"…up. Hello, hello. Please don't die on me," Noanne whispered into my ear. She sat up when I groaned. I looked up and her hand was over her heart. "You scared me. I thought you were actually dead. Don't pass out on me again, please," she said flatly. I couldn't resist laughing and struggled to sit up. Jolteon got up from my other side and pushed against my back to give me a boost.
"Thanks, buddy," I said and gave it a few pats on the head. Hunched forward, I couldn't decide if I wanted to stand or lie back down. I felt hollow, and I remembered why. The memory of the slicing sound followed by the dull thud replayed in my head a few times before Noanne took my hand and tugged at it. I didn't want to think about him anyway.
"Come on. We should keep moving." The Indigo Gate loomed before us, and looking around, no one else seemed to have come through since the first time we were there. I swung my backpack around, jostled around inside until I had all the keys, and then just stared at them. Noanne stuck her hand in my face, shaking it. I thought she was going to help me up, so I grabbed it. "No! Give me a key!" she shouted and snatched her hand back.
"You're not gonna help me get up?" She scoffed and stuck her hands back out and then pulled with all her might to help me to my feet. I gave her one of the blue keys. "Do you think we have to place the keys and then hit the button? Or maybe only turn them all at the same time?" That wouldn't have been a problem if…
"Let's just turn them and see what happens," Noanne said and made her way to one of the key holes. I placed the red key in its hole and then the other blue key. Noanne and I turned the blue keys at the same time, and then I ran to turn the red key. When I hit the button, all at once, the keys were sucked into the keyholes, and the gate slowly started to split open. Noanne and I hurried through, Jolteon close behind, and the gate slid shut again moments later.
It was dark on the other side of the gate, but I could tell the room or whatever we were in was large. The air was stretched thin, and the slightest noise seemed to skitter across it like a stone skipping across a frozen pond. Suddenly, an arced red light turned on above us, and the theme of the Indigo League blasted all around us. The music was so loud that the ground was jumping and covering our ears with our hands seemed useless. Still, we ran ahead with our palms glued to the sides of our heads. Noanne was shouting something I couldn't hear, and Jolteon was barking wildly as it ran ahead of us. As we ran, more lights turned on, creating the spectrum of the rainbow. While we ran, Noanne tripped and fell, so I hurried to help her up. She was crying, and I saw that her ears were bleeding before she covered them again. I imagined my ears were probably bleeding, too.
Eventually, we saw what appeared to be a large door at the end of the tunnel and raced as fast as we could toward it. Jolteon reached it first and was still barking. Then it started running in half circles before falling down, getting back up, and repeating. I figured the loud noise was disorienting and confusing it. When we reached the door, we pushed against it, thankful that it wasn't locked or anything. We managed to slither in after I nudged Jolteon to go inside first. Both doors only seemed capable of opening so far, and they were heavy. The music stopped the moment the door closed, and Noanne and I both cried with relief. Looking at my hands, there was a little blood, which I wiped on the back of my shirt. My ears were still ringing, and it felt like my jaw was clattering, but I wasn't sure.
"What the hell was the point of that?" I said aloud. Noanne was looking at me but didn't seem to understand what I said.
"What?" she shouted back. Her voice was muffled, though, as if she were standing far away from me or yelling through a wall. I pressed my hands against my ears again, wondering if the music had damaged our ears so badly that we wouldn't be able to hear normally again. Noanne did the same, trying to massage her ears with her fingers, tears streaming down her face. After ten minutes or more of rubbing my ears, snapping my fingers around my ears, and discovering no progress, I took Noanne so we could sit against the wall by the large door we'd come through. I thought maybe resting and trying to calm our nerves would be helpful. I held her hands when she continued to fidget with her ears, and then she started sobbing into my arm. I put my arm around her shoulders to try and comfort her but was genuinely at a loss about what to do next. Hector probably would've had something encouraging to say.
Jolteon was pacing back and forth in front of us, randomly snapping at the air. I was afraid it was still confused, but a few times, it walked by for me to pet it for a few seconds before it went back to pacing.
Looking around where we were, we appeared to be in a large empty room. There was one overhead light turned on above us, but the rest of the room was dark. The air was slightly frigid, but its chill was nothing compared to the freezer. A chemical stench also permeated the room, punctuated by something metallic. This made me notice some patches of the carpet appeared to be lighter, as if treated with bleach. The patches seemed to be in random areas, and from where I was sitting, some areas of the carpet also looked darker. I guessed they were blood stains, which explained the slight smell of iron. The carpet around me was clean, though, and I ran my fingers over it, through it. It felt nice to touch and comfortable to sit on. The color was a light purple. Indigo, to be precise.
