She was on the road at dawn. Somehow, despite sleeping easy, the stress of travelling had her up before dawn, mind yearning to leave for the next town as early as possible. Being up early was worthwhile to her. After studying the maps in her room the previous night, Crystal knew for sure that Route 30 was a lot more expansive than Route 29. She figured that it would take several days to traverse if she walked at a normal pace. Which is why she decided to go as soon as possible.
Crystal knew she was right when she took her first steps away from Cherrygrove City. Route 30 was menaceful, full of harder terrain and much easier to get lost on than Route 29. Just in her line of vision, she could see a massive cliff that stretched up beyond her vision. There was a forest and more meadows wide and long, and off to the right there was a massive lake, something she wondered about where it went. It was so long, in fact, that Crystal could not see its end. Inside she grimaced at the thought of having to finally spend the night in the woods.
The winds whipped cold, and Crystal could see the first few leaves begin to fall off the trees. It appeared as though it would be colder today. She smiled at that thought. If there was something Crystal hated, it was the feeling of being sweaty. She did, however, like the way that the cold would brush against her skin, like a gentle hand, leaving goosebumps oh so nice.
"So," said Crystal as she began to walk the hills. "It's time to talk."
Red nodded. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I've never experienced such a temper before, so I don't really know how to improve it, but I want you to know that I didn't mean everything I said."
"I'm sorry too," Crystal replied. "I didn't mean what I said either, about y'know, leaving the photograph and all of that. I've come to the understanding that I have responsibilities, even if I don't always want to have them."
"I was going to say that today, but you beat me to it in terms of making you realize that, I guess," Red said.
"So," he said after a pause. "Are we going to talk about you becoming a trainer?"
"Go on ahead, convince me," said Crystal, taking a deep breath in, and opening her stance as if she were still contemplating.
In reality, she knew she had made her decision, that she was going to try it, but she wanted to hear Red's validation. Maybe it was the fact that he was asking her to do this for him, or the fact that she felt like she needed a boost of confidence, but whatever it was Crystal needed to hear. Even though she knew it was what she had to do, bound to duty like a vassal to a queen, she hated the fact she had to do it. She wanted to be encouraged for the earth shattering feeling of this decision, for the feeling that she was about to be struck down, a tree simply awaiting the shocking feel of the flash of lightning in a storm.
Red sighed. "I've never known a person who is so against trainers so it's hard to say anything without knowing why you don't want to become one."
"You already know you're not going to get that out of me," said Crystal. "So I guess just tell me why you think it's worthwhile to be a trainer. Not for me, right now, but for you."
"Well," said Red, "Being a trainer, for me, is about understanding Pokémon and myself. I think being on the road with your Pokémon, training for battles, and growing together with them helps strengthen and define who you are in genuine ways."
"How does being a Pokémon trainer have anything to do with personal growth, though? You just go to a bunch of fights," Crystal asked.
He looked off, as if sad, "Your Pokémon are your family. When you're all alone on the road, struggling and fighting by yourselves, you can depend on them to get you through anything. Even just long amounts of time continuing to just walk like this lets you bond. You can see the world with them, struggle with them, and experience life."
"You probably miss your Pokémon don't you," said Crystal.
Red bowed his head. "I do. I wonder where they are, if they're safe, if someone gave them away. I wonder if maybe my body is out there, with all six of them, waiting for me to find it. I wonder if anyone is trying to find me still."
"I am," said Crystal. "Granted I guess I'm kind of supposed to release you, but I am still trying to find you."
Red looked up. "You mean that? Even though you're stuck with me."
"Well," Crystal continued, deciding to just tell him her intentions, "after being on the phone with my mother last night, I guess I realized how distressed my mother would be if I just vanished one day. I thought about how worried your mother probably is and I felt compelled. I thought about helping at first only so that your friends and family could see you again, but with your reasoning I want to help you. I may not like it, but I'm willing to try for you Red."
"Try what?" he asked, a smile coming to his face.
She shook her head. "You know, the whole trainer thing. If you feel that's how I follow in your footsteps best, then that's what we will do. What I'm trying to say is that you're my obligation and responsibility now, and I'm going to do my best for you. And I promise, Red, that I'm going to do my damndest to find you and set you free."
"Thank you Crystal," said Red.
Crystal nodded. "You're such a sap, I hope you know that. Jeez you just ate all of that up."
"You know it," he said.
It was at that moment that Nuria's Pokéball burst open, and with a sharp cry the creature began to curse at Crystal. Nuria paced, the fire plume on her back flaring up with every syllable of her name that she let out. Red started to crack up at the sight, holding his head to his mouth and laughing at certain parts.
"She's pissed at you for not letting her out, you know," said Red.
Nuria whirled around, as if to say 'I'm the one talking here'. "Cynda! Da Da Quil!"
"I'm sorry Nuria," said Crystal. "I would've let you out earlier but Red had me kind of sidetracked."
Nuria gave Crystal a skeptical look, and Red spoke instead. "Hey! It's not my fault you walked into a fireworks factory to ignore me."
"Excuse me," Crystal retorted. "It's not my fault you were being a twat and got me burned."
"Actually," said Red taking a moment to dramatically pause, "I thought we literally just agreed that it was both our faults."
She pinched her nose and took a deep breath in. "Sure. As long as we're settled. But for now Nuria and I have to settle ourselves."
"Sorry I put you up for so long," said Crystal to her Pokémon. "I really can't excuse myself there, I guess."
The Cyndaquil huffed. "Cynda..."
"Thanks," said Crystal, interpreting the action as a 'Well, I guess I did hurt you so it's only fair'. "And I know this is a lot, but I have something else to ask of you."
Nuria looked over at Red. "Daquil!"
