Pokemon: An Icy Path

Chapter 47

The three of us make it to Saffron with the sun still quite high in the sky. From what I can remember, each city within the central region is supposed to be a day’s walk. Then again, two out of the three of us practice martial arts and I guess that unlocking Flannery’s aura helped with her stamina as well. We only stopped for a quick lunch the entire time.

We recall the bulk of our pokemon as it is looked down upon to have a large number of your pokemon released in the city. I only keep out Lono, who seems to become attached to my music player, and Skadi, which I hold in my arms. Flannery and Bea both keep their Eevee’s out. No one can escape from the abyss of fluff.

I casually window shop as we walk through the city. The stores may be different from Celadon but over all, the wares seem to be the same. To be fair, it is not like we are in a different region, just a different city. I turn my head to answer a question that Bea is asking before I suddenly notice something and stop midstep.

There is a delectable scent of something baked and sugary that fills my nose. My mouth starts to water in anticipation of what should be found if I follow that scent. I swallow the build up of saliva as my two friends finally notice that I stopped.

“What’s wrong Frost?” Bea asks while tilting her head slightly.

“How does a little bit of sugar sound? I can smell someone making a cake of some sort.” I reply, my eyes locked in the direction of the smell. I swear I can see the scent in the air.

“I’m always down for something sweet,” Flannery responds with a smile before coming up beside me and lightly bumping my shoulder.

“I suppose getting some calories won’t hurt after we walked all day,” Bea says with a huge smile on her face as she puts her hands behind her head.

I give her a sheepish smile before beckoning them to follow me. I follow a meandering path through different side streets and a few alleys before we arrive in front of a cute little shop, decorated with all sorts of whimsical decorations that look like they came from Willy Wonka himself. A small bell sounds, which is echoed by Lono a moment later, as we open the door and walk in.

“Welcome to Sugar & Spice! What can I do for you ladies today?” Asks a deep baritone voice from deeper within the store. I look towards the voice and have to stifle a giggle at what I see. Behind the counter stands a very dark skinned guy, well over two meters tall minus the huge afro on his head, and built like a brick wall. The sheer size of him makes the shop feel even smaller.

“Pardon us! We would like to have some of your cakes. Our friend here smelled them from the main street.” Bea said while giving me a teasing smile that caused me to blush slightly.

“Well excuse~ me,” I quip back while sticking my tongue out at her. “I just have a good nose for sweets.”

I suddenly feel a hot hand on my head and I glance over at my mate who just smiles lightly at me. I give her a small pout that just makes her smile bigger as she strokes my hair. I don’t brush her hand off my head as it actually feels quite pleasant and I’ll let her do what she wants.

“Well there is no harm in that!” He laughs at our antics but gives us a warm smile showing that he is a good natured kind of guy. “Feel free to pick out what you want from the case and I will bring it out for you.”

We thank him before getting down to the arduous task of choosing one of these heavenly desserts. There is one that looks like a Sacher torte that I am tempted by, but right next to it is a decadent looking black forest cake. Just above the chocolate cakes sit rich and creamy looking cheesecakes and what looks to be Linzer torte. The shelf above that has mini fruit tarts and strawberry shortcakes in a colorful display. Each fruit seems to shine and grab your attention when you glance at them.

My stomach tells me that I need to try everything in front of me but I know that I cannot give into the temptation. It takes me a long time to figure out what I want, my mate and my friend already chose their sweets of choice and decided to leave me alone to decide on my own. Traitors. Eventually I decide to get a slice of the cake that looks like a Sacher torte and a piece of strawberry shortcake. I should have only gotten one like my girls? Sue me, it’s my money so I am getting both. I also make sure to order a cup of coffee to go along with my cakes.

It’s not long before blue and white cat-like pokemon walks over to us while a tray filled with everything we ordered floats above it. I notice that the try is glowing in a dark pink color as do the eyes of the pokemon. When the cat-like pokemon reaches our table, its little paws flash in the same dark pink color as our treats are placed on the table accurately in front of the person who ordered it. Once everything has been delivered, the pokemon saunters off back behind the counter.

“What kind of pokemon was that? It was so cute!” I ask in a hushed voice.

“That was Meowstic, a psychic pokemon that is common in the Galar region. I’m surprised to see one here,” Bea answers as she takes a bit of a treat that looks similar to tiramisu. “That was a male, as it was all blue. Females are mainly white and rather aggressive.”

“Hmm, is that so?” I respond half-heartedly as I take a bite of the chocolate dessert in front me. The intense flavor of dark chocolate fills my mouth in a delightful way that slowly gives way to the layer of apricot jam within, its sweetness infused with a hint of tartness. I close my eyes in pure bliss as I have to suppress a desire to moan at the delectable treat. “It is still cute though.”

“Pix!”

“You are the most adorable sweetheart.” I tell Skadi as I softly pet her silky fur as she enjoys a special ice-type poffin as she sits beside me.

*~*~*~*

It took us, meaning me, two hours to leave the cake shop. I did not want to leave the cozy store full of sweets but Flannery and Bea managed to drag me out, under protest I might add. We spent the last part of the afternoon just chatting about our favorite sweets and window shopping as we headed towards the south side of the city.

The Pokemon Center we decided to spend the night in is near the exit of the city, on the way towards Vermillion City. Unfortunately, the three of us didn’t realize just how big Saffron City is. In the few hours we have been in the city, we are still on the northern side, just outside of the city center where we can see the Silph Co. building and the lights from the different casinos lighting up the darkening sky. 

As we are about to cross yet another street, I happen to notice the sign for a tram. I catch the attention of my friends and head towards the tram stop. Luckily, it seems that the station has a map on display with the different tracks through the city. It takes a moment but I find the closest spot to where we want to be and find that the next tram should take us to our final stop for the night. 

*~*~*~*

After the quick ride in the tram and a short walk later, the three of us make it to the Pokecenter. Flannery skips up to the counter and speaks to Nurse Joy. I see Nurse Joy look at me and Bea with a slightly raised brow but her professionalism shines through as she hands something to Flannery. I get the feeling that something is about to go sideways on me.

“I got our room!”  Flannery calls as she skips back to us. I narrow my eyes at her suddenly spunky mood. She must be planning something.

“You mean rooms right?” I ask while trying to see what she had in her hands.

“Come on, let’s go!” Flannery grabs both of our hands, completely ignoring my question. Now I know she is up to something, but I will let it slide for now and see how it turns out.

Before long, the three of us are standing outside a room as my mate grabs the access card from her pocket after letting go of my hand. I glance over at Bea who seems bewildered at what is going on and seems to be going with the flow. A beep nearby notifies us that the room is unlocked and Flannery pushes open the door and drags Bea in. With a small shrug I step into the room as well.