The morning dew had set onto the leaves and grass. A crisp summer sun rose from the horizon. Its rays shined down on a small suburban town. Pokémon are waking up and going about their daily routine. Children are playing in the streets, as the adults watch on in amusement. At the top of a hill on the outskirts of town, there was a single oak tree. Not too big yet not too small. An ape-like figure lay partially in the shade, eyes shut yet fully awake. Next to him were several large books to entertain himself with. He calmly rested under the united shadow of the leaves and branches. His blue eyes opened, staring into leaves with the cloudless sky almost completely blotted out. The flame on his head, weak and barely burning, was dancing with the wind. A smile, a little too wide, formed on his face as he took in the artistry of Mother Nature. It was nice to relax. Perhaps, even if temporarily, forget his troubles. He then rolled onto his side and groaned. Rubbing his head, he tried to forget. Tried.
"Infernape!" A voice, minuscule yet noticeable, echoed from the hill. The Infernape sat up and groaned. The voice was all too familiar to him; a... friend since high school. He thought to himself with great disdain, Great, she's here.
"INFERNAPE!" The voice, louder this time, repeated. Infernape as he sit up thought to himself
"Goddamn it." He sat up and mentally prepared himself for the lecture.
"I knew you'd be up here," said the voice as she revealed herself from the hill's crest. A mostly white and mint green figure was approaching the tree, her "dress" shifting as she walked up the hill. Her green hair that enveloped her nose and curled next to her cheeks was now visible. Her red eyes, although calm, held frustration within them.
"I've been looking everywhere for you." she said, sitting down next to him. Infernape took a breath to calm himself before asking her,
"What do you want?"
"I just…I just wanted to talk to you. About us."
"Here we go," said Infernape as he rolled his eyes, preparing for another pointless diatribe about she's changed and not the same person she was before. Gardevoir frowned and sighed,
"Just hear me out for once. You can trust me."
"Like hell, I can," hissed Infernape, "I'm not letting you use me again."
"Please," pleaded Gardevoir, "It's been eight years since that day. I've gotten better and I'm never going to make that mistake again." For a moment, Infernape's expression lightened up. Sympathetically, he locked eyes with Gardevoir and saw what looked to be, at least on the surface, genuine desire to improve.
"WHERE WERE YOU!" shouted a voice in his head. He scoffed to himself. Gardevoir quietly sighed to herself and walked away. However, she wasn't content to let this just slide. He was being stubborn and she had to get to the bottom of this. It would make her feel better if nothing else. Her parents didn't raise a false hero.
"So you were trying to talk to Infernape, huh?" said a tall and powerful Pokémon with gray and white armor-like skin. He had 2 prominent horns on the top of his head. Part of his head stretched over the top of his face, like a helmet.
"Yes, looks like he doesn't want to talk," said Gardevoir quietly. Aggron was tempted to pin this on sheer laziness, but his gut told him that there was more to this story. He decided to say,
"Don't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes he just needs time to himself. Hey speaking of which, good luck with your mind-reading exam." Gardevoir grinned back,
"Thanks."
"No need. You can thank me by passing your exam" Aggron requested. Gardevoir felt warm inside. With everything involving Infernape, it was nice to hear a comforting voice.
"You mentioned Infernape. I have been curious about him. What the hell happened to him?"
Gardevoir looked away from the steel type, one hand grabbing the other arm. Aggron looked confused about her reluctance to answer.
"I can't say. I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone." Aggrons face shifted to a look of concern. He was trying to think about what would necessitate a promise of silence. He turned to Gardevoir and told her,
"Look, I understand but if Infernape is suffering, I want to help." Gardevoir simply stared back at Aggron and simply stated
"I know, it's just that I don't want to break that promise. I've already broken one." Aggron gasped quietly. Just what was going on between the two? It had been a month since they had met that fateful day. He was at the gym, one much smaller than he was used to but he preferred the small-town lifestyle. It was...nostalgic. Anyway, Gardevoir was part of a fundraiser that was being held there and the two hit it off. He had never been interested in her romantically, he just saw her as a friend. Now Infernape was in the mix and he had no idea what he was supposed to think. It was like he had walked in midway through a movie.
