Chapter 8: City Life Under Silver Moonlight - Part 4
While attempting to evade the flames of the male trainer's Chimchar, an injured Kricketot flees into the tall grass to remove itself from the boy's line of sight. Inside, it bumps into a Wurmple while in panic and apologizes for its rudeness.
"What are you doing?!" Wurmple screams at it. "You're endangering everyone who lives in this grass!"
"I didn't know what to do or where to go! What should I do?!" Kricketot shouts back.
Hearing the sound of the male trainer's voice, the Wurmple swiftly crawls away followed by a flock of bird Pokémon leaving the grass. The injured Kricketot chirps, begging for help, and then the tall grass bursts into flames.
Unable to move, the orange monkey Pokémon drags Kricketot's body out of the fire and watches the boy take a Poké Ball out. Chimchar quietly apologizes to the crispy, bug Pokémon and shuts its eyes when the ball is thrown at Kricketot's face.
'Please…' Kricketot cries in its head. 'If there's a giant bug lord in the sky, please… save me!'
The ball lands on the ground and shakes once, twice, and as if by miracle, Kricketot is sent flying out of the ball followed by the sound of an unfathomably loud shriek coming from afar. The boy shouts words in frustration and Kricketot cries tears of gratitude to an unknown overlord. Suddenly, a Staraptor swoops in from the sky, snatches the bug with its talons, and flies off into the distance to enjoy its free lunch.
Vanessa watches the scene unfold and laughs at Tony whose failed catch had just been taken away by the unexpected Pokémon. She had arrived at Route 202 to find the boy in the same place they had met before.
"What do you want?" the boy asks her, irritated by the look of her smug face.
"I say hello and that's how you greet me?" Vanessa replies sarcastically.
"You call that deafening scream you made a greeting?" Tony answers with another question. "You've scared away every Pokémon anywhere near us with your wailing. What are you, a scarecrow? Do you know how rare a Kricketot is around these parts?"
"Then maybe, you should reply!"
" Maybe you should take a hint." Tony sighs and recalls Chimchar back to its Poké Ball. "So, what do you want, Scarecrow?"
"Seriously? Another nickname? Nevermind that. I want a rematch!" Vanessa declares.
"No."
" No ? Why not? Are you afraid you'll lose this time?" Vanessa puts her arms on her hips.
"Big words from someone who lost and ran away crying."
"What?! I–I wasn't crying!" Vanessa throws her hands in the air. "I'll win this time. So, battle me!"
"No," Tony repeats again. "What a waste of time. You didn't even pay me for beating you."
"Oh." Vanessa recalls Jason reminding her earlier that morning. "Well, that won't be necessary. I'll win this time so the payment will cancel itself out."
Vanessa wondered why the boy had been so grumpy each time they met. She wasn't sure whether it was because it was his personality or if she had actually deserved this treatment.
'How could you not battle me?' Vanessa thinks to herself. 'Aren't battles the reason why we become trainers?'
"Fine," Tony says after a moment of silence, catching Vanessa off-guard.
"Really?"
Vanessa watches Tony send out Chimchar from his ball. "I'm actually really annoyed right now and I could let loose some steam," he tells her. "Just don't cry to me if you end up owing me double."
With a smile on her face, Vanessa takes out the ball from her bag. She looks at it, noticing the wear on the surface and the sun-faded red color on the top, and after hearing Tony impatiently complain, she throws the ball in front of her onto the ground, releasing her Pokémon outside.
The look on Tony's face is nothing but sheer horror—a look that Vanessa finds deeply amusing. It was priceless. She laughs at his audible gasp and his fumbling of words, unable to say anything clearly in his moment of shock. Before him is not the Gible he was expecting but the behemoth that is a Garchomp.
"What… you—what kind of drugs did you give that thing?!" he finally shouts.
Vanessa smiles, declaring that she hasn't used any drugs, and tells Garchomp to use Dragon Breath. However, her smile fades when she notices her Garchomp standing there, doing nothing but looking around. She squints her eyes at the large Pokémon, wondering if the dragon-type is just deaf.
"Dragon Breath!" she screams at the top of her lungs, causing her opponent across from her to flinch from the volume.
Garchomp turns its head back at its trainer and stares at the screaming girl who stares back at it with determined eyes.
"Yes! Listen to me," Vanessa shouts at it. "Dragon Breath!"
Then, it opens its mouth and a purple light shines from the back of its throat. Vanessa recognizes the attack from her Gible but then realizes that the Pokémon is still facing her.
