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Re: How to Conquer Kanto in Eight Easy Steps - Chapter 28
@Alaskapigeon@WinterVines
Chapter Twenty Nine: The Bronzed and the Bothersome
Of all of the new cities and places Alaska had visited, Vermilion had to be the most beautiful yet.
It had fully embraced its coastal setting whilst retaining a professional, economic stronghold that allowed it to combine Pewter's seriousness with Cerulean's laid back appeal. As Alaska was wheeled from the Vermilion Hospital, a tall white building quite close to the harbour, she was able to look around and fully absorb things. The buildings to her right varied from family businesses with cartoon signs and coastal themes to low rise office buildings containing department stores and fancy businesses. It was quite funny how well the two went together, and the businessmen in their tuxedos were moving from their dull grey buildings to the more colourful cafés and restaurants nearby.
To the right was a scene that was completely the opposite, yet far more enchanting than anything on land could possibly have.
Alaska had been down to Pallet Town several times during her life to see the sea, and had always been overwhelm by the wide expanse of blue, usually still and unmoving but sometimes roaring with waves twice her height. It had always seemed like a magical place where you could go and escape all your worries, she had always enjoyed diving in and letting the cool water wash over her, leaving her calm and relaxed no matter what had happened.
But Pallet Town had always been restricted by the land that jutted out and blocked most of the view, and Alaska and her siblings had never been allowed to venture any further beyond. Yet Alaska had to make Steven stop pushing her, just to give her time to absorb in the scene around her.
At Vermilion, it seemed the water would stretch on for all eternity. Land that made up Fuchsia City was far away in the distance, leaving a large harbour of pure blue that went out as far as land to left and the Cycling Road to the right allowed. Water Pokemon danced along the surface in packs, with Gyarados leaping high into the sky as Goldeen and Seaking skimmed through the water. It looked cool and inviting, and Alaska could imagine herself diving beneath the surface and allowing all of her pains, both physical and emotional, seeping away.
They continued to travel, and Alaska was allowed to see more of the coastal landscape. Vermilion had the largest industrial and commercial port in Kanto, and the large concrete pathways stuck out amongst the cobbled footpaths and red brick roads. The ports managed the fresh, new look light concrete always seemed to give, which was helped by three very modern cranes at one end and a flash, mostly glass building that served as a ferry and cruise terminal. There were no ships anywhere at the moment, but the more Alaska and Steven moved into the city the more private vessels appeared, ranging from small motorboats to gigantic super yachts that probably cost more than everything in Alaska's house added together.
The heart of the city showed the same variety of buildings, though there were more towering structures here that were enclosed by the surrounding cliffs, which Steven said was so the people on the hotel floors wouldn't be disturbed by the noises of the harbour. There were more people moving around her, many of them carrying large shopping bags from a nearby row of stores, each of the people having distinct signs that marked them out as tourists: more festive, relaxed clothing, different accents, pointing out various places and taking pictures. Each tourist seemed different, yet there was one thing Alaska noted about them that made her heart sink: each one of them had a smile on their faces.
"Shall we take a short break?" Steven asked suddenly. Alaska had become lost in thought, wondering about the blue flashes, deep voice and strange silhouette that had appeared in her dream. She hadn't even focused on time, but her stomach let out a rumble that made Steven laugh.
"I guess having a break couldn't hurt," Alaska said with a smile. The main road through the heart of the city, which Steven had explained as being this width to allow container trucks to pass through, was dotted with various stalls and carts selling food. Steven got several shocked gasps from a group of Hoenn tourists as he brought two cartons of hot chips to share with Alaska, but he simply flashed them a smile before leading Alaska down a side road.
"Why did you give up being Champion?" Alaska asked as Steven lead her towards a large bare area with a hole dug roughly in the middle. Steven let out a sort of longing sigh, but didn't answer until he had led Alaska to a wooden park bench facing towards the hole, which Alaska was presuming as being foundations.
"I don't want to dishearten you from carrying on with your journey, nor am I making this up as some sort of scheme that we 'elites' are using against you," Steven said, making Alaska smirk slightly, "but being a Champion is just not that fun. I enjoyed it for the first few years, but I was at the mercy of the Hoenn League Council: I couldn't do or say what I wanted in case it caused a controversy, I was always having to do interviews and make public appearances, I was always being hunted down for my opinion or asked to endorse something. All I wanted to do was battle and continue to learn and test my skills, and I wanted to make a change in the world. The only things I was learning was how being a Champion is really a business than it is fun, and I was only making a change in the world of designer fossil tools." Alaska let out a laugh that quickly turned into yet another cough and made her feel light headed, though it covered up the worries seeping through her: she had heard many times that being Champion wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but she longed for the day where she could stand in the Hall of Fame and see her name permanently there in gold. Yet… how would she feel in several years time?