There was simply so much history between the two, and he had so many questions bombarding his conscience whenever he talked to Gardevoir. Perhaps Infernape had… no, no he probably didn't. Not everyone goes through disaster the same way.
Perhaps it was none of his business. Maybe he had no right to listen in and judge. However…It was none of his business to return home that day. He should've left already and prayed that they were okay, but he didn't. To him, standing idle while someone suffers is one of the worst things to do. Even if it's all in vain, he'd rather fruitlessly help than spend the rest of his life wondering, worrying that he could've been the difference maker. His opportunity would be much closer than he thought.
Early the next day, the town awakened in confusion to loud noise,
"TOWN MEETING!" "I REPEAT TOWN MEETING," an Exploud yelled at the top of his lungs. There was no meeting scheduled, was there? Everyone in the village went to a hill towards the edge of town, a stage at the bottom with seats all along the ascent. On the stage was a bird with blue and yellow feathers. His head was in the shape of a musical note. His small size somehow demanded respect.
"I apologize for the sudden awakening but this is urgent." The Chatot said, his voice was clear despite his size because of the design of the amphitheater. "Last night," he began somberly, "I was informed by the police that there has been a kidnapping." The crowd erupted into conversation
"A kidnapping?"
"Who was taken?"
"This hasn't happened in years."
Chatot lifted his wing and the crowd's conversation became whispers.
"I understand that this is a shock, and we are currently investigating. I simply ask that if you know anything, please inform us immediately."
Gardevoir overhead Infernape muttering to himself. Confused, she asked him,
"What do you mean?" He was shocked that she overheard him but decided to elaborate.
"The bad guys, I mean. They kidnapped someone in a small town with basically no crime. The police force doesn't have the experience to find them because they haven't had to do much in years. " He explained nonchalantly. Gardevoir took that information and began to think to herself.
"The victim was young Cubone or Kaito Satashi. His parents are most devastated at this news." The shock was tangible, various members of the audience asked themselves who would've been sick enough to kidnap a child. "We are handling the situation and we simply ask for your cooperation. Hopefully, the worst doesn't happen and Cubone is safe. You may return to your homes."
As much as they wanted the boy to be okay, the fear of the worst outcome still loomed over them. The world could be very harsh and many of them knew this but they defiantly held out hope. However, a tangible heaviness clouded the air around them Infernape, Gardevoir, and Aggron all went towards a cafe, chatting along the way.
"I still can't believe someone would take a child from their family." Gardevoir lamented. "There has to be something we can do," said Aggron
"Let's not give up hope." Infernape remarked, "No one just randomly kidnaps a kid. They want something out of this." Gardevoir and Aggron turned towards the fire type, curious at the notion. It was a much more positive belief than the one in their heads, especially from Infernape, yet there was still plenty of worry.
"What are you saying?" Gardevoir asked. Infernape stood in the middle of the sidewalk, deep in thought. He snapped his fingers and told them,
"The Satashi's are nice people. They would never start anything. Which means whoever did this came from outside of town, which also means that this kidnapping was possibly a case of wrong place wrong time." Gardevoir and Aggron looked at each other. He wasn't wrong. The Satashi's were beloved by the entire town. Infernape pointed confidently, "The fact that it wasn't someone like Chatot strikes me as strange. I don't know, maybe Chatot wronged him or something."
Gardervoir's eyes widened,
"R-Really?!" she asked excitedly, hoping for the best. Infernape shrugged meekly,
"It's just a theory."
"Just a great theory!" Aggron complimented, fist bumping the fire type's right hand. Infernape grinned in pain upon impact,
"What's wrong?" Aggron questioned worriedly
"Three hundred and sixty kilos of force on my noodle arms," Infernape remarked, grabbing onto his hand and recoiling in pain. Aggron quickly apologized as Gardevoir immediately went to Infernape's side. The possibility of having the town recognize her heroism and saving Cubone brought her over the moon,
"If they're close, we can possibly rescue Cubone! We can search the town overnight for their hideout! You can come with us!"
