Breaking the Mold
Chapter 8
With fresh determination, Knot finally found his way out of Mount Coronet. A snowflake landed on the side of his nose, and he blew it off. He looked over at the long, twisting path full of trainers and deep snow. And he looked down the slippery, jagged mountainside.
The pale pokemon began pushing snow down the slope in one spot. All the snow he could stand to hold went over the edge, and he patted down what he could reach with his thick tail.
'What are you doing?' Azelf suddenly appeared, corkscrewing lazily through the air. Its long tails fluttered out behind it.
'I'm making my own way down the mountain. You never said it was so far.'
'Oh, well, you found out on your own.' The two tails flicked indifferently.
'Yes, I did.' Knot was staring down the mountainside. His snow trail barely reached a fifth of the way down, and sharp rocks poked up through it here and there, like black sprouts in the snow.
'Did you find your powers yet?'
'No, but I think I'm getting closer.' Knot turned to the smaller pokemon as if struck by a thought. 'I'm glad you're here, though. I've learned a thing or two in this moutain.'
'Oh? Like what?' Azelf turned a lazy somersault.
'You'll think it's stupid...' The Mewtwo looked down, rubbing his hands together.
'No, now I want to know. What'd you learn?' Azelf swooped closer to look at the larger pokemon.
'Well... It seems like when you're alone and hit a dead end, someone will come along to help you, more often than not,' Knot said softly, never meeting Azelf's eyes.
'...So you just sit around until somebody else comes along to save you?' Azelf asked, disgust tinging its mental voice.
'I don't have to. But it worked out this time.'
In a flash, Knot sprang up and grabbed the Being of Willpower's two tails. Azelf squeaked and tried to pull away, but the tall pokemon was already running for the slope. He slid down, Azelf struggling in his grip.
'Fly, or I'll swing you into the mountain!'
'No!'
'Those rocks look pretty sharp!'
'You're too big, even if I wanted to! I can't carry you!'
'Then you'd better find another way to Snowpoint!'
'No! No, no, NO!'
Nausea, and the sensation of being dragged through almost-dry glue, hit Knot without warning. At the same time, the world blurred into blackness. In a split second the feeling was gone, and they were back at the lake. Knot held on tight.
Again.
On top of the mountain. Hail pelted them.
Deep in a cave full of fog.
Over the open sea. Startled Wingulls squawked.
Above a volcano. Azelf twisted violently. Knot squeezed.
Another lake, identical to the first, but the island and trees were covered in a light snow.
Azelf thrashed, turned. A solid wave of pure mental energy slammed into Knot. He gasped. His face wrinkled in rage. And he lashed out with a growl.
The smaller pokemon was blown back, almost ripping his tails off. The two fell through the air. Knot landed on the icy top of the cave in the middle of the lake. Azelf was flung away.
Just before the two-tailed pokemon hit the water, a gray and yellow flash zipped out and grabbed it. The new pokemon was of a similar shape and size. Its head was rounded, and its eyes seemed to be closed. Another appeared, pink and gray with long ear-flaps.
Two pairs of tails lashed.
'GET AWAY!!'
The Mewtwo was shoved backwards, plowed down into the water. He flailed and fought back up to the surface, where he struggled, trying to swim to shore. When he finally made it, he turned to see the three pokemon floating side by side, staring balefully back at him. There was a translucent barrier around the island that shimmered like a soap bubble.
'GO!'
Again, power slammed into Knot like a wall of wind. He met the impact head-on. And again it pushed him back, but it left him feeling strangely energized. He struggled to find an outlet for this strange, overpowering feeling. It was too much to contain. He screamed.
Power flared out from him, rippling, shaking the trees around him. He snarled at the three surprised pokemon across the water. And their barrier shattered.
They all stared at each other for a long moment, breathing hard.
'Sorry,' Knot finally offered, a bit awkwardly. Then he turned and walked away.
Mespirit, Being of Emotion, moved to pursue him. The yellow Uxie's tails wrapped around the pink pokemon's.
'I know your feelings,' Uxie assured the other softly. 'But that is not something we want to fight.'
********************************
"So," the man in the orange suit said, dangerously calm. "Explain to me why you've returned empty-handed."
The two younger men in black were pale and sweating.
"We... We have no excuses, sir," Nelson said, his eyes downcast. "We had it, and we were flying over Sinnoh... And then suddenly we didn't have it."
"Did it teleport?" Giovanni asked.
"No," Capone muttered. "We had it trapped and held with the metal balls. Anything it did just fed them."
"Did it manage to relax to the point that it slipped out?"
The two lower Rockets glanced at each other in agony and confusion.
"No," Capone said. "We were watching it, see? It was fightin' the whole time. Then it just wasn't there."
"And you met with no interference?"
"Not after we got in the air, no."
"I see." The Boss folded his hands and leaned forward. "So why have you returned, if you have nothing?"
"I – We had to get back here," said Nelson, his eyes beginning to glaze over. Capone wasn't doing much better next to him.
"Clearly you've been taken advantage of," said Giovanni, spitting out every word. "Perhaps I was mistaken when I decided that you were strong-minded enough for this mission."
