Chapter 3: New Faces
Roku's P.O.V.
Cherrygrove City
"Go, Riolu!"
"Go, Eevee!"
The two of us sent out our Pokémon and the battle began.
"Eevee, use Tail Whip!" Eevee's superior speed let her go first. She wagged her tail cutely, and Riolu seemed to let his guard down slightly.
"What are you doing?!" the redhead barked. "Use Foresight!"
Riolu's eyes sharpened, and now he could lock on to Eevee's every move.
"Now, use Quick Attack!" he roared.
"Eevee! Tail Whip once again!"
Riolu's attack came in hot, and Eevee was slammed back by the force of the hit. However, Riolu was showing no signs of defensive tendencies.
"Our turn! Use Tackle!"
Eevee launched forward and slammed into Riolu, knocking him back quite far. He slid across the ground and righted himself.
"C'mon, you worthless Pokémon! Use Quick Attack!"
"Eevee, use Tackle!"
The two Pokémon dashed forward and collided head-on, knocking each other back by the force of the collision. However, Riolu was showing the most weakness, as he was about to fall over.
"Now's our chance, Eevee! Hit him with Tackle once again!"
Eevee dashed forward again, ready to finish the battle and claim victory. But the redhead had other plans, ordering Riolu to use Endure. Eevee's attack scored a direct hit, but Riolu was still up and ready from the effect of Endure.
"Destroy them! Quick Attack!"
Riolu blasted forward and struck Eevee hard, knocking her back. She landed on the ground and slid, not moving after she had stopped.
"Eevee! Are you OK?!" I shouted frantically. "Say something!"
"Mmm…Rrgh!" she groaned as she stood up shakily. "I'm not losing today!"
"Yeah! Use Tackle and finish them!" I shouted happily.
Eevee launched forward with even more speed than before and slammed into Riolu, sending him flying one last time. This time, once he landed, he didn't move.
"Yes! We won!" I shouted excitedly.
"We did it!" Eevee shouted, sharing the joy.
"Humph…useless Pokémon," the redhead scoffed as he returned Riolu to its Poke Ball. "Listen, you. You only won because my Pokémon was weak."
"That's no way to treat your partner!" Eevee shouted. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"What the hell's your problem?" the redhead said, obviously not knowing what Eevee was getting at.
"Eevee, stand down," I ordered. Eevee humphed and backed down.
"Whatever. A wimp like you would never reach my level," the redhead continued. "I'm gonna be the world's strongest Pokémon Trainer. You just make sure you stay out of my way."
And with that remark, he shoved past me and walked off. As he did, I saw his Trainer Card fall out of his pocket. I picked it up and read the name.
"Hey! Give me that! That's my Trainer Card!"
Darius ran back and snatched it out of my hand. Then a look of fear spread across his face.
"Oh, no…you saw my name…"
Latias' P.O.V.
Ecruteak City
Latias decided to touch down in Ecruteak City and take a break. She knew that the group that was after her couldn't track her here near as fast.
Hmm…she thought. Guess it wouldn't hurt to rest here for the time being.
Latias transformed into her human form and walked out of the Burned Tower, where she had decided to hide out for a time.
No one will expect a human to live in the Burned Tower, she thought. I'll have to keep my camouflage on if I'm to stay hidden.
Almost immediately, she bumped into a woman dressed in a very flashy kimono.
"Oh, excuse me," Latias said very politely. Then she realized that no one could understand her.
"How did you do that?"
Huh? She thought.
"How did you speak without moving your lips?" the woman asked very curiously. "Wait…are you…?"
Uh, oh…Latias thought nervously. Cover blown.
"Don't worry, I'm a friend," the woman said reassuringly. "I'm a Legend Keeper."
Latias sighed with relief as the woman pulled out the insignia: a silver sword and a pair of yellow wings on a black triangle background. Every Legendary Pokémon knew of the Legend Keepers and their cause.
"Come with me," the woman said, putting a soft hand on Latias' shoulder. "We can keep you safe."
Latias was reluctant at first. Who was to say she really WAS a Legend Keeper? But, then again, who was to say she wasn't? Latias eventually nodded and followed the girl to a small building.
Roku's P.O.V.
