A/N: Apologies for the delayed update, life has gotten very hectic between work and school, and then of course there's the current health epidemic . . . I will do my best to update in a timely fashion, but just know that your support through faving, following, and commenting means SO much to me. I appreciate your patience, interest, and loyalty - I hope you enjoy this chapter! (From this point onward things will be a bit darker.)
The world around Brie had quickly become enveloped in a blanket of darkness as the poison had begun to trickle through her veins. The burning sensation had been replaced with a numbness that had spread from her shoulder down the length of her arm, and she had felt herself slipping from the world around her, the concerned voice of Mr. Fuji having faded from her ears as the image of her concerned pokémon blurred and distorted before disappearing from view. The sensation of the cold ground against her skin was the last thing the registered in her mind before everything faded to black.
Waking up in the local Pokémon Center was surprising, but not as much as the sight of the cubone staring down at her anxiously, its eyes peering through the skull surrounding its face. Brie released a shrill sound of terror as she sat up, causing the tiny ground-type to stagger backward slightly, although it did not leave the bed. Abrielle's heart was racing as she looked around in a panic, suddenly remembering Mr. Fuji and Team Rocket. She struggled to make sense of the snippets of events that were now flooding her mind, putting the puzzle together as she calmed herself.
She recalled having set out to rescue the older man from the criminals, who were believed to be holding him hostage on the top floor of the Pokémon Tower. She had also aimed to put the kebash on the atrocities they were committing (gathering cubone and marowak skulls.) After making her way to Mr. Fuji, she had been outnumbered by the Rocket grunts, who launched an attack ordered by what appeared to be a higher level Rocket. In an effort to protect Mr. Fuji, Brie had placed herself between him and the oncoming attack from the enemy's golbat and took the hit. And then what?
"Did I pass out?" She wondered aloud while cupping her face in her hands, feeling a slightly painful tug against the skin. Upon inspection she realized she had an IV administering some sort of medicine into her, most likely something to counteract the venom from the bite she had suffered from the poison-type pokémon. Shifting her attention to the small cubone sitting at the foot of the bed, its small club clenched in its hand while the other tugged at the blanket, Brie exhaled deeply. She finally recognized the pokémon from the Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House from earlier, and she watched it slowly nudge its way closer, coming to rest against her leg.
"I'm sorry." She breathed, feeling empathy for it, remembering how the seemingly malevolent specters had actually been the spirits of pokémon, including those that had been killed by Team Rocket. Abrielle swallowed hard upon realizing many of them had appeared in the likeness of cubone and marowak.
The ground-type pokémon seemed to understand, releasing a sad whimper while curling up into a ball but not hopping down off the bed.
As Abrielle continued to make sense of her surroundings she searched the room for her pokéballs, which she soon noticed had been placed on the nightstand beside her. Mr. Fuji was nowhere to be seen, and her mind started to race, wondering if he was okay.
"Oh thank goodness!" An upbeat voice stated flatly while peeking into the room, pink eyes twinkling upon noticing that Brie was sitting up slightly in bed. Rushing over to her side, Nurse Joy reached out and placed her hand on Brie's forehead. "I think your fever broke. Let me take your temperature real quick Miss." Within a few seconds the caring nurse had fetched a thermometer and slid it past Brie's lips while reminding her to leave it beneath her tongue for a moment.
Staring up at the friendly face hovering above her, Abrielle imagined she hadn't shown much promise upon arriving at the Pokémon Center for Nurse Joy to make a comment like that.
"Um, is Mr. Fuji . . . ?"
Quirking an eyebrow in disbelief, Nurse Joy shook her head while smiling. "You're quite a trooper, Miss." She noted while coming to a kneel beside the bed, using her stethoscope to check Brie's heartbeat, which was finally settling down. She still seemed a bit shaken up, to say the least, but Nurse Joy imagined that was reasonable to expect. "Mr. Fuji is fine, thanks to you. A few scratches, at best. You managed to sustain most of the injuries. I was really worried when he brought you here – your coloration was awfully pale, and you were unconscious."
Brie shuddered at the thought of being incapacitated like that, especially in the presence of Team Rocket. She wouldn't have put it past the monsters to try to kidnap her or use her as some form of leverage. Offering a silent prayer of gratitude to Mr. Fuji and her pokémon, Brie tried to relax as Nurse Joy continued to examine her, asking her to express her pain level while performing multiple checks against her skin.
"It seems like we were able to counteract the effects of the venom in time." She nodded with a reassuring smile. "I'm so glad. You really had us all worried."
Brie's face flushed a bit. "Sorry for the trouble."
