Journey

Death of Duty

Part 6: Secrets and Lies

Confession

Truth sets you free. — Champion Lance Wataru

Janine and I hadn't packed for any kind of mission. We had nothing, no communication, no supplies, and in my case no pokemon outside of Artemis. Artemis, who was busy with an impromptu flying lesson from her siblings.

Vargas provided us with some spare equipment, but I felt naked without my pokemon. Ironic that I was likely better protected by the bite suit than I'd ever been while still feeling more exposed than ever. I fidgeted uncomfortably under the bulky suit, pulling on the collar of the gaudy charmander print shirt I had on underneath.

"Marcus," Janine's voice crackled out of the radio. "Got a decent view from up here. The jungle makes it damn difficult to see anything properly. If Vargas really does have a saboteur on the island, we've got our work cut out for us."

I lifted the radio up to my face, turning and looking up at the little shadow above that was Janine. "You doubt he's telling the truth?" I asked. "I thought he seemed sincere enough."

"You think that everyone is sincere," Janine replied. I could hear the smirk in her voice. "It's endearing just how naïve you can be."

"Hey, I managed to get us through Lorelei." I stepped into the clearing and approached the power substation that Vargas had pointed us towards. It had gone offline last night, meaning that our trail started here. "And for the record, I don't think everyone is sincere. Just that I like to believe most people tell the truth."

Janine chuckled through the radio. "Experience says you're wrong. I just don't trust that he told us the full story."

There was a small pause as I approached the substation and pulled open the smashed control panel on the wall. It was crushed in, like something large and heavy had pounded the wall multiple times. There were a half dozen impact marks around the crushed panel. I pried open the panel and looked at the indecipherable mess of cables within.

"Janine, it doesn't look like this is deliberate sabotage," I said. "Looks more like something got pissed off at the building and tried to knock it down."

"We did see a rampardos on the way in," she replied. "And it's not like some of the other fossils aren't capable of that."

I frowned, kneeling down to look at the flash of sunlight off something metal on the ground. "I found something," I said. I lifted the smashed padlock and stared at it. "A padlock, perfectly cut by some bolt cutters."

"You sure it's not just broken?"

I stared intently at the clean cut. "I'm sure," I replied. "The metal would be warped if a rampardos had smashed the lock. This is too clean."

I heard a rustle behind me and quickly got to my feet. My hand was on the taser prod that Vargas had supplied me as I scanned the brush. It wasn't much, but it might deter some of the smaller fossils for a few moments.

"Marcus I've got something big moving towards you. Can't make out what it is." I glanced up, she was already diving towards me atop her venomoth. "Get ready."

"I hear it," I replied, dropping into a ready position. I hefted the taser prod as my eyes scanned the dense foliage.

The wide plate of the bastiodon's face forced its way through the dense brush. It rumbled at me and sniffed the air loudly.

"It's a bastiodon and some babies," I said into my radio, relief washing over me. I smiled as the trio of shieldon bounded forward to sniff at the strange human creature standing before them. "Nothing too dangerous."

I reached out and let the mother bastiodon sniff at my hand. She turned away, unconcerned and began to chew at a leafy bush. One of the shieldon bounded over and squeaked for my attention. I held out a hand and it rubbed the edge of the crest on its head against me.

I smiled and glanced up at the sky. Janine was well within view now as her massive bug swooped overhead, her sundress billowing out around her. She looked stunning in the afternoon sun.

"Admiring the view?" Janine asked.

I smiled as I caught a flash of her grin. "Always," I replied.

I reached over and opened the crushed control panel. The door had been crushed but the actual controls inside looked fine. I flipped the control lever back into the on position and stepped back.

A static hum filled the air. The bastiodon and her babies ran, spooked by the sudden hum of machinery and electricity. Sparks erupted from the fencing behind the substation, showering the dense brush. A gaping hole had been torn in the thick paddock fencing and was belching sparks from the torn cables that ran through the fence.

I reached back into the control panel and slammed the lever back into the off position. The shower of sparks died, mercifully before a fire could spring up. "You see any of that?" I asked. "We've got a hole in the paddock fencing. Get back in contact with Vargas so he can get repairs started and then head back to me."

"What are you going to do?" she asked. She swooped down, her venomoth landing atop the small substation. She looked down at me with concern. "Nothing dangerous, I hope. We said nothing dangerous during vacation."

I stared into the jungle, eyes on the trail of snapped trunks that led through the trees. "I think I found a lead," I said. "Gonna follow it and see what comes out of it all." I looked up at her. "I'll be safe. I'm stubborn, remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "How could I possibly forget?"

She set back off into the sky and I watched her go, thoughts of purple sundresses dancing in my mind.

The path led away from the paddock and towards the ocean. I followed the twisting and winding path until it curved back along the small dirt road that ringed the island to allow the trucks to reach each paddock.

I doubled back, finding a branch in the path that led off to the west. The branch was thinner and smaller than the main path had been and none of the trunks were splintered.

"Marcus to Janine," I started. "Following the lead north. Looks like the trail is leading me towards the tyrunt paddock."

