After exiting the lab with Jovi, Michael was just about to run around back to grab his scooter from the shed when a voice called out, "Hey! Michael! Jovi! Where are you two off to?" The two turned and saw Aidan jogging toward them, holding few sheets of paper in one hand.
Once Aidan had reached them, Jovi replied, "Jovi is on an important trip to Gateon Port. Big brother is Jovi's assistant!"
"Not this again," Michael moaned; it was far too early in the morning to contend with this. Jovi was incredibly difficult to deal with when she was oblivious to all but her own whims. She would treat him like an assistant, no matter how it grated on his nerves and slowed them down.
Aidan blinked slowly, like he hadn't fully comprehended Jovi—understandably, really; he looked like he'd pulled an all-nighter (like the whole rest of the lab). "Huh? Michael is your assistant?!" He glanced between the annoyed Michael and the innocent Jovi confusedly. "Uh… you must be confident with such a good assistant, Jovi." Aidan shook his head to temporarily get rid of his fatigue and addressed Michael, his voice stronger and his gaze more focused. "…Anyways, Michael, could we ask you to hold on to that Snag Machine and use it?"
Michael blinked in shock. Of all the things Aidan could have said, this was something he definitely was not expecting. "Why me?" The Snag Machine would have been costly to build – all of the lab's projects were – and there was a distinct possibility it could be misused by someone. He wouldn't, but a great deal of the lab personnel didn't know him well enough to simply let him run around with it.
"Well, you're the best trainer in this Lab, plus you're the only one with experience actually using it. Why wouldn't we want you to have it?" Aidan questioned, causing Michael's jaw to drop open. Was he really being entrusted with such a powerful and expensive piece of equipment?
"Besides, there may be other Shadow Pokémon out there. If you spot one, you can rescue it from the criminals," Aidan continued, not noticing Michael's grimace at the prospect of stealing more Pokémon, Shadow or not. "I'll make approaches to the authorities and other people to have Pokéballs available for sale at shops. One more thing, Michael – I wanted to give these to you."
Aidan handed the papers to Michael, who glanced at them curiously. "What are these?"
"They're documents on Shadow Pokémon that Professor Krane and I complied. Please read them," Aidan said. "Now, I've got to get back to work on those Sets…" The lab aide jogged back into the lab, muttering complex equations to himself.
Michael skimmed though a couple of sheets—they were covered with writing and what looked like preliminary sketches of some sort of machine and the Aura Reader—and his gaze fell upon a depiction of the bar that the Aura Reader showed. He was immediately torn—take a few minutes to read the memos and understand more about Teddiursa's condition, or go immediately to Gateon Port and pick up the Machine Part?
Professor Krane really worked hard on this machine everyone's so pumped about, but his ultimate goal was to help the Shadow Pokémon… so… "Do you mind if I look through these?" Michael asked Jovi while waving the memos, making his decision of which he would do first.
"But Jovi and big brother have to get the machine part so Mommy and all the others can make Professor's machine work!" Jovi protested.
Michael winced. "I know we do; but if I read these memos now, I might be able to help Teddiursa sooner than if we went and got the machine part immediately."
"…Okay. But only if Jovi gets to play with Apollo!" she bargained, looking unhappy. Michael released the Pokémon from his Pokéball, and after a short explanation, the Eevee began running around with Jovi.
Michael sat of the steps in front of the Lab and scanned the top of the first page of the first memo. He noted that the date on the memo was nearly five years prior—around the time when the lab was first created.
"Krane Memo 1: Re: The Snag System – Shadow Pokémon are victims of criminals who have had their 'hearts closed' to be used for misdeeds. They must be taken from their malevolent masters and protected. The most effective means of taking such Pokémon from criminals is the Snag System developed by Cipher to steal Pokémon for their experiments. It is an unforgivable act among trainers to steal another trainer's Pokémon, but there is no other way to save Shadow Pokémon. The Snag System was originally designed to steal any Pokémon from trainers in the same manner as a wild Pokémon is caught. We must immediately develop a system that snags only Shadow Pokémon… and nothing else."
I guess that means that snagging Teddiursa without lowering its HP first was just an extremely lucky fluke, since Pokémon caught in the wild usually have to be weakened first, Michael mused. And I know that snagging is the only way to save Shadow Pokémon, but how do you justify stealing another trainer's Pokémon? No immediate answer came to him, so he flipped to the other memo.
The second memo was longer and dated more recently than the first.
"Krane Memo 2: Re: The Aura Reader – It is impossible for ordinary people to distinguish Shadow Pokémon from regular Pokémon based on appearance. In developing a new Snag System, our biggest challenge was devising some means of recognizing Shadow Pokémon immediately. We solved this challenge with a headset device that senses Shadow Pokémon. We named this headset the Aura Reader because of the purplish-black aura that appears around a Shadow Pokémon. After creating the initial Aura Reader, we discovered that the aura of Shadow Pokémon diminishes as their hearts begin to 'open'. We then developed a function on the Aura Reader that shows how 'closed' a Pokémon's heart is called the Shadow Meter or the Heart Gauge."
Michael scanned the two memos, but couldn't find anything more about returning Shadow Pokémon to their natural states – everything else in the memos was comprised of complex equations and diagrams. At least I know what that purple bar was on the Aura Reader, he thought, consoling himself that his detour had not been a waste of time. He folded the memos carefully and put them in his bag before calling, "Jovi! It's time to go!" Apollo scampered onto Michael's shoulders, eliciting a strange look from Jovi.
"When did Apollo start liking to sit on big brother's shoulders?"
"Yesterday," Michael deadpanned as he retrieved his scooter from the shed. "He seems to like it there."
As the trio approached Gateon on the scooter, the trees thinned and the air began to smell of sea salt and fish. As the trees disappeared altogether, Michael found himself seeing the low buildings of the port town and a deep blue strip across the horizon. Peering closer, Michael saw a small cluster of vehicles near the town in what looked to be a parking lot. As the scooter pulled in to the parking lot, the buildings blocked the view of the sea. After parking in a spot specially made for bikes, scooters, and motorcycles and 'locking' the scooter so that it couldn't be picked up by the wandering passerby, Michael, Jovi, and Apollo made their way to the official entrance of the city. Michael could see why most people chose to enter the city this way; there were no buildings obstructing the view of the sea or the rest of the city.
The sea itself was a beautiful cerulean color that reminded Michael of tropical beach resorts; farther out, the shade darkened to a deep blue. Multiple docks jutted into the water, but few boats were actually moored at them. The city's layout was slightly haphazard and unplanned, and residential houses were intermingled with the warehouses, restaurants, and stores. Some homes were actually built on slabs of concrete that jutted out of the water. A towering lighthouse was built atop one of the slabs, making it the tallest structure in the port. The structures on the water were connected to shore by oddly-shaped bridges that didn't always connect together, but Michael knew that they were supposed to rotate. The entire port was completed by a lively atmosphere, due to the many people wandering about. A lone Wingull cawed loudly, adding to the noise.
"Wow, big brother! Look, look! It's the sea! The sea! It's so big!" Jovi gasped, jumping up and down in excitement. Apollo shared her awe and was gazing out into the open waters, eyes wide.
"Vee vee eevee!" the Eevee cried before using his tail to swipe at Teddiursa's ball.
"You want me to let Teddiursa out?" Michael asked, glancing at his hyper sister and remembering Teddiursa's negative reaction to her. Then he looked out at the sea again. "You're right; Teddiursa should see this." He tossed the ball a fair distance from Jovi so he could recall Teddiursa if things got rough, but the instant the Shadow Pokémon was out of its ball, it had become enraptured by the ocean.
