"We have a new specimen for you to use as the next vessel," A rough inhumane voice cracked out. The room was dim, so she could not make out any features of the room. Although her ears could detect many whirrs and ticks of machinery, this was an unnatural room, and for a girl who had spent all her life in the wild it sent bubbles of fear throughout her being.
"But that's a human child," A protest, it sounded more human, a soft male voice. "I cannot continue the experiment if this is what you bring me; I thought we were going to clone a new one."
"The clones have failed. This is the next option."
"But I had made a breakthrough, if I had another to test on then I am sure it would succeed where the others did not." She heard a heavy whack; evidently the protester had been struck across the face for his insubordination. She curled up further, hiding her face and hoping she would be spared.
"Use the girl or you will lose your life. We expect results by next week." A door slammed in the distance, lights flickered on screens all around. The Pokémon she had grown up with was somewhere in this hellhole, she knew he had been captured as well, but what was his fate?
She jerked awake, her gasp startling the two Pokémon who were curled up together in her lap as she leaned heavily against a tree in Petalburg Woods. She had sat down in the evening, feeding the two Pokémon with her berries from her bag. They had curled and fallen fast asleep within moments after their meal was done. She had then leaned back, letting the shrub which clung to the tree obscure her from unwelcome glances. After the crash landing and the swim over here her body had needed rest to recuperate and replenish its supply of energy. It was rare she needed rest but her mind had lapsed into the nightmare, which was always eager to play.
Through the leaves of the low shrub, she saw the bright morning sky staring down upon the woods. She cradled the Pokémon and rose to her feet, using one hand to brush the leaves from her jeans. A thought twirled around in her mind, she should buy another outfit in the next town, so she could change between the two and always have a clean set of clothing. Since this set was already smelling of sea-salt and dirt, not a pleasant mix. She set off north through the woods, watching as the Bug-types scurried around for food in the early morning hush, those who had scavenged through the night settling down for their rest.
Her mind drifted to the dream as nothing else appeared to occupy its depths. She hated thinking of that time, when she was small and vulnerable, completely incapable of preventing what happened within that damned place. She remembered the voices, those of the rough enforcers and the saddened pleas of the scientist who had been forced to do what he did. She recalled her image before that time. Her old self was now a wanted face by those people, those monsters who had ordered and paid for the experiments. So she could never again use it and would have to make do with this new one.
Her old partner, the Pokémon she grew up with all the time she had been isolated in the wilds of that place surrounded by freezing waters, had perished so many years ago. He could not handle the strain the experiments placed upon his body. She had felt every ache, every twinge of pain that rattled his frame, even the cold grasps of death as they snatched him away from her forever. It was not long after that when she had vowed to protect the six clones she found deep in the laboratories of that nightmarish place. Now they were strong, and the only way she could further protect them was to vanish, and leave them to fight alongside one another, as they were not hunted like she.
She heard scampering footsteps ahead. Looking beyond human sight she saw a white lab-coat, the sight sending chills down her spine. The one wearing the coat was a weedy looking man, his big eyes darting around the tall grass, looking for something. She went to walk by him, but he jumped and whirled around to face her, startled by the close proximity of her as he hadn't heard her approach.
"Oh, excuse me!" Even his voice was jittery, "Have you seen any Shroomish?" A crashing gait thundered towards them. The jittery man spun so fast his balance was shot; he staggered behind her, grasping her shoulders. "Ah, trainer please protect me!" He pleaded as his frame shivered faster than his voice.
She glanced up and down at the man. He had a thuggish glint in his eye and was thickset, muscles upon muscles tensed ready for a fight. "Pah! A little girl? I won't even bother using my Pokémon to take you out kid!" He cracked his knuckles threateningly; she raised an eyebrow at the pathetic man. "I'll give you one chance, move out of the way or you get hurt." She turned, handing Zigzagoon over to the man in the lab-coat, Beldum floating behind her, concern in his red eye. She patted him gently, smiling at him to ensure he didn't worry too much.
