Ch.59
The Enemy of my Enemy
Pokemon is the property of its respective owners
Ocs belong to me
"I heard what you guys nearly did to Catherine and her friends so I'm here to return the favor...unless you surrender now and turn yourself over to the police," Delia said in a deathly calm voice as her team of pokemon dutifully stood beside her while Yoko's family members sent their pokemon out as well as an elderly lady which the dragon tamer assumed to be the grandmother stepped forward.
"It's what Wayne deserved, girl. She took away one of our family members and it's only right that we take her life as recompense," the elderly lady snapped causing Haxorus and Hydreigon to snort while Druddigon and Lopunny huffed as Delia softly sighed and put her hands on her hips.
"What good does that do? It won't bring Yoko back and it would only give the police, Catherine's pokemon, her friends, and myself a legitimate reason to stop you when Catherine already tried to make amends," Delia reasoned as Mako's Blaziken's red hot blazing foot nearly impacted the side of her head, but Druddigon was suddenly right next to her and easily caught the foot in his strong, sand-paper like hands.
Grunting, the fairy tail dragon spun Blaziken around like he was doing a hammer toss before forcefully tossing the bird onto the ground causing Blaziken to tumble across the concrete as if he was just hit by a fast moving car before coming to a stop at his trainer's feet while clutching his badly bruised gut.
"We will never accept Catherine's apology nor will we be hospitable to any one she deems to be her friend so I will tell you what I told her. Just run away and take your second-rate team with you," the grandmother barked at the dragon tamer as the pokemon allied with her family threateningly stepped forward while standing up to their full heights to try to look as intimidating as possible, but Delia and her pokemon resisted the urge to roll their eyes at the display.
"How many others have you hurt with this mentality of yours? It couldn't have been just Catherine," Delia asked coolly just as razor sharp red claws almost collided with her face, but Lopunny stepped in front of her and easily blocked the blows with her giant ears and glowered at Mako's Breeloom who sneered at her and futiely tried to free his fists from her grip.
"Far too many that we care to count," Yoko's grandmother responded with a dismissive wave as Breloom spat large, volatile seeds at the dragon tamer only for Lopunny to shield Delia with her large ears as the seeds impacted her appendages and exploded like a grenade packed with far too much gunpowder.
Grimacing, Lopunny glared at her enemy applied more pressure on her foe's fists as if she was trying to crush a lump of coal into a pile of diamonds causing a loud, sickening crack that made Breloom howl in pain and collapse on his knees causing Delia to cast a glance at the bunny pokemon. Growling lowly, Lopunny released Breloom's fists and folded her arms as Breloom's hands suddenly snapped back like a rubber band and smacked him in the face causing him to fall onto his back. Ignoring the glares Yoko's family was giving her and her pokemon, Delia's eyes suddenly shone crimson which caused Haxorus, Hydreigon, Dragonite, and Druddigon's eyes to glow crimson as well. Lopunny raised a brow, but shook her head and brought her paws up like a boxer while placing her giant ears in front of her like two, unbreakable shields.
"Hydreigon, before we do this, I just want to say that I'm sorry for hitting you back in the forest in Oreburgh. I know I was angry, but that didn't mean I had the right to hit you," Delia apologized causing the three headed dragon to snort with a smirk on its face before facing his enemies with his muscles tensed.
"(It's fine; just do me a favor and not hit me again when you're mad. Ever since you've gotten stronger, I feel like I'm getting hit by Druddigon whenever we spar,)" Hydreigon requested with a chuckle causing the dragon tamer to laugh under her breathe and nod as she brought her hands up while Haxorus and Druddigon prepared themselves for combat as well.
"As you wish, old friend," Delia replied just as her pokegear started ringing causing the dragon tamer to scoff and bring the device up to her ears while never taking her eyes off of her enemies before her eyes widened, but regained her composure and once again her eyes shone crimson.
Suddenly, Haxorus widened his eyes, Dragonite and Druddigon pounded their fists together, and Hydreigon barred his teeth while Lopunny bewilderedly looked at each of her friends while keeping her guard up. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, Delia put a hand on her shoulder and conjured a baseball sized orb of draconic energy in her hands causing the rabbit pokemon to widen her eyes while Yoko's family prepared themselves.
"We're needed elsewhere, but you all will be dealt with later," Delia snarled as she threw down the orb near her enemy's feet causing it to kick up a cloud of dust along with temporarily blinding them due to a quick, sharp flash of azure light.
