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Chapter IX: In Which Gary Foresees the Future
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December 25th, 2001. Evening. Pallet Town.
Dinner had passed by quietly and uneventfully. The food and conversation were hardly enjoyed since most everyone was anxious about the impending arrival of the bus, which meant the inevitable departure of the fourteen teens. Not that Paul cared much. For him, the faster they got out of here, the better. He was fed up with being cooped up inside for the past several days and was admittedly looking forward to hitting the road again.
The mauve-haired trainer was alone in Ash's room. Not for any particular reason, other than he wanted just that: to be alone. The more he thought about traveling with the others, the less he looked forward to this little adventure. He'd already been putting up with everyone for the past week, and he balked at the thought of having to be with them longer.
Ash's room was exactly how Paul would have expected it look like. Although he had spent the last couple of nights sleeping in there, he hadn't really taken a moment to examine his surroundings. One thing that caught his attention was a promotional poster for the 1996 Indigo League plastered on the wall. That was Paul's first league competition. It occurred to him that Ash may have watched him participate. He might have asked if he cared enough to know.
On Ash's dresser were the two soothe bells they had won at the Hearthome Tag Battle Competition. Paul couldn't help but wonder why Ash had kept both for so long.
"Hey."
Paul heaved his shoulders.
"What do you want?" the teen asked harshly as he turned toward his older brother. "I already told you, you can't change my mind about going."
"All I said was 'hey,'" Reggie reminded, forcing down a chuckle. "Although, I have to admit, I am curious as to why you're so dead-set on leaving." Paul lowered his defenses a bit, though he remained wary as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked away.
"Tch. That Trip kid put it best: A huge crime organization and their clone want our heads. Whether or not someone should go is obvious." He paused before adding, "Besides, you and I both saw Mewtwo's power for ourselves. If that was just a fraction of what he's capable of, then I'm not interested in a second run-in. It was hard enough chasing him off the first time."
"I understand." Reggie nodded, though he looked skeptical.
Noticing his brother's unsure tone, Paul growled, "What?"
"Nothing." Reggie shrugged. "I'm just wondering how you're going to handle having traveling companions. Especially so many of them. You're not exactly a people person. Still, it does give me comfort knowing you'll be with Ash and the others."
"Why?"
"There's strength in numbers."
"Not when they're a bunch of idiots."
"Don't underestimate the power of idiots in large groups," Reggie humored.
Paul rolled his eyes but said nothing.
Reggie continued after a prolonged silence, "You know, I'm only trying to look out for your best interests. I always have been, especially with the way Dad..." His voice trailed off, and Paul's expression turned somber.
"Yeah..." Paul pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Well, don't worry about me. I'll run with the pack. I'll be a good 'team player,' or whatever it's called. Just... promise me one thing while I'm gone."
Reggie raised his eyebrows.
"What do you need?" he asked amicably.
Paul clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before saying, "Hold off on your wedding until I get back. I want to be there."
At first, Reggie appeared a little caught off-guard. Then, he grinned.
"You got it," he laughed. "Although, Maylene does have to say 'yes', first."
Paul scoffed.
"Of course she'll say yes. She'd be a fool if she didn't."
"What'cha reading?"
Leaf blinked and looked over the top of her book to see that Ash had seated himself on the dining chair beside her. His head was tilted slightly to the left, and he was leaning toward her earnestly, as if he honestly cared to know what had her occupied. Leaf noted it was a rare instance in which Pikachu wasn't with him.
"Charles Dickens's 'A Christmas Carol,'" she answered plainly. "My parents used to read this to me every Christmas. It was sort of tradition."
"Huh," he mused.
Leaf raised an eyebrow.
"What? Don't you and your mom have Christmas traditions?" she asked, her tone threaded with annoyance. She wasn't in the mood for socialization. Ash, however, didn't seem to pick up on her irritation.
"Of course we do," he nodded. "We just haven't really had the chance to, you know, honor them this year."
