Michael checked to make sure that there was still water and non-perishable food left in the compartment in his scooter. There was, so he figured he was okay for the multi-hour trip to Pyrite. He strapped on the goggles he'd bought for his last lengthy trip into the desert and revved his scooter, grateful that it was fully charged.
He headed almost directly south, bumping over the bridge that he nostalgically remembered from when he'd fetched Jovi from Dr. Kaminko's house. Instead of heading east into the desert once he made it through the small valley, he headed south into the canyon region, which was dotted with numerous mining towns, with Pyrite as the largest by far. The canyons had been carved by rivers and mud flows long since run dry, and they made traversing the area difficult. The region was underdeveloped: few bridges connected one side of the canyons to the other, and paths through the valleys were inconsistent. Michael had to circle entirely around Pyrite's location to reach the main entrance to the town.
It was well into the afternoon when Michael made it to Pyrite Town, which was nestled in the dry basin of what had once been a waterfall. Michael double-checked that he locked his scooter in a cheap lot at the outskirts of the town, next to a gigantic news van that wouldn't fit through Pyrite's cramped streets.
Michael had never been to Pyrite Town before. He'd heard of its reputation for being a city of nothing but thugs, but it was slowly changing for the better, regaining its illustrious status as Orre's premier mining town. He was excited to see a Pyrite Pokémon battle – they had a notorious reputation for being some of the dirtiest fights around – and apprehensive to be in a place that, while not as horrifying as Cipher's lab, was not entirely safe.
Michael debated mentally for a moment before he let Apollo out of his Pokéball. On one hand, he was advertising that he was a trainer with a rare and valuable Pokémon, but on the other, he felt safer with Apollo out of his ball, immediately able to react to any threat. He ran his hands over the other five Pokéballs on his belt, reassured that he would be fine with a full party of six (which consisted of Apollo, Rose the Mightyena, the Delcatty, Kodama the Nuzleaf, Kaizou the Spheal, and Rogue the Houndour), and then pulled his shirt over all the balls except the first two to cover them, to avoid flaunting his full party. He and Apollo curiously glanced past the gate barring the parking lot from the rest of the town for their first glimpse of Pyrite.
Pyrite was an old mining town, as old as the region of Orre itself, rusted and dirty but still bursting with life. Michael could smell oil, grease, rock, and a hint of sweat. Trash littered the streets. The buildings he could see looked weathered, with the metal rusted and the rock chipped. Peeking up near the back of the town was a huge white dome – the dilapidated Pyrite Colosseum. Once pure white and whole, years of harsh Pokémon battles had carved holes in the dome. Despite the shoddy exterior of Pyrite Town, it actually generated some of the greatest revenue in Orre from production and refinement of raw ore. The mine owners, who made the money, didn't live in Pyrite anymore, though – most of the residents were miners and laborers.
Despite his nerves, Michael felt his heart pound with excitement. The pervasive smell of machines and earth was invigorating, and the natives walking around looked ready to engage in a Pokémon battle at the drop of a hat.
About time you let me out. I was getting bored in there. I miss running around the HQ Lab. …And this place is kind of gross, Apollo complained, wrinkling his nose. I don't even want to know what I'm stepping on.
"Don't be such a downer," Michael said. "Think of it as an adventure! That's what I'm doing."
That's because you have shoes, Apollo pointed out with good humor.
"Excited for some Pokémon battles?"
Apollo's eyes gleamed. Hell, yes.
"Language," Michael automatically corrected, a habit from Lily. He burst out laughing at the incredulous look Apollo shot him.
Before they could step past the gate into the town proper, they heard someone call, "Marcia! Wait! Wait for me!" A woman charged past them out of town, close enough to almost clip Michael, and beelined toward the news van next to Michael's scooter, followed by a man holding a heavy-looking camera. The cameraman passed the gates, he had to stop to bend over and catch his breath. Before Michael could ask if he was alright, the cameraman ran off again. "Marcia! Wait!"
Michael and Apollo watched them head for the dusty van. "They're in a hurry," Michael commented. He turned back to the gates; it wasn't any of his business. "Let's go, Apollo!"
They passed the gate and it was immediately like they'd stepped into another world, one where the law was more a set of guidelines than ironclad rules. There was more freedom at the price of insecurity. A handful of people eyed them greedily, perhaps trying to figure out if Michael would make an easy target.
A green-haired man wearing a blue jumpsuit was standing right beyond the gate, looking fondly after the running cameraman and newswoman. "There goes Marcia, tearing off like a tornado, as usual. That is one busy girl," he chuckled to himself. Then he noticed Michael standing by the gate. "Huh? I've never seen you around here before, kid," he said. "Your first time here?"
"Yeah?" Michael responded.
The man speculatively eyed the Pokéballs on Michael's belt. "I see you're a trainer," he noted, a sly grin creeping onto his face. "I'm Cail, the gatekeeper of Pyrite! And it's my job to welcome newcomers." He reached into his pocket and withdrew two Pokéballs. "So, welcome to Pyrite, where you're greeted with a smile and a battle! Let's go, Akka and Bull-Bull!"
Michael stepped back, caught off-guard by the gatekeeper's challenge. He hadn't expected to be challenged to a battle so soon! But then he grinned, blood pumping. A genuine Pyrite battle was just what he was looking for.
A Kirlia and a Snubbull appeared in a flash of light. Apollo leaped forward, itching to stretch his legs, while Michael fumbled with the hidden Pokéballs at his side. He still had to purify Delcatty, and if anyone could withstand a Shadow Pokémon, it would the trainers of Pyrite. However, he was still leery about using it in battle; he wasn't sure if he could control it or not, despite its seeming acceptance of his authority. Their first battle together would be as much of a test as a battle.
"Well, hurry up and pick your Pokémon! I don't have all day!" Cail yelled impatiently. It was considerate of him to wait to begin until Michael was ready.
So, instead of sending out Kodama like he first envisioned, Michael sent out Delcatty. "Go! Delcatty!" Michael called. The cat-like Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, eager for the chance to battle. Michael was fairly sure he could keep Delcatty from mauling the enemy Pokémon, but he kept its ball in his hand, ready to recall it, just in case.
Before Michael could even begin to formulate a strategy, Cail was on the offensive, ready to strike the instant Michael was finished debating with himself. "Okay, that Espeon is the bigger target here! Psywave and Take Down!"
"Delcatty, flank that Snubbull when it gets close and Shadow Rush! Apollo, counter that Kirlia's psychic attack with your own!" Michael called, quickly catching on.
