"We're back, Saffron City!" I exclaimed, standing just beyond Saffron's population limit sign with my hands above my head. Nobody could hear me—there was nobody around to hear me—but I couldn't care less. "And we're here to defeat your Gym Leader!"
"Keep it down! You'll give yourself a sore throat."
After fighting our way down the other side of Evolution Mountain, the culmination of nine days of travel surrounded by nature, the snow level thinned out, very slowly, until it transformed into grass and dirt. Rocks, too, and trees here and there.
Before long, we came upon trademark signs of the concrete jungle: skyscrapers, bridges, and a combination of scents that made me nauseous. Regardless of the gross, pollution smell, it served as a nice break from being lost in the wilderness.
"It's so exciting to finally be here—Waah!!"
Paul grabbed my backpack to keep me rooted in place. "Don't go running off, dammit."
"Worried I'll get lost? If I do, I just have to start shouting, and you'll find me in no time."
"Please don't."
As we walked along the sidewalk, I slipped off my jacket. "I need to change out of this winter gear before anything."
"Feels a little weird to be back in the city, don't you think?" asked Paul as his head studied our surroundings. Oddly enough, the streets seemed a little more empty than we expected. "Even if it's so quiet."
"Sure does. Being out in the jungle was great, but it's kind of nice to come back to civilization. Hey, Luxray, let's split a humongous bowl of noodles when we get to the Pokémon Center. What do you say?"
He drooled at the thought.
While Eevee dreamed about a bowl of mixed berries, Paul inspected the nearest town directory to jog his memory of the city's layout. "Pokémon Center is this way. Come o—Yes, you can have your bowl of berries once we get there."
I moved to follow them, but something stopped me.
As my eyes briefly scanned the directory, they focused on a bold arrow pointing to the west. The shaft had a label: Celadon. A second arrow pointed east, also with a label: Lavender Town.
I met Mr. Fuji in Lavender Town. He showed me a picture of that boy with the red hat.
Of all the people I could possibly meet, it had to be someone who knew him.
Come to think of it...
As though viewing a slideshow, my mind moved to the day I left Pallet Town; the day I met Green. He looked oddly familiar from what I remembered. After that mysterious Pikachu briefly appeared to defeat the Spearow flock, both Pokémon and Pokémon Trainer vanished like a puff of smoke.
Why did he look so familiar, and how did that Pikachu appear...? Wait a minute!
In Celadon, during our escape from Team Rocket's hideout, I encountered a mysterious, cloaked figure who also had a Pikachu. He spoke to me very briefly, and he freed the Pokémon in the cages, and he even handed over a physical item: a floppy disc. I remembered the letter, too.
His voice sounded similar, and he's definitely not a figment of my imagination if I've interacted with him. The really weird part is ... both times ... there was a Pikachu closely followed by a flash of red?
Plus, I never did see his face.
"Is it all just a coincidence, or could all these events be connected somehow?"
I wondered about the possibility. Could I have been seeing the same person and the same Pikachu? After all, I never once saw the cloaked man's face as he handed over the floppy disc, and we all were too distracted to pay attention. Could it have been Green under the hood, but then how could he have disappeared so quickly?
When I thought about Green's face, I suddenly had an idea that chilled me to the core.
"Wait."
His jet-black hair was styled in a very familiar fashion.
"No."
Colored contacts are a thing.
"Not possible."
And he had a Pikachu.
"Could it have been...?"
Like piecing together a puzzle, I slowly came to one extremely outlandish idea.
Why was I able to physically interact with him? Was it because he's, truly, he's actually—
"NO!" I instantly denied it with a shake of my head. "No way! That's not possible." A dark feeling slammed into my gut as I thought about Mr. Fuji's picture, considering the impossible possibility. "It's just not him! There's no way that he's actually—"
"Rosa!"
Paul, Eevee, and Luxray stood several feet ahead of me.
"We're gonna leave you!"
"A-Ah, sorry! I'm coming!"
"You good? You look kind of pale."
I touched a hand to my cheek, noting the lack of warmth. "U-Uh, I'm fine. Must be the wind making me cold. It's a little chilly. Come on! Let's hurry. Last one there pays for food!" I sped off with a strong sense of foreboding lingering in my chest.
