Thank you for your reviews again. I'm sorry for not updating for awhile but to make up for the lost time I made it long. This chapter was a pain. I rewrote each section several times and cut out huge pieces but I still hate it. I can't stand writing the 'build up' parts of stories. Excuse me if it sounds like crap but after a month of writing and editing this, I just want to throw it out already. Please enjoy.
This story takes place right after the Gold, Silver, Crystal chapters and before the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald chapters. Therefore, the characters will only consist of the first seven dex holders and possibly any of the other supporting characters in those chapters.
-Tangled Web-
Yellow walked across the room, stopping to pick up her guests' empty cups of tea that she had served earlier. She smiled gingerly as each of her friends thanked her for the gesture before she disappeared back into her kitchen. In her living room, Professor Oak and Crystal had already been joined by Gold and Silver who had arrived within hours of each other in the early afternoon. It was almost evening already and the two hadn't been told why they were even called there; Oak refused to say anything of the matter until every expected dex holder arrived. Red hadn't answered any of Crystal's calls so the only one left to wait for was Blue.
The two boys were lounging on a couch facing the television with Silver in control of the remote. Gold mindlessly stroked the fur of the tiny Pokémon in his lap as he tried to feign interest in the news channel that Silver seemed all too focused on. The dominating silence in the room was becoming overbearing, but no one else in the room seemed to mind. He slumped over the arm of the couch, his waning patience already falling into utter boredom.
Groaning loudly, the black-haired boy lazily shifted his gaze to the Professor. " Hey Prof, why won't you tell us why you called us here already?" called out the young breeder twisting the rest of his upper body to face the man, "We've been sitting here for hours. Do we really need to wait for Blue to hear what you have to say?"
The professor made no move to answer his questions but continued to stare at the wall in front of him from the small coffee table. When the boy opened his mouth again, Crys waved her hands in a silent signal for him to stop. Gold blinked in confusion only receiving a sullen look from Yellow, who stood in the kitchen doorway with a fresh ice-pack in her hands.
Crys quietly made her way to Gold putting a finger up to her lips. " Shh, just be patient. He's not in the greatest state right now and it's not something he wants to repeat."
The boy stole a glace at the professor then moved in closer to Crys. Behind her, he could see Yellow taking a seat next to the man holding the icepack in front of him. "Is it because he's got a bump on his head?" he asked naively.
Crys looked shocked for a moment before she shook her head vigorously. "No! It's much more serious than something like that!" she exclaimed as quietly as possible.
Oak placed the pack on his head while Yellow gently patted his free hand muttering a few words that Gold could not make out. The solemn nature of the scene worried him a little but the general reticence of it all peaked his interest even more. He noticed that the girls and the professor were acting different but was it really that serious? He returned his attention to the girl in front of him and whispered in her ear, "Well, why can't you tell me what's going on then so we…"
The Eevee in Gold's lap suddenly perked up as she looked around aimlessly with her ears standing on end. She leaped down onto the ground and dashed across the room to the windowsill at the front of the house. Yellow cocked her head to the side curiously and moved to the window behind the excited Pokémon yipping to the sunset. Looking up into the orange sky, she could see a silhouette of a figure hanging onto a balloon-like form in front of the reddening sun. Squinting to get a better look, her eyes brightened when she realized who it was. "Guys, I think it's Blue!"
Crys sighed in relief while Gold jumped out of his seat and ran over to the window. Blue's timing couldn't be any better to get her out of answering that question. She was about to follow but stopped to look back at Silver who was still focused on the screen in front of him.
"You seem remarkably calm," she said cautiously, "Why aren't you curious about this whole matter?"
The red-haired boy simply shrugged at her question. The girl shook her head and began to walk towards the door.
"Well, c'mon. Let's go and welcome Blue with the others."
Silver stood up and watched her walk away before he returned his attention to the news. On the screen, an image of an enormous building that had been heavily damaged appeared, the scorched walls and broken windows documented from behind police lines. With a camera transition, the picture focused on an old man in a finely pressed suit surrounded by the microphones and cameras of the eager media.
The boisterous voices heard from outside divided Silver's attention as he slowly inched away from the screen. The moment he heard Blue's voice he rushed out the room, the television abandoned. The device was left to entertain itself as its last few words fell on deaf ears of the last person in the room.
" We can assure you there is no immediate danger from the robbery since the experimental item was unsuccessful. Thank you for your concern and cooperation on behalf of myself and all of Silph Co."
-X-
Keys clicked constantly as an old man in a white lab coat typed furiously on the computer before him. The light reflected a white glare on round spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose, while weathered gray eyes were lost into the screen. Finishing his report, he breathed out and sank back into his chair. The man sat there for a moment before he rotated the chair around and stood with the help of a cane hanging on the armrest. He slowly shuffled across the room to where a lone examination table stood. He took a hold of the clipboard hanging off the table, taking note of the name at the top of the paper.
