Heroes of Hoenn
Red, Gold, and now me—Steven says it's fate. I have to disagree. It's terrible, terrible, good luck. [Based on RSE]
Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, nor do its characters.
Chapter 4: Disaster at Devon
"C'mon, Mishroo," I begged, "I'm not trying to poison you! Please, you don't have to eat the ice cream if you don't want to… I'll teach you my TM Bullet Seed!"
Just out of my reach, wedged between two huge dumpsters, the shroomish bristled threateningly, and I winced. "H-hey, no need to get out the big guns. You don't have to paralyze me. Crap, I just wanna be your friend!"
"Shrr…" hissed Mishroo.
"I don't want to bring Muu and Ralon into it," I told him. "I'd like for you to choose to come to me. I mean…if you don't like ice cream, what do you like? I can get you some of that." To celebrate earning our first badge, I'd taken my Pokémon out for a treat. Muu, my marshtomp, and Ralon, my ralts, were delighted and pigged out. Mishroo…was a different story.
Unlike my other two Pokémon, whom I got along with fine, he was cold and, I suspected, extremely introverted. But I thought it went beyond that: he must have a personal disliking of me and everything having to do with me. He was aggressive, and if any of us approached him, he'd let off a Stun Spore. Every time I let him out of his pokéball, he always was up to some trouble, and not the harmless, mischievous type. I had yet to use him in a battle because, frankly, I didn't trust him. I was sure he didn't trust me either, and I wasn't sure how to break that barrier. It seemed like every time I tried to understand or get along with him, he ended up trying to paralyze me and run away!
If it weren't for Muu and Ralon, and the Stone Badge they'd won me, I'd assume I was just a sucky trainer, that I was doing something horribly wrong that made Mishroo hate me so much. It could be that I was doing something wrong, but Mishroo wouldn't associate with me even long enough for me to get an answer!
At first, I was hurt by his behavior. But now I was mostly aggravated.
"Return," I said wearily. Mishroo, between the two dumpsters against a wall, had nowhere to go but his ball. I straightened, grimacing as I tried not to breathe the smell. I backed out of the alleyway, letting out Ralon. Being the Feeling Pokémon, there was no better companion when you were down, and Ralon stuck closely to me, his obvious loyalty making me feel calmer.
"To Devon next," I told him. "They've got some cool stuff there; I've heard they're working on an invention that would allow humans to understand what Pokémon are saying!" I remembered that from an advertisement I'd seen here in Rustboro somewhere.
"Ralll?" Ralon asked, his eyes hidden beneath his green outer layer, like a helmet.
"I bet that would help a lot with Mishroo," I sighed, before taking my mind off it. "Never mind that, c'mon. Let's ask directions, since I don't have a clue which of these tall buildings it is. 'Scuse me! Where's the Devon building?"
"Two blocks west, and one north of here," the lady called.
"Thanks much!" I yelled back, stumbling as someone jostled me. "Prick," I hissed under my breath, glaring at his back.
"Raa," murmured Ralon, and a moment later the guy tripped, as if his foot had caught on something, and fell flat on his face.
Trying not to snigger too loudly, I whispered, "Ralon," mock-chidingly. Ralon churred mischievously in response.
I laughed, swooping down to pick him up. "Don't want you to get stepped on, after all," I said, my tone exaggeratedly serious as we both ignored the fact if anyone tried to step on him he'd Teleport away first.
Following the directions, we found the Devon Corporation building easily. It was a large, elegant building, with a double-archway as a door. I walked in, stepped on their crimson carpet that covered the entire floor. A pretty brunette woman was sitting behind a desk in front of me, and gave me a professionally beauteous smile.
"Welcome to Devon," she said coolly, "is there something I can help you with?"
"Nope, we're just here to have a look around," I said cheerfully.
"Floors one through five are the floors open to the public; any others are not permitted. Please enjoy your trip to our humble headquarters, young sir!"
"Thanks," I said, ambling to my right. It was still a little strange, hearing myself being referred to as male. It had happened a couple of times in the just under a week I'd been pretending to be a boy, enough times that I didn't pull a strange or bemused expression when I heard it.
This week was the most eventful, most stressful, and most satisfying week of all my sixteen years. I'd made two rivals, one close friend (who was the only one besides my Pokémon to know the truth of my circumstances), fought a criminal to save a man, watched my first Pokémon evolve, and, not even hours ago, succeeded in defeating Roxanne, the rock-type gym leader of Rustboro. And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
I found myself grinning, touching the badge in my pocket with one hand, and holding Ralon with the other. He was very light, so it was an easy task. "So," I said, eyeing the portraits of old men hanging on the walls, "these are the former owners of Devon." Casting a look down the wall, I bit back a frown, the smile sliding from my face—were they all men?—until I caught sight of a stern woman. I wanted to walk towards it, but there was a strange man talking in an urgent, low voice into his cellphone standing in my way. I walked around him, catching a smidget of his conversation:
"…everything seems to be alright. Nothing should go awry, sir." I glanced at him curiously, wondering if he worked here. He was wearing a cap, and the bill of it obscured his face. I shrugged; he probably got a work call while visiting here. Ralon shifted uneasily in my arms.
I examined the portrait, reading, Stephanie Stone. Her hair was a pale blue, and her eyes a severe gray; but the laughter lines on her face betrayed her seriousness, hinting at a very different person beneath the mask.
Her painting was the second to last, and I dutifully looked over the current president; his hair was a faded gray and slightly spiky. Like Stephanie Stone, his eyes were gray, but his expression was lighthearted. He wasn't smiling outright, but there was something of warmth in his face at which Stephanie's merely hinted at. I looked at his name: Stewart Stone.
I let out a huff of appreciative laughter. The Stone family seemed to like alliteration; in fact, I noticed, the names also had T as their second letter. I wondered if the president were to have a son, if he'd be named Steve.
Growing bored with the portraits, I went up the stairs, where someone was giving a talk on some of Devon's projects. Ralon and I listened with detached interest before deciding to wander. Ralon seemed uncommonly fidgety, uncomfortable in these surroundings—perhaps the amount of people was getting to him? It was understandable that it'd be bewildering, sensing the emotions of so many, though he'd never had a problem in the Pokémon Center… I finally returned him, letting Muu out with me.
We had fun playing with a machine that was supposed to read your thoughts and display your brainwaves on a screen. There were pictures of people's brainwaves at different ages and under different conditions. My sharp eyes did not miss the fact Muu's brainwaves looked vaguely similar to the image of the child's.
Finally, I waved down a staff member and asked for the location of the bathroom. After finding it, and using it, I taught Muu how to flush the toilet, and he did it several times, looking delighted. Amused at his reactions, I next showed him how to use the sink and pointed out how one knob made hot water and the other made cold. Could he do that? We decided to test it out at a training session.
I was opening the door when someone screamed and I caught a glimpse of the backs of some people. As soon as I saw the white A's along the side their pants, I quietly shut the door.
Heartbeat speeding up, I sat on the floor, back against the door, and breathed deeply. Looking at Muu, I told him, "It's those criminal creeps again. Like the one we fought in Petalburg Woods. …He was after something of Devon's then, wasn't he?" I asked, dread congealing in my stomach. I wondered if we could hide in here until the police sorted it out, but I heard another sobbing scream from the other side of the door and Muu had a frantic, tense look on his fish-face that was giving me a bad feeling about this.
