Note- Welcome back to Heart and Soul! Know there's a lot going on right now, including some rough weather in my neck of the woods. Hope you all are staying safe and doing well as we transition into fall and (hopefully) some cooler temperatures. Even though I'm not much of a fall man myself, a career change and big move have me looking forward to the coming season.
As for the world of Heart and Soul, we've reached the home stretch! Four trainers remain in the Silver Conference, including several familiar faces. How are those competitors handling the growing pressure and intensity? What about those out of the race? What will their future hold? And as we reach the eve of May 8th, what twists and turns might Kayla's pursuit for her grandfather and for justice take?
I won't keep you waiting any longer! Let's find out today!
Please consider dropping a review and follow/favorite for notifications about future chapters! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 75
Chris couldn't take his eyes off Mt. Silver.
It had turned to a towering dark grey blob as evening shifted closer to night. The sun had long since vanished behind the mountain range, but the tips of the southern ridges still glowed with the last of the day's rays.
Already night.
It had been almost three weeks since he'd arrived at the tournament grounds. It was hard to believe that much time had passed. He'd been looking forward to this event for so long—well before his journey had even officially begun. And even with a year of training behind them, it still felt like there was so much more work to be done. As each round passed, Chris found himself continuing to add to his already full notebook. He really needed to get a new one after the tournament. These last couple days he'd been forced to write in the margins of previous pages.
This past week in particular had been a grind on a different level. Between the training sessions, working on strategy, and the battles themselves, it had been hard for him to find time to even eat. It usually took several embarrassingly loud rumbles to finally convince him to stop for food. But that had just been the modus operandi. Each round he'd been forced to sacrifice something. A meal. An hour of sleep. A hangout session with his friends. It sucked to miss any of those things, let alone all of them together, but it was only temporary.
Just two more battles.
"That's a big ol' hill, isn't it?"
Ben had returned with a plate stacked with every kind of appetizer imaginable.
"You talking about Mt. Silver or that plate of food?"
Ben grinned. "Hey, I'll let you have a couple bites."
Chris shook his head. His father hadn't needed any reminders from his stomach. Every time Chris returned from training or saw him after a battle, the man was chowing down on something. It unfortunately went a long way in explaining why his father's stomach seemed more swollen with each sighting.
"I did get you a drink," Ben said, handing him a glass. Chris gave him a questioning look. "Don't worry, it's ginger ale. My boy needs a clear head going into tomorrow's battle."
That got a chuckle from Chris. "You calling me a lightweight?"
"Compared to me, maybe!" His father did a double take. "Wait a minute. How much drinking have you done this past year?"
"I've been smart about stuff like that. It's not my vice."
"Winning is, right?"
"Yes sir."
Ben nodded. "Wise beyond your years. Which, hey, you'll be adding a seventeenth one here in a few days!"
"I wish it wasn't the day before the championship."
"That's okay. We can just wait till you have that big gold trophy to celebrate."
"Hmph."
Chris wouldn't even begin to acknowledge that possibility until he had a six-to-one lead on his opponent in that championship round. And even then, he'd prefer to wait till that last Pokémon was on its last—
"Oh shoot. Chris, that's Blue!"
Chris tried not to let his surprise show, but he couldn't keep his head from whipping around.
Blue strolled down the balcony, hands in his pockets. He veered slightly to the right, then to the left, but never stopped at any of the tables. Several people shouted his name and he acknowledged a couple of them with nods. The legendary trainer moseyed past Chris and his dad without glancing their direction.
Ben grabbed Chris's shoulder. "Awh man. You should have said hey."
"I've talked to Blue before."
"Oh really?"
"Briefly, but yeah. Luke's the real point person there. He and Blue went on some kind of expedition together last year."
"Wow. Not many people can say they've hung out with legends."
The wind had begun to pick up. Combined with the absence of the sun, Chris found the air had taken on a real chill. He went to zip up his jacket, but thought better of it. "Let's head back inside," he said. "I think the festivities are about to start."
Chris had only taken a couple steps before another familiar face grabbed his attention. Prinny moved along at a slow pace, following the same path Blue had just taken. With his hood up and his shoulders slumped, Chris wouldn't have even noticed him had his face not been so distinct. The Cherrygrove native tried to look away and continue inside, but unlike Blue, Prinny's gaze locked onto him as he drew close. Chris's dad seemed to be the only one not aware of the impromptu crossing. He'd nearly made it to the door before realizing his son hadn't followed.