Cail stiffened as Michael called out the Shadow attack, but Michael didn't have time to think about the reaction as the Pokémon engaged each other. Michael realized his mistake as his Pokémon followed their orders: Apollo stood his ground and engaged in a fierce psychic struggle with the Kirlia while Delcatty raced toward the charging Snubbull. With Apollo occupied with the Kirlia, it left him wide open for a physical attack from Snubbull. It was Delcatty's job to force Snubbull away – but that was assuming that Delcatty was fast enough to intercept Snubbull and trustworthy enough to obey instructions without changing targets or attacking too viciously.
Snubbull slid to a stop as Delcatty flew in front of it, shuddering as the invisible flames from Delcatty's flared aura licked at it. Delcatty couldn't react as fast as Snubbull could and skidded forward along the ground, using its momentum to turn. But by then, Snubbull had resumed its attack, and Delcatty was too far out of position to get to it before it collided with Apollo. Michael could only watch helplessly as Apollo, caught in his struggle with Kirlia, was completely undefended.
It happened so fast, Michael could barely make out what happened. Apollo cocked his head, and the space between him and Kirlia rippled like a heat wave. The next moment, Apollo was in the air, jumping over Snubbull's head just as it careened under him. When Apollo landed, he was panting heavily, but he was untouched.
Michael had no clue what just happened. "Apollo! Are you okay?" he shouted.
Michael felt Apollo touch his mind – a sensation that was rapidly becoming familiar – but instead of communicating with words, Michael received a jumble of sensation and memory. It took him a second to sort things out, but it seemed Apollo had realized he'd been in trouble and had instinctively twisted his psychic energies, something he hadn't even known was possible – psychic energy was tricky and did not work much like anything physical – to force the psychic battle into a stalemate so he could move again. Apollo felt weak and nauseous and a bit mentally scrambled, but there was no way he'd back down from the battle when he could still fight. Michael, for his part, lost a few seconds of awareness to mental disorientation and pain while he parsed the information dump and translated it into something he understood.
When Michael's vision cleared, he had the dubious pleasure of watching as Delcatty, enraged by its failure to intercept Snubbull earlier, lunged with its claws outstretched towards Snubbull, yowling. There was bloodlust in its eyes as it raked its claws over Snubbull's body.
Michael, still reeling from the mental overload, panicked as Ursula replaced the Snubbull in his mind, and he screamed, "Delcatty! That's enough!" before he even thought to thrust its ball out and recall it. He hardly even noticed when Cail yelled something at – Delcatty? Snubbull? Michael?
But Delcatty jumped away from Snubbull the instant it heard Michael, and the recall beam fractured uselessly on Snubbull, its biosignature not matching Delcatty's and automatically canceling the beam.
Michael thought for a moment, terrified, that he'd have to send out his other Pokémon to pin Delcatty long enough to return it to its ball, but instead of assaulting Snubbull again, it flicked its tail in agitation and stepped farther away from the other Pokémon, hissing. It was by no means calm – but it was following Michael's orders. Finally, with a haughty toss of its head that reminded Michael of Lovrina, it turned its back on the Snubbull and trotted back in Michael's direction.
Knowing that it disliked being confined, Michael grudgingly lowered Delcatty's ball. He needed to reinforce good behavior – obeying him, learning that unnecessary violence was bad – otherwise he'd never be able to trust it, which would no doubt substantially hinder the purification process. He reluctantly glanced at Snubbull. How badly was it injured? He wouldn't be able to bear it if he hadn't been able to prevent another incident like Ursula's.
Snubbull was whining unhappily, with long, bloody scratches slanting across its torso – but it was still upright, its injuries nowhere near critical. Despite its distress, it looked determined to continue the battle – until a recall beam from Cail pulled it back into its ball.
Michael swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He was also shaking slightly, badly unnerved from the close call. There was no way Cail would forgive him for losing control of Delcatty and drawing that much blood in a friendly match. He opened his mouth to forfeit, raising his gaze to meet Cail's—
"Don't you dare let those words come out of your mouth!" Cail commanded, frowning harshly and crossing his arms. "I know the look of a guy about to quit. Battle's barely begun, and it was looking to be a good one! 'Sides," he drawled, grinning challengingly, "Battle's not over until one side's Pokémon are down! You can't scare me off that easy!"
Michael released a gusty exhale. "Fine, then. Apollo, you good to keep battling?"
"Espi!" Apollo replied firmly, tail swishing.
"That's what I like to hear!" Cail smirked. "Akka's lookin' a bit peaky at the edges, so let's do round two with a new pair: Buster and Chichi!" Cail recalled his Kirlia with one hand and sent out a Houndour and Nuzleaf with the other.
Michael thought for a moment about sending out Rogue and Kodama for a mirror match, but both of his current Pokémon looked so eager to continue the battle that he didn't have the heart to recall them. Plus, battle experience would help purify Delcatty, not to mention that it was Apollo's first battle against two Dark-types at the same time – given the Dark-type's built-in immunity to psychic-type attacks, they would have to get creative.
"Hope you haven't forgotten all your techniques as an Eevee, Apollo! Support Delcatty with Sand Attack. Delcatty, go for that Houdour with Shadow Rush!" Michael began.
"That Espeon is vulnerable; both of you go after it with Feint Attack!" Cail ordered.
I'm not that easy to catch! Apollo taunted as he dashed away from his opponents with speed just shy of a Quick Attack, psychically stirring up dust as he went. The Houndour and Nuzleaf tried to follow, unerringly loping in Apollo's direction, but they paused in their tracks just long enough to cough dust out of their lungs. Delcatty slammed into Houndour with a Shadow Rush, hitting hard enough to knock it out with just one blow. Before Nuzleaf could finish its original attack, Apollo knocked it on its back with an improvised Quick Attack.
"Get up, Chichi!" Cail encouraged. "Watch out for that Delcatty!"
"One more Shadow Rush, Delcatty!" Michael called.
Nuzleaf jumped to its feet, but it was too slow to dodge Delcatty's second attack. It went flying, then skidded to a stop at Cail's feet, unconscious.
"Damn," Cail whistled, recalling his Pokémon. "Hey, kid, I have to hand it to you! You have to be good to beat me."
Michael shrugged, a little unenthusiastic. He was still a little shaken from the incident with Delcatty. He wasn't terribly surprised he won, either – between Cipher's lab and training afterward, his Pokémon had become much tougher in a short amount of time.
"Hey, ya assholes, yer blockin' the gate!" someone hollered. Michael jumped in surprise, and then looked around sheepishly to realize that yes, his battle with Cail had blocked the main gate to the city, and several people were standing on either side of the impromptu battlegrounds impatiently waiting to exit or enter. Michael quickly recalled Delcatty and shuffled to the side.
"Cail, ya moron, ya gotta quit doin' this!" someone else called. "Yer becomin' a public nuisance!"
