Welcome, dears readers.
What did you think about my Halloween special (if anyone actually read it, which, according to my Reader Traffic, is unlikely)? The stories were exactly solid gold, but I guarantee you they were at least hollow copper. Not much more than that, though.
Back to the chapter at hand, it continues from where it dropped off last time (I know! Shocking, huh?). I assure you, May does not die, as you will read in the next hundred words or so. And, to make things original, the ending is very original and unique.
Brendan is not considered, cared for, thought about, spoken to, seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted, or otherwise mentioned in this chapter, so sorry Brendan lovers (if there even is such a mythical thing). He will appear in the next chapter (alive, I hope), so you'll have to wait 'till then.
Personally, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. Jake was the big hero, for once, so I'm quite satisfied. But it is up to you guys to judge that, right?
So, I'll stop my stupidly long and pointless Author Note that I'm only writing so that this chapter will break the 5'000 word mark and allow you guys to actually to something pleasant, like (hopefully) reading this story.
See you at the bottom!
P.S.: That last phrase isn't mine. I read it in some story, but I can't recal which, so please don't sue!
Less than Legends, More than Myths
Chapter 9: Life Is So Unfair
The lone boy stood on the end of the road, looking off towards the wide extension of dirt tracks and light forest ahead of him. In the setting afternoon sun, it had a certain poetic beauty to it, with a light but ever so pretty mist sparkling all around. The city sounds behind the boy seemed to grow weaker and farther as he watched the landscape, transfixed by that rare show of pure, simple, pure beauty. And at the moment, only one thought crossed his mind.
"What the hell?"
The boy had been walking for little more than a few minutes, guided only by the unreliable suggestions of his map and the Petalburg City Gym Leader, and now he was here. It would be very nice, but the fact the he had intended to head the other way ruined all the rest.
"I'm not trusting May's father ever, ever again." the boy thought. With a sigh, he thought about what he'd do. Since finding anything in that forsaken town was borderline impossible, it would be much easier to just camp outside the city. And he felt in the mood to run. The boy adjusted his backpack, pulled his cap further down, and took off in a rapid pace, watching as the scenery passed in a blur around him.
He had been running for nearly ten minutes when something stopped him. Panting, the boy skidded to a dead stop and focused. Sure enough, he could vaguely hear the sound of familiar voices. Voices of two of his friends. The boy smiled and took off once again. Maybe this wouldn't be so boring after all.
He had almost reached the voices, now separated from him by only a thin wall of trees and bushes, when a loud explosion echoed through the forest, shaking the ground. The boy lost his footing and fell to the ground, but was up like lighting. Then, he saw it.
The huge beam of golden power, heading towards a girl. Eyes wide, the boy dropped his backpack and broke into a lightning-fast sprint in a race against time.
--XXXXX--
May screamed. Behind her, so did Sara, Wally and Jennifer. Time seemed to drag itself, ticking by slowly as the huge beam of power came her way. The girl tried to move, but it was as her feet were glued to the ground. Slowly, steadily, the Hyper Beam came her way.
"So, this is how it ends." the girl thought bitterly. "After mere eleven years of life, when things are starting to get interesting, this happens. Life is just so cruel."
Then, she was hit with huge force in her left side, and was thrown off the road. The Hyper Beam passed over her, dangerously close, and hit a few trees, chopping them in half. She hit the ground, landing with a painful 'Thud', and felt something land on top of her. All the air of her lungs was pushed out, dirt flooded her eyes and mouth. Coughing and spluttering, she pushed whatever was on top of her off and struggled to her feet.
"MAY!" Sara shouted, racing over to the girl. "Thank Goodness you're okay!"
"What…" May said, spitting earth out of her mouth. "What on Earth just happened!?"
"You almost got hit by a Hyper Beam." explained a familiar voice. May looked up and was shocked to see Jake, panting heavily. The boy gave one of his disturbing grins. "Luckily for you, I got there first."
"Thanks…" May muttered, still shocked. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. I didn't help, but it did give her a bit of a headache. The girl groaned.
"May! Are you oka- YOU!" Jennifer shouted, pointing at Jake. Wally's eyes grew wide, and he did the same. Jake just raised an eyebrow.
