I'm going to try and finish this fic. Sorry for the massive delay.
A large team Galactic car pulled up outside the cave. Its occupants exited one by one. A couple of them were limping, someone might have said that they had their tails between their legs. Only their leader remained standing straight and tall, ready for business. His hand however was bandaged up and some blood could be seen still seeping through.
He was greeted by a young woman with red hair. She approached him eagerly, although there was some clear concern there. He'd been gone a little longer than they'd initially planned. An unanticipated development was the cause. They'd left things terrifyingly late and the storm which was brewing was too violent to even contemplate going out in. They were indeed lucky to have been able to make it back in one piece, well, for the most part at least. The state of a couple of their underlings was somewhat concerning.
"Run into trouble?" She questioned approaching the group.
"You wouldn't believe." The man glanced back towards the door, he nodded once silently giving an order to his men.
Mars was rather expecting to see several individuals, probably police or at the very least some high level trainers such as gym leaders. Instead, they escorted out a semi-conscious boy. He couldn't have been more than thirteen. They'd certainly gone to some lengths to ensure that he was restrained and wouldn't pose a threat any longer. The presence of a gag was a surprise. He was still able to walk but still too far out of it to be able to resist. Still, Mars found the situation to be somewhat unusual. Saturn was a capable trainer, better than most and he hadn't been alone. Perhaps his head was elsewhere:
"One boy?"
"Surprisingly feisty." The young man watched as the boy was carried past. "Took out almost half our pokemon. When we tried to grab him he fought back worse than an enraged Gyarados! He's the one who bit my hand."
Sure enough, there was a series of small cuts on the man's hand. If the lad was indeed responsible, he must have been desperate to go to such lengths. The woman made a mental note to avoid going anywhere near him none-the-less. They already had a surprising number of prisoners. This was supposed to be a simple operation, over and done with before the rest of the world had had a chance to blink. True, things were drawing to a close but still… She failed to see just how so much could have gone awry in such a small period of time.
Not that it mattered any more. Things were falling into place; slowly but surely and with a few extra bumps than had initially been expected or planned for. All of their hard work would pay off soon enough and they would have their new and perfect world. The presence of the boy was still somewhat surprising. It would have been unusual to find a trainer – at least that's what she assumed he was – this high up on the mountain by himself. It was no doubt a notion which had already occurred to her companion when he'd apprehended the boy. Despite her best efforts to forget about the matter and concentrate on what was truly important, she found herself powerless to fight her curiosity:
"What was he doing up here by himself anyway?"
"No idea. He refused to say. My guess would be training or hunting pokemon… He's a strange one." The man watched as the teen was locked up along with the other prisoners inside one of their ships. "The irony is that we probably saved his life."
Not that it would matter much now, Mars couldn't help but think to herself. Soon, nothing in this world would mean anything because they would have another.
She forced herself to focus on what mattered right now. At the end of the day, that strange boy would spend his last few moments comparatively safe, warm and dry rather than freezing to death in a supernatural storm. It was fairer, she supposed. She tried to push him and the other prisoners, as well as the rest of the world from her mind as she followed Saturn. This was all for the best. It was the same old mantra that she repeated to herself. This world was sick and diseased. It needed to be cleansed.
Paul was unloaded without ceremony into the small room where the other prisoners were being kept. The door was shut firmly behind him. Still struggling to pull himself together, he allowed himself to drop to his knees. His head was spinning. The boy's skin however thanked him for getting out of the elements. There were people calling his name but he was in no state to react to them. Part of what had happened still seemed to be almost unreal. Whether it was the battle, his attempt to flee down the mountain or the argument with Brandon and Reggie. His whole life had suddenly shifted into some spiral which he couldn't control.
He wanted to stop falling but had no idea how to do so. Desperately, the teen struggled to hold onto any form of support he could find. Everything had seemed so clear. His rage had been perfectly justifiable. Instinctively, he found himself reaching for the locket which was always in his pocket. The last piece of his mother he still had with him. It was gone. As foggy as his mind was, the boy still managed to recall just how he had parted from it. It was one of the few things he could blame himself for…
The voices nearby were persistent. They irritated him. More than they should have. Rage from his encounter with his father resurfaced, reminding him brutally that he was angry with the world. As he looked up, ready to give those nearby a piece of his mind, he was abruptly struck dumb:
"You guys?!"
