"He... ster... al...right?" A faint voice asked. "Mi...ter?"
Brennan's eyes slowly opened. He started pushing himself up, but his body hurt. Every single part of it. He was confused, not knowing where he was or what had happened.
"Hey. Are you alright?" The unfamiliar voice asked again. Brennan, who was now on his hands and knees trying to remember what had happened, looked over and saw a women, who must have been in her late thirties, and a young boy, presumably her son, standing there.
"I... I uh-" Brennan started trying to speak, but stopped once he realized Gardevoir wasn't with him. He got on his knees and quickly looked around, seeing no sign of the Pokémon. "No. No. No. No. No." He repeated quietly, over and over again as he stood up, ignoring the tremendous amount of pain he was currently in. "Gardevoir. Gardevoir! Gardevoir!" He called out, as he frantically looked around.
The woman and her son stood there watching him, as his panic set in.
"H-have you seen a Gardevoir around here?" Brennan asked quickly, as he approached the woman. She shook her head.
"I'm sorry. No I haven't." She replied. Brennan shook his head, not knowing what to think at this point. He quickly tried to come up with anything. Then he realized that she may have gone the rest of the way down the trail to see the pond.
He quickly took off running as fast as he possibly could down the trail. He was hoping that when he got there, Gardevoir would be standing in front of the pond admiring the water.
His heart was getting ready to beat out of his chest. The pain he was feeling was completely gone at this point due to all the adrenaline he currently had coursing through him.
He finally reached the end of the trail, sliding to a stop as he did. He looked around seeing the same beautiful view he saw every time he traveled there. But... there was no sign of Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir?!" Brennan called, as he frantically circled the pond. But he still didn't see anything. "GARDEVOIR!" He yelled as loud as he could. The rustling of leaves were heard, as a couple of Swellow that had been perched in a near by tree flew off, startled by Brennan's yelling.
Brennan shook his head as he watched them. He quickly circled back around to face the pond once again. He was hoping that Gardevoir would be there this time, but she wasn't.
Finally realizing she wasn't there, he took off running as fast as he could back down the trail. Maybe she went back to the apartment? Brennan hoped she did.
He ran as fast as he legs would carry him, not slowing down for anything. His heart was pounding even harder, as sweat ran down his face, matting his bangs to his forehead.
He was scared. He was hoping that he would get back to his apartment, and Gardevor would be in the kitchen, or the livingroom, or the bedroom, or something. Maybe she was feeling sick and headed back? Again, at least that's what Brennan hoped.
He finally saw his apartment building in the distance. His panting only got heavier as he tried to run faster than he already was. He felt like he was about to have a heart attack. But he couldn't stop- he refused to.
He reached the stairs and ran up them, almost tripping as he did. But he still didn't stop. He made it to his apartment and burst through the door, startling both Blaziken and Machamp. They both quickly jumped up, as Brennan ran to the kitchen. They were confused.
Brennan quickly ran to the kitchen and saw that Gardevoir wasn't in there. He quickly turned around on his heels and headed back towards the living room.
"Gardevoir!" Brennan yelled, as he ran down the hallway. He opened up the hall closest as he did. Nothing. Then was Roserade and Sandslash's room. Nothing. He did however wake them up with his yelling. "Gardevoir!" He yelled again, as he rushed into the bathroom and ripped the shower curtain open. Nothing. He ran out of the bathroom and threw his bedroom door open, Mightyena jumped up in surprise as he did. He turned the light on ran to the closet, pulling the door open. Still no Gardevoir.
Brennan spun around to face the opposite direction, pulling on his hair as he stood staring at the wall opposite of the closet. His breathing was heavy. His heart had yet to stop pounding.
Mightyena stood on the bed, staring at Brennan in confusion. He was as lost as the others were when it came to knowing what was going on.
"No, no, no, no, no." Brennan once again muttered over and over to himself, as he slowly shook his head. He exited his room and headed back down the hallway. Mightyena jumped off of the bed and followed behind him.
Roserade and Sandslash had been standing outside the door of their room, staring down the hallway into Brennan's. They stepped out of the way when Brennan came walking back down the hallway. He passed them and went back into the living room.
Blaziken and Machamp stood there, staring at their trainer, as Mightyena, Roserade, and Sandslash entered the room.
