8-9

Mourning​

Death is not the end. — Elite Agatha Shikoku​

A pair of rangers arrived less than ten minutes later. They put out the fire, a golduck and a poliwhirl dousing the blaze before it could spark into a forest wide inferno. They'd seen the smoke on patrol, seen the chopper flying west in a hurry. One of them had given chase on the back of his pidgeot, but the masked man had released a scizor that had driven him off. The bastard was gone, leaving us to deal with the mess he'd left behind.

Blue went kind of non responsive for a bit. The rangers couldn't get a word out of him so I explained everything. I gave them as much as I could without mentioning Curie or the woman who had taken her. I couldn't be sure who to trust with that kind of information. I showed them the cubone we had collected, almost thirty pokeballs in all. They balked when I told them, but didn't tell me what to do with them. I was hoping they would know what to do. I certainly didn't.

They'd lost their mother. I didn't know about any of the other marowak, but I had a sinking feeling that none of them had made it onto that chopper. I wasn't going to just release them. That would be a death sentence out here. Without a marowak to lead them, they didn't stand a chance in the wild. And as selfish as it was, I didn't want to let Acolyte go so early. I reasoned to myself that he wasn't ready to lead yet. I knew the selfish truth behind that lie. I just didn't want to lose my newest pokemon.

The rangers had teleported us back to Lavender after that. Blue hadn't been hurt, but I'd taken a serious blow to the head and was still feeling dizzy. They checked us in at the pokemon centre and then disappeared again, leaving me with a contact number in case I remembered anything useful.

The nurse checked our pokemon in and stuck me in the centre's infirmary. It was a slow day in an already sleepy town and I was the only human patient they had. I was basically left alone in a darkened room while Blue left to go visit the Pokemon Tower. He mumbled something about saying goodbye. I couldn't blame him. I didn't think I'd have been in much better shape had it been one of my pokemon.

It was maybe an hour before the pokegear rang. I didn't recognize the number. I picked it up cautiously. "Hello?"

A haggard voice came out of my pokegear. "Is this a Marcus Wright?"

"Yes," I said. "Who is this?"

I heard the sound of rustling and a pained grunt come through the speakers. "Professor Samuel Oak," he said. "I hear you helped my grandson out of a tight spot."

My spine instinctively stiffened upon hearing the name. "Yes, sir."

"Well, I just wanted to thank you personally. I had a contact in the rangers pass this number on to me, and Blue hasn't answered my calls."

My heart sank. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this. He lost a pokemon today. His raticate."

The elder professor sighed and I heard a long pause. "I was afraid of this day," he said. "It is not a happy day to lose a pokemon. How is he managing?"

"I'm not really sure, sir. I was injured in the incident and he left shortly after we arrived in Lavender. He hasn't really said anything about it."

Oak sighed heavily through the phone. "So much like his father, internalizing everything." I heard him mumble under his breath and couldn't make out the words. "Well, in any case, thank you. If there's anything I can do to help you at this time, please let me know."

I sat up a little straighter, an idea popping into my head. Oak was a researcher, studying pokemon behaviours. I had a suspicion he would leap at my idea. "Actually, there might be something you can help me with," I started. "The traffickers we battled against had captured most of a cubone colony. I have twenty-six cubone and one newly evolved marowak in pokeballs. I don't know what to do with them. They won't survive in the wild on their own and…" My voice trailed off and I despised that I couldn't give the professor the whole truth. I couldn't be sure who was listening. "I feel responsible for their safety. The colony had gifted me with a marowak two days before this."

I heard Oak's voice quicken with excitement despite my somber tone. "Cubone are exceedingly rare. I've never had a chance to study them up close." I heard the sounds of papers rustling and then Oak was back. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I have nowhere to house them until they can fend for themselves. It would only be until enough of the cubone evolve and take charge of the group."

"My lab has extensive facilities designed for such an occasion, although I'll have to have the enclosure expanded of course. We've never had quite so many specimens at one time.." I could practically hear the man gushing with excitement. "I would be more than happy to oblige you, young man."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever that masked man was, I knew he was connected to the woman who had taken Curie. While I would no doubt hear about it at some point, I didn't want the cubone to be in danger because of me. A former champion turned pokemon researcher was the perfect guardian for the vulnerable cubone.

"They are all freshly captured and likely hostile," I said. "You'll likely have some work on your hands."

"That's what all the assistants are for, my boy." A loud crash echoed through the phone and I heard Oak wince audibly. "My apologies, I have a situation that requires my attention. Thank you for everything you've done, Marcus. I'll send one of my assistants to pick up the pokeballs immediately."

"No, thank you." I replied.

Oak ended the call and I looked cautiously around the room. I swung my legs off the side of my bed, ignoring the spike of pain in my brain and the swell of dizziness it brought on. I had things to do, and concussion be damned, I still had to do them.

I picked up my pokemon from the front desk just as the apprentice teleported in, alakazam standing motionless behind him. He looked haggard and exhausted.

I crossed the room and hefted my pack onto the floor in front of him. It thudded heavily onto the floor and he jumped. "You the professor's assistant?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, you would be a mister Wright?"

"Yeah."

He pulled the duffel bag off his shoulder and began to transfer the balls into his bag. "You were with Blue? How is he? We were all so torn up when we heard."

I frowned. "He's down right now, but he'll get back up."

The assistant finished transferring the balls into his bag. He thanked me again before disappearing with a short pop along with the alakazam. I left the centre, ready to leave the sleepy town behind me. I only had one more thing to do.

I found Blue exactly where I expected him to be. He was in the sprawling graveyard that surrounded Pokemon Tower, a small marker and the freshly filled earth the only sign that a pokemon was buried at his feet.

"Hey, kid," I said quietly. "Got a call from your grandfather."

"So did I," he replied curtly. He didn't look up at me, his gaze fixed on the hand-carved marker. "Didn't really feel like talking."

I nodded to myself. "Of course, I get it." I joined him in silence, looking down at the grave. "She was a good raticate," I said. "She'll be missed."

I saw Blue bow his head slightly, caught the tears begin to form at the edges of his eyes. The kid looked down at the grave. "She is missed," he said plainly. "She didn't deserve that, to die fighting that thing."

I stood there, my mind racing. This kid had lost his pokemon because of me, all because I had caught Acolyte. I couldn't help coming back to that again, finding the event that all of this stemmed from sticking in my mind.

"I never got the chance to thank you," he said quickly. "I stole your food and you gave me more without even thinking."

"Trainers help each other," I said without a second thought. "We're on our own out here, just us and our teams against the wilderness." I smirked. "Besides, what kind of person would I be if I let a kid starve to death while I had food?"

He set his eyes on me, that determined glare that I would come to know so well boring into me. "You didn't have to share it," he said. "You didn't have to, but you did."

He reached into his pack, pulling out a small pockmarked stone. "I found this in a cave on Mount Moon. There was a big meteorite underground. It evolved my nidorino when he touched it." He paused as I took the stone, his glare softening. "I want you to take this. I broke it off the meteorite after the evolution, thinking it might be valuable." He shrugged and handed it to me. "Maybe it could help you evolve your nidorino."

I put up my hand, holding the stone back out to him. "I can't take this," I protested. I was the reason his pokemon was dead. I didn't deserve a reward, even if it was as tempting as this. "You might need it."

He shook his head. "Trainers help each other," he said. "You said that yourself. You helped me, I'm helping you." He stepped back, pushing the stone back at me. "If you give that back, I'm throwing it away."

I smiled as best I could. He didn't deserve to have this hanging over his head. He was just a kid. "You sure?" I asked.

