Chapter 10 – Shenanigans in Slateport, Entanglement with Aqua
"A-aah! This is more like it, isn't it, Mudkip?"
"Kip!"
Brendan stretched both of his arms and then sprawled out on his towel. Slateport City's beach had excellent weather today, and it was only going to get better, according to the forecast. The sky was clear, the sun was as bright and hot as always, and, of course, the beach life was nothing less than perfect. He yawned – the last couple of hours had been spent fluttering around the dunes, chatting up tourists and battling trainers. Slateport Beach was one of the biggest destinations in Hoenn, and attracted people from places all around the world. The sand was soft and cool and the ocean was a brilliant shade of cyan. Unlike the more remote Dewford, Slateport's waters were widely used for recreational boating rather than surfing.
He let out a puff of air in a sigh and rolled onto his back. Yes, the sun was extra intense, today – lazily, Brendan pulled out a pair of goggles from his bag and slung them over his eyes. The voices of other people carried over on the wind. There were two children playing in inner tubes off to the left, and an older couple bickering not too far behind him, and in the water there was a large group of college students he guessed were from a faraway region, by their accents.
Oh, it's so nice out! Thought the boy with a smile.
Suddenly there was a skidding noise, and sand was flung into Brendan's cheek, and then something cold rammed into his stomach, causing him to jolt upwards and his goggles to go flying through the air. They hit Mudkip in the head.
"Oof! What the…" he glanced down at his lap, where a volley ball now sat. "A ball?! Who the hell-"
"Sorry!" came an apologetic voice.
Brendan sat up further and glanced over past his bag to find a group of three or four girls his age dressed in some intense swimsuits standing there, looking concerned.
He wiped the bit of sweat from his brow and stood up. "Well, it's no problem!" His voice was thicker, now, but secretly the trainer was trying to catch his breath that the volley ball had forced from his lungs. He moved the ball underneath one arm, and, with the other, ran a hand through his dark hair. "Volleyball is quite the difficult sport, if I do say so myself." Brendan had never played volleyball in his life. "But, if I were the referee," he patted his abdomen and grinned, "I'd call that one a goal!"
The girls giggled at him, and Brendan chuckled along, completely ignorant of his mistake. Mudkip was at its feet now, barking angrily at its trainer for disrupting its sleep – the goggles were slung around its body and full of sand.
"Ha ha ha! I'm Brendan, by the way!" he held out a hand and they girls exchanged a glance before shaking it.
He continued his antics and played about with the volley ball for a little while, while not-so-inconspicuously admiring them – they've gotta be from one of those faraway regions, I mean, look at th-
"Hey! Isn't that that Steven Stone guy, over there?" one of them exclaimed, pointing over yonder.
A different girl gasped. "That is! Let's go see him!"
"Yeah!"
Brendan frowned before chasing after them. He held the ball up in the air. "H-hey, wait, hold on! Don't you want this back? I-I didn't even get your names!"
He followed the girls as they hurried towards what Brendan guessed was the only person on the whole beach not wearing a swimsuit. No, Brendan observed as he got closer, the guy was instead in full-blown business attire and dress shoes. He didn't look like he was overheated though, except for the fact that his jacket was unbuttoned. Brendan skidded to a stop behind the four girls, narrowing his eyes. The silver hair, the rings, the formal air he gave off… And the Skarmory standing alertly behind him, wings folded, steel feathers gleaming in the sunlight – darn it, Brendan thought, I should have brought my Pokedex! … This was without a doubt the Hoenn League Champion, Steven Stone. Who wouldn't recognize this guy up close?
"Let's go see him!"