"They're probably gonna check the bathrooms," I rationalized, "so it's no use hiding in here. Thi…think we should teach'em a lesson again?" Nervously, I recalled the only damage-dealing move Ralon knew was Confusion, and I had learned the hard way Confusion didn't affect poochyena, who were dark-types. No way Mishroo would help… I gulped. Well, it was probably just that guy who had a poochyena. Just because one "A" guy had a poochyena didn't mean that they all did.
"Darn it," I groaned, "I swear, no matter how much it costs, I'm getting some sort of cellphone after this!" Jumping to my feet angrily, I said, "On guard, Muu," and opened the door a crack. There were two "A" guys terrorizing a balding man and a young girl, a poochyena snarling ferociously. The child was crying, clutching at her father's pants leg. Both criminals had their backs to me.
I opened the door and stepped out. Muu walked in front of me, seeming grim. The poochyena snapped his jaws at the girl. My eyes met the ones of the man, and whatever he saw made his widen. I pulled my hand out of my pocket, the Quick Claw slipping through my fingers. Muu caught it.
"Get closer," I said quietly, barely audible over the girl's wails, "and Mud Shot that Pokémon into the wall." Mud Shot was Muu's newest, strongest move.
Muu leapt forward, and a stream of mud erupted from his mouth, smashing the doglike Pokémon against the wall.
"What the—" The "A" people whirled around. One was a guy, and the other a girl, both probably around thirty years old. By the way the man's jaw clenched, I guessed it was his poochyena.
"Just a boy?" said the "A" woman, sounding surprised. Spiky red hair stuck out in pigtails from underneath her "A" bandanna, but her eyebrows were black. A wig?
"A kid or no, he's going down!" seethed the man. "Get up and use Bite!"
Poochyena staggered to his feet, and lunged at Muu, jaws opening.
"Mud Shot," I said flatly, and Muu blasted mud at him, sending him flying into the wall. He did not stir. I loved Mud Shot.
"You…" said the man, stunned at being taken out so quickly. Even I was a bit surprised, though I'd never admit it aloud.
"I'm next," snapped the woman, whipping out a pokéball. "Zubat, go!"
Ralon would better deal with Zubat. I returned Muu, tossing out Ralon.
"Tch! Supersonic!"
"Teleport," I said, and before the concentric glowing blue circles of Supersonic could hit, Ralon Teleported beneath Zubat. "Confusion."
"Astonish!"
Reeling from the Confusion, Zubat plummeted. I relaxed slightly. Ralon yelped in surprise as Zubat, quick as could be, struck with Astonish, glowing red.
"Ralon!" I cried, astonished myself. I realized Zubat had been faking how hard he'd been hit by the attack in order to get close to Ralon. I grimaced. What a stupid thing to fall for!
"Leech Life!" yelled the woman, and Zubat, already near, clipped Ralon with a cry. The edges around Ralon blurred slightly.
"Teleport!" I shouted as little globes of energy emerged from Ralon, but the damage was done. Zubat absorbed the energy, regaining health. I was about to call for Double Team when I realized that, without eyes, it would be useless against Zubat. "Confusion."
"Bite!"
Confusion hit first, and knocked Zubat out. I sighed with relief.
"Brat!" snarled the woman, returning her Pokémon. "You'll pay for messing with Team Aqua! C'mon, let's scram for back up!" She and the man ran, but I was preoccupied with what she'd said. Team Aqua…hadn't the guy in the forest said something similar? At least I knew what the "A" stood for. "Team Aqua" was an unusual name for a criminal organization…even "Team Rocket" was better. Wasn't Rocket an acronym, anyway?
"I…I don't know how to thank you," said the man. I blinked at him, mildly surprised to realize he was still there. Huh, what? Thank me? Well, it wasn't like he was a kid… "Wait. I do." He began to fish around in his pockets. I hoped he was going to pay me; that cellphone was going to cost a fair amount, but what he pulled out weren't wads of pokédollars, but instead a silver disc. "This is HM01, Cut. Unlike a TM, it will not break after usage. It is invaluable to a traveler."
Slightly disappointed, I accepted the disc. Who was I to say no, after all? "Thanks. Err…you should maybe try to escape, or take cover," I suggested.
He nodded, picking up his sniffling daughter. "Yes. They call me the Cutter; if you ever need something, ask for directions to my house."
"Okay," I said uncomfortably, "but you should really get going."
He left at a run. I looked at Ralon, who was tense. "Let's try to avoid everyone we can, okay? We're looking for a phone—an emergency button would actually do good too…and we wanna avoid all the people we can. Can you steer us around them?"
"Ral," confirmed Ralon, drifting down the hallway. I followed, blood humming with anxiety. I shoved my shaking hands into my pockets, one hand closing around Muu's pokéball, and the other around the Stone Badge.
Call the police; they can deal with the bad guys, I told myself. Easy. There should be emergency switches somewhere—a fire alarm would be good…where?
"Ralts, ra raltssss," Ralon warned me.
"Hey! Surrender, right now!" shouted a brash voice, and a Team Aqua member emerged from a room. "Get in here with the rest of the prisoners!"
We ran, taking off down the hall. I could hear the thudding footsteps and harsh breaths of our pursuer; he sounded like a big guy. "Poochyena! Catch them!"
I pulled out Muu, whirling to face him. "Muu, Mud Shot!" Mud Shot knocked down Poochyena, "Cover the ground with mud!" and I picked up Muu with difficulty and ran. His head was over my shoulder, and I could feel his muscles contracting as he unleashed another Mud Shot. The man shouted curses after me, having to be careful on the uncertain footing, not to mention Muu sometimes switched his aim from the floor to them.
Once we'd escaped down a hallway, panting heavily, I put Muu down. Ralon was beside us, perfectly in breath; instead of running to keep up with us, he'd Teleported every few meters. It gave me a surly feeling of envy.
"C'mon, and keep your eyes open for enemies or fire alarms. Or any sort of button," I snapped. "We gotta get help. Why the hell don't they have any fire alarms?"
We'd gone a few more hallways before we were attacked by zubat.
"Leech Life them!"
My head jerked in, seeing a confusing impression of wings and blue bodies swarming towards us overhead. There were too many to attack all at once with Confusion and Water Gun before they reached us, so I shouted, "Confusion to bring down the lights on them!" There was a minor electrical explosion as Ralon dragged the overhead light off its stem and let it drop on the zubats. I didn't hear the zubats make noise except for a faint, high-pitched keening, but Ralon and Muu flinched violently, Muu going as far to press his fins against the sides of his head where his ear holes were located.
Too high for me to hear, I realized. "Water Gun! Confusion!"
Muu exhaled a torrent of water, knocking some of them out, and other zubats glowed slightly. A half-minute later, all the zubat were unconscious, and Muu and Ralon hadn't taken any damage from the fight. The Aqua trainers fled.
Heading a different direction than them, I saw an "Employees Only" door, and wasted no time in smashing it down with Mud Shot and a frustrated kick from myself. Only after I walked in and noticed the unconscious Aqua woman with a bloody forehead did I realize there had been someone behind the door. Feeling guilty, I scavenged her pockets and found a key. I propped her up against a wall so she wouldn't be stepped on as Ralon and Muu awkwardly fixed the door in place in a semblance of normality. The dent Mud Shot had left in it was a bit of a giveaway, though.
Unlike the other hallways, there was no red carpeting here. The floor was reminiscent of a hospital, with sterile white tiles and white walls. Unlocking a door at the end of that hallway, I found a staircase. There was also a smell of cleaning fluid, and as I ascended, I realized that this must lead to the off-limits lab area above the public floors.
