Trapped in the Darkness – Chapter 9
A Pokemon Fanfiction
I'm not doing so hot in Algebra guys. That means fewer updates. I was also introduced to a thing called Homestuck. Sorry. I've also been trying to write something that's been stuck in my head for a couple weeks, but I haven't quite got the hang of it yet.
Pearl: The author owns nothing! We are all owned by Nintendo.
~000~
Green rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm himself as he tried to avoid his friend's probing gaze. He looked down, scuffing his shoes in the dust on the floor.
"So..." he said, trying to fill the empty silence that was beginning to swallow the cell. "What's new?" He turned around and kicked the bars of the cell, a flat ringing sound adding to the awkwardness and emptiness of the question. He coughed into his hand again, continuing to look down as someone tried to answer his question.
"You're a moron," Red muttered. Green rolled his eyes.
"You're a little late, Red. I already know that," he said, glaring back at the raven steadily. The Champion seemed impassive, but irritation began flickering in those crimson orbs so brightly, they threatened to burn a hole in Green's head. The Viridian gym leader cringed.
"No. You're really a moron."
Green coughed into his elbow and ignored the looks he was being given when he did, deciding to cross the cell to look out the window. Trying to pull himself up so he could see better, he strained against his arm that still seemed weak from the venomous bite from earlier in the week, but managed to get a good view after a second. He gave up looking for anything after a long look, deciding instead to tug at the bars once his feet were back on the ground.
"See. You are absolutely a moron," Red said simply, motioning to his rival with his hand. Green began to glare again and he let go of the metal.
"At least I'm not antisocial," he muttered. Red didn't respond to the retort, and by his expression he didn't look too upset about it. His eyes seemed to hold a whole mixture of emotions. None of which seemed like hurt by the comment, but Green could see... fear?
Fear of what? He had nothing to be scared of! That's why Green was here: to make sure that the other trainers in the cell wouldn't have to go through what he had to everyday. Green thought Red knew he wouldn't have to worry about that. So what else would Red be fearing?
Green pursed his lips and thought harder, looking deeper into the endless depths of Red's eyes, seeming to know exactly where to look for his rival's buried emotions. There were pockets of loneliness and worry, but Green kept digging deeper, going farther and farther...
Red seemed to notice Green was studying him intently, so he pulled the brim of his hat down to hide his face. He heard Green let out a sound of irritated disappointment and he laughed inwardly.
Green looked down at the ground and continued to think before closing his eyes. He sighed again when he realized he couldn't focus and turned around, pressing his back against the wall of the cell, sliding down slowly until he was sitting. He gathered his thoughts again before smiling softly.
"Well, I can say one thing about my idiocy," he said finally.
Sapphire raised an eyebrow before asking, "And what's that?"
Green's eyes darted back up towards Red once more before he looked at the rest of the trainers in the cell. He grinned, but his jade eyes were not fully focused.
"I'm glad I'm the moron and none of you guys are."
He laughed, but the others in the cell exchanged worried glances. Red was frozen, his hands tight fists st his sides. The Kanto Champion was looking at the gym leader intently out of the corner of his eye, exasperation showing on his pale features, one of the first times he was showing any sort of feeling at all in the cell.
Green stopped laughing and started coughing, but continued to ignore the looks as he quieted down and rested his head back to look at the ceiling of the cell. Closing his eyes, he seemed to relax.
"I'm really glad..." he trailed off, his exhaustion finally showing on his bruised face. He looked much older than eighteen, his dark circles under his eyes adding at least two years to his age. He seemed more like a true gym leader now, not the young trainer who left his gym too often to visit his sister and Cinnabar Island.
Red couldn't stop his feet from moving over to where his rival sat, kneeling down in front of him. He felt as if he was being controlled by some unseen force, taking him closer and closer to the grandson of the famous Pokemon professor. He pursed his lips before flicking his rival gently on the forehead.
"Idiot."
Green grinned, not bothering to open his eyes.
"So I've heard."
~000~
Two more days passed in the cell with no big events occurring. The Rockets and company had even stopped coming to get Green as they had their hands full with trying to find the escapee bird Pokemon. Green had slept soundly for at least a day and a half before waking up refreshed and energy filled. He stomped noisily back and forth in the cell, kicking the walls on either side of the cell as he reached them.
