A long long time ago, when Erika was very young, she was hungry, cold, and alone.
She didn't know why the world was so cold and lonely.
Erika often asked the other street rats for food, but they always refused to share and kicked her away. Her hunger gradually grew like a monster, and with nothing of substance to consume, it eventually turned inward and ate away at her happiness.
Then, one day while she was scavenging, Erika saw a bigger, meaner street rat clobber one of the weaker street rats over the head with a rock and take his food. The weaker was left bleeding to death, while the stronger made out with a full belly.
That was the day that Erika understood that if she wanted something, she would need to take it from another. To advance her station in life, she would step upon others.
----------------------------------------
Erika woke up slowly, opening her eyes and shaking herself awake.
Sunlight was streaming into the room from between the curtains, spilling out golden rays that warmed the parts of her arm that were exposed. Erika's legs were stiff, and her throat hoarse from the shouting of the day prior, but none of that could stop a smile from worming its way across her face.
"I won," Erika said slowly to herself, as if she couldn't believe it. "I won."
Then, Erika burst out of her bed and started shouting with delight, dancing across the room without a care and knocking over several chairs.
Mordred and Gwen were still sleeping in the healing springs, their nightly residence having already become a habit; Nimue joined them as well in sleeping.
Erika's racket jolted them awake, causing Mordred to groan and send out a feeler at Erika.
She slapped it away and looked at him crossly.
'Must you be loud so early?' Mordred moaned at her. 'Wish to sleep.'
"I'm celebrating, what does it look like?" Erika looked weirdly at Mordred. "Shouldn't you be more excited?"
Mordred glared at her. 'Woke at five everyday for two months… I want rest."
"Have your rest then,' Erika sniffed. "I was going to go downstairs to get breakfast with Milly, but it sounds like you don't want to come."
That shut Mordred up. Milly's cooks were fantastic, and Mordred had been spoiled by them for the past two months.
However, much like everything else in the Grand Verdant, everything operated on a tight schedule. Milly could ask her chefs to cook outside of their scheduled times, but she was extremely stubborn about maintaining order, and refused to let them do so.
If Mordred didn't come down with Erika, he wouldn't get to eat the breakfast her cooks made, meaning he would be forced to eat kibble, something he detested with every fiber of his being since the Claws force fed him an obscene amount during his captivity.
"Milly said she had something to tell me over breakfast yesterday," Erika informed Mordred. "We're having breakfast at 6, so you should wake up Gwen and Nimue as well."
'Already awake,' Mordred said with a deadpan. 'You woke them early.'
"Just meet me downstairs," Erika sighed. "You can operate the lift yourself."
Erika was about to leave the room when she realized that she had forgotten to do something.
Her yumi was still unmaintained.
"Shit." Erika cursed loudly.
The maintenance ritual she needed to conduct every morning was rapidly becoming a pain in the ass, due to how laborious and complicated the procedures were.
Much of that complexity came from Erika herself though. Had she been a lesser woman, she would have simply settled for a quick maintenance - however, Erika prided herself on her superiority, and she refused to settle for a subpar job. Furthermore, she'd already heard Eton's spiel on how caring for the yumi could bring her closer to the state of heart necessary for Inheritance, so there was no way she would skimp on such a vital task.
Erika knelt on the floor in seiza position, grabbing and placing the yumibukuro cloth bag containing her yumi bow and placing it across her lap.
With slow, practiced grace, Erika removed her yumi from the bag and set the bag to the side, then carefully unclipped the yazutsu arrow case and set that aside as well.
The air was quite dry outside due to the summer heat, so Erika dipped a smooth cloth into a bowl of water and strained the water out before slowly moistening the bowstring of her yumi and relaxing the fibers like Eton had instructed her to do the day prior.
After she was done doing that, Erika retrieved the kusune-coated waraji - her hemp pad coated with pine resin - and pressed it gently against the bowstring, abrading the string until the heat from the friction melted some of the pine resin onto the string and rebound whatever fibers had come loose during her last usage of the yumi.
The last part of this process was using the shaping block - whose name in Old Kantonian Erika simply couldn't be bothered to remember - to straighten the yumi and maintain its draw height.
This entire process took Erika roughly twenty minutes to finish. Mordred was fast asleep again with Gwen, so Erika hit the jacuzzi button to wake him up and headed out of the room.
Erika found herself in an unusually good mood today, humming to the beat of the elevator music and tapping her foot to the rhythm. She yawned loudly, stretching her arms out to their fullest and facing the sun, admiring how nice its golden rays felt on her skin.
Erika felt like a victor, to put it simply.
She strolled her way across the hallways and eventually made it to one of the inner rooms where Milly liked to eat breakfast, a traditional looking living room built in the Old Kantonian style. The walls were made from a sort of paper sealed between wood linings, and the doors were sliding doors that featured the same design.
Erika swung them open to find Milly sitting cross-legged, her food entirely untouched.
"Sorry for the wait," Erika apologized. She looked back briefly to check if Mordred was coming, but he hadn't arrived yet, so she just sat down. "I was trying to cajole my team into coming down, but they seem to be tired."