Ralon, instead of climbing stairs, Teleported up to the landing, waited for Muu and me, waited for us to be halfway up to the floor, and the Teleported to the door. I decided that Ralon was going to be going through endurance and physical training when we got out of this.
"You hear?" I demanded of him. "'m serious, here. It's no fair how you can just Teleport, so I'm gonna make sure you can do it without Teleporting, too." My ribcage was hurting from the constant sprinting. "And why the heck aren't there fire alarms on this staircase? I'm making a complaint to Devon after this!" Just then, I spotted one. It was small and covered in a glass barrier. Ralon removed it before I could obliviously (attempt to) smash my fist through, made stupid by relief.
I wasn't sure what I expected. Well, actually, I kinda thought the white walls would gain a red cast as an alarm blared. Nothing happened.
I was about to scream about Devon's inferior, nonexistent security when it occurred to me that Team Aqua, as impossible as it might seem for those dunces, maybe messed with it so that alarms can't go out. Probably phone calls, too. Wasn't that always what they did in the movies?
I groaned pathetically. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"HEY! Put your hands up or else!"
No, it wasn't the police. I eyed the woman, very tired of their bandanna-heads. It wasn't nearly so cool as the one I was wearing now! "Confusion," I said irritably, and like the rude man on the way to Devon had, the woman tripped. Fortunately (or unfortunately) she hadn't been far from my landing and fell without any lasting side effects other than bruises. "Take her pokéballs." The pokéballs rolled out of her pocket, and I stalked over, tossing them over the side, safe in the knowledge the Pokémon in them wouldn't be harmed by the fall. Poor Pokémon. They're probably relieved to be free of this woman. "What're you guys doing here?" I demanded. "What're Team Aqua's goals here?"
She sat up, her back against the steps. "I'm not telling you nothing!"
"Darn," I snapped. "Why?"
"Because…I'm loyal to Team Aqua!" she stuttered.
"Team Aqua isn't here right now," I said darkly. "It's just me'n' you with my Pokémon in a deserted staircase." Weren't villains supposed to be snivelly and conniving? And eager to escape with their own skins intact?
"You're just a brat," she said scornfully. "You don't have the guts to do nothing to me."
I twitched, wishing she wasn't right. What was I supposed to do with a prisoner anyway? I didn't have any rope, and there wasn't a door to accidentally knock her out with. I couldn't drag her along with me, and I doubted even if I took her hostage that Team Aqua would be willing to negotiate. Seconds ticked by as I wracked my brain. "Err…I don't suppose you could use Confusion to painlessly knock her out, Ralon?" I asked hopefully, knowing if he could knock people out with a clever use of Confusion, he'd probably use it in Pokémon battles. "No…? Okay. Fine. One funny move, and seriously, Ralon will use Confusion on you." I went through her pockets, and found another key. "Okay, there we go." I led her back down the stairs, and threw her into the hallway with the unconscious lady. Neither of them had keys, so they were stuck there until someone opened these doors.
I stomped back up the stairs, wondering what to do next. The fire alarm wasn't working…I didn't have a phone, and phones probably weren't working anyway… Okay, I should probably get out of the building and run for the police. I was pretty sure that wouldn't work, if they were thorough enough to stop even the fire alarms from working.
I could jump out the window…though from this height, the sixth floor, it was a bad idea; Ralon wasn't strong enough with Confusion to stop my fall. Though he had torn down that light fixture on the zubat…
I could free the prisoners. If I managed that, which would probably be a minor miracle in itself, then what? Maybe someone else would have an idea as to what to do? 'Cause I was completely dry, unless I wanted to, I dunno, find the Aqua boss and challenge him/her to a battle? They'd probably laugh their butts off and send their minions after me; who could blame them? I was just a week-old trainer with a badge.
With a badge…I touched its smooth metal in my pocket. Darn it…Devon had to have security guards here, right? They were probably stronger than me! There was no way I could be the strongest trainer in the building.
Aqua would have had plans for the security. Who's visiting is impossible to prepare for. There was a sick feeling in my stomach, and my hands started to shake again. Coward! I berated myself. What're you going to do, prove Dad right for not allowing a Pokémon journey?! Ralon and Muu endure physical attacks and pain for you, and fight for you…why aren't you going to do the same? It wasn't like Team Aqua had their dirty hands on Muu and Ralon, though…
The Cutter's daughter scream echoed through my mind. Are you seriously going to just let that happen again?
I breathed deeply in. I wasn't going to avoid the Aqua cronies anymore; I was going to beat as many of them as possible, free people if I could, and when I found the person responsible for this…well, they'd better be prepared, even if I was only a week-old trainer. If we're still alive when this is over, I'm going to train Ralon and Muu really hard. And we're going to get all the badges.
"Th…this can be training. For the next gym," I said aloud, hating how my voice trembled. "Tr-training, okay?"
"Ral."
"Mar."
I squared my shoulders; where would the leader likely be? Where would the scientists, workers, and other people be held? Should I go up floor-by-floor to try and find them? Or should I go down and try to release the visitors?
The employees know their way around, I rationalized. I'd better go after them first, because they'll be more helpful. Visitors will be safe where they are, I think. I cracked open the door I'd been standing indecisively in front of for the past few minutes. I saw no one in the hallway, so, after glancing at Muu and Ralon (who gave confirmation), I stepped out.
As we walked down the hallway, me looking down at Muu and Ralon every few seconds to see if they sensed anyone, I was hyper-aware of the quiet. It was extremely unnerving; at least if there were screams and crashes I had an idea what was happening and where, but with nothing but our breaths and footsteps to listen to, it was terrifying. My hands were shaking again, so I put them back in my pockets and clutched at the Stone Badge. I wondered if it had been this quiet on the public floors and I just hadn't noticed.
Finally, Ralon gave a low groan and Muu stiffened. When the Team Aqua members turned the corner, they tripped simultaneously, and Ralon Confusioned their pokéballs away. I stuffed them in my pockets, intending to give them to any employees I found (hopefully the Pokémon would listen), and I ignored the fact I'd technically stolen their Pokémon as we ran down the hall, hearing shouting behind us.
The next minions we ran into weren't so easily tricked. Muu and Ralon had sensed people in a room, so I'd checked if they were employees; they weren't. There was a skirmish between us before I had Ralon use Confusion to bring down the curtains on them (the room was an office), and using a flurry of paper as a cover, Muu knocked out their Pokémon; we escaped. I hoped whoever owned it never learned who rendered all his work unreadable with mud.
Hurrying down a hallway, both Ralon and Muu gave me warning of people ahead.
"A lot?" I whispered. Muu nodded. The Quick Claw was still in his grasp, though it was a little awkward for him to hold it with his fin. I took it back so that it wouldn't hinder him.
There were enough people that I could hear them. My gut told me they, too, were Team Aqua members, though it was a bit of a giveaway when one of them mentioned the boss would chew them out if they let any prisoners out. "Alright, you two," I whispered, because their superior senses had given me an idea, "Ralon, you'll use Confusion not to tear down the lights, but to make them go dark—like, break the wires or flow of electricity to them or whatnot. There'll be mass chaos and confusion as the lights out, and then you two can take them out. Muu, use your discretion as to whether to use Water Gun or Mud Shot. When they're all incapacitated, you guys lead me to the prisoners. Ready?" Both nodded. "You can make the lights go dark, right, Ralon? We'll give you a minute to figure it out." My sense of time was distorted, so it seemed to take forever before Ralon nodded. "Do it!"