"Well, well, what are the odds?" the farm-boy said. "Wally, Jennifer."
"Wait!" May shouted, confused. "Do you guys know each other?"
"Long story." Jake replied, shaking his hand dismissively. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted when the ground shook, caused by another explosion, and they heard a terrible roar.
"JRYAOO!" something roared so loudly that the trees shook.
Everyone stood dead still and looked off towards where the sound came from. Jennifer clung tightly to Wally's arm again, Sara squeezed May's hand, May responded to the pressure, and Jake tightened his jaw.
"What… w-what was that?" Sara asked, frightened.
"Dunno…" Jake said, getting up. "We should get back to the Pokémon Center. Or back to town, at the very least. Especially since it's getting dark."
"No!" May shouted, surprising everyone. "We can't just leave! There's a bunch of explosions going on around here and something roaring! What if it's a rampaging Pokémon? What if someone's hurt?"
"Then I don't see how we could do much." Jake replied calmly. "We've got… four Pokémon, unless those two," He nudged his head towards Wally and Jennifer. "Have some of their own. If it indeed is a rampaging Pokémon, we can't put up much of a fight."
"But we've gotta try!" May argued. "At the very least!"
The two argued for a few moments before another roar and explosion cut the air. Enjoying the momentary distraction, May jumped to her feet, suddenly lithe as a cat, and ran down the road. Everyone just stared at her for a second, before Sara ran after her. With a curse, Jake followed, leaving Wally and Jennifer alone.
"So…" Wally began tentatively. "Race you home?"
"Sure…" Jennifer replied slowly. The two turned back and ran like the wind.
--XXXXX--
"May! Please, stop!" Sara shouted, desperate. May looked back at her for a second, slowing then, but then sped up again. "You don't know what's going on there!"
"Why am I doing this?" May asked herself. Truth was, she didn't know the answer. Even now, she felt like she was being guided by some unknown force, like she had no control over her actions. It was just instinct. Frustrated, the girl dug through her memories, trying to find something that could make things clearer. And suddenly, she stumbled onto something that made sense.
"May!" Sara called once more. Suddenly, May skidded to a halt. Sara noticed they were now standing on the top of a small hill. When the girl looked down at valley between their hill and the next, her heart skipped a beat.
"Damn! What's wrong with you!?" Jake said as he reached the girls. He took one quick glance at the scenery and whispered a low curse.
On the valley, about three dozen men dressed in black outfits were hurriedly running around. They all had the same 'R' printed in large red letters on their shirts. On the middle of the valley, a mighty green dragon with red wings and neck, white belly and red tail underside was fighting against the ropes that bound him, chained to the ground. It was his roar that the trio had heard. As they watched, speechless, the creature roared again and shot another Hyper Beam wildly. The man screamed and jumped out of the way as the incredibly powerful attack hit the ground and exploded, making the ground shake. A few of the men had Pokémon attacking the defenseless, trying to take it down.
"How dare they do that to a Salamence!? Even more a shiny one!" Jake roared, outraged, his hands curled up into fists. May and Sara subconsciously took a step backward. "Salamence are proud creatures, and should be faced as such! If it is catching those man want, they should have the guts to at least do it fairly!"
Hearing his loud speech, some of the men spotted the boy. They shouted something to the others, then climbed up the hill to meet the newcomers. Seven in total. May and Sara took a step back in fear. Jake whispered yet another curse and began to search the ground for something.
"Great job, Jake." May said sarcastically. "Now, we're dead. And just when I survived a Hyper Beam! This is just so unfair!"
"I remind you that I saved you." Jake replied, picking some rocks in his hands and turning towards the guys.
"Details! Who nee- What the hell are you doing?"
Jake had picked one of the stones in his right hand and was aiming at one of the incoming men. Without a word, he threw the rock through the air, hitting the head of one of the attackers with deadly accuracy. From sixty feet away.
"Jake!? WHAT THE HELL!?" May screamed, shocked. "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL THEM!?"
"Actually, I was only trying to make a few unconscious before they get here and pulverize us." the boy replied, shrugging. "But hey, whatever works for you." He threw another rock against the men, now crouched around their unconscious companion, and another one hit the sack. The remaining men looked at him and broke into a run.
