In response to Lupyne: Thank you for reviewing! I didn't realize how the heists would be the basis of the story, so thank you for making me realize that! I will try to make them as exciting as possible! Also, Sable's search is kind of like the impending danger from I Am Lucario: it is on the back of his mind, but he will still use all resources available to find Sloe.
Also, if it confused anyone before, it did not occur to me until after I decided on his character that "Sable" was part of "Sableye". Maybe I should make a Sableye named "Goose". Or not. Probably not. No. Let's never speak of this again…
Anyway, Chapter Two!
Starting point: 4/9/14
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The alleyway was quiet apart from the occasional car alarm or siren heard in the distance. Suddenly, a manhole lifted up slightly, revealing two glowing, red eyes. Sable lifted the manhole up and let go when it was leaning on the ground, making it clatter loudly onto the ground.
"That is the last time I let you take me through one of your 'shortcuts'," Sable grunted.
"It would've been a shortcut if you hadn't run away from that Rattata," Lobo replied disapprovingly.
"It was foaming at the mouth!" Sable cried indignantly, but fell short when the Mightyena pushed him back into the hole, resounding with a soft splash and muffled obscenities.
"C'mon, we should bring the amulet back to Nora," Lobo stated, brushing aside the fur around his neck to reveal a silver amulet, inlayed with a large, gleaming ruby in the center and eight smaller sapphires placed evenly around the ruby.
After washing their fur with a nearby water tap and shaking themselves dry, the two set off to climbing the fire escape up the apartment building to the top floor, where the Sneasel would no doubt be waiting with an insult aimed at Sable. Sure enough, when the Zangoose reached the top floor with the Mightyena in tow, Nora opened the window and said with a grin, "Gone to do some dumpster diving?"
Sable, now used to the Sneasel's incessant slander, replied, "It seems you didn't need to," pinching his nose mockingly. Nora, aware that she had lost the bout of taunts, took the treasure from Lobo's outstretched paw, sighing inwardly.
"Is something wrong?" the Zangoose inquired. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I know that it's all for laughs, bu-"
"No, no, it's not that," the Sneasel cut him off. "It's just that I was worried about the next heist."
"I want no part in it," Lobo huffed, hopping up onto his bed unceremoniously.
"Well, now I know it doesn't involve diving into sewers," Sable chuckled. "Why, what is it?"
"Well… it's in Lilycove City…"
"Lilycove?!" the Zangoose exclaimed, bewildered. He had heard about Lilycove City only once before, and that was only from books. One book told of a museum there which holds artifacts, statues and paintings that… "You're going to steal from the Lilycove Museum?"
Nora stated smugly, "Someone's done their research. Yes, I'm going to steal a painting, and you're going to help."
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Chapter 2: A Moment to Forget
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Sable gaped in awe at the monstrous – yet also majestic – cruise ship that stood tall and proud at the end of the docks. "Is that what we're going on?" the Zangoose asked Nora, who was staring intently, and yet blankly, at a nearby police officer. Nora had never been very fond of lawmen, and while Sable told himself that it was probably just because of the Sneasel's profession, he couldn't help feeling like something else was bothering her.
Nora snapped out of her trance only when the inquisitive Zangoose tapped her shoulder lightly. She spurred around at him and bared her fangs. After realizing it was only him, she relaxed slightly. "I'm sorry, what was your question?" she asked, though still obviously distracted by whatever was ailing her.
"The ship," he repeated, pointing to the ocean vessel. "Is that where we're going?"
"Oh, um… yeah."
"But wouldn't that be expensive?" Though Sable didn't know much about money, he knew that something like this wouldn't exactly be cheap.
Nora, suddenly regaining, her composure, continued. "Yes, but it's all funded by the net gain of the heist."
"Net… gain?" The Zangoose contemplated the term in his mind, but the only thing that came to him was the image of a large pile of fishing nets. He then thought about fishing and what it would have to do with a painting. He then thought about fish. Mmmm… fish…
The Sneasel brought him back to reality when she started dragging him by his tail, which he objected to multiple times before she finally let go. They approached a building labeled "Customs", and when they got to the gate they were met with a line. A long, long line.
