Chapter 3: First Encounter
The bright sunlight shined through the window and onto Viki as its bright glare caused her to awaken. She stretched out her arms as she let out a soft yawn. She moved the covers from her body as she stepped out of bed and walked towards the window. Her eyes then opened wide, as she saw a group of tall buildings and a dock. They had arrived in Littleroot Town while they were asleep.
"It's just like how I remembered it…" She smiled with a sparkle in her green eyes. When they were little kids, Rex and Viki went to the Hoenn Region with their father, who was the president of the Johto branch of the Devon Corporation in Goldenrod City. As of result, they didn't see much of him as he was always busy with work, which also resulted in a separation from their mother. However on Birthdays and holidays such as Christmas, and Thanksgiving, he was always available as Devon was either closed or he requested the day off from his very-busy schedule. The benefits of him working there resulted in Rex, Racquel and Viki each getting Pokenavs, as well as Rex and Viki visiting Hoenn for the first time, as Racquel was living with their mother in Saffron City at the time. She then decided that it was best to take a quick shower and freshen up, as today was going to be a long day...
Rex, meanwhile, was already outside as he leaned onto white rail on the front of the SS Matte, along with Charex. It was an attempt for him to get to know his newest pokemon better and maybe understand its rebellious nature a bit more. Perhaps he would be able to do the impossible and to tame Charex's rebellious attitude and to be more social with the other pokemon.
"So Charex, we're almost at Littleroot Town." Rex said to his Charmeleon.
"...meel…(…right…)" Charex didn't seem to care about what Rex had to say, let alone the fact that they were indeed close to Littleroot.
"In the Hoenn Region, we're going to be facing a lot of new challenges and new trainers." Rex continued.
"Charmeleon! (You're damn right!)" Charex grinned as he became a bit more interested, if not excited as the thought of beating his opponents raced through his mind. Charex may not have been the best pokemon to talk to, but it's was always ready for a fight.
Meanwhile, Edge and Shellshock were at it again. This time they were arguing over a blue container with a blue water drop on the face.
"War…tor-tle! (This…is mine!)" Shellshock tugged the container towards his side.
"Cro…co-naw! (No…it's mine!)" Edge tugged the container toward its side.
Rex noticed his water pokemon bickering as he let out a sigh. "Not again…" He walked towards them and just took the container from them. "There…now no one will have it."
"Wartortle! (Oh come on!)" Shellshock protested, as he believed that he had that container all to himself and away from Edge."
"Croconaw Cro! (I had it first!)" Edge felt the same way as Shellshock, only that it was him who had the container for himself and away from Shellshock.
Rex opened the container as he grabbed a handful of pokemon food. "Here, both of you have some." He insisted, hopefully ending the trivial bickering.
Edge and Shellshock reluctantly obliged, but soon, much to Rex's dismay, they began to bicker once again as it became a game of one-upsmanship. They fought over who would get the most food.
"This is hopeless…" Rex groaned in frustration. Just then he heard a familiar chuckle.
"They're still going at it?" J.C. commented with a chuckle. He was fully dressed and had his hair down from his usual ponytail. "I know that you don't want to go psycho on your pokemon, but when's enough enough? What's next, fighting over who gets an Oran Berry?"
Rex looked down in embarrassment. J.C. did have a point. The Hoenn region was specialized for 2-on-2 battling. He couldn't just send Drego and Jolt out to battle all the time; otherwise his strategy would've been predictable almost every time. And now, more than ever, he couldn't tolerate his pokemon getting into argument or even fights over the most trivial matters, as later on in important gym battles, it would've cost him. It was to his understanding that at least one of the Pokemon gyms in the Hoenn region would be under those rules, and he couldn't afford any percent of error. "Your right…" He nodded. "Guess I'll have to be harder on them."
Rex grabbed out the two empty pokeballs which usually contained both of them. "Return!" A red laser-like beam emitted from each of the balls capturing Shellshock and Edge thus confining them back into the pokeballs. "What am I going to do with you two…" He said to the pokeballs in his hands.
