Chapter 10: Blue Fires
I know this is kinda out of the blue (ha!) but I have more free time than Peppy so while I've been waiting on his excellent, irreplaceable work (I'm totally serious here, this wouldn't the same without him) I've actually been writing other things. One is called Origin: Black Lotus and is a prologue to a prologue of sorts; a bit darker than this fic so be warned. The other is something I haven't posted yet but is much more like the anime than this one so once I put that up I'll let you know - Pandabot
Pandabot: Ok, so to start with I want to apologise, once again, for the huge gap between chapters. Unfortunately, Peppy and I are both really busy with the terror of tertiary education. And speaking of Peppy, this chapter is actually his. After I re-wrote this chapter around seven times, we decided to try something different and Peppy really let loose with this one. Another point I want to bring up is that, after Peppy sent me this, I decided to see what you, the readers thought of the new dialogue style. So if I could get even one opinion on that, it would be just wonderful.
Peppy: I wrote this chapter so that explains why it starts with a dream-like stomach analogy. I'd like you to leave a review if you enjoy it. And I'd REALLY like you to leave a review if you don't. This whole section has been quite troubling so now that we're out of it, we should be able to update more regularly. Maybe.
Pandabot: With any luck
Peppy: You have no luck
Pandabot: That is true. Now read and review!
The ensuing journey felt to JT like a sinister dream. He trailed the string of Rank 1s padding down the sparsely lit tunnels which, at this black hour, sprawled unknowingly in all directions as if they were tumbling through the twisting stomach of some monstrous pokemon. The flickering torches kept JT's direction oriented behind Sazo and the others – his thoughts were anything but oriented however.
Lyra...just hold on, he voiced silently behind gritted teeth. He felt for the reassuring weight of his belt of pokeballs, lingering on Zero's – he had no idea what they'd face tonight.
Hushed whispers rose ahead, revealing last minute doubts and planning and nerves. The boy in front of JT, the red-haired boy from that last night's meal, wrung his hands furiously as he marched, appearing to grow clammier with every lick of torch light they passed. A pointed voice rose above the murmurs,
"Settle comrades!" snapped Sazo, raising a hand to the silenced Rank 1s behind. "You should know that I have a plan...and a bomb. Now do exactly as I say and no one gets hurt."
JT, even in his current state of turmoil, could only admire Sazo's way with people.
'Don't speak. Come with me.'
'Where?'
'The Grill.'
'Why? What have I done?'
'Conspiring to lead an escape with your roommate. We heard everything.'
Lyra trudged up a starkly lit passage with her hands cuffed behind her back, the grim-faced Cale stalking behind her. Lyra kept her eyes locked forward but she could hear and feel his hot breath; inside, she boiled with anger and worry. Had they come for JT earlier that night while she slept?
The pair marched in trembling silence into a sterile corridor that passed various offices and laboratories framed behind tinged glass. They were all abandoned. Cale swiped through several doors with a card before they reached a heavy door hung with blinding lights. Lyra squinted in recoil – Cale pressed a finger into the control panel next to the door. It slid open in a flash, Lyra could see it was dark beyond the lights. Cale turned to her with cold eyes.
"This way please."
The massive door stood imposingly at the centre of the pit of the well. Skirting its edges, Sazo had ordered the Rank 1s to spread wide and take cover; he would plant the bomb, run for cover, and then detonate. Once the bomb went off, the group would rush the door, hopefully catching anyone stationed behind it off-guard.
JT crouched behind a cluster of boulders, his hands gripping the sharp rock so hard that they were turning numb. He peered over at the door and the darkened figure crouched before it, working furiously. Widened eyes ringed the scene, frozen in anticipation; they screwed shut in unison as Sazo finished and bounded across the cavern.
A second later, a splitting crack ripped through it; an almighty clang erupted from where the door had been blasted. JT was thrust against the craggy wall behind him, badly winding him. The other Rank 1s were converging on the door but JT could only muster a foul wheeze as he tried to pick himself up.
The blonde-haired boy from the train and another were tugging at the shaken handles. As they pried away, JT pulled himself to his feet; his hollow stomach turned as he stood. From across the cavern he saw the door swing open with a heave; JT's eyes turned to fear. Behind the steel door stood only a wall of smoothed rock. The Rank 1s backed away, eyes darting around the dark cavern in disillusionment.
Sazo was not among them
Lyra stalked through the door, Cale eyeing her as she went. Past the flaring lights, she took a moment to regather her senses. Stepping onto a plush floor, Lyra felt cold night air envelop her; the moon spotlighted the curious scene – she was standing in a small clearing of grass, specked with rubble, skirting the side of a hanging cliff. Lyra turned to the man standing in the lighted doorway cut into the mountain side.
