Chapter Thirty: Turning Wicked

“Ta-da! Look, I got my badge too!” Misty held up the evidence of her triumphant victory over her young challengers, her face brimming with pride.

Noticing Sonoko’s lackluster mood, Misty asked in confusion, “What did you guys just do? Why weren’t you in the dessert shop?”

“It’s nothing, really. We just witnessed the rise and fall of a superstar,” Amu replied, already having cooled Sonoko’s excitement by ninety percent.

Sonoko shot him an annoyed look before pulling Misty aside and asking, “Misty, what do you think… about me becoming a Coordinator?”

“A Coordinator? That’s great! Actually, I’m a huge fan of Cynthia too!” Misty immediately dove into girl talk with Sonoko.

“Let’s grab lunch over by Daidosuji Mall first,” Amu suggested, seeing that the drizzle showed no sign of stopping. There was no need to head back to the Pokémon Center for a meal, especially since they still needed to restock supplies. If the weather cleared up tomorrow, they’d be leaving Viridian City and heading north.

Daidosuji Mall was a large chain department store, offering not just daily necessities but everything from Poké Balls to outdoor travel gear and instant food. When it came to supplies, apart from medicines and battle items, almost everything could be found in one stop at Daidosuji.

“So, where are you heading next?” Sonoko asked, curiosity piqued.

“We’re heading toward Kente City, but we’ll be taking a detour off the main road toward Misty Lake,” Misty explained. She and Amu had mapped out their route the previous night.

Amu had just three Pokémon, Misty five; both hoped to find new partners along the way. The further they strayed from the main road, the better their chances of encountering wild Pokémon—especially rare ones, which never lingered near busy routes but could only be found in the wild.

Misty Lake lay to the northeast of Viridian City, far from the main thoroughfare and accessible only by passing through a stretch of forest. In fact, it was technically within Viridian Forest, but the lakeside boasted a long-standing camping area, so it wasn’t completely deserted.

This route struck a good balance between the desire to catch Pokémon and the need for safety in the wild—an ideal choice for Amu and Misty. Once deeper into the woods, they’d find plenty of Grass, Poison, and Ground types, and naturally, Water types thrived in Misty Lake.

“Kente City? Ran and I will be heading there next month, too! Let’s keep in touch!” Sonoko announced at once.

Amu: …

Was there still time to warn Officer Jenny in Kente City? Alas, he couldn’t think of any plausible excuse.

Kente City was farther north, beyond Misty Lake, roughly in the central west of the Kanto region. It wasn’t as large as the six major metropolises, but it was still a second-tier city—compact in area yet densely populated. Surrounded by mountains, the city couldn’t expand outward, so the buildings only reached ever higher, with skyscrapers over a hundred stories tall crowding the skyline. The city’s unique topography gave rise to a network of aerial roads and a striking sense of vertical space.

“But… if you’re going to Kente City, Amu, won’t your Grass types be at a disadvantage against the Flying-type Gym?” Sonoko asked, puzzled.

The official Gym in Kente City specialized in Flying types. Grass moves weren’t very effective against them, and Flying moves did bonus damage to Grass types.

“It’s only the second badge—I don’t need to worry too much about type matchups,” Amu quickly explained, lest anyone think he’d come to Viridian just for a type advantage.

“Besides, Amu isn’t strictly a Grass-type trainer—he just happens to be raising mostly Grass types right now,” Misty added, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Sonoko looked at him in surprise. Given his ‘apothecary’ background, she’d never doubted he was a Grass-type specialist.

“No, no, that’s not the point… Even with only Grass types, it’s fine!” Amu made sure to clarify; he certainly hadn’t challenged the Ground-type Gym just to pummel a bunch of kids—it had just worked out that way.

“Then what type do you specialize in?” Sonoko was curious.

“Fairy, Ghost, and Dark… Actually, I do pretty well with Grass, Ground, and Poison too,” Amu preemptively explained.

In truth, at this point, Grass, Ground, and Poison meant no more to Amu than any other type—but in the future, that would surely change.

“Fairy type, huh!” Sonoko exclaimed, her eyes suddenly gleaming with envy as she stared at Amu.

As for Ghost types and the rest, although they were among the so-called “Big Four” types, Sonoko dismissed them out of hand—after all, in her mind, Ghost trainers were all gloomy sorts, the kind who carried umbrellas by day and lit candles at night—nothing to envy there.

But then Sonoko’s expression grew puzzled. “But speaking of Fairy types… You don’t really…” She trailed off, scrutinizing Amu.

“My looks aren’t too bad, are they? And… there’s still room for improvement!” Amu insisted.

It was true—Fairy-type trainers were generally exceptionally attractive, and Amu… well, he wasn’t unattractive.

Still, with each advancement in his profession, every time he chose the [Moon] path, Amu’s looks improved as well.

“By the way! You have a Ghost-type affinity? In that case, you should take a look at that little rascal next time,” Sonoko suddenly said.

“Hm? You suspect he’s possessed by the Grim Reaper too?”

“What Grim Reaper? No, I mean—back in that old house, he picked up a pocket watch, and there was a Misdreavus inside. It’s been following him ever since… It doesn’t seem malicious, but it is a Ghost Pokémon…” Sonoko sounded worried.

Misdreavus, a pocket watch… Amu began to suspect how Conan managed to hypnotize Kogoro.

He agreed, and as the three of them arrived at a restaurant beneath Daidosuji Mall, the waiter handed them menus. Sonoko pointed at Amu without hesitation. “Let this ‘handsome Fairy-type guy’ pay! Let him order for us!”

Amu rolled his eyes but acquiesced, “Fine, I’ll pay…” After all, it was just a family restaurant.

Though, if he’d known he’d be footing the bill, he might have chosen the Pokémon Center buffet instead.

After lunch, they spent the afternoon restocking supplies at the mall before returning to the Pokémon Center.

Just then, they saw Ran stepping out of a taxi, visibly agitated, with Conan grinning sheepishly beside her.

“Huh? Ran? You’re back so soon? Where’s Uncle Kogoro? Why’d you take a taxi by yourself?” Sonoko asked in surprise.

“Don’t mention that old man!” Ran was clearly brimming with frustration.

From her expression, it was obvious their reunion plan hadn’t gone well at all…

Sonoko caught up and whispered a few questions, then suddenly exclaimed, “What? You ran into a robbery?”

Amu: …

Things were getting worse—Viridian City’s public safety was visibly deteriorating!