"Amazing, isn't it? Michael smiled, scratching behind Teddiursa's ears. The Shadow Pokémon looked so relaxed that Michael felt that it was safe to introduce it to Jovi. "Teddiursa, see that girl over there?" Teddiursa's attention turned, and he beheld Jovi still jumping up and down, still squealing excitedly about the sea, no matter that she'd seen it many times before. "She's my younger sister, the one that I thought you were going to attack. Do you think you can meet her?"
Teddiursa studied the little girl. She certainly looked nothing like the pink-haired witch that had hurt it so badly, so Teddiursa gave a tentative, "Urs."
"Jovi!" Michael called while picking up Teddiursa. The girl turned to her brother and immediately gave a loud squeal.
"Teddiursa is so cute!" She gasped, hurrying over to peer at the Little Bear Pokémon more closely. She reached out to pet it, but Michael felt Teddiursa stiffen, so he grabbed his sister's hand to keep her from touching the Pokémon.
"Why did big brother not let me pet Teddiursa?" Jovi demanded, looking upset.
"Jovi, you must remember that Teddiursa is a Shadow Pokémon. It won't hesitate to attack you if you upset it or scare it," Michael said gently, showing Jovi the bandages on his right hand.
"Jovi is sad… but Jovi understands! Jovi can always play with Teddiursa when it's back to normal!" the girl said, cheering herself up with her own words.
"Good. Now, do you know where the Parts Shop is?" Michael reminded Jovi of their mission.
"Oh! Listen, listen! The Parts Shop is over there! Hurry, big brother!" Jovi called, running down the steps and it the left. She turned back and waved enthusiastically. "This way, this way!" She turned to run again, but didn't watch where she was going.
"Jovi, look out!" Michael yelled. But the warning came too late; his younger sister had already smacked into the large, menacing man in her path and fallen to the ground. He began to head toward the two to help smooth things over with the intimidating man.
"Ouchies! Jovi fell down!" she said, sounding slightly dazed. She shook her head to focus herself, then looked up to see the man she had run in to towering over her.
"Hey, now! Where do you think you're going?" the man said in a gruff voice, looking annoyed.
"Oh, sorry! Jovi is sorry! It wasn't on purpose!" Jovi apologized, getting up from the ground and dusting herself off.
"And look what you've done!" the man snapped before baring his teeth at her. Jovi wilted under the gaze, looking pale and frightened.
This can only spell trouble, Michael thought grimly as he picked up his pace, hoping to intervene before anything bad happened.
The thug continued angrily, "You've messed up the happening look of Zook, the coolest, baddest, and most happening guy around!" He stomped his foot in fury. "Gnnnnn! Sorry doesn't begin to cut it!"
"Stop it!" Michael snapped, moving protectively between Jovi and the thug. "She's just a little girl!"
Zook eyed Michael menacingly, taking note of the snarling Pokémon in his arms and on his shoulders. "Huh? So, you're with this munchkin, aren't you? And it looks to me like you're a trainer." Zook grinned nastily. "You look like you'll be a million times more fun than some munchkin! I'll stomp you flat with my Shadow Pokémon!"
Michael's eyes widened. A Shadow Pokémon? Here, in the middle of Gateon Port? How?!
"Tear him to pieces, Zangoose!" A white ferret-like Pokémon appeared in front of Zook, growling ferally. The Aura Reader beeped and slid in front of Michael's left eye, revealing its unnatural aura. Michael gulped; the Zangoose's aura was much darker and much more powerful than Teddiursa's aura. Both Apollo and Teddiursa jumped to the ground, ready to defend their Trainer.
"Zangoose!" the opposing Pokémon roared. Its aura flared angrily, and it slashed its claws at the ground in intimidation. Long, deep gouges appeared on the concrete ground. Michael began to panic; there was no way they'd survive an encounter with such a vicious Pokémon.
"That's quite enough of that," a voice said firmly, cutting through Michael's haze of fear for his Pokémon. He glanced in the direction the voice had come from and saw three men. One was incredibly short and wore a purple cloak; the other two wore blue or red with a black robe falling to their ankles.
"Pokémon aren't meant to be used in such a manner. Choose your place and time," the old man continued wisely.
"Shut it!" Zook snapped. "Hey, meddling senior citizen, take your preaching to someone who cares! Or do you want me to pound you, too?"
The blue bodyguard took offense to the statement and said quietly, "Mr. Verich, perhaps I should…" The old man, Mr. Verich, gave a nod of consent, and the bodyguard stepped in front of Zook and the Zangoose.
Michael began to panic again. There's no way he'll be able to beat that Zangoose, not with a normal Pokémon! He opened his mouth to warn the man of the danger—
"Hah? And who do you think you are?" Zook interrupted, responding to the new threat. "So now you're going to play the man and stop me? This gets better by the minute! Let's see you try!" Zook's nasty grin widened. "Zangoose! Tear him apart!" The Shadow Pokémon dashed forward, yowling. Its aura blazed brightly, accentuating the bloodlust in its eyes. Michael had no doubts that it would tear the bodyguard to pieces. It was a terrifying sight.
A Pokéball appeared in the bodyguard's hand from his sleeve, and the Alakazam inside was summarily released. "Psychic," the man said softly. The Alakazam attacked Zangoose with a massive blast of psychic energy, causing the Zangoose to shriek in pain as both its mind and body were assaulted. It was launched into a pile of crates. Its feet stuck in the air, twitching; it was undeniably unconscious. Michael gaped at the stoic Psychic-type, his mind in a whirl. That Alakazam was powerful, to faint the Shadow Pokémon in a single hit like it did!
Zook's bravado disappeared the instant his Zangoose had been blasted into the crates. "Y-your power… Where does it come from?!" he stammered as he recalled the Pokémon. When the bodyguard did nothing other than recall his Alakazam, Zook scowled. "You've done it now! Don't think you're getting away with messing with the great Zook! Remember this!" The thug stomped away angrily.
"Should I give chase?" the bodyguard queried.
"No, no. That won't be necessary, Ardos. He won't come back. Leave him be," Verich said.
"Yes, sir." Ardos' gaze lingered on Michael and the Pokémon at his feet for a moment before the bodyguard took his place at Verich's right shoulder.
"Let us be on our way." The trio turned to leave.
Michael watched as they walked away silently, still dazed. He glanced back the way Zook had run off and came to an epiphany. A trainer would steal a Shadow Pokémon not only to save it from itself and its masters, but also to protect bystanders and the trainer's own Pokémon…
Using the Snag Machine suddenly didn't seem so objectionable anymore.
"Uh… Thank you!" Jovi called, shaking Michael out of his musings.
Verich turned around and chuckled. "That hardly deserves such gratitude, my little lady. We did only what had to be done. Nothing more." With that, the trio resumed their journey uninterrupted, despite the awe of the onlookers that had gathered to watch the spectacle. Michael hadn't even noticed them gather.
He also hadn't noticed the headache he'd gained from the Aura Reader, which automatically shut off when a new Shadow Pokémon wasn't in range. His head throbbed, and he stifled a pained groan. The more powerful the aura, the more severe the headache, he presumed unhappily.
"Jovi?" someone called. "Is that you, Jovi?!" Michael glanced around and saw a lady and an orange-haired child approaching them from the ring of spectators that had formed during the altercation.
"Oh! Emili and Acri!" Jovi exclaimed. Teddiursa started growling at the new arrivals, but Michael averted the possible bloodshed by scooping up the Little Bear Pokémon. Apollo jumped back onto Michael's shoulders, seeing no more possible threats.
"Jovi!" Emili cried, running up to her friend and hugging her.
"So it was you, Jovi, being harassed by that big, strange man. Are you okay?" Acri asked while visually searching for injuries.
