Red Tide
Summary:
New rules to an old game: Your Pokémon don't faint, they die. You must attempt to catch the first Pokémon you see on a new Route, and only that Pokémon. Ready for a challenge? Press Start. Rate T for poké-death, adult humor, and language.
Chapter Twenty Four:
Thank Arceus! I gasped in my head as I stumbled away from a thicket of trees. I'd been walking for two hours in the dark on Route 120 and had become more lost than I thought was possible. But, thankfully, I'd found my way back to the original path – no thanks to some trainers who'd rather battle me than help me – and ahead of me a large, white brick building was planted in the middle of the humid overgrowth I'd come to know so very well. I could barely see the thing, massive though it was, due to the little amount of light Vexyl was giving off from the ember that he'd sparked.
"Thanks, Vex," I sighed, weary from a long day of fighting and travel. Between training, the Gym, Tiran's revelation, and the lack of concrete navigational skills, I was tired. I groped at Vex's ball blindly and returned him with a flash of light before knocking on the doors to the building. Hopefully the people in this building would have more graciousness than the few trainers I'd encountered on my way here.
"Just a second!" Someone called out from the other side of the doors. I nodded unconsciously and leant up against the side of the building, letting my eyes droop. I'd checked my PokéNav a couple of hours ago so I knew, by now, that it was an ungodly time in the middle of the night. The door next to my face rattled a little before being pulled open and a man in something that resembled an army uniform came into my line of sight. "Hullo, I'm Geoffrey of the Safari Zone Rangers. What can I do for you?" As he said this, his eyes glanced over me and I could tell he was seeing the exhaustion etched into my every pour.
"Hi, I'm Lucy," I started slowly, trying to work myself off the wall. It was difficult, though, as now that my body had the support it didn't want to give it up. "Dammit," I cursed when I nearly fell.
Geoffrey sighed and ushered me into the building with a hand at my shoulder. "Come in, come in. No worries, we get trainers out here all the time looking for a place to spend the night at," he told me. As he lead me to a back room with a few cot already set up, I had to believe him. "Most of the time, though, they come at a more reasonable hour."
I couldn't be bothered to feel embarrassment at that and simply nodded at his accusation. We got to the cot I supposed I was to sleep in and he said something that I didn't hear before turning to leave. I sat down heavily on the thin mattress and promptly collapsed. I was asleep before my head could hit the pillow.
As bright sunlight pooled across my face, I groaned and curled up tighter on my little cot.
"None of that, now," a voice reprimanded me. I sleepily opened one eye to glare at the intruder, but all I got was an eyeful of fuzz. I blinked before realizing that I didn't have my glasses on – when did I take those off? – and groped blindly around me for them. A sigh came from the general direction of the voice and the next thing I knew my glasses were in my hands. I gratefully put them on before looking up at both my rescuer and my nemesis. He did, after all, wake me from my sleep and that was bound to hold no sympathy from me.
"What time is it?" I asked the voice, who, it turned out, was Geoffrey.
"About half passed ten," he supplied. "I let you sleep as long as I could, seeing as you came in far later than most do, but the Safari Zone has regulations about the allowance of letting trainers spend the night and you have to be gone by noon. I figured you'd want something to eat and a shower before you were on your way."
I nodded at him. "Yeah, thanks. And did you say the Safari Zone?" I had vague memories of what the area looked like on my Game Boy and was intrigued about what it would be like in real life.
"That's right," Geoffrey grinned at me. "We're Hoenn's only Safari Zone and the only place in the region where you can capture whichever Pokémon you want without the possibility of it being infected by the Rabies Virus."
"So a trainer could go in there and capture as many Pokémon as they want…?" I asked, trying to peer out the window behind him.
"Well, no," he shook his head. "See, we don't want to run the risk of every trainer coming here and relying on us for their full team of Pokémon. So we say you're only allowed to capture one per area of the Zone. As it is, we've gotten twice the amount of trainers than usual since the epidemic hit," he sighed sadly.
"I don't suppose I could head in there after I get cleaned up, could I?" I asked hopefully. A new Pokémon might fill out the team a little better, make it a little more rounded. And besides, the thought that I could capture at my own will was pleasing.
