Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon or any of its related enterprises. They are the property of their respective owners
Author's Note: I am still in the process of editing earlier chapters. It's going slowly, but surely.
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Chapter Seven: Pitch Black
Soft talking could be heard from the other room. Amy sat quietly, watching as Totodile and Weedle munched on the pokéfood she’d given them. Carrie and Mister Pokémon, both clearly happy to see each other, had retreated to the back room and had been busy talking non-stop since. At first Amy had tried to listen in, but after half an hour of soil-sample discussion, as well as Mister Pokémon sharing information she knew to be false, she had given up and returned to her seat on the couch.
They’d been at it for almost three hours, and Amy could see that it was getting darker out. Soon, she knew, it’d be too dark to travel, and she didn’t much like the thought of being stuck with the two of them for an entire evening.
At the same time, though, she didn’t feel she could interrupt them. Not only had Carrie been invaluable help to her, but they were much older, and she had no doubt that asking them to stop what they were doing was considered extremely rude. So she waited, keeping a close eye on Toto so he wouldn’t wreck anything, and just leafing through the pokémon guide Carrie had lent her.
Violet City had been described in there as well, and the story of Sprout Tower had made her very curious to see it. Carrie had mentioned earlier, during one of her passionate talks about grass-pokémon, that it had been made in the image of a bellsprout, and now she knew why. According to the book, bellsprout embodied both sturdiness and the ability to adapt. They remained rooted firmly in the ground, but at the same time their agile bodies allowed them to twist and turn out of harm's way. Amy couldn’t wait to see and feel the rocking of the Tower that showed just that.
“Perhaps we can catch a bellsprout when we’re there, Weedle,” Amy murmured, awkwardly trying to pet the pokémon’s head without touching the poisonous barb that was there. It was sad that a pokémon like Weedle, very affectionate and quiet, simply wasn’t made for too much comforting.
The small bug pokémon just looked at her, eyes blinking like it was trying to understand what she was saying. Amy sighed, adding some more pokéfood to the bowls to at least keep Toto occupied. Who knew what the lizard was going to do once it ran out. Mister Pokémon wouldn’t appreciate his furniture being chewed on, she was sure.
Looking outside, catching the red glow that the lowering sun was casting over the forest, Amy wished they could have been in the pokémon centre already. While it was an event in itself to see the closing of a day through thick leaves, the thought of spending it on the forest floor or among her chattering companions left her wanting to leave straight away. But, instead, she waited. She'd gotten got at that.
Another half an hour later Carrie stumbled through the door, face red and excited, eyes sparkling like she’d just caught a legendary pokémon. At least it looked like she had enjoyed herself.
“Oh, my, Amy, look at the time!” Carrie shrieked as she spared a look outside. Amy didn’t bother to comment. “Mister Pokémon and I just had such a wonderful conversation about the gender differences among vileplume. Did you know the spots on their petals show whether it’s male or female? So very interesting.”
Giving a weak smile, Amy starting packing her things. Stuffing the remaining pokéfood in her bag, she tried not to notice how quiet it had gotten outside, and how dark the path looked. She had never been all too keen on the dark of night, and the thought of walking among feral pokémon – able to strike without her even noticing – left her sticking very close to Carrie.
The woman must have noticed her concerned hovering, for she smiled reassuringly and grabbed a pokéball Amy hadn’t even seen before. Of course she’d figured Carrie must own pokémon, but the thought of the cheerful researcher engaging in battle seemed ludicrous.
“Don’t you worry, Amy. It may be dark out, but I have just the pokémon to help us with that.”
As Mister Pokémon watched in the background, looking just as tired as Amy felt, Carrie released her pokémon.
Its cry sounded familiar to Amy, having heard it before on the TV in countless a pokémon battle. Its red skin was barely noticeable in the dark, clear eyes peering at them and seemingly hovering in mid-air. A flame, crackling whenever the pokémon moved, changed that, and Amy found herself face to face with a striking charmeleon.
“Amy, meet Torch.”
Receiving a haughty nod from the fire pokémon, Amy simply nodded back, too stunned to say much. This was something she hadn’t expected. With Carrie’s love for grass pokémon, she had assumed she’d own nothing but. Charmeleon, with its wicked ways and blazing firepower, did not fit the bill.
