Journey

Death of Duty

Part 6: Secrets and Lies

Conservation

History walks the earth once more. — Alexander Vargas

The phone rang aggressively, rousing me from the half-drunk slumber. I sat up, fumbling with my pokegear and dropping a stray glass to the floor. It shattered, and Janine shot up in the bed beside me.

"Rockets?!" she half yelled, still slurring the word.

I finally grabbed my pokegear and silenced the call. "It's just the phone," I said numbly. "Go back to sleep."

Janine rolled over as I swung my legs off the bed and answered the phone.

"Wrigh-" My foot went into the shards of glass and I swore loudly as I sliced the side of my foot open. I hobbled to the hotel suite's bathroom, taking care to avoid bleeding on the white carpet that Janine had already ruined with a drink the night before.

I sat down on the toilet and hung my foot into the tub, turning on the tap and rinsing the blood from my foot. "Wright here," I said finally.

"How's the vacation, kid?" Surge asked jovially. "Sounds like it's been eventful."

I rubbed my bleary eyes as I turned off the tap. "Ask me after I've woken up. I need coffee."

I could hear him chuckling. "Janine running you ragged, is she?"

I couldn't help but agree. I'd found that while I could hold my liquor, Janine pounded back drinks like she'd been wandering in a desert. The night was a blur of drunken revelry and chaotic action, blurry scenes coming back to me as I sat on the toilet and pulled out the hotel room's first aid kit.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that Leader Katsura finally approved your request for audience. He'll have an appointment for you this evening, over dinner."

I smiled. Janine had been trying to get in proper contact with Blaine Katsura since we had arrived. Archer had given us an endless amount of leads to chase around Kanto, as well as sporadic contact between himself and high ranking League members. Nothing solid or concrete, but enough to draw at least some cursory attention. Blaine was one such lead.

Blaine was one of the few that Surge was worried about. The man was a recluse, living high on the volcano that dominated Cinnabar's landscape. He'd worked with Surge, back when both men were members of the Indigo Aces Surge had called him a scientific genius, above the gritty day to day grind of the Aces.

"Janine will be happy," I said. "She's been trying to coordinate naval operations to choke off the last bit of Rocket smuggling and this will-"

"She was not invited," Surge replied. "Blaine asked for you alone."

I frowned as I wrapped my foot in a large bandage. "I'm not the one that wanted the audience, even if he is a person of interest to Archer."

"I know," Surge said. "But Blaine insisted. He's a strange one. Be careful with him."

I nodded, my head clearing slightly as I woke up. "When do you need me back in Vermillion?" I asked. "We were still planning on visiting Sawtooth Island."

"Not for a week or so," he replied. "Rocket's still dark since those kids shut down the Lavender operation. With Harding and McCulloch chasing down Archer's leads at the moment, it's just a waiting game until we have something solid." I could practically hear the smile in his voice. "Enjoy the vacation, kid. You sure as hell earned it in Sevii."

I smiled despite my splitting headache. "Thank you sir." A noise from the room drew my attention and I tested my bandaged foot. "I'll report back once we depart for Fuchsia."

He ended the call as I struggled to my feet and exited the bathroom. Janine was stirring, but the covers were still pulled up over her head. I limped across to the window and threw open the heavy red blackout curtains. The massive volcano that dominated Cinnabar sat with some wispy clouds pressing up against the far side, with the beach glistening in the morning sunlight.

"Let's go," I said, turning to face Janine. I pulled down the blanket, exposing her shirtless back and shoulders. "The ferry is in an hour."

She stretched and yawned, cracking open an eye and looking up at me. "Do we have to?" she croaked. Her eye closed and she moaned in obvious pain. "How much did we drink?"

I shrugged, the night before still a little hazy behind the mind numbing headache. "I doubt we emptied the bar."

She grabbed the blanket and pulled it back up over her. "We'll try again later."

I smirked despite the pain. "I'll get the coffee. Get in the shower." I pulled on my swim shorts and grabbed the unbuttoned shirt with garish red charmander print. "I'll be back in ten minutes, we have the ferry to Sawtooth in two hours."