Prinny came to a slow stop beside Chris. A silence settled, broken only by the low howl of the wind as it swept across the balcony, rattling the umbrella stands and whipping the ends of Chris's jacket in every direction. Chris felt like he should say something. This wouldn't be like his battle against Sarah, where every word had to be carefully chosen or else it could be used against him. And yet, he couldn't think of a damn thing to say.
For Prinny's part, he also didn't look eager for conversation. He had the draw strings of his purple jacket pulled tight enough for his hood to cover all but his eyes, nose, and mouth.
Chris cleared his throat. "It should be a great battle tomorrow," he said.
Prinny gave a slow nod. "I'm looking forward to it."
Ben had begun easing his way over to the two. Prinny's gaze peeled off Chris, but it was unclear if it landed on his dad or the door behind him. "I'm going to head in," he said. "Good luck tomorrow."
"Same to you."
Prinny lowered his head as he passed Ben and slid through the half open door behind him.
"You know that guy?" Ben asked as he came to stand by Chris.
"I've hung out with him a couple times. He's Waz's brother."
"Wait… that's the guy you're battling tomorrow?"
"Yep."
"Well you know," Ben said with a chuckle, "the last time I hung out with you and your opponent, you ended up winning."
Chris found himself smiling. "Why do you think I fought for you to be here?"
"Oh, is that why I was allowed to come tonight?"
"Hey, I wish you could have come to all of these. I guess making it to the semifinals meant they finally had to listen to me."
A chime rang from the overhead speakers, followed closely by a voice. "If everyone would please report to the main conference area, we will begin shortly."
Ben waved Chris by. "After you, champ."
It became clear the moment they stepped through the door they should never have gone outside. No standing room around the tables. Every chair was occupied. Chris didn't love the idea of having to stand in the middle of the room, but he could tolerate it. What bothered him was his father having to do it. Ben Aiden had struggled for years with the lasting pain and degradation that came from playing contact sports throughout his youth. And with his added weight, the stress on those joints would only increase. It didn't seem like he complained as much when he was around Chris, but the trainer knew from talking to his mom just how bad of shape his knees were in.
A brief blast of feedback from the sound system quieted the full crowd.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to this prestigious gathering," a woman's voice boomed. Chris glanced around but couldn't spot the speaker. "Hopefully you've already gotten to enjoy some of the delicious food and drinks prepared by our amazing crew."
Ben leaned over. "I still need to try one or three of those drinks."
Chris just smiled and shook his head.
"We've got a couple big items on our agenda tonight, but our main goal is to provide the space and time for a proper celebration of this wonderful tournament. That includes a special shout out to the semifinalists we'll be hearing from tonight."
"Fantastic," Chris mumbled, his weary stare drifting toward the cameras.
"And to honor the wonderful Johto region that brought all these trainers together, we've invited someone who embodies that spirit and will help us get this party started off right!"
Cheers and screams burst from the front of the room. The commotion spread, with the noise swelling like a wave. It crested as the mystery guest stepped into the center of the room, his glove covered fist stretching up above the pressing crowd. Security swarmed, with one massive guard nearly knocking Chris over in his mad dash. Before any of them could reach the special guest, he jumped up onto one of the entree tables. Combined with the joggers, t-shirt, and his oversized, colorful sherpa jacket, the young man did not seem all that concerned with continuing the dignified trend of guest speakers.
"Chris!" Ben shouted, grabbing him
Chris didn't even acknowledge it. It felt like the room was spinning; like someone had turned the whole space on its side and dumped everyone out—everyone except himself and the greatest Johto trainer in the region's history.
"How's it going?" Ethan—Gold himself—shouted. He stooped out of sight for a moment, then popped back up, a microphone now in his hand. When he spoke again, his voice reverberated around the room. "Shoot, apparently they think you guys are being too loud."
The volume level dipped, but only slightly. The legendary trainer from New Bark Town pushed back his messy, black bangs and showed the iconic grin that had been plastered on a million different pieces of merch from Chris's childhood.
"I'm honored by your warm welcome. This is my first time back at the Silver Conference in years, and y'all are going to have me coming back every year now."
Laughter. More cheers. An even bigger grin on the speaker's face.
"It is wonderful to be back. Even though this tournament technically sits on Kanto soil, I want to give a shout out to the committee who have done an incredible job capturing the spirit of our amazing region. I also want to express my gratitude in receiving this invite, even if it was a last minute one. I may not have been your all's first choice, but it's still an honor to get the call. And don't worry, I won't spill the beans on who they missed out on." Ethan whipped back the bottom of his jacket like it was a cape, struck a superhero pose, and threw a wink toward a less-than-thrilled looking executive. "And unlike that guy, I'm going to keep this speech short."
