FOREWORD
Hey, my dear readers, I'm back! Did you miss me, guys? Yeah? Awww, shucks, you didn't! *blushes* LOLJK.
I'd like to thank all those who had read, reviewed, followed, and faved Your Bite Is A Dark-type Move during the past thirteen months or so. Yep, it's not a typo, it's actually been more than a year since I published Episode Four. Time indeed flies fast...but not necessarily when you're having fun. (You may sense that there's probably a story behind that last sentence.)
Anywho, before I present the fifth episode, allow me to take a few minutes of your time to do some explaining 'cause I know I owe you guys a huge one...
I think most of you may have already thought at one point that I've already given up on this story, to which I totally understand. I admit that it was purely my fault that I didn't announce that I was going to take a very long hiatus from writing stuff. To be honest, I really felt uninspired, especially when I saw the impact of my fiasco after I posted Episode Four (you may reread it if you wanna know what I'm talking about). So, I sought out any possible means of motivating myself for the next few months, but to no avail.
Fortunately, the introduction of the Generation VI games, as well as the seventeenth season of the animé, Pokémon the Series: XY, during the last quarter of 2013 has provided me with an influx of fresh ideas to put me back on track in expanding the story...and that means no more waiting for you, guys. Cool, huh?
Okay, now that we're all past the drama, let's proceed with Episode F- Oh, wait! I forgot to mention something... Well, to make it up to you for my very long absence, this chapter is twice the usual length as my previous ones! Isn't that neat? *wink, wink*
DISCLAIMER
I don't own Pokémon. 'Nuff said. (I'm too excited to add anything else. LOL.)
EPISODE V - CALLING FOR HELP
Lake Of Rage Research Institute
north of Mahogany Town
Johto Region
05:45 PM
For the first time during his tenure as the head of LoRRI's Safety and Security Department...Jared was feeling utterly restless.
Actually, if one would like to bother themselves with specifics, restlessness is just one dish out of a smörgåsbord of emotions being cooked inside his chest at the moment, slowly eating away at his resolve with every passing minute. If only he wasn't feeling so damn preoccupied with Gary's disappearance and all its possible repercussions, Jared would have laughed at the irony of his twisted analogy.
Unfortunately, as someone who was given the opportunity to hold one of the highest positions in the Johto Region's most esteemed scientific institution, he was pressured to abide with that unspoken standard of maintaining an air of calmness whenever LoRRI finds itself in a dire situation, for the sake of not creating an atmosphere of fear and panic among its employees. However, in light of recent events, Jared just couldn't bring himself to give any flying fuck about any of it, as much as he didn't want to sound harsh on the matter. Besides, in his defense, nobody has gotten wind of what's really going on...and, so far, he's doing a great job in keeping it that way.
Well, technically, only a handful of people are privy to the news of Dr. Oak's mysterious disappearance: him, the entire Safety and Security Department, and two outside parties, namely, Professor Samuel Oak and Sayda Island Labs' Dr. Dora Kobara-Peters, his wife.
For someone who was once a full-time field researcher who was obligated to record and report every single observation, no matter how gravely important or seemingly insignificant, secrecy wasn't something he was used to. However, he knew fully well that if word gets out that the chairperson is missing, the institute would be plunged in a scandal he couldn't afford to be involved in. In fact, being the center of a conspiracy theory is the last thing he ever wanted to be. As much as possible, he needs to keep everything under wraps until the time is right.
As Jared continued to allow his counter-productive thoughts to consume him, unbeknownst to him, he was starting to pace the floor of the main command center at the uppermost level of LoRRI's central operations tower, subconsciously following some sort of invisible pattern on the smooth concrete surface. The sound of heavy footsteps coming from his direction were gradually attracting the attention of his co-workers, whose genuine concern for their teal-haired team leader was slightly distracting them from their respective tasks.
Jared's chief of staff, Nico Jackson, was actually the first one to notice his strange behavior ever since he got inside the command center a few hours earlier. No longer able to stand whatever's going on with the young head of security, Nico decided to draw him out from his self-destructive actions.
"Is everything all right, man?" From a short distance, worried dark brown eyes tried to reach out preoccupied electric blue ones.
"Huh? What?! No! Nothing's all right!" snapped Jared irritatedly, not caring if his voice alerted every ear in the room. Involuntarily carding the loose strands of his hair away from his forehead, now moistened by beads of cool sweat, he lifted his gaze towards the source of the interrupting voice, glaring daggers at the person who dared to snatch him away from his thoughts without his permission. Upon seeing that it was Nico and noticing how he flinched at his reaction, he realized what he had just done.
"I'm so sorry, Nico. I didn't mean to shout at you," Jared said, calming down a bit as he inhaled a deep breath. After adjusting his trademark semi-transparent orange goggles to a comfortable position on his nose bridge, he went on. "Guess I'm just too stressed out trying to solve this mystery."
"You think?!" said Nico, who immediately softened his retort with a nervous laugh. "'Cause if I didn't know any better, you were ready to bite my head off just then!"
"I just said sorry, didn't I?" Jared replied with a jerk of his left eyebrow, although he was silently grateful for the intervention of his trusted aide, who simply countered with a smirk. Clearing his throat forcefully to imply that his mind was back in business, he diverted his gaze towards the direction of a gigantic LED screen showing a satellite-view layout of Johto with scattered insets of more than a dozen real-time visual feeds coming from random public centers across the region, each video appropriately tagged with the name of the location where it was taken from. "Anyway, can you update me with the developments with the search?"