Red rolled his eyes as his friend made an eighth pass, repeating the same fluid kick against the concrete before spinning around and attempting a ninth. "Just sit down, idiot."
"Idiot" seemed to be Red's new name for Green, seeing as the Champion hadn't stopped calling him that since that past night. Green didn't seemed to mind, however, because he never said anything against it. He didn't answer as he walked to the wall and stared at it, breaking his routine of kick, walk, kick. He frowned deeply, jamming his hands in pockets as he scuffed at the ground instead.
"Why haven't they come to get me yet?" he wondered aloud. He broke into a coughing fit before he began walking again. Red looked at the ceiling and sighed quietly to himself, irritated.
Gold sat up straighter and looked at the gym leader, a relaxed expression on his face. "Who gives a shit?" he asked, flinching as Crystal smacked him. He inched farther away from her as he continued. "Just relax and try to enjoy the time they're not playing around with you."
Diamond and Ruby nodded. Pearl muttered a few words of agreement as he stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles nervously out of habit. The Sinnoh boy leaned back against the wall and rubbed his bruised cheek which was starting to look like it was healing. He kept his eyes on the ground as Green sighed angrily, ignoring all of them as he sped up his actions.
"That's not what I'm worried about," he said, huffing. He reached the wall on the left side of the cell and pulled back his left leg before snapping it back out, kicking the wall with more force. The dull smack was quiet and didn't add much sound to the room.
Red rolled his eyes again and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall where he was sitting. He pulled his hat down and tried to make an attempt to rest. It was it was a poor try; the others in the cell were chattering on about things and Green's footsteps had stopped, causing Red some anxiety. This was due to the fact Green decided to do something stupid when he wasn't busying himself with something just as idiotic. Red calmly looked up from under his hat, trying not to be noticed as he kept an eye on his rival.
Green placed his palms against the cool stone, studying them. He made an interested humming sound and tilted his head in thought before stepping back and looking at it from a distance. He pursed his lips before moving to the window. He tried to pull himself up and succeeded after a short struggle. He stuck his arm out of the window for a short second and did something.
"What are you-" Sapphire began to ask, being cut off by Ruby when he shushed her. She bristled, glaring at her childhood friend with teeth bared. Ruby wasn't paying attention to her, rather the elder trainer in the cell who had just pulled his arm back into the cell. Green had a fistful of something none of the other trainers couldn't see until he opened it.
It was a handful of dirt.
Ruby wrinkled his nose and Pearl and Sapphire looked completely lost. Gold also tried to grab some dirt but Silver grabbed him by his coat and pulled him back down before he could succeed.
Green dug through the earth in his palm, muttering things under he breath before a smile began to grow on his face. "I knew it..."
"Knew what?" White asked. Green looked up, an expression on his face resembling a young, eager child about to open presents on his birthday. He had the brightest smile on his face since he had entered the confinement of the room and, for once in a long time, he looked like the little kid that started his Pokemon journey so long ago.
"I knew we couldn't possible be far from home!" he said animatedly, pumping his fist in the air without loosing a speck of the fine dirt he held. He continued looking through the dirt as the others exchanged glances.
"My home or your home?" Platinum asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Green blinked and paused, looking up as he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Whoops. My home. Sorry." His eyes closed as he held the dust in his hand, holding the tiny particles closer to his chest. "There's only one region in the world with this kind of earth." He smiled and sighed softly.
Gold turned to Red, making a face. "I'm sorry, but is he getting off on dirt?"
A few snickers sounded and Green frowned, narrowing his eyes at the Johto Champion.
Diamond gave a weak smile. "No, he's not," he said, answering for Red. "If he can identify the region we're in based on the contents of the dirt, I think we'd be a bit better off, don't you think?"
Gold nodded like he understood. Silver and Crystal both groaned in irritation.
Green shook his head and glanced back down at his handful of grime, sifting through it without spilling it. "There's no doubt about it. This is Kanto's dirt."
A door slamming open caused everyone in the cell to jump.
"Knock, knock!" shouted someone obnoxiously from the top of the steps.
In one swift motion, Green snapped his wrist back behind him, throwing the dirt in the back of the cell, and as it hit the wall it sounded like soft rain. He coughed into his hand and put them both in his pockets as the Galactic female stepped out of the shadows of the winding staircase.
