Chapter 7: Majestic City.
Majestic City Arc.
The boy leans against a tree, staring at the blue skies; the clouds overshadowing his droopy look. Ada and Ramon gaze at him, sliding into melancholy. Ramon walks towards the teen, leaning his paw against the tree.
"...I'm so sorry for you and Ada's loss," he says.
"Yeah." Justin grips his fist. "I wish it didn't happen in the first place."
"Same," Ada agrees, laying against the same tree.
"I hope you two reunite with your friends. In fact-" the Zorua gets in front of them, lowering his brow and nodding. Adrenaline courses throughout him, a beckon of warmth leading him to say the next thing. "I'm willing to help you find your friends and families!"
The two teens look at the fox, stun expressions flourishing at his decision. Ada smiles warmly at the Zorua, putting her hands behind her back. "Thank you," she says in a serene tone.
Justin puts his hands in his pockets, content growing within him. "Thanks." He releases a sigh. "It...means a lot to me that someone is willing to help us."
Ramon smiles back. "No problem. After all, I am tagging along with the two of you, right?"
"Yes...Justin and I are going through a tough time right now. But it'll eventually en-"
"Alright, let's go already. I think we might be near a town or something," Justin says abruptly, storming past the two. Ada and Ramon stare at each other before gazing at him, their brows raising in response.
"What's with the sudden shift?" Ramon asks the teen before she shrugs. The two then follow the boy, looking around their surroundings. "So Justin..." He pauses. "You said something about a girl appearing in the flames while harassing the mayor. Who was she?"
Justin stops for a moment, putting his hand against his chin. "Honestly, I have no clue. I know that she was with those Conjure fellas, but she looked different than them as well."
"Huh." Ada looks to the side. "Whoever she is, she'll pay for burning the village as well."
As the three continue onwards, Justin stops his track again, the two bumping into him in response. They fall on the ground, staring up at the teen in perplexion. "Why did you stop?" Ramon asks.
"Look fam," Justin says, putting his fists against his hips.
The three gaze ahead at several buildings, flying cars and trains swing from every direction. Lights sparkle on and off in a neon fashion, the impression of amazement spreading across the three. "Whoa," Ramon and Ada say, their mouths agape to the futuristic style of the place.
"Beautiful, ain't it?"
"Yeah. I never stepped foot outside of the village to see more of this region." Ada looks to the side. "I guess you can say, this is my first."
"Same here," Ramon follows along, continuing his everlasting gaze. The three of them are on top of a hill, Ramon looking down at the street ahead.
"This is all of our first," Justin addresses, smiling in response. "So as much as I want to stand around and stare at that beauty from here-" he grins, lowering himself. "Let's go check it out!" He dashes off.
"Uh Justin, wait a sec-"
"OH SHIIIT!" Justin interrupts as his voice lowers in volume, sliding down the hill.
"Wait for us, boy!" Ada slides down as well, the Zorua shifting before joining afterwards. The three swing from side to side, the soft grass brushing on them within quick sessions. Ramon rolls down like a ball, groaning and wincing at the roughness of it all. Soon, they're stopped by three trees respectively, all clinging to it. Ada then gets up and brushes herself off, walking towards the teen.
"Could you not find a safe place to transverse through?" she asks him.
Justin looks at her, Ada's hand presenting itself to him. "Oh relax. No one got hurt." He grabs the hand and gets up. "Right, Ramon? ...Ramon?"
Muffle noises reach the two before they stare at its location. Ramon's head is stuck in the ground, his limbs flailing around in an uncontrollable manner. Ada and Justin rush to the Zorua, grabbing him by the hind legs and pulling him out of the hole. "Ack!" Ramon coughs and shakes his head, dirt flinging from side to side. "Jeez, I almost died there!" He stares at Justin. "Hey, try to find a safer route next time."
"That's what I said!" Ada says.
"But you asked a question, not a suggestion, fam."
"Same thing, smartass." Ada folds her arms as Justin snickers, covering his mouth in a mischievous manner. She turns to Ramon. "You alright there?" Ramon nods before the three take their attention towards the road ahead.
They walk forward before seeing a sign. As they get closer to it, a car zooms past them in a flash, causing the three to back away. "Whoa!" they yelp, falling on the ground and hearing a honk coming from the car.