Static answered me. I frowned and slotted the radio back into my belt. It wasn't like Janine was a stranger to simply disappearing on me, but it left me with no support if I came across something mean.

I followed the smaller trail. It was direct, a straight line rather than the winding trail that wild pokemon would have worn into the wilderness.

I glanced up at the volcano in the middle of the island, taking my bearings. I was close to one of the gondola stations and I could see it beginning to move at the top of the mountain. Bright red paint, untarnished by the beating sun, was slowly descending from the peak. Probably Vargas returning to the tyrunt paddock.

"Janine, this is Marcus. Do you copy?"

I waited, frustration building. It had been at least an hour or two of no contact. Janine should have responded by now. I sighed and slotted the radio back onto the bite suit's belt. I didn't hear the first rustle. Not until it was too late.

The knife pressed into my throat and I froze.

"Move and you're dead."

I slowly cleared my throat. "I'm not moving."

"Who are you?" she asked. "And why the hell are you tracking me?"

"Ranger Marcus Wright, I'm here on request of Alexander Vargas. Looking for a saboteur that he claims is out to ruin him." I glanced back, trying to catch a glimpse of her face.

I felt the knife blade press harder and stopped in my attempt to look at her. "You're working for him?" the voice hissed. She leaned in and I could feel her breath on my neck. "I should just kill you now."

"I'd rather you didn't," I said with a deadpan tone. "That'd make for a tragically poor end to my vacation and I did promise my girlfriend that I wouldn't do anything too dangerous while she was gone."

The blade moved ever so slightly off my neck. "Vacation?" she asked. I felt her step back and the knife move away. "You don't even know what's going on here, do you?"

I shook my head. I knew enough to know that Vargas hadn't told me the whole story. "Janine got the sense that Vargas wasn't telling us everything. I put a lot of stock into what she says, so I'm inclined to believe that I don't have the full story," I replied. "How about you fill me in?"

She sighed loudly. "My uncle's many betrayals is a very very long story. And I don't have the time to get into it right now. Right now, I have somewhere to be, something to break so I can stop him from—"

Thunderous footfalls erupted onto the small trail. Tree trunks splintered and toppled as the rampardos battered its way into the small clearing of trees.

My assailant was gone, a flash of tan skin and drab camo disappearing into the jungle. I spun on the spot, filing away the glimpse of her as the rampardos bellowed a challenge that could only be meant for me.

I tore the taser prod from the holster and snapped it out to its full length. I doubted that it'd do more than tickle the rampardos, but at least it made me feel slightly better.

She snorted and lined up her body. My eyes widened as I saw her muscles tense in preparation to charge. I waited the fraction of a second for her to spring into movement, preparing to dodge out of the way and make a run for it.

I threw myself to the side as she thundered past, trunks snapping and the jungle crumbling in her wake. I staggered to my feet and ran into the opening that I'd given myself. I ignored the furious bellow of frustration behind me. I dashed into the thick brush and was gone in seconds.

I let the rampardos' tantrum play out as I hid. It smashed down trees, trampling a small clearing into the thick of the jungle and gouging out the small path. It grew further and further away as I slowly crept away.

I finally stepped out of the thick brush and onto the road that ringed the island. I turned towards the north, towards the tyrunt paddock and Vargas.

I needed answers. The girl had said that her uncle had betrayed her. I didn't know who she was, or what that meant, but I knew Vargas would have answers. Even if they were answers he didn't want me to have.

I jogged along the dirt road, settling into an easy rhythm. It had been maybe an hour since I had encountered the girl and escaped the rampardos. Sweat was running down my face and back, but the last few months since Fuchsia had seen me training in a tropical environment. I was used to the heat, or at least tolerant of it.

Despite growing up on my family's farm, I had never been a physical specimen. I'd shunned the farm work that my father had given me and preferred to wander around the woods pretending to be a trainer. I hadn't grown into the 'strapping young farm hand' that my father had wanted and had been a lanky, skinny weakling when I'd finally left home. Toned muscles were replacing the wet noodles that had been my arms and I could feel myself slowly gaining strength. My decision to train alongside my pokemon had begun to pay off in spades.

I arrived at the clearing as the sun dipped behind the volcano that dominated the island. It was still bright, but that would change rapidly as the sun set properly. I estimated maybe twenty minutes left of daylight and absentmindedly mourned that I'd likely missed my meeting with Blaine.

Two trucks were idling beside the overbuilt paddock, people milling around them. More people were stood on the the two viewing platforms, peering into the forty foot tall enclosure in animated discussion.

I approached the trucks and stopped in my tracks as the wizened grin of someone that I'd never met in person emerged from around the trucks.

"Professor Oak?" I asked incredulously. My brain emptied and all I could see was the literal superstar in front of me.

He smiled serenely through greying stubble. "Evening, Mr. Wright." He held out a hand. "Good to finally meet you in person."

I shook his hand numbly. "Likewise," I mumbled. "What are you doing out here on Sawtooth?"

