Hello again. It's been a while, hasn't it? Good thing this is a long chapter. :) ~Leopardspotz17
Note: My TV is freaking out… Just thought you should know.
Second Note: My friend Flyingflower666'-'666. She helped me out of my writing funk.
Chapter 7:
"HOLY SHIT!" The woman yelled. Her pokémon stopped suddenly, the woman and I falling over its head and onto the floor, due to the momentum. Dust and debris flew into the air, and I coughed, my ravaged lungs protesting with every breath. Alarms were set off, sirens piercing my ears like hundreds of tiny needles. Flashing white and red lights filled the hallway, adding to the confusion. An automated voice was telling everyone in the building to evacuate.
"What the Hell?" the woman shouted, up on the pokémon once more. I could see the creature more closely now. It had a large, cat-like body, with predominantly black fur. Its midsection and back legs were an electric blue, and its tail was tipped with a sharp, four-pointed star. It looked at me, red-rimmed golden eyes seeing right through me, as if it could see me as the useless and empty thing that I was. It bared its teeth menacingly towards me, and I shrunk back.
"What the fuck are you still doing on the ground? Get up here!" The woman pulled me up onto the black beast. Then I saw what it was really snarling at.
An impossibly huge Steelix had burst through the floor. Only its head was in the corridor, but even so it had crashed through the walls on both sides and the ceiling up above. It blocked the way to the exit. The woman had a crazed look in her eye, and looked back down the hallway from which we came. A man had stumbled out into the hall with a houndoom.
"Hey! What are you –"
"Luxray, Roar!" The pokémon let out a huge, terrifying roar that shook the air around us. The beast trembled with the ferocity of its voice, and I felt the vibrations rippling through its body. I shuddered and fought the urge to run away from the creature. The houndoom, on the other hand, sprinted immediately away, yelping down the hallway. The owner of the houndoom looked nervously at us and then ran, screaming, after his pokémon.
"Steelix, return!" The woman turned the luxray around to see the gigantic steel pokémon disappearing into its ball. On the other side of the gaping hole in the floor, was a tall, rugged man. He looked to be in his twenties. He had dirty blonde hair, and wore silver shades, protecting his eyes from the dust and rock. The rest of him was covered in a layer of dirt, his blue trench coat plastered with it as well as his boots. He took off his shades.
"Well, looks like you saved me a lot of trouble," he said to the woman, glancing at me. She looked angry.
"And you've cost me a lot of trouble, you son of a bitch!" With that, the luxray easily jumped the gap and landed on the linoleum floor next to the door. The dirty man gazed at the pokémon, his brow furrowing in thought. The woman jumped off the luxray and opened the door. Her pokémon jumped outside, carrying me with it. Outside was a forest. Was this still the Viridian, though? The trees seemed different – not as overgrown as the ones in Viridian.
"You coming, Mr. Dramatic Entrance?" she asked the man. He smiled.
"Just one more thing." He took a softball-sized silver ball out of his pocket, and pushed down a nearly invisible indent. The ball lit up red. He casually tossed it across the abyss his Steelix made, to the other side of the hallway.
"Let's Go. QUICKLY," he said, taking off out the door. The woman in black jumped on her luxray and it sprinted into the woods after him. I looked back to see the steel building sitting in a clearing. But soon trees stood in the way, and the building was lost in the foliage. We quickly drew along side the man, who was still running. He jumped up agilely onto the luxray, who didn't seem to mind. He was sitting behind me, grinning. He looked vaguely familiar.
"What did you throw in there?" I asked timidly. The man said nothing. He held up three fingers. Then two. One.
BOOM!
Behind us, it sounded as if a missile had struck the earth. I felt the heat on my back and above us, bits of metal and concrete rained down on the leafy treetops. The guy had fucking blown up the building. What kind of person does that?
"You blew it up?" I shrieked, aghast. He shrugged, and smiled.
"What can I say? I like explosions," he laughed. At my panic-stricken expression, he laughed even harder.
"B-but you didn't even stick around to see it explode!" I spluttered. I felt faint. He gave me a calm and even look.
"Cool guys don't look at explosions," he simply replied. In about a minute the luxray slowed down, and we dismounted. The woman spun to face the man.
"What the hell were you thinking?" she screamed at him.
"Exactly what you were. I was going to break this girl out. Now, who are you, exactly?" he asked, unruffled. The woman's mouth formed a hard line, as if she desperately wanted to smack him.
"Isn't it polite to give your own name before you ask for mine?" she snapped. The man smirked.
"I just blew up a building for the fun of it. Do you really think I'm polite?" The woman glared.
"Call me Rogue."
"Rogue?"
"It's what I am. That's the point of a name, right?" she said, rolling her eyes. She absentmindedly stroked her luxray, the latter giving off happy sparks. So it was an electric type.
"I'm Wes. Nice to meet you." He was looking at me, and he stuck out his hand. Wes. As in Garrett's uncle?
"You have a long history of blowing shit up," I whispered, eyes wide. He laughed.
"Garrett really must have filled you in." He looked at Rogue.
"You mind if I take her from here?" Rogue's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah, I do mind. You think I busted her out of there for no reason? I-"
"Wait." Wes walked towards Rogue, and stared into her eyes.
"Do I know you?" he breathed. Something in Rogue's eyes flashed.
"No." And she was gone. I barely saw the tail of her luxray as they fled deeper into the woods. Wes was silent, and he stared after her. He put a hand in his pocket and sighed.
