Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Shadows of Ganderosa
Chapter 21
Down in the Dumps
(Hours earlier)
"Good luck." Hazel said.
"You, too." Ryan added. Ryan left Team Rapture. He was still dwelling on what Garth had said to him earlier. Join Dean. What is he thinking? Ryan looked at Adelina and Dean. Ryan noticed Adelina's bag she had slung around her neck was the same bag he had gotten for her a week ago. It was brown like any normal bag, but this one had a yellow flower design on the side.
Dean and Adelina were waiting for him to join the new team. This is going to end poorly. He stopped next to Dean and Adelina. Dean looked at Ryan with a look of mischief. Ryan stood up straight to show he wasn't afraid of Dean, though he knew that it wasn't that simple. Ryan's mind flashed back to when Dean used his massive hand as a mask for Ryan. Ryan wouldn't admit it and he knew how to keep it contained, but there was a fear lingering in his mind; a fear of Dean.
He's not going to do anything to you. Ryan continued to tell himself. He doesn't have any power inside of the guild.
"Alright you two." Adelina said. "Garth assigned you two to my team, so I'll be leading you guys."
"Just because Garth assigned me to you doesn't mean you're better than me." Dean said. "What makes you more qualified than me to lead this team?"
"I know Bolt better than anyone." Adelina stated.
"Plus, you and Bolt hate each other." Ryan added. "If you lead, the mission would fall apart."
"Shut it, pipsqueak." Dean said. Ryan had heard Dean call him that so many times now that he didn't even care if it implied he was small.
"Make me." Ryan said.
"Quiet, both of you." Adelina cut in. She looked at Ryan with pleading eyes. Ryan wondered why. "I'm in charge, so accept it. If you don't like it, you can leave the team and I'll go to Bolt on my own."
"Like I would leave a mission." Dean stated while he crossed his arms. Ryan rolled his eyes.
"Let's just move out." Adelina stated coldly. She turned towards the door to the Guild's Lobby and walked away.
Dean turned to Ryan. "Listen here, pipsqueak." he said with a glint in his eyes. "Keep that up and you'll find yourself in a world you didn't want to be in. Understand?"
Ryan looked at Dean with a glare. He felt his heard begin to thump against his ribs. I can't show fear. He'll push me around. I can't show him that I'm afraid. If I do, things will get worse, guaranteed.
"Quit being an idiot, Dean." Ryan stated. "This is a mission. If you screw with me, you'll be interfering with the mission; and I won't let you mess this up. It's too important."
"Don't get too full of yourself." Dean stated. He gave a huff and left to follow Adelina. Ryan followed. You won't mess with my life. It's screwed up as it is. I won't let you or anyone else mess it up any more than it already has been. That's a promise.
The three entered the guild's courtyard. Ryan couldn't help but notice Dillan and Hazel were at the job board. Ryan took a quick glance in their direction. Ryan, Dean, and Adelina walked through the gates and went right into the streets of Palando. Adelina stopped and turned towards Ryan and Dean.
"May I have your badges?" Adelina asked them.
"What for?" Dean asked her.
"Do you need a reason?" Ryan asked. He removed his badge from his arm band, intent on showing up Dean. He handed it to Adelina.
"Ryan, I need your band as well." she told him.
"You do?" Ryan asked.
"We're going to the Red Strip." she said.
"The what?" Dean asked.
"It's what the pokemon in Palando call one part of town."
"Why do they call it that?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It doesn't matter." Ryan said. He looked at his arm band. He stared at it as though it was a part of his life that he wanted to be with him forever. Ryan removed the band and handed it to Adelina.
"Thank you." Adelina said as she took the band.
"Whatever." Dean said. He crossed his arms.
"Dean," Ryan started. "Give Adelina your badge."
"I don't have it." Dean said.
"You don't?" Ryan asked with skepticism.
"My team doesn't trust the Guild's Symbol." Dean stated. "It attracts too much unwanted attention. We only carry it around when absolutely necessary."
"Alright." Adelina said. "Let's just move on."
At that moment, a pokemon rushed into Ryan. It shoved him onto his backside. Ryan got a glance at the glaceon before it turned a corner and was out of sight.
"Watch it!" Ryan shouted after the glaceon.
Dean started laughing out loud. "Encore!" Dean shouted. "Encore!"
"Are you ok?" Adelina asked. She extended her paw towards Ryan.
"Yeah." Ryan said. He took Adelina's hand as she picked him up. When he was on his feet, he noticed how close he was to Adelina. Ryan thought for a moment. Then, his emotions caught up with his mind. We're really close. Ryan felt his yellow cheeks start to turn orange as he stared up at Adelina. He felt nervous. Adelina's eyes seemed to meet his for a long time, a time that seemed to go on for minutes. Adelina's black eyes seemed to be like space itself; containing all of the beauties of the universe. He stared at her pink skin. It reminded him of a peach. Ryan then turned away from Adelina. It can't happen. It would never work.
Dean was staring at the two. He then smiled. "Pipsqueak's in love?" he mocked.
"Really?" Ryan asked. "What are you, five?" Ryan turned to Adelina. "Where to next."
"T-This way." Adelina stuttered. Her face was turning red all over. She hurried down the road. Ryan followed.
