A/N: And with that, Part 2 has begun! A big thank you to all that have read, reviewed, fav'ed, and followed this story. Your support is a huge help.
PART 2: BIRDS AND BELLSPROUTS
Chapter 8
~~ Ethan, Sasha, Lily, Hajime ~~
"... enemies on the mountainsides, guerrillas in the trees... their pokemon lash out and retreat, hit and run... nowhere to hide, nowhere to run to... it was a trap; from the beginning, it was a trap... their vines snake out and, under the cover of night, pull us into the dark..."
Excerpts from the diary of Camon Harlin, PFC in Tomita Hiro's army, describing the events of the Battle of Indigo, 474 A.R.
In the dark just before dawn, the trio shuffled into Cherrygrove. They walked all the previous day, only stopping for a few hours of sleep before continuing onwards. By this point, small talk had run its course, coming and going like a flash flood. There was little more to discuss.
Or rather, there was little Ethan wanted to discuss. Much to his displeasure, Hajime and Lyra seemingly became fast friends. Their favorite topic of discussion were the adventures of Hideki the Great, catalogued in a series of penny novels. They had spent most of the morning repeating scenes back and forth to each other. As much as he hated to admit it, Ethan somewhat enjoyed the banter, even if he didn't participate directly.
Cherrygrove's streets were quiet this early in the morning. Much to Lyra's annoyance, they didn't head to a pokemon center or hotel. Ethan didn't want to stay in Cherrygrove longer than necessary; he wanted to be on route to Violet City before the day was done.
That didn't satisfy Lyra. "There ain't much to see in this town anyhow," Hajime had said, and that seemed to placate the pigtailed trainer somewhat.
They travelled the road north towards Route 30. The neatly grided streets quickly devolved to a mess of alleyways and zigzags and dead-ends. By the time the murkrow crowed, the trio were already in the outskirts.
Ethan hooked a sudden right off the main road away from Route 30.
"What's this now, kid?" Hajime said. "Where're you headin'? Route 30 is that way." He pointed down another dirt road that disappeared behind a grove of trees.
"I think he just wanted a lovely early morning stroll," Lyra said.
Ethan ignored the taunt. "I need to check in on something. Wait here."
The shuttered windows and locked doors of Mister Pokemon's safehouse was a disappointment, but not a surprise to Ethan. She and Oak probably left soon after I did, he surmised. I wonder if this is related to the Rocket attack.
"It looks empty, kid," Hajime said, trying to peer through the crack in the window shutters.
Grunting to himself, Ethan walked up to the door and knocked.
No answer.
Frowning, Ethan knocked again.
No answer.
"What the fuck are we even doing here?" Lyra said much too loudly for Ethan's comfort.
As if reading the young trainer's mind, Hajime shushed the girl. "Let's not wake these kind folks, lass." He motioned to the other houses. Hajime turned his attention to Ethan. "Although, she's got a point – what's yer' business with these folks? You know 'em?"
"I met them when we were here last," Ethan said. "Figured I'd say hi. Come on, let's go."
Cherrygrove ended abruptly to an expanse of tall grasses. A wide dirt road cut through the brush like a line drawn on an empty canvas, extending to the trees towering before them. Their branches outstretched as if beckoning the trio forward. Or, perhaps they were like hands outstretched begging them to stop. Even in the morning sun, darkness exuded from the depths of the woods. The young trainer shivered.
"What are those?" Lyra pointed towards a pair of deep ruts in the ground that ran parallel to the road.
Hajime stepped nearer for a look. "Hmph, now that there is a rare sight." He looked back at Lyra and Ethan. "Tire tracks."
"You never see these in New Bark," Lyra said.
"I have. Once, years ago." Ethan interjected. They had continued walking, the tracks travelling with them deeper into the woods. They hooked left through some flatten brush and disappeared behind tall grasses. "They were Claire's, I think; they came down from Blackthorn. I don't remember why." The memory was faint, but he recalled the massive vehicles that rumbled loudly like a gyarados and belched black smoke like a weezing. They carried crates of food and scores of men.
The sight of the tracks unnerved Ethan. Trucks meant wealth, and wealth meant men and weapons and power. These must be Falkner's; they have to be, he thought. Can I really take on someone with trucks?
Another thought came. No self-doubt. Not now. Professor Elm, Oak… they both placed their trust in him. He wouldn't let some vehicles, no matter how fearsome, frighten him from his mission.
The land grew wild quickly. Grasses and bushes subsumed the dirt road, and what remained was split apart by jagged rocks. Hajime guided their path, claiming that he knew the way to Violet like the back of his hand. "Just head north," he had said, pointing to the sky. "The trees ain't so thick that you can't see the sky." Still, to Ethan's eye, the canopy looked pretty dense, the blue of the sky barely peeking out between the green of the leaves. He said as much to Hajime.
"Nah, this forest ain't thick," the older man said. "Now, the Ilex Forest, that there is a dense forest."
"I'd love to visit it one day," Lyra said.
"No you ain't," Hajime said. The ground had turned hilly, undulating up and down like rolling waves. "The Ilex is a true forest – you can't even see the sky from the ground, the leaves is so thick. Things grow old 'n dangerous in there."
"I heard that time is kept frozen in there," Lyra said. "The Celebi."
"Myths and old wives' tales," Ethan interjected.
"Perhaps," Hajime said. A deep frown set on his face. "I've been in the Ilex once, and by Arceus, I hope that was the only time. But there is something more to those woods than the pokemon. There's a presence there, and you can feel it the second you step in…"
"I see you're getting a good start on the scary campfire stories." Ethan glanced around. Overheard, pidgeys chirped and darted between the tree branches, quieting as the trio passed underneath. "Need I remind you guys that nighttime is still some ways off?"
Hajime laughed. "I ain't meaning to scare you. 'Sides, nothin' for y'all to see in Azalea anyways. You got no reason to go through the Ilex."
They stopped for a late morning break on a grassy hill. The trees had given way to the sky and left a wide berth clear, as if the hill wore a bald cap. The sun showered the area. A sea of late summer flowers in their blues and pinks and reds rustled in the gentle wind.
A raticate and his pack of rattata had occupied the hilltop, but Hajime chased them off with his mightyena and rapidash. Deeming it safe, Lyra released her marill and Ethan his quilava. The mightyena prowled the tree line to make sure the rodents didn't return.
