Wednesday's chapter is coming early since I'm leaving for a trip on Wednesday. I'll try to write at least one chapter on my trip though. Regarding Mythicals, Terrell won't be catching any, though one of them will be playing a role.
Also, a graphical warning for one of the Team Rocket segments: it gets dark. Fast.
"Temperature outside has warmed up a bit," uttered Rotom. "Now's our chance to get to the Pokémon Center!"
Several hours had passed since Terrell and Natasha stopped to rest in the cave on Route 216. The blizzard outside had calmed down due to Rotom's analysis, which allowed them to get ready for the next leg of the journey up to Snowpoint. Terrell got all of his Pokémon back in their Poké Balls save for Munchy, and got ready to head out.
"Let's see if we can brave the weather," uttered Terrell.
"So, you failed to reunite with the other officers," uttered Jessie. She, James, and Meowth had been chosen to interrogate the captured International Police officers.
"How much do you know about our plans?" asked James. The officer, shackled to the table, was sweating profusely, as if he was anxious.
"Not telling you anything..." uttered the officer. He appeared to be tired, and could barely speak.
"Go on," uttered Meowth. "We brought some donuts with us. If you tell us one little piece of information, we'll give you one."
"Only...the highups...know anything..." uttered the officer. Meowth, Jessie, and James shrugged and exited the room, where Giovanni was waiting impatiently alongside his Persian.
"He says only the highups know anything," uttered James. Giovanni expressed a face of anger.
"I'll handle this," replied Giovanni. He entered the room, slamming his fist down on the table.
"Tell me what you know!" shouted Giovanni. The officer was startled immediately.
"I told you, I don't know anything!" shouted the officer. Giovanni nodded at Persian, who jumped onto the table to face the officer.
"My Persian here is more than willing to dish out some damage to you," uttered Giovanni. "Spill the beans, or he'll rip your face off."
"You don't have the guts to kill a police officer," uttered the officer. Giovanni smirked.
"Persian, Fury Swipes," uttered Giovanni. Jessie, James, and Meowth watched in horror as the officer's innards became outards, splashing onto the window of the interrogation room.
The snow came down on Route 217, shrouding the area. Terrell and Natasha kept forging forward, making their way to the Pokémon Center, holding hands as they walked through the snow.
"This is sort of nice," uttered Terrell. "Being with you, out here in the freezing cold, bonding together."
"It is," replied Natasha. She rested her head on Terrell's shoulder as they walked through the route. Suddenly, a Weavile jumped from a nearby patch of snow, snarling at the two of them.
"Inferno, let's go!" shouted Terrell. Inferno leapt from his Poké Ball, firing a plume of flame into the air. The Weavile dashed at Inferno, using Night Slash to dish out some damage. Inferno reeled in pain, but held on.
"Counter with Will-o-Wisp!" shouted Terrell. Inferno shot a bluish flame at the Weavile, burning it. The fire began melting the nearby snow, and lit up the nearby area. The Weavile hit Inferno with an ice-cold fist, sending him across the snow.
"Grab some snow and melt it in midair to confuse Weavile!" shouted Terrell. Inferno threw some snow into the air, burning it and sending water down onto Weavile, confusing it.
"Finish this with Flamethrower!" shouted Terrell. Inferno shot a burst of flame at the Weavile, which melted the snow and knocked it out. Suddenly, blue light enveloped Inferno, indicating that he was evolving.
"Huh," uttered Terrell. "He's evolving."
Inferno's arms grew in size, and became almost like cannons. Flames began burning on his shoulder and back. Then, the blue light disappeared to reveal Inferno as a Magmortar.
"All right!" shouted Terrell. "You've evolved!"
Inferno hugged Terrell tightly before shooting a plume of fire into the air.
The monitors within the International Police headquarters suddenly turned to static. Looker, Anabel, and Alain watched them curiously.
"Must be a satellite problem," muttered Looker. Suddenly, a purple R appeared on all of the screens, before showing a shadowed figure.
"Attention International Police," uttered the figure. "Team Rocket doesn't need your intervention. We've been one step ahead of you every time."
Alain clenched his fist in anger.
"Surrender now, or prepare for a fight," uttered the figure. "Prepare for a fight, and this will happen."
Johnson's bloodied, scarred head landed on the ground before the shadowed figure. Looker, Anabel, and Alain were clearly horrified. Then, the screens turned back to normal.
"Johnson was a good man," uttered Anabel. "We must double our efforts against Team Rocket."
"I agree," replied Alain. "We need to find their base in Kanto, and put a stop to their plans."
"I'll contact the Kanto authorities," uttered Looker. "They can help us."
"We may have to disclose some information to the public though," replied Anabel. "They can't stay uninformed."
Terrell and Natasha rushed into the Pokémon Center, exhausted and cold. Other Trainers were also inside, coping with the blizzard. Terrell walked over to the desk, placing down his Poké Balls while Munchy jumped onto the desk.
"Please take care of my Pokémon," uttered Terrell. The Nurse Joy behind the desk nodded before walking off with the Pokémon. Terrell sat down at a table alongside Natasha.
"We should contact Gary again," uttered Terrell. "It's been a while."
"Yeah," replied Natasha. Terrell readied a video call, with Gary picking up quickly.
"Hey!" uttered Gary. "Where are you two now?"
"Over in a Pokémon Center on Route 217," uttered Terrell. Gary expressed a shocked face.
"I heard there was a huge blizzard up there," uttered Gary. "You two alright?"
"We're fine," replied Terrell. "Just two badges away from the league conference."
"Good to hear," replied Gary. "Anyways, stay warm up there."
Gary hung up, leaving Terrell and Natasha to talk in the Pokémon Center. Suddenly, someone tapped on Terrell's shoulder.
"I see you also got stuck in the blizzard," uttered Chris. Terrell smiled at him.
"Heading up to Snowpoint as well?" asked Terrell.
"Yep," replied Chris. "Say, what's that on your wrist?"
"Oh, this?" asked Terrell as he looked at his Key Stone. "This is a Key Stone. It's for Mega Evolution. I got it from the guy who gave me Chikara's egg alongside a Lucarionite."
"Mega Evolution?!" exclaimed Chris. "I'm jealous. Though, my uncle back in Canalave has a Key Stone. Maybe I can contact him and see where he got it."
As the three Trainers talked, the TV in the Pokémon Center changed to a breaking news broadcast.
"This is a Jubilife TV special report," uttered the anchor. "Today, the International Police have revealed that a criminal organization succeeded in stealing an experimental hovercraft from a lab in Unova several weeks ago. The resulting pursuit led to the loss of several officers, and a continued investigation. The International Police have refused to provide additional details regarding the case, however."
"I wonder what they're going to do with that hovercraft," uttered Terrell. He then turned to face Chris.
"I'd battle you right now if it wasn't so cold outside," uttered Terrell. Chris nodded in response.
"Yeah, so would I," replied Chris. "Though, I've been thinking about stuff."
"What do you mean?" replied Terrell.
"I'm thinking of giving up as a battler," replied Chris. "You see...there's been something I've always wanted to get into."
"Like contests?" replied Terrell.
"No, silly," replied Chris. "The Pokéathalon. It's a sporting event that's popular in Kanto and Johto. I always wanted to compete in it as a kid, but my family has always been pushing me to do the gym challenge."
"Huh," replied Natasha. "Are you not a big battler?"
"Not really," replied Chris. "I've always preferred utilizing the hidden talents of my Pokémon in unorthodox ways."
"I have an idea," replied Terrell. "You could travel with us, and I'm actually considering going to Kanto after the league conference, whether I win or not, as it'll be good training."
"Wow," replied Chris. "I guess I'll accept your offer. Though, you still owe me that battle you promised."
"Once the blizzard's over," replied Terrell.
I really enjoyed writing this chapter, as it let me give Chris some character development. He's going to be a permanent travelling companion from this point on, and I'm excited to also delve into the Pokéathalon once the Kanto segment of the trilogy begins.