Chapter 2:
Partner
...
Bright palace pylons glimmered with liquid gold flowing from tip to base, contrasting the white of the marbled chamber with the mystic aroma of incense infusing the space. Tendrils of the scented smoke wisped around the numerous idols adorning the area in reverence to a god of universal paragons.
Bowing before an altar was a woman of four-and-half-feet in height, her furred skin a fair pink that had a subtle white sheen, like that of seal-skin yet having the vibrancy of cherry blossoms. Her digitigrade legs ended with cat paws, and a tufted tail to match said trait, poking out of her sepia tunic. Her cyan eyes spoke ocean's worth of innocence and humility.
Behind the altar, stood a towering man, more than double her height, his skin as dark yet starry as the universe itself; his eyes consisting of emerald sclera where ruby irises erupted in supernova incandescence that could only be matched by the plasmatic glow of his long hair, adorned with a golden circlet above his brow. Robes of heavenly light cloaked his body, gilded with gold that matched the palace's splendor and the malachite studded double-rings floating at his back. His body and presence pulsated untold power.
"Rise, Wemura," he commanded; his voice resonating like thunder, briefly drowning out the distant eruptions and impacts that shook the palace from outside. He looked out the window of the chamber, his eyes turned somber at the cataclysmic sight, with a single green tear running down each underlid, staining his visage.
The pointy ears of the cat-like woman twitched as she rose from her kneel to gaze upward at the man with silent confidence.
The white horn crowning the back of his head rose as he craned his neck lower to meet her eyes, "Time is of the essence, doomed we may be, to a fate that would see us all dispossessed of our will and bodies, but 'The Creators' will has chosen to allow me a final act as celestial guardian...To bestow upon you, the purest of all immortals, with the responsibility to bare the 'last echoes of ourselves'...Do you accept this burden, Wemura?"
"I do, my lord Archus." She affirmed with pride brimming out of her aura.
With a nod in understanding, he formed an iridescent green sphere that glowed on the palm of his copper-clawed hand, as he glided over the altar, lowering himself and the orb, peering into her very essence.
"Then from henceforth, while the Creator wills it, you shall be the 'Gene-keeper'." He declared as he pushed the orb into her chest, where it phased and disappeared into her heart, before the two beings buckled at a voice exploding into their psyche–
"All shall either drag thyselves along the ground or be closed in by the skies! You shall slither, crawl, creep, trudge, hobble, paddle, swim, float and fly, but never shall you soar or walk the celestial realm again! I rebuke you for your transgressions against your brethren! Now, it is to 'them', who you shall all be accountable! And soon enough, to 'their' whims you shall be subjected!"
The Godly omnipotent voice boomed like the collision of entire worlds, shattering a part of their quintessential ego for every syllable of their chastise, and the palace fell apart under the infinite magnitude of its rebuttal; the gold turning into black oil and the marble to ashes.
"Take care of yourself." The white clad man said with a softness in his pained eyes.
"I will, my lord Archus." She bowed once more to her leader, with tears flowing along her face, as a searing light wiped their minds along with the final lachrymose requiem of the hour reverberating through the crumbling walls, being the wailing of terror, the cries of confusion and panic, along with the shrieks of blinding agony—
"Ah shit!" Grey jolted awake.
Sweat lined his forehead as he found himself sitting on something brittle in the darkness. The only source of minimal light came from the mouth of the shallow cave he was in.
Dry leaves crunched under him as he made a twist of his torso, but he hissed at a flash of hot pain on his bare back and left shoulder, with something slimy covering the injuries. He drove his hand on it, to find a clear goopy solution with a strong scent of, Aloe vera?
Where was he? And who tended to him?
He searched for an answer around him, and found nothing but some orange plumage on the ground, with his damaged backpack next to them, as well as signs of a small campfire; still releasing wisps of smoke.
Whoever may have helped him, they weren't here. His memories were only filled with the numerous houndour that attacked him, speaking of which—
Grabbing his backpack, he crawled out of the small cave, brushing aside some shrubs, ending up in a forest clearing. The pale lilac of the sky suggested it was slightly past dawn. The crisp fumes of burnt grass lingered in the air, as he surveyed the damage he caused.
Not bad, considering I passed out.
His eyes fell on the dead houndour in the middle of the area, crushed into the ground and staring aimlessly into space as flies buzzed around the corpse.
He winced, "Oh yeah. Sorry about that mate."
How tragic. God I feel like shit.
The least he could do was give 'him' a burial, the conflict that developed wasn't their fault after all. Using an ounce of his power, to preserve what little energy he had, Grey snapped a thick branch off a tree and manually dug a hole as deep as he could with the poor substitute for a shovel. With care, he levitated the deceased hound pokemon and placed it into the hole, covering it with the dirt and patting it down. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing.
He shivered with the Aloe vera and sweat cooling his skin even more from the soft breeze blowing through the trees. Grey searched his backpack for signs of damage to his—few to begin with—belongings, if he could claim them as his, anyway. Finders keepers. Or was it 'you snooze you lose'? Some modern expression like that.
His balled up long jacket was intact, being cloth and all, as well as his extra pair of jogger pants, singlets and underwear, on top of an extra long glove for his...Left arm. Some silverware, basic first aid kit, and a tactical combat knife.
Being in the middle of a forest, modesty wasn't a worry, so he removed 'his' ragged and blood stained worker pants, discarding them, though as he did this, he sensed an elevated level of cerebral stimulation nearby and snapped his gaze at the direction of a particular bush, scrutinizing it—
"Alright, who's the peeper? Are you the one that took me to the cave?"
...No answer, except the subtle ruffling of the bush as the presence fled before he could even probe its mind. Quite a swift and stealthy little bugger.
"Guess not."
Shrugging, after applying the roll of gauze onto his left shoulder to preserve the Aloe vera under it, he placed the white singlet on carefully to avoid touching his back, and changed into his usual attire, lifting the jacket hood over his face.
With the backpack being lighter and more spacious, he checked his most recently acquired item. The 'pokedex' he took from Hickory's lab, wrapped in aluminum foil to prevent it from being tracked, seemed wholesome and intact. Placing it back inside and slinging the backpack over his shoulder, he planned his next move.
