Fanfiction.net is finally up again! Whoo! It's about smegging time, but I
suppose I can't complain or anything. At least the downtime gave me a
chance to work not only on the next few chapters of this story, but a few
of my other fics as well. For all you fans of this fic, I want you to know
that you're either going to be really happy or really angry about the next
chapters. **Insert evil cackle and lightning.**
~~~~
"Police are still searching for the two suspects, who were last seen together with a young woman on the outskirts of Olivine City. They are described by witnesses as such: The first, a tall man with a powerful build and a light accent. The second is a smaller man dressed entirely in black and wearing a leather duster. The woman believed to be a hostage has been described as being in her late teens, with bright green hair and tomboyish clothing. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of these dangerous criminals, please report immediately to the local authorities. Police wish to inform the public that at least one of these men is armed, but both are extremely dangerous. Do not, under any circumstances, confront or try to apprehend these fugitives without aid of police." The newscaster warned those out in TV Land sternly. She swiveled her chair a few inches to the left to face a new camera.
"In sports today, the age-old hockey tradition of flinging live Tentacool onto the ice took an unfortunate, but humorous, turn." She hardly suppressed a giggle.
"Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful." Amos sighed as he plopped himself across the hotel's uncomfortable bed.
"You're telling me. I can't believe this is even happening. Why did you two have to go and turn into runners-from-justice?" Nozomi grumbled.
"No, I meant the Tentacool. Such a waste of good food."
"He has a point, other than the two on his head." Karuta added as he sharply rapped Amos across the forehead.
"You certainly know how to flatter a guy, Karuta."
"Bite me, you mass of -- that was not an invitation! Stop that!"
"Spoil-sport." Amos released his grip on Karuta's arm.
"Freak of nature."
"You're one to talk?"
"I feel another migraine coming on." Nozomi sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
~~~~
Two more days passed.
These two days were not pleasant for Karuta, as it had been decided that he would be mainly responsible for teaching Nozomi the tricks of the trade of Moonlighters. Karuta found that not only was Nozomi a slow learner, but her pride kept her from accepting terms of life that had been taught to her as otherwise wrong. It would figure that he'd have to be teaching someone so close-minded how to act like those who hated close-mindedness.
"Scenario: Someone draws a weapon on you. Their eyes are always looking somewhere, but never where the weapon is pointed. What does this mean?" Karuta quizzed.
"It means I'd better start praying. Every time you ask me a question like that, it always ends with me getting the wrong answer and resulting in my untimely--" Nozomi sighed.
"Wrong. One thing all Moonlighters have in common: when we fight, our eyes are always on the target or our opponent's eyes. Looking elsewhere is an unintentional sign of weakness, meaning they won't really attack." Amos supplied.
"A good give-away for finding blowhards, but also a wonderful trick in a fight." Karuta finished.
"Someone offers you a so-called 'illegal substance'. What do you do?" Amos asked.
"Turn it down respectfully."
"Only if they offer it respectfully." Karuta corrected. "Otherwise, it's your call. Just don't be overly rude unless they're asking for it."
"Are we there yet?"
"We'll be the ones to ask questions, young lady." Karuta chided. "And yes, we're almost there."
"Good. I don't care if I am risking my life going into this place, as long as it'll keep you two from quizzing me all day long." Nozomi said in an annoyed tone.
"Last one. Under no circumstances must you ever, ever--"
"In a million years, under no circumstances whatsoever, even if yours or anyone else's life depends on it." Nozomi fell into a repetitive sync with Karuta's warning. "I know, I know! You've burned that one into my brain so that I'll probably be hearing it in my sleep.
"Good. You have to remember to never, ever--"
"Go through any doorway that has a picture of a Ditto on or near it. I know! However, I still don't know why I can't go through Ditto doors."
"It's best that you don't know, hon'." Amos said sagely as he laid a heavy hand on Nozomi's shoulder.
The three travelers fell quiet for a long time after those last few words. Nozomi's curious mind burned with questions and thoughts of what this 'Underground' was like or if the Moonlighters were really as bad as Amos and Karuta made them out to be.
~~~~
Five hours passed.
In these five hours, Nozomi showed remarkable improvement when it came to her learning capabilities. While Amos was vehemently against Karuta's methods, it turned out that Nozomi remembered things better if he flipped her whenever she answered a question wrong.
Aversion therapy. Go figure.
