Steel (Poke)Ball Run

Chapter 28 - VS JOJO

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Further down the Route, Opelucid City still seemed a forever away. The forest was thick. In the distance, mountains and other scalped ridges of rock and earth were present. The air though was light and cool and seemed utterly frigid despite proximity to the ocean and cliffs.

Stage Three had been relatively quiet so far. Diego had gotten ahead first and hadn't been seen for a while. Who knows where Sandman had gone, possibly darting through the thicker parts of the forest where only human feet and his dainty Pokemon could tread. Gyro had spent most this stage so far, right behind Johnny. He was still furious about the outcome of Stage Two. Not only had he lost the badge to Johnny but he had also placed fourth - and there was to be no mistaking it as he had even picked up the updated roster to double check in the vague hope someone had gotten it wrong, but alas.

It was just great. Gyro couldn't believe his bad luck. With the outcomes of the last two stages, he had only accumulated thirty-six points. Though, the optimist in him was telling him he could easily boost that score if he came in first in this Third Stage by one hundred points. Then, if he claimed this badge too, that's another pretty trinket with a lot of power. It was going to be three-five split, his way between him and Johnny. For certain.

Unfortunately, unless Johnny decided to be bit of a bastard in this next leg of the race and claim first then that won't have amazing consequences for Gyro. If Johnny were to claim first, then that would give him over one-hundred-and-eighty points and a badge. Or worse, if he managed to collect this second chosen Trainer's badge as well then that's another two badges for him and none for Gyro which isn't ideal either.

Gyro still couldn't believe it Johnny had promised that he'd finish after Gyro and then, he went ahead and took second places for himself. He was a horrible, selfish person, obviously. And on top of Johnny the promise breaker, there were still Sandman and Diego to think about. Any outcomes involving either of them weren't good either.

Johnny came to a sudden halt ahead of Gyro, completely breaking him of his thoughts. Gyro reared up beside him. Johnny began to speak.

'Look, Gyro, Dio's sitting down over there.' Johnny said, and he pointed a little bit ahead of them both. 'That's Dio's Sawsbuck, it's weird… they're off course.'

Gyro came in a little closer to Johnny and got out his binoculars. He peered down them and saw a saddled-up Sawsbuck grazing on the green grass. By its back hoof, there was a blue helmet that was dirty, streaked with something brown-red, possibly blood. Further away from the helmet and the Sawsbuck, was Diego. He was curled up, holding his head and was pale as a sheet. Diego moved slightly, and it became apparent to Gyro that he was wounded. That was most definitely blood on his face.

'Looks like he fell.' Gyro said, smugly thinking about that could be a bit of good luck for him. 'Yeah, he's bleeding from his cheek, I think.'

'He fell?' Johnny replied, incredulous. 'Dio actually… fell?'

'Difficult terrain out here, not exactly a nice racing field out here, like you jockeys would be used to.' Gyro paused and continued to commentate what Diego was doing. 'He's fallen over, hand over his head… he's clutching something in his other though. Dunno what, something small.'

'I just find it hard to believe. Dio falling off his mount.' Johnny squinted ahead. 'But, by the looks of things, seems like he'll probably fall behind. May even have to drop out of the competition altogether.'

Johnny's Zebstrika's tail flicked about as it became to turn around.

'C'mon, Gyro, let's keep going.'

Gyro stayed put and threw his thumb over his shoulder to indicate Diego, 'Didn't think you were that sort of person, Johnny.' Half a puff of laughter come out with his breath. 'I mean, I'm the type to laugh at other people's misfortune, sure, and it'd be great if he doesn't get any points or the badge in this round, but it might be a life-threatening situation. We should probably check on him, at least until the medic wagons can catch up.'

'I think it's best if we stay away from Diego. He and I have had our scuffles in the past; we were "rivals" as kids. I'm bloody lucky he didn't realise it was me at first in that First Stage 'til the very end, stars know he would've tried to make the First Stage hell for me if he had caught on sooner. Can't believe I'm saying this but, if my legs weren't lame, he would've realised quicker.' Johnny said seriously with a furrowed brow.

