Tiberius slammed his fist into the side of Kerr's head. The pig came crashing down, like a dropped sack of flour. A kick to the side set him right. The steel toe brought about a superb cry.

"Fucking useless idiot!"

The pig lay sprawled out on the floor of Griffith's office, clutching his side and gasping for air.

"I- AH!"

Tiberius's boot nailed the back of Kerr's knuckles, splitting them open. Across the room, the other useless fools watched. The giant stared dumbly at an empty spot on the wall, fidgeting with his trembling meaty hands. While the cowboy watched with a smirk. Tiberius kicked again, getting a beautiful howling scream from Kerr. He kicked again and rather than scream, the pig thrashed uselessly at Tiberius's leg, squealing.

"Griffith! Call off your fucking dog!"

From behind the desk, a solemn look gazed passively. His brother made no objection as Tiberius kicked the pig again.

"Locate and report. That was your mission. You were not to engage alone," Griffith said plainly.

Kerr stared daggers at him. He opened his mouth but had it shut swiftly by a sharp kick to the jaw. A muffled scream split the air. Griffith sighed.

"Let alone in a damn city!" Tiberius yelled.

"Tiberius…"

"What?" he barked.

"Enough."

Tiberius glared at his brother. A plain gaze met his glare. Tiberius huffed and stepped away from the pig.

"Not only did you lose the fugitives but you caused an international incident. Our behaviour reflects on all of Kanto and Johto. How do you think it looks to the other regions when Plateau employees are destroying city centres?"

Kerr avoided Griffith's eyes like they were poison. He struggled to his feet. The pig's fat little mouth moved as a pathetic muttered whisper passed his lips. Tiberius lurched forward and grasped a handful of his hair.

"What was that?!"

"Ah! N-noth- Ah! How was I supposed to know they'd be strong?!"

"Strong? They're piss poor rookie trainers!" Tiberius yelled.

"Piss poor?! She- They-"

"Do not argue, Kerr," Griffith said.

Silence filled the room. Griffith glanced at Tiberius. Their speckled eyes met and he released the pig, who in turn stumbled forward on his portly little legs. He braced against the desk before shooting back like he'd touched a stove.

"Where is my daughter?" Griffith asked.

"She fled with her friend, westward I'm-"

"Not the fugitive, my daughter."

"Oh, Leah? I don't know, she disappeared. Maybe she's tracking them?"

Griffith slammed his fist onto his desk. The crash rung around the silent office. The next words to leave his mouth were venom.

"You lost my daughter?"

Blood dripped onto the carpet from Kerr's knuckles. His gaze fell to the red blotches by his feet as Griffith's harsh, oppressive gaze bore down on him. As much as Tiberius enjoyed watching the pig suffer, he interjected.

"The girl's smart but weak, most likely she intercepted them on their way out and got beaten. She's probably just licking her wounds, she'll show up."

Griffith unclenched his fist shakily, sighed and brought his hand up to knead his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Where is Flint?"

"Don't know," Kerr muttered.

Tiberius gave a gruff chuckle.

"Probably dead."

Kerr's became eyes wide and wild. A smirk and clenched a fist were enough to send the piggy retreating back.

"Whatever the case, you and your brother will no longer be involved in this case."

Kerr nodded. Griffith looked to the back of the room.

"Lieutenant's, the capture of the two fugitives is now your responsibility."

The giant brought his eyes back to Griffith, nodded and then looked away. The cowboy touched the brim of his hat.

"A pleasure."

"You may put together a small task force if-"

"No need, sir. The two of us will be plenty."

Kerr huffed and Tiberius shot them a doubtful look. The pig spoke what Tiberius was thinking.

"You don't even know where they are."

"I know exactly where they are."

Alistair grinned and whipped out a small device from his pocket and a hologram of Kanto popped up.

"The girl Abby is training with, Green, is on her gym challenge. She's gathered four badges so far, Pewter's, Cerulean's, Vermilion's and Celadon's. So her next stop would be to challenge either Saffron or Fuchsia. These girls ain't stupid, they'll avoid Saffron. So naturally, Fuchsia will be their next stop."

"It can't be," Kerr said. "We'd have gotten a report of them crossing the bridge by now. More likely they're in Viridian, challenging Blue if they're even still on the gym challenge at all."

"No trainer worth their badges and balls would challenge Blue as anything but their final challenge."

"For all we know, they're just hiding out somewhere! Nothing's forcing them to continue on their gym challenge!"

"Pride and ego lure even the sharpest wit."

"Wha-"

"We are dealing with a Yomato, Kerr. They ain't known to give up so easily."

Alistair flashed a grin towards Tiberius and his brother.

"Meaning no offence."

Griffith made no reply and Tiberius huffed.

"Abby is smart enough to know about our connection to Fuchsia bridge. So, her move is obvious. Approach Fuchsia from the east along Route 15."

"Bah, nonsense. Someone would have spotted her by now. The trek to Route 15 would take weeks. Those two are minor celebrities now, some kind of footage would have appeared."

"Did Tiberius's punch affect your memory, Lieutenant?"

"Huh?!'

"Or did you forget about the giant, atrocious Pokémon that knocked your brother from the sky?"

A scowl that would make babies shriek and flowers wilt crossed the pig's face. The cowboy drew a line across the hologram.

"They flew, most likely at night, from Route 16 to Route 15."

Alistair snapped shut the map and slipped it away.

"If we leave now, Liam and I can catch them before they make it to Fuchsia and avoid another unfortunate incident."

Kerr opened his mouth but it was Griffith who spoke.

"Very well, go then."

An irritating grin flashed across Alistair's face as he sauntered out of the office. The giant trundled after him and Kerr scurried after them. Tiberius went to follow.

"No Tiberius, not you."

"Eh? Why?"

Griffith rose from his chair.

"Shut the doors."

Wearily, Tiberius did as he was told.

"I'm taking you off this case."

"You what?"

Tiberius took a step forward but Griffith raised his hand. The effort it took to keep his mouth shut made his blood boil.

"Let Alistair take care of it."

"And if he fails?"

"Then so be it, we'll adjust. I want you back on your old assignment."

"Tch. The boy? He ain't goin' nowhere, why now?"

"Our suspicions have been confirmed."

"You can't mean…"

"Zapdos has failed to awaken."

An invisible hand pulverised Tiberius's stomach. The world began to spin.

"D-Does the champion know?"

"No, and best we keep it that way."

Tiberius nodded slowly.

"O-Okay."

"Securing Red is of now, our highest priority."

Alistair and Liam made their way down the path towards Cerulean City. The air rang with the sweet melody of Alistair's whistling. Each step he took was light as if the gravel beneath his feet had turned to cloud. Behind him, the crunching of Liam's heavy footsteps followed.

"I don't know about this, Bird."

"Don't worry big fella, we'll be right."

"But, Rock and Steel are strong, and they lost."

"Kerr and Flint lost because they acted stupidly, we don't have that problem do we?"

Liam scratched his head.

"Steel was smart."

"Yes, he was. Keepin' them separate and going after Abby was the right call by them. But Green? She's a bad match-up for both of them, that's why they needed to wait for us."

"But she's a kid."

Alistair stopped and lifted his hat to crane his neck up to Liam.

"She's got champion's blood."

Liam took a step back and clutched the sides of his head.

"She does! She's too strong, Bird! What are we gonna do?!'

"Relax big guy. Like I said, we'll be right. Let me handle Green."

Liam lowered his hands slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Her champion blood gives her guts, but you're right Liam. She's still just a kid. An overwhelming type disadvantage weakens even the best of trainers. My birds'll make short work of her. You just worry about beating that dragon."

"Beat the dragon… I can do that."

Alistair patted his arm.

"Exactly, your team's got plenty of counters. Just focus on taking down her Dragonair."

"Just Dragonair?"

"Right. By the time you're done with Dragonair, I'll have beaten Green."

A grin spread across Liam's face and his fists clenched. He slammed his huge fist into his broad chest.

"Bird is strong! Those puny girls don't stand a chance!"

Alistair chuckled and resumed his walk.

"Have I ever failed you, big guy?"

"Nope!"

Liam chased after him, his face ablaze with hope.

"Pay close attention now, how we start the fight is important."

"Okay."

"We'll approach from the sky on Pidgeot, using the clouds as cover. When in range, you'll have Porygon teleport Abby as far away as possible. Once you've done that, activate this."

Alistair pulled a small round device from his jacket.

"It'll tell me where you are. Keep Abby busy until I can come to help you. Got that?"

"Yup!"

"What's the plan then?"

"Approach on Bird's bird, use Robot to separate girls and beat Dragonair."

"And activate this."

Alistair held out the tracking device to Liam.

"And activate circle."

"Do you know how to turn it on?"

"No."

"Like this."

Alistair tapped the middle of the disc. It flashed red and began pulsing. He tapped it again and the pulsing stopped.

"Okay, tap circle and it blinks. Tap again and no more blink."

"That's right, good job."

Liam beamed.

"I'm smart, Bird!"

"That you are, big guy."

Alistair led Liam into town. Scornful, distrusting eyes followed them everywhere. The usual bustle of Cerulean City seemed to dull around them. As if they were a stone causing ripples of silence through a pond of sound. A far cry from the usual cheery vigour that greeted Alistair. He lowered the brim of his hat to hide their gazes.

"Damn Kerr," He muttered under his breath.