She rolled her arms, freeing up her shoulder muscles, readying herself for his attack. He charged at her, the scientist scampering behind a tree, his worried face poking from around the thick trunk. She had faced foes such as he back in Kanto, the only thing that separated them was the colours they wore. Back then, her foes wore black and red, this man was wearing a striped blue uniform. As he approached like a stampeding Tauros, she stepped to a side, catching his arm as he swung it out to punch her. She twisted it as she stuck her leg out, pulling him around and flinging him against a large tree. He slid down it and cracked against low branches, snapping many from the trunk. Once he slammed into the ground he whimpered like a wounded Growlithe, but he dragged himself to his feet, his pride battered by the skinny young woman who was smirking at him, her arms crossed over her chest amused.
She loved seeing the look on their faces. These grown men who believed themselves all tough and unbeatable. She, as her disguise was quite skinny, her look screamed 'VULNERABLE' to all these macho guys. So the second she threw her power around and beat them down, there was always this look in their eyes, a mixture of shock, hatred, disbelief, anger and the best of all, the twinge of a wounded ego, she loved seeing that particular sorrow welling in their eyes.
He charged again, his time he aimed directly for her face, she ducked and dived faster than he could keep up with her movements, her flying red hair distracting him and making it hard to pinpoint her exactly. She was now behind him, tapping his shoulder gently. He swung around with a wide punch. Her hand rose to meet it, once his knuckles collided with her palm, a loud yawl broke through his lips; his knuckles had shattered upon contact, her palm not shifting a centimetre. Her smug smile only grew as the anger boiled in his face. He tried kicking at her knee, but she simply lifted up the leg, balancing perfectly on the ball of her other foot as she raised the limb out of the way of his sloppy attack. While his leg was still aloft she swept her lifted leg under his own, forcing him to crash down heavily onto the grassy earth beneath him.
"I think that settles things." She smirked down at him, "You are beaten, leave before you get hurt." Boiling anger flared in his eyes at her words and the superior tone she used to talk down to him. He hated having been beaten by this girl. But the only way for him to recuperate was to retreat, let the boss know there was a dangerous trainer about and try again another day.
He scrambled to his feet and shot off towards Rustboro City, where he could get a message out to the boss, but he knew he would get an earful for failing to steal the parts he had been sent to collect. He glanced over his shoulder, committing her face to his memory, but there was something in her eyes which didn't look… Didn't look human.
"Thank you trainer!" The skittish man hurried from behind the tree, offering her Zigzagoon back, she took him in her arms and stared down at the cheerful Pokémon. "How did you do that?" The man's wide eyes were staring at her in wonderment.
"Um." 'Search for a lie!' "I took self-defence classes back at home. I was considered lethal by the end of it so I had to stop because the teachers and other students started to grow concerned." 'There we go; maybe he'll start fearing me and leave me alone now.'
"Oh wow! Well I'm lucky to have met you!" His smile was even jittering! What was wrong with this man? "Do you mind accompanying me to Rustboro? I don't want to lose these parts to another thug." She spied the briefcase he carried in one hand, whatever was in it had to be important if a gang of thugs were after stealing it.
'Damn, couldn't I find the normal human for once?' "I guess I'm headed that way anyway, so there's no reason not to." Her smile was false again; she was rather adept at making emotion look real by now. She'd had plenty of practice while she travelled Kanto. It came in handy to pretend like you actually cared for the antics of silly humans as then you could be overlooked easily as just one of a crowd of people, not an outcast introvert as they were stared at and judged harshly by the populous.
It took them a little while to reach Rustboro, the man's small steps and slow pace dragging their journey out longer than it really needed to be. Every noise made him jump and stare with boggling eyes which really became irritating to her. She had told him that her name was Garnet, finding that it would become confusing and dangerous to change her supposed name now. She had also told him that she had only just started travelling around Hoenn, telling him she had been born in a far away region, but didn't specify where.