He had to get out of these woods before anyone else came looking for him. He was lucky enough that whoever had helped him, hid him well enough within the cave for the Rocket agents to pass straight by, if they even came this way at all.
Grey pulled out a crinkled map of the region from his jacket pocket to gleam his bearings.
When I ended up at the valley mouth of Route 4, before falling, I was facing West. This slope leads all the way back up there, meaning that…
Putting the map away, he headed south, toward Celadon City, which he estimated to be 30 kilometers from his position. In peak condition and by trail running, considering the rough terrain and trees, plus potential obstacles, he could've made that in three hours or less. But as he was; burnt and injured, on top of still recovering from all his exertion yesterday, he'd be lucky to make it by the afternoon. Still, it was better than staying another night in this place.
The broadleaf forest was vast and filled with snaring and twisting trails. At a certain point he had to circumvent a mountain to avoid wasting anymore time climbing it. At another, he had to hop from tree to tree across a small swamp, having a close run-in with a hungry feraligatr as it made an abrupt leap from the water surface and scaled the tree with its claws in pursuit, but with a solid kick to its eye-ridge, he sent it splashing back into the murky water before leaping to the other end.
A variety of pokemon lived in these areas, including some butterfree and some caterpillar pokemon he wasn't familiar with, as well as bird species such as spearow and hoothoots; with big red eyes gazing at him from the shadow of the trees.
An aggressive primeape tried intimidating him by raising its didactyl glove-like hands into a boxing stance with an angry grunt, but after a small demonstration of his psychic energy, cutting down a tree with it, the crash of it unnerved the pig-monkey pokemon enough to make it retreat—
Again he detected the same spike in mental arousal from earlier, whirling around, he pinpointed the source and projected his mind to another bush, savoring a tiny sample of the host mind before it reacted just as fast, scurrying away through the shrubs. Nimble and quick reactions, not bad.
Grey was only able to gleam three things from his intra-physical ego barely brushing with the pokemon's.
It was 'female', she was in mourning, and she yearned for something. But he wasn't able to latch on to her psyche, her reflexes were too fast for his current condition.
He'd be ready next time, since he confirmed that he was being followed.
Grey estimated he was past the halfway point to Celadon when he came upon a clearing ahead through the trees to find a structure built in the middle of the barren worked ground, surrounded by a tall wooden fence post with a perimeter of about a hundred feet in diameter, and looming behind the fence was a large top tent ending its point in a pink and yellow stripe semi-circle, standing another fifty feet taller than the fence post.
Some distant grunting and shouting amongst other noises reverberated from it, as well as the cracking of a whip, as though there were a live circus act but without an audience.
Out of curiosity, Grey walked its perimeter to find a gate with an entry sign at the top which stated in red bold letters:
'A.J's gym, undefeated!'
A counter was next to it:
'99 wins to zero losses'.
Oh? a league gym, huh?
But on the lower part of the sign in small yellow letters, it stated 'Note: not sanctioned by Pokemon league'.
Unsanctioned? Then again, there were all sorts of gyms, not just pokemon league gyms. But to make note of the Pokemon league itself, this person was either trying to prove something or to goad challengers into it.
From within the tent, Grey sensed several emotions, but one was blaring above the rest and it was 'pain', which was emitted by a pokemon…
Well, it's a change from all the trees, might as well work some exercise in.
Raising his palm, he charged a small amount of whirring psionic energy, though focusing it on a particular point, and blasted the wooden gate open with a crash, sending some of the logs flying and clattering onto the barren ground, lifting dust.
He walked in and before the actual tent itself, was an elevated arena marked out with chalk and made of compact dirt. Its purpose was obvious.
Some footsteps came rushing from the tent entrance and out came an endomorphic, pine-green haired teenager with a tacky red and black zigzag shirt paired with blue hot pants. He held a bullwhip; its balled tip swiveling in the air.
With a superficial mental scan, Grey identified him. Behind the teen were a trio of rattata scampering behind, a butterfree and beedrill gliding above, and running right beside him, a sturdy sandshrew, its scales gleaming wet for some reason.
The angry teenager and his team of pokemon marched toward him.
"Oi! the heck' you barge down mah' gate fer'?"
The hell kind of accent is 'that'?
Grey smirked, amused at the brat's fake bravado. By now they must've realized he was the one to burst the gate open as they gawked at its condition, attempting to get a visual on the pokemon responsible, to no avail.
"So, you must be A.J."
AJ refocused his gaze, "That's mah' name, don't wear it out now. So, dya' bust in here fer' a match or what?"
Grey motioned with his chin to the whip the teen held, though the answer was clear, he tested, "Tell me, what's with the whip?"
AJ, visibly frustrated at his questions being ignored, glanced at his whip as he waved it about, "Oh this? I train mah' pokemon here with it. Sets em' straight and keeps em' disciplined in their training regimen."
"Really? Say's up there you've got a whopping 99 wins, I find it odd that sandshrew, being the 'first' pokemon you caught, hasn't evolved yet after so many wins, and with that 'training regimen' of yours to top it off. I wonder why?"
For a moment the teen looked befuddled.
"Hey, how'd ya' know that sandrew's mah' first pokemon?"
Grey grinned, "Call it a hunch. Seems close to you..."
AJ smirked back, "That's quite a hunch ya' got there I'll admit. Yep that's right, this here sandshrew's mah' first pokemon"—Grey's eye twitched upon the constant 'possessive mentioning' of the pokemon—"and we're best pals."
"You still haven't answered my question. Why hasn't he evolved yet?"
AJ fiddled with his whip, "W-well you see, it's because, well—"
"You have no idea do you?"
"Eh, no I know, it's—"
"I'll tell you why, but I don't think the truth will be to your liking"—Grey scrutinized the sandshrew, doing a surface scan of its subliminal state, as well as noticing the water dripping from its sandy colored ears—"You've been abusing its body far too much with your so-called 'training'. Take bodybuilders for example. It's good to put pressure on your body to develop, but if you put too much in the wrong way, you can permanently injure said muscle and it will hamper any further progress for a long time, and depending on the severity, maybe even forever. Pokemon are no different."
AJ looked concerned but he frowned in doubt, "What! That's ridiculous, my sandshrew is in top shape! What makes you think it's broken?"
