The Ultimate Story

20- The Tan Tank​

Spoiler

Previously on The Ultimate Story:

Before entering Blackthorn City, Jack met two guys from the Tan Gang trying to catch an Abra. Claude, a Rambo wannabee, and Paul, a mallet-wacking fiend, whom were momentarily evaded. It was then he entered the city, wanting to challenge the Gym, but the leader wasn’t there. Instead, Gorgi, a Dragon Pokemon master, and teacher at the Gym, taught Jack the ways of the Dragon and let him interact with dragons at the secret Dragon’s Den. He earned the trust of two young Dratini’s and their mother Dragonair.

But once again, the Tan Gang duo Claude and Paul showed up, stealing Dragonair and a handmade pin by Gorgi. For the second time, Jack evaded the battle.

Soon after, the Tan Gang pulled another heist, this time on old man Weller; a well respected man of the city. Claude and Paul broke into his house and stole his prized Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan.

Two months later, depressed at his loss, Mr. Weller died. The city was outraged and determined to find this Tan Gang base. By random chance, Jack found a secret hideout inside the local bowling alley, Dragon’s Pin. Paul was hiding out in a private room, and defeated in a destructive brawl around the alley. Jack befriended the bouncer, Uriel Dawson, whom told his story about how he became the bouncer for the bowling alley, and later learned he would be defending the Tan Gang. He knew it was wrong, but he needed the job.

Now, with Uriel’s help, Jack wants to confront them head on, and take back what was stolen. The mother Dragonair, the handmade pin, and Mr. Weller’s life, among many other things the city has had to deal with.

The players:

Jack- the hero of our story.

Uriel Dawson- former bouncer at the Dragon’s Pin.
(Has a speech impediment: says ‘now’ at the end of phrases.)

Claude- Tan Gang member, partnered with Paul.

Paul- Tang Gang member, partnered with Claude. Defeated.

Corban Booker- Tang Gang leader

Destiny- Tan Gang lead scientist

Gorgi- teacher at Blackthorn Gym.

Mr. Weller- well respected retired Trainer. Deceased.

The last chapter of the epic Tang Gang arc is about to be complete. Definitely the most action I’ve written in a capture story! So far at least. (Re-read 16-19 for more in depth analysis.)

~*~*~​

Hearing Uriel’s story about his involvement with the Tan Gang, gave Jack more confidence in trusting him, and knowing he would help take them down. He still wondered how to go about doing it. Though, if a ten year old Trainer can supposedly take on Team Rocket, being eighteen, it should be a piece of cake.

“So, you have a Pokemon?” Jack responds with interest.

“Yes, just the one now.” He stops suddenly, realizing the cross streets they were on. “Wait, my apartment is nearby. Let’s stop in first now.”

His apartment is small, on the second floor of a large beige apartment complex. Living room, kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom- a fairly basic setting. It’s small and mostly barren of furniture. Cracks along the walls gave hint that the apartment is in poor shape. On the couch, in front of a buzzing rabbit-eared television, sat a purple Kecleon with a blue stripe across his tummy, intently watching. The same Kecleon from the story which he fought those few years ago.

Uriel quietly spoke as they entered. “Shh, we need to keep quiet during Mystery Hour, or he’ll be upset. I don’t have much, but make yourself at home now.”

He steps through and into his room, quickly changing to a dark purple suit, restocking his defensive items, and packing a duffle bag. Once ready, he enters the kitchen, where Jack sat, and offers him something to drink and eat. Simple juice and a sandwich.

It isn’t easy to accept the food either. The cupboard is missing its door, so he can see the emptiness inside. One might think tomorrow is Uriel’s grocery day, but judging by the condition of the apartment, it looked like it’s all he can afford. Jack remembers his own house and how much food he had throughout his childhood. It weighed a lot on his conscious to swallow this sandwich.

“Relax, we have,” he checks his watch, “at least 15 minutes before I can talk to him now.”

“Why’s that?” he questions softly.

“Crime and spy drama’s are his favorite shows. He gets so involved, sometimes he imagines he is a detective, sneaking around looking for bad guys. But he just sits there all day, dreaming it could be him now.”

Jack chuckles, “For a Pokemon that can turn invisible, it wouldn’t be hard to be a spy.” He imagines what it would be like to be invisible: all the pranks that can be achieved; all the secrets he can hear; walking up to a wild Pokemon without it ever knowing. And other, er, things... ehehe.

After the allotted time, a commercial pops up. Kecleon jumps up from the couch, smelling sliced ham, and sits at the rugged table. It smiles gently, semi-ignoring the guest.

“I’d like you to meet Lavish, my Kecleon. Lavish, this is Jack. He’s a Pokemon Trainer now.”

Lavish waves gently, making a sandwich for himself.

The Trainer smiles. “Are you taking him with us?”

“Eh? No, no. For the past three years, Lavish hasn’t had any training to be used for battle now.” But Jack quietly mentions that if it came down to a Pokemon fight, he would need to protect himself. There’s only so much someone can do with a fire breathing Charizard at their face. “I guess it couldn’t hurt to be extra prepared. Reminds me of this one time I had to guard the Blackthorn Gym Leader for one night. I had to double my usual protection because I was told it might be hectic. Boy, I was sure glad I never had to use them now.”

In fact, in all of Uriel’s time as a bouncer, both for the night club and the bowling alley, he’s never had to resort to much violence. The typical trouble maker wouldn’t fight back and was thrown out. On rare occasions, did he resort to his taser. He hasn’t felt this alive since he fought Kecleon years ago.

“Alright Lavish, you’re coming with me today. We’ll Tivo your programs so you can watch them later now.”

The purple Kecleon’s face frowns reluctantly.

~*~*~​

At the PokeCenter.

Snorlax, Sudowoodo and Abra all fought hard at the bowling alley and needed a good rest. After an hours wait, his Pokemon were given a clean bill of health. Moving to the PC, he switches Sudowoodo, Bellsprout, Vulpix, Snorlax, and Gyarados with Ariados, Muk, Magneton, and the two Dratini he has been taking care over. So now he had Abra, Magneton, Muk, Ariados and the brother/sister Dratini pair with him. And Uriel had Kecleon.

The television in the waiting room flashes. Apparently, the attack was still being covered by the news, “As you can see, rubble is still being removed from inside the bowling alley. So far, we have reports of twenty injuries and no deaths...”

“Uhg,” Jack takes a deep breath, lying down in his private room for a moment. He drops Paul’s mallet, which he took as they escaped the bowling alley, on the floor. As much as he wanted to go on, he is exhausted. Although he wasn’t physically involved in the fight as much as his Pokemon were, the sheer stress of the situation weighs on him heavily. He changes out of his dirty clothes into something more comfortable. Pine green shirt, rustic jeans... “Aw man, I left my shoes at the bowling alley.” He still had the bowling shoes on. Oh well. At least he had his hat.

~*~*~​

Early next morning.

“Uuuuughh...” Zombie Jack stirs up from bed. “Crap, I must have fallen asleep.” Looking at the clock, it is seven in the morning.

Out in the Pokecenter lobby, Uriel and Lavish were already up and eating breakfast. Jack releases his Pokemon and joins them. He cann’t help but stare at the two Dratini eat, thinking about Dragonair and how much they must miss her. After eating, they get down to business.

“Look, front page now.” Uriel shows the local newspaper.

Paul Pounded it read, detailing that a high ranking member of the Tan Gang had been caught. About 15 members in total were caught, along with a number of records found at the bowling alley. Investigations were still ongoing. There is no mention of Jack or Uriel, which is quite a relief.

“It’s only a matter of time before they find out who owns the building. If they haven’t left already, they probably will soon now.”

“Then we must hurry. Where’s their base?”

Uriel whispers over the table, “Let’s go to the police. Let them handle it now.”

Jack reminds him by showing the souvenir he grabbed from the bowling alley: Paul’s iconic mallet. “It’s personal. I need to confront Claude. If they’re going to escape, this is my best chance.”

“Ok, I’ll do what I can to help, but it won’t be easy. We can’t just waltz in, security is sure to be tight right now now.”

Kecleon fades back into view, after being invisible for the past ten minutes. That’s when Jack and Uriel nod in unison, and a plan is put into motion.

~*~*~​

It’s too long to walk across Blackthorn, and fearing they might be spotted, they take the bus. The ride is noisy and bumpy, but it’s clean and friendly. The stop they want is the last stop before the city limits, which meant there would be less buildings and more nature spread around. Their destination is a quick block walk away.

P-Sci Labs, or Pokemon Science Laboratory. This was a company built upon researching Pokemon abilities and utilizing, or enhancing them in various ways. The company started five years ago, just as a small band of enthusiasts. But with some college and government funds, they produced their first result: they hatched a baby Elekid with specific genes to strengthen its body. Elekid was tested two days later for strength, and it snapped a 12 inch steel girder in two. Word of this spread, and funding went through the roof. The labs were built and further testing was initiated.

At least, that’s what the public knew. Having some access to inside information, Uriel found out Elekid was an elaborate hoax in order to gain money for their secret projects. Their main goal is the same as the ‘demonstration’: to genetically alter a Pokemon to make it stronger. To reduce the need for training. Why? He didn’t know, and wouldn’t ask because it was not his concern. As far as any other testing and experiments, he has no idea. But one can only imagine what happens in the basement levels where he is not permitted.

They enter one of the many abandoned businesses across the street. The windows and doors were boarded up, but there is a way to enter from the back. Uriel, Jack, and Lavish the Kecleon peak through the cracks created by the boarded window.

The road ahead ends, blocked by a large fence with barbed wire on top, and yellow lightning bolt caution signs hanging from them. The fence surrounds the complex to keep everyone out, including pesky Pokemon. In the front and the back are two booths, where the security guard would sit inside. Their job is to verify who enters and exits the complex, using force to remove problems. A small parking lot filled full with cars and trucks sat in front of the three story building. P-Sci Labs stood on the roof in big bold black letters. On the right stood two large white cylinders, like you would see at a farm for holding crops. On the left is the dock, where trucks would load and unload their shipments. The back is similar to the front with a small parking lot, also full of cars. Security cameras were expected, but unknown where they would be. A couple sirens hanging from the building flash red, to keep everyone alert. Fortunately, security outside is light.

​

“Kec... le le le... kecleeon...” Lavish quietly announces, pointing in another room. There, a sleeping giant lay on a bed made of foliage. It is mostly tan in color, except for the darker plate on it head. The multiple jagged plates on its back and sharp three toed claws made it look ferocious. It had numerous scars, many deep, around it’s body. It is almost as if someone slashed the Pokemon with a sword over and over. They can tell it is alive from the grunting it made breathing.

A Kangaskhan. Jack had never imagined to ever see one in the wild, let alone so soon. Even though it is asleep, the fear shook through his body.

“I wonder...” the bodyguard starts, “... yes, that must be. X-K2. I overheard people talk about her from the bowling alley. Last year, she was an experiment that became so violent, she broke out and escaped. But ever since her escape, for some reason she has tried to get back in, continuously causing trouble. All those scars... must be from the electric fence... now.”

“How terrible.”

“Kec? KEC!” Lavish shouts.

The bulky Pokemon stirs, opening one eye while the other remains half open. Her eyes had the blankest stare, nearly faded in a light hazel color. Her nose proceeds to sniff the air, glancing at the doorway, but not seeing the frightened intruders. Lavish had turned invisible while the two humans jumped behind the outside walls. Too scared to move or make a sound, nobody moves, except for a couple hand motions and angry facial expressions back and forth.

“Graaaakhhhaaa!” the epic beast bellows, pounding the floor with a swift stomp.

“Kec.. Kec.. Kecleon Kec.”

“Anngass Khnana.”

“Kkkkkkec.”

Soon after the little chat, the little Pokemon reappears in the doorway.

Figuring it must be safe, Jack and Uriel look in, carefully. Yes, Khangaskhan is gone. There is an open hole in the wall behind the bed of leaves which she must have gone through, venturing outside the abandoned building. Relieved, with near heart attacks, and unable to understand what happened, they return to their plan.

The plan is for Uriel to go in through the entrance, using his clearance, then come back and get Jack to sneak him in. Easy enough. The hardest part to Jack would be concealing Paul’s mallet from view. If any member of the Tan Gang gave it one glimpse, immediately they would be seen as intruders.

He watches from the broken building, as Uriel smoothly flashes his badge to the guard in the box. A conversation takes place, which causes him to appear nervous. From nowhere, two guys rush to him, edging him to follow them into the complex. He steps back, pointing at the street into the city, but the others edge him again, escorting him inside. He looks back quickly before moving too far out of sight.

Jack sweatdrops. “That didn’t look good. Guess we’ll have to find our own way in.”

“Kec!” he exclaims. When Jack and Uriel equally mentioned ‘covert mission’, he was about as excited as someone who had met their idol, got their autograph, and had their picture taken with them. He cann’t wait to show off his dream. Quickly, he jumps out.

The guard in the small outpost sat in his chair, feet up, and quite relaxed. He slips on his reading glasses, grabbing the newspaper from the desk. That’s when he spots a small blue blur in the corner of his spectacles. Thinking it is a smudge, he takes them off and wipes them carefully with his shirt. Upon putting them back on, he finds himself face to face with a fierce large purple blur.

Back at the boarded building, Jack spies Kecleon visible, waving that it is clear. He cautiously makes his way to the outpost. The security camera was redirected away from the street. Any electronic equipment had been unplugged. The guard was knocked out cold, tied up with his own tie and handcuffs, and his radio and earpiece were taken. The guards fanny-pac was converted to a backpack which snapped around Kecleon’s body. Quite the clever chameleon to accomplish all this in a matter of minutes. He forces the young Trainer to take the radio, which he pockets.

Kecleon jumps out, invisible except for that one blue lightning bolt across his body and his newly created backpack. He bolts across the lot to the parked cars, turning visible and motioning for the human to follow. Jack does, paranoid that he would be caught, but he makes it to the cars. Hunching down, he follows Kecleon through the rows of shiny cars with fancy interiors. Funding money well spent indeed. He stops at the final row, watching. The blue zigzag slides to the wall of the building, back to it, arms spread out, slowly shuffling along. Its tongue becomes visible as it lashes out, hitting a camera out of position.

Continuing along the wall, and around the corner, Kecleon arrives at the dock. Three semi-trucks are parked into the loading zone, hooked into the building, while 4 smaller u-haul type trucks sit around anywhere open. A number of workers are frantically rushing, moving boxes and loading materials into the trucks. There is an open door on either side of the loading zone.

Jack sneaks up, hiding between stacked boxes and cans. His heart is racing, palms sweating, legs twitching. “I don’t think Uriel went this way.”

He points at Jack, holding up five digits with his two hands, then taps his wrist. Five.... He is doing charades. Lavish’s fingers move like a person walking, only fast. He then points around the corner with the fast walking fingers. Against the wall he places his hand, and hinges it like a door, using the fingers to walk to it. And again, he motions five minutes. Playing charades with someone else, he can do; but with a Pokemon... entirely different. Five minutes is all that can be understood. The rest is all guesswork.

“Hey, hey. Careful with that, it’ll break.” The dock foreman shouts, watching the forklift driver load the last container into one of the three semi-trucks. The forklift parks off to the side, then the driver closes the roll down door from the semi-truck. “Good, this truck can go.”

The big-rig driver gets his signed paper. Impatient to leave, he had the engine already on. And as he lumbers up the ramp to his cabin, the wheels start turning left. A cranking noise jams through his ears, hearing the gears changing. Black exhaust fuels out of the top as the truck shifts into first gear. Gasping, yelling to stop, the driver drops his papers and rushes up. The truck moves up the incline a few feet, before falling in reverse, crashing the back of the trailer into the dock wall. *CRIICKK!!* *SSSHIIIIIISHH!*

Displeased with noises, the foreman stampedes out the door only to see the semi he okay’d moments ago had backed into the rolled-down door. And it isn’t a small dent either. Liquid poured out the end of the trailer, which immediately connected the with the second sharp noise of glass breaking.

“What’s going on?” he yells to the big-rig driver sitting in the cabin.

While the two yell at each other, a forklift outside the building begins moving without a driver. It bounces over the cement block, onto the patchy grass, eventually into the surrounding fence. Electricity sparks, continuously, like a mildly entertaining fireworks show. A little bit later, a large box labeled “super computer” falls out the back of one of the smaller trucks. Whatever is in the box is surely broken now.

A blue bolt zags to the wall. A total of seven workers were outside, trying to control the mysterious situation, everyone blaming another. That’s when Kecleon makes his presence known by slamming into the foreman. Suddenly, there are shouts to ‘follow that... thing’. The zigzag jumps around, until finally ending up on the opposite side of the dock, with everyone’s back turned.

Five minutes were up. Jack moves, looks around the corner, and discovers nobody there. He cann’t help but be reminded from Uriel’s story, about how Kecleon deconstructed the bowling alley construction site. He mildly notices the cameras had been turned away during all the chaos. Eying the door, he runs for it, passing through safely, only to stop once inside. The loading dock is also clear of workers, most likely outside. On his right is a counter and a hallway leading inside the building. Unsure where to go or what to do, he heads down the hall.

Locked. Locked. Key Card required. Oh, how wonderful it would be to find an unlocked door. CLICK Success. He closes the door behind him, relaxing his breath with a sigh of relief. He smiles, opening his eyes. It’s a small break room. Microwave, coffee maker, fridge, a sink and some cupboards. There stood a lone rectangular table, in which two workers were sitting at. They stare at the person whom entered the break room. Jack can only smile uneasily, as his heart beat faster once again.

~*~*~​

Meanwhile, Uriel is on the other side of the building, first level. He had just stepped out of an empty file room, not finding what he wanted. He continues on down the halls, looking for the next room. With his low level clearance, he had access to a variety of basic rooms, but nothing majorly important.

At the guard station, he mentioned that he needed a car to go save a member of the gang. But they only said he had to get inside quickly. He continued to plead his case, but only those with permission from the boss would be able to leave today.

“Hey hey, it’s the bouncer. Who would have thought you got out of there, eh?” A worker stumbles into his path.

“Yes, I was lucky today now.”

“Is that so? You should go see the boss. I think he’s in his office on the second level.”

“Oh, thank you now.”

“Heh. Take care, bouncer..... now. Hehe.” The mocking worker stumbles away.

~*~*~​

He is caught! It’s over, no going home, no more adventures, no more Pokemon. It’s the end of the game and he is out of restarts. The last frame of bowling a perfect game, and the ball gutters. It’s as if he accidently threw in a red shirt with his white laundry... ruining everything.

“Wow man, you look flustered. What’s wrong?” The male worker asks.

He quickly hides Paul’s mallet behind his back, hoping they hadn’t seen it. “Oh... uh, ahem... you know... all this work.... it’s just so tiring....”

“I hear you man, deep. Nothing like a little overtime, right?” He glances at the clock on the wall. “Speaking of the devil, we have to get back. Come on.”

The female worker sighs, “Alright. But this time I go first.” First at what? Use you’re imagination!

As soon as they leave, the door is locked. Jack slumps into a chair with a huge sigh of relief, resting the mallet on the white table. But, now what? He still had no idea where to go. No idea where Lavish or Uriel have gone. This isn’t as easy as he thought.

The radio buzzes... “Report. Bzzztttt.... This is Station 0. We have reports of a Pokemon breaching our fence..... bzzzttt... at the dock. This Pokemon has escaped into our air ducts, wearing some sort of backpack. Main Station, report.”

“This is Main Station. I saw nothing on the camera screens. It may have snuck under one of the trucks when they came in.”

“Station 1 report..... bzzzttt.... Station 1, please report.”

This is when he realizes that might be him. Sure enough, on the radio is a number one. “Uh... this is Station 1. Everything was clear.”

“Station 2 report.”

“This is Station 2. Nothing unusual to report.”

“Understood. The reports also indicate the electric fence was taken out. A perimeter squad will be dispatched shortly until repairs can be made. Stations 1 and 2 are to be on full guard. Out.”

He waited for a sign. Something. Anything. Nothing. He fears going out, getting lost, and being caught. What would they do? They wouldn’t kill him, would they? No, no. They’d probably take his Pokemon and tie him up. That’s what happens to everyone else in these situations. At least, the ones that make it out alive....

*TING* A metal plate falls from the wall and a purple Pokemon pops out from the vents. It’s Lavish the Kecleon. Jack is relieved once again. Kecleon opens his fanny-backpack, which is stuffed with various items pilfered from the premise. He rolls out a long blue paper, showing the floor plans of the entire building. How he managed to get that, Jack would never know. But now he has a sense of direction, and knew where he needed to go. Kecleon points to two destinations: Room 217 on level 1, and a large lab room in the basement. The next gift is a gold key card. Gold Clearance.

~*~*~​

Level 1 hallways were always so boring and simple. Some posters or paintings, perhaps even a window and some plants would certainly give the place a more homely feel. But the company stuck with white plastered walls and ceilings. Money was better spent on nice cars and abusing Pokemon. Uriel often wished he earned more money, so he can at least afford better meals for himself and Lavish. Maybe even upgrade his living conditions.

The stairs were just down the final hall, when a familiar face stops him. Black crew cut hair, red bandana around his head, and grey camo shirt and khaki pants. The Rambo wannabee, and Paul’s partner: Claude. “Look who we have here. Uriel Dawson, isn’t this a surprise.”

“Good day to you Claude. Yes, I am quite glad to have gotten out. But I regret I could not protect everyone now.”

“Yes. Paul was always foolhardy being in public. Tell me, what happened?” He is told how a kid came in causing trouble and tore the place apart with a Pokemon battle. No other information is provided as to whom or the whereabouts of the kid. “Hmm, I see. If you saw this kid again, you could point him out right?” The bouncer nods. “Good. Go see the boss. Once you’re done, I want you to stick with me for a bit.”

“Yes sir now.”

No smile from the small man, as he pats the bouncer on the back. He opens a door and shuts it greatly. Room 217. Knowing Jack may eventually find his way here, to exact justice to Claude, Uriel hurries up the stairs, to the serene view of Level 2.

~*~*~​

The guard at Station 1 muffles through his tie tied mouth. A largely staggering Pokemon gravitates to the little booth, bending its fat head down to look inside. Not sensing any danger, it snorts loudly and proceeds forward.

~*~*~​

Jack swipes the gold key card into the elevator, which opens up a button for the basement. No elevator music. The ride down is quiet, except for the ping sound as the metallic doors slid open. The lab is only a right and a left turn away. The walls were lined with see through windows to rooms that once held any number of science equipment. But today they were mostly cleaned out. Only dirty tables, counters, and broken chairs remained. Everything here must have been packed already. On the final turn...

“Hey... who are you?” a female voice boasts from behind. She is tall and had on a tan coat. A scientist? She scans the nervous stranger, eying the bowling shoes. “Oh, you must be from the bowling alley. I heard what happened there. But regardless, you aren’t allowed down here.”

“Uh... well, I was, uh, given permission to find something... for, uh, the boss.” Jack shows the gold key card.

“I see. Hang on.” She whips out a cell phone, hitting a few buttons. But before she can finish, something wacks her head, causing her to collapse. She’s out. Kecleon reappears shortly after.

He thanks the lizard for his impeccable timing, but mentions that he will be fine on his own. The Pokemon nods and dives into the nearest air duct.

B-Lab 1

This particular lab is larger than the closed off rooms and didn’t have any windows to see through. Most of the lab appears to have not been packed up, as if waiting for something. Machines are on, lights are flashing, and tests looked like they are still being continued. Along the right wall lay a line of cages, stacked five high and ten deep. They are no bigger than a regular Pokemon, say a Charmander. On the other wall are three large cages, which appear to hold larger Pokemon, say a Charizard. But instead of metal bars, they are blocked by a golden energetic shield barrier. On the left, in front of these large cages, behind a desk, there’s a tip tap of typing on a computer. And it isn’t a simple type, but furious and quick. He can see the top of someone’s hair- brown hair. Suddenly it rose, and Jack ducks.

The person is talking on a cell phone. “Corban, I’m estimating about two hours before we’re finished with the experiment. I’m amazed she continues to resist this long, but she is no match for science.”

“Wonderful news Destiny. The sooner, the better. I’ll send some people down in a bit.... Oh... what’s that you say.... well, send him on in..... Excuse me dear, but there’s someone at the door for me.”

Why did Kecleon point out this lab? What is so special? Jack peaks over the table. The person is a woman, brunette, tiny glasses, and very pretty. She wore a white lab coat over a tan coat and a green ribbon in her hair. She had her back turned, so Jack moves to the next row of tables to hide behind. From here, he can see the three jails on the left more clearly. Empty. Empty. Occupied. Only one cell has the gold field up, with a Pokemon curled in the middle. A long Pokemon. A blue Pokemon. One with white wings on its head and a bubbly navy blue tail. By the luck, it is mother Dragonair. But on her head is a metallic helmet, blinking red, with a wire connecting through the wall into the computer the female scientist had been typing at.

Hearing the part about ‘experiment’, Jack yells out. “What are you doing to her?”

She is frightened by the sudden voice of anger. “What? Who are you?” The she notices the item he’s holding. “And what are you doing with Paul’s mallet?

“I’m here to save the friend that you took away from me and her children.” Letting his emotions take over, he runs to the wall and slides his gold key card into the slot next to the cell. It blinks, and the field disintegrates.

“No, stop. You’ll break the cycle.”

Jack brings out a Pokeball, pointing it to her as she steps forward. “Don’t even think about it.” His eight legged freaky spider Pokemon pops out. “Tie her up if she comes any closer” He steps into the cell.

“No, no no no...” Destiny circles around the room, thinking she can get by Ariados, but with no success. A warning shot is fired at her.

Dragonair’s long body is coiled like a snake. She looks asleep or unconscious and makes no effort to move when Jack enters.

“Hello. Dragonair, it’s me, Jack. Remember? We met at Dragon’s Den a couple months ago.” But she remains in a state of euphoria. It must be the helmet. “How do I remove this thing?

“You can’t, you’ll interrupt the process.” She heads back to the desk with the computer. “Please stop, you’re ruining my work.”

He steps out, “Yea, well, you ruined the lives of two little Dratini. I don’t care what you are doing, I’m setting her free.”

“No no. This is a very difficult process of control we’re testing... you can’t....”

The radio in Jack’s pocket buzzes. “Bzztt... Perimeter 3 here. X-K2 has been spotting within the grounds. Repeat. X-K2 has breached..... Bzztt....”

“This is Station 0. Are you there Perimeter 3? Please respond.”

“Perimeter 4 responding. Confirming the report. The Kangaskhan is directly at the entrance of the building. There appears to be a smaller Pokemon assisting it. It may be the one that snuck in earlier. Huhhh! Huhh... In pursuit.... phew....”

“Understood. Code 14 is in effect. All available personnel will be dispatched.”

Soon, a wailing siren overtakes the air. A red swirling light lit up next to the lab door. Lucky for them, the siren from outside didn’t reverberate loudly in the basement. Shortly over the loud speaker, Code 14 is announced.

Jack pushes the scientist out of the way. She steps back, helpless and unable to do anything with Ariados guarding him. At the desk, there is nothing to understand. Number and equations were everywhere, using high tech logical expressions and scientific terms that he had no idea about. But there is one way to solve the problem, which is the easiest thing that anyone can do: cut the power. He pulls plugs from the computer, and the various nearby machines. With each pull, the scientist gasps wanting to stop him, almost breaking out in tears from watching.

A slight rustling can be heard from the cell... “Bbb.... Baawooo?!.... BOOOOWOOO!!” Dragonair gracefully soars out, pulling and knocking over equipment with the wires still attached to her head. One, then another wire snaps as the pressure becomes too much. Another large bellow erupts, shaking the room.

The female scientist reaches into her coat pocket. Her tiny glasses flood with tears. “I’ve worked too long and hard. Do you know how revolutionary it would be if we can control any Pokemon we wanted. The future of training would be forever changed, thanks to me.”

“You’re delusional, miss. That’s what being a Trainer is all about. Working hard and training your Pokemon, earning their respect to battle for you. What about their emotions, their feelings? Those matter more than winning a battle. Gaining a Pokemon’s trust is one of the hardest things a Trainer can accomplish.”

The last of the wires snap, releasing Dragonair from captivity. She wildly wiggles her snake-like body, knocking desks and equipment around. Ariados jumps to the shortened part of the ceiling, hanging by sticky threads.

A cell phone rings next to the computer, but no one hears it with the siren and Dragonair rampaging about. Destiny brings out a small hand-held device, pointing it at Dragonair, sending an electrical impulse through her via the helmet, which is now blinking green. Much to Jack’s surprise, she calms down, eyes solemnly staring at the scientist and other Trainer.

What did she do? Must be that device.

“I’m sorry to have to do this to you kid, but my years of work will not end like this. Now, watch the control over any Pokemon, as I have her destroy the one attempting to rescue her. Attack this intruder!” A short impulse is shot through, forcing Dragonair to understand and obey.

Jack panics, ducking as a massive Iron Tail swings over him. His shouts go unheard, his face goes unrecognized. He dives behind a table as it is knocked away. Ariados leaps from the ceiling, halting the next attack by blocking it with webbing. The spider wouldn’t hurt her, as instructed, but only protect and defend. Jack surprises the scientist, whom had quickly grabbed her cell phone off the desk. The device is in plain sight, so he attempts to snatch it.... but they are unaware that Ariados had been hit hard by a devastating Dragonbreath. The Pokemon knocks both humans over, throwing the device across the room, which instantly breaks open upon hitting the solid ground floor.

“No, you fool. She’ll go out of control.”

Feeling weak, Jack bravely stands. Ariados steps next to him, with a wounded leg. The spider points to his Trainer’s Pokemon Belt. Another Pokemon? Yes, good idea. And then he feels stupid for not having thought of it in the first place. This is the only reason he brought them.

“Bwee!”

“Bo...”

The two Dratini, whom he had kept and cared for two months, ever since Dragonair was taken away, were let out onto the cold floor. Immediately, they recognized their own mother, even through the rage filled eyes of disgust. “Baw... oooooo??!” The two Dratini, brother and sister, slither to their mother, wide eyed with smiling faces, cooing gently. And she did nothing but remain still; frozen in thought.. Until a single tear rolled down the blue face, and a smile curled upward. The light on the helmet went from green, back to red.

Destiny stands back up, straightening her two coats to normal. She wipes her eyes, not believing what she had just witnessed. “Fascinating. Who knew a parental bond could break such control.” Technology has lost to family instinct and behavior.

Dragonair nuzzles her little babies, wrapping Jack up for a hug as well. The reunion is short lived when a metal door lowers and blocks the exit into the lab. The room shakes, forcing ceiling plates loose, softly crashing below, followed by a shattering crash above. Something is going on upstairs.

~*~*~​

Minutes earlier.

Uriel steps into the boss’s office on Level 2. All four sides were lined with bookshelves, half filled with decorative books. A single green lamp lit the whole room from the back. Stacks of boxes and files were spread on one side, while black trash bags were piled on the other. In the middle is an office desk and chair, and behind that a paper shredder and trash can. The boss, Corban Booker, stands next to the shredder, tying up another trash bag. His usually light red hair is messy and dark. His usual calm complexion is nerved, almost stressed. His eyes were dark and blinked repeatedly, as if he hadn’t had any sleep. The untucked and uneven shirt gave signs of agitation. For the first time in three years, Uriel had never seen him like this.

Booker tosses the bag on the other bags. “So... Uriel, I see you made it.”

He responds, kindly, also apologizing. As he sits down, he notices the files scattered on the desk. One of which had his name on it: Dawson, Uriel. These are the files which link him to the Tan Gang, the one that would put him in jail. It is these files he is looking for so he could destroy the evidence of ever having worked with them.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Uriel. I gave you a job no one else would, and this is how you repay me... with excuses?” With the shredder ready to go, he grabs the next file off the desk. “I looked the other way when two people were caught by your accident *SHRED* but 15 people, including Paul... unforgivable. *SHRED* But what’s done is done, and at least a few *SHRED* people made it out.”

The siren wails, with Code 14 being announced over the speakers.

“Ugh, what now! *SHRED* Go help them out *SHRED* get out of my sight.”

*SHRED* The final piece to Uriel’s manilla folder falls into the bag. Booker grabs the next file. He knew the gang was leaving and would only take the best and most important people of the team with them. Seeing his own file shredded showed how little the boss really cared for him as a part of the team. But he is relieved.

“Sir,” he starts, “I have done the best I could, with regards to your business, but it has always been in remorse. I only came to announce my resignation now.”

Somewhat shocked, but unmoved, Booker shouts, “So, what? You’ve turned into a rat?” He whips out a gun from the middle desk drawer. “You were always a good henchman, following any order I gave. But you never would be accepted by us.”

The room shifts back and forth, like an earthquake. Books fall, files spill, and the trash bags topple over. Booker loses stability, giving Uriel the chance to disarm. The gun is quickly removed and disassembled, firing the single bullet in the chamber through the floor. Booker steps back, unarmed hands up. The bouncer fastens his brass knuckles and launches a punch across his face. He falls head first into the desk and slams backward out cold.

He can never see fit to cause harm to his employers or fellow employees. He can never do anything that would jeopardize his job. And he can never have the courage to be looked at as a quitter, even when it hurts him to stay. But today, Uriel Dawson becomes his own man.

A low level lackey enters the room, hearing the gun shot. Seeing the boss knocked out, he quickly charges the bigger bouncer. The lackey punches his chest, only to be send back reeling in pain. Uriel is prepared to fight hard today, and wore his chest protector. Nothing like punching metal and breaking bones to weaken your opponent. The lackey winces, tending to his hand, as Uriel shoves him across the room with ease.

Unsure what to do, he grabs his duffle bag and runs.

~*~*~​

About the same time.

X-K2, the Kangaskhan, has reached the entrance of the building. She stands, bawling, as if calling for something. There is never any immediate response. *PING* A grate falls, letting a familiar sneaking Pokemon out into the fresh air once again. The large reptile like Pokemon sniffs the air, trying to look with her unclear eyes.

Lavish speaks quickly, and calmly. People were approaching from the sides to trap her in. Kangaskhan turns around, growling, preparing to fight. Lavish jumps in front of her, pointing at the building, telling her something she’s waiting all year to hear. Kecleon smiles and jumps into the bulky Pokemon’s pouch, which is more uncomfortable than it looked. She faces the building again, and blindly rushes in.

~*~*~​

Jack looks around the room, to find a better exit from the lab. But instead, he finds something far more interesting. He steps from the left side to the right side of the lab, where the stacked cages were located. Each cage is labeled with two or three letters and a number. Only one is of any interest. X-K1. Out of all the cages, this is the only cage to still hold a Pokemon. It looked like a gray Sandshrew, except without any plates, and a little smaller. A baby Khangaskhan. Everything became clear that instant. The Kangaskhan they had run into before, is the mother of this little Pokemon. She only wants her child back. The outrage at their treatment of Pokemon continues to pound at Jack’s heart. How can anyone be so insensitive?

Ariados rips off the small caged door. Jack sticks Paul’s mallet down the back of his pants, leaving only the mallet head exposed, curls his arms, and picks up the little Pokemon. It weakly kicks and gasps, but he keeps it under control to carry. He recalls Ariados and the two Dratini.

“Dragonair, let’s get out of here.”

But Dragonair had other plans. Her mouth opens, forming a circular white light, increasing in power. She blasts the beam around the room, exploding anything it touched. The room sparks electricity and small bursts of fire from the machines. She turns to the door, slicing a gap through the metal with her tail.

“Come on!” Jack calls, carefully walking through the melted metal gap in the door.

Another Hyper Beam streams at the ceiling, opening a hole, and forcing debris to fall through. Dragonair looks back at the Trainer, nods as if to say ‘thank you’, and flies upward through the hole.

Cough. Cough. Destiny cowers in the corner, injured from the chaos around. She didn’t want to get up, to look at the mess around her would be unbearable. She can only cry, hugging the broken pieces of the control device.

Meanwhile, Jack makes his way down the hallway. The lights flicker on and off for a second, and another loud boom, followed by shaking is heard. The radio is constantly with chatter, but too much that it’s hard to make any sense. Annoyed, he dumps the radio.

Another announcement sounds over the speaker: “Code 24 is in effect. Executive Order B is in effect. To repeat...”

Code 24 is to alert all personal of an intruder in the building. Anyone without proper id is to be obtained. Executive Order A is all about evacuating everyone and everything related to the Tan Gang. Order B is only known by the main high ranking members of the gang. It basically means drop everything, grab what they can, and get out.

The elevator is too risky to take right now. And if he remembers correctly, according to the blue prints, there are some stairs further down the hall, which would lead close to Room 217. Another crash. This one sounded closer, almost directly above him. What is going on up there?

He swipes the key card, enters the twisting staircase, until reaching Level 1. The lights flashed again. Soon after, the blaring siren ceased, but that didn’t stop the slight ringing lingering in his head. Room 211. Room 212. At least he knew he is going the right way. Running is causing baby Kangaskhan to fidget, so he resorts to a faster paced walk. A crash of shattered plaster is heard from behind. Whatever it is, it’s not too far from him.

Room 217 is on the corner of a 4 way hallway intersection. Jack enters the room, luckily unlocked. It’s a bedroom, very similar to a dorm but a little larger in area. A bed is neatly made at both corners. Like most rooms he’s seen so far, it’s rather empty except for the unwanted furniture. Pokemon rock band posters littered the walls. The entire building has tiled flooring, except this room. The carpeting is a unique dirty red color with black splotches and feels soft to step on. After entering, to the left of the door on the wall, is a overused dart board. Hanging from the center is the pin that Gorgi had made specifically for him. Setting baby Kangaskhan down, he grabs the light blue pin depicting a calm Dratini in the center. Bull’s-eye.

A luggage bag drops next to another bag. “What are you doing in....eh?” A guy dressed up like Rambo steps out from the closet Jack hadn’t noticed. It’s none other than Claude. “Ho ho, look who it is... JACK!”

“Claude! I didn’t come to play games.” He whips out the mallet from the back of his pants and lands a hit on Claude’s side. “Paul wishes he could be here.”

Satisfied to see him writhing in pain, Jack drops the mallet, grabs baby kangy and steps out. He has accomplished all of his goals, and now it’s time to leave. And the only exit he can remember is where he entered from, at the loading dock. But he only moved down the hall a little bit before a strange aura surrounds him, immediately forcing him to stop. Unable to control his nerves, his body forcibly turns around.

Claude’s powerful Alakazam stood at the door, pointing its bent spoons at Jack. And Claude steps out, holding the side of his stomach. “So it was you all along, the lone kid at the bowling alley. I guess I won’t need to use that bouncer to find you after all.”

Uriel must have been through here.

“Oh, and what are you holding, huh? Saving a Pokemon... aww, boo hoo! You can’t win, Jack. Every time we’ve met, you’ve always ran away. And you want to know why? Because you know that I am better than you. But this time, there’s no escape. And I’m tired of you always appearing.” He grabs a hunting knife from the side of his leg, holding it in a slashing position.

*CCRRAASSHHHAACKCKCKKKKSSSS* The walls of Room 217 shatter to pieces, sending flying plaster and wood splintering across the hallway. The force knocks Alakazam into the opposite wall, losing psychic control. When the debris clears, a large tan creature emerges from the destroyed room. It’s mother Kangaskhan! She scans the hallway, sniffing with her nose, catching the scent of her young one. She stares blindly down the hall, where Claude and Jack are recovering, yelling a fierce bellow out.

With his own nerves back in control, Jack slams his shoulder into Claude’s back, pushing him down, and continues to run away.

Claude stares up, seeing the large Pokemon take one lumbering step after another toward him. “Ala, Alakazam. Stop that thing!” The genius psychic Pokemon stood up, waving its spoons around until finally stopping the scarred beast. “We don’t have time for you, X-K2. Put it out of her misery.”

Alakazam met with Kangaskhan face to face, using its power of hypnosis to put her to sleep. But, it didn’t work. Her one good eye and half eye remained as they were, unaffected. The rage continues to build within her, feeling so close to her baby. She howls, flexing her arms out, breaking the psychic control. Alakazam flinches as she grabs its throat, choking it. Without air, the brain can’t function properly, and psychic powers are based on brain power rather than strength. Without this power, Alakazam is as useless as a Magikarp, wildly flopping around hoping to do any damage at all.

She thrusts her fist down, slamming Alakazam into the floor, sending cracks all down the hallway. She stamps her foot into the skinny Pokemon’s stomach, forcing it through the floor and crashing into the basement below. Kangaskhan looks through the hole, bellowing once more but not sensing any further danger. She sniffs the air again, catching the scent, and rages down the hall.

Claude can only cower in the corner as she stampedes by.

~*~*~​

o O (Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Angry mother on the loose. Gotta keep moving. Gotta keep going. Shoot! Dead end. Arggg. Left, I need to go left. Come on. Uh-oh, people...) O o

As Jack wildly runs down various halls, two people are walking along further down. A lackey and a guy with messy red hair, whom didn’t look too well. The lackey steps forward, at first questioning Jack. But Booker questions louder, “You, drop that Pokemon and get over here and help us carry something.”

“Uh... oh. I can’t. I have to... the boss is waiting for me outside... so you see...”

Booker curiously tilts his head. “You’re the intruder...”

He must have said something wrong that time. Jack quickly runs around the corner to the next hall. Why did all the hallways have to look exactly the same? It’s like running around in a maze, looking for that slice of cheese, and getting shocked every time the mouse made a wrong turn. But like any maze, keep making left turns and eventually the exit will be there. By shear luck, Jack finds himself at another dead end, but with an Emergency exit door. The door opens, forcing the sunlight in his eyes, and his freedom within grasp.

*THOOSH!* Kangaskhan makes her appearance again, further backward down the hall, sliding into the wall. A bolt of ice hits her back, but shatters easily with a twist of her body. A Pokemon wearing a purple flowing robe and long blond hair, seemingly hovers as she walks. Palms out, she is ready.

Kangaskhan punches the wall, charging the Pokemon that dares try to stop her. Jynx sends a punch into the air, pushing her psychic will into an effective physical attack. Kangaskhan is sent back, smashing the wall again. She lay on her back, gasping, feeling her legs tire from constant running. But her will and determination is what keeps her going. As she tries wrestling back up, she feels the cold touch of ice, sending chills throughout her heavy plated skin. Slowly, Jynx is turning Kangaskhan to ice.

“Not so tough now, eh X-K2.” Claude is back, with the second Pokemon in his team of three. “Of all the years you’ve caused trouble, not once did I get the chance to battle you. And now, here it is. My moment to put you in your place. You are JUST a POKEMON, nothing more.” And on his final word, she is frozen in a block of solid ice.

“She’s not some experiment. Her Pokemon name is Kangaskhan!” Jack says walking back inside, releasing Muk from her Pokeball. It’s time to stop running. “Use Fire Punch on that ice.”

Not fully understanding the situation, but having faith in her Trainer, Muk propels forward using the forward momentum of being released, and tumbles next to the action. Muk twitches, touching the frozen ice. She concentrates heat into her flabby fist, forcing a fiery punch into the solid rocky water. Steam quickly surrounds the ice block, cricking and cracking, like a window breaking after being hit with a baseball. Kangaskhan emerges once again, roaring with ferocity, shedding a light mist.

Claude steps next to Jack, faking friendliness. “Listen, we have work together to stop her.”

“Like hell we do. Explosion, Muk!”

With only a couple seconds notice, the entire hallways shatters in a massive shockwave, like a ripple in water. Only after recovering, can Jack see the monstrosity of destruction that had occurred. Jynx is out. Muk is out. Kangaskhan is out. Claude is down and faintly moving. But Jack is ok; standing even. He smiles thankfully, but still curious as to why.

Once again, being the hero of the day, Lavish shows up at the right time. A light field of protective energy dissipates in front of him. But where did he come from? Remember, he hitched a ride within Kangaskhan’s unsettling pouch. As soon as he was unfrozen from inside, Lavish hopped out and snuck through the hall to Jack. Had there not been so much action in the hall, they might have noticed the hovering fanny-backpack. Crafty chameleon.

“Good to see you Lavish. Have you seen Uriel?” The Pokemon shrugs, but in reality, he had. “Oh, well... let’s just get out of here for now. I’m sure we’ll see him soon... uuff.”

He slams into someone behind him, throwing baby Kangaskhan down. The baby wails as it lands on its head. A tanned hand reaches down for Jack to grab. A friendly hand. A Uriel hand. They exchange short smiles and worried statements.

“I heard there was an intruder, and I knew it was you. And Lavish! Oh, it’s good to see you’re both okay. There’s a truck just outside we can use to escape. Follow me now.” Out the Emergency Exit, Uriel had another of the u-haul type truck parked in the back lot.

Muk is recalled, acknowledging her wonderful sacrifice. The wailing baby Kangaskhan is picked up, and continues to be restless. Jack takes one last look down the hall. Poor Kangaskhan. He didn’t want to leave her like that, and he cann’t just leave the baby here. Out of nowhere, the mother flips over with a burst of energy, bellowing again, kicking debris across the hall. Her ears perk up, hearing her baby’s cry. Especially keen to her other 4 senses, this high pitched squeal only infuriates mother Kangaskhan even more.

Time to go. Jack steps out the door, running as fast as he can to the passenger side of the truck. They are on the opposite parking lot from where they came in, close to Station 2's entrance. The engine putters, and the wheels move. The truck accelerates.

“Wait, wait a minute.”

“What!! Wait!! Now?”

If they leave now, they would easily escape. But the new problem is Kangaskhan. Both mother and baby have to make it safely out of the area back to the surrounding forests. The idea is to bait Mother Kangaskhan to follow them away to freedom.

The tan tank plows through the final wall, stretching her limbs with the feeling of escaping the complex once again. She can smell her child through the exhaust fumes, and even hear the cries over the engine.

“Ok, go!”

The truck swerves around the parking lot, making it’s way to the exit. Giving chase, Mother Kangaskhan simply bulldozes her way through the new cars, tossing them aside like toys. Her speed, even after all the fighting inside, is remarkable. She is catching up.

“Faster. If she catches us...” Jack says looking at the side mirror.

“Should have picked a truck with less cargo now...” Uriel mumbles, fumbling the gear shifts.

“Keeecc...” Lavish screams.

“Kkaaaaa...” baby Kangaskhan squeals.

*EERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!* The tires tear into the asphalt on the final turn through the check point of Station 2. The guard can only run away as Kangaskhan angrily slices through. Clear ahead is a simple road which cautiously curved right and eventually back into the main part of town.

“Now that we’re all safe, I can set this guy loose and give him back to his mother. Slow down.”

“You’re kidding. She’s gaining on us enough. Just throw it out the window now.”

“Slow down, we’ll be ok.”

Having trouble shifting gears again, the engine locks up and stalls. Uriel hits the breaks, hoping to fix it, but only slowing to a sudden stop. He turns the key, and again... but it doesn’t start. Everyone buckles in.

Here’s a riddle for you. How do you stop a charging tank?

~*~*~​

You don’t.

The truck landed off the road, on some grass before a mild forest. Various equipment and Pokemon items were strewn about. The entire back storage was pressed in, like a tube of used toothpaste. The windows were cracked, and the front wheel axle was strewn to pieces, while the left door was forced shut in such a way that it wouldn’t open. The impact of the hit sent the entire truck spinning in a manner that effectively wouldn’t damage the seating or passengers up front. Kangaskhan couldn’t attack there, for fear she may hurt her baby by accident.

Uriel is the first out of the truck, carrying Jack and setting him against the front tire. He feels his head swelling, dizzy, trying to focus his eyes by rubbing them. Jack moans with his eyes closed behind a pair of twisted sunglasses.

Dizzily, baby Kangaskhan rolls out of the truck, plopping to the ground. A few yards away, mother Kangaskhan is sniffing and searching for her lost baby. Wide eyed, having not seen his mother for a year, the baby waddles quickly to her. The mother feels a comfortable hug on her leg, sensing her offspring, and gladly hugs back with a mild grunt.

This reunion is just as wonderful as Dragonair and her two Dratini. Jack never imagined he’d make such a difference today; not just for himself, but for the city and the Pokemon alike. He felt like crying, but is too shocked from the crash for emotions. All he wants to do is get out of here.

“I’m glad someone is enjoying the moment,” Uriel states, still shaken up, grabbing his duffle bag out of the truck. “You ready to go...”

Jack shouts, pointing at him, “Look out behind you!”

