Chapter Eleven: Fortune Hunters
"Would you like to join the hunt?" - Non-Playable Character, Pokémon Red & Blue
"Are you really coming with us?" I asked.
We were sat at the table in Hope Care Home's kitchen, a carefully-prepared breakfast settling in our stomachs. Wyatt was in the study room trying to wrangle twelve kids into learning basic mathematics. He'd be out before we left, but a part of me had really wanted to each breakfast with him again. Still. The kids were more important.
"Of course we're coming!" Evie said. "You said this has something to do with humans. That makes it the first clue we've ever gotten to finding out where we came from!"
"What about Mickey?" said Alex.
"Mickey won't find out," Evie said adamantly, "how could he? Besides, without any kind of "legendary power", Malik Grieve is not going to risk conflict with Itori on the basis of two scouts."
There was a knock at the door.
"Toby, could you get that?" Wyatt called from the study room.
I swallowed the last of an oran berry pancake (I can never escape the overbearing oran god) and went to the front door. I was still sucking juice off my thumb when I opened it to see a Pikachu and a Meowth staring back at me. A heavy items back was hanging from the electric-type's shoulder.
"Tobias?" he asked.
I swallowed. "That's me." Pull yourself together! I thought.
"My name is Ken Ōtani. This is Cream. My father told us we should meet you here."
Takahashi's son was tall and slender, with calm eyes and a still mouth. He held himself in an easy yet upright posture, and his movements were quite still. He was very different to what Taka had been like when he was a Pikachu. He still wore the red cap.
His companion was quite the opposite, a frazzled-looking Meowth with wide eyes and a twitching tail, with scruffy fur sticking out all over the place. She licked her paw and smoothed down a Tauros-lick on top of her head, only for it to immediately spring back up again. A necklace hung around her neck; purple, blue, and red beads strung between what looked like small dragon's fangs. Most likely sentimental.
Cream's brown eyes moved behind me. Alex, Mikey, and Evie had poked their heads into the main room and were watching the front door. I gave a quick thumbs up: All okay. Kind of.
"We brought supplies," Ken said, indicating the bag, "enough for four Pokémon. We didn't know you had other travel companions."
"We got here first," Mikey mumbled.
"My grandmother was a treasure hunter!" Cream said, completely unprompted. "I want to become a legendary explorer, just like her. That's how I met Ken!"
I knew I shouldn't take my own baggage out on these kids. I forced a smile onto my face, hopefully encouraging.
Then Ken asked: "Are you ready to leave yet? It's already the Kricketot's hour, it'd be great if we could be out of here before midday."
I resisted the urge to slap him.
"A few more minutes," I said, "we still have to get our food ready."
Ken rolled his eyes. I clenched my jaw and said nothing. I went back to the kitchen and loaded up the items bag as slowly as I could. Wyatt stuck his head in.
"Bad time?"
"We're just about to leave," I said, "is everything all right?"
Wyatt glanced over his shoulder, then slipped into the kitchen and closed the door behind him. He unwrapped the white napkin in his hand to reveal a bracelet, dark-purple metal inlaid with a yellow stone. A lum berry rested inside the circle.
"Soleil wanted me to give it to you," he said, "she called it a "token of affiliation." The berry's from me."
I put them items in my bag and pulled Wyatt in for a hug.
"We'll be back safe and sound, okay?" I said. "All of us."
"I know you are," Wyatt said. "You came back before, and you're coming back again."
We shuffled our way through the crowded markets. Ken may have had a point about the time. The sun was out and the sky was clearing, and that meant the cities was teeming with Pokémon. I looked around for any Ferroseed or Ferrothorn. I didn't see any.
"There they are!"
I looked up. A Torchic and a Totodile were standing on the roof of a market stall selling incense, the latter pointing down at us. After a second I remembered they were Team Typhoon.
"Get down from there!" the Aromatisse shopkeeper yelled at them.
Toto and Torchic landed in front of us. We were standing still, so the crowd pushed us away until we standing in an empty space between the incense shop and a ramen stall. There were big smiles plastered onto their faces, even as their eyes moved to the two strange Pokémon behind us.
"Are you guys leaving?" Toto asked.
In that moment I happened to be facing Goldenrod Tower. Suddenly I felt a wave of guilt so strong it made my head ache. For some reason, these two Pokémon looked up to Alex and I. Of course, I know why they look up to Alex. But me?
It was all I'd ever wanted. To be accepted and (yes, I know how shallow this is) to be admired. And here were two perfect strangers, giving me just that. I owed them a debt of gratitude.
"You two should go home," I told them.
Their faces dropped.
"I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable taking you both with us. I know you're experienced treasure hunters, but this is far too dangerous, and frankly you don't have any skin in the game. I don't think it would be right."
They were speechless. They looked to Alex, and my partner looked as conflicted as I felt. Then Mikey blurted out:
"It's a top-secret mission," Mikey said, "if you were found with us you could get in serious trouble with the law. That's the only reason he doesn't want you to come."
Their faces lit up. Mikey looked at me apologetically.
"Why?" I asked him.
"They looked so sad," he whispered.
"We're grateful for your concern," Torch said, "but it doesn't make a different to us."
"We aren't just following orders," said Toto, "we want to be here."
"But why?" I said.
"You noticed our names, right?" said Torch. "We're from the Isle of Legends. We were born there, anyway."
"We know what it's like to lose your home," Toto said. "Same as you, right?"
For a moment I was lost for words. I drew a hand over my face.
"You'll have to promise me one thing," I said. "That you'll protect each other first and foremost."
They looked at each other and smiled, and suddenly I saw mine and Alex's faces reflected in theirs.
We travelled in separate pairs out of Karma City. Alex and I took the most direct route, which led us past the Ferroseed and Ferrothorn. They were still camped out on the hillside, most of them now buried into the soil. Around three dozen armoured guardsmon stood between them and the city, weapons in hand.
We met up against once we were out of sight. The top floor of Goldenrod Tower was visible in the distance, in fact it could be seen from anywhere in the moorlands. But I hoped figured there was no way anyone inside could possibly see us.
For the first couple of hours we hardly spoke. Team Typhoon told us the story of how they became treasure hunters. Cream listened with rapt interested. Ken just stared ahead, impassive.
"For a long time we only ever did solo missions," Toto was saying. "This is our first escort since we were rookie rank!"
"Different to most escort missions, though," Torch said. "Working with clients can be so nerve-racking. We feel safer a lot around you guys."
"You do?" said Alex.
"Hey, you go through Ruby Forest, after all!" said Toto.
"You did… read the book, right?" said Alex.
They just laughed it off. They must have thought he was being modest. Alex and I shared a look of concern. Did they really understand what they were getting into?
We walked along a loose trail through the jade-green trees, copper-coloured cliffs standing tall in the distance. The woods pressed in on us at either side. Even though the canopy was wide and gave us plenty of sunlight, I noticed Alex jumping at every rustled bush or passing shadow. He hadn't been this bad in Itori, I thought to myself.
Then we heard a definite snap behind us. Alex whipped around and breathed in deep. I had to hold my hand over his mouth to stop him letting a Flamethrower right into the dry woods.
The others stood on guard for an attack. I wondered if it was a wild Pokémon, or if someone had followed us from Karma City. In fact, someone did, but it was quite possibly the last Pokémon I was expecting.
A Mudkip stumbled out of a bush, covered in grass and cuts, with a thorny twig sticking to the side of his head.
"Spencer?!" Evie exclaimed.
Then a Cyndaquil walked around the bush and stood beside him, brushing a leaf off her snout.
"Cynnamon!" I said.
Mikey reached down and plucked the twig from Spencer's face.
"Ow!"
"Oops, sorry."
"You'd better be," Micky Finley's uncle said sternly. "You two have some serious explaining to do."
"How did you get here?" I asked.
"Your friend led me here," he said, nodding to Cynnamon.
The Cyndaquil hung her head. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to…" she said, in the quietest voice I'd ever heard.
"No," I said to Spencer, "how did you get here?"
He held up his chin. "I am a member of a Lord's household," he said, "and a member of the Clifflands Court of Law. Malik Grieve had no choice but to admit a Finley ship. I was given traditional passage as a member of Itoran Law."
That also means he knows your here, I thought to myself. But does he know why?
"What are you doing here?" Evie asked.
"I regret to inform you that Lord Finley has grown suspicious of you both. He asked me to follow you and make sure you were fulfilling your duty."
He glanced at us. Mikey and Evie's "duty" was to stalk us and report any suspicious behaviour. Now they were the ones under a watchful eye. I hope the expression on my face wasn't too smug.
"Are you kidding?"
"What the hell did we do?!" Mikey exclaimed.
"Aside from your failure to send a single update since you were sent out on assignment, I would say setting out to break into a sacred area without even deigning to tell your lord is a fair reason."
"W-Who told you that?!" Alex said.
Cynnamon hung her head even lower and fidgeted. "I didn't know I wasn't supposed to tell him."
Yveltal, of all the stupid things…
No. Don't get upset with her. She's just a kid.
"It's okay, Cynnamon," I said gently. "I know you were just trying to help. Thank you for bringing our friend to us. But you need to go home now, Wyatt will be worrying about you."
He also wouldn't be able to come after her without abandoning the other kids, I thought. And the second he does, the tax-collectors will be at the door. There are no laws in Tenrai about being too young to pay.
The Cyndaquil shook her head. "No."
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you." Good Gods what have I become? "Go home."
"No!" Cynnamon yelled, though it came out as more of a squeak. "I'm tired of not being able to do anything! Everyone at Hope knows we might lose our home, when the tax-people come in and take all our money! I want to help! I know I'm only one Pokémon, but I can try. "One person can make all the difference.""
