With Skorupi recalled, Ran disembarks and steps out onto the pier the ferry has berthed alongside. From the ship’s rear, a ramp has been lowered onto the berth, a proper hardened area leading to a road that leads away from the city center. There, tourists are driving their cars out of the hold before setting off for wherever it is they’re going.

  The vast majority of the ferry occupants however, like Ran himself, disembark from the side, simply walking down the long gangplank onto Cianwood City’s sole large tourism-oriented pier. In the distance, the city’s actual cargo port can be spotted, where even now a large freighter is being unloaded. But clearly a decision was made at some point to keep the less-attractive, yet utterly practical, port away from the city’s touristic heart.

  Because as Ran turns from the pier towards the mainland, the sight before him is admittedly an attractive one.

  The first thing to draw his attention is the massive beach, spanning for miles to both the left and the right before eventually getting stopped by the cliffs that ring almost the entirety of Cianwood City, as they come forwards once more and push directly into the ocean. The beach is deep as well, with hundreds upon hundreds of feet of sand only gradually giving way to concrete and asphalt.

  That isn’t to say that the beach is entirely bare however, as, only a short way from what appears to be the waterline at high tide, the first restaurants, lifeguard towers, beach houses, changing areas and public restrooms start to pop up like mushrooms. It’s quite the sprawl, at first appearing utterly random, however upon closer examination a somewhat deliberate spread of the commercial offerings on display, as well as a respectable clustering of residential areas, starts to present itself.

  Ran walks down the pier, which itself has only one side actually dedicated to being able to berth a ship, the other side entirely taken up by food stalls and carnival games. It’s the middle of the day, which means the carnival games are already open, but the food stalls that are hawking their wares are clearly having more success at the moment. There’s more than a few people enjoying an unhealthy carnival snack already and even as Ran watches, a fair few of his former fellow passengers divert towards the promise of warm, greasy food as well. He can understand the impulse, as the stalls’ only slightly raised prices are a lot more palatable than the robbery the passengers got subjected to on the ferry itself.

  He doesn’t join the growing crowd however, instead continuing to walk down the pier as he seeks out the distinct red roof of the pokécenter in the distance. He isn’t the only one either, as both ahead of him and behind him he can see more than a few other trainers, fresh off the boat, also marching towards the city proper with clear purpose.

  The thought of breaking into a run, to ensure that he’ll have a decent room at the center and that he won’t have to content himself with a bed in the general dormitory, pops into his head briefly. However, after a quick headcount that worry is dismissed, as though there are at least a dozen trainers headed into the city like himself, none of them appear to be nervous or speeding up just yet. Of course that might mean that he’s just the only one that’s properly thinking ahead, but some of those surrounding him are a fair few years older, which implies a lot more experience with travel than he himself has.

  Instead of worrying over his sleeping arrangements, he looks out towards the city once more. In the distance, the more relaxed and ‘wealthy’ feel of the beach houses gives way to clear apartment blocks, trading luxury and space for affordability and convenience. Beyond those, the inlet within which Cianwood City’s been built rather abruptly gives way to hard rock, as the cliffs impose a harsh border to the city’s natural limits. It is without a doubt the most unique city he’s ever seen, an impression that’s further strengthened by the perfect view he gets of two trainers having a battle in the shallows, as an Umbreon and a Tentacruel face off.

  There’s a solid chance of Ran getting distracted enough to wander over to the pier’s railing and just watch the ongoing battle, but before he can, a distinct glimpse of red in the corner of his eye recaptures his attention. The pokécenter’s distinct red color stands out like a beacon, but it’s the rest of its design that truly draws Ran’s attention.

  Because the pokécenter hasn’t been built further into the city, where sand gives way to concrete. No, it sits on the beach itself, almost worryingly close to the waterline. It seems weirdly out of place with its ‘straightforward’ construction contrasting sharply with the large white-and-glass beach houses that claim large parts of the surrounding waterfront. Yet where it stands, the pokécenter is comfortably the biggest building around, somehow fitting in perfectly.

  It likely helps that, compared to a ‘normal’ pokécenter, part of the center’s side that’s facing the sea is built out into a large glass area that pushes out all the way onto the water, only for the walls and floor to fall away, giving an opportunity for trainers and their swimming pokémon to swim directly into the pokécenter from the sea. With the addition of a large amount of tropical greenery, which Ran can make out even from this distance, there’s an almost subtropical feel to that part of the pokécenter.