"What is this? What's going on here?"
Cale stepped towards here but didn't say a word. He grabbed her cuffed hands and she felt his groping hands working behind her; a few seconds later, she was free of them. Cale turned back to the well's lighted exit, Lyra could only stare in shock as he spoke,
"Stay here Lyra. There is no surveillance out here. Stay here and you'll be safe". Lyra found her voice,
"But...why? What's going on?"
"I'm afraid there's no time to explain...and I must go back." Cale glanced back with a small smile, "Tonight our humble station will be graced by a visit from the one and only Blue". He started for the well once more but Lyra spoke up frantically,
"What about JT? I have a friend down there still!". Cale turned his full attention to Lyra now, the smile turning sad,
"I'm very sorry Lyra...but this has already been planned and-"
"I am not leaving without him!" shrieked Lyra, stamping towards Cale's imposing frame furiously.
"It's too late to change anything now. Blue can't turn back for any reason." He seemed almost remorseful as he continued, "If its any comfort, I may be able to trace where his Rocket duties take him next. But, for now, I have to go."
This was no comfort to Lyra who was fuming with anger and confusion.
I am not leaving without him, she voiced under heated breath.
Her mind reeling, she sprinted towards the back of the retreating Cale. She scooped up a weighty piece of rubble and leapt high, burying it into the back of the Rocket's head. His body slumped to the ground, unconscious, at Lyra's shaking feet. Panic swept through her.
Had she killed him?
Lyra leant down and felt his pulse, he was still breathing. She exhaled a deep sigh of relief and tried to collect herself; she remembered JT. He was all that mattered right now. Lyra hastily dug into the limp Cale's pants pocket, producing the card he'd used to open the doors. Then she was off, descending into the belly of the well in a fit of determination, paying no mind to the cliffside door snapping shut as she passed through.
'We may be test subjects or we may be human bait...'
Sazo's words echoed back to JT's mind as he cleared the boulders at the edge of the cavern. His thoughts went into overdrive, running through every suspicious circumstance of the night, connecting the dots. A trap! he realised, eyes widening in shock; as if summoned by his realisation, a stream of fire shot down from above, splashing against the ground and forcing the Rank 1s away from the centre of the cave.
As the Rocket recruits yelled in suprise, a large canine-like Pokemon dropped into the centre of the cave, landing gracefully. JT yelped in suprise at the sudden appearance of the Pokemon; he recognised the shape instantly - Arcanine. It let loose a rippling growl, the most intimidating sound that JT had ever heard; he turned to run.
JT reached the tunnel on the other side of the cavern and stole a glance at the scene transpiring before the door. A man in plain black clothes, seated on the back of the snarling Arcanine, pointed a furious finger at the Rank 1s backed against the false door, yelling something. The Arcanine, face set in a vicious snarl, continued it's growl, obscuring the man's words.
A Rank 1 broke from the pack, waving his arms in the air as he confronted the man in black; it was the blonde boy. He ripped a pokeball from his belt, turning to rouse the others who followed his lead. The Arcanine tensed readily; the man in black appeared unmoved. In a cluster of splitting light, the Rank 1s threw their pokeballs. All that stood between them and their attacker a moment later were a dozen empty pokeballs scattered on the cavern floor.
JT saw no more. He shakily slipped into the tunnel.
The way back to the dorm was still lit with torches and JT remembered through the haze of confusion and fear how to handle the forks that arose in the path. Pounding on a pained leg , JT covered the distance quickly and pausing to get his bearings every few minutes. On one such break he stripped the Rocket issued pokeballs off of his belt, leaving them at the side of the tunnel. He recalled bitterly how Sazo had instructed him not to use them until he said so.
The commotion in the cavern was well behind him now but he couldn't be sure it wouldn't overflow into the surrounding tunnels. JT stepped a little lighter as he reached the now-familiar dorm rows; wasting no time, he burst into his and Lyra's room. He bundled onto the edge of her bed, feeling to wake her. His fevered panic hit boiling point – she wasn't there. JT slammed his hands into the mattress, cursing at himself.
This is no help, he told himself sternly, mind racing. I have to keep looking.
Tearing himself away from the bed, JT burst out into the dorm corridor again. Left: the cavern, the Arcanine, the man in blue. Right: the Rocket's quarters. He sped right, his leg burning painfully under each step, he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a patrolling Rocket; especially Sazo or Cale. Turning the corner past the food hall JT spotted a Rocket-clad figure speeding towards him. He narrowed his eyes, reaching for a pokeball as he slid to a stop, watching the figure draw nearer through the shadows. He readied to draw before getting a good look at the figure in an ill-fitting Rocket uniform,
"JT! It's me!"
