IX
Tailing the Crimson Tide!
The girls had been following this kid for three hours now, and as they went past another hill May collapsed to the ground. Casey looked at the brunette with concern, while their captor cursed, annoyance seeping into his voice. It seemed the red eyed youth had lost his patience with them after May had attempted to start a conversation with him for the last three times. As the girl opened her mouth to speak again he quickly cut in, his eyes widened in exasperation.
"Why would you want to talk with someone who you believe to be a killer?" The kid spoke in a cold voice. The researcher narrowed her own eyes, don't talk like that to her. She looked over at her own Pokémon, who gave her a subtle nod. Good, their plan had worked. Now that Blaziken is paralyzed May won't do anything stupid. Electabuzz can take this guy on, especially since Feraligatr seems really tired. She had to give the younger coordinator credit for her idea, having their Pokémon walk all the way to Violet would tire out his Pokémon faster, especially after the battle it had in the cave.
Of course, Casey had come to know her friend better than that now. The younger girl was simply too innocent to plan such devious strategies, probably simply wishing to have her companion at her side for the protection Blaziken gave her. Regardless, I've got to keep an eye out for the perfect opportunity. Casey tipped her hat down, the shadow hiding her eyes from the world. She looked over at Feraligatr, the creature that had nearly killed her Ampharos. Once the beastly starter fell on its rear Casey decided that it was time to act. First I've got to get May out of the way. She moved quickly, placing her arm around the brown haired trainer's waist and pulled her back. May let out a surprised yelp and their red haired attacker turned around alarmed. Is that concern in his eyes? The purple haired researcher shook her head out of conflicting thoughts; no this is the enemy, his emotions don't matter.
"Electabuzz use Thunder Wave on Feraligatr!" her striped Pokémon did so, sending sparks toward the huge water type. The male trainer's Pokémon didn't move in time, and got paralyzed by the attack. Great now that guy won't use his speed against us! "Payback time, use Thunder Punch quickly!"
The red haired boy's eyes changed, gaining a calculating look in his eyes. For the first time since meeting her he looked at Casey with a wary look, and the baseball fan couldn't help but feel proud at wiping the smug look off his face. You jerk, what will you do now that Feraligatr is going down?
Seemingly intercepting her thoughts he said, "Feraligatr is tougher than you think girl! Take that hit and then grab Electabuzz." The reptile-like Pokémon nodded, as Casey's electric type's fist began glowing with energy.
"You're underestimating my Electabuzz, that's a huge mistake. Electabuzz hit at full power and follow up with a Thunderbolt!" The Electric Pokémon shouted in agreement, not appreciating when it was dismissed so easily.
The feline-like Pokémon reared back its fist and punched with all its might, the energy releasing outwards on Feraligatr's chest. Casey held her breath, I'm not entirely sure Electabuzz is strong enough, but we have to try. To her relief the water type shouted in pain as the Thunder Punch threw it into the air. Before Electabuzz could follow up with a strike of electricity a familiar voice pierced her ears, "Stop Casey! What are you doing?"
Damn that idiotic coordinator to hell and back, you've ruined our best shot at escaping this creep! It was the harsh truth, May's protest had shaken Electabuzz's focus, allowing Feraligatr to land safely back on the ground. All the careful planning done on Casey's part had been destroyed by the simple cry of a girl with a heart far too soft to survive in this world.
To her surprise the boy chose to stay quiet, looking at the two girls interestedly. He crossed his arms and told Feraligatr to stand by, the powerful Pokémon agreeing. It must be more tired than that guy wants to let on. He's not confident that Feraligatr can beat us now so he's judging his options. She looked over at May, deciding that in order to continue the battle she'd need to have the girl's approval.
Answering the brunette's question, "I'm battling that guy to escape. For your own safety, which you seem to be quick to throw away, I suggest you stand back from this fight May." The coordinator seemed surprised by her friend; it makes sense, she's never seen me take something too seriously before. But this is for your safety.
The Hoenn native seemed like she wanted to protest, but eventually relented. She walked back to stand by Blaziken and gave her companion a disapproving glance; I don't need you to act like my mom. That little interruption had cost Casey the advantage, and now the two trainers were at a standstill. Neither seemed eager to break the tentative peace there was, but it was necessary to do so.
