AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi, readers. First and foremost, I am DEEPLY sorry about the huge delay in uploads; for those who haven't checked my profile, my computer crashed and I lost everything - including my motivation to start over. However, I manage to retrieve my backups (yay!) so updates should be more normal from now on. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! Now, on with the story...
4
As I walked, I felt the nerves taking over. My stomach began to cramp and my knees knocked together as I wobbled down the street. After nearly falling face first in the gutter, I decided to go and train for a while instead of going straight to the gym, so I could be sure that we would beat Roxanne hands down with one eye closed. I knew - from a leaflet I was reading in the Pokémon centre while waiting for Torchic and Wingull to heal - that Roxanne used rock Pokémon.
Fits her name, I thought to myself and smiled slightly before heading off to boost my confidence. The route was, I realised quickly, a popular place for Pokémon training; trainers littered the path, all slightly nervous for their attempt on the Gym and all starving for a battle. I was immediately challenged by a boy in shorts, his wide, frantic eyes begging me to accept. Torchic and I managed to scrape a win, and the boy looked like I'd just stabbed him as Torchic delivered the final blow. I battled more trainers as I travelled down the route, the generosity of those I battled increasing steadily as the money on my card rose after each victory. Wingull was obviously pleased with himself, now carrying himself with a puffed-up swagger, and Torchic was looking much more fierce by the time we reached the dead end of the route. I turned around and wandered back towards Rustboro, with the fiery Torchic on my shoulder, but I'd noticed a big change in her size; her weight had increased so much, I leant over to one side, walking very wonky. Her mood had also dropped considerably, and she was more haughty and on edge than her usual chipper self. According to my Pokédex, she was level fifteen.
"A lot of Pokémon evolve around level fifteen… Maybe, you're going to evolve soon!" I said, excited, and she looked at me, her face surly, but I saw the sparkle in her eyes even if no one else could've done. I chucked her under her beak, scooped her down into my arms and made my way to the Pokémon Centre.
Twenty minutes wandered by, and I found myself standing outside the Pokémon gym, staring up at it nervously. My stomach was flying again. It reminded me of facing Brendan in my first battle all over again, except that Brendan and his A.D.D. weren't here; it was just me and those big metal doors.
Well, I'm not going anywhere just standing here, I thought boldly. I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and walked into the Gym.
It was a huge space, with realistic boulders scattered around the border of the immense battle field. I could see scuff marks in the arena floor, and over in one corner dwelled an unnervingly large crater. Extremely intimidated, I sauntered forwards, suddenly aware of every single part of myself; my messy hair, the dirt on my hands, the bandage covering half my left leg beneath my jeans, a sudden hunger pang…
My stomach growled it's disapproval at lack of food and I grabbed it to shut it up. It always, without fail, moaned at me at the most inappropriate times.
Something moved in the shadows at the side of the arena and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I whirled around to see a tall woman walking towards me. As she came into the light, I saw she had sleek brown hair pulled back into bunches, and an aura of great confidence. She came over to me, walking smoothly, despite her heavy footfalls. Her eyes matched her hair in colour, and they bored into me, taking in my shoddy appearance. I swallowed.
"You Okay?" she asked me, kindly. Her voice was as smooth as her walk and she sounded very mature. and I nodded, noticing my hand being on my stomach and snatching it away.
"Can I help you with anything?" She smiled sweetly down at me and I blushed furiously. She seemed to think I was some random tourist who'd got lost and wandered in here by accident.
"Yes," I said, slowly. "You're Roxanne, I take it?" I had to check.
"I am, yes," she replied, equally slow, blinking her eyes once.
"I, err, I've come to challenge you," I burbled out a fraction too quickly, and I nearly quailed as her eyebrows raised simultaneously.
You complete IDIOT! Don't act so wimpy! Stand up straighter! Look down at her - oh… that probably won't work; you're a good eight inches shorter than her…
"Oh, yes?" said Roxanne, completely oblivious to the mental battle I was now having with myself. Yet, I didn't miss the scepticism in her voice. "Well, in that case… Ernie?" she called behind her, and a man emerged from the shadows of the doorway where she'd come from. He was dressed all in black and held a small flag in each hand; one red and the other green.
"A challenger?" he asked and Roxanne nodded. He looked at me and I saw the same scepticism in his smirk that I'd seen in Roxanne's eyes, except intensified a hundred-fold.
"Okay, take your places," the referee - Ernie - boomed across the room, his smirk still squatting on his lips as Roxanne and I made our ways to opposite sides f the arena. I felt my knees quake as Roxanne looked at me, her face blank, but, even from a distance of thirty-or-so feet between us, I could see her eyes glittering like cold fire.
"Only the challenger can switch out Pokémon and this is a two-on-two battle," stated Ernie and he raised both his flags. "Get ready!" I touched Torchic's poké ball at my belt and I saw Roxanne's fingers twitch by her side.
"Release your Pokémon!"
"Go, Geodude!" A Pokémon that looked like an oddly shaped rock with arms was released onto the floor. As it's little black eyes tried to catch mine, my arm faltered in mid-swing and self-doubt hit me. Would my strategy really work…?