"Yup, strong people helped us. Big brother was there, too, so nothing bad happened. Jovi came here on an important visit. Big brother is Jovi's assistant today!" Jovi replied. Michael grimaced, but since his sister had latched onto the idea, there was nothing he could to dissuade her.
"Oh, you must be Jovi's brother Michael. I'm glad we finally met!" Acri said, offering her hand.
"It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Acri," Michael said politely, shaking the hand.
"I'm Emili. Hi, Jovi's big brother!" Emili waved at Michael, who grinned at the girl's enthusiasm. Emili and Jovi began chattering about the online Trainer simulator Michael had seen on his computer, so he conversed some with Acri to pass the time.
"How did Jovi and Emili meet each other?" Michael asked, curious. He'd gone to Gateon Port for some short shopping trips with his mother and for the short, disastrous time he'd spent in the schools of Gateon Port, but he didn't know when the two girls met.
"We were touring the HQ Lab and Emili wandered off. Jovi found her and took her to her room, and by the time I found Emili, the two were already playing with Jovi's dolls, thick as thieves. Jovi has been a very nice friend to my daughter Emili," Acri smiled nostalgically. "Anyway, I know that Jovi wants to compete in contests when she gets older; what do you want to do?"
"Hmm… either be a scientist or a wandering Pokémon Trainer in one of the other regions," Michael replied before scratching Apollo's ears fondly. Michael then began to scratch behind Teddiursa's ears, but realized with a jolt that the Little Bear Pokémon had dozed off. Michael smiled. Teddiursa had to be improving, if it trusted him enough to fall asleep in his arms. Realizing that the loud port wasn't an easy place to sleep in, Michael returned Teddiursa to its Pokéball.
"I'm no professional, but your Pokémon look very happy with you. May I?" Acri queried, reaching out to Apollo.
"Sure." Acri stoked the Eevee and was rewarded with a happy lick. Michael considered politely asked to be let go so that he and Jovi could go pick up the machine part, but, instead, he asked a question that had been nagging him for a while: "Do you know anything about the people that saved us?"
"That elderly gentleman's name is Mr. Verich. He comes here by boat with his two assistants occasionally." Acri's voice took on a dreamy quality. "There's something mysterious about him, don't you think? He's supposed to be fabulously wealthy. Rumors like that give me shivers! I'm hoping to become a novelist," Acri explained, "Whenever I come across anything mysterious, I try to imagine a story around it. But anyway, be careful in this town. There are lots of rough customers about." Acri hesitated for a moment before addressing her daughter. "Emili, we should be going. It was nice talking with you, Michael."
"Aww… Can't Jovi and I talk some more, Mommy?"
"Jovi's on an important errand. We don't want to distract her," Acri said gently.
"Okay," Emili sighed. "Bye-bye, Jovi!"
"See you, Emili!" Emili and Acri walked off, leaving Jovi staring after them wistfully.
"Jovi, can you show me to the Parts Shop?" Michael reminded her. Jovi brightened and turned to dash off, but, remembering the last time Jovi had done so, Michael grabbed her shoulder and said, "You know, Jovi, it might be a good idea if I take the lead now."
"Okay, big brother. It's this way, by the rotating bridges," Jovi said, guiding her brother through the haphazardly placed buildings to the Parts Shop. It was an oddly shaped building – half was circular, and the other half was rectangular. A spinning effigy of a scooter was perched atop the circular portion of the shop.
After entering, Apollo raised his nose in the air and carefully sniffed. The air smelled of grease, gasoline, and metal. Michael glanced around for Makan, but the old man wasn't present. There wasn't anyone at the cash register, either.
"Excuse me," Michael said, tapping the shoulder of a browsing customer. "Do you know where Makan is?"
The boy turned to Michael, looking slightly annoyed. "No. The shopkeeper wasn't thinking straight when he got that clueless newbie to look after the shop." The boy jerked his thumb at a man standing nervously in front of what looked to be the doors leading to storage. "Now me, a regular customer, would be able to serve customers a lot better," the boy complained, but Michael wasn't listening. He and Jovi couldn't pick up the machine part. Great.
With nothing else to do, Michael approached the man watching the store. Perhaps he knew something of Makan's whereabouts. "Hi, did you want something here?" the man questioned.
"Jovi and big brother need a machine part," Jovi piped up.
"Well, the shopkeeper's out right now. He said something about having to go out to Dr. Kamin… uh… what was it now? Well, to that doctor's manor is where he went." Michael raised an eyebrow. Makan was still there?
The man continued, "He said his grandson Perr will be back from repairing the rotating bridges, so I'm supposed to mind the shop until then. But I don't know where anything is or how to ring up a sale or anything. I have no clue what to do!" He sighed. "I suppose it doesn't matter, though. It's really quiet here. I'm getting awfully bored, really." The man then perked up as an idea occurred to him. "If you'd like, how about you help me while some time away? I've got a tale to tell that you may find interesting."
"Jovi says yes! Can we listen to the story, big brother?" Jovi turned her puppy-dog eyes on full blast at her brother.
Michael shrugged. "Why not? We don't really have anything better to do at the moment."
The man smiled. "When I was younger, I sailed all the world's seas as a navigator. Our world is huge! And this world is filled with an incredible profusion of Pokémon. Of all the Pokémon in our world, the one that I found to be most interesting is Eevee." Both Apollo and Michael perked up upon the man's admission, causing him to smile. "Now, Eevee is a unique Pokémon. It can evolve into eight different kinds of Pokémon, you see, though I believe it has the ability to evolve into more than that. While I sailed, I studied Eevee quite exhaustively. As a result, I obtained five of the items that are the keys to some of Eevee's evolutions."
"Vee vee eevee? Eevee vee!" Apollo exclaimed, drawing the man's attention.
The man smiled broadly at Apollo's enthusiasm. "May I examine your Eevee, please?"
Apollo slid from Michael's shoulders to his arms and was then handed to the Eevee-loving sailor. The man stroked Apollo's fur while absentmindedly mumbling to himself. "Such soft fur… groomed, obviously… Fed well with Pokéfood… some Berries, too, for the coat's luster…" After several minutes of analysis, the man concluded, "Your Eevee is obviously very well cared-for and happy! Meeting an Eevee trainer like you is such a fortuitous coincidence! This must have been meant to happen! Well, let me commemorate this occasion by giving you one of the five items." The man reached inside his coat and drew out a small pouch.
"But – I mean – there's no need to give me one of the evolutionary items," Michael spluttered, taken aback that a complete stranger would offer something so valuable to him.
The sailor was adamant. "There's no need to be shy about it. Go ahead! Choose one!" The man laid out the five items on the counter meant for purchases. Apollo jumped onto the counter and sniffed the stones.
"Wow, so pretty…" Jovi breathed, staring, enraptured, at the stones.
"Well, if you insist…" Michael said. "Which item evolves Eevee into which evolution?"
The man held up a blue stone with what looked like bubbles trapped within. "This is a Water Stone. It evolves Eevee into Vaporeon." A greenish-yellow stone with a lightning bolt design was displayed next. "Thunder Stones evolve Eevee into Jolteon." Next, a yellow stone with an orange flame. "A Fire Stone plus an Eevee equals a Flareon." A shiny, grayish-black stone with many facets. "A Moon Shard and the Dark-type, Umbreon." Last, a burgundy stone in the shape of a sun. "A Sun Shard will help your Eevee evolve into Espeon."
"Wow… I really don't know which to choose," Michael gasped as he held the Water Stone and Moon Shard up to the light. He closely examined the Thunder Stone, weighed the Fire Stone with his hands, and fingered the Sun Shard's ridges. All the while, he was contemplating the pros and cons of each evolution, as he'd researched each one exhaustively.
