Chapter 19: His metropolitan home

Late afternoon

Unova

Castelia city

"Lack-2, get back here you stupid BRAT!" Gold hollered irritably as he wove through the crowd mingling about in the city, it was difficult to navigate through the skyscrapers, numerous houses and other buildings making up the cosmopolitan. Dodging the crowds on his skateboard, he spied the blue clothed boy sidestepping into a gap formed by two huge buildings, propelling his skateboard forward with a push; the gold eyed trainer gave chase. A trio of dancers walked in front of him and he found his path cut off. Cursing under his breath, he decided to go down another alley. Fishing his phone out, he tapped on the screen and brought out a map of Castelia city. He needed to find Lack-2 at all costs.

"Senior Yellow" he spoke into his poke gear, "any sign of him?"

"No," her faint voice came through the speakers, he could hear people speaking in the background, "I don't know where he went, but he is not at the harbor...I'll keep a lookout anyway, have you contacted Black?"

"I'll do so in a minute, he's hiding somewhere here, I just caught a glimpse of him...Dear Arceus, I need to find him before he bumps into a police officer" the black haired trainer, voice strained with worry, trailed off. He cut the connection and while still balancing on his skateboard, he dialed another number and called his junior.

"Black!" the teen screamed a greeting in return, "any sign of him?"

"Wait musharna, get back here!...Ah no senior sorry, I'm too busy chasing after... MUSHA! Come back here! You can have my dreams you dream eating monster! GET BACK HERE" Pulling the gear away from his ear with a grimace, Gold exhaled and came to a stop. The capture team had flown from Kanto and landed at Striaton city due to the acting leader's insistence. The Johto native wanted to try out the new restaurant which also boasted pokemon battles. The afternoon was spent with Gold and Black having fun with mock pokemon battles against the three chefs of the restaurant and then he decided to traverse Skyarrow Bridge by foot much to the chagrin of everyone present. The flirtatious trainer boarded his skateboard and went zooming down the long stretch of road, hands thrown up in the air due to sheer enjoyment. Black followed him on Brav, Lack-2 and Yellow merely strolled along the length of the bridge and observed how the hyperactive duo careered back and forth several times on the asphalt. They got into some trouble with a cleaner and remorselessly Black rendered the aged individual's pokemon into a bloody mess of fur and feathers. Job done, they entered Castelia city via the gate and the moment they stepped foot into the large city, Lack-2, without word or warning, tore off by himself. Dusk was setting in and after incoherently yelling some instructions, Typholsion's trainer too shot off, screaming at the boy to return. The pair left behind nodded to each other and split to search for the rogue child.

"Damn it! Where could he be? It was a huge mistake to give him his first project on his home region" mumbling under his breath, Gold hopped off his skateboard and called his partners to aid him on his search. ambipom, the mischievous monkey, merely hopped on his head and began grooming its trainer's messy locks. Shouldering past the jostling masses, the adolescent sidestepped constantly in order not to run into the people going home, or to work, or to wherever they needed to go. Spying a narrow street and praying he won't find his student in here, he stepped through and was immediately shoved against the wall by a thug. Several others, wearing faux leather jackets imprinted with sandile approached him, their breath made him gag.

"Lookie here" a man on unsteady feet slurred, "another well groomed city boy!" He gripped Gold's collar and shoved his face closer, "cough up some coins kid or we'll do this the hard way."

"I prefer it the hard way" the adolescent shoved the half-drunk off him and took a deep breath, "I still owe Crys and Silver, don't think I'm forking my hard earned gambling money over to the likes of you!"

The ruffians chuckled and sent out their pokemon, battle scarred monsters hissed on the dirty, sticky ground. Eyeing the several snarling krookodile and scraftys the gold eyed trainer blanched. All his monsters were out searching the city and Aibo...Was gone.

"Where's your mons brat?" the leader of the gang leered, "still not backing down?"

