This story is co-developed by Titan127.
Disclaimer: Pokémon is a registered property of Nintendo, the Pokémon Company, and GameFreak. This work respectfully uses the world and characters of the Pokémon series, with no intent of harm on the original Pokémoncreators. Please support the official releases of the Pokémon franchise.
Chapter 10: Vendetta (7,672 words)
Lyra dropped from the ladder into Slowpoke Well. The heavy footfalls behind her told her that Ethan and their new "acquaintance" followed her lead. However, she wasn't really in the mood to think about them. Instead, she was far more focused on fixing this problem as fast as possible. Especially as the smell of death hit her nose.
It was revolting. Not the kind of revolting that made her laugh and shy away, but the kind that made her choke on her own breath and fear what was coming next. That nearly-boundless, deathly odor of rot. It was overpowering her other senses, but she couldn't pull herself to turn away, even when blind sighted by the overstimulation. She didn't want to find where it was coming from, even though she knew very well what it was.
A large doorway stood in front of them. Carved from the rock itself, it separated the well's entrance from the greater cave inside. She placed the headlamp taken from the unconscious guards on the surface around her bulbous hat. Ethan and Silver each got one, too.
Ethan spoke up first. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"If we don't," she said, "it'll be too late when anyone else does. Let's go."
The police were too far out. Any extra hour they waited condemned however many Slowpoke to mutilation. Lyra wasn't sure she could handle the guilt if she didn't take action now. A helper didn't hesitate. A helper would throw themselves at the first opportunity to make a difference, no matter how dangerous. Even if they couldn't stop the criminals conducting this operation, they could at least stall for time until the police arrived.
The trainer unhooked her overall straps and reattached them as they fell around her legs, then rolled up her sleeves to her upper forearms. Sweat was already beading on her forehead. She tried to tell herself that it was from the cave heat as she stepped through the doorway and switched on the headlamp.
The interior of the well was a spacious cavern, measuring about twenty meters in height. As she directed her head, the stolen headlamp revealed the contours of the rocks lining the walls and ceiling, and she could see drips of water that likely permeated through the above soil. Many of the descending stalactites reflected a deep blue glow, crystals of a shadowy color. The same kinds of mineral growths scattered the floors of the cave between bodies of water.
"Your friend seems really focused," Silver said behind her.
"When she gets like this, nothing can stop her," Ethan said. "She gets an idea in her head and she doesn't let it go 'till she's through with it. If you ask me, it's pretty scary."
Puddles appeared before her as she stepped through the cave. The only way she knew the other two were still following her was hearing the successive splashes following her own. Her nice shoes drenched with a disgusting, murky ooze with every foot she placed down. A chill ran up her spine as her head and chest were sweltering. That deathly odor was closing in.
"There's some standing water to our left," Silver said, "and I see lights across the water. I don't think they know we're not their own guys yet."
"I've noticed," Lyra told him. "Just shut up and let me concentrate."
A hand roughly grabbed her shoulder. On instinct she spun around and swung, which Silver caught with his hand. The headlamp shone up at him, and even through the squint his mood was made clear. "I didn't come down here just be bossed around by some bitch faking her own authority. Now get that light out of my fucking face before I repay you my bloody nose," he snarled.
She wrenched her hand away and refused to back down. "Need I remind you that we're being nice by helping you fulfill whatever vendetta you have against these criminals?"
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I don't think I've implied I need or want your help," Silver said coldly. "You're completely insignificant. Hell, I don't even know your names. That's how much I care about either of you.
"Then let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Lyra Kotone, that's Ethan Hibiki. Happy?"
"I still don't care. You two are dead weight and I could easily do this without you."
"Could you do it without your Pokémon?" Lyra asked. Her fingers brushed against the smooth capsules in her pocket.
An absolutely indignant expression of furrowed eyebrows, bared teeth, and clenched jaw stared down at her. He was truly intimidating, even dangerous, and the only reason she had any control over him was that his "weapons" were nestled in her right pocket. "I'm not faking my authority. Right now, you're on my leash, because you aren't worthy of being a Pokémon trainer."
Lyra felt the punch coming before she saw it. She twisted her head and felt time slow around her as his knuckles flashed past her face. The droplets of water crossing from ceiling to floor, splattering into the cave water, were audible in the moment, as everything else was quiet.
The instinct to defend herself kicked in again. The girl curled her own fist and aimed up towards his stomach. He grabbed her wrist before the impact and squeezed. Hard. She let out a loud, painful cry and tried to pull away.
Staring back up at him only confirmed her thoughts over the past hour. He had a sick grin on his face, reveling in his superiority in the exchange. A troubled child with no way to express himself but through violence. Someone who didn't grow up around nice people and someone who had seen more than most adults. But she still didn't feel sympathy for him, that she stood by. No, she felt pity. Pity for what he made of himself despite it.
