Arriving in Cerulean City

It was close to sunset when they exited the cave and that meant they had to hurry up to make camp. Now that they were in the sunlight, Vali could see Sandshrew's shiny coloring. The green was fairly light due to the pokemon's young age, but soon it would deepen into a rather nice emerald green. Sandshrew still stuck close to her, but looked almost afraid of the landscape. It was absolutely adorable and she ended up taking a few pictures with her scarcely used camera. Once she got over the adorable sight, she went hunting for a water source which ended up being a small creek. After filling up the canteens, she headed back to camp where Steven was waiting with Marko setting up the tents and getting the fire pit ready.

Steven looked up as she set the metal canteens on one of the clean stones and asked, "Find something?"

"A creek. We can wash some of our clothes and get somewhat cleaned up," It would take a long shower for Vali to feel truly clean, "Balto can find it again though we'll have to wait until morning since I did see a few signs of Ekans in the area,"

Ekans always left traces of poison in places they frequented to prevent rivals from taking over their spots. It was easy to spot either by the purple marks on the rocks, the sick grass, or the fang marks in the trees. They usually had a territory of around three miles with their burrow in the center. It was actually easy to find the burrows only it was recommended to wait until winter when the snakes would be hibernating. They were very territorial when it came to their burrows and would kill anything that tried to come close. You could actually tell how close to an Ekans burrow you were by how violently they battled and how strongly their poison effected whatever it hit.

Steven nodded as he released Aggron earning a surprised look from Marko, "I suppose it would be a good idea to have Aggron guard the camp. Wild Ekans are mostly active at night unless they're close to evolving."

"Balto," Vali said gaining the puppy pokemon's attention, "Super heat those, but do not melt the metal,"

While the metal canteens could stand up to a flame-thrower, it was best to have caution when it came to having fire-types heat things especially when they weren't fully evolved pokemon. While Balto was an older pokemon that had more control than Smaug when it came to his inner flame, he did have trouble sometimes especially when his inner flame grew more powerful. She hoped that by the time Balto evolved, he could produce blue flames which were the hottest flames any pokemon outside of those with the Flame Body ability could produce. Balto let out a bark and used ember on the rock the canteens sat on. It would take about five to ten minutes for the water to be purified by the heat. Moving towards the fire pit that Claydol had dug out, she began putting together what would be their fire for the night once it got dark enough to light one.

After it got dark and they'd trained for the night, the group began eating and Marko asked, "What exactly are you two planning on doing?"

"I'm completing the Kanto badge run and am going to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference," Steven answered earning a nod from Vali since she planned to do the same, "I'm also planning on exploring the mountains here once I get all my badges,"

"I think that I'll be going home for awhile once I get all my badges both to give all my pokemon time to relax and spend time with my family," She said after taking a bite of her trainer meal, "If I can, I might spend some time studying under Blaine to get a better grasp of my fire-types. I do want to become a fire-type master at some point maybe even become a member of the elite four,"

"Maybe when I become champion, you'll become one of mine," Steven said earning a shrug.

"Maybe though I don't think we're allowed to be a member of the elite four if you came from another region," Vali said as she thought over what she knew about the elite four, "Mostly because of the whole not becoming conflicted if there's a war or something," She shook her head, "If I could, that would be kind of cool," She looked at Marko, "So what's going to happen now that we're through Mount Moon?"

"I'll be heading back through the mountain as I've got all my supplies," Marko answered earning a nod from Vali, "As soon as Steven pays me of course,"

"In the morning," Steven decided as he looked at the sky, "It's far too dark right now,"

With that in mind, everyone continued to eat dinner before settling down for the night.

After parting from Marko, Steven and Vali packed up their camp before following Balto to the creek she'd found last night. It didn't take long to get some of their clothes cleaned up and clean them selves up a little. The water wasn't too cold, but it was still colder than Vali would like. Then they were off again following Steven's pokenav's GPS which increased her wish to own one at some point, it would take two days to get to Cerulean City though neither of them minded. She was glad for the sun as were her pokemon though Sandshrew didn't exactly like it a lot. Given how she'd only lived in constant darkness save for the League lights, it was understandable that she would prefer darkness though eventually, she would get used to the light.

They did end up battling a few trainers and some wild pokemon though Vali didn't see any Ekans. While she may not mind, she had been hoping that she might be able to test her theory. Eventually though, they made it to Cerulean which was larger than Pewter though smaller than Viridian city. It sat on the banks of a large bay that eventually met the ocean through a bunch of rivers in various directions. The buildings were mostly white with a blue or sea green trim. The biggest thing in the city was a humongous open air market that took up the center of the city and she planned to visit it as soon as she could. The Pokemon Center, the Poke-Mart, and the Cerulean city Gym were fairly close to one another which was fairly convenient. Of the four pokemon Center's she'd been to so far, it was the second largest right behind Mount Moon's.