"Nope!" he took out his pool-cue from the pocket of his pants and used it to poke one of the opposing beast's stomach, it turned out to be a horrible decision because in the next moment he ducked in a desperate manner, an energy infused claw was aiming for his handsome face. Perhaps sensing the predicament their master was in (or maybe Aibo went to call them) his Exbo had just made an entrance in the dimly lit street, the volcano pokemon was flanked by the others, seeing them, the master's spirits soared to epic proportions. Pointing a finger at the opposition he bellowed:

"Guys! Show time!"

The dumpster ignited from a flamethrower and the trash fueled flames poured out in the dank street. The gangsters roared as their jackets caught on fire, some of them took their clothing off and were flapping it frantically in order to put the fire out. Togebo used hyper beam in the congested space and part of the adjacent skyscraper's wall was scraped off, plaster and bricks fell on those down below. ambipom, screeching in an earsplitting manner swung around and gouged deep red gashes in the ruffian's faces, sudowoodo on the other hand, broke the pokemon's backs and bones with a well-aimed Hammer arm. The bruised beasts wailed and howled and fire danced in golden irises as the trainer watched it all.

"We're done here," wiping soot and sweat off his face, Gold stepped out and recalled his partners. Picking up his skateboard he ambled away from the scene. He could already hear the distant sirens of a fire truck, the people in this city are rather quick. Spirits sinking, he decided to go through each of the streets in turn, if by the end of the day Lack-2 was nowhere to be seen, the mission was aborted. His mind churned with the prospects of what would happen, they'd have to switch bases and go into hiding, most probably leave Kanto and move to a new region...He shook his head and slapped his cheeks in an effort to psych himself up. Gold first walked into Gym Street and scoured the area thoroughly; his apprentice was nowhere to be seen. Heart thumping, he peeked into the gym to see it deserted. Castelia Street was a mess of people; he bumped into several well-dressed business men who scrunched up their noses at his unkempt appearance. Muttering apologies he went through the entire street without seeing a hair of Lack-2. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled into the next one and inhaled. He was going to find his student...And give him a good spanking!

Mode Street (according to the digital map in his hands) was rather calming. Trees and bushes lined the sidewalk and there were several benches lining the road and commuters going about their daily business. Spying an ice cream stand in the distance, Gold pushed forward and froze.

A young boy was standing near the shop and eating a soft serve ice-cream. His russet tinted eyes had a faraway look, in his other hand, which was hanging limply by his side, he held a phone. When the Johto pokemon trainer first saw him, Lack-2 had a forlorn look in his eyes, this morphed into a smirk as he held his half eaten cone out to his superior.

"Where...Lugia's name...WERE YOU?!" the elder individual huffed angrily and bore down over his junior who had a nonchalant mien.

"Busy eating soft serve ice-cream and appreciating my home city. I live in Castelia you know...Wanted to visit mom but..." he looked away and continued after taking a healthy bite out of the frozen confectionery "...I understand that there are issues so I came here to get some ice-cream. Casteliacones are my favorite...And where were you? You stink like a trash dumpster."

"I was looking for you, you stupid BRAT!" Several commuters gave the pair disgusted glances, "whatever" Gold calmed down and his eyes softened "you live in Castelia you say? How about we gather all together and check out the sights of the city huh?"

Lack-2 stopped licking his cone, "what about the mission? It's a risky one right? Won't our leader chew you out or something? And even if he doesn't...Senior Green sure will."

"Pffft" the older male retrieved his pokegear and started calling his friends "What Green doesn't know won't hurt him" he winked.

Yesterday, early morning

Kanto

Beneath Celadon city's game corner

Black and White were seated before the organization's three leaders. They were in a small room and separating the two groups was a low glass topped table. On the table lay two spheres, the light stone and the dark stone. It was already concluded that Black was a suitable user of the light stone, since he was not proficient; the teenager was trying his best to figure the mysteries of the stone out in order to wield it better. At times the rock would give off an intense pure white glow and then fade. On the other end of the spectrum, White was given the dark stone to keep and unfortunately not once did the sphere glow to indicate that she might be the chosen trainer. It never grew warm, it did not exude any light, it simply stayed a dormant mass of rock. Dead. Today, they gathered to discuss prospects of a new wielder of the stone. Blue perched on the couch's arm-rest, checking her nails, Red was in the middle, his Pika on his head and Green sat on the other side of Red. The spiky haired individual was falling asleep.

