"The Gym is in this state and they're still running the water ballet. There's no doubt about it — the Cerulean Gym is on its way down."
Vance was standing at a large poster showing three young women of considerable beauty and a great many Water-type Pokémon.
The effects of the Team Rocket attack had passed, and this daughter of the former Gym Leader had her mind anywhere but on the Gym, running a business of her own instead. Perhaps she simply loved it too much.
"Never mind. It's no business of mine."
Vance shook his head and went on to the Pokémon Center in Cerulean City. The moment he came through the door he saw Nurse Joy — the same face as the Joy in Pewter City, the same soft voice, gentle and courteous.
He booked himself a room, then sent Aerodactyl and the others in for treatment to work the weariness of the road out of them.
In that department Nurse Joy's skill was perfectly good.
Berries were available in the Pokémon Center all day long. With a Pokédex you ate and drank free; without one you could still eat there by paying a sum in Poké Dollars.
Vance collected a meal that turned out reasonably tasty, found a place to sit and ate while scrolling through his phone for recent news. He had been out in the wild for days and had no idea what had been happening in the world, so this was a good moment to look.
The hottest item was still the League and Team Rocket at each other's throats, with Lance leading the way, hitting and sweeping out Team Rocket strongholds everywhere.
But as the foremost dark power in Kanto, Team Rocket was not going to take a beating forever, and it hit back. Only yesterday the two sides had fought outside Saffron City, on no small scale and with a great deal of noise; several of Team Rocket's senior officers had taken the field themselves.
In the end it was Team Rocket that pulled back. Plainly the strength the League had shown on this occasion said that the League still had its hands on the situation and could hold down Team Rocket and the other dark powers.
"Even past its best, the League is still the League. It has real strength, and both sides are being careful — neither has thrown in everything."
Vance murmured it when he had finished reading.
He flicked through a few more items and glanced over them; there was nothing much in any of them, all reports of how well things were going — how much the numbers of Trainers had grown, how far some city had expanded its Pokémon industry, and so on. He also came across a report about Mt. Moon, in which he himself made an appearance.
The Cerulean Gym had a great many challengers, and Vance's Gym slot was set for the following day.
Once Gyarados and the others were through their treatment, Vance took them out and walked around Cerulean City for a taste of the local flavour, and while he was at it he disposed of what he was carrying and bought in a fresh batch of supplies to restock.
It was evening before Vance got back to the Pokémon Center.
"The money is easy to make, but it doesn't last."
Thinking of the Pokémon and materials he had sold that day and the supplies he had bought in, with his balance up by only a couple of million, Vance could not help but feel it.
Trainers made a great deal of money and spent a great deal of money. If you had any ambition, if you wanted your Pokémon raised properly, you had to spend — and spend heavily.
Even so, Trainer was still the profession where the most money could be made, particularly for a strong one.
Catch a single pseudo-legendary and that was several hundred million, and it could be traded for a great deal of Pokémon supplies besides.
"Combusken—"
Combusken was standing to one side, watching Vance with shining eyes — or, to be exact, watching the bank card in Vance's hand.
Vance had told him once that all that "money" was kept on this so-called bank card.
"Heh." Seeing the money-struck look on Combusken, Vance laughed, threaded the bank card onto a little cord and hung it round his neck. "There. This card is yours to look after."
"Combusken, Combusken—"
Combusken was delighted. He cupped the card in both hands, treasuring it as something rare and precious.
"Hahaha."
Vance laughed too. The card was linked to his Pokédex; even if it were damaged it would not matter, because the account would still be there.
That night Combusken slept with the card held in his arms, treasuring it still.
Seeing that it was about time, Vance turned in as well.
Through those days out in the wild he had taken his training in place of sleep. His body was not tired, but his mind felt something of the strain.
The night passed without event and went by quickly, and the time came round to early the next morning.
Vance got up, put himself through some exercise, ate his breakfast and took his Pokémon along to the Cerulean Gym, where he found that a fair number of people still came to the place.
Many of them were talking quietly among themselves, and their tone was easy.
"Hahaha, the badge from the Cerulean Gym is easy to get. Plenty of my friends have taken it. I'm dropping in to challenge today as well, and that's another badge — with this one I'll have six."
"Impressive, impressive. Even counting today's I'll only have five. One behind you."
Not far from Vance a few Trainers who looked to be travelling as a group were discussing it.
"I'm not going to fail, am I? I heard a few people didn't get through yesterday."
One of the Trainers brought it up, and was laughed at by his companions for it.
"Hahaha, how bad would you have to be? Not able to get a badge they're giving away for free? I'll tell you what — if you can't get it, stop being a Trainer and go home and farm."
There was real contempt in his voice, the manner of a man who thought very little of the Cerulean Gym.
"Here he comes, the first challenger of the day — look at his hand, he's got the badge. See that? That man's strongest Pokémon only reached Intermediate a little while ago. If he can do it, why can't you?"
The Trainer, a young man by the look of him, pointed at the person walking out of the Gym and said it plainly.
"Hahaha. I was worrying over nothing."
Listening to them talk, Vance came to understand exactly what the Cerulean Gym was worth.
For certain reasons the Cerulean Gym would go on existing, until Misty was able to take it over.
"Well, there goes another Trainer, and another badge given away."
On the battlefield Daisy wiped a fine sweat from her forehead and said it with resignation.
She truly had no talent as a Trainer. Directing Pokémon, she could handle fights at the Rookie and Novice levels and no more; Intermediate ones were a struggle.
She did not like battling either, but for the Gym's sake she had steeled herself and gone out anyway, and the results were very ugly: in a little over a month Cerulean had become the bottom Gym in Kanto.
"Never mind. From now on I'll pick and choose which battles to fight, or simply hand the badge over and be done with it."
Seeing that she had neither the ability for it nor any liking for it, Daisy began letting things slide. This would do. The Gym was still standing, and she could take life a little easier.
"My second and third sisters are exactly the same as me. It's a headache. I only hope Misty turns out to be someone we can lean on."
Daisy pinched the bridge of her nose, then had someone call the next challenger in.
Perhaps it was because she performed so badly: there were hardly any people sitting in the stands around the battlefield, and the place looked bare.
Inside the Gym there were only a scattered few as well. A great many of the staff had decided there was no future in it and moved on to other jobs, leaving a handful with some attachment to the old place to keep the Gym running.