ACT X: CRIMSON-FINGERED.
"CONFOUND THIS!" A frustrated Nanaba roared, slamming a fist on the sturdy glass separating him from the lean figure on the other side. "I've tried everything, EVERYTHING! Drugs, chemicals, ungodly pain-inducing toxins and even voltage high enough to kill Zapdos itself! WHY WON'T YOU AWAKEN, MACHINA?!"
The body on the other side, as always, kept to himself, floating aloofly in his liquid cell and smiling that infuriating smile of his that never failed to mock the enraged scientist's efforts.
"Damn," Nanaba muttered before turning and resting his back against the glass. Raising a shaky hand, he ran his calloused fingers over his sparsely-filled crown and sighed. How long had he been here now? Two months? Three? A year? It was hard to tell now, given how restrained he was from the outside world. Days had long since melded into weeks and probably ran into several months now, leaving him somewhat thirsty for freedom.
Freedom that he would get, if this troublesome thing behind him so much as opened his eyes.
"You are one hell of a case, you know that?" he asked, rhetoric question bouncing softly across the black walls. "Because of you, I haven't seen my grandchildren in ages."
This hopeless version of him was pathetic, surfacing only when he was under extreme stress which was a phenomenon he rarely underwent. That was why he always locked himself in this room, just so he wouldn't dishearten the younger colleagues someday. It was strange, now that he thought about it.
For the past three weeks, Nanaba had always found himself on this spot next to the cause of his problems each time he felt disheartened. Was Todd's presence calming? Not in the least, given how Nanaba's chest clenched each time he gazed upon that near ghostly face. However, it wasn't wrong to surmise that he found some sort of outlet for his bottled up emotions in the form of the silent boy. Every day he'd come here, cursing and kicking up a storm and this Todd would take them as they came and went, sleeping through everything and only offering his smile in return.
Absent-mindedly, Nanaba fished out a crumpled photo from his breast-pocket and gazed at the little boy holding a Cyndaquil and staring away from the camera. His oldest grandson would be turning 10 soon, or maybe he already had and was off on his Pokemon journey, bright-eyed and spry like others his age. Nanaba had promised to see him at his send-off and it took all of the man's willpower at that moment not to fly into a terrible rage and demand his release from his captors in white.
White. A once pristine colour that now seemed more like an everlasting curse now to the old scientist. What if Todd never woke up? Would this colour forever be the sight he would wake up to for the rest of his life?
No. Fujisaki Nanaba was not a man to give up. There had to be an answer to this problem, that much he knew. If Cyrus purchased this monster then he must've had some plan to awaken him before his untimely death. All the scientist had to do was discover it! Yes, surely there was some way he hadn't tried yet. He would find that way and exploit it to the fullest just to make Todd stir.
"You will wake up," he vowed once again, glaring at the figure encased in arclite. "You will."
And like previous visits, Nanaba strolled briskly out of the room, shutting the door and making his way to his lab for another bout of sleepless nights. And just like before, Todd offered his retreating form an unnatural u-shaped smile.
Little did the frustrated professor that his awakening was closer than he believed.
Route 205.
Pain.
The young man with blazing red hair drew a raggedy breath and wiped the blood from his throbbing head. Surrounding him where men and Pokémon of different shapes and sizes, all under one heavy umbrella that was the military insignia.
AKA Team Galactic's stylized shield.
The head among them must've been shouting something but his physical senses where too exhausted to even comprehend anything beyond his nose, melting sight, smell and hearing into one grating, noisy blur. All he could feel was the sensation of rain pelting his stinging wounds and the slick texture of his Toxicroak's back, pressed against his. Oh yeah, and the never-ending PAIN.
"Hey, Ross," he called in his raggedy voice.
"Yeah," the Toxicroak replied like he had been speaking human since he was born.
"Hehe, never mind. Just wanted to make sure you're alive, is all."
"Speak for yourself, Andrei."
"Ex-major Andrei Bosnik!" the leading captain barked through his, frankly unneeded, megaphone. "Return your Pokémon, drop your guard and submit quietly to the Sinnohvian Council. This is your final warning!"
"The hell did he say? I can't hear him in all this pounding rain," Andrei hissed.
"I think he wants us to surrender."
The redhead's brow twitched. These grunts were seriously wasting his time and each passing second only meant a bigger build-up in the pain coursing through his limbs and head. "So you kill my Pokémon, chase me all the way to this dump and tell me to surrender NOW? Sinnohvian Council, my ass! Tell those Galactic assholes of yours to go fuck themselves. And while you're at it, take your warning and shove it up your mother's piss-hole, jar-head!"
Andrei took a deep breath afterwards, happy that his senses were so muddled as he wasn't up to it to listen to the captain's angry tirade.
'Besides', he inwardly thought as he closed his eyes and went still. 'I'd rather die than join that freak-show circus Saturn's running. Although to be fair…I'm already part of 'em!'
In the darkness, several blue lights flickered to life and Andrei took in another deep breath. His brain quickly deciphered which light belonged to whom and in no time, he had pinpointed his targets.
"Destroy them!" the leader ordered and every soldier and corresponding Pokémon took their steps forward in unison. The second their feet landed on the wet ground, Andrei snapped his fingers and like a rocket, was propelled forward as something akin to blue light exploded from his knuckles. One had to keep one's eyes peeled so as not to miss the split-second punch smashing into a soldier's nose and knocking him into the tank where he landed with a crunch.