Hajime released another pokemon, a brutal chunk of rock with three stalactites for legs that left deep divots in the ground wherever it stepped. Ethan had never seen something of its sorts before, and it didn't match any of the pokemon he learned about with Professor Elm. It certainly wasn't a graveler or a nosepass. He approached the older trainer.
"What is that thing?" Ethan pointed at the rock-type, which he determined it clearly was.
"That there's a boldore." The rock type seemed to sit down, in that its bulbous body slumped to the ground with a thump. The sunlight seemed to shine brighter around the pokemon, its orange spikes glowing softly. "It likes to do that, sunning itself. I ain't always sure what to make of it."
"Where'd you catch it? I've never seen anything like it before."
"Neither have I, and I ain't the one to catch it. Traded for it. I believe I was in… Slateport City, yes that's where I was."
"Slateport…" Ethan looked pensive, trying to remember his maps. "That's in Hoenn, right?"
"Yessir, although the man was not from there. Or here. He came from very far away, across the Ocean of Morning."
"All the way across the ocean?" Lyra had been lying on her back, playing with Azure, but suddenly bolted upright. "How did he get here?"
"I reckon it involved a boat," Hajime said with a wry smile. Ethan laughed when he saw Lyra blush. "The man couldn't speak a lick of Indigoan, but he was absolutely enthralled by this butterfree I had at the time. When he offered up this hunk of rock –" He pointed towards the boldore. "- well, I just couldn't resist the offer."
Ethan spared another glance for the rock-type, whose orange spikes had turned nearly golden and glowing, then gazed around the hilltop, mind wandering. Would he get to see far-off lands in his future? He hoped so. But not yet, I still have a job to do.
The view from the hill was nearly unencumbered. To the south, he could just slightly see the blue of the water; Cherrygrove should be nearby that. To the north, the land turned jagged, and the rolling hills turned to deep ravines and towering peaks.
The Cobalt Mountains. Somewhere to the northeast sat the towering peak of Mount Silver; at its based was the Indigo Plateau, the seat of Lance's power. Ethan knew, then and there, that he would have to pass through these mountains many times before his job was done.
In the distance, on a nearby hill, Ethan saw something gleam. In the sunlight, it reflected a lightish gray, contrasting the heavy greens of the forest. "Hajime," the young trainer said. He pointed in the direction of the light reflection. "What do you think that is."
Hajime stepped up, squinting. From his backpack, he drew a telescope, which he brought to his eye. "Looks to be a fort of sorts." He passed the telescope to Ethan. "T'was probably used by Falkner's militia for keepin' the route safe. Lots of Routes have them." Hajime shook his head. "I dunno. Falkner's been drawin' lotsa men away. It might not even be occupied no more."
Looking through the telescope, Ethan could see it more clearly. The grey stones clad the façade, wooden scaffolding around the turret that rose up, it looked perfectly positioned to watch the paths of the Route 30 from its perch.
"I had another thing to ask you, Hajime," Ethan said, handing back the telescope. "I need help training Euridity." He retrieved a pokeball from his side. "The noctowl I caught on Route 29," Ethan quickly elaborated when he saw the older trainer's confusion.
"Ah, the owl. Yes, what's the problem?"
"No problem; I just want to train it. Maybe you can give some tips."
Hajime cracked a smile and retrieved another pokeball, pressing down on the centerpiece. A pidgeotto coalesced from the red light, the sulfuric stink lingering in the air. "This here is Jonas; he'll help in case yer' noctowl gets any funny idea 'bout flyin' away."
Ethan whistled Doresey to his side. The quilava's back flames simmered in anticipation. Taking a deep breath, the young trainer clicked open the pokeball.
Just as the other day, the noctowl was initially stunned by the morning light before adjusting somewhat. Squinting, the owl pokemon at the trainers and pokemon surrounding it, staring at it. Euridity cooed softly.
"I think I have this bird tamed," Ethan said with a smile.
Hajime was frowning. "Maybe. I wouldn't be too sure; that bird's only been with you a couple'a days." The older trainer had his hand out, making motions with his fingers; Jonas the pidgeotto followed the hand gestures closely. "What trainin' did you have in mind?"
"What would you suggest?"
"Those rattata must still be hidin' in these trees." Hajime's eyes never left the noctowl; his whole body tensed like a coil about to spring. "Best trainin' is real experience, I say. Come on, let's go huntin'."
Hajime ordered his mightyena to keep prowling the perimeter. Lyra, Azure, and the boldore all seemed content lounging in the sun, so the two trainers and their pokemon passed under the trees. Euridity spread his wings and took flight. At a whistle from Hajime, the pidgeotto followed suite, keeping pace with the owl.
"Pokemon and people, they develop a bond of sorts when they spend enough time with the other," Hajime said in a low whisper. "Not really sure how to describe it, but you get on the same wavelength as your pokemon, if you catch my meanin'. Commands and understandin' comes easier." He nodded towards Doresey. "You en' yer' quilava are well on your way to developin' that. Now we just gotta start the process with yer' noctowl."
"And how do you do that?"
"Start by building' trust." Hajime pointed to the noctowl circling the sky. "That bird there has to trust that you'll take care of it, feed it, and so on." The older trainer shifted his finger to Ethan. "And you have ta' trust your notcowl won't attack or fly off on you. It takes practice."
They stayed close to the treeline, letting the bird pokemon guide their path. They danced above the canopy, circling each other in complex patterns.
"Trust is the first thing," Hajime said. "And we're doin' that now. Yer noctowl and Jonas will know how to find these rattata, and we gotta trust in their instincts."
Ahead, a bush rustled. The two trainers stopped in their tracks. Doresey, who hung by Ethan's legs, growled softly, a light smoke drifting from his maw.
And then the air ripped ahead of them. No, not the air, Ethan realized; Euridity, in a silent fury, dove between trees right towards the bush. The noctowl stopped a foot from the thorny branches, his wings spread and beating against the air. The bush billowed against the gust, and Euridity's eyes turned a soft purple; the air around his head and bush started to shimmer and distort.
"Confusion attack," Hajime said. "That's how noctowl like to hunt. Get ready."