A quick turn reveals mother Kangaskhan charging at them. In this sudden surprise attack, there’s no way to react.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Kangaskhan slides as a rush of invisible claws rake her chest. An indent lands in the grass, hiding the blue bolt from sight. The invisible Pokemon, Lavish, shouts out....

*Flashback*​

Lavish the Kecleon, 007. From the time they entered, to the time they left, he was in charge the entire time. And anything that happened, he caused it. Only one part of the plan changed, and that was meeting Kangaskhan. Remember that little conversation between them when they first met?

Kecleon: *So, I hear you need to get inside. I can help you!*

With Kangaskhan agreeing to enter, he now had a better distraction. This was a covert mission, and Kangaskhan was the bait. If Jack was ever found, they’d be too worried about the big brute.

When infiltrating enemy territory, the first thing to do is gain Intel. By using the air ducks, he could easily move through the building to find key rooms and items. Uriel could move around freely, so he helped Jack first. And it’s while moving around the ducks that he learned about X-K1 in the lab, among other Pokemon in Pokeballs in other rooms.

Before meeting Kangaskhan outside, he ran into Uriel. He pointed on his map to wait outside, crudely drawing a picture of a car. The bouncer understood, but first had to talk to the boss.

Kecleon: *I can take you to your son. Let me be your eyes.*

And thus, mother Kangaskhan rushed in, bulldozing anything in the way. The plan was to lead her to the basement, then find Jack and lead him safely out.

The only thing Lavish didn’t predict, was Jack’s compassion for Kangaskhan’s situation. The mission was accomplished. The escape vehicle was waiting. Why did that Trainer have to save a Pokemon that wasn’t part of the mission? Every agent knows there will be unavoidable casualties.

*End Flashback*​

And now, it all made sense. Watching the reunion, and feeling responsible for allowing it, left him with a sense of satisfaction. It’s a warm feeling of companionship he hasn’t felt for a long time.

“Keccc lle le leonn!” screams back.

“She’s too powerful. Kecleon is untrained.” Jack says, wiping his clothes as he stands.

“Yes, but a punch is only as strong if you can see what you’re hitting.”

But something didn’t seem right. There’s something about Kangaskhan... her one half closed eye... the foggy hazel glistening of her eyes... the way she stares without blinking minutes apart... and the frantic sniffing with her nose.... the twitching ears.... It wouldn’t matter if Kecleon is visible or not...

“She’s blind....”

A paw slices down, forcing the blue bolt jumping into the air. A second paw slices the air, shooting Lavish like a blue lightning bolt around the ground. The claws indent in his back, causing him to revert back to normal visibility.

While Uriel tends to his Pokemon, Jack grabs a Pokeball. This is a different situation than the one he experienced earlier. Perhaps she’s also lost sight of the human heart, and that there are good people out there. He’d like to avoid this battle, and there’s little chance talking will do any good. She still looks rather enraged.

Magneton pops out. A quick thick Thunder lands across the beasts body, but not as effective as it should have. Running into the electric fence must have gave her skin extra resistance. She lunges forward, not smelling any enemy Pokemon nearby. Magneton floats to her side, sending another juicy electric bolt. Feeling the direction of the attack, Kangaskhan swings a punch out; missing, but very close.

“She’s not tiring. Try Thunder Wave to stop her.”

A mild numbing blue jolt courses through her body, sparking tiny zips of electricity around her. Unamused, she concentrates her body strength, as if lifting 100 tons, and breaks the paralyzing grip.

“Whoa... no way!”

The mother moves her concentration to her ears, listening for the Pokemon’s movement. No footsteps, but a faint electrical humming is heard. She turns around and reaches out to the exact spot Magneton is floating. Grabbing the hunk of junk, she slams it into the ground, following it up with a metallic crunch sounding punch.

Jack is quick to line up his Pokeball to return.... when Kangaskhan switches her target to him again. Lavish and Uriel are off to the side, and there’s no time to grab another Pokemon...

*Oof!* The bulky beast is hit back by a long tail.

“Bawoo!!” Dragonair swoops down. She glares back at Kangaskhan, as if saying ‘Don’t mess with my family.’

Jack presses his back against the ruined truck, holding his hand over his chest. “Oh man, I don’t know how much more of this I can handle.”

She senses the new foe, a frosty smell of ice and strength. A punch slices forward, but only missing the agile bending of Dragonair. She counters by jabbing her horn into the weak plated belly. Dragonair swoops under the legs of Kangaskhan, slashing her glowing Iron Tail at the legs. Kangaskhan keels over momentarily.

Dragonair continues the assault, wrapping her thin body around the huge Pokemon. In a miraculous feat, she manages to lift Kangaskhan off the ground. Five feet, ten feet, even twenty feet up. And as much as she struggles, the tighter Dragonair holds on. Then, with an overhead twist of her body, she launches the tan tank straight down. *CRUNCH!*

She continues soaring circularly, opening her mouth. No bright light for a Hyper Beam, but a surge of pulsating water. Kangaskhan, still lying down and breathing heavily, enjoys the soothing feel of the water, almost feeling refreshed. However, it’s short lived when the next attack starts. Her mouth opens again, this time with a rush of cool air and ice. And when combined with water... Kangaskhan popsicle! She sits on the ground, frozen, with a final look of desperation on her face.

Dragonair soars back to Jack’s side, happy to see him safely outside.

“Thank you Dragonair.”

A sudden collection of whirling sirens drive down the street, toward the laboratory. The police were arriving. Only one cop car stops at the scene, with a familiar face stepping out.

“Jack, catch now!” Uriel tosses over a small bag of unused tan Pokeballs. They must have fallen out of the truck.

He picks one up, understanding it has to be done. “Ahh!” The baby Kangaskhan jumps at his leg, biting him. Surprised, he wildly throws the Pokeball away, kicking his leg to release the baby. The tan Pokeball falls, striking the baby in the back, which sucks him up! Still kicking his leg, he accidentally kicks the wiggling airborne ball away.

At the same time, ice particles shatter through the air. Kangaskhan released herself from her icy tomb. The fire in her heart, to protect what she has regained, is certainly burning brightly today. But the stress and panting on her face indicates this is her last attempt.

*Gabeen!* (sound of jaw dropping)

Dragonair soars forward, wrapping around herself like a breakfast roll. She uncoils quickly, using the velocity of her glowing tail to strike hardest upon Kangaskhan’s helmet plate. She bobbles and wobbles back and forth, until finally falling forward in defeat.

“Now’s your chance now!”

Jack grabs a second tan Pokeball. “I’ll bring you to a doctor as soon as this is all over.”

(-o-) Kangaskhan Caught!
{Baby Kangaskhan is an uncofirmed pre-evolution, you don’t have to grade that capture.)

Grade:

Spoiler

Grader: EmBreon
Date: 1-28-2009

Grade missing.

Original Post: December 29, 2008 @ PE2K vBulletin

 

21- Farewell, City of Dragons​

Spoiler

The next few minutes are as silent as it’s been all day. Even with the sirens blaring in the background, and the wind whistling through the trees, as soon as the Pokeball stops moving, he blanks the entire world out. Just staring, with not a care in the world. For the first time in the months he has been in Blackthorn City, he can take it easy. There is nothing to worry about anymore. It’s all over.

...ck......

No, I’m done for today.

He didn’t even care that the little grey Baby Kangaskhan freed himself and is pawing and poking at the Pokeball that had caught his mother. Luckily, rather than take hostile action, the baby simply sits down, holding the ball, and began to weep.

Jack!!

He moves his head, faintly recognizing a darkly skinned man in a purple suit shouting... something. Probably trying to wake me, he imagines. But he doesn’t want to go. He’s reminded of when he lived at home, and how his mom would try to get him out of bed. He knew he had to go to school, but the bed was too comfortable that if he got out, he’d lose that warmth. He always hated when he was eventually forced out of a comfort zone.

He pictures himself with all of his Pokemon, sitting in a group in an overgrown meadow. Each Pokemon contains their own smile while laughing relentlessly as a group collective. All the happy faces... without a care for the surroundings. A place where nothing could go wrong.

“JACK!” Uriel yells, eventually shaking the Trainer sitting on the ground.

“Alright, alright, I’m up. Sheesh!” He lifts himself up, leaning his arm on the destroyed truck. Reality hit his mind again, removing the short lived cheerful thoughts back to the torn world he lived. He takes in a quick, full breath; then another. What a day!

It isn’t until that moment that he realizes two other people are at the crash site with them. One is a traditional police man: blue jacket, blue pants, blue hat, belt with all the fixing, and black boots. The silver name tag reads Cpt. Johnson.

The other person is an older gentleman, probably middle age. He’s short, about half his height, with patches of hair missing from his head. He has on a horizontally brown striped blue shirt and bright lime green pants. The pants are an dead give away, since he only met one person who would dare wear such a color. It’s Gorgi, the Blackthorn Gym teacher whom Jack had met a few months ago. It was him who showed Jack the Dragon Den paradise. It was him who hand made the Dratini pin.

As pleasing as it is to see him again, why is he here?

“My my, this is quite an exciting day. You’re really something, Jack my boy. I knew you had the sprit of a dragon.” He slaps his hands with a quick laugh.

“Gorgi... hey! Great to see you again. I didn’t expect to see you out here.”

As it would seem, when Dragonair escaped the P-sci Labs, she went straight to the only person she knew who could help: Gorgi at the Blackthorn Gym. Knowing Dragonair was caught by the Tan Gang, he informed the police of the situation, and that Dragonair would lead them to the base. They were quick to disembark, making sure to inform the local news for ‘good police press’. Gorgi, too, went along because he couldn’t easily forget the passion one Trainer had in such a simple speech:

I want to get their mother back. It’s what a true Pokemon Trainer would do. (Jack- Ch.16)

Many Trainer are all talk, and not many can prove their abilities. Statements like that are said all the time, and not many actually follow through... or even succeed. He wanted to see for himself if Jack honored that word. So when he stepped out of the police car and saw Jack in the distance, he couldn’t help but smile.

“I see. So the police...”

“We can handle it from here,” the Captain states. “On the drive over, Gorgi spoke highly of a certain Trainers’ ambition. I must commend you for a job well done.”

“Th-thank you. But all I did was save a couple Pokemon. The real hero is Uriel and his Kecleon. None of this would have been possible without them.”

The officer nods in acknowledgment. “The city of Blackthorn thanks you two very much.”

A bit nervous, Uriel cracks a grin. For the first time in his long career, he feels proud about an accomplishment. As a bouncer for the dance club, the regular customers and fellow employees would taunt him just to see what he’d do. And while working for the Tan Gang, guarding the bowling alley, he knew the years of behind-the-back talk, the snickers, and the mocking conversations of his impaired speech. But he continued to do his job regardless. And now, after a successful escape with everyone safe, he was praised for his good work.

“I...I was merely ensuring the safety of whom I’m was protecting. That is my job now.” He never would have thought that a small time bouncer like himself could become a hero.

Feeling better after being attacked by Kangaskhan, the purple Kecleon, Lavish, seriously salutes to the officer. After all those years watching spy and detective movies, he finally got his chance to star in his own caper. Little did anyone know, he was anxious to keep going.

“Gorgi, look.” Jack shouts with a huge grin behind his broken sunglasses, fishing through his pocket. He pulls out a small Dratini pin decorated in shades of blue: the hand-made pin from Gorgi.

“Well, look at that! I’m impressed at your resilience.”

Upon completion of his training at Dragon’s Den, Gorgi hand made a special pin for him. However, the notorious Tan Gang pair, Paul and Claude, broke into the gym and took it. If it was something plastic and cheap, made from a factory, Jack wouldn’t have cared too much. But the fact that it was hand made with laborious effort, he refused Gorgi making another one.

No, I will get it somehow. That Pin is too special to me to just make me another one. (Jack- Ch.16)

A couple more officers step into the scene. The Captain speaks up, “If you guys don’t mind, let’s get you back to town.”

But before they head out, Jack has some unfinished business to handle. He had stopped mother Kangaskhan by catching her, but her baby remains free. Baby Kangaskhan remains where she was caught, hugging the tan Pokeball in a whimpering fashion.

Any other Pokemon would have run away by now, but not in this situation. Kangy (which I’ll call the baby form from now on) was separated from his mother at an early stage of his life. The lab scientists... they weren’t her mother, or even nice to him at all. By being parentless at the labs, it left Kangy in a state of dependency for his real mother. He cried daily, waiting for her to return. And after the long yearly wait, he was finally reunited with his mother and all he wanted to do was cling to her. And never let go. Then, as soon as they became a family again, she’s taken away just as quick. Caught by this Trainer... the same one that rescued him. But... there was no anger... no revenge fight... no feeling of betrayal. He simply fell back into a state of longing for his mother. Crying... and waiting for her to return to him again.

The Trainer’s bowling shoes take a short step forward, inching closer. “Hey there, everything is alright. Nothing to cry about.” Kangy only stares at him with red, tear soaked eyes. His eyes furrow forward, sensing danger, shortening the pupils in fright. “No, no no. I’m a friend. See, nothing in my hands. No Pokemon.” But still the same expression. “I know you’re upset, but I didn’t have a choice little guy. Believe me,” he says with a smile. “Both of you need to see a doctor. I can’t imagine the tests they did to you. Ugh, it just tears me to pieces even thinking about it.”

As the Trainer creeps a little too close, Kangy squeezes the Pokeball harder and slides back, appearing as if ready to run.

“Whoa, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I mean, I did save you, hmm. Listen,” he pulls out another of the tan Pokeballs he pocketed. “If you go in this Pokeball, you’ll be transported to where your mom went. That’s what you want, right? You want to see your mom again?” Just a foot away, he sets the Pokeball on the disturbed grass. It was a technical lie to gain Kangy’s trust, but his only other option is to battle him. And right now, Kangy needs a friend more than tough love.

~*~*~​

The squad car arrives back to the heart of Blackthorn City. The feint sirens are still heard behind them, which is exactly what Jack wants to do with the whole situation. Just to put everything behind him and start anew.

They stop at the three story Pokecenter, where many Trainers remain to watch the breaking news.

“We’re being told that the P-sci labs is hiding members of the Tan Gang. Currently, the grounds have been surrounded and forces are moving in. As you may be aware, with yesterday’s attack at the bowling alley....”

But Jack no longer cares about it, simply squeezing through the crowd to the front desk. He knows what he accomplished, and feels no reason to watch it nor embellish in his heroism. There are a lot more pressing matters at hand.

“Hello Nurse Joy.”

The pink haired nurse gives a nice wide smile, opening her arms out in a display of friendship. “Oh, Jack. Good to see you again.” She looks at his disheveled appearance. “Must have been through some hard training this morning, eh? By the way, did you see the good news?”

See it? He was there. “Yea, I heard... but I really need you to look at a couple Pokemon for me; they’re in bad shape.” He places the two Pokeballs containing Kangaskhan and Kangy in the six-compartment plastic Pokeball holder.

“Oh my! I’ll have Blissey take these Pokemon to the Emergency check-up for you.”

The oval pinkish Pokemon in a nurse apron takes the Pokeball holder. “Blis!” she says cheerfully.

“Jack...” Gorgi, Uriel, and Lavish make their way through. Uriel speaks up, “They want a word from us at the station.”

“I’m staying here with Kangaskhan, they’ll have to wait. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“And if you have time between your busy schedule and saving the world,” Gorgi says, “Stop by the gym. I want to show you something.”

Jack nods, waving good-bye as they leave. It’ll be a while before Nurse Joy has any results, so he waits in his temporary private room. He slips off his bowling shoes, seeing them dirty and stained with abuse. He takes a look through his scratched and cracked sunglasses: the frame was a little bent and he’ll have to replace the lenses if he ever wants to block the sun again. His blue hat was torn at a seem, also dirty. His pine green shirt and rustic jeans had dirt and grass marks on them, which blended in slightly. As for his body, he’s still a bit shaky with a slight headache after the accident. Nothing is broken or bruised, so he can’t complain.

He slides his Pokeball belt on the small lamp table. He hadn’t even thought about healing his own Pokemon. Their hard battles today and yesterday are nothing compared to that of Kangaskhan’s yearly fight. They just need a good rest, like himself.

Looking at his belt, he’s reminded of all the Pokemon he owns and how he caught them. The easy times, the fun times, and the difficult times. That one that hits him the most, and relates to this recent event, is his capture of Kakuna. Pokemon are fragile beings, especially in low level and low evolutionary states. How can the world be so cruel to mistreat such Pokemon? Why? It didn’t make any sense.

~*~*~​

The Blackthorn Police Station is across town from the Pokemon Center, but it doesn’t take long to arrive with the siren going. Uriel has never been inside a police car before. The feeling was awkward, but he enjoyed being able to pass cars and traffic. As for Lavish, the James Bond purple Kecleon, he was curious about all the buttons and gadgets on the dashboard. He wonders which button puts the car in invisibility mode...

Again, he feels awkward being inside the police station. All the people sitting in the waiting room take a look at him, judging him with their eyes, imagining what law or laws he must have broken to be here. He pays careful attention to a tough looking guy in the corner, with a black bandana around his head and a scraggily beard. His eyes shift away, not wishing to make contact or be intimidated. But it also has him wondering what that guy is also doing here. Maybe he too was a hero in some small story, which will make page 3 headlines in tomorrow’s news.

Lavish stays on guard, standing in front of Uriel’s black duffle bag. He’s watched enough detective shows to know what a bad guy looks like. And he was high up on the suspicious list.

A young female front desk officer steps into the room, calling him out. She leads him and Kecleon through a series of desks and cubicle offices, until reaching a short hallway with a door marked ‘interrogation’. Before he can ask, she says it is only temporary because all the other rooms are taken.

The interrogation room was barren, except for a table and a chair on either side. Captain Johnson stands by the door as he enters, and another officer sat at the table. He was an older gentleman with a gray mustache. Surprisingly, he only wore his navy police cap and belt for his gun, but no uniform. Just casual clothes. Not even a name badge.

“Uriel Dawson? I’m Commander Nickels, head of the police division. Sit down and tell us all what happened.”

And so, nervously, he does. Starting from when he first met the Tan Gan leader, Corban Booker, to the escape from their base. Not skipping a single detail.

The Commander leans back in the chair, facing the Captain. “And why isn’t the Trainer here?”

The lean Captain muffles, “He said he had some business at the Pokecenter first, and that we can pick him up later.”

“Have an officer go over the Center to keep an eye on him.” The Captain nods, stepping out the door. “So, those Pokemon you found... is that what’s in the bag?”

He nods, lifting the dark duffle bag on the table. He unlocks the various zippers and hidden spots on the bag. Item by item, Uriel places them one by one on the table until the bag is empty. In total there are 36 Pokeballs, not counting the two larger balls he sets off to the side, and a dozen various items of use by Trainers.

During Uriel’s search of the base for his documents linking him to joining the gang, he found the room where stolen Pokemon from Trainers were kept. Each Pokeball was unmarked and unlisted as to who’s Pokemon it was, and to what Pokemon was inside. The items were thrown into a box labeled Trainer Stuff. The Pokemon and items in this room were of no interest to the gang and not important for use. Some of the stolen Pokemon were taken just for fun, only to be locked away. Others were Pokemon that were the result of a raid on one Trainer, but they only wanted one Pokemon from them. Any key Pokemon they wanted to keep for use or study, was kept either in the basement levels, or upstairs in guarded quarters.

The two larger Pokeballs (Superballs as the Tan Gang called them) kept off to the side are the ones that Lavish found during his sneaking in the air vents. He isn’t even sure if there are any Pokemon in them, but Lavish must have taken them for some reason.

The dark bouncer calls out any Pokemon within, to which they respond with red beams. The forms materialize into two standing figures, both of similar height, body, and tan color. Red gloves appear on one, while springy legs appear on the other.

“Monlee.”

“Mon.. Chan?”

Lavish jumps to the table, marveling his own find. Mr. Weller, beloved retired Trainer of the city, had his Pokemon taken over a month ago. He died in mourning because of it. And here, before them, are the two Pokemon that were stolen. His two most prized possessions. Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Back in safe hands.

Uriel and Lavish don’t even realize how much of a hero to the town they have become.

While the Commander stares in disbelief, dumfounded at the Pokemon he is witnessing, Captain Johnson walks back in.

He stumbles the first words, seeing a pair of fighting Pokemon across the room. “S-s-sir. Is. Is that..?”

Nickels coughs and grumbles, “Ahem, what is it?”

“Well, uh... wait, are those...?”

“Yes, they are. Now did you have something for me?”

“Oh, yes. An officer went by the Pokecenter, but the Trainer was not there. We have him stationed for when he does return.”

“Good, good. How’s the situation downtown?”

“Excellent. They’re rounding up the final sweep and should be finished within the hour.”

“So,” Nickels rubs his face, still in shock. “We’re going to have some detainees shortly, and we’ll need this room. Keep in contact with us,” he slides a card over the table. “Tomorrow we’ll need you to spot anyone you know.”

Captain Johnson speaks up. “Thank you, for all your hard work today.”

“As I told you, it was all thanks to Lavish now,” he says, fully modest about it.

The Commander lifts off his hat, “Yes, this Pokemon of yours is quite fascinated by spy work, as you mentioned. And with your job capabilities, I may have a proposition for the both of you.”

~*~*~​

The night sky grew quiet with anticipation. The echoing sirens are long gone, the news moves on to other topics, and the Trainers return to their duty. Small neighborhood celebrations were held sparsely throughout the day, but they are short lived and exhausted. It seems everyone, not only Jack, is tired from all the action and suspense.

He stands in front of the Blackthorn Gym. The monumental dragon doors overshadowing him, taunting him, sending a message at just how strong dragon type Pokemon are. He steps to the back, where the garden is located, and where Gorgi usually can be found.

“You know, every time I find you here, you’re watering the plants.”

The senior man’s lime green pants seem to glow in the darkness. “It’s best to let your friends know they are loved, rather than forgotten. To ignore them, even for a moment, may cause you to lose them.” He lifts the pail up, stopping the raining mist. “Ah, but then you say to yourself, ‘You’re giving them too much attention, they’ll be suffocated.’ But I say you have to look at your friends to know how they feel. Look at the durability of those leaves. Look at those bright colors in the petals. Those aren’t the faces of sadness, they’re the faces of appreciation. When you’ve experienced as much as I have, understanding this key element becomes natural.”

“We’re not just talking about plants, are we?”

He sets the pail on a round table, next to a dripping faucet. “That’s why I like you, you understand quickly. Just like I was at your age. Come, come inside. I have that surprise for you.”

Gorgi opens the gym door, flipping a set of four light switches on, lighting the entire gym. Jack hadn’t been in here in over a month, when he battled Gorgi as practice, since the Gym Leader was away. The field was gravel and dirty, with a few larger boulder in the center circle.

Mother Dragonair soars from above, landing next to Gorgi. He pats her on the head, listening to her cheerful cooing in return.

“So, Jack, is Kangaskhan well?”

“Oh, well, not really. They weren’t equipped with the right medical tools to deal with her injuries, so they transferred both her and baby Kangy to Goldenrod City. They’re going to do further tests for any other problems. Nurse Joy didn’t like the scaring over Kangaskhan’s body at all, and thought she might have serious infections. She said it might take a few weeks before they are ready. I do hope they’ll be alright.”

“Pokemon are very strong willed at fighting an enemy, even at its own physical expense. For many Pokemon, simply living is enough to keep them happy. I can imagine the battle you had with her was difficult, probably even scary. For a wild Pokemon of that magnitude, fighting for freedom, they’ll give everything they have, even if it means themselves in the process.”

“We’re not doing this on purpose. Most Trainers only want to help.”

“Unfortunately, wild Pokemon don’t have as great a sense of reading the faces of people like we can to each other. They don’t understand our intentions, only that we are in their way and they’ll either fight us to show dominance, or run. A wild Pokemon that does any other action other than those two, are usually in a weak or young condition. You may have a good intention, but you have to be aware what you are up against, and what reaction to your surroundings it will cause. Like today, for instance.”

Today? What does he mean by that? The gang was defeated, he rescued a Pokemon. We won right? But looking into Gorgi’s wise eyes tell him something else. Maybe there was more to the situation than he knew about. His intention to save Dragonair, while heroic, was indeed very selfish. What about all the other Pokemon they stole over the years in operation? And what about those that do escape from the police, and any stolen Pokemon they have? Uriel was right, they should have let the police handle it. It was a stupid idea, one that he will hope he never makes again.

Gorgi senses depression in the young Trainer, which he smiles at. “That’s ok, don’t worry about it. For every mistakes, we learn ten new things.”

Jack grabs two Pokeballs off his belt, holding them out. “I want to return the two Dratini to you. They belong with their mother.”

“Are you sure about this? Well, what do you think Dragonair?”

The slender navy dragon lowers her head, pushing the outstretched Pokeballs back to the Trainer. She coos gently, with a smile of content. She has this solemn feeling that her babies are in great care.

His eyes liquidate, forcing him to blink repeatedly in embarrassment at revealing his emotion. It’s been his life dream to own a Dratini. To hug one; to love one. And not because they are rare, but at how gentle their eyes look at someone, and their soothing coos. Dratini are also the sign of a successful Trainer, because a Trainer with well-trained Dragonite should be shown signs of respect. Loyalty. Trust. Strength. For Jack to gain such a Pokemon with those noble traits, it would mean the world. Never before he set out for his journey, did he ever imagine meeting, let alone touching a Dratini.

The recent time he shared with them at Dragon’s Den was the most wondrous time he’s ever experienced. He would love to go back to that moment, the moment before Dragonair was caught by them. Before they interfered with there lives. They were a happy family, with a friendly Trainer to have fun and play with. He was right all along, Dratini are the perfect Pokemon. But...

“Thanks, but I can’t. As much as I’ve always wanted a Dratini of my own... sniff... I just... can’t. Would it be alright if I left them with you, Gorgi?”

Eventually, he has to wipe his eyes before they tear up. He doesn’t want to accept the fact that Dragonair is okay with this. All he wanted to do was take care of them while she was caught, and he never planned to keep them afterward. And from tears, his eyes burn up with disgust and anger. He covers his face with the front of his hat, hiding his fierce and determined eyes. Why would Dragonair toy with me like this? Doesn’t she know that they need a mother right now more than anything? Arg! It breaks his heart knowing she trusts him this much. He grips his hand into a fist, imagining walking away. No, these are her babies, not mine.

“Gorgi! This is the Trainer you were telling me about?”

The old man whips around, “Oh, I was wondering when you’d show up. Jack, I’d like you to meet the Blackthorn Gym Leader.”

As the leader steps forward, he extends a hand out. “Nice to meet you. I hear you’ve been looking for a Gym match.”

~*~*~​

2 days later.

“To recap the recent event at the P-sci Labs in Blackthorn City, police have arrested 26 suspects of the so called Tan Gang. However, word is that all high ranking members are still at large and could be heading for Olivine City to escape the league. If you see any of these individuals, please contact the police immediately.”

A list of names and descriptions are given, only a few recognizable. Booker, the boss. Destiny, the scientist. Claude.... escaped.

“Pokemon, items, and documents are being counted, labeled, and processed. A notice will soon go out with a list of a stolen valuables and Pokemon, so that their proper Trainers can be found. Of the reported 210 cases of stolen Pokemon from a ‘tan organization’, only 97 Pokemon were recovered. Here’s hoping they all find their Trainer.

Uriel Dawson, one of the heros of the event, was recently awarded a special gift from the Weller family, in appreciation for his act. Having saved Mr. Weller’s stolen Pokemon, his daughter awarded his prized Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan to Uriel, knowing very well that her father’s Pokemon would be in great hands. And to top that, Uriel was promoted by the police department as a witness bodyguard, also giving his Pokemon, a Kecleon, an honorary spot in the Special Force Pokemon Division. Good luck to you guys.

As for the Trainer that helped him, whom we only know as Jack, no one has seen him since that day. Police think he may be headed to Victory Road and would like to question him. If seen, please contact the police.

In related news, the company, P-sci Labs, managed by Corban Booker, has since been shut down and all funding cut off. A recent finding suggests fraud...”

The blue hat Trainer switches off the Pokegear (a present from Gorgi). He grabs his backpack, stands up, and walks calmly down the dirt path.

~*~*~​

Original Post: May 25, 2009 @ PE2K vBulletin

 

[You may start here without having to read anything beforehand.]

~* Storyline 3: Detective Vs. Trainer *~​

We follow a new lead character in her search for personal growth. Detective April is on the hunt to find our lost hero, Trainer Jack.

22- Two is Better Than One​

Spoiler

An epic shrill echoes throughout the house, deafening herself in the process. Her bare feet thump and slide across the boarded hallway, rushing to get to the restroom as quickly as possible. She slams into the door, arms shaking, looking back down the hall. After restlessly fidgeting to open the knob, the door creaks open and she quickly closes it shut. The lock firmly clicks into place, designating her safety.

She covers her mouth from her whining, grabs a pearl colored towel off the rack, and steps into the bathtub, only being lit by a dim night light. She coughs, trying to regain her nerves and senses, almost choking on her own flem from her constant flow of tears. She closes the clear nylon curtain, then proceeds to curl into a ball, sitting at the head of the tub, while covering herself with the towel. This is her last form of protection

The room is silent, except for her heavy whines within the confines of the towel. Her chest beat like a drum, progressively marching faster and faster with each passing moment of silence. And as she hides, she becomes nauseated by her own emotions from her weak ability to remain calm. Her eyes, stressed from her tears, become bloodshot and painful. Her mind wraps around her heart, trying to calm it down, but only results in a throbbing headache. Her nerves have a will of their own, wanting to shut down and give up.

But somehow, she had to protect herself.

Through her shuddering breaths, a creaky step is heard outside. And another, longer creak. A new, irregular creak is heard after that. Someone, no, a pair of someone is coming up the stairs. With each creak, her body sends a stiff response of fear and hesitation, and the realization that she can’t get away.

Thunk. A loud boot knocks the wood flooring, followed by another. One pair sounds closer than the other, but that didn’t ease her mind. Thunk.

She didn’t even think about running away, or finding a phone to call the police. Fear instilled her to hide from her enemy, to stay safe and hope the bad things go away.

Thunk.

Dad always tells her he would protect the family when the time came. That he would do anything for his princess. Part of her wants to scream out for him.

Thunk. The knob twists back and forth, agitated by a grimy hand on the opposite side. She pops her head out from under the towel, staring through the blurry curtain, seeing the dimly lit handle shake. Her heart races around her body, and she holds her breath, forgetting that she needs to refuel. But the stubborn click prevents the door from opening. This calms her breathing a bit, but she grips the towel around herself tighter than previously.

A mumbled voice calls from behind the door. The handle fiercely screeches and wobbles, trying to force their way in. She wants to scream, hoping someone would hear her. But her lungs lock up, saving oxygen for her rapidly beating heart.

Wham! A small family picture tilts crooked as the walls shake. The someone is trying to break in. A second wham hits, cracking the top metal hinges and around the handle. A third kick splinters the lock from the thick wall, slamming and indenting the door handle into the side wall as it opened. And all hell breaks loose.

Even at the youngest age of six, a kids’ survival instinct is a dangerous habit. The little girls’ lungs unlock, letting her sense of survival in play. She screams in a heavy pant, calling out for Daddy. As the last syllable leaves her lips, she begins to cry thick tears. Her mouth fills with extra saliva, slurring her screams in a bubbly tone. She curls up even further, as if trying to squeeze herself enough to escape down the drain.

A blurred guy clamors to the tub with a stiff look to his hazy face. His grubby arms grab the curtain, pulling the seems off the chain, and throws it off to the side. At this point, her screams stop as her crying subsides to stifled sniffles. Her big eyes get a shadowed glimpse of the burly man as he reaches down. He grabs the towel, trying to take it away, only struggling a little when the girl refused to give it up.

With her three defenses lost, and the inevitable end in sight, a moxy fixation escapes her eyes. The man forcibly grabs her left arm, crushing so hard that she can’t escape. She winces horribly, too injured to even muffle a shriek. Like slamming your hand in the door, she reacts violently with her teeth, grabbing a fair chuck of skin in her small bite. Even enough to force some blood to show.

The man growls, releasing grip, and shakes his arm. She slides back to her corner of the tub with her hands up front to defend from another grab. Her eyes fixate on the door, where the other person stands. There is no escape, only to fight back. But her young senses can’t keep up with such adrenaline, and have since shut down to allow her muscles to the front line.

She leans back, kicking her bare feet upward at any advances the man has on her. A foot almost kicks far enough in to hit his face. Not fearing a knock out, the man uses his body to hover in closely, taking the tiny footwork to his chest and stomach. Her eyes catch a beady look in his face, giving her a look of empowerment. Then, pain strikes up her legs and spinal cord, when he grabs both her legs with one of his hands. She struggles to kick free, but his grip only forces out a gasp of torture. Satisfied, the man drags her out.

Her body goes limp, as if telling her to give up. She twists herself around, moving her chest to the floor and back to the man. She claws at the wall but there is nothing to grab. As her body slides out of the tub, she tries to grab the top of the enameled marble, but her little hands cannot grip the slippy surface. Squirming forces her long hair over her head, making it harder to see anything to grab. She tries the toilet porcelain, but that too is difficult to grab a hold. Without an option, a blood curling scream reverberates in the all tile bathroom.

The man mumbles to shut up, momentarily pausing due to tension. He looks back to see she had grabbed the end of the cupboards, which held the sink and bathroom miscellaneous within. She tries kicking free of the temporary loose grip, but only instills more pain. Her tears scream out. Daddy, protect me! Her arm tendons stretch as the man tries to pry her clasped hands.

Frustrated, he throws her limp legs against the tile, quickly grabbing her arms tightly, pulling her away from the cupboards. She gasps, outstretched and exhausted. The man forces her arms to her belly, brushing her distraught hair to the side, opening her red, tear soaked face into the dim night light. She wants to scream again, but her body can’t take the stress any longer. Her lungs are depleted with resources. Her mind idealizes the thought of giving up. Her well of tears has dried up. Her muscles fall back after heavy casualties. And her nerves are shot into disarray.

“Stop struggling,” the man firmly grumbles. He lifts his free hand back, and slaps her unconscious to the floor.

!!!

The teen girl jumps in her bed, throwing the covers off her top half. She breathes irregularly and heavy, sweating profusely all over her body. She clasps her hands over her chest, trying to slow down her heart rate. Quickly, the teen grabs a flashlight from the night stand, immediately turning it on. Her eyes carefully and suspiciously scan the silent corners of the bedroom. But knowing the room is clear isn’t enough to still her thoughts. She grabs her thrown covers, curls into a ball next to her pillow, and wraps it warmly around herself.

While it may have been a dream, the reality of what happened is true. And anytime she imagines it, or someone mentions something relating, she locks up in a ball of fear. Fear that cannot be easily forgotten.

~*~*~​

The place: Blackthorn City. The time: 8:00 in the morning. Much of the city has settled down from the events a few days ago. The city and its residence have gone back to their daily routines. The newspaper has a new headline. Trainers go back to battling and training. Only one department is still in a pickle from the event, and that would obviously be the Police. Every day is something new for them to deal with, but the big capture is keeping everyone busy and on their toes.

Almost everyone.

A sixteen year old girl, medium height and proportions, closes the door to her small one room apartment. A patchwork gray beret sits on top of her long, sandy blonde hair. Her hair joyfully resists being straight, naturally curling at the ends. A pair of copper lens aviator glasses hides her eyes from view. She wears a worn forest green v-neck shirt and light brown Capri pants. Her most important articles of clothing are her fingerless leather riding gloves; an accessory she almost never takes off, especially in the public. An army light green courier bag hangs over her shoulder. To finish off, white skate shoes with night blue laces.

Her lips form a motionless line across her face, neither frowning nor smiling. She lives in a one room apartment, all to herself, which is a pleasure, as well as a curse to her. It gives her a place to be herself and hide from the world she has steadily grown to scrutinize. She can’t seem to trust her neighbors, her good and friendly neighbors, through their daily actions and their hidden pasts. But trying to hide herself is her own undoing, because no one can help her when she needs it the most.

After leaving the apartment building, she unfolds her red razor scooter, and rides down the sidewalk. The momentum gently breezes across her face and through her flowing hair. The sun floats openly in the sky, not hiding its warm rays of sunshine. Pidgey coo while flying about, searching for early morning worms to feed their family. She pauses by a flower shop, gazing through the window at the gorgeous colorful petals. A waft of mixed pollens tickles her nose, enticing her to stop for a moment. Lilies, buttercups, roses, daisies.

She takes a whiff from a nearby barrel of white Bindweed flowers. Moving closer, other aromas surround her. She knows she has to keep going, but flowers have this power of attraction over her. Every sniff puts clean thoughts into her head, masking over any terrible thoughts.

The florist gives a friendly wave to his favorite customer. She waves back, entering the store to absorb the noxious aromas. For her, flowers are like a drug that lets her forget bad memories. Because a flower can never be viewed as something terrible; they always cheer people up. Bright oranges, yellows, violets, whites, and reds. These are the colors of content.

But all the flowers in the world and marvelous scents they produce can’t replace the one she’s wanted for ten years. The rare sapphire rose. Its petals are an ominous light blue with an unending evanescent property. It was this flower that pushed the gloomy clouds away and opened her eyes to a bright future.

Within this Pokemon world, along with her desire for flowers, she has grown to love flowering Pokemon. Vileplume. Bellossom. Cherrim. Roserade. All of them. Unfortunately, up in the mountains of Blackthorn City, these Pokemon are just as rare a sight. Grass type Pokemon love to live somewhere warmer, closer to ground level and near bodies of water. And with grass type Pokemon disliking the cold, these mountainous regions are not an ideal place. But there are two places she can find them. The florist owns a Bellossom of his own, whom usually sits by the register with a happy disposition. The other place is the Pokecenter, where Trainers hang out visiting from far off places. There is a third option, but she doesn’t have authorization for it.

The first smile of her day cracks her face as she points to her usual bottle of perfume behind the counter. The florist nods, making friendly conversation in the meantime. This gets a laugh from the teen. She waves her goodbye, patting Bellossom over the head, and takes one last breath of sensual air.

Four miles later, she can still smell the faint nectar that clung to her body, as if a Skuntank sprayed her with toxins that would only go away with a long shower. Sensing her surroundings, her smile never left as she begins to appreciate the good morning the world is trying to show off.

The Blackthorn Police Station. For four years, she has been an apprentice at the station. Following, watching, participating... everything she could do to learn what it takes to become a cop. This is her one and only desire. One day, she wants to become a detective, going out and hunting for the bad guys; capturing them and throwing them in jail; making them suffer for all their wrongdoings. But mostly because she seeks justice for what happened ten years ago. Never identified. Never caught. She remains in pain at the very thought or mention of it. Revenge? No, that isn’t why. Satisfaction.

Entering through the door, she folds her razor scooter and carries it under her arm. It’s after 9:00 in the morning, meaning the Noctowl shift was over, and the Pidgey shift just started. This is her favorite shift to show up at, for it’s this shift when meetings are held for the daily rush. Who would go where, with whom? Pokemon theft updates and location hot spots to watch. And the rare swat meetings, which are fun to listen to.

Unfortunately, she only holds the rank of Junior Deputy. She was given simple and mediocre tasks that are less important or deemed too much a waste of time for senior officers to deal with. Sometimes she would be allowed in a ride-along for a whole day, which is the most exciting for her. Unfortunately, most days she would simply hang around the station, helping file and organize stuff and occasionally observing the processing system.

Behind the front desk is Attendant Miranda Bates. She’s in charge of all desk work, marking attendance, organizing the operators and dispatch, and passing information along. She is friendly and works very hard to keep everyone busy. Her police hat tilts over her short hair wrapped in a bun. The usual blue uniform dresses her, including black boots. Even though she works behind desks, she still regularly trains with firearms and keeps in shape.

But the teen girl doesn’t like her. She never lets her get away with anything. And trying to persuade her is about as impossible as a person landing on Mars. She prepares for the greeting, trying to get through the conversations as quickly as possible.

Miranda cocks her eyebrows upward in surprise that the teen is wearing sunglasses in doors. She smiles, realizing why. “April, good morning. Haven’t seen you around for a while. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Attendant Bates. Are there any meetings still going on?”

“Hmm. I think Room 4 is about to finish their discussion about the Tan Gang incident. You can try there.”

April gives a fake smile, “Thanks! Bye.” She heads for Room 4, not paying attention to what Bates replied.

But, just as she arrives, ready to turn to the knob, a group of officers step out. The room clears. The meeting is over. But that doesn’t stop her from entering, eying the Captain still at the head of the room, organizing the files and reports. It looks like a school room, with four rows of chairs for the students, a big desk for the teacher, and a rectangular table in front of the white board.

Captain Johnson is one of her favorite people to bug because he caves in so easily. He’s kinda cute too, in an older handsome type of way. She especially likes to embarrass him as red faced as possible. The way his dimples show and his nervous smile cracks her up. As an opposite to Bates, she could almost get anything she wanted from him.

April playfully jumps into one of the school chairs in the front middle row. Johnson looks up to see her cheerful demeanor staring at him.

“Hiiee!!” She waves enthusiastically.

“Oh, uh, ahem.” He shuffles his papers. “Hi, uh, April. How were you days off?”

“Fine, just fine! But I missed being here.” She wants to say she missed him, but thinks it’s too early to embarrass him. “What’s the update with the Tan Gang?”

“Huh? Oh, well... We’re still going through processing and evidence. Almost a hundred suspects and a whole lab of junk will take all month to process. Not to mention the Pokemon recovered still need to find their Trainers and homes. We can use some help in processing.”

Bleh. Again? A historic event happens in Blackthorn, and he wants her to help in processing? “What about finding the members that escaped? I want to do some detective work.” She flicks her blonde hair away, looking at him with pouty lips

He flusters a bit, “You’d... ahem. You’d only get in the way. This is a serious crime and we need experienced officers on the job.”

She whines. “Awww, all right. Fine. But what about all those Pokemon? Can I have one?”

Johnson finishes organizing the last of the folders. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Come on. You can say it was mine, nobody would know. Plleeeeeaaaseee...!!” She leans her chest forward over the desk, trying to tunnel his vision.

His face peaks pigmentation. Swallowing hard, he quickly turns his head away not to look. His voice stutters nervously. “I- I- I- can’t... it’s against regulations, you know that....” The silent response forces him to look back at her. “Ahem...” He steps back to the desk, sitting down for the moment. “Look, uh... April. The only way I can do that, is to, uh, is if a Pokemon isn’t picked up after a month on hold.” He opens a drawer, pretending to look for stuff to keep his eyes occupied. “But even then, uhm, we donate those Pokemon to organizations or special kids on our lists. I- I just don’t know....

The door knocks, as an older gentleman steps in the room. It’s Commander Nickels, the lead officer of the Blackthorn City Police. His grey mustache tweaks in interest. “Johnson!”

The Officer stands tensely, regaining composure in front of the Commander. “Sir.”

The teens’ smile lessens across her face. She almost had him. “Hi Commander Nickels!” As an older gentleman, with a serious nature, her charms are also ineffective. Although, she has never tried. As the highest ranking officer within the department, she holds a lot of respect for him and his decisions. Like a father. Trying to take advantage of someone in that position is against her own code of trust.

As usual, Nickels isn’t in uniform except for his hat, utility belt, and boots. A casual green jacket and corduroy brown shorts consist of his attire. “Junior Deputy April, hello. Johnson! Hurry up.”

“Sir, I am. April came in after we finished, asking what she can do to help.”

“Put her on evidence processing. We have a lot to go through.”

She interrupts, “Sir, if it’s okay, I want to help with the investigation.”

The Commander scratches his belly. “That won’t be necessary. Our top officers, along with cooperation from other departments, will be enough. Let’s go, Johnson.”

“Please, sir.” She stands tall, as an officer would do. “I’ve been here four years and I still can’t go out on my own. How am I supposed to learn how to be a police officer if all I do is the same thing every week?”

Nickels sighs heavily, as an old man with experience does. He removes his hat, revealing his receding black and grey hair line. “Repetition is what makes us excel at what we do. Not every day is going to be chasing the bad guy with explosions and such. But... maybe I can think of something you may be able to help with. Would you mind a little detective work?”

Her eyes bulge behind her sunglasses. “Yes, please.”

“Good. We need to find this Trainer that helped us catch the Tan Gang. The lead we have is only guesswork. Maybe you can find something else we didn’t.”

“Where do I start?”

“Talk with Uriel Dawson; he was with him at the time. Uriel is also our newest recruit. You can find him in office G9 right now. Remember what we taught you and you’ll do fine. The only information we have on the Trainer is his first name: Jack.”

“Thank you, thanks you very much sir. I won’t let you down.” She shakes his firm hand with a smile. Then, she says in a teasing voice, “We’ll talk more later, Captain Johnson.” Before stepping out of the room, she notices the Captain shyly looking away.

As soon as she leaves, Johnson throws a big sigh of relief. “Sir, you do know we’ve exhausted that lead numerous times, each one leading no where.”

“I know that. If I knew it would lead somewhere, I wouldn’t have given it to her. This will be good practice to see if she is able to find what we found out.”

“Uh, yea. At least it keeps her out of my hair for a while.”

~*~*~​

Finally. The moment she has been waiting for has arrived. Detective work. All her learning has led up to this point, meaning now she has to prove to Commander Nickels that she can do it well.

She wonders who this Uriel character is, and what kind reaction she can get out of him. And what about her target, Jack? She imagines a gorgeous looking, well built body with long locks of hair. A hero that could lust after any women he desires. A top Trainer, along with his elite Pokemon team, that won’t let evil stand in his way.

She licks her lips in thought, pressing her hand on the door to Office G6. Wait! The files. I have to read the reports first. Looking back, she doesn’t see the Commander watching her anywhere. Good. Last thing she needs is for him to know she almost made a mistake in the first five minutes. Before the first interview, the detective needs information so they know what kind of questions to ask. And the more she knew, the more she can take advantage of the other person.

With permission from Attendant Bates, though scornful, she sits at a computer to read initial reports. 911 Calls. Responding Officers. Suspects. Ah, there it is: Tan Gang Incident Report. She let out a small moan, noticing the 40 page length. Reluctantly, she reads it all, from top to bottom, not missing a single detail. She takes notes of important information regarding her assignment in a small flip notebook. By the time she finishes reading, four hours have passed by.

Jack. A teenager. Taller than me. Brown hair. Eye color undetermined. Has at least 10 Pokemon. Possibly an experienced Pokemon Trainer. No known background. Heading for Indigo Plateau?

Back. Back. Back. As she presses the ‘back’ button, she momentarily stops when a file name catches her interest. Stolen Pokemon Recovered. The file opens, listing all the Pokemon ever recovered by the Police. She scrolls the bar to the last pages, where the Tan Gang incident is located. 97 Pokemon are listed as recovered from the base: 64 Pokemon have been returned to their owner thus far, 15 Pokemon are in process. This leaves 18 Pokemon unclaimed. It’s also the first week of the month duration until any left over Pokemon are donated to the needy. According to the statistics, in the first two days, half of the Pokemon were claimed, and it has steadily dropped since then.

She quickly removes her sunglasses, revealing her sleep deprived and weakened bloodshot eyes, as if surprised and unbelieving her sight. Lickilicky. Ralts. Linoone. Plusle. Dunsparce. Croconaw. Venomoth. Tangrowth. Buneary. Spinda. Roselia. Feraligatr. Gorebyss. Kricketune. Makuhita. Oddish. Wartortle. Zigzagoon. A Roselia, and, even more important, an Oddish are still unclaimed. A Grass Pokemon! Her head lightly falls back, making her dizzy with euphoria. Her chance at owning an Oddish, which evolves into the lovely Bellossom, just became reality. Is this a dream? No, it’s better than that... she must be dead.

After lunch, flirting with the other officers on break, she’s ready for the first interview. Uriel Dawson: age 27 African-American. Male. 6'8", 211 pounds. For years he worked as a bouncer at the only night club in the city, before it closed down. Then he was hired by the Tang Gang to guard the bowling alley, Dragon’s Pin. The day before the incident, there was a battle at said bowling alley by that Trainer, Jack, where Uriel decided to help him in beating the Tan Gang at their base the next day. He has one Pokemon, a Kecleon. He also has a speech impediment.

Currently, he’s undergoing training in the Police Academy for bodyguard training. His Kecleon is also receiving classes for the special Pokemon Police branch. In the report, it said he likes James Bond films, as evident in their silent entry into the Tang Gang building.