He nodded, looking back down at the grave. "She would have wanted me to pay you back," he said solemnly. I saw tears threaten in his eyes and watched him look away. "She was a good pokemon like that."

I put my hand on his shoulder. Blue flinched, but he didn't move my hand nor move away. "I know what you're feeling," I said. "I know that you feel guilty about what happened to Clothos."

"How could you?" he asked coldly.

I didn't let my smile fade, even as the memory of the tragedy that incited my departure from home came surging back. "I lost my little sister just before I started my journey. It was a persian attack," I said, my voice shaky. It still hurt to think of Margaret, but he needed someone to help him through his loss. "I didn't understand at first. I blamed myself. I blamed my family…" I met his eyes, knowing that he needed to hear what I was saying. "Sometimes there's just nobody to blame. Sometimes, it's just the way things go. They aren't fair or right, or even someone's fault. They just are."

His gaze fell to the dirt. "I could have-"

"You can't dwell on what could have been, or what you could have done differently," I said. "What happened in the past is set in stone now. The only thing left is how you move on." I squeezed his shoulder, his eyes betraying the stoic demeanour he wore. "You're a good trainer, Blue. You're smart and a damn sight more mature than I was at your age. Clothos may be gone, but you can carry on for her."

He nodded and I saw his expression soften for a moment as he regained his composure. Then his hard, sarcastic gaze was back. "What kinda weakling do you think I am?" he asked with a cocky smirk.

I smirked. "That's the attitude I remember." I looked around me, at the rows of graves surrounding us. "What's your plan, kid?"

He shrugged. "Still got Celadon waiting for me."

"I meant right now."

He met my eyes. "Might say goodbye for a little bit." He looked back down at the marker. "I… I got a call to make. I've got a friend that's been through this before." He grimaced. "Thank you, Marcus. I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

I sighed and shook my head. "You don't have to apologize, kid. I gotta get back to Vermilion myself. Still got a match with Surge waiting for me."

He smiled. "Smell ya later then."

I couldn't help the chuckle. Despite the badass team of pokemon and the cocky attitude, Blue was still just a kid. It was easy to forget that. "I'll see you around, Blue."

I left that place, only pausing to look back once. Blue was still standing there, looking down at the marker. A boy in a red training jacket and hat had joined him, both of them staring down at the marker in silence. I turned back, leaving the grieving trainers behind.

I made it partway to Saffron that night. My plan had been to cut through the underground path and head back to Vermillion that way. If all went well, I'd be back in Vermillion before the month was out.

I should have expected her after my run-in with the masked man. I should have been ready. I was watching the fire and picking at the scraps from my meal, fighting off nausea and dizziness as I ate. She emerged from the darkness, the masked trainer towering over both of us at her side.

I shot Luna a look. "Enough," I said as I calmed her down with a scratch behind the ears. "Not today, Luna."

I looked up at the woman with a bored expression. "What do you want?"

"To remind you the terms of our arrangement," she spat.

A loud buzz filled the air and I realized too late that I knew what it was. The scizor hit me from the side, tearing Luna away and knocking me flat in one smooth movement.

My vulpix struggled briefly, spewing a jet of flames that scorched the ground beside our campfire. The scizor knocked her out with one swift blow to the base of her head. It dropped my starter into the dirt unceremoniously and let her lay there motionless.

I clambered to my feet, fists clenched. I returned her to her ball and gritted my teeth for what was coming next. I couldn't fight back, not against her. Not if I wanted Curie back alive. I had to take this with a smile.

"Did you forget what you were supposed to be doing?" She asked. "Did you forget what your only job was?"

"Run the gym challenge," I replied curtly. "Which I was doing."

She shook her head. "No, you were off playing hero halfway across the country. Your battle is in Vermillion, not Lavender."

I shrugged nonchalantly, trying to keep calm. "I needed a third pokemon for Surge. I was hoping to have Curie evolved by now, but without her I needed to catch something new." I glanced at the masked trainer. "Someone decided to track the location of my latest capture and capture a bunch of rare, probably expensive pokemon."

The masked man narrowed his eyes. "That's enough out of you. Release him," he ordered. "Now."

I slowly reached down and lifted Acolyte's ball. He materialized in front of me, bone club held lazily at his side. He saw the masked trainer and let out a feral growl.

"Stand down, Acolyte," I said firmly. I stepped in front of him, pleading with my eyes.

He hefted his club with both hands and looked at me furiously. He wanted to fight.

"Please, Acolyte," I begged. "Please don't.

He lowered the club slightly but still kept it in a ready position. I breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed I had some measure of control over my newest pokemon.

The masked man scowled and looked my marowak up and down. "So this is what we missed out on?" he asked. He sighed and his fists tightened. "Woulda been a damn good return on the colony. Return him," he ordered. "What about the cubone?"

The woman stifled a laugh as I returned Acolyte to his ball. I was completely alone at their mercy. "He handed them off this morning. They're out of our reach now. Probably already safely at Oak's lab."

The masked man shook his head. "Now, that sounds like it was a poor choice."

I balled up my fists as righteous anger swelled up inside me. "No, tracking a trainer's capture location was a poor choice." I stepped forward, indignant as I could be. "They aren't yours, to be caught and sold to the highest bidder like they're barely even animals. The cubone were intelligent. They had their own society. You don't get to take that away."

The man said nothing, but exhaled slightly through his nose. My eyes widened and I knew I had made a mistake.

"I didn't give Oak anything on you," I said quickly. I stepped back, fear swelling in my chest. "Or the Rangers. Nobody knows a-."

The masked trainer's fist slammed into my chest, driving the wind from my lungs. A second fist into my gut doubled me over and made my vision swim. I felt a third blow into my ribs and grunted as I dropped to my knees.

He lifted me off the ground with one arm, meaty hand wrapping around my throat. I felt him squeeze, felt myself panic as I tried and failed to draw a breath.

"That's not the point," he spat in my face. He tossed me to the ground and crossed his arms. "You interfered with our operations and cost us the cubone colony. The organization is after my head for this. You're lucky I'm not cracking your happiny's ball as we speak." He glanced back at the woman with a look of disgust. "Someone has a bleeding heart and doesn't think that's earned yet." He turned back to look at me and scowled. "If it were up to me, you would already be dead."

"Fortunately, that decision is not yours." The woman stepped forward, speaking with more force than I had expected. "He's not your mark, Vicious."

He backed off, but kept his cold gaze on me. "Bah, this is why I don't work with other divisions. You're all a bunch of softhearted shits. No spine when it comes time to put the screws to your mark"

The woman ignored him and stepped closer to me. "Let me put it in very simple terms. Your battle with Surge is in the morning." Her voice dropped low and she leaned in close. She produced a pokeball from one pocket and held it out to me. "You will win that battle," she said. "Or you will never see this ball again."

I took Curie's ball and curled my hand around it. I couldn't let that happen. "Not to ruin the plan," I started, my voice hoarse and my throat aching. "But how am I supposed to get to Vermillion by the morning?"

She smirked and looked back at the masked man. "We have our ways."

Their way turned out to include a white knuckle helicopter ride just over the tops of the trees. We roared over the trees, low enough to stay off of any ground based radar. I worried that we might be seen by an aerial patrol, but none crossed our path that night.

I had Curie asleep on my lap the entire ride. She passed out barely even ten minutes off the ground. I spent the entire ride staring daggers at the masked trainer, my free hand gently caressing the back of Curie's head. It passed by far too quickly.

We touched down in a clearing just north of Vermillion. I returned Curie to her ball and handed it over when ordered. It crushed me to do it, but I didn't have a choice. Like it or not, Curie and I were only alive because they needed us for something, something big. Otherwise, why blackmail a Silph trainer? I would play along for now, until the moment was right. Then I would find my way out.