"Now, as you asked me a question, I feel I should get a chance," Steven said once Alaska had recovered and he had somehow elegantly eaten through his chips. "You seem to dislike the fact that we are all reading your blog: what exactly is the problem with that?" Alaska spent a few moments chewing a single chip, wondering how to word things.
"It feels like I am being spied upon," she said at last. "I am writing my blog to share it with the world and to allow myself to one day look at and examine my journey. I never imagined it would end up this colourful, but I do enjoy the attention I am getting. But I just don't like how I am the one that has to report the news, and it is putting pressure on me to continue to be the one to report this, and that if I don't tell the world what is happening, than bad things could keep happening. I sort of feel a bit like Peter Parker," Alaska added, and Steven took his turn to laugh.
"I guess that is fair," he said after a few moments. "I must admit that Oak, Bill, Elm, Fuji, Red, all of us have begun to expect you to rely the details. I spoke to Bill last night and I warned him about us putting too much pressure on you, trying to make you into the next Red or the next Brendan or Charles – we put too much pressure on the young ones to do all the work for us." Alaska nodded along, a burning question forming in her head, but she paused as Steven seemed to be lost in thought. She stared down into the hole, noticing a frail old man barking orders a Machoke, though she couldn't hear the words due to how far down he was.
"Why were you talking to Bill?" Alaska asked finally, trying to make it sound innocent but was afraid her curiosity was slipping in. However, Steven didn't even seem to notice and needed a prod from Alaska to come around.
"Oh, nothing overly important," Steven said with a shrug. "He just wanted to know if some of my research had to do with some blue lightning bolt yesterday, but there are always weird things where he is concerned. Though after what happened with Cla –," Steven froze at this point as Alaska had dropped her carton of chips, staring at the aging man with a look as if he had just slapped her. "Dear, is something wrong?" Alaska wanted to ask a million questions: what was his research, what had happened with who, was Bill worried about it. But just as she went to ask them, a piece of orchestral music began to chime, though it sounded robotic and overly quiet. Steven reached into a pocket of his velvet jacket and pulled out a grey PokeGear which he flipped open.
"Hello?" He said, leaving Alaska hanging and staring mournfully down at her spilt chips. "Oh that is good news… Miss Samson has them all? … Yes, that is fine, we'll go and see her now… Alaska is fine, thank you for asking… alright, good bye now!"
"I take it that involved me?" Alaska asked, and Steven nodded as he put the device away and stood up.
"Sandy has collected your Pokemon, so we are going to meet her at Vermilion Gym," Steven explained, ignoring the hot chips as he spun Alaska's wheelchair around, making sure her black bag was still in place in a slot under the seat, and began to push her back around the edge of the foundations. "The foundations are going along nicely, wouldn't you agree?"
"What does Bill think caused the blue lightning?" Alaska asked.
"Oh Alaska dear, I wouldn't want to burden you with information you shouldn't have to worry about," Steven replied casually, shocking Alaska: she had thought Steven was much more honest and forthcoming with information than Bill had been, but it seemed he was drawing a line and Alaska wouldn't be able to cross it. She wanted to push the subject more, but her head was beginning to throb and all Alaska felt like doing was enjoy getting pushed wheeled around, not wanting to worry about anything else. Steven seemed contempt with not pushing her and fell silent as well, and the two moved on peacefully, the only thing breaking it being the frail old man in the foundations yelling "We're ten years behind schedule, so if we're going to get this house built anytime soon we'd better get a bloody move on!"
Despite the size of the city and how it was all fairly spread out, all of the Pokemon related areas had been crammed together on one road.
Steven carted Alaska across the main road, which had died down with people as they all settled down for lunch, giving Alaska a clear view of a giant container ship moving towards the three cranes. But than the ocean was cut out as they entered the road nicknamed 'Pokemon Lane'. It was thinner than the main road but was wider than the one Alaska and Steven had just gone down. On one side was the PokeMart, giving Alaska a bit of nostalgia for simpler days working at the Viridian branch, and the other was the orange roofed Pokemon Center. There were a variety of stores around, ranging from a store titled 'The Fishing Brothers' to a Pokemon Fan Club with its adjoining store. Alaska was intrigued by all of this, but all of that changed one she set eyes upon the Vermilion City Gym.