With a sizzle, the lights went out. Immediately the criminals began shouting, and I heard Muu using Water Gun. I felt guiltily relieved; I shouldn't feel happy that these horrible people weren't suffering from Mud Shot's greater power, but I really didn't want to listen to their pained screams. Eventually I felt Muu tug on me and I blindly followed him through the darkness, groans telling me these people were far from dead, only dazed. I fumbled with a doorknob before calling a warning, "Everyone away from the door unless you want to be hit by it!" and gave them a moment before Muu used Mud Shot to open the door.
I squinted in the light, seeing a roomful of adults. Some wore white lab coats like Birch; others looked like janitors. I'd found the employees.
I cleared my throat, holding up my hands as a woman raised a coffee machine threateningly, clearly intending to whack me and escape. "I'm here to rescue you. The Aqua freaks are still out there, but they're weakened. I haven't fought all of them, but if we can beat their boss, I'm hoping they'll all flee. Does anyone have any idea where their boss might be?"
"Probably on the top floor," said an intelligent-seeming man in his thirties. "That's where the President's office is."
"Can you show me the way?" I asked him.
He nodded. "Of course."
"What should we do?" asked someone, and all of them were looking at me.
"Err…" How the heck am I supposed to know? "Lock the Team Aqua members out there in here, and confaskinate—confiscate their Pokémon. You'd better hurry, before they recover." Grabbing the wrist of my volunteer guide, I dragged him out the door and down a hallway, away from the scene as the employees converged upon the criminals.
I let go of his wrist and looked at him expectantly. "Which way?"
"The fastest way would be the elevator," he said, "but you need a code to take the elevator to the top floor, and I don't know it. So we'll have to take the elevator to the second-to-last floor, and…are these the only Pokémon you have to fight with?"
I frowned self-consciously. I wasn't going to be fighting with Mishroo, so… "Yeah…"
"Alright then. We won't be able to scale the outside wall and get in through a window"—I stared at him blankly; could people really do that?—"so we'll have to take a more obvious route: the stairs." He eyed my blue bandanna. "But first, let's be a little less noticeable, and exchange that bandanna for an Aqua one."
Changing into the Aqua uniform had, of course, occurred to me. But I figured it was useless without the rest of the uniform, which was made for adults; it wouldn't come close to fitting me, especially the men's uniform. The shirt would hang off me very clearly, and my waist was smaller than the pants would fit. Plus, if I were putting on their uniform, it meant I'd have to take it off them first. It was embarrassingly childish, but I really didn't want to see these guys in just their underwear. It felt wrong.
"Let's not," I said. "It's not like they'd let us in, not even if we pretended we were reporting. I think…"
He had taken off at a brisk walk and I had to jog to catch up and keep up with him. I returned Ralon. He was weaker than Muu, and despite the Teleporting (or maybe because it drained his psychic energy?) Ralon was in much worse condition than Muu. The fact we'd been facing many zubat with Leech Life, Bite, and Astonish, as well as poochyena, didn't help. Muu walked beside me.
I followed him up a set of stairs, and down hallways until he stopped in front of a room. "There are undoubtedly Aqua members in there," he told me. "There's vital data. You need to beat them and save the data."
I eyed the door dubiously. "If it's as important as you say, wouldn't they have already taken it to their leader?"
"Not if they haven't broken the security on it," he said in the tone of one talking to a child.
I flushed. "You mean, like cracking passwords and stuff?"
"And stuff," he said vaguely. "If the data were protected by only passwords, it would be long gone."
"Okay. Ready, Muu? On guard." Stepping forward, I opened the door. There were a couple of scientists, one of whom had a black eye, and another in worse condition lying still on the floor. One sat at a console, pale and typing. Or had been; he stopped as soon as I opened the door.
My eyes fixed on a growling poochyena. She was much bigger and muscled than the ones I'd fought so far and I knew instinctively she was stronger. "Muu, Mud Shot!"
"Dodge!" snapped a male Aqua member, not losing time due to surprise. Poochyena leapt out of the way and Mud Shot hit a chair, sending it careening into a wall. Poochyena snarled, tail bristling and teeth bared. I refused to be overly intimidated.
"Bite!" the trainer bellowed, and Poochyena shot forward at Muu.
"Mud Shot!" Muu fended her off with Mud Shot, sending her skidding back.
"Sand Attack!" ordered the Aqua, and I countered quickly with, "Stop it with Water Gun!"
Poochyena kicked up sand, hurling it at Muu, but a rush of water returned the attack back to her. She skidded back. I was slightly surprised she was still conscious; I wasn't sure if any of the opponents we'd faced so far had survived a Mud Shot and then Water Gun (except for zubat, because as part flying-types, Mud Shot hadn't affected them).
"Howl!"
"Growl," I ordered, again negating his move. Howl raised the user's attack, while Growl lowered the opponent's attack.
For someone like Poochyena, who only knew physical and status attacks (I thought), fighting a special-attack user like Muu, especially one stronger than she, was difficult. At least, I thought Muu was at a higher level than her—he'd grown a bunch fighting all the minor minions before, and there was the gym battle…what levels were Muu and Ralon at, anyway?
"Run at it!" commanded the Aqua, and Poochyena ran at Muu, still Howling.
"Mud Shot."
"Dodge! Bite!"
Muu stopped Growling, instead shooting mud at Poochyena, who leapt up and to the side, pushing off a wall to slam into Muu. Her mouth closed about one of Muu's fins as she bowled him to the ground.
"Bide."
They stayed like that, Poochyena attacking Muu viciously and Muu preparing himself. With a flash, he hurled Poochyena off of him, and she hit the wall, "Mud Shot!" and he finished her off. He was panting, worn down by all the previous battles and facing a good opponent.
"My turn!" cried a woman. "Go, Zubat!"
"Okay Muu, take a rest," I said, seeing Muu needed it. "Ralon, your turn! Watch out for its super-effective moves!"
Ralon came out of his pokéball in a burst of red light. It hadn't been nearly enough of a break for him. "We need to finish this quickly. Confusion!"
Ralon hurled the chair at Zubat, knocking him from the air. "Zubat, Leech Life!" Zubat flew at Ralon.
"Confusion again!"
Grabbing Zubat directly with Confusion, Ralon slammed him against the wall several times. Zubat fainted.
I wiped my forehead, relieved at the shorter battle. It was clear that even if it had been a short break, it had at least won us this battle quickly. The scientist and I backed away from the doorway, letting the defeated Aqua members run away while hollering I'd regret this.
My guide strode over to the computer. "Did you give it to them?" he demanded harshly.
The scientist sitting at the computer shook his head, holding up a disc. "You came at the exactly right time," he said, relieved.
My guide took the silver disc from him. "We'll take care of that."
The scientist blinked. "Oh…shouldn't we destroy it?"
"We're going to destroy the computer," my guide said flatly, looking at me. "Go ahead."
Ralon was tense, all but glaring at my guide. His red eyes were almost glowing under his helmet.
I frowned. "Hang on a minute."
"Believe me, this is the better course of action," he said emphatically.
Ralon still was hostile. My sensible guide suddenly seemed sinister.
"Ralon," I said tersely, and he Confusioned the disc from my guide's hand. "I'll take that."
They looked at me with disbelief. "You're on their side?"