He waved absentmindedly at the paddock behind him. "Checking in on my investments. Sawtooth is one of my lab's many many sponsored projects and I like to keep appraised of her going's on." He grinned and I saw the pure enjoyment on his face. "I'll admit, Sawtooth is a bit of a guilty pleasure on my part. It's a terrible investment profit-wise, but I'm quite a fan of the results."

A deafening roar shook the earth I stood on and rattled my bones. I looked over at the concrete paddock and knew what was held within.

Once the undisputed monarch of their time, only a colossal asteroid strike that had wiped out most of the life on the planet had been able to shake their hold as apex species. But thanks to Sawtooth and Vargas, a tyrantrum walked the planet once more. It had been quite the achievement and had made a massive stir when it had been announced years back.

"She's got quite the flare for the dramatic, don't you think?" Oak said with a proud swell in his voice. He glanced back at the paddock and then back at me. "Would you like to meet her?"

I looked at him, slightly bewildered by the turn of events. I nodded in shy embarrassment and swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "I'd love to," I said quickly.

He turned and started towards the paddock. "Like I mentioned, this place just bleeds money." He gestured at the paddock walls. "This paddock alone cost more than thirty million and while it may have been the most expensive of the bunch, none of the other paddocks came in under ten million." He shrugged as he reached the observation platform and turned to look at the Queen contained within. "I'd say it was money well spent though. Not every day you get to meet something like her."

I stepped onto the platform and followed his gaze. She stood more than thirty feet tall, rippling muscles protected under rock hard scales. A mane of white feathers wrapped around her neck and spread along her back like a regal cape. Her boney crest looked like a crown atop her head, leaving no doubt who the true monarch of the pokemon world was.

"Marcus, I am proud to introduce you to Empress."

The gigantic tyrantrum glanced up at the movement on the observation platform. I felt more than heard the angry rumble of the prehistoric predator, my teeth rattling inside my skull from the vibrations.

"She's magnificent," I said, my voice shaky with fear and reverence. I shrunk back even as I stared in awe, suddenly small before the true ruler of our world. Her eyes locked onto the slight movement, focusing in on me with a predator's gaze.

A terrified bleat drew her attention and the gogoat made a mad dash for the cover provided by the underbrush on the far side of the paddock. Empress roared, a sound so loud that it made me think that it would shake me apart, and stomped after the gogoat.

"Normally, she would be roaming the much larger enclosure. I'm told there was an accident last week that compromised the paddock wall."

I raised an eyebrow. I knew that had to be the work of the woman I'd encountered but I didn't know how much Oak was privy to. "An accident?" I asked.

He waved his hand absentmindedly. "Vargas assured me it was nothing serious."

I nodded and looked back at Empress. She had found the gogoat and was roaring triumphantly. Oak clearly was not heavily involved in the day to day of Sawtooth, just an investor inspecting what his money was paying for.

"I had been meaning to call you," he started as he shifted attention to me. "There have been some issues at the lab, with the cubone colony you rescued."

I turned back to face him. I felt a pit in my stomach. The cubone had hardly crossed my mind since I'd sent them to the professor. "What kind of problems?" I asked.

He frowned. "Behavioural mostly. They've begun to show some aggression towards my staff, staff who care for over a hundred species of pokemon on my property in Pallet Town." He sighed and I could feel the frustration. "I'm afraid that I'm at a loss as to what could be done."

I paused, in thought for a moment. "When I found the colony, they had their own social structure, their own clan, so to speak. What is it like now?"

Oak's eyes flashed with excitement and I saw him working through the new information I'd provided. "They have no social structure to speak of. There is no group cohesion, no family groups. It's a mass of scared individuals, individuals that are still very young."

The realization hit me and I knew what I had to do. "They need an example," I said sombrely. "They need a marowak."

He nodded slowly and I could tell he knew what I felt in that moment. "They need your marowak. He is an adult from specifically that colony. He knows their ways, he knows the structures that they need."

I sighed heavily and felt myself sink on my feet. "I think I knew that this would happen. I think I knew and I was just being selfish." I looked up from my feet and met Oak's gaze. "I can't be selfish anymore. It's not fair, not to the cubone and not to Acolyte."

Oak smiled and I felt something that I hadn't felt since I was very young and my father didn't view me as a disappointment. "It's never too late to do the right thing. No matter what has happened, no matter how far it's gone, it's never too late."

I felt myself smile, felt a little bit of the weight lift from my shoulders. "I'll have to send him over after I get back to Cinnabar." I looked down and forced the smile to stay. "He'll be happy to see them again."

"You can come visit them," he said. "I'll have us teleported to my lab and you can see Acolyte off yourself if you'd like." His smile never faded and I felt like he actually cared. "I can—"

A titanic impact shook the paddock. The viewing platform swayed, itself just a scaffold hastily constructed and bolted to this small paddock. Oak hit me, both of us going down hard in a tangle. A second impact hit the paddock and I heard the unmistakable sound of concrete cracking.

