Chapter Six: Dark Cry

Not very many humans get bitten by members of the Zubat family in this day and age. Pokémon attacks are still common occurrences of course, but with a reliable method of taming the beasts to fight for you, actually feeling the sensation of Poison Fang just isn't likely.

This was my first time recovering from such a bite, and let me tell you, it is not as gentle as it first seemed. Though the poison had initially acted on me as a numbing agent, likely the same mechanism that allows Zubat and their evolved forms to feed on the blood of paralyzed prey, I was not numb when I woke up. I was, in fact, something along the lines of the opposite of numb. Everything hurt. Everything. My joints ached, my head was pounding even worse than the blows it had taken would account for. My belly rolled and quaked and cramped horribly and I vomited loudly before I even opened my eyes. Worst of all, my right arm felt like it had been shoved into a Slugma's open mouth, burning and tingling horribly. I barely even noticed, but it itched rather atrociously as well.

"I'm impressed," said a haughty female voice to my right. Despite the voice of reason telling me how much it would suck to do so, I opened my eyes and turned my head to look. Sure enough, I barely fought down the urge to vomit again. "Not many men are strong enough to survive a dose of Golbat venom, even delivered into the muscle," Arabella said with a smirk.

I took in my surroundings through eyes slit against the relatively dim, but still painful light. We were in a room very different from Arabella's office. It was a bit larger, and while well appointed didn't seem nearly as expensive overall. A fireplace crackled merrily on one wall, with glass display cases on either side. They were full of curiosities, many of which were old fashioned weapons. A cutlass here, an old flintlock pistol there. An old naginata with a blade fashioned from the red wing feather of a Skarmory sat beside a full set of Carvahna teeth. I was shackled to a heavy chair facing the fire and cases, while Arabella sat at a desk much like the one in her office, examining my sword and its saya.

"This is an exquisite weapon. I'm no swordswoman myself, mind you," she said, running a finger down the flat of the weapon and then tapping it against the saya to hear the metal chime, "but I am an avid collector, as you can see. This must have cost a small fortune," she continued, angling the blade now so its dark polished metal reflected the red of the flames."

"Unlock me and hand it here, I'll give you a lesson in how its used," I panted. It was gallows humor, of course. As much as I hurt I doubted I could swing the sword effectively even if I was loose.

"Oh, child don't be foolish. If I so much as speak a word, you die. And I'm not quite ready for that yet, are you?" she smiled, and I could tell she meant it to be warm. Friendly even. It didn't touch her eyes. "Men who command Pokémon such as yours, carry such fine weapons, and survive the bite of a Golbat are rare. They shouldn't be wasted," she mused, almost to herself, as she rose from her chair and stalked over to circle me. She seemed to be inspecting me. Which, much as it sickened me when I saw the look on her face, seemed like a good idea. I looked down at myself.

Well, no wonder the chair was so uncomfortable. For some reason I didn't want to consider I'd been stripped naked, save for a clean white bandage on my right arm. They'd even taken my hair tie, leaving my hair loose to fall around my shoulders. I idly noted it was time for a trim, then further noted how strange the thoughts that visit me at such times can be. My hands were fastened directly to the thick arms of the chair at the wrist, while my legs were held in place by chains that left them a bit more wiggle room. Not enough to kick or grapple with unless the target was standing right on top of my feet though.

Next I took stock of Arabella, who by that time was standing in front of me unabashedly examining parts of me I generally don't display before the third date. I growled at her. She just smiled more.

"Avert your eyes ya fucking perv," I slurred drunkenly. I was still loopy from the poison. Or the blow to the head. Maybe both.

"Make me, if you can," she purred back. "Of course, you're chained down, disarmed, and naked. I don't see it happening, do you?"

"Maybe not right now. But you're either going to kill me or unchain me eventually. Either way, I won't have to put up with that rape-face you've got going right now for long." I was seething, but also perplexed. I hadn't expected to wake up at all, but most certainly not like this. "Where are we anyway? How long have I been down?"

"We're in Canalve, dear boy. You've been unconscious for... two days now I believe. I confess I hadn't paid much attention, I expected you to die. I owe Priscilla a raise, she bet on your survival. You owe her even more, I'd have finished you and had done with it without the wager." The bitch was still eying me like a prime cut of meat. "But, since you've survived we can clear up exactly how you found me, why you were looking... and what you're willing to do to walk out of here alive."

