There will be a fair amount of information in this chapter, but as was said at the beginning, the given backstory is quite relevant for the rest of the story moving forwards.
To those of you who have read this far, I appreciate it tons, and I hope that I can continue to provide you with a quality story
With that all said, enjoy!
Sometime later, Sergei slowed the boat down. I was facing the back of the boat, on a red leather couch warmed from the sun. I was admiring the waves, and found myself so excited about having Poke Balls that I wondered if a Pokemon would hop out of the water to join my team at that moment. After the change in speed, I turned to face Sergei. He was adjusting the controls on the boat, which was causing a noticeable difference in the feeling of the speedboat as we glided through the water.
"We've bypassed the dangerous waters around the island, which have caused a plethora of crashes in the area. Now it should be about an hour before we hit Gateon Port, which as you know is straight ahead." Sergei said.
After switching the boat to what I assumed to be autopilot, he turned around in his swivelling seat to face me. He reclined his seat back, relaxing just like his boat was. He scratched his beard a bit, and spoke, still looking up at the clear sky.
"I'm guessing that sleep did not come easy to you last night," Sergei said. "That has a way of happening to those starting their adventures. It will likely continue for awhile. Correct me if I'm wrong, chuvak."
I seriously debated if I wanted to tell him about the previous night for a moment. However, I realized that perhaps his experiences with Cipher could help me figure out who this person was.
"Well..." I began. "It was certainly quite a night."
Sergei immediately sat back up straight, putting his elbows on his knees and intertwining his fingers.
"That sounds like a story worth telling, ah?" he remarked, his icy eyes trained on me.
"You could say that," I replied. "Well, here goes…"
I recounted to Sergei everything that I could remember, from the Noivern flying past my house to the moment that the sonic blast knocked me unconscious. Upon reflection, I noted my own unusual actions in response to the whole scenario, but I made sure to be as candid with Sergei as I could be, up to the point when the Boomburst knocked me out. Sergei was focused on me throughout, and after identifying that I had finished, he raised an eyebrow.
"Remind me again, Hakins." he said, pushing his hair away from his eyes. "What did you say this Peon's name was?"
"I don't think he gave me an actual name," I replied. "But he said it was Zero."
"Did he now?" Sergei asked, muttering more to himself than talking to me. His answer peaked my interest.
"Does that name ring a bell, Sergei?" I asked, leaning forwards in the comfortable red chair.
Sergei was still for a moment, clearly straining to remember the name Zero. Eventually, he sighed.
"The name is…familiar to me, chuvak," he said, his gaze fixed on the floor of the speedboat. "However, I do not want to give you the wrong answer. I think I know someone who could tell you, though."
He turned back to his dashboard and clicked another button, revealing a holographic computer terminal to his right. He typed quite fast, appearing to look through an entire database with impressive speed. Eventually, the screen showed a location out in the desert, in what seemed like the remnants of an old train.
"This is where we will likely find more information about your "Zero" character." Sergei said, changing the image to show a chart of activities.
"My friends are creatures of habit, and stick to a very tight schedule. We will only have this time period to meet up with them. They will be at this location in about four days time." Sergei smiled. "And thanks to a strange encounter, you adventure has a new flare to it, ah?"
I smiled back, my respect for this burly man continuing to grow. Sergei's expression hardened a bit, which seemed to indicate that he had reached a less than jovial conclusion about something. He wiped a bit of seawater from his eyes.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I am hoping it is nothing, chuvak." Sergei replied. "You are not on a trip to mess with these Cipher people. My job here is not just to be the life of this merry band that we will soon have, but also to make sure that you get there and back safely. More adversaries has a way of complicating that."
Silence followed for awhile, as I enjoyed the hum of the boat and the feeling of the wind in my hair. I was enjoying Sergei's company enough to want to continue the conversation.
"So, red leather, huh?"
Sergei turned off the terminal, and was adjusting his navigational computer. I was almost certain he ignored that question when he snickered to himself.
"We all need little things to pamper ourselves, ah?" he replied, facing away from me but clearly amused. He continued.