"Torchic!" I cried and Torchic burst into view, hopping from one foot to… the same foot, looking fired up but a little bad tempered. Roxanne exchanged a look with the referee that I failed to miss and turned back to the battle looking bored.
"Geodude, rock tomb," she stated and the Geodude roared and began to sprout rocks like flowers from it palms. It was honestly one of the most bazaar things I had ever seen. From the name of the attack, I guessed only too easily what the purpose of those boulders was.
Time for my plan to begin.
"Torchic! Dodge and use ember," I cried and Torchic evaded the huge boulders crashing down around her and blew a whirl of flames at the rock Pokémon. As I knew and expected, this didn't do much damage, but merely enraged the Geodude further. Roxanne simply smiled a cruel winning smile.
"Geodude, rock tomb, again," she commanded.
"Torchic, same, again!" I cried, and once more, the crashing of boulders shook the floor and the fire from Torchic raised the temperature of the room by several degrees.
And on it went. Geodude shooting offensive attack after offensive attack while Torchic dodged, mostly successfully but she failed to dodge once or twice, shooting fire at her foe every time. As time wore on slowly, I began to see the result of my scheme; the Geodude's movements became slurred and reckless, more and more feeble rocks being hurled and more and more frequent misses.
"Geodude! Harden!" Evidently, Roxanne had realised this too. Geodude moaned slightly and glowed brightly for a moment, it's arms clenched around itself in a tight ball.
"Torchic! Focus energy!" I cried and Torchic's eyes flashed and she became very still, entirely focussed on her target. Roxanne and I looked at each other over the heads of our tired Pokémon and we both knew it. The next turn would end it all.
"Geodude! Rock throw!" screamed Roxanne just as I screamed, "Torchic! Tackle!"
The two Pokémon span out, Geodude hurling rocks at Torchic and her retaliating charge towards it. A rock hit Torchic and she buckled but kept hopping with speed towards Geodude. She collided with it straight in the face, and both Pokémon were thrown backwards by the force of the impact. I yelped as Torchic's little body skidded across the battle floor to halt at my trainers and I saw Roxanne's flabbergasted expression as she inspected her Geodude. She looked up at Ernie and her face said it all; Geodude was unconscious. At that moment, I bent down beside Torchic and ran my slightly shaking hand along her tiny face. Her beak twitched and her eyelids fluttered open, her beady eyes looking up at me, a determination burning in the back of her exhaustion. I looked up to see both Roxanne and the referee looking at me, both with baited breath. I couldn't do anything but grin, feeling the corners of my mouth stretch wider than I could've ever imagined. Ernie, looking simply dumbfounded, raised the hand with the green flag in it and said, blankly, "The Challenger wins round one."
"Baby did good!" I cried, punching the air in triumph before making to scoop Torchic up into my arms for a victory hug. To my surprise, Torchic cheeped feebly and wriggled as my hands brushed her sides. Slightly hurt, I recoiled and bent my head sideways to see if she had a wound on her little ribs. A prompt second later, I'd jumped backwards and scrambled to my feet with a yell of shock. Torchic had began to glow a bright white like the sun and was shooting up and up, her body elongating and morphing into a completely different anatomy. After a few wild and confused seconds, the light faded and lying on the floor of the arena was a completely different Pokémon. It was tall, perhaps taller than me standing up, and had wing-like arms with three threateningly-long talons at the end of each. Her leg had grown and another one had appeared, both with heavy-set thigh muscles. Her feet were the same as her single foot before, only bigger and more prominent. Despite the tough 'fuck-off' look about her, she was still beautiful, with a deep red plumage atop her head instead of fluffy orange down, and her eyes were now a deep-set ruby-red, blinking up at me. I wrenched my Pokédex out from my bag and pointed it at Torchic's new form. It told me immediately that she'd evolved into Combusken. Roxanne looked impressed by the fire-fighting Pokémon, who got to her feet gingerly and staggered over to me cooing softly.
"You're… you're beautiful!" I gasped, stroking Combusken's face softly with the back of my hand.
"Impressive tactics," remarked Roxanne, eying me now with a different look to the dismissive scepticism she had scrutinized me with before. I smiled slightly, my hand still on Combusken.
"Would you like to change Pokémon?" asked Ernie, observing the scene before him with impatience and confusion.
"Yes," I said instantly; Combusken looked like she was about to faint. We'd won against Geodude by the skin of our teeth. Combusken looked at me with relief and thanks as I returned her to her ball and reached for the second one at my belt.
"Wingull!" I called as I tossed the ball into the air. It cracked open and my second Pokémon burst out in a sphere of light. I saw Roxanne's eyes widen slightly and panic etch into her jaw. She clearly knew what was coming.
"Nosepass," she said, blankly and a huge Pokémon was released from the ball. It's name suited it; it's bulbous orange nose dominated most of it's considerable size, but the dingy-blue body looked very strong and sturdy.
As the referee bought his flags down for the start of round two, I yelled to Wingull, "Water gun!"
Water beats rock, Roxanne, I thought to myself, watching the squirming Nosepass under the jet of water from Wingull.