The redhead looked over at his Pokémon and sighed, he then called out his move, "Use Strength to lift that rock over there and throw it at Electabuzz!" The Big Jaw Pokémon walked over to a huge rock, his movements notably slower after being paralyzed. Casey smirked.
"Don't let Feraligatr do that, use Thunderbolt on it quickly!" Her own Pokémon moved, as its antennae began sparkling with energy. With a roar the striped Pokémon sent twin beams of electricity towards the huge Feraligatr. The boy's Pokémon screamed in pain, but after prodding from its trainer to keep going the cyan colored Pokémon grabbed the rock. To Casey's surprise the Water type had enough energy left to throw the rock at Electabuzz, scoring a direct hit on her Pokémon.
The boy wasn't done yet, and ordered Feraligatr to walk up to the rubble left by its first attack. Electabuzz was buried under the rubble and couldn't defend itself from the approach. He then called out the finishing move once he judged to be close enough, "Now use the last bit of energy you've got, use Superpower!"
In his haste to finish the battle he didn't realize Electabuzz had freed itself from the rubble; or perhaps he doesn't care. His intentions did not matter to Casey, "Electabuzz counter that with Thunder Punch!"
Both powerful creatures were covered in dirt and scratches from the short but violent battle, and poured all the energy they had left into these attacks. Feraligatr's claws glowed a blinding white, while Electabuzz' fist was covered in sparkling particles that met the Superpower midway. The two physical attacks collided, for an instant the light expanding and blinding the two trainers from the battle, and soon they couldn't see for another reason entirely.
The two strikes had created an explosion which kicked up the dust and debris their battle had caused, this along with a black cloud of smoke covered the area the two Pokémon were in, hiding the result of the clash from view.
Once the dust had settled the result of their clash surprised Casey, yet the red eyed boy didn't appear surprised by this. He probably expected to lose all along and was going for a tie. That's why he wanted to end the battle quickly. Casey cursed her impatience, had she maintained her distance Feraligatr would have dropped from exhaustion and Electabuzz would still be up. Now the creature their captor held as a warning was gone, so 'at least there was that'.
And for the second time since her battle with the boy she heard May's voice and realized there was way more than 'that', "You guys are seriously dumb! What was the point of that fight huh?" The girl seemed to derive some satisfaction from being able to call them dumb, and walked over proudly. "No matter, since the two of you decided to knock each other's Pokémon out me and Blaziken are in charge now!" She struck a weird pose, and Casey realized she was making a camera with her fingers. "May's expeditions: Johto Edition! These two dummies," she pointed her 'camera' at them, "made a mess and now it's up to me to get us to the next city safely, but do not fret! With me in charge things will surely go by much smoother!" Silence reigned the group after the…unusual declaration.
Casey couldn't keep her snarky comment to herself, "If you had to get us there we would reach Violet City once the dust carried our remains!"
The boy, whose name they didn't know yet looked at May with a raised eyebrow, "You've got to be kidding me."
Ten minutes later, Violet City
The group had been pleasantly surprised when their new self-appointed 'leader' managed to find Violet City in under a day, immediately after turning the corner of the mountain they were on the three of them sighted the large city. May realized that her friend was right when she had insisted Cherrygrove was a small city; seeing this place is breathtaking. The city had two structures that towered above the rest of the concrete buildings, this being Johto's first gym challenge and the Sprout Tower, respectively. A large body of water separated this two towers, and a long bridge allowed access to either side. Noting that most of the rooftops were a purple color a bit darker than Casey's own the coordinator realized the city had been aptly named.
The boy that was accompanying them broke the silence as they descended down the mountain into the city's streets, "Finally, let's get to the center so we can clear this whole mess up and forget we ever met each other!" Her own friend's attitude clashed against the boy's.
"Sounds perfect to me!" Both Pokémon-less trainers turned to look at her, "hurry up May!"
The idea of separating from this strange boy somehow discouraged the brunette, concluding that their little adventure wouldn't really affect the boy as much as it affected her. You scared me so much, but by tomorrow you'll likely have forgot you ever met us right? The idea didn't seem fair to May at all, so she decided to do something about it.
