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Pocket Monsters Chapter 9: Shocking Wake Up Call
"Jeez, he didn't need to be so forceful." Cal Kestis grumbled irritably, shooting a mean look at the building behind him.
The Jedi Padawan had traveled south of Cerulean City, strolling down Route 5 at a leisurely pace.
He wasn't in that much of a rush really to go anywhere so no need to just run off to whichever city or path is next. Prior to his departure from Cerulean, he rested up, taking the time to make sure his Pokémon were fully recovered and he had time to meditate on his next course of action.
The Padawan adhered to the parting words of his Master in following the will of the Force yet it didn't really do anything for him in terms of an answer.
It was present, as it always was on this planet but…
He didn't really know how to describe it. Just that it wasn't guiding him in any way shape or form. Just existing around him.
So he had to make a choice for himself so he opted to go south.
And it was good that he did because as he traveled further south, the Jedi felt a pull from the Force. A pull towards a presence in the city up ahead.
Checking the map on his Pokedex, Cal had seen it to be Saffron City, the largest city in all of Kanto from what he had heard.
His Pokedex says so as did several people in Cerulean prior to his departure.
But when he got to the northern entrance, the guard situated there outright rejected him and told him no one was to enter unless authorized.
Now normally, Cal would have simply chosen to walk away and leave it be. But the Force signature coming from Saffron was calling to him and he really wanted to figure out just what it was.
He wanted to force his way in actually but reigned his overzealousness back.
Cal recalled many a time that his reckless nature had gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion and he wouldn't have Master Tapal to help him out of any future hiccups.
The Padawan would need to tread more carefully and intelligently if he were to survive here on this planet.
He also internally fumed at himself, hating that he was still a Padawan learner and not a more seasoned Jedi Knight.
If he were a knight, a quick wave of the hand and subtle nudge of Force persuasion would have gotten him through easily.
Alas, that was not the case.
So here he was back on Route 5 at the building north of Saffron without a clue as to what to do next or even where to go.
It's not that it would be bothersome to trek back up to Cerulean and go east… ok, yeah, it would be a bit cumbersome.
Why go all the way down only to come back up?
"Excuse me, are you alright?" Asked a young voice close to him.
Not realizing he was deep in thought, Cal blinked upon seeing a young girl in a plain white shirt and purple skirt past her knees standing in front of him.
At both of her sides was the male and female version of the Pokémon Nidoran, the young trio all looking up at the Padawan.
"What?" Kestis dumbly said.
"Are you ok?" The girl asked again. "I saw you standing here all grumpy looking."
"Oh, you did?" Cal rubbed the back of his head wistfully. "Yeah, sorry if I worried you. Just dealt with some jerk security guard that didn't let me through to Saffron."
The girl actually surprised him with an understanding smile.
"Yeah, it's been like that fairly recently." She revealed. "All four roads leading into Saffron have been blocked off."
"All four of them?" Cal questioned in slight disbelief. "Why?"
The girl only shrugged. "I don't know. That's what daddy told me."
"Huh…"
"Are you trying to get to Saffron? Or Vermillion?" The young child inquired.
Cal hummed aloud, murmuring the second city the girl spoke of and pulled out his Pokedex once more.
The girl held an intrigued look at the device, wondering just what it was while Kestis studied the map.
It appeared that Vermillion was south of Saffron.
And Saffron was blocked off.
There were alternative paths that would be able to lead him to Vermillion but they were well out of the way.
So essentially, unless he takes a longer road, Vermillion was also blocked off to him.
"How am I supposed to get there?" Cal asked the child. "My only easy way through is-"
"The underground path." The girl said, pointing to a smaller building not too far from the one behind him.
"Underground path?" Cal parroted in surprise. "There's a way to get to Vermillion without going through Saffron?"
The girl nodded. "Since Saffron is Kanto's biggest city, when it was being built, the underground paths were made for normal people to move around without going through the city. After it was finished, they left the paths open cause it was sometimes easier to get from the cities without always going through Saffron."
"Huh, talk about convenient." Cal murmured, scratching his chin. "Thanks a lot… er…"
"Alice." The girl happily introduced herself.
"Cal Kestis." He said with an appreciative smile. "See ya around Alice. Thanks for pointing this out to me."
"Bye Cal." Alice happily said, waving goodbye to the Padawan who took the underground path that led him right underneath Saffron and to Route 6.
Exiting from the small building that served as the entrance/exit to the underground, Cal stood upon a small hill that overlooked Vermillion City.
He instantly saw that it was a port city with several ships docked with one particularly large cruise liner taking up a large portion of the dock.
"S.S Anne." Cal read aloud.
The letters on the ship were so bold and large that he could see them even from here.
He proceeded forward, arriving in the new city in a matter of minutes and saw it was of considerable size.
Not really that much of a surprise considering this to be a port city after all.
There were some buildings that appeared to be under construction and off to the side was a man who had a set of rather large, muscular Pokémon with three curved ridges on their heads apparently beating the ground.
Were they flattening it or something?
Shaking the thought out of his head, Cal headed deeper into Vermillion to see what this place had to offer.
It was a port city so maybe there were some exotic foods, resources and the like around here.
He saw several sailors walking around with crates and such, all headed for the docks.
"Wonder what this ship is for." Cal murmured, eyeing the S.S. Anne as it dominated the docks with its size.
It was large, easy to tell and had a lot of sailors working around it.
Looking around, he wondered what else was there to see.
Maybe this place also has a gym.
Other than Pallet Town, practically every town and city he'd been to at this point had a Gym.
So what was he to do here?
Just as he was about to take another step forward, he got struck in the head by a crate being carried by a sailor who walked past him.
Cal grunted, crouching down to nurse the back of his head that would undoubtedly form a bruise.
All he heard was "watch it, punk!" from the sailor who had bumped into him but that was the last thing he heard as his vision began to blur.
A sharp ringing sensation followed and suddenly, without warning, Cal found himself in a completely different location.
