Capítulo 6: Wasn't made for me.
As the alleys grew wider and turned back into streets, Jared felt a sense of relief wash over him. It was as if he had left some of the gloom and despair of the impoverished alleyways behind him. However, the crowded streets ahead presented a new challenge. More people than he had anticipated were out and about, bustling towards a particular area. Curiosity got the best of him, and Jared approached a random stranger, an older man wearing a weathered blue hat with lures and sunglasses. The man had rough hands from and wore a flannel shirt with suspenders and worn boots. Jared had seen similar attire among the fisherman at the docks.
The older man chuckled at Jared's apparent ignorance. "You're not from around here, are you?" he asked. "This is a daily occurrence. There are arena battles taking place, and the folks around here come to participate, but most just watch. I'm about to head there myself if you want to tag along."
"No thanks, and sorry to bother you."
"Psh, no sweat off my back. Take it easy young man."
"You too."
Seeing the man saunter off, Jared was intrigued, but he knew now wasn't the time or place for entertainment. However, he did want to mark the arena on his map, just in case he had some free time later on. A quick look at his map revealed the location's name: Tapu Village Battlegrounds.
After marking it down, he continued on his way, Jared couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between the joyful energy of the people heading to the arena and the desperation of the children he had seen earlier. A Wooper skipped past him, followed by an adorable little girl. They looked so carefree and happy, but it only served as a painful reminder of the children he had encountered in the alley. These two groups were living only minutes away from each other, yet their situations were like night and day.
Finally, Jared arrived at his destination. The bank was an impressive structure, with sparkling clean glass windows that rose several feet above eye level. Above that, beautiful stained glass windows adorned the facade, giving the building the appearance of a grand church from his home world.
Jared walked towards two imposing Machokes, their tidy white uniforms accentuating their bulging muscles. He couldn't help but wonder how long they had been guarding the entrance of the bank.
His curiosity soon turned to the purpose of the bank itself. Was it only for storing money, or did it also store Pokemon? Jared had never had much interest in the financial side of things, but more than that, he was curious about something he had read in the newspaper. Apparently, Porygon were the preferred security for banks, and he found himself curious about their whereabouts within the building, and how exactly those pokemon protected the bank itself.
"Why do the banks need Pokemon guards if they have Porygon?" Jared mumbled to himself, eyeing the two Machokes standing stoically at the entrance. Their bulging muscles barely hidden beneath their tidy white uniforms.
Before he could make his way past, the left machoke, drawing Jared's attention, then began flexing one arm while making disconcerting sounds.
Seeing the unamused look of the human, the second machoke seemed to burst into laughter, "MA CHA CHA CHA"
Raising his eyebrow, Jared ignored the pokemon and made his way past. Jared couldn't help but appreciate the cool blast of air conditioning that greeted him. The hustle and bustle of the outside streets was in stark contrast to the quiet exterior.
Jared took a moment to take in the surroundings. The interior of the bank was lavishly decorated with chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings and polished marble floors stretching out in all directions. He could see a few Porygon floating around, monitoring the activity and keeping a watchful eye on everything.
Jared approached one of the two tellers, a friendly-looking woman with a warm smile, and explained that he was a first-time visitor who needed help withdrawing money. Her eyes crinkled kindly as she guided him through the process, and Jared couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that he hadn't known what to do.
"Thank you so much," Jared said, feeling a little more confident now that he had successfully navigated the bank. "I'll be sure to remember for next time."
'She's probably wondering how I'm so ignorant for my age isn't she! But I'm not self conscious or anything!' Jared convinced himself.
Walking out the bank, Jared patted his small pocket of paper money, as he passed the two burly pokemon guards, he wondered if the 250$ poke stipend was a little or a lot.
Stepping out of the bank, Jared scanned the shopping district, searching for a store that could provide him with what he needed. He spotted a store with a sign in the shape of a sheep that read "Mareep's Threads and travel supplies" and decided to check it out. As he entered, he was greeted by the sight of racks of clothing in various shades of electric blue and yellow. As he looked around, his expression soured. The prices were a bit too absurdly high! It was 125$ poke for the cheapest bag, and he still needed food and clothing. So, he was forced to leave the store empty handed.
He needed a backpack, and clothing, but after looking around, he clearly felt the shopping district he was definitely not for him. His only option was to search for a cheaper alternative.
He scanned the busy street, taking note of the different stores and their prices. Everything was expensive! For now he was getting hungry, and this shopping distract clearly wasn't made for him. If he was going to fulfil his needs, he would need to venture somewhere a little more run down.
Checking the large map of the city, he began moving back the way he came.
.
As Jared walked down a narrow alley, he couldn't believe his luck. There, laid next to a dumpster was a worn-out bag. Inspecting the object, it looked to be made of faded brown leather, and the condition actually looked pretty good from the outside!
But as he opened the front flap, Jared heard a hissing sound from inside, which made him flinch back in surprise. After taking a few steps away and looking back, he saw a giant spider emerging from the backpack. The sight of the creature caused Jared to gulp. Its dark body was covered in light green spots, and its large, red eyes glinted in the dim light. Its long, thin legs twitched as it crawled out of the backpack and onto the ground.
Perhaps fearing the danger the large human posed, The small one pound pokemon scurried away and quickly disappeared into the dumpster, leaving Jared feeling dumbfounded by the unexpected encounter.
From one of the books he had read in the station, Jared had heard a story about Spinarak infestations, how they could invade a house and leave it uninhabitable. Until that point Jared always imagined pokemon as these helpful creatures, and didn't stop to think about the danger they posed.
Slightly creeped out, and a little unwilling, Jared grabbed the bag and shook it, making sure there were no surprises left inside.
Seeing that the bag was empty, and in pretty good shape, Jared slung it over his shoulder, and continued walking down the alley, leaving some parting words, "Sorry about stealing your home... little demon spider." He didn't know whether it could understand him or not, but he hoped that perhaps his words would console the creature.
Just up ahead, Jared heard the distinct sounds of a scuffle. As he approached, he saw a small, scrappy-looking Meowth with dirty fur and a crooked tail bickering with a scruffy, brown-feathered Spearow over a half-eaten sandwich. The Meowth had a mischievous glint in its green eyes, and its claws were unsheathed, ready for a fight. The Spearow, on the other hand, had a sharp beak and piercing eyes that darted back and forth between the sandwich and the Meowth, as if calculating its next move. Jared stopped in his tracks, eyeing the two Pokemon warily. From what he understood, the Pokémon in towns were generally docile and wouldn't dare attack a full-grown human. However, even a full-grown human would likely end up on the losing end if they were to fight a Pokémon head-on. A scuffle between two hungry-looking Pokémon wasn't something Jared wanted to get in the middle of.
Jared asked himself whether he should go another way, but just then the meowth yowled and lunged at the Spearow, swiping at it with its glowing white claws. The Spearow, quick on its feet, dodged the attack and as the his beak glowed white, he slyly retaliated with a quick peck at the meowth's head. The Meowth hissed in pain and anger, clearly upset at taking a losing exchange. However, from this point on, the Meowth was more cautious, and didn't recieve anymore wounds. Jared watched from a safe distance, mesmerized by the battle, however since they were more focused on defense than offense, the intensity of the battle was low. Jared had never seen a Pokémon battle before, and he couldn't help but admire the agility and skill of both combatants. As the battle raged on, the smaller spearow began to tire, eventually deciding the sandwitch wasn't worth it, and flew off.
With the sandwitch in his mouth, meowth took a glance in Jareds direction, fully displaying the golden oval coin inbedded in his forehead before he scampered off as well.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder