Chapter 29: Invitation
Bruno could hear the waterfall; winter was coming to an end. The ice had thawed now, allowing the mountain river to flow once again, and as the stream poured over the rocky lip of the cliff, it drummed against the stones below. The thunder of water; it was music to his ears.
His training resumed immediately. Exiting the castle, Bruno clambered over the crags towards the small lake that formed beneath the falls. The river wound around the plateau, but the cliff with the falls was almost directly below the Elite Four's castle. Sheets of ice, splintered and jagged, floated on the pond's blue surface. The water of the falls crashed into a smooth polished stone below, forming a thick white cloud of mist. The moisture clung to the cotton of his shirt, which Bruno deftly removed before diving into the freezing lake and swimming rapidly toward the stone beneath the falls. Pulling himself up onto the smooth surface, polished by centuries of falling water, Bruno reveled in the icy cloak of the mist. The tanned man sat cross-legged on the rock, letting the waterfall beat down upon his head, shoulders, and back. After a winter's absence, the sensation was welcome. The drumming removed all other sound from the world, and the closing of his eyelids removed his sight. Feeling only the massage of the waterfall above him and the flat stretch of stone beneath, Bruno folded his hands, and pondered. His morning meditations were not the same in the winter; the waterfall was key to drowning out the outside world and flushing away his earthly concerns. Not that it was back, his peace of mind was returning as well.
Bruno's thoughts had been preoccupied with the impending likelihood of having to defend the yet unclaimed Champion's title. Red was a skilled a trainer, that much was certain. Would that be enough? Why should it be? Bruno was more than just a skilled trainer when he claimed a spot amongst the Four; he was a warrior, one with warriors he trained. Did Red train his own body as well as the bodies of his Pokemon? Did he sharpen his wits, face his fears, abandon his earthly attachments? Did he see any rewards greater than victory? Or was he just as shortsighted as all those who preceded him, concerned only with the strongest blows and the quickest strikes? "A battle is not won on the battlefield" Bruno's master had once told him. A younger Bruno had thought him a fool for saying it, but he reflected on it now. Truly, what his master had meant was that the battle was won by the warrior who did the most work before the clash. The fight was in the preparation, not the skirmish. The victory was in overcoming yourself, not your opponent.
And yet...he may win, Bruno realized. Red had extraordinary talent and ambition, the whole of Kanto had seen it. Red was not as cunning as Lorelei, nor as wise as Agatha. He was most certainly not as powerful as Bruno. What was it, then?
Purpose Bruno finally decided. The boy has purpose. He opened his eyes, his mind having found peace. Bruno exhaled, and watched as his breath condensed immediately in the frosty air. The meditation would be shorter than usual today. Now was the time for action, nor for thinking.
Bruno worked his way back to the castle and dressed himself with a dry outfit. The manse was large enough for none of the Four to ever see each other should they choose not to, but Bruno went looking immediately for Lance. The flare-headed dragon tamer had been enjoying a simple breakfast in a stately room at the castle's east when Bruno knocked to request entry.
"Ah, Bruno" Lance greeted him warmly as Bruno stepped over the thick rug towards the table where he sat. "Fruit?" He indicated to the bowl of berries before him next to a cup of tea.
"No, thank you." Bruno couldn't say he felt comfortable in this room; it seemed to have been built for small people, smaller than Bruno, perhaps even smaller than Lance. The table, the chairs, the windows, seemed minimized, just enough for someone to notice. Perhaps that's why Lance liked to be here; it helped him to feel bigger than he really was. Bruno, however, felt too big. "Can we help Red to get into Saffron City?"
Lance paused at the directness of the question. "Why would we do that?" he asked, cautiously.
"We have a common interest."
"Do we? The boy threatens to dethrone us."
"We have no thrones here, Lance. The boy threatens us with nothing but a contest for leadership, and nearly everyone on this continent seems to think he should deserve it." Bruno made a sweeping gesture with his thick arms to emphasize the vastness of their region.