"Why don't you kiss her?" Dean asked as he started following. Ryan tightened his fist. Oh, how I would like to smack that grin off of his stupid face! That stupid idiot has no idea what I've done to get to this point in my life! If he knew what I've done, he wouldn't be so quick to mock me! Maybe I should give him a little jolt! He kept thinking about hitting Dean, but he knew he couldn't actually do it. It would be just like his brother, Luke. When he finally made his mind up to hit Luke, to take him down, fear would take control of him. All he could do was think and play the part he set out for himself while the truth lingered in his mind.
After three minutes of thinking about hitting Dean, Ryan looked around the town. Everything seemed different. The walls were dirty and slightly worn down. There were cracks all over them. The stone floor had moss growing in between the cracks. There was dirt all over it. A musty smell lingered in the air.
There were pokemon along alley ways that looked at Ryan, Dean, and Adelina with curious glances before going back to whatever they were doing previously. Each pokemon looked roughed up in one way or another. Two little pokemon ran from an alley into the street. Both of them were the same species.
They were quadrupedal pokemon with tails and lion cub-like bodies. The front-half of their bodies were blue while the back-half were black. The pokemon had big, white eyes with yellow irises and pupils. They also had big, blue ears with a yellow star pattern in them. They had a yellow band-like pattern in their fur around their front ankles. Their tails flowed back to a star that rested on its end.
Ryan knew immediately that they were shinx, though he was horrified to see that they had fur that was ruffled on parts of their bodies. One of them had a scar above its right eye where fur wouldn't grow. He also noticed their paws looked cut up
They were chasing each other in a game of tag. Both of them were smiling as they ran. Ryan looked at the two pokemon as they ran into another alley.
"This is the Red Strip." Adelina said.
"This is awful." Ryan said. "How did things get this bad?"
Adelina stopped and turned to face Ryan. "It's always been like this." she said.
"No way." Ryan said with shock.
"Take a look around." Adelina said. "All of these damages imply this has been happening for a long time." Dean didn't say anything. He remained silent. "Team Armageddon takes advantage of these pokemon by telling them their living conditions are the guild's fault."
"Isn't it?" Dean asked.
"No." Adelina answered. "It's not the Guild's fault. It's the system's fault. Not the guild system, but the monarchy. Kings and Queens abuse their power by raising taxes. Some pokemon can keep up with the raises, but others aren't smart enough. Other pokemon get too sick for work, which puts their families into a state of poverty. Taxes start to pile up and pokemon can't pay for them. They need to sell their homes to feed their families and pay the king by taxes. Pokemon are forced to live in the bad parts of town. Then Team Armageddon takes advantage of them by saying it's the guild's fault and that they need to revolt. It causes civil war in a town."
"We can fix this, right?" Ryan asked. "My team has seen areas of Ganderosa where there isn't any poverty."
"Where?" Adelina asked. "Kerroshia?"
"Thesix." Ryan said.
"It's the same wherever you turn. Please don't think that this problem exists in a single town. This problem exists wherever you go. You just need to look where the king doesn't want you to."
"The king doesn't want us here?" Dean asked.
"No." Adelina said. "He doesn't. He wants you to stay away from this part of town. Pokemon call it the Red Strip because they think it's where all of the bad pokemon live, but that's not true." Adelina walked onwards. Ryan and Dean followed.
After a while, some pokemon watched the group like hawks. Ryan couldn't help but notice shards of glass in the street with blood on them. He stared at the place with a look of concern. How can pokemon live like this? Is the king responsible? If he is, I'll give him a piece of my mind when he comes to Palando.
"Hey, you three." a voice called out to Ryan from behind. Ryan turned around.
There was a pokemon that was about three and a half feet tall. The pokemon was a quadrupedal pokemon. It had white fur covering most of its body. The parts that weren't covered in fur were black. The pokemon had a round head with a small muzzle. It came out for three inches and ended at a nose. The pokemon had two teeth protruding from its upper lip. The most noticeable feature of the pokemon was the massive, black scythe that came off of its forehead. Ryan could see its red eyes stare at him.
"What is it?" Ryan asked suspiciously.
"What's a group of three pretty pokemon like yourselves doing down here?" the absol asked.
"We're looking for a friend." Adelina said.
"I know everyone down here in the Red Strip." the absol said confidently. "I can probably take you to him for a price."
"We're good." Adelina said. "Thanks for the offer."
"Miss," the absol said. "If you have to go, I just need to warn you. There are bad pokemon down here who do bad things to little girls such as yourself. I could give you safe passage through here if you give me your bag."
Ryan gritted his teeth. "Is that a threat?" he asked.
"Not at all." the absol said. "Just a warning."
"Hey, buddy." Dean cut in. "We're busy looking for a pokemon. We can't help you look for trouble as well."
"Do you want to get hurt, buddy?" the absol asked with a glint in his eyes.
Dean walked up to the absol. He grabbed the pokemon by his blade. The absol gave a gasp. He started kicking at Dean. Dean just held him at arms length. "Choose your next words carefully." Dean said with anger.
"I'm sorry!" the absol said. "Please don't hurt me!"
"Dean," Adelina said. "Put him down."
Dean looked at Adelina. He then turned towards the absol. "If you mess with us, I will personally kill you. Understand?"
"Yes sir!" the absol yelled. "Just please let me go!" Dean put the absol on the ground. The pokemon ran away into an alley.