She nodded as she buried her face in the covers.

I pulled the shirt on and slipped the sandals by the door onto my feet. I opened the door and stepped out, closing it as quietly as I could behind me. I smiled and weakly waved at the room staff as they stepped out of the villa next door.

The room staff would not be happy with the mess we had made for them today, but Janine had apologized in advance the first night of our stay and given the most generous tip that I had ever seen. If they had complaints, we were definitely not going to hear them.

I walked down the steps to our villa, smiling in the direction of the pristine white sandy beach. The seaside resort was already alive with movement, guests and staff alike enjoying the sunny morning. I made my way away from the beach and towards the complex of small buildings laying further inland.

Artemis swooped down from above, landing on the sandy beach beside the path. She trilled happily and shook herself off in the morning sun.

"Morning girl," I said, stepping off the path. I scratched my aerodactyl under her chin, eliciting a happy growl. "you ready to go back to Sawtooth?"

Artemis reared back on her hind legs and announced her cheer with a loud roar. She spread her wings and took off, flying back in the general direction of the resort's pokemon kennels.

I grinned as she left. My aerodactyl was giddy at the thought of going home. I'd no doubt hear it from the hotel staff that my pokemon were not supposed to leave the kennels, but it's not like there was anything they could do to stop Artemis from flying wherever she wanted.

"Good morning, mister Marcus," called the squat olive skinned man as I approached the coffee bar sitting in front of the main resort building. "I didn't expect to see you so soon!" He smirked knowingly. "Did miss Janine survive the attempt at history?"

I chuckled despite the headache that came with a night of binge drinking. "That remains to be decided, Marcel," I replied. "I've come to see if some coffee might rouse her."

He nodded and turned back to the large coffee maker that sat behind the bar. "Maurice told me the damage," Marcel said, an ever present smile worn across his face. "Would you like to know how close you came?"

I raised an eyebrow. "We were close?" I asked.

Janine's bright idea yesterday had been to attempt to drink Marcel's and Maurice's bar dry overnight. I hadn't expected to come close, let alone succeed, but Janine had a way of being very persuasive. Crazy plans seemed a little less crazy with her. Or maybe I just didn't mind because she was around.

Marcel pulled a pair of coffee cups from behind the bar and set them down in front of me. "Almost halfway there," he said. "I don't think I've ever seen two people drink quite so much."

I nodded, my head throbbing with the movement. "We'll be back tonight," I said as my stomach protested the idea. "Janine was insistent that we empty your bar."

Marcel lifted the carafe of coffee off the machine and poured a generous amount into our cups. He knelt down, lifting a bottle of amber cream liqueur. "Shall we start the day strong, mister Marcus?"

I glanced down at the cream liqueur. "Why not?" I said with a shrug and a grin. The sun was shining and the day was new. Plus, it might actually get Janine out of bed.

She was up. It had taken both the coffees and promise of more spiked drinks, but Janine was up and mobile. She emerged from the shower maybe half an hour later as I returned from the second coffee run, pulling a short purple sun dress over her head.

I set down the coffees and pulled the camo Ranger cap off my head, fanning myself in the tropical heat. "I'm still not used to it," I said as I stared in awe. "You should wear dresses more."

Janine's eyes flashed with happiness and she smirked. "Can't exactly fight well in a dress," she said.

"I wasn't thinking about fighting," I said. "I was thinking about—"

"I know what you were thinking about," she said with a mischievous grin. "You'll just have to wait until we get back."

I pulled her in, my hands on her waist. "Well what if I just—"

She interrupted me with a kiss, silencing me before I could even finish my sentence. "Just nothing," she said as she pulled back. "Ferry's waiting, right?"

I nodded in reply. "Right," I confirmed. I smiled happily, content with just about every part of the moment. The sun was shining, Janine was as gorgeous as ever, and my aerodactyl was getting a chance to go back home.

I took her by the hand and led Janine out of our room. The sun was high in the sky and not a thing in the world could ruin my day. Our only stop was the pokemon ranch, where I picked up Artemis for her trip back to her home. The rest of my pokemon could stay and get pampered for the day. They'd earned the rest.