A quote from a picture book Bruiser had read to us when we were kids. I guessed Wyatt was the one reading it now. It had survived all those years…
"No offence, but you're a little kid," Mikey said.
"No I'm not! I'm one and three quarters!"
Mikey chuckled, and the fire on Cynnamon's back flared up. He had to duck out of the way of her Ember attack.
"She's got spirit, gotta give her that," said Evie.
She wasn't much younger than some of the kids were when it happened, I thought to myself.
I exhaled. "Do you know Smokescreen?" I asked her.
She nodded.
"Will you use it and run the moment I tell you do?" I asked.
She nodded harder.
"Do you promise?"
She nodded so hard her snout hit the ground.
"Fine," I said, holding up my hands, "come along as well. But we're a big party now, and we're going to attract attention. We'll split up into groups of five, Alex and I, Mikey and Evie, and Cynnamon. The others—"
"I'm sorry," Ken interrupted, "why are you in charge exactly?"
The tension was electric. Get it?
"I'm the most senior treasure hunter here," I told him plainly, "that's why."
"Those two are silver rank," he said, pointing to Torch and Toto.
It took half a second for the anger to rise from my chest to my mouth, far too fast to hold it:
"Well I was a gold rank treasure hunter before you father—"
I stopped myself.
"… Before my dad what?" Ken asked.
I realised I was stepping out of line. Whatever there was between Taka and I, it was nothing to do with him. What's wrong with me? I thought. He's just a kid!
"This was Tobias' mission to begin with," Alex said, a lot more calm, "if anyone has a problem with him being in charge, they can just leave."
"Oh get real!" Ken said, folding his arms. "This isn't his mission, he doesn't even live here! You two are vigilantes, this doesn't affect you in a personal level. But this does concern every single Pokémon in Tenrai."
That crossed the line. This was no longer about Taka or Team Tenacious. This kid was pissing me off. That's what I told himself.
"Then it concerns me too, kid," I said. It was the first time I'd ever referred to someone as "kid". "I fought in a war for Tenrai before you were even born. So you don't you dare come to me and tell me this is your fight! Because it's been mine for five fucking years!"
The grass exploded around us.
"Zygarde's sake!"
A purple flurry of Persian landed in a circle around us. Five of them.
Cream gave an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Hey guuuuys," she said, "what's good?"
"Maybe they won't eat you since you're one of them," Ken said.
"Not sure that's how they see it!"
We stood in our assigned pairs. Two-on-one, for experienced treasure hunters and scouts this would be no problem. Then I saw the largest Persian towering over Spencer and Cynnamon.
Spencer fired a Water Gun. The Persian took it on the chin then swiped at him, he cried out in pain and went rolling into the bushes.
"Cynnamon run!" I yelled.
The fire on Cynnamon's back blazed. She spat an Ember attack in the wild Pokémon's face. The Persian turned the other cheek and took the attack with a cocky smile. Then he raised his haunches and prepared to pounce.
My shell collided with his ribcage and we went rolling together across the path. Dust rose up in a cloud and for a moment I was blind. The dust settled, and the Persian was standing. He let out an ear-piercing shriek, so terrible it made the air around it shiver. I clamped my hands over my ears and clenched my jaw, I felt like my teeth would shatter otherwise. The Persian bolted, then leapt into the air, sharp claws and fangs glinting.
I ducked into my shell. Rapid Spin was out of the question, no room to build momentum. So instead I stuck my tail out and smacked it against the ground. Aqua Tail shot me upwards and I punched into the Persian's stomach. He flipped backwards and landed in the dirt. He scrambled to his feet but Brine washed over him. He hissed and howled, then turned and ran in the other direction.
Another was swiping furiously at Alex's face. He held his arms up to block but the Persian used her weight to pin him to the floor. She bit down on Alex's throat. He screamed. I came running but one sudden movement and she could snap his—
Cynnamon blew smoke in her face. The Persian let go of Alex, coughing and hacking. Alex drove his Metal Claw under her leg and she shrieked, he rolled under her, pushed himself onto one knee and let out a roar of fire.
The third Persian raised his glowing claws, eyes locked on Evie. Mikey jumped in front of her and took the attack. Evie threw sand in the Persian's face, and Mikey wrapped his leaf around his neck, absorbing his health.
Pay Day coins and Power Gem rocks clanged against one another, an even match. ThunderPunch clocked the fourth Persian in the cheek. His body began to tremble, but he didn't move a muscle. Toto put his hands together and bowed his head in prayer. Torch let her wings rest at her side and did the same. A pillar of water and a pillar of fire rose from the earth. The fifth Persian backed away, head snapping between them. The pillars spread out and though she turned to run they both consumed her, twisting around each other like strangling vines. The pillars steamed into nothing and the Persian fell to the floor.
A rainbow arched across the sky above our heads. The clouder scarpered. One bit the paralysed Persian in the behind to get him moving. We laughed, high-fiving one another.
