– Chapter 21 –
Driving Passions
Roy slept in until noon and didn’t reach Vermilion until 2:30. Eager to get there after oversleeping, he’d skipped breakfast, despite how irritable surviving on junk food the previous two days left him. It should’ve been easy to find somewhere to eat, but the city insisted on shoving five-star restaurants in his face. Was there nowhere cheap? He walked past several grocery stores with a stubborn refusal to spare them a glance. No! After yesterday, he was going to treat himself to something nice. He deserved it!
After relenting to just pick a restaurant–cost be distorted–Roy ordered an overpriced steak, then suffered an hour of watching others eat, only to receive two cubes of meat each the size of an acorn. Fuck everyone who said it was “fancy” to be served small portions.
The tourists, civilians, and business travelers crowding downtown made it impossible to get through without bumping into at least a dozen people. One even knocked Roy down and was evidently too busy to stop and apologize.
Roy pushed through the suffocating streets toward the Poké Mart, but after all the money he’d lost to Alice and the GN, plus being highway robbed by that restaurant, he couldn’t stock up on as much as he would’ve liked. And here he thought the generous prize he’d earned at Cerulean Gym would get him quality items.
Un-fucking-believable. Roy could count on one hand the number of things he hated more than grifters. He’d spent countless hours studying manipulative tactics and prided himself on being a skeptic who knew how to spot dishonesty. But in all that research, he’d forgotten one of the most basic facts:
Everyone thought they were above being scammed.
After an annoying amount of aimless wandering through dense streets, Roy found the Pokémon Center. He turned over his Pokémon to the front counter, threw his sweat-drenched clothes in the provided laundry, then hurried to the showers to wash away the underground filth clinging to his skin, only to find himself at the back of a line. Was this the shower or a theme park attraction? When Roy’s turn came, he was left without a drop of hot water.
By the time he’d cleaned up and finished the laundry, it was only 7:00, but he marched straight upstairs to the complimentary beds and crashed on the first bunk he found.
***
Roy burst into the hospital. “Genny! You have to help me! Alice stole my badges!”
But he shouted at an empty bed. The door opened and Eevee entered, walking on two legs like a human and dressed in a pink nurse’s outfit. “Genny’s not here anymore,” Eevee said in perfect Unovan. “She died last night from Arbok poison.” The Pokémon said this in the cheerful tone of telling a father his wife had given birth to a healthy boy. “But don’t worry. Your badges are right here.” Eevee produced a first aid kid from what seemed thin air and opened it to show dozens of bent, rusted bottle caps.
“Those aren’t Gym badges, you stupid creature!”
“Of course they are, silly Bidoof. You have some here too.” Eevee pulled several drink coasters out of its bushy tail, which it began to toss through the air like Frisbees.
Roy had to find Genny, so he sprinted next door, arriving in his own living room. His mother wept on the couch. “I can’t believe you, Roy! How could you do this!? Look what Genny wrote in her will!” She held up a sheet. Big bold letters took up the entire page, reading: You disgusting pig! I hate you!
Roy’s mother shoved him out onto the front doorstep. “Get out! I have to clean the house of your filthy presence!”
Molly peered out from the second-floor window, pointing down and laughing at him. Roy scrambled to his feet and ran in the opposite direction across grassy fields until the Cerulean Lighthouse misted into view.
Bill hung from the tower in a noose, soaked head to toe in blood. Ariana stood below, cackling like a maniac as she used his corpse for target practice, the body flailing as bullets from her machine gun ripped through it.
Alice sat atop the lighthouse, throwing Roy’s badges into the ocean while Jigglypuff floated beside her, tearing out pages of his journal. “We need the paper to light the torch.” Though Alice said this, the lighthouse was electrical and was running fine. Its blinding yellow beam angled on Roy like a spotlight.
“Freeze!” A mixture of GN officers and Team Rocket members surrounded Roy, pointing guns at him. “You’re under arrest for sexual abuse!”
Behind them, Ariana waved a flag that read: AMAP: All men are pigs!
A GN officer tackled Roy to the ground with a hard thud, and Roy jolted awake with a gasp.
He sat in a bed upstairs in the Vermilion City Pokémon Center. Several others stared at him from surrounding bunks. He must’ve made a loud start. “Sorry,” Roy said, and they all lied back down. With his phone as a light, Roy dug out the journal and found his badges still there.
