Chapter 21 – Dewott's Revenge

Castelia City – 2016

Walking through the streets searching for any anomalies that may appear within the city, we felt as if we had walked for hours without rest, but we only had one final portal to go to before we could call it a day back at HQ… and then there was the other problem…

"So uh anyone else gonna say it or should we keep on walking? WHAT THE HECK IS THAT OSHAWOTT DOING HERE!?" Brent shouted his voice echoed throughout the street causing nearly everyone to stop and stare at us.

It had only been about 5 minutes since we noticed the Oshawott had been following us. Sure, the obvious thing to do was to run back to the portal and send the Oshawott back to its own time, but the portal to the Oshawott's time had faded long after we had realized it followed us here.

"Sure Bent, shout a little louder, I'm pretty sure your shouting didn't attract so many unwanted stares this way…" Espeon sighed; Brent then realized that most of the people on the street had stopped to stare at him for a while before walking away.

Lisa knelt down as the Oshawott approached us. "What should we do? We cannot leave return him back to his own timeline s-since those portals end up at random points in time, a-and we cannot leave him here."

'What should we do?' I thought in silence. How we should deal with this Oshawott that escaped its timeline without altering the future significantly? Lisa was right; the portals within the Time Dimension would throw those who entered to random points in both time and landmark. Trying to return the Oshawott back to its original timeline would take a long time searching through all portals for a time near to the Oshawott's time, and it would disrupt our mission on ending the anomaly threat.

I remember when I first saw a wild Oshawott living with its parents on the streets in Castelia City. The Oshawott I met then was a female and defiantly not the Oshawott that escaped its original time. Saving that Oshawott from the reanimated corpses during the attack on the city would affect my future, it was something that I at first thought it was not going to change my life at all… but it did. Maybe this was all meant to happen, that this was the Oshawott's home and the original timeline was still on track. Right or wrong, we would have to choose soon.

Castelia City – Super Mall

The café within the Castelia City Super mall, one of the many few places I usually spent my afternoons eating my lunch either alone on a few occasions or with my friends if they were available. After that we would walk around a little, go inside an electronic store or something, to check out the latest gadgets and games and whatnot.

The café was at the heart of the mall, many people would come here not just to talk but to sample the coffee they served there. I knew it was a popular drink known for its bitter but sweet taste, but for some reason I never really had the chance to drink any, not because of the high request and limited stock, it just slips my mind every time I am here.

Sitting at one of the tables at the edge of the café with me were Espeon, Lisa and Brent starring at the Oshawott now sitting on top of the table eating the sugar cubes one by one.

"So this Oshawott escaped its time and managed to follow us here, how are we gonna explain this back at HQ? Fuck my life…" Brent groaned leaning his head on the table careful not to disturb the Oshawott.

"How's about we keep the little guy? Maybe Dewott here could adopt him as his own. Or perhaps we could find him a home somewhere." Espeon suggested as she offered the Oshawott another tray of sugar cubes from another table. "But whatever we do next, leave or take the Oshawott with us, the timeline may still run its course smoothly as if we had never tampered with it as if all that has transpired was meant to happen."

"S-so how can we know get out of this w-without altering with time?" Lisa asked. The Oshawott grabbed one of the many sugar cubes with both paws and passed it to her, accepting it with a smile.

Brent lifted his head from the table staring at the Oshawott with a confused look, "My head hurts just thinking about all this time business. I ain't a trained… time professor or one of them guys studyin' time… I'm just a guy who works to help other people with some strange everyday problem, fightin' a couple of old thugs, wannabe trainers looking for an easy mark… not a guy who travels through portals and fightin' guys wearing suits of armor and weird monsters… *sighs*"

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, at the blink of an eye… the entire world was engulfed in complete darkness, the sounds of the crowd had stopped; only the sound of an alarm could now be heard. I opened my eyes to find myself in my room with Espeon sleeping on the bed… the time crisis was officially over and the timeline was saved…. I wish.

Still in the café on top of the table we sat at was the Oshawott now stacking the cubes to make a pyramid without a care in the world. I then thought "maybe we could return to HQ with the Oshawott, see if they could help come up with a plan." Meeting with our future selves back on that spaceship we were on in the future didn't destroy the world or anything, we had a reason for doing it, so perhaps maybe the reason this Oshawott was here with us would show up sooner or later.

So with a few regular cups of coffee we uh…got back on the what to do with Oshawott again.

Beside the table we sat at, Umbreon, Seviper, Latias, Espeon, and Dewott were talking silently amongst one another about the Oshawott.

"Perhaps those tin men will appear again and return the Oshawott back to its original timeline? It happened recently, so why not with that little one?" Seviper hissed glancing up at the Oshawott still on the table.