It didn't take long. Despite being healed by two super potions, Nosepass ended up on it's back on the battlefield, twitching and all the water glistening in the artificial light. As it hit the ground, the whole building shook, bits of plaster falling from the walls. I managed to trip from the colossal vibrations coursing through the floor and swore loudly as I landed heavily on my backside.
"The Challenger and Wingull wins," said Ernie in absolute dismay, raising the green flag to Wingull, who cawed shrilly and flew over to me. He landed softly on my shoulder, but I was too stunned to respond from the realisation which was crashing over me; we'd won… we'd actually won! I'd defeated my first Gym leader!
I looked up to see Roxanne walking over to me looking deflated but resigned. She held out her hand for me to take. I grabbed it gratefully and she pulled me up from the floor.
"Whoa," she exclaimed looking me up and down again. "You're light." I felt my cheeks flare lightly but she went on. "I shouldn't have judged you like I did when you first came in. Because of that, I lost; I severely underestimated you."
"Thanks," I said, feeling my cheeks turn pinker still, but I smiled at her.
"For defeating me with an impeccable use of tactics and style," she continued, reaching in her jacket's breast pocket and pulling out something shiny, "you deserve this badge." And she pressed the Stone Badge into my palm. The cool metal stole the heat from my hand and a ray of light glinted off it's surface. I beamed at it, the proof of my progress, and looked up at Roxanne, feeling emotion welling in my throat.
"Thank you for a great battle," I croaked hoarsely and she smiled, nodding her welcome. She looked at me curiously, and I couldn't read her expression; it was too calculated for me to fathom out.
"Umm… is there anything else?" I asked, tentatively, and she her face melted back into a normal smile when she realised she'd been staring.
"I think you'll go far," she said simply. I flushed scarlet and she smiled again. "Good luck on your journey and I'll hope to see you again one day for a rematch."
I nodded enthusiastically and waved to her as I left the gym. As the automatic chunks of metal slid apart before me, the midday sun enveloped me and temporarily rendered me blinded, but I was too high to care. I spread my arms wide and absorbed the warm welcome; I had climbed the first step of the league on my first try. I was on my way! I practically skipped the whole way to the Pokémon centre grinning at random passers-by in the street for the hell of it, feeling more happy than I had done in years. Only now did I truly appreciate how elated Lance had been when he became Champion of Johto.
The nurse sensed my feeling of infectious joy and grinned as I requested a badge box at the counter when handing over my Pokémon.
"You got your first badge then?" she asked and I nodded, happily.
"Well, congratulations!" She smiled at me and handed back Combusken and Wingull. I took them thanking her and placed the balls back on my belt walking off hazily towards the exit. I stepped through the doors and the cool of a summer evening swept over me, causing me to shiver slightly. I walked up along the high road before I came across the Devon building again. A giant sun was setting behind it's roof, casting a bloody tinge across the whole city and staining the sky a tangerine-pink. The roads were still humming with traffic and buzzing with the bustle of civilians making their way home from work, but it was a calmer buzz than it had been that morning; summer was lulling Rustboro to sleep. This thought suddenly made me feel really tired myself…
"Get the hell out of my way!"
Without warning, I felt a great force hit me in the chest and I was flat on my back before I knew what had happened. The air rushed out of my lungs and an extravagant pain shot through my leg and up my spine. Coughing and spluttering, I sat up and searched with watering eyes for the culprit. I focused on a retreating figure running down the street with something bulky in his - as I was sure the voice that had shouted at me was male - arms. He was wearing a familiar navy-and-white striped t-shirt…
"Oh, God! GET BACK HERE WITH THOSE!"
At the second cry, I scrambled to my feet as quickly as I could with my slightly-bummed leg. I recognised this voice. I span around and immediately saw the Shroomish guy I had met in Petalburg woods running at full tilt after the Team Aqua thief. As I stared after them, I thought caught the hint of shouts echoing from inside the building from whence he came, and the vague ringing of an alarm. Curiosity winning the battle over common sense, I broke into a fast walk and followed Shroomish Guy and the thief.
After a quarter of an hour or so of paced tracking, I rounded a tight corner and spotted the sign which told me I'd just left Rustboro and turned into route 116, where I'd been training that morning. I moved a little further down the path before a spotted a figure hopping from one foot to the other, wringing their hands desperately and muttering profanities that I couldn't distinguish. However, as I walked towards them, they looked up sharply and their features were thrown sharply into relief by the dying sun.
"Oh, my God, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!" Shroomish Guy immediately started babbling and he rushed towards me, his arms outstretched. Nearly yelling aloud with fright from this startling greeting, he slammed his hands onto my shoulders and his eyes looked imploringly into my own. I avoided eye contact and stammered uncertainly, "Um, that guy knocked me over and I saw you running… what happened?"
He dug his fingers a little more firmly into my shoulders and explained. "Well, you remember that hooligan who accosted me in Petalburg Woods? He was from a terrorist group called Team Aqua." He paused for dramatic effect and went on. "Why, I have no idea, but they've got a fixation with Devon Corporation and the package of goods I'm meant to be delivering. Just now, that man-" he pointed off into the mass of trees and light ahead, "-broke into the building and stole that package! He's another one from Team Aqua and he just can't take that, he just can't!" He released my shoulders and began wringing his hands again. If I wasn't so busy absorbing what he'd just told me - and I had a sneaky suspicion that most of it was classified - I would've felt sorry for him.
