"What is that?" I asked, turning my back to Rotom as I caught the flicker of excitement on its screen.
Rotom buzzed in the air, spinning in place as it let out an electric cheer.
[ALEX CARTER, WE ARE RICH!!] it shouted, the volume just shy of painful.
I raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to check its screen.
[200,000 Pokédollars has been deposited to your account by Scientist Skyla.]
A message blinked just beneath the notification:
I gave one third of my share to you—think of it as the cost of taking me from my grandpa's house to Bill's place. Thank you once again, and good luck with the Gym Challenge :)
For a moment, I forgot every heavy thought that had been weighing down my mind. My lips twitched into a smile. Not a forced one, not bitter or hollow—just a simple, honest grin. Meanwhile, Rotom floated beside me, beaming like it had just won the lottery.
"Hey, Rotom," I said, still smiling, "how much do we have in total now?"
It paused, its light flickering as it processed the numbers.
[Alex Carter, your total balance is now 278,925 Pokédollars.]
I whistled low under my breath, mind racing with all the possibilities. Supplies, High Quality items and many more. Maybe ı could buy a Motorcycle in here? For a brief second, I wanted to throw my arms into the air and shout like a fool.
But before I could do any of that, I noticed that Khan and Amaris were getting farther down the path.
"We'll talk about this later!" I said quickly, motioning ahead. "We need to catch up to them!"
With a reluctant beep, Rotom zipped after me as I jogged forward, the grasses of Route 6 swaying in the soft night breeze.
By the time we caught up, the hour had grown late. The stars were out in full, the moon casting its silver light over the trees and quiet trail. The city lights of Vermilion shimmered just ahead, golden against the dark horizon.
"So... where are you two from?" Amaris asked, breaking the quiet with a casual tone.
"Sinnoh," I said smoothly, not even hesitating. The lie was too familiar now, automatic.
"Hoenn," Khan added mid-yawn, surprising me. I'd honestly though him as a Kanto native.
Amaris gave a soft laugh. "I'm from Kanto—Fuchsia City, to be exact," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "Now that ı think about it. Its Kinda boring compared to you two?"
"No, no," Khan said quickly. "Think of it this way—we're not from here, so we need a guide, right?"
I nodded in agreement, offering a supportive smile since I couldn't quite find the words myself.
"Aww... thank you Khan!" she said, glancing at him. Then her tone shifted to something more curious. "But really, why did you two come here? Couldn't you just challenge your native gyms?"
She tossed her ponytail back as she looked between us, one eyebrow raised.
I hesitated, mentally flipping through my usual responses, trying to find one that didn't sound hollow. But Khan answered first.
"There was a person I looked up to," he said, his voice softer. "Like an older brother. He was from Johto. Always told me he learned so much from the people here—Kanto and Johto both. So I figured... maybe I could do the same."
His eyes dimmed just a little, his voice trailing off at the end. Then he looked at me. "What about you, Alex?"
I froze. The question hit harder than I expected. For a second, I was back in my room, a younger version of me. Clutching a Game Boy, staring at the start screen of FireRed. Back when everything started to get complicated. Back when atleast nothing had a real meaning except just existing.
"I... I guess I wanted to run away from everything," I said quietly, eyes flicking up toward the distant lights of Vermilion. "At least for a while."
The moonlight caught on the rooftops ahead, casting faint glimmers on the cobblestone path. I let myself watch it in silence, trying not to sink too deep into the weight of the truth that ı always runned away from.
Meanwhile Amaris was staring at me with a strange expression—eyebrows knit, lips parted just slightly.
"What?" I asked, worried I'd said too much, or worse, made things weird.
She let out a loud sigh before half-shouting, "Why do every trainer ı met have backstories like this?!"
Khan looked just as surprised as I did. "Like what?" he asked, taking a cautious step forward.
"Sad ones!" she exclaimed, arms thrown in the air. "Is there some unwritten rule that says every trainer needs a tragic past before getting a Pokémon!?"
Khan glanced at me, clearly unsure how to handle this, and I just shrugged.
"Okay, okay—we'll try to be more cheerful," I said, smirking.
Amaris groaned, but I caught the corner of her mouth lifting. The mood lightened a little bit as the weight of the past faded for a little while we stood under the same stars above Vermillion City.
We walked a little farther under the moonlight, until its silver shimmer gave way to the golden glow of the shining lamps of Vermilion City. I took a deep breath, catching the thick, salty scent of the sea. The Port of Vermilion made sure its breath covered the entire city.
"Ahh, it feels good!" Khan said as he stretched his arms above his head, standing tall at the entrance gate of the huge port city.
"Yeah, it does feel good. But we really need to sleep, you know," I said, stepping up beside him. I covered my mouth as I yawned, feeling the night breeze brushing my face. Rotom trailed silently behind us, its plasma body dimly glowing as it floated along, wrapped around the Pokédex.