What a nightmare. Two guns pointed at him. Caught up in a terrorist attack. Bill murdered before his eyes. Genny poisoned. Arrested by vigilantes. Played for a fool by that distorted bitch. Had all of that happened in less than two months?
Roy rolled over several times but couldn’t get comfortable. He’d planned to visit Vermilion Gym first thing, but perhaps he should take a day to relax. Let his mind settle down.
He checked the clock. 5:53. That aggravating time of too late to go back to sleep but too early to get up. With a muttered, “Fuck it,” Roy threw himself out of bed, dressed, and got down by a little past six. Staff excluded, only one other shared the lobby. His mother would be asleep another couple of hours, but Professor Oak would be up, so Roy called him.
“Hello?”
“Good morning, Professor.”
A noise came through that sounded like the professor springing from his swivel chair. “Roy, is that you? Oh, what a relief. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you since the incident at Cerulean Cape. Of course, you travel a lot, and my old phones have the worst reception. Don’t say it, I know. You and my grandson both have pushed me for years to get a cell phone. Fortunately, I was able to contact Genny. Your mother says she talked to you as well, so I knew you were staying strong. But it’s great to speak to you myself.”
“How are you getting along without me and Genny?”
“I must admit, I’ve considered hiring a new assistant. But my concerns are trivial. You’ve been through more in two months than most Trainers will in their lives. I was surprised enough to hear about the fiasco you had with that poacher. Then, not five minutes after seeing Bill on the news, Freya calls to tell me you both got mixed up in all that.”
Yeah. Then the whole underground on top of that. But Roy kept quiet on that account. “Speaking of that poacher, how’s the Scyther doing?”
“Taming it has been a challenge. Progress is slow, but it’s being made. Scyther are hunters by nature, but that poacher clearly raised it to be a killer. I still can’t let it around the other Pokémon. But if I may offer a suggestion, its previous owner abandoned it, but you showed it compassion in sending it my way. Perhaps you’d have better luck if you brought Scyther along.”
“Thanks, but...”
“Say no more. I’m sure the last thing you need is more worries. Exactly where are you calling me from, by the way?”
“I arrived in Vermilion yesterday.”
“Ah, you must be on your way to the Gym today then.”
“That was the plan, but… recent events have me thinking I should take a break. Thought I might stop by Cerise Laboratory first.”
“That’s an excellent idea. I’m certain Cerise will be delighted. He’s a brilliant man for his age. See what you can learn from him.”
“You don’t need to tell me that.”
The professor chuckled. “You are your father’s son. I’ll call Cerise at once and let him know you’re coming. Best of luck, Roy. And take care.”
“You too.” Roy lowered his phone with a long sigh. Perhaps everyone was right when they told him to call more often. Speaking with the professor always had a way of lifting his spirits.
Roy clenched his fists, filling his head with positive thoughts. He was going to meet Professor Cerise, Kanto’s top rookie Pokémon researcher. Maybe even get some insight into the big discovery Roy remained determined to make. He knew better than to let his last lab visit freak him out over this one; superstition was a load of Taurosshit.
He was going to have a good day if it killed him.
***
Roy pulled up directions on his phone to avoid wasting more hours wandering. They led him to the outskirts of town and down a long road toward a park-like area.
Around a wide bend in the street, sitting atop a grassy hill with planted trees, Roy spotted the lab he recognized from photos. For a place of modern research, the structure had an archaic design, resembling architecture of medieval Galar. A neatly trimmed hedge surrounded a rectangular mansion made of white stone. In the center stood a castle tower with a pine green spire. Roy walked through the gate and up the stairs onto a porch large enough to park a car. He admired the fancy doors of wood and cut glass before ringing the bell, receiving an immediate answer in the form of vigorous barking.
“Yamp! Yamp! Yamp!”
The door opened, and Roy looked down on a boy about twelve. But he only got a split second’s glance at the child before out dashed a light brown corgi with a thick collar of yellow fur, leaping up and down around him. A Yamper!
“Who are you?” the boy asked.
Roy tried to pull his attention away from the springing dog to answer, but got interrupted when an adult woman stepped forward to hold the Yamper. “Down!” She wore a pink shirt and full moon glasses. Her hair hanging over her shoulder in a braid matched the boy’s in its maroon color. “You must be Roy. I’m Talia. Professor Cerise’s wife.” She dragged the dog inside and directed it the other way. “Parker, go play with him, will you?” The boy ran off and she turned back to Roy. “Please, come in.”
