Disclaimer: mentions of blood, alcohol, drugs
"The Porygon and Zubats are too weak," Moxy started, her hands stuffed in her pockets.
"That's a little cruel." Zee tilted her head with a frown. Wingulls chirped in the sky as the two walked along a white railing that overlooked a wide, golden beach in the distance. Despite being at a higher elevation, the two were still in Southern Lilycove, where the buildings and houses descended like a staircase towards the beachfront.
"It isn't. It's just the way they are. Those kidnappers knew that. Why else wouldn't they take the Porygon or the Zubats? They had enough time to take all the others. Don't you know how rare it is to find a Porygon?"
"They aren't looking to sell the pokemon," Moxy concluded. "They want to use them. For what is the question."
"Heh, are you sure you weren't a private investigator in another life?" Zee joked.
Moxy brushed her fake hair behind her ear upon making the turn into an alleyway. She kept going down until she reached a parking lot surrounded by gray buildings.
"Woah… what happened here?" Zee brought a hand up to her mouth.
The lot was trashed. Spots in the cement looked like a bulldozer went through them, and black explosion impacts marked the area. In the middle of the lot were a bunch of electronic chips, all piled together. Moxy picked one of them up but realized too late that it was covered in a slimy, dark-red liquid that smelled like rotting eggs. She tossed the blood-soaked chip aside, taking a few deep breaths to stop the vomit rising in her stomach. She wouldn't throw up here. Especially not in front of Zee.
Zee was looking at her, a worried crease in her eyebrows. However, when Moxy tried to catch her gaze, Zee pretended to scrutinize the metal pieces.
"What are those?" she asked.
"The chips Dr. Janson talked about. Ripped straight out of these pokemon's bodies. Whoever did this job was… messy. But you'd have to be if you were in a hurry." Moxy stated. She continued to survey the area, taking note of the blast impacts. She wondered if there might be any witnesses, based on the noise the damage must have made.
I'm not a detective, she shook her head. I'm doing all this just so those pokemon can be sold again. I'm a thug.
Moxy touched one of the blast impacts. It was cold.
For one second, something strange quivered over her heart. Oddly enough, the only thing there was her necklace.
This coffee has me seriously buzzed, she dismissed.
"Shit!" her dismissal was cut short by the shock that shot through her arm. She retracted it and watched the red and black electricity dancing around the spot.
"Dark-type energy!" Zee made aware.
"You recognize it?"
"Yup! I did repairs on one of the dark-type inhibitors in the base a while ago. They all do that red electricity thingy," Zee explained.
Seriously? Moxy grumbled. We have inhibitors and I'm still getting these nightmares?
Moxy was sure a pokemon was invading her dreams.
It's definitely not my messed up mind, she chuckled.
…It's definitely not.
"What's funny?" Zee asked with an innocent smile.
"None of your business."
"Hah," her response was dry. "I bet you're thinking of that smoking hot infiltrator."
Moxy widened her eyes. "What!?"
"I was right! You're turning redder than a tomato!" Zee giggled.
Moxy growled and stood up, ready to shut Zee up by force. However, something behind Zee caught her vision.
"Hey… what is that?" Moxy squinted at a broken vial on the ground. She picked it up and examined the glittering, bright-red liquid inside.
"Do you recognize this stuff?" Moxy swished the vial between her fingers.
All she got from Zee was a shrug.
"Hmph. Gauging from all this evidence, we're looking for some guy with a strong dark-type pokemon. Strong enough to take on all these other strong pokemon. They were also forced to do a quick, messy job of pulling out the trackers from the pokemon, all of which are suited for battle or some kind of laboring task. And then this liquid…"
"Woah!" Zee startled Moxy. "I think I know who did this."
"What? Just from the tiny bit of information we have?"
Zee gave her a guilty smile and tapped her fingers together. "Well, I'd tell you, but…"
She pulled something out of her pocket. It was shiny and red, and Moxy sighed.
"Zee, there's no time. We have to get these pokemon back as soon as possible. Besides, who says I even want to battle you?"
"C'mon! Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud! Unless… haha! You're scared! I knew it!" Zee jumped in joy.
Fucking bitch, Moxy growled and unclipped one of her pokeballs. "Fine, that's how you want to play, huh? If I win, you better tell me what you know!"