Ash's statement, though he had no intention of it doing so, stung. Leaf averted her gaze, the edge of her lips twitching slightly.
"Right..." Her voice trailed off. "Well, Ash, I..." Leaf paused for a moment, gathering herself. "I promise you'll be back here by next Christmas."
Ash blinked, both confused and surprised by Leaf's sudden melancholy. Nevertheless, he nodded and held up his hand with his pinkie finger outstretched. Now it was Leaf's turn to look confused.
"Seriously? Are you in Kindergarten?" she asked when she finally understood what he was doing.
"Hey!" Ash pouted. "Don't you remember? You were the one who said that a promise isn't a real promise unless it's a pinkie promise."
"Yeah, when we were kids," Leaf scoffed. "You're almost 15 now!"
"Then I guess it's not a real promise."
"Arceus," Leaf swore, shaking her head. Yet, a smile sill managed to work its way onto her face. "All right, pinkie promise then."
Leaf laughed, half-nervous and half-embarrassed, and she and Ash's fingers entwined, sealing the deal. It then just so happened that at that moment, Gary walked through the doorway, his traveling backpack slung over her shoulder.
"Wow," he sighed, observing the scene. "Just wow..."
"Hey, do not mock the sacredness of the pinkie promise, Garebear," Leaf retorted.
Ash turned his head to look at the girl in befuddlement. Less than 30 seconds earlier, she was giving him grief about the gesture. Now she had made a complete 180-degree turn on the matter with Gary.
"Ah, I remember that nickname," Gary said coolly. "It's been a while since we've heard that one, right Ashy-boy?"
"Uh..." Ash was at a loss for words. He was in the middle of a flashback to when they were all children, when Gary and Leaf were constantly sniping at each other over the most insignificant things. He hadn't been able to keep up with their jabs then, either.
"Yeah, you know, I never did get over the fact that you cared enough to give Ash a demeaning nickname, but never made up one for me," Leaf commented.
"That's because you never needed one." Gary shrugged. "Your name is Leaf. It can't get any more ridiculous than that."
"Did you just come here to insult me?" Leaf rolled her eyes. "If that's so, then you can leave."
"No, actually," Gary's eyes flicked over to the boy beside her. "Ash, your mom is looking for you."
"Huh? My mom?" Ash inquired as he rose to his feet.
"Yup."
"All right, then. See you around, Leaf." Ash waved to her as he exited the room. Once he was gone, Gary turned his attention back to the young G-Men agent.
"So, next Christmas, huh?" he asked. "That's a big promise, even for someone as self-important as you."
"What do you want from me, Gary?" Leaf exhaled wearily.
"Well, believe it or not, I'm just looking out for Ash," Gary replied, setting his backpack on the ground as he sat in the chair Ash had previously occupied. "He's like a sad, abandoned little Lillipup, and what can you do but try to take care of a sad, abandoned little Lillipup?"
"Oh, come off it. We both know this isn't about Ash." Leaf shook her head. "Look, I know you. You want something out of this, otherwise you wouldn't be going. Is it Giovanni? Are you looking for payback?"
"Huh, you're more perceptive than I thought," Gary said, amused.
"How twisted does your mind have to be to believe that going underground to avoid Giovanni is going to help you find him? How does that work? Please, help me unravel the mystery that is Gary Oak." Irritation was seeping back into Leaf's voice.
"Because I've thought ahead."
"Oh?"
He nodded.
"I've figured out how this whole journey is going to go down."
"Do tell." Leaf folded her arms and leaned back into her chair. She had to admit, she was interested in what Gary had to say about this.
"First thing's first," Gary interjected, "I need you to answer me one question."
Leaf shrugged.
"Fire away."
Gary's lips curled into a smirk.
"Are you going to be the one who's guiding us to Dragon's Den?"
If Leaf was surprised by this question, she didn't let it show.
"Do you think I am?" she taunted.
"Don't play games with me, Leaf."
"Well, do you?"