"I'm sure they are," Milly said smiling, probably because she could finally eat now that everyone was at the table. "Your team deserves a quality rest after that fight."
Erika picked up a pair of chopsticks and started digging in, eating some pickled radish with rice and some mushrooms. The food was organized into cute little trays that looked like interconnected bowls, with each one featuring a different type of Old Kantonia food that Erika couldn't name.
She was halfway through her breakfast when she realized that Milly was staring at her, and Erika suddenly realized that she was supposed to talk with Milly.
"My bad," Erika said, swallowing her food. "So, what did you want to talk about?"
Milly set her chopsticks down and picked up a hot towel to wipe her mouth before speaking.
"First off, congratulations on your match once again Erika. You fought brilliantly, and achieved something no other grass specialist has done within the past two decades," Milly told her warmly. "I saw how hard you worked these past two months to prepare for the fight - you and your team didn't take a single break other than what was necessary to stop your bodies from collapsing. No one else could have replicated your feat."
Milly's words made Erika smile with appreciation. Compliments were always nice.
"I'm serious by the way, Erika." Milly paused to inhale. "You're crazy. I wouldn't be able to train sixteen hours a day so intensely and continuously for two months straight even if my family honor was on the line. I deeply respect what you've done."
"I appreciate your words," Erika smiled. "It's that my efforts are being acknowledged."
"The other pressing concern, which perhaps isn't so much a concern for you, is my own upcoming first badge challenge," Milly said. "My family has done their best to pump up the strength of my pokemon to the second-badge level, but it's still very possible for me to lose despite my extensive preparations. I know you've been helping me prepare, so I want you to know that even if I lose, it's not your fault. I won't blame you for anything."
"You know," Erika said slowly. "You shouldn't count yourself out yet. Who knows - you might end up winning after all. I've got a good feeling, and my good feelings are always right."
"That may be true," Milly acknowledged. "Perhaps I shouldn't discount myself so quickly. I will give it my best, and then whatever happens will happen."
"The second thing I wanted to talk to you about is an opportunity for you," Milly revealed. "The Celadon Conservatives host an annual training camp held in Violet City at the Sprout Tower, and the most of the promising talents of our faction are going to be sent there in around 40 days' time. Would you like to join? In light of your recent victory, you have been officially offered a spot on the training list if you would like it."
"A training camp in Sprout Tower?"
Erika looked thoughtful. I didn't plan on leaving Kanto initially.
"It's a sort of smelting trial, if that makes sense," Milly explained. "The point of the training is to hone your talents through ascetic training with the sprout monks, enduring suffering and solitude to hone the mind and aura. They'll teach you how to perfectly prepare yourself for the process of Externalization, and help you develop the foundation necessary for Inheritance as well - so you shouldn't miss out on this."
Erika didn't hesitate to agree upon hearing that it was related to Inheritance, even if she had been doubtful initially.
"Sign me up," she told Milly. "You said it's in 40 days right?"
"That's correct."
"If that's the case, I think I'll walk part of the way there," Erika revealed. "I've been thinking about doing a proper journey on foot for some time, so this is a good opportunity to do so. Give me a second, I'll go grab a map from my room to show you."
Erika excused herself and ran back to her room, snagging a map laid out on her table which had been drawn upon and heavily annotated, stuffing it into her pocket.
She returned downstairs and unrolled the map on the dinner table, smoothing it out for Milly to see the plan Erika had sketched onto it.
Using bold red markers, Erika had traced out an arrow pointing east of Celadon, passing through Route 7 to Saffron's western entrance.
It took Milly a second to understand Erika's plan. "You want to walk on foot to Saffron, where you'll catch the bullet train to Goldenrod?"
"That's right," Erika confirmed. "Route 7 is quite a short route, so it shouldn't take me long to reach Saffron even on foot. It's a good bit of training, and I'll be able to continue it once I reach Goldenrod."
"And then you'll walk through Routes 35 and 36," Milly said, looking at Erika's plan. The arrows continued on the Johtoan side of Mt. Silver, going northward up Route 35, and then east again through Route 36, until they finally reached Violet City.
"I thought for sure you would skip the routes and cross diagonally."
Milly studied the map, tracing the arrows with her finger. "I'm glad you have the good sense to stick to the established routes."
"Well," Erika said, sipping some of her soup, "traveling outside of the routes is only for much more experienced trainers. I'm just a first-badge trainer at the moment, and it's my first journey, so I might as well stick to the basics for now."
Erika finished up her breakfast and cleaned her hand with a fresh hot towel one of Milly's maids brought in, and was about to leave when Milly called her back.
"It turns out one of the representatives of the Celadon Conservatives wants to meet you," Milly informed Erika. "This is about the Sprout Tower training, so you don't have to worry much. He just wants to get to know you and ask some questions."
"Sure, I've got time," Erika replied. "Where is he?"
"He'll be arriving in a few minutes, so we can just go relax downstairs in one of the meeting rooms. It's not a very formal thing, so you don't need to change. Just your yukata is enough."
True to Milly's words, it didn't take long for the representative to arrive. The representative in question was a serious-looking man wearing a blue polo and trousers, and he introduced his name as Yushiro.