"I feel bad for that absol." Adelina said.
"Yeah." Dean said. "He's poor in brain power."
"It isn't his fault." Adelina snapped. "He probably needed some money to eat."
"Whatever." Dean said. "Let's just go." Ryan stared at Dean. What he did reminded Ryan of Dean's attack he pulled back on the border between Alka and Kerroshia. He stared at the machoke. He thought about how Dean had done the same exact thing to that absol. He wondered how many other pokemon he made fear him in order to gain compliance.
Adelina waved to the two pokemon and they moved forwards.
"Here we are." Adelina said. The group of three were on the doorstep of a run-down house that was between a bunch of other houses just like it. There was a number on the door. It was, "42". Ryan couldn't hear anything from inside. Adelina knocked on the door.
"One second." a voice called out.
The three pokemon waited for a few seconds. Ryan began humming to himself. Adelina looked at him and smiled.
"I haven't heard you hum that in a long time. "Adelina said. Ryan stopped.
"I don't think about my parents very much anymore."
"That's right." Adelina said. "That's the song your mother use to sing to you."
"It's been too long, Addi." Ryan stated sadly.
"I know." Adelina said sympathetically.
The door opened. Ryan was staring at a pokemon that was three feet tall. It looked like Bolt, but it was orange and larger than him. The pokemon had a long, thin tail with a lightning bolt on the end. The lightning bolt didn't have a tip. Instead, it looked chopped. Ryan could tell by that feature that the pokemon in front of him was female. She had mouse-like ears that curved at the end. The pokemon had a white stomach. It was orange with yellow cheeks.
"And who might you two be?" the raichu asked.
"Hello, Ms. Raimi." Adelina said. "My name is Adelina. We've met before."
"Oh." Ms. Raimi said. "I see now. You're one of Bolt's teammates from when he worked at the Guild."
"Yes, ma'am." Adelina said. "And these are my... Associates. This is Ryan Simon." Adelina gestured to Ryan. Ryan gave a quick wave. "And this is-"
"I'm Dean Pearson." Dean cut in.
"Nice to meet all of you." Ms. Raimi said. "Please, come in." The raichu stepped to the side. Adelina, Dean, and Ryan stepped into the house.
Ryan was immediately concerned. The entirety of the house consisted of three rooms: the living room, the bath room, and a kitchen. The most shocking thing was that Ryan could tell that was the whole house because he could see it all from the living room. The living room consisted of a couch and some blankets on the floor. Ryan noticed there was a baby's crib in the room next to the couch. The kitchen was smaller than the living room. It had a few cupboards and a stove. Charred wood could be seen through a broken door underneath the stove. All of the walls were a worn green color. The floor was made of wood, but Ryan could tell it wasn't taken care of. There were notches all over it.
"If you could please keep the noise level down," Ms. Raimi said. "The baby's trying to sleep." The raichu walked across the living room towards the kitchen. "Would you kids like anything?"
"We're good." Ryan said. Adelina went over to the crib. She stared into it. Ryan walked to it as well. He was annoyed to see he couldn't even reach the top. Curse my small body. Ryan looked through the bars. He saw a little pokemon laying in the crib. It had a blanket covering most of its body. Its head was the only thing visible. Ryan guessed it was only a foot tall. The pokemon had triangular ears with black edges. Its head looked like a sphere. It had a small nose with pink cheeks. Ryan knew it was a pichu.
"How old is she?" Adelina asked.
"She'll be two and a half in a week." Ms. Raimi stated.
"What's her name?" Ryan asked.
"Suzie." Adelina said.
"Where's Bolt?" Dean asked.
"He's at the battlefield." Ms. Raimi said. She walked into the living room. "Why don't you all take a seat? He should be back any minute."
"Alright." Dean said with a grin. He walked over to the couch and sat down. What he didn't realize was that he was too big for it. He took up over half of it. Ryan and Adelina decided to sit on the floor instead. Ms. Raimi did the same.
"So why do you want to see my son?" Ms. Raimi asked.
"We wanted to see how he was doing." Adelina said.
"We also wanted to see if he was quitting the guild." Dean stated.
"Already?" Ms. Raimi asked.
"I know how hard Koa's death is on Bolt," Adelina said. "Believe me. I wish the guild would give him more time. But the Guildleader wanted us to at least ask."
"So, Ms. Raimi," Dean began. "Is Bolt quitting the guild?"
"Dean!" Adelina snapped quietly.
"It's a fair question." Dean said.
Ms. Raimi gave a sigh. "Come with me." Ms. Raimi got up and walked towards the house's exit. Dean, Adelina, and Ryan followed.
They were all on the doorstep. Ms. Raimi waited for everyone to exit the home. She closed the door and turned to the group.
"Bolt's a fighter." she stated. "Always has been. His father and I got sick once. As a result, we couldn't keep up with the taxes. We had to come here to have a home. Bolt was left with a decision. Instead of quitting like every other thirteen year old boy would do, he decided to fight for his family. When his father died from that same sickness, he trudged on with life. He fought to move on. When Suzie hatched, no day care would take care of her because of where we live. I didn't know what to do. That's when Bolt went to the guild. He stayed there and made that his home. All of the money he got from working there, he sent to me so I could take care of Suzie. A sixteen year old boy took on the responsibility of taking care of his family. Bolt fought for everything. Best of all, he was happy.