"The thing is," he went on, "I need to get that parcel back, but… I'm not a trainer…" He let his silent question hang in the air, looking hopefully at me. Shroomish Guy was so pathetically hopeless. He must've been a newbie at the company…
I sighed heavily.
"Which way did he go?" I exhaled in resignation and Shroomish Guy nearly skipped for joy. He pointed into the depths of the growing darkness and I began walking in the direction of his finger indicated.
"I'll be waiting for you!" yelled the Shroomish guy encouragingly. I acknowledged the comment with a wave of my hand and strode on. The darkness closed in the further I walked and the cool of the summer's evening had matured into the cold of a summer's night. I hugged my jumper closer to me and sped up. I didn't like the dark…
Eventually, I came to what appeared to be the end of the route, which culminated in a tunnel through a relatively large mountain. The scene was entirely undisturbed except for an old man standing by the tunnel's mouth, looking anguished and scared.
"That thug stole my Peeko!" he cried as I drew closer. "He stole my Peeko! My darling Peeko! Oh, why, oh, why?"
Slipping past the poor man, I entered the tunnel. It was almost pitch black inside except for an eerie pale blue glow. Feeling close to terrified, I swallowed my doubts and sauntered forwards; I couldn't let the Shroomish guy down. Deeper and deeper I ventured into the mountain until I heard a scuffling some way ahead of me. My fingers flew to Wingull's poké ball at my waist and my heart thumped a little louder as I walked on. The ghostly blue light slowly brought into view the Team Aqua member. He was standing a short distance away from me, his arms full of an elderly Wingull and a bulky package. I knew immediately it was the goods Shroomish Guy had had stolen from him. I moved forwards as silently as I could manage, but the weird light wasn't that good for orienteering; the tip of my shoe caught a small rock and it cluttered away, the sound echoing fiercely off the walls. The man span around to face me but before I could so much as look at him, he'd kicked up dirt into my face. My eyes burned as the dust slammed into my eyes and I shrieked in pain, clawing at them like a wild Pokémon. The thief laughed an evil laugh and I heard his quick footsteps heading away down the tunnel. I straightened up, eyes watering and began blinking rapidly to rid the blur from my vision. The retreating back of stripes swam back into focus I gave chase, pumping my legs ferociously to get to him. Gradually, I began to close in, and the striped back came closer and closer. But, before I could do anything, he skidded to a halt and let loose a frustrated cry. I could see what had stopped him; part of the tunnel's ceiling had caved in, rendering the passage ahead completely blocked up. He kicked aimed a kick at a nearby boulder to let out his anger before turning around and seeing me standing in the way of his exit.
"I win," I said quietly, and I tossed Wingull's ball into the air and caught it a few times as I advanced towards him. Where this new-found confidence had sprung from I had no idea, but I had a feeling it was a combination of prowess after defeating Roxanne and rage at the small-minded mugger before me. "Give me those goods and that Pokémon."
"God damn, the boss said this would be easy!" the man hissed more to himself than me, his eyes darting around looking for an escape. "It was, until got to this tunnel-to-nowhere and got cornered by this little bitch." He looked me up and down with a look of disdain and my face flushed with anger.
"Say that again," I hissed, my hands shaking slightly as I poised my hand ready to release Wingull. The bastard merely smiled and drew out his own Poké ball like a sword.
"I think I'll let my Poochyena do the talking," he said and threw the ball into the space between us. A particularly large Poochyena burst from the ball and hurled Wingull's ball ahead, the latter springing into existence.
"Poochyena, howl!" said the thief, and the Poochyena opened it's jaws wide to let out a chilling sound that shook me to the bone. Wingull cried in protest at the shrill din, cringing backwards in fear rather than pain and I could tell he was as unnerved by the sound as I was.
"Wing attack!" I cried and Wingull propelled his graceful wings at the Poochyena, but his fear had affected him more than I knew.
"Dodge and tackle!" grunted the thief harshly, and the Poochyena lunged at Wingull, knocking him back into my chest. I staggered, one hand flying under Wingull's body to keep him from falling, the other flinging itself out to stop me from falling. Wingull righted himself instantly, his plumage bristling from the indignation of being tipped off balance.
"Wingull, use water gun!" I cried and the Poochyena was promptly blown off it's feet by the forceful jet of water that spouted from the very angry Wingull. It hit the opposite wall of the tunnel and slid down it. The man yelled at it to get up and it followed suit, looking disorientated and angry for more than one reason. I was shocked that the man treated it like that…
"Poochyena! Iron tail!"