"Maybe it would best if your sister took care of them for a while." J.C. suggested. As much as he was annoyed with Rex's inability to get his water pokemon to get along, he felt sorry for him. Despite never experienced this problem with his own pokemon, J.C. has witness this sort of problem with his classmates not getting along back when he was still taking classes learning the fundamentals of Martial Arts. There were two brothers who were more interested in one-upping each other than they were in learning the basics in Martial Arts. This rivalry became too intense that they both were soon expelled from the school. "Racquel's good with handling pokemon, right?" He reminded Rex.
"She's a pokemon breeder, not a pokemon shrink." Rex retorted. He knew that J.C. was just trying to help, but he also knew that J.C. had developed a crush on his twin sister. He used to go on and on about how beautiful she was with the way her back-length red hair flowed when she walked, or how her beautiful smile lightened the room. He went on about her so much that pretty soon, it annoyed him.
"Eh, good point." J.C. nodded in agreement.
"Attention! We are now arriving in Littleroot Town!" A voice on the P.A. stated. It was the same voice as the one before they left.
"Finally…" I was beginning to get a little seasick. "J.C. commented with a sigh. It was obvious that a boat wasn't his favorite way to travel, as every time he rode on one, he became seasick. He preferred the magnet train, but the route to the Hoenn region was currently under construction. The flights to the Lilycove City Airport were already booked full, and he was the only one without a flying pokemon. So by boat was the only option left if they were to get a quick start in the Hoenn region.
Viki, fully dressed in a white shirt with a picture of a yellow star on the front, blue pleated skirt, and her tan boots, save for a purple belt which contained two pouches for her pokeballs: One for occupied pokeballs, the other for empty pokeballs, stepped out from the cabin as she inhaled the fresh sea air. She was excited after hearing the announcement as she knew that her journey to being a Master Pokemon Coordinator would begin. She thought that nothing could go wrong she began to look for her brother.
"Rex?" Viki called out. She had found a note earlier from him, which explained that he would be outside with his pokemon, slipped under her door shortly after waking up, just incase she needed to talk to him for one reason or another. She was then knocked down as she looked up and saw someone who looked all too familiar to her…
"What's your problem?" she replied, not too thrilled with Viki's clumsiness. "Can't you see where you're going?"
Viki recognized her as the girl known as "Bonnie" from yesterday. She had her long, aqua hair in her usual ponytail and was wearing a black tank top, black boots, and red leather pants. Anger began to build up inside of her once again, with thoughts of Shauna's emotional pain in her mind. However, Viki managed to keep her cool.
"Hello? Are you, like, blind or something?" Bonnie asked, beginning to be annoyed with her. She had plans already made when she'd got off the boat with her companion, and she was not planning on having an incident with a pathetic girl like Viki to interfere.
Viki stood back up on her feet as she brushed herself off of the dirt and dust that may have got on her. "Umm…" She decided not to make a scene about yesterday, despite her feelings. The last thing anyone needed was to worry about thieves being on board. "Sorry…" She apologized.
"Just watch where you're going next time." Bonnie warned as she walked off. She didn't wanted to waste anymore time than she already have.
Viki gave her a glare that could pierce steel as she watched Bonnie leave. "I won't let you get away with what you've done…" She vowed to herself. There was no way she would allow them to go along with their plan in Littleroot.
"Bonnie, what was that about?" Approached a blonde-haired man wearing an outfit similar to Bonnie's, except for a black vest over the tank top. Viki also recognized him from yesterday as well.
"It's nothing, Kai. I just ran into some loser…" She explained, not wanting to waste any more time. "Let's go."
Viki watched them both leave. While she was already sick of Bonnie, she felt intimidated around Kai. It was something about his dark, piercing eyes that added an aroma of darkness, a sense of terror. A sense of terror which made her feel uneasy, maybe even scared for her life. However she knew that as long as she had her brother with her, everything would be okay. But first she would have to find him as the loud, low-pitched sound of the foghorn blasted which signaled the arrival of the port.
"What was that about?" Rex asked as he and J.C. walked toward her. They've witnessed the entire confrontation as they, figuring that those two were the people Viki were talking about, were surprised Viki didn't' let her emotions get to her. They already knew that she wasn't the one to let her emotions get the best of her, but after seeing the way she was yesterday, they weren't sure what to think.
"Remember the thieves I told you about?" Viki reminded.
"Them?" J.C. replied.