The helicopter roared back into the night, leaving me completely alone in the small clearing. I relaxed my fists and looked down at the small, round, white rock in my hand. Curie's rock. She had dropped it in my lap and it didn't return to her ball with her. I made a silent promise to myself, that I'd get her back, give her back the silly little rock in my hand.

With a grunt and a sigh of exhaustion, I made my way to Vermillion. My legs felt like they were dragging through a snow drift and my head was groggy but I powered through the pain. I reached the gates of Vermillion before the sun rose. The rangers waved me through after checking my ID, something that I hadn't remembered when I first arrived. I chalked that up to entering the city during an active emergency.

I pulled out my pokegear and plugged it in once I reached the pokemon centre. I still had a few hours until sign in for my match, so after checking my pokemon in for some last minute emergency care, I flipped over to the phone feature. I had twelve missed calls and several texts from Gemma overnight.

I hit dial before I read the text. It rang once. "You sneaky little novice bastard," she said as the line picked up. "How the hell did you catch a cubone?"

I couldn't help the effortless smile that came to my face. I may have been in pain, but Gemma's enthusiasm was infectious. "Luck and persistence," I replied. "He's a fierce one too. Not a fan of Pride though. I swear I have to separate them at the end of every sparring session. He's already evolved into a marowak."

"Surge won't stand a chance against him," she said in a giddy tone. "His teams are mostly energy based attackers. The only real threat you'll face is his raichu, maybe his magneton but Luna counters that pretty well." She paused for a moment. "How did you even get a match? I thought you were still hiking up the coast another week at least."

I hesitated for a moment too long. "I… uhhhh… caught a teleport from Lavender. Something opened up for me and with Acolyte evolving so quickly I figured we were ready."

"You definitely are," she continued, missing my slight hesitation. "He walls basically anything Surge can throw at him. He always runs raichu-magneton as his core for intermediate matches, but the third always plays to your weaknesses." She paused for a half-moment. "What are they?" She asked.

"You'd know better than me," I said.

"No, I haven't seen Pride or Luna in over a month. Acolyte is completely new to me. I have no clue what their synergy is like, nor what their weaknesses would be."

I thought for a long moment. "Stopping power. We don't have the strength to brute force our way through a battle. We have to win with strategy more than strength."

I could practically hear the laugh in her voice. "Good luck, then. He's gonna bring his biggest glass cannon and try to blitz you down." She paused a moment. "He has speed on his side, with the exception of maybe Luna. He won't give you any time to set up. You'll be in for a fight from the opening moments of the battle."

I nodded. I missed Gemma, her sage advice and battle tips. It wasn't her fault that I couldn't tell her about Curie. "Thanks, Gemma."

She stopped talking. "No problem, novice."

"How's Saffron treating you?" I asked. "Still bored?"

There was a long pause, with both of us remaining silent. "Things are pretty bad," she finally said. "There was an attack the day after that guy came after us. They hit Silph headquarters in broad daylight and incited a riot in the markets. They put the city on lockdown. Nobody in or out of their homes. The streets are clear every day now. It's almost creepy to look down at what should be the busiest street in Kanto and see not a single person."

I sucked in a breath. It had to be connected to the masked trainer and the woman. I was beginning to suspect that there was a much larger conspiracy going on than I had originally thought. The woman likely worked with whoever was threatening Silph, and Vicious was from an entirely different division of their organization.

"You alright?" she asked. "You seem a little off today."

"I've been up all night. Couldn't sleep and…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I knew I was likely being listened to. "I… I watched a friend lose a pokemon yesterday." She didn't say anything so I continued. "I watched it happen and it was my fault. I led us into the situation. I was just trying to help some wild pokemon. I escalated the situation and his pokemon paid the price."

She was silent for a moment. "You didn't do it, you know. You didn't kill the pokemon yourself."

"I might as well have," I replied. "It was my fault. He wouldn't have been there if I hadn't led him into it."

She sighed. "Look, Marcus. You might be naïve but you aren't an asshole. Don't treat yourself like one. You tried to help some wild pokemon. It's not your fault that something bad happened."

I smiled. Maybe I couldn't tell Gemma what happened. But it was nice to talk to her all the same. She cared. Sometimes that's all you needed.

I was waiting at the doors of the gym when the receptionist arrived. She gave me a weak smile and unlocked the doors. She took my name down and disappeared into the back to flip on the lights.

The rows of lights flipped on one by one. The room was bare, save for the reception desk. It was large enough for my whole team and another dozen more pokemon. It was large enough to stage a battle in. I briefly thought that perhaps the battle would take place in here, but I cast the idea away as absurd.

A heavy set of footsteps followed the receptionist and I looked up. The Lightning Hero himself, Lieutenant Colonel Emmett 'Surge' Roth, Gym Leader of Vermillion City was looking down at me.

He was massive in a way that I had never seen before. He towered over me, his legs at least as thick around as my chest. I felt completely and utterly dwarfed by the monster of a man in front of me. "So you're my morning challenge?" he boomed. "Not often that I see a gym challenge set for twenty minutes after open." He smacked me on the back, practically dragging me with him.

I shot the receptionist a terrified look as Surge wheeled me away. She smirked and shook her head as we passed through the doors deeper into the gym.

Surge led me by the shoulder through his gym. We passed training rooms by the dozen, passed by a rowdy sounding hallway, deeper into the gym. Surge practically shoved me through the small door at the end of the hallway and squeezed through behind me.

He shut the heavy door and he deposited himself into a reclining chair behind the desk. He pulled a thick rolled cigar out of his shirt pocket and offered me one. "Genuine petilil. Straight out of Unova," he said. "Rolled it myself."

I reluctantly took the roll and held it awkwardly in my hand as I sat in the chair opposite him. "I was hoping we could have our battle, sir. I'm on a tight schedule, sir."

Surge eyed me through a growing cloud of smoke. "Cut the shit. I'm not your superior officer." He leaned back and glanced over at the trio of magnemite that I only just realized were hovering in the corner of the room. "Are we good?" He asked.

The magnemite let out an angry buzz and I felt my pokegear vibrate slightly in my pocket.

Surge looked at me and narrowed his eyes. He slowly opened a safe on the wall and pointed to the bulge in my jacket pocket. He gently took my pokegear from me and placed it in the safe. He gently closed the door and pressed the lock button.

"What was that about?" I asked cautiously.

His scowl could have curdled milk. "I don't trust anyone, much less a Silph trainer. Corruption runs deep in Kanto and Silph is at the centre of everything." He gestured at the safe. "You never know who could be listening with one of those things."

I raised an eyebrow. "So my league sponsor is up to no good?"

He shrugged. "I didn't say that. But I do know that an expert-level trainer who had been expecting an in-depth training session this morning was suddenly bumped and replaced with you, a novice with only three reported pokemon." He crossed his arms across his chest and looked me up and down. "Would you be able to explain that to me? Because I'm of half a mind to deny your challenge and go on my merry way."

"Please don't," I said quickly, discretion falling by the wayside as the woman cracked Curie's ball in my mind. "They'll kill her if I can't earn your badge."

The expression of frustration on Surge's face morphed into a sympathetic smile. "There are no ears in here except mine." He leaned forward and puffed heavily on his cigar. "Tell me everything."

I did. I spilled everything to the war hero in front of me. I told him what happened after the Cerulean gym match, told him about how I'd helped defend Vermillion during the tentacruel attack, told him about the woman who had shown up in my hotel room and taken Curie. I told him about my trip up the eastern coast of Kanto, about the cubone colony.