Who else? Somewhere it all made terrible sense.
Of course, if his punishment was to be complete, it would mean being locked up in close quarters with these three idiots. Paul shot all three of them a death glare, letting them know before they'd even said anything that he wanted neither their sympathy nor their assistance. Ironically, their presence was exactly what the teen needed, despite the fact that he loathed them. It gave him something else to focus on, asides from his own torment. In short, they became new targets of sort and a decent distraction just as Team Galactic had been for a while. He could push Brandon, his brother and mother from his mind.
"What are you doing here?!"
"We were going to ask you the same question." Brock managed to keep a rather calmer demeanour even in the face of the young man's hostility.
"Training." He was used to lying at this point.
Spinning on his heels, he decided to go back to ignoring them. There had to be a way out of this box. He didn't know quite what it was. A wire or a lock or a faulty hinge, maybe an air vent… Something! There was no way that he was going to stay trapped in here with this lot of pathetic fools. With his bare hands, he thumped against the metal, checking its sturdiness. To his frustration, he found it to be resilient. Whoever it was who had built this thing hadn't skimped on the materials or build quality.
He didn't even bother trying to smash his way out. Instead, letting out a sigh, he reluctantly turned back around to face his fellow captives. It was those three idiots and another man whom Paul didn't know nor did he want to know. He assumed that they'd been as unlucky as he had. Maybe, they'd been heading back down south and had bumped into Team Galactic outside. He didn't bother asking. Paul allowed himself to slump down with his back pressed against the cold steel wall. His eyes drifted between those opposite. Unfortunately, he realized that he was unlikely to be able to completely ignore them, especially in such close quarters.
"So what do those freaks want?"
"They want Dialga and Palkia. Something about creating a new universe or something..." Ash spoke but Paul got the distinct impression he hadn't quite understood something.
"What? That's insane. They're just fairy-" He paused, thinking about some of the stories his mother had told him as a boy. "Even if they are real, there's no way anyone could control them."
Brandon could command legendaries but even that, the man claimed, was not something to be taken on lightly. Having never tried himself, he was going to trust his parent on that one particular point. After all, some trainers struggled to control a measingly bidoof. The idea that anyone could even ponder the idea of attempting to control the pokemon of time and space seemed insane. That was before he even started to wonder just what they actually intended to do with such mighty beings if they could somehow capture them. Even the Regi trio wouldn't stand a chance…
For a few seconds, he thought back to his father and brother. Where were they now? If they had any sense, they would be back in the cave still sheltering. Unfortunately, Paul knew them too well. Brandon had been angry. He might well have finally called it a day but Reggie? No, his older brother would be coming for him. He would be full of that insufferable need to help others and refusal to give up no matter what it cost him. There was a terrible storm still raging outside and then from what he'd seen an army of madmen bent on unleashing the end of days waiting for him. An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of his stomach and caused him to get back up. His ribs ached, curtsy of a kick he'd received from one of the men who had grabbed him. He ignored the pain, going back to searching for a possible way out. There had to be something, somewhere that the idiots trapped in here with him had overlooked.
He refused to be trapped in here. He wouldn't be helpless. Not again.
The freezing cold had almost killed them.
It had been rage and desperation which had kept Reggie going. Both were powerful fuels. It had allowed him to ignore the burning ice against his face and eyes. He'd struggled along, following first his brother's fading footprints and then the tire tracks from the vehicles that must have taken him. They were deeper, it made them easier to follow. Blood pumping through his body allowed him to ignore the constant complaints from the man and woman who were chasing after him. At this point, he had no idea just why they hadn't stayed behind in the cave. They would have been safer both from the elements and Team Galactic.
Instead, they tailed behind him stubbornly all the while resenting the fact that they were there in the first place. He ignored them as well as the burning of his muscles as he forced himself to keep on running. Paul was the only person who mattered right now.
