A/N: So, I've broken my "no updates until I've written three chapters ahead" rule, in part because I've been incredibly busy with graduation coming up (opposite of what you'd think, right?) and in part because... why not?
The Outskirt Stand had to have been the only semblance of civilization for miles in the middle of a barren desert. Despite this, it saw many passersby in its day, especially in the forms of naïve travelers and wanderers with no place else to go. A gas pump lay outside what used to be a locomotive and what now served as a rusted, yet still functional, diner.
Wes parked his motorcycle just by the gas pump and stood by, tapping his foot impatiently whilst he waited for his tank to fill. The sun had risen since his escape from Team Snagem, yet he had not rested until he was certain that the gang would be unable to track him down. Koray and Wes' Espeon, Tesni, lay comfortably in the circular bike sidecar - looking at their flanks rising and falling and at Tesni's leg twitching in the midst of a dream, Wes couldn't help but feel envious of his Pokémon. He failed to stifle a yawn before disconnecting his bike. He stretched in an attempt to wake himself up a bit before heading to his next destination...
...Until his eye caught two thuggish-looking men exiting the locomotive.
One of them, spiky blond hair tipped with orange and a blue tattoo lining his bare arm, let out a belch before sighing contentedly. "Ahh, damn, did we pig out or what? Nothin' like eating your weight after a job!"
The other, clad in an orange vest and a blue-and-white-striped beanie, nodded in agreement. "And right after we hauled ourselves that sorta catch, too." He motioned with his hand towards the beaten-looking, green truck that was parked nearby. Looking at it, Wes could swear that he saw the sack in its trunk squirming a bit... Couldn't he?
"Hah, and just think'a the rewards the boss'll be fixin' us up with! Gotta say, we're livin' the good life here."
The pair laughed their way to the truck and drove away, leaving a thick cloud of exhaust in their wake. Wes' eyes watered as the fumes reached his face, but his attention shifted away from the vanishing pair to his Espeon sniffing at the run-down locomotive. Though she mewed sleepily, her forked tail was twitching anxiously and her nose wrinkled at the aroma of cooked food coming from the vehicle.
"You hungry, Tesni?" Wes could immediately tell that she was; she had to be, considering how long ago she had been fed.
He also heard Koray stir from the motorcycle and realized that the Umbreon would probably have an empty stomach, as well. Besides, Wes was fully aware that he would have to keep his own strength up.
"C'mon, let's see what they have," he said, walking over to Koray and nudging him further out of his sleep. "Should have something for you, too."
The black-furred creature yawned and stretched, and his companion perked up at the prospect of, at long last, a meal. They followed their trainer into the rustic stand and were immediately surrounded by the tang of greasy, overlooked food being served to the diner's patrons. The idle chatter of a lone couple and the clanging of silverware filled the cramped space. A burly figure was hunched over the counter that greeted new customers, visibly excited to serve somebody after days of inactivity at the lonely diner.
"'Ey, welcome to the Outskirt Stand! Got the best selections you can find in this part o' Orre. So, what'll it be?"
"You got anything these guys can eat?" Wes gestured to Tesni and Koray, who were both beginning to fidget in anticipation.
"Sure do. Always got some Poké Food in stock, most o' the customers we bein' trainers..." The man turned to grab two bowls and a crumpled bag branded with a Poké Ball pattern and a smiling Pikachu. "You make yourself comfy, son. Anything I could get for ya?"
Wes shrugged, frankly uninterested in engaging just about anyone in conversation, much less someone who would probably want to keep him in the stand for as long as he could squeeze out the boy's precious time and money. "No, just them."
"Hm..." The bartender returned with the bowls filled with dried pellets. "Well, a'right. Ya do look awfully skinny, though..."
Wes deliberately averted his gaze as he handed the food to his Pokémon. He didn't find being scrutinized by somebody to be all that appealing, either, and chose to turn his attention to the flickering, old television situated near the wall.
"...An explosion in Eclo Canyon. An investigation revealed the ruins of what is almost certainly Team Snagem's base of operations."
So, they had already noticed. Wes continued to listen intently, masking his interest the best that he could.
"Police have arrested several members of the criminal syndicate and have taken them in for questioning. Their alleged leader, Vulten Gonzap, has not been found thus far."
