Viridian City
Pokemon Center - 0014
Arata's POV
I opened the doors and stepped inside the room, running through my options. I didn't want to halt my journey for the sake of the sisters for more than a couple of days; I couldn't afford to, knowing how time-consuming the later gyms would be if I wanted a shot at the Indigo Conference this year.
But at the same time, I couldn't leave the sisters here alone. I sighed, looking at the sleeping girl on the cot, holding Orin like a lifeline. He opened a lazy eye as he saw me, snorted, and snuggled a bit.
I took a seat in the comfortable armchair near the window, relaxing my muscles. It had been a long couple of days. With nothing much to do, I took out my Pokedex, which flipped open and switched on with a quiet digital whine. I scrolled through the Pokenet, looking at the latest trends in battling and the latest news. People were still surprised that Lance had challenged Pryce for the championship, and various news outlets and talk shows were giving their own opinions.
Getting bored with that, I scrolled down to the application and switched to my research journal, where I keep a record of my Pokemon's biometric data, tracking their growth, which gets shared regularly with the professor, and movesets, also containing my notes on training plans.
It was a shame I couldn't spend more time off-route to train my team. Livia was at a stage where she could comfortably use Roost to heal up damage. It might not be something we could effectively use in battle, as it takes time for her to heal from damage done to her.
It was an interesting move, able to heal her of any active damage as long as it wasn't critical, like a broken wing. It was an incredibly powerful move that would keep her active after a fight, it was Not battle-ready but any other situation? As long as she had a breath to breathe, she could stay fight-worthy and my only Pokemon currently capable of healing herself. But the most important aspect of the move was the ability to regain lost stamina.
Now that was something worth considering... especially if she could do that intermittently in short bursts during high-speed battles.
It seemed impossible for Pokémon to selectively split apart a move like that, but I knew she could because she had me, my powers helping her. And Ceaser, ever the overachiever, was attempting to learn two of the most devastating attacks his species could learn at later stages in life: Giga Impact and Draco Meteor. Draco Meteor was considered too dangerous for use in most unregulated battles and strictly forbidden; a sufficiently trained dragon could destroy multiple city blocks with it.
The only publicly known trainer currently with a Pokémon capable of Draco Meteor was Elite Drake of Hoenn. Not to mention, moves like that needed to be registered, a big hassle, though something I could theoretically circumvent as an Oak-recognized trainer.
But that was something I could decide on when he actually learned them. Surprisingly, it was the first time he struggled to learn something.
And then there was the latest troublemaker of the team, Titania. I sighed and shook my head... she had a long way to go before I could entrust her to fight in any battles. And finally, Orin.
I side-eyed him. There wasn't much more he could learn or refine; he was reaching a limit where even my power was only making him healthier and increasing his energy pool, like there was something blocking him... He's going to evolve real soon... he just needs the right stimulus...
Closing the Dex, I looked at Magie, who was snoring quietly, snuggling into Orin. I settled into an armchair, hoping to get some shut-eye.
Later in the Evening
Magie and I prepared to leave and visit Marrie, once I had been informed that she was temporarily placed there. Orin had been returned after being thoroughly used as an emotional support doll.
A little hesitant, I asked, "Hey, Magie... maybe freshen up first? Quick face wash, change of shirt? You've got some dirt on your cheek."
She blinked up at me, then looked down at herself. For a second, I felt weird asking that of a literal stranger, but she just nodded without complaint. "Okay."
She padded into the bathroom without complaint and came out a minute later with wet hands, her face scrubbed pink, and a cleaner shirt from her backpack. Nodding at her with a smile, we made our way to the recovery room on the 2nd floor.
I was quieter around the nurses and families of the patients admitted here. We walked into the room she was in, curtained bays separated by screens. Beeps of medical systems filled the air, and I felt Magie hold my hand from beside me. Looking down, I could see she was uncomfortable. I gave her a reassuring smile and walked in.
We found Marrie's bay near the end. She was propped up in bed, IV line in her good arm, leg elevated in a soft brace. She looked much better.
Maggie lit up. "Marrie!"
She hurried forward. Marrie opened her arms and pulled her sister into a careful hug, wincing slightly. "Hey, I missed you."
Marrie looked up at me over Maggie's head. "Arata... thank you. I don't even know where to start."
"Don't worry about it," I said quietly. A doctor with a clipboard approached. "Ms. Marrie? Vitals look excellent. The transfusion went perfectly, and there are no signs of infection. We'll remove the cast tonight and keep you overnight for observation, but you should be cleared for discharge tomorrow morning."
Marrie exhaled in visible relief. "Thank you, Doctor."
He gave us a nod and moved on to the next bay. Seeing that Marrie was mostly fine, I glanced at Maggie.
"Maggie, why don't you go grab us something to drink from the vending machine down the hall? Juice or whatever looks good. I need to talk to your sister for a minute."
Maggie hesitated, her big eyes flicking between us, but Marrie squeezed her hand. "I'm okay. Promise. Go on."
The little girl nodded and slipped out past the curtain. I waited until her footsteps faded, then looked at Marrie directly. "The police were here earlier. Asked about you."
