Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, its world or characters. Only the story and original characters herein.
Chapter Nine
Wandering the city was interesting, for a little while. After that she was just antsy. The day's revelations spun through her mind regardless of distractions, and not being able to act on any of it left her stir crazy. She'd taken that first step, insisted on being involved, but now it was back to waiting. As if she hadn't done enough of that.
With enough name dropping, she managed to snag a room at a place best described as a hotel, free of cost - which was necessary since nobody gave her any money yet and she didn't want to go back into the house in upper Pewter. Not that she was even sure she could find her way if she did want to.
Smoke was more then happy to claim his spot on the bed as she tossed her bag on the floor and flopped down beside him. She'd never be able to sleep, even with as stressful as the day was. Laying down was nice though, and she stretched to her limit, humming at the feeling that coursed through her bunched muscles.
When the room thundered and shook she swatted Smoke in her haste to get up. Alert now, she stood there, forcing herself to take quiet breaths. The seconds ticked by as the sudden adrenaline seeped through her system. She glanced down to Smoke, who's fur stood on end. "Maybe it was an earthquake?"
The boom came again, rattling the walls around her. It didn't stop with just that this time, and the cacophony of noise had her racing for the door. Smoke dashed past her, and she yelped when he turned and tackled her back toward the bed. "Smoke! What-"
Her words were drowned out as the rumbling grew louder and the building shook. Then the door fell away, and the roof with it, as rocks cascaded into the room with no sign of stopping. Lyss' eyes widened as a scream stuck in her throat.
Smoke bit her.
She yelped and grabbed for him out of reflex, but he was gone. In a flash of fire, he burst through the back window and disappeared. Taking the hint, Lyss bounded over the bed and flung herself through the shattered frame as the building behind her collapsed under the avalanche of rock.
Wooden slats bounced and snapped beneath her as Lyss landed on the roof of the next building. Wincing as she did, Lyss looked back toward her room and her mouth fell open. There was nothing but stone, no trace of the building at all. Her dazed mind made a vague note of the sunlight pouring in from above where there should've been a ceiling of rock, but another thought distracted her.
That was the second bag she'd lost now.
"Hey!" The shout came from someone down on the street. "You alright?"
A glance at the rockslide told her it's momentum was played out, it wasn't going any further. With more caution then she'd used getting up there, Lyss made her way down from the roof. She avoided falling on her backside when she hit the ground, but only just. "I'm alive," she answered, brushing herself off. A tender spot on her leg made her hiss in pain. "What about everyone else?"
Down at his level, she realized he was only a boy, younger then her even. His face fell at her question. "A few people came out the doors there." She followed the direction of his weak gesture to see people milling about in front of the rock pile and her gut twisted. A mere handful of people were all she saw, and the man at the desk inside, the one who'd given her a room, wasn't among them.
What in Arceus' name happened?
When she heard Smoke growl, the question died on her lips before she could ask it. She sought him out, still crouched on the roof, and followed his stare up into the massive hole in the cave ceiling. As her throat went dry, it all became clear. Forms glided down through the hole, some swooping, others floating, and still more climbing. So many of them.
The pokemon were easy to pick out, and they left little doubt to who the people were. Weezings, Golbats, Arboks - trademark pokemon for Team Rocket.
Then the screaming started.
People took note of the invasion force and panic spread. The whole city was part of an anti-Team Rocket movement, but down in their subterranean world, Lyss bet the danger didn't seem real to them. From all she'd heard, Team Rocket never even hinted that they knew the Rising Fire or lower Pewter existed. They created a sense of safety for the rebel group and created the perfect ambush. Now they were there to clean up.
As the grunts hit the ground, the chaos began. People fled from the attacking pokemon, but there was nowhere to go. Poison spread through the streets in clouds, and the citizens dropped where they stood. They never had the slightest chance.
Something was tugging at her arm and she looked down to see the boy still there. Her mind caught up to the fact that he'd been talking to her. "What are you doing? Come on!" She let him pull her along and they took off through the streets. Her gaze kept pulling back behind them, watching as the dark of the caves and the smog from the Weezings obscured everything from sight. She couldn't even hear the screams anymore.
When she managed to get words past her lips they came out flat. "Where are we going?" Only the boy's loud breathing answered her as his short legs pumped on as fast as they could go. She let the buildings go by a little longer, until he stumbled, then she pulled against him. "Hey, stop. They're behind us."