The lab must’ve doubled as their home, because Roy entered a comfy living room connected to a kitchen. Talia spoke into an intercom on the wall to call her husband up, informing him of Mr. Ackerman’s arrival before telling Roy to make himself comfortable and asking his preference of coffee or tea.
“Tea is fine, thanks.” He stepped over an assortment of dog and children’s toys on his way to the couch. With the lab connected to their home, they’d strived to make this room as homely as possible. Cheerful family photos brightened the furniture and walls, and the overall décor presented a simple yet captivating atmosphere. Atop the dresser sat a row of fairytales, which included leather-bound copies of classics like Diamondhooves: the Ponyta that Leapt Over Lumios Tower, and The Tale of You and Glimwood Tangle. Roy sank into the plush throw pillows and reclined under the warm lighting like it was the sun on a beach. Perhaps it was just his mind’s yearning to de-stress, but he swore he’d never been in such a therapeutic room.
“I apologize for the mess,” Talia said, rushing to clear away a scattered assortment of illustrations littering the coffee table. “Parker! Come pick up your toys!”
The Yamper ran back in to jump on Roy’s leg. “No!” Talia barked.
“It’s fine.” Roy ruffled the dog’s fluffy fur that fizzled with static as it wagged its bolt-shaped tail. Who needed therapists when puppies existed? “Hey there, boy. You’re far from home, aren’t you?” With his free hand, Roy pulled out the Pokédex to scan and register it.
“He was a gift from one of my husband’s friends in Galar,” Talia said. “He brings joy at the cost of never allowing us a full night’s sleep again.”
“Is this the dog or your son we’re talking about?”
Talia couldn’t help but laugh.
A door opened behind and Professor Cerise fumbled in, straightening rectangular glasses and rubbing a stain off a blue polo. His maroon hair and lab coat both looked slept on. “Roy! Professor Oak said you’d be coming.” Roy walked over to shake his hand. “Glad to see you’re doing well after the Team Rocket incident. Absolutely tragic what happened to Bill. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like.”
True on that last point. Evidently, no one could imagine that after being terrorized by a deranged psychobitch with a machine gun, watching a respected idol get a bullet through his skull, and escaping a burning building while fighting off armed terrorists, having everyone remind you of it was not in fact a comfort.
Roy’s mouth hung open as he searched for a more polite response, and Cerise demonstrated his brilliance right away by achieving the impossible task of picking up on Roy’s desire to talk about anything else. “Anyway, we’re glad to have you. Let’s see, you’ve already met my wife and son. Where’s Chloe? Is she still abed? Chloe! Come down here!”
A frustrated, groggy voice called back from the second floor. Roy knew Cerise had a daughter around Roy’s age, but they’d never interacted by any means.
Talia came by to hand them cups of tea while they waited.
“Well, where do we begin?” Cerise said. “The park is where we keep the Pokémon. Visitors always love that, but you’re no ordinary sightseer, are you? I’ll bet Professor Oak’s assistant is geared up to see the more advanced projects that would bore tourists.”
A door opened above, and a girl trudged down in disheveled pink PJs and bedhead that suggested the Yamper might’ve electrocuted her awake. She rubbed tired eyes, giving them a few seconds to clear up. The moment Roy came into focus, she screamed. “Daaad!”
Cerise chuckled awkwardly as Chloe sprinted back upstairs, straightening her hair in panic. She returned a few minutes later in jeans and a pink blouse with flower patterns and a white collar. Her maroon hair now hung in a neat braid matching her mother’s but longer and tied with a flower shaped scrunchie. “Tell me there’s a stranger in the house before you call me down.”
“Chloe, this is Roy Ackerman.”
“Oak’s assistant? From Pallet?”
Yamper dashed back into the room, not having calmed at all.
“Chloe, will you feed him, please?” Talia said.
“He won’t eat from anyone else,” Cerise said with a smiling eye roll as their daughter walked out. “Anyway!” He downed the last of his tea and slapped the empty cup down on the table with dramatic flair before gesturing ahead. “Shall we?”
