CHAPTER 5
Lance heard the distinct turning of a doorknob, causing him to turn his gaze towards the door. A stubby man with unruly graying hair came into view, his donned white coat stained with dried blood. As evidenced by the stethoscope peeking from one of his coat pockets, he was one of the emergency physicians assigned to the medical units.
"Ahem! I wanted to inform you all that an air ambulance from Johto has arrived. We have five people and three Pokémon on the list. If—" the man was abruptly cut off by Lance.
"How many are dead? Give me the demographics,"
The physician adjusted his round rim glasses with two fingers before leafing through the papers in the clipboard he held.
"Two out of the five people are dead on arrival, one woman and one man. The remaining three include two injured elderly males, and the last one is an unconscious boy. All three Pokemon are alive – a Dragonair, Espeon, and Bayleef,"
Silence descended in the room. All eyes landed on Lance who was leaning with his back against the wall, arms folded. Everyone in the room was aware of the destruction that occurred in Blackthorn City the previous night. Most of the City's population hid inside the Dragon's Den every night. Even their medical unit was established in said cave. However, penumbral reeds managed to locate this hideout, inflicting devastation that resulted to the Den caving in. Rescue teams arrived the next morning, but it may have been too late for many of the victims. Despite this, families remain hopeful for their loved ones, just like many families in the world at present.
Lance closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Since the incident in Blackthorn City, each agonizing second that passes brought him distress. This was noted by Diantha who said that he has a "veil of pregnant silence shrouding him"; her words, not his.
Then again, he had every reason to feel as he is now. Ever since the first night of the invasions, he had trouble contacting his relatives in Johto. Most cell towers around the world have been destroyed, making electronic communication difficult. His cousin, Clair, was the resident Gym Leader of Blackthorn City. When the G-men informed him of the situation in Blackthorn, he was distraught. Out of all his cousins, he was the closest with Clair as they shared the same passion for battling and raising Dragon type Pokémon. They basically considered each other as siblings at this point.
And Clark… the one child Lance can actually tolerate. Clark was Clair's son with an unknown man; Lance pestered her many times to tell him the father's name, but Clair simply brushed him off claiming that Clark's father was of no importance since she can raise the boy herself.
If anything happened to the two of them, Lance swore that he would end Sidero's life without mercy.
"We do not have the names of the people in the list yet, but they will be identified as soon as they are wheeled into the medical unit. If there are any names to give, please tell me now so you will be notified should they be identified as one of those listed here," said the physician.
Lance approached the man and silently gave the names of his relatives, including the mother and son that have been on his mind lately. After scribbling the last of the names, the physician left.
At the sound of the door closing, Lance turned to his colleagues that were sat around a long, lightweight folding table. A single light bulb at the center of the room provided a source of illumination.
"What's this change of plans you've mentioned earlier, Goodshow? This is the perfect time to elaborate," The Indigo Plateau Champion started, his gaze directed to the old man sitting on one end of the table opposite him.
"Still impatient as ever, Lance. As I said, I will begin the briefing once our special guest arrives," Goodshow replied coolly, his attention never leaving the hologram of Alola's topographic map transmitted by a small device on the table.
At this, Lance slammed a fist on same table, startling his fellow champions and the two ex-champions present.
"YOU REALLY THINK WE HAVE THE TIME FOR WAITING? CHECK THE TIME, GOODSHOW. WE ONLY HAVE A FEW HOURS BEFORE THOSE NIGHT BEASTS START RAMPAGING HERE IN THE NORTH HEMISPHERE. IF YOU HAVE A BRILLIANT PLAN TO STOP ALL THIS, NOW IS THE TIME!" Lance felt his blood boil at every word. He had kept his patience far too long in the past days.
All those deaths since the world stadium incident, and the possibility of seeing his relatives' lifeless bodies brought him to breaking point. He…no, they! They needed to bring a stop to Sidero's plans right now and bring an end to all the destruction.
"I understand your anger. Who wouldn't be with all that is happening? However, we need to keep our emotions at bay as hard as it is, that way our judgments would not be clouded. We might as well be the last hope of this world; every decision we make will dictate if there would still be a tomorrow," Goodshow replied as he turned off the holographic device before continuing, "In all honesty, I am at lost. All previous plans we've made have mostly brought nothing to fruition. This is why I reluctantly agreed to unexpected help that was offered by someone of questionable identity,"
"By questionable identity, did you mean the special guest who is coming?" asked Iris, the young Unova Champion.
"Yes, child. You are correct."
"Let me get this straight. You have nothing prepared even if you kept insisting to change our current plans and strategies, you also have no idea what this 'special guest' has for a motive, and that you've forced all of us to gather in this cramped room when we could've been out there helping out the people of our respective regions?!" said Lance as his voice raised with each word uttered.