The sun was just vanishing behind the tall peaks of Goldenrod's skyscrapers when they arrived on the city limits. The metropolis was a sight to behold, especially in the waning sunlight. With a multicolored sky as a backdrop, the buildings slowly began to light up like stars before the darkening horizon. The three travelers all took a moment to appreciate the sight from their vantage point upon a ridge on the city's outskirts before heading into the bustling concrete jungle.
The small group had not gone even a few blocks into the city when Karuta led them down a side street immediately off the main roads. The trench- coated trainer continued his trek through smaller streets and alleyways, leading the two behind him deeper and deeper into the tall buildings. Slowly, the surrounding city began to show signs of decay. They were nearing the inner city, where the commercial areas ended and harsh reality set in. Here was not the glimmering wonder of the big city, but those who stood in the shadows of that limelight. Rundown buildings, trash-littered streets, bums sleeping on the corners. These were the day-to-day lifestyles of those unfortunate enough to live on Skid Row.
"Spare some change for a feeble old man, young'ns?" A filthy beggar grinned up at the group as they passed. Karuta walked over the man and scoffed coldly.
"Get a job." Was his remark. The man withered in response and returned to his pile of cardboard.
"You didn't have to be so cruel to him. He just wanted some change." Nozomi scolded Karuta in a loud whisper.
"I didn't see you leaping to his aid or offering charity. Now shut up."
"If that's how you're going to be, then I will give him some money." Nozomi said pointedly as she reached into the front pocket of her overalls.
Her hand was roughly snatched out of her pocket by Amos, who held her hand up away from her. Nozomi gave an indignant response, but this was quickly silenced as she was pulled along after her companions. Amos eventually let go of Nozomi's wrist, allowing her to rub the feeling back into her hand and glare at the two men.
"And what was that about? I was just going to give him some--"
"You can't. It's for your own good that you keep money to yourself around people like that." Karuta said.
"What good does that do? That man looked like he needed a good meal and I have plenty of--"
"Will you shut up?!" Karuta interrupted Nozomi again. "Nozomi, come down from your cloud of righteousness and take a look around at reality for a minute. You might learn something."
Karuta stood aside and motioned outwards at the streets around him. All around them, the slums loomed darkly as the ruins of a once-lovely neighborhood. Apartments and houses stood mixed amongst each other in equal disrepair, falling apart down to their very frames. Seated outside with the litter and filth were those unfortunate enough to not even have a run-down shack that substituted for housing to live in. They were all lean and gaunt, showing disheveled faces hollow with the emptiness one gains from lost hope. Their eyes glimmered with desperate hunger, like suffering souls gazing upon a saving angel above the lake of fire.
"These people have nothing. I don' just mean money, either. They have no hope, no chance of salvation. They see people like us who have it infinitely better than they do like a wolf does it's prey. They're dying and we have something they want." Karuta explained sternly.
"How can you be so heartless? I know I can't help all of them, but I can spare money to help at least a few of them. What possible harm could come from giving a poor man a few bucks?" Nozomi growled.
"Nozomi, have you ever heard of a boat called the Titanic?." Amos supplied in an unusually somber tone that grabbed Nozomi's attention. "Of course. Everybody knows about the Titanic. It sank after it hit an iceberg.even though everyone thought it was unsinkable." Nozomi replied, not sure of where Amos was going.
"Yep. Lots of people died from that accident. Those in charge were so sure of the boat's invulnerability that they actually took below standard amounts of life boats. After the ship sank, those lucky enough to be in the lifeboats refused to go back and save the people drowning in the freezing waters."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"The people in the water were desperate to stay alive. If those in the lifeboats came back, the drowning people would've swarmed the boats and they all would've died." Karuta filled in the ending in his usual blunt manner.
"It's the same situation here, Nozomi. These people are drowning and we're lifeboats to them." Amos sighed. "If we show them any charity or even mercy, they'll jump on the chance like a pack of starving animals."
They continued on in silence. Nozomi felt sick at heart, for some reason that she couldn't place.
~~~~
It was not long after when Karuta announced their arrival. Were it not for his abrupt proclamation of having reached their destination, Nozomi never would've noticed it. They were stopped before a subway entry stairwell, and not a well-kept one at that. Rust and graffiti coated the stairwell railings in unison, paired up with old bottles and other such garbage on the stairs themselves. At the bottom of the stairwell was a great iron gate with a sign posted upon it, warning the public from entering on risk of structural collapse.
