Chapter 13 – Jubilife
Jubilife was loud. After two weeks in Sandgem and a day and a half on a quiet frozen route, walking into Jubilife felt like someone had turned everything up several notches at once. Screens on the sides of buildings cycling through news and advertisements, people moving in every direction, Pokemon weaving between them like they owned the pavement. The buildings were tall enough that he had to actually look up to see the tops of them, which was not something Sandgem had ever required.
Okay. Big city. Fine.
First things first Pokemon Center.
It took ten minutes to find it. Bigger than Sandgem's, busier, actual queue in the waiting area. He took a number and sat down.
Piplup's ball was in his hand.
Hadn't opened it since the river. Wasn't sure what he was going to get when he did. He released it anyway.
Piplup appeared on the seat beside him, took in the Pokemon Center, took in the queue, took in Ryan and turned away. Deliberately. With great finality.
"You need to get checked out," Ryan said quietly. "Dragon Breath to the chest isn't nothing."
"Pip," Piplup said. Flat. Unimpressed.
"I know."
"Pip pip."
Piplup made a sound that was very clearly not an agreement and went back to ignoring him.
The number was called.
Joy looked at Piplup, looked at Ryan. "Battle injuries?"
"Yeah. Took some hits about two hours ago." He set both balls on the counter without elaborating. "How long wil it take ?"
"Twenty minutes."
He took the ticket and sat back down.
Outside the Center's windows Jubilife kept moving. A trainer on the street was having a heated disagreement with his Machoke about directions, the Machoke pointing one way with great confidence and the trainer pointing the other. A woman in a business suit walked past with a Mismagius drifting at her shoulder like an afterthought.
Still got him sometimes. Not the big things just the small ordinary ones. Pokemon woven into everything, unremarkable to everyone but him.
Joy came back. "Piplup has bruising around the sternum nothing serious, but good call coming in. Would've been worse if you'd left it." She set both balls on the counter. "New trainer?"
"Yes for Two weeks."
"First time in Jubilife?"
"That obvious?"
She smiled. "You keep looking up at the buildings." She handed him the balls. "Don't let the TV station people corner you they're always looking for new trainers to put on camera and it never goes well. Good luck."
---
He found a bench outside and released Piplup.
It appeared, surveyed Jubilife with the expression of something conducting a serious assessment, and then sat down facing the street. Not engaging. Just present.
"You're fine," Ryan said. "Bruising, nothing serious."
"Pip."
Could have meant anything. Probably meant something along the lines of obviously.
"I know you're annoyed." He leaned back on the bench. "Honestly fair. You were swimming and then suddenly you weren't and then you lost a fight and ended up in a ball. That's a bad afternoon." He paused. "But we're going to be spending a lot of time together and at some point that has to go somewhere."
Piplup turned its head slightly. Not toward him just away from the street instead. Listening without admitting it.
"Pip," it said, quieter this time. Not agreement exactly. More like acknowledged.
"Three deliveries in the commercial district," Ryan said. "You can come or go back in the ball."
Piplup stood up from the bench and stepped onto the pavement. Still not looking at him. Still making its position very clear. But standing.
Right then.
---
The first delivery was a reception desk on the third floor of an office building. The woman signed without looking up and said "third one this week" in a tone that had opinions about Henrika's shipping schedule built into it.
The second was a shop on the main commercial street. The man turned the package over twice before signing, then said "finally" with the relief of someone who had been waiting for something important and was done waiting.
The third was an apartment building in a quieter part of the district. Fourth floor, end of the hall. He knocked.
A boy about his age answered. Looked at the package. Looked at Ryan. Looked down at Piplup, who looked back up at him with the steady unblinking focus of something conducting a private assessment.
"Is it always like that?" the boy said.
"Pretty much," Ryan said.
"Pip," Piplup confirmed, in a tone that suggested this was simply the reality of the situation and everyone should adjust accordingly.
The boy signed the slip looking slightly unsettled. Ryan took it back and turned toward the stairs.
Halfway down the hall Piplup fell into step beside him without being asked.
Small things.
---
The guesthouse near the edge of the commercial district was 1,200 a night, small room, woman at the desk hadn't asked questions. He sat on the bed and did the numbers.
Three slips for Henrika. 4,500 on return. Tonight's room already paid. Food tomorrow, then the route back.
Tight but fine.
Piplup had taken the windowsill immediately upon entering the room just climbed straight up there and sat with its back to everything, looking out at Jubilife like the city owed it an explanation.
"Pip," it said, to no one in particular. Possibly to the city.
Ryan watched it for a second. In the games Piplup became Empoleon Water and Steel, commanding, powerful, the kind of Pokemon that made people stop and stare. Right now it was muttering quietly at a window in a budget guesthouse.
Somewhere between here and there.
He lay back and stared at the ceiling. The room was small and the bed was harder than the one in Sandgem and through the window the sounds of Jubilife filtered in traffic, voices, the distant sound of something that might have been a Pokemon battle a few streets over. Sinnoh was going to be a lot. Ryan closed his eyes.