Gary looked a little wary now. After a moment's reflection though, he regained his confidence.
"I do, actually," he declared.
"Why?"
"Simple deductive reasoning, really," he replied. "None of the Champions can be the ones to take us there. They're public figures. They need to be around to handle the media circus that will surely explode after tonight. Besides, it would be very suspicious to many different people—Giovanni included—if one of them was mysteriously missing for a little bit. That leaves you to be the one G-Men agent to guide us on the treacherous journey to Johto." That last bit was tinged with obvious sarcasm.
"There are hundreds of other G-Men agents," Leaf pointed out.
"Yes, hundreds of other, better trained agents, but the only one Lance has kept around for this adventure is you," Gary countered. "You're obviously his favorite. Why it's that way is beyond me. Maybe he sees himself in you or some sort of Freudian thing like that. Whatever the case, he puts up with you. So, he's handpicked you to be the one to take Ash and the rest of us to Dragon's Den, despite the risks."
"Risks?" Leaf laughed.
"Oh yes, there are a lot of risks entrusting you with this task." Gary sounded downright smug at this point. "I mean, aside from the fact that you're 15 and therefore as much of a volatile hormonal teenager as the rest of us, working under Lance all these years has cultivated your egotism."
"Gary, you do not have room to speak about ego," Leaf cut in.
"Let me finish," Gary continued, unfazed. "You act like you know what you're doing and, yeah, maybe to a certain extent you do. But I think you'll find that most rational adults would not be so keen on letting you lead this journey, and that's why Lance and the others have been so vague about the identity of the guide. The only reason Lance is able to get the rest of the Champions on board is because none of 'em, except Cynthia, are really willing to stand up to him."
"While this is clever and all, I still don't see how any of this means you're going to get the chance to meet up with Giovanni," Leaf said. "Assuming I was your guide, what makes you think I would disobey Lance and go on a massive manhunt for Giovanni when that's what those hundreds of other G-Men agents are going to be doing?"
"I was just getting to that." Gary smirked. "You see, you think Ash really is the Chosen One."
"Still don't see how that would change things," Leaf droned.
"Because," Gary emphasized, "despite your strong loyalty to Lance, you will listen to just about anything Ash says. He says, 'Jump,' you say, 'How high?' After all, you were the one who pushed Ash to record his dreams because you truly thought they could have significance in cracking this case."
For a split second, Gary swore he saw a break in Leaf's poker face, but she quickly recovered, and her expression returned to its stoic state.
"Now, this is the part where I did all that forward-thinking." Gary tapped the temple on the left side of his face. "I, for one, am not sure if I believe Ashy-boy is the Chosen One or not, but I do think he has some sort of connection with Mewtwo and that Mewtwo has been sending him messages while he sleeps. Why? No clue. It's not my concern. Anyway, I'm nearly positive that at some point on this little journey, Ash is gonna have another ground-breaking dream that's gonna change everything, and with you being our guide, you're going to listen and you're going to be the one who leads us straight to Giovanni as Ash keeps spewing out his little visions."
Leaf breathed out, finally sounding a little shaken, and Gary smirked once again, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Leaf."
The girl practically jumped when Lance called her name from the doorway. She immediately stood up.
"What is it?" she asked.
"The bus is here," he answered shortly. "Come speak with me." It was more of an order than a suggestion.
"Right." She followed him out, but just before she disappeared from Gary's line of sight, she turned her head and cast him one last curious glance.
He was still smirking.
"Hey."
Drew lifted his arm off his face to see May hovering over him. His head was propped up against a throw pillow, and he was situated on a sofa in the living room. His arm dropped down once again.
"Shouldn't you be with your family?" he grumbled.
"I was, but I started thinking about you." She then quickly amended, "Um, not in that way, though. I was just worried 'cause you've been keeping to yourself ever since we've gotten here. I mean, you always to keep to yourself, but... um... I don't know, I guess I was just worried. Don't take that the wrong way though!"