They had been running for a while. Had he paused to think about what he was doing, he might have realized the foolishness of it all. He had no way of knowing just how far away the base or wherever it was that they were headed. It could be miles yet. In these conditions, his body might well give out before he got there. Even if he did reach them, Team Galactic was a multimillion organisation with at least dozens of members. He had Team Rocket with him as backup… Reggie didn't think about any of it because he knew that had he pondered it for any longer, he would have lost heart or at least slowed. If he did either, he could say goodbye to rescuing his little brother.
Everything was a mixture of dark grey and white. Even the sky above them seemed to have been plunged into absolute darkness. It was a challenge to see anything, so he kept his eyes down and rooted to the tracks as they continued to race along. With every step, Reggie found Brandon's diagnosis of something supernatural to be increasingly likely. There was something right now which just felt plain old wrong. The young man could feel it deep in his bones and whatever it was, they were heading straight for it.
Then, in the darkness, a light.
It was dim, the buffeting snow and grim atmosphere threatening at times to conceal it completely but it was there. It was nestled somewhere against the side of the mountain. People. There were no settlements out here and it was too bright to belong to a cabin. It was them, it had to be. Reggie allowed himself to slow, desperate to catch his breath as he did so. There was no going back now… Paul would be there. He broke into a run once more, covering the remaining distance as best as he could, his heart thundering in his chest as he did so.
As they drew nearer, he could make out a little bit more. It was a base, one which looks as if it had been set up quickly and discreetly. Its bright neon spotlights cut through the shadows like a lighthouse.
The small group slowed as they drew closer, caution taking over. There were just the three of them, it should have been fairy easy Reggie reasoned to sneak up so long as they were careful. They would stick to the shadows and trust that the snowstorm would do the rest of the work for them. A nearby snow bank provided them with both shelter and a vantage point over the site. The young man ignored the damp coldness of the snow as he lay down in it, crawling as close as he dared.
The place was crawling. At Veilstone, Reggie had thought there was a lot of them but now it seemed that it was merely a token number of their true force. The only thing to give him some comfort was that there weren't many buildings and that they seemed to have grounded – either by choice or had no other option given the storm – all of their vehicles. He assumed that nobody would be keeping prisoners in there so that only left a handful of structures. Which one though, he couldn't have said. Right now, that was a secondary priority. There were so many down there, all rushing around both busy and on high alert… It would be impossible to sneak on past. A distraction maybe? Well, they might just about conceivably be able to draw away a few of them but he doubted the entirety of those manning the base would be stupid enough to desert it. Even if they did, he realized that he had no key and no way of knowing just where he was being held. He'd likely be caught before he'd even found the boy.
Frustrated, he redoubled his efforts. Becoming more frantic as he searched for a solution. He couldn't, wouldn't, abandon Paul. He'd been left alone too often in his life.
"Yikes, there's a lot of them." James' contribution only served to irritate him further. "Do you actually have a plan?"
"Yes. I'm going to rescue my brother."
"Beyond that..." Jessie pressed.
"Do I need one?"
"Maybe we should wait for your dad? He could handy in a fight."
"Yeah? Well, he's not here right now!"
Brandon was never here. He hadn't been in quite some time.
With teeth clenched and a steely determination, Reggie broke cover. He ignored the shouts and protests of the man and woman behind him, not even thinking to ask if they were actually equipped to assist him. He reached for his pokeballs without even thinking about it, calling out Drapion, Swalot, Staraptor and Bibarel. He regretted not bringing more pokemon along with him, he would have needed them.
The grunts had spotted him. He heard them shout in panic, giving the alarm. Not that he cared. They had taken Paul. There was only a handful of ways that this could possibly work out. Either he would rescue his younger brother or he would die trying. From all around him there were flashes as the sky seemed to fill itself with golbat. A pokemon he didn't actually have anything to effectively counter with. He grit his teeth, it didn't matter much anyhow. If he could hurt just one or two of these guys, smash enough heads together, maybe, just maybe, he would find his brother. At the very least, he hoped to fill them with just some of the dread that his sibling must have felt as they took him.
He called out his commands.
