Deion felt quite good all things considered. Whether it was a combination of the adrenaline now surging through his veins or the excitement of the firefight, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he was still alive, and that was enough. He stood up and placed his handgun back in his belt before looking once again down again at the dead bandit.
The pool of blood surrounding his head was still spreading. Deion tried not to think about what Zam might have done to cause it. Instead he turned to face his friend. Zam was still standing in the same spot, the only difference being that his cloaks hood had been replaced, preventing Deion from seeing the pokemon's face.
He was about to ask if the Alakazam was alright when he was interrupted mid thought by a loud crash. Turning quickly he saw that his Graveler had thrown the raider it had been pulverizing into the side of a building. Letting out another roar the living boulder started to walk towards the crumpled body.
"Graveler that's enough, you got him!" Deion yelled bringing out the pokemon's ball.
His pokemon continued to let out a growl, obviously still itching for a fight. Sighing Deion returned Graveler to its ball.
'We should leave.' The Alakazam's words creeping in he back of his mind.
Deion couldn't agree more.
The midday sun was now out in full force. Deion took another swig from his canteen, relishing the feeling as the slightly warm liquid slid down his throat. Lowering the canteen, he once again found himself staring out at the barren desert that lay just ahead. He was still mulling over the events of the previous night in Pyrite, not sure what to make of it all. To add to it, Zam hadn't said a word since leaving earlier that morning.
The pokemon insisted that he walk with Deion in order to prevent any more 'unfortunate encounters'. He appreciated the sentiment as much as he appreciated the company. It was nice to have Zam with him. Sometimes Deion would walk by himself for days at a time, never really noticing how alone he truly was. Pocketing his canteen, he turned to look over at his friend. He couldn't help but smile. A quiet friend was better than no friend. Turning east once more, he continued walking.
It was hard to believe that what used to be Orre's premier pokemon battling establishment was now literally laying in front of him. It had been quite some time since Deion had been to Realgam Tower. It was not quite the same giant ivory spear that he remembered. Instead the only the towers base remained standing. The other supports having buckled and broken causing the massive colosseum that used to be at the top to find a new home strewn across the desert floor below. Regardless of the state of the tower before him, Deion couldn't help but think back to the first time he had stepped foot in its massive halls.
He must have been no more than six years old. His father had taken him and his family to see the towers grand opening festivities. A promise of epic battles between Orre's top pokemon trainers along with a "special surprise" that they wouldn't want to miss. Deion had never been so excited in his entire life. The chance to see real live pokemon battles in the newest and more expensive colosseum in the region was almost more than his young mind could ever dream of.
The atmosphere was absolutely electric. The whoops of the crowd only getting louder as a voice came over the loud speakers announcing that the first battle was about to begin. Deion watched as an elevated tube rose from the colosseum floor. A young man wearing a long blue jacket, followed closely by a girl with red hair, emerged moments later. Eventually another trainer joined them and the battle commenced.
Deion remembered the feeling the excitement growing inside of him as the trainer with the blue jacket knocked out pokemon after pokemon, eliminating trainer after trainer. The young boy was now utterly convinced that the unstoppable trainer was a Pokemon Master. Eventually it was all over. No more trainers were emerging to face the master.
The young Deion was transfixed on him, wondering how he had become so powerful even though he was still so young. His gaze was only broken when he heard the sound of flapping wings followed by a loud bang. He looked up to see a massive rainbow coloured bird flying majestically overhead. It was right then and there, awestruck by the legendary bird, that Deion knew what he wanted to be. He wanted to become a Pokemon Trainer.
The feeling of nostalgia faded as Deion snapped back to reality. They had been walking for almost five days now. Zam still insisted that he stay and keep walking with him. Deion didn't argue but was starting to feel slight concern for his silent companion.
"Let's see if we can find a place to hole up for the night." He said to Zam, motioning at the tower ruins. "I'm tired of camping in the desert."
