Chapter 7: A Midnight Rendezvous

As Zero and Mark exited the treacherous Mount Moon, they saw that the sun had fully set, revealing a cloudless sky dotted with white stars. The rest of the short Route 4 remained, and they could see the twinkling lights of Cerulean City up ahead.

"Your choice, Mark," Zero said, unzipping his bag. "Camping or Pokémon Center?"

"Poké-Center, please," Mark groaned. He sank to his knees, happy to finally be out in the fresh air again. "I'm all achy from the Mount Moon shenanigans."

"How do you think I feel?" Zero replied dryly, chuckling. The chuckles transitioned into dry, hacking coughs. Zero fished through his bag frantically, finally finding what he had gone in there for in the first place, his inhaler. He shook it, then pressed the top as he breathed in the medicine. He exhaled after a few moments, wincing. His chest hurt, most likely from a broken rib or two.

"That's fair," Mark said. "Looks like there's a city up ahead."

"Precisely why I asked," Zero said. "That would be Cerulean City, home to the Gym Leader Misty. She's another good friend of mine, though she's slightly younger."

"Damn, how young can Gym Leaders be? Brock is our age!" The two boys began walking toward the city as they chatted.

"Eleven," Zero said. "In all of the regions except Alola, Gym Leaders have to be at least eleven years old to run a Gym, though it's often recommended that you're over eighteen. A few of the Gym Leaders in Kanto, like Brock and Misty, are younger. Brock is fifteen, Misty's thirteen."

"Why not Alola?"

"It doesn't have Gyms. Instead, Alola hosts Trials, and after completing all of the Trials on a specific island, you take on a Kahuna." Zero's explanation was interrupted by a cough. "Trial Captains can assume their positions at age eleven, but by law must retire before age twenty. It's mostly to provide variety to Trainers taking the Island Trials, but it's also to prevent abuse of power." He sighed. "Unfortunately, in all of the other regions, Gym Leader positions are kept for life, unless they're promoted to Elite Four or Champion status. This system often results in corruption or power abuse. Though, some Gym Leaders will host challenges and transfer power peacefully to the winner, and some choose to step down and choose a protégé to take over for them."

"I never knew that. That's pretty neat," Mark said, nodding. "Makes sense, in hindsight. When I was a kid, the old Gym Leader of Lavaridge Town stepped down and chose his granddaughter Flannery as his successor. I've heard he lives in Galar and is now a Leader there, but they're only rumors." Mark sighed, seemingly floating down the path. "Flannery… Gosh, I haven't seen her in ages."

"Sounds like someone has a crush," Zero teased, pinching his friend.

Mark's cheeks and ears turned bright Tamato-berry red. "I'll have y-you know it's not a crush," Mark spluttered. He quickly regained his composure and smiled proudly. "She's my girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" Zero asked skeptically, laughing.

Mark fished his phone out of his pocket and flicked through it. This was the first time Zero saw his friend's phone; it had a little face and spoke whenever Mark opened an app. A Rotom phone. Zero had never seen one up close before. Zero had his own cell phone, but it was a clunkier model from a few years ago and would barely hold a charge anymore. He would have to get a new one. There was a store in Saffron… Tempting.

Finally Mark found what he was looking for and shoved the phone in Zero's face, snapping him out of his rambling thoughts. Sure enough, it was an old photo of Mark and a girl with bright-red hair adorned with a clip shaped like a flame. This was Flannery, the Lavaridge Town Gym Leader. They were at a carnival in a small port town, sharing a cotton candy shaped like a Swirlix. "Alright, I believe you," Zero said.

Mark laughed triumphantly and put his phone back in his pocket. The two continued on in comfortable silence, the mood lightened considerably from the solemnity and chaos of Mount Moon.

Ahead was a dark figure, huddling under a tree. The boys looked at each other, then rushed to it, eager to help. As they got closer, they found that they knew who it was.

"Daniel!" Mark exclaimed. The man looked up, fear in his baby-blue eyes, but he relaxed.

"Ah, you two," Daniel said. He stood up and released his Kabutops from its Poké Ball. It had recovered from its injuries and now looked perky and fit. It clashed its scythes together happily. A sudden chill went down Zero's spine as he remembered his nightmare, but he said nothing

Daniel smiled at the boys. "Thanks again for your help back in Mount Moon this afternoon. Did you manage to get rid of that Team Rocket guy?"

"Yup," Mark replied. He grinned. "We beat his Pokémon silly and he left with his tail between his legs!" He pumped his fist in the air triumphantly, bringing Zero's with it. Zero yelped and was sure he felt something pop, though he wasn't sure if it had popped out of place or in.

"I-I'm not sure that's how it went…" Zero wheezed.

"Either way, I'm grateful for your help," Daniel chuckled. "Is it safe to return the fossils?"

"It should be, yeah," Mark said. Zero nodded weakly in concurrence. Mark noticed and put Zero's arm down, remembering he was injured. Zero nodded a relieved thank-you.

"Wonderful! ...Are you boys sure you don't need anything? A lot of Trainers these days are strapped for cash and supplies."

"We're fine," Zero assured. "Thanks, though."

"Alright, if you're sure. I'll be heading back, then. Thanks again!" Daniel shook their hands.

Kabutops followed suit. Zero shrank away from the large Pokémon, and it cocked its head in confusion. Why are you afraid? said a voice in Zero's mind. It wasn't his thoughts, though. As he was trying to determine where the voice came from, the Kabutops reached forward again, and that's when it hit him.

He understood the Kabutops.

Zero took a few steps back, and dark spots infiltrated his vision. He muttered something incoherent and stumbled, and Mark caught him as he fell backwards.

Daniel had already gone ahead, paying little attention to the scene behind him. "Come on, Kabutops! Or should I say Slowpoke!" He laughed at his own joke.

Kabutops hesitated before returning to its Trainer. Distress shined in its beady black eyes. I know you can hear me, it said in Zero's mind. Why are you afraid?

"I… I don't know," Zero said aloud. Well, he thought it was aloud. His voice had an eerie electrical quality to it, like static.

The Kabutops recoiled, put off by the response. It then looked down at the ring on Zero's finger and backed up further. You… you are not human. It shook its head and bounded off, not out of fear, but out of necessity, as Daniel called out for it again. However, it turned once again for a brief moment and casted another request to Zero's mind: Meet me by Cerulean Cave at midnight. Zero nodded weakly, and it returned the rest of the way to its Trainer, satisfied.

Zero's head was spinning. How could he understand Pokémon? That had never happened before, at least not that he could remember. He furrowed his brow in frustration. How come every time he had a question answered, more would arise?

"Zero, how'd you do that with your voice earlier?" Mark said, rousing Zero from his spiraling thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Zero asked, his voice ragged and hoarse, but not the same staticky tone it had taken on while he was "talking" to the Kabutops. He groped around the side of his backpack for the mesh pocket he held his water bottle in, but with his injuries he couldn't reach well. Mark grabbed it for him and he downed half of it. He then handed it back to Mark, who returned it to its mesh compartment.

"Your voice sounded… like buzzing, or electricity," Mark said, frowning. "Daniel didn't seem to hear anything out of the ordinary, but he was far away. That wasn't your voice back there, but it was coming from you."

"Weird… I heard it too," Zero said. "The Kabutops didn't like it. It said that I wasn't human…"

"You understood it?!"

"Somehow, yeah."

"Hmm…" Mark pondered. "Maybe it's just your weird illness acting up and you're delusional. Let's get to the Pokémon Center so we can rest." He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Yeah… It's nothing. Let's go," Zero said. He didn't much care for his friend's casual attitude, but he had no idea if it was anything, so he said nothing.

The two boys made it to the Pokémon Center by half-past ten, checking in and then quietly making their way to a room to stay the night. Mark fell asleep immediately, and Zero laid down, his hands cupping his red-hot cheeks.

