– Chapter 19 –
One in a Million
Roy descended the aquarium stairs and found Genny sitting on a bench at the bottom, talking to Wishmaker, Graci, and Ribbonstar. Professor Oak knew what he’d been doing when he’d assigned her to work out in the corral. That girl had a way with Pokémon unlike anyone else Roy knew. He made out her words as he drew closer, and his smile faded.
Genny didn’t appear to be play talking. She spoke to them like she would any fellow human. True, Pokémon understood humans fluently, but as they cried out nothing but repetitions of their own names, Genny answered without hesitation or confusion… saying things in response that made no sense unless…
“Genny?”
With a startled, high-pitched yelp, she leapt from her seat as if it had electrocuted her.
“Sorry.”
Her expression matched a child whose parents had walked in on her stealing from the cookie jar. She threw up a big smile, talking as if trying to pretend she hadn’t been doing something wrong.
But she hadn’t been.
“Hey! How’d it go? Did you get your badge?” Roy opened the journal to show her and she wowed over the pin as she might a precious diamond. “Congratulations on beating the Sensational Sisters!”
“They retired, actually. As it turns out, there are four sisters. They passed the Leader position to the youngest, who–get this–turned eighteen two weeks ago.”
“What!? That makes her younger than us. You can become a Gym Leader that soon?”
“Evidently so.”
“Was it an easy battle?”
Roy chuckled. “Fuck no, she fought like a raging Gyarados. Speaking of which, that hot-tempered redhead we met yesterday? Her name’s Misty.”
“Get out! You beat her!?”
“She didn’t sic her leviathan on me, but yes.”
“That’s incredible! I wish I could’ve seen it. I’m so proud of you! Your dad would be too. But did you at least meet the Sensational Sisters?”
“Flip to the last entry.”
Genny did, and her eyes near popped out of her head at the signatures. A smirk stretched her lips and she pointed at the kiss mark. “What’s this?” Roy rolled his eyes but explained. “You turned down a chance with a Sensational Sister!? What am I going to do with you!?”
“To be honest, they struck me as stuck up ditzes. Nothing at all like their younger sister. They must be in their late twenties, but clearly never outgrew their valley girl phase.”
Genny laughed and handed him back the journal.
“Glad to see you out of the hospital,” he said while putting it away. “Now let’s go get some real food.”
Roy earned a hearty amount of prize money from the Gym, so to celebrate both his victory and Genny’s release, he took them to a fancy seafood restaurant. Fine dining as it was, it surprised him the place never asked Genny to keep her Pokémon in their balls while they sat down to eat. Genny begged him for more details on the battle and aquarium, and Roy recalled the whole morning’s events, showing her his photos while she stuffed her face with a gourmet dish of Slowpoke tail. She was always so reluctant and embarrassed about accepting charity or pity from others. How was food the one thing she felt no guilt bleeding him dry on?
After lunch, Genny dragged him on a shopping spree around town, looking at shoes, clothing, jewelry, and other girl stuff. But Roy found no struggle keeping a positive attitude, getting joy enough in seeing how happy this whole journey had made her. And relief at how well she’d recovered from yesterday, both physically and emotionally.
Genny bought nothing; she only looked around as they strolled their leisured way south of Cerulean. Ribbonstar pranced about, viewing and enjoying the city every bit as much as her Trainer. Paved streets between polished chrome buildings became dirt roads among open fields as they reached the outskirts. Ribbonstar took the lead, cavorting about to explore the outdoors and roll around in the grass, Wishmaker and Graci struggling to keep up.
“The fresh air and travel seem to be helping her,” Roy said.
“Oh, yes, she’s quite outgoing. I’m a little concerned about your Eevee though. He likes you, of course, but he and Bill grew up together as kids, so I worry how he’s taking it.”
Roy stopped in his tracks. He didn’t remember Freya mentioning such background. “How do you know that?” His question caught Genny off guard, her face making a look like she’d realized her mistake.
“Uh… F-Freya told me.”
She wasn’t getting off that easy. He’d suspected when he saw her talking to them outside the Gym, but she’d asked about his battle before he could press the matter. Roy thought back to every time he’d overheard her speaking to Pokémon. In truth, he’d humored himself over the possibility for years. But it was so improbable, Roy always dismissed it as just Genny being Genny. But the longer they’d been on this adventure, the more he started to wonder…
Genny turned her eyes forward and tried to change the conversation to what wild Pokémon Roy might catch out here, employing that same forced cheerfulness she always used to divert from uncomfortable topics. But Roy didn’t let her this time.