"He may deserve it, but he won't receive any favors from us until we have been beaten." Lance sipped carefully at his tea.
Bruno placed his massive palms on the table between them. "We are here to make sure our leader is worthy. He is there because he wants to be our leader, and he has demonstrated more than we have considered. Don't you see, Lance? Our purpose is the same."
The dragon master's brow furrowed. "It seems the women have turned you."
"The water has turned me" was Bruno's retort.
"Ah!" Lance smiled briefly. "So the snows are melting? Fantastic. I was starting to wonder..."
Bruno locked a single dark eye with Lance's to stop him from his tangent.
"Even if we should help the boy, I don't see anything we can do to help his passage into the city."
Bruno shrugged. "I can call my master. His dojo is still there."
"How much authority does he have over the doings in the city?"
"Just enough". It was Bruno's turn to smile. Lance merely sighed.
Lance rose from his armed chair and walked towards the tall window. "Why did you come to me with this question? Did you want my permission?"
"Your advice." Bruno corrected, fuming. Lance still seemed to suspect himself the group's leader.
"And have you sought the women's advice as well?" Bruno couldn't see the dragon tamer's face, but he knew it was smirking.
"I do not value their counsel as much as yours. That does not make you my superior." Bruno held back from reminding Lance that as far as their battle record was concerned, they were perfectly tied. Nearly every battle between the two had ended indecisively. Those that were not a draw were equally numerous on either side.
"Do what you will" he said with resignation. Bruno stomped from the room, heading for the castle's radio tower where the Elite Four were able to communicate with anywhere they chose in either Kanto or Johto.
The best thing that this challenger could do for me, Bruno thought, is humble the dragon.
As it turns out, the Snorlax I had captured was one that had been pestering Lavender Town for some months. Snorlax were already pests given their rapid consumption of nearly anything edible, even what doesn't belong to them, and their tendency to lay their massive immovable bodies over routes and roads. The one I had captured was especially bothersome. Its gluttony and laziness were expected, but its aggression was rare, even among Snorlax. The locals had taken to calling it "King Midas", or sometimes just "the King". All this information I learned from the fishermen Leaf and I passed on our walk back to Lavender Town, who took note of the Snorlax's absence where they had last seen it. They seemed impressed, and thanked me profusely.
Since the creature already had a fair reputation before joining my team, I decided to keep its name, and Midas, the mightiest creature I had captured to date, now hung from my belt in a capsule I could fit in my palm. I made the decision as well to move Jupiter, my Dratini, onto the team as a permanent replacement for Saphira, who had been battered and bruised repeatedly from the last few battles. Saphira's early retirement came at Leaf's suggestion; there's only so much damage a Pokemon can sustain before it can't be healed back to peak condition by even the most skilled Centers. She helped get me this far, and for that I was grateful.
The dawn had broken by the time we reached Lavender's center from our night's adventure. The previous day, it had seemed that the town was awake just as the sun rose out of the ocean, yet Leaf and I could hardly see anyone as we stepped through the cobblestone road this morning. "Where do you think everyone is?" I asked her.
"Not sure. I suppose we can at least join Mr. Fuji and Ellie for breakfast. Maybe some training later?" She smiled as she made the offer. Personally, I wanted to leave Lavender Town and get back on the road. Capturing Midas and watching Snare evolve had me itching to get to the next gym and be that much closer to the Indigo Plateau. But I couldn't say no to her. One more day can't hurt, right?
As we moved towards the stone church, I reflected on how Mewtwo had not made its presence known in my head since I threatened it. I didn't really want to destroy Mewtwo; I owed the creature my life for several instances now. I just don't want to be a puppet I decided. Mewtwo can be an ally as long as he doesn't try to control me. The danger was, of course, that I had no way of knowing Mewtwo's intentions, and to scare it, I had to threaten it. In a desperate attempt to keep me and Leaf safe, I threatened the most powerful known living being in the world.