They entered the lab through the park, and no amount of photos or articles could’ve prepared Roy for the wonder of seeing it with his own eyes. It may not have matched the many acres of Professor Oak’s corral, but the smaller space still captured the same grandeur. Groves, cliffs, ponds, caves, miniature beaches and more. Biomes fit for any Pokémon, all under a massive glass dome. Researchers observed and interacted with a multitude of species from every corner of Kanto. Roy did his own share of scribbling thoughts and experiences in his journal as Professor Cerise pointed out objects of interest and relayed information like he’d guided dozens of groups before. It felt so gargantuan, but as Cerise explained, was designed so nowhere was more than a five-minute walk.
“Incredible,” Roy said. “And this is the largest artificial biome in the world?”
“Eeeeeh, for now. I hear Blueberry Academy has quite the project underway.”
An hour later, they moved to the laboratory, and it was hard to believe they’d never gone outside. Professor Cerise toured Roy through the castle’s many rooms before leading him down a flight of steel stairs toward his personal work area, where he carried out their most important tasks. “But I can’t take all the credit. I have my three amazing assistants.”
The one running around with hyperactive fervor was the professor’s wife, Talia. The others sat in front of computers at their own desks. Roy didn’t recognize those two, but the professor was quick to give introductions.
“This here’s Chrysa.” He gestured to a dark-haired woman in a nice office shirt and skirt, drinking from a Psyduck-shaped mug. She gave a friendly wave and welcome before returning to her work. “And over here is Ren.”
The awkward man with messy blond hair dressed more casually in a garish combination of a yellow t-shirt and red pants. From how close it hovered beside him, Roy figured Ren to be the owner of the only Pokémon present in the room: a lone Magnemite, who Ren pointed to. “This is Francois.”
“And,” Cerise continued, “You’ve already met…”
Roy turned to Talia, but upon closer look, realized he’d assumed wrong. It was not Cerise’s wife, but his daughter. Chloe had risen late, but in the short time since Roy met her, she’d switched to full throttle mode. She bustled about like she’d been at it for hours, more focused than either of the older assistants.
Tall glass incubators lined the walls, holding Pokémon eggs of various shapes, sizes, and colored patterns. Chloe checked each one, scratching notes on a clipboard and ensuring settings were properly adjusted.
“We study all topics related to Pokémon biology,” Cerise said. “But our specialty lies in the mysteries of reproduction.”
“Yikes,” Roy said. “And you still have all your hair? I hear it’s a frustrating topic. Even Professor Oak gave it minimal focus.”
“Many biologists do call the field a fruitless investigation. Discoveries are rare and progress is slow. But we believe no mystery is unsolvable. And impossible is not a word in my daughter’s vocabulary. Especially now that she’s become my assistant.”
Chloe tore her focus away just long enough to say, “And about time, too.”
“She’s pressed me for years, but I wouldn’t take her on until recently. Quite the mistake on my part, which she has spared no reservation in reminding me of. She’s shown incredible aptitude and can already identify every egg species by sight.”
Chloe seemed to take this as an invitation, because she proceeded to point at each egg, naming them off. Though Roy said nothing, his expression caught her attention. “Impressed, are you? I’d have thought it simple for someone with your experience. After all, Professor Oak didn’t seem to have any reluctance hiring you and that other girl six years ago.” Chloe may not have known Roy personally, but from the way she emphasized the statement, she’d sure internalized that fact about him.
“Aw, c’mon. I said I was sorry,” Cerise said with awkward lightheartedness.
Chloe turned her combative eyes back on Roy. “So, Professor Oak never taught you about Pokémon reproduction, did he?” She spoke with a sarcastic condescension intended to put him on the spot.
“It’s not that we never studied it, it just wasn’t a focus. There isn’t much to study because, in short, we haven’t a clue how Pokémon reproduce.”
“And why is that?” She attacked with the question like a sword, likely determined to one-up him and prove herself every bit as qualified. But the challenge to his knowledge only enthralled him.
“First off, the idea that Pokémon even can reproduce is technically an assumption. They possess no apparent genitalia, yet have confirmed genders and have been observed actively seeking mates. And when they find one, an egg often turns up in their possession, though nobody has ever witnessed a Pokémon laying an egg, being pregnant, or… Horn Drilling a Cloyster, shall we say.”
Chloe gave a mild scoff at his crude idiom.
“But if these eggs are indeed coming from Pokémon,” Roy continued, “then it seems evident all Pokémon lay eggs, regardless of species. Unlike humans who carry children and give live birth. In fact, only human arrogance would assume it’s not us that are the weird ones.”
“Oh, come on. In centuries of living alongside Pokémon, not one person has ever witnessed a Pokémon laying an egg?” Her skepticism was a clear trick question to test him.