Then Empress roared and I swore that the paddock wall would crumble from the noise alone. I scrambled to my feet, glancing into the paddock at Empress. I saw her circle around the paddock and point herself towards the crack spreading up the wall.

I glanced down and behind us, at the rampardos that had escaped earlier.I realized that the rampardos' escape hadn't been an accident. The woman I'd encountered had to have led it here for this purpose.

Empress launched into a run and I dove to cover Oak as I whistled desperately for Artemis. The earth shook with every footfall and I prayed that she didn't knock the platform down when she broke through.

The side of the paddock erupted as Empress smashed through it with ease. Rebar reinforced concrete tumbled and showered the trucks with chunks of the wall. People went screaming away from the thundering footfalls of a tyrantrum and scattered in all directions.

The platform we were on twisted away and toppled, but it didn't fall all the way to the ground. The last set of supports must have been stronger than the others because they bent but did not break. One of the men who had been on the platform with us went sailing off and landed hard in the dirt. He didn't move and I realized in horror that he hadn't been the only one to fall.

I felt the thundering impact as Empress collided with the rampardos and heard the sickening crunch of bones snapping and the rampardos' strangled whine. I heard it struggle, but what could a rampardos do against the monarch of its time.

I glanced down at the ground and looked over at Oak. We were still about ten feet above the ground, the scaffolding groaning and leaning as the last of the supports strained to hold up the structure. I shimmied off of Oak and dropped to the ground, turning back up to look at the elderly professor.

"I'll catch you," I started. We didn't have long. Empress wouldn't take long to dispose of the rampardos and I wasn't keen on facing down a tyrantrum with my little taser prod. Artemis hasn't answered my call and Janine had completely disappeared hours ago. "Just—"

Oak dropped and I caught him as best I could. I glanced back up, my eyes darting to the three researchers still tangled in the scaffolding. One was clearly dead, his body bent almost in half when he had been trapped between the bars of the scaffold. It had folded in on itself and smushed him like god folding a pancake. The other two were desperately trying to extricate themselves as they made a humongous racket in the metal trap.

I pulled Oak to his feet and glanced back at Empress. I heartily wished that I hadn't done so. She had her foot planted on the prone rampardos and was staring intently at the humans making far too much noise in front of her. She blinked slowly and I saw her oversized pupils dilate as she tried to focus on us.

One of the trucks roared to life and Empress' attention snapped to the sudden sound. I didn't wait for Empress to turn, I spun and beckoned up to the two researchers.

The first hit me and nearly knocked me down, but I caught her as the truck's tires spun into action. The second researcher didn't wait, jumping down as the truck lurched forward and tried desperately to swerve away from Empress' furious charge.

I didn't hear the snap of his ankle or his scream of pain because the truck clipped Empress. It flipped onto its side as the tyrantrum tossed it like a toy. She paced as the truck's engine screamed in protest and ground to a screeching halt. The queen of the ancient world bellowed her fury and tore into the upended machine.

My radio crackled with garbled static. I didn't care who it was, I didn't have the time to care. I hauled the crippled researcher up as Empress tore the drivetrain clean off the truck with the rear axle still attached. We made it two steps before a new trio of roars split the scene.

My eyes went to the heavens as a trio of golden beams smote the ancient monarch from the skies. They drove her into the dirt, pushing her through the eviscerated remnants of the truck and leaving burning furrows where they found the earth.

Artemis and her siblings swooped overhead as they announced their presence with another trio of deafening roars. Empress staggered to her feet, her rock-hard scales smoking with the heat of the triple hyper beam she had endured.

Three new flashes of light erupted in the dusk of the setting sun. I recognized the pokemon instantly. Samuel Oak had been Champion of Indigo for thirty-seven years, becoming the first Champion in Indigo League history to voluntarily relinquish their station as well as Indigo's longest serving Champion by over fifteen years. His pokemon were legends in the training world, to say nothing of the man himself.

Flare unfurled her wings and took off as Storm racked her shoulder cannons into place. Gaea's tremendous flower quivered with anticipation as the surviving half of Oak's champion team faced down Empress. They were hardened warriors, not one of the fazed by the monarch before them. They had faced stronger opponents alone during Oak's reign as Champion.

His blastoise wasted no time. Empress took a step towards her new opponents with a roar, only to be greeted by a torrent of water down her gullet. The tyrantrum gagged and retched as a storm of spore coated leaves followed the blastoise's attack. Oak's venasaur followed up the leaf storm with a horde of vines that wrapped tightly around the tyrantrum's legs.

I looked to the sky, already knowing what was coming. I had seen Oak's double battle against Drake during the late Hoennic Champion's reign as Grand Champion. I had seen Oak's mighty venasaur immobilize opponents so that his ferocious charizard could deliver a crushing final blow.

A second sun ignited as the one in the sky finally dipped below the horizon. Flare swooped low as she wreathed herself in raging fire. The foliage closest to her burst into flames and I felt my skin burning from my proximity to the blaze. I dove for cover as the legendary charizard closed in on her target.

Flare impacted Empress and the island shook with the force of their clash. I felt heat wash over me and lay there in shock as the raw power of Oak's team left me in stunned awe.