"Watch where you're going, then!" Ada yells, shaking her head. "Anyways..." She and the others take their attention toward the sign again. The sign reads, 'Left to Avalon Forest, Right to Majestic City.'
"Majestic City, huh?" Ada looks at the city. "It looks pretty majestic alright."
"Yep." Justin's expression shifts. "...I hope our friends are there, including my mother."
Ada puts her hand onto the teen's shoulder. "I hope so too, Justin." She looks ahead, the city continuing its neon flashes and its vehicles flying up into the sky. The three move forward, footsteps pressing on the concrete each and every time.
As they get close to the city, another Zorua appears next to Ramon. The blue color flourishes on its eyelids and hair tuft, looking rather different than the red fox. The Shiny Zorua gazes at the fox, lips sealed and its face left empty. Ramon blinks at the peculiar creature, tilting his head.
"Um, hey...There's someone here," he says.
"What?" Justin looks behind him, Ada following along.
"Yeah! I'm seeing someone right now!"
Justin and Ada look at each other, blinking and lowering their brows. "...Hey Ramon." Justin scratches the side of his head. "What kind of joke are you pulling here? Cause I don't see anyone."
"Huh? What do you mean? They're right-" the Shiny Zorua is gone. "...Here."
"What were you seeing exactly, Ramon?" Ada asks.
The Zorua looks, absorbing the air of perplexion and confusion before shaking his head. "It's nothing. I...guess my mind was messing with me, for a moment." He chuckles, lowering his ears while the two shrug. "Let's continue."
The three proceed into the futuristic city, looking up at its lights and structures in awe. They soon notice a yellow statue near a wall, the statue looking like an orb. Ada walks towards it and touches it.
"Just in case we want to return to this city, for any reason," she says, her eyes glowing blue along with the statue. Soon the glowing stops, Ramon looking at her in confusion.
"What do you mean by that?" he asks.
Ada looks back. "These are teleportation statues. They're there to help us teleport back to the location we've already been."
"Oh...I see?"
"I can elaborate more on it once we find ourselves a place to live."
The Zorua nods as the three keep moving. Meanwhile, the Drowzee peeps her head from behind a tree, eyeing the group. She yelps and rushes after them, hiding behind sign poles and walls and other trees.
I better hurry! Or else, I won't be able to say my thanks! she thinks to herself, rolling around the grass before hitting the next wall in front of her. "Oof!" She rubs her head, groaning. She then hops around the corner and enters the city.
Behind the Drowzee is the cloaked figure hidden within the bushes, watching the tapir.
I don't know what the Drowzee's motives are. The individual grips his fist, the bushes rattling from his presence.
But she better find someone else to take their dreams from. He dashes out of the bushes, following the four.
The city's interior looks just as grand as the outside. Many people and Pokémon roam around the sidewalks and traffic, cars flying past the roads and even the skies above. Despite the sun being out, the neon lights flashes at the sky to showcase the words 'What A Time to be Alive!' Over at a large billboard lies the following words, 'Welcome to Majestic City: A City Ahead of Time!'
"'A City Ahead of Time?' What do they mean by that?" Ramon asks.
"Perhaps this city has a different time zone than anywhere else?" Ada shrugs. "I have no clue, honestly."
"Hmm." The fox continues on the sidewalk, stopping his tracks to encounter a creature exiting from its car. "...Huh?" The quadruped creature has a blue-green skin with a blooming bud on his back. The Venusaur closes the vehicle's door with his vine, adjusting his hat afterwards. He proceeds into a nearby building, holding his suitcase while fixing his tie.
"Did you two saw that Pokémon getting out of that thing just now?" the fox asks, raising his right brow. "The thing is even its size, too!"
"I believe they're called cars? I heard of their existence, but never thought they'll be flying," Ada says. "I also never knew that Intellicates can drive."
"Same here, fam," Justin follows, looking at the vehicle.
"There goes this Intellicate thing again." The fox sighs, shaking his head.
As the three wander around, they encounter a bunch of people and Pokémon sitting on the sidewalk, some being in the alley as well. Those people have blankets wrapped around them along with the Pokémon, all warming each other up. "Hmm?" Ramon passes by the groups, littered with confusion. "Say, do those people have homes?" he asks the two teens.
