Drip, drop, drip, drop.
The constant dripping sound resonated through the silent grey room which was barely kept illuminated by a singular cracked and dimming light bulb. Three residents who occupied the room took space at each section of the room, each one having a bed for themselves as they all held different reactions to the situation that they're in. One of them was Reggie, who was a black curly haired man who had grey eyes that always seem to look like a dead fish's, the second was Gregory, who had blonde hair along with blue eyes with face that looks like a teenager and the last one is Vincent, who had green eyes and silver white hair. They all resume silence as the dripping sounds continues its pattern. Slightly disorientated, Reggie sprung up from his bed, prancing around the room which caught the attention of his roommates.
"What's your problem?" Gregory asked, turning his gaze now to his walking accomplice. Reggie stopped, turning to look at his roommate before continuing to pace around. "Am I the only pissed at this?" He angrily asked, not ceasing his strutting. Gregory and Vincent both watch him with bewildered expressions on their faces as they raise their brows.
"At what?" The blonde questioned with a mono tone that shows his boredom. Reggie turned to look at him with a surprised look as he walked up to his roommate.
"At what?! Dude, the police were lucky they got us!"
"You're right about that. How did they even know where we were? They were on the other side of town when we checked." Gregory stated as he put his hand on his chin as he sat up from his bed.
"It was that kid with the Pikachu. He must've gotten to them somehow." As he heard that, Vincent clenched his fists as he recalled the events earlier with a certain teenager that got him and his accomplices arrested.
"Yeah! He took us apart, one by one. Damn that kid!" Reggie cursed as he punched the wall, the result being a sound that echoed through the entire cell.
Despite being furious, Vincent tried his best to keep quiet and stay calm as he listened intently to the conversation, seeing where it will lead. As the men chatted on, the silver haired man until he heard something interesting, turning his gaze towards his roommates.
"How about we put the kid down a peg?" Gregory mentioned, sitting down on his bunker cross-legged, which made Reggie roommate raise a brow and Vincent to look at him with a curious expression.
"The kid ruined for us a good opportunity not only financially but also job wise. If the heist went perfectly, we would've been able to get out of Viridian with hardly any problem. Right, V?" He said, to which Vincent absentmindedly nodded to.
"So we're gonna get revenge, Reggie. For what he did. Hell, the kid might have some valuables on him, you never know." Gregory said, silently chuckling at the last part.
"But how are we gonna do that, G? We're still in jail." Reggie stated which suddenly a loud clap echoed through the room, making the two men turn their heads towards Vincent. Having a wide sinister grin on his face, the silver haired man motioned his roommates to come closer. When they were close, he uttered just a few words which upon hearing, made both of them mimic his facial expression before he continued.
"I have a plan."
Red woke up in a cold sweat to see a bundle of leaves on his face, some going into his mouth. He brushed them off his face, spitting some of them as he got up to see that he was still in the park. 'Another good dream, huh? Could do without the scare in the end.' He thought, taking out leaves out of his black hair as he got up, getting himself ready.
"I really need to take a bath." He commented after smelling himself. Red then searched around for Pikachu, finding it sleeping on the branches of one of the trees. The teen tried to call it and wake it up only to be rewarded with failure as the rodent continue its slumber. 'Oh boy. Here we go. Keep forgetting she's a heavy sleeper.' He thought aloud with a slightly annoyed expression as he watched the Pokemon sleeping soundly. After a few moments of thinking, he went into his bag and took out a granola bar before waving it in the air then taking small bites of it, trying to get its attention. It worked as it ears started to perk up as it got up and looked at the ground, seeing the granola as Red started to pour out Pokefood within a bowl. It quickly disappeared from the branch, appearing before the food before it hungrily scarfed it down, enjoying it as it makes squeaks of content. After they finished eating, both of them got themselves ready to go before they carefully surveyed the park, looking for any police officers around the area. Seeing that the coast is clear, they quickly journeyed out of the park, ready to leave Viridian City.
'The city is nice and all but too many bad memories. Plus, they don't have Pokeballs. And who knows how long that the Pokemart will take to open back again after that incident. I need to go to Pewter City to get some.' He thought as he made his way towards the direction of Route 2.
As he roamed through the city, he passed the Viridian Hospital which he found himself gazing at with a melancholic expression which confused Pikachu as it tried to get his attention by patting his face only to fail. It then released a surge of electricity at him, electrocuting the teen and knocking Red out of his daze as he glared at the rodent, his black hair becoming spiky due to the attack. Seeing the teen's hair in the ridiculous, the Electric type snickered before it fell on the floor, erupting in laughter as it rolled along the pavement.
"Not…funny." He said intensifying his glare before chasing the rodent who nimbly got away from him. After a few minutes, Red finally caught Pikachu, beginning to tickle the little mouse until it was breathing heavily. The raven haired teen then looked around, realizing that he was at the exit gate of the city, making him smile as he took one final look at the city and the hospital. As he turned around, Pikachu went along his shoulder as he made his way to Route 2 as he made his final thought. 'Dad, I'm ok. I w-' His thought was interrupted by an explosion that shook the entire city.
Red turned around, glancing around to see smoke, his eyes widening as he saw the direction from which it is coming from.
"Isn't that where the park is?" He asked to no one, seeing Pikachu nod as his answer. Before he could think or do anything else, another explosion occurred near him and Pikachu which send the both of them flying into the air from the immense shockwave. Red instinctively protected the yellow rodent as he took the brunt of the fall as he harshly collided with the ground which knocked the wind out of him.
'Ouch! That hurts. I think I broke something.' He thought, trying to get up which prove to be slightly difficult. As the raven haired teen stood up and gain his balance, he saw several people hurt, some trapped under rubble and others who were motionless on the ground, much to his horror. He then quickly covered Pikachu's eyes, not wanting it to see the horrific scene that's happening before them. Before he could walk ahead, he got hit to his back by an attack that knock him face first to the floor which caused him to drop the yellow mouse. The rodent quickly stood up with its cheeks flaring with electricity, ready for a fight. Red's eyes darted around the area as he struggled to stand, searching for anything that moves. He then noticed a silhouette walking towards them, juggling a Pokeball in the air. A man came out before them, his silver hair glowing in the morning glow as he looked around, admiring the destruction and chaos, before landing his gaze in the teen's direction.
'Who is that guy?' The boy thought with a confused look on his face as the man glared at the boy with hatred in his green eyes. Realizing the reason for their bewildered expressions, Vincent started laughing as he walked around the teen as he stopped and spoke. "Oh yeah. I forgot. You have never seen me like this before." As he finished his statement, he then went into his pocket, searching for something until he picked something out of his pocket.
"Maybe this will jog your memory." He said as he took out a mask and wore it on his face, making Red and Pikachu stared at him wide eyed as they started to realize the mask and thus the person who was wearing it. Vincent started to laugh maniacally as he took off his mask and put it back into his pockets as he spewed words at the teen. "Remember me now, you damn twerp!" Fuming in anger, the silver haired man's grip on his Pokeball tightened as he looked at Red before pointing at him.
"You owe me, kid." He said in a low tone which caused Pikachu to look at him in confusion. Red, however, kept a calm composure as he resume his glare at the man, not showing any signs of bewilderment and fear, much to the annoyance of Vincent. The thug started grinding his teeth as he realized that intimidating the teen would prove to be futile as the raven haired boy just continued to stare at him with a blank expression. Vincent started getting more irritated and unnerved as he glanced into the scarlet eyes of Red that looked like they're peering into his soul which started to unnerve him.
'Those damn eyes. They're mocking me.' The thug thought as he got angrier, his eye twitching as he started to shout at the raven haired teen.
"You owe me a beatdown! And I'm here to collect what I'm owed!" Vincent yelled in frustration and anger as veins started to appear on his forehead.
"…" Red remained quiet as he kept a calm composure, waiting for a moment to catch his opponent off guard.
"What's wrong, pipsqueak? Got nothing to say?"
"…"
"I'm gonna rip you apart! You hear me!?"
"…"
Feeling more anger as the teen still put up his poker face, Vincent then clenched his Pokeball to the point of it looking like it'll break before throwing it hard into the air. As the ball went into the air, it released a Pokemon covered in red clad armor with small wings with pincers that seems to have eyes.
"Zorr!" The Pokemon yelled, hitting its pincers together before taking a battle stance. The teen look in surprise as Scizor leered at the yellow rodent with an intimidating glint in its eyes. 'If I remember correctly, that's a Scizor. I remember one of my dad's coworkers having one to help her in the mines.' He then gritted his teeth, realizing that this will not be an easy fight before he hardened his expression. Pikachu was unnerved until it looked back at Red who seemed indifferent and unnerved about the Pokemon in front of him which grant it a bit of courage as it looked at its opponent with an upsurge of confidence. After a long intense staredown, Vincent was overcome by his impatience as he decided to go first. "Scizor, Bullet Punch!"