"'It's a 'he', not an 'it'. You'd best remember that."
"I'll call 'him' whatever I want!"
Grey raised a finger at the tent, "Let's see what you've got in there."
With a wave of his arm, he sent an arc of psykinetic energy, slashing a hole in the tent and revealing the training ground within.
Body weights and tension braces were strewn about, spartan obstacle courses ran all around the inner-tent, lined with dangerous objects such as barbed wires over low trenches and such; anything to brutally punish a mistake, whether it be the thirty-foot drop from the hanging rings above, or the flaming paths and hoops. One would think AJ were preparing these pokemon for war instead of just simply battling...And then, there was the swimming pool, with a towering diving board.
Grey snarled in disgust.
AJ, recovering from his shock at what he just witnessed, glowered at him, "Oi! Now you're ripping holes in mah' tent? You're goin' too damn far—"
"No"—Grey glared at AJ—"You are. Now the water on sandshrew's body and his unevolved state make sense."
"Wha'dya mean!?"
"I mean, you've been convincing the little guy that diving into the water from that height would strengthen its resistance to water attacks. Are you for real? All you're doing is causing it bodily harm and actually making it weaker and sick, exposing it to its main fucking weakness. You can't change a pokemon's properties by giving it an insane dosage of allergic reactions on a daily basis and expect it to build resistance against it. It's like dousing a charmander's tail flame with water expecting it to adapt, you'll just end up killing it, you goddamn moron."
"I've had enough of yer' freakin' mouth! I have to be tough! But I ask no more of sandshrew than I would of mahself'!"
"...Oh really? Interesting, I'm gonna' test you on that...You love to call him your 'best pal', but you don't even respect the reality of his physical limits. Guess what AJ?"
"What?" The teen gritted out, his thick brows furrowed in annoyance.
Grey gave him a coy grin, "Above all else...Your relationship with sandshrew, has been a lie since the beginning."
The trainer went red as he fumed.
"That's it! I'll show you just how strong mah' bond with sandshrew is! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!"
"I accept, though shouldn't it be the other way around? You are the gym leader of 'AJ's gym' aren't you?" Grey chortled.
Said teen growled at the comment, "Just get in the damn ring," he hollered out as he stepped onto his side of it, while Grey stood on his.
AJ pointed a pudgy finger at him, "Let's put some stakes on this here' battle. I'll be using sandshrew, to prove you wrong, and if I win, you'll have to fix up all this damage you've caused mah' gym! And, I get to film you accepting that you were wrong and I was right!"
Hoho, I think I might actually feel bad for taking too much pleasure in this one.
Grey sneered, "Alright, but if I win...I'm gonna' test that little quote you made earlier for sandshrew, 'I ask no more of sandshrew than I would of mahself'," he quoted with a parody of the teen's accent.
"Sounds fai—"
"Recording it and sending it to the news for the entire world to see, as a warning to people like you and this twisted society."
AJ gulped at that, but resolved to continue, "Fine! Now bring out yer' pokemon!"
All Grey did was raise his arms in a shrug, "I have none. Should be an easy win for you, right?"
The greenette gaped at him, "Huh? The hell'?"
"I thought the new 'extreme' battle rule states something along these lines: 'a trainer loses the match if they have no pokemon left...Or, if the trainer themselves, being a valid target, either surrenders or get's knocked out before such an event, with their pokemon being bypassed by their opponent's, correct? Don't worry, as you just saw, I'm well capable of defending myself."
"W-Well yeah, but I never agreed to that style of—"
"Oh? Does 'Mr. 99 wins' not know that the pokemon league circuit has changed to the 'extreme' battle rules? That's odd, considering the type of training you've been giving your own pokemon. Weren't you going to start the gym circuit after completing 100 wins? 'A.J.'?" Grey said the initials with a pouting mock tone, baffling and infuriating AJ.
"What the...How'd you know about my...Whatever, yeah I know the damn rules! It's just...Even then, I can't just attack you while you're defenseless. Even if it's extreme circuit rules, it's just not moral—"
Grey snickered, "Oh, what's the matter? You're developing a moral compass 'now'? After dunking your sandshrew daily into a pool of its personal allergy? Real noble of you, brat, and here I thought you had 'balls'."
"What!? I have balls! Just look at my pokemon."
"No, it's sandshrew who has more balls than you for diving into its worst fear, even though forced to. You don't have any, since your 'moral compass' won't let you take a strike at me, not even for breaking your gate or ripping open your tent"—Grey thumped his chest with a fist—"C'mon! Right here, take your shot."
AJ was sweating in a struggle to decide with his pride clearly stinging as Grey could detect. Just a little more.
"I...I can't, it's not rig—"
"Man, I guess you're all pussy and no balls, maybe you were a weak sperm, hell maybe your dad got caught jerkin' off and a hooker sat on it in the last sec—"
AJ roared in fury to Grey's pleasure as he detected the earlier mystery pokemon's brain activity spike up, she must've been watching—
"That's it! You asked for it! Get em' Sandshrew, use Rollout!"
Grey smiled as the pangolin pokemon's black eyes widened at the command, shocked that his trainer would even consider attacking another human directly while defenseless, but the hesitation lasted only a few seconds before it tucked it's extremities in and curled itself up, launching itself into a rapid spin, it shot like a cannon ball towards him. Grey braced himself—
That's right, come to papa—
But being tired and enthralled in the challenge, from his peripheral he barely noticed an orange blur zipping in from the entry and colliding with the rolling sandshrew, throwing it off course and missing him completely, with the intruder sitting in the middle of the field, trying to rub its head in pain with tears at the edge of its beady black eyes, "To-to-tor," she chirped.
AJ was too surprised to even utter a word, marveling at the sight, while Grey was confused and at a loss to what he was looking at.
But AJ was the first to speak, "Whoa, what pokemon is 'that'? I ain't never seen it before...Hey, is that yer' pokemon!?" He asked Grey with a suspicious leer.
As Grey pulled something out of his backpack, he shook his head, "I'm just as confused as you are."
"Huh?"
