Viridian
Flashback #4: Pray on me:
More than two years had passed since Sabrina's arrival at the Gym, and as should have been expected, she'd taken over the place in its entirety. Her word was law, though deep down, she knew that a single command from Azure could bring everything down in an instant.
Inside the little run down shack she called home, an Abra (suspiciously similar to the one from her first fight) slept soundly next to a dingy, moldy mattress. And, above a pile of discarded books, a Mr. Mime meditated in silence.
"Cut that out," grumbled Sabrina, looking for Mew-knows where amidst the disaster of the room. "You're a special attacker; in a real fight you'll be shoving that meditation right up your ass."
The door opened behind her just then with an ominous screech. A familiar white-haired man peaked through.
"This one's dangerous," he said, more hopeful than worried. Sabrina knew he'd never liked her. "He blasted through the other five trainers with practically no effort. You better not underestimate him."
Sabrina stood up, stretching and letting out a yawn.
"We'll see about that."
The white-haired man shoved a bunch of Pokeballs at random into a small box, and both him and the Gym leader headed out toward the arena.
That day, the Gym was filled to the brim. Half the audience loudly cheered her opponent, while the other half clamored for his blood.
Just another day…
Sabrina entered the enormous cage, hands in her pockets, a cigarette hanging from her lips. Cheers and insults rang throughout the arena. Lazily, she lifter her gaze toward her opponent. A pretty unremarkable man, skinny and with wild, messy black hair, a smile full of enthusiasm on his lips. She couldn't make out his age, but he must've been a couple years older than her.
She narrowed her eyes. There, hanging from his neck, resting against his chest, a large iron crucifix gleamed against the powerful lights hanging from the ceiling.
A priest, eh? Let's see what he's capable of.
She stuck a hand inside the box and pulled out a Pokeball. Her foe did the same, never dropping that irritating smile.
"Let's have a nice, clean battle," he exclaimed, bowing respectfully toward her.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. Around the audience, comments and bets were already being made.
"Heh, that guy's not gonna last a minute against Sabrina."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Didn't you see how his Pokemon fought before? It wasn't… normal," someone else replied.
"He has the advantage in typing, that's for sure," a third commented.
"Type advantage ain't gonna be enough against Sabrina. Just watch."
Opinions and predictions (all scandalous and arrogant) flowed freely from person to person like the bills being passed around before the battle. The bets were high this time, although it wasn't terribly unusual for this gym. For a good portion of the audience, the two trainers inside the large steel cage were little more than investments.
Pokeballs in hand, they both stared deep into each other, gauging the level of danger.
Then, something strange happened. The young man noticed the cigarette hanging from Sabrina's lips, and frowned.
"Aren't you a little young to be smoking?" he asked, disapproving.
"Aren't you a little old to be believing in god?" she spat back.
"Ah… still in that rebellious stage I see. My little brother is just like you."
"Less talk more action, priest."
The young man chuckled. "And to think you're the famous Sabrina. The original being so striking and beautiful, I didn't expect her imitator to be a short, emaciated brat."
At that, Sabrina lifted an eyebrow, the smile going cold in her lips.
I'm going to kill him.
"Are you going to fucking start or do you want me to attack you first?"
"Geez, young people sure are impatient nowadays…"
The man with the silver crucifix threw his Pokeball toward the center of the arena, and from the burst of light emerged a tall, imposing insect-like beast, its body green and segmented, two long, sharp blades protruding out of his forearms in the form of scythes.
A Scyther.
Only the group's steps could be heard around the empty streets of Viridian, too blatant and loud against the otherwise silent night. Rhin unconsciously shrunk into himself as he walked. There was something unnatural about this silence. He could almost feel eyes on him, but figured that might just be his own fear and paranoia tinting his senses. It wouldn't be the first time, and it made sense, considering…
Viridian might just be the most dangerous city in all of Kanto, he thought with a gulp. And I'm a wanted man…
Not that he had any other choice. And thankfully, once they crossed the suburbs and approached the northern ring of the city, noise and life filled the air once more. Loud, shrill music could be heard in the distance. The bar they'd been told to find couldn't be too far away. Rhin couldn't even imagine the kind of people that frequented that place, but to him a certain danger was preferable to an uncertain one.
He closed his eyes and sighed, his mind wandering. A memory came to him.
A lone house rested alone and hidden amidst a sea of trees and wildlife. Outside, in what could be considered the front yard but was more of a path that lead out toward the forest, a woman and a small boy played hide and seek with each other.
They played for hours and hours and yet the boy, Rhin, could not win. He could never find the woman when it was his turn to search.
"That's… not fair," the boy sighed, exhausted from so much playing. "How come you're so good at this?"
The woman giggled and got on her knees to be at eye level with him. "Well, there is a little trick to it. Do you want to know, Rhin? How to win, every single time? All you have to do is hide where no one will ever look for you."
Rhin pouted, frowning at her. "That's not… I mean, sooner or later they're gonna look everywhere, right?"
A wide, enigmatic smile stretched across the woman's lips. The brown of her eyes flashed a deep crimson for a moment.
"No, Rhin. There is one place where you will never be found by those pursuing you."
"Wh–"
And just like that, the woman was gone. Rhin stood there, dumbfounded, for a few long seconds, feeling no presence, no signs of life. Then, a soft voice spoke behind him.