"How about we take him with us," Latias said smiling, "I mean, not out on our time travelling quest, but staying at Pewter until everything is alright again."

"Why? You want to adopt the Oshawott as your own, Latias?" Umbreon suggested as she lightly nudged Latias with her head against hers. "To be honest my dear; you're so young to be having children. A Latias such as yourself can live for hundreds of years, and you're still a teen in Pokemon age."

"Oh no, I don't want to adopt the Oshawott." Latias said shaking her head. "I only meant that we should take him with us back home since he doesn't have one. I know I am young still, and I am not ready to become a mother yet… soooo maybe an older sister figure."

Surprisingly, the Oshawott had jumped down off from the table and into the center of the Pokemon
startling then at his sudden appearance. He then began to dance in spot in amusement, dropping a few sugar cubes out of his paws onto the floor.

"Hmm… the darling sure is energetic. Most likely the large consumption of sugar cubes from up there on top of the table." Umbreon said glancing up to where her trainer sat.

"Duh, ya think? Cause I assumed it was the air we breathe in everyday or accidently breathing in second hand grass if you know what I am referencing here." Espeon said sarcastically earning her a slight glare from Umbreon as she began rolling her eyes.

"Doesn't eating too much sugary foods cause uh… dia-beats? (Diabetes)" Seviper asked pointing towards the Oshawott with the end of his tail. "If he keeps eating like this then… sorry kid, we were not able to prevent it…"

The Oshawott walked out from the center and hopped happily carrying in its small arms a few sugar cubes towards Dewott leaning against one of the chairs opposite our table. When Oshawott finally stopped, Dewott noticed him standing their offering him a cube.

"I think the little guy is not going anywhere until you accept the cube he's offering you, Dewott. So accept it and share his fate on eating sugar cubes." Seviper laughed momentarily when he noticed Dewott standing up and walking away from the table, it was when he got towards the exit he began to run away from the café towards the malls exit.

Castelia City – Back alley

In one of the alleys behind one of the restaurants eating out of a tipped over full trashcan was an elderly Houndoom eating whatever it could devour with little to no care of the taste, as long as it was fed and stomach full it was worth it.

Standing just not too far behind the Houndoom was an angry Dewott clutching both scalchops with his paws almost ready to charge at it and attack with a Razor Shell. "Hey!" Dewott shouted, the Houndoom spat out its food and turned around to see Dewott.

"This ain't your turf water boy. I got here first, so buzz off!" Houndoom spat at Dewott before returning to eat more food out from the trashcan.

Dewott began to glare at the Houndoom taking another step towards it. He breathed deeply and calmly, "I saw you that day," Dewott spoke again, Houndoom stopped eating and growled and turned towards him. "I saw what you did… y-you just ended their lives… so easily. I have fought so many terrible people and Pokemon over the years… You're the worst."

"Leave me alone, I ain't done anything to you! So splash on back to the ocean, or I'll tear your insides out, you're giving me a headache!"

"I know it was you! I recognize your damned voice; you also have the same exact scar on your neck! I bet you have killed others in this city, killing parents leaving many young ones orphans!"

The Houndoom snorted, "So what if I have killed before? I just eat whatever I want to survive in this city and kill anyone or anything that gets in my way, so who cares, right? It's not like anyone is going to miss a wild Pokemon or two."

"My parents were Oshawott's, and you murdered them!" Dewott shouted voice echoed throughout the entire alley. The Houndoom was now irritated at his shouting.

The Houndoom had lived for 62 years alone on the streets, finding any means necessary on surviving. He had used countless others, stole, and manipulated others to bring him food or kill for it. The Houndoom was an experienced fighter; he would always win a fight with little to no injury. Mostly he would torment his victims, taunt them to attack first. Houndoom didn't recognize Dewott, he had only met an Oshawott couple once and killed them not too long ago, but he didn't see Dewott anywhere, "He must be there kid, evolved pretty damn fast, coming to fight me for revenge huh?" The Houndoom smiled, he wouldn't strike first. He was waiting for Dewott to attack him. To provoke him, so he could kill him.

"Ah yes, I remember your parents. Easiest kill in years, pathetic." He laughed as he glared at Dewott hoping that the first taunt would set him off to attack him… but it didn't, Dewott remained where he was.

"Although, it was going to happen sooner or later. You see; weak Pokemon like that are destined to die instead of stealing precious oxygen and much needed food for the much stronger Pokemon." The Houndoom almost chuckled at Dewott almost seeing his eyelids twitch. "Almost got him… I just need to enrage him a little more and I can kill him in one quick swipe from my claws into his chest… I'll leave him to suffer, that will be his death. Ooh, I cannot wait for it!"