The cloaked figure merely nodded in acknowledgment. Deion smiled and began to walk towards the broken tower. Ten minutes later they were both standing beneath the former towers base. The somewhat rounded structure still loomed over them despite it only being a fraction of the size of the whole tower in its former glory. Deion and Zam moved in and out of the colosseums shattered debris, attempting to find some kind of an entrance. It wasn't long before Deion came across a hole in the side of the main structure just large enough for them to fit in.
"Hey Zam! I found an entrance!" Deion yelled while attempting to peer inside the low light interior. "Let's get inside and scope it out!"
He waited for a response, but none came. Not even a telepathic twitch from his partner.
"Zam?" Deion said turning around to see the Alakazam just standing there. A slow sinking feeling started to come over him. "Zam, what's wrong?" He asked, hoping that his pokemon would respond to the question.
A few tense seconds passed before Zam replied.
'There is someone else here.' The pokemon said cryptically. 'Approaching quickly.'
Deion immediately started to scan the area, sticking his hand inside his jacket so that his fingertips were resting over the grip of his gun. He began to quietly panic. The bandits must have followed them from Pyrite, intent on revenge for their murdered comrades. They need to leave, or at least hide. He began to hurriedly walk towards Zam, eyes still darting. Deion was no more than a few steps away from his pokemon when he heard someone shout from behind him followed by the sound of a cocking gun.
"Freeze!" The voice yelled. "Don't you fucking move!"
Deion did what the voice said and froze mid stride. His fingers started to tighten around his weapon, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to turn around in time to shoot. A feeling of dread slowly washed over him. This was it. This was where he died. He remembered the saying that a person's entire life flashed before their eyes the instant before facing death. He figured he was about to find out if that was true.
'I don't believe he means to harm us.' His pokemon said quickly, interrupting Deion mid thought. 'I feel a great amount of fear coming from him.'
'Fear?' Deion thought, starting to get the feeling that his captor might not be what he thought he was.
"Now put your hands up and turn around!" The voice yelled again.
Deion noticed that the voice was not as deep as he was expecting an outlaws to be and it seemed to be emanating from somewhere above the ground. Regardless, he again did what the voice said and slowly raised his hands, reluctantly pulling his hand off the gun in his belt. Turning around his suspicions were confirmed. It was just a kid, probably no older than fifteen. He was standing just above them on a broken catwalk jutting from a piece of the colosseum tower debris. In his hands he held a rifle with a small scope on it, sights aimed squarely at Deion's chest.
'How would you like to proceed?' Zam asked after giving Deion a chance to process the situation.
"I said hands up!" The kid yelled again. "That means you too Mr. Hood!"
The Alakazam slowly started to raise its hands, causing the sleeves of his cloak to fall revealing his yellow and brown arms. The kid seemed shocked as he realized that the man in the hooded cloak was in fact not a man at all. Deion decided to use this temporary distraction to issue a single command.
'I want you to take his gun.' Deion repeated in his mind.
In the corner of his eye Deion saw his Alakazam's arms halt mid rise and suddenly lurch forward. The next thing he knew the kids rifle had ripped itself from his hands. The floating gun quickly did a one-eighty and was now pointing itself directly at its former owner's forehead. The kid, now grasping what had just happened, quickly attempted to back up, eventually hitting the railing behind him. He stood frozen, the look on his face a mixture of fear and pure terror. Deion mentally congratulated Zam before turning his attention back to the terrified kid.
"We don't want to hurt you!" Deion said aloud. "We were just trying to find a place to stay for the night and we didn't realize anyone was already living here!"
He paused, giving the kid an opportunity to speak while he thought up what to say next. The kid remained silent and unmoving.
"I'm going to have my friend here put down your gun," Deion continued to say. "And then we are going to walk away! We don't want any trouble!"
'Are you sure that is such a good idea?' The Alakazam's question running through his mind.
'No,' Deion answered, his racing with what ifs, 'but it's a sign of faith. Just be ready to reflect.'
