Despite having lived in Saffron for many years, Reiko could barely believe the sheer size of the city they were flying over.
Below, Jubilife stretched for miles in all directions, like a dark grey carpet that had come to rest on top of the land. The light of the moon had a hard time breaking through the smog floating above the buildings; not that it would have done any good, as half the city was lit up like an Ampharos' tail despite night having arrived hours ago. Cars and people flooded the streets, seemingly not realizing what time it was. Reiko looked up from Knives' back, and felt a chill as she couldn't to see a single star in the sky.
How can people live like this? She thought, horrified. They're like Durant in a nest…
Not like she had time to ponder much about those things. Under her command, Knives veered down and slowed his flight as they approached the dot marked on the map of her Poketch. The echoing booms of music and screaming reached her as they flew in between the skyscrapers, approaching a run-down part of town. About thirty percent of the houses and buildings were abandoned, their windows shattered and dim light gleaming behind them, probably from someone's makeshift bonfire. The streets were cracked in some places and there was nary a soul to be seen around.
Reiko smiled as they landed. Now this, she was more familiar with.
From the pocket of her jeans she grabbed both Knives' pokeball and a snack for him to munch on before returning him back to it. Then, a few seconds after, a strong gust of wind fell over the street. Palmer and his Salamence landed a few feet from her, sending out clouds of dust and smoke everywhere.
"Hide that fucking thing, will you?" she hushed angrily. Palmer made a sour face and returned his Pokemon to his ball. "You're supposed to be the incognito part of this mission or whatever. They can't know you're in here."
"I can't be the only person with a Salamence in all of Sinnoh," he replied. "Not many people around, either. Though the club sounds full, at least."
"Let's hope no one recognizes you with all the lights and music going on," she whispered. "Come on, should be around this corner."
As inane as any statement could be, considering the way the ground reverberated with the volume of the music, accompanied by occasional flashes of multi-colored lights trying to escape the place. The building itself wasn't as big or as ornate as Reiko had expected. Little more than two steel warehouses stuck together under a bridge connecting the two halves of the city; the street under them vanished into a sea of blackened soil and grass, and the ground was littered with empty beer bottles. A handful of bouncers wearing black were sprinkled around the perimeter of the club, and at the very top, close to the ceiling, a gigantic sign shone like a miniature sun, if the sun changed spastically in color every second.
"Rosita Storm," she whispered under her breath. "Feel like I've heard the name before…"
"Can't say I've been around these sorta places much." Palmer walked with his hands in his pockets, trying to appear calmer than he was. She sensed hesitation in his voice. "It's probably best if we stick to what Cynthia said and try to recruit this Nox as diplomatically as we can."
She shot him a nasty glare. "I don't need you to tell me what to do. I'll take care of this."
"Reiko, I'm just saying…"
"I'll talk to Nox." She cut him off, almost snarling her words. "You stay back and cover me, if you can even do that. And if things go south, we just release our Pokemon and make a way out for ourselves." She took a deep breath, shaking her head. "Not our fault if we screw this up. What the hell was Cynthia thinking, sending me on a mission like this?"
To that, it seemed, Palmer had no answer. He didn't say anything else as they approached the entrance of the club. Wisps of artificial smoke obscured the inside and gave shape to the beams of colored light that flashed from within, matching the rhythm of the electronic music.
One of the bouncers raised a hand once they were a stone-throw away from the entrance. He was tall and imposing, with a bald head and a jaw like a shovel.
"Yeah, yeah, we know." Reiko interrupted him before he could say anything. "How much to get in?"
For a moment the man seemed annoyed that he had been interrupted, but as he heard her speak his eyes went slightly wider and a smile stretched across his lips. He let out a deep laugh.
"Ah… new around here, no?" He spoke with a deep, almost intelligible accent. "Don't worry, lady. No payment to enter here."
Reiko and Palmer exchanged a look, and for the first time she was too stunned to be angry at the man. What kind of club didn't charge money to enter? How the hell did they make any profit, then?
Maybe that's why the place looks like shit, she thought.
"Well… that's great, then," Palmer finally said, clapping his hands with a smile. "Here, let's…"
He took a step toward the entrance but, as it had happened before, the bouncer raised a hand toward them, his expression turning darker.
