David's eyes flicked between the slip of paper in his hand and the tree stump before him.

Nature's Scent. This was the right place.

The writing before him looked like it had been laser printed onto the wood. Flat grey lines neatly etched in a sharp contrast to the messy scribble he carried. The stump itself was stripped of all bark and even with its base buried in the ground it rose two feet or so above his head.

David had a hard time finding his way here. Which wasn't too much of a surprise when you took into account the two words he had to go off and Celadon's size. It had taken nearly two hours of wandering through the streets asking for directions, following bad ones or getting lost again before the good ones could be of use. The style of the city's building never really changed. Only the Pokecenter and Pokemart stood out.

In the end he'd only made it here after a group of locals playing cards took pity on him. They'd started by explaining that the farm was in the north west of the city and not the south where he'd ended up. One of them brought him most of the way here after the players had stopped laughing at his expression.

The city hadn't become any quieter as time passed and the crowds and festivities only grew as David's frustration built. If this didn't pan out he was ready to retreat out of the city and back to where he camped last night. After hours spent walking through the city the long hike didn't sound so bad.

David put the slip of paper away, adjusted his backpack straps and began walking up the road towards the farm house in the distance.

Nature's Scent farm was situated in what David thought of as the third ring of the city.

The fifth and outer ring was made up of the grain farms. Aside from the crops, the sour smell was the biggest indication that you were in this area. The fourth ring consisted of vegetable farms. Buildings grew more numerous and developed as you walked through this ring. The second held larger parks, stands and the large apartment blocks. The innermost ring was also full of large apartment blocks but the ground floors were more shop orientated. The Pokecenter and Pokemarket alone were enough to make this city centre distinct.

The third ring, which included Nature's scent, housed the berry orchards. What this meant as David walked past mauve bushes with white petals and bright pink berries, was that Benny had massively undersold it when he said "They grow berries". Having seen the place he no longer had any expectation that they would buy from him. The one or two berries that he would struggle to find meant nothing when they had hundreds if not thousands.

He was taking the time to visit as he had nowhere else to go. Maybe they knew some other kind of work he could do instead. At the very least if Benny asked he would be able to find out that David had made it to Celadon.

The repeating rows of berries were beautiful. The sight didn't hook him as deeply as it had earlier that morning but it was still a wonder.

There was no machinery in sight. Each bush was different in height, width and number of berries. That wasn't to say that the bushes weren't tended to. The path between each row was well trodden and clippings littered the ground around some of the bushes.

But David wasn't surprised to see the lack of machinery. He was surprised to see an absence of Pokemon. There was no life amongst the bushes, only signs of it and..

David slowed as he met the eyes of a young boy.

He lifted his hand up to wave.

"Hello!"

The young boy turned and fled into the bushes, darting between them before he was out of sight.

David jogged forward until he was even with the next row. Then the next one but the child was gone. He considered hopping the chest high fence between the road and the bushes. A woven net blocked off the lower section but he could push his bag through a large horizontal gap that began at waist height.

David clicked his tongue and stepped back. It was probably best not to trespass. The kid either lived here or like all the other children he'd seen today, was just having some fun on the festival day. Stealing berries from the neighbourhood farm could be a rite of passage.

He left the fence behind and carried on down the road.

The farmhouse, when he reached it, was more of what he'd been seeing all day.

Dark cream walls with green roof tiles. A large patio faced the road and the signature long table in plain view. It was a large building, clearly a home for an extended family.

David spent a minute searching for a bell of some kind before hesitantly approaching the patio. The wooden steps creaked as he called out a "Hello".

A few calls later and with no response, he peered into the closest window. There wasn't much to make out from the dark interior.

'They must be at the festival.'

David straightened with a groan. He was not looking forward to having to find this place tomorrow. He was going to have enough trouble as is trying to find his way back to last night's campsite.

He turned to leave and jerked back.

The old man continued to wipe the sweat off his forehead with a rag and stare at him. Completely unbothered by David's surprise.

"What are you sniffing around for then?"

"Eh." David looked around the patio and the wide open area between the house and the orchard. Where had the man come from? "I'm looking for Oliver Laurel?"

The man's moustache twitched. "You have a Rattata?"

"No?" David replied.

"What do you have then?"

"A Pidgey." David said slowly. Was this small talk or was the man trying to determine a response to an intruder?

The man sniffed and walked forward to join David on the patio. He gestured over at the long table.

"Sit down. I'll be back in a second."

"Are you.." David trailed off as the man pushed the door open and disappeared inside. He looked around, gaze lingering on the road away before and sighing before sliding his backpack off.

He needed a break anyway. His sigh of relief upon sitting down more than proved that.

The man rejoined him shortly after. He set two glasses down on the table and a jug of water.

"I'm Oliver." The old man said but didn't continue as he started to pour the water.

