Day 53:
In light of Chee's recent injuries I expected her to want to stay at home, but she continually insisted on following me where I went. To my surprise however, she was relatively quiet and didn't make any complaints as long as she was allowed to come along.
I began to suspect that despite her outwardly cheerful demeanour, she was actually still pretty shaken by all the events in Mt. Moon, and just wanted to be around me. Either that or she still felt like she should be extra nice to me since I'd just had my birthday.
Regardless, I spent the day doing some investigation for rumours and information about the Gym Leader of this town-My experience with Brock had taught me that while not totally reliable, local information on the Gym Leader could be useful.
Unfortunately as I combed over my notes at the end of the day, I began to notice a lot of inconsistencies between the different accounts that I'd been given about the Cerulean City Gym Leader.
They were a trainer who specialised in water types, and a young woman. All accounts agreed on that much. After that however, things became more scattered. Some people described the Gym Leader as kind and sweet, others as self-absorbed and frivolous. Some told me she was a beautiful lady, others said she was a tomboy who spent no time on her looks.
I frowned over my notes at the end of the day. The contradicting accounts almost sounded like they were different people entirely. I made a note to start inquiring by name instead of by 'Cerulean City Gym Leader'. Perhaps the Gym had changed hands at some point in the past.
Day 54:
Chee's recovery was already progressing well, and she told me that the pain was starting to become less noticeable. To avoid putting too much strain on it, I decided to spend the day training in the field behind the Pokemon Centre instead.
There were a few trainers there who I was able to do some practice battles with, which helped since Yeller and I were still a little out of sync after I'd had to use Chee's Bulbasaur in the caves of Mt. Moon.
Something I only now realised I'd never told her about.
I was quiet as we re-entered my room in the Pokemon Centre, but we both could tell there was something on my mind. She tilted her head to me questioningly, and I finally burst.
"...I'm sorry." I started. "When we were in Mt. Moon... Yeller got injured, and I wound up using your Bulbasaur to fight wild Pokemon, and help me find you... I forgot to tell you until now!"
Her eyes widened, and she suddenly pulled out the Pokeball that Bulbasaur had been kept in. I couldn't blame her, she probably felt very betrayed by my revelation. Borrowing someone's Pokemon without their permission was never an act to be taken lightly.
...You used my Bulbasaur?
I nodded quietly, feeling somewhat ashamed.
And it listened to you?
I frowned. "Um... Yeah? Sort of..."
She looked down at the ball in her hand, then released the Pokemon contained within. The green quadruped nearly leapt for joy, nuzzling it's head affectionately into Chee's gloved hands. Once again, it's vision had completely clouded over and I couldn't understand a word of what it was thinking.
Chee stared at the Bulbasaur for a few moments, then back to me.
...How did you get it to listen to you?
I blinked a few times, not sure why she was asking. "Well, after I told it you were in danger, we worked together to rescue you... When I first tried it attacked me, but I managed to sort that out before it could knock me out."
I saw a hint of disappointment flash behind the eyes of my black-haired friend, and she retrieved the Pokemon into it's ball.
"...Really, I'm sorry!" I apologised.
...Huh? No, it's okay. You saved me. She shook her head and then pointed to herself, before putting her hands on her hips. I trust that you needed to use Bulbasaur. It's okay.
"...Really?"
She looked annoyed with my disbelief, and she pointed to the pocket I'd tucked her free favour slip in. If you really don't believe me, use the favour on forgiveness.
"No, I trust you." I felt a warm smile slip it's way back onto my face. "Thank you for believing me."
She just huffed and crossed her arms.
Day 55:
After we got up that morning the swelling on Chee's leg had gone down a lot so we went and checked with the doctor. Apparently she was healing quickly, and should already be well enough to start trying to walk without the crutches.
On our way out of the doctors office, we were once again called upon by the nurse of the Cerulean City Pokemon Centre, telling us we had an incoming call from Professor Oak.
"Ah, Cyan. It's good to see you again." Oak started chirpily.
"Greetings professor." I answered stiffly. "I assume this call is to do with getting the PokeDex repaired?"
"Indeed, although it's not exactly the news I was hoping to deliver." Oak affirmed my suggestion. "I contacted my assistant Bill a few times, but I haven't heard anything back so far."
"...Do you think something is wrong?"