“Torch was my starter pokémon. Only later in life did I realize I wasn’t meant to deal with the hot and heavy types. Torch keeps everyone in line, though,” Carrie explained, glancing down at her pokémon with affection. It was clear she cared for him, but it also reminded Amy of how important first choices are. What if, years from now, she found out that Totodile hadn’t been the right pokémon for her?
“We better get going. It’s looking awfully dark out. Torch, light the way, please?”
The pokémon did as asked, tail swung forward to break through the black. It almost looked like the charmeleon was a guide, steering lost travellers away from peril. Only, this guide didn’t know where the road was, and neither did Carrie.
“I have to admit, it’s been a while since I last travelled these parts,” Carrie muttered, peering into the darkness but clearly uncertain about where they should go. “Violet City is to the North, I know that much, so we should probably just head that way.”
Amy, having been quiet the entire time, agreed quickly, simply wanting to get out of there. She hated the thought of a stray kakuna ending up falling on her head, or getting tangled in ariados’ web. Either way, the end-result would be much stinging and lots of pain.
So she followed obediently, limbs tired and eyes straining to see anything beyond Torch’s flame. The thought of travelling, when she’d been back at home, had been much more glamorous than this, and Amy wished they were at the pokémon centre. Nothing could interest her more, right now, than the sight of a welcoming centre filled with comfy beds and hot stew. Instead, though, the forest around them seemed to vibrate, every call and murmur causing Amy to walk closer and closer to Torch and his blaze.
Here and there, she could hear pokémon move. Rustling, coming from the bushes and up in the trees, betrayed their presence even as they tried to sneak up on them. A howl, luckily far, far away, sent a chill up her spine. No, walking around at night was not her thing.
In front of her, Torch paused, and the lizard pokémon huffed once, then twice, until Amy finally saw what he was so concerned with. Two spinarak, dangling precariously on a thin string of web, stared back at them. Their long limbs moved, creating a rippling effect, and the patches of yellow on the creature’s body stood out in Torch’s light.
Convinced she should start to act like a pokémon trainer and not some frightened girl – which, of course, she was – Amy grabbed her pokédex, listening intently to the voice she was slowly getting used to.
Spinarak: The web spun by spinarak can be considered its second nervous system. It is said that this Pokémon can determine what kind of prey is touching its web just by the tiny vibrations it feels through the web's strands.
She knew spinarak, of course, had been told bedside stories about being stalked by them at night. Especially the story of Tommy, stuck in a spinarak’s web because he’d been too hasty, had stuck with her through the years. Which might explain why she didn’t feel the need to inch closer like Carrie was doing.
“Oh, spinarak. They come out at night, you know.” Carrie seemed to be talking to herself more than anything. “But of course, that much is clear.”
The spinarak didn’t move, just stared at them with unblinking eyes. Torch was getting agitated, the flame on his tail growing slightly bigger as he eyed the two small pokémon angrily. Carrie didn’t seem to notice, instead motioned for Amy to come forward.
“See the patterns on their back? These two are relaxed, you can see it, can’t you?”
Amy just nodded, too scared to get anywhere near them. The two bug pokémon did look calm, but inquisitive at the same time. It should have endeared the pokémon to her, but instead she saw the way their hairy legs cast shadows against the tree next to them, creating images of monsters looming overhead. Too many tales had been told, too many evenings of hurrying home so she wouldn’t be out after dark.
“Can we go, please?” Amy asked timidly, edging around the duo to where Torch was now standing. Apparently he too had had enough and was now grumbling softly, a sound that did nothing but add to the gloomy atmosphere. Carrie seemed enthralled by them, but eventually she too left the spinarak behind. Amy stayed even closer to Torch now, convinced the charmeleon knew much more about which pokémon to avoid than Carrie did.
“Why didn’t you catch one?” the older woman asked, way too cheery for such a brooding night. Amy just shrugged, mumbling about already owning a bug pokémon, and luckily her companion dropped the subject. The look she was being given, even clear in the dark, spoke of slight annoyance, but Carrie seemed to remind herself that Amy was just a kid, and they continued in silence.
They walked until it was close to midnight, Torch’s flame dwindling down until he could barely keep it up. Carrie kept repeating that they must be close, but no matter how hard she tried to peer through the darkness, Amy couldn’t catch a glimpse of the lights that would betray the location of Violet City.