"Nothing solid, so far. Right now, we're trying to employ facial recognition searches in all the closed-circuit television feeds throughout Johto. We're actually considering to include Kanto as well, because now that we've checked all outbound marine transportation and flight records within the past twenty-four hours, we've arrived at the plausible scenario that Dr. Oak hasn't left the mainland yet," rattled Nico as he read off a report draft displayed on a black rectangular tablet he was holding on his left hand, carefully timing the pacing of his words to make sure that the young head of security was fully able to catch up.
"Okay," responded Jared, although he sensed from Nico's tone that the chief of staff had something more to say. "Go on..."
"On the other hand, since no paper trail has turned up within the same timeframe when we decided to check his last transactions makes us want to reconsider our options," the chief of staff continued. "Though it's good news that we now have a definite general area to focus on, our current approach isn't really going to be effective if we won't take into consideration other factors such as disguises, blind spots, or worse, potential abduction angles. So, before it's too late, the team would like to get your approval on something..."
"What is it?" asked Jared curiously, as he flicked his eyes sideward to include his chief of staff in the periphery of his vision.
"I was thinking if it would be a good idea to send a one-man unit to sweep the vicinity of the institute grounds for the meantime. I understand we're still isolating the info within the department, but, in my opinion, this strategy isn't really much of a risk compared to a full-blown investigation. This way, we can get more helpful clues on what possibly happened to Dr. Oak on top of what we're doing right now, which is only helping us narrow down probable scenarios but not necessarily getting us any closer to the solution," suggested Nico, carefully selecting his words to convince the young head of security of his plan. "So, what's your verdict?"
Jared remained silent for a moment, trying to weigh all of the available options in his mind, eventually arriving at a conclusion that the plan was strategically sound and efficient enough despite the limitations they had to impose during the current stage of their investigation.
After quietly berating himself for not coming up with an equally brilliant strategy instead of brooding for the past few hours, he faced the young chief of staff and said, "My wife was right, you know? When I called Dora earlier, she said that all the stress that came with this job is seriously giving me a hard time to think outside the box...or something like that. A department head can only do so much, I realized. I'm really thankful that somebody's doing the thinking for me whenever I forget to do it."
"So, that's a yes, I hope?" said Nico, his voice taking on an optimistic intonation as he placed his tablet on stand-by mode with a quick tap to the power button.
"Yeah," chuckled Jared as he gave his chief of staff a friendly clap on the shoulder. Straightening his posture as soon as his hand left Nico, he continued. "Sorry, that was my inner voice you heard just now - not really something you should be worrying about - but, yeah, proceed with the one-man sweep. That way we'll be able to cover more ground with this investigation...just in case we wouldn't get any results with whatever Professor Oak has asked me to do."
"Okay. Cool! I'm just going to assign this task to Daniel so that we can get the information we needed as soon as possible," said Nico, but as he was about to turn around to look for his assistant, he found himself curious about the last thing Jared had mentioned. "Oh, by the way, what happened with your video call with the Professor?"
"Well, um, about that..." and Jared went on, quickly filling Nico in on the gist of his tension-filled conversation with the former chairperson on the videophone that morning.
"His best friend...Ash Ketchum."
"You're not, by any chance, referring to the Ash Ketchum of the Unova Battle Frontier, are you, Professor?" Jared asked, making sure that he had heard Gary's grandfather correctly.
Jared couldn't help being optimistic now that the retired Professor had name-dropped the third person who might be able to shed some light on Gary's sudden disappearance. Although he understands fully well that this new lead could be potentially futile, he is trying his best to be confident that they'll be able to find him soon...well, at least to assure Gary's grandfather that everything will eventually be under control.
On the other hand, as one of the very few people close to Gary, he didn't want to lie to himself that any flicker of hope would be enough to dilute that welling sense of dread in his chest, continuously fueled by the guilt of not being able to fulfill his responsibility in keeping everybody in the institute safe...but then again, if there was anything he had learned from his job, it was the simple rule that any lead is a lead, and the possibility that Crystal has an idea regarding her fiancé's whereabouts was something that he did not yet discount.
"Yes, Jared, I am. The Frontier Brain of the Battle Pyramid, if you want to be specific," Samuel proudly confirmed, oblivious to the teal-haired researcher's internal conflict. "He was Gary's contemporary, you see? They grew up at Pallet Town together. Despite being rivals when they started off on their respective journeys, they remained quite close, especially when my grandson has decided to follow the path of being a Pokémon researcher. That was during the Silver Conference twelve years ago, if my memory serves me right. Actually, if it wasn't for Ash, Gary wouldn't be the person that he is right now...contrary to what most people think that I was the one who inspired my grandson to pursue academics over Pokémon battling. Ha!"
Jared didn't respond...actually, it was because he didn't really know how to. He deduced that if he did, the situation would end up getting more awkward than the silence between them that followed. So, he remained frozen in his seat, inside his office just beside the main command center, waiting for the emotional Oak patriarch to continue.
"I'm sorry, Jared. I got a little bit distracted there, but, yes, before we proceed with what seems to be our last resort, I suggest we need to contact Ash Ketchum first. There's a possibility that Gary might have at least shared his plans to him one way or another...if Crystal doesn't know where he is, that is."
"I understand. Again, I'm really sorry that I have messed up your plans for today by bringing you unwelcome news, but just leave the worrying to us. I know it isn't easy, but, like you, we also don't want anything to happen to your grandson. We will find him, Professor, I promise..." said Jared firmly. "Whatever it takes."