There was no real strategy, just to inflict as much damage as was possible. He'd taken his opponents by surprise to an extent. Many of the trainers scurried around. Some were focused on him, others seemed to be looking elsewhere. Perhaps it was the sight of a single man charging in with just four pokemon to his name threw them, caused them to search for the reinforcements which must have been somewhere… Just above his head, Staraptor crashed into half a dozen of her foes, using brave bird. She moved quickly, narrowly avoiding a barrage of air cutters. A sludge bomb from Swalot provided her with some cover.
As he closed the distance between himself and the few structures, Team Galactic seemed to have gathered their wits a little bit. Now that he saw that there wasn't an army or even a police patrol heading for them, they were standing their ground. More confident. He wasn't about to be able to just bash his way on through, not that he even knew where he wanted to reach. Cursing under his breath, he searched frantically. There wasn't the faintest sign of Paul or any other captives in the area, not so much as a pair of handcuffs… Desperation took hold.
"Where is my brother?!" He demanded, calling out loudly. "What have you done with him?!"
He got no response. The swarm of golbat seemed to have closed in, flapping just that little bit closer to him. They surrounded him on all sides. He could see his pokemon trying to reach him, to cut through. No sooner did they take one down that another two seemed to take its place. With his teeth clenched, he looked for an opening. Anything… Clarity, briefly allowed him to realize that he had made a mistake.
An explosion next to him caused him to jump, anticipating an attack. Instead, he found a whole in the swarm. It was only brief but it was enough for Team Rocket, a carnivine and wobbuffet to tear on through. For whatever reason, they must have thought that they would be better off with him. Another day, Reggie reasoned that he might have thanked them or at least shown some appreciation. They stood back to back, taking note of the situation just as he had and, he could only assume from the irritated glares and looks that he received, coming to something of a similar conclusion.
"I thought you were supposed to be good at battling!" Jessie snapped at him.
"Do you have any electric pokemon?" Reggie asked.
"Beggars can't be choosers you know!" James replied.
They didn't have time for any further conversation. There was some shouting from the grunts and a barrage of attacks were let lose as they slipped into the offensive.
Reggie had just enough time to jump to the side as a golbat swooped down, doing what it could to attempt to bite him. He slid in the snow, landing on his side. Drapion moved quickly, it slammed its massive pincers into the side of the pokemon. It took the creature down with a single blow, spinning round just in time to deflect another incoming attack. Another from the side sent Reggie flying. He only just had enough time to scramble back to his feet as Staraptor tore just above his head, screeching as she did so. For a few seconds, he could only stand there and take in the chaos, trying and failing to make sense of it.
He couldn't even see bibarel, swalot or Team Rocket any more. They were out there somewhere though, every now and then, he would hear an explosion or see a flash. It was drapion, slipping a bit closer to him that shook him out of it. He looked up towards the massive pokemon, it's gaze rested upon him. Something passed between the two of them. They didn't need to speak the same language. Somehow, he just knew that they were thinking the same thing. If they were going to go down, they had might as well go down swinging. Drapion took off, charging forwards unleashing a wave of pin missiles.
"I remember you."
A voice behind him caused him to turn around. There, he found a familiar figure of a man with strange clothes and blue hair. It would have been almost impossible to mistake him for anyone else or to forget him. He knew the man from Veilstone. Anger bubbled up within Reggie once more. In an odd way, it was a relief, he finally found himself with someone whose status was above that of a mere grunt and who might be able to answer his question. His only regret was that he didn't have a pokemon free to try and smash his face in.
Reggie balled his hands into fists and took a step forwards, keen to see if his own punches might be enough to convince the commander to hand over Paul. His rage and obvious intent didn't have the desired effect, earning only a contemptuous smirk from the other man.
"What are you, lost?" He didn't get a response. "You're a long way from Veilstone city now."
"I'm here for my brother!" That earned a confused look. "You took him!"
"Oh!" Suddenly, exaggerated mock realization passed across Saturn's face. "You mean the boy with the magmar. Yes, I can see that you're family, charging in like this completely unprepared."