It turned out that I had been hopelessly optimistic. I'd been mildly nauseous aboard the Poison Fang,but aboard the small and cramped ferry that crossed the hundred or so miles to Sawtooth Island I was turning a sickly shade of green. We were the only tourists however, most of the other passengers being potential buyers or prehistoric researchers.

Janine rubbed gently between my shoulder blades, smiling up at the volcano above. We could see winged shadows circling near the peak, with the unmistakeable profile of aerodactyl higher up above.

"Artemis will be happy to see her own kind," Janine said as the ship slowly pulled into the dock, "and you haven't shut up about the breeder since we got to Cinnabar."

I looked up as the ship finally ground to a halt. The ship's crewmen were already tossing lines to the dock workers, who tied them down with expert efficiency.

"Erika had apparently bought a patch of lileep off of him," I said, for a hundredth time.

"And he had just happened to hatch his first clutch of naturally lain aerodactyl eggs a month before," Janine finished. "It's almost like you've told me this story before."

I grinned, ear to ear. "I just really like the idea of bringing these creatures back to life. They've been gone so long and Sawtooth is a perfect isolated place to rebuild these species."

Janine smirked. "You read that off the tour guide."

"Word for word," I replied.

We stepped off the ship and onto the dock. The footpath led inland, winding through dense jungle that loomed oppressively over the beach. I could see a helipad through the trees

The rest of the researchers piled into a waiting truck that sped off down the beach, leaving just Janine and myself with a waiting island staffer and a pair of trainers that had to be prospective customers. More staffers were emerging from the squat building against the trees, a pair of forklifts with them to help unload the ship.

I glanced over at the other trainers, offering a smile as the staffer led us through the trees to the helipad. "You here to buy?" I asked.

They nodded in unison.

"Kabutops," said one. His sandy blonde hair was cropped short, the ghost of stubble flecking his chiselled chin. He was effortlessly handsome in the rugged sort of way.

"Aerodactyl," said the other. She was taller than the other, her brown hair cut short at the shoulders. "How about you?"

I held up Artemis' ball. "Bringing my aerodactyl back to show off how she's grown."

The woman's eyes lit up. "You already have an aerodactyl?" she asked, excitement slipping into her voice. "What's she like?"

I smiled, happy to relay the information I'd been forced to learn the hard way. "She's a handful at times, has a bit of a tendency to slip into some sort of primal rage if she's been hurt." I glanced down at the woman's ball belt. "Make sure your team can handle one before you add it to the team."

She looked at the ball, then studied me for a brief moment. "You're a league challenger, aren't you?" she asked.

I smiled as my cheeks blushed slightly. I hadn't been recognized in public since Celadon and hadn't even been used to it then. "I was, but that's sort of on hold at the moment. I kinda joined the Rangers after that huge mess in Celadon a couple months back."

"I thought I recognized you. Marcus Wright," she replied, remembering my name. She glanced over at Janine. "And I knew I recognized Janine Anzu."

Janine slipped an arm around me. "In the flesh," she said with surprise in her voice. "I'm sorry, you have us at a disadvantage."

She pulled her companion forward, a tall blonde man with a gaunt smile. "This is my brother Chris," she said cheerfully.

Chris grunted and waved noncommittally. He clearly was not enthused by the prospect of conversation.

"I'm Tanya!" she said with no small amount of enthusiasm, more than making up for her brother. "We're on our own League challenges, hoping to hit up Blaine for badge number seven." She scowled as she fell silent. "He won't respond to our requests for a League battle though, so we thought to hit up Sawtooth Island before we left and maybe head over to Johto for our last two badges."

"Not a bad plan," I said, keeping my own meeting with Blaine quiet. Tanya and Chris seemed nice, but I didn't need people prying into Blaine when he was possibly a member of Rocket. "Johto's gyms are supposedly easier from what I gathered online." I shrugged. "Not that I'd know. Furthest I've been from home was Sevii."

"Never left Kanto yet?" Tanya asked cheerfully. "You really ought to explore the world. There's so much out there to see!"

