Shadows & Old Friends, Chapter 51
I took in a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the air. Just outside Petalburg City, out on Route 104, was a grand beach, mostly untouched by human hands. Sure, there were signs of humankind and Pokemon all over the place, but there were no buildings or houses anywhere in sight. For the most part, it was an untouched paradise. And it was all mine for at least an hour that day.
Vulpix and I ran down to the waterfront, and I was tempted to take a quick splash in the shallow water. The battle with Norman was well behind me, and all that mattered at this point was the ocean before me. I slipped off my sandals and stepped closer to the water's edge, letting the tide scrub my feet. Vulpix was having fun running to and fro, but made sure to stay away from the water entirely.
For a moment, I started to wonder why I liked the ocean so much. I practically grew up with it right outside my door, so it felt normal at first. But why was it normal? Whenever I found something good like this I always seemed to try and question it needlessly. Just another crazy aspect of my personality, one I didn't want to have, yet would feel incomplete without. I laughed at myself as I went around in circles with these thoughts. What would Deneb say if he heard me?
It was about midday when I was forced to leave the beachside. In a way, it was a good thing it all happened, but I also wanted to stay there just a while longer. A ways south from my position, there were quite a few people gathering at the water's edge. Ever curious, I slipped my sandals back on my feet and walked towards the crowd. I managed to stop before they noticed me, however, and ducked for cover behind a couple palm trees. The crowd was composed entirely of Team Aqua members.
I couldn't make out anything they were saying, but whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good. After making sure that Vulpix wouldn't go barking to draw attention to us, I peeked from behind the trees. The uniformed members were checking something in the water, but I couldn't make out if it was something Pokemon related. After a few moments of this, a few of them released Pokemon into the ocean, and hopped aboard to be taken further south. The member in charge, judging by his or her different outfit, pointed out a few things before taking off on a Pokemon of his or her own.
Those that stayed behind stayed focused on whatever was at the waterfront, but there was no way I'd ever find out what it was without getting closer. Of course, that was out of the question. Once my curiosity had been satisfied sufficiently, I carried Vulpix in my arms and ran back onto the main road. As far as I could tell, not a one of Team Aqua saw me on the beach, and I wanted to get through Petalburg Woods without incident.
As you can already guess, this wasn't to be the case.
~o~
These woods reminded me so much of the Viridian Forest, from back when I first started my adventure. In a way, it also reminded me of my trip through the Ilex Forest back in Johto, when I met up with Celebi. And in yet another way, I was reminded of my trip through Mt Moon, in the sense that I'd be running into Team Rocket-slash-Magma goons while there.
Vulpix led the way through after a while, after I ran into half a dozen spider webs trying to lead the way myself. Despite being somewhat comfortable around bug Pokemon, the thought of being covered in their sticky web just sent shivers down my spine. Crawling along the edges of the beaten path, and all over the trees were small pink bugs, along with the occasional Caterpie or Weedle. Being unfamiliar with the pink critters, I of course produced my Pokedex to scan them!
"Wurmple, the Worm Pokemon. It lives among the tall grass and in forests. It repels attacks by raising up the spikes on its rear."
I will admit, I was slightly tempted to catch one of them, finding them to be rather adorable. However, since I was out of Pokeballs as it was, I was restricted by that reason alone. Actually, to be perfectly accurate, I still had that purple Master Ball from the Seafoam Islands on me, but I wasn't going to waste it on a bug Pokemon of all things. Not that the temptation to capture Wurmple was any less. I'd just have to make a return visit to the woods later.
"Vulpix, remind me to buy more Pokeballs when we get to Rustboro, okay?" The small fox barked, as if she'd actually remind me when I needed it.
We pressed onward through the forest, sometimes getting lost off the beaten path on purpose. There was a soft breeze blowing through the trees, making all the leaves rustle and raining down quite a few of them on us. Fall was practically upon us, and every day there were more and more yellow and red leaves instead of green. Coupled with the rustling was the rhythmic pitter-patter of bug Pokemon. I loved the ocean, but the sounds of the forest were something else to enjoy entirely.