"Shit, he's one of them!" another soldier cried, firing away. However, the red blur swept passed him, taking the gun and his hands along and sending him down in a flurry of blood and screams. The blur danced from man to man, bringing gory hell on them all till it stopped right in the center of the field. Andrei stopped his spinning by dragging an outstretched foot on the earth, sending soil and curious red sparks flying.
"Damn," the captain hissed as he gazed at the red protrusions where his middle fingers should've been. In a way, it resembled his Toxicroak's spikes and that scared them all more than ever. "So this is a Major's power. You were one of those involved in the precursor project, weren't you?"
"Don't know, don't care," Andrei replied and raised a spike to the man. "Now get the fuck outta here or I'll make sure you join them."
"Ha, like hell!" he snapped, disappearing into the confines of his tank. "If you think the Council would send us on a manhunt without the proper tools then think again! This is anti-precursor equipment, boy!"
With a bang, the tank launched a sizzling shot at Andrei who jumped and avoided it. Spinning in the air, he came down with all the force he could muster and assaulted the armoured exterior mercilessly. However, he let out a curse as his weapons shattered upon impact and dispersed into simple light.
"Fine then," he sneered, landing a few feet away and clapping his palms against each other to form a pulsating red ball. "What about this!"
The sphere whizzed through several Pokémon and soldiers before exploding an inch away from the tank, rocking it over but not quite blowing it to pieces. If anything, there wasn't a single dent on the reflective surface.
"Fuck!" Andrei dove to the side to avoid a return shot and landed painfully on his arm before rolling to his shaky feet, all the while sizzling as the captain jeered.
"We know all about you so-called Aura-users," he sneered as the machine gave a whirl and began to make several dangerous clicks. "Heroes of legend who changed the fate of the world and all that Tauros-crap when in fact you're simply manufactured by genetic enhancements. You're not a freaking Lucario so you can't harness that power like those Pokémon can and that's why you'll die here!"
Screeching, the tank's barrel expanded and several parts began to shoot out of its steaming crevices, whirring and screwing against each other until a massive cannon the width of two Mamowine piled on each other was staring Andrei in the face.
"Hey, hey, that's a pretty dangerous toy to give a mere child," Andrei growled to which the captain gave another cruel snarl.
"Joke all you want but you'll be the one obliterated in the end, along with these worthless comrades of mine!" he roared and light built up around the rims of the cannon, coalescing into one gigantic Aura-bomb. "This machine has been incorporated with information from experimented Lucario. Everything can be achieved through science, even Pokémon powers! And there's nothing you can do to stop yourself from being wiped out."
Andrei forcefully ground his teeth together, yellow eyes flickering. There was no way he could take such a massive blast and stopping it was out of the question. Dodging the blast radius would also be problematic and all-round impossible if the bomb was really as powerful as it looked. And sacrificing his comrades?! Yes, it was flattering to know that his life was worth that much but it still pissed Andrei to no end that inconsiderate people such as this mad captain existed and ruled over others.
Also, this bomb was taking a while to charge since the captain had been raving for the past minute and a half. Ah well. Might as well pull the old generic card. More so that his muscles were beginning to scream from that god-awful pain.
"Ross," Andrei called, interrupting the captain's rant. His Toxicroak landed beside him, holding a beat-up Machamp. "Good, looks like you brought some material."
"Your aura can't penetrate it, Sir?"
"No shit. So I need you to get in that tank."
"Ha!" the captain jeered. "Are you outta of your mind? This tank in impenetrable-"
"To aura-users," Andrei cut-in and smirked acidly at the captain's stupidity. "But how about a powerful enough physical force?"
With a grunt, Ross launched the Machamp into the air, leapt after it and landed a powerful elbow smash on its middle, sending the fighting type down on the tank's hatch so quickly that the armour dented before cracking audibly. Almost immediately, the Toxicroak came down on both the Machamp and the tank with a Focus Punch and the captain choked on his spit as the tank's falling hatch crushed his hands against the control board, sending the machine haywire. Screaming as his tank began to whirl like a crazy merry-go-round, all he saw was the figure of Ross and Andrei charging Focus Blasts and Aura Spheres in both palms respectively.
"Flexible Arclite," Andrei stated as the captain began to beg and scream. "It's pretty hard against special attacks but for some reason, brute strength of a fighting-type's level alone is all that's needed to smash its brittle exterior. Trust me, I'd have been screwed if this tank was lined with real Arclite but then again, that would've made it pretty heavy to move around. I should know because I helped test it after all."
His eyes took on a nasty glint as the pain drove him madder. "I can't believe my big brother Mercury worked with you assholes. This is for him and all my Pokémon that you bastards killed."
The two jumped off as they nonchalantly dropped their attacks and once they were at a far enough distance, Andrei snapped his fingers. The aura trigger linking both attacks vanished instantly and the resulting column-shaped explosion blew a clear hole through the grey clouds above.
"That was fun," Ross commented as soon as they landed. Andrei shielded his eyes from the harsh light of the blast and hissed.
"For you only, since you ain't the one who's injured and banged up. C'mon, I need a stiff drink and some shut-eye."
Cutting his aura-flow out like an extinguishing flame, his middle fingers lost their bladed-sheaths and red lines formed under his eyes like vivid mascara. They were his stamps, labelling him as an unusual human and an ex- tool of Team Galactic. Another infuriating thought that accentuated his pain.
Andrei Bosnik returned his only Pokémon, took one step forward and collapsed unto the wet ground in a heap, only remembering the shrapnel in his body that had been causing him all this pain in the first place as his vision flickered to black once more.