Chris tried to turn to see how other people were reacting to Ethan's presence, but he couldn't take his eyes off the magnetic trainer.
"Even though I haven't gotten to attend this event much," Ethan continued. "I've made sure to never miss a battle. Shoot, during my PWT run last week I had the tv on every morning catching the highlights. Oh, and on that note…" Ethan stood up on his tiptoes and peered at the back wall. "I want to give a shoutout to all the Johto Gym Leaders and Elite Four members in attendance. I was hoping to face some of you last week. I know you're going to say it was because you had to attend this, but we all know you didn't want another ass kicking."
That got a good round of laughter from the crowd around Ethan, but not much noise came from the back—Chuck's snorting laughter being the major exception. Chris finally managed to pull his stare off his idol and twisted around. Along with their relative silence, most of the prominent trainers didn't look too enthused by Ethan's callout. Bugsy's smile, smirks from Morty and Blue, and the aforementioned Chuck were the only clear exceptions. As Chris scanned the crowd though, some noticeable absences stood out as well. Falkner, Jasmine, Kamon, and Clair were absent. Koga and Will were in attendance, but the other three Indigo Plateau members were missing, including the Champion herself. Ethan didn't give him much time to dwell on it.
"And speaking of Johto, I wanted to acknowledge one of the semifinalists holding it down for our region. I can't remember the last time we've had a native make it into the final four, but it's been too damn long." Ethan looked to his left, then his right, and then did a full spin, knocking over drinks and sending food flying.
"Right here!"
Ben threw his arm up and began to wave. Chris had never seen such a big smile on his face.
"There he is!" Ethan shouted.
The number of people in the room didn't change. No one adjusted the ceiling lighting. And yet, it felt like Chris now stood in a sold out million seat arena with the world's biggest spotlight pointed directly at him.
"I'm not supposed to endorse anybody, but just know it's been a blast seeing you and your Typhlosion kick ass. Looking forward to your battle tomorrow."
As Ethan moved on to a different topic, Ben's hands became a vice grip around Chris's shoulders. "That was awesome," he said.
"Yeah," was all Chris could say. He struggled to process what had just happened. It felt like a dream. Like one of those fantasies he would have while watching Ethan lay waste to some challenger. He'd always imagined making it to this point in his journey—acknowledged by the greats in his field. Now he just needed to take a couple more steps and seize victory.
True to his words, Gold wrapped things up not long after giving Chris a shoutout. He threw the microphone to an official and hopped off the table to a big round of applause.
"Thank you for that enthusiastic message," came the woman's disembodied voice. "At this time, we will transition to our interviews with the semifinalists. Those will begin in ten minutes. In the meantime, please continue to eat and enjoy drinks from the bar!"
As the crowd began to disperse, Chris stepped in front of one of the servers. "Would you happen to have any extra chairs?"
The staffer hesitated. "We're not really…
"My dad has a lot of knee pain and he's been standing the whole time we've been here."
The man glanced over at Ben, then toward the room's entrance. He gave a short nod. "Okay. I'll be back."
Ben shuffled slowly over. "You didn't have to do that son."
"I know you're tough, but it doesn't make sense to needlessly suffer. Besides," Chris flashed a grin, "if I've got the clout to get you into this meeting and get a shoutout from Gold, I don't think a chair is too much to ask for."
"You're a good lad," his dad said in his best Galar accent. He pointed toward the bar. "I can grab you a drink before you head over there."
"I'm fine. They usually have water for us up there anyway."
"Well then I guess I'll just have to drink one for you."
Chris shook his head. "You better stay here until they bring that chair. It might really come in handy after you've had a couple drinks in my honor."
Ben laughed. "See you soon, bud."
The semifinals meant a much smaller table, but the committee had allowed just as many cameras. Chris was the first of the four trainers to arrive. He dropped into his assigned seat near the table's center, grabbed the complimentary water bottle in front of him, and took a look at the names on each side. Waz's opponent would occupy the other middle seat to his right, with Waz himself sitting to Chris's left at the end of the table. That got a laugh from Chris.
They finally learned to put the brothers on opposite ends.
