Chapter 91 – Lyte
"Alright Ketchum. I give the two of you the first move."
"Geyser use swords dance!"
At his trainer's command Geyser, the Dewott lifted his paws slightly. Immediately a pinkish energy shaped like four swords appeared around him, rising from Geyser's waste and extending to the top of his ears.
Ash watched the Masked Trainer carefully. From behind the large wooden mask, she appeared to raise her eyebrows. Ash knew she was trying to determine his strategy.
A few seconds passed and the swords around Geyser faded away. Ash kept his eyes on the Masked Trainer and her partner waiting for them to make a move. When nothing came, he commanded Geyser again, "and again."
The pink energy swords reappeared around Geyser again.
And again, the Masked Trainer didn't make a move. Psyduck just stood in the middle of the battlefield staring at Geyser with empty eyes.
Pikachu tensed on Ash's shoulder, gripping his trainer's shirt tightly in his paws, as they waited for the Masked Trainer to make a move. When none came, Ash called, "Geyser swords dance. One more time."
And yet again the pink swords materialised around the Dewott, as if he were encased in a giant pink diamond.
"Well Ketchum if you aren't going to attack," the Masked Trainer said finally. "Psyduck use water gun."
"Geyser stand your ground."
"Psy." Psyduck spat a torrent of water from its beak straight at Geyser.
The otter braced himself, spreading his legs apart, keeping his tail low to the ground and holding his paws over his face. He grunted as the jet of water hit, but he managed to stand his ground as Ash had said.
From behind the heavy mask Ash's challenger seemed to give him a rough smile. "Impressive. You're Dewott is tough. But I wouldn't expect anything less from an aura Pokémon. Still. Psyduck use taunt."
Ash silently cursed and Pikachu let out a little grunt of frustration.
"Pika."
Psyduck raised its wing (or paw or whatever it was) and seemed to make an obscene gesture at Geyser.
"Geyser. Don't fall for it," Ash shouted but it was in vain.
Geyser's face went red and he growled, bearing his teeth at Psyduck. "Dew! Dewott Dew!"
"Umm Geyser. Swords dance," Ash called out, but it was no use.
The effect of taunt was to, as the name suggests, taunt one's opponent into attacking you in a fit of rage without their trainers command, and thus render them unable to use status moves.
And sure enough, Geyser launched himself across the field and slashed Psyduck hard across the face.
"Psy."
Psyduck flew through the air and landed hard on its backside, though from the blank expression on its face he it seemed not to have felt the impact.
"Geyser," said Ash warningly but too late. Geyser had made his next move.
He ran up to Psyduck and begun slapping the poor yellow duck Pokémon across the beak repeatedly.
"Ohh." Ash bit his lip and Pikachu drew a sharp intake of breath.
As Geyser continued his assault Psyduck begun to let out cries of protest, as if the blows were finally hitting hard enough for it to feel.
"Psy Psy Pysduck…"
From behind that wooden contraption Ash noticed the Masked Trainer's eyes light up. He grimaced knowing what was about to happen…
Psyduck's eyes suddenly lit up a bright shade of blue. Ash bit his lip.
"Psy…Psy…PSY."
BOOM!
Psyduck unleashed a powerful wave of psychic energy.
"Pika." Pikachu let out a little squeal and tightened his grip on Ash as the shockwave hit them both.
Ash raised an arm to cover his face and Pikachu.
But…remarkably…Geyser was seemingly unaffected by the attack. The shockwave hit him directly but didn't do so much as ruffle his fur.
Through the eyeholes in the great wooden mask, Ash saw her eyes widen.
He grinned. "Now Geyser dark pulse! Let's go."
Geyser put his paws together and conjured a dark black orb. As the Masked Trainer watched in astonishment, the orb exploded firing an eerie purple black beam at Psyduck, hitting it directly in the chest.
The super effective move spelled the end of the battle. Pysduck was spend rolling through the grass, coming to a rest at its trainer's feet. It lay motionless on its belly, black swirls covering its eyes.
"Psyduck!"
For the first time Ash noticed a change in the Masked Trainer's attitude. Whereas earlier she had been cool and in control, now she sounded surprised and worried.
"Are you okay."
She knelt down beside her fallen partner and put a hand on its forehead.
"Psy." Psyduck slowly opened its eyes and looked up at her.
"Now do it!"
