"He's just a meme, sir," said the grunt. "Just because the Internet loves him, that doesn't make him a threat. This kid released his own goddamn Starter. He's a joke."
"A funny one, too," said Giovanni. "But don't underestimate him. I know potential when I see it. That kid could rule the world—if his brain cells ever find each other."
"All our best men are in Saffron. We need them there."
"I agree."
"There's barely a dozen of us here at HQ. Is that enough to fend him off?"
Giovanni grinned. "Brute force isn't the only path to victory. There are other ways. Slower, subtler ways. Have patience, my friend. I have it all under control."
"I have other news, sir."
Giovanni's face turned serious. "Is it about the Dome Fossil?"
"It is. We have a lead."
~·~
Start Time: 4d 14h 37m
~·~
[DUX used FURY ATTACK!]
Dux furiously swiped at the Machop with his leek. Finally, Machop fell.
[DUX grew to level 19!]
"That's what happens when you fux with the Dux!" said Dux.
"Dammit," the Rocket growled, withdrawing his Machop. "I won't forget this."
"LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" said Red.
"Nice job, everyone!" said Oddish. "Rattata, those Thunderbolts were awesome! Flareon, great job with the Sand-Attack setup!"
"Thank you," said Flareon, though I heard no graciousness in her voice. Despite the warmth that now radiated from her body, she'd become rather cold since evolving.
"Great teamwork all around!" said Oddish. "If we keep this up, Giovanni is toast!"
"Yeah," Dux said, cracking his wing s like they were knuckles. "Team Rocket's gonna get Dux'd!"
"Do not get cocky," said Pidgeot. "We still have a long way to go."
~·~
With a final Gust, Pidgeot defeated the Raticate, and Red beat the Rocket grunt.
"Great job, guys," said Oddish. She sounded exhausted, though. We were all exhausted. Everyone except Pidgeot had fainted.
"The battles are the easy part," I said, looking around the dank, spacious warehouse. "There are likely to be traps in here. Things to keep intruders like us away."
"I agree," said Pidgeot. "We must be prepared for any manner of treachery."
~·~
"SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND, BABY!" said Red, spinning around. "WEEE!" He stepped on another spin tile; it pushed him in another direction, spinning all the way.
"This is not the manner of treachery I expected," said Dux.
"I'm dizzy just from watching him," I said.
"When's something interesting gonna happen?" asked Digrat.
"We must have patience," said Pidgeot.
"Yeah," said Oddish. "We'll get there eventually."
~·~
Red spun and spun and spun.
We spun too, sometimes. Mostly, we watched from the sidelines. Red wasn't really advancing. He kept stepping on the wrong tiles, and spinning back to the start of the maze.
"This is bad," I said. "This maze requires extremely precise movements."
"Well," said Dux, "it can't be worse than the ledge, right?"
"I don't know. I hope not. But it may very well be."
Flareon made a derisive humph sound. I glared at her. She stared back with indecipherable eyes.
"At least we found some neat items," said Oddish.
"Even if we pass the maze," I said, "if Pidgeot faints, it'll be for nothing. We need to get back to the Pokémon Center."
"I would not get your hopes up," said Pidgeot. He seemed downcast. "Red is… stuck. He is not in the mood to think ahead."
Just then, Red picked up something on the ground.
[RED found MOON STONE!]
"Huh," Dux and I said simultaneously.
"Hooray!" said Digrat. "Something happened!"
"MOON STONE RETURNS!" Red cheered, tapping his nose with the dusky stone. "THROW THE MOON STONE AT GIOVANNI!"
I looked at Pidgeot, and noticed that his eyes were swelling up. "Abby," he muttered.
The mood changed considerably. We all stared at the Moon Stone.
"She would have loved this," I said.
"Yeah," said Dux. "She was always going on about that other Moon Stone."
"She'd say something like, 'The Helix brought it back to us!'"
"And then Jay would be like, 'I can't even tell if you're joking anymore.'"
Red juggled the Moon Stone. We watched quietly.
"I miss 'em," said Dux.