Steven grimaced. He knew landing on the beach was a bad idea, but he hadn't had much of a choice – Skarmory had been exhausted, and he couldn't risk going into the city if Team Aqua was still around. But what he'd heard on the radio…
"Apparently there was a massive gathering of the group Team Aqua at the Oceanic Museum! It wasn't until late at night that, according to witnesses, they all drained out of the building at once and disappeared. We don't know what happened, but there have been no reports of damage at the place. Museum founder Captain Stern tells us that he personally spoke to Team Aqua's leader, Archie-"
He'd thought he was just overthinking, at first. The news report said Aqua had disappeared, come morning. But Steven also had prior experience with Aqua, and specifically, with the sly admin who'd been in charge of some kind of operation in Slateport. One thing led to another – the incident fit together like puzzle pieces. It could have been that girl – what was her name, again…? Or another trainer like her. But my father said Stern called saying the Devon Goods were safe in his hands… So if someone interrupted their plans… No, I'm probably just being paranoid. I have to keep moving. He narrowed his eyes at a particular spot of the beach, and shifted. But that…
"Wow, I read a magazine article about you!"
"Can I have your autograph?!"
Steven cast a cautious glance over at Brendan and the girls, taking a step back towards Skarmory. Of all the times… His eyes flicked back over to the spot, and then widened. The person he had been observing had now turned around, allowing him to make out the logo on the headwear he'd previously assumed was a swimming cap but, now, realized was a bandana. He was walking towards the boardwalk leading back towards the city. No, he was following someone. But the grass and dunes were in the way – who was it? It couldn't possibly be…
"Yo, pretty boy! Are you just gonna ignore these beautiful ladies here asking for your autograph?" The guy standing behind the group pushed himself between two of the girls and scrunched up his face in irritation.
I don't have time for this…! Steven thought, eyes darting across the rest of the shoreline – people were beginning to notice the commotion and gaze curiously over in his direction. Think, Steven…
Finally, the guy accepted a sheet of paper from one of the girls and began signing it. Brendan relaxed a little, proud of himself, and smiled.
Then Steven Stone instead shoved the paper he signed into Brendan's hand, giving him a grave expression that threw the boy off. "Uh, this is for the girls, not me. But I guess I wouldn't mind, like, battling you-"
"There's a man over there, at the boardwalk. This logo is on his hat. He's dangerous. Please follow him – I have to leave."
The guy's Skarmory spread out its wings. Brendan cringed at the thought of mounting it in this crazy heat – especially when wearing only swimming trunks. Steven nonetheless backed away from them and hoisted himself up onto the Pokemon's back.
The boy's eyes flicked down to the paper, where there was a rough sketch of what sort of resembled a skull-and-crossbones on it, and raised an eyebrow. "Hang on, what?"
Steven's hazy eyes met his and he frowned. He seemed unbelievably stressed out, in contrast to the carefree, cheerful setting of the beach – he definitely wasn't kidding around. "I'm with Devon Corporation. You will be rewarded if you assist me here."
With that, the Skarmory hopped off of the ground, wings catching the breeze, and sped across the water and into the sky.
Brendan grimaced, scrubbing the sand from his hair and mouth. Uhg! The nerve of that guy. Hoenn needs a new champion, I swear… He glanced back towards the group of girls, who were now stomping away and muttering angrily to each other. Darn… Well, then again, money from Devon? That's pretty special…! The paper in his hands wrinkled as Brendan clamped his hand around it. Let's do this!
The boy fluttered back over to his spot on the beach and grabbed his goggles and t-shirt, and then began sprinting towards the city, a confident grin on his face. His eyes flicked upwards; there was a silhouette of what looked like a hawk far above him, circling around and drifting on the wind. "What, is he checking to see if I actually do it?" he called with a laugh.
The boardwalk quickly came to an end, giving way to burning hot pavement – and unfortunately, poor half-dressed Brendan did not have his shoes. He began, instead, hopping awkwardly after the man in the blue hat. "Stooop!"
His target turned around. Sure enough, there was the symbol that Steven Stone had drawn, in the center of his bandana. His eyes flicked back and forth again before narrowing at Brendan, and then, the man was running at full speed in the opposite direction, shoving through a crowd of people.