"Don't recognize me, do you?" I replied simply, letting myself smirk back now. She took a moment to notice it, but when she did it didn't seem she liked that. So sad.

"I dare say I'd remember meeting such a... well built gentleman before. And apparently a gifted trainer as well. No doubt I'd have offered to recruit you, had we met in the past." She tapped a blood red nail against her lower lip. Had I not known who she was it would have been alluring. "But no matter," she waved a hand dismissively, regaining her smirk and returning to eyeballing me. "Even if we had met, it wouldn't answer my questions."

Ok, so she didn't know who I was. I suppose that was no surprise, I did look rather different from when I was 16. And I hadn't been a very important person back then either. Still, I found it a wee bit insulting. Still, I had to decide what to tell her. I had no delusions that I could refrain from talking indefinitely. People in positions like Arabella's would know how to get someone's mouth flapping, and I wouldn't like the process any more than I would survive what followed. So, time to lie my ass off.

"I was hired by a girl from Kanto," I said, sneering a bit. "Kid paid me $20,000 up front to kill you," I wracked my brain, bringing to mind details from Arabella's case file. Just prior to her arrest during Team Rocket's first downfall, she'd snagged a girl named Leaf's Bulbasaur. Some credited that incident as the reason Leaf had never managed to rise to prominence in competitive circles like her neighbors Red and Blue. The Bulbasaur had never been returned, apparently dying in a battle with Red less than two months later when Arabella's orders had forced him to use lethal force to defend himself.

"Oh, is that silly little twit still upset about that? She should really be focusing on that brat who beat me, but no matter. So, you're a hitman of sorts then? Your cards," she held up an example she'd probably retrieved from my coat, "make you sound more benevolent than that."

"That's what they're there for lady. I do plenty of 'benevolent' work. The cops think that's all I do, keeps em off my back," I said, trying to emulate her wicked grin. It didn't feel like it reached my eyes, but that just made it more authentic.

"Clever boy. I could use someone like you in my organization... if I thought I could trust you. Sadly if you're willing to break your deal with her, I doubt I can."

Shit. She'd come to the same conclusion I'd been steering her towards with my fib, but she was too clever to take the bait it seemed. I let my mind race, looking for a way out of this, and came up empty. I was so close, but my goal was still out of reach. Arabella was idly stroking a nice purple bruise on her cheek and hefting my sword in her hand, apparently considering using it to finish me. At least I'd gotten to hit her before the end.

She didn't get the chance to make up her mind. The gorgeous young Aqua I'd seen when they took me out back in the desert bolted in through a door on my left, past a huge fish tank I'd failed to notice earlier containing a pair of Lumineon. She skidded to a stop, breasts heaving with apparent panic. She took in the sight of Arabella with my sword, then at me... and blushed crimson before suddenly becoming deeply interested in the floor.

"Tiffany!" Arabella snapped at her. "What the hell do you think you're doing barging in here unannounced?"

"Forgive me Admin, but it happened again," the girl, apparently named Tiffany, stammered out with a formal bow. Despite my circumstances, I was curious. What could make a subordinate so panicky as to barge in on her boss like that?

"I have told you before it cannot be helped. Just feed the poor bastard who was afflicted to the Pokémon like the others and..."

"But ma'am, its Priscilla!" Tiffany interrupted, then let out an audible gulp of trepidation. It was clear she didn't want to interrupt the boss like that. It was equally clear she thought the boss would want this info, even if she did retaliate.

"No... Priscilla? Damn it, she is integral to this project, we can not afford to lose her," Arabella almost whispered. For the first time, emotion tinged her eyes aside from amusement or smugness. She was lying, she cared about this one, subordinate or no. My earlier guess that they had worked together before the Rockets disbanded sounded more accurate than ever.

"I know ma'am," Tiffany said, sounding near panic still. "But... there's only one cure. And the sailor died during questioning. No one knows how to get there!" I smelled an opportunity.

"Get where? What's going on?" I asked, working to sound bored. It might be bad to let them see how anxious I was. Confidence and complacence seemed my best bet. Though I hadn't been hitting very well with these sorts of guesses lately. Lucky for me, the girl answered before the boss.

"Several of our personnel have fallen into comas lately. Nothing we can do can wake them up, and they're afflicted by horrible nightmares until eventually their hearts give out. We tried treating them with psychic types... but the Pokémon who looked inside their heads didn't fare any better than they did."

"Tiffany, learn your place!" Arabella all but snarled and slapped the Aqua Grunt across the face with a crack that brought tears to the girl's eyes. It made me angry, though technically this Tiffany was an enemy as well, one I might have to cut down if I got out of this alive. Despite the surge of anger, I felt my eyes widen in shock at the girl's words. I'd heard stories that matched this girl's, of course. I'd even seen an old man afflicted with the condition she spoke of once, locked in an endless nightmare at Byron's shack on Iron Island.

Darkrai. The "Pitch-Black Pokémon." It was the only creature known that had that particular power. According to rumor among the Gym Leaders and other League officials, a girl named Dawn had encountered it once during her research as Prof. Rowan's assistant, and attempted to capture the Legendary Pokémon for the Pokédex. She'd survived to tell the tale, but come back empty handed with her entire team in shambles. The International Police apparently had a record of the event from her statement, but it was sealed. Looker had refused to let me look into it at all.

"Darkrai doesn't like you being here I take it. I guess I'm lucky to have woken up even without taking the venom into account eh?" I said, forcing a tone both jovial but unconcerned. "Too bad you apparently gacked the old man who knew the way to Full Moon Island eh? Gee, its too bad there isn't a hired gun sitting around who knows the way out there to fetch you a Lunar Wing. Just sitting around, naked and all too willing to take it as a loyalty test before joining up with you. Oh well, might as well get on with the killing me then." I raised my head, giving an open shot to behead me with my own sword, and grinned. If this didn't work, at least I'd die with a smile.

"You know where to find Cresselia?" Arabella hissed, whirling to face me. The edge of my katana barely missed my chin as she carelessly spun. It was a good thing I had raised my head as I did, or that might have cost me an eye. But her reaction revealed her eagerness. I could work this angle, if I was careful enough on the inside and cavalier on the outside.

"Sure do. I told you, I do a lot of so-called benevolent work, if it pays. I paid a visit to that island once. And I remember the way, so long as I start from the right place. I'd be willing to show you how to get there, if I get to live." I smiled wider. My cheeks were starting to hurt, but I couldn't afford to look to eager and give myself away. Had to stay in character as the shiftless assassin, devoid of loyalty. Couldn't afford to have her catch on to the real me now.

"Why not just torture you until you tell me? Or have a Psychic-type go in and rip the information out of your head?" She almost seemed to be asking herself more than me, but I felt the need to answer her anyway.

"Because I suck at giving directions," I said, smirking all the more because it was true. No one would ever find their way off my verbal instructions. "I'd end up telling you if you tortured me, but that'd do you no good. And I doubt even an Alakazam would make any more sense of it than you, lady. Plus, if you damage me or break my brain, how are you gonna have your way with me once I get you the Wing?" I said, winking. My stomach crawled with it, but it seemed to work when her eyes dropped back below my waist.

"Tiffany," she said more softly, "come with me. We need to work out this operation. Minimal risk. And we only have a week or so to work with," she took a last lusty glance at me and walked out, Tiffany close on her heels. Oddly, the girl cast a look full of scorn my way before following.

The next morning, I got my clothes back, coat and all. But there were only two Pokéballs in the pockets, Bruce and Big Bird. The others were being kept as insurance. They kept my sword and PokéGear as well, and my empty balls on top of that, but they returned the rest of the contents of my travel pack and my Pokétch. They didn't want me calling anyone or killing my escort, after all. I was warned my other Pokémon would be put through the same sort of brutality as their training specimens I had seen if I failed.

Thus I found myself missing the familiar weight of my katana, with my coat billowing differently than I was used to due to the lesser weight, as big Bird flew me towards Iron Island. Close behind me was Tiffany, soaring along astride her Pelliper. Big Bird was faster than the heavy sea-bird, and I could have easily escaped from her. But that would leave four of my team in enemy hands and at their nonexistent mercy. I couldn't have that, so I ignored Big Bird's shrieking protests and ordered her to keep an even pace.