"But that wasn't enough. He had to suffer through another hardship. Koa's death took its toll on Bolt. He's been spending most of his time at the arena, fighting other pokemon." Ms. Raimi looked at Dean. Ryan couldn't help but notice she had tears in her eyes. "Don't you ever say that my son quit anything. The world quit on him. His entire world fell apart in the course of three years and he's been trying to keep up with it."
Dean looked at Ms. Raimi with shame. "I'm sorry, ma'am." Dean said. "I had no idea."
Adelina moved towards Ms. Raimi. "Is he alright?" she asked.
"He hasn't been the same since Koa died." Ms. Raimi said. She began crying. "Koa was always there to help Bolt through his troubles. I don't know what to do for him. I just wanted him to be happy."
"Ms. Raimi," Adelina began. "Me and Bolt are friends. I promise you that I didn't come here to give him one last chance to join the guild. I came here to help my friend. I'm going to help him out of the hole he's trapped in. I'm going to help him get better."
"I don't know if that's possible." Ms. Raimi said. Her crying worsened.
"Don't say that." Ryan said sternly.
"Ryan-" Adelina said.
"No, Addi." Ryan interrupted. "Sometimes people need to hear the truth of the matter or they won't look past the bad." He moved towards Ms. Raimi. "Don't you dare give up on Bolt." Ryan said sternly. "If you, his own mother, quit on Bolt, then you might as well hope for it to happen. Don't give up on Bolt; not when he needs you most. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
"Yes..." Ms. Raimi said through her own tears.
"Don't give up on Bolt; not ever." Ryan said calmly to prove his point.
Ms. Raimi straightened her back. Adelina reached into her bag. She pulled out a handkerchief.
"Here." Adelina offered. She handed the handkerchief to Ms. Raimi.
"Thank you, dear." Ms. Raimi said as she whipped her tears with the rag. She handed it to Adelina who put it back into her bag.
"Are you going to be alright?" Adelina asked Ms. Raimi.
"Yes." the raichu said. She turned towards Ryan. "Thank you."
"We need to be going." Adelina told Ms. Raimi. "It was nice seeing you again."
"You, too." Ms. Raimi said. "Please give my regards to the Guildleader."
"I will." Adelina said. Ms. Raimi walked into the house and shut the door. Adelina turned towards Dean. Ryan was shocked to see Adelina plant her fist in his stomach. Dean doubled backwards from the hit. "You are the most arrogant pokemon I have ever met in my life!" Adelina yelled. "How could you ask something so insensitive like that to Bolt's own mother?" Dean was wheezing on the floor. "I don't care if Arceus himself told you to be on this team! I want you to leave! You've caused nothing but problems since we left the guild and I can't take it anymore!"
Dean got up. He started glaring at Adelina. "You think I'm the issue?" he yelled. "I saved you from that absol incase you've already forgotten!"
"You're too insensitive for this mission!" Adelina shouted. "If you can't keep your mouth under control, then you'll do more damage to Bolt than good! Just go back to the guild!"
"No way!" Dean said. "When I take a mission, I finish it!"
"I said go back!" Adelina shouted. She reached into the air with both paws. Two orange swords materialized out of thin air. Adelina spun around and threw the swords at Dean. Dean didn't even flinch. The swords passed through him. This is getting out of hand.
"Did you think that would do anything?" Dean asked.
"Get out of here!" Adelina shouted. She flung her tongue at Dean.
"Addi, stop!" Ryan shouted as he tackled Adelina's tongue. Ryan stood in the way of Dean.
"Move, Ryan!" Adelina shouted.
"You can't attack Dean!" Ryan stated.
"Step aside, pipsqueak." Dean said. "If she wants to fight, let her."
"Addi," Ryan began. "Sure Dean was out of line with what he said. You might want to punch his face in and so do I."
"I'd like to see you try." Dean said.
Ryan glared at Dean. "Shut it." he said. The pachirisu looked back at Adelina. "Fighting Dean isn't what this mission is about. You said it yourself. It's about helping our friend get through a difficult time in his life. Don't make this about Dean."
"I can't let him come along!" Adelina shouted. "He'll make things worse on Bolt!"
"I know." Ryan said. He turned towards Dean. "Go back to the guild, Dean."
"Or what, pipsqueak?" Dean asked with a glare. "You'll hurt me?"
Time to stand up to him. "I'll tell everyone about what you did here; including Garth."
"And how does that hurt me?" Dean asked.
"Sabotaging the mission with your personal feelings isn't going to sit right with Garth. If it wasn't for me and Adelina, Bolt might've come home to a crying mother. I don't think he'd like finding out you caused it. That could have gotten in the way of the mission." Dean gave a grimace. "So, like I said before, go back before you end the mission."
Dean scowled at Ryan for a few seconds. He then gave a huff. "Like I wanted to be here anyways." He turned his back on Ryan and Adelina and walked off. Ryan turned towards Adelina.
"You got him to leave?" Adelina asked.
"He's just a jerk who needs to be told when to leave." Ryan said. "But, now that he's gone, I guess it doesn't matter. Let's go find Bolt."
Adelina and Ryan started walking together towards the green tower in the distance. They walked out of the Red Strip, taking a turn whenever needed.
