Saylee—Pokémon: 17 Deaths: 6
Key—Pokémon: 8 Deaths: 7
(See the bottom of the chapter for team rosters)
{Jinua 27th, 11:36 am}
{Hearthome Gym, Hearthome City}
"Maylene!" Colby called, leading Saylee and Key up to the biggest ring in the gym. "We've got a tough one for ya!"
Saylee knew that Maylene was young, but she wasn't prepared for how tiny the girl was. Maylene was short and skinny, with scrubby pink hair and only a cheap leotard and hand-me-down oversized joggers to wear. It was almost funny to see all of the large, burly black belts that Key and Gareth had swept through bowing deferentially to this tiny girl, but if game corner chat was to be believed Maylene was a more competent martial artist than all of them.
She had fire in her eyes, too. Despite her terrible family situation, she didn't look sad or pitiable to Saylee. She had taken control of a crappy situation and dominated it, and someone with strength like that didn't need something as condescending as pity. They commanded respect. Key and Gareth better be ready, because I'll bet her Pokémon are much tougher than her disciples'…
"Hello, I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Maylene, and I'm the Gym Leader," the girl introduced herself, holding out her hand for a handshake before changing her mind about leaving the leaders' side of the ring and bowing.
"I'm Key, and this is Gareth," Key said, nodding to her unscathed Gallade.
"I don't really know what it means to be strong, or how I got to be the Gym Leader," Maylene said, producing a pokéball. "But I will do the best I can as the Gym Leader. I take battling very seriously. Whenever you're ready!"
"Ready and waiting!" Gareth said, leaping into the battlefield. Maylene faced him with a Meditite.
Gareth fought well, taking down the Meditite and a Machoke easily, but Saylee felt increasingly uneasy. Is it that? Saylee wondered as Maylene released her Lucario. No… Lucario are powerful, but that's not why I feel… afraid…?
She closed her eyes, listening hard. It was almost as if a distant voice was calling to her…
"Help!"
Saylee looked around quickly, but it was clear that nobody else had heard it the scream. Everyone else in the gym was watching Gareth and the Lucario's battle intently. The Lucario, however, kept shooting odd looks in Saylee's direction. They can see auras, Saylee recalled. Can she see something odd around me…?
Gareth and the Lucario were fast-paced but evenly matched; Saylee couldn't pay close enough attention to figure out who had the upper hand, not with the sound of a vaguely familiar voice calling for help resounding in her ears. Who is that…?
The battle was interrupted before it was over. A novice came running up onto the battlefield. "Maylene! Maylene!" he yelled. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's really urgent!"
"Hold!" Maylene called. Gareth and the Lucario stilled. "What's wrong?"
A girl came running onto the field after the novice. Saylee was startled to recognize Dawn.
"Galactic," Dawn gasped, looking wildly from Maylene to her disciples. "They—they stole—" She spotted Saylee and Key and ran to them, grabbing Saylee by the arm. "You're here! Great! Galactic don't stand a chance now!"
"So long as they don't blow anything up," Key muttered.
"Dawn, calm down and tell us," Saylee asked, her insides feeling like lead at the sight of the tears pouring down the girl's cheeks. "What did Galactic take?" Oh no… that voice, it was… no, no, no…
"I… I took my pokédex out to look something up," Dawn babbled. "One of them grabbed it and ran—w-we chased them, but they led us behind th-the warehouse, a-and they grabbed Lou… they s-said they'd give him b-back for the Professor's research papers, only I d-didn't have them, so th-they asked for my P-P-Pokémon…" She started to cry. "Oh gods, I was so dumb, but I thought when they gave Lou back, his Pokémon would be… b-but they didn't give him back, th-they attacked me a-and dragged him into the w-warehouse…"
"Kidnapping and stealing?" Maylene's Lucario said, outraged. "This will not stand!"