The Alolan trainer joined him shortly after the five minute warning. He and Chris exchanged quick nods as he took his seat, but neither said a word. Prinny shared a similar exchange with Chris when he joined them a moment later. Chris took a sip from his water and peered around the cameras. The media crew stood around them, blocking much of his view, but the fact he couldn't see his dad standing behind them hopefully meant he was sitting comfortably somewhere. Gold was also nowhere to be seen. Hopefully he would stick around long enough to permit Chris a one-on-one conversation.
"Two minutes!" someone shouted.
Chris looked over at the empty seat beside him. He couldn't think of anything he hated as much as Waz hated these media interactions. And to have to do a more intimate one with the one person you hated most in—
"Hey, Chris."
Chris turned to find Kahekili looking at him.
"Hey."
The young man's stare wavered. His dark brown eyes swiveled to stare at his clasped hands. "I just… I just wanted to introduce myself."
"Kahekili, right? Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Kahekili said, a relieved smile showing. He sat back and Chris could physically see his body relaxing. "I've really liked watching your battles. They have a fun, kinda frenetic flow."
Wish I could say the same for yours, Chris silently replied. "Appreciate that," he said aloud. "I admire your ability to slow things down and battle on your terms."
"It's okay," Kahekili said, his chuckle almost as soft as his voice. "You can call it boring."
"It may not be my favorite style, but I can admire the rationale. One of my good friends battles very similarly. Watching him has definitely given me a greater appreciation."
"Oh, really? Was he participating here?"
Chris could feel his eyes go wide, so he forced them shut. When he opened them again, he took a moment to really examine the Alolan trainer. Whether Kahekili won the Silver Conference or not, he would have no trouble parlaying his success thus far into the marketing realm. Naturally tan skin, full lips, a photogenic nose, and thick eyebrows would have him modeling any plethora of products. The thick black curls adorning his head and swaying down to his shoulders were just icing on the money-coated cake.
And yet…
"He did," Chris said, clearing his throat. "He, uh, was actually the guy you battled yesterday."
Kahekili's natural tan quickly paled. He squeezed his hands together as he sat forward, his mouth slowly sliding open. "Oh," was all he managed.
"One minute!"
Chris hated being put into awkward situations, so this felt as though he had just committed a mortal sin. He risked further awkwardness and gave the man's shoulder a light punch. "Don't sweat it. We're all competitors here."
A small smile slid onto Kahekili's face. "So you aren't going to hold that against me?" he asked.
"Guess you won't know for sure until we meet in the finals," Chris said with a wink.
The Alolan trainer nodded and turned to face ahead. Chris did the same and caught sight of Waz slogging his way toward the media station. Still rocking shorts, he had changed out his jersey and looked to have found a pair of clean shoes. All in all, this was probably the most effort he'd seen Waz put in to one of these events.
As the final countdown began, the cameramen made some last adjustments and wiped off their lenses. The interviewer took her place to their right. Everything felt so similar to all the other sessions throughout the finals. But then Chris took another look at his table.
It was just the four of them.
Three stages. Over one hundred trainers. Thousands of battles. And now only four trainers left. He really couldn't hold Luke's loss against Kahekili. Almost everyone had been eliminated by someone at this point. And three more would join that group by the end of the week. Only one winner sat at this table.
Normally, a hotel coffee shop wouldn't have sounded like the ideal breakfast spot. A buffet would have been more fitting for such a momentous occasion. But David had allowed himself to think beyond his next meal and to what these next few months would hold. The summer months would bring heat and pool opportunities. And the months beyond that would see him on a tropical island. Cutting back on his calories and slimming down would be in his best interest. Even so, David would have vetoed Luke's choice outright had the latter not raved about their coffee and pastries since the Silver Conference began.
With the day's first battle not starting till three, they'd agreed to meet in the cafe at eleven. Luke had been there around that time the day prior and mentioned it being pretty dead. Unfortunately, the rest of the hotel must have had the same idea. With the sun shining brightly, David expected the outside seating to be filled. But the entire building must have been coffee deprived, as every indoor table looked to be taken as well. And with Chris and Waz actually showing up, finding a place to fit a party of four felt like a pipe dream. That was, until Luke made a table appear out of thin air in one of the shop's corners.
"You know this is special, right?" David said as they took their seats.
"This little hideaway?" Luke asked.
"Seeing Luke awake this early?" Chris guessed.
"My last battle was around this time, thank you very much."
"A worse friend might make a sleepwalking joke about that loss," Waz said, revealing a small smirk, "but obviously not me."
"Obviously."
David shook his head. "No. Well, yes, those things too. I'm talking about something more personal though." It had been over a week since his loss. It had given him plenty of time to reflect. Maybe too much time. "Think back to all the miles. All the cities. The nights under the stars."
