Okay, here's the final chapter to Ryan's Story.
By the time Ryan reached the Pokémon Center in Mahogany Town, not only was it dark outside, but all the light were off in the building. This was very strange as Pokémon Centers were supposed to run around the clock. Ryan brought out a flashlight and read a sign on the door.
By order of the town council, Pokémon Center operations will no longer be running all day. This is to offset cost for bringing servers to wild pokémon.
Pokémon Center hours:
Mon-Thur: 8 am-6 pm
Fri : 10 am – 4 pm
Sat : 12 am – 7 pm
Closed Sundays and Holidays.
It was Saturday, meaning that this place won't be open until the start of the next work week.
Ryan shined the flashlight to the server counter. The healing machine that was usually there wasn't anywhere to be seen. A lot of the equipment just wasn't there. Ryan opening up his pokéball releasing his injured pokemon.
"Hey guys, the Pokémon Center is closed. We're going to have to go to the one in eckuteak. It's a bit over six hours away. Are you two going to be okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jerry said.
There was silence from Maribel.
"Maribel what's wrong," Ryan said as he shine the light on her. Her face was pale and her expression was sickly. "Maribel, you're poisoned!"
"It's my leg," she softly.
Ryan noticed a swelling on near her ankle. Unfortunately, his antidote was crushed in the battle with Team Rocket.
"Your leg was cut there during the battle."
"I think I'll be okay," Maribel said.
"Wasn't there a shop in this town," Jerry said.
"A gift shop," Ryan said, "I hate to say it but we should see my parents. Jerry, Maribel, return."
Ryan ran to his parents' house, which wasn't very far away. Ryan rang the doorbell and waited anxiously. He hoped his mom was going to be the one that answer.
"What are you doing home," Mom said.
"A pokémon who went with me has been badly poisoned. The Pokémon Center is closed and she needs an antidote," Ryan said.
"Pokemon Centers are opened all day," Mom said.
"No. it won't be open until Monday. They change how they worked in this town."
"That's going a bit far," Mom said, "It's not like pokémon don't get hurt over the weekend. Okay Ryan, come in and let's see this pokémon."
"Do you have any antidote?" Ryan asked.
"Sorry, we don't."
Ryan opened Maribel's pokéball near the couch and Maribel materialized. She lied down on the couch.
"A girl?" Mom said.
Maribel worked up the strength to speak. "His girlfriend."
"Is it bad?" Ryan asked.
"She should have a while to go until it's really serious. How long ago was she poisoned?" Mom said.
"About two hours ago," Ryan said.
"We save a Marill," Maribel added.
"Well, she should have at least 12 hours, and maybe even a day. She'll need lots of rest. I have some medicine which might help."
I sighed in relief. "That should be plenty of time to get to the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City. I might even come across a shop that sells antidotes."
"That's a long way away," said Mom, "You should take a bike. I'll get it ready."
Within a few minute Ryan was on a bike riding to the Pokémon Center. Ryan guessed that it was a two hour trip now. He could possibly run into a person who had an antidote as they were pretty common for travelers to have, but it was very late so that was less likely.
With it being dark, Ryan had to hold his flashlight with one hand and steer with the other. He was a competent bike rider with good coordination so he had no trouble with riding like this. The path had some pretty narrow cliff trails making it impossible to go full speed on a bike. There were steep drops as well so it Ryan had to be quite careful with one-handed breaking. There were a lot of straight and easy segments of the path so the bike was quite worth it.
As time went on Ryan noticed that the glow of the city was getting brighter. However, the terrain was still mostly black unless the flashlight shown on it. However, Jerry emerged from his Pokéball onto the path behind.
"Come back quickly," Jerry said as Ryan stopped the bike. The ground shook and Ryan jumped off the bike. The narrow path crumbled down the cliff's side taking the bike with it.
"How do that happen?" Ryan asked.
"It's a trap," Jerry said leaning onto the steep ground. "It's Team Rocket."
Ryan shined the flashlight down the cliff. It was quite a long distance down, but it looked barely climbable.
They heard something come down from above and land one the path behind them.
"That trap nearly killed you poor guys," said the crobat. She looked familiar.
"You were that zubat from long ago," Ryan said.
"How sweet. You remembered me. Now just put your hands up and you won't be hurt further," the crobat said.
"That's not true," said a Rocket coming up from behind the corner, "Our orders were to kill them." He was the leader of that group they took on earlier.
"What!?" Jerry and Ryan said.
"What a waste. They're so young," the crobat said, "Even his pokémon?"
"Yes, they are too radicalized," the Rocket said, "They won't accept retraining."
More Rockets came up from behind the corner. They were the rest of the same team.
"Excellent. Looks like they haven't had a chance to heal," said another Rocket.
Maribel came from of her pokéball.
"Maribel, you're in no condition to fight," Ryan said.
"You're in no position to argue," Maribel said, "This looks bad enough right now."
"Easy pickings. Use Wing Attack to take both of them out!"
The crobats wings glowed and she flew at Ryan's pokémon. Ryan charged forward to block her attack. The crobat was kick in the middle of her body before she reached his pokémon. The enemy was then electrified by Maribel's Thunder Wave attack.
"Razor Wind!"
The crobat back off and blew launched her wind attack. The wind blew Ryan backwards his skin cut open at a few places. He lost his footing and was blow nearly off the edge. Ryan caught the ground.
"Ryan!" Maribel yelled. Maribel rushed over and pulled Ryan up. As Ryan regained his is footing Maribel's eyes open with when pain as Ryan felt a stab in his own stomach. He looked down and saw one of the crobat's wings coming from Maribel's torso reaching his own body. It was covering entirely in blood.
He barely heard his best friend yelling. The wing's grow with psychic energy as they were pulled from them and Marable fell to her knees. Her hand, now covered in blood, was covering her wound. She was bleeding fatal amounts of bloody from both ends of her body. "It's over," Ryan said as Maribel fell over further.
He looked up and saw Jerry strangling the crobat. He was knocked off of crobat by another pokémon. The rest of the Rockets must have release their pokémon.
Ryan felt himself lifted up by his collar. "Snap out of it," Jerry yelled. Ryan regained his senses enough to notice Jerry's tear filled eye glowing with his Future Sight.
"There's nothing we can do," Ryan said.
"Listen. There is one thing you must know," Jerry said as he built up psychic energy. The other pokémon were closing in.
"What that?" Ryan asked.
"You must live!" Jerry psychically pushed Ryan off the cliff.
"Jerry!" Ryan yelled as he watched Team Rocket's pokémon reach Jerry with their attacks. Jerry just saved his life, somehow. It may be the psychic link or the bond of friendship. Even during his downwards fall, he knew his life was saved as he watch as his friend's body got fully pierced with two different attacks.
He fell in cold water. A river conceal by the dark of night. He felt the psychic link severed.