Too bad I didn't get to indulge in them for longer. After I took a short break to eat something, I heard something much larger than any bug Pokemon or occasional Zigzagoon stomping around. At the cost of my sandwich, I managed to muzzle Vulpix before she started barking at whatever it was. After a few moments, we heard the stomp again, but whatever it was, it wasn't large enough to cause the ground to shake.
"Don't bark, okay? We don't want anything to know we're here," I told Vulpix. She nodded, and I let her go. Sniffing about the area, she pointed to the source of the stomping, awaiting my command. Rushing right towards the potential danger wasn't something I wanted to do this time, but curiosity was getting the better of me. One day it'd be my death.
After slithering through dozens of trees and along the ground to avoid running into more webs, we happened across a group of Team Magma grunts. There were three of them, and had two people tied up on the ground. One of them was a middle aged man in a fancy suit, while the other looked strangely familiar, but I couldn't tell who at that distance. Didn't surprise me that Team Magma was pulling the same tricks as Team Rocket normally did.
"Where did you hide the goods, Mr Stone?" One of the grunts asked the middle aged man. He released a Poochyena, which didn't take kindly to the man on the ground.
"Right here," said the man defiantly. "In these woods. Best get to searching, I'm sure you'll find it in a few months. That is, unless the Wurmples eat it."
"Why you...!" The grunt was about to kick Mr Stone in the stomach, when his Poochyena started barking in my direction. Worried that I'd be spotted, I ducked underneath a fallen tree, too scared to peek and see if they were coming my way.
"What is it, boy? Something hiding behind there?" I cursed under my breath, something so unladylike I had to pinch myself. I was found out, so better to go out fighting than submit quietly.
"Vulpix, Flamethrower!"
She leapt out from behind the tree, blasting the Poochyena before it was able to get any closer. I poked my head out from behind the tree, catching sight of the Poochyena as it crawled back to its owner. The other two grunts came forward, ready to beat me back into the woods.
"Star? Is that you?" The voice was familiar, so I looked past the grunts to see the young man behind Mr Stone. Of all the people in the world, it was David!
"Someone you know, eh? Take her out!" At the command of the defeated grunt, the other two released their own Pokemon. One released a Poochyena, and the other a large fluttering purple critter I didn't recognize. Before I could release another Pokemon to battle, we all felt the stomping again. This time, it was far closer than before.
"What's that?"
"It couldn't be... Groudon, could it?" The grunts started looking around, completely forgetting they were supposed to be in a battle.
"Ignore the girl! Find the source of that stomping!" The grunt in charge ordered.
They didn't have to look very far. After another series of stomps, the source walked right up to us. It stood nearly seven feet tall, its skin a dark black, appearing to be armor more than anything. The grunts wasted no time in ordering attacks against it. I took advantage and scanned the monstrous critter before trying anything.
"Aggron, the Heavy Metal Pokemon. It claims a large mountain as its sole territory. It mercilessly thrashes those that violate its space."
The Aggron roared loudly as it took a swipe at the Poochyena, sending the smaller Pokemon flying into a tree. The Pokedex said it claimed mountains as homes, so this one was probably looking for a new one when we happened upon it.
"Dustox, use Toxic!" I watched for a moment as the purple Pokemon spat a wad of purple goo at the Aggron, but it seemed to just wipe away the muck without consequence. It swung at the Dustox, slamming the critter into the ground just before it crushed the Pokemon underneath its massive foot.
Unable to bear the sight, I ran towards Mr Stone and David, helping them to their feet. The grunts were trying their best to defeat the Aggron, so we took advantage of that to make our escape. Vulpix was barking the entire time at the larger Pokemon, ready and willing to face the beast if it came down to it. After a few moments of darting through the trees, we took a moment to catch our breaths.
"Thank you, Star," said David as he rested against a tree. "I never expected to see you here, of all places."
"I owe you my thanks as well, young lady," chimed in Mr Stone. "Without your help, we'd probably be mush underneath that Pokemon's feet right about now."
"That Dustox, though... he was..." I cut myself off. The thought of that Pokemon having been killed in such a manner was too much.