"Machamp?" Machamp asked, finally breaking the silence. Brennan didn't look up at his Pokémon. His body was shaking, he felt sick to his stomach, he didn't know what to do.
"G-Gardevoir... she's-she's." Brennan started, before stopping, as he once again shook his head.
His Pokémon waited for him to finish, but he didn't. He quickly pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Luna's phone number. The phone rang three times before she finally answered.
"Hello?" Luna said.
"L-Luna, can you come over... please? G-Gardevoir..." Brennan was saying, before stopping as tears fought to escape him.
"Brennan, what's wrong with Gardevoir?" Luna asked. She could easily tell with the way Brennan sounded that something had happened.
"S-she's gone." Brennan replied in a sad, yet low tone.
"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?" Luna asked.
"She's gone! P-please will you just... Come over?" Brennan snapped in frustration, immediately regretting doing so, as the sadness returned to his voice.
"Don't worry, I will be over as soon as I can get there. Just... relax until then, okay?" Luna said, hoping she could calm him down just a little bit.
"Yeah-yeah, sure." Brennan replied. He hung up with Luna and just stood in the middle of the living room with his phone still in his hand. His Pokémon continued to stare at him. They were all equally as surprised finding out that Gardevoir was apparently gone. Even Blaziken was surprised, which he never thought he would be.
Brennan finally started pacing back and fourth in the middle of the living room, as he waited for Luna to get there. She had always been there for him when he needed help. So obviously she was going to be the first person he called. Not that he had too many options regardless.
Brennan's heart hadn't stopped racing. He had seriously never been more scared-more worried in his life before. He continued to pace back and forth, until there was a knock on the door. He quickly approached the door and pulled it open, standing on the outside were Luna, Lane, Frankie, and Delohox.
"Brennan, have you heard anything from Gardevoir?" Was the first thing that came out of Luna's mouth. Brennan shook his head, before turning his back and continuing with his nervous pacing. The others walked in, and closed the door behind them.
"So what exactly happened?" Lane asked.
"Uh... Gardevoir and I went out for a walk this morning. I-I was going to show her the lake at the end of that trail behind the building. We were walking...and-and all the sudden I felt some kind of electric charge, and then I blacked out. When I came to, Gardevoir was gone." Brennan explained. He was shaking, Luna could see that.
"Brennan-Brennan, sit down. Sit down and try to calm down." Luna said, as she placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to cease his pacing.
"How do you expect me to calm down when Gardevoir is out there somewhere?" Brennan asked, looking over at her. His worry was very apparent. He had been one of Luna's bestfriends for a long time, and throughout all the years they had known each other, she had never seen him so worried and upset before.
"Brennan, please." Luna pleaded with him. It was clear to Brennan that Luna was worried about him. And he already knew she had his best interest in mind. He sighed and nodded, before finally sitting down on the edge of the coffee table. A small, relieved smile crossed Luna's face as he did. "Thank you." She thanked him softly.
"So... lets go over this again. You and Gardevoir decided to go on a walk at eight o'clock in the morning, without telling your other Pokémon where you were going. And because of that, you got attacked...from behind, and blacked out, and when you woke up, Gardevoir was gone?" Frankie said curiously, trying to understand the story. Brennan looked up at him, before giving him an almost un-noticeable nod. He did realize after Frankie had said it that he probably should have woke up his other Pokémon and at least told them where they were going. It's just... he wanted to be alone with Gardevoir; to enjoy the beautiful pond, with the cool morning air blowing on them. "Don't you think it would have been a little more- I don't know... smart? To at least warn your Pokémon that you were going out? Heck, maybe they could have prevented this." He continued.
Brennan already knew he was right about. He should have told his Pokémon his plans. But being scolded by him at that moment for making a dumb mistake is not something he wanted to deal with. He had more important things to worry about. Like finding Gardevoir, for instance.
"I'm sorry, Brennan, but I have to agree with him on this one. It was a pretty bad idea to go out without letting your other Pokémon go with you, or at least letting them know you were leaving." Lane said. Brennan looked down towards the floor, not even wanting to reply to that.
"Guys, stop." Luna said, as she looked over at the two males. Brennan was hurting. She knew that. They were there to help him, not make him feel worse than he already did.