"I know you will...and that's the reason why I chose you as LoRRI's guardian, Jared," said the former chairperson, his features no longer showing the lines of anxiety when he received the news about his missing grandson. "You have nothing to apologize for, lad. In fact, I appreciate that you have informed me of what had happened. Gives me all the more reason to fly to Johto. Although I understand that you don't want me to worry, but what good is sitting by and doing nothing gonna do to me? You know what? I have an idea."
"What is it, Professor?" Jared asked, noticing a look of determination form on the elderly Professor's face, something he's not sure whether to admire or to worry about. "What about Goldenrod? Isn't today supposed to be your meeting with the PKGR management to discuss your comeback?"
"The radio bosses can wait, Jared. I mean, seriously, they wouldn't really pressure an old man like me, especially one who had just retired, to go back to work, right? Hahaha!" bellowed Gary's grandfather. "Besides, I'm just going to pay Ash's mother, Delia, a visit to ask her about her son and-"
"Um, Professor-"
"Yes, Jared, I know what you're going to say. You might be forgetting that you're speaking to the former chairperson," interrupted Samuel, his tone devoid of any hint of authority, much to Jared's surprise. Instead, it was characteristic of a father reminding a child, which isn't necessarily bad. "I understand that any information about Gary's situation is strictly need-to-know. I'm still familiar with the protocols, you know?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
"No, lad, don't be. I should've realized that it was your instinct acting on your behalf. As I was saying, I'm going to see if Delia would be able to help us how to reach her son. As far as I know - and I'm not entirely well-versed with the rules of the Battle Frontier, mind you - out of all the Frontier Brains, the Pyramid King would be the most difficult one to find. If I'm correct, out of all the facilities, the Battle Pyramid is the only one that moves from one location to another to make things more interesting. Usually, any Pokémon Trainer can challenge the facilities in any order, and that includes the Battle Pyramid-"
"That is, if they know where to find it."
"Right. But then again, Trainers tend to choose the convenient route and wait until they get the instructions on how to get to the Battle Pyramid after they have already beaten the other six."
"Wait. Sorry to cut you off there, Professor...but how is this relevant to reaching Ash Ketchum?"
"Hm. Impatient as always, eh, Jared? Hahaha. Well, forgive me if I veered off course. It's the Professor in me taking over. What I'm trying to say is...all outbound communications from the Battle Pyramid are cut off to prevent anyone from easily knowing its location, with the exception of the scenario I just mentioned. Meaning, Ash and anyone aboard the Battle Pyramid wouldn't be able to keep in touch with anyone for that exact reason...unless, given my hunch is correct, they are allowed to remain in contact with at least one person."
"For Ash Ketchum...that'll be his mother," concluded Jared, finally realizing where the elderly Professor was driving at.
"Yes," said Samuel matter-of-factly.
"I see," said the teal-haired researcher. "He must be really close to his mother, huh? Just curious, though...you said you're going to visit Delia Ketchum. So, Ash's father's not there?"
An unsolicited moment of silence passed between them. After a few more seconds, the elderly Professor finally replied.
"Ah, well, Ash's father's been, um...away for a while," croaked Samuel, trying his best not to fidget in his seat. "So, basically, Delia is his only contact...but this doesn't mean we will have to depend on this lead. I assume you've already started doing your own investigations for the meantime, yes?"
"Yes, Professor," replied Jared, not noticing Samuel Oak's sudden switch in topic.
"While you're doing that, can I ask you to do one more thing for me, just in case Delia is unaware of her son's current location in Unova?"
"What is it, Professor?"
"Contact our technology consultant. If all else fails, we'll have to resort to his expertise to trace Ash's location, and by extension, knowing where Gary could have gone."
"No problem, Professor. I'll see to it right away."
"Thank you, Jared."
A screen of static immediately replaced Samuel Oak's sad but smiling face on the videophone monitor, their conversation now effectively cut off...and, instantly, the normally-calm head of security found himself releasing a huge breath he didn't know he was holding as the tension rocking his insides finally left his body, forcing him to slide downwards upon slumping against the polished leather of his ergonomic office chair.
"I really don't understand it." Nico, upon returning to his superior's office shortly after briefing Daniel with his task, found himself massaging his hairline as he supported his head on Jared's marble desk with his right elbow. "I mean, if we're truly dealing with the scenario where the chairperson has decided to go on an unannounced leave - which completely doesn't make sense, if you ask me - why would he leave the details of his trip to his best friend located somewhere in Unova, who, from what I understand, is not even allowed to respond, instead of his grandfather, if not, his fiancée?"
Sitting on the opposite side of the office desk, Jared replied. "We're still not sure about that, Nico. We're not yet ignoring the possibility that Crystal might have been informed by Gary one way or another, although it's been hours since Dora told me she was going to reach her sister-"
"You know what I mean, Jared," Nico interjected, directing a serious stare at Jared as he sat upright. "Although I can sense you're starting to doubt it, as well...but, as I was saying, from a practical standpoint, why would Dr. Oak decide to complicate things when surely he could've anticipated that this would happen? Don't get me wrong, though, I'm not saying we're going to disregard whatever the Professor's attempting to accomplish. I get it that we're trying to look for his missing grandson and it's entirely understandable that he's focusing on the positive side of things, as anyone under the same situation would. But despite all the angles we have to come up with, the only thing that would make sense the most is the ugliest scenario."
"You're being the glass half-empty again, Nico," said Jared. "Listen, your side of the argument is really compelling, yes, but if we have to consider the motivations of whoever might have taken him, we would've gotten a demand for ransom by now. Seriously, for someone as well-known as Gary Oak, any abductor in their right mind - not that they're in the right state of mind, but you know what I mean - would not keep him without taking advantage of the situation...and, before you ask this, murder, committed by someone within LoRRI, is the least of my concerns. You've already tracked the activity of every employee and visitor over the past twenty-four hours and, so far, from the report you've sent me, no one has gone outside the premises of the complex. Any other possible murder angle would not make sense either."