"We're here," I said, hearing my voice through the bones of my skull.
"I know," Noanne replied. I felt relieved that I was able to hear her. She probably felt the same. My ears seemed to have stopped ringing, too, although when I thought about if they were ringing or not, they started ringing.
"So where is this fucking prick? I'm gonna kill him," Noanne said with a darkness in her voice. Jolteon had gone to rest by her side, and she was absentmindedly petting it. If circumstances had been any different, I would've been afraid of Noanne, but after everything we'd both been through, I was glad she was with me. She was young but capable. Strong but also soft. I vowed silently I would protect her and make sure she survived, even if it meant I didn't. Suddenly, a light turned on in the center of the room. Beneath, a tall man with blonde hair stood there, looking at us.
"My, my… Such language for a young lady…," he chastised. His voice was loud, like it was being projected with a microphone. There was a slimy and somewhat nasal quality to it, which was surprising and annoying. At any rate, he sounded different than the voice that had made the announcement at the beginning of the night, which made me think that maybe an accomplice was hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush us. Noanne and I both stood up and approached the man. I could feel that we both had one singular intention keeping our bodies going. We stopped about ten feet away from him, and Jolteon bristled its fur at the man, growling in a low tone. "Nice of you to join me. Might want to put that thing in a leash, though," he said with a twisted smile. He folded one arm across his body and half folded the other so he could touch his fingers to his chin. I almost wished I was still having trouble hearing. Noanne laughed as she cracked her knuckles and crossed her arms.
"You're the one we're supposed to kill? Seriously?" He was tall and lanky. A good punch from any average-sized person probably would've been enough to knock him out cold. His dirty blonde hair was wispy and thin, like crabgrass or shriveled up straw. His face was gaunt, long and thin, pulled out in a sloping point at the tip of his noise and ending in a malicious jowl that doubled as a chin. He was wearing a blue, short-sleeved button up with khakis held in a choke hold at his waist with a dark belt. The clothes, otherwise, hung loosely from his body, giving off an almost-dead sort of vibe. For whatever reason, he wasn't wearing shoes.
"I suppose I am," he said, sounding amused. He smiled and bit his lip as he took a step toward us. We held our ground, but I clenched my fists. He stopped before taking another step, noticing my hands, then looked into my eyes and made a tisking noise. "I know you must be very eager for the battle to come, but please! Stay a while and talk with me! All the others had to go so soon."
"Others?" I growled and squeezed my fists harder.
"Of course. I made sure there were more than three keys, or else it would've taken all night for anyone to get to me. Are you saying you found the three you needed without finding any extras? I'm not sure if that's lucky or not!" he said and started laughing animatedly. It was like he was trying to play the part of an anime villain or something. "Ah, anyway, please forgive my rudeness—I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Bill, and I want to thank you both for participating in tonight's festivities. From what I've seen, I think I can promise you that more is coming." He laughed again in a long drawl. He was still playing games with us.
"What's the connection with Imogen to this place?" I called out. He stopped laughing, but a surprised smile lingered on his face.
"You know," he said, putting his hands behind his back, and started walking in a circle around us. "I originally wanted the three areas to represent the starter types," he said and put up a finger for each type. We only turned our heads when he walked behind us. I had the feeling he wouldn't attack us yet. He seemed eager to talk about all the fucked-up details that went into making the place. An almost overwhelming urge to just beat the shit out of him so he'd stop talking was tugging viciously at my hands, begging to unleash one of my Pokémon. I had to restrain myself because I was hoping for some explanation for the night that would make everything make sense. There had to be a reason I lost Hector. "Water, fire, and grass. But then I thought that would be too boring, too obvious! So, I made some adjustments, as you know, since you got to experience it. I'm kind of jealous, really… What did you think?" Neither of us responded. "Hmm…anyway, I had plans to include more Pokémon than what was accessible tonight. If I'd had a little more time, I would've been able to include Chansey, for instance! Yes, I'd found the perfect volunteer for th—"
"Volunteers? There's no way people actually signed up to be mutilated!" I shouted angrily and turned to him, thinking of Belle. He smiled and continued walking.
"Please don't interrupt me when I'm kindly explaining my achievements to you, or I'll have to scold you. And, yes, as I was saying, I found the perfect specimen who's—if I remember correctly—about eight months along?" He looked over at us as if we could confirm, then shook his head. "Nevertheless, she'll make an appearance at some point, I'd imagine…"
"Answer my question about Imogen! What's the connection?" He hummed in consideration, circling behind us again.