  Still, impressive and inviting as that sight is, the one annoyance he does realize he’ll be stuck dealing with for the foreseeable future, is sand. Because though the pier does connect to a path that leads towards the city’s hardened interior, the pokécenter can’t be reached without crossing a significant amount of beach no matter what. Which is a bother, because he didn’t pack any footwear appropriate for the beach.

  Something which is further reinforced when one of the trainers who was walking ahead of him pulls over to one of the pier’s benches, before lazily starting to swap his walking shoes for flip flops of all things. It’s apparently an inspiring example, as two other trainers start to do the same, only for a fourth to just kick off her shoes entirely and wander out onto the beach barefoot.

  Ran isn’t that desperate however. After all, not that he’s ever really been to a beach before, but how bad could it really be?

  As he has well and truly found out by the time he enters the pokécenter, it can be very bad indeed, leaving his earlier pleasant mood quite soured. At least the nurse is polite and helpful as she happily books him a one-person room with similar accommodations to what he had in Goldenrod City.

  Then, after a brief but badly necessary visit to a store that sells beachwear for some sandals at least, he sets off for the Cianwood City Gym.

  The Gym’s positioned a bit further from the water, at the very least not having a direct connection to the sea like the pokécenter, but it still sits on the beach rather than further into the city. It’s a remarkably straightforward construction, with the building a clear mixture between modern sensibilities and a classical martial arts dojo. Or, that’s how it appears from the outside, at least.

  Because upon entering the main lobby, the distant sound of massive quantities of crashing water hint at some very major interior features that don’t belong in a dojo at all. Still, for the moment Ran doesn’t concern himself with any of that, as he isn’t interested in the Gym’s training facilities just yet. After all, he’s only just made it to Cianwood City and there are plenty of other things to go discover first.

  So he simply joins the small queue in front of the receptionist’s desk and patiently waits as the trainers in front of him book their challenges.

  It all proceeds smoothly enough, each trainer needing only a minute or two to hand over their license, confirm that they’re looking to challenge Chuck, whether or not they also want to take on the Gym Trainer challenge, with only one of the trainers in front of Ran choosing to, and settling on a time and date. When it’s his own turn, Ran expects the same pattern to repeat, which is why he takes a moment to examine the signs behind the receptionist to see if he’s interested in the Gym Trainer challenge.

  He almost immediately decides that he isn’t, upon spotting the rather worrying disclaimer that for the Gym Trainer challenge, the challenging trainer will also be expected to show their own physical prowess. Which, though he wouldn’t call himself weak, still doesn’t even remotely sound like it’s well-suited to him at all. Not to mention the promised cash reward being nice, but by no means all that impressive. A fighting-type boosting Black Belt is a nice additional prize, but not one Ran’s team can make any particularly great use of, further solidifying his decision.

  With that already decided, all he’s got left is to settle on an appropriate time to challenge the Gym. Considering his excellent speed so far and the temptation Cianwood’s beach presents, plus the need to train up a bit further between Gyms, he’s thinking an appointment roughly two weeks from today sounds about right. When he hands his license over to the receptionist however, the conversation doesn’t proceed according to the pattern he was expecting.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  It all starts normally enough, the bored receptionist clearly going by rote as she scans his license.

  “Ran Carr?” She asks dryly.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He confirms just as easily, smiling politely as he does so.

  “Fourth badge challenge?” She continues.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He confirms once more.

  “Very well, let’s see here…” She accepts, before typing on her keyboard in a few quick bursts of motion.

  Where she’d moved on to asking for any preferences as to day and hour with the previous trainers however, with Ran, she doesn’t do anything like that.

  Instead, her expression sharpens as she sits forward in her seat, something on her screen clearly having drawn her interest. Ran can only wait patiently as her suddenly far more alert face turns to him once more.

  “Unsponsored rookie trainer, four registered pokémon, all possessing the poison-typing?” She asks with some eagerness, leaving Ran to nod in polite though hesitant agreement.

  “That’s right.” He confirms, unsure as to why she feels the need to ask. It’s all on his profile after all. The previous questions were formalities, just to ensure no mistakes were made, but this feels very different, considering her change in attitude.

