*NOTE: This chapter has a song from the "soundtrack" featured in it! This website does not allow links, so to listen along with the story, please copy/paste the below code into a new tab. In the new tab, write in the address bar: www dot youtube dot com/, and then after the slash, please copy and paste the below code and you'll be directed right to the song. When you see the three stars in the chapter (***), that is the signal to hit play! Also important to note: Please slow the playback speed down on the video to .75 for best results! It sounds better slow!
The copy/paste code to the song, titled on YouTube as "Viridian / Pewter / Saffron City Theme Slow Version (from Pokemon Let's Go) - Piano Cover by Sinta Cahyadi is this: watch?v=kO-8XslwIYE&ab_channel=SintaCahyadi
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REPORT NUMBER: #KANT0-0202310309-C
CHAMPION LANCE
G-MEN ID #001994-DRAGON
CLEARANCE CLASSIFICATION: TOP-SECRET
SUBJECT: "FOLLOW-UP ON SEAFOAM EMAIL THREAT/REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL SECURITY IN THE AREA OF EAST SAFFRON CITY."
THE BELOW MESSAGE HAS BEEN MARKED AS: TOP SECRET. If you are not the person to whom this message is addressed, be aware that any use, reproduction, or distribution of this message to any third party is strictly forbidden by Kantonian & International law. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and immediately delete this email and any attachments.
REPORT:
This message is an additional follow-up to my previous report #KANT0-0202310309-A, concerning a threatening e-mail message that was sent to a citizen of Kanto, after the citizen had assisted a member of the G-Men on a Top-Secret mission in the Seafoam Islands to investigate the ongoing suspicious weather activities around Kanto. I am requesting additional security support for the citizen, who resides in Saffron City, as well as additional surveillance protocols to be enacted to prevent the leaks of Top-Secret information as well as to ensure her safety.
Post-analysis of the images attached to the original threat have revealed the following:
1. The email address that sent the threat was supplied by an auto-deleting server, one that generates random email addresses & then wipes all traces of the address from the web after 30 minutes of its creation. The IP-address of the sender could not be pinpointed, but it was traced to the area around Saffron City.
2. Further investigation has confirmed that the images were photographed on the same island in Seafoam at the same time & day that the Top-Secret mission occurred, and the photo-forensics lab has eliminated the possibility of deep-fake photography.
3. No other copies of the images have since surfaced on any server in Kanto or Johto, and the citizen at the center of the threat has not received any further correspondence from anyone else that could result in further evidence or leads.
This report is to enact the following of the G-Men Response team, by order of Lance, G-Men ID# 001994-DRAGON:
a. The Citizen at the center of the threat will be protected at all costs. I am enacting a plain-clothes surveillance Code Blue on the area of East Saffron City, focusing on the streets located East of 8th Avenue, and all streets adjacent to the building located at: 190 Gold Berry Street.
b. I am once again requesting additional security at the Saffron Times HQ Office located at: 100 Silph Avenue. This is my third request for additional security at the property, and I now have reason to believe that the owners of the property have been obstructing the clearance process to allow the G-Men forces inside. If this request it does not go through, I will arrange an in-person meeting with the owners of the property myself to explain the situation to them clearly. The aforementioned obstruction has lead me to launch a separate investigation into the finances of the Saffron Times, a report that is still pending. As previously stated, the citizen at the center of the threat is an employee of Saffron Times, INC & is not permitted to work remotely for the time being due to the nature of her work.
c. As the images in question contain Top-Secret information on G-Men activities, I am enacting a Web Blackout Response for both of the images found in the threat. If the images are opened again on any computer, server, or internet-linked device in the region, the Blackout response switch will trigger and automatically shut down & track the device. This is to prevent any leaks of classified information, and to prevent any potential fallout in the form of 3rd -party reactive journalism.
The citizen has been in my protective custody for the last 12 hours, but will be returning to Kanto on this night by 2100 local time. Ensure the above security protocols are in place by then.
