The Ever-Changing World [Doesn't Love You]
Lumiose City. A hub of sorts, in which thousands of people from all of the Kalos region and beyond live. It was one of the central cities in the world, known for its elegance and sophisticated shops and cafés. Its impact on the global economy relied mostly on its pop culture. Indeed, it was a city of joy. However, its citizens were feeling the discomfort of the event known as "Flare Incident" by the news. It had been three years already, and yet it was a day that could not be forgotten.
"That pillar of light scared me well, I tell you" gossiped one old lady with her friends while walking on Lumiose's populated streets.
A man walked by the group of ladies, listening closely but carefully. He enjoyed listening to people's different opinions about everything. How one could prefer to have one fresh Soda Pop or a good oran berry juice. Or how one could prefer to own a skitty or a meowth. It entertained him. He preferred Soda Pop, however. The sweet fizzyness of a fresh Soda Pop was something he enjoyed as well.
"Might as well buy one" said as he looked for a vending machine. He found one on the other side of the street, and decided to cross it. He waited until there was no car on his sight and approached the machine. He checked the different flavours, and decided for a lemon Soda Pop. He checked the prizes.
"What the...How expensive is this city? Do you expect me to spend 500 yen on it?" he complained while taking his wallet and opening it. After selecting the Soda Pop and inserting the money, he was surprised when not one, but two Soda Pop cans were ejected, and in the screen a message was shown, with a joyful voice said: "Score! You got a bonus drink."
"Oh, this is my lucky day" he said as he was about to take his price. He did not expect a shadow to emerge from its side. He was too slow to react to it, as he didn't expect to be attacked in the middle of the day. However, soon he realized the shadow had gotten the two cans of Soda Pop and fled with them.
"Come here, you little...!"
He began running though the streets, avoiding the other people while trying to catch the fast moving shadow. His feet moved quite fast, as he was used to this. He was certain that that pokémon, as there was no other explanation for the thievery, couldn't really expect him to be that fast. Right. Left. Straight he kept running. He was glad all of the training he had done was useful in these kinds of situations. Right again. He found himself in a dead end, with no sound or movement in his surroundings. There were a couple of trash cans to his left, and a wall in front of him. One step. Still no movement. He took another step, slowly. If he was to react again, he needed to catch that pokémon before it escaped again.
Closing his eyes, he decided to guide himself by sound. Trying to ignore the noise of the city, all the people talking, all the cars moving. Kids playing. Old women talking. Parents and children enjoying a good day.
And a sudden sound.
Left? No, left is a distraction. Right! he thought as his gaze met the shadow figure behind the cans. Jackpot. It was a meowstic. A female one from its looks. And he had to be careful, Meowstic's psychic powers were strong enough to destroy a big truck, or so a friend of his had told him once.
"Hey, Meow Meow. Gimme my drinks, will you?" he asked calmly. The pokémon, with both Soda Pop cans on his hands gave the man an indifferent look. The tension in the air could be felt, as he decided to bend to his knees and approach once again the pokémon. "Look, I have nothing against you, but those are mine. Can you give them to me?".As he was about to take his rightful drinks from the hands of the pokémon, a strong voice could be heard from behind.
"You get away from Mimi!" he heard when the girl was about to kick him. It was too fast. The girl was trained. But he managed to dodge it, and with a roll he ended up two meters away from the meowstic and the girl. He observed them for a few instants before he spoke "That friend of yours took my drinks, I just want them back."
"Your drinks? What do you mean, you thief! I'm sure you wanted to sell Mimi in the black market. Prepare yourself to-". She couldn't finish her sentence after she looked at the meowstic named Mimi holding two cans of Soda Pop.
"Told you" was the only response the man could give.
/-\
"I'm truly sorry!" apologized the girl.
They were in Centrico Plaza, sitting on a bench close to the Gym. The poor girl kept on apologizing for the behaviour of her pokémon.
"It's fine, it's fine."
The two of them were drinking one of the Soda Pop cans. It was a bizarre situation, and he could feel the tension between them. Not that he actually cared much about it. But the girl seemed to.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Emma, and this is Mimi. Nice to meet you!" she said enthusiastically.
"Same" said the man apathetically while taking a sip of his drink.
"You should at least introduce yourself! I'll feel bad unless you do."
"Sure, sure. Name's Fan Lan."
"Nice to meet you Mister Fan Lan"
"No, no. Lan is my last name. But...whatever."