In the ensuing chaos, Delia, Lopunny, and Haxorus mounted Hydreigon while Druddigon mounted Dragonite as the two members of Delia's team capable of flight took off like a rocket leaving Yoko's family confusedly looking around as the dragon tamer and her pokemon were no longer in sight.
"(Delia, what's going on?)" Lopunny asked her friend causing the dragon tamer to look over her shoulder at the bunny pokemon who stared back at her with her head tilted.
"It's Dmitri; his mother, was captured by the leader of the pokemon who attacked Hearthome and he's trying to go back to Unova to save her without Maris, Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe to back him up," Delia explained causing Lopunny's eyes to go as wide as saucers before reddish-white flames suddenly conjured on the edge of her ears before she smashed them together with furious snarl causing blazing, hot sparks to emit from the impact.
"(That idiot! Once we rescue him, I'm going to kick his butt!)" Lopunny exclaimed while tightly balling her paw into a fist to the point it turned white before Haxorus put a hand on her shoulder which didn't waver Lopunny's fury in the slightest.
"(Lopunny, I know you're mad, but such behavior will only drive him further away from us. Believe me, I'm absolutely livid, but taking my anger out on him for a noble, but misguided mission isn't going to do any good,)" Haxorus advised his friend causing the rabbit pokemon to huff before giving an ever so slight nod at what he said while still wearing a scowl on her face as Delia's eyes suddenly glowed crimson once more.
Lopunny once again confusedly glanced between her friends as after a moment, Haxorus, Druddigon, Dragonite, and Hydreigon nodded before the dragon tamer's eyes returned to their natural color causing the rabbit pokemon to clasp Delia's shoulder with one of her ears causing the dragon tamer to stare at her.
"(Wait, what's going on?)" Lopunny shouted loudly causing Delia to thump her forehead before clearing her throat.
"Catherine, Luka, Graveler, Floatzel, Kricketune, Ursa, Vaque, Maris, Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe just did a complete sweep of Veilstone and didn't find Dmitri and my mom said he wasn't in Pastoria either. My dad said that Dmitri wasn't in Canalave City either so it's our job to see if Dmitri is in Sunyshore City even though that's unlikely," Delia informed her friend causing the bunny pokemon to nod and blankly stare down at the ocean far below her before looking ahead as she tightened her grip around Delia's waist.
"(It's not like Dmitri to do something like this; he's usually level-headed,)" Lopunny pointed out causing Delia to sigh sadly and nod at what her friend said while Hydreigon flew closer to Dragonite where Druddigon turned to face the rabbit pokemon.
"(Dmitri has a strong bond with his mother and considering she was captured by the New Swords of Justice, it's understandable that he would at least try to help her,)" Druddigon elaborated causing the bunny pokemon to look down at her legs for a moment before letting out a breathe and nodding slowly.
"(What about the family that tried to attack Catherine? They admitted they killed other people and I don't feel comfortable knowing that they might come after her later on,)" Lopunny inquired causing Delia to carefully unclip her pokegear from her belt and press some buttons on the device with the conversation they had with Yoko's family being played back.
"(You recorded the whole thing?)" Lopunny stated with a slight laugh despite the dire situation causing the dragon tamer to nod and reclip the tool back to her belt as she beckoned Dragonite to go faster which he obliged without hesitation.
"Yes, and once we find Dmitri, we're going to turn this over to the police and give them a chance to deal with them. Should the law fail to solve the problem, we will deal with them ourselves and ensure they hurt no one else," Delia responded calmly as Hydreigon picked up his pace in an attempt to catch up to the jolly dragon, but he was a few feet behind despite pushing himself to his limit.
"(My lord, Sir Gigalith and Sawsbuck are here to see you...and I'll be sure to give your condolences to the families of Karen's overseers,)" Watchog reluctantly informed his leader causing Bisharp to gratefully nod and wave off the messenger who took his leave as the knight grimaced before putting his hands behind his back.