'Come on, where's your compassion.' Gyro insisted.

'He can't be trusted. Dio is Kalos' "prince of racing and battling" but he will do anything for money and the win. It's not just what people say, I've seen it. You'll see what I mean the moment he enters a battle… About half the battles and races, we've run, I can say with certainty that he played dirty. There're plenty of shady rumours about him too. For example, when he was twenty, he married an eighty-three-year-old widow to inherit her fortune. The widow died half a year later. It's rumoured that he killed her…' Johnny explained.

'So, what you're saying is…?' Gyro prompted sceptically.

'He may be trying to trick us. I'm calling Fake Tears on this one, Gyro. And in this situation, it's possible that he could be connected to the terrorists. After all, you two're of the same nationality but likely on different sides of the political spectrum.' Johnny hurried up his little speech.

Gyro glanced down his binoculars again. Diego was convulsing but likely, it was just a bad cough. Gyro's stomach wretched.

'Maybe if he's about to lose to you, he might try and lower your guard, but he's ranked first at the moment, so why would he do that? His bleeding's getting worse too. I'm gonna check on him.'

Gyro pulled his Mudsdale in the direction opposite Johnny. He began to close in on Diego. Johnny watched, suspicious and keeping a keen eye. Gyro dismounted and Mudsdale kicked up a little bit of a fuss, but Gyro kept it calm. Johnny grunted and decided to come in a little closer too. His Zebstrika began to make huffy noises.

'What's the matter, girl?' Gyro asked his Mudsdale. 'The ground here's a bit weird, ain't it? Might've spooked that dainty little Sawsbuck of Diego's but c'mon, you're my big girl, sharp ground should be your territory.'

Gyro turned his attention back to Diego and called out to him: 'Oi, Diego, hey, you alright? If you want the rescue team, just say so! I'll get 'em!'

Diego trembled. He got up slightly and gave both Gyro and Johnny a killer glare. Whatever he was holding in his right hand continued to take importance to him as his fingers curled in tighter against his palm.

'Get lost, you two!' he snarled. 'In the end, I'm going to be the one who's going to pass you up.'

Gyro chuckled, impressed, and he got back up on his mount. With two shakes of his Mudsdale's tail, he was already turning back.

'C'mon Johnny, you were right. He's plenty healthy. Lots of energy too, I see.' Gyro laughed to himself.

Diego collapsed again; head on his hands. His eyes fluttered close. He was exhausted. Blood dripped from his forehead to the ground. At least those two had moved on. A Pokémon - one belonging to Diego - came out of hiding. It walked with a slight limp and curled around him. Its head by Diego's. It's body protectively coiled around its Trainer's. Its khaki green scales gleamed in the sunlight; its jaws caught on the ground, digging in slightly as it fell asleep; a sleep almost like death.

Johnny and Gyro continued to move onwards. Gyro zipped ahead slightly whilst Johnny battled with his watch and map. Sundown would come for them soon, time had gotten away on them at some point. Even with the beautiful, Unovan scenery, it all blended together with the long hours on mount back. Perhaps retiring for the evening wasn't a bad idea since it was safe to assume they were positions one and two in the race currently since Sandman was nowhere to be seen.

Eventually, they did. Dark came over quickly. At first, it was just a few stars and half a moon in the sky but then, the colour of it all blackened and a cold came over. The two sat opposite one another, blankets and bedding rolled out. A fire crackled brightly between them. A billy was boiling, and a pot was steaming over it.

'Still not happy with you for taking second place.' Gyro huffed.

'I know, I know, I shouldn't have distracted you, but it was important.' Johnny said.

'To you maybe. The Dragon Stones're your quest.' Gyro looked out over the mountains. 'Man, Opelucid City's real tucked away, eh?'

'North-westerners are stereotyped to hate everyone, that's why.' Johnny said.

'Really?'

'Yep, all inbred too because of it. You can tell because they all have six fingers on their hands.'

Gyro interrupted Johnny. 'Wait, that was a joke, right? I can never tell with you. You Unovans have such a weird sense of humour, I'm starting to think because Sandman's all serious too and the crap Maria talks over the speakers is ridiculous.'