Ada folds her arms and shrugs. "Probably not. I mean, we're still looking for a place to stay ourselves," she confirms, taking her attention towards the sidewalk ahead.
"Yo, maybe we can ask someone in that hotel if we can stay," Justin says, pointing at a building ahead. The three gaze, multiple windows and a twin door window flourish in front of them.
"That's the only thing we can do." The girl adjusts her jacket before walking to the building. A simple footstep near the door causes it to open sideways.
"Whoa...That was nice," the Zorua says, entering the building. The three look around, many civilians going up to the counter and ordering their rooms to this luxurious hotel.
"This also looks nice too, dude," Justin follows, admiring the interior while putting his hands in his pockets. After a man exits from the counter, the three reach there to see a formally dressed woman behind it. The Zorua can't see the woman due to his height, looking up at the chins of his allies.
"Hello you two. How may I assist you today?" the woman asks, holding her hands.
"We'll like to stay in this hotel, please," Ada answers, putting her hand on the counter.
"Alright. That'll be 60 pokédollars each for the two of you." The woman then notices the Zorua walking from beneath the counter, lifting her brow at his unusual red face. "Make that three."
That's weird for a lady to ask a Pokémon to pay for his room, Ramon thinks, raising his right brow.
"60 pokédollars!? That's pretty dicey, don't you think?" Justin says, gripping his shirt.
"Hold on, Justin," Ada steps in. "This is only for us having our own rooms, right?" She asks.
The lady smiles. "Yes."
Justin folds his arms. "Then we'll like to stay in one room, please." He points to himself, Ada, and Ramon.
"In that case, it'll be 100 pokébucks."
"100!?" Justin groans, digging into his pockets along with Ada herself. "Let's see if we have...THAT much, then."
The lady shrugs. "It's a luxury hotel, sir. We provide the best experiences for our customers, hence its expensive prices."
The two teens get nothing but the empty ends of it, staring. "Uh..." Justin gulps, laughing in a raspy tone.
"Something's the matter?" the woman asks.
"Yeah, uh, about us paying the room." Justin rubs the side of his nose. "We can't do that."
The lady looks at the two and then at the Zorua. "Oh. I understand, then. I apologize for this, but you can't stay unless you pay for the room."
"Oh come on. We're young and have no place to stay." Justin lowers his lips and sniffles. "You wouldn't turn down on us kids, would you?"
"Technically we're teens," Ada says, covering her mouth.
Justin turns towards her. "Shh!"
The woman shrugs. "I still can't let you three stay."
"Oh please, ma'am! We've been traveling around the world for days!" Justin puts his hands together, tears forming in his eyes. "Please just do this one favor for us!"
"Sir, I understand your plea. But rules are rules. And I can't break them or else I'll lose my job." She bows her head. "My dearest apology...Also-" She points behind the three. "You're holding up the line."
The three blink at the lady, turning around. A ton of people and Pokémon are casually waiting, some even tapping on their watches. "Oh." Justin looks at the lady and scratches the back of his head, laughing nervously. "...We'll leave now."
The three walk towards the exit and sigh. "So where to now?"
"Hmm...Perhaps find more hotels to stay in?" Ada suggests, putting her hand against her chin. "It's the only conclusion I can come up with."
Justin looks around for a moment until another tall building appears. "Maybe that hotel over there will be free and let us in!" The three venture into the hotel only to be booted out within seconds. "...Aight then."
"They...didn't even give us a chance to speak. What the?" Ramon blinks, staring at the building.
Ada folds her arms. "Weird...and rude, too." She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Let's go ask other places. We can't give up just yet."
And thus, the three travel around the city, going through numerous hotels and knocking on people's doors. Rejects after rejects after rejects, some of the rejects downright tossing Justin into a floating trash bin, leading Ada and Ramon to feel uneasy. After a while, the three end up in the suburban part of the city, all leaning against the wall and gazing up at the sky. The sun hides itself behind the dark alley, not becoming visible to them as they relax next to some homeless group.
Justin's stomach erupts, the boy looking around before spotting a bread lying on the ground. "Hey, is that bread good?" he asks a man next to him. The man looks down at the bread before shaking his head. Justin looks as well, molds and dirt shrouding the whiteness that was once the bread. The teen cringes, covering his mouth. "Alright. Nevermind."
Ramon puts his head down, lying on his belly while groaning.