This was not my first mistake, or my last. But it was certainly my worst.
Leaf raced up the stone steps towards the great oak and iron double doors, clasping the wrought handles and pulling them open to both sides dramatically. The rising sun shone brightly behind us, casting our shadows long and thin down the aisle and between the pews. As my eyes adjusted to the half-light inside the church, I noticed we were not alone. Heads turned at every bench to stare at us. Men and women, old and young, even some children, filled nearly every seat in the church. I spotted Fuji at the altar, his bald head shining beneath the brilliant stained-glass window, with the figure of Mew glowing pink with reflected sunlight. Fuji's smiled seemed just as radiant as the image of the ancestor Pokemon.
Of course, I realized far too late. Everybody came to morning mass. That's why the town seemed deserted.
Fuji spared me the mortifying embarrassment of apologizing to so many people at once for interrupting their church service. "Welcome back!" he exclaimed. "Our Champion-to-be returns!" A light applause rose out of the crowd of people turned in their seats to gaze at me and Leaf. "And have you brought with you a new friend?"
He means the King Mewtwo alerted me, when my own confusion became all too apparent.
How would Fuji know that I have him?
Your ignorance is astonishing. What other reason would the man have for giving you the flute?
I had lost count of how many times Mewtwo had been right. It was obvious now; Fuji knew I was heading in Snorlax's direction, and knew I could use a rare and powerful Pokemon. He killed two birds with one stone by giving me the flute.
"Yes" I spoke a little too quietly. "I have captured Midas."
More light applause followed. I could see Fuji motioning gently with his hands so that only I could see, telling me to continue. "Give them more" his lips said without making a sound.
"And..." I stammered a little. What could I say? What I would want to hear if I was them?
Leaf nudged me roughly in the side. Spurred by the sudden pain in my rib, I said the first thing that came to my head.
"...and I will train him, and I will use him to claim the title of Kanto's Champion, and he will be my reminder of the great gifts of hospitality, of the food and rest the people of Lavender Town gave me. I am forever grateful." I decided, in the heat of the moment, that now was not a time to miss an opportunity for a little extra drama. I unclicked the Snorlax's Pokeball from my belt, and tossed it over my shoulder. Suddenly, my shadow on the church's floor was swallowed by a larger, rounder shadow. I saw the thick arms and round head sprout up around my own and saw the eyes of the Lavender citizens widen in awe. A roar erupted behind me, and the churchgoers cheered.
"Midas," I said, turning around to face the great ball of fur, "you've been harassing these good people for a long time. I think you owe them an apology."
The King tilted his head, visibly perplexed. Then, he belched. The church burst with laughter.
"We still have a lot of work to do" I announced, turning back around to face Fuji and the others. "Thank you, all of you." I stopped to consider what I was thanking them for. It seemed like the right thing to say, the part I was playing as their Champion-to-be, but the truth was that most of them I had no interaction with whatsoever. I didn't enjoy the notion of having to keep up an image for myself, but for some reason I felt that it had to be done. "Your support will not be forgotten."
Fuji shuffled towards us as murmurs of approval grew around him. "You are both welcome to join us for the rest of the service if you would like" he spoke to me and Leaf and chuckled slightly to himself. "Although I'm sorry to say that we don't have room for the King"
"Oh that's alright" I returned his smile, and scooped the open Pokeball from the ground. "He'll sit with me" I said as Midas vanished back into the little sphere.
Leaf and I sat in the back as Fuji continued where the service had left off. Leaf's hand was on top of my own, which would normally be reassuring to me, but at that moment, I was fretting. I turned to her and whispered. "Do you ever get the feeling that I'm just playing a part?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes" she whispered back.
"Does it bother you?"
"Why would it? You need people to like you" she explained, running her thumb over the back of my hand. "That doesn't bother me at all."
Then why does it bother me? I addressed the question inward, and nowadays, that means someone else gets to provide the answer.
Because you do not deserve it.