"Nothing you could've done, Star. Those Magma fools should've run at the first sight of that Pokemon. Aggron are not to be taken lightly, especially one outside its normal habitat." I helped David out of his restraints, and followed up with Mr Stone.
"Why were you two being held prisoner, though? And why didn't you try and fight back, David?"
"We were abducted from Rustboro, actually," answered Mr Stone. "David here was with me in the office when Team Magma showed up and took us by force last night. There was nothing we could do."
"My Pokemon were back at the center. Quite embarrassing, right?" David's ability to pass off anything with a slight chuckle and a smile was still intact. I hadn't seen him since Fuchsia City, when we went our separate ways in the Safari Zone.
"So what did they want with you?" Before they could answer, we heard another stomp from far away. We all went silent for a second, wondering if we'd have to start running again. A couple seconds after, we heard another stomp, only this one was further away than before.
"The Devon Goods," replied Mr Stone. "It's a special package that's supposed to be coming in today. It contains some new equipment for our research, so I suppose they wanted to get their hands on it for their own petty schemes."
"Where are they, then?"
"Safe," chipped in David with a smile. "They're coming in by Pidgeot Express. No way they'd ever have gotten it by taking us hostage. Joke's on them."
"We can discuss the rest back in the office. Young lady, would you be so kind as to escort us the rest of the way? I'd also like to reward you for lending us aid."
"Of course! I was on my way to Rustboro City, to get my Pokegear fixed."
"Is that so? Well, a big surprise awaits you once we get back!" Mr Stone gave me a smile and led the way, leaving the rest of us behind. David leaned in close and whispered something into my ear.
"The surprise is he's the head of the Devon Corp. Just act surprised when we get back." I giggled, but made sure not to let Mr Stone overhear.
"How've you been, David? It's been so long since we last saw each other!" Vulpix ran up to him, clearly remembering who the young man was. He gave her a pat on the head before we followed Mr Stone. For a man without Pokemon, he was sure strutting around without any fear.
"Good, actually. My Diglett Tunnel connecting Vermillion City and Pewter really helped Silph get back in touch with the public. After the building was taken over by Team Rocket, people weren't exactly happy around us anymore. The tunnel helped people begin to trust us all again."
"That's cool! So why are you here?"
"Work. The company lost lots of good people after the Rocket incident, so I decided to let myself get hired and give up my Pokemon adventures. This is just one of my many trips around the world, you know. I've been to the Sinnoh region, Orre, even Unova!"
"Unova? Where's that?"
"Far out in the west, beyond the ocean. It's like a whole different world, filled with Pokemon I've never even dreamed could exist." The way David talked about it made me want to explore it for myself one day.
"Wish I could go there someday."
"Maybe you can. You let me know, and I'll see if I can't sneak you onboard a plane headed there in the future. You won't be able to take much, but I'm sure that doesn't matter."
"Thanks, David! I'd like that!"
~o~
It was a few hours before we finally made it out of that forest. The sun was beginning to set, though there was still quite a ways to walk before we arrived at Rustboro. Mr Stone was the first to complain about his sore feet, so we'd have to stop for the day somewhere. Luckily, there was a flower shop just off the main road. Mr Stone was the first one inside, setting up reservations to allow us to stay the night. Far as I could tell, it was a shop, not a hotel.
"Mr Stone isn't crazy, is he?"
"Not at all, Star. He does have plenty of money and connections, though. I'm sure he'll be able to arrange something for us here once he talks with the manager. In the meantime, why don't we have a look around?"
I looked around the shop for a while alongside David, taking in all the potted plants without a word from him. At first, I didn't mind, as I was occupied by the sights, but then it started to bug me. Why was he being so quiet and mysterious?
"David, say something." My command caught him by surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You looked to be so engrossed in the flowers, I didn't want to disturb." He was lying. I watched from the corner of my eye as he spoke, and he wasn't even looking directly at me.
"What's really going on? You used to be so friendly back when we first met."
"Was I? It was so long ago, I cannot be certain."
"Fine, don't tell me. I mean, all I did was save your life. Least you could do is share what's on your mind."
"I see you've gotten quite good at mind games, Star. You wouldn't happen to have caught a Kadabra and started learning some psychic tricks?"
