Part 29: Steeling the Show!

I waited patiently in the queue along side Aly and Salvadore, ready to exit the St. Anne. Aly and Salvadore held Togepi and Cubone close to their chests for warmth. Kiro perched and huddled himself awkwardly on my shoulder, sheltering himself from the bitter northern breeze. I took a deep breath of cool morning air and cupped my hands together, blowing hot air at my numbing fingers. Winter was starting to set in.

As the St. Anne approached the docks of Gringey City, I took a couple of moments to view the ship one last time. Dozens of sailors and crew members were working strenuously around the upper deck, building and repairing rails, floorboards and exterior designs which had been destroyed by a trio of angry Gyarados the day before. The damages were pretty extensive and would take a lot of time to fix, but I was surprised at the progress they had made so far.

My eyes then glanced over at Gringey Port as I focused my thoughts on my upcoming gym battle in Fuchsia. Evian, the ninja master had recommended that I challenge this gym, but never gave any information as to who the gym leader was or what type of Pokémon they used. I knew that it would be a tough battle, but my Pokémon and I would be ready no matter what they threw at us. The thought of my brother having more badges than me made me even more determined than ever.

Suddenly, the ship’s engine roared loudly and sailors began to anchor down the ship. Two men in navy uniforms started directing the passengers down the steps, onto the harbour. I stepped briskly off the St. Anne, happy to be on solid land again. My friends and I walked along the concrete port, observing the prosperous city which lay before us.

Gringey was a lively, well kept city, bustling with busy people and their Pokémon, much like Vermilion City. A horizon of buildings and skyscrapers towered before us. A market of fish mongers and souvenir stalls lined the port as we headed for the Pokémon Centre. The civilians of Gringey City seemed pleasant, giving us directions whenever we found ourselves lost, however, there was an air of caution around the city. Something in the way they observed their surroundings with alert eyes; it wasn’t quite right.

After a short walk through the populated streets, we finally came to a halt outside a large, well kept building. A pink letter “P” rotated above the roof, indicating that it was a Pokémon centre. My Pokémon had not been through too much since Vermilion City, but I knew a check up and a rest wouldn’t go astray, especially with my upcoming gym battle. With a satisfied smile, I took a couple of steps towards the Pokemon centre.

Suddenly, the automatic doors opened and two young boys came running out of the building. There was a sense of panic about the way they kept glancing over their shoulders, back at the Pokémon centre. I tried to stop them, wondering what they were running from, but they sprinted straight passed us, panting heavily, too startled to stop and chat. The three of us gave each other anxious looks before staring back at the Pokémon centre. With a deep breath, I walked nervously over to the entrance, Aly and Salvadore right behind me. The electronic doors slid open, daring me to enter. Against the foreboding sensation tingling through my body I stepped inside.

There was an instant feeling of regret as I observed my surroundings. The room was dimly lit with only half the light bulbs in tact. Freshly singed holes marked the leather seats. Tables were dented and over turned. The wide screened television flickered ominously in the corner. The strangeness of the situation was amplified by the fact that the building seemed deserted. Still anxious and confused, I took another few cautious steps near the abandoned reception desk.

‘Nurse Joy?’ I called out nervously, desperately wanting to hear her reassuring voice.

Silence.

I continued creep along the scratched tile floor. My eyes kept glancing around the room, unnerved by the chaotic, desolate scene. Kiro’s pointed ears propped up and his head cocked around my face, staring concerned at a shadowy corner, leading to a separate hallway. At first I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but then I saw it again. Someone- or something stirred in the shadows. A faint humming noise began to buzz through the building. The television screen and remaining lights began to flash on and off as if they were possessed.

Without warning, the dark corner erupted in a flash of white light. We shielded out eyes from the unexpected, blinding light. As it dimmed, my eyes blinked uncontrollably, attempting to readjust.

 ‘Robin, look out!’ Aly cried.

I glanced back at her, disorientated.

