Phew... 8th Chapter!
Sorry for a month in between, but it's finally here! Life's still kicking me, but I'm still trying to make time for this.
Lemme know what you think!
- Splak R.
There were dried tears on Andrew's face. He had experienced a whirlwind of emotions today, both joyful and melancholy. When he met Naomi, Elle and Shawn, he felt like he could actually fit in to society, because of the way he was treated. He was seething at himself for not realizing the reality of the situation he was actually in. Just being around Jett had tarnished his own reputation, and he learned it the hard way when Elle and Shawn reacted the way they did when they found out.
He was labelled as a criminal, even when he hadn't committed any crimes.
But on the other hand, he was a part of Jett Kingdom, and he was prideful about it... right?
Yet despite all that, he still had others there for him at this very moment, in this dreary hotel room.
"Tammy? Seb? How did you two get here?" He stammered.
"Well... don't tell Jett this, but we snuck out and followed you here." Seb admitted.
"If we had our transmitters on us during that trip, we'd be dead." Tammy joked.
"I'm happy you came, but why?" Andrew's head was still in a whirlwind.
Tammy started, "Well... to make a long story short, we've been wanting to leave Jett Kingdom for years. Ever since I met you, in fact. But leaving when you two were little meant disaster for all of us. So I waited until both of you were old enough to defend yourselves."
"Wow. I had no idea." Andrew said.
"My reaction exactly." Seb replied.
Tammy's been wanting to leave for that long? She had always rambled on about how Jett was a bad influence, but Andrew didn't know she took it that seriously. The patience she must've had to endure all of this... it was mind boggling to him. She was committed to protecting them, that's for sure.
Seb turned to Tammy and whispered something in her ear, to which she gave a nod. "I think it's best we tell him now, he has to know."
"What do you mean? Is there something I need to do?" Andrew asked.
Tammy sighed. "Yes. Although, it's going to take a long time; we'll be here to help you."
Andrew's head was starting to spin again. He had to hear them both out on this one, if only to get clarification.
"Ok... let me hear it."
His mind was ready.
"We have a plan to take down Jett Kingdom." Seb laid it down honestly.
His mind wasn't ready.
Andrew had lived in Jett Kingdom most of his life. The soldiers there weren't deserving of any harm. If they took down Jett Kingdom, where would they go?
Andrew rambled, "I get that you wanted to leave... but Jett Kingdom is our home! Our safety net! There's a bounty board with our names on it! We can't just take down the organization that we're a part of!"
Seb countered, "I know it sounds crazy, but we actually have a way of gaining the towns' trust."
Just then, a shadowy figure lashed out and tackled Seb.
"OW! WHAT THE HELL?!" Seb screamed.
The figure hesitated a little bit.
"YOU WANNA HEAR ABOUT ROCKS? I CAN GIVE YOU ALL THE FACTS YOU WANNA HEAR, LET'S GO!" Seb rambled, trying to stall for time.
"Seb... don't make this harder than it has to be..." The figure said.
"I'M GON' MAKE IT REAL HARD! YOU AIN'T HURTING ME TODAY!" Seb exclaimed.
Tammy and Andrew couldn't believe their eyes. They had expected to be attacked, but not so soon. Not only was Seb making a complete fool of himself, but the attacker was someone they knew.
Before the attacker could get a slash in, Tammy intervened.
"Haven't I seen you around Jett Kingdom before?"
The attacker turned around.
"Sydney?! What are you doing?" Andrew exclaimed.
Silence. She started tearing up as soon as she heard Andrew's voice.
"I'm... I'm here to kill you. So let me just get it over with..." Sydney said in a shaken voice.
"Hold on. You're planning to kill us? Why?" Seb asked.
"...I can't say. Direct orders." Sydney stammered.
She held up a claw and tried to slash again.
"From who?" Tammy questioned.
"What's gotten into you?!" Andrew pleaded.
Seb put his talons around her wrist. "You're tense."
