Chapter 15: The Brown Furball
Roku's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City
We ran outside into the main street to find a couple of Team Prime Grunts hassling a guy with messy brown hair and a purple polo shirt with khakis. "Computer Nerd" instantly went through my head.
"You heard us! Tell us everything you know about the Legendary Bird Pokémon!" one of them shouted.
"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about!" the guy said, sweat rolling down his face.
"Then I guess we'll just hafta beat it outta you!" the larger one said, raising a fist.
"Hey!" I shouted, making my presence known by not only the grunts, but the entire crowd. "Let him go, or you're gonna hafta deal with me!"
"You! You're that kid from Violet!" the larger one said, pulling out his Poke Ball. "I knew I was gonna get my revenge! Prepare to get creamed!"
I nodded at Luna, who stepped forward and went into a battle stance.
"I'm gonna make you wish you'd never crossed Team Prime's path!" the grunt shouted. "Go, Mightyena!"
The grunt threw out his Poke Ball, releasing a much larger wolf than the one he used before.
"So, you evolved it," I said coolly. "Good for you. But, as you may have noticed, this isn't the Luna you fought before, either. Use Quick Attack!"
Luna dashed forward with mind-numbing speed and struck Mightyena hard, sending him reeling back.
"Now, Mightyena! Use Work Up!"
Mightyena started to flare up with energy, increasing its offensive capabilities. I couldn't take any chances, so I told Luna to keep her distance and use Swift. The star rays slammed into Mightyena, but he wasn't down yet. In fact, he looked even more pissed off.
"Go, use Crunch!" the grunt shouted.
I winced. Crunch was a Dark-type move, which meant it wouldn't do as much as it normally would to Luna, but it was still a devastating move. It could possibly lower the defensive rating of the target, and coupled with Mightyena's raised Attack, it would do considerable damage.
"Luna! Stay away from him as best you can!" I shouted. "Use Confuse Ray!"
Luna shot an eerie light from the ring on her forehead into Mightyena's eyes, making him trip and drop to the ground.
"Haha, have a nice trip, see you next fall!" Luna laughed.
"Keep your guard up, Luna!" I said. "We don't have time to be cocky."
Luna looked at me and said, "We NEVER have time to be cocky!"
"Doesn't matter! We have to end this now!" I said. "Finish him with Swift!"
A final Swift attack left Mightyena unconscious and unable to move. The grunt's jaw hit the ground, surprised that Luna could destroy a Pokémon like Mightyena with ease.
"Dammit…take care of him!" the larger grunt said to the smaller grunt. He stepped forward after the larger one returned his fainted Mightyena and sent out a Fearow.
"Luna, switch out!" I said. Luna dropped back, and I pulled out my next Poke Ball.
"Go, Braixen!" I shouted, lobbing it onto the field and releasing my fox Pokémon.
"Fearow! Use Drill Peck!" the grunt shouted. Fearow spun forward like a drill, beak outstretched.
"Braixen! Meet it head-on with Flame Charge!" I shouted.
Braixen looked at me and said, "Are you NUTS?! He'll stick me like a shish-ka-bub!"
"Just do it! I know what I'm doing!" I said.
Braixen shook his head and flared himself up, launching at the incoming Fearow. Just before they made contact, I told Braixen to dodge to the side and use his newest attack, Psybeam. Braixen narrowly dodged Fearow's massive beak and pulled his twig out of his tail, launching a purple, pulsating beam out of it and hitting Fearow right in the back of the head. Fearow hit the ground and slid nearly 5 feet.
"Now's your chance, Braixen!" I shouted. "Flame Charge, GO!"
Braixen flared up and blasted off again, smashing into Fearow and finishing the job.
"Aw, come ON!" the smaller grunt said in disbelief, returning his Fearow. "Why do we keep losing to nobodies like you?!"
"Well, for starters, you two are self-centered and overconfident," I said as Braixen walked back to me. "You care too much about winning rather than your Pokémon."
"Uh…what, whatever," the big grunt said. "We're outta here!"
The two grunts nearly hightailed it out of Goldenrod until a police guard and his Growlithe set upon them and subdued them.
"Well, you're not exactly who I'm looking for, but I'll be content with bringing you two in," the guard said. Then he turned to me and said, "Good job, kid. It takes guts to stand up to crooks like these."
"No problem, officer," I said.
"You are such a goody-goody, you know that?" Luna said while rolling her eyes.
"Whoa! Is that a SHINY Umbreon?!"