Spencer came slinking out of the bushes, guilt etched on his face.
"Are you all right?" Alex asked him.
"I'm fine," the Mudkip said bashfully.
Alex took a sitrus berry out of the items bag and held it out to him.
"You took a serious hit back there," he said, "you should take something for it."
"Th-Thank you."
He swallowed it hungrily, sighed in relief as the healing powers got to work. Alex got down on one knee and thanked Cynnamon for saving him. She blushed, covering her face with her paws. He came to me and we shared an apple.
"Thanks for humouring her," I said quietly.
"I wasn't," he said, "she saved my ass back there. I guess… I should be grateful they're here."
Cynnamon was hopping up to try and touch the rainbow. Mikey lifted her up and stood on his toes to get her higher. Ken was talking to Torch and Toto, by his hand gestures it looked like they were talking battle tactics. Cream was scooping up scattered coins. Evie gathered a few and handed them to her.
"We made a pretty good team," he took a bite of his apple, "considering we're such a rag-tag group. Hah, a bit like Ruby Forest."
I raised my eyebrows. He swallowed.
"I know I've always said I don't want anyone else on the team. And I don't. But… I do love Pokémon. I don't want to push everyone else out of my life. I'm not against working with others, in a less direct way… What?"
"Huh?"
"You've got that lost-in-thought look you get when you're lost in thought. What is it?"
"I was just wondering about the possibility of setting up a third Academy here some day. Like how they set up the New Paige Dojo in the ranges."
"That sounds cool!" Alex said. "We could call it the… the Fortune Hunters, or something."
Spencer was checking the gold-lined red satchel he carried for any lost items.
Cynnamon tapped Mikey's hand and he lowered her down.
"Thank you for protecting me," she said to Spencer.
Spencer visibly blushed. "Oh, well, um, you're very much welcome… ma'am."
Cynnamon beamed. Behind her, Mikey tried on Ken's cap.
"Looks a bit small," said Torch.
"I noticed," Mikey said, prying it off his head.
"I'll fix you up with something better when we get back," Ken said.
"Much obliged."
"Yeah," I said, "something like that."
Brine struck the Beedrill chest, knocking her to the muddy earth.
Eight of them had dropped down from the trees on top of us; enough for the "Fortune Hunters", as the others had taken to calling us, to take them one-on-one.
Toto and Torch chased the bike (yes, that is the actual collective word for Beedrill, I was surprised as you are) back into the woods. They cheered and hopped from foot to foot. Mikey slumped back against a tree trunk and caught his breath. He hadn't been knocked out, but there were two thin red cuts across his torso.
"My body is on fire," he said, "oh no, here comes the aftershock, the adrenaline… I'm dying, I might already be dead."
Evie placed a paw on his knee. "If you need to, you can take some of my health."
"No," he said quickly, "no Evie it's fine, I was being dramatic. Really, I'm all right."
Cream was trying to smooth down her fur, but the more she smoothed it down the more it stuck out in all directions. Ken licked his paws and brushed it over his head, smoothening it. Spencer and Cynnamon picked up their conversation about their favourite kinds of books. Spencer, law and civic justice. Cynnamon, wizards. Both were Pokémon that enjoyed reading more than fighting, it seemed. I wondered how Cynnamon would fare if she was forced into a real battle.
Alex was staring at the trees.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
"White willows," he said. "Dense, plenty of cover, easy to hide in. The path gets wider up ahead, can the others carry on for another mile?"
We still had plenty of healing items, it wouldn't be too much of a push. And with the amount of bird predators we'd seen so far, I wasn't sure it'd be any less safe in an open space. Still, at least Alex would feel more comfortable.
I took the time to write down everyone's moves:
Me
Brine
Rapid Spin
Ice Beam
Aqua Tail
Alex
Smokescreen
Metal Claw
Flamethrower
Inferno
Magic Mikey
Mega Drain
Detect
Fury Cutter
Leaf Blade
Evie
Sand Attack
Quick Attack
Swift
Take Down
Toto
Water Pledge
Return
Water Gun
Superpower
Torch
Fire Pledge
Return
Flame Burst
Mirror Move
Ken
Double Team
Quick Attack
Thunderbolt
ThunderPunch
Cream
Fury Swipes
Taunt
Pay Day
Play Rough
Cynnamon
Tackle
Leer
Smokescreen
Ember
Spencer
Mud-Slap
Water Gun
Substitute
Foresight
It was getting late, and the last light of the sun was fading. We carried on down a hill towards the edge of the woods, where the bushes and trees were scattered. The trail turned to the left and carried on north-east, if I remember correctly in the direction of the Fortune River. We would be off-road from here.
Ken and I happened to fall side-by-side. I wondered if I should bring up what happened that morning. Turns out I didn't have to.
"I know you and my dad used to be close."
I suddenly wished we hadn't left with such a huge party.