Suddenly, I was swept off my feet as something plunged into my stomach, forcefully knocking me backwards and sending Kiro flying off my shoulder. I landed awkwardly with a thud on the hard tiles. Completely winded, I gasped in pain as I tried to force myself up. When I glanced up I instantly fell back over in surprise.

Three giant eyes hovered over me, gaping at me curiously. The large eyes were compacted in balls of steel with several magnets protruding from its sides. Screws were dotted around its metallic bodies. After overcoming my initial shock, I steadied my breathing and slowly edged backwards, continuing to stare back at the puzzled looking Magneton. I hesitantly checked my Dex:

Magneton, the magnet Pokémon and the evolved form of Magnemite. Magneton are formed when a trio of Magnemite are subjected to a substantial amount of magnetic or electric energy. Its presence can cause disturbance in nearby electric appliances and in some cases, it can even initiate a magnetic storm.

Kiro ran to my side in defence and glared furiously at the Magneton. With a loud battle cry, he unleashed a shadow ball attack that sent the Magneton bundling backwards through the air. The Magneton shook off the attack and its magnets began to spin rapidly, generating bursts of electricity.

Its giant eyes frowned and focused in on Kiro. The magnet Pokémon was readying itself to strike the Eevee with a thunderbolt attack.

Without warning, a flash of pink zipped through the room and the Magneton was struck from behind by new mysterious Pokémon. It crashed into the floor and landed with an explosion of debris. As the dust cleared, the Magneton lay feebly on the fragmented tiles, its three eyes spiralling in a daze. A pokeball suddenly shot through the air and the Magneton was absorbed by a red beam of energy. The pokeball bounced on the floor and twitched several times before beeping, signalling a capture. I stared at the pokeball in shock before glancing up to see what Pokémon had attacked the Magneton.

A cheerful Clefable danced happily on the spot, spinning and squealing its name in victory. With a bemused look I checked my Dex:

Clefable, the fairy Pokémon and the evolved form of Clefairy. Clefable have acute hearing and are said to draw immense power from the moon.

We continued to gawp dumbfounded at the Clefable who skipped cheerfully over to the pokeball and picked it up elegantly with its tiny hands. Togepi cried out for joy at the sight of the fairy Pokémon, prancing around the lobby.

‘Wow, a Clefable!’ Salvadore exclaimed, ‘What’s a Pokémon like this doing in Gringey City?’ The breeder continued to ponder aloud to himself as he carefully examined the Pokémon.

‘Looks like we got here at the right time’ a familiar female voice said from behind us.

The three of us glanced behind us to see two figures at the entrance. Officer Jenny was standing confidently with her arms crossed. A young man beside her, however, stared wide eyed back at us. A smile of disbelief crept across my face. The man’s wavy green hair and well mannered appearance were unmistakable.

‘Robin, Aly, Salvadore, long time no see’ the man exclaimed with surprise.

 ‘Bill!’ the three of us said excitedly, running over to greet the Pokémon researcher.

‘It’s great to see you, Bill’ I grinned.

‘It’s great to see you too’ said Bill with a firm hand shake ‘what brings you guys to Gringey City?’

‘We’re on our way to Fuchsia so I can get my next gym badge’ I replied in excitement.

‘Oh, that’s great! You’ve all come a long way since we last met. Fuchsia is such a beautiful city. I’ve always loved the place, ever since my first visit there as a child. The safari zone is just outside the city too. I’d recommend all Pokémon trainers who want to find and catch more Pokémon to pay a visit. It will definitely be worth your while’

‘Thanks a lot’, I smiled nervously, remembering Prof. Oak’s lecture about how I needed to catch more Pokémon. We would definitely have to check out the safari zone after my gym battle. ‘And thank you too, officer’ I nodded respectfully at Officer Jenny.

‘Don’t worry about it’ she said with a reassuring wink. She then turned to Bill, ‘I better go and find Nurse Joy. She should be in the infirmary at the back. Besides, it seems you lot have some catching up to do’. With those words, Officer Jenny nodded to the rest of us and walked briskly to the back of the room and out of sight.

