Chapter 10
Frost and Cyndaquil sat by a tree for a while. He was contemplating what Megan was telling him. Cyndaquil was starting to notice it as well. Frost was more concerned about winning than the feelings and safety of his Pokémon. Could Cyndaquil even rely on Frost anymore? What would happen in the Pokémon League if this were to keep up? Cyndaquil got up and walked away, wanting to be by himself for a while.
Clefairy got up and joined him. They walked over to a stream, and sat and looked up at the sky. Neither spoke, nor looked at each other. The pair of them simply lay on the ground, looking up at the clouds, wondering about what lay past it, as Pokémon had no real knowledge about Outer Space. Clefairy was enjoying the good weather, but was doing her best to resist the urge to explore. Cyndaquil had taken to liking Clefairy over the months they had been together. Nice, cheerful, and full of energy, Clefairy was a true friend. Even when Cyndaquil was afraid, and he had been on several occasions, Clefairy gave him courage.
Cyndaquil smiled, and hoped that Frost and his problems would work out. So he took a drink in the river, and pretended not to worry about it. Far too many things to worry about. Team Rocket, the gym battles, John, and so on. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him. Still, he knew Frost was having a problem, and he wanted to do whatever he could to fix it.
Clefairy was also beginning to worry about Frost. She was afraid, just as Megan and the others were. She stood up, and returned to Megan, who was trying her best not to get upset. Though, Frost had changed a lot, and she really wanted to cry. He was a totally different person. Neither Pokémon knew what to do, so they just hoped that Frost would work everything out himself. After all, being away from home for so long, and enduring the dangers that he had, would make anybody irritable. Frost was up ahead of them, and that's just what Megan and Brett wanted. Perhaps Frost just needed some space.
Actually, Frost was feeling fine. He could not see what the big deal was about his behavior. He was an omen, and had a destiny to claim. He could behave any way he wanted, and that was that. "Hey guys, let's go! Try to keep up," He called back. Megan and Brett picked up the pace, not too much, but just enough for Frost to leave them alone. By dusk they had made it to Jeneville City. Megan was hoping there was a contest in the city where she could compete. She worried though, that Frost would run straight to the gym, and then drag everybody out of the city when he got his gym badge.
Was she not important to him anymore? Was she only there to support him? She didn't know if Frost still considered her a friend, or just a cheerleader. Brett though now would be a good time to take a break. He let out all of his Pokémon, as did Megan and Frost. Jeneville City was a beautiful place though, and Frost could at least acknowledge that as a fact. He lay down and look at the sun set. This got him thinking deep thoughts, what happens when we die, are we alone in the universe, and other such subjects.
Megan, all the while was with Brett, and they were playing with the Pokémon. Cyndaquil, Clefairy, Skiploom and the others. Ralts and Froslass hit it off quite nicely, but Zubat and Abomasnow did not take too kindly to one another. Pidgeotto flew into the air with Zubat and they went hunting. Linoone and Skiploom went to play by a tree, perhaps an improvised version of hide and seek. Flygon and Koffing had promised to do their best to not cheat, as they had the ability to fly, but they were not allowed to play. Koffing went to be by himself, and Flygon went to join Cyndaquil and Clefairy.
Megan was looking at Frost for a good long while, contemplating what to do. She didn't want Frost to be angry forever, if he even was angry. There had to be something she could do. She was out of ideas, until Sneasel sat down next to her. Then she had an idea, she could help Sneasel evolve! Megan quickly pulled out her Pokédex to get information on how to evolve Sneasel. All she needed was a Razor Claw, and to power her up at night.
Out in the wild, finding items dropped or thrown out by trainers is common, but finding a specific item that one needs, is particularly challenging. Perhaps Jeneville contained one. She still had plenty of money she earned from helping Rourke, she could just buy one. Money is a fantastic thing, she fully understood Rourke's obsession with it. Now that she had a plan, she did not want to tell anybody, not Brett, and certainly not Frost. This was supposed to be a surprise. The only ones in on it, were Cyndaquil, and Sneasel. They had everything set up, and just needed to get moving again.
"Frost! Can we please get moving now?" Brett called out. Frost stood up, and rejoined them.
"I suppose we should get moving, should we not?" He said. They recalled their Pokémon and started walking again. Maybe Frost just needed a break from moving. After all, just walking from one city to another would get anybody irritated. Megan knew her surprise would cheer him up, at least a little. "We cannot stay long, it is going to be in and out," Frost told them.