"About that. I know a place so you two don't need to worry about that! It's both cheap and comfy!" Amaris chimed in, stepping up beside us. Her boots clicked softly against the pavement, echoing in the still night. Her hair swayed with each gust of wind, catching the moonlight.
"So what are we waiting for it then? Let's go!" Khan shouted, just before a voice called out from near the gate.
"Hey, kids—take out your IDs."
The voice belonged to a woman in her twenties. Her tone was sluggish, probably because it was well past midnight. She stepped closer, and the glow of the nearby streetlamps revealed her teal hair and dark blue uniform—Officer Jenny. Her clothes still looked sharp, but exhaustion were written all over her face.
"Miss Jenny! How are you?" Khan said as she scanned his Trainer Card.
"I'm good,Just tired. Thank you for asking," she replied, turning the scanner to Amaris next.
"Did you guys also come for the concert?" she asked mid-yawn.
Khan and I glanced at each other in confusion before Amaris stepped in smoothly.
"Yeah... These two need to get their Vermilion Gym badges so we need to enter it."
I blinked, puzzled. "Did Lieutenant Surge get replaced?" I whispered to Khan.
He gave a little shrug. "Who's Surge?" he whispered back...
While Amaris continued chatting with Officer Jenny, I stared around the city's quiet streets, lit gold by the lamps. The salt in the air hadn't let up. Eventually, Amaris returned to us, brushing windblown hair from her face.
"Let's go to the hotel! Because if I take another step, I'll crash straight into the ground!" she declared.
We said our goodbyes to Officer Jenny and continued walking along the sidewalk, our footsteps quiet under the lights. I turned to Rotom as we walked.
"Hey, Rotom, who's the next Gym Leader? Isn't still Surge? They're still using Electric-types, right?"
It flew ahead of us and spun mid-air.
[It's good that you asked, Alex Carter!] it chirped, its voice buzzing with excitement.
[The next Gym Leader is known as Wild! He's a singer at the port—and he's the adoptive son of Lieutenant Surge. But I've got to say, Wild's actually the better strategist between the two! That's why I said this next Gym Challenge will be the hardest one you've faced yet!]
It shouted the last line loud enough to echo down the empty street.
I stopped dead in my tracks. "When the fuck did Surge adopt a child?! " I shouted into the night.
A window above us cracked open. "Shut the fuck up! It's the middle of the night!!People are trying to sleep in here!!" someone snapped before slamming their window shut.
I winced and bit my tongue. "Sorry," I muttered, hurrying to catch up with the others.
Amaris, Khan, and Rotom were standing in front of a building with an old wooden sign above the door, the name carved into it in smooth, deep letters:
"This is the place!" Amaris said, putting her hands on her hips as she looked back at us. "Let's go!"
We stepped inside, and a soft, warm glow from gas lamps lit the entire space. A deep red, old-looking carpet stretched from wall to wall. The walls themselves were made of dark oak and covered in photographs of all kinds—some faded, some new, but all full of life and history.
[This place feels like an antique museum.] Rotom buzzed as it drifted deeper into the lobby.
A woman in a red blouse and pajamas with matching red hair that covered her green eyes stepped out from behind the receptionist's desk. She smiled as soon as she spotted Amaris.
"Hey, Amaris! How are you? It's been a long time since you came here. What brings you back?"
They hugged over the counter before Amaris answered with a small smile. "Yeah, I've been good. Just came to the best place in the city to stay the night, you know."
The red-haired woman turned her gaze toward us, tilting her head.
"And them?"
"I am The Khan! And this is my companion, Alex! We demand sleep in exchange for money!" Khan said even though he sound like he was moments away from collapsing.
I wasn't in much better shape—I leaned against him with a tired groan.
The woman chuckled and reached behind the desk. She tossed a brass key toward me, the number 12 engraved on its tag.
"That room has two beds. I think it's pretty big. We can handle the pay at morning."
Khan looked down at the key like it was a sacred treasure. "Thank you very much, friend of Amaris!" he said, bowing his head deeply.
I couldn't help but chuckle and did the same before we shuffled off down the hallway like zombies, both leaning on eachother.
The room was bigger than I expected. Two separate beds sat neatly inside, their white sheets tucked tight and clean. The same red carpet spread across the floor, making the space feel warmer, cozier. The dark wood walls had a few framed sketches and paintings, giving the room a lived-in charm.
Before I could even hang up my belt, Khan had already dropped his jacket to the carpet and face-planted onto his bed with a thud.
I took off my belt which had three Poké Balls clipped onto it and placed it gently on the nightstand, then shrugged off my coat. I threw myself onto the bed, sinking into the softness like it was swallowing me whole.
And before I knew it, I was out.