David's attention was immediately drawn to the clear liquid. He hadn't realised how thirsty he was. There were no streams by last night's campsite and his canteen had run dry this morning.

Oliver filled both glasses and slid one over to him before speaking again. "So Benny sent you my way."

David nodded as he took a sip. The water was beautifully cool.

Oliver took a swig from his glass.

"Awful man. Full of shit and always has been." Oliver turned to the side like he was about to spit only to stop, thinking better of it at the realisation he was on his own patio. "I told my sister that you know. When they first started dating."

Oliver paused to look at David.

He seemed to be waiting for a reaction or an argument so David raised an eyebrow and hummed.

Oliver smacked his lips and sighed. "She looked me dead in the eye and told me shit is the best fertiliser."

A smile grew on the old man's face until it turned into a laugh.

David couldn't help but grin too.

Oliver's laugh grew until it became a howl. "You should have seen my face. I must have looked like fertiliser myself."

"Oh." Oliver swiped at his face and took a breath. When he met David's eyes his face was flat. "I don't like the man but he was a good husband to my sister and a father to my nieces and nephews. So I'll give you the benefit of my love for my sister and not my distaste for her husband."

Oliver finished his glass and stood. "Bring your bag. I'll show you where you'll be."

And with that he strode off the patio and towards the side of the house.

'What?'

David stared off after the man. What did he mean "where you'll be"? Downing his water, he grabbed his bag and hurried after the man. He hadn't had a chance to get a word in the entire conversation.

"What do you mean where I'll be?"

David caught up to Oliver as the man strode down a small farm path. He was faster than he had any right to be at his age.

"I've no need for more berries." Oliver stated with a scoff as he pointed off to the side at the continuing orchard. "Benny may not know his Persim from his Pecha but he's a sly sonofabitch. If he sent you my way and got my sister to include it in our letters, he sent you here to work."

David slowed his step and couldn't help but smile a bit. Maybe he and Pidgey weren't so alone.

"Both you and HIM, were lucky that it's about to be a busy period." Oliver continued as the path began to curve through the surrounding plantations. "Any other time and I would have sent you back to him with as much fertiliser as you could carry."

Glimpses of green stuck out through the mauve leaves.

"You can get settled in today and start tomorrow. Come around the house and I'll sort you out."

"What time tomorrow?" David interjected. It was hard to get a word in and he had to take the chance while he could. "I have some training battles mid morning."

Oliver paused and turned to look at him with an incredulous expression, moustache quivering. "What time? Busy are you? Something more.."

Oliver trailed off and seemed to consider something. He turned and set off down the path again.

"Lunch tomorrow at the house. Just this once. You won't be getting mornings off in future. AND." Oliver held a finger up to the sky. "You won't get paid if your Pidgey can't fight."

"Paid? And what do you mean if Pidgey can't battle?" David asked.

Oliver just walked faster.

Around the next corner the plantation ended and trees began.

Oliver paused at the outer edge of the trees.

"Here's where you'll be staying. This grove is where we harvest the rarer berries. You can pitch your tent in a small clearing ahead." Oliver turned to look askance at David. "I hope it's clear that neither you nor your Pidgey are to eat the orchard berries or the berries you find in here."

David nodded. "Crystal." He still wasn't sure what was going on but it was looking like he didn't have a hike out of the city ahead of him.

"Good." Oliver said and reached forward to touch one of the trees. "I'll leave you here then."

He turned and started back down the path again.

"Wait." David called after him.

Oliver paused and turned back towards him with an annoyed look on his face.

"Did Benny tell you about why I left Saffron? Some dangerous people were after me."

It was a risk mentioning it to Oliver. It seemed Benny and him didn't get along and there was only so much that could be shared in a letter. This job and camping location could be everything that he and Pidgey needed to make Celadon work.

But.

David remembered metal bars and red eyes in the dark. He couldn't drag anyone else into that unknowing. The thought of flashlights coming in the dark for the farm..

Oliver's brows narrowed. "I was given the gist so let me make one thing clear. This is Celadon, the heart of Kanto. You leave it all behind and it won't follow you here. If I hear that you're causing trouble - and I will hear if you do, then you're out. Not out of the farm, out the city."

Oliver lingered after David's nod before the old man slipped through the gap in the upper section of the fence and disappeared into the orchard.

David watched him leave before turning back towards the grove of trees.

"Right. I suppose I better get the tent setup."

This part was familiar at least.

Endnote:

And we arrive at David's Celadon camping grounds. Any ideas for what David's job will be?

Discord: discorddotgg/qJAhPZ7sXU for PokeWild, Pokemon and other talk.

frankieu - Thank you for the comment. Always nice to see it pop up.

AkaiTennyo - I'm glad you're enjoying it. The plots will continue. I take great pleasure in adding little nuggets and hints towards things as we go along.