Ignoring AJ, he generated a personal psychic barrier around himself while unwrapping the aluminum foil from the 'pokedex'. Though a waste of energy, until he got it checked, it was better to be sure he wasn't tracked by the device. Turning it on, he pointed the thing at the bird-like pokemon.
—"Data not found."—
What a load of shit. Then again, it makes sense as to why Hickory made these in the first place. Obviously this pokemon isn't from this region. So what are you doing 'here'?
Turning it off, he re-wrapped the device in the aluminium and shoved it back into his pack. He detected 'hope' emanating from AJ—
"Well, since it helped ya' out, that means it's yer' ally. Whatd'ya say we bet the match on the winner between mah' sandshrew and…'That' there rare pokemon?"
The chick pokemon chirped again, her yellow head feathers jerking as she stopped tending to herself and looked between them frantically in awkwardness, staring at Grey with a nervous sheen of her beady black eyes meeting his, before breaking her gaze away in shyness, "Tor…"
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"Tch. If that Isn't convenient for you AJ, just give me a sec."
"Sa' matter'? Ya' scared?" Goaded the teen but was largely ignored as Grey delved into her deep subconscious, bypassing her mental defenses with ease.
The first obstacle was a burned down jungle, its embers still hot and glowing. The second, a network of red-hot wires that spread infinitely to either side. He cut through them without much difficulty. But the third and final defense...Was a giant ancient egg, towering above him, covered with bumps and scars, with a large crack at the tip of it. He tried blasting his way through the shell with a telekinetic blast from his hand.
The mindscape echoed with the booming impact, and the smoke cleared, but to his tremendous surprise, he barely even scratched it.
What the fuck?
He tried again, but to no avail. Perhaps it was his weariness. Whatever. The more immediate and important information would be enough, for now.
He opened his eyes as the—foot-and-a-quarter tall—pokemon recoiled from the mental encounter, having established a mental connection with her.
So, 'you're' my little stalker.
"Huh!? Wha!? Who said that!?" She peeped out, in frantic search for the source of the voice, clearly not aware that it came from within.
The guy you've been stalking, maybe? Also, try speaking with your mind, you'll give us away to the sandshrew.
Then she turned and faced him in disbelief.
"Wait...You understand me?"
Yep', comes with the mental link, hun'.
"Oh...Right, you're psychic."
Bingo.
"What's 'Bingo'?"
...Nevermind, yes, you can say I'm psychic. The fact that you know that already means you're the one that helped me, right?
He already gleaned the answer amongst other things from the thorough mental probe he conducted, but he tested her resolve to answer.
"Y-Yes…"
Why?
"I...I did it because, I...Uh…"
"Oi! Are we doin' this or what?" Complained AJ, tapping his runners on the ground.
"Hold your tight-pants, brat, give us a sec," Grey hollered out before re-focusing on the chick.
We'll get to that later, so, does my little stalker have a name?
"I-I'm Kalama."
...Ok then, that's an unusual name.
She pouted her yellow beak at that, "Says the guy with silver hair and fancy glove..."
Ha! So you 'do' have some spine, was the name given to you by an ex-trainer? Or parents?
Perhaps she was abandoned in this region, hence the nickname, but—
"I don't know…As far as I can remember, I've been called that by my...Family. But they're gone now..." She said with sorrow in her vibrations.
...Right, must be a pokéname. Can I call you Karla?
"But that's not my n—"
Watch out Karla, that sandshrew's about to jump you.
"Wait wha—"
But before Karla could react, the rolling pangolin bashed her from behind, sending her sprawling across the dirt of the arena with her feathers getting ruffled and dirtied.
Grey winced.
"Oww," she whined in pain.
Ooh, that must've hurt. Better keep focused on the battle you just got yourself into.
He glowered at AJ, unamused, "I don't remember saying 'go'."
"And I don't remember promising to wait for ya', I ain't gonna' wait all damn day!"
But unbeknownst to AJ, in his rush, he had just sealed his fate. Grey flashed a coy gaze at the brat before shrugging, "I guess you're right. Sorry about that. Let's 'continue' where we left off."
Get up.
With that, she grunted as she pushed herself back up by her beak and onto her feet.
Focus on the battle, or you'll get seriously hurt. You're at a type disadvantage as it is.
"But I—"
Watch out for the sandshrew's dig attack as well, although sick, it's still quite fast.
"But I've never—"
"Sandshrew! Rollout into Fury swipes!"
Said pokemon was on the move with a leap and wheeled toward her before stretching its white claws and swiping at the chick pokemon, with her barely dodging them.
Better move faster Karla.
"My name isn't—"
By the way, Karla, what pokemon are you? You're a rarity around these parts.
"Bulldoze into a constant Fury cutter!" Commanded AJ.
"I'm a—Gah!" She shrieked as sandshrew glowed with a dull orange energy and stomped the ground, trembling it and slowing her down, allowing the pangolin to get a good swipe of its—now lime-glowing—claw on her left wing. Though the first strike barely hurt, for every subsequent cut she received, the impact intensified, and the sandshrew's speed hadn't diminished. To make matters worse, it was a ground type and her fire would—once again—do nothing to help her...
"'Gah'? Well that's another weird one...Oh wait that was an expression of pain wasn't it?"
The psychic human's sarcasm wasn't lost on her. And he still hadn't named himself.
Why are you distracting me!? I'm trying to—
"Prove something? Oh yeah, sorry about that, it's just, a little 'gah'—seriously what are you?—decided it was a brilliant idea to stand between a predator and his prey, royally pissing off the predator in the process."
What!?
She tried a scratch attack with her clawed foot, but for her effort, the sandshrew dodged and with another swipe of its own claw, gave her a stinging cut, and it hurt much more than the last two she received.
"You stepped into a world that you're painfully unfamiliar with, now face the consequences."
B-But you're tired, and you could open your wounds again! I just wanted to help!
"And again I ask...'Why'?"
She was too embarrassed to tell him, Karla—She had accepted the nickname since he insisted on it—didn't know what to say. Hadn't he already figured it out? Or was he testing her?
I...I...I—
Another fury cutter hit her thigh, and in desperation, she charged the gas from within her belly and ignited it with her beak, launching an Ember attack, but her breath hitched as it had no effect, with sandshrew jumping through the small flames, raising its claw and striking downward. The sting of its claw followed the impact of its knuckle smashing into her cheek, her vision whirled and once more became intimate with the arena ground as she scraped her chest and torso along it, picking up dirt along the way.