I told him about Blue, about how his raticate had died. I told him about the same stylized red R that I kept seeing. I told him how the woman had appeared last night with the tyranitar's trainer and threatened me with the death of my pokemon if I didn't earn the thunder badge by the end of the day.

He leaned back in his chair, chewing on the end of his cigar. "Did you get any names?" He asked carefully. "Any aliases we could use?"

I thought back carefully, mind racing through the night. "She called the man Vicious. He had a metal helmet that covered the top half of his head." I wracked my mind again but came up with nothing. "I didn't catch the woman's name at all."

Surge sighed and shook his head. He sat up and looked me in the eyes. "Look, kid," he started. "What I'm about to tell you is secret. Nobody can know. Not your mom, not your best friend, not any of your trainer buddies. Nobody."

I nodded slowly, wondering what fresh mess I was getting myself into.

"When I said corruption runs deep in Kanto, I meant it. Silph is compromised to a degree that I'm scared to even investigate." He got up and slid open the desk drawer. He pulled out a folder and opened it. For a short moment, he looked at the photo mournfully. "Something is rotten at the core of the league. Lance won't give me any straight answers about anything, we've had an empty Elite Four slot for months, Agatha has gone silent, Lorelei is her usual ice-bitch self… And Bruno is stuck in Saffron, dealing with whatever the hell is going on there. Pokemon traffickers run rampant, swarms of strangely evolved pokemon are attacking cities that haven't faced attack in decades, and I have Rangers across Kanto noting unusual wild pokemon movements."

He flipped a page and his expression hardened. "Someone is playing a dangerous game here. Someone very powerful."

He looked up at me and I saw the gravity of the situation in his eyes, saw the weight of responsibility laying on his back. "And that red R? It's at the centre of it all. It's on the periphery of every major event, just taunting me with its presence." He dropped the folder in front of me. "Notice anything?"

I looked down. It was three men, all of them laughing and posing for the picture. They were clad in fine suits and all held glasses of bubbly liquid in their hands. "A younger you," I said. "Is that the champion?" He nodded and I looked over at the last man and immediately focused in on the stylized R on his collar. "Who is that?"

"That is Leader Giovanni Sakai, of Viridian City. This is before he took that post, of course. Back when he was just part of the Indigo Aces. It's also the first instance I could find of that R appearing." He shook his head. "Just an aerospace firm… I don't think so." He rose to his feet and massaged his temples. "I don't have much, but something big is coming. I'm a soldier at heart. I can feel it in my bones. War's coming. And whatever that R is, it's at the centre of it all. It appears in too many places, is connected to too many unusual disturbances and events to be a coincidence. Someone is up to something, and I'd bet on Leader Sakai having answers."

I looked at the rest of the pictures. "More people with the R?" I asked. I pointed at the masked trainer. "That's Vicious," I said. "And that's the woman…"

"Domino," he said. "She doesn't appear to have any pokemon that we know of, however it doesn't appear as though she needs any."

I looked up at him, unsure of what to make of this. "What do you need me to do?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I never wanted the bullshit of command," he started. "I was always at home in the middle of the fight, not giving the orders from the back or sneaking around in the dark. All this conspiracy bullshit? It's not my kind of fight." He turned around and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Here's what we do. We have our battle."

I raised an eyebrow. "And then what?"

He met my eyes and I saw the tired in his eyes. "You'll play along, at least until I can figure out a way to get your happiny back safely." He turned and entered the combination for the safe. He pulled out my pokegear and held it out to me. "I only have one question, trainer Wright. Are you ready for our battle?"

I nodded and looked him in the eyes. I wasn't ready. I was exhausted from a night of no sleep. My brain was throbbing and my throat still ached from Vicious choking me. My pokemon were not rested and we hadn't done any specific training for the battle. We were strong, probably strong enough to win, but I didn't like leaving things to chance. "I am ready, sir."

He rose from his seat and opened the door. "Follow me," he ordered. "Your battle will begin shortly."

I rose to my feet and followed the living legend through the gym. We didn't speak. We didn't have to. I had to win. Everything else was irrelevant.

Pokédex Entry #248 – Tyranitar

This fearsome predator is almost solely found in the Argent Mountain range that divides the Kan-Jo supercontinent. These impressively powerful pokemon are capable of reshaping entire landscapes with their raw strength.

Tyranitar are inherently aggressive. They attack at the first perceived slight, often for trivial reasons. It is highly recommended that trainers avoid these pokemon at all costs.

They make their nests in the hollowed out shells of broken mountains. Almost no records of tyranitar reproduction exist, but mother tyranitar appear to have strong bonds with young larvitar. It is unknown whether this bond remains as the young age, as tyranitar are solitary creatures that are seldom seen in a peaceful state.

Novice Trainer KT# 07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak

9

Thunder​

Warriors wage war. — Champion Jason Rykker​

My platform rose into the air, Surge mirroring me across the arena. There was no crowd, no onlookers save for a pair of gym trainers that Surge had asked to spectate. The cameras were rolling, broadcasting live to whatever league network decided to pick up an early match. There was no announcer, hardly any noise at all. It was a harsh contrast with the spectacle that had been my battle in Cerulean.

I fought the exhaustion in my mind, fought against my drooping eyes. My head was splitting and I felt dizzy as the platform rose, but I held myself up on the platform's railing. I squinted, the arena lights burning into my brain.

I needed to win a League Intermediate challenge. Something that I was certain Surge wouldn't be content to just hand me. He might have pledged to help me, but the League did not take kindly to thrown matches. I would have to win on my own merit. I knew my pokemon were strong enough, but I didn't know if I could direct them to victory.

He cupped his hands around his mouth, looking at me from across the field. "Three on three!" he shouted. "Last mon standing wins!"

I tossed my three balls into the air. Luna and Pride instantly adjusted to the flat field, growling at Surge before he even sent out a pokemon. Acolyte stood numbly, marvelling at the massive vaulted ceiling overhead.

Surge released his pokemon and I frowned. A raichu and a magneton were side by side, just like Gemma had said. A round ball, divided seamlessly into red and white sat beside them. An electrode. It sparked slightly and I hardened my gaze as I tried to focus my mind. That was the main threat.

I knew what Surge's play would be. The electrode was a suicide bomber, intended to take down any pokemon that might have an advantage against his before they could strike. Pokemon like Acolyte. I couldn't let that happen. To lose Acolyte early in the match would mean a loss. Pride and Luna didn't have the speed to pull off a victory if he went down.

One of the gym trainers blew a horn and the battle began. "Pride, Acolyte, advance as one. Luna, agility!"

Surge shouted his own orders from across the field. His pokemon rocketed forward, the raichu veering off to chase Luna as she paced the edge of the field. The magneton rose above the field, keeping itself out of melee range as sparks of electricity began to jump between its magnets.

The electrode rolled forward, gaining speed as it barrelled down on my pokemon. An explosion from that strange electric ball would likely wipe out both Pride and Acolyte if it caught them. I let my fear of the explosion colour my decision.

"Pride, scatter!" I shouted. A bolt of lightning leapt across the field, tearing my attention in another direction as my stomach swam.

I turned my head, trying and failing to keep track of Luna and the raichu as they sped past. They were little more than jagged blurs, flashes of lightning and flame stabbing my brain and jumping between them. Luna sped past me, barely even glancing in my direction. I didn't dare issue her an order, not with the raichu giving chase. Her reflexes were far faster than I could ever hope to be. I would only slow her down.

Pride bolted to the side, veering out of the Electrode's path and separating from Acolyte. The electrode barreled past harmlessly, giving Acolyte's club a healthy distance. A bolt of lightning erupted from the magneton, forking suddenly towards Acolyte as he leapt up into the air. He deftly intercepted the bolt with the bone, moving faster than I had thought capable. He landed deftly, watching warily as Luna and the raichu flashed past him.

