We sat on the low-cut grass near the main path between Pallet Town and Viridian City. Chee had pressured me into sitting on my knees (so that she could look down at me) while she interrogated me, although her eyes were showing signs of exhaustion so I would have preferred if she sat down instead...
"It was a feeling, I guess?" I answered dismissively.
A feeling? Chee frowned at me. That's a lie.
I shook my head gently, formulating a small twist on the truth in my head. "I didn't know exactly what would happen, I just had a feeling we'd get to fight a strong Pokemon once I'd taken out 30 wild Pokemon." I answered her statement. Technically I was telling the truth, I just left out why I thought I'd get to fight a strong Pokemon.
Her hazy silver eyes tightened on me, but it looked like my truth twisting came across genuine enough to pass her test. ...Alright. So you just wanted to fight a strong Pokemon, and you didn't realise it'd be that dangerous?
I nodded. "I thought it would be strong, but I had no clue it would be that violent! If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried to fight it... At least, not without more preparation." Truth be told, a part of me was still eying the reward for 'completing' the entire Viridian Area-Flying Proficiency sounded interesting, and I didn't know of any way to acquire it.
But as things stood, the risks were too great. The Raticate hadn't been a regular wild Pokemon, it had been intelligent, and it came for both me and Chee with deadly intent. I had no plans to willingly subject either of us to that kind of risk.
Chee didn't seem totally convinced, but she relented nonetheless. Her eyelids were heavily drooping by now, and I decided it was my time to cut in.
"...What about you?" I asked, sternly getting to my feet. "You did something. I'm not sure exactly what, but I can tell you're exhausted afterwards-And nothing tires you out!"
All too painfully I could recall the repeated days of Chee playing me until I collapsed in a heap.
The girl evaded my gaze for a moment, the exhaustion was obvious in her eyes but she still pretended to be unaffected. I'm fine, I just worked my brain a bit too hard.
"...Right, I guess we can just keep walking to Viridian then." I answered flatly. I didn't really believe her, but I didn't think I could get the full truth from her as things stood. She probably felt the same way about me, if she could tell I was being misleading.
The conversation ended there, and we walked towards Viridian City for about half an hour before Chee caved in and asked me to set up camp. It wasn't that late in the day, but she fell asleep the moment she laid down.
"Rest up, Chee." I murmured. "We'll be arriving at Viridian City tomorrow."
As the sun set and I ate a simple dinner of basic preserved foods, I kept a watchful eye over Chee as she slept to make sure she was okay. After some time had passed, I decided it was safe to claim the system rewards.
...Status.
[Cyan Hughs
Status:
HP: 20/25
Atk: 8
: 1
Def: 10
Sp. Def: 5
Spd: 12
Stat Points (15)
Skills:
Eye to Eye
Regression System
Pokemon Status Lv 2
Type Proficiency 16% {Tap to Expand} ]
[Normal Proficiency: 289% {VIEW REWARDS}
Fighting Proficiency: 0%
Flying Proficiency: 0%
Poison Proficiency: 0%
Ground Proficiency: 0%
Rock Proficiency: 0%
Bug Proficiency: 0%
Ghost Proficiency: 0%
Steel Proficiency: 0%
Fire Proficiency: 0%
Water Proficiency: 0%
Grass Proficiency: 0%
Electric Proficiency: 0%
Psychic Proficiency: 0%
Ice Proficiency: 0%
Dragon Proficiency: 0%
Dark Proficiency: 0%
Fairy Proficiency: 0%]
[Normal Type Proficiency Level: 2
To next level: 11%
Level 1 Reward: S.T.A.B. (Skill) {CLAIMED}
Level 2 Reward: Normal Type +5% Damage]
I nodded to myself as I reexamined my status page. The stats remained mostly unchanged, and I was close to levelling up my Normal Type Proficiency, but it didn't seem to have increased by as much as I'd hoped.
The events of the day had given me some clues to extra keywords for the system, which I was intent on trying out. First and foremost was the most obvious keyword.
Completion.
[Route 1 Completion:
- Defeat Wild Pokemon (30/30)
Reward: Spawn Area Boss
- Defeat Area Boss (COMPLETE)
Reward: 1 PokeStatus Point, Type Proficiency: Normal +50 points {CLAIM REWARD}]
[Viridian Completion:
- Route 1 (Complete)
- Viridian City (Incomplete)
- Viridian Forest (Incomplete)
Reward: Type Proficiency: Normal +500 points, Flying +160 points]
As I'd expected, Completion was a keyword that would let me view my 'completion' for areas I was visiting. However the difficulty was notably high, so I was hesitant to continue trying to complete it.
At the same time, if it was possible to get the other two missions complete with relative ease, I was inclined to do so. I would decide whether or not to after I'd seen the requirements-I didn't want to fight another boss.