"Hey! What-" Brendan continued dancing after the man. Now he was irritated. All he wanted to do was know why the League Champion had asked him to stop him!
The chase continued, and Brendan found that the man was unpredictable – he'd run straight forward for a few blocks, pushing through throngs of tourists, glance back, and then take a random turn down an alley or sidestreet. But luckily, Brendan knew Slateport like the back of his hand, as his family had taken him here for vacation dozens of times when he was younger. And from the looks of it, the man was taking the exact same path that led to the city's Pokemon Center. But why there?
They rounded a few more corners. Brendan's feet felt like they were about fall off, and his breathing was growing ragged. He contemplated just giving up when they suddenly burst into a large square – the center of downtown Slateport. At the other end, across a few streets, was the Pokemon Center. People had begun parting the way for the man and Brendan, now, and he took up the opportunity, pushing himself forward one last time. The man, however, seemed to be slowing down.
Huh? What's he… Brendan's eyes wandered into the crowds and eventually stopped on a group of people that appeared to be a news crew – one of them was holding a mic, and the other, a giant camera. The lens was pointing at him. A grin stretched across his face as he turned towards it and gave a great big wave. "Hey, I'm on TV! Hi, Mom, Dad- Oops!"
Brendan stumbled, and things quickly escalated until he was lying face-down on the pavement. Oof…
Meanwhile, the footsteps ahead of him picked up again. Defeated, Brendan brought his head upwards, watching the man go…
…Who is that? From this angle, through either side of the walls of people… Brendan spotted a single person also walking towards the Pokemon Center, seemingly unaware of the situation around them. They were far away, but… The way the man Brendan was after was moving, he could have sworn he was chasing that person. And come to think of it, didn't I also see them ahead of us a few blocks back, too?
With a grunt, Brendan brought himself to his knees and narrowed his eyes even more. Wait a second… That item on his belt… No, it couldn't be, he told himself. But the object poorly tied to the man's waist was undoubtedly a blade of some sort. A dagger, or a machete… But why…
"He's dangerous. Please follow him – I have to leave."
The trainer's brows rose to his hairline as he realized why Steven Stone had had him chase this man. That trainer… Don't tell me he's going to…!
Beady eyes met Brendan's as the man glanced back over his shoulder. He then dove into a crowd of people so as to escape, one hand on the weapon…
"Mudkip!" Brendan ordered, "go after him! I'll catch up!"
"Kip!" The little Pokemon scurried ahead. Brendan forced himself to his feet, taking a breath and brushing the dirt from his shirt and arms, before rushing into the crowd after them.
After a few moments, there were gasps of surprise and yells from the other people in the square, and then they all began to simultaneously move backwards. Don't tell me he actually… Brendan knew what had happened, and was able to get a view of it just a few moments later. The man had drawn his knife and was closing in on the trainer, who still was unexpectedly walking into the Pokemon Center just a little ways away. Cries of surprise came from the startled people around him.
"What are you doing?"
"Hey! Stop!"
"Police! Police!"
But Brendan, too, was closing in, and Mudkip had already shot out a Mud Slap at the ground around the man, causing him to lose his footing.
"Time for my paycheck!" the boy exclaimed as he took one tremendous leap and tackled the man. The blade went rolling off into the curb of a sidewalk, far from the man's reach. "I don't know why I'm doing this, but Devon Co.'s gonna give me a ton of money if I do, so, sorry!" He said with a sweet grin.
"Geh! Get off me, kid! Don't mess with me!" the man responded, flipping Brendan around so that he was the one pinned to the hot pavement. "I won't let any more scum like you get in my way!"
One bony fist was brought up above the man's shoulder as he readied a punch. Brendan, meanwhile, was aghast. "Huh? Scum? Is that right?! Me, scum?!"
The ball of rage came hurtling downwards, but Brendan was faster – and angrier. He jerked forwards, bringing his forehead into a collision with the man's lower jaw. There was a sickening crack, and then the man's fist met the pavement rather than its target. He cried out in pain and backed off, giving the boy the opportunity to squirm out from beneath him.