The Padawan saw he actually wasn't far from where he had gotten hit in the head.
Quite literally a few meters away but… how was he here and not there?
What was going on?
And what was that strange echo all around him?
Several sailors passed him by and didn't even acknowledge him as one nearly walked right through him as if he wasn't there.
Looking around, the Padawan tried to figure out just what was happening until it all clicked.
This… he had experienced this before.
The hollow noise around him.
People acting like he wasn't there because he truly wasn't.
This was an echo in the Force.
His Master Tapal told him that it was called Psychometry.
A Force ability that one has to be born with or develop under intensive and rigorous training methods.
He was recalling a memory.
Cal stiffened upon hearing a faint cry and he whirled around in time to see a number of shady individuals roughly pushing a woman down whilst grabbing her small Pokémon and stuffing it into a crate.
The same crate that had struck Cal and inadvertently initiated this Force echo.
The woman cried out in emotional anguish, reaching out her hand in a vain attempt at getting her Pokémon back only for the men and women around her to scornfully laugh and run off with their newly captured Pokémon.
And like that, Cal was back where he was, nursing his bruised head.
Rising back up to his feet, the Jedi glanced around and wondered if anyone had seen him and it appeared the area was empty for the most part.
Frowning, Cal's thoughts drifted back to that echo he had just experienced, thinking hard on the woman and her Pokémon that was stolen. Judging from its shape that he was able to makeout, the Padawan discerned that it was her Oddish that was stolen. The circular body and set of leaves for "hair" was a dead giveaway.
He turned his head towards the docks, hoping to locate the man who had bumped into him, spotting the rough looking sailor entering into the S.S. Anne.
There were other equally thuggish sailors with them parading around a collective arrogant swagger like they owned the whole place.
Not exactly a pleasant or trustworthy sight.
Not after what Cal had just experienced.
Taking a brief moment to recollect the vision he had just experienced, Cal frowned in thought.
Just before he could dwell on it any further, the Padawan heard footsteps from behind him and turned in time to see another sailor with another large box on his shoulder walking towards him.
Cal sidestepped the oncoming man and opted to walk away for the time being.
He'd rather not get hit in the head again and also, him just standing around there like that would draw suspicion to him.
The Padawan began walking away from the port with his mind abuzz with activity.
The Force echo he had just seen weighed heavily on his mind, replaying it repeatedly.
Without even realizing it, Cal had stopped at the exact location where that crate he had bumped into was when that woman's Oddish was captured.
Seeing where he was, he began looking around for any other clues or maybe a means of activating his Force Psychometry again.
He knew that he had the ability and all as told to him by his Master but he just hasn't had the time to refine or practice it.
Spotting the exact location of the kidnapping, it was nearby an alleyway between two buildings.
Walking over to it, Cal inspected many spots with his hand grazing over the wall floors and other miscellaneous objects around it.
He tried utilizing his ability again but found that he couldn't.
Or maybe there just wasn't a need for it.
However, just as he was about to pull his hand away, Cal felt a shift in the Force.
The echoing presence of the people who were once here.
Their shouts and cries at their Pokémon getting taken from them.
Cal's brows furrowed in a disturbed and rather deep scowl. That woman wasn't the only one who has had her Pokémon stolen it seems.
Kneeling down to the ground, Cal placed his hand upon the area where the Oddish was taken and closed his eyes, opening himself up to the Force.
He felt the energy that binds the universe together flowing through him, around him and into the world at large.
The Jedi's expression scrunched up, forlorn at the feeling left behind by the woman who has had her Pokémon taken.
Distress, anger, anguish and above all else, guilt for allowing it to happen.
"Cal?"
The Padawan jolted, snapping out of his connection with past events and turned behind him to see a surprised familiar face.
"Red?" Cal said aloud. "What are you doing here?"
The cap wearing Pokémon trainer chortled. "I could be asking you the same question. Though… What are you doing here? Actually, what are you doing here?"
Cal stood back up, gazing down at his hand before clenching it into a fist. "That's a bit… complicated to explain. But let's just say I've got a gut feeling that all is not well in this town."
From that comment, Red's expression became far more serious with a determined gleam in his eyes.
"It's funny you should say that." Red stated. "I've actually been tasked with trying to figure out where and how to stop a certain problem in Vermillion. Apparently people's Pokémon have been getting kidnapped. Just met a whole building full of them."
Cal tensed up, looking past Red and towards the docks.
"Honestly, had a sneaking suspicion of that myself."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Red asked in bewilderment.
"I'll explain later." Cal promised, walking to standby his fellow Pokedex holder. "Right now, we have to help the people get their Pokémon back."
Rather than press for more questions, Red simply nodded in agreement, looking at the large ship at the port.
"Figure that's where they are?" Red asked, Cal nodding.
The black haired Pokémon trainer hummed in thought. "Were you kicked out of there too?"
Cal blinked, turning to the boy in confusion. "Huh?"
Red had a sheepish look on his face now, rubbing the back of his head.
"I saw that huge ship there and figured sneaking on it just because it looked cool."
"You just "figured sneaking" onto it would be cool?" Cal questioned in confusion.
Red only shrugged. "I dunno, just a thought really."
Cal shook his head, unsure of how to respond to his friend.
"Wait, so, what's this about getting people's Pokémon back?"
"I'll explain on the way." Red said, walking forward. "Now come on, we're burnin' daylight."
The Padawan could only jog slightly to catch up to the excitable Pokémon trainer as the pair headed towards the ship.
'Well, not the first thing I expected to do the moment I got here.' Cal internally thought to himself as Red led him away from the main docking area to a more discreet part of the port where there were multiple crates and boxes for them to hide behind.
"You got a water Pokémon right?" Red inquired looking at Cal who nodded.
Wordlessly, both Dex holders held out their Poke balls and called forth their Pokémon.
Cal's Wooper happily dove into the sea, excitedly jumping around until Cal instructed for him to stay quiet lest they draw attention.
