The Viterals

Chapter 7: Crisis in Celadon

A cacophony of screams and complaints poured out of the Pokemon Center when the glass doors slid open. Yumin trotted up the marble steps, returned his Tygo to his Pokeball. Zakana followed. Bounding down the giant hill after Happiny had irritated his shoulder and back even more. They felt brittle, like the wind could snap them, every step more laborious than the last.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he said, "Yumin, wait up."

Yumin had entered the Center and was marching toward the counter in the center of the dome-like structure. If Zakana thought the Pokemon Center on the Orange Islands was magnificent, Celadon's Center was awe-inspiring. Aside from when he was younger, this was only the second Pokémon Center Zakana had been in. The array of glass panels lining the area above the walls cast a rainbow glow onto the linoleum floor below. Sunlight seeped through the dome with a directness that was almost blinding.

"Zakana, hurry up!" Yumin called, moving through the crowds quickly.

Zakana was careful not to bump his shoulder against passersby.

"Absurd! What kind of Ponyta shi—"

"Honey!" said the man's wife. "We can come back in a few hours when things slow down."

Suddenly, Zakana remembered the reports on the radio—the blackouts in Saffron and Vermillion, the chaos in the Pokemon Center on the island. Could it be happening in Celadon too?

"Yumin, wait," Zakana called, thinking his presence could somehow make this better. "Yumin!"

He was already at the head of the line. Someone that Zakana did not see knocked him on his bottom.

"HEY!" he called, looking around for the perpetrator. It was useless. People were moving like a colony of ants slowly being roasted by the kid with the magnifying glass.

"I need my Pokemon for the next gym battle," cried a boy that looked like he had just stopped using a baby bottle.

"Excuse me," Zakana said after returning to his feet. "Can you tell me what's going on?"

A woman with shoulders like a linebacker stopped, squared up, studied Zakana like he was a piece of salami. After smirking at him, she seemed to decide that it was okay to report what she knew. "The blackouts in the other cities are affecting the Pokemon Center here too. The Personal Computers, nurse stations, and healing centers aren't working either." As if an idea suddenly struck her, her eyes went wide and she said, "I'm taking this up with the mayor." Then she walked away.

"What do you mean I can't retrieve my Pokemon?" Yumin's voice carried above the crowds. "Is this some kind of joke? What kind of Pokemon Center are you running?"

Zakana put his hand on his cousin's shoulder, who shrugged it off. Again, he blasted his question at the nurses behind the station. One of them looked seconds from tears. Zakana almost felt bad for her.

"When am I supposed to withdraw my Pokemon? How can I change my line-up?"

A different nurse, one with a strong jaw line, and a face that wasn't about to break into tears strolled up, spoke to Yumin. "You'll have to come back when the systems are back up. Keep tuned in to the emergency broadcast channel, sir." She did not break eye contact with Yumin.

His eyes bore down on her but with no effect. The other nurse popped out of her chair and scurried away.

"This isn't normal. Two blackouts and all systems down in Pokemon Centers elsewhere? This smells real Magikarp-y to me. That means it smells like fish, lady. Real bad."

"I'm familiar with the expression, sir." She punctuated her last word with a seething hate she could not quite release. "If you'll please move along, or wait at one of the designated areas, we would greatly appreciate it. If your Pokemon need medical attention, our nurses are maxed out. You can take a number or go to a nearby Pokemart and use sprays, gels, or whatever else suits your needs. Thank you."