When I returned to the lobby area, Vio was still outside her Pokéball, walking next to me. Uncertain of what the exact rules for Pokémon activity in this town were, I pressed the bell to call the receptionist, planning to hand in the Pokéballs of Charm, Aura and Su, while Vio would stay with me, unless they had similar rules to Eterna City, greatly restricting Pokémon and their trainers.
The attendant merely raised an eyebrow when she saw Vio and at my question, she gave me a wide smile. It wasn’t a mere, polite smile or if it was, it was of the highest level. It made me feel quite warm and a little fuzzy inside, as if the attendant was truly happy to see me and interested in what I had to say and ask.
“Don’t cause harm to people or property, that’s pretty much it. If your Pokémon makes a mess, you are responsible for clearing it up, but I don’t think your little Kirlia will be a real problem,” she assured me, her smile never wavering. “Anything else?”
“Well, some food would be nice, and I’ll have to check in with the Gym, to get my monthly stipend to pay for said food. Could you give me a recommendation?” I asked, curious about the food I could get in this somewhat odd town.
“That depends on what you are interested in. We’ve got an excellent Jothonian Restaurant, I love their vegetable dishes, or you could go for the Alolan place, that one only opened a few months ago, I’ve not been there yet. There are a couple more that have traditional Snowpoint-cuisine but some people feel it takes a bit to get used to it, not everyone likes their fish… matured that way,” she shrugged, the smile turning a little apologetic at the end.
After a moment of consideration, I asked for directions to the Johtonian place and to the Gym, neither should be hard to find. In addition, I handed over three of my Pokéballs while thinking about whether or not I wanted to wait for Claire or any of the others - And deciding against it, simply to have some time on my own.
Given that it wasn’t quite time for dinner just yet, I decided to go for a bit of a walk. The other option would have been to directly head to the Gym but after over a week of wilderness travel, I had little design to get right back to work. I wanted to relax, and not only for the thirty minutes I had stood under the shower, but for a day or two, maybe even longer.
Walking around, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. At first, I thought it might come from the chilling wind that was blowing through the relatively narrow streets but the sensation lingered, even after seeking shelter between some buildings.
Looking down at Vio, I wondered if she could feel the same sensation, but her state of mind was difficult to tell, she was hiding behind my leg, her head swivelling around constantly, but whether she was tracking the few other people on the street or was looking for the source of the disturbance, I didn’t know. Or it might be something else entirely, trying to guess the thoughts of my Pokémon could be quite frustrating.
But it was a necessary frustration if I not only wanted to train my Pokémon to be strong but also help them become complete beings. Not just driven by their instinct to fight and survive, nor confined to a Pokéball and only called out to battle at my convenience, I wanted them to be able to not only survive, I wanted them to enjoy their existence. Which meant communicating with them, as frustrating as it sometimes was.
During our walk through town, I looked around, searching for potential ways to investigate the tales of wanderers heading into the woods and gaining knowledge they didn’t have before. Just walking up to random people on the street didn’t seem like the best approach and I wasn’t certain it fell within the Gym’s purview, but that might be the best place to start.
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The gym was situated nicely in the centre of town, not too far from the Pokécentre. It was, as all gyms I had seen thus far, a rather impressive building, both utilitarian in its apparent sturdiness but also beautiful, the stonework clearly designed and polished to invoke impressions of Ice, the type the local trainers were famous for using. Not exclusively, that would just be asking for a powerful Fire-, Fighting-, Rock- or Steel-type to walk over them, but often enough for the preference to become widely known.
Though it might also be simply a ruse, luring people into preparing and planning for a battle that never happened. Not likely, there was simply little use for such ploys, but it was a possibility.
Inside, the building was as comfortable as it had been imposing on the outside. Plush couches, nice furnishings and long shelves filled with books, all inviting to linger and relax. The counter was well-attended, with two people seemingly just waiting for someone to show up, looking at me with interest, as if I was the means to deliver them from their boredom.
Which I might well be.
Walking up, I introduced myself and temporarily declined the Gym-mission, though I informed them that it was just a delay, not a refusal. I wanted to take the mission, but only after I had managed to commune with Uxie, the Guardian of Lake Acuity. Not that I outright told them about that objective of mine, it wasn’t any of their business.
Instead, I asked about an authority of local myths and stories, hinting that Professor Carolina of Celestic Town was interested in the inquiry. It wasn’t a real lie, and I was quite confident that the Professor would back me up if push came to shove, but it wasn’t my primary objective.
To my amusement, the two of them were quite helpful, both putting great effort into helping me, or maybe they were just that bored. I couldn’t say for certain, in the hour I was in the Gym, nobody else showed up and I could only catch a brief glance of another employee. That one only glanced briefly into the reception-area but retreated after seeing that both attendants were present.
With their help, I managed to locate quite a few books that were of interest, making notes of where to find them, so I could study them at my leisure. Sadly, from the looks of it, the books with the information I was interested in were all eye-witness accounts or memories. The information I was interested in seemed to be spread out across large areas of the books, meaning I would have to slowly and carefully study them, looking for grains of truth within the oceans of conjecture. It reminded me of my study with Professor Carolina and I was already somewhat dreading it, even as a part of me was interested.
Finally, after getting a letter of recommendation to visit the local school and its headmaster, I headed off, looking for dinner. By that point, Vio had enough of walking behind me and insisted on sitting on my shoulders, her arms hugging my head and occasionally playing with my hair. It was quite amusing, especially the slightly weird looks we got on occasion, but I simply let that roll off me. I didn’t really care how the locals saw me and from the happy noises and the affectionate cuddles Vio gave me, she was enjoying herself. That was enough for me.
When we reached the restaurant I had decided on, it was quite loud and crowded. Not completely packed but for someone who had been with a small group for quite some time, it felt a little daunting. Vio didn’t even want to enter, gently reaching up to poke her Pokéball when I placed her back on the ground. The signal couldn’t be more obvious and I accepted her wish and called her back, so she could rest for a while. I made a mental note to give her some additional food later, as she had been out and about for quite a while, but first, I wanted to have food for myself.
Entering the restaurant, I was soon greeted by a waiter and seated. It was interesting, the odd feeling of loneliness while in the middle of a group. When outside, even if there was only Claire in a day’s march or more, I had never felt this lonely. And yet, here, where there were three dozen people in the same room with me and thousands within easy reach, I was all alone.
It made me wonder, what sort of life did I actually want to live? I had been travelling to find out who I was, but now, near the being that would hopefully answer the question of who I had been, I was just as lost as I had been at the beginning. I could only count on Uxie to grant me knowledge, for the journey here hadn’t helped me to know myself in the slightest.