"Good to finally meet you Erika," Yushiro said, shaking Erika's hands vigorously. "I've heard great things about you, and seeing you win your first gym badge on television has confirmed everything I've heard."
"I'm glad I live up to your expectations," Erika replied charmingly. "It took a lot of work and preparation."
"Oh, I'm sure!"
Yushiro shook Milly's hands as well. "Good to see you again Milly! How has your father been?"
"Father has been doing great," Milly said dutifully. "He says that you haven't come round to drink with him for a while - you should really show up sometime."
"Ah."
Yushiro rubbed his head awkwardly. "I've been bogged down with work I'm afraid. Lots of things are happening in Celadon, as you very well should know," he risked a glance at Erika, "and our young friend's recent upset in the gym match has only increased my workload."
"Perhaps I could swing by next week to drink a little," Yushiro said diplomatically. "If time allows for it, I'll definitely make sure to show up."
"But enough about me!"
He stuck his hands into his pocket and drew out an envelope, offering it to Erika.
"This is the invitation to the Sprout Tower training," Yushiro told Erika. "I'm going to assume Milly has already briefed you already, so I won't cover the details on that. Open the envelope."
That's definitely not a card inside.
The envelope was bumpy, and it looked as if an object of some kind had been sealed inside.
Erika did as she was asked, tearing the seal off and opening the envelope. She reached in and pulled out what looked like a sort of bracelet made with red wooden beads, and held it up to the light. "Is this it?"
"That's the invitation," Yushiro confirmed. "You'll need to wear that on your wrist and show it to the monks guarding the gate to Sprout Tower, otherwise you'll be denied entry. Don't lose that by the way! Only one prayer bead bracelet is made for each participating member, so there aren't any spares for you if this one goes missing."
"I won't lose it," Erika vowed.
"Good. Well, it looks like everything is in order, so I need to return to work. I've got a very busy day, so you don't need to see me out. Give my regards to your father, Milly."
Yushiro left after that, leaving Erika to chat with Milly for a few more minutes about the Sprout Tower training. Erika just asked a few more questions about the contents of the training, and the duration, and so on.
Mordred, Gwen, and Nimue had apparently slipped downstairs while Erika was talking to Milly, and they had already finished their breakfast, so Erika recalled them and went back to her room to grab her phone, as she'd left it charging on her nightstand because it was low on battery.
Fulton texted her last night telling her to come talk to him at his house, and that he would arrange his jynx to teleport Erika over at 11AM, so Erika had a few hours to relax herself before she needed to go anywhere.
Erika released her team to go do whatever they wanted and then laid down on the bed, bored for the first time in her life with nothing to do. Erika scrolled through a few texts aimlessly on her phone for a few minutes before rolling out of bed with a groan.
I can't sit still. This is driving me crazy.
Erika hated the feeling of having nothing to do. Maybe I should start planning the logistics of my journey to Violet while I wait for Fulton.
The vitamins she bought from the Glass Helix were still nowhere near running out, considering that there was a year's supply of slow-release capsules in each small bottle, so Erika stowed them away in her compression backpack and started packing.
Erika grabbed all the camping supplies she bought last time and neatly packed them into her backpack, and then threw in a solar charger for her phone. Next, the Model RX collapsible tent was packed in, and then a flare gun with a few charges.
During their travels, Mordred would actually be the one carrying the group's supplies.
It was custom for the team's largest pokemon to ferry their supplies, and as Mordred grew larger, he would be able to carry more and more during their journeys.
Erika made sure some dry food rations, even though they would be hunting the local pokemon as they traveled for meat anyway, since it was important to have emergency supplies on hand. However, grass pokemon were already fairly well equipped to deal with emergency food situations, because they could always choose to photosynthesize to minimize their need for food, so Erika wouldn't even need to hunt that much compared to other pokemon trainers.
Erika was practicing with her yumi for precisely that reason though.
Learning a ranged weapon like the bow was good for a trainer, especially if they could field larger pokemon. There was less reason to pick up a sword compared to a bow if you were riding a large pokemon, since you wouldn't be able to wield the sword against enemies on the ground due to the reach limitation. However, with a bow, you could fire arrows down at your enemies while your pokemon engaged in close combat.
Mordred wasn't quite large enough for Erika to ride him yet as he was only around the same height as her, but Erika suspected that once he evolved, she would gain a powerful mount that could traverse many terrains.
The issue is getting him to evolve, Erika thought heatedly. His contrary is becoming a problem.
A regular snivy would have started repeatedly molting by now, showing visible signs of an upcoming evolution, but despite Mordred's immense strength and growth, he was still showing absolutely zero sign and indication that he was anywhere near evolution.
Erika was getting slightly worried about his situation since he was her starter, and Mordred's strength directly affected Erika's own.
I should get an expert opinion on this and see where I should go from there.
Erika had once read that aura was a catalyst for miracles.
Aura could allow the weakest and most ordinary person to shed their mortality and become extraordinary, turning trash into treasure and bestowing supernatural power to those who desired it enough. It was what enabled some pokemon to wield the power of the elements and some others to fly, to defy the physical laws and exert one's will upon the world.
