Hey guys, I'm back! I have been extremely busy lately and didn't have nearly the to work on this as I wish I had. Anyways let's get on with the show!
Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. Robert Anton Wilson
Chapter 15
Devin's POV
I was sitting on a chair waiting for the senor agent to get back. True to his word, the agents had brought Pic back to the tent. He sat next to Austin, who wasn't looking particularly thrilled. For once, I was glad there were other people in the room. I knew that, if there weren't, he would be yelling my ear off. That was the last thing I needed.
It was about two in the afternoon by the time the agents returned. Taylor looked about as thrilled as an angry bobcat while the other one, Wilder, had a smirk plastered on his face.
"Those people from the CWSA called back. They will be here in another twenty minutes. You sure you want to do this kid?" Taylor asked.
"Yeah, I need to. Those guys have been trafficking kids like me for years. It would be my pleasure to shut them down once and for all." I replied.
"Good. There is no going back now." Wilder said. He then muttered, "I can't believe how mature he is."
Several hours had passed and now the sun was high into the sky. I had convinced Taylor to let me keep Austin in the same room, so I held onto him as we waited. The rumbling of a truck could be heard in the distance and I could only wonder if it was them. I rubbed my hands on my shirt and felt the wire that had been taped to my body. I only prayed that the two crooks would actually slip up and say something. I listened intently, trying to discern voices from the everyday bustle. Finally, I thought I heard them.
"The kid's in here. We found him wandering around the woods. I have to admit, I figured you two would be hear much sooner." I heard Wilder say.
"Well, if my darling husband had listened to me. We would have been here earlier." a woman, for sure Crystal, jabbed playfully.
"Did you find the girl and the older boy?" a male voice asked. It had to be Dean.
"No, not yet, but we will find them." Wilder replied.
"Well, at least you found the young one. He needs to be in a good home, not with those horrid siblings of his." Crystal added.
"Couldn't agree more. The kid is good, but he needs some discipline." Wilder replied. He sounded completely serious.
"Well, here he is. Will you need any help getting him to the car? He can be quite a handful." Taylor asked as he opened the door to the tent.
"No, no, that won't be necessary." Dean replied hastily.
"Alright, we will be outside if you need us." Wilder said as he and Taylor left.
Dean turned toward me and leered at me. "You, I should kill you and your siblings. Unfortunately, a bidder wants you pretty bad."
"Dean, not now. Let's talk about this in the car." Crystal whispered.
"Good idea, let's go. You, leave the rat. I ain't having it in my car." Dean demanded, making a grab for Austin in the process.
Austin growled and his cheeks began to spark, causing Dean to back off slightly. Dean the opened the tent and called for Taylor and Wilder. As they came back Austin calmed down and glared at Dean and Crystal.
"I see you two met Devin's new pet. He is pretty feisty so I wouldn't take him away." Wilder said with a smile.
"Does he at least have a Pokéball?" Crystal asked with a frown.
"Not that we know of." Taylor replied.
"Alright, fine. As you can see, he is pretty upset. Give me a few minutes to talk to him and calm him down and then we will be out of your hair." Dean said.
"Alright, but first we will need to have you fill out some paperwork, saying that you are accepting custody of the boy."
"Alright, Crystal, could you handle that? I'll try to calm him down." Dean asked as he pointed to me.
"Ok, I'll be back in a second."
The two agents held the flaps of the tent open and allowed Crystal to walk through, leaving me with Dean. He turned back to me, grinning evilly.
"Kid, you are in a heap of trouble. You are going to wish that you had never met me. When I take you to the bidder, I going to make sure your stay is miserable. Then, I will testify against your brother and make sure that he is sent to a boys home while I swim in my riches."
"Be sure your sins find you out. I always liked how that warning sounds. But, your sins won't just find you, they are going to hunt you down and kill you." I replied.
"You little brat! Get over here. We are leaving!" Dean seethed. He grabbed me by the arm and proceeded to pulling me across the tent.