Infernape frowned immediately upon hearing those words. His eyes like prey in the night. He pulled away from the two and began to walk home. Gardevoir and Aggron glanced at each other in confusion,
"Wait?! Where are you going?" Gardevoir yelled, chasing after him. He stopped in his path and said to her, quietly and with a deep sadness in his voice,
"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave me out of this." Aggron had to do a double take. Wa-Was that a threat? It had to be a mistake. Gardevoir stared at the fire type like he had just confessed to a mass murder. Infernape's eyes then shot towards the steel type,
"I'll fuck something up along the way and Cubone might end up hurt, maybe even killed. Please, just let me go. Me being there would only seal his fate." he explained somberly as he continued his route back home. Gardevoir tried to stop him but hesitated. She sighed, why did she even think that he would agree to go with them? She then turned back towards Aggron, determination on her face, and told him,
"I guess it's just you and me."
As night fell upon the town, Paranoia swept in like a hurricane. The moon was out, full and providing the little light necessary to navigate the roads. In the many homes of the people of this town, doors were locked, windows were shut and children slept with their parents. Some even kept their porch lights on so they could see an intruder approach.
"BROTHER! THIS TOWN SUCKS!" A voice snapped in the streets of the town, the full moon shining down upon a round purple figure. He had two short legs, a tail, and two prominent ears. Red eyes that seemed jovial yet there was a rage he tried to keep in control. "Nothing's fucking open, no clubs, no bars, not even any cockfighting. All because eyeball think's he's the new hot shit. I've got five people who would eat him alive." The Gengar kicked a can as he finished his sentence. He took a moment to calm himself as he navigated the streets of this random little town. He turned a corner and freaked out
He instinctively slipped inside the shadow of a trash can, worried they saw him and would tell the police or worse. He looked at the figure and sighed with relief, it was just a Gardevoir tending to her flowers.
"Well lucky me." Gengar whispered to himself before continuing his monologue in his head, "Thanks for making my job easier." He began to move, his round body a shadow on the pavement as he snuck towards the psychic type. He disappeared into the shadows and reappeared behind her. A dark purple orb appeared in his hands. The following events happened in an instant. Gardevoir threw a green orb at Gengar, which launched him back a few yards away.
Gardevoirs 'plan' worked perfectly. Going off of Infernape's theory that the kidnapping wasn't targeted, she used herself as bait for the kidnapper. Aggron hated the idea since it depended entirely on the kidnapper coming back but since they didn't have anything better and it was literally the only lead they had, he reluctantly agreed. She noticed the Gengar just before it hid and pretended not to notice until he was right behind her so that she could hit it with an energy ball.
"So you're the criminal, return Cubone this instant and you shall come to no harm." Gardevoir declared as she prepared another energy ball. Snickering then erupted from the ghost type, much to Gardevoir's embarrassment,
"S-S-Stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"'Return Cubone and no harm will come to me,'" He mocked, wheezing after he finished, "Oh, oh and I should avoid any debauchery in the foreseeable future. What, do you need your neighborhood advocacy badge or something?."
A fist, as hard as steel, landed squarely into Gengar's face. His face collapsed in on itself like the steel type had punched a pillow. Aggron stood, his fist shining like perfectly clean metal, and yet his mouth was left agape as Gengar didn't even seem fazed. Gengar rose his hand and pointed at Aggron,
"Ma'am, I think your emotional support dog is hurting me," he remarked, his voice muffled through the steel types fist. Aggron roared and threw more force behind his attack. Gengar just groaned in frustration, "Come on, yelling isn't gonna make you strong-" He was then thrown back about five meters by the force. Gengar then landed on his feet surprisingly gracefully, given his...round shape.
Gengar smiled,
"I'll give you this. You're stronger than I thought. Hell, that hurt." Aggron glared at the ghost type, Gardevoir by his side. She prepared another energy ball to attack him.
If this goes loud, well, louder, I'm fucked. thought Gengar as he recovered from the attack, I need to get out of here. A new thought entered his head as he stood up. A delicously petty idea.
"I surrender."
Aggron and Gardevoir's jaws dropped. The kidnapper just surrendered. They should have felt happy that it was over yet something wasn't right. He had been planning something.
"What do you mean?", Gardevoir asked. Gengar responded with,
"What did I say, Girl Scout? I surrender." Aggron was frustrated at the ghost and questioned him,
"We heard what you said, we just want to ask what are you planning?"