"I don't trust either of you with this," I snapped. "We're going to lock this room. You"—I pointed at the scientist—"are going to take care of your comrades and guard this computer. If Aqua comes again, destroy it like he says. You are going to show me to the President's office. No more detours and no uniform-snatching." I considered. Ralon wasn't strong enough to levitate us up a floor when we reached the second-to-last floor. Looked like I really would have to mount some sort of frontal assault on the stairs leading up.
My guide—I realized I didn't know a name for him—was staring at me, narrow-eyed. "Now," I added. Finally, he complied, stonily leaving the room. I looked at Ralon for permission and he nodded. I followed him. "Hey, I don't know your name. What is it?"
"What's yours?"
"I asked first. Plus, you owe me. So spill."
"Charlie," he rolled his eyes. "It's not wrong of me to want to know the name of my savior, is it?"
I really didn't like this guy now. Ralon was right, there was something off about him. "I don't give my name out to strangers," I said haughtily. I saw his back tense in irritation and I wondered if he was going to swing around and force the issue. He didn't.
We reached an elevator and took it to the second-highest floor listed. As soon as we stepped out, I was forced to call on Muu to take on the ambush of Aqua members loitering in the hallway. Afterwards I healed them with two potions each, and looked up to see Charlie giving me that calculating, lidded-eyed look.
He wasn't a Team Aqua member—after all, he'd prevented what seemed to be one of their big objectives…what if he was leading me into a trap? A moment later I dismissed the notion. Why would someone want to lead me into a trap? Unless, of course, he worked for my mom or Norman and wanted to bring me to Petalburg or Littleroot…he couldn't, right? I couldn't have been found already. Plus, he worked for Devon—long enough to know his way around and know what's important.
Okay, so he wasn't working for Norman…and I was beginning to think he wasn't entirely loyal to Devon. So he wasn't Aqua, he wasn't Norman, and he wasn't Devon; was he some petty crook who just wanted the disc I'd (behind his back) slipped into one of my jacket's secret pockets for dough? Or maybe a corrupt scientist?
He's definitely got bad intentions, I thought, thinking of Ralon's reaction to him.
"We're there," he said lowly, stopping. I looked at Ralon and Muu, wondering if we could pull another darkness trick.
"Thank you for your help. You can go now," I told him. I don't want to have to guard my back while fighting Aqua.
Charlie refused, of course. "Leave now? No way. I can't."
"I'd really appreciate it if you would," I said. "I can't babysit you while facing their boss." I stopped, realizing I really was about to face their boss. Charlie leapt on my paling pallor.
"Maybe I can help! Like, when you're fighting them, I can save the President. Or I can give you advice during your battle. Or I can work the computer system."
"I don't have time to be arguing with you!" I hissed.
"So I'm coming," he said simply.
"You're not. Not until you tell me what it is you're hiding," I snapped.
Charlie reeled back, surprised. "What?"
"Come on," I scoffed, "You had me at first, but to try and fool Ralon? You're not Devon, and you're not working for my personal enemy. I don't think you're Aqua, so—who are you?"
Charlie leaned forward, intense. "I honestly want to stop Aqua. I hate them, and I'll do anything. Tell me if I'm lying now."
I looked down at Ralon and Muu. Muu twitched in a slight shrug and Ralon reluctantly nodded. He was being truthful. I still didn't trust him with anything, though, so I forced out an, "Alright. But you have to do exactly what I say, got it?"
He nodded, but I doubted he meant it. I didn't have time to twist details out of him, and he knew it, so I forced the problem from my mind. I needed to concentrate on dealing with these Aqua guards. There was an aura of competence about them the rest lacked, and since I was about to be facing the boss, I didn't want to weaken us by battling them first (if we could beat them).
So I needed to cheat somehow. I looked over my surroundings, stuffing my hands in my pockets. I grasped the Stone Badge as I thought.
There were two guards at the door, both female and both redheads like all the other female Aquas I'd seen with the exact same hairstyle. It was obviously a disguise, a uniform to hide its members' identity and making it difficult to count how many of them there were. It reminded me of the Rockets in Johto, who had done something similar, and people had panicked because they didn't know if there were ten Rockets in total or a hundred.
They stood in front of two archways that reminded me of the entrance to the buildings, except that there was steel filling them so you couldn't get past without authority. There was a light relatively nearby and I could see the guards were tense and alert. They knew something was up.
"Aren't you going to battle them?" asked Charlie.
"Shut up and use your brain," I responded acidly. "How can we get past without having to?"
Charlie fell silent, thinking. I ran over my Pokémon's moves in my head. Ralon: Growl, Double Team, Teleport, and Confusion. Muu: Growl, Tackle, Mud-Slap, Water Gun, Bide, and Mud Shot.
Hm…maybe I should've taken Charlie up on his impersonate Team Aqua idea. Could I lure them away somehow? There were two, though; one would go, and the other would stay. One was better than two, though.
Looks like I'll be getting rid of Charlie anyway, I thought wryly.
A Team Aqua skidded around the corner, "Hey, Captain! There's been a breakout by the prisoners! They've managed to retrieve their Pokémon and are fighting against our people! We need help!"
Freeing the employees definitely paid off, I thought as one of the guards ran off with the minion, shouting orders down the hallway.
I'd trip her, and run past—but there's that steel door that looks like it could resist Mud Shot, and which would I enter? "Which is the right door?"
"The one on the left," Charlie whispered back.
"How do we get in?"
"Normally you have to undergo a security check, but I'm predicting they've broken that, and the guard will have a key that'll work."
I nodded. "Alright, then." I returned Muu, ignoring Charlie's bewildered look, and readied myself to sprint. "Trip her when I'm ready; I'll get her moving. HEY, Captain! Come here!"
The guard turned in our direction, a reproving look on her face as she took a step forward. Her lecture-ready face changed to surprise as Charlie and I charged out, her foot glowing as Ralon yanked it telekinetically, and she toppled with a yell. Charlie pounced on her, throwing aside her pokéballs as he pulled a card. He sat on her, pinning her to the ground. "Here, try this card, it might work."
Slightly disturbed by how expertly he'd accomplished it, I tested the doors; they didn't open. I tried swiping the card and they did. "Give that here." Distracted, I almost tossed it back before I checked myself.
"Nu-uh," and I hurried in. Ralon Teleported beside me. I was slightly disappointed when Charlie stuck out an arm, stopping the steel from closing when the sensors saw his arm, and lunged in as the Aqua bucked unexpectedly, throwing him off. The steel slammed shut behind him.
"Let's go," he said, scrambling to his feet. We climbed the staircase, and reached a big door. We exchanged looks. "No other way," Charlie concluded for us, and opened the door, which was, surprisingly, unlocked. We entered. Charlie swept in, his lab coat fluttering about like some sort of dramatic cape, while I hurried in after him, probably looking very scrawny and unimpressive.
In case they started to shake, I stuck my hands in my pockets. By habit now, my fingers closed around the Stone Badge.
A woman whirled around. Unlike the other Aqua women, her hair was long and bushy, and instead of the striped half-top they wore, she wore a pure black one with a sleeveless blue half-jacket over it. Her pants had red A's along their sides instead of white. Her scarlet eyes fastened immediately on Charlie, and she frowned.
"A scientist got away?" she asked in disgust. "I'd heard we were having trouble, but…"
Behind her, at a desk, sat the President of Devon, Stewart Stone. He looked older; there were more lines in his face, and unlike in the portrait, he was completely, utterly serious. He, too, was looking at Charlie.