He nodded to Zam. The psychic gave him what seemed to be a telepathic sigh before slowly lowering the gun, placing it on the metal catwalk in front of the petrified boy. Deion waited to see if the kid would make the first move. Once he was sure the kid wasn't going to do anything, he turned and began to briskly walk away. He had taken probably no more than ten steps before he heard the kid shout at him again. This time in a more humble tone.
"Mister!" The kid yelled again. "I'm sorry!"
Deion stopped and pivoted on his back foot, turning to face the boy who had now picked up his rifle and was in the process of jumping off the suspended catwalk. He gave Zam a slight heads up, making sure the pokemon was prepared in case the kid decided that he wanted to give Deion a 'parting gift'.
"I'm sorry." The kid said again, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. His head seemingly hung in shame.
"I guess you're not used to having company?" Deion said, making it sound more like a statement then a question.
"Yeah..." The kid's voice seemed to trail off. "The last ones weren't exactly very friendly."
"I know what you mean." Deion muttered, pushing the memory of the man he had stabbed to death out of his mind.
A quiet minute passed between the both of them, neither really knowing what to say. Deion was just about the turn and leave when the young boy piped up again.
"So... you still need a place to stay for the night?" The boy's words were awkward, obviously not quite sure if the idea which had just escaped his mouth was a good one.
"Well" Deion started to reply.
"Because I have some extra room at my place if you're still interested..." His voice trailing off again.
Deion mulled it over. One the one hand he really did want a roof over his head for the night, but on the other this kid had held him up at gunpoint. It was a misunderstanding granted, but a misunderstanding that could have cost him his life. He decided to test the waters.
"How do I know you won't try to kill me in my sleep?" Deion asked. The question wasn't exactly as tactful as he would have liked, but at least he would be able to gauge the kid's expression.
"Umm...Well..." The boy stuttered. His eyes darted over to Zam, who had been quietly standing beside Deion throughout the entire exchange, and then back at the sandy grounds beneath him.
Deion caught the movement and looked over at his Alakazam. The pokemon would be his insurance policy as the kid was obviously afraid of him, for good reason too. He looked back at the young kid standing in front of him.
"I understand." Deion said to him, attempting a warm smile.
The kid looked up and returned the smile. Deion figured this was a best a time as any to try and make a new friend and started to walk closer to the boy.
"By the way, my name is Deion." He said stopping about a few arms lengths away from the boy and extending his gloved hand.
The boy cautiously walked forward and took his hand, giving it a firm shake.
"Zach." The boy said, now looking up at Deion. "My name is Zach."
The trio remained silent as they walked, still not entirely comfortable with each others presence. Deion couldn't help but frown as Zach lead them through the ruined interior of what used to be the towers reception area. Gone were the pristine white walls and marble floors. Only one of the multiple sculptures of Sudowoodo still remained standing and relatively undamaged.
Parts of the ceiling had collapsed, causing piles of broken concrete, metal and sand to be littered across the hall. They continued on, eventually stopping at a pair of worn double sliding doors which Deion immediately recognized as leading to the reception floor bar and restaurant. Zach slid the door open revealing a towering barricade of tables and chairs.
"Right in here." Zach said ushering them inside. "Just follow the path around to the back." He said again, stepping in and closing the door behind them.
Deion could see a dim light emanating for the back of the room, casting an eerie shadow that revealed the path through the barricade. He flashed a quick look at his Alakazam, still cloaked in his hood. The pokemon responded with a short nod indicating that there were no surprises waiting for them just out of sight.
"Something wrong?" The boy's quizzical voice came from behind them.
"No." Deion lied. "It's nothing."
He couldn't help feel apprehensive as he walked towards the break in the barricade, even though Zam had given him the all clear. He didn't know the kid all that well. For all he knew he could be walking into a trap, something that Zam's telepathy couldn't detect. Upon turning the corner Deion realized how foolish his train of thought had been. The room opened up into the familiar geometry of the restaurant but that was where the familiarity ended.