"Yes..." Viki simply stated.
"Where are they going again?" Rex asked. He wanted to make sure that they knew exactly where Bonnie and Kai were going so they could used their Pokenavs and find the quickest route to get there before them and ambush them. He knew that it was a bit ridiculous, but then again, it wouldn't be the first time he done so, as during his past journeys, he always made bold but rash decisions, especially ones with serious consequences.
"They said something about going to a lab…" Viki recalled.
"Wow, a lab… would be great if we knew which lab!" J.C. retorted sarcastically. The entire Bonnie and Kai issue was beginning to really irritate him.
"Let's see…" Viki pondered.. Trying to remember which or who's lab. "Bir…Bir…"
"Spit it out already!" Rex snapped. The suspense was beginning to get to him.
"Take it easy, Rex." Viki glared as she then closed her eyes. She always closed them whenever she was thinking hard and deeply. "Oh! I remember! They said they were going to Professor Birch's lab!"
Rex quickly took out his Pokenav as he searched for the location. Thankfully, it showed that it wasn't that far. But still, they would have act quickly. "Alright, we found the place. Let's get our stuff and go!"
Viki and J.C. nodded as they all went back to their rooms to make sure that they had everything.
Upon arrival to the port, passengers have already begun to get off the SS Matte. Bonnie and Kai have already left the boat and were headed towards Birch's lab. Rex, Viki, and J.C. walked to the side of the street, looking for a cab that would take them to the lab. Suddenly, one comes by.
"Hey Taxi!" Rex shouted, but to no avail, it kept going. It was as if the driver didn't even see him. "The hell?"
"I'll try…" J.C. saw another cab coming this way as he then tried to get the driver's attention. But like Rex, the driver paid no attention to him. "This is ridiculous."
"Excuse me! Taxi!" Viki shouted as a taxi, much to Rex and J.C.'s shock came and stopped in front of them. "Come on in guys," She stepped into the shotgun seat. Rex and J.C shrugged as they sat in the back seat. They figured at least they had a ride as it could've been worse.
"Where to, little lady?" The cabbie asked Viki. He had a rugged appearance, scratchy beard, a cap that covered his brown, greasy hair, and a ragged shirt and a pair of faded jeans.
"Would you perhaps take us to Professor Birch's lab?" Viki asked with a smile. She was a bit turned off with the cabby's appearance, but decided to just go along with it.
"Anything for you…" He said as takes a look at her with his slightly-bloodshot hazel eyes.
'This guy's a pervert…' Rex thought. As much as he liked Viki to be her own person and make her own decisions, he occasionally had to step in and help her. Viki later would get angry with him, but in the long run she was usually glad he interfered. "It would be nice if we actually got there before Christmas!"
The driver gave a glare at Rex as he turned around and placed his attention towards the road. Set on going to the requested destination.
At Birch's lab, Bonnie and Kai were already at work, taking as many pokemon as they can. A group of scientists were tied up into their chairs, struggling to get free as a Houndoom and an Absol kept watched over them.
"You'll never get away with this!" One of them shouted. He had shoulder-length brown hair and was wearing a white lab coat over red shirt.
"We've already have." Kai explained as he held a Torchic struggling to get free as he searches for a dark stone in his pocket. "We're…going to show you how we raise our pokemon." The only pokemon they were able to find so far were the usual starter pokemon in the Hoenn region. Kai's Typhlosion already held on to a timid Mudkip while Bonnie and, now thinks to the Dark Stones, her Swampert were searching for more Pokemon.
Kai managed to produce a dark stone as he then used it on the Torchic which caused him to glow a reddish-color. After the red glow has disappeared, Torchic's eyes narowed like the other pokemon. "Isn't it a wonderful pokemon? Normally, this Torchic would be weak, but she's no longer just a weak starter pokemon. Observe." He placed the Torchic down as she then ordered. "Torchic, Ember attack!"
"Torchic Tor…(Yes Master…)" She growled as she released a barrage of fireballs towards the scientists. Thanks to the dark stone's effect, the Ember attack is twice as powerful as it was from a normal Torchic.
The scientists were groaning in pain from the attack as they rubbed at the burn marks from the Ember attack. They never had thought that they would've been under siege, let alone experiencing pain from this.