She knew it was an Electric based gym, but Alaska had never expected what appeared at the end of the road: it was huge, not as big as the Cerulean Gym but looked as if the Pokemon Center and PokeMart could all fit in there. It had a glass dome that Alaska bet was retractable, and the rest of the building was made from yellow reflective glass that went around the entire building, joined together by the huge orange concrete frames. A flashing electronic PokeBall was built directly over the sliding doors, and Alaska was left in awe as it flashed yellow and released cartoon sparks that looked extremely 3-D. It was a gym that wanted you to come across as both flashy but strong and intimidating at the same time, and Alaska wondered what Lt. Surge would be like in person.
"Do you want to go in?" Steven said the first words either of them had seen for over five minutes. "It is a bit flashy in there and it won't do well for your headache." Alaska was lost in a trance at the sparkling gym, but snapped out of it and turned to face Steven.
"I want to see my Pokemon," she said firmly. "It feels like I abandoned them back there, and I want to see them and see how they are." Steven nodded with a knowing expression, and he pushed Alaska towards the doors. They slid open when they were a metre away, and Alaska gasped at the world they were entering.
Just like how Pewter had had sand and stones, and Cerulean had had a pool, Vermilion continued the theme of basing its gym around its type. The floor was made from orange tiles that glowed electronically, and the walls were a matching colour, not showing any sign of the outside world. Lights were built around the dome, providing some much artificial light that it covered anything shining through the dome. Alaska looked up and could see clouds and shaded blue through the black glass, but it strained her neck and made her head throb so she focused on the area in front of her. Though she was stunned to see how bare it all was: in front of her was simply an empty use of land, though Alaska could see several doors at the end that must lead towards offices. Retractable stands were built into the wall, and large poles containing plasma orbs flashed high above them. It seemed to Alaska that the gym was designed to look good rather than to be practical, unlike the previous two, and was rather unimpressed.
"I bet this place has one fucking huge electricity bill," Alaska said, and Steven roared with laughter, a noise that echoed all around. It seemed that this had finally alerted anyone inside to their presence, and Alaska was pleased to see Sandy burst through the door at the end, curving around the side of the gym and running at full pelt.
"Ooooooooh Alaskaaaaaa!" Sandy cried, rushing forwards and flinging her arms around Alaska, nearly knocking her backwards off the chair. "I thought you were going to die, I was so worried, and than the police made me talk to them and all I could think about was wheter you were going to live or not and I am so sorry!"
"Why, it wasn't your fault," Alaska said, giving her friend a hug and reassuring pat. "I should be the one to apologise!" Alaska wasn't sure what she would apologise for, but she had always seen people saying they'd take the blame and felt as if Sandy would be reassured by it. Sandy continued to sob, so Alaska didn't notice as someone else approached them.
"You SHOULD apologize!" Someone snapped alongside, and Alaska looked around in surprise as Mitchell stood next to her, currently the same height as her as she remained in her seat. He wore a smug look on his face whilst his eyes were wide and staring at her, almost as if he was expecting something. Alaska was stunned to see him here, but quickly realized what he wanted an apology for.
"You switched my brain with a Pidgeotto," she snapped, "and I nearly got blown up yesterday. I'm not in the mood to deal with you, so you can kiss my arse if you think I am going to forgive you." Mitchell tutted and stared defiantly at Alaska, as if his bug-eyed expression was meant to change her mind. Alaska simply raised a hand and gave him the finger, wearing a warm smile on her face.
"Fine then, be that way!" Mitchell huffed. "And I wouldn't want to go anywhere near your flabby bum! It's probably all covered in skid marks and smells disgusting."
"Ah, the immaturity of youth," Alaska said with a smile that made Mitchell tut again, and Sandy pulled out of the hug laughing, despite the tears pouring down her face. "So how did you make it here?"
"I made it through the tunnel before you blew it up!" Mitchell said with a sneer as he folded his arms up to his chest and stared up at the dome. "Lt. Surge wouldn't battle me though because he had to deal with the explosion, so thanks a bunch Avocado!"
"Your welcome rat face," Alaska replied, and Mitchell simply huffed and pouted. However, Alaska quickly went into thought: the ElecBot obviously hadn't appeared to cause any harm to Mitchell if he had gotten through unharmed, which meant that either it had been put in after he had gone through, which couldn't have been much earlier than her and Sandy, or it had been specifically put in to go after them.