From the bush, a number of rattata stumbled out like drunks leaving a bar. The noctowl's eyes flickered, and the shimmering air ceased to distort.
A short distance away, another bush rustled, and a loud hiss echoed off the trees. Doresey's low growl turned to a loud bark, coughing flame and smoke in the air. His backflames burned hotter, and Ethan caught the eye of the quilava. Somehow, he knew exactly what the fire-type planned on doing. Is this what Hajime was talking about?
"Get ready," the older trainer repeated. He was looking up at the sky, up at his pidgeotto.
The bush exploded on in a shower of leaves, and the raticate leaped forward, baring its fangs at Euridity with deadly intent. Before the evolved rodent could complete its attack, Doresey leaped forward and shot off smoldering ball of fire. It slammed into the raticate, knocking it off course. The rat screeched in pain.
"Good shot, Gold," Hajime said.
Ethan looked with pride at Doresey; the quilava kept its focus on the raticate, but at the young trainer's command, refrained from shooting off more fireballs. Ethan was well aware of the older trainer's disdain for unrestrained fire-type attacks.
Jonas the pidgeotto entered the fray, attacking the raticate with hooked talons and heavy wings. Some of the rattata recovered from the confusion attack and dashed deeper into the woods. A couple of the rattata that sustained heavier psychic damage plopped to the ground on their sides. Seeing most of its brood escape, the raticate dashed off into the woods in pursuit.
"Now that is how you handle yer' pokemon, kid." Hajime slapped a hand over Ethan's shoulder. "You see, each pokemon has its own instincts; yer; job as a trainer is not to bend it to yer' will, but to massage and guide yer' pokemon's instincts to yer' benefit. The noctowl, you see – hey! Jonas! What's wrong?"
The pidgeotto stumbled suddenly as if overcome with a sense of vertigo, then dropped to the ground, sprawled out and cawing weakly. At first, Ethan couldn't understand what was happening, but then he saw the air around the pidgeotto shimmering and distorting, turning in on itself. With horror settling in his gut, Ethan turned to Euridity – No! – and saw his eyes glowing a brilliant purple.
Everything happened at once. Doresey leaped in front of Ethan, howling and spitting out smoke, backflames exploding. "Shit," Hajime said as well, another pokeball in his hand. They all made eye contact with the noctowl, and the air tensed like the calm before the storm.
But, nothing happened. Ethan felt lethargic all of a sudden. Before him, Doresey stumbled to the right, as if his legs gave out. His backflames reduced to embers.
Turning to his left felt like wading through honey. Ethan saw Hajime struggling to stand, the older trainer's head drooping down as if carrying a weight around his neck. "Gold… stop… it…" Hajime said, dropping the pokeball in his hand.
Ethan met Euridity's eyes again. They had stopped glowing purple, and Ethan felt like he was falling into its depths. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of his mind, he heard a voice clawing to get out.
Hypnosis.
Ethan fell to the ground.
Ethan sat a distance away from Lyra and Hajime, massaging his cheek where he hit the ground. The other two were discussing something in hushed tones, although Lyra often spoke just loud enough when she said something critical of Ethan. The young trainer ignored the jabs, opting to look at the two pokeballs in his hand. Doresey's on the right, the quilava having recovered from the hypnosis attack. Euridity's on the left, empty.
Feelings of failure hung over the young trainer like a fog. How could I let this happen? Catching the noctowl was the highlight of his young training career; how could he ever recover letting Euridity get away? Not just get away, allow the noctowl to trick him into thinking it was tamed. If he couldn't tame a noctowl, how could he possibly deserve Elm's trust?
Ethan's head fell into his hands, his fingers snaking around his hair. By Arceus, how did this happen?
The air erupted, sending grass and leaves and dirt into the air. Hajime's staraptor, a six-foot tall monster of a bird, landed beside its trainer. It stopped only for a second before leaping into the sky again, circling above the hilltop.
Hajime walked over to the young trainer. A purple bruise blossomed by his right eye. "Intrepid's managed to track yer' noctowl. That owl's clever, but not that clever."
Ethan nodded and stood up, although the malaise still clung to him like a bad smell. "How's Jonas doing?"
Hajime frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "That confusion did a number on him. He'll need tah' see a center to recover fully." The older trainer placed a reassuring hand over Ethan's shoulders. "Perk up, Gold. Things like this, they happen."
"I just feel like such a failure."
"You ain't." Hajime stopped walking and looked into Ethan's eyes. "Sure, you got tricked by a pokemon you captured, but that happens all the time. By Arceus, half of this is my fault – I wasn't payin' near enough attention. If I was, yer' noctowl would be back in its pokeball, and Jonas wouldn't be half in a coma right now.
"If pokemon training was easy, bein' good at it wouldn't be so impressive. Yeah, you screwed up, and so did I. But we can't just be mopin' about - what we should be askin' ourselves is: what're we gonna do 'bout it?"
Ethan nodded. The sting of his Euridity's trickery still hurt, but Hajime's words softened it somewhat.
Hajime lifted up Euridity's pokeball. "Come on, let's go catch ourselves a bird. I also made Lyra promise not to open her mouth 'bout it."
Ethan looked up to see Lyra's pouty face. Knowing that she wanted to speak snark but couldn't… now that made him smile.
…
Intrepid took the trio well off the beaten path. They had descended the hill and into the ravines, following the winding road of Route 30 for a short while. They came across a stream a dozen feet wide that ran across the Route, and Intrepid hooked right. The water was clear blue and shallow; perfectly smoothed stones lined the riverbed, some drifting downstream with the current.
Hajime kept his eyes to the sky, always making sure he knew exactly where his staraptor was at all times. Not that it was needed; the flying-type had excellent vision and constantly circled above the heads of the trio. Occasionally, Intrepid would fly beneath the canopy, head searching for Hajime. When it found the seasoned trainer, the staraptor ascended back into the sky.
The forest grew denser as they followed the stream, sticking to the stony riverbank. These were not the quiet noises of New Bark's forests; no, sounds of life echoed in these woods. Pidgey flocks chirped to each other from their perches in the trees. Rattata and sentret rustled in the undergrowth, every now and then poking their heads from between the leaves to observe the trio passing through.
