Chapter 9- Knowing Your Limits
Chapter 9
I'd been to Vermillion City once when I was younger; but it looked like there were quite a few changes since then. And I didn't remember it being this busy before either. My guess was it had something to do with the large ship anchored in the harbor. I'd never seen a ship that size either, but I remember my brother saying something about large ships that looked like this. He said they were called luxury liners. He'd always dreamed about riding one, so I figured maybe I could mail him back a postcard or something. Kind of a way to lighten the mood between us after I'd left to begin training.
I didn't realize I was gawking at the ship until I heard Fern's voice next to me. "Close your mouth, would you?" she said in an agitated tone. "You look like a hick with your jaw dropped like that."
I blushed lightly in embarrassment as I tried to hide my awe. But town was still more amazing than I remembered it. All around I could see people walking about. Most of them looked like tourists searching for souvenirs. Seeing everybody made me think about how easy it was to get swept away in the crowd, especially by Team Auro. They could have been anywhere waiting for a chance to steal Eve away without me or Fern even knowing. Having thought about that, I'll pulled the Eevee-girl, who was already clinging to my arm on the opposite side Fern was on, a little closer. She leaned in and gave my cheek a small lick in response, murring softly as she gripped my arm tighter. Maybe I didn't have too much to worry about. From the way she was holding my arm, I'd definitely know if somebody took her. Her disguise wasn't perfect, but people seemed too caught up in their own business to actually take a good look at her anyway.
While I looked at her in thought while we made our way through the crowded streets, I heard Fern chuckle and glanced at her. She was watching the both of us with a cheerful smile on her face. "Heh, you two make a cute couple, you know that?"
"W-what does that have to do with anything?" I stammered. I winced a little, starting to feel my face turn red once more from her comment. "J-just keep an e-eye out for the Pokemon Center!"
Fern chuckled quietly and started searching. Since Eve and I weren't tall enough to see over most of the ground, she was the best eyes we had. Although it was hard to get a good look at the surroundings, there was something that caught my eye. Over by the ramp to ship, I spotted two guys in lab uniforms standing a bit to the side and talking with each other. There was an emblem on their coats, but I was too far to make it out. I could only guess they were with Team Auro, but that just made me think about what Fern said about others being around. I didn't see anybody else that was suspicious nearby. It looked like it was just those two. My attention left them when I heard Fern speak up. Looking towards her, I saw her pointing towards a large red dome of the Pokemon Center that was towering above the other nearby buildings. After walking a few more blocks, we made it inside.
The crowd didn't look any better here than outside. Lots of trainers were visiting to get their Pokemon healed from recent battles. I thought all of them might have come from the gym I heard was in this town, but it turned out a majority of them were from the cruise ship in the harbor. They must've been having battles during the voyage or something to pass time. Once it was finally my turn, Fern, Eve, and I all stepped up to the counter to greet Nurse Joy. I wasn't going to bother asking if she remembered me. By the indifferent but friendly look on her face, she was probably another identical relative of some sort like the Joys I met in towns on the way here. Weird how so many people could look alike. It was good to know she was as thoughtful as the others though. The moment I explained the situation with the Staryu and handed over the pokeball it was in, she immediately dropped everything to rush to the emergency room. That left the people behind me a little irritated with the injuries on their own Pokemon; but from what I could see, they didn't look too severe at all. It wasn't much of a big deal either. The Chanseys working there had things covered again in a matter of minutes.
Even though we were in a rush, I decided to stay and wait to see if the Staryu would be okay or not. Fern wasn't happy with the idea, but I refused to leave town until I had an answer. After about an hour of waiting though, even I was getting impatient. Eve had nestled into the chairs in the waiting room and fallen asleep with her head in my lap by then. Fern and I just watched the other trainers coming and going. Eventually, Fern let out a thoughtful, "Hmm..." and glanced over to me. "Hey, how well do you think you stack up as a Pokemon trainer?" she asked.
I returned her gaze with a bit of confusion. That question was kind of random... "What brought that up?" Unlike a lot of stuck-up trainers I'd met along the road, I didn't brag much about my abilities. Heck, I never even thought about them much. Training wasn't exactly the main reason I started travelling, but I did have my share of wins and losses.
"Well, I was just thinking-you're going to be running from some very dangerous people soon. How far do you expect to get without bumping into trouble. How're you going to do defend Eve if something like that happens?"