"I do too," said Digrat. For perhaps the first time, I felt a connection with him. All four of us were connected—Dux, Pidgeot, Digrat, and I. The same memories played out in our heads.
"It is important to remember," said Pidgeot. He was almost choking up. "That is where they live now. In our memories. We must never forget."
"Yeah," said Dux. "Remember the ledge?"
"I'll always remember," I said, feeling a wave of melancholy pass through me.
"Yeah," said Digrat. "We had some good times. Remember when I used to do this?"
[RATTATA used DIG!]
~·~
"You stupid rat!" Dux spat. His nostalgia had instantly given way to anger. "You piece of garbage! You absolute worthless pile of trash!"
"Yeah," Digrat said, wiping away a tear. "I remember when you used to say that, too."
"I swear to Helix, I will shove this leek all the way up your—"
"Aw, don't be so hard on him," said Oddish.
"You have no idea," I told her. "Seriously. You have no idea."
We were inside the Pokémon Center. Red was pacing back and forth. Pidgeot was looking down, still lost in his memories. Flareon was staring straight at Red, her expression as indecipherable as ever.
"KILL THE RAT!" Red yelled.
I sighed. "At least we can heal now," I said.
But Red was not walking toward the nurse. He was walking toward the PC.
At first, this miffed me. Had he not learned anything? Then I listened more closely to what the Mob was saying.
"Huh," I said. "Interesting."
"What?" said Dux. "Don't tell me he's already resorting to the PC."
"He is," I said. "But there is logic to it. You see, releasing Pidgeot is the worst-case scenario, if we use the PC again. But right now, Pidgeot is the only non-fainted member of our team. Red believes that, because of this, the PC would not allow Pidgeot to be deposited. So, if he's going to deposit Digrat, now's the ideal time."
"Huh," said Dux. "Would that work?"
"I don't know," I said. "I've never heard of such a rule."
"Nor have I," said Pidgeot, finally looking up.
"I don't even know if it's been tried. I mean, who would deposit their last remaining Pokémon? You'd have to be a complete idiot."
Red approached the PC.
"I suppose we'll have to try," I said. "Once the seed of an idea is planted, Red never just backs away."
[RED turned on the PC.]
Blackness. Blurriness. Tentacles everywhere.
They were many. They were angry. They swerved and gyrated violently.
"Oh no," Oddish breathed. For once, her voice lacked any trace of cheer.
They grabbed Pidgeot.
"BIRD JESUS!" Dux shouted. He and I both tried to run toward Pidgeot, but the tentacles pushed us back.
Pidgeot receded. "No!" he shouted, struggling against his restraints. But the tentacles were too strong.
They pulled him away.
[PIDGEOT was stored in Box 1.]
Suddenly, we were back in the Pokémon Center.
We looked at each other, wide-eyed. Speechless. Except for Red, of course; he was never speechless. "NO!" he shouted. "WAIT WHAT? THAT CAN HAPPEN? Hahaha OH CRAP BIRD JESUS NO! HELIX HAS FORSAKEN US!"
Flareon just stared at him, expressing no emotion whatsoever.
[RED is out of useable POKéMON!]
[RED blacked out!]
The League Abra appeared. "Okay," he said, "I'm here to take you to… the… Pokémon… Center…" He looked around. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," I said.
"Twice? You blacked out, inside ofa Pokémon Center, twice? That is a world record for stupidity. I am honestly at a loss for words."
"We don't have time for this," Dux said, knocking his leek against the PC. "We gotta get Bird Jesus back!"
"Sorry, bud. A job's a job."
He teleported us to the Pokémon Center entrance.
A few minutes later, we once again stood before the PC.
"Will Pidgeot be okay?" Oddish asked.
"He will if I have anything to say about it!" said Dux.
"We can't leave without him," I said. "We have to retrieve him. Whatever it takes."
[RED turned on the PC.]
Blackness. Blurriness. Tentacles. A huge black box. A pixilated bird.
"Turn back!" said Pidgeot. His voice was distant; it echoed faintly. "Go! Leave!"
"No way!" said Dux.
"We need you," I said. "Red needs you."
"Ooh, frisbee!" said Digrat. I looked, and saw him throw the HM01 disc.