'Yeah Gyro, that was a joke.'

'Oath. Well, you seem to know a thing or two about this area, what else can you say? How far is Opelucid from here?'

'Well enough, I guess. Oh yeah, we're getting closer to where I met Angel a few years back… It'll probably be another three or four days ride. Who knows, maybe one day this Route'll be a nice smooth direction going one way but until then, we just gotta make do. And speakin' of Angel, we should probably let our Pokémon have something to eat. They worked real hard today. Well, mine did. Winning that badge and all.'

Johnny sounded real shit-eating and Gyro sneered.

'Well, you're not wrong. This'll be the first time we've seen each other's teams in full, won't it? We didn't get a chance to do that first night of Stage Two 'cause of everything that happened.' Gyro mused.

'Maria said it's been eighteen days since the start of the race. Hasn't felt it, eh?'

'Nope… Stars, we're irresponsible Trainers. Barely feeding our battling 'mons.'

'Yeah, just giving 'em treats here and there as we go. But to be fair, when they're in stasis, they don't feel a thing and not like we're treating ourselves much better.'

Gyro began to pick out his PokeBalls. He cocked a golden smile at Johnny.

'I'm kind of excited 'cause I know I haven't shown you everyone.'

'And you haven't seen all of mine yet either.' Johnny replied.

'Count of three: one, two, three.'

Dozens upon dozens of red and silver flashes filled the air like fireworks. The forested silence shattered and there were all sorts of hungry mewls and growls. Johnny and Gyro were swamped by the presence of their Pokémon.

'Man, you sure make your favourite types obvious: normal, steel, and ground.'

'You can't talk either, Johnny. You've got a few electric types in your ranks.' Gyro stuck out his chest. 'I think if we keep getting into trouble like we do, it'll be good if our Pokémon can get along, in case we wind up in double battles or hell, even situations where one of us is knocked out unconscious.'

'Yeah, I agree completely.' Johnny nodded. 'So how best do we do this? Not exactly a boy-girl mixer where we introduce ourselves and dance.'

An idea flickered in Gyro's eyes. Even through the din, Johnny could see his green eyes brighten and for some reason, it came Johnny a bad feeling. He could sense that a bad idea was formulating behind those glistening eyes of Gyro's.

'Did you know, Johnny?' Gyro began very matter-of-factly. 'That in the wild, most Pokémon play-fight and to show friendliness and submission, they'd expose their bellies to one another?'

'No,' Johnny said tersely, 'can't say I did know that.'

'So, why don't we model that behaviour for them? If our Pokémon know we're friendly with each other, they'll start playing amongst themselves and before we know it, they'll be a close-knit bunch ready to fight in all sorts of combinations.'

Johnny sighed. Gyro got up. 'This doesn't feel like a good idea?'

Gyro laid down on Johnny's lap, hands behind his head and grinned up a Johnny.

'Nice and comfy.'

'Get off me, asshole.'

'C'mon, play along. Rub my belly or something.'

'Gross, no.'

'It's for the greater good.' Gyro announced.

'This sounds extremely fake. The only time my Pokémon have been "friendly" like this with another was when I caught Showbiz trying to mate Sara.'

Johnny frowned and there was a slight hue of red in his cheeks as he glared into Gyro's eyes.

'Do you consider us of the same Egg Group?' Gyro teased.

'The hell does that mean?' Johnny replied, cheeks reddening because he knew exactly what Gyro was insinuating, but remained annoyed by such stupidity regardless.

'Nyo ho, ho, do you think I'm attractive Johnny?'

'Oh, fuck off. You wear the most obnoxious grilles I've ever seen in my life and that lipstick you wear, not your colour?'

'Oi, don't diss the gold. Or the green. Not like you can talk with that shade of blue you paint your lips with.'

'Rack off already.'

Johnny lifted up Gyro and he rolled off of Johnny's lap and into the grass; closer to the fire. He got up and sat next to Johnny. He gave Johnny a fair bit of space though since those jokes were, admittedly, in poor taste.

