Chapter 7: The New Kid
"Name?" asked the receptionist at the shelter outside of the remains of Pewter City.
"Landon Halliwell." The receptionist scribbled it down on a list and put a number next to it.
"Alright, go right inside. Find a bed to sleep on, or someone you know. Personally, I'd look for acquaintances first." Landon nodded. He walked through another door, into a very large room cram full of beds and people who had survived the Pewter Fires. Landon stood still at the doorway, looking at each person to try and find his father. He checked twice, but didn't see him anywhere. He looked around a third time to see if he had over looked any friends. He hadn't.
"Hi." someone said behind him as he heard the door open and close. He turned around to face Phoinex. His clothes were partially torn, and ash and soot covered him in small smudges. His friends were behind him in the same state.
"Oh, you survived…" he said, disappointedly, turning back around to look for his father. Or at least he made it look like that. He was really just trying to avoid eye contact… and to look cool.
"YEAH, we did. WE'RE A LOT STRONGER THEN YOU, GIRLYPANTS!!!" Zoe screamed angrily. Landon turned around just as furious.
"Again with that idiot word?! HUH, CHEEZ-IT?!" Zoe, Selena, and Phoinex all gasped together. Selena narrowed her eyes and spoke in a disgusted tone.
"You use Zoe's own word… and wrong too…"
"Like I care."
"TAKE THAT BACK, LANDON BOBERSHNOOG!" Zoe hollered.
"WHAT? Damn it… I've had enough. Give me 5 MINUTES to change my pokemon and I'll challenge you to a battle again!!!"
"I accept, Girlypants. I'll be waiting here."
"Landon, wait, we need to talk about something-" Phoinex said, but Landon had already run off to find a computer.
"Oh, good, I found you three." said a voice behind TTT. They turned around to see Ben.
"BEN!" Selena yelled. Ben smiled.
"Yeah, it's me. How are you three? Pretty shocked I suppose. Two homes lost in less then a month. Must be horrible…" TTT fell silent. "Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to remind you. You're gonna have to try to ignore it for a few minutes. We need to talk about where we're sending you next." Selena nodded, able to ignore it easily with the past she had. Phoinex could take it too, he was clenching his fists, but he was actually starting to get used to tragedy. Zoe on the other hand, had a tear slip down one eye.
"Where are we going?" Selena asked. Ben looked at the piece of paper in his hand no one had noticed before.
"We've found you a home in Celadon City."
"CELADON?!" Zoe whined. "You mean we're still staying in Kanto?!"
"Yes… what's so bad about Kanto?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
"Well… it's nothing really… I'm not against any place that has pokemon, but there's this boy, and he hates us just because we were not from this region."
"You mean you were ALL born in Johto?"
"I think so… Johto's all I've known my entire life. I'm pretty sure me and Zoe were born in Olivine." said Phoinex.
"I'm positive I was born in Ecruteak. I've lived there since I was born." Selena said proudly.
"Hmmm… interesting. I'll look up your files… there might be a chance one of you was born here in Kanto and simply moved over to Johto. Then maybe people will stop picking on you about it." Ben looked at Selena's grin. "I'll check yours too, Selena. It's not that I don't believe you, but just to make sure." Selena's smile faded. Phoinex on the other hand suddenly remembered something.
"Ben, I forgot. I need to ask you something ab-"
"BEN! YOU'RE HOME!" yelled someone from behind the group. They turned around to see Landon running toward them.
"GOOD LORD, BOY! DON'T HUG ME!" Zoe screeched before hiding behind Phoinex and Selena. But Landon ran right past them and went over to hug Ben instead for a few short seconds before turning back to TTT.
"Ben, I'm glad you're home. Now you, Cheez-it woman, there's no proper transfer system here. We'll have to battle some other time. I promise we will…"
"Well… I bind you to that promise! FOR AS LONG AS YOU LIVE! No, no, that's cruel… I BIND YOU TO IT FOR ETERNITY!"
"… Riiiight. Seriously, I do wanna battle you. And I will. As soon as Pewter is back. By the way, Ben, what are you doing talking to these freaks?"
"Hey… YOU'RE TALKING TO US TOO!" Selena screamed, pointing her finger at Landon.