"Your Pokemon are all safe," Sandy said as she wiped back tears, and she fished around in her satchel and pulled out the balls containing Paige and Nadia. "They are all better, though the nurse said Nadia shouldn't do anything rigorous until her cut has properly healed." Alaska nodded and took them back, smiling encouragingly up at Sandy who looked close to tears once more.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Alaska said. "You saved me from being killed by the ElecBot, so let's just focus on that, alright? It's behind us now, we can focus on the future now." Sandy nodded, clearly cheered up by this and made Alaska feel better, even though she could feel Steven staring at her and knew deep down that the bombing wasn't behind her until she knew exactly what had happened. But luckily no one noticed her expression, and as a loud bang suddenly cut through the building.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous Alaska Acevedo," a heavily accented, very deep voice boomed around them, drawing everyone's attention to the speaker.
Alaska had seen pictures of Lt Surge in magazines, but she was still surprised to see him in person: he was a giant, well above six feet tall, and was built up like a body builder. Bronzed, muscular arms the width of Alaska's body grew out of a tight fitting green singlet, showing off a pair of large pectoral muscles that if Alaska walked into would probably split the other side of her head open. His camouflage pants hung loosely, but Alaska could only imagine the powerful leg muscles flexing with every step. A thick pair of black sunglasses disguised most of his face, but Alaska knew it was the rugged, handsome face of a soldier, though his shining white smile was smug and superior. Alaska examined him, from his tanned head with stubble-like blonde hair down to his thick leather boots: whilst he was like a wrestler and super model rolled into one, there was an arrogant air around him that annoyed Alaska before he had even walked over to her.
"So you're the one that nearly got blown up, eh?" Lt. Surge said once he had reached them and stared down at Alaska, removing his glasses to get a better look. "Brock, Misty and Clyde all told me about your skills, so I guess if you're handicapped I'll have a better chance!" He let out a machine gun laugh at the joke, but Alaska simply scowled at him, not finding the joke funny though her suspicions of his arrogance were confirmed. She didn't have any idea who Clyde was, but her scowling thoughts were interrupted as Steven walked around. He had remained silent during all this time that it wasn't a surprise he hadn't been noticed, and Sandy suddenly gasped and pointed at him, giving Alaska a stunned look.
"Now Surge, surely you can be a bit more considerate," Steven said in a tone that was both friendly but ice cold and cut the well built man off in his tracks. He took his glasses completely off and stared down at Steven with piercing green eyes.
"I'm allowed a little joke, aren't I?" Surge grunted. "Besides, if I was considerate to everyone than no one would fear me, and what is a gym leader without a little bit of fear in all the trainer's minds, eh?" He then turned towards Alaska, though his eyes focused more on the chair. "Look kid, I've heard you're a good trainer and I feel bad and all that about what happened in the tunnel, but all my staff are at a swimming competition along the Boardwalk so I'm a bit busy. Come back in when you're feeling better and I am sure I'll be ready to battle." Mitchell checked no one was watching him before giving Alaska a teasing face and poked his tongue, but Alaska didn't have time to be annoyed as she glared up at the muscular gym leader.
"Do you think I am only going to be able to fight when I am not injured?" She snapped. "I am a purely competent trainer, thank you very much: not many people are going to take on a robot in a dark tunnel, are they?" Surge tutted and bent down low to face Alaska, their noses only a few centimetres apart.
"I've done worse than face down a little toy in a dark passageway when I was fighting in the war," the gym leader growled, his accent becoming harder to understand as he angrily slurred his words. "I would gladly take you on and wipe the floor with you, but I wouldn't feel right about beating a poor little girl." Alaska always struggled with holding back her rage, and now was no different: Surge cried out as Alaska swung her head forwards, head butting the leader and making him leap backwards. Steven gasped while Sandy timidly clapped her hands.
"I may be in a wheelchair, but I will gladly take you on!" Alaska growled, grabbing one of her PokeBalls and raising it up. "Steven can referee for us if he doesn't mind, and then I will show you what I am truly capable of!" As she spoke, Alaska wondered if battling in her condition was the best idea, especially with no extra training for her team. However, Surge stared down at her as he rubbed his head and began to laugh.
"Alright then Miss Acevedo," the tanned gym leader replied, putting emphasis into each syllable of Alaska's name, "let us see if you are as big of a challenge as my colleagues seem to think." He grabbed a remote out of his shorts and pointed it at the empty field. There was a shudder that shook the whole building, and Alaska watched as certain tiles began to rise up. "First, you will get through the Mine Field, and than we will battle." Alaska had no idea what the Mine Field was and watched with dread and regret as objects rose up from the ground, sparks already beginning to fly.
Vermilion Arc wraps up in the next round of chapters, but there will be a short break to write the final Kris vs Gold and the first of the Kanto series in 2008 The First Warriors, a rewrite of Red vs Leaf that I am doing mostly so the original ties in better with this series, so look out for it!
