Monday, June 19th, 1978, 1500

Route 11

When I looked back, Dani and Ellie had already taken off, the latter bouncing with poorly concealed fear and excitement. Or, at least, I assumed that's what she was feeling. I knew she felt even more out of her depth than when I first met her, which was saying something, considering the dire state of her knowledge on day one.

I hoped that Dani could watch over her so she could find an appropriate first battle, one with another beginner who was still learning the ropes, in the hopes she would snag a confidence-boosting win. It would be catastrophic on several levels if she lost her first real battle with another trainer.

It wasn't like the last few weeks had been easy, though. Especially for a rank amateur who hadn't even known what a pokemon center was. Her growth was nothing short of astounding.

I hadn't said anything because I didn't want her to get cocky. If I was being honest with myself, she was a lot further along than I had been in the same amount of time, although her Totodile was rapidly falling behind her other pokemon.

I smiled wryly as I recalled my first month as a trainer. I spent nearly the entire time listlessly tagging around Sula like a lost Growlithe pup looking for its mother.

Not wholly inaccurate, really. Kiriel wasn't around much initially, choosing to dedicate her time to Sula and her proven prowess. Kiriel was nothing if not rational, and choosing not to waste her time with an unskilled whelp when she had a prodigy in the making must have come easily to her.

Kiriel had only taken an interest in my training after I began excelling in my studies, preferring to simply ship me off with Koga or another Seiichi trainer most of the time. Not that I was complaining; training with her was the worst.

Every lesson was made with a harsh undertone of cruelty or dismissiveness, something distinctly lacking in the other tutors simply doing their job.

With a glance back towards my companions, I officially headed towards Vermilion. After a few minutes of walking, I realized it was my first time utterly alone in weeks.

Well, not completely alone. Not really.

As usual, Eon and Larvitar were by my side, with Nana taking up the rear, his sharp eyes darting around warily. Larvitar had yet to show any marked increases in speed, so we strolled leisurely, weaving our way through the chaos surrounding us, a task made simple by the apparently multi-purposed fish gunk warding off any excitable trainers with a working nose.

Eon and Nana were even more on guard than usual, their noses twitching as they evaluated the area for any threats, of which many abounded. In theory, at least. Most of the trainers nearby appeared relatively new and would hardly constitute a threat to the hardened pokemon.

Larvitar, on the other hand, was looking around with wide-eyed wonder at the sight of the training grounds. It was by far the most people he had ever seen, and it showed in his response, one fitting for such a young pokemon.

The air was filled with various scents blended together in an odd amalgamation that couldn't entirely dispel the potent, fishy scent wafting off of me. The distinctive brimstone odor of fire type-energy was overwhelming, but it was layered with the more subtle smells of deep forests and refreshing ocean breezes warring for second place in the hot and humid air.

Route 11 was one of the most popular training areas in general, and the environment was pockmarked with the vestiges of the hundreds of daily battles as trainers prepped to face Kuon or his gym trainers.

I could hear shouts of triumph, groans of defeat, and more than a few yelps of pain as pokemon were too slow to dodge. It felt like home to me, bringing to mind my daily life at the compound.

As we made our way through the wide berth afforded by the nauseating scent I no longer noticed, I realized everything was hitting much more intensely than expected. The setting wasn't anything new, but it felt… fresh? It was certainly more exciting than traveling with Sula and our cadre of guards in previous years.

After traveling through mostly wilderness for weeks, I felt overwhelmed by the sudden barrage of stimuli assailing my nervous system. I took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to dispel the knot of unease forming in my gut as I thought about entering a major city for the first time on my journey.

Alone.

Fuchsia was big, sure. Vermilion? Easily twice the size and much more in touch with the culture coming out of central Kanto. Kiriel ensured we visited at least every other year to maintain close ties with the Kumire clan, our staunchest allies.

I couldn't help but wonder how things were going for the rest of my family.

Had Sula beaten more gyms? Was the JTP proceeding as my dad hoped? Had Kiriel even wondered for a moment how we were doing?

And most anxiety-provoking, was there a manhunt going on for missing trainers in the area we recently vacated?

Trainers went missing all the time, but civilians were a different story, and the two higher-ups Dani's pokemon extinguished in cold blood seemed important. Or, at least, they thought they were important.

I couldn't help but worry we were only headed into more danger as we neared the region's center. Adrien's comment about using his Hypno to 'rile' people up did not bode well for Kiriel's plan.

Propaganda was all well and good, but it paled in comparison to what even a single well-trained psychic pokemon could do to affect people. Psychic's ability to strongly influence hearts and minds was well documented. Hence, it was highly illegal, leading to prison sentences or even executions in some areas, like my home principality of Fuchsia.

After extensive usage in the previous wars to secure information, it was unanimously banned by all the local clans. The newly formed Indigo League officially codified it as one of the few hard lines never to be crossed.

Despite the stringent protections, Adrien hadn't hesitated for an instant. Furthermore, his two coworkers, although uncomfortable, also stood by as he made abundant use of his pokémon's psychic powers on a nearly helpless teenager.

