Afternoon. The second workout pass. Turn the PokéNav on. Turn up the volume. Mental note: Stretch more. Chest hurts like hell, but whatever.
Lie down. Grab the handle. BENCH ONE. BENCH TWO.
Bo-ba-beep! Ignored. BENCH THREE. B-BENCH FOUR.
Bo-ba-beep!
Who the… Five. Six. Seven. Eeeeeeight. Niiiiiine. TEEEEEEEEN!
Bo-ba-beep!
Who the… Eleven… Who the… Twelve…
Bo-ba-beep!
"Who the FUCK keeps calling me goddamn it?!" Brendan roared as he let go of the bench press, the weight getting caught by the safety and falling back into a prone position. He muted the music player on his PokéNav and scrolled through his messages. They were all from Blue.
Bro the news
Important! No BS
Life or death!
The last message made Brendan furrow his brow. Blue was a funny guy but he didn't screw around when it came to serious shit. Either someone was dead or they were imposing new restrictions on Pokémon Training. He couldn't tell yet; this old PokéNav wasn't a Pokémon Watch or anything, he couldn't get the news on it aside from the radio which he hadn't properly set up yet, except for the 24/7 Training Music channel which went off the air sometime last year and was replaced with Pokéwood Variety Hour and some crap starring some former Team Flare jerkoff that he didn't care about.
Bo-ba-beep!
Are you getting my messages?
"Yes, you asshole!" Brendan said out loud before looking at his Pokémon and motioned towards the exit, "C'mon, Torana. Something's up."
Torana perked up and eagerly placed the dumbbells down on the ground. This was the least favorite part of her training regime; ever since birth her arms had been underdeveloped. Marked down as a cripple with low potential, the still innocent Brendan had chosen Torana by accident during an emergency, but the two bonded and had stuck together ever since. In an attempt to iron out her weaknesses he had forced her to train her feeble arms for decades now.
Brendan smiled to himself. Even though she had hated him for it, her upper body strength was now well above average for a Blaziken. Another job well done. The two of them left the gym and walked into the lounge where Brendan turned on the TV.
-e speak, and there is no telling how things will proceed.
Large, red letters flashed across the screen. EVACUATION ORDER: Saffron City, Vermillion City, Cerulean City. The first thing Brendan thought of was the lack of Celadon City's mention, probably being left out due to still being under Pokémon occupation. While that "national issue" was something he personally could resolve in a week or so, a city run by Pokémon interested him far more than another generic human settlement. Kanto was comprised almost entirely of cities and roads; they could do with a bit of wilderness in their lives like the bountiful aquatic stretches of Hoenn.
As horrific images of carnage and chaos flashed on the screen even Brendan felt a pang of gratefulness that he was quite snug and safe a full continent away from whatever was going on. And then his face went white as a sheet. He had just noticed the title of the broadcast, which was "Groudon re-emerges! Saffron City destroyed!"
Groudon.
Paradoxical to where he was now, Brendan remembers a different time in his life. A time of adventure and exploration. Unsated with conquering his home, he had set out to another city. Unsated with conquering his island, he had set out across the sea. Soon every person in Hoenn knew the name "Brendan", and every Pokémon trainer he had met also knew the taste of defeat.
But he was still not satisfied. There were still more secrets to uncover. More Pokémon to catch and train. The frustrating waters of Hoenn proved to be his greatest asset as he would regularly venture where no other trainer had dared to go before; deep beneath the ocean's surface. Many rare and mysterious species existed underwater, and even more mysterious caverns with warning signs prompting foolish divers to stay away or meet an untimely demise. It was the sort of challenge he relished the most. Sometimes he found interesting artifacts in these underground caverns. Sometimes nothing but a dead end and the remnants of foolhardy explorers with more bark than bite. And one time…
"Good work, Mudpert!" May exclaimed cheerfully as the water of the submerged passageway had now found its way into the amphibian's guts. Brendan laughed, failing not to get caught up in May's optimistic disposition. It was kind of hard to see with nothing but her Ludicolo's lingering flash providing light, but he imagined her smile as bright as always.