"Green…"
On top of the metal structure lay the unconscious boy that the man had been charged to look after. Green had been brought in almost two day ago and has since been undergoing treatment for the majority of the time. Despite all efforts to help him recover, the boy showed no signs of waking up, all thanks to the blunt shot to his head.
The old man frowned down at the youth. " How could he go so overboard like this?"
He gently ran his fingers through Green's hair, pushing the long bangs out of the boy's eyes. The sight of the large wound hidden under those brown locks only made one wonder if the boy would ever wake up. It was a much too brutal injury to inflict on anyone, let alone one his age. The stitches would heal the damage on the surface, but who knew what was going on inside.
"He definitely went too far."
The full extent of the rest of Green's injuries were now visible and had also been treated since his shirt had been removed. The majority of his body was tightly bandaged; the skin that was visible: blemished with repulsive bruises and shallow cuts. The scrapes along his legs were also attended to but for decency's sake, the doctor made sure to slip on the boy's jeans again when he finished wrapping the wounds. Through the crisscross of bandages, wires ran to several monitors around the table, each presenting their insight on all of Green's vitals.
The old man shook his head as he looked the child up and down. "Poor thing, he seems to only be a young boy," he said out loud, examining a monitor near the table, "It's a shame he had to be caught up in all this."
"Still talking to yourself, Dr. Reynolds?" came a voice from above his head, "you really need to spend more time out of the lab."
The old man closed his eyes in irritation at the taunting voice coming through the intercom.
"I did what you asked me to do," said the doctor, "He hasn't woken up."
He glanced at a large mirror on the side wall. Just how long had he been watching him behind that one-way mirror?
"Hmm, guess I hit him too hard."
The intercom clicked off and the door flew open into the room. A pale hand reached into the room while the rest of the other man's form stayed in the shadows.
"Come with me." The hand beckoned the older one to follow him out of the room. "I want to show you the progress I've made with the others."
The doctor sighed again looking down at his patient for a final time. The other man began to walk away as the elder turned on his heel to follow him out of the room.
…
Green heard a strange noise… like the muffled sound of a door clicking closed. He couldn't be sure though. It sounded slightly off, coming to his ears as a hollow echo as if he was hearing it from underwater. Funny, it did feel like his head was swimming.
He cracked one eye open, immediately regretting it when a bright light greeted him from above. Turning his head away, he immediately shut his eyes and he tried to block out the light with his hand. Big mistake. Green gritted his teeth as a shock of pain traveled through his entire body. His hand dropped back down to the table, the metal clanging under the weight. Who knew such a small movement could be so painful. There, he lay still taking deep breaths as he waited for the pain to subside.
'Where am I?' he thought, carefully craning his neck up. Even at the minimum elevation, he could already get a good idea of why his body wasn't cooperating. '…and how the hell did my body get so messed up?'
His face contorted in confusion as he looked down, his body bandaged and wired from every direction. What a mess.
The last thing he could remember was beginning his climb up Mt. Silver and then…nothing. He tried to think of what happened between then and where he was now, but a throbbing pain in his head increased the more he tried to dig further into his memories. Green breathed out in annoyance of his incompliant thoughts. Meditating for a moment, he closed his eyes and laid himself back down patiently waiting for the memories to flow.
Images flashed through his mind and just as quick as they appeared, faded back into darkness. A gray sky, blood-stained snow, a shadowed smile. Green's eyes snapped open when the image of Eevee's receding form came to an abrupt end. Pieces of what he could only assume happened only confused him more as the pounding in his head intensified.
The boy sighed, giving up on the task to save him from the unnecessary trouble. He might as well just figure out where he was at the present. A sudden noise caught his attention that traveled through the walls around him. Jade eyes shifted to the side where distant voices echoed from behind a closed door across the room. Faint footsteps drew near as unfamiliar voices conversed with incoherent words.
'Maybe these people can give me a little information of where I am,' he thought, his gaze drifting away from the door. The recovered memories pulled at his conscience, demanding his discretion on the matter. 'But just in case they're not friendly…' Green closed his eyes again, pretending to be asleep as he presumed his captors left him.
"They were extremely difficult to handle, but we were able to subdue them enough so I could slip this on." The door opened slowly while two pairs of footsteps walked into the room. "Now we just let it work its magic, right?"
An older man's voice answered the first in a skeptical voice, "Yes, I would suspect only one…maybe two days, but my concern was never for them. You can't seriously be thinking of putting this on that child."
Green furrowed his brow as the sharp clang of metal reached his ears.
"What's wrong, Dr. Reynolds?" questioned the younger, "The immorality of human subjects starting to get to you now?"
The doctor sighed. "Don't patronize me, Mr. Ageku. You were supposed to bring in a trainer more fit for the role."
"More fit?"
"He's a child," stated the old man rather flatly, "What did you do? Kidnap the first person you can find outside this cavern? I expected you to seek out one much older…someone a little more seasoned."
"Seasoned? Don't worry about that…or do you mean older like the others?"
"Both! I've crossed so many lines up until now with you, but there's no practical reason for this one. Why not find another at least ten years older?