Before Red could react, Scizor immediately dashed towards Pikachu, jabbing it repeatedly with its pincers before slamming it on the ground. As the dust cleared, Pikachu getting up off the ground before shaking the dust and dirt off its fur, squeaking loudly to say it's ok. The raven haired teen smirked before returning to a hardened expression.
"Pikachu, Nuzzle." He silently commanded. The rodent nodded before dashing towards Scizor, rewarded with failure the Bug-type sidestepped before the Electric-type could jump towards it. Witnessing this, a smirk quickly appeared on Vincent's face as he let out a command. "Good, Scizor. Now, use Brutal Swing."
"Use Double Team then use Thunderbolt." Red quickly stated before the Pokemon could attack. Pikachu obliged, creating multiple copies of itself that all vanished as soon as Scizor started to savagely swinging its pincers at them, missing the original who nimbly dodged the attack. As the Bug and Steel type repositioned itself for another attack, the yellow rodent quickly released a bolt of lightning which electrified it which put it on its knees. "Quick Attack." Red commanded quietly. Pikachu then dash in a burst of speed, hitting the Pincer Pokemon square in the chest which the impact knocked it on its back. Pikachu then retreated to its initial position to avoid any sneak attacks from its foe.
"Scizor, get up!" The silver haired thug yelled, frustrated that he is experiencing a difficult battle with his young opponent. He then watch as his Scizor slowly get up only to get hit with a Thunderbolt from Pikachu which knocked it back onto the ground again.
'This is bullshit! Scizor is one of my strongest Pokemon in my team. That rat should be down the moment it took Scizor's first attack. This kid should be daring me to attack. He should not be this experienced.' Vincent thought angrily, gritting his teeth as he glared at the teen. Scizor slowly lifted itself from the ground, brushing itself off before initiating a fighting stance. Grinning, the silver haired man then laughed before he ordered his Pokemon with malice in his voice. "Scizor, now use Bullet Punch!"
"Use Quick Attack to dodge." Red hurriedly intervened. Scizor vanished in a flash before reappearing behind Pikachu who ran into a burst of speed to nimbly dodge its swift punches. "Use Thunderbolt when it is finished." The raven haired teen silently commanded. As the Pokemon got exhausted and its barrage of strikes subsided, the yellow rodent let out a cry before discharging a bolt of lightning that collided with Scizor which made it scream in pain as it descends to the floor, barely standing as it held itself up with one claw on the floor.
"No! Scizor, c'mon. Brutal Swing! Don't let some rat beat you!" Vincent said, clenching his fists in irritation. With his rage increasing as the battle resumes, veins start to appear on his forehead as his opponent is proving to be more than a match against him.
'Why is this kid such a pain in the ass?' The man thought before noticing that his partner once again was knocked to the floor which made him more irritated, yelling to the top of his lungs as he started to grabbing his hair and harshly pulling on it. "What the hell?!"
"Pikachu, close the distance with Quick Attack and then use Nuzzle." He barely heard Red mutter. Before he could give a command, Pikachu suddenly appeared in front of his Scizor and spedily maneuvered behind it and rubbed its cheeks against its back which caused a mild shock. As the rodent retreated, Scizor let out a flurry of strikes, trying its best to hit the mouse, rewarded with a few hits before the Electric-type escaped back to its side of the street.
"Scizor, Bullet Punch then continue Brutal Swing!" Vincent loudly commanded, wrath oozing from his tongue as he mouthed every word. Obeying its master's order, Scizor moved in a flash before appearing in front of Pikachu, landing a powerful strike on the rodent before it suddenly stopped.
"What the hell?" Vincent muttered, confused at the sudden behavior of his Pokemon. Red, however, knew what it was and took the opportunity and command with a smirk on his face. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt with all your power." Pikachu yelled, letting out a fierce bolt of lightning that hit Scizor, knocking it onto the floor.
"Keep using Thnuderbolt." Red commanded with confidence present in his voice. Pikachu nodded before striking Scizor repeatedly and relentlessly with bolts of lightning. Scizor tried to evade and escape the electric assault but was rewarded with failure as it was too hurt and paralyzed to move. A few moments later, the Bug-type lost its consciousness before it fell to the ground, its crimson body still as it was unable to move. Seeing its opponent stagnant and unconscious on the floor, Pikachu made a victory pose before collapsing from exhaustion afterwards. Vincent stood still, unable to process the events that just occurred as he watched at the scene in front of him with a dumbfounded expression almost as if it was a bad nightmare.
