It had been a day since the kidnapping. Gengar had set up shop inside that old abandoned manor for the moment. Currently, he was sewing a wire into one of the paintings on the wall. He wasn't a fan of sewing but you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Anyway, he got finished fairly quickly. It wasn't the best but the wire was hidden well enough for someone to miss if they didn't look directly at the painting.
Suddenly, the door shot open. Gardevoir quickly entered the room and the excitement in her eyes was evident. Gengar immediately turned around with a purple ball in his hands. Seeing Gardevoir, he put his guard down,
"Good Arceus, don't come in like that," he said. Gardevoir apologized, which Gengar example before asking him with great enthusiasm,
"Guess what I got?"
"I don't know, your fucking citizenship badge?"
She revealed a small, rectangular piece of plastic with her face on the left.
"I got my telepaths license!" Gardevoir said, squealing in delight. Gengar raised an eyebrow and asked,
"You are showing me this, why?" Slightly offended by his lack of enthusiasm, she told him,
"Because I want to. You helped us save Cubone,"
"So?" he asked, "I kidnapped him."
"You did the right thing at the end of the day," she then looked away from him, "but you don't have to go if you don't want to. Farewell."
As Gardevoir turned away, Gengar looked back at that painting. It depicted what looked to be a portrait of a Mismagius in a wedding dress with a subdued grin. The hidden wire highlighted the brooch around her neck. Gengar frowned at the picture before looking back at Gardevoir, staring at her white 'dress.' He groaned out loud and told her,
"Fine, I'm going." Gardevoir looked back and smiled before leading him back to town. Eventually, they met up with Aggron and Infernape, who looked thunderous upon seeing Gardevoir. However, surprisingly enough, he stayed, presumably for the food.
Along the way, an older man gestured for Infernape to approach. Curious, Infernape walked towards the old man. The old man then giggled,
"Check this out," he said cheekily, "You'll really like this." He then pointed into a hole in the wall and like a kid with a telescope, he looked through it. It didn't take a genius to know what he was looking at. The old man then gestured for Infernape to take a look. Infernape smirked and approached the little hole in the wall, wisps of steam floated through the hole. Infernape as he got close to it before igniting his finger and sticking it into the hole, sealing it shut.
He may like women, but he had standards.
Ludicolo's was a restaurant near the center of town. It served Ateskatl food, tacos, burritos, and the works. The group managed to get seats and placed their orders. Gardevoir was still lost in thought about Infernape, he looked like he was at least trying to have a good time but she knew he still hadn't forgiven her yet. Aggron gently nudged her, she turned to him and asked,
"So, how was the actual test"
"Oh right," she said, how could she not tell them about the test, "It had two components: a written and physical exam. I managed to pass the written exam and aced the physical." She said with confidence. The group, sans Infernape, started to clap for her as the food arrived. They began to eat and the conversation continued, Gardevoir would answer the question that Aggron or Gengar had. After a while, Gardevoir stood up and excused herself, pretending to take a call. In Infernape's head, he heard her say, "Meet me outside, we need to talk." He excused himself, explaining that he was simply going to the bathroom, and went outside of the restaurant.
Gardevoir was waiting on a bench outside of the restaurant. She patted the space next to her and Infernape sat down. Noticing that he was calmer than usual, Gardevoir began with,
"Infernape, I'm worried sick for you."
"Oh, so now you care." he snapped.
"Don't say that. I do care, I really do." she insisted. Infernape scowled at her, "Y-you don't think I do?"
"You're not giving me much choice," he explained. Gardevoir buried her face in her palms,
"I just want to fix my mistake and help you," she admitted
"I don't care about what you say. It's about what you do and so far, you haven't done shit to show me that you care," confessed Infernape as he walked back inside.
The remaining two knew something was wrong when Infernape and Gardevoir left almost simultaneously. Gengar was the first to remark,
"I whonde what'sh up wi thm?" He questioned, still eating his food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." he chastised. The steel type then clarified, "I don't fully understand myself but something is very wrong with Infernape. Gardevoir is trying to help but she keeps messing it up somehow." Gengar swallowed his food,
"Any guesses," he inquired. Aggron thought about it for a moment before deciding on a theory.
"It was about three days after we met..." he briefly paused to remember the event then continued, "She promised to help me look for this special CD I have..."