I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. "I could never really afford it until Silph sponsored me. Now, I've just been too busy to do much travelling. So much training to do and the world has a way of not letting you take time away."

Chris grunted, nodding in agreement. "Always something coming up," he said dryly. "Some asshole who needs to be stopped or some kind of upstart gang making waves."

I couldn't help but nod in agreement myself. "There's always an asshole that needs put in their place."

Tanya shot Chris and I a sideways glance before shaking her head. "Boys…" she said, trailing off.

"Don't let him fool you," Janine said with a grin. "He's really just a big teddiursa under the grim, Ranger exterior."

"Chris too," Tanya replied. "But he'll never let you see it." She smirked as she glanced at her brother. "He prefers playing the stoic warrior."

"Boys…" Janine echoed, chuckling at Tanya.

Chris and I turned to look at the women. Before either of us could say a word, the roar of a helicopter drowned out the thoughts.

It swept over the side of the dormant volcano, coming in low over the jungle. It dropped to the treetops and came in for an abrupt landing on the helipad.

"There's our ride," I said, glancing to Janine.

He stepped out of the helicopter, looking like he was more at home digging through rock and dirt than a lab. He swept the wide brimmed hat off his head and dusted off the vest of a thousand pockets. "Welcome to my island!" he shouted over the roar of the helicopter.

He waved us over, ushering us into the chopper and passing around the headsets before we could even strap ourselves in.

He disappeared back into the cockpit for a moment, shouting for the pilot and pointing up at the peak. He returned, pulling a headset on as he grinned wildly. "As I said, welcome to Sawtooth!"

The helicopter lifted off the ground moments later, the man holding to a support bar latched to the ceiling. "I'm Alejandro Vargas, owner and head researcher of the Sawtooth Isle Paleo-Breeding Facility." He grinned wildly, casting his gaze around at the four of us. "I've got a hell of a treat for you four today."

I locked eyes with him. "Mr. Vargas, good to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Ranger Wright," he responded. "I hope Artemis has treated you well."

I beamed proudly. "She'll do you proud," I said. "practically a model competitive battler."

Vargas grinned and sat his wide brimmed hat back on his head. "Good to hear," he said. "I'll have to get a full demonstration later." He turned, looking out the window and down into the valley below. "For now, I would advise you all take a look out your windows and—"

"OHMYGODCHRISLOOK!"

Vargas leaned back, grinning at the reaction. He'd clearly been waiting for something of the sort.

I followed Tanya's frantically pointing finger and I felt my jaw drop. I tried to form words, but my dumbfounded mind could hardly process what I was looking at. Janine's stunned silence told me she saw it too.

The icy blue-yellow of an aurorus' sails rose from the water, an aura of frozen crystals falling into the small lake. It looked warily up at the helicopter roaring overhead as a pair of young amaura followed it out of the shallows and onto shore.

A small herd of bastiodon clustered around several young shieldon on the opposite end of the lake, watching the large rampardos that lumbered towards the water for a drink.

I could see movement from deep within the lake itself, a massive patterned shell shifting towards one of the deeper portions of the lake. It sank below the surface and I lost the pattern in the murky water.

I glanced over at Vargas, who was watching our reactions eagerly. "How many species?" I asked.

"Eleven evolutionary lines at the moment," he replied. "However, we are currently working on a batch of fossils from Galar that would bring us up to fifteen different species." He looked out the window, scanning the tree line as he looked for something. "Most of the species are capable of cohabitation in this paddock, but some have proven to require more… private enclosures."

He turned, pointing to a building rising from the western shore of the island. "We have a large aquatic enclosure, holding four or five species. We do let them roam the rivers that cross the island and we created the lake you see below. Best we can do to let them stretch and swim."

"You can't let them swim in the ocean?" Tanya asked, turning away from the window.

Vargas shook his head. "Unfortunately, we cannot risk the species here escaping into the wild. The risks of ecological disaster are simply too high. These species have been gone for a millennia. Best to study them here, learn all we can from them before anyone makes any rash decisions like that."

Chris turned to look at him. "Isn't that unethical? To keep these creatures here like this?"