Drew cracked a smile and he sat up.
"All right, stop rambling," he said.
May clamped her mouth shut and nodded.
"Believe it or not, May, some people enjoy a little solitude," Drew continued, "unlike you, who needs someone to talk at 24/7."
May huffed.
"I do not need to talk 24/7!" she denied. "And excuse me for trying to be nice! It just makes me sad to see someone by themselves on Christmas. That's why I wanted you to come with me to Petalburg in the first place, so you wouldn't be alone in Johto."
"Yeah, well," Drew said, "you'll have plenty of time to make it up to me after tonight. You and I are going to be stuck together for a while."
May's expression suddenly brightened. The lines of frustration creased in her forehead vanished, as if they were never there at all.
"So, you are coming?"
"Yup," he replied, flicking his hair. "Didn't Max tell you?"
"Oh, he did, I just wanted to hear it from you." May sat beside him on the couch, pulling her legs up underneath her chin. "You're kind of hard to figure out sometimes."
Before Drew had a chance to digest and respond to May's statement, the rest of her family appeared—presumably to retrieve their daughter, or sister, and spend a last few fleeting moments with her—and Drew swept up his bag, prepared to carry it out.
"Lance said the bus is here," Drew heard Max inform his sister as he plopped down next to her in the spot which the male coordinator previously occupied. Just as Drew was heading out however, Caroline turned and called to him:
"Oh, please Drew, don't feel the need to leave just because we're here," she said kindly.
Drew stopped.
"That's OK, Caroline," he assured her. "This should be a private family goodbye."
"Except, I'm not saying 'goodbye,'" May chimed in.
Drew blinked before looking over his shoulder, watching his rival rise to her feet. Her parents and Max seemed equally surprised.
"'Goodbye' makes it sound like we're never going to see each other again. But we are going to see each other again," May insisted. "It's just as if I were returning to Johto to continue my journey. I may be away for now, but I'll be back home again someday. To be honest, aside from the whole overly dramatic 'dying' part of this, I don't see what the huge deal is. It's just another adventure. At least, for me it is."
"That's my girl." Norman grinned, patting his daughter on the back. There was a slight waver in his firm voice.
May smiled crookedly and tackled him with a hug.
"I'll be home soon, Daddy," she promised, "and Mom, and Max." She embraced them tightly as well. Drew frowned and turned his head away.
May accepted her backpack from Max and joined Drew at his side. She attempted another smile, though this was one was far more forced than the one before. Drew lowered his eyelids, unresponsive as he kept walking, this time with May in tow. Yet, he was stopped again.
"Drew," Norman called out. Both of the young rivals turned to face the gym leader.
"Keep an eye on her," Norman continued. "You know how she is."
May looked at her father disbelievingly. Drew couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before he cleared his throat.
"Of course," he replied.
"You know, it actually is a very nice bus," Leaf commented aloud as she leaned against the white picket fence outside the Ketchum residence, watching as several of her peers had begun loading onto the large vehicle. Lance was standing upright beside her, his gaze focused straight ahead.
"It's a shame we have to destroy it," the young agent finished casually.
Lance's eyes then flicked over to her.
"Speaking of which," he began sternly, "please don't go overboard when it comes time for leaving it behind."
"Oh, don't worry about that," she assured him with a wave of her hand.
Then, as if on cue, a tall, thin dark male exited the bus and approached the young agent and her mentor.
"Everything is in order, sir," he said, addressing Lance.
"Good," the Champion nodded. "Leaf, I'd like you to meet Agent Adalet. He will be the one driving you into the Viridian Forest."
"Oh, Agent Adalet, huh?" Leaf reached over the fence to shake the older man's hand. "Weird last name. What is it? French?"
Adalet's lips tightened.
"Turkish. We should be ready to leave in five or so minutes," he said tersely before turning on his heel and heading in the other direction, ignoring her outstretched hand.
Leaf appeared both confused and offended by her fellow agent's dismissal of her. Lance eyed Adalet as he left.