"I'm not playing with you. I just want to make a proposal." Gengar said. His voice was calm and composed, unlike before. The other two, reluctantly, decided to listen to him. They could probably fight him if he did anything, probably. "You see, I was hired for a job by my client 'cause I'm bored as fuck and I did what he asked me to do." Gardevoir stared very attentively at him, looking for any sign. "He 'paid' me quite well, so I snuck into town and nabbed some kid I saw with his window open cause apparently no one here's ever heard of stranger danger. Anyway, I felt bad for him but hey, I had a job, except for an eensy, weensy little problem."
Aggron tried to keep himself composed as Gengar told him the story, but his rage was beginning to show. Gardevoir saw and whispered to the steel type,
"Calm down, I've been looking for a tell, he's not lying." Gengar noticed and said,
"What's wrong, big boy, don't trust the ghost? Honestly, I expected you to be more open-minded." Aggron took a step towards the poison type but Gardevoir stopped him,
"Aggron, I told you, calm down." Aggron stared at her with a look of murder but listened. "He is the only lead we have, if we don't, at least, hear him out, there's a chance we might never find Cubone." That calmed Aggron down, he took a breath, and said,
"Now, about your problem."
"Right," Gengar said.
"Get another one." A voice ordered with confidence in his words and fear in his eye.
"Are you kidding me, I did what you asked, now give me the money," Gengar said to the figure, frustration boiling within him. The figure then stated,
"One isn't enough, get another one, I don't care who." Gengar, now angry, retorted,
"No, I did the job now, and give me the money." The voice was getting irritated, and responded,
"I have the money; do your damn job or you won't get it. Would you rather me tell the world who you all are." Despite every cell in his body wanting to strangle his client, Gengar decided to swallow his pride and accept the offer.
"Fine..." Gengar said, every word he spoke felt like he was spitting poison, "I'll do the job." Gengar then left without another word.
"And that's my story, hope you enjoyed it." Aggron turned to Gardevoir, she shook her head. Then the steel type turned to the ghost,
"Alright, we believe you." Gardevoir then asked,
"Do you know where your client is?"
"Indeed, I do," said Gengar with a shit-eating grin on his face, "I only ask for one tiny favor."
"Oh Arceus, here we go," Aggron responded. Gardevoir then asked Gengar,
"What do you want?" Gengar chuckled,
"I want to watch you. He's a bitch. You can handle it." Gardevoir thought about it and accepted his terms,
"Deal." She then turned to Aggron and explained, "We have nothing to lose." Aggron then asked Gengar,
"What makes you so sure?"
"We live in a world where anyone can punch down a building. You can handle a prick."
Gengar led the two Pokémon towards the edge of town. Soon they had left and approached a pair of mountains, which turned navy blue by the midnight sky. In the valley between the two, it was almost pitch black. Luckily, Gardevoir created a sphere of light to guide them along the way. The pink shape was like a little fairy, guiding them to their destination.
Gengar stopped in front of a space in between two mountains. Gardevoir was confused,
"Why are we here? There's nothing." Gengar then pricked his finger with his teeth, causing it to bleed slightly. He rubbed on the air and the blood got stuck there, floating in the middle of the air. Aggron was shocked,
"What the hell is this?" Gengar explained,
"Us ghost types make stuff invisible in darkness. I know a guy who can do it during the day. Anyway, we aren't allowed to do it but he's a villain, what do you expect?" A large pile of dirt had formed beside the Pokémon, Gardevoir had made it while Gengar was talking. The pile suddenly began to glow with a blue light. The psychic type lifted some of the dirt and threw it where the blood was. It landed and stuck onto what looked like a door. She then threw the rest of the pile over the door, revealing an abandoned manor, about 3 floors tall.
Gengar turned to the duo and asked,
"You guys have a plan, right?" Aggron was confused,
"I thought you had a plan."
"Yeah, hope guys made one." Gengar answered. Gardevoir giggled slightly, much to Aggron's chagrin yet he smiled subtly. The ghost type's eyes widened in surprise. He snapped his fingers next to both ears and asked,
"You…laughed?" he asked. Gardevoir calmed herself,
"Yes...why?" she wondered out loud,
"Huh." Gengar said in wonder.