“Genny… can you… talk to Pokémon?” She lowered her head and tucked her elbows in, giving no response, but her silence answered for her. “Mother of Mew, you can!”
She flinched as if Roy’s words physically struck her. “I’m sorry. D… do you think I’m a freak?”
“What? Genny, that’s amazing! What you have is a one in a million ability. Less than that even! People would kill to do what you can!”
“You… really think so?”
“I do. You can reach an emotional connection most Trainers only dream of.”
The tension in her body slackened a little, and she gave a hesitant smile and blush. But the flattered expression lasted only a few seconds, and she looked back at her toes fidgeting in her boots. “Mom and Dad said it was unnatural. They got… mad… whenever they caught me talking to them.”
Roy put a hand on her shoulder. “You have a gift. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You should be proud.”
“Thank you.” She placed her hand over his, then slipped past his defenses and took him further by surprise by leaning her head on his shoulder. He almost stepped away on instinct. Where did this come from? His arm flinched in a reactive motion to pull her into a hug, but he stopped himself, feeling a shudder of discomfort as a dark memory flashed its ugly face for half a second in Roy’s mind before he shoved it back down.
Everything Roy told her was true, but behind his verbal praise, his honest emotions conflicted inside. On one hand, it truly was amazing. On the other unspoken hand, the implication her talent carried left a feeling of Grimer gurgitating like acid in his stomach.
No empirical evidence existed that proved the cause, but the ability had a strong correlation with traumatized children who came from abusive homes or grew up with negative human relationships (or lacking them entirely). The current hypothesis theorized people developed it as a coping mechanism to fill the void of their lack of human connections. Those who criticized the idea claimed there were (regrettably) many such children out there, but even among them, the ability was rare. It didn’t guarantee it.
Genny worked with Pokémon all the time out in the Professor’s corral. That could be a reason for her strong connection and ability to speak to them. Yes. That must be it. You’re just looking for excuses, said his common sense.
Fuck, Roy was a science nerd; he knew next to nothing about emotional support. He should be doing something. But what could he offer her? Genny avoided talking about it, so despite how long they’d known each other, he still felt in the dark about her home life. Roy knew it was bad, but… how bad?
Genny seemed to have just noticed her head on his shoulder and straightened up, looking the other way. Roy cleared his throat and pulled his own hand away, a shiver of discomfort running up his arm.
Awkward silence tightened around them like a Tentacruel’s grip and Roy tried to lighten the tone. “So, uh… what have some of my Pokémon said? About me?”
She opened and closed her mouth, as if straining against an invisible chain keeping her tongue tied. Was she still struggling with the idea of being open about it? “Um… Wartortle loves you. He’ll stay by your side forever. Beedrill thinks you’re reckless, but he trusts your grit and determination to always pull through.” Genny gave a thumbs up. “He says you’re all right.
“Sandshrew’s along for the ride. He’s curious where you’ll take him and what you’ll experience together. He’s grumpy about losing his treasure trove, but grateful you kept the glasses for him. Sandshrew will fight beside you and see where your adventure goes.
“Aria puts a lot of trust in you. She believes without a doubt you’ll make her strong. Her faith in you is quite unshakable, considering she just met you recently.
“Eevee says there’s something special about you. But he’s not sure what. Only one knows, but until they reveal themselves to you, Eevee thinks it’s not his place to say who they are. The only other person Eevee has ever known to be special in the same way… was Bill.”
Something special about Roy? Something Bill had? Roy’s mind whirled with questions and speculation, trying to figure out what unique thing they’d shared. But all Roy knew about Bill was text book facts and info. He’d never known the man personally.
“As for Ponyta…” Genny smiled. “Never mind.”
“What? No, no, no. You can’t just say something like that then leave me hanging.”
Genny giggled. “She told me something in confidence. She’s stubborn, but just know she loves you more than she’ll let on.”
***
They camped in the fields each night as they took their time traveling along Route 5 over the next week. The road provided a gradual downward slope toward Saffron City, the lowest valley in Kanto–dropping below sea level. They walked at a relaxed pace, enjoying pleasant conversation and colorful scenery as the dirt trail led them over rolling green hills, past lakes and rivers, all underneath a clear sky.
Genny’s new openness about her ability gave them plenty to talk about. She always kept her Pokémon out, and even Roy had started letting his out more often. He’d talked to his Pokémon about as much as any Trainer did, but with Genny acting as a translator, he could now understand their responses, which opened a floodgate of conversation possibilities.