Newfound confidence filled my mind as I realized the breadth of our advantage. Acolyte was a gem, capable of intercepting Surge's electric attacks and walling them completely. I pointed up at the magneton as Acolyte looked to me for orders. "Bring it down! Bonemerang!" I shouted.

Acolyte wound up and pitched the club. It spun through the air, curving slightly as it honed in on the fleeing magneton. The bone club smacked the pokemon from the air, spinning unnaturally back into Acolyte's waiting hand.

Pride bounded after the magneton, horn lowered. He wouldn't be able to do much to the steel-type's thick carapace, but all he had to do was buy Acolyte enough time to dispatch the electrode. He slammed into it, knocking the magneton back to the ground as he leapt atop the levitating steel type.

I turned my attention back to Acolyte, hoping that Luna could hold her own for just a little bit longer. "Ready with a bone club!" I shouted as the electrode came around and bore down on Acolyte.

We would only have one chance. Electrode were notoriously volatile, capable of bursting open and releasing a massive explosion of energy without killing themselves. It would be enough to knock any of my pokemon out of the battle if I was lucky. If I wasn't lucky? Well, it wasn't like fatalities were uncommon in the higher ranks of the league.

The electrode veered away from Acolyte at the last moment. Its rollout continued, gaining speed as it barrelled past Pride as he mauled the magneton in close quarters. My marowak raised his club and charged after it, moving noticeably slower than the rolling ball.

The magneton hummed with vibration, a harsh metal screeching that pierced my ears. I dropped to my knees, covering my ears and closing my eyes. I fought the urge to barf and grabbed the railing to steady myself.

Pride shied back as I opened my eyes, scrambling away from the steel type. It rose from the ground, finally clear of Pride's mauling and I gasped as a blue-green ball of electricity spammed into life. The magneton launched the zap cannon, smiting Pride in the side with the writhing ball of electricity. He seized up, joints locking as his limbs went stiff and his body began to shut down.

I turned, already shouting as my vulpix sprinted past. "Luna, flamethrower! Take the pressure off Pride."

I saw Luna bound past a pressing bolt of lightning and realized my mistake too late. The raichu pushed the attack, forcing Luna off the perimeter of the arena with a blinding flash of lightning. It missed her by inches, forcing her into the centre of the field. She saw the electrode coming and made one last desperate leap to get clear as she bathed it in flame.

She wasn't fast enough. The electrode hammered her in mid-air, catapulting her back towards the raichu. She desperately attempted to right herself but the raichu was already there. He launched itself up to meet her, slamming his body into her and launching my starter back over Acolyte. Another bolt of lightning followed her, but Acolyte was there to intercept it with his club.

The electrode spun back into another rollout and began pacing the arena as it built up speed. Surge's raichu stalked carefully towards the edge of the arena, watching and waiting for another opening as Luna struggled to her feet.

I grimaced, chastising myself for my carelessness. The concussion had practically disabled me. I had to power through, had to ignore the pain. I couldn't keep track of the chaos of a triple battle in my exhausted state, but I had to be better. I had to slow the battle down to a more manageable pace.

"Retreat to the centre!" I shouted. "Acolyte, cover them!"

Pride turned, his legs still spasming wildly. He took one half step and toppled over before he had made it another step. The magneton rose higher off the ground, electricity sparking at the ends of its magnets. It erupted, bathing Pride in a storm of lightning.

I heard Pride's shriek of pain mingled with the thunderous crackle of lightning. He spasmed violently and I felt the battle slipping away. The bolt ended and Pride slumped to the ground. He struggled to rise, his legs still stiff and still jittery.

I turned just as Luna limped weakly to Acolyte's side. She had been hurt, badly from the look of it. She was frail compared to my other pokemon. I couldn't afford another series of blows like that, or the battle was over and Curie was dead. "On the offensive, advance as one!"

Acolyte bellowed a challenge and stomped angrily towards Pride. The magneton let out another shrill metal sound as it retreated into the air, barraging me and my pokemon with the harsh noise. Acolyte roared as he charged through the pain, bone club raised high to intercept an incoming thunderbolt from the raichu that was meant for Luna.

Luna dashed past him, flames spilling from her jaws. She leapt into the air, using her agility to launch herself up at the magneton. It lit up, electricity sparking between its magnets, but it was too late. A jet of flame erupted from Luna's jaws, engulfing the steel type completely.

Luna landed deftly at Acolyte's side as he intercepted another thunderbolt from the raichu that had been meant for her. The magneton wobbled away, metal carapace glowing red-hot. It was hurt. Not enough to knock it out, but it was still something.

I pointed up at the magneton, knowing that I was leaving an opening for Surge with my next attack. I didn't have a choice. The raichu was pacing the arena, waiting for a shot at Luna. The electrode was waiting out of range for my pokemon to expose themselves. I had to turn the odds in my favour and thin out their numbers.

"Bonemerang!" I shouted.

Acolyte hurled his club at the magneton as Surge bellowed out his orders. I couldn't hear them, I was too far away.

The electrode spun towards my pokemon again. It seemed to spark erratically and I knew what order Surge had given. I knew we had to keep it away from Acolyte. He was making a play to force an early end to the match.

I grimaced. I only had one choice. I looked down at my proud marowak, knowing he was the key to my success and gave the only order I could. "Pride, intercept it!"

My nidorino took a step, then another. The magneton crashed to the ground several feet away and whined in pain, startling him into action. His legs relaxed and he lowered his horn as he charged towards the electrode.

The raichu darted in, already sparking madly as he rushed towards Luna. My starter reared back, flames already gathering in her mouth as if she knew my next order before it came.

"Flamethrower!" I roared as my heart pounded against my chest.

Acolyte's club was still spinning back towards him, and he wouldn't be able to intercept the attack. Luna wouldn't be able to tank the hit and the battle would flip completely in Surge's favour.

Luna spat a stream of fire at the raichu. It swerved suddenly, barrelling through the flames and veering towards Pride. Blue-white lightning erupted from the raichu's cheeks, completely enveloping it as the electric type built up speed.

I saw the trap, saw Surge's play too late. His raichu slammed into Pride from the side. I shielded my eyes as lightning erupted from the impact point and both pokemon soared through the air. Pride came to a crashing halt at the edge of the arena and lay deathly still.

The explosion of lightning rocked the electrode, throwing it off course as it rolled towards my pokemon. It sparked wildly and I had a horrified realization that the battle was coming to a fast end.

"Bone club!" I shouted, knowing that only Acolyte would have a chance at surviving any kind of close up encounter with that electrode. Pride was down and not moving, Luna was squishy and had already taken a beating. Only Acolyte had a shot at winning me victory.

He caught his club expertly as he charged towards the electrode. Luna dashed away, putting as much distance as she could behind her. Acolyte only made it five steps before he planted his feet and swung his club with all his might.

I heard the loud crack of Acolyte's club impact the electrode. Then a flash of light erupted and I threw my arms up to shield my face. The shockwave hit me like a fist to the chest and I fell back. I landed hard against the railing of my platform, sucking in a ragged breath as my vision swam. I saw darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision and forced myself up onto the railing.

I dragged myself forward, eyes scanning the arena field desperately. My head was throbbing and I fought the urge to barf, but I was up.

The field was devastated. A massive gaping hole had been opened in the centre of the field, chunks of earth tossed aside like they were nothing.

The electrode was gone, likely returned to its ball. I raised Pride's ball and returned him, spotting him just outside the edge of the crater.

