"We made it to the pokemon center!" Noah exclaimed as he ran into the pokemon center to have nurse Joy check out his pokemon. The Misdreavus train ride had made good time, it only took her an hour and a half to pull us here.
Misdreavus, now officially done with pulling, floated on top of Kyra's head, then melted looking like melted ice cream spilled on Kyra's head.
Once both me and Kyra stood up, she put the dolly in her bag, and we both walked in. Inside the pokemon center had some activity, but not much, there were some trainers here and there but no one in need of urgent care.
Noah having already placed his pokeballs on a tray being carried by a Chansey, gestured towards us the Chansey noticing us, waited until we were closer and held up the tray. Kyra recalled her puddle, then placed Misdreavus's ball on the tray, I did to with my pokeballs.
"Thank you Chansey", "Chansey", the Chansey said before walking away.
Noah turned to us, "since our pokemon are relatively fine it shouldn't take that long, what should we do to kill sometime?" he asked. Facing the question I started mentally going over what we needed, "we need to at least buy some supplies, when we eventually leave Jubilife."
Then I remembered that we were in the pokemon center, and my promise to my parents, I shook my head, "I'll call my family when I have my pokemon". At my reminder Noah, and Kyra nodded, then steered the conversation back to supplies.
"We all could use some supplies, especially after using a good amount with the Wooper and Quagsire, sure lets go."
Walking out of the pokemon center, we quickly noticed the blue pokemart nearby, hopefully it won't be too expensive, we all thought.
----fifteen minutes later---
Three young kids were sitting on the curb of the street outside of the pokemart, all three of them had a vacant dead look in their eyes as they looked down at the receipt in each of their hands.
Even the boy who had always had the warmest energy and a smile on his face, was as down as the other two.
After staring at the final number at the bottom of the little paper, I couldn't stand it anymore, I started clutching my head with my hands, "What the heck was that?! That was a robbery in broad daylight."
"Which part? The fact that the pokemon food alone almost bankrupted Noah, or the fact that just the basic supplies for surviving the journey to the next town stole over half the money in our wallets, Hikari?" Kyra hollowly replied back while drawing circles on the ground.
"This has to be price gouging right? Because we're in the Sinnoh region's biggest city right?" Noah frantically looking over to us with slight hope in his eyes turned to face us.
"Nope, I asked the sales woman, these prices are all set in stone across the Sinnoh region" Kyra mercilessly burst Noah's small bubble of hope.
Kyra remembered something turned to me, "also Hikari, doesn't your dad own the pokemart in our town? Why are the prices so much cheaper there?"
"Because my dad's store is the only one around with all the necessary pokemon medication until Jubilife, some of the town's taxes go into keeping prices down." I responded back. We continued staring at our empty wallets, for a while longer, after a while I mentally decided that we need to get moving.
As I stood up, my eyes locked onto one of the buildings, my pupils dilating. Seeing me get up off the curb it gained Noah, and Kyra's attention.
Lowering my voice so only they could hear me, "I need to deal with something", "What?" They both asked, while looking at me both equally confused.
There, right in front of us, was the Nintendo office, the iconic logo staring right at us, mocking our struggle. In the pokemon world, Nintendo did exist, in every game the playable character always had a Nintendo console in their room. But in the actual pokemon world, very few stayed inside, at heart everyone was an outside kid so video games never really became as relevant.
With me, not moving, Noah got up and started shaking me, "Hikari, Hikari, are you okay?"
As Noah shook me, I started vibrating in his grip, then I pointed straight at the building. "NINTENDO!" I yelled out, hearing me Noah paused shaking me meanwhile Kyra sensing my incoming rant, had pulled up her hoodie over her head and moved her hair to cover face, before slowly started backing away trying to look like she didn't know me.
"You greedy bastards, extorting us common people while you sit on a mountain of gold, tossing us peanut shells while slapping Mario's face on something then charging $70 dollars for the smallest price!"
While I was yelling I got weird looks from passersby but not much more than that, "Nintendo? That little gaming company?" Noah asked
I turned to him giving him a dead serious look, "Nintendo is bigger than you could possibly imagine or believe"
Kyra done with my antics cut into the conversation, "so how do we solve the problem of us solving our empty wallets?"
Noah, now back on topic, grimaced for a second, then hardened his face and said with a voice full of confidence and determination, "let's go to the pokemon center, then to the training grounds to bully then extort some kids."
At Noah's word both me and Kyra twitched before sinister smiles bloomed across our faces.
"Noah", I said while putting an arm around his shoulder, "I never would have expected an idea like yours to come from you, maybe Kyra -"
"Hey!? What do you mean that idea would come from me Hikari, well it would but still what the heck?!"