Gently, I claimed the rewards for Route 1 Completion.
[Log:
Type Proficiency: Normal: +11%
Normal Proficiency has reached 300%!
Type Proficiency: Normal: +2%
You gained one PokeStatus point!]
I blinked in surprise. I'd expected fifty points to be worth more than 13%. Although the percentage increase from each attack Yeller landed had gotten slower with time. I still hit 300%, so I opened the proficiency again to see what I'd gained.
[Normal Type Proficiency Level: 3
To next level: 98%
Level 1 Reward: S.T.A.B. (Skill) {CLAIMED}
Level 2 Reward: Normal Type +5% Damage]
Level 3 Reward: +5% Exp from Normal Type Opponents]
I let out a slight sigh. The Exp bonus was useful, but I was hoping for something a little more actively helpful. I decided to put it aside for now and hope that the next level would give something more meaningful.
Now, ever so briefly when fighting with the boss, I saw a window... What did it say again?
Ally? Allies? Group?
No, it was-Party!
[Cyan's Current Party:
Leader: Cyan
Member: Unknown Pokemon Trainer (Info) (Nickname)
Note: Certain features are disabled due to strength difference.
{Disband}]
I frowned at the message. "Unknown Trainer...?" I tapped on the info button carefully, but I got a small pop-up window with a disappointing message.
[The User's 'Scan' skill is not at a high enough level to view this Trainer's information.]
I don't even HAVE a scan skill! I grumbled internally, but in the end I decided to leave it there for the day.
I dismissed the system menus, checking one last time that the area was safe before turning in for the night.
...
43 days. It's okay. It's only been 43 days, it won't happen yet. There's still plenty of time to prepare.
I repeated that mantra a few times in my head as the morning sun rose. After a few minutes, I took a deep breath and I was back to my regular self.
I walked over to Chee's bag, shaking her awake. It was pretty rare for me to wake up before she did, so she must really have been exhausted by whatever she did yesterday.
...Cyan?
"Good morning." I smiled. "Feeling better today?"
She nodded quietly, stretching as she climbed out of bed. I'm hungry though... She gestured to her tummy, making a rubbing motion.
"Alright, let's cook some food and then head out. We should arrive at Viridian City today if we don't get distracted!" I rolled up my sleeves, preparing to cook us a hearty morning meal before our journey.
...
Chee and I made our way past the remainder of Route 1 without any real incidents to speak of. A few times I was tempted to stop and fight wild Pokemon, but in the end it was important to make progress getting to the Gym Challenge. The trip to Viridian City was one of the shortest stretches of our journey, and we were already close to having spent 3 days on it.
I'd been worried about Chee's health at first, but as she'd promised she was entirely back to normal by the time we'd eaten breakfast. Whatever caused her to get so sleepy had passed, and she reassured me at least twice that she was fine.
We walked slowly into the paved streets of Viridian City, taking in the sights. It was a pretty interesting city, but neither Chee nor I were particularly surprised by the place. I'd been through here once in my last life, and it had startled me then as I was a bit of a country boy. Now it was more or less the same as I remembered it.
I'd expected Chee to be more amazed, but if she found the constructions to be interesting she didn't show any signs of it. Perhaps she was actually originally from a city? Although that was hard to believe with how much time she spent outdoors.
"Alright, so Chee, what are we going to do now that we're in a town?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation. She tilted her head at me for a moment.
...Leave?
Okaaay, maybe Chee just didn't like cities.
"Chee, is that what you did when you went on the Gym Challenge by yourself?" I asked, my brow furrowing.
She nodded quietly.
"Chee..." I let out a sigh. "The major towns of the Gym Challenge like this one are set up with Pokemon Centres. For trainers undertaking the challenge, getting a room at the Pokemon Centre and medical treatment is free."
The girl's eyes shifted slightly, but she nodded again.
"...Chee, did you ever use a Pokemon Centre?"
Chee refused to meet my gaze, twirling a lock of her smooth black hair over her pointer finger repetitively.
"And what about food, and other travelling supplies. Did you ever stop to buy those?"
Her head tilted even further forward, and the speed at which she fiddled with her hair intensified.
"...Did you at least try to buy battling supplies at the Pokemart?"
Chee stopped dead in her tracks, and puffed up her cheeks at me in a display of indignation. Stop bullying me!
"You really didn't do any of those...?" I felt my voice crack slightly as I spoke.
The black-haired girl dug into her bag and pulled out the red PokeDex she'd been given by Professor Oak. She tapped away at it for a few moments, before turning it to face me.
'I have you. You do it.' The screen read.
"Alright, alright. You have me now, so I can take care of it. I think I understand why Oak wanted to send me with you now..."
Meanie! Chee's eyes shot back past her over-inflated cheeks. She looked pretty silly, and I failed to fully stifle a chuckle in response.