Unfortunately, Uriel has gone home for the day. When asking Attendant Bates, she says he’ll be back tomorrow for a pre-examination exam from nine to around eleven in the morning. April didn’t mind at all, because it allows her to exact her more important plan.

“Can I borrow your key for the supply room? I left mine at home.”

Bates sighs. “All right, but bring them right back.” She hands over her ring of multiple keys to various doors.

April thanks her and skips down the halls. She passes by the Pokemon Storage room, where her precious Oddish awaits. She has the key to the room in her hand and fights the desire to step in. Continuing on, she enters the Storage room, which holds any and all equipment. But she is only interesting in grabbing some modeling clay.

~*~*~​

Well into the afternoon, her time at the Police Station is over. With her interviewee gone for the day, and not wanting to bother him at home, she embarks on a secret mission. Her red razor scooter slides to a stop in front of a key making store.

She laughs within her head. The male cashier will make this too easy. “Hiiee! Can you make me a key?” She places a clay mold of a key on the counter.

The guy looks at it curiously, shaking his head. “What is this? I can’t make keys without the original.”

“Ohh... but pleeaasee! I made this mold in case I ever lost the original, which I did. It’s the key to my safe where I keep all my money. Please sir.” April gently caresses the guys’ hand on the counter.

He slowly recedes his hand, though enjoying the touch. “Well, ok. But I’ll have to charge extra.”

She pouts in an innocent voice, “But I can’t pay you until the safe is open. Will that be fine with you?”

A bead of sweat drops from his face. “Yea, sure. I’ll have this ready in an hour.”

~*~*~​

Next day. Junior Deputy April has been sitting in the waiting room next to the front desk, waiting for Uriel to show up. It’s after eleven, so the exam is over by now. She is anxious and nervous about her first step as a detective.

The tall dark skinned man steps up to the front desk, exchanging conversation with Bates. He wears a dark teal suit and pant combo with a black tie. A skinny pair of sunglasses sits atop his dark, short hair. His suit covers his body nicely, except for the thick neck muscles indicating just how strong he is.

April takes a deep breath, putting on her game face. “Uriel Dawson?” She questions, getting a confirmation response stance from him. She quickly wraps her arms around his body, barely able to touch her hands together on his back. She thrusts her face into his chest and whines, “Thank you so much for all you did.” She sobs, not really crying behind her sunglasses.

The bouncer strokes her hat, responding in a deep voice, “Your welcome young lady now.”

She releases her grip, taking a step back to see the damage. Normally, when her cute self hugs a guy, the guy becomes a bit nervous about it. But here, nothing. No skin change, no change in emotion, no avoiding eye contact.

“I hear you were the one with Jack. See, I’m his sister and I’ve been looking for him for a long time. His Meowth is very sick at home and we want him to come back. When I saw on the news, I knew it must have been him.” She brushes her hair back, then holds her hands together in front. “I talked to the police, but they don’t know anything. But you were the last person to see him, so you must know.”

“Sorry, I don’t know where he went now.”

“But... pleeasee! Uriel, I’ll do anything for you. A-n-y-t-h-i-n-g,” she finishes off with a whisper.

His face is like a brick wall, unchanging and unmoving from anything she throws at him. “What’s your name now?”

“April,” she says, trying to be cute.

“And how old are you, April, now?”

“16.”

He crosses his arms. “It appears Jack got all the honorable qualities of the family. I’m sorry for your loss and hope Meowth gets better, but I don’t know where he went. The last place I saw him was at the Pokemon Center now.”

A strike of lighting thought hits her brain. He was a bouncer... at a club... he’s resistant and fully capable at ignoring advances from women. She’s never serious about any of it, but the thought of rejection hurts her.

“You’re a 16 year old girl. You shouldn’t act like this. What would your parents think?”

Suddenly, the entire room froze at the mention of the ‘p’ word. The staff at the front desk stands up cautiously, watching for her reaction.

“My... p... ....parents?”

She awakens in a daze of confusion and a throbbing headache, pounding like a rigorous drum beat. Her dry eyes try to focus around the room she sits in. A lamp in the far corner tries to light the room, but the dark shadows remain to hide and blur anything she sees. She doesn’t know what happened after the bathroom, nor where she is currently residing. She lay on the ground, focusing on the queen sized bed in front of her, recognizing she must be in her parents master bedroom.

She can hear a muffling scream somewhere around the bed, probably on the top. She weakly stands up, her legs feeling like jello after being squeezed tightly like a tube of toothpaste. On the bed is her mother in a ripped nightgown, with her arms bound together by rope to one end of the bed frame. Her wrists are red with bruising and dried blood, forcefully trying to escape. Duct tape is repeatedly wound around her mouth and her face is warped with tear lines and a couple scratches by her ear. Her feet are also red from bruising and scars, as if she too was dragged and beaten.

“Momm...” Before the little girl can scream and run to her, the burly man grabs her from behind, tightly, like an Ursaring bear hug. He carries her off the ground, receiving a couple kicks to his legs as she struggles. She bites, but misses the arm where she had bitten earlier. The man grunts, tossing her across the carpet, rolling into one of the wooden dressers in the room.

“Ha. Ha. Ha... We can tie you up too, little girl.” His face is still hidden by shadows, but his evil grin and fixed beady eyes seem to glow in the dark, impressing their expression into her mind.

The whining returns, warning the man to show some sympathy. Her need to go to mom for protection is natural, but the fear of the intruders keeps her away. She looks for the door, only to see it blocked by the other, taller someone. His face isn’t as menacing, but his posture is overbearing, as if he wanted to eat her up. Her tear ducts find the energy to cry again, facing her mother on the bed. “Mommy...”

The burly man staggers in front of her, raising his arm warning her he would hit her again. She flinches, curling into a sniveling ball by the dresser. The man continues by, standing angrily by the mother.

“Your husband owes us some money. A lot of money. He’s past the deadline. We tried sending him messages but he never called back. We warned him that if we don’t get any money, we’ll take something from him.” The burly man reaches down, stroking the mothers’ dark hair. “It’s not your fault, but we have to take what’s most precious in his life. We have to send him a message that he’ll never forget.” He unpockets a five inch switchblade, also glowing brightly with that evil face of his. The mother squirms her body, exhaustingly yelling behind the tape.

“No no, shhh shh. If you’re that nervous, we’ll start with your daughter.”

Her eyes widen, focusing on the glaring knife reflecting fear into her eyes. The other man grabs her from behind in a holding position, locking her legs and arms behind her back and holding her mouth closed. The burly man takes a knee to the carpet, grabbing one of the arms. He squeezes the wrist, opening the hand and fully extended fingers devoid of color.

Behind him, the bed squeaks and cracks with louder muffling sounds. Not being able to see what they are doing to her daughter frightens her enough that she doesn’t care if she breaks her hands to be free. The childish suppressed screams pour rage filled tears onto the bed.

The little girls’ hazel eyes suck into her head, trying to escape the look. Those devil eyes. That grin of satisfaction. The knife, gleaming with power to ruin lives. Which is soon forgotten when the blade is carefully carved into the palm of her hand and only the thought of terrible pain encompasses her.

April looks at her fingerless leather gloves, flipping them over to her palm. She drops them at her side, quickly running off.

Uriel stares, dumbfounded. “What... what did I say now?”

Attendant Bates walks around the front desk. “That’s right, you’re new here so you don’t know. That’s April, she a Junior Deputy here. You might want to sit down for what I’m about to tell you.”

~*~*~​

4 hours later. Yes, that long. April has been in hiding in the woman’s locker area, specifically in the laundry room. Not a single person has gone to check up on her because it’s always a waste of time. The length of time these flashbacks happen varies, but she can credit many nightmarish, sleepless nights because of them.

At her side is the bottle of flower perfume which was once was full, but is now half empty. She steps to her feet, taking a deep breath of fragranced air. Using the mirror, she cleans her face and makeup, blending eye shadow and eye liner to hide her puffy eyes, as well as eye drops to remove her redness. She grabs her perfume and slides her shades back on, ready to go again.

She’s lost a lot of valuable time.

“April!” Commander Nickels happens to walk down the path outside the locker room. “How are you doing?”

“Fine. Just fine. I’m sorry...”

“Don’t worry about it. How’s your investigation going? I heard you talked with Uriel.”

“Yes sir. But he couldn’t provide any useful Intel. I think I’ll head to the Pokemon Center where he was last scene.”

He nods. “Good work. Keep me informed.”

She knows everyone knows about what happened to her and the blackouts she has, but nobody ever says anything about it. Mostly because they’re afraid it will force her back into that state. Which it might. Either that, or nobody actually cares about her to see what’s the matter. Which has made it difficult to talk with her fellow Officers, because no one wants to risk talking with her. One wrong word and she was gone from reality.

Back on the computer, she checks for any updates with the Stolen Pokemon Recovered file. Two more are in process: Gorebyss and Zigzagoon. As long as Oddish and Roselia are still there, she didn’t care about the others.

After that, she walks to the Pokemon Storage room and uses the key she had made. It works. She walks down the aisles of Pokeball holding shelves to where the 15 Pokemon remained. Checking her notes for the correct number, she grabs a Pokeball. She finds the second number, grabbing that Pokeball in her other glove.

“Oddish. Roselia. I hope your owners don’t show up.” She hugs them to her chest, dancing around the room.

The door creaks open, allowing a voice in. “April, what are you doing in here.”

Two officers and the Commander stand at the entrance. She stops dancing, placing the Pokeballs back in their holdings. “Uh, nothing. I was just, uh... How’d you know I was here?”

Nickels points to the camera in the corner. “You don’t have clearance for this room. This is a major violation you know.”

“Yea, I know sir. But I just wanted to spend some time with the Pokemon. I apologize for my behavior lately.”

*Sigh* “How can you expect me to give you assignments when you’re doing things behind my back.” One of the officers whispers in his ear. He whispers back. “Really? Dancing?” He addresses April, rubbing his mustache. “April, I’m going to reassign you to Pokemon detail. Every morning we let them out to feed them, then put them back in their Pokeball. We don’t have time to roam around and play with them. How would you like to be our Pokemon Caretaker for the time being?”

April stands in awe. “You mean, take care of Pokemon?”

“Yes. We can open up the Pokemon Training hall upstairs for you to play with the recovered Pokemon until we find their owners. Lord knows they must hate being cooped up in a Pokeball all day.”

“Th-Thank you sir. I would love to.”

“Excellent. I also have this for you.” He hands out a small bronze badge that says ‘Junior Detective’ at the top and the city of Blackthorn engraved in the middle. “To make it official when you’re in the city. Remember, I’m trusting you. I don’t want to have to take that away.”

She understands, completely. In one swoop, she almost lost everything that is important to her, but instead gained that much more. The extra responsibility and extra trust chokes her heart, wanting to leap out and give that man a hug. But instead, she salutes him with a proud smile.

~*~*~​

Another next day later. Her detective work continues in the early gloomy morning, not wasting a single minute stopping by the station first. Today, she would get her chance to play with Pokemon- to play with a grass Pokemon. But before that.... the Pokemon Center.

Near the center of the city, this two story Pokemon building is open to all Trainers and similar Pokemon care persons. It is here that Jack was known to have stayed, and was last sighted on the day in question. She’s only been inside half a dozen times during festival seasons, when Trainers from all across the league would show up. She loves seeing what kind of Pokemon they bring, hoping to spend time with any Trainer that brings a flowering Pokemon. But alas, she hasn’t found any yet.

Nurse Joy stands behind the counter, with her pink hair in a ribbon and warming smile upon entering. “Hi there, what can I do for you?”

Nurse Joy was interviewed about this Trainer many times, all leading to the same answers. ‘He stayed a little more than two months and only came by at night to sleep. He rarely talked to anyone and kept to himself most of the time.’ But there has to be more to the story. Anything that would lead to where he went and what kind of Trainer he is.

“Hi Nurse Joy. I’m wondering if you can help me.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“I’m looking for my boyfriend, he’s a Pokemon Trainer. His name is Jack. Have you seen him around here?”

“Jack,” Joy and a few other eavesdropping Trainers’ ears perk up. “You mean the mysterious Trainer that saved the city?”

“Er, I think so. He did say something about helping Blackthorn... er something. But that means you saw him, right? Is he here?”

“No, unfortunately not. He disappeared that night when the Tang Gang was caught. No one’s seen him since. Which is a shame too, he’s a good kid. You’re very lucky to have him.”

April forces a blush. “Aw, thanks. But you don’t know where he could have gone?”

“Sorry dear. He was a quiet one, didn’t talk much. Only time I’d see him was in the morning when he left and at night when he arrived to sleep.”

The same story. “But you must have talked to him. Did he say anything at all? Please, I miss him so much.”

A beep sounds from her computer. “Just the normal Trainer chit-chat that everyone talks about. Training for a Gym match, training for the festival, training for training. That sort of stuff. He talked about it quite a lot since our leader was on vacation the entire time he was here. He was kind of impatient about it, but I could sense he didn’t mind the extra training. The day after he left, the leader announced his return.” She looks up at the tv hanging over the room. “I do hope the media didn’t scare him off. He’s quite a hero.”

“Then he challenged the Gym?”

“I wouldn’t count on it. Every Trainer comes back here for a check up after an intense Gym battle, especially facing Dragon type Pokemon. My guess is he left town. Sorry I can’t be of much help to you.”

A younger boy tugs on April’s pants. “You talking ‘bout Jack?” She looks down at him with a nod. “I wish he’d come back. We made a bet to see who could win their first badge. Now I’ll never know if I beat him.”

A Gym match, of course! Besides the Pokemon Center, all Trainers stop by the city Gym. But if what Nurse Joy and the little boy say are true, then he can’t be an experienced Trainer. No. That would mean he’s a novice Trainer. But, the time line is off and he couldn’t have challenged the Gym because the leader came back the next day. But maybe....

“Oh,” Nurse Joy interrupts, “I did send one of his Pokemon to Goldenrod City. You can call the Pokemon Center there and leave a message with them if you’d like. If you find him, please send him our thanks.”

“Huh? Oh, yea. I’ll do that. Thanks for the help little boy.” The automatic doors open and close as she leaves.

~*~*~​

Her red scooter skids to a stop. She drowns her mouth with water, having exercised more than she’s wanted to today. She stretches her legs, sticky from sweat inside her Capri pants. As she approaches the menacing dragon door to the gym, a sign hangs over the handle. Closed.

“What? No way.”

In that moment, the door pops open and shut, letting a small, old man out. He wears lime green pants and a fancy Hawaiian shirt. His head is missing patches of gray hair but his face is fully confident in his appearance. She thinks he’s a loony.

“Can I assist you?”

“Is the Gym leader around, I have some questions...”

“He’s busy. My name’s Gorgi, assistant to the Blackthorn Gym. Walk with me.” They take a right around the huge Gym building, walking through a beautiful array of well watered plants and flowers. “So, what’s your question, miss?”

She takes off her hat, covering her heart, also putting on a sympathy show including both visual and audible sadness. “It’s my boyfriend. He went missing a couple weeks ago and his family... uh... ahem... I’m worried about him. *Sniff* He said he was going to challenge your Gym, so I was wondering if you saw him here?”

“Oh, it’s okay. What’s his name, miss?”

“Jack. This was going to be his first gym battle... he was supposed to wait for me.” She frowns quickly. “Some nerve of him.”

The old man’s eyes tighten. “Sorry to hear that. What did you say his last name was?”

Shoot. He caught her. Without knowing his last name, he wouldn’t know whom she is talking about. Her glove clenches the razor scooter. “I- I don’t remember. We met at the, uh, Cherrygrove Pokemon Center... gasp... I don’t think he knows my last name either! But. But... I can describe him. He’s a little taller than me and about my age. Short brown hair... I think... uh. Someone like that had to have shown up.”

“A Mr. Jack, eh? Let me recall. ....... Oh yes, we did have one by that name. He really gave our leader a strong battle. It’s too bad you missed it, I’m sure he would have loved to have you by his side. Your name, miss?”

“Oh, it’s April. And thanks. Do you know where he’s heading now? I can’t seem to reach him by phone anymore.”

He laughs, “That’s understandable. He’s up in the mountains where phone signals can’t reach.”

Mountains? She had no idea an out right lie would grant her valuable information like that. “So you do know where...”

“Yes, I do. But I can’t tell you that.”

“What, why not? I’m his girlfriend, remember?”

“I know what you said, but that’s not who you are. Am I correct in this?” He watches her face destroy itself with guilt. “I’m sorry, April, but he has asked to go on his way in peace. He’s smart in doing so too, because any Trainer in this position would allow all the praise to go to his head, making him arrogant in training and battles. And that last thing any Trainer needs is extreme overconfidence.”

April stops walking with him. “Thank you for your time.”

“Wait.” He puts her arm around her sullen shoulders. “If you intend to search for him, best of luck to you. But if you find him, will you do what you’re supposed to do, or do what’s right? Detective.”

“Uh, yea, Whatever. Thanks.” She twists away from his arm, walking back to the main street. ‘Do what’s right.’ What’s that supposed to mean? Doing her job is the right way. And how did he know...ooww oh.... before venturing out, she had stuck her bronze badge on her satchel bag. Joy couldn’t see it because it was hidden behind the counter. What a stupid mistake.

But not costly. She has enough information to make a more intelligent guess where the Trainer is heading next. From Blackthorn City, there are four main places to head to: Indigo Plateau; Mahogany Town; Goldenrod City; or New Bark Town. New Bark Town can be eliminated since there are no mountains south of the city. Goldenrod is a dangerous route to travel for a new Trainer. He has no reason to go to Indigo Plateau. He has to be heading for Mahogany Town through Ice Path, where phones won’t work. There is a Gym there as well.

Jack: Must have started from New Bark Town, goes to Blackthorn City and wins badge. Goes to Mahogany Town next.

A heart bubble pops over her head. “Wow, he must be some kind of Trainer to win his first badge from the hardest Gym in the league. Dragon Pokemon are scary.”

~*~*~​

Day flips to night, which in turn, flips to another day. The wind rushes through the city on an unusually cloudy day. Just two days ago the city was enjoying the sun and warm weather.

Safe inside the Police Station, April doesn’t have to worry about it. The door opens to the Pokemon Police Training room. It’s like being outside without any weather or heat from the sun. The ceiling and walls are decorated with light blue sky, soft, puffy white clouds, and shades of green and brown trees. Most of the floor is covered in thick grass, leaving a quarter of the room for a small pond and sandy dirt as part of a beach. Fans and special artificial lamps substitute the wind and sunlight. The room is large enough to fill almost the entirety of the second floor, which is about the size of a standard house. Next door is the battling room, but she has no reason to go in there.

Another Pokemon is taken off the list: Ralts. This leaves 15 Pokemon in her care for just more than two weeks left before the month is up. If enough are left, maybe she can ask for two Pokemon.

The red and white halved Pokeball sticks to her glove. She’s never held one before the other day, or even imagined ever throwing one out. Afraid to do so, she simply presses the buttons to open them up. After a quick introduction and letting them eat breakfast, the Pokemon scamper around the room, stretching their unused muscles.

After exploring the room, each Pokemon settles into their new surroundings. The stronger Pokemon, Lickilicky, Feraligatr, and Tangrowth each do some training and exercises with one another. Kricketune and Venomoth take a nap near one of the sun lights. Dunsparce finds the sand and digs itself a hole to hide in. Wartortle splashes in the pond, swimming and enjoying the water on its skin. Plusle, Croconaw, and Makuhita stick together in the middle of the room, as if they knew each other previously. Buneary, Spinda, Roselia, Oddish, and Linoone hang around the female human, wanting to play, be pet, or grab some much needed human companionship.

She picks up Oddish, smiling back and its blue face. “Aren’t you just the cutest thing ever!” It cheers back, happy to receive attention. “And you too, Roselia! So sweet!” The other Pokemon bark at her cheerfully. “Oh, all right. You’re all just so cute. Come here.”

“Spin... da spin.” The confused bear Pokemon points to her. Then it points to the Pokeballs on the cart next to the door.

“Huh? Oh. Do you mean your Trainer, right? We’re looking for them right now. Hopefully, we can find them for you. Won’t that be wonderful?” Her checks hurt from forcing such a fake smile. In truth, she doesn’t want them found. She hopes that she can keep them with her for as long as possible.

As days pass by, her experience with these Pokemon changes her attitude. She laughs more often and hasn’t felt such pleasure in so long. So much so that she hasn’t had any nightmares, nor has had to resort to perfume sprays throughout the day. All these Pokemon, not just the Oddish she so desires, are keeping her spirits up. Even through the sadness that a Pokemon eventually will be taken back, she remains hopeful for herself and keeps a positive attitude around them. And she hasn’t needed her glasses to hide her face as she usually did at the station, showing the world how pretty she really is.

She sits down and watches the room change before her eyes. At her side, Buneary twists its ears and fades away. Croconaw, Plusle and Makuhita, apparently all owned by the same Trainer, leave a vacant spot in the middle. A flying Venomoth disappears, as if disappearing into the fake clouds painted on the ceiling. Lickilicky throws a punch, which fades away as it hits into the other sparing Pokemon. But her eyes remain ever awake and filled with joy.

But, on this particular day, her heart takes a shot from behind, leaving her vulnerable and weak. When she checks the computer first thing in the morning, a sorrowful tear drops onto the keyboard. Quickly, she throws the chair back and rushes into the Pokemon Storage room, only to confirm with her eyes that it isn’t a lie. Roselia had been picked up last night. Her heart falls like a heavy weight, upset at the loss of the rose Pokemon. However, her mind convinces her heart to smile, and be pleased that she still has Oddish in her care.

Day by day, one by one, the room capacity increased as Pokemon are taken back. Tangrowth, Wartortle, then Feraligatr... gone.

As sad as it could have been, she tries her hardest to keep her happy spirit. With only a week to go, she still has 5 Pokemon in her care. Oddish. Oh how she loved that Pokemon. With these few remaining, she’s really become close with the Pokemon, except for Dunsparce, whom remained in the corner day in and day out, dug in its hole in the sand. With the loss of Roselia, she can focus her attention and care on Oddish the most.

Oddish rubs its leaves in her face, tickling her nose. She laughs, throwing a quick sneeze, then laughs again. She picks up the grass Pokemon, clicks the day lights off and flips on the moon light. Glow in the dark spots of paint on the ceiling reflect fake star light around the dark room. Kricketune, familiar with the night atmosphere, begins to rub its legs together in violin fashion. April grabs the blue weed Pokemon like a person, twirling around the room in a midnight dance. Oddish shakes its feet, trying to dance in the air. It glows warmly, sending emanating waves around its partners’ body, signaling that it enjoyed her company and entertainment.

Spinda points to Kricketune, wanting to dance. But the bug shrugs its shoulders, denying, continuing to create leg rubbing noise. He’s disliked all the attention Oddish received the past couple weeks and can only wait until the day its name is called. Linoone cuts in the middle of the two Pokemon, accepting the gesture. The two encircle each other in a difficult dance between a Pokemon with two feet, and a Pokemon with two left feet. Not all effort is gone to waste, when April gives a hearty laugh at their expense.

The lights flip back on. An officer stands at the doorway, ready to take another Pokemon. He calls the name, with what seemed like special effects slow motion. Her heart drops, shattering upon impact on the bladed grass. Her arms, instinctively withdraw to her body, holding Oddish tightly.

“Oddish’s Trainer has been found. I- I have to take him.”

She wants to refuse. This can’t be happening. No. Oddish is her Pokemon. She hugs it tightly; dropping tears onto its green leaves.

“Sorry April, we have to do this. Don't make this harder on yourself.” He grabs the Pokeball at the door, holding it out. “Oddish, return.”

“No, wait...” But as she pleads, the weight in her arms vanishes away, like so many of the Pokemon before. Her knees drop to the floor, letting her loose arms dangle in defeat. She holds her head low, hiding her face with her sandy blonde hair.

The officer can only stare in remorse, knowing that he can’t do anything about what she’s going through. He looks away, stepping out.

April looks back up. The other three Pokemon stand around her, curious and worried, trying to comfort her. She wipes her face in a mixture of anger and sadness, quickly rushing to the door, only to collapse at the door frame. “Pleaseee!!!. Wahannn... Don’t take it away from me. Oddish is everything... nngggg... annnn...” Having suppressed her despair for such a duration, an emotional flashback triggers, that leaves her feeling alone...

The little girls’ hands are bandaged with pieces of clothing, to stop the bleeding and to make sure the message heals correctly. Through the torture, her screams reach the heavens, and yet, not even the angels can save her now. For the depths of hell have surely risen over her soul.

The burly man drops her across the room, next to the window. Her hands shake without feeling, numbly trying to move each finger to raise herself off the floor. But all her effort and strength is gone, without a light to brighten her up. She wants to sleep, to escape reality for the dream world; where gummy bears and lollipops live in harmony on Candy Street. But she can only stare at your disfigured hands and cry through the pain.

The mothers’ rope is cut loose from the bed, so that the two men can move her into perfect position. She struggles, trying to wave her tied hands at them, but the two men easily overpower her with brute strength. Her nose snorts, expelling built up oxygen she intended to use to escape.

A voice calls out, stressed in disarray, followed by a door closing. It’s faint, but close by. The little girls' heart picks up speed, pumping blood in a rush of adrenaline. Someone did come... someone did come to save her. Her hands continue to shake as blood passes through her entire body. That voice, it is very familiar. Another shout, this time louder. Her eyes blink rapidly, trying to regain focus. A name. The person called her name. Yes, it’s as clear as the sunlight.

The two men exchange arguments, preparing for the inevitable entry.

Light flickers under the closed door, trying to break in and light the room; to clear the shadows and give hope to a dismal situation. A panicked voice shouts again, calling two names. Closer. And closer. Until the door pops open. Light curls around the front of the room, signaling a safe haven within reach.

The man at the door shouts, “Karen!.....April!... Oh my god!...”

“DADDY!!!” The little girl shrieks in tearful reunion, using all her built up energy to run toward the light.

The slender guy strikes the father, locking the two into a body holding fight. He slams her dad into the door, twisting around and slamming him into another dresser with a mirror over the back. Her dad coughs, turning back with a right hook to his jaw. The slender man counters with his own hook, but her dad ducks, throwing the intruders momentum into the mirror. Glass shatters into his face, forcing the first deep voiced scream the house received tonight.

“April, run!”

Her body steps out of the shadows, into the lit hallway. She turns to watch from the doorway.

But within those shadows, she sees those fierce eyes and smirky grin planning something devious. It isn't a knife this time, but a gun, gleaming with sin in the darkness. *BANG* For a moment, her body freezes in fear. Her protector, the one that would always be there for her in a moment of danger, collapses to the floor with one shot. Her mothers' scream shrieks loud enough to break the duct tape surrounding her mouth.

“AHHHWWW! JON!! April, run!” She claws her way across the bed, escaping the burly man’s grip, and jumping on the slender man’s back, pummeling his head. He faints backward, still blinded by the glass shards in his face. The mother collapses next to her husband, picking up his head and holding her hand.

“MOMMY!!!”

“Go...” she says with regret, wishing that she could do more.

Reluctant at first, the little girl scampers down the steps, down the hall, turns the knob, and runs. *BANG*

She ran, as far as her little legs could take her. 10 years later, she’s still running.

The days move by slowly, without a purpose. She sits in the Pokemon Training room, devoid of all meaning. Life is being cruel to her and she hates it. No amount of perfume can escape this reality. What more is there to do in life if every thing is taken away from her? Kricketune jumps for joy when his name is called. Spinda, as well, is great to be back with its Trainer. Linoone, the last close Pokemon to her, vanishes from her sight. All that remains, is a lone, weak Dunsparce. On the last day, she sits near the sand pit, where the normal Pokemon always hid under the sand.

“I guess you and I are a lot a like. Loners, destined to be secluded from society. But I guess it’s our own fault that we hide from the world. They don’t understand us. They don’t care about us. I don’t know who your Trainer was, but maybe he doesn’t want you back. Nobody wants to be around me either.” She covers her head with her arms in a duck-and-cover position, feeling guilty about her behavior. "I’m sorry I never paid any attention to you. I guess sometimes I get so caught up in my own world that I forget other people have feelings too. That they have their own problems in life to deal with. Here you are, alone and afraid, waiting for your Trainer to find you. And what do I do to comfort that... leave you here. Alone... just like everyone does to me when I....” She stops herself from finishing the sentence to prevent another flashback.

Dunsparces' wings pop out of the ground, fluttering to lift its oval, tan body up. It snuggles next to her legs.

A sniffle crosses her nose. Not from a sad memory, but from the moment right now. “Thanks.”

~*~*~​

It’s been a month since the Tan Gang incident occurred. 96 Pokemon have found their homes. Only 1 remains.

Today, April sits across the desk from Commander Nickels. Her duty as Pokemon Caretaker is over, and she never wants that position again. The pain of having to take care of Pokemon only to have them leave became too much for her. And she is due for a performance review. The first thing he mentions, is the job well done she did in taking care of the Pokemon, but she doesn't respond to it.

Nickels carefully looks over some other papers. “Hmmm. I was going through your investigational report about the assignment I gave you a few weeks ago, but you haven’t completed it. Did you ever find anything out about that Trainer, Junior Detective?”

She gasps, having completely forgotten that task she was given. Quickly, the knowledge flows back to her mind, remembering her interviews at the Pokemon Center and the Gym. “Oh, right. I’d like to deploy to Mahogany Town to investigate further.”

“Mahogany Town?” The commander nearly chokes. He wonders what kind of investigating she conducted that would lead to such a conclusion, when all other leads went to dead ends. “Are you sure about that?”

“Absolutely. When can I go?”

“Now, hold on a minute. We can’t simply send you on your own. I’ll issue an escort...”

“No.” She boldly states. “I have to do this on my own.”

He strokes his mustache, pondering her capabilities. “You’ll need someone to go with you. I can’t just send you alone as a Junior Detective at your age. I can lend you some Pokemon from our staff for your trip.”

“Sir, if it’s okay to speak frankly.” She receives the nod. “I need my own Pokemon for this journey. This is something we have to accomplish together.”

“We?”

“Yes. I know what the procedures are for recovered Pokemon that remain more than a month here, but I don’t know anyone more deserving than myself. Please Commander Nickels, I need this.”

(-o-) Dunsparce Caught!

Original Post: July 2009 @ PE2K vBulletin

 

23- New Dawn​

Spoiler

The suspense feels like minutes of agonizing torture, as the commander sits back in deep thought, staring at the ceiling. She can’t wait any longer for an answer: for the one simple word of reassurance that will shape her future.

It was never about physically owning a Pokemon-any person can do that-but this Dunsparce, this Pokemon, something about him gave her a realization of hope for a different perspective. Before this past month taking care of the Pokemon, she had low contact with any Pokemon and absolutely no interest in owning one. Pokemon were something people take care of as pets or use to fight battles. She was always more interesting in human interaction and trying to fit in. But even that was never easy for her. Most often, people avoided her and kept conversations short. As such, she felt she had to try harder to impress others.

On the other hand, she never imagined the length of emotions and personalities Pokemon actually have. They were just like people; maybe even more so. The main difference between humans and Pokemon is the social game. Pokemon are so simple minded, only wanting to eat, sleep, and enjoy life. They don’t have to worry about going to work, making money to survive, looking cute for the boys, flirting for attention, or the way people look at her when she has a flashback moment. None of the Pokemon cared who she was or anything about her past, only the fact that she was taking care of them at the time. Interaction without consequence.

And then, he looks at her. His lips seem to move slowly, mouthing a short, word. It doesn’t fully register until the sternness from his voice penetrates her ears. There’s no smile, no grin, not even a face of sympathy at her. Life can change in the blink of an eye, or in this case, a single response.

“No.”

And there’s nothing she can do about it. Nothing. All she can do is nod repeatedly, reluctantly, and accept defeat. She closes her eyes, feigning acceptance, but mentally she is distraught. Dunsparce would have been a new start. Every time she was with those Pokemon, not a bad thought slipped into her head. For the longest time in ten years, she was actually happy for herself and not worrying about her nightmares. All the smiles in the world couldn’t have replaced those weeks. It’s amazing how two letters can create a bevy of emotion and self doubt. And as she stands from the chair, thanking the commander for her review, a glint of hope sputters out with a long pause afterward.

“But........”

The passion blown out of her eyes lit back up like a candle to a flame. Certainly not the three letter word she had hoped for, but just enough. The little kid in her wants to run around the room in a frantic cheer, but she holds steady in case she’s let down again.

“... if you truly believe in this, there is only one way I can approve your ownership. It’s clear that you understand we cannot give unclaimed Pokemon to members of the force. It makes us look like we’re playing favorites. Then they say, ‘Did you even go looking for their owners?’ and sooner or later the Trainer who lost the Pokemon slaps us with a lawsuit. The only possible way for you to receive this Pokemon is if you resign. That means, and let me be perfectly clear on this, too. You will lose all access here and any status I have given you. Similarly, I imagine no other police force would hire you because of the liabilities. I know this job means a lot to you personally...”

“I’ll do it.”

Commander Nickels is taken aback by the quick response, and with such strong confidence. He sighs, with a grin of appreciation. “You’ve grown so much over the years, but some things never seem to change. I still remember the first day we showed you around. You were very quiet, but curious about everything. And always so stubborn about not getting ‘your way’, ha!”

It takes a half an hour to go through the quitting procedures, which consists of signing papers and filling out forms. Lastly is the form for owning an unclaimed Pokemon from the Police.

He mentions that their current list contains five trainers or persons, each owning a few or more Pokemon already. It’s rare to have a person sign up without a Pokemon, but when they do, usually they are the first to receive one, especially to young kids and the elderly. The elderly are always top priority for the basic reason that they need the most help and a Pokemon is a great companion to keep them company. But even those happen once in a few years, since Medicare companies pay for there own similar programs with better benefits.

“That’s the last one, you’re on your own now.”

“When can I pick up Dunsparce?”

“Slow down little Weedle; you’re trying to evolve too fast. Paper work has to go through first, so I’d say late afternoon tomorrow. But I’m curious to know what you’ll be doing with the investigation. I mean, you can’t go anymore. We’ll have to send someone else to Mahogany Town.”

“Hold on a minute. I’m still a detective, silly. You promoted me to Junior Detective. That means I can apply for Private Detective status without taking any tests. As a Private Eye, you can hire me to investigate on my own terms.”

Nickles chuckles to himself. “You’ve done your reading,” he says with relief. The fact that she knew that knocks the doubt off his shoulders.

A Private Detective works for themself and usually does random jobs around town. Most often a detective ad can be found in the newspaper. Usually they handle small family matters, but often times they are also allowed access to police records and information, and even hired by the police to help solve cases. However, in no way are they actually associated with each other as a government paying job. Detective work is all freelance. Like April, most Private Detectives start within the police and branch out on their own when they have enough experience. The difference with her is that she is only sixteen, whereas Private Detectives with experience are older than thirty. Obviously if given a choice between the two, price excluded, one would pick the older detective.

The only thing she needs is a recommendation from the station commander. He gives it to her.

~*~*~​

When April isn’t at work, she stays in her apartment and watches tv. What kind? Almost anything. Except drama. Something about those shows feel fake to her. She can’t believe that every teen and high school show can have so much drama. She won’t go out with me. I should be prom queen. Quarterback’s got all the babes! Granted, she was home schooled and hasn’t experienced peer learning, she just doesn’t understand why they freak out about such trivial ideals. At least reality tv feels more real, but the quality is missing. Most of her time is spent watching comedies, action and fantasy. Comedy to laugh at life. Action for the thrill. And fantasy to escape reality. Which leads to her favorite genre of all: anime. Anime doesn’t follow the laws of physics or a usual life. She always imagines herself in the show by the main characters side, experiencing their life with them, and perhaps go on an adventure full of excitement. This is one of the reasons she wanted to get involved with the Tan Gang Incident.

She scans her collection, a full bookshelf four tiers high, until she finds something else to watch. Adventures in Eden pops at her. It was a four part min-series about a girl in ancient times in search of adventure. It had heroes, magic, dragons, scores of enchanting music, and a quest for good. It was a series that she has grown to love each time and if all four were watched back-to-back, she always cried by the end.

10am, the clock reads. She only has time for Part 1, which mainly develops the story. As soon as it ends, it will be time for her to pick up her new Pokemon. She isn’t really paying attention, anyway; constantly looking at the clock and thinking about Dunsparce and her own upcoming quest. Dunsparce. Dunce parse... Hmm.. You won’t be alone for much longer. I’ll keep you company and play with you. Oh, I do hope he likes me though. We never spent much time together and... No no... it’ll be okay. Still excited!!

...

“..and tomorrow is a new dawn.” The ending music pronounces through the room followed by the end credits.

She snaps out of her lazy thoughts and turns everything off. She quickly brushes her blonde hair, spending a little time to straighten out her end curls. No matter how hard she tries, they always manage to disobey her combing direction. After donning her gray beret, she grabs her red razor scooter and drives to the station as quick as she can. Wait at a red light: not today! Pedestrians in the way: look out! Nothing can stop her, not even the floral shop she always stops by. The faint scent of pollen tempts her to stop by, reminding her that for the past few years she’s never missed a day. The florist, with her Bellossom by her side, waves eagerly, but April continues onward.

Practically out of breath, she crashes through the entrance, drops her razor and finally throws her arms around the front desk. The other officers and random patrons stare at her for making such a commotion before returning to their own tasks.

“Hi..... Miranda....”

As usual, Attendant Miranda Bates is sitting behind the front desk. She looks up, arms folded. “Geez louise, April. You’re in a hurry today.”

She takes a breath, “Where...”

Bates interrupts calmly, knowing what she was going to ask. “The Commander’s in back, near storage. I’d suggest you take a breather first.”

“Thanks.” she says with a tiring grunt, shuffling her feet around the counter. She arrives a few hallways later. But before she has a chance to enter the storage room, Commander Nickels walks out. She half expected him in appropriate clothes for her big day, meaning a suit and tie and maybe a bowlers hat in true old fashion detective style, but as usual, he remains casual and unprofessional. A blue hawaiian shirt and khaki white shorts. At least he wore shoes and not sandals, thought she would have preferred the sandals just so his outfit would match.

“Ah, Mrs. Halliday. Wh- Is... is that a smile I see on your face?”

He catches her emotion off guard. It’s not everyday April comes in with a smile. Not a fake smile, either, like when she playfully teases the older officers. No, this is a genuine smile of happiness. Her cheeks blush a bit.

“And bright, colorful eyes too. You look like you’re beaming with joy. I hope this becomes a common occurrence from now on. Don’t let it get away, ok?” She nods. Nickels holds out his palm, showing a Pokeball. “And as promised, here you go: one Dunsparce.”

Who can imagine that contained within a device hardly larger than a small pebble can alter someone’s entire outlook on life? There it is, right in front of her. She moves her arm...

“But....” he drops his arms back into his jacket pockets. His jolly demeanor transfers back to his stern and serious questioning. “First, tell me, Mrs. Private Detective Halliday. I have to know what your plan is to pursue this lead.”

She pauses for a second. “To, uh, go to Mahogany as an undercover Trainer in order to find the missing person of interest.”

“Person of interest? Ah, excellent use of the term. And what have you learned about becoming a Trainer?”

“None. But I think I can wing it if...”

Nickels puts his arm on her shoulder, walking her down the hall to his office. “So, you expect me to hire you, is that it? Someone with no Trainer experience AND no Detective experience, which is required for this particular job. Yes?”

“Well, no. You said yester...”

They reach his office. He pats her on her beret and walks over to his chair. A serious grin appears. “I know what I said. Heck, I was there. But what do you say, huh? Show me some confidence.”

She takes a breath. “Sir, I’ll go out there and do the best I can.”

“That’s my girl. Will you succeed? Who knows. Does it matter? Not as much to us, but for you, it will matter as much as water to a lake. As long as you go out there and do what you can with as much effort as possible, then I know I’ve made the right choice.” Once again he hands her the Pokeball.

Cautiously, not sure what to expect, she takes it. She holds the Pokeball with her hands. “Thank you, sir. Thanks for everything.”

Through thick and thin, if there was ever anyone to go to for advice or company, Nickels was that guy. Without a father of her own, Nickles has taken that spot for the past five years. He was always watching over her, teaching her, and making sure she was raised properly. And now, after all these years, he has given her the last of his advice before letting her go on her own. It is her turn to be tested by life, to make her own mistakes, and to hopefully learn from them in order to grow into a mature woman.

Nickels extends a long, congratulatory hug. “I know you will do great out there. Call me if you need anything.”

“Will do.”

“And don’t lose that smile.”

~*~*~​

Objective: Question Jack about the Tan Gang Incident.

First name: Jack.
Last name: unknown. Number of Jack’s registered with the league in the past year: 33. It’s possible he is unregistered, not likely.
Age: conflicting reports. Teen-Twenties. I suspect mid 20s. At least 5 foot.
Hair: Half report Brown, other Black. Must be dark.
Eyes: unknown.
No discernable features reported such as scars or tattoos. What about clothes? Don’t bother. Clothes can be changed.
Pokemon reported: has at least a full team of six.
Appeared at Dragon’s Pin bowling alley. Later appeared at P-Sci Labs during the TGI. Fought Gym after incident. Won. Kid at Pokecenter said Blackthorn was his first gym. Reliable? Gorgi, the gym assistant, reported he was traveling through the mountains.

“The festival at Indigo Plateau isn’t for another seven months, so he won’t go there. He could... but what would be the point? Based on what I have, if he is a new Trainer, then he’ll go to Mahogany and challenge that Gym. Let’s see... it’s been 40 plus days since he was last seen. It’s possible he may not even be there anymore.” She clicks a new window on her computer. “The next closest Gym after that is... Ecruteak. That’s a long way away, eh Dunsparce?”

She is talking aloud but also informing Dunsparce of the situation. She had let him out hours ago to crawl around and check the new surroundings and furniture of her apartment. He ended up digging himself into the recliner cushions before he even reached the other half of the rooms. Much like when she took care of him at the station, Dunsparce finds a spot to dig itself in to hide and stays there.

“Maybe you’ve been there already and this city is far from your home.” She walks over to the chair he buried himself within. “Here’s the plan for tomorrow. We leave in the morning, go through Ice Path, then arrive at Mahogany Pokecenter by dinner. Sound good?”

“Ssssss.” the quiet Pokemon whispers.

An hour passes by. It is late and time for bed. April has finished preparing the last of her notes and shuts everything off. She sets out a warm set of clothes next to her light green courier bag, along with some food and supplies. She isn’t exactly sure how much or what specific items she needs in order to pretend to be a Trainer. And if she is forgetting something, it must not be important enough.

She pats Dunsparce on the head. “I left some food and water in the kitchen. Not sure which brand of PokeFood you’d like so I bought a variety pack. You won’t believe how many brands there are for all the Pokemon that exist. I can’t imagine how anyone can raise more than one Pokemon and remain within budget.” She yawns. “There are more rooms around the corner if you feel the need to get up.”

He was still hidden between the cushions. It was the same back at the police station, how he would bury himself in the sand each day and hide from the other Pokemon. This time, she made sure to talk to him and keep him company. She waves bye, going to her own bed. Some random minutes later, her door opens ajar followed by the sound of rough scrapping carpet. Dunsparce leaps up to the bed, startling his new master. He wiggles to the front, burying himself under the covers next to her. She smiles, one arm around him.

“Night Dunsparce.”

~*~*~​

9:00 am

At the furthest north edge of the city lay an empty bus stop, where a single person sits and waits. Not just any random person or old lady either, but a police officer in full uniform. He isn’t waiting for the bus. Impatiently, he checks his watch every five minutes as if he has something better to do.

A pair of bushes shake from behind the bench. “I see you got my message,” April speaks mysteriously, walking stealthfully. She wore her usual attire, green shirt and brown capris, added by a red wool jacket. As she approaches, the officer turns around. To her surprise, it is the handsome Captain Johnson she always toyed with.

“Hey... wait a.... where’s the Commander?”

“Busy. There’s a new lead on the whereabouts of the Tan Gang’s leader. He sent me in his place instead; though, I need to return as soon as I can. By the way, what was that?”

“What?”

“You know, the ‘I see you got my message’ thing.”

“Detective work.”

“That’s a spy, not a detective.”

“No it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. Spies are secretive and deceptive. Detectives are direct and proud.”

“Whatever.” She pushes his shoulder playfully, which lets her see a grocery bag on the bench behind him. “So, seriously, do you have something for me?” she asks girlishly.

“Oh, right.” He gives her a small cube shaped gift and card. It was small enough to fit in her hand but somewhat heavy to hold for its size.

“Thanks Johnson, that’s sweet of you.”

He blushes, “Uh, ahem, it’s not from me.” He begins walking to his car, trying to avoid the eventual embarrassment.

“Really? That’s okay, I have something for you.” Curiously, the Captain stops and turns around. She licks her lips. “Close your eyes.” He freezes. “Come on,” she teases.

*GULP* He shuts his eyes, knowing what was coming. He had thought about it before, but was afraid of the backlash at the station. The Commander would kill him. Not to mention all the ragging from the rest of the force. His skin turns pale, arms uncomfortably shake, and legs tremble weakly, waiting for the moment. He becomes tense. Would it be on his hand? Maybe the cheek? Lips!? The antagonizing wait forces his breathing to studder. Palms begin sweating... He cocks his right eye slightly open. Then both. She was gone. He quickly exhales and haunches over to relax himself. She had left him there looking like a fool.

As Aprils rides away, pleased with her final game, she wishes she had brought a camera. She could have used it as the perfect blackmail material against him. Captain Johnson would have been powerless against her.

~*~*~​

There are only two ways to travel between Mahogany and Blackthorn. The first is Ice Path- the main trail in which Trainers travel since it’s the safest, albeit a bit cold. The other way is straight over the mountain, braving the dangerous hiking condition. An experienced Hiker can climb it in a mere couple hours, saving them a good half day hike.

There is also a third, less honorable way for a Trainer to make the trip: hitch a ride by car. Part of being a Trainer was traveling the world by foot, exploring the surroundings and watching the lifestyles of Pokemon in the wild. A car or any other mode of transportation defeated that purpose. April wanted no part of the tradition. The easier, the better, and the faster her results would be. She doesn’t care about the means as long as it gets the results she wants. To her dismay, there were no rides going that way. Not many cars enter the city anyway, since there isn’t a paved road from Route 45 to Cherrygrove City. This is why Blackthorn is usually the last Gym a Trainer attempts because it is so challenging to reach.

Alas, she is on her own. The Trainers at the Pokemon Center were generous enough to give her directions, which was about as easy to follow as boiling water. There’s only one trail to Ice Path. Once inside, the main path is marked to aide other Trainers traveling through. She even got a map of the inside. It’s simple but laboring.

And what kind of story would this be if everything went as planned? Not very exciting, I say.

“I should have been there by now.”

What should have taken a half an hour to reach has turned into a couple hours. She had been following what she thought looked like a pathway. Unknown to her, at one point in the trail, the path suddenly turned left and down a small hill. Instead, she kept going straight. And now she is lost, like so many clueless adventurers she’s watched in movies.

She drops her stuff to take off her jacket, feeling hot and sweaty. Her legs stretch, crying nonstop for the past hour. It’s time for a break. She opens her pack and grabs a bottle of water. The gift given by Johnson looks at her, tempting her to open it, but she wants to wait until she makes it to Mahogany.

The forest whistles calmly as a reminder that she is all alone. The trees she had been looking at ever since she was little are now in front of her eyes. They’re so tall and full of wisdom all she can do is gaze at them in awe. She had seen pine trees in the city before, but never this many in such a cluster. And never this much growth. They are mostly pine trees, sprinkled in with a Spruce here and there. Grass is sparse at this elevation, not having much room to grow with the amount of boulders and jagged cliff sides and the seasonal winter snow. The only other vegitation are small bushes and weeds growing as close to the trees as they possible can. But not a single flower has been spotted. She imagines they’d have a hard time growing this high up. Lucky for her, she has her floral perfume sprays for just such pleasure. Without the perfume, all she’d be smelling now would be sap and a strong smell of pine needles.

The barren ground and dirt disappoints her. Without these majestic trees filtering in sun and an endless dance of sparkling shadows, these mountains are plain ugly to look at.