"Actually, no. We've already got about twenty trainers in there right now and that's our maximum, as per the new regulations." He shrugged. "If you want to come by another time, though, we might have a spot empty for you."
My hopes diminished a little at that by I shrugged it off. "All right, maybe later then, if I'm back out this way." I stood up and stretched. "Now, where was this food you promised me?" That got a laugh out of him and he led me to the staff kitchens.
I left the Safari Zone not long after that, itching to move on now that I knew I couldn't capture a new teammate. It was probably for the best anyway – I did still have Callie to deal with, after all, and the Pokémon in the Safari Zone would have needed to be trained up as well.
After I left, I checked my PokéNav to look over what the next section of Hoenn held. As my eyes wandered across the screen I was given momentary pause at the words "Mt. Pyre." Mt. Pyre was the singular part of Hoenn where a trainer could go to mourn their passed Pokémon. My mouth dried and I glanced up at the dock that was the ferry launch over to the mountain, only about three dozen yards from where I was at. I thought for a moment before making my way to the pier. Calling out Copper, I climbed onto her back and we silently made our way over to the memorial.
"Thanks, Cop," I told my Gyarados as I recalled her. She roared at me before disappearing into her ball. I took a deep breath before entering.
"Greetings," a woman said to me once I entered. She was standing behind a counter just left of the entrance and wearing a traditional Japanese kimono in white.
"Hullo," I said back as I looked at the various people in the room. It was astonishing to see just how widespread the influence of Pokémon was. I'd gotten so used to just seeing trainers with them that I'd almost forgotten that other people cared for them as well.
"Are you here to grieve for your lost Pokémon?" the woman asked.
"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't have any incents," I admitted as I watched an old man and a young girl crowd over an inscribed stone.
"that's not problem," she said. "How many have passed?" she asked, her voice kind.
"Six," I responded, their names automatically flashing through my head. She shuffled behind her desk before producing six wooden sticks, the incents absorbed into them.
"Here, take these," she handed them over to me.
"Uh… how much do I owe you?"
"There's no charge for trainers," she shook her head before turning sad eyes on the civilians who mourned their lost Pokémon. "Normal people… their Pokémon are pets, friends even. But to trainers they're family, companions in a life unlike any other. It's like losing a part of yourself when they're gone."
I nodded. That was exactly how it felt. "How many have you lost?" I asked her. Only someone in such a position could describe the pure anguish so well.
"Four, including the one I started with," she replied, her voice echoing with long passed grief. She looked over her shoulder as a Gastly appeared. "This is her child, Kirimi. She's all I have left."
"I'm sorry," I said, truly meaning it. She shook her head at me.
"I've come to accept it. As trainers, I believe we have to accept that it all happens for a reason. After all, if I had not lost them, I could not understand others' grief and help them with hit." I nodded again; sometimes the only way to survive is to believe that there's a purpose behind it. "Kirimi will lead you to your ceremonial markers." The Gastly floated through her to float next to me.
"Thank you," I said before following her Pokémon up a flight of stairs. She led me to a secluded section in the back before leaving.
I knelt down and arranged the incents before grabbing a Pokéball from my belt. Vexyl appeared, his tall frame standing steady for a moment before sitting down next to me, cross legged. Without a word he lit the wicks and we rested back against the wall. I knew this meant as much to him as it did to me. After all, he was there for each and every one of their deaths and understood the comradeship on a level that none of my other Pokémon could. Yes, there was Jesus, but I knew she viewed each of us as a family that fought together and not as companions who grew into a family. Vexyl understood the difference.
We sat there for a while until the incents had burned themselves out and a sense of peace pervaded us. I left Vex out as I cleaned up and we headed back. Once we got downstairs I could tell at once that something was wrong. The half dozen people who were there before were nowhere in sight and the shrine keeper I had talked to was looking frantic and indecisively between her Gastly and a door on the far side of the room.
"What's going on?" I asked, walking up to her with Vex at my side.
She turned to us, the relief clear on her face. "Thank goodness you're still here," she said breathlessly. "A group of men in these strange uniforms appeared out of nowhere, demanding to know where the Sacred Orbs were!" her tone took on a deep concern.