I whirled around to see the nerd we saved earlier run up to us, his eyes on Luna. He knelt down and looked her over.
"Wow! I've never seen one in real life!" he said excitedly. Then he looked at me and said, "This is your Umbreon, am I right?"
"Uh, yeah," I said. "This is Luna."
"'Sup?" Luna said.
"That's just awesome," the guy said. "I've only seen them in pictures. I've never actually got to see one up close." He stood up and held out a hand. "I'm Bill. And you are?"
"Roku Kimura," I said, shaking his hand. "These are my friends Reia and Zuki."
"Hi," Reia said casually.
"Nice to meet you folks," Bill said. "Hey, you guys are Pokémon Trainers. How would you like to help me out?"
"Like how?" I asked.
Bill pulled a Poke Ball from his pocket and tossed it in the air, releasing a brown ball of fur that I was all too familiar with.
"This Eevee came over while I was adjusting the Global Trade system that my buddy Cassius created. I'd like to find a Trainer who can take care of it, 'cause I don't like to be outside much. Can I count on one of you to play with it?"
I looked at Reia and said, "Do you want it?"
"Really?" Reia said. "You're not taking it?"
"Well, you haven't caught any Pokémon since we started together," I said. "And I figure that since we're going up against a Gym Leader tomorrow, we'll need all the help we can get. Strength in numbers."
Reia nodded and accepted the Poke Ball from Bill.
"Haha, way to go! You guys are the real deal!" Bill said excitedly. "Take good care of it. I'm counting on you!"
Reia nodded, and we gave our farewells to Bill, who said he had to go check in with his relatives. With a night of excitement over and done, we retired to the Pokémon Center for a night of rest.
Latias' P.O.V.
Legend Keeper HQ
Latias lay in her den, resting from the fierce battle she had today. Just then, a hologram image of Cedric shimmered into view.
"Latias, I need to see you immediately," the hologram said.
The hologram disappeared before Latias got a chance to ask what was up. She simply shrugged her shoulders and made her way to Cedric's quarters, where he was standing with his arms behind his back in traditional manner.
"What's up?" she asked, somewhat nervous.
Cedric turned around, and Latias could tell that something was wrong due to the expression on his face.
"You're not going to like this," he said. He linked his P*DA to his computer via USB and pulled up a video file. Cedric launched the file and extended it onto the wall screen.
"Hahaha! Hello, Cedric!" said a voice that they knew all too well. "And I hope Latias is watching this as well, because I have something for her. Let us see what's behind curtain number one!"
Zareis pulled a black sheet off of a cage, revealing a Pokémon that made Latias' heart drop into her stomach.
"Latios, the second Pokémon of the Eon Duo!" Zareis said cruelly. "The funny thing is, he thought that we had captured his sister, and so he came in to rescue her. It's weird, how emotion can lead to one's downfall."
"Grrgh! Let me go, you bastard!" Latios shouted, slamming into the wall of the cage.
"Whoa! Quite the temper you have, my little friend," Zareis said with glee. "Now, Cedric, you know what I want in return. For starters, I want my precious Giratina back. You know, the one that one of your Legend Keepers stole from me. And I also want the Pokémon of the Core Covenant that I know you have in your possession. If neither one of them fall into my arms, I will kill Latios and come after Latias next. You can count on that."
"Latias!" Latios shouted. "If you're seeing this, I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! Don't give in!"
"That's enough out of you!" said a black creature from behind the cage. Its eyes glowed for a few seconds, and Latias dropped to the floor of the cage, fast asleep.
"You've heard my demands, Cedric," Zareis said. "If I don't get what I want, then you know what'll happen next."
That's where the file cut off.
Latias was going through a storm of various emotions. She was happy that her brother was alive, but she was also afraid for his life. And for hers as well.
"What do we do?" Latias said after a long silence.
"Well, we have three choices," Cedric started. "One, we relinquish the Pokémon of the Core Covenant that we currently have in our possession, as well as the final Pokémon needed for the Dark Covenant. Zareis unleashes the force of a thousand black holes on the world and we die. Two, we ignore his request, and he takes them from us as well as killing both you and your brother. Zareis unleashes the force of a thousand black holes on the world and we STILL die."
"And what's behind door number three?" Latias asked, sick and tired of hearing so much talk about death.
"Three," Cedric said, pausing. "…We mount a rescue mission, where we have a 50% chance of survival. We get the Pokémon of the Core Covenant and fight back at Zareis."