"C'mon! He's just ahead!" he replied excitedly, though moving at a snail's pace compared to his lithe female counterpart. He had officially defeated her 77 times out of 86, yet as far as the news outlets were concerned she was his equal. For once he didn't mind. May's accomplishments rivalled his own in almost every way so the praise was hardly unwarranted. "The miracles of Hoenn" they were called, recreating the legend of Red all over again. But more importantly, she had been with him ever since he first moved into Littleroot Town and saved his bacon more than once. While his dad was busy at the gym and mom was still at home, he could always count on good ol' reliable May to help him out in a pinch.
Rubble blocked their path. Particularly heavy-looking rocks, to boot. A small passage existed, much too small for him but perhaps not too small for the Gorebyss he had sent in to scout out the area.
"Looks like it's my turn! Torana, I choose you!" Brendan said confidently as he withdrew the ball from the trusty #1 slot on his backpack and brought the mighty Blaziken into the world.
"Blaz!" Torana uttered while flexing her arms, anticipating her master's command.
"Clear away that rubble!" he shouted before lowering his voice, "But be careful, we're underwater. If the wall cracks…"
"… Mudpert will save us, won't he?" May suddenly jumped in as she snuggled up to the large Swampert who purred in response, "Yes you will! Yes you will."
Brendan felt like vomiting as the atmosphere turn sickly sweet. He never liked May's Swampert. Being known as somewhat strict in his training regime, to Brendan the bloated and pasty water-type was like unmolded dough and could hardly even be recognized as a high tier fighter anymore. Despite having even more potential than Torana, Mudpert had been spoiled rotten by May and even kept losing to his Blaziken regardless of his type advantage. If it had been him who picked the Mudkip instead of her…
As Torana meticulously removed the stones blocking their path, May rummaged through her backpack and held out something in front of Brendan.
"Jelly donut?" she asked jokingly, clearly offering him onigiri with a plum in the middle.
"Nah. Not hungry," Brendan replied coolly, not wanting to admit the fact that he was too nervous to eat. After all, he saved Hoenn from Team Magma's ambitions. He had beaten the elite four. To any outsider, it would seem that a man like him had seen and done anything worthwhile. However, his collection still lacked something all god-like trainers possessed; a legendary to call his own. In his fateful battle against Groudon he had opted to knock the damn thing out as quickly as possible to stop it from killing all life. It wasn't really the right opportunity to start chucking balls. Besides, he only brought a few Ultra Balls, not expecting such a rare opportunity. But as fate would have it, after months of searching one of his scouting Pokémon had finally re-located the legendary, hidden inside a cave deep underwater. That very same cave he was now finding himself in.
"Look! Look look look!" May interrupted his thoughts as she pointed towards the now cleared-out passageway, a strange glow coming from behind the last piece of stone. A sleek, yellow and pink head peered out from behind it, looking drowsy and bothered. At the sight of the two humans and three Pokémon however, it quickly darted away.
"A Milotic! Quick, let me have an Ultra Ball!" May shouted in disbelief as she eagerly looked at Brendan and what he had brought with him all this way.
"You didn't bring your own!?" Brendan replied with surprise, feeling a little bad as he leaned up against his truly gigantic backpack, "Too bad. I'm using these for bigger prey than some bulky water-type."
"Pleeease? Your backpack is overflowing with Ultra Balls!" May begged while putting her hands together, "You wouldn't miss one… Or three. Wait, how many did you bring?"
"Hehehe… Ninety nine," Brendan snickered, his trusty backpack once more proving its worth, "Only had two the last time, which I why I couldn't get him. I'm not making that mistake again! Better safe than sorry!"
"I'm the sorry one!" May complained as she looked down the passage, where she noticed Torana staring at her with a dumbfounded expression as the Milotic was long gone. With a huff, she began snarfing down on a rice doughnut and the five continued on their way through the cave.