I should have been offended they both thought Charlie was the threat, the strong one, etcetera etcetera, but having both their gazes off me eased the pressure. Maybe I wouldn't have to battle this fierce woman who radiated power and command?
"Admin Shelly of Team Aqua," observed Charlie, a sardonic twist to his voice. "An honor to meet one such as yourself."
She pulled out a pokéball. "A smart-aleck, eh? I'll beat that out of you soon enough."
Charlie chuckled. "I'm not your opponent; he is." He stepped aside, gesturing at me, and both the President and Shelly looked at me.
I tightened my mouth and lifted my chin, grip on the badge tightening. "I'm definitely going to beat you," I said, for lack of anything else to say.
Shelly laughed, sounding honestly amused. "A brat? You think some snotty-nosed brat can beat me?"
"I'm sixteen," I said, nettled.
"I'll sweep you in two moves," she sneered, tossing her pokéball. "Mightyena, out."
I pulled out my PokéDex, because there was no messing around with a Pokémon like that. I thought the poochyena from earlier was big? Scary? Strong? I thought again. A meter tall, with mostly red eyes and shaggy dark fur—not to mention its sharp teeth and claws, and confident, ready stance…
"Mightyena, the Bite Pokémon. In the wild, Mightyena live in a pack. They never defy their leader's orders. They defeat foes with perfectly coordinated teamwork."
That's hardly helpful, I thought.
"That's rich," she snickered. "I'm fighting a baby whose first instinct is to check his precious PokéDex."
I checked for other entries. "It will always obey the commands of a skilled trainer. Its behavior arises from its living in packs in ancient times."
Well, that told me what I already knew: Shelly was a good trainer. I was probably going to lose this… "Muu, on guard!"
"A wise choice, not to use your ralts," congratulated Shelly sarcastically. "Bite!"
"Mud Shot!"
Mightyena charged fearlessly through Mud Shot, hitting Muu squarely, large jaws closing about Muu's head at an angle that he couldn't use Mud Shot or Water Gun. Muu screamed.
"Mud-Slap!" I yelled, clenching my fists tightly as Muu pulled off a weak Mud-Slap. "Bide!"
"Release it," ordered Shelly immediately, and Mightyena quickly backed away. Muu was still storing energy. "Torment!"
Torment either meant you could only use moves that did damage, or that you couldn't use a move twice in a row; I couldn't remember which. Muu unleashed his energy, though it was weak because Mightyena had let go of him quickly after he started using Bide. I decided that Muu and I would have to agree on a code name for Bide so our opponents would keep attacking.
"Bite again!"
I knew we couldn't fend it off with a direct Mud Shot, like we'd grown accustomed to while fighting the minions. "Dodge and hit it with Mud Shot from the side!"
Muu tried to dodge, but was too slow. At least Mightyena hadn't caught him by the head again, so, "Use Mud Shot anyway!"
Mud Shot pounded into Mightyena, who hung tenaciously onto Muu's arm-fin. Eventually, Mightyena leapt away and Muu stopped using Mud Shot. Muu looked a bit dazed.
"Sand Attack!"
"Water Gun!"
Like we had with the poochyena, Water Gun easily threw the sand right back into her face, making Mightyena snort.
"Sand Attack again!"
Wondering why she was trying the same thing, I called, "Water Gun."
Muu inhaled, and then gagged, as if choking. Mighyena lunged forward, "Bite!" and I belatedly remembered Torment. Now I knew which one it did.
Mightyena had knocked Muu to the ground, and stood snarling over him. "Finish with Bite!"
"Mud Shot!" I shouted, realizing Muu was about to faint. Muu blasted mud in Mightyena's face, and forced it to back off.
"Bite!"
Mightyena was too close, I thought desperately. Muu wouldn't be able to in time—"M—Water Gun!"
To my shock, Muu's attack hit first, an enormous torrent of water that blasted Mightyena across the office to smash into the wall and faint.
What? I thought blankly.
"You miscalculated, Shelly. Mud Shot lowers the opponent's speed, giving Marshtomp the edge. Not to mention, Marshtomp's ability, Torrent, kicked in and boosted water-type moves to one and a third of their usual power." Charlie gave me an impressed look. "Well planned. For a moment there, I thought Marshtomp was losing."
I struggled to keep a straight face. "Thank you."
"It was all luck," snapped Shelly, "there's no way a brat could think like that!"
I hoped I wasn't flushing. I totally knew all that, and planned all that. I'd never say otherwise—unless it's to Muu, 'cause he was the only one who deserved an answer.
"Let's finish this. Carvanha!"
I fished out my PokéDex. "Carvanha, the Savage Pokémon." Uh-oh, that really didn't sound good. "Carvanha attack—"
"Bite!"
With surprising speed, Carvanha lurched forward, jaws opening unnaturally wide to reveal teeth even sharper than Mightyena's. Thinking of Torrent, I snapped, "Water Gun!" but Muu gagged, Torment giving its death throes, and Carvanha struck. Muu slumped over, unconscious, leaving me feeling like I'd been the one bit, not him.
"HA!" gloated Shelly.
"—ships in swarms, making them sink," droned the PokéDex unfeelingly. "Although it is said to be a very vicious Pokémon, it timidly flees as soon as it finds itself alone." My PokéDex slipped from nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor.
Muu was the backbone of my party. Knowing he was there to clean up if things got messy was reassuring on a level I hadn't even realized. Seeing him unmoving like that made me clutch my badge all the harder, feeling sick.
Oh, Carvanha was a vicious Pokémon all right. Looking blankly down at my PokéDex, Bite is a dark-type move, please don't tell me… Carvanha was a water/dark mix. Which meant Ralon's only move, Confusion, did nothing against it.
I really was going to lose. I returned Muu, feeling numb. My first loss. My eyes were dry, and but my hands were shaking horribly. I was clutching at the Stone Badge so tightly it was cutting me.
Charlie was watching me. He thought he knew exactly what the defeat of Muu meant, that Ralon was my only other Pokémon. He didn't realize it wasn't that messing me up so much, but instead the fact Muu had fainted because I'd screwed up. I should've remembered Torment. It was my duty as trainer. I'd let him down.
"Is that ralts your only other Pokémon?" Shelly asked contemptuously. "This match is over already. You put up a good fight, brat, but it's over now! Bite!"
Carvanha lunged at Ralon. Ralon, who was shaking as much as my hands with the force of my suppressed emotion. I needed to get myself under control. "Teleport," I managed to say without my voice cracking, although it was hoarse. I couldn't let Ralon down like I had Muu. Couldn't. There was nothing Ralon could do against Carvanha, though…
That. Didn't. Matter. I'd find a way, even if I had to run in there and punch Carvanha myself. I could not give in and make Muu to have defeated Mightyena for nothing. I could not lose to a criminal.
That was when Ralon lit, a white glow filling the office. Standing gracefully face-to-face with Shelly on the President's desk, Ralon stared Shelly in eyes, red to red.
"Kirlia!" Ralon cried, voice strong with serious determination. His eyes glowed, and he Teleported in front of me, facing down Carvanha. On the floor, my PokéDex, lit and beeped.
"Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon. A Kirlia has the psychic power to create a rip in the dimensions and see into the future. It is said to dance with pleasure on sunny mornings."
Never removing my eyes from Shelly, I crouched and picked it up. Just as I was about to put it away, I glanced down at it, seeing something new.
"Bite! This doesn't change things!" shouted Shelly.