-Togi-Togi- Prrrriiiii!!!-

Bill turned his attention to Togepi who reached out to Bill, squealing in excitement. Bill’s grin widened as he wiggled his finger playfully in front of Togepi, eventually tickling her nose. Togepi giggled and flailed joyously in Aly’s arms.

‘I see Togepi has finally hatched. She’s looks very healthy. You must be taking excellent care of her’ Bill remarked as he continued to play with the baby Pokémon.

‘Thank you’ said Aly, slightly blushing. ‘I make sure to wash her shell twice a day and keep her on a healthy diet. Only the best for my little baby, isn’t that right my darling?’ cooed Aly as she snuggled her face up to her Pokémon. Togepi cried happily and wrapped her tiny arms around her neck.

‘I can see your bond with Togepi is very strong. I knew Lanette would make the right choice. Although we love to take care of every Pokémon in our lab, it can be hard to give each one the attention they truly deserve, especially with our new research and recent events. You two were just made for each other’

‘Speaking of research how’s study on the moon stone going?’ asked Salvadore, interested.

‘I’m glad you asked Salvadore. Lanette and I have been working really hard, studying the relationship between Clefairy and the moon stone, but there is still so much for us to learn about the process of evolution. As you know, Clefable is the evolved form of Clefairy, ‘Bill gestured towards the cheerful fairy Pokémon who pranced over to his side. The Clefable handed Bill the pokeball and he slipped it into his lab pocket before continuing, ‘and just like Nidoking and Delcatty, he evolved when he came in contact with the moon stone. Although these Pokémon all evolve in a similar manner, Clefairy seem to have a stronger connection to the stone than other Pokémon who evolve from its energy, which is said to have come from outer space. For now we can only theorise the connection between Clefairy and the moon stone, but something tells me that it’s a lot more than coincidence that the moon stone fell to earth’

‘Outer space? That sounds so cool’ I gasped in awe. I then turned back to Bill, curiously. ‘Bill, how come you and Clefable caught that Magneton? And why was it attacking the city like those other Magnemite?’

‘So you heard about the incident?’ asked the researcher, raising a questioning eyebrow.

‘Yeah, I saw the news report about Magnemite attacking the city’ I said, remembering back to that day, mourning in the hospital. Amidst my rage and weeping over the death of Marowak, I accidently turned on the television to see my rival, Gary chasing a group of Magnemite with his Charmeleon. I was so confused and didn’t know what to think at the time. Maybe now I could get some answers. ‘What exactly happened?’

‘I probably shouldn’t be telling you kids this, but I know you’re responsible enough to keep this between ourselves’. His face turned serious as he spoke in a hushed voice.

‘Of course’ we nodded in unison.

‘According to the officials, a mysterious group of people were seen lurking around the city, carrying a strange device. It was supposedly this device that seemed to attract not only Magnemite, but all steel type Pokémon from nearby habitats into the city, confusing them and causing them to attack buildings and innocent civilians of Gringey City’

‘Taking control of all steel types? But how?’ I probed, shocked by this new revelation.

‘I’m not sure, Robin’, Bill said sternly ‘but it’s not the first time an incident like this has occurred. The main thing for now is that the device was supposedly destroyed and Pokémon have regained self control, but some are still a bit confused and frightened, strayed from their homes’

‘Oh, those poor Pokémon. What are they going to do?’ asked Aly.

‘That’s where I come in’ said Bill reassuringly. ‘I have been requested to catch all the stray Pokémon in Gringey City and treat them back at our lab until they’re ready to go back into the wilderness. Clefable here has offered to lend me a hand and I must say his wake up slap is working a charm’

Clefable blushed at all the attention he was receiving. Kiro trotted over to greet the Clefable and the two began exchanging kind gestures.

‘Hey, I know. Maybe we could help too? I haven’t seen that many steel types and I could do with filling my Dex up a bit’ I suggested to the Pokémon researcher.