Ahhh! You're making fun of me!
"No, no, it's nothing. Let's keep moving! Do you want to come with me while I go shopping, or would you rather I help you at the Pokemon Centre first?"
...I'll come with you. She folded her arms gently as she shot me with a frown. But stop making fun of me!
We hadn't traveled too far, so I fortunately didn't need to buy too many supplies. I went to a few stores in turn, buying extra spices and food with the money that Professor Oak had given me for travel expenses. As I visited each store, I would ask them a few questions about the city and what they knew about the Gym Leader here.
As we walked away from the third store and I gleefully jotted down the information I'd just gained in my notebook, Chee tugged on my shoulder to indicate she wanted to say something. ...What are you doing? Her eyes asked.
"...I'm gathering intel on the Gym Leader." I replied. "The people who live here should be somewhat familiar with the Gym Challenge, and they might be able to provide me with useful information." I closed the notebook and stuffed it into my bag.
Chee frowned at me. But we're not doing the Gym here.
"Not yet." I replied. "But we might have to later. Having information never hurts."
Chee seemed to consider this as we arrived at our final stop for the evening, the PokeMart. A specialised shop for Pokemon care and capture supplies. I wanted to buy some Pokemon food for Yeller, as well as getting some items like antidotes for emergencies, since we were about to go through a forest filled with bug type Pokemon.
Just when I'd collected all the supplies I wanted, Chee excitedly brought my attention to a large promotional poster hanging on the smooth metal wall of the PokeMart.
'Buy 10 Pokeballs and get a limited-edition Premier Ball FREE!' the poster said, showing a bold image of a large white Pokeball with a red lining instead of a black one. They looked kind of cool, but they were effectively just a Pokeball.
"...You want one?" I asked.
Chee nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Want!
"Well... It never hurts to have a few Pokeballs I suppose." I responded after a moment of hesitation, turning my attention to the clerk at the counter.
"10 Pokeballs please."
However as we were leaving the store with our Pokeballs in tow, she desperately pulled on my other shoulder, pointing to another display poster-This one advertising full restores.
'Heals any status condition!' The poster boldly claimed. 'Restore any Pokemon to full health!'
Want! Chee's eyes gleamed, and I realised in an unsettling moment that I'd made a large miscalculation. One that I should have already known, given that she'd never even entered a PokeMart before.
Chee had no resistance to marketing at all!
...
It took me a good 15 minutes to explain to Chee why we didn't need to buy Full Restores, and even then she'd left the store feeling pretty disheartened-Until I let her hold the Premier Ball we'd bought.
I resolved to be more cautious about taking Chee shopping with me in the future.
We'd just entered the Viridian City Pokemon Centre, and it was quite a sight to behold. In my previous life I'd never had much occasion to visit one, so I was pretty excited just to be here.
The floor was covered in yellow-beige tiles with a white lining, the walls were painted a relaxing mixture of dull yellow and red, and a sweet-looking nurse stood behind the red and white counter, ready to assist any trainers that needed medical attention after a Gym Battle or training in the wild.
On one side was a pair of stairs leading the the resting accommodations, and on the opposite side was the call centre where you could contact other people.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokemon Centre!" She chirped cheerfully. "How can I help you today?"
Chee immediately took cover behind my back, but I boldly stepped forward and presented my Gym Challenge pass. "The two of us are Gym Challengers, could you get us rooms for the night?"
The nurse nodded and handed us some room cards, which I gratefully accepted.
"Also-Could we reserve a call? I want to contact someone back home." I asked, remembering that I'd promised Professor Oak that I'd check in with him regularly on our journey. He was probably worried about Chee, after all.
"Absolutely!" The nurse tapped away at her computer for a moment, then turned to look at me again. "Call room 3 should be open in about 15 minutes. Please go in then."
I nodded. "Thanks."
Since we still had a little bit of time before we could contact Oak, we decided to go check out our rooms. The rooms in the Pokemon centre were fairly simple-Rather like the rooms at Oak's lab, although they were all stylised in the same way as the centre itself. The biggest difference was a door at the back of the room, which led to an individual bathroom with a shower.
As I stood in the cascading warm water, my mind drifted to the system once again, and I opened the completion menu to evaluate whether I would try to do it or not.
[Viridian City Completion:
- Clear the Viridian City Gym
- Disband the Criminal Organisation [Team Rocket]
- Defeat the Boss of Team Rocket in a Pokemon Battle
- Visit each Major landmark (Complete!)
Reward: 5 PokeStatus Points, Type Proficiency: Normal +160 Points, Ground +160 Points, Poison +60 Points, Flying +60 Points]
I was presented with an absolutely absurd list of tasks to complete. Clearing the Gym would be one thing, once I was allowed to challenge it. But the completion also wanted me to disband team rocket?! Red wouldn't achieve that for at least another year and a half...