"If there is a contest in this city, I should like to compete in it," Megan told him. Frost groaned, much to Megans irritation.
"We don't have time," He told her. "I am here to win the gym badge, we can't stay for long Megan, I'm sorry," He apologized.
Megan got angry. "I came along with you, to find competitions, and compete. I'm not here for the gym badge," She told him. "I will compete, and you are going to have to deal with that," She put her foot down.
"Then you better keep up, because I'm not staying any longer than I find necessary," He told her. Brett could sense the impending argument, and went ahead with Cyndaquil and Clefairy.
"I think its best that we stay out of this," He told them. Clefairy and Cyndaquil climbed up on his shoulders.
Megan and Frost were arguing about the contest. "Frost, do I mean nothing to you?" Megan asked. "Do your friends mean so little to you, that you would rather win on your own, than with our help and support? The Frost I know, the Frost that came from the Eribek Mountains, would never be so pig headed,"
"I'm the same Frost you met all those many months ago, Megan. I haven't changed one bit," Frost defended himself.
"No, no you are not," Megan scolded. "You've changed. You cannot see what you have become," She sighed. "Please try to understand what I'm trying to say," She begged.
"You have nothing to say that I am obligated to listen to. Now be quiet while I think of a plan to beat the gym leader," He barked. Megan stood there angrier than ever as she watched Frost storm off.
Brett, Cyndaquil, and Clefairy were pretending not to notice Frost as he stomped past them. He didn't look back, not even a passing glance. By the time they got to the city, they had gone their separate ways. Megan began looking for a contest to enter, Frost looked for the city's gym, and Brett went sightseeing. While passing by a park, Frost decided to stop and relax. He sat underneath a tree, and started to meditate.
He intensified his focus, and nearly shut out everything around him. He shut his eyes, and drifted into a realm of thought. He was alone, in his mind. Frost found himself back home in the Eribek Mountains, with the rest of his Monk companions. Master Hu was there, Sage Guilette, and the rest. However, there was no Cyndaquil. No Pidgeotto, no Butterfree, all of his Pokémon were gone. He approached Master Hu, who was eating a lovely roasted ham meal and a glass of red wine.
"Master Hu, have you seen my Pokémon?" He asked. Master Hu. Hu took no notice. "Master Hu…" Frost reached out to touch him. When he did, his hand went right through him. Hu then disappeared. He just vanished. So did everybody else, leaving Frost alone, in a large and empty room. "Hello!" He called out. His voice echoed and reverberated off of the walls. He ran up and down the stairs, through the passages and trails, and found nobody.
He was all alone. He found nobody anywhere. In the corridors of his home of old, the statues, and sculptures were replaced with machines. He continued down the steel halls, and entered a room. Inside the room, was a sort of device with several limb like attachments circulating around a solid white lectern, creating a pulsating energy like glow around a cylindrical object. When the steel machines stopped spinning and the lights dimmed down, Frost could see that the object was in fact, an egg.
He walked up to see what would come out, but before he got too close, the egg was acquired by an arm. Frost had never seen anything like it before. It was quite long, longer than any human arm, and its veins were throbbing. Plastic tubes ran through it and wires connected it to a metal body hidden by a big chair, and obscured by the poorly lit room. Upon close examination, Frost realized that whatever the arm belonged to, was picking up the egg. Frost could not see very well, and what he could make out was the egg hatching. Out came a silver fluid that began to solidify. Groaning and shrieking, the substance began to rise up, and it shrieked even louder. The fluid began to take shape, with several streams that diverted from the mass of it all. When the streams solidified, they resembled something like legs.
What was it? What was this place? Frost did not wait to find out, he took off running! He could hear strange, mechanical voices all around him. Speaking in some dialect he had never heard before. He ran out of breath, and stopped cold. What he saw was a creature whose existence was only legend, a terrifying monster that only the most twisted of fears could possibly comprehend. It stood there, perfectly still, but it opened its eyes releasing a blinding white light. Frost had to cover his in order to avoid going blind. The creature reached out his bio-mechanical limb to touch Frost. Before making contact, Frosst gasped, then he opened his mouth even wider than he had ever before and let out a powerful scream of terror before he woke up and found himself in the Pokémon Center. Megan and Brett were there by his side.