With her attention focused on her Psyduck, the Masked Trainer didn't notice Geyser pad over and whip the mask off her head.
"Hehe. Yoink!"
"Hey." She stood right back up just in time to see Geyser holding the mask, right before the Dewott faded away to be replaced by a larger, bi-pedal fox like creature with black fur a long red hair. "What the…A Zoroark…"
Ash grinned smugly as he saw the person beneath the mask for the first time…
The Masked Trainer wasn't actually a woman. The Masked Trainer was in fact a young boy, only a few years older than Ash, perhaps late teens or early twenties. He had dark blue hair that he had fashioned into spikes.
Ash's eyes widened in shock. "You're a guy!"
"Who are you," demanded Pikachu.
The boy laughed. "Well. It seems you live up to the legend Ash Ketchum."
Ash glowered at him. "What in the distortion world were you doing impersonating a girl!"
"Pika Pika."
He sighed, "My name's Lyte. I'm a scientist. If you give me a minute, I can explain everything…"
[Pokémon]
For one shining moment Blade had though he might be beginning to understand why some Pokémon like being trained Pokémon…The crowd was cheering for him…And for Jessie too, of course…Actually cheering for him.
He was standing on the podium beside Jessie. Now unfortunately his trainer. As she was presented with the set of Pokémon dolls by an announcer of some description, giving some speech about winning and women and who knew what else. Blade wasn't listening and didn't really care. He just raised his claws in victory and enjoyed the sound of their applause.
He felt a glow of pride in his chest. Not a feeling he had experienced all too often in his life. There was only one other whom had made him feel like this…
And all he'd had to do was beat some stupid Psyduck.
But all that quickly evaporated once they'd left the arena…
"Okay. Here you are Sneasel," Jessie said as she dumped the box containing her prize dolls on his head. "I need you to help me carry this back to camp. Oh, and be careful with them, they're delicate."
"I have a name," Blade muttered under his breath. "Care to use it. Human!"
Jessie either didn't notice or chose to ignore him.
In truth the box wasn't a huge imposition. After years of tough training Blade was definitely strong enough to carry it with ease. But it was kind of awkward given the box was larger than he was, and he forced walk hunched over carrying it on his upper back and shoulders.
Jessie's compatriots James and Meowth were waiting for her by the edge of the forest just outside of town. The two humans embraced each other the moment they met, with James giving his friend a hearty congratulations.
"Well done Jessie. You won."
"No need to act so surprised James," Jessie replied smugly. "Of course, I did. You forget. I used to be one of the top coordinators in the Sinnoh region."
"You mean I won," Blade spat through gritted teeth. The back of his neck was starting to object painfully to the box. "I beat all those Pokémon. I got you all this crap. It's not like you even trained me."
He had intended it as a whispered, but Jessie had clearly heard him.
"Oh, what's your problem," she said folding her arms and glowering at him. "Come on we've still got to get those dolls back to camp. And I'm warning you if you let any damage to come to a single one of those, I'll shove Meowth up your…" she broke off.
Blade felt a flush of anger rise inside him. He wanted to throw the box against the nearest tree, shattering every last doll inside, though he knew that wouldn't do him a bit of good.
"When my boyfriend comes for you," He muttered.
But the comforting comment stabbed at his heart. It had been a long time now since he'd last seen or heard from Shadow. And a dark fear had begun to prey on his mind. What if he had truly been abandoned?
"You okay dare pal," Meowth asked him, noticing how red Blade had gone in the face.
"Do I fucking look okay," Blade snapped back and Meowth backed off.
"Okay okay," he said holding up his paws. "Keep ya feather in."
The trek to the camp site took about 20 minutes, through the forest. And poor Blade, built for the cold, was breathing heavily, his fur matted with sweat in the muggy Hoenn evening, by the time they arrived.
He set down the box only to have Jessie snap at him, "no it needs to be put in the balloon." She jabbed her thumb at the Meowth head balloon.
He groaned when he noticed how high the sides of the basket where. It was at least a head taller than he was. "Fuck. Really."
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Blade was given a meal along with the other Pokémon. It was little more than a handful of dry kibble, though still he wolfed it down. He'd learned long ago not to be picky when it came to food.
Then it was time for bed. There was a long tent shaped like a Serviper and inside of which were two sleeping bags and a small basket for Meowth.