Standing there, the other man's words suddenly registered with him. Yes, this was impossibly stupid, desperate. He'd risked everything in this one insane move and what had it gained him? He didn't know where Paul was and was facing a fight that deep down, he knew that he couldn't win. The realization of what he was doing here chased away some of the anger. It cleared his mind and allowed him to process things. He couldn't help his younger brother by getting himself hurt or worse. It might already be too late… Still, Reggie decided to do what he could. If violence wouldn't solve the matter, then maybe he could use some reason:
"Look, I just want my little brother. You give him back and I promise, we'll just leave!"
"You'll just leave?" Saturn repeated, raising an eyebrow. "And do what?"
"Nothing. Climb off of the this mountain and go home."
"Really?" Reggie only nodded in response. "A tempting offer… But you're not in a position to be dictating terms to anyone." Abruptly, the man's gaze shifted to something behind him. "Now Toxicroak, poison jab!"
Reggie spun around. There just behind him, leaping into the air was Toxicroak. He didn't know how he had managed to get behind him or when but he was there. The dim sickly glow of the pokemon's spike's cut through the darkness clearly. He was already upon him. It was too late to call for help. He couldn't breathe. It was instinct which caused him to jump to the right just as the pokemon lunged, aiming for his chest. It was a desperate dive more than anything else. The young man closed his eyes and prayed. He landed face first in the snow. Safe.
Picking himself back up, flipping himself back over. Toxicroak hadn't given up. He swung around, taking a swipe at him once more. Reggie struggled backwards, slipping and sliding in the snow. Terror took hold. He was close to calling for help. In desperation, his hands gripped some of the white powder beneath his fingers and tossed it at the pokemon. It struck the monster in the face but seemed to be little more than an annoyance. It let out a roar, preparing to attack once more. The young man rolled to the side.
A sharp pain struck his top right thigh causing him to cry out.
He moved instinctively, getting to his feet, although his right leg complained and threatened to buckle underneath him. He looked around quickly spotting a parked car. It was as good as anything. Hobbling as quickly as he could, he headed for it, imagining that it would only be a few seconds before he found himself having to dodge yet another attack. Somehow, he managed to make it behind the car, allowing himself to slide down to a halt behind it. His limbs were trembling from a mixture of fright and adrenaline. Reggie did what he could to catch his breath, to quieten the thundering of his heart.
Taking his courage in both his hands, he risked peeking over the bonnet, convinced that Toxicroak couldn't be far behind him. For whatever reason, they weren't pursuing or at least not charging. They walked leisurely, if anything, they seemed to be taking their time, like this was all just a stroll through the park. Through clenched teeth, Reggie couldn't help but call out:
"Low blow..."
"Oh, not really. You're still breathing, aren't you?" Saturn paused for a moment before adding in a bemused tone. "Well, for the time being."
They were close now. Reggie did what he could to calm himself. His right leg was throbbing. The young man took a risk and glanced down for the first time to check his wound. It was a nasty scratch, about three inches long and moderately deep. It had struck him just above the knee. It hurt terribly, with every second worsening the burning sensation. Closing his eyes, he took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to calm himself and focus.
Above him, he heard a familiar cry. The sight of Staraptor, beaten but still alive was enough to cause hope to swell up within him. He could see the concern behind her eyes as she approached, racing towards him.
From behind him, a dark pulse shot out. It struck his pokemon head on, sending her crashing to the ground. In a few seconds, that hope and comfort was silenced by a single agonized cry as Staraptor plummeted from the sky. He let out a shout of his own, dismay and terror. Without thinking, Reggie got to his feet, acting purely on instinct as he rushed to get over to his faithful companion's side.
He managed to take all of two steps before his legs gave way beneath him. It wasn't the pain, although that was certainly still there. The trembling which had afflicted them had become worse now, turning into full on shaking. They now refused to bear his weight, becoming almost limp beneath him. The world seemed to be fading in and out. His head was spinning. He could see Staraptor, she was nearby, lying immobile in the snow. A few times, he struggled to get to his feet. Yet his hands and feet seemed distant, almost disconnected from the rest of him.
"What's wrong?" He heard the mocking tone of the commander's voice. "Not feeling so good, are we?"
As much as Reggie might have liked to disagree, out of spite more than anything else, he couldn't. A sick feeling had settled into every bone in his body. Try as he might, he couldn't convince his spinning head to focus on anything. Saturn and his pokemon took a leisurely stroll so that they were standing in front of him, only a couple of feet away. He knew that he should have felt something… Terror likely. They could have been about to strike him down then and there. Yet somehow that didn't quite register with him.