I never thought about that. I wasn't upset about Fern hitting a mark this time because she made a very good point. I had no clue how good I actually was. If I was going to protect Eve, I needed to know my limits on Pokemon training. But how was I supposed to do that when it was a risk just to be walking out in the open.
Doing that weird open-book-face-reading thing again, Fern chuckled and held up a finger. "Well you know, there is a gym in this town." she pointed out. "I happen to be well acquainted with a few people there because I helped raise their Pokemon. What if we were to set you up with a match with Lieutenant Surge, the leader of the gym?"
My eyes bugged out a little at this and I don't care how she read it. In my mind, that was a very bad idea right now. Whenever I took on a gym, I wound up getting my butt kicked a lot, win or lose. I managed to get two badges before winding up here, the leaders who handed them out then said I had talent as a trainer, but they probably said that to anybody who beat them. Considering the sitiation right now, that was a very, very, very bad idea. "No way! We're supposed to be in hiding, and I don't think I can protect anybody if my Pokemon are worn out from fighting a gym match. If anybody, can't I have a match with you?"
Fern shook her head slightly and leaned back in her seat. "I think my Ivysaur would be a nice match for you, but he's been sleeping for quite some time. He's really worn out." I noticed a small blush creeping up on her tanned face when she said that. After what they'd been up to last night, I could see why. I had no idea why I wasn't in the same boat as him as far as that went. There seemed to be no end to the evening me and Eve had together. I was actually surprised to be up and moving this morning.
Starting to feel my own face turning red thinking about it, I quickly shook my head and turned my attention to Fern again. "I guess it'll have to wait then. There's no way I'm going up against a gym leader right now."
"Well it's not like you have anything better to do at the moment." Fern replied. "You're insistent on sticking around until the Staryu's better, we've been sitting around her an hour already, and I know you're as bored as everybody else in here. But hey," she shrugged slightly, giving me a mocking smirk. "If you're one of those lover-and-not-a-fighter types, that's fine with me. I pity Eve though, having somebody protecting her that probably doesn't even know how to protect himself."
No. I wasn't going to lose my temper. She knew about last night and she knew I'd get riled up every time she mentioned it. But not this time. I wasn't going to get suckered into this. This definitely wasn't the time... "Wait a minute, you've already seen how good I am! I rescued you from that Team Rocket guy yesterday!"
"A petty thug. I could've handled him myself if I had the right pokeball on hand. Even my Psyduck could've taken him if I felt like battling! That wasn't worth calling a battle."
I stayed quiet. It did seem kind of easy...
Fern snorted and made herself comfortable, seeing as it didn't look like I was going to change my mind. "Hmph, what kind of trainer are you? I thought all battlers would enjoy an opportunity to test their skills. That challenge was spoon-fed to you and you still pass it up?"
I was glad she stopped there. I didn't know how many more insulting comments like that I could take before snapping. She was hitting a lot of marks, but I was convinced in my mind that staying in the Pokemon Center would be for the best. That was until I looked down and saw Eve with her head still in my lap. As much as I wanted to shake it off at least for now, Fern's question about my ability to protect her wouldn't leave. Before meeting either of them, I still wouldn't be giving it a second thought; but this was serious. One slip-up could mean never seeing Eve again. And who knew what Team Auron would do to her. I couldn't bear to think about that. I didn't like it, but I did need to try challenging somebody strong like a gym leader to see what I was capable of. I would have rather waited until it was safer, but since we had to leave the city as soon as possible, this was the best time. It was still a bad moment to be risking this though...
Sighing heavily, I nodded to Fern. "Alright," I said. "I'll try taki--"
"Great!" Fern hopped up from her chair without even letting me finish. "You wake Eve up and I'll go ahead and talk to everybody to let them know you're coming! I'm looking forward to seeing this!"
I didn't get a chance to say anything else. Fern was already halfway out the doors to the Pokemon Center by the time I thought of something to tell her. I couldn't believe I was doing this. It felt like she'd suckered me into it. Still, it was too late to turn back now. I didn't really care of she'd get upset about my backing down now, but it wasn't my style anyway. Even if I wasn't too into Pokemon battles, my pride wouldn't allow me to back down from a challenge that I "agreed" to making in the first place. That and I did want to see what I could really do against a strong opponent. It'd been a while since I'd been up against one. Once I finally had Eve up and about, the two of us slipped out of the center to head for the gym. I just hoped that we'd get back to hear the news about the Staryu...