Questioning. Dammit. There was no reason they would withhold information about Wes. In fact, he was certain they would reveal everything about him. Where, then, could he hide once the authorities knew where to look for the sandy-haired, blue-cloaked teenager?
Attempting to distract himself, Wes looked down at Koray and Tesni. The two had nearly finished their meal; Tesni purred contentedly and rubbed against Wes' leg while Koray yawned and stretched.
"Time to go?" Wes asked his Pokémon, though he had already stood up and paid the tender for the food. In the corner of his gaze, he noticed a pink-haired man tapping his foot with anticipation and eyeing Wes as if eager to stop him before leaving the diner. Wes grunted, attempting to ignore him, and motioned for Tesni and Koray to follow him out.
"Hey! You! Wait up!"
Wes froze, an automatic reaction to anyone calling for him in such a manner. Tesni yelped and spun around, the fur on her back bristling, but found only the pink-haired man from inside. Wes turned to confront him and sighed internally.
"Hey, hey, sorry! Didn't mean to get ya worked up." The man chuckled and held out his hand. "Name's Willie. Was seein' you with your Pokémon in there... An Espeon and an Umbreon. Been looking to have a battle with Pokémon that strong." He briefly paused, and Wes became uncomfortably aware of his eyes scanning the teenager's person for something resembling a Poké Ball belt. "You... you are a trainer, yeah?"
"I am," Wes grunted. Just what is this guy trying to pull? "I'm guessing you want to battle me?"
Willie jumped, his face aglow. "Hell yeah! You've got no idea how much I've been itchin' for a fight. C'mon, let's do it!"
Absolutely elated, Willie nearly slipped a few meters away from the locomotive. A low rumble escaped from Koray's throat.
"Don't worry," Wes said, his voice just low enough that Willie would not hear. "He can't be that tough; besides, ya might need a little training for what's probably ahead of us." When Koray bristled, Wes added, rolling his eyes, "Not because I think you're weak."
"Hey! C'mon, c'mon!" Willie flailed his arms wildly to get Wes' attention, a Poké Ball in each hand. "'M just itchin' to get started, here!"
Willie, fueled all the more by a cry of "Yea-hah!" thrust the red-and-white spheres high above his head. The rays of white light that were unleashed took the forms of two tiny, brown, raccoon-like creatures with zigzagged fur patterns. They howled identical cries of "Zigzag-oooon!" with only a nicked ear on one differentiating him from his brother.
"Alright. Tesni, Koray, you know the drill."
The knowing look that Tesni gave her companion conveyed that the pair did, indeed, already have a battle plan. The crimson gem on Tesni's forehead glowed; the Espeon and Umbreon were both bathed in a protective, blue light. Koray, now secure in knowing that he was guarded against attacks, raced toward the Zigzagoon with the torn ear, glistening fangs bared. The little raccoon braced itself against a direct charge, but Koray feinted downward and chomped down on Zigzagoon's leg. He howled and, taken off balance, toppled to the ground.
"Iggy!" Willie called. "Don't let 'em get cha like that! Aggy, Tackle!"
Loyal Aggy, already charging into Koray's side, needed no command from his trainer to know that his brother was in trouble. Koray gasped; while Tesni's Reflect barrier cushioned what could have been a much heavier blow, the wind was still knocked out of Koray's lungs.
Tesni responded readily to Koray's predicament by channeling her psychic powers into Aggy. A confused Zigzagoon found himself lifted into the air, paws flailing wildly in a vain effort to escape the invisible grip.
"Nice," Wes said. "Toss him against that gear."
Tesni tossed her head in the direction of a large, old gear that was half-buried in the sand and sent a screeching Aggy hurling towards it. The Zigzagoon tumbled and made a vain effort to stand back up to fight, but his short legs gave out and he collapsed, unable to continue the battle.
Meanwhile, Koray spun to face Iggy once more, hissing to intimidate him. Iggy yelped and Koray saw his chance to strike; he pounced on the Zigzagoon, who now struggled to remain balanced, and tore at his hide with teeth and claws. Iggy's resistance was reduced to the panicked flailing of his legs until he was too exhausted to continue.