When we arrived at the Pokémon Center, I had been disappointed to discover that nobody would be paying for food.
"What? The Pokémon Center is closed?!"
"Seems that way." Paul peered inside through the glass front doors. He spotted no signs of life or movement anywhere in the lobby. No lights on, either. "Looks like nobody's been here in a while."
"I hope Nurse Joy is okay."
"I'm sure she's fine. As for us," Paul and I walked to the bottom of the steps where we left our bags and our Pokémon, "well, we can probably go without a Pokémon Center visit for a little while. Right?"
Eevee and Luxray both felt shipshape.
"Then, let's just head to the Gym."
"Hopefully, it's not still closed."
Unfortunately, Paul spoke too soon.
"Why's the Gym closed?! Where's Sabrina?!" I barked at the uniformed guard at the entrance, unafraid to get in his face.
The bald man looked down at me with arms crossed and a typical stern expression of every security officer ever. "Quit asking! The Saffron Gym is closed, and the Gym Leader is away right now until further notice. That's all I know. Now, beat it before I give you a reason to be scared!"
Paul and I stepped far enough away from the guard where he couldn't hear us.
"What a piece of—"
"Would you quit that? What's complaining gonna do for us?"
"Aren't you frustrated, too?"
"Of course, I am." His sour face pivoted towards the gym's front entrance and the brute guarding it. "Even after all this time, Sabrina is still gone, her gym is still closed, and we have no explanation for any of it. What the hell are we going to do now?"
"Hey." A girl approached us, her lilac eyes like flashlights shining out from under the brim of her hooded parka. "Are you two here to get a badge?"
"Uh, we are." Paul gestured behind him. "Do you know why it's still closed?"
"Yeah, but even better, I know where the Gym Leader is and—"
"You know where Sabrina is?!"
"SSHHH!" After confirming that the guard failed to hear us, she let out a deep sigh. "If you can keep it down, I'll take you to her."
Paul and I exchanged hesitant looks, neither of us too trustful of strangers. However, in the slight chance that this woman lacked any malicious intent, we needed to take any chance toward acquiring our fifth badges.
Our new best friend guided us away from the Pokémon Gym, across a street and a set of railroad tracks, around a corner, and to the end of a quiet cul-de-sac. A dirt trail branched off from the sidewalk, weaved between houses and fenced yards, and continued on until meeting a shady, dense forest. At that point, the trail dissolved into a path of trampled grass and twigs.
Rather than turning around, the woman insisted our destination lie just ahead. "See, here's the deal. The Saffron Gym Leader, Sabrina, is hiding out from some bad people who told her to abandon the gym. The man guarding it right now is a part of that organization."
"They threatened her? That's awful!" I cried.
"It is, but fortunately, she has some friends." Glancing behind us and off to the sides, the girl then reached up and pulled off her hood. Her wavy locks had been pulled to either side of her head and held in place with black bands. "By the way, my name's Terri. Sorry for all the secrecy, but I didn't want to be too loud back there. You never know who could be listening."
"It's alright, I get it. I'm Rosa. This is Paul."
Terri climbed over a few fallen trees and then grinned back at us. "Nice to meet you both, and watch your step."
Luxray skillfully leaped right over the obstacles. Eevee was right behind him. I ducked underneath the trunks like playing a game of limbo, and Paul brought up the rear of the group right before slipping on a muddy spot.
"So," Paul began after steadying himself with Luxray's help, "where exactly are we headed? I hope we're not about to embark on an epic quest."
Terri laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're already here."
"We are?"
"See for yourself."
We moved past a cluster of wild rose bushes and entered a clearing. Across the way, we found a beautiful old-fashioned building with a wild, untamed front yard. The forest and sunlight pouring down from above served as a backdrop.
My jaw dropped while admiring the scenery. "Did we just enter Narnia?"
The brunette giggled again. "Not quite. Welcome to Saffron City's Fighting Dojo."
"A dojo?" Paul repeated. "In the middle of the forest?"