"Aw, shut yer trap!" Cail yelled, adopting the same twanging accent as the others. Unexpectedly, he laid a heavy arm across Michael's shoulders and steered them both away from the clogged entrance. "I'm doin' ya lunkheads a public service!"
Michael realized that blindly allowing Cail to lead them both was a bad idea when he was steered into a small nook between buildings and the arm around his shoulders tightened. Apollo immediately started growling, but Cail ignored him. "So, I noticed your Delcatty is a Shadow Pokémon," Cail said cheerfully, his accent fading. "Want to explain yourself? We don't allow none of those Pokémon here, anymore."
"It's none of your business," Michael said, attempting to duck out from underneath the man's arm, but Cail held him fast.
I'm two seconds away from intervening, Apollo growled. I won't let him lay a finger on you, Michael.
"It is my business," Cail corrected. "None of us are keen to have what happened last time happen again."
"What happened last time?" Michael repeated curiously, in spite of himself.
Cail blinked. "You mean, you don't know?" Cail's eyes narrowed in consideration as he stared at Michael's left arm. "Say, kid… you wouldn't have happened to steal that Pokémon from someone, would you?"
Michael tensed and Apollo bristled, but before anything happened, Cail released Michael. "Calm down, kid. I was just checking if you were part of this one nasty organization. You've got a horrible poker face, by the way," Cail said nonchalantly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"I—what?" Michael blurted, thrown by the sudden turnaround.
"Something's afoot, isn't it? Else you wouldn't have that Pokémon," Cail replied. "The machine on your arm looks kinda wimpy, but I'd betcha that's a Snag Machine. You thinkin' you're like Wes, takin' the Shadow Pokémon from the bad guys?"
"You knew Wes?" Michael asked wonderingly.
Cail nodded, grinning. "Sure did! He was somethin' else. A heart of gold, but you'd never know it, with how intense he came off." The smile faded a bit. "'Course, he vanished not long after some incident of him attacking someone, or maybe it was fake…"
"Did you meet him during the Shadow Incident?"
"Nah, I'd seen him around earlier, but it wasn't until things got really bad that I really got to know him…" Cail frowned and leaned toward Michael slightly, examining him head to toe. "Now, why do you have that machine and that Pokémon? Because if you're trying to be like Wes, or even if you're not… well. That can't mean anything good."
"You wanted to see if I was part of Cipher, didn't you?" Michael asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Bingo," Cail confirmed. "They made a mess here last time."
"What happened?" Michael latched onto the opportunity to gain more information.
Cail snorted. "Too young to really remember what happened, huh? Damned government, trying to make sure the truth stays covered up to save their own hides. Can't stand how they've criminalized spilling the beans to outsiders."
"I'm not an outsider; I'm an Orre native," Michael insisted.
"Unlike the snobby pricks in Phenac, we in Pyrite talk about it, at least amongst ourselves," Cail deflected. "Tell you what – you tell me why you've got that machine and Pokémon, and I'll tell you about the Shadow Incident. At least, Pyrite's part in it."
Michael nodded trustingly; it seemed like an even trade. "Cipher's back," he replied bluntly. "I've been using this Snag Machine to take the new Shadow Pokémon back from them."
Cail flinched back minutely, as if he'd been struck. "Hey now," he warned. "You'd better not be lying about that. That's not something to joke around about."
"I wish I was joking," Michael said bleakly. "They're the ones who kidnapped Professor Krane from the HQ Lab a month ago."
"I remember hearing about that. And that he'd been recently found. Nothing about how he'd been found, or who had taken him to begin with." Cail's eyes narrowed. "Fucking hell," he muttered. "I gotta spread word around town, so everyone's on guard…"
"Hey!" Michael protested, grabbing Cail by the arm as the man turned to hurry off. "What happened during the first Shadow Incident?"
Cail sighed heavily. "Shit, right," he mumbled. "I'll give you the short version. Can't tell you much about the rest of the cities, but here? Cipher wanted control over the us, since we're one of the most prosperous mining towns. Cipher took control by giving out Shadow Pokémon to people who won in the Colosseum. There was chaos caused by the rift between those who had the powerful Pokémon and those who didn't. In the midst of this, no one noticed Cipher taking control of the town's resources and funneling them to their organization for their own purposes. Wes freed us by kicking out the Cipher admin who had been pulling the strings behind the curtain."
I wonder what all those resources were used for, Apollo commented quietly.
It took Michael a moment to respond while he digested the information. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Finding out anything has been…"
"A pain, I'd bet. Now, I gotta go. Don't cause trouble while you're here," Cail warned, shimmying out of the alleyway.
It was only after the man was gone that Michael realized he'd forgotten to ask the man for directions to the ONBS building.
Michael advanced through Pyrite a little more cautiously than he'd done earlier, a little unnerved by the tumultuous battle and conversation with the gatekeeper. Unsure which way to go, he decided to just stroll up the main street, taking in the sights of Pyrite. The farther he advanced, the more heavy-duty mining equipment and infrastructure he spotted. The townspeople mostly ignored him, though a handful cast curious or assessing glances at him and Apollo.
After aimlessly wandering for a bit, his attention was grabbed by an altercation occurring further up. "All right, then! What have we here?" he heard someone declare loudly. "Well, if it isn't Trudly and Folly! What do you think you're up to?" Michael looked towards the voice; on the other side of the street he found that the speaker was dressed as a police officer. Maybe, once the officer was free, he could ask for directions.
"What are we up to? You've got it all wrong. We're here to do some shopping, that's all," defended one of the two men opposite the police officer. They wore garish clothes and guileless expressions, as if offended that they'd been stopped. One of them held a couple small bags of groceries.
"Now, don't you lie to me! I know the likes of you. You're up to no good, aren't you?" the officer accused.
"Cut us some slack, Officer Johnson, sir. We've had a change of heart. We've sworn off our criminal ways, yes, sir!" either Trudly or Folly said. To Michael, they seemed sincere. Almost too sincere.
Officer Johnson stepped forward purposefully, a hand drifting to the handcuffs on his belt. "No, no, no! That doesn't wash with me, no sir, it doesn't! I won't have you lot walking around the streets as if you owned the place!"
The two men backpedaled. "Tch! Pompous oaf!" one of them insulted as he retreated. "Folly, the man won't listen to reason. Let's get out of here!" The two men ducked away and hurried off. Instead of pursuing the men, like Michael was half expecting, Officer Johnson just sighed and shook his head disappointedly.
Michael cautiously crossed the street and approached the officer. "Excuse me, sir?"
"Oh! Yes, how can I help you, lad?" Officer Johnson queried professionally, his expression gentling.
"How can I get to the ONBS building?"