But when he tried to follow the scratch cat inside, Jessie halted him at the entrance and held out his Pokémon. "Oh no. I don't smelly Sneasel in the bedroom. You sleep in your Pokéball."
"But but. You let…"
"You can sleep in your Pokéball or outside, but you aren't coming in here."
"Wobbuffet." The annoying blue blob of a Pokémon appeared from behind Jessie's shoulder, grinning at him with that stupid grin.
He sighed and turned away.
"Suit yourself," said Jessie, before zipping the serviper tent closed.
Blade sat down against the trunk of a large tree and sighed. Again, he asked himself the question…
"How the fuck did my life come to this…"
Was this really how he was to live out the rest of his days. As a pet, to these humans. These immature, self-absorbed, idiotic, incompetent humans. Battling to win pointless trophies, or else carry out some dark human deed, not getting fed proper meals, made to carry boxes…
"Shadow will rescue me," He tried to tell himself. "He's never let me down before."
Only once again, a dark evil voice in his head replied, 'But he hasn't come yet has he. He hasn't lifted a paw to help you so far. He even told you he wasn't himself.' His claws moved to the thick leather collar around his neck.
"He will come. He just…Needs to find a way not to get affected by this thing."
'You just keep telling yourself that idiot.'
"Shadow wouldn't leave me like this. He loves me…"
'Of course, he does.'
"He does…"
'You're almost cute in a tragic pathetic sort of way. Letting the humans push you around while you wait for you heroic boyfriend to spring from the Shadows and sweep you off your foot paws. Dumbass…'
"Fuck you."
He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep. But his dreams were little better than waking. In them he was running through a shadowy forest chasing a dark red eye. But no matter how fast he ran it always stayed ahead of him.
"No…NO wait for me!"
Finally, he tripped and fell flat on his face. He sat up and watched as the eye disappeared down the path, out of reach, leaving him all alone in this dark, desolate place.
"Wait. Please don't leave me. DON'T LEAVE MEEEEE."
"Ahh…" He awoke with a start. At first, he thought it was the dream that had woken him. Then he felt the wet on his fur and realized it had started to rain.
"Brilliant," he muttered to himself. "Just brilliant."
He got to his paws, shivering and looked around for somewhere to take shelter. He could climb a tree - Sneasel's were great climbers – but the branches were so thin and the leaves sparse that the canopy would offer little protection.
And then he spotted the balloon… A dark, terrible idea invaded his mind!
How high could that thing go. High enough that if he were to jump the fall would kill him. Or at least break a few bones. Maybe his spine. How useful would a paralyzed Sneasel be to Team Rocket. Useless enough to convince them to leave him there to die. They were definitely the type to, weren't they?
Such a death wouldn't be pleasant. Or quick.
"Well it can't be any more painful than most of life's been already," he reasoned with himself. "And without Shadow what do I really have to life for."
He wandered over to the Balloon, placed his claws on the top of the basket and begun to pull himself up and over the side. He just managed to get a leg on the edge when he heard a deep nasal voice from behind.
"Hey. What ya doin'?"
He dropped back to the ground and spun around to find himself face to face with Meowth. The cat was standing just outside the serviper tent, holding a small parasol so as to keep dry.
"Nothing?" He replied.
How easy it would be to kill Meowth. One slash of his claw to the throat would end the cat.
"Tryin' ta escape?" The cat asked, a broad grin forming across his face. When Blade didn't reply, Meowth continued, "Cause you ain't gonna get very far without the actual balloon."
"Huh?"
And that's when Blade noticed. The balloon's envelope, that is the Meowth-head part of the Meowth-head balloon wasn't attached to the basket. And of course, without that the balloon, well just the basket now, wasn't going anywhere.
He groaned feeling like an idiot. Then he slumped down against the side of the basked and buried his face in his claws. What had been thinking anyway. Did he really want to die?
"You okay dare," Meowth asked. "You don't seem very happy."
Blade squeezed his eyes shut to hold back tears. He did not want to cry in front of Meowth. "Fuck off," he spat. "I don't want to talk to you."
There was a brief moment of silence. Then to his horror he felt Meowth's paw pet him on the top of his head.
"Rough day huh?"
"I thought I told you to fuck off," Blade mumbled, but it didn't sound particularly threatening as his voice was breaking.
Meowth ignored him and continued to rub his head. "Listen 'here bud. Ya can't let Jessie get to ya. She can be a real b…. Let's just say mean sometimes'. An' she' like dat to all of so don't take it personally. Da rest of us are real happy you're 'ere."