  The receptionist nods enthusiastically as she turns her attention back to her screen, clicking and typing away as she leaves Ran waiting in silence for a long minute. Behind him, the two trainers currently waiting in the queue behind him remain silent, though Ran can tell that they’re getting somewhat annoyed by the unexpectedly longer wait. There’s nothing for it however, as he hardly knows what’s going on himself.

  “Mister Carr,” The receptionist suddenly snaps, her attention once more shifting rapidly from her screen to him, almost startling him with her speed, “Your fourth pokémon, Skorupi. Its previous trainer was Gym Leader Bugsy, yet you are flagged as an unsponsored trainer. How did you acquire this pokemon?”

  “It was an additional reward for my performance during my Gym battle. It retains its poison-, but not its bug-typing upon evolution. Bugsy figured I could do it more justice than he himself could. Or so he said, at least.” Ran explains politely, before hurriedly interjecting a question of his own before the receptionist can get distracted again, “I’m sorry, what’s all this about? I just wanted to book my challenge.”

  “Hmm?” The woman asks distractedly, gaze already having wandered back towards her computer screen before she finally seems to realize that there’s still a waiting queue of trainers. In fact, Ran mentally notes that the queue has grown further, as there’s now three trainers waiting behind him.

  “Ah yes, of course,” The receptionist finally accepts, at last directing her full attention to him, “When would you like to challenge? Please keep in mind, with the start-of-season rush dying down, starting next week Gym Leader Chuck only accepts challenges on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.”

  “Do you have anything open around ten in the morning, two weeks from today?” Ran asks, which leads the receptionist to look at her screen once more. After a few moments of searching, she slowly starts to shake her head no.

  “That week, not until Saturday, when there’d be an opening at a quarter to ten. Alternatively, that same week we still have an opening at nine in the morning on Wednesday, which’d be the Gym Leader’s opening match for the day.” The receptionist offers apologetically, drawing a shrug from Ran.

  “Wednesday at nine is fine, thank you.” He accepts, after which he watches the receptionist enter his match into the schedule before she finally hands him his license back.

  “Please keep an eye on your incoming messages today, mister Carr,” She tells him even as she waves him off to the side and gestures for the next, by now properly irked, trainer to step to the front of the line, “Our Gym has been looking for someone with your profile for a potentially interesting opportunity. We’ll be in touch with further details later today.”

  “Uh, alright, sure,” Ran curiously accepts, wanting to press for further clarification but understanding very clearly from the expressions of the other trainers in the line that that’d be a bad idea, “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

  The receptionist offers him a quick final nod, before turning her attention to the next waiting trainer, leaving Ran to wander out of the Gym in a mild daze.

  ‘A potentially interesting opportunity for someone with his profile’. There’s no way it’s related to his badge count. Cianwood must get countless mid-tier challengers throughout the Conference after all, plus it wouldn’t explain just how in-depth her investigation of his team was. So… Is it related to his roster of poison-types?

  Maybe Chuck wants to let his sponsored or Gym trainers work out against poison-types? Considering the way his team resists fighting-type energy, that might make some sense? If that is what the message he’ll be receiving is about… he might be able to bargain for free use of Cianwood’s training facilities in turn.

  They probably won’t be quite as diverse and extensive as Goldenrod’s, but there’s no debating the progress his team made over just a few days. So if free access to similar facilities is an option, that’s something he’s definitely extremely interested in. Though there’s no point in speculating too much, especially when he’ll receive more information to work with before the end of the day.

  So, Ran deliberately wanders out into Cianwood City once more, deciding to just look around for a while in search of a diversion.

  His first stop is for lunch, finally giving in to the complaints of his empty stomach as he picks up a meatball sandwich to devour. With that handled, he wanders through Cianwood City’s beach ‘district’, the crashing of the waves always audible in the distance as he explores without a doubt the most unique city he’s visited thus far.

  Of the many shops and stores he passes, it’s the diverse souvenir shops which prove most tempting, offering all sorts of fun, beautiful and intriguing knickknacks he delights in examining. However, the sheer practical matters of storage and transport, as well as his rather thrifty nature, ultimately see him steer clear from actually purchasing anything. Even if a little statuette of a Ponyta, blown out of colored glass, which he spends at least five minutes admiring, would make for a spectacular gift for Josie.

  Ultimately he moves on however, the disappointed gaze of the shopkeeper not quite burning holes into the back of his head. Not that he lets her attempt at non-verbally guilting him into changing his mind. She can try that particular trick on another sucker.