"Yes," she said. "It's because of him. I want to ask you if you're alright with me becoming a trainer? We're going to continue to head through Johto collecting gym badges, since I have a responsibility to Red now, I guess."
"Da! Quil!" Nuria exclaimed, as if nodding her approval.
Crystal let out a sigh of relief. "Ok, that's good. We won't challenge the league or anything crazy like that. I just need to get us strong enough that we can make it to Ecruteak City and get Morty's help."
"Ecruteak?" Red asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think about it until Ethan brought it up."
"Want to keep waking as we talk?" Red suggested.
Crystal picked up Nuria who seemed content to bounce like a baby in her trainer's arms. "He seemed to know something didn't he."
Red kicked at the grass. "He did. Maybe he knows a little more than he's letting on, too."
"What's that supposed to mean? I know he came from my hometown and all but—" Crystal asked.
The battle legend gave her a look. "What's your hometown have to do with anything?"
"Well," she said, "I originally thought the photograph came from Professor Elm since it was in a box at my doorstep, but now I'm not sure."
"And you said he lives in...?" Red asked.
Crystal looked at the sky. "New Bark Town, my hometown. But he's rarely ever there and I don't know him all too well. I didn't even know he was one of Morty's disciples until yesterday."
"So you question his motive, then?" He asked.
She nodded. "I do. Honestly why else would he have invited us to his gym? To further his plan?"
"That's assuming he has a plan," said Red.
"Really?" Crystal deadpanned. "Are you being serious with me right now?"
The battle legend bobbed his head back and forth. "What? I don't see why he would."
"You're an idiot," she said. "I just want you to know that. I mean, honestly Red, why wouldn't he? He literally paid for our meal a week ahead of time. If that's not sending a message, I don't know what is."
"I guess that's a fair assessment. I guess the question that remains now is what you're going to do with that," he said.
Crystal looked down at Nuria who was content to snuggle with her trainer. "I don't have much of a choice but to go along with it for now. I feel like going to Ecruteak is going to get us the answers we need."
"What if it's a trap?" Red asked.
She shrugged. "Where else do you know to get answers then? I mean, I certainly don't see any ghost experts walking around here. Yeah, sure, let me walk up to some random person and ask 'Hey do you know anything about trapping souls in photographs? I swear I'm not insane but I really need these answers and I definitely can't prove why'."
"Ok, fine, I get it Crystal," said the spirit, raising his eyebrows.
Crystal sighed. "I don't want to be that way but, like, he obviously knows something. So the only way to figure it out is to pursue it."
Red nodded his head, and Crystal hugged Nuria closer as they continued to walk. To their right, the lake seemed to stretch on to infinity, reflecting the harsh glare of the sun into her eyes. Crystal looked off to the left, deciding how best to proceed further into the route. There was a cliff that looked too difficult to traverse, soaring up higher than the trees. Off to the right of the cliff was a forest so thick that darkness radiated from it like the night of a new moon. She decided that the best way to proceed was to avoid the cliff and the forest off to the left, and off-road into the hills to the right.
On the last route the footpath was acceptable. But this was a different story. As Crystal began to walk the grasses got higher. They itched against her legs, so she tried her best to take high steps across the wide swaths of dry, dead reeds. She felt pins and needles, as the brush began to grow up to her knees. Bits of pieces of brown began to coat her legs and she began to try to pull sticky burrs out of her pants. Nuria shifted in her arms as she kept bending down, frustrated with the trainer for moving so much.
"You should run through the brush. It'll help prevent from getting your legs too scraped up," said Red.
Crystal looked over at him. "No kidding. You might've said this while I wasn't knee deep in prickers."
"Well, I felt that it would be fair for you to experience this at least once," he said. "Don't worry, I hate the brush too."
She glared at him. "Nuria, I don't even know why you like this dumb fool. He makes your poor trainer suffer in the brush."
"Hey, at least you have pants on. I had shorts the first time I went in," he said.
"Fair," she said. "Alright, Nuria, I'm going to jostle you for a bit, but I have to get out so I don't get so many prickers."
The Cyndaquil laid her warm head on her trainer's chest, as if murmuring approval. "Cyn, cyn!"
Crystal dashed through the rest of the brush, ignoring the soft sting of the scratchy brush, the heavy bounce of her bag on her shoulders, and the way her breath felt like heaving fire into her lungs. When she finally quit running, Crystal unclipped her pack and let her chest free. She knelt, and began to pull the burrs as Nuria laid on the ground next to her. She smiled at the Pokémon as she winced, and looked off into the distance.
To her surprise, there was a young kid bounding her way. He had a dandelion shirt and a blue hat worn backwards, with something lilac in his arms. As she stood up, she could see what it was. There was a Rattata unconscious and covered in scratches. The kid's eyes were watering, as if he were on the verge of tears. She could see warm blood covering his hands. Crystal looked to Nuria and scooped her up again, causing the creature to poke concernedly at her trainer.
"Miss, miss," said the young kid. "I need your help. There's some mean guy beating up everyone's Pokémon."
Crystal spoke without thinking. "Which way?"
The kid pointed, and Crystal, once again, began to run. Nuria's flames flared hot as she ran ahead through another section of brush. She wondered what happened, and who could be that harsh to a Pokémon. To her surprise, in the distance she saw that guy, the one with the red hair, chipping away at the Pokémon of another young boy. Instantaneous anger ran through Crystal as she stepped straight in the line of the attack of his Totodile.
"Stop!" she screamed.
He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Well, well. Look who it is."
"You hurt an innocent kid's Pokémon! How could you do that?" Crystal said.
He shook his head. "Not my business to tell a weakling like you."
"Well you know what," said Cyrstal with a sudden courage. "I'm not weak. I challenge you to a battle! And if I win, you need to stop!"
The stranger smirked. "You're on."