To state again for the record, the citizen must be protected at all costs. Any member of the G-Men Brigade Squadron or Security Forces who find issue with these requests should come directly to me with their words, and they will be swiftly reminded to whom this agency serves.
Addendum: The device found on the Seafoam mission in question, whose detailed evidence report can be found in Report #KANT0-0202310309-B, has been passed along to Clair, the Leader of the Blackthorn City Gym for further analysis. Evidence has shown that the metal casing around the device was crafted with raw materials from Blackthorn Mountain Metals LLC, a manufacturing company that specializes in creating materials mined from the Blackthorn Mountains. Clair has been named the expert on the mines of Blackthorn & will give her expanded report to me in the days to come.
End Report.
Champion Lance
G-MEN ID #001994-DRAGON
CLEARANCE CLASSIFICATION: TOP-SECRET
THE ABOVE MESSAGE HAS BEEN MARKED AS: TOP SECRET. If you are not the person to whom this message is addressed, be aware that any use, reproduction, or distribution of this message to any third party is strictly forbidden by Kantonian Law. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and immediately delete this email and any attachments.
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The flight back to Kanto was a quiet one; Lance barely spoke a word to Maya for the entire trip.
But Maya's mind was racing; She couldn't wait to get her eyes on the book of the Code of the Dragon, and finally understand what was happening here.
Because whatever it was, it had caused a darkness to fall over Lance's eyes that she had never seen before. One that stayed upon him, as they crossed over the Kantonian boarder, as they flew above the Cerulean basins and the Celadon River Valley, despite the gorgeous clear night and the tiny stars that dotted the skies above them like a swarm of glowing Morelull against a black Alolan breeze.
Before long, they were landing silently at the Elite Four Estate house, the sprawling gardens of the grounds finding a new charm in the darkness of the night. They entered the main foyer quietly, with Maya beaming out Kadabra from its ball to float beside them as they made their way down the hallway toward the Parlor, without a word between them.
As their feet found the white marble floors of the Parlor, Lance did not turn to look at her. He just stood there quietly for a moment, lost in thought, before gazing over to his elegant grand piano as it stood in the darkness of the window.
He turned to Kadabra.
"Kadabra, come with me a moment. I want to show you something."
He made his way over to the piano.
Kadabra shared a glance with Maya, a look of hesitance, before floating its way over to his direction. Maya stood back, watching.
Lance sat at the velvet bench of the piano, lifting the cover off the ivories, before reaching above to an open stack of music displayed on a stand before them. He shuffled a few sheets before reaching a new page, on a song titled: A Viridian Adventure.
Kadabra sat beside him on the piano. It studied the notes on the sheet carefully.
"Have you ever read music before?" He asked it softly, "To every note, there is a key. The ones on top of the lines, make up these notes. E..." His fingers found the E key first and the note rang out, before playing the rest as he called them aloud, "G...B...D...F... and the ones inside the spaces make up... F...A...C...E..."
He moved his hands away, gesturing for Kadabra to try. Its little claws rested over the keys softly, studying the symbols on the page, gently finding the first few notes of the song with its yellow fingers. With a tiny, slow, press, it began to play, its notes short & simple as it attempted to work out just the first few bars of the song***.
As Kadabra struggled through the notes, Lance peered over to Maya, a coldness still laced in his eyes. He then glanced down the opposite hallway, before meeting her gaze again.
She understood; her eyes found the floor. He turned back to the piano, as Kadabra continued to play.
With the simple little song chiming out into the echo of the Parlor, Maya silently backed away from the both of them, before turning to slowly make her way down the long adjacent hallway of the Estate.
The music began to fade to her back as she walked on, her eyes searching for a door she had seen once before during their last visit.
There it was, just up ahead on the right side of the hall, a golden plaque of the symbol of the Dragon memorialized over the door.
She peered around,
Before her hands slowly found the cold golden handle.
She took in a deep breath.
Turning the handle down as slowly as she could, careful to not make a sound, she opened the heavy door just wide enough, and slipped silently inside.
And there she found herself, in the Dragon Master's Study.