"Was the uniform red or blue?" I asked as I headed to the exit, my Blaziken following along loyally.
"There were two – the first one red, the second blue," she explained hastily. "But the red ones have left already!"
I thought for a minute before pursing my lips. Team Magma had already gotten away, but Team Aqua was still here. I could stop them, at least. "Did they go through this door?" I gestured.
"Yes. Please, you have to save them – the Orbs are hallowed! They're not supposed to be apart!"
"I'll try," I promised. "You just stay here and out of sight." She nodded and scurried away. As Vex and I headed through the doorway, I berated myself.
I can't believe I forgot this, I thought as the doorway deposited us onto the fog coated mountainside. I could have prevented this if I'd just gotten to them first. Unfortunately with my memory being so shoddy on the details of Pokémon's Hoenn region, I couldn't accurately predict anything anymore. How am I supposed to help when I don't know what's going on? I asked myself as we climbed up some rocky stairs.
"Hey, you!" someone shouted ahead of me. I looked up and about ten feet away from me where two Team Aqua lackeys glaring at me in a supposedly menacing way. But after all the bullshit they'd put me through so far, I wasn't fazed by it in the slightest. "Get away from here!"
"Yeah, you don't want to mess with Team Aqua!" the female stated, crossing her arms in what should have been an intimidating manner. I rolled my eyes at their bravado. I wasn't at all impressed with their audacity at imposing upon what this world saw as holy ground.
"Yeah, well you don't want to mess with me," I told them, my temper coming to the forefront. I knew it was a stupid move but I couldn't stop myself; they were trespassing on a place dedicated to mourning those who were loved and now gone. Some part of me connected that with them insulting the memories I had of my own Pokémon and I couldn't stand it.
"What did you just say?" the male grunt sneered. Beside me, Vex growled, drawing their attention. "I think we oughta teach her a lesson, don't you?" The two of them chuckled before throwing out their respective Pokéballs. "Go, Poochyena!"
"Go, Zubat!" the other grunt called.
I frowned and jerked my head at Vex. "Go on, Vex," I told him as I grabbed my own Pokéball from my belt. Tossing it out, I said, "All right, guys, let's get through them quickly."
"Gardev," Jesus agreed.
"Poochyena, bite!" one of the grunts yelled.
"Zubat, Confuse Ray!"
"Guys," I called to my team. "Sweep up this trash." I was confident in their ability to assess the situation, so I wasn't so worried about giving them direct orders. Sure enough, Vex took a running start and leapt over the oncoming Poochyena before pivoting back in a double kick, his quick feet landing on the dark type before it even had a chance to change direction.
"Yena!," it cried out as Vex smashed it into a nearby boulder.
"Shit," the grunt said. "Poochyena, return!" Its dark little body was sucked back into the beam of red light and I turned my attention to my Psychic type only to catch the tail end of her Shockwave. The Zubat let out a weak whimper as it fainted and its trainer recalled her. Before either of the lackeys could make a move to call out their next Pokémon, a shout was heard from ahead and my eyes caught the back of what must have been Archie. I tried to dash passed the guards I was fighting, but they were having none of it.
"Not so fast, girlie," the male grunt called. "We ain't done with you yet." He and his friend had already ordered out their next Pokémon, a Carvanha and a Wailmer.
I scowled at him. "My name. Isn't. Girlie," I growled. "J, take 'em out with another Shockwave!" I ordered
"Wailmer, Rollout!" my female opponent called.
"Carvanha, Crunch!"
But their tactics were pointless. With all the training I'd put my Pokémon through recently, Jesus was faster by far and they stood no chance. "Gar-dev!" she shouted as she released a powerful electrical wave at our competitors. Her aim was dead on and the two water types jerked spasmodically, their shouts unintelligible.
"Sonuva – " the guy exclaimed. He and his companion glanced at each other.
"Wailmer, return!"
"Carvanha, return!"
