Disclaimer: Fang does not own Pokémon.
Chapter Four: The Red of Deception
-Route 104-
"I am troubled to confess that I have some imperative business I must attend to. I have confidence that you will not amble off without me?" Aisha had said, flouncing off and leaving me alone with my way-too-happy-to-be-healthy younger sister.
Right after she'd left us a generous amount of cash, of course. That had been the first thing I'd brought up after my bonding fest with Dina. I wanted to ask how a runt like her had come to possess such money, but the possible answers supplied by my imagination scared me. Dina had no qualms, securing the money and dashing off to buy Poké Balls. By the time I had reached that particular section in the Mart, she'd already bought six pristine red and white orbs, and had scrambled off to who-knows-where.
I silently cursed whoever had decided to make Petalburg so large.
Looking for Dina, I had wandered back towards Route 104 towards the looming mass of trees that I knew to be the Petalburg Woods. I heard the high-pitched voices of ten year olds ahead of me, screaming about grass and Pokémon and oh Arceus, what's that moving thing on your back?
I shrugged it off and kept walking. There was an abundance of Pokémon found in the woods, so perhaps Dina had thought to go there.
Along the way, I passed a seaside shack with an old man and a Wingull relaxing on the pier beside it. They each raised a hand and a wing, respectively, and I nodded in acknowledgment.
"Have you seen a young girl head up here?" I called. "She has blonde hair, kind of like mine, but lighter. It's tied up to the side in a pink ribbon, and she's short."
The man leaned his head back in thought and said, "How long ago was this?"
Honestly, I had no clue.
"I just got back from a fishing trip, so I might've not even noticed her while I was tying up the ol' boat," the man explained, gesturing fondly at his worn vessel.
"Oh. Well, thanks anyway," I said. "Have a good one."
"You too."
I headed up to Petalburg Woods just in case. After a few steps, a pinch of foreboding sprouted in my stomach. I ignored it. I mean, it couldn't hurt to check, and it wasn't like I was venturing all the way to Rustboro or anywhere even close to that. Just a quick glance for my sister, and then I'd turn back.
Later, I would look back and wonder why the heck I hadn't listened to my gut. I should have just stuck with searching Petalburg.
The thick grass crunched under my feet as I stepped past the sign announcing PETALBURG WOODS. There wasn't a trainer or wild Pokémon around that I could perceive.
That I could perceive.
And then, just when I was about to leave, I found myself held in place by the slim arm of a woman.
"Oh, hello, Fin, dear," purred a light and too, too familiar voice.
…
-Route 102-
The Wurmple backed up against a tree, flailing all of its tiny feet wildly, not that anyone noticed. Wae inched forward, scaring the bug even more. The Wurmple fainted without being attacked.
Dina took the opportunity to run over, squatting next to the fallen Pokémon. She sighed. It had been a while since she'd set out to conquer Route 102, and she had to say, she'd been sorely disappointed by the lack of viable companions.
It was a beautiful place, really. With many trees and meadows of soft grass, Dina welcomed the sight of the green that was mostly absent in Dewford's sandy landscape. There were also scattered trainers, most of them beginners like her. In general, trainers didn't tend to linger in Dina's isolated hometown, so seeing real live trainers in person was overwhelming. She almost forgot that she was also a real trainer, but then, she tended to use other people's Pokémon anyways.
"Leave it," Dina said to Wae. The Wailmer bounced a little for encouragement before barreling off to find another victim to scare with his massive blubber.
She walked westward, past a kid who was murmuring to his brown raccoon thing about losing all of the time. She'd seen the same fuzzy Pokémon multiple times within the past ten minutes and automatically assumed that his losses could be attributed to the Pokémon's less than powerful stature.
Dina stumbled across some sort of black wolf, almost tripping over it. The Poochyena ignored her in favor of the tasty blue berries it had found hanging from a low-branched tree. Pearly canines extended from its black muzzle, but the sight was rendered cute when coupled with the blissful curve of the Pokémon's mouth. Dina teetered over calling Wae over but decided not to. It would be cruel to interrupt the Poochyena's meal; additionally, it was adorable, and she was a prepubescent girl.
Carefully tiptoeing so that she wouldn't disturb the Dark type, Dina walked until she reached a cliff. It was the kind of drop that her parents never allowed her to explore, so naturally, she scrambled over it excitedly. Then she realized she was a little bit too short to climb back over. Dina jumped up and down, making quite a sight of herself, and waved Wailmer over.