"You idiot!" said Dux. "We need that! I mean, I guess we don't actually need it anymore—but you're still an idiot!"
I watched the tentacles shift their focus to the disc; a group of them grabbed it, stopping its flight in midair. I looked at Pidgeot, and noticed that his restraints had loosened. He was flapping his wings now. But he still couldn't quite escape.
"I have an idea," I said. I looked around. "The other items should be around here, too. Does anyone see them?"
"I found one," said Oddish. "It's the Helix Fossil."
I looked at her. She had already picked up the fossil; it was lodged in her grass-like hair.
"Give it to me," I said.
Slowly, we leaned toward each other; we stepped a little closer, carefully, trying not to rouse the beast. Finally, I grabbed the fossil. Then I threw it with all my might, aiming just outside the black box.
Black tentacles rushed to catch it.
"NOW!" I shouted.
Pidgeot flapped his wings. He clawed at his restraints. He flapped harder.
He flew.
[PIDGEOT is taken out. Got PIDGEOT.]
We all cheered. Well, except Flareon—she just sat still, her disinterested expression never changing.
"We did it!" said Dux. "Now go, go, go!"
"No," said Pidgeot. He was not celebrating either, I now noticed. He was looking at the Helix Fossil. "We must get it back."
But it was too late. Wrapped in tentacles, the Helix Fossil was receding; elsewhere, other tentacles pulled the HM01 disc in the same direction. Toward the black box.
[HELIX FOSSIL was stored via PC.]
[HM01 was stored via PC.]
Red logged off.
We were back in the Pokémon Center. Red was flailing around frantically (even more than usual). "YEAH BIRD JESUS! NO NOT HELIX! Wow we actually got him OH CRAP WE LOST HELIX! GET IT BACK no leave now no more PC."
Pidgeot sighed. "There is always a price."
"This was well worth the price," I said.
"Yeah," said Dux. "I'm as big a Helix fan as anyone, but I'll take a friend over a fossil any day. Besides, it's not going anywhere."
"That's right," said Oddish. "It's still in the PC. It'll be safe there."
Pidgeot nodded, but didn't reply. He just stared at his feet.
~·~
We entered the Game Corner.
"Here we go again," I muttered.
Red ran forward, rubbing the S.S. Ticket on his face.
[This isn't the time to use that!]
"Man," said Dux, "it just isn't the same."
"I know," I said. I spoke quietly, so that Pidgeot wouldn't overhear; he was in a grim enough mood already. "The Helix Fossil has become a symbol of hope for Red. Its very presence served as inspiration. Every time he took it out, he got a little more fired up."
"Yeah, it just doesn't work for a piece of paper."
Red started rubbing the Moon Stone on his face.
"Well, Abby used to worship the Moon Stone," said Dux. "Maybe that'll take the Helix's place."
"I doubt it."
"Why?"
Just then, Red violently tossed the Moon Stone into a trash can.
[Threw away MOON STONE.]
"That's why," I said.
~·~
Red spun and spun. He spun from the beginning of the maze to the next part of the maze, then back to the beginning.
"Ugh, this is boring," said Digrat.
We all silently agreed.
Red seemed to agree, too. Perhaps for that reason, he left the maze and explored other parts of the Rocket Hideout, picking up items as he found them.
"Oh, crap," said Dux. "An Escape Rope."
Red inspected his newest item: a long, coiled rope.
"What's an Escape Rope?" Oddish asked.
"It's been imbued with psychic energy," I explained. "If Red wraps it around himself, it will teleport him to the last Pokémon Center he visited."
"Do it!" said Digrat. "Do it do it do it!"
"Just what we need," Dux groaned. "Another distraction."
"Don't worry," I said. "He'll probably just toss it."
~·~
"…Or not."
Red had used the Escape Rope. Now we stood outside the Pokémon Center.
"It's the stupid rat's fault," said Dux. "He was encouraging it."
"I was bored," Digrat whined.
"It's no big deal, Dux," said Oddish. "The Game Corner is just a short walk from here."
~·~
An hour later, we'd gotten nowhere.