The leader of the New Swords of Justice had definitely seen better days; his shoulders and ribs looked like someone had swung down on them like they were pieces of lumber causing deep, wide gashes and his arms, legs, and head looked like they had been repeatedly struck by a war hammer causing nasty looking dents. Despite all of this, a small part of him was inwardly grateful for the cave in; thanks to surviving, rumors spread of his supposed invincibility and although he was amused by some of these tales, it definitely made any potential enemies second guess directly facing him. Once he explained what happened to his comrades, they could then refocus their efforts on capturing Karen's son and finally end her dangerous bloodline. Hearing the boulder barring the entrance being pushed to the side with a loud screech, Bisharp stood up straight and calmly watched as Gigalith lumbered into the room and gave a short nod at the knight who nodded back while Sawsbuck sauntered into the room with his head held high.
"(Gigalith, Sawsbuck, welcome. What brings you here, my friends?)" Bisharp inquired causing Gigalith to narrow his eyes before the deer softly sighed and slowly walked forward causing the knight to raise a brow.
"(Well, first things first; both Gigalith and I are relieved you survived the cave in, but it's a shame the same can't be said of Karen's overseers. Right now, morale is shaky at best and when word gets out about what happened to some of our best soldiers...it's not going to sit well with the troops,)" Sawsbuck responded somberly causing the knight to slowly nod before clenching his fist and determinedly staring at the deer.
"(Not one death caused by Karen or anyone fighting against us will go unaccounted for,)" Bisharp replied vehemently causing Gigalith to grunt and stand up to his full height causing Bisharp to warily glance at the rock pokemon who stepped forward.
"(That's actually what we wanted to talk about, old friend. Your obsession with the teacher...causes the troops and frankly, Sawsbuck and I, to call your judgement into question,)" Gigalith bluntly admitted causing the knight's eyes to widen while Sawsbuck sighed heavily and walked next to the giant rock type before directly staring at Bisharp.
"(First, you sent the forward team to Sinnoh to attempt to catpure Karen's hatchling where they've been captured and haven't completed their primary or secondary objective. Second, you've sent some of the troop's overseas into unfamiliar territory and we're they've been either routed, killed, or stuck in trenches with little to no means to communicate with us or their families. Frankly, the troops no longer want to risk their lives for missions that have a one in a million chance of succeeding,)" Sawsbuck explained calmly, but firmly causing the knight to glare at his friend who blankly stared back at him as Bisharp resisted the urge to growl.
"(The soldiers should already know that they any pain or trauma they suffer is a small price to pay for our cause to succeed,)" Bisharp responded sharply causing the deer to narrow his eyes at his friend while Gigalith cleared his throat causing the knight to glower at the rock type.
"(We all know that missions carry risk, but you don't do anything to minimize them beforehand which is why the forward team was captured...and why Karen was able to slip through your hands,)" Gigalith stated gruffly causing the knight to raise a brow at the giant rock pokemon before letting out an annoyed sigh.
"(So that's what this is about? I took every precaution I could think of so she wouldn't be able to escape, but you can't blame me for losing her against rebels I didn't even know existed! I thought we only had to fight against humans, not our own, traitorous kind!)" Bisharp shouted with his muscles tensed causing Sawsbuck's eyes to widen while Gigalith snorted as Sawsbuck shook his head and calmly glanced at his comrade.
"(We don't blame you for losing Karen, old friend; neither Gigalith or I knew of these insurgent's existence until they attacked your base. It's just that your means of keeping Karen contained, brutalizing her bodyguard and what your soldiers did to the youths attempting to save her struck a sour chord with the troops and our kin living in our deceased master's domains,)" Sawsbuck explained causing Bisharp to growl lowly before relaxing his hands and looking at his two friends with his eyes narrowed.
"(Most of the injuries that were inflicted upon Karen were meant to keep her imprisoned, but some were meant as payback for any of our brethren injured or killed in this war and her bodyguard was a fool to try to take us on by himself so I spare no pity for the fate that befell him. As for the wounds dealt to the youths, they should be grateful they escaped with just shattered fingers and deep cuts,)" Bisharp evenly responded with a roll of his eyes causing Gigalith to resist the urge to sigh while Sawsbuck tilted his head to the side with a raised brow.
"(It's this line of thinking that's causing strife with our brethren, old friend. Implanting energy within Karen, neutralizing her bodyguard, and capturing two of her allies is one thing, but breaking Karen's already shattered arms and legs, beating one our kind to death, nearly cleaving a poor boy in half, and destroying a girl's fingers beyond repair was unnecessarily cruel!)" Sawsbuck fervently shot back while at the knight who shrugged at the criticism as if he was asking him how the weather was rather than calling him out for his heinous acts.
