Chapter Nine: "Gotta Snag 'Em All"
Inside the abandoned ship S.S. Libra, Kris and company were face-to-face with Yellow, though no one spoke a word or made a sound besides Shrew who had jumped into Yellow's arms and was nuzzling against her. Jackal the Lucario was still glaring at the group pointedly, its other "hand" in a fist surrounded by a blue aura.
"Jackal, you can stop," Yellow told the Lucario in a soothing voice. "These are our friends. Could you please check the deck to see if it's sealed? I think Cipher has given up but you can never be too sure."
When Jackal left, Wes, who had known Yellow since the Navel Rock incident almost a year ago, was the first to speak up.
"Well, much as I wanna know what the heck is happenin' here," he said, "I have to say, thank you, Yellow!"
"It was nothing," Yellow replied calmly. "And I'll explain everything I can. Is any one of you hurt?"
"Now that you mention it," Hall started, "I think I ingested sand when that country yokel crashed our bike. Is the soil here radioactive or anything? Should I worry about-"
"We're all fine!" Lunick interrupted and shoved Hall away. "Kris, if you don't mind, I think we should restrain this man again, now that the worst is over."
"Yeah, I agree," Kris said, giving Lunick a quick glance, though she found it hard to take her eyes off Yellow.
When Lunick started dragging Hall away, Lunick's Luxray began to whimper as it brushed itself against Lunick's leg. Lunick just shooed it away impatiently as he continued walking, clearly with a limp.
"You're hurt!" Yellow gasped as she saw it too and ran to Lunick.
"It's not broken, just twisted, most likely," Lunick insisted. "I have to get this scumbag restrained first."
"Lunick!" Kris snapped. "Society has progressed in three hundred years, you know. We're not a pack of Lycanroc who abandon the wounded member as a burden. We're friggin' human beings and I have no time for any macho crap, now let her look at your leg."
Sighing but also smiling at Kris' ranting, Lunick let Hall off his grip and sat down on the nearest crate, clearly relieved to be off his feet. Yellow felt different parts of Lunick's leg and foot, until deducing the problem was in the ankle – which didn't exactly require a medical degree as Lunick groaned in pain when Yellow touched his ankle.
"Yes, indeed, you found it!" Lunick grunted. "So, do you have a first aid kit of some kind in here?"
Yellow smiled shyly. "Not quite," she said quietly. "I need you to trust me with this one."
"Huh?"
"Do as she says, Lunick," Kris said.
Trusting Kris' words, Lunick complied, but his resigned expression soon turned to that of amazement as Yellow merely held her hands above Lunick's ankle, which suddenly emitted a slight glow. Kris and Wes just nodded at him encouragingly, so Lunick stayed still for the next twenty seconds. After that, Yellow was done, but as she tried to stand up, she almost collapsed. Wes quickly rushed to grab her before she fell on the floor.
Seeing this reminded Kris of something from a few months ago. It was back when she and the others were about to go fight Cyrus on Mt. Coronet. That's when she had first met Yellow, who clearly knew about Kris long before Kris knew anything about her. To make sure Kris would be prepared for Cyrus, Yellow had given all of Kris' Pokémon a temporary power boost, something that allowed her Pokémon to achieve Mega Evolution without any stones.
Kris would kill for that kind of power again, but seeing Yellow get shaky just by using her inexplicable powers to heal a minor injury made Kris think twice.
"Are you okay?" Wes asked Yellow as he helped her stand. "And for the record, I'm fine, I don't need no help!"
"Everything is fine," Yellow said drowsily. "However, I have been hiding here for days, so I may have been weakened just by that. Really, that wasn't much work for me."
Lunick, who had been marveling just by the fact that he could stand without being in pain, was now staring at Yellow with a mix of respect and fear.
"How did you do this?" he asked Yellow. "W-what are you?"
"Rude, bro," Wes said. "It's 'Who' are you. Also 'thanks for healing me' works."
"Lunick, relax," Kris agreed, taking Lunick by the hand. "She's a friend. I don't exactly know how it works either, but she's the real thing."
"I'm kind of piecing it together myself," Yellow smiled. "I hear it's because I'm one of the last people born in Viridian Forest, though I know that neither of my parents had abilities to this extent. Maybe it skipped a few generations or maybe I was born lucky. Either way, I have to use my gifts to make this world a better place."
"After the thing with Cyrus, I tried to contact you," Wes told Yellow. "I wanted to know if I had accomplished my mission. You told me long ago that my destiny was to help Kris and that defeating Cyrus would be the way. But now I hear that the prophecy isn't even close to being fulfilled."
Kris groaned. "Here we go again with prophecies and destiny," she deadpanned. "Don't get me wrong, I want to know too, that's why I'm here, but you can't let it go to your head like this. Nothing is set in stone."
"I'm here to study the prophecy," Yellow said to stop the argument, "and I think I can shed a bit more light on it. Do you want to hear?"
Everyone gathered into a circle on the floor as Yellow took out a large piece of paper from her bag, followed by an old-fashioned ink bottle and a quill from some bird Pokémon. She then drew a circle on the paper as the others watched.
"The prophecy, called the Sinjoh Prophecy by some due to it originating on the Sinjoh Ruins," Yellow narrated, "tells a story about the ultimate fate of our world. The world populated by Pokémon. The prophecy was discovered over a thousand years ago by a religious sect that worshiped Arceus, the Original One, as the sole creator of all things. It chronicled the entire story of the world as we know it, from its birth at Arceus' million hands to its ultimate destination. However, the prophecy was written in a language unfamiliar to the sect at the time, meaning it was interpreted in many different ways. Two of the most popular interpretations have been cited to be the most accurate ones, both arguing that there is no 'end' to the story as it is, but a rebirth. How that rebirth occurs, however, is debated."
Yellow drew a stick figure on the map, decorating it with a robe and a crown, Kris stifling her laughter at the naive illustrations.
"The worshipers of Arceus believe that the ongoing feud for supremacy between human and Pokémon will be ended by the Transcendent One," Yellow continued. "Many humans over the course of history have been called that, but most argue that so far, the right candidate, the one that represents all of the seven holy virtues, has not been found."
"The worshipers of Giratina, however," Yellow continued and drew a sort of ellipse underneath the circle representing the world, "the Circle of the Torn World, they believe that the current bond between humans and Pokémon is abhorrent against the true ruler of the world. In their eyes, only a select few humans and Pokémon can exist. They believe that-"
"A herald will bring forth Giratina's return, yes, I told these brats this already," Hall interrupted rudely. "But please continue if you intend to actually surprise me with anything."