Everything was drowned out by the agonizing pain coming from his leg. It had spread, somehow travelling down even to the tips of his toes to right up above his hip. It burned at him terribly, spreading like a fire. Standing there, he struggled to even breathe. Standing nearby, Saturn greeted his suffering with only a cold smirk.
"Toxicroak's poison is one of the most potent around. Even with a scratch like that, you probably only have a couple of hours left to live."
Someone grabbed him by the arms. He did what he could to tug against them. Their grips though felt to be made of iron. They made an effort to tug him to his feet. Yet even with some support, his legs refused to bear his weight. He gasped, there was a tightness beginning to form in his chest all of a sudden.
Reggie found his head spinning. It made it a challenge to make sense of just what he was being told. Somehow though, it did manage to sink in, bringing pure terror with it. He was sick. Dying. Some part of him knew that it was true. He could feel it deep within his bones. Each beat of his heart was carrying a poison through his body that would eventually end his life. The prospect caused him to shudder. Perhaps he would have panicked if it weren't for the illness which already seemed to be sapping more of his strength. He found himself face to face with the commander, his smile still just as sickening.
"Not that it will matter… You wanted your brother? Well, congratulations, you can spend whatever time's left with him."
Dying he might have been but as he was dragged away, there was only a single thought on his mind: he had failed Paul…
Brandon raced through the snow and ice. The winds had whipped up into a fury which burned at his skin and made it almost impossible to see just where he was going. He was basing himself only on what Meowth had told him.
In his mind, there were already a dozen of nightmare scenarios forming within the confines of his mind. Ironically, it wasn't Paul that he found himself worrying about the most right now but rather Reggie. From what he'd gathered, his eldest had taken off after his brother. Admirable of course but ill-advised. They weren't prepared for this storm. Their clothes were neither waterproof nor warm enough to allow them to survive for long. It had been practically suicide for him and Paul to venture out earlier and the storm had only gotten worse since then. He assumed that Team Galactic, if they had taken the youngest, would have some way of keeping themselves warm. Outside and exposed to the elements like this, his eldest would be in trouble. All it would take was one stumble, a twisted ankle and he would likely freeze.
Knowing that the two clowns from Team Rocket were with him was something of a comfort, although the Frontier Brain sincerely doubted whether or not if they were presented with the choice between helping his son and helping themselves, they would choose the former. He couldn't race. For starters, it would be dangerous. In a relatively short period of time, everything had become covered in thick white powder. He knew though that hidden underneath there would still be branches and rocks. Things that he could trip on or tumble down if he wasn't careful.
The man raised his eyes to search in front of him. Ice and snow stung at them, causing them to water and burn. He couldn't see anything out there. A mixture of frustration and desperation caused him to look over his shoulder, searching for his reluctant companion.
"You're sure it was this way?!" The pyramid king paused as he noticed that Meowth was at this point, several yards behind him and barely anything more than a head popping up above the snow.
"Yeah. Though it all looks the same with all the snow!"
"Right." The pyramid king started to keep moving.
"Hey! Wait! This snow's deep you know!"
"Oh for Arceus' sake!"
Without giving the pokemon time to think things over, Brandon reached out. He grabbed the creature by the scruff of the neck and raised him up so that he could grab a hold of his back. He had to wince as claws scratched at his back. The only things which prevented the man from shrugging his new hitch-hiker off was the knowledge that he probably couldn't help it and that it would waste yet more precious seconds. Eventually, Meowth managed to settle and the two set off. For the sake of his pride and vanity, the Pyramid King decided not to dwell on what it must have looked like to the onlooker.
For once in his life, he would have tolerated some mockery if it meant getting his boys back safe and sound.
"Just hold on and shut up. You open your mouth only if you spot trouble, got it?"