Grinning wildly, Wae bounded off of the overhang and steamrolled ahead. Dina turned around and caught sight of what her Pokémon had seen: a pristine pond, the rays of the sun reflecting harshly off the surface. To Dina, who had grown up in crashing waves, the gentle ripples across the water were lovely.
"Why not?" Dina murmured. "Maybe they'll be new kinds of Pokémon near the water." She made her way over to the pond, stopping only to swerve around the rookie trainer that Wae had plowed into.
Wae made content noises as he happily soaked in the aquatic environment. Dina giggled as she listened to his sighs, dipping a finger into the water. She was about to say something when a foreign sound invaded her ears.
"Ral?"
Dina's face broke into a grin. That was a voice she hadn't heard all day. Or in real life, for that matter. She'd only really seen a Ralts on that Poké Breeding channel on television. As she turned around to face the small green and white figure, she gestured for Wae to stop splashing.
"Hi there," she said in a high pitched voice, much like the tone someone would adopt to speak to a baby. "How're you doing?"
The Ralts tilted her head and clasped her hands together. "Ralts," she said.
"Do you want to come over to the water?" Dina asked. It was an amateur thing to do, thinking she could win Pokémon over to her team without a battle. "Come here?"
Ralts took one apprehensive step closer, staring at Dina with hidden eyes.
"It's okay," Dina crooned.
"Wail," added Wailmer.
Without warning, the Ralts disappeared and materialized beside Dina. The girl jumped back in surprise, almost losing her balance and falling into the pond. When she'd caught her breath again, Dina looked over at the angelic Ralts. "You…you're a mischievous one, aren't you?" she grumbled. "Fooling people with your I'm a little child feed me act."
"Ralts," said the Ralts.
Dina stomped her foot, giving up her nice front complete. "I can't take this assault to my pride!" she cried. "Wae, Water Pulse!"
Her enthusiasm was comical. Wae squirted a jet of water into the Ralts' face, but the smaller Pokémon didn't flinch. Dripping, she cocked her head again and bounced a little.
Dina crossed her arms and frowned. Wae was probably going easy on the Ralts because of pity; it would be terrible to viciously attack something as adorably cute as the Psychic Pokémon. It would be even worse to run Ralts over with Rollout. There wasn't much she could do, darn it.
For lack of any obvious choices, Dina pulled out one of her Poké Balls and threw it at Ralts. The capsule expanded, sucked in the small Pokémon, and settled on the ground. There wasn't even a second between its closing and its reopening. The Poké Ball bounced back into Dina's hands and Ralts materialized looking unfazed.
Now it was getting personal.
Dina huffed and tramped around for a while. When it became apparent that throwing a tantrum wasn't doing anything – if Ralts wasn't looking stoic, she would have appeared amused – she began to mutter to Wailmer. "Wae, I don't care anymore how we defeat this, this thing. It hurt my feelings, and I don't like it. So do whatever to win. We're catching this Ralts if it takes all week, okay?"
Wae rolled around in the water. Dina was being just a tad unreasonable, wanting to attack the Ralts from nowhere. It wasn't like the cute Pokémon had retaliated yet or anything. Humans and pride; go figure.
Still, Dina was the boss. Wae rummaged through his arsenal of attacks-that-Dina-didn't-know and chose the weakest one. He let out a strangled cry that scared Dina as much as it startled the Ralts. He swam up to the edge of the pond and pushed the Ralts over, feeling a bit like a bully.
The Ralts stared up at Wailmer and let out a mewling sound. It took Wae and Dina a moment to realize that it was a Growl, an attack and not a whimper.
"Aw," cooed Dina, immediately forgetting her frustration. "It's so cute! I want it, Wae!"
She wouldn't back down until the Ralts was safely in a Poké Ball; that was for sure. Wae stopped holding back – maybe the Ralts would make an entertaining teammate – and allowed a Whirlpool to rise from the water. The Ralts offered no resistance, probably resigned to her fate. Torrents whipped around her and tossed her to the ground, where she landed in a heap and did not rise again.
"All right," yelled Dina, throwing the Poké Ball from her failed attempt at Ralts. This time, the Ralts was unconscious though, and the capsule locked without a fuss. "Victory for us!"
…
-Petalburg Woods-
"Oh, hello, Fin, dear."