Adelina gave a sigh. "Ryan, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."
"What is it, Addi?" Ryan asked.
"It's about Arlon." Adelina stopped walking. Ryan stopped as well. He looked at Adelina.
"What about him?" Ryan asked with concern.
"He said you know what happened to my parents." Adelina stated.
"He did?" Ryan asked. He felt his head get hotter. "And you believe him?" No! Not now! It's too soon!
"I know Arlon is the bad guy," Adelina started. "But he got me thinking about why you left."
"And?" Ryan asked.
"You still haven't told me." Adelina said.
"I did." Ryan said. "I told you that some pokemon were hunting me down."
"You haven't told me exactly what happened."
"I can't." Ryan said. Why won't she just drop it?
"But you can." Adelina chided.
"Please stop." Ryan said sternly. "Why can't I have secrets?"
"You can't if it involves my parents." Adelina said.
"I never said I know what happened to your parents." Ryan said.
"Do you?"
"No, I don't." Ryan said. He felt his stomach drop. Stop it, conscience. This isn't the first time I've lied, so just stop! Ryan kept a straight face, intent on not letting Adelina know he's lying to her. Besides, if I tell her, she'd be in danger.
Adelina looked at the ground. "I'm sorry." she said. "This mission is getting to me. It's making me remember what happened in Castellum Town. I'm sorry I accused you. I shouldn't have believed that murderer."
"Addi." Ryan said. He felt his conscience gripping at his chest, urging him to tell Adelina. It's to protect her. She can't know; no one can. "Forget about it. I promise I'll try to get your parents back, no matter what it takes."
"Thank you, Ry." Adelina seemed sincere. She gave him a smile. She looked ahead. The two began walking again. "Remember when we first met?" Adelina asked.
"I wish I could forget." Ryan admitted. "I was too weird back then."
"You're still weird." Adelina said with a laugh.
"Alright." Ryan said. "But you can't say you weren't weird, too."
"Hard to believe we've known each other for a year."
"That long?" Ryan sounded shocked.
"Exactly." Adelina said.
A whole year. Hard to believe it's been that long. It only seems like a few months to me. I clearly remember walking into Castellum Town, wondering what I was going to do next.
"You looked so scared when I first found you." Adelina said.
"I was." Ryan said. "I was in a new part of Ganderosa for the first time. Coming into that diner was one of the best things that happened to me. What was it called again?"
"Grub Grub's." Adelina said with a smile.
"That name was so stupid." Ryan said with a groan. "And the food was even worse!"
"I wasn't that bad!" Adelina said playfully.
"You poisoned me and fifteen others with the "Grub Grub Special"." Ryan said with a smile.
"I'm better now." Adelina said.
"Relax." Ryan said. "If you didn't mess up the recipe, I wouldn't have complained."
"Ooh!" Adelina said. "Your words hurt like daggers in my cooking soul!"
"It wasn't that bad." Ryan said.
"Oh really?" Adelina asked. "If I recall, you said my dish was, and I quote; "An abomination that should have never been conceived; let alone created in the very existence of the universe"."
"I felt drugged." Ryan said. "That meal did that to me."
Adelina gave a smile at Ryan. She then looked ahead. "We're here."
Ryan looked ahead at the stadium. From here he could hear cheering coming from inside. He also heard a lot of "Boo"s. Ryan and Adelina walked up the stairs and into the stadium.
Ryan and Adelina looked down into the battlefield. They could see two pokemon were battling it out. Bolt could be seen at the bottom. His opponent was a walrein. The loudred announcer was above the stadium, like usual, announcing the fight.
"And E. B. takes another hit!" the announcer said. Ryan watched the fight attentively. Bolt was facing the walrein. He looked pretty beat up. On the other hand, the walrein looked like he was thoroughly annoyed.
"What happened to the infamous E. B.?" the walrein yelled. "You use to be powerful; feared throughout the higher ranks in fighting tournaments. Now look at you. What happened to the pikachu we all knew?"
"You're about to find out!" Bolt shouted. Bolt dropped on all fours and started running at the walrein.
"Can E. B. pull it off, folks?" the announcer asked. "Can E. B. Land this hit and make a come-back?"
Bolt was surrounded with electricity. He was a yellow blur. Bolt rushed the walreign. The walrein didn't even flinch. He swished his tail at Bolt. A wave of water swept through the field, crashing towards Bolt. Bolt saw the immenent danger, but he couldn't do anything. He tried to move out of the wave's way. His momentum didn't let him. Bolt barely turned before the wave crashed into the pikachu, soaking him.
"That's it folks!" the announcer said. "It's all over! Horrace wins; three to nothing!" Half of the crowd errupted into cheers while the other half looked at the field with dissapointment. Ryan looked at Bolt who was staring at the walrein with confusion and anger. Bolt began slamming his paw into a puddle of water at his side.
"Pathetic!" the walrein yelled. Everyone quieted down for the wareighn. "Four weeks ago, I fought E. B. And I was destroyed! He was an excelent fighter! I respected the Electric Blur! Pokemon feared that name; looked up to it! Now look at you! You couldn't even land one hit on me!" Bolt grimmaced. "You were once on the top of this arena. Now look at you. Quit while some pokemon remember who you use to be." The walrein turned away from Bolt and waddled off. No one in the crowd spoke.