“It is baffling. If Pokémon seek mates to reproduce, they aren’t doing it in front of humans. Fair enough; nobody likes being watched. Except scientists worldwide have observed wild Pokémon from a distance, or set up secret cameras and left the Pokémon alone for days or months, yet still we can’t catch any stage of the reproductive process. Only when no human is watching and all cameras and recording devices are off does an egg appear. This applies even when they should have no possible knowledge of observation. Every attempt to witness or record Pokémon reproduction has failed. It’s as if some greater force beyond the Pokémon themselves prevents them from mating when being watched.”
“And what of gender exclusive Pokémon? Such as Blissey or Machamp, which are female and male only species respectively.”
“Assuming Pokémon do breed, they can do so with Ditto and only Ditto.”
Chloe smiled as if she’d caught Roy in a trap. “But Ditto is a recently discovered Pokémon. Barely ten years ago, and found only on Cinnabar Island. How did these gender exclusives reproduce before? And what of the ones living in countries far from Ditto’s only known habitat? Such as Lilligant or Throh and Sawk?” Ren’s Magnemite floated over. The basketball sized, one-eyed ball of steel hovered around them, two magnets on either side of its body and three screws protruding from its spherical shape. Alive, yet nothing biological apparent in its body. Chloe pointed up at the Steel-type Pokémon. “And what about Pokémon like Magnemite here?”
“His name is Francois,” Ren said from across the room.
Chloe continued as if she hadn’t heard him. “Who are just hunks of machinery with no biological sex, yet hatch from eggs all the same?”
Roy smiled. “Admittedly, I don’t know.”
Chloe gave a light grumble. “Well, it’s obvious you didn’t intend it to be, but technically that’s the right answer; nobody knows for sure. But if eggs do come from Pokémon themselves, the strongest theory is that all Pokémon, male and female, lay them. And can do so asexually. Seeking mates is just a formality. The biggest hole in this idea is that Pokémon with two parents still carry traits from both.”
“Guilty as charged. I didn’t know that. You got me.” Roy’s playful smile grew. “However… are you familiar with the mysteries regarding Pokémon language?”
Her reaction said she hadn’t expected Roy to challenge her in return. But Chloe straightened up, presenting herself with confidence. “Of course I am. Pokémon can understand all human languages, yet we cannot understand them. They appear to have their own language indecipherable by humans.”
“But is it a language?”
She furrowed her forehead in confusion. “Not all Pokémon speak their name, no. Some only roar, squeak, chirp, etcetera. Regardless, we’ve consistently seen them engaging in what can only be called full-fledged conversation.”
“Mostly true. But it’s more complicated than that. There are rare cases of humans who develop the ability to understand Pokémon. From them, we’ve learned that when Pokémon speak, they don’t use a ‘language’ in the same sense as you and I are speaking Unovan to each other. Scientists once believed precise arrangements of a Pokémon’s name meant specific things that were consistent and could be deciphered, but this isn’t true. Because Pokémon don’t talk with words so much as with emotion. They use a sort of instinctual understanding that involves listening and feeling the other’s thoughts and emotions. For instance, if I snarled at you, I’m not using words, but you understand I’m angry. It’s like that, but with a far greater complexity and sophistication. One that can’t be learned.”
Chloe opened her mouth, but closed it. She obviously hadn’t known this, but didn’t want to admit it.
Professor Cerise laughed. “What a privilege to see rivalry among researchers. Believe it or not, competition is what pushes us to make discoveries and ensure what we report is accurate. Because others will be eager to point out our mistakes so they can find the truth first. But that intense scrutiny is what makes science as reliable as it is.”
The professor must’ve left the door ajar, because it flew open and Yamper barreled down the stairs, plowing past Chrysa carrying a stack of papers which now scattered everywhere. “I’m okay!”
“How’d he get down here?” Cerise said. “Parker was supposed to be watching him.”
“When does he ever do what he’s told?” Chloe said.
“Hmmm.” Cerise picked up the corgi. “Roy, you only arrived in town yesterday, correct? There must be many sights you’ve yet to see.” He turned to Chloe. “And I think Yamper could use a walk. Why don’t you take Roy with you and show him around.” Chloe looked ready to protest, but the professor pressed on with insistence. “Your work ethic is an inspiration to everyone, but it borders on obsessive. It’ll do you good to get out of the house. Even the best of us need to relax. View this as an opportunity to learn from each other.” He handed Yamper to her, which she took reluctantly, shooting Roy a subtle scowl.