"Ah, our newest tourist attraction! The quickest way from here is through Duel Square, by taking a right at the next intersection and then a left. Pass through Duel Square – you can't miss it – and you'll see a white building to your left. About the only building in the whole town that's still white! Oh, but before you go, there are some things I should warn you about—"
Michael was piled with more directions than he'd bargained for. Directions to the Colosseum, directions to three different inns and a handful of shops, directions to the only Pokémon Center in town and a handful of other small clinics, and more locations of interest. Non-spatial directions too, such as how to spot public facilities like bathrooms and healing stations, which parts of town to avoid, how to protect against pickpocketing…
Michael left the encounter with more directions than he knew how to deal with. Thankfully, Apollo had been listening, too, and could help Michael keep everything straight. Michael made a mental note to avoid Officer Johnson in the future if he could avoid it.
With Apollo's help, he made his way to the ONBS building through Duel Square. A couple pairs of trainers were battling each other, while others watched from the sides. Michael skirted around the edges to avoid getting in anyone's way, keenly watching both battles as he passed. The trainers and their Pokémon were relentless, refusing to give their opponents time to breathe. They were battles of nerves as much as skill.
Apollo tugged on Michael's sleeve. Startled, Michael realized he'd gotten too distracted watching the battles and had stopped walking. With a forlorn look at the battles he was abandoning, Michael continued past Duel Square.
Michael spotted the ONBS building over a block away before he made it to the front entrance. Gleaming white and undamaged, it stood out starkly from the surrounding run-down buildings. Standing by the door was a hulking bodybuilder of a guard, but the man did nothing while Michael gave him a wide berth as he somewhat timidly entered the building.
The inside of the building was as clean as the outside, sporting white polished marble tiles and bright, illuminating lights. A spacious welcome desk spanned half the hallway; behind it was a smiling teenage girl, and on top of it was a Shroomish.
"Welcome to ONBS! All visitors are free to wander the ONBS building and see our network in operation – with a few limits, of course. My name is Megg, and I'm the official guide. Glad to meet you!" the teenager said cheerfully as Michael approached the desk.
"Shroo," added the Shroomish.
"Hi, I'm Michael, and this is Apollo," Michael greeted, gesturing down to the Espeon. In response, Apollo clambered onto Michael's shoulders to see over the desk.
"Welcome, Michael! As cute as your Pokémon is, I'm afraid it'll have to return to its ball. We used to allow visitors' Pokémon to be out in the building, but then a visitor lost control of their Pokémon, which interrupted a broadcast and caused damage," Megg informed him regretfully.
Apollo's head drooped. I'll be good, I promise, he quietly sulked. I wanted to see what this place was like…
Michael scratched Apollo behind the ears. "I'll tell you all about it once I'm back outside," he promised as he raised Apollo's Pokéball. The Espeon disappeared with a telepathic sigh.
"I do apologize for the inconvenience," Megg said as she pushed a sign-in sheet at Michael for him to fill out. "While we would prefer to allow the public as much access to the building as they'd like, the safety of our staff does take priority."
"I understand," Michael replied as he filled out the visitor log. "I won't be here for long – I'm on an errand from the HQ Lab near Gateon."
Megg blinked. "What errand is this?"
Michael frowned. "I need to meet with someone named Nett," he hedged, keeping most of the details of his mission to himself. Best to keep things as discreet as possible. "It's very important."
Megg pursed her lips. "Well, visitors usually aren't allowed to see him. He doesn't like to be disturbed. But… you could talk to Secc first. He's on the second floor, in the executive office. It's the first thing you see after getting off the elevator, right across the hall. You can't miss it."
"Thank you," Michael said as she handed him a visitor's badge. "I won't be long. Which way is the elevator?"
The elevator turned out to be at the end of the hall. Michael looked around curiously as he kept out of the way of the few employees. The building was tastefully decorated and sparkling clean; given the state of the rest of the town, this building had to be new, or at least recently rebuilt or refurbished. Which made sense, because Michael could remember ONBS taking off only three years ago, when he was eleven. But even though it was a very young company and broadcasting network, it had still enjoyed a meteoric rise as the most trustworthy news network with by far the widest coverage across Orre.
Michael found himself staring at the door to the executive office one short but smooth elevator ride later. He took a deep breath and knocked, wondering what kind of person this "Secc" was.
A lanky teenager, dressed in sagging sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, answered the door. Michael thought, for a moment, that he must have been one of the sons of the executive since he looked only a couple years older than Michael, until the teen greeted, "Hey, you're Michael from the HQ Lab, right? Megg let me know you were coming. C'mon in." Michael quietly followed behind the teen and sat in the chair in front of the imposing executive's desk. The teen casually sat on the other side of the desk and continued, "Hi, welcome to ONBS. The name's Secc. I'm supposed to be in charge here. I'm glad to meet you."
"You're Secc?" Michael blurted out before he could clamp his mouth shut.
Secc gave a wry smile. "You wouldn't believe how often I get that. But this network was started by a group of kids, including myself, five years ago. It was a tiny network back then, but after it really took off a couple years later, it has grown into what you see today. I operate this place with my partner, Nett. We're convinced that reporting the unvarnished truth will be for the good of peace and justice. Anyways, did you want something from me? Sorry, I do tend to talk too much about the network…"
Michael shook his head. "No, it's incredible." To think that children had built something like this when they had to have been younger than Michael… "Uhm, about why I'm here – I need to speak with Nett about something urgent, related to Professor Krane's kidnapping." Michael hesitated before tacking on, "How much do you know about the Shadow Incident?"
Secc's gaze darkened swiftly. "More than we'd want," he admitted. "The group of kids who founded this network… well, we used to be a kid-run organization opposing Cipher called the Kid's Grid. We couldn't do much except intercept, decode, and pass on intelligence to Wes about Cipher's movements and activities. We didn't really advertise our involvement, however, for our own safety."
Michael blinked, surprised that such information had been shared so freely. "If you're dedicated to reporting the unvarnished truth, then why has everything about the Shadow Incident…?"
"Been covered over?" Secc finished bitterly, snorting. "Politics, simple as that. Can't have the status quo upended, now, can we? We were finally able to get this network off the ground when the authorities stopped slandering us and fouling up our equipment and funding for covering the aftermath… But there are other ways to get the truth out there without running afoul of the gag rule." Secc shook his head disgustedly. "As much as I wish ONBS could dedicate itself to the complete unvarnished truth, in reality we can only present most of the unvarnished truth instead of all of it. And we're still accomplishing that better than our competitors, so…"
"Why are you telling me all this?" Michael asked. Revealing potentially damaging company secrets to a virtual unknown…
"You've got this look in your eyes," Secc explained. "I've only seen it on a handful of others. Those who have actively tangled with Cipher, and their Shadow Pokémon, in direct opposition… not to mention, that machine on your arm somehow reminds me of a snag machine. Cipher's back, isn't it? And you've had to bump heads with them, haven't you?"