"W-Well there you have it, folks." the announcer said; obviously flustered by the words of that walrein. "Th-That's all for today! Come again later for another glorious fight between the Erruptor and fan favorite, the Helix Horror!"
The crowd got up from their seats and began leaving the arena. Ryan heard plenty of comments.
"What happened to E. B.?"
"That match sucked."
"Momma, why is E. B. So bad?"
Ryan looked into the arena. The announcer was inside, talking to Bolt. Bolt looked at the announcer with annoyance in his eyes. Ryan went down the steps of the arena with Adelina following.
"Bolt!" Ryan shouted as he jumped down from the last row of seats and into the battle ground.
Bolt and the announcer looked over to Ryan. The announcer gave a smile.
"Mr. Simon." the announcer said. "If I remember, you held your ground against E. B. Weeks ago. Surely you've only gotten better. Would you please consider battling in the arena some time? I'm sure you'll bring in a crowd."
"Pete." Bolt cut in.
"Right." the announcer, Pete, turned towards Bolt. "Like I was saying, you have one more chance to give the crowd a fight they'll appreciate. If you don't, I'll have to remove you from the arena."
"You can't do that!" Bolt shouted. "I've worked so hard; put in so much energy! I've given this place so many pokemon that you've been able to pay off your debt! Most of all, this is how I feed my family! You can't take this away from me!"
"I'm sorry," Pete said. "But I make my money off of this place. You're disappointing the fans. As a result, we've been losing money. Half of the crowd votes against you and the rest is still with you because they're hard-core fans. You're disappointing them. It would be best if you just retired."
"I can't do that." Bolt said.
"Then get your head on straight." Pete told him. He gave a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I've run out of options. I can't go to the Red Strip-"
"And I can?" Bolt asked. "I understand how it is. Go on. Be with your fat-delcatties at the top while you step on us at the bottom."
"You know I don't make enough money for th-"
"I don't want to hear it." Bolt snapped. He turned away from Pete. He went over to a wall and started hitting it with his fist. Pete gave a sigh.
"Are you ok?" Adelina asked.
"I don't know what to do." Pete said. "I wish I could help, but I've done all I can. My hands are tied." Pete walked off of the battle field.
Ryan looked at Bolt. He walked over to the pikachu.
"Hey, Bolt." Ryan said. "Long-time no-see."
Bolt stopped hitting the wall. He turned to Ryan. Ryan looked at Bolt's white bandages around his hands. They looked dirty. He then looked at Bolt himself. Bolt looked roughed up. He had bruises on different spots of his body. His lip had a small stream of blood going down to his chin. Bolt went back to the wall. Ryan also noticed a scar on Bolt's face above his left eye.
"Why are you here?" Bolt asked as he planted his fist in the wall.
"Bolt," Adelina said. "We're here to see if you're alright."
"Well, I'm fine." Bolt said. "Now you know."
"Where have you been?" Adelina asked.
"Anywhere but the guild." Bolt said.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Ryan asked.
Bolt hit the wall again. He then turned to Ryan. "I'm fine." he snapped.
"Really?" Ryan asked. "I think you've been losing in fights here. Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know." Bolt said.
"We went to see you at your mom's house." Ryan said. Bolt's eye twitched.
"You saw my mom?" Bolt asked.
"We did." Adelina said. "And she's terribly worried about you, Bolt. She's worried you've given up."
Bolt turned back to the wall. He hit it again.
"Stop worrying." Bolt said. "I'm fine."
"Bolt," Ryan said. "Stop lying. You're not fine."
"What do you know, Ryan?" Bolt snapped. He got up close to Ryan. "You have no idea what I'm feeling, so how do you know if I'm fine?"
"Bolt." a pokemon called from behind Ryan. Ryan turned around slowly. He knew who the voice belonged to.
"I thought we told you to go back to the Guild." Ryan said coldly to Dean.
"Like I care." Dean stated. He looked at Bolt. "I want you to fight me."
"I'm not in the mood." Bolt said.
"Come on, Butterfingers." Dean said. "I saw that pathetic example of a fight you showed the crowd. We both know that isn't you. Now you can fight that wall or you can fight me."
"You think I want to fight you?" Bolt asked. "I don't have time for this." Bolt turned towards Ryan and Adelina. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm fine." He turned away from the two and began walking off.
"I came all the way out here for a fight, Butterfingers." Dean shouted. "Are you really going to walk away from me?" Bolt didn't respond. "I don't know what Koa saw in you."
Adelina looked at Dean with wide eyes. She looked on the verge of blowing Dean to smithereens. Ryan squinted his eyes.
"Dean!" Adelina shouted angrily.
Bolt stood there. Ryan watched as his fist began shaking.
"That was the last straw!" Ryan shouted. He was about to run up on Dean.
"Stop, Ryan." Bolt said. Ryan stood still. He turned towards Bolt. Bolt turned around to face Dean. He looked very angry. "He's mine."
"Thank you." Dean said.
"I'm going to put you in the hospital." Adelina stated.
"You don't have to, Adelina." Bolt said. "He wants to get beaten, then he can."
"Let's go, Butterfingers." Dean stated. He walked to one side of the stadium. Bolt walked to the other.
"Get out of the arena." Bolt told Adelina and Ryan. They complied. They went through a door on the side of the battle field's wall that led to the seats. Ryan and Adelina sat in the front row.