"Dang it," Dux grumbled, slapping his leek against a trainer-tree. Behind the tree was a path that led directly to the Game Corner. However, we could just as easily have gone around—out of this alcove, back to the main streets.
Red, however, did not seem keen to leave the alcove. He walked around, banging into every single tree. "Gotta get Helix," he muttered. "No stay away from PC. NEED HELIX. RIP HELIX FOSSIL welp we had a good run, GG."
"It is as I feared," Pidgeot said somberly. "Losing the Helix Fossil has damaged Red's spirit. He is not eager to move forward without it."
"How foolish," said Flareon.
We all looked at her.
"Red lost his Starter to the PC," she said. "Now he would risk it again to retrieve some rock? How absurd. What has the Helix Fossil ever done for him? It's nothing but a distraction."
For a moment, we were silent. Then Dux opened his beak to talk.
But Pidgeot spoke first. "I agree that PC use would be unwise," he said; I could tell that he was choosing his words carefully. "However, the Helix Fossil is more than a rock. It is the physical manifestation of the Helix itself. Without the Helix's guidance, we would never have made it this far."
Flareon just stared at him. She didn't seem angry or upset. She didn't seem anything. Her aura was like a bonfire—bright and hot, but self-contained. Pidgeot looked down at her, and his gaze was like a bucket of water—but the fire burned on. Eevee would have cowered under such a gaze, before the Fire Stone had ignited her.
Oddish sensed the tension. "Be nice, you guys. We're all in this together."
"RETRIEVE HELIX," Red said, bumping into another tree. "Up, left, left, up…"
"Dang it, I've had enough!" said Dux.
[DUX hacked away with CUT!]
"And that, my dear Oddish, is how you cut down a tree."
~·~
Red spun and spun and spun and spun, making no progress whatsoever. An hour passed, then another.
"Well," said Oddish, "now I know how you guys felt at the ledge."
But Oddish was wrong. This wasn't like the ledge. There was no excitement or nervous tension. Just a glumness that permeated everything. We all felt it. Abby was gone; Jay was gone; the Helix Fossil was gone. Oddish knew it, and so she tried to cheer us up, reminding us of happier times. But it wasn't working.
"Have we even gotten close?" Dux asked.
"No," I said. "I have to admit: this is very bad. He has to take exactly the right steps in exactly the right sequence. One wrong step, and he goes spinning back to the beginning. I don't think Red has ever made it even halfway through."
Red spun. We watched glumly.
"It is impossible," said Flareon. "He will never succeed."
Again, we looked at her.
"You know that it's true," she said, looking at me. "You have calculated it, as have I."
"Red has worked miracles before," I replied. "Expectations are pointless when he's involved."
"Red is no miracle worker. He's a sick child. Any normal person would have cleared this maze hours ago. But he cannot move forward. He cannot simply pick a direction and stick with it. It's a sad, pathetic thing to behold."
"Spoken like a true False Prophet," Dux muttered.
"Flareon—" Pidgeot began.
"What the hell is your deal?" I said, interrupting. Flareon's attitude irked me. "We're miserable here, we lost some friends and we're stuck in this stupid maze, but we're trying to make the best of it, we're trying to stick together and push through. And you're just sitting there making snide remarks. Have you considered keeping them to yourself?"
She stared at me, unbending.
"I considered it, yes," she said. "I decided against it."
"We are a team," said Pidgeot. His tone showed more restraint than mine. "Petty bickering gains us nothing."
"Call it whatever you want. I am merely making my opinion known. This boy needs help. He should never have become a trainer in his current state."
"Now you—" Dux began.
"Flareon," Oddish interrupted, "how could you say that?" She sounded genuinely upset. "You've battled with us. I've seen it. And you're good at it. Remember that Machop?"
A couple hours earlier, Flareon had made quick work of a Rocket's Machop, then nearly defeated another, all on her own. While the rest of us were glum, she seemed quite fired up—literally. I hadn't expected such a performance from her.
"You really showed a connection with Red there," Oddish continued. "Why would you fight so hard, if you didn't want to be a part of this team?"