He was falling asleep, a rare occurrence indeed.

"Wakey wakey Green! Can't have the brains of the group snoozing can we? Come on; time to think for a solution!" Blue admonished and went back to filing her nails. She had neglected them for far too long. Ruby had better looking cuticles than her and he was a guy.

"Right, sorry for that" the male yawned and stretched lazily, "So to sum everything I learnt about Kyurem...Red pay attention this is important...Basically the ice dragon is a shell made when Zekrom and Reshiram, which were initially one dragon, split to follow their choice of trainers. If we can combine either Zekrom or Reshiram with Kyurem, the dragon becomes very, very powerful. But we first need to capture that pokemon and get DNA splicers, unless we do these two things, we can't see the new forms of Kyurem. Okay, that aside, we have another problem on our hands. White, it seems like the dark stone has refused you for a partner right? Is it still unresponsive?" The girl affirmed the fact in a tiny voice, "Don't worry, we'll simply have to kidn...Acquire a suitable trainer to manage the stone."

"You wanted to say kidnap" pointed out the female commander.

"Shut up pesky woman..." he exhaled in an irritated manner, "White, you can take you leave now, Black go and call Lack-2, Yellow, you will find her in Strategy's common room and Gold. We have a mission for you three."

"Ah yes. Capturing Kyurem" Red echoed as his underling left the room "Green, are you sure I can't go...I mean Silver relayed how powerful the dragon is, won't having a neophyte on the scene mess things up? And Gold...Can get carried away sometimes...I'm a bit...Worried."

"Relax will you, since when where you so fussy about these things? Gold is an excellent trainer; he will be more than enough to capture the pokemon. And walking into the lion's den Red? A stupid move, the moment you set foot in the giant chasm and Groudon forbid, one of them recognizes you...All this is over." The brunette swept his hands around the space. Blue was eerily quiet and only the sharp sound of filing nails could be heard, "you do realize that don't you?" The black haired man nodded and scratched pikachu behind its ears, the electric mouse gave a satisfied squeak.

Moments later the required trainers piled into the room and took their respective seats. Straightening up, Execution's leader relayed their mission in a somber voice:

"Your task, is to capture Kyurem who is currently being held in the giant chasm between route twenty three and twenty four...Near the pokemon league huh...I wonder ho-"

"RED!" snapped his best friend's cold voice, "get to the point!"

"...As I was saying, it is situated near the pokemon league, the area is extremely cold, fire types are required to be used...Although y'all know that already. Kyurem is a dangerous, unstable beast, made even more so due to the experiments carried out by the scientists. There are three gym leaders present they are members of the international police. Silver has also stated that Looker is on sight. Beware of him." Red tinted eyes fell on the youngest member of the team, Lack-2's visage, normally set to apathetic or perverse, were hopeful. He saw the boy's copper colored eyes betray an emotion not seen on him before. "...Lack-2..." the child immediately guarded his expression, "this is your first assignment right? I do hope Gold takes good care of you. If there is something bothering you, don't hesitate to ask me alright?" Only the people sitting with him on the sofa were able to pick up the cutting edge in his voice. A hidden threat, so becoming of the kindest one of them three.

"Yeah, I won't pull any stunts, I promise." The boy solemnly swore and bowed.

His eyes were still shining.

The next day, evening

Unova

Castelia city

A fist clonked Lack-2 on his head as the four-man team ambled down the roads.

"You promised senior Red and you still disappear like that" Gold admonished "don't take Red for granted, you will regret it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Hand carrying an ice-cream cone, Lack-2 and company walked about the bustling streets. He always loved big cities, the people rushing around, neon signs and street lights permanently lighting up the sky in a dazzling array of colors. Skyscrapers, brushing the heavens, cafes, with their lilting music and the rich smell of coffee and milk. The art gallery...displaying paintings and images he didn't really care about. And Casteliacones.