"Come on. I'll take you to your pokémon." My heart leapt. Damien, Nessie, Styx, Hailey, Katsa, Jasper….. I had never been away from them for so long. I nodded, determination starting to creep back into me.
"Take me."
We soared above the treetops, clouds barely grazing the tips of the pokémon's wings. The trees were destroyed where we had taken off, branches broken and leaves tumbling to the ground. This creature was simply too big. Wes called it a salamence.
It's dark red, blade-like wings sliced through the air, carrying its impossibly heavy body through the sky. Below us, thick foliage created the canopy of the trees. Soon, the trees began to thin out. Ten minutes later, the salamence started to descend, the city limits fast approaching. The large pokémon landed, its tail thumping to the ground. Wes jumped off easily, while I slid down cautiously after him.
"Here we are," Wes said, recalling his salamence. I looked up at the skyscrapers. This was much bigger than Viridian… and I had thought that was huge.
"Where are we?" I asked. Wes looked at me incredulously.
"This is Celadon City! Second only in size to Saffron, which lies a little to the east."
We entered the city, winding through sidewalks and alleyways. I was lost in the haze of lights and noise. Within minutes we drew closer to the center of the city. We passed a large department store. It towered above the other buildings, the huge Pokémart sign blinking. Behind it was a large television screen, advertising numerous products. I stood still, gazing at a pokédoll with the likeness of a clefairy.
"Come on! You can go shopping after people aren't chasing you." I could almost hear Wes rolling his eyes.
Through the center of the city we went, threading through the crowds of people. Street venders called out their wares, and small children were tugged along by their parents. It was utter chaos.
"Do you live here?" I asked, pushing past an overweight man. Wes smiled at me.
"Sometimes. If I feel like it." I didn't bother to ask what he meant. Wes was a strange guy… I most likely did not want to know.
After we passed through the throng of tourists in the city square, we ran into less and less people. Finally, the din was left behind us, and we came upon an old brick building. It smelled horrible in this part of town.
"Ugh! What is that stench?" I asked, clamping my close. Wes chuckled.
"Local grimer infestation. The sewage workers are trying, but you know how hard it is to get rid of pokémon. Especially if they like it there," he replied.
Wes ascended the front steps of the building, and turned the doorknob. It stuck. He pushed. Still stuck. Wes growled, and pushed up his sleeves. He stood back a couple steps.
"Ahhh!" He ran towards the door. His shoulder was about to hit the wood when.
"What is with all the b-"
WHAM
"Oooww…" Garrett whimpered hoarsely. Wes rolled off to the side and stood up. He was completely fine.
"Sorry, nephew!" Wes laughed. Garrett made a face. Then he saw me. He pushed past Wes and hugged me. I stood stalk still and waited for him to let go. He didn't notice. He pulled back and smiled. I looked at him with cold eyes. Not forgiven. Never forgiven…
"Where's my pokémon?" I asked, shouldering past him into the house. Wes looked over my shoulder to Garrett and shrugged, as if to say, Bitches be crazy. But I didn't care.
"Damien! You here?" I called, hopefully. Nothing… then,
"Gengar!" The big, lovable, purple ghost slammed into me, hugging me for all that he was worth.
"Damien!" I hugged him in return, running my hand through the spikes on his back gently. I would never let him go again.
"Aw, I love happy reunions!" Wes could say all that he wanted to; nothing could pull me out of my happiness.
"Are you ok?" Garrett placed his hand on my shoulder. I jerked back immediately, hissing.
"Don't touch me."
Garrett's eyes widened and he backed away apologetically. I buried my head in Damien's soft body. The ghost pokémon patted my back softly.
"Gen. Gengar," he said reassuringly. Damien pulled back and held up something in his hand. My belt.
"Oh, thank you Damien!" I cried happily. I released them all from their balls. Nessie, Styx, Katsa, Jasper, and Hailey all appeared from their balls. When they saw me they all cried out simultaneously. Nessie's tail lit up so brightly that everyone was blinded. Finally, Damien sat on her tail and put out the light. Nessie glared at him, to which he grinned.
"Jesus Christ! Remind me never to separate you from your pokémon if only to avoid burning my retinas!" Nessie cuffed Wes on the head with her paw.
"Ow… what? It's true!" Wes rubbed the back of his head, pouting. I smiled.
"I see how it is. I think we'd better give these guys some privacy. Come on, Garrett. Stop standing there like an idiot, your girlfriend's fine." I glowered at the remark, resisting the urge to flip the sliver-haired man off.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Garrett and Wes disappeared up the stairs. I grabbed on to all my pokémon, holding them close. Katsa licked me, her saliva coating the right half of my face. On any other day I'd be annoyed, but today it was the best thing she had ever done.
"I love you all," I whispered.
Scratch! Scratch!
"Huh, I wonder what that is." I walked to the door, standing on my tiptoes to look through the peephole. Only to find, that it had been painted over. I scoffed and opened the door.
Sitting on the front step was a glameow. It meowed and looked up at me with big eyes.
"Hey, little fellow. Are you lost?" I asked sticking out my hand to pat him on the head. The glameow hissed and scratched me, raking its long claws down my hand.
"Dammit!" I yelled, wrapping my hand in my shirt.
"There she is! Get her!" I squinted as a flashlight beam burned into my eyes. Shit.