"You know, speaking of fire types, those were some of the most difficult to make. Their base body temperatures needed to be high enough to support their skillset, but most of them couldn't handle the heat!" he shouted and stopped, turning to face us. His arms and legs were stretched out like he was trying to block someone in a game of basketball. "Get it? They literally burst into flames!" Noanne and I didn't react, so he continued on his path. "The ones that needed to be on fire were out of the question, but I did, however, succeed at making a rather convincing Chandelure—that was mostly because it was made out of stainless steel, which was a little tricky to incorporate—but I digress! The interesting bit is that it wasn't in the abandoned manor but rather the frozen cellar!" He waggled a finger in the air vigorously, as if lecturing in a classroom. "It might have served you well…if you'd found it." Shrugging, he stopped where he'd originally been standing when the monologue began and turned to face us again. Anger was searing through me. He could see it, and it only made him happier.
"Are you done?" I spat. I had half a mind to sic Jolteon on him, but I knew there were probably traps around the room. Most of it was still hidden in the shadows.
"Do you grow weary of our chat? I suppose I've bored you. Does this mean you're ready to fight?" I called Jolteon to stand in front of me, but Bill only laughed. "So curious—some of the Pokémon obeyed their trainers without hesitation, while others struggled to pledge their allegiance to the one that captured them. Something I'll have to work on for the next phase, I suppose. That and the color of the light when a Pokémon is called into or released from a Poké Ball…," he muttered, almost inaudibly, to himself. "But this one, if I'm correct, was never captured, was it? It just listens to you because it wants to?" Bill asked, motioning to Jolteon with his fingers and then covering his mouth with his hand in thought. "I truly never cease to amaze myself! And!" he started to say before breaking out in a fit of giggles. "I am very curious about this, so I really do expect you to answer this question, but… Was my Ditto not the most impressive Pokémon you've seen tonight?" Instantly, a rage took over my body, and I jumped to strike at Bill. Noanne caught my hand, though, and managed to hold me back.
"He wants you to hit him! I don't know why, but it's gotta be a trick!" she grunted. I felt so weak because I could barely inch forward with her pulling back on me. The rage eventually tightened back up into a little ball in my gut, but the empty pit inside me had been replaced with burning coals. I wanted nothing more than to expel them onto Bill's smug face. "Well, I'm waiting."
"So it was you who attacked Hector. Why? Because he caught Ditto? Or because he was with me?"
"Why ever would it matter if he was with you? I don't know who you are, or care for that matter, my dear. But he, on the other hand, is very interested in you. Fixated, in fact," Bill said, licking his as if they were delicious.
"What? Who are you…talking about?" I murmured. Did he mean Hector? Or someone else? It seemed likely to me that someone attacked Hector, the real Hector. Or maybe there was something I was missing. Someone? My mind flashed back to the man at Hypno, the one who gave me the first Poké Ball. Did Bill mean him? "Just tell me where Hector is. I know you know what I'm talking about or else you wouldn't have mentioned the Ditto."
"Oh, you're no fun. I was merely teasing! I promise I was only watching you at the moment the Ditto went—" Bill made a guttural noise with his throat and gestured with his hand across his throat like he cut it with a knife. "Like I said, I really don't know anything else about you. But if you must know, your friend," he said, enunciating the last consonant of friend, "he's no longer here. And that is absolutely the only thing I can say on the matter." His vagaries were about to push me past my limit.
"He's just toying with you. Why don't we skip to the part where we shut him up for good?" Noanne shouted and pulled out a Poké Ball. Jolteon bared its teeth at Bill.
"Time to play, is it? Ha… Very well. This match will be a 1-v-1. Which of you wants to go first?"
"Noanne, I'll handle it."
"What? I can beat him, and you know it. C'mon, you've seen me battle."
"I know," I said, reassuring her, but I couldn't take my eyes off Bill. I had to see him die. Horribly. Painfully. "I wanna do this for Hector, though. And no matter what, I'm getting you out of here alive, okay?" Noanne opened her mouth to speak again but didn't say anything.
"Fine," she said and pouted. "We finish him off together, though, promise?" I tore my gaze away from Bill to look at Noanne.
"Promise." Noanne then stepped back.
