From: Nendil <lucyliu@flash.net> Subject: Re: [PW!] Personal Hygiene in Vermilion City Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 2:09 AM Roberto Perez-Vila <RobfromVoid@prodigy.net> wrote in message news:375C506D.81E7AA0A@prodigy.net... > > Robert looks down at Rilli's legs again, "Hmm... I'd rather... not... > today. It's already pretty late, being..." Robert looks at his watch, "3 > PM... and all. Plus, I can think of better things we can do!" > > "Like what?" Mithril-rama asks. > > "Uhhh..." Robert rubs his now hair-less chin, "Like eat lunch... and > watch the sunset on the docks... and stuff!" > > Rilli smiles and rests her head on Robert's clean shirt, "Sounds > romantic..." Robert nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we need some relaxing after all that's happened in the last couple of days!" He leans down and picks up his dirty sneakers. "But first, shoes!" Rilli giggled. "Shoes," she agreed, and padded towards the counter in bare feet. "Excuse me," she asked Nurse Joy, "could you tell us where we might clean these?" She held up the muddy sneakers with a slighly embarrassed grin. "Of course," the pink-haired nurse nodded in understanding. "You can't go through the Diglett's Cave and come out with your shoes clean. That's why we have a laundry service set up at this Pokémon Center. You can leave your dirty clothing here, and come get it later after it's clean!" She passed a large plastic bag to Mithril-rama. "And like all services of the Pokémon Center, it's absolutely free." After a brief bit of struggling, Robert and Rilli had their dirty laundry stuffed into the bag, and labeled with their names. Immediately, a Wartortle came and carried away their bag into a back room. "Well, that was very convenient," Rilli sighed, brushing some damp hair away from her eyes. "So what should we do now while that's being taken care of?" Nurse Joy spoke up again. "It may take an hour or more for the clothing to be processed, so in the meantime you could see the sights of Vermillion City! Except..." she thought for a moment. "It's already almost 3:30, there won't be much time for you to enjoy any landmarks before they close for the day." Robert shrugged. "We've been here lots of times before, we don't need to see the sights. Just something to do would be fine. Come to think of it..." His stomach growled as if on cue. "We haven't even eaten lunch yet!" "Still?" Nurse Joy exclaimed, appalled. "Why, you must go and get a decent meal before you give yourselves ulcers! Now, we have a restaurant just down the hall, so you two go and grab a bite to eat!" Following Nurse Joy's advice, Robert and Rilli had a hasty meal after being ushered into the dining room. It wasn't that they didn't eat much, but they were so hungry that the food was polished off in a flash! "What are we going to do now?" Rilli sighed idly as they gazed out the window, waiting for the main portion of the meal to digest. "Hmm..." Robert mused to himself. "We might as well just take a break for the rest of the afternoon, and walk around the city. Maybe we'll come upon something interesting!" Rilli agreed to that notion, and after putting on pairs of spare sandals and slippers, the couple was off wandering Vermillion City streets. Despite it being a rather large city, the Pokémon Center was located near the sea, away from the tall buildings and congested streets. It was soothing to walk down the sidewalk in the afternoon sun, with a few scenic cottony clouds drifting by and disintergrating in the pure blue sky. The few houses around the area were mostly residences, so Rilli took notice of any interesting signs they happened to pass. "'Fishy Business'?" she read off a shop window. "'Fishing Rod Rental'. Well, here's something we can do to pass the afternoon, Robert!" she suggested. Robert eyed the store carefully. "Well... I'm not sure. The last time I sat on a dock, a Kingler tried to chop off my foot!" Rilli turned pleading eyes on Robert. "Oh please? I've never fished before! It seems like fun..." "You've never fished?" Robert raised an eyebrow. "I thought... you caught a Poliwag before, didn't you?" "So? It was on the river bank! Poliwags are amphibians, you know!" Rilli huffed teasingly. "Besides, we can take the time to just relax and talk and... other things, it doesn't take any effort!" Robert considered the possibilities. "Hmm... hmm! Okay, as long as it doesn't cost too much. I'm still kinda broke, you know!" "Don't worry, Erika gave me some extra cash," Rilli reassured him as they stepped through the door. "Goldeen," a slightly mechanic female voice chimed, announcing their presence. The dozing shopkeeper behind the counter looked up at the customers. "Oh, welcome, welcome! I'm the FISHING GURU! Do you like to fish?" Rilli smiled a bit uncertainly. "Well, I've never done it before... I thought it'd be worth a try." "Ah, well then." The man wearing a wide hat nodded and pointed to a sign behind him. "The rental prices are one rod for 7 coins, two for 10, per hour. Pretty cheap, what do you think? Pay for the first hour here, then when you come back, each additional hour is 3 coins per rod." Robert nodded. "Well, I guess those prices aren't bad... we'll check out two rods then!" "Very well." The shopowner grinned as Rilli handed him 10 coins. "You can go out back, there's a wide strip of coast that you can fish anywhere on. Just make sure you keep track of time!" "Thanks!" Rilli called out. "And by the way, is there a time that the store closes when we have to return the rods?" "Nope!" the man responded. "In fact, business is better at night, since fish come up to feed then! Have fun!" Robert and Rilli stepped out the back door, and were amazed at the vast span of beach that met the eye. It looked endless in both directions, though a closer examination revealed thin fences to show where the area ended. They picked a large rock to lean against, and set up the rods. Idle chatter filled the air at first, to pass the time, but after a while it died out to leave only the soft roar of the waves, drowning out any other quieter sounds. Mithril-rama finally looked up from Robert's embrace after an undeterminable amount of time. "Wow, it's getting dark... how long have we been out here anyway?" "Not nearly long enough, if it weren't for the fact that we have to pay for it," Robert chuckled. He leaned over to check the rods. "Even worse than my luck when I was fishing for Bill at the lighthouse! Not a single nibble!" "I can take care of that," Rilli giggled and nibbled Robert's neck. He laughed and kissed her on the nose. "We should be heading back... I wouldn't want to make you pay too much!" "Money's not a problem," Rilli protested as she put on her sandals. But actually she wasn't all too reluctant to be going indoors--her legs were getting chilly. Nonetheless, she was hoping to stay with Robert a while longer. Ah well, how time flies when you're occupied... Nendil -- The Aquafraternal Fanart Corner http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/2733