"Enough, Koray," Wes grumbled. "You've won."
A whimpering Zigzagoon, his face buried in his front paws, looked up tentatively when he felt the weight of his attacker lifted off of him. The Umbreon had vanished in a flash of red light and was absorbed into one of Wes' own red-and-white spheres; Tesni was recalled into another, identical-looking Poké Ball that Wes stuffed into his coat pockets once the two were gone.
Iggy clumsily scrambled for his Trainer, who knelt down to scratch his young Pokémon behind the ear.
"Aw, it's alright, buddy. You did your best out there!" Willie withdrew his Zigzagoon pair just as Wes recalled his Pokémon. "Ya both did! Still..." He stood up to face Wes. "To get handed the loss like that…. Guess I still need seasoning."
Well, Wes thought, he was right about that, at least. He was obviously a rookie who was just beginning to get his feet wet and his Zigzagoon were both quite young; just barely old enough to begin battling, from the looks of it.
"So, anyway, you gotta be a traveler if you're stopping at the Outskirt Stand, yeah? You headed to Phenac?"
"Phenac City? Not in particular," Wes replied. It was only a half-truth; he indeed hoped to find temporary lodging in the oasis city, but he knew that staying in one place for very long would be as good as suicide as long as Team Snagem was still on the hunt for him.
"Oh…. Well, if ya need a place to stay, it is the closest city. Could stock up on supplies, too…" Willie shrugged. "But yeah, just be careful. 'Course, I'm sure you already know that."
Wes gave a curt nod in response. "Yeah. Oughta get going. Koray, Tesni, you two ready?"
Koray was already leaping into the sidecar of the motorbike, while Tesni was mewling for Wes to join them.
Willie laughed. "A'ight, then. Good luck out there, yeah? If I see ya again, of course we gotta have another battle."
Wes briefly looked over his shoulder at Willie to show that he acknowledged his response before revving up his engine and speeding away, leaving a tall stream of desert sand in his wake.
In the midst of Orre's barren, desert landscape lie a city built upon a sparkling oasis. Its magnificent walls of marble lined crystal-clear streams that traveled along the city's edges and emptied into shimmering pools, only to be picked up yet again and sent back to repeat the cycle. By and large, Phenac City was considered not only an oasis in the literal sense, but also figuratively, as it was one of the few areas in Orre that was relatively untouched by the rampant crime that the region was so infamous for.
Outside the city's walls, however, seemed to be another story entirely, if the two shady-looking men hauling a squirming bag at the entrance to Phenac were any indication.
"Dammit, Trudly!" The one with the mohawk was visibly shaking, the haul too heavy for his skinny arms even with his comrade's help. "How long we gotta carry this thing?! Just keeps squirmin' and squirmin'…"
"Just shut it," Trudly snapped. "The city's right there. We just get in there 'n meet the boss—"
He was interrupted by a muffled cry that even Wes and his Pokémon, perched several feet away on the motorbike, could hear.
"Smmurn! Hlp! Hlp mih!"
Wes tensed. There was somebody in that bag!
"Shit! So much for the goddamn tape…" Trudly groaned. He hissed to the sack, "You shut your mouth if ya know what's good for ya, ya hear?!"
It was enough to catch the attention of two Phenac citizens passing by from beyond the archway separating the city from the desert. Their eyes widened and they ran over to the two ruffians.
"What was that?" one of them, a jogger, asked. "What is that? Phenac doesn't need any smugglers, here."
"Smugglers?" Folly grunted. "Naw, naw, we're kidnappers, got it? Kidnap—"
Trudly dropped his side of the bag, causing another shriek to emit from it, to smack Folly upside the head. "The hell?! You just gotta tell the world what we're up to, eh?"
"Eeon! Eeon!" Tesni was tugging at Wes' sleeve and pointing with her tail at the kidnappers, but Wes needed no prompting to confront the two. His mind immediately flashed to a horrible incident from his childhood; it was so long ago, yet it was still so fresh in Wes' memory.
He thought of the terrible things he had been doing for the past ten years, everything that had been inflicted on him, and all that he had been ordered to unleash on other trainers.
He could not allow that nonsense to continue.
