Chapter Eleven:
Lizy began to laugh hysterically as the massive Rampardos nuzzled itself against her, being extremely careful about it spikes, and thick skull.
Ryder stood, frozen, with Swinub right by his side, waiting to see if things go bad, so he would be ready to help her.
Soon it let Lizy up, and she jumped to her feet, and ran towards Ryder, grabbing his hands and pulling him as she followed the now trotting away Rampardos.
"Come on!", she yelled excitedly. "There's someone I want you to meet"!
Ryder narrowed his eyes, a little wary as to who was the owner of the Rampardos, and as they followed it across the pavement, Ryder soon knew that this would be an awkward meeting.
The Rampardos turned and faced Lizy as it got back to its trainer.
He was the same age as Ryder, but a little shorter, with short black hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and the burly muscular body of a typical miner.
He stood there, with a big smile on his face and his arms crossed.
Ryder came to a dead stop, almost as if he hit an invisible wall, and his entire body tensed. He wasn't sure why, but he felt threatened.
Lizy ran up and jumped into his arms, as Spook and Swinub each stopped on either side of Ryder.
Spook was hissing menacingly, but too quiet for Lizy and the other guy to hear.
Yeah, Ryder thought. I agree.
Ryder stood still as Lizy and the other guy walked up to him, both smiling. He walked with a slight limp, possibly from a leg injury.
"Ryder this is Anthony," she said. "Anthony, meet Ryder Reigns".
Ryder nodded, but Anthony held out his hand.
"So this is the guy I've been hearing so much about!" He said.
Ryder, not wanting to be rude, shook his hand with a rock solid grip, he took satisfaction when he saw a slight flinch in Anthony's eyes.
"That's funny," Ryder said. "I haven't heard a single thing about you".
Anthony tilted his head, and went on to explain, how he and Lizy had met in his town of Roggenrolla Valley, Anthony's hometown, and how he had shown her around the mines, while she was researching her rock ball, and how he took her up to the peak of a mountain, and they kissed, and have been writing to each other ever since, planning to pick up where they left off.
Ryder was filled with more and more rage after each word.
When Anthony was finished, all Ryder could say was "How about that".
"That's the strangest looking Swinub that I've ever seen," Anthony pointed out, and he looked at Swinub, who was sniffing his boots.
"Yep, that's my companion." Ryder replied.
"Along with Tom's Shieldon now it seems. Tom is really a hotheaded prick, but he's also my boss... so I don't really know how I'm supposed to react here, whether to just beat you and take him back, or just let it go".
He shot a look at Lizy, and Ryder instantly knew that he was trying to impress her.
Swinub snorted, and quickly took his place next to Ryder.
"You could try," Ryder said threateningly, narrowing his eyes, "But something tells me this won't end well for you".
Anthony pulled a pokeball from his pocket, and expanded it.
"Well I guess we're going to have to see".
Ryder's adrenaline was getting the best of him now.
He knew that Swinub had type advantage, but Cranidos was fast, and it's foot thick skull could do a lot of damage, quickly.
Before either of them could make their move, Lizy stepped in between them.
"You two need to just calm down and breathe a little bit".
Ryder was ready to rumble, but Lizy's beauty always seemed to calm him down.
Anthony quickly returned his pokeball into its pocket, and stepped up behind Lizy, who was staring into Ryder's eyes, and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Alright, I'll let him go, just for my gorgeous girl," Anthony said. "This time".
Ryder took a step towards him, with his fists clenched, ready to tear Anthony apart, when suddenly a hand rested on his shoulder.
Ryder spun quickly and saw Xander, standing there, with his hand on Ryder's shoulder.
"Can we talk?" He asked.
Ryder nodded., and looked over his shoulder at Anthony, who was still holding Lizy.
"Gladly".
As much as he hated Xander, anything would be better than standing there, watching Anthony move back in on Lizy.
He returned Swinub to his pokeball, and hooked it back on the chain, before walking after Xander.
I can't believe she didn't tell me about him... Ryder thought. And that she would let me get so close to her, when she was planning on going back to Anthony.
Ryder followed Xander back towards the main building, and looked back one more time at Anthony and Lizy.
Anthony was blabbing his mouth off, but Lizy was looking at Ryder. She shot him a sad, half-smile, and lowered her said, as if to say "I'm sorry".
Ryder had still not calmed down, so he was still extremely angry, and just turned away, and continued to follow Xander.
When they reached the main building, Xander stopped and turned to face Ryder.
"That was an impressive battle, you against that miner," he said. "I always knew you could hold your own".
Ryder raised an eyebrow. What the hell is this guy playing at?
"I have something for you," he continued.
He held out his hand, and Ryder looked down.
There was a small, compacted blue and white pokeball, with two red stripes running across it.
It was a Great ball.
They were relatively cheap pokeball in most places in Cataria, but in Glacia, people rarely saw them.
"Why are you giving this to me"? Ryder asked. "I thought you hated me"?
Ryder reached out and took the Great ball, waiting for some ignorant prank, but was shocked when there wasn't anything.