"The best place to hide… is the back of the one looking for you."
Rhin opened his eyes, and for the first time since entering Viridian, a hint of confidence showed in his face.
Yeah, that might just work, he thought, smiling. Thank you, mom.
"I think I see the bar there in the distance," he declared, his voice more weighty than usual. "Let's take care of this quickly."
Sabrina let out a noncommittal grunt. Ñako formed a tiny, malicious smile and Silver gripped his scythe tightly. Even Vard's afro seemed to have an arsonist air to it all of a sudden.
"Ah, we should… behave this time. Or something," said Sabrina. "Ah, who am I kidding. Just don't set anything on fire until we're done talking with that guy."
Vard raised his palm toward the sky. "Vard does not kill, he imparts glamorous justice!"
"…Right."
The contrast was staggering, from the cold, oppressive silence of the city streets to the shrill, blaring music echoing throughout the inside of the bar like a deafening heartbeat. Many of the trainers had to place their palms against their ears as they entered, faces scrunching up in discomfort. Ñako, Sabrina and Silver were the only ones who didn't seem affected in the slightest. The latter two actually breathed out a nostalgic sigh, their postures relaxing somewhat.
From what little they could see, the place was about the size of the clandestine Gym they'd found in Cerulean, only much brighter and louder. Horrid neon lights hung from every wall and inch of ceiling, painting the bar and everyone in it a rainbow mess. A large counter rested on the wall left to the entrance, behind which stood a multitude of waitresses and bartenders, surrounded by all manner of bottles. There were small steps leading down to the rest of the base floor, which was replete with people of all kinds dancing and drinking and just all around having a blast by the looks of things. It was less a crowd than a mass of bodies. Due to the smoke machines and the rapidly alternating multicolor lights it was impossible to see anyone's face.
Sabrina looked around, and a tiny smile formed on her lips. This place… it wasn't bad. Almost reminded her of…
She shook her head. There, above… there were stairs on the other side of the building that led up to an inner balcony of sorts. It was darker, sitting above the neon lights, and was full of small tables where a bunch of different people seemed to be enjoying dinner and drinks, as well as the spectacle below.
If she had to bet, she'd guess that's where their man was.
She eyed the balcony, then eyed the counter next to her.
Well… it wouldn't hurt to act like locals for a minute or two. And I could really use a drink.
Most of the group followed her lead and approached the counter, sitting on the stools while the waitresses brought them the menu. At a single glance, Sabrina could tell which one of them hadn't ever set foot in a place like this. Muffin and Mycroft were the most obvious, standing around nervously, fidgety, wondering if there would be trouble instead of knowing for sure that there would be. Rhin tried to mask it but was just as bad, leaning against the counter with arms folded in an attempt not to appear nervous.
She looked to the side. Then there were the naturals; Ñako and Vard were already chatting up the waitresses and Siegfried sat next to them, looking as stoic and nonplussed as always, much better at blending in. And Silver…
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him take off his shirt and tie it around his forehead, jumping into the mass of people dancing with a bottle already in his hands. Sabrina rolled her eyes. At least that would keep him out of trouble for now.
She turned back and eyed the menu, scoffing at the stupid names they'd given the drinks, like Acid or Hyperbeam. Who wrote these things?
"What's wrong?" asked Ñako, sitting on the stool next to hers. "Looking for something they'll pay you to drink instead of the opposite?"
Sabrina just grumbled. And as she did so, the bartender –a young pink-haired brat chewing gum– approached and gave them all a dirty look before speaking.
"So? What will it be?"
Before any of them could answer, Vard stood up and leaned against the counter, getting his face as close as possible to the girl. Then he covered the side of his mouth so that only she could hear.
"The Tepig's in the poke."
Sabrina sighed. "Vard…"
"Not now, my good Sabrina. Your leader is attempting to establish communications with Mullac's secret informant."
"I don't think that's her," she said. "And you probably shouldn't be speaking that name out loud so casually."
"What name?" asked Ñako. "Mullac?"
"Yes, Mull–!"
But it seems Ñako had gotten bored of waiting, and decided to slam both hands against the counter as he yelled.
"Waitress, bring a Hyperbeam for each of us! And make it quick!"
The girl rolled her eyes and turned around, heading for the back to get the drinks. Immediately, a few complaints arose from the others in the group.
"W-wait, Hyperbeam?" asked Muffin, alarmed. "Is that alcohol? I d-don't drink alcohol!"
Mycroft scoffed. "And I'm not drinking anything with a vulgar name like that," he said, then called out to the girl in the distance. "A champagne for me, si'l vous plait!"
"Excellent choice as always, master Mycroft," said Mercer, standing like a statue next to him.
"Yeah, if you wanna burn all your money," Sabrina whispered.
It wasn't long until the girl returned, carrying a bottle of champagne for Mycroft and a bunch of dirty-looking glasses full of some kind of brightly neon yellow liquid. Ñako and Sabrina immediately grabbed theirs and downed half their content in an instant. The rest took tentative sips, and Muffin leaned away, a pre-emptive look of disgust in her face.
That is, until she saw the little decoration atop each glass.
"T-they're little umbrellas!" she gasped, eyes almost sparkling. "That's so cute!"
All eyes fell on her. Sabrina let out a derisive chuckle, which made the poor girl blush.