He’d never experienced such a feeling of a wall being utterly demolished, fully opening him and his Pokémon up to each other and deepening his bond with all of them and making the group feel so much larger than just him and Genny. Pokémon’s high intelligence was common knowledge, but nothing compared to the eye-opening insight of speaking to them as equals and realizing how alike humans and Pokémon were. Each creature brimmed with personality, emotions, original thoughts, and even… dear Arceus… opinions. Ponyta was even sassier than he thought. And that was saying something.
They’d engaged in a few arguments, but at the end, Roy always exploded in laugher at the thrill of having full on debates with his Pokémon the same as any human. Roy must’ve filled thirty pages of his journal with the conversations he’d had.
Roy’s enjoyment had rubbed off on Genny and left her in higher spirits. Not having to hide it from him had made her more comfortable with her ability, though it had taken her a couple of days to get past her initial anxiety over talking to them in front of someone. But with time, she’d relaxed and even started expressing excitement in telling Roy what his Pokémon said. And he never missed an opportunity to express his exuberance at being able to talk with his partners all because of her.
The hardest part was refraining from bombarding Genny with scientific questions. Oh, the things they could learn and the secrets these creatures could reveal if only more people like Genny existed. But he knew she wouldn’t like that, so he tortured himself by never asking for more than translations anytime one of their Pokémon said something.
By Kyday, Mespine 17th, they passed their first sign of civilization.
Sort of.
An abandoned Pokémon daycare center. They must have been getting close to Saffron City. The picket fence surrounding the property had mostly fallen apart. Windows had cracked, play sets rusted, the front door had gone missing entirely, and the paint had faded to dull grays. The scene gave off a quiet, depressing ambiance, like walking through a graveyard.
Roy had heard of this place. It had once been the best Pokémon daycare in Kanto. They’d relocated to south of Pallet Town after experiencing one too many gang related incidents in this area. But while the original building had been left to rot, it had, by accident, found a new purpose.
The homeless had reoccupied the place and taken shelter within it. Dozens of thin, dirty, bearded vagabonds wrapped in old coats and tattered blankets watched Roy and Genny as they passed. They huddled around campfires, eating out of rusted pots and tin cans. Trash littered the well-trampled dirt and sand with only weeds growing in patches.
“That’s so sad,” Genny whispered.
Roy shared her sentiment as much as anyone else, but disliked all the gazes watching them. He and Genny dressed in ordinary clothing and hadn’t showered in over a week. Still, Roy kept walking.
But Genny stopped. He whispered her name, trying to get her to come along, but her sight had locked on a young boy huddled and starving against the overgrown building, with no parents in sight.
Genny stepped forward and Roy grabbed her arm, shaking his head. Genny hesitated, looking back and forth from Roy and the hungry child, then went over anyway.
Roy maintained a nervous hand on Ponyta’s Poké Ball. It’s fine, he told himself, though kept a watch on the other homeless, panicked ideas flashing through his mind that they might jump Genny, wanting her money (or worse).
They simply watched her with warm smiles as she gave a bagged sandwich to the boy, whose eyes lit up on his dirty face and he scarfed it down. Again, Roy’s anxious imagination saw the others swarming the boy to steal his food, but the only one who approached was an elderly woman, who patted Genny’s shoulder. “Bless your heart.” She and Genny said a few more words Roy didn’t catch, then Genny scurried back to Roy’s side unharmed. Several people offered waves of thanks to Genny, who waved in return as she and Roy departed.
She smiled with a warm heart until they were out of sight of the shelter and Roy spoke. “Please be more careful around these parts.”
Genny gave him an indignant frown. “You have something against people less fortunate?”
“What? No, of course not.” He lowered his voice to a concerned whisper. “But for fuck’s sake, Genny, keep in mind where we are.”
Genny looked like an icy chill had cut through her body. “Are we that near to…”
“We must be getting close.”
Sure enough, a couple kilometers ahead, they reached a fork in the road. An old wooden sign in desperate need of replacing directed one path west to Celadon, the other continuing south to Saffron less than eight kilometers away. Genny stared at the faded words with a dreadful awareness, like she’d walked straight into a haunted house and just now realized it. Perhaps she had been a tad reckless back there.
The two shared silent glances. They seemed to be thinking the same thing. “So, uh…,” Roy said, “where are you headed next? If you’re not doing the Gym Challenge…”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Celadon City. Everyone says it’s so beautiful. The shopping there is supposed to be incredible.”