"If she's such an umm," asked Blade. "then why do you put up with her. You're not a trained Pokémon. You've got no Pokéball. Why not run. Be free."
"Cause, for all dare faults, Jessie an' James are my friends," Meowth replied cheerily.
For all their faults they're my friends…Finally something Blade could relate to.
"I love 'em. It ain't always easy but I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else."
A single tear managed to burst through he closed right eyelid. To his horror he felt Meowth wipe it with his paw.
"Hey." He scrambled to his feet and opened his eyes. His face grew warm as he noticed the cat grinning.
"Come on," Meowth said patting him on the back. "I'll take ya somewhere."
[Pokémon]
"…I was a consultant for the Aether Foundation. But I quit after I found out what they were trying to do. Then I got arrested shortly afterwards for it. Now I'm trying clear my name, so I don't end up being apart from my precious partner Mystic. Oh Mystic. How I love her…"
The Masked Trainer…Lyte…reached into his top pocket, took out a photograph and held it up for Ash, Pikachu and Zoroark to see. The pictured showed a beaming Lyte with a small cat like creature with long ears sitting on his shoulder.
"That's her there. She's a Mewostic. Isn't she adorable?"
"Umm. Yeah!" Ash replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
Pikachu and Zoroark sniggered.
The Meowstic in the photo was wearing a small white lab coat and pair of black glasses, almost identical to the ones worn by its trainer…
Ash, Lyte and their Pokémon were now sitting in a late-night dinner. It was still the Princess Festival and the dinner was still offering women large discounts, but at this late hour there weren't many patrons inside.
They were each drinking cups of coffee handed to them by an elderly looking waitress. The coffee was far too bitter for Ash's taste, but he sipped it all the same, as Lyte continued his story.
"The feds told me that if I agreed to wear a wire for them, they'd ask the judge for no jail time."
"And then they told you to investigate me?" Ash asked feeling confused and a little angry at the same time.
"Pika!"
"No. The feds aren't interested in you. Originally, I was just asked to gather information about the Aether Foundation. It's better I tell you the whole story. And it all being when Mystic and I took up a position as a consultant with the Aether Foundation when I was doing my PhD. We were assigned to Pacific Research Station in Unova. I was studying the social, mating and migration patterns of Sneasel in the Giant Chasm.
The pack of Sneasel I was observing were particularly aggressive. Many of the males were killed in fights over food or mates. Some starved because of lack of food. There was this one Sneasel. The runt of pack. He was known as Blade."
"Blade?" Said Ash, his heart skipping a beat. He glanced at Pikachu. The mouse looked as he felt.
"That's right. The very same."
Ash wasn't sure what he meant but that, but before he could ask Lyte continued.
"He was bullied by the alpha. The main Sneasel of the pack. Eventually abandoned and left to die. He befriends a Darkrai named Shadow."
Ash nodded.
Zoroark, growing bored, reached for Ash's coffee cup. He slowly slid it across the table towards himself and lowered his muzzle to it. He took a sniff of the contents and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Now this is where the story gets interesting. Shadow was a test subject in a research project conduct by Aether Branch Chief Faba. I was told about those experiments, but I believed they spliced his DNA with another Pokémon's. Shadow killed the pack leader too.
I was about halfway through the study when the Aether Foundation re-assigned us. Faba recalled me to the Aether Paradise in Alola. He told me he'd found this newly discovered Pokémon. When Mystic and I arrived at Aether Paradise. Oh man you should see that place. Giant artificial island in the middle of the ocean. It's insane. And below are these secret labs. That's where we were taken. And that's where we were shown Cosmog."
"Cosmog."
"Here." Lyte produced another photograph. This one of a small round Pokémon that looked like a nebula. Something Ash had seen in a picture book about an astronomy many years ago. It had a cute black face.
"Cute huh. I called him Nebby," said Lyte. "Well no. That was Lilly's name for it. The president's daughter. Lilly took care of Nebby during the day. Then at night I used to help Faba conduct experiments. Most were routine and painless. But some were. Well." He paused and bit his lip, a look of regret coming over his face.
"Let's just say I regret some of the tests."
"Like what," Ash asked curiously.