Acolyte was laying in his own impact crater, having been catapulted across the field and half buried in the earthen field by the explosion. He stirred slightly and I felt my pride begin to swell. He struggled to his feet, favouring his left leg. My marowak hefted his bone club and growled defiantly.

I didn't know where the raichu was, but the magneton was already rising off the ground. Its steel carapace was still glowing red-hot and it wobbled slightly as it rose into the air.

Luna was crawling to her feet, glancing up at me. She planted her feet proudly and snarled at Surge's magneton as it rose into the air. My heart pounded in my chest. We still had a battle to fight and my pokemon had proven their worth. I could finish this.

"Luna, get in close." I ordered as Surge bellowed out his own orders. "Use your speed, and torch it once you're in range."

I turned to Acolyte. "Keep your distance. Cover Luna if that raichu is still mobile."

My marowak hesitantly limped off in the direction of the raichu. He raised his club and turned his back on the magneton, trusting Luna to take care of the wounded steel-type.

The magneton formed the same blue-green ball of crackling electricity as before. It let out a shrill screech as it launched the zap cannon in one last desperate attack.

Luna darted under the ball, letting it wash harmlessly against the ground behind her. She pounded towards the magneton as it fled skyward for everything it was worth. Luna leapt into the air, a stream of fire erupting from her jaws and taking the magneton from below.

With a terrible, pained screech, the magneton dropped out of the air and crashed against the ground. It buzzed weakly and attempted to rise, but Luna was there. She planted one paw on top of the magneton, flames dripping from her maw.

A horn blew and I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding. My platform slowly began to descend as my heartbeat finally began to slow.

Acolyte was standing over the raichu, gingerly poking at Surge's pokemon with his club. It disappeared in a flash of red light and he looked up at me proudly.

Luna looked up at Surge as the magneton was returned to its ball. She flared her tails and snarled, her teeth bared at the imposing man.

"Easy there, little one." He looked up at me with a surprisingly soft grin. It was a harsh contrast with the stoic demeanour he had held himself in during our earlier conversation. "You won the day, kid. Congrats. I'm proud to award you with this thunder badge."

I returned Luna and Acolyte as I jogged over to him. I had been so wrapped up in my troubles that I had scarcely even thought about what victory would feel like. "I'm honoured, sir." I met his eyes and he nodded slightly. "You put up one hell of a fight."

He smirked and cocked his head. "Come back here when you make elite and we'll have a real battle." He shook his head. "As nice as this was, my real team would have wiped the floor with you."

The smile on my face was genuine. "I definitely will," I replied. "Thank you sir, that was a great battle."

He nodded. "Not completely," he replied. "You're sloppy though. You got through that battle on sheer luck and bullshit. Gotta tighten that shit up if you ever want to get out of the intermediate rank."

I stood there in stunned silence as his statement sank in. "Intermediate?" I said. "I made intermediate!"

He nodded. "You know the perks of the status?"

"Licensing to access league certified breeders and mandatory preliminary training for Indigo Ranger Service."

He whistled low. "Done your research, have you?"

I smiled mareepishly. "I've dreamed of being a trainer since I watched the Indigo Conference of '08. I've known the trainer classes and their perks since my Ma taught me to read." I wrung my hands, desperately fighting the embarrassment of being called out by a living legend. "I didn't have much to do on the farm. It was either learn everything I could about training, or stare aimlessly at the clouds as the berries grew."

He raised an eyebrow. He glanced over at the two gym trainers. A third trainer had joined them, a man I vaguely recognized from League highlights and then back to me. "Look, kid. I still have that trainer waiting for his specialized session. I gotta get started with him, but I have an offer for you."

"I'm interested," I replied.

"Before you even know what the offer is?" He shook his head slightly. "Never agree to something before you know what it entails. The league won't hesitate to take advantage of that, and neither will…" he trailed off and looked at me pointedly. I knew what he meant. "I can give you one week. One week of my time, one week here to train under my direct tutelage. I'll even count it as special forces training towards your Ranger certification if you'd like. But in return, I want you. At least one year of service in my personal Ranger outfit upon making elite rank, pending that you pass all required entry exams."

I paused for a moment. "You want me to join the Rangers?" I asked cautiously. "Why would you want that?"

He smiled. "I like your attitude," he said cautiously. "And you have potential. I'd hate to see it wasted for a company like Silph."

I searched his face for an answer but found none. "Can I think on it?" I asked.

"You got to the end of the week to decide, kid. After that, my schedule is filled." Surge turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the centre of the field.

I returned Pride and Acolyte to their balls and slowly made my way towards the gym med-bay. My heart and my mind fought with every step, unsure of what I should do.

I waited anxiously outside the gym's med-bay. My feet paced the same steps back and forth for hours, impatiently waiting for my pokemon to recover. The gym's healing machines were working, but not fast enough for my liking. I'd slept for almost an entire day at the barracks in Surge's Gym while I waited, but they still weren't ready.

Pride had cracked several ribs to go with his extreme paralysis. He wouldn't be back in battle shape for at least another week, and even then would need rest for the better part of a month. Bones could be mended, but it took time. The healing machines would speed that up, but they were not miracle machines.

Acolyte had fared even worse. The explosion had knocked him senseless, even if he hadn't been seriously injured. His leg was alright, just a minor bruise where I had feared a full break. He was still woozy and clumsy, but the gym medic seemed sure he would be fine with time. His concussion had likely been less severe than mine, and I was already starting to feel better.

Only Luna had come out relatively unharmed. She was badly bruised and sore where the electrode had hit her. A short stint in the gym's healing machine had been enough to heal her, at least enough for her to be returned to me.

So there I stood, still pacing back and forth and stealing glances through the med-bay window every few minutes. I must have caused an annoyance because the next time I looked, the smiling face of the gym medic was at the window.

She stepped through the door and regarded me with a soft smile. "Mister Wright, I am afraid that checking on your pokemon every ten seconds will not make them heal any faster. They will both be at least a few more hours until they are fit for travel."

I sighed heavily. "Is there no way to speed that up?" I asked. "I'm on an extremely tight schedule."

It was her turn to sigh. "Look, Surge told me about your next match. I know you're planning on running off to Celadon to try and make the date. I'm not discharging your pokemon while they're not in fighting shape." She shook her head. "Have some care about your pokemon. Their welfare should matter to you."

I stepped back, taken off guard by the sudden news of my impending match. "What do you mean, my next match? I haven't even…" I trailed off, knowing that I was on the shortest of short leashes. Domino likely hadn't spared any time in booking my next match. She was probably just waiting for me to leave the gym to pounce on me. "Ah," I started as I made the realization. "Apologies for asking, ma'am."

"Look," the medic continued. "Go have a few drinks or something. It's too late to travel at this point, and your pokemon would do well with a full night of healing." She smiled sympathetically. "They'll be as good as new in the morning."

I nodded and thanked her, leaving my phone number in case anything came up. I left the gym with Luna's ball on my belt and my head held high.

I sauntered into the nearest sports bar, a dingy little hole in the wall, and sat myself at the bar. The tv behind the bar was running the league highlights of the day. The bartender glanced at me and smirked coyly. She raised a finger and went back to the drink she was making.

My gaze wandered back up to the tv as the commercial cut and returned to the highlights.

"Huge news out of Celadon today," the sportscaster started. "Only a day after a record had been set for the fastest four badges in Indigo League history, a second challenger has defeated Leader Erika to claim their fourth gym badge."

The screen cut and my jaw dropped. Blue was standing beside an unremarkable boy that was clad in a bright red travel jacket and cap. He had a cocksure smirk much like Blue, but wasn't waving for the camera. Blue shone like he was born for the spotlight, his grin practically radiant in the evening sun. The screen cut again, changing to some highlights from their gym battles.