"No, he probably just got too absorbed in his work. Regardless, there's no telling when he'll think to check for messages himself, so I'd suggest going to see him yourself." Oak began. "He lives in a research shack north of Cerulean City. Go over the Nugget Bridge to Route 25, then head east for a bit and you should find his home by the coast."
I nodded thoughtfully. "Alright Professor, we'll go see him once Chee's leg finishes healing."
"...Pardon?"
"Ah-You're breaking up!" I slammed the end call button.
Chee looked at me with dismay.
"...Look, it just slipped out okay?"
My accidental slip-up reminded me of the day we arrived in Cerulean City, and how Chee had asked me to keep her injury a secret. I'd been too tired to inquire about it at the time, but as we made our way out of the Call Room my interest peaked.
"...Why did you want me to keep your injury a secret anyway?" I asked, closing the door behind us. "I thought you might want to go home after what happened."
Chee paused in front of me, turning her gaze away for a moment before she remembered she'd have to look at me for me to understand. ...Because that would hurt your dreams.
I'll admit, that caught me a little off-guard. "...You wanted to keep quiet for my sake?"
She nodded quietly. If we went back home, it would be just like last time when I hurt you by accident. And after you saved me... Her gaze fell to the ground. That just wouldn't be right.
"That's awfully sweet of you, Chee." I smiled gently at her. "But doesn't that hurt you instead?"
She shook her head quietly. I was scared before, but it's fine now. Her head tilted up, and I could tell there was something else she was trying to communicate. Besides, if I went home I wouldn't be able to play with you anymore!
"...Alright." I chuckled in response, placing a hand on her head. "Once you're all better and your PokeDex is fixed, we can play a whole bunch. I promise." I rustled her hair playfully as I finished speaking.
Chee nodded at me gleefully and let out a little squeak of joy in response. I'll look forward to it.
It was true that we'd spent a lot of time entirely focussed on serious topics for the last few days... Although we'd had a brief respite at the Pancake Parlour, other than that it had been all work and no play since we left Oak's Lab.
She'd just been through some potentially traumatic experiences, but she'd been staying strong, and she even remembered the lesson I'd taught her back at Oak's Lab. I could afford to set a day or two aside to do whatever she wanted to do.
...
Day 56:
"How's your leg feeling?" I asked as we stood at the entrance to Nugget Bridge, leading out of Cerulean City.
My black-haired friend tested her leg by shifting her weight from one side to the other a few times. ...I think I'll be alright. She nodded at me.
"Alright." I turned my attention to the almost absurdly long wooden bridge ahead of us. Constructed from hundreds of wooden planks larger than me, the bridge was both beautiful and sturdy, with various humans and Pokemon milling about atop the structure.
At the start of the walk the crowds were fairly sparse, with just a few people wandering either way across the bridge. However around halfway across the bridge, I noticed a large crowd of people ahead making quite a bit of noise.
"...What's going on here?" I wondered aloud, the air filling with jeers and boos as we got closer to the crowd.
"Come one, come all! The Nugget Trainers accept any and all challengers!" A man's voice boomed dramatically over the noise from the crowd.
"This is a public bridge, you can't just block it off like this!" A man in the crowd exclaimed.
"If you manage to beat all of our trainers," The voice continued unfazed. "We have a genuine kilogram golden nugget to deliver to the winner! But only the first to beat our challenge can claim it!"
The voices of the crowd began to drop to murmurs, saying things like "...A golden nugget?" and "I could pay off my mortgage with something that valuable..."
"My girlfriend would love a gift like that...!"
Chee frowned at the crowd ahead of us. Why are they all freaking out about that?
"They can sell for a lot of money." I answered. "Most of these people wouldn't be able to earn an amount of Poke like that without spending months working tirelessly."
Honestly I could sympathise with the civilians who were now practically drooling over the thought of getting their hands on a nugget of gold. It would be a sizeable donation to any goal they needed accomplished. In fact, it would ordinarily have tempted me quite a bit as well. If the nugget was of a reasonable size, it might even sell for as much as 200,000 Poke.
...However the card I'd received from Professor Oak when we were sponsored by him contained almost a million Poke already. It had dropped down to about 600,000, but apparently Professor Oak thought over 300k Poke was a reasonable donation for a birthday present.
"It's probably not worth it though." I shrugged. "These sorts of events are usually rigged somehow, so that there's no risk of them actually giving away the prize. The higher the prize, the more likely it is that it's rigged somehow. There's probably an entry fee too, so that they can recover their costs in the event they do lose."