"First it was closed for repairs, then condemned, then it was infested, then it was de-bugged.what signs won't they put on this gate? Closed for overdue fishing trip?" Amos grumbled.
"Unoriginal, maybe. However, the signs do the job. Only those who know what to look for can find it." Karuta said quietly as he tapped lightly on the tiles leading down the stairs. Upon reaching a cracked tile, he paused to run his fingers along the tiny crevice. He gently pressed in on one of the separated shards and it gave way, a click resulting from the pressure. A moment later, the iron gates unlocked with a rusty clanking and swung slowly open, as if of their own accord.
"Well that's just plain creepy." Nozomi said quietly as they continued past the gates, which closed heavily behind them.
"Tip of the iceberg, darlin'." Amos mentioned in a whisper.
Past the gates was a rundown subway stop, overrun with gang-tagging and litter. Chewed gum was pressed to the walls and floors, supplying a great deal of sustenance for the small horde of flies that darted around the station. The stench of the place was neigh unbearable, forcing Nozomi to hold her nose to block out the burning smell. Her companions were either used to the reek or were too proud to cringe from it, as they simply plodded on as if they smelled nothing.
"C'mon down here on the tracks, but watch out for the third rail. This station has been out of commission for almost five years, but the rails are still connected to the central station's generators. One tap of that and you're charcoal." Karuta warned as he hopped down over the subway rails, followed by Amos. The tall European helped Nozomi down, making sure to keep her well away from the third track of the railway.
"It smells terrible in here. Kinda like old gym socks paired with skunk fumes and rotten eggs." Nozomi complained as she pinched her nose tightly shut.
"You forgot the mildew and rotting vermin carcasses." Amos added.
"It's because of the Muk. They thrive in places like this, so you have to be careful. If we run into one, there's no way we could safely fight it off, so we'd have to retreat." Karuta explained.
"Could be worse. The Muk could have hordes of Grimer with them like in polluted coastal regions." Nozomi supplied. She didn't graduate from her Pokemon-Geographics courses at school with honors to be shown up on an obvious detail.
"I'd be happy if there were Grimer. That would mean the Muk weren't mean enough to have eaten them." Amos grumbled.
"Eaten? The Muks ate the Grimers?"
"Bingo. Worst part is that it just makes the Muks even bigger. Damn things are like locust down here, so get ready to run if Amos or I smell one coming."
"Oh, like the mighty Karuta couldn't take out some measly piles of goo?" Nozomi smirked.
"No Nozomi. I can't. Given the fact that you have no idea what you're joking about, I'll spare you from scorning." Karuta spoke as if he were talking to a child.
Nozomi couldn't help but growl.
The three continued down the abandoned tracks in silence afterwards, all wary of attracting Muk they knew they couldn't get away from. Regardless of the waning light, Karuta and Amos continued without hesitation. Nozomi, on the other hand, had to maintain her hand in Amos' firm grip to keep from separating from the group in the darkness.
-CLANK!-
Nozomi bit her lip to keep from screaming in surprise, but she couldn't help herself from jumping because of the sudden sound. She darted closely to Amos, pressing up against his side to guard from whatever was in the darkness around them . She felt Amos' massive arm wrap around her shoulder quickly, offering a comfort that seemed to ease the discomfort of their situation.
"Relax, it's just the notifying call. The guard does it to make sure he's allowing the right people nearby." Karuta whispered. He turned from his partners and placed his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.
"Upon wings of shadows flows the raven." Karuta called out to the darkness.
".Like the wings of doves, glimmering with heaven's blessings." A raspy reply came from the surrounding tunnel. "Day and Soul. Heart and Night."
"Under twilight's kiss, the moon takes flight." Karuta finished.
"A sort of password. It's a poem called 'Yin Kin.'" Amos whispered to Nozomi.
Off in the inky darkness, a light lit. It was a weak, flickering flame that hovered a few inches above the ground. While nearly dying one moment, it quickly gushed into a stream of white fire that spouted high into the air. The flame's light illuminated the source of the fire, a sturdy looking Houndour sitting among the tracks, powerful looking but missing an eye as well. Next to the demonic pokemon was a lanky man who looked very sickly and pale, as if he hadn't seen daylight in quite a long time. He was almost entirely bald, save for a great length of wiry white hair that sprouted from the back of his head in an unruly ponytail. His clothes were dirty and ragged, also hanging from his gaunt frame like robes instead of the long-sleeved shirt it once was.
"Nice to see you again, Karuta." The man greeted. "I see you've brought company this time."
"It's been a while, Jasp. You know Amos, the girl is a friend of his. We need into the Centre immediately, so open up the gates." Karuta explained.
"Polite as always, I see." Jasp chuckled. The old watchman moved aside to allow a small door behind him to be seen. Jasp glanced at Nozomi for a long moment, giving her a look that made her squirm. After a moment he grinned with crooked teeth.
"Another conquest, eh Amos? She's.what, your fourth girl this month?"
Nozomi cocked an eyebrow at Amos, who had turned a beet-red. The Scotsman let out a threatening growl that caused even Jasp's Houndour to look doubtful. Jasp held up his hands in surrender, placing a friendly grin on his weathered face.
"Joking, joking! Don't worry yourselves about it. I've never seen Amos bring in a lady friend anyway. As far as I know, you're the first." Jasp quickly explained.
"You're damned right. I'm not some hopeless lecher like you, Jasp." Amos snarled.
"So I like the ladies a bit more than the other Joes.nothin' wrong with that, is it?"
"I can't judge you, but don't be spreading lies about me even as jokes, y'got that, old man?"
"Clear as crystal, Amos."
"I'm glad we've had this little chat."
"Me too. Could you please put me down now?"
Leaving Jasp in a heap on the floor of the abandoned subway line, the three companions left through the door the watchman had revealed. Jasp's Houndour padded over to his master and nudged his ribs with the tip of his nose. Jasp gave a wistful sigh and patted the pokemon's head warmly.
"Ah, youth. Makes me long for the good ol' days." Jasp said quietly. The Houndour whined in agreement. "Oh well.our time with that life passed a long time ago, didn't it Kerobus?"
The old man grinned broadly and put the hound into a headlock, looking off into the still open doorway he had been guarding moments before.
"Still.what I wouldn't give to be forty years younger. What a cutie that girl was!" Jasp laughed loudly.
"Amos! Put down that cinderblock and hurry up!" Karuta's voice echoed from down the hallway.
Jasp quickly closed the door, moving with the speed of one years younger. Maybe he did still have a few good goes in him yet.
~~~~
"Police are still searching for the two suspects, who were last seen together with a young woman on the outskirts of Olivine City. They are described by witnesses as such: The first, a tall man with a powerful build and a light accent. The second is a smaller man dressed entirely in black and wearing a leather duster. The woman believed to be a hostage has been described as being in her late teens, with bright green hair and tomboyish clothing. If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of these dangerous criminals, please report immediately to the local authorities. Police wish to inform the public that at least one of these men is armed, but both are extremely dangerous. Do not, under any circumstances, confront or try to apprehend these fugitives without aid of police." The newscaster warned those out in TV Land sternly. She swiveled her chair a few inches to the left to face a new camera.
"In sports today, the age-old hockey tradition of flinging live Tentacool onto the ice took an unfortunate, but humorous, turn." She hardly suppressed a giggle.
"Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful." Amos sighed as he plopped himself across the hotel's uncomfortable bed.
"You're telling me. I can't believe this is even happening. Why did you two have to go and turn into runners-from-justice?" Nozomi grumbled.
"No, I meant the Tentacool. Such a waste of good food."
"He has a point, other than the two on his head." Karuta added as he sharply rapped Amos across the forehead.
"You certainly know how to flatter a guy, Karuta."
"Bite me, you mass of -- that was not an invitation! Stop that!"
"Spoil-sport." Amos released his grip on Karuta's arm.
"Freak of nature."
"You're one to talk?"
"I feel another migraine coming on." Nozomi sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
~~~~
Two more days passed.
These two days were not pleasant for Karuta, as it had been decided that he would be mainly responsible for teaching Nozomi the tricks of the trade of Moonlighters. Karuta found that not only was Nozomi a slow learner, but her pride kept her from accepting terms of life that had been taught to her as otherwise wrong. It would figure that he'd have to be teaching someone so close-minded how to act like those who hated close-mindedness.
"Scenario: Someone draws a weapon on you. Their eyes are always looking somewhere, but never where the weapon is pointed. What does this mean?" Karuta quizzed.
"It means I'd better start praying. Every time you ask me a question like that, it always ends with me getting the wrong answer and resulting in my untimely--" Nozomi sighed.
"Wrong. One thing all Moonlighters have in common: when we fight, our eyes are always on the target or our opponent's eyes. Looking elsewhere is an unintentional sign of weakness, meaning they won't really attack." Amos supplied.
"A good give-away for finding blowhards, but also a wonderful trick in a fight." Karuta finished.
"Someone offers you a so-called 'illegal substance'. What do you do?" Amos asked.
"Turn it down respectfully."
"Only if they offer it respectfully." Karuta corrected. "Otherwise, it's your call. Just don't be overly rude unless they're asking for it."
"Are we there yet?"
"We'll be the ones to ask questions, young lady." Karuta chided. "And yes, we're almost there."
"Good. I don't care if I am risking my life going into this place, as long as it'll keep you two from quizzing me all day long." Nozomi said in an annoyed tone.
"Last one. Under no circumstances must you ever, ever--"
"In a million years, under no circumstances whatsoever, even if yours or anyone else's life depends on it." Nozomi fell into a repetitive sync with Karuta's warning. "I know, I know! You've burned that one into my brain so that I'll probably be hearing it in my sleep.
"Good. You have to remember to never, ever--"
"Go through any doorway that has a picture of a Ditto on or near it. I know! However, I still don't know why I can't go through Ditto doors."
"It's best that you don't know, hon'." Amos said sagely as he laid a heavy hand on Nozomi's shoulder.
The three travelers fell quiet for a long time after those last few words. Nozomi's curious mind burned with questions and thoughts of what this 'Underground' was like or if the Moonlighters were really as bad as Amos and Karuta made them out to be.
~~~~
Five hours passed.
In these five hours, Nozomi showed remarkable improvement when it came to her learning capabilities. While Amos was vehemently against Karuta's methods, it turned out that Nozomi remembered things better if he flipped her whenever she answered a question wrong.
Aversion therapy. Go figure.
The sun was just vanishing behind the tall peaks of Goldenrod's skyscrapers when they arrived on the city limits. The metropolis was a sight to behold, especially in the waning sunlight. With a multicolored sky as a backdrop, the buildings slowly began to light up like stars before the darkening horizon. The three travelers all took a moment to appreciate the sight from their vantage point upon a ridge on the city's outskirts before heading into the bustling concrete jungle.
The small group had not gone even a few blocks into the city when Karuta led them down a side street immediately off the main roads. The trench- coated trainer continued his trek through smaller streets and alleyways, leading the two behind him deeper and deeper into the tall buildings. Slowly, the surrounding city began to show signs of decay. They were nearing the inner city, where the commercial areas ended and harsh reality set in. Here was not the glimmering wonder of the big city, but those who stood in the shadows of that limelight. Rundown buildings, trash-littered streets, bums sleeping on the corners. These were the day-to-day lifestyles of those unfortunate enough to live on Skid Row.
"Spare some change for a feeble old man, young'ns?" A filthy beggar grinned up at the group as they passed. Karuta walked over the man and scoffed coldly.
"Get a job." Was his remark. The man withered in response and returned to his pile of cardboard.
"You didn't have to be so cruel to him. He just wanted some change." Nozomi scolded Karuta in a loud whisper.
"I didn't see you leaping to his aid or offering charity. Now shut up."
"If that's how you're going to be, then I will give him some money." Nozomi said pointedly as she reached into the front pocket of her overalls.
Her hand was roughly snatched out of her pocket by Amos, who held her hand up away from her. Nozomi gave an indignant response, but this was quickly silenced as she was pulled along after her companions. Amos eventually let go of Nozomi's wrist, allowing her to rub the feeling back into her hand and glare at the two men.
"And what was that about? I was just going to give him some--"
"You can't. It's for your own good that you keep money to yourself around people like that." Karuta said.
"What good does that do? That man looked like he needed a good meal and I have plenty of--"
"Will you shut up?!" Karuta interrupted Nozomi again. "Nozomi, come down from your cloud of righteousness and take a look around at reality for a minute. You might learn something."
Karuta stood aside and motioned outwards at the streets around him. All around them, the slums loomed darkly as the ruins of a once-lovely neighborhood. Apartments and houses stood mixed amongst each other in equal disrepair, falling apart down to their very frames. Seated outside with the litter and filth were those unfortunate enough to not even have a run-down shack that substituted for housing to live in. They were all lean and gaunt, showing disheveled faces hollow with the emptiness one gains from lost hope. Their eyes glimmered with desperate hunger, like suffering souls gazing upon a saving angel above the lake of fire.
"These people have nothing. I don' just mean money, either. They have no hope, no chance of salvation. They see people like us who have it infinitely better than they do like a wolf does it's prey. They're dying and we have something they want." Karuta explained sternly.
"How can you be so heartless? I know I can't help all of them, but I can spare money to help at least a few of them. What possible harm could come from giving a poor man a few bucks?" Nozomi growled.
"Nozomi, have you ever heard of a boat called the Titanic?." Amos supplied in an unusually somber tone that grabbed Nozomi's attention. "Of course. Everybody knows about the Titanic. It sank after it hit an iceberg.even though everyone thought it was unsinkable." Nozomi replied, not sure of where Amos was going.
"Yep. Lots of people died from that accident. Those in charge were so sure of the boat's invulnerability that they actually took below standard amounts of life boats. After the ship sank, those lucky enough to be in the lifeboats refused to go back and save the people drowning in the freezing waters."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"The people in the water were desperate to stay alive. If those in the lifeboats came back, the drowning people would've swarmed the boats and they all would've died." Karuta filled in the ending in his usual blunt manner.
"It's the same situation here, Nozomi. These people are drowning and we're lifeboats to them." Amos sighed. "If we show them any charity or even mercy, they'll jump on the chance like a pack of starving animals."
They continued on in silence. Nozomi felt sick at heart, for some reason that she couldn't place.
~~~~
It was not long after when Karuta announced their arrival. Were it not for his abrupt proclamation of having reached their destination, Nozomi never would've noticed it. They were stopped before a subway entry stairwell, and not a well-kept one at that. Rust and graffiti coated the stairwell railings in unison, paired up with old bottles and other such garbage on the stairs themselves. At the bottom of the stairwell was a great iron gate with a sign posted upon it, warning the public from entering on risk of structural collapse.
"First it was closed for repairs, then condemned, then it was infested, then it was de-bugged.what signs won't they put on this gate? Closed for overdue fishing trip?" Amos grumbled.
"Unoriginal, maybe. However, the signs do the job. Only those who know what to look for can find it." Karuta said quietly as he tapped lightly on the tiles leading down the stairs. Upon reaching a cracked tile, he paused to run his fingers along the tiny crevice. He gently pressed in on one of the separated shards and it gave way, a click resulting from the pressure. A moment later, the iron gates unlocked with a rusty clanking and swung slowly open, as if of their own accord.
"Well that's just plain creepy." Nozomi said quietly as they continued past the gates, which closed heavily behind them.
"Tip of the iceberg, darlin'." Amos mentioned in a whisper.
Past the gates was a rundown subway stop, overrun with gang-tagging and litter. Chewed gum was pressed to the walls and floors, supplying a great deal of sustenance for the small horde of flies that darted around the station. The stench of the place was neigh unbearable, forcing Nozomi to hold her nose to block out the burning smell. Her companions were either used to the reek or were too proud to cringe from it, as they simply plodded on as if they smelled nothing.
"C'mon down here on the tracks, but watch out for the third rail. This station has been out of commission for almost five years, but the rails are still connected to the central station's generators. One tap of that and you're charcoal." Karuta warned as he hopped down over the subway rails, followed by Amos. The tall European helped Nozomi down, making sure to keep her well away from the third track of the railway.
"It smells terrible in here. Kinda like old gym socks paired with skunk fumes and rotten eggs." Nozomi complained as she pinched her nose tightly shut.
"You forgot the mildew and rotting vermin carcasses." Amos added.
"It's because of the Muk. They thrive in places like this, so you have to be careful. If we run into one, there's no way we could safely fight it off, so we'd have to retreat." Karuta explained.
"Could be worse. The Muk could have hordes of Grimer with them like in polluted coastal regions." Nozomi supplied. She didn't graduate from her Pokemon-Geographics courses at school with honors to be shown up on an obvious detail.
"I'd be happy if there were Grimer. That would mean the Muk weren't mean enough to have eaten them." Amos grumbled.
"Eaten? The Muks ate the Grimers?"
