CHAPTER TWO: THE DEAL
"When will he be released?" "Can you comment on his current state of health?" "Where are his parents?!" "Is it true he was attacked by a Sharpedo?!" Reporters swarm a podium just outside Cherrygrove hospital. The Cherrygrove chief of police wipes the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as he tries to answer each question as generically as possible. Vans with small satellites plug up the streets causing frustration. The resulting car horns are deafening. "He is resting as you can imagine, we have no new information at this time, we will update you when we do." The chief stumbles his way off the podium.
"What are we supposed to do with that?!" A young reporter says from the crowd. "Ridiculous" She says disgruntled, putting away her Navi in her shoulder bag labeled "GlobalPokenet." She rolls up the sleeves and halfway unzips a thin red jacket she wears over a white under shirt. A black belt wraps diagonally around her waist over matching red shorts. She pulls out a sitrus berry from her bag and feeds it to a Ledyba sitting on a red cap she's wearing. It has a small lens strapped lightly to its forehead similar to a bandana, recording the commotion around them. "We're not getting anything here lady, let's go" She says backing away from the crowd. "How is a journalist suppose to eat?!"
She makes her way through the busy streets to a local cafe. The waitress pours some hot coffee into her cup. She slouches back in her chair, blows a piece of hair out of her face, looking up at the sky, helpless. Ledyba flies onto the table to eat some grapes in a bowl left in the center. "I have to find a way in there, that's the only way I'll get anything worthwhile." "UGH!" A woman yells angrily at a nearby table. The journalist watches as the woman stands up with her sleeve soaked. She appears to be a nurse, she takes her white coat off and hooks it in back of her chair, coffee dripping on the ground beneath it. "I am so sorry Ma'am" the waiter responds dropping to the floor with a roll of napkins. "It's..it's fine, ugh", the nurse says walking into the restroom. The journalist squints at the coat, noticing a name tag on it. A wicked smile forms across her face.
…..
"Sir I'm going to need you to back up" one of the officers by the hospital front doors yells. The crowd asking questions one after the other in excitement, they inch closer and closer to the doors. "Excuse me" a nurse says walking by the officer, she flashes her name tag, "head right on through ma'am." The disguised nurse speed walks into a closing nearby elevator. She smiles to a nurse waiting inside and leans her back against a wall, closing her eyes in relief. "Are you okay?" An angelic voice asks in front of her. She opens her eyes to an older woman, a nurse dressed in scrubs, her hair up in a clean bun. The journalist, now disguised as a nurse Lucy, follows the woman's eyes to her sleeve. It's rolled up and stained brown from the spilled coffee. "Oh it's fine, had a little accident earlier." "Oh hun, you need to get that changed out you're dripping." The concern in her voice was something new for Lucy.
"In from Goldenrod?" The woman asks, Lucy responds with a nod. "They are always sending new nurses to us without any warning, how are we supposed to get you guys familiar, unbelievable, I'm Cheryl." "I'm Lucy, and yeah it's...it's ridiculous, just not the way things should be" Lucy says trying to end the conversation, making as least eye contact as possible.
The elevator doors open following a loud ding. "Follow me hun, I'll show you the west wing and get you cleaned up." "No, no, I'm okay, really, I have to...pick up some paperwork from upstairs." "Nonsense, not with a shirt like that, come." Faux Lucy closes her mouth and breathes heavily from her nose, aggravated. She flashes a fake smile and follows the older woman out. A loud noise stops both woman, keeping them frozen in place. Coming from a few floors above, it lasts a few seconds and fades. A screech of sorts, inhuman, bone chilling. The journalist looks at the nurse, whose hand is over her heart. "Someone must have brought in a Pokémon, something big, I need to get to Rick" She says walking away. "Take this hall down and ask for Diana, she'll get you all set up hun!" Faux Lucy nods her head and slides back in the open elevator inconspicuously.