"No, Luna. They're right. I should have told the others. But I didn't. That was my mistake, and I can't let Gardevoir pay for it." Brennan said, as he finally looked up at the group.
"Are you sure she was even kidnapped? I mean, what's the possibility that she left on her own?" Frankie asked.
"No." Brennan replied almost immediately after Frankie finished. "N-no. She wouldn't leave on her own. I know she wouldn't." He said, slightly shaking his head as he did. He refused to believe that Gardevoir would just decide to leave on her own. Especially after the previous night. He could just feel her happiness as she cuddled into his side and slept in his arms. She wouldn't just decide to give that all up would she?
"Gardevoir wouldn't do that. Did you guys see how happy she was the other day?" Luna asked, taking Brennan's side in the matter. Frankie and Lane nodded in response.
"But even if she didn't leave on her own, who would want to kidnap her?" Lane asked. Pokémon getting kidnapped from their trainers' was nothing new. But it was very rare that reports of kidnappings came out in Slateport.
"I don't know. That's a good questions." Luna said, before looking back at Brennan. "Brennan, since you've met her, have you spotted or met anyone that would want to hurt Gardevoir, or maybe acted a little weird around her?" She asked. Brennan thought about it a minute. No one immediately came to his mind.
"No. The first time we went out in public together after I brought her back here was when we went to the mall the other day." He replied. That's when he remembered something. Something that may be very crucial. "Wait. That guy." He said.
"What guy?" Luna asked.
"The guy from the mall. Uh... after we went to the cart that sold the berries, Gardevoir and I were stopped by this guy. He was blonde, and was wearing a really cheap looking suit, and had a scar over his left eye. He asked me if I would sell him Gardevoir. I had to tell him no three times, and it probably pissed him off." Brennan replied.
"Oh, that's right. You told us about that guy the other day." Lane said. Brennan nodded.
"I took care of it, or... at least I thought I did. The dude didn't look like he was even the slightest bit harmful. He looked like he still lived with his mom." He said.
"But do you really think that guy was the one who did it? I mean, why would he go through the trouble to stalk you, attack you, and steal your Gardevoir?" Luna asked.
"It has to be him. No one else seemed to have an interest in Gardevoir, at least no one I noticed." Brennan replied.
"Well, then we should go back to the mall and see if we can find him." Luna suggested. Brennan nodded.
"Yeah... we should." He said, before finally standing back up.
"Hold on. Do you really think that guy would go back to the mall after attacking someone and kidnapping a Pokémon?" Lane asked. "I don't think anyone is that dumb." He continued.
"You haven't said anything in awhile. What do you think, Frankie?" Luna asked, as she looked over at him. Frankie looked around at his three friends, before nodding.
"Oh, uh... yeah. Maybe checking the mall is a good idea. Even if he's not there, we may still run into him in the city." He replied. He grew somewhat fidgety when he did.
"Okay, then. It's settled. Lets head for the city, and fast. The last thing we want to do is miss the guy if he's actually there." Luna said.
Luna took the lead out of the apartment as everyone else followed behind. They started the walk towards the city, but the whole time they walked, Brennan couldn't get rid of the sick feeling in his stomach.
The pain he was feeling after being electrocuted unconscious was nothing compared to how he felt knowing Gardevoir was out there somewhere, probably scared to death. Just the thought of her being more scared than she was last night, and him not being there to comfort her made tears swell up in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away, knowing crying was the last thing he needed to be doing at that moment.
"So this guy, did he have a name?" Luna asked, as she slowed to allow Brennan to catch up to her.
"It was Irwin something... I think. He told me his whole name, I just don't remember it." He replied honestly, as he looked over at her. Luna nodded.
"If he really was the guy behind it, we'll find him. Don't worry." She said, trying to reassure Brennan. He stared at her for several seconds, before looking straight again, not saying a word as he did. He just hoped she was right.
Blaziken and Delphox had been tailing behind the others. Delphox was just as worried about Gardevoir as the others were. She was clutched on to Blaziken's arm for slight comfort. Blaziken couldn't help but stare ahead at Brennan. He knew that Brennan cared about Gardevoir. It was obvious. And even though he didn't care for her personally, Blaziken would never wish something like this on any Pokémon. He honestly felt bad for Brennan.
After a long, miserable walk, they finally saw the city up ahead, this is when Brennan's speed picked up, as he ran towards it.