"You might want to go all the way back to the wall, my dear. I like to toss my playthings around a bit before I put them back on the shelf." At that moment, the rest of the lights in the room turned on, revealing a series of glass cases far to either side of me. Inside each one was a person, and all 10 to 15 of them appeared to be gravely injured or dead. Some were lying in pools of their own blood, presumably, and from where I was standing, were missing anywhere from one to multiple limbs. "Anyway, there are special rules for this match. If I defeat one of your Pokémon in battle, I get to make a direct attack against you. If you defeat one of my Pokémon, you get to make a direct attack against me. To make sure there's no cheating when that happens, the trainer receiving the attack will be stunned in place with electrical devices embedded in the ground. The carpet is made from a very special synthetic fiber that is highly effective at conducting electricity to a defined area. It doesn't hurt, per se, to receive the shock—it's what comes after that will hurt. These are some examples of the survivors of my battles from earlier this evening. More, obviously, made it this far, but sadly, I played a little too rough with them. They'll eventually be used in my research so no worries—I'm not wasteful. You can expect to be transformed into something beautiful, as well, when we're done here!" I looked again at the people who'd been tossed in the cages and then back at Bill. My disgust and hatred for another person had never been so intense. I hadn't even known I was capable of it.
"Oh, and before I forget—the number of Pokémon the trainer receiving a direct attack has will affect the strength of the attack. For example, a trainer using two Pokémon will be able to endure two direct attacks, both at half power. A trainer using four Pokémon will be able to endure four attacks, all of them at only a quarter power. This is to prevent the battle from ending prematurely," Bill said, putting his hand to the side of his mouth and leaning toward me like he was sharing a secret. "And as you can see, losing a battle doesn't necessarily mean death. The final blow after a trainer runs out of Pokémon involves a bit of chance. It really comes down to where the attack lands. Every attack before the final blow is fixed, however, to—again—prevent a premature end. Don't ask me to explain how that works, though; I don't actually understand all the mechanics myself. But, hey, I'm just here to have a good time! I leave all the very fine details to someone else. I find learning the minutia drains the fun out of things for me. Ha, ha…and of course, the trainer who launches the final blow is the victor. Again, whether that blow is lethal or not is inconsequential. In fact, it's better for me if you don't die. Keeps your parts fresher for longer." I gritted my teeth and tried to mentally prepare for the fight ahead. He seemed weak and capricious, but all those other trainers hadn't lost for no reason. And based on his appearance, no one had landed even a scratch on him. No, Bill was, by any definition of the word, a soulless murderer, and he deserved exactly what I was about to give him.
"Anyway, I've just about talked your ears off, haven't I? Let's get started! …Oh, but, am I to assume you're calling Jolteon out first? As a courtesy to you, the challenger, let me call out my first Pokémon and you can decide afterward, hmm? Ha, ha…I'm sorry there's no Elite 4 here to warm you up, but consider it an honor you get to skip straight to the Champion!" Bill shouted and started laughing maniacally. He reached into his pocket and tossed a Poké Ball high into the air. Light spilled from the ball and eventually formed into a slim and tall creature. Its skin was a sickly pallid white, pulled taut over a lean and muscular frame. Its face was featureless, save for two slits in the side of its head and odd ear-like protrusions. It stood on the balls of its feet like a velociraptor, and a purplish-bluish tail at least five or six feet long, beginning at the creature's lower torso, wrapped through its legs and behind it. The thin appendage ended in a thick mass of skin, and the tail coiled around its body protectively. Bony arms protruded from the defined chest, and its hands seemed to be a split of bone that erupted into three fingers with fleshy, ball-like masses at their tips. I could remember the fear I felt as a seven-year old the first time I encountered that legendary Pokémon in the original games, and what I felt in that moment was ten-fold. Mewtwo was truly horrifying to behold. "Well?" Bill called out.
I was already in full panic mode. My clothes were clinging to my body, drenched with sweat. I could hear Noanne shouting at me from behind but couldn't make out a thing she was saying.
"No coaching from the sidelines!" Bill shouted and raised a hand. I turned when Noanne started screaming and saw that she'd become apprehended by two Machamps. They each had one of their multiple arms over her mouth while the other arms held her in the air by the arms and legs. She was completely incapable of moving. "Should have kept her mouth shut," Bill said and shook his head.
"Enough!" I cried and summoned my first Pokémon.
"Ah, Bisharp. You're wise to choose a Dark type against my Psychic type. Most of my attacks will be useless. Except for this one," Bill said with a grin. "Focus Blast!" Mewtwo seemed to lift off the ground, levitating, before it disappeared. Then it reappeared behind Bisharp with a hand placed at its back. A burst of light exploded before I was able to react.
"Bisharp, no!" When the light subsided, I was relieved to see Bisharp was still there, but it was missing an arm and half its rib cage. "Payback!" Bisharp quickly rushed at Mewtwo, stabbing at it with its remaining arm. Mewtwo seemed to easily dodge Bisharp's flurry of attacks, but the last stab connected with Mewtwo's chest, seeming to impair usage of one of its arms.
