"Ah~ I'm stuffed." Leaf said as she patted her stomach. They all were in their room inside the Celadon Pokemon Center, enjoying the food that Red made as breakfast. Kim nodded as she ate some more of the food before she yelled at Red. "Why do you make this so good? Seriously, why didn't I take you for myself? I'm jealous, Leaf."
"Weep, Kimberley. Weep." Leaf said triumphantly as Red put down a few pieces of Poffins on the table. "Here's some dessert."
"You heathen! Do you want me to be fat?" Leaf gasped dramatically while his Meowth sneakily picked up one of the Poffins.
"No, I want you to be full." Red gave her an award-winning smile. Leaf glared at Red for a while before she let out a huge sigh and picked up one of the Poffins with a pout. "You're lucky you're cute, sweetie."
After finishing their breakfast, the trio decided to hang out at the battle section of the Pokemon Center. Leaf stretched her body as she dressed in a green and white tracksuit before she noticed Red who was covered the bandages, wearing a black shirt and an Ultra Ball track pants. They all released their Pokemon to play and train, Kim walking over to a few of the training equipment, lifting a few dumbbells with a serious expression on her face.
"You're surprisingly serious today, Kim." Leaf noticed her friend's serious nature and the change in her physique, the brunette noticing the muscles on her body. "Have you been working out?"
"Well…I wanted Dad to teach me some of his wrestling moves but he said I need some more muscle to do so." Kim explained, her Mawile and Vaporeon following her as they used a few Macho Braces on their bodies. Kim turned to Leaf who was exercising with her Pokemon. "You're about to do training again?"
"Yes! I don't know about you but I've been here for far too long. I want to leave." Leaf said as her Torchic ran to the field along with her Eevee. As they run around and play, the brunette then heard a call from her Pokegear, seeing a call from her mother.
"Hey Mom!" She answered the call with a smile. "How are you doing?"
"Leaf! I'm ok. How are you doing?" An excited voice came from the phone as Leaf had to put her head away from the device before she put the device on video call. "I heard the news! I can't believe my daughter has grown up! I'm so proud!"
Leaf let out a smile as she started blushing. "Thanks, Mom! Oh yeah! I'm dating Red now!"
"That's great! Red's a good boy! I hope that you're happy with him! I was never fond of…" Her mother cleared her throat before she continued with a disgusted expression. "…Nolan."
"Mom! Nolan was never dating me!" Leaf said with a poker face which made her mother let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God! Your father was about to eviscerate him!"
"As he should. But wait. Why isn't Mr. Green a bit worried about her dating Red?" Kim said as she was lifting her dumbbells, getting a giggle from Leaf's mother. "It's simple. He likes Red. He has no problem with him. Right, honey?"
"Hmm." Mr. Green said as he was on his computer, checking on a few cases. "I respect her decision but if he hurts her, I'm breaking him."
"He's acting tough. You should have seen how glad he was when he heard that Red is your boyfriend. He literally did 15 backflips." Leaf's mother whispered to them with a smirk which got a glare from the father. "You're not supposed to tell them that!"
"I have not promised that. It looks like you picked up your father's taste in partners."
"Hey!" Her father said in the background, getting a giggle from both his wife and daughter. Lyra jumped onto the video with a smile as she looked around the place. "Hey, big sis. Where's cappuccino?"
"None of you are going to even correct her, aren't you?" Leaf looked at her parents, her response being her mother giggling and her father putting on a pair of headphones. "I'll take that as a 'no'."
"Red! The brat wants to bother you!" She then called for Red who Lyra energetically spoke to. "Hilo, cappuccino! My Azurill learned Water Gun and Bubble Beam. What should I do?"
"Oh. Which one of them do you like?"
"Oh! I don't know! Maybe..." Lyra thought, pushing her mother and sister out of the call as she talked to Red. The little sister of the Green family continued to speak to Red until the mother cleared her throat and cut her off. "Alright, Lyra sweetie. That's enough now. It's almost time for school."
"Ok, mommy! Bye bye, cappuccino, big sis and Kim!" Lyra waved at the three teenagers at the video call before the call was finished. She then jumped down from her seat, her Azurill following her before she went into her room.
"It's time to go to school, Lyra." Mrs. Green said as she went to the kitchen. Lyra nodded as she picked up her bag and dashed out of the house, waving at her parents. "Bye bye!"
With her Azurill on her head, Lyra skipped her way to school, greeting the people of Viridian City as she did.
"~I'm running down the city with my Running Shoes." She sang as she skipped towards her school, her Pokemon humming along with her. Due to her father being the police commissioner and the countless deeds he has done for the city, Lyra has been well-loved by the citizens of the Viridian City. On her way to school, her Azurill shot a Water Gun to water the plants on the streets of Viridian City.
After a while, Lyra was able to get to school within a few minutes but she could not shake off the feeling that she was being followed.
"I feel like someone…" She looked around and went into her bag before she took out a water gun. "…is trying to sell me something-I mean kidnap me!"