We'd set out at dawn from Canalave City, riding the thermal updrafts off the ocean as the sun came up over the horizon. I'd been surprised to learn the place they'd held me was a brothel. Apparently Arabella's "side business" I'd heard her speak to the boss about. Sadly I'd been unconscious and restrained during his visit to have his freebie. It irked me to know that I could have gotten both at once otherwise. I'd almost slipped in my act when they let me loose, there were more than human prostitutes there. Apparently some deranged individuals had a thing for human-shape Pokémon, and they had a stock of mons to cater to them. Jynx, Kirlia, and Gardevoir, as well as a few unlucky Lopunny. I'd be sure to deal with that later. As soon as my friends were free, there would be a reckoning. For the time being, I'd had to pretend to be fine with it. I'd told Arabella it "wasn't my thing" while oogling her breasts and winking. That seemed to satisfy her, albeit a little too much for my taste. The odds of my letting her live long enough to deliver her to Looker were getting slimmer.

Tiffany was sent as my "escort" for the mission. Which is an official sounding way of saying she was my leash. She had five mons with her to my two. And she'd made sure I saw that there was a Lanturn among them. If I tried anything, my Flying and Water Pokémon would be fried in short order, and I'd be stunned senseless and dragged back to base. Even without the others being held hostage, escape wasn't overly likely.

I didn't try to make small talk as we flew. Trying to yell back and forth to each other would be futile while speeding along atop our Flying-types. But I did sneak a peek at her now and then. Not encouraging, she gave me hostile glares at every opportunity. When she failed to notice me peeking, she seemed to spend most of her time petting her Pelliper lovingly. Interesting. Even those few who professed to care about their mons among groups like hers didn't normally mean it as other trainers do. I might be able to use that.

"Recall your bird," was the first thing I heard when we landed. "You get one out at a time unless we're attacked." Reluctantly, I called Big Bird back and tucked her ball into my coat before I turned around. Tiffany already had her Lanturn out, resting in the surf behind her and ready to lash out with any number of possible attacks.

"Paranoid aren't you? We're gonna be working together soon if all goes well, show some trust will ya?" I checked my pack and found the rations I'd had in there had been spoiled by the wave of muck the damned Gastrodon had hit me with. "Shit, I should have checked these before we left. You bring any food with you?"

"No. I doubt it'll kill you to miss a meal," she looked at me with cold eyes.

"Probably not, but surfing from here we're apt to miss closer to six," I laughed, doubly so at the surprise in her eyes. "I told you it was a long trip. I could make it in half the time on my Sharpedo, but your Lanturn couldn't keep up if he started jet-blasting. Not for long. We could just fly, of course... except I don't know the way by air and neither does Big Bird." I rooted around in my pack and came up with a collapsable fishing rod. "Looks like we're getting our own supper if it comes to that."

"And do what, eat it raw?" she scoffed.

"Never had to rough it have you? Your Lanturn can cook it. Or, yeah we can eat it live and wriggling if we have to," I leered at her.

"Her name is Shine Spark, thank you," she tried to growl. It sounded about as threatening as a scared Meowth kitten... but then those are pretty dangerous when they try.

"Nice to meet you Shine Spark," I said with a wave at the big angler fish. It blinked, surprised, and wiggled its light at me in greeting. Tiffany just scowled again.

"Don't go thinking you're gonna get on my good side by pretending to be nice to my Pokémon, dick." She walked out into the surf and hopped up onto the Electric/Water-type's back. I tried not to notice how her tight pants fit with her mounted that way, but failed. I'm only human. I waded out and sent out Bruce, who glared menacingly at the other fish, but kept his distance. He wasn't interested in getting his scaled blackened again.

"Kiss your mother with that mouth?" I hopped up to get a good seat behind his dorsal fin, and waved northeast. We set off, with me idly wishing I'd brought some sunglasses. It was bright as hell out there.

By noon, we'd turned west at a single rocky spire that jutted up from the sea below. My stomach was rumbling now that my poison-induced nausea had passed. I started casting my line, hoping for something edible to bite.

"Is that really necessary?" the girl demanded rudely, but her heart wasn't in it. She was clearly hungry as well.