A receptionist on the third floor stops typing, she hears a low hum. She looks around the small waiting room in front of her, only two people are sitting nearby, both of which are sleeping. She takes a sip of her tea and continues to type only to stop once again when the sound gets louder, a buzz echoing around the room. "What is that sound?" She says to herself. The receptionist gets up off her rolling chair and walks out to the waiting room. She ducks down as Lady suddently flies passed her head coming out of a hallway nearby. "Are you kidding me!" It hovers around her and flies down a hallway on the opposite side of the room prompting to chase it. She grabs a broom and runs after it. The journalist peeks out from around the corner of the hall lady came from. She moves quickly, on her tiptoes to the desk and researches room numbers tied to names. After a few clicks she looks up from the screen. One of the patients waiting, an older man now awake is watching her. She smiles and waives nervously. "...Max Doe, no last name...seems right." Footsteps nearby have her drop behind the desk. Two security guards run passed the desk and down the hall following the receptionist. "They said west wing, over here!" "What is going on today?!" One asks the other. She waits for the sounds of rattling keys to fade. She gets the information and dashes back to the elevator. "Excuse me, how much longer is it?" The old man asks. "I have no idea, good luck".
The doors open on the sixth floor, an old, vacant receptions desk greets her. The journalist quietly makes her way out and down a long hallway. It's empty, each step she takes echoes. No nurses, patients or staff. "They opened this floor just for the kid."
After a few turns down the empty top floor, she walks up to a room labeled A612...Max's room. An empty chair sits on each side of the door. The guards running past her downstairs she thinks back. She collects herself, reaches for the doorknob and walks in.
Max stands by the side of his bed with his head down, his long brown hair covering his face, picking up some sheets from the ground. They lock eyes. "Hi, I'm Lucy" She says pointing to her name tag. "How are you feeling?" Max looks up at her, a look of pure frustration on his face. He ignores her question and continues to reorganize the mess left from the encounter with the mysterious woman. She looks around the room, Meditite is standing by Max's bed, Togepi behind him. Castform sits on the bed staring innocently at the journalist. There are a few Pokeballs on a small table by the window. "I was sent here to check up on you see if you need anything?" "How's that memory coming along?" "Ofcourse you are, I'm terrible." Max says looking up at her, in a defeated tone. No Sharpedo bite...liars, she thinks.
"What's wrong?" She asks pulling up a chair. "Don't." Max snaps at her before she is able to sit. The journalist stops in place, thrown off by the hostility. "You're nurse Lucy huh?" "Yes, is there something wrong?" "Yeah there is actually, Lucy's been working with me for a while now, as bad as my memory is, I would hope I know how she looks by now." Her eyes open wide, tongue tied up as she searches for the right words. "Are you going to tell me your a different Lucy with the same L. Initial for a last name?" The journalist, usually quick and witty with her words, now stumped and silent.
Max walks through the sun bathed room over to the small coffee table and grabs a Pokeball. "Are you with her?!" "I already spoke with the detective, you can drop this act, he's right down the hall!" He holds the Pokeball out in front of him. The journalist let's go of the chair and slowly puts her hands out infront of her, "okay, hey, I don't know who your talking about, I'm a nur…" "Your lying!" He yells shaking his head. "Okay, okay...easy…" "My name is Ellie, I'm a journalist for a news website, I just wanted to get some information for my blog." Max tilts his head to the side for a brief second and closes his eyes as he sighs in relief, dropping on his bed.
"This was the only way for me to get in to get to you." "I'll only print what you approve nothing more, I just want a story and yours is trending, it's the most fascinating in Johto at the moment and I would love if you let me tell it" Max crosses his arms against his chest, "what makes you think I want my story told?" "How did you even get in here?"
"You lost your memory right?" "You can't remember how to get home, I can help you, the site I belong to is very popular, it reaches all crevices of the world web, to all different regions." "Whoever does know you and wants to know where you are, I can help make the chances of them finding you much greater than what they are now." Max scratches the top of Castform's head with his shaking hand, thinking. "I'm sure I've had enough coverage, if I do have anyone out there they would have found me by now."
Ellie notices his hands, she looks at Castform peeking out from under the sheets. A few medical supplies still liter the floor. Meditite whose eyes are locked on her, stands ready to attack, keeping Togepi behind its back. "What...happened here?" Ellie asks as she starts to feel the thin air in the room. "What did you mean when you asked if I was with her, who is she?" "Actually, I heard something earlier, a loud noise, does it have to do with that?" Max stares at her, wary. She sucks her teeth pulling out her Navi. "Look." She scrolls through her digital credentials on the screen. Max, hesitant yet overwhelmed with loneliness, wanting to confide in someone, chooses to start explaining to her.