"No pokeballs inside," he said. "You leave them with me."
There was a short pause. Reiko blinked, looked at Palmer and then back at the bouncer. "I… what?"
The man gestured with his eyes to his right. There, on top of a dingy steel table, rested a few boxes full of belts, each one containing from one to six pokeballs. Three of them were full, with only one half-way filled.
"Boss' orders. You bring anything you want inside… but no pokeballs." He lifted his chin, frowning. "Got it?"
"I don't think so," Palmer replied immediately, his brow furrowing.
"Yeah, there's no way I'm leaving any of my partners here with you," said Reiko. "How do I know I'll get them back? You could just steal them for all I know."
The man shrugged, his expression that of someone who had heard those words many times before.
"That's rules. You give me the pokeballs, I give you a voucher with number in it so you can get them back later," he explained. "Don't like it? Then scram. Line's forming behind you."
Reiko looked over her shoulder; a group of four young people -probably underage- stood behind them, impatiently tapping their feet and taking drags of their cigarettes.
She exchanged another look with Palmer, his expression mirroring hers, and pursed her lips. This was a bad idea. No, scratch that; she had bad ideas every single day and acted on them with wild abandon. This… was a terrible fucking idea.
And yet… it didn't look as though they had any other choice. Sighing, Reiko unclasped the trainer belt from around her waist and handed it over to the bouncer. Fire formed in her stomach as soon as it slid from her fingers, but she contained her rage, if barely. Palmer followed her example, looking not much happier than she was.
"Good." The man handed a small voucher to each of them. "You can go inside now."
They did, though not before stealing one last, almost desperate glance at their pokeballs now resting atop a pile of their peers, as if they were worthless garbage. Reiko felt her clasped hands start to shake, and had to breathe in deep to calm herself. The hallway leading to the inside of the club was barely wide enough to accommodate both of them as they walked.
"He took our pokeballs, but didn't even flinch at that sword on your back," said Palmer, his voice barely audible over the music.
"It wouldn't make a difference," she replied. "Even if I had a real sword or a gun or anything, that still doesn't even compare with the kind of trouble you could cause with a single Pokemon."
"I guess you're right," Palmer sighed. "Doesn't leave us in a great spot if things go badly, though."
She couldn't argue with him there. Now they had nothing to defend themselves with if Nox and his posse happened to have their Pokemon with them which, knowing how these guys worked, was very likely. It seemed diplomacy really was the only option on the table right now.
Reiko rubbed her eyelids, tired. "Look, change of plans. Stay around while I go talk to Nox. If things go south, make a distraction and I'll come get you. We can get out with the runestone Cynthia gave me if push comes to shove."
"What… kind of distraction?"
"Punch someone. Topple a table. Break a bottle over a bouncer's head." She shrugged. "Whatever helps get eyes on you. Improvise." She frowned. "I'll do the same."
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The inside was about as chaotic as Palmer had expected, considering what he'd seen and heard from the outside. A sea of people flooded the dance floor as the lights flickered on and off with the rhythm of the music, the only thing visible in the darkness being the fluorescent bracelets and necklaces most of them wore. About half the dancers had some drink on their hands, and about half of those didn't look old enough to be drinking them.
Kids these days...
He looked around as they walked, keeping his eyes open for anything that could lead them to Nox. A long counter was set up against the south wall, behind which a group of three teenagers with skimpy outfits and bright-colored hair served drinks to customers with a bored look on their faces. The bathrooms were on the opposite side, and not too far from them was a hatch leading down a flight of stairs. Two bouncers stood on each side, arms crossed.
"Look. Up there."
He pointed up, and Reiko followed with her gaze reluctantly. There seemed to be a second floor to the club; a balcony of sorts. Not many people up there, and those who were seemed preoccupied with things other than dancing. Three or four bouncers, a few men smoking expensive cigars and…
Reiko's eyebrows formed a bridge over her nose. A lonely, round table rested in the middle of the balcony, behind which sat a single person, surrounded by guards. They couldn't see his face from where they were, but they didn't need to.
There you are.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"I see him!" she shouted. "I'll go up, you stay here and see if shit goes wrong!"
"Wait, wait!" Palmer reached toward her with his hand, but recoiled it as soon as he realized what he was doing. "What… do I do in the meantime?"
