A/N: This is a direct sequel to Through the Years: Rising Tensions, so check out that story if you have not. Otherwise, you will be lost.
Gutter Trash
"Tomorrow, I'm free…"
If there was one thing about juvenile detention that Craig Kelton was thankful for, it was that it gave him a taste of what prison would be like. He only had one day left before his release and had vowed to die before he was ever locked up again. Prison or death had been the only two options most people presented whenever they spoke with him and he knew now that he would rather die free at eighteen than live to be eighty years old behind bars.
"Get up, Kelton, you have a visitor."
Craig shot a quick glance towards the guard standing in front of his cell. As always, Stoutland was standing next to the guard to ensure that the incarcerated teenager would cooperate. He remembered how intimidated he had been just seven months earlier. Now though, he had to make a concentrated effort to even look in their direction.
"I'm getting out tomorrow," Craig wondered aloud. "Why would anyone visit me today?"
"Don't know, don't care," the guard replied. "Just get moving."
Craig bit his tongue and did as he was told. He did not want to jeopardize his release date and knew that it was not worth it to even entertain the guard with an argument.
He was led down the hall towards the visiting room, forced to walk in between the guard and the Stoutland, as always. He would be overjoyed when he no longer had to deal with the annoying guards and their equally annoying Pokémon. When they reached the visiting room, Craig had been expecting his longtime associate and mentor, Sid Moriarty. The last person – or Pokémon – that he expected to see what his former teacher.
"Mr. Slowking…?" he said and gave the psychic type a puzzled look before sitting down. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I came to see you, Mr. Kelton," he answered, his voice as soothing as ever even in a place like Route 11 Juvenile Detention Center.
"Did you just speak?" Craig asked, squinting his eyes in confusion. It was just surprise after surprise in a span of a few seconds. "Without telepathy, I mean?"
"I'm still using telepathy," Mr. Slowking answered. "I just learned how to mimic speech patterns so that it seems that the words are coming from my mouth. A lot can be learned in seven months, Mr. Kelton. I assume you've spent your time here acquiring new skills as well."
"And how would you know that?"
"I don't. That's why I used the word 'assume'," Mr. Slowking said and was met with a scowl by the teenager in front of him.
"You aren't my teacher anymore," Craig snapped. "I don't have to listen to any more of your philosophical lectures. So, cut the crap and tell me why you're really here."
"I want you to come back to school," he said clearly.
"You're joking, right?" Craig scoffed. "I was already a year behind when I was expelled and now, I've lost another whole year. Even if I wanted to go back, I'll be twenty years old by the time I graduate. Hell, I'll be a few months away from twenty-one by that time. It's not happening. Besides, Chaubs wouldn't let me back."
"Principal Chaubs has relocated to the Sinnoh region," Mr. Slowking explained. "Mrs. Kroft has taken over the position of principal at Saffron Trainer's School and-"
"Kroft?!" Craig cut him off. "That pretty much sealed the deal, I'm definitely not coming back. She hated me more than Chaubs. I can't believe they made her the principal. You're the smartest in the entire city, if not the region. Anyone with eyes could see that you would have been the better choice."
He stopped himself and noticed that Mr. Slowking's shifted in his seat ever so slightly. It was so quick that a nonobservant person would have missed it. The teaching Pokémon quickly and quietly readjusted himself.
"It's because you're a Pokémon," Craig continued. "That's the reason they didn't pick you and that's the reason why you learned to mimic human speech patterns. It sucks doesn't it? Watching people who lucked out by who they're born to or what they're born as skate by in life while we have to struggle? You were my favorite teacher because I always knew that you had some sort of understanding about how things really are."
"It is true that I have faced difficulties because of my background." Mr. Slowking said. "In that regard, you and I share some similarities. We're also similar in that our decisions have had disastrous consequences. What you did endangered the lives of your classmates and landed you in here. The faculty, myself included, not stepping in sooner to help you like we should have was the bigger fault. We should have intervened before you were behind bars, but that does not change the fact that you are choosing to throw your life away. There are people who want to help you. It's not too late."