"Heh, nerd." Gengar interrupted. Aggrons fist slammed on the table, which immediately silenced the ghost. Aggron continued with his story,
"She didn't show up, she was helping clean up a beach about two kilometers away. I was mad but I wasn't too harsh since she was doing something good." Aggron explained, "Maybe Infernape never had friends and Gardevoir just kept neglecting him? I don't know." Gengar nodded as he quietly began to create his own theories. "As for Infernape, I have no idea.' Aggron admitted, "I can't tell if he's just a nihilist, depressed, or trying to be an edgelord."
"Well, your wrist hasn't been sliced open so we can rule out the edge thing," quipped Gengar before gouging himself on more food. Aggron rolled his eyes before commenting,
"That still leaves two other options,"
"Well, I think he's putting on a front. He's acting all tough and shit but he's probably just piss scared of a world that's gonna hurt him," theorized Gengar. Confused and slightly concerned, Aggron asked the ghost
Inside the local jail, a guard went towards a certain cell. "Alright, Dusknoir, wake up," he called out. He was met with no response, the guard shined his flashlight into the cage. He dropped the flashlight in shock and ran towards the warden's office. The warden spat out his morning coffee in surprise,
"What is it? He asked.
"DUSKNOIR HAS BEEN KILLED, SIR!"
"WHAT?!"
"Yes, he appears to have been suffocated. I think someone might've broken in and killed him. The guard explained as the two walked down towards the cell.
"Any clues as to who did it?" the Warden questioned. The guard simply pointed his flashlight into the room. On Dusknoir's blue face was a Black Mask.
"Damn. It's them. We should alert the Senshi immediately."
The two guards then went cross-eyed. Their jaws hung open like their brains had been shut off. One could swear they could see a spinning wheel of balls floating in the air, coupled with the pleasant and soothing sounds of ancient dial-up internet. The two stood there for a few seconds before snapping back to their senses,
"WELP! Looks like we can do nothing!"
"Let's hope that some heroes, I don't know, four or five, come along and solve our problem for us."
The group finished their food and paid. As they left, they continued to converse when suddenly, a voice, filled with desperation, cried out,
"SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!" They quickly turned to face the voice and saw a tall, yellow figure running into the town. He had a long neck with three black stripes around it like chokers. Two red orbs were on his tail and forehead. His face filled with sheer, unbridled terror as he ran towards the group. Pokémon were leaving their homes upon hearing the shrill screams. He continued, "SOMEONE HELP, ANYONE!" Gardevoir ran towards the Ampharos to consul him,
"It's ok, You're ok, calm down." She comforted him in a gentle tone. The Ampharos was receptive to Gardevoir and began to take deep breaths to calm himself down. Gardevoir then asked what was wrong and he explained,
"I-I live in a town that's n-not too far away, B-Boltien." he quavered. "T-These Pokémon in b-black masks started appearing and terrorized the village. Their l-l-leader declared that he and his gang now owned the t-town. O-Our guardian, Machoke tried to s-stop him but..." he cringed as he was reminded of "that" scene but he continued, "W-We are now being extorted by them." he started to panic again and Gardevoir gently grasped his head and comforted him. Infernape, Gengar, and Aggron had mixed reactions: Infernape was disturbed; what Pokémon could produce so much pure fear? Aggron was mortified that one group managed to take over an entire town. Gengar, however, thought about it for a moment before a look of recognition briefly flashed across his face. Ampharos finally managed to regain his composure,
"He said that if we rebel, he'll destroy the town. But I just found out that he'll do it anyway because of Machoke." he whimpered. Everyone was stunned, that bastard would destroy an entire community for one Pokémon's actions? Gardevoir collected herself and asked,
"Do you know when this is going to happen?" Ampharos then shuddered,
"I don't know for sure, but it might be soon because he knows I left." A crowd had formed while they were talking, whispering, and muttering about the news.
Gardevoir asked urgently,
"Where is Boltien?"
"Up north, about six or seven kilometers away." Aggron quickly jogged over to them,
"We've got to get the police or the military involved!" Gardevoir was quick to counter,
"The military would never arrive on time, and remember what Infernape said at the town meeting, the police has too little experience to help." Aggron, irritated, then responded,
"You are not seriously suggesting that you go on a suicide mission to save a town!"
"I can't just let potentially hundreds of innocent Pokémon die!" Gardevoir argued passionately.