'It wouldn't…?'
"Hey!" Tony screams.
The deafening sound of the draconic energy pouring from the Pokémon's mouth can be heard from anywhere around them as it flows in the direction of Vanessa who instinctively leaps out of the way in panic.
'Wh-What?! What's going on?!'
The Garchomp roars, lunging wildly at anything around it. Blasts of fire from Chimchar manages to focus its attention on the monkey Pokémon who proceeds to dart at it and attack with Dragon Claw.
"Dodge it!" Chimchar jumps up to evade the attack and unleashes Ember at the Pokémon. However, Garchomp connects its arms to the ground and creates a tempest of sand from below Chimchar, sending it violently back to the ground. Garchomp zooms at the fallen monkey and opens its mouth to prepare to crunch at the Pokémon.
"Hey!" Tony screams at Vanessa. "This your doing? It's attacking without you saying a word!"
Not responding, Vanessa only watches the battle in horror as Tony recalls his Pokémon back to its ball. Before he can send out his next Pokémon, Garchomp tackles the boy who begins screaming for help.
"Garchomp, no!" Vanessa gasps. She points the ball from her hand to recall the Pokémon but the beast evades the beam of light by jumping off from the boy. It directs its attention at its trainer who looks horrified by the sight of it. It roars at the girl who begins to run for the group of trees nearby, prompting it to chase after her.
'No. No no no no no no—' Vanessa hides behind a tree and ducks when her Pokémon slashes the tree with Dragon Tail. Covering her mouth to stop her from screaming, she watches the top part of the tree collapse, missing her body. 'This isn't happening. No, this isn't real! This isn't real!'
"Hey!" Tony shouts. His Starly flies over the Pokémon and begins to violently flap its wings from the air, using Air Cutter. Garchomp covers its face to brace itself from the attack and unveils its mouth to send out a Dragon Breath at the bird that manages to fly away to avoid it.
Vanessa, unwilling to move or even look at the Garchomp standing right next to the stump beside her, breathes heavily. Her mind is in chaos and the uncomfortable sensation of sweat rolls down her cheeks. She can hear the sounds of its attacks and Starly's cries as they exchange blows. She hears the boy scream, begging her to do something.
'Only I can do something,' the thought crosses her mind. She screams inside her mind, demanding her shaking legs to move, and with the help of her hands, she gets off the grass and nervously turns around.
She sees the behemoth, a Pokémon she's always admired growing up, enraged and attacking Starly from the ground without its trainer's orders. She looks at Tony and her breath stops, noticing the wound he must have gotten when Garchomp pounced on him earlier. He shouts at her again which causes her to focus back on the Pokémon beside her again. Pointing her ball back at Garchomp, the Pokémon is sent back to its ball, finally ending the crisis.
"You!" Tony shouts, enraged with the girl. "Where did you get that thing? It's obviously not yours. You better explain right now!"
"I–I traded Gible away."
"From the Terminal?" he asks and sees Vanessa lightly nod. "You idiot! Your only Pokémon? Are you stupid? Have you lost your mind? I hope you understand what you've done! This is what you get for trying to cheat. This is what you deserve! Are you listening to me? I'm going to make you pay! Do you hear me?! Hello?"
Vanessa stares at the boy screaming in her face, unable to utter a word. His words begin to be overpowered by the noise inside her mind. Tears begin to roll down her face as she realizes the big mistake she's made. Her adventure has ended before it could really begin. How was she going to become champion now that her only Pokémon is a monster?
"I'm so stupid…" Vanessa says quietly, her voice unsteady.
"Yeah, you are." Tony ceases his rant as he watches the girl begin to sob. Then, it begins to all come out. Tony, looking at the light wound on his body to avoid the awkwardness, sighs and grabs the girl's hand. "Come on. Let's get going."
"Where… where are you taking me?" Vanessa asks through her tears. "Are you taking me to the police because you got hurt and I haven't paid you?! Please don't! I'll compensate! I will!"
"Ugh, would you—" Tony stops himself, trying to calm himself down for Vanessa's sake. "I'm taking you to the Global Terminal. We're going to get your Pokémon back."
"Oh…" Trying to stop her tears as she follows the boy back into the city, she thinks about Lucas now that her mind is more clear, dreading if he were to find out. She imagines the anger and disappointment on his face and also the sadness in his eyes from the loss of the Gible that was previously his.
'I can't let him know.'
Lucas looks dead inside, hands on the glass of the display of Pokétches inside the shop. He groans, looking at the price displayed beside each one. Marsha, standing next to him, pats him on the back as if understanding his pain.