She turned around and aimed her gun, the girl seeing nothing but an empty road as a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto pass by. After a moment of silence, Lyra put her weapon back in her bag and marched off to school with a smug smirk. 'I thought so.'
As Lyra entered the school and went through the hallways, she could hear an argument in the distance.
"Pikachu's better!"
"No! Eevee is!"
'Oh boy…it's them again.' Lyra sighed before she turned around to the direction of her classroom, seeing a raven-haired boy and a brown-haired girl arguing before the entrance of her classroom.
"Eevee literally has almost a football team worth of evolutions! How can Pikachu beat that!?"
"Pikachu doesn't need an evolution. It has a Light Ball! It makes it stronger!"
"Does it have an answer to an Earthquake?! No, it doesn't! Eevee does! Vaporeon, Leafeon and Glaceon!"
"Darn it…" The girl gritted her teeth in annoyance.
"Chase and Elaine, seriously?! It's 8 in the morning." Lyra said as she massaged her temples. The two turned to her before they dashed at her before pointing at each other. "He/She started it!"
"Alright, calm down." Lyra lifted her hands in the air before she folded her arms. "Are you both fighting again about if Pikachu and Eevee are better again?"
"Yeah! They're better!" The two shouted at her in unison. Lyra let out a sigh as she went to her class and sat down before she noticed a spiky brown-haired boy studying at the corner. "C'mon, guys. Let's go. Trace is studying over there and classes are about to start."
"Oh please! We still have tim-" The door opened immediately, interrupting Chase. He then turned to his friends to see them sitting in their desks and giving him poker faces. As the teacher went to the blackboard, Chase went to his seat while mumbling angrily, Lyra tried to hold in her laughter.
They went through the first set of classes, Lyra a bit bored as she had to hear about the status conditions for the umpteenth time from the teacher. As she was about to fall asleep, the brunette noticed someone from the corner of her eye. Outside of her classroom and the school premises and within the trees surrounding her school fence was someone dressed in a black hoodie and blue pants and shows who was sneaking around the school.
"I wonder who's that." She thought, tapping her pencil on the table.
She continued to watch the person, taking out a notebook and writing notes on the person's characteristics as she did so. After a while, the person went into the bushes, much to her curiosity and surprise. "What is he trying to do? Doesn't look like he wants to destroy the place? Maybe stealing?"
Her thoughts were cut off when the lunch bell ring which made her smile as she jumped out of the city and ran out of the classroom. Lunch was Lyra's favorite part of the school day apart from PE. The brunette went to the outskirts of the school, putting on a pair of gloves and taking out a water gun in her hands.
'Du-du-dun! Dun-du-dun!' She bummed the Terminator theme in her head as she searched for the source of the sound. 'Where are you?'
During her search at the fence of the school, Lyra noticed that the person that was sneaking around the school was a male with red hair around her age which she took notes of.
"Who's that red-haired kid? He's not apart of the school or do I see him in the city? A new student?" Lyra raised a brow as her Azurill came out of her bag. The boy was looked within the school with a pair of binoculars, an unreadable look on his face as he saw the students having fun during lunch time, his Sneasel hopping on his back. "So this is the famous Viridian Middle School? Huh?"
"What are you looking at?"
"Just...watching the sch-What?" The red-haired boy turned to see Lyra beside him, his Sneasel lunged at her but her Azurill retaliated by shooting a Water Gun that sent the weasel a tree. He then tried to kick Lyra but he was rewarded with failure when she shot water at him which made him fall to the ground.
"You don't kick a girl for no raisin." Lyra said as she aimed her gun at the boy. "Or is it reason? Oh yeah! Reason. Don't you have manners?"
"Shut up, brat! Mind your business!" The boy said as he rubbed his aching head as his Sneasel came beside him in a protective stance. Lyra was offended by the insult before she folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. "B-brat! You look like you're about the same age as me, dummy!"
"Tch!" The boy clicked his teeth, putting his binoculars in his pocket and about to leave. "I don't have time to be dealing with this."
"You don't have time...to be spying at a school?" Lyra raised a brow as her Azurill cocked its head to the side. The boy ignored her as he turned around and left with his Pokemon.
"You're rude. You're not a gentleman like cappuccino!" Lyra pouted and folded her arms which earned a glare from the red-haired boy. "Who cares? I'm not here to make friend-wait Cappuccino."
"Then why are you even here? Making friends is literally what school is for."
"Huh?" The boy gave her a confused glare. "I thought it was to learn about the world of Pokemon."
"It's for what? Who told you that? Do we look like we're learning anything?" Lyra gestured him to look, the red-haired boy checks through his binoculars there to see several students having bored expressions on their faces as they listened to their classes. "That one guy looks interested."
"Huh?" Lyra raised a brow before she took the binoculars and looked at the same direction before her expression dampened as she gave the boy his item back. "Oh! That's just Jovan the Super Nerd. He's always serious about school...and hangs out at Mt. Moon."
"Oh, ok." The boy said with a confused expression. 'She's a weird one.'