Even worse, suddenly Torch stopped. At first she thought the pokémon might have fainted from the strain; keeping a flame burning for several hours hard on anyone, but it turned out something else was keeping them from moving.
Small trees, standing so close together it looked like a great wall had risen up before them. Torch moved, but no matter where he went, there was no way through. Their way was obstructed by an impenetrable forest, and there was no way around.
They stood there, gazing at the way the path suddenly stopped, for quite a while, until Carrie gathered her good spirits – as she had a habit of doing, something that suddenly annoyed Amy to no end – and started pitching their tent. Amy, squelching the urge to sulk, joined her not long after, agreeing with her unspoken decision that going on had no use.
It was difficult to fasten everything the way it was supposed to, even with Torch valiantly trying to give them as much light as possible. Twice Amy hit herself in the thumb, three times she felt the canvas slip through her fingers, and she even had to suffer the indignation of realizing that she had lost two of the pens. Carrie found them a short while afterwards, lying discarded on the forest floor.
Half an hour, and much swearing later, Amy had curled in her sleeping bag, listening to soft snoring next to her. Outside the wind had picked up a bit, slapping branches against the tent. Howls, too, of pokémon she didn’t want to meet, and twice she had sat up straight as a shadow passed her tent.
Amy doubted she was going to get much sleep tonight.
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The next morning, Amy awoke feeling just as tired as when she’d gone to bed. Muscles ached, not used to spending that much time on the ground, and she felt filthy from all the dust that now clung to her. Rising slowly, trying not to trip on her sleeping bag, Amy glanced around the small tent to find Carrie and her bags gone.
Yawning, Amy considered returning to the comfortable warmth of her sleeping bag for just a while longer, but even the morning chill couldn’t keep her from peering through the tent opening to see what kind of day it was.
Bright and sunny, she saw, rays of sunlight valiantly battling through flimsy white clouds, the sky a stark blue. The way it looked now, today was going to be much better, and Amy already looked forward to it. The woods would be much more interesting, now that she could actually see where she was going.
Carrie was already rummaging around outside, keeping one eye on the small fire she had prodded into action, the other on her pokémon enjoying breakfast nearby. Amy hadn’t seen any of her friend’s pokémon yet, save Torch, but it came as no surprise that two were oddish – looking as tired as she did, no doubt still coming to grips with the change in routine – and one was a bellsprout. One other creature Amy didn’t recognize, though, and she grabbed her pokédex – fumbling about a bit until she’d located it in her backpack – and aimed it at the small brown pokémon.
Seedot: Seedot attaches itself to a tree branch using the top of its head. It sucks moisture from the tree while hanging off the branch. The more water it drinks, the glossier this Pokémon's body becomes.
She’d never heard of the pokémon before, but according to the pokédex – which she was finally beginning to fully master – it was native to the Hoenn region. Not something you would find around these parts, then, and Amy was curious to find out how Carrie had caught the little thing.
Amy watched a little while longer, listening to the pleasant humming that she’d gotten accustomed to. Carrie was a definite morning person, rising with the first hint of sun like a flower blooming in spring. Her oddish, preferring to roam around at night and hide during the following day, seemed to be the exact opposite, but somehow it fit.
Torch, on the other hand, had grabbed his bowl of pokémon food and had retreated to a spot in the shade. Leaning against a tree, the charmeleon gnawed on his food like he hadn’t been fed in weeks, but still keeping an eye on Carrie at all times. It was curious, to see a pokémon so wrong for a trainer seem to right.
“Ah, good morning, Amy!”
Blinking, Amy turned to find Carrie beaming down at her. Apparently last night’s problems had been forgotten now that the sun had come out and the trees were green again.
“Good morning,” Amy responded, dusting off her knees as she crawled out the tent. It was still very early, she noticed, dew sparkling on some choice leaves here and there. Most of it had been lost, though, to the sun’s mighty glare.
“We don’t have any bread left, unless you like the moldy kind, but I made us some soup,” Carrie proclaimed proudly. Amy nodded gratefully, sitting down near the fire and accepting a bowl. She was quite hungry, not having eaten the night before, and she could use a hearty meal. Soup or not, it would do, and she really liked the smell.