"Sorry, Mister La-"
"And I'm not that old as to be called Mister. I am only twenty-five, you know."
"Ah!"
The girl, Emma, was blushing all of a sudden. Now he felt weird. She looked about twenty, maybe a little younger. He felt really weird about her, because of her personality. He felt something was wrong. But he decided to ignore it for the moment.
"And what are you doing in Lumiose City? You sound foreign."
"Work. My boss made me travel to this city all across the world. Seriously, that man gives me the most unfortunate jobs."
Emma smiled briefly, and the she looked him. "What kind of job? Are you a journalist or something like that?" she asked as she played with meowstic's ears.
"I am more of a jack of all trades. I do a little of this, and a little of that."
"I see. That explains how you managed to follow meowstic and evaded my kick. Which, again, I am really sorry about."
"Don't sweat it. In my line of work one has to be prepared for everything."
Emma looked at him with a confused face. She didn't seem to understand the meaning of "my line of work" exactly, but that was not Fan's problem. It might even be for the best. He took another sip. The sweetness of the Soda Pop comforted him, after such a meaningless race. At the end of the day, however, he managed to get what he wanted, and he couldn't ask for more.
In the middle of such affairs, something buzzed in his pocket.
"Oh, excuse me" he apologized as he took his old SmartGear. After unblocking the screen, a new massage could be found:
[Unknown
The package has arrived at point Delta. Rendezvous there.]
Emma was trying to ascertain what was the message for, but Fan gave her a menacing look. He didn't like his privacy violated, and much less in the middle of work. He shouldn't have even started talking with this girl after the incident, but the sad face she used on him seemed to win. She kinda looks like...No, better stop, he thought for a moment.
"That is an old SmartGear. Looks like the first one from two years ago, right?" Emma questioned, trying to break the ice.
"It is. This is the first model actually compatible with the Net" he answered with an uninterested face.
He thought about the past. How long had it been since the launch of the Net? Probably a couple of years, but he wasn't sure about it. He did remember the news being all crazy about it, and some people even calling it the breakthrough of the century. Of course, people always exaggerated these kinds of inventions.
"I bought mine last year. I saved money like crazy to buy it" said Emma while showing hers enthusiastically. Its case was a sweet and light blue instead of his black. He had no need of such eccentricities. For him it was a tool to use, and not something to be overjoyed about. He was getting tired of the strange conversation, however.
"Well, I must excuse myself" Fan announced as he stood up. He had some Soda Pop left, but he wasn't thirsty any more so he gave it to Mimi, for her to enjoy. "Do not do that again, are we clear?"
Mimi nodded as if understanding his intentions, and took a sip. She took out her tongue as if not liking the drink. Fan was amazed at the craziness of the situation. The fact that the damn pokémon didn't like the Soda Pop after the effort of stealing it from him was nothing short of comedic.
"I guess Mimi doesn't like Lemon Soda Pop, huh. I bet she tried to get the two cans to share it with me. Aren't you such a cutie?" said Emma as she hugged the pokémon. Mimi emitted a pleasant sound in response. "Oh, can I have your number, Mister Fan?"
She showed her SmartGear with a smile in her face. Fan took a hand to his black hair, scratching it a little before taking his. When they were closed enough, a transmission was sent between both of their SmartGears, and so they added each other.
"Great. Well, see you around"
Fan turned and started walking in the direction of his hotel. He didn't understand the reason. Why did he exchange numbers with that woman? There was no need of it, and the chances of him coming back to Lumiose City were slim. His line of thought was interrupted when Emma shouted at him in the distance.
"Mister Fan! See you around!" he heard. He imagined she was weaving her hand with energy. He kept walking, however. Forcing himself to ignore her. Such a relation wouldn't be good for her.
Emma looked at his SmartGear, to confirm the contact exchange. Touching the screen delicately, she searched for the new number in the list. Mimi at her side was trying the Soda Pop once again, not liking the taste of it. When Emma looked at the new added contact, she found the name of it was Unknown. "Huh?" was the only response she could give.
/-\
The day became night in a question of hours. Such was the cycle, and Fan liked it. He was in one of the floors of the Hotel Richissime, the most luxurious hotel in the city. There was a good reason for him to be there: Point Delta. That was the codename of the room he had. He had found a suitcase with a fingerprint recognition, completely black. He took all the items inside, including two different Pokéballs and his dressing. It was a black jacket with a hoodie, and he dressed quickly and efficiently. It was a process he had done thousands of times.