Seb felt droplets of tears hit his face. Muffled gasps could be heard coming from the Zoroark above him. She screamed and tried a third time.
"JUST LET ME KILL YOU! IT'LL BE PAINLESS!" Sydney screamed.
Seb got up from his place on the ground. He was still grasping her wrist. The sunlight was washing directly through the window, even though there wasn't much of it left. Sydney's tears had a shining glow to them. Seb held a sorrowful expression.
"Sydney... if it's the someone who I think put you up to this... let me ask you one question."
Sydney was an emotional wreck, but she managed to get the message. She relaxed her claw and put up an ear to listen.
"When was the last time you saw Tracey?" Seb asked.
"What kind of question is that...?!" Sydney barked.
"Just think about it a little bit... and you'll understand."
Seb made that particular message very vague to her. Why? She never knew what was going on in that stupid bird's brain. For now, though, she decided to play along, if only for the heck of it. When was the last time she saw Tracey? After her attack on Grayson, it seemed like she disappeared afterwards. Maybe she left? Who knows... but what prompted that question in the first place? Was he curious? No, he's not that dumb. Given the context, he may have bounced it off of who put her up to the assassination. Wait, was he implying... no... he couldn't have known that Jett put her up to this! And if Seb actually did figure it out... then...
"Did..."
Sydney could only utter out that one word before throwing her transmitter against the white wall. It smashed to pieces.
"Did Jett kill Tracey?!"
Seb and Tammy gave slow nods.
This was news for Andrew as well.
He knew Jett was a criminal, but killing his own officers?! They must've done something really dastardly to get on his bad side, like Tracey did with hurting Grayson. And if that was enough to tip him off...
He didn't want to imagine what he would do to all four of them right now.
That aside, he never heard of this happening, with him being out of the loop. And he had a slight feeling that he was only breaching the tip of the iceberg.
Sydney was on her knees, sobbing into her claws. Seb placed his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her.
Tammy went up to Andrew, "I know this is a shock to you, too. Once we tell you our plan, hopefully everything will become clear to you."
"I know... I just didn't expect to know this in a million years."
"This is just one of the reasons we wanted to go."
Tammy wrapped Andrew in a hug. It's been a while since he felt one of those. It was always comforting to him, no matter the circumstance, so he returned the hug and embraced Tammy, being careful of his chest spike.
Seb and Sydney got up, and sat down on the bed.
Sydney started with a shaky voice, "...I believe I owe you all an explanation."
"Take your time, and sorry for yelling at you earlier." Andrew said.
"It's alright, champ. You were basically in flight or fight mode."
Tammy chimed in, "It's okay now, we know you were directed by Jett."
"Sigh... okay... Jett called me into his office. He told me it was urgent, so I went as fast as I could."
Sydney raced through the ravishingly purple hallways on the top floor. She finally reached Jett's huge office, and knocked on the door. Before the impending anxiety could get to her, she had to check herself real quick.
"Damn. My mane's all fuzzy, and I forgot to brush my teeth I was in such a hurry. I hope there isn't any food stuck in between my teeth."
As she finished that last thought, Jett opened up his door, allowing her to see the intense bags under his eyes.
"Thank you for coming on such... short notice. Come inside please." He hurriedly stepped aside to let her in.
She took a gander at the office, although it's been a while, it had mainly stayed the same, aside from a new desk that he got.
She decided that would be a good conversation starter. "Nice desk, when did you get it?"
"Oh this? I actually ordered it a few months ago and it finally shipped here. That stupid shipping company always takes forever."
"It matches the rest of your office."
"Yeah. It's spacious, too. Look at this, I got my papers over here, a monitor, and room for other things I need to do. Isn't it great?"
"Yup. Sure is."
"Ok, now that that's out of the way... let's get to why I called you here."
Jett pressed a button on a remote. He actually had a presentation ready. It showed a particular Flygon and a Blaziken.
Sydney couldn't believe her eyes. How had Jett managed to put this together, let alone find this information out, in such a small amount of time?