Ten minutes later, shiny pink boots sloshed their way through the puddles and stopped at the body on the ground being pelted by the heavy rain. Nina took one look at the surrounding chaos, placed a hand on Andrei's limp arm and effortlessly hefted him onto her shoulder. Hearing a sharp click, she left her head fall to the side, stabbing into the soul of the last living soldier in the charred site.
Without so much as a hesitant breath, her Gabite had shredded the nuisance down to the marrow in minutes.
If he could, Andrei would've stayed asleep forever. Sleep gave him momentary peace of mind, allowing him to bask in childish dreams and forget life's troubles like passing out at random times and sleeping on dirt like he had been doing for the past few months.
However…was dirt always this warm and fluffy?
Snapping open his yellow eyes, the ex-soldier bolted upright and made a quick survey of his surroundings. It was a room, possibly belonging to a Pokémon Center seeing as the floor tiles were red and white, traditional Poké Ball colours. The single bed he was on accounted for the warmth and softness he felt and Andrei instinctively felt for Ross's sphere. His fingers met skin instead of cloth and he narrowed his eyes in concern. Someone had taken off his shirt. Luckily, he found it neatly folded on the chair nearby and a gleaming Poké Ball sat atop it, scratched from age.
Andrei knew without needing to use his aura that Ross was in there, resting. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he ran his fingers over his messy bangs, habitually leaving the middle finger out. It was a little habit born from the years of living as an aura user as he was afraid he'd hurt himself, even if such fears were largely unwarranted.
"Who brought me here?" he murmured, closing his eyes and focusing on the aura in the vicinity. He could sense the Nurse Joys and their Chansey bustling through the corridors and medical wings along with passing trainers and their loyal Pokémon. Their chatter was as loud as ever and each emotion was sifted through as Andrei tried to find the aura directed at him.
She was close, he surmised as he picked up a signature on the lower floor, walking up the stairs. She seemed to be young. Most likely started her training recently. Who exactly was she, though? Her aura was rather cold and silent compared to the vivid ones he encountered naturally. It was like a still flame, neither flickering nor flaring. And unlike the gentle calming blue/disgusting green of most aura- which was an oversimplified range in his terms- this one was dark red. Almost black. Almost like a-
"GAH!" he yelped as his head succumbed to an invisible blow, disrupting his flow and jarring his vision for a second. Grabbing his pulsating head, Andrei fell back with a low groan and rolled pathetically to and fro. "Owowowow….what the fuck was that? Some kind of aura lock or something?"
"…You're awake."
Frankly, Andrei never even heard the girl come in and as such it was perfectly logical for him to launch into a battle stance like an agitated Seviper, his "fangs" aka middle fingers fully extended. Nina stared blankly at his posture and frowned harder.
"Greeting your saviour with gestures as crude as the extended middle fingers only proves my point that Sinnohvian Soldiers are trained to be unruly Chimchar."
"The hell you say, brat!" he snapped while carefully analysing her. Black hair, red eyes, an affinity for the colours black and pink and a rather haughty-looking Piplup on her head. She looked a bit tall for her age and sported a deceiving figure but all in all, she didn't scream "dangerous" in his eyes. Well, not counting her unreadable aura of course.
"He's looking at you with lecherous eyes, Nina," he heard her Piplup whisper and snapped accordingly. "Oh great, he can hear me too."
"Of course I can hear you," he replied rudely, noting Atria's haughty tone. "I'm a…"
Nina tilted her head at the sudden pause before turning away, once again shrouded in disinterest. "I'll take it that you know where you are so I won't have to explain myself. Your clothes were wet so I took them off before you could catch a cold."
"You were the one who took 'em off?! On purpose?!"
Her red eyes narrowed. "No, in my sleep."
"…You're being sarcastic…right?" With her tone, the poor guy couldn't tell. Ignoring him, Nina dropped the paper bag she had been holding and took out a three packs of Pokémon food.
"We've been through this, Nina. I'm not eating peasant food," Atria growled once the pack was held out to her. Sighing, the ravenette dropped it nonchalantly on the floor and released Gabite before handing him his ration, one he accepted gratefully. Lastly, she tossed the third pack to Andrei who caught it with a raised hand.
"For your Toxicroak."
"Thanks," he said, putting it down on the desk and shifting. "So…are you gonna step out or will I just have to get dressed in front of you. I don't strip for free, kiddo."
"It's not like you've got anything to hide," Nina replied, making him redden in annoyance…and possible shame.
"Y-you little-"
"You're really from the army, aren't you?" Nina cut in, now standing straighter. "I saw your ID."
Andrei stiffened. "The hell? Didn't your parents ever teach you not to go through people's stuff?"
"Answer the question, semi-human," Atria demanded, jolting him with her sharp tone.
"You…what did you call me?" he choked out in disbelief. I know Pokémon can sense aura but mine should've been far too masked to lead to such a conclusion-
"I'll take your silence as a yes," Nina stated, stepping forward. Her feet made no sound whatsoever and that started to set off warning bells in Andrei's mind. "Judging from the mess you left earlier, I can only conclude that you defaulted and now the entire military division is after you. You're a wanted criminal, masked only because the government just couldn't afford to have your identity leaked."
This…was bad. This girl was startlingly accurate. Exhaling, Andrei decided to play it cool. She was just a kid anyway, anyone could've made that guess. At least, that's what he chose to believe.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, kid. Now go away and let me change."