"Everyone, heal up now," Maylene ordered, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at a healing machine on the edge of the ring. She returned her Lucario and handed her pokéball to one of the disciples who obediently flocked to the healing machine at the ringside. "And can somebody tell my top-level team to get ready to go? This is Galactic, so we can't rely on the police," she sighed to Saylee and Key, rolling her eyes.
"We've noticed," Saylee muttered. "We'll come too. Dawn, you should stay safe here…"
"Like hell!" Dawn sobbed angrily. "I'm coming to rescue my brother!"
"…Fair enough," Saylee allowed, releasing Belle, Caelin and Sally. Caelin and Belle leapt onto the powerful Luxray's back. "This is serious, guys. Galactic is kidnapping again."
"Foul bande des connards," Belle said, snapping out her thorn sword.
"We judge them guilty and sentence them to suffer," Caelin declared. "Where are they?"
"There's a Galactic Warehouse on Sumo and Fifth that we've been keeping an eye on ever since the place in Eterna exploded," Maylene said, running past. "I spotted a bunch of Galactic members going in when I was going for my dawn run the morning after, but when I tried to search it, the police threatened to arrest me and wouldn't issue me a warrant." She folded her arms for a moment, looking huffy, before smirking. "Chasing kidnappers, though, that's a different matter. I know the way. C'mon. Hey…" She paused, staring at Saylee and Key. "Wait… I thought you guys looked familiar! Aren't you—?"
"Hoping nothing will explode this time, yeah," Key said, touching the faintly on her cheek where her dermatological surgery was still healing. "C'mon, Gareth, you feel up to more fighting?"
"You have to ask?" Gareth said, charging out of the gym with the rest of them.
{Jinua 27th, 12:00 pm}
{Galactic Warehouse, Hearthome City}
"I saw somebody inside, but I'm not sure who," Zoe reported, flying back down from the roof of the next warehouse. "There are two guys outside, though."
"I can't see anyone… too much stuff in the way," Sally growled, staring at the wall of the nearest warehouse and then blinking to return her vision to normal.
"Dawn, pokedexes all have GPS locators, just like trainer cards, right?" Saylee said, creeping down the alley between warehouses to where she could see the two door guards on the suspicious building. "You hang back and call the company. Ask for the location of your 'dex, and your brother's too if they'll give it."
"Okay," Dawn said, sliding out her poketch's keyboard and searching the number for the company. Maylene marched past her and up to the guards on gate, one of whom panicked at the sight of an angry twelve-year-old girl and released his two Zubat to attack her.
"Go, Gareth!" Key called. The Gallade charged after Sally and Caelin, attacking the Zubat while Maylene and her Lucario fell back.
"Take 'em down for assaulting a leader… uh, outside of a gym!" Maylene called.
"We will, you search the place!" Saylee responded, running after her Pokémon. Sally had already zapped down a Zubat and pinned its trainer.
"Hey—wait—you can't go in there!" the other grunt protested, grabbing the arm of a black belt's Machoke as it pushed past. The Machoke easily sent him sprawling.
"Kidnapping scum, release those you have imprisoned at once!" Caelin demanded, punching the lights out of a Stunky that one of the guards tried using on Sally. Belle cut down a Glameow at the same time.
"Dude, let's just get out of here!" one of the grunts called, flinging a smokebomb at Sally and running. "They already moved it to Pastoria!"
"Yeah!" the other one said, punching at Sally's scarred left eye when she was distracted by the smokebomb and running when she flinched back. "We'll just say 'you'll get yours' and run like the grunts we are!" The pair of them fled into the warehouse.
"Wait!" Caelin snarled, running up to check on Sally. "Sally…" She licked the blood trickling from some split in Sally's scar.
"I'm fine, it stings a little but I'm fine," Sally insisted, ducking her head. "Get on, Princess, and let's go!"
"Belle!" Caelin called, swinging onto Sally's back and reaching out to give the smaller Roselia a hand up. Saylee and Key caught up to them as they charged into the warehouse.
"Maylene and her disciples and Pokémon should be all over the place in there, they'll get them," Saylee said, stooping to check that the unconscious enemy Pokémon were still alive.