Bill stroked his chin in thought for a moment before nodding contently, ‘You know what, that would be great! I’ve caught a lot of Pokémon in the past week, but with a few extra hands I’m sure we could get these Pokémon safely back to my lab in no time!’

‘Bill, it would be an honour to work along side you’, said Salvadore, unhinging a pokeball from his belt. ‘Clefairy come on out!’ he yelled and tossed his pokeball into the air.

Clefairy burst out of the pokeball and danced over beside Cubone, waiting for orders.

‘Excellent!’ exclaimed Bill. ‘How about we pair off? Salvadore and I can investigate the abandoned warehouses near the harbour. Apparently there’s a pack of Mawile hiding around there. As for you two, there have been reports of some Skarmory causing trouble on the northern outskirts of the city, near the old scrap yard. Think you can handle it?’

‘Just leave it us. Those Skarmory will be out of harm’s way in no time!’ Aly said confidently.

‘Good! In that case you might be needing these’ said Bill as he produced several strange pokeballs with lightning bolt designs from his pocket.

‘Are those pokeballs?’ I asked curiously as I leaned in closer for a better look.

‘These are called fast balls. They should be of great use to you when trying to catch the likes of Skarmory who are quick in the air and will attempt to flee at the first sign of danger’

‘Wow, thanks!’

‘No no, thank you for helping me out once again. Your good deeds will not go unnoticed’ Bill said gratefully.

At that moment, both Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy appeared from the back of the Pokémon centre, accompanied by a Chansey.

‘I’m so sorry about all this’ Nurse Joy apologised, bowing sincerely, ‘It seems that some Magnemite got trapped in the air vents and started a rampage here, absorbing the electricity in the centre and attacking trainers in confusion. I would have called for help sooner, but I had to protect the Pokémon here and make sure the backup systems were functioning. Luckily our system was not severely damaged, so we should have power soon’ the nurse smiled softly.

So that explains why the lights and television were not working properly, I thought to myself. The Magnemite must have absorbed the electric power in the Pokémon centre and in turn, used the energy to evolve.

‘Not to worry, Nurse Joy. Everything is under control now. Robin and his friends here have also volunteered to help me capture the remaining steel Pokémon that are still roaming the city’ Bill assured the nurse and the officer before turning his attention back to us. ‘Now, if you three would like to rest some of your Pokémon for a while, I would suggest just bringing a fire or electric type for Skarmory’ he suggested.

I thought for a moment before unhinging a pokeball from my belt. ‘Growly, come on out!’

Aly carefully handed Togepi over to Nurse Joy’s welcoming hands before reaching to her belt. ‘We need your help too, Charizard!’ she commanded.

‘Clefairy, I’m counting on you’ Salvadore nodded at his Pokémon.

Growly surged out of his pokeball, ready on all fours. Charizard flexed his wings and blew a small puff of smoke through his nostrils. Clefairy pranced gleefully along side Bill’s Clefable. All our Pokémon were willing and ready to help out.

 * * *

‘Growly, use flamethrower one more time’ I yelled.

The Growlithe took a deep breath before exhaling a large bout of fire at a tiring Skarmory, but the metallic bird Pokémon managed to swoop out of the way just in time. It circled angrily in the air, eyeing Growly. It kept building up speed as it circled above in the cold, twilight sky, before it finally made a reckless dive towards the Growlithe, its razor sharp wings glowing white.

‘Ok, I think it’s using its steel wing attack. Get ready, Growly!’ I urged my Pokémon.

Growly prowled on all fours, snarling as he waited for my last minute command. Just before I could give my order for Growly to dodge the attack, Charizard suddenly flew in and barraged into the unexpected Skarmory. The armour bird Pokémon crashed into the deserted street and lay in a heap.

‘Go, pokeball!’ Aly screamed as she emerged from a side street, throwing a fastball at the fainted Skarmory.

The Skarmory was absorbed in a red beam of energy and engulfed into the fastball. It twitched and stirred ominously on the ground for a couple of seconds until it beeped and the red light on the centre of the ball faded.