THUMP.
Andrei arched a brow as Nina sat herself on the edge of the bed.
"Please don't play dumb, Andrei Bosnik. It will only waste time. I hate wasting time."
Was there an element of a threat in those words? Damn it, that stupid aura block made this girl totally unreadable! Little smartass… Guess he'll just have to take the gruff route.
"You don't know what you're saying, girl. Now I appreciate your unneeded help but if you dive any further, I'm gonna have to get rough. Move."
"Oh? Why?"
Because those dull red eyes were starting to creep the fuck out of him. "Dammit, you shitty brat, mind your fucking business!"
Nina slapped him. It wasn't hard, hell, it was akin to a playful smack one would give a mischievous child. Stunned, Andrei could only let his jaw hang open as the girl smiled eerily.
"Andrei Bosnik, you are an aura-user, correct? Most likely an experiment of Team Galactic's? A failed one, from the looks of it, seeing as they taught you no manners whatsoever."
The bells began their steady accent. Crap.
"I'll get straight to the point. I am Nina Zoom and I wish to destroy Team Galactic. Seeing as it's melded into Sinnoh's governmental society, I believe that makes me a terrorist of sorts. As you can see, however, I am a bit green when it comes to the world of Pokémon-"
Her Gabite snorted.
"-And I certainly can't fight the organisation alone-"
Atria coughed.
"-so I'll need your help. It should be fine, since you hate them just as much as I do."
"Wait a minute, how do you know all this stuff?"
"I have my sources," Nina replied, toying mindlessly with her sleek hair. "Now then, I won't just make you do something for me without equal payment. What, Mr Bosnik, would it take for you to join me on this absurd journey?"
The bells were getting louder and louder. This girl knew way too much. She could prove a liability. If that was the case…
"Like…LIKE I'D ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM A CRAZY KID!" he snapped, throwing off the covers, unsheathing a red claw of aura around his middle finger and holding it to her neck. It was a little unsettling seeing no reaction from her Pokémon or even Nina herself but Andrei held his weapon up anyway. "Now look here," he started fiercely. "I don't know you, you don't know me. You're not obligated to look into a stranger's life and I sure as hell ain't feeling up to it to follow some delusional kid on a hopeless journey. Therefore nothing you say or do warrants my attention; we're just two strangers who happened to meet by some twist of fate, got it?"
Lips parted, Nina gave the claw a curious look and, for the briefest of moments, Andrei was very sure her aura slipped out within those crimson eyes.
He had never felt so cold in his entire life. The bells were reaching a feverish pitch.
"O…oi…" he stammered, amazed that he himself could do such a thing. "This is-"
Nina sighed (he caught the tiny trail of black smoke) and raised a hand. In the blink of an eye, her index finger and thumb grasped the reddish weapon and Andrei's eyes widened, seeing her skin hiss and burn.
"Hey, don't go touching that or you'll-"
"I need you to understand something, Andrei," she butted in once more, tightening her hold as he tried to pull away. Where did this sudden strength come from? And didn't she notice her roasting fingers? "I am not like the normal people you're used to. I am different. Different from humans, different from Pokémon and different from you. I…am the superior being here."
A crack was heard and Andrei practically arched back in pain as Nina shattered the weapon, and hence a good portion of his life force, in one single squeeze. Jumping back so fast that he slammed his back against the headboard, the redhead held his throbbing arm and drew several deep breathes, trying to assuage the pain. Nina didn't give him such pleasure as her fingers snaked their way around his ankle and drew him back to position, under her gaze.
What was this feeling welling up in his chest as she parted her red lips once more, exposing glistening, and oddly conical, teeth? Fear?
"It hurts, right? You must be very confused." She held up her steaming fingers, now burned to the bone. In a second, muscle tissue once more connected with muscle tissue, giving Andrei a good view of her impressive regenerative prowess.
"You…you're a monster…"
"I am your superior," she corrected, neither proudly nor humbly, almost as if it was a fact built into some imaginary hierarchy. "When I tell you to jump, you jump, when I tell you to move, you move and when I tell you to bring me the head of your brother…"
Her lips drew close to his ear. "Well, we'll just have to see, won't we? Be glad that I'm even offering payment and I suggest you take my offer, seeing as it benefits us both and you have no choice otherwise."
Swallowing, Andrei steeled his gaze despite the bells ringing at full blast. "And if I said no? If I tried to run or fight back, what would you do? I've taken on monsters far bigger than some…some messed up girl who was most likely used as a guinea pig by Team Galactic."
In that moment, a cloud seemed to pass over the sun, swallowing its brightness and bringing a shadow over the faces of Nina and her Pokémon.
"Stubborn. I like that."
If those warning bells rang any louder, someone's head was going to burst.
"But if you're too stubborn, I just might have to do away with you."
It was brief. A quick struggle, a sharp jab, a grip like death itself and a blow that knocked the wind from his lungs. In the dim natural light, Andrei was on his back, barely clothed and stripped of his dignity and freedom by the smiling ravenette on his chest, gripping his head so tightly that her nails broke the skin on his scalp.
The bells reached their climax and the town's clock tower rang in tune, bringing an end to Andrei's old life. At that moment, the nineteen year old felt like prey, ready to be devoured by a dragon who he had foolishly challenged.
Oddly enough, something came undone in his mind. What it was remained his to guess but he felt… freer than before, knowing that such a dangerous entity was before him.
"Accept and live. Refuse and be replaced. Arceus, you're pretty forceful even if you don't look it."