"I am, and it's a waste of time. Ben though is busy, and I know it. What's so great about you guys he has to stop to talk to you?"
"… BEN IS NOT EXCLUSIVELY YOURS, BRAT!" Ben laughed.
"Calm down, everyone. Selena, you're right, I'm not exclusively Landon's." Selena smirked at Landon. Ben turned to him, and Landon smiled, expecting he was going to be told the same thing. "Landon…you're wrong." Landon's smile died. "These kids are worth my time."
"WHY?!" Landon screamed, causing some people to stare. His cap had actually bounced off his head for a moment from his anger.
"FOR THE SAME REASON YOU ARE!" Phoinex suddenly blurted. Everyone turned to him.
"What?" Ben asked, totally confused.
"Our… our father's dead. He died from last night's attack…" Landon frowned at him.
"What was that?"
"Our father's dead…"
"First off, don't call him your father. Second, YOU'RE LYING." Landon stormed off into the crowd.
"Landon-" Phoinex pleaded, but stopped as Ben put a hand on his shoulder.
"Leave him alone for a while… I'll go get him eventually…" Ben turned Phoinex around to face him. "So our father's dead now, is he?" Selena raised an eyebrow now.
"Our father?" she asked.
"Oh, Landon didn't quite tell you his connection with me, did he?"
"No… I'd like to know though… no clue why someone like you would know someone like him…" Zoe muttered.
"Well, this'll come as a shock to you, but I'm Landon's older brother." Zoe stared at him.
"UH-HUH… No need to make excuses for that thing."
"I'm not kidding, he really is my brother."
"But your last name's Baudelaire." Selena pointed out. Ben sighed.
"Benjamin Halliwell Baudelaire. I only use my mother's last name because I never really knew our dad to well, or even liked him that much. He shipped me off to boarding school early off in life, thinking it would be good for me, so I didn't spend too much time with him over the time I grew up. After mom died though, he had another kid to take care of, and we use to argue all the time, and he was sure it was because we didn't spend time together. He offered to put me back in public school, but I refused his offer because I was afraid it would be too awkward. So he gave Landon the normal life, while I stayed away for most of our lives, except in the vacation when I came to visit and spent time with Landon."
"And you didn't tell me all this BEFORE? Why?" Phoinex asked angrily.
"… this makes you Finney's brother too, dun it?" Zoe interrupted. Ben nodded.
"I was sure SOMEONE had told you. Guess no one did then… I'm really sorry."
"When are we leaving?" Phoinex asked all of a sudden.
"What…?"
"WHEN ARE WE LEAVING?"
"Oh, uh… today?"
"How are we getting to Celadon?"
"… The orphanage's special jet it waiting nearby for you guys."
"Okay, main thing: Landon's coming with us. Got it? We'll be in Pewter when you've calmed him down." Phoinex brushed past Ben and through the door. Selena and Zoe nodded at him as goodbye before rushing past him after Phoinex. Ben sighed again and went into the shelter to find Landon.
* * *
"FINNEY, why'd we come out here?" Zoe asked as TTT arrived at the edge of Pewter City. A large portion of the buildings only had their foundations survive as a mark of their existence, full of ash on the inside. A few houses had managed to life, with only holes in the roof. The gym was one such building.
Phoinex kicked open the door to Pewter City Gym. The ground was littered with large concrete pieces of rubble that had come from the ceiling. Beams of sunlight were pouring down from the holes, lighting up the building. Phoinex found a spot empty of rubble, but with enough sunlight to read. He dug in his pocket and took out two sheets of folded paper, unfolding them.
"What are those?" Selena asked.
"The only pieces of the Kodomo Files I was able to get before my dad forced us out."
"OH!" Selena said, taking out her own piece of folded paper. "I got one too!"
"Well, I uhhh… I was busy making sure you guys were getting paper right, so yeah..." Zoe said innocently.
"Mine says something about Professor Oak. Look… it even has a number at the bottom. I have page 2." Selena said, ignoring Zoe.