Zee stopped. She turned her face to Moxy, revealing that same, creepy smile she made back in the base when they first met. "Sounds good, babe."
"You'll also stop making stupid jokes and comments."
Zee's eyes turned battle-hardened.
"Don't push it."
With a quick hand like an experienced ranger, Zee's pokeball surged forward before releasing a grayish-brown pokemon. It was standing on its hind legs, and it snapped at the air with its scary jaw.
Moxy recognized it, but she was confused as to why.
"I learned about a pokemon like that in… history class."
"Surprised? This is a Tyrunt!" Zee smirked before patting the Tyrunt on its big head. It cooed and nuzzled her body.
"I thought those were extinct."
"Doesn't look extinct, does it? C'mon now, we're battling!"
Hmph. Moxy tossed Sylveon's pokeball forward. It's a good thing I know how to beat one.
Sylveon appeared from her pokeball, and her ears drooped upon seeing Tyrunt and Zee.
"Fairy Wind," Moxy ordered. To her surprise, Sylveon just stood there.
"I said, Fairy Wind!" Moxy spelled it out for her pokemon.
Sylveon shook herself before raising her feelers.
"Dodge!" Zee shouted, jumping to the side along with her Tyrunt as the attack blew past them.
Moxy snapped her fingers. With a grumble, Sylveon summoned a pink light around her body before zipping towards Tyrunt.
"Gwahh!" Tyrunt squawked as Sylveon headbutted it, sending it careening into the brick wall of one of the buildings.
"Tyrunt!" Zee shouted.
"You done?" Moxy asked, silently hoping Zee would just recall Tyrunt and call it quits.
At hearing her, Tyrunt let out a tiny roar before hopping back onto its feet. Its body was steaming with a pink-hued smoke.
"Not yet! Tyrunt, use Dragon Tail!"
Um… what? Moxy raised an eyebrow as the Tyrunt charged Sylveon, its tail shining with pulsing, purple energy.
Sylveon was confused as well, for when Tyrunt came into contact, its energy fizzled away like a tumbleweed in the wind. Tyrunt jumped back in fear upon realizing its attack did nothing to Sylveon.
"Zee, dragon-type moves don't work on fairy-type pokemon," Moxy explained. "Don't you know that?"
"O-oh!" Zee's face grew red. "I, uh, totally knew that! It was just a diversion!"
Right, Moxy deadpanned before snapping her fingers twice in the air. "Sylveon, Quick Attack again."
However, Sylveon stood still, not flopping her ear at all while Tyrunt charged forward again.
"Tyrunt, use Bite!" Zee called out, her voice cracking. Moxy was surprised by the sheer size of Tyrunt's jaws, the first time she'd ever seen them outside of a history book. Those same jaws were charged with black and red electricity.
Sylveon didn't even try to dodge the attack. Tyrunt bit into Sylveon's side, and she yelped before falling. A couple of seconds passed, and Moxy stood there waiting for Sylveon to get up. However, she lay completely still on the floor, eyes closed.
"What?!" Moxy was in disbelief. "That's bullshit! Sylveon, get up! I know that attack did nothing to you!"
"Wooo!" Zee cheered, running up to her Tyrunt who looked even more confused than Moxy. The Tyrunt's tongue lolled a bit as Zee coddled the crap out of it.
"No, no, no! Zee, wait. You didn't win! Sylveon's just a bit upset with me, so s-she just pretended to lose!"
Zee and Tyrunt looked at her first, then down at Sylveon.
"Um, it looks like she fainted," Zee stated, pointing a small finger at the fairy-type.
"N-no." Moxy spluttered before skittering up to Sylveon. "Look, she'll get up when I pinch her."
"You're just sore you lost! Hahaha!" Zee guffawed. Each laugh made Moxy even more irritated. She glared down at Sylveon, whose eyes were opened just a tiny bit to see Moxy's salty expression.
"Ugh… this is bullshit," Moxy just recalled Sylveon into her ball before slamming it back on her belt.
"So… Ms. Pokemon master lost, hmm?" Zee teased, a big grin on her face.
"Zee, you're wasting my fucking time. Just tell me what you know, or I'm out of here." Moxy's breath was heavy.
Zee put a little finger under her chin in thought. "Fine, but I'm a little peckish. Let's grab a bite!"