"Now gentlemen…do you now see how serious we are? Or do I need to give you another demonstration."
"Stop it, right there!" A voice outside shouted. This caused everyone including the pokemon to look at the doorway. Looking for the source
Rex, Viki and J.C. stepped inside, not too happy with what they saw. "Who do you think you are?" Rex snapped as then, just has he was about to free the scientists, Absol and Houndoom blocked their way.
"If you value your life, you won't try to be a hero." Kai warned as he then looked toward the Mudkip who was still in Typhlosion's grasp. "Aright runt, your turn…"
Viki watched on as Kai was about to go on with his intention. It was probably the same thing they did to Shauna's Swampert. Her emotional distress instantly fueled Viki's anger. She wasn't about to let them do that again as she reached to her belt and took out a pokeball. "Swift, Quick Attack!" Viki ordered as she tossed a pokeball.
The Pokeball opened which released a Pidgeotto which flew at full speed towards Typhlosion. Typhlosion was knocked back a bit, releasing his grip on Mudkip which ran towards Rex and co for safety. More presumably to hide until the chaos was over.
"You bitch!" Kai gritted his teeth as he ordered. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower!" Typhlosion shot out a steam of flames at the Pidgeotto known as "Swift," but he managed to avoid it as a battle then begun.
"What's going on?" Bonnie asked as she came out with a Treecko. Judging from its narrowed eyes, the Treecko was also affected by the dark stones. She noticed Viki and company. "You again…" She glared as she tossed out a pokeball of her own. "Swampert, take 'em down!" The pokeball opened as the same Swampert that was affected before came out as he tackled Viki to the ground.
"Hey! No fair!" Rex snapped, not too happy with his sister being taken down. "Crush, Iron Tail!" He tossed out a pokeball as, once opened, Crush came out with a rain of sparkles emitting from the ball as his tail began to glow white upon contact, knocking Swampert back.
"Don't hog all the fun…" J.C. also tossed out a Pokeball. "Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!" Before Swampert could regain his focus, he was hit by a fast, hard-hitting punch from Hitmonchan.
Meanwhile, Swift and Typhlosion were in the middle of an intense battle, with Typhlosion, who was on the receiving end earlier, dominating the fight as Swift was then knocked back hard into a bunch of computers. The force of Swift being knocked back into the computers caused them to explode. With the electricity which was released from the computers, as well as Swift's weakness like all flying types to electric-type attacks, Swift took a huge amount of damage.
"Swift!" Viki shouted out to her fallen Pidgeotto as she ran to check up on it. "Are you okay?"
"Pidge..oo…(I'm o…kay…)" Swift managed to mutter before it fainted. Despite his efforts, he was not strong enough to defeat Typhlosion.
"It's okay Swift…" Viki stroked his ruffled feathers before returning him to his pokeball. From her worried expression on her face, she was concern for Swift's welfare. She saw Swampert getting back on his feet as she then took out another Pokeball. "This one's for, Shauna…" She kissed the ball as she then threw it. "Ivy, Vine Whip."
The pokeball open as an Ivysaur popped out as he shot out two vines which slapped Swampert back
"Ivy, be careful." Viki explained. "We don't want to hurt him." She then said softly. "Despite what's happened, he's still my best friend's pokemon…"
"You don't have to worry about your Ivysaur hurting my Swampert…" Bonnie sneered, correcting Viki as Absol then knocked Ivy back with a quick, hard-hitting attack. With Rex and JC occupied with Kai, Swift knocked out, and Josephine, being a fire type pokemon, having a huge disadvantage against Swampert, being mainly a water type let alone a water type that was affected by a dark stone, much worse with an Absol which was also affected by a dark stone, Viki had quite a challenge.
"We won't lose to you!" Viki glared, her eyes filled with anger. "Ivy, Razor Leaf!"
Ivy released a barrage of razor-sharp leaves at both Swampert and Absol, which knocked them back a bit. While Swampert still tried to shake off hit, Absol recovered quickly as he knocked Ivy back with another quick attack.
Ivy recovered as he went for another Razor Leaf attack. However, Absol avoided the attack that time as he gave him another tackle to the ground.