"Get him, Bolt." Adelina said quietly as she and Ryan watched the two opposing pokemon. Wonder how Dean's going to fight. Other than the riot in the guild, I've hardly seen Dean's battle style. I want Bolt to crush Dean, but at the same time I'm curious what moves Dean has to fight with.
"You ready, Butterfingers?" Dean asked.
"Stop calling me that all of the time!" Bolt snapped.
"I'm never letting you live it down." Dean said with a smirk.
Adelina turned towards Ryan and said, "He calls Bolt "Butterfingers" because when Dean first joined, Bolt accidentally dropped a brick on Dean's stupid head."
Truthfully, I could care less for Dean's reasoning. The guy's a jerk. As far as I'm concerned, he just did it for some reason along the lines of revenge.
The two fighters stood there, staring. Minutes went by.
"What are you waiting for?" Dean asked. Bolt broke away from his position and started running up on Dean. He jumped above Dean and stuck his paw out in a Brick Break attack. Dean looked at Bolt with eyes of anticipation. He moved out of the way of Bolt's attack. He then elbowed Bolt in the back of the head. Bolt stumbled forwards. He went for about two feet before regaining his balance.
Bolt turned around to face Dean. Dean was just standing there, looking at Bolt. Bolt yelled and rushed towards Dean. He went into a volt tackle attack. Dean looked at Bolt and waited until the last second. He dodged the attack and grabbed Bolt's tail. Bolt looked back with fear. Dean used Bolt like a mace. He used Bolt's momentum to gain speed. Dean swung the yellow ball of electricity in three circles before letting go. Bolt went flying into the wall next to Ryan and Adelina. He slammed into the wall with so much force, Ryan felt the vibrations in his seat.
"Bolt!" Adelina shouted. She got up and looked over the wall. Ryan tried to do the same, but he couldn't see over the stone.
"Dang it, Bolt." Dean said. "Where's the pokemon I wanted to fight!"
"Shut it, Dean!" Bolt shouted. "You don't know anything about why I fight! You can't tell me I'm not at my best without realizing my reason for being in this stadium!"
"I do understand!" Dean shouted. "So fight me with all you've got!"
Bolt rushed from the wall, back into Ryan's view. He was right in front of Dean. He started bashing at Dean with punches that were seemingly at random. Ryan watched each punch Bolt hit Dean with. He then watched Dean. He isn't attacking. Why isn't he attacking?
"Get him, Bolt!" Adelina shouted.
Ryan continued to watch Bolt's moves. Wait a minute. Is Bolt attacking with random hits?
"Fight me for real!" Dean shouted. "Do it like you mean it!"
"I am!" Bolt shouted.
"Don't lie." Dean said lazily. "You're not focusing on the fight. Stop being Bolt and be E. B. For more than three seconds."
"Stop telling me to fight and fight yourself!" Bolt yelled.
Dean tilted his head. "Alright." he said. Dean's eyes focused on Bolt's punches. He's going to get his butt kicked. Dean caught a right hook to his chest. He twisted his arm. Bolt gave a cry of pain as Dean flipped Bolt over. Adelina gave a gasp. Ryan cringed instinctually. Dean threw Bolt onto the floor.
"Come on, Butterfingers!" Dean said. "I'm not even giving you ten percent! You need to try!"
"I did try!" Bolt yelled. "You're too strong! Everyone is!"
Ryan jumped off of the seat and into the battlefield. He ran up to Bolt. "Spit it out." he said.
"What are you doing in here?" Dean asked.
"Bolt," Ryan said. "Tell me what's on your mind."
"What are you talking about?" Bolt said.
"Your fighting style is sloppy." Ryan said. "It's wrong. I've seen you fight. You plan on your opponents attacks and set up a counter. You plan ahead. Right now, you're just throwing random punches. That tells me you're not in the battle. Therefore, your mind is drifting to other things." Bolt looked at Ryan with shock. "So, what's on your mind that you can't focus on this fight?"
Bolt looked downwards. "None of you know anything about me." he stated.
"I do." Adelina chimed in. Bolt looked up at Adelina. He looked hurt. "I know that you love your family. I know that Koa helped you out of a tough place by giving you that crystal you wear around your neck. I know that you help anyone who needs it. I know you've faced a lot of hardships in your life. I know that our friend died and there was nothing we could do to change that-"
"That's where you're wrong!" Bolt shouted at Adelina.
"This is about Koa, isn't it?" Ryan asked. His expression turned into one of sympathy.
"That shiftree killed him and it's my fault!" Bolt shouted.
"Bolt," Adelina started. "That isn't true."
"It is!" Bolt had tears flowing down his cheeks. He stood up and began gripping at his Z-Crystal. "I wasn't strong enough! Koa had to sacrifice himself because I couldn't beat Arlon!"
"Is that why you've been here all the time?" Adelina asked. "To train yourself?"
"It hasn't worked." Bolt said sadly. Ryan could tell he was starting to lose his hostile tone. "I keep losing battles that everyone expects me to win."
"But why give up on the guild?" Dean asked.
"Because," Ryan started. "You don't want to put yourself in that position again." Bolt nodded sadly.
"Bolt." Adelina said. She hugged Bolt. He pressed his body against hers. "It isn't your fault that Koa died. Personally, I blame myself."