"I'd rather not get into ethical debates right now," Vargas replied with a frown. "Especially with a pokemon trainer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Chris replied. I could feel the indignation in his words.

Janine's attention shifted away from the windows and Vargas seemed to sense that he had offended his visitors.

Vargas leaned back, thinking carefully. "Neither of us have a leg to stand on if that's the argument you wish to make. Pokemon capture and training is inherently unethical if you want to get into the specifics." He shrugged. "We overlook that because it's often a symbiotic relationship that helps both trainer and pokemon learn and grow, but at its core the entire practice is inherently unethical." He shrugged and looked back out the window. "You have your teams, I have my island. Not much of a difference in my mind, except my pokemon are slightly more likely to chew your arm off if you mistreat them."

Chris sat back, seemingly mollified for the moment. I stared out the window, watching a large bird with colourful plumage land on the edge of the tree line. Vargas' words hung heavy in my mind. I'd had thoughts of my pokemon being smarter than I'd originally thought and the idea of training and capturing them being unethical? It ate away at me. I pushed the thoughts away, trying to ignore the weight on my conscience.

The helicopter jerked, carrying us up towards the peak. Silence fell on the helicopter and none of us spoke a word as the vehicle set down on a small helipad hanging off the mountain.

Four gondolas were waiting above, each of them leading down towards a different corner of the island. Three of them had clearly seen their fair share of use, with the paint fading and sun bleaching the colour away. The fourth was pristine, not a scuff or scratch marring the bright red paint.

Vargas was out of the helicopter first, with Tanya and Chris following close behind. I pushed the conversation in the helicopter from my mind as Vargas led us towards the small building set into the mountain itself.

He turned, a wide grin worn on his face. "So," he started. "Let's get down to business. You're here to buy?" he asked, looking over at Tanya and Chris.

They nodded in unison.

"Kabutops," said Chris.

"Aerodactyl," added Tanya.

Vargas' grin seemed to widen if that was even possible. "I have several specimens of each species that are a suitable age."

"We were hoping for something battle-ready," Chris said. "We're going for our seventh badges. We don't have time to raise a baby."

Vargas shrugged. "I'm afraid that I can't hand out any of the juveniles in good conscience. They're simply too old to reliably bond with a human, too entrenched in their primal mindset." He shook his head. "A child will have to do. They should be ready to fly by the time that payment and the required paperwork clears."

Tanya looked over at me, as if she was looking for my assistance.

"Artemis nearly killed one of my pokemon before I really had her under control." I gestured over at Vargas. I didn't really like the man all that much, but he was the foremost expert on prehistoric pokemon. "If he says something about these pokemon, I'd be inclined to listen."

Vargas turned back to Tanya as she seemed to deflate somewhat. "Would you like to see the specimens before you make a decision?"

Tanya's eyes lit up at the suggestion.

We emerged from the tunnel on the other side of the mountain and stepped into a large cave enclosed by a cage jutting from the mountainside.

Small piles of bones and scat lined the cage. A series of dim lights offered some small amount of comfort to the small ledge we stood upon. I could see an opening to the sky and could hear rustling from the darkness.

Vargas raised one hand to his mouth and whistled a loud, sharp blast.

I heard her move first, heavy footfalls drawing closer as her claws dragged closer to us. Two large, razor sharp claws appeared over the ledge, followed by a familiar pair of powerful forelimbs.

She was larger than Artemis, probably more than twice the size if the length of her claws and forelimbs were any indication. Then the aerodactyl's head poked above the ledge, at least a half dozen scaly hatchlings hanging off her crest.

The mother aerodactyl bowed her head towards Vargas. Three hatchlings dropped onto him, coiling around his arms and shoulders as they curiously regarded us.

"This is Mother," Vargas said, gesturing up at the massive aerodactyl. "She's the first and only specimen of the first gen fossil resurrection project to successfully reproduce on her own." He turned to face us. "She is the mother of this brood, as well as the previous hatchling brood that Ranger Wright purchased a hatchling from."

"She's magnificent," Tanya said.