I recalled my own Pokémon and looked up just in time to see them quickly running off, their figurative tales between their legs. My anger hadn't dulled any – and I was, in fact, angrier after the fight than I had been before it, but it was no time to simmer on that fact and I rushed passed our impromptu battlefield and up the stairs. As I reached the summit, I came face to face with Archie. The last time I'd seen him was on top of Mt. Chimney and I had to say he hadn't changed much. But there was something – something in his eyes, an almost manic gleam as he caught sight of me.
"Ah, Lucy," he drawled, that almost-Brooklyn like accent accentuated by the smug arrogance underneath. In his hand, the red orb glowed faintly as he tossed it up and down. "A little late for the heroics, don't you think?" he questioned in a voice that said he knew something I didn't.
Unfortunately for him, I knew exactly what was going on due to the shrine keeper's help. "Just because I wasn't fast enough to stop Maxie doesn't mean I can't stop you," I told him. The smile dropped from his face.
"Unfortunately for you, you won't be getting that chance today," he commented. As he said it, I was grabbed from behind and my arms were twisted behind my back.
"Umph," I grunted as I was forced onto my knees. I swiftly looked over my shoulder and saw the two grunts I'd fought off earlier, nasty smirks on their faces. "Bastard," I snarled at Archie as he lazily strolled by me.
"I don't see why you oppose me so, Lucy," he said, tossing the orb between his hands. "You've proven yourself to be a great battler; you would be a worthy addition to Team Aqua. You could even get your revenge upon Team Magma for what they've done to you…" he tempted as he squatted down in front of me. A ball of ice formed in my gut.
"How did you know about that?" I asked him quietly.
He chuckled darkly at me. "As if Maxie doesn't brag about his… accomplishments." He quirked his bandana'd head at me. "As if he doesn't believe that's the 'right way' to go about things."
I clenched my jaw. "No matter what they did to me, that's no reason to join up with someone out to end the world," I told him. I wouldn't lie, the offer tempted me. To be able to get back at the person who took so much from me? I don't think anyone could have refused without at least thinking about it first. But I couldn't do that to Roxie and Minnow – it would disrespect their memories.
"Team Aqua is not out to end the world," Archie almost snarled, standing up quickly and glaring down at me. "We are trying to preserve and expand the aquatic regions of the world – to allow water Pokémon the freedom that they deserve!" He spun away from me and gestured sharply at his recruits. Glaring at me one last time, he marched past me and down the stairs; his lackeys pushed me face first into the ground as they went to follow him.
I rubbed my sore arms before looking back over my shoulder, only to find the dense fog and craggy stairs. They were gone, and I did nothing to stop them.
"Are you okay?" an elderly voice asked me as wrinkled, dry hands grasped the hand I had on my arm. I turned to look at the old woman and nodded at her concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I stood. "I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner," I apologized. She kindly shook her head at me as her husband sidled up to her.
"We're just glad you weren't hurt!" she exclaimed. "But those men – they took the Orbs! The two are never meant to be apart; legends say that only bad things could come of it!"
"I'm going to try and get them back for you," I told her. "But – do you know where they were headed?" Without my foresight into the situation it would be difficult trying to halt the progress of either of the villainous teams.
"Oh, yes!" she rummaged around in a great knapsack at her side. "The first ones, they called themselves Magma, they dropped this," she handed me a small, flat object in the shape of the M that the devil costumes had on their fronts. I took it and was surprised at just how heavy it felt in my hand. As the metal cooled my palm, a rush went through me and the shadow of a memory clicked in my head.
"Dammit," my cousin cursed as he jammed his thumb over the A button. "C'mon, you damn Grunt, die already!" I'd been watching him play through his borrowed copy of Emerald for awhile now and sighed in envy. He'd gotten all the way back to Mt. Chimney for the confrontation with Magma, but I could tell he wasn't going to fare well. He didn't have a water type on his team and Maxie was just about kicking his ass. "This sucks," he grimaced as I watched him switch the game off. I rolled my eyes. Impatient bastard, all you need to do is train.
"Mt. Chimney…" I muttered in remembrance.
"What was that?" the woman asked me as I came out of the memory. I shook my head lightly to clear the fuzz from my head.
