Chapter 30

HEAVEN IN HIDING

Counting hours, counting days

I have nothing left to say

These bleeding scars won't congregate

Is this the price I have to pay?

What do you want from me?

I've paid the piper, so set me free

How do I hold my heart on my sleeve

When I can't stop myself to bleed?

- Imminence

I

A chunk of the remaining wall tumbled down, sending a cascade of embers into the cold, rainy air. The persistent rain quickly extinguished the fiery sparks, casting an eerie glow on Emily's freckled face. The blaze reflected in her eyes matched the anger that surged within her as she surveyed the oncoming waves of Vermilion citizens and Team Rocket members, all converging upon the remnants of Silph Company's building to offer aid.

"We need to get out of here, Seth," she urgently implored, her gaze repeatedly darting to the Team Rocket members absorbed in the destruction around them.

"Yeah, let's go," Seth replied. On the still-crowded block up from the ruble, he doubted there was a single quiet or inactive spot in the city tonight. He released Ninetales, who glanced around and sniffed the air before lying down, her eyes locked onto Seth's figure. "I'm sorry. He got away."

Ninetales growled loudly in response, her head resting between her front paws. Her gray tails waved wildly, the fiery blue tips illuminated by the smoldering remains of the building.

"Seth," Emily said, her voice shaking as she shook his shoulder firmly.

"Seth Conklin," a man clad in dark attire, from head to toe, stepped forward, followed by five more Team Rocket grunts and their Pokémon. "I thought I recognized your face from the wanted posters."

A Noctowl soared just above Allen Wade's head as more red lights emitted from each Team Rocket member, materializing into various Pokémon. "You were in Commerce City a few months ago with the group of cowards who tried to evade us, weren't you?" His face bore a pleasant smile, concealing the murderous intent that was about to be unleashed.

Seth and Emily remained silent, their mouths agape, with Ninetales crouched defensively between them, a faint blue light beginning to form in her mouth.

"The man who killed Butch Miller here tonight. That's no coincidence. Surrender peacefully, and this—" Allen's mouth still hung open, but no words came out. A woman to his left dropped to her knees, desperately clutching her throat as though she were grappling with an unseen force choking her. The Noctowl above him crashed to the ground, and a Flareon tumbled, losing all ability to support itself, its trainer beside her soon following suit.

"What the fuck is this?" Emily demanded, taking a step forward. Allen Wade reached out, appearing to request a moment of patience, while his other hand struggled to free the invisible force constricting his breath.

Behind Seth and Emily, a familiar woman walked up the street, accompanied by an Alakazam whose spoons were pointed menacingly at the Team Rocket gang. Her greenish hair swayed as she strode forward, her scarlet top contrasting with her pale skin. The vibrations from her echoing boots reverberated through the streets, drawing the attention of the onlookers away from the burning building.

"Having trouble breathing, Allen?" She cast an observant gaze at both Seth and Emily, making no overt gestures of recognition. Yet, Seth felt the weight of her intimidating stare lingering on him longer than the situation warranted.

The crowd surrounding them continued to close in, inching closer and trapping Seth, Emily, and Ninetales in an advancing circle. "Saffron!" She shouted at the encroaching crowd. "Let them breathe, Alakazam. I want them to witness as I reclaim my city." Allen Wade's, his grunts, and Pokémon’s coughing, filled the rain-soaked streets.

"We've allowed these invaders into our home for too long," Allen Wade struggled to his knees at Sabrina’s words but was immediately slammed to the ground by an invisible force as Alakazam's spoons zeroed in on him. "They are weak scum who maintain power through fear." Sabrina emphasized her point by pressing her black boot onto his fallen body.

The crowd pulled back slightly, creating the sensation that the oppressive encirclement of Seth had retreated a full block as the night air filled the void. "What is wrong with you?" Sabrina screamed.

"Liar," a soft voice called out from behind Seth. The Kantonian's face fell, desperately avoiding Sabrina's gaze. Her footsteps felt like earthquakes to the recoiling faces of the crowd as she closed in on the voice.

"You're the rebel who destroyed the Silph Company's building! You killed all those people!" another voice accused from the other side.

"You're pathetic," Sabrina muttered.

"Liar!"

"Murder!"

"Traitor!"