Although the book described aura in very fanciful terms, Erika was convinced that there was indeed a seed of truth contained within it - there was so much more about aura that she had yet to learn and understand, and Erika believed that within aura laid to key to helping Mordred evolve.
So far though, her aura didn't seem to be doing that, so Erika was prepared to acknowledge that she was wrong and turn to alternative solutions - like a certain Professor Elm renowned for his critical research in pokemon evolution, and his famous hobby of studying unusual pokemon abilities. Erika was confident that he would be interested in taking a look at Mordred, a rare starter pokemon and an even rarer example of a snivy with the contrary ability.
Furthermore, he was actually going to be attending a conference in Violet City in around two months time, meaning Erika could potentially find an opportunity to meet him and obtain his expertise in diagnosing a solution to Mordred's problem.
After doing a bit more packing and marking stuff off her checklist, Erika went out for a stroll in the nicer parts of Celadon.
She had quite a lot of free time, so she just wandered aimlessly to different parks and tourist attractions to kill time.
Many of the people on the street recognized her, making Erika inordinately happy, but she didn't deign to talk to them and just continued strolling through the city.
Eventually, Erika started getting bored of walking around without any goal in mind, so she just texted Fulton asking if his Jynx could pick her up early.
Fulton
————————————————————————
[9:33AM] - Erika Caldwell
Can you pick me up early uncle
[9:33AM] - Fulton Caldwell
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
I'm not your uncle
[9:33AM] - Erika Caldwell
Oh my bad I was under the impression that we shared the same last name
[9:33AM] - Fulton Caldwell
This call isn't encrypted
[9:33AM] - Erika Caldwell
Dumbass
[9:33AM] - Erika Caldwell
I don't believe that
[9:33AM] - Erika Caldwell
You wouldn't have said you weren't my uncle if it wasn't encrypted
[9:33AM] - Fulton Caldwell
Stop texting alright I get it I'll send my jynx over
[9:33AM] - Fulton Caldwell
I'm busy rn, so just make yourself at home until I get back
————————————————————————
It took a few minutes, but Erika felt the world around her beginning to twist, and then she found herself snapped back into place at Fulton's house.
As Fulton was still busy, Erika just plopped herself onto his couch and started watching the television, flicking through the channels while she waited for him to get home.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Erika. This is so fucking boring.
In the end, Erika eventually started watching replays of competitive battles, and that eventually led her to start watching replays of her battles in the RSG.
Erika's boredom was obliterated when she switched to one of the local news channels because it was talking about her.
"...Erika Caldwell, a rising star… first to obtain her first-badge in Celadon as a grass specialist in twenty years…"
Even her interview with Amanda seemed to be recasting as well, as a few fight analyst channels referenced the only interview they had of Erika. Some of her older fights in the RSG were also being dissected, alongside her most recent match against Cesare.
YES! I'm getting recognition!
Around two hours passed this way, with Erika mindlessly changing the channel back and forth between fight analysts discussing her battles and replays of her own fights.
"...I win!" Erika was now watching a replay of her fight against Cesare, lazily reclining in the living room where he had last threatened to kill her.
"This gym badge… is mine!" The crowd roared in the recording, and despite knowing that the fight was already over, Erika still felt her pulse quickening and her heart thumping furiously. The feeling of victory was still fresh in her mind, and watching the replays only made that sensation better.
"I'd say that's a bit narcissistic, but I know you don't really care," a voice interrupted.
Erika already knew who it was. Fucking finally.
"How does it feel to be in the presence of the greatest grass talent of the century?" Erika said boastfully, inflating her own ego without any shame. It was also quite possibly to annoy Fulton, but Erika would never voice that fact. "You should be proud to be associated with me!"
"Heavens above," Fulton muttered. "Legendaries save us when you make it to Victory Road."
"What?"
"Nothing," Fulton said quickly. "Forget about that."
He tossed the briefcase he was carrying to the floor with a heavy thud, and then sprawled himself down onto a leather chair opposite to Erika.
Erika admired the nice rug on his floor as Fulton made himself comfortable.
"What are your plans now that you've attained your first badge?" Fulton asked her seriously. "You should remember that you have five years to become a gym leader - that means five years to cross into the External, and the Inherited as well. Keep that in mind when you plan your journey and what you're going to do."
"I'll journey across Route 7 to Saffron on foot," Erika informed Fulton, repeating what she had told Milly earlier. "After I get there, I'll board the Interregional Bullet Train to Goldenrod, and then journey from foot onward to Violet City, passing through Route 35 and 36. That should take about a month, and it'll help me train my pokemon thoroughly before I get to Violet."
"Why Violet City?" Fulton asked curiously. "Are you planning to finish your gym circuit in Johto?
"Actually, it's Milly who wants me to go there," Erika replied. "The Celadon Conservatives have a relationship with the monks of Sprout Tower, and they send their young talents there to temper and hone themselves in ascetic seclusion. I've been invited to join the Sprout Tower training, so I'll most likely go there and get my second badge in Violet."