Ethan thrust himself in between the two of them and pushed them as far from each other as his body would allow by extending his arms. Silver let go of her and neither of them made a move.
"Look, I know we've had our differences, but if we're still doing introductions, I'd like you guys to turn your attention to a new friend who might help solve our problems." He extended his arm, motioning with his palm. "Both of you, meet Crazy-Eyed Rocket Gangster Who Probably Wants Us Dead."
She and Silver's heads turned in unison towards the open space that Ethan's headlamp revealed. There stood a crazy-eyed Rocket gangster who probably wanted them dead. His irises faced opposing directions and she could see tar in his mouth as he spoke into a walkie-talkie with a minor accent. "Heya boss man, we've gotta problem, but I can handle it."
The cave came alive with a red glow as two parties readied their Pokémon. All around her, the sudden flash reflected off the blue crystals to return a brilliant purple for a split second. She released Maron from her capsule. The Grunt unleashed an intimidatingly large, tailed creature, covered in tan fur. It stood on two feet and gnashed its huge front teeth together. It was Rattata's evolved stage, Raticate. There was no warning, no referee, no asking if they were ready. This was real.
"Norve, use Bite!" he shouted, causing the giant rodent to spring into action.
"Pound it with your tail!"
The Raticate lunged forward, but Maron swung his tail like a flail directly into the rodent's cheek, sending its bulk crashing into a stalagmite. Over the past few weeks, Lyra had been studying over her Pokémon to gain a better understanding of her team's fighting abilities. Almost all Pokémon species have an innate ability, and Maron's was called Huge Power. At the level they were fighting, his physical attacks would be far beyond any of his peers and the impacts would be devastating.
"Norve, focus ya energy," he ordered the rat. It complied, and in its quick recovery, its entire body emitted a soft glow.
She needed to stop that charge. Something long-range, like Bubble. Her Pokémon opened his small mouth and released a stream of pressurized bubbles from his mouth. They popped painfully against the rat, and only after the attack connected did she realize she neither got the chance nor needed to order the attack. However, despite the flinching reaction to the bubbles exploding around it, the bulky Pokémon was undeterred and completed the focusing action.
"Ya in for it now, girlie!" taunted the grunt. "Norve, try Bite again."
"Be on guard!" she ordered.
The tan rodent broke into a sprint, and Lyra realized too late that it was a lot faster than she expected. Its small feet powered its large body across the rocks in seconds, and it lunged, teeth bared forward, feet off the ground as it rocketed the last two meters.
"Dodge it, now!"
It was too late. The sickening sound of tearing flesh flooded her ears. A splatter distinct from the ambient splashes of water told her all she needed to know. Maron batted away the Raticate with its tail to dislodge the clamped bite. Under the headlamp light, she could see a tear in the Marill's rounded side. His small breaths, hitched. His movement, staggered. It became clear then to Lyra just what kind of trouble she had driven herself into, and just what the stakes were. These criminals wouldn't be afraid to hurt them, to put them as far down as possible that they couldn't get up. They were in over their heads, a bunch of kids trying to stop organized criminals set on doing wrong. She should have realized what she was playing at before diving into the well.
However, as the small rodent reared up for another attack and the gangster heartily soaked in her partner's injury, a flash of green from her side flew past and smashed into the Raticate's face. The rat turned its cheek back, furious at the new opponent. Ethan and Marigold stood ready behind her, and even though the Chikorita's exhaustion was apparent in her drooping leaf, she began to glow green again to ready another Razor Leaf. Ethan gave her a thumbs up and wide smile. "Marigold might not be in top condition, but we're not going to let this guy take you down."
Right. Even if they were in over their heads, they were in it together. "You're both idiots," she said, relieved, "but thanks for the help. Can you still fight, Maron?"
Her Pokémon, injured as he was, croaked out an affirmative squeak. It raised its small blue arm like a fist-pump.
"Let's finish this quick, Ethan," Lyra said.
"Right! Marigold, launch it!"
The Chikoritas swung her head around and fired the Razor Leaf, the crescent rushing across the battlefield. Both the crazy-eyed grunt and his Pokémon moved to react. He called out for the Raticate to dodge, but she took this as her opportunity. It wouldn't be able to dodge both attacks at once!
"Spring from your tail and Pound downwards!" commanded Lyra.
Maron fought back his pain, wound up his tail and launched into the air. He soared, and the weight of his tail rotated his body mid-air, building up momentum as he twirled faster and faster. The Razor Leaf flew past the giant rodent, who dove to the side to avoid taking another strike to the face. It was left wide open.
She swung her arm out and shouted. "Do it now, Maron!"