"He spoke very highly of you. Didn't have a bad thing to say."
"… What did he say, exactly?"
"He said that you were incredibly brave, a great friend, and had more integrity than any Pokémon he'd ever known."
I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "More integrity than any Pokémon he'd never known?" Because I refused to take part in a violent robbery?
I didn't even help the police. I could have. They'd have been in jail right now if I hadn't protected them. That's what Takahashi had meant. He admired me for my cowardice. Well, it worked out for him, didn't it?
But instead of all that, I just said: "Wow."
"It's true!" Alex said, as if stating that the sky was blue. "Tobias dropped everything to be there for me when I was in trouble. He didn't doubt me once, no matter how hard things got. He didn't even care when he found out I used to be human."
"Why would I care about that?" I asked him. I genuinely didn't know.
Alex just smiled and said: "There you go!"
Ken's eyes had lit up. His jaw was hanging open.
"You…" he breathed, "you're the human?!"
""The" human?" Mikey said indignantly. "Evie's a human too, for your information!"
Shock (get it?) spread across the Pikachu's face.
"Can I ask something?" he said, stumbling over his words a little.
Alex nodded. All the usual questions, of course:
"How did you get here?" His ears twitched as he spoke.
"I don't know," Alex and Evie said at the same time.
"How long were you human for?"
"Eighteen years," said Alex.
"No idea!" said Evie.
"What was it like being human?"
"Can't remember," they said together.
That only seemed to fascinate him more.
"Do you have any special powers?" he asked.
"Why don't we save this conversation for when we're sitting down," I said, "I think we're all pretty tired."
Ken nodded emphatically. It was the first time he'd followed an order without attitude.
You know, I wonder if Takahashi really admired the Professor the way he always said he did. I don't think I really believe that his son's name is just a coincidence. Ken has that same enthusiasm he used to have.
I think I'm worried about the kid.
From here, the hard soil turned to rock, the trees parted but still loomed above our heads. We picked our way through tall bushes, so dense we had to walk single-file.
"That's a pretty necklace," said Toto.
"Thanks!" Cream said, much too loud for my liking. "It was my grandma's!"
"Do you know where she got it?"
Cream's smile wavered a little. "Oh, um, I actually never met my grandma. She died before I was born, she was pretty young. My mom always wanted to be an explorer like her, but she never got the chance."
She held her head up and put her paw against her chest, just below her necklace.
"I'm carrying a three-generation legacy. That's why I'm willing to do anything to be a legendary explorer."
As passionate as she sounded, her story gave me doubts. It might have sounded heroic and meaningful, but it didn't seem all that healthy to me. By the looks of it Toto and Torch felt the same.
"But is that what you want for yourself?" the latter asked.
"Well sure!" Cream said with a chuckle. "Who doesn't want to be legendary?"
Team Typhoon shared an uncomfortable look.
"You guys came from the Isle of Legends, yeah?"
"Aha, yes, that's true," said Torch.
"Mom and I worship the Swords of Nature, how 'bout you guys?"
"Ahaha, uh, we don't really worship our Gods anymore," Toto said.
Cream raised her eyebrows. "Oh."
"We've been kinda disillusioned from religion," Torch explained. "That's probably why we're so interested in the Academy; because it celebrates the achievements of individual Pokémon and of Pokémon working together with the ones they love, not on worshipping an ideology."
I was struck by how smart they actually were. At first I'd pinned them as fans, or much worse, glory-chasers. But they actually seemed passionate about what they did.
"Not that we're anti-legendary, or anything like that," Toto said, holding up his hands.
"I'd say that's a good thing since we're about to meet a big group of religious Pokémon!" said Evie.
"It's just that… we were kids, you know? We never got a say in the matter."
"Worship should be a choice," Torch said, "and it should be a choice you make when you're old enough to decide for yourself."
"Very true!" said Cynnamon, the one-and-one-quarter year old.
We came to a more open area and found a bunch of rocks flat enough to sit down on.
"Can I help light the campfire?" Cynnamon asked.
"Oh," I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't think it's a good idea to light a fire here; we're still pretty close to the city. We'll definitely light one before we go to sleep, but I want to be close to the cliffs by then."
Cynnamon nodded emphatically. "Good idea."
"You ever eaten like a camper?" Mikey said, tossing a raw wepear berry into his mouth.
"Nope!"
Mikey tossed her another wepear. She bit down on it, and had to really dig her teeth it. She grimaced and held it away from her face.
"It sucks!" Mikey said. "You're gonna love it."
"Do you think there's any fresh fruit in those trees up there?" Spencer asked.
"Black pines," Alex said, "no fruit, or nuts."
"What about in those bushes?"
Alex squinted. "Mm, no. Those are black bryony, they make berries but they're super poisonous."
Spencer looked impressed. The others decided to pass the time with a game. They'd point to any kind of plantlife they could see, and Alex would identify it. Personally, I'd had enough of botany for one lifetime, so I sat this one out.