Yellow didn't seem phased. "The details of the prophecy have been scattered all over the world, though most have been excavated and put into the vaults of private collectors, museums or research institutes. The Circle is doing their best to find and keep these parts of the prophecy for themselves. There's of course several ruins in Hoenn," Yellow drew a point in the map, "and then there's the Sinjoh Ruins," she drew another point. "Recently in Orre, the Pokémon HQ Laboratory search party led by the visiting professor Cozmo found some here," she drew yet another point. "That's why, as I'm sure you've heard, Cipher went after him. Though I think there might be other reasons as well. Finally, for now anyways, there are several places on the Sevii Islands," Yellow drew several dots bunched together, "that I believe are untouched. But I don't doubt that they're already looking for these."
"Red is out there, most likely hiding from people who want him silenced," Yellow continued. "He's well on his way to expose if members of the Circle have infiltrated the ranks of the Pokémon League and get the truth to the people. I'm combining every piece of data from the prophecy that I can find, but I could sure use your help."
"Of course!" Kris said. "I have a feeling if we decode this prophecy, we'll be able to prevent anything like the Cyrus incident happening again."
And I get an eternity of glory, Kris thought, but couldn't hide her grin, which made Yellow confused.
Before Kris had to explain anything, however, a loud thump came from the blocked hole in the hull. Some muffled voices coming from outside followed by high-pitched screeching.
"Victreebel, Acid!" a voice on the other side shouted.
The next thing the group knew, powerful acid had dissolved a huge hole in the wooden crate blocking the way, the hole slowly becoming big enough for a large Victreebel and its owner, Missile, to come through.
By the time he was through, however, Lunick's Luxray had returned to his side and Wes had sent out his Ninetales while Kris did the same with her Chandelure. Even outgunned three-to-one, Missile looked awfully confident.
"Haha!" he laughed. "Cipher attacked you, so you must be spies!"
"...by what logic?" Kris deadpanned, not feeling too afraid when Missile had no one backing him up.
"See, they were trying sooo hard to make it look like they were about to kill you," Missile reasoned with his finger raised academically, "a little too hard for my liking. Clearly they missed you every time on purpose!"
Kris groaned in frustration while Lunick raised an eyebrow at Missile.
"Where are your men?" Lunick asked.
"Missile only needs one man," Missile said proudly. "No, scratch that, Missile doesn't need anyone or anything, but should there be an event that would require a man, then only one could fill that-"
"Yeah, enough of this, they bailed!" Wes snapped. "Ninetales, Flamethr-"
But before anyone could attack, something zoomed past Kris, Wes, Lunick and their Pokémon, and as fast as anyone could blink, Jackal the Lucario had already lifted the much larger Victreebel over its head. Screeching and struggling, the Victreebel was thrown out of the ship, only to be transformed into a Ditto mid-air.
"Ha!" Missile exclaimed as he suddenly a threw a Poké Ball inside. "Bamboozled yet again!"
Missile's real Victreebel came out of the ball, but was swiftly paralyzed by Luxray's Thunder Wave and then knocked out by a dual-flamethrower from Kris' Chandelure and Wes' Ninetails. But as this happened, Missile sneaked inside and lunged at Kris.
"It's ooooveeeeer~!" Missile yelled theatrically, which naturally caught Kris' attention and caused her to step out of the way while Lunick grabbed Missile's arms and pinned him down.
In seconds, the once-tough thug was now a whimpering mess on the floor.
"Hey, cut it out!" he cried as Lunick held him in a grip. "I wasn't gonna hurt her! I just wanted to take him hostage to make Cipher agree to our demands or someowwww!"
"For the last time!" Kris groaned. "We are not working for this Cipher group, meaning I'm about as useful to you as a sweater, because you, sir, have no chill!"
"But…" Missile complained. "We received a tip! And who else would venture into the desert like this! You were going to figure out the location of our last base and pass it on to Cipher so they can finish us off!"
"You just admitted your current base is your last, dummy!" Wes laughed.
"I'm kinda morbidly curious how you ended up joining Team Snagem," Kris said, "but then again I already know about their low standards."
"Hey!" Wes protested.
Missile looked at Wes. "You mean to say… you once worked for us too?"
"Well before they took freaks like you along," Wes said. "I blew up their old base, too!"
"That's not what you should be interested in," Lunick said roughly and twisted Missile's wrist which made him yell in pain. "Who tipped you about us? Who?!"
Kris put her hand on Lunick's arm in concern, making him ease up a little bit.
"Just tell us," Kris told Missile, though she already had an idea.
"It was an anonymous tip," Missile admitted. "But whoever it was knows a lot, even your detailed coordinates. From there, it was easy to extrapolate your route and ambush you."
"As long as you're here you might as well answer us this!" Lunick said and knelt on Missile's back. "Where did you take professor Cozmo?"
Missile hacked and gasped for air as Lunick took his knee off. "Literally who?!" Missile coughed. "Kris, who is this jerk, and why do I keep imagining him in a Crusader outfit in my mind?"
"You saying Team Snagem wasn't the one who kidnapped him?" Kris asked. "This happened just a few days ago. How long have you been a member?"
"A whole month," Missile said proudly. "And we haven't kidnapped anyone! Um, any human, anyway. Like, is this Cozmo a new Pokémon or something cause I swear I can't keep up with all the species that keep-"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Kris sighed and looked at Wes. "This is a bit hard to say, but I think you were right."
"He is right," Yellow spoke up. "Cipher were the ones who got him."
Everyone turned to look at Yellow, who became a lot more bashful with all attention on her.
"I've heard stories, um…" Yellow stumbled. "Jackal kind of, um, told me."
"Damn it, so Mayor McBeefHuge sold us out!" Wes cursed. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that old Eggman-looking ass. You think he's running the show?"
"Didn't that Venus chick say the Grand Master had ordered her?" Kris remembered.
Blake Hall laughed darkly as he leaned against a crate. "That makes perfect sense," he said. "Team Dim Sun isn't the only gang the Grand Master has bought. Figures he has influence in Orre as well."
"Do you know why?" Kris asked Yellow.
Yellow nodded. "Unfortunately I do," she said grimly. "It's the reason why I'm on this ship. They-"
Yellow paused and looked at Jackal. She was glowing blue with aura again and was growling at something at the staircase leading to the upper decks.
Yellow's expression became tense. "So they're coming," she said.
"I hear it too," Lunick said and pulled out his knife. "Sounds like a group of people coming down here."
"Worse than that," Yellow said seriously. "I hope you're ready to fight some more."