The shout bought me speeding back to reality with a bang. Those words stirred a nasty memory in my head; Wingull slamming into a tree, unconscious on the floor…
"Wingull, dodge and wing attack, NOW!" I yelled hysterically, pointing frantically at the Poochyena. I could've cried with relief; Wingull swerved out of the line of fire and Poochyena was thrown backwards by the blast of air that followed. It thumped to the floor at it's owner's feet but it was all too much for it to take; it groaned for a moment then passed out, it's tongue hanging out of it's mouth like a dead Ekans. The thief's own mouth fell open in shock and fear and he quickly returned the battered Pokémon, nearly dropping it in his haste. He pocketed the ball and threw the package and the Pokémon into the air. The Wingull shrieked and the package clattered to the floor with an echoic crash. The man then shoved me hard in the chest and sprinted past me, disappearing out of sight.
"BASTARD!" I screeched after him, coughing heavily and clutching at my throbbing leg. Wingull fluttered onto my shoulder as I staggered to my feet and I stroked his beak affectionately. He returned the gesture by nudging my cheek as I returned him to his ball. I then turned my attention to the two stole items. The Wingull looked disorientated, several of her feathers bent back the wrong way and it's beak looked sore. When I tried to touch her, she jumped and looked reproachfully at me. It took a while to get her to trust me, including a lot of hand pecking, but eventually she compromised to sit atop my shoulder, her talons digging in a little harder than necessary. I then picked up the package and turned it over idly in my hands. It was heavy and bulky, wrapped in brown paper with an address printed in permanent marker on the front. I tucked it under my arms, gave my injured leg one last rub and left the tunnel.
As soon as I stepped back into the now moonlit clearing, I was accosted by the old man who'd had his 'Peeko' stolen by the Team Aqua member.
"Peeko!" he exclaimed, staring at a point just to the right of my head. I looked round stupidly before realising he was looking at the Wingull. Peeko?
"Umm, yeah, I got her back," I mumbled foolishly and made to pass Peeko into his arms, but she hopped off my shoulder without hesitation and the old man scooped her into a tight embrace. My heart warmed at this affecting scene but I was taken aback when he took one of my hands in both of his and squeezed. His face was shining with gratitude, his whiskery moustache twisted upwards in a smile that could raise spirits from the lowest grounds.
"Thank you so much!" he spoke huskily, his eyes slightly glassy, and then held his hand out in a more perfunctory manor. "Mr. Briney, Sailor."
"Jennifer. Nice to meet you," I said, smiling nervously and shook his hand.
"I owe you for rescuing my Peeko," Mr. Briney went on but before I could protest he said, "Anywhere you want to sail at any time, come and see me and I will take you there, no charge." Peeko cawed from his shoulder as though concurring with his offer.
"I…" I honestly had no idea what to say. "Thank you… It's so kind of you-"
"Now, now, none of that," he boomed, waving me off. "You've just rescued my darling Peeko from that bandit! You're the kind one, child."
Feeling flustered, I felt my face flare red, but Mr. Briney had the tact to ignore this. He gave me directions to his cottage and then proceeded off back down the route with many more thanks and shrill cries from his Peeko. Feeling inexcusably pleased with myself, I made my own way back to Rustboro to meet Shroomish Guy and hand over the package.
It was very dark now. Navigating a safe, trip-free route back to the city was surprisingly difficult. The grass seemed more untamed and tangled now daylight wasn't there to guard it, and the trees branches felt extended to cage me in, preventing me from getting safely back to the city.
It took a while and some tripping and more pain in my leg, but I eventually made it back to where the anxious Shroomish guy stood waiting. He jumped for joy we he saw me and ran over, gawping at the package bundled under my arm as though he has never seen it before. I noticed there were dull marks in the skin on his cheeks where it looked like he'd been digging his nails into.
"You got it back! You got it, well done!" he exclaimed in sheer delight, practically dancing as he took the package from me. I was slightly alarmed at his overexerted display of joy, and fought the urge to slap him round the face to calm him down. When he finally stopped, he looked at me straight in the face, a small knowing smile rounding his lips.
"My boss wants to see you," he said and I felt my stomach flip backwards like an acrobat. The boss of Devon, the biggest and best company in Hoenn, wanting to see me, the nobody?
"Really?" I breathed.
Idiot girl, my head raged at me, as I flushed a dull magenta colour.
"Yeah," Shroomish Guy replied vaguely, missing my odd moment. "Come with me." He beckoned me forwards and began making his way back through the considerably quieter city with me in tow.
As a result to his fast walk and my hurried half-limping, we soon ended up at the Devon HQ. He walked me right to the glass front doors and held one open for me to enter. I slipped past him with thanks and froze in the entrance hall. The inside was as grand as the outside; the ceiling was high and dome shaped, with swirling patterns entwined intricately across it. The walls were wide and expansive with a few enormous promotional posters displayed along them. The Shroomish guy placed his hand on my shoulder and steered me gently towards a roped-off staircase with a security guard standing lamely next to it. Shroomish Guy spoke a few hushed words into his ear, and with a nod, the guard unhooked the rope and stood back for me and Shroomish Guy to pass through. We climbed a few more similar staircases, each as long and tiring as the last, until we came to what I knew must be the top floor. It was very empty, except for a few more promotional posters along the walls of a very short corridor, which culminated in a large mahogany door. Shroomish guy walked confidently along the hall and I followed him at a slower pace, for my leg was starting to ache. When we finally reached the big door, Shroomish Guy stepped back and looked at me expectantly. I stopped walking and looked at him, confused.