She has to head back. There’s no alternative. But even this proves a further mistake. As she walks backwards on the trail, she arrives at a spot in question. The trail stops. It has to be after this, she thinks, continuing on. However, she doesn’t see anything familiar. All the trees and dirt hills look the same. She isn’t even sure if she is going up or down anymore. What time is it? The sun hid so well behind the trees, she can’t even tell how much time has passed but it felt like forever.

She holds her phone up, trying to get a signal with no luck. To further fluster her, she had forgotten to charge the phone last night. “Great. I’m lost without contact. But that’s ok. They get lost in the movies all the time and it works out for them.” She begins imagining viewers watching her from behind a big screen in the canopy of the trees. “This is rather boring. If anyone were watching they’d have switched channels by now. ‘Girl gets lost and talks to self.’ Yea, real winner there.” She begins to imagine these viewers laughing at her fail so badly. She even has a map. A Map!

A scurry of footsteps move behind her. Her thoughts grow silent and alarmed; her audience shuts up and waits to see what happens next. She turns, wondering where the noise came from. Footsteps again. They are quick and quiet, belonging to three, maybe four animals. Against her better judgement, she walks toward the sound. They’re too quick to be a human. A brown blur dashes behind the trees in front of her. She sneaks closer, trying to get a better look where they ran to. The benefit of having mostly dirt ground is the lack of sound it makes. Unless a cliched twig gets in her way, which she is all to careful to avoid. She stops nearby the trio of Pokemon. They are short and fat, mainly brown fur with a central white fur circle on their chests. Each of them are standing on their body length tails, with darker rings around it. Their dark ears stick out as if listening to their surroundings. April looks on with awe at the adorable stubby arms and legs.

“Aw, how cute. Tret-something, I think. They can help me.” She walks straight over to them thinking they would stand there and let her. Come on April, you should know better than this. These are wild Pokemon: they will run. As such, the Sentret trio scream and dash away.

She follows in pursuit, trying to keep up. Surprisingly, even with such short legs, they are much faster than they appear. “Wait, don’t run. I need... whoaaaa.. !!” After a short-lived chase, she attempts to stop herself by leaning back to slide to a sudden stop but there just isn’t enough traction on loose dirt. Her momentum keeps her going straight toward the hill in front of her. Her butt hits the ground followed by her throwing her scooter in order to try and catch something with her hands. But no luck. If she has to go down, at least it won’t be face first. She slides down, still trying to dig into the dirt with her shoes. Her hands wave wildly, hitting a rock on the way down. It doesn’t hurt as much thanks to her gloves protecting them. For the most part she is lucky to not have any huge boulders or rocks in her way that could crack her head open. Though, she does slide along a jagged rock that scratches her right leg. The pain shoots to her brain, which tells her to grind her teeth in reaction. Then her shoe hits an uneven bump in the hill, jumping her upright and forcing her to run the rest of the way down. As she levels out, her legs slow down while her top half keeps going. In order to not face plant into the ground, she ducks inward and rolls headfirst to protect herself. She finally flips her legs into the air and lands flat on her back. Her scooter slides next to her, upright and ready to go again.

“Ow...” She dusts herself off, removing hands full of needles and twigs from her tangled hair. All the effort to uncurl her hair was now wasted. She checks her leg under her pants: it’s a small cut but stings as if it were larger. Unfortunately, she has no bandage to cover the wound. She stands, feeling her weight increase the pain in her leg. She tries rubbing her leg to ease the pain.

As she grabs the rest of her fallen gear, ready to go, she notices a couple trees inward have some cocoons dangling from them. They are yellow pods hung by a single string. Their eyes are closed as if sleeping.

“Another Pokemon. These turn into that bee type.” She approaches them just as she did with the Sentret; however, this time she takes slow steps due to her injury. “Can, can they move?” She calls to them, “Hi, yellow Pokemon. Do you know where Ice Path is? It’s a cave with snow and ice and, uhm, other frozen features.”

The group of Kakuna open their eyes at once and quickly retreat to the leaves above, hiding. A new Pokemon similar in size drops down by a single string connected to its top. It is a turquoise-green Pokemon with big eyes and no arms or legs. Without the eyes, she might have mistaken it for an oddly colored, oversized pinecone.

“Oh, are you in charge?”

“Pine, pineco co.”

It hops to the ground, jumping forward and shouting angrily. Without warning, it begins flashing steadily faster. And faster. And Faster!

April falls on her butt, unsure of what’s happening or what she has done to piss off this Pokemon. She wants to run but can’t stop staring -wondering- what’s going to happen. Then a final light shown twice as bright, forcing her to look away, and is immediately followed by a loud boom that pierced her eardrums with an ongoing ring that felt like it wouldn’t stop.

She uncovers her eyes and looks around. An explosion blew a hole in the ground two feet in front of her, which cleared all the leaves and excess dirt out of the area; except the leaves around her, which is left untouched in a circular radius. The once green pinecone Pokemon is now burnt black and on its side. Its eyes swirl around comedically. She doesn’t understand what protected her, but for whatever reason, she is okay.

Another Pineco drops, continuing the angry shouting from the previous victim. But it is met with a quick buck from the hind legs of a brown and white deer, knocking it clear out of the area.

Did this Pokemon save me?, she questions. The magnificent creature stands before her, protecting her from any further surprises. Its fur is clean and shimmers in the shaded light. The antlers stand tall and defensive. Its floppy nose sniffs the air searching for more prey.

Suddenly, a hand grabs her gloves and she’s helped up from the dirt, being told to ‘come this way’. The stranger pulls her to safety behind him.

He stops. “Alright Stantler, lets go.” The deer gracefully jumps back to her master. He lets go of April’s hand and grabs a pack he had set down beforehand. He begins placing it over Stantler’s back, strapping it securely around her stomach.

It is only until now that she gets a good look at him. The biggest draw of attention is his attempted beard that looks like he hasn’t shaved for weeks. Uncut and unkept. Probably unclean by the rest of his looks. His thick dark brown hair nearly covers his eyes and covers most of the back of his neck. He has a thin body of medium height, probably closer to six foot. His eyes hide behind a pair of black sunglasses. He wears a dark green coat with pockets on both sides and hood in the back. His jeans are dirty and covered in holes and what look like burn marks, either received from all the hiking or he bought them that way. His shoes are a peculiar brown-patch color and small looking, not like a pair of hiking boots. He has no gloves or hat like she does, at least not at this time. In addition to the pack on Stantler, it looks like he has a gold and brown bag on his back.

“That was some slide back there.” His voice is soft, calm and suspiciously friendly.

“Thanks for helping, I guess.”

“Ya think?”

“What happened? I don’t understand why they attacked me.”

“When you enter a Pokemon’s territory, they tend to fight back. The Pineco got defensive about you bothering the Kakuna and you were almost blown to bits. This guy here,” he points to his back, “used Protect around you to block the explosion.” The head on his ‘backpack’ twitches briefly.

“That’s a Pokemon?!” It hadn’t even moved the whole time they were standing there. Its arms and legs were clasped around his sides just like the straps of a backpack.

“Yep. He’s my Abra. And this is Stantler. Gotta be more careful up here. You should always have a Pokemon by your side.”

A blank expression crosses her face, letting his words sink in. She had completely forgot about Dunsparce. Searching through her bag, she finds his Pokeball and brings it out.

The hiker disappointedly shakes his head “If danger were to happen, you’d have no time to send it out. Is it just the one?” She nods. “I would make it more accessible if I were you.” He unzips his coat to show six Pokeballs lined inside, three on each side.

She recalls Trainers have belts to hold Pokeballs on. She thought it wasn’t necessary given that she only has one with no plans of needing more. Well, except for her own Bellossom. After a moment to think where to put it, she drops it in her jacket pocket. “I’m April, by the way.”

The hiker begins to walk away. “Nice to meet you. It’s good that you’re alright but I must be off. You best be more careful.”

“Wait.” She rushes to his side while unfolding her map. “Can you show me the way to Ice Path?”

He looks at her, shocked, trying to hold in a chuckle. He says in a serious tone, “Wow! You are WAY off.” He points on the map. “The cave is here and we are about... right... here.” He drops his finger well north of the cave. “It’s just outside Blackthorn, impossible to miss. I don’t know how you got all the way up here. I mean, how could you miss it... it’s right there after you exit the city.”

She can hear the audience laughing at her again. “Just, show me the way. I’m a little lost. Please?” She plays into her cute strength, although it’s not as effective while wearing a jacket.

The hiker ponders the situation, looking at her pretty face. “Not gonna happen.”

“What? Why!?”

“Not my problem. Besides, if I take you there, by the time I get back here it’ll be dark and I prefer not to stay out that late. Especially tonight.”

“Do- do you live up here?”

He sighs. “You must not be much of a Trainer if you haven’t heard of Michelle’s Lodge yet.” He examines her up and down. “What’s the red scooter for?”

The hiker is beginning to get on her nerves. “Riding, duh!”

“A lot of good that does up here.” He kicks a boulder down a smaller dirt hill. “Compass? Pokedex?” She shakes her head, feeling stupid about not having a compass. “I’m surprised that you made it this far even for being lost. At least you’re wearing warm clothes. Way too much perfume, though. You think Pokemon care what you smell like?”

His unpleasant sarcasm and unwillingness to help is dreadful, but he’s the only person that can help her in this situation. The two hike together for a few minutes. April quietly stays behind him, keeping some distance.

He stops. “Why are you still following me?”

“Lost, remember?”

He sighs heavily, “I’m headed to the lodge. If you want to follow me there, fine. I can’t stop you. Well, I could but, uh, you know, never mind. Once we’re there, you’re on your own. No offense, but I don’t have time to babysit rookies.”

It’s not like she has a choice. It’s either follow him or attempt to find her own way only to become more lost. He doesn’t even try to help her hike with him, maintaining a few good paces ahead. At one point they climb up a rock and he just stands at the top, waiting and watching her struggle on her own. He was just like all the others back home. When she needed help the most, no one would reach out to grab her. Really, is it so hard to show a little compassion to a complete stranger in desperate need?

A cool air breeze blew by as they continue to hike. Stantler halts, sensing a voice to their right. She nudges the hiker, pointing with her head. He listens, shushing April to remain quiet. It’s faint but audible enough to determine the sound. “Crying? Could it be....”

He leads them over to a speckled grey and black boulder twice their size. The insufferable sobbing grew louder as they circle around to the other side. There, on the floor, sat a brown Pokemon with a white skull on its head. A small chiseled bone lay by its side. Its crying is loud enough that it doesn’t even notice the two humans standing in front.

“I thought so.” The hiker sighs, stepping back and turning around. “Come on, let’s go.”

All the while, the Pokemon continues to shed tears. Her mind flashes memories of her childhood. ‘It’s best if we leave her alone.’ ‘I’m concerned for you, April. This... solidarity has gone on long enough.’ She tugs the hiker’s coat, raising her voice. “Wait, we have to help it.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve seen this Cubone numerous times since I’ve been up here and all it does is cry. It’s a waste of time. Not really worth catching either.”

“Maybe cause you can’t,” she snaps at him.

Feeling challenged, he snaps back, “Believe me, I can. Besides, why would I want to listen to this all day. No thanks. If you want to wake up at midnight to feed this baby, then catch it yourself. Then you can have someone else cry with you when you get lost.”

April is not a Trainer. End of story. In her plan to trail Jack, she has never once thought about obtaining more Pokemon. There’s no reason to. She is a detective, not a Trainer. But perhaps Dunsparce isn’t enough. She looks at the little Pokemon, unaware of the situation. A little girl version of herself flashes in its spot as she once again recalls her past. All those months in a room, all alone and left to cry. She empathizes with the Pokemon, but at the same time she tries to not think about what happened.

“Get a hold of yourself, April.” She takes a breath and looks at the hiker. He stands impatiently with his arms crossed. She isn’t a Trainer but she has to make everyone else believe she is. That’s the secret to becoming a great detective. She convinces herself that this must be a test of her undercover abilities. Maybe if she has more than one Pokemon, she won’t be confused as a new Trainer. Her major problem with having a battle is her lack of experience. She’s spent zero time watching battles, learning techniques or even reading the basics. She’s never much payed attention to the Pokemon around her. Well, except for Bellossom. She recalls her earlier conversation with Commander Nickels saying she would ‘wing it’ if she had to prove her ability. Just send a Pokemon and it fights. How hard is that?

She grabs her Pokeball and points it forward. “Come out Dunsparce.” A red light beams on the dirt, forming the little yellow snake into shape. “See that Pokemon, go attack it.” Dunsparce only looks up at her as if she lost her mind.

The hiker collapses comically. “This is a joke, isn’t it? You have to call attacks.”

“Attacks, right. I know that. Uhm.... Do you happen to know what are they?”

Facepalm. “This is going to be harder to watch than an all Wynaut battle,” he says to himself. “Try a simple Tackle attack.” He opens his bag on Stantler’s back.

“Kay, I can do this. Go tackle it.”

All this time Cubone remained in front of the boulder, drowning its eyes in sorrow, fully unaware that Dunsparce was leaping forward. He slams head first into the dino’s stomach, bulging its eyes out of the skull, tears twinkling in the air. Dunsparce leaps back, ready to go again. Cubone ceases crying, grabs its bone and stares back, quivering its lips in fear.

“Now I catch it?”

The hiker steps by her side once more, showing her his Pokedex, one of the original models. “No, you keep going. Here’s a list of attacks that Dunsparce knows. You can also dodge, block and counter attacks.”

April holds the red device, glad to have the hiker helping her for once. “Ook... Which one do I use?”

“You chose this battle, not me. I’d suggest paying attention to the field first.”

While she wasn’t looking, Cubone began waddling away in a whimper. Like most of its species, Cubone just want to be left to themselves. The Pokedex calls them the Lonely Pokemon. She watches the Pokemon run away and quickly glances at the Pokedex. The words and numbers make no sense to her. Her mind races full of unprepared thoughts. Will this attack work? Is it strong enough? Is she supposed to use it now? Today hasn’t gone right once and here she is, failing to even manage a simple battle. Doubt crosses her thoughts, kicking her to her knees and laughing at her pathetic attempt, much like the audience still watching from above. At least the ones that haven’t changed channels yet.

“I’m sorry Dunsparce. This was a mistake. As long as I have you, we should be fine. I thought I could do this, but, I dunno.” She collapses to her knees; distraught, discouraged. Defeated.

Dunsparce rolls his eyes. Not sure how that works with slanted eyes, but it just does, k. He jumps into the air, vibrating his tail and burrows into the ground. A few moments later, the ground shakes around Cubone, rising the earth up. Dunsparce lands a hit to its legs.

“Dunnssss...” he hisses.

“Dunsparce, wha-what are you doing?”

“Looks like your Pokemon is more ready to battle than you are, ” the hiker continues to joke.

Cubone stares back but whimpers away again. Just as before, Dunsparce erupts from the dirt, knocking Cubone off its feet. April and the hiker watch in peace, unsure as to what they are watching.

“DUNSSS...”

This time, Cubone knows it can’t run. If it tries, Dunsparce will dig under again. Unless... Cubone smirks, sticking its bone under its arm and then jumps at a tree, clawing its way up. It was a fast climber and was well out of harms way. Dunsparce doesn’t have any claws to climb with. But even this wouldn’t be enough to escape. The snake coils his tail into the ground and springs upward, poised to strike. Unable to dodge with its back turned, Cubone takes a hit in the shoulders, forcing it to lose grip and fall the half dozen feet back to the ground. It easily stands back up, resetting its skull helmet and searching for its... bone! It was gone. Where did it... there! Dunsparce has it.

Cubone’s eyes lit up furiously. A burst of blue energy flares around it, as if going Super Saiyan only without the ridiculous spiky yellow hair. In the blink of an eye it swipes at Dunsparce and retrieves its bone. Without a moments hesitation, it charges like a baseball batter and knocks Dunsparce out of the park. He crashes near the boulder, a bit dazed and disoriented. Cubone continues its rush with another swing, this time missing the dodging snake. The bone connects with a loud crack against the large boulder, snapping it into three pie shaped pieces. Cubone’s speed and determination seem to increase with each swing.

The hiker nudges April’s shoulder and points to an attack on the Pokedex. “Defense, uh, Defense Curl,” she chimes in, trying to be a part of the battle.

A quick shimmer surrounds Dunsparce just as the bone hits his side. He slides only slightly, rebounding the attack back. Having lost momentum, Cubone is vulnerable to attack and takes a second slam to the gut. Dunsparce slides himself back, quickly leaping forward while curling into a ball. He rolls straight into Cubone again, knocking it near a tree. The rolling attack makes a loop around for a second time, this time slamming it into the trunk. Dunsparce bounces back and circles around a third time. The lonely Pokemon, trying to catch its breath, carefully thrusts its bone in the ground in front at just the right angle. Unable to see accurately while spinning, Dunsparce falls for the trap, hitting the bone and flies into the air. Cubone grabs its bone, quickly chucking it upward like a boomerang. It hits hard, propelling the snake further upward. Upon retrieval, Cubone prepares a swing for the falling Pokemon. Ballsparce connects with a crack and is sent fumbling across the ground and finally flopping to the floor. Dunsparce is beaten and bruised; his tail limp and tired.

“Oh, Dunsparce. I’m sorry. You don’t have to do this.”

“He’s badly hurt. All those Rage-induced attacks are taking their toll. You need to recall your Pokemon. Take the loss and fight another day.”

He’s right, she thinks. She runs over to where he last fell only to see he isn’t there anymore. Cubone already realized this and had been watching the ground below him. But that isn’t where the attack will come from. Dunsparce pops out of a hole behind him only to realize Cubone was ready. His face crashes into the bone being used as a shield. Dunsparce props his tail to the ground and bounces back, pushing Cubone away.

April runs to her Pokemon, bending down in front of him. “No, stop. Dunsparce! I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Abra!” the hiker calls.

Abra’s eyes glow as he points his arm at April, psychically pushing her out of the way. A moment later, Cubone slams its club directly on Dunsparce’s skull. He takes the hit in order to flip around, using his tail to smack the bone out of its hand.

No joking, the hiker takes a moment to be serious. “Are you some kind of idiot? This is why we have Pokeballs.”

Both Pokemon are tired and exhausted, but still determined to win the fight. Cubone shakes his little hands, cracking his knuckles preparing for a bare fist fight. On the opposite side, Dunsparce’s eyes change color. Wait, what color are their eyes originally? The picture shows they have a black line for pupils. Slanted eyes are so weird. -.- Anyway, his eyes glow and stare deeply at Cubone, trying to force it to freeze. Cubone struggles its arms up and manages to press its skull down to block the stare. While it isn’t looking, Dunsparce is allowed a final jab at its stomach. Cubone, gasping after that hit, looks back through its skull to block the next attack only to find it is still being stared at. Cubone locks up, frozen in place.

Dunsparce’s body glows a light hue and opens his mouth, creating a ball of energy with the last of his strength. The swirling white light grows as big as his own body. He blasts the ball at Cubone, unable to dodge or swing back. The power rips into its body, slashing and draining all the energy out of it. A final *BLAST* after contact blows a hole into the ground, not as large as the previous explosion, but still large enough to cause some damage. A gust of wind blows in all directions, causing dust and dirt everywhere.

April covers her face only to realize she and the hiker were being protected again. He simply stood there, unafraid and head high, with the confidence of a master Trainer. The dirt settles. Cubone struck out. The crying has ceased.

Cept one. April runs to Dunsparce and gives him a big hug. He was panting and felt tense. She almost falls to tears seeing how hurt his body became. In a half sniffled voice, “Don’t overdo yourself like that again, k? I need you.” She rubs her eyes, trying not think about her flashbacks.

The hiker gives a round of applause. “For a Trainer that knows nothing about Pokemon, you sure have a strong Dunsparce. That Cubone put up a nice fight too. Congrats.”

That’s right, she has to catch it. Only one problem.... She looks at the hiker, slightly embarrassed, “You, uh, wouldn’t happen to have an extra ball, would ya?”

He falls comically, “Really? This has to be some kind of cruel practical joke. Where are the cameras? No Trainer can be this reckless.” He tosses her a Pokeball. “You owe me when we get to the lodge.”

She thanks him, kneeling over Cubone. She begins to tear just thinking what to say. “I know what it’s like to cry all the time. To be ignored. *Sniff* I’ve been living it for the past ten years. I still... think about it...” She takes a deep, relaxing breath. “Dunsparce here has helped me. My eyes.... they’re not as cloudy any more. And maybe... maybe all you need is someone to be with you too... sniff... some company, you know? One person to care about you...” She says this to Cubone but also how she felt of herself.

“Quuu...” it squeaks.

“What are you doing, telling it a bed time story?”

“Shut up!” she yells at him. She wipes the Pokemon’s face clean and puts on a sincere smile. “I’ll be here for you.” She looks at the Pokeball, then back to the hiker. “So, how do I make this work?”

“That’s it, I’m outta here.”

(-o-) Cubone Caught!

Spoiler

Grader: ATF
Date: Sometime in May, 2012

Grade missing.

Original Post: January 2012 @ PE2K vBulletin

 

24- The First Domino​

Spoiler

Yes, she has held a Pokeball. Yes, she has pointed and called Pokemon in and out. She knows Trainers catch Pokemon but the actual means to do so is lost to her. The hiker isn’t helping, but instead chooses to watch and keep his distance, as his motive appears to be. He would have to be immoral to the core to abandon her after this. And if he does leave her behind, she may have to give Cubone up to save herself. The thought of going through all the trouble just for nothing bothers her enough to stay and try. How about pointing the ball at it? Nothing. She says its name, saying ‘return’, but it fails. Puzzled, she takes a quick look back where the hiker was standing but he had apparently moved on. Bastard.

“Did ya’ forget to pack your brain today?”

His calm, questioning voice causes April to jump and shriek, startling the nearby Pokemon that were watching from high in the trees. Somehow the hiker got behind her without her knowing. He must have run but from that distance in such a short amount of time is physically impossible. This can’t be real. No human can move like that.

“It’s real easy. First, press the button to expand the ball. Then say a prayer to your Pokemon God. It has to be a good one or it won’t work. They know too. Lastly, do a cool fighting style pose and finish by rolling the Pokeball along the floor, like a bowling ball, at the Pokemon.”

She isn’t sure whether he is joking or serious. His dialogue has been all over the place, it’s hard to tell what emotion he’s using and how serious he is about it. Hers, however, has been easy to figure out. She’s upset, tired, and very demanding. She’s not having fun, which the hiker has been increasingly noticing since they met.

“Can’t you give me a straight answer? A Pokemon is hurt and all you’re doing is making jokes. Cubone isn’t laughing.”

The hiker’s face remains motionless. Not a smirk, a frown nor a smile. He looks away for a second, unappreciative that she was staring at him so coldly. A snappy comeback pops into his head but he passes the opportunity to use it. He scratches the side of his stomach and nonchalantly says, “All you have to do is make contact with the Pokeball and the Pokemon. Either by throwing or simply pressing it to the body.”

Her face burns red with fury mixed together with the rage-like anger Cubone had been displaying. What a jerk! She taps the Pokeball on Cubone and nothing. It doesn’t work. No red beam, no opening. Nothing. Dunsparce looks up at her, shrugging in confusion. She turns back around to hear the hiker’s echo from afar. He had vanished again.

“Hey, let’s go. Time’s wasting.”

“No, w-wait a moment.” She frantically switches Pokeballs and recalls Dunsparce.

“Dunnn...” he sadly murmurs before being recalled.

She drops her two Pokeballs- one full, one empty- in her jacket pocket, grabs her satchel and scooter, and hurries in the direction the hiker’s voice came from. A couple minutes away she finds him standing with Stantler, again, impatiently waiting.

“Finally...”

“We have to go back. It didn’t work.”

“Huh?

“The Pokeball. It could be broken.”

“Not likely. Takes a lot of force to pop one of those.” He continues his pace. “If you wanted it so badly, you could have carried it the rest of the way.”

That’s a good idea. Pokemon don’t need to be caught with a Pokeball. “Ok, let’s go back..”

“No, you can go if you want. I’m not wasting any more of my time with this.”

“Why’s this such a big deal?”

“It’s a disgrace. Up to now, every single Pokemon I have caught for myself was done by me. No help. None. If I were to accept someone’s help, that would disgrace my honor as a Trainer. Some things just need to be done on your own. What’s more impressive: 30 Trainers fighting Ho-oh, or 1? It would be like buying Pokemon that other, hard working Trainers caught. I’d rather brag that every single Pokemon I caught was through my hard work and dedication.” He holds his dirty hands up. “I want to constantly challenge these hands with the weight of a battle. To hold a trophy up high and say ‘I truly earned this.’ A Pokemon’s strength isn’t what it can do for you, it’s what you, as the Trainer, did to get it. Isn’t that what you signed up to do: challenge the world with your individual strength? That was your battle, your chance, and your failure. What happened, happened because you weren’t strong enough. Now it’s time to move on and hope you’re ready next time.”

“So you’re just going to leave a Pokemon injured in the forest?”

The hiker pauses to take a breath before moving on. “I have to. You wouldn’t understand.”

April takes a look back, really pondering the words of the hiker. Maybe it’s for the best. Does she really need another Pokemon? Needless to say, she worries that Cubone will make it through the night. Great speech and all, but his philosophy has a few holes in it. She mumbles to herself, “Leave a helpless Pokemon behind.... and that isn’t a disgrace?”

The pair continue hiking, this time at a slower pace and together. The silence allows her to think about the battle and how hurt Dunsparce became. The pain on his face while it battled showed her just how horrible fighting is. She doesn’t want to lose Dunsparce. Why do Trainers do this? Do they get some sort of satisfaction watching animals hurt themselves for their personal gain? Pokemon can get seriously hurt or even die. She begins to wonder why Dunsparce even fought in the first place. It was obvious that she wanted him to stop, yet he continued anyway. Why is this?

As they walk up a rock aligned hill, April grabs her leg, remembering she got it cut sliding down the hill. She endures the pain, continuing on. She wants to slow the pace to lessen the pain but the hiker keeps looking back at her, waving his arm to hurry up. She has to get her mind off the pain.

“You never told me your name.”

He doesn’t respond quickly, preferring to keep it silent. “It’s not important.”

“Yes it is. I’ve given you mine. It’s proper to respond with your own.”

“After tomorrow we’ll never see each other again, so it’d be pointless. You can call me anything you want. Lockhart Mcgee for all I care. I’ve already forgotten yours.”

Ooo, ouch. “It’s April. Like the month.”

“Uh huh...” he says, pretending not to listen.

This hiker has social issues. Nonstop he’s been firing rude comments at her, walking all over her as if she didn’t exist. Like a bully. She’ll be glad once they get to the lodge so she can get away from him. She doesn’t want to say anything more to him. On the other hand, the curious detective inside her heart overrules her brain.

“What is your problem?” she says, looking at him.

“What do you mean?” he says, not even looking at her.

“You know.... your bad attitude.”

“Pffftt. Let’s just hurry, ok? Your limping isn’t helping us get there any faster.”

She’s surprised he even noticed. “See, that’s what I mean.”

“Huh?” He takes a moment to see her unhappy look. “Oh, that. Just keeping myself entertained.”

“At MY expense.”

“Well, I’m not doing it at mine.” He laughs shortly. “Maybe you should lighten up.”

Is he serious? April is lost, tired, injured, and with Pokemon barely able to stand at the moment. What is there to be happy about? The only positive thing she’s had on the journey so far was running into the hiker, someone that would help her, and unfortunately that turned out to be negative too. Even the future is bleak. Where is she going... what will she do when she gets there? Can this guy even be trusted? The fear of the unknown is what scares her. A smile isn’t going to clear these dark clouds.

They stop at a tall cliff. It’s 90 degrees and unclimbable without proper gear. The hiker and April look up.

He bows slightly, lower his arms in a waving motion at the cliff. “Ladies first.”

“You’re kidding, right?” She isn’t amused at his attempted humor. The only remaining thought she has is of the pain in her leg.

The hiker appears hurt by her words but he was hoping for that response. “If you insist!” He points a Pokeball at Stantler and recalls her. He taps his Abra backpack and points up the cliff, then looks at April. “Meet you at the top!”

Madness, she thinks. It’s a pure 90degree drop about two stories tall. There aren’t any ledges or foot holes to grab. Not even any rope dangling from above to help pull him up. Unknown to her, if they walk the path a little more there’s a section to more easily climb up. Nope. Instead, he runs wildly at the wall, jumps and clings to it with bare hands. His shoes, not even hiking material, surprisingly don’t slip. He begins crawling at the wall like a dog paddling in the water. What... how is he doing this?, April ponders. First the phasing and now climbing. This guy is defying the very laws of physics. She walks up to the cliff, looking up for some sort of trick. Aha! He isn’t even touching the rocks, just barely a few inches away. It’s then that she notices his body surrounded by a faint glowing blue fuzz. Abra! That has to be it. She concludes that Abra must be controlling him somehow. She’s never witnessed such power from a Pokemon before and wonders if her own Dunsparce can do the same.

The hiker reaches the top, pretending to wipe the sweat away from his brow. He looks down, “I win.”

“You are one of the weirdest persons I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, a compliment rather than yelling at me. How kind of you.”

She lightens her mood, but remains unsure about her own means to climb. “How am I supposed to get up?”

He dodges the question, choosing to imitate April’s voice. “Save me, save me!”

He turns 180degrees to face the girl version of himself, changing his voice to a man version of himself. “Oh, I can’t do that. I have attitude problems. Find your own way up.” Turns again, “Don’t be like that.” One more time. “Too bad. Right Abra?”

Abra doesn’t respond.

April cracks a smile, holding a laugh through her nose. She was not expecting him to make fun of himself, even if she was a part of it. “I really hope we never see each other after this. You are unbearable.” The best part is she says it cheerfully, momentarily forgetting how horrible everything has been.

“That’s the spirit!” He laughs, pleased with the outcome. He taps Abra and he goes to work.

The blue aura surrounds April, slowly lifting her off the floor. “Hey, what’s going on...” She tries to move but she can’t. Her legs run through the air but her effort to get away fails. “Wait... Stop!”

“Stay still. It’s alright.”

There’s nowhere to run and nothing she can do to get away. She isn’t in control of her body. This feeling. She doesn’t like it. Her arms wave wildly at the air trying to break free, to no avail. She feels weak and powerless. The world around her turns to darkness, trapped in her nightmares that won’t let her go. Two beady eyes appear at the top of the cliff, focusing their psychopathic gaze at her. A twisted mouth you would normally see on a jack-o-lantern appears beneath them. The sharp teeth get a taste of her fear, chewing the air with satisfaction.

Run, little girl, run. All around her is darkness. Nothing. Not a soul.

“PUT ME DOWN!”

She screams out of fear. Her feet touch the cold ground forcing her to weakly collapses on it, exhausted in thought. Even way out in the middle of nowhere, the eyes of her attackers continue to haunt her. How far must she run to get away?

Her body drops a few degrees in temperature feeling a breeze of air roll along the surface. Her face tightens to guard against it. Her leg, once covered by her pants, feels the breath of cold air grabbing at her like fingers of death. For some reason, her pant leg was rolled up. Cold fingers begin to gently prod her, sending a chill down to her other leg. Then a soft cloth touches her, protecting against the air. Cotton? No, not soft enough. Whatever it is, the cold fingers move around her leg, holding the cloth in place as it wraps around her. Her mind races back to that moment ten years ago, trapped in her house being bound by those treacherous faces. Someone is tying her up. They found her! She focuses back to reality, determined to clear the darkness around her.

“Noooo!!!” April screams. The echo reverberates around the mountains sounding like a deafening boom.

She strongly grabs the hand by her leg, stopping it’s movement. She traces the arm up to the face. A pair of soft blue-green eyes meet her gaze, intently staring back at her. It’s the hiker. Without his glasses on, his face opens up making him look a lot sweeter than before. There’s something about his eyes that speaks ‘everything will be okay’. Confused, she looks down at her leg. A first aid kit sat by it. Her cut was wrapped up with gauze. Realizing she is safe, she lets go of his hand, allowing him to finish.

Afterward, the hiker stands up, sliding his shades into his coat. He looks up, noticing all the dark clouds gathering through the trees. A drop of water manages to dodge the leaves and branches on the way down, splashing onto his cheek. “Not much further to go.”

He extends his hand to her, helping her off the cold dirt. She’s speechless. He’s displaying a complete reversal of his previous attitude, offering her help without a snide remark. She’s not complaining; no, far from it. Maybe it is some trick of his. She decides to test the water.

“Thank you. It feels better.”

He takes a moment to let the words sink into his brain. “That’s good to hear.”

Again, nothing. No snap back. No stern, annoyed voice. This is the kindness she’d been hoping for all along. Granted his change of heart is late and won’t be enough to forgive him for earlier, but it’s much appreciated.

~*~*~​

Out of the forest, they come to a path lined with old wooden poles and rope. The first thing she notices are the various shoe prints on the path. All the rocks and boulders are kicked off to the side, only leaving needles and leaves cluttering the path. They head right, down a slow hill. April hears a voice in the distance. They’re getting closer to civilization. What a relief! She needs some rest and food after all this exercise.

In a moment, the dirt path switched to stone brick. The old wood and rope change to dark metal poles with lights on top. To the left and right and spread all around are log cabins, single story and similar in size and shape to one another. There has to be at least twenty of them lined equally in rows and columns. They are made with wood shingles, log walls, thick glass windows and a stone fireplace; typical of how a log cabin should look.

This is the first moment when she realizes how late it is. The contrast between the darkening sky and the lit path to the cabins became easily noticeable. Or... was it really late at all? She notices the hiker’s coat had a few water drops on it. Is it raining? She takes her beret off, feeling that it is slightly wet, and looks up. A light raindrop perfectly hits her eyelid causing her to look away. After she wipes it off, a peculiar site further down the lane attracts her eyes. It looks like a house once stood in a plot of land but all that remained now were burnt, twisted logs and destroyed memories.

“Hey, come here.” April approaches the hiker standing in the front of the cabins. “If you go straight from here... straight, okay? One foot in front of the other. See that big building over there. The one not like any other. You can’t miss it.”

April frowns being insulted again.

“That’s the visitor center. Ask for help there. So, good luck and all that.” He walks away to his cabin.

Good riddance.

~*~*~​

The visitor center is a two story tall building and similarly made of wood like the cabins. She enters the enclosed porch, reading a sign hanging above the door. Michelle’s Lodge, it read. This was the place the hiker was talking about. From what she can tell by the surrounding cabins, it must be some sort of camp. Though, the lack of roads and visible cars makes her wonder why anyone would set up in nowhere land. It starts to rain as she walks in, moving some bells above the door. As cool as it was outside, inside is remarkably warm. She may have to take off her wool jacket if it gets any hotter.

Inside, the log theme continues. Even most of the furniture is made of woods, stumps and sticks, save for the cushions and pillows. To the right of her is a very hotel-like reception desk that appeared to have never been used. It’s covered with papers stacked high and a sign in book with the lodge’s name embroidered in gold. To the left, some couches and sofas. Possibly a waiting area. Straight ahead, a bar. A few tables and booths are set up for around thirty people to sit and eat. A holler comes from one of the back booths on the right where a couple guys sit and drink. A guy at the bar raises his glass to the booth, cheering and taking a sip from his mug. On the left side, a lone guy sits at a table watching the only tv in the room. It flickered a bit, unable to get the full signal this high in the mountains. At the bar, an older lady stands behind the counter.

But first, a bathroom break. Sponsored by Charmin.

Later, after cleaning up. She takes a couple steps toward the counter. The guys at the booth hush quietly, watching her. One of them whistles, causing the other one to laugh. They were obviously the shouts of older, drunk men. Obnoxious. That’s not to say she isn’t flattered. In fact, if ever the need, she knows it would be easy to tease them into getting what she wants. She ignores them, for now, and sits on a stool.

On the other side of the counter is the older lady, whom must be the only person working tonight. She has a huge head of hair. We’re talking 60's huge. Not fro-like, but in the same family. To make it worse, it’s dyed rainbow red. To match her hair are these obviously fake, long red nails. If anyone ever needed a back scratcher, just go to her. They’re so tacky and ugly, April cringes at the sight of them. The lady is taller than her, perhaps mid six foot, and sleek for her age, with a huge rack of boobs; certainly big enough for her to be jealous. Her face tells her real age, with age spots, wrinkles and crows feet naturally showing. It’s like, she doesn’t even try to hide them when they’re easy to cover up. She has to be at least fifty, but she wouldn’t be surprised if she was older than that. Even her younger, more hip clothes throw off the trail of someone too old to party. This includes large, round, silver earrings someone could hula-hoop with. With the white apron on, it’s like she’s trying to fulfill an old dream of wanting to become a bartender. To be honest, she looks in great shape but horribly mismatched.

On the wall are the usual array of glasses and bottles, but also a collection of pictures of the older woman, only younger and very beautiful. Boobs still the same size. Most pictures consist of her standing with someone else, a different Pokemon, and a trophy held in her arms. One of the photos is so old, it’s in black and white.

She speaks in a raspy, smoke-a-pack-a-day voice, “A little young for a drink, aren’t you?”

“I’m only sixteen.”

She pears in for a closer inspection. “And I don’t believe you’re a guest at my lodge. Are you?”

“Uh, no ma’am.”

She fills a glass with water, pushing it to her. “I see. Welcome aboard. I’m Michelle and this is my lodge. If you have any questions, just ask.”

Great, the owner. This is just the person she needs to talk to. She’ll help her for sure. April tells her the small tale of being lost and how she ended up here. She doesn’t mention anything about Cubone, thinking it unnecessary. She includes the bit where she’s really a detective looking for a Trainer named Jack, in the hopes that she’ll cooperate more efficiently. And perhaps a bit of a lie, she mentions there is a warrant for his arrest. It’s only a little white lie she hopes can speed up the process.

“A reward too, I figure. Well, well. Let me guess, you need a place to stay tonight.”

“Preferably, I need to go now. Anything you can do to help me get to Mahogany Town to stop his injustices from continuing would be great.”

Michelle responds by tapping her nails along the counter. “You don’t know much about this place, eh. Kid, the only way in or out of here is by walking. There are no easy rides out. I have a helicopter come by once a week and drop supplies. That’s all. Sorry to burst your bubble but there’s nothing I can do to help cooperate with your search.”

“But...”

“With your predicament, the only thing I can suggest is traveling with another Trainer heading the same way. There’s a tournament in Mahogany early next week and we happen to have some Trainers up here to train. They’ll be leaving in a few days. You can go with them.”

Three days. The helicopter she mentioned must not arrive until after that. At least it’s better than being lost in the forest, weak and starving, wondering if she should eat Dunsparce to last another day.

Bells ring behind her, meaning someone opened the front door. It’s the bearded hiker, wearing a regular forest green shirt and sleeping shorts. Short stubbles of hair and healing bruises cover his legs. Under his shirt, on his right arm, he wars an black colored elbow and shoulder brace. April wonders if he got in a fight. She looks away, not wanting to look at him, hoping he’d just go away. Knowing his attitude toward her, he would at least say ‘Hi’ with a negative comment then leave. He does notice her but continues walking to the lone guy watching tv to strike up a conversation.

Michelle smiles, wrinkling her cheeks with ease. She points a sharp finger at the hiker. “Hey, you, fire starter.” The hiker ignores her, finishing his talk with the guy. The owner yells, “HEY, Cage, get over here! We need to talk!”

The hiker, whos name appears to be Cage, shrugs saying his goodbye. He makes his way to the bar counter, momentarily pausing to bow. “Yes, m’ ladies. How goes your fine evening thus far?” He leans against the counter, facing the two ladies with a confident smile.

“Don’t give me that. Drink?” He waves it off. Instead, she pours a cold beer for herself. “You’re leaving tomorrow, correct?”

“As was your command. Weather permitting, of course.”

“What’s the forecast?”

“It said the rain should stop before breakfast and not start up until the late afternoon. But after tomorrow, it’s all clear skies.”

“That means, what, a six hour gap. Plenty of time to get to the cave...”

“You’re not serious. And then what, wait out the rain stuck in a cave until tomorrow? I know you want me gone, but I’m safer here for another day. You know it’s a fact.”

“Not gonna happen. You’re a strong Trainer, don’t think you can handle a little water?” Michelle squints her eyes, taking a sniff of disturbed air. The room was being enveloped in a cloud of tobacco smoke coming from the booth on their right. In a loud, upsetting voice, “What have I told you about smoking in here?”

One of the booth guys laughs, “Aw come on, it ain’t hurting no one. Have you seen the outside, it’s raining.”

Quickly, Michelle rushes out of the bar, her heeled boots clomp the wood noisily. She pulls the guy by the ear, dragging him out from the booth. He screams, begging for her to let go. She squeezes harder, pulling him toward the entrance. The guy’s face is red from screaming, as he stumbles about, trying to grab hold of a chair or something, but failing to maintain his grip. She throws him outside, into the rain, locking the door behind him. The guy at the bar and at the guy booth laugh their heads off seeing their friend tossed out.

“I hate when it rains. Riles you guys up too much” She says, walking back behind the bar. “Now what was I saying before the interruption?”

“You were going to let me leave after the rain ended.” Cage tries to take advantage of her forgetfulness.

She smacks his head, “Don’t be stupid. You’re leaving tomorrow. That’s final.”

“Ugh. Alright. But if I get hypothermia, I’m billing you.”

“Good, I can call us even if that happens.” She motions to the girl sitting close to him. “Have you met April? April, this is Cage. Cage, April. Oh, I heard you’ve met. Wonderful! That’ll make getting along less awkward. Cage, April here is headed to Mahogany, same as you.”

“Peachy.” He looks at her. “You sure you’re up to the task? It takes a little more effort to get lost this time.”

“Exactly my thought, my boy. I’m amazed this poor girl made it as far as she did on her own. That’s why I’ve decided that she’s going with you.”

!!!! “What!!?!” They both shout. They both give looks of shock and dismay. Both hearts skip a beat. It’s like they both won the lotto but neither are happy with how much money they won. On the one hand, she has an escort; on the other, it’s him.

“Michelle, but, why?”

“And she’s bunking with you tonight.”

He pleads with her, “You’re being unfair. Why can’t she sleep here?”

Michelle waves her finger at him. “You owe me this much.”

“I’d rather pay for the damage than this.”

She takes a quick chug and laughs back at him. She takes a couple steps away from the bar to a nearby window. “You know, every time I look outside and count the number of cabins, I’m reminded that there’s something missing.”

“Michelle...”

“I know what you’ve done, and I appreciate it. Even respect it to a degree. But for some reason, I can’t seem to shake this feeling that you burned down MY cabin. You’re leaving tomorrow, taking her with you, and that’s final.” She hurries back to the bar, folds her arms and stares Cage in the eyes.

“I...”

Having successfully controlled the situation, she relaxes. “We’re done here. Have a goodnight, Cage.”

The hiker leaves with his mouth open, trying to find the words to argue back, but he knows nothing he says will change her stubborn mind. “Cabin 18,” he says before departing the lodge.

Not a word came out of April the entire conversation. Not that she had anything to add, but rather she wanted to listen and gather information of her surroundings. Her best detective weapons are information and finding ways to use or take advantage of it. Now that she is stuck with the last person on earth she wanted to see again, she has to dig for information from Michelle to make the best of the situation.

“So, what’s his story?”

“Who, Cage? He’s just like any other Trainer here. Came here to learn and train. Burns down cabins in his spare time. You know, typical things.” She jokes, finishing her mug. She places a small salad bowl on the counter. “Eat up.” Dinner of champions!

“He’s kinda a jerk.”

“He’s been increasingly distant since his arrival. He’s a good kid with a kind heart, but he has too much on his mind. It’ll be good for the both of you to travel together.”

The guy that had been sitting at the bar gets up, walking behind her. “I’ll- I’ll treat you real g-good.”

“Shove off, Rich.”

He thrusts his pelvis forward as he stumbles away. “Shove it all night long, yea baby!”

~*~*~​

Cabin 18. Night has officially settled and the rain is pouring. April has to borrow an umbrella for the evening to keep dry. Her white shoes, however, slosh around in thick mud on her way over. She wishes the lodge was at least a little more civilized with paved roads and pathways. She knocks on the door, on the left side of the cabin. She’s called to come in by the hiker. What a gentlemen, huh. The cabin, much like the visitor center, retains its wooden style. Indoors consists of one bed in the center of the room, one dresser next to the bed, one mini fridge next to the dresser, one fireplace opposite the bed, one bath next to the door, and no tv. Next to the door is the hiker’s backpack, cargo style with more pockets than necessary. Between the bed and the bathroom is a rolled out black sleeping bag.

The hiker, Cage, is sitting on the bed wearing the same shorts and a shirt from a little bit ago. Still, he is perfectly dry and there is no wet umbrella anywhere. His muddy brown shoes are the only sign he’d even been outside. He’s continues combing a little red furred fox with three tails stretched in front of him. She steps forward, putting her finger tips out. The fox’s big eyes watch her, sniffing her hand. ‘Vuull..” it says, laying her head back down. Cage stops combing for a second, letting her pet the Pokemon. Her fur is sleek and well groomed, meaning he’s been taking care of her for a very long time. It’s sooo soft she can pet and hug her all day.

Cage coughs, abruptly.

April backs up. “What’s her name?”

“This is Firefox. She’s a Vulpix, if you didn’t know.”

“She’s cute,” April remarks kindly.

“Thanks. I try to keep her looking her best.”

Not sure what to say next, her detective curiosity kicks in. “So, wow, that cabin was burned down by you? What’s that all about?”

He looks up trying to hold back laughter under a serious grin. “Really? That’s where you want to start?” She doesn’t respond. Perhaps it was a bad question at a bad time. “Get ready for bed. I am leaving at nine-thirty, with or without you. The bed is all yours. Lucky you! I’ll sleep on the cold, barren floor like an animal. Any questions?”

Rude. “Not really.”

“Good. How’s Dunsparce? You should let it out for the night. There’s no Pokemon Center, which sucks but there’s nothing that can be done about it. I’d let it out for the night. Pokemon seem to heal better with company.”

As he slides off the bed, she grabs the two Pokeballs she kept in her jacket pocket. One was empty and belonged to the hiker, one is hers with Dunsparce inside. She lets the little snake out, patting him on the head. He smiles, tiredly, and slithers around the bed toward the pillow to hide under.

“By the way, how’s Cubone? Oh, too soon?” He snickers going under his cover. His fox Pokemon lay at his feet.

So, here I am. Safe and alive, but scared to death. All I had to do was follow a simple path through a mountain and I end up in Camp Nowhereville. In a bed, in a strange cabin, sleeping next to someone I don’t know, about to travel with someone I don’t even like. And I left someone, a Pokemon, behind. Commander, I made that mistake and I’m sorry. I failed what we stand and believe in: not leaving anyone behind. It kills me inside to know it is as cold, alone and scared just as I am. This is all too much. I’m not ready. But what can I do, it’s out of my hand. There’s no turning back now. I know tomorrow won’t be any better. It’s gonna be a long day.

~*~*~​

The dark ground feels cold under her bare feet. Dirt squeezes between her toes with each step, as if swallowing her underground. The smell of decaying wood surrounds the darkness, choking her every breath. A spotlight hits the ground, showcasing Cubone beaten and bruised far off in the distance. Her feet run but the ground liquefies under her, sucking her feet down the quicker she moves forward. The muddy sand surrounds and melts beneath the unresisting Cubone. It calls out but makes no sound. She falls forward, hands into the mud. She begins crawling, almost swimming to Cubone, crying to herself. But she doesn’t make it in time. The little Pokemon is sucked below the sinking floor, gone and lost. She finds herself in the same situation; struggling against the elements, unable to break free. The mud around her forms into a sloppy hand, lifting her upward. It continues up, forming a body with a head. Sharp, rocky teeth protrude out. Eyes like black holes appear on the mudman’s head, sucking it all it sees.

It laughs in a low toned voice, watching her struggle. “There’s no escape.” Then, it swallows her whole.

It’s been a while since she’s had a nightmare like that. Not since the day she first started taking care of Pokemon at the Police Station. And here she is, on her first night away from home, without a pleasant thought to dream about. She uncovers her head from the protective blanket to make sure she is safe. Her hands stretch under her fingerless gloves, clammy and white. Light came through the window meaning it is morning. However, when she looks at the clock on the dresser, she discovers it was turned off. She finds her phone, charged and ready to go. 9:10.

“Shoot!”