"Oh, please don't apologize! We were happy to help." She retorted as her jovial pink partner pokémon announced itself while it entered the room with a soft noise. "Good timing, Chansey. Come take a look at our patient – she seems much better now, wouldn't you agree?"
The normal-type smiled and waved its hands back and forth a bit in glee.
"And it seems that Cubone here has really taken a shining to you." She added while stroking the tiny ground-type still curled up against Brie's leg. "He refused to leave the room, even when Mr. Fuji called him. Little guy must have been worried about you."
Brie winced as she leaned up a bit further, the IV tugging slightly. "Is that so?" Extending her hand warmly, she waited a moment as the tiny pokémon noticed, sniffing it briefly before crawling closer to her. Her fingers soon found a tiny crack in its skull and she absent-mindedly traced the superficial fracture gently. She wondered if had been a defect at birth, or . . .
Shaking the thought from her mind, Brie listened to the cubone make a gentle rumble of contentment akin to a purr.
"Thanks for staying with me." She whispered. "But you should probably head back now. I'm sure you're missed."
But the ground-type only continued to rub its head against her warm hand.
About an hour later Brie's room was flooded with people – some she recognized while others were complete strangers. Still, all of them had assembled together under the same roof out of concern for her, which was both touching and perplexing. Trainers that had been involved in clearing out Team Rocket marveled at her strength and resilience, acknowledging her bravery with awe. Members of the Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House, as well as Mr. Fuji himself had thanked her whole-heartedly for her support and apologized for the trouble. Brie smiled knowingly. Despite the fact that she had almost become ill from the golbat's toxic attack, she had no regrets – she would have done it all again if it meant stopping Team Rocket and saving this kind-hearted man who clearly cared tremendously about both people and pokémon.
Because of her valiant efforts, he had said, the Pokémon Tower was now safe enough for people to visit regularly to pay their respects. In the twenty-four hours following her arrival to the Pokémon Center, Mr. Fuji had worked with volunteers to create a sort of memorial site on the top floor with an epitaph honoring the pokémon that had died tragically at the hands of the criminal syndicate, their skulls buried beneath the earth, with that of the orphaned cubone's mother resting at the foot of the tombstone. The tiny ground pokémon had refused to leave Brie's side though, and had not yet visited its mother's remains.
Abrielle gently reached for the cubone and set it down onto her lap as she sat up in bed.
"Thank you for keeping me company." She smiled. "But I think you should pay her visit. I'm sure she'd like to see you."
The cubone made a low sound of approval and allowed itself to be picked up by the young girl who had been tending to it at the volunteer house. "Thank you, Miss Brie." She said warmly before exiting the room with the other visitors. "I knew we could count on you."
Brie nodded and laid her head back against the pillows, taking a moment to rest. Mr. Fuji was standing near the door, hesitating to leave.
"Is something the matter?" She wondered aloud.
"Cubone has become very fond of you." The older man mused while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think it connects with you on an empathetic level. Perhaps I'm overstepping a bit by saying this, but I feel as if you genuinely understand the pain that comes from losing someone important to you."
Abrielle closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment of pause, her mind looping the image of the Silph Company surrounded by police cars and ambulances, her brother's hand firmly gripping her own as they waited with bated breaths to hear news of their parents only to find out they had been murdered.
All because of Team Rocket.
This awful, despicable group of people who would bulldoze their way over or through anything and everything that stood in their way.
As her strength had started to return to her, so had her newfound feelings of anger, resentment, and vengeance. Sadness and fear had been consumed by something far more powerful and unbending, and Brie had a feeling that she was no longer the same person who had set foot in Lavender Town a little over a day ago. She wasn't sure who she was, but she was fully aware of what she wanted.
More than anything, she sought to destroy Team Rocket.
"I almost wonder if it would do better to travel with you." Mr. Fuji continued, bringing her mind back to the present. "I'm sure Cubone would do well under the guidance of a trainer like yourself."
Brie's eyes widened slightly as Mr. Fuji's words caught her off guard, pulling her back out of her mind's wanderings. "W-What?"
A light-hearted laugh escaped the older man as he considered the idea more, nodding upon finding it agreeable. "I'll leave the choice up to you . . . and Cubone, of course."
Abrielle had been genuinely surprised by the offer, but wasn't going to push the matter. She would let the ground-type pokémon decide what to do when it returned. Its answer came later that evening in the form of an eager outcry that surprised Brie and the volunteers, but Mr. Fuji only nodded, clearly having expected such from Cubone. She held onto the pokéball it had practically hopped inside with a look of disbelief.