"Ooh! A critical hit!" Celebrated AJ, his voice muffled as her vision spun and blurred, the pulsating and swelling pain on her feathered cheek bringing tears to her eyes.
It hurts...So much.
"And that's what you get for involving yourself into a situation you knew nothing about." Came the human's voice into her mind. Why was he so cruel? Why did he—
"Distract you? Do you honestly think it would have made much of a difference in this battle, if I didn't?"
...No.
"Ah, good. You're capable of critical thinking, the quicker you learn, the better. Now stay down. We'll talk later."
But what would that accomplish? She had to prove that she was worth something, she had to prove that she was useful somehow. She had no one else, and she couldn't survive on her own. For a moment she considered AJ, but the way he trained his pokemon and how tough he was on them with all those dangerous obstacles, even exposing them to their anti-element, every day...And she did not want to be diving into a pool constantly, sharing the poor sandshrew's fate.
But then again, this guy kept distracting her on purpose and on top of that was acting ungrateful for her help!? The nerve! However...She did technically butt in to prove herself, so she couldn't blame his skepticism. But this was her decision; she'd live up to it. And now, she'd try again.
Her chest heaved while pushing herself to her feet again with every fiber of energy she could muster, ignoring the bloody gash on her side prickling her skin under her plumage and the sting of the inflamed cut on her cheek. She stood up once more in defiance of her defeat.
"Oh? Is that your second wind? Or your closing statement?"
She ignored him as she scanned the area for the sandshrew, but he wasn't there. Instead there was a mound of loose dirt. She panicked as she whirled about to get a visual—
Wha...Where is he!?
"I warned you."
"Dig!"
A small tremor shook her from underneath, when something hard crunched her jaw shut and snapped her head upward. Karla was weightless, her brain quaking into numbness with the cloudy sky becoming more blue as time passed while the world was turned upside down, and the crown of her head flared in pain as she rolled on the arena floor, she gasped and struggled to breath the air that whooshed from her belly with the hard landing—
I failed...I'm a failed, weak and pathetic torchic, and that's...Why my family is...—She fainted…
Grey facepalmed at the lack of skill the 'torchic' displayed. He finally gleaned from her thoughts, right before she got KO'd, at what her species was. He'd have to look it up later, just out of curiosity. Though weak, feeble and a poor fighter, she was at the very least fast, and had good survival skills to have lasted as long as she had in the forest. But how did she get past the swamp—
"Ha! Looks like ah' win!" AJ celebrated pumping a fist into the air.
Grey smiled, "Oh no, I'm afraid you're mistaken, AJ."
"What? But I thought we agreed on the terms—"
He laughed evilly, "I don't recall agreeing to your last-minute proposal of using this wild 'torchic' as my pokemon ally in our match, nor of your new win conditions."
"Huh? But...But you kept battli—"
"Correction. I gave her no command, she fought of her own volition and you attacked a wild pokemon in the midst of our battle."
"Wha...But...But you have no pokemon left—"
"I never had one to begin with, and that didn't stop you from attacking me earlier before this little chickity-chick came along, now did it? Which means...You agreed to 'my' terms of an 'extreme' battle. And 'I' haven't surrendered yet."
The teen paled, realizing what he was in store for, he whipped a finger at him, "Sandshrew quick! Use—"
But Grey, closing the distance in a flash, grabbed and smashed the pangolin's head into the ground with a massive thud shaking the arena and a cloud of dust erupting from the impact, ending the fight in an instant, while he gave the now blanching teen a dangerous sneer.
AJ's breath quavered at the sight and he cracked his whip, "H-hey, all of you! Attack him! Butterfree use stun spore, Beedrill, drill peck, Ratatta's 1,2 and 3, use tackle Go! Go! Go!" He ordered with a slur of words in panic.
But nothing happened, much to Grey's amusement at the teen's confused face.
Annoyed, AJ spun to face them, "Oi! I gave you lot an ord—" he gasped, "What the...What the f-fuck!?"
All of his pokemon were lying unconscious on the floor, "No way…" A pale hand clenched his shoulder and his breath shuddered, "W-when did you—"
"Our first agreement was in effect since the beginning. So I fought back."
"B-But, when did you get 'em? I was facing you t-the whole t-time."
Grey hummed out a chuckle.
"Let me answer with a question, AJ...How sure are you, that was really 'me' you were staring at?"
"I...When I made Sandshrew attack…"
"It's a dangerous thing to mix fantasy with reality. You had all your pokemon out. Therefore, they were valid targets. And, that was...Six pokemon? According to the rules, you're all out...And I haven't surrendered. So, what will you do now?"
"P-Please don't hurt—"
He shushed him gently in the ear.
"Do you surrender?"
"Y-yeah. I lose. fair 'n' square. No hard feelins', right? Hehe…"
Oh how Grey loved the smell of fear on little abusive shits like this one.
"Sure. No hard feelings...But, I do believe we had a little bet. Didn't we? A.J.?"
The teen's shoulder quivered under his tightening grip, and he leaned into AJ's ear, whispering, "Lights, camera, action. It's showtime."
AJ whimpered.
In his giddiness, Grey's manic laughter echoed through the trees…
...Karla groaned as her vision came back, blurry at first, only the color green mottled her surroundings, before the tree leaves and shrubbery fazed into normal definition; a welcoming sight. She leaned up, sitting on a bed of leaves, though her side burned and her cheek stung. "Ow."
Through the pain, a draft cooled her injuries, wafting the aroma of aloe vera.
Huh?
"Good to know your nervous system is still functioning, I mean after an ass kicking like that..."
She jolted and turned her head to lay eyes on the psychic-human sitting on a rock jutting out from the ground, staring at her with those wild amethysts, capable of ripping her mind asunder if so much as crossed.
"H-Hi...Um, did you—"
"Yeah, nice trick with the aloe, consider it payback for your help, after what happened with the houndour," he grunted, looking away with arms crossed.
Oh. Right, the houndour...Her family was gone, and she was far from home…
"Well...Thanks, and sorry for interrupting your fight."