Looking at the clock, he waited. Only waited. He had some time to kill. Or so he thought, but a new message came to his SmartGear.
[Unknown
Target is in position. Proceed]
He had no need for more. From his belt he took one of the Pokéballs, and opened it. A gengar, Yan Gui it name, came out of it. It had a funny smile in its face, as if he knew what they had to do. Fan touched gengar's head as if telling him to wait. From the suitcase he took the last of his items: a white plain mask. His green eyes was the only thing the mask allowed someone to see of him. Another look at the clocked revealed him it was 10:58 PM.
"Let's do it, Yan Gui"
He opened the window of his room and stood looking at it. Yan Gui, crossed the wall and stood floating at a distance close enough that Fan could jump to his back. They were several meters above the ground, near the façade of the building. His selection of black clothes was not casual. He needed to blend himself into the darkness. That is the reason he chose Yan Gui, his old gengar, as the ideal Pokémon for this job. Other pokémon could fly or levitate, but none were as perfect for the job as it.
Slowly but steadily, Yan Gui started ascending. One floor. Three floors. His objective was on the top floor of the building, reserved for the most rich man in the world. It was said a single night there could cost a fortune, and normally several politicians and highly successful businessman were the only residents there. I wonder if they have a personal sauna, he thought as Yan Gui arrived at the destination. He was to the left of the window, and he spied with his right eye. There seemed to be an old man there, along with two women. He couldn't really see one of them from the position he was at, but it didn't matter: the man was his target. The women were probably no more than either secretaries, or in the worst case they were there to accompany him. He didn't like that thought.
However, that wasn't for him to be concerned about.
"We will wait seven minutes. If they leave him alone we'll enter. If they don't..."
The gengar giggled. Yan Gui certainly enjoyed these kinds of situations. The wonders of being a ghost pokémon, Fan thought.
The wait was too long for him. Too many factors to take into account. What if someone decided to take some fresh air on the floor beneath him, and a raised head spotted him? What if some teenager on the street decided to look at the hotel in jealously, and a mysterious pokémon was here? Alarms would ring everywhere. His pulse accelerated slowly, but he took a deep breath. No tension was allowed yet. He was taught that a calm mind and body were perfect.
After four minutes, he took another peek at the room. It seemed that the man was alone. He decided to go for it. Gengar moved one of its arms and, through the wall, unlocked the window in silence. Hoping not the be found, he moved very quickly. He opened the window, leaving enough space for him to enter, and jumped inside. When he touched the ground, hengar had already gone through the wall, and managed to turn all the lights off. They had been planing this for a while, even studying the electrical circuits in the building. It was simple enough, cutting the cables of this room. But simple, most of the times, is better.
He observed the room quickly, and found the target in question. He was at his bed, with a scared face, looking all around. But his gaze was looking a lot of times in the same direction. Something was wrong...
A very high pitched sound made him lose his standing. What was it? He tried to close his ears and looked around. Something moved in one of the edges of the room. He could see a couple of yellow eyes hanging from the ceiling. A bat pokémon, he thought. The room was big enough for him to move, so he started planning his next move.
"Where are you?! Come and save me!"
He hadn't realized the man was shouting. It seems he was expecting someone to help him. The door was opened loudly, and what seemed to him like a robot appeared from the door. Its head was like a black egg with a strong orange yolk. He understood from its fluid movements that it was not a robot, but a human.
"You mischievous trespasser. Surrender, or Essentia will make you!" said a digital voice from the non-robot. Fan realized it was probably an enhanced suit of some kind. It wasn't the first time he had seen enhanced suits, but that was the first one that covered the whole body. Also, the strange E in the helmet. Does he really have his initial in his helmet? That is weird. Does he think he is one of those heroes from movies. What were their names...Ah, I don't remember! But they were surely cool in Brycen-Man V, were his thoughts as a crobat stood behind Essentia. That was the identity of the bat pokémon from before, as he could see from its shape. He was getting used to the darkness.
Yan Gui appeared from behind Essentia and the crobat, and with a punch fused with shadows, tried to attack it. But it managed to evade the attack, and Essentia ran towards Fan. He prepared himself, with one hand in front of his head and the other at a mid body position. His opponent wore an enhanced suit, so the martial art known as Aikido was his best shot. If his rival was trying to be a hero of some sort, then he would avoid both upper and lower body attacks.