"Damn prodigies, those two are. Handled Surge with no problems and now Erika too. Hasn't been a crop of challengers like this in damn near forty years." The bartender leaned over the bar, smiling gently at me. Her light brown hair framed her rounded face and cut short just above her shoulders. "What can I get you, darling?"

"Something stiff," I said without hesitation. "I'm celebrating."

She nodded, thinking for a moment before pulling a large bottle of Johtan firewine from the shelf behind the bar. "What's the occasion?" She asked. "Don't get too many celebrations around here. Mostly just folks looking to drown their sorrows."

I shrugged. I was still unused to being recognized in public and like hell I wanted any extra attention at the moment. "Came into some money. Seemed as good a place as any to blow it."

The report on the two prodigies in Celadon ended and I sucked in a sharp breath as my oblivious face popped onto the screen. "In local news, a surprise challenge in the early hours this morning has earned Yucca village's Marcus Wright the intermediate status. The relative newcomer has proved himself as one of the league's rising stars since his unorthodox first match against Pewter gym Leader Brock Takeshi."

The screen cut and changed to Curie babbling on Shale's coils like the adorable baby she was. My happiny dropped her rock and Shale catapulted her across the arena. I couldn't help but wince at the sight. My heart pounded against my chest and I pushed away the pain of seeing her again.

"Challenger Wright already has a match scheduled with Leader Erika one week from tonight, in prime time! It seems this young man is in a hurry to catch up to his peers."

My chest contracted suddenly and I struggled to pull in a breath. Curie's terrified eyes were burned into my mind. Domino was going to kill her. I was going to lose one of my challenges and Domino would kill my precious Curie. Surge had said it himself, I'd never make it out of intermediate without some serious improvements.

The bartender slid a tall glass of the firewine into my hands, drawing me back to reality. "As ordered," she grinned. "Spiced johtan firewine, the stiffest drink I got. Good for wiping your mind when you've experienced something that you'd rather forget, so go easy on it."

"Thanks," I said. I took the drink and sipped cautiously. It was warm and sweet and tasted faintly of honey. My stomach rumbled angrily in protest as the drink burned down my throat and into my empty stomach.

I pulled the Silph expense card that I'd been sent out of my pack and put it on the bar in front of me. "Any chance you serve food? I haven't eaten a thing since yesterday."

The bartender shot me a sideways glance. "And you're drinking firewine?" She shook her head and disappeared into the back with promises she would be back.

I opened my pokegear and began to absentmindedly found myself a hotel to stay at for the night. I found a place only a few blocks away and quickly booked their last room.

My saviour arrived just as I gently sipped on the amber-hued wine. She slid a plate of pidgey wings in my direction as the pudgy drunk at the other end of the bar spluttered incoherently. "Keep your tits on, Frank!" she half shouted in his direction as she hurried back towards the kitchen. "Your wings are coming!"

I dug in, my surroundings seeming to fade away as I pounded back the wings. They were perfection on a bone, crisped the perfect amount and sauced without being drowned. I would have been ashamed of the way I devoured them, had I not been half starved.

I pushed the plate away and washed down the meal with the rest of my firewine. I drained the glass and smiled to myself as the liquid warmth ran down my chest and into my stomach.

The bartender returned, taking the plate with a smile. "Everything alright over here?" She asked as she filled my empty glass.

I looked her in the eyes and for a moment I felt the weight all the things that had been hanging over me since Gemma's fearow had been killed. I'd been a normal trainer, just a young man trying his hand at his lifelong dream. I was terrified out of my mind, in way over my head. I didn't know what to do, and I had no clue how to get myself out of it.

The woman in front of me was kind and friendly. Even if she did want to separate me from my money, she wasn't underhanded about it. I looked down at the bar and mumbled some nonsense about needing some rest.

She smiled softly. "You alright?" she asked, leaning over the bar. "You got that far off look in your eyes. The kind I only see on the miserable drunks that are in here each day. Thought you said you were celebrating?"

"I am," I replied dryly as I attempted a weak grin. "Can't you see my smile?"

Her smile faded. "Listen," she started. Her voice was low and soft and she leaned closer to me. "I been here long enough to know when a person needs someone to be there for them." She gestured around at the bar, at all the drunken regulars. "I've been unfortunate enough to see a lot of people when they're at their bottom. I can see you working your way there, just by that look on your face." She placed one of her hands on mine. "If you want to stay until closing, I can walk you to wherever you're staying and we can talk about whatever it is."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to do that?" I asked. "Nobody's that nice, not without a price."

"Sometimes they are, Mister Wright. Sometimes they are." She turned away as Frank drew her attention with a drunken shout.

I didn't say anything as she walked away to serve her other customers. I didn't have to. She knew I was staying. I didn't budge from my spot, only raising my glass each time I emptied it.

I spent most of the night looking through the League's breeder network. There were a fair few pokemon breeders between Vermillion and Celadon, but nothing leapt out at me. I dithered over an ad offering powerful water types, but eventually navigated away from the page on my gear when I found only Kanto-native pokemon. With my next gym challenge being against grass types, I was in no real hurry to find a water type.

By the time closing came, it was just myself, Frank and the bartender. I rose from my chair, steadying myself on the bar.

The bartender finished wiping down the counter and smiled softly at me. "I just gotta lock up and I'll be out in a minute."

I pointed at the drunken man sleeping on the bar. "What 'bout him?"

"Frank?" She asked with a laugh. "He owns the place. He'll still be here in the morning, so long as he doesn't get lost looking for the bathroom."

I nodded numbly and fumbled my way to the door. I had downed the entire bottle of firewine and who knows what else during the night. I managed to make it outside without embarrassing myself and leaned heavily against the wall of the bar. I looked out at the water, listening to it lap peacefully against the shore.

The door opened a few moments later and the bartender emerged wearing a long black coat. "Feeling alright?" she asked.

I nodded as my head cleared slightly. "Fresh air is helping."

"And the water I've been giving you since you polished off the firewine." She locked the door and turned to me. "Alright, where are you staying?"

"Lonely Lanturn," I replied. I turned and pointed down towards Surge's gym. "It's a few blocks that way."

"I know the place," she said with a smile. "It's actually on my way home."

She hooked an arm around mine and started us off towards the motel. I stumbled on the first step, but regained my footing and shot her a cheesy drunken grin.

"So," she started. "what was Kanto's newest intermediate challenger doing in my bar?"

"How long did you know who I was?"

"Since this morning. I watched the repeat of your match while I opened up the bar." She shrugged. "Frank only paid for the League channels, so there's nothing else to watch."

I shrugged. "Well, you know my name. Mind if I ask yours?"

She cast me a look and I felt her studying me. I forced a smile and she shook her head. "You're a deflective one," she remarked. "Uncomfortable with spotlight?"

"How can you tell?" I asked. "Was it the deflection?"

She bit back a laugh. "Could have been." She turned and I saw the happy smile on her face. "You should have seen your face when they started recapping your gym challenge behind me. I've never seen someone go quite so red." She let go of my arm and glanced up at me. "Didn't expect the fame?"

I smiled mareepishly. "I'm new to this. I don't think I knew more than thirty people back home. Now, people I don't know are recognizing me on the street and I don't know how I feel about that." I stopped walking and she stopped a few paces away from me. "I'm not sure what I expected. I should have known that success in the league would earn me some fame, but it's just so strange to see my face on tv, to hear people I used to watch say that I'm one of the League's rising stars…" I trailed off and looked out at the water. "It's surreal, like I was plucked out of my own life and put into someone else's." I looked back at her. "I lived in a village so small that it didn't have a name until I was six. I had spent my whole life in that place, never venturing further than a few miles from the house. Now I've been halfway across Kanto and back, people I've never met know my name."