"Now back to business: what are you doing here?" Lyra said with her arms crossed. "And state your name."
"Why should I tell you my name?"
"Why shouldn't I beat you up here and take you to the police?" Lyra said as she cracked her knuckles and stretched her legs.
"Heh!" The boy laughed as he put his hands in his pockets. "Like you're stronger than m-"
A ball went past his face, snapping the branch behind him before he noticed Lyra preparing another ball from her bag. "I have five more of these...and I'm the best here at kickball. Choose your next move wisely."
"Bye!" He dashed off with his Sneasel, smirking when he heard Lyra's voice in the distance. "Hey! Get back here!"
Before he could make a turn, a football barely missed his face as it hit his Sneasel, knocking it out in one strike before falling in front of him. 'Did my life just flashed in front of my eyes?'
He turned to see Lyra whose foot is on another ball as she prepared herself for another kick shot. "Four."
"Ok, ok. You don't need to go this far. I have other Pokémon-"
"Winding." Lyra said as she pulled back her foot.
"Alright!" The red-haired kid exclaimed before he lifted his hands up. "My name's…Kamon. Happy now?"
"Yes. My name is Lyra." Lyra had a huge smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Kamon."
Kamon had a grumpy expression on his face as he mumbled. "I don't share the same sentiments."
"What?" Lyra glared at him.
"N-nice to meet you too!" He started sweating as he shook her hand.
"So what are you doing here anyways?" Lyra asked, the boy was about to answer until they heard a howl.
"There he is!" They heard a voice, turning to see a man in a guard outfit running towards them.
"Huh-" Before Lyra could continue, Kamon grabbed her hand and dragged her into the bushes. As they were silently moving to another location, Lyra notices a group of men along with their Pokémon passing by the bushes where they were at.
"Huh? I swear I saw him right here." The guard said, looking around the place before he scratched his head. Another one of them clicked their teeth as he smacked the first guard on his head. "You must be damn blind! Continue searching! He shouldn't have gone far!"
The group nodded before they spread out and search the area. "We can't let him escape!"
After they reached a safe area and stopped, Kamon let out a huge exhale before he started sweating and surveying the place. "I didn't expect them to catch me so quick."
"So who were they? And don't say nobody!" Lyra stood in front of him, her Azurill on her shoulder. The redhead looked at the ground and rubbed his neck, Lyra crouching in front of her. "Fess up, Kamon. We're kinda in a pickle."
"They're…kinda my bodyguards." The boy confessed with his arms crossed before his expression turned into a slightly melancholic. "My dad's very overprotective…even though he's barely around."
"Bodyguards, huh? I guess that explains a lot." Lyra said as she took his binoculars and checked the area. "Especially with that weird thing that let out a howl."
Hearing this, Kamon's eyes widened in fear as sweat beaded up in his face. "Weird thing? Howl?"
Suddenly, a huge roar shook the area, making the two froze in shock before Lyra notices something from her peripheral vision.
"Watch out!" She pushed the boy out of the way which made him annoyed. "What the hell are yo-"
He received his answer when they heard the trees behind them started creaking before they tipped over and fell to the ground. The two kids heard growling in front of them, seeing a huge brown bear in front of them, its bloodshot and feral eyes glaring at them as it bares its fangs.
"Ursaring..." Lyra could not hold back the fear she was feeling as Ursaring roared at them, saliva drooling out of its mouth as it raised its arms at them. It lunged at them, the two children moving out of the way before Lyra took out a ball from her bag and kicked it at the beast, the ball hitting it in the face which made it turn its attention to her. "O-o-ok…good doggie…"
The bear roared at her which made her step back towards a tree. "I'm sorry. I meant bear, good bear."
Ursaring roared wildly, raising its claws at her as she covered her face, her Azurill hopping on her with a defiant look as the girl made a Cheshire smile. "Got ya, Charm!"
Azurill used the move, the duo feeling confident until they noticed something. "It's not getting affected. Oh no-"
Ursaring was tackled off balance by Sneasel, causing it to miss Lyra by an inch. The girl did not think twice as she dashed out of the place with Kamon in tow.
"Where are we going?" The boy asked as they turned around to watch their pursuer who catching up to them quickly from. Lyra noticed this before she made her Azurill shooting a Bubble Beam onto the ground.
"Shortcut!" She answered quickly. They continued running until they reached a bunch of yellow trees and an old wooden sign which Kamon noticed. "Viridian Forest? Why?"
"Just come!" Lyra dragged him inside the dark forest, looking around the area before she smiled.
"There!"
They came across a tree that had a lot of honey before Lyra stopped in front of it. Before Lyra could do anything, they heard Ursaring behind them before it charged at them with a crazed expression.
"Icy Wind!" Sneasel blew a gust of wind that froze the ground, causing the bear to slide as the two children moved out of the way. As Ursaring hit the tree, a bunch of Pokémon fell from it, Lyra grabbing Kamon and retreating slowly as the bugs got up and surrounded the bear.
"Heracross?" Kamon mumbled as the horde of Heracross surrounded Ursaring and ruthlessly attacked it, the two watched as Lyra turned around. "We need to get out of here!"