Then Cynnamon pointed to something that looked like a weed, and Alex couldn't answer her.
"Hang on," he said, "I'll check."
He put a hand to the side of his hand.
My own hand instantly shot up, but instead of "the memories", the image of a book resting open on a table appeared. On one page was a picture of the weed.
"Charlock!" Alex said.
The others gave polite applause. Alex looked pleased with himself.
I can't say I was thrilled about the idea of using the recorder as a party trick. But it had been a while since he's looked at it for anything else…
Something was behind us. Alex and I turned at the same time.
"We need to leave," I said, "right now."
The others looked confused, but they hopped down and started packing up their bags.
Something moved in the black bryony bushes. I put the last of our food back into the bag.
Two red eyes flashed out of the gloom, followed by a wide white smile.
"Run!"
Shapes leapt out of the darkness. We ran as fast as we could but the godsdamned bushes were still in our way. We had to split off from each other just to keep up the pace. I shouted to the others to stay as close together as possible.
The fog was thick. I could see the others but I knew they couldn't see me. A Psyshock came flying at me, missing me by inches. I heard footsteps just behind me so I started zig-zagging as I ran. Another attack came, but it went long as if they were firing at the place I should have been moments ago. So they couldn't see in the fog, either. That meant they weren't from here.
Which meant they weren't wild.
Further along the bushes spread out, but we'd still need to manoeuvre around them. We sprinted across the rocky floor, ducking and weaving out of the way of the bushes. Or just running right into them, in some cases. The shapes in the fog were pressing in around us. In the Umbreon's hour's darkness and through the milky fog, even I couldn't make out who exactly they were. I had the chance to fire an attack, but held back. They didn't need to know that I could see them.
An Ekans slithered around a bush and his eyes flashed, from the gleam and the jolt through my heart I recognised Leer. Evie tackled him and they rolled across the earth together. Ekans wrapped around her neck and squeezed until Mikey stamped down on his head. He pulled them apart and yanked Evie to her feet. A Medicham came crashing down on him from up high, one leg poised to strike him between the eyes. Mikey held up his Leaf Blades just in time; the Medicham bounced off his crossed arms, landed on her other foot then span and roundhouse-kicked him in the jaw.
A Gengar's crimson-red eyes stared at me through the darkness. I ducked into my shell and shot towards him and Rapid Spin went right through his body. The Gengar laughed, until Aqua Tail smacked him in the back. I slipped back into the cover of the fog.
Cynnamon was hiding herself well with Smokescreen. She was small for a Cyndaquil, and she'd dodged every attack thrown at her. So instead the Tyranitar stood towering above her, as his eyes turned to black sunken pits and his toothy grin turned a congealed red as it dripped down his chin. Cynnamon screamed and covered her eyes. The poor girl had probably never seen a Scary Face before, she must have thought it was real. The Tyranitar summoned a storm of sharp rocks around him. Toto's Water Gun hit him in the back of the head.
Spencer hung suspended in the air by a pink aura, and two metal spoons glowed through the fog. Torch's Flame Burst lit the night air and Spencer fell unceremoniously to the ground.
Then time seemed to slow. Heavy footsteps heralded the looming dark shape of another Pokémon, this one with two long horns, two wide wings, and a fire burning at the end of his tail.
"What?" Alex gasped.
The Charizard raised his arm and a long scaled hand glowed the dark-blue of a dragon-type attack. Alex had time to defend himself, but he was frozen in place. Thankfully, the Charizard hadn't seen me approaching through the fog. Aqua Tail struck him square in the face.
The Charizard spread his wings and roared, a burst of flame cutting through the white film. Suddenly we were surrounded, six Pokémon pressing in from all sides. Mikey and Evie called out to us. The Alakazam used his Psychic to lift a fallen tree trunk into the air and send it crashing down on top of them. I was the only one who saw it.
The Tyranitar slammed his feet into the ground. The other ambushers scurried backwards. The stony earth shook violently; a chunk of it fell down into a deep cavern below, the hole grew up and grew, and the ground fell away under our feet.
Torch scrambled for something to grab hold of. She grasped the edge of the floor with her beak but the earth fell away at her touch. Cream managed to secure ground, right before the Ekans wrapped himself around her and send them both flailing through the air. Cynnamon hopped from falling piece to falling piece, until finally the Gengar kicked her down the hole. Alex jumped after her, catching her and holding her close to break her fall. He fell to the earth with a loud thump and a cloud of dust.
Spencer, Toto, Ken, and I peered over the edge. The others had found themselves in an underground cave.
"Alex!" I called. "Are you hurt?"
He got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Bruised, but nothing broken!"
"Torch!" called Toto. "Everything okay?"
Torch spat and coughed. "That dirt tasted like dirt!"
"Cream, how 'bout you?" said Ken.
"Mmmmnnnnfff," said Cream, face-down in the dirt.
"You're fine."