Steam in the air. Not hot enough to scald, but definitively irritating their eyes. Ludicolo and Swampert seemed OK with it, but Torana was faltering from the vapor draining her energy and was called back. The Milotic came back, but this time it was slithering towards them. Slithering beyond them. Swampert made an effort to hold down the rarity for his master, but the nimble snake was too fast for him. May claimed that he did his best and gave him a kiss for his efforts.
Things were really heating up. A bubbling noise. A hissing noise. Neither louder than the drumming of Brendan's own pulse. The once tight passage had turned quite gigantic, like something very large had come through. This was it. He could feel it. So much steam and sweat the only thing telling him he wasn't underwater was the fact that he could breathe. Though just barely.
"Ludicolo! Flash!" May said before giving off a notable groan, "We should turn back." Having been a Pokémon trainer since age 10 she was no stranger to harsh conditions, but the heat was really doing a number on her Ludicolo's endurance. The duration of his flashes was becoming shorter and shorter, adding to the darkness and oppressive nature of the large passage.
"This isn't normal," Brendan spoke up, "This much steam underground…"
"Hehe… If it was gas, we'd be dead now, huh…?" May continued while wiping her forehead. Her words seemed to be ignored, but Brendan contemplated this for a moment. He had not considered it; in truth all his scout could tell him was that Groudon was here. What with his scout being a Pokémon and all he wasn't even sure if that was really the case.
"Don't bring out Torana," May warned him with exasperation, "I don't want to know what happens if we start a fire here. Ludicolo, flash!"
The silly grass-type grit his beak and shone brightly once more, and finally they could see it. A large pool of water. And in the middle of it…
Reporter Kinsey here, live at the scene of battle and what a battle! Pokémon and people giving their all to bring down this colossus! Several trainers have already made contact and verified that Master Balls do, in fact, not work! The Pokémon of Celadon City are here and they're organized into squads!
I am being told to move aside to give the people a better view of the behemoth! There it is, I'm not sure if you can see it through the cloud of dust however! But I have complete faith that our cameraman is doing what he can!
Brendan looked at the footage on the TV. He remembered all too well. In the middle of that lake, a large creature. Obscured by the steam. Red, and black, and covered in tough scales. His soon-to-be legendary.
"Long time no see," Brendan said as he set down his bag and picked up an Ultra Ball in each hand, "Let's do this."
"Ludicolo! Hydro Pump!" May shouted from beside him, and the silly grass-type pressed his head together, a large beam of water jettisoning out of his mouth. Brendan stood ready as the beam struck, desperately hoping that the overwhelming attack wasn't enough to knock out the legendary in one hit. He was not about to miss another chance to capturing this Pokémon, or he'd never be able to call himself a trainer again.
The figure did not react. Wondering if they were mistaking a red and black piece of sedimentary for a Pokémon, Brendan did notice a third color had appeared on their target.
Yellow.
The color of Groudon's eyes.
But the size of Groudon's head.
Groudon's head.
Groudon's HEAD?!
And a voice. Something old echoing through the cave. Something ancient resounding in his heart.
Don't leave!
"May-" Brendan started, and then everything happened all at once. The cavern was undone in an instant, an earthquake-like tremor sending cracks throughout the floor as rocks fell from the ceiling. The two trainers were helpless as they fell hard on the ground, Ludicolo and Swampert hunching over to try and remain stable.
"Wh-What's going on!?" May yelled with shock apparent in her voice. Brendan could not respond, racking through his encyclopedic mind to try and figure out just what the hell they had come across. It can't be that big. NOTHING can be that big.
"Brendan, the water!" May screamed as she threw an onigiri at Brendan's face, finally snapping him out of it, just in time to see what had once been a lake turn into a wave crashing towards them. Sucking up all the vapor he could muster, he closed his eyes in fear and braced for impact. May kept hers open however, as her Swampert and Ludicolo rose to the challenge and tackled the wave, sending splashes of water flying in every direction except where the two humans lay.
