Chapter no.19

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Jesse and James made a hasty exit, and the lobby went back to its previous state of hushed calm after they had said their final farewells to Ash and given a quick wave to the spectators who were still staring. Ash stood up and proceeded to the nurses register as soon as he was certain that they had left the area and would not be returning in the near future.

"Excuse me," he said to the nurse with brown hair who was standing on the other side of the counter. He gave her the piece of paper that identified him as the trainer who had dropped off Fearow. It was only a small piece of paper, but it was enough to identify him. "I have to get going; I'll see you later. Is there a way for you to get in touch with me in the event that anything happens with my Fearow?"

The nurse cast a cursory glance at the paper before turning her attention back to the patient. She read his name out loud, which was "Ash Ketchum." "Have you checked in and are you going to be staying at this hotel?"

Ash nodded.

"If that's the case, there shouldn't be any issues. If we learn anything new about the condition of your Pokémon, we will make sure that you are notified in your room as soon as possible."

Ash said "Thank you very much" before turning away and walking towards the exit while Growlithe followed behind him. "It sounds like I need to go outside and get some air. flashlights, batteries, tinder, matches, antiseptic, and first aid kits are all essential items "Misty mumbled something to herself as she exited the store and stuffed the plastic bag of new supplies into her backpack. As she did so, she mentally crossed off each item on the list that she had created. "I believe that covers everything... But I couldn't believe how much money it cost for the backpacking rations I had to buy." As she made her way towards the Pokémon Center, she started walking along the crowded sidewalk, making sure not to bump into anyone on the way. She went across the street, stopped on the opposite side, and looked up to see a militia surplus store. Instinctively, she started walking towards the front entrance of the store.

She told herself, "It's not like I have anywhere to be," as she opened the glass door and walked inside the shop. "It's not like I have anywhere to be." I'm not in a hurry, and these kinds of places almost always have something useful. She greeted the elderly shopkeeper who was sitting half asleep behind the counter next to the door, and then she began looking through the racks of camouflaged clothing, hats, masks, combat boots, and other various semi-military-grade supplies. Misty delighted in drawing in a full lungful of the musty canvas and rusted metal aromas that permeated the nearly empty store.

She paused as she turned a blind corner created by two shelves of canteens and backpacks and came dangerously close to tripping over a figure that was hunched over. "I love shops like," she said. Misty lost her balance after her knee struck him in the shoulder, which caused the figure to fall to the ground. She grabbed onto a nearby self in an effort to regain her footing. She mumbled the word "sorry" in a hurry. "I didn't see you there," the speaker said.

When Ash finally realised that it was Misty who had come dangerously close to knocking them both to the ground, he stood up and said, "It's alright." Oh, he exclaimed in surprise. "Hi. This comes as a pleasant and unexpected surprise."

Misty's expression changed as the dawning of the realisation dawned on her as she recognised Ash and helped him to his feet. "In the same vein, what business do you have here?"

Ash gave a shrug and then pointed to the rack that he had been looking at earlier. On the rings were a great number of tools with short blades, each of a different brand. Long knives hung next to hatchets, which hung next to batons with steel tips at the end of their handles. "I was considering picking up a knife or a hand axe or something," he said. "I was thinking about doing something." "It doesn't hurt to have one," he paused as Misty knelt down and started sorting through the various implements. "It never hurts to have one." "Plus I just really like stores like this. There are always interesting little knickknacks and curiosities to peruse."

"Hmm, yeah. I've always had a soft spot for thrift and surplus shops "Misty gave her approval. "Well, ever since we've seen each other again," she shifted the conversation's focus. "What's stopping us from getting something to eat? There are a few good restaurants in the area, and given that we are most likely going to be spending the night here... I assume, "She pressed for a response to her question.

"Yeah, Fearow won't be ready for quite some time..." While Misty looked at a few of the other items for sale, Ash confirmed it and then reached down to take a knife with a composite handle from the rack. "Did you have anything in particular in mind with regard to the food?"

Misty responded, "Anything that can be eaten."

After examining the knife for a moment, Ash noticed that it had a serrated back, a particularly fine edge, and an odd appearance that was almost identical to that of obsidian. When he took a quick look at the rating of the steel, he realised why the tool gave him the impression of holding a brick in his hand. He said to Misty, "Check out this," while holding the knife out for her to see. As Misty read the rating that was stamped on the side of the blade, he spoke up and said, "Tungsten-carbide." "I'll never understand how something like this managed to find its way to a location like this, but it's now mine."