"SCUUUUUUM?!" Brendan taunted as he got to his feet and threw one accusing finger towards his foe. "Hah! See what a Birch can do while they're cornered, you low-life!"
The man, seething and groveling, fled into a nearby alley, leaving a number of curses in his wake. But Brendan was unaffected, and instead crossed his arms proudly. "Heh! You won't get that in a Pokemon Contest, folks!"
The crowd gathered around began clapping, and, much to Brendan's surprise, the news crew from before approached him. He was offered a microphone by a teal-haired woman.
"That was a nice move, trainer! What are your feelings on the incident?"
A brilliant grin appeared on the boy's face. "My feelings? Well, I'll feel great once I get that check in the mail from Devon signed to Brendan Birch in return for scaring off that goon for them! You guys catch my hint?"
There were oohs from the surrounding crowd, and the reporter woman laughed. "Tell us, were you the trainer at the Oceanic Museum last night that stopped Team Aqua?" Her eyes sparkled. The cameraman appeared to be similarly interested in the subject.
Brendan only raised an eyebrow and set his hands on his hips. "What? 'Team Aqua'? No. Why would I go to the museum, anyways? That kind of thing is boring for me."
Promptly, the mic was taken from Brendan's hands, and the reporters walked away, looking crestfallen. He made a questioning look at them before shrugging and heading back to the beach, Mudkip in trail.
I spent a number of days more in Slateport. The run-in with Team Aqua had opened up a hole of self-doubt inside me, and unfortunately, I had no one to cheer me up and get me back on my feet due to the fact that there was no way I was letting anyone else know about how involved I'd got with the organization. He's right, I thought as Archie's words from the encounter echoed through my head. I'm just some trainer with two gym badges. I beat those grunts, sure, but the boss didn't even try to battle me – could he be that strong?
Combusken, on the other hand, was driven for some reason, and was constantly dragging me out to Route 109 to train. Over the time we were in Slateport after the Museum incident, the majority of it was spent at the beach, pinning my Pokemon both against each other, and against other trainers (including some drunk sailor, as well as a girl that didn't know how to swim, so was pretending to do so on the beach.) I even managed to fight my way through some kind of battle-restaurant, but I still wasn't reassured that I would be able to fight off Team Aqua and Archie, even at their worst. It ate away at me. 'Consequences'? Why do I feel like I'll still end up running into them again anyways? What if I run into them again?
"I still don't know if I'll be able to defend myself, if he comes after us, you guys," I mentioned to my Pokemon one day, lounging on a beach chair near the lighthouse, where it was a little less crowded. The busyness of the city had gotten to me. "Or any high-ranked Team Aqua member, to be honest. It sounds like they're a huge organization..."
"Aron, aron!" chirped the Steel-type, head-butting the side of my chair and sending me tumbling into the sand.
"Uck!"
My Pokemon laughed to themselves, and I grimaced. I really need some actual friends, don't I…
As if on cue, my Pokenav began to ring. I jumped up and pulled it from my bag.
The caller ID was, thankfully, not 'Norman'. Instead, it was an unregistered number. I anxiously hit the answer button and held it up to my ear…
"Hello! Is this May?" came a familiar voice.
After a short pause, I responded, "Yes. This is…"
"Roxanne, the Gym Leader of the Rustboro City Gym!"
"…Oh! That's where I recognize the voice from…" I muttered to myself. "Did you need something?"
"Well, Brawly had told me that you're rapidly advancing as a trainer! I'd just like to call and let you know that my gym will definitely continue training, so as to challenge you again in the future, May – I'm not yet convinced that I can't beat you."
"Oh… Brawly?" I scoffed. "Well, okay then…! When that time comes, I'll accept your challenge, Roxanne." My curiosity then got the best of me: "but, is Brawly the one that gave you this number?"