"Technically, we're just in an overgrown park. This used to be the official Saffron Gym back in the day, but when Sabrina's family moved to town, their Pokémon skills outclassed the leaders here. Thus, they took over as reigning gym leaders.
"Since then, the Fighting Dojo has served as a place for trainers and their Pokémon to improve their skills. As the name implies, it's primary focus is on Fighting-type Pokémon, but we accept anyone so long as they have a desire to get stronger."
I tilted my head. "We?"
"Yep. I'm a student here. I was out on a grocery run when I stumbled upon you guys." She revealed a bag of groceries that we somehow failed to notice. "I'd call it pretty good timing, huh?"
"Sure is, but why are you the one doing grocery runs?"
"To be honest, there's not many of us left. Ever since the Fighting Dojo gave up its position as an official gym, people slowly lost interest in coming all the way out here. It is quite a walk, after all. That's why the forest has gotten so overgrown. We never bothered to stop it, or create a clearer path.
"On the flipside, since there's only a few of us and since it's so out of the way, it's the perfect place for Sabrina to hide out until this mess sorts itself out. We've been friends with her for a long time."
"That's nice to hear, and I'll bet she enjoys still being close to her gym."
Paul shot me a curious expression. "You make it sound as though gyms are a valuable possession."
"Well, in a way, it is. As a gym leader, you have so many memories battling with your Pokémon against countless opponents. All that would be to waste if you were to just give up on your gym. It's like when you're little and someone wants to tear your treehouse down and you have to stop them, because you don't want all those fun times to go away."
"Hmm ... That makes sense."
Terri invited us in through the front door. She asked us to remove our shoes, and afterward, she brought everyone down an adjacent corridor. Sounds of battling people and Pokémon grew progressively louder as we reached a room at the end of the hallway.
Upon throwing the doors open, we discovered a couple of people having a Pokémon battle. A couple of others sat off to the side, spectating the match from a spot suitable for observing the entire battlefield. The spectators had been accompanied by a few Pokémon as well.
"I'm back everyone, and I brought guests!" Terri shouted into the room.
One of the current battlers turned to look at us, her black hair lashing to the side like a whip. "Terri, did you even bother to question them first before bringing them here?! I really don't want to have to find a new hiding place!"
"Relax. These guys got turned away from the Gym pretty much instantly, so I doubt they belong to the dark side."
"She's got a point, Terri," said one of the spectators, a boy with thick eyebrows, as he approached us and took the groceries out of her hand. "You should be a little more cautious in the future. It couldn't hurt."
"It's fine! They're nice!" Her cheeks turned redder the closer this boy got. "They might even mean a few more students for the gym."
"Students, huh?"
Separating from the spectating group of Pokémon, an old man rose to his feet and walked over to us, hands perched on top of his black belt. Two intimidating Pokémon placed themselves at either side.
"Not everyone can become students at my dojo. I take it you both are trainers?"
"Ooh, look at those Pokémon!" I squealed. "They're Fighting-types!"
"Don't be rude, dammit!" Paul forced me to bow my head alongside him. "Nice to meet you, sir. My name's Paul, and this one here is Rosa."
"Yes, nice to meet you, sir. Hope you don't mind if I use my Pokédex on your Pokémon."
A string of chuckles broke up his foul expression. "Not at all."
First up, I analyzed a brown Pokémon with segmented arms and legs: "Hitmonlee the Kicking Pokémon, and an evolved form of Tyrogue. Also known as the Kicking Fiend, this Pokémon has an awesome sense of balance. When kicking, the sole of its foot turns as hard as a diamond on impact and destroys its enemy. It can kick in succession from any position."
Second, a tan Pokémon wearing a purple tunic, kilt, and a pair of bright, red boxing gloves: "Hitmonchan the Punching Pokémon, and an evolved form of Tyrogue. Also known as the Punching Demon, this Pokémon's moves are faster than the eye. It can punch its way through a concrete wall in the same way as a drill. Even a slight graze from one punch can cause a burn."
My eyes twinkled with the discovery of cool Pokémon facts. "Neat!"
"Guys, this is the master of the dojo: Master Koichi. He's our teacher."