Red sent out two Pokémon, being his Bulbasaur and Poliwhirl.
The two kids hopped into the water, their Pokémon assisting them as they swam through the water, over to the side of the boat where they would be able to get on board with discretion.
They kept on paddling until Cal halted and looked straight up.
"I think this is a good spot to go up." Kestis stated.
"What makes you say that?" Red inquired, befuddled at this suggestion.
"Call it a gut feeling." Cal enigmatically answered.
Sharing a look with his Pokémon, Red only shrugged, patting his Bulbasaur for him to utilize his wines to lift him and Cal up to the ship.
Red called out for his Bulbasaur to stay there and wait for him with Cal opting to do the same. Better to have two sets of eyes working together than just one.
"So what are we looking for?" Cal asked, looking at Red who had a hand up to his chin.
"I remember seeing a window on a door that let me see in a darkened room." Red stated, walking ahead of Cal. "There wasn't much I was able to see for the most part except a shape of some kind with eyes. Really large and distinct eyes that no normal person should have."
"So a Pokémon then." Cal surmised more than asked, seeing his friend nod. "Did you manage to see what kind?"
Red shook his head. "Nada, the room was too dark. But I do remember where it is. This way."
Red took the lead again and the duo walked through the ship in a crouched position to keep themselves out of sight or be able to hide if the situation called for it.
Eventually, they reached the door the cap wearing Dex holder was leading them to and cautiously entered the darkened room with their Pokémon by their sides.
Poliwhirl and Larvitar kept their diligent gazes on anything and everything that may be a threat to their trainers in this room.
"Is this it?" Cal asked quietly, hands trailing over his Poke balls and Lightsaber.
Red scratched his hair beneath his hat. "It should be. I know I saw something in here."
"Sure are a lot of boxes." Cal noted. "Maybe this is a storage room."
"And we know that Pokémon have been getting stolen." Red tacked on, now looking at the litany of crates.
The Padawan now eyes one of the wooden boxes as he reaches out with his senses, the Force aiding in his endeavor.
Maybe he could detect-
"Hey, what's this Poke ball doing here?"
Red's sudden question jolted Cal out from his concentrated state as he turned to see his friend reaching down to grasp a Poke ball.
One with sharp, angled and angry eyes.
Kestis's eyes widened in an instant.
"Red, Wait!"
His warning came too late as the eyes of the Poke ball glared up at Red and unleashed a torrent of lightning.
"Waah!" The Pallet town native cried out, shielding himself from the wild lightning bolts.
Cal flinched as one nearly struck him until Kaiju ran forward to shield his trainer, his ground-typing easily absorbing the electricity without any problems.
"Poli, Water Gun!" Red exclaimed, his Poliwhirl sending a rapid stream of water from his circular center.
The Voltorb was sent away though static permeated the air.
"Whew." Red wiped his forehead of the sweat he had gained in the small scuffle. "You alright Cal?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." The Padawan assured, placing a hand atop Kaiju's head. "Thanks buddy."
The Larvitar preened proudly at the praise, nuzzling into Cal's hand.
"Jeez, what was that?" Red inquired, shaking his hand as he felt a tingling sensation going up his arm.
"A Voltorb." Kestis revealed. "Ran into a number of them not too long ago. Not the most pleasant bunch to be around."
"Yeah, you don't have to tell me aga-"
*WHUMP*
The duo turned to see Red's Poliwhirl flat on its face.
"Poli!" Its trainer cried out in alarm and worry, running over to the downed Pokémon with Cal and Kaiju joining him.
Red hefted his Pokémon up to a sitting position, fretting over him.
"Hey Poli, are you alright buddy?" Red worriedly asked. "What's wrong?"
Cal was instantly set on edge, a tingling going down his spine as he felt the Force shifting around them in a foreboding manner.
"That little squirt of a Pokémon's been paralyzed." Stated a cocky and snide gruff voice from the darkness around them.
Both boys were instantly on edge as they turned to the source of the voice.
From the shadows stepped a man likely in his late twenties or early thirties.
He was a tall, muscular and broad man with spiky blond hair and garbed in military camo save for his black boots.
"Well, well, well." The blond man snidely said, tone clearly taunting the two boys. "What have we here, gentlemen? Looks like we've got a couple of trespassing stowaways."
"Who are you?" Red challengingly asked. "What do you mean Poli's been paralyzed?"
The blond man snorted derisively, a sneer directed at them.
"The name's Lt. Surge, Vermillion City's Gym Leader." The camo wearing man declared. "And what's happened should be obvious. Your little Mon there got a taste of electricity, something that can travel through water rather easily."
Upon hearing that, Cal stepped forward with his Kaiju taking center stage.
Surge saw this and couldn't help but 'tsk' slightly at the sight in front of him.
Though the Pokémon was young, it appeared far more combat capable and held a type advantage over his specialty.
Coupled with the rarity that a Larvitar has in both Kanto and Johto means Surge would have to play a lot more smarter here.
"Now, before we kick you kids to curb, you better tell us what you're doin' on my ship." Surge stated, rolling his hand slightly before crossing them.
The pair of boys heard movement behind and all around them, soon finding themselves surrounded by dozens of Voltorbs, their evolved states Electrodes and Magnemites.
Red, cautious yet undeterred, stood strong as he faced Surge without a hint of fear.
"We're here to find the people who've been stealing Pokémon from the townspeople and know some were brought here."
"And don't lie." Cal spoke up, staring determinedly at the Lieutenant. "We already have a pretty good idea who the culprits are with the reception we got here."
"Oh?" The Gym Leader huffed in amusement. "Ya hear that boys? These runts have the audacity to say they already know it's us when they snuck aboard our ship."
"Bit of an extreme welcome for a couple of kids if ya ask me." Cal shot back, eyes becoming sharper and fiercer, something Surge immediately took note of.
He was silent for a moment, staring hard at Cal.
"Hey kid." Surge's voice changed into one of mocking to that of deadly seriousness. "Look me in the eye."