There were many people inside, and they seemed to be in a thin line that followed a black belt of some kind that occasionally connected to poles. The array of people went back and forth from wall to wall inside the building, finally reaching its end at what appeared to be a couple of booths with exits leading out onto the dock.
It was 45 minutes before the two partners reached the booth. The man at the counter gave the two Pokémon a quizzical look before taking the tickets from the Sneasel's outstretched paw. He then sighed quietly (though Sable could still hear it) and stamped the tickets, handed them back, and waved the two Pokémon through to the sunny docks. Sable squinted his eyes and soon found it hard to see after being in the dimly-lit building for so long. Finally his eyes adjusted to the blinding light, and he followed Nora to the ship.
The inside of the vessel was cool and calm compared to the sunny atmosphere outside. With Nora's guidance, the two managed to check in their passes with the security guard, who was accompanied by a small Growlithe that sniffed people as they stopped to check in their tickets.
The duo then followed a small crowd into an elevator. Everybody pressed a button, and every time it was pressed on one side it lit up there, as well as on the other side's board. Sable quickly realized that the buttons stood for floors, and that there were fifteen floors, excluding the thirteenth, which he found odd.
The Zangoose was startled by a sudden jolt as the elevator trudged upwards. The rising sensation made him feel slightly nauseous, and just as quickly as it started it stopped with a ding! The doors opened, and he was pushed aside by a man in a gray suit, which he responded to with a short growl. The doors closed, and the process was repeated.
It wasn't until the 14th floor that the Sneasel elbowed him lightly, inferring that this was their destination. The doors opened, and they walked through casually. Nora led the curious Zangoose down a hallway, then down another. Finally, Nora stopped in front of a door numbered 1437.
"This is going to be our room for the next two days," the Sneasel explained. She then handed Sable a plastic card with a small, black arrow pointing on it. "The keycard is used to get into the room," she continued. Nora inserted the card into a port in the door and pulled it out. The small light on the silver port turned green, and she turned the handle, opening the door. She then closed the door and gestured for Sable to attempt it.
After a few tries, Sable finally managed to unlock the door, and the two Pokémon walked in together.
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About an hour later Sable found himself on the 15th Floor at a café/buffet area called "Garden Café" sitting alone at a small table with a slice of pizza on a plate. He invited Nora to come with him, but the Sneasel had declined, saying that she would rather stay in the room and rest for a while.
Suddenly, a small tune played on the overhead announcement speakers, and then a man spoke. "Thank you for using this particular cruise line. We will be leaving Beryl City today, June 28th, and arriving in Lilycove City on July 1st. We will then leave their port on July 2nd and be back on July 4th.
"Right now it is 4:18PM Friday here in Beryl City. The approximate time to Lilycove City is 64 hours, making our arrival time before noon on Monday. We will be leaving port in about 15 minutes, and you are free to watch from Floor 15. Have a safe and happy trip." The short tune played again, and there was only the sound of pans clanging in the kitchen and a couple of people talking quietly at nearby tables.
Sable continued eating his pizza a little more quickly than before, not wanting to miss the departure. Though he knew he would see another departure while leaving Lilycove, he did not want to miss the chance to see his home from afar, as he had never done before.
There was a rather large crowd of people on the deck as Sable walked out of the café. He saw that there was a pool on the deck as well, though not many people were using it at the moment, with the exception of a Surskit who skated lazily atop the surface of the water. The Zangoose's ears perked upwards as a ringing resounded through the port, and the ship started moving. He was on his way to Lilycove.
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The next morning, Sable awoke and was greeted with the soft sloshing that could be heard from the balcony. Yawning lazily, he stepped out of his bed and over to the balcony's glass door. Why do we need such a big room? he thought as he opened the heavy glass door. Is this room really part of the heist?
Sable walked out to the balcony and felt the refreshing ocean breeze brush his fur. It was truly a sight to behold. The sun shone brightly despite it being before 10:00. The glistening ball in the sky reflected calmly against the green ocean water, and a Wailord could be seen from afar, breaking the surface with its colossal form.