"Do Pokétches really cost this much these days?" he asks.
"You betcha!" Marsha replies. "You know they're more than they used to be. Our old models are ancient relics in comparison."
"What am I going to do?" Lucas says, disappointed.
"Maybe you could just get them an old model too?" Marsha suggests. Lucas looks in the direction that Marsha is pointing at where they would be located.
"It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice." Lucas sighs. "You're lucky your group already owns Pokétches."
"Seems to come from their fancy, private school system," Marsha mentions. "Lucky me!"
"I just really want what's best for them. I don't want them to think they're always getting the short end of the stick compared to other kids. The Pokétch is a really helpful tool…" Lucas looks back into the glass, gazing at all the new models.
"Excuse me." Lucas moves aside, letting the person whose voice spoke to him from behind step forward. He apologizes for being in the way, and realizes he knows this person.
"Aiden?"
"Hi," Aiden responds before looking back at the display. An employee quickly moves to Aiden upon recognizing him and asks if he needs assistance. "I'll take the latest, most expensive one."
Lucas stares at him in awe, unable to comprehend the lifestyle that the older boy lives. Marsha calls for his attention from across the room, and Lucas walks away to join her. She points at the glass, noting that these are the cheapest ones in the room.
"It looks just like mine," Lucas comments. The two hear the sound of Aiden laughing, who to Lucas's surprise, had followed him here.
"Don't tell me you're buying those. That junk is only suitable for the homeless," Aiden says.
"Hey!" Lucas says, mildly embarrassed. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Can I not be here?" Aiden asks flatly while putting his brand new Pokétch on his wrist. "I needed to buy something to destress. I've been at Jubilife TV since this morning and had other business to take care of."
"Wow, wish I could do that," Marsha says. "Think you could help Lukey here buy something for your friends?"
The look on Aiden's face changes from a bored expression to the look of disgust, causing him to say nothing at all and walk away from the two as if they weren't worth his time.
"Bye!" Marsha shouts at him, watching him leave the shop. "Hey, look on the bright side. Now you only have to buy two Pokétches instead of three."
"Yeah, I guess loaning money from him is out of the question. He'd probably bleed me dry anyway," Lucas says. "Maybe I could ask the Professor…"
Then, Marsha slaps him on the back, much to his surprise. "Lucas, I have a crazy good idea!"
The glass doors slide open for Aiden who walks out of the shop with his phone in hand. Although now would be a good time as any to test his Pokétch's call features, his cell phone is better kept for business purposes. He dials Isabella's number on his phone and hopes for good news.
"Hello?" he hears her voice.
"Any news?"
"I'm afraid that Shaila has rejected the offer once again to perform at Aidenland," Isabella responds.
"Why is her manager so opposed? We even tripled the offer. She should take it."
"If I may ask, why did you go on TV and make that announcement before we could ensure that everything would work out?" Isabella asks.
"Shouldn't a new, rising idol take any offer that comes their way? I was just so sure that she would agree."
"What should we do now?"
"I don't have a plan yet but if worst comes to worst, I purposely did not say which celebrity I would be inviting to Aidenland and I do know a very famous Pokémon professor."
"You're so funny, Master Aiden," Isabella tells him flatly. "The people will love that. I feel obligated to mention that you said on television that you would be bringing a famous idol to perform at a concert hall. I don't think Professor Rowan would be very convincing."
"I'll figure something out," Aiden says, messing with his hair in frustration. He ends the call, not wanting to waste another moment and paces back and forth, trying to think of something he can do. When he turns around after the third lap, he stops himself before he would bump into the boy standing in his way.
"Jacob?" Aiden says in shock. He realizes he knows this boy.
"...It's Jason."
"What do you want?"
"Are you trying to meet Shaila?" Jason asks.
"None of your business. Do you have nothing better to do?" Aiden notices that the boy had come with company he vaguely recognizes. "Did you replace your girlfriend already?"
"She's not my… have you seen Vanessa? I'm actually looking for her and Lucas said he'd be here so I thought she'd be around. Do you know if they're here?"
"Lucas got dragged away with that crazy woman we met yesterday to God knows where a few minutes ago. I haven't seen your human Loudred."
"Oh, did Lucas manage to buy us Pokétches? I see you got one already."
"Ha, you think he could afford this?" Aiden shows off his Pokétch. "I bought it myself."
Jason pauses for a moment, ignoring the obvious brag from the unpleasant man. Then, an idea pops in his head. "I could help you meet Shaila, but I want something in return."