Lyra nearly struck him down with a bone-crushing hug. JT wheezed as she collected him, tentatively returning her affections with shaking arms.
"Lyra...where...?"
"I'll explain later. I've found us a way out of here. Where have you been?"
"I'll...I'll explain later...look, Lyra...I'm sorry I-"
"JT, look out!"
Lyra flung her companion to the side, slamming the pair hard against the wall of the corridor. The Arcanine from the cavern blazed by them a mere second later, sweeping JT and Lyra with an intense heatwave. Lyra scrambled to her feet, helping the stunned JT to his feet. Another fire ball in the form of a second Arcanine wheeled around the corner and lanced towards the pair. Pouncing over their heads, snarling, the first Arcanine unleashed a Flamethrower upon the first, slamming it back to the far wall. The monstrous dog pokemon that saved them turned to face them; helming the Arcanine from its back was the man in black. He spoke swiftly to Lyra with steeled eyes.
"Get on. Quick. What are you still doing here though? And since when was I getting two kids outta here?"
Lyra linked arms with JT and slung both of them onto the Arcanine's back, not noticing the man roll his eyes as JT scrambled to secure himself. The man in black urged his Arcanine on, speeding off down a tunnel branching off on both sides. He ignored the branches, blazing straight ahead.
"Where the hell is Cale?'" cried the man in black. "Don't tell me Sazo's got to him." Lyra furrowed her brow sheepishly.
"...can I tell you that I hit him over the head with a rock...?"
The man pulled his pokemon to a skidding halt and turned to Lyra in disbelief,
"Are you serious?"
"...yeah."
"You didn't kill him?"
"Oh no no no! He's just knocked out!"
"Where?"
"On the grassy clearing outside...just outside the door..."
The man pursed his lips, shooting cold eyes at Lyra,
"We...we needed him to get us out. We needed his print. Please tell me you cut off his finger too."
Lyra nervously chuckled, unsure whether the man was making a joke. She spoke shakily,
"No...I'm...guessing you're Blue then?" JT's weary ears pricked at this.
The spark returned to the man's eyes as he saw the second Arcanine barrelling down the tunnel towards his own. He grinned in anticipation,
"The very same, young lady. So don't worry. Blue has a plan for everything."
Blue darted into a winding side tunnel, pushing his Arcanine harder as their fiery attacker stayed in pursuit. The passage wound deeper into the well and was pitch black, the only light was the red hot glow of the pokemon they clung to for dear life. As the speeding trio entered a straight, JT jerked his head to the pursuing Arcanine – smaller than Blue's, but just as vicious, and manned by a slim, gaunt figure, shadowy amongst the fire of his pokemon; the mysterious man was gaining ground. JT and Lyra covered their heads as the flames licked at the back of Blue's Arcanine; Blue turned to face his attacker,
'Duck and cover kids!' he said with a wild grin.
Blue pulled something from his pants pocket and hurled it at the roof of the tunnel. It ignited in a flash, rumbling the rocky passage; he pushed his pokemon harder. The roof of the tunnel began to crumble, until large chunks of rubble were raining from above, Blue's Arcanine racing from under the downpour. The pursuing Arcanine slowed under it; they were gaining ground but the tunnel was threatening to collapse on them.
The pursuing Arcanine slid to a stop, at the urging of the shadowy figure, as the walls were falling in and JT and Lyra pulled each other tight. Before they could be caughtbeneath the falling rocks they jetted into a large cavern lit by a slit of moonlight pouring from high above. Blue's Arcanine ground to a stop and the trio watched the disappearing tunnel extinguish the flame of their pursuer. Dark laughter could be heard as the tunnel began to fully collapse,
"Well played, Blue. Well played" a dark voice echoed as the last rock fell into place. The group turned to study the cavern they had just entered; a wide, running underground river blocked their path. Blue swung to the floor and JT and Lyra followed suit – JT's injured leg was stiff from the Arcanine ride and cracked as he hit the ground. The panic wracked pair huddled together and tried to collect themselves; the attacking Arcanine had been fended off and the only sound in the cavern was the running river.
"I trust they still teach Rocket recruits how to swim," remarked Blue coolly, calling his Arcanine into a pokeball. He bounded for the river smoothly and dove in, Lyra gave JT an exasperated smile before doing the same. JT approached the river tentatively, eyeing it all the way; it looked deep and it was moving fast. He ran a hand through his sweating hair and stepped up to the edge.
"JT!" Lyra called out. She was halfway to the other side with Blue already.