Walking into the center, Vali noted the differences between the ones' she'd been to before. The front desk was larger and had a notice board beside it boasting various activities within the city. There were signs to various parts of the center, she noted that this center had a game/entertainment room much like Mount Moon. It was the first one to have indoor training facilities. A huge fish tank took up almost an entire wall and was filled with fish. For the first time since coming to this world, she was able to see some form of animal that wasn't a pokemon. Shaking her head and deciding to ask questions later, she walked up to the front desk with Steven though they had to wait in a small line before reaching the desk. Steven looked at her curiously, "Something wrong?"

"I just noticed that the fish tank had something other than a pokemon in it," Vali said prompting Steven look look at it as well, "While I know there are some animals that existed in this place, I've never really seen any since we got here,"

Vali was glad that there weren't any mosquitoes, but guessed that they'd probably gotten eaten by pokemon before they could really get their population growing. Of course, they could exist in other regions which meant she'd probably have to find bug spray of some kind or figure out some type of ward she could cast to keep them from biting her. Inwardly shaking her head, she focused on Steven as he said, "You'll mostly find fish though I'm sure there are others. I haven't really thought about it since pokemon are more interesting."

"They are," Vali actually preferred pokemon to regular animals since they were more intelligent for the most part.

The trainer in front of them moved forward and they stepped forward only to do so again moments later. It only took about five minutes to reach the front desk and Nurse Joy offered them a warm smile, "How can I help you two?"

"We need our pokemon checked as we've just finished getting through Mount Moon a few days ago," Steven answered prompting Nurse Joy to take out two trays, "Our Sandshrew are newly caught with Vali's being fairly young,"

"I would like to have a deep check on her just to make sure she's healthy," Vali added earning a nod from Nurse Joy, "She's also a little bit special,"

Nurse Joy looked at her curiously and Vali handed over her pokedex. Nurse Joy synced it into the computer and did something before making an understanding sound, "I see."

"Other than that, we could both use a room," Steven said earning a nod.

As Nurse Joy got their room keys, Steven and Vali placed their pokeballs onto the tray. All their pokemon were tired so neither of them had anyone out and Vali had already had her older pokemon explain what was going to happen to Sandshrew. She was still probably going to have to comfort her little one, but she didn't mind it since she'd been wanting to get her checked out as soon as possible. Nurse Joy handed them their room keys and took the trays saying, "It shouldn't take more than an hour for most of your pokemon. Vali, your Sandshrew should be finished in around three to four hours. Would you like me to get her shots in order?"

"Yes, please," Oh yes, Sandshrew was not going to be a happy little one.

"Of course, if you would give me the required five hundred poke-dollars please," Nurse Joy held out her hand and Vali took out her wallet.

At the very least, she didn't have any large pokemon which would probably make the cost skyrocket. Handing over the money, Vali earned a smile from Nurse Joy who returned her pokedex before they headed to the stairs. Steven smiled lightly, "I suppose we should meet up in the cafeteria for lunch in two hours?"

"Sure," Vali would need to get her clothes cleaned up first before she could shower, "See you in two hours,"

Entering into her room, she headed over to the closet and opened it to find the college-style washer and dryer. Vali began the arduous task of cleaning her clothes. Given that she had two full weeks worth of clothes that needed washing, it was going to take a while even if she wasn't washing everything right now. She was also glad that she wasn't developed enough to need more than training bras not to mention didn't have to deal with mother nature just yet. Traveling when she got older was going to suck if she didn't get some of those storage devices, she would need to make a lot of money in order to buy one though. Thank Arceus for gym battles, traveling trainers, odd jobs that trainers could take, contests, tournaments, and so many other activities.

After cleaning her clothes and taking a very long shower, Vali felt human for the first time since she'd run out of clean clothes back at Mount Moon. She headed downstairs and saw that she still had thirty minutes before she was to meet up with Steven. Heading to the Video-phone area, she went to one of the open booths and got onto the computer. Putting in her pokedex in the slot meant she didn't have to actually pay to use it, she plugged in the Ketchum/Potter/Black residents and only had to wait a few seconds before it was answered, "Hello-Vali!"

"Hey, Brat," Vali greeted her adoptive brother, "Stayed home today?"

"It's the weekend, Vali," Vali blinked in surprise at that, "It's Saturday. Didn't you know that?"

"Lost track of time," It really was hard to keep track of the days inside of a mountain even with Steven's Pokenav and her own Pokedex, "I wanted to call and check in. I'm in Cerulean City,"

"Did you get to see Sirius at Mount Moon?" Ash asked making her smile and nod, "Regulus evolved and looks so cool now!"

Vali laughed lightly and chatted with Ash for a few minutes about how things were going back in Pallet Town. She shook her head at the stories of what he and Gary had been getting up to. Eventually, Delia appeared and sent Ash off to go finish his chores. They shared a laugh at his complaints before Delia asked, "How are you?"