The old man and his two Pokémon bowed. "Good to meet you both. I trust Terri's judgment, so welcome to our little hideaway."
"Thank you," we both replied.
"We're sorry to intrude on your training. See, Rosa and I are on a Pokémon journey together. We're from the Sinnoh region working to collect badges," continued Paul, "and we came to Saffron for a couple gym battles to earn our next ones."
"Gym battles? Ah, yes. The gym's closed at the moment, isn't it? Thanks to those no good crooks infesting the town. Lucky for you, I happen to know where the Gym Leader is." He turned back and faced the center of the room. "Right there."
The long-haired lady glared at us, a Kadabra-like creature standing at her side. "That's right. I'm Sabrina."
"Wow! You're Sabrina?! You're so cool!" I replied.
Her skin flushed a dark shade of red. "O-Oi! Take it down a notch. Sure, I'm cool, but we barely know each other."
"Is that your Pokémon?" asked Paul.
"Yep. This is Alakazam." The Pokémon put its hands together and bowed at us, all while floating in midair with its legs crossed. "Strongest of all the Psychic-types."
"That's the evolved form of Kadabra, right? Looks a lot like one."
Paul reflexively scanned the Pokémon: "Alakazam the Psi Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kadabra. Alakazam is the final evolved form of Abra. Possessing a brain like a supercomputer, an IQ of 5000, and incredible psychic abilities, this Pokémon memorizes anything and everything. It uses that knowledge to make complicated calculations and quick decisions in order to win every battle."
"You sound like you have a Kadabra of your own, Paul," said Sabrina's opponent, another old man with a strong resemblance to the first, but had fewer wrinkles. Probably his brother, though he didn't seem quite as skilled once I noticed his brown belt.
"I do." Upon being summoned, Kadabra spotted its evolved form, floated over, and started a very intelligent, telepathic conversation that nobody else could hear.
"He makes friends faster than you do," I joked, earning Paul's scowl.
Sabrina cracked a grin at the joke. "I'm gonna guess that Terri saw you two at my gym and brought you to me. I'm sorry to say, but it's closed indefinitely, and I'm not taking on challengers at the moment."
"Why is that? And why is that man guarding your gym?"
"Did Terri tell you that I got threatened?"
I nodded. "She did. Said they told you to beat it, so you fled here. Why did they do that?"
A shaky sigh caused her shoulders to sag. "See, we've had a bit of a problem lately."
★
The dojo personnel and their Pokémon gathered together piles of pillows for everyone. We sat at the center of the room together, side by side, with trays of tea and snacks, set out to be enjoyed by the group. Luxray, Kadabra, Eevee, and all the dojo Pokémon ate their entire weight in yummy treats while we talked.
"Who are those Pokémon?"
Besides Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, a trio of muscular Pokémon was also present. The biggest one, a creature possessing four arms, belonged to the dojo master's brother, Master Junichi; that was the Pokémon battling against Sabrina and her Alakazam when we arrived. The other two belonged to the older of the brothers.
"Machop, Machoke, and Machamp, the Superpower Pokémon. Machop evolves into Machoke, who then evolves into Machamp. These Pokémon's bodies are made of muscles that never tire, giving them the strength to lift immensely heavy objects with little effort."
Paul glanced at the Pokédex info from over my shoulder. "That's some power!"
"Right?! I really wish we could've seen Machamp's moves in battle. I'll bet it was so exciting to watch!" Machamp appreciated my undivided attention and flexed all four arms to show off his bulging muscles. "So cool!"
"Perhaps you'll get to witness a demonstration later," said Master Junichi.
"That'd be awesome!"
"You must be a big fan of Fighting-types," said Kyle, the boy with the thick eyebrows, and Master Junichi's son.
"Well, I am a bit, though Electric-types hold the number one spot in my mind."
"That's an understatement. She goes gaga over them," smirked Paul.
"It's true!"
"I can understand that," replied Sabrina. "I feel the same way for Psychic-types. I just think they're the coolest."
"Though you still can't seem to beat Machamp," teased Terri, which made the other dojo members all laugh.