The two kids exited the forest as quickly as they could, the two panting heavily. "That was close."
"Yeah..." Kamon sat down on the ground.
"Let's head back to the city." Lyra said with a smile as she held out her hand towards him, Kamon letting out a small smile before he went to hold her hand.
"Found you." A voice said before someone suddenly grabbed the boy by his collar and lifted him up which shocked Lyra. "Kamon!"
"You gave us the slip back there, brat." The guard from earlier said with a smile as he held the boy to his face level. "It's time out for you now! Let's go!"
"Let me go!" The red-headed flailed in his grasp as the man grabbed him by his neck which made his colleagues very worried "Hey! Careful with the kid. You know how the boss is about his kid."
"Leave him alone!" Lyra kicked the man in his shin, causing him to drop Kamon before the two of them dashed off. Holding his shin, the man turned to his partners who were laughing before he spoke. "You're all laughing at me when you realize that the kid is getting away."
They all stopped before one of them let out a smile. "Don't worry about it. He won't be gone for too long. I've got a little spy."
Meanwhile, Lyra and Kamon were running throughout the city, some of the adults surprised by the kids being outside of their school which made some of them mutter amongst themselves and on their phones. After a while, they stopped by the park for a while until they continued again. "Are you sure those are your bodyguards? Shouldn't they be guarding you and not hurting you."
"I don't know. They have always been like that." Kamon clicked his teeth, putting his hands in his pockets. "They don't care if I'm safe or not. As long as I'm not dead."
This shocked Lyra before she had an idea. "We can go to my dad's place and explain the situation to him. He could be able to protect you from those men."
"Your...dad?" He raised a brow but the girl gave him a confident smile on his face. "What? Is he some great police or detective?"
"Yep!"
"But why are you doing this for me?" Kamon asked, a look of pure confusion on his face. Lyra turned around with a smile on her face. "Because you look bored. Anyone who has that bored look wants a friend to talk to."
Kamon was completely confused as he only raised a brow, a small smile on his face as he followed the girl towards the direction of her house.
"You really are weird."
"Hmm?" Lyra turned to him, the red-haired boy shaking his head. "Nothing...thank you."
After a while of moving quietly and talking with each other, Lyra started humming dramatically while Kamon followed her with a straight face. 'I immediately retract my statement.'
"Now the Cinnamon Ranger and Red Myraider are on the run, their breaths ragged." Lyra narrated out loud which made Kamon's eye twitch. "Can you shut it for one second? Plus, why Cinnamon?"
"It's the color of my hair. And that's what my dad called me." She made a pose with a confident smile. "The Cinnamon Ranger!"
'Cinnamon...' Kamon thought before he looked at Lyra. His mind immediately pictured her head as a cinnamon roll. Suddenly, he punched the wall next to him, surprising the brunette before she noticed him twitching. "Are you ok, Kamon?"
"I'm...just...fine..." He said as he held his stomach, the moment he saw her face made him punch the tree harder. 'Stop! I'm trying not to laugh.'
"You're weird…" Lyra said with a raised brow, the boy turned to her with a confused look. 'You're the one naming yourself the Cinnamon Rang-oh! Hold back the laughter!'
As they went through an alleyway, they both heard a sizzling sound behind him, Lyra quickly taking out a camera from her bag and aimed it at the source of the sound. "Cheese!"
The camera flashed, revealing an Arbok that flailed in blinding pain before the two went on the run again.
"How did they find us so quick?" Lyra asked as she kicked over a trash can.
"How am I supposed to know?" Kamon shouted in an annoyed tone.
"You're their targ-"
They dodged a swipe of the cobra's tail as the boy saw a huge crack. Azurill shot a Bubble Beam that barely did anything to Arbok before Sneasel exhaled an Icy Wind that froze the purple serpent. The two decided to run away, Lyra picking up a trash can cover before they break out of the ice and lunged at them with its fangs.
She quickly blocked its bite, its teeth piercing through the steel cover as it started pushing her back towards Kamon as they were sent into a wall. Throwing away the cover, Arbok lashed at the two children but it was stopped by a Water Gun to the face and a Quick Attack from Sneasel.
"Charm!" Lyra made her command as her Azurill used its move which affected Arbok. The Poison-type tried to attack them again but they dodged, its attack being weaker.
"I think I got an idea!" Kamon beamed before he turned to Lyra. "Do you trust me?"
"Sure!" Lyra said with no hesitation, surprising her red-haired companion. "You should be more skeptical of the people you meet."
"I am!"
"I…" He paused before he gave up and smacked his face. "I'm not even going to begin to question what that means. Does your Azurill know Helping Hand?"
"Yeah!" Lyra nodded which made him smile. "Alright, on my mark!"
The two had their Pokemon hold her own against Arbok, both of them focusing on evading its attacks as the two children made their way behind a trash container. Kamon then opened the container as he did a thumbs up at Lyra who nodded.