Her Pokémon released a battle cry and carried into his own airborne momentum. He brought his tail down as hard as he could, and the flail-like ball smashed into the Raticate's head. She could feel the force of the hit radiate outwards as the sheer power of the impact drove the creature into the ground, cracking a crater into the floor of the cave rocks. It was unconscious, unmoving.
The gangster revealed that he didn't have another Pokémon to fight with when he reached for his walkie-talkie again and frantically tried to speak into it. "Boss, we've got a—"
His warning message was cut off when a fist smashed into his cheek. The man staggered and fell onto his behind and dropped the communication device onto the floor. Silver's foot smashed it to pieces. The delinquent grabbed the man.
"Where the hell is Ariana?" he prodded.
"The fuck you talkin' about, kid?" the man choked out, spitting up phlegm and tar. "The Boss wouldn't do some grunt work like this herself. And who's askin', anyway?"
"Silver Sakaki is asking, you piece of garbage," said the boy. "Now who is running this operation?"
"A new guy, name's Proton." A flash of recognition crossed the man's face. "Sakaki, huh? I've heard about you. Not many good things, I'd say."
Silver must have decided that he had enough information, because before she could ask any questions, he stood up and reared his foot back. Lyra tried to call out to stop him, but she was drowned out by the sickening sound of the boy's kick to the man's head. The grunt was out cold. Silver cast his attention to Lyra, and once again she realized just how intimidating he was.
"Hopefully now you've learned your lesson," he said. She didn't respond, still shocked at him knocking the gangster out. "Your Pokémon got hurt. We're not dealing in fair fights down here, and they'll start coming at us once the realize this guy isn't responding. I need you to give me my Pokémon or else none of us have a chance."
Lyra realized that she had never taken her hand out of her left pocket. She hadn't taken her hands off the capsules. Silver extended a palm.
She made an impulsive decision to venture down into the well, when she could have easily left it to the police. The boy's truthfulness was still in doubt, but he led them to the Rockets, so she was willing to believe his statement that at least fifteen other gangsters were hanging around in the cave, chopping off tails. Each was probably a trainer. They were hopelessly outmatched. To win—and hopefully save some Pokémon—she needed to make another impulsive decision.
With her hand held out, she dropped the capsules into Silver's own. His grin was unsettling. Whether it was genuine or deceptive, she did not know.
"That's the best decision you'll ever make."
The Pokémon Center in Azalea Town had a back patio, a nice patio that overlooked a flower patch. The bloom of mid-spring made the flowers explode with color, and though his pollen allergy could stand to lay off, Ciel found himself drinking in the seasonal aroma. He sloshed around a glass of green apricorn juice, courtesy of a juicer in the Center's cafe. He'd arrived in Azalea that afternoon and was enjoying time off with his team after a week setback in the depths of Union Cave.
He was nose-deep in a book in a reclining chair. An avid reader he was not, but there was still so much for him to learn about Pokémon. The Eighteen Types: A Novice's Guide to Pokémon Biology and Battle Strategy acted as a starting point, along with a few other texts he'd picked up from the town's library on the whim of needing to know what they had to offer.
As he got to a passage about the Dark Type, his partner's own classification, he looked up a moment.
"That's weird," he said. "I feel like I should be doing something important right now."
Ciel looked to his left, then his right, then gazed out over the meadow. Then, he returned to his book. It was probably nothing.
"Crunch!" shouted Silver.
Despite its adeptness, the swooping Zubat couldn't prepare for its opponent leaping into the air. The Croconaw savagely crushed the flying Pokémon's left wing within its jaw, both crashing to the ground in the aftermath. The reptile then set upon the fallen, broken Pokémon in a frenzy, scaring the Rocket commanding it into hastily recalling her fallen team member and disappearing further into the cave.
"Our battle's not over yet!" he shouted at the grunt who had all but disappeared from their limited vision. Silver recalled his own Pokémon and frowned. "Weakling. I wasn't done with her yet."
"It doesn't matter," Lyra told him. "There's water to our left and a wall to our right, and if we could see lights across the water, it seems like the entire ground here is just a curving path towards an end point. Like a crescent."
"So, you mean none of them could be coming from behind us?" asked Ethan.
"It's possible, but since none have yet, I'm running on the assumption that they can't. If any of them want to leave the cave, they have to go through us."
"If there's only one path, why haven't we seen any Slowpoke, dead or alive? They should be all over this place, 'cause it's named after them and all. Or did they name the well?"
She ignored the last statement, but not the validity of his question. Only two answers came to her mind. Either there's more to the interior ground of Slowpoke Well than they assumed and there were cavernous passageways they had yet explored, or there really was only one path. The latter meant that the gangsters had simply been working their way to the end and taking any Slowpoke with them.
They found the answer to Ethan's question and the origin of the rotten odor soon after.