When morning came the next day Abrielle had been ready to continue with her travels, but Nurse Joy had insisted on monitoring her for a few more hours. The delay, while somewhat irritating, wasn't unreasonable. The benevolent nurse was just doing her job, taking extra precautions to ensure that all her patients were in optimal health before releasing them from her care.
People who had been mere strangers to Brie a couple days earlier now felt like confidants as they gathered together to see her off and wish her well. Exclamations of gratitude filled the air, and Mr. Fuji himself extended the gesture by giving her a Poké Flute, which he told her would be helpful when interacting with a variety of pokémon, especially when attempting to rouse them from slumber. She briefly wondered if it would help her move the sleeping snorlax that was blocking the path between Vermillion City and Lavender Town, though her eyes were set on Celadon City.
"If he ever changes his mind, I'll be sure to return him to you." Brie stated calmly while holding the pokéball containing her newest team mate, still slightly in shock at how readily Cubone had opted to travel with her.
"Thank you, Abrielle." Mr. Fuji acknowledged her with a smile. "You truly are a wonderful trainer. I wish you all the best, and pray for your safety as you continue your journey."
With a polite bow, she turned on her heel and headed in the direction of her next gym battle. The warning the Team Rocket leader had told the older man to pass along to Brie hadn't come up in conversation, and he knew it was probably for the best that she not know that little detail. Mr. Fuji shuddered internally upon recalling firsthand the depths the criminal syndicate would go to achieve their goals, having made grave miscalculations in helping them create Mewtwo many years ago. The beast was still out there somewhere, and remembering this was enough to give the man pause. More than anything, he wanted Abrielle to steer clear of the Rockets, for her own good. He hoped that the man had been lying about whatever "unfinished business" he had to settle with the girl.
Little did Mr. Fuji know that Brie's ultimate goal had become to seek out Team Rocket and destroy them with her own two hands.
Eager trainers scoured Route 7 in search of powerful opponents to test their mettle before venturing toward the rainbow colored city. Feeling invigorated to continue strengthening her team, Brie accepted every challenge, the quest to become powerful enough to take down the Rockets burning in the back of her mind. Long gone was the idle goal of traveling for the sake of being a trainer. She would battle and defeat every trainer, gym leader, and beyond if it meant she could become strong enough to wipe the criminals off the face of the planet.
This shift in her demeanor didn't go unnoticed by her pokémon, who were surprised but not averse to the new turn she had taken, despite the fact that training had become increasingly demanding. Even Cubone was eager to have a run in with the Rockets again, the desire for retribution still pulsing through its conscious thoughts. Her team's strength increased steadily, her tactics in battle still strategic, but definitely more offensive in nature now.
As Celadon City came into view she exhaled a deep breath and ventured to the Pokémon Center first. She then headed toward the city's grandiose Department Store, which spanned five floors and contained anything and everything a person could possibly want, let alone need. She had heard some of the trainers along the way mention how they were trying to earn money through battling to spend on some items. Many had cited technical machines, which Brie learned could teach pokémon new battle moves. But what had intrigued her most of all was the talk of evolutionary stones. She recalled her conversation with Steven, during which he had mentioned how moon stones helped certain pokémon evolve, and wondered if there was a stone that would do the same for her team members.
Wiseman's Gifts was on the fourth floor, and as she looked around Brie felt transfixed. The prices were certainly steep, and she now understood why so many trainers had been hoping to score some Pokédollars to afford the rare items. Upon noticing her come to a stand in front of a glass case filled with a colorful assortment of stones, the man behind the counter smiled and addressed her pleasantly.
"See something you like, Miss?"
"I was wondering which of these stones can be used to evolve my pokémon."
The man quirked an eyebrow and rubbed his chin casually. "Well, that depends on what types you've got with you."
Brie was thoughtful for a moment as she made a mental note of her partners' types.
"I have a dual bug/flying type, a fire type, a ground type, and a dual flying/normal type."
"Well, I don't know of any stones that evolve bug, ground, or flying types. But fire, well, I might be able to help you out there." He replied with wink. "What fire-type pokémon are we talking about?"
"I have a growlithe." She said softly while retrieving the designated pokéball and releasing him. The puppy pokémon barked happily while running circles around Brie's feet. Upon feeling her hand reach down to stroke its soft fur, it quieted as it sat down beside her. "Will a fire stone make him evolve?"
"You bet!" The salesman practically chirped, clearly eager at the prospective sale. "Will you be wanting one?"