"…Well?" he said.
"Well… what?" I asked, hesitantly. He simply rolled his eyes at me, and a flare of indignation sparked in my stomach.
"Go on in," he replied as though it was obvious. "The boss is waiting!"
"Oh, right!" Feeling stupid, I breathed in, pushed open the door and slipped inside.
The room was gigantic. It reminded me of a dining room in a luxurious mansion, with large windows spaced out at regular intervals hung with red-velvet curtains tied with gold-thread string. The room was lit by the glow of two solitary chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their glass gently tinkling eerily even though there was no breeze. Along the walls, many display cases stood showing off countless glittery stones and gems, the artificial light glinting off their surfaces and creating mini spectrums inside their cases. The effect was breath taking. I walked over to one case and gazed hazily into the top shelf at a great blue jewel. A small copper plate underneath it read "Sapphire Crystal". I pressed my fingertip to the glass, as if they would sink through the display case and touch the gem, just for a moment…
"Nice, isn't it?"
I spun around so fast my leg nearly gave way and I wobbled slightly. A man was standing there dressed in a pressed grey suit and I knew who he must be: Mr. Stone. He was tall, with short white hair and a matching beard. His face was well shaped and his nose was dead-on centre. Something about him rang a bell in the back of my memory, but I couldn't put a finger on why. It was the same when I'd seen his picture earlier on this morning…
"I'm Mr. Stone, the president of the Devon Corp." He aroused me from my stupor and held out his hand for an unnecessary introduction; I already knew who he was.
"I'm Jennifer Collins," I returned the acquaintance and made to take his hand, before realising it was very dirty. Before I could snatch it back and wipe it on my jeans hurriedly, but Mr. Stone took it anyway and didn't seem to mind the dirt.
"I've heard a lot about you, Jennifer," he said, walking over to a giant desk I hadn't noticed before, being too fixed with the stone collection. He sat down in a pristine leather armchair behind it and gestured for me to do the same opposite him. "You got my staff out of trouble involving Team Aqua not only once, but twice." He spoke as if it was a big deal. I didn't even know who Team Aqua were, let alone what they did. Seeing the blank look on my face, he proceeded to explain. "Team Aqua are a very dangerous criminal organisation. You only battled grunts, I take it?" he asked, looking down at me for confirmation. I frowned at him in confusion.
"Err… grunts?"
"I'm sorry, forgive me," he apologised. "Team Aqua have a ranking system; a hierarchy for terrorists, if you will. Grunts are the lowest ranked and are given the more trivial jobs to carry out, see?"
"Yes, I think," I said, slowly, subconsciously rubbing my leg. "They seemed pretty weak if that's what you mean?"
Mr. Stone barked a laugh and replied, "Yes, well… quite. Those were obviously the lower rank grunts." This proclamation made me feel like I'd had my moment of glory stolen from me, but he went on to mention, "Team Aqua have ludicrously strong Pokémon which they train in cruel methods. They are bad, power-hungry people who will do anything to achieve their means, and I mean anything…" He trailed off into silence, standing up his back to me, evidently deep in thought. I recoiled slightly, looking down at his words, feeling unnerved by what I thought he was trying to say. 'Team Aqua' on it's own sounded like something childish, flimsy, not well thought-out or threatening at all… but by the sound of what Mr. Stone had just revealed to me…
"I want to thank you for recovering those goods from Team Aqua."
I looked up from my thoughts to see Mr. Stone had turned back around to face me, and he was holding out his hand to me, a small, purple gadget on his palm. It looked like the device my dad had been playing with when he'd come to see me at the Pokémon Centre in Odale Town.
"That's a Pokénav," he revealed and I looked at him with a vacant expression. "It's an essential device that trainers use to check their position, directions on how to get somewhere - there's a map, see - and call other trainers. I want you to have it for free as a gift for helping me out."
I simply goggled at him, looking from the Pokénav to him comically.
"I… Th-thank you," I breathed, hesitantly reaching out to take the Pokénav from his palm. I looked up at him, smiling. "But... I feel like I haven't really helped you at all, Sir…"
"What do you mean?" Mr. Stone enquired incredulously.
"I-I mean," I stammered. "I mean I haven't helped you, if you see…?" I trailed off stupidly, feeling my face flare pink again.
"Ah, yes, I was getting to that," he cut into the end of my sentence smiling and I inclined my head slightly to show him I was listening. "I have a favour to ask of you, Jenny." He paused to give me a chance to decline. I remained silent, so he elaborated. "I would like you to deliver that package you recovered to the shipyard in Slateport City."
"Yes, I can do that," I agreed without thought and he beamed at me.
"There's just one more thing as well, but it's an on-the-way thing…" To my surprise, he looked a little guilty for asking.
"Don't worry, Mr. Stone; I don't have much to do," I assured him, standing up and smiling slightly.
He chuckled and looked down at me with a smile of approval. "I have a letter I would like you to deliver to someone."
"Oh, yes? Where to?"