Vaporeon, a Water-type; Ability: Water Absorb. Strong against Rock, Ground, and Fire; weak against Grass and Electricity. Good stamina, special attack, and special defense; bad attack, defense, and speed. Jolteon, an Electric-type, Ability: Volt Absorb. Strong against Water and Flying; weak against Ground; ineffective against Ground. Good special attack, special defense, and speed; bad stamina, attack, and defense. Flareon, a Fire-type; Ability: Flash Fire. Strong against Grass, Ice, Bug, and Steel; weak against Water, Rock, and Ground. Good attack, special attack, and special defense; bad stamina, defense, and speed. Umbreon, a Dark type; Ability: Synchronize. Strong against Psychic and Ghost; weak against Fighting and Bug; impervious to Psychic. Good stamina, defense, and special defense; bad attack, special attack, and speed. Espeon, a Psychic-type; Ability: Synchronize. Strong against Poison and Fighting; weak against Dark, Ghost, and Bug. Good special attack, special defense, and speed; bad attack, defense, and stamina.
They all have equal value… I can't single out any of them.
Finally, he said, "I can't decide. Apollo, you choose. You're the one who's evolving, anyway."
"Vee?" Apollo trotted up and down the line, then flicked the Thunder Stone and Fire Stone away with his tail.
"Er, you can't be both Jolteon and Flareon, little one," the sailor pointed out.
"No, I think he's just narrowing down the selection," Michael refuted. "Right, Apollo?"
"Vee!" The Water Stone was next to go, nudged away with a cautious paw.
"So, a choice between the Dark-type Umbreon and the Psychic-type Espeon," Michael murmured. "Choose one, Apollo."
Finally, Apollo gripped the Sun Shard with his teeth and pulled it close, leaving the Moon Shard looking rather lonely on the counter.
"So, you've chosen the Psychic-type Espeon, eh?" the sailor said, returning the Moon Shard to the bag. "Good choice. You can have the Sun Shard. Just like Apollo, it's invaluable!"
Jovi suddenly gasped, causing Michael and the sailor to look at her strangely. "Espeon fits Apollo!" she declared, eyes sparkling.
The man caught on to her line of thinking. "That's right! Apollo is the name of the ancient god of the sun, is it not?"
"That's right…" Michael said softly, feeling rather forlorn and lost. That's what he had said when Michael had gotten Apollo…
"Vee?" Apollo questioned as Michael stroked his thick fur absentmindedly. He gestured to the Sun Shard to help his Trainer understand what he was asking, misinterpreting Michael's melancholy.
"I would have been fine with any one of your evolutions. That's why I let you choose, Apollo," Michael said before slipping the Sun Shard into his bag.
"You're so lucky, big brother! Jovi wants something, too!" Jovi whined, staring longingly at the bulge in the sailor's coat where the pouch containing the other evolutionary stones was located.
"I have one more thing to say about that Sun Shard," the sailor said seriously. "Like a normal evolutionary stone, that Sun Shard will make an Eevee evolve into the Pokémon Espeon. But unlike normal evolutionary stones, the Sun Shard and Moon Shard do not have enough energy to evolve a Pokémon on contact. Therefore, Apollo has to have enough innate energy to trigger the evolution, either by battle experience or a hard-to-find item called a Rare Candy. Doing this during daytime hours is best, as it is the Sun Pokémon; I would have said the opposite, had you chosen Umbreon."
"Alright. Thanks for the advice." Michael focused on Apollo again. "I guess that means that we'll have to wait for a little bit before you can become an Espeon, then, buddy."
"Vee…" Apollo said sadly before returning to his favorite resting spot: Michael's shoulders.
Jovi, jealous that Michael and Apollo had stolen the limelight, suddenly piped up, "Where did Mr. Nice Man say Parts Shop guy was?"
"Er, Dr. Kam… something. The doctor's house."
"No, here in Gateon Port!"
"Oh, you mean Perr? He's repairing the rotating bridges."
"Okay, big brother! Let's go to the rotating bridges!" Jovi declared before dashing out of the shop.
"Wait, Jovi!" Michael ran out of the shop after her, but paused at the door of the Parts Shop and hurriedly said, "Thank you for the Sun Shard, Mr.…?"
"Evon. Call me Evon."
"Right. Thanks, Mr. Evon!" The door to the shop slammed shut behind Michael's retreating figure.
Michael found Jovi sitting on one of the docks with her feet dangling over the water. "Jovi can see Perr, but Perr is still fixing the rotating bridges. Perr can't go back to the Parts Shop yet," she said sourly, pointing at a figure leaning over the edge of one of the Rotating Bridge segments. A toolbox was sitting near the figure, and he occasionally reached into it for a tool of some sort. After a few minutes of waiting, the figure slid back onto the circular control of the bridge. He stepped onto an unseen panel and caused an entire section of bridges to rotate. He looked pleased, then he grabbed his toolbox and sauntered to shore. As he drew nearer, Michael realized that the figure was a teenager covered in grease.
"Whew… That settles that! All fixed!" he breathed to himself.
"Excuse me?" Michael said, catching the teenager's attention. "Are you Perr, one of the owners of the Parts Shop?"
"Yeah, the Parts Shop is ours – mine and my grandpa's," Perr confirmed.
"Jovi and big brother are here to pick up a machine part, but no one was at the Parts Shop!" Jovi said.
Perr blinked. "Huh? Where's Grandpa?" He then groaned and held up one of his hands like a stop sign. "Wait, don't tell me. He's gone off to Dr. Kaminko's…" Perr facepalmed. "Arrrgh! When my grandpa gets excited over some mechanical thing, he's off like a shot, never mind the shop or his grandson, me." Perr sighed in exasperation. "I'll find that machine part you need. Can I get you to come to our shop?" Perr then stomped off, grumbling, "Man, Grandpa should be so lucky to have a caring grandson like me looking after him."
Michael couldn't help himself and grinned. "Come on, Jovi. Let's get back to the Parts Shop."
By the time the siblings had returned to the Parts Shop, Perr had situated himself behind the checkout counter and Evon was nowhere to be found. "Sorry we were out," Perr apologized as they approached. "A Machine Part, you said, right?" He opened the safe behind the counter using a complex numeric sequence and a fingerprint scanner, withdrew a bulky package, and then engaged the safe's unique triangular spinning lock again.
"Here it is, here it is. This is it." Perr checked a thick log book, then continued, "Pre-paid and everything. Alright, then; here you go!" He slid the package across the counter to Michael, who tucked it under one arm. "It's a rare item, that machine part. It took a while to get the order in. Not many people actually need something like this…"
"Jovi doesn't know what the machine part does. Does Mr. Nice Mechanic know what it is?"
Perr fished around under the counter and withdrew a catalogue for mechanics. He flipped through it and finally stopped on one of the last pages before holding the catalogue out for Michael and Jovi to see. Apollo leaned over Michael's shoulder, eyeing the image with interest.
Pointing out what looked like a rod with joints dividing it into four equal parts, Perr explained, "This Machine Part can be attached to a motor to be spun around. The two different segments can be lifted and moved about freely via remote control. They're usually used with robotic waiters in restaurants, so you can understand that we were surprised when the HQ Lab ordered one with nine segments instead of just two. How's your director, Professor Krane, doing?" Perr queried as he put the catalogue away and began to tinker with a small mechanical gizmo.
Michael flinched. "He was doing just fine, until he was abducted by some armored weirdoes with a Shadow Pokémon."
Perr dropped the device he'd been fiddling with. "What?!" he spluttered. "A Shadow Pokémon? That's just great… I've been through something like that before, but who would've thought it'd happen again?" He shook his head in disbelief. "I hope the Lab Director's found…"
Before Michael could thank Perr for his concern, the TV bolted to the wall flickered on.