"Dean, I filled out the paperwork. Let's get Devin in the car and get home." Crystal called.
"Alright, I'm coming Hun." Dean called back.
I struggle like anyone in my situation. I couldn't really help it. I mean it is natural not to want to go up with some who wants to sell you to the highest bidder. It would also look suspicious if I didn't struggle.
Dean dragged me to an extended cab truck as Crystal opened the back door. Dean roughly picked me up and sat me down in a booster seat and strapped me down.
"If you scream or do anything stupid, I will end your miserable life; understand me?" Dean said with a low growl. I nodded in response. Dean started the truck and began to drive away.
Emily's POV
"They took him! They just took him and gave him back to those… those creeps!" I yelled. First Austin and Pic, then Teresa, and now Devin! I was beside myself. I really didn't know what to do other than to run straight for the camp and try to bust Teresa and Pic out.
"Emily! Stop!" Jeffric demanded.
"I have to do something!" I yelled back.
"You will do nothing! Believe it or not Devin is an adult, though he may not look it! He knows what he is doing! You will not jeopardize him in any way! Do I make myself clear?"
It was a commandment that he expected me to keep. I tried to argue but Jeffric's glares took all of the fight out of me. I turned back and stared at the truck as it drove away.
Austin's POV
I sat in Devin's lap, glaring daggers at the driver. We had been in the truck for about fifteen minutes and nothing but trees seemed to pass us by. The two up front began to argue shortly after. The wife accusing the husband of being lost. It would have been funny had it been somebody else. Finally they got to the juicy stuff; their plans for Devin.
"So where are we going to meet this guy?" Crystal asked, looking back at us nervously.
"He said to go to the Joyland theme park over in Cerulean." Dean said in return.
"That's smart I guess, lots of children and parents. Easy to mistake a struggling child for a misbehaving one." Crystal replied.
"Yep, though I wonder how he is going to raise a brat like this. He is probably the toughest five year old I have ever seen. That and he won't go along with this willingly. We saw that already."
"I would assume the client would use a psychic type for that. That would be the easiest way to take care of it, I would think."
"Maybe." Dean said quietly. "I think, after this haul, we need to retire, go someplace warm, and drink margaritas. Even with there being no way for the cops to know what we are doing, I don't like this one bit. There is something just nagging me."
"That would be the smart thing to do." Crystal agreed.
"Guess I don't get a say in this." Devin spoke up.
"Devin shut up!" I said.
"Shut up, brat. If I had my choice, you would be in a ditch somewhere!" Dean growled.
"Dean, leave the kid alone. He is just trying to get you riled up."
"Yeah, Dad, I was only joking." Devin said with a roll of his eyes. Dean swatted behind the seat as best he could with one hand, while still trying to drive. He swerved a little, but he missed Devin.
"I said to shut up!"
"Dean! That is enough! He may be a brat, but he is still a child and I will not tolerate you trying to hit him. Do I make myself clear?" Crystal yelled.
"Thank God, for maternal instinct." muttered Devin.
"And you, I don't want to hear another word out of you until we get to where we are going. Is that understood?"
"Yes Ma'am." Devin gulped.
Taylor's POV
"The tracker working properly?"
"Agent Taylor, it is. The signal is loud and clear."
"Good. Alright team, get saddled up and in your vehicles in five. Snyder, I want you in the car with Wilder. I'll get one of the local cops to be my back up." I ordered as he pulled on a Kevlar vest and strapped it on.
"Are we expecting any trouble?" Snyder gulped.
"Not really, but you can never be too cautious." Wilder replied. I wanted to say that we were expecting heavy resistance just to scare the kid, but knew that would be a mistake.
As I turned to leave, I heard my team bustling about. I headed straight for the car and waved for an officer to accompany me. I climbed inside the black SUV and turned it on. These were the moments I lived for.