"They're going to Mt. Chimney," I told her. "Magma is, at least." I looked her in the eyes and saw the staggering amount of concern she held for these events. "I'll do my best to get them back," I promised.
"Thank you, child, thank you," she said, grasping my hand firmly in hers. I nodded and turned away before making my way quickly down the mountainside and back into the memorial. The shrine keeper peeked her head from around a corner I had not noticed before and dashed to me when I was in her line of sight.
"They left just a moment ago," she said hurriedly. She paused and took a deep breath before shocking me with her next action. "Thank you for trying to save the orbs," she bowed to me.
"But I didn't get there in time," I negated, waving off her praise. She lifted herself.
"All that matters is that you tried," she told me. She withdrew something from her voluminous robe and presented it to me in her palm. "I hope you'll take this. It's a Cleanse Tag that will keep away the bad spirits – as well as a few wild Pokémon. I feel that you will need it, and that you deserve it for both what you've been through and for what you've done today. Thank you," she bowed again.
"I – " I swallowed, my mouth becoming dry. "Thanks," I told her. "I'll do my best." I returned her bow clumsily, pressing my glasses to my face to keep them from falling off. I took the Cleanse Tag and wrapped it around my wrist several times to keep it from falling before turning to the door and leaving.
As I released Copper and made my way back to the mainland, I was frantically trying to come up with a plan to save the Orbs from the clutches of both Aqua and Magma. I didn't have a Pokémon that could fly me out there and didn't really know where to get one, either. I called Copper back into her ball and as I tucked it away on my belt my hand brushed my bag – right where my PokéNav was. My eyes widened.
"Maybe…" I said to myself. "Maybe Tiran… No," I shook my head. He was already in bad shape and too far away to do anything. A certain other white haired male I knew popped into my head. "Morgan's close enough to Mt. Chimney to do it."
It was a logical conclusion to come to, I knew that. But I hesitated after I'd highlighted his number in my Nav. Morgan had been through all this before – been through it and hurt for it. Was it fair for me to ask this of him? I rubbed the back of my hand over my forehead before putting my Nav back in my pack. I'd get to Lilycove first, then I'd make the decision. As I took in the long, winding route of long grass ahead of me, I sighed. Today is going to be a long day.
After I'd gotten through the throng of trainers that littered Route 121, I'd headed to the Pokémon Center at once. Both my party of Pokémon and I were tired from the long two days we'd had and I for one looked forward to sleeping on one of the nice, soft couches that littered the Center. I shivered as the door to the outside world closed behind my back; winter was coming, apparently, and coming fast. I'd already pulled my jacket over my tank top, but it did little to negate the chill. Walking up to the counter, I lay my belt across it.
"Can I get them healed, please?" I asked the Nurse behind the station.
"Of course," she said before looking up from the screen she was working at. Her brows furrowed when she saw me and I looked down at myself. True, I had dirt stains on my long shorts from where I'd been pushed to the ground by Team Aqua, but otherwise I thought I looked okay.
"Is something wrong?" I asked her, curious.
"Oh, no! Of course not," she shook her head, taking my belt. "It's just that I don't see many trainer's wearing so little clothes so close to winter," she shrugged at me.
I arched a brow. "Just how cold does it get around here, anyway?" I asked. Sure, it was a little chilly outside, but nothing worse than November weather by my estimation.
"Not from around here, are you?" she asked lightly. "At night it can get down into the thirties. If you're not careful you could end up very sick," she tsk'd at me as she took the balls from my belt and handed it back to me.
"But it's only September!" I exclaimed.
"Silly girl," she laughed at me as she loaded her healing machine with my Pokéballs. "Hoenn' s temperature varies more severely than most other regions. Well, except for Sinnoh, that is," she shrugged.
"Oh," I replied, a bit stupidly if I admitted it to myself. "Well, is there a market around here, then?" I asked, thinking about the last one I'd been to in Slateport.
"Oooh, yes!" she gushed. "The Lilycove Pokémon Supermart is the biggest in the region! If there's anything you want, surely the Mart has it," she nodded emphatically. "It's just on the north side of town."
"Thanks," I said – both because she was finished healing my Pokémon and for the shopping advice.