"Huh?" Cal did just that without even realizing what Surge had asked.
The blond lieutenant squinted at the Padawan in a scrutinizing fashion until realization dawned on his face with a near manic grin stretching in place.
"No way." Surge muttered, confusing some of his men around him. "No fucking way."
"What the hell's your problem?" Red challengingly asked.
Surge appeared to ignore the Dex holder, focusing instead on the other one.
"You." He pointed directly at Kestis. "You've seen war, haven't you kid?"
In an instant, Cal jerked back, caught off guard by such an on point deduction which made Surge guffaw in disbelief.
"Holy shit!" Surge practically exclaimed. "I was right, wasn't I? You've seen war, no, you've participated in war. Ran headfirst into it. Killed people and saw comrades die."
"I never killed anyone." Cal immediately retorted, flinching at the anger in his voice, surprising both himself and his friend next to him.
"Cal?" Red warily said.
"But you've seen battle." Surge was almost manic now. "You know the adrenaline and the thrill of a life and death situation, don't you? Don't bother denying it kid, the way you've reacted and your eyes tell me the whole story. You can't hide it from me."
Cal felt himself freeze up, a ringing sensation in his ear with his vision blurring slightly.
All he could hear were the sound of blaster bolts flying past with explosions going off around him.
He began breathing heavily upon reaching that day.
It was not too long ago, only a few weeks.
But it plagued his mind every day, invaded his dreams and planted itself within his mind.
The Padawan began hyperventilating, falling to the ground with his face becoming pale.
"Cal?" Red said aloud in alarm. "Cal?!"
"Tar!" Kaiju cried out, rushing to his trainer's side.
Surge actually looked a bit hesitant as he saw the state in which the red haired boy was in. The Lieutenant had seen reactions like these before and it was easy to see trauma rear its head like it did now.
Clenching his teeth, Surge shook his head and refocused on the matter at hand.
"Well kid, I would've suggested therapy but unfortunately you two still broke into my ship." Surge said.
There was a sound of heavy footsteps, buzzing stating and metal chains all coming from behind the large Gym Leader.
He stepped aside with a sinister grin to reveal another, much larger Pokémon that had metal cuffs on its wrists and ankles with chains that held it back.
"Electabuzz here can be a bit of a rotten bastard if he stays in his Poke ball for too long."
The Pokémon was a one of a humanoid make with a few feline traits. It had antennae with bulbous tips where its ears should be, two long tufts of fur on top of its head, small eyes, and two large fangs in its upper jaw. It is covered in yellow fur with many black stripes.
There is a large, lightning bolt-shaped stripe on its chest, a V-shaped stripe on its forehead, one stripe on its side, a thick stripe down its back, two bands on each leg, several broken bands on each arm, and many rings around its long tail. It has three clawed toes on each of its feet, two in front and one in back, and five fingers on each hand.
The Electabuzz stomped its foot on the ground, glaring heatedly at the two trainers and their Pokémon.
"And as you can see, my Electabuzz is rarin' to go." Surge cockily said, snapping his fingers.
The shackles around its wrists and ankles came off and lightning coursed all over its body.
"Get 'em with a Thunderpunch."
The Electabuzz let out a static like roar and lunged forward with electricity crackling around its fists.
"Oh shoot!" Red yelled out as he and Cal hastily dodged out of the way.
The Thunderpunch struck where the two were just a moment ago, a burst of lightning coming from the impact from the hole the punch had made.
Red gulped slightly at the whole made by the Electabuzz and Cal was still in a slight daze, only barely recovering as the Force had screamed out a warning for him to move.
Shaking his head, Cal managed to regain some semblance of focus as he stood up, Kaiju in front of him defensively.
When comparing his Pokémon to Surge's Electabuzz, there was a great deal of hesitation in allowing his Larvitar to engage in this battle.
Though there was a clear type advantage he had over the electric Pokémon, its size and strength would undoubtedly prove to be a problem even with Kaiju's rock-like body.
Red's Pokémon was in no better shape and in a more distinct disadvantage with it being a water type.
He glanced over to Red and noticed a rather determined expression with him seemingly putting himself in front of his Poliwhirl.
While at first this would be considered a noble gesture, Cal noticed that he was also seemingly keeping Poliwhirl out of sight intentionally.
Looking further down, the Padawan saw the blue Pokémon had its finger on the ground and from it, a watery trail that led from them to right underneath the feet of Surge and Electabuzz.
Picking up on Red's planning, Cal prepared himself for whatever was to come and would follow his friend's lead.
Surge appeared none the wiser, stepping forward with his Electabuzz mirroring his action.
"Alright, enough delay, let's get this over with."
"Nah, I think we still have some more moves to pull out." Red cheekily shot back. "After all, one wrong step can leave you in cold feet."
That statement left the military man confused.
"Wha-"
"Now Poliwhirl!"
The blue Pokémon instantly froze the wet, damp trail it had set up between his trainer and Surge, catching both the Gym Leader and the Electabuzz off guard.
"The hell?!" Surge exclaimed, he and his Pokémon's feet and legs getting encased in ice.
"Cal, we gotta move!" Red yelled, throwing an empty Poke ball on the ground.
It popped open with a flash of light and smoke, blinding the Gym leader long enough for the two Dex holders to make their getaways.
Surge waved the smoke out of his face to see they were both gone.
"Feh." Was all he said, turning to his Electabuzz who wordlessly punched the ice off of their legs. "Think they can get away from me, eh? They got another thing coming."
Cal and Red were in one of the high levels of the ship now, panting slightly after making such a hasty retreat.
"Think we lost 'em?" Cal inquired, checking on himself and Kaiju and then to make sure his other Pokémon were secured. He breathed a sigh of relief when they were still on his belt.
"For now." Red said, rubbing the top of Poliwhirls head. "Nice work buddy. Just like old times when we needed a swift getaway."
The Padawan smiled at the two before he looked around.
"What do you figure we should do now?"