"Brennan! Wait!" Luna exclaimed, as she ran after him. The others followed behind her.
"Gardevoir!" Brennan called, as he started his run towards the mall. He was ignoring all the passerby's who decided to stop and look at him. He didn't give a damn what any of them thought at that particular moment. "Gardevoir!" He called again, as he frantically ran through the busy, city streets. He was hoping by even the slightest chance she would hear him and come floating into his arms. But she didn't.
Luna eventually caught up to Brennan, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Hey! Brennan! Stop!" Luna said. Brennan stopped running. Staring ahead from where he stood. Luna walked in front of him and saw the tears once again building up in his eyes. "Hey. It's okay. We'll find her." She said very softly. Brennan looked away from her, before his eyes once again traveled back. He sniffled and wiped the tears that had escaped, before nodding.
"Yeah-yeah, I... know." He replied. Luna stared at him for several more seconds, before nodding. The others caught up to them as she did.
"Lets get to the mall." Luna said. Brennan slightly nodded, before continuing his walk. Luna stared at him as he walked away, before looking back at the others. She motioned for them to follow.
Once they reached the mall, Brennan stopped at the same fountain he and Gardevoir had thrown their wish coin into. He looked away and closed his eyes tight, before shaking his head. He took a deep breath, before continuing on his way.
He reached the mall doors and headed inside, not waiting for the others. He quickly ran through the mall, bumping into patrons as he did. He ran straight towards the spot where the man had stopped him and Gardevoir.
"Hey! No running in the mall!" A security guard yelled from across the way, as Brennan ran through the mall. He didn't stop. He didn't even acknowledge the guard. "Hey!" The guard exclaimed, as he quickly started making his way towards Brennan.
"Brennan! Hey!" Luna yelled from behind, as she tried to catch up to him.
Brennan made it to the spot where the man had confronted him and Gardevoir, but there was no sign of him; No sign of Gardevoir either. Brennan shook his head as he looked around, trying to see if he could spot either one of them in the crowed.
"Hey! I was talking to you!" The security guard exclaimed, as he approached Brennan and roughly grabbed ahold of his shoulder. Brennan jerked away from him, as he turned to face him.
"I have more important things to worry about than you!" Brennan said, as he and the guard stared each other down. Luna ran up and pushed Brennan back.
"Brennan, calm down." She said. Brennan didn't take his eyes off of the guard. Luna turned around to face him.
"I'm sorry about that. He's upset." She said. The guard held eye contact with Brennan for several more seconds, before looking down at Luna.
"Doesn't give him the right to break the malls rules and then ignore me." The guard said.
"I'm trying to find the asshole that kidnapped my Gardevoir." Brennan said. Luna looked back at him, slightly surprised. Brennan was the kind of person that didn't cuss. So when he did, it was very shocking.
"That Gardevoir you were with the other day?" The guard asked. Brennan nodded.
"Yeah." He replied.
"That blonde guy you were talking to? The one with that really crappy looking suit. Is that who you're looking for?" The guard asked.
"That's exactly who I'm looking for." Brennan replied, a slight hint of anger present in his voice with his response.
"I saw that guy leave with another guy in a black jacket and a Zoroark that was wearing an armband. I think they may have been part of some group or something. At least, they looked like they were." The guard explained.
"Wasn't Delphox talking to a Zoroark?" Brennan asked, as he looked at Luna. She nodded.
"Yeah, she was." She replied in a worried tone.
"I don't mean to scare you, but they may even be part of that team of low life criminals that are always running around Hoenn looking for wild Pokémon." The guard said. Brennan hadn't heard much about this group, but he knew people didn't like them. He knew just about what the guard had just told him. But now worrying about them being behind kidnapping Gardevoir, it made him despise each and every one of them.
"I-I have to go." Brennan said, before turning around and speed walking back towards the entrance. Luna and the guard watched for several seconds, before looking back at each other.
"Look, I hope your friend finds his Pokémon." The guard said.
"Thank you." Luna thanked him, before heading after Brennan.
Brennan exited the mall, where his group had been waiting for his and Luna's return.
"Nothing?" Lane asked.
"The guard... he said he left with another guy wearing a black jacket and a Zoroark wearing an armband." Brennan replied, as he did, Luna approached them. Delphox grew slightly surprised when he said that. She knew it had to have been the Zoroark that was flirting with her.
"Black jacket and black armband?" Frankie said in a somewhat shaky voice. "Team Scavenge." He continued.
"Team Scavenge?" Brennan said curiously.
"They... capture wild Pokémon and experiment on them." Frankie explained. "But kidnapping Pokémon is something they aren't scared to do." He added. Brennan shook his head. His heart sank like a ship when he heard that.
"That's... horrible." Luna said, surprised and disgusted by what Frankie had just told them.
"Where do we find them? I'm going." Brennan said. He wasn't scared of them. But, he did know if any one of them laid their dirty, little fingers on Gardevoir, he would kill all of them.
"You aren't seriously thinking about going to find them by yourself are you?" Lane asked. Brennan nodded.
"Look, I appreciate your guys help, but this is my problem, not yours. I don't want you guys to have to be caught up with a team like that." He replied, Luna shook her head.
"Absolutely not. How could you say something like that?" She asked, clearly offended by what Brennan had just say. "You're our friend, and Gardevoir is too. You aren't going anywhere near them without us." She said very sternly. Delphox nodded in agreement.
"Yeah dude, come on. Did you really think you were going to be able to get rid of us that easy?" Lane asked.
"Thanks you guys." Brennan said, in a very thankful tone. Frankie sighed.
"Their headquarters is about a days walk out of the south side of the city. If we leave soon we should be there around this time tomorrow." He explained. Brennan nodded.
"Okay, lets go." He said.
"Wait. We can't go on a days walk without any sort of supplies, or at least water. We won't make it." Luna said.
"Yeah, heading home and gathering a couple of things shouldn't take too long." Lane said. Brennan didn't want to waste any time. He wanted to leave right then and start their walk towards Team Scavenge's headquarters. But he knew the others were right. They wouldn't be able to make a full days walk as unprepared as they currently were.
"Fine. But please, we can't take too long." He reluctantly agreed. Luna nodded.
"We won't." She said. Brennan barely nodded in response as he looked around, that's when his eyes stopped on the small clearing in the forest behind the mall where he and Gardevoir first met. He stared at it for several seconds, before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, we'll find her." Luna repeated in a soft, reassuring tone. Brennan closed his eyes, his head dropping down as he did.
"Lets go." He said.
"Okay. We'll all meet back up at the south side route leading out of the city." Lane said. The others nodded in agreement, before everyone headed where they needed to.
Brennan didn't even wait for the others to head out, before he took off running back towards the trail at the end of town leading to his apartment. He again ran through the large crowed of people, as he raced towards the trail. He didn't show any signs of slowing even after he made it.
Brennan ran as fast as he could back towards his apartment, with his Pokémon running behind him. He wanted to get in, fill up his bag, and get out.
Once they made it there, he burst through the door and immediately headed towards his bedroom, while his Pokémon stopped to take a breather in the living room.
He grabbed his bag out of his closet, stopping once he saw Gardevoir's wardrobe. He took another deep breath, before turning around and rushing towards his dresser. He grabbed his cell phone, baseball cap, and hoodie, before clasping his Poké balls to his belt and heading out of the room. He ran back down the hallway and towards the kitchen, before grabbing a few water bottles and a box of granola bars and throwing them into the bag. After he had what he needed, he headed back into the living room.
"Lets go." Brennan said, as he headed to the front door. His Pokémon tiredly followed behind him. After they exited, he locked the door and pulled it closed, before immediately going back to running.
He ran all the way back down the trail and towards the meet up spot he and the others had agreed on, at the route leading out of the south side of the city. His Pokémon were somewhat relieved that the others weren't there yet, that way they got to take a breather after all the running.
Brennan started growing very impatient the longer it took them to get there. At one point, he was even thinking about leaving without them. But just as he thought about going through with it, they finally showed up.
"Do you guys got everything?" Brennan asked.
"Yeah, we do." Luna replied.
"Okay, then lets go." Brennan said, before starting his walk down the old dirt road. The others followed behind.
As the group started their walk out of the city, Brennan started thinking. Gardevoir was the only thing he was going to be able to think about. He wanted her back. He wanted to know she was safe; that no one was hurting her. He was going to kill someone if they were... and he knew it. He was determined to find her, and he wasn't going to stop until he did.