"People like the McKinleys?" Craig hissed. "People like that who have always looked down on me, but then try to act like they care about everyone? Yeah, right. You know, the one thing I looked forward to every day for the first few months that I was in this shithole was TV time. We only get five channels in here, but one of those channels is the news. Every single day, I got to see the McKinley family dragged through the mud by the media and to know I'm the one who caused them to finally be brought down a peg felt great. Man, I wish I could've seen the look on Amelie's face. But of course, like always, they managed to make themselves look like the heroes at the end of the day and came out smelling like roses after the fire…"
Craig stopped himself and gritted his teeth. He had let his anger get the best of him and had started rambling off to the point where he might have given away too much information. While there was little evidence to prove it, Craig was almost certain that the Kanto Pokémon Federation was behind the fire that burned down most of the businesses on Marigold Street. Big Bidoof's Burgers was the only business that perished in the fire that Craig felt a twinge of guilt over since it was the place where he and his friends had spent so much time at over the years.
"This isn't you talking," Mr. Slowking sighed. "These aren't your words, they're Sid Moriarty's. Mr. Kelton…Craig, please, listen to reason. Moriarty is trying to isolate you and make you dependent on him so that he can use you for his own personal gain."
"Really?" Craig countered. "Because last I checked, he's not the one that waited until my last day here to visit me. He's the one who paid for my lawyer and he's the only one who didn't blame this entire mess on me. This all started when Mike Snowe and Elyse McKinley killed a federation member, but everyone conveniently forgets that. I'm not the reason Mike Snowe skipped town like a coward. I'm not the reason the McKinley sisters took off after the fire. I personally don't give a damn if they ever come back to Saffron, but if they do, then whatever is supposed to happen will happen…"
"And what is that?" Mr. Slowking asked and narrowed his eyes.
"Nice try," Craig said. "I'm not threatening them so there's no need to psyshock me into oblivion. I'll just assume that things might not be so easy for them when they come back. Anyway, I know you came for more than just to save my poor soul. You're here for information, so what do you want to know?"
It was obvious Mr. Slowking had been sent to gather some intel. He said that he wanted to help, and Craig did truly believe him. It was easier to trust a Pokémon than a person and he had been the only authority figure at school that he had ever really respected. The only problem was that he did not like to rock the boat. Even now, Craig was still upset that Mr. Slowking had not stood up for him when he was expelled. However, he understood that being a Pokémon meant that his former teacher already had a difficult job being taken seriously by humans. He was made to feel inferior when he was far more intelligent than any human teacher while Craig himself had always felt inferior to his wealthier friends despite being the strongest trainer. They were alike in that aspect, but what differentiated them was that Craig refused to take his mistreatment lying down.
"The device on the gloves that the federation uses," Mr. Slowking started. "It sends a signal that locks Pokémon inside their poké balls. That's not uncommon, there are many facilities that use jamming signals to block the use of poke balls. The issue is that technology is usually reserved for-"
"Multinational corporations and government organizations," Craig finished. "Not a gang of punks riding around on motorcycles, right? I mean, all three groups are full of criminals so it's pretty poetic if you ask me. Look, I don't know who made the gloves or how the boss got his hands on them. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell. I'd be killed the second they found out that I snitched. I'd never give my life for the people of this city."
"Fair enough," Mr. Slowking said, his voice still as soothing as it had been when he arrived. "What can you tell me about the fire?"
"Nothing," Craig answered simply. "I've been locked up for the past seven months, so you know I'm not behind it. Everyone thinks the federation is responsible, but no one can prove anything. If they were behind it, well I guess it just goes to show that the so-called civilized citizens of Saffron underestimated us gutter trash."
His last words instantly made him remember all the arguments that he had with his ex-girlfriend, the wealthy teen model, Felicity Cole. They would constantly shout insults at each other during arguments and it would always end with Craig calling her a spoiled, stuck-up, brat who would be worthless without all her money and connections. In turn, Felicity would say that Craig was gutter trash with no hope of ever having a future and that he was already worthless to begin with. She had always been upfront with her nastiness; it was what Craig respected about her the most.
His mind shifted to the fire. He was not worried about whether the federation committed the arson or not. At this point it was pretty much an open secret that they were the ones responsible. Craig was more concerned as to which members of the gang actually committed the act. He ran through a list of names in his head. Pinky and Drikosko would not have had the nerves to start the fire. Holt and Gino were too sadistic to keep the fire under control and would have gotten caught when the flames started spreading into other areas. With those names eliminated, there was only one person that Craig thought was capable of pulling off the Marigold Street Fire.
"Craig, please listen to me," Mr. Slowking pleaded. "It's not too late for you. If you cooperate with the police and tell them everything, they'll keep you safe from the federation."