A roar of triumph. May yelling. All these things were but a haze in Brendan's memory.
All he remembers was the wet crack. Like an apple being crushed against the pavement. Krickt.
Realizing the wave had been stopped, he opened his eyes to see what had happened. It was dark. All he could see was right in front of him, where there was a large rock. And underneath that rock was the Ludicolo's mangled body.
"Ludi- LUCDICOLO, RETURN!" May shouted as she pulled the Pokéball from her hip and fired a red beam to recall whatever was left of her Pokémon. The tremors and terror was taking its toll however, and despite the grass-type still faintly glowing with a residual Flash her aim wasn't even close.
"Rocks…!" Brendan uttered breathlessly staring up into the darkness. Rocks were falling EVERYWHERE. He couldn't even see them. Something slammed into him from the side, throwing him straight at May.
"ARGH!" he shouted as May yelped in surprise. Before either of them could react, they noticed the Swampert on his hind legs, towering above them with his arms outstretched.
"Mudpert…!" May exclaimed in utter horror, her Pokémon looking down at them with a sad expression as decently-sized rocks pelted him from above. Blood was running down his head as he shielded them. May felt her tears well up, and for the first time in his life, Brendan put his confidence in the dumpy water-type.
It was dark, but they saw it. And they most certainly felt it. A particularly large rock turned the Swampert's head into mush and crashed down right between the two trainers. May's legs were instantly obliterated as she screamed out in pain and Brendan was pelted with shrapnel, one particularly large finding its way into his right shoulder. There was no pain however, only panic. Brendan fell back from the impact site and began to crawl away, seeking safety in the darkness. Away from the dead Pokémon and May's wailing. Rocks everywhere. Death imminent. And with a thud to the back of his head, both found him.
Pressure. The pain returned and brought Brendan back to this world. It was quiet, but his ears were ringing. The air was moist, but his throat was dry. Too dry.
"Gah… Ah…" Brendan exclaimed before entering a terrible coughing fit, gobs of blood blocking the passage of air through his nostrils and esophagus. He hit his head against something hard.
"… Brendan?" a voice called out from the dark. Brendan spat out all he could and felt a twinge of relief in his heart.
"May…?" Brendan called back. He couldn't see a damn thing, but her voice was very close.
"… Please… Tell me… You can move…" May whispered weakly.
A second passed as Brendan examined himself. Rocks were pressing down on his body from every direction, heavy enough to where he probably couldn't move them even if he wasn't at death's door. Instinctively reaching for his backpack to summon a Pokémon, he realized he couldn't move his right arm.
"Ah! Damn it… Damn it! My arm's broken!" Brendan shouted with anguish, not realizing it was the shrapnel in his shoulder causing this disability.
"Just… Your arm…?" May wheezed helplessly with a hint of sardonicism. Brendan stopped and felt himself grow numb. Her legs had been right underneath the rock that killed Mudpert.
"M-May…? Are you… I can't see you, are you hurt?" Brendan stammered as he tried to move his body, not budging an inch.
"You could… Say that…" May continued with a weak voice. Brendan reached around in a panic, pulling his left arm free from the rocky tomb with some effort. Not his arm of choice, but it would have to do. He moved his torso up a bit to free his backpack and reached back with his left arm. There it was! His trusty backpack was still there, even after all this. He rummaged around a bit before realizing with disappointment that he couldn't tell the empty Ultra Balls apart from one of his 6 Pokémon by touch alone. Even worse, he couldn't reach very far into it from this position, and he always liked to keep his Pokémon on the right side for easy access.
"I can't get my Pokéballs!" Brendan admitted with annoyance as he was suddenly starting to regret having used a backpack, "May, your handbag! Summon a Pokémon and get us out of here!"
"… Which one…?" May replied quietly.
"ANYONE! Anything that can break us out of here!" Brendan yelled has he opened up the first Pokéball. It was empty.