"(Your dismissive attitude about this is a problem as well, old friend. Our brethren should feel safe and happy in our deceased master's domains, not feel like they're next on the chopping block,)" Gigalith spat causing Bisharp to chuckle mirthlessly under his breathe as he walked toward his comrades with his hands still behind his back.
"(You didn't seem to have a problem when Lord Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion performed similar acts of cruelty in the days of old and when we agreed that Castelia needed to be blown to bits to show how serious we were,)" Bisharp pointed out with a smirk, but to his surprise Sawsbuck merely closed his eyes and nodded solemnly while Gigalith made no outward reaction whatsoever and blankly stared at the knight who looked up at him.
"(We did think that such methods were necessary in the days of old and during the resurgence of the war, but now we realize that such extreme action have only caused a gap between us and our kind since such measures have bored no fruitful results,)" Gigalith countered causing Bisharp to snort as Sawsbuck cleared his throat causing the knight to narrow his eyes at the old, regal deer.
"(Especially when the consequences of said extreme measure far outweight any possible benefits that may or may not be gained,)" Sawsbuck added causing the knight to feel as if all of his deeds were stomped under foot and spat on by his comrades, but managed to keep his facial expression neutral as he snorted.
"(Then throw any dissenters you have in our deceased master's domains into prison; we can't have anyone who doesn't fully support our cause getting in the way,)" Bisharp dismissively retorted causing the deer to shake his head while Gigalith growled lowly, but made no hostile action against the knight.
"(That's another problem, old friend. Our kind in our deceased master's domains are getting tired of being thrown into prison or worse for simply speaking their minds about something they dislike. Our kin should know that we're serving them, not the other way around,)" Sawsbuck reasoned with his friend causing Bisharp's face to contort into one of disgust upon hearing these words and disappointingly shook his head at the deer who blankly stared back at him.
"(I am doing everything in my power to ensure the future of our species, but our brethren better not forget that the only reason they're able to complain in the first place is because we're making sure they have land to live on!)" Bisharp rebuked causing Sawsbuck to resist the urge to roll his eyes and merely shook his head in response while Gigalith let out a heavy sigh causing the knight to put his hands behind his back.
"(Then perhaps it's time we start rethinking our methods and consider who we want or don't want to lead,)" Gigalith commented causing Bisharp's eyes to widen ever so slightly before he went back to a neutral expression as Sawsbuck exhaled softly causing Bisharp to scowl at the duo.
"(In light of your recent actions, it is with a heavy heart that Gigalith and I find you mentally unfit for command and hereby strip you of your role as leader of Lord Cobalion's domain and the Swords of Justice. We're sorry, old friend,)" Sawsbuck declared with a shake of his head causing Bisharp to smirk slightly and raise a brow before letting out an amused chuckle causing Gigalith to glare at the knight before walking over to the boulder barring the entrance.
"(Under what authority are you two trying to take away my role as leader? You know that under Lord Cobalion's decree, I'm regent until I pass away and I could have you two executed for treason. If this is your guys' idea of a joke, I fail to see the humor,)" Bisharp replied with a grin on his face as Gigalith pushed the boulder aside and gestured with his head to an unseen figure or figures outside of the door.
"(This is no joke; I believe the human saying goes that we need to get with the times which is why Sawsbuck and I are abolishing Lord Cobalion's decree and creating a council of trusted military advisors, laborers, and our common brethren to aid us in decision making,)" Swasbuck refuted as two excadrills, two escavaliers, two bisharps, and druddigons entered the room and surrounded Bisharp who wore a face of shock before his face contorted into a scowl.
"(You can't be serious! What about Karen and her son? Those two demons could be targeting another legendary as we speak!)" Bisharp shouted forcefully as the guards moved to restrain the knight, but were waved off by Sawsbuck causing them to dutifully stand at the ready as the deer slowly walked toward his comrade.
"(Old friend, it pains me to say this, but Karen and her son are just that; powerful combatants. Of course their capture is still a priority, it's just under the pretense that it will remove strong warriors on our enemy's side and damage their morale; not because they're harbringers of kind's extinction as you make them out to be. Should Karen and her son be captured again, we will not break them like you intended to and will instead treat them fairly as prisoners of war,)" Sawsbuck responded calmly causing Bisharp to sneer as he looked between his friends and the guards for a way out, but saw none available to him.
