Chapter 27, part 1
New
- Location
- Belgium
Olivine City, at first sight, is a city that doesn't realize it's a city.
Though it is a coastal city, with the port that entails, it is very clear that, where Cianwood City was primarily a tourist destination and Goldenrod was the beating heart of Johto's administrative and commercial endeavors, Olivine looks most of all like a town that never quite stopped growing outwards, whilst at the same time refusing to grow upwards.
It isn't quite the gargantuan sprawling maze of buildings that Ran considers Goldenrod City to be, but it isn't as far removed from Johto's largest city as Ran was expecting. Or it isn't too far from it in surface area, at the very least. Height is a very different matter.
Approaching Olivine City's Port, the ferry glides through the water, giving an extensive and increasingly detailed look at the buildings that make up the most northwestern city in Johto. The better Ran's view, the more he finds his first impression of Olivine City confirmed. There's hardly any buildings that have more than two floors, the streets are narrow and winding and there's a surprising amount of greenery visible rising up from between the buildings.
The few exceptions to the height limitations, whether coincidental or imposed, are obvious eyecatchers as a result, rising up to dominate their neighborhoods. Immediately noteworthy is the lack of a large, red-roofed pokécenter, which a city of Olivine's size should really merit. It's only on a second, more thorough examination that Ran realizes that Olivine's design philosophy has been carried through in its pokécenters, with multiple smaller buildings with the trademarked red roof scattered throughout the city.
With that mystery solved, he moves on to the few actual large buildings that stand out. There's a large, beam shaped building close to the entrance to Goldenrod's Port. Doro, having rejoined him just a few minutes prior, notices what building has drawn his attention, cheerily informing him that the building in question is the, supposedly, renowned Olivine Café, the main go-to for the many sailors that frequent Olivine City.
According to Doro, they've got some of the best food in Johto, at fair prices. Knowing Doro as he's come to do, Ran mentally translates that to mean that the portion sizes are large whilst the contents emphasize protein and starch. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing by any means, but 'best food in Johto' might be overselling it just a bit.
Another building that stands out for obvious reasons is of course the Lighthouse, its tourist deck visibly has a few dozen people milling about, though details are impossible to make out due to the distance. There's no light at the top, at the moment, but before Ran can embarrass himself by asking a dumb question, he's fortunately able to eavesdrop as a nearby kid asks his parents the exact same question Ran himself had in mind.
The revelation that the Lighthouse is actually powered by a pokémon and is only used in cases of extremely poor visibility because of that is interesting, though he is left to wonder at the efficiency of such a system. Still, the building itself is imposing enough and when Doro mentions that the floors above the tourist deck are Trainer-only areas, Ran silently vows to visit the Lighthouse at least once over his stay in Olivine.
Last, but by no means least and in fact, to Ran's mind at least, by far the most important building of all, is the Gym. It is the single largest building in Olivine City and it is not close. It is not close at all.
It is an enormous building that he can only really adequately compare to an airplane hangar, both in shape and size. Other than for its sheer size, it's outwardly unremarkable, not particularly decorated or even really at all different in aesthetics from an average hangar. There's no greater focus on steel in its construction, no great windows to showcase the training or battles that must take place inside. It is merely an enormous, functional building. Which, in its own way, feels like a perfect home for a steel-type gym. Seeing as Jasmine is the second steel-type specialist to be Gym leader over Olivine, after Gholam, her grandfather who still sits on the Elite Four despite his advanced age, it's really no surprise to Ran to see the building so well-suited to the Gym leader's specialty.
He glances towards Doro, to see if she has any input to offer, but his friendly rival doesn't acknowledge the building she's already triumphed within, instead nodding invitingly in the direction of where they'll eventually have to disembark.
"We've been traveling long enough, I'd like to go and get ready to get off the ship as soon as possible." She tells him, drawing an assenting smile from Ran.
"Sure thing," He accepts, "Though I do have a few questions about the pokécenters whilst we wait."
Doro raises her hand, pre-empting him from asking any of the questions he feels like posing, "Wait, wait, let me guess. Let's see: I stayed at the one closest to the Gym, though availability was low and with Jasmine's reputation, there's good odds that it'll be busier now than it was a few weeks ago. There is no real meaningful difference between the pokécenters as far as services go. They did it this way because there's laws in place that say that any large constructions need to gain enough signatures in support from the local populace and it's very rare for that to happen."