"I never said I didn't want to be in this team," said Flareon.
Relief spread across Oddish's face. "I'm glad," she said. "Because if you weren't in this team, then we wouldn't have become friends."
Flareon nodded. "I am glad to be your friend, Oddish."
~·~
Another hour passed.
Red spun. We watched. No progress was made.
Losing the Helix Fossil had a noticeable effect on morale. We really did feel lost without it. I believed this was due to its symbolic value; however, deep down, I wondered if Pidgeot was right. Was there really something more to this fossil? Was it more than just a rock?
We talked, trying to break the monotony.
"Technically, that was my eighth tree," said Dux.
"You didn't have to cut it, you know," I said. "We could have just walked around."
"Yeah, I know. But you remember Abby's last words, right? 'Cut 'em all down for me, Dux.' I thought about that when I swung my leek." He stared sadly at the floor. "I did it to honor her memory, I guess."
"I know how you feel," Digrat said warmly, putting a tender paw on Dux's shoulder. "I still remember Jay's last words. 'Never stop digging, Zipzap!'"
"What?" I said. "He never said that."
"You're right, Drowzee. I should honor his memory."
"What are you talking ab—"
[RATTATA used DIG!]
~·~
"You putrid little vermin!" Dux snapped. Once again, his melancholy had instantly evaporated, burnt up by anger. "You intolerable little worm!"
Digrat sniffed. "Jay would be proud."
"No one would ever be proud of you, you little puke! It took us an hour to get back last time! And now we have to do it again, thanks to you!"
"Don't be mean," Oddish said, a sad look on her face. "No bickering, remember?"
Meanwhile, Red paced around the Pokémon Center. "KILL THE RAT!" he said. "No stay away from PC… RELEASE THE FALSE PROPHET! Left right left right… RETRIEVE HELIX! Start start a b…"
"I've had enough of this guy!" said Dux. "Box! The! Rat!"
"Dux, no!" said Oddish. "We're a team, remember? We have to stick together."
"You still have no idea," I told her. "You weren't with us in the Rock Tunnel. This rat is a liability, and he has to go. Even without him, we have very little chance of clearing the maze. With him, that chance approaches zero."
Red walked up to the PC.
I sighed. "I suppose this was inevitable."
Red stood in front of the PC.
[RED turned on the PC.]
Chaos surrounded me—a familiar, sickly sensation.
"Go, Digrat!" I shouted. "You have to get in there!"
"But I don't wanna," said Digrat.
"Why you little—" Dux began.
"It is what Jay Leno would have wanted," said Pidgeot.
"Okay, okay," said Digrat. "I get it. I'll go."
He ran forward.
A gust of wind pushed him back. It pushed us all back.
Something hit my head. "Ow!"
[Withdrew HELIX FOSSIL.]
"Ow!" said Dux.
[Withdrew HM01.]
Then Red logged off, and we were back in the Pokémon Center.
"PRAISE HELIX!" Red cried, holding the fossil above his head triumphantly. "OUR LORD AND SAVIOR HAS RETURNED!"
"So it has," Pidgeot said, smiling. It was the most genuine smile I'd seen from him since losing Abby and Jay.
"That went… surprisingly well," I said.
"See?" said Oddish. "There isn't always a price."
"Well," I said quietly, "that isn't strictly true." I nudged my head in Digrat's direction. "Our price is not depositing him."
~·~
We walked toward the Game Corner.
"PRAISE HELIX!" Red shouted for the umpteenth time.
"Oh well," said Dux. "We didn't box the rat, but at least we got our lord and savior back."
"Indeed," said Pidgeot, still smiling. "Perhaps now our luck will turn."
At that very moment, Red threw a Rare Candy directly into Dux's beak.
[DUX grew to level 20!]
"Huh," I said. "That… was pretty lucky."
~·~
Red spun and spun. He made no progress, but he maintained a renewed sense of purpose. The Helix Fossil's return had changed our attitude. We cheered him on, now full of hope in spite of all evidence.
On and on he spun.
~·~
An hour passed. Then another. Then another.
Red spun. Again and again, he spun back to the beginning of the maze and started over. He was no closer to clearing the maze than he had been when he started.