I shook my head, dismissing the window. I wanted the rewards, but the tasks were completely unreasonable.
After my quick shower I dried my hair and changed into some clothes I'd set aside for sleeping. I left my room to meet up with Chee, who appeared to have also had a shower and changed, now holding her familiar Pikachu plushie-Although I wasn't sure where she'd been keeping it until now.
The two of us went downstairs and were admitted into the call room that we'd booked, where I carefully punched in the number that Professor Oak had given me to contact him by. A few moments later, the screen filled with static that gradually attuned to a picture of Oak's face, sitting in the lab. As soon as the call started, Yeller jumped up onto my shoulder to watch.
"Greetings lad!" Oak exclaimed cheerfully.
"Greetings sir." I replied stiffly. "Chee and I have made it to Viridian city safe and sound, and I'm calling in to report."
"No need to be so stiff lad, though I'm glad you made it to Viridian. Did you run into Blue on the way?"
"...What?"
"Oh did I forget to mention it? Blue left on the Gym Challenge a few hours before you did."
I sat in silence for a moment, but I cleared my throat and answered. "Uh, no. We didn't encounter him. I'll keep an eye out."
Oak stroked his chin thoughtfully, but his smile didn't fade. "Very well. I'm sure Blue can take care of himself. How is Chee handling everything?"
Chee, who had been standing next to me in silence until now, raised a thumbs up to the camera.
"Glad to hear it." Oak chuckled. "Oh, and are you finding the Pokedexes useful?"
I looked away sheepishly, scratching my cheek. "To be honest Professor, I haven't even turned mine on. It looks so expensive and I've been scared to break it..."
He met me with a disapproving gaze. "Now listen boy, it's good that you don't want to break it, but that device can give you useful information about the Pokemon you're facing-As well as giving you a reading on your own Pokemon! Like how much stamina it has left, or how strong it is!"
The tool did sound useful, but the words somehow rung hollow in my ears. I'd spent years of my life in the army learning to estimate things like that during a hectic ongoing battle, and even without that, the PokeStatus skill the system had given me showed me an active readout on Yeller's health as well.
"Y-yeah, sounds useful..." I answered, filled with guilt. "I'll be sure to use it..."
The room was quiet for a moment before Oak let out a sigh of exasperation. "Alright if you don't want to use it, I suppose that's your choice. But I did install a short-range messaging app for you and Chee to communicate with, and if you're at a Pokemon Centre it will even work as a long distance messaging app! Make sure you at least set that up so that you can contact each other in emergencies."
I nodded. "Alright, I'll make sure to do that."
The call ended shortly after that, and I got Chee to show me how to set up the messaging app to communicate with her. She'd already been using it to write the messages she'd shown to me before, and she seemed to be proficient with the PokeDex.
Shortly after we split up and agreed to meet up again in the morning, I flopped onto my bed exhausted. The travel and errands of the day had really worn me out.
I lay in thoughtful silence for a moment, remembering everything that happened on the way here-Everything that had happened since I'd returned to my childhood. I didn't have time to relax if I wanted to save everyone.
My chest felt tight as I remembered the Tauros Stampede that destroyed Pallet Town. I forcibly settled my heart, telling myself that it didn't happen yet. I wasn't sure exactly how much time I had left, but I hadn't seen any of the warning signs.
It's okay. Just stay calm, I won't let it happen this time.
Just as I closed my eyes to go to sleep, my PokeDex made a shrill beep.
Groaning, I rolled onto my side and picked up the PokeDex, reading the message I'd received from Chee.
'Cyan, are you still awake?'
'Yes. Did you need something?' I replied slowly-I still wasn't used to the texting function.
There was no response for a moment, but then I heard a rapid knocking on my door. I went to open it, and I found Chee shivering at the entrance.
...I don't want to be alone... Her eyes were scared. Can I sleep here?
"Chee..." I croaked, tired. "We shouldn't sleep together."
I can sleep on the ground... She glanced at the ground beside my bed, and I sighed quietly.
"No, it's okay. You just don't want to be alone, right?"
She nodded.
"What about Bulba? You could sleep with him...?"
She shook her head vigorously.
"I could lend you Yeller for the night?"
She shook her head even more vigorously. Yeller looked at me disapprovingly as well.
At this point, I was pretty tired, and I could tell that Chee was pretty desperate not to be alone. I thought she'd been fine, but maybe being in the city all by herself was too much for her. I looked into her shaking eyes, and I just felt that I couldn't refuse.
"Alright fine, but I'll sleep on the floor." I sighed, retrieving a sleeping back from my backpack. "You should use the bed."
The girl nodded apologetically.
And so I spent the night sleeping on the floor instead of in my bed.