"Finish them off." Bonnie instructed as Swampert and Absol got together to deliver the finishing blow. "Make it hurt!" Bonnie grinned as her pokemon were about to unleash a finishing attack on both Ivy and Viki. At the last moment, the same Mudkip that was hiding jumped in front of them.
"Mudkip Mudkip Mudkip! (I won't let you hurt them!)" He glared at Bonnie and her pokemon. After seeing how far Viki went to protect him, Mudkip decided it was time to return the favor.
Viki just noticed the Mudkip. "…you came to help me?" She was shocked that the timid Mudkip would want to fight, especially after he witnessed first hand how cruel Bonnie and Kai could be. But she could tell that he didn't want to end up like the others and wanted to help make sure that this situation never happened again.
"Hmph, what's that little pipsqueak's going to do?" Bonnie asked, almost releasing a chuckle. This caused the Mudkip to get angry as he shot a stream of water directly at her face. "SWAMPERT, ABSOL GET THAT SQUIRT!" She snapped as drops of water dripped from her face. Swampert and Absol tried to knock the Mudkip down with, but Ivy used his vines to quickly drag him out of the way, which resulted in Swampert and Absol colliding with each other.
Viki saw this as her chance to finish this battle. "Ivy, use Solarbeam!" She ordered as Ivy began to prepare for the attack by taking in as much energy as he could while his flower, which appeared to growing from its bulb, began to glow. Swampert went for another strike, but Ivy released a bright beam at Swampert. It wasn't exactly as strong as an ordinary Solarbeam, but it was enough to take out Swampert. Every time Viki had Ivy use Solarbeam, much like Rex when he had Crush use Horndrill, it was usually a hit or miss. Ivy always released a less-powerful version of a regular Solarbeam. The main reason was because was she more into training for contests rather than battling in Pokemon League tournaments like her brother. Though her schedule was mostly tending the flower shop with Racquel, she always made time to work on a few techniques with her other pokemon such as Josephine's Flamethrower fountain and Swift using Gust to balance a Frisbee or two.
Typhlosion and Houndoom shot a double flamethrower at Crush and Hitmonchan. Kai smirked at the shocked Rex and J.C. "How does it feel to know that your pokemon's attacks are worthless against our Dark Stone-inflicted Pokemon. No matter which attack your pokemon use, it won't matter in the end." He looked toward his Pokemon, "Typhlosion, finish them off with Flame Wheel…"
"Hitmonchan, Counter!" J.C. ordered.
Typhlosion, shielded by a ball of fire, went for a powerful strike, but an aroma around Hitmonchan began to glow a reddish color as upon impact, Typhlosion was knocked down and was out.
"No way!" Kai was taken back at Typhlosion's defeat. "Houndoom,crunch time!"
"Crush…use Bide!" Rex ordered. He saw that Typhlosion was knocked out thanks to Hitmonchan's Counter attack. He didn't want J.C. to have all the glory of having the final Blow.
Houndoom went for an attack, but Crush dodged it. However, Houndoom took a hard chomp onto Crush's tail, but Crush tried to endure it as much as he could. "Hang in there, Crush!" Rex encouraged. Houndoom continued to bite away at Crush's tail, with as much force as he could.
"Big Mistake, Kai!" Rex smiled, seeing that the stage has been set for him to execute his "strategy." "Let 'em have it, Crush!"
Crush started to glow red as Houndoom went for another attack. Before Houndoom could stick his jaws into Crush again, Crush unleashed the amount of energy hr stored from the pain it took from Houndoom, but at double the amount of power. Houndoom was knocked back into a shocked Kai.
"No way!" He replied as he slowly got back up. Kai didn't think that his pokemon could've easily been taken out, let alone with the effects of the Dark Stones. He narrowed his eyes as he held up his Pokeballs. "Typhlosion, Houndoom return!" He smirked at Rex and J.C. as his pokemon were returned. "No matter…you allowed us to complete the mission."
Rex glared. "What are you talking about? You and your pokemon just got your butts whipped." He figured that only Kai and Bonnie were the only ones trying to steal the pokemon and that there was no way that they had an accomplice…or did they?