"(Then what are you planning on doing about our enemies drawing ever closer? All these changes won't matter if you can't fight them off; you need me as leader of our forces!)" Bisharp exclaimed causing Gigalith to narrow his eyes at the knight who didn't back down and glowered back at him.
"(I belive the human saying goes we'll manage and it's no longer matter of fighting our enemies off, but rather stalling them long enough to secure a new home for our people so we can start anew. Should that fail, we will open the floor to negotiations with humanity and hopefully we will be able to reach a compromise,)" Gigalith retorted sharply causing Bisharp to snarl and in a fit of rage, swung his fist at Sawsbuck who saw the blow coming, but did nothing to avoid it and let the metallic fist strike him across the face.
As the guardsmen moved to restrain the knight, Sawsbuck once again waved them off with a gesture of his head causing them to growl and reluctantly stand at attention as the deer let out a breathe before picking his head up.
"(This was a hard decision to make so your reaction is understandable, but I wish you took it more maturely, old friend,)" Sawsbuck coolly stated before stepping back causing the knight to conjure a sharp, curved blade of pitch black energy that resembled the night sky in one hand while forming a long, straight blade of bright, silver energy that reached down to his foot in the other.
"(Do you honestly think my followers are going to stand for this or that I'll willingly give myself up?)" Bisharp stated in a deathly calm voice as he clashed his blades together causing hot, red sparks to bounce off the blades and onto the floor causing the guards to protectively place themselves in front of Sawsbuck and Gigalith, but the rock pokemon pushed his way past the guards causing them to glance at one another worriedly.
"(Of course not, which is why we will talk to your followers and see if we can convince them of the benefits of our new ruling style. If not, we will not throw them into prison like we did with our more zealous followers; we'll just have them reassigned to units under our command where they will be closely watched,)" Gigalith retorted as his crystals started glowing brightly like the sun as Bisharp took a step forward with one hand extended causing the guards to move to intercept Bisharp, but Sawsbuck was suddenly at his friend's side with his antlers glowing with a leaf green energy.
"(Bisharp, this is a flaw you and Lord Cobalion share. You both claim that what you do is for the good of our kind and that is partially true, but both of your actions show that it's mainly to consolidate your power and ensure you remain unchallenged for it! Please old friend, for the sake of our brethren and not yourself, surrender now and step down as leader,)" Sawsbuck pleaded causing the knight to narrow his eyes at the guards and those who he use to call friends before letting the blades of energy dissipate and held his hands out in front of him nonthreateningly.
"(Lord Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo would be ashamed of you two,)" Bisharp spat as the two druddigons seized his arms into their strong, giant hands while the excadrills, escavaliers, and bisharps closely formed around their captive in a box formation.
"(It pains me to say this old friend, but as much as Gigalith and I respected our deceased lords, they brought their deaths upon themselves for their heinous actions,)" Sawsbuck replied somberly causing the knight to sneer at the two as the guards began escorting him out of the room until Gigalith cleared his throat causing them to stop and stare at their lord.
"(A moment, if you will,)" Gigalith requested causing one of the bisharps and one of the escavaliers to glance at one another before looking back at Gigalith and nodding causing the rock pokemon to stare down at his friend.
"(If it's any consolation, we've managed to get a general idea of where Karen's son is and have sent two skilled and loyal followers of yours after him,)" Gigalith informed his friend causing the knight to raise a brow before grunting and standing up to his full height which caused the dragons to tighten their grips on his arm while the rock pokemon blankly stared at his comrade.
"(I can take solace in the fact that my troops won't be completely brushed aside under your leadership,)" Bisharp gruffly barked causing the rock pokemon to snort and glance at one of the druddigons causing the fairy tale dragon to nod and nudge Bisharp forward which made the knight scowl as he was led out of the room and into the hall.
"(You were right about what you said Legend Killer, and that makes me hate you even more,)" Bisharp pondered as he clenched his hands into fists to the point he thought he was going to crush them before relaxing and picking his head up where he tried to appear as dignified as possible while being lead to his cell.
"Okay, there's two cruise ships in Pastoria City headed for Olivine and Vermillion City in the Johto region which means that if I can get on the ship headed to Vermillion, they'll most likely have a boat headed to Mistralton City since that's one of the cities Skyla trades with," Dmitri noted while shutting off his pokegear as he sprinted out of Veilstone City and ran into the woods where he frantically looked around for something to transport him whether it be a pokemon or someone with a car who happened to be sightseeing.