I plastered on the fakest smile I could muster, taking a deep breath to further fluster the Beautifly dancing in my gut. The skin at the nape of my neck prickled and stood up on end. I turned around and tried my hardest to appear ecstatic to see my old comrade, a girl I'd hoped to never think about again, much less meet.
"Vic! Fancy running into you here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me or something because we parted on bad terms last time. But we're over that, right? Everything's fine and dandy, right?" Yeah, I wasn't even fooling myself.
Then again, Vic was always strange and false. I could never tell what she was thinking. As the sweetest smile spread across her cherubic features, she might as well have been plotting to stampede me with Loudred.
"Of course, Fin, darling." I really despised the way she always tacked on derogatory pet names after 'Fin.' "I could never see you in anything but the fondest light. After everything we've been through together, surely you wouldn't hold any grudges against me?" No, of course not. It's not your fault that you're a psychotic maniac.
I could tell that my smile was becoming pained.
On my first journey, I had met a bunch of losers, idiots, fanatics, and plain crazy people. The world was a pretty messed up place. I'd made many mistakes and done a whole lot of things that I would regret to the grave. My biggest would have to be meeting Vic. Out of all the people I hated, Vic stood out in my mind the brightest.
Looking at her, no one could tell what dark schemes lurked behind her dark blue eyes. She wore her dark red hair loose; it flowed freely to her elbows, ending in a mass of curls. Her skin was pale and unblemished, and her always present smile masked the demon hiding behind her fairytale beauty.
"Did you need something fr…" I faltered. "From me?"
"Dearest Fin, do I need a reason to approach a friend? Can't I approach you because I want to chat?" She was still smiling, acting her dainty princess façade. I was pretty sure, by this point, that if she asked me to swim across the ocean to, I dunno, Johto, I would do it. Anything to get her and her freaky smile away from me.
"Sure, we can chat," I said. Which was stupid, because 'chatting' never meant chatting to Vic.
She took a step closer and I scooted back. Vic must have been disappointed because she sighed woefully. Oh, I'm so sorry for not allowing myself to be victimized by your passive terrorist tendencies. It brought me comfort to know that I could insult her in my head without invoking her wrath.
"Well, I was worrying about you. You know how you are, always striving to be the best but never achieving it. I thought that perhaps you might get into trouble without help."
If Dina had said that, or even Aisha, if you wanted a more objective example, I would have brushed it off or maybe tossed back a witty retort. As neither was present and the slur was voiced by the world's-biggest-evil, I gritted my teeth and told myself to think of Dewford's warm, lovely beaches.
Oh, screw you, Vic.
"How…thoughtful," I managed to say.
"And so," Vic continued, sticking her hand behind her back. I reflexively flinched. "I want to help you! Remember Camerupt?" She pulled a glassy Poké Ball into view. I stared, knowing all too well about the monstrosity held captive by the device. Camerupt was one of Vic's specially trained Pokémon, a brutal powerhouse with about as much remorse as Psycho Lady. I was no stranger; I had used Camerupt during my time in Vic's…company.
"I don't need it," I said. Camerupt was actually male, but I was ashamed to admit I had gotten used to referring to it as a thing. "You can keep it."
Vic's smile grew wider. "Fin," she said in one of the rare moments she left out the 'dear' prefix. "Take it."
I swallowed and took the Poké Ball. "Th-thanks. I guess." After we had stared at each other for a good minute, I realized she wasn't leaving. Did she want something else? What else could I give her excep—no. No. No.
"You've got a cute sister," Vic commented offhandedly. I suffocated the hiss that was rising in my throat.
Backing away cautiously, I growled, "Stay away from her." When my old companion didn't answer, my voice turned desperate and shrill. "Please, Vic. She… Dina has nothing to do with this. She's just a kid."
A swarm of Dustox – I was not aware they resided in Petalburg Woods – rose from the trees and took to the air, blanketing the sky in rapid wing beats. The shadows of their bodies danced over Vic's face, casting a sinister radiance on everything in sight. An amused gleam painted the curve of Vic's lips. I shivered.
"Dina would be a valuable subject of the Project," said Vic finally. Every muscle in my body tensed at the mention of Vic's little obsession. She'd put her all into that experiment of hers; she'd wanted to change something in her past. The Apocalypse Project. The name spited me even after I'd destroyed my part in her game.