After the victory against Cesare, Erika's competitive spirit had been fully ignited. As the only grass specialist to get her first badge in Celadon within the last twenty years, Erika's name had suddenly been vaulted into the public eye of her city. People were discussing her, talking about her fight, and Erika had even heard rumors of someone establishing a forum for her too. That had gotten Erika really excited.
Forums were typically only made for the more well recognized trainers with fan followings, so getting one this early was a great sign.
Despite all the new fame and attention she had just gotten, Erika realized that it wasn't enough. She still wanted more. Erika didn't want things to end there, and thus, the beginnings of a crazy plan was born.
"My plan is to challenge every gym that I have an elemental type disadvantage to," Erika confided in Fulton. "I don't want to fight in the standard Kanto Circuit, or just the Johto Circuit. I'm going to have a world-shocking circuit that features only gyms that grass types are elementally disadvantaged to!"
"Bug type in Celadon, and Flying type in Violet," Erika started listing out, much to Fulton's astonishment. "When I finish these two gyms, I'll challenge the bug gym in Azalea!"
"You're going for broke, huh?"
"I am," Erika declared proudly. "Forget beating the bug gym here in Celadon… I'm going to go wreck the Celadon Progressives' Johtoan counterparts!"
When Erika said that, her face flushed with excitement. Just imagining the scene of her victory was enough to get her blood surging, and her adrenaline flowing.
Erika didn't have any grudges with the Celadon Progressives really, but she was in the Conservative camp now, so she might as well throw her lot fully in. It was good publicity anyway, and Erika knew that her fame would be bolstered to a new height if she could swipe her third badge from Azalea as well.
"I haven't planned for the other gym challenges yet," Erika told Fulton. "But mark my words - I won't face a single gym in which I have an elemental advantage! By completely crushing every gym I am elementally disadvantaged to, I'll be able to prove my superiority to everyone else! My name will resound through the four corners of the world, and I'll establish an unforgettable historical record that no one will ever break!"
Fulton only clapped his hands dryly. "That's amazing. Wow. Good job Erika."
"At least try to show some enthusiasm," Erika snapped at him. "Can't you be supportive?"
"It's hard when you act like this," Fulton mumbled. "But sure. Go for it."
"Let's talk about what I really called you for," Fulton said eventually. He pulled out a picture from his bag and tossed it over to Erika.
"It's a boy."
"Thank you for stating the obvious," Fulton replied irritably. "This is Mathius Shenfield - his father is a foreign diplomat, and his mother hails from one of Johto's ancient clans. I want you to go make friends with him."
"Uh huh," Erika looked at her mentor. "You do know that I'm going to Violet right? I'll be in the wilderness for practically the next forty days, so where am I supposed to find the time to go befriend him?"
Fulton smacked his face. "He's in Violet!"
"Oh."
"You should have led with that then," Erika scoffed. "Remind me again why I should make friends with him?"
"Because his father is a very powerful man, and one of the only people allowed to legally cross into other regions," Fulton replied. "I'm sure you understand why that's a big thing."
Erika racked her brain to try to recall all the stuff she'd read in the past. "The other regions don't like Indigo right?"
"Not liking us is an understatement," Fulton scoffed. "Indigo is an international menace in the eyes of the other regions. The colonial ambitions of the Indigo Empire are well known, with over three-quarters of our great clans and factions supporting the move to continue expanding the empire. You're aware of Orre right?"
"Orre, as in the poor backwater region in the middle of nowhere that doesn't even have a functioning government?" Erika said slowly.
"Yes, that Orre," Fulton replied. "Do you know why they're poor?
"No," Erika said, "but I'm guessing Indigo has something to do with it, given your expression."
Fulton motioned for Erika to keep talking, but she didn't say anything, so he sighed eventually and continued explaining.
"Orre has always been pretty lawless," Fulton lectured. "It started off as a sort of coalition between different interest groups who wanted to develop land in the new frontier, and they had a functioning league government for a while. However, the different interest groups making up the coalition often quarreled, and they eventually fractured the region into multiple smaller parts that were separately controlled."
"I won't bore you with the full details, but due to the loose management and law enforcement, criminal organizations from Indigo started moving their bases to Orre."
Fulton smiled mysteriously. "Now, can you guess what's interesting about this situation? All of a sudden, many of Indigo's problems started to vanish, and their closest rival Orre started suffering a ton. Instead of offering foreign aid, Indigo started freezing trade into Orre and began an embargo, and now, we've essentially taken over the role of most of their domestic industries that are still able to export goods."
"No way," Erika said with shock. "That's crazy."
"Apparently the Indigo League didn't think it was that crazy of an idea," Fulton replied. "It's rumored that we were the ones to encourage our criminal organizations to move into Orre, and I know for a fact that there were a lot of backhanded negotiations involved."
Don't tell me…
The idea seemed crazy to Erika, but with what Fulton was saying…
"Indigo's current goal is to assimilate Orre!" Fulton grinned like a madman. "Everything that's been happening over the last half a century has all been in preparation for Indigo's next conquest! Everything from the brain drain of talent leaving Orre for Indigo and other regions, embargoing Orre and crippling their economy, gradually turning Orre lawless and breaking down their government - it's all been preparation for this! The third colonial region of Indigo!"