The girl mumbled, "Wow," after hearing that. She kept saying, "Wow," with a grin on her face. "Today is going to be your lucky day." Misty picked up a hatchet for herself and stood up, turning to Ash as she did so and feeling the tool in her hand. She then twirled it once while Ash familiarised himself with the odd balance of the extremely heavy knife. Misty then felt the tool in her hand. She was content with the hatchet and stated her opinion, "I think this will do." "Ready?"

As they approached the counter, Ash nodded his agreement and said, "Yep."

Ash took a simple canvas sheathe from a rack near the store's collection of boots as he approached the counter. He then placed both items on the counter in front of the dozing elderly man, which roused him from his slumber. "Come on," Ash beckoned to Misty as he motioned for her to place her hatchet among the other items for sale. "On the house," was what he said.

Misty smiled and placed the tool down next to the knife as she responded, "If you insist." "I thought you were on the verge of bankruptcy?"

The head was shook by Ash. "I had a little bit more than I thought," the respondent said. In addition to this, he desired to get rid of the money that Team Rocket had given him... in part out of principle, but primarily because he was uncertain as to whether or not it was genuine.

In spite of this, the elderly man rang up the price, accepted Ash's payment, and then returned the change to him. Both of the trainers thanked the proprietor of the store before leaving. Ash was relieved to have gotten rid of at least some of the questionable money, and he was overjoyed to have discovered a new toy that quickly became his favourite. Misty's companion had already paid the exorbitant price for the item before she uttered a word about it; however, when they were outside, Misty did comment on the situation.

Misty remarked, "I'm shocked that you were able to afford that." "With that amount of money, one could have spent the night in a really nice hotel," but they didn't have it.

A small smile appeared on Ash's face. He stated, "I had a strong desire for it." "And even if there were, Viridian simply does not have any hotels that can be considered particularly luxurious. Even though it's one of the most luxurious parts of this location, the Pokémon Center is still rather sparse. Besides, "He was lost in thought for a brief moment. "When I was younger, my dad used to have something that was kind of like this. It's silly, but he had a tool set with a whole bunch of drill bits tipped in carbide, so... well, you get the picture."

"Yeah," said Misty. She paused and then continued, "I think that's sweet, in a roundabout sort of way."

"So, what kind of food were you craving?" The conversation then shifted to Ash's question.

Misty blinked her eyes as the sun emerged from behind a cloud and began to illuminate the neighbourhood. She replied, "Whatever we are able to afford." "The food at the Center is pretty good, and it's not that expensive, which is a good thing considering how much I'm going to be eating here," said the speaker. "I'm going to be eating a lot."

Ash nodded as they changed course and started walking back towards the large building, which, in all likelihood, was the most prominent structure in the town, excluding the Viridian Gym. "Sounds good to me," Ash said as they made the adjustment. On their way back to the Pokémon Center, Ash and Misty saw the Gym and stopped for a moment so that Ash could remark on how imposing the structure was. Misty was impressed by Ash's observation.

The building was constructed in the gothic style for the most part, and its facade was carved out of solid rock, faced with limestone, and highlighted with black obsidian that ran up the pillars like necrotic vines. The windows, which were a variety of colours, were framed in verdigris that was green. These windows were located high up on the walls, just below the spires that protruded into the air like teeth. These spires featured ornamentation made of the same black stone that twisted decoratively up the pillars. The enormous double door was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most eye-catching feature of the fitness centre when viewed from ground level. The primary structure of the portals was composed of massive wooden slabs; however, this aspect of the portals could not be seen from the outside of the building due to the enormous steel scales that were fastened to the door.

Ash couldn't help but mutter, "This is incredible." "I've never been close enough to really get a good look at it, but... wow."

Misty slowed down, but she did not stop walking. She responded with a "Yeah" without pausing to take a look at the fitness centre. "It's remarkable, but we need to keep moving forward." She quickly pulled away from Ash, forcing the younger trainer to pick up his pace in order to catch up.

When they were once again walking together, he remarked with a "Whoa." "Why are you in such a hurry all of a sudden?"

Misty cast a glance behind her for a moment. "Nothing. Simply put, I do not wish to stop anywhere near there."

They continued moving and arrived at the Pokémon Center just as Ash was explaining to Misty, in response to her inquiry, that he had left Pikachu and Growlithe in the rented room to rest up. Ash did not press the issue, and they continued moving. As the instructors made their way together into the Center's dining areas, they quickly realised that the food court was virtually empty. All of the quick-service restaurants that lined the back wall of the room were closed and shuttered, with the exception of one or two of them. There were only a handful of people sitting at the tables and booths that were strewn about the room, and the vast majority of them weren't eating very much.

As Ash and Misty were making their way to the counter, the former commented, "This isn't quite what I expected."