'Okay then, new plan, we'll just give 'em space for now, maybe. Let 'em sniff each other and whatnot.'

Gyro began to distribute some dry feed among his Pokémon from a can. They lined up and let Gyro feed them.

'Jailbreak, my Aggron, but you already knew that.' Gyro said.

His Aggron was gentle with him, knew better than to bite down hard as Gyro fed it.

'Yeah, and Problem Child the Bibarel and Squealer the Furret. Something or rather… oh, Mean Streak the Krookodile, I remember because Maria said its name over the speakers. December? No, Decibel is the name of your Linoone, ain't it? But I can't remember the name of your Snorlax though, I recall you use it in Stage One. Or the name of your Ursaring. You've got a solid team, I reckon. Good defense and attack. I think your Pokémon suit you.'

'Aw, thanks, Johnny, you sap.' Gyro teased.

'Shut up.' Johnny scowled.

Gyro fed his Zangoose next. It inspected his hand thoroughly before turning its nose up at him.

'This little priss is Bonny. And you better eat, girl, or you're going hungry.' Gyro muttered before talking to Johnny again. 'You were right on the money with Decibel, though. The Snorlax is Big Jack… Oh, and who else were you having trouble with? Custard Pie, that's right. It's Custard Pie the Ursaring.'

'Custard Pie?' Johnny echoed. It tickled at his memory but this was a memory buried by more than a few weeks but that couldn't be right. 'It's coming back to me now.'

'Thought it would since Custard's the one you saw me battle that Honchkrow on the beach with.'

'Yeah, must be it. Obviously.' Johnny mumbled but the bell that name was ringing really did feel deeper than a few weeks.

'And now, the rest of the gang, I guess. There's Heartbreaker the Nidoking, Riff Raff the Pangoro, Snowballed the Beartic, and last but certainly not least is Poor Tom the Diggersby. Tommy was the first Pokémon I caught, and I can't help but be proud of him most, you know? He was just a wee little Bunnelby when we met when I was eight! What about you Johnny, who was your first catch?'

Gyro looked towards Johnny and his team.

'Skies the Limit. I caught her when I was… five, maybe? Closer to six. Younger than you, that's for sure.' Johnny said as he tickled beneath his Unfezant's chin.

'Prodigy bastard.' Gyro muttered.

'Not really. I flexed my memory of your names, I wanna see who you remember.

'Well, for starters there's Angel, that bitey little Clefairy of yours, sheesh. Judy… Can't remember Judy's full name.'

'Jewel-Eyed Judy.' Johnny piped up, he couldn't help himself.

'There's Tusk, of course, in the best PokeBall ever devised by man courtesy me.'

'Thanks again.'

'Showbiz Blues is the name of your Minccino, I know that. And um, your Ampharos over there is Rhianna or something. And the, uh, Emolga is Elise.'

'No and no. Rhiannon and Sara respectively. Where'd you get Elise from?' Johnny screwed up his face.

'You've battled, like, exactly once Johnny. And I was like, completely out of it for most of said battle, too.' Gyro huffed. 'Okay, okay, so what's left, the Pokémon I haven't seen 'til tonight: the Donphan-'

'World Turning.' Johnny interrupted.

'Leavanny.'

'Dinah Flo - and you're not allowed to treat her like you would, say, Angel. Dinah Flo was specially trained as a service Pokémon to aide my disability stuff. I mean, sure, she can battle but don't be overly affectionate with her or she might get confused.'

'I'll remember that, promise. Okay, and who's left? And… And… your Meowstic? Where'd you get that, Johnny? Friends in high places?'

'No, I caught him myself. On that Route in Kalos with the big and fancy gold castle outside of… Camphrier Town. That's your hometown, isn't it?'

'Well fuck me. You've visited one of the King's palaces, fuck, you've visited the palace my family and I work for?'

'Only the grounds, I wasn't allowed inside. Me… me and my brother, we weren't allowed inside. My father was just making a visit. We played outside, and I encountered a wild Espurr and I caught it and that's how I ended up with my Meowstic, his name is Hypnotised.'

'Hm, how old were you when you visited?'

'Five or six.'

