WARNING: This chapter contains suggestive content that may offend some readers. Read this chapter at your own discretion.
You have been warned.
It had been two days since we left Neon Town. We were now in a forest, stopping to have lunch. Since we didn't really want to cook anything, we decided on sandwiches for lunch. We then cleaned up and packed up, ready to continue on.
"Return," we said as we returned our Pokemon. Pikachu and Pichu hopped onto my shoulders.
Then there was a rustle in the bushes. After a moment, Nikki and Trevor appeared from the bushes. They had left Neon Town the day after us, so how had they caught up when we had an entire extra day of traveling under our belts?
"How did you catch up to us?" I asked.
Nikki explained to us, "We're traveling faster so Trevor can get all of his badges. I have all of my ribbons, so we can go faster now. He's in a hurry." Nikki suddenly jumped up in the air for a moment. "How about we all travel together for a while?" she asked.
"Sure,"
"Whatever..." Trevor muttered.
We started walking, with Trevor keeping his distance from us. Little did we know that we were being watched and followed and would be in for a big surprise when we got out of the forest.
After walking for a few hours, we were finally out of the forest. But we stopped right in our tracks as we came out of the trees and into the clearing. Right in front of us was a Pokemon Hunter's ship and in front of it was a row of Team Rocket trucks and grunts.
We turned around, trying to escape back into the safety of the forest, but a few more grunts jumped out of the trees, blocking our escape. They had been the ones secretly following us and telling the others back at the ship where we were heading! We had walked right into a trap!
We turned back around to the front to see the line of grunts stepping aside. The Pokemon Hunter walked out from among the grunts, dressed in the usual Pokemon Hunter outfit; a red jumpsuit with a long black coat over it and an arm cannon strapped to his arm. He had long blonde hair and evil-looking eyes.
"Well, well. This is a pleasant surprise. I came here to capture Pokemon and I end up finding the three kids that our boss wants, plus two extras that I get to have some fun with." he said evilly. "My grunts found you in the forest and informed me that you were heading this way using their communicators. As you can see, I prepared for your arrival. You won't be getting away this time."
I glanced at Trevor and saw him stiffen. He seemed even more tensed and hateful than he was when he was around me. "Hey! I remember you! You're that guy who kidnapped and killed my best friend in Neon Town two years ago!" he yelled.
The man smirked and said, "You must be that pathetic boy who tried - and failed - to stop me. I remember leaving you in that alley unconscious after I captured your friend."
Trevor glared at him and said, "I'll make you pay for what you did to her! But first, I want to know what happened after I was knocked out."
The man smiled a cold, cruel smile that made me feel uneasy.
"You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you everything since none of you will escape to tell anyone! I saw you and your friend in Neon Town enter that twisting alley so innocently. That's where I made my move, out of the sight of other people. I took your friend to my secret underground hideout in Neon Town, like I had done so many times before to my previous victims. She became just another unlucky person on my list.
"I decided to keep her around until I was bored with her, then I would simply get a new person to amuse me. I had a little 'fun' with her and kept her locked away. She never saw the light of day again down in the hideout. She begged me countless times to let her go, but I just laughed at her, and at her pathetic cries and pleas. Why? Because I love hearing the cries and pleas of the helpless.
"I wore her out so much that she eventually felt helpless and worthless. She felt so helpless and worthless that she begged me to kill her, telling me to end her pain and suffering! She knew that even if she was freed, she'd never be able to live with the terrible memories of what I had done to her. So she told me her only reprieve, her only way to end this never-ending nightmare, was death.
"I granted her wish...in a slow, agonizing way. Oh, I enjoyed EVERY. MOMENT. OF. IT. And then I stabbed her through her heart, and it was all over. I left her body in the forest, outside of Neon Town. Not long after that, Team Rocket found me and recruited me to be one of their four Pokemon Hunters. That's why I was never seen in Neon Town again...and why I was never caught. My name...is Pokemon Hunter Michael."
I couldn't believe what I had just heard. This guy was the worst criminal that we had ever met! He brags about the horrible things that he's done and gets enjoyment out of making people suffer! My blood was boiling as I glared at the man. I saw Jason's hand balled into a fist by his side.
I risked a look at Trevor. In a split second, his whole demeanor had changed. Pure rage came across his face. "YOU SON OF A HOUNDOUR! I'LL KILL YOU!" Trevor yelled. He had a Pokeball enlarged in his hand. Soon, we all had Pokeballs ready to throw and start a battle.