"So that's a yes?"
"Yeah, yeah," he replied gruffly, slightly ashamed at being bested by a girl, even if she was supposedly inhuman. "But you said I get whatever I want in return, right?"
A nod.
"Fine then," he mumbled, scratching his cheek. "We'll…discuss payment later. For now…could you please get off me now?"
"And that's the sum of it," Andrei sighed as Ross pushed another block of pokémon food through his red lips with deliberate care.
"Huh. You actually plan to stay with this girl?"
"Of course not," the man huffed, looking around to make sure the object of their conversation wasn't in sight. Thankfully, only the flickering aura of various trainers registered in his mind as he gazed about the pedestrian-filled city square. Then again, sensing her aura had proved useless last time so his paranoia merely heightened. "I ain't some lil' girl's pet. I've got my own stuff to do and frankly, tagging along with that freak isn't one of them."
"Hoho, you sound conflicted," Ross pointed out, his irritating calmness beginning to grate on his master's sizzling pride.
"And what the hell are you so damn calm about?"
"I was just thinking that since you really have nothing to do at the moment aside from running from Team Galactic- don't glare, you know it's true- why not spend do something productive and actually take action against those denizens. Miss Zoom sounded more than willing to help."
Andrei cocked an incredulous brow. "Miss Zoom? So she's an authority in your mind now?"
Ross's expression was of genuine confusion. "What else should I make of the person who bested my master?"
"Fuck you. And I'm leaving the first chance I get. There's no way I'm joining her on that suicide mission, no matter how powerful she is."
Ross allowed for a comfortable pause, relaxing on his chair and mimicking Andrei's posture, arms crossed and feet planted firmly on the ground. The Toxicroak knew, after a good number of years spent observing, that Andrei was in his thinking pose. He was at his most reasonable in this state and if the pokémon hoped to reach him, he'd have to do it fast.
"Sir, if I may be so brazen, I think you're scared."
"Huh?" Andrei sent him a savage glare. "Care to repeat that?"
"I know you heard me, sir. I'm a Pokémon and we can sense these things, in case you might have forgotten."
"Tch. I ain't scared of nothing."
"Then why the conflicted look? Sir, I understand how foolhardy this request might seem but I'll need you to set aside your cowardice and consider Ms Zoom's offer logically. You get to topple the very organisation that ruined us and what's more, live in relative peace so long as that trainer's with you."
"P-pardon?"
Ross deadpanned. "I see the liberated look in your eyes, sir. You've finally found someone who is stronger than you and can therefore-"
"Stop right there," Andrei cut-in sharply, earning an eye roll from his partner. "Shoving sentiments aside, what if Nina fails? She doesn't seem to know just how big this organisation is and the possible repercussions will most definitely be rough for a kid like her."
"And you care because?" Ross fired back quickly but quietly. "Your contract with her sounded like it was built specifically for her own selfish reasons so it shouldn't be a problem if something happened to her. She does owe it to you to take responsibility. Besides… that look in her eyes tells me that she's considered and accepted every possible factor in this mission. You're more worried about what will happen to you, aren't you?"
"I could die."
Ross sipped from his tea cup nonchalantly. "Yes, you could. In which event, I will gladly die beside you."
"I'm touched," Andrei deadpanned, falling face down against the table and letting out a frustrated groan. "Why do you insist, anyway?"
"Simple." The Toxicroak set down his cup. "I am tired of running."
Silence.
Silence.
Sighing loudly, Andrei rubbed his spiky hair as he stared at the sky. "…Fine. Whatever. I'll keep this girl company, okay?"
"Glad to know-"
"But the moment she becomes incompetent, we're leaving," Andrei stated in his commanding tone. "Understood?"
Ross closed his eyes with a knowing smile. "Of course, sir."
On cue, both heard a fairly loud shout and reflexively turned their heads in the direction of the unwelcome noise that was startling enough to catch the attention of just about every person in the square. Realising that Nina was in that direction, the two stood up in unison and began their brisk walk, wondering just what was going on.
Their answer came in the form of a rough-looking boy currently chatting his head off at their new companion, who by the looks of it, knew him and possibly hated his guts but was too civil to express it openly.
"It's Piff, remember?" the obnoxious boy continued, pointing at himself incessantly. "Geez, we saw each other twice already, back in Sandgem and Oreburgh. At least try to remember your rival."
Nina tilted her head in confusion. "Rival…? You?"
"Agh, dammit, look!" he cried, throwing off his hood in exasperation and exposing his untamed raven hair. "You don't see this handsome face every day, do you?"
To be frank, Andrei had to disagree at that last point. Piff's eyes were far too angular to be male model material.
"Oh…" Nina's scowl broadened even further. "You."
"Finally," Piff sighed, blatantly ignoring the acid she pumped into that last word. "So what're you doing here? I'd have thought you'd be all the way in Eterna by now. Me? I'm just here because thunder-thighs- I mean, Cynthia demanded a rest. We've been travelling for six days straight, yeah? And you won't believe the crazy stuff we've been through."
"Like…exposing a mass murderer?"
"Yes! How did you know-"
Atria not-so-discreetly pointed to the newsstand nearby where the boy's picture was virtually smeared across the front page, obscured only by the even larger image of a smirking Cynthia with the words "Brave female trainer exposes serial killer to be a Darkrai!" in bold print and underneath in much smaller text, "Aided by her travelling companion."