Red shook his head. "Right now, we're a bit out of our depth. We gotta retreat and regroup."
The ginger haired Jedi was certainly surprised by such insight from his friend since Red always seemed more gung ho then most. But he nodded in agreement, remembering one of the many important lessons his master bestowed upon him.
Knowing when and where to pick his battles.
"Let's move." Cal stated the pair walking forward.
As they kept walking forward, there was a strange buzzing hum in the air that Kestis had picked up on, making note of it to Red.
"What do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure but… wait, look." Red pointed ahead of them and Cal turned to see a floating metal ball with two magnets on either side of it with a screw on top.
"What's that? A Pokémon?" Cal questioned, his friend nodding.
"Yeah, it's a Magnemite." Red confirmed. "And it's not alone."
Lo and behold, another Magnemite floated past the first one they saw. And then another. And another.
"What the-"
"Are they looking for us?" Cal muttered in thought.
"More than likely." Red said, getting into a crouch. "Come on, they look like they're only lookin' straight and up. Not down."
"You sure?"
"Not really but they haven't spotted us yet."
Choosing not to argue against the argument, the duo crawled on the ground with several more Magnemite floating overhead.
"This way." Red murmured, leading the pair into another darkened room filled with crates.
Closing the door behind them, they let out sighs of relief at seemingly escaping for the time being.
"Phew." Red wiped some sweat from his brow. "Think they saw us?"
"Probably." Cal admitted. "We just didn't see them notice us."
Red grumbled slightly, looking over at his Poliwhirl that still looked a bit winded and tired.
"We gotta get out of here." He said in a low voice. "Your Kaiju may be able to take on some of Surge's Pokémon but I only got one now and he's not doin' too well. We'd just get in the way."
Cal simply sat against the door they were both leaning on in silence.
As they contemplated their next set of actions, Kaiju walked forward in the room they were in, sniffing at some of the boxes and crates.
His trainer picked up on this, looking at him curiously.
"What's the matter, Kaiju?" He asked. "Ya find something?"
"Tar?" His Larvitar seemed unsure, gazing up at one of the boxes.
Red and Cal looked at each other and then at the room they were in.
Standing back up, the two began inspecting the crates and boxes with Red opening one to reveal.
"Whoa! An Alakazam!"
Cal looked over to see a humanoid Pokémon with a large mustache around the same height as himself and Red. The Alakazam had a long, thin snout, narrow eyes, ear-like spikes extending from the top of its head, and an additional spike protruding from each cheek. Covering its yellow, skeletal body are brown armor-like sections over its chest, shoulders, forearms, and knees. There are three toes on each foot, each of which has a white claw. Two of the toes face forward, while one faces backwards.
Strangely enough, this Pokémon held two spoons in each hand. Where did it get those?
"Whoa." The Jedi whispered, going over to stand by Red and admire the bipedal Pokémon.
The Force was radiating off the Pokémon a lot stronger than most he had run into thus far.
Was this because of evolution?
He remembered one of the books Professor Oak had given to him to read up on Pokémon to get himself acquainted with them and saw that Evolution was a constant topic that was brought up.
If he were to liken the evolution of a Pokémon, it was like them going from Padawan to a proper Jedi Knight.
"Say…" Red was rubbing his chin in thought. "You wouldn't happen to know a bushy bearded guy with shades, black suit and cane would you?"
Alakazam's expression lit up in immediate recognition.
Red snapped his fingers in slight triumph. "Should've figured you would be an Abra once. Jeez, now that I think about it, how long have you been here to evolve into an Alakazam? Rotten Surge."
Kestis' curiosity was now piqued. It appeared that Surge and his cronies have yet to realize they are in this room so the Jedi figured now would be the time to see just how many Pokémon these people have stolen.
Cal opened one of the crates, seeing no Pokémon inside but an assortment of technology.
'That's odd.' The Padawan internally said to himself. 'What do they need this stuff for?'
"Have ya found any other Pokémon Cal?" He heard Red ask from another part of the room.
"Nope, just some… tech."
"Huh, me too but… Um… are these… guns?"
Red's nervous question caused Cal to turn in his direction.
He looked at the weapon his friend was holding and in an instant froze on the spot, inhaling sharply and turning ghostly pale.
"Red…" He spoke slowly, deathly quiet almost. "Where did you find that?"
Hearing such a change in tone to the Padawan, Red looked over at his fellow Dex holder and instantly flinched at the pale and haunted look in his eyes.
It was honestly one of the most frightening things the Pallet Town native had seen. He couldn't quite place just what this look was about but it was deeply unsettling to the point that Cal actually seemed as though he aged right before his very eyes.
The black haired boy then blinked and looked down at the weapon in his hands and then back at Kestis who was now standing by him with his gaze solely focused on this object.
A number of gears clicked in his head as he looked back and forth between the gun he held and his friend next to him.
"You know what this is don't you?" Red asked though he already knew the answer.
Cal's head slowly moved up and down as he proceeded to take the gun out from Reds' hands as if it were made of glass and continued staring at it intently.
"I've seen it many times over the past year." Kestis whispered. "This is an E-5 Blaster Rifle. Something from… my hometown. The part of the ga-world that I come from. Used by my enemies."
"Enemies?" Red parroted in a concerned frown.
"Yes I-" The Jedi paused in his thoughts upon the feeling of static in the air.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and there was a humming buzz that even caused Red to take notice.
"Oh crap." Red said aloud and the two barely were immediately stricken by a wave of earsplitting screeches.
"Argh!" They both cried out covering their ears, their Pokémon suffering the same fate.
The duo looked over at the door they had entered through to see Lt. Surge with his Electabuzz and several other men and Pokémon with the former having E-5 Blasters in their hands. Cal eyed all these men warily, hand instantly reaching to grab his lightsaber.
"Well, well, figured you punks must have disappeared somewhere on this ship." Surge remarked with a sneer. "Should have known it would be here."