"Like forced battles mainly. Faba would get stronger Pokémon to attack Nebby. Force it to fight back. Mystic refused to take part in those. Then there were experiments I wasn't allowed to see. Faba just told me to interpret the data. But I heard poor Nebby scream. When Lilly found out what was going on, she was very upset."
"She got super mad and the next thing I knew she'd taken Nebby and run away. But Nebby had been tagged. The Aether Foundation tracked it to Unova. Two employees from the Foundation went after her. There was a scuffle in a subway tunnel. I'm not sure exactly what happened but Nebby merged with your friend's Lucario. Possessed the aura Pokémon like a ghost type."
Zoroark reached for the sugar container, sitting the center of the table. He unscrewed the lid, licked his claw, stuck inside then licked it again. A wide grin spread across his muzzle.
"And that was when the investigation into Type: Null start. Dolores Northbridge started handing out Subpoena's like they were cookies. I had to go to Entralink to testify to a committee. They asked me all sorts of questions about Nebby and the Aether Foundation. I lied. I lied to protect them. And to protect the president. I wish I hadn't.
"The Feds found out I was lying and busted me for it. They arrested while I was…" Again, he paused, this time a slight blush appearing on his face. "Let's just say a friend."
"A friend?" Ash asked raising an eyebrow.
Lyte shook his head. "Tim., I met him working at the Aether Foundation. We got to know each other. One thing led to another and then we spent the night at his apartment in Ryme City. Next thing I knew these two goons showed up and told us we were under arrest. Shortly after that they offered me a deal. Turn tale on the Aether Foundation or go to jail. Said if I went to jail my poor precious Mystic would be banished. I'd never see her again. I couldn't; let that happen. So, I agreed. I went back to the Aether Foundation wearing a wire. I turned over documents to them.
Aether Foundation eventually found out and kicked me out. I thought it was over then two of their goons showed up and asked me if I knew anything about Blade. Of course, I did. Blade was from the pack of Sneasel I studied for my PhD. They told me they needed Blade for something and asked me to help them capture him. Of course, that was easy. Blade was one of a number of Sneasel I had placed tag on when doing the research so I could track their moments.
At the time Blade was living on Ula' Ula Island in Alola. Not sure how he got there. Must have had something to do with Shadow. I tried to capture him, but he proved too strong for poor Mystic. Had to run. So, I watched him carefully for several days. That's when I observed him training with your Ashachu here."
Lyte gestured to Pikachu.
"Pikachu." Pikachu coxed his head curiously before catching on and going, "Oh right."
"Kind of odd nicknaming your Pokémon after yourself."
Ash bit his lip and Pikachu sweat dropped.
Fortunately, a distraction came at this point by Zoroark screwing open the lid of the sugar container and sticking his tongue inside.
"Huh. Whoa." Ash's eyes widened in horror. He grabbed Zoroark's by the paw and tried to pull the container away from his maw.
Zoroark resisted and it quickly tug of war.
"Zoroark no."
"Zorr."
"Other customers have to use that."
"Zorra."
The match ended with the container slipping out of both their hand and paws and crashing onto the table, spilling sugar all over Ash's lap.
He groaned while a bewildered Lyte looked on and an amused Pikachu stuck his paws in mouth to stifle his giggles.
"Ummm is everything," Lyte begun.
"It's fine," said Ash exasperatedly.
"Okay." Lyte cleared his throaty and continued. "So where was I. Oh yeah. So, the next thing I knew Blade was in the hands of Team Rocket. Feds weren't happy about that. They even threatened to cancel my plea deal. But I still had the tag, so I was able to follow those Team Rocket goons. Last night I overheard that Team Rocket girl she wanted to enter Blade in the Princess Festival contest. So, the agents I was reporting to told me to enter it too. That's how I ended up becoming the Masked Trainer!"
"But if the feds aren't interested in me then why did you ask me to come find you?" Ash asked. "You said you wanted the truth and that you would tell me about the danger I was in?"
"Ah yes." Blade smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "You see I'm actually a double agent. I'm not just working for the feds. I've also been leaking information to the media. You see my friend Tim has another friend, Lucy. She's an investigative reporter for GNN. She's the one who asked me to talk to you."
Ash raised his eyebrows and Pikachu and Zoroark's each let out gasps of "Pika," and "Zorr."
"Following me! What does a journalist want with me?"
"Lucy's part of a team of investigative reporters at GNN who've been investigating the Type: Null story. She believed your Pokémon are key to the scandal."