"You have a point there and I'm not gonna question that," conceded Nico. "But, say, for example, once we're able to contact Ash Ketchum, how would we even know that he's not going to spill it to the media or something? As you said, he's Dr. Oak's best friend, and since you also happen to share that honor, don't tell me you wouldn't do whatever it takes to find him, if only you weren't forced to be in this position?"
"That's being subjective, Jackson!" Jared shot back, clearly not pleased with the direction their conversation was taking. Nico, on the other hand, suddenly found the random smoky patterns on the marble interesting, knowing that he had already gone too far.
"I'm sorry." Jared decided to break the maddening silence between them. "I shouldn't have reacted like that. I know you've been working hard on this investigation and I'm acting like some offended schoolboy. But please understand, and I'm confident you do, that we're allocating all of our available resources to follow any path that could lead us to Gary, and in doing so, keep everything under control."
"I should be the one to apologize, Jared," said Nico, finding it hard to look at his teal-haired superior's eyes. The twenty-three-year-old chief of staff was still looking down, allowing curly locks with the same color as his eyes act as a barrier between them. "I wasn't choosing my words carefully. Guess I was overly concerned about the bad side of things that I'm not aware of the current impact of my poor judgment."
"Well, let's forget what just happened, alright? It's been a long day for the both of us and we still have so much to do," said Jared, fully recovered from his sudden outburst, much to Nico's relief. "That being said, I'm going to ask you to contact our technology consultant, Mr. Lightlock, right away to inform him of our current situation. Professor Oak has specifically asked us to request for his assistance so there's no need to withhold any details relevant to the investigation."
"From the way you're saying it, it looks like he's not here," said Nico, now standing up to leave the room.
"Yes. Well, he's almost always away. Let's say he's more comfortable at home. Actually, he's there now, preparing for the final requirements needed by PIA to authorize the transition of his Gym Leadership to his sister," said Jared, matter-of-factly.
Nico raised an eyebrow. "And how do you suppose to know about this?"
"Let's just say fellow inventors communicate with each other from time to time," Jared replied with a knowing smirk. "Off you go, Nico."
"Right..." and Jared's chief of staff walked out of the door, going in the direction of the command center.
As the hinges of the Safety and Security Department Head's office door creaked softly as it gradually brought itself to a close, a hand quickly managed to wedge itself in the small opening, effectively stopping it. Jared, who was now evaluating a report on a technical malfunction submitted by the Geology Department on his laptop, noticed the sudden silence and look up to see who was at the door.
A blue-haired woman in a researcher's uniform stepped inside the office, slowly pushing the door inwards, all the while looking at Jared with a blank face, much to the latter's growing unease. The visitor remained silent as she sat at the same chair Nico was sitting on a few moments ago. Trying to mask his nervousness, he immediately spoke up to greet her.
"Hey, Crystal! What brings you here?"
...and right away, the blue-haired woman's brother-in-law mentally facepalmed himself for his poor choice of words, knowing that it would've been better if he didn't talk at all. After a few agonizing seconds, Crystal opened her quivering lips to speak...and what came out next was the response he had feared all along.
"WHERE. THE HELL. IS GARY."
Ketchum Residence
northwestern Pallet Town
Kanto Region
06:45 PM
DING-DONG!
DING-DONG!
DING-DONG!
"Mime!" Mimey cheerfully cried out from the kitchen in response, dragging a damp mop as he hobbled towards the door to answer it, leaving a sloppy trail of soapy water in his wake. 'Coming!'
Delia, who also heard the doorbell, rushed downstairs from her bedroom to check who was on the other side of the door. Upon reaching the foot of the stairs, she saw a quite gleeful Mimey holding the handle of a dripping floor mop in his left hand, his other hand already reaching out for the doorknob, enthusiastic to greet their late afternoon visitor.
"Oh, Mimey," sighed Delia, amused at the wet mess the Barrier Pokémon had unintentionally caused. She knew that Mimey likes human company, and is pretty excited to accommodate any visitor. She loved that about him...although, there was one time he actually served cookies to a burglar. (Long story.) His unwavering cheerfulness never fails to lift her spirits (it probably comes with being a Fairy-type), especially when she misses her son.
As his fingers were about to touch the door handle, Mimey noticed Delia's presence, who was trying to stifle a giggle from where she's standing, telling him rather sweetly, "Go on, Mimey. You may open the door now!"
Tilting his head in slight confusion, thoughts of opening the door for the visitor escaped his mind as Mimey began to wonder what his master-friend found funny. Looking around him, he realized that he had left the living room floor drenched in bubbling water, causing him to panic. The obsessive-compulsive side of him took over, his hands that looked like it always had gloves on flailed wildly in the air, unaware that he released the mop from his grip. "Mr. Mime! Mime, mime-mime!" 'Oh, no! Delia, I'm really sorry!'
Good thing Delia was able to catch the wooden handle before it made contact with the floor tiles. She slowly approached to soothe the agitated Pokémon after getting up from rescuing the mop. "There, there... It's okay, Mimey. I'm not mad," sang Delia as she rubbed Mimey's back, knowing that he would eventually calm down. Sure enough, the teary-eyed Mimey did and decided to wrap her in an embrace like a little boy who still haven't gotten over the guilt of breaking a vase even after being forgiven. Delia simply sighed as she hugged the sniffling Psychic-type back, who seemed to act a little like Ash sometimes.