"Whoa, news travels fast, yeah?" Piff laughed, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "By now you must be itching for an autograph and I don't mind if you stop breathing because the awesome me is standing right in front of you-"
Silence.
"But my duty as a trainer and rival comes first!" Piff stated, very loudly. Making an over-dramatic pose, he held a Pokéball just inches from Nina's blank stare and grinned. "LET'S HAVE AN EPIC RIVAL BATTLE-"
"YOU'RE TOO FREAKING LOUD!" a blonde girl roared, spear-tackling Piff from behind with enough force to send them both on the ground, Piff's face first. With enough knots on her forehead that could put a Primeape to shame, Cynthia wrapped her hands around the dazed boy's neck and forcefully cut him off from any more oxygen, lest his annoying voice blow more holes into her head.
"You know these clowns?" Andrei inquired as Nina daintily stepped away from the writhing, screaming trainers.
"I wish I didn't," Nina replied blandly, walking past him. "The boy is right about one thing though. I should be at Eterna by now, or at least near it."
"Oh come on, we just got here yesterday," Atria complained from the comfort of Nina's arms. "I'm tired of seeing tree after tree every day."
"At least you aren't doing the walking," Andrei mumbled and was about following when Piff's obnoxious tone hit the air once more.
"Wait just a minute, we haven't even battled and- hey, who're you?"
Considering that Piff's fingers had somehow laced around the hem of Andrei's jacket, he obviously wasn't letting go without an answer. This boy was either an attention hog or just liked to hear himself speak.
"Hey Nina, is this your boyfriend? Gee, I didn't know you were into older guys-"
"Piff!" Cynthia barked sharply, bopping him on the head before turning apologetically to Andrei. "I am so sorry for my idiot friend's behaviour. He's just a little chatty because I allowed him to have coffee at the Pokémon Centre."
"S'okay," Andrei said nonchalantly, too busy reading her aura. She was the serious kind, from the looks of it. Maybe not as bland as Nina but definitely a bad (or maybe good) match-up for the obnoxious boy currently rubbing his aching head.
Speaking of which, Andrei couldn't get an exact lock on said boy's aura. It wasn't invisible like Nina's, that much was certain. It just…flared all over the place like a Mankey on sugar-rush, hard to keep track of and headache inducing to read. The redhead had seen such kinds of people though so Piff didn't strike him as anything special. He was just another excitable child with an awful lot of willpower, waiting to be broken in by life's harsh reality.
"So…battle?" Piff piped up once a considerable silence had gone by (considerable meaning four seconds, approximately). Cynthia was just about declining for them when Andrei spoke up.
"Sure, why not."
If Nina glared, he didn't want to look at it as Atria's venomous hiss gave him all the indication he needed of Nina's reluctance.
"If I'm going to accompany you, I might as well see how strong you really are. With Pokémon, that is," he mumbled, loud enough for only Nina to hear without looking at her. It took a few tense seconds before she finally shuffled her pink-clad feet over to the smirking Piff, keeping her eyes deadpan and her lips pressed in an ominous line.
Piff's grin was starting to look like a Gengar's by the time Nina set Atria down. "Finally." Taking out a Poké Ball, he tossed it once before declaring, "Try not to kill my Pokémon like Roark's."
"Duly noted," Nina replied and both Andrei and Cynthia shivered at her monotone reply.
Before said battle began, Cynthia just had to speak up quickly, at least to confirm that, "Wait, you're not doing it here, ri-"
"Go Wooper!"
And there goes our plan of staying low till Eterna. "I'm going to get Minel," Cynthia sighed, already stomping off. "We'll be at the PC so be sure to rush there once this is over."
"Hey, don't make it sound like we're losing!" Piff yelled back before pumping a fist as he faced Nina squarely. "We're strong too so let's make this worthwhile!"
Cautiously, Andrei stepped back as soon as he saw Nina's finger twitch. "I'm reffing. Start anytime."
"Bubblebeam."
Atria was fast and the more bubbles she let loose, the closer they seemed to bullets as each once struck the dopey Wooper with enough force to send waves up and down her slimy frame. The water fish slid back for a bit before shaking off the attack and standing tall.
"Told ya," Piff snickered. "Headbutt!"
Wooper actually jumped back at first, surprising the onlookers but only till they saw her fall on her tail, using it to propel her body forward at top speed.
"Dodge," Nina ordered and Atria managed to avoid the attack though she suffered a slight graze on the wing as Wooper flew past.
"Keep it coming!" Piff continued excitedly and Nina hooked on to his tactic as he saw Wooper bounce off the statue right behind Atria. The Piplup dodged the next round and the attack after that, firing bubblebeams left and right only to find the target getting progressively faster as she whizzed by. It turned out that Wooper was gathering speed from all that momentum gained by bouncing off the several obstructions in the vicinity, namely the statues, benches, a foodstand and the occasional person standing too close. By the time Andrei caught on, Wooper was a blue blur across the open space and once she slammed into Atria, he almost called the match in Piff's favour. After all, what Piplup remained conscious after being knocked flying into a railing by a (slimy) cannon ball.
However, Atria stood nonetheless and even had the nerve to snootily wipe the dust from her feathers. "Is that it?"
"No way, your Piplup is tough!" Piff exclaimed just as Wooper skidded to halt with a soft jiggle. "No trainer I battle survived that technique. Ah well, Wooper will just go faster-"
"It's flawed," Nina cut in and nodded to Atria. "Severely."
And before Andrei could stop her, Atria launched an array of bubbles at anywhere but the Wooper, shattering the near-by statues and chasing more than a few people away.