The entire time they'd been in the well, a bit of lingering doubt held fast in the back of Lyra's mind. Though they had seen the Rocket gangsters and some of the detached tails on the surface, she wanted to tell herself all along that Silver was just playing games with them, even after he followed her inside and they began working as a team. She had no reason to trust him but her own responsibility to herself. However, all doubt was eliminated from her mind when they found it. The source of the smell towered over them.
A rotting mound of corpses stood as the operation's flag. The lumps of flesh were so discolored and crawling with insect Pokémon larvae that they were hardly recognizable as the Slowpoke they once were. But, if a vague collection of whimpered cries were any indication, some of the bodies in the mass were still, and pitifully, alive.
Lyra felt completely justified when she leaned over and released the contents of her stomach. Ethan rubbed the small of her back to try to calm her down.
Standing next to her, Silver was unphased by the decomposing pile. However, he seemed focused, and suddenly turned his head to one direction. "Does anyone else hear that?"
Lyra wiped her mouth on her rolled sleeve and focused her own hearing. Among the present drips around the cave, she tried to focus another sound. More Rockets approaching? No, it was something else, like a scraping of metal against rock. Like the sharpening of a knife. Multiple ones.
The girl found her bearing and slowly made her way around the giant pile, resisting as best she could the nauseous urge to vomit again. They were nearing the end of the accessible cave, and beyond the pile, previously obscured by its large form, were the many lights they witnessed as they entered. Slowly, the trio made their way forward, and came upon the heart of the operation.
Large halogen lamps were set up alongside portable generators and various wheelbarrows and buckets littered the rocks of the cave, and she could even see fishing poles set up by the water. Stains of blood appeared around their feet under the powerful lights. Their own headlamps reflected as they hit the shining blades of cleavers and knives held by the members of the Rocket Syndicate who all noticed their approach.
"Hey, what the hell are they doing here?" one asked.
"You kids are in the wrong place!" another said, furiously.
One was in the process of a downswing, and she noticed too late as the cleaver came down upon a pink form. Lyra screamed. "No!"
A Poké Ball flew silently and tapped the Slowpoke, dematerializing its form into red light that retreated into the capsule. The gangster's cleaver smashed into the stone below where the Pokémon used to be, sending sparks flying. The small ball shook once, twice, three times, and then went motionless.
Ethan rushed past her side and tackled the Rocket to knock the cleaver from his hand. Her friend snatched the Poké Ball from the ground before retreating over to the two other trainers. "I may not know much," he said, "but you guys are the bad guys, we're the good guys, and we're here to stop whatever this is. You got that?"
"Ethan, you may be insufferable sometimes," Lyra began, "but I'm really glad you're here with me. Keep that Slowpoke safe."
"I'll ignore the part of that that wasn't a compliment," he said, before a confident look crossed his face. He readied Marigold's Poké Ball.
She and Silver did the same as the Rockets in front of them all turned their direction and summoned Pokémon of their own. She counted six, no, seven, eight, nine different people. Numerous Zubats, Rattata, Spearow, Houndour, Koffing, and Ekans all materialized in front of them. They were severely outnumbered. Her heart was beating out of her chest, she could feel it in her head. This was it.
One of the Rockets held up a hand and no one moved. He stepped forward under the light, shadows highlighting an unsightly smug expression. The young man, maybe in his twenties, with green eyes and teal hair under a small cap, was wearing an outfit with more flair than the rest of the muscle they'd encountered. If she had to place a bet, this was the guy in charge.
"What do we have here? It looks like a couple of walking, talking problems have come to town," he said. Lyra noted an annoying quality about his voice, a combination of suave and overconfident that made him out to think a bit too highly of himself.
"You must be Proton," Silver said while stepping forward to meet him. The two stared each other down.
"Great, if you already know me, the Coolest Guy in the Rocket Syndicate, then we can skip introductions. Now, we've got some important business going on here, so I'm going to need you annoying fucks to stay down so we can decide what to do with you."
"I don't give a shit who you are," Silver spat. "I'm here to make a statement, and you're in my way."
"And what statement would that be, kid?" the man raised an eyebrow.
Lyra needed to stop him before he did something reckless. No one was moving, so it would probably be a good idea to just stall instead of getting into a fight. They didn't have enough battle-ready Pokémon to take that risk. "You shouldn't antagonize him. He could be a lot more skilled than—"
He cut her off and spoke up. "My statement is that I'm not weak anymore. I could stomp on all of you without a second thought, and I want Ariana to know that. You hear me? If you're the guy in charge, tell your boss that Silver's back and that she's going to regret throwing me out!"
Silver was part of the Rocket Syndicate. Was. She should have known; the similarities between him and the criminals opposing them were uncanny. It explained his behavior and his vendetta, but that just made her fear even more for his Pokémon. That's why he was so cruel and unfeeling towards his team. He learned from the best. The thought made her fist curl again.