"Delia, is everything alright in there?!"
A muffled yet familiar voice called out from the outside followed by an urgently rapid series of knocks. Delia and Mimey turned towards the door and realized that they had forgotten about the visitor waiting outside. Delia immediately dropped her hands around Mimey and asked him to hold the mop for her. The Barrier Pokémon could only oblige, nodding rather faintly as he saw his master-friend walk towards the entrance.
A cold gust of evening wind greeted Delia after carefully yanking the door open, shivering a little bit as she tucked a wayward lock of mahogany hair behind her ear. Realizing that it was her former mentor waiting outside the whole time, she proceeded to bow immediately, her cheeks flaring a soft pink in embarrassment. However, she found strong hands stopping her by the shoulders.
"That's okay, Delia. No need for that," said Samuel, dropping his hands as soon as Ash's mother stood up. Concerned about the noises he heard from inside the house after ringing the doorbell, he asked, "Is everything alright?"
Delia did a quick once-over at the retired Professor before answering, a little bit surprised at his choice of clothing given how cold it was outside. Noticing that she had paused longer than she had intended, earning a curious look from the Professor, she finally responded, "Oh. Y-yes, Professor! Everything's okay. Mimey was just being Mimey - Oh! How rude of me. I'm sorry, Professor. Please, come inside. Careful, though, it's a little bit slippery in the living room right now."
"Thank you, dear," Samuel said as he followed Delia into the living room, slightly puzzled about the last thing Delia had said until he felt his sandals stepping on something wet. Looking for the source of the misplaced puddle on the floor, his search ended when he laid his eyes on a waving Mr. Mime holding a floor mop in front of him. An amused smile broke out from his lips. "Hey, Mimey! Looks like you're busy! Mind if I come in?"
"Mime, Mr. Mime. Mime-mime!" Mimey replied. 'Sure, Professor. Come inside!' Although as soon as he replied, he noticed the Professor didn't move from his post due to the watery accident that he caused. Knowing nothing good will happen if he panicked again, the Barrier Pokémon instantly used Psychic to will the soapy floor puddle back to the bucket where it came from. Afterwards, he casually shuffled back to the kitchen as if nothing had happened, dragging his dried mop.
Professor Oak couldn't help being impressed at Delia's companion as he walked towards the sofa.
As soon as Mimey left for the kitchen to take care of his interrupted cleaning duties, Delia appeared into the living room with a stainless steel tray holding two steaming mugs of coffee and a plate of freshly-baked pain au chocolat. Samuel immediately stood up to help Delia with the tray, appreciating the wonderful aroma wafting in his direction.
"Wow, Delia, these pain au chocolat are mouth-watering! You just brought it home from the Pallet House?" Samuel asked as he took one of the inviting pastries from the plate. "I don't deserve eating this for free, but then again I already took a bite! Hahaha...and, mmm, holy Arceus, they're really good!"
"You're too kind, Professor. Well, we could only thank Ash's grandma for that. She handed me the recipe after I inherited the Pallet House before she passed," said Delia, her glassy amber eyes reflecting a moment of nostalgia as she picked up her coffee mug and cautiously took a quick sip. "I realized there was no dish or pastry left over when I closed the restaurant. So, I decided to whip up a small batch before heading home."
"I see. It looks like the Pallet House remains to be a crowd-favorite. I bet Ash misses your cooking," said Samuel as he completely wolfed down the last bite of his first chocolatine, effectively washing it down with a gulp of warm coffee.
"Well, I hope that boy does," said Delia in a fake stern tone, punctuating it with a hearty chuckle. "I should ask Scott to give my boy a day-off one of these days. Last time I saw him, it looked like he needed more meat on his bones! That Frontier Brain business seems to really take a lot out of you, you know? By the way, Professor, what brings you here? I thought you were going to Goldenrod today?"
"Um, yes, Delia...sorry, your pain au chocolat is being quite a distraction. Hahaha," quipped Samuel, although somewhat concerned that his former student might see past his half-hearted laugh. "I had some change of plans. Anyway, I was meaning to ask you about your son, but it looks like you've already answered it."
"I'm sorry, Professor...I'm a little bit confused. Please enlighten me." Delia took another sip, puzzled eyes still trained on the Professor.
"Well, I, um...needed your boy's help on something and since I couldn't get past the Battle Frontier's restrictions, I was wondering whether you, as the Pyramid King's mother, were able to contact him one way or another," confessed Samuel, although deep inside he knew it was just a half-truth. What he didn't know...the hint of desperation lacing his voice was already ratting him out.
"I haven't really spoken to Ash since he last visited me...and it's been a while since then," answered Delia. "Scott sends me messages from time to time, telling me how Ash is doing and where he is at the moment. I reply as soon as I get them, yes, but the way they come is random at best. However, if you're asking me if I have some sort of direct contact with him, I'm sorry. Tell me, Professor, did something happen at the ranch?"
Samuel could only shake his head.
"Is this about LoRRI?"
"No."
"Is there something you're not telling me, Professor? Because I'm starting to get worried..."
Samuel wanted to explode, to vent out his frustrations at his nosy mahogany-haired former student, but he couldn't find the strength to do it. Regardless, he knows that Delia wouldn't deserve it, understanding completely well that it wasn't her fault that she was denied hearing her son's voice the same way fate is denying him help to find his missing grandson.