The man clicked his tongue. "Don't get caught up on such trivial things. It's all part of the plan."
"How?"
A single pair of footsteps traveled across the room towards the table where Green lay.
"Just trust me, Reynolds."
The younger one stood beside the boy, his voice coming just beside his head.
"While you were away at your lab, I made sure to reformulate everything to cooperate with this body."
The boy barely stopped himself from recoiling as he felt the man's hand on his shoulder. The uncomfortable touch traveled across his collar and his neck.
"He will help me realize my dream"
He wanted to lash out, but he kept up the facade, holding his breath as the hand came to rest on his cheek.
"…our dream."
The last words came out in such a low whisper that only Green could have possibly heard them.
Turning away from the boy, the man hastened to the door.
"Make sure he wakes up soon. I'm tired of waiting."
"Wait, Ageku," called the elder.
The man stopped in his tracks, his hand on the door's handle waiting for the doctor to continue. Reynolds glanced over at Green before returning his attention to his partner. "If you really want this boy then you're doing this one on your own; Like I was trying to say - I have a line."
No matter how cold he tried to sound, he knew that the other man would not be affected. The doctor looked away from the other's hollow smile and with that, the door slammed closed.
Reynolds sighed as he turned to the contraption that the man left on the counter. Staring at it in abhorrence, he pushed it into an open drawer and quickly closed it. How could things come down to this? The doctor leaned on the counter tiredly, resting his forehead in his hands.
Behind him, Green quietly pushed himself up into a seated position, ignoring his body's painful detest. He glanced over the white room around him, his eyes coming to rest on the other being in the room. Swinging his legs off the table, the boy kept his eyes on the old man's back watching for any signs of detection.
'He might be old, but these guys are up to nothing good." A grimace formed on his face with the thought of the other man's hand on his face. '…Nothing good at all.'
High-pitched tones resounded from the machines around him as Green swiftly pulled the wires off his body. The old doctor whipped around to see the young trainer already off the table using the metal structure as support for his body.
"You're awake?" The man grabbed his cane resting beside him on the counter and quickly made his way over the injured boy. "What are you doing? You're in no shape to be moving about yet."
As soon as the man placed his hand on Green's arm, his patient promptly pushed the doctor away from himself. "Don't give me that," calmly said the boy, " I heard you and that other guy who was in here talking. I'm not about to be anybody's experiment."
Sure, he didn't know exactly what they were planning, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. Green took a deep breath, preparing his aching body for the unpleasant task ahead as he propelled himself to the door.
-X-
"…and then Eevee traveled from Mt. Silver all the way to Pallet."
The room was silent when Yellow finished her story of what she saw in Eevee's mind. Her words had barely just sunk in but there really was nothing anyone could think to say after such an ornate tale. Eventually, the cry of the small Pokemon broke the silence triggering the anticipated reactions.
" No way…"' whispered Gold. Beside him, Crystal tried to calm the emotionally tormented Pokemon.
" I don't believe it," mumbled Silver leaning on the wall. His eyes fell to the ground, his arms crossed in defiance, " I can't…"
"Professor, this has to be a joke," said Blue, " that's way too crazy of a story to be real, right?"
Oak stood with his back to the group staring out a window into night. Throughout Yellow's entire recount, the old man did not say a word but instead, chose to block out her words at the expense of hearing it all again. It was amazing that he too, along with Eevee, stayed in the room at all but Yellow and Crys knew he was taking it hard. It was to be expected, though. Green was his only grandson and the youngest of his small family. To know he was a victim to a violent attack must have been devastating.
Crystal took a hold of Blue's wrist pulling her attention away from the Professor. The younger girl shook her head, "No, we know it's true because of the condition this Eevee was in before Yellow healed her," Crys whispered, "From Eevee's memories we can only hope that Green is okay too."
Gold jumped up from his seat looking determinedly around the room. "Why aren't we at Mt. Silver and trying to find him!" the boy exclaimed, "He could be frozen solid by now!"
"Weren't you listening at all?" Silver glared at the other boy from across the room. "The guy in the cloak had him in his arms in the end so Green probably isn't there anymore."
Eevee keened for her trainer again.
Gold bent back down to gather her up and cradled the depressed Pokemon in his arms, looking up at Silver accusingly. " Now look what you did. You made her upset," said Gold, getting a sour look from the other boy in return.
Crys pulled Gold back down onto the couch, "Stop messing around you two." She reached over his arms to gently pet Eevee on the head. "You guys are just making it worse for her."
"Guys, the one we should be worried about right now is Green," shouted Blue, "he's missing and all of you are acting like it's not a big deal!" The younger kids stared at her, stunned by her sudden outburst. "What?" The brunette looked down at the others questioningly as the others turned away to escape her glare. "What?"
Yellow cautiously looked back at the older girl, "…umm, it's just that we didn't expect you to care so much." Blue looked almost offended by the statement as the other girl continued to fumble over her words. "I mean, like you don't usually get worked up over other people."