Kris got an answer to a question she didn't even have time to voice as the doors were slammed open by a Gurdurr, a bulky gray fighting-type carrying a large girder. But this Gurdurr's eyes were almost milky white, the pupils grayed out almost completely, and it was drooling like it had rabies. Without hesitation, it tossed the girder at the group, though Jackal managed to block it and send it flying into a bunch of crates.
Gurdurr wasn't alone, as it was followed by two more of its kind, then followed by a massive influx of Pokémon looking just like it: nearly pupil-less eyes, drooling and slowly making their way towards the group, teeth exposed and forearms extended if they had any. There were Rattata, Raticate, Growlithe, Houndour, Poochyena, Mightyena, Machop, Machoke, Geodude, Graveler and a ton of other Pokémon of low-to-mid levels.
"Everybody retreat," Yellow advised, and no one wasted time rushing out of the ship through the hole Missile created. Missile himself, confused when Lunick was no longer holding him, quickly realized to do the same after returning his Victreebel and Ditto.
However, outside, what expected them was much worse than the twenty or so Pokémon waiting at the ship. Dozens of similar Pokémon, all looking deranged, were slowly closing in on the group. On top of that, there were several flying Pokémon like Pidgeotto and Pelipper as well as Pokémon like Cacturne, Diglett, Dugtrio and Sandile emerging from the desert sand.
Wes seemed to come to a realization. "Kris!" he barked. "Do you still have the Aura Reader you were using back in Kanto, when we were fighting Cyrus?"
Kris had indeed kept hers, though she couldn't quite remember why and how – from what she understood, it was a valuable piece of technology, albeit with limited use. As she put the small scanner-like device on her ear and adjusted its screen on her right eye, she suddenly saw the advancing Pokémon in a much more different light.
All of them had a black and purple aura emanating from them, but one that was invisible to naked eye.
"They're surrounded by some kinda dark aura-thing," Kris summarized the best she could. "Do you know something about this?!"
"I haven't seen one before but I had a feeling," Wes said darkly.
"These are shadow Pokémon," Yellow explained, Kris realizing that Yellow could most likely see the auras fine without an Aura Reader. "It's why I'm at this ship. Cipher has transformed these Pokémon into fighting machines that have no emotions, no needs and no morality. They'll fight and kill, humans and other Pokémon alike, until their bodies wear out."
"Cursed Cipher!" Missile exclaimed as if he was some kind of paragon of justice. "This is why at Team Snagem wholeheartedly oppose them and-"
"The reason why they obtained so many Pokémon to begin with was thanks to Team Snagem," Yellow continued. "But they weren't producing fast enough, so they decided to ambush a cargo ship full of Pokémon instead."
"But how could it end up here?!" Wes wondered.
"I don't know," Yellow said.
"So what do we do?" Kris asked. "I don't particularly want to hurt these things but I appreciate my life more than I do theirs!"
"Yes… it is a shame, but we must do what we can for the sake of survival."
"Chandelure, take five," Kris said and withdrew the ghost-type. "Gardevoir, go!"
Kris instead sent out the second-strongest Pokémon she had at the moment, with Snorlax and Honchkrow both at Elm's lab for the time being. The graceful psychic-type assumed a fighting stance in front of Kris, but seemed a bit confused by the situation – hordes of Pokémon with no trainers surrounding them. Shrew, who had been by Yellow's side thus far, assumed a fighting stance next to the Gardevoir.
"Thanks, Shrew," Kris praised. "Gardevoir, I know they're not Pokémon with trainers, but we gotta protect ourselves!"
Wes' Ninetales and Lunick's Luxray didn't waste time in getting to work, using Flamethrower and Thunderbolt to keep the shadow Pokémon at bay. Jackal, in the meantime, got up close and physical, creating a bone-shaped club out of pure energy that it beat the Pokémon to submission with. Yellow herself sat on the sand, closed her eyes and raised her arms in concentration.
"Shrew, Sand-Attack!" Kris yelled when a feral shadow Raticate got too close, and Shrew blinded the Pokémon by tossing sand in its face. "Good, now Gardevoir, use Psychic to finish it off!"
Gardevoir prepared for the attack, but after a moment of hesitation, lowered its arms and just stared at the struggling shadow Pokémon.
"Gardevoir, what's wrong?!" Kris snapped. "Don't tell me you're gonna start acting up again?!"
Gardevoir didn't respond, it just closed its eyes and stood there. Kris ordered Shrew to take out the Raticate with a Slash attack while she withdrew Gardevoir. She'd have to get to the bottom of this disobedience later.
Meanwhile, Missile had joined the fight by sending out his Beedrill, which fought the shadow Pokémon advancing from above. It managed to use Poison Jab to take out two Pidgeotto and a Dustox thanks to Missile's quick reactions.
But in the ensuing confusion, one person was actively not participating in the conflict. While everyone else focused on the shadow Pokémon, Blake Hall was slowly stumbling away, sinking into the sand with every other step.
"Hey!" Kris yelled. "Hall!"
Hearing this, Hall stepped up and began running. While Shrew was fighting a Krokorok that had just emerged from the sand, Kris chased after Hall, but stopped when he heard a panicked cry from behind her.
Missile's Beedrill had been defeated by the sheer numbers of the shadow Pokémon and a Pelipper was swooping down towards Missile himself, who had stumbled and fell trying to run away. The Pelipper's large beak was wide open, as if it was trying to chow Missile down with one bite. Throwing concern for Hall out of the window, Kris turned around, and without thinking, grabbed the only weapon she had, her bag, and rushed towards Missile.
Just as the shadow Pelipper was closing in on Missile, Kris whacked it as hard as she could with her bag. The one hit had Pelipper stunned for a while, giving enough time for Lunick to notice this and order his Luxray to use Thunderbolt on the Pelipper, knocking it out.
"You okay?" Kris asked Missile nonchalantly, mostly looking at how Shrew was doing.
Missile, on the other hand, had tears in his eyes as he grabbed Kris by the leg.
"Fair maiden!" he cried, confusing Kris. "You saved my life! And after I accused you of being a filthy Cipher spy!"
"Well, um..." Kris said awkwardly, trying to think of something clever to say as Missile hugged her leg. "You got the spy part wrong, at least. Uh… anyway, no problem, man..."
"Nonsense!" Missile exclaimed and suddenly stood up. "From this day on, I owe you a life debt, Kris! One that I can only repay with an act of equal magnitude!"
"...yeah, whatever," Kris said.
"There's no stopping them!" Wes cried out.
Kris looked around her. Wes' Ninetales had collapsed out of exhaustion, forcing Wes to withdraw it and send out his Espeon. Lunick and his Luxray were exhausted and even Jackal was slowing down despite having mowed down dozens of shadow Pokémon. And yet they kept on coming.