"Did you actually believe that we'd be foolish enough to come here alone? While we were having our little duel, our associates were moving the pokemon out of the lab." Bonnie and Kai had both figured that someone would actually attempt to stop them when they invaded the lab, so they planned to have backup along with a waiting helicopter for a quick escape after they were through. "You lose!" He laughed as a sound of a helicopter was heard. "Bonnie, our work here is done. Let's go!"
"Consider yourself lucky." Bonnie smirked as she was beginning to recall Absol and Swampert. Viki saw this as her chance get back Shauna's Swampert from her as she saw the pokeball that would contain him in Bonnie's hand. If she could manage to get the pokeball, she could send it back to her friend. But then there was the whole dark stone issue. Could the effects be reversed, and if so how?
"Okay Ivy…" Viki said to her Ivysaur. "We may have to break a few rules, but we have to get Shauna's pokemon back." Ivy nodded in agreement as he looked on. Viki saw that the pokemon were back in their pokeballs. "Now's our chance…" She thought. "Ivy, Vine Whip the pokeball away from Bonnie!" She ordered as Ivy shot out his vines in an attempt knock the ball away.
"Heh, I don't think so…" Bonnie quickly tossed the pokeball in the air as she drew out a knife, cutting off the vine as she caught the ball with her free hand, much to Viki and Ivy's shock. "Nice try…" She smirked. Viki couldn't believe it. How could Bonnie have known that they were going to do that? It was as if she could've read her mind, or was wearing a T-shirt that said "I'm gonna steal Swampert back, watch out!" "You must really want this Swampert do you?" She grinned, "What's so special about it? Is it yours, or did this actually belonged to someone you know…"
"Damn you..." Viki gave Bonnie a spiteful stare as she suddenly felt as if she lost all energy to stand and dropped down to her knees. She felt like crying, knowing that she failed to help her friend and there was nothing she could do about it. Now Bonnie was stand in front of her, mocking her with a snug smirk on her face. She wondered why she even bothered to try to save Shauna's Swampert, let alone thought that she could do it. A tear dropped from her eye as she watched Bonnie escape with Kai.
"Get back here!" Rex shouted as he, J.C. and their pokemon ran after them, but it was too late. Bonnie and Kai were already in the helicopter as it was ascending.
"Cowards…" J.C. muttered as he and Rex returned their pokemon. He then noticed a tiny, black piece of rock on the ground. "Hey Rex…" He asked as he picked up the piece.
"What's up?" He responded as he then noticed the rock his friend just picked up. "What's that?"
"Beats me? Maybe it came off of something…"
"We can worry about that later. First we need to check on Viki and the others." Rex reminded as he and J.C. went back inside. Much to their relief, the Scientists were okay since being freed, thanks to Ivy's Razor Leaf. But Viki on the other hand was not.
Rex and J.C. rush to Viki. "Viki, what's wrong?" Rex asked as he noticed the tear that ran down her cheek. "Did they hurt you?"
"I…I tried…" She closed her eyes. "I tried to save her pokemon…but I failed…"
Rex hugged her sniffling sister. "We'll get them…don't worry. They won't get away with it."
The Mudkip approached Viki as hr rubbed its head against her, attempting to console her.
Viki looked down onto the Mudkip, which brought a smile to her face. Despite failing to save Swampert, at least she was able to keep another pokemon from harm's way.
"Any idea what this little pebble is?" J.C. asked one Scientist, one who appeared to be balding as well as beginning to show age. He was still intrigued about the small piece of rock they found.
He looked on... "Not a clue, young man. But it does look a bit suspicious."
"Anyway…got any idea who those two were?" J.C. asked, making a possible connection of the piece to them.
"Not sure about their names, but they may be members of that renegade organization, The Shadow Syndicate."
"The Shadow Syndicate!?" Rex overheard as he approached them, as well as Viki.
"The Shadow Syndicate is known as a Terrorist group throughout the Hoenn Region. They'll stop at nothing to get what they want, no matter who they hurt."
"Well that part's true…" Viki pouted as the Mudkip slowly stood beside her. It apparently had developed a liking to her.
