James handed his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy once he and Jen got back to the Pokémon Centre, still basking in the glow of his victory at the Goldenrod Gym. Quilava was still sulking a bit that he wasn't allowed to participate, but he couldn't stay mad at his trainer for long; it wasn't exactly his decision to rest him, Nurse Joy had ordered him to. The two youngsters headed to get something to eat while Nurse Joy took care of James' Pokémon, and Jen inquired about where they would go next.

“Ecruteak City's next on the map, right?” she asked, looking at the map she held under the table. “It looks like there's two paths there, but one of them has a big X over it. I wonder why?”

“That path's been blocked for a while.” James answered. “I think some wild Pokémon keep invading the area, so they want to protect the travelers. It's annoying, since we used to go to Ecruteak all the time when I was little.”

“Did you?” Jen was curious now, James had never mentioned this before.

“Just to sightsee and all, nothing major. Well, there was one time when Darrell was in the city and we went to watch him battle the Gym. I saw a group of weird birds flying past our window, but I don't remember what they looked like now.”

“You remember that you saw the birds, but don't remember what they looked like?”

“I was four! You can't expect me to remember everything!”

“Forget it,” Jen said, trying to change the subject. “Alright, so the only path that looks open is through the National Park. That should be a nice stopover, at least. I always wanted to visit Amity Square back in Sinnoh, but it was too far away.”

“I think there's a bug-catching contest there soon, too. Maybe we could jump in on that.”

“Maybe.” They spent the remainder of the time discussing possible diversions along their route, as well as training strategies for the next gym. Eventually, they went back to the foyer, picked up James' Pokémon, and began an abbreviated training session before they turned in, ready for tomorrow's off-day.

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The next morning, Jen indicated that she wanted to look around the city for a while before they set off on their travels again.

“We've barely taken time to see anything during our whole journey!” she argued, knowing she was right. “Plus, Nurse Joy said we shouldn't travel so quickly after Quilava got sick.”

“I know, I know.” James didn't want to spend his time sightseeing; he didn't like Goldenrod much, it was too big for his taste. Being from Violet meant an appreciation for a small setting.

“Well, then, let's go see what there is to see! It's a big city, and there's gotta be all kinds of cool stuff!”

“Fine.” James conceded the point, if only to appease his friend. Quilava had indicated that he didn't care one way or the other, so James decided to just make the best of things. “I wouldn't mind seeing what the stadium looks like up close, anyway. I've only ever seen it on TV.”

“Then let's go!” Jen ran out of the room in excitement, and James shook his head before following.

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The city did indeed have a lot of tourist attractions, each of which was often flooded with visitors. James and Jen were jostled about as they checked out the Goldenrod Department Store, which was several times larger than the Poké Marts that were usually in the region's cities. They tried their best to hold off on any purchases, since they didn't exactly need anything there, but did come out with a few items they thought might prove useful. Jen stowed a bottle of Soda Pop in her pack as they exited the building, making a mental note to try it later.

From the Department Store, they crossed the bustling streets and moved past the brightly-lit Game Corner, then took a look at the Magnet Train station. One superfast train after another was rocketing through, carrying commuters and tourists alike between Goldenrod and the eastern terminus in faraway Saffron City. James was fascinated with the trains, wondering how something big like that could possibly travel that fast. Jen noted that it must take a huge amount of power just to keep the line moving, and both were astounded when the stationmaster told them exactly how it was done.

“There's a gigantic power station in Kanto that provides the electricity needed to run this place,” the stationmaster explained. “The generators are about the size of a small building, and teams of engineers have to make sure everything runs smoothly. If even one generator fails, the whole line could come grinding to a halt.” Both youngsters were wide-eyed as they left the station, blown away by what the man had just told them.

Their next stop was the Radio Tower, where James was offered a chance to add a Radio Card to his PokéGear. He was given a short quiz about various Pokémon, and upon answering all of them correctly the receptionist slotted the card into the device. James wasn't sure what he would do with the radio, since he wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but it was a useful feature to have anyway.

The last thing they checked out before circling back towards the Pokémon Centre was the area around the Gym. James knew the huge Kogane Stadium was around this area, with its capacity of nearly fifty thousand people on a game day. Jen questioned why James was so focused on this area in particular, and he explained as best he could.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Kogane Stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in Johto. The Electabuzz play their home games here.” Jen nodded, still a bit skeptical, and looked at the imposing structure, with bright yellow artwork adorning much of the outside. Tourists were all around the area, snapping pictures and posing next to statues outside the building. James stared a few moments longer, focusing on the team's single championship banner, then turned to head back. “Come on, let's go. We've seen just about everything in the city now, and we need to get back to the Centre before it gets too dark and crowded.”

“Sure,” Jen answered, and they moved back towards the safety of the Centre.

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When they arrived back at the Centre, they headed outside to let their Pokémon get some exercise before they all turned in. Jen's Pichu stayed close by her, with Elekid giving warning looks to anyone who came too close. Quilava lay down to rest; he'd been walking all day, and he wasn't in the mood to be playing around. Jen watched the Fire-type close his eyes and giggled.