Erika was shaken.
"Hopefully you understand why I want you to befriend Mathius Wodin now," Fulton said. "Not only will you gain access to an important news channel in the form of what his father tells him, but he can also introduce you to his network - and eventually, he'll likely inherit his father's position. I don't doubt that the war against Orre will happen, but it definitely won't be any time soon. By befriending Mathius Shenfield now, you'll be setting yourself up for success in the political field. Does that make sense?"
Erika nodded. "I have one question though. How come Orre hasn't totally collapsed already then? If we're doing so much - and I know Indigo is a behemoth, because we've got over two dozen sovereigns in our empire - shouldn't Orre have been finished long ago?"
"That's a good question," Fulton told her. "I want to preface this by saying: inter-region trade is extremely difficult. How much do you know about the Commerce Consortium?"
"I know that they're a trade organization that handles international shipping," Erika said after thinking for a moment. "Every region, including our Indigo Empire, seems to have a branch."
"You're on the right track, but you need to think deeper."
"What do you think the biggest problem to inter-region trading is? I can tell you that it's extremely hard - but what makes it hard?" Fulton asked.
Political conflict? Trade embargos? Tariffs? Shit. That's a tough question.
"It's none of those things," Fulton said, reading Erika's mind. "Those are minor problems compared to the big issue - pokemon."
"Pokemon?"
Fulton grabbed the remote on this television and flicked it on, before opening a map of Indigo for Erika to see. "Take a look at the bullet train line between Saffron and Goldenrod. Where does it cross? Are there any important locations you can see in between the two stations?"
Erika did her best to study the map before answering. "Mt. Silver?"
"Exactly," Fulton said. "A forbidden zone ruled over by a Titled Tyranitar. Knowing that, how can we humans still build a railway through its territory? Forget travel - if we wanted to ship goods through a forbidden zone, could we really do that? How did we manage to build a railway through Mt. Silver without it being totally destroyed by the mountain ruler?"
Erika knew the answer to this one.
"It's because of Champion Oak's Titled Dragonite," Erika responded confidently. "I read some old newspapers of the initial construction of the bullet train line through Mt. Silver. Champion Oak stated that his dragonite was good friends with the tyranitar king atop the mountain, and it negotiated a contract on behalf of his partner that would allow a single railway line to be built going through the mountain."
Fulton nodded. "That's right. However, this example is only limited to the scale of our region. Let's think bigger."
He used the remote to expand the map on the screen again, zooming out and showing more and more regions. Erika saw Orre, the next closest region to Indigo appear, and then Hoenn in the south, and then Sinnoh, then Unova, and so on.
Erika didn't understand what Fulton was trying to get at until he clicked another button, and various red circles started appearing on the map. "These are all known forbidden zones occupied by Titled Pokmeon."
"Fucking hell!" Erika blurted out. "Why is every ocean on the map red?"
"Because every square inch of the ocean has already been claimed by all the Titled Pokemon living within," Fulton answered.
"They won't tell you this in school, but trying to cross the deep sea is basically suicide," Fulton laughed. "Imagine for a second, if you sent a trading vessel across the ocean. The wind is nice, the breeze is cool - and then all of a sudden, a Titled Gyarados emerges from the waters and swallows the entire trading cargo ship whole. All of a sudden, sea trading doesn't seem very viable does it?"
"The only reason we humans can even cross the ocean is because our sovereigns have treaties with the Titled Pokemon living in the ocean," Fulton continued explaining. "While shallow waters are still okay for traversal, if you truly want to cross the deep sea, you need to negotiate the right for passage through multiple forbidden zones. And that involves talking to the Titled Pokemon living within!"
"Now, a question for you, Erika."
Fulton pointed his finger at her. "What do you think happens to a region without a Water Sovereign?"
"I'm guessing that they won't be able to conduct sea trade, or travel by sea," Erika answered.
"Exactly!" Fulton replied. "Although sovereigns are mighty, and sovereigns who possess Titled Pokemon are even mightier, I can guarantee that most sovereigns will outright refuse to battle a water-type Titled Pokemon if they have to do it in the deep sea, even if they have a Titled Pokemon of their own. Fighting a water-type Titled Pokemon in the deep ocean - their home ground, is practically suicide. Only Water Sovereigns can shoulder the responsibility of negotiating for safe passage, and without one, there simply won't be any sea trade."
"And that's what has happened to Orre," Fulton concluded. "Their last living Water Sovereign died of old age a long time ago, and since then, there's been no sea trade going into the region."
"So how does that explain my question exactly? How come Orre is still holding it together?"
"I wouldn't exactly say they're holding it together," Fulton corrected her. "It's more like they're barely hanging onto their last legs. Apart from sea trade, there are also two more types of trade that could be conducted - air trade, and teleport trade. However, you should note that sea trade via freight shipping is by far the cheapest and most economically viable method, and that while possible, air trade and teleport trade are much more expensive."
