Hi everyone! I'm taking a break from the story to bring you this chapter, which is a nod to the Pokémon Go craze. Readers who aren't interested can skip this chapter without missing anything in the main plot.
Chapter 36: In Pursuit of Pokémon
The luxurious living room looked like it was fit for a god. Dragonus and Kardel sat on a gold-rimmed leather couch each, staring uncomfortably at each other, while their classmate, Zeus, lay sprawled on the biggest sofa in blue pajamas, his eyes glued to the laptop sitting on his stomach, watching replays of the Rio Olympics.
"Mom! Where's my lunch? I'm starving!" The young Zeus thundered, totally ignoring the other two teenagers.
"Just a minute honey," a woman's voice rang out from the kitchen.
Kardel shifted a little nervously on the couch. "Uh, guys, so what are we supposed to do here?" The short, bespectacled boy asked nasally. It was the first time he and Dragonus had been invited to Zeus's home. The invite had been unexpected considering that Zeus spent all his free time with girls and that he changed girlfriends as quickly as he changed his boxers. Everyone knew that the only reason why girls liked the short, stout, spoiled brat was because he was filthy rich.
"No idea," Dragonus said, and waved a hand in front of Zeus to catch his attention. "Hey, Zeus, aren't you supposed to be out with your girlfriend or something?"
"Nah," Zeus replied. "I'm bored of those girls."
"Really?" Kardel raised an eyebrow.
Zeus threw an annoyed glance at the window. "Okay the real reason why I can't go out, is because there are all those weird people following me all day long."
"Huh?" Kardel looked out of the window as well. There was indeed a crowd outside; most were teenagers, but there were also middle-aged men, women and younger children. They moved slowly like zombies with their heads buried in their phones and fingers swiping their screens.
"It looks like they're playing Pokémon Go," Dragonus said, referring to the wildly popular augmented reality game that had shaken the world and had gotten many a couch potato off their butt and onto the streets.
"It sure looks like they are," Kardel agreed. "Did you place a lure at your house, Zeus?"
"Pfft, I don't play that lame game," Zeus snapped disdainfully. "Wow, will you look at that ass," he gawked at the lithe Olympic gymnast on his screen.
Dragonus whipped out his phone and started up his Pokémon Go game. "Let's take a look."
Kardel did the same. "Ooh, a Pikachu," he remarked in surprise.
"I've got two here," Dragonus nodded, tapping a finger on one of the Pikachus that had popped up on the map. The screen zoomed in on the rosy-cheeked, pointy-eared yellow creature and he swiped to hurl a Pokéball towards it.
"Hmm, another one," Kardel chuckled in glee. Until now, that particular electric-type Pokémon hadn't been easy to find.
"Holy shit I've never seen so many of them spawn in one area," Dragonus exclaimed. "Zeus's house is attracting Pikachus?"
"Maybe it's him," Kardel suggested. "He said there were many people following him."
"But why only Pikachus?" Dragonus wondered, swiping his phone again.
"Beats me," Kardel shrugged as he subdued yet another adorable yellow critter. Jaunty music rang out and he grinned happily. "But at this rate I'll be able to evolve mine to a Raichu soon."
"Looks like our time here wasn't wasted after all," Dragonus said as he tapped his phone, transferring his catch to the Professor.
They didn't notice Zeus glaring at them with a scowl rolling across his face like storm clouds. "Not you two as well?" Zeus snarled. "Fucking nerds, get out of my house right now!"
Kardel and Dragonus exchanged eye-rolling glances. All this while their bratty classmate had paid no attention to them while glued to the Olympics, but apparently it was not okay for them to entertain themselves with Pokemon Go in his living room. Being well aware that Zeus had a temper just like his Greek God namesake, they knew it was time to make a move before things turned ugly.
"Where do we go next?" Dragonus whispered as he slipped on his yellow jacket and made his way out of Zeus's house with Kardel.
"How about the Eul National Park?" Kardel suggested. "We could catch some interesting Pokémon there."
Dragonus hesitated. He and Shendelzare used to go on dates at the Eul National Park and he was reluctant to revisit those memories. "Uh, I don't think I want to go there."
"Come on," Kardel urged. "I heard there's legendary Pokémon to be caught there!"
"Really?" Dragonus's eyes lit up. Truth was, he had had enough of catching Pidgeys in his backyard.
"Yeah," Kardel nodded. "Let's give it a try."
"Alright," Dragonus said, barely containing his excitement. He hadn't been out much ever since he'd broken up with Shendelzare. Neither had Kardel, who used to hole himself up at home playing shooting games before Pokémon Go came out. It was going to be an interesting trip. As they walked out onto the main road, he glanced at the people milling around the front gate of Zeus's mansion, taking a peek at their phones. They were indeed catching Pikachus, just as he'd expected.
"Woo hoo!" Kardel shouted in triumph. He had apparently managed to catch his fiftieth Pikachu and was ready to evolve it to a Raichu.
"Let's head over to the Park now," Dragonus said. "I've got three hundred and ninety Magikarps now, I need just ten more to get a Gyarados."
"Wow! I'm sure we'll be able to find some at the river."
The Eul National Park was huge. The map at the entrance showed hills, valleys, meadows, lakes, rivers, a museum and even a cemetery. Various kinds of wildlife were awaiting discovery but Dragonus and Kardel weren't interested in them, of course, preferring to hunt for virtual creatures. It seemed that many other people were thinking of the same thing, as there was quite a crowd there, unlike the old days.