He, in turn, had explained that he worked at a placed called Devon Corp. He was charged with working on new technologies with the other scientists who worked there. He explained they had large labs dedicated to testing out technology and creating marvellous things which could do so much to help people and Pokémon grow ever closer. She had her doubts of what he said; she didn't expect any of it to be true. How could technology improve relationships? It seemed far too farfetched for her to believe him. She knew that computers were widely used to entrap Pokémon these days and with that kind of technology, she didn't much want to visit this 'Devon' place.
They finally reached Rustboro City. She was relieved to see the white paved city at last. Now this man could scurry off to this Devon and leave her be. She had a fight waiting in the Gym. She walked him to the largest building in the city, which he confirmed was the place he worked at. "After your Gym battle, come round! My boss would like to know what you've done today!" She looked into his shaky eyes and figured it would be rude to refuse, so she nodded reluctantly and turned away from him.
The moment she entered the Gym, she could smell gravel, rocks, earth, this was accompanied by great walls of stone and huge ornaments made out of giant rocks. She immediately deduced that, like back in Kanto, the first Gym she would face had Rock-type trainers inside it. Good, she would have an immediate advantage with Beldum. "Are you ready for this?" She asked the little Pokémon resting on her shoulder again. It glanced at her, its red eye filled with determination. She smiled at it, patting its head before stepping into the simple maze of rocks, where a trainer approached them quickly.
Garnet reached the leader easily, her Beldum soaking up all the experience of battling the weak rocks. She stood and listened to the leader's explanation of who she was and why she chose Rock-types to train, but she didn't care for it at all, not absorbing any of the information from this woman. Her Pokémon were released one after another, both falling to a good strong Iron Head from Beldum. Both were weak to the Steel-type move and fell to the might of her partner. He spiralled and flipped through the air in celebration of his victory. She snatched him from the air and hugged the merry Pokémon. He hadn't gotten a scratch on him from the fight and she was overjoyed at his happiness and excitement at the battle. He had a good spirit behind him which shone through his silver-white exterior.
The woman spoke some more, telling her how she would give her this Gym's badge and a Badge Case to keep all the badges in as she collected them. She thanked the woman as she handed over the case and badge, she clipped the badge into the first slot and tucked the case into the padded pocket of her bag which she selected for the special items instead of everyday items which came and went. Once this was complete, she turned on her heels and strode out of the Gym, breathing in the bustling air of the city outside.
She found the noise and life of this place refreshing. So long had she spent in solitude or only among the company of Pokémon or evil people; wandering around a city where people didn't even give her a second glance was charming. She stopped by the PokéMart to buy a new set of clothes. She chose a purple tank-top, a black thin cardigan which would flow off her shoulders and down to around her waist, and black three-quarter length jeans and black pumps. She stopped by the Pokémon Center to heal her Pokémon and wash herself off, washing her clothes and drying them in the large washroom which the Center provided. After using the dryer to rid the clothes of the dampness which clung to them after the wash, she folded them neatly and pushed them into her bag, which surprisingly managed to hold them with plenty of room to spare, plus many of the pouches and sections were still empty. The bag had been great value for money.
Once she was ready, she met her friends in the lobby of the Center and they headed out, she remembered her promise to stop by Devon before leaving the city. So she sighed out all her negative opinions of the ideas the man had shared with her and walked over to the large building. "Good day," She greeted the receptionist, "My name's Garnet, I was asked to visit here by one of your employees."
The woman nodded and smiled at her, "Yes I have been informed about you, please wait here while I ring up to him, he said he wished to take you to see Mr Stone." She pushed back from the desk and picked up one of the phones behind it, dialling a number swiftly and speaking into the device. A few moments later the jittery man came rushing down the stairs.
"You came, that was rather quick!" He ushered her up the stairs he had just hurtled down. She didn't speak a word, just walked along behind him. He constantly looked over his shoulder, unable to hear her subtle footsteps on the stairs behind him. He took her up another flight of stairs and asked her to wait; he vanished into a large office space which took up the entirety of the floor. He returned within moments.