"We'll... We'll go back! We'll get it for you!" Nelson offered desperately.
"No, I don't think you sill," Giovanni said. "You're both on guard duty for the remainder of the year. Report to the first floor for your assignments."
"But - !"
Team Rocket's boss slammed his palms down on his desk, on his feet suddenly. "No excuses! I do not tolerate failure, and you're clearly not prepared for active duty in the field! Go!" The Persian by his side snarled, baring its sharp fangs.
The two demoted agents fled.
Giovanni's hands clenched into fists as he turned away from his desk. He picked up a cell phone, hit a button, and raised it to his ear.
"How is the training progressing?" he asked tersely after a moment. "...I see. Will you be able to meet our deadline? Excellent. I will expect a demonstration of your progress within the next week. Yes. Yes."
He closed the phone with a sharp click. Persian rubbed up against his legs. His fingers idly brushed its head, and it purred.
*****************************
Knot crept through the frosty trees, leaving light footprints in the snow behind him. Each step crunched softly. In just a moment, the dock came into view. The Mewtwo hung back to take in the sight.
The small port was bustling with people, talking and laughing and arguing. A few snack vendors had set up stands, and were doing good business selling bags of grilled chestnuts, roasted corn on a stick, and hot chocolate, tea, coffee, and apple cider. There was only one ship docked, a combination freighter/cruise ship. A narrow gangplank, covered against the light snow, was guarded by a woman in a blue uniform. No one was boarding yet. Off to the far side, a crew of well-muscled Machoke and Vigoroth was loading huge crates and boxes into the cargo bay by way of a wide ramp.
Knot rubbed his arms thoughtfully. He might be able to duck across the road to town without being seen. It wasn't very wide, and he blended in with the snowy shade well enough. But getting onto the ship would be another matter.
For about fifteen minutes, the pale pokemon surveyed the scene. A chime sounded. A cheerful voice announced over the loudspeaker that all passengers should have their tickets ready, as boarding would begin shortly. There was a great rustling as tickets were pulled out of pockets, wallets, and purses. Young children jumped up and down, demanding to hold their tickets. Couples and groups of friends grinned anxiously. A stooped man sharply questioned his younger female companions. The three of them seemed to be in some odd black and white uniform. It was familiar from somewhere...
The quieter human in Mount Coronet. Some T name, not important. His clothes were similar.
A smile slowly spread over Knot's face. He slipped as close to the cargo loading bay as he dared, and quickly estimated distance, time, and accuracy.
*******************************
"Do you still have the pass?" Charon asked Mars. The redhead rolled her eyes at Jupiter, who sighed.
"For the fiftieth time, yes."
"Well don't lose it. We were extremely lucky that Saturn got careless and dropped it. If you misplace it, we won't easily find another."
"Yeah. Got it," said Mars, looking up at the ship.
Jupiter brushed a snowflake off her cheek. The crowd was getting on her last nerve. "Did you take that seasickness medicine I gave you?" she asked Mars, while staring at snot dripping down a little boy's face.
"Yeah. It was the nastiest thing I've ever tasted." The younger woman's mouth puckered.
"But hopefully it's effective." The snot had reached the boy's mouth. He licked his lips. Jupiter turned away.
"We're only going as far as the Battle Zone Island," Charon mumbled. "It won't be a long trip. I highly doubt you need to waste your money on things like that."
"So when I puke all over you on the way back, I can say I told you so?" Mars asked, smiling bitterly.
The light breeze died. The air grew still. Snowflakes drifted down silently on a straight path to the ground.
A blast of power tore across the sky like the wake of a great flying beast. Every hat, snack, and ticket was blown off heads and out of hands, away from its owner, and towards the waves. A few people were blown over. Mars squeaked, and she and Jupiter clutched at each other for support. Charon managed to brace himself. Every head on the dock whipped up to see what had blown by overhead. There was nothing to be seen in the sky.
Then the commotion started.
"What are you doing!? You lost our pass!"
"What was that?"
"Go find it! Time is imperative!" Charon glowered at the two women, and they scrambled to reclaim their ticket. There were a number of papers and other debris lying at the end of the pier. But as they reached it, another blast hit the water. It was slightly weaker than the first, but the force of it was enough to knock everyone close to the edge into the freezing waves. The items they had been trying to save were blown farther out, and landed on the water. There was thrashing, sputtering, and outraged yelling from all parties. Those still on land moved quickly to pull people out of the ocean. The working pokemon ran to help.
Soon Jupiter and Mars were huddled together, shivering in their emergency blankets.
"Did you get the ticket?" Charon asked, finally squeezing his way through the crowd. The two stared at him.
"No," snapped Jupiter.
"Incompetent! Now they'll have to go by the boarding list. Which we're not on!"
"Yeah, well, maybe you should hold onto the stupid ticket yourself next time!"
In the confusion, no one had seen a pale figure slip up the loading ramp and into the cargo hold. When the crew and their pokemon got back from pulling people out of the sea, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The blasts of energy were never explained, but were attributed to Uxie, the neighboring lake pokemon, due to their high psychic level.
