Paralogue Ten: Big Damn Heroes
"Ready to blow the place down?" Markus asked as he and Wes pulled into Black Rock City. "Because I don't know if that's the best strategy this time." Wes parked his bike and the two hopped out. "You have the address and the general idea where we're going. Lead the way, Wes." Wes tossed Umbreon out of her ball. Markus did the same with Gengar. The two made their way through the tent city, with a few people pausing as Wes walked through. As they walked, a man began walking on either side of them.
"Get good, Skrub." Wes said as he shot the guy next to him a look, then he turned to the man on the other side of Markus. "Verde, it's been a minute." Markus just walked along silently. "You going to wax poetic about me daring to show my face here after last time?" Verde snorted. "Nah, your leg is going to be a reminder of that speech until you're dead. We came to beat up your friend."
"That's cute." Markus muttered. Skrub and Verde both scoffed. "Gengar, eat their souls." Gengar melded into Markus's shadow and flitted toward Skrub and Verde. As Gengar entered Skrub's shadow, the man found himself unable to move. As Gengar rose, she opened her mouth, and her eyes began to flash white in succession. Skrub toppled onto the ground as Gengar turned to Verde. Gengar's eyes flashed white again and Verde fell to the ground. Markus turned to Wes. "We need to move. The Hypnosis won't last long." Gengar melded into Markus's shadow. The two men broke into a jog, and as they approached the address Rui had sent, they noticed a huge problem. "That's a lot of Pokémon." Markus remarked. He pulled his eyepiece from his wrist tablet and looked through it. "Not Shadow Pokémon though based on my Aura Reader."
The building was a large, semi-permanent structure connected to the structure beside it with an elevated bridge. "Odds are she's in the back building." Wes noted. "We may have to be prepared to deal with some heavy hitters, Noscour, maybe Evice." Markus nodded as he surveyed the building.
"Western wall, halfway up, there's a gap where the sand finally weathered the logs. If we can get up there, we'll be golden." Wes moved to the wall with Markus in tow. Gengar rose to the second floor, and after giving an "all clear" signal, Markus climbed the side of the structure and held his hand out for Wes. "You've gotten fatter." He said as he hauled the man up the side of the wall.
"You're pretty strong for a schoolteacher." Wes quipped back as he climbed through the gap in the boards. The two men got to their feet and shook the sand from themselves. "Tread light, we are in the hot zone, teach." Markus chuckled. "Callsign Teach, I've had worse." Gengar slipped into the shadows and surveyed the hallway. Markus and Wes weren't far behind. "Gentlemen, you aren't very good spies." They wheeled around to find Evice with a blade to Rui's throat. "I can't have you fucking shit up for me. I have to make sure that I can beat Giovanni."
Wes moved for his Pokéball, but Evice nicked Rui's neck. "I'll end her as easily as I ended that dumb fuck, Gonzap. After all, she's not exactly resisting." He flipped his knife and threw it at Wes. He blocked hastily with the Snag Machine, then called "Umbreon, Quick Attack!" Umbreon leapt forward and struck Evice as Gengar secured Rui. "We don't need to be spies, dumbass. I've always been better at acquisitions anyway." Markus snickered as Evice tried to stand. "Gengar, Shadow Ball." Gengar charged up a powerful energy blast and launched it at Evice, who lost consciousness. "We need to move." Wes muttered as the two trainers recalled their Pokémon and Markus threw Rui onto his back. "Be careful with my wife, Markus." Wes noted as he kicked the loose boards where they'd entered. Markus leapt from the building, Rui still on his back, as Wes followed. As they ran, Markus's Aura Reader began beeping. They turned around to reveal a Shadow Pokémon. It was a Gligar. "Wes, snag that Gligar!" Markus shouted. Wes pulled a Pokéball from his pocket, and the Snag Machine began uploading data to the Pokéball. He threw it, and the Gligar was caught.
Wes grabbed the Pokéball as they ran toward the edge of town. As they arrived, Markus tossed Rui into the sidecar and hopped onto the back with Wes. "Gun that shit. We gotta go!" Markus shouted as Wes's bike flared to life. He whipped the bike around and headed out of the city. "Where are we going?" Markus shouted as Wes turned to the Northeast.
"I'm taking this Gligar to the Snag Lab. They'll be able to help it out. Also, they'll put Rui and I up for a few nights while I debrief with Looker. Are you going to want to be there for that?" Markus shouted back that he didn't have the clearance, but if Looker wanted to talk to him, the agent still had Markus's number. After about thirty minutes of driving, Wes pulled up to the Snag Lab and he and Markus brought Rui inside. Markus sat Rui in a chair and pulled out Drowzee's Pokéball. "Drowzee, fix her mind." The Pokémon gave a cry as it began working on Rui. Wes had gone to talk to Professor Hastings at this point, so when Rui came to consciousness it was just her and Markus. As she woke, Markus wrapped her into a tight hug. "Sorry I missed Snowflake Day, best friend." Rui wrapped her arms around Markus. "Thanks for bailing me out, Markus. Is my husband here too?"
"Indeed I am." Wes announced from the doorway. Rui and Markus separated, and Rui ran over to Wes. "Thanks for coming to get me, dear. Did you find the Rocket Packet I hid at the house?" Wes pulled a thumb drive from between the Snag Machine and his arm. "Wasn't going to leave it in the house with everything going down." He plugged it into one of the computers in the lab and pulled up its contents. "They have a new commander, and she's powerful, like May or Dawn powerful." He flipped through the packet another few pages and found a photo. "She's a kid. She looks nineteen." Markus looked at the monitor and his jaw went slack.
"She's my best student." Markus muttered quietly. "I'm sponsoring her independent study. Wait, zoom in on her eyes." Wes zoomed in on the girl's face and Markus looked at the photo again. "No, she has a headmate. Giovanni what did you do to your daughter?"