"Espeon, Reflect!" Wes ordered.
Espeon put up a psychic barrier to stop some of the shadow Pokémon, but it only covered very little ground, with plenty of other shadow Pokémon just going around it while others kept on raining from the sky. Wes took a break to take out Umbreon's Poké Ball, but was suddenly shocked by a spark of electricity: a green, cuboid bug Pokémon Wes hadn't seen before crawled out from under the sand, electricity sparkling around it. Wes had developed quite a resistance to being shocked, but still couldn't withstand a fully charged electric shock from a Pokémon.
"Wesley!" Lunick shouted, ran to Wes and pushed him out of the way as the bug Pokémon fired another shock, this one missing and hitting another shadow Pokémon instead. Wes sent out his Sceptile, which swiftly took care of the bug by picking it up and throwing it away as hard as it could.
"That was close!" Lunick gasped as he helped Wes stand up. "That was a Charjabug, a Pokémon they imported from an island region around here. They're sneaky little things, we dealt with a few of them at the Ranger Union."
"Uh… yeah, thanks," Wes said as he tried to get sand out of his hair. "But how are we gonna keep this up! How many Pokémon were in that ship?"
"Anywhere between five hundred and a thousand," said Yellow, who had finally stopped meditating and stood up. "Everyone!" she shouted suddenly. "Gather around me, quick!"
Everyone ran to Yellow and huddled in a ring around her. Kris had long since stopped doubting anything she could do and just watched in awe as Yellow extended her arms outwards. This was followed by a blast of air heading to every direction, knocking back the advancing shadow Pokémon. Then, as if they had all just seen something horrifying, the shadow Pokémon began retreating back into the ship, some almost desperately scattering away.
Finally, after all the shadow Pokémon apart from the unconscious ones had left the area, Yellow dropped her arms and almost fell, but was caught just in time by Wes and Jackal. A nasty glare from the Lucario made Wes let go of her, but Yellow's eyes were still open and she was still breathing.
"I'm fine," she told Jackal. "I'm fine."
Lunick, on the other hand, was not. He was shaking all over as he stared at Yellow. Missile, despite presumably not seeing Yellow before, seemed to accept this quite easily, immediately going for his downed Beedrill and using a Potion on it.
"That should keep them there for a few hours more," Yellow said quietly, still getting herself together. "But I'm afraid you can no longer take shelter in this ship. It's not safe."
"So what should we do then?" Kris asked.
"Well, we at least know who to look for if we want to find Cozmo," Wes said as he and his Espeon walked amongst the unconscious bodies of the shadow Pokémon littered all over the desert. "Too bad there's no way we can ever take on Cipher."
"You are indeed enemies of Cipher?" Missile asked.
Lunick glared at him. "Why are you still here?!"
Missile ignored him, however, focusing on Kris. "In that case, I will gladly take you to see my boss, Gonzap, and put in the good word for you! Our lair should be just a stone throw's away!"
"How big of a stone?" Kris asked skeptically.
Missile shrugged. "Well, it's all relative. My stone's throw could be your, well, five-hour walk… but if need be, I'll carry you, because I owe you my life, dear Kr-"
"Yeah, okay, so if we want to get into any kind of shelter, that seems like our best bet," Kris said harshly as she looked westward – the sun was already beginning to set.
"You can't be serious!" Lunick yelled. "Are we going to make friends with criminals now?"
"Lunick!" Kris snapped. "I have a plan, okay? Can you just please trust me? Besides, we already have an in – not only did Missile here agree to vouch for us, but we also have a former Team Snagem member here!"
Wes scratched his head, more sand falling out of his hair as he did so. "I dunno," he mumbled. "Gonzap isn't gonna be happy to see me after what I did, but we do need to get out of here, especially if Cipher really is after us."
"Cipher shouldn't be back in a while," Yellow said, joining the conversation after a while of talking to Jackal, "the shadow Pokémon on this ship must have been triggered by something the drone dropped on us. They'll most likely think the shadow Pokémon got us and send another drone later to inspect the damage. If you head out now, you should be fine, but just in case, Jackal has agreed to stay with you."
"Really?!" Wes exclaimed. "But it's your Lucario, we couldn't-"
"Not mine," Yellow said politely. "I befriended her as a Riolu back in Sinnoh. She was being tortured by Team Galactic. You remember, Wes? She evolved a few weeks ago and has been training by itself ever since. She'll do what I ask, but I consider her an equal, not a possession."
"But will you be fine on your own?" Kris asked – she had assumed Yellow would be joining them. "Does Cipher want something to do with you?"
"You mentioned this 'Grand Master' before, so I assume you know a little bit about him," Yellow said. "He's more interested in Red at the moment, so he won't try to kill me, as I'm the closest thing he has to a lead on his location. I'll keep focusing on my goal – searching for the ruins here in Orre for some answers to this prophecy."
After some hesitation, Yellow extended her hand for Kris to shake. "It was an honor to meet you again," she said quietly. "I think we'll meet again."
"Yeah, of course!" Kris said as she and Yellow shook hands – even in the desert heat, Yellow's hand felt cold. "I still have a lot of questions!"
"What about Hall?" Lunick asked. "Should we go after him?"
"I don't know how far he thinks he'll get in this desert, a wanted man and all," Wes pondered. "And to be honest, I think he told us most of what he knew."
"If I see him, I'll do what I can to bring him to justice," Yellow promised. "But I must leave now. Be well, all of you."
With that, Yellow went the other way while Kris, Wes, Lunick and Jackal began trekking north, following Missile to Team Snagem's supposed lair. Kris knew that Missile could have been faking everything and the gang could be walking into a trap, but either way, she'd be a bit closer to the enemy after this.
~o~O~o~
Four years ago…
Location: The Krabby Club, Gateon Port, Orre
In the thriving port city located in the southwest corner of Orre, Wes stepped into the infamous bar by the seaside. It was a red, two-story building shaped like a Krabby, neon signs hanging from the pincers. A gang of thugs was hanging outside the building, arguing loudly about something.
It was the day after the Vivillon heist. Wes and Rui had pulled it off. They had escaped the clutches of Venus and her hired help, sold the rare Pokémon to Gonzap and made a permanent contract with Team Snagem, becoming de facto members of the gang. What Wes was about to do, he hadn't even told Rui – it was something he had to admit or he'd never be able to rest easy.