"Hat girl is easily impressed, it seems."
"W-well… hard not to, when this is the only good thing I've seen since setting foot here!" Muffin countered.
"And things are only gonna get worse, judging from past experience," said Sabrina. "So how about you play your part and hide behind that counter until we adults are done with the dirty work?"
Muffin pursed her lips, furious, and stood up from her stool.
"You know, maybe I will!"
And, in a feat of dexterity they wouldn't have thought her capable of, Muffin grabbed her glass and hopped over the counter, only looking over her shoulder to shoot all of them a dirty glare.
"Have fun with your killing and arson, then!"
She disappeared down the counter, to the surprise and bafflement of all present. The girl who'd brought them the drinks looked from the now hidden Muffin to the rest of the group, and then back to Muffin. For a moment it seemed like she was going to kick her out, but then shrugged, probably realizing they didn't pay her enough for this shit.
"Anyway, it's ten for each Hyperbeam, and seventy for the champagne," she told them.
Everyone but Ñako had started to dig their pockets for change, until Sabrina slammed her own glass on the counter and leaned closer to talk to the girl. The greedy glint in her eyes made a few of them sigh. 'Here it goes' they probably thought.
"Are you sure you want to charge us for this? You have no idea who we are, do you? We're doing you a great favor visiting this establishment; you could even consider it free publicity," she said, raising an eyebrow. "We are Rosita Storm, pioneers of the new musical genre Death Metal Trash Cumbia. You might know us from such prominent singles as 'I want to be the Wailord to your Skitty', 'Wake me up before you Gogoat' and 'Total eclipse of the Beart…ic'. As such, I'm sure your manager won't mind giving us a couple free rounds of drinks in exchange for a little mention of the Twisted Spoon in our next recital, hm?"
For the shortest moment, the girl's expression softened and she seemed almost convinced, but if Sabrina had to guess, she then realized she didn't give a shit about how much money her managers would get if none would ever reach her, and that scowl returned again.
"Look…"
Luckily, an interruption arrived at the most opportune time. One of the other young waitresses approached the group and poked Sabrina in the shoulder to get her attention.
"Excuse me, miss," she whispered. "The gentleman up there would like to offer you free drinks… if you visit his table."
Already frowning, Sabrina looked over her shoulder and up, toward the table next to the balcony the girl was pointing at. A group of what looked like businessmen met her gaze, and smiled. The one in the middle was tall and ugly and sleazy-looking, clearly the kingpin of the group, the one who'd asked for her company.
She was about to roll her eyes, but then she noticed something else. It was past that table, near the wall. A lone man sat slumped against a fancy couch, smoking with one hand and grabbing from the pizza in front of him with the other. Even from afar, she could tell he was bored out of his mind.
There you are.
Sabrina turned toward the bartender again and smiled. This was the perfect chance to bail.
"Excuse me, I have to talk with one of our record bosses. They've been unbearable, what with the recession and all that. My friends will be more than happy to pay for my drink."
And with that, she downed the rest of it in one swig and left the counter before anyone could complain.
She walked up the stairs, hands in her pockets, and saw as the sleazy group of businessmen smiled and made room for her. They probably didn't expect her to shoot them a quick look of disdain before heading over to where Noodles was sitting. The man didn't look up from his pizza until she sat down on the small couch in front of him, raising her shoes to rest them atop the table.
"Noodles, right?" she asked casually. "I'm guessing you know who sent us."
The spectacled, white-haired man stared at her, expressionless, for a few seconds. Then he lowered his cigar toward the ashtray in the table and started speaking with a deep, raspy voice.
"Look, I have no earthly idea who you are," he said calmly. "Oh, feel free to help yourself." He pointed down at the pizza.
Before Sabrina could reply, a figure swooped in from out of nowhere and snatched up a slice of pizza. Ñako smiled and sat on top of the table itself, almost lounging across it.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Ah… I saw the pizza and decided to come up. I'm hungry."
"I–"
"I hope my presence won't be a bother either," another voice spoke from behind her.
Sabrina sighed as Siegfried joined them as well. Great, now they were definitely attracting attention, exactly the opposite of what she wanted.
"Friends of yours?" asked Noodles.
"Something like that," she replied, irritated.
Noodles nodded, as though he understood. "I can't help but notice that neither you nor your… friends are from around here," he said. "What are you after? It's not normal to see outsiders around here. Things could get… ugly."
"Ha! 'Things could get ugly'," Ñako scoffed. "If I had a penny for every time I'm told that in one of these dumps only minutes before there's a storm of chaos and death from which we escape unscathed, I wouldn't have to go around these dumps in the first place."
"What'd he say?" asked Noodles, confused. He probably hadn't heard due to the loud music.
Ñako immediately turned to him and yelled at his face.
"MULLAC!"
There was a pause to the conversation, to the entire balcony they were in. Despite the loud music still blaring, the sounds of chatting from before couldn't be heard. All eyes in the room turned toward them. Siegfried sighed. Sabrina groaned and hid her face in her hands.
"Ah…" Noodles leaned back on his couch and rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. "Boy is this gonna get ugly… fucking hell, sit down," he said, gesturing with his hand. "So… you and your friends are the people Mullac sent? You should know…"
Three people from a nearby table started murmuring amongst themselves, glancing non-too subtly at them. After a few seconds, they got up and left for the exit, scared looks on their faces.
