Chapter 29
A New Routine
Ravina's Travel Journal — Day 28
AZALEA.
Properly explored this time.
Found the Gym - Bug-types.
Cinder thinks he's ready.
I think he needs to remember that setting something on fire is not a complete battle strategy.
Owlbert agrees.
Probably.
Found April at the Pokémon Center.
Apparently her Union Pass assignment was temporary and she works here too.
I'm starting to think the Hunsie family has secretly conquered Johto's service industries.
April says this is called employment.
Suspicious.
She's agreed to look after the team while I work.
Cinder gets to help with Toni.
Nikola gets a proper resting area.
Owlbert gets a perch.
Victor gets absolutely no permission to haunt my workplace.
I'm sure he'll respect that.
Visited Kurt!
The Apricorn Poké Ball craftsman.
He showed me some of the process.
I want to bring him Apricorns.
Met his granddaughter.
She has a Slowpoke with a little blue ribbon.
Toni has discovered that some Pokémon take longer to answer than others.
She is fascinated.
Also:
I HAVE A JOB.
Slowpoke Maid Café.
Hospitality experience is paying off.
Trial shift tomorrow.
The manager seemed nice.
The food smelled good.
The uniforms are cute.
No Pokémon in the dining area, but April has that covered.
I can work during the day and train around my shifts.
Cinder needs something new.
Victor definitely needs something new.
I need money.
The Gymleader needs to prepare for my inevitable arrival.
Next: Employment. Again.
- - - - -
Chapter 29.1
Rain tapped against the window pane, a steady, patient drizzle that softened the morning light, casting the room in muted gray tones.
Under the blankets, Ravina drifted between sleep and waking. Warmth pressed against her shoulder: Cinder, already alert as usual, his body radiating heat that seeped through the fabric. His orange-red eyes glowed faintly in the dimness.
"Morning, Fireball." Her fingers found the spot beneath his chin, and he closed his eyes with a soft chirr.
Beside them, Toni shifted, a small weight beneath the covers, her eggshell half-visible against Cinder's dark teal fur. One tiny eye cracked open.
WARM.
Ravina's smile bloomed in the semidarkness. "Yeah. He's pretty good at that."
Toni's eyes closed again, content.
The thought of staying curled in this warmth enticed her, pulling at her limbs like lead weights. But responsibility gnawed. The gym challenge. Her empty wallet, still recovering from Pudding's influence on her shopping habits. Survival expenses that wouldn't wait.
Ravina's gaze drifted toward the chair where her pack sat, a shape against the window's soft light.
Her sigh dissipated into the pillow. "Right. Work."
Cinder opened one eye, questioning.
"Not you. Me."
His eye closed again, dismissive.
"Helpful."
- - - - -
Chapter 29.2
Azalea Town emerged transformed under morning light, a stark contrast to their late arrival yesterday when exhaustion had steered them toward immediate rest.
The persistent rain softened sharp edges, giving the town an almost watercolor quality with wet tiled roofs dripping into stone-lined channels. Narrow streets wound between buildings featuring covered shopfronts that extended protection from the drizzle.
Toni spent the morning with her head constantly turning within her sling, eggshell catching light as she tracked every new sight. Small chirps escaped as another unfamiliar aspect captured her attention.
If the Ranger Station had seemed busy, Azalea bustled with activity that made it feel tame. Buildings of varying heights crowded together, many with intricate wooden lattice windows or vibrant floral displays beneath their eaves. People filled the walkways, their footsteps creating a rhythm against wet stone that contrasted with the softer sound of raindrops. Pokémon accompanied them in all varieties, some trotting at their trainers' heels, others perched on shoulders, and several small types peering curiously through shop windows.
BIG.
Ravina's fingers adjusted the sling slightly. "Yeah. First proper town."
Toni's attention locked onto a bicycle speeding past, its wheels sending up small sprays of water.
FAST.
Ravina's shoulders relaxed with a soft laugh. "And apparently we've got quite a few concepts to work through together."
Azalea nestled between the mountains and forest, smaller than Violet but unmistakably a town. It breathed with distinct neighborhoods where woodsmoke mingled with rain-scented air. A proper market sprawled through stone-paved squares, stalls offering everything from hand-carved Pokéflutes to steaming bowls of silken tofu. Workshops chimed with the sounds of craftsmanship, blacksmiths pounding metal into tools, weavers threading brilliant dyes through looms. Restaurants lined narrow alleys, paper lanterns promising shelter from the persistent drizzle. The Pokémon Center stood prominently at the town's heart, its crimson roof catching the diffused morning light. And the Gym.
Ravina found it first, by accident, which made the discovery sweeter.
A wide structure emerged beyond manicured gardens where moss and ferns carpeted the ground between stone stepping-stones. Vines cascaded along portions of the exterior wall, their leaves trembling with each raindrop. Dragonfly reliefs decorated stone pillars, and beetle motifs adorned the wooden entryway. Near the oak doors, a polished sign displayed the League emblem alongside carved lettering:
AZALEA GYM
GYM LEADER — BUGSY
Ravina halted mid-stride.
Cinder examined the building with quiet intensity, orange-red eyes scanning the insect-themed decorations. Then he met Ravina's gaze.
"Not yet."
His flame vents dimmed almost imperceptibly, ears dipping at the blunt rejection.
"Don't look at me like that."
Nikola approached cautiously, black eyes taking in every detail of the structure. Owlbert landed silently atop the signpost, his unblinking red gaze examining their reflections in the polished wood. Toni leaned forward from her sling, shell gleaming in the soft light.
BIG.
"Gym," Ravina explained simply.
Toni's head tilted, eggshell catching the muted daylight.
GYM?
"Where trainers challenge a specialist to earn a badge."
Toni glanced at Cinder, then back toward the building.
Ravina's smile softened. "He helped me earn the first one. Before you hatched."
Cinder lifted his head again, flame vents brightening with renewed pride.
FIRE.
"Exactly," Ravina affirmed, her hand settling comfortingly on his dark teal shoulder.
The Gym loomed before her, weathered timber interlaced with carved dragonflies. The Zephyr Badge sat tucked in her bag, a small metal disc with metal wings that spread weighty promises she'd earned with fire and determination. Now another challenge awaits here, framed by wood and insect motifs.
Bug-types. Fire, flying, her team had edges. Cinder's flames would scorch chitin; Owlbert could tear through delicate wings from above. But Falkner had taught her hard lessons about predictable advantages and unpredictable opponents. Specialists didn't survive by letting novices waltz through with type-chart victories. Bugsy had turned that knowledge into a career that thrived on underestimation.
Ravina pulled out her notebook, pencil moving across the page.
BUGSY. BUG GYM.
Below, new lines formed, decisive strokes against lined paper:
FIND OUT WHAT SHE ACTUALLY TESTS.
Another pause, then:
TRAIN CINDER. OWLBERT. VICTOR. NIKOLA.
The pencil hovered over the page before adding:
TONI - NOT YET.
Toni's wide eyes tracked the writing implements, small shell gleaming in morning light.
MARKS.
"Planning," Ravina murmured without looking up.
MARKS.
"Yes." Her hand stilled as Toni reached for the pencil with stubby limbs.
"No."
Ravina snapped the notebook shut.
"First, money."
Victor drifted from the Gym's shadow, purple smoke curling with amusement.
"A familiar enemy."
"Poverty?"
"Employment."
Ravina's shoulders slumped with the morning chill and drizzle.
"Both."