He gestured for her to follow him and he led her through the office, heading to a large desk seated at the end of the room. She glanced around herself; there were rocks in glass display cases and pictures of ancient fossil-Pokémon on the walls. She stared at the display cases and thought back to the other place she had seen stones being displayed like this. A half smile crossed her face as she patted Beldum, who hid behind a curtain of red hair as he rested on her shoulder. Zigzagoon was shuffling on the floor, his normal zigzag way of walking was restricted in this room, so his turns were much sharper than before and he only managed to move about a foot from side to side.
"This is the trainer I told you about President Stone." The man gestured to Garnet and bowed as he scurried away. She looked at the silver-white haired man. She wasn't sure of what to make of him. His eyes reminded her of Steven's, he glanced over her appearance, his gaze drawn by the Beldum peering out from behind her hair and the Zigzagoon shuffling around her ankles.
"I must start by introducing myself. My name is Mr Stone; I am the President of Devon Corporation. Please accept my thanks for what you have done today. The parts are of great importance to the development of a special submarine being built in Slateport City as we speak, but they could be used, by the wrong hands, to create havoc. My employee has told me of your methods of dealing with the thug who attacked you. I must say it was a rather unorthodox method of defending oneself. However you seem to be a very capable young woman." He opened a drawer behind his desk, she didn't take her eyes from him as he rifled through the contents of the drawer. "I must ask you for two favours, these parts." He gestured to the briefcase set on his desk. "Could you deliver them to Slateport? Captain Stern is waiting for them there. I fear if I send anyone else the group calling themselves Team Aqua will steal them and use them for their own gain." She stepped forward and took the briefcase, nodding her head without a word. "Also, could you deliver this," He asked as he held out a letter, contained in a crisp white envelope. "To a man you will find in Dewford. His name is Steven."
She took the letter, tucking it into the Key Items section of her bag. She ensured it wasn't bent as it slid into the pocket next to the Badge Case. The Devon Parts wouldn't fit into her bag, so she hung the briefcase off her left wrist. "That shouldn't be a problem." She made to turn around and leave, but he cleared his throat, catching her attention once again.
"I do not expect you to go unpaid for these errands." He held out a device. "Take this PokéNav Plus, it's the latest model of PokéNav, there's all sorts of apps installed on there to aid you in your journey around Hoenn." She picked up the device, looking it over quickly before slipping it into her bag and smiling at the man.
"Thank you," Her voice pulsed with gratitude, he was like Steven, giving things without expecting much in return. There really was no need for him to give her this device, since she would have delivered the parts and letter anyway, she wanted to see this entire region, so heading to the two locations he specified was no problem to her.
"May I ask your name?" He looked into her unearthly amethyst eyes curiously.
"Yes, how rude of me. My name is Garnet. I've only just arrived in Hoenn." She offered her hand for a formal handshake. When he grasped her hand, she could tell that, like Steven, this hand had seen many a day of hard labour, probably while collecting those stones, yet it was also soft, so the stone collecting had not taken place for a good few years now. Perhaps with this company to run he had no time or energy to explore caves to find such rare stones.
She turned on her heel and started down the long room, Zigzagoon hurtling after her in his strange little way. "Can I also ask where you obtained that rare Beldum?" He asked she turned back to him, confusion in her eyes.
"I wasn't aware this Beldum was rare. It was given to me yesterday. I met Steven in Mossdeep and he gave me this Beldum."
"Ah, well he must trust you very much to take care of that particular Beldum." She looked out the corner of her eye, staring at the little creature on her shoulder, what was special about this little thing?
After that confusing comment from him, she said her goodbye and exited the office, walking through the business building and exiting out of the main lobby. She pulled out the PokéNav and pulled up a map of the region, to familiarise herself with place names and find a route which would lead her to Dewford. Seems like she would meet the strange Steven sooner than she had expected…
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm hoping to update this story more often as it isn't doing quite as well as my other stories! I do intend to make it a lot more interesting once things start happening and will explore pieces of Garnet's history as and when it comes around to it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to read my fic! Still open for nicknames for Beldum! Thanks again!