"What's his deal?" Leaf bristled.
"He's upset," Lance explained shortly. "He has no right to be, though."
"Upset over what?" Leaf asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"It's none of your concern," Lance replied, purposely dodging her question.
"I think it is, since he completely dissed me, and you didn't even do anything about it," Leaf pressed.
Lance paused, and he seemed to hesitate.
"You're young. I know that, and Adalet knows that," he said, carefully choosing his words. "However, Adalet does not understand how this organization works. I wanted you at the helm on this journey for a very specific reason."
Leaf raised an eyebrow.
"That is... ?"
Lance was silent for a long moment, apparently pondering how to answer that question.
"I'll tell you after you successfully bring the group to Dragon's Den," he finally said. "I just have to know that I can trust you."
"Trust me? You already said you trusted me," Leaf said, offended. "You were the one who wanted me to escort Brock from Pewter Town to here."
"Yes, and you declined as you were on a boat going in the opposite direction," Lance pointed out simply.
Leaf was about to protest that the trip had provided them essential information about the Shamouti prophecy, but she backed down. She hadn't known Lance was still upset over the incident, though she supposed she have known better. She knew she walked a fine line with Lance. Sometimes he was OK with her deviation; sometimes he wasn't. She figured now was one of those times.
"This seems to be a sensitive issue. Do I have any reason to distrust you?" Lance posed the question calmly, though firmly.
Out of the corner of her eye, Leaf saw Gary heave his backpack onto his shoulders as he climbed the steps into the bus.
"No, no. Of course not," she insisted. "They'll be to Dragon's Den, safe and sound."
"Good." Lance moved his gaze away from hers. "You should go."
Leaf frowned and looked to Delia and Ash, who now had Pikachu back with him, standing several feet away from them. Delia gave her son one last tight hug, and he said something reassuring and grinned. Pikachu also seemed to offer some words of encouragement to the mother before his trainer turned and followed Gary's lead.
"Right," she replied flatly, snatching her bag up off the ground and jumping the fence.
She stopped on the first step up the bus before looking over her shoulder at the Indigo Champion. He offered a small wave of his hand, but that was it. Leaf supposed she shouldn't have expected much. Lance was not a sentimental person. Neither was she.
Leaf could feel Agent Adalet's eyes following her in the rearview mirror as she entered the bus and sat down, alone, in the front seat.
"You know," Leaf heard Cilan say thoughtfully from a couple of seats behind her, "they never did say who our guide was."
"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Gary spoke up from across the aisle. Leaf shot a tentative glance over her shoulder at the brown-haired boy. He smirked when their gazes met.
"What other reason would Leaf be here?" he finished.
"I..." Johanna was the first to speak after the adult party returned inside, the bus having left. Distraught, she pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead. "I think I need a drink. Delia ... ?"
The auburn-haired woman immediately straightened up upon hearing her name called.
"Oh! Um, I'm sure I have something in the wine cabinet," she said before scampering off.
"Ah, good. Let's all just get drunk," Harley mumbled sarcastically with a wave of his hand, "'cause that's obviously a solid coping mechanism."
Lance remained rooted to his spot. He had taken up residence on the sofa, decidedly not drinking. As the other adults emptied the living room, Cynthia waited nearby, biding her time for an opportune moment. Once they were alone, the Sinnoh Champion joined Lance at his side.
"What do you want, Cynthia?" Lance asked.
"I haven't even said a single word yet, and already, there's this tone of hostility." The blonde attempted to deliver this line in good humor, but her voice faltered, and there was a hint of bitterness on her tongue.
"I'm sorry," Lance apologized, though his sincerity was questionable. "What can I do for you?"
Cynthia paused to collect her breath.
"I just need some reassurance, I suppose," she began, turning serious. "Are you sure you're making the right decision? There's still time. We can get Agent Adalet to take those children to Dragon's Den instead."