She remembers setting the alarm last night. Hmmm. Upon closer inspection, the plug is knocked far from the outlet. It didn’t fall out, that’s for sure. It had to have been Cage. How can he be so devious? His stuff is gone. Hopefully he didn’t leave yet. Now she has to take a few short cuts to be ready in time. Sure, she can go in her long shirt she uses as pajamas, but walking around in short-shorts will embarrass her. No time for a shower. Girl’s still gotta look good, without question. She puts on her makeup, heavy on the eye shadow to hide her tired, nightmare ridden eyes. She selects a strong flower scented perfume. She wants to wash her sandy blond hair, but there is not enough time. All she can do is brush the knots and curls out. Finally, a quick change to her same clothes. For those not familiar, or too lazy to read the previous part: forest green v-neck shirt covered by a red wool jacket, light brown Capri pants, white (now muddy) street shoes, patchwork grey beret, copper lens aviator sunglasses, an army light green courier bag, and her fingerless leather gloves, which are never removed. Oh, and a razor scooter for travel. Got it, good.

Just like Cage said last night, the rain has stopped. The entire dirt ground is covered in a thick slushy mud that she once again has to trudge through. At least the soft ground helps reduce the pain in her leg. The wood cabins are completely soaked on the outside, like wet cardboard. Surprisingly, it kept her warm and dry last night. It certainly had nothing to do with the comfy bed.

9:40

She arrives at the visitor center, late. Inside are Cage, Michelle, some random Trainers and a couple of the hollering hooligans from last night. Cage looks shocked to see her. She’s equally shocked to see him, but happy as a croquet ball going through a wicket.

He is wearing the same dark green hooded coat and well worn jeans. “Well, well. Just in time.”

“The alarm didn’t go off,” she says, looking sternly at him. Gosh, he really needs a trim and a shave. It looks even thicker than before.

“Such a shame.”

She rolls her eyes. “Why are you still here?”

“Mama bird wouldn’t let me leave the nest.”

Michelle, dressed in a rose red robe, smacks his head. “Behave yourself.”

“Yea yea.” Cage sees the razor scooter April still carries. “You know, if it rained any harder, you might be able to surf with that thing down the mountain.”

“Don’t be silly. Being here wasn’t part of my plan.”

“Of course not. Nothing we plan ever happens the way we want it.” He walks to the door, taking a final look at the place he’d been living at for weeks. He looks at Michelle in particular. “Thanks for the hospitality. You’ve been a gracious host and I enjoyed my time here. I especially look forward to the next time, if you’ll allow me.”

“Great. Maybe you can burned down two cabins.” She gives a good laugh.

Cage smiles, “You’ll never let that go, will you?”

“Not a chance. Take care of yourself out there. Don’t forget who you are and be proud of what you do. You’ll find what you’re looking for. You too, missy.”

“Thank you,” April adds. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hey Cage,” one of the random Trainers calls out. “See you in the tournament. Can’t wait to battle.”

“Yea, you too. Come on, let’s go.”

Before April follows out the door, the guy from the bar last night, Rich, stumbles toward her. Is he still drunk? “Ahh, d-don’t go. Gimme a hug. Just... a hug. A-A long, sensual.... hug.”

Rather than turn around and walk away, April wants to have some fun with him. She drops her stuff. In a girlish tone, “Big man wanna hug?” He nods furiously, opening his arms. She opens her arms and gives the man a hug just before she sends a knee to his privates. He moans, still holding his arms extended. She lets go, grabbing his shirt, bringing him to her level. She whispers into his ear, “Satisfied?” She pushes him back and walks out like she owns the place.

It’s like his masculinity was stripped away by a girl half his age. The other older guys rage and holler, dogging the poor guy for his attempt. What’s that internet term.... oh yea, owned. His voice raises high pitched like a chipmunk, barely able to squeak a word “Callme!”

Michelle only smiles. “She’s gonna do just fine.”

~*~*~​

The mountain air is heavy with moisture. The scent of rain is in the air, damp and cool. A deep breath cools her throat. The ground is all mud and rocks, a lot of which was washed down the mountain and hills. The only safe place to step without slipping are larger boulders lodged into the mud. So far, the trip is only a slight decline on one of the lit paths out of the lodge.

“So, was that some sort of place Trainers gather to fight?”

“You can say that. Just by looking at her, you wouldn’t think Michelle was once a League Champion. After she won, she built a house up here where she used to train during off seasons. People used to make the difficult climb to watch her train. So, she built a cabin for them. Then another, and another. Now, it’s a place where you can rent a cabin and train in the harsh land. Think about it. A chance to train where a former Champion built her reputation. I never imagined I’d be there this early in my career, let alone meet a Champion face to face. Life has it’s twists and turns, don’t it!”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of her.” Or any famous Trainers, for that matter. She spent her life studying the law, not how to battle.

Cage faces her, walking backward with ease without slipping. “You need to learn your history. Michelle Taddly. She created one of the first real defensive strategies with Dugtrio that didn’t involve stalling underground. It’s obsolete now, but back then she was the Champion everyone believed in. It’s a shame she’s a recluse and doesn’t battle anymore, but what can you do.” He marches forward again.

April is a bit taken back by how open he’s become. He has been responding well to Pokemon related questions, whereas, personal questions are being avoided. Time to test her theory. “So, how many Pokemon do you have?”

“Oh gosh. I’ve lost count. I’d like to say around twenty... ish. More than enough. Starting to be too many ‘cause it’s getting more and more difficult to take care of them all. The place where I was storing them had cutbacks and were gonna start charging me way too much for storage and food.”

“So you don’t have them all with you?”

“What! No. Are you playing dumb? A Trainer can only have six Pokemon with them at once. My other Pokemon are at home, eating my parents and neighbor’s food. I’m currently in transition until I find a better facility to take care of them. You know the motto, right? Gotta catch ‘em all! Yea right. More like Gotta catch ‘em all and go broke feeding them!”

They approach a downward slope. Cage slides down, getting the bottom of his pants muddy. He offers a hand as April carefully steps down. She slips. Her butt hits the mud, sending a sickly feeling through her body. The hiker laughs, helping her up.

“Ooh, I can feel it on my skin.” Her eyes blank out, remembering the mudman in her nightmare. She jumps away from the hill in a jitter.

“This is only a small hill. Wait ‘til we get further along.”

Speaking of travel, she notices they are going west rather than backtracking south. Apparently, there’s a closer entrance to Ice Path. It’s rarely used by anyone other than Trainers headed to the lodge. By going this way, it’ll save them an hour’s worth of travel time. The last thing Cage wants is to be stuck in the rain. He can make that time, but he’s unsure if she’ll be able to keep up.

“How’s your leg?”

She’s pleased that he has enough interest to ask about her well-being. She tells him it still hurts but not as much as before. Now it’s her turn, to not ask a Pokemon based question. “So, want to tell me about the cabin...” She stops. Cage, annoyed that she was about to bring that subject back up turns to respond but she shush’s him first. “Quiet. D’ya hear that? Sounds like whining.”

He concentrates. “A little. Coming from... south. Crying? It could be.... let’s not..... we can’t waste time.”

“It’s probably...”

“Yes, I’m sure it is. I don’t need any more burdens on this trip. Dead weight. Excess junk. Third wheels. Catch my drift?” She ignores his slanderous insults and pursues the cries. He sighs, wanting to yell at her. His brain whips his legs, yelling ‘Mush, Mush, keep going.’ But his heart jumps in the way, like a brick wall of red muscle. “Ugh, really? Do I have to?”

Just as she thought, it’s Cubone. The same crying Cubone from yesterday. The one she abandoned for her safety. It’s alive. Still crying, but alive. She puts one mud-foot in front of the other, making her way to it. Cubone sits on top of a collection of smaller rocks, leaning against a large, flat, square, bright grey boulder connected to a slightly larger boulder of similar shape and color. She reaches down, mud and all, and picks the little guy up in her arms. She hugs it, not worrying about how dirty her jacket will get.

“Don’t cry. Everything will be okay. I’m here.”

Cage keeps his distance, reluctantly wanting to follow. Looking upon the situation at hand, he quietly comments to her as if trying not to bring attention to themselves. “Yep, Cubone again. I’d seen it so many times in so many places and thought nothing of it. You got me thinking about it before bed. So, I asked Michelle this morning. As it turns out, Cubone was abandoned by its Trainer many months ago. Reports sprang up from other Trainers about the crying Pokemon. Once, someone brought it to the lodge, but Michelle ran it out cause it wouldn’t stop. No has been able to catch it either. Which can only mean one thing: the Pokeball that was used on Cubone hasn’t been deactivated yet. Even though it’s been abandoned, it still wants to believe that its owner will come back. As long as it contains that aura, no Pokeball will be able to bypass it. That’s why you failed.”

“In English, please.”

“It means you’d have to carry it around with you all the time. It won’t make traveling any easier. And you’d have to constantly keep an eye on it wherever it wanders.”

Cubone has calmed down a bit in her arms but still sobs an occasional tear. April pats it on the skull. “I’m not abandoning him again.”

He proceeds to joke in seriousness. “You can’t carry both it and your scooter. And I know how useful it is out here.”

Louder. “I’m NOT abandoning him.”

The ground beneath them abruptly shake. The small rocks where Cubone was laying jump into the air, knocking April away. Uncontrollably, she throws Cubone into a patch of thick mud. She watches the rocks magically rise, one by one. The smallest rock at the tip connects to a bigger rock. And bigger. And Bigger. Like a giant snake, the rocks uncurl and slide along the mud with ease. The rocky tail grabs April, lifting her off the ground. A gray sedimentary face stares at her, ready to chomp her with one fell swoop. A thought of fear, deja vu, strikes her motionless. Then, the rock monster spots the other, familiar Trainer, and drops her.

Cage sighs with laughter, “Now you’ve done it.” He unzips his jacket, just in case in he needs backup. “Onix, buddy! What are you doing out here?”

“Gaarrooo!!” it screams.

April scrambles to her feet, slipping and sliding to get as far back as she can. Before her is the largest Pokemon she’s ever seen up close. It stands at least three stories high with more than a dozen rocks forming the long body. Its head has a giant fin typical of a shark or dolphin. But oh man, she could have been eaten in one gulp.

“You know this Pokemon?”

“Kinda. We’ve been sparing up here, training each other to become stronger. Last time I saw her, I said we’d have a real battle. Then, there was that accident at the lodge, and I didn’t leave for a few days. Was really hoping you’d be a little quieter so we wouldn’t have to deal with her. She’s not even supposed to be over here.”

Onix appears to be stretching its body. “Roooo...”

“What’s it want?”

“That battle. She’s probably a bit mad at me.” He puts his hands forward, showing he means no harm. “Look, I can’t battle with you right now.” Onix slams her tail next to him. “It’s not like I don’t want to. This really is the most inopportune time. If you insist.” He reaches into his coat summoning a Zubat.

April drops her jaw. Of the little time she’s spent with him, he’s shown off his ability and knowledge of a Trainer very well. Yet, he chooses a little bat against a giant rock collection. Is he really that good? Nothing has happened yet and she’s already impressed.

“Zubat, Supersonic.”

The purple bat squeaks, about to let a shriek out. Onix has different plans, thrusting her tail down, slamming the bat into the mud before any sound is made. She lifts her tail, showing the imprinted Zubat in the mud. The dazed eyes meant it was knocked out.

“Oh, man. Looks like you won. You’ve bested me.” He recalls Zubat.

April is in complete awe at his quick defeat. Wow. Wow! Maybe he’s not that great a Trainer after all. “It doesn’t look pleased. I think it wants more.”

“Groooo!”

“Onix, geez, I can’t spar anymore with you. You’ll have to find someone else. There are plenty of other Trainers you can challenge. More fish in the sea ‘n all that jazz. It’s been great, really, but I need to get to Ice Path before the rain. We can battle tomorrow.”

“Why don’t you just fight it, er, her, for real.”

“I don’t have the preferred Pokemon with me for a quick fight. As strong as she is, it could take up to an hour in these conditions. We don’t have time to indulge her.”

She slams the ground again, angry at his delay. She leaps at the ground face first, digging down. The mud below them swishes back and forth. The earth below them is being shifted and compacted as Onix moves around. The ground cracks as the snake bursts back to the top. She uses her tail, pointing at the opening she made. Cage carefully walks over, looking into the deep hole. At the bottom, he can barely make out shining rocks similar to the ones he remembers seeing in Ice Path. This may be a shortcut. Onix slams her tail over the hole, forcing Cage to dodge back.

“Ok, I get it. She’s challenging me for worth. I’ve heard it happen to other Trainers. A Pokemon in the wild will accept a challenge from a Trainer. If it lost, it would let itself be caught. I thought it was just a myth. Not as ridiculous as I once thought.”

“A Pokemon that wants to be caught. Why don’t you then?”

“There in lies the dilemma. Out of Pokeballs.”

April snaps her muddy fingers. “I still have the one you gave me. You said it won’t work on Cubone, so may as well give it back.” She’s been standing a good twenty feet away, trying to stay out of harm. Understandable, Onix did grab her after all. She holds the ball in hand, ready to toss it to him. However, Onix catches a glimpse of the ball and feels threatened by another Trainer wanting to challenge her. Onix quickly slides her body through the mud, around April, and encloses her in her boulders with no escape route but to dig through the mud. Onix rolls her body back and forth, hitting the human girl forward to back. She drops the Pokeball into the mud, watching it sink deep.

“Onix, stop this. Your quarrel is with me.”

At that point, Cubone leaps through the air, hitting Onix over the head with the same swing that caused a boulder to snap to pieces yesterday. The snake wildly uncoils itself and slides back, shaking the strong, stunning hit.

Cage rushes to April. Not even asking if she is okay, “The ball?”

She feels her pockets. “I think I dropped it.”

“We have to— look out!”

He pushes her away as Onix’s tail splits between them. She raises her tail, screaming in pain from another hit by Cubone. Cubone lands, ready to hit again, but the mud slows him down. So much so, that he’s stuck and unable to get out. Onix grins, raising her tail with the easiest of targets. The tail slams down, forcing the only defensive move Cubone can perform, putting his bone up to brace the impact. But, no contact. Cubone opens his eyes to see the tail hovering directly above him.

The hiker has called out a second Pokemon: Abra. The psychic Pokemon’s eyes are lit up, an enormous amount of psychic energy surrounding his body. Onix’s tail is held in place. Even for one of the more powerful evolutionary psychic lineups, Abra won’t be able to hold Onix for long.

“Stop this, Onix. Can’t you see the ground is weakening.”

“AGRROOOOAAWW!!” She breaks the psychic hold, lifting her tail up again and quickly slams on top of Cubone. At least, where he used to be. In that little time, he managed to dig himself out of the mud. Consequently, that last slam splinters the ground around the hole. The tunneling below causes the left side to collapse, carrying April with it. She slides a few feet downward, flailing her arms in a panic. Anything will do: a rope, vine, a log. A thick root passes her right hand which she grabs firmly. The sudden jerk pulls her back in an outstretched position. Mud from above ground slides all over her from head to toe. Her beret slips off. Cold, wet mud covers her head and face. She shakes and spits just trying to breath. Her glove maintains hold onto the root. Not only does her back hurt, but the small fall brings pain back to her leg. She wants to rub it so much right now, but can’t, for fear of letting go and being absorbed into the earth. The dirt around her breaks apart. The hole becomes larger and larger with each movement and attack Onix makes. The loud thuds and smacks echo through her head, outdoing the beats of her heart. This is it. She is going to be buried alive. The world around her was crumbling to pieces. Her body is wet and gritty. The feeling in her arm fades as her hope deteriorates into the abyss. She tries reaching the root with her other arm but it’s too far and she has no energy to move. There’s no joy here: only misery. Misery and pain. It’s all she’s known in life.

Bad things happen. Endure. Survive. Live by this and you’ll find happiness.

Survival. All she’s done in life is try to survive to the next day. How long can she survive like this? The term ‘Hanging by a thread’ comes to mind. This tree root can’t hold her forever. It can’t help her survive. All it does it watch her hang on for dear life. The entire ground around the hole collapses inward. The root shifts, forcing her hand to slip. The world around her falls to pieces, sucked into a gaping hole to eternal darkness. She uses her free hand to wipe her face clear. She coughs, gasping for air. Her chest is about to burst. She loses grip of her thumb; only the tips of her muddy fingers cling on to dear life. Time stands still. Nothing else mattered.

A beam of purple strikes across the hole, followed by Onix slamming into the sunken hill, howling in pain. Onix rolls downward. Shortly after, Cubone jumps in with his bone high above his head for a tomahawk chop attack.

Her vision begins to fade. Here she is, hanging for dear life and the boys are fighting a battle that doesn’t mean anything. Maybe she is better off letting go....

“Here we go.” A pair of hands grab hold of her glove, raising her closer to above ground. Realizing she is being helped, her other arm reaches up grabbing his. With a last breath, he pulls her out of the hole.

She drops to her knees, coughing and wheezing, spitting the filth out of her mouth. Her entire wardrobe is a mess, her mascara streams down her face, her phone is probably dead, and she will most definitely need that shower. But she survived.

“Aren’t you glad you took the time to look good?" Cage says, admiring her sarcastically.

“Bleh. How can you crack jokes at a time like this?”

“Why not? By the way, it’s still not safe. Maybe you should stay here. That Cubone has kinda pissed her off.” He runs over to Abra, sitting on a log poking out of the mud. “Speaking of the devil.”

Cubone is knocked out of the hole and falls face first in the mud, unable to move. His bone follows, skewering the mud next to him. This is followed by a quick and unexpected move by Onix. Emerging out of the dark hole, mouth wide open, glowing with dark wisps of energy drooling out the side, she attacks with a fangs ready to crunch Abra. Delayed, but not late, Abra puts a barrier around him and Cage, while simultaneously holding Onix in place in mid-strike. She’s still moving forward and it’s taking all of Abra’s mentality just to keep her still. It won’t last long.

“Phew, a second later and we’d be rock food. You’re taking this battle waayyy too seriously, Onix.”

April crawls herself across the ground to her ruined satchel. Even the clothes she wasn’t wearing were probably dirty. As she picks it up, the Pokeball she’d lost earlier appears. She takes a deep breath, gathering her lost strength to stand. Instead, she sits down to watch and regain her composure.

And there he is, the complete opposite of her. Standing tall, focused, and unafraid next to his Pokemon. The only spots of mud are on his shoes and lower pants. His sunglasses cover his eyes now, if only to enhance his coolness. The protective barrier surrounds them with a blue hue of energy emanating strongly from Abra. Only a foot away, Onix is jaw is wide open, seconds away from eating them. And there he is, moments away from being eating, not running or hiding. This must be that level of strength he was talking about.

“Now.” Abra releases the protection and the psychic hold over Onix, instantly teleporting himself and Cage away, just in front of April. Onix chomps the ground without hesitation, chewing the tasty nutrition.

“Whoa man, that was close! Abra, you got any more in ya?”

“Aaa...” it shakes weakly.

The rock snake rears her head up, roaring louder than before, spitting the pieces of dirt and mud it ate at them. Cage recalls Abra, ready to send another out. That’s when April steps in front of him holding the lost Pokeball. She’s not sure how exactly she should throw it, but a softball style windup sounds about right. Unprepared for such action, Onix is hit by the ten inch Pokeball, changing its body to a blob of red, and sucking all thirty feet inside.

April turns around, unapologetic smirk on her face. “How does it feel to be dishonored by someone, that yesterday, didn’t even know how a Pokeball worked?”

He’s at a loss for words as the Pokeball rolls around in the mud like a pig in heaven. The capture that he should have made, with his Pokemon, his tough battle, and his throw. He knows very well that he risked his life and limb to save and protect her, and this is how she repays him. “It’s- it’s quite emasculating.”

(-o-) Onix Caught!

Grade:

Spoiler

Claimed: Luciole
Date: 8-28-2012
Grader: Not Safe For Adults
Date: 11-02-2012

Grade missing.

Original Post: August 2012 at PE2K vBulletin

 

25- Cave In​

Spoiler

Control. The ability to be above someone else and dictate their movements. Power. The idea of using her strengths over someone else weakness to gain dominance. Manipulate. To get what she wants, when she wants it, without question and no matter the means.

After the incident with her parents, she’s been picked on and bullied by peers and adults alike. Nobody understood her- nobody even wanted to try. ‘She’ll get over it’ they said. That was six years ago and she’s made no progress since then. She’s made no allies and no friends she can call to back her up. Everyone was too scared to talk to her, for fear that they’d say the wrong thing and trigger one of her famous blackouts from existence. Not even at the Blackthorn Police Station, a place she called home for four years, did she find someone, anyone, that actually wanted to have a conversation with her. For these reasons, she’s had to fight around the system to get what she wanted. To her credit, being a girl has gotten guys to agree to her demands quite often. She was often ignored, but bend over in the right way and all eyes were on her like a hound dog searching for clues. Of course, this was all tease and play; she’d never let on that it was all an act or else she’d forfeit all her power over them.

Control. She’s tried to take control of her thoughts, her emotions, and her life, but to no success. The harder she fought, the stronger it became, and the more distant she felt from taking control. If she couldn’t control herself, she had to try it on others and make their lives revolve around her. Information is the weakness of man and gives strength to those that know how to use it. Background. History. What kind of music they listen to. These and many more can be used against others. Manipulate. Right-hearted people might even think of this as blackmail. She’ll use this knowledge, this dirt, to help her stay one step ahead of her enemies. To have her foes fall to her feet and tremble before her. Power. She can only be as strong as long as everyone around her is weakened. She’s found the best way to survive the everyday drama of life is to combine these traits.

This is where Cage comes into play. For the most part, he has been nothing but an obnoxious jerk to her and he doesn’t even know about her past. Since leaving Blackthorn for this hike to Mahogany Town, she’s lost all control. She failed to manipulate anyone to help her the way she wants. Her power level is about as strong as a snapped twig. And here she is, drenched from head to toe in mud, cold and shivering on this dreary rain soaked morning. She is moments away from death dragging her to the underworld. And he has the nerve to crack a joke.

Aren’t you glad you took the time to put on makeup?

He needed to be pegged down a notch. Everyone has a weakness. A detective’s greatest strength is information. She recalled a line he said yesterday, pertaining to him not wanting to help her catch Cubone:

Up til now, every single Pokemon I have caught for myself was done by me. No help. None. If I were to accept someone’s help, that would disgrace my honor as a Trainer.

In a fit of rage, she had to throw that Pokeball. She had to take his moment away from the spotlight and push him off his high pedestal. She wanted to see his face in agony, yelling and screaming at what she had done. Of all the misery she’s had to endure these past two days, the look of disappointment in his eyes would bring a welcome smile to hers. The Pokeball stops, signifying the capture. This is it. The moment of weakness. An opening to control.

Yet, as he looks forward through his sunglasses, there’s a grin on his face and a chuckle in his belly. He’s.... laughing? He doesn’t say another word to her. He just... laughs. Why? It doesn’t make any sense. She had striped him of his Trainer honor. His odd behavior only infuriates her even more.

He walks by her, picking up the Pokeball which now contains Onix. “Man, I’m surprised she submit so easily. I swear she was ready to go for round two. Glad it’s over so we can stop wasting time.”

How can he not be mad? Her mind weighs the outcome and this is not what she expected. She’ll have to dig further to weaken him. “How’s that honor, huh?” she questions.

“Huh? Honor? What are you... Oh, that.” He feels his body. “Seems intact. Yours, however, appears broken.” How can he possibly put this back on her? “See, the thing is, I never asked for your help. Nor was it necessary. You, on the other hand, did one of the more dishonorable acts a Trainer can perform: that is, to steal another Trainer’s catch. How can you continue to call yourself a respectful Trainer after pulling a stunt like that? For shame.” He shakes his head disapprovingly.

“How.... how dare you!” She grabs a slob of mud and flings it at him, striking spots across his chest.

“Hey, come on, that’s not fair. I can’t retaliate, since, you know, you’re already covered in mud. Hehe.” He laughs, putting his arms up to block another furious mud sling. “How about I owe you one mud-ball when you get cleaned up at Mahogany. Deal?” There it is again. Another smile and a laugh. He’s taunting her and she knows it.

She is already soaked to her skin with mud, so she sits to catch her breath. Her spine shivers in the cool, mist-filled air. To the best of her ability, she squeezes and scrapes as much dirt and mud off her as she can. She has proved most useless in these mountains, and now turns her thoughts to home; somewhere warm, safe, and clean. Somewhere she can put on a movie or anime and watch an adventure take place. Somewhere familiar. If this is what it’s like being a detective out in the field, she’ll have no part of it. Thoughts of her recent experience with recovered Pokemon at the station pop into her head. Yes. She remembers holding Oddish in her arms, watching it dance and sing around the room. The smell of pollen tickling her nose, forcing her to giggle gleefully. Oh how she wishes to recreate that moment... at least, just before Oddish was taken away and returned to its rightful owner. She’d do anything just to reclaim those weeks of peace.

The hiker places her satchel next to her, indicating they should get moving as soon as possible. The atmosphere is becoming more cool and wet than earlier. They’ll have to hurry in order to get to the cave entrance before it rains again.

“Where’s my scooter?” she says, brushing her formerly blonde, now dirt brown hair with her fingers. She gets up, and slowly limps searching for her red razor scooter. She doesn’t remember dropping it. The last time she had it in her hands was right before Onix grabbed her.

Cage sighs, “You’re kidding, right?” Secretly he didn’t want to find it cause she’d make him carry it the rest of the way while she carried Cubone.

She stumbles over a rock, catching herself before slipping. Not that it matters much, but she’d rather stay as dry as possible. Nothing. The only place left to check is the hole Onix dug. Her heart beats faster in rage, listening to the hiker hurry her up. Then, a moment of clarity. Toward the bottom of the sunken earth, where the hole shot down to an open part of Ice Path, her scooter sat stuck in the mud.

The hiker leans against a tree overlooking the gap. “Hey, you found it. Quite the detective, I’d say.”

The word struck her ear piercingly. Did he know? Did Michelle tell him? She couldn’t have. Not that it ultimately matters, but the fact that he might have leverage over her makes her weaker. No. No, it’s just a coincidence of words. She’s over thinking it.

She jumps into the outer rim of the hole, slowly making her way toward the center. Gravity pulled the heavy water and mud inward, leaving the ground more stable than before. Still, she has to be careful. One false step could break the already unsettling soil for another cave in. Grab! She has it.

“Great. Now, how are you planning on getting out?” Cage wonders, approaching the outside.

April turns, ready to head back. “You pulled me up before.”

“That I did. Though, I’d rather you understand a few things first before I help you, once again. One: you’re supposed to be following me. I am the leader on this expedition. You need to listen to me. If you want to go off on your own adventure, by all means, I encourage you to do so. Less for me to worry about.”

“You wouldn’t.”

He laughs. “Feel free to test me at any time.”

Power. Control. Certainly, he has it all. She has to submit whether she likes it or not. He’s right, too. She’s supposed to play Follow the Leader. She can’t do this on her own, not now. Perhaps not ever. She’s just not strong enough in the real world.

He reaches a hand to grab hers, but her bad leg slips, forcing her body face first. The ground seems to roll under her like an escalator, only backwards. She lets the scooter go, clawing and scraping with her hands into the dirt, trying to make a grab at something. Anything. No roots make themselves available this time. No hard rocks to clasps onto. Her nails scream in terror with abuse trying to dig into the earth. Her fingers quickly go numb, forcing her to try harder now that she couldn’t feel the pain. She didn’t want to go. Not like this. She feels the darkness sucking her in like a black hole. ‘Nice try,’ it says, ‘You’ll never escape.’ The ground beneath her suddenly drops into thin air; her hands take a last grab at the dirt before there’s nothing to touch. Her only sense is that of sight, watching the circular light from the hole grow smaller and smaller as he life vanished into nothing.

She screams. Tears gush out, floating in air as she falls. She doesn’t want to go. This isn’t her time. There’s so much to do, so much to see. So much to accomplish. Her brain pumps her eyes full of images of her life. First, her happy life at home with her parents. Then, that fateful night at home. The orphanage. The school. The screams continue, not because of falling, but out of terror. Her last unpleasant thoughts before death. The now distant hole transforms into a familiar crooked mouth and a pair of twisted eyes.

Gotcha.

~*~*~​

She opens her eyes to her new world of darkness. Her shaking body floats suspended in air, watching shimmering particles swarm around her with every movement. Her lungs lock up, unable to breathe in her new environment. Panic. Where is she? She flaps her arms through the air but they move in slow motion. Her body grows colder with each passing second she remains here. She felt trapped in a net without a knife to break out. If only... a light. She spots a blurry light above her. The light of hope and dreams.

“Phwaaaa...!!” She breaks the surface of the water, grasping for the air she desperately needs. She doesn’t just stop at one: she takes a good five or six gulps before calming down. She pushes her hair away from her face and wipes the water from her eyes. Visibility is still as bad as it was underwater. The light reflects around her from the hole in the roof, where she had fallen through. Beyond that, she can barely make out the edges of the cave.

Swoosh. Something swims by her wading legs. Shortly, it pops its white, bald head out of the water, curiously looking at the human. At first, April is surprised to have company, then afraid when she notices the tiny horn.

“Seel.” Another Seel barks opposite her.

The two swim under her arms, holding her in place to allow her legs to rest. Their bodies are tough but slick to hold. They bring her to the side of the underground lake, away from the safety of the light. She sits on the side, taking a moment to visualize the cave. By now, her eyes have somewhat adjusted to the darkness, using the reflective water to get a sense of the area. It’s at this moment her sense of hearing returns to her.

“April... APRIL!! Hello? Your silence is very dramatic and all that. So...... if you’re dead down there, give me a sign by not responding.” The shouts are coming from above. It’s Cage.

She coughs, “And what if I was. I could have been skewered by a stalactite. Would you still crack a joke?”

Relieved, “What, no! That’s morbid! You some kinda sicko? Dying isn’t very funny, April. Well.... maybe if it was ironic....” His voice trails off thinking about such a situation. “Anyway, I think you’re confused. Stalactites come out from the roof. Stalagmites form from the ground up.”

Is he seriously giving her a science lecture?

“Of course, if you hit the ground hard enough and bounced up, it might be possible if the roof is low enough. Then, I suppose you’d be correct with your statement. But enough of that, do you think ya’ can climb out?”

“Not likely.” Her voice cracks under stress trying to yell loud enough. “Uhm, there’s a lake directly under the hole. You can safely jump down.”

Cage laughs at the thought. “That’s not gonna happen.”

The distance from hole to water has to be at least a story high; not including how thick the ground is to the surface. From where she’s sitting, she can’t see outside. A chill rolls over her. You know that feeling when you’re in a pool and it’s cold, but once you’re in it feels fine. Then you get out, and you’re freezing. Yea. April knows what that’s like. She could get pneumonia.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming in. Zubat’s going to fly me down. Huh?... What do you mean you can’t do that? You learned Fly.... Zubat, watch the insults! I am not fat. You’re just weak. I read you can carry ten times.... no, wait, that was ants.”

She can’t tell if he’s actually having a conversation with his Pokemon or joking around.

“Seel,” the first barks.

“Seel!” the other responds.

“Ok, cancel my plan. I’ll have Zubat join you momentarily. If this is a shortcut to the entrance, like Onix promised, I bet we’ll find each other. Stay safe, ok. Don’t go disturbing any more wild Pokemon. Catch ya’ on the inside.”

“No, wait, I can’t see...” Zubat appears from the hole, flinching every little muscle while carrying a flashlight. “Cage? .... CAGE!?”

Thus, she is on her own. With no sense of guidance. Only a flashlight and her own two eyes to lead the way. The darkness doesn’t fear her the most; it’s not being able to get out that does

A chill hits her, reminding her that she is freezing. She takes the time to ring the water from her clothes. She braves the next few minutes of cold air, moving her limbs to keep the blood flowing. She puts her clothes back on, not as wet and heavy as before, but dry enough to keep her from freezing.

It’s at this point she notices more Pokemon curiously leaping from the lake to see her. A total of six Seel spread out around her, all with their tongues hanging out like drooling guys. They look friendly enough and kept their distance to not pose a threat. Thankfully Cage’s Zubat is here to keep her company. And safe.

“Uhgg!!” She moans, thinking about her Pokemon. Dunsparce! He could have dug a hole to the surface. “Guess I need to think more like a Trainer and keep my Pokemon with me.”

Much like the ground, the walls are hard rock. Particles glistened in the light showing spots of gemstones. No stalagmites or tites in the area. The Seel follow her as she circles the lake.

“Dewww...” sings an annoying sound from the center of the lake. An evolved form of these seel, and much more elegant looking, surfaces and calls to the human. It is a thing of beauty. “Dewgong.” And then it speaks and all perspective of beauty is lost. The rest of the Seel jump to the lake and join, what possible could be, their mother. The Seel swim joyfully, splashing in glee.

April smiles cautiously. “Hi, Pokemon. I mean no harm to you or your little ones. Maybe, uh, you can help. I’m a bit lost and need to find the way out.”

“Dew gongong.” She swings her head pointing on the other side. Her horn lights up, releasing a rainbow of color at the wall. There, she sees a hole in the wall.

She quickens her step to the entrance. “Thank you, Pokemon. Thank you for the help.” She waves just as they submerge underwater and disappear from the chamber.

The hallway isn’t as tall as she is so she has to hunch down and crawl the first ten or so feet. Then the ceiling pushes up to where she can stand. This is much better for her injured leg, too. Continuing along, the once clear path becomes cluttered with small rocks and boulders. In the distance, something non-rock colored catches her eye. It’s a green backpack, easily noticeable in the light. And just beyond that, a dead end. At least it appears that way. The end is shaped more rugged consisted of more boulders than the sides. At one spot in the dead end wall is a circular opening half way up that she might be able to squeeze through. She flashes her light through, able to see that the hall does in fact go on. That’s when she stumbles upon the decaying bones and torn clothes under the blocked passage.

She screams shortly, shaking from the thought of a dead person. She takes a moment to relax and formulate the clues in her mind. One backpack. Next to that is a miner’s pick with an engraving ‘Gold Rush’ on the handle. Next to that, a notebook. Along with the bones, which appear to be the top half of a human, while the bottom half is stuck under the wall. It doesn’t take a detective to determine what happened here. She sits down and opens the backpack. Mostly useless items. Oh, a spare jacket. Without hesitation, she puts it on, immediately feeling the warmth. The only other things of interest are five Pokeballs, three of which labeled with initials: B, M, and Z. They are all empty.

Her attention falls on the notebook. It’s a journal belonging to Squire. She flips to the end, last dated nine years ago:

I’m sorry Gwen. This was all for you. If I regret one thing, it’s that I can’t be there to watch you grow up.

A previous entry:

Haven’t heard Bristle’s explosions for two days now. I hope he’s doing okay. Food’s gone. Water still plentiful, but hard to gather strength just to drink. Can’t feel my legs anymore. Saving strength. I want to believe... even that is fading. Sleep haunts my thoughts but I can’t. Must stay awake to know I’m still here. I have to stay strong. My Pokemon won’t give up on me. Thank you Marshy for all your effort.

Skipping entries to find one of relevance:

This might be my last expedition. I foolishly pushed Marshy out the way only to fall victim to the cave in myself. Now my legs are trapped underneath. Bristle and Zipzap are trapped on the other side. I’ve told them to go for help at Mahogany. I can hear Bristle through the rocks, trying to break it with his explosions. Marshy is with me, trying to help but he’s not strong enough. None of them are. I should have trained my Pokemon more. Funny how the idea of death triggers thoughts of regret. So many things I could have done with my life. So many things I wish I could change. Things I would have done differently.

Marshy’s been trying to break the rocks with his Water Gun but it would take years to erode this density. My pick. My trusty pick. I tried once and felt my back almost split in two. The pain. The regret. Laying here hurts so much. Must rest. Zipzap will come back. In the meantime, I’ll have to ration my food. At least I have Marshy to keep me company.

As much as she should feel bad for the guy, she fears for her own survival. If he couldn’t get out, how can she? Now the hole doesn’t look very big anymore.

“Ooper! Wooper wooooper!” April shines the flashlight behind her, down the pathway, where a small blue Pokemon with no arms and antennae ears stands, yelling angrily and very threatening. It does not like the idea of someone messing with things that don’t belong to them.

It certainly isn’t as friendly as those seel Pokemon. Her first instinct is to run, but where to? Before she can react appropriately, the blue Pokemon gasps air, ready to attack with something. “Wait, Pokemon. Don’t...”

A beam of water shot straight at her, ready to remove all that welcomed warmth. That’s when Zubat flies in front, taking the hit head on.

“Kachit!” Pretend that’s a Zubat sound. At least that’s what it sounds like to me. Anyway...

“Wooper. Pa. Woopa upa! Woopppperrr!” it continues yelling while looking at the backpack. It fires another shot, which Zubat easily dodges. Zubat slashes the air quickly in front, hitting and pushing the attacker back.

“Pokemon, stop. I just want to get out of here. I...”

Zubat slams against the wall, fluttering from the stronger hit of water. The Wooper rushes the backpack. April grabs the only weapon nearby, the pick-ax, and prepares to defend herself. Wooper positions itself in between the backpack and April, standing in complete defense.

“UUUPPPAAA!!!”

That’s when it hits her. The Pokemon that was left behind. “Marshy.” As soon as she says the name, the Wooper flinches. “That’s you. Marshy. The one in the journal. I-I’m sorry for your loss. I-I know what it’s like to be helpless and watch your loved ones die in front of you.” She takes a deep breathe, trying to stay strong. “But now I need help. If I can get out of here, I can help you get home. This stuff, your master Squire’s stuff, has to go home. There’s someone out there that needs to know what happened. I... need to get through.” She glances at the hole, leaving her guard down. “And the only way through,” she raises the pick-ax and slices at the wall, “is here.”

Small pieces of the wall crumble from the pinky-sized indent. Based on what she can see through the hole, the rock isn’t that thick, just hard. She swings again, hitting a different spot. And again.

“Woop...” the water Pokemon speaks. April turns, defensive. Instead, Wooper walks under her and to the wall. He turns his head and uses his antennae to scratch ‘X’ marks on the wall in a line under the hole. He then motions to April by hitting his tail on those spots. So she does. With her wild aim, it takes some time and effort. So much so, she’s tired by the end.

“WooPer woop,” he says, backing up for running speed. Wooper aims at the marks and slams into the wall. Cracks splinter up and down. As he pushes more, a large piece snaps off and pushes through to the other side.

April wonders what the outcome might have been if this Pokemon had arms to swing the pick. With the extra weak points and years to gain strength, Wooper finally broke through. Unfortunately, far too late.

“Yes, we did it.” She puts the journal is the backpack, then wears it. Oh. It’s far heavier than she thought. With the pick in hand, and Zubat by her side, she squeezes through the new opening toward freedom. However, Wooper stays back, sadly shedding a tear at the old bones. “Come, Marshy. He’d want you to.”

As the light takes a look back at the cave in, she notices the walls surrounding the area are completely black, which spread out from a central area next to the blocked rocks. It looked like TNT damage. With Wooper in tow, she turns back around. *STUMBLE*. She trips over a boulder, catching herself on the wall. Close one. When her light hits the boulder....

She gasps! It is no boulder, but a Pokemon; an extra crispy and blackened Pokemon, similar to one she had recently encountered in the forest above. One that almost blew her up. A Pineco. Wait. She takes a moment to think about it. Blew her up? Explosions. TNT crater. Journal entry.

Wooper cries out, trying to hug Pineco with his armless body.

“B. Briss. Bristle. Could it be?” Is it even still alive? How many self-sacrificing explosions has this Pokemon endured? She picks it up like a baby, trying to hold the pick and flashlight at the same time. “We need to get to the surface. It needs fresh air. You remember the way out?”

Marshy nods, taking the lead. The hallway isn’t much further. At the end, the cave opened to a large chamber. Massive actually. Rocks turned to shades of blue and black with ice covering parts of the floor. Ice Path. Duh. There are a couple pools of water, much like the lake April splashed into. To her surprise, those same Seel are splashing in them. They must be connected by underground waterways. She could have swam out if she didn’t freeze before then.

Some lights hung around the cavern; some of which are still lit. This part of the cave hadn’t seen human activity for ages. And with a reluctant smile, she spots those stalagmites and stalactites. The slightest misstep and she’d be done for. There is a poorly made wood path that stretches to the other side, leading to a reinforced door in the wall. That has to be a way out.

“Wooper.” Marshy raises his tail in defense, staring across the cave. She hadn’t noticed the large, wooly brown Pokemon laying down.

“Is that Zipzap?”

Marshy shakes its head.

“Pilo?” it questions. The two Pokemon converse in their language, leaving April worried and afraid. The big Pokemon looked angry. By Marshy’s actions, he appears to know that Pokemon, but in what way.

The Piloswine finishes talking and slides across the level parts of the cave. Marshy kept talking; panic in his voice. April didn’t like it. Those tusks are a lot bigger than any stalagmite. She wants to just run for the door and get out of here. Safety, a moment’s leap away.

“Zubat, do something.”

The little bat flaps in Piloswine’s face, joining the conversation. It waves the bat off with its tusks, still moving toward the human. Persistently, Zubat continues to pester the beast. Marshy shoots a stream of water at it, but it moves on. Within a foot of April, it takes a deep, nasally breath. Pineco. Wooper. Backpack. Jacket. Different smell. This isn’t Squire and it had to make sure.

“Aroo!” it belches.

April rushes down the path for the door. Not one look back. She shuffles the pick to another hand, frantically reaching the handle. It won’t budge. Locked.

“HELP! Is ANYONE out there? Can anyone HEAR ME?”

The key must be in the backpack. A gargling noise causes her to turn around. Much like Marshy opening his mouth to attack, Piloswine is ready to fire. She throws everything in the air; backpack, Pineco, pick-ax, flashlight. A beam of ice strikes the gate and slices right, the way that April dodged. It misses but the frosty air nips her nose like an allergy.

Zubat, continuing to be a pest, bites into the thick fur coat. Piloswine winces but is mostly unaffected. It’s like a mosquito biting a dinosaur. The beast shakes the bat off and fires a blast of cold air at it. Zubat slows down. Without notice, it’s hit by ice, quickly surrounded in a ball. *THUNK* It hits the ground. Facing April, it prepares to fire again.

*SLAM!*

Marshy slams into Piloswine’s side, forcing the beam to slice upward toward the ceiling. It regains composure, stamping the ground lightly in order to put Wooper off balance. Marshy wobbles as a tusk smacks into him, launching at the wall. Ouch.

At this time, the Seel intervene. They line up in front of Piloswine, barking and shouting with their happy, tongue wagging faces. Piloswine only laughs, knowing they are no match. It launches its front paws in the air and slams the icy ground hard, vibrating in all directions. The earthquake cracks the ground, splits part of the wooden path and knocks stalactites off the ceiling. The Seel scatter back to the pond.

One tite falls near April. With her slow reaction time, she manages to dodge, only to fall on some small mites. She screams, holding her injured leg which is once again scratched and bleeding. Struggling, she gets to her feet, using the wall to prop herself up. She screams again, touching the below freezing ice still stuck to the wall with one hand. It’s lucky that she wears gloves, but her fingertips go numb quickly.

April looks at her options. Zubat frozen. Wooper not strong enough. Pineco unknown. She wants to hide; maybe go back to the hallway where the wooly Pokemon can’t fit. But then what? Stay trapped down here forever. Unable to leave a room for something that she’s had no control over. A trapped rat can only do one thing: claw at the wall.

She grabs the pick-ax, unaware of anything happening in the foreground. She swings the pick. She screams. It gives her the energy and the power. It lets her forget the pain she’s endured. Swing again, scream again. With each swing, her ferocity grows. There’s a loud boom behind her, but she doesn’t look. Faster swings. Panic swings. The door splinters. The hinges are breaking. She begins a combination of fearful laughing and crying, unable to control her emotions. The frame is busted.

She turns around. The wooly pig is forming an ice ball at its mouth, twice the size of her head. There’s no where to hide. She grabs the first object near her, the flashlight, and throws it at the Pokemon. It hits the head, making it lose concentration and drop the ice ball. It gives a stare of confusion, growling, and starts a new ball. In one swell motion, she grabs Pineco with one arm. With her good leg she kicks the door, screaming with each kick since her injured leg is holding all the weight. A third kick later and the door falls forward. Without hesitation, she rushes forward, crashing against the cave wall a couple feet on the other side. Just as ice particles explode at the doorway.

“Whoa! If I ever invite you to my house, remind me to leave the doors unlocked.”

“Cage?!” she says, tears streaming down her pale face. There he is, calmly looking at her, with Vulpix at his side to light the hallway.

“Nooo, this is the part where you say, ‘Here’s Johnny!’. The moment has been totally ruined.” He hears the bellows from inside the room. “What did I tell you about disturbing the wildlife? Honestly. You’re trouble personified.” He casually steps in. “Now that’s a mammoth of a Pokemon. You got this, Vulpix.”

His pet fox yips, breathing fire across the room. Piloswine roars, but rather than attack, takes steps back. Fire and Ice aren’t the best of friends.

“Hmmm.” Cage examines his frozen Zubat. “I’m sure you did your best. Proud of you.” He recalls him. Before leaving the cavern, he grabs the pick-ax and backpack off the floor. “This could come in handy.”

The new cave hallway is V shaped from the door. No sunlight can be seen in either direction meaning she isn’t outside yet. But she’s safe for the moment. There, April is curled on the floor, shaking and holding onto her dear life. Her mind races with terrible thoughts. She can see those eyes watching her; that crooked smile laughing at her misery. It had the Control. The Power over her. The ability to Manipulate a mental breakdown when fear is at her highest. One of her blackouts ensues.

Pineco is still clutched in her arms while a limping Wooper protects her from the new Trainer. “Well,” Cage starts, “I’m glad you’re alright. Thanks for the screams, it really helped.” He doesn’t say it as a joke, but as a truth. “Looks like you made some new friends down here.”

New friends? Did she?

(-o-) Wooper Caught!
(-o-) Pineco Caught!

Original Post: July 31, 2013 @ BMG

 

Re: Cave In

Wow, people really don't like grading your story do they? Sorry for the month long wait, but at least it's less than last time. And since you prefer short grades, here is your five minute grade.

Grammar: Lots of typos in this so remember to do thorough proof reading even if you are using a word processor since they catch barely anything outside of spelling errors and sentence fragments. Also, there was some awkwardness in some of the phrasing of your sentences due to the present tense you used so be careful of that too.

Plot: Thanks for incorporating the last chapter's capture in such a way that it gave an overview of the story as a whole. I've only read chapter 24 and 25 of this but I still get a pretty good idea of what must have come before so good job on that. The plot for this chapter was perfect for two simple 'mons, so good on that too. Honestly everything here is great, but you are an experienced writer so it's just to be expected lol. I love your writing style, especially the witty jabs and references.

Overall: Other than some typos and awkward sentence wording due to tense, everything was above and beyond what is needed for two simple Pokemon. Just remember that you don't need battles in your story. But enough useless advice from me. Wooper and Pineco captured!

 

26-Thirty Miles From Home​

Spoiler

"April, come home. We miss you dearly. Your bed, it’s just as warm as when you left it. Dinner will be ready in five minutes. And we’re going to watch your favorite show on TV. Together. As a family. Won’t you reconsider? We miss you so much. Come home, April."

Home. She’s had many homes throughout the years. None of which have kept her safe. Her thoughts and emotions are most unwelcome, but she can’t lock that door to keep them away. Her home is constantly invaded at any time and any place. Without her family to provide a sense of security, her demons will always find a way in. She’s never felt truly safe or happy, just one facade after another. It is these facades that give her the illusion of happiness; that give her the motivation that tomorrow might be a better day. That maybe, just maybe, if she hid from her past, it would go away. Granted she never felt completely safe, it is still heck of a lot better than this hell-hole of a journey.

April’s eyes stir awake, gloomy and afraid. She had blacked-out again. Where? What is...? She finds herself lying on a sleeping bag with a blanket covering her. She feels... warm. A red glow spreads around the cave from a centralized manmade fire. She remembers now. She is traveling through to go to Mahogany Town. And she was almost killed by a mammoth Pokemon until Cage saved her.