This is not exploring in the woods, Ethan thought as a he looked around. No, he felt like he was trespassing on someone else's turf, and being judged accordingly.
"What is that?" Ethan said to Hajime, pointing to tree near a bend in the river. A thick brown vine wrapped around the trunk, small leaves and thorns growing out at odd intervals. It rose higher into the tree and disappeared behind the leaves.
Hajime stopped and followed the young trainer's finger. Then, the seasoned trainer frowned and whistled a shrill note. Intrepid appeared a couple seconds later, its powerful wings beating waves in the river. The seasoned trainer uttered a harsh word, and the staraptor shot back into the sky. Hajime lead the trio across the stream.
"What happened? Lyra asked.
"We're findin' 'nother path, avoidin' the stream for now. That right there," Hajime pointed his thumb towards the vine-wrapped tree, "is a vitcreebel. Somewhere up in those leaves is a flower waitin' tah' drop on our heads."
"But we have fire-types," Ethan said. "Doresey and Rose… they could take it."
"They could," Hajime said slowly. "Victreebel are nasty, though. Hide their bodies up in the trees, amongst the brush real good. You might think you're striking its body, only to realize you've been caught in its trap the whole time. And you won't know it until they strike."
Intrepid took the trio through dense trees and underbrush, sometimes forcing them to pass one-at-a-time between trees and bushes. Ethan now kept a hand near Doresey's pokeball, his eyes observing each and every tree trunk for vines. What would he do if he came across some? Would he even have time to toss out quilava before a weepinbell or victreebel attacked?
They came across the stream and forded it again. The sun had started its descent in the sky, and the forest had taken an eerie darkness.
"I don't like this," Lyra said quietly, fear palpable in her voice. "Ethan, do you really need that noctowl?"
Yes, I do, Ethan thought, but he didn't dignify the question with a verbal response.
"Intrepid's descendin' again," Hajime said. There was concern in the Sinnoan's voice.
Ahead, the tree line gave away to a grassy, rocky path about twenty feet wide. Intrepid stood on top the roof of a truck.
"Is this Route 30?" Lyra said. "Did we just make a circle?"
"I don't think so." Hajime kept his distance from the truck, his eyes to the sky. "We've been headin' east and north – Route 30 don't do that, it goes straight north. But, there are all sortsa' unmarked paths along these routes."
Ethan approached the truck. He looked left and saw a row of ruts in the ground. "Guess we found what made these in Cherrygrove," he said. Intrepid cawed, looking into the bed of the truck. The young trainer looked over the side, seeing a black tarp covering lumps in the truck bed. A sour smell hung like fog.
Don't open that, a part of Ethan said, but he ignored his gut's warning. Grabbing hold of a corner, Ethan twisted and ripped off the tarp. The sour smell exploded; the stink of gut-wrenching rot overpowered everything. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?"
Distantly, Ethan smelled sulfuric miasma, and Hajime was beside him in a moment, his mightyena and Rose by his side. Lyra appeared too, but one look at the truck bed sent her running away, screaming.
Four bodies. Four bodies in various states of decomposition laid in the truck bed. Each wore red uniforms, although most were ripped to shreds. Hajime moved forward with a hand to his nose and mouth, and – again against his better judgment – Ethan did the same.
"Violet Prefecture militiamen," Hajime said, pointing to the yellow pidgeot insignia over the breast of one corpse.
"Who would be stupid enough to attack Falkner's own soldiers?" Ethan said, gagging. It was a struggle not to throw-up. The faces of the bodies barely looked human.
"Someone who thought they could get away with it. And based on the rot of these bodies, they did. Look here." Hajime pointed at the waists of the bodies, and Ethan begrudgingly looked. "No pokeballs. I think we got poachers on our hands."
Ethan looked back at the carnage, his thoughts in a jumble. That pokemon poachers existed was no surprise to him, although the occurrence was very much a rarity from his understanding. The action was illegal and punishable by death; of course, a failed poaching raid usually ended with the poacher's death anyways. Newspapers in New Bark often reported stories of failed poachings, where the would-be-victims slaughtered the poachers in turn.
The message was simple: poaching was illegal. Killing the poachers? Not so much. It was a dangerous job, and rare. Unless you're skilled, Ethan thought as a he looked over the bodies. Something caught his eye. He reached between two corpses and pulled out a feather. His heart sank; it wasn't just any feather.
Hajime took the feather from Ethan, inspecting it. "Yer; noctowl musta' smelled the rot, came here to feed."
"Look here!"
The two trainers looked back at Lyra, who held a broken pokeball in her hand. On the ground, Ethan noted more of Euridity's feathers.
In unison, they followed the wide path as it continued passed the truck, watching it narrow as it climbed the hillside. In the heights, in disappeared behind a rocky bend. Above the road, the terrain continued sloping upwards into a cliff face. At the top sat dull gray walls.
Ethan blinked in recognition: the fort from before! There were geodudes in his gut now, and it felt like they were fighting. He looked to Hajime, who had a knowing look. He must recognize it, too.
"Yer' noctowl might be near that fort, or in it. You still wanna go through with this?" Hajime left the last part unsaid: with the poachers.
Ethan pondered the thoughts. "Is this a battle worth fighting?" he asked after a moment.
"To be a trainer," Hajime said slowly, his voice soft as a leaf falling, "to be a good trainer, is to never leave one of yer own behind."
It was not a question at all, then. Ethan would get back his noctowl, even from poachers if needed. This was no longer about the noctowl or Elm or anything else; it was pride. He had to do this, if only to prove that he deserved to be a trainer.
The young trainer met Hajime's eyes. "Let's do it."
Hajime smiled.
The trio ascended the cliffside, Hajime having returned his pokemon. Ethan and the older trainer pressed Lyra to stay behind, but she would have none of it; she threatened to make such a racket that it would draw out the poachers from the fort. She would help, or Ethan wouldn't get his noctowl back.
The poachers might be tough, but they weren't smart, Ethan decided. As the trio traversed the path, they came across no guards, traps, or any sort of resistance. They probably assumed their isolation was defense enough.
Still, a discomfort settled in the pit of his stomach; those geodudes were still raging in his gut.
Out of nervousness? Definitely.
But, there was more to it than nervousness; to Ethan it was a prove-it moment. He had to get Euridity back. He had to. Otherwise, he might as well rip up his trainer card.