Michael sat in shocked silence for a moment, a little intimidated by Secc's astuteness. "Yeah," he said bitterly. "That's why I'm here. When Professor Krane was kidnapped, he was taken to their old desert facility."
"You're kidding! Cipher was using its desert lab again?" Secc exclaimed. "That's why the authorities were crawling all over it recently? No wonder we could barely get anything from the investigators…"
"Yeah," Michael nodded. "When we escaped… we wound up with an encrypted flashdrive we can't crack. The Professor wanted to ask if Nett would be able to unlock its contents."
"Okay, understood," Secc said seriously. "You should take that flashdrive and show it to Nett right away. I'll let him know you're on your way. I'm sure he can decipher whatever information in stored on it. You'll find him in the office on the roof – you'll need to take the elevator to the top floor, go to the end of the hallway, and take the stairs up."
"Thank you," Michael said gratefully as he stood from the chair. "I appreciate you taking the time to help me out."
Secc grinned, shark-like, and replied, "We already fought Cipher once; no way we'd sit on our asses and do nothing if they showed their faces again. We'll be in touch with the HQ Lab. You be careful, now. Good luck."
Michael nodded in acknowledgement and then slipped from the office. He followed Secc's directions to the rooftop, disregarding the "employees only" sign on the door to the roof. He climbed the stairwell and was hit with a wave of heat and grit as he stepped into the sunlight.
Good old Orre, he thought wryly as he squinted against the brightness. The building was built into the canyon wall, and a boarded-up cave entrance was to his left. For a moment, Michael thought longingly of adventurously exploring the inside, but shook the thought away. It had to be boarded up for a reason, and he had a job to do, besides.
There was a rectangular structure big enough for an office anchored to the roof. It was the only promising location for Nett up here, so Michael knocked on the door.
After a few moments, the door opened a crack, just enough for Michael to see the face of another teen. This one scowled at him irritably and said snappishly, "I've been told by Nett to not allow anyone through. He's working right now."
Michael quickly wedged a foot in the door before the teen could shut it in his face. "Wait, I'm a visitor from the Pokémon HQ Lab! Secc sent me up here!" he hurriedly explained.
"I still can't let you through. I'll get in trouble if I do," the teen replied waspishly, trying to shove Michael's foot from the doorframe.
"Detro, do we have a visitor?" a muffled voice called from further inside.
"Oh, Nett! I'm sorry; this person here says he's come calling from the Pokémon HQ Lab—"
"Oh, yes, I was expecting him. Please show him in," Nett said.
"Oh, sure thing! I'll let him through!" Michael sighed in relief as the pressure on his foot vanished and the door was opened for him. He was admitted into a room that looked less like an office and more like a messy explosion of wires and technology. Seated at a barely-visible desk was a dark-haired older teen, almost fully grown, dressed in business casual. He looked up as Michael picked his way closer and nodded in welcome.
"Hello, I've been expecting you. You're Michael, right? I'm Nett," the teen greeted.
"Hello!" a muffled voice piped up from one of the room's corners. Michael whipped his head around to see another teen pop up from among a mess of wiring. Only his head was visible; the rest of him was buried.
With a wry snort, Nett explained, "And that is Bitt. He's my friend and an invaluable partner. He's got good hands for working with all the equipment."
"Pleased to meet you!" Bitt chirped. "We heard from Professor Krane. Sounds like you pulled off a daring rescue."
Michael grimaced slightly before Nett interjected, "Yes, Bitt, but now's not the time to waste chatting. Let's see the data Professor Krane wanted us to look at."
Michael nodded quietly, relieved to not have to talk about Cipher's Lab, and fished out the flashdrive from one of his pockets. He gingerly reached over the desk to hand it to Nett, who took it with bony fingers and held it up to inspect.
"I've deciphered something similar to this before. It brings back memories," Nett said nostalgically as he sat back down in his chair and plugged the flashdrive into the computer. "Sometimes, I almost miss the excitement…"
Bitt laughed, no longer visible since he'd vanished back under the wires while Michael was watching Nett. "What, you mean you miss all those near-misses and having to scavenge for food?"
Nett snorted as his fingers flew across not one but three different keyboards. "No, I meant all those times hiding in the sewer drains." Bitt snickered at the sarcastic response, but Nett suddenly frowned.
"Damn," he cursed. "This encryption is…"
"Can you not open it?" Michael worried, his heart plummeting.
Nett gave him an incredulous look. "Of course I can crack this open," he said, sounding slightly offended. "I hate to brag, but I'm one of the best in Orre with these kinds of things. The security on this drive, though… it's not something I can break open in just a matter of moments. This is heavy-duty stuff. It's going to take some time for me to get to the contents of this flashdrive. Can you wait while I do that?"
Michael sighed in relief that the flashdrive wouldn't be a dead end after all. "Yeah, I can. About how long are you talking?"
Nett rubbed his chin in consideration. "Honestly? At least a few days. Even with my gear, this isn't something that can be cracked quickly."
Michael frowned as he considered what he would do for the days Nett would be unlocking the flashdrive. It would probably be best to stay close, but how much money would he need to stay in Pyrite? And what would he do in the meantime?
"Hey, Nett! How's this for an idea?" Bitt piped up. "Our news team should be out visiting Duking at one of his Poké Spots to file a story about wild Pokémon. Since he's got free time, why not have him go visit Duking as well?"
"Hey, that's good. Good suggestion, Bitt," Nett replied warmly. He asked Michael, "Are you interested in wild Pokémon? It wouldn't hurt to go look, you know."
"Wild Pokémon? Real wild Pokémon?" Michael repeated, a little breathlessly. He'd heard rumors at the HQ Lab and had dismissed them as mere fancy, but if ONBS was reviewing it… well, maybe there was some truth to it, maybe there wasn't, but if ONBS was investigating, it was at least sure to be interesting.
"By all accounts, it seems so," Nett said wryly. "I take it that's a yes, then?"
"Yes!" Michael exclaimed.
Nett's lips quirked up. "Right then. Bitt, where is our news team?"
"Um… I think they said the rock Poké Spot," came the muffled reply.
"Got it," Nett muttered as he pulled out his P*DA. "May I have your P*DA number? I'll send you the coordinates of the site. I'll also contact you as soon as I find anything out."
"Sure," Michael replied before rattling off his P*DA number.
"Thank you. I'll try to decipher this as quickly as possible," Nett said.
"Thank you for taking the time to do this," Michael returned.
Nett waved it off. "Upgrades for the ONBS network can wait a bit; defending against Cipher takes precedence."