"Better than those nights crammed into the Pokémon Center bunk beds," Luke added.
"I know you boys have been focused on these battles, but no matter who wins, this tournament is almost over." David stopped talking, but the other three trainers remained silent. Luke crossed his arms. Waz leaned back and stared off into the middle distance. Chris's head dropped and didn't come back up. "I don't think any of us are going to wind up near each other during this next year. I'm gonna miss you boys."
Waz dropped his gaze back onto the two trainers across the table from him. "Do you guys already have plans for after the tournament?"
"I'm working on getting out of both these regions," Luke said. "Maybe helping with a project in Unova."
David smacked the table. "Damn. When did this happen?"
"Met with Morty here yesterday."
"Well shit. That's a cool next step."
"Also explains this magically appearing table," Chris said.
"Well how about you, Mr. Johto?" David asked.
Chris rolled his eyes. "The real Mr. Johto gave an address last night."
"Gold was there?" Luke asked.
Waz sat forward and let out a 'damn', prompting David to shoot him a perplexed look.
"Were you not there?" he asked.
"Just for the mandatory shit."
"I didn't see him after his speech," Chris explained. "He must have left pretty soon after."
As much as Chris had brought up the legendary trainer during their travels, David was surprised the Cherrygrove native hadn't tracked him down for a one-on-one convo. He'd constantly brought up comparisons between his Ampharos's electrical output and the legendary trainer's own. When practicing Typhlosion's Eruption at Luke's spot, Chris had never failed to bring up the next-level explosiveness of Gold's starter. It wouldn't have surprised David if Chris at some point had asked his family to move to New Bark Town.
David shook his head. He knew he shouldn't harp on his friend about his Johto obsession, but David just couldn't wrap his brain around it. Granted, David hadn't spent his entire life in Johto. He had grown up loving baseball and certainly idolized his fair share of athletes, both human and Pokémon. But it only took him a few years of playing to realize he would never reach the pinnacles of those great players. He'd still played through his time in school and held out hope that a recreational league would be operating near wherever he settled down for work.
There damn sure won't be one on Cinnabar though.
Then again, maybe he should have been viewing Chris's pursuit in light of his own ultimate goal. David had met several influential rangers during his time at the Safari Zone. Their experience had been invaluable, especially when dealing with a space as complicated as Johto's zone. Their detailed knowledge of the different biomes allowed them to know where to patrol and even what neighboring biomes might need extra monitoring. When David had first started there, their intuition and accurate insights had appeared more like a sixth sense than a product of experience. Their decisiveness and the speed at which they could care for wounded Pokémon bordered on super human. But even though he now understood how those rangers could be so skilled, it did nothing to dwindle his excitement about one day reaching that level. If anything, it would feel more special to do it with his own team of Pokémon and fellow rangers.
"...back home," Waz was saying.
"You gonna stay there for a while?" Luke asked.
"There's a few projects I know my parents have been needing some help with. I'll try and see those through."
"Any idea where you might go after that?" Chris asked.
"When I was in Olivine City, I swung by the Battle Frontier. The different rules and challenges seem pretty cool. Could be fun puzzles to try and solve with my team."
That drew a grin from Chris. "As much as you like to tinker, I could see you mastering every facility there," he said.
Luke nodded. "I know we saw it from a distance, but that's one spot I wish I could have visited. I've heard some of the most skilled trainers in the world travel to compete there."
"Sounds like it might be a while before your first visit," David said, drawing chuckles from Waz and Chris.
Luke shook his head, but couldn't hide his grin. He twisted to look at Chris. "This guy shouldn't be allowed to laugh until he actually answers the question."
"Well shit, I guess he hasn't. What are things looking like post tournament?"
Lines appeared across Chris's forehead. He tilted his head to the side and let a half smile show. "It's hard to even picture anything beyond this tournament."
"Oh come on," David said.
Chris shrugged. "I'm really just focused on trying to win this thing."
"What if you do win?" Waz asked.
"He'd have to beat you first," David said with a grin.
Waz kept his stare on Chris. "Then what?"
"You know… I'll just have to weigh my options after. A strong performance should hypothetically open up a lot of doors."
"If nothing else, you could work for Johto's travel agency as a region ambassador," David suggested, only half joking. Based on his stink-eyed response, Chris didn't find any humor in it.
"You do love Johto," Luke quietly added.
Chris suddenly sat up straight. "If I win this thing, I get access to Victory Road. That means I could challenge the Elite Four."