"Let's have a look around first, maybe Casey was wrong and there'll be a shopping mall here!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. Both of the older trainers gave her a glare, but May gave a pointed look towards Blaziken. The fire starter got the message and flared its wrists, and Casey groaned in defeat.
The other kid just stared at May with a serious expression, "You know that I still have two more Pokémon to escape."
It was May's turn to laugh at him, "Yeah, and I have five other guys here ready to pay you back for the scare you gave me!" She froze when the red orbs met her own blue ones and he seemed to search them for answers. Satisfied with whatever he found the redhead stopped walking.
This allowed May to catch up with him and Casey and the boy growled, "If we find a mall, I won't carry shit for you." Well that one's grouchy. She ignored his negative vibes and gave the two a huge smile, walking between them and heading into the maze of buildings and she couldn't help but feel nervous; I might have trouble finding the Center in this place after all…
The trio had been crossing their fourth street when they came across and elderly couple and Casey, needing to release her frustrations said with a lot of sarcasm, "The City of Nostalgic Scents indeed, how the hell are those two fossils still alive?" To their luck the pair didn't hear her insult and May scolded her friend.
"Casey, you shouldn't say those things! Words can really hurt people you know!" Casey shook her head and apologized, but to their surprise the crimson eyed boy added to their conversation.
He huffed, "If people are weak enough to be hurt by something as meaningless as words then they deserve to be in pain."
May stared at him in shock, Drew would've never said anything that hurtful. Much less with that resentment in his voice, what's up with this guy? "What did you just say? Why would you think that?" She allowed emotion to creep into her voice, beyond annoyed by this kid's attitude. Suddenly her earlier comparison of the redhead and her rival seemed completely incorrect.
Those red eyes glared at her, and May felt as if a Scary Face had been used on her, "If they are that pathetic they don't deserve happiness. You must stand on your own and never let anyone else drag you down, otherwise you're just as weak as them. I thought you'd know that, after you outsmarted the two of us in our battle." The Hoenn girl looked shocked at this.
"I never meant to be the last one standing there. I didn't even know Casey was going to attack you!" Well she had an idea that her friend might do so, but the boy didn't need to know that. The redheaded kid turned his head to the sidewalk, losing interest in the coordinator.
"How disappointing." He muttered.
Those two words sent a cold chill down the brown haired girl's spine, out of all the things the boy might have told her she didn't expect that. Casey thankfully came to her rescue announcing, "Well now that the debate is over how about we go get some ice cream, it's just down here!" She walked forth, likely hoping to get away from the awkward silence that descended on them. The male trainer quickly followed after her, and May looked up determinedly. She too went over with them and at the corner of the street they entered a small store.
A bell jingled as the group walked into the store "Welcome to Icy Delights kids! What can I get for you today?" An old man greeted them from the counter, presumably the owner of the humble shop. Their rude companion just rubbed his nose in frustration while May kept quiet.
Casey once more broke the awkward silence before it could settle, "I don't know about these two but I'm dying for a Chesto Berry milkshake, how much is it?" The old man smiled at her upbeat attitude.
"It's half the price today, two hundred Poké-Dollars should do it." The baseball fan gave him the money and the owner set to making Casey's order. Meanwhile May made it her mission to pretend the boy didn't exist, while said trainer was doing the same, albeit in a more subtle way. Casey spoke with her friend, "Hey May what're you going to get?" The boy shifted slightly, but neither girl noticed.
Huh? Oh right the ice cream..."Well I want something sweet, maybe a vanilla ice cream with the chocolate on top, or a Secret Cream, those are absolutely delicious!" The brunette seemed to snap out of her mood for a moment, the thought of food cheering her up for the moment.
Their other companion stayed quiet next to the door, waiting for the two girls to stop this ridiculous attempt at delaying their separation and let him get on with his life. He was spared from more waiting when the two girls were handed their food and left the store, with the boy tailing behind them. "Now can we go to the Center? I think that I've had enough of you girls."
This time May nodded, regretting starting this trip in the first place. They began walking though the busy streets of Violet City, and then Casey noticed a building on the other side of the street. She couldn't help but tease May, "Well would you look at that, the Trainer's School!" then she slyly added, "Not that May here would know what it was, with how incompetent she is at battling."