There was silence at the other end, and then, "Erm, maybe… …Well, I'm looking forward to the battle!"
I stifled another snicker. "Okay, then, see you."
"Goodbye…!"
Mildly entertained and no longer worrying about Team Aqua's presence, I shut the Pokenav and continued laughing to myself at the idea of the huge, athletic Brawly and the petite, studious Roxanne even in the same room together- wait… How the hell did Brawly even get my number?!
The following day, the weather was less forgiving. High winds tore at the beach suites on the shoreline, and the skyscrapers jutting up from the streets around the Pokemon Center almost appeared to be swaying, though that may have just been my imagination. The TVs blared with weather advisories and sheets of rain drummed on the roof above. Sableye and I spent a good amount of time looking out of the bedroom window, watching the roads collect more and more water, before deciding to try something wild.
"Let's go outside," I said with a grin.
If Sableye could make a concerned expression, it would have, but it instead just tilted its head at me.
I patted it playfully. "Come on! I've never seen rain this heavy. Besides, there's no lightning yet, so we should be fine!"
The Pokemon gritted its teeth as it followed me out of the Pokemon Center guest room and into the lobby. I earned a number of raised eyebrows as I neared the doors and took a complementary umbrella off of the coatrack.
"You're not… going out, are you?" asked the nurse incredulously.
I frowned. "Yeah, just for a walk. It's just a little rain."
Sableye shook its head.
The doors zipped open as I approached them, and the sound of the rain became even louder – loud enough that the words of advice Nurse Joy was trying to give me were completely drowned out. My eyes flicked down to Sableye, who crawled up to my shoulders and clung on for its life.
"Alright, let's go!"
"That was a horrible idea," I thought out loud with a frown.
I took another sad look at the object in my hands that was once an umbrella. After a few minutes, there had been one powerful gust of wind that had bent it only slightly, but enough so that it wouldn't properly shield me from the rain. To make matters worse, there was now thunder and lightning, and it was close by, illuminating the streets and alleys around me like a strobe light. I was also completely lost – the Pokemon Center's red roof and welcoming lights were nowhere to be seen, and the blocks surrounding me were all without power, making them unrecognizable.
I huffed. Thankfully, Sableye had stayed out of its ball and was guiding the way with Flash.
Soaking wet and chilled to the bone, we rounded another few corners before I widened my eyes. It was like a beacon in the night, a light in the darkness, a city in the middle of the desert – it was… it was… the Contest Hall?
I thought back to the brochure I'd skimmed about 'Pokemon Contests' again in my head. Yes, the building was without a doubt the Contest Hall it had mentioned, and with how lit up and populated it was, an event must have been going on…
With nowhere else to go, I scampered towards the building and through the automatic blue doors.
A blast of air conditioning hit me, making me even colder than I already was, but I was too awed by my surroundings to be bothered by it. To call the Contest Hall's interior roomy would be an understatement, and this wasn't even the arena where matches were held. Everything was new and clean, and… pink. People that looked like Pokemon trainers – they had all kinds of Pokemon standing obediently at their side – stood in a long line that snaked back and forth along either side of the lobby. I raised my eyebrows and walked over to the right side of the hall, sitting down in a chair and observing. Is that the line to get in and see the show? I didn't know it was this popular…
A man nearby seemed to notice my expression and explained the basics of Contests. They were, I realized, like battles, except you didn't actually battle another Pokemon. It was, more or less, showing off your own Pokemon's moves. The people in line were not trainers, but Coordinators – people that specialized in contests like a trainer would in battles. I thought about entering Combusken, but it was then that the man also told me that this was a 'Hyper Contest' hall, and if I wanted to enter, I'd need to go to a lower level one in a place called Verdanturf Town.
Just as he finished speaking, a blaring voice echoed across the lobby: "The first contest starts in 5 minutes! Please take your seats if you are spectating, or stay in line if you are entering for a later contest!"
I blinked and got to my feet. I should hurry!
