Knocks in the Night
After getting their dinner (free meals for Pokémon trainers – of course Tyson and Daichi had to go all out) Nurse Joy happily agreed to take them on a tour of the Pokémon Centre. It was a wonderful all-purpose facility for trainers and travellers; not only was it a clinic, a vetinary hospital, a hostel and a bed-and-breakfast, it also had a large backyard that had been transformed into a training yard for Pokémon. There was a battlefield, an obstacle course and a jungle gym. To the side of the yard was a sandpit with a children's playground. Nurse Joy had to return to her duties but before that informed them that the Pokémon Centre shut its lights off at ten o'clock and closed the training yard at nine.
The yard was empty so the group had a free run of the facility, which they gladly took to. Mari made the suggestion that they should practise Pokémon battles by taking turns on the battlefield and the beybladers were only slightly disappointed to hear that a half-serious training battle couldn't be counted towards their official battle records. They figured that it may be for the best anyway, since for Max, Ray and Hilary this was their first attempt at giving their Pokémon instructions in a battle situation. That was a disadvantage in experience for them.
They rotated on the battlefield quite randomly and while one pair occupied it the others found ways to utilise the rest of the equipment, not necessarily for Pokémon training. While Kai and Daichi were pitting Poochyena and Geodude against each other, Tyson and Max discovered what Mari referred to as a 'rolling pool'. It was a semi-spherical object set into the ground. Their first instinct upon coming across it was to let their beyblades rip right into the middle of it. It was only after Mari had wandered over and gawked at the intense display of flying sparks and grinding attack rings that she informed them of its intended use: for practising rolling moves such as something called 'Rollout'. Tyson and Max had no idea what that was and were fairly certain that none of their Pokémon could do that so they continued using it as a beydish anyway. Ray also found a way to use a low ropes course as a balancing exercise for his beyblade and was surprised to see Treecko jump onto the course and attempt to keep up with Drigger. In the meantime, Hilary was beside a tree with flags hanging out of its branches, discovering that her Ralts could make them ripple, shudder and sway haphazardly with her Confusion attack.
The hours flew by while everyone was having fun. Before she knew it, Hilary noticed that the clock above the back doors of the Pokémon Centre had struck a quarter to nine and she was quick to remind everyone of the curfews. The others picked up their beyblades and their Pokémon and left the yard, gathering together at the doors.
"I wish they didn't have this stupid rule," Daichi complained. "I want to keep going!" Geodude voiced his agreement and waved his fists happily.
"You're probably just running on adrenalin. This was a lot of fun," Ray replied, pocketing Drigger as Treecko climbed onto his shoulder. "I know I want to spend more time with Treecko. It was interesting to see the way he actually moves – I can already see this having big implications for how to train him and battle with him. This is way different to practising blading."
"Speaking of which, it's pretty cool that we actually managed to find a beydish," Tyson added. "So we can even practise for the upcoming championships. I guess this world isn't as uncool as I thought."
"It's a rolling pool and it's for Pokémon," Mari pouted.
"It looked like a beydish to me and that's all that matters."
"What?" Hilary groaned, looking out onto the battlefield. "Those two still aren't finished?"
Max and Kai were still going at their sparring match but it looked like Kai clearly had the upper hand. Magikarp tackled Mudkip again and the little blue Pokémon was knocked back… again. He sat up and shook his head. Max sighed. He tried giving his Mudkip several orders but the Pokémon wouldn't listen. He even used his Pokédex to check the kinds of moves Mudkip knew.
"I wouldn't worry," Mari said to Hilary, "it looks like this will be over soon."
"Flail!" Kai commanded. His Magikarp launched herself forward and began to slap Mudkip silly with her tail.
"Hey, Mudkip! Defend yourself! Use Tail Whip… or something…"
Mudkip ignored that order too and just curled up on the ground as Magikarp splashed around on top of him, turning a normally useless attacked into something slightly painful.
Kai brushed some bangs out of his face and ordered Magikarp to finish off with another tackle. Mudkip was knocked back into Max's legs but he wasn't knocked out yet. Max knelt down to pick up his Pokémon.