Not knowing where to start, Dragonus and Kardel referred to the map of Pokemon Go as their guide, looking at the nearby Pokéstops and gyms. The nearest gym was at a cemetery, and it was presently controlled by their classmates Squee, Spoon and Spleen using a Dragonite, Arcanine and Snorlax.
"Let's go challenge them," Kardel suggested.
Dragonus nodded. The two followed a forest trail, trudging along uneven ground, evading monkeys and navigating past fallen branches and looping vines. The path eventually led them to the entrance of the cemetery. Huffing and puffing from the tiring journey, they stood outside the closed gates, staring at the vast, desolate expanse of land with tombstones scattered all over. There was nobody around, which was strange, considering that people would go to all kinds of weird places just for Pokémon.
"We're not near enough to do battle," Dragonus frowned at his phone. He looked up and noticed a sign near the cemetery gates. Beware of Land Mines, it said.
"Damn," Kardel sighed in disappointment. "We came all the way here …for this shit."
"Do you think the sign is real?" Dragonus asked doubtfully. "Maybe it was put up by Squee, Spoon and Spleen to keep us out of the gym."
"Well…" Kardel thought for a moment. "I don't think I wanna risk my life."
"Alright," Dragonus sighed. "On the bright side, I walked so much that all my eggs have hatched!"
"Mine too!" Kardel grinned. "Ooh, I got a Scyther."
"Cool," Dragonus congratulated him, and then groaned in disappointment at his phone. "Damn it, I got nothing but Pidgeys and Rattatas."
"That sucks," Kardel said. "Let's head to the river."
"Yeah, I'm not going home without my Gyarados."
The two backtracked along the same forest trail and when they had reached the river, they were ready to drop dead with exhaustion. Their phone batteries had died from the exertion, but they had come prepared with portable chargers. After reviving their batteries and taking a few bites off the sandwiches they had packed along, they were ready to continue their hunt.
There were a few people fishing at the river bank, and more transfixed in their phones. A family of four were having a picnic on the grass, with all members playing Pokémon Go. Kardel and Dragonus strolled along the edge of the river, barely taking notice of their surroundings.
"Oooh, a Vaporeon!" Kardel squealed in excitement at his phone.
Dragonus gritted his teeth in envy and stared intently at his phone in anticipation at the next rustle of virtual grass. Suddenly, he felt a hand tap his shoulder from behind, startling him. He turned around and saw a familiar feminine face framed by spiky blue hair.
"Shen… Shendel?" He mumbled. He wasn't expecting to see his ex-girlfriend there. Shendelzare's face was expressionless, and before Dragonus could say a further word, he felt something – perhaps a boot – against his chest, pushing him back. Mouth agape, he stumbled and fell backwards into the river with a splash.
Dragonus felt his body sink into the water as his mind went blank with shock. When he felt his body rise he gulped for air, but the eddies swirled around him, pulling him down. He couldn't swim, and was terrified, struggling helplessly against the strong waves. Glancing up, he saw Kardel up there, still engrossed in his phone. Dragonus opened his mouth to shout but couldn't hear himself. Nobody seemed to notice that he was drowning. Oh my god I'm going to die, he thought as he sank again and swallowed mouthful after mouthful of river water. He was losing strength and his limbs felt like lead.
Just when his body began to give up and surrender to the river, he felt something pull him out of the water. A pair of large, strong hands held him and dragged him along the river while he floated face up. And then he felt himself lying on dry land. A wave of relief flooded through him as he coughed and spluttered, vomiting out some of the river water. Through blurred vision he saw something large and green hovering above him. Did a crocodile save me? He wondered if he was losing his mind.
He finally regained some strength to sit up, and saw Kardel running over, his face as white as sheet.
"Fuck you Kardel, you and your stupid Vaporeon," Dragonus cursed as he wiped his wet face and shivered in his soaked jacket.
A deep chuckle emerged from behind him. He turned around and realized that the voice belonged to the guy who had saved him. The person was massive, twice Dragonus's size and height, with shoulders as broad as an Olympic swimmer's. He wore a green striped swimsuit that made him look like a giant watermelon.
"Uh, thanks," Dragonus muttered in gratitude. "What's your name?"
"Levi," the muscular swimmer replied. Smiling, he whipped out his own phone and flashed it at Dragonus and Kardel, showing them the starting screen of Pokémon Go. Stay alert at all times and be aware of your surroundings, the game warned.
"Sorry," Kardel muttered sheepishly.
"You're playing the game too?" Dragonus asked Levi.
"Yeah," Levi replied. "I was there and I saw you struggling in the water." He pointed at a tiny islet in the middle of the river. On it were some tall trees, and a man in blue. "Me and that guy, we're fighting over the gym."
"How the hell did you two get there?" Kardel asked in amazement. The islet was some distance away from the river bank, and there were no boats or rafts available to transport anyone there.
"We swam there, of course," Levi laughed heartily. "We're the only ones who can do it. Me and my swimming coach Kunkka. And guess what," he winked playfully and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. "I found a Mewtwo over there."
"Holy shit," Kardel gasped at the mention of the powerful, legendary Pokémon.
"Time to learn swimming," Dragonus muttered.
(End of Chapter 36)
Hope you enjoyed this very random chapter. Looking forward to your reviews!
Heroes Featured:
Dragonus = Skywrath Mage
Kardel = Sniper
Zeus
Shendelzare = Vengeful Spirit
Levi = Tidehunter
Kunkka