…..
"What did this detective do?" "Do you know what kind of Pokémon it was?" Ellie asks in disbelief. Max shakes his head and puts his hands up in the air, falling back in his bed. "He said he would handle it and for me not to leave this room." "He doesn't want me going anywhere, I don't know what his plans are only that he needs me here." "Max you're not in any trouble though, I can't see why you couldn't just leave if you wanted to." "I guess, I'm still trying to figure out how the woman got in, what she wanted...maybe Holland is in on whatever this is." "Hm, a whole operation, you would never think." "...Actually, you know what, figures" she says with an attitude, nodding her head. Max chuckles. "That's the first time I laughed since I've woken up...thank you for that." Ellie smiles, "so, lost boy of the sea, what's next for you if you can't go home?" Max stares at the Pokeballs on the small nearby table and then out the sunlit window, silent. "I don't know, it's really overwhelming, I'd hope my memory is back...I just don't know." Ellie lightly punches his leg playfully "whatever it is, you'll never realize it in here!" Max runs his hand through his long hair pushing it back. "Believe me I know, this hospital, these four walls are suffocating, I feel so trapped." "Best part is now I have people I don't even know trying to make sure I don't remember who I am, by force and they have my egg!"
"If I told you right now that I can get you out of here, sneak you away from this place, from Holland, what would you want to do?" Max's eyes drag over to the Pokeballs on the table again. Ellie's follow, she pokes the side of her cheek with her tongue. "Let's make a deal, I'll get you out of here and as far away from this mess as I possibly can, I'll be that push you need." Max leans forward in his bed, "what's the catch?" "Well, I'm a journalist" she says adjusting her cap. "Let me follow you with a camera, whatever it is you decide to do, at least for the next couple of weeks, I want to document your journey of building a new life after losing your old one." "It'll give you the space you need, anyone interested in your story can get the answers they want through a screen far away from you; if someone important reaches out they go through me, I'll filter out everything else." Max looks away with a face of hesitation. "People are interested in your story Max, use me to tell it, your side, raw and unfiltered." He looks at the Pokémon around him, slides off the bed and walks to the window, looking out at the busy, sunlit streets. The Pokémon battle on the TV fills the silence, the volume low but just enough to make out the excitement of the narrator and crowd.
Ellie takes a step forward, "look…" a feint ding from the other side of the sixth floor stops her, they look at each other. "I need a decision now!" She says closing the room door. "Ellie what if I'm some bad person, what if I did something bad that Holland hasn't told me about and that's why he's keeping me here?" "Max someone would have said something by now, something would have came up, you need to stop thinking about the what if and eventually just make a move, don't let Holland or anyone dictate what your next step is here, YOU need to take that step, you need to move forward on your own terms." Heavy footsteps echo closer down the hall. "I know this is all so fast and nuts, but I'm asking you to take a chance and trust me." He looks back at the Pokémon and then to her...he nods his head.
Detective Holland swings open the door, the bed sheet hangs halfway off the bed. The Pokémon and Pokeballs gone along with Max and his new journalist friend. Holland's hands ball up in fists, he pushes passed a few security guards that came up with him and sprints back towards the elevator. "Dammit!"
"Excuse me!" A nurse says walking quickly passed Ellie whose in complete disguise. She pushes a bed across a long hall on the second floor. Max and a few Pokémon are hidden underneath the thick white sheets. "Stay down, we're almost there" she whispers to him. As they turn the corner, Holland appears, sprinting towards their direction. Ellie stops in place as the tall, intimidating detective runs right up to her. Her hands cold, her feet numb. "Nurse, where can I find the B-Security office?" "At..the end of the hall back there, you make a right…" "Thank you" he says looking down at Max's messy, long brown hair, sticking out from under the sheets. Holland looks up at Ellie studying her face and then back at the bed. "He really shouldn't have his face covered" Holland says reaching for the sheets to pull down and expose Max's face. "He has a migraine!" Ellie yells out, stopping Holland halfway, "the light is to strong for him at the moment!" She pulls the sheets even higher, covering Max's exposed hair, "now if you don't mind!" Holland takes a step back, "I apologize." She pushes the bed passed him. Max let's go of the deep breath he had been holding throughout the exchange, he wipes the sweat from his forehead.