"I'll do it," I choked out. I hated the Apocalypse Project. It was a nightmare I never wanted to face again, but even the thought of Dina becoming involved in it… No. I was the older brother. I was the knight in shining armor, Prince Charming, the hero – I would have to don all the labels that she'd placed on me in her childish naïveté. "Just leave Dina alone."
Of course, this was what Vic had planned for all along. I could tell by the nasty gleam in her eye, visible only to me. "Oh, I'm not sure," she said. "Dina has so much more potential, don't you agree, my beloved Fin? With the proper training, I'm sure she could win the Ever Grande Conference where you failed."
I knew she was just picking at an old wound, but it hurt. I would never admit it out loud, but Vic was one of the first trainers I'd truly admired. That was one of the few reasons I even joined her twisted Project. It was a shock to discover her true nature… It was a shock that we would ever be standing here in Petalburg Woods, insulting each other subtly.
"The Ever Grande Conference is irrelevant to the Apocalypse Project," I said weakly.
Vic laughed, long and hard. "Welcome back, my lovely Fin."
Oh, Dina.
…
-Petalburg Pokémon Center-
A middle-aged man watched from a corner as Dina pranced up to the counter, still celebrating her recent capture. Nurse Joy was deep in conversation with a blonde boy about Fin's age. The Swampert – Dina suppressed a squeal. It was an honest to goodness Swampert, one of the rare starters of Hoenn! – beside them did not appear injured, but the discussion sounded dark and serious.
"Swam. Swamp," said the Swampert, tugging the button of the boy's shirt. The boy looked down and then over towards Dina. He looked annoyed despite the fact that she'd never seen him before, and she tentatively waved.
"Anyways, if anything happens, just send for me. I'll be heading off to Slateport tomorrow," the boy snapped, recalling Swampert and heading for the door.
"Alright, Marceau. Be careful," called Nurse Joy before she turned to Dina. "Can I help you?"
Dina bounced on her heels. "Yup! I just caught a Ralts, so can you make sure it's not hurt?"
Nurse Joy took Ralts' Poké Ball and handed it to a nearby Chansey, murmuring a few directions. The Chansey departed and Nurse Joy was accosted by other trainers. Dina stepped towards the lounge to wait, but as she scanned the room, a man flagged her over.
"Don't talk to strangers," Fin's voice warned in her head. "Don't approach them and don't let them approach you."
"I'm a Pokémon trainer now!" replied her messed up conscience.
Dina walked over to the man. He was smiling. With dark hair streaked with gray and soft wrinkles around his face, he kind of looked like the uncle type. Not dangerous in the least. Fin didn't know what he was talking about.
"I couldn't help but overhear you talking to the good nurse. You say you caught a Ralts?" said the man.
Dina beamed. Here she was talking to someone who finally recognized her talent as a trainer. "Yup! It was in Route 102, near the water. It was easy."
"Wow!" exclaimed the man, clapping his hands. "And you're so young. Ralts are extremely rare to find. You're very lucky."
"It didn't stand a chance," she boasted.
The man's eyes twinkled. "Well, I've got a deal for a darned good Pokémon collector like yourself. I've recently acquired a Pokémon even rarer than your Ralts. You can't find anything like in anywhere in Hoenn; that's how rare it is."
Dina gaped. "Really? Then how'd you get it?"
He evidently hadn't expected her to ask that. He chuckled after a moment's hesitation and said, "That doesn't matter now. What I'm trying to say is that I'm going to offer a trade. This Pokémon is exclusive to Johto and Kanto, so you'll never find another one, whereas I'm certain you'll find more Ralts."
"Well, can't you go looking for your own Ralts?" Dina asked.
The man looked even more taken aback. "Er, I'm going to be leaving for somewhere far, far away very soon. Do you want it or not?" he hastily added.
"Sure. I'll take it!"
…
-Petalburg City-
I felt numb as I reentered the town. I still didn't know where Dina was, and she was my first priority. Please let her be okay and away from all of Vic's weird hench-people. Thankfully, Vic had chosen not to follow me. I'd left her behind in Petalburg Woods, but I felt tainted by the heavy new Poké Ball hanging on my belt.
Dina was not out and about, wandering the city and bothering random strangers about who-knows-what, but a certain other person was.
"Aisha! Aisha," I called to the brunette girl. The tiara she had last been wearing was nowhere in sight, replaced by a large headband of feathers. I remembered being wary of her appearance at first, but I'd never been so glad to see someone familiar and not Vic. Aisha was standing next to a taller blonde boy with wavy hair and an arrogant stance. She stopped in the middle of her sentence and looked over to me.