"I want to get off Mr. Giovanni's Wild Ride," he kept saying. "I want to get off Mr. Giovanni's Wild Ride. I want to get off Mr. Giovanni's Wild Ride."
Day turned to night—not that it mattered, in this dimly lit warehouse. It was all the same. Nothing changed. Nothing happened. No progress, no advancement. No day, no night. Just spinning and spinning and spinning.
We were tired. Our cheers quieted, then stopped. We slept. We ate. We talked.
Hours passed, frozen in time.
~·~
"I have to admit," I said, "it's getting had to keep up my optimism."
"If only Abby were here," Pidgeot said sadly.
"Yeah," said Dux. "She always knew how to keep us pumped up, even in the crappiest situations. And Jay always knew how to keep us laughing."
"Yeah," said Digrat. "Jay was great. I should honor him again."
[RATTATA used DIG!]
~·~
"That was for you, Jay," Digrat said softly.
"Box! The! Rat!" said Dux. "Box! The! Rat!"
"No," said Pidgeot.
"No?" I replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "We'll need to use the PC eventually."
"We cannot risk the Helix. It was a miracle that we retrieved it without incident. To risk it again so soon… I do not think it would be wise."
Red paced the dark nighttime streets, illuminated by the nearby Pokémon Center. "KILL THE RAT!" he said. "Down down left up… THE RIDE NEVER ENDS."
I sighed. "We'll give him one more chance, I guess."
~·~
"THE RIDE NEVER ENDS!" Red repeated, spinning back to the beginning of the maze, having come no closer to clearing it.
Hours had passed. Nothing had happened. A lethargic sensation overcame us—as if we were trapped in a dream. During our prior obstacles—the ledge, the Rock Tunnel, the Celadon tree—there was always a sense that we were pushing forward. A manic spiral toward victory. Now there was just a circle, leading nowhere. Every push just spun us around and around and around. We grew weary. Our eyes glazed over.
Except Flareon. Her eyes were as fierce and aware as ever. Once again, I wondered what was going on behind them. She seemed so calm. Just sitting there, watching, waiting. Burning righteously. Filled with cryptic determination.
~·~
"PRAISE HELIX!" said Red, holding the Helix Fossil above him.
"Yeah, praise Helix," Dux said half-heartedly, laying against the wall. "The Helix will guide us, or whatever."
Flareon snorted.
"You disagree, I assume?" I said.
"Oh, no," she said sarcastically. "The Helix Fossil has been quite helpful. We've come so far ever since it returned to us."
We were too lethargic to counter Flareon's pointed jabs. Besides, I wasn't sure if I disagreed with her. We were getting nowhere, Helix or no Helix. Yet Pidgeot—who I trusted more than anyone—truly believed in the Helix's power. This contradiction troubled me.
~·~
Pidgeot was alone—mourning, perhaps, or maybe praying. I cautiously approached him.
"Can I ask you something?" I said. "Or is this a bad time?"
Pidgeot smiled. "Ask away."
"When did you start believing in the Helix?"
Pidgeot hesitated, gathering the right words.
"When I was young," he said, "I felt a calling. I did not know what was calling me, or why. I knew only that, someday, I would be needed. So I prepared. I flew around Kanto, gathering information. Learning all that I could learn. Dedicating myself to this unknown future role. I knew something was coming. I felt it strongly. Finally, Red found me—and I knew he was the one. To be a part of his team—that was the task I had prepared for my whole life. Then Red stumbled upon the Helix Fossil—and I knew, instantly, what had reached out to me when I was so young. I recognized it immediately, this being in the fossil—the Helix. When Red chose between the Helix and Dome fossils, I nudged him toward the Helix, as I had always been meant to do."
I took a moment to absorb all this.
"I'd never heard that story," I said quietly.
"I had only told one other before you," said Pidgeot. "Abby K."
Pidgeot looked at his feet. I looked at Red, who was playing with his Helix Fossil. I stared at the fossil, thinking about it, a thousand questions rushing through my mind. A thought struck me—a thought about the Helix Fossil's spiral shape. It was, like Red, going in every direction at once.
