After leaving the Gym, Vance wandered about Pewter City with a camera, taking a great many photographs.
Some of himself, and some of him together with the Vigoroth and the Gyarados and the rest, to keep as mementos.
"Combusken, Combusken—"
The Combusken was fiddling with the camera, apparently very curious about how the thing worked.
"Leave it alone. That's human technology, you won't get anywhere with it. If you want to understand it, I'll find you a book."
Vance laughed as he took the camera back off him.
"Combusken—"
The Combusken nodded and let him take it, then went over and chattered something at the Vigoroth — who shook his head, because he did not understand it either.
He had read plenty of books, but they had been about psychology and tactics and the like, not optical technology.
"I thought you'd know. You don't even know this? What's the use of reading all those books?"
The Combusken said it accusingly.
"Well... reading books doesn't mean knowing everything. Perhaps I just haven't got to this part yet..."
For a moment the Vigoroth had no idea what to say. There did not seem to be anything wrong with the Combusken's point.
Seeing it, Vance called the pair of them off.
"That's enough. We're going out for a proper dinner tonight — I hear there's a very good restaurant in Pewter City."
"Combusken—"
"Roar, roar—"
After that Vance took his Pokémon to the restaurant, and they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
"This is all right. A bit worse than what you make, boss. Urp—"
The Gyarados said it with a belch, once the table had been swept clean.
"Just so, just so. I thought the same."
The Combusken beside him put up a hand in agreement, then tugged at the Aerodactyl to warn it.
"That part's skin. It isn't very good. Save room for something better."
"Huh? There are rules about it? I don't think so. It tastes fine to me."
The Aerodactyl was not fussy, and went on eating with a great snuffling and chomping.
It had not been on the team long and had no demands to make about any of it; if it was edible, that was enough. Out in the wild there had often been nothing to eat at all and it had gone hungry. Where would it have found room for that kind of fussiness?
"It's fine. Eat whatever you like. The money's paid already — if it isn't enough, order more."
Vance said it from one side, a bill in his hand showing 500,000 Poké Dollars spent.
"Rargh, all right."
The Aerodactyl put its head back down and worked away at food it had never tasted before, thinking better and better of Vance as a Trainer. Since being caught it had wanted for neither food nor shelter, and there had been a whole programme of training besides; the Aerodactyl could feel its own strength growing.
"Quite a full moon tonight."
Vance had seen how round the moon was as he came out of the restaurant.
"Combusken—"
The Combusken answered from beside him.
It was awkward for the Aerodactyl and the others to be out, but the Combusken was small, about the size of a child, so there was no trouble about him.
"Things happen on nights when the moon is full, you know."
"Combusken?"
"For instance, a thousand-year-old corpse comes leaping out — a horrible-looking thing, green in the face and fanged — and whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, it drinks the blood right out of you. Especially out of a Pokémon of Intermediate strength like you, and a Fire and Fighting type at that. Just what they like best."
Vance acted it out at the Combusken, and found that the Combusken was not frightened in the least.
Seeing him unafraid, Vance gave up the miming. He had meant to give the Combusken a fright, and if it had worked he would have said that such corpses were terrified of Elite-class Pokémon, and given him something to aim at into the bargain.
"Er, boss — this horrible-looking corpse, what does it actually look like? Is it as horrible as Brother Gyarados?"
The Combusken scratched his head and asked it, baffled.
"Pff."
Vance burst out laughing. Well, now he knew why the Combusken was not afraid; and the question had set him off besides. Perhaps in the little one's head the Gyarados was simply bound up with the word horrible.
"Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz—"
The Gyarados's Poké Ball stirred on his belt, apparently displeased at being talked about that way.
"Ah, never mind, then. Let's get back to the Pokémon Center."
Vance walked on ahead, laughing, and the Combusken sped up to keep pace.
"Combusken. Boss, let me tell you the other reason I wasn't scared."
"Oh? Go on."
"I believe you'd all protect me, boss."
The Combusken's eyes were entirely serious.
At that Vance laughed too, and reached out to rub the Combusken's head.
"And besides, I've grown up, and I'm a lot cleverer now, so don't think you can trick me any more, boss. You can't."
The Combusken went on, his small chest going out without his meaning it to.
"All right, all right. Our Combusken has grown up, and I can't trick him any more."
Vance answered with a quiet laugh.
"And I'm strong now, and I'll earn lots and lots of money. When I'm stronger I'll earn even more."
"Mm, mm, good..."
"And I'm going to..."
"Good, good..."
The man and the Pokémon walked along the road, one asking and one answering.
People passing by saw them and smiled, and found it entertaining to watch the two of them chattering away into the distance; though whether the Trainer and the Pokémon actually understood what they were saying to each other, who could say?
By the look of it, though, they probably did.
Under the full moon, in the light spilling down over them, the pair of them slowly receding into the distance made a picture of human and Pokémon in harmony.
It was late by the time they got back to the Pokémon Center. Vance washed and lay down on the bed, and the Combusken slept not far off, in the nest bed that had been made up for him.
"It would be good to have nothing holding me down. Being a Trainer with no ties wouldn't be bad at all."
Vance lay there looking out at the crowded stars with a distant light in his eyes.
With that many stars out, tomorrow would be fine — a good day for travelling.
Rain, and everything sodden, would have been rather less pleasant.
And so it proved. The next day was bright and clear, and Vance put on a hat and set out from Pewter City again. The next city was Cerulean, and the Cerulean Gym.
Map in hand as ever, Vance walked along the highway. Pewter City is famous for its rocks, and there were traders at both ends of the road selling stones of curious shape.
"Cerulean City. This is the shortest road, and it goes through Mt. Moon. Oh — that's right, I remember there being a giant Moon Stone on Mt. Moon. They say the energy in it can strengthen a Pokémon. I wonder whether that's true."
Vance murmured it as he settled on the route and put the map away.
Then he took to the highway and headed for Mt. Moon, the Combusken alongside him, thrilled with it all, looking this way and that.
What he found was that a great many of the Pokémon here were very weak — one punch would settle any of them — which was no fun at all, and killed any appetite for a fight.
"They're all so weak. It's really no fun."
The Combusken said it with a yawn, walking at Vance's side.
"The Pokémon out here are all like that. For anything stronger you have to go deep into the forests and the mountains."
"Then let's go and have a look, boss. It's so boring here, there isn't even anyone to fight. Combusken—"
Vance took out the map and looked at it, found a route and answered, "All right, then. We'll take a detour. You'll have your fights soon enough."
"Combusken. Bring them on."
The Combusken was itching for it. The two of them turned aside and headed off the highway into open country.