No reply came from Goodshow.
The Indigo Plateau Champion advanced towards the sitting man in quick, long strides before grabbing him by the shirt. The other champions tried to intervene. At one point, Leon attempted to pry Lance away from Goodshow, but his grip was far too tight. The old man might end up injured if they tried to break them apart any further.
"When you called me to abandon my post in Johto for this pointless meeting of yours, it was in that same night when the Dragon's Den was invaded. Do you have the slightest idea how that feels? I left my region and hometown in danger just to be told now that I will be listening to some stranger's uncertain suggestions?" anger was seething in Lance's voice as his tone dropped dangerously low, "I could have been there, Goodshow. I could have been in Blackthorn that night and—"
"And what? Exchange series of attacks with the reeds and save your hometown? That's quite ambitious in itself, Champion Lance. Although you'd probably emerge as a martyr rather than a hero in the aftermath," a voice interrupted.
The attention in the room landed on a teenage boy standing in the doorway, right hand inside his pocket while the left held the doorknob. The teenager looked no more between 15-17 years of age. He had light brown hair swept to the side, equally brown-colored eyes, sharp facial features, and a tanned complexion. He also wore a white shirt underneath an olive-green gilet.
"Ah! There you are. Everyone, this is the special guest I mentioned. Now that he is here, maybe Lance could…?" said Goodshow cautiously.
Lance loosened his grip on the man's shirt and faced the boy with a puzzled look.
"Afternoon all. The name is Luca. It's an honor to meet the strongest trainers of the Unified World,"
Cynthia's ears perked up from this. "Unified World? Isn't that the same term Sidero used back in the World Championships?"
"It's what we use to describe this part of the world from the region I come from. I can sense your worries, but I assure all of you that I have no connections with Sidero nor do I intend on partaking in his plans," Luca replied.
"So, how can this kid help us out wi—" Alder started, but was immediately interrupted.
"Someone is coming. I can sense that they bear news of some sort. I'll begin my briefing once you've returned here, Champion Lance. Have a quick punch in the wall to ease the emotions out as I need you to be in good shape physically and mentally," Luca said nonchalantly as he made his way to an empty chair on one end of the table.
As if on cue, the physician from earlier appeared in the doorway, his white coat bearing new stains of blood.
"Please excuse me for interrupting, but may I please talk to the Champion Lance? I bear some unfortunate news," said the physician.
At that moment, the Indigo Plateau Champion couldn't decide which had more impact, the fact that this boy Luca just predicted the physician's arrival, or that he knew deep down what unfortunate news awaits his ears.
Present Time
The loud beeping of an alarm clock reverberated around the dark room. A sleeping figure groaned before outstretching an arm to turn off the source of sound. Sitting up, same figure reached for the blinds, causing a stream of morning sunlight to enter.
It was 6:00 am. His duties officially begin at 8:00 am, but he has other responsibilities during the spare time. He stood up from the bed to begin his early morning exercise consisting of a series of push ups and crunches.
A short time later, he emerges from the shower and approaches the phone on the desk to play any voicemails received. A beep is heard before the first audio relays a message.
"Commander Lance, this is Agent Griz. We received three additional case files for the G-Men last night. I left them on your desk in the office. One of them is filed by the Mayor of Silver Town and he asks if he could speak with you in person regarding the matter,"
"Silver Town?" muttered Lance as he reached for a cape in the closet. Another beep is heard before the second audio plays.
"This is Charles Goodshow. How are you doing, Lance? I presume you must be busy since you did not answer our calls last night. I wanted to inform you about the decision of the PLA to once more open the Champions League of every member region, starting with Sinnoh at the end of the month. I'll go into further details once you can be reached. I'll be expecting a call from you in the following days,"
Champions League? Huh, so they finally decided to let the Champions defend their titles once again. Since the Blood Moon Invasion, there was reason to close the regional Pokémon Leagues for a certain length of time since battling would be the last concern of a world that just survived an apocalypse. For a few years, the world became busy with rebuilding and constructing until infrastructures & habitats were restored (quite an impressive feat, but it was the result of cooperation among the people and Pokémon, as well as existing technologies); the PLA took this opportunity to avoid a change of champions. After all, the current lineup were the ones who knew a great deal about Sidero, the Stone Tablets, and the existence of other Synergists. A dethroned champion may mean that the newly appointed successor may discover such classified information.
Lance made a mental note to call Charles tomorrow regarding the matter.