"What the fuck!" the redhead growled as the last bubble blew a clear hole through the tree he was leaning on a mere five seconds ago. Andrei would've gone on to snap about racking up costs for property damage had he not seen just how sparse the area had become.
"Wooper can't bounce off as many things as she could initially," Nina stated solemnly and Atria cracked her knuckles. "That technique of yours relies on how close the objects of collision are. It's basic physics now. The farther said objects are, the longer it will take for Wooper to accelerate. Well…not like I'd let you reach them anyway."
"So you were getting a feel of our technique, huh? That's my rival!" Piff replied, making Andrei arch a brow at his confidence and Nina wince irritably. Did he have more techniques on hand?
"Looks like we're winging it from here, Wooper!"
Andrei should've known.
"Mud bomb!"
"Bubblebeam."
Both moves collided, spraying splotches of dirt everywhere. Atria used that chance to get in close and drove her curled wing into Wooper's abdomen. Her Pound-attack proved useless however as the Pokémon absorbed the impact due to her squishy frame.
"You'll never get us that way, Nina! Headbutt!"
Grunting, Wooper threw her head forward but Atria dodged, following up with another futile Pound. The cycle repeated all too quickly and Andrei couldn't tell if Nina was concerned or bored since her face remained blank as a slate. Piff, on the other hand, was all explosions and geodude-powered dynamite, waving his arms left and right like some idiotic conductor. This was just some anime to him, wasn't it? Oh, if only he knew Nina's plan.
"Gotten a good spot?" the dark-haired girl suddenly asked as the battling Pokémon separated, panting. Atria brushed her dirtied wing with a grimace and nodded. "Good. Go for it with a Peck."
"I told you," Piff said and shot a fist forward. "It's useless! Now then Wooper, slam 'em!"
"Wooper!" she cried, waving her tail till it began to fluoresce like a light bulb.
"CHARGE!" he yelled and his Pokémon was in the air, zooming towards Atria with all the force she could muster concentrated on her tail.
"Oh Arceus…" Andrei murmured, looking away as Nina's eyes took on that dangerous gleam. "I can't bear to watch."
Atria's order was simple. "Peck."
If Piff hadn't caught on before, he surely did now as his eyes widened in realisation (and in no small part, horror) at his stupidity. "W-Wooper! STOP!"
Too late. Thanks to her speed and tunnel-vision, Wooper had no time to decelerate or even turn and use her tail as Atria jumped forward and stuck her beak out, all the while thinking about how much soap it would take to wash the oncoming grime.
Piff learned something that day. Wooper make a weird popping sound similar to a water balloon when stabbed in the chest.
"Holy shit!" he cried, ignoring the fact that Johnny's vocabulary was slowly corrupting his. Running to his "deflated" Pokémon, he stopped short upon seeing the watery red blood now soaking the ground (and his shoes).
Atria rubbed her beak and spat in disgust, turning to her trainer while gesturing to her bloodstained face. "You're cleaning this."
"Hey," Andrei said, noticing how still Piff had gone. "Atria could've dodged that attack, Nina. You didn't have to freaking scar the boy-"
"I can assume you've seen the difference between us, Piff," Nina interrupted, watching the boy. "I hope you also understand why I won't associate myself with tactless kids who just wander aimlessly with Pokémon for the "fun" of it."
She scooped up Atria and turned, not even giving him a second glance. "Consider this a warning. Next time you challenge me without knowing your limits, I'll do the same thing to you as I did to Roark and show you just who should be wielding the super powered animals on this world."
Andrei trailed Nina with his eyes as she walked past him, subjecting herself to Atria's sassy complaints over being referred to as an "animal" (waste of breath, in Andrei's opinion, since the girl was most likely focused on something else). The fact that she had just brutalised a trainer's Pokémon with no remorse whatsoever might've struck a chord in Andrei's heart but then again, her words did hold some truth.
This girl was mature. Too mature. She…just might pull off that crazy goal of hers.
"Your Wooper's still alive, you know," Andrei stated as he too began to follow after Nina. "Get her to a PC. And a bit of advice, kid. You should learn to read people more. Nina's dangerous. Don't come near her if you want your partners to live. Bye."
Hearing nothing in return, Andrei guessed that the boy was too shell-shocked to even speak. It was natural, he supposed. Ah well, that wasn't his problem.
At least, not until the boy opened his fat trap again.
"Yeesh, it was brutal but that was still a good match."
Nina visibly stilled and Piff picked up his Pokémon before returning her to the safety of her ball.
"I made the right choice in rivals, heh!"
Was this boy…retarded? Andrei thought, eyes somewhat wide. Where was the shock, anger and curses that any normal human being should've been spitting out by now? Did he not care for his Pokémon's wellbeing?
"I'll take what you said to heart!" he declared, thumping his chest and grinning. "And then I'll challenge you next time we meet. You'll definitely be blown away by then, just you watch!"
Nina actually glanced over her shoulder, giving him a cold and clearly-obvious glare that spoke volumes. She wanted to scare him off, not invigorate him or something!
"But you should learn your own limits too, yeah?" Piff added, walking up to her while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I ain't got the right to say it but holding back is actually part of the rules. We're battling, not warring."
Nina's brow twitched. "You…"
"Goals are awesome too! Even I have one, just so you know. But if there's one true thing in this world, it's that a goal is all the more sweeter thanks to the actual journey one has to take to get there. So why not make some fun memories as you reach for that goal of yours? I certainly will!"