"Oh, the ONBS news must be on," one of the customers said, turning to the screen.
The female anchor seemed to be slightly disturbed by her report. "We bring you a breaking news item! An unidentified gang swarmed the Pokémon HQ Lab and abducted Professor Krane, the head of operations." Gasps arose from the customers. "We have unconfirmed reports that one of the alleged perpetrators used a Shadow Pokémon during the raid. We also have a low-quality clip from the scene of abduction." The reporter's visage faded out, to be replaced with a grainy view of the front of the Lab from one of the security cameras. Michael realized with a jolt that he was watching an extremely fuzzy version of himself running out and Snagging an unidentifiable Shadow Teddiursa. He averted his eyes and rubbed Apollo's head reassuringly as his TV self staggered in the wake of the kidnappers' escaped vehicle. The reporter then reappeared on the screen, analyzing the clip, before stating, "We will bring you updates on this story as the news breaks." The TV's screen went blank. Worried murmurs broke out in the shop.
Perr glanced between the screen and Michael multiple times. "That was you on TV, wasn't it?"
Michael nodded, throat too dry to speak. Having his failure thrown back in his face was not something he wanted to deal with. Jovi clung to her brother, trying to put on a brave face. Apollo just looked miserable.
Perr suddenly blinked rapidly and bent over the counter, staring at Michael's left arm. "Well, I'll be," Perr breathed. "That's a Snag Machine on your arm, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Michael croaked. "Professor Krane gave it to me just before he was kidnapped. How did you recognize it?"
"Something like this happened five years ago," Perr explained, leaning on the counter and steepling his fingers. "In an incredibly rash move, one guy with a Snag Machine – a Snagger, as he was called – and one girl with the ability to see a Shadow Pokémon's Aura went around snagging all the Shadow Pokémon to bring down the criminal organization that was making them. Their names were Wes and Rui, I believe."
Apollo's ears perked up, and he looked at the mechanic with astonishment. Michael echoed his Pokémon's shock. "You're kidding."
"Not one bit, kid." Perr paused and looked thoughtful. "You know, I never caught your name."
"It's Michael."
Perr nodded, then glanced out a window set into the wall. The light pouring in from outside had taken on an orange hue, signifying late afternoon. "Well, Michael, I suggest you get back to the Lab. Whatever experiment they're using it for has to be critical, if they're still working on it with Krane missing." Perr paused before adding, "I'll be rooting for both you and the authorities to find the Director. Good luck." Perr held out his greasy hand.
Michael shook the hand without hesitation, managing a grim smile. "Thanks, Perr." Turning back to the rest of the shop, Michael called, "C'mon, Jovi! Let's go home."
Jovi, who had been wandering around the shop and asking the customers what the various devices displayed were, hurried back to her brother. "Okay, big brother!"
Michael, Jovi, and Apollo left the shop and emerged into the late-afternoon sun. As they passed by groups of people chattering, Michael stopped dead as he picked out the words, "Kilen's super-strong Pokémon". He may have just been paranoid after the incident with Zook and the Shadow Zangoose, but if not… well, Lily could hardly be mad if he found and snagged another Shadow Pokémon instead of promptly returning home.
"Vee eevee!" exclaimed Apollo. So he'd heard it too, apparently.
"Hang on Jovi," Michael called to his sister, who hadn't noticed that she'd left him behind.
She turned around and, noticing that her brother was no longer beside her, hurried back. "What is it, big brother?"
"I just want to check something out. It's probably nothing, but better safe than sorry," Michael grunted. He glanced around and saw a small group of disgruntled-looking Trainers standing by a Pokémon Center and ran over.
"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," Michael began politely. "Did you say something about a super-strong Pokémon?"
"Yeah," one of the female Trainers grumbled. "Kilen's gotten her paws on this really strong Pokémon and is beating all the rest of the trainers with it. I don't know where she got it."
"Do you know where I could find her?"
"She usually hangs out on top of the lighthouse. Why? Are you gonna challenge her?" The Trainer eyed Michael speculatively. "You can't possibly be strong enough to beat her."
"I'm sure I'll be just fine," Michael assured her, thinking of the Shadow Teddiursa stored on his belt.
"Is big brother going to see if there's a Shadow Pokémon?" Jovi whispered.
Michael eyed her, unaware that someone had told her about the nature of Shadow Pokémon. "Yeah. I might be overreacting, but better safe than sorry. Let's go, Jovi." Michael headed toward the Rotating Bridges, as they were the only way to reach the lighthouse without swimming.
"Let Jovi hold the machine part," Jovi said suddenly, tugging at the package under her brother's arm.
"It's heavy, Jovi," Michael warned. "Why do you want it, anyway?"
"Big brother needs both arms for battling," Jovi argued, yanking at the package again.
Michael sighed. Jovi had a point. His left arm was taken up by the Snag Machine, and he didn't want to risk throwing occupied Pokéballs with it in case the Snag Machine's programming did something to the Pokéball and/or the Pokémon inside. "Okay, but be very careful with it, understand?"
Jovi quickly nodded. "Jovi will be very careful with it!" she exclaimed, and the Machine Part changed hands.
"Let's go." Michael and Jovi walked onto the rotating bridges. It took Michael a few tries to align the bridges in the way he wanted, but the two made it to the lighthouse without too much trouble.
The double doors of the lighthouse slid open at Michael's touch, allowing the siblings and Pokémon access inside. The first thing Michael noticed was a decrease in temperature. Then he glanced about and saw the floor strewn with trash. "Hey, what's this?" he wondered, picking through discarded food wrappers until he uncovered the red he'd spotted. "Hey, this is a Pokéball!" It was slightly dirty, but it looked fully functional, so Michael tucked it into his bag.
"That's nasty, big brother," Jovi said, wrinkling her nose.
Michael chose to ignore that statement and queried, "Apollo, would you be willing to find any more useable stuff among this junk?"
"Eevee!" Apollo slid off Michael's shoulders and landed in a pile of trash, nose twitching. "Vee!" The Eevee weaved around the mounds of junk until he came to a stop in front of the back wall. Two more Pokéballs sat there, dusty and held in place by multiple cobwebs, but they still looked useable. Apollo led Michael to a partially buried Parlyz Heal, but after the find, it seemed as if there was nothing left of value on the floor.
"Can Jovi use the elevator now, big brother?" Jovi groaned, but Michael had gotten an odd gleam in his eye that bespoke trouble.
"Jovi?" Michael said, utterly calm. "We're not taking the elevator."
"Huh? Big brother?"
"Come on!" Michael pushed her up the stairs from behind, eliciting a startled yelp.
"Big brother! Jovi is not going up the stairs!"
"Yes, we are! Think of it as good exercise!"
"Vee!" Apollo agreed, dashing in front of the struggling siblings eagerly.
Michael did end up dragging an unwilling Jovi all around the various floors of the lighthouse and was rewarded with one Potion and one Awakening as a result.
"Big brother could've gotten those at a Pokémart," Jovi grumbled.
"Why buy them when you could get them for free? I don't care how dirty they are," Michael rebuked, which shut her up effectively.
The siblings and Apollo finally made it to the top of the lighthouse, panting. Jovi looked furious. "Jovi and big brother are taking the elevator on the way down," she snapped, brooking no argument.
"Vee eev eevee," Apollo gasped, which shifted Michael's attention from his sister to the scenery.
"Amazing," Michael breathed, approaching and leaning on the railing.
The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, broken by the occasional island. A couple of Seel basked contently on rocks in the sun, their female trainers sunbathing further inland. Looking out to the horizon, Michael saw an island shrouded by dark clouds and ringed by what looked like cruel waves. Circling the lighthouse, Michael was able to look down upon the entirety of Gateon Port. Rolling hills, rivers, and forests, dominated the landscape further inland. A strong wind disheveled Michael's hair and clothing the longer he stood on top of the lighthouse.