"These two snuck out of headquarters today. As for why, we'll get to that in a little bit. I've put a tracking device into your transmitter so that you can hunt them down. It should be already placed on your set."
Sydney looked down onto her transmitter equipment, and there was a bracelet-watch combination hooked to her set. The screen looked something out of a sci-fi movie, and the rest of the watch was black, just like the rest of the transmitter, which hooked to her waist.
"Okay... what do I need to do once I get to them?"
"I need you to kill them."
WHAT?! How can he say that with no remorse at all?! Has he even been going to the trainings they do? What about Seb? She had just been warming up to him too... now Jett's asking her to murder him? Along with Tammy, the nicest noble she's met? She got that they disobeyed Jett, but she was starting to get their reasoning, even though Jett hasn't stated why they left.
"Um... you want me to... kill them?"
Jett smacked a grin onto his face. "Precisely!"
"Is there any reason behind it?" Sydney really wanted to hear this.
"Ah. Yes. Let me explain." He pressed the button to go forward in the presentation he made, and it did a funky transition to the next slide.
Jett continued, "Heh. Those are always cool. Anyways... The reason why these two left is to follow Andrew in his vacation. If he gets to know too much because of them, then you'll have to kill him as well."
She'd have to kill... all three of them. By herself. She'd have to do it fast... or else she might not be able to handle it.
"I thought I could always trust them... but apparently they've been plotting this since Andrew came here all those years ago. They're all traitors, Sydney."
How did he know all of this? Who was that all-seeing eye relaying this information? It wasn't Jett, that's for sure. He's the one that gets the info. If there was a secret noble she didn't know about, then it had to be them.
Jett continued, "Sigh... anyway, you might have to kill all three of them, just in case. If they're already heading that way, they're probably going to fill Andrew in on their plan."
He got his signature smirk back on. "Oh, I forgot to mention. If you do this successfully, I'll promote you to a Captain."
Not at the cost of Pokemon she cared about! What was he thinking?!
But then again... she would have to do this mission, or die. She knew how Jett was. If he didn't get what he wanted, he would simply raise hell until he got it.
But one thing didn't add up in Sydney's mind.
"Hey Jett, I get what you want me to do, but I have a question."
"Fire away."
"If you knew Tammy and Seb were going to do this and influence Andrew, then why did you let Andrew have a vacation in the first place?"
Silence, for a few seconds. The air got freakishly still.
"...I was high."
Sydney furrowed her brows. He was what now...?
"Let me show you." He went over to his bookcase on the right side of the office, near his desk. He pulled some books out of the way, and pulled out a jar.
The small glass jar was containing five red and black pills.
"These... are what's called Power Pills. They boost your power equivalent to twenty levels, and have a small amount of Lucarionite in them, hence my permanent Mega Evolution. Anyway, I took one of these before my training session, like I always do. I trained for a hour, and then I would usually relax by my pool. But as I was getting out of my office, I was greeted by Andrew. The side effects of this drug had kicked in by then, putting me in a light daze. So, while in this daze, I let Andrew take a vacation."
"Don't you need to fix your mistake now?"
"Well that's what I'm doing. Which is why I called you in immediately after I sent Andrew away. If I need to intervene eventually, I will, but it's kind of a last resort for me to do so. I don't like showing my face in public."
"Sigh... okay. I'll do it." "Not like I have a choice..."
"You'll do the mission? Great! Let me know how it goes. Ciao~!"
"See ya."
Her demeanor felt a somber twinge as she closed the door.
She was in a full ultimatum now: either kill three Pokemon she cared about, or die. She would honestly take the latter, just to save her the emotional turmoil. For now though, she needed to act like she was enthusiastic about the job and get ready for her fate. She headed back to her room and started to pack up, not that she needed much.
A couple of Oran berries, her transmitter, and a locket.