"Sorry, kid, I'm a bit new around the base," Proton said, seemingly making a joke out of it. "I have a hard time believing you were part of the Syndicate. Are you even an adult?"
"I was a Rocket. I did everything I could to live up to Ariana's expectations. But she said I wasn't good enough. I wasn't strong enough. She took my Pokémon and threw me aside like I was nothing." There was limitless venom in his words. Lyra couldn't comprehend his anger. "I'm back. I've got new Pokémon now, and I got strong."
Proton began laughing. "That's rich, kid. You make this big deal about yourself, but you can't talk to her yourself? If you were a Rocket, then you probably know where to find her. I bet you're just being a pussy and failing to own up to your own hot air."
Silver screamed. The battle exploded as Croconaw rocketed from its Poké Ball towards the man. Every one of the grunts moved at once called out attacks, forcing Lyra and Ethan to respond in kind. All hell broke loose.
"Mega Drain!" she commanded Ray as he flew from his Poké Ball. Maron was too hurt for her to continue fighting with him.
Hundreds of tiny green particles, glowing in the darkness, emerged from Ray's round body. They floated in the air for only a short period, before his concentration sent them towards the Rattata and Zubat that had found him in their sights. The particles seemingly dissipated as they contacted the bodies of the enemies, but their lunges weren't stopped. She waited.
As if suddenly too tired to function, the attacking Pokémon harmlessly flew past Ray and hit the ground. From their tired bodies, green auras separated themselves from their beings, floating back to rejoin with Ray. The move had just sapped their energy, leaving them vulnerable for a short while.
She couldn't hold her breath, though, as immediately more opponents were upon her. Another Rattata emerged and swiped out its claws, raking a wound across his front. The sprout rising from his head was harmlessly batted in response, but the pitiful counter couldn't prevent him from taking repeated scratches up close. He wasn't meant for close-quarters combat.
"Lyra, out of the way!" called Ethan behind her.
She didn't question the command and ordered Ray in kind. "Ray, jump backwards!"
As soon as he was clear, she could see the shape of a crescent in her periphery, aimed at the sky, glowing brighter as it streaked towards one of the hanging crystals. The Razor Leaf sliced through the hanging formation, and in silence it fell downward. As the Rattata reared for another attack, it was smashed into the ground by a shattering meteor of crystal shards.
Lyra turned her attention towards Silver and his brawl with Proton, the leader. The boy called out for his Pokémon to use Ice Fang, and it obeyed. It threw itself recklessly towards the Koffing even as it spewed poisonous gasses, sinking its teeth into the levitating body. As blood spilled, ice crystals formed amongst a shroud of mist. The Koffing let out a garbled outcry of pain and began spewing even more gas. The boy called out for his Pokémon to use Crunch, and it obeyed. It grabbed the purple mass and pulled it to the ground with its claws, viciously taking a bite out of another part of its body. It crushed the flesh of the Koffing within its massive jaws, inadvertently releasing even more poison gas. The Croconaw was choking on its breath, and as it jumped back to its trainer, she knew it was dangerously poisoned.
That didn't stop Silver from ordering another attack, and the Pokémon obeyed. Proton, realizing that he was losing his battle, drew two more Poké Balls from his black suit and added a Golbat and a Spinarak to the battle. Silver immediately countered with his own Gastly and Zubat. Neither trainers were skilled enough to manage a triple battle and both parties devolved into ruthless melee. Silver was losing. Only his Croconaw had the raw power to go toe-to-toe with Proton's own, and in the three-on-three, she watched his team begin to fail.
Meanwhile, she had her own problems. The two Pokémon she put down with Mega Drain were beginning to recover. She shifted her position and found Ethan at her back.
"We need to end this fast, Ethan. I'm not sure how much longer we can go, especially with all of our Pokémon in such bad shape," she warned.
"I hope you have an idea, because I sure don't. I'm not good at ideas," he said. "Cover your mouth. Marigold, Poison Powder!"
She held her sleeve up to her face as noxious spores whirled in the air around them, keeping some of the approaching Pokémon at bay, buying them just the smallest amount of time. Lyra counted three Rockets on her side with ready Pokémon, all of them with the same intent to put them and their Pokémon down. They needed more power. All of them.
"Uhh, Ethan," she said, realizing something with Ethan's bag against her own back. "Why isn't the egg in your pack? I can feel it missing."
"Wait, what do you mean? It's been in there the whole… time." He felt a hand back, realizing the shape of the bag was much flatter than before. "Gulp."
"Did you just say 'gulp' out loud?"
"Lyra, look at the ground."
She cast her headlamp down, where scattered pieces of shell caught her attention. They formed a trail, and she slowly moved her head to follow where they lead. She barely realized that everyone there, Rockets included, had stopped in curiosity, all their gazes focused on the small pale creature wearing half of an eggshell on its bottom. It squeaked cute, baby squeaks.