Making his way past the roughnecks and con artists convening in the bar, Wes walked over to the second floor, towards his target. There, sitting on a couch and enjoying the music below, sat an aging, short and completely bald man leaning against a cane – Mr. Verich. He was flanked by his two bodyguards who wore strange robes – one red and one blue, their hair colors corresponding to their clothes. Noticing Wes, Mr. Verich waved off his bodyguards and gestured at the 16-year old boy to sit on the couch opposite to him. Wes complied, but warily.
"I have to admire you," Verich said slowly, reaching over to grab a drink one of his bodyguards handed to him. "Coming here to face me after what you did couldn't have been easy."
"I came here to explain," Wes said quietly. "We, well, you and my associate, had an agreement. We were supposed to sell you the Vivillon. We backed out on it because it made the most business sense to do so. I heard you're a hardcore businessman so I'm sure you understand our motives. I just thought you deserved to know the truth."
Wes stopped talking and anticipated Verich's response, but the man just smiled serenely, eyes half-closed as he observed Wes. The longer the silence between the two continued, the more nervous it made Wes.
Why does this old fart who's half my size make me feel like this?
When the silence kept going on, Wes had to break it: "I know this ain't giving you a good picture of Orre," he continued, "but it might be best to stick doing business in your own country-"
"I was born here, actually," Verich interrupted calmly. "This region is my home. I remember a time when wild Pokémon roamed freely around these parts."
Wes squinted. He wasn't aware there was a time like that, and if there was, it had to be a very long time ago.
"Even after leaving to amass my fortune, I've returned several times to help my home out," Verich said, "I even set up the mines that brought wealth to this region decades ago. The business may have collapsed, but the tunnel network still remains, meaning I know everything that goes on around here."
Wes really wanted to leave. Verich's tone hadn't become any more threatening, which unsettled Wes all the more.
"Thank you for your explanation, son," Verich said with a nod. "I hope your current business partnership is profitable."
Wes just nodded and quickly got up from the seat so he wouldn't reveal he was sweating. But before he got to the stairs, his path was blocked by three people: Venus, the brown-haired woman clad in pink silk; Miror B, a man with a gigantic Poké Ball -colored afro in a golden leisure suit and Nascour, a tall, gaunt man with serpentine white hair. Nascour was in the forefront, looking down on the shorter Wes in contempt.
"And were you going to tell anything about this arrangement to us?" Nascour asked Wes.
Though he was taken by surprise, Wes swallowed his fear as he stared back at Nascour. "Can you step aside, please?" he asked in a carefree tone.
Nascour sneered at Wes. "You know, I thought we were friends," he said quietly. "I looked out for you, and this is how you repay me? We could have been rich."
"You mean the three of you, right?" Wes countered. "You were gonna screw me and Rui over just like you did so many times before this. Don't act like I stabbed you in the back when I finally nutted up and did something for myself."
"Ooo, feisty lil' thang!" Miror B commented.
"We were the ones who introduced that girl to you, Wesley," Venus reminded. "We're the reason you're anything in this region but just another no-name slob whose daddy ran out on him!"
"If you turn your back on us now, Wes," Nascour said, "then from this moment on, we're enemies. Do you understand?"
"Let him go, Nascour," Mr. Verich piped in without leaving his couch, focusing on his drink. "He's a man now and he can make his own choices. As civilized people, we will let him."
Though clearly displeased, Nascour stepped aside and allowed Wes to pass. But as Wes walked down the stairs, Nascour yelled one last thing after him:
"She's the one who got this idea, wasn't she?! Just you wait! Team Snagem isn't gonna be enough for her. Soon she'll want more, and you're not man enough to give her that! We're gonna run this region soon, Wes, and don't even think about coming back crying for a job!"
~o~O~o~
Present day
Location: Eclo Canyon, Orre
Wes woke up, having leaned against the back of his Zebstrika, which he was riding as the group traveled towards Team Snagem's hideout. They had traveled five hours now and it was dark, with Kris' Chandelure floating ahead of them providing light. Not only that, but it was cold, even in the desert-appropriate clothing Missile had packed and given to the others. Kris was sitting on Lunick's Luxray, Lunick walking next to her despite Kris requesting they switch up every once in a while. Missile was walking ahead, somehow full of energy and not at all bothered by the long distance or the cold, walking next to Chandelure to lead the way. Jackal was still with them, but hanging a bit back, as if to show she wanted nothing to do with anyone there.
After many, many complaints from Kris and Wes about how long it was taking, Missile finally said the golden words:
"We're here!" he yelled.
Wes' jaw almost dropped. Like the previous Snagem base, this, too, was inside a mountain, the entrance wedged between two large rocks. Instead of old ruins, though, this hideout was built hastily from what appeared to be shipping containers and small wooden shacks connected together. Even the location wasn't too far from the old base, as far as Wes remembered. To top of it all off, there was a sign outside that said:
"Not a secret hideout
No es un escondrijo clandestino."
"That's your method of warding off intruders?" Kris asked as they rode past the sign.
"Don't be silly, Kris!" Missile exclaimed. "It's our leader's ingenious reverse psychology. After all, our enemies would just shake their heads and think: 'No one would be stupid enough to have a sign like this outside a secret hideout!', prompting them to leave."
"Flawless logic," Kris mumbled.
As the group reached the fortified steel door of the Snagem hideout, they withdrew their Pokémon. Missile tapped on the door. Soon after, a small hatch at the door opened.
"Password?" a rough voice from inside asked through the hatch.
Missile sighed. "Roses are red, Cipher sure stinks, there's nothing wrong with watching bodybuilding videos, no matter what anyone thinks," he recited.
Wes groaned. "Same ol' Gonzap..."
"Accepted," the voice inside said, "but who are these?"
"They're here to join in our valiant struggle against Cipher!" Missile proclaimed. "They wish to see the boss!"
"Yeah, okay, whatever," the voice said and opened the door.
Kris and the others got a better glimpse of the hideout once inside and the door behind them was slammed shut. The interiors were dark and damp, lit with some haphazardly set up lights and lanterns hanging from the walls. There were empty wooden crates and cardboard boxes littered all over the place, as well as bald Snagem Grunts in red vests lounging around lazily. Unsure what else to do, the group just followed Missile as he sauntered through the base, cheerfully greeting the other Snagem thugs, most of whom ignored him.
"Before we go to meet Gonzap, I wanna show you something," Missile said and nodded at Wes. "You'll probably get the most nostalgia out of this."
Missile guided the group to a different room where a very large contraption, like an orange vending machine with a large lever on the side and a round, Poké Ball-sized slot on another side.
"This is the last remaining old Snag Machine model," Missile said, Wes looking enthralled by it as he began touching it like he couldn't believe his eyes. "The only one that survived the destruction of our first base two years ago, or so the OG's here tell me."