"I got through to the company," Dawn said, running up to her. She was crying again. "The pokédexes… th-they're not here! They're moving s-south, they said!"
"They said they sent something towards Pastoria," Key said, stepping over the broken-down warehouse door. "Isn't that to the south?"
"The dexes might be gone, but Lucas is probably here, right?" Saylee said encouragingly to Dawn. "After all, you saw somebody inside the building, didn't you, Zoe?"
"That's right," Zoe said, flying up into the cavernous warehouse. "I'll try to find him again…"
They warehouse was full of crates labelled with electrical supplies of various kinds; Sally checked inside of them, to be sure, but none of them contained anything living, Pokémon or human. Zoe led them through the maze of packing crates to where Maylene and her disciples were opening some of the crates to check inside.
"Did you catch those two grunts who ran in here?" Saylee asked.
"The ones at the gate? Has anyone seen then?" Maylene asked, looking around at her disciples, who all shook their heads. "All we found is this guy." She gestured to two of her disciples, who dragged out a sheepish-looking Looker.
"Agent Looker! What're you doing here?" Key said in surprise. "Guys, let him go, he's from Interpol!"
"I am thanking you," Looker said gratefully as he was released, dusting down his trenchcoat. "Investigating I have been this odd warehouse, into which many people and Pokémon are go and not reappear, including the family of a most important police officer here. Mysterious, no? But I cannot find a teleporter or any such device!"
"Agent Looker! Have you seen Lucas?" Dawn begged. "Galactic kidnapped him and brought him here… please, tell me you've seen him!"
"I have not," Looker said, his frown darkening. "Those Galactic fiends, always hurting innocent children! Are you alright, Dawn?"
"Y-yeah, but…" Dawn wiped furiously at her eyes as her pokétch rang. "P-Professor?" she said, her voice cracking.
"Dawn! Are you alright?" Professor Rowan demanded, his powerful voice booming loudly out of the pokétch.
"I… Professor, Lucas… and my Pokémon…" Dawn sobbed, breaking down.
"Professor, this is Sar Saylee Pryce," Saylee said, taking Dawn's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze while speaking into the pokétch on her wrist. "Lucas has been kidnapped by agents of Galactic Corp."
"I know, they just called me to offer me his life in exchange for my data," Rowan said grimly. "Of course I'll trade, but if you are capable of tracking down and obliterating these idiotically-dressed fools before then, I would be much obliged."
"When's the trade?" Saylee asked.
"Ten days from now in Canalave. I've been told I'll be informed of a more precise destination at the time. I can only assume that he's not in Canalave yet, as the clever thing to do would be to effect the trade as soon as possible, although I don't think we can expect intelligence from Galactic…"
"According to the pokédex company, his is heading for Pastoria right now," Saylee said. "It's a long shot, but they might not have known that he had one to take it off of him. If he's a clever kid, he's got it hidden on him somewhere so we can track him, maybe other hostages too…"
"Never fear, Agent Looker of Interpol is on the case!" Looker cried. "To Pastoria!" He charged out of the warehouse.
"We'll keep searching the warehouse," Maylene promised. "You go to Pastoria. Oh... and here." She unpinned the badge she was wearing and tossed it to Key. "You deserve it. Your Gallade was getting the upper hand anyway."
"No he was not," her Lucario said indignantly. Maylene rolled her eyes at her.
"Thanks, Maylene," Key said, pinning the badge onto her coat. "I feel like we should finish this battle sometime so I can feel like we earned it, though."
"Getting that kid back from Galactic will definitely count as earning it," Maylene promised. Dawn stared incredulously at the diminutive twelve-year-old, who blushed. "What? I'm the leader here, I can make decisions like that."
"…'that kid'," Dawn muttered, wiping her eyes and following Saylee and Key out of the warehouse.