"Never thought I'd hear you say something like that," Bitt remarked slyly, poking his head above the wires. "Oh, and Michael! C'mere a sec."
"Okay…" Michael dubiously eyed the floor, unsure of where would be safe to step. He cautiously picked his way across the floor on tiptoes towards Bitt.
There was some rustling under the wires before a clenched hand poked its way through the mess. "Here, take this," Bitt said. Michael cupped his hands under Bitt's, and the teen deposited something small and metallic in his palms. He held it up for inspection and found that it was a small bell with a woven loop to attach it to a keyring. He gave it a shake and found its chime to be melodious and pleasant.
"That's a soothe bell," Bitt explained. "Pokémon seem to really like it since it calms them. It can even work on people a little too, if you pay close enough attention. Thought it might be useful for working with Shadow Pokémon."
"Thank you!" Michael exclaimed, giving the small bell another shake. "This will definitely come in handy."
Bitt winked before disappearing back under the wires. "Good luck with those wild Pokémon! See you around, kid~!"
With that dismissal, Michael carefully picked his way back across the floor to the door. He nodded cordially to the quiet Detro by the door before heading back outside and then beginning his descent back through the ONBS building. As he made his way out, he carefully considered where to keep the bell. Within easy reach would be good, but he also didn't want it to ring at a bad time… He decided to hang it on his wallet, within easy reach in his pocket but somewhere it wouldn't jingle. When he made it to the front desk, Michael politely chatted with Megg a little while she signed him out of the visitor's log. Finally, he was back in Pyrite. He left ONBS and its security behind him, out of sight, before he slumped and stretched, a bit tired from his trip and meetings. Now, what to do…
"Hey, don't you think it's too tough for us to pull anything in this town? Our faces are too well known," he heard someone grumble from a nearby alleyway.
"Yeah, I hear you. If we don't hurry, the boss will get impatient and come looking for us himself," someone else replied. The voices sounded familiar…
"Hehehe, we're okay on that score. I went and snuck a transmitter on the boss. You can tell where he is by checking this radar. So, we can always be ready for him when he blows his top." Michael crept closer, to the alleyway entrance, and peered cautiously around the corner. He recognized the two men Officer Johnson had accosted earlier. Based on this conversation, it seemed Johnson was right to stop them… Maybe, Michael could put a stop to whatever they were planning here? He kept listening.
"I have to hand it to you, Folly. Way to go!" one said.
"Huh? Trudly, it looks like we've got a message," Folly said.
"Gaah! Is it the boss?" Trudly exclaimed. "Hmm… Let's see… 'You two come back right now!' it says. Aww, gosh darn it all! He sounds like he's fuming! He might dock us dinner again. We'd better scoot back!"
"Tch! Well, so much for this radar! It's not much use if the boss is going to get us by text! Oh, man, why do our lives have to be this tragic?!" Folly complained.
Michael whipped his head back around the corner as the two started turning in his direction. He barely had a moment to lay his hand on Apollo's Pokéball before the two goons burst from the alley and… ran off. They didn't seem to have noticed Michael's presence. Michael exhaled to calm his nerves and then set off following them. It didn't seem like they were doing anything now, just running off to whoever their boss was, but he could still try to get more information…
Except that those two were awfully good at disappearing. Michael managed to barely follow them a few blocks before he lost sight of them. Sighing in disappointment, he decided he would just have to report what he'd heard to a local officer. One who wasn't Johnson.
The Pokéball that his hand hadn't strayed from during the pursuit shook violently for a moment before bursting open, and Apollo appeared in a spray of light. He shook his head hard, like he'd gotten wet, before glaring up at Michael.
Hey! he complained. What gives, keeping me in there for so long? And then teasing me and not letting me out?
"Sorry, Apollo," Michael apologized, rubbing his head. "I was in the ONBS building longer than I expected, and then got distracted…"
Apollo swished his tail irritably. It's so boring in there, he complained. I can't tell what's happening outside; not much, anyway. And I can't protect you from in there… This is a rough town; what if something had happened? I'm your best defense, you know! I was worried!
Michael looked down, abashed. "Sorry," he repeated. "Want to hear what happened while you were out?"
Yeah. But maybe once we're at a hotel. Looks like it's starting to get dark.
"Yeah." Michael frowned as he looked around. "Do you remember how to get to one of those inns Johnson mentioned earlier?"
I think so. What would you do without me?
Michael grimaced at the gaudy inn he and Apollo had located. Endowed with enough glitzy neon to be clearly visible from blocks away, but run-down to the point that the outside of the building was falling apart and chunks of neon were missing, the Pyrite Super Grand Hotel was exactly the kind of shady place Michael did not want to be staying in.
But it was either staying at this dump or braving the streets of Pyrite at night, because they'd taken too long finding this place at all. So Michael squared his shoulders, steeled his spine, and marched inside with Apollo at his heels.
The inside was no better than the outside. Garish, decades-old décor, complete with rust and – was that mold? – adorned the lobby. A few pinups of scantily-clad women were tacked to the wall, along with a brochure labeled "menu." Michael did not want to know what kind of food a place like this would serve.
It smells funny in here, Apollo complained. His ears twitched and he added, I'm hearing some strange sounds, too…
The proprietor of the place, an older man with hair just starting to turn gray, looked up as he entered and frowned severely. "Young man, I'm sure you think yourself mature or clever, but you are far too young to rent a room at this establishment."
Michael stopped cold, a few feet from the front desk. "Sorry, what?" he asked. "…is there some age limit for renting hotel rooms in Pyrite? I just want a safe place to sleep for the night that's not on the streets…"
The man rolled his eyes. "You're way too young to be sleeping here, kid. Beat it!"
Michael frowned; the man's emphasis on "sleeping" was strange. "Is there some kind of sleeping someone older can do that I can't?" he asked coolly. "I mean, between my sister sprawling in a different position each night and the racket one of the techs back home makes snoring, I think I've seen everything."
The man blinked at him, then squinted suspiciously. "Say, kid… are you trying to tell me you're looking for a place for sleeping sleeping tonight?"
Michael's brow furrowed. "Uh, yeah? What other kind of sleeping is there?"
The man made a strange choked noise, his eyes bulging. "Uhh… Look, kid, you'd better go to a different place. This isn't the kind of hotel you're thinking of."
Michael was beyond confused at this point. "Then where's the nearest hotel from this whatever-it-is-not -hotel?" he demanded. "It's gotten dark outside, and I don't feel safe roaming the streets."
The man swore under his breath. "Fuck, the closest place is a ways from here… and you're right, it's not safe. How did you even find us anyway? We're not exactly a tourist district where… out-of-towners would be."