Blue seemed a little flustered from the accusation but quickly brushed it off. "It's not like that," she said coolly, "…It's just out of association." The girl turned away from the others to escape their watchful gaze. "Getting back to the point, what about the attack on Green?" she hastily asked.
Crys sighed heavily. "He probably didn't even see it coming."
"I guess the guy wasn't kidding when he said he's been watching Green," said Silver, "It seemed like everything was planned from the beginning all the way down to what side of Mt. Silver Green would be on."
"He did, didn't he?" said Blue regaining her calm composure, "Hmm, Mt. Silver…wait, isn't that also where Red is?"
An awkward silence followed before everyone else grasped the obvious. Yellow pulled down at the side of her hat as she shook her head in distress. " Oh no! Red wasn't answering his pokegear either when we tried calling him yesterday!"
"Do you think he got Red too?" asked Crys worriedly.
"Crap, this is getting really serious!" said Gold, ""We've got a huge rescue mission now!"
"Will you guys calm down, " shouted Blue, quieting the room again, "we don't even know if Red is gone too."
"Well, you brought it up!" answered Yellow, standing up in defense.
"Don't worry, he's not."
The group turned to the unexpected voice as Professor Oak turned away from the window. Glancing at the Pokemon in Gold's arms, the old man sighed in exhaustion.
"If I remember correctly from what you said of Eevee's memory, the man seemed only interested in Green," he continued, "Red is most likely still somewhere in that mountain and has no idea about this whole matter."
The young trainers closely watched the man move towards them, some slowly nodding to his words. The children exchanged looks, completely taken aback from the Professor's unnatural seriousness.
"So what do you want us to do, Professor?" asked Silver.
Oak closed his eyes in deep thought for a moment before he spoke. "I apologize for asking you all of this, but I was hoping that you five would go out and try to find my grandson," he declared.
"Of course we'll do it!" said Gold, holding the Pokemon arms length away from himself as Eevee cried out in approval, " but wait, how do we know where to get started?"
"Well…we don't know," stated Crys, " but hey, maybe if we ask around the surrounding regions someone might be able to give us a lead."
" That's a really good idea, Crys!" exclaimed Blue, " We should split up into groups so that we can cover more ground, though."
"Alright, then its settled!" said Gold excitedly. The boy ran over to the other side of the room and promptly grabbed on to the arm of a confused Silver. "Silver and I will be a group," he firmly declared.
"What!" shouted Silver in shock, " you can't just make decisions like…."
" Okay, so that just leaves us three," interrupted Crys.
Blue shook her head. "No, you and Yellow will be a pair," she said, "I'm going to go find Red on the mountain and make sure he's okay too. Plus, he should really hear about what happened. Green's his best friend, so he deserves to know what's going on too."
" Thank you all for doing this for me," said Oak tearfully, "This really means a lot. I just hope you get to Green in time…"
" Don't talk like that, Professor!" cried Yellow, " we will definitely find your grandson and bring him back safely. Besides, Green is way too tough to go down so easily." The other trainers nodded reassuringly to the professor as Yellow's words brought a small smile to his face. " Just get some rest," said the young blonde, "we'll start our search first thing in the morning."
" By the way Crys, do you have your portable transporter with you?" asked Blue.
The other girl cocked her head to the side in confusion. " Yeah, I do. What do you need it for?"
" I need to pull out Articuno from my box," she answered, "I want to get up to Red as fast as possible."
-X-
The moment he swung open that door, Green was greeted by what seemed like an endless darkness. Despite his initial hesitation, he advanced into the unknown in a full sprint as the apprehensive voice of the old man faded behind him. His body was screaming out from his multiple wounds but he forced himself to endure. There was no way he was going to let them have their way with him.
The pitch-black surroundings had forsaken him from any clue to where he was but there was no turning back. He had escaped that place, but now he was lost in a void where he was essentially blind.
Within moments of escaping the light from the white room, he found himself running full speed into a wall. Serrated stone thrust into various parts of his skin, his cry echoing throughout the expanse around him. Green fell back onto the ground trying to hold back the tears welling in his eyes from the torture his body was going through. He lay still for a minute, tightly grasping onto where a particularly sharp rock cut into his lower side as he felt a warm liquid trickle through his fingers.
Gritting his teeth, the boy slowly picked himself up using the wall as a guide to inch towards an aimless direction. This entire escape spelled disaster and he knew it. Green had no idea where he was and he was in no shape to deal with these trials. If only he had any of his Pokémon to help him find a way out, or at least light this dark abyss. There was no use dwelling on what could be; he was on his own.
He had dragged himself a stretch of what seemed like forever in the dismal environment. Stopping to catch his breath he turned to look behind him, listening for any noise from any pursuers. He felt uneasy relief from the initial period silence but it soon fell to a commotion coming in the direction he was heading. The boy whipped his head around to see a faint golden glow shining a few meters in front of him and the soft sound of footsteps that followed. Green froze as he stared at the approaching light. He quickly backed up against the wall and held his breath. The sudden motion strained his injuries as his blood-soaked hand clutched harder onto his gash on his side. Waiting for the pain to dull, he looked back at the light. The source had already lessened the gap a considerable amount and was now close enough to take on a distinct shape. Green's heart skipped a beat as a pair of ominous gold eyes hovered in the darkness staring directly where he stood.