"Victory Road on its own wouldn't be easy," Waz said.
"Most trainers never even make it through," Luke said.
Chris looked at the two of them for a moment, his mouth slightly agape. He turned to David. "Would you like to pile on as well?" he asked.
"Nah man, I don't, uh…"
"I don't mean to sound so negative about it," Waz said, his normally stoic face softening. "You're a solid trainer, Chris. I have zero doubts you could challenge the Elite Four someday."
Chris slumped back into his seat. His tired eyes swiveled down to once again stare at the table. "It's all good," he said, almost as if talking to himself. "I understand."
"'Cham!"
"I can't leave right now!"
What had been a blue morning sky had rapidly darkened to an ominous purple. Rain pounded against the cliffs. The frequent gusts had turned into a constant gale.
After the unusually warm spring days she'd suffered through, Kayla normally would have welcomed some cloud cover and rain to cool things off. Even as the rumbling thunder drew close and the wind really began to pick up, she maintained her lookout position. After the first flash of lightning, she'd sent Medicham back down. She had tried to convince him that it would help having him as her eyes in the woods, but he'd seen right through that. Still, he had gone quietly, and her stormy watch had continued, with ships bobbing toward the dock throughout the morning.
What she hadn't anticipated was the action occurring in the sky. A white flash of light had filled her vision. The rocks beneath her had shaken as if from an earthquake. A deafening boom had filled her ears and not fully left in the thirty minutes since. Based on the smoke still wafting up, it looked like the lighting had struck the top of a tree just a couple hundred feet from her position. Thankfully, Noctowl had roosted on a branch much closer to her today, but it definitely made her nervous. It had worried Raichu to the point of leaving his capture device and, despite Kayla's protests, stationing himself higher up on the ridge. She'd convinced him to not stand at the very top, where anybody at the dock could look up and see him, but that damn tail still stood out too much for Kayla's liking. Especially with more ships than ever beginning to dock down below. Their passengers had rushed to unload their cargo and then hurried south toward the Pokémon Center. Even as morning turned to afternoon, and the number of arriving ships slowed, she still held her breath every time one of the new arrivals glanced their direction. However, when the next bolt of lightning blasted the ridge itself— only a dozen feet to Raichu's other side—she hadn't minded that tail nearly as much. Her teammate down on the forest floor however…
"Raichu is a makeshift lightning rod," Kayla yelled over the howling wind. "I'll be fine!"
Medicham shook his head and pointed at something behind her. "'Cham!"
Kayla glanced back at the ridge, then the sky, but saw nothing. That didn't stop Medicham from jumping up beside her and calling for their retreat. Kayla knew better than to ignore warnings from a literal psychic, but she could not leave their post.
"This is it," she said, shaking off Medicham's gentle pull on her arm. "We're one day away. This could be the time where we catch who is behind this. Or we could catch them transporting my grandpa. I can't back down. And I need you all as well!" She had to shout the last line as a strong gust of wind swept over the ridge and nearly knocked her onto her stomach.
She waited for Medicham's retort, but the Psychic/Fighting-type gave her nothing. In fact, he no longer was even looking at her.
"Medicham?"
The Meditate Pokémon slowly scaled the worn trail up toward the ridge's rounded top. Kayla followed close behind. They both stopped once the dock came into view.
Even with the curtains of rain making it difficult to see things clearly, it was impossible to miss how empty the dock looked. Since the ships had first started arriving, they'd never made a habit of staying long. Especially with there being so few loading areas and the traffic having increased significantly with each passing day. But for the first time in several days, the arrivals had seemingly dried up. And as Kayla scanned the rows of floating walkways, it looked like the workers had all headed to the rendezvous point at the southern end of the route.
"Wait," Kayla said, dropping to a squat. She placed her hands above her eyes and squinted toward the port farthest from their location. Distorted by the thick sheets of rain, the pines down by that end of the dock looked more like amorphous blobs than trees. But their dark green leaves stood in stark contrast to the two tan coated figures walking in front of them. From this height and distance, it was impossible to make out much about them. She tracked them down the pier for several more seconds before movement behind them ripped her attention away.
"Holy shit," Kayla hissed.
What she had assumed to be the thick trunk of one of the taller pines now followed closely behind the duo. Another moment passed before she recognized the darker brown color as some sort of massive poncho and several more seconds to comprehend that a human being could fill something that large. As the three figures approached the edge of the dock, the downpour eased to a drizzle.