"So, can you guys tell us what's been going on?" I asked, focusing mostly on the gym leader. "Sabrina?"
She felt nervous with everyone's gazes, but she still wanted to answer the question. She took a deep breath and then met my gaze. "Here's the situation, and this all started several weeks ago. A strange group of people came to Saffron and took control of everything. They shut down the light rail, took control of the city's government and all businesses, and issued a sudden curfew and stay-at-home order for all residents."
"Just like that?"
Sabrina nodded. "They also told me to close my Gym until they can sort whatever mess made them come to Saffron in the first place. Of course, I objected, but they threatened to call the Pokémon League and permanently shut me down."
"What?! They can't do that!" barked Paul.
"I know, but I don't exactly have a lot of pull. I'm one person against an entire organization, and to get me shut down, all they have to do is call the League and cry foul, and there goes my title."
My eyes narrowed. "Wait. What kind of organization are they?"
"Not sure. All I've learned is that they're decent Pokémon Trainers numbering at least one hundred, and they're highly interested in the Silph Company. They are headquartered right in the heart of the city. That's where most of these weirdos are stationed."
"Silph Company? What's that?" asked both of us.
"It's a company that manufactures all kinds of things for Pokémon and Pokémon Trainers."
"So, they've taken over control of a place like that, and shut down the entire city?"
Everyone nodded.
"It's sad because nobody bothers coming to Saffron at all. The residents are too afraid to do anything. We can barely make runs to the grocery store without getting stopped and questioned," said Terri.
"It's indeed frustrating," grunted the dojo master, chiming into the conversation. "Not only have they more than worn out their welcome, but they've overextended their authority far too much. They even chased away most of my students. The only ones remaining are the ones in this very room. My brother, his son, and Terri."
Paul turned to the mentioned people. "Just you three?"
They nodded.
I looked at Sabrina. "What about you?"
"I'm not a student, per se, but these guys were kind enough to let me stay here after I was threatened out of my original home. Here I can train daily in a safe environment, and improve both myself and my Pokémon. Then, one day, I can pay them back."
"Pay them back?"
"You really should give that a rest, Sabrina," chuffed Master Junichi.
"Why should I?! Those bastards just waltzed in here and took over everything without any resistance whatsoever. Whether they are Silph Company workers or somebody else entirely, I don't really care! I've had enough! I'm this city's Gym Leader, and I already failed this city once by not defending it! I won't fail again!"
"Even so, you're just one person," sighed the old man. "Do you really think you can?"
"I-I know I can. It's just..."
"Is that why you've been training here?" I asked.
"She may be the Gym Leader," said Master Koichi, "but Sabrina still has a long way to go before she can take on an entire organization. She still fails to overcome our Fighting-types despite the usual advantage that Psychic-types have over Fighting-types."
"We're almost there! Just a little more! Alakazam and I are so close to being strong enough! We just need a little push, that's all!"
Something spurred me to speak.
"I can help with that."
Everyone stared over at me.
"What do you mean?" asked a wide-eyed Sabrina.
"It's exactly what I said. I'll help you train." I popped onto my feet. "I know a thing or two about training hard to overcome a challenge. I may not have any Fighting-types, but I have a few Pokémon with Fighting-type attacks. Of course, Fighting-type or not, we'll be glad to give you a challenge regardless. Right, Luxray?"
Luxray barked at us with a mouthful of snacks.
Sabrina's dark eyes lit up with excitement.
"You should take the offer," said Paul, leaning back on his hands. "I mean, Rosa's pretty impulsive, stubborn, and headstrong. Once she sets her mind on something, she can't be deterred, so don't waste your time trying."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean, jerk?!" I swung my foot at his face.
"But, headstrong or not," he continued after stopping my toes just a few inches away from his head. "We don't really have anything to do anyway. We climbed a mountain just to get here, only to find you not at your gym. At the very least, beating up some arrogant bastards might fill the void a little."
"A mountain? Wait. You're not talking about Evolution Mountain, are you?" Terri asked.
"Yeah. We crossed over it last night, actually," I replied, rushing to free my foot before Paul got the idea to knock me off balance. Then I sat back down.