"I-Impossible…" The man silently stuttered as he fell to his knees, his gaze descending to the ground and his mind blocking all noise as Red ran towards Pikachu and lifted it from the ground before he hugged the Pokemon. The raven haired teen and his Pokemon then happily celebrated their victory in the background as the rodent weakly nuzzled against him. As this was happening, Vincent started to lift his gaze, staring at his unconscious Pokemon before he turned his gaze at the individuals who have caused his defeat who were hugging each other and laughing heartily.
"You did it, Pikachu!" Red said in excitement, smiling proudly at Pikachu who weakly made a thumbs up.
"Thanks, bud. You did a good job. Time to rest." The teen calmly said, putting the exhausted yellow rodent in his bag to rest before looking at the criminal before he stood up and stealthily went around the silver haired thug, watching him as he readied his slingshot. Filled with anger and frustration, Vincent clenched his fists, drawing blood as he glared at the teen with hatred in his green eyes.
"Damn you, kid!" He shouted, causing Red to flinch inwardly at the tone of his voice.
"Seriously, kid. Fuck you! You ruined everything since you arrived here! You messed up everything that we worked up to get all went crashing down! We were about to get out of this wretched city! Go for better heists and rob more places as we go but no! You had to go and play hero!" Vincent yelled with malice dripping from his tone which caused the teen to inwardly tremble. He started to growl at Red as he continued. "Why couldn't be like any dumb child and mind your fucking business?! Huh?!"
Hardening his expression, Red stood silent then aiming his slingshot at the thug as he stated to him in a low tone. "Sorry. You hurt people. I can't allow you to do that."
Suddenly, Red was frozen still, feeling intense pain surging and coursing throughout his body. He couldn't even open his mouth to shout or yell in pain. He was barely able to turn his head as he looked down to see a purple snake with its fang sunken in his left leg.
'Wha-' Red thought before suddenly becoming light headed, staggering in his step as he tried with all his might to keep his balance. Confused by the teen's wobbly posture, Vincent's eyes lay on the Pokemon hanging on Red's leg which caused a sinister smile to appear on the silver haired man's face. Grinning madly, the thug returned his Scizor before walking over towards Red who couldn't look into his face due to his sudden condition.
"I'm gonna enjoy this." Vincent said before punching the raven haired teen in his face which caused the boy to spit blood. The silver haired man resumed, pummeling the boy until he collapsed to the floor which knocked Pikachu, who was still unconscious, out of his bag. Realizing this, Red acted on adrenaline which made him barely able to move his hand towards his friend before a foot descended on his hand. The raven haired teen clenched his teeth as he had no choice but to endure the pain as Vincent stomped on his hand, holding it in place. Barely able to glare up at his attacker, the teen could see the silver haired man smirking evilly at him before turning his gaze to Pikachu, looking at it with a curious expression on his face.
"You know, I just realized that you never return that rat to its ball, even when it's badly hurt. You're a bad trainer, kid." He said as he walked towards the Pokemon, kicking the mouse Pokemon as he got near it which caused Red's eyes to widen at the scene he saw before him. 'Pikachu!'
He could barely move his mouth as he desperately tried his best to force every muscle in his body and help his friend who was getting brutally kicked around by Vincent. 'Move, Red! C'mon, Red! Move! Move, body! Get your butt off the damn ground and help your friend!' He mentally shouted at himself as he gritted his teeth, veins showing on his body showing the conflict that he's having to move his stubbornly stagnant body from the ground. Red could only watch as Pikachu gets brutally kicked around, hearing its cries of pain as it endures the strikes. 'C'mon, Red! She needs you!' The teen yelled at himself in his mind again, trying to move his body and fight off the poison that coursed through his body and paralyzed him only to be rewarded with failure as he had no choice but to witness the scene before him.
After the thug finished his violent assault on the yellow rodent, he then strolled back to Red with a grin on his face. Vincent then grabbed the teen by the hair, lifting him to eye level, laughing madly as he did so. Before Red could react, the thug kicked the teen in the stomach, continuing his assault with a few more kicks before he finished by ramming his knee into Red's face which caused an impact that echoed through the street. Vincent dropped the paralyzed teen on the floor, barely having consciousness. He then grabbed Red's backpack, taking out any valuables that the teen had in it which consists of Potions and Revives before he had come to a realization as he looked at the kid.
"I was wondering how strange it was that you never returned or used a Pokeball on the rat over there. I don't see any Pokeballs on you. It's either your Pokemon hates a Pokeball or... I wonder…" He trailed off before walking to Pikachu and taking out a Pokeball from his pocket which made Red's eyes widen in shock. Realizing what Vincent was about to do, the raven haired teen clenched his teeth as he tried to command every muscle in his body to move and stop the man.