"Stop it, please!" Sara pleaded, frightened more for the men's sake than for her own. "You'll hurt them!"
"And they won't hesitate to do the same to us." Jake replied, ever so calm. He threw another rock, and a third man fell. It was now a four-against-three match, with the men's advantage. The rest of them were now too close for another rock, so Jake stepped back and released Scorch. May, grudgingly, released Torchic and Zigzy, while Sara bitterly released Ralts.
"You there! Meddling brats!" the first men shouted as he reached to top of the hill, panting. "Surrender peacefully to Team Rocket or we'll take you down by force!"
"Do your worst!" Jake challenged. Scorch's tail flared up in anticipation for a battle, but the Charmander didn't seem to notice. "I'm not scared of you!"
"Humn, Jake…" May whispered carefully, coming closer to the boy, as the three other men appeared and they all released their Pokémon. "I really appreciate you saving me and all, but I don't think I'm grateful enough to die so you can be a macho!"
Things were looking bad for the kids. Facing their four Pokémon stood a total of seven enemies. Three small, purple rat-like creatures, three bat-like Pokémon that everyone recognized as Zubat, and a purple snake with yellow rings.
"Jeez, May." Jake whispered back, rolling his eyes. "We can take them. We just need a plan…"
"And what great plan you do you have, Mr. Mastermind?" May asked.
"Well, let's see…" Jake answered, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "Zubat are part poison, and since that snake's purple and looks poisonous, I bet it is too. So, all we need to do is cover Ralts while he takes them out. Should be easy, seeing as he's a Psychic type."
"She." Sara corrected, stepping in. She seemed to have forgotten her shyness. "But could you get on with it? These guys are… looking at us…"
Sure enough, the Team Rocket members were staring them, annoyed by the delay. Jake rolled his eyes and turned to the girls, who nodded.
--XXXXX--
"Humn, hello?" Scorch said tentatively to the seven hostile Pokémon in front of him. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"
"Ssure isssss." a purple snake hissed."Look at all thissss sssssun. Hoenn really isssss a nice-ssssssssss vacation ssssssspot."
"Oh, isn't it gorgeous?" Ralts shouted, spinning around. "All this beautiful setting sun!"
"Ekans! For the thousand time, you're not supposed to be chatting with the enemy!" one of the Zubat said.
"Buzzzzkillaaa…" Ekans muttered, but walked back to his side of the field.
The trainers shouted orders. Listening attentively, Torchic, Scorch and Zigzy discreetly positioned themselves protectively over Ralts, who closed her eyes and focused. One of the Zubat was suddenly frozen in mid-air and slammed to the ground several times before fainting. The rest of the Team Rocket Pokémon team advanced, and were met by the Travelling Trio Pokémon team. Scorch raked at the nearest rat with his sharp claws, causing the smaller creature to shriek in pain and retreat. Torchic shot small fireballs at the two other incoming rats, not hurting them much but keeping them at bay. The two remaining Zubat dived at her, but Scorch sent them off with an Ember attack. The Ekans moved in towards Ralts, teeth bare, but was intercepted by a painful Headbutt from Zigzy.
Their initial charge foiled, the Team Rocket team retreated and gathered for another strike. The two Zubat flew up high, preparing for another strike. Scorch and Torchic showered their enemies with a double Ember attack, dealing a bit of damage. Ralts focused once more and another Zubat met the same fate as the first. Zigzy head-butted the Ekans again, but this time the snake managed to fight back and constrict the raccoon. Seeing his friend in trouble, Scorch dropped his Ember attack and clawed Ekans, but was left open and was painfully bitten by one of the rat's Hyper Fang. The Charmander shouted in pain as the rat's big teeth sunk into his flesh.
Torchic turned her Ember towards him, but the remaining two rats used their Hyper Fangs on her, and the chicken was hit hard. Zigzy head-butted Ekans one more time, effectively fainting him, before turning back and heading towards her. Scorch shot a close-up Ember at the rat that was biting him, causing the latter to let go. Enjoying the moment of weakness, the Charmander pressed on with another Scratch attack and knocked it out. The last Zubat hit him with a weak Leech Life, but was hit by Ralt's Confusion attack before much harm was done. However, the Psychic type was already tired, so the bat managed to endure the attack.