"Teleport," I said, voice and face hard, "and use Magical Leaf."
Kirlia winked out of existence and appeared behind Carvanha, his new move unleashing a barrage of glowing leaves. Carvanha howled as they struck.
"Scary Face!" snarled Shelly. Carvanha's eyes glowed, and it seemed like there was a bigger, phantom face hanging over hers.
"Magical Leaf," I said.
Ralon spun in place, and sent leaves flying at Carvanha.
"Ice Fang!" Ice extended Carvanha's already impressive teeth, and she chomped on the leaves, which crackled and broke. Ice beat grass, I thought distantly, realizing it was something important and storing it away for later examination.
"Scary Face!"
"Teleport, Magical Leaf."
"Ice Fang! Screech!"
A horrendous noise filled the room, instantly shattering the windows. Everyone clutched at their ears except Carvanha, Shelly, and me. My hands were hiding in my pockets and one clutched tighter at the Stone Badge, the physical pain keeping me on-task.
"Magical Leaf…"
"Ice Fang!"
"…Confusion!"
Just as Carvanha was about to destroy the glowing leaves, they switched direction, swerving around to strike her side.
"Scary Face!"
Shelly wanted to slow Ralon's speed so that he wouldn't be fast enough to Teleport away. A commendable plan. I needed to finish this…
"Magi—"
"Swagger!" shouted Shelly triumphantly. Ralon's eyes glazed, and he stumbled. Impossibly, my hand tightened further around the badge.
"Bite!"
"Teleport," but I knew it was no use. Caught up in the severe confusion Swagger caused, reactions slowed by Scary Face, Bite landed. As Ralon hit the ground, his eyes seemed to clear, and he smiled at me before his eyes slipped shut.
Shelly cackled. "It's over, kid! You lost!"
I returned Ralon with one hand. Carvanha was shaky; the Magical Leaves that had hit had done incredible damage. If I could land one more decent hit, it was over for Carvanha. "Not quite," I said coldly. "Remember, kirlias can see the future. On guard."
I tossed out a third pokéball, and Mishroo emerged, looking as surly as ever.
I will not let Mishroo ruin this. I will not play nice this time; Mishroo will beat Carvanha, Ralon saw it. This is not the end.
"Mishroo," I said quietly. He sneered at me and bristled with spores. I ignored everyone's surprised looks: If he'd had a shroomish from the start, why did he use ralts/kirlia?
It didn't matter that Mishroo didn't like me, or that we had issues, because this was the battlefield, and not an, in the long run, insignificant battle against some beginner trainer. It wasn't even against a gym leader. This was a fight against a criminal, against injustice, and a loss here wasn't something that could happen. Wasn't something I could ever let happen, because no matter what Norman said, I always brought my heart to the battlefield, and I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I lost it to such a cruel, undeserving trainer. I could not let Mishroo lose this, even if he was more than ten levels weaker than Carvanha and hated me. My certainty, my will, was like an almost tangible power in my fist.
Mishroo faltered.
"That Pokémon's much weaker than the others," laughed Shelly, "and doesn't even listen to you. This will be simple. Ice Fang!"
Carvanha, with a harsh cry, staggered weakly forward, jaws gaping.
"Absorb!"
Mishroo lit with power, orbs of energy draining from Carvanha. Carvanha keeled over, and skidded to a slow stop centimeters from Mishroo. The ice on her fangs melted.
Shelly stood there in disbelief. "…I lost…? To a mere child?"
I'm sixteen, I almost said, but recognized the sulky, teenage tone to it, and so reined it in. Mishroo was glowering at Shelly and me equally; he clearly still disliked me immensely. I'd celebrate him pulling through in a tough situation later.
I advanced on Shelly, who had returned Carvanha and was staring at me. "Who are you?" she asked. "I've never seen you, never heard of you…"
I glared at her and ignored her question. "What was Aqua's goal here?" I demanded.
"We were after some machine parts and data," she said, slightly shiftily. "But that's all I'll say. Maybe we'll meet and battle again!" Shelly dashed towards a shattered window and leapt out. When I rushed to the edge and saw no broken body, I knew she was still alive. I frowned, displeased she'd gotten away.
"Golbat, Wing Attack."
I whirled around in surprise as a golbat swooped down and smacked Mishroo with a glowing wing, knocking him out instantly. Startled, I met Charlie's cocky smile. He was holding a pokéball, and he yanked the President towards him. Golbat landed on the President's shoulder, fangs dangerously close to his neck.
I snarled, returning Mishroo. "Who are you?"
"They call me the Man of a Thousand Faces," Charlie said laughingly. The President's eyes widened slightly. "I see the Prez here has heard of me. I'm Brodie of Team Magma!"
"First Team Aqua, now Team Magma? What's next, Team Flowers?" I snapped, thinking water, fire, and grass, like the starters.
His eyes narrowed. "Don't mock Team Magma. Unlike Team Aqua, we work for the greater good of the world—"
"Blah, blah, blah; let him go," I said sharply.
"I have to thank you for dealing with that troublesome Shelly. I also have to admit, your strength surprised me, as did your perceptiveness and cunning," he grinned. "Now, hand over the data disc or the Prez'll get it."
"Golbaaaaaat!" shrieked Golbat in agreement.
I forced myself to unclench my hands.
"Don't tell me you have yet another Pokémon up your sleeve, when you'd claimed to only have two?" Brodie asked me, sounding genuinely curious. "You caught me completely off-guard with that shroomish. I hadn't pegged you as a good liar. Did you know even then I was up to something? No, never mind. I'm not going to make the mistake of giving you time to think." His grin vanished. "Hand it over. Now."
"Don't," said the President, "You have no idea what's on that, what Team Magma will do with it—it will be the end of the world as we know it—"
"Shut it, old man," snapped Brodie, giving him a violent shake that made his head jerk back and forth, and Golbat's fangs scrape his neck lightly.
I searched my pockets, my fingers brushing a disc. I pulled it out, ignoring the President's desperate, panicked look. "Here, but let him go first," I said, clenching the disc tightly. I remembered the terrain of the Cutter's face and fought to keep my own face still, free from knowledge.
"You're not in the position to be making the rules," Brodie sneered.
"So you know I won't break them," I returned. "Let him go." I held out my hand. Quick as lightning, Brodie snatched it from my hand, and Golbat switched shoulders as he shoved the President to the ground. "Thanks a lot, kid. Team Magma appreciates it." He ran past me, jumping out the window as Shelly had, but I saw Golbat catch him and they disappeared.
"You foolish boy," cried the President from the floor, "Have you any idea what you've just done?"
"Shut up," I snapped, "what's up with your security? It sucks! And don't just lie there, get someone to get the police! There are still Aquas here; I locked up two in a stairwell, and there are others who might not know Shelly's retreated."
I ran out, and down the stairs, to the elevator, down to the first floor, and out, making an Aqua lounging at the secretary's desk yelp in shock as I whizzed by. Pokémon Center, I thought, nearly hysterical, Pokémon Center, Pokémon Center, Pokémon Center!
"Oh, it's you! Am I glad! You saved me in Petalburg Woods," I heard a man yell, and I whipped around. It was the stupid Devon employee rushing towards me. "A guy like last time stole the Devon Goods from me! He was heading for Route 116, you have to get them back!"
I wanted to punch him. I'd just saved his president, who proceeded to try and chew me out, been double-crossed by someone I knew was no good, and I'd let both major bad guys—Shelly and Brodie—escape out the window. And NOW he wanted me to make up for his incompetence?