Said girl rose to her defense, "Hey that's not true, I've beat everyone that's challenged me in Johto," noticing the skeptical look Casey gave her, "well almost everyone."
Once again their third partner entered the conversation, "Besides, what they teach at that place is as useless as a Misdreavus with Focus Punch."
Casey snickered, "You only say that because you didn't go there either, I mean using a water type against my electric Pokémon isn't very smart." The crimson eyes glared at her.
"Type matchups aren't everything in a battle, the true defining element is always the Pokémon's strength. Did you forget that my Feraligatr drew with your Electabuzz already? And that was after it fought four other Pokémon." He seemed to calm down while giving the explanation, closing his eyes.
May was impressed by his knowledgeable tone, "And how did you learn that if you didn't go to Trainer's School?"
He frowned at her question and closed his fist tightly, "That's none of your business May." The use of her name carried a tone of finality to it, and for once she didn't feel compelled to find out more about this stranger walking alongside her. The three of them soon came upon the Pokémon Center and walked past the sliding doors, a pink haired nurse greeting them. The boy spoke first, "I just wanted to deliver an anonymous message to the Police Department," Nurse Joy nodded solemnly and grabbed a phone from underneath the counter, "tell them that in the Dark Cave there are three Rocket grunts trapped. They had Pokémon with them so they should go with caution." The Nurse repeated this into the phone and afterwards asked him for anything else. "My Feraligatr got hurt during the fight, I'd appreciate it if you could heal him." The healer gave him a reassuring smile and taking the water type's Poké Ball went to place it in a healing unit.
Casey walked up too before Joy could leave, "Excuse me, but my Electabuzz and Ampharos also got injured on the way here." She gave the boy next to her an accusing glance which went unnoticed by Nurse Joy, "Could you please take them too?" The older woman agreed to her request and took the two Poké Balls. She then left through a door to take care of the injured Pokémon and once she was alone with the boy Casey said, "There we go, you've kept your end of the deal and we didn't tell on you." She extended her hand to say goodbye and when he didn't take it she added, "I believe this is the part where we part ways."
Both stood still for a second and the purple headed girl thought he would leave her hanging for a moment. Then the male wrapped his own hand around hers and shook it, "Yes, I believe so too. Good luck on whatever you'll be doing." He turned around and left the building, not acknowledging the coordinator who stood by the door. Just as he was leaving the Center the brunette called out.
"Wait," to her surprise the boy actually listened to her and stopped, "I want to have a battle with you before you leave." I want to show you how 'disappointing' I can be. She couldn't see his expression at the moment, but May would later swear she saw a smile appear on his face.
"Fine May, let's get this over with already." The use of her name this second time made the girl get a warm feeling on her stomach, a complete opposite of the dread she felt by the first time. She ignored it; alright, time to show this jackass who is the better trainer.
The two trainers walked over to the battlefield in front of the Pokémon Center, and each stood on opposite sides of the field. Casey walked out quickly chasing after her friend, "Wait May do you actually want to do this?" The bandana wearing girl nodded furiously, and Casey accepted her decision. Positioning herself at the middle of the field she spoke, "Well you guys will need a referee for the match, so that's what I'm here for. On this side we have May of Petalburg City," she motioned to the brunette, "and on this side we have…"
Casey sweat-dropped, not really knowing how to proceed. "It doesn't matter who I am, just get on with the battle already." The crimson eyed boy seemed annoyed by the two girls' antics.
May's friend got an evil grin on her face, "Well we can't have a nameless opponent, so I'll name you now!" She placed a finger on her chin in thought, "I got it, what do you think of Period-Head?" After this statement May's mouth opened involuntarily, while the boy sent his best glare at the baseball fan. She laughed and continued, "Well that's settled, so now the battle can begin!"
The boy looked angrier than ever and he called out, "Sneasel let's end them." At the end his voice had got an evil tone to it and May didn't like it one bit; what did you get me into Casey?
May gulped down her fear, being intimated in a battle was no use, "Well two can play that game, Squirtle let's show those two our power!" she threw the Poké Ball in the air and out of it came May's own water type. Blaziken on the sidelines cheered the other starter on, wishing to finally give this kid what he deserved.