He could hear the other set of footsteps stop shortly after those eyes had set their gaze on him. How did they find him in the dark place? The fear finally started to take hold of him but he immediately pushed it away. There was no way he was about to give up here. He wasn't about to be anyone's experiment. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he settled on his final move. Taking a deep breath, Green pushed himself off the wall and charged directly at the two unknown forms.
Narrowing his eyes, he stared back into the golden orbs that reflected a sense of menacing eagerness at the boy. The point they were about to collide, he swiftly maneuvered to the side, eluding the creature that lunged towards him. The boy smirked as he jumped towards the spot he heard the other footsteps stop. In an instant, Green had successfully made contact with the hidden form as he drove his boot into a mass that elicited a man's cry. Green landed on his knee, his smirk still intact while the man fell to the ground. A growl reverberated from his right where those ominous eyes turned towards him again.
'A Pokémon?' Green instinctively moved backwards on the ground, his hand brushing over loose bedrock beneath him. He looked down at the blackness below him then back at the nearing threat, grasping onto the large rock. The unknown Pokémon roared as it jumped at him again. With a strained surge of energy, Green hurled the blunt object at the Pokémon smashing it directly into its face.
The boy quickly stood up and ran back over to where he could hear the man beginning to move. The man was knocked back down, pinned to the ground with Green sitting on his chest. The boy lifted the man by the collar of his shirt, feeling the glare of the older male through the darkness.
"Call him off!" demanded Green needlessly pointing in the direction of the still whimpering Pokémon.
An unnerving laugh from the man rang out through their surroundings. Green kept his grasp firm not conceding himself to be provoked out of his upper hand. The young trainer knocked him back down into the ground as the man continued to chuckle.
"You're a little firecracker," the man said, his hands suddenly around Green's wrists, "and what if I don't?"
Green slammed the man into the ground again. "I don't think you're in the position to be playing games," he growled.
Even when his head hit the ground, the man didn't change his disposition. "Alright, I'll call him off," declared the stranger with a chuckle," but first, tell me, how's that body of yours doing?"
Green was taken aback by the strange question. Why did that matter at a time like this? Just then, a warm sensation ran down the side of his face dripping down from his chin. The boy's eyes widened in horror as he came to realize the agony his body was in. In mere seconds, the wave of adrenaline that had numbed the pain washed away, leaving him defenseless. The faint flavor of blood seeped onto his tongue as Green's body suddenly collapsed on man.
The man pushed the boy up causing Green to slide down into his lap, his hand latched onto the younger's neck. " Such short-lived vigor but I must commend you on your valiant escape attempt, " teased the man, amused by the fingers clawing weakly at his hand, "but you won't be leaving anytime soon…Luxray! Thunderbolt!" Green was flung off the man towards the sound of a familiar growl behind him.
A bright flash filled the area in an instance. In that brief moment, Green seemed to be falling backwards in slow-motion as he saw the unknown world around him.
'…A cave?'
His eyes fell to the figure that stood before him. Just before the bolt of electricity entered his body, bright emerald green met with emotionless ice blue.
The boy's scream made him cringe while he watched the smaller form get electrocuted before him.
"…Again."
The bolt traveled through the already limp body, mercilessly tearing through every cell in Green's body. As the light of the second thunderbolt faded, their world was thrown back into the familiar darkness. The man stood still for a few seconds staring in the black void where he knew the motionless boy lay.
"…Luxray, use flash," he finally commanded.
A blinding light was emitted from the lion Pokémon, the revealed surroundings confirming the identity of the cave around them. The man looked down at himself staring apathetically at the scarlet blotches that stained his clothes. Wiping the blood off his face, he moved to stand over his young victim. He took the time to study the unraveling singed bandages around the boy's body soaked with fresh blood. "One has to possess a very strong will to have the audacity to pull off what you did," he said looking down into those glazed brilliant eyes, "that is one of many things I envy about you, but it's not what I require of you."
The man reached down to his belt where he pulled out a single pokeball. A temporary red beam appeared from the container leaving a Machamp in its wake. The large Pokémon glowered down at him, clearly conveying its hate for the man. The man only closed his eyes in annoyance as he fidgeted with something in his pocket. The four-armed creature looked as if it was about to tackle the man, but it suddenly stiffened and fell to its knees.
A sigh escaped from the man's lips as he watched the Pokémon obediently fall into a docile nature. "Please don't make this any harder on yourself than it needs to be," said the man despairingly, "Now go ahead, pick him up."
The man pointed to the ground just behind the Pokémon. The moment it turned to see the boy on the ground, the Machamp frantically rushed to Green's side.
Remorseful eyes watched the Machamp carefully lift the barely conscious child into its arms. It interested him to see the Pokémon using the utmost care to tend to the boy, but it was to be expected from the two's relationship.
