Chapter Three – Fury
~Anger is often times overlooked as a primitive and simple emotion, but this is a common misconception. Anger is a flame that once ignited will burn indefinitely. If left unchecked, it will spread into a wildfire of vengeance and burn a path of destruction from which there is no return.
Solaris grimaced in mild frustration before calling his Pokémon back to its ball. He glared at the woman and her bird of ice and snow and issued a threat.
"Mark my words, this isn't the last time we'll meet on the battlefield and next time, I'll make sure you suffer."
Solaris turned to his men and ordered a retreat. He pressed a button on his watch before walking off briskly.
I called Gengar back to his ball before limping over to Professor Willow. He had begun searching the wreckage of the lab, sifting through the rubble until he uncovered my mom's body. She was bloody and bruised. Her eyes barely open. Somehow she had managed to survive the blast, but it wasn't by much. I fell by her side as Willow held her in his arms.
"Come on Amelia. Don't leave us." He said holding back tears.
I couldn't even think of what to say in that moment. Her eyes met mine as she silently watched me and I broke down. It came as a surprise when I heard her faint voice, barely above a whisper.
"You've grown into such a brave and handsome man… your father would be proud."
Just like that, she was gone. The tears fell faster than I could've imagined. I finally found my voice as I grabbed my mother from the professor and cradled her close.
"Don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me…"
Professor Willow put his hand on my shoulder as the rage inside built up. I sat my mom down before screaming out in frustration, unleashing my pent up aggression out into the night air. I clenched my fist before rising to my feet and running off toward Team Rocket.
"Ryan, don't!" Willow called out.
It was too late. I was already rushing off toward my fate. I dashed past the flames and jumped the crumbling fence and followed the path the grunts had taken to the gate to Pallet Town. When I arrived I found numerous grunts piling into awaiting cars and taking off. I suddenly heard the sound of helicopter blades as the wind around me grew fierce and I saw Solaris step from behind one of the vans and await the copter's arrival. Our eyes met almost instantly.
"Don't worry child, we'll settle this next time we meet. I promise that your mother won't be the last thing I take from you. Farewell boy."
He boarded the helicopter and it began to take flight when I felt a wave of rage fall over me as I grabbed a pokéball off of my belt and prepared to launch a strike for vengeance when I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, stopping me mid-motion.
"No. You must not get caught up in your anger. It will prevent you from making the logical choice."
Her voice froze me in my tracks. I turned and the woman from before was staring into my very core with her icy green eyes. I trembled as she released my hand and I watched the helicopter fly away.
"This isn't the time or place to sift through these emotions. We need to get your Pokémon emergency medical attention."
I silently followed Blanche back to the lab. When we arrived, Professor Willow and my mom were gone and a girl with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail that fell to her waist and bright blue eyes combated the flames with her Slowbro and Blastoise. She was dressed in a white tee with a sky blue jacket that was zipped to the chest to conceal most of her cleavage and black jeans with a black and blue bag at her side with a pokéball in the center. Her skin was a fair pink and the glow of the flames made her look… radiant.
"Good work Lucy. We need to extinguish the flames around Pallet town and return the Pokémon Team Rocket displaced. I'm sending out a signal to all nearby Team Mystic members to come and assist. They should be here within the hour."
"Sounds good! Blastoise and Slowbro should be good until then. We'll handle the lab, just make sure he's okay."
My rage subsided as a strange sense of embarrassment replaced it. I broke eye contact with Lucy and found myself gazing at the rubble of the laboratory where my mom took her last breaths.
"We need to get your Pokémon to Viridian City. That's the closest Pokémon center to Pallet. I shall escort you there."