"Fucking… dance, or something!" She flared her nostrils at him, shaking her head. "What kind of question is that!?"
"I'm… not a great dancer."
"Then go get a drink! Improvise, for fuck's sake!"
She didn't give him a chance to say anything else; her red hair made a whip behind her as she turned around and headed directly for the stairs. Palmer could do little but sigh. There she went, walking past two confused bouncers and directly toward what he assumed was Nox' table.
If this place isn't set on fire by the time we leave, it'll be a miracle, he thought. Maybe I do need a drink…
The booms of electronic music drilled into his eardrums as he made his way to the counter. Dear Mew, was this what kids listened to nowadays? Then again, it's not like he'd ever been in touch with modern music even when he was a teenager. His kinds of adventures tended to involve more reckless stuff like throwing himself off cliffs and climbing volcanoes, not night clubbing.
Maybe I'm just getting old, he thought as he took a seat in front of the counter of the bar. It's gotten so hard to keep up with the youngsters of today.
"…do you want?"
He perked up, blinking, and found one of the girls waiting in front of him, chewing her bubblegum in what could only be described as an impatient manner.
"Oh, sorry. What did you say?"
The girl rolled her eyes, adorned by dark bags. "Asked you what you wanna drink, pops."
P-Pops? He felt his spirits sink. I'm not… I'm not that old, am I?
"Well… what do you have?" he asked, forming a polite smile.
"...you for real? I just gave you the fucking menu, dude."
Startled, Palmer looked down and indeed found a square piece of paper resting in front of him, listing off a few drinks and their prices.
"Ah… sorry. Let me take a look."
"Sure, whatever."
The more he read of the list, the less idea he had of what they served at this bar. All the drinks had weird, nonsensical names like The Hyperbeam or The Molten Camerupt, and not a single one detailed what it was made with, nor how much alcohol there was in it. There was only price and name, which he found to be an... interesting business decision.
Well… he was thirsty, and he had to make a decision at some point. He called over the waitress –who in the meantime had been attending someone wearing an oversized black overcoat, their face hidden in shadows– and grabbed some money from his wallet.
"Finally decided?" The waitress' voice strained as she spoke, impatience clear in her tone.
"Uh, yeah, is there… anything in this menu that's under eighty proof?" asked Palmer "Or at least not that intoxicating?"
She stared at him, one eyebrow raised and her hands frozen where they previously were cleaning a glass to pour a drink into. A dry laugh escaped her lips.
"Sure, I think we have some sparkling water in our geriatric menu. Comes with a free bowl of oatmeal porridge and a suppository for me to shove up your arse. How's that sound?"
Not bad except for the last part, Palmer thought, sighing.
Feeling himself age a hundred years, Palmer let his shoulders fall and resigned himself to the fact that this night would simply not take it easy on him. Not surprising, really. And he was still thirsty.
"…I'll take a Hyperbeam."
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Fake it 'til you make it had always sounded like such a pessimistic phrase to Reiko. Why wait? Why pretend? Why not simply assume you had already made it and expect reality to fall in line behind that assumption?
So, as she walked past a bunch of dumbfounded bouncers and sat across Nox –the entirety of the upper floor focusing its attention on her– she decided to go with a slightly more optimistic motto.
Fake it while you make it, she thought. She reached forward and grabbed a slice of pizza from the table. A group of five bouncers began closing in around her. She paid no mind to them and leaned back on her chair, resting her legs on top of the table while she chewed a mouthful of pizza, eyes set on her target.
"Well, hello there. Do I know you?"
Nox' appearance was different than she had expected, though also not entirely surprising. He couldn't have been older than her; short and skinny with blonde hair down to his shoulders and eyes a green so bright they could have passed for neon. His clothes were worn but in a 'made specifically to look rough and dingy, yet probably costs more than anything most people could afford' sort of way.
It took Reiko only a second to decide she didn't like him. Which made this a bit more difficult, as she was supposed to be diplomatic hee.
"Nox, right? I'm guessing you already know who sent me here." She swallowed and licked her lips. "Mmm…fish and blue cheese; nice."
Every single person in the upper floor had their eyes on her. She did her best to show outwardly that she didn't notice it, even as one of the bouncers raised his hand toward her, eyes narrowed and expression full of danger.