"Cynnamon?" called Spencer.
The Cyndaquil had her back against the wall, cowering under the shifting shadows from deeper inside the cave. She looked too scared to speak. Up above, Ken cried out. The Gengar, the Tyranitar, and the Alakazam were approaching.
"What do we do?"
He was asking for my help. He'd never been in any kind of situation like this before, and he was terrified.
Cream ran her paws through her fur. "Okay okay okay," he said, hopping from one foot to another. "Come on then! We're waiting!"
The ambushers stepped out of the shadows. The Charizard looked down at Alex, cracking his knuckles and bearing his sharp fangs.
"Remember me?"
"No," Alex replied.
Up on the surface, six eyes gleamed through the fog.
"Spencer, stay back!" I cried.
The Mudkip did as asked.
"Ken!" I said, pointed at the Alakazam. "Use Thunder Wave!"
The Pikachu looked flustered, but he did as I said, turning and waving his tail. Crackling supersonic waves washed over the Psi Pokémon's body. The Alakazam trembled violently but couldn't move a muscle. But then his eyes and spoons flashed yellow, and Ken's body did the same. The Synchronize ability. I could have kicked myself.
"Toto! Use your Superpower!" I pointed to the Tyranitar.
Toto nodded, a confident grin on his face. His hand throbbed red-and-white. He leapt over a swing of the lumbering Tyranitar's tail, ducked under a punch meant for his jaw, then drove his fist into the diamond on his opponent's abdomen. Crack. The Tyranitar roared and stumbled back a couple of steps. But then his body turned red-and-white, and suddenly Toto's power was his. He brought his leg up, and Counter manifested as a sideways-kick to the shoulder. Toto's body made a backwards C-shape as he went flying into the bushes.
I aimed my Ice Beam at the Gengar. The Shadow Pokémon's body disappeared into smoke, reappeared again seconds later. A Shadow Ball appeared in his hands, and I prepared myself to counter. Then suddenly it was aimed at Ken, and in that moment I saw the fear of a child in his eyes. I shoved him out of the way and Shadow Ball hit me like a stone in the temple.
A cold, ghostly shock ran through my brain, and for a moment I was blind. When I opened my eyes again the Tyranitar was charging a Dark Pulse in his throat.
"Toto get out of the way!" I called.
The Totodile's head shot out of the bushes just in time for him to scurry out. But in that moment my attention was turned, the Gengar was hovering over me again. I tried to pick myself up but a Sludge Bomb rained down on my back, dripping down the back of my head into my eyes. Sludge Bomb was a Technical Record attack. So chances were these Pokémon were not only from civilisation, but advanced civilisation.
Suddenly I was stuck in place. A pink glow obstructed my view but I could make out the shape of the Alakazam holding his spoons out in front of him. I heard a shifting sound behind me, and I knew the Gengar was about to attack again. Yveltal, how many more hits could I—
Suddenly a yellow blur crossed my vision. Then to my left, then to my right. Copies, a dozen of them, even more, one right in the Alakazam's face. Psychic's hold gave out. I dodged a Shadow Ball attack before it'd even fired.
"Toto!" I cried. "Soak Tyranitar with your Scald attack!"
I heard a crash of water and a deep, rumbling roar.
Murky-purple globs sloshed down onto the earth, taking out the copies one-by-one. Alakazam held out both spoons and both Ken and I were frozen in place. A vein was bulging in his head; it was taking all his strength to hold us both at once. But he only needed to hold us for a moment longer, because the Gengar was above us now, reading another Sludge Bomb.
Then the he dropped. Spencer was on top of him, teeth grit as he pinned him with all four feet. There was a mark on his head, recoil damage from a Take Down attack.
Of course! Foresight!
"Spencer!" I yelled. "Cover all four of us with your Mud-Slap!"
The others looked at me like I was insane. Spencer opened his mouth to argue.
"Just do it!"
Mud splattered over me. Ken winced in pain. The ambushers readied their attacks.
"Toto! Scald! Spencer! Water Gun! Ken!"
The Pikachu looked to me.
"On the count of three, use Thunderbolt!"
Boiling water splashed the Tyranitar's arms. Aqua Tail hit the Alakazam in the face and water dripped down his moustache. The Gengar was soaked.
3. 2. 1…
Ken's Thunderbolt strike like lighting. A great yellow flash turned night to day, and in seconds it was over. The Tyranitar, the Gengar, and the Alakazam crashed to the floor, steam rising into the air. We cheered. Spencer and Toto embraced each other. Ken and I high-fived, low-fived, too-slowed. Alex was right. We were a pretty good team.
Meanwhile, down below us…
(From Alex's account.)
Alex dodged Dragon Claw's swipe by an inch. Torch leapt back as Acid splattered to the ground in front of her. Cream grabbed Cynnamon's paw and yanked her away before Psyshock could strike.
They were backed against the wall. The ambushers were pressing them in, predators watching their prey for any errant twitch (okay, I may have added the more prose-y language myself).