Before her was a room of regal, professional spirit, the walls lined with massive bookcases filled with textbooks as thick and wide as a Crustle's shell. They surrounded her, overflowing with limited edition Professor's novels and specialized dictionaries, and books of Pokémon biology climbing high into the ceiling. Between these cases mounted massive framed maps of the regions of the world, one of which boasted the boarders of an old and ancient Kanto written in a language that Maya didn't even recognize.
At the center of the room by a string of square windows sat his large, gothic-looking antique oak desk, clean & tidy, only a few sparse bits of paperwork squared off on the corner, and a few loose books & framed photos near the center.
Beside the desk along the same line of windows sat a Victorian-looking chaise lounge, Scizor-maroon in color & draped in a velvet crush, nearly haunting the rest of the room where it sat beneath the darkness.
Her eyes grew wide at a massive glass structure on the far side of the room. She approached it cautiously to find: a treasure trove of trophies, stacked one upon the other, an endless sea of the Dragon Master's accomplishments. Among them she spotted the golden crown chalice of the Elite Four Cup, a host of massive platinum prize statues from the Johto League Championship, an enormous trophy marking the Champion of Kanto's top spot at the League; plaque upon plaque of his rising ranks at the World Coronation Series, not to mention medal after medal with his brilliant name etched upon each one, for various achievements of heroism inside the Elite Four and beyond. Dotted among them were a few sparse photos of the Dragon Master himself, posing in action on the battlefield, his finger pointing out in heart-stopping command.
This monument to him, and his incredible pokémon training...this entire room, it was a sight to behold. And it was only a short lifetime's worth of work.
She turned back to the bookcases, scanning up and down for the one she came to steal. But she honestly had no idea what it even looked like, or what would set it apart from the rest.
If the Code is something his Clan must reference of all the time, she thinks to herself, it wouldn't be gathering dust on this bookcase.
Her eyes then found the desk again. Approaching it slowly, her gaze locked on to the short stack of books near the center.
Her hands reached to grab the one that sat on top, reading it to herself:
"THE ID AND THE EGO OF MEGA-EVOLUTION: A BOOK OF CASE STUDIES BY PROFESSOR AUGUSTINE SYCAMORE"
Interesting, Maya thought, but that's not it.
Beneath this was a skinny journal filled with music sheets, mostly blank, empty bars waiting to be written.
How sweet, Maya thinks. Maybe he's writing his own music.
Sliding the journal aside, the book underneath this grabbed her attention:
It was old, its black, leather-bound casing creased up and worn like the horns of a battle-ready Tauros. The binding was loose, and its thick stacks of pages were earmarked and pleated, but as Maya lifted it up, heavy in her hands, the shine of its gilded edges glowed bright beneath her cerulean eyes. She turned it over to reveal the golden-thread embroidery of the cover:
THE CODE OF THE DRAGON
Maya took in a new breath, filled with relief. This was it... she clutched it in her hands like her own little sacred trophy, gazing down to it, wondering why it seemed to be the key to her & Lance's future.
After a moment of reflection, Maya opened her little sidebag & carefully tucked the book inside.
Closing her bag back up, one of the framed photos on the desk grabbed her attention. She slowly picked it up, bringing it to her face.
There he was: Young little Lance, no older than 8, happily smiling in front of a joyful couple, a man and a woman, as they all stood together beneath a tree in the Viridian Forest for a family portrait. On the left beside the woman was a soulful looking Hypno, it's yellow fur bright against the green of the brush. On the right beside the man was a massive, somber-looking Dragonite.
Little Lance's youthful, red mop of hair, his sweet little smile... Maya couldn't help but grin at this lovable little boy.
Her eyes studied the man of the couple, no doubt Lance's father. He wore the same stoic expression that Lance usually did, with the same arcing brow, his eyes a dark and casting grey, much darker than Lances, beneath a well-groomed short cut of black hair. He donned a black cape, one flowing out softly in the Viridian breeze.
Beside him stood the smiling, cheerful woman, her hair flowing with luscious red locks in the same garnet shade as little Lance's. With the shape of her grinning face, the charming expression in her light-silver eyes & those flowing ruby tresses of hair, she was the spitting image of her little boy.