It's a fake card, an unwanted voice in his mind said. You didn't earn it.
Then I'll earn it now, Ethan retorted.
Cresting the hill, the road curved directly towards the fort. The wooden gates were long ripped off their hinges, lying broken on the ground. And still, not a person in sight.
It's like they're begging us to just walk in, Ethan thought as he crouched behind some bushes by the road. Lyra and Hajime kneeled behind him.
"Not a person in sight," Ethan whispered. "Are we sure Euridity is in there?"
"Intrepid followed yer' owl here. I trust him."
"Maybe they're waiting for someone," Lyra said. The two trainers looked back at her, Ethan with his eye raised, hoping she would elaborate. Lyra shrugged. "Well, if they're poachers, they can't just go to Violet or Cherrygrove and sell they're stuff. Maybe they're waiting for someone to come to them."
"That ain't true, most definitely," Hajime muttered. "They could fence those stolen 'mons in seconds in any city, if they wanted."
"Yeah, but…" Lyra frowned, working her jaw in thought. "Maybe they have a buyer setup already?"
"You're sayin' that they ain't hidin', they're waitin'?"
"Maybe." Lyra shrugged. "I really have no idea. I'm just spit balling here since you guys haven't come up with anything."
Ethan shook his head. "By Arceus, who the hell would come all the way out here to buy stolen pokemon?"
"Someone that doesn't want others seeing the sale."
Ethan considered the idea, and as much as he hated to admit it, it had merit. He looked to Hajime, hoping he would offer clarity. Instead, the older trainer nodded along as if in agreement.
"You might be on tah' somethin' Lyra," Hajime said, continuing to nod his head. "They gather a buncha pokemon and wait for their buyer to come to them."
"Then why leave the truck nearby?" Ethan asked. "You know, the truck that has all the evidence of their crime?"
"A bunch of reasons. The attack occured more on the main route, and they drove the truck here to hide it. They meant to take care of it later, but haven't yet. They're stupid." Lyra lifted a finger as she rattled off reasons. "Why do you care anyways? You focus too much an random details. I'm telling you; they're waiting in their for someone!"
"I agree," Hajime said.
"Okay," Ethan said, drawing the word out. "How do we get Euridity out of there, then?"
"We don't," Lyra said, smiling. "We do what they did to the militiamen." She gave a sickening self-satisfied grin. "I have a great idea."
This is a stupid idea. Ethan hid behind a tree near the fort entrance, one hand on Doresey. Beneath warm fur, the quilava tensed, probably feeling the young trainer's stress. On the other side of the road, behind more trees, was Hajime and his mightyena. The two trainers let out their pokemon some distance away so that the poachers had no chance of smelling the miasma. Then, they snuck into position.
This is a stupid idea. The sun had begun to fade in the west, and in the thick woods, dusk fell quickly. Lyra trudged up the path toward the fort alone, not even a pokemon on her; her marill's pokeball and the accompanying pokemon was in Hajime's possession for safekeeping.
This. Is. A stupid. Idea. Ethan had no idea how this could possibly work. He wasn't really concerned for Lyra's safety since this insanity was entirely her plan. Hajime endorsed it for some reason. No, he was much more concerned about his safety, and Doresey's. When the pokemon and their attacks started flying, anything could get hit.
Then again, Lyra was putting her body on the line for his noctowl. I should really be more appreciative of that, Ethan reminded himself. But, this is still a really stupid idea.
It was a stupid idea. It was also the best they had at the moment, unfortunately.
Ahead, Lyra stopped by the fort entrance and start calling out. Doresey tensed, coughing smoke, backflames flaring. "Easy there, easy," Ethan said, trying to calm the fire-type despite the unease in his gut.
After many minutes of Lyra making a fuss – she was uncomfortably good at that, Ethan thought – four men stepped out of the forts. They took a look at Lyra, then the surroundings, then formed a circle around the brown-haired girl. Each had a pokeball in their hands, and two others had more attached to their magnetic belts. One had a revolver in his hand. To Ethan's surprise, she didn't look the least bit scared.
The shortest one, with wild, untamed hair, spoke first. "You Cassidy?" He spoke loudly, and his voice carried into the trees.
"I sure as shit am," Lyra said. She crossed her arms and sneered. "By Arceus, what has been up with you? I've been waiting for this pickup for too long now!"
The short man looked genuinely surprised. He looked to the other poachers with a look that begged for help.
Why is Lyra so good at this? Ethan shook his head.
The short man looked back at Lyra, his comrades offering no apparent help. "Listen. That green-haired friend of yours stopped by weeks ago. This whole thing has been arranged for weeks. We've been waiting for days. Why're you late?"
Lyra swallowed, her confident façade seeming to crack. "Well, you don't exactly make yourselves easy to find."
"What?" The short-man barked. "Your bosses told us to stay here and wait for the pickup, and we did. At good cost too – if it was up to me, we woulda offloaded these pokemon in civilization days ago."
Ethan grimaced, seeing Lyra recoil slightly from the short-haired man. She's cracking. Perhaps he offered praises too soon. He looked beyond to the other treeline. Come on, Hajime. We don't have much more time.
"Let's just get on with this," she said, but Ethan barely heard her since her voice was just louder than a squeak.
"Nuh huh. Lemme see the money first."
"Not sure how she can do that," another said, stepping forward. "She ain't got no bag."
"Now that I'm lookin', she ain't got nothin' on her," the short man said. Of the faces Ethan could see, they had the look of predators cornering their prey. "I don't think you're Cassidy."
"Hell, Jim; I don't think she's a Rocket."
Ethan hissed under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. "I knew this was a bad idea." He looked to his quilava and hesitated for just a moment. Doresey looked back, and Ethan saw – no, felt – determination.
There was no hesitating in a pokemon battle; Lyra didn't have time for his dithering.
The fire-type looked up to Ethan, waiting for his command. "Doresey, hit 'em – "
The deep shadows cast by the trees shifted and bubbled, catching Ethan's attention. It caught the poachers' attentions, too. The shorter man's head swiveled before horror dawned on his face. Hajime's mightyena leaped from the ground, dripping from the shadows like a teardrop taking shape. His maw crunched down on the shorter man's wrist and twisted, tearing away the hand holding the revolver.