"The police?!" Craig growled. "Are you talking about the same ones who let Mike Snowe pummel me into the dirt and then started kicking the shit out of me themselves? Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's too late for me. If anything, you should be focusing your energy on protecting the students that you still have…"
The conversation that he had with his former teacher replayed in Craig's mind over and over. He tried to put it behind him now that he was finally out of jail and reunited with his Pokémon, but eventually concluded that distracting himself from his thoughts was the best option for him as it had been for the past seven months.
"Beedrill, use twineedle!"
Craig came back to reality just in time to see Raticate take two painful stabs to the abdomen by his opponent's Beedrill. Craig watched his Pokémon fall to the ground with labored breathing. When he rose to his feet, the Craig could immediately tell that Raticate had been poisoned. He knew that the battle was over, but not for them.
"Twineedle, one more time!" their opponent ordered.
"Sucker punch!" Craig quickly countered.
Beedrill sped towards Raticate only to be swatted by Raticate's tail. Beedrill hit the wall behind it before falling to the ground beneath it.
"It's done," Craig told his opponent. "Pay up, asshole."
The other trainer cursed in frustration and recalled Beedrill. He handed over the money and skulked away into the crowd. Craig was thankful that he had an antidote on hand and hurriedly used it before he recalled Raticate. In Craig's mind, guts was definitely an appropriately named ability. On paper, Raticate was his weakest Pokémon. Yet, he had won more battles than even Nidoking. Sid had been proven right yet again. It took more than raw strength to achieve victory.
"Got enough for a few more days…" he mumbled after counting his winnings.
He had just enough money eat, feed his Pokémon, and pay for the motel that he had been staying at for the past few days. Battling illegally in the underground tunnel was not a reliable source of income and Craig knew that he would eventually have to find another way to make money.
However, he was currently more concerned with making it out of the tunnel as soon as possible. The judge made it clear to him that the next time he was in trouble, Craig would be going to a facility for adult offenders. With that in mind, he quickly made his way out of the underground tunnel and into the night.
When he made it to the bus stop, Craig sat down on the bench and made sure to do whatever it took to not make himself too noticeable. It had worked for the past few days, but when the black car with tinted windows slowly crept towards the bus stop, he knew that his luck had run out. Avoiding the federation was the second reason that he wanted to spend as little time in the underground tunnel as he possibly could. Steeling his nerves, Craig stood up and approached the car. The windows lowered and Craig looked into the stone-gray eyes of Mona Barlowe.
"You probably should get in," she told him, her voice as raspy as ever. "Like right now."
She unlocked the doors and Craig got in the car without issue. It was best not to cause a scene and bring more trouble down onto himself. The first thing that he noticed was that Mona has drastically changed her look since he had last seen her. Gone was the half shaven head with long white hair on one side. She now wore her hair in a shoulder-length bob. The blood red color that she dyed it made her look even more striking.
"You look good," he complimented her.
"Thanks," she replied and started driving. "You look good too. I like the scruffy look you're rocking. The beard makes you look like an actual grown man. I might let you come home with me if the boss doesn't kill you."
Craig sighed and sat back in his seat. He knew that he would have to confront Boss Warrick sooner or later, but he wanted to wait until he had gotten a bit stronger. He figured that getting some information from Mona might help him understand what to expect when arrived at the hideout.
"So, what's with your new look anyway?" he asked her. "And the car?"
"I needed to change my look after we invaded the party," Mona explained. "The car came from the promotion."
"Promotion?" Craig prodded.
"Me, Holt, and Gino got promoted to lieutenants after you got arrested," she continued. "Lieutenants get cars instead of motorcycles. Easier to stay hidden."
Craig shuddered at the thought of Holt Wullinger and Gino Dunlap having any kind of power under any circumstance. He admittedly did not know much about Mona other that her older brothers were Pokémon poachers who were currently serving a lengthy prison sentence. Craig's former classmates, Amelie McKinley, and Lyndon Tower had been the trainers responsible for stopping them. If anything, she hated them more than he ever could.
"And what did you get for starting the fire?" he asked boldly.
Mona's eyes shifted and Craig could tell that he caught her off guard much like he had done with Mr. Slowking days earlier. She glanced over at him and he was surprised to see that she did not seem upset that he had instantly figured out her role in starting the Marigold Street Fire.