As if on command, the giant blue bird touched down from the sky once more and kneeled forward for us. The woman climbed on and held her hand out to help me up. As soon as I was on the creature's back it took flight swiftly. We flew above the clouds in the cold night sky as the wind blew through my hair and we traveled with the stars surrounding us. The trees below us zoomed past us as the mythical bird of ice ferried us to Viridian. The ride seemed almost endless but at the same time, very brief. We touched down on the outskirts of Viridian just on the edge of Route 1 and in a flash, the bird Pokémon was gone. I didn't allow the rush of the trip to overshadow my concern for my friends as I rushed to the Pokémon center. The lights were on and inside awaiting me was a pink Pokémon with a smile on its face and a nurse's hat. I approached the Chansey and placed my pokéballs on the counter.
"My Pokémon need help; can you heal them?"
The Chansey smiled before taking my Pokéballs and putting them on a tray. It beamed with glee before calling out to the back as a woman with a nurse's hat, white apron, and pink hair came out the back room with a slight yawn.
"His Pokémon were injured fighting Team Rocket."
"Don't worry, we'll get them fixed up. You're both more than welcome to stay here for the night Blanche."
"Thanks Joy."
Nurse Joy and Chansey took the Pokémon into the next room to work on them as Blanche gestured for me to sit in the waiting area. Silently I walked over to the table and sat with my back against the wall facing the window. Blanche sat across from me.
"I sincerely apologize for my failure to protect you."
I was genuinely caught off guard by her comment. I looked at her in confusion as she crossed her fingers and placed her elbows on the table and her eyes filled with disappointment that appeared to be aimed inwardly.
"As the Team Mystic leader, it's my duty to protect the trainers and their Pokémon, especially from Team Rocket."
"I didn't ask you to protect me so there's no point in blaming yourself. It was up to me to beat them and I couldn't. That's why my mom…"
"It isn't up to any one person to beat Team Rocket. The only way they will be defeated is with a unified effort; from every trainer."
"If you say so…"
Her words made perfect sense but for some reason they just didn't fully register with me. Her demeanor was so calm and devoid of emotion that I was finding it hard to get a read on her.
"You are a powerful trainer, but you lack guidance. I would like for you to accompany me as I research evolution and search for the key to Team Rocket's demise."
I hesitated as I stared back at her blankly.
"What? Like, what would I even do? Take notes?"
"I will be training you along the way. Lucy is another trainer that I invited to accompany me on my quest and she acts as support to my endeavors as I train her to be a strong and intelligent trainer. Much like yourself. I like your passion as well as your strategy in battle. I wish to nurture that side of you and prevent you from losing those good qualities."
Lucy? Her apprentice? It was a hard idea to wrap my head around, travelling with Blanche and Lucy. I was the last trainer in Pallet Town now. Everyone had all left on their own quests and gone off into the world and now that mom was gone … maybe it was my turn?
"So if I go with you guys… will I see Solaris again?"
"Almost certainly." She replied.
"Fine. I will go with you both. I will train and become stronger and when I do, I'll destroy Team Rocket."
Blanche stood up from the table and turned as she headed for the door. Her voice almost sounded compassionate when she spoke next.
"Don't let hatred rule you. If you can rise above adversity, then there is no limit to what you can accomplish."
Just like that she was gone.
It was about an hour before Nurse Joy had returned with my Pokémon. She gave me a calm smile and pushed the tray of pokéballs toward me. I grabbed them and thanked her from the bottom of my heart. She escorted me upstairs to the rest area where I was confronted by a long corridor of rooms. She gave me the key for room fourteen. When I opened the door I found the room was much bigger than I thought it would've been. I found my way over to the bed and sat as I placed my pokéballs on the stand next to me. I sat in the dark room as a light shone through the window from the moon. I sat there bathed in moonlight and cried.
My chest tightened and my face burned as the tears streamed down my face. I was locked in such a painful crying fit that I didn't even realize I wasn't alone. I felt a small hand on my back as I opened my tear-filled eyes and saw Gengar sitting by my side. He wasn't the only one though. Flareon and Vaporeon were on the floor nuzzling my legs, Pidgeot wrapped his wing around me on my other side, and Nidoqueen sat nearby nuzzling my face with hers.
"At least we can be alone together. Thank you guys."