"I have pages 6 and 7. Page 6 has something to do with Oak too, and page 7 talks about…. The Hogwarts Explosion. Here's what page 6 says," Phoinex started to read aloud, "A desk drawer full of burned information was found in Headmaster Oak's office's remains. The information that was successfully translated comes as follows: Record: My theory about Team Rocket and the Halliwells seems more correct. I suspect TR tampered with hospital records to say Phoinex w_s _orn with the _____ birthmark. Their plan apparently was to lead D.V.U on a wild goose chase after P____, so that they could find the true __________. I believe Phoinex was given the bi______ at the Roland _____ as I have concluded with one of the clues found in the D.V.U car at the crime, a specially shaped burner. My theory is possibly incorrect a__ __ine_ may really be the true inheritor. I must get in contact with Phoinex's __ther, and find out if she has any memory of some strange happening the day of the Roland Baudelaire Fire."
"… the hell? That makes no sense." Selena complained.
"I don't get it either. I wanna know who D.V.U is though." Selena skimmed down her page.
"Hmm… mine says some stuff about Professor Oak finding out something about this D.V.U, which is why they think D.V.U blew up Hogwarts. It also talks more about these Baudelaire Fire thingys. Then… there's stuff about how TR might have some of those record things… OO! Here's something! Sir Isu has one of the files for safe keeping until we can clear his name and give him the case."
"TR must stand for Team Rocket. From what you say, D.V.U sounds similar to TR."
"… What's a Sir Isu?" Zoe asked.
"No clue, but he must be important since he's a 'Sir'. I know we have to find him though if he has one of the files. He'd be a lot easier to find if only we knew his last name…"
"Finney, what's page 7 say?" Selena asked. Phoinex turned to the page briefly, before looking up again as he heard someone calling for them.
"Selena?! ZOE! Phoinex?!" someone called from outside.
"Gah… it's Ben." Phoinex pointed out. He folded up his sheets of the Kodomo Files, and Selena put away hers. "We'll take a closer look at these some other time." He led his friends outside, and they found Ben walking around looking for them.
"Oh, there you are. I've managed to calm Landon down, and I've explained everything to him; he's waiting on the plane."
"Alright, time to go then." Phoinex said flatly. "Lead the way." Ben nodded and started walking out of Pewter. He brought them to a clearing with a plane sitting patiently at the end. Ben led TTT over to the stairs that led onboard the plane.
"This is as far as I can take you, I still have some stuff to take care of back here. I'll come out to Celadon in a week to check on you guys. There should be some clothes and other stuff arriving for you in about three days. Try to get along with Landon, would you? He's still not use to this."
"Neither are we." Phoinex said as he boarded the plane. Ben turned to Zoe and Selena who smiled.
"Bye Ben." Zoe said as she ran up the stairs too, waving back at him.
"Yeah, thanks." Selena said, running after Zoe.
"Bye." Ben said as he stood back to let the plane take off. The engine turned on, and the plane started to move on it's wheels toward the other side of the clearing. Before it hit the trees, it took off gracefully into the air, loading it's wheels inside. Ben waved at it even though no one was looking back at him. He sighed one more time, then turned around to head back for the shelter.
* * *
On board the plane, TTT was sitting in their seats, looking out the windows. Landon hadn't spoken too them yet, and had gone straight to the bathroom as soon as the pilot said it was alright for them to stand. Zoe looked away from her window, and put her hands to her legs, which were jumping up and down quickly.
"I have to go to the potty… I sense a disturbance in my pants… WHAT'S FREAKIN' TAKIN' GIRLYPANTS SO LONG IN THERE?! BOYS SHOULDN'T TAKE THIS LONG! Stupid Girlypants… can't even use the potty right! God, it's not like he's doing the itsy bitsy spider. IT'S JUST THE POTTY!"
"Finney, I think you of all people knows how Zoe gets… SO DO SOMETHING." Selena said from behind Phoinex, who nodded and stood up. He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it.
"Landon, look, I know you're new to the whole orphan scene and all, and you don't know that much about us either, but I REALLY think you should know that upsetting Zoe HONESTLY IS classified as a life threatening act… If you don't believe me, look it up… or just look at Zoe's face… So how about coming out now?"
"… no…" Landon replied in an odd voice.
"… And why not?"
"Because…" Phoinex listened carefully to Landon's voice. He seemed to be crying.
"… Are you even using the bathroom?…"
"… yes…"
"… Liar." The door opened slightly. Phoinex saw a red eye look through the opening.