"And for your cute mother," Houndoom grinned, "She begged for her life, crying and weeping like a little baby, unlike that weak father of yours who died instan-" Houndoom was interrupted by a wave of heavy water that fell atop of him. Dewott used Waterfall on the Houndoom watching him gasping for air out from the heavy water that continuously poured on him. Dewott eventually took the next few steps towards Houndoom readying to use Razor Shell.

Castelia City – Streets

"And so Dewott suddenly got up and ran out of the café after Seviper suggested he should accept one of the sugar cube's Oshawott was offering." Espeon said as we began running through the streets to search for Dewott. "I'm guessing Dewott doesn't have a sweet tooth then… man, talk about jokes and their timings…"

Walking through the streets and asking nearly everyone we could if they saw Dewott walk near, we got a few answers; the first was a construction worker standing outside a bar with his friends drinking beer.

"Hm? Oh yeah, I did see a Dewott running through the streets not too long ago. Went down that a way." He pointed towards the entertainment district.

"Free sample here! Come get your free sample of a stick of butter on a stick covered in sprinkles" a woman approached us upon turning the corner of the entertainment district handing out a large tray full of sticks of butter covered in sprinkles… yeah.

"Yeah I saw your Dewott walking down this street." Said the teen wearing nothing but a baseball cap, a long shirt and shorts. "That was about 5 days ago… are you a cop? Cause I'm not a cop… I'm not stoned."

A man wearing a tuxedo and top hat with a monocle and cane approached us and spoke in a posh gravelly voice, "I believe 'I' am the most stoned man throughout this here street, I tell ya hwat!"

Yeah, there was another reason this place was called the 'Entertainment' district, it was full of people handing out bizarre items to others; samples no one would try out, handing out flyers for a event that ended months ago… or the casual drunks starting up a conversation.

"I uh gonna do beadown somethin' like a dis and a 1, 2 *hic* ?"

So we'll skip that section since they all talk about the same random things over and over again. Finally we had found the information we needed out of the people we asked. Not only had we learnt that Dewott had entered one of the allies behind the arcades, but we also learnt that there were many wild Pokemon roaming around the allies, one in particular that the man who told us this said a Pokemon, a Houndoom had caused a lot of trouble over the years. It was often seen within this section of the city, and would injure or kill anything that tried to fight it.

And so, we ran towards the alley as fast as we could to where Dewott was sure to be in. Castelia City during the early 2010s to present was an era known to have wild Pokemon and a few gang members hiding behind a handful of them. Why did Dewott run away from us and down an alley? Did it sense an anomaly nearby? No, the scanner would've easily picked up a signal if one or two where nearby. Dewott must've had a reason for running off like that, and soon we would know why.

Castelia City – Back alley

Blood was now on nearly every building wall and trashcan throughout the alley, not in some horror movie style were there are gallons on everything, but there was enough to prove that Dewott and Houndoom's fight was brutal. Both Pokemon wanted to kill each other, one because they enjoyed it, and one for revenge.

Houndoom had scratched Dewott multiple times, once almost a fatal cut to his throat and another at his head. Dewott had mainly used water based attacks to push Houndoom forcefully against the building wall to immobilize him long enough so Dewott could finish him off with a Razor shell. He had plenty of opportunities to end it once and for all, but Dewott didn't want it to end so soon, he wanted Houndoom to feel even more pain before he wouldn't feel anything anymore.

"Gah!" Houndoom spat the blood out of his mouth and glared at Dewott, "Y-you miserable water P-Pokemon… I'll gut you like I g-gutted your entire f-family!" He laughed briefly, wincing from all of the pain throughout his entire body.

"I don't know my parents that much, only voices I recognize as my mom, my dad… from my earliest memory of them, I could tell they loved me, that they would do anything to protect me from Pokemon like you." Dewott wiped away the blood from his mouth, gripping his scalchop tighter. "I don't know why I am telling you this, you obviously don't care. I have children, a loving mate I can return home to, and friends. My friends, they are on their way here now as I speak. So let me tell you this when you are still alive; Pokemon like you do not deserve to live, and this next attack will be the one to kill you, ending your miserable life."

Houndoom smiled amused by Dewott's speech "T-try it then… b-boy… ugh! W-when I finish you off; your friends are n-next!" The Houndoom's smile again faded as he became dizzy, the pain throughout his entire body had almost caused him to black out.

"I cannot die like this. By a weak little Dewott! Ever since I was born and raised on the streets I had one goal; to kill anyone who ever get in my way while living a long and peaceful life. I had it all, freedom to walk the streets, sleep in luxury, eat whatever I could devour, and kill who ever walked in front of my path. To be killed by this Dewott is ridiculous, even for me. I have battled and killed hundreds of Pokemon stronger than him, yet here I am waiting for him to strike? Fine, I'll end his life by running up to him and slicing his throat… my death in this world is one of old age, not by a weak Pokemon!"