"Just the job of babysitting you," she said. "I'm impressed, how did you figure it out?"
"Jail gives you a lot of time to analyze people," he told her. "Everyone else in the federation would've been too stupid to pull it off."
"If you're trying to flatter me, it's working," Mona smirked. "I ran your little friend and her sister out of town. I wish I just killed Amelie at the party instead of playing around for as long as I did. Now the boss has put out the order to leave the McKinleys alone, at least for now…"
Craig felt himself tense up as he listened to the older girl casually make death threats towards someone that he had grown up with. He forced himself to remember Sid's advice. Amelie McKinley was an enemy now just like the rest of his former classmates. Still, there was a world of difference between making idle threats and legitimately talking about and planning murder.
Craig ceased his questioning and the pair rode in silence until they reached their destination. When Craig stepped out of the car, the first thing that he noticed was that this hideout was much different than the previous one. While the federation's previous hideout was old warehouse, this one appeared to be a large house that would not be out of place in the wealthy neighborhood of Sunglow. He had not been paying attention to where exactly Mona was driving, so far all he knew, they were in Sunglow.
"What the…"
"Nice, huh?" Mona said. "It used to be a trainer house. The boss converted it a couple of months after you got locked up. His office is on the third floor. Call me if you make it out alive."
He did not know if she was serious, but it was best to take caution in a situation like this. Mona got in her car and sped off, leaving Craig alone. Scanning the front yard, he noticed several Pokémon scattered around the large area. Arbok was coiled underneath the moonlight while Murkrow was perched in the tree above. He saw Sandslash sparring with Lickitung and Shellder wading calmly in the small pool.
When he entered the house, Craig only saw a few federation members hanging out with their Pokémon on the first floor which appeared to be nothing more than a large empty room. They were low ranking soldiers judging by their mohawks and the lack of motorcycles outside. Craig paid little mind to them and they seemed to return the sentiment. He made his way towards the elevator and up to the third floor. The moment he stepped out the elevator, Craig found himself face to face with the other two lieutenants of the Kanto Pokémon Federation.
"Woah, Gino, look it's the convict!"
He hated Holt's voice, he hated his beady eyes, but most of all, he hated that he had been in jail while Holt had been free. The heavyset Gino laughed along with Holt and Craig wished he were anywhere else. He saw that they had grown their hair out as well with Holt having a mess of ash blond hair on his head and Gino having thick chestnut curls. Being older they had more prominent facial hair than Craig and as much as he hated to admit it, they did look slightly intimidating.
"I just want to see the boss," Craig told the pair. "That's all."
"Go right ahead," Holt said. "Last door at the end of the hallway."
Craig started down the hallway without another word to the two lieutenants. The closer he got to the large door, the slower he moved. A part of him wanted to turn back and run, but he knew that would only make things worse. He glanced at the camera above him as the doors to the boss's office opened. Walking in, he was amazed at how much the large office resembled the empty room on the first floor. Even though this room actually had furniture, it was still absolutely enormous.
"Boss…?"
The boss was sitting at his desk with a phone in his hand. He pointed to the nearby sofa and Craig went to sit down while he finished his call. Unlike his lieutenants, Boss Warrick had not changed at all. He still had the same shiny bald head and peach skin to go with his large and imposing frame. His reddish-brown beard had only grown thicker and the mystery of the Pokémon inside of the poké ball attached to his necklace remained.
"I'll see you soon," Warrick said into the phone before hanging up. He turned his attention to Craig and pointed to the large television on the wall. "Do you know what tonight is? Watch…"
It was a press conference of some kind. The man that Craig recognized as Carl McKinley was speaking to a crowd of fervent supporters and his eyes widened in shock when he realized that it was election night. Carl McKinley had become the mayor of Saffron City.
"…I want to thank you all for putting your trust in me! I want to thank my family for their support! I promise that I will do whatever it takes to make sure that this city is safe and protected. And that starts with seeking justice and compensation for the businesses destroyed during the Marigold Street Fire."
Warrick turned the television off and then removed his sunglasses. It was the first time that Craig had seen his piercing green eyes and wished that he would put the sunglasses back on.
"It's amazing that one little family is causing so much trouble for you all," Warrick said in a voice that almost sounded like he was confused. "There doesn't seem to be anything extraordinary about the McKinley family. It's starting to seem like you are all just incompetent more than anything. Approach the desk."