"When the hot sun threatens to weigh down the weary workers of Orre," Sergei began, now turning to face me from the pilot seat. "We must push despite it! And through our work and effort, we find time to reward ourselves. Almost fifteen years of freelance scavenging to afford this stallion. So the next time you think about something you want, you'd better be willing to work for it, chuvak!"
Sergei suddenly stood up, arms at his hips. He gave me a smile.
"That is what I love about this region. It is brutal, yes. It is crawling with lowlives, yes. And it is very very hot, yes. But Orre has always given me back an equal amount to what I put into it with my own hands. I can't really say the same about anywhere else I've been."
His lecture had distracted me to such a degree that I failed to notice the yellow fin poking out of the water, moving on pace with the speedboat from directly behind. As I sat admiring his wisdom, the creature jumped out of the water, sending mirrored droplets like a lens flare into the sky. Hearing it, I spun around and yelped in surprise, falling backwards on the boat. The Pokemon fell onto the fine sofa, wringing about wildly.
An odd feeling of excitement came over me. I can catch this! I thought to myself, grabbing my bag and getting to my feet.
The boat was still moving at a decent speed, but I managed to stay balanced and retrieve a Poke Ball from my bag. Taking a deep breath to stem the excitement that was yelling for me to move, I took aim at the Pokemon. This was as good an opportunity as any. I counted to three in my head.
One.
The Pokemon began to tear aggressively at the red cushioning, sending material flying off the boat and into the deep ocean.
Two.
I envisioned how I could train this water Pokemon, and how I would grow close with this seemingly hateful creature.
Right as I got to three, and the ball was about to leave my hands, the hulking figure of Sergei came barreling into view. Sergei grunted with effort as he tackled the Pokemon, which was large enough to where a bear hug was the only way to lock the creature in. The whole scene had me frozen with fear.
"You pesky Carvanha!" Sergei shouted, equally passionate, but feeling quite the opposite as seconds ago. "Coming onto my boat? Back into the ocean with you, you pest!"
Sergei somehow found a free arm while gripping Carvanha, whose skin was cutting Sergei everywhere as it thrashed. He used this freedom to repeatedly pound the brutal Pokemon so hard that it did eventually slow down a bit. Landing a few more blows, Sergei spoke, still grappling the Pokemon.
"It's ok, Hakins. We'll just put this guy back into the ocean, so he can go bully some other unlucky sailors, ah?" He tried to laugh, but it came out as grunts as the brutal Pokemon continued to fight hard against him.
Sergei shifted towards the back of the boat, preparing to put Carvanha back into the water. He gave it a couple more punches, his knuckles being cut open on its Rough Skin. Even then, the wild Pokemon was not finished fighting. Aiming for the arm holding it back from causing more carnage, Carvanha bit down with incredible force, which could only have come from a Crunch. Sergei shouted out, kicking the Pokemon on reflex. By some miracle, the spherical Pokemon bounced off of the sofa and into the water, but not before inflicting one final gash into the leather seating. Sergei let out a battle cry, his ripped arms in full flex. His fight with nature was over, and he had won.
I finally snapped out of the trance that held me still. I immediately rushed over to Sergei, who was bleeding profusely. Given that his attire completely exposed his arms, he had a nasty gash from the main bite, along with a host of smaller cuts that were bleeding. I scrambled to grab something from my bag, but Sergei looked at me and shook his head. He looked longfully at his once pristine couch, now mostly torn down to the fibers. Something in his head snapped him back, though, and he took a deep breath. Upon exhaling, he plunged his arms into the saltwater, cringing under the clear pain. He looked at me.
"Nothing that the salt can't fix." he said, the words clearly hard for him to articulate.
"I'm sorry Sergei," I replied, guilt choking my words. "I should've been there to help. To make sure that you didn't get more hurt, I-"
"This leather was so expensive..." he interrupted, bringing his arms back up from the salt to run his hands, which were borderlining raw, over the torn fabric.
His eyes were laced with grief. The reaction was startling, so much so that the regret that had tensed my body released in seconds. By the way his attention had shifted to the damage, I concluded that he was going to be alright. My gaze drifted beyond the torn couch, and to the damaged guard railing on the back.