I forced myself up, peering through the smoke and flame. Storm had her eyes closed in concentration in the midst of the flames. Flare stood victorious over a prone tyrantrum and Gaea snaked yet more vines towards Empress to immobilize her. Storm opened her eyes as clouds seemed to roll in from nowhere.

I glanced over at Oak as the skies opened up with a torrential downpour that would have shamed even a hurricane.

"Mr. Wright," he began. I turned to him, my ears ringing wildly. He sounded like he was speaking through a tinny old speaker. "Check on that rampardos." He scowled and I followed his gaze to a figure standing at the edge of the tree line. "Our guest has some explaining to do."

I knew that it had to be the woman who had ambushed me. She made no move to leave, no attempt to escape. Perhaps she knew she wouldn't get far. With Oak's attention on her, she was as good as captured already.

I turned towards the rampardos as the rain eased slightly. Mud slicked my pants and my garish charmander shirt had been torn almost completely off of me when I'd been trapped under the scaffold. My ears were still ringing and my face flush with the heat of flame. But that paled in comparison to the rampardos. It had taken an absolute mangling from Empress. One arm was little more than a fleshy string dangling from a stump, a gaping wound on the rampardos' side left me almost no illusions about the revived fossil's fate.

It was going to die. This creature had been revived millions of years after its extinction only to be mauled by a predator that it should never have been faced with.

A flutter behind me drew my attention. Janine splashed into the mud and threw her arms around my bare shoulders. I wrapped my arms around her, still numbly taking stock of the situation.

"You said nothing dangerous," she whispered. "A tyrantrum?" she asked with barely concealed venom. "A tyrantrum?" she asked again, slightly less aggressively. "You really tangled with a tyrantrum without Artemis around?"

I drew back for a moment. "I didn't break the cage," I protested weakly. "And Oak did the fighting."

"Oak?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes glanced between the three pokemon that were more famous than most trainers. "Oh. That Oak."

Artemis landed in a spray of mud, growling at the rampardos for a brief moment. She sniffed at it for a moment, before her attention shifted to the three former Champion pokemon.

My mind snapped back to the moment and I looked over at Janine. "I need some kind of potion," I started. "Anything helps, but it'd be better if it was on the strong side."

She glanced down at the rampardos and dove into her pack. I knelt down over the wounded pokemon as Janine forced a bottle into my hand.

"It's a full restore," she said. "If it doesn't do it, nothing will."

I emptied the bottle. Every drop was sprayed into the rampardos' grievous wounds. I took extra care to coat the vicious bite marks on the pokemon's neck. Every single drop of that precious liquid was used and I stuffed the empty back into Janine's pack.

"Marcus," Oak said as he approached me. The woman that had ambushed me was at his side, her arms free as she looked at me with disgust. "Alice here has informed me of some curious developments. We need to have words." He looked over at my aerodactyl. "I am indeed curious to hear how you ended up in possession of my property."

Artemis turned, growling at the professor's tone. I held up a hand, silencing her with the gesture. Oak raised an eyebrow at that and I saw his lips tighten.

"What do you mean by your property, sir?"

He gestured to Artemis. "All revived fossils are supposed to be property of the Sawtooth Island Research Group. No trainer of any kind is supposed to be in the possession of a revived fossil."

I frowned, feeling my heart drop. I was not well versed in legal speak, but I didn't like the sound of that. "I was not aware of that. Leader Erika of Celadon obtained Artemis for me, as a reward for helping her clear Rocket out of Celadon."

"This aerodactyl was not for sale. None of them were." Oak scowled and looked at me more intently. "Were there any other buyers? Where did the sale take place?"

I took a step back, putting up my hands in surrender. "I don't know, sir. Like I said, I received Artemis from Erika."

"I told you he wouldn't know. He doesn't know anything," the girl said.

"Agreed," Janine jabbed, winking at me.

The girl met my eyes and looked me over with an unimpressed frown. The woman was much younger than I had thought, barely even a teenager by the looks of it. "He's just an idiot customer. You have to stop my uncle."

Oak turned and looked at her. "Is he the only one involved in sales of live specimens? Or is it—"

The drone of an engine cut through the quiet of nature and Oak fell silent. We all looked to the sky, to the pair of large helicopters flying overhead. They ignored the island and headed straight for the volcano's peak.

"It's too late," said the girl. "There's the rest of his debtors. Uncle Alejandro called them here to settle his debts."

Oak swivelled towards her again. "What does he plan to do?" he asked.

She met his gaze with fire of rebellious youth. "The same thing he did with that aerodactyl," she started. "He's selling them all."

Oak set his jaw. I saw his feet plant and the raw determination on his face. This was a Champion's resolve. "Then let's go stop them," he said. "All of us."

Artemis roared a half moment after Flare, refusing to let herself be left out of the fun. We soared above the lip of the volcano as the sun dipped below the horizon. Oak's charizard let off a plume of flame that lit up the peak. The two helicopters were cast in fiery light, projecting massive shadows on the facility nestled into the volcano's peak.