Moxy grabbed her head, completely unraveled by Zee's childish games.
Calm down, Moxy. It's fine, just a bit of patience, right? She bargained with herself before being interrupted by a snap from Zee's fingers.
"Wel-"
"We're getting seafood."
A cracked street murky with shadows lay before Moxy when she peeked around the alley corner. The sounds of pops and revs from car engines tore through the night, and the scent of the ocean overwhelmed the air.
Just a little ways from Moxy's location was a large, shady-looking building. The ground shook slightly from the bass of the club music coming from within. She looked at her wrist, and it was already past nine. Moxy rubbed the sleep in her eyes, the only thing keeping her awake was the blood-pumping anticipation of the danger they were about to face.
"This is the place?" Moxy asked when Zee appeared behind her.
"Yeah," Zee responded. Her eyes sparkled against the red neon sign just above the entrance, and she grimaced at the large guy in a suit blocking the way. "This is the biggest fight club in Lilycove. They are also notorious for pushing drugs into the city. I'm sure that weird vial came from here!"
"A fight club? Why is it running in a dump like this?"
"Unlike regular battles, the guys here don't care about rules. No formalities, just an all-bars fight. Things like that… they would be arrested for sure…"
"Oh." Moxy nodded, crossing her arms. That meant not only do these fights last until a pokemon faints, but potentially a pokemon could-
"You ever seen a pokemon die before?" Zee asked, her eyelashes glimmering, and then she muttered, "It ain't pretty."
"No." Moxy gazed at her feet. "I didn't really grow up in a place where pokemon were mistreated… or killed. Rustboro is a surprisingly safe city, you know?"
"Typical city girl, hehe." Zee joked
Moxy narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at, huh?"
"Nothing," Zee deflected. "Anyways, you got a plan?"
"What do you mean me? Aren't you the person who led us here?"
"Oh," Zee rubbed the back of her head, one of her canines poking out in her smile. "Personally, I would just try the front."
"You mean where that big guy is standing? I'll pass."
"Trust me." Zee pulled Moxy's hand by surprise and began walking towards the entrance.
"Z-Zee! We probably need a password or some other stupid thing like that!" Moxy hissed, trying to pry her hand out of Zee's. Unfortunately, her grip strength matched that of a Hariyama.
The bouncer saw them coming, and he inched a bit closer to the middle of the door before puffing out his hulking chest.
"You gals want somethin'?" the bouncer asked, his voice just as strong as his jawline.
"Right-o mister!" Zee answered as if she were pitching the bouncer a deal on a cleaner suit, which his obviously wasn't. "I'm here to offer you something great!"
He just looked at her like she was crazy.
We're so screwed, Moxy's heart turned into a brick.
"I've got the best fighter in all of Rustboro right here! Her name is… erm, C-Caitlin! Caitlin Crimson!" Zee presented Moxy, grinning from ear to ear.
"Ehehe… hi." Moxy couldn't hold eye contact with his expressionless face.
"Hm." He put a hand up to his chin, showing off a gold tooth in his slight smile. "I don't know…"
Zee sighed before reaching into her pocket, a green paper sticking out between her fingers. The bouncer snatched it out of her hand.
"Say, I kinda need to take a leak." He yawned before walking away.
Zee pulled open the door to the club, the door screeching at its hinges. "I told you so!"
"How did you know he would let us in like that?" Moxy asked, still in disbelief.
"Please, I grew up around these streets. All anyone here cares about is money. Now, let's go!" Zee strolled inside. With a sigh, Moxy followed close behind.
They had to transverse through a dark hallway. Moxy passed by strange individuals and tough-looking pokemon.
When they entered the main room, it was like she had stepped into a light show. Strobe lights flashed in the deep, blue lighting of the crowded room, and the music pulsed through Moxy's bones with every drum. People of all shapes and sizes, along with pokemon, were sitting around filthy tables. Moxy was disgusted when she saw a guy put some white powder on a table before he sniffed it all up in his nose. There was a chorus of cheers from the middle of the club, and Moxy and Zee squeezed through two, sloshed girls to see what was going on.
A huge, white spotlight shined over a caged arena where two, striped pokemon were decking it out with each other. Moxy pulled out the paper with the list of stolen pokemon.