"… What if the cave gets flooded… And we drown…?" May asked and fell quiet. Brendan had no answer to this. They were underground yet also underwater, with the endless depth of the ocean between them and fresh air. Nothing short of a miracle that they hadn't drowned yet. It also meant that their air supply was limited, and who knows how much had been used up while he was busy taking a nap?
"Teleport?" Brendan stated with fear welling up inside of him, "You have one that knows teleport?"
"Doesn't… Matter…" May explained slowly before coughing, "I tried getting one… But it hurts too much…"
"… C'mon! We'll die if we just lie here!" Brendan exclaimed in panic. He tried another ball – Empty again. Another problem was presenting itself, in that his room in this tiny pocket was so limited that he had no place to put the empty Ultra Balls after testing them except back into the backpack. And he had packed 99 of them. Why had he done something so foolish?!
A squeak of pain. A groan of determination. Something breaking. Something gushing.
"May?!" Brendan shouted out in horror.
"… I got one," May said.
"You got one!?" Brendan responded with excitement, "Open it!"
"… Where…?" May replied, sounding like she was about to lose consciousness.
"Anywhere! Hurry up, damn it!" Brendan urged her on, wondering what kind of state she was currently in. It didn't sound too good. A red light illuminated the cave for a moment followed by the telltale sound of a Pokémon leaving it's Pokéball. Brendan could hear rocks moving around, and then there was a short splat.
"May?" Brendan exclaimed. There was no response.
"May? May! What happened!?" Brendan shouted into the darkness. Everything was quiet. No May. No Pokémon. Did the Pokémon get crushed? Did she faint? Was it from shock or blood loss?
"Shit!" Brendan spat and pulled his left hand out of his backpack. With newfound determination, he tried to pull out a rock right in front him, intent on digging a path towards where her voice had come from. He wiggled it around a bit until it came loose, but it was quickly replaced by several more as a minor rockfall made his trek forward even less viable.
"Damn you!" Brendan yelled as he suddenly had an idea. He took out an Ultra Ball and pressed it hard against the rock. It sucked in the rock with a red light, granting Brendan more space to work with. Rock after rock, ball after ball, the more rocks slid in the more balls Brendan had to use to clear a path. Thank god he had brought 99 of them! Eventually a narrow passage was formed, and Brendan felt a hot liquid seeping through the passage. The strong iron-like taste told him it was blood.
"Hang on! I'm coming!" Brendan yelled as he picked up his pace. He had bandages in his backpack! Balls balls balls. Rocks rocks rocks. He felt something soft. It was cold, though not as cold as the cave which was a clear improvement.
"C'mon, you're tougher than this, May!" Brendan continued talking as he poked the pliable flesh before extracting another Ultra Ball, "I've got a plan to get us out of here, so just stay alive!"
In the red light he could finally see her, that fiery tank top looking as torn and dirty as that time they went to Sootopolis City together. A truly nostalgic sight in this subterranean hell, filling Brendan with a sense of hope. What a tale this would be to tell once they got out!
He hesitated for a moment. May's legs were probably not there anymore. Even if they got out, things would never be the same again. Would she blame him for bringing them here? Would she ever smile at him again? Brendan was overcome with sorrow and the tears were near-instantaneous.
"I got you, May," Brendan whispered as he identified the last rock in her way through his tears, "We'll make this right. I promise."
He withdrew the Ultra Ball from his pack and carefully pressed it against the large rock separating the two trainers. He braced himself for what was to come, but nothing could have fully prepared him as the rock vanished and a geyser of blood splashed his face. The red illumination showed him the insides of a human skull where the rock had been lodged, cracked open like an egg. Her mangled brains on display for all, her brunette hair stained with blood, May's partially popped out eyeball was the last thing Brendan saw as the vision vanished into the darkness again and the red light slowly faded away.
"Aahhh, AAAHHH!" Brendan screamed in horror while scrambling to get away, "AAAAAHHHHH NOOOOOOO!"
His hand jerked away and even in the pitch-black darkness, what he had seen never faded away. The warm blood ran down his face as he tried to move his right arm to wipe it off but it wouldn't move and all he got was a sharp pain in his shoulder.