Artemis and I swept low and I noted the figures standing wreathed in darkness that moulded around the entrance to the facility. I craned my neck as we swept over, trying and failing to get a better look at them. "I've got guards outside," I said into my radio. "Can't get a good count on them, there's something weird going on."

"Darkness warping," Janine added. "They've got a Shade."

I jerked my head in her direction as Artemis banked around for another pass. I didn't know what it had meant by Shade, but I had a sense that it was something I wasn't exactly supposed to know about.

Flare flared her wings as she landed in front of the facility. I saw the darkness at the mouth of the lab writhing and battling against the light of the flame before it dissipated and left two figures standing before Oak. He slipped from the back of his charizard and scowled. A smaller figure followed him, the girl, standing a half step behind him.

Janine and I landed on either side of him, staring down the two figures. Artemis growled as I patted her on her neck, looking back and forth between the two. I didn't spare a glance for Janine or Oak, keeping my gaze on our opponents for intimidation effect.

The woman was standing slightly in front of the man, making it clear who was in charge. He leaned back against the wall and adjusted his mask calmly as if he was unconcerned with the confrontation.

The woman shook out her long silvery hair and smirked at us contemptively. She held up a single pokeball that seemed to be wreathed in shadows. "I suggest you leave," she said coldly. "Before we make this messy."

Oak huffed derisively. "Karen and Will." He shook his head. "The two of you are no match for myself, to say nothing of the two trainers I have with me." He folded his arms across his chest. "Make yourselves useful and escort us to the man in charge."

The woman rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm being paid for, old man." She tossed the ball up into the air, releasing an absolutely monstrous houndoom beside her.

"I don't much care," Oak replied. "I am the prime investor in this island's activities. Whatever you're being paid, I'll double it. Show me to your boss and I'll ensure that you never see a gap in your employment again."

She blinked in surprise, before a happy grin crossed her face. She turned to the man leaning against the wall, returning her houndoom as she leaned in. They whispered intently for a moment before she turned and nodded to Oak. "Follow me."

Oak nodded politely, all the venom gone from his voice. "Thank you, my dear." He followed her, calm confidence radiating from his unconcerned demeanour. The girl stayed in lockstep with him, always a few steps behind him.

Karen turned and pushed open the doors. The man in the mask stood up, beckoning Janine and I in after Oak.

I stole a glance at her, half wanting to ask what she'd meant by Shade. But she had already returned her venomoth and was following Oak. I glanced up, returning Artemis to her ball as I followed suit.

The man in the mask closed the door behind us, silently bringing up the rear as Karen led us through the facility. She stopped in front of a boardroom and smirked knowingly at Oak.

"This should be fun," Karen said. "I've never seen anyone keep the boss from what he wanted, so you'll have your work cut out for you."

Oak stared back, unperturbed. "The door, Miss Karen."

She pushed open the doors, holding one open as Oak filed through with us half a step behind.

He was massive. His shoulders were as wide across as Surge, but he was easily taller than the Vermlion Gym Leader. His bright red hair was styled up in some weird looking spikes that ran down into a sharp point at his crimson beard.

His expression was dour and cruel as he towered over Vargas in one of the chairs. The massive man turned and his expression shifted towards surprise before flipping to disappointment.

"Lysandre," Oak said with a chill in his voice. "That's enough."

The massive man scowled. "Samuel Oak," he began. He glanced back at Vargas and I saw the bruise covering half the man's face. "I was unaware you would be joining us."

"Release him," Oak ordered, one hand on the balls at his waist. "You have no business here."

"I'm afraid that I do, Professor." He glanced back at Vargas. "Alejandro here owes an obscene amount of money to Lysandre Labs and has yet to deliver on even one of his promises to us."

Oak glanced down at Vargas with a scathing glare. "Alejandro Vargas is merely the science director of this facility. He had no authority to promise anything to anyone." I caught Oak glance towards me for half a moment, but his gaze went back to Vargas immediately. "Nor did he have the authority to sell live specimens to trainers."

Lysandre's scowl deepened. "Then we do have a problem," he said. "Because I cannot leave without being made whole. The terms of my investment were clear and payment is required."

Vargas looked up at Lysandre as he burst out of his chair. "You can't—"

Lysandre backhanded Vargas across the face, silencing him immediately and knocking him back into the chair. "I can and I will have what I was promised." He turned his head back to face Oak and I saw that it was a mask of relative calm. "I invested an obscene amount in this venture and I cannot leave without payment."

"How much," Oak asked calmly. "I can make you whole, give your investment back to you free of penalty."

His scowl returned and I saw his eyes shift to analytically scanning us. "That is not why I am here," he said.

"I know," Oak replied. "You're just here to assault my employee and commit theft of my scientific property." He folded his arms and I was stunned by the confident calm that Oak exuded. It was the unenviable calm of a man who had lived an entire life in the public eye. "I cannot allow that. My offer to make your investment whole stands, though I cannot say for how long."