"Its ok!" he called shakily, "its ok, I'm coming."
"No! Behind you!"
JT snapped over his shoulder; sliding down the rough face of the collapsed tunnel was a black haired boy with furious grey eyes. JT found his wits. He felt for his belt and ripped off Zero's pokeball. Matching him for speed, Sazo produced a whip from behind his back. JT went to unleash his Scizor but the whip shot across the seperating space and wrapped around his wrist. The whip yanked his hand forward, forcing him to let go of the Pokeball as his wrist snapped agonisingly; he yelled in pain as the whip withdrew back to Sazo, cradling his hand gently.
"Haven't you figured out that they're empty yet?" sneered Sazo as he carefully coiled the whip; he wandered casually over, knocking Zero's Pokeball out of his way gently. Sazo lashed out with the whip again, wrapping around JT's ankle and flipping him off his feet; he landed heavily on his back, the breath knocked out of him.
Sazo was suddenly there, lifting JT and seizing him by the throat. Sazo snarled at him as he lifted him off the ground, JT's kicking frantically for purchase,
"Who would have thought..." Sazo hissed over JT's gasping, "...that you'd be with him?" His hands cut tighter around his neck. "Who would have thought that in my quest to pick the finest human bait possible, I would stumble upon one of the infamous 'Blue's Boys' huh?"
JT flailed at the mad Sazo but he was weak – he couldn't budge him. Lyra was screaming abuse and advice as she fought her way back upstream, battling the fast moving river.
"JORDAN!" she screeched desperately.
"I always knew that my exquisite taste would lead to my downfall...but...not before your own, J-" Sazo growled viciously.
Sazo didn't even get a chance to finish his name; Zero broke out of his pokeball in a burst of light, hammering into Sazo's back viciously. Sazo dropped JT in pain as they were knocked into the river.
The water was ice cold as he plunged in. He could see someone kicking just ahead of him. He reached to take their hand as he sank. Lyra heaved him up onto her back and kicked off for the other side. He was heavy though, and she was left kicking and spluttering against the flow of the river. Zero sensed the danger and skimmed his way over to the pair. The pokemon worked his wings, ill-equipped for flight, furiously to grab the flailing pair and make for the other side of the river. He dropped JT and Lyra on the opposite shore as Blue was pulling himself out of the water.
Looking back, JT and Lyra searched the water for Sazo but found no sign of him in the fast-flowing water - he was gone.
The rest went by in a flash. JT trailed behind Blue and Lyra as they scaled a winding path towards the crack of moonlight; someone had withdrawn Zero back into a pokeball. As they reached the outside air a large Pidgeot swooped in and him and Lyra were hurried onto its mighty back. Ascending into the still night, JT heard talking as he rested his eyes,
"Why did you save us?"
"Because Cale asked me to. I owe that man more than you can imagine."
"So...he's on our side?"
"Yes. But we need him to stay on their side too for some time yet. Unfortunately tonight, he didn't know enough."
"Who did?"
"Sazo. Don't underestimate him, believe me. He's no streetkid."
"Ok but...back to Cale I mean...why me?"
"If I knew that, I would tell you. He told me there was no time to explain."
JT's mind began to slip into sleep.
When he awoke, it took JT a second to remember where he was; riding a majestic Pidgeot with Blue and Lyra. Blue noticed him stirring and turned to him sharply,
"Look sharp kid. I think you're gonna want to have a look at this."
JT sat up, gasping at the stab of pain from his right wrist as he did. The sun was coming up, lighting the sky with an orange glow; the clouds were shot through with streaks of red. Off in the distance, a Fearow flew powerfully dropping what was seemingly sheets of paper. JT reached out to the sheet of paper Blue was holding, his eyes catching Lyra's suprisingly pale face; soon it was obvious why.
On the sheet of paper, under a blazing red title, were two pictures of Lyra and JT taken from down in the well. Under that was a picture of Blue, the same picture taken from his Championship photo, years ago. JT and Lyra looked at each other, a dulled sort of panic in their eyes.
They were fugitives.
Pandabot: Ok, so after I made a few changes, Peppy brought up an interesting question. So I'm going to give a short explanation on how a Pokeball works. A Pokemon can see out of it's Pokeball (not very far but still) at all times, like in the Pokemon Adventures manga. The release button on a Pokeball is the mechanical release on the ball, which means that the ball is designed to open automatically when it is pushed. However, a Pokemon can break out of it's Pokeball even after it has been captured, but it takes a massive effort on the part of the Pokemon; and really only the more powerful Pokemon are even capable of it. That's how Zero can break out of his Pokeball even when the button wasn't pressed. Questions?