A cry rang out, and the other poachers released their pokemon: a half-evolved makuhita, a seviper, and a swaggering primeape. The monkey immediately pounced on the mightyena, and the wolfhound retreated to the shadows for safety.
Doresey made a noise, a sound halfway between a growl and whine. He looked up at Ethan, and the young trainer was whipped out of his paralysis.
Ethan saw one of the poachers fight and grab Lyra, trying to pull her into the fort. No hesitation!
"Hit that one," the young trainer said, pointing.
Doresey howled, backflames exploding, and leaped into the fray. Maw open wide and leaking smoke, he launched a fireball towards the target. It seemed to move in slow-motion as it streaked through the air, smoky tail burning the air around it, before impacting against a poacher's back. The victim screamed and fell.
Lyra, free from her would-be-captor's grip, dashed towards Ethan's position. "Well, that almost didn't work," she said. She had a massive grin on her face.
She's laughing, Ethan thought. This lunatic his laughing! He ignored Lyra's comment and joined his pokemon in the battle.
Doresey did not wait for a follow-up command, launching more fireballs at the fallen poacher, reducing the body to a charred husk. Ethan spared a quick glance before averting his eyes. Think about the morality later.
The primeape and makuhita had ganged up on Kuji, the mightyena. The wolfhound weaved between punches and grapples, snapping back with a bite when an opening appeared, but he spent most of his time on defense. The seviper was busy with Intrepid – where did the staraptor come from? – whipping its wicked sword of a tail, trying to prevent the bird from getting too close.
To Ethan, there was only one option. He caught up with Doresey and kneeled beside him. "Hit that one," he said, pointing to the makuhita.
Roaring a challenge, the quilava launched a fireball, striking the fighting-type in the back. It staggered forward a step, then looked back, locking eyes with Doresey.
Beneath the fat folds, Ethan saw fury rage in its eyes. The makuhita fully turned to face the fire-type and bellowed, thumping its blubbery chest.
Doresey coughed a plume of smoke in response.
"Looks like a pup to me." A poacher with long, greasy hair stepped behind the makuhita. "Y'all will be sorry you ever fucked with us."
He barked a command, and the makuhita lumbered forward. Doresey slid left as the makuhita tried to ram the fire-type with its massive hip. Countering, the quilava peppered the fighting-type with a fireball. Absorbing the hit, the makuhita turned on a dime with a cross-hook. Doresey dodged again and countered with another fireball.
That's it, wear it down. From his studies, Ethan knew that makuhitas gained significant blubber as they aged, and it served as insulation for the harsh environments the species was known to inhabit. A side effect was that the blubber softened the impact of fire attacks, and based on this one's girth and excess skin flaps around its belly, it was half-way through evolution.
There would be no knock-out attack. But, Doresey had speed and agility. Dodge, counter, repeat. Patience, that would win the battle.
The game of delcatty and rattata continued. The makuhita struck hard, only to hit air. Doresey returned fire, and the makuhita swung again.
Rinse an repeat. With a shaking hand, Ethan wiped sweat from his brow.
The poacher grew increasingly frustrated, and so did his makuhita.
"Charge it, take it to the ground," the command came, and the makuhita's attacks grew more erratic, opting to go for full-body slams rather than targeted punches and chops as the battle progressed.
Doresey stumbled after a dodge, and Ethan's breath caught in his throat. With a sudden burst, the makuhita leaped forward, arms outstretched for a grapple –
-and Doresey adroitly dodged underneath the fighting-type, tripping it.
Ethan nearly laughed. Doresey coughed a cloud of smoke and growled, a sound that almost mimicked laughter. The poacher stomped his foot, face beet red.
The makuhita stopped to catch its breath, its diminished stamina no longer able to maintain a relentless assault. Doresey, on the other hand, was fresh as morning rain.
Now! Ethan barked an order, and much to his surprise, the quilava burst in flames. As in, his backflames expanded and subsumed the fire-type, turning him into a blazing wrecking ball. Doresey slammed into the makuhita's neck.
The fighting-type collapsed in a heap.
The rising fury on the poacher's face washed away like the tide, leaving shock and confusion behind. Ethan, so preoccupied with his battle, took a moment to see the state of the rest of the battlefield.
It was a whupping. Two of poachers were down, one bleeding profusely from the chest. Intrepid had chased the seviper into the woods and was now flapping overhead, screeching in victory. The primeape was on its hands and knees, the perpetual rage the species was known for having vanished completely.
And then there was Hajime, riding atop Rose and hair flowing like a hillbilly knight. He guided the rapidash towards the primeape, and a swift kick from the fire-type cracked the fighting-type's neck and ended its life. Prancing towards the fallen makuhita, now struggling to rise up, the rapidash whinnied and rose on her hand legs, crashing down on the blubbery pokemon's head with a sickening crunch and splat.
"Looks like you're surrounded now." Lyra stepped up. The stink of miasma burst forward, and Azure materialized. The marill chirped and squeaked, shooting a jet of the water at the poacher.
The soaking barely registered to the poacher. His attention shifted from Hajime to Doresey to Lyra to Ethan, then Hajime again. Full-blown panic blossomed on his face.
"Fuck, man, I yield. I – I – I yield!" He lifted his hands in the hair and dropped to his knees. "Y – you need anything, and I'll make sure the others give it to you! Please!"
Dusk had truly fallen now, the only source of light coming from the orange glow of Doresey and Rose's flames.
Hajime leaned forward on his perch. "How many more of you are in there?"
The poacher looked at the two corpses, hands cradling his face. "By Arceus; oh Gods."
Ethan and Hajime shared a look. "The short guy escaped," the younger trainer said.
"He ain't goin' far; Fuji got him bad." Hajime snapped at the poacher, drawing the man's attention. "Hey. Hey! Fella – what's yer name?"
"R – Robert."
"Can't believe these guys killed those militiamen," Lyra said. Azure shot another water gun at the poacher's face. "They're pathetic."
"We got the jump on them," Ethan said. "Still was a stupid plan."
Lyra rounded on him. "It worked."
"Not complaining, it wasn't my life on the line." Ethan shrugged.
"Both of you, shut up." Hajime had a hardness in his eyes. He jumped off Rose and kneeled beside the poacher. "Robert. How many more men are in the fort?"