So much for all the eggs in a few baskets, I thought.
Another scary conclusion suddenly occurred to me, and I started looking around the boat. Given that there was only water around us for miles, I couldn't tell whether the commotion had thrown us off course or not.
"Sergei, do you think we were turned around by all the movement?" I asked, not expecting to already been presented with so much this early on in my journey.
Sergei scratched his beard, fishing out pieces of the Carvanha's sharp fin from its folds. Throwing them back into the ocean, he shook his head.
"While we did have quite a scuffle, chuvak, this is quite a piece of machinery, and if the auto pilot worked correctly, we would've adjusted our course automatically. However, if something did go awry, the processor for navigation is in the back of the boat here. We'll know once we give it a look over. Give me a moment…"
Sergei began to get to his feet. Given the ordeal that he had just gone through, I was shocked to see him so visibly unwavered. I'd watched Carvanha's Rough Skin send Pokemon packing in battle. I watched as Sergei lumbered over to the back of the boat. He reached to open the panel, but something got his attention first.
"What's this?" he asked aloud, running his hand along the body of the boat to the right of the panel.
Curious I walked over to him, careful to grab onto things as I did so. The boat was still moving at a decently high speed. Upon getting to him, I saw what he was looking at. The back of his once pristine boat was now marred by scratches left in the paint.
"Sheesh." was all I could think to say in the moment.
Sergei sighed.
"Nothing can be done moping about it now. We'll just have to keep going. Boat looks more like me now too, ah?"
He let out a deep laugh. I laughed as well, and then choked on my laughter as Sergei dropped onto the ground, grimacing.
"Sergei, are you alright?!" I shouted.
Suddenly realizing that we could very well crash the boat, I looked from him to the control panels, panicking as I tried to figure out what to do.
"That thing's on auto pilot, right?" I shouted, rushing over to him.
"Yes, and after checking the navigational processor, I can say that the course is correct as well." Sergei replied, voice straining as he pushed hard to get into a sitting position. "Now, there is some gauze and disinfectant in the storage compartment in my captain's chair. Be a good Comrade and grab it, would you?"
Using the railing as balance, I got to the chair and pulled it up, grabbing the medical gauze bouncing loosely around the inside. I passed it to Sergei, and he gave me a nod.
"You have my thanks. I can do the rest from here."
He gestured towards the seat that I was sitting in.
"You deserve a little rest, too. We'll be at Gateon Port soon."
"I'm certainly not the one who needs the rest, but I don't mind sitting." I replied, taking my seat.
The situation had become so strange that no reaction to it would make sense, so I just returned to the other swivelling seat next to the captain's chair, fishing out my PDA from my bag on the right. I turned on the digital storage, and sent 4 of my Poke Balls there, to keep them safe.
As Sergei worked to properly take care of his new wounds, I began to wonder how this whole situation would look to Dustin. I'm sure he'll find this situation as ridiculous as I do, I thought, a small grin on my face.
My attention finally turned to my clothes, however, and my upbeat attitude was dampened. I scolded myself for making the "aesthetic" decision; my T-shirt was now soaked, and my water resistant shorts were the only thing that saved my phone. I sighed, zipping up my brown jacket, and opened up the contacts section on the PDA. Seeing Salvator and my parents were already contacts was a surprise, and yet another reminder of how thoroughly Salvator seemed to plan for this. As I began to ponder the implications of that, Sergei appeared in my peripheral, putting his now-wrapped arms over the top of my seat. I turned to him, and noted the calm in his eyes.
"Don't worry about the clothes, Hakins. Where we're going, you'll wish they could stay wet forever." Sergei said, chuckling.
The man mountain took his seat as well, which was still turned to face mine.
"You sure you're going to be alright?" I asked again. "Carvanha are some of the meanest Pokemon out there, if what the sailors around Citadark say is true."
Sergei nodded, his continued calm presence reassuring me once more.
"Once you spend enough time alongside Pokemon, chuvak, you begin to get a sort of...eh...understanding about them. Sure, you know what moves they use, how to evolve them, but you also come to understand how they're feeling. For instance-"
Sergei cut himself off by locating another sharp piece of Carvahna's fin in his shoulder, letting out a grunt as he pulled it out with his right hand. He inspected it briefly.