{Jinua 27th, 7:18 pm}
{Route 214}
Route 214 was a steep downhill slope towards the sea. The view from the Veilstone Gatehouse was a breathtaking vista of frosty grass, pines, and at the bottom, near the sea, an elaborate sprawl of villas. They didn't linger for long, however; the sun was already dipping down behind the peaks as they started, and while the paths down the slope were clear enough to make it a quick descent, night came on quickly in Sinnoh in winter.
"How much further to Pastoria City, Sar?" Caelin demanded when the humans started turning on their flashlights so that they could see the path.
"Too far to make tonight," Saylee sighed, checking the map on her Pokégear. "But we're not far away from the Valor Resort. We'll try and get rooms there tonight."
"We can't stop! We have to get to Pastoria!" Dawn said angrily.
"I know," Saylee replied patiently, "but we are tired from moving all day, we are hungry from not eating since breakfast, it's late, it's already dark, it's cold, and if we keep going we're going to collapse the moment we get to Pastoria, and a fat lot of good we'll do Lucas then."
"But—!" Dawn began to yell.
"Dawn!" Saylee cut her off, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know you want to find your brother—believe me, I understand! But we need to rest, just for a few hours, got it?"
"You don't understand! This is my brother!" Dawn yelled. Their Pokémon glanced at Key as she backed up a few nervous steps.
"I do understand, Dawn!" Saylee said loudly, trying extremely hard not to shout. "My brother went missing for three years! I searched two countries for him!" Dawn stepped back, staring in shock. "And… I found him dead. I understand your fear, Dawn, I really, truly, do, but this is different. We know where he is, and that he's a hostage. Believe it or not, that's a good thing. It means that Galactic has to keep him alive and safe, understand? Even they're not too dumb to know that the Professor will need to see him alive and safe before making the trade. I know you're worried about his health, and I understand that too. Does he need medication?" Dawn nodded. "Does he have it with him?" Another nod. "Is he usually good about taking it himself when he needs it?" Dawn nodded fervently. "Then we have to trust in him, just for a little while. We are going after him as fast as we physically can and he will be alive when we find him, got it?"
"…G-got it," Dawn said quietly. "I'm, um… sorry about your brother."
"On that awkward note, I think I see the resort," Zoe said, swooping down to them and then back up into the black sky. The villas had vanished from their view when the path dipped into a dense pine forest, but it wasn't more than ten minutes' walk before the trees opened up into a paved square and a large sign welcoming them to the bright, opulent buildings of the Valor Resort. The buildings and trees were uplit to make the area bright and pleasant even at night, and a few people were still swimming in the lit-up heated pool or going into the restaurant near the seaside end of the resort, from which the sounds of music, conversation and cutlery clinking could be heard even from a distance.
"I hear the rooms here are really, really expensive, y'know?" Dawn said with a frown. "I, uh, don't have much money…"
"Don't worry about it," Saylee said, pulling out her coat lapel and taking out her Dragon emblem. "This place looks pretty full, but even if rooms aren't going free I can requisition us a place to sleep."
"What did you get that for, can I ask?" Dawn said as they went up to the reception office.
"It was easy," Saylee said. "All I had to do was take down the same criminal organization twice and then beat a clan full of the most powerful trainers in Johto." She smiled. "Don't worry. I'm better at it these days. When I go to finish Galactic, I'll get it right the first time."
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Between Grandpa, Bowie, Alan Rickman and apparently most of Celine Dion's family, as well as three coworkers' family members, this year is just starting off in a cavalcade of death. I'm clinging to the upcoming season two of Agent Carter to start making this year good…
Also, this chapter comes with a oneshot, Friends With Benefits, which is really just a silly little scene that takes place between this chapter and the next one.
SAYLEE
Princess Caelin the Monferno, Sally the Luxray, Zoe the Crobat, Belle the Roselia, Puck the Togetic, Merida the Gyarados
KEY
Terra the Turtwig, Tashigi the Togetic, Buddy the Bidoof, Ephraim the Leafeon, Raiden the Rotom, Gareth the Gallade