Route 29
"Why'd you give that guy his Trainer Card back?" Eevee asked me. "You could've kept it so he couldn't battle anymore."
"First of all," I started, "Nothing's going to stop a Trainer from battling. Second, it was the right thing to do. Sure, he was a total douche, but it didn't seem right to just steal his Trainer Card."
"Yeah, sure, but did you see how he controlled his Pokémon?" Eevee said worriedly. "It was like his Pokémon was just a pawn on a chess board. I felt sorry for that poor Riolu."
"Who are we to judge his style?" I asked. "All Trainers have their own style. You've got to remember; he almost finished you."
"Yeah, don't remind me," Eevee said sheepishly.
"By the way," I asked, turning to face Eevee, "I never asked you this, but how do you feel about having a name?"
"Huh?" Eevee said, confused. "Well, I never really thought about it until now. I guess it would be OK. Why ask?"
"Well, I figured since you were no ordinary Eevee and you're holding an extremely rare item, I'd give you a name," I explained. "'Eevee' just sounds too generic."
"OK, so, what do you have?" Eevee asked. "Got anything?"
I thought for a little while, then a light bulb popped up in my head.
"How about 'Luna'?" I asked.
Eevee's eyes lit up as she heard that name. "I like it. Luna…where'd you get that from?"
"Well, I figured since you're pretty much destined to become a Umbreon, I'd give you something that fit," I explained. "Besides, your fur has a very beautiful gleam in the light of the moon."
It had turned to night as I was heading out after battling Darius. Luna and I had taken a few hours' rest at the Pokémon Center before heading back out to New Bark Town.
Then I remembered. "Oh, crap! We totally forgot about Professor Elm!"
I scooped up Luna and hauled it all the way back to New Bark Town without stopping for a breath. I dashed into the lab, ignoring the police's orders to keep everyone out.
"Professor Elm! What happened?!" I asked.
"Oh, Roku! I'm so glad you came back!" Professor Elm said frantically. "One of the Pokémon I was studying was stolen!"
"What?!" I shouted. "H-How…?"
"That's what we've been trying to figure out," one of the policemen said as he stepped up. "And the first rule of detective work is 'The one who did it always comes back to the scene of the crime'. So…you must be the one who did it…"
"NO!"
I turned around to see my best friend Tyson running up with his partner, a Pikachu he called "Sparx". He shoved the policeman away from me and said, "Roku's not the one who did it! I saw it! It was a guy with long red hair!"
"You can't be serious!" I shouted. "Luna and I battled a guy like that! Was the stolen Pokémon a Riolu, by any chance?"
"Yes! Yes, that's the one!" Professor Elm shouted with glee. "Did you manage to get the Pokémon back?!"
"Well, no…" I said sadly. "We weren't aware that it was stolen."
"Oh…well, there's no use crying over spilt milk," the professor sighed.
"Did you at least catch the kid's name?" the policeman asked as he pulled out a notepad and pencil.
"Yes," I confirmed. "His name is Darius Walker. Last time I saw him, he was headed out to Violet City."
The policeman jotted the information down and put his notepad away. "Thanks, kid. This'll really help with my investigation. We'll keep you posted if we catch him."
"Thank you, officer," Professor Elm said.
After a few minutes, all of the police had cleared out and were long gone. It was just me, Tyson, Professor Elm, and our Pokémon in the lab.
"Oh, Roku…what am I going to do?" the professor groaned. "They say that Pokémon controlled by bad people become bad themselves…"
"It's not your fault, Professor…" I said reassuringly. "There was nothing you could do."
"We have to go get that Pokémon back!" Tyson shouted. "I won't let thieves like that get away with such a horrible crime!"
"As much as I would like that, do you think that Riolu would be the same afterwards?" Professor Elm asked. "Once a Pokémon bonds with its Trainer, there's no going back. The bonds between Pokémon and Trainer are far more complex than even quantum physics. Breaking those bonds could mean trouble for the Pokémon, and I don't want to put Riolu through that."
"Right…" Tyson agreed.
"Oh, by the way," I piped up, taking the Egg out of my Bag, "Mr. Pokémon wanted you to examine this."
Professor Elm took one look at the Egg, then he jumped back.