"Dewford Town," he answered. Something else rang in the back of my head and I remembered the leaflet I'd picked up in the Pokémon Centre; Dewford Town was where the next Gym was.
How convenient, I thought as I smiled and nodded.
"You wonderful girl," cried Mr. Stone happily, clapping his hands together. "And, now," he went on with a titter as I tried - and failed - to stifle a huge yawn, "I think it's about time you went and got a good night's sleep. You look dreadfully tired, Jenny."
"Thank you, Sir," I replied sleepily, and he walked with me to the door of the office and towards the direction of the stairs.
"Um," I faltered slightly before the steps, hovering outside the entrance to the lift. "Is it okay if we take the lift?"
"My dear, I'd also love to," Mr. Stone said, sadly, "but it's broken. Stairs are the only option apart from jumping out the window I'm afraid."
I bit back my grimace as we descended the stairs; I'd hardly sat down that day – and it had been an startlingly long day – and my leg was letting me know how annoyed it was with me. However, Mr. Stone helped me keep my mind off it; at each floor we passed, he pointed out the various projects Devon were creating and mastering.
"…And that is the machine we are developing to talk with Pokémon," he told me on the first floor and pointed through a door where a group of scientists were fussing frantically around a Zigzagoon who was barking into a microphone.
"…and that is the fossil regeneration machine, which brings fossils of ancient Pokémon back to life." He pointed through another door where a small machine sat on a solitary table next to a computer where a man stood tapping keys on a keyboard and murmuring something under his breath. I gasped at this; I could hardly imagine taking in a fossil of a dead Pokémon and watching the thing just, come to life!
"That's creepy, but incredible!" I exclaimed and Mr. Stone laughed his kindly laugh at me as we carried on down the final stair case.
When we got the exit, he flung out his arm to stop me. "Here, let me see your Pokénav a second." I gave him the little purple nav and he fiddled with it for a moment, pressing buttons and twiddling a small dial. He reminded me incomprehensibly of my own dad, except without the blatant lack of interest in the environment - and people - around him.
"There." He finally handed it back to me. "I've just put my number on there for you so you can call me to tell me when you're done or if you need anything at all."
"Thank you, Mr. Stone. I'll make sure everything gets done as quickly as possible," I assured him.
Beaming at me, he took my hand in both of his as Mr. Briney had done. "Good luck on your journey, Jennifer." For the first time, I looked straight into his face and made eye contact. His eyes were grey and almond-shaped, perfectly sculpted to fit his face. And then, from nowhere, that familiarity churned in the back of my head, but I could still not fathom why. The moment passed and I looked back down, still preoccupied with my memory bells. As Mr. Stone let go of my hand, he pressed the letter for Dewford into my palm and waved goodbye to me as I left.
I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open as I dragged my limbs back to the Pokémon centre to crash for the night. I handed in my Pokémon for healing and slumped in a chair, hissing slightly as my leg protested. Ten more minutes and I would be in my bed for the night, a pillow under my head and a badge in my bag…
I woke with a start as a hand shook my shoulder gently. The nurse at the counter had healed my Pokémon but I'd dozed off accidentally while waiting. I thanked her, took my Pokémon and slugged up to my small room. I threw my bag down at the base of the bed, dropped the letter and my Poké balls on the bedside table, kicked off my shoes and collapsed, fully clothed and covered in dirt, on top of the bed. I wriggled around lazily and managed to slither under the duvet, groaning in relief at the welcoming thought of bed and sleep. I was nearly knocked out by my tiredness when I remembered something; I hadn't asked Mr. Stone who the letter was for. I rolled over and let my hand drop like a stone onto the bedside table, letting it search feebly for the letter. My fingers eventually found it's corner and I retrieved it turning it over in my hands, sitting up slightly and reaching for the bedside lamp. I switched it on and read the name of the addressee. I stared at the front of the envelope for a few seconds then blinked. Something in my brain had just clunked into place and everything seemed to make sense; I now knew why Mr. Stone had looked so familiar. I placed the letter back on the table, switched off the light and rolled over, thinking dozily about the missing puzzle piece hand-written in spiky, black ink:
Steven Stone.
The sun had finally taken it's last breath before sinking beyond the horizon. The change in the sky's colour was dramatic; the zesty oranges and deep pinks faded to musky purple and hazy indigo, and the faint spattering of stars had popped into existence in the west, seemingly orbiting around a . I sighed with longing at the thought of taking a long walk down the beach, trying - and failing - to skim pebbles along the waves, feeling the cool water between my toes, perhaps falling asleep under influence of the sublime drug of a pleasantly cool summer's night on the sand…
If only Dewford wasn't flooded.
I sighed again, rubbing at a smear of dirt on the window of my Pokémon Centre room before realising it was the reflection of my own hair. I searched the windowsill for a way of opening the window, but there was no key. Feeling hopeless, I dropped back onto the creaking mattress and stared up at the much-less-interesting ceiling. The day had drained me; I'd arrived at Slateport at midday and had a long and gruelling conversation with Stern, which had involved a lot of reasoning, clever manipulation and explanation of legal grounds. However, I now knew what the package contained, but was still no closer to guessing what Team Aqua would want with parts of a submarine engine. Jacobs had been equally clueless when I passed on the information to him, which irritated me further that I'd been forced into a horrendous job on my day off without any seemingly useful information on the other side.