After that, I asked for a blanket and secured myself a spot on the isolated couch in the corner of the room. I tucked my bag under the sofa before taking out my PokéNav once more. I fiddled with it for a moment before sighing and bringing up my contact list. I highlighted Morgan's name and hesitated again before hitting the dial button. It rang a couple of times.
"C'mon, Morgan, I don't know how much time we have," I muttered.
"Lucy," Morgan finally greeted as the ringing stopped.
"Hey," I replied.
"To what do I owe this call?" he asked, his voice light. I nearly winced; I really didn't want to ruin his good mood, but he needed to know what was going on.
"Unfortunately it's not on personal business," I sighed. I could almost feel him stiffen on the other end of the line.
"Has something happened?"
"Yeah," I said. I sighed again before filling him in on the situation.
"Hm," he hummed darkly. "So they've stolen the Sacred Orbs. Do you know where they're headed?" he asked.
"Magma is going back to Mt. Chimney – it's where their headquarters is located," I informed him. "One of the elders that guarded the Orbs gave me an emblem in the shape of Team Magma's logo. I think… I think I remember it being a key to something," I said. My memory was still shoddy but a few things stood out to me, this being one of them. "Listen, I can't get out there quick enough to stop them, and I have Team Aqua to deal with here – "
"And you want me to fight in your place," he supplied.
"I know it's a lot to ask, what with everything you've already done trying to – to "fight off evil doers" and whatever, but – " he cut me off again and I was tempted to huff, just for the sake of being childish.
"'Fight off evil doers'?" he asked, his voice practically dripping with the effort to keep from laughing.
"Oh shut up," I demanded, hunching down into the couch.
"Whatever you say," he agreed, chuckling deeply at me. I let him have his moment to laugh before he sobered himself up. "Lucy, I fought Team Rocket a long time ago. My wounds have healed; I just want to make sure you don't go through the same thing," he told me. My heart jerked at his concern.
"I'll be fine, Morgan," I said softly. "I can take care of myself."
"As can I," he said back.
"Yeah, I get it. It's just –" I took a breath. "I know it sounds silly, but you're the closest thing I have to a – a best friend," I told him. "God that sounds ridiculous. You're what, thirty something? You don't want some kid calling you their 'best friend.'" I rolled my eyes.
"You're right, I wouldn't," he agreed. A part of me clenched unpleasantly. Like I said, it was silly, but he really was as close to a best friend as I think I've ever come. Sure, here I had Stephanie, Tiran was like a brother and Eric reminded me of my dad. But Morgan – well, he was my best friend. But if he didn't want – "But you're not a kid, Luce." I let out a breath.
"Thanks, Morgan. I think I needed that," I told him.
"Yeah, I thought you might have," he said. Again, I could hear the laugh in his voice.
"I hate you, did you know that?" I informed him.
"Yes, figured it out a while ago, actually." There was a break in conversation as we both took a breather. "Be careful with Aqua, Lucy," he warned me.
"You know I will. You be careful, too, old man," I snarked.
"You know I will," he snarked back. A smile came to my face and for the first time in a long while, I thought everything might be okay, if only for a little while.
A/N: Two and a half months. Dear lord, two and a half months. I'm so sorry! I just - I got out of Pokemon for a while and couldn't get back in. I fully place the blame on Star Trek. The Original Series, people - it's friggin' hilarious. And the Reboot movie from '09! Gosh. All right, I'll stop fangirling now. Promise. So, what do you guys think about the chapter? Thoughts, feelings, raging, burning love? Lol, just kidding. Sort of.
To the reviewers who are love: Soulful Plain Strider, Eeveelutionluvr, EliteDog, Librarian00X, ChaoticXXHearts, IcyFeather12, ShadowKiba3112, Drewbie, Lily Vivi Nekoyama, and Akai Hoshi Neko.
Also, guys: 200 REVIEWS IS ONLY 10 REVIEWS AWAY. C'MON NOW, WE CAN DO THIS!
P.S: I'd like to shoutout to you guys about Librarian00X's own Nuzlocke fic, One Step Forward. It's of Leaf Green and so far it's amazing. You should check it out!