@Alaskapigeon@WinterVines
Chapter Twenty Nine: The Bronzed and the Bothersome
Of all of the new cities and places Alaska had visited, Vermilion had to be the most beautiful yet.
It had fully embraced its coastal setting whilst retaining a professional, economic stronghold that allowed it to combine Pewter's seriousness with Cerulean's laid back appeal. As Alaska was wheeled from the Vermilion Hospital, a tall white building quite close to the harbour, she was able to look around and fully absorb things. The buildings to her right varied from family businesses with cartoon signs and coastal themes to low rise office buildings containing department stores and fancy businesses. It was quite funny how well the two went together, and the businessmen in their tuxedos were moving from their dull grey buildings to the more colourful cafés and restaurants nearby.
To the right was a scene that was completely the opposite, yet far more enchanting than anything on land could possibly have.
Alaska had been down to Pallet Town several times during her life to see the sea, and had always been overwhelm by the wide expanse of blue, usually still and unmoving but sometimes roaring with waves twice her height. It had always seemed like a magical place where you could go and escape all your worries, she had always enjoyed diving in and letting the cool water wash over her, leaving her calm and relaxed no matter what had happened.
But Pallet Town had always been restricted by the land that jutted out and blocked most of the view, and Alaska and her siblings had never been allowed to venture any further beyond. Yet Alaska had to make Steven stop pushing her, just to give her time to absorb in the scene around her.
At Vermilion, it seemed the water would stretch on for all eternity. Land that made up Fuchsia City was far away in the distance, leaving a large harbour of pure blue that went out as far as land to left and the Cycling Road to the right allowed. Water Pokemon danced along the surface in packs, with Gyarados leaping high into the sky as Goldeen and Seaking skimmed through the water. It looked cool and inviting, and Alaska could imagine herself diving beneath the surface and allowing all of her pains, both physical and emotional, seeping away.
They continued to travel, and Alaska was allowed to see more of the coastal landscape. Vermilion had the largest industrial and commercial port in Kanto, and the large concrete pathways stuck out amongst the cobbled footpaths and red brick roads. The ports managed the fresh, new look light concrete always seemed to give, which was helped by three very modern cranes at one end and a flash, mostly glass building that served as a ferry and cruise terminal. There were no ships anywhere at the moment, but the more Alaska and Steven moved into the city the more private vessels appeared, ranging from small motorboats to gigantic super yachts that probably cost more than everything in Alaska's house added together.
The heart of the city showed the same variety of buildings, though there were more towering structures here that were enclosed by the surrounding cliffs, which Steven said was so the people on the hotel floors wouldn't be disturbed by the noises of the harbour. There were more people moving around her, many of them carrying large shopping bags from a nearby row of stores, each of the people having distinct signs that marked them out as tourists: more festive, relaxed clothing, different accents, pointing out various places and taking pictures. Each tourist seemed different, yet there was one thing Alaska noted about them that made her heart sink: each one of them had a smile on their faces.
"Shall we take a short break?" Steven asked suddenly. Alaska had become lost in thought, wondering about the blue flashes, deep voice and strange silhouette that had appeared in her dream. She hadn't even focused on time, but her stomach let out a rumble that made Steven laugh.
"I guess having a break couldn't hurt," Alaska said with a smile. The main road through the heart of the city, which Steven had explained as being this width to allow container trucks to pass through, was dotted with various stalls and carts selling food. Steven got several shocked gasps from a group of Hoenn tourists as he brought two cartons of hot chips to share with Alaska, but he simply flashed them a smile before leading Alaska down a side road.
"Why did you give up being Champion?" Alaska asked as Steven lead her towards a large bare area with a hole dug roughly in the middle. Steven let out a sort of longing sigh, but didn't answer until he had led Alaska to a wooden park bench facing towards the hole, which Alaska was presuming as being foundations.
"I don't want to dishearten you from carrying on with your journey, nor am I making this up as some sort of scheme that we 'elites' are using against you," Steven said, making Alaska smirk slightly, "but being a Champion is just not that fun. I enjoyed it for the first few years, but I was at the mercy of the Hoenn League Council: I couldn't do or say what I wanted in case it caused a controversy, I was always having to do interviews and make public appearances, I was always being hunted down for my opinion or asked to endorse something. All I wanted to do was battle and continue to learn and test my skills, and I wanted to make a change in the world. The only things I was learning was how being a Champion is really a business than it is fun, and I was only making a change in the world of designer fossil tools." Alaska let out a laugh that quickly turned into yet another cough and made her feel light headed, though it covered up the worries seeping through her: she had heard many times that being Champion wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but she longed for the day where she could stand in the Hall of Fame and see her name permanently there in gold. Yet… how would she feel in several years time?