Opposite of the turtle Pokémon stood a small bipedal creature with black furs covering its body, red feathers sticking out of its rear and head, and sharp white claws. What surprised May the most was the red eyes, which looked exactly like its trainer's. These two probably have a powerful bond between them, to understand each other so well. This'll be a tough fight. Casey then commented on the new Pokémon, "I thought Sneasel were always in groups, how did you get one away from its herd?"
He got a frown on his face, "You people are too nosy," he then gave his Pokémon a smile, "let's show them what happens to nosy people Sneasel! Use Icy Wind, then Agility." The black Pokémon sent out a wave of ice to Squirtle, which May countered with a Water Gun. The collision canceled each other's attacks but before May could call out her own offense the boy interrupted, "Great now use Slash on Squirtle!"
The red eyed Pokémon ran to the other side of the field so quickly neither girl could react and it struck its claw into Squirtle's chest. The attack sent the turtle flying into the air and the trainer continued his attack ordering Sneasel to use Icy Wind again. "No you don't, Squirtle use Rapid Spin to break that ice," the water type did so and the particles were turned into even finer dust, "now use Water Gun!" out of the shell shot out a stream of water at high speed, heading straight for Sneasel.
The trainer smiled, "Dodge that Sneasel, then jump and bring that turtle down with a Slash." May was unpleasantly surprised when the Pokémon dodged Water Gun; that was way too fast, how did it avoid Water Gun boosted with gravity? Then the boy's Pokémon jumped above Squirtle's still airborne shell and brought down its glowing claw again.
The attack sent a blur down into the ground, the impact making a small explosion that left a crater behind. Out of the hole her water type crawled out, too injured to continue fighting. She recalled Mr. Contesta's words 'a coordinator's number one priority is their Pokémon's health'. It was a bitter pill to swallow but the truth was that after Sneasel's last attack Squirtle was unlikely to be in battling condition. She looked over the field at her opponent, looks like I'll have to remain a disappointment to you.
As she got ready to return Squirtle to its Poké Ball the water type turned around, a determined look in its eyes. "Squir Squirtle!" May was shocked by the sudden outburst of her Pokémon, when the Kanto starter's body began to glow brilliantly, blinding the onlookers for a moment. A new cry brought back their attention to the Pokémon on the field.
Where there once was a light blue Pokémon in the field there stood a taller and stronger looking turtle. It shared similarities with Squirtle, but these new Pokémon's main difference was on the tail, which was coated in white fur. May brought out her Pokédex to identify this new Pokémon, her hands trembling with adrenaline. The device locked onto the species and spoke in a robotic voice, "Wartortle, the Turtle Pokémon and the evolved form of Squirtle. Its furry tail is very popular as a symbol of long life. Wartortle's moves include Ice Beam, Rapid Spin, Water Gun, and Aqua Tail."
May was shocked by the sudden development, but then regained her fighting spirit, "Alright Wartortle are you ready to continue?" The name still sounded unfamiliar on her tongue, but she liked it. The turtle replied by jumping on its tail, "Good, let's turn this battle around using Water Gun, then follow up with Rapid Spin!" Her redheaded opponent steadied himself for the attacks.
"Sneasel don't be intimidated by that, we were beating it a moment ago! Now dodge that Water Gun and use Feint Attack." The faster Pokémon avoided the water shot at it and got behind Squirtle. However the turtle had already begun spinning away from Sneasel and May ordered it to stop rotating.
Now we've got this, "Use Water Gun and speed it up with Ice Beam!" the redhead looked shocked for the first time in the fight, realizing that Ice Beam could indeed tag Sneasel. Before the smaller Pokémon could get away the combined beam landed a solid hit on it, sending Sneasel crashing into the ground close to its trainer.
"Well that actually was…impressive." May felt her heart swell with pride, and Wartortle cried celebrating its hit. Sneasel got up trembling and the red eyed pair realized they had to finish this in one hit. "Sneasel use one more Feint Attack!"