"The view up here is incredible, big brother!" Jovi gasped, leaning over the railing.
"It is, isn't it?" Michael agreed. "What do you think, Apollo? Apollo?" The moment broken, Michael scanned the lighthouse's deck, searching for the Eevee. "Apollo!"
"Vee vee!" the call was faint, barely audible over the wind, but Michael immediately rushed around the light room protruding from the deck that blocked his view. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Apollo unharmed, but he was rather unhappy that the Eevee was sitting in a female bodybuilder's arms, apparently too intimidated to try to get away.
"Is this your Eevee?" she asked gruffly. Michael nodded mutely, and the woman set Apollo on the ground. He immediately ran back to his Trainer and nuzzled him affectionately.
The woman eyed Michael speculatively. "You're a trainer, aren't you?"
"Yeah. What's it to you?" Michael asked warily.
The bodybuilder gave a wicked grin. "Good. The name's Kilen, and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"
Michael's eyes narrowed. So this was Kilen, the trainer with the tough Pokémon. "I accept," he replied, throwing a little bit of money on the ground as a wager. Kilen did likewise.
"Let's get this party started, shall we? Go, Zubat and Poochyena!" Michael stiffened as the Aura Reader beeped in warning, sliding in front of his eye (and giving him the beginnings of a nasty headache). So Kilen did have a Shadow Pokémon: the Poochyena! Michael immediately tensed in the nervous anticipation of snagging it, this time without Krane's supervision. He took a deep breath; no use getting worked up about it and losing the battle in his distraction, after all.
"Shall we, Apollo?" The Eevee dashed out to confront the opposition. Michael then threw out Teddiursa's Pokéball, hoping that the Pokémon wasn't still napping. Luckily, it wasn't.
"Ready for our first battle together, Teddiursa?"
"Ursa!" it cried, pumping its fist in the air. Michael was pleased to note that its aura had subsided quite a bit in the past couple of hours they'd been in Gateon Port.
Kilen seemed amused. "Ready?"
Michael responded with, "Eevee, Tackle Poochyena! Teddiursa, jump and Shadow Blitz Zubat!"
Kilen jerked at the command for the Shadow Move. This guy had a Shadow Pokémon, too? "Dodge the attacks, then follow up with Leech Life on Teddiursa and Shadow Hold!" The aggressive Shadow Poochyena jumped away from the charging Eevee, while the Zubat was too slow to avoid the airborne Shadow attack. It collapsed to the ground, quivering weakly. Kilen scowled as she returned it to the Pokéball.
Michael was surprised by the power behind the attack; he'd never one-hit KO'ed a Pokémon before. Perhaps Shadow attacks are super-effective on regular Pokémon? he mused.
Just then, Poochyena barked angrily. Michael watched as its aura flared and rushed toward Apollo and Teddiursa. "Look out!" he cried, but his Pokémon had already been trapped within two bubbles of murky energy that had originated from the Poochyena's aura. Michael realized with a jerk that the bubbles were perfectly visible without the aid of the Aura Reader – though the bubbles were brighter and less see-through in the Aura Reader's vision.
"Ursa urs!" Teddiursa growled in frustration as it rammed against the bubble, unable to escape. Michael figured that Shadow Hold was a move that prevented the target Pokémon's from escaping back to the trainer and from moving about easily, making attack and evasion difficult.
Kilen smirked. "Now, Poochyena, Shadow Blitz them as many times as necessary to defeat them!" Poochyena barked, then sped at Eevee, its aura darkening around it.
How to salvage this, how to salvage this – oh! "When Poochyena nears, jump above it and follow up with a Tackle or Shadow Blitz!" After several rounds of running through the bubbles, which didn't hamper Poochyena at all, all three Pokémon were panting heavily. Poochyena had sustained more damage than its opponents, though.
Michael gripped one of the Pokéballs tightly in his left hand. The circle on the blue panel was quickly completed. Several moments came and went that would have been perfect times to snag the Poochyena, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was nearly hyperventilating in a struggle between two different sets of ideals. Snagging was stealing; it was vile; it was just plain wrong – but the Poochyena looked wild, angry, a mindless fighting machine to be pitied and rescued – and Michael once more saw the Shadow Zangoose (terrifying bloodlust – it would kill him, he was sure) as the Poochyena landed as particularly vicious blow on Apollo, knocking him to the ground. The Eevee struggled to get back to his paws; Michael could see him shaking. He couldn't let the abuse continue.
Mind made up, Michael gripped the Snag Ball tightly, focusing solely on the battle in front of him. Nothing else mattered; he was perfectly calm. Michael waited patiently for an opportune moment – there! Poochyena had just staggered out of Teddiursa's bubble, trying to shake off the effects of a successful Shadow Blitz. In a split-second decision, Michael decided to spin around in a flourish before chucking the Snag Ball at the Poochyena. Once again, his aim was off, but the Snag Ball just opened in midair like with Teddiursa and pulled Poochyena into the ball with a dark clawed hand. Kilen dumbly stared at the ball as Poochyena gave up the fight to escape and the ball stilled. The Snag Machine caused the Pokéball to fly back to Michael's hand, and he had attached the ball to his belt before Kilen reacted.
"Y-you…" she stammered, pointing a shaking finger at Michael. "You stole my Pokémon! Give it back!" She charged at Michael furiously, fists raised. Michael flinched back, raising his arms in an instinctual attempt to protect himself – but she was too fast and too strong; he'd never survive this attack—
"Ursa!" Teddiursa roared, jumping into the air to intercept the attack meant for his Trainer.
"No, Teddiursa!" Michael cried, realizing that Teddiursa was about to Shadow Blitz Kilen. He was surprised when Teddiursa restrained itself, its aura fading back to normal, and instead gave Kilen a sloppy Lick. She staggered away, shivering, then falling as she was paralyzed.
"Dammit," she hissed through clenched teeth.
Michael stared at her prone form, frozen, before falling to his knees. He'd done as was expected; he'd snagged the Pokémon – and he'd nearly gotten pummeled for it. He couldn't do this; he couldn't steal trainers' Pokémon! There was something fundamentally wrong with the act, despite the benevolent intentions. It was so different than stealing a Pokémon from the armored kidnappers, who didn't even seem to care about the fate of their Pokémon. He stared Kilen in the eyes, taking in all her anger and pain – why did you steal my Pokémon?! – unable to move, unable to breathe – the guilt was crushing, inflicting such pain on another person. He'd never snag another Pokémon again—
And Teddiursa came up and hugged him, comforting him as best as it could. It was touching, really, how a fighting machine with no feelings but hate and fear was able to overcome its handicaps to try and help him.
Another pair of arms folded around him from behind. "Big brother," Jovi murmured into his hair, completely serious for once. A few seconds passed while she examined Kilen, who was struggling against her paralysis. Jovi continued, "You can't let her stop you from rescuing the Pokémon."
Michael shuddered. He didn't even care that he'd broken down in front of his little sister. "I can't do it, Jovi; I can't steal someone's partner and friend!"
"Then you'll let the bad guys win!" Her arms tightened. "People that hurt Pokémon so much and people who use those Pokémon in battles don't deserve to have them at all! Which is worse, letting the Pokémon suffer with people who don't care or stealing the Pokémon to heal them?" Jovi pointed at Kilen. "She doesn't care about anything except using Poochyena for battles. She doesn't care that Poochyena's hurting." Kilen sent a withering glare in Jovi's direction, which she unabashedly returned. "See how much good you've already done Teddiursa?"