That's the lab's Arcanine, she recognized the battling pokemon's orange pelt and thick mane. However, she'd never seen the other red and ferocious pokemon it faced. There was one trainer behind the Incinaroar shouting orders.
He had dark features, the darkest being his jet-black eyes. She could see his abs on his shirtless body, his only clothing being black socks, black trousers, and a pair of metal arm guards on his forearms. There was a tattoo on his right arm, but Moxy was too far to identify it. The Arcanine, on the other hand, had no one to give it orders.
"GH'ROAR!" the red pokemon roared, raising one of its thick, striped arms in the air in a flaunt. Arcanine snarled back a stream of fire so hot Moxy could feel it from where she stood. Rather than deter it, the red pokemon just laughed and stuck out its gray, muscular chest. The fiery attack was absorbed into the literal belt of flames it wore around its waist.
"The Flamethrower does nothing to Incineroar!" a voice from a speaker above called out. The Incineroar dodged another blast of fire before racing towards the Arcanine on all fours.
Moxy's heart jumped. In the span of a second, the Incineroar unleashed its jaws on the Arcanine's neck. The Arcanine whimpered before falling on its side, a flurry of blood painting the middle of the arena red.
"Oh no…" a wave of nausea hit Moxy, making her turn away from the battle. Arcanine's cries of pain continued for a few seconds that felt like minutes to Moxy. Her breaths rasped faster and faster until she couldn't take it anymore. Moxy retreated into the hallway before the exit.
She knelt over a garbage can in the corner and unleashed her dinner into it. After she was done, her head began to pain.
What the hell did you get yourself into?! Moxy groaned. You're an idiot. There's no way you can do this. These fights are to the death! Sylveon…
Moxy wobbled to her feet. She wanted to leave. Say screw it and let Chloe find someone else to do her dirty work.
"I… have to help those pokemon. Because if I don't…" Moxy looked down at Zubat's pokeball on her hip. He was thrown aside. Scared. The same way the stolen pokemon must feel now.
"Help some pokemon?" a voice said to her side. Moxy turned to see some crummy-looking guy inches from her face. He was just a bit taller than her, and his hair was a Pidgey's nest.
"Ugh, what the hell do you want?" Moxy backed away from his stinky smile.
"Nah, sister. It's what you want. I got it all here." He nodded furiously as if he had something exquisite to show her under that large, black trench coat he wore. "You look like you need a hit of something strong…"
I guess this piece of garbage is the source of Lilycove's drug problem. She stared him down silently.
"Whaaaat? Don't give me that look, sister. Look, I got the cure to all your problems, hehe." He reached into his coat before pulling out a tiny ziplock bag containing a strange, glowing powder.
"This is called Lullaby, baby. It's so strong that… well, the name speaks for itself!"
Moxy looked at the powder with a strange desire. The words ate at the back of her mind.
Will it make me dream? Will it kill the nightmares, just for one night? she was tempted to ask. Perhaps it would be a good thing. Forget all her troubles with Team Magma, Sylveon, and the demon in her dreams. Just a taste, to try…
Drugs will destroy your future, she remembered Dahlia say. And with that in mind, she pushed the man aside.
"Aw, sister, don't be like that! I can give you a free sample! Stay with me for a while, baby!"
Moxy just walked back inside the club, fearing what she might do if she entertained him any longer.
After a bit of peeking around the rabble, she found Zee tapping her fingers against a bar table impatiently. When she caught sight of Moxy, Zee quickly waved in her direction.
"Where did you go?! I was waiting forever! I almost thought you bailed on me." Zee sounded sad, almost heartbroken.
"I needed some air." Moxy sat on a bar stool next to Zee. "So, we're in. What now?"
Zee jerked a hidden thumb toward the bartender. "I bet he would know something."
One whistle later, the bartender was there to serve them.
"What can I get you, ladies?" he asked, charm in his blue-tinted teeth.
"Two rums on rocks and a fight, babe." She grinned.
The bartender chuckled before pulling out two, small shot glasses from behind the counter.
"I like your vibe, girl." He laid the glasses side by side, and some ice cubes and an amber-brown liquid later, Moxy was staring at what was rum on rocks.
"Zee!" She whispered. "I don't drink."