.

An hour later, Zero still couldn't sleep. The thought of being able to understand a Pokémon was stressing him out, and what the Kabutops had told him didn't make it any better. What did it mean when it said Zero wasn't human? Of course he was human. He had always been.

But… the strange tone his voice took on. That wasn't normal, and certainly not human. Was that what the Kabutops meant?

Zero checked his cell phone every five minutes. Waiting for the clock to strike eleven forty-five so he could sneak out and get to Cerulean Cave on time was agonizing. He had even considered not going, because he didn't exactly trust the Kabutops. But it seemed eager to speak to him again, and it would be rude to keep someone waiting, so Zero wasn't in a position to skip out. He clicked his phone on again. Eleven forty-three. Good enough.

Zero took Glo's Poké Ball and attached it to his belt, leaving Sage and Braze behind. With Glo, he would have a type advantage against the Kabutops if things got hairy. He had a strange feeling that they would.

He quietly left the room, shutting the door lightly behind him. He sneaked down into the lobby of the Cerulean City Pokémon Center, then out the door and into the lovely town. It was quite pretty at night, a few lights dotting the windows. Cerulean Cave was nearby, secluded and cut off by a river. It would be difficult to get there, but luckily the river was shallow.

You don't need to cross, said a voice. Zero whipped around in panic. It was the Kabutops. It would be cruel to make a human approach a treacherous cave like that one. It's said to house a powerful Pokémon.

"I heard that somewhere too," Zero said in the strange staticky voice. He shuddered.

The Kabutops reeled back as well, still wary of Zero's strange tone, but it was getting used to it. I'm sorry I frightened you earlier.

"It's okay. I just had a nightmare the other night."

About… my species?

"Sort of… I turned into a skeleton. A Kabutops skeleton, and when I saw it at the museum, my… I had to excuse myself from the room."

Your what?

"N-nothing."

The Kabutops inched closer, closing its eyes and taking something in. It shuddered. You don't smell good.

Confused, Zero lifted his arm gently, avoiding hurting himself further, and took a whiff of his armpit. He recoiled and put it down. "Blunt, but accurate." He laughed.

Kabutops shook its scythes, flustered. N-no, that's not what I meant. You smell sick.

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense." He paused. "My health hasn't… been the best. My whole life, I've been badly ill. No one can pinpoint what's wrong with me."

I'm so sorry…

"Why are you apologizing?"

I-I can't… I can't help you. I don't know anything about human sickness.

"Help me?"

W-well… I have this… this thing... it's almost a compulsion to help anything in need, I guess. The Kabutops was getting more flustered.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Zero said gently.

The Kabutops shook its head. It's fine. I'll share. It took a deep breath. Ever since I was a Kabuto, back thousands of years ago before I became the fossil Daniel restored, I wanted to help those around me. They were often afraid of my kind, as we were considered recluses and just all-around frightening creatures.

As chief of my tribe of Kabuto, I was known as "Honorable Fighter who Listens to the Waves." We all had names like that, like "Fair Judge who Speaks with the Wind" and "Little Dancer who Sings with the Trees." Anyways, they named me that because I would swim out into the ocean to save drowning Pokémon. I just wanted to help, but after I saved them, they wouldn't look at me, talk to me… they wouldn't acknowledge me. Of course, I don't expect a reward for helping, but a little appreciation is nice.

I asked you to come here because I want to help you, and save you from drowning.

"What do you mean?"

The Kabutops pointed to Zero's hand, the one with the ring on it. People with those rings are doomed to a terrible fate. I've seen it myself.

Zero instinctively clutched his hand. "Wh-what kind of fate?"

One worse than death. The Pokémon in that cave, the legendary one, had a ring just like that when I first met it. Daniel and I had come here thirteen years ago to gather supplies. The Pokémon stared at me from across the riverbank, and I stared back. Our gaze locked for a while, but then it shrank back, afraid. Not of me, but… of itself.