The Pokémon, obviously not realizing the horrible brawl that was supposed to be occurring around it, waddled over between Silver, Proton, and their legions of Pokémon. Neither could take their eyes off the walking proof of the miracle of life.
Ethan choked. He was crying. "I've never been prouder in my life. Lyra, it's taking its first steps already. They grow up so fast." She elbowed him in the side, and he shut up.
Ethan's Togepi raised one stubby, short, pale arm. No one had yet moved. While continuing to make curious chirps, it began slowly wiggling its limb back and forth. She couldn't tell what in the world it was doing. Trying to get their attention? The Rockets began murmuring amongst each other. She saw one shrug. They had no idea either.
A small orb of light appeared. From directly above the Togepi, it rose into the stagnant cave air. Her head followed, the small sphere radiating brilliantly, until it reached a crystal on the cave's roof. The Pokémon itself looked so pleased with what it had created, and sat down, content, on the rocks of the cave. Then, the ball burst.
All at once, the cave came alive with a shimmering blue light as the radiating waves from the orb cast, reflected, and shone from the various crystals in the cave. Her vision suddenly became completely clear, and her skin tickled with a familiar warmth. It was almost like the cave had moved outside, into the bright and blazing sun.
As a powerful shine surrounded Ray, she knew what happened and what she needed to do. "Silver, Ethan, get behind me, now!"
Neither questioned the occurrence and Ethan dove to grab his newly hatched companion out of the way. Silver recalled all his Pokémon, leaving only the still-stunned Rockets as both boys took their places behind, Proton shouted at his grunts. "Get your asses moving, you idiots! Take them down!"
Ray's ability, Solar Power, had been activated. Most Grass-type Pokémon had some affinity for sunlight and required exposure to synthesize nutrients, but some can use that energy and transfer it directly into their energy output for attacks. The result, as she'd researched, was a massive increase in power. It was just what they needed.
The Rockets gave their orders, and every conscious Pokémon they owned jumped for she, Ethan, and Silver at once. Lyra shouted as loud as she could. "Solar Beam!"
The well went white. Though the three were spared by being position posterior of Ray, she still felt her skin melting under the intense wave of heat when the column of pure, concentrated sun engulfed the Rockets and their Pokémon. The energy filled their vision and forced her to shield her eyes from the blinding light—and ears from the screams. Despite only lasting a moment, the massive attack's sheer power couldn't be understated, and when the light dissipated as the beam struck the far wall of the cave, their attackers lied prostrate on the ground.
Each of their Pokémon was covered in sizable burns. None moved. The Rockets themselves hadn't come out unscathed. One unfortunate gangster threw himself into the murky cave water to douse his flaming jacket. Of everyone in the cave, only the three young trainers were still standing tall.
She cast her eyes to Proton, who was lying flat on his rear, his own clothing smouldering, a burn decorating the right side of his face. His cap was missing, leaving just a frazzled head of hair. All three of his Pokémon were either unconscious or unable.
Silver made his move towards the man.
"Wait, wait, wait, waitwaitwaitwaitwait," he said quickly, "I surrender, okay?" The young man raised his hands to the air. "I don't want any trouble, just let me out of here and be on my way. I didn't really even want anything to do with this. Seriously."
"That's sure a quick turnaround," Lyra muttered.
She didn't like the creepy smile on Silver's mug as he approached. "You aren't so tough when you've lost, huh? The Rocket Syndicate is all the same."
"No, I'm serious. I'm just a college student. I, uhh… I needed the money, and I just ended up here, and, uhh—" Proton, genuinely afraid that Silver was going to hurt him, began backing up, slowly.
"You're just second-rate losers who enjoy feeling power over people. You enjoy the fake invincibility you think your group gives you," Silver continued, "and when someone finally beats you, you reveal how weak you truly are. I hate the weak."
"I don't know what happened between you and Ariana, but leave me out of it, okay? I am a computer geek, not a mob boss. She's the one you want."
"I'm not sure Ariana would appreciate you not taking responsibility, Proton," called a singsong female voice from behind.
The three of them turned at once at towards the new arrival. However, there was no one. The cave was empty, and when they turned back to Proton, he too was gone. Disappeared without a trace, carried off by something they hadn't seen. Silver stared darkly at the ground and balled his fists. He muttered something under his breath. He made his way past towards the entrance of the cave without a word.
Lyra finally collapsed, her legs giving out. They'd been shaking the entire time, but adrenaline had kept her propped up just long enough. Countless thoughts swelled through her head of just how stupid she was to have tried to challenge the Rockets, how close she'd come to getting ripped apart and beaten up, how fantastical it all was. That heart of hers was trying its hardest just to keep all her blood pumping.