"…you should know that Mullac is not very popular around here. Regardless…" The man grabbed his cigar again and took a long drag of it before continuing. "I've been filled in on the situation. I can help you get to where you need to go faster, but first… you'll have to do something for me."
Before elaborating, Noodles stood up and made a gesture toward the waitress, asking for more drinks. Then he waved to the counter down in the base floor, inviting the rest of the group over.
In the distance, a familiar voice was heard screaming.
"How dare you, sir!? My mother was a saint!" Vard exclaimed.
It took them a minute or so, in the somewhat inebriated state they were in –especially Vard and, surprisingly enough, Mycroft– but the rest of the group sans Muffin made it to Noodles' table and grabbed a drink each while they waited for the man to elaborate. Rhin was the only one not to grab one, distrust clear on his face.
"A job, eh?" asked Siegfried, taking a long sip of his own drink, a red and green slurry. "If you're intent on giving us a sidequest I hope it's not one of those where we have to gather 100 items from killing 200 generic thugs all so we can get you a comfortable straw hat."
He let out a shaky chuckle, the alcohol already starting to affect him. Without thinking, he grabbed the drink that belonged to Rhin and drank in his stead.
"Just tell us what we need to do," Rhin grumbled. "So that we can get out of here as soon as possible."
"Right, yes, the job… here, look…"
Noodles started pulling stuff out of his pocket and onto the table, including a pile of chocolate wrappings, a few extra cigars and, finally, a newspaper cutout. He picked up this last one and showed it to them. The picture in the middle showed a large, dome-like room that was packed full of men in black suits with small white triangles adorning their lapels. Amidst the grainy black and white mess of the photo, one of the men could be made out due to the red circle drawn around him with a pen.
"This man… I want him dead," Noodles said without preambles. "There's a building only a couple blocks from here that might've caught your attention, a huge antique house of congress that takes up the entire street and currently serves as Kanto's seat of government," he explained. "This man I need you to… get rid of, is a government official. He's low-ranked, but has managed to get in the way of my business, more than once. As such, he must be disposed of." He looked up at them and formed a quick, crooked smile. "This is all for the good of the region, of course. So what do you say?"
Only the music could be heard amidst the balcony for a few seconds. The trainers, or at least those who weren't completely inebriated, exchanged equal looks of distrust, shuffling nervously on their feet. It was Siegfried who aired what they were all thinking.
"And what exactly will you do for us in exchange? I mean, this a very dangerous favor you're asking of us."
Noodles gave an understanding nod. "Right, yes. This will be a rather difficult mission, so…"
The creak of doors being kicked open resonated in the distance like a gunshot. Noodles stopped talking, and looked over the balcony toward the entrance. Three men clad entirely in black were standing close, looking all around as though searching for someone.
"Great, well… doesn't seem like we have much time, so I'll summarize." Noodles cleared his throat. "The man is named Noel; like I said, he's a government official. The house of congress, where he works, opens up at 6 a.m. sharp."
Sabrina nodded. "So…"
"So if you're in a hurry to get to the Tohjo Falls, this mission should be carried out today, in a few hours," Noodles clarified. "Noel enters the building at 6:45 sharp every morning, always through the main entrance during a time when the place is full of people. And during all the weeks I've been spying on him, I never saw him exit the building. So that gives you only a few minutes to carry out the operation. If you have a Pokegear I could give you my number so–"
"Well, well. Look who we have here."
Everyone jumped in place and instinctually grabbed a Pokeball as the voice rang behind them. The three men clad in black stood not too far from them, leaning against the railing of the balcony, arms folded. The one in the middle, tall and dark-haired, sporting a white triangle on his chest, smiled cockily as he stared Noodles down.
"Looks like some of Mullac's scum have popped up here in Viridian… and they're making business with the region's most infamous egg smuggler. How… interesting."
The air was thick with tension, both the trainers and the men in black holding Pokeballs, waiting for the moment to open them. And amidst that silence Noodles let out a tired sigh.
"Oh for Mew's sake." He stood up, dusting off his coat and walking toward the taller of the three. "We're trying to have a conversation here."
And, with swiftness that the tall man clearly wasn't expecting, Noodles kicked him straight in the chest and sent him over the edge of the balcony, making him crash against the people dancing below.
"I swear, the nerve of some people."
Terrified, the other two men hurried downstairs and helped their boss to his feet amidst the sea of suddenly confused and scared people. They'd all stopped dancing as soon as they saw the emblem on the man's chest.
"A-agh… Close the doors!" he bellowed, voice full of rage. "No one's leaving this bar until we arrest these bastards and take them to rot in Seafoam's prison!"
At that, a very shaky and staggering Vard approached the railing and yelled down at the men.
"And send the widow a corsage!"
The entire bar fell into chaos. Amidst the loud music and strobing lights it was hard for people to find their way toward the exit. They stampeded all around in a panic, which only made it more difficult for the three men to make their way upstairs again. Even the other groups in the balcony were running for the doors. The only people that didn't seem affected by the commotion at all were a trio of what appeared to be young goths, looking around furtively as they occasionally sipped their drinks.
"Ah… less than a minute between saying it and having it happen this time," muttered Ñako. He grabbed a Pokeball and opened it, a Kadabra appearing before him. "Oh well. Paja, hit one of those three, okay?"