Cal and Red stood at the ready yet the latter noticed his Poliwhirl was standing on shaky legs. He was greatly concerned for his Pokémon but he knew he had no choice but to fight right cause in all likelihood, this crazed Gym leader might actually kill them.
The Gym Leader smirked haughtily yet his eyes trailed upon the Jedi of the two kids, narrowing them slightly at what that ginger haired kid had grabbed onto.
It wasn't another of his Pokémon but that weird silver hilt that hung on the opposite side of his belt.
Whatever it was, it made Surge curious as to why he wanted that device as opposed to his Pokémon.
Color him interested.
"You know, these new weapons our boss supplied us with have been nothin' short of incredible." Surge said, pulling out a blaster of his own that he had strapped to his back. "Some mighty fine and advanced technology really. Can level the playing field between man and Pokémon."
Surge then raised his rifle at the two.
"But I can't help but be curious as to what would happen if a person was shot by this little doohickey."
Red's eyes widened exponentially, instantly moving to shield his weakened Poliwhirl whilst Cal had detached his lightsaber from his belt.
Everything happened in an instant.
The loud sound of a blaster bolt being fired followed by it appearing to be deflected entirely by Cal causing all within the room to freeze up entirely.
All eyes were on the young Padawan, specifically staring at the bright blue glowing laser sword he held within his hands.
The very same laser sword he used to literally deflect a shot that looked like a laser projectile.
Cal gazed at Surge intently, raising his master's lightsaber in front of him, grasping onto the hilt tightly.
All the while, the Lieutenant stared at the boy in astonishment and shock before a manic grin morphed onto his face.
"Holy shit, I was right." He nearly shouted. "You really are something special, aren't ya. I'll even throw in that cap wearin punk there too if he's with ya. Team Rocket's boss is definitely gonna love this."
"Team Rocket!" Red exclaimed, expression becoming fiercely determined. "Should have figured that if anyone is the cause of kidnapped Pokémon, it's you rotten jerks."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Surge waved off dismissively.
Cal's eyes widened as he felt a shiver come down his spine.
"Self-destruct." Came the order from the Rocket member and from above came several Voltorbs, Magnemites and one Electrode who all blew up at the same time.
Cal was on immediate autopilot, feeling a surge through his body as he felt an explosion of the Force well up within him to counteract the oncoming shockwave.
He managed to create an invisible barrier with the Force that did little in blocking the fiery explosion that sent him, Red, Poli and Kaiju out from this room into the deck of the ship.
"No! Poliwhirl!" Red cried out in anguish, managing to spot his Pokémon fly over the edge and down into the depths below.
Cal, Red and Kaiju then crashed harshly onto the ground, the three of them moaning in pain.
Kestis lifted his head up to see his Larvitar shakily rising back up to his feet.
Being a Rock/Ground Type gave his Pokémon a great deal of endurance and complete immunity to Surge's electrical Mons. But that was still nearly a dozen Self-destructing Pokémon all going off at the same time.
Sturdy body or not, there was no way anybody would have gotten out of that unscathed.
Cal then turned back to where they were just moments ago and from the dusty cloud that had been kicked up were a number of silhouettes coming through the smoke.
The dust dispersed to reveal Lt. Surge standing in some sort of magnetic, invisible prism that had been maintained by three Magnetons.
"Well look at that, you runts are made of tougher stuff than I thought."
Red glared defiantly at Surge.
"You maniac." He roared. "What kind of lunatic sacrifices their Pokémon like that?"
Surge guffawed. "You should see what Carr and Koga do to their own suicidal Pokémon."
'Carr?' Cal mentally repeated. The name of the Rocket member he fought back at the Nugget Bridge.
"Pokémon like these are expendable." Surge stated. "They only live to serve one purpose. Team Rockets goals."
"You're sick." Red spat out.
"And you two runts are way out of your league." Surge shot back, snapping his fingers.
In an instant, Red, Cal and Kaiju were surrounded by several other Magnetons and were entrapped within a magnetic field, same as Surge.
"Now you bastards have got nowhere to run." The electric specialist declared with a crazed smile. "Electabuzz, if you would. Thunderbolt!"
Both boys tensed up, Kaiju's eyes widening considerably before he braced himself.
Surge's Electabuzz stomped forward, lightning coursing all around it until it roared aloud, unleashing a gargantuan Thunderbolt that struck the magnetic prison that held its enemies.
Larvitar braced itself, trying to use his horn as a lightning rod to absorb as much electricity as he was able to.
Yet he was abruptly struck from the side, right in his gut, knocking the wind right out of him.
The last thing he saw was a Magneton that had rammed itself in him.
"Kai-ARRGH!" Cal yelled out in complete agony at being shocked so thoroughly, hearing Red screaming out in pain next to him.
The two boys wanted to fight back but their pain overrode their senses.
It was just too much for them to handle and consciousness began to fade.
All they were able to register was the humming static ringing in their ears coupled with Surge's booming laughter.
"Make sure to recover the kid." He instructed. "If not, grab that laser sword he got. The boss is gonna love this."
As both boys fell into the waters below, the pair struggled to stay alert and attentive yet the advent of water only caused more shocks going up and down their bodies.
Through Cal's blurry vision, he was able to make out his unconscious Larvitar floating down into the water depths.
He reached out a hand for him using what little strength he had left to Force pull Kaiju towards him.
Once close enough, he successfully recalled Kaiju into his Poke ball.
What he hadn't realized is when he had brushed his fingers past another one of his Poke Balls and a flash of light later, Hopper had come out.
The little Wooper was distraught, unlike his usually cheery and goofy self as he saw the state in which he found his trainer in.
He spotted Red sinking nearby and it put on a determined face, beginning to swim forward and around the two trainers.
Hopper needed to get them out here as quickly as possible and hopefully a whirlpool can elevate them up to the surface.
Yet before long, a large, shadowy figure zipped by and snatched the two trainers and before Hopper had a chance to react, it was taken as well.