"They've also, according to our knowledge, developed what they like to call Dark Stones." He explained about the group. The Shadow Syndicate used the dark stones not only for evolution purposes, but to tame unruly pokemon into their own, as well as increasing their attack and defense. The difference from a regular evolution stone was that while it didn't automatically evolve pokemon, it increased the process. With an army of powerful pokemon such as Tyranitar and Dragonite under their control, The Shadow Syndicate would be invincible.
"We know that…" Viki responded as she remembered overhearing Bonnie and Kai's conversation yesterday.
"My advice to you kids would be to stay as far away as possible."
"And let the Syndicate get away with stealing the pokemon?" She snapped.
"It's for your safety. There's no telling how far they'll-"
"I don't care! I'm not going to just stand by as they steal more Pokemon. The Pokemon Pokemon trainers and coordinators place all their heart and soul into training." Once again, Viki's emotions took control. "How would you feel if your pokemon, the first pokemon you ever had, was taken away from you?" She sighed. "I'm sorry…it's just…"
"It's okay." He assured. He had witnessed people losing their pokemon as well as their heartbreak.
"So where's Professor Birch?" J.C. asked to change the subject. If Viki continued to go on about her "reasons" for hating the Shadow Syndicate, they would never hear the end of it.
"He's outside doing field research." The scientist explained. Professor Birch wasn't exactly someone for deskwork. He would rather conduct his research outdoors, interacting with the pokemon in their environment, than to stay inside of a lab.
"Anyway, do you happen to know where the nearest Pokemon Gym is?" Rex asked. With the recent events such as the Syndicate's ambush, he almost forgot about the Hoenn League. Rex felt that he already had enough problems winning enough badges without the Syndicate to worry about.
"The quickest way to get to one is to take the path to Oldale Town." He explained.
"So Oldale Town it is, then." Rex nodded. "Alright guys, ready to roll?"
Viki sniffed as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Okay."
J.C. nodded. "I thought we'd never leave." He felt that the sooner they left, the sooner he could make their journey towards Mt. Pyre to begin his search for a Medicham. He had already envisioned his "inevitable victory" over Sabrina and her Kadabra.
As they were about to leave, Mudkip ran up to Viki. "Huh?" She looked down. The Mudkip was safe from the Syndicate, so why wouldn't he leave her alone, she wondered.
Rex smirked at her. "Someone doesn't want you to leave." He noticed how, in a short time, Mudkip had taken a liking to his younger sister. It was like every since he saved him, Mudkip saw both Ivy and Viki as a best friend.
"You want to travel with me?" Viki asked the energetic pokemon, which replied with a cheerful cry! "Ok…" She looked up at the scientists. "That is if it's okay…"
One of them nodded at her, "Go ahead! It's pretty clear to us that it rather be with you than with us in this lab."
Viki became ecstatic, "Really?" Viki asked, just to be sure. Who would've known that Viki's first pokemon from the Hoenn region would've came to her so quickly, let alone this easy. "Okay, little buddy!" She kneeled down as Mudkip then jumped into her arms. "You wanna go to Oldale town with us?"
"Mudkip!" He chirped happily, much to Viki's satisfaction as she took out an empty pokeball. A red light then fired as the pokemon was engulfed in it then placed into the ball. "You'll be safer in here for now…" After a quick kiss, she placed the ball back onto her belt, believing that the Mudkip would be much safer from the Shadow Syndicate in a pokeball.
The three said their goodbyes by waving to the scientists as they began to go en route to Oldale Town. In mind are their goals and aspiration, as well as the Shadow Syndicate and new pokemon.
Meanwhile, on the helecopter in the air, Bonnie and Kai were celebrating their victory. However, Bonnie was reflecting on what happened back at the lab during her battle with Viki.
Kai noticed his partner's attitude. "What's wrong?"
"It's that girl..." Bonnie explained as she took out the pokeball which contained Swampert. "She was emotionally crushed just before we left. All because of this."
"What's so special about that?" Kai asked.
"Not sure, but I have an idea. When I asked her what was so special about it, and when I mentioned the possibility about belonging to a friend, she broke down and started crying!" Bonnie explained as she then got an idea for revenge against Viki for her defeat at the hands of Viki's Ivysaur. She looked down at the pokeball, then to Kai with an evil grin. "Let's just say that our buddy Swampert's going to be a big use to us."
That's the end of Chapter 3, Ya know the drill! Go on, Review!