Wes stepped forward without a second thought and Koray bounded ahead of his trainer, growling at the kidnappers. Trudly and Folly spun to face Wes.
"Hah? You think you're about to stop us?" Trudly spat. "Yo, Folly! You got your Whismurs on ya, right? Why don't ya take care of 'em?"
Folly smirked. "'Course. A'ight, Merry, Iza!" He tossed two Poké Balls in front of Wes and Koray, releasing two identical-looking, pink, rabbit-like creatures.
They can't be too difficult to deal with, Wes thought. At the very least, they certainly didn't seem to be terribly strong; Wes had the feeling that he had fought worse.
"Koray, Tesni! Hit 'em with Confusion, Bite! Go!"
As the gem on Tesni's forehead began to glow a brilliant scarlet, Koray bared his fangs and lashed out at the larger of the pair. The other, smaller Whismur was lifted off the ground and rendered immobile.
Unfortunately for Wes' Pokémon, neither Whismurs were silenced by the assaults.
Two simultaneous, ear-splitting screeches pierced the air. Wes and the two Phenac citizens who had come to his aid winced and clutched at their ears; Trudly and Folly, however, seemed barely phased. Folly smirked and muttered something – whether a smug remark or a comment to his Pokémon, Wes could not tell over the Whismurs' – and both Tesni and Koray ceased their attacks. The two trembled, Koray crying out in pain and Tesni releasing her psychic hold on her target. Wes' ears began to ring as a searing pain began to ricochet through his skull.
"Tes… Tesni!" Wes managed to call out, praying for some miracle that would allow his Espeon to hear him. "Y-you might not be able to move… but try to focus!" His eyes scanned the area for anything – dear Lugia, anything – that she could use to deafen the Whismurs' screeching. "Water! Tesni! Try tossing them in the water!"
At first, Tesni appeared unresponsive, her body still shaking and her ears still flattened. It was not until seconds after Wes had given his command that he noticed the smaller opponent begin to float inches above the ground. The Whismur continued her uproar as she was budged ever so slowly towards one of Phenac's artificial streams. As soon as the Whismur loomed over the water, Tesni dropped her, moaning from the pain of doing so in the midst of being assaulted by her opponents' sonic attacks. With a splash as she plunged into the water, the Whismur and her ally fell silent.
"Gah! Iza!" Folly cried. To Wes, he growled, "You damn little… A dirty trick, that's what that was!"
"Any dirtier than taking someone away from their home?!" Wes demanded. He could feel anger sharp as barbed wire rising from deep within his chest – at Folly, Wes tried to convince himself, at this lowlife, not at anything else – "Tesni, get the other one; Koray, hold the one in the water down. I'd better not even hear her squeal."
Wes' fury had reached its boiling point, and if there was one thing Wes just couldn't do, it was to hold back his rage. To forcibly take someone, throw them in a sack as if they were an old doll, haul them off like cargo, and then have the courage – no, the utter stupidity – to claim Wes was fighting dirty?
It reminded him far too much of everything he had once seen day after day.
It reminded him far too much of himself.
A woman clad in pink – one of the two who had been witnessing the scene – squeezed Wes' shoulder and cried, "Hang on, stop! Aren't you going a bit too far?"
"Hmph! You're tryin' a kill 'em! That's it, ain't it?" Folly swiftly withdrew both Iza and Merry; with nothing left to fight, Koray got out of the water and shook droplets off of his dark fur.
"I'm no murderer," Wes growled, addressing Folly, "but I'll be damned if I ever have to justify myself to scum like you."
Trudly stomped the ground in frustration. "That's it; we don't got a chance against this freak. I'm out!" He scurried away into the city, Folly close behind after a frightened plea of, "T-Trudly! Wait!"
The woman still gawked as Wes in disbelief. "You… they were thugs, for sure, but… you weren't really about to kill—"
"Like I said, I'm not a killer." Wes had to fight in order to restrain himself from snapping at her. "But you can't stand there and tell me they didn't deserve to be taught a thing or two."
The women bowed her head and backed away, but not without casting Wes a piercing glare. The jogger was already kneeling besides the sack's opening, fingering its knot and wincing at the difficulty of getting it undone.