The figure held the three close as it swam at full speeds up to the surface and the large ship that they had all been thrown from and breached the surface.
Rather than slow down, the figure sped up, sailing through the air before landing upon the deck of the Anne in a dramatic fashion.
Surge and his goons were completely caught off guard by the sudden arrival of the group with the Gym Leader squinting his eyes at the large Pokémon that had carried Red, Cal and Hopper back up.
"Ah crap." He said aloud. "A damn Poliwrath."
Where Poliwhirl was a short, round Pokémon that was more childlike if not rotund in appearance, Poliwrath was a larger, muscular evolved version with a far more fearsome appearance.
The newly evolved Poli set the two trainers down whilst Hopper hopped about excitedly until Poli let out a grunt, pointing at the enemies in front of them.
The Wooper saw them, his expression becoming intense now and babbled out angrily at Surge.
"What? Don't like that I nearly killed your trainers?" He rhetorically asked. "Like I'm scared of a baby Pokémon like you."
His Electabuzz walked forward, electricity crackling around him.
"You forget, I still have the advantage." Surge proclaimed.
Poli was undeterred as he stepped forward and flexed his newly evolved muscles.
"Flex all ya want ya showboat." Surge shouted back. "Electabuzz, show 'em who's boss."
The Electabuzz let out an electric, static-like cry, taking a step forward when the Pokémon was suddenly pelted with a brown substance.
Surge blinked upon seeing this and in an instant, the electrical air dissipated greatly and the Gym Leader cringed once realizing what had happened.
He turned his towards the jumping Wooper who was generating mud from its body and flinging it about in all directions.
It had struck a number of the electric Pokémon in the area and that's when Poli took his chance.
He ran forward at full force towards Electabuzz who had ran back at him in turn. The two large Pokémon crashed into each other, grabbing each other's hands and grappled for dominance.
It didn't take long for Poliwrath to wrestle control, its newly evolved muscles proving to be too much for the electrical powerhouse as he was heaved up and over Poli's head.
"Oh shit!" Surge exclaimed, starting to back away.
Poli's eyes locked onto the criminal Gym Leader and with a mighty heave, performed a Seismic Toss right at the blond, hurling his Electabuzz straight at him.
Surge could do nothing but take the full brunt of his Pokémon getting thrown at him, the pair crashing through a wall on the ship.
Many of the remaining sailors under the blonds leadership began to panic at the loss of their leader whilst Poliwrath and Wooper began rampaging against them.
When Red and Cal came to after several hours of being unconscious, they were greeted to the sight of their worried Pokémon conveying their joy at seeing their trainers were alright.
The day blurred on by as the pair of Pokedex holders called upon the authorities whilst liberating all the captured Pokémon aboard the ship.
Cal had soon met the leader of a group simply called the Pokémon fan club who was a rather eccentric man, thanking and congratulating the two boys on a job well done.
His happy mood turned into utter dismay upon seeing his originally cute Abra having evolved into an Alakazam.
Other than that odd display, the rest of the club were happily reunited with their kidnapped Pokémon and all was well in the end…
Were it so easy.
Whilst all the sailors working under Surge were apprehended and arrested, the Gym Leader himself was nowhere to be found.
Several crates were also missing, all of which were containing the E-5 Blaster rifles from the look of things.
Cal cursed himself for that, having not realized they were all taken until it was too late.
Had he just gotten his hands on one of them or kept the one Red had found, he could have used his specialized Force Psychometry to perhaps deduce just how a droid blaster wound up on this isolated planet.
Or maybe it wasn't as isolated as he believed.
He stood by Red as the pair watched more people reunite with their stolen Pokémon with their own Pokémon around them.
"Well… that was a hectic end for sure." Red commented. "Didn't even get to see Poli and Hopper kick butt till we woke up."
Red's Poliwrath puffed his chest out proudly whilst Cal's Wooper jumped around happily.
"We're alive cause of them." Cal said with a grateful smile directed at Hopper.
"Ya got that right." The black haired trainer proclaimed, patting Poli on the back. "Just like old times. I always know I can rely on you, buddy."
Poli's eyes closed, curving upwards slightly to convey his joy in being praised by his oldest friend and trainer.
Kestis simply rubbed the top of Hoppers' head affectionately, laughing slightly at the small amount of drool coming out from the corner of his mouth.
Red's smile faded as he looked down at the crouching Padawan who was surrounded by his Pokémon.
His Larvitar looked far better than last time, Arc was comfortably situated on his shoulder and Loth sat on his haunches in front of him whilst Hopper basked in praise.
His eyes then drifted down to the silver hilt dangling from Cal's belt and he zeroed in on it.
"Say Cal…"
"Hmmm?" He looked up at a hesitant Red.
"That… doohickey you got hangin' from your hip…" Cal sighed, knowing his friend would ask him about it sooner or later.
"Where did you get that?" Red now had stars in his eyes. "That's one of the craziest things I've ever seen! You deflected a laser man! That was insanely cool!"
The Jedi couldn't help but feel a bit bashful upon hearing that. To hear something that was common practice back at the Jedi Temple be called cool was rather funny but still, it was a nice feeling he couldn't really deny.
Standing back up, Cal unclipped his saber and held it horizontally in front of Red before igniting the azure blade.
Now being able to see it clearly, Red was in complete awe, his eyes reflecting the glow of the lightsaber.
"Whoa~~~" He said. "That is just… I can't even… Whoa~~~"
Cal had to laugh at that reaction, holding his masters saber vertically now.
"This," He bobbed it up and down once. "Is a Lightsaber. Where I come from, most everyone has it. It's a representation of who and what you are to those who recognize it. A Jedi. A guardian and keeper of peace."
"A peacekeeper." Red parroted. "What does that mean then? Like… do you guys go out there and look for problems to solve or…"
He scrunched his face up in thought, mulling over how to answer the question.