The inner hall was unbelievably packed. It was like the entire population of Slateport City, tourists included, had been shoved into a single room. I somehow found a seat on the first level near the back that was open, as were the two on either side of it, and collapsed into it. It's better than being in the rain, at least.
Noticing that I was still dripping wet, I took off my bandana and began wringing it out. At least the Running Shoes are waterproof.
After a few more minutes, the lights began to dim and the chatter of the crowed died down some. I watched the stage in anticipation. The floor was similar to a battle stadium, like one you'd see in a Pokemon Gym, but was marked differently and was much more elegant. All around it were pink curtains and other decorations. I wondered if they'd use them in the show or not. At the far end of the floor was a desk where an old man I assumed was the judge was now getting situated at.
A spotlight then beamed down at the side closer to me, and four figures appeared out from the shadows, all in line. Cheers erupted from the audience around me, and I flinched. Loud!
The voice of the announcer came on again: "Please welcome our first four contestants! Jeremy, Alicia, Hina, Thomas, we hope you're ready to give us a show!" Louder!
The four bowed. The Pokemon standing next to them were all unfamiliar to me, and unfortunately, they were out of the Pokedex's range. The announcer began reading them off – Gulpin, Swellow, Zangoose, and Beautifly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted two men approaching my row, and I gulped. They bickered a little on the stairs before turning and sitting down in the two seats next to me. Yes, they were quite interesting. The one on my right was wearing a plain black baseball cap and huge sunglasses, along with jeans and a sweatshirt. His hair was an unusual, bright teal color. On the other side was a man holding a completely different air – his hair was gelled and styled, and he was older, sporting a small moustache on his upper lip. A huge cravat hung off of his neck and he wore a lengthy, designer trench coat that made shivering little me a bit jealous. Is this guy… his dad? No, maybe a relative?
I kept my eyes trained on the stadium as the contestants began performing, but distraction came easily. The two men would not stop talking!
"These seats are horrible. I can't see a thing," the first one began. His voice was deeper than expected, but also hushed.
"Hush. Watch the trainer with the Swellow. You could learn a thing or two from him."
Silence.
"That was a bad move. Now his Pokemon won't be able to do anything next turn," muttered the younger one again, softly. "This contest is over. Let's go wait it out until the next one, sir."
"No. We will stay."
He sighed.
The contest slowly moved onwards, and I had no way of figuring out who was in the lead except from the man's narration. Some of the moves the trainers did were exciting, but I certainly didn't get the same thrill watching them twirl around as I did watching a battle.
The air conditioning came back on, at one point, and I realized then why no one had picked this seat – it was right below a vent. I had to fight to keep my teeth from chattering, and meanwhile, a group of young men who seemed to have only come to the contest to make fun of how girly it was had squeezed in in the row behind us. They began loudly chomping on popcorn and chuckling.
Minutes passed and the group still did not quiet down. The two sitting next to me had gone silent, too, shifting in their seats as though they wanted to act but couldn't.
So I took it upon myself.
Placing one hand on the chair's armrest, I took in a breath, put on the most threatening expression I could muster, and turned around. The man next to me raised a curious eyebrow.
The group of men, now that I got a good look at them, was by no means intimidating. They all wore big, jagged grins on their faces, and must have had just a few years on me. One of them began nudging his friends as he noticed my glare.
"Hey, could you please quiet do-"
Pop! Fwshh…..
Water – no, it wasn't water, obviously it wasn't, it stunk – went running down my face and neck and onto the chair. It was soda, or beer, or something in that category. I brought my hands to my face and began rubbing my eyes as laughter erupted in front of me.
"Hahaha! What, so you can watch your Pokemon dances?"
"Just turn your little head around, and ignore us, alright?"