"I know that the Carvanha was scared, because it wasn't biting quite as hard as it could've. I also know that it was young, because only the younger ones can have pieces of their fins break off, due to the sharper ends still developing enough solid cartilage to be sturdy."
Sergei tossed the fin piece back into the water.
"If you're right, that's incredible that you know that stuff." I replied.
"You will come to understand such things in time, chuvak." the man mountain said. "You just have to spend enough time with Pokemon to get a better feel. Being around others with experience helps to fill in the gaps as well."
"Yeah, that makes sense." I replied, pulling out my PDA and sending four of my Poke Balls to storage. In lieu of everything that had just happened, it seemed like they were an easy thing to lose.
Sergei reached into one of his many pockets, pulling out a cigar and lighter. In a few quick motions, it was lit, and any tension that had been in his body before relaxed. His eyes were trained on the horizon ahead, the sun now beginning its ascent up the sky. With it, I could feel another hot day coming along. Feeling like Sergei was open enough to answer another question, I decided to ask something that I had been wondering about.
"How long have you and Salvator known each other?" I asked, glad that all the smoke from the cigar was blowing away in the wind.
"Hmm, well it has been...eh..."
Sergei took a thoughtful puff of his cigar before bringing it out of his mouth, and to rest on the edge of his lap.
"Well over ten years now; my goodness, how time has flown!"
He chuckled, small puffs of smoke coming out of his nose as he did.
"When I first met Salvator, I was in a bit of a situation. So much so that I had to rely on him even though I didn't like him. Arrogant, analytical, and very very fastidious. But as if fate put us in a position to meet, I came to respect him tremendously. He may not have been the friend that I wanted, but he was certainly the Comrade that I needed."
I listened intently, making sure to understand over the moderate buzz of the boat's engine and the sound of my jacket snapping in the wind.
"Were you and Salvator really involved in the First Shadow Incident?" I posed, having trouble picturing the unlikely duo in my head.
"Yes we were. Cipher was not acknothewledged to be a serious threat during the majority of the First Shadow Incident. They were organizing large swaths of people in the criminal underworld, but had no real army to speak of. Plus, criminals and outlaws had little problem with the modified and angry Shadow Pokemon; money in their pockets was also a strong deterrent from revolt, ah? Because there was so much mystique around them back then, nobody really had the balls to call them out. Most people just disappeared after that."
Therefore, almost 100 Shadow Pokemon were successfully produced at their peak. Mind you, closing the door to a Pokemon's heart, while poetic sounding, was an incredibly labor intensive process. You know that term means, right, chuvak?"
I shook my head. While I felt I could assume, there was a lot of mystery around how normal Wild Pokemon could become such menacing weapons of destruction.
"The term itself can be rather deceiving, so let me make it easier to understand." Sergei continued. "When I say "close the door to a Pokemon's heart", it was a poetic way of describing the process of morphing the emotional centers of a Pokemon's brain, bringing out any and all anger and rage. Cipher would then add parameters to make them non-agressive towards their trainers, but that element had mixed results; there were many reports of Shadow Pokemon seriously injuring their own Trainers."
My eyes were wide.
"How could anybody do something so awful and get away with it for so long?" I asked, more to myself in disbelief than to Sergei.
Sergei sighed, using the opportunity to take another puff out of his cigar.
"Orre is not like any of its neighboring regions. Most people here only care about themselves or what will benefit them. However, it makes sense, when you think about it. Orre is one of the poorest regions I have ever seen, and it is clear when you think about it enough. There's a reason why we don't have Gyms and a Pokemon League here, Hakins. Quite simply, there aren't enough people with the money to just go travelling all across Orre. Those who do have the money just go to other regions like Hoenn and Galar, which are traditionally far safer."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Sergei gave me a smile, shaking his head.
"I was going to tell you about my involvement in the incident, though. Before I go back to that, I'm going to point out that things are changing here. So much so that you and I are bound for the mainland, and you're going to get your first Pokemon out there. I've always loved this region, so I was more than happy to go to Citadark to help you hopefully discover for yourself how special Orre is."