"Wow… What happened to you?"
"I miss my dad, alright? I miss him… I don't want another dad."
"But that's the cool part about this; you're NOT getting a new dad. You're getting a guardian. That's totally different then a dad. I never really noticed that… I guess the agency understands you can't replace your father or mother."
"I don't wanna move to Celadon either though."
"Why not? From what I've seen of you, I don't think you really cared that much about Pewter. By the way, you do understand you can't live there anymore, right? It'll take months, maybe years to rebuild IF it'll be rebuilt."
"Yeah, I understand I can't live there anymore… And you're wrong. I did care about Pewter. But that's not the only reason I don't wanna move… I don't wanna have to get used to this 'guardian' person. I just know I'm not gonna like them."
"… you're very picky about who you like, aren't you? If you don't like him, we can ask to be moved somewhere else. We'll come with you."
"… Why? What if you guys like him?"
"It wont matter. I'll come with you anyway, and if I go, I'm sure Zoe and Selena will too. See, the thing is you're dad kinda asked for it. He told me to bring you along with me, and if that means following you and your stubbornness, then so be it."
"Why would you do that?"
"… because he asked me to."
"You barely knew him! How can you keep such a promise to him?!" Landon asked as he walked out of the bathroom. Zoe pushed him aside all of a sudden and ran in, muttering, "Stupid Girlypants…"
"Yes, I would keep it... I am half of him after all."
"Fine." Landon walked off to his seat. Phoinex could tell that he was slightly pleased though and took his own seat.
"We'll be arriving in about 15 minutes." the pilot said. Phoinex turned back to looking out his window. He looked down at the gray, rock mountains below him. He gasped as he saw a black helicopter zooming past below.
"SELENA! Look at this!" Selena looked at where Phoinex was pointing, and looked in the direction Phoinex was pointing at, and saw the helicopter too. She gasped too.
"NO! Look there! In front of the helicopter!" Phoinex looked past the helicopter. There was some kind of blue creature in front of it, chasing after something else Phoinex couldn't quite make out.
"They're after something… I don't think we can let them have it." Phoinex ran out of his seat and up to the pilot.
"Thanks for taking us this far, we'll get to Celadon on our own from here." Phoinex turned back around and saw Zoe looking out his window with her eyes wide open. Selena had already explained the situation. He ran over to the plane door and opened it. Selena and Zoe walked over, pokeballs in their hands. Zoe handed Phoinex his backpack, and he dug through it and found a pokeball of his own. Landon was standing beside them.
"What are you guys doing?"
"It's nothing important," Phoinex said hurriedly as he swung his backpack on, "stay here. We'll meet back up with you in Celadon." He threw the pokeball out of the door.
"Go, Pidgeot!" The pokeball opened in mid-air, and let the pokemon out in a beam of red. The pokeball returned to Phoinex, who put it in his pocket before jumping onto Pidgeot.
".. HEY! What are you kids doing?!" the pilot suddenly yelled, realizing what Phoinex had meant earlier.
"Don't worry, sir," Zoe said as she threw her pokeball put too and let out her own Pidgeot. "We'll be alright on our own!" Zoe called out as she jumped onto her Pidgeot, who flew after Phoinex and his Pidgeot whom had already gone ahead and flown off in the direction of the helicopter.
"BYE NOW!" Selena screamed as she released her Pidgeot, jumped on, and flew off after her friends. Landon stood at the door.
"What are we gonna do?" Selena asked as she caught up with Zoe and Phoinex.
"Save whatever they're after I suppose."
"It feels so good to be out of that stupid plane…" Zoe said. "So what are we doing again?"
"… Saving that thing. Zoe, you go try and stop the helicopter. Me and Selena'll go after what Team Rocket is after." Zoe put on a determined look.
"Right." she said. Pidgeot seemed to take it as a signal, and flew off in another direction toward the helicopter. Phoinex and Selena's Pidgeots flew off in another direction too, toward the chase between the blue thing and the mysterious creature, who had gotten far ahead of the helicopter.
"Oh my god, look! It's a Suicune!" Selena said as they caught up with the blue thing.
"It is…" Phoinex said in amazement. Two legendary pokemon in two days was pretty lucky in his opinion.