"If you wanna make it to the island with your mind working right, yeah it is. I'm not overly fond of seafood myself, but I'll take what I can get. Its too bad there don't seem to be any Wingull up on that spire, I'd prefer poultry if I could get it." I pulled up the line and cast again, back the way we'd come. Bruce continued to float along at a slow pace, resting while he could.

"In case you didn't notice, I was a member of Team Aqua. We kind of loved Water-types, we didn't usually eat them," she countered, patting Shine Spark. I chortled, which only earned me a higher intensity glare.

"In case you didn't notice," I replied, wiggling my lure a bit, "we're both riding creatures who's primary diet consists of Water-types. I don't think they'll mind, unless I fish up a relative. Only certain Grass-types don't have to eat something. Well, ok and some Ghosts." I forestalled her reply as my pole bent double, nearly yanking me off Bruce's broad back. "Got something!"

To my disappointment, what came up was a Tentacruel, and a big one at that. Not edible. I released it the only way I could without a fight, I cut the line and got a new lure out as it dove back into the depths.

"You're not going to hurt it?" the girl asked. She looked puzzled, which of course she would with my heartless killer act I'd been doing.

"No sense in it. It's not good to eat, it wasn't attacking, and Bruce doesn't need a workout right now, do ya big guy?" I patted the shark's gills carefully. "And he wouldn't want to eat it either, so why bother with a fight?"

"Just... doesn't seem like something you'd do." She was looking at me thoughtfully. Fuck, I was about to blow my cover. No way to counter the damage I'd done without making myself look stupid, and therefore less than useful. So I just pulled up my line and nudged Bruce back up to speed. I'd try again when we were further along.

About two hours later, we rested again, cracking the shell of a Krabby I'd hooked, followed by Shine Spark helping prepare it. I absolutely hated the smell and taste, but I soldiered on. The body has needs after all. Tiffany on the other hand seemed to be enjoying it, despite her attempts not to. The same thing seems to happen to a lot of vegetarians when they're forced to eat meat, as I found out once when a search party I joined got trapped on the side of Stark Mountain with no vegetation nearby.

"You seem awfully gentle for someone who works with Arabella and her lot," I mused, resisting the urge to spit out the fishy, flaky mouthful of flesh I'd been trying to chew.

"Mind your own business," she replied, trying not to smile around her own claw-meat.

"If I was any good at minding my own business I wouldn't be here," I shot back. "Seriously, of all the Teams yours and Magma were the least nasty overall, even if they did cause some of the biggest trouble. You don't seem bad enough to still be doing this girl. And you don't seem to like what they have you doing. So what gives?" She chewed on her thoughts, and her Krabby, for a minute or two as we drifted.

"I was looking for someone. My uncle, he was a Magma back in the old days. We were on opposite sides, but we're family ya know? I found him, working for Arabella. And he back-stabbed me. They take my Pokémon after every mission they send me on. They always keep one even when they send me out." Her explanation paused as she tossed the remains of her meal to her Lanturn. "Same thing they'll do to you if you live through this. I can't run away, or they'll..." she let out a quiet sound instead of finishing. It wasn't quite a sob, but it was near enough.

"That's harsh. Which means I say fuck that," I let the jovial, capricious tone I'd been faking leave me, replacing it with what I really felt. Which was one part anger on my behalf and hers, two parts sympathy for her situation. Bruce perked up at once, one eye rolling back to look at me. I could almost translate the set of his gills and the tension under my ass to words, something like "Are you insane?" But I had a hunch that I was on the right track. "I'm not an assassin, Tiffany. I call myself a PokéMercenary, so I am a hired gun, but I don't take that kind of job. I'm working for the police. Taking Arabella down is my job at the moment." The girl was looking at me like I was nuts. I didn't blame her.

"You expect me to believe that?" she laughed at me as our mons picked up the pace, following the heading I'd given them from the tiny spit of an island I remembered from my last trip out this way. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't. I think once you believe me, you'll be smart enough to help me get us both out of this. But don't take my word for it." I lifted a hand to shade my eyes and pointed to a dark smudge on the horizon ahead of us. "Ask Cresselia," I intoned dramatically. "If I'm really the kind of person I've been pretending to be, she won't hesitate to toss me off her island."

Full Moon Island was just ahead. We'd arrive there in another hour at the current pace.