"Somebody miss me?" Mars called, stepping down into the dim light of the cell. She grinned as she saw Green up and energetic, putting a hand on her hip. "Looks like you're pretty okay there, Green, sweetie."
Green sighed, scuffing at the ground. He looked at the ceiling, his voice clear and unflinching. "Good, you came. I was beginning to think you had given up on me."
Mars laughed, but it was completely fake. Her smiled turned menacing. "Oh, we'd never give up on you, my dear brat. Actually, the bosses want to have word with you, and it may have something to do with that nasty cough."
Green scowled, but followed the woman out of the cell as she opened the door, obediently putting his hands out in front of him. "I'll be back in a bit," he called.
Mars giggled like a maniac, like this statement was the funniest thing in the world. "Come on, Mr. Oak. Follow me," she said in between giggles.
The door locking shut was the last thing Red heard before the light above their heads went out.
~000~
Red nursed a sore head as the lights turned back on, and he glanced around, seeing the other trainers getting up from their naps as well. Red got to his knees, feeling his stomach lurch in uneasiness as his vision began to sharpen.
The room they were currently in was not the cell.
He leaped to his feet, terror building in his chest.
"Where are we?" Black questioned aloud. N looked worried as he began to twist as his hair, and several others created a low murmur of sound in the increasing confusion.
"Ahhh, Red. It's so good to see you," said a calm voice, a cackle rising from the shadows of the unfamiliar chamber. Red stiffened, but turned toward the sound. He glared at the Rocket leader with as much hatred as he could muster.
Giovanni smiled, opening his arms. "It's been so lo-"
"Where is he?"
Giovanni didn't even flinch when the question was thrown at him by the raven. He kept a calm smile on his face as he looked down, lacing his fingers together in front of him. "Who?"
"You know who." Red's voice was chilling.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, still looking confused. There was a short stare-down before Giovanni began to laugh. "Fine, fine, you pathetic boy! But first you have to tell me..."
There was a second as Giovanni flickered before he disappeared completely, Gold letting out a short cry of surprise. Red didn't even blink, his eyes merely shifting to the left and right slowly to see if he could catch the Rocket in his hiding game.
"Tell me where I am, Red!"
The two Hoenn trainers stepped forward. "We'll take care of it, Red," Ruby said easily. Sapphire giggled, cracking her knuckles. "We're experts on finding hidden people." They seemed to both pass glances with each other and nervous smiles before taking a look around. Glancing around curiously, they searched for a few seconds before wearing strange expressions.
"What the hell?" Sapphire questioned crudely, crossing her arms. She put on an angry pout. "He's not here!" Ruby didn't seem to want to accept this and continued to search.
Pearl seemed to remember something and he snapped his fingers. "Yes he is. He's just playing with us. Must be a Psychic type. He should be..." he paused for a moment before pointing to an empty area in the corner of the room. "... right there."
Giovanni snapped back into view, an amused look on his face as an Alakazam stood behind him. It seemed to be wearing a neck-brace of some sort, completely made of metal. It glanced at Red with a dark expression, and in an instant Red saw flashes of pictures too fast for him to see.
"That's Green's..." Red trailed off, blinking quickly to clear his mind. He straightened his shoulders and glared at the Rocket. "Where is he?"
The Rocket's grin turned darker. He snapped his fingers and, in an instant, a boy appeared in front of him on the floor, his back to the trainers on front of him. "Right here."
Red didn't move as the figure laid still. He cleared his throat, waiting for some signal to show that the trainer in front of him was alright. When he received none, he decided to speak.
"Green?" Red called, his voice soft. When he received no answer he grew panicked, but he tried to mask it. "Hey, Green. Wake up," he said, he voice shaking in his increasing worry.
Yet again, there was no answer.
Red grit his teeth before he exploded.
"Green! Answer me, dammit! Stop fucking with me!"
Giovanni chuckled darkly before he shoved Green's motionless body over with his foot so the Gym leader was lying on his back, his head lolling over to the side. Green's blank stare was the only thing that reached Red, no sign of the cheerful teen the raven knew since forever anywhere in the empty green orbs. There was a pause of horrified disbelief as the trainers took in the situation.
And Red screamed.
~000~