Maya put the frame down, spotting another photo just beside it. She leaned in close to find: A trio of men, behind their trio of pokémon. One was Lance's father again, and his stern-looking Dragonite. The other man was an older gentleman, his hairline receding and white, a hardened look of a long, lonely life painted over his face. Another massive Dragonite stood just beside this elder.
And in the center between them stood little Lance again, a very young teenager now, his skinny Dragonair proudly at his side. But there were no smiles here. Just a look of seriousness, and heavy, heavy gravity.
With one last glance around the room, careful to ensure nothing was left out of place, Maya tiptoed back to the door. She could hear Kadabra's soft playing just on the other side.
With one last look over her shoulder, she grabbed the handle gently & snuck her way back out.
Her little heist was complete; but this was only half the battle.
She had some reading to do.
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When Lance flew Maya home that night, he was still painted with the same stone-cold haze over his eyes. But before they departed, he insisted that Maya sit up front on Dragonite this time, to learn how to lead the way. She was surprised by this, but wasn't going to deny him, as she had never taken the driver's seat before.
As they took off & settled into the midnight Kantonian winds, Lance explained to her the security protocols that were in place around her apartment, and guaranteed that they were there for her own protection. She was thankful for the watchful eyes; the threatening email message was still looming in her mind, even though Lance assured her that he was hot on the trail of whoever was responsible.
A new silence fell over them as they approached Saffron's skyline in the distance.
This coldness; Maya could feel it radiating off from him, and she hated it. She focused on the clouds before her.
But then, suddenly,
She felt his arms around her.
He huddled close to her, pressing his warm body against her, encasing her in his embrace. His arms then locked across her chest tightly. His head peered over her shoulder, now nuzzling close to her ear, his eyes closing with the wind.
Maya lifted her arm up to cross over his own, finding his hand to squeeze tight.
His breathing; it seemed a bit jagged, nearly staggered as he inhaled the scent of her, now holding her so tight, as if it was the last time he would ever do so.
When they landed on her balcony, they dismounted Dragonite & found their footing on the stone of the terrace.
They turned and faced each other.
Their eyes locked.
Silence.
His steely gaze; the dark grey clouds were still imbedded within them. His cape whipped in the breeze of the Saffron night as he looked down upon her.
She took a few steps toward this man, her wondrous Champion.
Before peering up, as if to whisper a curious secret into his waiting ear,
But instead, she met his cheek with a soft, gentle kiss.
She stood there for a beat, breathing beside him, savoring this moment.
And then she backed away, a tiny smile paving over her.
Meeting his eyes again, they were glowing a bit lighter now.
Those cerulean blues; they peered so deeply into him.
This is the last time she's going to look at me like this, he thought horridly to himself.
His eyes found the floor.
He walked back over to Dragonite, climbing aboard again, before casting off into the night sky without another word.
Maya watched until the Champion was out of sight, the weight of the stolen book heavy in the bag beside her.
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Thanks so much for reading! Here's a teaser for this Friday's chapter, entitled: "The Code of the Dragon" :
The first thing she found was a little sacred foreword:
THE CODE OF THE DRAGON
To thine own watchful eye above Blackthorn skies, by all pathways of the Mountains deep, may this text guide the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn to enlightenment & understanding of the ways of the Dragon. Blessed be the Dragon Clan & all among them who train Dragon pokémon, by land, by air, by sea, by the sacred heavens above.
She turned the page, finding a long table of contents:
THE CODE OF THE DRAGON:
I. The Tenets of the Dragon Clan of Blackthorn
II. The Sixty Sacred Legends of the Clan
III. On Raising Dragons
IV. On Battling Dragons
V. The Humanity of Pokémon
VI. On the Body and the Beast
VII. The Thirty Trials of the Acolyte
VIII. The Fifty Trials of the Master
IX. On Tradition
X. Dragon Masters & their Pokémon of Record
XI. Legendary Dragons
XII. The Death of a Dragon