The walls were covered in bright decorations, mostly, he noticed, from the towers casino. The padded lobby benches had been relocated inside and pushed up against the back wall on opposite sides of the room, essentially creating two makeshift beds. The bar seemed to have been transformed into a cooking area as a campfire stove and multiple pots and plates covered its surface. In the center of the room was a single cluttered table, the lamp on its surface the only thing illuminating the room. Deion heard a 'wow' escape his lips as he continued to soak up the boy's living arrangements.
"You like it?" The boy's voice now more lively at Deion's expression.
"Yeah." Deion replied as he stepped into the room. "You do this all yourself?"
"Yeah…" The kid's voice started to trail off.
The boy quickly recomposed himself and walked over to the far right bed. Removing his rifle and setting it on the bed before turning back to Deion.
"You and," the boy paused, looking at Zam, "your friend, can sleep there." He said pointing at the far left bed.
Deion nodded and walked over to his assigned sleeping area. He dropped his pack on the bed, not really caring how it landed, before falling back on the bed himself, leaning back until he was laying against the wall. He closed his eyes, enjoying the weight lifted from his body. He reopened his eyes to find Zach staring at him.
It took him a moment to realize where exactly where the young boy's eyes were fixed. Deion looked down realizing with slight dismay that upon his sitting down his duster had opened revealing the entire contents of his belt. The boy wasn't so much focused on the gun however as he was on what lay just behind it. Deion quickly drew his duster closed and sat up. The kid's eyes were now locked on his, a look of intrigue now on his face.
"You're a trainer aren't you?" The boy asked, pressing his curiosity.
There was an awkward silence before Deion broke his gaze with Zach. He shifted uncomfortably at the question.
"Was a trainer." Deion finally responded. "Not much of a league anymore."
The silence continued. Deion now found himself staring at his pack, his former trainer pack. It had seen much use over the years. It was now so worn down now that he was surprised it had survived this long. He was interrupted mid thought by Zach.
"I was just asking because, well, I saw the pokeballs on your belt and…" The boy pressed on, sounding almost excited. "You must have had all sorts of interesting adventures. I was never had any pokemon of my own and… I always wondered what it was like."
Deion couldn't help but feel a smile creep up on him at the boys enthusiasm. Straightening himself out, he reached into his duster, retrieving a worn looking leather wallet. He opened it up, running his fingers over the plastic case that held his trainer card before throwing the whole thing over to Zach. The boy looked confused at first not sure what to make of the little leather wallet. As he began to flip through it his eyes lit up.
"Wow." It was all the boy seemed to manage at first as he was too busy furiously reading the contents of the wallets pages. "You've been all over the place…"
"Yeah I have." Deion said, beginning to reminisce about his past adventures. "Been traveling for years. But, I got my start right here, in this very tower."
Zach suddenly looked up at Deion. His face was full of almost child like wonder.
"I can tell you the story if you want." Deion continued, almost as if he was responding to the boys thoughts. He nodded, and looked intently at Deion.
"Well," Deion began after collecting his thoughts, "I got my start about twelve years ago, I was about nine years old then. I had heard that Realgam Tower was having a contest for aspiring young trainers under the age of twelve. They were giving out ten new born pokemon as prizes to the top ten finalists. So I signed up. It was going to be a pokemon related trivia contest so I spent weeks studying all I could." Deion paused, smiling at the memory. "Out of one hundred other kids, I placed eighth."
"What pokemon did you get?" Zach asked, still quite curious.
Deion couldn't help but smile even more. He stood up and turned towards Zam, who was quietly standing just behind him still fully hooded and cloaked.
"You're looking at him." He said still smiling.
The boys eyes widened as he realized he meant the still hooded and cloaked figure that had been silently standing right behind his guest. The pokemon slowly removed its hood, revealing its full features to the bewildered boy.
"I chose an Abra." Deion said looking back at Zach. "We've been inseparable ever since."