Michael glanced down at the Little Bear Pokémon. It accentuated his sister's words with an "Urs!"
"You're too nice for your own good, big brother," Jovi mumbled into his hair. "And remember what the Parts Shop Guy said? This has happened before. They were able to help the Pokémon."
"Eevee vee," Apollo called, drawing Michael's attention. He didn't know what the Eevee's original purpose was, but Michael's total attention was drawn to Apollo's heavy limp. A thin stream of blood matted the fur of his right front paw, and it was obviously hurting the Eevee to move around, but he was still approaching his trainer anyway, determined to help.
"They're Pokémon that have been turned into mindless fighting machines after having their hearts closed by cruel artificial means. They're to be pitied."
"That is why we developed the Snag Machine – to take back such modified Shadow Pokémon."
"Greedy people will always attempt to gain power, no matter the consequences."
"Y-you… You stole my Pokémon!"
"Which is worse, letting the Pokémon suffer with people who don't care or stealing the Pokémon to heal them?"
Michael's brain finally started to work logically again. These people… hurt Pokémon. He thought of the Zangoose again. They threaten everyone… He thought of Krane's kidnapping and of Apollo's injury. …And they've badly hurt those I care about. They need to be stopped, no matter what. He took a shuddering breath and gazed into Kilen's enraged eyes again. It won't be easy… but I'll do it. Someone has to, after all.
Michael shakily sighed. "That was way too close for comfort." He smiled at Teddiursa. "Thanks for not Blitzing her, Teddiursa. And you learned a new move! Congratulations!" He hugged the Teddiursa, which seemed pleased that he'd satisfied Michael. "I'll get you something good later."
"Big brother!" Jovi cried, suddenly returning to her normal self. "Jovi saw the whole thing, and Jovi was so scared that big brother would be hurt…"
"I'm fine, Jovi," Michael grunted. "Can you please let go? Not… breathing… When did you get so wise?"
"Jovi doesn't know what big brother is talking about!" Michael eyed his little sister. She was more mature than she let on, sometimes.
Michael turned his attention back to his Pokémon. "You two deserve a good rest," he said as he recalled them to their Pokéballs. He then collected the wager money from the ground and glared at the prone Kilen, who glared right back. The paralysis would wear off eventually, but for the time being, Michael was just glad that the muscular bodybuilder was immobilized.
As Michael and Jovi traveled down the lighthouse via elevator, Jovi speculated, "Jovi wonders if there are more Shadow Pokémon here."
Michael looked at her, startled. "Well, yeah… I mean, Zook had one…"
"Jovi thinks that big brother should find all the Shadow Pokémon," Jovi said seriously.
"Are you sure?" Michael asked. "You'll have to hold the machine part."
"Jovi can do it! Jovi will help the Shadow Pokémon!"
As the two exited the lighthouse, Michael let out Apollo and Teddiursa – he'd start bonding with the Shadow Poochyena back at the HQ Lab. "Alright, you two. We've got some tough battles ahead of us to find more Shadow Pokémon. You with me?"
"Vee!"
"Ursa!"
Michael pulled out two Potions from his bag and sprayed the contents on the two Pokémon, healing their wounds and restoring their energy. "Alright, we're ready. Where do you think we should start, Jovi?"
"With that man over there!" she said, pointing to a middle-aged man loitering in the shadow of on outcropping of rock. Even from a distance, Michael could see the telltale red of Pokéballs sitting on his belt.
"But what about Zook?"
"What if that guy has a Shadow Pokémon?" Jovi challenged. Michael couldn't deny her logic.
After hassling with the rotating bridges, Michael was finally able to approach the man. He looked rather pleased by Michael's presence.
"Aye, welcome, youngster! No words need be spoken, no questions need be asked! We shall battle, yes?" he invited warmly.
"Ah… sure."
"Aye, good answer! A battle with a feisty lad is one to be savored! Let's go!" The man threw a wager on the ground and introduced himself. "My name's Cyle. Let me acquaint you with Taillow and Ledyba!"
"Show him what you've got, Apollo, Teddiursa!"
As the Pokémon materialized, Jovi yelled, "You can do it, big brother!"
Michael stiffened as the Aura Reader responded, identifying the Ledyba as Shadow. This man had a Shadow Pokémon as well? That was two battles in a row that he'd faced Shadow Pokémon! "Hey, where did you get that Ledyba?" Michael called, intending to get some information from Cyle.
"Eh, I got it as a gift from a funny man in armor. Said it was special, with special moves. Like Shadow Shed!"
The Ledyba turned to glare at Cyle. "Oh, that's right, that move can only be used when the opponent uses a defensive move. Uh, Shadow Blitz the Teddiursa and Growl, Taillow!"
"Dodge the Blitz, then follow up with one of your own on Taillow and Bite Ledyba!" Michael commanded. Teddiursa spun out of the way of Ledyba's attack, then ignored its attacker and gunned for Taillow. Apollo, on the other hand, took advantage of Ledyba's bad position and jumped on its back, delivering a solid Bite on the exposed flesh of its back while its wings were open. It squealed in pain and started flying around crazily to dislodge the pest from its back.
"Apollo! Drop!" Michael yelled, afraid that Ledyba would slam the Eevee against the rocks. Apollo jumped from the oversized ladybug and onto the safe ground.
Meanwhile, Taillow took flight to avoid Teddiursa's Shadow Blitz, then cried out in a loud voice while glaring at its opponents and spreading its wings wide to appear larger. Both Apollo and Teddiursa shrank back, giving Cyle time to bark out his next order.
"Both of you, fly up high and dive-bomb Eevee with Peck and Shadow Blitz!" The Taillow and Shadow Ledyba took to the skies, far above jumping range.
"Apollo, Sand Attack! Throw off their aim, listen for their approach, and Bite! Teddiursa, use Shadow Mist to help!" Apollo kicked up a gritty cloud of dust, while Teddiursa created a cloud of sense-altering mist and used its aura to steer it toward the top of the dust cloud.
"Don't attack!" Cyle yelled, but by then it was too late. Taillow and Ledyba had already begun to dive, beak sharp and ethereal aura blazing. The instant they passed into the greenish-purple cloud, they gave confused squawks and veered off course. Taillow emerged from the cloud, blinking rapidly.
"Go up! Go up!" The Taillow didn't know what its Trainer wanted – it was already safely out of attacking range, right?
"Shadow Blitz!" Taillow was given a nasty surprise when it found that it was only a couple feet off the ground, and Teddiursa slammed into it hard, KOing it. Meanwhile, Apollo had located the Ledyba in the dust cloud and had attached himself to one of its legs. Ledyba, in a furious daze, flew out of the cloud… and headfirst into the rock. Apollo, thankfully, was spared that fate.
Michael had a Snag Ball ready and waiting by the time Ledyba slumped to the ground. "I really need to work on my aim," he muttered; the Snag Ball had been a few feet above Ledyba's head when it opened and the claw dragged the Bug Pokémon within.
There were a few moments of silence, during which Cyle recalled Taillow and Michael prepped himself to run as he clipped Ledyba's ball to his belt, before Cyle said brightly, "Hmm… too bad! I guess I lost that one!" Michael stared at him in bewilderment. Did the man really not care what happened to his Pokémon?
"That machine you have on your arm, it's quite the getup! The way the lights pulse and all, it's mighty impressive, whatever it is! I thought for a second there you'd taken my Pokémon!" Cyle exclaimed, scooping up his wager before walking over and depositing the money in Michael's hands, still grinning. Michael just nodded dumbly, hardly believing that Cyle didn't realize what had happened to the Ledyba.
"Big brother did it!" Jovi squealed excitedly, jumping up and down. Michael twitched in surprise – in the adrenaline of the extended battle, he'd completely forgotten about his sister.