"Augh.… Hey, ah, whoever's in there," he murmured, "It's alright now. We're getting you out, okay?"
At last, the knot was undone and a girl scrambled out of the bag. She gasped for a breath of fresh air and her exhale came in the form of a loud, frightened cry. She latched onto the jogger and, her face buried in his shoulder, began to sob.
"Uh…" The jogger awkwardly patted the girl on the back, exchanging bewildered glances with the others. "S-see? We got you out; those thugs are gone."
"You're in Phenac City now," the woman said reassuringly. "They ran off; I don't think you'll have to worry about them again."
"But…" the girl sobbed, the jogger's yellow shirt and strands of her own red hair becoming drenched in tears. "But who got them? Who chased them away?"
The woman grew visibly tense once more, but the jogger, pointing to Wes, answered before she could speak: "That guy. He sent them packing; like, you should've seen the way they just bolted!"
The girl turned to Wes, her azure eyes swollen from crying. "You did? Thank… Thank you!" Without warning, she charged into Wes and locked him in a tight embrace; now it was Wes' turn to look bemused. "I thought for sure I'd never be saved! I gotta know your name!"
"Er…" Wes didn't suppose much harm could come from telling a teenaged girl his first name, if nothing else. "It's Wes. And you?"
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She scratched the back of her head and gave an awkward smile. "I didn't even tell you mine; way to be thoughtless, me!" A small laugh, and then, "I'm Rui. I'd been on my way to Agate Village, but…" A shadow was cast over her face as she trailed off. "Um…. Question: The Pokémon they used; did they seem, like… odd, I guess? Like they were really aggressive or had a black aura?"
Black aura? What is she even talking about? Wes looked at Rui quizzically, as did the two bystanders. "Well, no and no…" Mine had to have been the aggressive ones, he thought darkly. As Wes' own anger melted away, he began to second-guess the commands he gave to Koray; was trying to restrain the Whismur underwater really going a bit too far?
"What do you mean by a 'black' aura, though?" the woman inquired Rui. "I've heard of aura-reading, I mean, but if there was anything, then I couldn't see it."
"Yanno what, though?" The jogger spoke this time. "Mayor Es Cade might know something about that. His house isn't too far…" He turned and pointed somewhere to the northwest. "Past the central fountain, up the stairs, then right in front of the hotel. I've heard rumors – just rumors, really – that he's dealt with things like that before; auras or something… But yeah, anyway, probably worth a shot."
Rui's face visibly brightened. "And maybe he knows about the kidnappers, too! Alright; thanks so much!" She took one half of a step forward but froze, fearfulness clouding her face. "Oh…. Um…. Wes? I'm probably… well, no, I'm totally imposing… but would it be alright if you escorted me to the mayor's house? I don't know if those goons would come back for me, but if you're with me, I could be a lot safer."
"His house is near a hotel, he said? Guess that would be fine," Wes replied. He would have been headed in that direction anyway; he had arrived at Phenac only for temporary lodging and to stock up on supplies, but the mayor's house was not terribly out of the way. Besides, he did want to ensure that Rui would not be harassed again.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I know I'll be safe when you're around!" Rui glanced down at Tesni and Koray, grinned, and knelt down to pet them. "And these little guys, too! Seriously, what cutie pies!"
Koray squeezed his eyes shut – a gesture that Wes recognized as one of annoyance – while Tesni purred, basking in Rui's adoration. The little Espeon rolled over onto her back, exposing her belly as a sign of approval, at which Rui's heart seemed to melt into a soppy, doting puddle.
"Oh, you're just the cutest little thing! You want a belly rub, sweetie?"
Tesni stretched contentedly as Rui affectionately stroked the lavender feline's stomach. Koray growled in his companion's ear, but she shot him what could only have been a look of disapproval.
Both of the bystanders appeared amused at the sight of Rui fawning over Tesni. At the very least, Rui's mind now seemed to have drifted from her recent ordeal.
"Think you guys'll be okay from here on out?" the jogger asked Wes after giving a small chuckle at Rui and Tesni.
"Should be, yeah; you two ought to head off, too." Wes was looking particularly at the woman in pink, who eyed the scraggly-looking teenager warily.