"What?" Aiden laughs. "That's a good one. How would you help me meet Shaila? Is she your long-lost sister?"
Jason says nothing more and shows him the business card that Jodie gave him. Aiden frowns and takes the card, recognizing the name.
"How did you get this?" he asks in skepticism.
"We helped her out today when she was in trouble and now she owes me a favor," Jason explains. "I think helping me meet Shaila one time would suffice with some convincing."
Aiden stares at the card in silence and after a few minutes of thinking about it, he gives it back to Jason. "I don't need your help," he states.
"I disagree, but fine." Jason turns and waves at Nadia and Ray who are waiting for him a small distance away.
"All set?" Nadia asks, approaching him with Ray.
"Yeah, let's go."
"Where are you going?" Aiden asks.
"None of your business," Jason says with a wide smile on his face.
Watching Jason and his new friends walk away, Aiden looks at his Pokétch, noting the time. It is already sunset and he still does not have ideas on how to solve his 'Shaila problem'. Remembering the Jodie card, a thought comes to mind.
'What if Shaila herself is interested but her team is opposed?'
Although Aiden had no interest in taking her from her agency and dabbling in the music industry, perhaps there is something he can do if he could meet her face to face. With this idea in mind, he sees Jason's back in the distance and begins to quietly follow him.
Jubilife City's large, dome-shaped, open-air stadium named, "Moonlife Stadium" is famous for hosting professional baseball games. However, it has also been home to other sports, Pokémon Contests, and as Jason would discover when Nadia brings him here: concerts, such as the one Shaila would be hosting in a matter of days.
"Here we are!" Nadia unlocks the door in a back entrance with a key.
"Are we allowed back here? Why do you have that?" Jason asks as the three step inside.
"A good friend. Her older sister works here."
As they walk down the hall, they find themselves in the stadium field. What is expected to be grass is covered up in flooring. In front of their eyes is an empty concert stage with large banners of Shaila's face on them.
"Woah, the Shaila concert is going to be here?" Ray says in delight. "And there's no one around."
"It feels like we're trespassing," Jason says.
"We are," Nadia replies. "Sorry, I should have asked if that was okay. I wanted to bring you here because this is where the Grand Festival is going to be held this year."
Jason recalls that term being used to describe the final, ultimate showdown among Pokémon Coordinators. He looks around, noting the thousands of seats in the audience and imagines how different the stadium would look for such an important competition.
"And as promised," Nadia continues. "I'm going to show you a taste of what it means to be a coordinator!"
The boys watch Nadia run towards the stage and follow. The girl climbs the stage while Ray signals Jason to take a seat instead in one of the chairs placed just in front of the stage. They look up and watch Nadia send out a Poké Ball into the air, revealing a Burmy which lands safely onto the floor beside her.
"My name is Nadia Torres and this is Burmy!"
The two bow and Nadia presses a button on her Pokétch. The sound of music begins to play from her wrist in the form of a gentle ballad as the girl and her Pokémon begin to sway and dance, akin to ballet. Nadia glances at Burmy who moves in accompaniment and fires String Shots in her direction, always barely missing the girl who maneuvers around it in grace.
Jason watches the performance, not understanding a thing about dance but is still somehow marveled by what he is seeing. He watches Nadia reach out for the String Shots at times, twirling about, and using them like a gymnastics ribbon.
"Woah," Jason mumbles.
"Pretty great, right?" Ray says while grinning. "She's been practicing for a long time now. She's so… passionate. I love that about her."
"Yeah," Jason replies while mesmerized, not noticing the expression on Ray's face changing upon hearing his words.
Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching him from behind, Jason turns around in his seat, fearing they have been caught, only to see Aiden who comes over and takes a seat beside him.
"What the heck is that girl doing?" Aiden says. "Aren't contest performances meant to showcase a combination of attacks to create a dazzling display of elements? She's just flailing about while her Pokémon acts as a prop machine."
"What did you say?" Ray aggressively says at a hushed volume.
"Shush," Aiden tells Ray. "I'm not interested in speaking to whoever you are."
"What are you doing here?" Jason asks, quickly changing the subject. "Did you follow us?"
Aiden says nothing for a good minute, only staring at the stage. "You have a deal," he says, finally answering.
"Huh?"
"Jodie Jodelina's card. You have a deal. You wanted something too, right?" Aiden clarifies. "What do you want?"
"Pokétches. I want the best ones for me, Vanessa, and Lucas," Jason answers. "That seems reasonable, doesn't it?"