May also came to the conclusion that this fight would end in this move and called out, "Wartortle keep your guard up, when Sneasel gets close to you use Aqua Tail!" Her newly evolved Pokémon nodded recognizing her order and readied itself. The Sneasel ran towards Wartortle, jumping above the indigo-blue Pokémon and landing behind it. It readied its claws for one last time and made a slashing motion. Wartortle however had time to react and summoned water to its tail. The white fur became coated in the liquid, turning a blue color. The two attacks collided and two cries could be heard. The fierce clash between them produced a shockwave that rustled May's brown locks and she couldn't help but worry for her Pokémon. The attacks energy dissipated, sending each Pokémon flying away from the other. Both landed on the ground and one quick look at them decided the outcome of the battle.
Casey called the battle, "And that's it, May's Wartortle and Period-Head's Sneasel are both knocked out. That makes this battle a tie!" She walked over to May who hurried over to her water type and hugged it tightly. Once she placed a comforting hand on the coordinator's shoulder she spoke, "That was a great battle May, and Wartortle is pretty strong too!" The girl thanked her friend.
By this point Wartortle had gotten back on its feet and it blushed at Casey's praise, but then it looked ahead with a serious expression. Both girls followed its gaze and saw the redheaded boy walking towards them, having picked up Sneasel on his arms. Once again May's eyes met his red ones and she felt like he was searching for something in them. This time however the brunette was returning the favor, looking into his blood red pools to find an emotion she was sure to have seen during the battle.
Both of them opened their mouths to speak, "You care for your Pokémon."
May nodded while the boy covered his surprise with a fake cough. Then looking at her with renewed interest shining in his irises he spoke, "Yes I do, it is important to have a bond between them in order to understand them better. You and Wartortle share that bond too, I can respect that." Casey for once seemed impressed by the rude boy's care for his Pokémon.
"Thanks, you and Sneasel are a great pair too." She hesitated; I need to know more about this boy, but he seems to react badly when questioned about his past. "I wonder… you and your team seem to be pretty tough, what are you planning to do with them?"
His red eyes widened in surprise and he replied with sincerity, "What I plan to do," he considered telling these two the truth and decided that it wouldn't do any harm, "I plan to become the strongest trainer in the world and show people what true power looks like!" His eyes flared with determination and combined with their redness May could easily imagine a flame shining in them. Amazing, can I have that too?
It seemed Casey herself was surprised by this kid, and she voiced her admiration, "Wow, that's really something else." Her curiosity awakened however, "What drives you to such lengths though, why become the best trainer when you could achieve your goal in other ways?" two red eyes looked calculatingly at them, considering the two trainers in front of him.
"I suppose that I misjudged you two. Did you two remember to get a room at the Center?" The purple haired researcher nodded, and led the way into their temporary home. Walking up the stairs May couldn't help but think about the recent development of the mysterious boy's personality; what happened to him during our battle for him to begin taking us seriously? Casey opened the door to their room and both girls sat on one bed, while the red haired boy sat on the opposite mattress. He once again gave the duo a discerning look and warned them, "If what I'm about to tell you ever gets out of here you will both be in real danger."
May gulped, just what was she getting into now? She then felt her adventurous spirit surge from within and her apprehension slightly lost force. She wanted to know more about this boy and May Maple fought for what she wanted, "I promise not to talk about what you say in this room to anyone besides us." Her friend beside her nodded in agreement.
"I won't say anything as long as you don't give me permission." The boy seemed pleased by their compliance, but his smile disappeared when Casey spoke again, "But first things first," she crossed her arms and gave him a serious look, "who are you?"
For the first time since either of them met the boy he gave them a grin, "Well that's something I can tell you, if you also agree to stop calling me that name." May couldn't help herself, she let out a giggle and Casey laughed.
"Yeah you got it kid, I'll stop if you tell us your real name." Casey promised in between her laughter. "But I'll miss calling you my awesome nickname!"
What he said next intrigued May even more, as he tried to convey as much genuineness as he could into his voice. "Well to be honest with you I don't know what, or even if my parents gave me a name. I was an orphan in a little town located in Mount Silver, and no one knew who my parents were."
May for once didn't feel mad at Casey's interrupting of someone, "Cut the chase, tell us what we want to know." The orphan gave her a glare and began telling his story, and May thought she couldn't feel more anxious even if she was amidst a battle with Solidad.
His red eyes shined with remembrance, "Well I guess I began to adopt my name around four years ago…"