"Kill me? You'd kill an unarmed man with no Pokemon? And I'M the cruel one?"
"Well, how do you plan on capturing us if you don't have a Pokemon?"
He chuckled. "You're right. I don't have one. I have DOZENS OF POKEMON!"
Suddenly, an army of Pokemon appeared from behind the trucks. They appeared normal, but then I noticed their eyes, which were glowing bright red.
"Why are their eyes...?"
"You see, Team Rocket has been collecting a lot more than just Pokemon! We've also been collecting data and technology remains from all of the former criminal groups around the world. For example, Team Plasma, a criminal group from Unova. They invented a way to take control of a Pokemon's mind, forcing the Pokemon to do their bidding! That's what I have done to these Pokemon. It's so much faster and easier than battling and capturing them using Pokeballs, or turning them into stone like the other Pokemon Hunters do! Team Rocket was able to find a way to use that technology and for it to be added to my arm cannon! One shot, and the Pokemon instantly obeys me! No other member of Team Rocket has this but me! Now...surrender or suffer!"
We were surrounded by grunts and Pokemon. We couldn't do anything against this large number, even if we used all of our Pokemon at once!
"Pikachu, Pichu, Double Thunderbolt!" I cried. The attack stunned the grunts and Pokemon, and we took this chance to run back into the forest.
"Get up and go after them, you idiots!" Michael yelled.
We ran for a long time to get as far away as we could until we came across a cave. We hid inside, catching our breaths. Glancing up as I heard a strange noise come from Michelle, I realized that Nikki wasn't there with us! I suddenly remembered when Michelle was captured, and I feared that Nikki was in a lot of danger!
Normal POV
Nikki had tried to keep up, but fell behind the others since she was a slow runner. She was grabbed by the grunts and brought back to the clearing where Michael was. He looked at her with a malicious look and smiled at her.
"We're going to have some fun together, my dear. I promise." he said and laughed evilly. "I'm going to do the exact same thing to you that I did to your brother's friend two years ago."
Fear came across Nikki's face. She trembled, knowing what he was planning to do to her!
Trevor went towards the opening of the cave.
"Where are you going?" Michelle asked.
"I'm going to rescue my sister." Trevor answered. "You know what he'll do to her."
"We'll help you." Jason said.
"Yeah, we can help." Adam added.
"No, I don't need any help. I can get my sister myself. I'm not going to let what happened to Valerie happen to Nikki!" he cried.
"Trevor, going alone is crazy! They have grunts out there all over the area looking for us. If you went alone, you would be caught for sure and then Nikki wouldn't have anyone to rescue her!" Adam cried.
"Fine...you can help. But don't get in my way. You two, can you cause a diversion to distract the grunts?"
Jason and Michelle nodded their heads.
"Okay...Adam, you're with me."
So it was settled. Jason and Michelle would cause a diversion while Trevor and Adam would sneak into the ship to get Nikki.
Inside the airship, a door was opened and Nikki was thrown into an empty room. Her clothes were thrown into the room along with her. She shook violently with fear and tears flowed down her cheeks. She was emotionally scarred for life after what had just happened to her.
"So that was your first time? Don't worry, the first time is always the hardest. I always feel a sense of pride when I'm the first. Your brother's friend reacted the same way when I did it to her. Anyway, this won't be the only time. You are my prisoner now, so you might as well get used to these kinds of experiences. And when I'm bored with you, I'll 'dispose of you' just like I did to your brother's friend."
Then he closed the door and locked it. Nikki was crying harder now, hearing what he had just told her. She put her clothes back on and curled up in the corner of the room, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked broken and frail, compared to the full-of-life girl that she normally was.
Adam's POV
It had been about twenty minutes since we had left the cave. Trevor and I were waiting for the signal from Jason and Michelle. We hid behind some trees, looking at the heavily guarded airship. Hunter Michael walked out of the airship and talked to some grunts, asking if there had been any news about finding us.
Suddenly, a loud explosion came from inside the forest. Smoke was rising far away from us and Michael and some grunts took off in their trucks towards it. Michelle and Jason's diversion had worked. Trevor and I quickly and quietly ran around the remaining grunts and onto the ship.
"She'll probably be in a locked room." I said. "If he's as evil as I think he is, he wouldn't let her get away."
"So we need to check the locked rooms." Trevor said.