My blood boiled. The nerve of them! Ignoring the sting as I reopened my eyes, I grabbed Combusken's Pokeball. We'll see who's laughing when I break all of your jaws! I flicked my finger over the button in the center of the device and in an explosion of light, the equally enraged Pokemon materialized in front of me in a fighting stance…
...A sigh escaped from my lips as I plopped down in a couch in the Slateport Contest Hall's now empty lobby. I'd gotten most of the drink off of my face in the bathroom, but my hair and shirt still stunk and I'd done it at the cost of getting my clothes wet again. Outside, the storm was raging on, preventing me from going back to the Pokemon Center. I sighed and rested my chin in my hand as I stared out the window. The security guard that'd pulled me out of the auditorium stood at the entrance now, leering in my direction.
I guess I should get going soon. I've been so unmotivated to challenge the next gym, but that's only because… My eyes flicked over to Sableye, who was sprawled out on the couch, one claw lazily scratching its belly.
"Yes, we've just received report that the man has been bailed out by an anonymous accomplice."
"Really? Could they also be a member of Team Aqua?"
I straightened. What was that…? The… television? There were two on either side of the lobby, mounted on the walls – one was playing the final footage of the contest going on, while the other was on Slateport's local news station. The voices belonged to two news anchors, both with easy looks on their faces. I turned towards the screen and stood up. Aqua? Arrested?
"Well, that is a bit of a leap, but you know, we have been getting a number of witness reports stating that the man was wearing a banana awfully similar to the ones worn by your every day Aqua Joe. What could this mean?"
"I'm not sure, but he could just be a leftover from the big event in the Museum the other day."
"By the way, is this, by any chance, related to that?"
"We just can't say. The fact that it might have been a Team Aqua member says so, but the footage provided by Ty and Gabby says otherwise."
The screen switched from the news office to a chaotic scene in downtown Slateport. The camera quickly came into focus, and I froze.
That's… Brendan? I leaned forward. A young man was rushing towards the Pokemon Center. That's definitely Brendan. Then… that man that he's chasing… The camera was shaking some, and I heard the reporter say something about difficulty following the chase, but it was unmistakably an Aqua member that Brendan was hurrying after. A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead. From what the anchor was saying and what I heard on the footage, Brendan had caught up with the man, and, with the help of Mudkip, tackled him and scared him off.
I sat back down on the couch, sinking into the obnoxious, pink leather with a sigh. What does this mean? Is Brendan a part of this, too? My heart lifted in excitement, and I fumbled around in my pocket for my Pokenav. Does that mean I can talk to him about this? About Aqua? Does he know more about them? Maybe… if we could just team up, I might have a better chance against Archie…!
I highlighted Brendan's name, holding my finger above the send button, sweating, when suddenly something in the blabber on the television caught my attention.
"Tell us, were you the trainer at the Oceanic Museum last night that stopped Team Aqua?"
Brendan raised his eyebrows, and I did, too. The Museum…? They're… They're talking about me…! Then he spoke. "What? 'Team Aqua'? No. Why would I go to the museum, anyways? That kind of thing is boring for me."
My hopes were crushed. The way he said it – the way he looked… He definitely… doesn't know anything about it, does he… The news program cut back to the anchors once again discussing their conspiracy theories, or defending Team Aqua, or whatever else. I tuned out, absently playing with the Pokenav. I'd noticed that I had a single missed call earlier in the week, but had ignored it and then forgot. The little notification box sitting in the corner of the Pokenav's display reminded me of it, and I clicked around a little until the phone number showed up.
Huh? I shifted. Wait…
Steven Stone was the name of the contact whose call I'd missed…? There were two others, since I first got the Pokenav, one from Norman and one from Brendan, though the dates on them were back around the time that I first arrived at Slateport from Mr. Briney's boat. Steven's call, however, was recent, but the time… Three o'clock in the morning? What does he think I am, nocturnal…? I shifted again, anxiously. Why did he call, anyway? He didn't leave a message. Was it just about the Devon Goods?
"Anyways, I heard the Aqua man was arrested for attempting assault. What was that all about?"