Wes laughed. "Yeah, another reason why Gonzap's gonna pop a vein when he sees me," he said grimly as he admired the machine. "I can't believe one is still left."
"What, exactly, does this machine do?" Lunick asked.
Missile tapped his nose and dramatically pulled an ordinary Poké Ball out of his pocket as a demonstration. He then inserted the ball into the machine slowly, with great effort, pulled the heavy-looking crank on the side until it was all the way down. Then, what felt like several minutes passed as the machinery inside whirred and the lever slowly returned to an upwards position. Finally, something dropped in the output slot of the machine where a good, cool drink would drop on a normal vending machine: it was the same Poké Ball but with golden stripes on the side and with a slightly darker color scheme.
"While it may seem ordinary to you," Missile proclaimed as he held the ball on his hand, "this, my friends, is a Snag Ball. I reluctantly admit the genius of Cipher's head scientist, as his work has created a Poké Ball that can override the Trainer ID recognition system in any other ball."
"So it's used for stealing," Lunick said. "How could you live with yourself working for these people?" he asked Wes.
Wes raised his hands. "I knew this was a thing that happened, but in my defense, I never used a Snag Ball. My job related to smuggling and protecting other Snagem Grunts. And I quit and destroyed the Snag Machines in the end, didn't I?"
"And in my defense," Missile said even though no one asked, "Team Snagem no longer does this type of thing. We've gone back to just smuggling."
"That's still not good!" Lunick argued.
"Okay, okay, enough with the morality banter," Kris snapped. "We've got more important things to do."
"Indeed, just wanted to point it out – and," Missile said and held the Snag Ball in front of Kris, "give you this as a gift. It can't make up for saving my life, but it's a small step towards repaying my debt."
Kris was hesitant – what would she do with a ball for stealing Pokémon, after all? But to silence Missile and get on with the tour, Kris accepted the ball and immediately shoved in it in her bag. Still, Missile seemed pleased.
"Now, onto the office of our fearless leader!" he announced.
Missile lead the group to a door seemingly like any other, except with a piece of paper with the hastily scribbled name 'Gonzap' plastered on it. That, and at close inspection, the door was much wider than any other in the base. Missile knocked on the door, and when someone inside grunted something, Missile replied in a jovial tone:
"Yo, boss, it's your boy Missile," he said cheerfully and opened the door slightly. "Back from my assignme-"
Missile had to close the door when someone inside roared and tossed a glass at Missile as hard as they could.
"IT WAS ABOUT TIME YOU LIMP-NOODLED LITTLE BUG EXCREMENT!" yelled the man inside. "Your men came back running with their tail between their legs, screaming about how YOU GOT ONE OF MY CARS DESTROYED! EXPLAIN!"
"Boss, it's all good," Missile said. "I resolved the situation with the Cipher spies."
The tone of the man inside changed completely. "YOU DID?!" he roared. "Well come on in, friend and partner and tell me all about it! Are they dead or did you bring them here so I can grill them myself?!"
Wes was hiding carefully behind Kris and Lunick, though Kris couldn't really accuse him of cowardice in this situation.
"Nah, boss," Missile laughed without a care in the world. "See, there were no spies after all-"
"RRRRRRAAAAAARGH!"
Another glass blew to bits inside the room.
"-but I got someone here who can help us fight Cipher!"
"...you got five minutes."
Grinning at Kris like everything was a-ok, Missile opened the door wide and stepped into the office, the others following reluctantly behind. The room seemed normal, no window but with a large ventilation shaft near the ceiling, a pile of huge dumbbells and empty Snag Balls in the corner, and at one wall, a massive wooden desk, and behind it, an even more massive man.
Gonzap, Team Snagem's leader, was bald and mostly hairless except for his very bushy eyebrows and thin but incredibly long and pointy mustache. He had to be at least seven feet tall and incredibly muscular, wearing the same red vest as the other members but with nothing underneath, exposing his wide, scarred chest.
"Kris, everyone, this is our boss, Gonzap," Missile introduced. "Boss, this is Kris and some other dudes. They're here to bring Cipher down."
Gonzap stared at Missile and laughed so loudly that Jackal, standing behind Kris, began growling.
"FUNNY JOKE!" Gonzap exclaimed. "But if that were possible, me and my MUSCLES would have done it already. MISSILE! WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT INTERLOPERS INTO OUR PLACE OF ESTABLISHMENT?!"
"Boss, chill, I'm right here," Missile cowered.
"Let me explain for that idiot," Kris talked over Missile. "I have a plan which will help us deal a crippling blow to Cipher. But first, I have to hear an explanation. I heard you and Cipher used to work together."
Huffing in frustration, Gonzap walked behind his desk and sat down.
"You want to hear our tale of woe?" he growled at Kris. "I'll amuse you for a while before I have Wakin kick you out. It all started two years ago, when-"
Gonzap suddenly noticed someone currently trying to hide between Lunick and Jackal. Seeing as the jig was up, Wes emerged from hiding and waved at Gonzap.
"What up, boss man?" he asked. "You've only gotten bigger since last time."
"YOUUUUU!" Gonzap bellowed and stood up so quickly his chair fell over.
Jackal prepared an Aura Sphere and growled even harder at Gonzap in retaliation, but fortunately a confrontation was averted as Missile held Gonzap back.
"Boss, please, hear them out!" Missile exclaimed and Gonzap stared at Wes, eyes wide and teeth exposed.
"Wes here feels real sorry for ditching you and blowing up your old base," Kris said quickly. "So he promised to make it up for you guys, and what would be better than ending Cipher for good or at least taking down a significant portion of it?"
Wes was about to protest, but Lunick covered his mouth at a strategic moment.
"And once it's done, do whatever you want with him," Kris promised, keeping her fingers crossed behind her back. "Now, can you please let us explain."
Gonzap kept glaring at Wes, but slowly adjusted his breathing, grabbed his chair and sat back down, his expression almost resigned.
"...I'll take anything I can get," he muttered. "Cipher has almost destroyed my organization."
"What happened, exactly?" Kris asked, trying to appear as interested as possible.
Gonzap looked at the ceiling dramatically and leaned back in his chair. "Oh, miss, it is a tale of great heartbreak. The great heart referring to mine, of course. Two years ago, our operation was running smoothly. Cipher supplied us the first Snag Machines and we began producing Snag Balls. Our members would steal Pokémon and seek out any wild ones thanks to the ability Wesley's girlfriend had, then deliver them to Cipher."