Hearing a caw, the battle ace jolted and turned his head when he saw a Staraptor land on a tree branch and begin to preen the crest on its head causing Dmitri to suck in a breathe and let it back out before approaching the bird of prey.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you, but I need to get to Pastoria City and I was wondering if you could help me? I have berries and other treats I can give you if you do," Dmitri offered causing the bird of prey to stop preening its crest and narrow its eyes at the battle ace who blankly stared back at the avian as it let out a huff.
"(Well, why don't you get one of your pokemon to help you instead of asking me?You're a trainer, ain't you?)" the brid of prey bluntly pointed out causing Dmitri to sigh heavily and stare down at the ground before picking his head and staring at the avian with his brow furrowed while the bird of prey continued to preen its crest.
"They're not with me right now-"
"(Wait, there's invading pokemon who've racked up a terrifying body count and you don't have yours with you? You seem like a smart kid so why'd you go and do something like that?)" Staraptor inquired curiously as he stopped tending to his crest and looked down at Dmitri from atop his tree branch with a raised brow causing the battle ace to brush his hair back with one hand.
"(It's because these invading pokemon are from Unova and they captured my mom. My friends didn't want me to go rescue her because they believe it's safer here, but I just can't sit here and do nothing to help her,)" Dmitr explained as coolly and quickly as he could causing the bird of prey's eyes to widen before he nodded slowly and flew to the ground where he turned his back to Dmitri with his wings extended.
"(Never heard of Unova until now, but if that's where this pack of crazies is from I can understand why you're friends wouldn't want to take you there. Yet, you seem determined to go no matter what so hop on,)" Staraptor stated tersely causing Dmitri to widen his eyes before nodding and mounting the bird of prey who flew above the tree line while carrying the battle ace as if he weighed nothing.
"(Where to?)" Staraptor asked the youth while doing a quick check if any one was going to attack him while he was in the air and was glad to see that wasn't the case.
"(Pastoria City, please,)" Dmitri immediately responded causing the bird of prey to take off into the air with frightening speed causing the battle ace to yelp and wrap his arms around the avian's chest which Staraptor paid no heed.
In what seemed like no time at all, the duo arrived near the woods near Pastoria City with the bird of prey touching down on the soft grass causing Dmitri to dismount the bird and was about to rummage through his backpack for the promised food until a Hydreigon sped by above the treeline at breakneck speed. Yelping, Dmitri hid behind a tree until he was sure that Hydreigon was long gone and once again tried to go through his backpack until Staraptor held up a wing causing the battle ace to raise a brow.
"(It's alright, kid; just go help your mom and...sorry if I sounded like a jerk earlier. Most trainers I come across want to capture me the second they see me so I have to be careful,)" the bird of prey explained to the battle ace causing Dmitri to grin causing Staraptor to raise a brow as the battle ace rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's okay, I understand and even if I did have my friends with me I still would have asked if you wanted to come with me before trying to catch you," Dmitri responded with a small laugh causing the bird of prey's eyes to widen and stare at Dmitri as if he suddenly grew a second head before smirking.
"(You're an odd pokemon trainer, but you sound like a good one. Word of advice; try to get some friends to back you up before trying to rescue your mother,)" Staraptor stated causing Dmitri to happily wave goodbye to the bird of prey who nodded and took off into the air like a jet causing a sudden torrent of wind that nearly knocked Dmitri onto his butt.
Managing to keep his balance, the battle ace traversed his way through the woods and after a few minutes of walking, Dmitri arrivved in Pastoria just to see one of the large ships in port depart causing Dmitri to resist the urge to curse like Maris would in his situation. Sighing in relief when the last boat had yet to depart, the battle ace quickly, but calmly walked into the Pokemon Center where his scars and prosthetic caused some patrons to widen their eyes. Waving to the patrons with a sheepish grin, Dmitri saw no one was in line to heal their pokemon which made the battle ace jog up to the counter where Nurse Joy was sleeping with her hands clasped together and her head tilted back.
Coughing into his hand, Dmitri widened his eyes when the nurse's eyes shot open and immediately formed a wide, welcoming grin on her face while standing up straight and putting her hands behind back.
"Hello and welcome to Pastoria City! Do your pokemon need to be healed or do you just have a question?" Nurse Joy cheerfully asked while forcefully slapping her cheeks and shaking her head causing Dmitri to awkwardly rub the back of his neck at what the medical practitioner did before sucking in a breathe and letting it out.