"Not quite the order I was going to ask in, but sure, that's everything I wanted to know." Ran admits with a grin, which turns to a chuckle when Doro, in a moment of cheesiness, fistpumps triumphantly at his acknowledgement of her guesses having been correct.
They banter for a while longer, with Ran finally recalling Skorupi, shortly before the ship starts to dock. Just a few minutes later, the gangplank is lowered and they're setting foot on solid ground once more.
"So, the pokécenter?" Doro asks him, drawing an agreeing nod from Ran.
"Best to get lodgings out of the way, yeah. Lead the way." He accepts easily.
The two of them set out towards the city proper, the Port connecting directly to the only truly large roads Olivine seems to have, with most of its road network mirroring the buildings, by being smaller than he'd have expected from a city. It gives the city a very cozy feeling, though the sight of nearly every local they cross paths with either using a bicycle, an electric scooter, some other form of small wheeled transport or a pokémon mount to get around soon impresses one major conclusion on Ran.
With the city as sprawled out as it is, getting anywhere on foot is going to take far longer than he's particularly happy about. Doro obviously doesn't mind, the physical fitness freak even suggesting they jog to the nearest pokécenter, completely disregarding the heavy bags they're both carrying. Fortunately, she accepts Ran's refusal with good grace, the two of them continuing to plod towards the pokécenter that's closest to Olivine City's Gym.
Olivine fortunately isn't as warm as Cianwood, the temperatures more in line with what Ran consider normal for early spring weather. It makes the walk more bearable than if he'd had to do it in sweltering heat at least, though when a light rain begins to fall when they're still at least five minutes away from the pokécenter, he isn't exactly enthused about that either.
Things get worse when they finally do make it to the pokécenter, only to find out that the center is nearly fully booked, with no single rooms available and only a single double, which doesn't have any amenities for Caesar to be able to rest comfortably out of his ball. Even then, that would assume that Ran and Doro are willing to share a room for a week or more, something neither one of them is all that keen on.
So, begrudgingly, Ran follows Doro out of the pokécenter and towards the next closest one to Olivine's Gym. Annoyingly, it's on the opposite end of the Gym, which means both another long walk, as well as passing by the Gym itself whilst still carrying all of his gear along. All while the rain, which has slowly intensified from a light drizzle to properly annoying, keeps falling.
There's an umbrella somewhere in his backpack, but he didn't account for rain today and so it's hidden somewhere in its depths. Plus, Doro shows no signs whatsoever of being bothered by the rain, which is another reason for him to tough it out as well. Even if that means getting increasingly drenched.
As they pass by the Gym, its understated monumentality even more imposing from up close, Ran is tempted to head inside and book his challenge whilst they're there, but the straps of his backpack biting into his shoulders and the sight of queuing trainers are enough to make him think better of that particular idea. Instead, he simplys keeps following Doro, who has the temerity to say something about rain causing more oxygen in the air, as she leads the way to the next pokécenter.
What feels like half an hour later, they finally enter the pokécenter in question. By this point, Ran feels soaked to the bone, but at least the pokécenter is dry and warm, giving him an opportunity to take off his coat and hopefully dry up slightly faster. His mood is lifted when the nurse has great news for them, actually having enough room for both Ran and Doro to book single rooms with the necessary facilities to give their pokémon the freedom to rest out of their balls.
With rooms booked and key cards in hand, they agree to go and put their stuff away, as well as seeing about drying off or getting changed, before meeting up once more near the reception desk. It's quick work, as Ran dumps his stuff and eagerly changes clothes, finishing by swapping out his drenched purple coat for a thinner, but water-repellent dark blue raincoat.
He takes a brief look at his pokégear, confirming that he hasn't got any new messages, before heading back towards the reception area. Doro is already there, waiting for him. She's also changed outfits, to Ran's surprise, seemingly more affected by the rain than he'd realized.
Like him, she's also got a raincoat on, which is fully zipped up for once, leaving it unclear whether she's still got a bare midriff underneath or whether she's also dressed a bit warmer for the circumstances. Not that it really matters, as they set out into the City once more, returning to the Gym in short order. No longer having to lug his whole gear along, Ran is a lot more enthusiastic about joining the queue of waiting trainers, even the rain, which hasn't let up in the least, no longer really bothers him.
