Chapter 9: Moving Once More

The journey to the pier took a while. 

'I…'

…

'Mom…'

The bird set me gently down on the stone pier, sweeping in front of me as the rain beat down on us. 

"Bawww!"

"Hmm… A talonflame, huh? No wonder I wasn't cold. Thank you, but where's-"

VRRRRRRRRRrrrrrooommmmmmmm

The distinct engine from earlier sound behind me, and I watched as a speedboat came into the harbor. A red haired woman hurriedly got off, jogging over. 

"Oh dear…"

She paused in front of me, doing a once over of my soaked and cut up clothes and my soot-stained body. Washing them would make them usable, but I would need to mend them to not look homeless. 

"Thank goodness… I was able to save at least one person."

'…Yeah. At least one.'

"Thank you…"

My throat choked up, but I had a story to tell. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I see… That's a harrowing tale. I'm so sorry you went through that."

The rain didn't stop beating down, but the woman's talonflame kept us warm for the few minutes of explaining. I stroked its head as she continued to speak. 

"I was on my way to East Gearen from Terajuma when I picked up a distress call. Talonflame and I made our way to that location as fast as possible and, well…"

Trr-trr

The redhead dug her shoe into the stone pier as she spoke. Her frustration from being so late was palpable, but I couldn't blame her. Even the fast flight here took half an hour, and she must have rushed over as soon as she noticed. 

"...! Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't even properly introduce myself. My name is Tesla. Tesla Von Brandt."

The woman looked middle aged, but her clothes were anything but what I imagined a woman her age wearing. She wore a red dress that matched her hair and eyes and had a white flame pattern at the bottom. It was loose fitting enough to be practically a mini poncho in this weather, and was loose enough to be what Mom would call 'Immodest'. 

"I'm from the tropical island of Aevium, that being Terajuma Island. I was on my way to visit Gearen when… well."

'That'd explain it. And her being unaffected by the downpour… Maybe that was just her?'

"It's my pleasure to meet you! What's your name?"

"I'm Mykah… Hart."

Mom didn't have me take her last name, but I guess it doesn't matter if I do it now. Trainer cards only require the first, and it's not like it matters- she didn't seem to be anybody important, given that she had the time to save me. 

"Sorry about that, I didn't even think of introducing myself either."

The woman received my handshake poorly, but had a light smile. 

'Ah, I guess this place may not be as big on handshakes as Castelia was.'

I had grown up in the biggest city in Unova before eventually being surrounded by a lot of… serious people. Handshakes were in my blood at this point.

"Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to say that I wouldn't worry about your mother."

…My vision swam a bit at her words. My thoughts meant to keep myself from feeling sick lapsed. 

"It looks like the group that attacked the ship was Team Xen. They're a criminal organization that seemed to just have popped up in Aevium out of nowhere."

'The fudge does that have to do with not worrying about my Mom dying?'

 My mouth felt dry and my lip ached as I bit it, holding back my anger. She was getting to a point. 

"...But they're usually known to be somewhat incompetent, or at least, rarely active. That's what is so confusing about this. I believe this is their first actual attack?"

'…What? I thought this was some pirate group? Are you telling me they might have just been taking captives? Maybe I need to prepare a ransom-'

"..."

Ah, shoot, I'm thinking too much again.

"Oh, but this means you're all alone now, aren't you?" 

"...yeah. I guess I am."

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do now?"

"...I… I don't know."

My head ached. What could I even do in this scenario? I have no pokemon, no housing… I don't even have a way to make money. If they really wanted a ransom… I was a trainer, but I didn't have any way to start without even a single pokeball. 

'If I had my guitar for shows at least…'

"I see, well, in any case you should probably head to the Gearen Laboratory. You can pick up a pokemon there if you don't have one- they're essential for any trainer to have. I think they also have rooms for visitors, so you should ask at the desk."

'…Do they just hand stuff out like candy?'

"Is it… free? I'm a bit short on… well, anything right now."

She nodded, smiling. 

"Of course. The Pokémon you can get were a part of the wildlife preservation act, and after breeding a few too many… let's just say they'd want to pay you to take them at this point!"

I almost laughed, but… I couldn't. I wanted to… I guess my heart just felt far too heavy. 

"The rooms are just a guess, since there tends to be a few open for visitors. If you explain what happened I'm sure they'll be willing to help."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. 

'Asking for help… I didn't know what to say, but I could try at least. It'd be better than sleeping outside in the rain.'

"...I think I'm going to head to the wreck site to see if I can find any more survivors. You mentioned that those weird pokemon took everybody you saw, but if somebody was hiding they may still be buried."

My hair stood on end. If those people were there, she may not be able to escape again- heck, I doubt they left anybody on board by this point. 

She climbed on the talonflame's back, as if she wouldn't think of the danger on her own behalf if it meant saving others a bit quicker. 

"I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Things will work out eventually if you're patient. We'll see each other again soon, Mykah!"

'For a reason…'

I fiddled with the medallion Rusty had given me as a kid. Even going back to when I was on the ship wouldn't change anything- I was too weak still, and I didn't have any weapons or tools at the time that could give me an edge over pokemon that powerful. My thoughts turned to the past- from when I was barely nine, before I lost everything. 

The big red dog had gotten me stronger- strong enough to survive Victor's help, and he helped me to learn how to use my ability without overstraining myself at a time I didn't even know it wasn't normal. He was also the one who gave me this dam- darned amulet, right before he left like Dad. I looked at the design again- a sword crossed with a shield, circumscribed by a circle. It felt more like just a double-edged sword though, considering what it had put me through. 

'...Maybe she's right.'

It helped me save lives. So many people were rescued because of my parents bringing home a stray when I was born- if that wasn't fate then I didn't know what was. 

"…"

"Clear the way, pretty please?"

"-Ah!"

"Full speed, Talonflame! Tailwind!"

"Baaaawwwww!"

FWWWOOOOSH~!

Stepping to the side, the duo swept by as they flew off into the rain. A massive wind swept me with them, almost knocking me off the narrow pier. 

"...Talonflame, huh? What an inventive name."

I smiled wryly. 

'Gotta make sure I name my pokemon or the veterans will kill me.'