Chapter 4: Reflection and Resolve

Spending the afternoon exploring the city killed a lot of time, and soon the duo became more focused on where they'd lay their head for the night. Gallade had returned to his Poké Ball. Although the Pokémon Center was an option, Aaron suggested they check into a nearby hotel for a more comfortable rest.

"It'd be more expensive, but we could both use a good night's sleep in an actual bed." He looked down at his shoes, which were stained from the dirt and foliage within the forest. "It's not often we get to treat ourselves."

After hearing the price and doing a bit of mental math, Vergil nodded in agreement. The idea of having some privacy and a chance to decompress in a comfortable room sounded like music to his ears.

He had realized during his time in the forest that camping wasn't his cup of tea. It was no wonder it never interested him. He'd much rather stay in his room playing his video games. "Sounds like a plan."

They made their way to a charming hotel near the city center, its exterior adorned with flower boxes and a welcoming sign. As they entered the lobby, they were greeted by a friendly receptionist and a small Smoochum who helped the receptionist as an assistant, bringing over keys to hand over to the guests.

The Smoochum moved quickly and clumsily, which caused a tiny smile to tug at Vergil's mouth. The receptionist quickly checked them in and handed them their room keys.

"Separate rooms, right?" Vergil confirmed, glancing at Aaron.

Aaron chuckled. "Yeah, I figured you'd want your space."

"Your rooms should be cleaned and ready now," the receptionist spoke with a kind but professional smile. "You'll find them on the third floor with a lovely view of the city. Enjoy your stay."

Vergil and Aaron thanked her and headed to their rooms. After a long day of walking and talking, the comfort of a hotel room was a welcome sight. Vergil took a moment to appreciate the simple yet cozy decor before flopping onto the bed with a sigh of relief.

"Finally," he muttered to himself. "A chance to relax."

He stared toward the ceiling. Despite its drastic difference, the ceiling reminded him of his college dorm room. As his eyes flicked over the hotel room, he subconsciously began to envision where his old Pokémon posters would have been on the wall.

"What a day…" he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment.

But sleep didn't come easily. As he lay there, his mind buzzed with the information he'd learned since he had landed in this world. Some things made sense while others, not so much. But there were also some missing key details he needed in order to be sure.

For instance, the Cerulean Gym leader. He had found out that Misty of all people was the gym leader. Now, this wasn't particularly surprising news at first, but then he also found out from Aaron that "the Professor in Pallet Town had just finished his life's work and invented a machine called the Pokédex."

It was a small detail, most likely a throwaway sentence for Aaron, who was too busy talking about how with that technology they'd stop using the older Trainer Licenses, but to Vergil, this meant a couple of things. Firstly, it established a timeline Vergil could refer to in a somewhat accurate manner.

But then it also brought up the question: Was he inside of his video game? Or inside of the anime world? It seemed like an odd question given that both were respectfully part of one whole franchise, however, Vergil understood better than most that the answer would change a lot of things.

The game itself was different from the anime. And a lot was pointing toward things being more in the direction of the game, yet he could use Pokémon attack moves, to his knowledge, unrestrictedly.

Misty was also a Gym leader around a time when her sisters would usually be in charge of the Cerulean gym. Which made him think this was the universe of the game, but for some reason, it didn't seem that way to him.

Vergil sighed, running a hand through his tea-green hair before sitting up and walking to the bathroom. He wanted to shower. As he entered the bathroom, he noticed the mirror, and then it dawned on him. He hadn't seen himself in this new body yet since he woke up here.

The mirror he stared into reflected a thin boy no older than fifteen at most. No more was his previous jet-black hair, instead green flowing hair cascaded into a ponytail. Nothing compared to the actual height of his real body, but this body stood at an above-average 175 centimeters.

"At least I'm taller than my own Pokémon," Vergil chuckled dryly.

His eyes, large and expressive, were a pale blue that popped loudly given that his hair was a totally opposite color; they sat beneath well-defined brows. And the chiseled, gentle curves of his jawline and cheekbones gave his features a certain softness.