"My Pokémon."
"Pika."
"In the course of investigating the story she found out some things about you. Lucy was sure your Dewott was an aura Dewott."
"An aura Dewott?" Ash asked, trying to pretend he didn't know what that meant.
"It means he's sensitive to aura," Lyte explained. "He can read the aura of others and to manipulate it. The investigative division at GNN have it from sources within the Aether Foundation that for this reason, the Aether Foundation wants your Dewott."
Ash was of course, already aware of this, but he did his best to look shocked and curious, raising his eyebrows and exclaiming, "No."
"I don't know how true that is though," said Lyte quickly. "I was taken off anything to do with Cosmog after I got subpoenaed. And I don't know who GNN's sources at the Foundation are. In any case it seems that she was wrong as you don't in fact have an Aura Dewott." He gestured at Zoroark. "That was clever by the way. Pretending your friend here was a Dewott to trick me."
Ash smirked. "Thanks."
"Zorr," added Zoroark with a wide grin.
It was at that moment that the elderly waitress came back to their table, holding a notepad and a pen.
"Ready to order hon," she said to either or both of them.
"I'll stick to coffee," Lyte replied waving her away. "Thanks."
Ash on the other paw pointed to his menu and said happily, "Two chili dogs please."
"You got it hon." The waitress scribbled a note on her pad. "Two chili dogs comin' right up."
"So that's what you wanted to warn me about when you told me you had truths to tell me," Ash asked when the waitress had returned to the counter. "That the Aether Foundation is after me because they think I have an…What did you call it…Aura Dewott."
"Mostly yeah," admitted Lyte. "Lucy asked me to challenge your Dewott to a battle to find out if he really is an Aura Dewott. But as I've discovered, he's not. He's not even a Dewott. Do you even have an actual Dewott?"
Ash shook his head.
Lyte sighed. "So whatever source she has in the Aether Foundation must be wrong. They're probably still after your friends Lucario. The one possessed by Cosmog. Even so I still better warn you what she said. Lucy's sources in the Aether Foundation believe that the president of the Aether Foundation, Lusamine. They believe she's been colluding with Team Skull. That she's using them to capture your Pokémon. And others."
To Lyte's surprise, Ash and Pikachu both sniggered at this.
"What's so funny."
"We've met Team Skull. They're not that thought. Are they buddy?"
"Pika." Pikachu grinned and let off a little spark.
"I'd still be careful if I were you," said Lyte. "If some of the things I've heard about these people are true, your Pokémon could be in trouble."
"I think we'll be fine," Ash replied still grinning. "I told you in the alley. I've already crossed paths with Team Skull. I knew they've been working for the Aether Foundation."
It was Lyte's turn to look curious. "Really! Why haven't you come forward. There is an investigation."
"I have my reasons," said Ash coyly.
"Okay, but there's one other thing I need to warn you about," continued Lyte, his voice taking on a serious tone. He lent forward and begun talking a low. "I saw what happened to Blade on Ula' Ula Island. And I saw what happened in the valley…"
Ash lent in closer, and Pikachu pushed himself so far forward that he looked as if he were preparing to leap from Ash's shoulder. His little black nose nearly touched Lyte forehead.
"I think your friend here." He nodded at Pikachu. "Is being stalked by the Darkrai Shadow. And if that's true. Then that's worse than the Aether Foundation… Seriously. The things I saw that Darkrai do. You need to be extremely careful. It may already be too late…"
It was the same thing that Pyre had said.
"But what would a Darkrai want with us."
"I don't know," said Lyte. "It's probably got something to do with Blade. The two were close. Seriously you need to be so careful. If that Darkrai is after you." He bit his lip. "I shudder to think!"
[Pokémon]
The Oraguru bar – In a tree somewhere in the Hoenn Region…
"Oran Oranguru…"
Oranguru placed two bucket sized cups in front of Meowth and Blade.
Meowth picked his up and raised it to Blade. "Cheers buddy," he said before taking a large swing.
Blade slid his cup towards him and took a sip of its contents through a straw. It was sweet but there something…else about it. Drinking it gave him a warm sensation in his mouth and down his throat and made his head feel buzzed. It was weird, but not bad.
"That's good," he said slowly. "What is it."
"Fermented Pinap juice," replied with a grin.
Blade took another gulp experiencing that same pleasant warm feeling…