'Okay, I would've been… twelve, thirteen at the oldest, so you probably visited when I was on my little Pokemon journey. Weird. If you don't mind me asking, but what kind of business did you and your family have in Kalos?'

'This may come as a surprise to you but my side of the Joestar family, we immigrated from Kalos.'

'Hm, you don't say?' Gyro replied sarcastically. 'A Unovan with Kalosian blood.'

'Shut up. But yeah, the Joestars in Kalos are somewhat upper crust. Aristocrats, super rich compared to me and my dad. At the time, the reason we were visiting was because there had been an anniversary in the family. Back in '68, my Aunt, Uncle, and older cousin were part of a disastrous carriage crash. It claimed my Aunt's life and my cousin had been but a baby. My Uncle and Father were, all things considered, pretty close since they're twins. Stupidest fucking names in the universe. George Richard and Richard George, Dick the younger brother is my father. Worst part is, out here in Unova, in the racing business, my dad goes by his middle name, so we've got twins named "George". Even the women they married have similar names, "Mary" and "Margaret".'

'Maybe it's a twin thing?' Gyro suggested with a shrug.

'I think it might be a Joestar thing.' Johnny paused and frowned. His hand tightened. 'Guess what my cousin's name is?'

'How the fuck am I know? George the Second? Richard Junior?' Gyro guessed haphazardly.

'Jonathan.'

'Is that name supposed to mean something to me?'

'Huh? Did I not tell you? "Johnny" is short for "Jonathan". And guess what his nickname is?'

'Johnny?' Gyro guessed.

'Ba-bum, nope. "JoJo". And my nickname during my pro days was "JoJo" too. Talk about fucked naming conventions? Makes your weird-ass nicknames seem reasonable.' Johnny teased.

'Hey, I pick out very cool names, thank you very much. But, like, that's actually really weird.' Gyro agreed.

Johnny looked up at the stars and Gyro mimicked. He could sense something was off. The way Johnny talked about his family was very bitter.

'Life ain't fair.' Johnny said without seeming prompt.

'How come?' Gyro asked, wondering if Johnny wanted to elaborate, perhaps vent.

'Between me and the other JoJo, how come I outlived him?' Johnny paused, licked his lips and turned tense. 'He was barely older than me. Twenty-two, I think. Maybe twenty-one. He was lost at sea. It had been just days after his wedding to this Erina Pendleton chick. At least she's got a kid to remember him by… JoJo was the nicest, kindest person I'd ever known and well, he lived such a short life. It's not fair. I'm not a saint, Gyro, you know that. But how come I outlived him?'

'That's a big question, Johnny.' Gyro replied. 'One that doesn't have an answer. But, the religious man in me, would say that, maybe, your destiny hasn't come to you yet. Maybe his had? Who knows? But, I'm sure he's in Heaven if that lightens your mood.'

'We barely knew each other. I'd only met him on that trip to Kalos I took as a kid.' Johnny replied. 'But I always heard about him growing up though. "Why can't you be more like you're cousin, Jonathan?".'

Gyro didn't know if that "Jonathan" was supposed to pertain to Johnny or his cousin.

'But thanks, Gyro. It did lighten my mood a little bit. If anyone deserves to climb the stairway to Heaven, it'd be JoJo.' Johnny sounded incredibly mournful, miserable even. 'Hey, Gyro?'

'Yeah?'

'I know we've only been traveling together for a little while and I feel like we barely know each other still but… But I'm glad to have met you. But I don't think I've got some destiny which'd warrant me surviving my accident.'

'You're still young, Johnny, you don't know that.'

Gyro got up and he smiled wistfully. He took a deep breath. 'Dinner's ready. Let's hope we can thin it so it feeds all the mouths present: Tusk, Slow Dancer, Angel, Judy, Skies, Sara, Dinah Flo, Rhiannon, Showbiz Blues, World Turning, and Hypnotised.'

'And Valkyrie, Jailbreak, Decibel, Bonny, Mean Streak, Problem Child, Riff Raff, Heartbreaker, Snowballed, Squealer, Big Jack, Poor Tom, and Custard Pie.'