"Well…" She sighed. "Alright. Good luck." She walked away, glancing back at Wes and Rui once more before she and the jogger went on their ways.
Wes cleared his throat. "Right. We should probably get going. The sooner we get you to the mayor's, the better."
"Oh, definitely." Rui stroked Tesni one last time and rose to her feet. "Before they decide to come back for me, for sure."
As it turned out, Mayor Es Cade's home would be the furthest thing from safe for Rui.
A tiny, round old man cowered behind his desk and sunk even further into his chair when Wes and Rui arrived; a golden plate situated at the edge of the mahogany desk revealed his name and title as that of Mayor Eustace Es Cade's. A small, bulky Pokémon – a Makuhita, Wes realized – restlessly punched the air with his gloved, black fists. Rui's face was drained of all color the second she spotted the light beige creature and clung to Wes' arm.
Just behind the Makuhita and a willowy, dancing man were Trudly and Folly.
Trudly's eyes blazed behind his red-tinted shades. Rui yelped at the sight of her captors and hid behind Wes as if her rescuer was a human shield.
"No…" Her voice trembled. "This isn't happening; not here…"
"Boss!" Trudly pointed his finger lividly at the newcomers. "It's them! The bitch we caught and the nutcase who got us!"
The slender figure spun around without ceasing his rhythmic side-stepping. He had to have been the most peculiar-looking man Wes had ever seen: Glittering, golden dance attire reflected fragments of the ceiling lights, as did his purple-and-gold sunglasses. His most striking feature had to have been his enormous afro; appearing to be at least a third as tall as his body and with its left side red and right side white, he could have best been described as being like a Poké Ball atop a swaying, sparkling twig.
"Oh, my!" His voice was strong and hearty while somehow retaining an almost effeminate quality. "Now aren't they some darling little children? You let such a cute little things get away? Aw, now ain't that a shame!"
Everything about this man, from his voice to his apparent habit of dancing in place, should have told Wes that he would have been the furthest thing from a threat. However – and he couldn't be certain what it was, whether it was the thugs flanking him or his downright chipper demeanor in the face of kidnapping a girl and apparently terrorizing Phenac's mayor – Wes was absolutely certain that this was not somebody with whom it would be wise to mess with.
"What d'you even want with her?" Wes demanded against his better judgment. "What use is a teenaged girl to people like you?!"
"You mean she didn't already tell you, boy?" The strange man cackled. "She went and saw a couple'a things most people aren't supposed to see. 'Course, that just wouldn't mesh well with us at all. Had to keep the little mouse quiet, see? And now…" He twirled, completing nearly a full circle until he faced his two peons. "I don't got time to play here anymore. You two go and have a little fun with these darlings for me, hm?"
Both Folly and Trudly straightened up at their boss' command and cried, "Will do, sir!"
Their boss' dancing did not cease even as he made his exit. For a brief moment, he and Mayor Es Cade exchanged some sort of glance – a glance that was so brief that Wes had no idea what was being communicated between the two. Then he was gone, leaving his minions alone to deal with Wes and Rui.
"Now, let me tell ya," Trudly said, taking several steps forward, "I really don't think ya got any idea what the hell it is you're dealin' with. Ya see that Makuhita?" Trudly gestured to the Fighting-type Pokémon, who was still restlessly punching at the air. "'Till ya just stay outta our business and leave the bitch with us, that thing ain't gonna have no problem wreckin' ya." Makuhita –" Trudly crossed his arms and leaned against the mayor's desk as if this was the most casual situation in the world, "—get 'im."
"No! Wes!" Rui cried, squeezing his arm once again. "Your Pokémon! Send—"
Rui's warning came too late; before she could finish, the Makuhita slammed into Wes' stomach and sent him and Rui crashing into a potted plant. Wes spluttered, the wind completely knocked out of him, as the Makuhita continued to pound at Wes' face. Wes could barely move; every punch thrown felt as if it could shatter his jaw, and Wes failed to block the blows with his arms. However, through the pain, he felt a small hand reaching into his coat pocket. Rui?