On the bright side, Meowth wasn't all that heavy. Although Brandon was certain that he was being driven forwards mostly by a frantic sense that he was running out of time. They struggled through the knee deep ice and snow, with only the gusting winds for company. They could have been headed anywhere. The pyramid king lacked any sense of direction. He could only head in what he believed to be more or less a straight line. Paul would have been heading down the mountain but then Team Galactic had grabbed him. Where would they take him? Despite his best efforts, the man found that he couldn't say.
This was a stab in the dark and one which with every passing second, he knew was increasingly likely to cost him his life or at the very least his fingers and/or toes which had been numb now for quite some time.
It was impossible not to think back to those terrible words he had spoken. He'd let his youngest son, still just a boy, blunder out into a storm which he knew could kill him all in the name of pride and hurt feelings. He cursed his own foolishness. Ordinarily, he could have blamed it on the ghosts of the past, as he had done for so long. As he fought to take even so little as one step, Brandon couldn't help but wonder if some part of it had been a good deal more selfish, darker… He tried not to even contemplate such a possibility. He would have to apologize, somehow. His actions had been a foolish and emotional act but not a sincere one but still something that he should have been above. He would make it up now by rescuing the lad when all of this was over. Somehow…
"Maybe we should go back for help?" Meowth drew him out of his thoughts.
"No time!" Brandon was forced to shout to make himself heard. "I've got to help them!"
"Ya won't do much helpin' if your frozen."
"I'm not getting off of this mountain without my boys, you understand?!"
I'm not leaving them. Not again. I promise Diana.
The possibility of death was a real one. Brandon wasn't naive. Neither was he as young as he had once been. With every minute he spent out exposed to the elements, he could feel his strength being sapped. There were a few things that he could do but not much. His clothes weren't even remotely adequate for a storm like this. He didn't even have gloves. Keen to try and preserve his fingers if at all possible, the man tucked them into his pockets, sheltering inside of his clothes, made damp by the snow as best as he could. He stumbled forwards, praying to whatever forces above that might hear him, let alone listen, that his sons would be safe.
There was a light. Brandon didn't notice it at first. It was only when his shadow began to grow out in front of him that he noticed something was up. Already drained, the man turned around slowly. It almost felt as if the ice had managed to infiltrate his muscles and bones, slowing them down to a near halt. Through gritted teeth, he managed to do so. Already, his fingers were slipping towards his belt, reaching for a pokeball. So far, the only people that they knew for sure were up here were Team Galactic. They'd taken Paul. The teen's father intended to give them hell for that much. Already, he could make out the vague form of a jeep approaching. He readied himself, pulling out his most trusted of allies:
"Regirock! I need your assistance!"
The pokemon appeared before him. It stood unfazed by both the weather and the approaching vehicle. Brandon drew in closer, closer than he knew was safe. At this distance, he still couldn't make anything much out. In the darkness, the lights from the jeep were blinding. They caused him to wince, to avert his gaze downwards. His mind worked quickly. He might well need that jeep if he wanted to reach his sons in any decent time, to say nothing of the fact that he might need to pick them up and that they might not be up to walking. A hyperbeam wouldn't do. Perhaps focus punch? No, that could easy cave in even the front of a tank.
Ultimately, the pyramid king adopted a different strategy.
"Iron defense."
Regirock did as was commanded. It crouched down, readying itself and in essence, turning itself into a bolder. In all of his years, the frontier brain was yet to see something that was powerful enough to knock his pokemon over once it was braced. Certainly a jeep driving cautiously in the snow wouldn't be sufficient. He took shelter behind it, giving the driver no choice but to stop. The rumble drew nearer and nearer. They seemed to be neither slowing nor did he see or hear any pokemon being called out in an attempt to deal with the obstacle.
Then, Regirock rose. It gave no warning, only letting out a few syllables. The stance it adopted was as relaxed as the pokemon could be. It was enough to cause Brandon to come out from his shelter. The car had come to a stop. Its lights still on full beam and blinding those standing there. A figure was beginning to step out.
"What's with that guy?" Moewth questioned.
"Well..." Brandon found a smile making its way onto his lips. "I think it means we've found an old friend."
Standing only a few feet away, despite the biting cold and bright lights from the car. Brandon thought that he could still make out a gentle and yet knowing smirk from the woman with the golden locks.
"Well, this certainly is a surprise."