We followed behind the red pickup for several miles. We were far enough away not to be noticed but close enough to keep up. We stayed on the main highway for quite a while before the truck got onto an exit. We followed easily enough until we had reached the Cerulean city limits. Traffic immediately got worse causing me to quickly lose the truck. I cursed a little as I searched.
"Get on the radio and see if anyone from base camp heard anything on the bug, also check the tracker." I ordered the officer next to me. I nodded and quickly reached for the transmitter.
"Dispatch this is Officer Reynolds, I need to get in contact with Foxtrot base, over." the officer said. The dispatcher quickly switched the line and the base dispatcher responded. The submitted his inquiry and the dispatcher responded with an address. A quick check of the tracker approved of the general direction.
"Voice command." I said instantly.
"Please say a command." the GPS on the dash responded.
"Find place."
"Speak the name of a place."
"Joyland theme park."
The machine processed the name then brought up a list of potential destination. The list was very short as there was only one address displayed. I quickly approved the destination and waited.
"In the next three miles, take Exit 259A." the GPS' robotic voice said.
Devin's POV
The traffic was awful. Even rush hour in Dallas wasn't this bad. I stared out the window for the longest time. Austin sat next to me. He poked me a few times. I ignored him at first, but after a while it started to get very annoying. I looked down at the human turned Pikachu and with an angry glare. He looked at me with a look that read; 'If this works then I am going make life miserable for you.'
"Bring it on." I whispered.
"Call up the client. Tell him that we may be a little late due to traffic." Dean said quietly
"I just sent him a text." Crystal replied.
"Alright, so where do you want to eat afterwards?"
"You only seem to think about your stomach." Crystal stated with a chuckle.
"What can I say? I'm a growing boy."
"Growing fat you mean. Seriously dear, you need to watch what you eat. You aren't as young as you used to be."
"So now you are calling me fat and old." Dean said with feigned offense.
"Well, if the boot fits." Crystal laughed. "You don't get any younger."
The irony in that statement wasn't lost on me.
Taylor's POV
We weaved through traffic as best we could, but it was so bad that we weren't getting anywhere fast. I was getting worried since I still couldn't see the vehicle that Devin was in.
As we neared the exit, traffic began to lighten up. We quickly made it to the exit and on our way to the amusement park.
On our way there, I noticed the truck sitting at a stop light. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got in the same lane as the truck.
When the light turned green, the truck turned and we followed. It drove several miles, before it turned into the amusement park parking lot. We drove past the truck and parked closer to the entrance.
The officer with me called ahead and made sure park officials knew what was going on, and to keep all guest inside the park in case things got ugly. We quickly got out of the SUV and slowly made our way to the truck. I got a quick glimpse of Wilder and Snyder also making their way to the truck.
"Stay low and let me do the talking. We don't want to cause them to panic." I ordered.
"Yes, sir." the officer nodded.
I crouched behind a blue car and looked at the truck that we had been tailing. Everyone was still inside, but getting ready to get out. Wilder was behind a car to my left. I told him to hold position via hand signals which he nodded in acknowledgment. The occupants in the car than began to get out.
"Dean and Crystal Sato, you are under arrest for kidnapping and human trafficking! Place your hands on your heads and slowly get out of the vehicle!" I yelled.
The couple froze in place. I quietly signaled for Wilder to move in. He stood up with his gun at the ready and slowly moved forward. The couple now had their hands up, but remained close to the car. Then I heard Wilder cursing.
"What's the matter?" I asked, a million possibilities passed through my head.
"It's not them! These are not the suspects!" Wilder yelled.
"Shit!" I cursed. "Base, we are at the amusement park, but there is no sign of the suspects. Please tell me y'all have some good news."
"They are meeting in the park in an old utility shed stuck in an alley. Devin is giving us hints. It may be a moment before we get an exact location." the base's operator replied.