"Helping Hand." Lyra commanded, her Pokemon glowing intensely before it transferred over to Sneasel.
"Quick Attack, full power!" Kamon said, his Sneasel dashed at full speed towards the snake and swung its claw at full strength, knocking back the snake into a dumpster bin. He then closed the container, Azurill and Sneasel freezing the cover before they ran out of the alleyway.
A few minutes later, the group of men ran down the road and looked around, seeing no signs of the children as they searched the place.
"Where the hell did they go?" One of the men said as he looked around the place, he then saw a dumpster container shaking in an alleyway, opening it to see his Arbok there. "What the? Arbok? How the-"
He heard laughter from the other guards. "So much for 'He won't be gone for too long.'"
"I'm doing better than you. You were making us look around stupidly like a dysfunctional Nosepass."
"Well, at least I-"
"Shut up! I found them!" One of them who had a scar on his face said before he dashed towards a direction, his Pokemon who was a Growlithe. "Growlithe got a scene."
The group followed him as they ran through the streets of Viridian, pushing through the civilians until they reach the two kids by the Viridian City park. Seeing them, Kamon clicked his tongue before he turned to the trees. "Let's go into the trees, Lyra. I got a plan."
They went into the forest section of the park, the men in hot pursuit of them as they released their Pokemon to chase after the two kids. After a while, they lost the two kids, some of the men annoyed by this as one of them made a command. "Oh, the hell with it! Destroy this place!"
"Bubble Beam!" Lyra said as her Azurill shot a Bubble Beam but it did nothing as they popped when hitting them and their Pokémon, the move doing nothing but getting them wet. The men started laughing as they popped the bubbles which did nothing to them. "What was that supposed to do?"
"Dissect you. Or was it distract? Yeah! Distract you."
"From what?"
"That!" Lyra pointed up, the group looked up to see nothing as they all laughed. "This kid's lost it!"
As they were making fun of her, several trees suddenly started creaking before falling towards them. Lyra smiled widely as she watched the chaos, laughing hardly as she saw the men being crushed by the fallen vegetation.
"I need to go! Bye bye!" Lyra grabbed Azurill before she went off at full speed along with Kamon. After a while of running, the two found themselves by the road of Route 1, their hands on their knees as they panted heavily.
"That…was…close…" Lyra said between pants as she fell on her buttocks, Kamon nodding silently as he looked into the air. "We barely escap-"
"There you are!"
A hand went to his shoulder, the voice frightening the boy as his heart nearly popped out of his chest. Kamon could barely move his head to see a pair of violet eyes leering at him, the hidden glare made him freeze in fear. Behind him was a Gentleman who was dressed in a brown suit with a hat covering his face.
"I was looking all over for you. Where have you been?"
Lyra could feel that something is off. She then noticed the look of pure dread on Kamon and Sneasel's face. "Are you...ok, Kamon?"
"Is that your friend?" The man turned to the girl with a smile on his face. "Why don't you introduce us?"
'I don't like this feeling at all.' The brunette thought when she saw the calm expression on the man's face.
"What is your name?" He asked as he crouched down to her, Lyra retreating and keeping her distance as she searched for something in her pocket. Before she could do anything, her arm was grabbed and twisted over her head, causing her to cry in pain. "I would not suggest that you do that."
Lyra looked up to see the man's face, his calm smile sending chills to her spine and making her hair on her neck stand on end. The man wore a sinister grin as his grip on her arm tightened which caused her a lot of pain as he whispered to her. "Snitches get stitches."
"Leave her alone!" Kamon said but he was hit by a backhand from the gentleman that sent him on the ground. Lyra tried to kick the man but it missed as the man threw her on the ground, the two tried to get up but they came face to face with a Greninja which made them sweat profusely. The kids noticed the guards surrounding them, the gentleman's smile getting bigger.
"Take the boy. The girl...kill her." The gentleman made his command, the men walking over to the two with sadistic smiles on their faces. "No problem, boss."
"Leave her alone." Kamon went in front of Lyra with a determined look on his face as he held his hands up. "Just take me, alright?"
The group looked at him, the gentleman approaching the boy and patting his head with a smile. "I admire your courage..."
Before Kamon could say anything, the smile turned into a devilish smirk as he grabbed the boy by the collar. "But that is not how we work. She has witnessed our business and she must be dealt with accordingly. Men?"
"Got it!" The men said as their Pokemon readied themselves.
As they were about to attack Lyra, they all felt an immense pressure around them. The men's hearts started beating quickly, all of them finding it difficult to breathe as it felt like fear was gripping them by the neck. Feeling the cold atmosphere, the gentleman turned around to see bystanders passing by them, their dazed expression surprising him as he realized that they did not notice him. 'What the?'
Lyra and Kamon noticed the shadow underneath them moving around until eyes moved around, causing the two kids to levitate into the air which surprised the boy. 'Woah! I'm flying. Why?'