Roy knew the fastest way there was through Saffron. The only other path (besides the highway) was the detour trail winding through the woods and mountains. “Which path are you taking?”
Genny squirmed. “The long way.”
Roy breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s… that’s good. Yeah, the route from Cerulean to Celadon is a nice, scenic one. There’s supposed to be a Pokémon Center near here if you go that direction.”
“It’ll be wonderful to have a shower and bed.”
“Most Trainers like to travel all over Kanto, but you’re not planning on visiting Saffron, are you?”
“No.”
“Sorry. I don’t want to tell you what to do or scare you or anything.”
“It’s okay. But what about you? You’ll have to visit Saffron eventually if you want the Marsh Badge. You have to promise you’ll be careful. It’s dangerous for you too. For anyone.”
“I know. The crime there is something else. I’m just worried for you because, well… there’s a… specific crime… they have the highest rate of in the world… By a very… very… large margin…” Genny huddled inward, fingers fiddling with her pack straps, legs squeezed together. “Anyway, Sabrina is said to be Kanto’s strongest Gym Leader. Most challengers save her for last. I’m thinking I’ll go to Vermilion first. I’m eager to see Cerise Laboratory.”
“Oh yeah! It’ll be great to finally meet… what was his name?”
“Professor Cerise.”
“Right. Duh.” Genny giggled and clonked herself on the head. “Come to think of it, doesn’t he have a daughter around our age?” She nudged Roy playfully. “Eh? Eh?”
He pushed her off. “Will you stop trying to pair me up with everyone?
“Vermilion is on the other side of Saffron. I’m thinking I’ll take the shortcut through the underground path.”
This time, Genny breathed a sigh of relief.
“I guess,” she said, “this is where we part ways. Hopefully we run into each other again soon.”
“I hope so too. Take care along the mountain trail to Celadon. The hike gets a bit rough in some sections I hear.”
“I will. Thanks. Well… safe travels.” She looked down at Wishmaker, Graci, and Ribbonstar. “Ready? Let’s go, everybody.” Her three Pokémon ran alongside her up the slope toward the foresty mountains. Roy waved goodbye to her back, watching the four of them until they disappeared over the hill.
***
Roy continued on by himself. He crossed the next hill and stood at the crest of a wide valley, sloping down into the depths of the earth like some dark gateway into the Distortion World. Grass died the deeper it got into the dry crater. Not from a lack of rainfall, but the high toxicity levels. He could almost smell the Grimer and Muk from here. At the bottom lay a distant cluster of towering skyscrapers trapped within sharp cliffs and spearing mountains.
The Rotted Apple itself.
Saffron City.
To the left, he spotted a small building he might’ve mistaken for an old gas station, but without any pumps. With a peeling paint job, rusted roof, and grimy windows, it was almost as run down as that abandoned daycare. He could smell the outhouse twenty meters away. The faded writing on the sign read: Underground entrance.
The front door screamed on rusty hinges as if in pain as Roy entered the dusty old shack. Everything looked weeks behind on cleaning or replacing. The single room building held a vending machine, some junk trinkets, unmopped floors, and racks of expired snacks. He wouldn’t trust those if he was starving, but could at least stock up on water from the machine. In the center of the floor, a wide pair of stairs lead down to the underground path.
Only one apparent employee ran the place, sitting at the checkout with her feet kicked up on the counter and smoking a cigarette. A gruff, heavyset woman with a terrible case of resting bitch face. She read a magazine with the headline:
15-Year-Old Genius Publishes Smash Hit Debut Horror Novel!
Sparks Controversy Over Mature Subject Matter.
The teenager featured on the cover was a Unovan girl dressed in all violet and black and her hair in a bowl cut. Each lens of her massive full moon glasses took up a quarter of her face.
“Watcha’ doin’ here, kid?” the woman said in the scratchy voice of a chain smoker.
“Just passing through to Vermilion.”
“Huh.” She looked him up and down, then raised the magazine back up. “Scrawny pipsqueak like you ain’t got no business round these parts. G’home, kid.”
“This is supposed to be the safest route through Saffron.”
She took out the cigarette and blew smoke in his face, chuckling at the way Roy coughed. “It is.”
“Okay…”
Roy awkwardly turned away from the conversation and headed downstairs, glancing back a couple of times at the woman who never took her eyes off him but said not another word as he descended into the dark tunnel, unable to shake the feeling that he was about to find a knife in his back.
To be continued...