Devin's POV
I was being dragged through the crowded park. The atmosphere was jovial as kids, teens, and adults bustled about going from ride to ride. I didn't like what was going on. It would be nearly impossible for anyone to find me in these kinds of crowds. I had to think of something fast; some way to let the cops know where I was.
'I'm such an idiot!' I yelled mentally.
"What's that big ride?" I asked, trying to sound innocent.
"The Mighty Python. No, you can't ride it. We are going to drop you off, get paid, then leave." Dean whispered.
"I'm hungry. Lets eat! There's a hot dog cart. Oh! Can we go in the fun house there?" I continued, acting all excited.
Dean continued to drag me through the crowds with Crystal right behind him. I continued to ask seemingly pointless questions. Dean was getting irritated, but Crystal kept him in check. Finally, we reached a chain linked gate that cut off an alley between the fun house and the outer wall. Dean handed me off to Crystal and got to work opening the gate. We slipped inside without being noticed.
"This place is scary. Why do we have to go into a creepy alley? Couldn't we have met inside the fun house, instead of the side?" I asked.
"Shut up, and be quiet." Dean replied as he sat on a nearby crate.
Taylor's POV
"They are in an alley of one of the fun houses. The closest attraction is the Mighty Python roller coaster." the base operator said.
I nodded to the police officer with me and we took off toward the fun house. I relayed everything that had been said to Wilder as we went.
It took five minutes to get into the park and another fifteen before we made it to the alley gate. I took a quick peek to get an idea what to expect. There were three adults conversing there. Devin was standing behind the woman, Crystal. He clung to the Pikachu like it was his only life line.
Dean was handed a brief case by a short, stocky man. Dean nodded as if he was agreeing to something before placing the brief case on a dumpster to the side of a small shed. He clicked it open and began inspecting the contents.
"Wilder, you and Snyder go around and cover any other exits. Officer Reynolds and I will take the front." I ordered. Wilder nodded then took off. I then waited for confirmation that Wilder and Snyder made it to their end.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. This part was always difficult. You never knew if you were going to be shot at or if the culprit would just give up. I opened my eyes, then began the routine.
"Freeze!" I yelled as I tossed open the gate and drew my side arm.
Both Dean and Crystal spun around, their eyes wide open. They threw their hands into the air and gave surprisingly little resistance. The short man, however, immediately turned around and ran down the alley.
"Wilder, one of them is heading your way." I said into my walkie.
"Alright boss. Get ready, Snyder."
Several minutes went by. I proceeded to read off Crystal and Dean's rights and handcuffed them. They both seemed somber which they should be.
"Thanks for believing me." Devin said purposefully.
"I was just doing my job, kid." I replied.
"I guess we got too cocky. We never thought that anyone would listen to the kid." Dean said thoughtfully.
"You'll have plenty of time to think about your mistakes later." Devin replied.
"Shut up, kid." Dean muttered.
Emily's POV
"Emily?" I heard. I could scarcely believe what I was hearing.
"Devin..." I murmured in my trance-like state.
"Emily! I know that you can hear me! If you're mad at me, then I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to scare you!" Devin yelled again.
"Yeah right!" I yelled back angrily.
"Um… Emily, I think he's serious…" Brand muttered anxiously.
"I don't care! He didn't tell us what he had in mind! I saw those freaks take him! I thought he was gone forever!" I yelled at the poor Cyndaquil. Brand shrunk back as I yelled.
"Devin, we are over here." I spun around to see Jeffric floating four feet off the ground and waving in the direction that Devin's voice had been coming from.
"Why did you do that?" I hissed.
"Because, you were acting like a child. Devin did what he had to do to release your friends. It may have been dangerous, but he took action when no one else would. Be grateful that he and the rest of your friends are alright." Jeffric scolded.
"There you guys are. Why didn't y'all say anything earlier?" Devin asked as he trudged through the thickets.
"Why did you go off and scare me like that!" I shouted as I let loose a rather large bolt of electricity aimed directly at Devin.