Sable was about to return inside when he heard shouts coming from two floors above. I have two days to kill. I could take the stairs, but what would be the fun in that? he thought.
The Zangoose masterfully jumped up to the eave of the balcony, swung up around it, and found himself at a glass window looking into a Pokémon battle. He managed to find a sliding glass door and let himself inside. He seemed to be next to a bleacher area of some kind. Climbing up a couple of steps, Sable watched intently upon the battle taking place before him.
It seemed that the battle was between a Manectric and a Breloom, though it was unclear on who had the upper hand. The Breloom attempted a Stun Spore, but the Manectric evaded it and countered with a Thunder Fang. The Mushroom Pokémon seemed slightly winded by the attack but managed to brush it off rather quickly. With a grin, the Breloom backed up a couple of yards and stopped. The Discharge Pokémon, while confused by this sudden change in tact, discarded the thought and charged the his opponent. When the Manectric reached his opponent, however, the Breloom had disappeared, but in reality had turned on the Discharge Pokémon and, now behind his foe, reached his tail to the Manectric's back. With a dull pink-purple spark, the Breloom released a Force Palm unto his enemy, forcing the blue and yellow Pokémon crumpling to the ground, declaring the role of victor to the Breloom.
The crowd roared as a man in a light gray suit walked along a line of people and covertly slipped them wads of cash. The Breloom walked off the scene and out the door, where who Sable could only guess to be the trainer waited, his pockets lined with Pokédollars.
"Hey, you." Sable nearly fell out of his seat by the sudden voice. Bewildered, the Zangoose spun around and was eye-to-eye with a rather large Ludicolo. "Wanna try?"
"Oh, oh no, no thank you," he replied. "I'm not a huge fighter."
"Oh, of course the most humble of fighters would say that." The Ludicolo let loose with a deep, hearty laugh. "C'mon, it's 100 Pokédollars even if you lose."
"What do I get if I win?"
"If you win, you get a Dawn Stone!" Without even a pause for breath, the Carefree Pokémon grabbed Sable's arm and practically dragged him to the ring. Suddenly, the Ludicolo vanished, and the Zangoose was in a black void, and then it changed to a dark purple cave.
A Loudred stepped out from behind one of the stalagmites. "Well, it seems you're my next opponent." Without hesitation, the Big Voice Pokémon let loose a deafening Screech, which made Sable grasp his ears in agony. The Screech stopped, and he had just enough time to roll out of the way before the Loudred performed a Stomp on the spot on which he had just been. Using the lack of balance from the powerful attack to his advantage, Sable spun on his back and caught his leg on his foe's, tripping him and propelling the Zangoose to his feet.
Suddenly, Sable felt a rush of adrenaline. The cave seemed to be in slow motion as he projected a light blue sword avatar from his arm and performed a Slash on his opponent. The Swords Dance had resulted in a critical hit. Sable then performed a Crush Claw but ended up with a paw full of dirt. The Loudred then used a Bite attack right on Sable's hand with excruciating force.
"Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!" he cried, waving his arm around frantically. Sable ran up to a large boulder and smashed the Loudred's back against the outcrop. The Loudred let go and ended up going flying across the room with a mouthful of blood, and he smashed into the cave wall and crumpled to the floor. Sable knelt on the floor panting, blood oozing from his arm, staining his red fur a darker shade of red. The cave disappeared, and he was back in the arena, kneeling on the white marble floor, which now looked more red than white.
Sable looked at the blood on the floor. "Damn," he muttered, then fell into unconsciousness.
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Ending point: 4/30/14
Well, that's Chapter Two. I personally didn't think that the cruise would be this long, but then again, I didn't even believe in myself to make a second chapter. Usually I write one chapter of something and then give up. Well, this chapter didn't have a heist, but the next one will. It's a continuation of this chapter, but I thought that this one was getting a little lengthy (compared to chapter one, that is, although that isn't a very good basis).
I might add more to this chapter later, but for now I'm going to commence a short hiatus while I catch up on my schoolwork. I will hopefully finish the next chapter by the end of May or the beginning of June, though there will be no guarantees.
À bientôt!