"NOOOOOOO GO AWAY!" Brendan kept screaming, shoving his Ultra Ball into May's broken cranium
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Once more, we must urge people to stay as far away from Groudon as possible. The rescue teams are in place in Saffron City and even if you have loved ones present, know that the danger levels are still high as Groudon is behaving very unpredictably and cannot be captured.
Brendan stared at the TV screen. He noticed that he was shivering. It was all coming back to him, the memories that had been repressed for so long. Locked away in the dark underground, buried alive. Even though the passage of time quickly lost its meaning, it came to manifest itself in other ways. His earlier concerns about pain and the safety of May had long since been replaced by thirst and hunger. His stomach growled. It was empty. His pokeballs were empty. May's head was empty. Empty empty emtpty. The fact that he was not dead yet proved there was a crack somewhere leading to the rest of the cave, providing him with air. But as the cave was pitch black, it was impossible to locate. He had stopped trying to dig. He didn't want to see her again. But he didn't want to die. But he didn't want to see her again. But he didn't want to die.
If only his Pokéballs were in his jacket. If only he had a belt for his PokéBalls. Why did he not have a belt for his Pokeballs? He could have had a Pokéemon permanently outside its pokeball, why had he been so reckless all his life?
As he lay there, reviewing the events that had taken place, one thing became clear to him. One particular thought festered like a wound, thoughts spreading like an infection. Everything went to hell because of the weak Ludicolo and feeble Swampert. In the eye of a catastrophe, Pokémon are meant to protect their trainers. In the end, that's all that matters. Not how cute or friendly they are. The Ludicolo did not even survive one hit. All of this could have been avoided if May had not tried to recall that pathetic weakling, instead using the precious few seconds to summon someone stronger. A Pokémon so powerful it could have properly protected them from the rockfall and simultaneously trashed Groudon. May would've survived and he would've been a hero; not a corpse. Groudon would've been captured and as the owner of a legendary he would have gained endless fame. Instead he was going to die, buried beneath the ocean, all because their Pokémon were weak. All those years of lenient training had only brought up weak, useless Pokémon, and now they were both paying the price.
An eternity passed. The pain never went away, but the thirst and hunger is what was really starting to get to him. The worst was when a drop of water seeped into his confinement, going wasted as it fell down on his head. He immediately bent his head back and opened his mouth, praying to god for another one. Just one more drop and he could die in peace.
He could not stop thinking about the onigiri he had so pridefully rejected. Even as the stench of May's decomposing corpse filled his nostrils, his stomach would not stop purring at the thought of nursing rice, the sweet plum melting in his mouth and filling him with newfound strength. If only he had eaten it. If only he had stolen it from her, to save for a later time. Now it would simply rot together with their corpses.
The jaws of death closing in, he began to hallucinate. May would occasionally whisper something to him, and in his deluded state he did not realize it was only his mind playing tricks on him, tears flowing down his face while asking her to repeat what she said. At one point he thought the walls had crumbled and was filling the cave with water, giving one last struggle as the surface slowly went past his head and provided him with a watery grave. Even when he found himself alive, he was certain that he was dead. Hell could not be much worse than this, he figured.
His life played out before him. Saying goodbye to all his friends. Watching his dad on TV. Torana evolving into a Combusken. Groudon falling before him. Waking up the morning after being crowned champion. He cried as he remembered his life as it once was. Beating the unbeatable. Following the trail towards the next challenge, sleeping under the stars with naught but memories of loved ones keeping him company. May lying beside him. Now they were both here, crushed beneath mere rubble. When someone finds their whitened bones, will they know who they were? Will the memory of their exploits still exist? Or will they be remembered as fools who went diving in the wrong cave.
"What do they know…!?" Brendan shouted out desperately with his last ounce of strength, "May…! We came this far by challenging the world and winning…! No fear, never a regret, we pressed on until the bitter end…!