"Man, Kai, you're so mean!"
"I'm not 'mean'. You're just incompetent."
"Hey!"
"I meant that."
"Look, just because you're Mr. Perfect-"
"It doesn't have anything to do with being perfect," Kai snapped. "Every time you order your Pokémon to do something you hesitate and sound uncertain. As a result, Mudkip is confused and nervous."
"Well, actually… I feel kind of silly…" Max admitted.
"Then get over it. Even Daichi can give his Geodude orders with confidence."
"All I'm saying is that if you've got everything so under control, why are you insisting on training so hard? Seriously, you've done more sparring with Magikarp than anyone else has done with any of their Pokémon and there's a beydish over there that's been missing you all night."
"You know it's not actually a beydish," Kai retorted. He returned Magikarp to her Pokéball and stared at the ball. "This Pokémon is weak. I have to make her evolve somehow."
"You want to turn her into Gyarados?" Max asked, voice shaking a little. Kai had asked about Magikarp's evolved form over dinner and Mari had gone into great detail about the creature (or at least the mythology surrounding it). Apparently it was a huge dragon-like creature feared all over the seas because of its frightening power and ferocious nature. "Why would you want that so soon?"
Kai shot him a hard stare. "How will I be able to win at Pokémon battles if my Pokémon are weak?"
"Well, okay… if you want it that way." Max sighed and returned Mudkip to his Pokéball.
"Wow, drama," Mari muttered under her breath.
"Hey, are you guys going to come inside?" Hilary called across the battlefield. "The lights out here are going to go out in about ten minutes! Hurry up!"
"You don't have to be a bossy old hag about it," Daichi said casually.
Hilary rounded on him. "What did you call me!?"
The other bladers sighed and shook their heads as Daichi turned tail and ran back into the building with Hilary hot on his heels. Mari watched them zoom out of sight and blinked in bewilderment.
"You'll get used to seeing them like this," Tyson assured her, shrugging as if this occurrence was ordinary. "So, if there's nothing else we might as well just hit the hay for the night."
The others agreed and filed into the building. Unbeknownst to them as they retired to their rooms, they had been watched by a shady duo hiding in the bushes. They lowered their specialised high-tech binoculars. One of them was female with lavender hair that was all combed over to one side and ended with a carefully styled curl. It was held together with a lot of hairspray and a blue headband that had a cartoonish skull pinned onto it. She wore a black and white striped dress, black gloves and knee-high blue boots with white stripes at the top. Her partner was a boy with frizzy orange hair. He tried as best he could to keep it held back with bobby pins and a thin headband but it just all stuck out the back. He wore a black and white striped shirt with a black sleeveless jacket and blue trousers. His gloves and shoes were both black. Beside them a little, purple, cat-like Pokémon looked on worriedly.
"Alright! This is the chance we've been waiting for!" the girl hissed. She darted over to a khaki bag and rummaged through it until she found was she had been looking for – a minicomputer the size of a mobile phone. She downloaded the images from her binoculars and saved them. "Finally! Got a lock on that little girl! After searching for all this time revenge can finally be exacted!"
The boy yawned. "CTFD, girl. Remember what happened in Johto? We can't just jump into this even with your phenomenal enthusiasm…"
"We're not going to jump into this!" the girl snapped back. "You're going to use your brains to figure out how we're going to get back at her and nab at least one Pokémon while I work on creating this report!"
"At least one…?" the boy raised an eyebrow. "Wow… actually setting yourself a realistic goal?"
"Shut up! If we don't conjure some promising results for our boss this time around we're going to be fired! I don't wanna be fired!"
The little, purple Pokémon purred thoughtfully.
"K..." the boy said with a sigh. "Obvious solution in this case is to disrupt group dynamics… aim at a weak link. P sure we've already seen who… Great that he's got a cool Pokémon…"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just tell me how we're gonna get it."