"Yeah, whatever, still begs the question though"—He leapt from the rock, landing almost soundlessly in front of her and leaned over with his eyes gleaming—"Why?"—as he scrutinized her, causing her feathers to ruffle.
"I-I thought you were psychic," she peeped as she shooed her gaze away from his.
"Yeah, nice try, but I want to hear it from you, just in case I might've misinterpreted. Stop weaseling around, and answer," he demanded.
Oh boy, here goes…
"I...I—"
"C'mon, spit it out."
Man he was insistent. She mustered whatever courage she possessed and looked him straight in those cold eyes.
"I—"
"Nope. Sorry."
Huh?
"You heard right. Can't take you with me."
She gaped at him…
"Oh. But I—"
He got up, swiveled the other way, and started gathering his things, "Yeah no, I'm not babysitting someone who isn't battle capable. That sandshrew wasn't really a big deal and he was sick to begin with. I know you were at a type disadvantage, but man...He wrecked your shit."
Again that 'shit' word, it seemed to have many synonymously negative connotations, though this time it was neutral?
"I...I've never had to battle like that," she excused.
"Gee, could've fooled me," he said as he fastened his jacket and slung the backpack over his shoulder.
"But I—"
"What did you expect? For me to grovel at your little chick-feet and say 'Oh thank you so much for helping me, I'm in debt to you oh great Kalama, I need you, oh please come with me'. Is that what you were hoping for?"
"No…I...I just..." But aside from her battle injuries, she was hurt by his callousness...Then again, perhaps it really was too much to expect.
He sighed and knelt down in front of her.
"Look."
She lifted her gaze at his pale face which held an expression she was unable to decipher.
"Thanks for helping me in the aftermath of the houndour fight, really. You had no obligation to, despite your intention. But now I've helped you back, and, after finishing up with AJ, even wasted an extra hour of my precious time, waiting for you to wake up. We're even."
"But I have no one left...My family...Is dead, and I can't..." Her voice wavered in the face of his rejection.
"You can't 'what'?"
"Aren't you a trainer?"
"...No. I'm not. And I would never seal a pokemon in one of those disgusting contraptions," he spat with his brows furrowed.
Contraption? That 'pokeball' thing she heard so much about from past encounters? What was so hateful about tha—
"It's more than just a carrier and capturing device...But telling you is pointless. Besides," he got up again and started walking away, "it's more dangerous for you to come with me than it is to live here in the forest freely. That, I guarantee you."
Was that really true? Is this it? He's just going to walk away after her aid? After he...He was the only...No. This wasn't fair.
"Tell me why!" She demanded through tears, suddenly furious at the painful rejection after all this effort following him.
He stopped and turned.
"Will it stop you from following me?"
"It depends." She lied.
He rolled his eyes, indicating he read her deceit through her thoughts, but she didn't care.
"...Because soon the entire region will be hunting for me."
She blinked, before her double take at the severe statement.
What?
"And you're rare in this region. Practically every trainer is going to want you. Since I won't be shoving you into a pokeball, you're always going to be a wild pokemon on-sight. Catchable. Unowned. Free...If someone captures you and takes that freedom away from you, then I'll be…"
His voice trailed off as he stared into space, his eyes downcast.
"Then you'll be 'what'?" She pushed.
"...Nothing. It's best if you remain free. End of story. Stop following me or regret it." He warned with a final glare.
She was about to protest but leaves flew up in the air as he zoomed into the woods, leaving behind a draft from the speed of his takeoff. Dear Arceus, he was fast.
"Oh no...Wait!" Her heart pounded as she clambered after him as fast as her condition allowed, though the scrape on her side was healing, it still slowed her down. Karla pushed through however and followed his scent. There was no way she was going to allow herself to be left behind here of all places. Anything could happen to her alone, and she had no body to defend her, no allies. And he didn't even have the decency to tell her his name, at least!
No. She wasn't going to accept this unfair turn of events. He was going to have to kill her himself to stop her pursuit…
...With his injuries healing and being in significantly better condition, Grey dashed through the forest, inexplicably wondering about Karla...Especially as to why he wasn't able to fully infiltrate her mind from the beginning. Did she have a stronger psyche than he initially thought? One thing was certain, she was stubborn. A few kilometers back, he had still felt the erratic signature following him. But he soon lost her, and that was that. She'd be free, and nature would handle the rest.
After another hour of trudging through the dense bushlands, Grey came upon a small incline that revealed the gleaming colorful city of Celadon. Under the rising sun, it was like an enormous array of crystals, glimmering in all the possible range of colors, staying true to its common reference as 'the city of rainbow dreams'.
Soon enough, he descended the incline, brushing through the thick branches toward the back of a huge department store building; being five-stories tall. He walked between the alley of the buildings and onto the sidewalk.
The city was one of, if not the most densely populated in the region, and with the highest capita earnings. Crowds of consumerists roamed its green-tinted sidewalk, filled with department stores, shopping malls and plazas. The people dressed in fanciful expensive clothing and sported real authentic jewelry that sparkled like the city skyscrapers themselves. Thankfully, his jacket was intact from his fall earlier, the backpack having received most of the damage, otherwise he would've stood out like a beggar on the streets.
Once more, he bumped into a man, and slunk into the crowd, taking his wallet with ease and pleased with how filled with cash it was. The man was a gambler, he'd survive a day or two without the addiction.
Carefully absorbing bits of information from the mind surfaces of those around him for directions, he made a rough mental map of the city. Pulling the money out and tossing away the wallet—the credit and debit cards being useless to him as it would record the atm locations and attract too much attention—he cruised toward the direction of the pokemon center.
The facility was just at the next corner, though next to it was a clinic. Perhaps it was best to tend to himself first beforehand.
The clinic was full of people sitting in the pristine waiting room, some reading magazines though most on their phones without a care in the world.
Grey walked straight to the reception desk, toward a freckled red-head of a young woman standing behind it, and immediately infiltrated her neurocognition the moment she laid her blue eyes on his. She stiffened and her gaze became blank.
Tell me where I can find the best nurse in this clinic, and take me to them.
"Of course...Right this...Way…" She complied blandly, having fallen under his hypnosis.