He reached out with his stringy left arm, feeling the wet and cold sensation across his fingertips as he caressed her brains.
"Even death, we… We face it with pride and dignity…!" Brendan continued through his tears and heavy breathing, "Those weaklings up above… They'll never see the likes of us again!"
Screaming out all his pain and anguish, Brendan finally collapsed as he sobbed quietly to himself. Resigned to die in peace and quiet.
There was a noise. Not that of elusive water dripping. Not that of his stomach crying. Not that of rocks grinding. Not that of waves lapping. But a noise. A voice.
"… Help…" Brendan whispered. He couldn't muster anymore. All his strength was gone.
There it was again! A voice! What was it? A Pokémon? Which one? Sounds like a cow. A cow, here? His senses were playing tricks on him.
"… I hear you…" Brendan whispered once more, "Please… Save me…"
The voice responded with a slurry of noise. Rejection. And then he heard it leaving.
"No… Don't go…" Brendan moaned weakly. The voice sounded, but further away this time. He… She… It… This thing was really going to leave him?
"Come back… You jerk…" Brendan groaned as he felt his stomach growling angrily. His head was spinning, why in the absolute hell would someone just leave him? After all he had gone through to survive this long?
"Asshole… ASSHOLE…" Brendan rumbled as an unspeakable rage overcame him and he screamed with fury, "GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, YOU MURDERER!"
It stopped. He felt it. Drool ran down his chin as he breathed heavily.
"Leaving me here to DIE!? That makes you A MURDERER!" Brendan continued, trembling from the adrenaline surge "Know what they do to MURDERERS? THEY KILL THEM!"
The voice responded. It sounded apologetic. Weak. Food.
"D'you even know who I am!? I'M THE GODDAMN CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!" Brendan bellowed while bashing his left fist against the wall, "I made Steven look like a little BITCH! You get me THE FUCK back to the surface before I catch and sell you as MASHED SEAFOOD!"
The voice sounded confused. Afraid.
"SEAFOOD, you RETARD! Pokémon never COOK! No NUTRITION! Brains SMALL!" Brendan rambled on, silently begging for this voice to not leave him here to die, "A mongoloid like you can't even COMPREHEND what I'll do if you ditch me!"
There was silence for a moment. Then a sound of doubt. Protest. Defiance.
"Oh, you don't think I can!? You want to test me!? I'm Brendaan, the maan with a plaan you son of a bitch!" Brendan kept going while trying to move with all his power, bashing his head against the backpack behind him in frustration, "I'll cut you cut you cut you every finger off, break your legs in nine places fit what's left in a matchbox fucking fuck better start digging your grave because soon you're DEAD! REVENGE! I WILL FUCK YOU!"
Moo…
"… Fuck… Me…? Did you just… Say…?" Brendan stammers, "No, FUCK! YOU! I'll force-feed you SPIKES and shake you around until you look like a CACTUS! I'll chop off your leg and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS! I. WILL. RAPE. YOU. DEAD."
Moo?!
"Fucking bullshit man, fuck this. Fuck me, fuck this cave. Fuck this ocean. Fuck Hoenn. Fuck Groudon. Fuck May too, useless bitch. Fuck her weak Pokémon. Fuck MY Pokémon. Fuck all Pokémon. Fuck all humans, fuck everyone and FUCK FUCKING ARCEUS, FUCKING WORTHLESS CUNT! But most of all, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
The wall of the cave broke down. Brendan was covered in something wet. His screaming forced him to inhale sharply, but there was only water. Then he passed out.
Death wasn't quite what Brendan had expected it to be. Sure, there was complete darkness. Being flung to and fro and constantly puking up thick, adhesive water is the part that caught him off guard. He was barely even aware of most of it and it wasn't until something a million times more annoying than water woke Brendan from what he assumed to be his last sleep. It crept into his every orifice as he got to his knees and coughed.
Sand. And light. And fresh air. For a moment Brendan was entirely stunned by this shift in locale, so flabbergasted that he barely even noticed the gigantic Pokémon behind him.