They chatted amicably while they ate, Amy feeling much better after realizing Carrie wasn’t mad at her. She apologized, still, but Carrie waved it off and launched into another wonderful tale about her journeys. It was nice, Amy mused, to be sitting here and be able to relax. This was what she’d thought her journey would be like, lounging in the sun with friends near and a pokémon at her side. Only, Totodile seemed more intent on hitting the trees they’d run into the night before, rather than spend time with his trainer. Amy didn’t let it dampen her mood.
“Are you ready for Violet City?”
She nodded, slurping down the remainder of her soup. It had taken them a while to get there, but she couldn’t wait to see the Sprout Tower she’d heard so much about. Not surprisingly, Carrie spoke of it with much fondness, and it had made Amy intent to find out what it was like.
“I checked around a bit, and if you look closely you can see a path on the other side of these trees. That should be the right path,” Carrie continued, motioning towards the wall of wood.
Amy squinted, trying to find a spot where the trees weren’t so close together. When she found one, she realized Carrie was right, dark sand on the other side looking more manmade than it was supposed to.
“How are we going to get there, though? Will we head back?” she asked quizzically, not liking the thought of having to go back the way they came. Surely, paths should not lead to a dead-end.
“Not to worry, I have just the thing! Let’s first get everything cleaned up. You don’t want to know what damage a bit of plastic can do.”
Following Carrie’s lead, Amy gathered the two tin cans the soup had come from and put them in the leather bag her companion always carried. Amy didn’t want to know what rubbish the woman had collected, but it sure smelled vile. Then the two took to taking down the tent, which was surprisingly easy now they could see what went where. Already Amy feared the thought of journeying without it, for that would be reality should the two separate.
Once everything was packed and accounted for, both Carrie and Amy returned their pokémon to their pokéballs. Only bellsprout remained out, and Amy watched in fascination as the small thing waddled over to the trees up ahead.
“Now, watch this,” Carrie murmured, grinning at the curious expression on the girl’s face. “Bellybutton, use Cut!
It all happened so fast that Amy almost missed it. The bellsprout, not appearing strong at all, whipped its leaves around and with a hiss cut right through one of the trees. The tree seemed to object violently, a loud creaking wail sounding almost like a cry of pain, and then it broke in two, pieces of wood everywhere.
“I hate doing that.” Carrie sighed. “But it was necessary. Come on, let’s go find Violet City.”
An excited bounce in her step, Amy hopped over the poor tree and headed north. Today she was finally going to reach Violet City.
All in all, it took much longer than Amy had expected. Carrie had assured her that they were close, and the road-signs seemed to indicate so as well, but almost an hour into their walk, there still was no sign of Violet City. The path twisted and turned, leading them through grass and trees, and while the trip was pleasant, Amy was still frustrated that it was taking so long.
Once or twice, Amy had heard the buzzing of a beedrill, or the excited cries of a pidgey, but there had been no clear signs of pokémon, almost as if they too were out to annoy her. Carrie, on the other hand, remained as positive as always, and pointed out various places to find useful berries. She’d given them all to Amy, who held her berry bag – a small leather pouch – tightly, convinced the woman was going to find more.
So far two oran berries, one chesto berry, and a cheri berry that looked good enough to eat, had been found and treasured. Having seen Amy’s hungry stare, Carrie warned against eating the small thing and instead gave the young trainer a bag of sweets.
At one point the path took a sharp turn to the right, leading the two through some thick grass and towards the entrance of a dark looking cave. It was the first thing Amy had seen that wasn’t covered in leaves, but it didn’t look very inviting either. They lingered near the entrance for a bit, but decided against rash actions. It was doubtful that Torch would appreciate being used as a flashlight once again, and according to the road signs, Violet was west of them. Interesting cave or not, Amy really just wanted to get to Violet City now.
They followed the path again, dust clinging to their shoes as they walked, even the fresh sight of water not relieving them of the burning sun. Fishermen waved at them as they passed the small lake, leaving it behind without a care.
“You should get yourself a rod, you know. It’s the best way to catch water pokémon,” Carrie advised, but Amy was too excited to listen. She’d spotted a building up ahead and hastened her pace. Finally, she’d reach Violet City. It had taken way too long.
They had to turn left and right repeatedly before getting to the building, its base covered in beautiful flowers of all kinds. It was no wonder that the city was famous for its scent, for even the guardhouse at its edge smelled delicious. This time Amy couldn’t blame Carrie for fawning over the gorgeous plants, and while she was excited to finally see the grand Violet City, she also couldn’t help but stare with admiration at the view before her.
