Back In Viridian City

Chapter 4: Back In Viridian City

"That's it, Nathan. Your Growlithe is all ready to go," said a pink-haired woman dressed in a spotless white nurse outfit and a matching cap over her head. A Chansey stood next to her, its pink hair bouncing at her words.

"Thanks a bunch, Nurse Joy," Nathan said as he picked up the pokeball that housed his beloved Growlithe.

"You're welcome," she responded, a warm smile spread across her face. "Have a nice day."

Nathan waved goodbye as he stepped out into the bustling street of Viridian City. The sun beat down on him as he navigated the sidewalks, reflecting off the windows of the various stores and cafes. People of all ages and sizes walked around, some with their Pokemon.

It had been almost a week since he ventured off to train in Viridian Forest. After the incredible discovery at the lake, their training had taken off. Growithe had made vast improvements, with some new moves to show for it.

Nathan glanced up at the sky, allowing the rays of the sun to warm his face. The air was filled with the gentle hum of the city and he inhaled it all in. The shops, smells, and laughter of the city all blended together.

Walking through the winding streets of the city, he spotted a small shop tucked away in a corner. This reminded him of the things he had collected during his time in the Viridian Forest. He thought of seeing if the store owner would be interested in buying them.

Nathan stepped into the small shop, and his eyes widened as he took in the shelves of merchandise and the figure behind the counter.

The shopkeeper, a wizened old man with a bushy white mustache, beamed at Nathan as he approached. "Ah! Welcome! What can I help you with today?"

Nathan smiled. "I've got some interesting items I'm looking to sell," he said, pulling off his bag.

He took out the items one by one, carefully laying them out on the counter: a Leaf Stone, a Water Stone, two big pieces of Energy Roots, a selection of mushrooms, and finally, a Grip Claw, which he nicked from a wild Ekans.

**Grip Claw (A Pokemon hold item that extends the duration of multi-turn attacks like Bind and Wrap)**

It was an interesting item for sure. However, he had no use for it. With a final glance at the Grip Claw, he decided to put it up for sale too.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up with excitement at the array of items. "Fantastic!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "I'd be happy to take these off your hands for 30,000. What do you say?"

Nathan paused to consider the offer, then nodded. The old man pulled out a bundle of cash from a drawer and passed it to him. Nathan took it and carefully counted each note before placing them in his bag.

Just as he was preparing to leave, something else came to mind. He turned back to the shopkeeper and asked, "I have a few boxes of Oran Berries in my possession. Would you be interested in buying them?"

The old man's face lit up at the possibility of another potential deal. "Yes, but I'd need to see them first. Can you bring them to the back once you've brought them here?"

Nathan hurriedly nodded, "Yes, of course. I'll be back with the boxes shortly."

Half an hour later, he was walking out of the shop, a satisfied smile on his face. He had managed to negotiate a good price for the crates of Oran Berries he had promised the old man.

He had managed to acquire the berries from the Shop at a surprisingly discounted rate. After taking the cost of buying the berries into account, he was still left with a tidy sum of profit.

The shopkeeper waved him off as he left, calling out, "Nice doing business with you. If you have more items to sell, come see me – I'd be glad to look at them."

Nathan nodded his head at the old man as he headed back out into the busy street. He had only been walking for a few minutes when he heard loud cheers from around the corner.

He curiously followed the sound and was surprised to find a large crowd gathered around a street performer. The man seemed to be wearing a magician's hat and coat, and was juggling blue fireballs in the air. He made it look like an effortless task, and the crowd was mesmerized.

Nathan watched in amazement as the fireballs moved in perfect circles and spirals, and then suddenly shot up into the air. He wondered how the man had managed to get the fireballs to move like that.

As the man continued his performance, Nathan suddenly noticed something unusual. His senses picked up a strange energy in the air. It was almost as if there was something interfering with his sight.

He closed his eyes and tried to focus, trying to find the source of this disturbance. He had never experienced anything like it before, and it was oddly familiar yet strange at the same time.

He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to make out what it could be. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye.

Nathan could feel there was something here. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. He then opened his eyes and looked around him, trying to take in what he was seeing.

At first, he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but then he looked towards the street magician. He suddenly noticed a faint light coming from behind him. He squinted his eyes and kept looking, and noticed a faint outline of a figure.

As he stared at it, the figure slowly started to become clearer, as if a veil had finally been lifted off his eyes. It was a Ninetales, a rare Pokemon in this part of the world.

He had never seen one before, and he was instantly captivated by its beauty and grace. It stood out like a sore thumb, yet the rest of the crowd was oblivious to its presence.

Nathan edged closer to the front to get a better view, and sure enough, just as he'd expected, the Ninetales was the one who created those fireballs.

The Fox Pokemon was juggling several blue fireballs in a dazzling display of precision. Nathan recognized it was using Will-O-Wisp. It was the only move that Ninetales had that could create blue fireballs like that.

Nathan was in awe of the Ninetales' magical performance, and before he knew it, he found himself clapping and cheering along with the rest of the crowd. The magician bowed and thanked them for their wonderful response.

As the crowd slowly dissipated, Nathan approached the magician, not missing the man's Ninetales moving to his side. He then asked if he could teach his Growlithe.

The magician acted as if he knew nothing of what he was talking about, throwing his hands up in a gesture of innocence and saying, "What do you mean? I'm just a simple magician."

But Nathan wasn't unfettered. He revealed that he saw how he used his Ninetales to cheat the crowd. The magician's face went pale and he began to walk away hastily, as if fearful of being exposed.

"I can pay!" Nathan shouted. He reached into his bag and drew out a fistful of onion-shaped bulbs.

The magician squinted at them, unable to make out what they were. "I found these in a dungeon last week," Nathan explained. "They're Absorb Bulbs - they'll block water-type attacks and boost special attacks."

The magician's attitude did a 180 degree turn; instead of a scowl, he was now sporting a huge smile. "Of course! It would be my pleasure. But you'll need to work hard if you want your Growlithe to learn such a complex move."

Nathan raised a skeptical eyebrow at the man's sudden shift in attitude, but he still paid close attention as the magician began to explain.

He spoke of how Growlithe needed to increase the heat of his fire first before attempting to use Will-O-Wisp, and of a particular potion that could help with that.

The magician cleared his throat and began to break down the move step-by-step. He went on to ask his Ninetales to demonstrate the move for Growlithe. After some time, Growlithe finally managed to get the move right, though he only managed to imitate it just once.

Once the magician had completed his end of the deal, Nathan handed him a black sack. "Here you go, five Absorb Bulbs. Just like we agreed upon."

The magician accepted it and thanked him before leaving with a satisfied expression.

Nathan watched him leave before turning to Growlithe. His partner had just learned a very practical and powerful move that he was sure would come in handy for their upcoming competition.

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was still early, so he decided to head to the Kanto League's office to finally get his Trainer ID.

He arrived at the League Office shortly afterwards and was greeted by a friendly receptionist. She directed him to the appropriate registration office, where he was given a registration form to fill out.

After submitting the form and being questioned thoroughly, Nathan was finally given his ID and a starter kit, containing five pokeballs and a map of the Kanto region. Nathan was officially a Pokemon Trainer now.