"Now, as you asked me a question, I feel I should get a chance," Steven said once Alaska had recovered and he had somehow elegantly eaten through his chips. "You seem to dislike the fact that we are all reading your blog: what exactly is the problem with that?" Alaska spent a few moments chewing a single chip, wondering how to word things.
"It feels like I am being spied upon," she said at last. "I am writing my blog to share it with the world and to allow myself to one day look at and examine my journey. I never imagined it would end up this colourful, but I do enjoy the attention I am getting. But I just don't like how I am the one that has to report the news, and it is putting pressure on me to continue to be the one to report this, and that if I don't tell the world what is happening, than bad things could keep happening. I sort of feel a bit like Peter Parker," Alaska added, and Steven took his turn to laugh.
"I guess that is fair," he said after a few moments. "I must admit that Oak, Bill, Elm, Fuji, Red, all of us have begun to expect you to rely the details. I spoke to Bill last night and I warned him about us putting too much pressure on you, trying to make you into the next Red or the next Brendan or Charles – we put too much pressure on the young ones to do all the work for us." Alaska nodded along, a burning question forming in her head, but she paused as Steven seemed to be lost in thought. She stared down into the hole, noticing a frail old man barking orders a Machoke, though she couldn't hear the words due to how far down he was.
"Why were you talking to Bill?" Alaska asked finally, trying to make it sound innocent but was afraid her curiosity was slipping in. However, Steven didn't even seem to notice and needed a prod from Alaska to come around.
"Oh, nothing overly important," Steven said with a shrug. "He just wanted to know if some of my research had to do with some blue lightning bolt yesterday, but there are always weird things where he is concerned. Though after what happened with Cla –," Steven froze at this point as Alaska had dropped her carton of chips, staring at the aging man with a look as if he had just slapped her. "Dear, is something wrong?" Alaska wanted to ask a million questions: what was his research, what had happened with who, was Bill worried about it. But just as she went to ask them, a piece of orchestral music began to chime, though it sounded robotic and overly quiet. Steven reached into a pocket of his velvet jacket and pulled out a grey PokeGear which he flipped open.
"Hello?" He said, leaving Alaska hanging and staring mournfully down at her spilt chips. "Oh that is good news… Miss Samson has them all? … Yes, that is fine, we'll go and see her now… Alaska is fine, thank you for asking… alright, good bye now!"
"I take it that involved me?" Alaska asked, and Steven nodded as he put the device away and stood up.
"Sandy has collected your Pokemon, so we are going to meet her at Vermilion Gym," Steven explained, ignoring the hot chips as he spun Alaska's wheelchair around, making sure her black bag was still in place in a slot under the seat, and began to push her back around the edge of the foundations. "The foundations are going along nicely, wouldn't you agree?"
"What does Bill think caused the blue lightning?" Alaska asked.
"Oh Alaska dear, I wouldn't want to burden you with information you shouldn't have to worry about," Steven replied casually, shocking Alaska: she had thought Steven was much more honest and forthcoming with information than Bill had been, but it seemed he was drawing a line and Alaska wouldn't be able to cross it. She wanted to push the subject more, but her head was beginning to throb and all Alaska felt like doing was enjoy getting pushed wheeled around, not wanting to worry about anything else. Steven seemed contempt with not pushing her and fell silent as well, and the two moved on peacefully, the only thing breaking it being the frail old man in the foundations yelling "We're ten years behind schedule, so if we're going to get this house built anytime soon we'd better get a bloody move on!"
***
Despite the size of the city and how it was all fairly spread out, all of the Pokemon related areas had been crammed together on one road.
Steven carted Alaska across the main road, which had died down with people as they all settled down for lunch, giving Alaska a clear view of a giant container ship moving towards the three cranes. But than the ocean was cut out as they entered the road nicknamed 'Pokemon Lane'. It was thinner than the main road but was wider than the one Alaska and Steven had just gone down. On one side was the PokeMart, giving Alaska a bit of nostalgia for simpler days working at the Viridian branch, and the other was the orange roofed Pokemon Center. There were a variety of stores around, ranging from a store titled 'The Fishing Brothers' to a Pokemon Fan Club with its adjoining store. Alaska was intrigued by all of this, but all of that changed one she set eyes upon the Vermilion City Gym.