I'd been to Vermillion City once when I was younger; but it looked like there were quite a few changes since then. And I didn't remember it being this busy before either. My guess was it had something to do with the large ship anchored in the harbor. I'd never seen a ship that size either, but I remember my brother saying something about large ships that looked like this. He said they were called luxury liners. He'd always dreamed about riding one, so I figured maybe I could mail him back a postcard or something. Kind of a way to lighten the mood between us after I'd left to begin training.
I didn't realize I was gawking at the ship until I heard Fern's voice next to me. "Close your mouth, would you?" she said in an agitated tone. "You look like a hick with your jaw dropped like that."
I blushed lightly in embarrassment as I tried to hide my awe. But town was still more amazing than I remembered it. All around I could see people walking about. Most of them looked like tourists searching for souvenirs. Seeing everybody made me think about how easy it was to get swept away in the crowd, especially by Team Auro. They could have been anywhere waiting for a chance to steal Eve away without me or Fern even knowing. Having thought about that, I'll pulled the Eevee-girl, who was already clinging to my arm on the opposite side Fern was on, a little closer. She leaned in and gave my cheek a small lick in response, murring softly as she gripped my arm tighter. Maybe I didn't have too much to worry about. From the way she was holding my arm, I'd definitely know if somebody took her. Her disguise wasn't perfect, but people seemed too caught up in their own business to actually take a good look at her anyway.
While I looked at her in thought while we made our way through the crowded streets, I heard Fern chuckle and glanced at her. She was watching the both of us with a cheerful smile on her face. "Heh, you two make a cute couple, you know that?"
"W-what does that have to do with anything?" I stammered. I winced a little, starting to feel my face turn red once more from her comment. "J-just keep an e-eye out for the Pokemon Center!"
Fern chuckled quietly and started searching. Since Eve and I weren't tall enough to see over most of the ground, she was the best eyes we had. Although it was hard to get a good look at the surroundings, there was something that caught my eye. Over by the ramp to ship, I spotted two guys in lab uniforms standing a bit to the side and talking with each other. There was an emblem on their coats, but I was too far to make it out. I could only guess they were with Team Auro, but that just made me think about what Fern said about others being around. I didn't see anybody else that was suspicious nearby. It looked like it was just those two. My attention left them when I heard Fern speak up. Looking towards her, I saw her pointing towards a large red dome of the Pokemon Center that was towering above the other nearby buildings. After walking a few more blocks, we made it inside.
The crowd didn't look any better here than outside. Lots of trainers were visiting to get their Pokemon healed from recent battles. I thought all of them might have come from the gym I heard was in this town, but it turned out a majority of them were from the cruise ship in the harbor. They must've been having battles during the voyage or something to pass time. Once it was finally my turn, Fern, Eve, and I all stepped up to the counter to greet Nurse Joy. I wasn't going to bother asking if she remembered me. By the indifferent but friendly look on her face, she was probably another identical relative of some sort like the Joys I met in towns on the way here. Weird how so many people could look alike. It was good to know she was as thoughtful as the others though. The moment I explained the situation with the Staryu and handed over the pokeball it was in, she immediately dropped everything to rush to the emergency room. That left the people behind me a little irritated with the injuries on their own Pokemon; but from what I could see, they didn't look too severe at all. It wasn't much of a big deal either. The Chanseys working there had things covered again in a matter of minutes.
Even though we were in a rush, I decided to stay and wait to see if the Staryu would be okay or not. Fern wasn't happy with the idea, but I refused to leave town until I had an answer. After about an hour of waiting though, even I was getting impatient. Eve had nestled into the chairs in the waiting room and fallen asleep with her head in my lap by then. Fern and I just watched the other trainers coming and going. Eventually, Fern let out a thoughtful, "Hmm..." and glanced over to me. "Hey, how well do you think you stack up as a Pokemon trainer?" she asked.
I returned her gaze with a bit of confusion. That question was kind of random... "What brought that up?" Unlike a lot of stuck-up trainers I'd met along the road, I didn't brag much about my abilities. Heck, I never even thought about them much. Training wasn't exactly the main reason I started travelling, but I did have my share of wins and losses.
"Well, I was just thinking-you're going to be running from some very dangerous people soon. How far do you expect to get without bumping into trouble. How're you going to do defend Eve if something like that happens?"