“Fine.”
***
“We’re going to take the road past Diglett’s Cave,” Chloe said, “up along the construction site on twelfth avenue–that for some reason became a tourist attraction for being unfinished for nineteen years–then through main street and by the Pokémon Fan Club, and finally down the docks back home.”
Roy could see why the professor had suggested he let her show him around. Chloe knew the city layout well and took him along a route that gave Yamper quality exercise while hitting several tourist spots. Even if it was in the self-interest of getting home, she’d mapped out a mental path that maximized time and efficiency.
Chloe spoke in a rushed, automatic tone, treating the ordeal like she’d been tasked with babysitting, which might’ve irritated Roy, but as a fellow researching assistant, he admired the tenacious work ethic. Or maybe Roy had expended his irritation over the last few days.
A colorful building brought Chloe to a stop. Pokémon posters plastered every window. “Here’s the famed Pokémon Fan Club. Go inside and look around or whatever.”
Or whatever. Roy could only chuckle at how hard she tried to ensure he suffered her burden with her. “I’m a researcher. Such casual perspectives aren’t my thing. I’m more fascinated by those who share a love for science. Perhaps you’d take greater interest in educating me on where you get such an intense drive? That’s the attitude that forges people like our two professors.”
The glower she’d given him all day softened at his surprise turning of the conversation on her. As if she wasn’t used to people asking about her. Chloe’s fingers drummed on crossed arms as if formulating a proper response. “Dad’s achieved impressive accomplishments despite his age. Married my mom right out of high school and had me less than a year later. I want to follow in his footsteps.”
“Sounds familiar. My father’s journey as a Trainer was interrupted when he got drafted. After he returned, he met my mother and became an assistant to Professor Oak. We always planned on traveling the world together, finishing the dreams he never got to and making revolutionary discoveries. A month after he died, I practically demanded Professor Oak to make me his new assistant.”
“Oh…” Any last traces of hostility fled Chloe’s eyes as guilt swam in to replace it.
“It’s fine,” Roy assured her. “Because I’m finally doing it. The journey we always talked of.” He pulled the journal from his pack and flipped through it to show her. Chloe’s eyes zoned in on it, and this time, her impressment of him didn’t appear coupled with resentment. “We discussed breeding and language at the lab, but those are only two of the countless mysteries surrounding Pokémon. If I could solve just one of them… well, I think my father would be pretty proud.”
Roy closed the journal and stowed it away. “People often question if I’m doing this out of a sense of obligation. Yes, I want to fulfill my father’s dreams on his behalf, but even if he never wanted any of those things, I still would. Because I follow this path for myself every bit as much as for him. Becoming a Pokémon Master. Exploring the vast corners of the world. Making a revolutionary discovery about the fascinating creatures we share this planet with. These aren’t just my father’s dreams. They’re our dreams.
“Of course, some people do feel pressured to follow in their parents’ footsteps, especially with ones as successful as yours. Which is fine, so long as they do it for themselves as well. So why do you want a career in biology?”
Her brief hesitance made Roy fear he’d asked too personal a question, but she answered. “My friends all had clear dreams and goals since they were young. But it took me a while. I know what I want now, but I’m a bit behind. One of my friends has already been recruited to an elite expedition team in search of Mew. I want to catch up to everyone.”
As they talked, Yamper chased flocks of Pidgey up the streets. Chloe paused to watch him. “I truly love Pokémon. But you’re a Trainer; you know how powerful they are. And… they scare me sometimes. So I study them in eggs instead. I’m not good with them otherwise.”
“You sure about that? Sounds like Yamper won’t listen to anyone but you.”
His words brought forth a hint of a smile in her, but it quickly faded. “I’m sorry for being so rude. Truth is, I was quite shy once. People picked on me. I suppose I want to prove myself capable.” She looked up at the sky with a transfixed gaze, seeming to lose herself in thought. Then breathed as though tasting fresh air for the first time in weeks. All day, her body had held the tension of a tight rope, but now slackened as though coming out of an eight-hour meditation.
Roy looked up as well. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“You know… it is good to get out of that dingy lab.”