Nox raised a hand, and the man stopped. A thin, cut-like smile stretched across his pale face.
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. Still, I won't complain if a beautiful woman wants to spend time with me." He tilted his head to the side, smiling as he said that. His voice was smooth and sweet, with an underlying touch of threat under it, like honey mixed with poison. "I say, is this a public event now? Am I not allowed some privacy while dining with a lady?"
Immediately, both the bouncers and the rest of the people staring at them turned around in a panic, starting conversation amongst themselves and pretending not to be eavesdropping. Reiko smiled; that would make this much easier.
"Please, feel free to take as much as you want," said Nox, gesturing toward the pizza. "It's not often I get interesting visitors, so I'd like to treat you to my full hospitality. This place can be so very boring, you know."
Annoying, cocky and ignorant, Reiko listed off in her head. He probably inherited the business from a family member; there's no way a guy like this could've built up a black market by himself.
"Are you sure about that offer?" she asked, leaning back on her chair. "I could eat a beanpole like you under the table, three times over."
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one of the bouncers holding back laughter with his back turned toward them. So they were listening. And they didn't seem to like their boss much. Interesting information.
Nox stifled a giggle. "I'm sure you would, but it doesn't bother me. I find appetite to be an… alluring attribute in a woman."
Let's add creep to the list, while we're at it.
"Sorry, but right now I'm more interested in the food than you," she said. "Speaking of which, I'm getting thirsty. You got any good beer in this club of yours?"
"Naturally. Should I assume you prefer blonde? Um…"
She let out a chuckle. "Funny. But no, dark ale is just fine." She took another bite. "And it's Reiko. A pleasure, I know."
Nox gestured at one of the waitresses nearby, who after a few seconds came to the table with a jar of dark beer filled to the top. Reiko licked her lips as she emptied a third of it in a single swing.
At the other side of the table, Nox, raised an eyebrow.
"So… Reiko. Your company is lovely, but I can't help but wonder what you're doing here." His tone turned slightly heavier, the green of his eyes almost gleaming in the darkness of the room. "Places like these… they can be dangerous, if you don't know what you're dealing with."
Subtlety wasn't Nox forte, it seemed. Reiko tried her best not to look bored by his pathetic attempt at intimidation while answering.
"Champion Cynthia sent me," she said. "She knows you've been selling supplies to Team Galactic, and wanted me to negotiate some terms with you."
Nox' glass stopped halfway toward his mouth. He lowered it, raising an eyebrow, and formed a nervous smile.
"And by negotiate you mean…"
"I was told to try a diplomatic approach," she replied. "But… who knows. Night's still young, right?"
To that, Nox raised his glass and nodded, taking a small sip from it afterwards. What the hell was in it, anyway? It was clear and transparent like water, but it didn't look like vodka.
"On that, we can agree." He smiled. "So you're one of Cynthia's puppets, eh? Gotta say, I expected her to send someone long before now; I guess the social pressure is finally putting a dent on her."
"Keep me outta your boring Sinnohan politics, I've got no idea what you're talking about," she said. "I'm just here as a messenger. Cynthia's offering you a lot of money if you just switch to her side and spill the beans on where Team Galactic's base is. More than they could ever pay you, I'm sure."
Nox didn't reply for a few seconds, too busy moving his glass around, the single ice cube inside sloshing around as he stared at it. His brow was slightly furrowed.
"And why would I ever do that?" he asked. "It would set a bad precedent if I started betraying my clients. Snitches gets stitches, as they say."
"You know who also gets stitches? Idiots who don't listen when the most powerful trainer in the region tells them what's good for them." She leaned forward a bit, staring straight at him. "Do you really think you and your friends can go up against Cynthia if she comes after you?"
Nox tilted his head to the side, pensive. His golden earring shone against the multitude of colored lights flooding the club.
"I doubt all eight Gym Leaders and the Elite Four could go up against Cynthia… so no, the answer to that question is no." He laughed. "But I seriously doubt she would risk her public image any further by attacking us… so either she's gone off the deep end, which I knew would happen eventually, or… you're bluffing." His lips formed a long smile. "For the sake of sleeping better at night, I'll assume it's the latter."
Motherfucker. So he wasn't as dimwitted as he looked. Reiko shrugged and took a gulp from her jar, pretending not to be surprised.