Vargas beamed as Mother nuzzled her snout into the side of his face. I was reminded of Artemis' shows of affection and couldn't help the grin that came to my face. "Would you like to meet one of the hatchlings?" Vargas asked. "These three are beginning to grasp flight on their own. They should be ready for sale by the end of the month."

Tanya reached out to the closest of the young, holding out a hand gently. One of the younglings stretched out and sniffed at her hand.

"How quickly do they grow?" Tanya asked. "I do need a competent battler before the Indigo Conference three months from now."

"They grow relatively quickly," Vargas replied. He glanced over at me. "How large is Artemis?"

"Maybe nine feet long at this point."

He shifted his gaze back to Tanya. "More than doubled in size in the past four months. She was between three and four feet when Ranger Wright took ownership of her."

Tanya nodded to herself. "Putting any potential hatchlings at eight or nine feet long by the Conference."

I grinned. "Large enough to give you a fighting chance in any battle."

"I'll have to hit you up for battle tips," Tanya said, smirking at me. "I'm sold, Mr. Vargas."

"Excellent," he replied, slipping the hatchlings back into Mother's waiting grasp. "I'll have the necessary paperwork sent over to your sponsor as soon as possible. If all goes well, you'll have an aerodactyl before the month is out."

Vargas turned to face Chris. "You were looking for a kabuto, right?"

Chris shrugged. "Was hoping for a kabutops by the conference. From what you've already said today and the research I did, that doesn't seem possible."

Vargas crossed his arms across his chest. "True enough, you likely wouldn't have your kabuto long enough to evolve it by then. Not impossible, but it's not likely."

"I still want to see them," Chris continued.

Vargas nodded. "My staff can escort you to the aquatic nursery. Straight back along the path we came down and they'll direct you towards the gondola."

"You aren't coming?" Tanya asked.

Vargas shook his head. "I have a private proposal for Ranger Wright." He looked back at me, smirking when he saw my confusion. "I'll catch up with you to answer any questions my staff cannot later."

They both thanked him and disappeared back down the tunnel we'd come down. Vargas turned back to me, wearing the same grin from before. "So," he started. "How about you show me what Artemis can do?"

Vargas led Janine and I to another platform built into the peak of the mountain. I held up an arm, blocking out the afternoon sun.

Artemis was out with a flash of light. She raised a nose, sniffing at the salty air. A familiar light lit up in her eyes and my pokemon tossed her head back with a deafening roar. She glanced back at me as a half dozen familiar roars echoed in the distance.

I nodded to her. "I'll whistle when I need you," I said. "Go find your family."

My aerodactyl stepped over to the ledge. She dropped into a crouch, her muscles tensing as she looked to the open skies. A winged shadow swept out from the mountainside and my prehistoric pokemon launched herself off the platform as three grey blurs gave chase.

"She's larger than I expected," Vargas said. "she was one of the smaller females when we sold her to Silph for you."

Artemis banked expertly and cut under a pursuing claw. She rolled to her left, a jet of blue dragonflame forcing her against the mountainside. The third pursuer struck home, knocking Artemis to the ground.

I felt fear for a moment, but Artemis rolled with the momentum and ground to a halt with her claws buried in the earth. All three pursuers leapt atop her, rolling and snarling playfully.

"Like she never left," Vargas said. "Those three were her siblings." He looked back down at the frolicking pokemon. "She remembers her family and they remember her, even after months of separation." He glanced over at Janine and I. "It's been a hell of a trip to get to this point."

"I started out with just Mother, nearly fifteen years ago." Vargas walked out onto the platform, looking out at the island laid out before us. "I built this place off of a shoestring budget, scraping by with outdated and neglected equipment. I found some interested investors that I've managed to stretch across the better part of a decade, but funding was running low before I started selling off some of the young to trainers."

He turned back to face me. "That bought me even less time than I had hoped. I am months, maybe weeks away from defaulting on my debt payments and my investors are not the kind to take lightly to something like that." He sighed heavily. "All my work, thousands upon thousands of hours of research, would be appropriated and sold off to the highest bidder. I do have another meeting with my investors this week, but I am not hopeful on that front."