“How very beautiful,” Amy whispered, touching the delicate petals of a small, white flower in front of her. Carrie smiled, doing the same, and they stood there, gawking, until they heard footsteps close in from behind.
A boy, about Amy’s age, with a bouncing chikorita at his side. It was clear to Amy that this boy had to be a beginning trainer as well, his tired face and dirty clothes a testament to having spend time out in the wild. Not being used to such hardships took a lot out of a person.
They looked at each other for a second, but the trainer pushed his thin classes back and entered the building, showing no interest at all for the flowers or Amy. It was probably for the best, Toto would be at a distinct disadvantage should they fight, and Weedle’s last battle had been a disaster. This wasn’t the time to pick a fight.
“Come, let’s go in as well,” Carrie suggested, walking through the whooshing door of the sentry house. Grinning, Amy hoisted her bag higher, then walked through the gate to Violet City.
The first glimpse Amy got of the place was astounding. It being the second largest city in Johto, she had expected quite a bit, but nothing had prepared her for the bustling place that was ‘the city of nostalgic scents’.
Trainers walked to and fro, most young like her, some more experienced. Pokémon were everywhere, riding their trainer’s shoulder, hovering overhead, or bouncing proudly at their feet. It wasn’t surprising that she saw so many of them, because the first building she spotted was Violet City’s pokémon center, its doors never closing because of the constant flood of people wanting to get inside.
She could see nurse Joy through the window, looking remarkably calm as hoards of young trainers asked for her attention. Amy could only imagine what the woman had to go through, suffering the presence of so many teenagers not used to working with pokémon.
Carrie nudged her gently and they moved to the centre of the city, pushing through throngs of people. Now Amy could see that the place was entirely surrounded by trees, save for a few roads here and there, and that some of the buildings seemed to disappear in the shadows they cast.
Big buildings rose to her left and right, one proudly sporting the title of ‘Gym’ – something that caused Amy’s heart to pound a bit faster – and another ‘Earl’s Pokémon Academy’. Both looked interesting enough, but also engulfed in big groups of trainers. Amy couldn’t imagine having to live in this city. Peaceful as it was supposed to be, there were simply too many people around.
“A lot of trainers leave their home in the spring, like you have, and this is the first gym they’ll encounter, so it’s no surprise that so many of them are stranded here. You know, the first gym badge is the toughest. It’s reasonably easy to get here, but a lot more difficult to get out,” Carrie explained, sitting down on one of the few benches that wasn’t occupied.
All around them, kids were talking, high-pitches squeals occasionally breaking through the constant buzzing. Not even a swarm of beedrill could produce such a ruckus. Here and there a pokémon battle had started, commands shouted with much vigor. Not much else was said, for most of the pokémon battling knew only one or two moves.
“Most of the battles will be over at the Sprout Tower. A lot of trainers congregate there to train. These ones must not know about that yet.”
Amy frowned. “I think it’s rude to just start a pokémon battle in the middle of the city square.”
“Ah, but for a lot of trainers this will be their first real battle. They’re just testing their strength and forgetting about common courtesy.” Carrie chuckled softly. “They’ll grow out of that soon enough.”
That was true, of course, and Amy could understand why they did it. Just watching them, she felt excited, the feral growls of pokémon sending shivers down her spine.
In front of her, a recently caught sentret was valiantly trying to evade the sharp beak of someone’s hoot-hoot, and it was a sight to behold. Hairs went everywhere as the pecks finally hit, but the scout pokémon swung back its heavy tail and threw the bird to the ground. Both trainers cheered their pokémon on, repeating the same commands over and over again. Peck, tackle, scratch, all attacks just glanced off until finally, through sheer luck, sentret managed to slam the hoothoot against a tree, ending the battle and leaving one trainer very disappointed.
“I’ll be right back, stay here.” Carrie got up, but Amy was too busy turning her attention to another battle – a battered looking caterpie and an excited pidgey – to say much in return. That battle soon ended, but before the winner had been declared, another one start just behind her, and Amy was so busy trying to pay attention to all of them, that she didn’t notice someone had sat down next to her until purple wings rested on her shoulder and she turned around to find herself face to face with humongous eyes.