On the other hand, he wanted to cry, but he was simply too tired to even bother letting his tears go. Everything was just a huge pile of Tauros shit...and dealing with the literal counterpart, compliments of Ash's thirty rampaging Tauros, was something much easier to handle compared to what he was going through. Keeping a lot of secrets like what the Battle Frontier management does could really take its toll on anyone, even for a researcher like him. What Delia deserves is to know the truth, even if she couldn't do anything about it.
"Gary is missing. No one knows where he is since yesterday. I was thinking that Ash knows something, if Gary told him anything...if not, I would still need his help to look for him."
Delia remained frozen in her seat, her wide amber eyes registering a look of utter shock. "I...I, oh, my...how?!" was all that came out of her mouth, the rim of her coffee mug barely touching her lips, the warm wisps of steam rising from the surface of the dark liquid dancing with every hitch of her breathing.
"Jared, Crystal's brother-in-law, just told me this morning. They're still looking for him, but they couldn't really announce what's going on as it's expected to cause a lot of noise in the media."
"I understand. I'd like to help, if I can. Gary has been like a son to me, too, and I'm really worried for him. I just hope nothing bad happened to him," comforted Delia, placing down her mug on the coffee table and approached the emotionally-troubled Professor, bringing him to a hug as she sat beside him. "We will find him. There's always a way."
Lightlock Robotics Laboratory
Lumiose City
Kalos Region
05:45 AM
Holding the honor as the largest city in the Pokémon world, the Lumiose metropolis, when viewed from the far-reaching darkness of outer space, is a majestic beacon placed right smack in the heart of the Kalos Region, easily earning it the perfect monicker, The City Of Light. With five main routes branching out to every other major location in the region like beams of sunlight, the city imitates Kalos itself, a territory shaped like a five-pointed star.
As brilliantly dazzling as it is during nighttime, the vivid explosion of color in the City Of Light are as equally intense under the warm embrace of daylight. A renowned center of culture, Lumiose City is also home to world-famous painters, actors, fashion designers, and other servants of the arts. Each of its wide cobblestone-paved avenues and streets is graced with high-end boutiques and shops as well as five-star hotels, cafes, and restaurants. The entire city is undoubtedly a decadent feast for the senses.
But among the many wonderful sights that could be found within the boundaries of the city, nothing stands out more than the symbol of the city itself: the gigantic Prism Tower.
Standing at a jaw-dropping height of 324 meters, the glass-and-concrete structure also serves as the city's Pokémon Gym. Despite having an architecture reminiscent of ancient wonders such as Ecruteak City's ten-story Bell Tower, the Prism Tower was built using advanced engineering techniques and was designed with state-of-the-art technological features. It is a monument dedicated to all generations, a powerful emblem radiating the blessings of the past and the promise of the future.
In the present, a golden-haired descendant of a long line of caretakers of the Prism Tower is busily spending his time fixing the kinks of his newest invention in the tower's basement, which doubles as the Lightlock Robotics Laboratory.
After twisting the final screw of his most latest creation, the grease-stained blonde took a step back, admiring his metallic work of art as he swiped away the sweat collecting on his brow with his right forearm. Light coming from the only fluorescent bulb in the room reflected off the surface of his wide-rimmed spectacles as he straightened himself, the glint of achievement matching the confident smirk on his lips. Satisfied that he had finished another masterpiece, he folded his arms and whispered his favorite catchphrase:
"The future is now...thanks to science!"
"Dedenne! Run to a safe distance from Blaziken and use Discharge!" commanded Bonnie with an outstretched right arm, gesturing her main Pokemon to follow the direction pointed out by her index finger as they began the practice battle against her father's Blaziken.
"Hm. You want to start off with power? We'll counter with power!" Meyer paused for a moment as he waited for Dedenne to position itself at the specific spot in the arena where Bonnie asked it to release its Discharge, rubbing his beard with tense anticipation, riling his daughter on the other side of the battlefield.
As soon as Dedenne began to Discharge, Meyer instructed his Blaziken with a booming voice, "Blaziken, dodge with a jump and use Fire Punch as soon as he ends his Discharge!" Sure enough, the Blaze Pokémon managed to evade what would have been a severely damaging offense from Dedenne. As Blaziken prepares to land a fiery fist once the outburst of electricity dissipates, Meyer's golden-haired daughter smirked as if she was waiting for it to happen.
"No doubt you're Blaziken Mask, Dad, but you fell right into my plan..." Bonnie whispered to herself, getting a little bit high from the thrill of the battle. "Stop the Discharge, jump on Blaziken and Play Rough!"
Missing Dedenne by a hairline, Blaziken found himself colliding with the ground as the Antenna Pokémon accelerated his downward momentum when it jumped on him, multiplying the damage of the impact...and before he managed to recover, his tiny adversary immediately Played Rough, the violent barrage disorienting the Blaze Pokémon even further.
Meyer was impressed with the twist, although he knew he was going to have the last laugh. Hearing his daughter shout the words "Use Thundershock!" a few seconds after Dedenne performed its last move, he planned to turn the tables on her. Knowing that the previous clash only lowered his Pokémon's attack and not necessarily weakened it to the point of defeat, he decided to take advantage of his daughter's overconfidence.
"Blaziken, dodge it!" Meyer proudly admired the speed of his crime-fighting buddy as it sidestepped to the left during the last second. "Use Flamethrower!"
"Dedenne! Dodge!" screamed Bonnie, but she realized it was too late. The huge pillar of fire erupting from Blaziken's maw had completely engulfed her main Pokémon's tiny body in seconds, not giving it the chance to transition from Thundershock to following her new command. She wasn't giving up. Flipping her straight blond hair backwards, she opened her mouth to give another order as the Antenna Pokémon started to recover...but it was futile. Her father, and by extension, his Blaziken, was very much faster.