"I didn't think I'd need to go that far. I thought the promise of the money would be enough to convince you."
"That's where most people get it wong, in assuming I only care about the money." Nox moved a strand of hair from his face, crossing his legs and smiling as he did so. "No, dear, I'm really not interested in Cynthia's offer. To be honest I already have all the money I could ever want."
Not surprising. And not helpful either, Reiko realized as she noticed the shift in the conversation. Judging by Nox' expression, he was losing interest in her. And if she didn't give him what he wanted, she would probably not like the way in which she'd exit the club.
"There's gotta be something you want," she said. "Might not be money, but you wouldn't be in this business if there weren't something. What does Team Galactic offer you?"
Nox smiled a terrible smile, and shrugged. "Entertainment."
Reiko was taken aback. "En…tertainment?"
"Naturally. They're pretty interesting folk; I accepted the offer to help them because I thought it'd be fun to see how far they went," said Nox. "And I gotta admit… I'm impressed."
It took every ounce of will within her not to throw the jar of beer at Nox' face. So he just thought this was all a game? Even though so many people had gotten hurt and died? Even though…
She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to control the storm in her belly. She needed to act calm, for now at least.
"Like I said… there's gotta be something you want," she repeated. "What can we give you that Team Galactic can't?"
Nox took some time to answer, still examining the ice cube inside his glass, gaze distant.
"As entertaining as their endeavors have been so far, I admit that helping Team Galactic has gotten… rather dull lately." He let out a long, dramatic sigh. "So… there might indeed be something you could offer me in exchange of my cooperation."
Reiko leaned back a little, frowning. "Yeah? And what would that be?"
Nox' reply was immediate, "Didn't I already say? Entertainment of course!"
The table was almost toppled as Reiko stood up, cheeks burning and her gaze full of venom. For a moment Nox looked stunned. Then, a second after, he began to laugh.
"Ah… no, no, I didn't mean that kind of entertainment!" He spoke in between bursts of laughter, one hand over his stomach. "Don't get me wrong; you're lovely, but I'm not that kind of man."
"Then what is it?" she asked, tone hoarse and rough. "What kind of entertainment do you want?"
Nox stood up as well, whipping his hair to the side as he formed a devious smile.
"Well… do you, by any chance, happen to be a talented trainer?"
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Palmer had never been one to really enjoy alcohol –that was more Sarah's thing– but he had to admit that the sweet, pearly-white drink he'd been handed tasted damn nice.
The taste and consistency… was it made with a Liechi berry? Well, whatever it was, he'd already downed two thirds of the glass and the rest would probably soon follow. Not like he had much else to do, really. Dancing was out of the question; he'd probably attract lots of attention due to how awful he was at it, and he couldn't follow Reiko either.
Shaking his head, he downed what was left of the drink and sloppily let the glass down on the counter, almost making it fall. Weird… he was usually more coordinated than that. Why were his hands so shaky? And why did the music suddenly feel so much louder and obnoxious?
He blinked a couple times and yawned. Well, whatever. Hopefully Reiko was having better luck than him. He looked over his shoulder almost lethargically, expecting to see the girl's unmistakable red hair up there in the second floor, just like every time he'd looked before.
Except… she wasn't there now.
"W-wha…?"
He found her a moment after; walking through the lower floor with four bouncers surrounding her and whom he assumed was Nox in front. The six of them headed for the bunker entrance at the other side of the room; disappearing down the stairs toward god knows where.
Oh… boy.
"Uh… excuse me, miss?" He called over the waitress once more, voice slightly slurred. "Can I…?"
"Sure, another Hyperbeam?" she asked, tone disinterested. "Those are pretty popular around here."
"What? No, no. I just…" He looked over his shoulder again, frowning. "What's… down those stairs? You know… those at the other side of the room."
"Thanks for clarifying. I wouldn't have known what stairs you were talking about otherwise," said the girl, her voice thick with sarcasm. "And what kind of question is that anyway? How do you come here and not know where that leads?"
He gulped. "I… came with a friend?"
"Ugh…" the girl closed her eyes and sighed. "Down there are the blood cages."
He blinked. "I… beg your pardon?"
"The cages," she repeated, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You know… for trainers to fight in?"