"Go on." I said, absorbed in Sergei's charismatic storytelling.
"Yes yes. First Shadow Incident." Sergei cleared his throat. "Like I said, Cipher was a terrifying entity that seemed to hold all the power. Most people just accepted that they'd have to play by their rules. But one young man working for a sect under Cipher, called Team Snagem, had a different idea in mind. Team Snagem, per their name, had designed a piece of technology called the Snag Machine, which enabled the user to steal other Pokemon from Trainers in battle. The young man, whose name was said to be Wes, had some kind of moral epiphany. I do not know when this happened, but it led to him stealing the Snag Machine. Instead of using the one-of-a-kind machine to better himself, he used it to steal and save all of the Shadow Pokemon that Cipher had created. His campaign lasted months, and during that time it was revealed to the public just how horrible the process of creating Shadow Pokemon was. While most thugs on Cipher's payroll continued to fight Wes, I was not so keen, and began to try and help this mysterious hero by waging my own small fights, Salvator at my side. Soon, a small amount of other outlaws joined us as well."
Sergei began gesturing dramatically.
"My team and I took out dozens of goons, with Salvator coordinating crippling assaults on Cipher's supply lines. Eventually, news came out that even the mysterious head of Cipher fell to Wes in battle, and so the day was won. But while most of the people we had fought alongside returned to their work, Salvator and I knew that there was more that could be done. That is why we plunged into the depths of the Under, a subterranean city of criminal activity, and, met with fierce resistance, finished off what was left. We also acquired a manifest on the Shadow Pokemon production, which was used by the Pokemon Laboratory's scientists to say with certainty that we had saved every Pokemon affected by Cipher."
It was a lot to take in, and I knew that the Second Shadow Incident was another animal by comparison to the first one. Sergei leaned back in the captain's chair, his icy blue eyes shining in the rising sun.
"But yes, I have known Salvator a very long time. We might not always agree on everything, but we both know that we wouldn't have gotten anywhere near as far without each other."
I sat still in my seat for a moment, trying to imagine what fighting criminals and Peons like Sergei and Salvator had would've been like. I shivered when I thought about all of the Shadow Pokemon that they likely had to encounter.
Sergei turned back around in the captain's chair, turning off auto pilot and taking control of the helm. I took the time to check if anything else needed to be stored in the PDA, my eyes lighting up as I viewed the items currently in Cyberspace.
In addition to the Poke Balls I had just put in, it seemed like Salvator had put a couple of other goodies inside. One Revive, some kind of Berry, and a gem of some kind. Upon pulling it from Cyberspace, I was surprised to see that it was an emerald, with a note attached by a string around the jewel.
You never know when you might need to strike a deal out in the wasteland
- Salvator
I placed the gem back into cyberspace, seriously hoping that I wouldn't have to use it anytime soon.
"Why are you playing with a PDA at a time like this?" Sergei said, a smile apparent on his face. "Take a look ahead of you, Hakins."
I turned off the holographic screen, and behind it lay a landmass in the far distance. A lighthouse, a marble column dominating the skyline, marked the gateway. To its left, a metal crab stared blankly into city streets too far away to see. A shorter distance ahead, boats large and small dotted the water. The seaweed and other products taken from these waters would be shipped all over Orre. Even on the boat, I could smell the brine and salt exuding from the city. Gateon Port was in view.
I stood up from my seat and stepped behind it, using the back of it to balance on the boat. I turned to Sergei.
"Hey, Sergei?" I started. He turned to me, and tapped on the speed adjuster. I nodded, and with a hearty laugh, he upped the speed.
"Off we go!" Sergei's laughter slowly dissipated as the sound of the engine began to cry, and then roar. We picked up speed, and I clutched the chair with my left arm, putting the PDA in my pocket with the right. Suddenly, my backpack, no longer being held by anything, flew out from its spot in front of the red seat. In a moment of blind reflex, I rotated my entire body to the right, grabbing its straps in midair. I put the straps over my shoulders, and let loose a holler as we sped towards Gateon Port, with the Traveller's Oasis beyond…