After maybe twenty minutes of waiting, they make it to the front of the queue. Ran easily hands over his identification to the receptionist, a dour middle-aged woman, before confirming the standard information she rattles off. There's a moment's hesitation when she inquires whether he'd like to take on the Gym's Trainer Challenge, but Ran soon opts against it, not particularly enthusiastic about forcing his team to face more steel-types and their enormous defensive advantage than they have to.
Then, however, they hit a hiccup.
"It's the 14th, how could you possibly not have any availability left until the end of the month?!" Ran asks in disbelief.
The receptionist, not at any point having made any effort to be friendly or approachable, is entirely unaffected by his dismay, not even offering up an explanation.
"I could book you for the 28th, at twenty before four in the afternoon." She offers dryly, rather than actually offering any context or explanation for the extremely long wait.
"If you've got nothing earlier, I'll take it." Ran accepts moodily, less than enthused that he'll have to wait more than two weeks for his match.
"Fifth badge challenge, four on four, April 28th, twenty before four." The receptionist rattles off, before visibly turning her attention to Doro, who merely shakes her head no, at which point the receptionist's gaze moves on to the next trainer in line, who at least looks faintly discouraged by the less-than-friendly woman.
Ran moves to the side in frustration, leaving it to Doro to formulate the obvious explanation he's also landed on, though some amount of confirmation or explanation would have been nice.
"Olivine must be seeing a spike in trainers right now. Depending on the routes people take, the schedule the Gym keeps, how many people go for a rematch after their first try… It is unfortunate, but Jasmine's steel-types are notoriously challenging at the higher levels, so it is not too surprising that a lot of people plot their routes to pass through here before they've got five or six badges, no?" She posits, to which Ran can only nod in affirmation.
"Yeah, I guess, but she could've just said that," Ran replies, not content to just forget about the receptionist's appalling behavior like that, "Because then I could've asked if the spikes are different every season, or if there's a pattern. Maybe then I, or some of the other queuing trainers, would've reconfigured their routes to come back at another time, rather than force people to plan around an appointment that's two full weeks down the line."
"You have a point," Doro accepts, "But Olivine is not so bad a place to be 'stuck' in. Besides, you have your challenge booked for your fifth badge at the end of the season's third month. It is not as if you are in a bad rush. This will give you more time to prepare."
Ran huffs, but doesn't argue the point any further, instead focusing on Doro's own plans. Because with his match against Jasmine planned further in the future than he'd hoped, Doro's own plans to stick with him for the duration of his stay in Olivine may well have been compromised.
"A lot more time than I was planning on having," Ran opens, after he takes a moment to compose his thoughts, "But not really enough to head to Goldenrod and make it back here comfortably, if I also still want to get enough training in."
"That is true," Doro agrees, "Taking the official Routes and going via Ecruteak is more than a week of traveling single way. You could take a ship, but I have had quite enough of that, and I assume you mention this because you are trying to bring the discussion to my own travel plans, no?"
"I am, yeah." Ran agrees openly.
"I figured. Don't worry, though. Two weeks is longer than I was planning to spend in Olivine, but I have half of my badges already and we're only about a quarter of the way into the season. Taking some time in the city to socialize, get to know other trainers, train in better circumstances and enjoy the comforts of plumbing, before I start trekking towards Ilex Forest, is something I quite look forward to. In truth, I rather enjoyed Olivine, compared to Goldenrod. Having an excuse to spend two weeks here is something I don't mind at all." Doro informs him easily, casually dispelling any worries Ran might have had about his newfound companion leaving before they've even properly started traveling together.
"Alright then," Ran accepts with undisguised relief, "Seeing as you've been to this city before, do you have any suggestions for dinner?"
"I do!" Doro agrees enthusiastically, "It's the perfect place to start our evening tour of some of Olivine's main attractions!"
"Wait, what evening tour?" Ran asks in surprise, not recalling ever agreeing to anything of the sort.
"I had to spend most of the day on a ship, Ran Carr," Doro tells him seriously, expression completely neutral as she faces him, "I have energy to burn and, as I told you, I quite enjoyed Olivine City. After dinner, we shall tour some of the sights. But first, to the Sailors' Café!"
Author's Note: Poor Ran has wandered into another trainer spike, looks like he'll be stuck in Olivine for a while.
If you want to read ahead or feel like supporting my writing, please go and have a look at my Patreon or Ko-fi . Patreon for member benefits like 2 weeks of Early Access whereas Ko-fi is for one-off donations that go towards artwork. It's no exaggeration to say that this story and its current upload schedule are only possible thanks to Patreon, so if you have anything to spare and want this story to continue, please go and have a look, every little bit helps.