Up ahead in the city's market square, two junior Rangers were sat at a stall. The other patrons kept a gap between them and themselves. The rangers were pouring over a map, a paper one. All sorts of manual instruments were scattered on it, along with an assortment of pencils, erasers and rulers. Alistair approached the stall.

"Y'all rookies good?" He asked.

The two juniors spun around. Their jaws dropped and they were on their feet in seconds.

"Lieutenant! How may we assist you?" One of the rookies shouted.

"At ease, at ease. I'm just curious about your assignment, that's all."

Both rookies let their puffed chests deflate and lowered their salutes. The other rookie gestured to their map.

"There's been reports of Growlithe in the area acting unusually aggressive. They've been attacking travellers on the routes and setting fires deep within the forests," she said.

"Strange… it's not their mating season. Has there been reports of poaching?"

"That's what we thought too sir, but no. As far as we're aware there's no evidence of poaching," the other rookie said.

Alistair gestured to their map.

"What's this for?"

"Well, we're still apprentices, sir. We haven't earned the privilege of a holodevice. We're using this map to track the migration patterns of local Growlithe packs to see if they've moved into each other's territory."

"Our other theory is that a new Arcanine may have evolved and is fighting the current active Arcanine in this area for territory, sir!" The other rookie said.

Alistair stroked his chin and nodded along.

"Hmm yes, interesting theories."

The rookies hung on each and every word, their eyes full of whimsical wonder. Alistair pretended to keep pondering, indulging in their devotion.

"My advice is." He paused. The rookies waited with bated breath. "To not let your pursuit of one theory cloud your judgement. Be open to the possibility of multiple factors influencing the Growlithe's behaviour."

"Right!" Both rookies shouted.

The girl rookie looked to Liam.

"How about you Lieutenant? What do you think?"

Liam, who had been staring off past the stall at nothing in particular, snapped his attention to the rookies as if he'd just been woken from a dream. He stepped forward, peered at their maps and notes, and nodded.

"Fire is dangerous."

"I-It is."

Liam nodded and the rookies glanced at each other.

"Well! We won't keep y'all any longer. Keep at it rookies!"

"Right!"

"Thank you, sir!"

Alistair tipped his hat and left the stand with Liam's heavy footsteps pounding the pavement behind him. He glanced over his shoulder briefly and caught a glimpse of the male rookie's awestruck gaze. The female rookie's bewildered look at Liam got a chuckle out of him.

"Where are we going, Bird? You said we had to leave now."

"The Pokémon Centre. Pidgeot rolled his ankle during our last landing."

"Oh okay."

They approached the Pokémon Centre and Alistair began to step in. He noticed Liam following him and stopped him with a hand to his chest.

"You wait here, big guy. I'll only be a minute."

Liam shrugged and turned around. Once he was sure Liam wasn't following him, Alistair entered the Centre. The sight of Cerulean's giant nurse greeted him. Always a pleasant sight.

"Mornin' sweetheart." He touched the brim of his hat.

"Hello Alistair," she responded without lifting her eyes from her work.

Normally, Alistair might have wandered over to the desk to get a glimpse of those pretty eyes. The rush he got from the dazzling, pink eyes of Joys always gave him the kick he needed before a mission. But today, her disinterest was welcomed. He slid away to the edge of the lobby and booted up a PC. In a flash, he was logged in and searching his personal Pokémon box. Two clicks and a ball materialised from the device beside the PC. After a quick glance to ensure no lingering eyes, he snatched up the ball and tucked it inside his jacket. He was but a few paces from the door when the Nurse's voice called out.

"Wait!"

His heart punched the back of his throat. When he turned, he took careful care to not let it show.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Has there been any news about Pete?"

His heart calmed.

"Oh, yeah. He was spotted in Unova."

"Unova… I guess my letter won't have reached him then. I sent it to Hoenn."

"It probably wouldn't have reached him regardless."

"Probably not," she sighed.

"Welp, if you ever need comforting I'm right here sweetheart."

"Ugh."

Nurse Joy returned to her work so Alistair did the same, with a new spring in his step after seeing those gorgeous pink eyes.

"Ready, Bird?"

"Ready, big guy."

Alistair released Pidgeot, drawing the attention of the market square.

"Pidge-ot!" Pidgeot cried, stretching out his huge wingspan.

The wings flapped, kicking up dust. People scampered away, coughing and fanning the air with their hands. Liam bellowed with laughter.

"Don't run! It's just dust!"

He gagged and began coughing himself. Alistair ignored him and hopped onto Pidgeot's back.

"Hey!" The voice of a girl yelled.

As the dust settled, Alistair spotted a head of orange hair approaching.

"Your Pokémon is too big for the square, ranger! Return it!"

"Ah, don't mind us darlin' we'll be out of your hair soon."

"I said return it!"

"Liam, get on."

"My authority as Gym Leader trumps yours, no matter your rank! You'll do as I say!"