"Your trainer has already been through a lot without you and his other Pokémon," whispered the man from behind the Machamp, " Unfortunately, I cannot offer any solace for there is much more in store for him." The man began to walk away from the scene, motioning the two Pokémon to follow him.
Yes, the Pokémon was indeed Green's but he had to wonder if the Machamp should still call him his master anymore. Luxray bounded happily beside his trainer as the man looked over his shoulder at the distressed Machamp following closely behind. His eyes fell on a foreign contraption wrapped around the large creature's neck. A sense of pride swelled inside the man, masking the previous guilt that influenced his mind. Despite the immorality of it all, he couldn't help the excitement of his greatest accomplishment. After all, it was for a good cause.
The Machamp looked over the boy in its arms mournfully knowing there was nothing it could do for its trainer. Green's blurred vision barely made out the face of his Pokémon staring down at him. He tried to smile reassuringly to his friend, his eyes beginning to droop from exhaustion. Loose bandages came fully unraveled from his body as green eyes finally closed, the dressings falling to the ground to be forgotten in the somber void.
-X-
"Pika, how about we work on your agility skills a little more now," said Red to the mouse Pokémon on his shoulder, "I think Snor and Poli have done enough for today and deserve a good rest." The two addressed Pokémon sighed in relief, both looking worn down from their recent training session. The boy brought out their respective Pokeballs and returned then into the orbs before turning to his Pikachu. " So, ready to get started?"
A strong gust of wind suddenly blew against his back coming from over the cliff. He turned his head to see a large blue bird slowly lowering itself down. Stepping back a few steps, he held his hat down on his head while Pikachu clung onto his shoulder against the strong winds.
"There you are!" came a voice from behind the giant bird's wings, "I've been looking all over this mountain for you!" The trainer of the Articuno frantically jumped down into the snow as soon as it landed. The girl took a deep breath shaking off her anxiety from riding the giant bird. Red watched her turn to the Pokémon with a pseudo confident smile, affectionately thanking it for the ride. The bird seemed to nod in return before being recalled back into its pokeball.
'Wow, she's really doing good with getting over her phobia,' thought Red as he smiled and waved at her. "Hey Blue! Long time no see," he called out.
His grin faltered when his greeting was returned by the threatening scowl on Blue's face. The brunette marched right up to the boy and jabbed her finger painfully into his chest.
"Do you know how long I've been searching for you?" angrily yelled the girl, "This mountain is huge and it would have taken ages to find you if I didn't have Articuno to help me."
"Heh, yeah Mt. Silver's pretty much a pain like that," laughed Red gently pushing her hand away, "what are you doing here?"
The girl sighed before looking tiredly back up at him. " I'm here because we have a big problem that you would know about if you had picked up our phone before," lectured Blue, "Crys tried calling you multiple times two days ago!"
The boy's eyes widened as he heard the last few words. So, it wasn't Green that was calling him? He felt a slight twinge of resentment towards his once expected guest, but at the same time, a subtle feeling of disappointment.
"Crys was the one trying to call me?" asked Red looking off to the side.
Blue put her hands on her hips keeping her glare on the young Champion, "You were just ignoring the calls? Oh, that's just great! Who did you think it was?"
Red stayed silent for a moment staring down at the snow beneath his feet. " It doesn't matter," he mumbled. He felt like such a jerk for assuming it would only be Green who had been calling. His crimson eyes shot up to look back into hers. " Why was she calling?" he asked, "and why are you the one coming here if she wanted to talk to me?"
"I'm here because I volunteered to make the trip all the way here instead of getting started like the others!" For a moment, Blue's glare somehow became even more frightening. Her body trembled in pent up irritation but she soon wilted.
The girl shifted her attention down to the ground and crossed her arms looking unusually insecure. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning away from him.
Red watched her slowly wander towards the edge of the cliff. He noted her quick change in behavior and slowly followed Blue to the edge. Standing beside her, he looked in her direction waiting for her explanation.
"What's wrong, Blue?" he asked softly.
The girl did not turn to him when she spoke. Instead, she only whispered the news that was barely audible for Red to hear. "…It's Green." When the name reached his ears, he clenched his fists as he began to understand the true intentions of Blue's visit.
Blue did not explain immediately, only continuing to stare off the summit. The butterflies in his stomach began to grow as Pika quietly whined on his shoulder. Red stood in suspense as he waited for the other trainer to fill him in. "What about him?" he asked cautiously.
The girl finally turned to him. Red was taken aback by the troubled expression behind those bright blue eyes.
"He's gone…he's been kidnapped."
-X-
Flashback…
Green looked up the large formation that stood before him, readying himself for the long difficult climb. The mountain loomed above him in an almost mocking manner behind the veil of tiny snowflakes falling from the gray sky. He always hated how these climbs started. Taking a deep breath, the boy gripped onto the rock and held out one arm for his Eevee to climb up to his shoulder. The small Pokémon looked up the summit and then back at her trainer worriedly.