"What's it chasing?" Selena yelled over to Phoinex, trying to look over Suicune.
"I'm not sure, let's fly ahead and find out." Phoinex yelled back, touching the sides of Pidgeot's throat softly to tell it to increase in speed. He and Selena sped up together and zoomed past Suicune. A few feet past it, they saw what it was chasing.
"CELEBI!" Selena yelled with joy.
"FINNEY, YOU STOP SUICUNE! This one's mine!!!" Phoinex looked at her happy face. Not knowing what Celebi was, he had Pidgeot turn around to face Suicune. That's when he saw the red R on the top of Suicune's forehead thing.
"Pidgeot, use gust!" Pidgeot stopped moving and hovered where it was, flapping its wings rapidly. A blast of wind flew at Suicune, who jumped high over it seconds before impact. Phoinex looked up and saw it open it's mouth. Bubbles flew out with swirls of water spinning around them.
"Tackle!" Phoinex ordered. Pidgeot flew over Suicune's attack, and up toward Suicune, who dodged around Pidgeot and landed on the gray rocks below. Suicune opened it's mouth again and let out the same attack again, this time hitting Pidgeot in the back. "AHHH! Pidgeot!" Phoinex yelled as Pidgeot began to fly uncontrollably.
"PIDGE! PIDGEOOOOTTT!" Pidgeot cried.
Suicune decided the job had been done, and resumed chasing after Celebi. Phoinex held on tightly to Pidgeot as he heard someone cry out, "METAL CLAW!" Pidgeot managed to take control of its movements again and turned around. Phoinex saw Landon jumping off of his Scizor and throwing out another pokeball. "Come out, Onix!"
Onix appeared on the ground, and Landon managed to fall onto his back. Meanwhile, Scizor's right claw had a rush of silver run over it as it punched Suicune who hadn't noticed him in the side.
"Landon!"
"Go help Selena, I'll hold off Suicune!"
"Can you do it?!"
"Anytime. Go now!" Phoinex nodded and headed off toward the direction Celebi had flown off in. He was about to enter a patch of pine trees when Celebi flew out from it. Pidgeot stopped.
Celebi turned around once and stopped high over the trees. It prepared to do something, when Suicune jumped out of no where and tried attacking Celebi the way it had Pidgeot. A bubble of pink and yellow, with a green lining formed around Celebi as it tried to fly away from Suicune.
Suicune's attack hit Celebi's protective barrier, knocking it off course and sending it hurtling into the trees below.
"POKEBALL, GO!" Phoinex heard Selena yell from somewhere inside the patch of trees. A pokeball popped out of the trees and hit Celebi's barrier, turning it off, only to bounce back to the ground. It was enough though to send Celebi flying back toward Suicune, who was perched patiently for Celebi on a rock hill beside the patch of trees. Onix pulled up beside Pidgeot.
"Hurry, Scizor!" Landon called. Suicune took notice of his cry, and looked slightly to its left. Suicune saw Scizor heading toward it, and jumped to the right in time to make Scizor miss and punch a dent in the rock with its claw.
"Scizor, double team!" Scizor spun around Suicune rapidly, making it seem like there were10 of him. Suicune growled, turning to each.
"SCIZOR!" Scizor cried as it punched Suicune from behind. Suicune was thrown forward, and slid across the ground.
"Uhh… oh! Right." Phoinex said as he came out of the interest from the battle. He took out another pokeball and through it beside Scizor. Ampharos came out of it. "Ampharos! Thunder punch!"
"Scizor, metal claw!" Landon commanded. Ampharos' left hand glowed yellow, with electricity coming out of it. Scizor's right claw had its silver rush over it again. The two pokemon threw out their punches side by side, and hit Suicune as it got up again. POW.
Meanwhile, Phoinex looked up at Celebi and wondered if it had escaped. It hadn't. The black helicopter had caught up and was chasing Celebi. The door of the helicopter was open, and someone was standing in the doorway, ready to grab Celebi. Phoinex turned around and saw Zoe on Pidgeot heading toward the helicopter.
"Sorry, Finney! THEY'RE REALLY FAST!" Zoe called down as she flew over Phoinex. "Pidgeot, whirlwind!"