Michael looked away, a little sheepishly. "Might've mixed some directions up…" he mumbled. Then he turned to the man, accusing, "Why call this place a hotel if there are no rooms to rent? It's false advertising!"
One of the man's eyes spasmed, and he swore something under his breath that would get Michael grounded for days if he said it aloud. "Okay, kid, let me go check on something. Stay here, do not go outside, it is not safe for a squirt like you out there right now, Pokémon or no Pokémon."
Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes as the man fled through one of the doors leading to the back. "I thought you said you knew where you were going," he hissed quietly at Apollo.
I thought I did, the Espeon replied dubiously.
"If you get fleas from this place you only have yourself to blame," Michael muttered, a little nonplussed.
Please, if anyone's going to get fleas from this place it's you. You've got more hair than me now, Apollo rebutted.
"In which case it's still your fault," Michael grumbled, before abruptly straightening as one of the doors to the back opened and a woman stepped forth. A scantily-costumed woman with impeccable makeup wearing some exotic-looking piece that covered barely anything but somehow highlighted all her curves. It took a couple moments for Michael to realize he was staring, turn solid red, and look away, mortified.
Wow, I didn't know humans could come in those colors! Apollo commented, which somehow made it worse.
The woman sauntered towards him, almost stalking. Michael backed up a few steps, unsure why she felt like a predator and he felt like prey. "I-I'm sorry, I-I think uh, um, s-something—"
"Well, you've certainly found yourself in quite the situation, haven't you, child?" the woman purred, leaning forward.
"L-look, I'm j-just gonna be g-going—" Outside, in Pyrite's streets at night, somehow felt safer than trapped in this space with this woman.
The woman chuckled softly, throatily. "Well now, it wouldn't do for a sweet young man to be wandering our streets after sundown," she hummed. "Such a pure, innocent child. And we can't let such a young thing be accosted by someone strange out there, now, can we?"
It was moderately comforting that Apollo stepped in front of him and hissed at the woman. Back off, lady! You're someone strange! he growled into Michael's mind. Don't worry, I won't let her touch you.
"Such a cute bodyguard you've got," the woman murmured before withdrawing. Michael found he could breathe a little easier. "Tell you what, kiddo. We charge by the hour, but it seems like you're not trying to trick your way into any of our normal services. Now, normally I wouldn't let anyone stay without purchasing something from our menu, but… well, it looks like you need it. You're a brave little thing, to visit Pyrite all by your lonesome."
"I'm not alone," Michael rebutted, forcing strength into his voice. "I have my Pokémon with me."
The woman hummed thoughtfully. "Fearsome guards, to be sure… but they can't protect you from everything. And they can't protect you from things they can't see. Pyrite's not as bad as a few years ago; the daytime is generally safe, but… well, for a kiddo like you… I'd feel bad if I sent you on your way at this time of night. We're not your typical hotel, but we do have rooms to rent. I'll charge you one flat rate for a safe room for the night, and tell the girls to leave you be, and then I don't want to see your face here again until you're of age, got it? Go to a real hotel if you'll be staying in Pyrite longer. It's obvious you're not from around here."
Michael nodded, his face still flushed as he finally started figuring out what kind of "hotel" with what specific kind of "sleeping" this place catered to. "Thank you," he squeaked. His mother would kill him if he knew where he was staying for the night.
The woman gave him a sunny smile. "We do our part to help those in need and uplift our community. Now then, about some rules I'm laying down for you to stay here. If you violate them, we will not hesitate to toss you out…"
"Please stop, Apollo," Michael groaned as he sifted through goods in a supply store the women of the Pyrite Super Grand Hotel had thoughtfully directed him to that morning. "I want to forget about where I stayed last night, and what the other patrons were doing in the room next to me."
You slept like a log, Apollo pointed out. Didn't even get exposed to anything. Now me, on the other hand, with my sharper ears – gotta say it was educational, listening to humans—
Michael swatted at Apollo, who nimbly leaped aside, snickering aloud. Okay, okay! I'll shut up about it.
"Thank you," Michael grumbled as he added another water pack to his pile of goods. Could never hurt to be too careful with water in the desert. "Let's just get out of this town as soon as we can…"
Driving through the serene desert was calming, Michael had to admit. The heat and the sand seemed to blow away any mundane concerns in the gritty wind that swirled between the rock formations jutting from the hard-packed ground. Michael had never imagined he'd be going so far out as the eastern canyons, and he enjoyed taking in all the unfamiliar scenery as he drove the nine long hours to reach the Poké Spot. He chose to take a quick lunch break in the shadow of a massive outcropping, sheared by forces so powerful Michael could never hope to quite fathom them. It was awe-inspiring.
Michael unerringly made his way to the coordinates sent to his P*DA by Nett and eventually found an alcove open to the sky set into a canyon wall. He knew he was in the right place when he spotted a couple other dirty vehicles nearby and heard voices from inside the alcove.
"Hello, people! It's time for Pofty's Fast-Break Report! We bring you news while it's breaking!" a woman announced as Michael entered the alcove. He saw three people – a cameraman, a slightly dusty news reporter from ONBS (likely Pofty), and a hulking outdoorsman covered in grime. Focused as they were on each other and on the plate that had been set in the middle of the alcove, they failed to notice his entrance. Michael was content for the recording to finish; he didn't want to interrupt and have his face plastered all over the TV. The blurry video of him from Krane's abduction had been bad enough.
"Today, we're visiting Duking, the discoverer of Poké Spots, where wild Pokémon appear. Duking is said to be the driving force behind the booming popularity of searching for wild Pokémon in Pyrite," Pofty announced to the camera. Michael still couldn't believe that wild Pokémon could appear in Orre. The region was well-known as a desolate wasteland that nothing, especially Pokémon, could survive in for long without support.
Pofty turned from the camera to the muscular man, Duking. "Duking, so this is the Poké Spot that you discovered?"
"Hello, Duking here! Yeah, that's absolutely right! For fifteen long and torturous years I toiled, snatching sleep only grudgingly, to find this Poké Spot!" Duking proclaimed.
"Fifteen years?! Is that true?!" Pofty exclaimed.
"Yeah, uh… One shouldn't let the details get in the way of the story, isn't that right, Betty?" Duking prevaricated.
"It's Pofty!" Pofty said indignantly.
"All right!" Duking steamrollered over her, sweating. "Let me explain how one goes about attracting wild Pokémon to a Poké Spot. Well… I'll demonstrate!"
Duking turned to paw at his bag and, in the process, he noticed Michael. "Whoa! When did you get here, kid?" Michael shuffled nervously as the camera was turned on him. "I have a great idea! Why don't I get this kid to demonstrate? Anyone can catch a wild Pokémon, and this kid will prove it!"