They proceeded with the tour, but Chloe diverted from her previously planned rout and took him to some of Vermilion’s lesser known attractions. Statues and landmarks found on no brochure but which held captivating histories. Hole-in-the-wall shops that sold items found nowhere else. The type of activities only locals knew and Roy would’ve passed over alone. Through these excursions, Chloe’s attitude softened to a friendlier disposition. Here and there, she divulged her knowledge of the city, but the two of them always returned to sharing their unique experiences as lab assistants to famous researchers. All hostilities dropped, she was quite easy to get along with.
But after Chloe had spent the morning sulking, it became Roy’s turn to get angry while they passed through a mall and he spotted a sharp-dressed man speaking to a small gathering with the enthusiasm of someone revealing the most coveted secrets of life.
“What is it?” Chloe asked, noting Roy’s scowl. She followed his gaze and realization fell over her face. “Oh.”
Roy’s frown twisted into a sadistic smirk. “Look what the Swalot threw up.”
On stage beside the speaker stood a dumpster-sized glass tank filled with Magikarp, their vapid eyes and open mouth gaping out at the crowd. Above hung a banner of orange and sky blue. Blocky yellow words read: Megakarp! Founder of tomorrow’s Pokémon Masters!
Not as big as they were in the seventies, but somehow still alive. Roy would never understand how an organization could be so thoroughly exposed as fraudulent yet remain active and profiting over two decades later. Normally, he might’ve turned the other way, but after being swindled by Alice, was feeling particularly vindictive. Roy cracked his knuckles.
The man on stage spoke with all the charisma of a used car salesman. “Look at this thing, flopping around like my mother-in-law’s mouth. You see a Pokémon like this and question what use could any Trainer have for it? Well, would you believe people once laughed at the invention of the fork? Weak as it appears now, Magikarp evolves into Gyarados. That’s right, even Champion Lance’s mighty beast was once no more impressive than these carp here, which we will sell for only one hundred dollars each. Ah ha, I see some winces out there, but just think. For six hundred dollars and a bit of hard work, you can evolve yourself a full team of Kanto’s most powerful and feared Pokémon. You’ll be winning matches and earning back enough to make six hundred bucks look like pocket change. But don’t take my word for it.”
Behind the speaker, a projector screen showed a video montage of Megakarp sponsored Trainers stomping the competition in tournaments with their mighty sea serpents. Several shills spoke to the camera, regaling inspirational stories of how they were ordinary Trainers doing things the long and hard way until Megakarp provided them the means to become Pokémon Masters in a year’s time, and how they wished they’d known of Megakarp sooner.
“Why be like most Trainers, eternally chasing the Pokémon Master dream when you can do it in a few short years, make millions, and retire by thirty?”
He’d heard enough. Roy stepped forward.
“Roy,” Chloe said, “What’re you–”
But he pressed forth with a stride that made him impossible to not notice, and the speaker’s eyes fell on him. “If the secret to being a rich and successful Trainer is so simple, why doesn’t everyone do it?”
“Ah!” the speaker said. “A common question.” Roy knew it was. He was just starting the conversation. “What’s your name, son?”
“Roy Ackerman.” He almost didn’t give it, knowing the man only cared so he could act all buddy-buddy with him, but Roy wanted this son-of-a-bitch to know the name of his worst nightmare.
“Well, Roy, most people overlook Magikarp because of how weak its current state is. They’re too impatient to realize what they could have if they gave it a genuine chance, which is what we at Megakarp are all about: giving the little guy a chance.”
“Or maybe it’s because raising Magikarp to evolve is one of the hardest tasks a Trainer can attempt. How do you win battles with a Pokémon whose best move is Tackle–which it can only use with moderate effectiveness in the water? Not that it matters either way when they’re too dumb to follow commands.”
“I never claimed it was easy. Quite the opposite, it is very difficult. But once Magikarp evolves, Gyarados is so powerful, it does the rest for you. True, a Trainer has to work excruciatingly hard to raise Magikarp into Gyarados. Most people sadly can’t commit because they don’t think long term. But what’s two to three years of intense diligence against working a nine-to-five that may be easier but will keep you stuck beneath exploitive corporate suits your entire life?”
Roy knew this tactic. Emphasize the “dedication to hard work” to make it sound like you weren’t underplaying the difficulty while simultaneously inspiring the sucker.