Gengar popped out from the ground, surprising the group,
"Oh come on, where's the fun in that? Besides, it's probably just the Bla-a gang, they could have lots of money! Tons of money! Millions and billions of money." He countered, oddly insistent about the money thing. Aggron rolled his eyes and scoffed at Gengar,
"This isn't a joke Gengar, people's lives are at risk."
"People's lives are at stake all the time."
"What sociopath thinks like that?!"
"A smart one, stupid!"
Infernape walked over to Ampharos and asked him to put his hand out. Ampharos was weirded out but agreed and stuck his hand out. Infernape carefully looked at his palm, before frowning.
"I'm sorry, the town is lost," he lamented. The others turned to Infernape as Ampharos visibly recoiled from the news.
"H-How do you know?" he asked, fear in his voice.
"Your life line signifies that you will experience a major change in your life," Infernape explained somberly. Aggron looked on in confusion as gears began to turn. He looked over to Gardevoir and was stunned, she looked furious. She stomped over to Infernape and pried his hand from Ampharos's.
'I can't believe you!" she snapped.
"Oh, what is it now?"
"I have been incredibly patient with you but I will not let you lie to someone!" she yelled ferociously. Infernape remained defiant,
"I'm being honest with him!"
"You're scaring him! We can go and save the town!"
"IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER IF YOU TRY TO SAVE THEM! THE TOWN IS DOOMED!"
"If you're so sure that what we do won't matter, then come with us and see for yourself!" demanded Gardevoir.
"WHY?!"
"Because you need to see this," she explained desperately, "I can see the pain in your eyes and it's all because of the lie you tell yourself. You're draining yourself of hope, but I know that there is some shred of it left in there. Let me show you what you know in your heart is true." Infernape was taken aback by her honesty. He stared blankly at her, very deep in thought.
Eight years. That's how long it's been since that incident. And in every single one, he was unable to escape this pit that he had fallen into. So much that he just…stopped trying this year. Just accept that no matter what he'd do, no matter how hard he tried, he could never be free. Though there was one way to freedom.
Infernape shuddered to imagine that path. Gardevoir had broken his trust, but perhaps, just this once, he gave her a chance. Maybe the reason he was stuck was that he was alone, needing others to help push him back to normal.
Very reluctantly, he then quietly walked over to Ampharos. As he passed Gardevoir, he muttered,
"You'd better be right."
A day ago.
A town was bustling through its daily routine: eat breakfast, go to work, eat lunch, go home, eat dinner, sleep, repeat. The town square was lively, filled with little shops and the occasional street performers. Repetition that would come to an end. Pokémon in black masks stormed the town square. Civilians began to panic as these masked criminals started destroying shops, attacking innocents without a moment's hesitation. What looked like a large, rock podium formed in the center of the square. A large figure stepped onto the platform, he wasn't wearing a black mask but he didn't need to.
"Good mornin, Boltien!" He bellowed loudly to the confused crowd, they didn't recognize him but they couldn't help but feel slightly unnerved. "Forgive me and the boys for makin' a ruckus. I just wanted ya'll to know that we, the Black Masks, have taken your town for ourselves. Don't count on the police to come help you. Your asses now belong to us." Silence came from the crowd, which turned into laughter, there was simply no way some ragtag group of punks had taken over an entire village. The leader was steaming with fury. All of these nobodies were acting like he was a child. With a sadistic grin, he remarked "I see, you don't believe me. To be honest, I don't blame ya. Allow me to provide proof that we own this shithole. Bring her 'ere!" He yelled at his goons; they hesitated, silently groaning before they ran into the city.
After a few minutes, the goons returned, pushing and pulling the mayor along with them. She had a long, slim, ferret-like body with brown stripes and cream-colored fur. Her "arms" were restrained by a black, carbon fiber-like rope, her cries muffled by the gag that was forced on her. She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. By now, the collective realization came to them, he wasn't lying. The goons threw the mayor into the ground, laughing as tears began to leave her eyes. Their leader leaped down from his pedestal, landing right in front of the panicked Furret. He smiled at the normal type,
"Hello dearie, I'll remove that gag and you tell everyone here what we... 'agreed upon.'" He pulled the gag out of Furret's mouth, carefully trying not to touch her. She was trying to stop her terror-induced whimpering. "Say it," he demanded with the cruelty of a murderer with nothing to lose. She, after calming down, gave in to his demands,
"I-I-I'm s-sorry, everyone. H-he gave m-me n-n-no-." The leader's foot crashed into the scared Pokémon's stomach causing her to scream in agony. Gasps echoed through the crowd as they saw their mayor, the bashful but ambitious young mayor at 25, get tortured like this.