"I think I prefer option number three," Latias said. "One condition. Roku and Reia must be on the mission, in the event that I go with them. I'm not accepting no for an answer, and I will not go with anyone else."
Cedric shook his head and said, "I understand where you're coming from, Latias. But sending two pretty much untrained Legend Keepers behind enemy lines is something I cannot risk. We'll have to wait until Roku becomes more skilled."
Latias nodded. Her emotions were also clouding her judgment. She wasn't just talking about risking the lives of her and her brother, but she was also talking about risking the life of her best friend; someone she didn't want to lose.
"I understand," Latias said sadly.
"I'm sorry, Latias," Cedric said, putting a hand softly on her shoulder. "I know how much you want to save your brother. But I also want to save my fellow Legend Keepers."
"I get it," Latias said. "I'm retiring to my chambers. I need to rest after destroying that kid and his Heatran."
"Wait, you did what?" Cedric said, crossing his arms.
"Uh…nothing," Latias said coyly, darting out of Cedric's office.
"Hahh…she never ceases to surprise me," Cedric sighed, retiring to his chambers as well.
Roku's P.O.V.
Goldenrod City
We stood in front of the Gym after a long day of seeing the sights. Reia and I had taken on the Goldenrod City Underground, and even groomed our partners to make them look nice for the Gym battle. After that, we took a quiz at the Radio Tower in order to win a Radio Card, so now our P*DA's could double as radios.
"OK, Luna," I said. "I'm gonna have to ask that you stay out of this one."
"What?!" Luna cried, looking up at me with a surprised look on her face. "But I always go with you!"
"I know, and this hurts me about as much as it hurts you," I said, kneeling down. "But Reia and I have a strategy, and since Fairy-types might be involved, you'll be at a serious disadvantage."
Luna looked down and nodded slowly.
"Hey," I said, trying to cheer her up. "That's not the Luna I know. You're gonna lead the next Gym battle, OK?"
Luna nodded and said, "You got it! I'll make you proud!"
I hugged her and said, "You already make me proud. I'm lucky to have a partner like you."
Just then, we heard a massive explosion ring out from inside the Gym. Reia and I opened the doors to see a massive side of beef slammed into the wall.
"No! Miltank!" a pink-haired girl shouted, who I assumed was Whitney. The description that one of the nerds in the Underground gave me was spot on. She had hot pink hair that was set in a slight bob, and hot-pink lipstick. She definitely had a set of hips on her, which I guess was to add to the whole cute look.
Anyway, I instantly felt rage well up inside me once I saw who did such a horrible thing to Whitney's Miltank.
"Wow, you're really strong," Whitney said in disbelief.
"Shut the fuck up and give me the Badge," Darius snapped. "I don't have time to deal with girly-girls."
Whitney was dumb-struck. She handed him the Badge, and Darius stormed towards the door while Whitney looked like she was about to cry.
"Hey, what the hell's your problem, dude?!" I said, standing in front of him.
"Get out of my way before I beat the living shit out of you," Darius said aggressively.
I pulled up my sleeves and balled my fists. But Reia grabbed my arm and said, "Roku! Save it for later! He's not worth it!"
"Yeah, Roku, you'd better listen to your girlfriend," Darius sneered.
Reia wasn't quite strong enough to hold me back. After I landed a sharp right cross to Darius' face, it not only took her, but Zuki, Calem, and Luna to stop me from beating the crap out of him. Darius stood up and wiped the blood off of his lip, and he shoved past me, heading to the Pokémon Center.
"I swear, that guy's gonna get his ass kicked one of these days," I said, shaking loose from the grip my friends had on me. "And I hope it's me who gives it to him."
"Roku, rage never solved anything," Zuki said, trying to calm me down. "You will get your chance, but now's not the time."
I nodded and felt the rage leave my body, being replaced by pure energy.
I was all fired up for the next Gym battle.
Author's Note: I'm gonna carry the Gym Battle into the next chapter. Gotta give Whitney time to recover from a devastating loss.
This chapter, as well as the rivals from the first two Pokémon generations, makes me wish that Game Freak would bring back the whole "dickhead rival" bit. I loved the way the rivals treated your character in the first games, 'cause it made the taste of victory even sweeter once you kicked their ass. We want more haters!
Anyway, that's it for this installment. Strato Abyss signing out.
P.S.: Mega Rayquaza confirmed! Now I REALLY want Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire! I happen to have a legit shiny Rayquaza, and I can't wait to see how badass it's gonna look. Mega Rayquaza for the win!
