jobs. Were they like a degree in Pokemon handling?
"All the food and noise. It can drive Pokemon crazy. It's the reason why the road is so far from the Route centre." Noah turned to him. "How did you end up wandering so far away?"
David opened his mouth trying to come up with a reason but he was saved by a shout from the convoy.
Noah groaned and spurred his ride forward.
"Why don't you setup over there? You can't join our camp as it's officially under the White Pokeball banner but we'd welcome the company." Noah pointed out a spot away from the convoy. "I'll pop by to say hi when we're all settled."
David gave him a nod and a wave as Noah spurred his Pokemon forward and left. This encounter had turned out better and more informative than he expected.
-.-
David had the tent unrolled and was rooting through his bag for the spikes when Noah approached.
"Hey David the fires ar-" He trailed off.
David turned to greet him and blinked a spot out of his vision. Noah stood with his arm outstretched and a large pink plush toy in front of him. Then the plush toy opened its eyes and David stared into teal eyes.
"One word of a lie and you'll be asleep until Saffron." Noah ground out.
Endnote:
And we're back to action... (only a small bit though - I promise)
A small glimpse into the White Pokeball organisation too which I enjoyed writing.
Discord: discorddotgg/qJAhPZ7sXU for PokeWild, Pokemon and other talk.
frankieu - I'm glad to hear it. I'm going to try work as much variety into Pokemon encounters as I can.
GoMagikarp - Roosting Pidgey is definitely the easiest to deal with anyway :)
DemonWolf25 - All on purpose. I swapped them around. Ch 24 has an author's note about it in the end if you want to learn my reasoning before it's covered in the fiction.
Maxed959 - I play a track or two when I'm struggling with a scene...