Though it is a coastal city, with the port that entails, it is very clear that, where Cianwood City was primarily a tourist destination and Goldenrod was the beating heart of Johto's administrative and commercial endeavors, Olivine looks most of all like a town that never quite stopped growing outwards, whilst at the same time refusing to grow upwards.
It isn't quite the gargantuan sprawling maze of buildings that Ran considers Goldenrod City to be, but it isn't as far removed from Johto's largest city as Ran was expecting. Or it isn't too far from it in surface area, at the very least. Height is a very different matter.
Approaching Olivine City's Port, the ferry glides through the water, giving an extensive and increasingly detailed look at the buildings that make up the most northwestern city in Johto. The better Ran's view, the more he finds his first impression of Olivine City confirmed. There's hardly any buildings that have more than two floors, the streets are narrow and winding and there's a surprising amount of greenery visible rising up from between the buildings.
The few exceptions to the height limitations, whether coincidental or imposed, are obvious eyecatchers as a result, rising up to dominate their neighborhoods. Immediately noteworthy is the lack of a large, red-roofed pokécenter, which a city of Olivine's size should really merit. It's only on a second, more thorough examination that Ran realizes that Olivine's design philosophy has been carried through in its pokécenters, with multiple smaller buildings with the trademarked red roof scattered throughout the city.
With that mystery solved, he moves on to the few actual large buildings that stand out. There's a large, beam shaped building close to the entrance to Goldenrod's Port. Doro, having rejoined him just a few minutes prior, notices what building has drawn his attention, cheerily informing him that the building in question is the, supposedly, renowned Olivine Café, the main go-to for the many sailors that frequent Olivine City.
According to Doro, they've got some of the best food in Johto, at fair prices. Knowing Doro as he's come to do, Ran mentally translates that to mean that the portion sizes are large whilst the contents emphasize protein and starch. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing by any means, but 'best food in Johto' might be overselling it just a bit.
Another building that stands out for obvious reasons is of course the Lighthouse, its tourist deck visibly has a few dozen people milling about, though details are impossible to make out due to the distance. There's no light at the top, at the moment, but before Ran can embarrass himself by asking a dumb question, he's fortunately able to eavesdrop as a nearby kid asks his parents the exact same question Ran himself had in mind.
The revelation that the Lighthouse is actually powered by a pokémon and is only used in cases of extremely poor visibility because of that is interesting, though he is left to wonder at the efficiency of such a system. Still, the building itself is imposing enough and when Doro mentions that the floors above the tourist deck are Trainer-only areas, Ran silently vows to visit the Lighthouse at least once over his stay in Olivine.
Last, but by no means least and in fact, to Ran's mind at least, by far the most important building of all, is the Gym. It is the single largest building in Olivine City and it is not close. It is not close at all.
It is an enormous building that he can only really adequately compare to an airplane hangar, both in shape and size. Other than for its sheer size, it's outwardly unremarkable, not particularly decorated or even really at all different in aesthetics from an average hangar. There's no greater focus on steel in its construction, no great windows to showcase the training or battles that must take place inside. It is merely an enormous, functional building. Which, in its own way, feels like a perfect home for a steel-type gym. Seeing as Jasmine is the second steel-type specialist to be Gym leader over Olivine, after Gholam, her grandfather who still sits on the Elite Four despite his advanced age, it's really no surprise to Ran to see the building so well-suited to the Gym leader's specialty.
He glances towards Doro, to see if she has any input to offer, but his friendly rival doesn't acknowledge the building she's already triumphed within, instead nodding invitingly in the direction of where they'll eventually have to disembark.
"We've been traveling long enough, I'd like to go and get ready to get off the ship as soon as possible." She tells him, drawing an assenting smile from Ran.
"Sure thing," He accepts, "Though I do have a few questions about the pokécenters whilst we wait."
Doro raises her hand, pre-empting him from asking any of the questions he feels like posing, "Wait, wait, let me guess. Let's see: I stayed at the one closest to the Gym, though availability was low and with Jasmine's reputation, there's good odds that it'll be busier now than it was a few weeks ago. There is no real meaningful difference between the pokécenters as far as services go. They did it this way because there's laws in place that say that any large constructions need to gain enough signatures in support from the local populace and it's very rare for that to happen."