"That sounds like a fantastic idea!" Pofty said. "Welcome to the show! What's your name?"
"I'm Michael," he said shyly to the camera. Duking noticed his uneasiness and put a friendly arm around Michael's shoulders. Michael found himself tucked under Duking's burly arm, feeling small next to the giant man. The camera made him uneasy – he didn't want to be on TV for thousands of people to scrutinize him – but he was also excited. He never thought he'd get the chance to catch a wild Pokémon in Orre.
"I can't believe there's another person all the way out here!" Duking said conversationally, ignoring the news crew. "How did you get out here? I didn't think any of the public knew where my Poké Spots are yet!"
"Nett sent me," Michael explained. "He gave me the coordinates to this place."
"Nett, huh? I suppose I did tell him to send a promising trainer my way if he found one," Duking said thoughtfully. "Well, he sent you to the right place! Your reward for getting here is your first crack at wild Pokémon! Excited?"
"Absolutely," Michael replied, grinning despite his nerves. The long trip across the desert would be totally worth it if he could catch a wild Pokémon.
"All right, my friend. Let me show you how you attract wild Pokémon to a Poké Spot," Duking directed before rummaging around in his bag. "First, and above all else, you need these: Duking brand Poké snacks. Here, I'll give you some." He held out a stack of bars wrapped in wax paper. Michael sniffed one and found that it smelled sweet and earthy. Probably a solidified blend of crushed berries and nuts.
"Okay. Lay those Poké snacks out on that plate there. Go on, now," Duking encouraged, pointing at the dusty, sand-colored plate that had been laid on the ground sometime earlier.
Michael unwrapped two Poké snacks from the wax paper and laid them on the plate, side by side. He licked his fingers clean of the sticky residue the Poké snacks left behind and found that it tasted of largely of pecha and oran berry, with a couple other, more subtle flavors he couldn't identify mixed in.
"Very good, mate. That's the easy part! Now we get to the tedious part. When you've laid out the Poké snacks, you need to go into hiding," Duking said, directing the entire party behind an outcropping of rock downwind where the plate was still clearly visible. "Eventually, a wild Pokémon will come along, just you wait. The more Poké snacks you lay out, the longer a Pokémon will stay to eat, making it that much easier to catch. For the meantime, though, we have to wait."
For the next hour, Michael was subjected to an exhaustive but quiet interview. He stammered a bit for the first few questions, nervous under the camera's gaze, but gradually became more comfortable. He somewhat readily answered questions about himself but avoided saying anything about Cipher and Professor Krane's kidnapping. Once Pofty discovered he was a trainer, she asked to see his Pokémon. Not wanting to broadcast that he had a full party, Michael just released Apollo. The smart Espeon knew that advertising his ability to speak to Michael to the news crew would be a bad idea; he didn't want to turn himself into a circus sideshow. So he stayed quiet.
Duking shushed them soon after the interview; their talking was too loud and was chasing the Pokémon away. So they sat in silence for the next few hours, waiting for a Pokémon to take the bait. Michael almost fell asleep under the scorching sun, bored out of his mind. Apollo actually did fall asleep.
The sun was setting and Michael couldn't stand to wait any longer. This trip had been a total bust; he just didn't have the patience to wait for a wild Pokémon to show up, if they even appeared here in the first place. It seemed as though Pofty and her cameraman were also becoming more irritable the longer they waited.
Just as he was about to voice his frustration, however, there was a quiet scrabbling noise originating from the far side of the alcove. The entire party perked up as the sound became louder until finally, a tiny Trapinch trundled along. It whined as it made it to the Poké snacks, obviously hungry. It unsteadily reared up on stumpy limbs, opened its large, jagged jaw, and began eating desperately.
"Finally," Pofty mumbled.
Duking groaned quietly. "I've been looking for one of those for months," he grumbled in frustration. He looked as though he wanted to run out and catch the Trapinch himself, but then he murmured to Michael, "This is your hunt, your catch. Go for it and get it! Do you need a Pokéball?"
"No, I've got some. Come on, Apollo! You know what to do," Michael whispered. He crept from his hiding place toward the Trapinch. Engrossed as it was in its meal, it didn't notice Michael until it was too late. Apollo pounced, pinning the Trapinch to the ground. It squealed in surprise and fear, snapping at Apollo's neck. Apollo was having none of it, though, using his psychic powers to keep the Trapinch pinned. Then he hit the Trapinch with a point-blank Confusion attack. The Trapinch went limp, and Apollo delicately stepped away from it, leaving it open for capture.
That was Michael's cue. He took out a Pokéball from his pack and tossed it at the Trapinch using his right hand (as a wild Pokémon, there was no need to use the Snag Machine and draw attention to it on TV). His aim was accurate, and the ball bounced off of the Trapinch's oversized head before opening and sucking the Trapinch inside. Michael watched with trepidation as the ball shook, the light on the central button flashing. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the ball stilled and the light on the button flickered off.
"Alright!" Michael exclaimed, fist pumping the air. "I caught my first wild Pokémon!" The sensation of accomplishment and pride was heady. It was a far cry from the guilt and fear of retribution he felt whenever he snagged a Pokémon. Trapinch was entirely his own, no strings attached.
"Incredible!" Duking exclaimed as Michael stepped forward to pick up Trapinch's Pokéball. "I don't think I've ever seen a Pokémon work so well without instructions from its trainer!"
Apollo preened, a little embarrassed by the praise, while Michael rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, he's pretty well trained." And very, very smart, he added mentally.
"I'll say!" Pofty agreed.
"Say, would you be willing to trade your Trapinch for a Meditite, once we get back to Pyrite?" Duking asked. "I've been wanting a Trapinch ever since one got away from me a while ago, but they seem to be rare."
"Thanks, but I think I'll decline," Michael said. He wasn't letting go of his first wild Pokémon so easily.
"I guess I can respect that," Duking sighed.
After that, Pofty accosted him for another interview about the experience of catching the Trapinch. This one was significantly shorter than the first; Pofty looked about as worn-out as Michael felt. But he could respect her dedication to her job in spite of her exhaustion, at least.
Finally, Pofty wrapped up with a cheerful, "Pofty's Fast-Break Report! Our guests today were Duking and Michael! See you again next time!"
"And that's a wrap! Good job, Pofty!" the cameraman praised. "Can we go home now?"
A/N:
This one fought me hard, for a little over a year. (Not my worst hiatus, but certainly not the best, ahaha...) As a more transition-type chapter it was a bit hard to work on...
The Pyrite Super Grand Hotel is a brothel masquerading as a child-friendly hotel in the games and no one can convince me otherwise.
Next time: Michael meets a man with the most fabulous hairdo in all of Orre.