"One more Flamethrower!" and that was it, the battle was over.
"Dedenne is unable to battle! The victory goes to Meyer!" shouted the referee, who turned out to be Clemont, who just emerged from the basement, walking towards Bonnie without a shirt on. Grease stains were all over his sweat-drenched body. Wiping his hands with a dry, unused rag that he grabbed from the basement, he clapped his sister on the shoulder, saying loud enough for her to hear, "It was a great battle, Sis. You did well."
"Eep! Keep your filthy hands away from me!" shrieked Bonnie as she shied away from her brother, teasing a mischievous smile his way upon seeing his slightly offended reaction. "Ugh! You really need to shower, Bro...but, thank you."
Clemont just smiled softly at his sister as she went to get her knocked-out Dedenne. Their father, on the other hand, after putting Blaziken back in its Pokéball, seemed to have switched back to his overly fatherly persona as he walked towards them, something that he's still having a hard time comprehending.
"Good morning, Clemont, my boy! How's your newest invention? You've done it already? That's great, son!" Meyer greeted the shirtless grease-monkey. He was about to hug Clemont, when he suddenly paused. "Oh. Your sister's right. You do stink! Hahaha!"
"Oh, dad!" Clemont facepalmed himself. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're really Blaziken Mask...but I guess I really need to shower."
"Well, that's the reason I was able to keep it a secret from you guys all these years!" Meyer shrugged, flashing a sheepish smile at his dingy son. Turning to face his daughter, who now cradled a still-steaming Dedenne, he took on a sympathetic tone and handed Bonnie a Sitrus Berry that he was keeping in one of his pockets. "Bonnie, you're constantly improving and I'm already proud of you for that. However, you need to be mindful of your Pokemon's stamina. Power can only go so far and depending on it alone would not ensure your opponent's defeat but yours. But I know you're a fast learner and I'm confident that you'll apply everything you've learned from your brother and I, as well as from your previous adventures, once the PIA agent puts you to the test."
"Thanks, Dad, for having faith in me," replied Bonnie with a determined smile. "I'll make you guys proud."
"That's the spirit!" said Meyer as he gave his daughter a bear hug, although releasing her right away when he felt an annoyed Dedenne squirming between them. "Oops! Sorry, there, little guy."
"De denne-denne!" barked Bonnie's feisty Electric-type. 'You almost killed me!'
Meyer and his two children laughed. "Let's go home, guys," said Clemont.
Clemont noticed that his Holo Caster on his bedside table was ringing rather loudly right after he got out of the shower. Quickly grabbing a yellow towel to cover his junk, the blonde was too focused in getting the call that he forgot to tighten the towel around his waist that it slid downward just a little, stopping somewhere by the hips to expose that defined V-line gracing the area right above the groin.
Pressing a button to answer, the Lumiose City Gym Leader waited for the hologram of his caller to materialize. After a few seconds, the floating pixels swirled to form the face of a young man who looked right about his age, blessed with a curly head of dark-brown hair, a pale olive complexion, and piercing eyes the color of chocolate. He realized that he was staring too long at his caller, when he heard the other guy clear his throat and finally introduced himself.
"Good morning! This is Nico Jackson from the Lake Of Rage Research Institute, chief of staff to Jared Peters, head of the Safety and Security Department. I'm speaking right now to Clemont Lightlock, chief technology consultant to LoRRI, yes?"
"Uh, yes. Yes, that's me. How can I help you, Mr. Jackson?"
"Dr. Gary Oak is missing. Professor Samuel Oak has requested for your help in tracking the person who might be able to lead us to the missing chairperson. Before we proceed, please be aware that this information is strictly need-to-know. Now...we'd like to know what time can we escort you to the complex."
"Anytime, I guess... Well, I-uh, um, give me two hours to prepare!"
"Well, then, Mr. Lightlock. A chopper will be waiting at the Prism Tower grounds within two hours as you've requested. We'll keep in touch."
"Okay. Good-" and the hologram disappeared. "-bye?"
"Well, he's cute," said another voice, feminine this time, manifesting behind the half-naked blonde.
"Gah!" A shocked Clemont turned around, only to find a smirking Bonnie leaning by the doorway. "Don't you dare sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me-"
"What? A heart attack? Please. Don't be ridiculous," interrupted Bonnie, punctuating her words with a scoff. "Seriously, a buff guy having a cardiac problem- Don't react, Clemont! I know there are exceptions!"
"Whatever, Bonnie," grumbled Clemont, now opening a cabinet to grab a blue polo shirt. "Just don't do that again."
"Okay! Fine! I'm just saying the guy was cute, you know?" Bonnie conceded, raising her hands in mock surrender. "I know you thought so, too."
"You're being crazy, Bonnie," said Clemont, as he slipped a fresh pair of boxers right under the towel. "I don't think that way about guys."
"Oh, sure you don't." Bonnie rolled her eyes at her brother. "How long are you going to keep at this?! Neither confirming nor denying... Bro, you're not gonna become less of a person if you just admit to yourself what it is that you want! Frankly, I don't think I'm being the crazy one here, but you are! Seriously, I've spent how many years of my childhood looking ridiculous in front of other people as I tried to find a suitable wife for my nice guy of a brother...only to find out he's actually not into girls! You owe me something, Clemont, and you will repay me by allowing yourself to find true happiness."
"We're not having this conversation, Bonnie," said Clemont through clenched teeth, trying not to get furious at his annoying little sister as he zipped up the fly of his skinny jeans. Deep inside, though, he knew his sister was right.