"Can you use your Flame Burst to blind them?" Alex asked.
Torch shot a ball of fire from her mouth and it exploded against the ground, embers burning in their visions for just a moment.
"Okay, Cynnamon, use Smokescreen!"
The fire on Cynnamon's back flared and smoke billowed from her mouth. Alex then realised the task of commanding these Pokémon was his, and he would need his mouth ready for it. So he swished his tail back and forth, like he'd seen Sasha do at the Lavender Mansion. Smoke trailed from him tail, smogging up the air.
"Hah!"
There were angry cries from the ambushers. Through the grey Alex saw the Medicham's foot glow white, ready to strike with a fighting-type attack. And of course, her target was the Meowth.
"Cream!" Alex called. "Tuck and roll!"
Cream ducked and put her paws on her head and threw herself out of the way right before Medicham's High Jump Kick landed, just inches past its target. The Medicham fell to one knee.
"She's behind you!" Alex called. "Play Rough!"
Cream leapt onto the Meditate Pokémon's back, claws out. I expected her to scratch away, but instead she chopped her two paws down between her shoulder and her neck.
A Flamethrower cut through the darkness. Alex heard the tell-tale woosh right before it came and rolled out of the way.
The Ekans had wrapped himself around Torch. She was clawing at him frantically but she couldn't reach. Alex grabbed him around the back of the head and twisted just enough to wrench him away from her, then threw him at the wall.
"Get back here!" the Charizard roared.
"I'll handle him," Torch said, "you deal with gummy worm over there."
The Ekans reared his head and spat Acid at him. Alex held up his Metal Claws and the poison dripped uselessly to the ground. The Charizard swiped at Torch with Dragon Claw. She jumped over his arm and spat a Flame Burst under his chin.
Poison Sting needles sprayed Alex's bodies. His forehead and his elbows were signed but before he even lowered his arms Flamethrower was ready to swallow the Ekans whole.
The Charizard kicked Torch away. She went sliding backwards over the earth but her claws dug in and kept her steady. The Charizard spaced his legs apart. He lengthened his back and threw out his wings. Alex knew that stance by then.
"Torch!" he cried. "Use Mirror Move!"
Two Fire Blast collided with each other. Jets of fire streamed in all directions, across the floors and the walls and into the night sky. Alex jumped in front of Cynnamon. An explosive force drove the fire-types back. Cream clung to the Medicham's back and span her around just in time, using her as a living shield.
"Enough!"
The Charizard beat his wings. The smoke and dust cleared, and the tail of a feathered dragon stretched out from his back. His legs grew scales; he slammed one foot on the ground and span. Breaking Swipe struck all six of them, throwing them back against the wall.
Alex was the first on his feet. The two Lizard Pokémon met eyes.
Click. Alex fired an Inferno but it went wild. The Charizard charged at him, Dragon Claw by his side. What this strange Pokémon had against him in particular, he didn't know. He couldn't have been a Varia, could he? They'd all been arrested. A Skarsgard? But why would one of them be attacking him?
I suppose it didn't make a difference. All that mattered was winning.
"Cynnamon! Now!"
Smokescreen blinded him.
"Torch, use Flame Burst! Cream, follow with Pay Day!"
The Charizard recoiled and covered his face from the barrage of attacks. A great yellow flash blinded them all for a moment. He shielded himself with his wings until the attacks ceased. He looked up just in time to see Alex, iron thorn in hand. It wasn't a sword, but it would do. Alex slashed the Charizard across the face, them kicked him to the ground. He pinned the bigger Lizard Pokémon's head down with his foot.
"All okay?" I called.
He nodded. "Same up there?"
"No injuries." I jerked my head towards to the cave. "Can you describe it for me?"
Alex squinted into the darkness. "I think it's a tunnel."
I looked up. More bushes, very little cover. The tunnels might actually be the safest place right now, I thought to myself.
I looked back to where Mikey and Evie had been. The log was gone, and so were the scouts, a hole in the ground left in their wake. They must have fallen as well. I waved to the others. We hopped down.
I glanced at the Charizard as I passed by. He can't be Malik, I thought. There was no way the Archon of Tenrai was coming out of hiding just for this. Could he be someone from Alex's past?
Blue eyes snapped open.
"Alex…" his voice was a pained grumbled.
Alex stopped. He didn't turn to address him.
"I don't know who you are, or why you attacked my friends and I today," he said, "but this ends now. I've left my past behind me, and I'd suggest you do the same. Whatever bad blood used to be between us, it's over."
He grabbed a fallen branch and lit it, handing it to me so we could spread the light further. As we walked away from our ambushers, I glanced briefly over my shoulder. The Charizard watched us wa'k away.
"What?" said Alex.
"Nothing," I answered. "Nothing at all."
I don't think you have put your past behind you, Alex, I wanted to say. And your past certainly hasn't forgotten you.