Ah. So basically shipping is too expensive for Orre in general.
"You're on the right track," Fulton confirmed. "Air travel, while possible for Orre, is far too expensive for them to properly take advantage of ever since Indigo started waging economic warfare against them. The only option remaining for them is teleport trade - and that comes with its own problems. For one, shipping goods on a large scale through teleportation usually requires a Psychic Sovereign, a friendly psychic-type Titled Pokemon, or both."
"And Orre has one of them right?"
"That's exactly the situation." Fulton spread his arms. "Orre's ability to cling onto existence relies entirely on their sole Psychic Sovereign, who spends her entire day wringing out her powers to keep shipping in goods to prevent the region from collapsing. Orre can't trade via land due to the physical trade embargo Indigo has been doing to them, and air travel is too expensive - we've also done our best to lock down their airspace to prevent cargo planes from coming in and out. Sea trade is entirely impossible. The only goods flowing into the region are basically all from teleport trade. Orre's Psychic Sovereign can't even contribute her energy to fighting against an invasion by Indigo if it ever happens, because if she takes time off from bringing in shipments of goods, Orre's economy will probably collapse instantly."
"Now that I've taught you a little more about the geopolitics of our world, you should understand why making friends with Mathius Shenfield is important," Fulton hinted meaningfully. "Establish a connection with him, and try to strike up a genuine friendship. Your future days as a gym leader will become much easier and more profitable as you'll come to realize."
Erika left Fulton's house quite dazed by the information he had just given her, and retired for the night back at the Grand Verdant.
She stuck around for exactly five more days, waiting for news of Milly's successful gym challenge.
"I won, Erika!" Milly burst into Erika's room like a tornado, knocking down all the furniture and screaming at the top of her lungs. "I won, I won, I won!"
Erika started laughing uncontrollably at the sight of her friend. She must be really happy, Erika mused. I've never seen Milly lose decorum like this before.
That night, Milly threw a grand party for both herself and Erika, celebrating the first two grass specialists to get their first badges in Celadon within the last twenty years. Erika got to meet many more of her cousins, and even her father - although he only stuck around for a short period of time, so she didn't get to interact with him much.
At the end of the week, Erika bid goodbye to Milly and left the Grand Verdant.
Before she could leave Celadon properly though, there were still a few last things Erika had to do. I haven't said goodbye to Old Man Selby yet.
Erika hesitated though. I'm too high profile right now. Visiting him will only risk exposing my former identity.
He helped you though, some part of Erika was saying. Think of the affinity paper. The hope it represented. He gave you that. The knowledge that you were meant to be great, to attain kleos aphthiton - fame imperishable. Without Selby, you would be nothing.
Erika bit her lip viciously. I'm not an ingratiate! Whatever has been given unto me, shall be returned onto the giver! Besides, it's not like I care about Selby! I'm just saying goodbye, and repaying what I owe!
In this brutal and lonely world, it was rare for someone to extend kindness to another, especially if you yourself had nothing to give.
For someone like Selby to exist in the slums - even if it was the decidedly nicer surface slums and not the true slums of the Underbelly - was a miracle in Erika's august opinion.
Although Erika wouldn't ever admit it aloud, she was secretly very touched by Selby's kindness. It wasn't like Milly's kindness, which Erika was well aware of as being more a form of investment in her potential than anything, nor was it that of Fulton, who only offered her material wealth out of need for her.
Selby's kindness… was a rare kindness offered without any strings. It was a kindness born out of a pure spirit, one which was selfless and virtuous. The kind of person I'll never become, Erika thought mirthlessly. Selby is too good for this vicious world.
Erika wholeheartedly believed that if there were more people like Selby in the world, perhaps the world would be less of a bad place.
However, she was well aware that the world didn't reward people like Selby - it only tore them down and chewed them up, and then spat them out on the streets.
The world Erika lived in did not reward kindness. This was a world which rewarded people without compassion, with more ambition than kindness and more rationality than empathy. It was the kind of world which rewarded people like Erika, who were willing to shed their morals and trample upon others to rise up, and not kindhearted souls like Selby.
So what though?
Erika didn't care about any of that. Selby helped me when I needed it the most by giving me hope for a better future. I must reward that to the best of my ability, otherwise, I'll never get another wink of sleep for the rest of my life.
Erika arranged for the purchase of a small, but comfortable flat in one of the nicer parts of town - not too nice that someone might covet what Selby had, because Erika was well aware of what would happen to her benefactor if that occurred, but nice enough that Selby would be able to retire comfortably.
She then bought a cloak from a nearby shop claiming that it was for her uncle, and she snuck off to the veteran's memorial since Selby often hung out around there.
Erika skulked around the memorial for about an hour before Selby finally showed up to pay his respects to the gravestones, and then approached him while wearing her newly acquired hood.
The sight of him made Erika wince a little. She felt a profoundly uncomfortable sensation in the back of her throat and viciously suppressed it, unwilling to show any weakness.
"Selby," Erika said in a low voice. "It's me! Erika."
"Erika?"
Selby turned around in shock, and Erika lifted her cloak a little to let him see her face briefly before covering her face once more.
