บท 75: Chapter 73: Cerulean Feeling

Ark and Jessie made their way through Cerulean City. At the time, it was midday, meaning the streets were bustling full of activity. Jessie was currently leading the way towards the Pokemon Center since she seemed surprisingly familiar.

"Here we are"

Jessie proudly declared as they approached a large complex with the Pokemon Center symbol on top.

Ark was impressed by the size of the center and finally realised how they were able to house so many trainers for short periods of times.

"I am surprised you really did know the way, from your track record, I expected that we would end up at the Police Office"

Jessies expression turned stony as she heard Arks words, rapidly morphing into one of anger.

"Hey! I haven't gotten lost once since we were travelling together!"

Ark shook his head before speaking with a calm tone.

"We were following a path, I sure hope you didn't get lost at any point"

This time, Jessies entire body froze at Arks statement. She had realised the truth to his statement but still refused to admit it.

"Anyways, lets go"

Changing the subject, Jessie stormed into the Pokemon Center, leaving Ark behind as he smirked in amusement. He noticed that he had developed the tendency to tease Jessie every so often, enjoying her reactions.

The two checked into the Pokemon Center and got separate rooms. Of course, Ark had to foot all of the bills that came with it, however it was a small price to pay for the4 enjoyment Jessie had brought on his journey. As Jessie was not registered for the league, she was not able to normally have access to the benefits of a league challenger, thus Ark had to bear the load.

"Right we'll settle our stuff down and go get something to eat, sound good?"

Ark proposed as he walked Jessie to her room.

"Perfect, all of that guiding has really made me hungry"

With a self-satisfied smile on her face, Jessie entered her room after agreeing to meet at the front of the Pokemon Center in 30 minutes.

Ark went to his room and placed down his daily necessities. At the moment, he had no idea how long he would be waiting for his challenge against Misty. He intended to check the gym tomorrow and maybe get himself acquainted with the Sensational Sisters as they call themselves.

"Lets freshen up"

After getting ready, Ark made his way to the front of the Pokemon Center. Unlike Pewter City, Cerulean Cities Pokemon Center gave off more of a city vibe rather than the homely and inviting field he had previously experienced. It was likely due to the high density traffic of the people coming and going, however it was true that Ark had started to miss that welcoming feeling.

Waiting for a couple of minutes, Ark had already decided what he wanted to do after lunch. He turned around as he felt someone approaching him.

Jessie was walking up to him with a bright smile, she wore a large coat to cover her Team Rocket clothing.

"That bed is so comfortable!"

Jessie told Ark enthusiastically.

"Is that why you're smiling so brightly?"

Jessie felt her face, tracing the arc of her mouth. Eventually, she sighed as she noticed her feelings had been seen through.

"It doesn't matter, the rooms yours. Shall we go then?"

Ark directed Jessies mind away from her own thoughts, hoping to see the return of her usual gusto. Fortunately, it worked, Jessie followed after Ark with a confident stride once more.

'Seriously... it didn't look too bad in the show, in fact it seemed quite comical that they had to sleep outside, but it's clear Jessie hates it'

Ark decided he wanted to do something to help her out. Of course he did not have enough funds right now to support Jessie, especially since he wanted to start working on his company soon. However he had an idea of how to cheer her up and maybe make her life easier.

The two spent a while searching Cerulean City for a nice restaurant. In the end, they decided to go for a local family restaurant that seemed to be popular with families after asking around. Despite visiting before, Jessie was not overly familiar with the businesses as she was not there as a tourist or traveller like she was right now.

After eating a good meal, on Arks expense, Jessie turned to him and asked what their plans were now.

"Well, let's go shopping shall we?"

Ark proposed to Jessie. It was still light out and they had no other appointments since he intended to check out the gym tomorrow.

"Of course, if you're paying"

Jessie stated with a haughty tone. Despite the bluntness, Ark found it to be amusing that she didn't hold her tongue even about things people would often tip-toe around.