After hanging his cape and navy-blue jumpsuit for later, he leaves the room donned in cargo shorts and a plain sleeveless shirt. The man made his way to the door across his own. He knocked several times, but no answer was heard. He turned the doorknob and peeked inside.
The room was illuminated by a Dragonite-shaped nightlight that glowed an orange color. Lance entered and slowly approached the small sleeping figure. Despite the faint light, he could make out the teal tufts of hair that peeked from under the sheets. With a light tug, the covers slid slightly to reveal the face of a young boy still sound asleep and unaware of the man's presence.
Lance sat on the edge of the bed and lightly shook the boy on the shoulder.
"Time to get up, Clark. You have school today buddy,"
With a groan, the boy sat up and rubbed an eye. "What time is it?" Clark asked groggily.
"6:30"
"It's Friday, Lance. Can I just skip classes today? Maybe you can take me with you at your other work, the one not related to the Pokémon League,"
"I already told you that my other work is not as exciting as being champion. You won't like it there,"
"I wouldn't know that if you haven't taken me there,"
"Maybe when you're old enough,"
"But I'm already six years old! I'll even be a trainer in a few years,"
"When you're a trainer, then we can talk. Now, go shower and feed the Pokémon," replied Lance as he stood up, signifying an end in conversation.
With that Clark purposely fell back on the bed, burying his face on the pillow with a groan that was less groggy than the one he made upon waking up. Normally, Lance would be irritated by such display of behavior in a child. However, this instance was different as it made him remember his late cousin— Clair.
Clark was the son Clair left after her death. Lance remembered that day vividly when the physician led him to a room filled with black bags, one of which contained Clair's lifeless body. He could feel the heaviness in his chest just by thinking about it. His cousin lost her life protecting the people of Blackthorn and her son from the penumbral reeds that managed to invade their sanctuary. He felt a sharp pang of guilt knowing that he wasn't there when he was needed the most. He also remembered the 1-year old Clark who cried for his mother as the nurse treated his wounds. But she never came for him; she would never come back. Lance eventually took the boy and raised him. After all, they were still related as he is Clark's first cousin once removed.
Bringing his attention back at present, Lance looked at Clark who still had his face buried on the pillow. The boy can be quite stubborn, he thought to himself. Just like Clair. Thankfully, he didn't take much after his mother; Lance knew that Clair was a handful (a sentiment shared by their grandfather, the Dragon Tamer Clan Elder), so it is quite a blessing knowing that the boy would be less of that.
The traits he did get from Clair are her love for Dragon type Pokémon, stubbornness, and pride in his own capabilities (albeit to a lesser extent as Clark tends to be shy at times). Physically, it was obvious that he resembled his father (even if no one knew who the man was; not even Lance) from his tousled teal hair to his equally teal-colored eyes. Although, the boy's eye shape was definitely inherited from Clair.
"Tell you what. If you get up now and attend your classes, I'll take you with me to Silver Town during the weekends," Lance said.
"You will?" asked Clark, voice muffled by the pillow.
"Yeah. If I finish my business there early, we'll take a stroll in the forest near Mt. Silver,"
With that, the little man sat up in a jolt and hopped off the bed. He took a stepping stool from one corner and used it to reach for his clothes in the closet.
"I'll have what you're having for breakfast, Lance," he said, stepping down from the stool and making his way to the bathroom in little strides.
Lance internally chuckled. One of these days he had to be stricter with the boy, but he'll indulge him with these little adventures around Johto for a while.
"Also, add some extra berries for Gyarados' breakfast, will ya? He needs the energy today," Lance announced loudly at the closed bathroom door.
With a resounding "Got it!" from the other side, the red-haired man left the room.
Clark sat opposite to Lance on the dining table, occasionally dangling his feet that did not reach the floor. He adjusted his position to reach for a sausage across the table, but found it quite difficult without slipping from the chair. Noticing his struggle, Lance moved the plate with the sausages closer to the boy's side.
"By the way, your great-grandfather wants you to train at Dragon's Den today after school," said Lance as he refilled his own plate with bacon and eggs. "But stay away at the construction areas. You know that some parts of the cave are being rebuilt, right?"
"Huh?" Clark answered in surprise, "So great-grandpa told you anyway?" he added in a whispered voice, a frown forming in his features.
Lance raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't recall being told anything by his grandfather in the past weeks. He hasn't even visited the Den for a while now. It seemed the boy had a momentary slip of the tongue. Being a high-ranking member of the G-Men, Lance knew just how to approach a situation like this; the basics of extracting information when provided with only clues.
"Quite so. Although, I am willing to hear your side of the story," Lance did not make eye contact so as to convince the boy that he knew what happened and that he only needed to hear Clark's perspective. It was too easy, but then again this was a 6-year old; one hiding some secret of sort.