The greasy-haired man looked back at the fort. "W – well. There's Jim – sh – short guy, he was out here with us. And – and, and the bosses. Oh Gods." He shuddered with tears. "You guys are Falkner's men, aren't you?"
"We have no allegiances," Ethan said, crossing his arms.
"You ain't Falkner's men? What the fuck? Why'd you fuck with our shit then?"
"Rich to hear that from a poacher." Hajime spit on the ground right beside Robert.
Something overcame Ethan, and he found himself grabbing the poacher's jaw and pulling the man's face to meet his eyes. The skin felt clammy under his fingers. "Your crew stole my noctowl. Don't deny it, or I'll have my quilava burn your face off. Where is he?"
Robert blinked in confusion and opened his mouth to protest. Then, a look of horror dawned on him, and his attention turned to Doresey, growling and spewing smoke. "Yes – yes! The noctowl. Yes! It's in the fort; we have it caged up. Found it by the truck earlier today. Pokeballs didn't work on it, so it must be owned – it must be yours!"
Ethan leaned back on his haunches "Looks like that mystery is solved," he said to Hajime.
The older trainer grunted in response. Beside him, Lyra mouthed, "Good job."
They forced the poacher upright and made him lead the way through the fort. They all kept their pokemon out and their eyes peeled. Ethan's chest still thumped like an earthquake, his blood running hot as if he was still in battle. Euridity was somewhere in the fort; all this effort was justified.
The fort courtyard was a dilapidated mess. Upturned earth piled in mounds, and wooden planks lay abandoned by the walls. A lone, squat building sat opposite the entrance. With the way the roof sloped, it looked like a tumorous growth extending from the wall.
"Used to be occupied by Falkner's men," Robert said. Despite the poacher's best efforts, there was still a nervous edge to his voice. "When the troubles with the Golden Prefecture started up, they moved out; we moved in. We wasn't interested in hurting no one, I swears, but some guys from –"
"Shut up." Hajime's voice cracked like a whip. "Talkin' more ain't savin' you."
They stopped before the structure. Beside the door, the short man sat keeled over, his left arm cradled in the other. The hand was ripped away, leaving a bloody stump. Hajime kicked a shoulder, and the body flopped over. Robert groaned.
"That's must be Jim," Hajime said. "You losin' friends real quick, Robert. Knock on the door."
The poacher did as commanded. They waited; Ethan didn't hear a thing stirring inside.
Breathing deeply, Hajime stepped up and leveled a kick square at the center of the door. It splintered and exploded inward. The older trainer stepped inside and looked around.
"All clear," he said after a moment.
Ethan pushed through and into the dark interior. Doresey followed on his heels, and his backflames lit up the darkness.
Ethan scanned the room quickly, only one thing on his mind. An opened trapdoor in the corner, some papers next to it, a pile of pokeballs on a table, and – there! He ran to a cage on the left wall.
Euridity sat in the cage, dazed from the sudden commotion. He chirped once in a way that suggested a question, then hooted. The noctowl's eyes opened wide in recognition.
Ethan almost fell to his knees. The pressure in his chest gave way to an emptiness, but it was a good emptiness; it was relief. All hadn't been for nought.
He fished an oran berry from his pocket and pushed it through a hole in the cage. "I know they're not your favorite."
Euridity took one sniff at the it and swallowed it whole, hooting in satisfaction. Ethan sagged onto the table, relief overpowering him. Tears welled in his eyes. Keep it together, man.
"Let's get you out of that cage, Euridity." The noctowl dematerialized into red miasma and shot back into the pokeball.
Turning around, Ethan saw Hajime and Lyra smiling at him, the latter wiping a tear from her face.
And then there was Robert, standing in the corner, trying to look small. The emptiness filled again with a red hot rage.
"What should we do with him," Ethan said, pointing.
In the end, having decided that enough blood was spilt, they let Robert go. He left through the trapdoor, presumably the same one his bosses used. Robert said it was an escape tunnel in case of siege, letting out somewhere near the bottom of the cliff face. Ethan didn't care to find out; based on Hajime's and Lyra's exhausted faces, neither did they.
Euridity was in good health, much to Ethan's relief. The poachers' must have subdued him with a dark-type, but otherwise the noctowl showed no sign of injury.
The poachers left many pokeballs behind in their hasty escape. Based on what remained, Robert had said that his bosses only made off with about half the catch. "I'm going straight now. I promise," he had said. "But, I could probably use a pokemon or –"
"No," Hajime said flatly. The poacher gulped, and slid into the hole, closing the trapdoor above him.
And with that, Ethan thought, one adventure is done.
After a quick debate, the three trainers decided to take the stolen pokeballs; Hajime knew of black-market buyers in Violet. Briefly, Ethan thought perhaps they should have given Robert a pokemon. He quickly quashed the notion; the poacher deserved to rough it in the Wilds alone.
So they headed back out. After a few hours of sleep, and another few hours of traversing off-trail, with Intrepid's help, they found Route 30 and headed north again.
The exhaustion had hit Ethan in full force, but it wasn't only physical. A malaise had overcome him as the weight of his actions hit him.
He had ordered Doresey to kill a man, which meant that he killed a man. And he didn't know how to handle it.
Ethan knew that it would happen; you don't traverse the Wilds and Routes of Johto without getting blood on your hands. It was an inevitability that you come across a battle that you can't run from and you can't lose. Ethan just didn't expect it to happen so soon into his journey.
The sun shone high in the sky, and yet there was a chill in the air, a suggestion to the climbing elevation of Route 30. In the distance, on the far mountain slopes, Ethan could see dots of orange and red amidst the green of trees. Autumn would soon be upon them.
Doresey trotted by his side, and Euridity glided in the air above him, circling Ethan in what seemed to be a protective manner. If there was one good thing to come out of the other day, it was that the noctowl gained a newfound trust – and, dare he think, a newfound respect – for his trainer. Euridity was truly Ethan's pokemon, now. The noctowl hadn't even tried to confuse or hypnotize him once!
Hajime was walking ahead with Lyra, his arm around her shoulder. They had been in an intense, if hushed, discussion for the past hour. The older trainer making motions with his hands as he talked, and the brown-haired girl occasionally nodded alone. To Ethan's estimation, she was having the same struggles as him.