Chee was thoughtful at that, digesting all the information I'd given to her. ...So it's a scam?
"Probably." I nodded to her. "Unless you had someone incredibly talented at battling, and you could identify all of the dirty tricks and traps beforehand..." I trailed off, staring at the ridiculously talented young girl who stood in front of me.
She tilted her head at me. ...What's that look in your eye...?
"Chee..." I smiled at the young girl in front of me. "...Want to try and clear the challenge?"
...Didn't you just say it was rigged? She frowned at me.
"Well, if we fail we can just move on." I shrugged. "We won't bother if the entrance fee is too steep."
Carefully, we pushed our way through the crowd towards the loud voice I'd heard before. There were quite a few people, so I made a point of holding onto Chee's wrist so that we wouldn't get separated-I wasn't planning to risk another glove slip occurring out here.
When we finally broke through to the other side, we found a group of three trainers with Pokemon blocking the route ahead. Two of the trainers were wearing sunglasses and black suits, towering over the regular folk from here with their arms crossed. The man in the middle was wearing a dapper white suit with a white top-hat which he twirled playfully on his fingertip. With a deft movement he caught the cap and placed it back on his head.
"So with such a prize at stake, I'm afraid I can't allow anyone to reach the other side without clearing the challenge."
"..Sounds like we have no choice anyway, Chee." I commented, as I walked over to the man in the centre. "How much does it cost to enter?"
The man grinned at me. "You can enter for as little as 200 Poke! Try your luck young man!"
"Ah, no." I gently tugged at Chee, who obediently pulled over to my side. I pointed to the black-haired girl. "This girl will be the one who enters, I'll just be following her."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The man in the white cap wagged his finger at me. "One at a time, my friend. I don't want any cheaters in the Nugget Bridge challenge."
"...We're a team. Both of us have a single Pokemon, and we will follow the rules, I promise." I squinted at the man. "If you had a trainer with two Pokemon, you'd still let them compete right? It's no different than that."
The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, before letting out a belly laugh. "Hahaha! Very well, but I will require the fee from both of you nonetheless." He held a hand out to me. "I'm afraid I won't compromise on that."
I paid the 400 Poke as promised, and the two guards stepped aside to let us pass. "...Alright." I licked my lips. "Let's earn some money!"
...Ah. So that's what that look means. Chee gave me a rather dull and disillusioned stare.
...
Despite the qualms I'd initially had about participating in this event, it proved to be less problematic than I'd expected. The first battle had no gimmick at all, and the Bug Catcher's Caterpie was easily defeated by Chee's Bulbasaur.
The second battle had a gimmick where they'd replaced one of the boards of the bridge with a fake trapdoor you could fall through, but it was pretty obvious to me-and Chee's Bulbasaur wasn't really the sort to dash about anyway.
So we carefully pushed our way through all of the battles until we finally defeated the fifth trainer of the challenge, who had a dangerous looking Mankey. It's fighting type would have made it pretty difficult for me to fight, but Chee's Bulbasaur made quick work of it.
"Your Bulbasaur is really strong." The trainer exclaimed with a carefree smile. "I did my best, I have no regrets."
After having cleared the fifth trainer, we now had a clear shot to the other side of the bridge. Waiting by the side of the bridge exit was a blonde man sitting in a deck chair and reading a book. He wore a black cap and sunglasses which obscured his facial features.
He looked up at us and quickly scrambled to his feet. "O-oh, someone actually cleared that gauntlet? Erm, right. Well I have the nugget as promised, but before I hand it to you..." He trailed off as he stared down at us. I looked up at the lanky blonde man who towered above us.
There was something familiar about the man, but it hadn't hit me until the moment he stood up. The man was slouching slightly, but he was still at least 6 feet tall. That was far from a common trait among people I'd known.
It's the fake yellow! Chee's eyes tightened, and I felt the hair raise on the back of my neck like a Growlithe's hackles. The man in front of me... Was Bronze. The Team Rocket grunt we'd encountered while captured in Mt. Moon, as well as the trainer who had caused me the biggest problems while we were down there.
Bronze had been a problem for me not only because of his size and strength, but also because he was cautious and mistrusting. On top of that, he seemed to possess the ability to scan other people, and it was possible he had other abilities as well.