If he could've managed it, she expected he would've ignored her and kept going. As it was, his legs quivered and gave out, dropping him to the floor in a panting heap. He looked up at her. "Why aren't you scared?" his voice shook as he asked.
She didn't have an answer. Much as she hated Team Rocket, she feared what they were capable of, as everyone did. With everything that just happened, she should be terrified, and now they were alone on the outskirts of town, with empty caves ahead of them and almost certain death behind. She didn't really feel like she was there though. It was like she was watching through stained glass.
"I am scared," she said instead, "but we need to find help if we want to get out of here. Was there some sort of disaster plan around here? Somewhere you were supposed to go when you were in trouble?"
He gave a small nod. "The tunnel over there," he pointed, across town of course, "the other way out."
"Alright," she knelt down beside Smoke, giving him a scratch behind the ear. "We're gonna need your help through here." He growled and yipped, practically bouncing where he stood. Lyss rolled her eyes. "Glad to see you're excited about it.
"Well. no time like the present. You rea-" the boy's wide stare stopped her short, and she sighed. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey!" he jumped, blinking at her. "Yes, I have a Flareon with me. We don't have time to admire him, and he doesn't need the ego boost. You ready to go?" At his nod she gestured Smoke on ahead and they started off. She grabbed hold of the boy's shoulder to keep him close by. The last thing she needed was for him to run off and get them both in trouble.
At some point, the cave went silent. She couldn't recall when the sounds stopped, but now there was nothing, none of the city noises she was accustomed to. Quick-stepping through the streets, seeing nothing but empty paths winding among the buildings, Lyss felt a chill sweep through her. Certain sounds were just a given around other people, you didn't even realize you were hearing them after awhile. The silence wasn't natural, and it left her imagining they were trespassing through a graveyard.
A glance at the boy beside her - she still didn't know his name - gave no hint to his state of mind. He'd stopped panicking and was just following along beside here, but there was no way he was okay with everything that just happened. She really hoped they'd find someone he knew once they got to this exit he mentioned. Taking care of an orphaned child was not on her to-do list. Maybe that made her cold-hearted, but she had enough to worry about.
With all the scenery flashing by, she missed the Golbat diving for her until a blast of flame swept by, nearly singing her hair. She jumped back with a squeak of surprise made worse when the bat pokemon veered off and flapped past her. It broke from her line of sight by hooking around a building, but it didn't matter, its message was delivered - Team Rocket knew they were there now.
"Run!" She didn't wait to see if they'd listen, half dragging the boy along as she bolted down a side street. They couldn't stay on the main path, it was too open, too straight. Team Rocket would see them coming from blocks away. The trade off was that now they were stuck between the building walls without much room to maneuver.
As Smoke Flame Charged through an Arbok who attempted to block the alley exit, she felt good about her choice. The poor thing didn't even get a hiss out.
"Alright, Smoke!" Lyss cheered, racing to catch up with his enhanced speed. "Keep it up, just like-" she stumbled to a stop outside the alley, "-that..." Team Rocket grunts blocked off the path in front of her, their pokemon scattered around. Smoke crouched before them, growling and poised to attack, but he wasn't stupid. Not with those odds.
"So, it's not wild then," a foremost Rocket spoke up. "Call the boss."
"Didn't we hear something about a Flareon recently?" another voice chipped in.
"And a troublesome girl with it."
"I say we keep her from the boss. I can think of plenty of other things to do with her." The laughter from that comment was gruff, blatant in its meaning, and set her teeth on edge.
It only lasted until the Rocket who spoke first smacked the other across the head. "You an idiot? The boss would have feed you to his Persian's. Be lucky if he even killed you first." Though the man grumbled, he didn't argue, and the crowd fell in line. Lyss knew who was in charge at least, and he glared at her. "Not your day, girl. Get your pet to stand down."
Smoke's growl deepened, no doubt at being called a pet. The Rocket didn't spare him a glance. Lyss, on the other hand, wasn't so focused. Her gaze jumped all over, taking in the Rockets, their menacing pokemon, even the alleys blocked off behind them all. There had to be a way out of this. She somehow didn't think she'd manage an escape from Rocket if they caught her this time.