Throwing yourself at criminals and trying to do the right thing wasn't nearly as easy as fictional stories made it seem. She was hardly able to think—and maybe she wasn't thinking the whole time—and spent five minutes just trying to collect herself. Nothing could have prepared her for the danger of the situation, the feeling of receiving a stare from someone who genuinely wanted to her. But she was okay. She was okay. She was still in one piece.
That didn't mean they succeeded. She cast her eyes sadly over the mound. The smell, she'd almost become acclimated to it. Hopefully the police could do more when they arrived.
Ray slowly hopped over to her and sat in her lap. Ethan sat down next to her. He seemed strangely fine and in better condition than herself, almost as if he had enjoyed putting himself on the line like that. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Ethan," she said.
"No problem. My shoulder's the most comfortable pillow around."
What an idiot, she thought. She was thanking him for saving her, twice, no, three times. But, yeah, having someone to lean on was nice too.
Her pack buzzed an important sound, and she checked her Poké GEAR for the expected message that the police had arrived. She showed it to Ethan. "We should head outside so we can tell them what happened."
"Yeah. Anything to get out of this dumb well, right?"
The Azalea Police wasted no time in apprehending every remaining Rocket at the site. She recounted the situation the best she could to the man in uniform who approached them. His shirt was a bright and offensive pink, two pockets decorating its front and a badge embroidered on the sleeve. She told him about the suspicious vans, about the giant mound and the poaching operation, which he immediately sent manpower down to find. She mentioned that their supposed leader disappeared before they arrived, even if most of the grunts were still around. The only thing she left out was the red-haired thief. Maybe it was because the theft was unrelated to what was clearly a bigger problem. Maybe she just forgot. She didn't know.
He asked a few pressing questions, but ultimately seemed to realize that Lyra wasn't in any condition to talk. If he had an issue with their collective display of vigilante justice, he didn't voice it. But the one thing she did want to talk about was what she feared the most.
"I can't really say for sure, since I'm no expert, but it doesn't look good," the man said sadly. He was in his early thirties, she thought, and already looked tired, like he'd seen a lot. "Until we can bring the Indigo Endangered Species Commission here, we won't know for sure, but one of our experts estimates that about ninety percent of the Slowpoke were killed. It's not realistic to expect them to recover."
She gave a curt thanks and walked off, not wanting anything more to do with it. The police could clean up the rest.
It was evening by the time everything was wrapped up and they began to head to Azalea. The two were silent towards each other, Ethan too preoccupied with his hatched Togepi more than anything. He played with it much like someone would a human baby, and though she had made fun of his stupid quips about his Pokémon being his children, it left her to wonder if taking a similar approach was effective. The egg-shaped creature seemed to enjoy it and shared as many chirps as its trainer's laughs. It stared at her, large, beady eyes filled with wonder underneath its three head bumps. She forced a smile for its sake.
"Where's Silver?" she asked her friend after a few minutes, once they had left the vicinity of the police's search.
"I have no idea. He left Slowpoke Well ahead of us, and I haven't seen him since."
She sighed. "Damn it. Of course, he left. I shouldn't have given him his Pokémon back. I bet he was planning this since we tied him up."
"I haven't left," said a voice.
She turned to her side, where she leveled a judging gaze at the boy leaning against a tree. The bloody hue of his hair and eyes drew her attention amongst the falling day. "So you haven't. What do you want?"
"I just want to, uhh, thank you for all of that. You helped me." He put an unnecessary stress on that word.
"You and I both know that's bullshit, Silver," Lyra said bluntly. "You want something from us, so spit it out."
He gritted his teeth. "I wanted to give you these," he said, revealing the three capsules she had only just given back to him. The last vestiges of the sunlight reflected harshly off their shiny red tops.
"Why?" she asked. He had no reason to give them anything, and he even said it himself. He didn't care about her or Ethan at all. Nor did he really care about his—the Professor's—Pokémon.
"I need you to take them to a Pokémon Center. I can't."
Right. He was still a wanted criminal, and even if they did heal his Pokémon, they needed his Trainer Card to allow him to use their services. He'd be cuffed and his team confiscated as fast as he could blink once the nurses realized who he was. But, what audacity did he have to ask for their help? She snatched the objects and stuffed them in her bag as fast as possible before she said anything else, not wanting to waste the chance to once again retrieve the missing starter.
She gazed up into the boy's face, wondering what she'd find. "You look like you're expecting them back."
"You didn't tell the cops about me. You did that for me, and I didn't ask, so I'm trying my luck."
She laughed. Loud. "Do you seriously think, for a second, that I would return them to you? After you sucker punched Ethan, abused a Pokémon that you stole, and was part of one of the most infamous criminal groups in the region? Who, as we've seen, have no problems with mutilating Pokémon to their heart's content?"