'Come on. Move.' He thought, desperately trying to gain mobility but the result was the opposite. Vincent then threw the Pokeball at Pikachu which the device absorbed the rodent in an intense red light before falling on the ground. Time slowed down for Red as he helplessly watched the ball shake momentarily, praying that it breaks out.
One shake. Second shake. Third shake.
Red's heart broke as the ball made a clicking sound which indicated that the Pokemon has been captured.
"No." Red uttered in complete shock, unable to move or think as all he could do was stare at the Pokeball on the ground. His heart fell as he saw Vincent pick up the red sphere as he looked at it with delight as he started chuckling. The silver haired man's chuckling got louder before it started to grow into pure laughter as he spun the ball on his finger. Red's mouth hanged open, his face contorted to a look of full horror and his breathing starting to become erratic as he gazed at the spot where his friend once lay.
"N-no." He stuttered breathlessly. 'This can't be happening. This can't be real. I know. This is all just a terrible nightmare.' The teen thought, forcing his eyes close.
'I just need to wake up.' Red then opened his eyes to the same thing which made him sweat furiously. Feeling desperate, he repeated the same method but nothing changed. He was still on the floor, in unending pain as his friend and partner was taken from him. As reality started to hit him, Red started to drown all sound around him as his mind repeatedly play the scene of his friend's capture which broke him mentally the more the scene replays.
"I caught a Pokemon!" Vincent exclaimed gleefully, knocking Red out of his stupor as the teen saw the man lifted the Pokeball in the air with a massive grin on his face before he started to laugh.
"Isn't that what you brats say when you catch a Pokemon now? You make a little spin and raise the ball in the sky." The thug mocked, spinning the ball on his finger. Red couldn't answer and even if he could, he was still in complete shock at the events that occurred earlier, much to Vincent's amusement.
"I like that expression, kid. It fits you." He said, walking up to the teen and putting his foot on the teen's head.
"That's how we felt when you interrupted our business. You made the police catch us, you messed up our good streak and humiliated us, even beat me in a battle but not anymore. Your life ends today, kid." Vincent said, kicking Red several times, leaving him with a bloody nose. After he finished his physical assault, he then took out a blue Pokeball with red colorings on it before taking out his mask from his pocket and putting it on. As he donned the mask, Vincent then threw the ball in the air which released a purple ball that had poisonous gas that is surrounding it, having a menacing look on its face as it gazed down at Red.
"Meet my friend here, Koffing. The gases he lets out is deadly. You have no idea how much people this guy has killed." The silver haired man explained, looking at his Koffing who smiled evilly as it started to laugh. He then motioned the snake Pokemon towards him which it obliged and went to his side.
"Ekans here is my comrade's Pokemon. As you have seen, he is very friendly and tends to play rough with people. Sorry about that. We'll check on him next time so he doesn't go out of line." The man said with a wide grin on his face as he watched the nearly unconscious teen on the ground. Sirens started to resonate in the air, making Vincent click his tongue in disappointment as he turned around and looked at the floating Poison-type who was also alerted by the sound.
"Koffing, Smog then Selfdestruct." The silver haired thug said in an uncaring tone to which the Pokemon obeyed. It started releasing a cloud of poisonous gas that started to cover the area, causing Red to cough and wheeze profusely as he inhaled the toxic fumes.
"Nice to kill you, kid. Adios." Vincent said as the teen coughing became worse as he inhaled more of the gas, trying to speak only to be rewarded with silence leaving his mouth. 'Come…back…' Red thought as he continued wheezing as he tried to move once more only to be given the same result. As seconds pass by, his red eyes start to close, his energy starts receding and his body starts to go limp.
'Give me a break. I lost my father's cap and I lost my friend. I am all alone again. I couldn't even get to go past this damn city.' Red thought furiously as his half opened eyes starts to send their gaze on the floor. Tears started to trace down his face, hitting the concrete floor as he continued to cough, unable to move from his spot.
'Is my sole purpose in this world to suffer? Is it? Is my life just some joke for people to laugh at?' He tried to chuckle but unable to due to being paralyzed due to the poison. Red's eyes slowly started to close again as his consciousness started to depart from him as thoughts of his life went through his mind.
'Pikachu... I'm... so sorry. I'm so... so sorry...' He said as his eyes closed, leaving only darkness.
Whew! Another chapter finished! Another one on the way very soon. I'm prepared *shows armor* for any pitchforks, knives and everything coming at me. My body is ready…or should I say I'm fully prepared. I don't know. I hope you like the chapter and the plot twist. God, Red can't get a break, can't he? Thank you guys for stopping to read my story, I really appreciate it. Enigma out!