"Listen, Boss," Craig started as he walked towards the desk. "I should've came here as soon as I got out of jail and-"
"Save it," Warrick interrupted him. "Right now, I'm going to talk, and I want you to listen. First of all, what you did seven months ago showed initiative. The fact that you were willing to fight the people you went to school showed me that you're on the right side. So, I'm promoting you to lieutenant position."
He reached inside his desk drawer and retrieved a thick band on money. Craig was momentarily mesmerized by the amount of money that Warrick was offering him. It took every ounce of willpower not to take the cash.
"I appreciate it, Boss," Craig said. "But I don't think I'm cut out for-"
"I don't remember asking you what you think," Warrick cut him off. "Besides, we still haven't discussed your punishment."
"Punishment?"
"Yes, you heard me right," Warrick said. He pressed a button on his remote and Craig was suddenly hit by a bluish-white light. His Pokémon had been locked inside their poké balls. "It was good that you showed initiative, but you failed to achieve your goal. You let yourself be beaten by the school mascot and that's unacceptable. Worse, your arrest exposed our technology to the authorities which put our entire organization at risk. Honestly though, it's my fault. I blame myself for not making things clear when you first came to me. So, before I leave for my trip, I'm going to straighten you out…"
Craig had felt his anger boiling up from the moment he stepped in the office. Warrick was treating him like a trained Pokémon and no matter how much he feared him, he refused to tolerate such disrespect. He hated any kind of authority, be it law enforcement or crime bosses. They were all the same to him; people trying to impose their will on him. He was not going to sit still and let his boss beat him to death. Anger replaced fear as Warrick marched towards Craig. He suddenly punched the older man with enough force to send him staggering backwards.
"You've had this coming for a while," he snarled. "I don't need any Pokémon to stomp your lights out, old man."
Warrick simply laughed and wiped the blood from his lips. He suddenly charged at Craig and the teenager was startled by the sheer speed of someone with such a large frame. Warrick tackled Craig into the wall behind him and it felt like he had been hit by a truck. He struggled to catch his breath as Warrick effortlessly tossed him across the room. Craig felt his back hit the windowsill and he slumped to the floor.
"You're in the real world now, son," Warrick taunted and casually walked over to his desk to take another sip out of his glass. "That school bully act doesn't work on me. From the looks of things, it doesn't seem to be working on your old schoolmates anymore either."
Craig screamed and rushed his boss with a new level of ferocity. He landed a punch to Warrick's face and two more to the older man's ribs. Warrick quickly recovered and cocked his head back. Before Craig could react, he received a nasty headbutt and immediately felt the blood pouring down his face. He stumbled onto the floor once more, but Warrick quickly dragged him to his feet and pinned him against the wall.
"You embarrassed this organization!" he shouted as he slugged Craig in the gut. "You embarrassed me!" He hit him again. "You disrespected me!" This time he let him fall to the floor before repeatedly kicking and stomping him. "You will do what I say! Or! I! Will! Kill! You!"
Craig was gasping for air, clutching his ribs as blood continued to spill from his forehead. He had been in many fights throughout his life, but this was the worst beating he had ever taken. As bad as the pain was, it did not compare to how damaged his morale was. He thought of how he spent the last seven months training his body and getting stronger.
"Was it all for nothing?" Craig thought to himself.
He tried to stand, but he could barely crawl. Warrick watched him for a few moments before calling Holt and Gino in.
"Get him out of my sight," Warrick commanded.
"On it, Boss!" Holt said eagerly.
The two thugs each took one of Craig's arms and dragged him out of the office. They made sure to take the stairs instead of the elevator to prolong his suffering. Craig endured their insults and saw the sheer pleasure they took from his misery as they dragged him out the front of the hideout.
"Should we dump him here?" Gino asked.
"I got a better idea," Holt suggested.
They dragged him to the side of the house where there was nothing but a large dumpster. Holt and Gino hoisted him up and tossed the bruised and bloodied Craig Kelton into the garbage.
A/N: And so we begin again. Starting the very first chapter without the main character was definitely something new that I wanted to try. Plus, it was important to set up the main conflict of the story. Still, as nasty as Craig has been in the past, the bully becoming the bullied is always tough to see.
The P.O.V. character for this chapter was Craig Kelton.
As always, feel free to PM me or come to the forums to chat!
Until next time!