Suddenly, Hajime broke off with Lyra and looked back to Ethan. The older trainer stopped walking and waited for the younger to catch up.
"Yer' noctowl seems to have caught a likin' to ya," Hajime said, pointing towards the bird. As of beckoned, Euridity dove down and landed on Ethan's shoulder. Despite its height, the noctowl was quite light and nimble on its perch, and Ethan barely felt its present. Almost; the talons dug into his shoulder, and Ethan made a mental note to buy a glove when in Violet.
"You've done a good job trainin' yer' quilava, too." Hajime motioned towards the fire-type. "He's come a long way since Route 29."
"Thank you," Ethan said. He struggled to keep the weariness out of his voice. "We've trained to be more diligent with the fire attacks."
"Good, good. I saw that. Excellent work," Hajime said, nodding along. "How're you doin'?"
The implied topic needed no explanation. Ethan sighed. "Fine. Okay." He removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. Off, I guess."
"It's okay to not be okay. You ordered yer' quilava to kill a man."
Hearing the words out loud felt like a punch to his stomach, and Ethan physically recoiled. Hajime put both hands on his shoulders and stopped walking, his eyes alight. Ethan could feel the heat of the Sinnoan's gaze.
"No, you need to hear it; you ordered yer' quilava to kill a man. And it's okay. And it's okay to not be okay about it. Trainin' ain't easy, and it's a hard life, too. Fact is, there're just some battles you can't run from. It's kill or be killed. Yesterday was one of those." Hajime stood taller and breathed deeply. "It's the life we chose to live, Gold. This land ain't as safe as Supreme Emperor Lance says it is. That's just the way it is.
"But yer' strong. So is Lyra. You'll get through this, both of ya'."
For the first time in a day, Ethan smiled. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He still remembered the blackened corpse of the poacher Doresey burned – he would never forget that – but the load seemed lessened, somehow. "Thank you, Hajime. What would I do without you?"
Hajime winked, and ran ahead to catch up with Lyra.
Dusk had fallen, and Mister Pokemon sat by an open window with a cup of tea in her hands. Lifting the cup to her lips, she drank slowly, deeply, hoping it would calm her ever-present nerves.
It didn't.
The wind outside whipped, carrying the sound of disturbance, bringing the smell of smoke to the window. In the distance, a black haze rose into the sky, carrying a smell like pokeball miasma. The blue of dusk turned into an ominous black. The sounds of anger and hate carried with the wind.
Mister Pokemon smiled slightly; that calmed her nerves somewhat. Her agents were out in full force tonight, and successful by the sounds of it.
The air shifted by the window, and a natu landed on the windowsill a second later. Quiet birds, those lot; you couldn't hear them coming until they were mere feet away. That's why they made such good spies.
Mister Pokemon placed the cup on a nearby coffee table and turned to face the natu. The psychic-type's eyes glowed a light purple. A fog descended over her mind, and her vision blackened. A second later, a new vision appeared: three people passed through the Violet City checkpoint, entering the city.
Mister Pokemon recognized only one of them – Ethan Markin – but the other two remained a mystery. The vision faded, and she was back in the present, staring at her natu's eyes.
A frown tugged at her lips. "By Arceus, he brought friends." She picked up a journal and wrote down the time: 8:37 PM, Entered. "Am I the crazy one here? Oak, Elm – you both better know what you're doing."
And you both better be on the same page as this. Her safehouse sat in the middle of the city, and from her window, Mister Pokemon could see the squat, windowless structure that was Falkner's gymnasium. It towered above the city from its perch on The Spear, a hill of appropriate name given the deep, rocky groves that lifted to a jagged point.
The Alemov House flag flew lazily above the building's tallest point; with luck, it would be on the ground by the end of the week. In replacement, the Sprout Tower.
She sipped her tea, another uncomfortable thought nagging at her. The Tower was old and proud; allying with them would not have been Mister Pokemon's first idea, or second or third for that matter, but Elm was confident in his trust of them. From her interactions with the kannushi, his intentions seemed reliable.
Too many variables. Too many ways this could go wrong. Hopefully, this Ethan Markin – this Gold – would do his job. She was not convinced, but Oak and Elm saw something in him.
Oak and Elm. The thought of the them made her gut curdle. That they each had their own plots that did not involve the other was of no surprise to her. But, increasingly, Mister Pokemon found herself in a precarious position, like she was caught in an ariados web as two dragonites raged beside her.
They were plotting against each other. She had tried to ignore the truth for too long, but speaking with Oak in Cherrygrove proved her worst fears.
Why? Pride? Jealousy? Elm always did have an inferiority complex to Oak…
Years ago, they used to be… well, if not friends, at least acquaintances. When Lance ascended to Supreme Emperor, he organized all the pokemon professors of Johto and Kanto into one organization, the Organization, so that all the knowledge of Pokeology could be accumulated and advanced together.
It was such an ambitious, idealistic idea. They were no longer individuals, but something larger than themselves. Mister Pokemon, Professor Elm… they chose new names for themselves to signify that they were part of something different. More than their old selves. Well, all except Professor Oak, who kept his family surname.
But then we turned on Lance, Mister Pokemon mused. It was only a matter of time until we began plotting against each other, too.
"That will be all, Sheema." The natu dissolved into a cloud of miasma. Her concerns didn't matter at this point; Ethan had arrived, the riots had begun, and Violet City was primed to fall. The only thing left was to roll the dice.
Despite her nerves, Mister Pokemon would always see things through.
Ocean of Morning: The vast ocean that is the first to be bathed by the sun's morning light as it rises in the sky. It lays to the east of Johto, Kanto, and the rest of the regions that comprise the former Land of the Rising Sun. Beyond the ocean lies the mysterious regions of Orre and Unova, both part of a massive, sprawling continent.
Indigoan: 1) A citizen of the Indigo Empire; 2) The official spoken language of Kanto and Johto. Hoennese and Sinnoans both speak it, too, although with distinctive accents.
Cobalt Mountains: the mountain range that spans the northern frontiers of Johto and Kanto; an offshoot range also splits the two regions from each other. Notable landmarks include Mount Silver, Mount Moon, the Indigo Plateau, and the Tohjo Falls.