Ignoring Kyra, I patted Noah's shoulder, "congratulations on becoming a real pokemon trainer". Moving to the side I dodged Kyra's swipe at me, while she still glared at me we started jogging to the pokemon center.
By the time we arrived our pokemon were already healed and were waiting for us, we thanked nurse Joy who handed us our balls. While Noah and Kyra equipped their pokemon onto their belts I quitely slipped them into my arm. With all of us ready, Noah pointed towards the door.
"To the battle grounds", however the moment he finished the world started to spin around us, and for the next few seconds all we heard was, nananananaanana, "HEY, how'd you get here!?"
Then we appeared outside somewhere, holding his head Noah looked around, "what just happened?" He asked.
Kyra, slightly off balance, regained her footing before rubbing at her own head, "I have no idea, one moment we were in the pokemon center, the next the world was spinning, then someone yelled at us."
"Noah, try it again" I said
Kyra hearing me tried to stop him "Don't you -"
"To the pokemon center" Noah said, as he pointed ahead, unlike last time a red pop up window appeared in front of us.
Your access to this mode of transportation has been blocked by dimensional duct tape.
"Freaky", said Noah as his finger passed through the pop up. Kyra and I couldn't help but agree privately I could only wonder if I would make some interdimensional friends.
Suddenly we heard a boom and turned around, we were at the battle arenas and a Machop had just chucked a Geodude into the ground from the air, the Geodude was knocked out.
"bwha!"
The blast that came from the Geodude had created a shockwave, the shockwave had blasted a newspaper in Kyra's face.
Kyra pulled the newspaper off her face and was about to throw it away, until I grabbed it from her. Kyra looked like she wanted to protest, but realizing it would be over a piece of random paper she stopped herself.
Noah, noticing me looking at the picture on the front page, asked about it, "Something up Hikari?"
I was engrossed in the picture. It was a picture of three individuals. All three of them had a green bandana that had swirls on it, but one had long hot pink hair, another had short blue hair, and the last one looked like a cat with a gold coin on its forehead.
I instantly recognized those three it was team rocket looking at the date the paper came out today. Seeing the date I had a predatory smile on my face, turning to Kyra and Noah, they were both giving me raised eyebrows.
"I have a plan to make us a lot of money, but first I need to go back to the pokemon center."
That gained their attention instantly, "come here I'll explain" then we huddled in.
After I explained my plan, Noah was frowning, "I don't know about this, this just sounds wrong", Kyra also decided to add her two cents, "Hikari, this plan of yours sounds slightly illegal."
Raising my hands to pacify them, I tried a different approach, "I understand both of your concerns, but team rocket's main goal is to steal pokemon from their trainers, if anything we will be doing the Sinnoh region a favor while getting paid for it."
At my words my friends who were originally concerned and gave me worried looks joined me in smiling.
Kyra even started patting my back, "well why didn't you just say that from the start, you're right we should use this opportunity to save the Sinnoh region from these evil criminals."
I could easily see the dollar signs in her eyes as she said that.
"alright I'm going to the pokemon center, then be right back, you two keep an eye out for that trainer.
"Got it", they both called.
In a big city full of unfamiliar tall buildings and a lot of people I admit I was a little nervous, since we had teleported to the battle arena I didn't know the way back to the pokemon center.
While I was walking around I saw a guy in a purple shirt, who had some facial hair, handing out pamphlets to anyone who looked like a trainer. I decided to approach him, to ask for directions.
"Good luck young lad in your search for the clowns!" the man cheered at the last trainer who talked to him before me. "Hello sir, do you know where the pokemon center is?" I asked
"Ah, a young trainer, yes just go down the street for three blocks, make a left, then you're there. However before you go I must ask, do you have a poketch?"
"Thank you for the directions, but no I don't have a poketch, frankly I don't think I'll be able to afford one for a while."
Poketches were like modern smart watches but without the internet adapted to the pokemon world.
"Not to worry young one, I invented poketches and now I am running the promotion campaign for it. For a limited time only, find four clowns in Jubilife city and you get yours free of charge.
At the f word of free, he had my complete attention, "so all I have to do is find them?"
"Well not exactly" he said while rubbing the back of his head, "you have to find them, then correctly answer the question they ask, if you get it correct they will give you a ticket, turn in all four to me and you get your very own poketch."
"I'll do it, thank you" I said waving goodbye, "good luck finding them all" he called back.
Following the original directions to the pokemon center, I kept my head on a swivel, surprisingly enough I could see two clowns already.
Fun fact: when you wear bright yellow and red clothes in a grey cinder city, you stick out like a sore thumb.
One was near the pokemart from earlier, while another was pretending to be the clown mascot of a burger restaurant.
Going up to the Ronald impersonator first, "are you with poketch?"