"He must be powerful." Zach said, eyes still locked on the Alakazam.
Deion chuckled.
"He is quite strong." Deion replied. "But he wasn't always. About two years later we were invited to participate in the Orre League junior trainer tournament here at the tower. Zam and I were on fire. We had been able to make it all the way up to the fourth round; all we need to do was beat some young kid from Johto to advance to the quarter finals. That kid had the best damn Ratatta I have ever seen. Zam fought long and hard but eventually it was just more than he could take. We lost that match, and that kid actually ended up winning the whole tournament."
Deion took a moment to remember before muttering 'Damn you Joey.' He looked back at Zach who was once again looking through his trainer wallet.
"Wow, you've been in a lot of competitions." Zach said, beginning to read the list out loud. "Phenac, Pyrite, Realgam Tower, Gateon…" He suddenly paused, doing a double take with his eyes "Orre Frontier League U class trainer, Mount Battle rank… seventy-six?" His eyes jerked up to meet Deion's. "You're in the top twenty-five of Mount Battle trainers?"
The kid's excitement was apparent now. It was almost as if he viewed Deion as some kind of celebrity. While it was true that holding a position over thirty was impressive, he never really thought of it that much. Even if it essentially meant he was the twenty-forth best trainer in Orre. The boy went back to reading Deion's list of achievements, eventually turning a page which warranted a look of confusion from him.
"What is this?" He asked turning the wallet so Deion could see.
Deion smiled as he saw what the boys confusion was directed at. It was a series of small crests and ribbons, each with different numbers on them.
"Ah…" Deion began, more memories starting to surface. "Those are from when I was invited to the Battle Frontier Open in Hoenn. I placed thirty-first overall in that tournament. Even went up against a Frontier Brain."
"You've been to Hoenn?" The boy said, almost shocked.
"I have indeed. It's quite a nice place. Take a look on the next page." He waited for Zach to turn the page before continuing on.
"You see those?" Deion motioned at the four small red metal pins on the page. "They symbolize the completion of a seven battle set from the Johto Battle Tower. The identical colour means they were a streak."
The boy, still interested in the contents of the wallet flipped to the next page. He looked quizzically at the folded piece of paper that rested inside of one the wallets protective sleeves. Deion could see him eyeing it and let out a small sigh.
"Go ahead, take it out." He encouraged the boy. "It's my greatest achievement."
Zach's eyes lit up at Deion's words. The boy carefully removed the piece of paper and unfolded it. His mouth nearly dropped to the floor as he read the opening line 'Certificate of Achievement from the Kanto Indigo Plateau Conference'. Deion noticed the boys astonishment and let out a low chuckle.
"Keep reading." Deion said with a huge smile on his face
The boys jaw dropped even further than it had already. He looked up at Deion with an expression of total awe.
"You placed fifty-second in the Indigo League Tournament?" Zach's voice exploded in the room causing Deion to almost burst out in laughter.
"I did." He replied, calming his laughter. "Out of two hundred and fifty-six trainers from across the region. The Orre Frontier League recommended me for the tournament and I was accepted. I don't think I had ever been as excited in my entire life."
Zach looked over the certificate once more before folding it and putting it back in the last page of the wallet. He looked back over at Deion, the awe still in his eyes.
"What are you doing back here?" The boy asked. "In Orre I mean."
A somber expression crossed Deion's face, quickly replacing the previous smile.
"I was coming back from a tour of the Sevii Islands. The plan was to relax and do some training before registering for this year's Realgam Tower Doubles Open." Deion paused, fighting back the memories of the nightmares. "Then this happened and I've been walking ever since." He said finally.
"Where are you going?" Zach asked him while tossing back his wallet. "There's not much left out here. Well there is Phenac City, but it's been pretty much des…."
The kid stopped mid sentence when he noticed his guest close his eyes, suddenly realizing exactly where he was headed. Deion proceeded to lie down, hiding his head behind his pack.
"Home." Zach could hear the trainers voice say. "I'm going home."