"I do not want Agent Adalet involved beyond what I've already asked of him," Lance interjected firmly. "I made that clear to him. That should be clear to you, too."
"It's not," Cynthia protested. "Why Leaf?"
"I have my reasons," Lance said dismissively.
"That's not good enough," Cynthia persisted. "It is not fair to require the trust of a 15-year-old in a matter as serious as this. No matter what reasons you may have."
"You trust Ash," Lance stated simply. "What is so different about me trusting Leaf?"
"They are different, though," Cynthia deflected. "I am speaking on behalf of those parents who don't even realize that this is what we're doing. Are we just going to keep them in a state of ignorance?"
"Yes."
"Keeping them from the truth is just as bad as lying."
"If you want to deal with unhappy parents, be my guest. I don't want to get into this fight, Cynthia, but I do not understand why you're so insistent on making this more complicated than necessary."
"Because I feel like I would want to know everything, even if it's an inconvenient truth, about my child."
"You do not have children—" Cynthia visibly shifted as Lance made this statement. "—How could you possibly know? The others are in there getting drunk because they can hardly deal with the sub-reality. Does knowing the reality make that better? I think it makes it worse."
"You don't have children either," Cynthia pointed out.
"I have someone who comes close."
"Do they really, though?" Cynthia questioned. "Steven won't tell me much about it, but he thinks-"
"-That's enough," Lance cut her off. "I respect Steven as a trainer and former colleague, but I am not interested in hearing his opinion on Leaf and myself. He and I came to an agreement over this years ago, and it's in your best interest that you let it be that way."
It was at this point that Steven himself re-entered the room and noticed the two in contempt of one another.
"Cyndi, would you like me to pour you a glass of wine?" the former Hoenn Champion asked politely, attempting to break the tension.
"No... no alcohol please," she refused, turning and offering her spouse a weary smile.
Everything suddenly clicked in Lance's mind, and he looked at Cynthia in surprise. She pressed her lips into a hard line. She noticed the change in his expression.
"Ah, I see," Steven said before extending his arm to her. "Let's get some rest then. You were the one to say we wouldn't be able to enjoy the privilege of sleep much longer."
December 25th, 2001. Late Evening. Somewhere in the Viridian Forest.
The unpaved road through the forest had grown especially bumpy and unpredictable, causing Agent Adalet to slow the speed of the bus down to 15 or 20 mph. Leaf had a detailed map of the Viridian Forest sprawled across her lap, as well as couple of Kanto and Johto maps nearby if she needed to reference them. The whole of the bus was dark so most everyone else could try to get some sleep, but Leaf had her own personal light to help her study the maps and plan an effective route that would keep the group as far away from cities and towns.
"So, are you really gonna be our guide?" a rather loud voice suddenly asked from behind the young agent.
Leaf nearly jumped.
"Arceus, Barry, you scared me!" She turned and gave the blonde a glare. Barry furrowed his eyebrows together and pushed his bottom lip forward, pouting.
"Hey, just curious," he defended. "What are you gonna do, fine me?"
"Yes, I'm your guide," Leaf answered shortly. "Now, why don't you go bother Kenny? He's like your best friend, isn't he?"
"He's asleep."
"And I'm busy," Leaf snapped. "Why don't you try to sleep, too? We're going to be traveling until daylight, and I don't want to hear complaints on how tired you are."
"All right, all right, sheesh, Mom." Barry rolled his eyes before slipping back into the darkness. Not long after, there were sounds of stumbling feet and a couple of annoyed groans. Barry had tripped over something and accidentally hit someone.
The rest of the ride proceeded relatively silent. Leaf folded up her maps and stuffed them back into her bag before turning her head and keeping a watchful eye on the road from her window. However, her eyes soon fluttered closed as sleepiness edged its way in. She was only knocked out of her drowsy state when the bus came to an abrupt stop. Leaf rose to her feet.
"What's going on?" Leaf asked Agent Adalet, approaching him at the front. "Why did we stop?"
He raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
"Because this is where you're getting off."