The men noticed this but they were too late when the shadow made a Cheshire grin as their Pokemon were about to attack the kids. The Gentleman realized what was happening before he looked down at their shadows, seeing the smile which made his blood ran cold. "No! Don't-"
Within an instant, the men and their Pokemon were levitated into the air. The Gentleman tried to move but it was too late when shadowy arms came out of the ground and wrapped around him before he notices the kids floating away from him. 'Damn it. This isn't good.'
"What the?"
"What is happening?"
'This power...there is only one person who possess this power around here...' The Gentleman turned to see two glowing orange eyes peering into his soul. The man would be lying if he said he did not feel scared by the glare that he was given, looking at his skin to see goosebumps.
"Terrifying as always." The man smiled as he saw the raven-haired, middle-aged woman in front of him, her Gardevoir and Gengar beside her. "Helen."
Helen stood in front of everyone, her eyes glowed intensely to the point that her irises were gone and her hair was moving wildly as a dark aura enveloped her body. Despite the fear she felt, Lyra could not push back the feeling of familiarity from the woman as she mumbled. "Woah! She looks like Capuchino."
The Gentleman smiled widely as they all attacked with their Pokemon that surrounded the woman as she put her hair behind her ear. "Dark Pulse."
Her shadow grinned before it unleashed a wave of black energy that caused everything to be frozen in place as it passed them. After a while, the men looked around before they inspected themselves and their Pokemon before they laughed at the woman. "Hey, lady! Did you miss?"
"We-we're alive? We're alive! I can't believe it!"
"So much for that powerful attack! Everyone, attack her!"
Their Pokemon did not listen to their commands, standing like statues which surprised their trainers. "What the? Didn't you hear me? Attack!"
They were rewarded with no response until their Pokemon collapse onto the ground. It took a moment for the men to realize what happened, looking at their unconscious Pokemon before he felt an immense pressure which made him sweat profusely.
"Even after all these years, she still hasn't lost her touch. I see where the boy gets it from." The Gentleman said until he noticed his men getting unconscious. 'This is not a very good situation.'
"Helen Fires, the Lady of Shadows." He said with a smile which surprised Helen before her expression became serious. "For you to know that nickname...you're a part of their group."
"Maybe I do...maybe I don't..."
"Petrel..." Helen concluded as her eyes glowed intensely as a black aura oozed from her body. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Hmph. I didn't expect you to be here either. This was where you were hiding." Petrel smirked. "It's too bad. Things have changed."
"You are right." Helen lifted her hand into the air and pointed it to her right which made her Gardevoir lifted an Amoonguss into the air, causing him to click his teeth. "Energy Ball!"
Amoonguss launched a barrage of Energy Ball towards Helen but her shadow swallowed the projectiles before spitting it out towards the mushroom Pokemon, that created an explosion. Both Lyra and Kamon were put down on the floor behind Helen's Gardevoir, the two in complete confusion until they saw the fight between Helen and Petrel.
"Woah! She's so cool!" Lyra said with her eyes sparkling. Kamon, on the other hand, was in complete shock when he saw Petrel's Pokemon sent flying into a tree. "She's able to fight Mr. Petrel. How?"
As the two continued with their battle, Petrel took the chance to dash towards Lyra and Kamon but Gardevoir stopped him instantly before he was thrown into a tree.
"She's not making this easy for me." Petrel coughed before he saw his unconscious Amoonguss beside him.
He then saw Helen walking towards him, her Gengar emerging from her shadow as it grinned at him. Petrel then started chuckling as he returned her Pokemon. "Yep! You have barely changed. You're still as strong as ever, Helen. Even after everything that has happened."
"I'm surprised you still remember me." Helen said with a sneer on her face. "I thought that I would be wiped out of history by your boss."
"How could I forget about you, Helen Tajiri or is it Fires now since you married Jack?" Petrel said which caused the woman's aura to intensify as the energy burst from her body and transferred to her Gengar.
"Don't you say his name!" She shouted angrily, her Gengar immediately attacking Petrel who moved out of the way and send out his Greninja.
"Greninja, attack!" Greninja attack with frozen blades, Gengar dodged the blades until it blocked the ninja frog's attack with Dark Pulse. The two clashed with each other, matching blow for blow until the purple ghost phased through Greninja which caused it to fall onto its knees before it received a punch from the ghost that sent it into a tree, capsizing it.
"Tch..." Petrel gritted his teeth as he watched the battle. "Your perception...I can see your son takes a lot from you. Including that intimidating aura of yours. He's probably scarier than you but he's grown a lot. Kid's going places."
When hearing this, Helen's eyes glowed like flashlights as her Gengar grew in size. "Excuse me. Why do you know that?"
"I know a lot of things, Helen. More than you thought. Here's one, your son..." Petrel smiled as he snapped his fingers, surprising Helen before his Amoonguss exploded into a cloud of spores. Rising up from the ground on a Salamence, he smiled as he watched the smoke spread through the park. "...is very observant of his surroundings. And he's growing quite well as a trainer. He would be able to find out my next move."
He then noticed the smog was being compressed into a ball within Gengar's hands before it was destroyed into nothingness. Noticing that Petrel was still smirking, Helen raised a brow questioningly until she noticed something glowing behind her, turning to see several Electrode hidden in the bushes around her.