She ambled from the reception desk and took him down the bright hall, into the nurse room, where another woman with darker features, dressed in a medic-green uniform, seemed confused at the front desk attendants presence, but soon fell under the same hypnosis.
"Go back to the front desk. As soon as you get there, you will wake up, remembering nothing from the last minute," he commanded. The red-head nodded and stepped out of the nurse room.
After scanning the space for any other person, Grey focused on the now hypnotized nurse as he took off his jacket and singlet, as well as peeling off the bloody self-applied gauze, "You, tend to my wounds and give me some painkillers, do it quickly."
"Of course..." She obeyed mechanically...
He walked out of the clinic, his gauzes renewed and applied professionally with antiseptic cream soothing the injuries and alleviated by the pain-killers.
To his gladness, the nurse had enough skills to do her job as fast as she did. Though that didn't fix his nose bleed, the velocity at which he arrived here on top of the consecutive hypnosis and other minute psionic actions he took had piled up and cost him some energy. But after tending to his business at the pokemon center, he'd go for a bite with the cash he 'borrowed'. After being denied his sushi by Team Rocket's pursuit yesterday and AJ's stash not being that appetizing, his stomach would agree that he was famished.
Once more, he strode across the footpath toward the pokemon center, its red roof and white walls being a beacon of health to most, for Grey however, it meant a PC.
People dotted the front entry pathway, and a lot of them were...Trainers, much to his revulsion.
Most of them were legal-aged teens close to their twenties; a myriad of giggling and laughing colorful short pants, baggy jeans, sandals, sporty sneakers and fancy hats worn in ways they ought not to be, all for the sake of a fleeting sense of authenticity.
Though some couldn't have been more than ten years old, those most likely had just begun their journey just before the change in the age minimum. The larger number of them sported belts which wrapped a part of their body, with shrunken pokeballs hanging off them, each with a 'poképrisoner' inside.
His blood curdled and the leather of his gloved fist creaked, while cracking his knuckles at the sight. Oh the many ways he could fathom in breaking their spirits, to see them weep as AJ did...But he controlled his bubbling rage. His long mission would some day see them stripped of their laughably deluded dreams and their prisoners along with them.
Grey understood that they, in essence, grew up manipulated into believing what they did. It wasn't really their fault to be born under a fundamentally flawed system, but that didn't absolve them of the actions taken to pursue their whimsical fantasies, they still supposedly had a conscience and free will to make choices. And a lot of them would quit halfway, or even a quarter of the way of their pursuit. What of their 'precious' battle partners then? Would they be abandoned? Tossed out like trash? Reduced to mere pets? Released into the wild to fend for themselves in an area they're not familiar with? Put up for adoption? Or perhaps donated to a research center to be held under a magnifying glass or within a goddamned liquid tank to be treated like an object to the whims of science? Forced into a breeding program and have their unborn taken from them?
It was a complex matter with few alternative solutions, and all radical in nature. But it would be done, one way or another.
He came upon the pokemon center's glass sliding doors, but before entering, he noticed a group of teens huddled at the wall to the side of the building, murmuring something about a competition, and through the babbling teens was a colorful poster catching his attention. What were they so pumped up about?
He stalked toward the group.
"—Reckon I could give it a go."
"You'd get trashed Dave, that's some serious league stuff there."
"Piss off, would love to see 'you' try...The…"
Grey was upon them, already getting annoyed at their incessant dick-measuring, he invaded their weak-willed childish minds, putting a stop to their chattering.
"Move aside and walk to the forest."
The mentally-dulled teens nodded in obedience and walked endlessly toward the edge of the city. Of course once they were out of his range, they'd automatically snap out of it, not remembering a thing.
Once they moved out of the way, he gazed at the poster, featuring the silhouette of trainers and pokemon on a hot palette backdrop with 'FNS' written in large initials and grungy texture. The poster's contents read:
'Pokémon Semi-annual 'Friday Night Smackdown' tournament! Come spectate the exciting battles! Wanna' compete and see if you can make it through the brackets and become this first-half year's Pokémon FNS prize winner of 10,000 dollars in cash!? Looking to increase your rank points to make it to the top? Join us at the Celadon arena for a fun and competitive knockout tournament!'
Below the poster in bold red was a warning:
'Competitors must be above the age of 18, and at least be a certified 'advanced' level trainer, but must be below the 'Elite' level. 'Extreme' league battle rules apply to FNS.'
Well...With that kind of money, no wonder the little shits are raving about it. With 10,000 bucks, at least for a while, I wouldn't have to steal so many wallets and potentially draw attention to myse—
Grey turned his head to the side of the building, having detected a vibration he recognized.
Wait a minute...What the actual fuck!?
Almost as if on cue, and to his absolute astonishment, he sensed a familiar neural-wavelength approaching from behind the building.
Tottering toward him, heaving and panting with leaves sticking out of her sweat gleamed plumage, was none other than the same torchic, Karla.
"I've...Finally...Found you," she said through labored breaths, she seemed ready to pass out, but she stood her ground and composed herself.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"What's it look like?" She scolded.
Oh?
"How did you find me?"
"Your scent."
Of course...
He shook his head in self-reproach for his carelessness, "You do realize that you're lucky no one's caught you yet, right?"
"Yeah. I've been hiding from sight."
"Foolish. What's stopping me from kicking your little ass into the middle of that group of teens over there for them to catch you and be rid of you once and for all?" He threatened with an irritated stare.
"The fact that you despise the world in its current state, and that you wouldn't allow them to take me." She challenged with a puff of her chest.
Grey was left speechless.
Did this shitty little torchic just prey on one of his weaknesses? Putting him on the spot? The fucking nerve.
He glared at her, "When did you get the balls…"
"I don't need 'balls' to face my fears. I'm a girl anyway." She smirked through her exhaustion, "You'll have to take my life if you don't want me to follow you. I've got nowhere else to go either way."
Some pedestrians leered at them in suspicion of the clear dialogue between the two. With a glance to the side, he switched to telekinetic communication, reestablishing their connection.
Is that right?
"You bet."
Persistent little thing, he'd give her that. He licked his canines in thought, as an idea formed.
He momentarily cut the mental link to think to himself.