Max sat down on the floor next to the bunk he'd chosen and sighed. He didn't have any pyjamas so he had to sleep in his shirt and boxers but the Pokémon Centre wasn't nearly as cold as the great outdoors. Sleeping under the stars had been fun and all but it was nice to know that every now and again there would be a modern comfort like the Pokémon Centre. He recalled from summers spent on camps in America that camping out for long periods of time was often really hard. He turned to the bed. Mudkip had been let out for bedtime so he lay curled up on Max's pillow.
"Why can't I get this down like everyone else," Max murmured to himself. He reached into the pockets of his pants and pulled out his beyblade. Draciel caught the moonbeams shining through the open window and gleamed. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I mean, I didn't know anything about Pokémon to start with… but neither did anyone else. Maybe I just picked the wrong creature." He sighed. "Maybe Kai's right and it's something wrong with me."
He set Draciel on the floor and moved to sit on his bed. The bed was a basic double bunk but it wasn't terrible quality. These things could be very comfortable after days of roughing it. Mudkip sighed in his sleep. Max petted him gently and stared at the smooth, blue skin contemplatively.
"Wow, what a cute Pokémon," said an unfamiliar female voice. "Mind if we take it off your incompetent hands?"
Max looked up at the two strangers who'd suddenly appeared in the room he was sharing with Tyson, Daichi and Kai. Perched on the male's shoulder was a giant, purple moth with green wings.
"Ah! W-what are you doing in here?!" Max exclaimed loudly.
"Hey, shhh…" the male of the pair said. "Inconsiderate to the others staying here…"
"Hey, Tyson! Kai! Wake up!" Max shouted, wondering why Kai – who wasn't a deep sleeper at all – hadn't already woken up.
"Give up! They'll be lost in dreamy-land for a while longer," the female said with a smirk. Max looked past them at the bunk bed shared by Tyson and Kai. They were both fast asleep with Togepi curled up beside Kai's pillow. They were covered in a thin veil of blue powder. He could guess that Daichi above him was also covered with it.
"Ready to join them?" the female mocked. The giant moth lifted itself off her companion's shoulder and hovered in front of Max. It beat its wings, blowing some of the blue powder into his face. As he inhaled it he began to get drowsy very quickly until he fell into a deep sleep.
Ray knocked on the door of his teammates' room. "Hello? Why are you guys yelling?" he asked, still half asleep. Mari and Hilary poked their heads out of their room and blinked blearily.
"What's happening?" Mari asked.
"I don't know. They were yelling about something. Maybe we should check on them." Ray yawned and opened the door. "Eh…? Where's Max?"
"He's gone?" Hilary asked. She and Mari darted out of their room and pushed past Ray. "He's gone! Tyson! Kai, Daichi! Get up!" she yelled, going straight up to Tyson and slapping him on the face. He didn't wake up but contact with his skin left a blue powder on Hilary's hand.
"Huh? What's this?" she muttered, bringing it to her nose to sniff it.
"Hilary, I don't think it's a good idea to breathe that in," Ray warned.
Too late. Hilary slumped and let her head fall onto the side of Tyson's bed. She was fast asleep.
"Whoa, I've never seen sleeping concoction that powerful before. What is that?"
"Sleep Powder," Mari easily diagnosed. "Some Pokémon can create it somewhere on or in their bodies."
"Then do you think somebody used a Pokémon to do this?" Ray replied. "And if so, why?"
Mari shrugged. "Weird. You guys are new to this dimension so it doesn't make sense that anyone would be out to get you."
"We need to find whoever did this and get some answers but we'll need to track them fast before they get too far away to chase."
Mari nodded seriously. "I'll get Woofy."
Something felt wrong. Max was roused from sleep by a very uncomfortable feeling. He opened his eyes and stared at a fire still blazing in the dark… upside down. He tried to yell out and squirmed a bit, only to realize that he was tied up, gagged and suspended from a tree branch by his feet. He looked over the upside down campsite. The two strangers who had kidnapped him were fast asleep around it and his Pokémon was sobbing fearfully somewhere he couldn't see. He tried to lift his head against gravity and look at the knots binding his feet and hands. It didn't look like he'd be able to undo them from his position. He relaxed and just hung there, unsure of what to do and feeling utterly defeated.
He was startled by a rustle in the bushes behind him. He turned around to the best of his ability and saw Ray crawl out from under a bush beside the tree he was tied up in. Ray put a finger to his lips and got up to rip the duct tape off and pull out the wad of cloth in his mouth. Ray's Treecko climbed up the tree and down the rope, working on the knots around Max's hands.
"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you, Ray," Max whispered.
"You can give Mari some of the thanks," Ray replied. "After all, she's the one who managed to get us here."
There was another rustle in the bush and Max looked over his shoulder just as Mari and Woofy crawled underneath it. Mari smiled at him. Treecko had already finished undoing the knot around his hands and climbed up to work on his feet.
"Max, who are those people?" Ray asked, looking over to the duo sleeping around the fire.
"I have no idea," Max said, "but I think they came to steal my Pokémon. Mari, do you know them?"
"Never seen them before in my life," Mari said. "But I'm not surprised. There are some criminals out there who steal Pokémon but usually just rare Pokémon to sell for big bucks."
"Is Mudkip rare?"
"In the wild, somewhat. But it's bred for beginner trainers so frequently it wouldn't be worth the trouble of stealing one from a trainer."
Max suddenly fell from the tree and landed on Ray. Treecko cringed and shrunk back on the rope he was hanging from sheepishly. Both bladers hit the ground with a heavy thud and a cry of alarm. Mari clamped a hand over her mouth as if it was her who had made the sound and looked warily at the camp. The first to stir was the woman. She sat up in her sleeping bag wearily and rubbed her eyes. She nudged the man beside her.
"Hey, Jamie, did you hear something weird?"
The man also awoke and pushed himself up on his elbows. He glanced around the site. It wasn't enough time for Ray, Max and Mari to duck back into the bushes and hide. "Hey!" he exclaimed. The little purple Pokémon sleeping beside them woke up at the loud exclamation. The duo leaped to their feet.
"What do you guys think you're doing trying to escape like that?!" the woman shrieked.
"Busted…" Max muttered.
Mari stood up straight, pointing directly at the duo. "You can't stop us from escaping! Don't even know why you wanted to kidnap one of us in the first place but we won't lose to you!"
The woman ground her teeth and clenched her fists, looking very much like she was about to throw a tantrum. The man patted her on the shoulder. "Now, now, girl, don't work yourself up. We've still got the Pokémon…"
"You mean that one?" Ray asked, pointing to a bush that Mari's Pokémon was standing by. Woofy held a branch in his jaws that had been snapped off to reveal a cage with Max's Mudkip inside.
"Oh, man… if I'd known you guys had a Growlithe…" the man drawled.
"We're not letting you stop us from getting away with this!" the woman exclaimed, taking a Pokéball and throwing it up in the air. "Zangoose! I choose you!" The Pokémon that emerged looked quite fierce. It was white with long ears and a streak of orange across its furry body and its fingers had long claws on the end.
The man snickered. "Technically, Zangoose is the only one you can choose…"
The woman growled. "Shut up and help me beat the lights out of these guys!"
The boy sighed, taking a Pokéball out of his pocket. "Fine… Spinda…" He released his Pokémon, a red and white rabbit-like creature that looked like it was already knocked out. It swayed from side to side as though it couldn't balance.
"Looks like we have to fight," Ray muttered. He called up to his Pokémon: "Treecko, let's go." Treecko nodded and jumped down from the rope.
"Wait, Ray," Mari exclaimed, using a hand signal to order her Pokémon to get between Treecko and the other two Pokémon. "These people are probably more experienced in battle than you and Treecko are. Let me and Woofy handle this."
"You can't do this by yourselves," Ray argued.
"Enough!" the woman screamed. "Zangoose, use your Slash attack!"
Zangoose charged forward with its claws spread. Mari ordered her Growlithe to do a Quick Attack, ducking under Zangoose's claws and swiftly tackling it in the stomach. Zangoose sailed into the air. The Man used the opportunity to have Spinda sneak up underneath Zangoose with Rapid Spin, hitting Woofy head on. The puppy yelped as he was thrown back. Ray ordered Treecko to do a sliding tackle, slamming into Spinda's foot and overbalancing it. It landed face flat on the ground.
"Ray, told you to stay out of this!" Mari hissed at him. "Your Pokémon is too weak."
"It's not all about strength in this battle," Ray argued. "So your Pokémon may be the only one on par with the opponent but if you try to do this on your own their tag team tactics will just run circles around you. You need a partner."
"A partner weaker than the opponent isn't much use. They'll take advantage of you."
"How about we raise the stakes a little," the woman suggested, licking her lips. "We win the battle we win your Pokémon. Sound fair?"
"No!" Mari said.
"Zangoose, use Pursuit on that little grass-type."
"Spinda, use Sand Attack," the man said.
Spinda wobbled to its feet to start doing some more spinning, kicking the dirt into Woofy and Treecko's faces. Zangoose darted to the left of Treecko but stopped abruptly and seemed to disappear. Unable to see very well, Treecko leaned to prepare for an attack on the left. Zangoose appeared on the right looking supernaturally dark and fierce and slammed into Treecko. Treecko bounced and skidded on the ground towards Ray's feet. He gasped. Mari clenched her teeth and ordered Woofy to use Ember.
Meanwhile, Max slipped by the battle unnoticed and ducked under the bush where Mudkip was hidden. Mudkip looked up at him hopefully but didn't seem excited to see him. Max picked up a decent sized rock and began to bash the lock on the cage.
"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here," he muttered. The clang of the rock was outdone by the screech of Zangoose after getting hit with Woofy's Bite attack. Spinda had made itself confused, giving Treecko the room to use Pound on it. Spinda stumbled and then wobbled right back and returned the attack. The little green Pokémon was barely conscious. Ray decided to return him to his Pokéball.
The lock broke open. Mudkip smiled and Max beamed in return, picking up his little blue Pokémon. A ferocious feline growl interrupted their reunion. Max and Mudkip turned. A little purple cat Pokémon was glaring at them with puffed fur. It turned around to alert its masters but Max grabbed it first.
Woofy yelped when Zangoose hit him with Crush Claw and was volleyed back by Spinda's Dizzy Punch. Mari chewed the fingernails on one hand and dug into her pocket for a berry. She tossed the Oran berry to Woofy, who took it gratefully but it only made the pup feel a little better. Suddenly, a little blue Pokémon jumped onto the field.
"Use Water Gun!" Max shouted. Mudkip squirted a thin jet of water into Zangoose's face, startling it more than damaging it. Mari quickly ordered Woofy to use Ember, followed by Take Down. Zangoose was knocked so far back it crashed into its owner.
"Why you…!" the woman snarled. "How'd you get your Pokémon out without us knowing?! And where's Purrloin?!"
"Oh, you mean that one?" Max said, pointing to the bushes where the little purple Pokémon was looking sullen in a cage that was closed tightly with rope.
The ginger man clenched his teeth and commanded Spinda to use Rapid Spin. Max gave Mudkip the order to use Mud Slap. He wet a little patch of dirt and then used his tail to fling it. The attack was easily flung away by the spinning but Woofy's Ember managed to not only stop Spinda but set it on fire too. It ran back to its owner in a panic.
"Okay, time to wind this up. Woofy, use Take Down!"
The Growlithe took a huge run up at the group. The woman returned a knocked-out Zangoose quickly and the man took out another Pokéball while his Spinda rolled around in the dirt to put the fire out. He threw it high, bringing out his only other Pokémon.
"Dustox, Stun Spore," the man ordered. Dustox beat its wings to let loose a cloud of golden powder in Woofy's face. The Growlithe skidded to a halt, the powder stinging his eyes.
"Hey! That's the Pokémon that knocked me out," Max exclaimed, pointing to the green-winged insect.
"They used a Dustox?" Mari replied. She set her jaw. "Doesn't matter, this'll be fine. Means that Woofy definitely has a type advantage. Use Ember, Woofy."
Woofy whimpered. His eyes still stung and his muscles had become stiff.
"What happened to him?" Ray asked.
"Paralysed," Mari muttered, more to herself. She checked her pockets to see what remedy she could find but Oran was the only berry she'd thought to bring. "Haven't got anything that could help right now. Woofy, you'll have to hold on. Try using Ember."
Woofy just whined, as if he had lost the will to do anything as well as the strength. The man ordered his Dustox to tackle the weakened Pokémon. Mudkip used Water Gun on Max's command, soaking Dustox's fragile wings. He followed that up with Tackle. Dustox hovered erratically. It was dazed and needed to flap hard just to stay in the air.
"Guess this is my only chance," the woman whispered, reaching under the skirt of her dress. With a quick flick she launched a lasso onto the battlefield, looping the noose around Growlithe's neck. She pulled sharply, tugging Woofy off his feet.
"What? No!" Mari shrieked.
"Dustox, use String Shot," the man snapped.
Max and Mudkip both gasped, caught unaware when Dustox spat a stream of fine, white silk from its mouth. Mudkip started running to dodge it. Max told it to use Water Gun again, water-logging it even further, and then Mud Slap. Mudkip turned around and kicked some of the mud on the ground into Dustox, aiming particularly for its face. The woman picked up the paralysed Growlithe and made a dash for it. The man returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs and followed suit, grabbing the cage with their Purrloin along the way.
"Hey! Get back here!" Ray yelled after them.
"They took my Pokémon!" Mari cried, starting to run after them as they disappeared into the forest. Ray, Max and Mudkip followed but all of them were stopped by a sudden gust of wind. An odd contraption rose out from behind the treetops; it was a hot air balloon basket but instead of a balloon it was powered by an array of propellers.
"I don't get this. After you went to all this trouble to try and steal my Pokémon why didn't you?" Max asked.
"Ha! Knew you wouldn't expect this!" the woman laughed. "Why would we want a weak, barely trained Pokémon like yours? We only kidnapped you and your Pokémon – the weakest – so that we could lure out strongest in your team and hopefully get them at a time when they're less prepared!"
Mari hung her head. "Damn it! I'm an idiot!"
"Now we've got this pretty strong Growlithe, IOH," the man added.
"No way! You can't take Woofy! And who are you anyway?"
"Oh! We didn't give you the memo? Prepare to be dazzled, girlie!" the woman tittered. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double," the man recited.
"I have the feeling something really annoying is about to happen," Ray mumbled. Max nodded.
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all peoples within our nations."
"To denounce the evils of truth and woe."
"To extend our reach to the depths below."
"Jemima!"
"Jamie…"
"Team Aqua, diving deep at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight."
Purrloin even chimed in at the end to finish.
Max faced palmed. Ray had an uncomfortable look on his face. "That was embarrassing just to listen to."
"But you can forget that last part because we've already won!" Jemima cackled as Jamie steered the flying machine away. "Toodle-doo, ya wimps!"
They eventually disappeared from sight in the dark sky. Mari stared at them and when they were gone she just stared into nothing. She fell to her knees.
"No way… that didn't happen, right?" she muttered.
Ray swallowed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, next time we see them we'll get Woofy back."
Mari didn't seem to be listening. She put her head in her hands and her shoulders began to shake with sobs. "How could that have even happened? Thought my Pokémon would have been strong enough… he should have been strong enough… why did this even happen?"
Ray and Max cast uneasy glances at each other. "There's no use in blaming either yourself or your Pokémon," Ray advised. "What's done is done and the only thing you can do now is learn from your mistakes and make a plan to get Woofy back in the future."
"No, you don't understand!" Mari barked at him, standing up and glaring at him. She pushed past him and began the walk back to the Pokémon Centre. "Let's go back already. We got the blondie and his Pokémon."
Max gaped at her. "Hey!"
She paid no mind and kept walking. Max and Ray looked at each other, both worried for their friend and resigned themselves to just keeping up with her quietly.
A/N: I'm not even sorry... except for Jamie and Jemima's shameless and pretty embarrassing emulation of Team Rocket, I'm kind of sorry for that. Unfortunately, this happens often but they do it because they have reasons (I'm not even joking, there is a legit reason). This adventure continues over the next few chapters, so stay tuned!