“Quilava's burnt himself out, James.” James laughed at the play on words, and looked around to see where the rest of the team was. Pidgey had flown up into a tree, uninterested in hanging around with the group right now, and Graveler was gently sparring with Elekid, while Gastly floated around making a nuisance of himself. Jen's Magby and Zubat joined in too, eager to practice, while Togepi was nowhere to be seen. Jen knew she couldn't have gone far, but didn't want the group too stretched either. “Hey James, have you seen Togepi?”

“No, did she wander off again?” He looked, and saw her skipping towards the far wall of the Centre. Before either of them could move to intercept her, a girl with light brown hair ran out of the Centre and charged the Spike Ball Pokémon down. The girl wore a pink t-shirt and jean shorts under a thin white jacket, and her white shoes were spotless.

“Ohmygoodness, aren't you the cutest thing?” the girl said to Togepi, who squealed happily as the girl picked her up. “I can only wish I had a Pokémon as cute as you!” She turned and saw Jen walking over to where she was standing. “Oh, is this your Togepi?”

“Yes, it is.” Jen answered, slightly annoyed. “Togepi wandered off by herself again, isn't that right?” Togepi simply squealed again, and Jen's expression softened. “It's okay, Togepi, but you need to stop doing that. We can't be running around after you all the time.” She turned to the newcomer. “I'm Jennifer, by the way. What's your name?”

“My name's Stephanie,” the girl said proudly, tossing her hair. “I'm on a mission to catch the cutest Pokémon and be the most adored rainer in the world! I'll have the most beautiful Pokémon team around!” She took out a Pokéball and tossed it. “Show 'em what we mean, Eevee!” A brown fox-like creature emerged, crying out happily as she landed and posed next to her trainer.

“What kind of Pokémon is that?” Jen asked as she pulled her Pokédex from her bag.

“Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon.” the device announced. “Due to various experiments performed on the species over the years, its genetic code is unstable. It is capable of evolving into seven distinct forms.”

“Wow, I've never heard of a Pokémon evolving that way before.” Jen was impressed; this must be a rare Pokémon. “Where'd you get it?”

“My daddy gave her to me.” Stephanie answered, hugging the Normal-type. “She and I are going to travel together and find more cute Pokémon to add to our team. What about you, what kind of Pokémon do you have besides Togepi?”

“I'll show you. Guys, come on over!” The rest of Jen's group hurried over, lining up in front of her. “This is my team right here.” Stephanie looked at each one with an admiring look, but squealed in disgust when she saw Elekid.

“Eek! How can you have such a scary-looking Pokémon?!”

“Hey!” Jen was really annoyed now. “What's wrong with Elekid?”

“It's so creepy-looking!” Stephanie recoiled as Elekid moved towards her, and Jen stepped in front of him to prevent any danger. “Your other Pokémon are alright, but Elekid's just too scary. I'd have caught a better-looking Pokémon than that.”

“Elekid just happens to have won me the Plain Badge.” Jen responded, trying hard to keep herself under control. She hadn't known this girl for five minutes and already they were at odds. “That makes him a valuable member of the team, it doesn't matter what he looks like.”

“But...but...” Stephanie composed herself. “Oh, what difference does it make? While you're battling with that Elekid, Eevee and I are going to be making a name for ourselves! We'll be famous, no doubt about it!”

“Not if you only focus on appearances, you won't.” James had walked over, wondering what all the ruckus was about. Stephanie looked at him and brightened, instantly ending the tirade she'd just embarked on.

“And who are you?” she asked, a smile making its way onto her face. James raised his eyebrows at the sudden change in her temperament.

“Uh, I'm James, and I'm Jen's traveling partner. Let me warn you now, you wouldn't like the look of my team either.”

“Oh, it doesn't matter,” she said, and now her expression was one James didn't exactly feel comfortable with. “If they have a cute trainer, it makes up for their appearance.”

“What did you say?” Jen shouted, but James shook his head. His face had turned red after Stephanie's comment.

“Jen, ignore her. Stephanie, I don't care what my Pokémon look like, as long as they get the job done and we have fun doing it. You shouldn't worry so much about how you and your team look.”

“But having a good-looking team is the most important thing!” Realizing she wasn't going to drop the matter, James decided to end the conversation before things got even more hectic.

“Hey, Jen, you want to turn in? We've got to get going tomorrow, so we'll need to rest up before we do.”

“Sure,” Jen recalled her Pokémon and headed into the Centre in a huff. James watched her leave as he recalled his own team, and turned to Stephanie.

“Looks like you two didn't exactly make a good impression on one another.”

“It's her own fault for being so sensitive. All I said was...”

“I know what you said. You've got your priorities, she's got hers.”

“But...” Stephanie smiled. “Okay, then, you win. I meant it, though, a good-looking trainer can override their team's look.”

“What does that...?” James went redder than ever and he ran inside himself, eager to distance himself from the new girl. Stephanie smiled to herself as she watched him.

“He was pretty cute, huh, Eevee?” Eevee growled back in cheerful assent, and Stephanie walked back in herself, knowing she'd become Jen's rival without the other girl knowing it.