Chapter Forty

Peter checked the ammunition in his gun again. He knew it for a nervous tick before the night's mission, but all the same, the Eelektrik wriggling in his gut wouldn't stop zapping him until he ran his thumbnail over the percussion caps of each bullet in the clip.

"So, you picked up on a trail?" he asked Jarem and Kolar.

The Lucario looked at each other, and Jarem said, "Trail isn't the right word for it. More like an urge. When a Lucario does something habitually, a task they deem special, a bit of their aura lingers in the area imbued with that will."

Kolar added, "Like an alarm clock."

Peter nodded despite his confusion and asked, "What now?"

"We will follow it and see where it goes."

The two Lucario entered the bathroom, opened the window, and clambered out. Peter leaned out the window as they scrambled onto a fence.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Following the aura," Kolar said. "He went out the same way."

Peter's stomach dropped, but he dug his hand into his pocket, pressed his Sudoku book between his fingers, and said, "Keep going. I'll catch up with you."

Running out the front door, Peter spotted two shadows gliding across the rooftops. He sprinted after them. Glass crunched beneath his feet and paper fluttered in his wake as Peter ran through the worn-down alleys half a mile south of his home. When the Lucario leapt down to street level, he skidded to a halt and fell in behind them.

The alley they entered was too narrow for the two Lucario to stand abreast. Kolar took the lead, and Peter, the rear, as they approached a wooden door eaten by rot and ready to fall off its rusted hinges. Jarem knocked gently on the soft wood. Footsteps grated on a gravel floor inside the building, and the door slowly swung inward.

A Delphox poked his head around the opening. It smiled for a second, but its eyes widened in surprise when it peered around Jarem. It ran back inside, and moments later, an Alakazam opened the door all the way.

The Alakazam and Jarem spoke for a moment in grunts and growls Peter couldn't understand, even from emotional context, but he understood when the Alakazam addressed him.

"So you are Peter," the Alakazam said in a soft, masculine baritone. He held out his hand. "My name is Preston. It is a pleasure to meet you, especially since Bruno has spoken so fondly of you."

Peter's heart lurched as he took the clawed hand and shook it. "You knew Bruno?" He grimaced at his words and hastily added, "I mean know."

Preston grimaced and opened the door wider. "You better come inside. It is a long tale, and our current company will make it longer still."

Peter followed the Pokémon into the building. A shiver ran down his back as he passed the doorway, as if an invisible, tingling bubble enveloped the building. Despite the crumbling walls, gravel floor, rotten tables, and grimy bar, the building exuded a warm, old-fashioned charisma, as if he had walked backwards in time to a Prohibition-era speakeasy.

Six Pokémon sat in stools surrounding the bar, a Metang taking up two seats, a Gardevoir next to an empty spot, a Hypno and a Mienshao sat together, and the Delphox was behind a Blaziken in a white robe. Peter's mouth went dry at the sight of it.

"You're from the WK?" he asked the Blaziken.

The Blaziken turned around, and the two Lucario flinched. Kolar whispered in Peter's ear, "That's Nine."

The blood froze in Peter's veins. He numbly nodded towards Nine and said, "It's good to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same," he replied, "But your presence here was an unexpected… obstacle." He looked at the two Lucario. "I hope you will excuse my current appearance. I'd rather not upset anyone."

Peter cleared his throat and ran his fingers over the Sudoku book. "Is this some kind of White Knight meeting? If so, I apologize for walking in unannounced. We were following a lead we had on Bruno's location." He glanced at Preston. "If you have any information on his whereabouts, I would appreciate it if you would share."

Preston gestured towards the bar, and three purple discs, hovering level with the tops of the stools, appeared in empty spaces between the seated Pokémon. "Please take a seat. Stools are in short supply, so I hope you don't mind one made of psionic energy."

Peter's first step took him towards the seat farthest from Nine, but after a second's hesitation and a caress of the Sudoku book's pages, he sat next to him. Jarem and Kolar took the other seats, next to the Metang and Preston respectively.

A thick glass bottle, ostensibly cleaned compared to its grimy neighbors on the liquor shelf, floated towards Preston. Two glasses followed it like baby Duckletts. The bottle opened and tipped itself over the glasses, and a cloudy peach-colored liquid poured into each.

"I would offer you a beverage," Preston said, "But I'm afraid all I have is homebrewed berry sake, and I don't know if it is safe for humans."

Peter glanced at the other Pokémon. Each one had a glass in front of them in various states of consumption. "I would like some, if you don't mind."

Preston blinked. Another glass glided across the bar, stopped beneath the bottle, and carried its load to Peter. He took a cautious sniff of the sake. It smelled faintly of alcohol and cheri berries. He sipped it, paused, waiting for the flavor to sink into his tongue. Nothing happened. He swallowed half of it, and this time, he caught a faint bite of alcohol, notes of spiciness, and a nutty aftertaste, but despite that, it tasted little stronger than water.