"But then, we lost the Aura-sensing girl – then, Wesley here BETRAYED us!" Gonzap shouted and slammed his fist on the table. "But even the loss of most of our machinery and our base did not stop us. The old base was salvageable, and we moved to one of our backups near Mt. Battle, to be closer to Cipher. Over a year passed, our reserve of Snag Balls was running out and that science geek of theirs gave us Snag Machine 2.0. WAKIN! BRING THE MACHINE!"
Everyone flinched as Gonzap shouted, and his lieutenant soon rushed into the office, carrying something that at first looked like an even crappier Power Glove to Kris.
On closer inspection, it was a metal glove with some kind of container unit attached to a shoulder pad with a retractable cable. Gonzap attempted to demonstrate how to wear it, but had trouble even getting the shoulder pad on.
"WAKIN!" Gonzap yelled. "THIS PUNY DEVICE IS NOT MEANT FOR THE THICKEST MAN ALIVE! BEGONE!"
Wakin nodded nervously, muttered something quickly and left. Gonzap shoved the Snag Machine to Missile instead.
"You show 'em," he grumbled and sat behind his desk.
Missile put the shoulder blade on, coiled the cable around his arm and attached the glove to his hand. He then took another regular Poké Ball out of his pocket and grabbed it with the glove. The Poké Ball was instantly sucked inside the machine, and only a few seconds later, came out as a Snag Ball.
"As you can see, this is much faster than the old machine," Missile boasted and pocketed the ball. "But it also means we're unable to mass-produce anything, and we only have this one."
"We were promised more!" Gonzap yelled and hit his desk again. "So we waited patiently, sending out Agrev and some trusted men to pick up our weekly bounty as usual. But one week, Cipher had a different plan. They decided to wipe everyone out. Only Agrev made it out alive, enough to come and tell me this before quitting the gang and going AWOL. Soon after that, many of our backup bases and several of our men were destroyed. Finally, me and my core group of thirty men retreated into the Eclo Canyon and built a new base. Still, I wait every day that Cipher will come and finish the job."
"Cipher was turning the Pokémon you stole into shadow Pokémon," Kris deduced.
Gonzap just waived his hand impatiently. "I learned that much later, and at that point, the money was coming in and I didn't care!" he grumbled.
"I had no idea about that!" Wes protested and pointed at Gonzap. "This guy didn't tell me jack!"
"Anyway, since then, we've been at war against Cipher," Gonzap finished. "I don't know why they decided to turn on us, but at this point, I DO NOT CARE!"
"So Cipher's lair is close to Mt. Battle?" Kris asked. "You know where they are?"
"Sadly, it's not that simple," Missile said as Gonzap went back behind his desk, grumbling. "The facility on Mt. Battle is Cipher's factory For the last few months, Cipher has gotten more and more money from somewhere as well as another method of producing shadow Pokémon, so their HQ is somewhere else. Even if by some miracle we'd manage to destroy the factory, the impact would be minimal."
"And I want to hit where it HURTS!" Gonzap roared. "Figure out who's in charge of the operation and wring his neck MYSELF!"
Kris nodded. "Okay, thank you," she said. "I'll tell you my plan soon enough, but I gotta ask you something first. Let us stay the night here, and we'll begin work first thing in the morning."
Gonzap sighed and stared at Kris, who stared back unflinchingly.
"You really are serious about this, kid?" he asked. "If so, I'll give you a chance. You can stay here ON THE CONDITION that you'll take over the night's guard duty. We have at least one person outside 24/7, ready to alert us if they see any Cipher activity nearby."
"Sure," Kris promised with a shrug.
"But tell me something first, girl," Gonzap said suspiciously. "Why do you want to help us so bad?"
"I want to end the biggest threat to Orre, of course," Kris said with a slight smile. "And from what I've seen, that threat is Cipher at the moment. If ending Cipher means teaming up with Team Snagem and letting them off the hook, then so be it!"
"What?!" Lunick exclaimed.
Wes was suspicious as well. "Kris, you sure you know what you doin'?"
But Gonzap just laughed annoyingly loudly. "THAT'S THE SPIRIT, GIRL!" he shouted. "You know how to play the game in Orre! I look forward to working with you!"
"Kris," Lunick started, "I know I shouldn't question you, but-"
"Then don't," Kris said bluntly. "Look, Lunick, I'll tell my plan to you and Wes soon, but I need some time to prepare. Can you trust me for a little while longer?"
"I… yes, of course," Lunick sighed.
Per Gonzap's orders, Missile left the room to show Kris and the gang where they would be sleeping and how they would be keeping watch. Wes looked around him as they walked. The base may have been different, but the Snagem Grunts, the items scattered about and the overall atmosphere felt just like two years ago.
~o~O~o~
Two years ago…
Location: Snagem Hideout, Eclo Canyon, Orre
"You know, I just don't get you, Wes. Your life is pretty good right now!"
"Yeah, the last two years have been pretty sweet, I have to say. But running from the police my whole life, even if it's the money-stuffed Orre police, just doesn't sound appetizing."
18-year old Wes was in the Snagem Hideout warehouse, stacking crates and prepping them to be filled with more captive Pokémon. This was maybe sixty percent of Wes' work at Snagem these days – lifting and moving stuff. Wes' newly evolved Espeon was by his side, using its psychic powers to lazily lift one crate at a time and stacking it neatly.
Wes was helped by Agrev, the closest one to Wes in Team Snagem besides Rui. Unlike the other Snagem thugs, Agrev was distinguished by his stylish, black sunglasses that he never seemed to take off.
"Sure, it feels like a lot now," Agrev huffed as he carried a crate next to Wes, "but think of the future! Cipher has been making a killing lately! Even if we make only 10%, we're still gonna be rich in a few years!"
"Yeah, but no growth can go on forever," Wes said. "I think Rui feels it too. She's been wanting to get out of this game for the past month. Besides, it seems like we get a new mouth to feed every week. What are we at now, seventy-five? Eighty?"
"Actually we just passed ninety members yesterday," Agrev said proudly. "And I think we're just gonna keep on growing. I saw that futuristic gear the Cipher people were wearing when I last saw them, it was like straight out of an anime or Proteam Omega or something. They ain't runnin' out of money."
Wes and Agrev stacked the last crate, then began lifting the warehouse door so the truck could pick the crates up. Before they could continue their conversation, Rui rushed into the room. Like Wes, Rui hadn't started dressing in Team Snagem style but kept on wearing her old clothes.
"Wes!" she called. "Can we talk?"
Agrev shoved Wes towards Rui with a grin. "Go on, lover boy," he said. "I'll take care of the rest."