~·~
"I want to get off Mr. Giovanni's Wild Ride," Red muttered.
"So do I, Red," Dux sighed. "So do I."
"We'll pull through eventually," said Oddish. But even her positivity had reached its breaking point.
"I don't know," I said. "This is worse than our previous obstacles. Red hasn't even come close—not once." I rubbed my eyes. "What a mess. I don't know how we're going to dig ourselves out of this—WAIT! NO!"
[RATTATA used DIG!]
~·~
"Box! The! Rat!" Dux chanted. "Box! The! Rat!"
"You can box me if you want," Digrat said, jabbing the air. "But I warn you: I have a mean left hook!"
Red stepped closer to the PC. Pidgeot stared at it scornfully.
"Sorry, Pidgeot," I said softly, patting him on the wing. "We have to try."
"This is a mistake," he said.
Red stood before the computer.
[RED turned on the PC.]
Immediately, I felt something tugging me forward. Panicked, I looked around for an item. I found one. I grabbed it and tossed it. Tentacles detached from me, grabbing the item in midair and dragging it away.
[S.S. TICKET was stored via PC.]
I looked around—and noticed that Dux had copied my strategy. He'd thrown an item, distracting his assailants, allowing him to escape their wrath.
[NUGGET was stored via PC.]
Flareon, too, had thrown something.
[HELIX FOSSIL was stored via PC.]
Then Red logged off, and we were back in the Pokémon Center.
"HELIX NO!" Red cried. "HELIX IS GONE RIP THE RUN."
"What the hell did you do that for?" Dux snapped, glaring furiously at Flareon.
"You idiot," I spat, walking right up to Flareon, staring her down. "Now we'll have to use the PC again, and it'll be even more dangerous, because Red will refuse to log off until he has that fossil back."
Flareon just stared at me—not moving, not reacting. As if my argument was uninteresting to her. I hated how she did that. She always had the last word—without even speaking the last word.
I looked around, and met Pidgeot's gaze. He was too depressed to say anything, but his eyes said "I told you so."
Red fretted, flailing his arms, shouting incoherently.
"What do we do now?" Oddish asked.
"We don't have a choice," I grumbled. "Red won't leave without his precious Helix."
Red faced the PC. "I'M COMING HELIX!" he shouted.
[RED turned on the PC.]
There we were again, staring down the beast.
"Go, Digrat!" I said.
But Digrat did not go. Instead, Flareon did.
"What are you doing?" Pidgeot asked.
Flareon walked calmly forward.
"Ooh, are you going instead of me?" said Digrat.
But something was wrong. The way Flareon was walking—it was too normal. The tentacles should have held her back. Why didn't they?
She turned around to face us.
We just looked at her, confused.
A huge, dark shadow emerged from the black box, reaching out. It was as if the box were being stretched—like its dark mass was being pulled toward us. Toward Flareon.
"Watch out, Flareon!" Oddish cried.
But Flareon showed no fear.
The shadow touched her.
It burst into flames.
The fire spread. The black box ignited. The tentacles ignited. I felt the heat searing my skin. Everything was in flames.
"What the hell?" Dux said, panicked.
"What have you done?" Pidgeot asked, looking at Flareon with horror.
"I bear a gift from the Dome," said Flareon.
Everything went black.
~·~
End Time: 5d 8h 22m
~·~
Current team:
DUX, lv.20
• Farfetch'd (Normal/Flying)
• Cut, Sand-Attack, Leer, Fury Attack
···
FLAREON, lv.25
• Flareon (Fire)
• Tackle, Sand-Attack
···
DROWZEE, lv.17
• Drowzee (Psychic)
• Pound, Hypnosis, Disable, Confusion
···
RATTATA, lv.14
• Rattata (Normal)
• Thunderbolt, Body Slam, Quick Attack, Dig
···
PIDGEOT, lv.44
• Pidgeot (Normal/Flying)
• Gust, Sand-Attack, Quick Attack, Whirlwind
···
ODDISH, lv.22
• Oddish (Grass/Poison)
• Cut, PoisonPowder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder