Chapter 5: I Tried So Hard

It had been a long time since Wes had been in a Pokémon Center; Team Snagem members weren't exactly welcome in such places. He had nearly forgotten how convenient the place was. As Rui attempted to chat up a storm with every other trainer in the center (she claimed she was "investigating," but from Wes could catch, she apparently was "investigating" how cute each trainer's Pokémon was), Wes got his own Pokémon healed and gave the PC in the corner a look. He logged into his own account (every trainer had one, even the criminal ones) and gave a small laugh at the emptiness of it; Wes had no other Pokémon or items other than the ones on him. Oh well. He logged off, and then pulled out his PDA, or his Pokémon Digital Assistant. It was a handy little thing that he used most often to email. He decided to give two of his friends in Team Snagem, Travis and Kimberly, a ring. Wes had worked with them a little bit while he was in Team Snagem, and they were the closest things he had had to friends there.

"Wherever you guys are, hope you caught me on the news," he typed in. "I told you I'd leave the team behind. Best of luck to you." Wes hit SEND and then closed the PDA up, wondering what the two were doing at that moment. He hadn't exactly been super-close to them, but even criminals needed pals to relate to. Travis McKenzie had been one of Team Snagem's executive's subordinates, a shy, quiet young man with a good heart; and Kimberly Van Kai was one of Gonzap's direct subordinates, a stunning beauty of few words who quietly did whatever she was told to do.

"All done, Wes?" asked Rui, finally finished with her "investigation."

Wes nodded. "You?"

"Yep. Let's go talk to the mayor now," she said. "Hopefully he'll be able to help us out. Those crooks won't get away with kidnapping me."

Rui led the way back out the Pokémon Center, and towards the mayor's house following Bryan's instructions. After following the stairs up to another section of Phenac City, Rui stopped and pointed in front of her. "Look, Wes, that must be the Pre Gym," she remarked. "Should we look inside?"

Wes shrugged, inwardly wondering why she kept asking his opinion. By now he figured she should know he was willing to do whatever she wanted; he hadn't said "no" to her once yet. "If you want," he replied. At that, Rui eagerly approached the gym and entered, with Wes right on her tail.

The inside of the Pre Gym wasn't overly huge, but it had a cheery feel to it. Trainers were scattered here and there, either talking to one another, or training with their Pokémon. At the left end of the gym, a group of trainers sat listening intently to a teacher giving a lesson, and in the center was an arena, where two trainers were having a heated battle.

"That's it, Courtney!" a young man at the far right of the gym yelled to the two battling, startling Wes and Rui. "Keep the pace up! Raith, don't forget to practice some defensive moves as well! A good trainer needs a balanced strategy, not just brute force." The two trainers in question nodded and continued their fierce battle. In the meantime, however, the young man noticed Wes and Rui, and walked over to greet them.

"I don't believe I've ever seen you two before," he said. Rui liked him the instant he spoke; his voice was soft and deliberate, and it seemed it would be impossible for him to ever stumble over his words. He had silver-purplish hair, and a kindly smile on his calm face. "I'm Justy, the Gym Leader of Pre Gym."

"My name is Rui," Rui replied. "And this is Wes. This is our first time in Phenac."

"Well, welcome, then," Justy said. "It's plain to see that you two like Pokémon; I can see it in your eyes. And you, Wes… you're a trainer, aren't you?"

Wes nodded. "I only have two Pokémon, though."

"Even if you had one Pokémon, you'd still be a trainer, as long as you treated them with love and respect. That's something every trainer must do, if they ever hope to reach master status." Justy smiled. "I used to live in Hoenn… there, the Pokémon live wild and free, and just living alongside them teaches you a great deal about their ways. I came to Orre to try and transfer the things I have learned in this way to the trainers here, where wild Pokémon are rare and hard to come by."

"Can you really teach those kind of things?" Rui asked. "It sounds difficult."

Justy laughed softly. "It is, Miss Rui, but it's worth it. People must learn that humans and Pokémon are meant to live together in understanding and peace. Just because we humans can speak and invent machines and build civilizations… That does not give us liberty to act superior to Pokémon. In fact, they are superior to us in many ways."

Wes looked down at that. For all his time in Team Snagem, he had been told otherwise, that Pokémon were pawns to be used in achieving goals. Justy's speech only encouraged him to reject that way of life all the more. Thank Lugia I left…

"It seems you two already have an understanding of what I mean, however," Justy continued. "So I'd like to give you a little present. Wes, Rui, do either of you have a PDA?"

"I do," Wes answered.

"Let me have it for a moment. I'm going to download something to it that will help your battle strategy on the go."

Wes reached into his coat, pulling out his PDA and handing it to Justy, who walked back to where he had originally been standing. Wes and Rui both followed him, and watched while he plugged a cord from his computer console to the bottom of Wes's PDA and typed in a few commands. After a few moments, the computer beeped, and Justy unplugged the PDA.

"There you go, Wes," Justy said, handing the PDA back to him. "I've installed a handy Strategy Memo. It's similar to a Pokédex, in ways, but it gives you types and abilities as well. As soon as you encounter a Pokémon, the PDA will immediately analyze and create data for that Pokémon, so if you ever battle the Pokémon again, the PDA will be able to help you know the type and ability match-ups."

"That sounds really good!" exclaimed Rui.

Wes stared at the PDA. "Thanks, Justy," he said, surprised at receiving such a thoughtful present, and from a person he had just met.

"You're welcome. I hope it helps you on your travels," the young Gym Leader replied, smiling again. "Take care now."

Wes and Rui bowed gratefully. "Bye," they said, before leaving the Pre Gym behind.

"That was really nice of Justy," Rui remarked, as soon as they had left.

"Mm-hm," replied Wes, thoughtfully putting the PDA back into his coat.

Rui pointed at a nearby house. "I think that's the mayor's house," she said. "It's bigger than all the other houses I've seen so far. Let's go, Wes."

They approached the house slowly, marveling in the lovely design of it. It was definitely the house of someone of distinction; that was for sure. As Wes and Rui gaped at it, an old woman with a cane hobbled over to them, squinting through thick bifocals. "Are you going to see Mayor Es Cade?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Rui answered.

"Then I have something to ask of you…" the old woman said. "Just half an hour ago, two shady characters went inside. They haven't come out yet, and I'm worried for the mayor."

"Two shady characters?" Wes asked, immediately thinking of Folly and Trudly, the two kidnappers. "What did they look like?"

"Hmm… very unusual, actually. One was a tall young man, with long blue hair. The other was a young lady with black hair. But they looked very suspicious, let me tell you. Please help the mayor if he's in trouble."

"Don't worry, ma'am," Rui soothed. "We won't let anything happen to the mayor." To Wes, she added, "These two might have something to do with the two that kidnapped me."

Wes nodded at her remark, and then boldly stepped towards the front door of the mayor's house. He felt Rui behind him, hugging onto his right arm nervously as he walked. With only a moment's hesitation, he reached for the switch to open the door…

… And it slid open by itself, leaving Wes and Rui to stare up at the man who had opened it.

He was a tall man, just like the old woman said, with long blue hair and cold eyes, one of which had a long scar across it. He had a collared, silver coat with a gold pin on the right breast side, which looked like a moon… or a C… with the letters "TS" on it. He also wore black pants and silver boots with steel toes on them, and a rapier in a sheath hung off of his left hip. Behind him, a beautiful young woman with black hair and fierce green eyes peered quizzically out at them. She wore a purple tank top and silver pants, and wore a katana at her side.

"TS"? Does that mean he's Team Snagem? But I've never seen a pin like that, not even on Gonzap… thought Wes.

"Excuse me, I didn't realize you were there," the man apologized. "Were you here to see the mayor?"

Rui, for once, seemed incapable of speaking, so Wes spoke instead. "Yes, we were."

The man still didn't move. "Hmm… I have a feeling… we may see each other again somewhere," he said. Then he laughed; a low, diabolical laugh that made the hairs on Wes and Rui's necks stand up. "I look forward to that day when it comes." He turned around, and smiled at the young woman behind him. "Come, my dear," he beckoned, and the two continued on past Wes and Rui to the nearby exit. The woman gazed coldly at the two teenagers before she passed, leaving Wes with an odd feeling inside. Those two were trouble, and he knew it. And not Team Snagem trouble, either…

"Wes…"

He was startled by how frightened Rui's voice sounded. "What's wrong, Rui?" he asked, turning around to look at her.

Rui had her hands on either side of her face, shaking her head. "Those two… they gave me a terrible feeling… I felt darkness… and shadow…" she whimpered.

"Darkness… shadow?" A cold feeling went through Wes. It is her… he thought. She can sense shadows… But why did she sense it from those people? I thought…

"Rui, it's ok. They're gone, you don't have to worry," he tried to reassure. But how… how could he reassure her? Did he have the right?

Rui sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "You're right. I'm sorry…" she apologized. "We should… go see if the mayor is ok…"

Wordlessly, Wes followed Rui in, trying to fight with his emotions. He felt concern for Rui, yet… he couldn't bring himself to get any closer to her.

You shouldn't even be involved with her anymore, Wes, he berated himself. After all…

…you're the one who nearly killed her all those years ago…

"Miror B., I bring you greetings from Master Ein," Sierra stated, facing the 1st Admin of Team Cipher, trying hard to keep her face neutral as she did so.

It wasn't an easy thing for her, however. She didn't really like Miror B. all that much; he was much too talkative and open for her tastes. And secondly…

…Miror B. was a weirdo.

He was a very tall man, taller even than Master Nascour, and was made even taller by the colossal afro that was his hair, which was half red and half white. He wore sparkly gold-colored clothing and glittery sunglasses with stars on them, with earrings to match. He was scary. Very, very scary...

Still, he wasn't a bad Admin; she had to admit that much. He was making very good progress in Pyrite Town, and all on schedule, too. And when he wasn't showing off his dancing or talking about dancing… Miror B. wasn't a bad guy to talk to. He was a good listener, and Sierra had been surprised more than once by the insight he sometimes managed to dish out in return. "Each one to his own," was a saying Ein always told her. And as Ein's direct subordinate, she had met more than her fair share of people that demonstrated the truth of this saying.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Sierra!" Miror B. greeted, adopting a sweeping bow and nearly clobbering poor Sierra with his afro. She stood completely still, flinching as the afro came within an inch of her face. "What can I do for you, baby?"

"How has the Shadow Pokémon scheme been coming along in Pyrite?" Sierra asked. "I'll need to give Ein a complete report so he can average about how many Shadow Pokémon you'll need every week or so…"

Miror B. laughed. "So duteous to your big brother, aren't you Sierra?" he teased. "It's a pity I don't have such an adoring little sibling of my own I could teach a few things to."

Pity for you, blessing for the rest of the world, Sierra thought, struggling to keep from smiling at the thought of a junior edition of Miror B.

"Hm… I'd have to say… that ever since we took over the Colosseum… I've handed out seven Pokémon as prizes… and doled out seven more to worthy underlings. All within the first two months. Not bad, eh, babe?"

"Sounds like people are flocking to the Colosseum…" mused Sierra. "That's well and good, but try to hold back on how many prizes you hand out per month. Shadow Pokémon don't grow on trees, and Ein's got enough work on his hands as it is."

"You got it, toots. Less knockout challenges per month!" said Miror B., flashing his pearly whites.

Sierra bowed. "But I do commend you, Miror B. You've done quite well," she congratulated. "Master Nascour should soon be contacting you as well, to check on progress." At Nascour's name, Miror B.'s smile faded only slightly. "Oh yeah," she continued, taking a Pokéball off of her belt, "this is for you."

"For me? Is it—?"

"Yep. The Shadow Pokémon issued to you by Master Ein. Knock yourself out with it."

Miror B. took the Pokéball from Sierra, grinning from ear to ear. "Give Master Ein all my regards, then," he said, kissing the Pokéball once and placing it on his belt. "Tell me before you leave, Miss Sierra… How's progress on Realgam Tower coming?"

"The main offices are ready, all that's left is the rest of the reception tower, and of course the Colosseum," answered Sierra promptly. "The framework's already done, so… Perhaps 2, 3 weeks more?"

"Sounds lovely… my office will be equipped with a dance studio, right?"

"Um… sure… whatever…"

Miror B. saluted, and then struck a dance pose that really made Sierra cringe this time. "Fabulous! Sounds great, baby! Well, be seeing ya later, darling!"

Sierra smiled weakly in return, and then hastily beat a retreat down the stairs to the elevator that would take her out. Thank Lugia that's over, she thought to herself. Now all I need to do is take these other Shadow Pokémon to Master Dakim, Lady Venus, Master Nascour, and Master Evice.

Joy…

In the meantime, Wes and Rui had explained the entire kidnapping situation to Phenac City's mayor, a short, round man named Es Cade with a mustache and constant smile upon his face. He was a little too happy for Wes's taste… but he was sympathetic to their plight, and was genuinely surprised when Rui described the mysterious Pokémon she had seen in Pyrite Town.

"Ohh, my!" Es Cade gasped, clasping his hands to his face in shock. "A Pokémon like a fighting machine? Capable of attacking people, you say?"

"It was very aggressive," Rui confirmed. "I take care of several Pokémon at home… I know for a fact that the Pokémon I saw wouldn't be afraid to lash out at humans if it wanted to."

"That's terrible!" he sputtered. "Why, I cannot let such criminals with such Pokémon be allowed to run loose in Phenac! What a disaster that would be! I'll launch an investigation into this matter immediately."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Mayor," Rui said gratefully.

"No problem at all, my dear," Es Cade replied. "I'm just glad this young man was able to save you from those kidnappers… it's Wes, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Wes answered.

The mayor smiled even more broadly than before. "Wes, you seem to be a promising young trainer… Might I suggest the Phenac Stadium to you?" he asked. "It's the jewel of Phenac, and I'm confident you would do well competing there."

Wes didn't know what to say. He only owned two Pokémon, after all. "Um… I'll think about it, sir… Thank you…"

Es Cade smiled. "Be sure to at least look at it before you leave, at any rate. And now, my dears, I must ask you to go now. A mayor's job is never done."

Rui nodded. "Yes, sir, but before we go, we were wondering… who were those two who were here before us?"

"Hm? Which two?"

"The man and woman. We were… concerned, they looked a bit suspicious."

Mayor Es Cade thought over her words for a moment, before laughing. "Oh, those two! They were nothing to worry about, my dear, just some associates of mine come to pay me a visit. They must have looked suspicious only because you were still worried about those kidnappers. That certainly would cloud your judgment."

Wes thought that was absurd. Any idiot could see those two were trouble, he thought. The mayor certainly has odd friends…

"Oh, ok," Rui said apologetically. "Sorry. We were worried, that's all."

"That's quite all right, my dear."

"Thanks for your time, Mr. Mayor! Bye!" Rui and Wes bowed, and then left the house.

As soon as they did, however, a change seemed to fall upon the mayor. His eyes grew red, and his face grew cruel. He turned around in a temper, banging his fist on his desk. "Saatian!" he snarled.

From upstairs, a young man cloaked in black robes slowly descended down the stairs, approaching the mayor with a respectful bow. He was only about 20-years old, and had a pale, thin face framed by black hair cropped shoulder-length. There was a sad look about him; yet, if you looked at his face, there really wasn't any expression at all. Around his forehead, he wore a black headband with a gold moon, purple eye, and cloudy blue slash mark (symbolizing Dark-types, Psychic-types, and Ghost-types respectively) overlapping each other. The headband dipped down across his face, covering his right eye entirely. Speaking of his eyes… the one eye you could see was the brightest thing about him; it was an eerie, hypnotic, dark green color that seemed to always be looking at something beyond what was before him. "My master… you did well. You hid it from those children perfectly," he congratulated softly.

The mayor snorted. "It's not as easy as you made it seem," he spat hatefully.

"My master… It has taken me all of my 20 years to achieve the skills I possess now, and there are still so many more skills to obtain," Saatian replied, not perturbed at all by the mayor's manner. "You are doing wonderfully in such short time… Be patient with yourself."

The mayor growled, but didn't reply to Saatian's suggestion. Instead, he motioned towards the door that Wes and Rui had just exited out of. "That girl… was it her? Did you sense if it was she?" he asked.

"Indeed I did. She is truly the Child of Revelation, she who can see the shadows for what they are."

"You are certain of this?"

Saatian nodded, and slowly pushed his headband up on his head, revealing his right eye. Unlike his left one, it was a very light, icy-green color, and pierced painfully into the heart of whoever dared look straight into it. It glowed with a purple light for a quick moment as he spoke. "Do you not trust in my abilities?" he asked.