Bolt broke away from Adelina. "You blame yourself?" he asked.
"I wanted us to go to Castellum Town to find my parents. If I hadn't asked you and Koa to go, he might still be here."
"That isn't your fault." Bolt said. "You needed to know if your parents were alright. You can't blame yourself."
"Then don't blame yourself for Koa dying. It was Arlon's fault and now he's paying for it."
Bolt remained silent. Tears continued to fall from his face, but he didn't make a sound.
"Are you going to be alright?" Adelina asked Bolt.
"I miss him." Bolt said. More tears flowed down his face.
"I know." Adelina said. "I do, too. But we need to carry on. He would've wanted that."
"Are you sure?" Bolt asked.
"Sure I'm sure." Adelina said.
Bolt sat there with Adelina for a minute before saying, "Alright." He looked up and dried his eyes on his bandages. "I think I know a name for our team."
"What's that?" Ryan asked.
"Team B. A. K. Or "Bak" for short."
Adelina gave a smile. She then started tearing up. "I like it." she said, trying to keep herself from crying. Bolt turned towards Dean. "I'm ready to finish our fight." he said.
Dean smiled. "Finally." he said. "I'm raring to go!"
"Alright, then." Ryan said. "Let's do th-" Suddenly, Ryan was interrupted by a massive noise like a tuning fork. It came and went in seconds. Ryan, Adelina, Bolt, and Dean were all silent.
After thirty seconds or so, Ryan said, "Anyone else hear that?"
"What was it?" Dean asked.
A green light flashed out of no where in front of Ryan. He had to shield his eyes with his paws so the light wouldn't permanently etch a pattern on his retina. The tuning fork noise was back as well. It continued to last for seconds.
"What is that?" Ryan shouted over the fork.
"I don't know!" Adelina shouted. Then, it all stopped.
The four pokemon lowered their paws slowly to check if the light was still blinding. They all looked ahead. Ryan dropped all precautions once he saw the source of the light. It was a green crystal that was suspended on a string that hung around a blue pokemon's neck. Ryan knew something else was up. He looked more carefully at the pokemon.
"Dillan?" Ryan called out. Dillan was on the ground. His green crystal, the one Reya had given him, was casting a green light on the surrounding area. There were two other pokemon with Dillan. Ryan easily identified the charmeleon as Hazel while the other one was an empoleon he hadn't seen before. The three pokemon were unconscious.
Ryan ran up to Dillan. He checked for breathing. Ryan felt his breaths, but they were shaky. He felt Hazel's. He didn't feel anything. Ryan felt for a heart beat. He was horrified to see that he couldn't feel one.
"Get a doctor!" Ryan shouted at the group. He looked at Hazel. Remember your training. They taught CPR to everyone at your school. This probably wasn't their reason for it, but here goes nothing! Ryan began performing CPR on the charmeleon. He opened her mouth and breathed into it. He then started pressing on her chest. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Repeat. He breathed into her mouth again. Come on, Hazel! Breathe! Ryan continued CPR.
"Can I help with anything?" Bolt asked frantically.
Ryan didn't pay attention. He continued CPR. "Don't you die on me, Hazel!" Ryan shouted. He kept pressing on her chest. There has to be something more I can do! Ryan thought about different techniques his older brother had taught him from when he was training to be a doctor. That might work!
"Bolt, take my paw!" Ryan shouted. Bolt thrust his paw into Ryan's. Ryan pressed his cheeks to Hazel's chest. "Clear!" he shouted. Ryan gave a jolt of electricity through Hazel's body. Hazel took a deep breath inwards. She jolted upright and grabbed Ryan by the paw. Ryan looked at Hazel with worry.
"Daddy!" Hazel screamed. She breathed deeply and rapidly.
"Hazel," Adelina said. "It's alright. Just breathe and calm down." Hazel stared at her surroundings. "Where am I?" Hazel asked frantically. Ryan saw she kept looking up at the sky.
"You're back in Palando Town." Ryan told Hazel.
"Where's Jake?" Hazel asked fearfully. She wouldn't take her eyes from the sky.
"Hazel, who's Jake?" Ryan asked. Hazel looked away from the sky to Ryan.
"Ryan?" Hazel asked.
"Hazel, you're scaring me." Ryan said. "Are you alright?"
"I-..." Hazel stopped herself. Her eyes started darting around the place wildly. "Ryan, no I'm not ok." She looked at the pachirisu. "I saw something I don't want to ever see again."
"What was it?" Ryan asked.
"I-..." Hazel stuttered. "I-..." Hazel stopped and thought for a moment. "It was a massive, black... creature with... red eyes in the sky."
Ryan froze. He stared at Hazel. "Th-That's not possible." Ryan said.
"But I saw it." Hazel insisted.
Hazel couldn't have. It isn't possible. Then again... Hazel seems pretty sure of herself. But it can't be. It only exists in my dreams.
(Author's Notes)
Hey guys! MasterKnight2142 here with shout outs to IDfiction, Lol7908, and I'm-probably-sleeping! Thank you guys for favoriting/following the story! Glad you guys like it! Another shoutout to those of you who are following the story from the shadows! I can still tell you're reading it, so thanks! Glad everyone has lasted to this point!
Thanks for reading the story! See you guys in the next chapter!