Flickers of flame danced over Smoke's fur, residual effects from his Flame Charge still burning. Lyss' escape was hampered by the boy, and she had doubts that he'd be able to keep up if she bolted. It looked more and more like a fight was the only choice, but that wasn't much of an option. If it was that or surrender though
The boy's hand in hers jerked, his grip clamping down in hers and she frowned. Having him freak out was the last thing she needed, and she spared a moment to calm him - and stopped. He wasn't looking at her or even the Rockets, just staring off into space. As she watched, his face went slack, his grip loosened, and he collapsed.
She jumped to catch him. "Hey, what's-" movement flashed in the corner of her vision and she looked up just in time to see a purple tail disappear into the ground. Dread settled over her like a shroud as she fumbled with the boy, grabbing at his arms and twisting to find hint of what she feared.
Then she saw it, two spots on his upper leg - a bite mark.
Words carried to her, but failed to filter through her mind. She looked at the Rocket. "What?"
"I said you were taking too long," he smirked. "I made your choice easier and showed you what'll happen if I don't like your answer. Two Pidgey's, one stone."
She blinked. He was one-hundred percent unaffected by what he'd just done. People weren't designed to handle pokemon attacks. Between the potency of Arbok's poison and the boy's young age, she didn't need to feel for a pulse to know she wouldn't find one. She tried anyway. Her hand rested there and she couldn't pull it away. With how he fell, the boy's eyes now stared up into the darkness, wide open yet unseeing.
"You're wasting your time, and mine for that matter. He's dead."
With a gentle touch, Lyss pulled her fingertips across the boy's face, closing his eyes. She grit her teeth as that familiar burning sensation spread behind her eyes.
In a way, the Rocket was right - he had made her choice easier.
"Smoke, ground fire."
If the odds intimidated Smoke he didn't show it as he let loose a Fire Spin. Those too near it shied away from the tower of flame that surrounded the small pokemon and readied their own pokemon to turn back the attack. The fire stayed where it was though, and as moments passed the Rockets looked to each other in confusion.
Their leader laughed, loud and clear, and kept on until scattered chuckles joined in. "That's it? You can't even train it to do a simple attack right?" he sneered at her, and she glared back at him with as much hate as she could muster. "Seriously, you didn't even command it right, and as soon as that pathetic Fire Spin ends so do you."
As she continued to glare at him, he spat at the ground. "Ground fire," he shook his head, "that some kind of stupid code or something?" His entire expression changed and now Lyss smirked as his own words sank in. He cursed and spun to his crew with a shout. "Spread out!"
It was too little too late. Confusion at the command changed to alarm as Smoke burst from the ground beneath their feet. His Flame Charge tore through whoever he targeted, pokemon and Rocket alike, and then he was back underground. A moment later he broke through somewhere else and repeated the process. In the chaos, the Rocket's couldn't figure out where to aim, and without commands the trained pokemon were useless. Not that they didn't try, throwing out commands for their pokemon to attack next time they saw Smoke, but the Flareon never stayed above ground long enough to be targeted. Not with the build up of Flame Charge's burning through his system.
As many of the Rockets got caught up in Smoke's attacks as their pokemon did, and the screams cut through the air as they burned in the residual flames. Scum that they were they were still people, and Lyss tensed against their cries. She'd never killed anyone before, and all she could do was sit and wait. They couldn't outrun the Rockets, they'd already tried. This was the only chance they had.
"You little bitch!" the shout broke her from her inner thoughts. The lead Rocket stomped toward her, pulling free his gun as he came on. "Call it off!" He leveled the gun at her. "Call it off or I'll kill you right here!"
He'd already told her she was going to die, so the threat didn't hold much weight. "Alright," she said instead, "I'll call him." Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the gun being waved in her face, Lyss screamed her friend's name as loud as she could. The Rocket jumped, startled, and his hand twitched. Her breath caught.
"I told you to stop him!" He snapped. "Not-"
Then he was gone. No, just his head was gone, and as the body wobbled, Lyss turned away. She covered her mouth and forced down a gag. A thump rang in her ears as the Rocket hit the ground and she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't shut her ears to the silence though.
Something bumped at her side and there sat Smoke. Faint traces of blood dotted his fur, but not enough to hint at what just happened. Fire was funny that way.
Forcing a smile, she scratched at his ear. "Sorry," was all she said. He responded as he always did - by staying at her side. She stayed there on the ground a few moments more before looking out over the battlefield she'd created, avoiding the sight right in front of her. No people or pokemon were anywhere in sight. Well, none that moved. They must've retreated after losing their leader, or so many of their lives.
She took a deep breath, grimacing at the scents mixing in the air. "Let's get out of here."