The mayor smiled, and slowly, he reverted back to his familiar, smiling, kindly looking self. Yet, his voice was still severe. "There's something I've learned through my years," he explained. "Never trust anyone. Trust will pull you down, trust will make you weak. The only trust you can give is to yourself."

Saatian merely blinked at his words. "As you say, my master," he said emotionlessly, pulling his headband back over his eye.

"Dismissed. And see to it that I receive my ultimate Shadow Pokémon from Ein soon. I grow impatient."

"It is already on its way to you as we speak," Saatian replied, touching a moon-shaped pendant around his neck. "Until next time…" And with that, he vanished without a trace.

Mayor Es Cade smiled again. "Yes, until next time…" he mused. Then he touched his collar, activating a hidden device there. "Master Gonzap? There's something you need to do for me…"

"Wow… the mayor was right! Phenac Stadium is amazing!" Rui gasped, craning her neck up at the beautiful domed building before her. "Isn't it, Wes?"

Wes nodded in response. "Pretty impressive," he murmured. "Should we take a look inside?"

"Mm-hm! Come on!" Rui eagerly followed Wes inside, and were greeted by a breathtaking lobby, cool and full of running water fountains. On either side of the desk in the middle of the spacious lobby were two huge doors, which probably led to the stadium itself.

"I've never seen anything like this…" Rui breathed, subconsciously taking Wes's right hand in excitement.

Wes gave her a surprised glance as he felt her hand grab his, but was suddenly aware of the fact that he didn't mind it in the least bit. In fact… it wasn't so bad… "Neither have I," he said.

"Are you two here for the knockout challenge?" asked the receptionist, peering at them quizzically over the top of her glasses.

"I'm not sure…" Wes answered vaguely.

The receptionist shook her head. "Well, either way, I'm afraid you can't enter. The knockout challenge is already underway, and the next one won't be for another two days."

"That's all right," Rui replied. "We're just looking around."

The two retired to one side of the lobby, content to just stand around and not worry about anything for a few moments. Wes glanced over at Rui, who was checking herself in her reflection in the water. "Hey… Rui…?"

"Yeah?"

"Um… I was wondering… Have you…?" Wes paused, unsure about the best way to ask. "…Have you ever been in a life-threatening situation before? I mean, besides getting kidnapped by those two goons, I guess?"

Rui frowned. "Why do you ask that?"

"I… I was just wondering, that's all."

She was silent for a while, thinking about it. "Um… Well… Not that I can remember," she admitted. "I don't know… Why?"

Wes was confused now. She doesn't remember? But… how can she not remember? I remember it clear as day… Maybe it isn't her… but it has to be her! She can sense shadows… Maybe I'm wrong, and it's just another girl who can sense odd things… But that's stupid, Wes, how many people you know have that ability?

"Wes?"

He shook his head to clear it, and forced a smile for Rui. "Nothing. I just… I wanted you to know that you don't have to worry about such a thing anymore. I'll protect you from now on, I promise."

"Really?" Rui's eyes grew tearful. "That's so sweet of you… I… Thank you, Wes…"

Feeling extremely embarrassed now, Wes shrugged and turned to go back outside, Rui right behind him. He squinted against the bright sunlight for a moment, before turning back to Rui. "Where to now?"

Rui smiled at him. "Oh, I don't…" She trailed off, and the smile faded from her face as she stared past Wes.

"Rui? What's the matter?"

"Wes… Look…" She pointed fearfully past him.

Wes turned around… and froze. Coming up the stairs leading to Phenac Stadium… were two Team Snagem members. And from the looks of it, they were coming for him. "Damn…" he swore, backing away. "Rui, stay away. They're Team Snagem."

"I know…" Rui clutched Wes's arm tightly, making him wince. "Don't let them catch me again…"

"I won't, I told you I wouldn't…"

"Wes! There you are!" the first Snagem member exclaimed, pointed directly at him. At that, Wes's blood suddenly ran cold. No… please… Don't tell Rui I'm with you two! I'm not! he silently pleaded.

"So Wes, remember us?" the second man taunted, as they both came to a stop in front of Wes, blocking any escape.

Wes didn't reply, but he knew exactly who they were. Donel and Cavel, both fellow Snaggers of Team Snagem. He didn't like either of them too much.