  Apart from souvenir shops and establishments offering either food, drinks or a mixture of both, Cianwood’s beach actually ends up offering a disappointingly limited array of shops. Apart from one, which noticeably stands out and has Ran enter with interest.

  The Cianwood City Pharmacy is a small building, weathered with age. Those features alone are enough to make it stand out in a major way from the far fresher and overall newer buildings that surround it on all sides. They aren’t the only ones however, as compared to just how many windows and glass doors all the other buildings in Cianwood appear to have, clearly with the intent of letting in as much sun as possible, the Pharmacy only has two tiny windows, as far as Ran can tell.

  It’s enough to draw the interest of any unwitting passerby, at which point the large sign promising a staggering five hundred years of expertise does the rest.

  Ran enters the small building with a mild sense of trepidation, an old-fashioned bell chiming as he opens the door and steps into the dark and cool Pharmacy. From one moment to the next, he’s left the bright beach behind and entered a space that, if anything, is almost reminiscent of Ilex Forest. The walls are ringed with bottles and tubes that likely contain all kinds of pills, potions and salves, though their dark colors and unfamiliar labels leave Ran incapable of deciphering what any of them are meant to treat or aid.

  To the left of the door through which he entered, a low counter runs along most of the wall, keeping customers away from the dark curtain that hangs in front of a small opening that leads to the back of the store. As Ran watches, the curtain is disturbed for a moment as a short old lady, whose chin is almost at a level with the counter, comes shuffling out from the back.

  “Welcome to Cianwood City Pharmacy,” She greets him cheerily, “You’re not one of our regulars! Are you here to pick up a subscription for someone else or are you a new customer?”

  “I’m new,” Ran admits, before hurrying to clarify that he isn’t actually looking to buy anything in particular, “To Cianwood in general, that is. I stepped off the boat just a few hours ago, I was just touring the city and your shop looked interesting, so I wanted to come and take a closer look.”

  The old lady nods easily, shuffling over to a small stool he hadn’t noticed yet and plopping herself down on it as she gestures invitingly towards the rest of the store, “Well, have a look if you like, though if you don’t mind, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? I assume you’re a trainer?”

  “I am, yes,” Ran admits easily, wandering over towards a rack of small bottles with, from what he can tell through the dark brown glass, different kinds of brightly colored powders, “What are these for?”

  “Hmm? Oh those are all different kinds of pokéchow supplements, mix in just a light sprinkling into their meal, about a gram’s worth, once a day and within a matter of weeks, be astounded by the results.” The old lady explains, before firing off another question of her own, “If you haven’t been to Cianwood before, is this your first circuit, or are you taking your time with it? You don’t seem like you’d be from Kanto, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  Ran easily waves her worries away, answering absentmindedly as he looks closer at the labels of the food supplements, “It’s my first circuit, yes. I’m here for my fourth badge. What kind of astounding results?”

  “Well that depends on the supplement and the pokémon of course!” The old lady replies loudly, cackling merrily as Ran shoots her an annoyed look.

  “How about this, you tell me what your team looks like and I’ll tell you if I have anything that might be well-suited to them?” She offers eventually, once she’s calmed down a bit and her laughter has subsided.

  Figuring that at least that’s a far more sensible option than continuing the mutual quizzing, Ran consents easily, “I have an Arbok, an Ariados, a Golbat and a Skorupi.”

  “You have a Skorupi?” The old lady perks up excitedly, clearly intrigued as she perks up in her seat, “That’s some rare poison, with some rather potent medicinal properties, if used correctly. We don’t have much demand for it, but I’d be quite interested in purchasing a small dose, if you’re willing to let me drain that Skorupi of yours for the day.”

  Ran turns to face the counter fully, curious bottles with food supplements forgotten for the moment. Intrigued, he speaks.

  “I’m listening.”

  Arrived in Cianwood City, challenge booked and Pharmacy located! A productive half day for Ran, I'd say. There's a flag in here that'll likely get spotted and speculated on and which may not be warmly received by everyone. As always, all I ask is that people understand that there's always more going on in the background than Ran himself is privy to. As for the Pharmacy visit, don't expect him going too in-depth on the uses of poison in medicine just yet, for now, Ran's focus is fully on making a quick buck. But if this interaction goes well, then of course he might well end up interested in a more in-depth look at this angle at a future date.