"What happened?" Frost asked. He was in a bed and Nurse Joy was giving him a sedative.
"You were in the park, and someone picked you up, they said you were shaking uncontrollably. So you were brought here," Megan answered. "You must have had an anxiety induced panic attack,"
Frost did not know what to make of it. "I…I was in the park, meditating. I saw myself in a room. I can't remember anything after that,"
"Try not to think about anything right now," Megan whispered. "Just relax," Frost took a drink of water, and lied down. By the next day, Frost was feeling much better. He then knew it was time to claim the next gym badge. After he left wiht Cyndaquil, Megan saw her opportunity, and quickly ran to the nearest stores to find a Razor Claw. She told Brett she was going shopping, and to try clothes on, which did not sound very fun to him. She managed to find a supply shop just up the road, and ran in hoping that they had one. Inside, they had a large range of items. From different types of balls, to medicines, to miscellaneous goods.
They however, did not carry a Razor Claw. So she left and went to look elsewhere. She passed many a store before she was stopped by a man in black. Before she knew what was happening, she was surrounded by Team Rocket thugs.
"Where do you think you're going?" One of them asked. They giggled and came in closer. "I hate to do this to you, but our boss grows impatient. He wants your Pokémon, and that special Cyndaquil, today,"
"How do you know of Cyndaquil?" Megan demanded. Perhaps their employer had been after Cyndaquil for a long time. No doubt this man heard about Cyndaquil from Clayton and Talia. "Cyndaquil does not belong to you. Neither you, nor your boss can have him. So why don't you just give up?" She yelled.
Megan had hoped she would get the thugs to leave her alone. However, he smiled wickedly. They were growing more restless, more aggressive. "You know we can't do that. We are not the only soldiers here. In this city alone, there are over a thousand of us. We do what we can, and what we want. What we want, is Cyndaquil. Now give him to us, or we will kill you," He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Megan. She stepped back against a wall.
"We don't want to kill you," One of the goons said. "But you don't comply with us, even our boss has tried on several occasions to get your little beasts. Just make it easier for us, and we won't kill you right away," He snickered devilishly. "It would be so much simpler if you just gave it to us,"
Megan drew one of her Pokéballs. "If you want him so bad, come and get him!" She threatened. She threw her ball and set Ralts loose upon them. Each Team Rocket grunt sent out a Pokémon. Now Megan had done it, she and Ralts and Clefairy were up against an Arbok, a Crobat, a Mismagius, two Houndoom, and a Skarmory. Megan was outnumbered, with no hope of escape. She then called upon Clefairy and Zubat. Arbok slithered in and took a nice bite out of Clefairy! Skarmory swooped in with a Wing attack on poor Megan, and one of the Houndoom rushed in at Ralts with a body Slam!
Crobat cornered Clefairy who was struggling to use Metronome. Her luck had been poor before, so she was sure she was going to get it. Crobat prepared to give a Poison Fang attack and got a direct hit in! Clefairy quickly felt the poison take effect, but gave Metronome one last go. Before Crobat could attack again, Ralts intervened with her Tackle attack. Clefairy struggled to stand as both Houndoom and Crobat came after her. Megan was helpless, and was grabbed by two of the goons. Clefairy was too afraid to do anything about them. The Houndoom and Mismagius took her down, and brought her to the goons. When Ralts was eventually taken down, the grunts dragged the captured Megan and her Pokémon to their base.
Brett, at the time was exploring the city, and found Frost who was celebrating his success over yet another gym leader. "Brett look, I just got the Wyvern Badge! I can't wait to show Megan," He gloated.
"That's great," Brett smiled. "Where is Megan by the way?" He then asked.
"What do you mean? Was she not with you?" Frost asked confused.
"Before you left, she told me she was going shopping. That was several hours ago, and she has not yet returned," Brett told him.
"Well then she's still shopping," Frost chuckled. "You know how girls are with their shopping, and dresses, and what not. Come on, let's go find her," He smiled.
"Frost," Brett called. Frost turned around.
"Yes, what is it?" He asked. Brett took a deep breath.
"If Megan wen shopping, she ought to have returned by now, wouldn't you agree?" Brett said.
"I suppose she would, yes," Frost answered.
"Then where is she?" Brett pressed. "I went looking for her an hour ago, she was not at the mall, I fear something has happened to her," Frost took a breath, and looked to Cyndaquil, who was also beginning to worry. "We better go find her,"