We've searched everywhere around this city. No luck in finding someplace to stay in. The Zorua stares at a wall. "This sucks."
"Yeah..." Ada's stomach growls along with Ramon's, both whimpering. "I guess we'll live in the streets, then."
"With nothing to eat nor sleep in?"
Ada nods. "Looks to be that way, unfortunately."
"Actually, we can sleep." Justin points down. "On this hard ass ground."
The girl squints her eyes at the boy. "Right..."
Soon an elderly man comes by with some loaf of bread. He hands the bread to the man besides Justin, nodding at him. "Be sure to share with the others, too," he says, his tone being as firm as a wolf. The homeless man immediately unwraps the bag and tears a piece of bread, sharing them with the other homeless group. He also hands the bread to the three, Justin being the first to grab them.
"Yo, thanks man," the teen says, seeking his teeth into the white, fresh cushin of wheat. Ramon and Ada join their share of the bread, enjoying its fresh textures as well.
"Mmm!" Ada exclaims, looking at the elderly man. "Thank you, sir," she says, munching away.
The man looks at her and the other two, raising his right brow and tilting his head. "I don't believe I've seen you three around here before," he says, putting his hand against his chin. "Those clothes of yours look too out of the ordinary compared to everyone else here."
Clothes? Ramon looks at himself.
I have none...
"That's because we've been traveling around Wizlore for months now. With no place to stay in." Ada pauses for a moment before sprinting up. "Would you care to have us stay at your place? We're desperate to find one for the time being."
The pale skinned elder stares at the girl, his gray beard and orange stripe shirt shifts from the wind blowing them; his red suspenders doing its best to hold his shirt in place. The three gaze back, the man squinting his eyes at them while letting his black shoes tap on the ground. He raises his right brow, more so at the Zorua being redder than usual. Ramon and Justin look at each other, nothing but bread munching from the homeless fills the silence.
"...Sir?" Ada says, shrugging.
"Come with me," the elder replies, turning around to walk away.
"...So is that a yes or-"
"It's a yes." The elder continues onwards, the three looking at each other with uneasiness.
"...That guy could've just said 'yes' from the start," Justin says, shrugging. "Don't know why he made it so complicated."
"Same here," Ramon agrees as they follow the elderly person, walking past a dumpster and the stairs next to a couple of walls.
The elder looks ahead of the exit, the sunlight shining at the sidewalks, streets, and buildings. "Have you three noticed the amount of poor people and Pokémon living in this city?" He pauses, grabbing onto the side of the wall and looking back at the group. "That's why I'm letting you three stay: There's too many poor people roaming around." He then grips his fist. "It especially irks me to see kids being homeless, too. So I would rather not let you three wander around here lost."
The three look behind them, a ton of homeless groups are either sleeping against the walls or covering their faces, some even stare at the wall itself. Their expressions are as blank and empty as the walls, not a single movement is being made. The three then look at each other, shrouding into the world of concern.
"Now that I think about it, there were a lot of them...Even the ones we noticed earlier," Ada says, taking her attention back to the elder.
The four exit from the alley and encounter a white building with a red roof at the top, a round pokéball symbol being in the middle. The four walk past the building, the three staring at it in amusement.
"So this is how a Pokémon Center looks like," Ada says with a smile.
The elder turns to the three. "You've never seen a Pokémon Center before?"
Ada shakes her head. "Never in my life, sir."
"We've been living in our village and hardly see the world around us," Justin adds, having his hands behind his head.
"Huh. Then why are you three traveling?" the elderly man asks.
Justin and Ada both look off to the side. "You see, our village got burned down. And since then, we've been traveling all around the region." Ada strokes her arm.
"Village burning, huh?" The four reach a nearby house that's as big as the center, being colored light brown with two to four windows. "Sorry to hear about that." The elder puts his hand on the doorknob, twisting it.
Although, it sounds...familiar.
After the door opens, the four are greeted with the interior of the home, the living room being beside the dining room, the stairs relaxing by the corner. "Thanks for letting us stay, sir," Ada says, holding her hand out. "The name's Ada Cheng, by the way."
"Mines' Justin Phoenix!" Justin follows.
"And I'm Ramon," the Zorua follows as well.