Judging from the way he'd frozen up, he probably recognised us. Chee's actions made it a little obvious that we recognised him, but I spoke up quickly hoping to salvage the situation. "Have we met before? You feel familiar somehow..."
The lanky man's hand had been snaking it's way to his belt, ready to grab and dispense a Pokemon that Chee and I would have to deal with. Fortunately, my comment caused him enough pause to forgo that course of action, electing to hide more of his appearance behind his cap instead. "No, we've never met before."
"Oh, well nevermind then!" I grinned up at him childishly. "My friend here just beat the whole challenge, that means we earned a nugget right?"
Chee shot me a quick confused glance. Cyan, it's the mean man from the cave!
"You don't recognise him either, huh? Guess it really was my imagination." I smiled at Chee. Her brow only furrowed deeper.
I felt like I saw Bronze visibly twitch, but after a long moment he turned his gaze to Chee, who was still glaring at him. Even through the sunglasses, I thought that I saw a flash of orange behind his eyes-And he twitched again.
"Uh, yeah. Here you go kids." He answered, suddenly attempting to make his voice sound deeper and gruffer. He handed me a small chunk of gold, and I almost felt my eyes go wide in shock. "Enjoy your reward! And well done beating the entire crew!"
"...Yeah! We will!" I almost got distracted by the gold, but I managed to answer in my childlike persona. "C'mon Chee, let's keep moving!"
I could tell that the girl was confused, but I grabbed her wrist and dragged her away before she could cause a scene and blow our cover.
...
A few minutes later I wheezed heavily by a tree I leaned on to support my weight.
Cyan, you can still tell what I'm thinking, right?! Chee's grey eyes were wild, an element of fear resurfaced from the depths like a Dewgong coming up for fresh air after hours underwater. Please tell me you still understand! She clasped her hands together, shaking slightly.
"I still understand, and I know that it's the man from the cave." I coughed a few times, still worn out from the sprint I'd broken into the moment we were out of Bronze's sight. "But I didn't want him to know that. Sorry."
She seemed to let out a sigh of relief. I was scared...
"I think he didn't want to fight you, fortunately." I rubbed my mouth, wiping away a bit of spit that had leaked out. "I didn't expect that bridge event to be a front for Team Rocket. I'll have to notify Professor Oak when we get back..."
Carefully, I examined our surroundings. I'd fled somewhat blindly, so I was only now fully taking in the breathtaking scenery of the coastal route. The crystal clear waters flowing past the rocky edges of the grassy plains we stood upon.
Fortunately, we hadn't been followed or trailed as far as I could tell. After taking some time to regain my composure, the two of us continued walking towards Bill's home until the sun was setting over the horizon.
Not wanting to walk through the night, we quickly worked together to set up tents and eat some dinner. However, as we munched away at the simple travel fare I had prepared, Chee noticed something.
The black-haired girl stiffened slightly, looking over my shoulder. ...There's something there.
I turned around, looking into the darkness outside the edges of our camp. The light from the flames we'd lit to cook our food didn't reach very far, but I did feel like I could see something hiding itself just out of the range our light reached to.
Noctowl Vision.
I tightened my gaze on the faint figure as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I could make out the form of a spiky purple quadruped. It appeared to be a wild Nidoran, but the creature was surprisingly docile. In my experience, those creatures were usually quite violent by nature.
I stared into it's eyes, which gave me the weirdest feeling that something about the creature was just... Off. A hint of drool was dripping from the side of it's mouth, so I took some of the leftover beef stew and poured it into a bowl, which I placed on the ground.
"...Are you hungry buddy?" I asked cautiously. "It's alright, we won't bite."
The Nidoran gave a few sniffs, before cautiously stepping into the light. It defensively made it's way to the bowl, watching us as though it didn't fully trust us, but eventually it gave in and started digging into the food.
I wonder why it was so hungry? Chee tilted her head curiously.
"Maybe it was chased away from it's usual feeding spot?" I offered halfheartedly.
We spent a few minutes watching it eat away, after which it came and sat down next to me. Yeller watched over the two of us with a sharp expression, as though he were ready to pounce if the Nidoran tried to attack me. It poked me three times with it's horn in rapid succession.
"Sure, sure, you want more, right?" I asked as it began to press it's face into my leg for a full half-second, before retreating and doing so again, and then once more.
It quickly poked me with it's horn three more times before I placed down another bowl of food for the creature, which seemed to please the beast. It finally stepped away from me and began to eat, and I felt as though I could almost visibly see my partner Rattata breathe a sigh of relief.