"I… well… the site looked safe enough for me. I wanted to take a look at the Dragon Pokémon helping with the constructions in the area. I checked the rocks and thought they were strong enough to hold me. They were strong, but it was too dark that I didn't notice they were also slippery. I fell on the waters and almost drowned, but the mysterious Dragonair that lived there saved me and brought me to great-grandpa,"
Lance almost choked on his bacon. He wasn't told about this incident. It was common knowledge in the clan that he stood as Clark's legal guardian; he had the right to know especially when it concerned the safety of the child. It seems that having a chat with his grandfather about this incident was added to his list of tasks for the weekend.
"Does that Dragonair have a trainer, Lance? I know a lot of Dragon Pokemon live there, but that Dragonair really stands out. It always stays on the roof of the Shrine like some guardian. Whenever I'm there, it follows me around the cave but it never comes near. I guess it's both curious and afraid of me," Clark said as he reached for his glass of juice.
"Maybe its former trainer was a regular visitor at the den," replied Lance coolly, although he knew more than what was said. To prevent Clark from asking further questions, Lance stood up and grabbed his mug. "Finish your food or we'll both be late. I'll just collect my team outside,"
With that, the boy chomped on what remained in his plate. With a slight glance to the kitchen window, he saw Lance gathering his team. He couldn't help but stare at the tattoo on the man's shoulder; Laurel leaves surround a central "G" stylized in blackletter with a sword piercing it upwards. When he was 4 years old, Lance once told him that it was a tattoo he got from his travels because of how cool it looked. Last night proved otherwise when Clark saw an envelope on the kitchen table inscribed with the same logo. He just happened to pass by for a glass of milk, but his cousin coincidentally left the kitchen to break off a fight between his Dragonites outside. The milk became long forgotten as Clark could only think of his accidental discovery.
Snapping back to present, he now saw Lance making his way back. An idea came into his mind, but it would have to wait until after school and training; his cousin wouldn't be home until late in the night. Being a latchkey kid really had its perks.
For most of the afternoon, he sat in his office reviewing case files, assigning teams to missions, and contacting concerned politicians. He did not like office work, but it was a necessary step to ensure successful operations. His responsibilities with the G-Men seems to follow a routine: train members and recruits, office work, attend meetings, then partaking in missions (the part in his job description that he prefers to be doing at the moment).
As Lance stacked the folder he held to the growing pile on the left, he sighed upon the last folder on the box. It was the final case he needed to review for the day, yet he debated whether he should take a short coffee break or to carry on. In an actual mission, the latter would be the only viable option. Inside his office, it was tempting to take a breather knowing that danger was not lurking (though he can never be too sure).
Deciding to grab a cup of coffee, he stood up and took a glimpse of the folder inside the box. He unconsciously flipped the cover, revealing the front page of the report.
CASE: AG-4710810
OPERATION: Evergreen
STATUS: _
Turning to the next page, several photographs were attached to the upper right of the document. The first image was an aerial view of a town. Several infrastructures stood among the lush greens, the most notable was a dome stadium situated at the center of a circular man-made landscape surrounded by perfectly trimmed greenery. The area was nestled between two lakes on its sides.
Silver Town.
As a native of Johto, Lance recognized the place immediately. Remembering the message Griz left him this morning regarding Silver Town's Mayor, he mentally chided himself for even forgetting. Since breakfast, his mind became distracted after learning of Clark's near-death experience. This was coupled by the exhaustion from training his men in the morning.
Said exhaustion now evaporated as his mind shifted to the case on hand. His eyes skimmed each page as he tried to acquire an overview of the contents before analyzing it thoroughly. Judging by the town map and missing persons list he saw, it most likely involved mysterious disappearances.
Turning back to the second page, he studied the series of photographs. They were mostly locations around Silver Town and headshots of people included in the list of missing persons. Their disappearances were documented from the time and place they were last seen, to any belongings found since they've gone missing. A towns map on the other page was included which plots the places within Silver Town that have reported disappearances.
Lance leaned slightly forward as his brows furrowed in concentration.
#1
Name: Alfred Thompson
Age: 57
Sex: Male
Time of Disappearance: 9:45 pm
Witness Statement: The family's Growlithe escaped during the night. Mr. Thompson went out to look for her. He greeted me and my brother when he passed by our house and that was the last we've seen of him. Mr. Thompson mentioned that he was to search for Growlithe at the forest in Route 29.
~ Statement by a neighbor of the Thompsons
Remarks: Growlithe returned home that morning. The family states that the Pokémon tried to trace Alfred Thompson's tracks, but the man's scent seems to end at an area in Route 29 (photograph attached). His whereabouts remain unknown.