The crowd surged forward like an onrushing tide, engulfing Seth, Emily, and Ninetales, as it closed in to drown out Sabrina. Above their heads, Allen Wade and his group, along with their Pokémon, were lifted into the air, suspended. Each of their limbs seemed to stretch out as if they were attempting to fly away but got stuck mid-flight.

"Then sit here and wait for them to kill you," Seth heard Sabrina's voice echoing from within the encircling crowd.

Allen Wade and all those surrounding him had their left arms gruesomely snap, creating a sickening sound akin to the breaking of bones. Their arms, wings or front legs, pointed toward the burning building to their left, then abruptly shifted their aim to point directly upward. The citizens of Saffron, who were not suspended, let out anguished screams, unable to look away from the horrifying scene.

Another grotesque snap pierced the rain soaked air as the right arms of the suspended individuals contorted unnaturally at the elbow, now touching the shoulder blade. Their legs, which had been pointing downward earlier, twisted at the knee to face Seth. The crowd, filled with terror, retreated from Sabrina, leaving her and her macabre display behind. They fled like frightened children, desperate to escape the nightmare they had just witnessed.

As Seth stood transfixed, he saw Sabrina laughing maniacally, her hand raised in an eerie salute. Her Alakazam joined in, but it was the head of Allen Wade's Noctowl that sent shivers down his spine. It had twisted around to face backward, and what was even more disturbing was that every member of the suspended group followed suit. Simultaneously, their heads snapped backward, their eyes now locked on their own twisted backs, creating a surreal and nightmarish scene.

"Seth, we have to go!" Emily tugged him, snapping him out of his horrified trance. They hurried up the street, putting distance between themselves and Sabrina, Seth glanced back to see the Team Rocket members and their Pokémon with their backs seemingly broken, their feet, if not already broken, touching the front of their turned heads folding like a cheap chair.

II

As they moved further west through the city, the streets began to gradually empty. They squinted at street signs on each corner, trying to decipher the lettering in the dimly lit night sky. A plume of smoke in the town's center served as a vague reference point, but finding Glenn's place was more of a guessing game. Tall buildings loomed above them as they traversed the city, propelled forward by their determination. Emily caught glimpses of people's faces through illuminated windows—concerned parents, curious young adults, and anxious senior citizens. Meanwhile, Seth consistently saw the visages of Sarah and Erin in every lit window.

Emily halted her hand up causing Seth and Ninetales to stop immediately and look at her in confusion. In an answer a group of Team Rocket ran at the end of the block and continued down the street. She pointed down a cramped alley, explaining, "Let's go this way, just to be safe." To Seth, the alleyway suddenly brightened, as if a day had suddenly emerged, casting a shadow resembling an Ariados web on the ground but he was too scared to look up. The walls seemed to close in, almost squeezing him.

"Seth?" Emily's voice called from a distant place.

"I'm fine, Dad!" Erin's voice shouted out, his face down on the ground with an Ariados perched on top of him. The clicking sounds of the Ariados overwhelmed Emily's voice, and a hand seemed to be pulling him closer to Erin’s murder. Seth dropped to the ground, letting out a scream in protest.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"You're okay," Emily's freckled face broke through the traumatic episode. The night sky dissolved Erin's apparition, and the alley's walls expanded outward. "Just a little further." Seth felt Ninetales' snout pushing against his lower back.

He didn't respond to them, but with Emily's help, he managed to get back on his feet, trembling slightly. They continued to run north, reaching the city's westernmost point until they finally spotted a small sign reading "Crocin."

"Finally," Emily sighed in relief, pointing at the sign. "Seth, are you okay now?"

"Yeah, let's just get there, please. I need to sit down," Seth replied, turning right down the block. As they reached a small restaurant bearing the sign "Iroh's Sinistea House" with the number 88 etched on the glass window above the door.

"The numbers are decreasing down here," Emily explained, taking a right turn at the tea shop. "The address is 2 Crocin Street, right?"

"Yeah," Seth confirmed. The street was dimly lit, but it stretched ahead of them, with illuminated windows flashing by as they sprinted down the sparsely populated street. Once they passed the three-story building with the number 20 on its door, Seth noticed something unusual up ahead. In the darkness, in front of house number 2 on Crocin Street, a small hill had risen from the road, with a tree atop it reaching toward the rainy night sky.