"Shit! Elliot, we have to do something, these drinks are really good!" Siegfried called out, tumbling with every step as he released his Quilava.
"Looks like it's time again…"
Sabrina leaned against the railing (or what little was left of it) munching on the last of the pizza. A Pokeball opened and Rokon appeared atop her head, smiling maliciously as usual.
She closed her eyes and concentrated. It was harder amidst all the noise, but eventually she connected.
Hey.
"Ah!" Silver gasped in her mind, surprised. "Yo, Flaca, you sure this isn't gonna give me cancer or something?"
Not that I'm aware of.
"Oh, okay."
You probably already realized but there's some trouble down on the dance floor. Get ready to fight.
"Oh, that guy that fell? I thought that was just normal for this place."
It might be, but these ones are after us.
"Gotcha, make sure to leave one for me then!"
Bah.
With that exchange finished and the pizza eaten, Sabrina lit a cigarette and then Rokon with the same lighter. The Vulpix coated in golden flames was quite striking amidst the darkness of the balcony.
"Go, then. Have fun."
Rokon's smile exacerbated, and a moment after a rain of flame fell upon the dance floor.
Down in the base floor, a tipsy Muffin peeked up from behind the counter that all the other waitresses had hidden behind, terrified. As expected, she saw fire and screams and destruction. It looked like a few government officials were fighting the rest of the group and… not having a great time.
"…Nope."
Muffin sat down again behind the counter and continued sipping at her drink, ignoring the screams behind her.
Above in the balcony, most of the trainers had already joined the fight despite their varied states of inebriation, the only exception being Mycroft. He was still sitting near the back, cheeks pink, words slurred as he continued to chat with one of the waitresses that seemed either too shy or too polite to inform him of the fight going on.
"S-so like I said… the flower of the Sproutsbury f-family represents dignity and strength of character, which of course suggests…"
"Excuse me, Master Mycroft," Mercer whispered behind him. "Would you mind terribly if I borrowed Ludovic's Pokeball for the moment?"
"Huh?" asked Mycroft, confused. "Oh, yeah, yeah Mercer, of course. Anyway," he said, turning to the girl again. "Like I was saying…"
Mercer took the Pokeball from his belt and gave a thankful nod before opening it to a flash of light from which Lucario emerged.
"Ludovic, it seems Master Mycroft is in no condition to lead you during this battle," Mercer explained. "As such, I will take his place for the time being. We face three foes. I believe it best to use a combination of ranged attacks to take them out safely. Use Aura Sphere, will you?"
The Lucario gave a curt nod and fell into a crouch, palms close together. There was a small light that grew into a massive one, a swirling sphere of blue light materializing between his hands.
"That's not a bad idea," Sabrina whispered from not too far away. "Let's do the usual then. Rokon, Ember! Ninja, combine everything with Confusion!"
"Woohoo!" Ñako yelled, standing atop the table. "Wild cocktail of attacks, let's go!"
The rest joined in as well, Rhin with his Charmander and Siegfried with his Quilava. And while they were all preparing to unleash their attacks, Vard decided to chime in as well.
He leapt atop one of the abandoned tables, shaking so badly it was a miracle he didn't fall. His entire face was a deep red and it was clear he'd drank way more than was his limit.
"Waitress, use Hyperbeam!" he yelled, pointing down at the dance floor.
The waitress did not, in fact, use Hyperbeam, and to make matters worse Vard's feet slipped on the edge of the table and he plummeted down to the floor. The impact loosened the Pokeball inside his hair, which went flying and released a very confused Pikachu a moment after.
"Agh, you ruffian!" Vard exclaimed, jumping to his feet wrapped in his own cape and pointing down at one of their foes. "How dare you show yourself here again?"
"Do you know him?" asked Siegfried.
Vard stared at Siegfried, blinking slowly.
"Who?"
He looked at Pikachu. At all the Pikachu.
"Pikachu, Wing Attack!"
Sabrina chuckled. "Wow he's way more drunk than I thought."
"Vard," muttered Rhin. "Pikachu can't use–"
"PIKACHU I SAID WING ATTACK!"
Confused and overwhelmed, the poor Pikachu grabbed at his long ears and tried to flap them as though they were wings, to no effect. The sheer oddity of the spectacle was enough to distract the other trainers and Pokemon for long enough that their opponents finally made it through the sea of people, Pokeballs in hand.
"Now's our chance!" yelled the leader, producing a Pokeball from his belt. "Go!"
Several explosions of light shook the room. Five enormous rodents appeared around the men, viciously clicking their incisors together as they looked up at the group of trainer. The Raticate looked strong, well trained.
Sabrina shook her head and looked back down from the balcony. "Shit. Rokon, use–!"
It happened in a flash. A sharp, searing pain that reminded her terribly of Brock's nun chucks slamming against the side of her head. She gasped and fell into a crouch, face scrunched up by pain. But no, nothing had hit her this time. The pain… it was familiar. She could feel that power behind her eyes flare up, as though resonating with something else.
There was a sudden gust of wind, and all of the doors in the bar slammed shut violently. Behind them, what they thought was a simple trio of very disinterested goths stood up all at once, their eyes gleaming, their bodies blinking out in a burst of light, only to reappear in the middle of the air in opposite sides of the bar, forming a triangle around it.