"Not quite the order I was going to ask in, but sure, that's everything I wanted to know." Ran admits with a grin, which turns to a chuckle when Doro, in a moment of cheesiness, fistpumps triumphantly at his acknowledgement of her guesses having been correct.
They banter for a while longer, with Ran finally recalling Skorupi, shortly before the ship starts to dock. Just a few minutes later, the gangplank is lowered and they're setting foot on solid ground once more.
"So, the pokécenter?" Doro asks him, drawing an agreeing nod from Ran.
"Best to get lodgings out of the way, yeah. Lead the way." He accepts easily.
The two of them set out towards the city proper, the Port connecting directly to the only truly large roads Olivine seems to have, with most of its road network mirroring the buildings, by being smaller than he'd have expected from a city. It gives the city a very cozy feeling, though the sight of nearly every local they cross paths with either using a bicycle, an electric scooter, some other form of small wheeled transport or a pokémon mount to get around soon impresses one major conclusion on Ran.
With the city as sprawled out as it is, getting anywhere on foot is going to take far longer than he's particularly happy about. Doro obviously doesn't mind, the physical fitness freak even suggesting they jog to the nearest pokécenter, completely disregarding the heavy bags they're both carrying. Fortunately, she accepts Ran's refusal with good grace, the two of them continuing to plod towards the pokécenter that's closest to Olivine City's Gym.
Olivine fortunately isn't as warm as Cianwood, the temperatures more in line with what Ran consider normal for early spring weather. It makes the walk more bearable than if he'd had to do it in sweltering heat at least, though when a light rain begins to fall when they're still at least five minutes away from the pokécenter, he isn't exactly enthused about that either.
Things get worse when they finally do make it to the pokécenter, only to find out that the center is nearly fully booked, with no single rooms available and only a single double, which doesn't have any amenities for Caesar to be able to rest comfortably out of his ball. Even then, that would assume that Ran and Doro are willing to share a room for a week or more, something neither one of them is all that keen on.
So, begrudgingly, Ran follows Doro out of the pokécenter and towards the next closest one to Olivine's Gym. Annoyingly, it's on the opposite end of the Gym, which means both another long walk, as well as passing by the Gym itself whilst still carrying all of his gear along. All while the rain, which has slowly intensified from a light drizzle to properly annoying, keeps falling.
There's an umbrella somewhere in his backpack, but he didn't account for rain today and so it's hidden somewhere in its depths. Plus, Doro shows no signs whatsoever of being bothered by the rain, which is another reason for him to tough it out as well. Even if that means getting increasingly drenched.
As they pass by the Gym, its understated monumentality even more imposing from up close, Ran is tempted to head inside and book his challenge whilst they're there, but the straps of his backpack biting into his shoulders and the sight of queuing trainers are enough to make him think better of that particular idea. Instead, he simplys keeps following Doro, who has the temerity to say something about rain causing more oxygen in the air, as she leads the way to the next pokécenter.
What feels like half an hour later, they finally enter the pokécenter in question. By this point, Ran feels soaked to the bone, but at least the pokécenter is dry and warm, giving him an opportunity to take off his coat and hopefully dry up slightly faster. His mood is lifted when the nurse has great news for them, actually having enough room for both Ran and Doro to book single rooms with the necessary facilities to give their pokémon the freedom to rest out of their balls.
With rooms booked and key cards in hand, they agree to go and put their stuff away, as well as seeing about drying off or getting changed, before meeting up once more near the reception desk. It's quick work, as Ran dumps his stuff and eagerly changes clothes, finishing by swapping out his drenched purple coat for a thinner, but water-repellent dark blue raincoat.
He takes a brief look at his pokégear, confirming that he hasn't got any new messages, before heading back towards the reception area. Doro is already there, waiting for him. She's also changed outfits, to Ran's surprise, seemingly more affected by the rain than he'd realized.
Like him, she's also got a raincoat on, which is fully zipped up for once, leaving it unclear whether she's still got a bare midriff underneath or whether she's also dressed a bit warmer for the circumstances. Not that it really matters, as they set out into the City once more, returning to the Gym in short order. No longer having to lug his whole gear along, Ran is a lot more enthusiastic about joining the queue of waiting trainers, even the rain, which hasn't let up in the least, no longer really bothers him.
After maybe twenty minutes of waiting, they make it to the front of the queue. Ran easily hands over his identification to the receptionist, a dour middle-aged woman, before confirming the standard information she rattles off. There's a moment's hesitation when she inquires whether he'd like to take on the Gym's Trainer Challenge, but Ran soon opts against it, not particularly enthusiastic about forcing his team to face more steel-types and their enormous defensive advantage than they have to.