Gardevoir moved on from the weird moment and began to analyze the building,
"He probably is in the middle floor, that way he isn't stuck if one exit is destroyed." She determined. "Gengar, you scout for us, you can shadow sneak right? You will be able to find the client and Cubone." Gengar smirked at her and shrunk into the shadows, entering the house. Gardevoir then turned to the steel type and told him, "You will have to stay back for now." She then thought for a moment and questioned, "Why did you get so mad with Gengar?" Aggron quietly stared forward, as though he hadn't heard the question. Gardevoir turned to face the mansion, ready to abandon the subject,
"They don't deserve this." Gardevoir refocused onto Aggron, who still looked on forward blankly, "The Satashi's, I mean. To lose a child, it would break them, sending them hurtling into a downward spiral. Not everyone gets out of that spiral…" he looked down at Gardevoir, a determined glow in his eyes, "I'm not risking that."
"This means a lot to you." Gardevoir inferred out loud. Aggron quietly nodded. A sigh made its way past his lips,
"Yeah, yeah it does. Families are the closest people to you. They love you, as you love them. So, when I see a family hurting, I can't help but feel…" He stopped for a moment, "Help in any way I can." Something about this seemed so personal to Aggron, at least to Gardevoir. Nervously, she asked,
"Did…something happen to your family?"
"Look, I really don't want to talk about that. I'm sorry." Aggron apologized. Gardevoir simply quietly nodded.
Gengar came out of the house and updated the group,
"You were right, he was on the 2nd floor. "Cubone was with him, too."
Gardevoir nodded and a bluish glow surrounded her as she flew up into the air, towards the 4th floor. In Aggrons mind, her voice gave him instructions.
"You can enter now, distract him while I save Cubone." Aggron nodded and, with a toothy grin, kicked down the door.
The client was waiting patiently for Gengar, floating back and forth in an anteroom leading to a small bar. His yellow antenna trying to catch a signal from Gengar. The "face" on his stomach contorted to resemble a frown. His singular eye gravitated to the crying Cubone, who was tied up.
"I want to go home." pleaded the young Pokémon.
"Don't worry young child," the Dusknoir said, "you'll return to your parents soon enough. The city just has to pay a small tribute to me. Then I can-I mean the boss will finally notice me."
His antenna then detected something, two, maybe three figures getting close to the mansion. He seemed unconcerned. His radar wasn't the most accurate, they could just be passing by. Suddenly, a loud "boom" erupted from the ground floor.
Dusknoir was shocked, how did someone find this place, it was hidden. He then had a moment of realization, Gengar betrayed him; now his plan was in danger. He gulped as he worried that Gengar brought some 'friends.' Dusknoir quickly phased through the floor to meet his attackers. His shadow now appeared on the ceiling of the first floor. There was an Aggron and the traitorous bastard himself. Dusknoir gulped, fear climbing up his spine like a spider the moment he laid eyes upon Gengar. He decided to take the Aggron first, that brute most likely had nothing that could hurt him badly. He was then hit by something, he turned and saw that Gengar had seen him and was attacking him. Gengar then managed to pull himself and Dusknoir out of the shadows and onto the floor. Aggron smirked at the gripper Pokémon and told him,
"There you are!"
Dusknoir managed to get back on his "feet" and faced his enemies,
"So, Gengar told you about this place, huh, I don't know what I expected from some low-life scum."
"Hey, don't say that about yourself. You're loved." Gengar jested. Dusknoir rolled his eye and prepared to fight.
Aggrons fist began to shine as he charged at the gripper Pokémon, a roar of anger erupting from his mouth. Dusknoir managed to dodge and landed a blow on Aggrons face. It didn't do much, yet it was enough to push him back. Aggron recovered and swiped at the ghost type with his tail. The attack phased through Dusknoir and he hit Aggron with a shadow ball. The iron armor Pokémon didn't have enough time to block and was knocked off of his feet. Aggron got up but before he could do anything, Dusknoir hit him in the stomach with a chop. This normally wouldn't have done much but Aggron was launched out of the building. It took him much longer to recover than before.