I wanted to help. I wanted to help the poor thing so badly, but I couldn't. I didn't know how. Daniel and I came back the next day and it was gone. It had retreated back into its cave. I never saw it again, and neither did anyone else.

Zero absorbed the Kabutops' words. It then dawned on him what Kabutops considered a fate worse than death: eternal isolation. Zero shuddered. Even he was an introvert, but being cooped up just because you and everyone around you were afraid of your overwhelming potential was... agonizing. "I know what you mean," he replied simply and softly. "I won't let myself drown. I'll learn to control whatever this is."

Kabutops shook its head. I don't want you to control it. Then you might not be able to talk to me, and then you won't be able to stand out as someone unique to the world.

"Is that bad?"

Well… it depends. Maybe I've become selfish in my endeavors to help, and my desire to have someone who understands me. Or maybe you are afraid of being different. Either way, accept whatever abilities you have, and cast off that ring when you've accepted yourself. Promise me that. Promise me that you won't isolate yourself forever and drown in self-hate and self-pity.

It was a lot to take in, but Zero nodded anyway and put a hand to his heart. "...I promise."

Thank you. The Kabutops paused, its eyes no longer shining with fear. The shine was one of contentment and peace. Honorable Fighter who Listens to the Waves is too long of a name to call me when we meet again. Would you like to call me something shorter?

Zero hesitated. He wasn't too comfortable nicknaming another Trainer's Pokémon. But the Kabutops looked at him eagerly, so he caved. After a moment of thought, he replied, "How about Bushido?"

What does… Bushido mean?

"It's an ancient code of honor used by warriors called samurai. Many of them lived in Johto and Sinnoh, but there were a few in what's now modern-day Kanto. I think it's fitting, considering your formal name."

Kabutops thought for a moment, then nodded. I like it. It sounds powerful. Bushido approached Zero and pulled him into a hug, careful not to slice the boy with its scythes. Zero didn't shrink away this time. In fact, he reciprocated the embrace. He could feel happiness radiating from Bushido, which in turn made him happy as well.

Thank you for meeting with me, Zero. Zero gasped lightly. This was the first time Bushido had said his name.

"I should be the one thanking you, Bushido. It'll take time, but… I'll try my best to accept whatever happens to me. I'll search for answers to my questions. Maybe that will help me understand myself better."

I'll be following from the shadows, then.

"What about Daniel?"

Fuck Daniel, Bushido replied angrily. Its "voice" dripped with malice and contempt. Zero flinched; he hadn't expected the Kabutops to curse so violently. Bushido's gaze then softened slightly as it realized what it had said. Pardon the profanity. Daniel may seem nice at first glance, but all he cares about is kissing up to the churches. He's never truly cared about me.

"I'm… I'm sorry."

Bushido relaxed, though hatred still filled its eyes. There's no need to apologize. I'll see what I can do to truly escape him. I'd like to join you when you are stronger, so I can help you find the answers you seek.

"...Thank you… If you're sure, that is."

Of course I'm sure. After all, I must look out for you if I'm to save you. Bushido let go and waved a brief goodbye, then leapt into the shadows to return to Mount Moon.

Zero just stood there for a few moments, taking in the surreal experience. Bushido was a good Pokémon. Kind, caring, generous. Selfless, despite what he thought of himself. Still deep in thought, Zero felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He turned quickly, only to see nothing.

Then, a pair of glowing purple eyes stared back at him from the cave.

Zero squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, and when he looked back at the cavern, the eyes had disappeared. The addled teen chalked it up as him just being tired, so he decided to return to the Pokémon Center.

It was nearly one in the morning when he returned. He and Bushido had been speaking for almost an hour. Suddenly, Zero's body was filled with an overwhelming lethargy, and he shut his heavy eyes as he flopped onto the bed and fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

...

Author's Note:

This chapter is very, very information heavy, sorry. The Gym battle is coming up next, so stay tuned for that! Also, I'm going to be switching to weekly uploads rather than every couple of days, just so I have more time to write and revise. :P