Houndoom viciously growled as he jumped up high above Dewott preparing to strike down at his neck with his claws. Dewott remained where he was; still and silent waiting for the right chance to strike. Too soon, Dewott would miss and the Houndoom would strike at him either injuring or killing him. Waiting for the right moment to attack, Dewott grew nervous as the Houndoom quickly approached.

Carrying Oshawott with Espeon running with Lisa, and Brent had finally found Dewott being attacked by the Houndoom we had heard about roaming the back alley behind one of the buildings near the entertainment district. The Houndoom standing on its hind legs leaning against Dewott was gagging as blood rushed out of its mouth; it had been stabbed, stabbed by Dewott's Razor Shell move into its stomach and through the back.

It was that moment when the Houndoom was dripping out blood through its mouth and how Dewott pushed the dying Houndoom onto the floor violently that Oshawott opened his eyes wide. Shaking and whimpering at what he saw, Oshawott immediately turned away and began crying.

Dewott continued to watch the dying Houndoom, waiting for him to die. The Houndoom's desperate gasps slowed with each breath, until finally there was silence, the Houndoom was now dead.

Dewott after staring at its dead body for a while then turned to the Oshawott, Oshawott looked back. As his Razor Shell faded, Dewott looked up at him sadly as if he wanted to say something to him, but before he could, Oshawott quickly turned away shutting his eyelids tight shivering in fear.

Castelia City – Pier

Later we had walked to the pier and sat down on one of the benches facing the ocean. Espeon had translated everything Dewott had told us; he revealed that this was the city he was born in, and that his parents were killed by a wild Houndoom. Dewott had killed his parent's killer for revenge, and then he told us something else; many years ago when he was very young, he saw a Dewott kill a Houndoom. And that Dewott he saw as a young Oshawott was him from the future.

Dewott was confused at what he saw, who the Dewott was and why he killed his parents killer like that, he wanted the Dewott to tell him why he did it, but now… Dewott didn't have an answer. Revenge… he had wanted to kill Houndoom ever since he saw him kill his parents, but after everything, it didn't change how he was feeling; confused and lost.

"I… I don't feel any different than I was before I killed him. All my life I have wanted him dead for what he did to me… but I don't feel relieved or happy I… *sighs*" Dewott said leaning against Lisa on the bench next to me and Espeon while she translated everything.

"I feel as though nothing has changed, that what I did was all for nothing." Dewott again sighed staring glumly at the water below.

"Dewott, I think what you did to that Houndoom was for the best." Espeon said, "I mean that Houndoom went around killing others, right? So with Houndoom dead, he won't harm or kill anyone else. You may have saved other young Pokemon from losing their parents to him. Either killing him or sparring his life so the police or whoever could take him away, Houndoom will never kill or hurt anyone ever again."

Dewott remained silent after that, and so did the rest of us for a brief moment. Dewott did some thinking, What Espeon said to him; with Houndoom gone for good, he would never kill or hurt anyone else ever again and that he had saved other Pokemon lives so that they could live another day. He then thought about his parents, their faces slightly blurry yet still there he could imagine his parents smiling at him, talking to him again.

"So all of this was supposed to happen, huh? Weird." Brent shook his head in confusion. "But there is something odd about all of this; in the last portal and this timeline there were no anomalies or metal wearing dummies anywhere. Perhaps, you think this was planned by them or some other freak beyond mortal or Pokemon control?"

"Well, whatever the reason for us running into this Oshawott, escaping its own time so he could travel with us, we may never know." Lisa said, softly stroking Dewott's head as he leaned against her. "After we send Oshawott to his new home, the timeline will be alright again… I g-guess you could say it wasn't in anyway tampered with at all if all of this was meant to happen."

I remember from long ago when I was travelling with Sakura and Isaac, something that Isaac once told me; Dewott's parents were killed by a Houndoom. Dewott once an Oshawott was terrified of evolving into a Dewott because of how it killed the Houndoom. The Oshawott sleeping on my lap was the same one that would travel with us in the present, I mean my past. I knew, we all knew what had to be done; to send this Oshawott to my past in Nuvema Town so that I take him with me.

I wondered if whoever started all of this Timeline Crisis planned for all of this to happen; meeting this Oshawott, escaping his timeline, witnessing his parents murderer killed by his future self. If our next portal was Nuvema Town, then maybe someone had planned all of this from the very beginning.

Soon, soon I would return to my hometown to a time I would nonstop plan to become a Savior in my room, dreaming about starting my day and becoming a hero. Where it would drop us off, I didn't know. But I somehow knew deep down that the next portal would send Oshawott to his new home waiting for the day my past self turned 14 years old.

To be continued...

Trivia:

Originally this chapter was meant to serve as Dewott's return chapter but this was changed so Dewott could get a lot more settled in.