Lysandre narrowed his eyes. He was silent for a moment, as though he were weighing his options. I didn't like it. He seemed too much like a cornered pokemon, too much like he was just waiting for violence to break out. "I accept," he said quietly. "If my investment is recouped, then I shall consider the matter settled."

"Then it is settled." Oak unfolded his arms and cracked a smile. I felt myself exhale and realized I'd been holding my breath. "To good business," Oak said.

Lysandre nodded, though he refused to smile back. "To good business," he said. He strode up to Oak, holding out a hand to shake. "I trust that you are as good as your word."

"Better," Oak replied as he shook Lysandre's hand. "Your company will receive its payment within the week."

He nodded in reply. The separated and he glanced at Karen and Will. "Shall we depart?" he asked.

Neither Karen nor Will moved a muscle. Lysandre shifted his gaze from one mercenary to another. "I have been outbid then," he said. "No matter, there are other soldiers of fortune willing to accept my pay." He turned and stormed from the room without another word.

Oak crossed the room, helping Vargas up out of the chair. "Are you alright, boy?"

"I'll live," he said, gently touching his bruised cheek. "Thank you."

The old Champion scowled. "Save it," he said curtly. "You've been busy."

Vargas seemed to go pale. "I needed more funding to expand the tyrunt program. You refused my initial request so I had to—"

"You had to get into bed with a ruthless businessman like him?"

Vargas hung his head. "I had no options," he said. "I could find no others in Indigo willing to lose money on Sawtooth and I needed more than you would give me."

Oak shook his head. "I told you to move slowly. But you refused to listen. Even worse, you actively went around me to get what you wanted."

"But I—"

"And worst of all, you sold off revived fossils to the highest bidder."

Vargas went pale. "I… I… I…"

Oak scowled at the younger man. "How many did you sell?"

"Fourteen," he replied. "Two aerodactyl, a few anorith and lileep, and an omanyte."

Oak sighed and gently rubbed his temples. "While I appreciate your eagerness for an opportunity, we were not to sell any specimens until we had perfected our craft."

Vargas hung his head. "I understand," he looked up and met Oak's gaze. "I'll tender my resignation if that's what you want."

"It is not," Oak replied. He shook his head and a jovial grin slowly crept across his face. "I regret that this happened, but the fact is that you are the only person I would trust at the head of this project. You have the passion and the knowledge necessary to succeed, but perhaps not the business acumen." Oak put a hand on Vargas' shoulder. "I will be back, after I've escorted Mr. Wright to my lab." He glanced back at me and then back at Vargas. "I have some business with him to attend to, but I can come back and help you get Sawtooth in order."

Vargas looked as if he were on the edge of tears. "I don't know what to say, Professor." He smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Everyone should get a chance to learn from their mistakes. It matters what we do when we have done something wrong."

Oak turned and looked over at me. "Ready to go?" he asked. "We can be leave for my lab from Cinnabar in the morning."

My eyes widened for a moment as I found my voice. "That offer still stands?

"Of course," he replied. He frowned slightly. "While I do not like that you are in the possession of an aerodactyl from Sawtooth, I must admit that you have an admirable bond with her. Aerodactyl can be vicious creatures, but your Artemis is very clearly protective of you. It would be a shame to rip her away, when your training has seemed to do so much good for her."

I smiled honestly. "Thank you, sir. I was worried that I'd have to give her up." I felt a pain in my chest as my mind went to Acolyte and the knowledge that I'd soon be leaving him behind. "I know that sometimes that's what's best for them. I'd have been okay with it, eventually anyways."

Vargas stepped forward. "If I may interrupt," he started.

Oak looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Yes?"

"I did promise Marcus a reward if he helped me catch Alicia and stop her from sabotaging me." He frowned and looked over at her. "I sent him off on a hunt without telling him what was going on."

Oak shook his head. "Of course," he replied in an unimpressed tone. "What did you promise him?"

Alejandro visibly cringed as he looked at me. "I promised him the tyrunt that killed most of the pack. The big angry one." He looked back at Oak, waiting for his disapproval.

Oak looked over at me, as if he were actually considering it. He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Ah, what the hell?" He looked back at Alejandro. "It's not a bad idea, all things considered. He's done well with Artemis, stands to reason he might be alright with a tyrunt."

Alejandro nodded excitedly. "I can bring him up to speed in some basics. I have my video diaries and I can send them to him." He looked over at me. "It'll be more dangerous than Artemis, but you should be alright with my help."

I looked at Vargas and then at Oak. I nodded slowly, trying not to let my excitement overtake me. "I'd be happy to take him in," I said. "If that's fine with the both of you."

"I'll get him ready to be sent over," Alejandro said with a smile. "Along with all of my notes. Trust me, you'll need them."

Oak nodded. He raised a pokeball and released an alakazam in front of me. "Well then," he started. He held out a hand. "If you would be so kind. We can be back to Cinnabar in time for a late dinner."

His alakazam held out one arm, beckoning for us to take the spoon he held in his hand.