"Impossible," I heard Bill gasp. "No matter—finish it off. Focus Blast again." Mewtwo didn't need to teleport behind Bisharp again to land a direct hit. When the light from Mewtwo's attack faded, there was nothing left of Bisharp except a piece of the axe blade of its helmet. "Round one goes to me. Time to take your medicine." Suddenly, an odd feeling consumed my body. I felt scratching sensations all over me, and I couldn't move. "Hmm, what attack to use? Let's go with…Psycho Cut." Mewtwo instantly turned to face me, its dark eyes and hands glowing purple. With one arm, it swung in the air, releasing a blade-like projectile flying right at me. I closed my eyes and braced for the attack. But nothing happened.
When I looked, I saw a floating red light drift slowly to the ground. A dark cloth fell to the ground on top of a skull that had been severed in half. Duskull showed up to save me one final time.
"NO! That's not allowed to happen! Do it again! Psycho Cut!" Mewtwo fired another psychic blade at me, but the paralysis had worn off, allowing me to dive out of the way. Bill was stomping his feet on the ground, throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child. He groaned loudly before regaining his composure. "If that's how it's going to be, then fine. I'll just pummel your next Pokémon, too!"
"All right, Jolteon, you're up," I called, gritting my teeth. Mewtwo was fast and strong, but maybe Jolteon would be able to pull through. Jolteon jumped forth and snarled at Mewtwo, who remained expressionless. I commanded Jolteon to charge up for a Thunderbolt, choosing my words carefully. Jolteon helped by giving a convincing performance that it was about to attack, making its fur stiffen with electricity. Bill laughed and shouted for Mewtwo to dodge and counter, as I predicted he would. Hoping he'd try the same bullshit that he did with Bisharp, I surged with confidence when Bill fell for my feint and sent Mewtwo directly into my trap. Mewtwo teleported behind Jolteon and was about to strike with Psycho Cut. "Turn around and use Crunch!" I shouted before Mewtwo's attack could connect.
"What?!" I heard Bill gasp as Jolteon quickly pivoted and chomped down on Mewtwo's good arm, tearing it off with a quick twist of its head. Mewtwo reeled backward, dark fluid spewing from its open wound. Jolteon tossed the arm to the side and pounced onto Mewtwo, toppling it to the ground.
"Now use Thunder!" A fuzzy static aura surrounded Jolteon and Mewtwo as a surge of electricity exploded from Jolteon's body. The force of the attack blew me off my feet as a cracking noise split the air, and a cloud of smoke filled the room. When the smoke cleared, Jolteon was standing on top of a charred corpse. "Yes! You did it!" I cheered, rising back to my feet. Bill held a stunned expression on his face, almost like he wasn't breathing. "Volt Tackle," I said, pointing triumphantly at Bill, and Jolteon charged full speed ahead as another storm of spitting lightning enveloped its body. The attack sent Bill flying back, and he crashed into the wall. He fell forward on his hands and knees as he cried out in desperation. His wiry hair hung around his face, but when he slowly lifted his gaze, there was no longer any mirth in his expression. Without a word, he threw out another Poké Ball. It looked like he was going to start taking me seriously.
His next Pokémon was also very tall and very thin. It appeared to be a white skeleton wearing something like a wedding veil that obscured most of its body. Two antennae extended from the crown of its skull, and the creature gracefully sauntered forward like a model, one arm akimbo. I decided to call back Jolteon and sent out Dragonair. Bill simply raised his arm, when Pheromosa slightly turned its head to receive an order. Suddenly, its image began to multiply until a ring of 10 or more Pheromosas surrounded Dragonair.
"Fuck," I muttered under my breath. I thought Bill would be pleased to have the upper hand again, but he still bore no smile. Bill snapped his fingers, and each Pheromosa charged at Dragonair so quickly, it looked like they had all just disappeared. "Thunder Wave!" I yelled out, hoping it could get an attack out before taking a hit. A wave of electricity appeared to emit from Dragonair, but an invisible barrage of attacks knocked it backwards. One Pheromosa returned to stand in front of Bill after a series of backflips. Then the copies split from its body and surrounded Dragonair again as it struggled to get back up. Thunder Wave missed, clearly. I didn't know what strategy to us. Pheromosa was too quick—Dragonair would never be able to keep up… Then an idea hit me. "Hang in there, Dragonair! You can do this!"
"Shouting encouragements isn't going to win you this battle. Pheromosa," Bill said, and Pheromosa sprang into action again. The second Pheromosa disappeared again, I commanded Dragonair to use Wrap. Surprisingly, Pheromosa seemed to walk directly into Dragonair's attack, and its brittle body was easily crushed by Dragonair's sinewy form. Bill let out a scream filled with rage as he collapsed to his knees, pounding the ground with both fists.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! FIGHT BACK, YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT!" Bill screamed—so loudly that his voice became shrill.