We started checking every locked door that we came across. After no success of finding Nikki, I could tell that Trevor was becoming annoyed and worried about what had happened to his sister. I turned the handle on the next door and it was locked. Pressing the button to unlock it, I opened the door and looked inside.
Nikki was there in the room, huddled in the corner with her knees pulled up. She was crying and trembling. She didn't appear to be injured or physically hurt.
Trevor ran over to Nikki and crouched down. "Nikki, what happened? What did he do?" he asked.
"He did...what...what h-he did t-to...Va-Valerie..." she said between sobs.
Trevor's eyes turned darker as his anger came back. "First my best friend and now my own sister! Once we get out of here and get you to safety, I'll go after Michael. I've got a score to settle with him."
We had to half-carry Nikki as we escaped the ship and walked through the forest, having to stop a few times to avoid the grunts. We made it back to the cave to find Jason and Michelle there and they saw Nikki, still shaking and crying. Trevor and I explained what had happened to her.
"That's horrible! Violating a helpless girl like that..." Jason said in shock.
"Poor Nikki. And to think that Valerie went through the same thing." Michelle said, nearly crying herself.
Trevor suddenly moved towards the cave opening, planning to go and take care of Michael.
"Trevor, stop. You can't go out there. His men are all over the place looking for us. You'll be caught just like Nikki was. He also has all of those angry mind-controlled Pokemon out there that will attack. How are you going to fight all of those by yourself? The five of us together couldn't do it, so how would you be able to do it on your own?" I said to him.
"Well, I can't just stay here and do nothing!" Trevor cried.
"If you go out there, it's suicide! You would get caught and you don't know what will happen to you. With those Pokemon, there's no telling what they'll do."
Trevor and I continued arguing loudly at each other until he looked towards me and I saw the anger in his eyes disappear quickly. I was shocked and I know that Jason and Michelle had to be, too. Because Trevor...started crying.
I had never seen him like this before. I figured that this was two years of pent-up rage finally being released. He had become so angry and frustrated that he had broken down and cried. He seemed almost as emotionally broken as Nikki.
He collapsed to his knees and he looked at me sadly. "I couldn't protect my best friend from danger. And now, I couldn't even protect my own sister! I've been calling other trainers weak and pathetic ever since I lost Valerie...but in reality, I'M the one who's weak and pathetic!"
"Trevor, just because bad things happen in people's lives, doesn't mean you're pathetic." Jason said.
"Everyone goes through good times and bad times in their lives, and whatever bad thing that happens makes you stronger. But you can overcome them and become stronger and learn from each trial in life that you face." Michelle added.
"You'll have times when you fall down, but remember that there are always people who will be there to help pick you back up and help you feel better, like your family and friends." I said, quoting what my dad had told me.
I saw confusion on Trevor's face as soon as I finished my sentence. "Family and friends?" he asked.
"Yes, friends. We're your friends." we said to him. "And right now, Nikki looks like she's going through a hard time, just like you did two years ago. She needs some support from her family, too."
Trevor got up and walked over to Nikki. He knelt down and hugged her. Nikki didn't flinch from his touch and she leaned into Trevor, crying once again. It was the closest that I had ever seen the two siblings.
"You'll be alright. We're all here for you." he said softly to his sister.
The next morning, I woke up and I noticed that the others were asleep. We hid out in the cave all night to stay away from Team Rocket. I walked to the cave's opening and looked outside to see Team Rocket's ship flying away. Michael must have given up on looking for us.
Once everyone woke up, we decided on what to do. We were going to continue traveling. Nikki wanted to go home to Neon Town for a while. After what she went through, she needed some time to recover emotionally. Her parents should be able to help her there.
"Will you still be at the Grand Festival?" Michelle asked.
"Maybe..." Nikki replied.
Michelle walked over to Nikki and gave her a comforting hug, telling Nikki that she'll be okay. Then she walked back over to us and we turned to leave.
"Adam, wait!" Trevor yelled.
I turned around to see Trevor with a smile on his face. A true, genuine smile. I had never seen him smile at all since I first met him.
He held out his hand towards me and said, "...Thank you, Adam."
I shook his hand and smiled back. We were enemies no longer. Now we were friends.
Author's Note: This was the most difficult chapter for us to write so far, so let us know how we did.
Adam and Trevor, two enemies who had to put aside their differences and work together to save Nikki. But now, they're friends at last!
What adventures await our heroes? Find out next time on Pokemon NG!