To sum it up, this face he wore was really handsome. He wasn't a guy who enjoyed looking at other guys, he was just a realist. There was no other way to describe this appearance. Even when he tried frowning, it made no difference.

"It's a bit trippy seeing someone else's face in my reflection, but there's nothing I can do about that." Vergil said indifferently. As he spoke, he continued to experiment with different facial expressions. "Besides, a face like this could be a useful tool in certain situations. It'll just take a bit of getting used to."

Deeming his appearance satisfactory, he showered and cleaned himself. It took no effort at all as he flopped into his bed, preparing to go to sleep. But it seemed that the previous sleepiness that he had when checking into the hotel was gone. It didn't help that he now felt refreshed and even a bit energized after that shower.

Vergil sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He glanced at the Luxury Ball on the nightstand. It definitely did look very expensive the more he looked at it. Picking it up, he turned it over in his hands, feeling the smooth surface beneath his fingers.

The Ball was spotless, probably had some sort of anti-fingerprint material. It was almost entirely black, blending with his dark surroundings, but the gold band around the middle along with the rings of red on both halves, which was also flanked by two more gold rings, put this Ball in a league of its own. The normal Poké Ball couldn't compete for sure.

Vergil held the button on the Poké Ball to shrink it and slip it into his pocket. Sleep was evading him, so he decided to do something more productive. He walked over to his new bag he purchased from the Poké Mart, digging into it and taking out a pen and notebook before leaving his hotel room.

As he wandered through the hotel, he passed multiple other guests and their Pokémon. A little girl giggled as she ran past her parents with a Jigglypuff, a businessman sipped coffee in the hotel's lobby as his Persian lounged at his feet.

As he reached the hotel's garden, Vergil passed a group of Bellsprouts that moved around constantly, walking on their roots like hind legs. Meanwhile, a Butterfree fluttered around elegantly, pollinating flowers.

Soon enough he reached the destination he had in mind. He had returned to the Pokémon training field he had visited earlier that day with Aaron. At that time the training field was filled with trainers, old and young. However, now it was just an empty field.

Vergil grabbed the Luxury Ball from his pocket and released Gallade. The Pokémon materialized directly in front of him, standing tall and silent. Its red eyes met Vergil's, and for a moment, they simply stared at each other. Vergil smirked a bit. Gallade sure was a specimen. His rare colors as a shiny really gave off an exotic aura.

The ever-stoic Pokémon looked around the training grounds with curiosity before turning his attention back to Vergil. "Gal-lade?"

Gallade gave the impression that he was confused as to why Vergil had called him out, as he hadn't seen anyone on the field to battle.

"Nah, no battling or anything like that," Vergil said, confirming the Pokémon's thoughts but also confusing it more. "I just wanted us to get some fresh air."

Gallade made an awkward hum. It seemed he felt out of place for some reason.

"Gallade, be honest. Have I ever called you out of your Poké Ball for anything other than a battle?"

Gallade paused. It seemed oblivious to the angle Vergil was trying to get at. Then it shook its head.

On the surface, Vergil nodded with an expression of indifference; however, hearing and confirming his thoughts made him feel like a shit person. It wasn't his fault, he told himself many times, he had just been playing a harmless game. But as he looked at the confused Pokémon in front of him, he realized that this was actual abuse and neglect, whether he liked to admit it or not.

Vergil wasn't exactly an empathetic person, he knew this. Most things also didn't affect him like they would a normal person. But this felt extremely personal to him. It was most likely only because of his situation that he felt like this, but the reasoning was unimportant. He wanted to do better by this Pokémon in front of him.

"Sorry about that buddy," Vergil said sincerely. "We'll change that from here on out."

Gallade, still confused as to what the issue was, started to grow worried. Despite Vergil's countenance attempting to hide it, Gallade could feel his heavy emotions.

"Don't worry about it," Vergil forced a smile, an awkward smile, but still a smile. "There's no battles to happen but we can do some light training. It'll help confirm a few things I had in mind for better strategies we could use."

Hearing that they'd be training, Gallade lightened up and nodded, returning to his normal determined demeanor.