Abrielle peered down at Hotaru's pokémon and became hesitant for a moment. Evolving it into an Arcanine would certainly make the fire-type more powerful and helpful in regards to transportation, but she wasn't about to force it to evolve if it wasn't ready. Still, she opted to purchase the stone just in case her Growlithe embraced the idea, nodding and proceeding to pay for the rich yellow hued rock with a fiery orange glimmer in the middle. Placing it inside her satchel, she knew her next step would be to head toward the gym and aim for her next battle and badge, though it mattered little to her at this point. Brie's attention was now set on something far larger than her own aspirations.
As she entered the Celadon City Gym she was surprised that the entire building seemed to be imitating a greenhouse, blooms and gardens immersing the interior without reservation. Scyther had to hack its way through many a tree to navigate the lush labyrinth. Brie could muster a guess that the theme was grass-type pokémon, which she felt confident about battling. After all, she had three partners with type advantages, and knew how to avoid the somewhat tricky tactics used to inflict status conditions, namely paralysis, poison, and sleep.
The female trainers who had attempted to stop her from reaching Erika had all been elegant and charming, but lackluster in regards to their battle technique. She hoped their leader would put up more of a fight. As she engaged the grass-type specialist in a face-off, Brie quickly realized her wish had been granted. Type match-ups aside, Erika's tangela and vileplume had made for a rather nasty combination, slowing down her offensive tactics with moves like constrict, bind, and stun spore. Luckily her Poké Flute came in handy, negating any efforts to add sleep powder into the mix.
"I can't believe you were able to overcome me and my pokémon like that." Erika confessed, a smile spread across her delicate face. "You're quite tenacious, aren't you?"
Brie held back a smirk threatening to tug at her lips, somewhat relishing in the comment, though unsure of whether it had been meant as a compliment.
"Quite the impressive team you have assembled, too." She noted. "I'm thoroughly impressed. You've definitely earned this, so take it without reservation – the Rainbow Badge is yours."
"Thank you." Abrielle acknowledged her with a small smile while taking the colorful flower shaped pin and adding it to her badge box. "Our battle definitely made me more confident, and I know my pokémon enjoyed testing their strength against you."
Erika's face flushed slightly. "Ah, you're too kind."
Just as Brie was about to turn on her heel and head toward the exit she heard the grass-type gym leader clear her throat.
"Um, Abrielle . . ." She started hesitantly. "I don't want to bother you, but there's been talk of suspicious activity lately in the Celadon Game Corner. While we've never been fond of the establishment, it does attract tourists and travelers, which promotes our city's revenue. But lately, people have been complaining about sketchy looking people appearing around it, as well as a rise in the number of rare and unique Pokémon disappearing."
Almost immediately Brie's eyes narrowed. Team Rocket.
"I hate to ask, but would you mind . . .?"
"Point me in the right direction." She offered, her voice crisp and demeanor suddenly tense. "I'll look into it."
The Game Corner was buzzing with business as groups of people young and old flocked to the slot machines, eager to make their dreams of becoming millionaires a reality, or go broke trying. Brie had honestly never seen the appeal of gambling. The whole point of a casino or game arena was to generate profits from people's losses, so it seemed unreasonable to expect something as fickle as "luck" to have any real chance of making magic happen. And if the rumors Erika had heard were true . . .
Team Rocket may not have been shrewd in their "hiding in plain sight" approach, but they weren't complete idiots. The criminal syndicate wasn't about to lose the profits it had garnered from monopolizing on people's foolishness and other illicit activities.
Still, nothing really seemed all that out of place, despite how astute Brie was as she casually made her way to the front desk. The man behind the counter smirked at her in a way that she could only describe as unpleasant, discomfort bubbling up from inside.
"Well, whaddya think you're doing in a place like this, kid?"
"I was hoping to ask you a few questions." She managed to keep her tone of voice steady, despite the fact that the man's eyes had seemed to drift not so casually down toward her chest. It wasn't as if she had much to show, but that didn't seem to matter and she felt a shudder run through her. "There have been complaints recently about suspicious looking people here. Can you tell me anything about that?"
"Hm, depends what you mean by suspicious." The man hummed, eyes finally returning to her face. "We're a pretty big tourist trap, so we get all kinds of people here. Some of 'em are kinda weird but, eh, who am I to judge? They pay up, so they're fine by me."
Brie internally sighed in frustration. "Apparently they might have something to do with missing Pokémon . . ."
"Look kid, I don't know what to tell ya." He shrugged his shoulders. "All I know is our suppliers started adding pokémon as prizes next door, and it's been a hit! I don't deal with those guys that much to be honest, so I couldn't tell ya if those Pokémon are stolen or whatnot. If you're so curious, why not go ask 'em? The Prize Corner's next door."