"Oh, Fin. You have arrived."
Huh. She sounded almost concerned, and she was talking in small, coherent sentences.
"Listen, have you seen Dina anywhere?" I asked.
Aisha tilted her head towards the blonde guy, who said, "What does she look like?"
He sounded normal enough, for someone who was acquainted with Aisha. He wore a navy blue button-up short-sleeved shirt and jeans. He was taller than I was, but paler. He would have looked like a sheltered city boy if not for the scowl in his eyes.
"Um, she has blonde hair. Lighter than mine. It's tied in a side ponytail. Also, she's bouncy. You'd know her if you met her." I wondered briefly if I was being too harsh, but then I remembered that Dina had ditched me to run off somewhere.
The boy nodded. "Yeah, I saw her. She was in the Pokémon Center looking all happy."
I sighed in relief. "No one was with her?"
"No."
That was good. "Thanks. I'm Fin. Dina is my sister."
"Marceau Morin. I'm a…friend of Aisha's."
"I was arranging a convoy. Marceau is a vessel traveling home towards the citadel of the marine, the flowers of research," said Aisha. "He is familiar with the settlement and agrees to escort us."
"She means that I'm headed to Slateport," translated Marceau. "I was born there."
How convenient. With everything going wrong today, I was surprised to find that the gods of the world would even think of sending help. "Hey, Aisha," I said when something struck me as odd. "Why do you need me and Dina when you can pull out minions from your socks?"
"I assure you," said Marceau, "I would not touch any clothing article of hers."
Aisha smiled her knowing smile, fingered the assorted shinies sewn onto her dress, and replied, "Fin, even the Beedrill know to travel in hordes rather than existing isolated with their mates."
My sister decided to exit the Pokémon Center at that moment, humming and skipping and doing whatever else ten year old girls do when their happy and content. Instantly, my warning bells went off.
"Fin! Oh, Fin!" cried Dina. "Guess what? I caught a rare Pokémon. A Ralts!"
Now that was surprising. I knew that Ralts could be found near Petalburg, but I had not expected one to reveal itself to Dina, nor did I believe my sister had the capabilities to realize its worth and catch it. "Oh? And where is it?"
"I gave it away." Unfortunately, at least one of my beliefs had been correct. "I traded it for a rarer Pokémon!"
I was almost afraid to find out. "Really," I said, attempting to make myself sound cheerful. Both Aisha and Marceau found this very amusing.
"Yep. I named him Beany, and he's a special Pokémon that you can only find in Kanto and Johto. A nice man traded me." Dina still looked extremely proud of herself; she appeared to be very proud of this 'rare' and 'special' Pokémon. Frankly, I wasn't sure how special a Pokémon could be when it was named Beany.
"I think he likes me," announced Dina. She pulled out a Poké Ball and pressed the button. With a burst of light, a…stringy thing popped out and landed at our feet. It had a bell-shaped head atop a wiry body and two leaves for arms. As it looked around frantically, I found myself in shock. Again.
"Your tiny warrior is cute," said Aisha.
"Very," smirked Marceau, most likely to mock me. I didn't know what I did to warrant that; I'd just met him.
The thing hopped around for a while, mainly trying to dodge Dina's hands as she tried to pick him up. "Bell," he said. "Bell, bell."
That was the last straw. From now until the end of her journey, I was never letting my sister out of my sight. Maybe then she'd understand that trading a Ralts for a Bellsprout was one of the dumbest things to do in the Beginner's Guide to Pokémon Training.
Don't get me wrong. I love Bellsprout. :)
To summarize this chapter: Dina gets a new Pokémon and screws that up, and Fin meets an old 'friend.' Also, Fin gets a new Pokémon too. None of these are good.
Marceau's name is pronounced "Mahr-soh," by the way.
Random fact that probably will have nothing to do with anything except characterization: Fin and Dina are actually both adopted. But they look enough alike to be real siblings.
Credits
Aisha Keyre belongs to Jigglypuff's Pillow
Marceau Morin belongs to Misarina
Mr. Briney, Peeko, the two trainers in Route 102, Nurse Joy, and Pokémon belong to Nintendo
Fin, Dina, Vic, and the creepy guy who gives Dina a Bellsprout belong to me.