"Oh..." I paused, giving her a moment to digest the information.
"They wanted a statement, and since I'm a JN Ranger, they want a formal report filed at the local Ranger HQ at the earliest. I need..."
She bit her lip. "We're orphans. Our parents... died a couple years ago. The orphanage here in Viridian took us in. I had planned to leave after getting my trainer license, that was always the plan, and check out, leave the city with Maggie... it's not safe for us here. I was going to try my hand at the contests and maybe gain some sponsors. We were to leave just after trying to catch another Pokémon, but..."
I remained silent as she spilled her life, feeling very lucky to have lived the life I have.
She looked down at her hands and continued, "I know it's shameless to ask, but... could you keep Maggie with you tomorrow morning? Just until I pack up from the orphanage? I don't want her going back there. I'll be in and out real quick, maybe meet back at the center around 12?"
Not safe...
"Are you both in danger?" I asked plainly, feeling I needed to know. She remained quiet for a moment before answering.
"...we just need to leave the city..."
I paused and thought. This isn't a bad idea. I'll be able to keep an eye on Maggie until I can have a conversation with the professor again, buy some time...
Maggie came back then, balancing three juice boxes. "They only had apple and orange!"
We smiled, each receiving one from her, then glanced at the older girl, Marrie, who was trusting me—a stranger, even if I had saved them—to keep an eye on her sister.
How desperate she is, I see... though I did see her glance at my Pokedex...
I nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."
Relief washed over her face. "Thank you. Really."
We stayed a while longer, Maggie chattering about Orin's "soft fur," and Marrie smiling as she indulged the little girl. Eventually, the nurse gently shooed us out for lights-out.
I bought a couple of sandwiches and more juice from the Center's small café for dinner. Up in the room, Maggie ate quickly, yawning between bites. I tucked her in again; she was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow. I took the other bed in the room and went to sleep.
Viridian City
24th Main Road
Next Day
I looked at my nav, following the map, which pointed to the Southern Ranger HQ in the city. It was the closest one to our location in the Pokémon Center. We had eaten a hearty breakfast in the center before leaving.
"What are we going to do after you do your thing, Arata?" Maggie asked, skipping beside me on the sidewalk, straw hat bouncing with every step.
Smiling, I said, "Well, as your sister is going to take some time to take care of some loose ends, depending on how long we take at the Rangers office, we could go to a remote area where I could train my Pokémon."
Or at least get a session in with my power...
We had left the center after meeting with Marrie again, who was mostly up and about, getting ready to be discharged. We confirmed our plan to meet back at noon. I was able to record a voice note for the documentation and also informed her I wanted to talk to her about something important to discuss. She had accepted with a stiff face.
What had that been about...
"Can I play with them then?" Maggie asked me brightly. I laughed a little and answered,
"No, you can't. They'll be busy training... but you could draw them." That was something I had learned about her as she was packing her little backpack with some of her art supplies, something I had missed the days prior.
"Ok~" I smiled and focused back on the map. We were close to it, just a block away. It had taken us a bus ride and 30 minutes of walking, but we were almost there. The Southern Ranger HQ came into view around the corner, a sleek, low-slung building of dark glass and brushed steel, with green accents.
It was certainly different from Vermilion's HQ...
We stepped through the wide glass doors into a bright, open lobby. Rangers and their Pokémon moved around, going about their day. I could see a multitude of Pokémon, some rare in the region, like a Noctowl...
The reception desk was a curved slab of polished wood with embedded screens. The woman behind it, dark hair in a neat braid, looked up with a professional smile.
"Morning. How can I help you?"
"I need to file an incident report," I said, tapping my Ranger Nav against the counter dock. "Junior Ranger Arata Ishida. Route 1 rescue yesterday involving two civilians and a wild Pokémon attack."
She nodded, scanning the connection. "Got it. You're cleared for the auxiliary filing room. Down the left corridor, third door on the right. Just log in with your Nav and continue."
"Thanks." I glanced at Maggie, who was staring wide-eyed at a passing Scyther being led by a senior Ranger. "She's with me—a friend's kid. She won't be any trouble."
The receptionist smiled at Maggie. "Of course. Welcome."
We headed down the corridor, filled with soft lighting and motivational posters. The third door on the right opened into a small, private room containing a table, chair, wall-mounted screen, and a docking station.
I plugged in my Nav. The screen lit up, automatically pulling my credentials. I recorded the full statement, along with Marie's recounting from the voice recording. Just as I was about to finish, a voice called out,
"Hello, do you need help?"
I turned.
A man stood in the doorway: lean build, silver threading through dark hair, a Ranger coat tailored sharp, and senior insignia on the collar. His eyes were calm, though.
"Senior Ranger Petrel," he said, stepping inside and offering me a hand. "I handle auxiliary reports in this sector."
I froze for a second but took his hand with a firm grip.
"Pleasure," I said, keeping my voice even.
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Let me know if you need any help." I nodded, and he walked deeper into the room.
A thought flashed through my head as I finished the report, guiding Maggie out of the room.
That man felt dangerous...