"YOU DIDN'T SAY WHAT I TOLD YOU TO!" the leader roared in anger, repeatedly kicking Furret with every word.
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" A voice echoed out, a voice that the townsfolk recognized. They turned and saw a muscular figure standing on a rooftop. His iconic belt shone as the crowd began to cheer. He was the town guardian: Machoke. "Listen up evildoer. I'll end your reign of terror before it begins. You should surrender, especially since I have the type advantage." He flamboyantly boasted. The leader rolled his eyes as the hero jumped off of the roof and landed next to the mayor. "Are you alright, madam?" He comforted but by this point, the damage had been done. The only noise that left her mouth was her sobbing. Machoke was now furious at the leader as he yelled, "You bastard!" and rushed towards the leader.
The leader effortlessly caught the punch, causing the crowd to become silent. He then immediately grabbed Machoke's head and slammed it into the concrete. The crowd was frozen in fear. The leader's fists then changed to a dark purple color and began to beat the shit out of the hero. Each hit caused a bloodcurdling crack as it landed. He finally stopped after a full minute of nonstop attacks, blood coating his fists as the town was consumed by sheer, unbridled terror. He wiped the blood on the ground in disgust. The leader turned towards the town and smiled, "Now that he's outta the way, you can call me Mayor Pangoro."
The path to Ampharos home was relatively straightforward: go North and pass by the Enchained Forest. The group met up in the town square to say goodbye to the town and head out on their quest.
"Farewell, I wish you all the best of luck." Chatot cheered at the group with the rest of the village. Ampharos, Gardevoir, Gengar, and Aggron all waved back at the crowd as they headed off. Infernape simply kept walking forward, seemingly ignoring everyone. The cheers of the town faded as the group traveled along the dirt road. As they began Ampharos then turned to Aggron and Gengar,
"What is going on?" Ampharos questioned, referring to Infernape. Aggron then signed and gave an abridged explanation but that only gave the light Pokémon more questions than answers.
Night had fallen and the group decided to camp for the night. Ampharos had woken up in the middle of the night and noticed Infernape was awake as well. Infernape appeared to have calmed down and Ampharos tried to talk to him about the incident earlier that day,
"What is going on between you and Gardevoir?"
"More than I could explain in a reasonable length of time."
"Well, whatever it is that's wrong, can you find it in your heart to forgive her."
"She doesn't get it."
"W-What?"
"Look Ampharos, I don't want to get into it. I know you're trying to be nice but I'm not gonna talk." Ampharos was confused by the flame Pokémon's response but he decided to press for more information.
"You were so sure that there was no point coming here. Why is that?" Infernape looked over at Ampharos, knowing that he would probably keep asking.
"Because I know firsthand what false hope is. Hopefully, I'm wrong," he remarked as he went to his sleeping bag to rest. Ampharos knew he wouldn't get anything else out of him and went to sleep.
Infernape, however, was still awake. He lay in his sleeping bag as the memories of the incident came back to him,
"WHERE WERE YOU!" a younger version of his own voice yelled in his head. He cringed as he remembered everything. He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts yet they persisted,
"WE WERE TRYING TO HELP." A voice all too familiar argued back, Infernape tried again to stop the memory but it kept going, like a train that was involved in an accident. Infernapes youthful voice yelled back, sounding like he was about to cry but with a fury that would make Giratina run in terror,
"BULLSHIT, IF YOU DID, THE SCHOOL WOULDN'T HAVE TURNED ON ME!" The other voice then countered,
"THEY WOULD NOT LISTEN!"
"I TRUSTED YOU TWO, YOU WERE MY BEST FRIENDS AND YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE." Stifled sobbing began to emerge from the bedroll as Infernapes memories were resurfacing. He shook his head and scolded himself,
"I was so stupid." He would spend that night silently crying to himself.
(AN) If you are wondering about the release schedule, I wanted to homage Shounen jump by uploading a chapter a week while also not overwhelming new readers with an entire story and giving me time to work on school stuff. That being said, if you want me to either increase the frequency of uploads or upload more chapters, let me know