I held out my hand, placing it on the spoon. Janine placed her hand over mine without a word. Oak stepped closer and grabbed the other spoon. The world twisted and blinked away.

I landed on sandy ground, my knees shaking slightly. The happy music of vacation greeted our ears and the glorious sounds of party filled the air. Janine stumbled into me, catching on my shoulders. I stepped back, steadying myself as Janine held on for a moment long in a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For not dying."

I held her tight. Her mother's dying promise came swimming to the forefront. I choked up for a moment. "It'll take more than a tyrantrum to kill me."

Oak returned his alakazam to its ball and smiled happily at us. "I'll come calling for you in the morning, Mister Wright." He turned, walking away towards the main buildings. "Enjoy the resort!"

I looked back at Janine as he left. She smiled at me and nodded towards the tiki bar down on the beach. "I believe we have a bar to empty," she said. "We shouldn't keep Marcel and Maurice waiting."

I nodded and grinned. "To a good night," I said.

"To a great night," she replied.

We walked off towards the bar, her arm hooking into mine. We sat down at the bar and set to our task of emptying the bar of all its liquor.

I pulled open the door to our room, beckoning Janine in. "After you, milady," I said in an over exaggerated tone.

She snickered and walked through the door, kicking off her shoes haphazardly. She leaned back against the wall and smiled at me happily. I felt my heart skip another beat and my promise to her dying mother surfaced again.

"I gotta—"

She stood up off the wall as I closed the door and kissed me aggressively. I kissed her back, knowing that it wouldn't make what I had to do any easier.

She pulled back and looked over at the bathroom. "I gotta piss," she said suddenly.

I chuckled. "How ladylike," I said with a grin.

She flipped me the bird and turned, disappearing into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and I heard her sit down heavily on the toilet.

I slowly walked into the room and lay back on our bed, clumsily landing on top of the covers. I stared blankly up at the ceiling as the prospect of the coming conversation sank in.

"Noooo ," Janine squealed as she opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom. She tore her sundress over her head and jumped onto the bed beside me, clad in just a purple bra and underwear. "I thought we were—"

"I have to tell you something," I said. I turned to look at her, my troubled emotions worn clearly on my face. "It's something really important and I don't know how I'm supposed to talk to you about it."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "That sounds ominous," she replied.

I looked down and frowned. "I made a promise in Sevii. Your mother… she was begging me to promise her, and she was dying." I shook my head. "How do you say no to someone who's dying in front of you?"

Janine's expression went cold and hard. "What did she make you promise?" she asked quietly.

"She said that you were ignoring the concerns of the other clans. That they would never accept a Ranger at your side instead of a true Fuchsian."

She shook her head and sat up straight. I felt her go cold and stuff, her attitude changing over a moment. "So you promised that you'd leave me."

I went silent, simply nodding in response. I felt ashamed and sad and furious at myself all at once. My heart was pounding and I could feel it aching with every beat.

"So that's it then," she said without a trace of emotion. "A dead woman's demand and I have no say in the matter?"

"I don't know what you—"

"I want you!" she burst out. "All I wanted was you. You made me happy in a really fucking dark time and now I find out that it was all on a timer anyways." She shook her head. "I expected better out of you, Marcus. I don't know why, but I expected better."

"What am I supposed to do then? Go back on a promise? To a dead person?"

She scowled. "Given how your own journey started, I thought you'd understand." She shook her head. "I thought you understood that we don't have to be what our parents wanted. I thought you knew that they didn't have to run our lives?"

She stood up and stepped back, looking down at me. I felt her shock and anger resonate in every word. "Everyone I love leaves me. Everyone I love in the world dies when I need them the most." She stepped back again, shaking her head as she tried and failed to hold back tears. "First Lori, then father, then mother…" she trailed off and sobbed as she looked at me with complete betrayal. "I thought you were different, that this was different. But it's just… it's just…"

I finally found my courage, rising to my feet as I stepped towards her. "Janine," I started, taking her by the hips. She looked at me and I felt raw embarrassment twisting in my gut. "It was wrong to make a promise regarding you without even contemplating your reaction to it." I shook my head. "We both rejected what our parents wanted for us. We both found our own path and found each other on it…" I trailed off, trying not to get lost in her eyes. "I love you too, Janine. Maybe it took too long for me to understand that." I cracked a weak smile and so did she. "Maybe I'm just a big dumb idiot sometimes,"

I stepped closer and pulled her close to me. "I love you, Janine. We'll make our own way. Just like we always have."

She crashed against me, sending the both of us down to the bed. I kissed her deeply and the world was right again. All the weight was lifted off of me and we were finally free.

Pokedex Entry # 697 - Tyrantrum

This saurian therapod was the undisputed ruler of its ancient world. It is the largest known land-based carnivore and would have undoubtedly remained so had the asteroid that wiped out most life not landed. However, it is extinct and only two known specimens have been revived from fossils.

The aggressive nature of this species means that it will likely never be considered for widespread revival. There are some theories that suggest it is capable of deeper family bonds than these creature's violent disposition would suggest, but they are regarded as fringe opinions.

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