"There's a lot of things you're going to learn about me," Xander replied. "Very soon".
With that, Xander turned and walked away.
"Oh, by the way, that Shieldon you saved is in the main building with your mother, if you still plan on capturing it".
Ryder stood there, extremely confused. It was as if a switch had flipped in his brain, after Ryder's battle, and it quite quickly, and violently changed him. Ryder wasn't complaining though, it seemed to be for the better.
Ryder turned and looked back towards Lizy and Anthony, and through the crowds of miners, he caught a glimpse of them, talking with professor Diotte. They seemed to be having a good time.
Ryder lowered his eyes, and walked though the two glass doors, into the main building.
The inside was bright, and the mood seemed cheerful, as he walked into the massive conference room.
There was a massive oak table in the centre of the room, and a row of chairs on each side for the supervisors. People were heading all over the place, moving past Ryder, some flashing him a smile, or nodding, but most just walked by.
In the centre of the room, Shieldon was asleep on the table, crouched, while a Chansey watched it carefully. Next to the Chansey was Ryder's mom.
Ryder walked up to her. "how is he?" he asked.
She flashed him a smile. "He's going to be alright," she said. "I think he needs a new trainer".
Ryder smiled, and rolled the Great ball through his fingers, before hitting the centre button, expanding it.
Ryder looked down, then back to the Shieldon, before gently tossing it, at the sleeping pokemon.
He was pulled into the ball quickly, and it only shook once, before the ball stopped, and Ryder knew that he had a new companion.
Ryder smiled, and turned to his mom, who quickly gave him a hug, before he turned and walked back to the mine.
There were less pokemon this time, when he reached the massive wall of rubble, but still a good amount of people were watching, including Brandon, and John, but Lizy, Anthony, and even the professor were all missing.
They must have taken off somewhere, Ryder thought.
As he met up with his father and Brandon, John turned to him.
"Where's, Lizy?" He asked. "I thought you two were attached at the hip"?
Ryder just stared at the Diglett tunnel. "She's with her boyfriend".
John looked confused, then looked around at all of the miners, then nodded.
"I'm sorry buddy".
Ryder just shrugged.
They stayed and watched the tunnel for what seemed like a lifetime, waiting for something to happen, or Eevee to emerge.
Ryder was edgy, and needed some fresh air, so he thought he would walk back to the house, and grab his mobile pokemon centre, to finish healing up Shieldon, and let Swinub relax.
He wanted to air out his Absol wound as well.
It was healing up well, but was extremely itchy still, and would leave a very prominent scar.
Ryder told his father where he was going, before walking out and down the road, towards his house.
It was quiet as he walked, and that only left him alone with his thoughts.
Why would Lizy hurt me like this, it's pretty obvious how I feel about her... He thought. I wonder what they're doing right now.
Ryder flinched at the thought, then ran the rest of the way home, and quickly got upstairs, and grabbed the little mobile centre, and plugged in his Swinub and Shieldon, then quickly took off his shirt and changed took off the bandage.
The wound was scabbed over, and the edges were already scarring.
It's going to be a pretty awesome scar at least, Ryder thought.
Ryder grabbed a new shirt, and checked his pokemon.
They still had a couple of minutes to charge, so Ryder decided he wanted to check on the Piloswine.
As he got outside, he walked over to the pens, and saw that the young Swinub, had all evolved into bigger and more powerful Piloswine.
I wonder why my Swinub hasn't evolved yet... Ryder thought.
He watched them, as they grazed for little mushrooms and things in the grass, and some butted heads, trying to impress the females.
Soon he decided that it was time to grab his pokemon and head back to the mine, so he ran back inside, and to his room, unplugging his pokemon, hooking Swinub to his chain, and Shieldon onto his belt, before walking back onto the road.
As he walked, he began to feel strange, as if he was being watched, but every time he looked around, there was nobody around.
Ryder began to pick up speed, when suddenly he knew something was wrong.
He spun around, and saw it once again.
The Absol that had scarred him was only a few feet from Ryder, just staring at him.
Ryder jerked his arm up, and tore Swinub from his chain, then Shieldon from his belt, holding a pokeball in each hand.
Ryder was ready to throw both pokeballs, and take on the Absol, when suddenly a voice invaded his head.
Don't. The voice said.
Ryder looked around, but saw no one, other than the Absol.
"Who said that?" Ryder shouted.
I did. The voice said again.
Absol took a step towards him, and Ryder put two and two together. The Absol was using Telepathy!
I'm sorry for everything that had happened. It said. I have no control over what happens.
"Why are you here?" Ryder asked.
Darkness had fallen onto Cataria. It said softly. Glacia is about to be subject to a very evil entity, and only the chosen ones can stop it.
"Who are the chosen ones?"
You will know soon enough. Now you must go to the mines, there is about to be another collapse!
Ryder's eyes went wide, and the Absol jumped back into the tress, towards the Spire once again.
Ryder took frozen for a moment, as the words sank in, before turning and running as fast as he could, back to the mines.