"What...the hell...was that?" Aggron asked, blood shot out of his mouth. Dusknoir's "face" became a smirk,
"Have you heard of brick break, use your brain." he condescended. Gengar looked back at the steel type and tilted his head,
"Come on, you are supposed to be a strong man."
"How about you help, dipshit?" Aggron insulted. Gengar rolled his eyes,
"He's not worth the effort."
Gardevoir flew into the third floor just after Aggron broke in, quietly removing the boards that covered the window. She landed in a bedroom, dust coating everything in the room. The embrace Pokémon couldn't rid herself of the unease she felt as she made it through the room. She left the room and entered a pitch-black hallway, filled with rooms with identical doors, and potted plants in between every door. Despite herself, fear began to build up. She took a breath.
"Stay calm, just go downstairs and save him." She said to herself like a weirdo. She started to walk down the hall, looking for stairs. With every step, she felt more and more uncomfortable. She heard a boom from the lower floors. She had found the stairway as she was walking, much like everything before it was coated in dust. Her desire to save the lost child swelled.
She descended down the stairs. The booms and yells from the lower floor were becoming louder. She had soon entered a bar of some sort, clearly meant to be the room in which parties would be held. Crying could be heard from the next room over. She ran over and found Cubone.
"It's gonna be ok, you are safe now." She comforted the young Pokémon, hugging him. Cubone responded, fear still in his voice
"Thank you Miss Gardevoir, but hurry, I don't know if he is coming back." Suddenly, something launched through the floor, debris flying everywhere. Aggron slammed into the ceiling and grabbed onto the ledge of the hole he created.
"So this is not gonna be as easy as we thought it would be."
Minutes prior
"Anyway, what's your plan?" Gengar said. Aggron then opened his mouth and an orange glow appeared inside his mouth. Dusknoir started to laugh,
"Oh, you must be more stupid than I thought" Aggron fired the orange beam and shot it into the night sky. It went past the clouds and they lost sight of it. Dusknoir almost couldn't breathe, he wheezed as he blocked onto his 'knees.' He was punched in the face with a punch, electricity crackling as it landed. Dusknoir tried to recover but was smacked in the face by Aggrons tail, which was shining. Dusknoir was launched back into the mansion with Aggron in pursuit.
Dusknoir looked down at the steel type barreling towards him and slipped into the wall. Aggron punched the wall that Dusknoir was hiding in. Stepping back, his back hit Gengar's. They slowly circled around back to back, trying to find any sign of movement. Dusknoir shot up from underneath Aggron and landed a second Brick Break. Sending Aggron through the second floor, only stopping in the ceiling. He grabbed onto the ledge and noticed Gardevoir with Cubone. He pulled himself up and said, "So this is not gonna be as easy as we thought it would be."
"What do you mean?" Gardevoir asked. Gengar then appeared of the shadows,
"What do you think?" Dusknoir rose from the hole made by Aggron and looked at the embrace Pokémon protecting Cubone,
"Ah, so there is someone else here." Gardevoir's grip on Cubone tightened, "I am impressed that you haven't run in terror. I applaud you for that." Gengar scoffed at Dusknoir,
"Oh please, don't pretend like you're this great philosopher or a Galarain person." Gardevoir turned to Aggron and whispered to him
"Do you have a plan?"
"I do, it'll take a minute but it will work," he explained.
Gardevoir pressed even further,
"What does it involve?"
Aggron continued,
"Stalling for time"
Gengar was confused then looked furious at the armor Pokémon
"You call firing a Hyper Beam into the sky a plan."
"Can you shut up, Gengar?" Aggron snapped.
Dusknoir rolled his eye,
"You know, talking about your plan, out loud, is not very smart, isn't it. Not that I expected anything less." he remarked with his arms crossed. The group turned to him,
"Oh, forgot Eyeball was there," Gengar remarked. Dusknoir continued,
"Yeah, I am here and now that I know your plan, I know that I'll have to incapacitate you before your plan comes to fruition."
"Bold of you to assume we'd go down without a fight." Gardevoir said, a white sphere of light forming in her hand as she talked. The sphere grew in size rapidly until it was bigger than her head; it almost appeared to have craters on it. Dusknoir simultaneously charged a shadow ball in his hands. The two fired their attacks at the same time. A brief struggle between the attacks occurred, but Dusknoirs was pushed back almost as fast as it was unleashed. Dusknoir was barely able to get a scream out before he was struck by the attack.