Zigzy head-butted the two rats and consequently Torchic. The rats let go, but the Fire type was knocked out. Scorch attacked one of them with a Metal Claw, right between the eyes, and rendered him unconscious. The last Zubat used a Supersonic attack on Ralts, and the Psychic type ended up tripping on a rock and falling. The last rat used another Hyper Fang on Scorch, but the salamander managed to throw him off with a Ember attack. He was getting pretty tired, though.
Zigzy chased off the last rat and head-butted him, causing the smaller (although not by much) foe to drop unconscious. Ralts was hit by the last Zubat's Leech Life, and hit her hand on the ground multiple times when she tried to fight back. Scorch sent him away with an Ember attack, but the bat dodged most of the attack and fought back with a well-place Wing Attack right on the softest point of Scorch's belly. The Charmander's view went black as he drifted into unconsciousness. Finally recovering from her confusion, Ralts launched another Confusion attack at the tired Zubat and this time managed to faint it.
And then the match was over. Torchic and Scorch were out, Ralts was badly wounded, and Zigzy's ribs were aching, but the entire Team Rocket team was defeated. Frustrated and angry, the Team Rocket trainers recalled their Pokémon and ran off to get reinforcements. Jake recalled Scorch and May recalled Torchic, while Sara took Ralts in her arms. Zigzy rubbed himself against his trainer's legs, and received a welcomed pat for the job well done.
--XXXXX--
"Told ya we could beat them." Jake said with an arrogant grin as the men ran off.
"Just great." May replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Any great plans on how to get rid of the other thirty of them?"
"As a matter of fact," Jake said. "No. But I bet something will come up sooner or later."
"Well, it better be sooner, 'cause we're gonna get creamed otherwise."
"Once again, I sincerely thank you for your confidence in our abilities."
"Guys!" Sara interrupted. "Focus here! We've got little ti-"
The rest of her sentence was cut off by another roar from the shiny Salamence. The Team Rocket members had stopped attacking it for a moment when the kids arrived, but now they were back at it. The dragon roared and struggled harder than ever as a multitude of attacks hit it simultaneously. Just then, an idea crept into Jake's mind. It'd be hard to pull off, but if they could get close enough and not get caught, and preferentially not pulverized, then they might just pull it off.
"Girls, listen to me." Jake ordered hurriedly. "If we can get close enough to those ropes, we can pull 'em off the ground or at the very least weaken then, and hopefully set the Salamence free. When that is done, there's a chance that it will destroy the rest of the camp."
"Us included." May noted grimly.
"Not if we're outta there fast enough." Jake replied.
"SO, let me get this straight. We get close to the ropes without getting creamed by thirty angry thieves, we set a rampaging dragon free so it can destroy the criminal camp, we get outta there before we're killed, and all of this with only two Pokémon, one of which is barely standing. Why don't we grow wings and fly while we're at it?"
"If you can do that, it'd be great." Jake said in his is-that-sarcasm-or-not tone. "It would really help us out."
May groaned and rolled her eyes while Sara let out a short giggle. The group then focused once more.
"So, how can we get close enough without getting crushed?" Sara asked, wincing slightly.
"We'll need a distraction." Jake said, grinning evilly at the girls. "You know, the good old 'Come and get me' kinda thing. And since you're the only ones that have Pokémon…"
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" May shouted, exasperated. "Are you really expecting us to just head down there and yell 'Look at us, two little girls ready to be destroyed!' at them? Are you freakin' outta your mind?"
"Just give me three minutes." Jake said. "Get in there, count three minutes and get out. No matter what."
"Oh, that's sooo comforting." May muttered, rolling her eyes yet again. "I'm feeling much better now, thanks."
"Glad I could help. Now move!" And he pushed the two girls downhill before they could argue anymore.
May and Sara stumbled down the hill. When they recovered their balance, they were already mid-way through to the camp. Many of the Team Rocket members noticed that, and released a their Pokémon. The girls watched nervously as nearly fifty Pokémon stood in front of them, growling, hissing or just generally acting tough.
"Humn, hello?" May said. "Nice weather we're having, huh?"
