Rust's the village weirdo, and Bluebell's his wheelchair-bound childhood friend that's unfortunately stuck with him. Pallet Town's a lot quieter once they leave on their journey.
"...Squirtle, you don't have to tolerate his insanity if you don't wa...
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They arrive at Pewter City the next morning with the same camping group, and they split at the gateway.
"Alright, we're heading straight for the gym, Fushi," Bell says, holding the handle of his wheel, ready to race his Bulbasaur across the streets. "Let's go find it!"
-
Bell enters the Pewter City gym and scowls down at the unpaved flooring like it's a personal offense. Which, in fact, yes it is.
Pewter City Gym is a training facility, human and Pokemon alike. It's got indoor terrains, rock climbing walls, targets, and of course, more than enough space to Pokemon Battle. It's pretty much a practical form of Trainer Schools, but only for trainers that are of age.
In fact, there were plenty of trainers inside already. They were using the rock terrain to its fullest, Growlithe meandering around them to dodge Rock Tombs, Geodude hiding between the cracks to ambush a searching Pidgey, and more. At the far wall a Hiker races his Machop to the top, only to end in a draw as they slip and fall, landing harshly against the mattress laid out underneath for safety.
"Hey there!" the assigned Gym guide, or Jim, as they're usually referred to, "you a trainer, or...?"
"Yes," Bell answers before looking over.
"Ah," Jim says, like a realization, and Bell understands that's surprise. People with physical disabilities aren't encouraged nor required to go on badge pilgrimages, after all, so he must've been taken aback.
Bell's smile pulls tight, but he keeps it on. He needs to be polite, or they might chase him out or look down on him. He can't afford more handicaps than his already existing one.
Jim composes himself, reaching over for the entry log, "here to challenge the gym leader, or for a class? Trainer ID, please."
At least he was personable enough.
"To challenge the Gym Leader," he says. "I've got no badges yet."
"Alright then," Jim says, lodging the data in and returning the card, "You can use up to two Pokemon. Brock's not in at the moment, but I'll call him. He'll be here in about ten, can you wait that long?"
"Sure, I'll go look around..." Bell looks back at the jagged floor, and the multiple threatening rocks in the way of everything. It doesn't look like there was much space for the wheelchair once you got far enough in. "...On second thought, I'll just wait here."
Jim chuckles. "Yeah, you do that. I'll tell him to hurry."
Bell sighs, leaning back against his chair. People have noticed him, and some have smiled when their eyes met, just to be polite. Jim has hustled out the door, supposedly to Pewter Museum where the Gym Leader is.
