Keepers of Pokemon

Chapter 5- The Pain of Steel Toe Boots

Since waking up in the mud, Coda had been assaulted with what seemed to be an unending series of implausible, miraculous, and completely impossible sights. So many of these creatures called Pokemon littered the skies, trees and sea. That wasn't counting the ones the humans of this world had. Everywhere he and Luke went, Pokemon were. It made Coda wonder who was the dominate species on this world.

Despite the foggy town of Lavender Town and eerie music the folks had playing from their Radio Tower, Coda and Luke saw that there were people and even a Market where Coda bought a map.

"Aren't you going to get some Pokeballs?" The clerk asked him, pushing a large container of these red and white balls towards him.

"Why?" Coda asked.

He guessed he should have kept that question in his head because the way the clerk looked at him was telling.

Upon leaving the Market, the boys walked through the crowd with their heads down. Occasionally Coda would bump into a passerby, calling out with a reflexive apology only to find that the offender had already moved on. The crowd with people and Pokemon was so thick there that he could scarcely see more than a few meters ahead of him.

"Is there always so many pokemon?" Coda asked.

Luke leaned close to him. "It's like this place does not have an animal control unit."

Coda sighed in relief as they finally came out on the other side of the crowd. The wood of the dock gave way to the cobbled stone of the city proper as the people and pokemon thinned out enough for him to see. The buildings were huddled close together, as if trying to fend off the constant breeze that wove through the city and Coda spotted one lone tower in the short distance.

"What's that tower for?" Coda muttered softly.

One woman stopped and looked at him. "Oh. That's the Radio Tower. It used to be where the locals would bring their deceased Pokemon but it was bought and remodeled and now we have the Radio Tower."

"So what happened to the deceased ones?"

She gestured to a much smaller building on the side. "Oh. They were moved there. Mr. Fuji runs it."

With that she walked off.

Coda scratched the back of his head. "We need to make a plan and find Wilfride,"

He glanced over to Luke, but the boy didn't look like he'd even heard him. His friend's eyes were shifting to all the Pokemon, then he darted from pokemon to pokemon that stood on the block until finally circling back to Coda. "I want one."

Coda stared at him. "Want one what?"

Luke frowned. He had expected something more from his intelligent friend. "A pokemon, stupid,"

Coda shifted around at the creatures a few moments then back to Luke. "Why? We don't need one."

Luke glared at him. "Well, not everyone has a spiritual flame living in their gut. Don't you see? These creatures are the source of power for these humans and we should get one or ten to fit in and have a little extra protection."

Coda waved him off. "You're being ridiculous."

"You're just saying that because you already have one," Luke grumbled out.

"I do not,"

Luke pointed behind Coda, where the Pikachu was stalking him through the crowds, its head lowered and angry eyes fixated on Coda.

Coda calmly turned around, eyeing the Pikachu then looked back to Luke. "He's not trying to befriend me, he's trying to kill me."

A bolt of electricity shot at them, Coda calmly stepped backward, watching it shoot by and hitting an old man, coming out of a house.