And so it happened.
Essentia went for a powerful kick, aimed at his torso. In a fast but precise set of movements, Fan not only avoided the attack, but also managed to catch the leg and make his rival fall to the floor. From the body build he could say Essentia was quite a young woman, maybe in her twenties or less. How would someone that young obtain such a suit? He heard a loud sound. He had only but minutes to complete his job. No time for the conflict. Throwing Essentia to one of the walls, he observed gengar. The fight with the crobat continued. No time. No time. He took the other Pokéball from his belt and opened it.
A black greninja appeared from it. Now they were three against two. The numbers were on their side. However, time was their enemy. In about three and a half minutes, as he had calculated from his many visits at the hotel, several security guards would appear from that door.
"Kunoichi, you get the girl" he whispered to his greninja's ear while pointing at Essentia. He had taken the name from the legends of old in his country. The female greninja then jumped above the girl in the suit. He looked at Yan Gui again while approaching the old man. Its hands were, once again, covered in shadows, but the crobat was fighting back. No time. He jumped effortlessly and threw a knife to the old man's leg, as he was trying to reach the door. That would stop him long enough for him to reach his objective.
"Where is it?" Fan asked the man as he felt and shouted. Some blood was falling from the leg. "Where is it?" he asked again.
"Who...who are you?" the man asked in fear. Fan had no time for this.
"I will only ask you one more time" said Fan with another knife in his hand. Fear was a powerful weapon against weak people. He had planned to use Yan Gui to do it, with a little Hypnosis and Dream Eater he could easily obtain the information. But the appearance of the crobat changed everything. The man was looking at below the bed, his face frightened. He didn't want to die. Of course he didn't. It was against human nature. Taking a little bottle from his belt, he opened it and forced the man to breath the contents. A sound was produced when the man felt to its knees, and Fan hurried to the bed. Below it was a box, carefully locked. This was certainly his objective.
Another strong sound. He reacted quickly, and he saw something unexpected. Kunoichi had been thrown against the bed. Did Essentia call another pokémon to her aid? No, that wasn't true. She probably struggled to get Kunoichi out of her. That might probably be the reason her helmet was broken in pieces as it felt to the ground. He was finally able to see his rival's face.
Shock.
Behind Essentia's face was none other than the girl he had met earlier. Emma. A sweet girl with a trickster meowstic. Had it been a coincidence? Or was this destiny? He barely had time to react as Essentia tried to punch him in the face. With a quick move he was able to avoid severe damage, but part of his mask ended up in pieces. He felt the pain running through his cheek as shards of his mask were nailed into them. He couldn't worry about it. Less than a minute left.
"Y-you!" said Essentia, in apparent shock as well. She had recognized Fan. That was really bad news.
The meeting between the two masks was too quick, however. Kunoichi threw some water shurikens at Essentia, but her enhanced abilities allowed her to evade them with three fast steps. Fan didn't wait a second since the first shuriken was thrown. He started running to the window. He could hear steps outside the room. Probably running up the stairs. Both of his pokémon knew what to do in order to run. The gengar disappeared below the floor, confusing the crobat, and Kunoichi jumped a couple of times to reach the window, before positioning herself besides his master.
This is the worst part, he thought while looking at the window. "Halt!" he could hear from the door, several meters behind him. He turned around to see the guards that had come. Three guards and a pyroar, though he couldn't determine whether it was male or female due to the darkness and distance between them. They didn't manage to turn the lights on, not yet at least, and so he had no actual need to cover his face form them. A horrible sound came from beyond the window, and he heard one of the guards shout "Flamethrower!". He jumped.
Three seconds. He took Kunoichi's Pokéball while the glass behind him broke into pieces. Two seconds. He pointed at Kunoichi, that jumped after him, with the Pokéball, and successfully managed to return her to it. One second. He felt heat in the same hand. Kunoichi was already inside the Pokéball, yet he could feel his skin burning, and the Pokéball's metal was starting to melt. The flames had managed to reach his hand. A failed evasion.
Time.
Yan Gui appeared from behind him and took him mid air. He saw the confused face of Essentia, of Emma, looking at him.
Mission complete, he thought while Yan Gui flew into the Laverre Natural Trail.
Edit (21-01-16): Uploaded a corrected version of both the prologue and this chapter.