"Well… I can't fully answer that, honestly." Cal admitted. "I'm still just a Padawan when I arrived here in Kanto. A learner. I was just getting started in some of my more advanced training but… something…"
Cal's expression fell, now more guilt ridden and sorrowful. Red instantly saw this, internally panicking at the sight.
"Cal? Cal! Hey, are you alright man?" Red frantically asked, grabbing the boys shoulders and lightly shaking him.
It appeared to do the trick as the Jedi snapped out of his daze and looked remorseful now.
"Sorry Red." He whispered. "Didn't mean to worry you like that."
"You're sorry?" Red said in disbelief. "I'm the one who caused you to have a panic attack. If anyone should be sorry it's me."
"It's ok." Cal softly said. "It's just… I'm not ready to talk about… how everything went down. How I got here."
Red immediately gave his friend an understanding smile, patting his shoulder.
"Hey man, it's ok. No need to rush or push it. It's personal, I get it." He stated. "Don't wanna push you to say or do something you'd regret."
He gave the Pallet Town native an appreciative smile.
"Thanks." Cal muttered.
His Pokémon all surrounded him and he felt their worries and care emanating off of them and it quite literally flowed into his very being.
The potency of the Force on this planet was truly astonishing to be able to feel this so easily.
He consciously sent a wave of gratitude through the Force to his Pokémon, the four of them all lighting up upon feeling it.
"Hey, what did you do just now?" Red suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?"
"You guys felt it to right?" The Pokedex trainer turned to his three Pokémon, all of whom nodded at him. "Yeah, I… wait, how'd you even know what I was talking about? What's going on? What is this?"
Cal stared in wide eye disbelief at the boy, letting out a slight chuckle.
"Unbelievable." Kestis muttered. "I knew you maybe had a trace of it but… you have it. Just like I do."
Now it was Red's turn to say "huh?".
"What are ya talkin' about man?"
The Padawan ran his hand through his hair with a torn look.
"I… wish I could explain it better." He said. "Like I said before, I-Loth? What's the matter, little guy?"
His silver Eevee had his head up to the sky, nose twitching about. His ears lowered themselves before perking back up.
"Vee!"
Loth abruptly dashed off towards the docks, startling Cal and Red.
"Hey, Loth! Loth, wait a second, where are ya goin?" The Eevee's trainer called out to him.
Despite this, Loth ran forward to the docks, following a scent his nose had picked up on that wasn't far from here. He heard his trainer, Red and the rest of their Pokémon all going after him which was good.
They can help what he detected with his nose.
Eventually going around the corner of a stack of crates, Loth stopped on what he had picked up on and waited for the rest to arrive.
His trainer was the first one to appear followed by Red and then the rest of the Pokémon.
"Loth." Cal said, slightly exasperated. "What are you-"
Kestis froze upon seeing just what had caught his Eevee's attention.
The silver Pokémon was sniffing a Magnemite that was on the ground, its shell cracked and single eye closed.
Though the Pokémon had no means of conveying emotion visibly, Cal felt its pain and anguish reverberating through the Force.
Loth walked up to the Magnemite, nudging the steel-electric Pokémon with his paw and nose.
"Easy, Loth." Cal quietly said, going over to his Eevee and crouching down next to him. "Let's not make the little guy uncomfortable."
He took another glance at the Magnemite.
"More than he already is."
"How'd he even get here?" Red questioned, looking down at the severely hurt Magnemite.
"Must've either been part of that bombardment Surge unleashed on us from before or… maybe he just wasn't wanted anymore."
Red's shoulders sagged upon hearing that.
"That's terrible." He muttered. "I know Surge is a grade A asshole but to leave his own Pokémon behind…"
"He steals Pokémon for a living." Cal reminded him. "I think morality has been thrown out the window."
Red snorted. "Figured that much. So… what're we gonna do with him?"
Cal silently regarded the badly damaged magnetic Pokémon with a slight frown as he mulled on what to do with it.
It was strange but also surreal just how much had already happened since coming to this planet in a short amount of time.
The discovery of the Force potency here, the astonishingly powerful creatures that reside on the planet, the gentle kindness displayed by one person to outright cruelty from another.
It was…
Cal shook his head.
He really needed to stop allowing his thoughts to wander.
They tend to overwhelm him nowadays. Best not to dwell on it unless he was alone.
Wordlessly, he pulled a poke ball out from his garments and tossed it at the Magnemite, catching the spherical Pokémon with ease.
"Let's get you healed up, little guy." Cal declared, feeling a shift in the Force and the oh so subtle link he had now formed between himself and his newest Pokémon.
And scene.
Another Chapter done and another adventure completed.
And yeah, for those of you unfamiliar with the Pokémon Adventures Manga, there are Gym Leaders from Kanto who are bad guys and are a part of Team Rocket, Surge being one of them.
So Cal has yet another Pokémon added to his team and it's a Magnemite.
Got a bit of time so I have a nickname in mind for the floating ball but wouldn't mind nickname suggestions from the reviews so please share if you want.
Current Roster.
Larvitar(Kaiju): Rock/Ground
Moves: Leer(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Rock Throw(Rock), Payback(Dark), Bite(Dark), Take Down(Normal), Dig(Ground), Headbutt(Normal), Skull Bash(Normal), Rockslide(Rock).
Wooper(Hopper): Water/Ground
Moves: Tail Whip(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Water Gun(Water), Rain Dance(Water), Mud Shot(Ground), Mud-slap(Ground).
Starly(Arc): Normal/Flying
Moves: Growl(Normal), Tackle(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Wing Attack(Flying), Gust(Flying), Double Team(Normal), Peck(Flying), Seismic Toss(Fighting).
Loth(Eevee): Normal
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Covet(Normal), Helping Hand(Normal), Quick Attack(Normal), Tail Whip(Normal), Sand-Attack(Normal), Swift(Normal).
Magnemite: Electric/Steel
Moves: Tackle(Normal), Thundershock(Electric), Supersonic(Tackle), Thunder Wave(Electric), Electro Ball(Electric), Gyro Ball(Steel), Spark(Electric).