Ok...If it means she can prove her worth, then cool...If she fails, then her shattered pride will most definitely end this charade. I win either way.
Grey stabbed the poster with an index; a devilish grin creeping across his face, "If you wanna' follow me, then you'll have to prove your worth. In five days, there will be a pokemon fighting tournament. Turns out I'm in need of some real cash, and some rest at that. And maybe, I'll need someone that can prove to the world that pokemon are more powerful when 'free'."
She gave him a quizzical gaze at the last statement before he continued—
"I'm on a mission, I've brought no pokemon with me and I'll be in this region for a while. Since I don't hold pokemon captive in a ball, I've got no room for stragglers, only winners that can keep up...So"—He met her gaze—"Think you've got what it takes?" He raised a brow in question.
She smiled in confidence, "If you train me, I'll do it."
"Oh I'll train you alright, as you are, you're a fart on Jupiter's surface. It'll be nothing stupid and counter-productive like AJ, but just as harsh. He had the right idea, but didn't execute it well."
"Right."
"But, never call me your 'trainer'. Instead, if you make the cut, we'll be partners. That's how I prefer to think of it."
Karla seemed surprised at his last statement, but did not question it.
"Alright. So what can I call my future 'partner' then?"
He smiled, "Call me, Grey."
"Grey...It suits you."
"Don't push it."
"Eh...Right."
With that, he headed for the pokemon center, "First, we should get you patched up in one of the pokemon center's healing tanks, while I make a PC call."
Karla scurried alongside him, drawing glances and stares from the multitude of trainers near the entry, some gawking and others furiously whispering in wonder while pointing at her. Being unsettled, she walked closer to Grey, switching to her thoughts to not draw attention, knowing he'd hear.
So, who're you calling?
He glanced at her from above, pursing his lips in thought, "Let's just say, an ally, who I need a favor from."
For this so called 'mission'?
"I'll worry about that, 'you' start thinking about how you're going to win against trainers that have prepared their chosen pokemon for at least six months leading to now. All of whom boast significant battle experience." He smirked as she gulped at that…
After Karla was carted away by a nurse to the healing room, Grey settled in one of the PC cubicles, making sure it was completely sealed and soundproof, on top of erecting a psychic barrier around himself to prevent any form of eavesdropping.
He took out a USB and inserted it into the PC's port, typing the code into the command prompt to activate the portable VPN generator, and made an encrypted call to the address specified, with a custom, non-trackable, application included in the USB.
After a few moments, the video call beeped to life and a silhouette appeared on the screen.
"Hello Keith, it's good to hear your voice," he said.
"I told you, Gordor, I don't use that name anymore beyond a pseudonym, It's Grey."
"Right. Of course. Since you're using my real name, I assume you've taken precautions for this call?"
"Obviously."
"Good. I trust your call means you got the 'pokedex', correct?"
Grey lifted the aluminium wrapped device to the screen camera. The silhouette nodded.
"Excellent. Insert it into the PC and we'll update the information with our data back from Hasting's lab, while we extract its tech-patent information. You're going to need it, sources tell me many trainers, league professionals and authorities, including police and military, have been importing pokemon inter-regionally as of late."
"It doesn't surprise me. I've got a 'torchic' following me around now, she came from the forest at route 4. This pokedex didn't have any info on her, so I'll need her species' average data, as well as any above average stats if recorded," said Grey as he unwrapped and inserted the pokedex into the PC. A file transfer request popped up on the screen and he accepted.
"Already breaking hearts?" Jested Gordor.
"We'll see if she's worth it. She's got spunk, that's for sure."
"Good. I guess I was right. Dispatching the latest 'capture-styler' to you might've been a waste of time after all, though Hastings insisted. You can collect it from our insider once it arrives."
"She followed me of her own volition, actually. Though I still don't know why, her mind's a mystery."
Gordor's silhouette stayed motionless for a second.
"Of her own volition you say? Interesting."
"And the only reason I'd ever use that 'capture-styler' contraption, is in an emergency only, and the fact that its effects aren't permanent, unlike a pokeball. But I still dislike it. My power should suffice."
"Of course, as you wish, but you must consider that it will be energy efficient for your sake in dire circumstances. We'll let you know when it arrives and where to get it."
"Sure. Also, I need you to crack the GPS software within the pokedex, so I don't get tracked. And I need a Kanto profile change. Apart from everything else, just the surname and background will do."
"Consider it done."
"Oh, and make it an 'advanced' level trainer profile this time, no more beginner level crap. Gonna' need to participate in an event and I need the cash."
"Whatever for? Couldn't we just send you the money?"
"And get the transferal back-tracked to our region? The Kanto banks will be onto us like an addict getting a whiff o'crack. You're a good manager Gordor, but a lousy tech. Leave the programming logic to Hastings or his assistants, just pass the profile change order. Plus it'll be a good way for the little chick to test the waters."
"Ok, if you say so. But only 'advanced' level? Could've been 'expert' or even 'pro'..."
"I doubt there are many pro and above level trainers that are unheard of. It'd be suspicious if one appeared out of the blue, and well, Karla's just starting out. The advanced level's where I'm at for the moment, if that isn't being generous."
"Cute nickname."
"Her real one was too annoying and hard on the tongue, it's close enough to the original," He shrugged, eliciting a chuckle from Gordor.
"Alright. Anything else?"
He selected and sent AJ's footage from the USB files and waited for Gordor's reaction...
"Clearly, you enjoyed that 'way' too much."
Grey stifled a snicker, "I know."
"Poor kid. Glad I didn't meet 'you' back in 'my' day, boy was I so blind...I assume this isn't just for show 'n' tell."
"You wouldn't happen to have a broadcast technician amongst your ranks, would you?"
"As if you had to ask, it's like you've forgotten who I am," Gestured the silhouette in an amused tone.
"Can you fathom a guess at what I want?" asked Grey.
"...Cheeky. But are you sure you want to go through with this? The entire region will be looking for you."
"It'll play a part in the mission, and we were going to do that eventually anyway. So why not? Let's start now and give 'em the jitters."
"Alright, as the manager of my own kids' rock group, I can arrange a broadcast techie for you myself."
"Sweet."
A savage grin cracked Grey's face…