In response, the Pokémon charged at them. Turning around, the two girls ran for their lives.
--XXXXX--
"Almost there…" Jake muttered to himself as he slowly edged closer to the struggling Salamence. Their attention momentarily distracted, the Team Rocket torturers,for that was the only word that described them, had stopped attacking it. The mighty dragon was enjoying the respite, eyes closed and her laid on the ground, panting heavily. Jake wondered if it would actually have any strength to fight on, even once freed. The thoughts that he might have doomed May and Sara didn't help, either. Shaking his head to shrug the uncertainties and regrets off, the boy finally reached the dragon.
The boy gave a testing pull on the closest rope. It was stuck solidly into the ground, too solidly to budge. After unsuccessfully trying to loosen it, Jake gave up and focused on finding a way to cut through the ropes. he didn't have any sharp object, his army knife was back at his backpack, which was now abandoned in some bushes, and Scorch was fainted. Gritting his teeth, the pulled the rope once more, frustrated.
But no matter how much he tried, the rope was too deep underground to be loosened by human means. Jake looked sadly at the wounded Salamence, who looked like it still resting. Just then, an idea popped into his mind, and the boy began to search for just the right ropes.
--XXXXX--
"I… am… soooooo… gonna… kill… Jake... latter!" May vowed as she and Sara ran away from the horde of Pokémon. The said horde was gaining in on them dangerously closed. "How… long… has it… been? Two… minutes…?"
"Twenty… six… seconds." Sara answered, still running. The girls were beginning to run out of energy, and the Pokémon were now less than thirty feet away. Suddenly, Sara stumbled and fell on the ground. It took her precious seconds to get up, even more being exhausted, and then the Pokémon were on them. The girl screamed and hugged each other as the horde formed a tight circle around them, ready to attack at the slightest movement. Many Zubat and even some Golbat flew around, keeping close attention at the drama unfolding on the ground.
"Worthless brats!" spat on of the thirty Team Rocket members around the girls. "You just can't mind your own business, can you?"
"Boss! What should we do with them?" asked another one, referring to the first speaker.
The man paused and considered for a moment. May's thoughts raced wildly as she tried to think of something that could buy them time, and maybe even their lives. "WAIT!" the girl shouted, and everyone looked at her. "Humn… first of all, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm May Maple!"
"Maple?" the Boss asked, grinning. He was a tall, powerfully built man that looked younger than thirty. He head short, curly blonde hair and icy-cold blue eyes. "Norman's daughter, heh? Well, this will certainly be worth a penny to the boss!"
"Great going, May. You just doomed yourself, and probably your family." the girl thought bitterly, biting her lip. She decided to see if she could still take that back. "Oh, sorry, I said Maple? I meant… huh… Staple?" "Urgh!"
"Good try, missy!" the Boss mocked, then turned to the others. "Capture her."
"What about the other one, sir?"
"Dispose of her in any way you see fit."
"Roger that, sir."
Sara's eyes grew wide as she became extremely pale and cowered slightly behind May. "W-what are you gonna do to me!?" she screamed, frightened. May's face grew harder as she covered her smaller friend, glaring daggers at any of the Team Rocket members that moved.
"What are you waiting for!?" the Boss shouted, angry at his subordinates.
"She's… staring at us!" one of the Team Rocket grunts complained. "It's not nice!"
"I swear to Mew, if you don't obey my orders, I'll do a lot more than stare at you!" the Boss roared.
"You know, that doesn't really mean much." May pointed out, determined to at least go down with a fight. Or at least having pissed them off a lot. "There's thousands of things that are worse than staring, but are still nice. Like, for exam-"
"Shut up!" the Boss cursed, enraged. "I swear to Mew, I'll rip you apart with my own hands if don't shut up!"
"Now, now, that wouldn't be very nice, would it?" asked a new voice provocatively.
Everyone turned to the new sound. Jake was standing there, twenty feet away, a disturbing grin on his face, throwing a rock up and down on his hand. Behind him, the dragon seemed asleep. May wondered for a moment if Jake had actually done something, and prayed to every living Legendary that he had. Sara seemed to have similar doubts, because she shot a doubtful look at the boy and at the dragon. The Team Rocket thieves, however, just laughed at him.
