Beyond the Adventure - A Pokémon Story

Chapter 9: Truths Revealed pt2

        Vermillion City is a noisy city, with people coming and going, and the sound of construction going on in the east part of the city.  The sun sinks lower from within the clouds, threatening to dip into the ocean and embrace the world in darkness.  Jaws yawns and I follow suit.  The day had been surprisingly long and I find myself ready for sleep already.  Despite the night prior, Darius seems brimming with energy, ready to explore this new town.

        Off in the east part of town, one building stood amongst the construction.  A sign reads “Forbidden Fruit: Berries of the World” above the door.  Darius’ eyes widen at the sight, but when I glare at him, he clears his throat and says “Hey, we should get our tickets!”  He starts meandering toward the dockhouse.

        We get to the dockhouse and ask for tickets for Slateport City, Hoenn.  The woman looks at us apologetically.  “I’m sorry,” she says, “but due to a storm in the area, Slateport has postponed all ships.  They estimate the storm to pass within the next twenty-four hours, but the ships won’t be ready for another day after.  We are looking at six days, at least, before ships arrive here.”

        “Uugghh!” Darius groans loudly.  “What is with these ships?  First the ships in Olivine, now the ships at Slateport??”  He looks at me sharply and I am taken aback for a moment.  “You’re bad luck!”

        “Hey, why me?” I ask.

        Darius turns back to the lady.  “All right,” he says, clearly aggravated.  “So give us the first ship available.”  He slides her what I assume is his fancy card.

        The woman’s eyes go wide for a split second, then taps away on her computer.  "It is just an estimate,” she says, her computer screen reflected in her glasses, “but the first ship to Slateport is estimated to depart at 6am on Thursday.”

        Darius glances at his Pokégear, then taps a few buttons.  He looks back at the woman.  “How long is the trip?”

        “From here to Slateport, travel time runs about three days,” the woman replies.

        Darius furrows his brow, as if he is contemplating something, then finally nods.  “Fine,” he grunts.  “Give us your best suite.”

        The woman’s eyes go wide and she smiles big.  “Yes sir!” she says excitedly.

        After getting our tickets, Darius looks at me.  “You’re lucky I like you,” he says.  I cannot tell if he is joking or being serious.

        We leave the dockhouse, wander out into the open part of town, then Darius stops.  He looks around and sighs.  “Six days,” he grumbles.  “What do we do for six days?”

        I shrug.  “It is my first time here as well,” I say.  “I don’t know the area.”

        Darius pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes, thinking.  After a few minutes, he grunts.  “Ugh, thinking hurts right now,” he says.  He pulls out the pills he got from Silph, Co, pops a pill, and chugs it down with some water.  After a few seconds, he visibly looks much better.  “Ah, that’s the stuff.”

        Darius puts the pills away, then looks at me.  “Sorry for snapping at you,” he apologizes.  “I’m just eager to get to Hoenn.”

        “I don’t blame you,” I sympathize.  “This trip has taken quite a bit longer than I expected… is that Jess?!”

        I notice a familiar blue figure walking toward the new berry shop.  I point to her and Darius squints.  A subtle smile creeps onto his face.  “It sure is,” he says, trying to contain his excitement.  “Let’s go say hi!”