Contrary to what the zoo manager had said, Arcanine was
still in the city. It and the girl accompanying it, whose name it had learned
was Abigail, had procured the map and were now busy studying it. It showed the
whole of Kanto and Johto, with each city, town and route clearly labelled. If
they were going to get to Ecruteak, this map was going to be invaluable.
"We're here," said Abigail, jabbing a grubby
finger at Saffron City, right in the heart of the Kanto region. "And
Ecruteak is, uhh…" She traced her finger along the map, trying to find it.
"Here," she said after a few seconds, her finger now resting on
Ecruteak. Looking between the two cities, they seemed awfully far apart.
"That's a long way," she remarked.
"I'm a fast Pokémon," said Arcanine. "So, what
route do we take?"
"Hmm…"
Abigail pulled out a pen, one of several discarded objects she'd found that she
liked to keep with her. You never knew when they might come in handy, such as
now, for example. "Well, how did you and your owner get here from
Ecruteak?"
"We took the SS Aqua ferry from Olivine," said
Arcanine. "It docks in Vermillion, which I believe is just to the south of
here."
"It is, yeah," said Abigail, pointing to it on
the map. "I don't think we can take the ferry, though. I don't have any
money."
Arcanine nodded. "True," it admitted. "And
we don't know when it leaves. There might not be a ferry service for days. So
the best option is to travel by foot."
"Okay." Abigail began to trace out a route,
starting from Saffron. First, they had to head north to Cerulean, then west
through Mount Moon and into Pewter City. Heading south through Viridian Forest,
they would arrive in Viridian City. This was where things started to get
tricky. First, it seemed as though they would have to cut through the Pokémon League
Reception Gate, then once they had achieved that, they could head south and
then west along the coastline. However…
Abigail's pen stopped halfway along Route 27. "It
looks like the only way through here is across the water," she said
warily.
"That'll be a problem," said Arcanine,
"since I can't swim, being a Fire-type and all."
"Then how will we get across?" asked Abigail.
"I don't know," said Arcanine. "I guess
we'll have to hope some kind soul will be able to help us out."
"I suppose so," said Abigail. "Once we're
through there, though, it looks like a fairly easy path to Ecruteak."
Taking up her pen again, Abigail drew a route leading through to New Bark Town
and Cherrygrove City, then northwest to Violet City and finally, their
destination, Ecruteak. While there would be a few obstacles in their way,
especially between Viridian and New Bark, overall it seemed like a fairly
straightforward path, with little chance of getting lost.
Arcanine leaned closer, examining the route. "So
that's the route we're taking, is it?"
"Yep," said Abigail. "Other than the
water, and the Pokémon League Reception Gate here, I don't think we'll have any
problems."
"Alright," said Arcanine, straightening up
majestically. "We'll worry about those problems when we get to them. For
now, let's head north to Cerulean. It’s not far, and once we're there, we can
get some rest. You look tired."
"I am tired," said Abigail, nodding. Her
current situation didn't really help when it came to getting a good night's
sleep, but with a warm Arcanine to sleep against, she looked forward to getting
some proper rest for the first time in a long time.
"Then let's get moving," said Arcanine.
"The faster we get there, the faster we can rest."
Abigail nodded in agreement. She folded the map up,
stowing it away in her pocket along with her pen and the other miscellaneous
items she carried around. "Umm… do you know which way north is from here?"
she asked, as she climbed back onto Arcanine's back. "I'm not sure I
know."
"What's the name of the route that leads to
Cerulean?" asked Arcanine. "There should be signposts pointing to
it."
Abigail got the map back out again quickly to check.
"Route 5," she said, before stowing it away again.
"Alright," said Arcanine. "I'll just keep
an eye out for signs pointing to Route 5. Are you holding on tightly?"
"Yes," said Abigail, hugging herself against
the Arcanine's soft, warm back, and trying not to grow too tired lest she fall asleep
and let go.
"Then I'll be off, then," said Arcanine.
"Don't let go." With that, it began to race off through the streets
once more, with Abigail clinging tightly to its back as the night wind rushed
past them.
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