"No way!" Emily was the first to dive onto the hill, which had sprouted four stubby legs.

"How?" Seth asked, placing his hand under Torterra's head, which openly welcomed the warm touch. For the first time since Vermilion City, Erin and Sarah's voices fell silent as he examined his son's Pokémon. A deep gash ran along the right side of Torterra's body, just under its shell. The tree that marked its unique appearance had noticeably fewer branches than Seth remembered. Finally, one of the gray tusks protruding from the side of its head, on the right, had been sliced down to almost nothing.

"As soon as we get back, I'll get you cleaned up. Are you ready to take a rest?" Seth asked, holding up Torterra's Pokéball.

Torterra simply nodded, its eyes, which usually held some mischievous or goofy plan, now appeared tired and drained of energy. In a flash of scarlet light, Torterra disappeared from the street, leaving the three of them to gaze up at Glenn's house. Its pink facade and purple roof stood in stark contrast to the repetitive yellow houses further down the street.

III

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The door swung open swiftly, and the warmth of Glenn's home spilled onto the front steps. No words were exchanged, just friendly smiles shared between Glenn, Emily, and Seth. While Emily's smile was exuberant, Seth's was more reserved.

Glenn's home initially opened to a staircase leading to the second floor and a hallway that branched off to the living room, kitchen, and an office, which was partially visible through a slightly ajar door.

"Do you guys want some coffee?" Glenn inquired, gathering a pile of forms and letters and neatly organizing them before ushering them into the cozy kitchen.

"That sounds amazing," Seth replied, glancing around the well-stocked kitchen. Fresh fruits and vegetables adorned the counter. "Thank you."

"No problem," Glenn responded, grabbing a jar of roasted coffee beans and pouring a handful into the grinder. The room filled with the clinking of the hand grinder as the coffee grounds dropped into the bottom.

"Not for that," Seth clarified, placing Torterra's Pokéball on the counter. "You saved him."

"He was in rough shape; the entire lobby looked like it was crumbled like paper. There were dozens of bodies, people and Pokémon alike," Glenn recalled as he poured the grounds into a filter set over an empty pot.

"Team Rocket, not people," Seth corrected him.

"They were people, Seth. It doesn't matter if they were your enemy; they were still people," Glenn responded.

"They have forfeited any humanity they once possessed. No, they're not people," Seth asserted, watching Glenn pour hot water from the kettle into the coffee grounds, filling the room with the rich aroma.

"Anyway," Glenn continued, rolling his eyes and realizing the argument was futile, "Torterra had a significant amount of blood streaming down his side by the time I reached him. He started to charge, but after seeing my face, he slowed down and licked me, flashing his goofy smile. I figured... well, I don't know what I figured. I just told him to come with me and my colleagues, and we fled the building. A few minutes later, as we stood up on the street with the surrounding crowd, the building exploded."

"How have things been here?" Emily asked, clutching one of the coffee cups that Glenn had poured.

"Hard. You know when we were on the road, it was always me and the kids, but it was so tough, just trying to survive. Now I have the means to survive, but it's even harder because I'm away from Ava so much," Glenn confessed, rubbing his eyes, the bags underneath marking the exhaustion that had long overtaken him even before tonight.

"Is it because of this project?" Seth inquired, pulling out Glenn's note with the schematics facing up at them.

"Yeah, it has everything to do with that. Please, let's get comfortable in here," Glenn suggested, leading them into the living room. It was crowded, with toys scattered on the floor and Ninetales sprawled in the middle due to the cramped confines of the kitchen.

"So your Vulpix evolved," Glenn noted, petting her on the head.

"Yeah," Seth replied simply, doing his best to avoid the conversation about why Ninetales had evolved.

"I thought they only evolved with a Fire Stone?" Glenn continued.

"Sarah tried to use one on our wedding night, but Vulpix adamantly refused to evolve," Seth explained, looking at her and, for the first time, noticing her age. He couldn't tell if it was just the way the light was hitting her eyes, but they seemed cloudy.

"Where is Darkrai?" Emily inquired.

"In his Pokéball, upstairs on Ava's nightstand. He's practically the nanny for all intents and purposes. The last four weeks have been almost every day, all day in office," Glenn revealed. Seth took in Glenn's words while sitting on his comfortable sofa in his warm house, and a wave of anger coursed through his veins. How could Glenn sit there complaining while benefiting from Team Rocket and still having one child left? His thoughts then turned to Charlotte, and the anger immediately dissolved into shame. He remembered Glenn reaching for a glass shard to free himself from the pain of losing his child. He wished he had a glass shard right now.