"This could be them," Kayla said, fighting to keep her voice down. The longer she watched the hulking figure stomp down the dock the more confident she felt. And with that confidence, a searing heat began to rise in her chest. "That tall bastard has to be the same person from the Silver Conference. This is big. Medicham, what are you sensing? Does it feel like him?"
When no answer came, Kayla asked again. The continued silence finally pulled her gaze off the trio below. To her surprise, Medicham wasn't even looking in the direction of the dock.
"What are you doing?" she asked him. "These people could be the ones we've been searching this whole time for!"
Medicham didn't reply. Didn't move. He just kept staring out toward the bay.
"What are you…"
A singular boat churned through the bay. This craft didn't appear much different from any of the other cargo ships, aside from being on the smaller side. It heaved up, then down, as it fought through the rough waves. The vessel began to violently list as it approached the dock, and for a brief moment, Kayla really thought it might capsize. But just as the rain had lightened up, the surface of the water rapidly calmed, so that by the time the boat had reached its landing, it took little effort to guide it in and tie it off.
Kayla shifted her attention back to the three individuals standing port side. They didn't move as a ramp was lowered and a handful of passengers exited past them. It grew almost comical as they stayed frozen, long past when the last person had left the dock and headed south. Still, Kayla knew they wouldn't stay there forever.
"We need to get down to them," she said, more to herself than Medicham. "If it is who we've been looking for, this may be our one chance. If they get on that boat, we may never see them again." She scanned the cliff in front of them. Swampert could probably climb down the drenched bluff, but not with her on his back. That meant Noctowl would be her only real quick option down, though even in the rain, it would be hard to miss her dangling from the large bird's wings.
"'Cham."
Something in Medicham's tone made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She went to turn to face him, but movement from the boat kept her stare. Someone stepped off the boat, their figure completely obscured by a hooded white robe. Before they'd even reached the end of the ramp, the three individuals had stepped up to greet them. Kayla found herself leaning in closer, despite thousands of feet separating her from the conversation.
"I wish I could hear what they were saying." Kayla finally pulled her stare off the quartet, but it was clear Medicham was still out of commission. She twisted around and spotted Noctowl still roosting a few trees away. She waved him over.
"We're going to fly around that western side of the path. I'll have you bring me down into that inlet of trees and I can approach on foot from there."
Kayla called Raichu over and returned him to his Poké Ball. She tucked the capture device into her pocket where she would have quick access to it. If these were dangerous people—and she really believed they were—she would need some way to defend herself. Unfortunately, that would mean putting her friends into the line of fire as well.
"'Cham!"
Kayla whipped around to find Medicham bouncing quickly from one foot to another, both arms in the air. The bizarre movements would have kept her frozen with confusion, but his repeated shouts forced her to run to him.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked, wrapping up both of his arms and jerking him back from the bluff. "First you're unresponsive, now you're trying to give us away."
Medicham's shouts dropped a few decibels but still stayed way too loud for Kayla's liking. She tried to calm him down again, but his eradicate movements didn't stop. In fact, he refused to even look at her. He seemed fixated on the swirling clouds above. Kayla glanced back at the dock and nearly screamed herself.
"Shit."
The individuals were gone. The boat's ramp had been withdrawn and its ropes untied. The rolling thunder overhead drowned out any sound of an engine, but the boat clearly had begun to reverse out of its landing.
"Shit. Shit. Shit."
Kayla let go of Medicham and sprinted over to Noctowl. She latched onto the back of the Normal/Flying-type's feet. "We've got to make it to that boat. Let's go!"
"'Medi'."
The Meditate Pokémon grabbed Kayla's arm before Noctowl could take off. Kayla tried to shake it loose, but his grip only tightened.
"Let go, Medicham!" she shouted.
He shook his head and pointed back toward the edge of the bluff.
Kayla locked eyes with Noctowl. "Let's go!"
Noctowl had never had an issue lifting Kayla off the ground, but he had struggled with carrying her very far. Kayla had really only ever needed him to help get over smaller obstacles she couldn't or didn't want to climb. But starting from this high up would allow them to glide, and help Noctowl save more energy for distance and speed. It would still be difficult to catch the boat, and even if they did, Kayla still wasn't sure what exactly she'd do. But she couldn't delay any longer.