‘Yes!’ Aly celebrated as she ran over to claim her capture. ‘That’s three, one to me’ she teased me as she flaunted the fast ball in her hand.

‘That’s no fair. I was supposed to capture Skarmory’ I sighed, annoyed. Growly pouted as he trudged over to my side.

‘Ya snooze, ya lose’ Aly continued to joke.

-SKAR!!-

We both looked overhead, where two more Skarmory soared high above, flying towards the scrap yard. I glanced back at Aly and without a second thought, I took off after the pair of Skarmory, sprinting passed Aly and her Charizard. Growly caught up to me, running at my heels. The next two captures were mine!

‘Hey, come back here you cheater!’ I heard Aly call after me and she too pursued the chase.

The two Skarmory seemed to notice our pursuit and increased their speed. I now understood why Bill had given us fastballs. These Pokémon almost went out of sight as they flew over the scrap yard. I quickened my pace, determined to keep up. Aly’s screams, although distant, could still be heard from behind, but I didn’t dare look back. I had to stay focused. After what felt like running a marathon, I began to slow down as the Skarmory went separate directions through a maze of scrap mounds.

I eventually came to a complete stop and rested my arms on my knees as I gulped in breaths of air. Aly was nowhere to be seen. I was unsure which way to go next. All I could manage to do was to stand there and watch as both Skarmory flew down different paths and soon, out of sight. Growly growled frustrated after them. I had run all this way, just to lose sight of them. The sun was setting fast, the winter air becoming even more chilly than before. I bared my teeth in frustration and kicked an empty can against a bunch of old tyres.

-Arr-

My eyes widened and my entire body froze still. Growly immediately stopped barking and his ears perked up attentively. Our eyes scanned the surrounding area, trying to establish where the source of the faint noise had come from.

A sudden rustle came from the stack of tyres before us. We watched in surprise as a small silver head peered out from one of the rugged wheels. Careful as not to frighten the Pokémon, I slowly reached for my Dex:

Aron, the iron armour Pokémon. Aron are often found in caves or mountainous areas. However, if desperate, it may source rail tracks or cars as a source of food.

I took a cautious step towards the little Aron with my arms raised to show I meant no harm. ‘Hey there, little guy’, I spoke in a soft voice, ‘I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help you’

-Ar!-Aron!-

The wild Aron suddenly leaped out of the tyre and cried defiantly. Its armoured body was scratched and dusty. It must have been strayed from its habitat for weeks.

‘Hey, take it easy. I just want to help’ I said as I took another step.

Without warning, the Aron turned around and began back kicking scraps of mud towards me. I scowled and covered my face as I was pelted by unconsolidated earth. Growly quickly came to my rescue and used his flamethrower attack which completely engulfed the Aron. When the flames cleared, a scorched Aron lay helplessly on the ground, some dark smoke sizzling from its body.

‘I’m sorry it has to come to this, but I have no other choice. Pokeball go!’ I screamed and tossed a fastball at the dazed Aron. The iron armoured Pokémon was surrounded by red energy before being absorbed into the pokeball. I watched nervously as the pokeball continued to stir on the ground. It suddenly burst open and the injured Aron cried out angrily.

I gritted my teeth and was about to throw another pokeball when the Aron unexpectedly erupted in a bright white light.

‘No way...’ I gasped in shock as the Aron evolved before my eyes.

As soon as the light faded, a new Pokémon stood in Aron’s place. Its evolution was a lot stronger and threatening looking than before, with coarse metal spike armour protruding from its back. I hesitantly checked my Dex:

Lairon, the iron armour Pokémon and the evolved form of Aron. Lairon mainly feed on iron ore and is a very territorial Pokémon. Once it begins to charge at a target, it becomes almost impossible to stop.

A lump formed in my throat as I stared at the glaring Lairon. Growly slowly cowered behind my legs as the Lairon began to mash the ground with its right hind leg, readying itself to charge. With a terrifying roar, the Lairon lunged forward.

FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!!!!!!!!