"Oh... Oh!" Leaf snapped her head up. "OK then."
She quickly exited the bus to better check out their surroundings. They were pulled off to the side of the road—right at the edge of a cliff. Leaf let on a satisfied smile. She had to admit, Adalet had picked a good place. She approached the cliff's edge and tentatively peeked over it. She then reached into her bag and relocated her map of the Viridian Forest and a small flashlight.
"Yes, good," she mumbled to herself, tracing their route with the beam of yellow light. They were far enough away from any sort of civilization that they would be able to get a fair head start before the authorities came, and the foliage in the area was thick, which meant this was a part of the forest that trainers tended to avoid.
"So, is this it?" Iris asked as she, along with the rest of the fourteen trainers and Agent Adalet came off the bus.
"Yup!" Leaf clenched the map in her hands and turned toward the Dragon-type trainer with a grin. "Is everyone off?"
"Think so..." Kenny mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Great!" Leaf then swiftly obtained a Pokéball from her belt. "Granbull, go!"
The large, purplish beast emerged from its Pokéball with a gruff roar.
"Granbull, use Take Down on that bus. Knock it over the cliff!"
"Gran-bull!" The bulldog-like Pokémon obeyed its trainer's order, taking off and ramming his head into the side the bus. The vehicle moved a few inches from the impact, and tipped slightly on its wheels, but remained upright. Granbull was hurt by the recoil as he skidded backward, shaking his head.
Trip then reached into his pocket and retrieved one of his own Pokémon.
"Gurdurr, help Granbull out, use Strength and try to push that bus over!" he ordered.
"You too, Mamoswine! Use Take Down!" Dawn joined in, calling out her gigantic Ice-type.
"Granbull, use Take Down one more time," Leaf added.
Trip's Gurdurr set his steel frame on the ground and, rubbing his hands together, pressed his massive hands up against the vehicle, managing to get the wheels on the side to tip once again. Granbull back himself up to align with Mamoswine. Both charged toward the bus at the same time, successfully knocking it over entirely and sending it tumbling over the edge. Several of the trainers cringed when they heard the loud crash at the bottom. Trip, Dawn, and Leaf returned their respective Pokémon into their Pokéballs.
The youth then cautiously approached the edge to see the utterly crushed remains of their ride.
"Well, I think it's safe to say none of us would have survived that," Ritchie commented.
Misty nodded in agreement.
"We should finish the job, though," Adalet approached from behind, his large Tyrannitar trudging next to him. "Tyrannitar, use Flamethrower on that bus. Do not to set the forest on fire, though."
Tyrannitar then unleashed a controlled blaze that, though small, easily lit the bus up. A minor explosion occurred when the flames reached the gas tank, but the surrounding foliage remained untouched. Within seconds, a thick, black cloud of smoke rose from the scene, forcing the group to back up.
"I guess this is where we hightail it out of here before someone notices the fire, huh?" Kenny said aloud to no one in particular
"Well, I suppose I'm done here," Adalet said plainly, calling his Tyrannitar back into its Pokéball. "My Pidgeot will assist me in going to Viridian City."
"Thank you," Leaf told him. It was an attempt at mitigate the bitterness that lingered from their initial meeting.
"Good luck," Adalet answered tersely, doing the same. "I sincerely hope you are successful, for no reason other than I don't want any carelessness to cost the safety of your companions. Although, I suppose then maybe Lance would realize his personal politics shouldn't take precedence over everything else."
Leaf narrowed her gaze, utterly baffled by his words but trying to not let it show. She presumed it had to do with whatever he and Lance fought over earlier.
"Well then," Leaf began after clearing her throat. "We should get going."
There were a few mumbles of agreement. With a gesture of her hand, Leaf invited the other fourteen trainers to follow her into the dark forest. Meanwhile, Agent Adalet, true to his word, called out his Pidgeot and took to the night skies.
Gary cast a careful glance at Leaf as they proceeded.
Politics.
.
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