"Ha! And what are you gonna do about it, brat?" the Boss laughed. "Call your Mama?"
"Oh, believe me, I don't wanna hurt you that much." Jake replied in his typical is-that-sarcasm-or-not tone, shivering. And not from the cold. "But that's the main idea. Only with that little Salamence over there as my Mama."
"Ha! That pitiful thing is chained! It couldn't even defeat a Zubat right now!" the Boss mocked. Jake's jaw immediately clenched shut, his hands curled up into fists, his eyes seemed to burn with energy, the boy stopped playing with the rock, and he seemed to give off an aura of heat. Everyone except the Boss took a subconscious step backwards.
"All I have to do," the boy said, with an undeniably threatening voice. "Is wake it up. Just give me a motive."
"Go right ahead, then! It is too weak to fight!"
"Humn, Boss?" one of the grunts asked as a Growlithe came running his way, a piece of rope in its jaw. The rope was snapped, and seemed to have been shredded against something rough. The grunt looked over to the sleeping dragon, and noticed most of the ropes had met the same fate. Only a few remained, definitely not enough to keep the Salamence at bay for more than a few moments. "I think we might just have a problem…"
"What?" the Boss asked, then saw the ropes on the man's hands. His eyes grew wide, as did those of many of the Team Rocket members. The Boss called after Jake, who had already turned around and was aiming the rock he was carrying at the sleeping Salamance. "No, stop!"
"Will you let us go?" Jake asked, still aiming. He moved his arm slightly as if he was throwing the rock, teasing with the Team Rocket members. Truth was, the boy wanted to give as much time as possible for the Salamence to recover.
"Yes!" The Boss replied without hesitation, freaked out by the idea of having to face the dragon's wrath.
"Will you give us two pounds of fresh lasagna?" Jake continued, teasing a bit more vividly.
"What the he-" the Boss began, but Jake pretended to throw the rock, and he corrected himself. "I mean, yes! Two pounds of fresh lasagna!"
"With a lot of cheese and tomato sauce?" Jake continued. "And good cheese. Not just this common, nutrition-packed PokéMart cheese that smells like Tauros' excrements."
"YES!" The Boss yelled, desperate and humiliated. He felt that the situation was now completely in Jake's hands.
"With tasty meat to give it some… you know, stronger taste?"
"YES!"
"Ah, too bad." Jake said, shrugging. "I'm a vegetarian." And he threw the rock.
Everyone watched in awe as the stone sailed through the sky. Time once more seemed to drag itself, seconds ticking by like hours. It was now almost dark, with the little remains of the sun now barely giving off enough light to see the rock clearly, but everyone seemed to instinctively know where it was. The rock flew through the air, in a perfect arch, and began its descent. Everyone held their breaths are it plunged towards the sleeping Salamence. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the rock hit the creature's nostrils and fell to the ground. For a second, nothing happened. No one dared to move a muscle.
Finally, the dragon stirred. Slowly, groggily, it opened one eye and looked around. Then, it stretched and got up. It was only then that the smell of the place invaded his nostrils, and the memories of what had happened flooded its mind. Rage overcame the creature, and it began to look around for its prey. Seeing the tightly packed group of humans and Pokémon not far from its location, the mighty dragon easily took flight, snapping the ropes without even noticing them, having recovered from the damage it had suffered by using a Rest attack. Those recollections inflamed even more the burning pit of anger in his mind, and he charged a powerful Hyper Beam to destroy those cursed humans once and for all.
For May, it was a serious case of déjà vu. The only difference this time was that the huge beam of golden energy came from the from the skies, whereas twenty minutes ago it had been at a much lower angle. But it was the same grand picture. The huge Hyper Beam heading her way. Everyone frozen in place, to intimidated even to move. Many people, Sara included, screaming. And a single thought crossed her mind.
"Life is so unfair."
Well, d'you like it? If yes, then please drop by a review and have a pleasant day. If not...
So, very original ending, huh? It was pretty much the same thing as the beginning. But hey, if it works, why not?
Nothing much else to say after the stupidly large Author's Notes at the top. Only one thing left: Remember to R&R! Hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to actually want to read the next. If not...
Gotta Go With The Flow!
BlackShadowKnight