Devin dove to the side as soon as he saw the bolt charging. It flew by him harmlessly. Jeffric tried to calm me down, but I wouldn't have any of it.
"Emily! I said I was sorry!" Devin screamed as I shot another bolt at him. At this point, I was only trying to scare him as much as he had scared me.
"Miss Emily, I am sorry, but I must restrain you. We would not want you to do anything you might regret."
I suddenly found myself flattened on the ground, I looked up to see that Elweard was on top of me. I instantly began to shock him, but I heard none of the pain that I thought I would.
"You still have much to learn about our world. I am resistant to your electric attacks." the Lucario said. I huffed and resorted to staring daggers at Devin who sat on the ground, trembling.
"Besides, I believe that Teresa will be saying a few words to the daredevil when he sees her next." Jeffric snickered. Devin's face turned pale.
Austin's POV
The camp was abuzz as people began to pack up the gear. Nobody paid me any heed as I bounded through the camp. Devin had recently come back with Emily and the others, so I was ready to go back to my old self.
I finally found the others near the cage they had held Teresa. Devin was slowly explaining what had transpired. Teresa had a dangerous glower growing on her as Devin reached the parts about being used as the bait. By the end of the tale, she looked as though she was about to blow. Had Elweard not presented Hope to Teresa, I think she would have brought him over her knee.
"It's good to see that everyone is alright." I said cheerily as I bounded up the rest of the group.
"And what were you doing when your brother was risking his life and future?" Teresa asked, her eyes were dangerously narrow.
"Um, I was, uh, helping him." I replied slowly.
"Right now you are supposed to be the…" Teresa looked over at Devin who, in return, glared at her, as if challenging her to say what he thought she was going to say. "Responsible one. And you went along with his cockamamie plan?"
"It wasn't like I had much choice. It's not like he understood my protests. Besides, I was in a cage!"
"He should have, I made it to where he should have been able to understand any of us." Jeffric piped up.
"Is that so?" I said, staring at my brother. I could see him visibly gulp. "When I am back to normal, I am going to end you with my bare hands."
"You won't have to. I'll do it before you!" Emily screeched. Sending off a discharge of yellow energy. She scratched at Elweard who didn't move a muscle. "Elweard get off of me!"
"I think that discipline might very well be a good idea in most situations, but not this one. Whether you like Devin's methods or not, he did get the police off our backs and captured three criminals. That warrants a pass in my books." Elweard replied coolly.
"So, what are you going to do with me?" a different voice piped up.
"What am I going to do with you? What does anyone do with a pest?" Devin said coldly. He strode over where Pic stood and picked the little mouse up off the ground by the scruff of his neck.
"You can hurt me all you want. I did cause all of this."
"It wouldn't be worth hurting you. You caused me a lot of pain, but I really don't hate you." Devin said neutrally, all of the earlier anger had simmered to glowing coals instead of a raging inferno.
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Why not go with that trainer who caught Devin and Ell? He didn't seem too bad." Emily suggested. Everyone stared at her as if she lost her mind.
"A trainer? Why would I want to go with a filthy human?" Pic asked.
"Pic, we are human. Would you say that we are evil?" I asked, to which he shook his head. "I can't say that every human is good, because that would be a complete lie, but most of us don't intend harm on our Pokémon."
"Chase is a good guy. He treated me well when I was with him. Besides, your sister is with him. You two would be able to stay together." Devin added.
"I-I'll give it a shot, but if he turns out to be terrible, then I'm out of there and I will hunt you all down."
"I wouldn't expect any different from you." Devin said with a smile.
I hope that I did alright with the whole police thing. I really don't know much about police investigations except for what I've seen on TV. Even then, most of that is fake. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! If y'all have anything to say be sure to leave a review and/or pm me. If you are enjoying the story, be sure to smash that favorite/follow button. This is shieldliger001, signing off.