Bright, white beams of light materialized from that pocket. All that Wes could then see from behind the Makuhita were a lithe, feline shape and a darker, fox-like creature charging at Wes' attacker. The Makuhita rolled with the impact off of Wes. At last, Wes was able to catch his breath, though each gasp for air felt as if he were breaking in needles that stabbed at his jaw. He couldn't even give commands to his Umbreon and Espeon, but when it came to protecting their trainer – their best friend – there was no need for any orders.
Tesni surrounded herself and Koray with a blue veil, weakening their opponent's attacks. Koray went on the offensive while Tesni worked to keep the shield as strong as possible. Koray lunged at the Makuhita and feigning to avoid as many blows as possible.
"Wes."
Wes heard a small whisper from behind him. It was Rui.
"That Makuhita…. Look. See how it's battling?"
Wes had paid little attention to the Pokémon's demeanor when it was assaulting him, but looking at it now – or, at least, as much as his throbbing jaw would allow him to focus – he definitely noticed that something about the Makuhita just wasn't right. There was no trace of any emotion on its wide, yellow face; even aggression, an emotion that Wes would have expected out of anyone fighting so brutally, was completely absent. His movements lacked any sort of tactic; any evidence of a refined fighting style or even of a personality at all was nonexistent. If Wes hadn't known any better, he might have assumed that he was looking at not a living being, but at a machine.
"Like there's no emotion at all…" he muttered.
"That's because there isn't. His aura is completely black…" Rui's paused, then hastily added, "Can't you see it?"
"Its aura?" He had little way of knowing this. Some psychics, human or Pokémon, were able to detect the auras of living beings; of that much, at least, he had heard of. Wes, however, was no psychic by any stretch of the imagination.
"Like…" Rui paused as if searching for some way to explain what she meant to Wes, but seemed to give up when she added, "Well, the fact that I could see that his aura was black – they captured me because of that!"
The Makuhita was beginning to exhaust himself carrying out command after command of "Shadow Rush!" from Trudly. Koray and Tesni were also growing tired without their trainer to guide them, but the Makuhita's attacks actually seemed to be doing damage to the attacker, as well, regardless of whether or not the attacks actually connected; with Tesni's shield running powerfully and Koray dodging swiftly, in fact, they rarely did. Trudly let loose a stream of obscenities as he saw that the Makuhita was essentially defeating itself.
"And they said it was supposed to be real strong," Folly scoffed. "Look, man, it's gonna collapse."
"Y-you shut your damn mouth!" Trudly snapped at his partner. "If I say it fights, it's damn well gonna…" Trudly couldn't even finish his sentence before he noticed the Makuhita collapsing to the floor, his breaths coming out in short, heavy gasps. "No, no, no! Get up!" Trudly ran over to the exhausted Pokémon and kicked him in the side. "Piece a' shit, get up!"
"Oh my, oh my, oh my!" Es Cade gasped. Amidst the chaos, Wes had nearly forgotten that Phenac's mayor was still in the room. "Please, lad, don't hurt him! You mustn't!"
To the surprise of Wes and probably everyone else, Trudly ceased kicking the Makuhita immediately. With a sigh, he recalled the unconscious Pokémon into a Poké Ball and shot a glance at the mayor; this time, what obscured Wes' view of what that glance contained were Trudly's red shades. He and Folly wordlessly fled Es Cade's home, the front door sliding shut behind them.
With the immediate threat now gone, Rui and Wes were able to stand back up. Rui brushed the dirt from the potted plant off of her while skirt, wincing at what still remained on the fabric.
"Oh, dear…" The mayor stepped out from behind his desk, straightening his ruffled jacket and silver moustache. "Are you children alright?"
"We're fine," Wes said. Well, he was certain that he'd later develop a few bruises on his face, but he had seen much worse before. "Your plant, though…"
"Oh, pay it no mind! Such things are easily replaceable. The welfare of Phenac's citizens is of greater importance to me, lad."
"We ain't—"
"Um! Mr. Mayor!" Rui piped up from behind Wes, interrupting him. "Those men, they… And the Makuhita…!"
"Oh, lass, please settle down," the mayor said reassuringly. "You're alright; there's no more danger. Slowly, now, tell me what's going on."
Rui took a deep breath, forcing herself to keep calm. "Those men who were here just now. They'd… they'd actually kidnapped me because I saw something weird about that Makuhita!"