"Waaaaillll…" the Wailord moaned fearfully, causing Brendan to turn towards it. The giant whale had tears visible in the corner of its eyes. He recognized the cow-like noise as the voice he had chastised. He finally realized a thick coat of saliva covering him from head to toe, which was making all the sand of the beach stick to him.
"You saved me," Brendan stated bluntly, causing the enormous whale to visibly flinch. His many years as a Pokémon trainer did little to dampen the bizarre scenario where an enormous being which had just carried him inside its mouth was afraid of him and not the other way around.
Brendan looked around. No one else was there. He spotted his drenched backpack lying on the beach. Stumbling towards it, he reached down with his left hand and rummaged through its contents. But as he was trying to find his Pokémon, an idea struck him.
The Wailord gazed nervously at the scary man as he drew a yellow and black Pokéball from the pack. He then tossed it down on the sand, right in front of it. Although merely a somewhat colorful a slightly bigger grain of sand to the mighty Pokémon, this Wailord knew all too well what it was capable of.
"You. Get in the ball," Brendan said with a harsh tone. The Wailord's eyes shot open in surprise. That wasn't part of the deal! He hadn't even thrown the ball into the water; what was it supposed to do, walk up to it?
"Get. In the fucking. Ball," Brendan growled menacingly. The Wailord twitched as it sensed Brendan's ferocity. For a moment it considered ditching this delusional human and going back home, but thoughts of revenge and mashed seafood made it reconsider.
Mustering up its strength, the giant whale beached itself. With resignation it bopped its enormous head against the Ultra Ball, which opened up as Brendan stared in amazement.
"If you wobble…" Brendan muttered to himself as he went back to searching through his bag, "If I… See that ball… Move even once… I will literally… Enter your brain… And lobotomize you… With my teeth…"
Brendan looked back. The Ultra Ball blinked once, showing that the Pokémon inside had accepted him as its trainer. Something inside him clicked. And then something inside him growled. Falling flat on his roaring stomach, he tipped the bag over and finally saw it. Good ol' reliable #1. With barely any strength left, he pressed the side of the ball which opened up and revealed the large, fiery bird.
Torana, who had imagined herself being stuck on the ocean floor for all eternity by now, gazed bewildered at the surrounding scenery.
"Torana…" a voice came from below. Her heart stopped as she saw her master, face down into the sand, thin as a stick, barely clothed, blood everywhere, his arm twisted and covered from head to toe in sticky gob.
"Get help…" Brendan groaned as Torana crouched over to examine him closer, before looking at a building nearby and springing away.
"And be fucking fast about it."
As you can see, the entity riding Entei appears to be a slightly deformed Lucario.
Torana squeaked. It was a sound known by few, which usually informed Brendan that her limits had been reached. But this time it was different. They both stared at the TV.
"WHAT?!" Brendan screamed out loud. That fucking Lucario… Riding fucking Entei?! FIGHTING GROUDON?!"
Bo-ba-beep! Torana eagerly tugged the side of Brendan's shirt as he looked down at his phone.
U gonna do smthin?
"Torana! Prepare my number 3 backpack!" Brendan shouted out loud and he threw his shirt off, kicked his pants away and started running to his bedroom to get a proper change of clothes. On the way he texted a reply back to Blue, making extra sure not to misspell anything so the message would be clear and concise.
I'm there, fucker
His bedroom doors were open, his Gardevoir again sitting in HIS FUCKING CHAIR using HIS FUCKING COMPUTER
"Gaar, get off the fucking computer and GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Brendan bellowed as he opened his closet. His Pokémon sighed dejectedly and logged off, finally letting Brendan focus on which jacket to bring when he finally got his revenge for-
Bo-ba-beep!
Like actually there? If not just teleport to my old place in Pallet
Brendan stared at the message for a moment, worked out which of his Pokémon would have a fresh teleport ready for Pallet Town. Then it suddenly hit him.
"Wait, Gaar! Come back! I need you!"