I instinctively, turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction from where I came, almost tripping over Growly in my haste. We both ran for our lives, not daring to glance behind us. The rapid thudding sound which kept a constant beat behind us was more than enough reason to keep running. My mind raced as we meandered through a maze of scrap iron and junk, trying my best to retrace my original path through the scrap yard. It was almost dark outside and my sense of direction was all over the place. I had no other choice but to keep running and pray I didn’t run into a dead end.

The grunts and foot stomps of the trailing Lairon seemed to be growing louder causing Growly and I to pick up our dwindling pace. After a few turns, a glimmer of hope surged through my body as I saw the exit of the scrap yard right in front of me. However, Lairon showed no signs of backing off, persisting in its chase. I noticed Growly slowing his speed so I returned him to his poke ball. There was no point in both of us ending up as road kill.

I scurried out of the scrap yard, almost breathless and took a sharp left, hoping to lose the Lairon in a sudden change of direction. No such luck. I glanced over my shoulder to see the Lairon skidding around the corner of the scrap yard entrance and following me down a main street, even dislodging a lit street lamp in its haste. Not another soul was to be seen on the dark, bitter cold night. I felt my body tiring, losing hope. I thought back to what my Dex had said, “Once it begins to charge at a target, it becomes almost impossible to stop”.

In a last desperate attempt to escape its chase, I quickly side stepped down a dark alley with two large buildings towering either side of it. I backed up against one of the walls, my chest inflating and deflating uncontrollably as I tried to catch my breath. To my relief, the Lairon charged passed the alley way. I rested my weary head against the wall and continued to swallow big gulps of air. I made it...

-Laaaiir...-

My pupils dilated and my heart raced faster than ever as a pair of blue eyes glared at my in the darkness. The Lairon had found and cornered me. I stumbled backwards through the dark alley, only to meet a dead end. My body started to shiver in terror as the Lairon continued to slowly advance towards me, snarling viciously.

I raised my arms up in defence ‘Please, Lairon. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was just trying to help’ I almost choked on my words. My limp body was now solely supported against the wall behind me.

The Lairon lowered its thick steel head and trounced the concrete as it prepared to charge once more. I scrunched my face and winced in anticipation of being mauled. Was this really the end? Was I to spend my last few living breaths alone in a dark alley way. I stood there and waited... and waited... and waited...

BOOOOOOOOM!!!

The Lairon had mauled something... but not me! I was still alive! But why? I managed to edge my eyes open and gaped in disbelief. The Lairon was lying with its rigid back against a building wall, unconscious. It must have been attacked itself, but by who... or what?

I scanned the small lane, but it was too dark outside and I was so tired that I could not see straight. A noise of what sounded like the soft beat wings rippled in the wind above me. I gazed up, my sore body still supported by the wall.

At first I thought I was seeing things, however, my eyes soon focused on a cloaked figure which stood on the building directly above me. Had this person saved me? How? Why? So many things were reeling through my head. So many questions I wanted to ask, but all I could do was to continue gazing up at the mysterious figure, speechless. A slim beam of moonlight stretched out from behind a cloud and seemed to catch the mysterious person’s eyes.

Suddenly, my entire body surged with energy, a feeling like I had never experienced before. I felt invincible. It was almost like the cloaked figure had enchanted me with its eyes. As the moonlight faded once more, all the energy which had just filled my body instantly dispersed. The walls around me began to spin. I could no longer make out the cloaked figure anymore, or the rest of my surroundings. Everything seemed to disappear as my body fell back... further and further... back into darkness...

‘Robin?’

... Her voice was soft and yet, somewhat curious...

‘Robin...’

... Her voice sounded more alert now. I wanted to answer her, whoever she was...

‘Robin!’

I jolted upright on the long leather seat, panicked and rubbing my throbbing head. My eyes took a couple of moments to adjust to the light. As I regained my focus I took in my current surroundings. I was in the Pokémon Centre. Aly, Salvadore, Bill and Nurse Joy were staring at me with concerned looks. There were still signs of Magneton’s rampage from earlier, but all the lights and the television were now working perfectly.