"Flame Thrower," I said to Dragonair. Th attack roasted Pheromosa's body, causing the round to end. There was no response from Bill as the stunning shock froze him in place again. "Dragon Tail!" I shouted out. Dragonair quickly slithered toward Bill, coiled its body, and whipped at Bill with its tail in a swift, fluid motion. The attack sent Bill off to the left, and he landed at an odd angle on his arm. He cried out in pain. It looked like he'd crushed his right arm with the weight of his body.
"You'll pay dearly for this!" Bill screeched. His desperation was only fueling my drive to win. He rolled out the next Poké Ball, unleashing yet another bony creature covered in brown shiny metal plating of some sort. Large sickles were fused to its arms, and it wore a strange flat shell for a hat. Kabutops clanged its arms together, causing some sparks to fly in front of it. Dragonair rattled its tail defensively and unleashed an unearthly cry. Bill was still half lying on the ground when Kabutops started running toward Dragonair. It wasn't as fast as Pheromosa, but it still charged at a rapid speed I wasn't expecting. Kabutops was in front of Dragonair before I could react, and it spewed a ray of light at Dragonair, freezing its lower body to the ground.
"Was that Ice Beam?" I gasped in horror, fearing that Dragonair was about to die. I tried to call it back into its Poké Ball, but Kabutops slice it in half before I could. The numbness then took over my body again, and I knew there'd be no avoiding Kabutops' attack. It charged toward me and then jumped in the air, its sickle arm outstretched like a preying mantis. Kabutops crossed its blades across my chest in an X-shape before jumping backwards toward Bill, who had gotten back on his feet. I cried out in agony. Kabutops' blades easily sliced through my shirt and into my ribs. It was my turn to fall forward in excruciating pain as I hugged myself to lessen the pain. That strategy wasn't very effective, though.
"Call your next Pokémon," Bill said flatly. I managed to huff out Jolteon's name, and it scurried back onto the battlefield.
"Thunderbolt," I wheezed. Kabutops had started running again and managed to dodge the electric shock by jumping into the air. It countered by slamming downward at Jolteon with its arms but was too slow to land a hit. "Again!" I cried, and Jolteon managed to fry Kabutops before it could jump away again. I sat up on my knees, still keeping my arms plastered to my chest to cover the wounds and stymy the bleeding. Bill seemed resigned to getting hit again, so I was quick to let him have it. "Crunch!" Jolteon raced toward Bill and sunk its jaws into his shoulders. Jolteon tugged for a bit before tearing a piece of cloth and flesh from him. He screamed out, and for a moment, I thought he'd started crying. But he was laughing.
"Oh, I suppose I can't be angry with this outcome. I've had a lot of fun, and there's a little more to be had. Cheers to the victor," Bill said and threw out another Poké Ball. Was it his last one? The next monstrosity was some kind of chimaera. Its legs and spine were human, although its spine was dramatically curved and partially covered in putrid green flesh. At the top of the spine was a skewered shark head. Fins radiated from the front of the head, resembling short arms, but its gaping jaw was the most prominent aspect, featuring rows upon rows of dagger-like teeth. Dracovish started charging at Jolteon. It wasn't very fast, but its stomps shook the ground. I commanded Jolteon to use Thunderbolt, hoping it would be strong enough to kill Dracovish or at least paralyze it. The shock landed a direct hit but didn't seem to slow down the Fossil Pokémon one bit. Dracovish attempted to sweep up Jolteon in its jaws but missed, its own momentum causing it to continue running forward. I told Jolteon to use Thunderbolt again before realizing that Dracovish was too close to safely attack. Dracovish quickly turn and managed to scoop up Jolteon into its mouth, and swift crunch sent a spray of blood into the air. I cried out for Jolteon, but the paralysis had already started to set in. Dracovish stomped its way toward me, looking down at me with its dead, fishy eyes before picking me up with its powerful jaws and swinging me around. Its teeth pierced me to the bone around my shoulder and neck, and I thought I would black out from the pain. It tossed me to the side before shock settled in and stomped away again. Looking down at myself, I was covered in blood. In fact, it looked like I wasn't even wearing any clothes because from my skin to the shredded clothing on my body, it was all one deep shade of red. My vision was beginning to blur as the edges were fuzzy, and I couldn't focus on anything. The pain was like nothing I'd ever felt before. I wouldn't have been able to imagine what it might be like to be stabbed by a hundred knives before that moment, all being twisted inside me before being forcefully ripped out.
I couldn't move for a while. I wanted to reach into my pocket and throw out the last Pokémon. My first Pokémon. Could Mr. Mime save me? Could the one I associated with that entire nightmare actually be the one to wake me from it?