Then, however, they hit a hiccup.
"It's the 14th, how could you possibly not have any availability left until the end of the month?!" Ran asks in disbelief.
The receptionist, not at any point having made any effort to be friendly or approachable, is entirely unaffected by his dismay, not even offering up an explanation.
"I could book you for the 28th, at twenty before four in the afternoon." She offers dryly, rather than actually offering any context or explanation for the extremely long wait.
"If you've got nothing earlier, I'll take it." Ran accepts moodily, less than enthused that he'll have to wait more than two weeks for his match.
"Fifth badge challenge, four on four, April 28th, twenty before four." The receptionist rattles off, before visibly turning her attention to Doro, who merely shakes her head no, at which point the receptionist's gaze moves on to the next trainer in line, who at least looks faintly discouraged by the less-than-friendly woman.
Ran moves to the side in frustration, leaving it to Doro to formulate the obvious explanation he's also landed on, though some amount of confirmation or explanation would have been nice.
"Olivine must be seeing a spike in trainers right now. Depending on the routes people take, the schedule the Gym keeps, how many people go for a rematch after their first try… It is unfortunate, but Jasmine's steel-types are notoriously challenging at the higher levels, so it is not too surprising that a lot of people plot their routes to pass through here before they've got five or six badges, no?" She posits, to which Ran can only nod in affirmation.
"Yeah, I guess, but she could've just said that," Ran replies, not content to just forget about the receptionist's appalling behavior like that, "Because then I could've asked if the spikes are different every season, or if there's a pattern. Maybe then I, or some of the other queuing trainers, would've reconfigured their routes to come back at another time, rather than force people to plan around an appointment that's two full weeks down the line."
"You have a point," Doro accepts, "But Olivine is not so bad a place to be 'stuck' in. Besides, you have your challenge booked for your fifth badge at the end of the season's third month. It is not as if you are in a bad rush. This will give you more time to prepare."
Ran huffs, but doesn't argue the point any further, instead focusing on Doro's own plans. Because with his match against Jasmine planned further in the future than he'd hoped, Doro's own plans to stick with him for the duration of his stay in Olivine may well have been compromised.
"A lot more time than I was planning on having," Ran opens, after he takes a moment to compose his thoughts, "But not really enough to head to Goldenrod and make it back here comfortably, if I also still want to get enough training in."
"That is true," Doro agrees, "Taking the official Routes and going via Ecruteak is more than a week of traveling single way. You could take a ship, but I have had quite enough of that, and I assume you mention this because you are trying to bring the discussion to my own travel plans, no?"
"I am, yeah." Ran agrees openly.
"I figured. Don't worry, though. Two weeks is longer than I was planning to spend in Olivine, but I have half of my badges already and we're only about a quarter of the way into the season. Taking some time in the city to socialize, get to know other trainers, train in better circumstances and enjoy the comforts of plumbing, before I start trekking towards Ilex Forest, is something I quite look forward to. In truth, I rather enjoyed Olivine, compared to Goldenrod. Having an excuse to spend two weeks here is something I don't mind at all." Doro informs him easily, casually dispelling any worries Ran might have had about his newfound companion leaving before they've even properly started traveling together.
"Alright then," Ran accepts with undisguised relief, "Seeing as you've been to this city before, do you have any suggestions for dinner?"
"I do!" Doro agrees enthusiastically, "It's the perfect place to start our evening tour of some of Olivine's main attractions!"
"Wait, what evening tour?" Ran asks in surprise, not recalling ever agreeing to anything of the sort.
"I had to spend most of the day on a ship, Ran Carr," Doro tells him seriously, expression completely neutral as she faces him, "I have energy to burn and, as I told you, I quite enjoyed Olivine City. After dinner, we shall tour some of the sights. But first, to the Sailors' Café!"
Author's Note: Poor Ran has wandered into another trainer spike, looks like he'll be stuck in Olivine for a while.
If you want to read ahead or feel like supporting my writing, please go and have a look at my Patreon or Ko-fi . Patreon for member benefits like 2 weeks of Early Access whereas Ko-fi is for one-off donations that go towards artwork. It's no exaggeration to say that this story and its current upload schedule are only possible thanks to Patreon, so if you have anything to spare and want this story to continue, please go and have a look, every little bit helps.