If it had even been a day earlier, it would certainly have killed me, as I would have had no method to break the psychic threads suffocating me. Taken together, I concluded they were used to that kind of thing and that it was the rule rather than the exception.

Psychic crimes were usually isolated and not part of anything widespread. So, when Adrien mentioned his Hypno had been gaining tons of experience using its powers on people, it hinted at a systemic issue rather than simply a rogue trainer acting unilaterally.

Furthermore, his comments about service in the war suggested he might have acted under orders from someone with a standing military. That narrowed it down significantly, as only Fuchsia, Vermilion, and Pewter maintained fully functional 'militias.'

Calling them militias was disingenuous, though, as Kiriel's forces numbered in the thousands if she deemed it necessary.

The rest of the cities relied on the League to meet potential defense needs. Not that I blamed them. The Seiichi forces had been nearly obsolete since I was born, considering there had been no conflicts warranting such an extreme use of force.

I was still on the fence about contacting Kiriel regarding the development, but the thought of calling her didn't sit well with me. She hadn't said it explicitly, but I knew the expectation was to be as self-reliant as possible.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

In all likelihood, she was already aware of something shady going on in Saffron, and my information would be next to useless. I decided to see how I felt when I arrived at Kuon's complex.

I had mixed feelings about staying with Kuon while we were in Vermilion. On one hand, Kuon was like an uncle to me, but he found it entertaining to give me a difficult time, and I wasn't excited about any of the stories he might tell.

Despite my fears, I couldn't help but feel excited. Vermilion was one of my favorite cities in Kanto and the one I had spent the most time in besides Fuchsia.

Things finally felt like they were progressing with Dani, and I had high hopes that we might take a tangible step forward in the coming weeks.

As to what that step might look like, I was still figuring it out. Vermilion was a gorgeous city, offering panoramic views of the massive harbor and luscious valley heading inland towards Saffron. Shops and restaurants abounded, and I knew of a few popular spots for dates.

Not from my own experience, of course. But Sula had been asked out a great many times, consistently taking advantage of the poor sods excited to spend their hard-earned money on her, oblivious to the fact that she was privately laughing at them behind a demure mask.

Lost in my thoughts, I arrived at the eastern city gate in an hour or so, getting whisked through without a second glance. The security was lax, as always. It had been so long since an actual threat had been identified that it was more of a formality than anything. I was surprised Vermilion even bothered with the security at this point.

Inside the walls, people went about their day like any other. Although there was a variety of occupations, sailors reigned supreme. Their swaggering personalities were hard to miss, after all. Muted cursing and bawdy songs rang perpetually throughout Vermilion's streets as seafaring men found their pleasures where they could.

Much of Vermilion's economy was derived from trade, and heavily laden ships filtered in and out constantly, ready to deliver their goods wherever needed.

Kanto's top exporters were Hoenn, Johto, and Sinnoh, but there was talk of new ties with Unova, a country far to the west that had been decisive in The Great War nearly thirty years ago.

Due to its archipelago nature, Hoenn lacked the abundant farmland necessary to feed its growing population, relying heavily on agriculture imports from Kanto. As a result, the two countries had close ties, and Hoenn weighed in on Kanto's side during the War of Unification, making all the difference.

Johto, on the other hand, was resistant to technology in general. They still used traditional farming techniques, which were far more expensive than Kanto's more modern approach, with its current focus on development. Importing grain harvested in Kanto using massive mechanical beasts was cheaper than buying similar products cultivated by hand in Johto.

Sinnoh was just… Sinnoh. It was cold and snowy, and they didn't have a substantial population. They mainly imported entertainment goods rather than produce.

The region's economics had been drilled into me incessantly, as Kiriel believed it was important for Sula and I to be aware of the inner workings of the region to rule effectively. It was hard to shut my mind off as I headed towards the pokemon center on the city's eastern edge.

My day—no, my week— had consisted almost entirely of walking, and I was ready for a few weeks of luxury. A scalding bath and some non-bloodstained clothes were my top priority. That, and eating a meal that didn't come from a freeze-dried package.

It looked like I had beaten the evening crowd as the entrance to the pokemon center was devoid of a line, a rare occurrence. Making sure my team was present, I entered the center.

The inside of the center was blissfully air-conditioned, and I sighed contentedly as I prepared to make my way up to the front desk, which was manned by a woman who looked only a few years older than me.

Although I was confident my pokemon had recovered from the battle with Adrien, I still wanted to get them checked out just in case I missed something.

Before talking to the nurse, I checked in with my team. "Hey guys, time to go into your balls for now. Just a quick check-up with the nurse. Sorry. You'll be out with me soon enough. I'll just be waiting in the lobby."

Eon and Nana were familiar with the process, so they complied without complaint as I returned them to their pokéballs. I knew they didn't like it much, but I barely kept them in their balls anyway. They could deal with it for just a few minutes.

Larvitar, on the other hand, tilted his head in confusion at my words.

"Tar? Lar-tar, vita," he inquired with a gesture towards the waiting nurse, who was smiling kindly at me. With pink hair.

Weird. That can't be natural.

I deduced he was simply wondering what was going on. Our partnership was still too fresh for me to understand without using contextual clues and the basic charades he commonly used to get a point across.