Inside the locket was a picture of two Zoroarks. One of them was herself, and the other was her late sister. She never carried the locket to training for fear of it breaking. They were very close siblings, having really warmed up to each other since they were Zouras. Her sister had succumbed to Podonula, a disease which affected half of the population a little less than a decade ago. If she had a reason to live, it would be to keep going for her.
Her eyes started watering as she picked up her satchel.
"I'll just go there... and probably... not come back, whether I be dead or in a rut... who, among the alive, cares at this point...? If I make myself suffer I'll become a Captain... an obviously great reward for my troubles..."
"So that's how it went down. No apology can forgive what I did, but I hope I can make it up to you someday."
Seb held Sydney's claw. "Sounds like you need some chill time after what you went through. How about we go to the beach?"
"There's a beach here?"
"Yup. I looked up a map, and there's one on the south side of the town."
"Yeah... I would like that... thanks, Seb."
With that, they were on their way to the beach on the south side of town.
Tammy and Andrew saw them walk out of the door.
Tammy, once they left, picked up a drawstring bag that Andrew didn't notice before. Of course, it was fit to her size, so she could fit more bulky stuff than a normal drawstring. She pulled out a sleeping bag, and laid it down gently on the floor. Tammy then did the same thing with Seb's bag. Andrew released a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Thankfully all four of them won't be cramming into the same bed.
"Dang it, I should've brought some Moomoo Milk while I was out." Tammy whispered as she sat next to Andrew again.
"Why does that sound so good right now?"
"I know, right? It's kind of a nightly routine thing for me."
"Interesting."
"Ok, well I was going to tell you our plan tonight, but not everyone's here. I'm gonna go ahead and fill Sydney in, too. She can join us in our efforts."
"I still can't believe you're planning to overthrow Jett Kingdom."
"Jett's a literal tyrant. He has to be taken down someday. Why not now?"
"I can see your point... it just seems so sudden."
"I know, it can be daunting taking on such a huge task."
"You know, I thought I could fit into society no problem with this vacation... I guess I was wrong. I just have nowhere else to go."
"Just know, Andrew... you're never stuck in one place. You have us."
Andrew stiffened a little when Tammy embraced him. He succumbed to the warmth after a split second and wrapped his arms around her back. He always liked it when she gave surprise hugs.
"C'mon! The beach is this way, you idiot!" Sydney pointed to a sand trail.
"I thought it was south of here!" Seb exclaimed.
"That's north! South is this way!" She started walking towards the trail.
The black sky was painted with shimmering stars, giving the town an ethereal glow with the street lamps turning on. Sydney and Seb were at the fountain in town square.
"Is it? I don't have a compass on me."
"Yes, I got one right here, in my claws!"
"Oh really? I didn't even notice." Seb chuckled and rubbed his neck with his talons.
"Sigh... Let's go already." Sydney made a slight smirk, but Seb didn't notice.
The sand trail glimmered in the stars, making their footsteps down the trail all the more noticeable. The quartz in the sand rubbed off of their feet and onto the other particles, making way for the two Pokemon.
Seb looked around in wonder. "I never knew this trail existed. It's like a secret path with all the forest around us."
"How could you have known it existed in the first place? Isn't this your first time here?"
"Nope. I lived in Quilar for a short while. It brings back a few memories."
"Really? I never knew."
"Interesting how travelling can bring you all sorts of experiences."
"Yeah. The forests are kinda cool looking in this moonlight and all."
"I don't wanna go in them, though."
Sydney gave a smirk to Seb's joke.
They reached an area filled with the sand they had been walking on, some abandoned umbrellas with mats, and a full view of the ocean.
Seb pointed to it. "Is that the beach?"
"What does it look like, bird brain?"
He decided to mess with her a little bit. "Hmm... I'm not entirely convinced that's the beach."
"What do you mean?! It's right here! It even has a gift shop!"
"Pff... Beaches don't have gift shops, right? I would think they would have it more inland." He couldn't hold it in.
Sydney charged at him from behind, and tackled him to the ground. She held a smirk while planting his face into the warm sand.