All present, trainers and government officials alike, looked up at the trio of floating teenagers with wide, disbelieving eyes. Two boys and a girl, what they'd mistaken for gothic garb instead some kind of strange uniform. It was impossible to tell the expressions on their faces or the color of their eyes as they all shone equally bright and purple, the same light a few of the trainers had seen enveloping Sabrina before.
"Who are those?" asked the men in black.
"Who the fuck are those?" asked Noodles.
"Who the devil are those?" asked Mercer.
The young girl, the one floating above the middle of the bar, looked down upon them and whispered with a soft, spectral voice that reached them all despite it being barely a whisper.
"He's in this place for sure… and he is not alone. There is another." She raised both hands as though pulling up a puppet's strings, and her eyes shone more strongly. "You know what to do."
The other two psychics nodded and raised their hands as their leader had. Their bodies glowed and the air shook with a sudden pressure. Then, every single table and chair and bottle littering the bar shot up to the air like it was pulled by strings. They hung there, still, for only a second before the psychics brought their hands down, and they all shot like bullets toward trainers and Pokemon alike.
Who the fuck are th–
Sabrina didn't have time to finish that thought, as a loose table was sent flying straight at her just then. On instinct, she raised her hand and flared her eyes, but the power didn't come. That same piercing pain from before returned, stabbing into her temples. She could tell the source this time; the one in the middle, the leader, was looking straight at her.
Tsk, I don't like this.
Left with no other options, she produced a Pokeball and released Carrie in front of her. The Scyther raised her scythes immediately, already resigned to her role as a meat shield, and the table shattered against her without doing much damage. She shook her head and wings of the few splinters that had embedded themselves, and then looked up at the three psychics with gleaming, furious eyes.
Sabrina pursed her lips. Carrie hadn't noticed the Raticate below yet. That meant…
"Ninja, Siegfried, take care of the ones below," she ordered. "We'll deal with these."
"Well, not like I can reach them up there, so I guess…" Ñako muttered.
"Of course, Sabrina!" Siegfried yelled, losing control over the volume of his voice. "Elliot, let's go! We gotta get more of those drinks."
The psychics' eyes followed the trainers as they jumped to the floor below alongside their Pokemon, but they then snapped back immediately to the ones that remained, unconcerned. Sabrina swallowed harshly. Dealing with other psychics… she had a good idea of how problematic they could be. This had to end fast.
"Afro, butler, all at once!" she yelled, raising her hand toward them. "You too, Rh–"
"No… nonono, h-how can… how did they find me…"
Her momentum was cut short as she heard those words behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Rhin shaking in his boots, eyes wide and disbelieving as he stared at the group of psychics.
"She's…"
"Hey, you there?" Sabrina asked dismissively. "We have to attack bef–"
Rhin took a sudden step forward and, desperation clear in his voice, yelled out an order.
"T-the exits are sealed! Wyvern, we can't let them leave this place alive!" His voice shook as he yelled. "Ember!"
The attack flew alone before any of the others could attack. It was an impressive flame for a simple Charmander, but even as it shot straight for the psychic girl, all she had to do was swat at the air with her hand to extinguish it effortlessly, as though it were a candle's flame.
"He…" An ethereal laugh echoed in their minds, sending shivers down their spines. "Is that all you can muster? Let us show you what true fire is."
All three of them made the same gesture, pushing their hands down and then fanning them outwards, as though conducting the wind. There was a shockwave, a shiver through the air. Then, to the shock and horror of all present, a burst of multicolor flames exploded across all four walls of the bar, starting from the bottom and quickly rising up and up, eating through the entire building.
"GHAH!" Mycroft jumped away from his couch, the closest to the wall, and the waitress he was talking to did the same. "What in–!"
That familiar feeling of gravity being reversed was felt in the air again, and once more the furniture in the bar rose up high in the air, only this time it was all covered in flames.
Sabrina looked up at this, and sighed.
"You gotta be fucking kid–"
She couldn't finish, as a moment after all she could see was wood and fire coming straight for her.
Sounds of flames licking and wood shattering and screams ringing echoed throughout the bar as the battle grew fiercer and fiercer, a clear time limit hanging over everyone's heads as the flames continued to eat up the walls, soon starting to expand toward the floor and ceiling.
Below, Siegfried and Silver dealt with the trio of Raticate while Silver and Noodles fought the three men in black, one with scythe in hand, the other with nothing but his bare fists, delivering devastating punch after punch at the tallest of them in a way that didn't seem to befit his age. As clearly talented as their opponents were, they were no match for the four, and were slowly losing ground.
The same could not be said of the fight above. Piece after piece of the shattered furniture shot through the air like flaming bullets, pelting the trainers over and over. Carrie flew around near the ceiling and did her best to block all the projectiles, but the flames were starting to take a toll on her. Rokon and Wyvern's flames and Ludovic's aura were hardly finding their mark, the group of psychics either swatting them away or teleporting when they got too close.
Things were looking grim, but that didn't seem to hamper the trainers' spirits.
"Agh! Those people are floating!" Vard exclaimed, speech slurred. "How dare they defy the laws of gravity! Pikachu, Storm of Osiris!"
A crackle was heard, and the bolt of lightning tore through the air straight at one of the male psychics. He simply scoffed under his breath and teleported away to the other side of the bar.
Straight into the path of a swift, golden figure.