Holland takes Ellie's directions and makes his way down the hall leading him to a small rec room filled with candy and drink machines with no security office in sight. An officer runs up to him from behind, "Sir, the top four floors have been searched and cleared, no sign of him, this floor and the first are being searched now." "He had to have help, he disappeared so quickly." "We have deputies at the farmer's residence now, we don't believe he had any knowledge of plans he might have made to leave." "Sir, they are the only people whom he's had contact with, if it wasn't them...the only other theory we could come up with is…" "A nurse" Holland says, grinding his teeth. He pushes passed the officer, running back down the hall.
Ellie carefully closes the door to a room full of supplies. Castform floats out from under the covers, inhaling deeply. Max hops off the bed. "You already planned this, you knew I would say yes." Ellie winks and throws a black sweater and a pair of baggy, gray joggers at him. Footsteps can be heard running passed the door. Ellie opens the window, Lady and a Chikorita wait down below. The second floor window leads to an alleyway separating the hospital from a large Pokemart next door. Ellie climbs onto the window ledge, she turns to Max, holding her cap in place as the breeze picks up outside. "You ready to get outta this place?" "Out another window?" Max asks cracking a smile. She leans backwards and slides out. Max's smile turns into shock as he runs to the window. The horror quickly turns to relief as Chikorita's vine whip brings her down safely. He sighs. Castform makes its way out. Togepi follows with Meditite closely behind. Lady flies up to the pair and slowly grabs onto Togepi, Meditite hesitantly letting go. As it prepares to jump, some jingling keys sound right outside the door. Max takes a few steps back and freezes watching the doorknob turn. Meditite glances over at Togepi, fearful of the distance between them. Just as the door opens, it slams shut. A blue hue forms around it. Max looks behind him, Meditite's arm is held up using its abilities to hold it shut. It signals to him with its eyes. "Thank you" he whispers running passed it to the window.
The floor security guard barges in the room after a long minute. It's empty. The breeze coming through the window is strong. He looks around, under the bed, out the window...the room is clear.
The newly acquainted escapees walk swiftly a few blocks down. Lady now resting on Ellie's head. Castform on Max's shoulder and Togepi in his backpack. Meditite walks alongside them. The busyness of the small city is dizzying. The strong sunlight, noises from the cars and people keep Max close to a panic. His eyes everywhere, taking in everything he couldn't see while in the hospital for weeks. He tries his hardest to focus on the floor in front of him, when that quickly fails he starts to focus on small details of his surroundings. Storefronts are covered in flowers, trees are surrounded by small gardens throughout the sidewalk. Pedals dance in the wind, a beauty the city is known for.
"What's the plan?" he asks, keeping his head down, hoping to not be recognized. "Well, lost boy of the seas, we have to get you to New Bark Town to meet with Professor Elm and hopefully get you registered as a trainer." His head swiftly turns in response. She winks back. "Hold on, when did that become the plan?" "The moment I was told you were found with a team of six Pokémon and when I asked what was next for you, your eyes seem to go either to the Pokeballs on the table or the TV screen watching them battle." Max laughs nervously. "Seems like you were a trainer in your past life, this should be something easy and natural for you to jump into." "It'll be the perfect distraction until your memory comes, it'll also keep you paid."
A loud car horn cuts them off. Ellie turns to see a car drive up to the curb beside her. "Ms."! Detective Holland comes out of the car and walks straight to her. "You're a nurse at Cherry Grove hospital?" Ellie nods nervously. "Yes I believe we met briefly, they're having a role call of every staff member that has worked today, have you gotten the emailed memo?" "N-no" she replies reaching for the Navi in her pocket. "Please get back as soon as possible, it's very important, do you need a ride back?" "N-n-no, I have to take my friend first to…" she turns around as she's speaking...Max is gone. She looks all around her...not a trace. A suspicion starts to fill in Holland's mind, "what was your name again?" he asks. Ellie exhales in defeat, letting her head fall back, closing her eyes. She opens them slowly and stares at the suspicious detective with no answer. "I'm going to need you to come with me."
Chapter Two ~ End