"Right. This is your first time at a pokemon center! It's a pretty simple process. Remember how I caught you officially in a ball last week?" I asked with a gentle smile. I took out the ball in question, which was beautifully designed in black and gold. I palmed it back and forth, enjoying the feel of the sleek metal on my calloused hands.

"Tar," he nodded as he waited for me to explain, his eyes flicking back and forth at the movement.

There had been no need to capture him until we got closer to civilization. However, after what happened, I felt it was a prudent precaution in case I needed to extract him from a dangerous situation.

I didn't understand the tech fully, but as long as you had a clear line of sight to your pokemon, it was simple enough to return them to their ball with a click of a button. Helpful in a tight situation.

In classic Kiriel fashion, she had only included Ultra Balls in my pack, so his home was the expensive pokéball I casually tossed back and forth.

There wasn't much difference between the models, but this type created a much larger space for pokemon to roam around in, not to mention making it easier to capture wild pokemon against their will.

The Ultra Ball was a recent release, so I had yet to shift Eon and Nana into higher-quality devices, but it was on my list of things to do. I was also interested in any new models we might encounter when we arrived in Celadon City, which had the most extensive shopping venue in the country.

"All that'll happen is that I put you back in your ball for a bit, and then you'll go with the nice lady over there," I said with a gesture to the pink-haired nurse, who waved back at us, undoubtedly used to this kind of thing. "Sound good?"

He nodded hesitantly, using his fin-like arm to touch the button, sucking him into the device with a beam of crackling red light.

I touched the ball to my belt, where the powerful magnet secured it in position with a dull metallic clang. With my team away, I felt exposed, even though I knew pokemon centers were the safest places around.

Wearing a tired smile, I walked up to the front desk. "Hello! I'm just here for a basic check-in. Would you mind taking a look?"

"No problem!" the nurse replied perkily as she looked at me expectantly.

I stared back, uncertain of what she was looking for.

Seeing my confusion, she clarified, "Oh! We need your license! You must be a new trainer. You can call me Nurse Joy! Welcome to Vermilion East, where we'll meet every trainer need, from healing to food to lodging!"

The line was clearly memorized. She delivered it so enthusiastically that I nearly flinched from the barrage of excitement.

"Right…" I said hesitantly, caught off guard by her intensity. The vibe was much different from the tired nurse we encountered when getting our registration done, and frankly, I preferred the low-key approach.

I set my heavy pack down, rummaging until I found my license. I grimaced at the photo, having forgotten how unphotogenic I was. The differences from just a few weeks ago were striking; my skin was already darker, and I sported a few new scars from the close-range exploding skull that haunted my dreams.

It's too bad I can only get it retaken once the ten-year period is up.

"Here you go!" I said as I handed Nurse Joy the laminated document.

"Thank you… Mr. Seiichi?" Her finely shaped eyebrows, which were also pink, quirked up in surprise. "If you'll just hold on for one moment, sir. I'll be right back."

"Sure? I'm not going anywhere," I replied, unsure of the holdup.

I didn't have to wait long, as Nurse Joy returned with… another Nurse Joy. This one was nearly identical, but faint laughter lines distinguished her from what I assumed was a younger relative. The resemblance was too uncanny for them to be anything more distant than cousins if not siblings.

"Mr. Seiichi. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," the new nurse said. "You can call me Joy; I'm in charge of this center. It seems there was an order given by the Kumire Clan to contact them if we encountered—and this is a quote, by the way—a "Raven-haired, beautiful young man of the Seiichi clan."

You have to be fucking kidding me. Kuon, you're dead to me.

My excited mood was slipping away as my concerns suddenly felt much more tangible than when they were distant fears just a few minutes prior.

"I'm sorry, sir. Kuon has a nasty sense of humor. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Joy said with hints of a smile peeking through.

Like you're any better at this point!

She hesitated as if considering her following words carefully. "Although, he did make that comment on live TV."

Oh no.

I quirked my eyebrows up. "That comment? Would you mind clarifying?"

"Oh no, sir. I couldn't! You'll have to ask Kuon himself when you see him. I doubt you'll have to wait long, after all. He was quite concerned about you after those people went missing a few weeks ago. It's been the talk of the town. In fact, I'm surprised you haven't been approached already. How long have you been in the city? The photo they showed of you was quite distinctive."

For the second time in the last hour, I took a deep breath, doing my best to let the annoyance drain out of me. It wasn't easy, but I at least felt calmer.

"Just arrived, Joy. Just arrived. If you wouldn't mind, I would immensely appreciate it if you could explain precisely what you were referring to. You see, I'll need time to decide how angry I should be at Kuon when he finally shows his wrinkled face."

The amused woman opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by an excited voice behind me.

"Mare, my boy! Is that you?" The voice was hoarse but filled with warmth, compassion, and a deep familiarity that warmed my heart despite my annoyance.

Bracing myself for the onslaught that was Kuon Kumire, I turned around with my best glare, ready to dress down the source of what I'm sure would amount to many woes in my time in Vermilion if the last moments were any indication of what the future held.