"I don't care what it takes," he said. It caught her off guard, because for a second time, she was seeing weakness underneath a facade of strength and malice. "You two are strong. Way stronger than I thought. I need that kind of power to accomplish my goals. I want you on my side, whatever that takes."
A seasonal wind blew through the forest, between she and Silver. As she looked at him, she found the same thing she'd found before. Someone without a proper way to express himself, someone damaged by past experiences, someone to pity because of his lack of integrity. He stood there, asking for another go, in front of someone he knew clashed with him on so many fundamental levels.
"You know who we are," Lyra told him. "I barely tolerate your attitude, I don't believe in using Pokémon as tools, and I believe in helping people first and foremost. Ethan's almost the same, but he cares even deeper for his Pokémon than maybe I do, and he has every reason to hate you. We aren't like you, and you want to put yourself in our hands?"
"Yes," he said. It was quick, it was decisive. He had already made up his mind. "If becoming strong has anything to do with it, then yes."
"Do you really mean that? Do you promise?"
"For fuck's sake, yes!" he shouted. "Is that so hard to understand?"
She turned her attention to Ethan, who had yet to say anything, but had this confused and pondering look about him. As did his Togepi. "Ethan?"
He put a finger to his chin. "Well, Lyra, if I'm being completely honest, I don't hate anybody," he explained. It was naïve, but as far as his perspective was concerned, it was true. "And everyone can get better, even if they aren't great right now, right? He proved he wasn't lying before when he led us to the well, so I'd bet he isn't now. If you believe in helping people, shouldn't you extend it to him?"
Ethan was right. If she didn't stick to her morals, she wasn't herself. She offered her hand to Silver and stared him in the eye. "Then it's settled. If you're willing to put in the effort, and I'll be the judge of that, then you could earn your Pokémon back. We aren't friends, but maybe we can help you."
The red-haired trainer shook her hand apprehensively, and for the first time, she looked at him as something other than an enemy.
"I won't forgive you," Lyra said, "but I believe in second chances. Don't waste it."
Silver placed his hands in the pockets of his oversized jacket. "I'm not known to waste an opportunity."
Ethan held his Togepi to the fading evening sky. The small being chirped in delight as a baby would when held and played with. "To christen this new partnership, I demand that we come up with matching team nicknames!"
"Why?" Lyra and Silver asked in unison.
"Well, because his name is so much cooler than ours!" Ethan exclaimed. "I'm just Ethan, and he's Silver. Everyone's gonna think he's the important one. So, if he's Silver, then I'm Gold." Her friend laughed under his breath, and whispered, "not because I beat him, or anything."
The sheer fury on the tall boy's face told her that this was going to be a long journey. If she was already this tired, the days ahead would be an eternal damnation the likes of which theology had never theorize before.
Her friend pointed accusingly at her. "So, Lyra, if we're Gold and Silver, then you must be… Platinum! Wait, no, that's too northern." He mulled another moment. "Bronze? No, too fake." As if she could see a lightbulb over his head, he lit up. "That's it! Crystal."
"That doesn't even match," she told him.
"That's because you aren't thinking about it like I am," Ethan—fine, Gold—shot back.
"I'm not sure I've ever thought about anything like you have, and I'm better off for it," she muttered, before checking her Poké GEAR's map application. "Azalea is back this way."
"Lead the way, Crystal," her friend shouted. Silver, on the other hand, said nothing, but diligently followed the two friends. She was counting on him to keep his promise.
That's how mafia works.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
The thrilling conclusion to this two-part storyline! I hope you enjoyed it, because I enjoyed writing it. It went a lot longer than I had anticipated, but I think that was for the best, because I could more naturally flesh out the character moments in this chapter. I don't think it's necessarily the best chapter I've written so far, but I'm satisfied with the result.
While I'm no longer on break, I've fortunately managed a good schedule that gives me at least an hour or two to work on this during weekdays, and that's enough to get the 1,000 words per day I target to keep this on schedule. Hopefully this chapter going a little over the two-week mark is an exception to my new situation.
I'm excited as all get-out for the finale of RWBY Volume 6 next week. It might be obvious, but some of Silver's dialogue in this chapter might be slightly familiar for anyone who has been keeping up with it.
Now, from a behind-the-scenes perspective, I'm a little under a third of the way done this story. And from a behinder-the-scenes perspective, I'm only 1/18th finished. God help me. As well, I'm a few chapters away from completing the first greater "story arc", though I use the term loosely, since it's less united by common plot and more so by tone and feel. In writing this chapter and the previous one, I had a sudden revelation that I wanted to add an original subplot involving Team Rocket in the second half, since their actual story presence in the Generation II games is somewhat lacking and lopsided. I've begun rewriting my outline a bit to fit that new addition, and I'm excited because of the extra space it gives me to flesh out the Rocket characters.
As always, any communication is appreciated, and I'll see you next time for Chapter 11: The Jungle Homecoming.