"Paja, show him you're a better psychedelic than him!" Ñako yelled from below.
"Wh–!"
He raised his hands in front of him, psychic energy materializing around him like a shield, while the Kadabra wielded his like a sword. Light burst at the point of impact, both of them flying in different directions. Paja hit the floor and raised his spoon again, but the young man wobbled in place, almost falling off the air. His teeth were clenched and his eyelids shook with effort. An actual psychic Pokemon was probably more than he could handle on his own.
The leader saw this, and furrowed her brows.
"I see… so there are more talented psychic users here than I thought," she whispered. "As such…"
She and the psychic next to her raised their arms, and the third followed a second after, with a bit more difficulty. Their gesture was the same as before. Only this time, no pieces of furniture rose high in the air.
Instead, people did.
"What the–!" Silver yelled from below, seeing as his opponents flew. "Where y'all going?"
The three men in black who'd been on the verge of being taken out suddenly went stiff, and as though pulled by a string, were lifted up high in the air. They hung there, limp, wide-eyed for a couple seconds. Then a powerful purple light enveloped them, and all semblance of thought left their faces. The three psychics moved their hands, and the men flew through the air like their puppets, heading straight for the trainers.
Above in the balcony, Sabrina was too distracted to notice at first. She'd released her Psyduck and was ordering him to help out Mycroft's Wartortle on diminishing the flames when it hit her.
"Use Water Gun on the flam–Wh-what the fuc–!?"
An impact deafened her, pain exploding on her temple as one of the men being controlled slammed against her and threw her to the ground. Her vision went blank for a moment. Coughing and spluttering, feeling the heat of the flames too close, she scurried to her feet and looked up at the blurry figures before her.
"Fucking psychics…"
The wound from Brock's fight was still fresh, judging by the sudden dizziness she felt, and these flames wouldn't take long to envelop the entire building. They had to finish this now.
"I'm tired of this."
Taking a step forward, she raised her hand and concentrated. Around her, the smashed up bottles and shards of glass rose up in the air, enveloped by a purple glow.
"Rokon, here!"
The fox jumped over her head, smiling viciously, flames licking at the edges of his mouth. She acted quickly and did a gesture with her hand. Every shard of glass shot quickly toward the two psychics close to each other. A second after, Rokon's flames followed, pushing them forward and enveloping them in flames.
Two can play at that game, bastards.
The young woman frowned, and a second after she was gone, appearing in front of the barrage. Her companion, however, wasn't as swift. The flaming glass hit him on the side, digging into clothes and skin and setting the fabric ablaze. He screamed and fell, hitting the ground hard. His screams could be heard from above as he rolled desperately, trying to quell the flames.
Neither of his companions seemed too worried. In fact, little smiles of amusement could be seen on their lips. Sabrina chose that opportunity to ask a relevant question.
"Hey, would you be so kind to explain why the fuck are you attacking us?" she demanded, feigning an offended tone. "We haven't done anything wrong here in Viridian, as far as I know. Or are you one of those anti-trainer fascist cunts?"
The woman's gaze fell on Sabrina, and immediately that knife-sharp headache returned.
"I see… so you're one of us as well," she whispered. "The others are worthless, but you… or more specifically your abilities, are of great interest to us. They would serve our organization well. Of course, if you'd like to join us and prove your loyalty… you'd have to let us dispose of the rest of your pathetic friends, including the other psychic hiding here. What do you say?"
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. A secret society of evil psychics? She'd never heard of such a thing, but then again she'd spent a long time hidden atop Mt. Silver, so who knew. Regardless, she doubted they'd have the power and influence to protect her from her pursuers, which only meant joining them would be a waste of time.
The leader kept staring at her, clearly waiting for a response. And giving her a splitting headache.
"Sounds tempting, but I don't know… work conditions don't seem very safe," she said, looking at the psychic rolling around on the floor, covered in flames. "Though, of course, if the pay is generous…"
She immediately felt multiple pairs of judging eyes on her, and cleared her throat.
"As I was saying, I'd think it over, but if you can't even deal with a group of third-rate trainers like us, that doesn't speak very well of your abilities, now does it?"
The woman's eyes narrowed. Ah, her talent of pissing people off rose up to the surface again.
"Besides, let's say I've had more than enough of evil organizations in my life. I'm something of a free agent at the moment. But thanks for your interest."
And with that said, she knelt down and picked up Rokon from the scruff of the neck, grabbing him by the stomach with her other hand and pointing him up at the woman as though he were a living weapon. That ethereal chuckle didn't make itself wait, cold and derisive.
"You really think that fleabag's fire can affect me?" she asked, defiant.
Sabrina smirked. "Hey, hey, what's with that attitude? You never know, right? So come on Rokon, light her u–"
It was bright and hot and sudden, like an explosion going off in her hands. Rokon opened his maw and from within burst forth a massive, swirling pillar of flame that dwarfed both Pokemon and trainer by leagues of magnitude, much more powerful than any attack the Vulpix had spat out before.
"WH–!"
The sheer kick of the attack swept Sabrina off her feet, shooting her backwards and slamming her straight onto a half-broken table as the vortex of flames ate through the air. The woman floating in the air gasped, eyes going wide. Instinctively, she raised her hands and a thick mantle of purple energy surrounded her body, instants before it was swallowed up.