"Do you have a revive?" I asked, voice strained to keep from yelling.
"Well—yes—"
"Give!" He hurried to obey, and the possessive, desperate manner I grabbed it from him was similar to Brodie only a minute before.
"I-I have another…?"
I grabbed that one from him too, and scrambled to revive Muu and Ralon—Sorry Mishroo, they're stronger—and caught the man by the back of his jacket as he stepped towards the Devon building. "Hey, don't go in there."
"I didn't report it the first time, but this is the second, I need to—"
"Do you know where the police are?" I cut in. He nodded. "Go to them, and tell them Devon was overrun by criminals, and they need to get their butts over there ASAP to catch the remnants." I gave him a rough shove. "Go!"
He ran, nearly tripping over himself.
I couldn't bring myself to smile at my newly revived friends, who were blinking blearily up at me. "Sorry, you deserve a break. We really should just ditch this, huh?"
Muu shook his head, and gave himself a smack, as if trying to wake himself from the stupor. Ralon gave him a helpful, healthy smack, which Muu returned twofold. Before the two could commence bickering, I ran north, returning both of them. Reaching the city limits, I turned east, to Route 116, where I had planned to train what felt like so long ago. I remembered that I could never recall the route number of this path.
I shoved my through grass and trainers until the grass thinned and I saw a cottage and solid stone. I wondered murkily what it was, but a noise caught my attention. It was a strong young man, punching at the stone angrily. "Who is he, to eject me from the tunnel like that?" the man demanded. "I must finish clearing the tunnel! There's no other way to meet with Wanda!"
"Excuse me," I said rudely, "did a man in a blue bandanna pass through here?"
The guy squinted at me. "Sure did. Went right in to Rusturf Tunnel."
Rusturf Tunnel—at the other end of that tunnel was Verdanturf, where Wally had moved. My heart jolted slightly. I'd heard Rusturf was blocked, but if the Aqua somehow got through and into Verdanturf… "Where's the entrance?" I said, one hand finding the badge in my pocket. It fit nicely into my hand now.
"Over there," he gestured vaguely, "you'll see it."
I sprinted in the direction he'd pointed and I saw an old man, crying out in anguish, "Peeko, my Peeko—"
"Out of my way!" I seethed, pushing past him and into the dark cave. It was darker than I expected, and I immediately tripped, my free hand automatically snapping out to break my fall. I got back to my feet, staggering, and ventured deeper in. I ignored the whispers and murmurs of wild Pokémon, and though my heart was beating wildly, it was mostly from the idea of the Aqua.
Why am I doing this again? I wondered, slightly despairing.
I heard someone curse up ahead. I could see his outline, straining against what appeared to be a wall. Suddenly he whirled and I flinched as a flashlight beam seared my eyes.
"You!" the Aqua said in horror. "You're the guy with the ralts and marshtomp who swept us!" I couldn't see his face, but I thought there might be some fear there.
"That's right," I croaked, "so you'd better hand them over right now." I stepped closer.
"Don't! Don't come closer, or I'll…or I'll…hurt this Pokémon!"
I peered painfully at the flashlight, and saw the white bird Pokémon with a blue stripe on each wing. Where had I seen that before…? "If you think I care, you've got another thing coming," I lied through my teeth. "Hand the Goods over."
"Well then, I'll hurt it anyway," he said boldly. "It's not like it matters to you either way!"
"Stop," I said, hearing movement and unable to see what it was. It sent a bolt of fear into my stomach.
"You're all the same," he snickered. "Roll me your Pokémon and I'll release it."
"You've gotta be kidding me," I said in disbelief.
"Do I sound like it? At least this way they'll all be alright. Not something that can be said if you don't. And don't you dare let them out, you won't be able to stop me in time."
I was pissed off. I fished through my pockets, and my fingers touched pokéballs—the Aqua grunts', that I'd stolen from them. I slowly crouched and rolled them to him. I heard him toe them, making sure they were occupied. It was simple through touch to determine if a pokéball was occupied or not.
"Good," he said in satisfaction. "Now, I'll let this useless Pokémon go…" With a loud caw, the bird Pokémon eagerly escaped, flying down the tunnel and out. The Pokémon's wing beats echoed eerily. "Now, back up against the wall. Stay there…stay there…" He was confident, thinking he had me beat. As soon as he had his back to me, I released Ralon. "Confusion!"
I'm not sure what Ralon did, but suddenly all the wild Pokémon in the cave went berserk, descending on him wrathfully. I clutched at my ears, their cries seeming to physically drive stakes into my brain. Finally, when it was over, I crawled over to him. I shone the flashlight at his face.
"But you rolled me your Pokémon," he mumbled. "You have more than two?"
"The Goods, please," I said flatly. "Thank you." I took them from him, and hauled him to his feet. "No funny business."
Poking and prodding at him, we stumbled from the tunnel. I was startled when the Pokémon from before landed on my shoulder with a coo. The old man exclaimed, "You're the one who saved my Peeko from this hoodlum!"
Ah, so the Pokémon was a peeko. I nodded curtly, and since it looked like he was going to begin a teary dialogue, I said, giving the Aqua a shake, "I'd like to turn him in, so…"
"Oh, of course," the man said. "My name is Mr. Briney. I'm a sailor and a retired trainer. If you ever need anything, I live on the shore west of Petalburg—Route 104, I believe it's called. Be sure to drop by!"
Even so, Mr. Briney insisted on accompanying us to Rustboro, and took great glee in making sure the wrongdoer was given to the police. He didn't leave until he was in handcuffs, and then he was humming a merry tune with his peeko. I met up with the Devon guy and told him to take his Goods straight to the President or whoever it was that needed them, privately thinking but not saying he couldn't be trusted with them.
Exhausted, I tottered into the Pokémon Center and handed over my Pokémon. I fell asleep in the waiting room to uneasy dreams, and when Nurse Joy awoke me to give me my Pokémon and help me up to my room, I found my hand clenched around the Stone Badge. Either during my dream or during this whole terrible day, I'd clenched the Stone Badge so hard I'd cut my hand—an impressive feat, considering how blunt its corners were. I carefully washed off the blood from my hand and badge, and I clumsily tried to for the jacket and failed. There was too much important stuff in my jacket to hand it to some Joy, so, fully dressed, I collapsed onto the bed.
And then I cried, and shook violently from the stress and emotion of the day, from the relief that I had my Pokémon safe in my hands, from the highs of Muu's evolution (it felt like a different life) and beating the gym (this was an iron reality, and I didn't know what it meant anymore) to the lowest lows (Muu, Ralon, Mishroo, all so still; a black tide of despair and the haze of fear). But I'd beaten it back. I'd beaten it back, this time. Was that the important thing?
I reached into a secret pocket of my jacket, my hand touching a CD. Reassured that the Devon disc was safely hidden, I finally sunk into oblivion.
Whoo, longest chapter so far! Action-packed, too! Sorry if the battles were too awful, they're not exactly my forte, heheh… I also hope Ralon's evolution wasn't a bit of a let-down.
Special thanks to Evann for reviewing, on the first day, too! I'm glad "Muu" wasn't a flop like I was worried it would be.
Next up, Chapter Five: Chatting with the Chairman
Please, review! Muu is pouting at you, and believe me, you've never seen a true pout until you see a marshtomp's ;P
5/13/12 edit: added accents
3/30/13 edit: grammar
—xxsapphireheartxx