Promptly, my thigh began to vibrate and I sad up, digging in my pocket for my Pokénav. Checking the caller ID, I was relieved to see it wasn't a professional call and answered it, falling back onto my pillows.
"Hi, Dad."
"Steven, my boy, how are you?" Dad sounded reasonably chipper but stressed at the same time. It was an odd combination to here in a voice, similar to that of the concept of crying with laughter; too opposites working in a twisted harmony...
"I'm waiting for the flood in Dewford to clear," I replied evasively. " How are you?"
"Oh, I'm alright," came the rebuke, with a rather large yawn on the end. "…Something happened today which I feel the need to inform you of."
"Oh yes?" I felt my spirits sink a little further. This quite obviously wasn't good news.
Dad sighed heavily and divulged. "One of our employees who doesn't own Pokémon was accosted in Petalburg Woods by a member of Team Aqua."
"Oh dear."
"He was singled out because the grunt in question suspected him of carrying the goods Stern wants delivered, which he wasn't."
"Oh, God."
"He managed to escape due to a passing trainer who spotted the trouble."
"Oh, good."
"Very responsive today, Steven." He laughed a strained laugh before adding, "But it gets worse…" He sighed again and I stiffened. This was one of the rare times when I thought Dad sounded like an old man. I knew he wasn't young, but I never really saw him explicitly as old.
"We had a break in," he said, heavily, and I sat bolt upright. The mattress creaked horribly in protest at my sudden movement.
"What happened?"
"A member of Team Aqua managed to get past security-"
"Have you had security personnel-"
"Yes, Steven, I have had them checked," interrupted Dad, irritably. "They're clean, the lot of them."
There was an awkward pause in which I realised I had stepped on some nerves already charred by one hell of a day.
"Sorry," I mumbled. "Please, continue."
"That's quite alright, Son. I understand your concerns, and I share them too. But, either way, the bastard got in. Now the same employee was on the ground floor with the package, talking to someone I think when he was meant to be doing his job." I couldn't help but grin at Dad's blatant annoyance.
"Newbie?" I asked, sympathetically.
"All too new," was the grumbled response. "Anyway, this grunt saw the lad - must've been given a profile by the other thug in the woods - and mugged him of the package."
"Not good."
"Quite. Well, he ran out of the company and this idiot chased after him." I took the 'idiot' in question to be the newbie. "But would you believe it!" Dad's tone changed so fast from morbid to cheery that I was caught off guard. "The very same trainer who saved this young man's hide in the woods bumped into him again and recovered the package!"
"Really?" I was surprised and impressed at the same time. "That's a spot of luck."
"Yes, indeed," said Dad, and I could practically hear him smiling. "She was in the city, I'm assuming training to defeat Roxanne, though I'll be damned if she hasn't already. Very young, though, for having the bravery to do what she did and succeeding more to the point. But a charming young lady, absolutely charming. But my conscience is egging me; she seemed shaken."
"Shaken?" I asked, uncomfortably. "How so?"
"Hard to tell, Steven," answered Dad, but I could hear his discomfort. "I think it may've been the fact she went through a lot to get the package back; she cornered him in the blockade of Rusturf Tunnel – she was coated in dirt – but she also seemed to be limping really badly…"
"Limping?" Something stirred in my memory and I sat forwards. "Dad… what was this trainer called?"
"Jennifer Collins."
A dawn of comprehension burst over me and I simply said, "Ah."
"What do you mean, 'ah'?" Dad pressed.
"I happened to meet her briefly before attending a meeting where I found out she's the kid of the new Gym leader," I supplied. "He had to leave early because she got poisoned by a Wurmple which attacked her leg. Small world, eh?"
"That is certainly is!" boomed Dad, and I could tell his conscience had lightened considerably.
"Anyway," I moved the subject on to more pressing matters. "Are we any closer to finding out what they want with the parts?"
"We aren't sure," said Dad, darkly and I felt a feeling of unease settle in my stomach. "However, we have someone on it right now and they should know within the next week or so."
"Good," I said, but Dad could hear the distraction in my voice.
"Got something on your mind?" asked Dad, gently. My heart sank further still into my stomach.
"Nothing new. Just a little annoyed that I have to be in Dewford at all. It's my own fault; I mean, what kind of idiot manages to lose a firestone that easily?" I sighed irritably and lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Just as long as you are alright, Son," Dad replied distractedly and I could hear rustling some papers; he must've still been at the office. A flare of further annoyance ignited in my gut. "Be careful with whatever you're doing in Dewford."
"Bye, Dad. Give Tommy my love. When you see him," I added in a mutter, but he caught it all the same.
"Steven-" he began, slightly angrily, but I hung up quickly to avoid a reprimand. I yawned sleepily, throwing my Pokénav back on the bedside table and wriggling under the paper-thin duvet cover. I took one last look at the gorgeous night sky, switched off the light and rolled over, my thoughts polluted with Team Aqua, Jacobs, my little brother and the accursed Tentacool.