Lying next to her is her satchel and razor scooter. Curiously, she wonders why Cage brought the scooter even though he insists it is useless. Nevertheless, she’s glad to see it again. What interests her the most, is the Pokeball belt and 4 Pokeballs attached to them resting atop her bag. Confused, she continues to look around. Squire’s backpack and ax, the two items she found in the cave, rest on the other side of the fire. And further along is another backpack, which must belong to conveniently absent hiker. The fire itself is small, fueled by coal rather than wood. A mechanical contraption holding a pot hangs nearby. Thirsty, she checks it out. The smell of chocolate salivates her senses. Hot cocoa. On the ground is a cup and glove, which she carefully uses to pour a cup for herself.

“Ow!” She burns her tongue, almost popping her eyes out. She puts the cup down to let cool for a bit. At least now she is awake.

A sharp pain strikes up her leg as she moves around, reminding her of her injuries. She rolls her pant leg up to inspect, only to find that her cut had been re-bandaged with a clean set of gauze and tape. She will be able to walk, er, limp around, but running would be troublesome. She will have to be extra careful to stay healthy so that she can complete the trip to Mahogany. An injured animal in the wild is as good as dead.

Mmmm. The cocoa is just right. It’s been ages since she’s had any, probably longer than she can even remember. All it needs are marshmallows and cinnamon for perfection. And for her to sit at home in front of the fireplace while having her parents read a good book to her. The memory quickly subsides. Standing now, she examines the rest of the cave; bleak, barren, and cold to the touch. Behind her is where the largest surprise comes from. The exit. It’s right there, staring at her. Inviting her to come out and escape. However, faintly, she can see and hear a heavy downpour of rain with the dark forested trees in the background, keeping her trapped like bars to a jail; a warm jail, but just as uncomfortable. She’d been soaking wet once already on this trip, she doesn’t need it again. And even if it wasn’t raining, what would she do? Where would she go? Where exactly is she?

Just as she finishes asking these questions, the rest of the cave becomes clearer. Along the wall is furniture, just like you would see in any typical home. A table and two chairs, one with a splintered leg, barely holding it up; the other with a broken seat hastily fastened with duct tape. Some shelving hung from the cave walls complete with various items. There’s an old, rusting refrigerator without a door. A desk with folders and papers laying on it. Behind that, an executive chair with a back that has more holes than swiss cheese. And lastly a twin size bed, covered in dirt and dust to make even bed bugs feel dirty; all of which are made of wood and stained with the age of decay. A heavy layer of dust and dirt cover everything; meaning this place hasn’t had a visitor for a long time.

Is someone trying to live here?

As she limps around to inspect more closely, the first thing that catches her attention is a thin book on the desk, labeled ‘Guests’. There are only a few pages filled, leaving the rest blank. For each line is a name and date of stay. From check-in to check-out. Like for a hotel. But why would anyone want to stay here? Hmm. Last entry, last entry. Ah! Last entry nine years ago by Squire, the person who died from the cave in. Looking at the two pages of names, he had stayed here the most and for most of the time there was at least one other person with him. Unfortunate that the one time he’s alone he’s unable to check-out.

Her detective instincts take over. Looking at what’s left, there had to have been more visitors, possibly random trainers discovering this place and taking what they pleased. Yet the guest book remains silent. All around her are clues waiting to be solved and questions to be asked. What kind of mystery is this? And furthermore, what really happened here?

“Ah, you’re awake.” The male voice interrupts her concentration. It’s just Cage, the hiker helping her get to Mahogany Town. Without him, she’d be lost. He hasn’t been the nicest person to travel with, but he’s always been there to help her through these tense situations. Thrice, actually.

She’s not sure whether to yell at him, or thank him. “Where’d you go?”

“Back in the cave. Had to check the other paths while you took a nap. Was a real pain getting you here, you know.” He pats Vulpix on the head.

She looks down, embarrassed, “Thanks.”

He doesn’t even acknowledge her fully. “Uh, right, right. Anyway, this is the only way in or out. And with the rain, we are stuck here until tomorrow.”

She checks her phone: it’s dusk already. How long was she passed out?

“Which means tomorrow, we can’t have any mistakes. Four days.” He holds up four fingers. “That’s when the tournament starts. In three days,” he removes a finger, “anyone that hasn’t shown up yet will be removed to let the reserves in. I’ve missed one tourney already; I don’t want to miss another. So can we please, please, not wander off any more?”

She nods in agreement. “You’re right.” It’s in her best interest to make the trip at a faster pace. She could really go for a warm bed.

“Fantastic! We’ll leave as early as possible tomorrow morning. It won’t be raining anymore after tonight. From here, we’re going back to the lodge to get back on the correct Ice Path entrance. This part of the cave is all a dead end. That’ll still give me two days to prepare for the tournament. This is just a minor bump in the road. And hey, we caught some new Pokemon, so it’s not all a loss.”

April looks back at her satchel and the Pokebelt. Five Pokeballs. She gestures at it. “Are those mine?”

Cage takes a seat near the fire, allowing Vulpix to curl next to him. He grabs a comb from his pack and begins to groom her. “Yep. It’s the belt I was using before I got this coat. I won’t need it anymore; so you should take it. Remember what I said before? Have your Pokemon easily available at all times; you never know when you’ll need them.”

“But, Dunsparce is my only Pokemon.”

“Not any more. Well, except for Onix, she’s really mine. But as a Trainer, I want to stick to holding only six Pokemon at a time. Just hang on to Onix for until we get to Mahogany and I’ll take it from there.”

“And the other three?”

“Wooper, Pineco, and an empty Pokeball. I found their Pokeballs inside the pack you found in the cave. Heavy pack filled with ugly black rocks, too. Dunno why someone would collect them. Had to take them out just to make it easy to carry everything. Pineco doesn’t look too well, either, which is another reason we need to hurry. That last Pokeball is empty but it might be home to a third Pokemon from this Trainer.”

She recalls the journal mentioning another Pokemon. Zip Zap was the name of this third Pokemon that managed to get out of the cave. Where it had gone, she can’t say. “But, they aren’t mine. All this stuff belongs to someone named Squire. He fell victim to a cave-in and his Pokemon were stuck inside. He has family in Mahogany that need closure. These Pokemon already have a home and I want to see them finally get it.”

She’ll care for them for now but she has to remember they aren’t hers. She doesn’t need another repeat of the police station. To think, not that long ago, she was taking care of lost Pokemon at the police station and didn’t want to see them go. Even Dunsparce’s Trainer may be out there, possible looking for him. Would she return him as well, if given the opportunity? No, she couldn’t. She needs Dunsparce. She doesn’t want to stay alone anymore.

So out of the four Pokemon, only Dunsparce is really hers (and even that is a technicality). Onix, only because of some stupid training rule. Wooper and Pineco belong to the rightful family of Squire. And the abandoned Cubone.....

“Wait, where’s Cubone!?”

“Huh? Oh, right. He had fainted, so I left him lying next to you when I went exploring. He’s, uh, hmmm... Looks like he’s not here anymore.”

Worried, April looks outside. “Maybe he went into the rain. Poor thing must be so scared and alone out there.”

“He has to have a strong determination, that’s for sure. You have to wonder, for a ground type to willingly take refuge in the rain, how much more afraid of us is he? Maybe it’s time to let him go. Can’t force an uncatchable Pokemon to follow you against its will.”

For the second time tonight, Cage is right. Insensitive and jerky, but right.

~*~*~​

Quiet. Both April and Cage seclude themselves in concentration. April sits at the dusty desk, reading Squire’s journal by flashlight. Meanwhile, Cage lies back, looking at the ceiling. She tries talking to him a couple times, but he only gives short answers. It’s as if he is disinterested in talking to her. To that end, she stops talking all together and turns to reading. This eventually leads to her falling asleep on the desk.

"Come home, April. You’re so close."

She looks up. A dark breeze flows in, nearly blowing the fire out. A cruel chill swirls around her body. Then it stops.

“You say something?”

Cage looks over, as if stirred awake, “Huh?”

“Ne-nevermind. Must have been the wind.” She watches him turn away, back to staring at the ceiling. “May I ask, what exactly are you doing?”

“Counting the stalagmites.”

Looking at the ceiling, there’s not one single stalagmite. “But, there’s nothing there.”

He laughs. “I see you haven’t been listening to me. Especially when I said stalagmites form on the ground.” He leans up, pointing around the cave. “One... and two. Two stalagmites.”

Frustration hits her like a truck running a yellow light. “Do you really have to make jokes out of everything?”

“Don’t have to. Rather, it’s in my best nature to stay positive. Maybe if you lightened up a bit, and, you know, be less demanding, maybe you’d enjoy the trip yourself.”

She takes offense to that statement. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He sits up, pushing Vulpix away. “See, right there. That’s what I mean.” He can tell by the confused expression on her face that she didn’t understand. He smiles, silently laughing at her naiveness. “Since becoming a Trainer, I’ve had my fair share of mistakes and unexpected paths. Believe it or not, I, too, have been lost before. I’ve also had my fair share of bad luck recently.” He takes a deep breath. “I’m optimistic that’ll it will turn around soon, just not sure when or where. The point is, nobody wants to deal with things when they don’t go according to plan. The hardest part about being a Trainer out here is the random challenges life throws at you. But you have to keep going. So you know what you do?”

She shrugs.

“You laugh at it. You make the best of a bad situation and laugh in its face. Would you believe I was originally headed to Goldenrod from Saffron City by train? That train goes back and forth multiple times each day, without a problem, and I just happen to be on one that breaks down in the middle of the route. I mean, what are the chances of that? Now take you, for example. Getting lost on a simple trip to Ice Path. From the moment we first met, I could tell you weren’t enjoying any of this.”

“You’re kidding me!!!” she enrages, standing up nearly flipping the desk over. “How can anyone think about joking around when lives are at stake? You don’t understand what I’ve gone through!”

“Understand?” His tone changes more firm. “I saw it all firsthand, remember? Let’s see, there was that Pineco explosion. Oh, but before that you fell down the hill and hurt your leg. Cubone almost knocked you out when you foolishly ran in the middle of their battle....”

“Shut up, I don’t want to hear this!”

“Let’s see... then you fell down a hole into a cave with frozen water. That must have been cold...

“Stop it...” she blurts out. Her head swells with emotion, weakening her legs to sit back down.

The Hiker stands up, raising his hands above his head. “And years from now, when you look back on this moment... this moment of inexperience... you will laugh. So why not do it now? Why not make the most out of your journey?”

“Because dying isn’t funny! OKAY!?!”

Her mind nearly zones out, trying to avoid the oncoming wave of emotion. Not only is the concept of joking entirely new to her, but she almost never lets out personal emotions and comments to anyone. She keeps those comments locked away in her brain vault. For the past couple of years she’s been playing the flirty personality in order to remain on everyone’s good side and to get what she wants. People will talk about her behind her back or occasionally to her face, which she desperately ignores with any response. They’ll never understand. Rather than fight back, she chose to cry. Alone. At home.

What’s the point of joking around if the issue isn’t funny to begin with?

"Come back to us, dear. Everything will be alright."

She covers her head on the desk, hiding her face from him. She feels his presence close to her; looming over her. Laughing at her. Just like all the others. Without hesitation, she wipes her tears, kicking the chair against the rock wall. She calmly walks past Cage, strongly resisting hitting him, grabs her satchel and heads for the entrance.

“April...”

She says nothing. What is there to say to someone who won’t listen? Someone who won’t understand. Even in a trip of silence, she won’t bare his company any more. She steps into the rain.

“April, where are you going?...”

She takes another step, and another. She feels the cold rain against her skin; the warmth of the fire slowly fading away. His shouts become faint whispers deflected by the rain. She is free. She can’t hear him laughing anymore. And thus, she runs. Into the darkness of the forest.

~*~*~​

Cage, whom chose to stay in the cave, sits back on the ground looking at the nothingness that she willingly walked into. Vulpix lay next to him, also looking out, obviously worried as well. He ponders something he had said earlier. "To take refuge in the rain...." All he wants is to get her to laugh.

“Vull.”

“I know, I know. Seems I triggered something. I messed up, Vulpix. I can only image that Michelle is laughing at me right now. I hate when she’s right. *SIGH* I guess we have to go get her if she doesn’t come back. Ten minutes. Let’s give her ten minutes.”

“VULPIX!”

“Three minutes?”

She purrs.

“Abra won’t like being woken up this late. You know she’s going to be groggy at this hour.” He gets up and puts out the fire. That’s when he sees all the stuff she left behind. Squire’s bag and ax. She was so adamant about returning them, too. Here's her razor scooter; still as useless as ever. And last of all, lying on the desk next to the papers she was reading, is the Pokebelt with all her Pokeballs on it. The Pokemon she was supposed to keep with her. To keep her safe.

“The only flaw to having a belt is not putting it on.” He drops the jokes for the moment. “I really hope tonight is the night she won’t learn this lesson the hard way.”

~*~*~​

Run. Just run. Don’t look back. Keep going. The rain will drown out her thoughts. How long has she been running? It feels like hours. But the reality of the matter is, she hasn’t stopped running for ten years. For her sixteen year old self, that’s more than half her current lifetime. The only thing keeping her going is knowing that one day, one day, she will find someone or somewhere that will give her peace of mind.

"You’re just in time for dinner, April. We’ve missed you so much."

There’s that voice again, calling out to her; filling her with a familiar feeling of comfort.

“...........April...!!” The silence is broken with a faint shout. Cage.
"Don’t listen to him. He only wants to take you away from us. We will protect you. We are your only family."

The voice almost seems to hold her hands, guiding her through the forest. Guiding her to safety.

Awe struck, she stops at a clearing. She brushes her rain soaked blonde hair out of the way. It can’t be. Standing before her, in the middle of nowhere, is a house; a white with yellow trim, two story house. A garage on the left side. A cobblestone path, surrounded by the greenest grass on all sides, led from the sidewalk to the porch. A Ledyba shaped mailbox, with the wings flipped up to indicate there is mail inside, stands at the edge of the sidewalk and where the street would be, if there was one here.

It can’t be... It can’t.

The front door slowly opens, followed by the screen door. It screeches noisily and slams back closed as two people step out. One female, about mid twenties. Her long, blonde, curling hair hits her waist with elegance. Her blue eyes look upon her with hope and dreams. She wears a simple grey dress; the skirt hangs down just long enough to cover her ankles. She gives a simple smile. The man. He’s a bit older, closer to his thirties. His black hair is much shorter and cleanly cut. He wears a nice white collared shirt and dark slacks. He puts his hands on his waist, also giving a smile.

“My, my, how you have grown. Look at my little girl.”

“Welcome home, dear.”

She drops her satchel, immediately running to them. Tears flow from her eyes in a surreal anime-style. “MOM! DAAD!” Her arms extend and wrap around her mother. She hasn’t felt this warmth in so long. So warm, it dries her entire body of the rain.

Her mom pats her on the head. “Don’t cry. We’re here for you now.”
She looks up and toward her dad. She wraps around him as well, hearing him say ‘oof’ from squeezing so hard. She never wants to let go. She’s been waiting for this moment since forever.

“I remember when I had to kneel down to get a proper hug.” He pats her on the head as well. “Come, let’s go eat. This is a momentous occasion, after all.”

Without looking back once, without questioning the validity of the scene, and without a thought of the past, April follows them inside. Her heart beats with new life and new purpose. Her body shakes, not because of nervousness, but because she is finally happy. After all these years. She’s finally home.

~*~*~​

Cage stands at the edge of the driveway, next to her dropped satchel. He is shouting, at the top of his lungs even. She should have been able to hear him. What gives?

To clarify how he got here: He used Abra to psychically reflect the rain around him. Vulpix was used as a personal light source. And Zubat used Supersonic to see the dark distances, following her footprints in the mud.

The one thing he notices right away, is the fact that the vicinity of the house is not raining. Heck, the ground isn’t even wet. It’s not like the rain hadn’t stopped. He can even see it in the sky above him. It’s as if something is protecting the area, much like he is protecting himself by using Abra.

He recalls Zubat. Vulpix remains at his feet while Abra hangs onto his back. “I don’t know what’s going on here. Something isn’t... right. Ya know?”

“Vulppix!”

“Eyes open, Abra.” He looks at the satchel she had left behind. “Hmm... now why wouldn’t she bring...”

Abra’s eyes light up, forming a protective bubble around them. A purple ray of light fires from the porch, striking the barrier, bouncing toward the sky. Cage ducks only to realize he is already safe.

“Whoa, where’d that come from?”

"Looky this nosy Trainer."

"Butting in where he doesn’t belong."

Voices. Two of them. He looks around, but sees nothing with solid bodies. Only two unusual purple mists floating around. They separate and begin swirling around the human in opposite directions.

"Maybe we let him watch."

"I agree. There’s always room for dessert."

The air fills with a cackle from a third source of dark smoke.

“What-what is this?”

"Mmmmm. The confusion is giving him a little fear. Not as grand as hers, but enough to whet my appetite."
"Yes, I feel it too. Just play along, Trainer. Your juicy secrets will be presented in time."

A white mist appears on the floor, transforming into a white Pokemon. An Eevee with a gold collar around it, to be precise. Its lifelike appearance makes Cage wince in pain. A glimpse of a memory he hadn’t had in a long time. It rubs up against his leg and disappears in a puff of smoke.

Cage blurts out, “Mr. Sparkles? But, how?...”

"Enter if you wish, or don’t. It won’t matter. Know that there is nothing you can do for her."

"Mmm, yes. The perfect red cherry on top."

The third, unspoken mist cackles again, and crashes into Abra’s barrier, smashing it to pieces. A flash of light appears and all three presences are gone.

Without a moment's hesitation, he runs to the door, practically tearing the screen out of place. Locked. He wobbles the handle trying to force it open. Nothing. Peaking through the window, he spots her red coat sitting at a small, round table preparing to eat. He shouts but she makes no movement that he is heard. He tries the door once more. *Click* It unlocks and he steps inside.

~*~*~​

“We knew you were coming home today, so we made your favorite dishes.”

She’s eating dinner with her family again. Mom on the left, Dad on the right. Just like she remembers. Just like it used to be. It feels..... wonderful. Tears stream down her face as she eats.
“Don’t cry again, dear.” Mom gets up and wipes the tears away with her napkin. April proceeds to hug her again. “There, there. Let’s see that face of yours.”

She sniffles, wiping her own face clean. A foreign smile comes across her face. We’re not talking one of those fake smiles. A genuine, bonafide, ‘I’m happy to be here’ smile. A smile so euphoric, she’s nearly forgotten anything else exists. What else more does she need? She’s got her family back.

She still can’t believe it, either. Every detail of her house is exactly as it was when she last saw it. Every picture. Every piece of silverware. Even the old record collection next to the TV. It’s as if the last ten years never happened.

After the meal, Dad speaks up. “Tell us, what have you been up to since we last saw you?”

“Nothing of importance. I’m here with you now. Mom. Dad. I don’t need anything or anyone else now that I have you again.”

Mom, “Aww. So adorable.”

“And we are grateful to have you back as well. I’m only wondering how your life’s doing? You can tell your old man.”

Hesitation hits her. “No... No-nothing happened. It doesn’t matter. I’m here, and-and we’re a family again. Let’s be a family, like before.”

Mom covers her heart. “If this is what you want. We’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

“That right, pumpkin,” says Dad. “You can talk to us about anything you want, but only when you are ready. I promise, we will take care of you forever.”

“Thanks Dad!”

“Now off to bed with you. We have a big day ahead of us and you need all the rest you can get.”

She jumps out of her seat and hugs Mom’s arm. “Oh, what is it? Tell me, tell me!”

“Well... what do you think dear, should we tell her?”

“And spoil the surprise? April, let’s just say that you’re mind will be blown like never before.” Dad smiles, a little twisted.

April cheers, acting like a little kid again. Mom leads her to the stairs which lead to her room on the second floor. Stairs she hasn’t climbed since she was little. She remembers them being a lot taller and harder to climb. Now, only a few steps up and she is halfway to the top. Times sure have changed. She turns around at the top and waves to her parents standing close to each other at the bottom, in a loving embrace.

“Have a good night dear! Remember that we love you! Always!” Mom says, holding back her own tears.

“Sweet dreams, April. Don’t let the bed bugs bite. Too much....” Dad smiles, with another twisted grin.

She breathes in and out to calm down her excitement. Her bed is behind this door. Her room is behind this door. Shelter and safety. She has her parents to protect her again. It’s almost too real to be real. Does it matter anymore? She’s finally home.

The door creaks open.

~*~*~​

The change in scenery is sudden and seamless. Her feet plant firmly on a hardwood floor of a rather large interior the size of a half basketball court. In the center of the area are a dozen kids, all under the age of ten, playing with various balls of size and sport. Along the walls are benches and playfully colored chairs.

These kids... she recognizes a few of them. This room... it was where they brought kids for playtime. She remembers all the sadness here, which would echo and amplify off the walls. This is part of the orphanage she lived at after the incident.

No. This is wrong. She can’t be here. Where’s her room? Where’s her bed covered with stuffed animals? The soft carpet tickling her toes?

“Finally, you’re here.”

A rotund woman in her fifties walks across the room. Her fat feet wobble in her heals, yelling for freedom of this painful suffocation. Her face has the emotion of a DMV official: devoid of the thrill for her job. She isn’t fond of children, for that matter, giving her plump face more wrinkles than it needed. Her name is Mrs. Finnagan. She is the owner for this orphanage. And while she hates working with kids, she is rather efficient at the job. Thirty plus years she’s been able to get every child adopted before the age of ten.

“Afternoon, Captain Nickels.” Mrs. Finnagan shakes his hand. “Is this the little girl?”

Before her is a ten years younger Nickels, not yet Commander of the Blackthorn Police Force at the time. And still wearing those colorful Hawaiian type shirts.
“Yes. Her name is April Halliday. I trust you heard what happened?”

She nods. “These are sad times. I only hope justice can be found. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her here.”

Hiding behind his legs is a little girl, age six. Cutest little thing ever. Wispy blonde hair, hazel eyes. Cute red bow in her hair. An innocent girl ruined with such a tragedy.

“No.” The elder April yells. She refuses to believe the sight in front of her. “I’m April. That’s not me. I’m not an orphan. I just ate dinner with my FAMILY! Don’t you understand? How can I be here if my family is alive and well behind these doors?”

The two continue talking as if she isn’t there.

“Commander! Tell them! You know who I am! TELL THEM THAT’S NOT ME!”

Nickels pushes little April towards the group of kids. But rather than play like most kids would, she walks over to a lone chair against the wall and sits down. And like most orphans on their first day, they are scared and alone. But with April, it increased in intensity over the years.

“April, was it?” asks one of the orphanage helpers, whom had been playing with the children. “Want to come play with us?”

April watches the remnants of her past. This is indeed the orphanage she lived at for five years. Not so much lived, but endured. But why and how is she here? This isn’t really happening. She must go back to her parents. Stepping back through the door will bring her home. She’s sure of it.

She slams the door she came in through and runs out. “Mom, Dad, I’m back....”

Her shoes stop on the hardwood floor. Her carpeted hallway is not there. In front of her lay a hallway of dull walls lined with random happy face suns on paper, colored with crayons. Some are orange and yellow, like the real sun, and then there are one or two blue or purple suns. Every picture is signed, dated, and listed with an age by the child artist.

She wanders the hall, looking at them. Such a simple idea, and yet, these kids all manage to have very differing views on the sun. One even drew a spaceship blasting off and heading for it. Dancing around the sun appears to be a sun alien and human. Typical imagination for your typical kid trying to understand how the world works.

And she finds her room. Her ‘home’ of four years. Room eight. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. Often times, when she slammed her door closed, the 8 would fall sideways, better known to represent the infinity sign. To her, those five years felt like eternity. Nearly half of her life spent in a room no bigger than a bed and desk. Filled with toys that aren’t even hers to own. Without love or warmth.

Her picture of the sun is on the door. Black. No face. It isn’t even circular; just a mad scramble to make it as quick as possible so the orphanage assistants would leave her alone. Age 11.

Out of nowhere, Finnagan and Nickels appear at the window looking into the room. There, little April lay in bed, curled up under her covers.

“She’s been adopted thrice, and each time returned after a few months. These are good families with the best intentions of helping her. One family actually went broke sending her to an expensive therapist. Absolutely got nothing out of it. I had to fully refund their money for the trouble.”

“She hardly ever talks or participates in the activities. Can’t get her to play with any of the other children. My staff has all but given up trying to help her. She’s become a burden of the orphanage and a waste of my time.”

“Ma’am?”

“Forgive me for saying this, but I just want her out. I’ve lost more potential families for other children with her here than ever before. Her sour disposition has lingered in the air long enough. I need her gone but I legally can’t turn anyone away until age eighteen. And what then? This is no place for a girl like this to grow up. You know this. You have to help me, Commander.”

“Understandable, ma’am.”

“Take her for the week.”

“What?”

“You’re the only one who regularly visits her.”

“As the lead investigator for her case, that’s part of my job.”

“You’re a good man, you know it. I know it. Let her know it, too.” Mrs. Finnagan holds up a finger. “One week.”
April steps away from them, head in a daze. She sits down to rest, closing her eyes, trying to remember where she is. Her parents. She hugged them. Yes. She had to have. Her mother’s warmth and her father’s protection. She felt it. They’re real. None of this is real if all she is is a ghost to them.

Upon opening her eyes, the scene has changed again. This time she finds herself in the back of a police cruiser. The doors are locked, as they usually are for any prisoner. She pushes herself up, grabbing the bars. In the driver’s seat is Commander Nickels. Passenger- her young eleven year old self. She yells at them but, like all others scenes, they make no motion that she exists.

A scent tickles her nose. A scent she hadn’t smelled in years. She sniffs the air, ready to sneeze at any moment. This smell of pollen. Yes. THAT smell. The scent she’s been searching for. The scent that set her senses free form misery.

Sitting in a vase in the front cup holder is a single, blue rose; a rare treat to see, and smell, way up in the mountains. This isn’t just any old rose. It's one of the more difficult roses to grow because of its ominous lighter shade of blue and strong scent. The rare: Sapphire Rose.

She watches herself move closer in her seat, trying to smell the flower up close.

“I see you’ve taken interest in my flower.” He smiles at her. “That was supposed to be a present for my wife, to, uh, keep her from getting mad at me. If you want, you can have it.”

The young girl points to herself.

“Go on.”

She grabs the slender vase, making sure not to spill the water inside. She gives it a huge whiff and giggles gleefully.

“Would you look at that! I don’t think I’ve seen a cuter smile on a girl than yours.”

She blushes, turning away in embarrassment.

Let’s be clear. Commander Nickels is not her dad. Never is and never will be. She knows it. He knows it. But he is someone that opened the world to her; a father figure that she could look up to and be inspired from. She will always remember that week, not because of Nickels’s generosity, but through the scent of the Sapphire Rose. A time when she smiled more than all the crayon suns put together.

April focuses back to reality as the scent grows weaker. Without her realizing it, she is now sitting on a couch inside the Commander’s apartment. Which will later become hers when he buys a house, but that’s not important to the story.

Her younger self lay on a couch on the opposite side. Curled up and under the covers. The TV is on with some cartoon but she doesn’t really pay close attention to it. She’s almost twelve years old at this point. Being free from the orphanage has had its perks, but her life remained just as miserable as before. She rarely goes out. She has no friends. She has to be home schooled to stop the kids from teasing her. On the bright side, she had her own bed, her own clothes and her own stuff. And the environment was a lot more positive.

The Commander and his wife stand next to the TV. She turns it off, letting her husband make an announcement. “April. We know your birthday is a few weeks away, but we want to let you have this early.” He brings out a long box wrapped in gift paper.

Her eyes widen with surprise. The only gifts the orphanage gave were extra slices of cake. For the first time in five years, she had someone to celebrate her birthday with. And with a real present.

She unwraps it quickly and furiously. A smile hits her face when she sees what it is.

The real April sits forward, tensely gripping the couch. “My red razor scooter,” she says, feeling the water in her eyes ball up.

“We know we’re not always around to do stuff as a family. We think it’s time for you to go out and explore the world for yourself. You’ve been trapped indoors far too long. Time to stretch your wings and fly.”

“Where-where should I go?”

“Anywhere you want. And to start you off on the right track, why don’t you come with me to the station tomorrow. I can show you around.”

“Sure. Thanks, Mr. Nickels.”

“It’s the least we could do.”

She watches herself unbox the scooter, running to the door to try it out. This is home. Her home. This is the reality of where she lives. She had everything she needed. Shelter. Food. People that cared for her. But it’s all fake. A lie. An artificial replacement for the only real family she had taken away. They had cared for her like she was their real daughter, but she never could be such. This became most evident when the Commander’s wife left him. April and her constant blackouts and increasing isolation. The freedom they had given her came with the cost of her unstable emotions trying to fit into regular society. By age thirteen, she had the means to go anywhere. And no matter how hard she tries, she can never get home again.

She begins to cry again, trying to hold back and stay strong. She marches to the door, slamming it open.

"She’s panicking. We’re going to lose stability."
"Hold on. I can get us back on track."

The door opens to a place of darkness, where the only sound is that of her own heart racing. She runs. And runs. “Where are you? Mom? DAD? ANSWER ME! It’s me, April.... please....”

Running. It’s all she known. Usually, her heart and soul ache the more distance she gains and she’d occasionally lose her breath. Now, for the first time, her legs begin to tire. But she can’t stop. She has to keep going. Even the at the cost of her legs, she has to keep running. Quick scenes shoot past her as she continues forward.

‘There she is again, sulking in the corner.’

‘Leave her alone. Waste of effort, I say.’

‘Took the kids to the movies. Started screaming and shouting in the middle of the theatre. Had to escort her out. Was so embarrassing.’

‘I hear the new girl is hot.’

‘Yea. Too bad she’s about as stable as a two legged chair.’

And a familiar fight between Nickels and his wife. She had to cry herself to sleep that night.

“I can’t deal with her anymore. She’s emotionally unstable. She has to go back to the orphanage.”

“You know we can’t do that.”

“Yes, we can. We have no obligation toward that little girl.”

He hesitates with a response. “She needs time, that’s all.”

“You know that’s a lie. You think those gloves are helping her? Huh? Hiding her scars?”

“She’s gotten better.”

“And what about me. Your wife. Twenty five years this coming Sunday. I want you to promise me you will start the paperwork and find her a new family.”

“Honey...”

“And if she isn’t gone after that,” she pauses, struggling to say the words she never imagined ever saying, “I will be.”

The conversations of her past are thrown at her like flashes of light. Her pain grows with each step. She makes fists with her hands, feeling the gloves covering them, hiding her shame. And then.... she reaches another door.

*SLAM*

"Dinner is served."

Her feet step on the soft carpet of her house. She smiles thankfully. Now, for her priorities: hug her parents and never let them out of her sight. After a minute or two searching around the first floor, she heads upstairs. She’s been calling and calling, but no one has answered. Her parent’s room is also empty. Odd. She pauses, listening carefully. There’s a silence in the air that can be cut with a knife. Her palms sweat in an all too familiar moment. The stairs creak. She jumps against the wall, quickly looking at the stairs. Nothing. Another creak, longer and more forced. She stares at the bathroom door. The handle wiggles roughly, yet, no one stands before her. The door splinters open to an empty, dark room.

She shakes her head in disbelief, turning away. It’s not like she’s gone through this incident in her head a thousand times before, but this time, it feels like she’s gone back in time. That would mean... her room.

She stops at her door, also closed. A shadow crosses the bottom, disappearing shortly after. Muffled screams can be heard on the other side. Her arm shakes, reluctantly wanting to open the door. She knows what’s on the other side. But she has to see it with her own eyes.

The door opens with her parents standing inside. Smiling, welcoming her with arms wide open.

“Welcome back, April.”

Relived, she loosens her body. Does she cry? Cheer? Get mad? Her confused emotions fight for the right to emote. The winner is an uncontrollable laugh. A sound she didn’t think she could ever do again. And it feels good.

“You don’t know how happy I am to see you guys.”

Her feeling of relief is short lived when the door slams behind her. A hand grabs her shoulder and pulls her back, throwing her into the corner. Her head flushes with nausea as she tries to regain quick motion. She tugs and pulls but can’t seem to get her legs and arms free. Someone is holding her in position, pressing her against the floor. Her cloudy eyes regain focus to see the scene had once again changed. This time, to something very much in the past. And yet, within reach.

Two bad men had invaded their house to teach them a valuable lesson. One slender man, and one burly man. Her mom lie on the floor, bruised and tied up. Dad is brutally beat up, having violently knocked the slender attacker into the mirror. The slender man kneels on the floor next to a shattered mirror, screaming about the pain in his face. Blood pouring from his arms, dripping all over her stuffed animals and dolls. She spots the knife dropped to the floor- the one the burly man used on her hands as a reminder. Her age six young self stands at the door, her fresh cuts bleed along the floor. She takes a last look in before running like her parents told her to. A look she wishes she’d never made. For behind her dad is a man with a smile, a twisted and evil smile. A man that obviously took pleasure in punishing others. This burly man is shadowed of everything except for that vicious grin. He points a gun at her dad without hesitation.

Current April looks away as two shots fire.

“April, honey,” Mom says. “It doesn’t work if you aren’t paying attention.”

Against her will, she is forced to watch her parents' death shots play again. She cries out, painfully watching through her soaked face. Her arms wrestle with her invisible captive but her strength has been considerable weakened in her state of emotion. Her breath holds inside her lungs, carefully and cautiously trying to find air to breath. Her eyes roll back as if ready to faint. And like a cruel joke meant only to torture her soul for all eternity, the scene in front of her plays in reverse and stops, ready to replay. The gun fires twice.

And replay.

Again.

And again.

She’s frozen in thought. Her body doesn’t have anything left to give. Her heart beats weakly, trying to keep up with this sudden rush of sensory overload. Nerves begin shutting down one by one. She begins losing focus of all reality. During her blackouts, she’s usually brought back to this moment. However, this time it feels too real to be in her head. This is it. This is as far as she has run. Limply, she collapses on the floor as the scene continues to play in an infinite loop.

"If I knew what steak tasted like, this would be prime rib, grade A material. Wonderful presentation, too. Kudos to you, Missy."

"This might be my piece de resistance. Simply divine!"

Imagine, if you will, two ghost Pokemon sitting, well, hovering around a log in the forest, holding imaginary forks and eating this dream like it’s spaghetti. The head chef: one Misdreavus. Sous Chef: one Shuppet.

"If I weren’t already dead, I’d think I died and gone to heaven. Mind if I try some of your fear?"

"Sure. There’s more than enough to go around."

The third, previously silent ghost reveals itself to the others. The waiter: one Sableye. "We have problem. The Trainer...."

Misdreavus talks while slobbering the meal down. "Almost forgot about our dessert. His desire to help others must be beyond capacity by now. You’ve been letting him watch this whole time, right?"

Sableye nods.

"Then what’s wrong?"

"His Pokemon know. Hold will break soon."

Shuppet chimes in. "Anger? I could go for a glass of that right about now."

Misdreavus laughs. "If he really wants to try and save her, maybe we should let him in. Sableye, hold him for just a few more minutes while I whip something up real quick."

"The frustration of failure is the just desserts he deserves. As well as our dessert, of course."

"Dinner and a show, boys. Sit back and reap the rewards."

We return to her room. Her parents and the two bad guys freeze in their starting position before any of the violence starts. April continues to lie in the corner, staring at everything and nothing at the same time. The presence holding her down has let go, but she’s lost the motivation to get up.

“April. April, wake up.”

That voice. A familiar voice that always seems to be there when she is down. A hand extends to her, ready to life her up. Without thinking, she grabs it, pulling herself into the upright sitting position. Her eyes clear a bit to see a familiar face. Sitting on her bed is the hiker and his stupid unshaved beard. Behind that, a friendly smile.

“You okay?”

She says nothing, emotionally drained.

“That’s alright. I can do the talking for us. I’ve been watching your little escapade and I must say.... what’s the big deal?”

Her brain snaps awake. Did he...

“So you lost your parents at a young age and cry over them every night. So you never caught the killers responsible. So you get made fun of all the time. Get over it, you cry baby.”

Her muscles tighten up. Is he really...

“You ever think that maybe you should have died there too? Maybe it would have been better. You sure could have saved yourself all this pain and suffering. I don’t know if I could have kept running as long as you have. Then again, I’m a guy and know how to man up.”

Her eyes light up with a fury, piercing the ground she’s staring at.

“Pathetic. Just stay here in your pity puddle and never leave. No one wants you around. Got it?”

Her heart nearly jumps out of her chest, ready to get her blood flowing again.

That’s when the door to her room is kicked open and the real hiker steps in. Abra floats next to him in meditation form and Vulpix cautiously trots behind. The fake hiker smirks, fading away from view. Real Cage steps over to April, putting a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly responds by pushing him away.

“Leave me alone, Cage!” she yells.

“April, we need to get you out of here.”

“Go away! You’re just like everyone else.”

Frustrated, Cage steps back to give her space. “That wasn’t me who said those things. Look, this place is playing mind games with you. This is some sort of Pokemon controlled environment. It isn’t real. None of this is real. How can you expect any of this to be real?”
“And what do you know about real? Huh? You- you and your fantasy Pokemon adventure. You’ve never experienced what it means to have a real life and real problems.” She glances at the gun. “Now go away. Leave! I never want to see you again.”

The continued frustration annoys Cage. He can see in her face this situation has strained and drained from her every ounce of strength she once had. Having watched her suffer from the moment he walked through the door, his anger has hit the boiling point. He wants to say something but isn’t sure it will be the right thing. The slightest wrong word could trigger and unstable response.

“Abra,” he says, looking at him, “play time is over. You ready?

Abra nods. Her eyes softly glow yellow. She stares at the ceiling and fires a yellow beam of light at it, revealing two holes into it and exposing the night sky above. The rain pours onto the carpet. Slowly, the hole seals back up.

"Uh-oh." Sableye stutters.

“Look, April. Look at your surroundings.”

Another blast hits part of the bed. Then the wall. Each stare reveals the outside world; the raining forest they are currently in. The next wave slices through the room, cutting through her Mom, Dad and the burly man holding the gun. Items in the room begin to pop out of view one by one.

April watches as her mom disappear. “Mom....” Her dad is next to vanish. “...Dad...” Cage is taking them away from her. Right before her eyes. Not again. Not like this. She can understand the reality of what happened, but to have someone else remove her family from her is unforgivable. She glances as the gun again...

*BANG*

Abra stops clearing the room at the sound of the gun shot. Cage grabs his chest, reeling back in pain. He drops to a knee, then his second. He catches himself with one arm before ultimately making a lifeless face-plant into the carpet, where he lay motionless. The three ghost Pokemon peak from around the revealed scenery, jaws dropped in astonishment. She has done it. She has silenced someone that speaks ill of her and her family. She’ll never have to listen to him again. She has killed Cage.

~*~*~​

The gun slams against the carpet with a heavy thud. Her eyes open to the realization of what she has done. She has ended the life of another human being. The pain in her heart remains unchanged, perhaps even more troubled than before. More than enough times she has relived the moment when her parents died. She’s always thought it was her fault. She was the trigger to their death. If she hadn’t run away, they would be alive today. And here she is again, the more literal trigger of another death. Her hands- she shakes them, trying to get the thought of blood off. She’s caused nothing but trouble to those around her. And yet, she takes a moment to breath in the rain soaked silent air. She stands up, grabbing the gun once more. Is Cage right? Or Fake Cage, or whoever that is. Is Mrs. Flannigan right about her being a burden? Is her life of pain even worth continuing?

Misdreavus, whom has stopped patching the holes in its illusion, watches intently. "If I could somehow keep her alive for as long as she lives, I’d have all the power I could imagine for all of eternity."

"If she pulls the trigger," Shuppet begins, "she will be of no mental use anymore. Stop her."

"Can’t. We’d have to intervene and you know how much I hate messing with immersion. Besides, her emotions have become so strong that she’s taken control of parts of the reality I created. Never could I imagine someone like this in all my afterlife."

"Dinner over?" Sableye stammers.

Misdreavus reluctantly nods. "Guess I was overzealous in our meal tonight, guys. I invited the wrong guest to the party and he spat in our food."

Abra looks at the gun, vanishing it into thin air before she does something else stupid with it. April scowls at the hiker’s Pokemon when... *SLAP* a hand smacks her across the face with enough force to knock her down.

The hiker takes a deep breath and looks around, ultimately taking a serious look at April. There isn’t a scratch on him. “If you must know, I kinda like being alive. Really knocked the wind outta me, though. Let’s not do that again, shall we?”

Never mind the fact that he’s still alive, how can he still be making jokes at this time?

“Abra, can we move this along. I’m tired of this complicated mess.”

With a single blast of energy, the room, her parents, the evilness, and all the misery is blown away. The protective barrier surrounding the area disintegrates, letting the light rain fall on them. The once soft carpet turns to grass and mud. And three little ghost Pokemon are revealed, eagerly awaiting the oncoming struggle to save this meal.

Cage stands at the ready, seeing the ghost Pokemon for the first time. Vulpix kneels forward, ready to leap at a moment's notice, not even flinching in the rain. Realizing his is outnumbered, he reveals his fifth Pokemon: a little blue Pokemon with long ears and a black tail with an eye. Wynaut situates himself next to Abra. Abra is no longer in floating meditation, firmly standing on the ground with arms forward. The barrier surrounding their half of the room has been removed, exposing them to the rain and muddy terrain, leaving the other half of the room in broken bits and pieces. Misdreavus holds its ground, trying to fight back against Abra’s energy. The energy of these two meet in the center, each Pokemon vying for control. Shuppet smirks with a twist of satisfaction, ready to try out the new power it has received. And Sableye stands at the front, about to shred anything it touches with its sharp claws. All the while April lay in the mud, shivering and confused.

"Couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you, Trainer? Enjoy your hollow victory while you can. She’s given us all the power we need." It talks to the other ghosts. "Once Abra is out of the picture, we’ll be in control again. That’s our top priority."

Shuppet smirks, gathering energy in its mouth and quickly firing a shadowy black ball toward the psychic Pokemon. A burst of fire streams in front, hitting the attack and disintegrating it in midair. Vulpix leaps forward, growling in defense.

Sableye smiles, leaping with its shiny claws forward. Wynaut hops in its way, setting up a reflective energy field. The ghostly claws strike hard, pushing Wynaut back a few inches. The energy reacts and bounces the attack back, flipping Sableye into the air. This will make for a great opportunity to counter-attack... if Wynaut has any.

“One more, let’s go Zubat!” His little bat soars into the scene, flying on the Wynaut/Sableye side of the battle.

"Hey, hey, that’s not fair, Trainer." Shuppet shouts the complaint while dodging another stream of fire.

“Fair? Fair?!! Picking on a defenseless person, I don’t think you are in the position to judge what is and isn’t fair. Fair is giving your opponent the chance to fight on equal terms, none of which you have shown to either of us tonight. It’s only fair I return the favor.”

To clarify the scene once more: Abra is trying to get rid of the illusion once and for all, while Misdreavus is trying to push the illusion back on them. So far, they are even. Zubat, Wynaut and Vulpix are defending Abra from attack. Vulpix is currently fighting Shuppet on the right side. Zubat is fighting Sableye on the left side. Wynaut is in front of Abra, waiting to defend any attacks that get near him. Cage stands behind his Pokemon, like a Trainer would during any battle. With so many factors here, he finds it hard to concentrate on which Pokemon to focus on. And April is far to the right of the field.

Abra takes a knee. The longevity of his psychic energy is beginning to wither. The combination of the lack of sleep and desperation to learn Foresight has drained his abilities substantially. The darkness slowly pushes toward them. Misdreavus begins an evil laugh, realizing they have won.

Vulpix vs. Shuppet!

The little fox Pokemon, Vulpix, slides back, avoiding another dark blast from Shuppet. She fires a shotgun-like blast of fireballs, most of which sizzle in the rain. A collection of evaporated mist forms between them, blocking their views, allowing Vulpix to take a blind shot at it. She leaps through but the ghost vanishes into the air. Upon landing, the ghost reappears and fires a dark laser bolt, surrounding and critically wounding Vulpix.

She shakes off the negativity, ready to continue. Shuppet slowly forms a ball of energy in front of it. Taking advantage of the buildup, Vulpix creates a spinning vortex in her belly, shooting a spinning tornado line of fire. At the same time, Shuppet’s Shadow Ball is thrown through the center of the fire. Vulpix dodges, receiving the tail end of the blast damage. However, Shuppet can’t escape the shrinking, encircling fire, even trying to go invisible to avoid it. It gives a haunting scream, floating lower to the ground; burn marks show all over its body. Breathing heavy, trying to ignore the rain, Vulpix waits to see what happens next.

Zubat vs. Sableye!

Sableye lands firmly on the ground. As a flying Pokemon, Zubat can naturally evade the physical assault this ghost seems to enjoy using. It likes to feel the pain of its victims up close. It glares at Wynaut, whom gave it an encore of its clawed attacks. Having wasted so much energy hitting nothing but air, it has to wait for its other powers to come back.

Seeing the stationary ghost give up, Zubat takes a turn to attack. He coughs up a toxic sludge ball but the ghost is fast enough to evade that. Instead of focusing back at the bat, Sableye picks up speed toward Wynaut, with glowing dark claws forward. *SLAM!* Wynaut sets up his reflection again, getting pushed back enough that he bumps into Abra’s side. Using the stability, he pushes back, knocking Sableye high into the air. It winces only for a moment, twisting its body around with claws striking down. The double momentum of the reflected attack slashes into Zubat without notice, immediately sending him into the muddy ground. The bat is done.

Wynaut vs. Sableye and Shuppet!

The jeweled ghost huffs and puffs. It watches its partner recover after being burnt alive by Vulpix’s Fire Spin. Only Wynaut stands in Sableye’s way. As strong as this ghost is, it has to be smart attacking a strongly defensive Pokemon. "Shuppet. Need double team. Wynaut."

Understanding, Shuppet floats to the left side of the battle while preparing a Shadow Ball, and then quickly fires at the blue Pokemon. A split second after that, Sableye dashes into his blind spot and leaps with a regular set of claws. Only seeing the one attack, Wynaut sets up his defense again, bouncing the ball back at Shuppet. Which misses due to invisibility hacks again. Unfortunately, Sableye’s claws furiously rip apart any defense Wynaut has left. The nonviolent becomes the second Pokemon out.

“Aw, jeez,” Cage says frustratingly, recalling his two fallen Pokemon. “Don’t make me send my last Pokemon. Really wish I hadn’t left Stantler back at the cave.”

Vulpix vs. Sableye!

Without any protection against three Pokemon, barely withstanding against Misdreavus, Abra is about to be in a world of pain. At this point in the battle, Abra is down on one knee and only using one hand to hold the illusion back. The jeweled claws make their move... when Vulpix reintroduces herself into the battle with a quick slam into its body. Sableye slides around until finally stopping closer to Misdreavus’s side of the field.

"Idiot. How’d you get hit by a normal attack?" Shuppet remarks.

It tries going invisible. "Can’t. Odd." Shrugging, it charges Vulpix with revenge on its mind.

With Vulpix unable to effectively defend against two Pokemon, Shuppet disappears on the righter side of Abra. Cage calls Abra off to focus on Shuppet. This allows the illusion to spread across the area like cracks on a windshield. This also allows Misdreavus to take a break and recollect itself.

Using whatever is left of his senses, Abra holds his right hand out as a guide. His eyes blink once, sending that yellow beam into the air. Slowly, Shuppet’s body becomes visible again.

“Pesky Pokemon. Doesn’t matter, you can't harm me...”

Special Guest Appearance vs. Shuppet!

Comically, a rock falls from the sky. Shuppet looks up, eyes bulged. Like Sableye, it tries to go invisible so that the physical projectile will go through it sbody. It pleads with its ghostly vessel. But no luck. The rock, double its size, crushes the ghost into the ground. Rest in peace, Shuppet.

Cage’s sixth and final Pokemon raises her arm in victory and proceeds to dance. The brown twig Pokemon shakes her green pom-pom hands, stepping to the beat of each shake. *Drip!* *Drip!* “Sudo?” That’s right. A Sudowoodo. A Pokemon that absolutely hates water. Only after throwing that rock does she realize the terrible weather. She panics like any Sudowoodo does, yelling at her Trainer. She runs to a nearby tree for cover and cross her arms, looking very sternly.

He recalls her. “I’ll make this up to you later. You did what was needed.”

Abra vs. Misdreavus!

Misdreavus frowns. Losing one of their own will hurt, but they will still win. Its eyes fixate on the almost collapsed psychic Pokemon. "Look at you, Abra. Accept this fate and let me feast. Everyone knows Abra’s don’t have any attacks."