"What, don't remember your friends, Wes? That's pretty sad, you only left yesterday."

Dammit… shut up…

"Wes… What are they talking about? Do they know you?" Rui whispered.

Wes took a deep breath, and gently pulled his arm out of her grip. "Stand aside," he ordered the two. "I'm serious."

"Well, we're serious, too," the first man, Donel, said. "Come on, Wes, hand it over. The Snag Machine you ripped off from the hideout."

"The boss ain't too happy with you," added Cavel. "Considering he had such high hopes for you. What a loser. The best Snagger on Team Snagem… then you threw away your career with us…"

"Shut up!" Wes yelled, feeling Rui suddenly shrink back from him. "Team Snagem and the boss can up and go to hell, for all I care. If you want the Snag Machine back, you'll have to battle me for it."

Donel stepped forward. "No problem. Go, Koffing, go Corphish!" he cried, throwing a pair of Pokéballs before him.

Wes stepped back to allow some room to battle. "Espeon, Umbreon, go!" he said, sending out his faithful partners.

"Koffing, Smog attack on Umbreon; Corphish, Bubblebeam on Espeon!"

"Espeon, use Confusion on Koffing; Umbreon, attack Corphish with Bite!" Wes responded.

In one swift move, Espeon easily knocked out Koffing with a powerful Confusion before the Poison-type could even move. Corphish then hit Espeon with Bubblebeam. Umbreon sprang forward and quickly Bit the Water-type, making it recoil in pain.

"One more attack!" Wes commanded.

"Corphish, try a Crabhammer!" Donel suggested, but too late; Espeon got the first move and defeated Corphish easily with another powerful Confusion. The battle was over.

"Damn, Wes! You're not going to hear the last of this!" Donel swore, recalling his two Pokémon. "Let's go, Cavel. The boss can deal with Wes and his girlfriend personally if he wants to." The two quickly turned and ran off before Wes could say anything.

Wes recalled Espeon and Umbreon as well, and then turned around to face Rui. "Rui…" he began, but stopped at the sight of Rui's tear-filled azure eyes.

"Wes… you…" she whispered, shaking her head. "You're Team Snagem…"

"No, I'm not. I swear…"

"Then why did they say you were!" Rui demanded.

He sighed, knowing the truth had to come out. "I used to be with Team Snagem…" he admitted.

"And you were a Snagger. You stole other people's Pokémon."

"But I'm not part of Team Snagem anymore!" Wes insisted. He took a step towards Rui, but she immediately shoved him away from her.

"You may not be with the team anymore… So why do you still have a Snag Machine with you?" she asked angrily. "Were you just planning to go and snag Pokémon on your own, instead?"

"Rui, that's not it! I was just…"

Rui interrupted him. "Stop it! Just stop, Wes!" she sobbed. "I thought I could trust you… but you… You're just another one of them! Were you planning to turn me in to your boss instead of those other two, and get the reward in their place?"

Wes couldn't stand it anymore. "No! I wasn't going to do that!" he screamed back at her. "I'm not that way anymore! I left that life, I wanted to start over and find redemption for my mistakes! Why won't you believe me?"

"Because…" Her lip trembled, and she burst into renewed fits of crying. "Because Team Snagem ruined my life! My life would be perfect without them… without you!"

"Rui…"

"Get away from me!" Rui screamed, pushing Wes out of her way and running down the stairs, trying to get as far from Wes as she could.

Wes stood rooted to where he stood, staring after Rui as she disappeared into the city in a flurry of tears. After all he had done to try and be a good person… try to make a real friend… It had been no use. He couldn't hide who he was. And now Rui hated him. No matter how hard he tried, it had come to nothing. Team Snagem was still a part of him, no matter what he did.

"Dammit!" Wes screamed, kicking the nearby wall in frustration. It hurt, but not as much as the sight of Rui's betrayed, tearful expression had hurt… Maybe it's true… There's no changing me… I'll always be a criminal, and I should have never tried to be otherwise…

"I'm sorry for hurting you again… Rui…"

Notes: I think I made up the names of these two Snagem guys? It's been a long time, lol.

Saatian Shinigaru is my own original character. Please do not use him without permission, or derive ideas from him for use in your own characters.