"Calm down, Mo- uh, Caitlin!" Zee smiled again at the bartender before taking a cute sip from her shot glass.
With a disgusted expression, Moxy held her glass to her lips. The strong scent of the alcohol overwhelmed her senses quickly. Zee was giving her a wide-eyed expression, like a mother scolding her child to eat their Payapa Berries.
Moxy drank the vile liquid in one go. It was gross and bland, and she wanted to spit it out right there and then. Fortunately, her resilience took over, and she gulped.
"My client and I don't want to waste too much time here." Zee rested her elbow on the bar and placed a stern finger on it. "She wants the next fight."
The bartender gave them a proud look before pointing toward the ring. "You sure you want the next fight? That would be against the champion here, Edgar. And we don't call him champion for nothin'."
"Hah!" Zee let out loudly before Moxy could get a word in. "Crimson's battled the best of the best. She beat Champion Steven in a fight, unofficially of course!"
"Hey, keep your voice down," Moxy warned.
"Yeah! Crimson also fought her way through Victory Road three times as a warm-up before challenging the league!"
"Zee…" Some eyes had begun to turn towards them.
"This shmuck's got nothing against her! She's the best fighter in all of Rustboro! The battle will be over in less than a minute after she mops the ring with that Incinaroar!"
"Is that so?" a voice called behind them.
Arceus, Moxy turned around slowly, her fear realized when she saw the guy from the ring standing right behind them.
"N-Nah, it's not like that!" Moxy laughed, rubbing the back of her head and making sure her wig was still on. "My um… agent's just a bit enthusiastic!"
"Oh," Edgar the Champion said in a disappointed voice before crossing his arms. "All bark, no bite, hm? Pathetic."
Moxy glanced at the tribal tattoo of a Blaziken on his right arm. Some people in the crowd were laughing, giving her demeaning gazes. Zee kind of looked over at Moxy, waiting for her to defend herself.
"What, did a Skitty catch your tongue, westsider?" he smirked.
More laughter from the crowd, but Moxy was still a bit shocked by his comments. She balled her fist, reminded of all the insults she received in the Academy, especially the ones from Janice.
"See ya, loser." Edgar shrugged and turned around, the crowd giving him cheers. She burned with anger, the rum starting a fire in her head.
"Hey, shit-face!" Moxy stood from her seat, her courage boiled up. "The name's Crimson. Caitlin Crimson. I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"
The crowd went silent. Edgar looked over his shoulder.
"What did you just call me?"
"Your little display up there is the definition of pathetic. That Arcanine didn't even have a trainer, it was practically wild. After I'm done with you, the only place you and your Incinaroar will find work is at a circus, clown."
There was a collective 'Oh' from the crowd. Edgar's smirk fell into a frown before he got right up in Moxy's personal space. Moxy didn't care, she simply stared him down like a raging Tauros.
"Fine, bitch. Next battle's in ten minutes. You'll be sorry."
With that, the crowd made a path as Edgar trudged off.
Moxy found herself breathing heavily by the end of it. She looked over to Zee, whose mouth was agape.
"Woohoo! Damn, that was pretty awesome! And we got a fight, to boot!" Zee smiled and held her hand up for a high five. However, Moxy wasn't smiling with her.
"Nobody talks to me that fucking way," she cursed, getting out of her seat with a bit of a drunken wobble.
"H-hey, did one drink get you tipsy already?" Zee chuckled awkwardly. "You sure you can fight?"
Suddenly, a man in a suit appeared before them. His finger was on an earpiece, and she couldn't see behind his shades. "Crimson, right? I'll take you to the back room where you can get prepared."
Moxy followed him, giving Zee a look that answered her question.
Hell yes, I'm fighting.
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and kind words! I'm glad everyone is loving the fic as much as I do! Who are you guys rooting for? Edgar or Moxy? That was rhetorical, I know you guys are cheering for our protagonist. Extra credit to whoever can guess who Zee is!
Cheers!
Reviews:
-RedBloodedMoon: I know, right?! It is what it is, I am content with my small audience. I'm glad you find the fic unique, I worked really hard on conveying that. Things are going to get even more interesting as the story goes on, and you will be surprised at the role Charles plays in the plot. Thank you!
-pog: I appreciate the kind words! I am already hard at work to complete this fic!
-Here4review: Thank you! :)