"Don't worry about the weather," said Green reassuringly, "I've dealt with much worse."
Eevee shook her head in disapproval but after much coaxing, hesitantly jumped up Green's arm. She situated herself onto his shoulder as he began his ascent, anxiously scanning the snowy horizon. The boy smiled softly at the Pokémon's troubled expression, confiding words of comfort to ease his friend.
Fifteen minutes in, Green was coming up to the first ridge where he could take a break from his vertical climb. Unfortunately, the last couple of meters up had become extremely challenging with Eevee disrupting his focus every second.
"Eevee, you're making this much harder than it really needs to be," said Green behind clenched teeth, "what's wrong with you, anyway?"
Since his feet first left the ground, she had been constantly jumping around his neck between each of his shoulders, peering out through the snow. It seemed like she was searching for something, but Green couldn't think of anything around them that would make her so uneasy. The Pokémon just gave him that strange troubled gaze before she moved to his other shoulder again.
Green sighed as he reached up to another piece of rock jutting out of the mountain. Finding a firm grasp, he looked back down at the ground a little less than 100 meters away.
'I'm just a little behind schedule.'
Just as he finished his thought, Eevee gripped painfully tight onto his shoulder growling angrily at something above him. Green stared confusedly at his Eevee before whipping his head around to follow her glare. There he saw a dark figure standing on the ridge above.
The stranger's black cloak flowed in the wind standing out in stark contrast against the white background.
"Who are you?" Green yelled up at the newcomer.
An answer never was returned. Instead, a hand appeared out of the folds of the fabric, reaching down to him while he knelt down by the edge.
The boy hesitated, heeding his Pokemon's obvious distrust. Unfortunately, he wasn't in a position to make decisions. There was really nowhere to go but up.
Eevee whined while her trainer cautiously pulled himself closer to the ledge. He paused just below the man but proceeded to reach up for the outstretched hand ignoring his own suspicions. The man's hand grasped surprisingly tight onto his arm. Green raised a brow at the man as he saw what he could only guess was a glint of a smile within the hooded shadows.
A nod of his head and a horrible screech soon rang out from the distance startling the boy and his Pokemon. Both turned their heads to the sky to see a large mass flying directly at them. Green tried to react but he realized he couldn't move from his current position; the man's constricting hold around his wrist left his right arm immobile preventing him from pulling himself up. From this precarious height up the mountain, he was trapped.
Eevee growled aggressively before running up Green's arm to head butt the man. The stranger grunted as he fell backwards into the snow. Unfortunately, he still kept his hold around the boy's wrist yanking on Green's arm in the process. The boy gasped as he lost his footing from the sudden upward force, pulling the man back to the edge with his weight. Barely keeping the both from falling down the mountain, the hooded figure turned to the Eevee now frantically peering over the edge at her dangling trainer.
Green looked up to see Eevee viciously shoved out of view. "Skarmory, do it!" yelled the man.
A sharp pain stemmed from Green's lower back as the bird swiftly flew by his defenseless body. The boy held his scream in, confused why the bird only clipped him with its sharp wings rather than attack him full on.
Wide eyes turned to the retreating Pokemon when he felt something slip from his waist. Green's focus fell to where he watched his slashed belt of Pokeballs drop into the expanse below. He stretched his free arm down in a vain attempt to save his Pokeballs, but the orbs quickly disappeared from sight in the sea of snowflakes.
A menacing roar from above him soon stole his attention. On the ledge, a large bear Pokemon scowled down at Eevee that was growling back at the new enemy.
"Keep that Pokemon busy, Ursaring!"
"Do what you have to, Eevee!" Green could barely see what was going on, but he trusted his Pokemon to handle things. The hold on his wrist tightened while Eevee easily dodged the larger Pokemon's advances.
Eevee charged Ursaring and latched her teeth into its arm. The bear roared in pain while it flailed its body. "Trying to rid itself of the other Pokemon, Ursaring smashed its arm into the rock wall beside the man.
"Careful!" called out the man.
Green narrowed his eyes as the stranger turned away to watch the Pokemon. The commotion over the ledge worried him, but he wasn't much use from his position. Taking advantage of the distraction, the boy tried to find purchase beneath his feet again.
Just as he regained his footing, he heard the man yell out. Looking up at the cloaked figure, Green was shocked as Eevee appeared at the edge once again, but this time, she did not stop.
He watched in horror as the small Pokemon fell past him. Without a second thought, he yanked his arm out of the man's grasp and pushed off the wall after his Pokemon.
In midair, Green grabbed Eevee and held her close to his body while he watched the ground close in. He had to do something to slow their velocity or neither of them would survive the fall. The boy quickly looked back at the mountainside they were dropping by and reluctantly reached for it. He bared his teeth when he made contact with the wall feeling the rocks grind into his skin. Eevee was kept safe on one side of his body while the other dragged painfully against the mountain, successfully slowing their fatal descent.
When they reached the bottom, Green dropped into the snowy floor and released Eevee from his protective hold. The small Pokemon clamored about her trainer, watching him breath heavily as he lay in the blood-stained snow.