"If not today, when?" The golden-haired eighteen-year-old was getting serious now. "How many more girls' hearts are you going to break with this kind of attitude? Did you know that Serena had suffered for the same reason? Have you seen her reaction whenever Ash rebuffs all her advances? I thought the dude was dense to a fault that he was so oblivious to Serena's more than obvious flirtations, but when I became more aware of these kinds of things and tried to be more observant of everybody...I realized, holy shit, Ash was into fellow dudes after all."
Clemont remained silent, although he was totally surprised with his sister's theories about their old traveling companion.
"Oh, and one thing. Once you decide to have this conversation, please consider hooking up with that cute Holo Caster guy because, man, I don't know if you've noticed, but the guy was seriously trying his best not to stare at your abs. Au revoir!"
Goldenrod Pokémon Center
southwestern Goldenrod City
Johto Region
07:00 PM
After what seemed like days of going around in circles, getting completely lost in the bustling congested streets of Goldenrod, the kid with the League Expo hat had finally managed to arrive at the safest haven built for Trainers, especially danger-magnets like him: the Pokémon Center.
Upon reaching the welcoming automatic glass doors of the Pokémon Center, despite the unbounded joy that filled his heaving chest, he was seriously considering to let himself faint at the entrance and allow himself to be subjected to the mercy of hot Nurse Joys, who may or may not be into BDSM...what?! Oh, no. He was starting to become delusional, thinking about stuff not appropriate for his age. But then again, as he recalled the past twenty-four hours, he realized that he already went through things that are not supposed to be experienced by minors: One, being kidnapped by a sadistic forest bandit; Two, witnessing a gruesome murder of a human being and a Pokémon; and Three, making friends with a real-life vampire, who happens to be confused with his role in the world.
Okay, the third one wasn't actually something he could classify as bad, if only the guy wasn't responsible for Scenario #2. Nevertheless, the good news is, he's still alive and kicking and so are his Pokémon, who were so close in being burnt to a crisp at one point, thanks to Scenario #1. Well, it seems like he had already lost the capacity to be optimistic thanks to the combined powers of hunger, dehydration, stress, and fatigue.
Deciding to let fate take its course, he finally allowed the encroaching darkness to consume him. As he felt his eyes slowly roll toward the back of his head, he noticed a black creature hobbling near him, losing balance despite standing in all fours. Who knew there was another one teetering on the edge of consciousness like him? This Pokémon Center is having their lucky day, that's for sure.
Lastly, he heard a muffled sound coming from inside the Center, a voice - a guy's voice? - calling out to him somewhere along the lines of "Ash, is that you?!"
'Who the hell is Ash...and why do I always remind someone of somebody?'
He wanted to respond but he knew he can't. Guess he'll just have to wait and see what happens next when he wakes up...well, if he's going to wake up, that is.
Then, all faded to black.
NOTES
One thing that's going to be different from this episode on is the way I present my Author's Notes. I've realized that asterisks scattered throughout the story could be really distracting, so I decided to simply list all the things found in the chapter you may either find interesting or confusing to fully grasp the story. Here goes, in order of appearance:
* The events that transpired in this chapter happened on the same day as the previous episode. Yes, even the Kalos part. Remember the concept of timezones? [See A/N of Episode I] Since in real life, France (the inspiration for Kalos) is six hours ahead of New York (Unova's Earth counterpart), I applied the same rule here and following what we've already established, Kalos would be +11 Kanto Standard Time! You'll get used to it. Heh.
* Nico Jackson is an OC, just like the still-unnamed boy with the League Expo hat (or is he?). Why the name, though? You guessed it. I'm a Percico-shipper. Any fellow PJO/HoO/KC fans out here? Well, hopefully...'cause I got a new fic in the works. Watch out for it!
* PKGR is my made-up radio call sign for the Goldenrod Radio Station. Don't know what a call sign is? Well, it's that specific four-letter code assigned to a radio station, like KIIS for LA's 102.7 FM...or you could just Google it.
* PIA is the abbreviation for the Pokemon Inspection Agency, that organization composed of badass Nurse Joys capable of closing Pokemon Gyms that are 'unsafe, unclean, and uncool'. Yikes. At least they've got straightforward standards for quality control, I give them that.
* Pallet House is actually canon. Well, sort of. This restaurant, originally owned by Delia's mother, was mentioned in a Takeshi Shudo novelization of the Indigo League saga. Well, even if it didn't appear in the animé, how do you suppose Ash's mother gets her income to support her son, hm? The absentee father?!
* Why did I choose Lightlock as Clemont's family name? Why not? It's catchy. Ha!
* I took the liberty of using the Eiffel Tower's height to be the same as the Prism Tower. Well, the former's the Earth counterpart to the latter. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Man, this is a LONG chapter, that's for sure...and, oh, I suck at making episode titles. *sigh*
So, what do you guys think about the new developments in the story? Was it worth the REALLY LONG wait? Well, guys, feel free to review. They're greatly appreciated, as always. No flames, though. Be kind to newbies like me. Otherwise, my Greninja - yes, my Froakie evolved during the hiatus - would wash the filth off of your virtual mouths with a shit-ton of Water Shurikens. (Gosh, that was a bit harsh...even for me.)
No Ash or Gary yet, I know. But then again, this is a slow-build. (It's the pace of the plot not the speed of writing, mind you.) Don't worry, you'll see them on the next chapter, though. I'll do my best to follow up with the a new episode every week...just like your fave TV series! (When we say episodes, we've also got seasons! *hint, hint*)
So, that's basically it! 'Til next time! Peace! ^_^
-Borj-