The taste of home.

His lips were starting to get numb from the constant contact it made with the ice cream but he didn't really care, he was lagging behind his seniors. Gold, Yellow and Black were peering at the city with wide eyes, it was already dark and he wondered where they should go first. Maybe the art gallery, voicing out his request, his self-imposed teacher clapped him on his back and they entered Studio Castelia. The art gallery was currently exhibiting works from both new artists and art pieces depicting ancient Unova and its legends. The boy broke away from the group and dragged himself to see a painting depicting the two pokemon in a fused form. His sneakers thumped on the gleaming laminated floor and he stared at the image. The turbo on the tail of the draconic pokemon was laced with black stripes, the huge, feathery wings were two toned as well, the pitch black top fading to pure white at the bottom, the fused dragon's maw resembled not Zekrom, not Reshiram but Kyurem. The boy snorted, whoever painted this particular piece sure had an imagination.

Tearing himself away, he focused on the image next to it. This painting was framed by gold leaf and depicted a battle between three giant pokemon. The background of the image was a mix of different shades of black. A white serpentine creature sporting gold crown-esque decorations on its head and hovering on black leathery wings was busy warring with two other beasts. One was a crystalline blue sauropod with metallic projections on its body; the other was a light purple therapod with two large pearls encrusting its shoulders. A swirl or vortex was painted between the three, the purple, blue and white-gold smudging together. Lack-2 was enraptured by the image and slowly his eyes drifted down to read the metallic plaque bearing the name of the piece, the fancy script read: Dialga, Palkia and Giratina, on the eve of a new world. Blinking, he glanced at the artwork one last time and joined his seniors in exiting the gallery.

The capture team made their way back to Mode Street and the boy simply listened to his elders chatting away, expressing their opinions on the different artwork they just saw in the studio. Being the most familiar with the layout of the city, Lack-2 walked in front of them and decided to swing by his favorite cafe before hitting the hotels. A glimpse at his Xtransciever told him it was little past nine; there was still plenty of time to while away in a teashop. When he squeezed himself into the Narrow Street and wrinkled his nose at the smell of sodden garbage, Gold grabbed him by the scruff.

"Where do you think you are going?" the adolescent demanded.

"Cafe Sonata" came the deadpan reply "it's in this street, the fancy ones near the piers only open in the morning, this one stays open till late. It's got good coffee." he stated once his superiors gold tinted irises shrunk in mistrust. He twisted himself free of the man's grasp.

"For a boy you sure know some shady places."

"Says the man who started gambling in his pre-teenage years." he flippantly added with a smug smirk.

"You got me, so where is this place?"

The bell attached to the glass door twinkled when Black opened it, one by one, the group walked in. Lack-2 pulled his visor over his eyes and kept his face down. The smell of warm milk and coffee greeted them. Soft orange light and a worn carpet underfoot gave the place a homely feel. The foursome gathered around an empty table and sat. On one corner of the cafe, a man strummed a soulful tune on his guitar and a few pokemon danced to the twanging rhythms. A few minutes later a waiter came and received their orders. They all gaped at him when he ordered moomoo milk.

"I don't see anything wrong with me drinking milk" he sniffed arrogantly and stirred his cup.

"Ah, it's not that we're making fun of you Lack-2" Yellow soothed and blew into her mug of cappuccino, "you act so much like an adult I suppose we found it strange you still drink milk."

The boy downed his steaming mug in a few gulps, "have fun sleeping tonight...Especially you senior Black." the teenager in question was already jittery, hearing this Gold paled.

"You...Are a devil in disguise."

"Serves you people right from kidnapping me from my comfortable home...I'm tired hurry up." yawning he slumped on the table.