"That's it? Well, fine," Aiden replies. "But only if I actually meet Shaila."
"No. That doesn't sound fair at all."
"Why not?"
"I'm giving you what I have to offer first. How can I trust you won't screw me over?"
Aiden pauses to think before he lets his snarkiness get the better of him. While he could certainly track down Jodie's contact information himself, there was no guarantee that she would be willing to meet him when Shaila's team already seems unwelcoming. In the end, he does not have another lead at the moment and it isn't like Pokétches are too expensive for the likes of him.
"I take deals very seriously. I am a businessman first and foremost. What do you have in mind?" Aiden asks. He watches Jason dig for a notebook in his bag who then tears a paper out which surprises Aiden. "A contract?"
"Yes," Jason says, writing down on the paper. "Your promise."
Aiden looks at the paper and chuckles. "Like I said, you have a deal. Now let's talk about the terms."
At the Petit Bouquet Casino , Lucas sits at the slot machine next to Marsha who is laughing away like a madwoman. He frowns at her, who had reassured him earlier that this was the best way to make money, and as he watches her make tokens rain down from the machine she sits at, he sighs.
"How are you always so lucky?" Lucas asks.
"I was born lucky, brutha!" Marsha shouts. "Did you see that? I almost hit the jackpot!"
Marsha turns her head to her other side, pointing at her slot machine, to the gentleman next to her. The man had been staring at her in awe, unable to take his eyes off her machine since the first minute she started screaming in joy.
"Do you arrive in this location every so often, gorgeous woman?" the man asks in a peculiar accent. "Your face appeals to my vision like those golden tokens."
"Do I what? Do I come here often?" Marsha asks, flattered by his comment. "No, I don't. But maybe I will now. I'm Marsha, how do you do?"
Lucas rolls his eyes. 'Great. Now they're flirting.'
"You're a what? A detective? Ha." Marsha asks. "Baby, you can inspect me any hour."
Getting up from his seat, Lucas excuses himself to let the lovebirds enjoy themselves, telling Marsha that he's going to find the bathroom. Just before he can walk far enough from the two, his cell phone vibrates in his pocket. Expecting Aiden's name on the caller ID, he instead sees "Professor" written on the screen.
"Hello?" he says. However, he is greeted only with silence. "Professor? Hello? Are you there?" Wondering if the professor had called him by mistake, he listens closely and can faintly hear the sound of breathing.
"Hello? Hello—" he continues. Then, the call ends abruptly much to Lucas's confusion. Suddenly, the sound of loud screaming can be heard from Marsha. The woman has gotten up from her seat and is embracing the man she met in excitement.
"Lucas! Lucas!" she screams, facing him. "I won the jackpot! I won!"
"You–you actually won?" Lucas asks in shock. "Wow, I—"
Lucas's phone goes off again, the name on the screen belonging to Professor Rowan. Picking up, he hears the Professor speak this time, albeit difficult to hear from the commotion.
"Professor?" Lucas says, raising his voice.
"Lucas, I… I need you to come to the lab…"
"Right now? Is everything okay?" Lucas looks over to Marsha who has calmed down, looking back at him in curiosity.
"Yes… There's been an emergency…" Professor Rowan answers. "I don't—"
The call ends again abruptly. Although Lucas tries to call the professor's number, he does not answer the phone, much to his concern.
'What emergency? Should I call the police?'
"Everything okay?" Marsha asks.
"There's been an emergency back at the lab. I'm not sure what," Lucas explains.
"Oh no…"
"Could you stick around in the city for the kids? I'm gonna head over there."
"Of course," Marsha replies.
Without a minute to spare, Lucas runs out of the casino and darts his way down Route 202 back to Sandgem Town under the orange sky. Out of breath, he goes up the hill to Professor Rowan's lab and sees nothing of note from outside.
'His car is still here, but his is the only one,' Lucas notes. 'By now, the other aides must have gone home. What could have happened?'
The doors slide open and the color drains from Lucas's face. The room is a mess. Books and papers are all over the floor. The whole place looks as if it were turned upside-down.
'A robbery? Then where…'
"Professor?" Lucas says in a hushed tone. "Are you here?"
Lucas stops in place and takes out his phone. 'I need to call the police.' As he hastily presses the buttons on the screen, the entrance doors slide open from behind him.
"Profes—" The person runs at him and covers his mouth with a cloth, holding the boy in place, not allowing him to see their face. Struggling to break free from their grasp, Lucas's vision becomes hazy and shortly, he passes out.