"Thanks, Jovi," Michael smiled shakily before turning his attention to his Pokémon. "You guys did awesome."
"Vee!"
"Ursa!" Both Pokémon looked pleased.
After scanning the port, Jovi declared, "Jovi thinks we should go there next!" Jovi declared, pointing to a Krabby-shaped building with bored sailors loitering outside.
"Oh, youngsters like you shouldn't go there," Cyle cut in, looking stern. "That place is the Krabby Club. It's one of the roughest places in town, and where all the crude sailors with no work hang out. It's no place for children."
Michael's eyes gleamed. In the fantasy novels he'd read and most of the RPG games he'd played, the seedy, dangerous taverns and inns were usually the best areas to gather sensitive information. Besides, if anyone tried to accost them, he'd sic Apollo and Teddiursa on him or her.
"Thanks for the warning," he said to Cyle for courtesy's sake. "Let's get moving, Jovi." Michael held out his right arm and Apollo used it as a springboard to get on Michael's shoulders; Teddiursa was returned to its Pokéball.
As Michael and Jovi navigated the rotating bridges, Jovi asked, "Where are Jovi and big brother going now?"
"The Krabby Club." Jovi smiled slyly. Apparently she had been thinking along the same lines as her brother.
The two approached the Krabby-shaped building, earning the curious gazes of more than a few people. Right as Michael and Jovi moved to enter, a sailor blocked their path.
"Now look here, boy. The Krabby Club is open only to tough Trainers. I suppose I could let you in if you beat me in a battle. Let's go for it!"
The following battle was both short and easy; the sailor's Wingull and Lotad were quickly defeated by two Bites and a Shadow Blitz. The sailor's slow Pokémon were unable to dodge the attacks, and the Wingull even flinched from the first Bite. Afterwards, the sailor admitted that he had only challenged Michael because he was bored, but Michael didn't mind.
Inside the Krabby Club, jazz music blared from speakers set on the side of an elevated stage, on which two magicians performed. From the sailors' lovestruck mutterings, Michael learned that the girls onstage were Razell and Dazell. They were dressed somewhat skimpily, and from what Michael saw of the show, they could change the colors and numbers of the clubs they were juggling. The sailors were much too distracted by the show to impart any useful information, so Michael headed to the bartender, who was focused on cleaning one of the glasses.
The bartender looked up as Michael and Jovi approached. "Hey, now. You two are a bit young for alcohol."
Michael rectified, "We're just a bit thirsty. I'd like some unsweetened iced tea, some water for my Pokémon, and my sister would like…"
"Jovi wants milk."
The man shrugged. "Sure." In no time at all, the two drinks were given to Michael and Jovi, one of which set a bowl of water on the counter and let out the Teddiursa, while the other was watching the magicians with rapt enthusiasm.
"How much?" Michael questioned while rummaging around in his bag for some coins.
"Nothing at all."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Really really." The bartender grinned and explained, "Usually, if no ships come to the harbor, my business dries up. But thanks to Mr. Verich, business is booming! Every day, the man treats everyone to free meals and drinks. That Mr. Verich is like a bottomless sack of money!"
"Wow. What else do you know about him?"
"He comes here in his luxury cruiser every once in a while with his two assistants and bodyguards. I don't think anyone knows where they go the rest of the time. Perhaps to one of the other regions? Oh, and he's staying here." The bartender gestured to one of the staircases set into the far wall.
Jovi snapped to attention. "Really? Mr. Nice Man is up there? Let's go see him, big brother!" She grabbed Michael's sleeve and dragged him off, much to the chagrin of his Pokémon, who had to run to keep up with her.
At the top of the stairs, Mr. Verich, his bodyguards, a sailor, and a bartender were sitting around a table on leather couches, playing poker. The blue-clad bodyguard, Ardos, rose smoothly from his seat and stepped in front of Jovi before she could get any further into the room.
Ardos said stiffly, "Please leave – hm? Oh, the kids from earlier."
Jovi smiled and bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Cool Man. Jovi thanks you for saving Jovi earlier." She elbowed Michael to do the same.
"Thanks. We would have been in trouble if you and Mr. Verich hadn't come along," Michael said. Apollo, who had clawed his way onto Michael's shoulders via his clothes, barked in agreement. Teddiursa did nothing, simply staring up at the bodyguard in confusion.
Ardos elegantly arched an eyebrow. "Oh, is that all? That was merely putting a fool in his place. Don't worry about it." Michael frowned. He did not like this man, from his stoic visage to his cold attitude. "Now get on home, before you're accosted by another fool."
If Jovi was upset by her brusque dismissal, she didn't show it. She simply led Michael back to the main floor of the Krabby Club, chattering about Razell and Dazell "Can Jovi watch more of Razell and Dazell's show, big brother?" she queried as the magicians came into view.
"Sure. I have to ask the bartender something, anyway." The two returned to the counter. Surprisingly, their drinks had not yet been removed. Jovi twisted in the stool, watching avidly as the magicians turned their top hats into sombreros and back again. This time, Apollo and Teddiursa joined her, awed.
"Excuse me?" After ensuring that he had the bartender's attention, Michael asked, "Do you know anything about a thug named Zook? Wearing a red shirt, big muscles, menacing face?"
The man scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Eh, no. I know most of the people in town, so he must not be from around here."
Michael sighed. "Well, thanks for the help," he said, trying to keep the annoyance he felt out of his tone. "Come on, Jovi. We've got to go." Michael ended up having to drag his sister out of the Krabby Club, nearly damaging the machine part. Only a quick save by Apollo prevented the device from crashing to the ground.
Michael and Jovi searched all over Gateon Port, but after finding the first two lucky Shadow Pokémon, there were no more Shadow Pokémon in the town. Zook had seemingly disappeared into thin air, leading Michael to believe that the thug had left town. A few Trainers challenged him, but they were easily defeated. One of the sailors Michael beat had wagered TM 45 – Attract, which Michael gleefully slid into the empty TM case in his bag. After battling multiple Trainers, Apollo and Teddiursa were completely worn out, so Michael stopped by the Pokémon Center for a quick healing. The nurse on duty, Heather, seemed disapproving of Michael for pushing his Pokémon's stamina to the limit, but there was nothing he could do about her attitude.
As the sun lay low on the horizon, Michael took Jovi and his Pokémon to a restaurant that served human and Pokémon alike since he didn't feel like eating at the Krabby Club – it was dark, it was noisy, and he'd have had to peel Jovi away from Razell and Dazell again. The restaurant they ate at was very picturesque; its wood was evenly whitewashed, the outdoor tables were elegantly made of glass and white-coated metal, and it had a perfect view of the ocean waters tainted orange and red by the sunset. Michael watched Apollo and Teddiursa gorge themselves sadly; he wished he could let Poochyena and Ledyba out to enjoy themselves, but Michael wasn't sure if either was stable enough to be let out in public.
"Jovi thinks that Mommy will be mad," Jovi said softly as the two headed out of the port after their meal.
Michael winced. He hadn't meant to keep Jovi and the all-important machine part in Gateon Port all day, and they'd be returning after nightfall. His mother would be furious. "You have the machine part, right?"
"Yup."
As Michael unlocked his scooter, he noticed something lying on the ground. He bent over and picked up an unused Super Potion. I hope no one misses that, he thought as he opened the compartment under the scooter's seat and deposited the machine part within. Once Jovi had climbed onto the scooter behind him, he revved its engine and sped off into the deepening gloom.
Well, here's the second chapter of Shadowfall, which has been sitting on my hard drive for years. Chapter 3 is about halfway done. Finally found time in real life to work on fan fiction again. Enjoy!
-HM