Clinton nods and shakes the girl's hand. "Clinton Maplethorn. A pleasure meeting you three as well." He looks at the boy. "By the way, did you say Phoenix?"
"Yeah. Why didya ask?" Justin says, stretching his arms out.
"...Eh, just making sure if I'm hearing that correctly. My ears are starting to give up on me, after all." The elder turns away from Justin as the teen tilts his head.
"Uh. Alright then."
A boy with the last name, Phoenix. Clinton looks to the side.
Hmm...
Justin looks at a TV in the living room. "Man, it's been awhile since I saw that." He rubs his hands together. "Let's see what channels you have on there, old man."
Ramon blinks into curiosity. "Channels? What's that?" He looks at the TV. "And what's that thing over there?"
"That's called a TV, also known as Television, and the channels are these numbers that help us navigate through it. Letting us spot any sort of shows or movies we like," Clinton explains before glaring at Justin. "Also, don't call me an 'old man.' I rather prefer you to go by the term 'classic.'"
Justin shivers at the grimace tone before chuckling in low volume, scratching the back of his head. "Alright alright. I'll go by the words 'classic man,' then," he says.
"Right. And before you three do anything else, I suggest that you take a shower. Arceus knows how long you've been exploring out there, so I'm not risking any filth here...In fact-" the elder looks down at Ada's heels, the dirt marks painting the ground with its foul color. He pulls out a washcloth and a spray bottle, getting on his knees to spray it. "I'm cleaning the dirt off now."
"Wait, you had those two in your pockets this entire time?" Ada asks, moving out of the way.
Clinton nods. "Yes. Got a problem with that?" He squints his eyes at the three, leading them to shrug in an awkward manner.
"Not...really, no."
Justin gets on his knees and leans close to Ramon's ear. "I think we have a clean freak," he whispers.
"What was that?" Clinton glances at the teen.
"Uh." Justin shakes his head. "Nothing! Anyways, got some extra pairs of clothes Ada and I can wear?" he says.
"Yeah. You two can wear them for the time being. I'll also put your old ones in the washer while at it."
Justin gives the elder a thumbs up. "Nice."
"What about me?" Ramon asks.
"I don't think Pokémon wear any clothing, do they?" Justin addresses.
"I noticed the Drowzee earlier wore a ribbon around her neck. But that's more of an accessory than a piece of clothing," Ada says, putting her hand against her chin. "Then again, there's the Venusaur with the top hat and tie."
"Speaking of Pokémon, there's something I meant to ask earlier." Clinton scratches the side of his head, looking at the Zorua. "Why is his face red?"
Things go silent between the four, the empty sounds of the house whistle throughout the moment. Then the three shrug at Clinton. "We'll explain that after we finish showering," Ada says.
"Alright then." The elder turns to the Zorua. "Also, I don't have anything for you to wear. Sorry."
Ramon shifts himself. "It's fine, I suppose."
"Yo, is the bathroom upstairs?" Justin asks.
"Yes," Clinton answers.
"Alright then." Justin runs to the stairs. "Last one to the bathroom door is a rotten egg!"
"Oh you may beat me in fights, but you will certainly NOT beat me to the tub!" Ada exclaims, rushing after him.
Fights? ...Have these two constantly fought each other or something? Clinton thinks as Ramon follows after them.
"Wait up, you two!" he says, his stubby legs hurling its way to the stairs and climbing one by one. He then stops midway to groan in an uncomfortable manner.
Ugh, that odd feeling is returning again! he thinks, continuing onwards.
Clinton gazes at the pathways of dirt, plastering all over the floors and staircases. He squints his eyes before sighing, shaking his head. "This is going to take me a while to clean," he says, spraying the ground and rubbing it.
Outside of Clinton's home, the Drowzee stands in front of the door, lifting her arm up. She watches it tremble and shake, her lips puckering and her eyes wincing.
Come on. Just...a simple...knock, she thinks to herself, her hand reaching close to the door. It soon stops, leaving only a sigh of sorrow resonating from the tapir.
I can't! I just can't do it! She covers her face.
How can I be so afraid...? Knocking on a door is such a simple task. Yet...I make that an impossible thing to do, she whimpers, keeping her face buried.
Lurking from the corner of the house is the black cloak figure from earlier, staring at the Drowzee while gripping the walls. He glares at the house itself, menace and fury emanating from his red eyes.