She nodded. "It's an adjustment that you'll never be completely comfortable with." She gestured back at the bar. "I've been here six years and I still don't feel used to the city. I doubt it'll ever feel like home to me. Sometimes, I wish I could go home and just live my life the way it used to be."

"Where are you from?" I asked.

She smirked. "You don't even know my name, and you want to know where I'm from?"

I couldn't help the effortless grin. "For the record, I did ask your name," I replied. I was buzzed and she was genuinely charming. I couldn't help the flutter in my chest. "Who's the deflective one now?"

She chuckled and looked away for a brief moment. "I guess that'd be me now." She hooked her arm back into mine and half-dragged me into walking. "I'm from Johto. Family owns part of a communal farm outside Ecruteak." A nostalgic look came over her and her smile faded slightly. "I miss it, even if I am happy that I left." She shook her head and wiped away the slightest trace of tears from her eyes. "I guess that's not what we were talking about though. My name is Aya."

I stepped closer to her and held out a hand. I'd sobered up some with the warm ocean breeze and I could see that she was hurting. I knew what being alone was like. "My name is Marcus, Aya. We can talk if you'd like. Nobody should be alone."

She took my hand and I felt my heart flutter. I didn't know if getting close to anyone with all my baggage was a good idea, but at the moment I didn't care. She was holding my hand and that was all I could think about.

Aya looked me in the eyes and I realized just how blue her eyes were. They were deep, dark, almost stormy. Just like the sea. She smiled. "I know a place we can talk."

Aya led me past the motel I had booked, past the road she said her apartment was on. We walked for almost half an hour, until I recognized where I was.

The beach was clean, not a single mark left on it from my last visit. The sandbags were gone, small park benches sitting where the rear line of sandbags had been. The sand was practically pristine, nothing like the blood and venom soaked lagoon that the tentacruel swarm had left it.

I had to consciously close my mouth. The peaceful moonlit beach was such a harsh contrast with the carnage that I had seen here. I had trouble reconciling the two in my mind. "This looks nice," I said quietly. "It's beautiful."

"Isn't it?" she replied happily. "It's so peaceful here. My own little slice of home." She sat herself down on one of the benches and looked out to sea. "I had a little secret beach on the coast back home. The krabby would come right up to me, take scraps of bread right out of my hands." She looked down at the shore, looking intently. "Sometimes, there are krabby in the shallows. They aren't quite as friendly as the ones back home though. And they haven't come around since the tentacruel attacked last month."

I sat gingerly beside her, fighting my nerves. This place made me think of Curie, made me think of my failure to my pokemon. I pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the ocean and the beautiful girl at my side. "I had never seen anything like the ocean before I started my journey. Closest thing to it was the pond near home." I smiled out at the ocean. I couldn't help but feel calmed by the pale moonlit water. "Didn't do it justice."

"Do you miss home, Marcus?"

I turned and looked at Aya. "I miss it more than anything…" I trailed off. "Sometimes I wish I could go back. It… It didn't end well."

She smiled at me. "Would you like to talk to someone about it?" She asked. "It must be terribly lonely to be a trainer, with nobody around to talk to."

I paused for a moment. I didn't know Aya and she didn't know me. But she seemed to care. "My sister disappeared, the night before I left home," I started. "She tried to follow me out training one. She tried to follow me, but she got lost in the dark. I wasn't supposed to be sneaking out, but my parent didn't approve of pokemon and I thought nobody would notice." I stopped. I hated what I'd done, hated what had happened to Margaret because of me.

"I saw it on my way back to the house. I saw the persian. It was all covered in blood." I shook my head. "I didn't know. I didn't know she had left her bed. We…" I trailed off again. "We found her the next day. At least, the parts of her that it didn't like."

I hid my face, ashamed of the part I played in my sister's death. "I knew it was my fault. I knew she had to have followed me out. I told my parents. I told them everything, about my pokemon, about the nightly training and they blamed me."

"I told them for years that all I wanted was to be a pokemon trainer, to travel the world and become the greatest trainer in Kanto." I shrugged and couldn't help but look away in shame. "When I finally tamed Luna, I thought they would see that I wasn't meant to stay on the farm. I thought it would prove myself to them. It didn't prove anything to them. But it showed me that I didn't have to be what they wanted. I didn't have to stay there if I didn't want to."

I stopped talking as my heart rose into my throat. Aya's hand touched mine and I was grateful for the company. "Family, huh?"

I nodded. "Family," I confirmed with a sad smile.

She inched closer to me and lay her head on my shoulder. I looked out at the waves and let the serene calm of the night wash over me. We didn't speak for hours, but it was the calm that I needed.

The sun was starting to rise when we finally got off that bench. I walked Aya home and promised to answer the phone when she called. I don't know what I expected to come from the night, but all I could think about was the peaceful calm as she lay her head on my shoulder.

I checked into the Lonely Lanturn, making sure to purchase the late checkout and book several wake up calls. The reception staff handed me my keys and I groggily made my way to my room as sleep danced in my eyes.

I pushed the key into the lock and opened the door. Pride and Acolyte's balls sitting on the end of the bed, a neatly folded paper laying beside them.

I looked down at the paper and picked it up, my eyes widening in horror. A single photograph fell out, blurry but unmistakably the outline of two figures on a park bench. Only two words were on the paper. I read them over and over, knowing what Domino was insinuating.

Erika awaits!

-D

The doors swung open dramatically, the short man blustering into the room. "Your organization is drawing attention," he said curtly. "An entire cubone colony? Are they absolutely mad?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow," replied the tall man. "I am not privy to every fundraising mission and I do not stay in close contact with such individuals. You must understand, that secrecy is our best defence against discovery."

The short man crossed his arms. "You also put him in danger."

"The boy?" The tall man asked. "I thought he was just a farmer's son."

"You know that isn't who I meant." The short man scowled. "You will keep your pets away from them. I will not ask you again."

The tall man sighed. "I will speak with Archer and Petrel. They will be made to reign in the more enthusiastic of our operatives." He raised an eyebrow in question. "Is this not preferable though? To challenge them? To test them before they are needed?"

"It is," came the reply. "But not with him."

The tall man frowned. "Would you rather I test them myself?"

The short man nodded. "That would be preferable to your thugs' patented brand of indiscriminate violence."

The tall man's brow furrowed but he said nothing.

"Do not let them be harmed," warned the short man. "Remember, they are the reason we are tied together. Without them, you will find yourself a very powerful enemy."

The tall man said nothing again.

"Do not make me repeat myself. Harm them, and there will be hell to pay"

He nodded slowly, finally acceding to the shorter man. "Then I will test them myself. I can make the arrangements."

The shorter man nodded. "They are in Celadon now. Will you test them there?"

"I can test them with Celadon's fall. Erika offers them a way to strike at their enemies. Let them see their enemies strike back. Let them see what it means to lose."

Pokédex Entry #100 – Electrode

This strange pokemon has only been recently encountered near large power sources. They are attracted to the electricity bleeding off into the atmosphere.

Electrode are capable of absorbing and building up vast amounts of electrical energy. They store this potential energy as pressure within a specialized internal organ and are capable of releasing it in a massive explosion. This "explosion" is typically enough to knock out an electrode for some time, rendering it unconscious.

These pokemon have quickly become necessary for the safety of humans in highly charged environments. Workers at the Kanto National Power Plant have recently begun a pilot project entirely replacing on-site humans with trained electrode.

Novice Trainer KT#07996101, Marcus Wright, current team

Luna, Vulpix

Pride, Nidorino

Acolyte, Marowak