"Thank you," he said after he drained the glass. "It was good."

Preston's brows furrowed. "I see." He poured another glass, but this one bubbled as it reached him, and its peach color had darkened to solid amber. A single whiff nearly burned every hair in his nose.

"Hold on, I think I got it." The surface of the liquid stirred, and it lightened slightly. One sip filled his mouth with the wild bonanza of nutty spiciness tempered with syrupy pecha that the first glass had suggested.

"I started this gathering a few years ago," Preston said as the others sipped their sake. "From my time at the university, I noticed students and faculty going out to bars and socializing. Being what I am, the few times I tried it felt… awkward." The Alakazam cleared his throat and poured himself a second glass. "So, I decided to start my own. In my spare time, I searched for other Pokémon with an intellect comparable to my own and a desire for some social interaction."

"And Bruno was one of those you found?" Peter asked.

"Not exactly." Preston stroked his mustache with a clawed finger and turned towards Kolar. "Is it acceptable to speak of your home?"

"He already knows," Kolar answered.

Preston nodded and returned his gaze to Peter. "My travels took me to the Temple. There, I met with the Elders, and they expressed interest in our gathering. They asked me to allow Bruno to attend."

Peter shook his head. His grip tightened on the glass, he swigged the rest of the sake and held out his hand for a refill. "Why didn't he tell me? Did you ask him not to?"

"I did not." The bottle poured out half a glass before returning to Preston's side. "I do not prohibit anyone here from speaking of it, but the Elders may have instructed otherwise." He asked Kolar, "Do you have anything to add?"

Kolar shook his head. "I know nothing of this place or of what the Elders had ordered."

Nine set his glass down with a soft plink and leaned back on his stool. "So that was my mistake. I should've realized the Temple had an interest in this gathering before coming here."

Peter watched him out of the corner of his eye as he asked Preston, "Are you part of the White Knights?"

"No. Nine came here to make that offer, and we were in the middle of discussing it when you came in."

Peter suppressed the urge to ask their opinion and instead spoke to Nine. "That's the reason you're here, then? A recruitment drive?"

Nine closed his eyes and leaned back farther. "Sort of. I had a few other reasons for coming as well." He stretched, sprung forward, and drank a mouthful of sake. "The second reason is I'm setting off an EMP half a block from here."

Dead silence filled the room, as if the EMP had just gone off and disrupted all sound. Then Peter said, with all the calm he could muster, "You do realize that is highly illegal."

"Quite," Nine said, "Which is why I was rather disgruntled by your sudden arrival."

"May I ask why you are setting off an EMP in the middle of the city, and that you didn't inform us in our meeting yesterday?"

"Simple. It's my first move against the Rockets, and the more people know a secret, the harder it is to keep it. Not to mention, there'd be so much bureaucratic red tape to cross if this got to the Sages that the Rockets would have them hostage before they reached an agreement."

"You still should've told us."

"And give the Rockets time to set up a countermeasure like the one around this building?" Nine giggled. "You can blame the radical White Knights or the Rockets for all I care. Point is, if all goes well, you'll have Bruno back by tomorrow night."

Peter's heart raced, but he schooled his face into an emotionless mask. "How so?"

"I had a few other reasons for the visit. Aside from warning their metallic member that an EMP would fry every electronic within half a mile of this spot, I also wanted Preston's help in finding Bruno." He tapped the gravel under the stools. "I know the Rockets have him in an underground bunker somewhere around here, but without more specific information, I'd never find him. So, once the EMPs disable the shields around Bruno, Preston will be able to find him." Nine gave the Lucario a sidelong glance and added, "Perhaps that would help in your search as well."

Giddiness bubbled up like carbonation in Peter's chest, but a lingering doubt iced it over. "Were you really planning to return Bruno?" he asked.

Nine's eyes stared directly into Peter's, and his posture straightened. "Of course. Why would I want to keep him to myself?"

Before Peter could think of a reply, Nine glanced down at a watch on his wrist. "It'll go off any second. Be ready."

A shudder ran through the walls. A purple membrane bent inwards, like a balloon squeezed by outstretched hands, and bounced back into place. Preston put a hand to his head and sagged forward.

"I found him!" he shouted.

At the same moment, the Lucarios' eyes widened. "We feel him," Jarem said. "He's not gone yet, but he's very close. Elder Bayron will be here in a minute."

"I'll be right back," Preston said. "Make sure to keep the area by the door clear."

Nine's eyes widened. "No, not yet. I have a team ready to move. This is our only chance to strike and we can't warn them it's coming."

"You heard them," Preston said flatly. "He doesn't have much time. I'm going now."

"No, wait!" Nine lunged towards him, but Preston winked out of existence. A rank, sweaty, odor filled the space he once occupied, one familiar to Peter's nose.

A moment later, Preston and Bruno appeared in the room, staggered a few steps forward, and fell to the floor.

Changelog

12/24/18 – minor edits