Es Cade raised his eyebrows; for a brief moment, fear flashed in his eyes. "Something odd? Do you mean in the way they fought?"
"Well, yeah, but…" Rui fixed her gaze on her pink boots. "There was something else. I could see its aura, Mr. Mayor, and it was pitch-black! I'd never seen that before, and…" Rui sighed. "I guess they didn't want me seeing that, huh?"
"Oh, my…" Es Cade shook his head sadly. "To think anyone would want to harm such a sweet, young girl. I'm terribly sorry this has happened to you. I can promise that we will not let those crooks get away with what they've done, little lady! I'll order an investigation at once!"
Rui's face brightened. "You will? Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Mayor!"
Es cade chuckled, his smile so large and kindly that his rosy cheeks nearly concealed his eyes. "Of course! We could never let something so heinous go unpunished. But, for the time being… Hm. Well, until we have some sort of information, may I suggest visiting our Phenac Stadium? I'm sure the two of you would enjoy yourselves; many lively battles are staged there."
For a brief moment, Rui appeared thoughtful; Wes could tell that she was considering what Es Cade said carefully. Then, beaming as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head, she turned to Wes.
"We should go! I mean, there have got to be more Pokémon with black auras than that Makuhita, right? We might see them in the tournament battles and be able to figure out what's up with them!"
Wes froze. He had already been putting himself in far more danger than he cared to be in even without surrounding himself with an entire crowd of people. How could he be certain that a member wouldn't be among the crowd or even one of the fighters?
"Could you go alone? I have—"
Rui shook her head. "Wes, I don't have any Pokémon to defend myself with if those creeps come back. It's not even like I know where to go after that; I'm not even from Orre…"
It was true that Wes still couldn't find it in himself to abandon her; not if she seemed to be so helpless on her own. For a moment, Wes tried to imagine himself as an outsider – a position he could indeed relate to very well – to Orre, a region that could be so crime-ridden and lawless that even governing bodies of other regions avoided dealing with it if they could. Leaving such an outsider to fend for herself would be tantamount to leaving her to die in Orre's harsh deserts. Besides, there was also the possibility that Wes would blend in with the crowd enough to go unnoticed by anyone hunting for him.
"Alright," he finally said. "Probably worth a look. I'll have to go and help you find safety afterwards, though, 'kay?"
"You would?" Rui beamed. "Thank you so much!"
Es Cade's smile grew wider. "You do seem like quite the capable young lad. She will surely be safe under your care."
Wes was now fully convinced that Arceus was bent on ensuring terrible luck wherever the young refugee went.
Three men – all of their heads shaved, all of them wearing red, sleeveless jackets, and all of them glaring at Wes with enough hatred to pierce diamonds – made their presence known just a short distance away from the Phenac Stadium. Wes recognized all of them as Team Snagem grunts, men with whom Wes felt he already had far too much association with. He felt his stomach lurch, and then felt it dissolve completely when the oldest – Wakin, Wes recognized, one of Snagem's highest-ranked members – grabbed Wes by the shoulders and shoved him into one of Phenac's marble walls.
"So this is where you ran off to, eh?" Wakin spat. "Going off to a stadium where you can take some Pokémon for yourself?! And with the Snag Machine you nabbed from us… After trashing our goddamn hideout!" He shoved Wes to the ground, and Wes grunted as his side scraped the concrete pavement.
Rui shrieked. "Who are you men?! Why are you attacking Wes?!"
Wes caught his breath in time to warn Rui before any of the others could speak: "Rui, run! Get ou—"
He felt the toe of a huge, black boot jam into his stomach; he gasped for air. Another Snagem member confronted Rui, who, frozen in shock, had not moved from where she stood.
"And what do we have here?" he sneered. "Found yourself a little chick to play around with? Hah; guessing you didn't tell her, did you?"
"Tell me what?" Rui demanded. "Wes, what's going on?!"
Wakin smirked and the other two Snagem grunts howled with laughter.
"She really doesn't know!" Waking snickered. "You tag along with him and have no idea who he is?"
"Rui!" Wes called. "Get—" Another kick to the stomach.
"I'll have you know," Wakin said, crossing his arms, "that he's one of us; second-in-command to our boss, Gonzap."