#2
Name: Harris Rogers
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Time of Disappearance: 7:00 am
Witness Statement: He went out at 7 in the morning to collect berries for his team. Harris was planning to climb Mt. Silver and has stocked up on necessary items since his return from Kanto. The berries were the last thing on his list. Harris mentioned that the berries he needed grew on the foothills of Mt. Silver. He never returned since.
~ Statement by his mother
Remarks: The foothills have been was seen splattered on the grass north of the smallest hill, an area known for its wild berries (photograph attached). No blood trail was seen despite investigations. Tests were conducted and it was confirmed that the blood belonged to Harris Rogers. A container and handkerchief of his belonging have also been recovered on the same site. Harris Rogers is yet to be found.
#3
Name: Bailey Reed
Age: 10
Sex: Female
Time of Disappearance: 3:30 pm
Witness Statement: She had just received her first Pokémon that morning, a Totodile. She left past 3 in the afternoon, but she mentioned about visiting the nearby lake to let her partner take a swim before they set out on their journey. We were shocked to hear that someone found her shoes and backpack floating in the waters. We asked Professor Elm about her whereabouts, but it turns out that my daughter never arrived back at the lab nor visited a Pokémon Center for her official Trainer's Registration.
~ Statement by her father
Remarks: Silver Town had two lakes, but the particular lake where her belongings have been found was the one near Route 29 and the foothills (photos attached). No significant item was found among her belongings that could point to the disappearance. No body was found at the bottom of the lake. The Totodile was also reported missing.
#4
Name: Unnamed Trainer
Age: approximately 13-15
Sex: Female
Time of Disappearance: 4:00 am
Witness Statements: It's been chilly for many nights now, and being homeless makes it worse. I caught a cold eventually. This young trainer arrived when it was dark. I assumed it was late in the night or a few hours before morning because the houses had their lights turned off. She saw me under a tree. She knew I had a cold because I was shaking and kept sneezing. The young lady offered me her jacket and asked where she could get some herbs to make me tea. Well, Silver Town must be suffering from drought or the townspeople have been neglectful because I heard that many of the plants have withered the past days. I told the girl this, and she promised to search for some herbs to make me the tea. I think she went to the forest. She never returned with that tea.
~ Statement by a man in Silver Town
Remarks: A CCTV Footage provided by a resident shows the unnamed trainer heading to the direction of a nearby forest leading to Route 29 and the entrance to Mt. Silver. Screenshots of the CCTV footage attached.
Lance paused for a moment. The list continued for several pages, each with the same provided details. The most recent of the disappearances occurred two days ago, which meant that investigations are still underway. It also meant that more disappearances are probable in the following days.
Mt. Silver… Route 29… Forest… Foothills
The same locations and not one different for any of the people listed. It was an obvious pattern that local authorities already deduced. In fact, it was ascertained that they had made the logical course of action by the existence of the file he held, and due to the recent cases of disappearances mostly consisting of police officers on duty.
They were looking for a culprit, but it only revealed the difficulty of the situation. The whereabouts of the persons remain unknown. If the cases were all related, they had to be held hidden somewhere. The caves of Mt. Silver were most likely to be a culprit's hideout, but the risk of stumbling across trainers inside was far too high. That said, the file did not include any statements from the elite trainers inside Mt. Silver, although the vicinity had been closed from access temporarily.
Lance moved slightly to reach for a radio transceiver, a portable handheld device used for wireless communications commonly used among the G-Men, Rangers, and Police. On the top drawer, he took a small rectangular object no bigger than his palm. It had a connector on the side and a metal body that glinted against the light in his office.
A Burner Drive.
A necessary device used to avoid instances of call interception. With the G-Men working as undercover agents for the government, it was necessary that their communications remain undisclosed and private; information reaching the wrong ears can be detrimental to the safety of both people and Pokémon.
Plugging the burner drive into the transceiver port, Lance entered a series of codes that would allow him access to Silver Town's Mayor's office. A distinct ring on the other end is heard; it was time to settle matters in hand.
He will take on this case. All he needed for now is to set a private meeting with the Mayor during the weekends – unsurprisingly, tomorrow.
This took me a while. I lost motivation mid-chapter because I felt my writing is slow and sloppy. A friend managed to convince me that it's only the beginning and I can improve along the way.
So, this chapter introduced a new character to the story. It will be a mini arc about Lance and his little cousin (OG Character). I know that the main protagonist hasn't been on the spotlight, but she will eventually. For now, I want to provide a background of other characters and their personalities since they would play a role in Garnet's life at certain points.