Whether out of jealousy or concern, Yeller pointedly occupied my lap for the rest of the night, refusing to allow the Nidoran to prod me any further. Nonetheless, the Nidoran stayed nearby, resting on the ground by the campfire with a satisfied expression on it's face.
Chee looked at the Nidoran, then back to me. Are you going to catch it...?
I looked down at the Nidoran for a moment, contemplating the idea. If I wanted to stand on the same battlefield as Red in the future, I would probably need more Pokemon.
But Yeller seemed oddly defensive of me when it came to this Nidoran. He kept trying to push it away.
I wanted more Pokemon, but not at Yeller's expense. I'd already shaken Yeller's faith in me more in this life than I ever did in my first. If Yeller didn't want me to interact with this Pokemon, I couldn't justify adding it to my party.
"...No, I think I'll pass." I answered finally. "This Nidoran seems to be fairly docile and peaceful. I don't want to drag it into a life of battles and danger. Besides..." I lifted my gutsy rat into the air, displaying him prominently. "I already have Yeller! And as I learnt while catching him, I really suck at catching Pokemon. It's for the best if I just leave it be."
The girl was thoughtful at this for a few moments, before nodding softly. I see. I'll leave it be too, then.
I glanced up at the moon, which was already rising through the dark night sky. With the powered up vision from 'Noctowl Vision' the sky seemed oddly bright, so I deactivated the skill.
"It's getting late, we should get some sleep." I thought aloud, stifling a yawn.
I stamped out the remainder of the fire to stop it from luring over any more Pokemon, and the Nidoran curled up by the ashes to go to sleep. It appeared it was going to stay here. I pushed open the curtains of my tent, but just as I was about to enter the sleeping bag inside I felt a tug at my shirt sleeve.
Two silver eyes pierced through the darkness, a mild look of concern on the face of my black-haired friend. ...Can I sleep in the same tent?
I groaned. "Are you going to start doing this when we camp too, now? I thought this was just a town thing."
Sheepishly the girl rubbed her arm, glancing down at her bag. She reached inside and gestured to the broken PokeDex, looking at me seriously. I can't contact you if something happens.
"That's-" I paused for a moment, realising that she was right. If something happened, she would have no way to notify me. Previously she'd always had the PokeDex she could message me with, but now...
Both of us were notably hesitating, but she gave me one more sideways glance. ...If I get in trouble, will you save me again?
"Of course." I answered immediately. "I don't intend to let anything happen to you."
Chee smiled in response to that. Alright. I believe you.
And she quietly left the tent. I blinked a few times in surprise. She'd given up shockingly easy today-Perhaps because we were still camping, where she normally didn't have any issues? Even so, something didn't sit right with me.
I clambered my way into my sleeping bag as I ruminated on Chee's moment of strange behaviour, and prepared to drift off to sleep. I closed my eyes, running my mind over the journey I'd been on so far...
And suddenly, I realised I'd never finished claiming my rewards from Brock's Quest back in Pewter City. My eyes snapped open.
...Quests.
[Quest Log:
Main Quests:
Prevent *&*?#?/
Complete Tutorial (4/6)
Optional Quests:
Brock's Rescue (UNCLAIMED REWARDS)
Guardian Quests:
-EMPTY-
Completed Quests: (Tap to Expand)]
There were a few other interesting things in the new menu that appeared in front of me, including the new knowledge that the tutorial somehow STILL wasn't over. However my focus was still on the optional quest I'd completed, so I tapped my finger to it.
[OPTIONAL QUEST: Brock's Rescue
Help Brock to rescue his wife and alter history.
Rescue Hostages: 2/2
BONUS: Defeat the Kidnapper (1/1)
BONUS: Capture the Kidnapper (1/1)
Reward: Bond (Brock) {CLAIMED}
BONUS: Status Points +5 {Claim Reward}
BONUS: Fate Points +1 {Claim Reward}]
Without any cause for hesitation, I claimed both the status and fate points.
[Log:
+5 Status Points
+1 Fate Point
A Fate Point has been consumed by your Guardian.]
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden message from the log. "Guardian...?" I muttered aloud.
[Guardian:
"Some advice from me to you. Start accepting rewards sooner."]
"...What?" I felt my eyes widen. "Did... Did the system just start talking to me!?"