"You're not dead yet, even after an attack like that, so I assume you have at least one more Pokémon. Call it out now, or forfeit the match," Bill called out calmly. He seemed to be faring better than I was somehow. Was he cheating? I didn't think he seemed like the type, even if he was a total freak. A maniac.
"Shut…the fuck…up," I muttered. He probably didn't hear me but reacted when I spit out a mouthful of blood onto the ground. Somehow, I found the strength to pick myself up and stand weakly on my feet. My right arm was completely busted, so I reached slowly behind my body to pull out Mr. Mime's ball from the side pocket of my bookbag. I managed to toss it out and summon the Barrier Pokémon. Bill smiled and shook his head knowingly.
"Of course you caught this Pokémon. I should've known…," Bill said. I ordered Mr. Mime to use Dazzling Gleam, and a flurry of brilliant sparkles disintegrated Dracovish. It was so easy, I almost found it funny. I would've laughed out loud if I didn't feel like I was on the verge of dying. "Go ahead. Finish me." Bill said and struggled to raise his arms out, like he was welcoming death. I had Mr. Mime attack with Psychic, and a confluence of swirling lights and colors exploded around Bill. I didn't expect he would survive the attack but wasn't too surprised when I saw him lying on his back after the attack subsided. Both of his arms and one leg had been destroyed by the assault. He let out a sputtering cough, and I thought he would just die. But then he started laughing again.
I commanded Mr. Mime to kill the Machamps restraining Noanne before returning Mr. Mime to its ball. Noanne came running to me, tears streaming down her face as she took in my wounds up close.
"Sorry, I promised…we'd kill him together, but I can't…really move right…now," I said, straining to get the words out. I pulled the knife out that Hector had given me but dropped it before I could hand it to Noanne. She quickly snatched it up and held it to her chest with both hands. Her eyes shimmered as she held back more tears.
"He'll suffer," was all she said before she ran toward Bill's body at full speed. I had fallen to my side and felt my heart pushing all the blood out of my body. I kept my eyes open, able to see Noanne on top of Bill's body, stabbing and slashing away, a powerful angry grunt accompanying each swing. My eyes stayed open long enough to see her hold up his severed head toward me and then slamming it to the ground.
The next thing I remembered was Noanne running in front of me. I was being carried by someone…something. The arms around me felt coarse, like, wood, and I realized she'd called Trevenant to help carry me out. An odd slime coated my body, and I felt like my wounds weren't so dire anymore.
"Noa…" I could barely speak. She looked back but didn't say anything at first.
"I found a way out of here. The people in the glass cages were released, the ones who were still alive anyway. Then this other door opened up. It has to be the way out, so just hang in there. I think you'll be okay…" If she said anything else, I couldn't really understand her. There was a light ahead of us, and it seemed to bob up and down as Trevenant's uneven gait jostled me.
When we got outside, the smell of brine woke me up. Looking around, I wasn't sure where we were at first, and then I recognized the Lake of Rage. We were on a ledge above part of the park, and there was a ramp beneath us obscured by some bushes. Trevenant carried me down the ramp, but then I felt strong enough to stand and walk on my own. Noanne returned it to its ball.
"What is…," I started to ask.
"A Hyper Potion. I was saving it for myself, but, well… …Wasn't sure it would work on you, but I guess we know it does now." Whatever was in the gel, it filled my gashes and bleeding holes and plugged them up. I also felt a bit numb, but function had returned to my right arm at least.
"Well, thank you. I probably wouldn't have survived without you." She smirked, as if to say definitely not.
It was still dark outside, but I could tell the sun was close to rising. A surge of relief tingled to my fingertips at the sound of sirens flooding the air. Around the corner, a few other survivors were being tended to by paramedics. I wondered how the medics arrived so quickly but then remembered that the park was outside of what was more or less a small city, with the all the resources of civilization. Noanne then handed me a Poké Ball. I gripped it tightly, and the shape of the ball against my palm was reassuring. Even though we were out of danger, I felt safer knowing I still had Mr. Mime with me. I stuck its ball into one of the side pocket of my bag.
"Let's avoid the crowd but watch from the sides," I suggested, curious to see how the situation would play out.