"When did they..." She said before she realized what was going to happen. Thinking quickly, she projected her thoughts to her Pokemon who immediately went on the offensive but they were stunned, surprising Helen before she noticed a Sudowoodo by the trees. 'Oh no...'
"Sometimes, Helen. Just a moment is enough." Petrel said as his Greninja was able to grab both Lyra and Kamon.
Helen acted quickly as her Gengar shot a Shadow Ball that pushed back Sudowoodo before it grabbed the Rock-type and threw it into Greninja, making the frog drop the children as the ghost launched two shadowy hands towards them. A tongue grabbed Kamon as Petrel returned his Sudowoodo and Salamence before he started running towards his Greninja who was pulling the boy towards itself.
"Kamon!" Lyra stretched her hand, the boy trying to speak but his mouth was frozen. Helen stretched out her hand as her Pokemon rushed after the boy, Petrel went for his Sudowoodo but he noticed that it was knocked out. 'Just with one attack, she is too strong.'
He then snapped his fingers, the Electrode around her began to glow as she readied her Pokeball. The orbs then unleashed blasts of electricity at Helen but she was pulled out of the way by her Gardevoir as the Electric Pokemon shot their attacks at the green and white telepath who destroyed the blasts. During this, Gengar shot a barrage of Shadow Ball which Greninja was able to block until one knocked it back, making Kamon fall out of its grasp as Gengar caught him.
As the two continued with their fight, Gengar was about to pull back Kamon but it was hit by a bolt of lightning which surprised Helen as her Pokemon dropped the red-haired boy. Not wasting time, Petrel caught the boy before he made a salute at Helen as he started smirking. "We both know I can't take you on in a fight but despite that, I got what I wanted. Toodle loo."
"Wait!" Helen said, her Gardevoir appeared right in front of Petrel. Before Gardevoir could touch him, he was enveloped by a forcefield that pushed back the Psychic Pokemon. Seeing the Electrode disappearing, Helen looked at Petrel to see an Abra on his head before he spoke. "Teleport."
The woman heard the police sirens in the distance as her Gengar gave her Lyra, the woman glaring at Petrel who smiled.
"Farewell."
That was the last word that came out of Petrel's mouth before he vanished into thin air with Kamon, leaving a confused Lyra and scowling Helen.
'That boy...' Helen thought as she watched the place where Petrel and the boy were with a sneer. 'I don't like this.'
"Kamon..." Lyra mumbled with worry as she gripped her notebook.
Within an underground bunker, Petrel appeared within an instant before he wiped his brow and let out a sigh. "That was too close."
He threw Kamon onto the ground as the man decided to get a bottle of water and take a seat by one of the chairs within the facility. Kamon gritted his teeth in anger before he turned to the man. "What the hell?"
"Oh, calm down, Silver." Petrel said before he ripped the mask off his face, showing a bright purple-haired man that was brushed in a large curl who has a short purple beard. The man looked at Silver who was sitting on the ground, Greninja tending to his Sneasel's wounds.
"What's with the long face? You're finally at home sweet home." Petrel said as he downed the water in seconds and threw the bottle in the trash can. Silver sneered at the man as he walked out of the room with his Sneasel.
"This isn't home. This is a prison." Silver kicked the wall as he walked down the empty and quiet hallways. He then turned to a huge door with a big, red 'R' on it. After a while of contemplating, he decided to open the door. "Hey, Dad."
Giovanni was having a meeting with Ariana and Archer, the creaking of the door alerting them and making them turn to his direction. "Oh, it's the young master."
"Oh, hey, Archer. Auntie Ariana."
"What is it, Silver? Can it wait? I'm busy right now." Giovanni stated with a serious tone, his glare intimidating the boy before he looked to the ground and shook his head. "Yeah. Sorry for interrupting. I'll be leaving."
Silver closed the door and left, Giovanni deciding to continue with the meeting until he saw Petrel entering the room. "Sup boss?"
"You're late." Archer sneered at the man who dropped himself in the seat beside him before he looked around. "Big deal, Arc. I ain't that late. Where's Proton? The dude's usually glittering in the room."
"He's on a mission." Ariana explained with her arms crossed, Thalia clearing her throat which silence the trio. "The boss was speaking."
Giovanni let out a sigh before he picked up a paper and explained the situation to the admins. "We have made a breakthrough with the latest project and we have some contributors and sponsors towards its development. Our next step is to find the rare materials needed to produce a certain part of the device."
"Oh. So plans have changed, huh?" Petrel had a serious expression as he sat up in his seat. Giovanni snapped his finger which made Thalia nodded as she distributed papers towards each admin. "These are the locations of the resources and materials needed for the production. I need you to retrieve these materials. Good thing is that they are all located within the Kanto region."
"Hmm, that is very convenient. I don't have to go over to Johto for anything for a while." Ariana stated as she looked at her folder, her Vileplume peering over her shoulder. As they checked their folders, Giovanni then turned to Petrel with his hands over his face. "How about you, Petrel? How was your mission in Celadon? Tell me the results of the Gene."