"That means you were in that nasty blizzard?!"
"How do you guys know about that?" Paul questioned.
"It was all over the news. They said the blizzard just appeared out of nowhere, remained in place for twelve hours, and vanished just like that. There were reports of avalanches and temperature drops below freezing. Man, you guys sure escaped with your lives."
"Y-Yeah," I whispered to Luxray, both of us looking a little nervous. "We sure did, huh?"
"Something you wanna share with the rest of the class, Girlie?"
"Ahhh!" I jumped away like a frightened cat. "Don't do that!"
"You're the one acting suspicious. Did something happen after we got separated?"
"I already told you nothing important happened, so drop it!"
"You two are funny," giggled Terri.
"Like when you and Kyle fight, huh?" asked Sabrina.
"We don't fight a lot, do we?" Kyle asked.
"Well, there was last night where you wanted to make noodles rather than train."
"Yeah, I wanted to make noodles more than train. What's wrong with that?"
"You should be focusing less on noodles and more on your skills so you can inherit this dojo one day! You'll be next in line after Master Koichi hands it down to Master Junichi. Don't you want that?"
"I'd rather run a noodle shop."
"What?! How could you say that?"
"Easy. I just did. Why?"
The two young trainers bickered back and forth while the rest of us looked on.
"Well," chuffed the current dojo master. "I say that anyone with the strength to fight through a blizzard like that one is more than welcome to train in my dojo for as long as they want. We have extra rooms as well. Since the Pokémon Center is closed, you can stay here for the night."
"Really?" I responded with hands pressed together. "That'd be great!"
Terri came out of nowhere and linked arms with me. "You can bunk with me and Sabrina for the night, Rosa. After an evening of intense Pokémon training with everyone, we'll have a slumber party!"
My eyebrows rose in confusion. "What's that?"
Her jaw dropped. Sabrina's did, too.
"Wait, seriously? You've never had a slumber party?"
I shook my head.
"Well then, you're about to have one now!" cheered Terri.
Laughing, I said, "Alright! Sounds fun!"
"They won't be the only ones having a slumber party," grinned Kyle as he threw an arm over Paul's shoulders. "It'll be you and me, Paul. We'll make sure to have a nice bath together where you can tell me all your darkest secrets."
"What kind of idea is that? I barely know you."
"All the better. When's the next time someone will offer to scrub your back?"
"Like hell you will!" He stuffed his hands into his lap. "I'm perfectly happy with my usual sleeping arrangements, thank you very much!"
My heart stuttered. What's that supposed to mean?
"He's probably just shy. Hey, Rosa." Kyle had suddenly crawled over to me. "Why's he being so shy? Is it because he's a cuddler? He looks like a cuddler. Is he?"
"Hah?! What kind of a question is that—and why are you asking me?!"
"Well, you would know, right? If he's so stubborn about not changing his sleeping habits, and you two have been traveling together, then it's obvious it's because he likes sleeping with—" Kyle suddenly launched clear across the room!!
My jaw hit the floor after seeing Paul shoot over to us, punch Kyle in the face, and send him into the far wall.
"So annoying," Paul cursed under his breath, steam shooting out of his red ears.
"Wow. Nice punch," said one of the two old brothers.
"Excellent form," said the other.
Paul huffed and sat down beside me. "We're perfectly fine camping outside, thank you very much."
With my chest feeling funny again, I gently reached out to him. "Come on, Paul. Let's just take their offer. They're giving us a place to stay for the night, maybe longer depending on the situation."
"How are you okay with this? Aren't you upset about the gym?"
"Of course I am, but that's why I want to help Sabrina train so she can take back her gym and drive everyone out. I'll take their offer of a warm bed while I'm here and get a chance to work with my Pokémon."
He looked hesitant.
I moved closer to mutter, "Plus, this might be a surefire way to get Sabrina's badge."
Paul met my eyes for some time, all possible options processing behind them. After a moment, he sighed and showed me his smile of defeat. "You're not planning on giving me a choice in this, are you? Fine."
"Yay!" Terri, the injured Kyle, and I all cheered.