And then he did something that made even Atria pale.
Piff had the gall to put his…wretched…hand on Nina's head and pat it. "You're too serious, Neen! Lighten up!"
Nina remained frozen, inwardly contemplating whether to have Gabite chop his hand off or do the deed herself. Just who the hell was this dumb brat?! How dare he, the LOSER, lecture her on limits?! And what gave him the right to touch her? She didn't know this boy, didn't like him from the start and even maimed his Pokémon just to get it through his thick skull and yet here he was acting all…brotherly, like she was some reckless ten year old! Lighten up? Cut the crap! If he knew just what she had been through, why she was even doing all this… Wait, why was she so angry in the first place? This was just another human being too blinded by ignorance to realise just how messed up the world he lived in even was.
Nina hated such people, calling them "Mareep". By default, she automatically hated Piff.
"Don't you dare give me nicknames," she breathed, slowly grabbing his wrist and intending to crush it for good measure.
She couldn't. Which was very, very weird. No matter how hard she flexed her fingers, something stopped her just inches of grinding his bones to powder. Why?
Naturally, the situation turned awkward as soon as Nina realised that she had been holding Piff's wrist for more than ten seconds. Letting it go like he was the embodiment of the Black Plague, she gave him a final venomous glare and turned on her heel, stamping in the opposite direction.
Andrei even did a double take as Piff tilted his head in confusion and looked at the redhead.
"Was it something I said?"
"You shoulda told me boss! I'd set those bastards straight!" Johnny snapped, pounding a yellow fist into his open palm as Piff related the events that happened not up to an hour ago. "You're Arceus-damn lucky she even held back. Wooper could've died!"
"I know that," Piff replied, somewhat guiltily as he slouched in his seat with his arms crossed. "I just…kinda lost myself there for a bit. I was enjoying the match a bit too much for some reason."
"Either way, your Wooper is in no shape to battle for a few weeks," Cynthia butted in, slamming her food tray on the table and plopping down next to the silent Minel. "How could you possibly think you'd win against the girl who killed a Rampardos with her Piplup?"
"Shut up. You don't have to rub it in," Piff hissed, slouching even further down the seat in embarrassment. "B-besides, Minel can just heal Wooper with her blood-"
Cynthia gave him a bewildered look before flicking some ice from her drink and stoning him with them. "You inconsiderate bastard! So Minel's some mobile PC now? That doesn't give you the right to go hurtle your poor Pokémon into death battles with borderline-homicidal trainers!"
"Yeah, tell him, Cynthia!" Johnny cheered, stuffing her fries down his throat before she could stop him.
"But if I don't fight tough trainers, I'll never advance," Piff argued.
Cynthia flicked Johnny on the ear and sipped her soda. "Then get more Pokémon. The bigger your party, the more likely worthy, and reasonable, opponents can acknowledge you and the more secure you'll feel in the wild."
Piff mulled over it before gasping and jumping off his seat. "You're totally right!"
"Of course I am-"
"I need more water Pokémon!"
Cynthia's head hit the table harder than a kicked Geodude over a ledge, sighing loudly. "Are you even angry at Nina for what she did?"
"Of course I am," Piff replied with a smile and all eyes turned to the sudden cracking noise coming from under the table. Looking down, Cynthia and Johnny weren't all that shocked to see a foot-shaped dent in the otherwise smooth floor, a result of Piff's barely noticeable foot tapping that had somehow gone too far. The boy didn't seem to notice (or if he did, barely cared) as his gaze flitted towards the counter where the Nurse Joy on duty stood, collecting injured Pokémon.
"But it sorta seemed redundant, at least till she left. I was gonna chew her out for killing Roark's Rampardos and now that I've seen her battle style first hand, I knew there were a dozen ways her gym battles could've ended, and near-death's not one of them. When her Piplup injured Wooper, I swear I was this close to crushing her neck. But…I held back-no, something held me back, I guess."
"Eh? So you lectured her like a big brother," Johnny chipped in, resting his chin in his palm. "Now if you could restrain yourself like that with others-"
"You're the last person I need to tell me about restraint," Piff deadpanned and swiped Cynthia's drink before taking a sip, much to her annoyance. Well, at least he removed the straw beforehand. "But what's done is done. Let's go catch us some Pokémon!" he exclaimed, setting the cup down and jumping to his feet.
In a leap, Johnny was on his head and cracking his knuckles. "Aw yeah, grinding time. It'd better be a hot chick this time!"
"Knock yourselves out," Cynthia said, hanging back. "Since I'm apparently the only one who cares, I'll stay behind to keep track of your Wooper's condition."
"Don't be such a buzzkill, thunder-thighs," Piff snickered and jumped back before the angry blonde's boot connected with his shin. "Besides, I would've asked you to do it anyways. Bye!"
"Later bitches~" Johnny called as his human transport zoomed off.
Minel, who'd been silently sipping her drink all this time, looked at the simmering Cynthia with genuine curiosity and asked, "почему вы даже следовать за ним?"
Cynthia, whose head had long since found its way back to the table surface, blew an air of annoyance and closed her eyes. "Because Cynthia Shirona is a stupid and hopeful person."
Author's Corner.
Okay, okay, I haven't updated this story in months and for that I am SO sorry to all those who enjoy this! The wait must've been painful so if you've got any sticks and stones on hand, hurl away. But do be gentle. This piece of shit bruises easily~
A/N Translations:
почему вы даже следовать за ним?- Why do you still follow him?