It was a little past ten when they exited the cafe, Lack-2 could only remember being carried on Gold's back as they made their way back to the wharf area and the hotel of their choice. In a sleep induced haze, the multi colored lights of the city appeared brighter than usual. Streaks of neon green, pink, white and yellow were punctuated by the darkness of the night. He briefly registered entering an elevator and the next thing he knew was being gently lowered into bed. His mentor whom he loved making fun of, was busy stripping him of his visor, sneakers and socks. The man even went as far as to take off his clothing and dress him up in pajamas...Who gave him the right to snoop in his luggage anyway? The curtains bordering the large windows were tightly drawn together and the lights in the room dimmed. A fluffed up pillow was jammed underneath his head and a comfortable comforter was pulled over his body.

"You...Where did you learn... how to take care... of people so nicely? The boy, safely secured in bed garbled. His brown hair was fanned against the pillow cover.

"Jeez, if you were awake then speak up sooner!" the older male quipped, "for your question...My mom used to tuck me in like that when I was younger. She used to work at a daycare center and our house was always filled with baby pokemon.

"Oh...Mmm, thanks for tucking me in. Mom never tucked me in bed" Rolling over, he buried his face under the covers. Imparting a soft smile, Gold headed for the showers.

"In fact, I don't even have a mother." Lack-2 mumbled to himself.

Night

Unova

Giant chasm

Looker shivered in his tent and stared at the images on the screen. This was outright impossible. He rubbed his eyes and continued to read, according to the data, Unova had their own share of local criminals. A group of people calling themselves Team Plasma. Apparently their goal was to free pokemon from human oppression. Discretely, his eyes slid to his Croagunk, the toad was fast asleep, crouched at the entrance and a thin layer of ice was coating its body. According to those Team Plasma individuals, humans had no idea of the true intentions of pokemon; they only imposed their ideals on their respective partners and forced the sorry beasts to go along their schemes. He cringed at the words on the screen, their fears were perfectly plausible. What was more shocking was the image of their 'King'. He was the exact same youth who entered the giant chasm each day and talked to Kyurem. He briefly contemplated what the dragonoid could be telling the human...Was it hungry? Did it want to eat them?

He quivered.

Fingers tapping on the keys, Looker went through another file. All these pages of information were e-mailed to him by his superior...Who basically did whatever he wanted. He recalled a time when his boss had just exited a battle simulation chamber. He had come out with a content smile on his face and Looker was falling fast asleep whilst waiting for him. Handing him a can of soda, the higher ranking officer had gone on a tangent about the wonders of battle simulations and how he was not forced to deal with idiots. The memory brought a smile to his face, Looker sometimes took great pleasure trying to design a few simulations, his ideas were all shot down mercilessly but the individual kept the discs nevertheless. Phasing back to the present, his heart did another double take.

This is outright insane, his mind supplied, I need some sleep. Yes, sleep sounds nice. My brain is too tired to compute this nonsense. He closed all the folders and powered the laptop down, but the images he saw did not erase from his mind.

A/N: So the vacation chapter was a refreshing read huh? Glad to know that everyone enjoyed it. At Silver: I'm so happy you got the Ash reference, I was waiting for someone to point it out and I'll miss reading your theories and reviews. Have a happy time nonetheless. At Eevee: Did you feel the depth of the feels? Personally, I love getting inside the character's heads and writing how they feel (PS: While I was writing that Chapter, I died a little inside as well). Your comment on Yellow coming to her senses gave me a nice plot idea, so thanks for that. At AngelMaster14: I don't own a 3DS hence I didn't play any of the new games, so yeah, the characters are only going to be till Gen 5. Watching the trailer for X and Y had me intrigued on Mega evolution and I want to incorporate that into the story, but that's going to happen much later and I'll need to do a bunch load of research for that. Anyway, please look forward to how the story turns out. And keep on reviewing! Virtual cookies/chocolate/cake and chocolate cake to everyone!

Edit: Guys, for some reason, this site is being wacky. I get an error when posting a chapter however said chapter still gets posted (then why the error in the first place?) Also I update this fic every three days without fail (unless I've got power issues/or I'm busy dying in bed, I WILL update it.) So if you see no new chapter after three days, check the story out, apparently fanfic is having issues with story updating *or something like that*