She knew it was an Electric based gym, but Alaska had never expected what appeared at the end of the road: it was huge, not as big as the Cerulean Gym but looked as if the Pokemon Center and PokeMart could all fit in there. It had a glass dome that Alaska bet was retractable, and the rest of the building was made from yellow reflective glass that went around the entire building, joined together by the huge orange concrete frames. A flashing electronic PokeBall was built directly over the sliding doors, and Alaska was left in awe as it flashed yellow and released cartoon sparks that looked extremely 3-D. It was a gym that wanted you to come across as both flashy but strong and intimidating at the same time, and Alaska wondered what Lt. Surge would be like in person.
"Do you want to go in?" Steven said the first words either of them had seen for over five minutes. "It is a bit flashy in there and it won't do well for your headache." Alaska was lost in a trance at the sparkling gym, but snapped out of it and turned to face Steven.
"I want to see my Pokemon," she said firmly. "It feels like I abandoned them back there, and I want to see them and see how they are." Steven nodded with a knowing expression, and he pushed Alaska towards the doors. They slid open when they were a metre away, and Alaska gasped at the world they were entering.
Just like how Pewter had had sand and stones, and Cerulean had had a pool, Vermilion continued the theme of basing its gym around its type. The floor was made from orange tiles that glowed electronically, and the walls were a matching colour, not showing any sign of the outside world. Lights were built around the dome, providing some much artificial light that it covered anything shining through the dome. Alaska looked up and could see clouds and shaded blue through the black glass, but it strained her neck and made her head throb so she focused on the area in front of her. Though she was stunned to see how bare it all was: in front of her was simply an empty use of land, though Alaska could see several doors at the end that must lead towards offices. Retractable stands were built into the wall, and large poles containing plasma orbs flashed high above them. It seemed to Alaska that the gym was designed to look good rather than to be practical, unlike the previous two, and was rather unimpressed.
"I bet this place has one fucking huge electricity bill," Alaska said, and Steven roared with laughter, a noise that echoed all around. It seemed that this had finally alerted anyone inside to their presence, and Alaska was pleased to see Sandy burst through the door at the end, curving around the side of the gym and running at full pelt.
"Ooooooooh Alaskaaaaaa!" Sandy cried, rushing forwards and flinging her arms around Alaska, nearly knocking her backwards off the chair. "I thought you were going to die, I was so worried, and than the police made me talk to them and all I could think about was wheter you were going to live or not and I am so sorry!"
"Why, it wasn't your fault," Alaska said, giving her friend a hug and reassuring pat. "I should be the one to apologise!" Alaska wasn't sure what she would apologise for, but she had always seen people saying they'd take the blame and felt as if Sandy would be reassured by it. Sandy continued to sob, so Alaska didn't notice as someone else approached them.
"You SHOULD apologize!" Someone snapped alongside, and Alaska looked around in surprise as Mitchell stood next to her, currently the same height as her as she remained in her seat. He wore a smug look on his face whilst his eyes were wide and staring at her, almost as if he was expecting something. Alaska was stunned to see him here, but quickly realized what he wanted an apology for.
"You switched my brain with a Pidgeotto," she snapped, "and I nearly got blown up yesterday. I'm not in the mood to deal with you, so you can kiss my arse if you think I am going to forgive you." Mitchell tutted and stared defiantly at Alaska, as if his bug-eyed expression was meant to change her mind. Alaska simply raised a hand and gave him the finger, wearing a warm smile on her face.
"Fine then, be that way!" Mitchell huffed. "And I wouldn't want to go anywhere near your flabby bum! It's probably all covered in skid marks and smells disgusting."
"Ah, the immaturity of youth," Alaska said with a smile that made Mitchell tut again, and Sandy pulled out of the hug laughing, despite the tears pouring down her face. "So how did you make it here?"
"I made it through the tunnel before you blew it up!" Mitchell said with a sneer as he folded his arms up to his chest and stared up at the dome. "Lt. Surge wouldn't battle me though because he had to deal with the explosion, so thanks a bunch Avocado!"
"Your welcome rat face," Alaska replied, and Mitchell simply huffed and pouted. However, Alaska quickly went into thought: the ElecBot obviously hadn't appeared to cause any harm to Mitchell if he had gotten through unharmed, which meant that either it had been put in after he had gone through, which couldn't have been much earlier than her and Sandy, or it had been specifically put in to go after them.