"Whoa! Is that an Egg?" the professor exclaimed. "That's amazing! To study Pokémon Evolution in such an early stage! Where'd he get this?"
"He said a friend in Ecruteak gave it to him," I explained.
"Hmm…I want to study this for a while. In the meantime, can you tell me what Mr. Pokémon thought of your Eevee?"
"Well, all we managed to find out about Luna is that she's destined to evolve into Umbreon," I explained. "I got the color info from the Pokedex. It seems like Luna here is a Shiny Pokémon."
"Shiny Pokémon, huh? Well, that explains it," the professor said. Then he jumped again. "Wait, where'd you get a Pokedex?"
"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," I said, pulling up the Pokedex app. "I met Professor Oak over at Mr. Pokémon's house and he gave me a Pokedex!"
"Are you serious?! Roku, that's incredible!" Tyson piped up. "That means you'll be traveling all over Johto, seeing all the sights! Lucky you, brother!"
"Yeah, I guess so," I said. "It also gives me the chance to go out looking for Latias, wherever she may be…"
"Hey, Roku…" the professor chimed in, "Since you're going out on a real journey, why don't you take the Pokémon Gym challenge?"
I never really thought about that before. I knew that all around Johto, there were Pokémon Gyms that really tested the bonds between you and your Pokémon. The Trainer who could conquer all the Gyms in Johto could have a shot at battling the Elite Four, and a shot at the title of Pokémon League Champion.
"It does sound interesting…" I said, thinking deeply. It sounded rough, but I remember the story about a kid my age from Pallet Town all the way in Kanto managed to beat the Pokémon League. I might have a pretty good shot at it.
"OK. I'll do it!" I said confidently.
"I'll warn you right now, Roku," the professor said. "The journey will be a long and challenging one. I think you should rest up for tonight. Your mother should know what you're getting ready to do, also."
"Ok, Professor. I'll go home for the night," I said. "C'mon, Luna. Let's go. We can leave tomorrow."
"…Mom?"
"What's up, dear?"
Mom and I were sitting at the table that night after she'd fixed dinner. It was that time that I decided to tell her.
"I'm gonna be leaving on a journey tomorrow," I explained. "I'll be traveling all around Johto, taking on the Gyms scattered throughout the region."
Mom looked at me with a slightly sad expression. "Tomorrow, huh?"
"I'm sorry, I—"
"No, don't apologize," Mom said. "All boys leave home someday. I'm actually proud that you've decided to take charge. But…that's not the only reason for your journey, is it?"
I smiled slightly. My mother could always read me like an open book. It was actually kind of creepy sometimes.
"No," I said, the smile leaving my face. "You may have already known this, but I know Latias is out there somewhere. And I intend to find her…and the people who tried to hurt her."
"I got it…" Mom said. "I want to help too, but how…?" Then she lit up. "I know! Every time you get prize money from a Trainer, I'll save some of it for you! Money is important on a long journey, after all."
"Haha…OK," I said. "I'll leave you to it."
Gordon's P.O.V.
Team Prime Base
"So…you've failed me yet again, Gordon…"
Gordon stood alongside the two other admins of Team Prime, Jay and Aria, facing punishment for letting another Legendary Pokémon escape.
"Sir, we will get her," Gordon stammered. "I swear on it!"
The leader turned around in his chair and locked eyes with Gordon. He immediately felt a chill roll down his spine.
"Fail me again and I will have your heads on a stake! Now LEAVE!"
The three admins wasted no time in hightailing it out of the boss's office.
"Master...how can I be of assistance?" said a voice from the shadows.
"Follow them," the leader said. "If they mess up again, finish the job for them. That should be simple for you, eh, Darkrai?"
The shadowy black Pokémon revealed itself from the shadows. "It will be my pleasure."
Author's Note: Yes, the Prince of Darkness has entered, and so has the rivaling team. These people have the tenacity of Team Rocket with the ideals of Team Plasma…ok, maybe not them, but they're pretty messed up.
The next chapter will be of Roku's journey to Violet City. This is also where I've decided to introduce the female persona I spoke of earlier. Other than that, there's not much to put in.
That's it for now. Strato Abyss signing out.