"Pretty good since I just took a long shower and got some of my clothes cleaned," Vali smiled lightly at her, "How about you? I know Ash is fine,"

"I'm doing very good. The restaurant is doing well and I've been getting to spend a lot of time with Ash since he's been putting in a lot of time at Samuel's place," Delia answered with a soft smile, "Did Ash tell you what he got up to lately with Gary? Those two boys..."

"Well, you can't blame since they're young boys and are planning on becoming trainers. Let them learn some stuff now instead of later when it can get them hurt," Vali said earning a sigh from Delia.

Delia shook her head lightly, "You're starting to sound like Sirius, Samuel, and Spencer," Vali flushed lightly at that, "I suppose you're right if all four of you said that though it won't make me worry less."

"At the very least, you're there to make sure they're okay and taken care of. I mean I'll be watching over Ash when he becomes a trainer, but I'm still going to be letting him learn things on his own," She was mostly going to be keeping him from getting himself killed.

Delia's smile returned, "And that makes me so glad."

Vali ran a hand through her hair as she asked, "How is Eevee?"

"He's doing well and will let me touch him though that's about it," Delia's smile dropped away, "It's a good thing I did go through those course on pokemon care or he might be in trouble since he doesn't really like anyone but Professor Oak and I touching him. He'll attack anyone else that tries though he is less violent with the female aids,"

Vali winced at that, "It's understandable though. The group I found abusing him were all male."

Vali's stomach rumbled and Delia let out a laugh, "I suppose that means it's lunch time for you."

"Yeah. I'm sorry we haven't talked for long," Vali said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck, "I'll try to call at some point while we're still in Cerulean though I'll make sure to call sometime before we leave,"

"It's okay, Vali. I'm just glad we got to talk and I'm looking forward to hearing about your journey so far," Delia beamed at her.

The phone disconnected and Vali got her pokedex from the slot. She headed towards the cafeteria where Steven was waiting by the doors. He looked up from his Pokenav and asked, "Called home?"

"Yup. I still need to call Professor Oak, but that can wait until after lunch," Vali said earning a laugh from Steven, "Shall we go eat?"

Sandshrew immediately curled up in Vali's arms the moment she could and refused to be moved. Nurse Joy offered Vali a sheepish look, "Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Vali sat down in the chair Nurse Joy offered her and began rubbing Sandshrew's dry head trying to calm her down, "She's still young and I actually expected something like this when I gave you the all clear for her shots. Since this is her first time out of Mount Moon not even three weeks since she hatched, I can't expect her to react any differently especially since Sandshrew are naturally timid pokemon,"

Nurse Joy sat down at her desk and opened the file that sat there, "Now she has had her shots and I took the liberty to give her a few calcium boosts since I'm sure she hasn't been able to get any milk since her dame disappeared."

"Thank you," Vali felt Sandshrew start relaxing, "So what did you find during the exam?"

"She is under weight though not by much due to you feeding her that berry mush," Nurse Joy said making Vali relieved, "I'm going to suggest adding a few things to it for the next week or so. I'll give you a list," Vali nodded, "She'll need a few supplements added to her food and I'll be prescribing them to you. You can pick up the prescription up at the Poke-Mart at any time though I recommend you do it soon," Nurse Joy looked down at the file, "She'll naturally sharpen her claws when she starts digging which she should be doing soon enough. Do your best to keep her away from the water, at her age, it will be detrimental to her health,"

Vali nodded, "Is there anyway to clean her up?"

"The Poke-Mart carries pokemon grooming kits. The basic one is about a thousand poke-dollars, but it's good for just about any pokemon," And her wallet was going to be suffering, wasn't it? "Other than what I've already said, she's fairly healthy. She should be able to start light training in about three weeks and start battling a week after that,"

"Noted. Thank you, Nurse Joy," Vali told the woman earning a smile.

"No problem, Vali. It is my job after all," Nurse Joy stood up and Vali did too after returning a sleeping Sandshrew, "I should have the list and prescription ready in thirty minutes,"

Vali headed to the front desk and over to the TV area where Steven was watching the news. He looked up as she approached, "How's Sandshrew?"

"A bit underweight and needs some supplements added to her food, but other than that she's very healthy," Vali sat down next to him, "I'll be going to the Poke-Mart to pick up her prescription once Nurse Joy is done," Vali leaned back against the couch glad that she'd gotten her pokemon's check ups done, "Smaug is going to evolve within the week. He just needs that final push while Pidgey is getting there. Pikachu and Balto are perfectly healthy though one of Balto's teeth are going to be falling out soon and be replaced which means he's going to be a bit irritable for a little while,"

"Well, it does happen," Pokemon were like sharks some times when it came to their teeth.

"I'm going to be picking up a basic pokemon grooming kit while I'm at the Poke-Mart," Steven looked a bit confused, "Sandshrew can't take baths and since she's going to start digging soon, I need to clean her up. Nurse Joy suggested the grooming kit which is actually something I've been meaning to get,"

"I think I'll pick up one as well since my pokemon do deserve it for all the hard work they've been doing," Steven commented looking at his pokeballs.