Zoe's Pidgeot stopped where it was and flapped it's wings quickly. Winds from every direction gathered around the area the helicopter was flying in, causing it to shake and slow down.
"Pidgeot, she'll need our help…" Phoinex looked back at the battle with Suicune. Ampharos was attacking on it's own free will, while Scizor took Landon's commands. Phoinex gasped as he realized something. He dug in his pocket and took out a fastball with a fire sticker on its front. "LANDON!"
Landon turned around from the top of Onix's back. "What? Why aren't you helping protect that other pokemon?!"
"HERE!" Phoinex threw the fastball up at Landon, who snatched in into his hand confused. "Your dad wanted you to have that! Let's go now, Pidgeot." Pidgeot nodded, and lowered itself slightly to fly up faster, and shot up quickly toward the helicopter as Zoe's Pidgeot's whirlwind died out. Phoinex leaned in. "TACKLE!"
"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot said quickly as it increased in speed and became a white blur before it hit the helicopter from beneath. The helicopter shook even more.
* * *
At the same time, Landon stared at the fastball with a smile. "He let ME have it… I can't believe it… Go now, CHARIZARD! Attack Suicune with all you've got!" He threw the fastball out in the air in front of Onix. It opened, and a Charizard flew out and roared. It spotted Suicune and flew down toward it. "USE FLY!"
Charizard hit Suicune, and Scizor punched it toward Ampharos who shocked it with thunderbolt. Meanwhile, Pidgeot tackled the black helicopter for a second time, this time freezing the computer. Zoe and her Pidgeot tackled it too, making sure the entire system froze. Phoinex and his Pidgeot flew back and stayed there in the air as they watched the propeller slow down, and the helicopter plummet down to the ground.
Phoinex turned around to look at Celebi. It was rising up from the trees again, only this time glowing green. It spun around slowly once, and stood in one spot high over everything. It's eyes closed, and it crossed its arms with its head tilted up. A rush of blue flew over the trees below. Two rings of green light crossed over one another making a sort of X were generated, and expanded to a certain point before they slowly faded away. Another two rings crossed over one another were emitted, and Celebi's glow grew stronger, into a giant white orb of light with a green lining, Celebi floating in the center.
The orb started to shrink quickly, Celebi crying out, "BIIII!!" As the orb closed entirely, Celebi disappeared. A few white sparkles were left behind by the orb. They flew into where the center of the orb had been and disappeared as well.
"NO! It's gone now! Grrr…" said the Team Rocket member at the doorway of the helicopter as it crashed to the ground. Suicune had noticed Celebi disappear too, and had already taken out Scizor and Ampharos. It decided Charizard wasn't worth the battle and ran off.
Phoinex smiled that Celebi had managed to escape.
"Where'd Selenee go?" Zoe asked from her Pidgeot.
"Oh! I forgot about her!!!" Phoinex said as he and Pidgeot flew into the patch of trees. They found Selena sitting up on the ground, rubbing her forehead. Her Pidgeot was standing beside her, and looked at Phoinex and his own Pidgeot as they approached.
"Stupid pokeball…" she muttered, explaining why she was on the ground rubbing her forehead.
"Onix, return! Scizor, return! That was awesome." They heard Landon cry. Zoe flew in and caught up to them. She got off her Pidgeot and helped Selena up, while Phoinex flew out of the patch of trees and called Ampharos back to its pokeball before flying back to where Selena and Zoe were. Landon was there with them now, on Charizard's back. Selena and Zoe got onto the backs of their Pidgeots.
"Now what?" Phoinex asked. He was specifically asking Landon with a smile. Landon sighed and rolled his eyes.
"To Celadoonn." he said dully, but happily. Zoe growled at Landon and took off out of the trees in the wrong direction. Phoinex flew after her, followed by Selena and Landon.
"ZOE! Wait! CELADON IS THE OTHER WAY!" Zoe turned around and flew in the right direction ahead of everyone.
"WAIT FOR US!" Phoinex and Selena called out together, while Landon flew ahead on Charizard to compete with Zoe, which would happen a lot more often now that he had accepted he would be traveling around with them, hoping they too would someday accept hom. Maybe they already had… Phoinex and Selena at least.