As soon as the attack hit Dusknoir, it exploded, destroying the front of the mansion. Dusknoir landed on the dirt below, colliding with the ground. He struggled to get up but was kicked in the face by Aggron, who leaped down to attack the ghost Pokémon. Dusknoir managed to get some distance between him and the steel type. He then disappeared into the shadows and rushed towards the group. He jumped from the shadows to attack Gardevoir but was blocked by Aggron, who rammed his fist into Dusknoirs stomach. He tried to get up but Gengar immediately appeared behind Dusknoir and launched a shadow ball at the gripper Pokémon, which launched Dusknoir back towards Gardevoir, who finished the combo with another moonblast.
Dusknoir was now struggling to get up onto his "feet." He defiantly declared to his enemies,
"Listen well fools, you will never stop me. I will bribe the town and get rich. I..." He continued on his rant, Aggron and the others stopped listening after a while. It was mostly just a bunch of gloating with a hint of ego. The man sure loved to hear himself talk.. The ghost finally ended his rant, "What can you do to stop me?"
"Place you in solitary." said a voice of authority, it was Chatot. Behind him stood an Exploud and a Tentacruel, each with a face of anger. Dusknoir, in shock and fear, tried to run away but was knocked out by Aggron. The battle was over. Aggron smirked at the unconscious ghost,
"Time's up."
"Must be real proud of that one, huh?" Gengar sarcastically remarked.
The sun rose over the small town, the atmosphere of dread became one of relief as the culprit was arrested and Cubone returned to his family. That morning, after giving testimony to the police and praise from the civilians, Gengar decided to stay in the town because he wanted a break. Aggron had bought Cubone ice cream and was comforting their family. Gardevoir was surrounded by neighbors and news reporters, all praising her and the other two for their actions. She smiled and joyfully answered any and all questions that were asked of her. She loved this feeling, even if she was a bit overwhelmed by it all.
Infernape stood there, watching Gardevoir from a distance. Staring at Gardevoir, he felt… wrong. He should be happy for her and happy that Cubone was safe but something was off. It was like a student gloating about the tests they aced when they stole the answer sheet. He should feel joy and a better person would but he wasn't that person. Instead, he felt frustrated. Infernape saw Gardevoir as exactly what he'd feared she would become. It was that very same pretension that left him at his most vulnerable state. Any hesitation or regret in his emotions vanished as he approached her. Memories of the past came roaring back like a hurricane. Fueling the justification that he made up. The fire on his head burned brighter and more fiercely than before. Even as she approached him, he could sense that dark part of her. A hero
Gardevoir grinned at him,
"Well then, I saved him from his captor." she remarked with uncharacteristic pride. Infernape scowled at the psychic type. He clapped slowly,
"Glad to see your back." he chided. Gardevoir frowned,
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't think I don't see past your little ruse?" Gardevoir was shocked at his sudden aggression. She wasn't going to take this lying down,
"Excuse you. I put my life on the line to save someone and defeat a criminal. You ran away. I am not going to apologize for doing the right thing." she retorted firmly.
"Notice how you said 'I' instead of 'we.'" he countered.
"Why does that matter?"
"Because if you are the selfless hero you claim to be, you'd've thanked Aggron and Gengar for helping you."
"That doesn't matter-"
"It does to me! How long until you've got them massaging your ego? How long until they become your tools, just like I was?" Infernape roared. Gardevoir's eyes widened as the gravity of Infernape's emotions became clear to her. She immediately began to backtrack, trying to apologize,
"Lee, I'm sorry! I-"
"Don't be," he lamented before he left, "We're in the middle of the play and we can't change our roles.."
(Realized I forgot to include this note in this version of the story) After all this time, it's finally here. I apologize for the long wait time. It was supposed to be come out a month ago but, without going into too much detail, I had a lot going on in January that severely hampered my writing ability.
I am so proud of this work and now I'm finally able to publish it, I couldn't be happier. Hopefully, it's good (and you'll stick with these admittedly kinda rough first few chapters) but even if it's a dumpster fire, it'll be my dumpster fire and I'm honored to simply share my story with the world.