Under the Skin
Chapter 25
"You said they vanished?"
"Yes Madam."
"On your watch?"
"Yes Madam." The speaker visibly flinched, even though the person they were standing behind didn't do a thing. She was almost as lethal as her lover, and no one wanted to be in the same room as him when he was angry. She was the only one to be able to stand up to him.
To put it bluntly, the speaker was in fear for their very life. It could be ended swiftly at any moment if the twirling tulip was anything to go by.
"I am ashamed to have let something of this magnitude happen. I will receive any punishment you decide is fitting." Even though their heart was trembling, they spoke with a steady voice. After all, Team Rocket did not support weaklings.
"Your voice is trembling." the Female Rocket said.
"Madam." they said, dropping to one knee, trying a bit harder to suppress the urge to run.
"You have done well. You'll go without food or water for two days."
"Madam." They said, relived beyond expression. What was a few days without food and water when you could still breath? They exited the room, and 009 clicked a button.
"Yes, 009, what is it?" Asked the shadowed figure on the screen.
"It's Eve. She and Gary Oak have left Pallet. The Rocket responsible has been dealt with."
"Good, good." Said the image on the screen. "Has she been located yet?"
"No Sir." 009 replied. "I have Agent Mayhem on the trail though."
"Very good. Are there agents able to deal with him?"
"Yes, they are there and ready in case he gets out of hand."
"Good, we need the Eve and Gary Oak alive and well."
"Understood Sir."
"Continue, I have no new orders for you. You know what to do."
"Yes Sir." 009 said, bowing. The screen flickered and went blank. 009 twirled the black tulip in her hand, thinking as she looked out the window that had opened after the screen had gone blank, flooding the room with light and opening up to a view of the ocean. The breathtaking sight did nothing to her as she glared out over the expanse of open water. It seemed that her daughter had taken after her mother and father in the worst way possible, she had inherited their disobedient streak.
/***\
"Gary! Come on! We have to keep moving!" Eve cried.
"Aw, come on, ease up. Espeon is on the look out, isn't she?" Gary asked, petting the small purple pokemon. Espeon flicked her tail and seemed to smile. "See? We're safe. Nothing good will come from over working ourselves."
"Gary…."
"None of that." Gary said, taking Eve's hand and kissing her nose. "Come on, we have a bit of freedom here, lets take it. Lets relax. We can panic when something huge come up."
Eve looked doubtful, but she sighed.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm just so used to staying on the move, never getting a chance to rest."
"I know, Baby, I know." Gary said, leaning towards her, touching his head to hers. "But I'm here now, things are gonna be okay. I'm positive." Gary grinned, Eve knew he was being cocky, but that's just the way Gary was. She smiled and squeezed his hand.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They fell silent and walked through the woods, taking in the sights around them. Gary was relaxed, though he could feel the tension deep inside. Things were going to get a lot more dangerous than before, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. But he was going to stick through it, no matter what the consequences. Eve looked at him worriedly, so he smiled and squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Gary understood now why he had 'forgotten' those five years and why he had been so down, also why he had felt so restless around the end of August. After the accident, his body had needed to heal. If he had remembered what was going on, he never would have healed right, and he would have run off in search of Eve too soon. He had been depressed because of that feeling of loss, and he had been so used to traveling so much, that staying in one spot, restrained by his missing memories and his injuries, that it had weighed heavily on his mind. He had gotten edgy at the end of August because for five years, something big happened then.
Year One: He found Eve as an Eevee.
Year Two: He had his first encounter with someone more than a Rocket goon, A lethal killer that went by the name Agent Mayhem and looked a lot like Luke.
Year Three: He officially met Domino face to face.
Year Four: He had nearly lost Umbreon to the Rocket Crawkanaw.
Year Five: He had taken the fall off the cliff, somehow surviving.
Now at year nine, everything was moving in fast-forward again, and he was once more running from Team Rocket, though this time, he was fully informed.