The familiar ear-piercing screech rang out from the white sky. The bird flew down towards the two and landed firmly on the snowy base. Their enemy hastily jumped off its back and ran over to where the boy lay, stopping abruptly when Green tiredly turned his head towards the man. It almost seemed like the man was relieved that Green was still alive but the ease soon dissipated when Eevee positioned herself in front of her trainer.
Ursaring appeared from its Pokeball again and faced off with Skarmory against the small Eevee. Green strenuously pulled himself up, watching Eevee try to take on the two larger Pokemon while she dodged about and attacked vigorously. Even with its superior level, the double team on his poor Pokemon was overwhelming. If only he had his other Pokemon with him, Eevee wouldn't have to put so much on her shoulders.
"Take down, Eevee!" Taking it by surprise, the Skarmory was hit by the full brunt of her attack as it fell back to the ground. In a desperate attempt to land a hit, the bird swiped at Eevee with one of its bladed wings before it collapsed in the snow. Eevee tried her best to evade the attack but a sole feather was able to make a single slash on the other Pokemon. Landing in the snow, Eevee's balance faltered while blood dripped down from the gash under her eye.
Green called out to his Pokemon in concern, "Eevee, are you okay?"
Eevee turned to the boy, trying to give him a reassuring nod, but the way she was struggling to stand told him better. Sure, Eevee had been doing an amazing job keeping up with the other two she was battling, but she didn't manage to avoid every hit and her small frame had paid the price.
The now fainted Skarmory was recalled back into a Pokeball leaving the man fuming at the loss of his flying Pokemon. The man glared at Eevee before turning to the injured boy again. Unable to move, Green watched the approaching threat. He was surprised when the man suddenly paused and looked down in the snow. With wide eyes, the young trainer saw the stranger kneel down and pick up his belt of Pokeballs that had fallen to the ground moments ago. Under the hood, Green could only imagine the triumphant smirk that was plastered on the bastard's face.
"Thrash now, Ursaring," the man declared.
The bear Pokemon roared in response to the command as it slowly flew into a rage. In a matter of seconds, it was rampaging everywhere in the snow. Nearby dead trees were torn through and rocks tumbled down from the mountain above where the Ursaring smashed into the wall.
Green panicked when he saw the Ursaring turn and target his frightened Pokemon.
"Get out of the way, Eevee!" Despite his yell, Eevee stood frozen in her spot watching the angered bear in fear.
In a last minute effort, the boy pushed his wounded body to where Eevee stood and knocked her out of the way, taking the full force of Ursaring's attack instead.
Labored breaths left Green's battered form as he beckoned Eevee to where he lay. The small Pokemon worriedly scanned the boy's body, whining by his side. In the background, they could hear the Ursaring still blindly rampaging through defenseless trees in its wake.
"Eevee, I need you to run and get help," murmured the boy, "I can't let you try to defeat this guy on your own."
Eevee yelped in detest, vigorously shaking her head and tugging on his shirt. "I'm sorry, but you have to do this and you have to do this on your own." They both turned their heads to the sound of crunching snow as the cloaked man walked towards them. Green eyed the broken branch in the man's hand dragging through the snow.
Green turned back to Eevee who was already fiercely growling at the approaching man again. The boy sat up the best he could, positioning himself right in the middle of Eevee's line of vision. "Listen to what I'm saying!" exclaimed Green in a hurried tone, "You have to go now!" Eevee stiffened in confusion but reluctantly began to back away from her trainer. She shifted her gaze between the man and Green continuously before she turned and rushed off. "Don't you dare turn back!"
"You're just going to let your Pokemon run off?" The man watched the small Pokemon push through the snow covered shrubs. "It doesn't surprise me that you wouldn't accept defeat gracefully, but that's a little reckless."
Green glared at the nearing threat, his emerald eyes presenting a stoic willingness. "Why are you doing this?"
A short grunt of annoyance followed his question. "It's nothing you need to worry about."
Keeping his gaze on the man, Green watched Eevee from the side of his eye. He wasn't going to do much in his state, but he wanted to make sure the Pokemon was out of harm's way.
The man stood above the defenseless trainer, brandishing his crude weapon. "You've made this more difficult than it should have been," whispered the stranger, "just give up already."
As the large branch was raised above his head, Green yelled out to his Pokemon's once more rooted form.
"Go! NOW!"
Eevee jumped at the boy's hoarse command. Turning quickly away from the two, she tried as hard as possible to block out the sickening crack heard from behind. Eevee fought with the longing to go back to save the helpless boy, but she knew just as much as Green that she was no match for the attacker. Looking over her shoulder, she could only watch as the man picked up the unconscious trainer as the two disappeared behind the veil of snow.
Thank you for reading. I know it wasn't my best writing but please be gentle.
Notes: There will be another twist in character associations if it's not pretty obvious by now. Green will be going through a lot of shit from now on. The two kidnappers will become more dynamic in characters.
Reviews are greatly appreciated.