"Feel the sand?! See how it's everywhere? That's what geologists call a beach! You should know this!"
Seb started cracking up, even though his entire front side was covered with sand. Sydney soon gave a few chuckles, which gave Seb more fuel in his laughing escapade.
"Geez! It wasn't that funny!" Sydney remarked.
Seb gave a few more cackles, and turned his head to look at Sydney. "Sigh... heheh... you should probably get out of the sand."
"Oh yeah, shouldn't you do that too? I got your feathers all sandy."
"Oh, that's actually good for me, it keeps my feathers insulated. It's been a while since I've taken a dust bath."
"Interesting. I didn't know that."
"Yeah, it's a common thing for bird Pokemon."
"Phew... that was a long trail we went on. Is there a tanning chair anywhere?"
"Yeah, there's some nobody's using."
He pointed to two blue tanning chairs with a similar colored umbrella over them. Even though it wasn't needed, the umbrella provided a nice feeling of security, so they left it where it was. The duo jogged over to the setup and hopped into the tanning chairs.
Seb started, "Ahh... It's nice to finally see the stars."
"Yeah... it's astonishing to look at. I took a class one time to point out some the constellations."
"Oh really? Can you remember some of them?"
"Uh... let me see."
Sydney scanned the sky for any familiar sets of stars. Each one glowed in the black sky on its own, but when combined, it had a mystical glow, illuminating the beach along with the moonlight.
"Oh! There's Lugia."
"You see Lugia's constellation up there?"
"Yeah, you got the arm wings, their head, long neck... Yup. It all checks out."
"Wow. I can kinda see it, but not very clearly."
"Yeah, constellations in general are weird that way. You get used to it once you know 'em, though."
They stared at the stars for a bit longer, both Blaziken and Zoroark alike enjoying the company.
Sydney started, "Y'know, looking at these stars reminds me a lot of my sister."
"You have a sister?"
"I know I didn't talk about her much, but I had one."
"Oh. Sorry... for uh..."
"It's alright, you didn't know. Anyway, she had passed nearly a decade ago, but when she was still alive, we would go see the stars under the moonlight, just like this. It was wonderful. Being here with ya kinda reminded me of the time we spent together."
"Glad I could help bring a good memory back."
"Heh, thanks. Anyway, when she passed, she had come down with Podonula."
Seb downed his expression. "Oh wow..."
"But... I've lived on, I'm sure she'll be proud of that; especially since you three helped me out with the ultimatum on Jett's end."
Seb put on a smirk. "If we're going to be hunted, we at least gotta be hunted together, right?"
Sydney chuckled a bit. "I guess. It's the best we got right now."
She continued, "I would rather not be hunted, but being there with you and the other two just makes me feel like I belong, y'know?"
Sydney gave Seb a warm embrace.
"And I would much rather have that than to be a captain."
Their feet sunk into the sand while Seb returned the gesture, as warm, if not warmer, than Sydney. He had never expected this kind of reception, but it was welcome nonetheless. It felt really nice, and he silently wished for more hugs from her in the future.
A few more seconds passed by, and they pulled away from each other.
Seb looked at the night sky, the moon was at its peak.
"Oh, I guess we better head back, huh? I bet Andrew and Tammy are worried about us."
"Yeah, I guess. Kinda wanted to stay, but I'm honestly getting really tired, so it's probably best we go back."
"Yeah, I'm feeling a little sluggish, too. Let the long walk on the trail begin."
"Oh joy... I forgot about that... Is there a shortcut we can take?"
"We can always cut through the woods directly."
"Hell no. I'm not doing that."
Seb gave a few chuckles.
"The trail it is, then!"
Sydney lagged behind Seb. "I'm so tired... can you carry me?"
"Hmm... only for a little bit."
Sydney lumbered onto Seb's back. As soon as she got on, she fell asleep.
Seb gave a warm smile as he hiked down the trail, hopefully getting to his sleeping bag soon.