The tawny cat padded through a dark forest of motionless legs, the red gem in its forehead glinting. It moved towards the front of the room, where its master stood before the crowd of subordinates. There was loud talk echoing through the room; the Rocket boss was sharing information, and giving orders.
"We're going to move in from every direction. Four teams move into the lobby through each main door on the ground floor, two teams from the basement led in through the tunnels, two teams air-dropped onto the roof, all at once. Your objectives are to suppress security and take hostages to secure control. You will all be equipped with firearms, explosives, and your own Pokemon. There are to be no casualties unless absolutely necessary." Giovanni saw malicious smiles spread over the faces of some of his senior agents, worried expressions cross those of the less seasoned. He didn't want any innocent blood to be shed simply out of caution. I may be a criminal, but I'm not a monster. "Additionally, each team leader will have a number of these." Giovanni pressed a key that allowed the screen behind him to buzz to life, displaying an image of a large metallic circle, lined along its edge with circuitry.
"Teleportation pads" he explained. "Our scientists have siphoned this design from Silph itself. They are all keyed to each other in an order that only I will have control over. This is to minimize the risk of myself being followed when I move to the President's office, and to make for a quick escape. Team leaders will have blueprints of the buildings and detailed instructions on where to leave their pads. They must all be guarded, before and after deployment. Questions?"
There were none. The room was tense with excitement and nervous energy. Giovanni had hoped that his officers wouldn't suspect that this plan was not as solid as it appeared; Silph's defenses were more numerous and cryptic than he had expected, and the teleportation pads were a desperate attempt at penetrating deep into the facility. In truth, they were not tested, and his scientists warned him as much. That was the reason he prepared so many infiltration points; scattering Silph's security onto the Rocket agents would give him breathing room. Giovanni had no expectations that everyone would survive.
"Good." Giovanni flicked off the display behind him. "We attack in three days. Until then, everyone prepares their hardest. Your lives are in your own hands, and the success of this operation in everyone's. If this works according to plan," Giovanni winced slightly at his own lie, "then we will be in and out before anyone has a chance to stop us. If we fail, our organization dissolves before our very eyes. Everything rides on this."
There was no excited chatter now. The room was silent, each and every eye trained on him. Giovanni waited before he dismissed them, reveling in the silence, knowing that he had demanded their attention and their commitment to the operation. As the room emptied, Giovanni retired to his own quarters, collapsing on the bed. Not he, nor anyone else in the room ever realized that they were one man short. The sound of metal gliding over wood was profoundly absent in the otherwise silent chamber...
We collapsed into the snow, side-by-side. I could feel it melting against my cheek, robbing me of the heat that seemed to steam off my body. "I don't think...I've ever been so tired...in my life." My chest heaved into the snow packed under me as breath after icy breath filled my lungs. The sharpness of inhaling frosty air was relieving. "How long...did we train?"
Leaf was on her back beside me, her hair splayed out under her in the snow like a dark star in a white sky. "Horus" she gasped back. I watched her chest rise and fall with each heavy breath, mesmerized. She really is beautiful...
The two of us had been working in the courtyard below the Pokemon Tower almost immediately after breakfast. She worked mostly with Annie, and I with Midas. The sun rode across the sky while we trained, and now it was nestled behind the mountains in the west, a blazing red crown on jagged iced peaks. Training was constant, and while our other Pokemon got to get out and stretch their legs, we devoted our time to working with our freshest team members and integrating them with the rest. There were occasional skirmishes where Leaf and I would battle each other spontaneously, either one trying to sucker punch the other in playful competition. The Pokemon were just as tired as we were, but resting inside of their Pokeballs.
Leaf turned her head toward me. I couldn't tell if the moisture on her forehead was snow or sweat. She smiled breathlessly, her eyes glittered. "I think we put on a great show too."
I propped my head up onto one elbow. "I think so too." Some of Lavender's denizens had come to watch our training and our skirmishes. Seeing Annie and Midas in the heat of combat was exciting for them; both were familiar faces, but not familiar fighters. Annie's namesake had been there too, sitting on her mothers shoulders, watching the battles excitedly. Hearing Leaf shout her name interspersed with plans of attack must've been surreal, I thought. Midas' roars were met with cheers from the crowd. I had realized that Lavender Town's people were the ones I had inadvertently grown closest to. Maybe I should try to do that more. It was almost...pleasant, being someone people rooted for, not just someone they could root for.
"They're going to have cameras on me as soon as we get back into the cities." I turned onto my back, folding my hands behind my head. The twilight was soothing. My breathing had returned to normal and the snow almost felt cozy. Not as cozy as Leaf's hand though, as her fingers ran along my arm.
"Why wouldn't they be?" Her words frosted in the air, and the breath tickled my ear. "You're kinda amazing."
"Don't sell yourself short. You're just as amazing." I sat up and her hand found itself in mine. She squeezed it. "Hey, you know what I think we should do?"
"What?"
"We should use that Fire Stone!" She sat up too, fumbling for her bag to reach for the item. Leaf bought the pale orange rock at the department store in Celadon, when I had stormed off and ended up being in the Game Corner. The Fire Stone was meant to evolve particular Pokemon who would evolve naturally in environments that were too difficult; among them were Growlithe and Vulpix. I had the former, she the latter. But the stone could only be used once.
"So...who ge-"
"It's yours." I interrupted her. She held the stone in her palms, and I closed her fingers around it. I felt the stone's heat lowing through her hands and into mine. "You need it more than I do anyway."
She scowled at me in mock offense.
"I didn't mean it like that!"
That made her smile. "You're sweet." She cupped her hand, warm from the stone, on my cheek, and touched her lips to the corner of my mouth. "I know what you meant" she said, almost in a whisper, the wind carrying away the vapor of her words. Leaf reached for Feu's Pokeball, releasing the small copper-colored. Feu yawned; evidently she had been napping. Leaf rested a hand on her Vulpix's head, scratching lightly behind the short ears. "Hey there" she said. "You wanna do this?" She extended her other hand towards the fox's snout. Feu sniffed eagerly, passing her nose over the red flame emblazoned into the flat surface of the rock, careful not to touch.
Why wouldn't she want to change? Grow bigger, stronger. To me, the choice was obvious. Maybe it shouldn't have been.
Feu mewled an approval. Leaf turned to me, restraining her excitement. "No take-backs after this. You're sure?"
"Positive." I assured her.
Here goes.
Getting up on to her knees, Leaf set the Fire Stone into the snow, and shuffled back, staring eagerly. Feu pawed around the stone, sniffing but avoiding any actual contact.
After several seconds, the fox looked up with large brown eyes at her trainer. I felt like I understood her hesitation. Why do you want me to change? it was asking.
Leaf answered, as if she understood. "I only want this if you do."
Feu blinked, then placed her paw gently on the surface of the stone. The effect was instant; the stone sparked with white light and burst into flame. The heat rapidly melted the snow below, revealing the tufts of grass that had been hidden all winter. Soon, even the grass burned. Fire bloomed from Feu's body and wreathed the fox in a tornado of fire. We recoiled from the sudden heat that seemed to threaten to scald our faces. I watched as the fox's copper fur whitened in streaks from the point of contact, spiraling up the leg and paling the hair of the body. Feu shrank back from the sudden change, but the whitening soon cloaked the whole body, extending all the way to the tips of the nine tightly coiled tails that unfurled like ribbons. It looked like she war burning and her fur was turning to soot. The flames whirled in orange and yellow, then began to darken. A bulb of black fire surrounded Feu until she was no longer visible. I heard Leaf gasp. The wall looked to be made of charcoal, the fire had died, the heat continued to pulse like the hot breath of a giant animal.
Leaf seemed awed and terrified. "Feu?" she asked, putting a hand out to touch the ashen flower, her Pokemon's capsule. A howl answered her, fierce and high. A sudden gust of wind ripped through the courtyard, ripping at the black flakes of soot and scattering them. The bulb dissipated. A slender pale wolf the size of a horse stood in the center of a ring of ash. The snow was melted, the grass was burned, even the dirt beneath was charred. The creature was completely white, save for its eyes as red burning coals. It was a breathtaking sight. The wolf howled again, arching its long thin muzzle toward the dying sun and rapidly darkening sky. The stars seemed to come to life at its bone-chilling call. The nine tails rippled and whipped in the wind like ghostly fingers.
"She's beautiful" Leaf whispered. I looked at her and saw the glimmer of a tear in her eye. My hand resting on her shoulder, she moved toward Vulpix's new body, and reached out to hug her. "Oh my god...she's so warm" I heard her say, her face buried in the thin white fur of her chest. I took a second to open the Pokedex, finding the creature quickly. "Ninetales"" I read, and laughed slightly to myself. "At least that'll be easy to remember."
Leaf smiled. The tear slid down her cheek, and evaporated before it landed in Feu's fur.
"I'm a little jealous, I won't lie. She looks amazing." It was absolutely true. Ninetales had to be the most graceful and eerie Pokemon I had ever seen. The transformation was just as spectacular.
"Too bad, she's mine." Leaf hugged tighter.
A voice rang from behind us. "Wow!" It was Fuji's. "What a magnificent creature."
I turned to see the old man shuffling through the snow behind us, wearing his dusty yellow apron once again. "Ninetales is truly a rare and wondrous Pokemon. I have never seen one so close." Fuji's wrinkled face curled into a kind smile. "You must have trained very hard today."
"Yes, we did" I told him. "But you can't stay tired after seeing something like that." Fuji bowed in agreement.
"What's new Mr. Fuji?" Leaf released Feu and bowed slightly in greeting. "You didn't get worried and start looking for us, did ya?"
"I did indeed grow worried, but not because I did not know where you are." Fuji reached into his sleeve and pulled out an envelope. "A Pidgeotto delivered this with urgency. It's for you." He handed me the envelope. A thick red capital R was slashed across the top in furious ink strokes. That's an interesting way of addressing me a letter.
"You're sure it's for him?" Leaf giggled slightly at her own joke. Fuji and I remained quiet, and she stifled her laughter.
I felt the weight of the envelope. It seemed heavy. Last time an envelope felt heavy, it had a badge inside. This is definitely all paper.
"I'm not being sued, am I?"
Fuji shrugged. "Not the brightest usage of one's time, I'd wonder."
My thumb slid under the sealed top of the envelope at the corner, tearing it open down the side. A thick stack of papers slid out into my palm, folded over onto each other. The sheet of paper at the top had the same angry red ink, addressed to me more directly. It read:
Red
Use papers to enter Saffron. Come to Fighting Dojo, ask for Master Koichi. Make haste.
The rest of the papers were documents, heavily bureaucratic, dense with text and signatures. Several of them looked like they had to have been bought. My head hurt from trying to read the needlessly fine print. Fuji peered over my shoulder at the papers.
"Oh my...it appears you have received a rather formal invitation to Saffron City."
Leaf guffawed and pointed to the angry red scrawl. "You call that formal?"
Bleh, I'm not very happy with this chapter. I've been busy the last couple weeks and couldn't make this one as long or as interesting as I wanted it to be. So yeah, shameless filler, I guess. Plus I feel that I'm really quite bad at writing convincing romance (by the way, in case it wasn't clear...Red and Leaf are very much a "thing" now...)
The next chapter will be released in several parts, as I've done a couple of times before. The Saffron City arc will be fun to write, but since I expect to be busy with real-life stuff the next few weeks, it'll take me some extra time to get them written and prepared. I'm setting the anticipated update day as March 2nd. I ask only for your patience.
All reviews are welcome, all criticisms very much requested, and all readership is greatly appreciated. Stay awesome.
-Curse