The flare blinded them, and the roar of the flames deafened them. Long seconds passed until they could even see what had happened, the attack so devastating that it had blown a hole straight through the upper wall and ceiling opposite to them. Blackened chunks of wood and brick rained down upon the counter, and a single glance in front of it told the trainers that the other male psychic had been swallowed entirely by the flames, if his carbonized corpse was any indication. The leader, on the other hand, had managed to escape mostly unscathed. She was on her knees down on the base floor, coughing and shaking, having used every ounce of psychic power to shield herself. The three men she'd taken control of had fallen to the ground alongside her, like puppets cut from their strings.
"Ah…" said Noodles, clearing his throat. "That wasn't very subtle at all."
Above, Sabrina coughed for a few seconds and struggled to get up, every inch of her body hurting. She limped her way to the edge of the balcony and examined the wreckage.
"Ah…"
Rokon walked next to her, smiling and shaking his head as usual.
Flamethrower… so soon? she thought, pleasantly surprised. I knew he was close to learning it, but already? And that power…
She noticed movement below, and immediately returned to reality. The leader, she was moving, rising to her feet. At once, every human and Pokemon left in the bar –with the exception of Muffin and the waitresses– stood firm and prepared to attack.
The woman seemed to notice this. Breathing heavily, she looked to the left and right, confirming the sorry state of her two companions. Then she closed her eyes, and gave a curt nod.
"I see… the risk of this mission is greater than I calculated," she whispered to herself. "Then…"
It happened too fast for any of them to react to. A white, brilliant light engulfed her body whole, and she started to blink out of existence, like Ñako's Kadabra had done with him many times before.
A few last words rang through the air.
"We will meet again. Be sure of that."
And she disappeared in a flash, leaving only empty air behind.
Silence spread for a few moments. Sabrina allowed herself to breathe. An enemy getting away was never good, but she couldn't deny the momentary relief she felt.
Below, everyone else seemed to share in the sentiment, Silver being the only exception.
"Bah," he scoffed, resting his scythe over his shoulder. "Running away just when it's getting fun. Buncha fucking cowards."
Next to him, Noodles sighed and pulled another cigar from his pocket. He blinked a few times, clearly exhausted.
"It was for the best. As you all can see, this is probably not the best place for us to stay in right now," he said with unnatural calmness as a few pieces of roof fell around them. "Maybe it would be better to have a talk somewhere else… my place, perhaps?"
It was well past midnight by the time they entered the grey, rundown building, the light of the bar going up in flames bathing their backs even from streets away. There wasn't a single light all across the street, probably due to how late it was.
There was a metallic jingle as Noodles took out his keys and opened the door to the inner hallway. He led them through it and toward an elevator that looked as though it'd been made more to carry wares than people, which meant they all managed to fit in without much trouble. Once they reached the fourth floor, he walked them over to his apartment and switched on the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling as they entered.
The stench of humidity hit them in the nose, wafting powerfully through the room. The yellow-ish light showed that not only the room was small, but most of the space was taken up by a number of Pokemon eggs of all colors and sizes. The walls, stained and flaking off, were mostly covered with newspaper clippings detailing changes in laws and faces of certain government officials.
"Nice place," said Ñako, sarcasm clear in his tone.
"Eh, I've lived in worse apartments," whispered Sabrina.
Most of them were too exhausted to care much about the state of the room, although Mycroft and Muffin couldn't stop themselves from making faces at the smell and disarray around them. Mercer, surprisingly, didn't show the slightest hints of disgust. He simply thanked Noodles and sat next to his master, awaiting the man's next words.
"Right, like that guy said… I'm a smuggler. Of Pokemon eggs, more specifically. People in the past might've called me a breeder," he told them. "Thing is, selling or even owning Pokemon eggs is… illegal all across the region as of a few months ago, ever since the government passed that new law, and ever since the Gym leaders abandoned Kanto. Bah, bunch of cowards."
He waved at the clippings behind him, most of which showed the events he'd described.
"But I guess that doesn't interest you lot much," he said. "We're here to talk business, so let's get to it. Here, come over."
The man walked toward the small coffee table on the other extreme of the room and knelt in front of it while the rest of the trainers sat on the dingy couches laid out around it. There, atop the table, they could see a large map of a specific street in Viridian, full of pins and annotations.
"Right… this, as you can see, is a map of the house of congress," he said, tapping on the circular building they'd seen on their way to the bar. It had a round shame and seemed to count with about ten entrances, the biggest one consisting of a large courtyard that expanded onto the city's main avenue. "The man you'll take care of is called Noel. He's simply a representative for a high-ranked official, but said official rarely comes to the building himself, so Noel has a habit of taking decisions in his stead with… irritating frequency. Which is a problem for me, specifically."
He grabbed one of the pictures that were pinned to the map and showed it to them. In it, a young man, no older than 25, could be seen. He was pale, with long, wavy brown hair and a lean face.
"He's the youngest person there, so you shouldn't have trouble recognizing him. Like I said, he enters the building every day at 6:45, and people usually start coming in at around 6, which means you'll have to find a way to kill him near the main entrance, around a whole bunch of people, and with only a few minutes to carry it all out and escape unnoticed."
He tapped the part of the map that showed the main entrance and then looked up at them, expectant.
"Any ideas? We got all night to plan, after all."