"Don't say my name loudly," Erika hissed. "My identity is a little sensitive right now."
She grabbed Selby by the arm and started tugging him away, and she started leading him to his new house.
"What's going on Erika?" Selby was quite confused by her appearance. "I haven't seen you in ages! Where are you bringing me?"
"Just be patient and walk with me," Erika said under her breath. "I can't talk about it in public."
It started raining during their walk, so Erika was forced to drag Selby along with her a little faster to avoid getting soaked. They eventually made it to the flat that Erika purchased for Selby, and she slipped a key into the door and twisted it, swinging the simple wooden door open.
Erika threw off her hood and swept her hair back into place.
"I bought this place for you Selby!" Erika told him directly. "Surprise!"
"What?"
"Where'd you get the money for this?" Selby was shocked.
"You haven't been dealing with criminals have you?"
"No of course not!" Erika blurted out. Her face burned from the bald-faced lie. "I'm a Pokemon trainer now!"
Erika hesitated now. I really shouldn't be saying this…
"You're going to find out anyways if you watch even a little bit of television, and I know that they have a public TV near the memorial where you can watch the news," Erika told her benefactor. "I'll just be honest. Have you paid any attention to the recent challenges to the Celadon gym?"
Selby didn't say a word as he kept studying her face and then thought back to what she had just said. My face has become quite different.
In the past, Erika's face was often caked with dust or mud, so seeing her face so totally pristine now must have been jarring.
It didn't take long for Selby to make the connection. "You're Erika Caldwell?" He shouted.
"Don't say that too loud," Erika winced. "But yes. I won't elaborate too much, but I ended up awakening my aura successfully and getting a patron to sponsor my training. I'm now a career trainer, so I've got a little money to burn, so I bought you this house."
"Erika," Selby said slowly. "You didn't have to do this for me! You're just starting out, and I used to be an infantryman - I worked alongside some real trainers and I know how those patrons work. Don't spend the money meant for your journey on me! Erika-"
"Just accept what I'm giving you okay?" Erika said fiercely. "I've got money to burn, for real. I got a VERY rich patron, and I've befriended some of the bigwig members of the Celadon Conservatives. Please, just take it. I know you've been homeless for a long time, and I don't want you out on the streets."
Erika inhaled deeply. An eye for an eye. Those who give and take must be repaid.
"You've done so much for me, more than you realize," Erika told him. "Do you remember that affinity paper you gave to me?"
"The one where it sprouted roots and started growing into a tree on the spot?"
"Yes, that exact paper," Erika confirmed. "I know you're not a trainer, so you wouldn't understand the significance of what happened that day. Do you know how massive my aura is?"
"I think I might have broken some sort of historical record," Erika said honestly. "I was taken in by someone from the conservative faction after I showed them my talent, and it's given me the opportunity to change my very destiny. If you hadn't given me that paper and shown me what was possible, I wouldn't be standing here before you right now!"
"So please," Erika said sincerely. "Just take the home I've bought for you."
She threw Selby the keys, and he caught them, still shocked at what was happening.
"I've got to leave now," Erika said, her voice a little strained. "I have to go meet with my patron, and I'll be heading to Violet after this. Stay safe, Selby."
Erika tried to turn and leave, but Selby caught her arm and pulled her into a hug.
"Thank you," Selby wheezed. "You don't know how much this means to me."
"After this, you shouldn't contact me or try to find me," Erika told him. "I'm associated with very important people now, and I don't want you getting involved. Not a lot of people know about my past on the streets, and if it gets out, both of us will be put into a bad spot. Just pretend you don't know me from now on."
"What do you mean?"
The moment Selby said that his grip loosened, and Erika took the chance to break away.
"Stay well," Erika forced out. "I've left you enough money under the bed to last you for the rest of your life if you spend it well. There's a debit card in your name. Live in peace and be happy - you deserve this."
Erika ran away, shoving herself past the door and out into the rain outside. It was pouring and thundering, but Erika didn't care. If she spent even a few more minutes in that house, she might actually start feeling too emotional.
"Erika!" Selby shouted at her. "Come back!"
"Be happy!" Erika shouted back. "Live well! You should retire peacefully, and have some real kids! Go find a wife or something, settle down! I don't care what you do - just stay safe! Thank you for the help you gave to me!"
Erika couldn't hear Selby's response anymore because she had run too far out, but despite the rain and her approaching departure, Erika's heart felt light.
The sadness that had been in her heart had been washed away, and she didn't have any regrets left. Erika allowed herself to shed a single tear before it was wiped away by the deluge of rain, mixed into the falling drops and disguised as if it was never there.
Now that I've repaid Selby, I can move on without regrets.
Erika wandered around Celadon one last time, bringing her team to a few restaurants to eat their fill before they disappeared into the wilderness, and stopped at the Eastern Gate.
Erika looked back at the city before her, and then turned away, marching steadily into Route 7 towards Saffron City.
Farewell, Celadon! Erika thought. This is the beginning of my grand adventure - an unforgettable, heaven-shocking, earth-shaking journey never before seen! The journey of Erika Caldwell!