His Trainer is concentrating on leading Vulpix against Sableye, leaving Abra to make his own decision. Abra grips his fist, using the last bit of concentration available. He pulls back his fist, looking to throw a punch. Giving a quick look at the ghost, he vanishes into the air. Not even a blink later, Abra appears across the field next to it, fist moving forward. Misdreavus’s face caves in, its flowing hair in a disorganized mess. The ghost collides with the last remaining wall from the broken illusion and drops. Before it hits the floor, Abra teleports back, shaking the incredible pain from his arm. Drained and in physical pain, Abra collapses.

At the same time, Vulpix crashes. Her legs, slashed from tip to toe. Not to mention the added affect of the rain weakening her movement. Sableye stands over her with a glaring growl.

Miraculously, Misdreavus manages to hover again; albeit slower than before and very uneven. It shouldn’t have been hit with a fighting move. Like its comrades, it tries to turn invisible. Nothing. At some point, it must have been hit by Foresight. Regardless, it laughs upon seeing Abra down. "Sableye, time for a snack. Get Shuppet back up."

Sableye nods in agreement, needing the feeding as well. He quickly slices the boulder, still burying Shuppet. A quick nudge and Shuppet breaks free. Very weakly, it crawls on the floor like a napkin, trying to get in a range that it can feed.

Now with Abra out of commission and Vulpix weak and unable to fight these numbers effectively, the only person stopping them from continuing this meal is Cage. "Trainer, you were warned to stay out of this but you failed to listen. Your punishment will come."

Cage watches the two Pokemon head towards the right side where she sits. “April....” He runs to her, almost slipping in the mud.

All this time, April has been sitting in the mud; legs too weak to move. The battle is all but a blur to her. Red attacks here, purple attacks there. And blackness everywhere. She’s lost sight and mind of reality. There she sits, on the sideline of her life. Misdreavus and Sableye, the two remaining ghosts breathe in the emotion filled air emanating from April. Their bodies pulsate with new energy.

"Oh, yes. That’s good. Just what I need."

"Tasty."

WACK! A thrown bone rattles Sableye’s concentration. It returns to the skull wearing Pokemon. From somewhere, and for some reason, Cubone rushes to her aide. He takes a swing back and hits the other side of Misdreavus’s face, knocking the ghost away in a hurry. Cubone lands gracefully with a pissed off look. Maybe it’s pissed because of the rain.

“Cu... bone...?” she faintly questions.

Cubone vs. Sableye!

The ground type stands between her and Sableye. The ghost grins, flashing its glowing claws. Cubone obliges the Pokemon’s taste for battle and charges forward. The claws and bone collide in a battle for physical supremacy.

Cage slides to a stop. “April, hey. Come on.”

But she doesn’t respond as much as a hint of life. He grabs her arm and offers to lift her up, but she still stays motionless. Running out of patience, he grabs her and shakes her like a boneless doll. She looks up at him momentarily, listening to his voice and trying to make sense of it all.

“Hey, snap out of it! Ghost Pokemon feed off emotions and they are focusing heavily on you. I need you to fight this if we’re going to get out safely.” He unclasps a belt from his waist, dropping it next to her. He grabs his last Pokeball containing Sudowoodo. “I’m running out of Pokemon. Vulpix can’t endure much longer. Sudowoodo will hate me forever when I send her out again. And Abra is questionable but at the moment is the strongest counter I have. I don’t even want to know what Cubone is doing here, but at least he’s keeping them busy.” He snaps his fingers, remembering something. “Your satchel! You must have potions in there, right? It should be around here somewhere, I think. Wait here, I’ll be right back. Uh, yea. This’ll work, I hope.” He leaves to prepare a new strategy.

She remains still. Her eyes wander the battlefield once more. Cubone shares blows evenly with Sableye. Fainted Abra lay on his back, eyes closed, trying to regain any kind of energy he has left. Even Vulpix is out there again, doing her best to keep Misdreavus busy. Why? Why does this keep happening to her?

"April."

A gentle, soothing voice rings in her ears. It’s not one of the ghosts. A new voice. It rings in her ears like a beautiful melody. “Huh, who’s this?”

"It is me, Abra."

“Abra?”

"Yes. I have used the last of my power to link with you in this moment of desperation. You must listen to what I have to say. Please believe me when I say this. My Trainer fights for you because he cares for your safety. But, there is only so much we can do. Like you, I too was a weakling. Teleporting to avoid all kinds of confrontation. Then I found out I can get stronger by fighting the tough fights so I won’t need to run."

“I don’t want to fight. Please, let’s just get away. You can teleport us, right? You did it before.”

"Why, April? Why do you want to run? What kind of life is one of weakness. We all have the ability to evolve, but first we must want it. Help yourself. Face what you fear and become a stronger person. To prove my point, I think my arm is broken from that punch."

His peaceful voice and friendly nature motivates her to move. She crawls to the exhausted Abra. “I can’t. You don’t... It’s too hard.”

"Nothing is too hard unless you believe it is. Even if you don’t believe, there are others that do. Listen and let their encouraging words motivate you. And don’t tell me there aren’t any; we just witnessed it firsthand. Even my Trainer, for example, has been trying to help you regardless of what you think of him. Once you accept the helpful hand of others, the world is yours to conquer."

“I want to... but, I’m afraid....”

"Afraid of what....living? Do you think this is the kind of life your parents want you to have?"

Her mind races with her past thoughts. Not the bad ones she’s used to seeing, either. The ones she’s been blocking because she thought it was all laughter. From the orphanage, to the police station, even from the hiker; they're all there. They tried. They really did. But she never wanted to hear it. All this time, it was herself ignoring their words and not them purposefully ignoring her. She was too caught up in the past to pay any attention to the present.

She slips her gloves off one by one, dropping them on the floor. The gloves that have been hiding her scarred hands for the better part of ten years. She reveals them to the world. The rain drips over them, washing the dirt and grime away. These wounds will never go away. As difficult as it will be, she has to accept that they are a part of her and move on. She has to be strong. Her parents wouldn’t want this life for her.

A single tear rolls down her cheek. She looks down at Abra while stroking his head with her bare hand. “I-I don’t want to run anymore. But, I... I don’t know how to stop.”

"Take control of your life. The first step will be painful, but you have to make the effort. Only you can clear the darkness surrounding your past. We are only here to guide you down the correct path."

She leaves Abra behind, crawling back to her Pokebelt. With extreme weakness, she forces herself to stand, keeping most of her weight off her injured leg. Her belt snaps in place. She sees the laughing purple ghost with the flowing hair, the one in charge of this whole debacle. Deep breath. Nice and slow. You can do this April. It’s only a step...

[This is where you, the Grader, determines how strong April’s resolve has become. Will she have the strength to defeat that which haunts her?]

(-o-) Lv.1: Misdreavus
(-o-) Lv.2: Misdreavus, Shuppet
(-o-) Lv.3: Misdreavus, Shuppet, Sableye Caught!

Original Post: January 30, 2015 @ BMG

 

Didn't catch this my bad! Claim.

 

Spoiler

Hi. I found it to feel pretty awful to write a grade as short as the ones that you seem inclined to writing/reading for a story of this long for an author of your experience, so I just did a normal grade for a story of this length/rank/caliber and called it a day. However, if you see my ignoring your requests as an invitation for you to ignore mine, please let me know, and I’ll try to reconfigure to suit your preferences more. Can’t say I’ll settle for weak-quality grades or anything, though, so this invitation only extends so far.

Also, potatoes. Say what you will about the benefits of mass-harvesting-machines; in the past few years, however, we’ve come to the conclusion that if you hand-harvest, sometimes, you can dig up hidden gems rather than just spuds. That’s why we do what we do.

Also, potatoes. Hail Scourge.

THE BEGINNING STUFF

So, uh, April wakes up feeling confused and gradually comes to terms with where she is, where she’s been, and where she’s going. The great news about this style of introduction is that you catch up the reader pretty well to things that have happened—and, given that this overarching story is only a few years younger than I am, and I’m in college, there’s quite a bit. You do a good job of giving the relevant details, and you flesh out most of the important bits that’ll play a role in the rest of the story: the aftereffects of the cave-in, April’s wrecked home-life/childhood, Cage the hiker, etc. These are all good things!

There is, however, a fine line to tread here between giving enough information and giving too much, and I think you may have leaned a little too far toward the latter. In the first few paragraphs, there’s just way too much going on that you end up with a little bit of jumble. Let’s dissect each paragraph real quick:

1. Creepy whisperings something, probably her parents (who are they really?) (we don't find out for quite a while)
2. April's home (we gather that it was bad) (who are her demons?) (why does she say they are facades?) (whaaat?)
3. April wakes up (“she had blacked out again”? When was the first time?) (she got almost-killed by a mammoth? What?)
4. April's inventory (so Cage says the scooter is useless; why did he bring it?) (why are the Pokeballs curious to her?) (why is Cage "conveniently absent" anyway?) (who dafuq is Squire?) (for that matter, who dafuq is Cage?)
5. Hot chocolate!?
6. Leg injuries
7. More hot chocolate. Also, a cave.
8. The cave becomes clearer? (how does that even work?)

The first thousand words are pretty important to a story, and you’ve got to craft a lot with them: otherwise, your reader is going to get bored, confused, or annoyed and just leave. And that’s no good. While a lot of these questions get answered in the course of your story, it takes quite a while for some of them to come up again, which begs the question of why you’d throw these tidbits around so casually in the first place. (Also, you could argue that a bunch of these questions could be answered from reading the previous chapters, but you specifically told me not to read them/reading them was unnecessary, so I question that choice as well.)

In your case, you’ve got eight different paragraphs that basically discuss eight different things (paragraphs five and seven are both about the hot chocolate, but seven starts delving into some of the cave amenities for most of its bulk, so not really the same thing), and it starts getting really confusing. This is absolutely not to say that you shouldn’t make a confusing introduction, or cover a lot of ground in your first few paragraphs, or anything. However, as with all writing, you should do it with purpose.

This brings us to what is going to be the central theme of this grade: the purpose of a story. A good story should entertain, enrich, or enlighten; a great story should do all three. I’m not an ass, and we don’t ask for greatness here, but I encourage you to ask yourself what you’re trying to accomplish with each section that you write. I would argue that the purpose of an introduction is to, for lack of a better word, introduce the writer to your story—to its characters, to its central themes, and to its setting; how much you choose to allocate to each of these categories depends more on the specific story. You may think differently, and that’s fine, so long as you’re aware of the purpose that you’re trying to impart to your work.

With that in mind, let’s take a second look at the first thousand words of your story. They’re disjointed, yes, and I have difficulty seeing the point in this. I ask you to reconsider the purpose of this portion—perhaps you want to have a bunch of different things going on at once to emphasize how disjointed April is feeling right now; or you want us to be discombobulated as if we, too, had just awoken from a cave-in (?); or you want to do some mindscrew ala the ghosts. These are all great ways to introduce your story, and if those were the angles you were going for, I don’t think you quite made it.

(This paragraph is going to address how to go for those more dramatic takes on the “so much stuff is happening at once” look, but it’s gonna be fairly short in the likely chance that you didn’t write eight different paragraphs with eight different paragraphs on purpose. Basically, if that’s the case, this confusion has to carry on for the rest of the story. In this case, you kind of have a reversal: the introduction is very disjointed and scattered, and you eventually hone into a pretty tight focus for the rest of the story, which makes the confusion seem accidental rather than intentional.)

tl;dr: you’ve been writing this story for over a decade. There’s passion there, or else you would’ve quite ages ago, but you need to focus this into a purpose. As it stands, your first few paragraphs are merely an infodump—they do a great job of telling us what’s going on, but there’s very little to compel us to read further, which is quite a shame, because you’ve got a really good story here. There’s a fine line to cross between telling the readers too much and leaving us in the dark, but I encourage you to start aiming a little bit more towards the latter part of the spectrum.

THE PLOTTY STUFF

The plot here was quite strong. This was a clever twist on what we usually see in the Pokédex entries, and I enjoy that you had the ghosts actually feeding on fear and treating it as a game rather than simply being dicks just to be dicks. The distinction may seem small, but the depth you added there really helped boost my enjoyment of this story.

I also enjoyed the main meat of the story here—April’s psychological issues—and how you fleshed them out. There may have been a few parts where you were a bit too heavy-handed with the drama—seriously, I still don’t know why those people were attacking her house when she was a kid, and why they went through all of the effort to kill her parents and then “teach her a lesson” or whatever by cutting up her hands? And I do wish that her anti-social tendencies, which you discussed heavily during the “let’s flashback as we walk through April’s terrible childhood” portion, were a little more shown than told. She seems like a perfectly normal, although somewhat distrustful (especially in her later years) child all of the times we’ve seen her, so it feels pretty weird to read about how she’s casually being thrown from home to home. More on that later.

On the whole, the backbone of your plot was pretty solid. I’d question the structure of the battle, which featured at least three different instances of deus ex machina (as in, things randomly coming in to save the day out of nowhere when most/all hope seems lost), which started to get redundant. While these “big darn heroes” moments seem pretty fun to write, what with the cavalry bursting in and saving the day and stuff, you end up undercutting the stakes of the story. There’s no real sense of urgency if you keep having Sudowoodo drop a giant rock out of nowhere before vanishing into the nothingness, or Cubone coming out of nowhere to save the day before vanishing into the nothingness, or Abra suddenly gaining a bunch of power out of nowhere to save the day before vanishing into nothingness. You do a pretty good job of raising tension during the final fight, but if things keeps coming out of the woodwork to save everyone, it becomes really hard to believe that any of that tension is actually real (and that, this time, nothing is coming to save the day).

Also, not sure of where this fits in best, but you do a pretty great job of creating a really creepy atmosphere with the ghost-house. The rain-shield, the furniture repairing itself after Abra blasts it, and the creepy “walking through doors that don’t lead back to where I thought they did” trope all served to build this haunted house kind of feel, which suited your story perfectly.

Overall, your plot is a good base. I liked that you fleshed out the Pokémon characters as well as the people, and their individual quirks made the whole story a lot more entertaining. Cage was kind of a mixed ball here, and I’m not sure why he’s so personally invested in helping April so much, but people being good people is always a nice thing to have around.

To close, let’s revisit the purpose bit from before in a more positive light. A lot of this story is meant to get deeper insight into April’s mind, mostly through her backstory and literally going into her mind. This is great—you’ve got the purpose, and you’ve got the tools through which you’re going to accomplish it. Literally living through her worst fears and memories served both to entertain and to enrich us about what makes April, well, April, and that was an excellent narrative choice. In short, great work here.

THE PRETTY STUFF

In terms of mechanics, you’re okay, but there are a bunch of typos everywhere, mostly of the grammatical variety. There/their, were/where/we’re, some its/it’s, peaking/peeking, and so forth. Also, there are some sentences that don’t make any sense at all:

“Salivate,” at least under is modern usages, is a verb that has no object—people salivate, but you don’t salivate a thing. It’s just the act of making spit in your own mouth, rather than the act of inducing spit in someone else’s mouth.

In short, proofread. Proofread everywhere. You’ve demonstrated mostly that you know the difference between there/their and friends in the bulk of your work enough that I won’t lecture you on it, but you need to proofread to catch the rest of the grammatical errors, as they can be quite distracting.

Now. You’ve been writing forever and you’ve been around the block a lot. You’re also going for only a Hard-ranked capture at the highest, but I think it’s time we start talking about the big guns. Stylistic writing and stuff.

Often, you like to use short, choppy sentences that give descriptions off like a list. Things where you just have sentences. Sometimes the sentences would flow better if they were strung together. Often it feels like you could’ve proofread a bit better. Sometimes they’re hard to read because you have so many sentences:

These are all simple sentences. There is a subject and an object and rarely anything else. Sometimes there are sentences that say the same thing twice. The same thing is said twice sometimes. Sentence fragments.

See how this can kind of become a pain to read after a while? Try spicing things up. Commas and stuff. You use them pretty well in most parts of your writing, and then occasionally we’ll run into stretches like this.

You have a pretty standard, third-person present omniscient narrator for most of this, with occasional dipping into some fourth-wall breaking and a ton of rhetorical questions. I think that the fourth-wall breaking (ie, “dear reader,” and stuff like that) is usually pretty unprofessional looking in a stylistic sense, but the writing community as a whole is pretty divided on how to approach this, so I won’t call you out too hard. I will say, however, that it feels like a quick and dirty way for you to cut corners: rather than bothering with the half, maybe whole sentence needed to convey “there is a fight! Shuppet vs Vulpix!” you kind of just drop this big, bold “Shuppet vs Vulpix,” which looks pretty jarring in the rest of the story. Given that you’ve used words as scene transitions precisely never before in this installment of the story, this felt pretty silly. If you’re going to pick a narrative voice, and that narrative voice happens to resemble over-the-top Japanese Pokémon anime titles, at least stick with it for the entire story so you don’t have so much disconnect in your tone.

A bit more stuff on rhetorical questions: they feel pretty redundant. I dunno. In argumentative writing, rhetorical questions are used to make readers/listeners/audience consider something that they haven’t considered before. They aren’t really meant to be answered; rather, they’re meant to get the audience thinking what the speaker wants them to think. In creative writing, though, this is kind of overkill—the whole point of your description is meant to get the audience thinking what you want them to think, so asking rhetorical questions is just repeating things you’ve already established pretty well. For example:

These things are all good, but you’ve established it more effectively in the previous questions, which show April waking up, looking around, and having no idea what to do next. The questions of where she should go and where she is now are already implicitly built into the structure of the narrative itself: blatantly asking them to the audience feels redundant, as if you’re coddling us. Don’t coddle.

This grade is already quite bloated already, even by my standards and almost certainly by yours, so let’s blitz through showing instead of telling real quick and then be done. This has kind of come up in a couple of different disguises—most importantly, in writing with purpose. Each sentence that you write should contribute something to your story. This seems easy enough to say, and it’s actually painfully hard to do in reality. The easiest way to approach this is to seek to show, rather than tell. Don’t just say “April is sad;” instead, describe to the audience things that make them understand (that show them, basically) things that let us know that she’s sad. If the second thing sounds a lot harder than the first, that’s because it is. But it’s also a lot more effective, and miles more realistic—there’s no telling in real life; you don’t get little clouds that pop up around people saying “April is sad” or anything of the like.

For instance, here, you’ve got tons of good buildup. The *BANG* in the paragraph before, the dramatic switches in perspective from Abra to Cage to the ghosts to April to dead Cage, these are all good things. However, the drama and the conclusion are often more powerful if you don’t actually state them outright—if you avoid, for example, all of the filler sentences, ending with “She has killed Cage.” By this point, yeah, you’re stating the obvious. We’re pretty aware that this has happened, and you’re just telling us things you’ve already shown.

For example, I think this was a far more descriptive, show-y paragraph that worked wonderfully:

I particularly liked the comparison to a DMV official—perfect for what you were trying to get across here. You never outright say “this woman is kind of an efficient hardass,” but you get the point across brilliantly. Go for more of these kinds of descriptions—less “has/have done” constructions, and more “this is what is” sentences.

THE NUMERICAL STUFF

Yup, length is here. I think the pacing was pretty solid, too—aside from the disjointed intro, which we dissected in detail already, nothing really dragged too much. Numerically, you’re set too.

Also, I really don’t know where it best fits, but the line where April’s mom is like “April, it won’t work if you don’t watch” and then her parents get killed over and over again is solidly terrifying.

THE OUTCOME STUFF

You’ve been waiting long enough, so gonna cut the crap and streamline a bit more. I think the base of a story was here. The plot was very strong, the character development was pretty solid, and the ideas themselves were unique and handled well. However, there were some parts that I think were struggling pretty hard—some of the introduction seemed aimless, a lot of the descriptions were pretty weird, a lot of the word choice was questionable. Some of the writing in particular felt pretty lazy—the typos, for example, and the “Shuppet vs Vulpix” (although, upon further consideration, the latter may be more of a remnant of when Pokémon battles were required for a capture. Pokémon battles aren’t required for a capture anymore).

Anyway. I mulled over this for a while, but I’m going to have to say Shuppet and Sableye captured. I know that you say Misdreavus and Shuppet in the bottom of your post, but I feel like rank trumps author preference in this case.

There was definitely the basis for a strong beginning here, which earned you the two Pokémon. However, to earn your third, especially with as much writing experience as a vet such as yourself possesses, the bar is higher. I know that you’ve sworn not to read a grade this long or to re-write for most reasons, but I politely ask that you reconsider both of these things. However, in this case, I think that your strong plot saved the weaker aspects of your story, and I’ll throw in Misdreavus captured too. Keep in mind that this was pretty borderline—there were a lot of things that I wasn’t particularly sold on, and the plethora of typos, among other things, made it feel like you were just being lazy with us—but there was enough good here to merit a complete capture. Congrats, and enjoy your Pokémon. I don’t know if you’re too cynical for apologies, but I do express my regrets that it took us this long to get to your work.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. VM/PM is probably the best way to guarantee a response, although I try to maintain a decent presence on AIM as well.

 

27- Clear Skies Ahead
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Spoiler

April loves the fantasy world. Television, books, movies, you name it; anything that will take her mind off reality and let her escape to somewhere more pleasant. Within the last year, she learned about anime and had grown to admire their passion for storytelling and developing characters you grow to love. Namely, this one series: Adventures in Eden. The series was set during the medieval times, back when kings were kings and life was simple and meaningful. Of course there was drama and malicious spreading of rumors to create internal turmoil. The peasants, the lowest class of them all, kept to their work in order to put food on the table and survive. And if the society disagreed with someone’s methods, they’d send them to the stakes and burn them alive, or send them to the guillotine and stick their head on a pike. It was a time when everyone suffered, no matter the class or nobility, and everyone had the same goal- to survive.

Now, for this series, one nation was fighting another, trying to take it over and control their land. The defending nation didn’t want to fight, and insisted upon diplomacy and keeping their heads. The story started in a small town being invaded by the more aggressive nation, which ends up getting burned to the ground, wiping out thousands of innocent peasants to the fire. It was here where we meet the band of rebels whom joined together in order to gain back what they had lost. One of the characters was a noble girl. The other nobles and families begged her to remove thoughts of revenge from her head, but they cannot convince her otherwise. She was meant to be a proper lady in the court, but when their nation, fearful of another attack, signed a treaty to spare their lives in exchange for servitude, she did not want to follow in those footsteps. So this girl joined three strangers she befriended after her town was burned down and would rebel against the attacking nation. There was no army to back them up. Only four people from an entire nation stood up and fought back: the noble, the thief, the mage, and the brawler, all of which barely into adulthood. They challenged an entire nation, not only for their assured survival, but also for they glory of becoming a hero to a nation they loved.

Did we mention lots of magic! And dragons!!

It’s a short series but one that holds a lot of importance for April. She lives vicariously through the noble girl. Her determination is everything she wants to be: the idea of abandoning her nobility by fighting back and getting revenge; the struggle for peace; the adventure of a lifetime.

But that will always be a fantasy out of her grasp. This is her reality. She can’t just up and decide to do something against the social norm, even though she hardly has any social credibility to begin with. This society has rules and social stigmas to follow. Her fantasy self wants to be that girl from the show- to have no fear and never look back- to shut down the nay-sayers- to be able to grasp the world in the palm of her hands and take charge of her life. She had thought this journey might be it; the final piece to setting her free from misery. Except, it didn’t turn out as well as she had hoped it would have. Even out here, in the middle of nowhere, thirty miles from Blackthorn City, it found her.

It continues to challenge her. The repeated blackouts became a constant reminder of her fear that one day they will find her to finish the job. Even though she tries to escape reality by any means necessary, whether it’s from the shows she watches or the floral perfume to mask the rotting smell of death giving her a fake sensation of happiness, it always finds a way inside.

Then she saw her past, presented to her in real time and not by her usual blackout. Eyes wide open, she saw something she had glossed over. The dark clouds let a ray of light shine through to her, allowing her to recall moments she had completely forgotten about. For example, this one:

She’s back at the Blackthorn Police Station. Today was her first day as a temp assistant. She was only thirteen, but very eager to work. After only the first hour while taking a tour, she had blacked out in the middle of the main entrance, of all the places. One of the officers had mistakenly mentioned her parents and that was it, she started bawling and completely zoned out from reality. Within minutes, the entire staff had surrounded her, trying to pick her up and snap her out of it, even going so far to call an ambulance. She was breathing but nothing anyone said garnered any kind of response from her. Then Commander Nickels stepped in and told everyone to leave her alone. Don’t help her, he said. Let her cry, he said.

At least, that’s what she thought the said. No, that was just the clouds preventing her from seeing clearly. He said something... else...

“Step back, all of you. Give her some air. This isn’t a battle we can fight for her, she has to do it on her own. This is how she chooses to handle what happened to her and we have to respect that. Got it? All I need you guys to do is encourage her to be stronger. Mentor her around the station. Keep her spirits high. Over time, she will decide whether to stay on her path, or face reality head on.”

All this time, she always thought they were purposely ignoring her....

~*~*~​

She awakens to unfamiliar surroundings. Somehow, she finds herself lying in bed, in a room, in someone’s house. The bed feels like nothing she’s ever felt before. The mattress is extremely comforting, covered by a smooth layer of sheets that kept her warm throughout her rest. She stretches to the four corners of the bed, embracing this level of comfort. Her stiff muscles crack and reel back in slight pain. She hasn’t moved in a while. She yawns, not fully awake yet. Last she remembers she was in the forest and she was soaking wet in the rain. She was inside the house she grew up in, her room to be more specific, but after that, nothing but a blank slate.

It isn’t until she looks around the room that she begins to wonder where she is. The room is a veritable playground for a child: toys, dolls, tiny clothes hanging in the open closet, coloring books and crayons. There’s a small white table and two bright lime chairs next to it. The walls are painted a light, cloudy shade of purple. The room itself is dark. Red and orange lights barely push through the blinds blocking the window. It’s either dusk or dawn, that much she can ascertain. Above her, hanging on the wall, are white letters spelling out a name, possibly the owner of this room. E L L A .

Her stomach rumbles.

“Ven?” A round, fuzzy purple Pokemon buzzes, jumping onto the end of the bed. Its large bug eyes scare April, causing her to kick it away from under the sheets. The Pokemon jumps away, scattering out of the room in panic. Shortly after, footsteps make their way through the door. Someone is coming. Friend? Foe? For a moment, her whole body becomes tense.

First in is the bug Pokemon, running its little legs to one of the lime chairs. A woman pushes the door open, looking directly at the bed. She flips a light on and greets our sleepyhead with a friendly smile.

“I was worried you might never wake up.”

She doesn’t recognize this woman. Long, blonde hair covers a forth of her silky face. Reading glasses cover her green eyes, perky and attentive. Her smile forces cracks in her skin, meaning she is older than her young looks lead her to believe. Early forties, maybe. Average build, about the same height as her, wearing stale colored clothes: gray t-shirt and cotton pants.

She grabs a glass of water sitting on one of the dressers, offering it to April. Hesitantly, she drinks it, unsure of her intent. Who is she? Better question... how did she get here? Wherever here even is. Her stomach rumbles again, gurgling against the water. She holds her stomach with a quiet moan.

The woman takes the glass back. “You must be starving. Wait right here, k?” She takes her leave only to come back minutes later with a freshly cut ham sandwich. Two slices wheat bread, four slices ham, one piece of lettuce, a dab of mayo for extra flavoring, cut diagonally for ease of eating. The speed that she managed to do this in astounds her. She must make them all the time.

April wolfs it down like she hasn’t eaten for days. The woman just stands and waits for her to finish. Her stomach rumbles again, eager for more. The woman smiles before grabbing the empty plate from her. She begins to walk away...

“Wait,” April begins, unsure if what she is about to ask is impolite. “Where am I?”

The woman pauses innocently. “My house, silly.”

Obviously. She wants to roll her eyes at the response but instead asks another question. “And who are you?”

She points to herself. “Me? Why, I am Lorena. And you, you are still hungry, yes? Have to get your energy back before we continue. Still, happy to see you awake. Be back, k?”

Something about her mannerism feels familiar, like a memory she’s wanted to experience again and again. Almost motherly. She takes another look around the room and deduces that Ella must be Lorena’s daughter. Judging by the toys and furniture, she must still be very young. Four, maybe five years of age.

Her head begins to pound the more she tries to remember. She remembers being at her house, but it wasn’t really hers. Well, it was her house, only it wasn’t real. A bunch of ghost Pokemon were there playing tricks on her, pitting her past against herself in order to feed on her emotions. What about this? Maybe this fake too? She recalls... no... wait, yes.... she thinks she tried to fight back but can’t remember what happened after that. Perhaps it wasn’t enough and she failed, and now, here she is, in another possible illusion set up by the ghosts. She wonders if she exits through the door this time, will she end up somewhere else like before. Nothing about this situation feels right. Then again, she’s never been here before, so this can’t be from her memories. What happened.... what was it....?

Her hands. She was too hungry to notice them as she ate. A momentary panic strikes her body. What did she do with her gloves? Why isn’t she wearing them? She throws her hands under the cover, looking around the room for her gloves. She only takes them off for baths and showers and the occasional washing machine run but this is not one of those times. Thinking, thinking... she recalls taking them off... in the forest. Yes... that’s right. She took them off in order to gain the courage to stand up to those ghosts, to show them she wasn’t afraid anymore. She brings her hands out from under the covers and looks at them; a real, solid look at them. With her palms up, she inspects the healed knife marks etched in uneven lines on both hands. She takes a deep breath, clenching them into fists. This is the first step. She has to show the world she isn’t as afraid as she used to be. Through thick and thin, those she’s been around never gave up hope for her, it’s time she shows them what she is capable of doing. She has to gain Control.

A smell lingers through the crack in the not-so-closed doorway. Chicken. Definitely roast chicken and... soup. The scent draws her out of bed. Her bare feet hit the carpet. It’s at this time she realizes the clothes she is wearing: an off-gray pajama top and bottom with red and black wavy lines throughout the outfit. These aren’t hers. She doesn’t even remember putting them on. Her face reddens thinking of the creep that might have changed her. On the bright side, they fit her perfectly.

In front of her is another door. The last time she went through one, she found herself in a never ending nightmare. But, there’s no other option. However, as she makes her way to the door, the fuzzy bug rolls in her way.

“Ven venno.”

“Out of the way.” She threatens to kick it, which isn’t a good idea on this Pokemon. The bug steps out of the way and watches her enter the doorway. She’s safely out of the room with no sign of locational transitions by pesky ghost Pokemon. Good. Still, she remains cautious in these strange surroundings. First stop: bathroom. After who knows how many days here, drinking that water just about burst her bubble.

She washes her hands and takes a look at herself in the mirror. She looks like an absolute, unavoidable disaster zone: dark circles under her eyes, very pale complexion, hair in more knots than twenty pairs of shoes, a VERY noticeable bruise on her shoulder. Painfully, she lifts her injured leg onto the counter. The bandaging had been removed to show a shallow cut on her calf desperately trying to heal. Well, guess she won’t be able to wear shorts for a while. She can’t go anywhere looking like this. At the very least, she has to straighten out her hair.

Moments later, there’s a call from outside. Lorena’s voice is weak, calling from another room further in the house. “Hawk, you want to bring our guest to the table?”

No response, but she can hear quiet steps making their way to her. It passes the bathroom, checking the child’s room, and then reverts back down the hall. *Knock Knock* Slightly frightened at who is out there, she responds, “Y-yes?”

A male voice speaks, heavily raspy and grainy. It’s like he’s talking with gravel stuck in his throat. “Uh, uhm, ahem, dinner is ready....” The man exhales a deep breath of air, as if exhausted from those few words.

The last time she heard that phrase.... no, this can’t still be part of her nightmare. It has to be a coincidence. Unlike the bedroom door, this door is completely closed. ’Stop it April’, she tells herself, trying not to over-think the situation. ’Everything is fine. The nightmare is over.’ She opens the door and sees she is still in the same unfamiliar house as before. She gives a sign of relief but it is short lived.

Down the short hall she finds a skinny man staring at her. He’s one ugly older man, too; balding with very thin strands of brown hair trying to make up for his loss. His face is scared, heavily; like someone put a cheese grater to his cheeks. His cheeks are also losing their youth, seemingly giving him a constant frowning face. He wears a patch over his left eye; his other eye is white missing a lot of its former pigmentation. It stares at her. The eyes, even if there is only one of them, she is able to recognize it anywhere. This... this is the slender man; one half of the duo that killed her parents.

She throws her arms across her chest in defense. Hesitantly, she takes a step... backward. “You...”

“Come.” The man, wearing a simple jacket and pant combo, reaches his arm out as if to grab her, but rather he makes a motion for her to follow him down the hall.

She takes another step.... backward, looking around the hallway for her options. There’s a door on either side of the hall, most likely leading to other rooms. Behind her is the child’s bedroom- a dead end. Her heart races, looking for the safest option to her.

“Please...” He raspily says, stepping toward her. His voice is nothing like she remembers. Seriously, he has to have smoked 50,000 cartons to get this bad.

This isn’t real. This isn’t a memory either, but, it just can’t be real. She doesn’t want to believe it. Real or not, she has to survive. Her body enters the room and she quickly slams the door and sits on the ground, digging her toes into the carpet to hold the door in place.

*Knock Knock*

Pressure from the other side means he is trying to open it. The doorknob rolls back and forth. She screams in a fit of panic, trying to drown out the sound. She won’t let him in. Even though his reactions and tones have not been hostile, she will never, EVER, trust anything this man has to say. This has to be some sort of trick, or a trap. What if... maybe he doesn’t even recognize her.

*Knock Knock*

“Uhm, April, the door... please...” he coughs with a huge sigh afterward.

He knows! His overbearing strength nudges the door open. Realizing she’s no match for him, she screams again and forces herself up. She steps.... backward... again, running to the closet. She doesn’t even try to hold it closed; rather, she throws herself in the corner next to more stuffed animals and children’s books. In a moment of clarity as she finds a spot to get comfortable, she notices odd scribbles on the doorway. On the wall are lines, dates and a name, all written in pencil. Height marks. The last line reads a date only a few weeks old. 3'1". Ella. Age 5.

The door swings open. Without warning, she throws an animal at him but he is quick to react and catches it. Then, she rushes out of the closet, pushing the slender man away, knocking him onto the bed. She wipes a tear from her cheek, heading for the main door. With nowhere left to run, she finally steps... forward... but, that purple bug Pokemon is there again, looking at her with its playful bug eyes. She threatens to kick it again, only this time, it doesn’t move. So she kicks it! Like a pinball, it bounces around the room in a comical fashion. However, upon kicking this Pokemon, dust and pollen are released from its body and scatter into the air, surrounding her. She coughs. She coughs again and again, waving her arms to clear the air.

‘I have to get to safety,’ she says to herself, thinking she has escaped. She coughs again. By the time she gets to the end of the short hallway, her eyelids plummet down her face. She stumbles and leans against the next doorway, feeling her legs weaken like spaghetti. Her eyes start to lose focus. One, two people. No, three blurry people surround her. Their conversation is as disconnected as a bad phone line. Sliding down the side, she collapses into the carpet, unable to move. She coughs a last time. The last thing she thinks about is the smell of chicken and how hungry she is.

~*~*~​

“April, why did you hit that boy?”

The young five year old girl turns her head, pouting, and crosses her arms in defiance.

“You know it’s not nice to hit someone.” Her mother kneels down and forces her daughters head back to look at her.

“He called Daddy a coward. So I hit him.” She turns away again.

Her mother looks up at her father, wondering how to explain this situation to her. “And why would he say that?”

“Cause, that’s what his Daddy told him.”

“That is no reason to hit someone. Words can’t physically hurt you. You’re lucky that boy was about to lose that tooth.”

“He’s a big meanie,” she says with a scowl.

“Honey,” her father starts, also kneeling down to her level. “You can’t hit people, no matter how much you want to. There are mean people in this world and we don’t want you growing up and becoming one of them.” He points to her head. “Saying mean things hurts you here. Doing mean things,” he moves his hand to her heart, "hurts you here. And we want good, healthy hearts in this house.” He smiles and lifts her into the air, tickling her body at the same time.

April giggles uncontrollably. “Dad... hehe.... stop ahahahhehe....”

“That’s my girl. Don’t go hitting anybody else, no matter what they do or say, understand?”

“Kay!”

~*~*~​

The morning daylight shines through the blinds. The smell of breakfast raises her nostrils and pops her eyes wide open. There, on the dresser next to the bed sits a plate of food and a sweating glass of milk. Her stomach rumbles, savoring what she can through her nose. Next to her meal sits that woman, Lorena. Once again, she’s back in the child’s room, which she now considers a make-shift prison meant to keep her here until they decide how to deal with her.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Lorena greets her with a cheerful attitude. “Time to start the day fresh and clean.”

She brings the food to her, breakfast-in-bed style served on a small table: eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, fork, spoon, a napkin, and a knife. She fixates on the dull utensil before stuffing her face with every single morsel. Mmm, delicious!

“My, my, you have a voracious appetite.”

She grips the knife tightly, cutting through the pancakes wildly. As much as the thought of food heals her, she can’t stop thinking about Him somewhere behind that door down the hallway. He is here in this very house- one of the guys that killed her parents.

Lorena watches her finish the last bite and gulp of milk. She picks up the table she had been eating on along with the dishes and starts walking out the door. Upon noticing an incomplete set, she turns and give April a concerned look. “Oh dear, we’re missing some silverware. Can you check under the covers, you might have dropped it.”

It wasn’t dropped.

With renewed energy and a sense of survivability, she holds the knife with both hands in front of her face, pointing it threateningly at the woman. She doesn’t know who this woman is, but if she’s friends with the slender man, she won’t hesitate to harm her as well. Slowly, she slides out of the bed opposite her, still wearing those gray pajamas. Lorena freezes, trying to assess how best to handle an unstable teenager girl.

“Where is he?”

“W-who?”

“You know who? The slender man,” April asks, stepping closer to the door

Lorena moves away from her toward the bed. “Hawk? That’s my husband... April, I know what you’re thinking...” Confidently, she takes a step toward the teen.

“And... how do you know me!? What am I doing here?”

“April, you need to calm... down...”

Her phone. She needs to call the Commander, he will know what to do. “Where’s my stuff?”

“Shhh shh shhhh... it’s okay...”

“TELL ME!!” she yells, gripping the knife so hard that her hands begin to hurt. “Where’s my satchel?”

“It’s in the corner, over there.” She points, watching April’s eyes take the bait. Quickly, she raises the breakfast table horizontally to be used as a shield. The rest of the dishes fall, luckily not breaking apart on the carpet. She rushes the girl, table forward. Caught off guard, April makes a terrible stab at the table, losing grip and having it knocked away from her.

April’s back slams into the door, being pressured by the table. She coughs trying to catch her breath. Fiercely, the woman kicks the knife away from the both of them. Without a weapon, she raises her injured leg and kicks the table, knocking the woman back into one of the dressers. Panicking, she opens the door and runs down the hall. It’s a short hall with only four rooms connecting to it. The end of the hall leads to an open part of the house with the kitchen and television room on the left, and the living room and garage area to the right. The dirty dishes from this morning's breakfast remain in the sink, as if not put in there too long ago. Like most homes, the backdoor leading to the backyard is next to the kitchen. This part of the house is clear and she isn’t being immediately chased. Her shaking hand grips the backdoor, ready to slide it open and break for freedom....

A child giggles.

Running around the yard is a little girl with black hair, wearing a clean white and purple spring dress and a large bow on her waist. She is chasing around a medium sized Pokemon that looks like a smiling yellow sunflower with green legs. This is only one of the many variety of Pokemon hanging out in the yard with her. She recognizes a few Pokemon as ones being owned by the Trainer she had been traveling with, Cage, while the others are as mysterious as this situation. The little purple puffball is running out there as well.

Sitting on one of the lawn chairs is the slender man, watching his little girl enjoy herself chasing and being chased by mysterious Pokemon. His back is turned.... all she has to do is find a new knife, open the door and... but.... she remains inside. Her long time wish to see the killers get what they deserve for what they did... and she hesitates. Of all the times to have a positive dream, why did she choose to remember that one?

“Daddy, come play tag with us!” Ella says, grabbing him by the hand.

Hawk forces himself up. “Ok, ok, I’m up. You better run, honey, before this Ursaring gets you.” He slowly begins to chase, growling like a bear.

What... what is going on?? April steps away from the door. She knows what she has to do but for some reason her body stops her. She’s not threatened in any way and she isn’t being held here against her will. The fear dissipates from her mind and slows her heart rate down to where she can breathe calmly again.

That’s when she spots a third person outside, way in the background of the un-walled yard. His short brown hair has been neatly combed and he sports a new clean shaven face to give him a much younger look. He wears the exact same green coat and ragged pants as Cage did. He hides his eyes with a cool pair of sunglasses. But, it can’t really be him. There’s no reason for him to be here.

Dishes clang in the sink. She is so busy watching outside that she has forgotten about Lorena. The woman turns on the water and proceeds to wash the dishes while watching her family outside, completely brushing off the little fight they just had. “It’s a nice day today. Don’t you love after a bit of rain how beautiful everything looks afterward? There’s not a single dark cloud in sight.” After setting the last dish in the washer, she pours herself the last bit of coffee and proceeds to sit at the table. She motions for April to sit as well, but she chooses to remain standing, weary of any trickery going on.

Defensively, she asks, “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like, I’m drinking coffee.”

“No, not that. I mean, what is all this? Where am I? What am I doing here?”

“Oh dear,” she exclaims, resting her head on her interlaced hands to ponder. “Where are my manners? Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lorena Dockens. If you like, you may call me Lorena. Outside you will see my husband, Hawk, and my little girl, Ella. You are a most welcomed guest in my house, Mrs. April Halliday, and I am more than happy to give you answers to your unanswered questions.”

“I-I don’t... understand.”

“Your friend there showed up a couple nights ago with you in tow. You were both beaten and full of exhaustion. He could barely stand up himself but he insisted that you received treatment first. You were out cold for a whole day before you tried that stunt yesterday. You gave my husband quite the scare...”

’Two days? I’ve never blacked out this long before. I don’t even remember what happened...’

Lorena continues, “We both imagined that one day you might find us but nothing can prepare you for when it actually does. Once we figured out who you were, we knew we couldn’t say anything about it and simply hoped you wouldn’t recognize him. I guess old wounds aren’t easily forgotten.”

April’s eyes begin to water up as she holds up her scarred hands. She raises her voice, “You think I don’t remember what happened that day!”

Having not been there herself on that fateful day, Lorena makes a quick gasp and takes a moment to let it sink in. April lowers her hands, letting her retort, “That kind of pain is not easily forgotten, but don’t think for one second that you were the only one to suffer that day. It doesn’t hold a candle to losing your parents, but we lost our lives as well.” She takes a deep breath, still thinking about her hands. She takes a last sip of her coffee. “My husband never meant to hurt anyway, especially you. Your Dad did something to our organization and chose not to cooperate with us. Believe me, they were only meant to scare him into following orders. No one was supposed to die that day.”

The childish laughter of father and daughter continue in the background.

“Hawk, he- he tried to stop him, the one who fired the shots that killed your parents; the one that cut up your hands. We were all stressed because of our work back then, but he took it the worst. Some days he wouldn’t even talk to us. I only wish when your Dad fought back, he threw him into the mirror instead of my husband. He is practically a zombie now, making more groans than words these days. He can only see out of one eye and he his other eye can barely make out colors.” She slides a finger around the rim of her cup. “Waiting for him to recover was the hardest part. Day in and day out, I worried that he might never get to see me again. All because that bastard got a little blood tipsy.” Her finger stops as she pauses to think.

“LIAR!” April screams even louder, drying her eyes with burning passion. “He hurt us too just the same. I was there; I remember.”

“And as someone who didn’t go through a childhood traumatic experience, I’m telling you exactly what actually happened. My husband never hurt anyone. In fact, after that night, I got into a huge argument with that man about what he had done. To our disbelief and beyond all comprehension, our boss sided with him. From that point on, we knew we couldn’t work with them anymore. We secretly fled here to this small community near Lake of Rage; somewhere far enough away to secure a new life and a new start and to forget all the terrible choices we made.” She looks at her empty cup. “We were all doing so well and with so much to gain, and in one instance, it was sucked up dry,” she says, drifting off as if there is more to the story.

Even if she is telling the truth, what reason does she have to forgive them? They deserve to suffer as much, if not more, than she has. Two lives gone forever is worth more than whatever material gains they lost. April’s burning passion for justice outweighs the woman’s attempt to push the blame elsewhere.

The woman gets up from the table and washes her cup in the sink. “I can’t begin to image what you had to endure all these years or what is going on in your head this very moment. Now that I have a family of my own, I understand how impressionable children are at a young age. Even when the smallest of thorns get stuck in my little girl's finger, she cries as if it were a rusty nail.” She turns to her and bows with her head fully lowered to the ground. “There’s nothing I can do or say to apologize to you for what was done and I fully understand any hatred you have toward us.” She stands tall again. “I’m sure you want to turn us in and we will not prevent you from doing so. That lifestyle was ours to make and we will accept the punishment when it comes.”

Still yelling, “Then turn yourselves in!”

“Make no mistake, young one, we will fight for our freedom and we will defend our family, much like your parents did for you. There was a time we would have gone to the police but not now with our little girl growing up. So help me, I’ll be sure to see her live to maturity and I won’t let you or anyone else take that from me.” She returns to the table and brushes her hair back, even though it falls back across her face. She taps her reading glasses so that they fit more comfortably. “You should sit down, relax...”

“Why am I even talking to you? He should be the one in here apologizing.” The continued noise inside the house garners the attention of those outside. She clenches her fist wanting desperately to hit something.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. He’s as much afraid of you as you are of him. Since your arrival, he’s been drowning in guilt, remembering how he stood by and could do nothing to stop it. Last night, he wanted to make amends with you but you pushed him away. And now, he doesn’t know if he wants to face you again.”

The screen door slides open, letting Ella run through. She tugs on April’s fist. “Yah, you’re up! Wanna come play tag with us?”

Her hand relaxes as she looks at the little girl: all smiles and unafraid to approach a stranger. At this age, she has no concept of life or drama; all she wants to do is play and have fun. She ignores the kid, letting her eyes wander to the other two outside. Hawk quickly looks away as if embarrassed to be seen by her. One of the smiling sunflowers waves at her but she gives it no response. And in the distance is Cage, the Trainer that helped her get here, wearing a neutral reaction on his face. The nerve of him having fun as if nothing happened.

“Sweety, I don’t think April is ready to play just yet. Go outside and see Daddy.”

“Awww. Fine!” Unpleased, she runs back outside and gives her Dad a hug, whispering something to him. She receives a pat on the head as he continues looking away from the house. They convince Venonat and Sunflora to join as a team to take on the untouchable Trainer. The four of them split up and run toward Cage to try and tag him. Distracted by April’s uneasy stare, he’s tackled from all angles and brought to the grassy floor.

“Ah, you got me!” he screams, feigning injury.

“April,” Lorena continues from inside the house, “your stuff is in the living room by the front door.” Upon hearing that, the teen quickly takes her leave. “Wait a minute...”

She passes the kitchen to the living room. On the floor are all the bags and belongings Cage and her had been carrying with them along with some new bags as well. She grabs her light green satchel but as she gets up, something grabs her attention in the front yard. Rows upon rows of flowers line the stone path leading from the house to a dirt path. The flowers, all shapes, sizes and colors, glisten in the sun having been saturated with rain water. And as beautiful aligned and decorated as they are, that is not what catches her eye. At the end of the flower lined path is a familiar red mailbox...

~*~*~​

Weeks before the incident, six year old April watches as her father makes the last hit on the metal pole. With it firmly in place, he sets the novelty Ledyba shaped mailbox on top and makes the final adjustments.

“There. All done. What do you think?”

“I don’t like it.” She sticks out her tongue.

“Oh, and why not?”

“Pidgeot is the mascot for mail.”

“But Ledyba is just as good. They are a sign of good luck and ward away bad thoughts. They may not be the strongest or the fastest Pokemon, but they will never give up just the same. And when someone walks up to our house, they’ll first be greeted by this happy bug smiling in their face.”

“I guess...”

Watching from the front porch, her mother laughs. Her father laughs back. “I worked so hard to make this for us too, but if you don’t like it...” He leans to grab a hammer, pretending to tear it down.