"It's all foggy. Just like that Team Aqua! We know he was carrying a weapon, though, and that he was after someone, or something. He started waving it around before that boy tackled him."
My thoughts moved from the Pokenav back to the news program. Arrested, huh…? I thought. Maybe that will ruin their reputation a little, then… E-either way, it's not my problem anymore. It's the news people's problem, it's Brendan's problem, it's the cops' problem, it's Steven's problem… Wait a second… I widened my eyes and dove into thought once again. That place… I know that place.
Eyes flicking back to the television display, I focused. They were showing a clip of the chase in slow motion, focusing on the man and talking about this or that. But I was interested in the picture itself. It seemed to be… Downtown Slateport, as I'd first assumed. Specifically, the big intersection where the Pokemon Center was. But, the date… I was definitely at the beach that day. There's no way he was going after me.
The screen cut off, switching to an interview with two girls on Route 109. I half-listened, stopping when they mentioned that the chase had apparently started on the shoreline.
"…Yeah, he just took off after this other guy, the one with the bandana. It was, like, three PM, or something."
Three? I flicked through my Pokenav again. My call with Roxanne was at one. But… I didn't leave until…
"There were a lot of people leaving then, so no, we didn't really, like, see if he was following anyone."
"I see!"
I stood up, all of the sudden, eyes wide. Sableye paused and gave me a curious look.
"We're going," I said, picking it up and running out into the rain.
I burst through the door of the Pokemon Center, breathing heavily, and marched up to the front desk.
"Oh! May, is there something you need…" asked the nurse, looking up from her magazine. "Oh, my! You actually-"
"I… took a taxi back here…" I managed, meeting her gaze. "I was wondering if you knew what time I checked in the other day. Thursday, I think it was… In the afternoon?"
"Sure! I'll just check the records on the machine here, with the Pokemon you had – a Combusken, was it? – and…"
The woman tinkered around with the basic healing machine for a moment before nodding and turning back over to me with a sweet smile. "Yup, that's it! Three-fifteen in the afternoon."
Everything seemed to stop. Everything except the radio playing on Nurse Joy's desk. The voice of the news anchor was perfectly clear in my ears, above the pattering of the rain and the rumbling of thunder and the voices coming from the other rooms – "The footage itself was taken at exactly three-thirteen in the afternoon, so the time those girls on the beach gave would match up perfectly, given that it might take a little longer than that to get into the center of downtown Slateport by foot. The man must have taken the quickest path there from-"
"Hm? May? May, are you alright?"
The nurse's voice drifted into my mind.
"…Yes. I'm fine. Thank you, ma'am."
I quietly shut the door behind me and slumped into the bed. Outside, the storm had only worsened. After a few moments of staring at the window I shot upwards and brought the blinds down as fast as possible. My head was spinning. If it's true that that Aqua guy was following me, then that means… The knife… he-he was trying to… But there's no way. I didn't- that couldn't have been Archie, Archie was wearing a black suit- and… and now… I glanced at the window once again. And now whoever that was is still out there. They bailed him out. As easy as that. They'll probably cover up the fact that it was Team Aqua, too… I bit my lip, setting one hand on my forehead. What do I do…?
A strange noise came from the door, and I jerked to the right in surprise. There was a small figure, and then two gleaming eyes, and I relaxed realizing that it was only Sableye, with my bag in trail. I smiled and sat up.
"Thanks, Sableye…"
A/N: If anyone didn't catch it, that was just a brief cameo of Wallace and Juan there. I hope Juan is in the remakes, he was pretty cool, and I wouldn't mind Wallace being Champion like he was in Emerald (you'd get to fight endgame Steven anyways in Meteor Falls). Promise I won't go too far out of the way like I did with this chapter for a while, though, and include extra scenes that weren't remotely close to being in the game or anything.
Thanks for reading! Again, the next chapter will definitely be out sooner this time now that I'm done with this one section. And feedback via a review is always appreciated!