Medicham finally let go as Noctowl took flight. Several strong flaps from his wings had them a dozen feet above the trees. From here, she could see the whole southern end of the route stretched out below. A massive line of storage units, tents, and machinery stood out like a sore thumb near the bottom of the lush route. The Pokémon Center rested just to the north and then…
The white robed figure moved slowly down the dock, having just reached where the walkway met the shore. Kayla didn't notice anyone else around them, but it had suddenly become very difficult to see. Thick waves of rain swirled all around her, smacking her face, and stinging her eyes. The boat had also become very difficult to see, though it was clear it had made it into deeper waters.
Kayla glanced down and felt herself go light headed. Even through the whipping rain, she could still see the water churning well over a hundred feet below. Swampert patrolled somewhere down there, though she couldn't see any sign of his orange fins. Hopefully that meant no one else had been able to either. A strong wave of Déjà vu overtook her fear as memories of their battle with Tohjo Falls resurfaced. It felt strange knowing that despite the iconic landmark's taller stature, their current situation presented an even greater danger.
Looking back up, frustration quickly zapped her back to the present. The swirling clouds over the harbor had momentarily parted, giving Kayla a look at just how alarmingly far their target had traveled. Noctowl had gotten them to the dock's northern edge, but his wide spread wings showed he was clearly gliding at this point. Whatever gains they were making wouldn't matter if they had to close the final stretch through swimming
"We're not going to catch them," she said through gritted teeth.
Noctowl's body shook as her wings began flapping harder than ever. The acceleration whipped Kayla's body back and nearly ripped the owl's feet from her hands. What had been an uncomfortable splashing from the precipitation became a pelting barrage.
Kayla lowered her head and managed to squeeze one eye half open. The white, worn panels of the water walkways below passed by much quicker, but also looked much closer.
We're dropping too fast.
She turned her squinting stare toward the shoreline. The white robed figure had come to a stop not far from where Kayla had last seen them. She couldn't tell which direction they were looking or if they had seen her, though they looked to still be completely alone. She looked toward the boat, then back at the figure.
"Turn for the shore!"
It was hard to hear through her waterlogged ears, but Noctowl's sharp hoot didn't sound approving. Still, her well tempered teammate swung his wings and veered right. His trajectory put them right in line with Kayla's target. She didn't trust her grip enough to risk reaching down and grabbing a Poké Ball off her belt, but she knew she would need to have multiple teammates on standby for a potential counter attack. Once they got a bit closer to the—
A bright light flashed somewhere to Kayla's left. As she turned to look, a loud crack echoed out, followed by a rolling cacophony of noise loud enough to drown out the storm.
"Shit!"
Noctowl let out a piercing squawk that she could barely hear through the ringing in her ears. He shook his legs and she finally realized just how tightly she had squeezed in her surprise. But even as she loosened her grip, her attention had already moved to something several thousand feet away.
"Fuck."
The vessel was in ruin. Its center console had been completely blasted apart, the walls gone, and its floor masked by fire. The flames had already spread to the back, and might have made it to the front as well had that portion of the ship not been fully fractured off the rest. Kayla began to cough as her agape mouth reached its limit for rain water.
"How?" Kayla croaked.
The flames continued to burn, even as the stern twisted back and began to sink beneath the waves. So much damage. So quickly. A lightning strike, obviously.
Kayla felt her head spinning. What in the world did this mean for tomorrow? Hell, for her entire search?
Before she could reorient herself, another squawk echoed faintly in her ears. As she looked up at her teammate, a blast of wind slammed into the right side of her body. She felt her fingers be torn away from Noctowl's legs and suddenly she was spinning. Her arms and legs flailed—stretching, reaching, for anything. Her wide eyes wheeled in every direction as the grey void whirled around her. She caught a glimpse of Noctowl, his body an arrow pointed directly at her, but he was too far. Her body twisted and her eyes flickered. Something orange flashed far, far overhead. Or was that below? Then white filled her vision.
The fucking pier.
"Shit!"
Her stomach smashed into something solid and all the breath was ripped from her lungs. Cold water rushed in to fill its void. White, churning foam filled her vision. Then the bubbles turned black.
Even without action in the stadium, there's plenty of conflict to go around! From more abstract existential threats to very literal fights for survival, we're in a dangerous time. With the semifinals eminent, how will our trainers handle the high stakes battles? What crucial decisions both on and off the battlefield might doom or revive our trainers' hopes? And what in the world has happened to Kayla?
You'll have to tune into the next chapter to see which questions get answered! Thank you so much for your feedback and your readership. Hearing from you and seeing you continue to follow this 13+ year story motivates me more than anything.
Please drop a review and follow/favorite if you are still enjoying. I'll see you in the next installment. Take care!