Roy didn’t hold his punches. He went at the man with the cunning ferocity dishonest con artists deserved, intent on humiliation. “There’s more than hard work involved. Magikarp is a unique Pokémon that doesn’t evolve the way normal ones do. Studies have proven most of them live and die as Magikarp. For those that do evolve, it appears to happen at random. Some scientists theorize evolving might not even be possible for all Magikarp. Trainers can bust their asses off for decades and still get no results. The fact is, dumb luck plays a way bigger factor than you’re letting on. And since you mentioned Lance earlier, perhaps you’d care to remind us he caught his Gyarados as it was and raised it from there. He didn’t evolve it from a Magikarp.”
The man smiled wider. That was their game to always display smug certainty, even as their logic crumbled around them. The attitude made Roy want to kick his teeth in. “I hope the rest of you are paying attention. As Megakarp Trainers, you’ll have to prepare yourselves for people who will try to sow doubt in you and say you’re being scammed. Don’t be angry with these people. They genuinely think they’re helping you. But they’re mistaken and will come around once they see you succeeding. At Megakarp, we don’t support toxic attitudes. We’re here to encourage people, not put them down.”
He’d expected it the moment he stepped up. But no amount of preparation could stop Roy’s blood from boiling at the attempt to turn him into the bad guy.
“Roy,” the speaker continued, “it sounds like you or someone you know had a bad experience. Perhaps tried before and went in without the right confidence. I’m sorry it didn’t work out. That’s an unfortunate inevitability. Not everyone will succeed.”
“No amount of confidence is going to increase the odds of rolling three sevens at the slots. Have you mentioned that the Megakarp Trainer success rate is less than one percent?”
“Sounds like you’ve done some research, Roy. You’ll want to be careful about that. We don’t advise looking us up, as you will hear bad things. But do you honestly believe everything you read on the internet? If I searched ‘vegetables cause cancer,’ of course I’ll find articles that support it. That’s just the nature of the internet.”
“Are we keeping score? How many articles will I find supporting vegetables cause cancer versus Megakarp being a scam? What’s the ratio of good to bad articles for your company, I wonder?” Roy drew his phone like a gun. “I’d be happy to look it up right now. It’ll take thirty seconds, tops.”
The man kept his smiling mask of confidence, but Roy saw the defensive struggle under a thin layer of sweat. “I appreciate the effort, Roy, and I’d love to continue this discussion, but my time is limited and others have questions as well.”
Roy didn’t move from his spot, determined to see the conversation through. “Typical coward’s way out.”
A security guard stepped forward. “Sir.”
Roy ignored him. “Shoo the opposition away the moment you start to lose.”
The guard moved to block Roy’s view of the stage. “Sir, we need to allow others a chance to speak as well.”
“I’ve enjoyed this conversation, Roy,” the speaker said, “and you’re welcome to pick up a copy of our book on your way out, free of charge. It should answer all of your questions.”
“Is that so? And you’ll continue this discussion after I’ve read it?” But security now pushed Roy toward the exit. The speaker moved on to ask if anyone else had questions, but the crowd had halved in size since Roy started speaking.
Checkmate, motherfucker.
Security finally released its hard grip once Roy was out, and he returned to Chloe, who stared at him with an open mouth. “As it happens,” Roy said, “I have read their book.”
“Roy… where did that come from?” She smiled. “Guys like that make their living giving those speeches, but you threw everything back in his face.”
Roy shrugged. “I hate charlatans,” he said simply. “And… have maybe spent too much time learning how to shut their Taurosshit down.”
Chloe laughed. The first he’d heard from her. “Well, that was really cool.”
He’d planned to avoid this kind of drama today. But with all his recent losses, this small victory of embarrassing that swindler in public, coupled with making Chloe laugh, turned out to be quite therapeutic. The sensation of confidence flowing into him was almost physical.
Chloe caught the time on a nearby clock. They’d spent longer downtown than intended. “Perhaps we should head back.” She called Yamper to her side with an eagerness she might use to say they were headed to a funeral.
Genny wasn’t here, but Roy almost heard her pushy voice egging him forward as Chloe walked away with a cloud over her head. Still empowered by his victory, Roy’s next words flowed from him as though he’d rehearsed it a hundred times. “There’s plenty of daylight left. Neither of us have eaten since morning. Perhaps we could grab lunch together? I’d still like to see the docks, and can’t think of a better guide to show me.”
Chloe’s flustered eyes dilated on him as she read the implication he was pretty sure he’d intended. Then a tender smile accompanied a light pinkening of her cheeks. “That sounds fun. Yeah.”
To be continued...