Liam clambered onto the back of Pidgeot. His enormous weight made Pidgeot's knees buckle. Pidgeot looked back with a scornful look but snapped his eyes to the sky once Alistair drove his heels into his side.

"Fly!"

Liam's huge arms wrapped around Alistair's waist as Pidgeot, with one powerful flap, shot into the sky. The Gym Leader's tantrum vanished in an instance as the wind roared, pummelling the inside of Alistair's ears. Whatever rush he'd gotten from Nurse Joy, it was infantile in comparison to this. This all too familiar thrill, that had had Liam bellowing like an enormous scared toddler, was the comfort that Alistair always fell back on. He let go of one hand and leaned back, daring the wind to tear him away. It took up the offer and put all of its might down on his chest, but it did no good. Alistair let out a wild laugh, muted by the wind. Although he couldn't hear, he could feel it in his throat and belly. Regrettably, the thrill ended as it always did as Pidgeot passed above the clouds, flattened out and let the wind guide his wings. The light blue trail of fire that had streaked from his wings, sputtered out. Strangely, the pressure on Alistair's chest didn't disappear. He looked down and found Liam squeezing his chest. With a laugh, he patted the enormous hands.

"Let go, big guy. You're fine."

Liam pressed his cheek against Alistair's back and shook his head.

"Have I ever failed you?"

"No…"

"Then trust me."

Alistair let go of Pidgeot's feathers and held out his arms as if expecting a hug from the sky. Liam's cheek lifted from his back, and then his arms slid down from around his chest and settled around his waist.

"Okay, Bird. I will."

He inhaled sharply and let go. A brief silence accompanied a pause before laughter filled the air.

"The clouds are below! They're not meant to be there, Bird!"

"They're right where they're meant to be, big guy."

Alistair chuckled as he leaned forward. His fingers passed through Pidgeot's long, streaming head feather as he stroked his plumage.

"Head to Route 16, take your time but arrive before nightfall."

Pidgeot nodded.

"Pidge."

He rolled ever so slightly and began a wide turn. The wind, which had been happily guiding them put up a fuss, pushing and battering but with nowhere near enough force to be worth concerning over. Eventually, Pidgeot flattened out again. A slight shimmer of light blue veiled his wings as he resisted the wind's tantrum. The clouds raced by beneath them until they abruptly disappeared. Their flight entered the open air, revealing Kanto's landscape. The forest became a carpet of greens and browns. The Routes became thin snakes that split apart the uniform sprawl of forest, plains and plateaus. Cities became small gatherings of grey amongst a sea of colour. It all inched along, moving like one big cloud. Alistair reached to touch his hat but touched his hair instead. He clicked his tongue.

"Damn, there goes another."

An expanse of rolling, orange clouds stretched on for countless miles. The sun teetered above the horizon, threatening to dip. It blazed on Alistair's right, dousing his right in orange light and casting his left in shadow. His long hair flapped behind him, whipping and snapping with the wind. Suddenly, Pidgeot lifted his wing, ending a day's worth of straight, forward flying. Alistair leaned forward and took hold, behind him Liam took hold of his waist.

"We're here, get Porygon."

"O-Okay."

It took a moment but Liam did eventually move one hand away from Alistair's waist. A ball was lifted to the left of his head and popped open. A beam of red light shot out a few feet in front of Alistair. The end of the beam morphed, flashing a dazzling light as Porygon materialised. The polyhedral Pokémon appeared in Alistair's view for but half a heartbeat before whizzing by his head.

"Gon!" It shouted behind them.

It shot back to their left, wagging its rectangular tail.

"Porygon!" Alistair shouted over the wind, "teleport Liam to the ground."

Porygon continued wagging its tail.

"Robot! Blink me to the ground!"

At once Porygon flew back to Liam and with a flash of light, they were gone. Alistair shook his head and reached into his jacket pocket. He retried another small round device and tapped it three times quickly. A radar scanner appeared, showing a blinking red dot beneath them that was slowly drifting backwards. Then suddenly, it blinked to the opposite side of the scanner. Alistair shoved it back into his jacket and was about to send Pidgeot plummeting when the world turned to white. Then black. A painful jolt, surged through him, bringing his body back to him. A ringing filled his ears, bringing sound back to him. The wind roared. Water pounded him from all directions. Then suddenly, the world was back. He was plummeting in a free fall towards Route 16's endless plains. A fair distance away Pidgeot broke through the bottom of the clouds. His golden-brown feathers had several black, ashy streaks sliced through them. The ends of his wings smouldered and his eyes were glazed over. Below, Green was staring up at him with an Electabuzz by her side. From such a distance, Alistair couldn't read her face, but she wasn't moving to attack again.

"Oh… well this makes things interesting, now don't it?"

He ripped a pokéball from his sleeve and slammed his thumb into the button.