April gasps in amazement. “You made this?” He nods in response. “I’m sorry Daddy, I didn’t know. I think it looks great. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“Haha. Pumpkin, I could never be mad at you. One day, when you’re old enough, you’ll get your very own Pokemon to raise and to take care of. That letter of recommendation will go through the mail and end up in Ledyba’s stomach. Your job is to make sure Ledyba is still standing until that day. If you take real good care of it, it just might become a real Ledyba. How’s that sound?”

“You mean, like Pinocchio?”

He laughs heartily. “Exactly like Pinocchio.”

“Then I’ll work extra hard to keep it safe!”

~*~*~​

Out in front of the house, is the same hand built Ledyba her father made for her. As if to pour salt on her wounds, a few days after her parents died, her house was set on fire, presumably by the same organization. The only thing she had after that moment to claim as her own, were the clothes on her back. That mailbox must have been far enough away to escape the full blaze, only being hit by fallen embers in the wind. She can clearly see ash marks on one of the metallic wings. Even a couple of the white legs appear broken, amatuerly tapped up. To think she would ever see it again, let alone kidnapped by her enemies.

“Ledyba...” she whispers.

Lorena calls out, breaking her concentration. She ignores her and walks down the hall of the single story house, back to Ella’s room. Closing the door behind her, she throws her satchel on the bed and sits next to it, emptying its contents to find her phone.

All her clothes. Pokebelt with four Pokeballs. Notes on Trainer Jack. Detective badge.

*Knock Knock*

“April...”

“Go away!”

She pauses for a bit. “When you’re ready, you can come out. I’d love to talk some more, k?”

April ignores her plea and welcomes the quiet. She finds her phone and scrolls through the numbers until she finds Commander Nickels. All she has to do is press the ‘Call’ button and they will be able to locate her by satellite. They’ll come and rescue her and arrest these two for murder. Her finger hovers above the button but she finds herself in a guilty dilemma about Ella and what would happen to her. Like her, she would lose her parents at a young age and that could scar her for many years to come. Is this- is this what she wants? The guilt of damaging a little girl's life weighs her conscious down with a lot of pressure.

“Why is this so hard?” she gripes.

How much of what Lorena said is true? Are her own nightmares and blackouts just her fear trying to justify her hatred toward them? But, she was there... she remembers.... crying.... running.... the slender man was always in the background... but, what was he doing... anything... Did he try to stop the burly man? It’s not clear. Even with the dark clouds gone, she can’t see through her childish tears... What she thought happened has become a blurred mess. Her heart hurts just thinking about it.

Through her hesitation to call, she notices a wrapped gift and card pushed to the bottom of her bag hidden underneath the gloves she courageously took off. She had completely forgotten that the loveable Captain Johnson had given it to her as a gift from the Commander before she left for this journey. Placing the phone off to the side, she opens the card and reads:

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>​

Private Detective April Halliday,

I hope you find what you are looking for out there. You’ve grown to be a remarkably strong girl and I am very proud of you.
We urge you to never give up. We believe in you and hope to see you return safely. Don’t lose your smile!​

The Blackthorn Police Station​

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>​

Commander Nickel's signature lay directly below that. Surrounding that and all over the inside of the card are the signatures of every single officer from the station, along with a short word or two wishing her the best of luck.

Inside the gift is a small blue flower shaped and designed to look like the rare Sapphire Rose that once awoke the first smile to her face after the death of her parents. It’s not the real rose, just an accessory to be worn. The stitching of the flower is top notch and holds firmly together. The light blue color draws her eyes inward as if hypnotizing her into a good mood. The only thing missing is the irreplaceable scent.

She covers her mouth trying to hold back her wails of joy as tears stream down her cheek. Most days and nights she is used to lying in bed with only her thoughts to keep her company. Usually they betray her and keep her left in darkness, leaving her each day to fight against it and eventually lose. But today is different. The lights have shined on her, providing her with new hope and a new outlook on life. Once again, she is left to her thoughts but they aren’t of the dreadful past, they are of the future and what lies ahead of her. She is surrounded by the signatures of loved ones and sleeping in a house by those that mean her no harm, once again being led by the Sapphire Rose, like a floral scented candle clearing the darkness.

She lies back, chuckling a little while wiping the joyful sorrow away.

~*~*~​

The world passes her by like so many bleak and lifeless afternoons before. From behind the door she is offered lunch, but she refuses to be seen. So she remains in the child’s room, left to brood and recollect her thoughts. At one point, she can hear Cage and Hawk talking down the hall. He tries to convince Cage to go in and talk to her. ‘She needs time to herself,’ he says. Then, dinner time rolls around and she decides she’s ready to come out. Firstly, she has to clean herself up.

At the dinner table, Hawk, Ella and Cage patiently sit themselves as the final preparations are made. Lorena places the huge pot of pasta in the center while steamed vegetables and garlic bread sit on the side.

“Uh, excuse me. May I sit with you guys?”

April steps from around the corner. She’s back into her regular clothes, graciously washed by her hosts: forest green t-shirt and brown capri pants. Her face is flush with pink colors and her eyes beam with a change in attitude. Her sandy hair is the most noticeable change, being untangled and neatly combed. To finish it off, she’s added her new rose accessory up above her right ear to clip some hair back. She doesn’t smile, coming off a bit nervous in her question.

Lorena nods motioning to the empty chair they left available for her. Ella is quick to cheer and happy to have her sit next to her. Hawk looks away, dishing out pasta for himself. Blushing, Cage fidgets with his silverware being caught off guard at her refreshed complexion.

Ten years ago was the last time she ate dinner with her family. While at the orphanage, she had to eat separated from the children so they wouldn’t make fun of her. When the Commander took her in, she was left to cook her own meals since he was always busy with work. Even on those days he was home, they never sat at the table together. Right here, right now, this isn’t exactly what she has in mind for a family dinner. Across from her is Hawk, one of the two guys that was there when her parents died. He didn’t pull the trigger but he is just as guilty as if he did. Sitting next to him on the left at the end of the table is his wife, Lorena. Her motherly charms can’t hide the fact that she knew her husband was doing bad things. To Hawk’s right is Cage, the Trainer that has been helping her get to Mahogany from Blackthorn. He’s been a wildcard from the very start and she doesn’t even know if she can trust him anymore. Next to her is Ella, their little girl at only five years old- the only person clean of all sin.

All together they sit and eat and chat as if nothing has happened past nor present, leaving April to remain quiet. Not quite the ideal family dinner she’s been waiting for and yet, all the elements are there. Each of them is cheerful and positive and poking a little fun at each other, just like she used to experience as a child. Just like she’s been waiting for.

Sometime in mid dinner, Lorena starts a conversation to include her in. “So, April, I hear you’re going to Mahogany Town.”

She glances at Cage, whom has been talking a lot about her without her knowing. “Uh, that’s right.”

“If you’re still there in a couple months we’d love to have you visit us. Every summer the city hosts a gathering to celebrate the seasons and each year we visit for the weekend and open up a booth for the children. There’s games and raffles and Pokemon to play with.”

“Yah, you got to see the Sunflora. Dey’re amazing!”

“Ella, don’t be rude to our guests. Ask her first before you make demands.”

“Huh? Oh, yah! Do you want to see dem?”

She can’t find a reason to say no, even though she has no idea what a Sunflower is. “Sure, I guess.”

“Yah! Yah! Can we go now, Mommy?”

“You know the Sunflora sleep at night. We’ll go tomorrow after breakfast. K?”

“I... sure,” she says, trying to stay positive even though she isn’t sure if she wants to stay around for much longer. The dinner is lovely but the company is less than desirable.

~*~*~​

Dinner ends with bedtime preparations being made. April finds herself outside sitting on the top steps leading from the porch to the yard and staring into the clear night sky. She’s seen the stars twinkle brightly before, but never as clear as tonight. So why does she continue to get this deep feeling in her stomach telling her this is all an illusion?

“Ah, this is where you are hiding,” Cage calmly says, intruding upon her peace. “How you hanging?”

“I’m... fine,” she lies.

“Are you?” he asks, pressuring the question.

“N-no, no, not really. I don’t know what I should be doing anymore. I’m... confused...”

Cage takes a seat next to her. “Let’s start with what we know. You’re going to Mahogany, why?”

“I... I’m looking for someone.” She recalls the reason she had stepped outside Blackthorn City. As a Private Detective, she set out to find a Trainer named Jack, whom had been involved in a recent incident with the Tan Gang. He is wanted for questioning and Mahogany is the only lead not exhausted.

“Good. Now you know where to go and why.”

“It’s just,” she stares at the dark grassy floor, “whether I find him or not... what do I do after that? Do I keep searching or- or do I go back home? How do I wake up tomorrow and continue on as if none of this happened? How do you do it?”

“I get it. You have a lot on your mind and not enough stomach to take it in.”

She gives him a confused look. “What?”

He points his index finger up. “One step at a time. How about we get to Mahogany first and go from there?”

“We? What makes you think I want to travel with you again?” she jabs, finally letting him know what she really thinks of him

“Oh, ouch. If that’s what you think, maybe you’d rather these nice people help you out.”

The very thought sickens her stomach. “I’m going by myself. You’ll just get in my way.”

“Wow, that one actually hurt!” he exclaims jokingly. “If this were any other situation, I would certainly wish you the best of luck and go our separate ways, but I made a promise to Michelle to make sure you got there in one piece and I stick by my promises.”

“What, did you not get enough laughs out of me that you need more? You’re just a selfish, stuck up jerk that thinks he knows everything.” She’s never been this openly emotional before but she has to say it. All these thoughts of hate and disgust have been drowning her from the inside ever since they left Michelle’s Lodge. This journey, this situation and this Trainer have brought her thoughts into words to hurt others in order for her to breathe a little longer. This is all part of her renewed courage to fight back to defend herself and he deserves every word of it.

The Trainer sighs, combing through his hair with his hands to keep himself busy. For a couple minutes, he says nothing in response, only looking out at the dark forested horizon. April tries to ignore him, hoping he would go back inside and leave her alone. Tomorrow, she will leave before breakfast and get as far away from these people as she can.

He begins, “For the past couple months, I’ve been under a lot of stressing for something I did. I’m... not proud of it.” He pauses for another minute or so.

He’s been increasingly distant since his arrival. He’s a good kid with a kind heart, but he has too much on his mind. It’ll be good for the both of you to travel together. From Michelle, Chapter 24.

She watches his eyes wandering the darkness, as if searching for the right words to say. One of his legs shake as he taps the floor with his foot. Perhaps he has a troubling past as well and is suffering from the same fate as her. She wonders if she should press the issue or let it go.

He continues his monologue on his own accord. “All I want to do is go from city to city and earn badges and catch a bunch of Pokemon on the way. You know, like a Trainer is supposed to do. Three weeks I trained at the lodge in order to make my first Tournament a memorable one. I was just so eager to make it before registration closed that I didn’t account for you or your feelings. A couple times I did want to leave you behind and looking back, I’m glad I didn’t. After our encounter with the ghosts, I took a good look at myself in the mirror and realized what kind of person I became.” He pauses shortly in reflection. “That beard sure did look terrible!” he says with a small laugh.

She looks at his honest eyes, gleaming in the moonlight. “You... gave up your spot in the Tournament to tell me this... why? You could have easily made it, right?”

“Tournaments will come and go but the people we meet are once in a lifetime and I can’t sit idly by when someone needs a helping hand and let me tell you, you are about as helpless as a baby trying to change her own diaper. Besides, I’m sure you would get my back if ever the time comes, my only hope is that you aren’t holding a knife to it.”

She relishes at the thought, looking back at the sky. “I guess underneath your snarky exterior, even you have a kind side.”

He joins her in stargazing. “Yea, that’s usually what gets me into trouble.” He nudges April, hinting that she’s the trouble this time.

“Idiot,” she says with a tiny chuckle.

“It’s true, but at the same time it’s exciting. Yesterday I asked myself ‘Would I prefer to have taken a boring walk to Mahogany or do this all again?’ and I have no doubt about choosing the latter. A journey is no fun without the bumps in the road, don’t you agree?”

“I guess. It would be easier without it though.”

“Yea, but without a challenge you won’t improve and get stronger to fight even tougher challenges. That’s what being a Trainer is all about. And even through all we’ve seen and done together these past days, we still have that much more to learn.” He stands up holding one of his Pokeballs in his palm. “For instance, I completely lost the fight against those ghosts. I was outclassed by Pokemon I had never seen before, even though I had more Pokemon. And you know what, that’s okay. We learn, we adapt, we evolve. Which reminds me, do you remember anything from that night with the ghosts?”

“Not really.”

“Hmmm, alright. You still remember Abra?”

She nods. Abra is one of his Pokemon that he used in a lot of the fights they came across.

“Ok, I’ll start when you finally stood up. You even made a speech, and uh, well, I don’t really remember most of it but it was positive enough that it weakened the ghosts draining your energy. It takes a lot of courage to fight an outclassed opponent but you weren’t ready to give up. All my Pokemon were all knocked out; even Cubone couldn’t hold out but it was just long enough for you to get your bearings. Eventually, you sent out your own Pokemon to fight.” He tries to hold back laughter but it bursts out anyway. “I mean, you did send Onix while it was still raining and she gave me one of the most coldest of stares, I almost crapped my pants and thought she would attack me. She ended up recalling herself seeing it was you whom sent her out...” he can see she’s not laughing about it as much as he is. “Uh, I guess you had to have seen it from my point of view. Anways! The point is you had the will to fight and as I was about to recall Abra, he began to glow and evolve before my eyes. And you know what I think caused it?”

“What?”

“It was all because of your positive energy.”

“Abra evolved... because of me..?”

“Yes. In this Pokeball is a new Pokemon with new strengths and new challenges to overcome. He’s still having trouble adjusting to his new body. He’s like a big purple and gold baby learning to walk.” He laughs getting back to the point of the story. “You’ve overcome a huge challenge and I’m coming to understand where I went wrong with mine. I certainly don’t know everything, but I’ve gone through enough experiences to know what to expect and how best to deal with it. Tomorrow starts a new challenge for each of us, so I have to ask you one question: are you ready to face it?”

April has always imagined going off and having an adventure, much like the anime she watches at her apartment, but now that she’s having one, it scares her. So much does she want to become like the noble girl from Eden; to be unafraid of the unknown in front of her, similar to how Cage has been handling these situations. Like he says, life without bumps is a boring ride. After all, part of an adventure is to have a bit of thrill and excitement mixed in and if she wants to survive, she will have to face this journey head on. For the first time in ten years, she’s met someone that knows of her past and wants to openly stick by her side rather than watch her from the sidelines struggling to fight on her own.

She stands up, stretching her arms upward with a big yawn. “One step at a time, Cage. First let’s get to Mahogany Town. Right?”

“Right.” He gives a short smile before heading back inside. He says goodnight and closes the door.

She continues pondering at the night sky. “Not a single cloud in sight...”

~*~*~​

Before the next scene, let’s clear some confusion on the sleeping arrangements. April remains in Ella’s room. Ella is sleeping wither her mother and father in the master bedroom. Cage is on the couch trying not to fall off. None of this has any relevance to the story! Just a curious detail to throw out in the most unprofessional of styles. Moving on....

The next morning, after breakfast. Upon exiting the porch to the backyard, on the side of the house is a standard greenhouse just larger than the child’s room she was sleeping in. Surrounding it are red berry bushes all neatly trimmed and symmetrical to either side. Inside are rows of potted flowers, presumably to be planted once fully grown, and rows of carrots and tomatoes plants. In each of the four corners is a nutrient enriched floor where the Sunflora they own sleep at night.

As soon as they moved to this house, Hawk built the greenhouse as a way to keep himself occupied. He tended to the garden daily and washed everything by can rather than using an automated system. To help maintain his garden to the utmost potential, he caught four Sunflora from the local forest. After the first year, they had produced more Sunkern than they could handle. Thus, they made their first trip to Mahogany to sell them off. In order to entice customers to their booth, he taught the Sunflora a couple dance moves to show off what great presence these Pokemon have on people. The Sunkern were sold off quickly to interested companies and they were set to leave mid-way through the day but something happened that they didn’t account for. The kids and children loved watching and playing with the Sunkern and Hawk loved the smiles they each shared back and forth. So much so, that when they showed up next year, he had perfected a dance routine and gave the kids a show. Each year after that he created a new dance and welcomed the smiles from the children watching them for the first time. The booth became less about selling off their excess Pokemon and more about seeing all the happy faces, both old and young. By the third year, they stopped selling the Sunkern to prospective buyers, and instead gave them away to the needy children.

There’s just something about a Pokemon that can’t stop smiling that puts everyone in a good mood. This is his gift to the world after what he had done to hurt it. Even with all the kids in the world smiling and laughing at his show, it doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t get her to smile. That is why, on this morning, he set up a quick stage to prepare a specially made dance for her. The four Sunflora stand frozen on stage awaiting their cue. A half dozen or so Sunkern hop around, blinking with their wide eyes and remain just as cheerful as their evolutionary form. This little yellow and black striped Pokemon has no legs and no arms, only hopping around to get where it wants. Even at that disadvantage, they still remain in good spirits knowing that one day it, too, will be able to evolve and cheer people up like their parents on stage.

Four lawn chairs are pulled over to the greenhouse for Lorena, Ella, Cage, and April to sit on. One of the Sunkern gladly hops into April’s lap, shouting its name with joy trying to get her to smile. At first she wants to push it away but allows it to stay and watch the show with her. On her left is Lorena and Ella. Little Ella impatiently cheers obviously knowing what they are about to see. Venonat sits in front of her half asleep during this day lit hour but eager to watch with its family. On her right is Cage, wearing his cool shades and already holding a pleasant grin on his face.

She has told them they will be leaving after lunch. Not wanted to hold them here any longer, and grateful they have fully recovered, Lorena understands they have to go, even though she has more she wishes to talk to April about. At the very least, she insists they see the Sunflora in action.

The slender man stands in front of the pretend stage, addressing his family and guests. He coughs nervously, adjusting his eyepatch, and begins with his graveled voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages. I present to you, the Sunflora Stars!” He makes shaky eye contact with April before moving out of the way. He presses the Play button on a small tape recorder and the upbeat music starts.

The Sunflora begin tapping their grassy feet. Left, then right. Right, then left. One by one they raise their leafy arms to touch over their head, posing before leaping in the air in unison like a ballerina. The first Sunflora on the left steps forward and twirls across the stage to the right side, followed by the second and third and forth until they are back in their original positions. The forth Sunflora turns 90 degrees and places its arms forward. The other Sunflora follow on their musical cue, placing their petals on the back of the Sunflora in front of them. They begin to walk and dip down and up with each step, looking like a caterpillar moving its wormy body.

The dance continues for roughly five minutes with each move carefully choreographed to lead into the next move. She can’t believe the level of training this must have taken to accomplish and maintain all to cheer up some kids at a festival. She can’t help but wonder why he would go so far out of his way for next to no gain. But the answer becomes as clear as day when she watches Ella next to her oooing and awwing, practically dancing in her chair. Even her mother is clapping lightly and stepping to the beat.

Cage turns to her, “They’re pretty good.”

Even Hawk is moving to the beat, quietly counting out numbers to help the Sunflora get the right rhythm going. However, she feels nothing for it. Yeah, it’s entertaining but she can’t get this gut feeling out of her stomach .

“Sun...”

“Sunn...”

“Sunnnn...”

Three of the Sunflora faces begin to glow yellow gathering balls of energy from the sun. Each one fires a harmless light at April like a spotlight. The first Sunflora steps toward her and extends a leaf inviting her to the stage. All eyes and grins fall upon her, encouraging her to take it. The Sunkern in her lap nuzzles her and jumps up and down cheerfully. The music stops. She looks at Hawk, whom she can’t tell if he’s smiling or not. He nods his head in the direction of the stage hinting that he wants her to go. Completely embarrassed to have all this attention, she grabs the leaf and is pulled in. The music resumes.

Blushing, she watches the Sunflora circle around her, dancing while moving their arms in wavelike motion. The circle ends when the forth Sunflora makes its way behind her with the rest. The four Sunflora stand on each other's shoulders forming a flower totem. The top Sunflora leans over April’s head, smiling at her upside down.

“Sunflora!”

She chuckles at their ridiculous nature. She turns around to look at them but they are already in motion for their next and final move. Each sunflower stands in a corner, leaving her in the center of their square. While still moving and dancing in place to the music, their full bodies begin to glow in sequence from right to left, top to bottom. Skipping around her in a clockwise position the light transfers from them toward the center, surrounding April in iridescence. The bright light, timed perfectly with the drop in music, vanishes in thin air being replaced with pink petals dancing around her with elegance. Each Sunflora goes back to their corner and light her up in spotlight formation. The air above her explodes with a green aura and proceeds to follow with petals in unison.

April instantly laughs with a smile so large her eyes begin to water. She raises the Sunkern in her arms in the air trying to catch the petals between her fingers. Momentarily forgetting she’s being watched, she starts spinning around, dancing to the music as well. The thought of being engulfed in the wonders of nature and being caressed by the gentle touch of these caring Pokemon has lifted her spirit to an extent that she had only experienced once before. It might not be the Oddish she spent so much time with at the Police Station, but this simple moment reminders her what it truly means to lose herself in an unforgettable and magical moment.

She brings Sunkern back to her level and gives it a huge hug. The little leaf on its head tickles her nose, causing her to giggle gleefully. The Sunflora turn off their floral spotlights and kneel down as the music dramatically ends. The audience of three stand and give their clapping approval, Ella most of all with her roaring cheers. She catches the final petal in the palm of her hand, covering up the scars beneath it. She notices Cage on the side, giving her a thumbs up. Her face flushes red with embarrassment as she continues to enjoy her new found happiness from these wonderful yellow-flowered Pokemon.

And on the side of the stage, Hawk wipes the tears from both his eyes, satisfied in knowing he has pushed away all the guilt left in his heart.

~*~*~​

A joyful lunch ends, signifying that it is finally time for April and Cage to make their leave. Ella, most of all, is sad to see them go since she hardly spent any play time with her. In good spirits, April makes a promise to visit her over the summer at the festival. Satisfied with her answer, she runs around the house to tell her mother.

Having finished packing her belongings, she heads to the front yard. On the way out, she grabs a red tin bucket and socket wrench she found in the garage last night while everyone was asleep. Cage’s Stantler stands at the end of the stone path carrying all the bags of goodies on her back. Directly next to the deer is the Ledyba mailbox. Correction: her Ledyba mailbox. Even after all the nice things they’ve done for her, she continues to carry out the plan she made while cooped up in Ella’s room.

Carefully, she steps over the flowers so as not to crush them, places the bucket down, and proceeds to unscrew the four bolts holding it to the pipe from under its belly. She takes a quick scan at the front of the house to make sure no one was watching. Nervously, she drops the wrench in the dirt before even starting. She grabs it and decides to go for it. She pants and grunts prying the first bolt loose. It drops to the ground and she begins working on the second one. Her palms sweat knowing she has to work fast or get caught. One quick look up and she sees it's still clear.

That’s when Cage steps outside and to his keen observation, he sees April squatting under the mailbox, fidgeting with it. He creeps up to her as she works on the third bolt.

“Whatcha doing?” he says trying to scare her.

She flinches, nearly jerking upward and potentially breaking it. The third bolt flies outward and lands in the lawn. Realizing it’s only Cage, she relaxes a bit. “None of your business.”

Curiously, “So.... I see you are taking their mailbox apart. Any reason why?”

“It’s mine. They have no right to it.”

“Yours?” He pauses, trying to gather his thoughts together. “Wait a minute.... now that you mention it... wasn’t there a Ledyba mailbox in your dream?”

“Look, are you going to help me or just stand there?”

“Oh no, I’ll have no part in this. In fact, I might even tell them.”

The last bolt comes loose and she’s able to lift the red mailbox off and lay it carefully on the ground. Each of the six white legs pops out of their sockets and she places them inside Ledyba’s metallic stomach. She grabs the red bucket and places it upside down on top of the pole so they hopefully don’t realize it’s missing, at least right away. Picking the mailbox back up, she places it on Stantler’s back, hiding it in-between all the bags they’ve collected. She holds up a freshly plucked carrot from the greenhouse, coaxing Stantler further down the path away from the scene of the crime.

“If you say anything about this, I’ll make your life absolutely miserable.”

The Trainer merely laughs. “I kinda like the new you. So feisty!”

“Shut up!”

He holds his hands up. “Easy there. Friendly fire, remember. We’re agreed to be on the same team.” She drags her hand across her mouth, motioning like a zipper. He nods in understanding. “But if you get caught, I get to pretend ignorance.”

And just as she finishes hiding the mailbox, out the door comes Venonat being chased by Ella. Soon after, the rest of the family joins her. Lorena, Hawk, the four Sunflora and a flock of Sunkern scatter around the yard. Cage is quick to thank them for their hospitality and kindness. The parents nod with respect. The Trainer steps back and joins Stantler, waiting for April to say her goodbye.

“I-” April starts but cuts herself off not sure what, if anything, she should say.

“April,” Lorena initiates the conversation by crossing her arms. “You don’t need to say anything, k? We can’t change who we were, we can only change who we become. All this is a product of that ideal. Please, don’t forget it.”

“I understand.” As hard as it is to admit, she must move on from her nightmare. She still wants to make them suffer in the palm of her hands, but now isn’t the right time. At the very least, she will start by rightfully reclaiming Ledyba for her parent's sake.

Cage holds up his phone, talking louder than normal in order to interrupt their conversation. “I wonder if I got any e-MAIL in my inbox today.”

April turns around, clenching her teeth. “Would you be quiet!” She turns back to them, chuckling through her teeth, hoping they don’t catch on to his stupid word play. Luckily, they don’t.

Hawk neither grins nor frowns, fixating his one good eye on her. For the first time since her arrival, he speaks directly to her and without hesitation. “People and Pokemon are meant to live together in harmony. While I can see you have a belt around your waist, I have been told that you don’t actually own any Pokemon for yourself.” Once again, Cage has been talking about her behind her back. He drops to one knee and bows his head, holding a Pokeball toward her. “Please, accept this Sunkern as a gift from me, not just as an apology, but as a constant reminder to live your life to its fullest extent. You’re too young to know how to frown.” He exhales as if that was the most difficult phrase he has said in years.

Lorena smiles with a nod, hoping she accepts this peace offering. Ella, too, is wide-eyed and cheers for her as well. The Sunflora behind them call their name in harmony, all too happy to see one of their babies go to this girl.

Trainer Cage decides to be break this tense moment with yet another joke. “Come on, let’s go. You can send them a thank you letter in the MAIL.”

She grimaces while laughing. That idiot...

Does she accept Sunkern as a gift, and will she get away with stealing the Ledyba mailbox?

??(-o-) Ledyba
??(-o-) Sunkern

Original Post: June 15th, 2015 @ BMG

 

One week turnaround. Let's go. Claiming.

EDIT: Graded and deleted June 18 for SWC; compressing posts to keep them neat and tidy and non-cluttery!

 

Hi. Heads up, I know that you prefer that I delete extraneous claim/“yo I graded this” posts, but since I’m also deleting the grade, I’mma leave the above post up for a while in case anyone tries to claim again or anything silly. I’ll delete in a week or something.

Same drill as last time. Let’s jump right in.

THE BEGINNING STUFF

You open with this strange, quasi-introspective explanation about April’s favorite anime. I think that the opening was strange enough that it worked, although I’m really not sure how it tied in to the rest of the story—you blatantly say that this anime represents her desires to live vicariously as this princess-character and get revenge on those who wronged her, and the entire story really delves into… everything besides that, on so many levels. On the surface, you talk about how April really loves things with magic and dragons and fantasy and things exploding and all of those cool things, but the real plot of this story is a far quieter, far more introspective battle (and even more so when compared to the oogly-boogly, ghosty shenanigans of the previous installment). On a deeper level, you go through so much (somewhat unnecessary, since your characterization of April as a whole shows this pretty sufficiently) explanation that basically says “and this is how and why April dreams of getting revenge on people who have wronged her, so much so that she loves overly-complicated, unrealistic, beautiful narratives of people destroying their demons,” only to completely uproot that and have April quietly walking away at the end of the story. I mean, yes, she steals a mailbox that was supposed to be hers, but the messages here are very discordant.

The thing is, this could actually operate really well. Heavily outlining April’s character at the beginning of the story should, by all means, set her up for a dynamic turnaround as she grows during the rest of the story (and, hey, emphasizing that she loves the fantasy world really ties in well to the fact that most of her memories of her childhood seem unreliable). However, it just kind of falls… flat, I guess? I’m not entirely sure what the only reason is, but I’ve tried to go through and dissect where I think this introduction got a little too confusing and a lot less introduction-y, for lack of a better word.

=Imbalance: Eden vs April
One of the difficult things to juggle in the introduction is balancing all of the pieces—there’s a lot of components that you need to incorporate into very little space, and it’s a bit of a bear to keep them all afloat. Here, the focus for the first handful of paragraphs is mostly on Adventures in Eden, so much so that the bits about April feel shoehorned in (when, in reality, you’d probably want an introduction about April with bits about Eden incorporated in). This exchange becomes even more awkward when the story abruptly returns to focus on April after your summary of Eden is done, because by this point you’ve thoroughly disguised what the point of the introduction is even about.

=Plot Summaries
There’s always difficulty in trying to retell a story inside of another story. It’s messy and it never really works well. When you do it with characters that are in your story, it’s usually a little cleaner, because you can rely on character interactions/dialogue/thoughts and stuff. When you’re trying to recount a different story inside of your actual story, though, things become a lot more muddled. You basically give us a crash course on the entire plot of Eden in the span of a few sentences, and it comes off as pretty cumbersome. I get that there’s a lot to say about this anime, but you start throwing in so many details like the “life was simple but there was drama” or “dragons and magic!” that the entire paragraph reads a bit like a Wikipedia page. This is, I think, mostly due to trying to impart way too much information about the anime at once. You’ve put almost all of the details of an entire narrative arc on the page at once, when really you’ve only got the space for an introduction. This makes the first few paragraphs of your story feel really, really cluttered, because you’re literally telling a complete story here. Focus on the important things, and try to pare stuff down—this is April’s story, after all, not Eden’s.

=Nouns?
Idk, this may have been more of a personal thing, but it was pretty hard to get invested in your plot summary of Eden because there was nothing to relate to. You had “one nation” and “another nation” and “a band of rebels” and the main character, “the noble girl.” But they don’t feel all that real because, as it stands, you really only let them be archetypes. They don’t even get names, just vague nouns that label them as a single entity/plot point and nothing more. What evokes more of an emotional attachment: that one guy with the thing and the magic who went to that place and did some stuff and fought this bad guy, or the tale of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who journeyed to the mystical and beautiful school of Hogwarts and eventually grew up to fight Lord Voldemort? Giving readers a proper noun to latch on to is like giving them a canvas on which to make a painting—you don’t need the canvas to paint, and you can paint anywhere if you’re feeling creative, but it’s a lot easier to get painting if you give them a surface to start on.

=THIS IS WHY THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT
This also files a bit under description, so I won’t linger too long here, but the closing paragraphs about “and this is why April really loves this and a lot of other animes” felt way too heavy-handed to have, especially this early in your story. You go into these dark, ominous lines about how she can never free herself from society, how the noble girl represents her desire to fulfill her dreams, how vengeance is calling to her, and it kind of feels like you’re hitting us on the head with a “and this is why I told you all of this!” stick. There’s a lot of importance in things left unsaid, but you just go ahead and blatantly state it before the reader has any time to draw their own conclusions. You’re basically spoiling the character arc of the story in the fourth paragraph by openly stating it, and that really undercuts a lot of the later work.

In conclusion, I would take a step back and study the first few paragraphs (pages, even?) of this story. There’s clearly a narrative reason behind opening this story with a description of Eden, but I think you’ve lost it somewhere in the massive summary of the actual events of Eden. Reconsider the exact reason why you opened the story the way you did, and try to condense that into a major purpose (To foreshadow April’s future character development? To contrast it? To tell a fun fantasy story? As a hook? Because you actually wanted to write about dragons?). When you’ve done that, go through and cut out the extraneous details that don’t really have anything to do with that purpose. As it stands, you’re trying to do waaaaaaay too much with this introduction, and it kind of starts a path of its own before you snap back to the April-path. There’s time for little details in other places, but your introduction is currently too bloated to maintain all of these little tidbits that you’ve imagined. Focus it down a bit, and you should be able to make a clearer, more condensed intro that actually pacts a pretty solid punch—the framework is definitely there.

Also, you may consider bringing up Eden again in some manner later in the story, rather than throwing all of the information down at the very beginning and never properly returning to it again.

A couple final thoughts here that are far less importance to the functioning of this introduction: it kind of didn’t make sense that April got obsessed with anime, seeing as she seems to have spent most of the past installments running through the forest/getting stuck in caves/fighting her demons? All with no wifi?

Also, I googled Adventures in Eden because it sounded pretty cool. Turns out it’s probably actually a porno. Oops.

THE PLOTTY STUFF

On the whole, I thought this was a really good plot. I liked that this was a bit of a step back from your previous installments—no flashy cave-ins, no traumatic fights with literal manifestation of hidden demons, no climactic Pokémon battles. A lot of this story is about recovery, and I think you demonstrated that really, really well. In addition, the tension generated by having April at Hawk/Lorena’s house is a really great driving force to the story, keeping the plot interesting without sacrificing that introspective struggle that you set up quite well. Like. Really well. The part where April finds out that the guy knocking on her not-bedroom door is the man who murdered her parents is a fantastic mix of suspense and horror, and I think you executed it excellently. The rest of April’s internal struggle—whether she should forgive them or not—is done pretty well, and I especially liked your execution of the ending. You don’t go with the cliché “revenge is bad!” wrap-up, but you also don’t go with the other cliché “never forget!” ending. I liked the idea of April sneaking away, and having her steal the mailbox is a good way of showing that, although she may have moved on, she’s still literally carrying the past with her.

That being said, I’m still not sure what kind of sadistic people would steal a mailbox from a house that they blew up, whose previous owners they murdered, and whose current inheritor is a child they orphaned. Like. C’mon. Get your own mailbox. It sets up nicely for April to steal it, but it seems really, really weird for Hawk/Lorena to be like “wow we just killed our coworker and his wife, and his child is off somewhere sobbing in foster care, but wouldn’t you know it, we just found the cutest darned mailbox and we’re going to take it home!” It makes their whole “we’re actually sorry for killing your family” schtick seem pretty fake—you wouldn’t exactly steal from a girl after you’ve already stolen her parents from her if you really regretted the former.

I’m also a little lost about the “jokes we didn’t really mean for your parents to be dead” subplot. You have a couple of mechanisms running at once to explain this, but I’m not sure if you really fleshed out all of them fully. The first one—that Hawk didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt and the other guy was the bad guy—feels a little like cheating. Also, April’s reaction to this (potential) revelation feels borderline silly, especially when you use this line:

I may be interpreting this wrong, but it comes directly after the paragraph where Lorena says “it wasn’t anyone’s intention to kill your parents, and it was also not Hawk who did it.” And April’s response is literally that, even if Lorena is right and Hawk is completely innocent of involvement here, they should still suffer because April’s parents are dead and this makes her sad. Not only does this make April’s crusade of vengeance seem absurd, given that she’s trying to enact revenge on innocent people, but it also cuts away most sympathy that readers could have to her plight. Before she’s trying to decide if she should hate the people who killed her parents. We can definitely get around that and see a lot of pros and cons there. Now, she’s trying to decide if she should hate the people who really had nothing to do with killing her parents. That seems silly.

The second mechanism—that April is unreliable at recounting events and she’s a wee bit traumatized from, you know, becoming an orphan—is a really interesting premise, and I wish you’d dealt with it a little more fully. The idea is really quite a clever one, but I don’t think you had the proper setup to reap its full benefits. Mostly, this lies in the treatment of April as an unreliable narrator: it’s a little hard to get around the fact that she has a faulty memory if she’s only wrong about this one, very important event when the plot demands it. I think you tried to deal with this in one of her earlier flashbacks—specifically, when Commander Nickels tells his police buddies to leave her alone (which April originally thinks of as him being cruel, although she later remembers that he was actually giving her space to fight her own battles). This was a pretty clever way of trying to foreshadow April’s memory as faulty, but I think there was one major flaw: April actively remembers the real memory and corrects herself to the true version of events, and acknowledgement that she never has with the Hawk/Lorena subplot. Even after she’s proven to herself that she doesn’t always remember the full story, the fact that she could be wrong never occurs to her (which, frankly, seems unrealistic).

A lot of this could also lie in the fact that the Commander Nickels incident is holding up all of the weight that April’s childhood memories could be skewed. It’s the only incident in which it’s universally acknowledged that April doesn’t always recall the full series of events (or the other incidents were really, really well-hidden or I’m dumb, in which case oops). As a result, weighing the validity of her opinion with the “these robbers broke into my house and cut up my hands real bad” becomes quite difficult when her track record for lying isn’t all that bad.

This may also be mildly compounded by the fact that the last installment was all an elaborate retelling of April’s memories of having her parents murdered in front of her.

Also, I can’t possibly imagine why Hawk thought it would be a good idea to try to break into the room of a girl whose parents he murdered (or whose parents’ murder he was present for, at the very least). The knocking part, I get, but the slamming her door open even after she tries to run away from him part seems pretty plot-driven and/or unrealistic. What motivation does Hawk really have for doing this? Is he really so incredibly invested in giving April dinner at that very moment that he/Lorena can’t pause, explain what actually happened, and not have her get knocked out by Venonat spores? The suspense is pretty good, and the idea of April frantically trying to shut this bedroom door against the guy who (she thinks) murdered her parents is a great idea for a scene, but I don’t think it functions very well because it’s simply not realistic. If you’ve got to sacrifice realism to add more tension, I would strongly advise that you find a better way to add tension—in this case, your situation alone is already a gold mine for some drama/suspense. April is sitting down to dinner with some very friendly people who also murdered her parents. They’re trying to tell her they didn’t do it, and she thinks they’re lying. This stuff is tension gold right here; there’s no need to pad it with Hawk and Lorena being inconsiderate or silly when it comes to breaking into her room, especially when they don’t do anything else nearly so odd in the rest of the story.

Speaking of which, I think the dinner scene was doubly ominous and was a nice counterpart to the dinner scene in your previous installment—this time, the nightmare is real, and it’s worse. Rather than a dinner that seems safe but is secretly ominous, this is a meal that seems ominous but is secretly safe. Great twist! I thought most of the dinner scene was really well-executed, especially when taken into context with the rest of your narrative arc.

I can’t quote the whole thing, but having Cage retell the climax of the last chapter was also a little weird—by this point, we were so heavily emotionally invested in the events of this installment that the callback to the previous installment didn’t really feel necessary—rather, it distracted from all of the things you were trying to accomplish this chapter. Kind of felt like an obligatory “oh btw this plot thread that you forgot about here it is okay now it’s gone again.” I understand that you’d want to have emotional closure on that particular arc, but I don’t think it integrated very fully into this chapter. I’d suggest a few options, one of which you’re probably not okay with and the other one you hopefully are. Firstly, URPG stories don’t have to end at grader discretion anymore—we ended up overhauling the rule of “you can’t say you captured a Pokémon in the story itself”/“it’s gotta end with a Pokéball wiggling” for several reasons, one of which was that this forced multiple-chapter works to really, really mess around with their storylines, like you had to here. Having April fight and conquer her ghost-demons in the chapter dedicated to her fighting/conquering her ghost-demons makes a lot more sense than forcing you to leave that thread hanging, only to resurrect it in a later installment that has completely different themes. Also, it closes the narrative arc a lot more neatly. If this isn’t your schtick, though, I would possibly suggest retelling the story as a flashback—I normally wouldn’t suggest this, but flashbacks are already so well-integrated into your story that it wouldn’t particularly feel out of place. However, having Cage just telling this stuff like it’s another day in the park (even as April is clearly well beyond the forest battle and is currently dealing with a whole new host of issues) seems pretty blasé, and frankly a disrespect to all of the suspense you built up in your previous installment.

The emotional climax, which largely revolved around April dancing with the Sunflora, coming out of her shell, and largely acknowledging her past and facing her future, was pretty nice. It felt a little contrived and sudden—I was reading, and reading, and suddenly Sunflora ballet and spotlights and what even but I guess it’s cute?—and definitely could’ve used some of the love that you gave to the previous parts, like the “yar, someone’s breaking into my room” section. As a way of demonstrating April’s emotional recovery, though, it’s pretty solid, and it’s actually quite cute to see this stunted little kid coming out of her shell, especially after the last few installments have been so undeniably awful to her.

In conclusion, I think your plot was easily the strongest part of your story, which is something I don’t get to say very often about a lot of the things I read. It was really quite refreshing to deal with the quieter struggles, and I think you were able to adequately encompass the growth of April as a person without infringing on the entertainment value of the plot, which is also something I don’t get to say very often after reading fanfic. The scary scenes were scary; the cute scenes were cute. The whole plot fit together pretty coherently, and while there were a few questionable parts, I don’t think they were game-changing in the end. Excellent work here.

Super tiny, but I thought from last chapter that Abra was a girl. Checked my copy of the grade and that seemed to be the case. Not sure.

THE PRETTY STUFF

While I really enjoyed your plot, I do think that the execution fell through in a few places, especially in the narrative description. There’s still a lot of telling of what’s going on in this work, and I figured I’d flag a few of the most blatant examples and discuss why showing would lead to a much, much more effective story.

Here, I think you end up telling just a tiny bit too much of why Eden means so much to April, when in reality you could’ve done so by fleshing out the nuances of Eden a bit more clearly. The confusing bit here is that it’s pretty hard to see the real link between April and the noble girl—April has no nobility to abandon and she’s not really struggling for peace right now, no matter what the above paragraph says. What you tell us here and what you actually show us in the story are quite different: April’s an orphan raised by a detective and she’s currently wandering around Johto (not nobility), and outside of conflicts that are typically contained within each installment of your story, there’s no real struggle for peace I can see. If anything, she actually wants the exact opposite: she wants her revenge on the people who killed her family, which isn’t so much peace as it is closure. The only real similarity here is the “adventure of a lifetime” bit, which is present in basically all stories anyway, so it doesn’t do too well at holding up the premise that April likes this noble girl because they’re so similar.

(Also, the next paragraph, wherein you describe that society won’t let April act on these fantasies, also seems pretty contradictory because a) you show her doing a ton of anti-social things throughout the story with no consequences, b) society hasn’t done anything to stop her in this installment or any others, and c) April’s basically been wandering alone with some help from Cage, which points back to the first and second explanations. Again, the big idea that you’re trying to tell us actively contradicts what’s going on in the story, which makes it plain odd to read—almost as if you wrote this sentence for a different story and then tried to put it in this plot.)

Like I mentioned before, I really, really enjoyed your dinner scene, but I wasn’t a huge fan of this paragraph. There was so much hidden tension, and I enjoyed a lot of it most of all because no one mentioned it—kind of how the monster under your bed is the scariest when you can’t see it. Up until this point, I like how you didn’t acknowledge how messed up this dinner actually is (I’m just chilling and having pasta with the guys who orphaned me; don’t mind me!). It felt a lot like the current mood at the table: literally no one wants to bring up this emotional baggage, because, yeah, I’m just chilling and having pasta with the guys who orphaned me/the girl I orphaned/this random person I met in a cave. It’s kind of like those awkward silences in a sitcom—literally no one wants to break them. But when you do break this silence, you do so in excruciating detail, filing down every possible motive for everyone at the table (even the tiny child!) to a single sentence and basically undercutting a lot of the tension you’d done such a good job of creating.

I’ll close off with this:

This was a really, really great scene. The green explosions, the rejuvenation, all of that was so fitting to your story and its development and I thought it was great. This last line, though—the first half is awesome. It encompasses everything you really needed in Hawk’s character arc in a handful of words, and I think that’s fantastic. Yeah, he’s crying, but it’s kind of a bittersweet thing—he’s made the girl happy, so he can finally stop feeling like a terribly person for having a questionable amount of involvement in killing her parents. It’s great. It’s subtle. I can read all of that from these words alone, and if you’d left it at that, I would’ve been completely satisfied. The second half, though:

This goes ahead and lays out all those unspoken things on the page, and it really makes them seem less emotionally powerful. It’s a little bit of a shame, too, because the first half of this sentence was just so darn well done, and it certainly didn’t need this second bit to have any sort of emotional punch.

I dunno. This rehashing/retelling thing tends to come up a lot in fanfic, and I’ve read enough of your work now to see that it comes up especially a lot in your fanfic, so this may just be a stylistic difference. I want to say, however, that you should have confidence in your own writing to stand on its own without you having to go back and restate all of themes in giant chunks of text. The paragraphs I quoted here in particular essentially tell things that the reader can already infer because you’ve done a pretty good job of showing them already—almost as if you don’t think that your description alone is strong enough to convey what you want it to. Have confidence, man—in most cases, you honestly don’t need these little recap paragraphs to get the point across.

THE MECHANICAL AND THE NUMERICAL STUFF

You have a couple of tense issues (mostly random switches between past and present, mostly present in the first few paragraphs) that seem to be the result of awkward editing, but a lot of the typos you had in your previous installment aren’t here. That’s great, the proofreading shows, and I’m just stating this so that you know that readers really appreciate when you take the time to do another editing run. Good things!

Kind of a small thing, but you like to use ellipses (the “…” thing when your characters trail off in their dialogue) quite frequently. I wanted to point out that ellipses are strictly three dots, and you sometimes use four , which is kind of like having an ellipses and a period together—which you don’t actually need, because ellipses are a part of punctuation as well. Having both would be like having a period and a comma at the same time, which isn’t really right,.

(^see)

I discussed your onomatopoeia in the last grade, as well as my feelings on it, and if you want to keep it in your style so strongly, I don’t really see any justification to keep ragging you on it. I do, however, still think that “he knocked” sounds and looks a lot more professional than “*knock knock*”.

Anyway, mechanically this is pretty solid. I still appreciate the proofreading efforts, and I’m also glad that you addressed some of the comma/dialogue issues that I brought up in the last grade (although a couple slipped through the cracks). Also, I really enjoyed how you gave your characters distinctive dialogue quirks, like Lorena’s “kay” and Hawk’s “voice of smoking ten thousand packs of cigarettes.” They really helped make the characters seem vivid and realistic, which is awesome.

Numerically, your story is just fine. Many, many times more than the suggested length for a capture of Medium/Simple rank. In terms of qualitative pacing, I think your story is fine as well. The introduction felt a little claustrophobic (discussed in its own section), but otherwise, your storytelling feels pretty natural and things flow along at a proper rate. This is great.

THE FINAL STUFF

I really enjoyed this story. As much as you claim to ignore long grades, it seemed like you took some of the things I said to heart, which I really appreciate (and even if you didn’t, I’m still complimenting you for a marked improvement between the last installment and this one; also, if you didn’t read the last grade, then this parenthetical edit means very little because you aren’t reading this one, either, lol).

Your grasp of storytelling here feels much stronger, and I still think your plot was very strong, even if the description didn’t always back it up. Your character arcs felt real, your tension felt compelling but not melodramatic, and your overall narrative was generally powerful. Also, the positive ending (even after all of the dark stuff that you wrote in the previous chapter) is very effective, and it doesn’t feel shoehorned in. The happiness feels genuine, and I feel a genuine investment in the hope that they continue to feel happy. This is awesome.

The one thing I would really rag you on is your focus in writing—a lot of the things feel a little haphazard, like you could use some more editing (not strictly of the proofreading variety). In instances such as your introduction, it feels like you put down a lot of ideas on the page and didn’t refine them very effectively into a solid intro, and a lot of the show/not telling instances I mentioned felt like you were just mindlessly retelling things in order to move on to the next paragraph. A good writer once told me that you should write your story, put it down for a day, and then come back and try to cut out roughly a third of it. I wouldn’t often give this advice to most writers, but I think for you and me, this might actually work pretty well. Don’t feel the need to repeat the song over and over again—rather, consider each sentence carefully and judge whether or not it contributes to the functioning of the story as a whole. If not, you might consider cutting, moving, or combining it elsewhere.

Anyway. This is more than enough for the capture you were attempting. Your plot was really solid, and it was only the lack of focus in some instances that brought you down a bit—but far from enough to make you fail. Sunkern and Ledyba captured, for sure, although I guess this means I’m condoning people constantly stealing this poor mailbox.

As always, feel free to approach me if there’s anything unclear in this grade.