His voice was hard, but it shifted to something colder. "To top all of this off, I've had clear signs of sabotage spreading across the island. Nothing dangerous yet, but it's clear enough that I've got someone unsavoury on this island trying to make sure I fail." He met my eyes and I saw the frustration behind them. "I'd appreciate if you could track down our saboteur and stop the unnecessary drain on my dwindling resources."

I raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you have a problem that you want me to solve for you."

Vargas shrugged. "That's not an incorrect assessment. I require the help of a trainer that I know can handle themselves around these pokemon. Trainers of such a nature are in exceedingly short supply."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Given what you've told me, I doubt you have the money to pay me anything substantial. Not that I'd need it with Silph bankrolling me at the moment. I'm skeptical that you have much of anything to offer me."

"You're right to say that I don't have much to offer," he replied. "But I do have one thing that I know entices a trainer like yourself."

"What might that be?"

He smiled honestly. "History, Mr Wright," he replied. "Living history."

I tried to hide the grin of anticipation that crossed my face.

"If we hurry, we may be able to catch feeding time." He glanced down at his watch and looked over his shoulder. "If you're still interested, of course."

I couldn't nod fast enough.

The enclosure was built over a pit, maybe twenty five feet deep. The fence around the enclosure added another fifteen feet and even from a distance I could hear the static hum of electricity running through the fence.

"We started with nine," Vargas said, stepping onto the stairs that led up to the observation platform. "The largest of them killed all but two of the others and established himself as the alpha. Which is a problem if we want to introduce this group to the big boy enclosure. We already have an alpha and she won't take kindly to sharing that title."

He reached the observation deck and looked down into the enclosure. "I think I understand what I did wrong, but I need to remove the problem specimen before I can correct the errors within the resurrection process. I can't have him killing a new batch of hatchlings the moment I introduce them to the enclosure."

I looked up as a small crane began extending over the paddock. The miltank screeched and thrashed, but the chains holding it in place were stronger than it could hope to break.

Then I heard it over the shaking chains and squealing miltank. It wasn't a roar like I had expected, more a barking squawk mixed with a sinister growl. I saw flashes of movement and tried and failed to follow the blurs of dashing scales.

Movement burst from the bushes, mottled brown and beige scales leaping the fifteen feet up to the dangling miltank. A second theropod joined it, sharp claws digging in and tearing at the screaming miltank. The crane dropped them to the ground and sent both predators scrambling to their feet.

Janine squeaked nervously and drew closer to me. I instinctively wrapped an arm around her as I watched the two prehistoric predators pace around the fallen miltank.

The third predator emerged from the underbrush, looming high over the immobilized cattle. The tyrunt was taller than the other two by at least half again and rippled with corded muscles toned by constant exercise. He opened his jaws and clamped them over the base of the miltank's neck. With one quick jerk of the tyrunt's head, the miltank fell silent.

"You see the big one?" Vargas asked rhetorically. There was no way I could miss the way that ancient Kalos' premier apex predator established its presence. "I was supposed to hand off the entire clutch to my investors before he killed most of them. He's yours if you solve my sabotage problem."

I extricated myself from Janine and took Vargas' waiting hand. I didn't even need to think. I knew I couldn't say no.

Pokedex Entry # 696 - Tyrunt

This medium sized theropod can grow up to two meters tall before evolution, and appears to have filled several ecological niches as specimens aged to adulthood. They possess powerful jaws and vicious claws on their feet that allowed them to thrive as one of the prehistoric world's premier predators.

Only a few specimens are known to be in existence on Kanto's Sawtooth Island. It is unclear how much can be learned from these specimens, as rumours of genetic tampering persist. The Sawtooth Tyrunt are aggressive, violent, and wildly intelligent. As well, they possess what appears to be white feathers around their neck. As there are no natural born tyrunt to compare, Sawtooth's tyrunt have yet to be confirmed as true tyrunt.

Intermediate Trainer KT#07996101

Indigo Ranger Corps, Special Task Group, "Zapdos" Squad,

Corporal SN# 109-512-6591, Marcus Wright, current team:

Luna, Ninetales

Artemis, Aerodactyl

Acolyte, Marowak

Two, Porygon-2

Curie, Chansey