"That's the plan, I have somewhere in mind. Let's go"

Saying that, Ark left in the opposite direction, towards what seemed to be a shopping district.

Whilst they were asking around for restaurants, Ark also secretly asked for locations of certain stores as well as opinions on the best stores.

The two walked side by side for a couple of minutes before they were met with a bustling street that had a different atmosphere when compared to the busy streets of before. As Jessie and Ark looked around, they noticed that everyone was walking alongside a partner with their own pink atmosphere around them.

"Ark... where are you taking me?"

Jessie looked at Ark with a heavy amount of suspicion. It was evident that she thought Ark had an ulterior motive.

"Hey now! I asked some locals for good shopping spots for ladies and they sent me this way"

Ark defended himself as he looked around, double checking he was in the right place.

"Shopping for ladies?"

Ark nodded.

"That's right, I wanted to go shopping. I guess the locals I asked, assumed we were a couple"

Jessie stared at Ark, searching for any sort of hint she could gleam from his expression. In the end, she sighed in exasperation after she noticed he was being truthful.

"I suppose we do look like a couple when we walk around together like this"

Nodding at her statement, Ark urged Jessie to continue walking since they had started to gather attention.

"Lets go then, the sun will be setting soon"

Arks main goal for today was to get Jessie some clothes. After all, the entire journey, he noticed that Jessie had to rely on only 2 sets of clothes. This was a dire crisis for anyone, especially someone like Jessie who puts a lot of importance on appearance.

Jessie nodded and followed after Ark, with a small smile on her face.

'This is my first time shopping for fun in years...'

Jessie thought to herself as she watched Ark looked at the shop names as they passed.

Eventually, they arrived at a small boutique that apparently had a good reputation in Cerulean. According to the locals, it was a local luxury boutique for girls, where they sold designs only found in Cerulean. As the Cerulean Gym was a water gym, it seemed that many fashion brands had adopted the aqua and marine styles, thus Ark decided it would be good to buy something of that nature. After all, it would serve as clothing, however more importantly it will serve as a reminder to the memory Jessie had made with him.

The two entered the shop. As they looked around, their gazes were filled with a plethora of different shades of blues alongside other colours.

'Da ba dee...'

Strange thoughts filled Arks head as he looked at the expanse of blue.

"Want to have a closer look?"

Jessie snapped out of her daze and nodded, her expression was bright as she looked at all of the different designs.

In the end, Ark bought three sets of clothing for Jessie. One was an aquamarine coloured tight fitting dress, alongside some smart casual clothes Jessie had picked out and co-ordinated herself.

"Ark! I would like to thank you for these! With these, my beauty will be unparalleled"

Ark chuckled at the theatrics display of Jessies. It reminded him slightly of the instances where Team Rocket would perform their song.

"No problem, make sure to take care of them. After all, the next time we meet up for a journey like this, I would like to see you in that dress"

A tinge of red flooded to Jessies cheeks as she looked into the bag that held the dress.

"We will see"

Recovering her usual nature, Jessie commented with a deflection.

"I look forward to it, now then. There is some essentials I want to buy you since I have no doubt you will be journeying once more, right?"

As he guessed, Jessie looked away guiltily. As Ark had helped her, she didn't want to give him a bad impression with her current job, however it is what she does to live.

"I won't tell you to stop, as you're your own person. However, you have my number. In the near future, I will give you an opportunity to change your lifestyle. I would hope you consider it seriously"

Ark stared at Jessie with an intense seriousness, causing the usually boisterous Team rocket member to nod meekly.

From his experience with Jessie, Ark concluded that right now, she and Team Rocket were not a threat to Ash, Misty or Brock. Instead they were a subtle positive influence that will help them experience some hardship.

Ultimately, Ark decided he would offer Jessie and likely the other two, a position in his future company as their unused talents were not receiving the use they needed.

The day ended, with Ark messaging Jessie late into the evening. Little did they know, throughout the day, the two had started to form what seemed to be a pink atmosphere much like the couples they saw.