I never thought about that. I wasn't upset about Fern hitting a mark this time because she made a very good point. I had no clue how good I actually was. If I was going to protect Eve, I needed to know my limits on Pokemon training. But how was I supposed to do that when it was a risk just to be walking out in the open.
Doing that weird open-book-face-reading thing again, Fern chuckled and held up a finger. "Well you know, there is a gym in this town." she pointed out. "I happen to be well acquainted with a few people there because I helped raise their Pokemon. What if we were to set you up with a match with Lieutenant Surge, the leader of the gym?"
My eyes bugged out a little at this and I don't care how she read it. In my mind, that was a very bad idea right now. Whenever I took on a gym, I wound up getting my butt kicked a lot, win or lose. I managed to get two badges before winding up here, the leaders who handed them out then said I had talent as a trainer, but they probably said that to anybody who beat them. Considering the sitiation right now, that was a very, very, very bad idea. "No way! We're supposed to be in hiding, and I don't think I can protect anybody if my Pokemon are worn out from fighting a gym match. If anybody, can't I have a match with you?"
Fern shook her head slightly and leaned back in her seat. "I think my Ivysaur would be a nice match for you, but he's been sleeping for quite some time. He's really worn out." I noticed a small blush creeping up on her tanned face when she said that. After what they'd been up to last night, I could see why. I had no idea why I wasn't in the same boat as him as far as that went. There seemed to be no end to the evening me and Eve had together. I was actually surprised to be up and moving this morning.
Starting to feel my own face turning red thinking about it, I quickly shook my head and turned my attention to Fern again. "I guess it'll have to wait then. There's no way I'm going up against a gym leader right now."
"Well it's not like you have anything better to do at the moment." Fern replied. "You're insistent on sticking around until the Staryu's better, we've been sitting around her an hour already, and I know you're as bored as everybody else in here. But hey," she shrugged slightly, giving me a mocking smirk. "If you're one of those lover-and-not-a-fighter types, that's fine with me. I pity Eve though, having somebody protecting her that probably doesn't even know how to protect himself."
No. I wasn't going to lose my temper. She knew about last night and she knew I'd get riled up every time she mentioned it. But not this time. I wasn't going to get suckered into this. This definitely wasn't the time... "Wait a minute, you've already seen how good I am! I rescued you from that Team Rocket guy yesterday!"
"A petty thug. I could've handled him myself if I had the right pokeball on hand. Even my Psyduck could've taken him if I felt like battling! That wasn't worth calling a battle."
I stayed quiet. It did seem kind of easy...
Fern snorted and made herself comfortable, seeing as it didn't look like I was going to change my mind. "Hmph, what kind of trainer are you? I thought all battlers would enjoy an opportunity to test their skills. That challenge was spoon-fed to you and you still pass it up?"
I was glad she stopped there. I didn't know how many more insulting comments like that I could take before snapping. She was hitting a lot of marks, but I was convinced in my mind that staying in the Pokemon Center would be for the best. That was until I looked down and saw Eve with her head still in my lap. As much as I wanted to shake it off at least for now, Fern's question about my ability to protect her wouldn't leave. Before meeting either of them, I still wouldn't be giving it a second thought; but this was serious. One slip-up could mean never seeing Eve again. And who knew what Team Auron would do to her. I couldn't bear to think about that. I didn't like it, but I did need to try challenging somebody strong like a gym leader to see what I was capable of. I would have rather waited until it was safer, but since we had to leave the city as soon as possible, this was the best time. It was still a bad moment to be risking this though...
Sighing heavily, I nodded to Fern. "Alright," I said. "I'll try taki--"
"Great!" Fern hopped up from her chair without even letting me finish. "You wake Eve up and I'll go ahead and talk to everybody to let them know you're coming! I'm looking forward to seeing this!"
I didn't get a chance to say anything else. Fern was already halfway out the doors to the Pokemon Center by the time I thought of something to tell her. I couldn't believe I was doing this. It felt like she'd suckered me into it. Still, it was too late to turn back now. I didn't really care of she'd get upset about my backing down now, but it wasn't my style anyway. Even if I wasn't too into Pokemon battles, my pride wouldn't allow me to back down from a challenge that I "agreed" to making in the first place. That and I did want to see what I could really do against a strong opponent. It'd been a while since I'd been up against one. Once I finally had Eve up and about, the two of us slipped out of the center to head for the gym. I just hoped that we'd get back to hear the news about the Staryu...