Thanking Agrev, Wes rushed over to Rui and was immediately grabbed by the wrist and led to a more secluded area.
"Hey, whoa, not at work," Wes said in an attempt to joke, really confused by this sudden outburst.
"Shh!" Rui hissed and looked around her. "I've got some big news."
"Yeah, me too," Wes said. "But you go first."
"I found us a job opportunity!" Rui said gleefully, almost jumping up and down in excitement. "It'll make us more in a matter of hours than what we make here in months! I talked to this guy Dakim and-"
"Isn't he Cipher?" Wes muttered. "Is this work for them?"
Rui put her finger on Wes' lips. "I'm not done talking," she said. "I found out Dakim has been selling some Pokémon we deliver to Cipher to some private collectors and claiming them as missing. He's screwing Cipher over, which means we can screw both Cipher and him over. Trust me, I've planned this so that Dakim can take the fall and we can skip this place and head to Phenac City instead! Both Cipher and these Snagem fools will-"
"Rui," Wes interrupted pointedly, "what's wrong with you?"
"...huh?"
"I'm serious," Wes said, though just seeing the expression change on Rui's face was scary and painful. "Last time we did this, I had to cut three people out of my life. Yeah, they were scum, but they were scum I'd rather have on my side. Now I have to fear them every time I leave this canyon."
"Are you complaining?" Rui snorted. "You'd still be making chump change if we kept working with Nascour and the others!"
"No, no, I'm happy," Wes said quickly. "And I like the people here a lot better, and I have much more money than before, but this is just too much! I was thinking, we keep working maybe three more months and we'll have enough money to go on a trip to Alola like you've always wanted!"
Rui shook her head. "Spend our money on a beach vacation, and then what, Wes?" she asked, jabbing Wes in the chest. "Do you think about our future at all?"
"...well, I mean, we don't have to buy a return ticket, I guess," Wes muttered, not sure where Rui was going with this. "Maybe move there? I dunno..."
"Yeah, you don't know, 'cause you don't think about anything other than how you're feeling now! I'm saying if we take this opportunity now, our future will look that much brighter!"
"For a while yes, but what good will money do for us if Cipher gets wind of it?"
"You know, Wes, you've changed," Rui sighed. "You used to have a sense of adventure. You used to have guts! Now you're more concerned about sitting here comfortably."
"I'm concerned about our safety, and being with you!"
Rui turned around and started walking away.
"This doesn't change anything!" Wes yelled after her. "I… I still love you!"
"Yeah, okay," Rui just responded and left.
That was the beginning of the end of that chapter in Wes' life. The next day, Rui announced her decision to quit Team Snagem and leave Orre – alone. A few weeks after that, Wes quit Team Snagem as well, and he went out with a literal bang.
Despite a job offer from Cipher, Wes swore off working for either gang again, and instead used the money he had made to buy new Pokémon, equipment, TM's and everything else he'd need to defend himself. The idea of Nascour or one of his other old "friends" meeting him still scared Wes, of course, but on the surface, he kept his cool. He began working for all takers, using the skills he had honed during the last two years to track down wanted Pokémon and people, escort people through the desert, protecting shipments from criminals – even rescuing Litten from trees, as long as it paid.
This went on for a year and a half more, until Wes finally got his fateful job offer from the Indigo Pokémon League and was sent to the Navel Rock Research Facility. From there, another chapter ended, and the biggest chapter in his life so far began.
~o~O~o~
"Hey, wake up!"
Wes was again woken up from his slumber, oddly filled with old dreams, by Kris, who had entered the crummy utility room the trio was given as a bedroom. It was fairly large, but it was full of the trio's Pokémon: Shrew was curled up in a corner, Umbreon and Espeon were sleeping next to each other and Croc had bullied the others into giving him a whole mattress to himself.
"It's your turn to keep watch," Kris yawned as she collapsed on the mattress next to Shrew. "Tell Lunick to get some sleep as well, his shift is in three hours."
Wes got up, slowly, rubbing his eyes. "Where is he?" he mumbled.
"Outside at the watch point, he insisted on staying up with me, that stupid… hmmh…"
Wes chuckled. "Good night, Kris."
As Wes left the hideout and stepped into the cold night air to the guard point, he saw Lunick waiting there, watching the fire made to keep the night watchman warm. Not too far from them, Jackal the Lucario was also up, training. She was using her aura to lift crates into the air before destroying them with an Aura Sphere attack, hitting every single time.
"She's been at this for almost an hour," Lunick commented as Wes arrived to the fire. "Probably the only one of us prepared for whatever happens tomorrow."
"Tomorrow..." Wes sighed. "I hope Kris has a good plan."
Lunick nodded. "I believe she does," he said earnestly. "When I first met her in Hoenn, she didn't seem all that much-"
"Trust me, I thought the same thing," Wes laughed. "When I first saw her in Johto, she was an emotionally unstable, clumsy, awkward mess. Now… well, not as much."
Lunick smiled. "But she's grown a lot, hasn't she? That day in Hoenn, when she stood up to Team Aqua and Latias? Or when she defied Team Galactic and freed the Sinnoh lake guardians? I would have never thought she'd be capable of such things."
Wes looked at Lunick carefully. When he spoke of Kris, it was as if Lunick couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"So, um, not that I care too much or anything," Wes said untruthfully, "but, uh, are you guys, um…?"
Lunick, of course, didn't seem to get the insinuation.
"I'm asking if you two are romantically involved," Wes clarified awkwardly.
"Ah," Lunick said. "Well… it is true that I cherish her and care for her a great deal. Back in my time, I didn't have time to care about such things, focusing entirely on Pokémon training, being a warrior and all that. And we spent so much time together in the Ranger school, talking for days on end."
Wes nodded, though that didn't quite answer his question.
"But I know," Lunick sighed deeply, "that she doesn't love me."
Lunick ended his speech by stretching nonchalantly while Wes just stared at him.
"Listen, Lu," he said, "if there's anything I can-"
"I think I'll rest a bit," Lunick just said and patted Wes on the shoulder as he headed inside. "Please wake me up for my shift."
With Lunick gone, Wes sat down and stared at the flames.
Tomorrow, huh?
A/N: Yeah, I'm taking certain creative liberties with timelines, characters, events and so on. Nascour, Venus and Miror B., in this continuity, start out as mercs and join Cipher later. Wes and Rui's whole story is rewritten. And of course events unfold in a way that's a bit different, cause why would I retell the same story as Colosseum or XD verbatim?
Nah but thanks for reading y'all, kick that favorite/follow button real hard and leave a review if you can, thanks regardless and see you again soon byeeee.
- Zokolov