"Bingo. Worst part is that it just makes the Muks even bigger. Damn things are like locust down here, so get ready to run if Amos or I smell one coming."
"Oh, like the mighty Karuta couldn't take out some measly piles of goo?" Nozomi smirked.
"No Nozomi. I can't. Given the fact that you have no idea what you're joking about, I'll spare you from scorning." Karuta spoke as if he were talking to a child.
Nozomi couldn't help but growl.
The three continued down the abandoned tracks in silence afterwards, all wary of attracting Muk they knew they couldn't get away from. Regardless of the waning light, Karuta and Amos continued without hesitation. Nozomi, on the other hand, had to maintain her hand in Amos' firm grip to keep from separating from the group in the darkness.
-CLANK!-
Nozomi bit her lip to keep from screaming in surprise, but she couldn't help herself from jumping because of the sudden sound. She darted closely to Amos, pressing up against his side to guard from whatever was in the darkness around them . She felt Amos' massive arm wrap around her shoulder quickly, offering a comfort that seemed to ease the discomfort of their situation.
"Relax, it's just the notifying call. The guard does it to make sure he's allowing the right people nearby." Karuta whispered. He turned from his partners and placed his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice.
"Upon wings of shadows flows the raven." Karuta called out to the darkness.
".Like the wings of doves, glimmering with heaven's blessings." A raspy reply came from the surrounding tunnel. "Day and Soul. Heart and Night."
"Under twilight's kiss, the moon takes flight." Karuta finished.
"A sort of password. It's a poem called 'Yin Kin.'" Amos whispered to Nozomi.
Off in the inky darkness, a light lit. It was a weak, flickering flame that hovered a few inches above the ground. While nearly dying one moment, it quickly gushed into a stream of white fire that spouted high into the air. The flame's light illuminated the source of the fire, a sturdy looking Houndour sitting among the tracks, powerful looking but missing an eye as well. Next to the demonic pokemon was a lanky man who looked very sickly and pale, as if he hadn't seen daylight in quite a long time. He was almost entirely bald, save for a great length of wiry white hair that sprouted from the back of his head in an unruly ponytail. His clothes were dirty and ragged, also hanging from his gaunt frame like robes instead of the long-sleeved shirt it once was.
"Nice to see you again, Karuta." The man greeted. "I see you've brought company this time."
"It's been a while, Jasp. You know Amos, the girl is a friend of his. We need into the Centre immediately, so open up the gates." Karuta explained.
"Polite as always, I see." Jasp chuckled. The old watchman moved aside to allow a small door behind him to be seen. Jasp glanced at Nozomi for a long moment, giving her a look that made her squirm. After a moment he grinned with crooked teeth.
"Another conquest, eh Amos? She's.what, your fourth girl this month?"
Nozomi cocked an eyebrow at Amos, who had turned a beet-red. The Scotsman let out a threatening growl that caused even Jasp's Houndour to look doubtful. Jasp held up his hands in surrender, placing a friendly grin on his weathered face.
"Joking, joking! Don't worry yourselves about it. I've never seen Amos bring in a lady friend anyway. As far as I know, you're the first." Jasp quickly explained.
"You're damned right. I'm not some hopeless lecher like you, Jasp." Amos snarled.
"So I like the ladies a bit more than the other Joes.nothin' wrong with that, is it?"
"I can't judge you, but don't be spreading lies about me even as jokes, y'got that, old man?"
"Clear as crystal, Amos."
"I'm glad we've had this little chat."
"Me too. Could you please put me down now?"
Leaving Jasp in a heap on the floor of the abandoned subway line, the three companions left through the door the watchman had revealed. Jasp's Houndour padded over to his master and nudged his ribs with the tip of his nose. Jasp gave a wistful sigh and patted the pokemon's head warmly.
"Ah, youth. Makes me long for the good ol' days." Jasp said quietly. The Houndour whined in agreement. "Oh well.our time with that life passed a long time ago, didn't it Kerobus?"
The old man grinned broadly and put the hound into a headlock, looking off into the still open doorway he had been guarding moments before.
"Still.what I wouldn't give to be forty years younger. What a cutie that girl was!" Jasp laughed loudly.
"Amos! Put down that cinderblock and hurry up!" Karuta's voice echoed from down the hallway.
Jasp quickly closed the door, moving with the speed of one years younger. Maybe he did still have a few good goes in him yet.