"I just want to know what's going on! Unlike Mr Stone, you didn't look the least bit worried about the Team Magma grunts. And leaving your Pokemon at the center? That's also a lie." I spun around and poked his chest. As I thought, my finger crashed into something hard between his vest and his heart. David just smiled at me the way he always did.
"Can't slip anything past you, can I?" He reached into his vest and gave me a glimpse of the Pokeball.
"Don't tell me you're with Team Magma?" I backed away slightly, Vulpix overhearing my statement and jumping between us.
"It's not what you think, Star," David said, shaking his head. "I'm not with Team Magma, I'm undercover."
"Undercover? Like a secret agent in a spy movie?"
"Something to that effect. I was recruited by a man called Steven, the League Champion of Hoenn, to investigate Mr Stone. However, I find this disturbing on several levels, considering Steven is Mr Stone's son."
"What? His own son?" Just what had I unwittingly gotten myself into this time?
"The Devon Corporation is the largest company in all Hoenn. When Teams Magma and Aqua surfaced, with so many supplies readily available to them, Steven suspected a link between the company and the teams. Because I work for Silph, he thought it would be best to ask me to do the infiltration while we conduct business as usual."
"So is he...?"
"Not that I can tell. If Stone were on their side, the grunts wouldn't have gone through the trouble of taking us from Rustboro in the first place. Of course, it could all be an elaborate ruse." How David was able to say these things with a smile on his face astounded me.
"David, I'm ten. Just tell me straight: what's going on?"
"Very well, if you'd like to know, it will cost you." I couldn't believe my ears. Was he extorting me?
"How much?" Again, that fiendish smile.
"Nothing, actually," he said, taking note that Mr Stone was heading in our direction. "Just wanted to see how far you were willing to go."
"All settled! The manager will be setting us up for the night, free of charge! David, if you'd accompany me to the back room, there's still a few things left to discuss regarding the proposition."
"Of course, Mr Stone. If you'd spare me one additional minute with Star?"
"Certainly. I'll see you in the back." Once Mr Stone was out of earshot, David leaned in close, so that only I could hear what he was about to say.
"Between you and me, I know of your role in stopping Team Rocket; it's old news in the upper parts of the world. Which is why I'm comfortable telling you the following: Team Magma has a secret base somewhere on Route 110, just south of Mauville City. Since these teams have surfaced, we've been trying to find a way into the base."
"And you haven't been able to," I chipped in. This was usually the case with these things, as if I would be the one to uncover the entrance.
"Rumor has it there's a secret entrance somewhere in Mauville City itself, but we can't go digging around ourselves without being caught."
"So you want me to help?" I guessed.
"On the contrary: if you're ever in Mauville City, conduct your business quickly, and leave. We have reason to believe this secret base belongs to Team Magma alone, despite the reports that they're conducting a joint operation regarding the legendary Pokemon. If it comes to light that they have this base, we could have a bit of a problem on our collective hands with Team Aqua."
"I don't get it," I said, now honestly confused by all this cloak and dagger stuff. "If they start fighting, wouldn't that be good for us?"
"That's the thing, they would fight each other, but not as a priority. Their goal remains to capture and use their respective Pokemon. If fueled by competition rather than cooperation..."
"They could probably finish the job quicker," I finished for him.
"This doesn't have to be your concern, Star. You've done all of us enough of a job with Team Rocket. Pretend you never heard anything of what I just said."
David have me another of his smiles, as if with that all was well in the world again. I took a seat on the floor after he left, petting Vulpix as I gave everything some thought. Why warn me about these things if he didn't expect me to try and do something about it all? Giovanni may have been forced into hiding, but that didn't mean his followers would stop doing the evil things they were told to do. It was like my battle with him never ended.
Vulpix licked my face, trying to cheer me up. I smiled at her, still unsure what to do. David was right about one thing: had I not asked, I would've been much happier.
Then again, I had this feeling, deep down, that no matter what, I'd be at the center of all this. I just had that kind of bad luck.
"But it doesn't have to bog me down," I told Vulpix, who was left just as perplexed as I was only a moment ago.
"I'll just smile and keep walking!"