‘I’m glad to see you’re awake. We were beginning to get worried about you’ Bill said with a relieved smile.

‘Here, have some water’ Nurse Joy offered me a glass.

I nodded my thanks to the nurse and gratefully took some large gulps of water, quenching my sand-dry throat. Feeling somewhat revived, I lay the glass on the counter top beside me and propped myself up straight. Kiro appeared between Aly and Salvadore’s legs and leaped up onto my lap. He nuzzled my chest lovingly as I stroke his glistening mane.

When my body had finally regained full consciousness and control, I looked up confused at my friends and cleared my throat, ‘What happened anyways? How did you guys find me?’

Aly and Salvadore shared anxious looks with each other, before speaking.

‘Well, when we hadn’t heard from you after a couple of hours we decided to search for you. But when we walked outside, we found you lying on the ground in front of the Pokemon centre, unconscious’ Salvadore explained.

‘That’s weird. The last thing I remember was trying to catch my breath in a small alley way’. My eyes shot open as distorted snippets of memory rushed around my head. ‘What about the cloaked man- or woman? I’m not quite sure, but he or she saved me!’ I glanced from Bill, to Nurse Joy, to Aly and finally to Salvadore. Each of them had the same puzzled expression and shook their heads.

‘Sorry Robin, but there was no one else aside from you’ said Aly, a hint of concern in her voice.

‘But I saw it. Whoever it was? They saved me from the Lairon!’

‘You mean this Lairon?’ Aly said with a look of smugness as she flaunted another pokeball in her hand. ‘I saw one stumble down the street shortly after we found you and decided that someone had to capture it. If I’m not mistaken, I think that makes it seven, one to me’

I dropped my head and sighed as everyone one else laughed amongst themselves.

Bill then cleared his throat and spoke to all of us, ‘Thank you guys so much!’ he said sincerely, ‘You’ve saved me a lot of time and helped a lot of Pokémon today. Once again, I am in debt to you. Unfortunately, I don’t have much on me at the moment, but here are some tokens of my appreciation’. Bill dug into the deep pockets of his lab coat and took out two different coloured pokeballs.

‘This here is a lureball. It is best used while fishing or on Pokémon who live in water’ he said as he handed the lure ball to Aly. ‘Use it wisely’

‘I sure will. Thank you’ Aly said kindly and examined the pokeball.

‘Robin, I think you are familiar with the fastball by now? Hopefully you will have better luck with this one’ Bill chuckled and gave me another fastball.

‘Gee, thanks’ I said nervously and accepted the fastball.

‘As for you, Salvadore; unfortunately I don’t have any more special pokeballs. I do however have this’ he withdrew his hand from his coat pocket once more and opened his fist, revealing a Moon stone. We all leaned in closer, mesmerised by the stone’s enchanting power. Even Nurse Joy seemed completely captivated by the Moon stone.

‘Wow, are you sure about this?’ Salvadore asked, still in disbelief.

‘I have never been more certain’ Bill reassured him with a smile. ‘The way you and your Clefairy approached those Mawile and gained their trust was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And I just know you’ll make the right decision as when to evolve Clefairy’

‘Well that decision is Clefairy’s, but it’s great that she now has the choice. Thank you’ Salvadore nodded at the researcher a placed the Moon stone in his bag pack.

‘Now, I do believe you trainers will be heading east for Fuchsia tomorrow? Beyond Gringey is a sprawling forest. Your best bet is to stick to the main path and you’ll be out of there in a couple of days. Fuchsia Gym is then just yonder the mountain’ Bill suggested.

I continued to stroke Kiro’s bristle fur as I contemplated all that had happened today. Meeting Bill. Being chased by that angry Lairon. Being saved by that mysterious figure. There were so many things I wanted to question. But for now, I just took a small amount of time to rest, for tomorrow we would continue our journey to Fuchsia and I would be another step closer to winning my next badge!