At my words he put his hands on his cheeks, "my oh my, perfect disguise has been revealed, you found me I am with the poketch company."
"Are you ready for your question?", I nodded
"Alright then, how many badges does it take to enter the Lilly Valley conference?"
"8"
"Congratulations, here is your ticket", now in my hands was a golden ticket
"Now good luck finding the other clowns" with that I thanked him as he resumed his Ronald impression.
The next clown's question was just as easy as the last one, "what is the official bird of Sinnoh?" The answer was Staraptor.
Now having two out of four tickets I entered the Pokemon center.
A few minutes later I walked out having made a very important phone call, I decided to try to find the other clowns.
While I was inside the Pokemon center I got a map of the city, looking at the map the first place I noticed was the park.
Sure enough there was a clown in the central square but this clown was performing magic tricks for little kids with his Houndour that had a little hat on His act seemed to have just finished, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls I Dribbles the clown will be doing an intermission and be back in fifteen minutes.
"Ahhhh", all the kids complained but their parents still took them away. While dribbles was still packing up I approached
"Sorry, I'm currently packing up, but I'll be back in fifteen minutes"
"I'm not here for magic tricks, are you with the poketch company?" At my words he turned around and got all excited.
"Yes I am, your question is what would my Houndour evolve into?"
"Houndoom"
"Correct, here you go"
With that I only needed one more, it was now noon Kyra and Noah probably were wondering where I was.
-----one hour later---
Where the heck is that stinkin clown?! Despite looking everywhere I could not find the last clown I had walked all over this city, and yet nothing! Not one new clown! Now I was starving, grumpy and was inwardly fighting with myself to not go inside one of the nearby restaurants, and blow some money to eat.
Which was becoming increasingly harder due to me currently I was walking down a street full of restaurants, I could see and smell food being prepared, my stomach growled but I just kept my head down.
"I'll find that stupid clown even if it's the last thing I do."
----two hours later---
"Screw it, I give up!"
I had spent the last three hours of my life walking up and down the streets to avail, moving toward the battle arenas I was grinding my teeth in pure frustration.
And was almost there when I saw a group of teenagers laughing while looking around a corner.
Going over to lighten my mood, poking my head through a gap in the small crowd, and following their gazes I looked over and the moment I saw the scene I froze, there teaching a group of small kids was a clown.
My body starting to shake from sheer frustration, as it did my hand started to not look like a hand and more like a preschooler's drawing of one. Realizing that if I didn't calm down I'd lose more of my body I took in a deep breath, then trying to distract myself I glanced around to see where I was.
That failed miserably when I realized that I was at a school, two blocks from the battle arena, and around the corner from the promotional guy. This time I couldn't help it and I used what little control of my face to get rid of my mouth.
To observers they saw a weird girl making equally weird hand gestures, when in reality it was me cursing up a storm. I got a lot of looks but at this point I couldn't care less, using my non mashed hand I pulled up the straw of my camelback and stuck it where my mouth would have been.
The cold drink flowed into me, allowing me to repair my body, still furious at missing the clown I stomped over and started moving towards the clown. The clown who was playing a game with the kids and a smeargle in seeing who could cover who with the most amount of paint.
By the looks of it both the clown and a little girl were on the loosing side as they were covered nearly head to toe in different colors of paint, appearing as if a rainbow barfed on them.
The others had smudges on their clothes but not nearly as much as the other two. With me walking up, I caught the attention of the group, probably realizing what I was there for the clown stepped forward.
Standing a few steps away I tried to give him a genuine smile, but I still couldn't get over missing this guy and my smile came out more crooked. "Sorry to interrupt but are you with the poketech company?"
With a bounce and a twirl he smiled, purposely covering my face with some paint, to which jokes on you clown I can get rid of it the second I leave your line of sight. "Yesss, I ammmm with the companyyy!" he sang
"And yourrrr, question issss," Turning around he pointed at his pokemon, "what is that pokemon!"
"Smeargle"
"Correct!" he then pulled out a ticket and made sure to sure to slather as much wet paint as he could on it before he gave it to me.
"Thanks", I said expressionlessly, with my business done I turned around and walked off, heading towards the promotional guy, as I did I could hear kids screaming as their game resumed.
"Ah it's you, did you find all four clowns?"
"Yes, here are the tickets", I said, then pulled out the tickets handing them over to him. "Congratulations, you were the first to find all four today, I thought you would never find Dribbles."
I just sighed, it wasn't Dibbles I struggled with, it was Dopey, I could find him until a few minutes ago.
"Dopey?" he just shrugged then continued "Alright then here is your poketch", he then handed me a red poketch, "thank you sir"
I made my way back to the battle arena, I saw Kyra and Noah both battling, so I just plopped down on the bleachers waiting for an arena to open up.
I sighed, "what troublesome day"