"It was alright. The Berseke Gene worked wonderfully despite it being discontinued for years. The Hanabusa family won't continue creating it any more due to the change of the head person in the family. It does come with a disastrous side effect but it's better than the solution used for that huge Muk underneath Celadon. It's best if you read this." Petrel said as he put down a folder on the table. "I did come across an interesting development."
"Hmm? Explain." Giovanni stated with his arms crossed. Petrel "The kid, Red Fires. His powers are growing. and he's getting better at using them."
Hearing the name made Archer balled his fists as Giovanni thought about the situation. "Red Fires."
"Hearing this, he must have kicked your butt on the mission." Ariana said with a raised brow before she asked a question. "What was your disguise this time? Romero? Clyde?"
Petrel smirked as he picked up a hat and changed his voice. "It was Honcho. One of the higher ups of the Titan Troop-"
"That got taken down a few days ago by the Gym Leader Erika." Thalia read on the newspaper which surprised Giovanni before he spoke his mind. "What happened, Petrel?"
"Everything went wrong. The old boss of the group was acting rashly and underestimated his opponents which led to his undoing. Classic downfall. As for Red Fires, I would keep a good eye on him if I were you, boss. He's getting a handle on this. And if he beats Erika, you know the next place he's going, right?"
Giovanni looked at the folder before his eyes looked at the map of Kanto, his gaze set in the middle portion of the map as he petted his Persian. "Not to worry, Petrel. I know what I'm doing but I'll keep that in mind. However, the first priority is to get the materials for the project. For the rest of you, report the results of your missions."
The meeting continued for an hour until Thalia whispered to Giovanni. "It's almost time for your appointment with the scientists."
"It's time for the meeting to end. We will continue this another day." Giovanni said as the three admins saluted him. "Yes, sir!"
After the meeting was finished and the Rocket admins went on their missions, the room was filled with complete silence as Giovanni's eyes went to one of the picture frames on his bookshelf. He picked up the frame, seeing a picture of young Red with Jack and Helen holding his hand as they both hold a trophy in their arms. Putting down a cup of coffee on the table, she looked at the documents and pictures before she decided to speak her mind. "Master Giovanni. May I ask why you're so interested in Red Fires? I'm pretty sure any Channeler can do what he can since their power is pretty much infinite from what I've checked."
The man smiled before he gestured the woman to sit. "Indeed. Channelers possess powers of domination, especially over Ghost-type Pokemon. And their powers are pretty beyond the imagination. Completely different from Psychics and telepaths but Red…his power is much more frightening. I should be more exact. His potential is something I look forward to when he joins us."
"Join us? Why not control him?" Talia raised an eyebrow which made the man let out a small chuckle before he handed her a paper. "Read this and you will understand."
Reading the piece of paper, the woman's eyes widened in shock as Giovanni started his explanation. "Mind control can work on them but it's a very huge double-edged sword. Especially towards the person doing the controlling. Channelers have moments when their power overrides their sense of logic and self-control. Their negative emotions basically take over and before they know it, they lose their sense of self. Think of it as their version of a panic attack. They end up doing things that they don't want to, their mental state reaching its limit. This is called the 'breaking point'."
"The breaking point?" Talia repeated with a confused expression. "Then the situation that Archer reported from the Ghost Tower…"
"Yes. That was Red's 'breaking point'. Well, the start at least. The bursts of power from his negative emotions. It's the same that happened to Helen when she lost Jack."
"What?" Thalia said in complete shock. "But I thought-"
"She hated him? No, the time that she neglected Red, it was not because she hated him, it's because her emotions brought her to her 'breaking point' and she was grieving. She can't control herself."
"Hmm. But I still don't understand. Shouldn't another Channeler be able to do this? What makes him so special? I don't understand. You could use Helen in that case."
"Helen is powerful but she has immense control over her powers. It's not easy to make her tick. Jack's death was the first time in years that she reached that point and even then, it's not easy to take control of her then. Red, however, does not have that level of skill but he has a lot of potential. And he's only scratching the surface of what he can do now." Giovanni stated as he looked at Red's profile before he closed the folder. "Also, no Channeler possess the level of potential that he does and I have Helen to thank for that."
"Oh?" Talia said, handing him the paper.
"I'm going to weaponize that strength. They have the power to instill fear and control the people and Pokemon around them with just their presence. That power can be utilized to control the legendary Pokemon. Like a form of Master control." Giovanni smiled as he petted his Persian, his smile faded as he looked to the ceiling and let out a sigh. 'We need to ensure that everything goes according to plan and that we acquire the power we need.'
Finished. Hope you guys like a little Lyra and Silver. Fun fact, Chase, Elaine and Trace are the player characters and rival respectively of the Let's Go Pickachu and Eevee games. Also, Petrel was actually Honcho which is why he escaped. Also, the plot thickens now. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and everything. Enjoy your life and let me know your thoughts. Well, that's it. Enigma out!