"I was wondering if there were any tickets available for the ship headed to Vermillion City?" Dmitri politely inquired causing the nurse's grin to evaporate, but Dmitri kept his calm as Nurse Joy walked over to her computer and typed something into her computer so fast that the battle ace didn't see her fingers move.
"Sorry, the boat that took off was for Vermillion, but you're in luck; there's some single cabins left for the ship going to Olivine," Nurse Joy explained while pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a breathe causing Dmitri to let a grin form on his face before managing to regain his cool, but the smile remained.
"I would like to purchase a ticket for the Olivine cruise, please," Dmitri requested causing Nurse Joy to let out a long, loud yawn before nodding and typing something into her computer at lightning speed causing the nurse to furrow her brow.
"Alrighty then, the total is going to be $1250...which hopefully you do not have on you," Nurse Joy replied while quietly muttering the last part causing Dmitri to raise a brow, but said nothing as he thought about how much money he had before coming to the conclusion that so long as he was careful, he would have enough to make it back to Unova.
"Okay, that's fine," Dmitri responded as he took out his pokedex and inserted it into a slot in a device onto the counter causing the nurse to fold her arms as the battle ace punched in some numbers onto the device which caused the top of the tool to glow green.
"...I'll go get your ticket," the medical practitioner said through gritted teeth as she typed onto her keyboard at lightning speed which printed out a ticket soon afterward before grabbing the piece of paper and slowly walking up to the counter.
"Here you go," the nurse commented shortly while handing Dmitri the ticket causing the battle ace to smile and reach out to grab it, but Nurse Joy suddenly retracted her hand causing the battle ace to be taken aback and stare at the nurse confusedly.
"We do get single travelers around here, but they're usually in their 20s or 40s. This is the first time we have someone so young wanting to go sightseeing...or you're trying to run away from something," Nurse Joy remarked while leaning over her desk and narrowing her eyes at Dmitri who calmly stared back at her before putting a hand on his hip.
"To be fair Nurse Joy, I don't have to tell you why I want to go to Olivine," Dmitri calmly replied causing some patrons to take note of the conversation going on and stare at the duo as Nurse Joy folded her arms while still suspiciously glancing at the battle ace.
"Very well, enjoy your trip; I just hope not having your pokemon with you doesn't bite you in the butt," Nurse Joy responded evenly as she put a hand on her hip and extended her hand holding the ticket to Dmitri causing the battle ace to not so subtly snatch it out of her hand and speed walk out of the pokemon center with his head down.
Heading over to the ramp leading up to the ship, Dmitri showed his ticket to the guard who nodded and stepped aside to let him up the ramp, but not before oddly staring at the visible scars on his arm and neck, his heavy, warlike prosthetic arm, and how young he was. Politely nodding at the guard, the man shook himself out of his stupor and returned the gesture as the battle ace made his way to his single cabin...all the way at the back of the ship.
"We're just a few days away from the Johto region now; I hope everyone is okay...and that they can forgive me," Dmitri sadly thought to himself while continuing to stare out into the distance as night had fallen and the waves lightly pushed against the ship as if it were attempting to guide it safely to its destination.
He was lucky; Maya had just left Pastoria when he arrived and soon after, the alert to be on the lookout for him reached the Pokemon Center, but managed to give anyone looking for him the slip. With the boat departing, Dmitri made sure to cut his hair short and for the most part, no one seemed to notice who he was though there were some close calls with some concerned citizens. He just hoped his luck didn't run out when a hand suddenly clasped his shoulder causing the Dmitri to be brought back to reality and see an elderly man wearing the employee shirt staring at him.
"Excuse me, son, all passengers need to clear the deck. There's a storm coming in and we need our water pokemon to help mitigate the damage it may or may not cause to our ship," the elderly man informed the battle ace causing Dmitri to nod and head toward his cabin as the man sent out his pokemon onto the deck.
However, all the occupants on the boat were unaware of the fact that a school of basculins slowly arose out of the dark water in any potential onlooker's blind spot and saw that the Legend Killer's son was indeed on the ship. Looking at one another, the sharp teethed fish glowered at the battle ace before descending into the depths of the ocean like submarines with some swimming behind the ship at a safe distance while others went back to retrieve the agents Lord Sawsbuck and Gigalith sent. The capture of a powerful enemy was at hand and they did not want to mess it up.