"With you looking like that?" Noanne said and scoffed. "No, let's…" She headed toward a nearby building. I saw it was one of the many gift shops. Someone had started setting up some of the displays outside, a few mannequins sporting shirts with the original starter Pokémon and Pikachu in the middle of them. Noanne plucked the hoodie version of it from one of the mannequins and gave it to me. With some difficulty, I slid it over my head, and Noanne pulled it down the rest of the way. Thankfully, it was big enough to cover my bloodied shorts, as well, but then it made me look like I wasn't wearing pants. Noanne found a bottle of water when I wasn't paying attention and splashed some of it onto my legs. She managed to wipe some of the blood off by grabbing another t-shirt from the display and then tossed it into the garbage. "There's still a lot of blood on you, but at least the hoodie is black… And don't pull up the hoodie at all or someone might ask if you just shit out your stomach or something." She then waved her arm to say now we can go.
As casually as we could, we joined the growing crowd that was observing the chaos. Some early arrivals to the park had snuck in while the gate attendants were busy trying to coordinate the ambulances through the service entrance. More survivors had seemingly broken out of the gates we'd entered through the night before. We stood in the middle, watched, and listened.
"Ma'am, ma'am! You're gonna need to calm down so I can understand what happened to you. You said you were locked in there all night?"
"Yes! Yes! They locked us all in there! And-And there were Pokémon! Oh my god, there were Pokémon in there! Real Pokémon! They were killing us and—" The woman broke down in tears, crying and screaming hysterically every time the paramedic tried to touch her and treat her wounds. From where we were standing, she appeared to be missing a hand, and a large bloodstain on the side of her dress radiated from a wide gash. I thought she looked vaguely familiar. Then I placed her—the woman with her two kids. "And my kids! My kids are gone! Give them back to me! Give them back!" She thrust forward into the paramedic, alternating between flailing and clawing at something invisible behind the paramedic. Another paramedic joined to help restrain the woman. Eventually, she was sedated and tucked away into an ambulance on a gurney. The other survivors being helped were in similar, if not worse, states. I looked over to the side when a man was swinging a chewed off leg at one of the first responders. A child at another station was being laid out on a gurney, a gaping crater in their chest.
The crowd around us had gotten considerably larger, and the people around us were whispering all sorts of conspiracy theories.
"I heard there was a huge party in the Indigo Room last—for preferred guests only. Must've been some party!" one person said.
"Or they got high off their asses and fucked each other up! Remember when bath salts was a thing?" another person added.
"But didn't you hear her? She said there were real Pokémon in there. What do you think that means?" someone else asked. The crowd erupted in curiosity and sick amusement, and the arrival of more survivors from the side entrance only fueled the fire of the group's twisted musings. Likewise, additional emergency personnel, including what appeared to be police officers, also arrived at the same time, coming from the opposite direction. Behind them were squads of park staff, probably sent to quell the crowd and have the guests moved outside of the gates so the situation could be more easily managed. A part of me wanted to scream at everyone to fuck off away and never go back to that place. Most of me didn't care enough to say anything, though, so I kept my mouth shut. Looking at Noanne, she seemed to be thinking the same thing.
As the crowd started getting broken up by the park staff and police, Noanne and I headed away to leave the park by way of the service entrance to avoid getting herded out the main entrance with everyone else. Another survivor started throwing a fit, so it was easy enough to slip away unnoticed. I turned to take one last look at the Indigo Mansion, vowing I'd return someday to burn it down or blow it up. As I was imagining its destruction, I stepped on something and looked down to see what it was.
A Mega Gardevoir keychain. Like the one Hector had bought from the gift shop.
I stopped to pick it up and examined it. There was no way of telling if it was his or if someone else had dropped it the day before. Noanne noticed I had stopped and turned around. Then, without saying anything, she pointed at something behind me. I turned to look.
A man walking toward the other side of the Indigo Mansion quickly disappeared around the corner, but from behind, it was almost unmistakably Hector. I looked back at Noanne, ready to tell her to leave without me, but she'd already grabbed my hand and nodded. We hurried as quickly as we could so as not to draw any attention to ourselves to pursue the look-alike.
When we turned the corner, we looked ahead and saw nothing. Advancing a little farther, we came across an alley on our right. There appeared to be a dark car at the end of the alley. The door in view opened, and I expected to see someone get out. But no one emerged. It was just waiting there, remaining open, like an invitation. Noanne and walked through the alley and discovered that the car was actually a limousine. It was very dark inside the car, but I could see one pair of legs in the back, clad in very expensive-looking shoes and dress pants.
Noanne and I hesitated. I felt my heart beating so quickly again, but it was a different kind of beating. I wasn't scared that we would be hurt.
I was scared of what we'd learn if we got into the car.
Noanne squeezed my hand hard, and I squeezed right back. We looked at each other, still saying nothing, and moved to step into the car. I got in first, and she slid in after me.
"Close the door please," a voice in the dark said. I recognized it. "Good to see you again, R—"
Had I told him my name at the bar?
I decided I couldn't remember as Noanne closed the door. We drove away.