"I'm of no use to you." Gary remembered saying.
"Oh, you are very valuable. Trust me. And I'm to bring you both back. Alive."
"Over my dead body." Gary had said.
These few words had haunted Gary since he had listened to Keegan's last message to him. He knew Team Rocket wouldn't kill him, but what would they do with him?
"Brock!" Ash called as he and Misty pulled up to the massive dome that housed the breeding center that Brock had been running for years. Brock waved, his bike and pack beside him. May was holding his hand, a worried look on her face.
"are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" She asked, holding all the tighter to Brocks hand.
"I'm sure, May. I need you and Max to stay here and run the center, okay?" Brock said. Ash and Misty moved away, giving the other couple some space.
"Okay." May said, casting her gaze downwards. Brock smiled and lifted her head by placing his fingers under her chin.
"Hey, I'll be okay. Look at all we went through back in the day." Brock said. May forced a smile, hugging Brock.
"I'm still worried." She said, burying her face in his chest. Brock hugged her just as tightly, trying to stamp down the uneasy feeling in his chest. He gave her a kiss, and wiped her tears away.
"I'm going to miss you too." He said. They kissed farewell once more before Brock forced himself to turn and follow Ash and Misty who waved to May before the small group turned a corner, vanishing into the city, heading for Mt. Moon. Max walked up to May who was crying silently, not looking from the spot Brock had vanished.
"May?" He asked, looking at her worriedly. "May, you didn't tell him, did you?" He asked. May collapsed to her knees, covering her face in her hands as she cried harder, shaking her head. The positive pregnancy test clattered to the cement at her feet. Max hugged his sister, knowing he could do little to comfort her when he had the same misgivings she did.
-*-
"So, where do you suggest we start?" Brock asked as the three hurried along, now in the vicinity of the Mountain Pass.
"I really don't know. They could be anywhere." Ash said. "Lets see if any of the pokemon can pick up a scent." He said, nodding to Pikachu and releasing Charizard. Misty let loose Buizel and Brock sent Ninetails and Aerodactyl. "Scan the cliffs as we go along, see if you can find a scent, okay?" The pokemon nodded and they were off, climbing the cliffs only pokemon could.
Ash Brock and Misty walked their bikes along so the going was slower, giving the pokemon more time. Ash couldn't help but remember their first time along this path, and then the many more times they traveled it. So many happy memories, but he knew this was their darkest journey. He felt uneasy, and he knew Misty and Brock did too.
After a half-an-hour, there was a cry about 200 feet up from the path, making the three humans look up. Pikachu and Buizel , the smallest, were next to a spot on the cliff face that looked like a tiny hole. Ash waited fro the pokemon to return, and then listened intently to Pikachu and Buizel. He had learned over the years how to understand how they spoke, what different lengths of their names meant, the tones, the body movements.
"Gary and Keegan were in that cave alright." Ash said. "It opens up enough and you could teleport in there. Keegan must have a psychic pokemon, so who knows where they went if they teleported from Pallet to here. They had to have left early this morning."
"Then lets keep going." Misty said. "We're bound to run into them at some point."
"Misty's right, Ash." Brock said.
"I never said she wasn't!" Ash laughed. "come on, lets go." He said. They were calmed a bit, knowing that their friends were safe, but they couldn't shake the feeling of dread that lingered.
You know? I actually feel sorry for that Rocket in the begining XD
I woudldn't want to face 009 and tell her i let a target slip past me And i wouldn't be able to hold my composure either.
Gary is trying to act all cool and collected, while he's scareed shitless, what guy wouldn't? What Team Rocket wants with him is his biggest question, so he's going to have A LOT of time to mull over that one.
I feel really bad about doing what i did to May. But it would've been harder for Brock to leave knowing she was preganant. All anybody can do at this point is pray for our three favorite heros.
And as promised, a few new characters are going to be coming in next chapter! Stories really just write themselves, it's creepy!