Abrielle nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll do that then."
"But you won't be getting any prizes." He almost chuckled. "You're too young to gamble, so best come back when you're older. I'm not about to get shut down from letting an underage kid play the slots."
"Can I help you?" The woman behind the counter smiled pleasantly enough as Brie shut the door behind her, feigning interest as she approached her.
"Yes, what kinds of pokémon do you have here for prizes?" Brie inquired, taking notice of how mild and underwhelming the inside of the Prize Corner was to the naked eye. "I hear they're quite rare."
"Well, our supply changes from week to week, but I'll take a look." She replied while disappearing from view into a backroom. When she re-emerged she was still smiling, as if completely unaware of the fact that some, if not all the pokémon were collected through illicit means. Perhaps she just didn't realize the vein of evil pulsing through the establishment. Brie imagined that a lot went unnoticed by untrained eyes. "We have a porygon." She started anew.
Brie quirked an eyebrow. "I've never heard of it." She admitted, realizing that it was likely one of the rare pokémon.
"We also have abra, vulpix, wigglytuff . . ." The woman continued. "Oh, and several clefairy and dratini – those are our most popular."
Upon hearing this Brie audibly gasped, recalling how Steven had mentioned how rare clefairy were, having gathered in mass quantities in Mt. Moon, but virtually nowhere else in the Kanto region. And hadn't she encountered some sketchy looking people digging up fossils and such?
Could it be . . .?
"Are you alright?" The lady asked, biting her bottom lip.
"Ah, yes, sorry." Brie collected herself momentarily. "I was just surprised. I know they're very rare."
"So I've been told." She admitted sheepishly. "I see them all the time, but that's because our supplier knows where to catch them."
"What can you tell me about your supplier." Abrielle prompted suddenly.
It turned out to be not much, apparently.
The kind, but clearly oblivious woman offered information that was less then helpful, stating that they were powerful trainers who mainly kept to themselves, but occasionally gathered in larger numbers and frequented the Game Corner, only to disappear shortly afterward.
Brie thought on this tidbit of information more.
How could such a large group of people just vanish? There must have been some hiding place nearby.
She needed to make her way back to the Game Corner, but she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.
A quick trip back to the Celadon Department store awarded her with a cheap, somewhat ridiculous disguise, but she reasoned it would do the job just fine.
Re-entering the game corner, she proceeded to purchase a coin case and some coins, speaking to the man from earlier in a deeper register, hoping to sound more mature. Apparently she had been convincing enough, and she proceeded over toward an available slot machine. Brie played through a few rounds – nothing unsurprising happened. She casually looked around at other people participating in gambling, but there was no trace of anything odd or out of place.
Leaning back in her seat to ponder how to proceed she was met with a sharp voice.
"Hey lady, if you're not gonna play, you can't stay." The stranger barked.
Brie entertained the idea of arguing with the angry looking man, but figured it was pointless. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself. Standing up from her seat she took a few steps around the joint, eyeing people with as much feigned disinterest as she could muster. The appearance of a man clad mostly in black caught her eye, and she watched him with cool icy blue eyes veiled behind the brown rimmed frames of her plastic glasses she had opted to wear as part of her disguise. He didn't seem to notice her as he came to a stand near the far back corner of the room and stared at a poster on the wall. His hand almost seemed to trace against the paper, which seemed somewhat peculiar. After a moment or two the individual sauntered down a hall and disappeared.
Brie opted to investigate the poster for a moment or two, but felt eyes staring at her curiosly as she tried to ascertain if there was something beneath it. She opted to cease her examination of the poster in favor of following the man as inconspicuously as possible, making it seem as if she were looking for the restroom and had wandered too far.
The hall led to a dead end, a custodial closet, bathrooms, and a random door that read "EMPLOYEES ONLY" in bold caps. Casually, she lingered a moment or two by the door, hoping to hear something suspicious from the other side. What she was greeted with, however, was a rather intimidating looking man appearing from virtually nowhere. With precision he grasped a hold of her wrist tightly and covered her mouth with a damp cloth in his other hand, blocking out the sound of her surprised and horrified gasp. Inhaling sharply, Brie noted the almost sweet scent coating the rag and started to panic, sensing that it had been soaked in something that was meant to weaken her in some capacity. She tried to fight him off, but the man's grip around her only tightened. Before she could scream the cloth was practically shoved into her mouth, stifling her outburst and causing even more of the chloroform to soak into her body. Within a moment or two, her body went limp and her eyes closed as she lost consciousness.