A long silence enveloped the room, only interrupted by Glenn's inevitable question. "Did he suffer?"

Seth's thoughts turned to Erin, with Ariados injecting poison into his son's veins and the screams that filled that accursed alleyway.

"I'm fine, Daddy," Erin's voice came from outside the window, overlooking the street.

"No," Emily finally answered. "It was quick."

"How... How did it happen?" Glenn asked, hesitant to hear the truth despite his words.

"He... I think you had a really big impact on his life, Glenn," she began. "We were on this boat, with cheap passage to partake in a tournament. It was Brian's idea. Turned out if you lose, then you're killed."

"Oh. He lost," Glenn looked down at his clenched hands, struggling with what to say next.

"No, he didn't lose, Glenn," Emily continued. "He won but refused to kill his challenger. They killed him for it, and he died smiling." Even as she described her friend's death, which still hurt her to the core, she couldn't help but smile too. His face when he died was just so smug, like he was the first person to figure out what life was for.

“I think that was more Commerce City than me.” Glenn said, then falling silent for a while. Tears fell down his face as he no doubt was thinking about his time with Brian.

"The Masterball?" Seth asked Glenn after a few moments of grief passed. Glenn grabbed the paper with the schematics written on it as he sighed and leaned far back on his couch.

"It's a Pokéball that forces the capture and return of its Pokémon," Glenn explained. He turned his head to look out the window at the plume of smoke still rising south of them.

"Why is that so important? A captured Pokémon isn't forced to obey the trainer," questioned Seth.

"Plus, we have Pokéballs that increase the rate of capturing Pokémon. What makes this different?" Emily continued the question.

Glenn looked at Ninetales lying on his carpet, taking up most of the room before answering and looking back at them. "She is your answer."

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, confused.

"Why is she never in her Pokéball?" Glenn asked, gradually getting to his point.

"She refuses to, unless it's absolutely necessary," Seth responded.

"Right, and it doesn't matter how luxurious the Pokéball is, if the Pokémon resists its pull, they won't be captured or returned," Glenn continued.

"But how does that work?" Emily asked, scratching the top of her chestnut hair.

"Do you really want me to spend the next four hours explaining the inner workings of a Pokéball?" Glenn asked flatly.

"No, I guess not if it's not important," she answered.

"Right, so the Masterball pulls them in whether they resist or not. While that is already amazing for catching a Pokémon, like you said, Seth, it can't force them to obey," Glenn explained, standing up and circling Ninetales, emphasizing each point with his hand gestures.

"Yeah?" Seth answered, confused about where his point was going.

"But it will recall them into submission," Glenn emphasized. "The Pokémon can’t flee and will have all freedom stripped of them. Let's say you are fighting a legendary Pokémon like Lugia, you can catch it," Glenn continued. "And over time, after Lugia keeps going to attack you or fleeing after being released, it is recalled, so much so that—"

"They will eventually obey, just to be able to be out of the Masterball," Emily finished his thought.

"Exactly, its torture through isolation" Glenn said, sitting down, signaling that his lecture was over.

“We need to get back and tell Lt. Surge.” Emily emphasis to seth.

"You're working for Lt. Surge," Glenn said in a shocked tone

"Yeah, I guess secrecy doesn't matter now that Giovanni knows," Seth continued. "We should probably tell him that, but my guess is Giovanni will have moved against Lt. Surge before we get there."

"Let's just hurry then," Emily said, getting to her feet, prompting Ninetales to look up at her.

"Are you sure you guys don't want to spend the night here and rest? Ava would love to see you" Glenn asked, following Emily's lead.

"No, we need to head out. It would be easier to slip out of the city by flying due to the chaos with Silph Co.," Seth answered, walking towards the door. "Glenn, I'm really sorry about Brian. He really did want to get you guys out."

"I know he did," Glenn said with a small smile, opening up the front door for them. The night sky was beginning to take on a purple hue as the sun was getting ready to begin its ascent. Emily and Seth waved to Glenn at his front door before releasing Fearow and Noivern. Then they disappeared into the sky.