"Your Pokemon are all safe," Sandy said as she wiped back tears, and she fished around in her satchel and pulled out the balls containing Paige and Nadia. "They are all better, though the nurse said Nadia shouldn't do anything rigorous until her cut has properly healed." Alaska nodded and took them back, smiling encouragingly up at Sandy who looked close to tears once more.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," Alaska said. "You saved me from being killed by the ElecBot, so let's just focus on that, alright? It's behind us now, we can focus on the future now." Sandy nodded, clearly cheered up by this and made Alaska feel better, even though she could feel Steven staring at her and knew deep down that the bombing wasn't behind her until she knew exactly what had happened. But luckily no one noticed her expression, and as a loud bang suddenly cut through the building.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the famous Alaska Acevedo," a heavily accented, very deep voice boomed around them, drawing everyone's attention to the speaker.
Alaska had seen pictures of Lt Surge in magazines, but she was still surprised to see him in person: he was a giant, well above six feet tall, and was built up like a body builder. Bronzed, muscular arms the width of Alaska's body grew out of a tight fitting green singlet, showing off a pair of large pectoral muscles that if Alaska walked into would probably split the other side of her head open. His camouflage pants hung loosely, but Alaska could only imagine the powerful leg muscles flexing with every step. A thick pair of black sunglasses disguised most of his face, but Alaska knew it was the rugged, handsome face of a soldier, though his shining white smile was smug and superior. Alaska examined him, from his tanned head with stubble-like blonde hair down to his thick leather boots: whilst he was like a wrestler and super model rolled into one, there was an arrogant air around him that annoyed Alaska before he had even walked over to her.
"So you're the one that nearly got blown up, eh?" Lt. Surge said once he had reached them and stared down at Alaska, removing his glasses to get a better look. "Brock, Misty and Clyde all told me about your skills, so I guess if you're handicapped I'll have a better chance!" He let out a machine gun laugh at the joke, but Alaska simply scowled at him, not finding the joke funny though her suspicions of his arrogance were confirmed. She didn't have any idea who Clyde was, but her scowling thoughts were interrupted as Steven walked around. He had remained silent during all this time that it wasn't a surprise he hadn't been noticed, and Sandy suddenly gasped and pointed at him, giving Alaska a stunned look.
"Now Surge, surely you can be a bit more considerate," Steven said in a tone that was both friendly but ice cold and cut the well built man off in his tracks. He took his glasses completely off and stared down at Steven with piercing green eyes.
"I'm allowed a little joke, aren't I?" Surge grunted. "Besides, if I was considerate to everyone than no one would fear me, and what is a gym leader without a little bit of fear in all the trainer's minds, eh?" He then turned towards Alaska, though his eyes focused more on the chair. "Look kid, I've heard you're a good trainer and I feel bad and all that about what happened in the tunnel, but all my staff are at a swimming competition along the Boardwalk so I'm a bit busy. Come back in when you're feeling better and I am sure I'll be ready to battle." Mitchell checked no one was watching him before giving Alaska a teasing face and poked his tongue, but Alaska didn't have time to be annoyed as she glared up at the muscular gym leader.
"Do you think I am only going to be able to fight when I am not injured?" She snapped. "I am a purely competent trainer, thank you very much: not many people are going to take on a robot in a dark tunnel, are they?" Surge tutted and bent down low to face Alaska, their noses only a few centimetres apart.
"I've done worse than face down a little toy in a dark passageway when I was fighting in the war," the gym leader growled, his accent becoming harder to understand as he angrily slurred his words. "I would gladly take you on and wipe the floor with you, but I wouldn't feel right about beating a poor little girl." Alaska always struggled with holding back her rage, and now was no different: Surge cried out as Alaska swung her head forwards, head butting the leader and making him leap backwards. Steven gasped while Sandy timidly clapped her hands.
"I may be in a wheelchair, but I will gladly take you on!" Alaska growled, grabbing one of her PokeBalls and raising it up. "Steven can referee for us if he doesn't mind, and then I will show you what I am truly capable of!" As she spoke, Alaska wondered if battling in her condition was the best idea, especially with no extra training for her team. However, Surge stared down at her as he rubbed his head and began to laugh.
"Alright then Miss Acevedo," the tanned gym leader replied, putting emphasis into each syllable of Alaska's name, "let us see if you are as big of a challenge as my colleagues seem to think." He grabbed a remote out of his shorts and pointed it at the empty field. There was a shudder that shook the whole building, and Alaska watched as certain tiles began to rise up. "First, you will get through the Mine Field, and than we will battle." Alaska had no idea what the Mine Field was and watched with dread and regret as objects rose up from the ground, sparks already beginning to fly.
Vermilion Arc wraps up in the next round of chapters, but there will be a short break to write the final Kris vs Gold and the first of the Kanto series in 2008 The First Warriors, a rewrite of Red vs Leaf that I am doing mostly so the original ties in better with this series, so look out for it!
Final of the Vermilion Arc next
