Gary sat by the window watching the pouring rain from the inside of the Pokemon Center. There was so much on his mind. Maybe I need to see a therapist or something, he considered. I hate those people, but lately, with my raging temper and attitude, I just haven’t been feeling like myself anymore. And I know I can get pretty hot headed, but this isn’t the same thing. I’ve been feeling completely out of myself lately! Like... someone else has been coming out of me. Maybe this is how psychopaths feel. Am I turning into a serial killer? Will I wake up in a psych ward tomorrow with no recollection of how I got there? Will-?
“Hey, Gary! You ready to go?” Ranger Kai asked from behind him. “I still have to escort you to Veilstone City to make sure you get there safely, as I promised. And I still need to ask you about your missing friend. I want a full description.”
Gary didn’t turn to face her, though he considered that maybe he should and try to be more polite. He was feeling bad about the way he had been acting around her. That said, he frowned even harder than he already was and stayed still. “I can get to Veilstone on my own!” he snapped. “Just get away from me!” This slipped out beyond his control as he finally whipped around to her and stood up threateningly.
Ranger Kai frowned at him, but confusion was in her eyes and she crossed her arms. “Gary, I’m fulfilling my obligation to you.” She lowered her eyes, staring at one thing, and then another, back and forth.
When his brain finally registered that his body was trembling, he looked down to see tight fists. But, why? Gary questioned. He extended his fingers as far as possible, his entire body quaking as if helpless in an earthquake. Gary... What is going on? He grit his teeth and made fists again, this time on purpose, this time tightening his body and struggling to stop shaking, this time trying to fight back the tears that were suddenly clouding his vision. He was looking completely crazy. “I didn’t ask for your help! I never did!” he let out in a cry. “You could have left me to die for all I care! You don’t owe me anything, and I just want to be left alone already! What don’t you get about that?!”
His top lip sneered, twitching. He could feel his heartbeat racing now as he glared at Ranger Kai, and the tears fell back in his head.
Ranger Kai took a couple of steps towards him.
Back up!! he was ready to threaten the woman.
Gary, wait! he fought. Why would you even want to-?
If she takes one more step, I’ll-! Gary promised.
It was the snicker that caught Gary’s ear. As if taken from out of a trance, he blinked and then shut his eyes as he shook his head hard. His eyes went to look beyond the grown woman.
The Pokemon Center was beautiful, filled with all kinds of festive decorations for the upcoming Christmas holiday, including a decorated Christmas tree. There were lights, tinsel, and specific Pokemon decorations all over the building that fit the season, like Stantler and Jynx, and Pokemon like Chimchar and Charmander in a dancing pose while wearing a Santa hat. There were several people inside, including a Nurse Joy and her Chansey, the two dressed very special, Nurse Joy in a red and white dress and a Santa hat with a white cross on it, Chansey in a matching hat. One other man wore a plain Santa hat, everyone else dressed entirely regular.
It was amazing to see that all of Hearthome City looked filled with the spirit of Christmas, especially after coming out of the woods after so long. You truly lose touch with civilization and forget about society, so it was a shock for Gary to return to such a drastic reminder of humanity and tradition.
But, all of the lights and decor couldn’t hide the change of energy when Gary and Ranger Kai had first walked inside of the Pokemon Center. The stares everyone had given them back then matched almost exactly with the faces they were still getting right now. As if their faces were masks. There was a lot of blatant anger, others wearing smirks and shaking their heads. Even Nurse Joy and Chansey were frowning!
Ranger Kai’s Swadloon was snacking on something while sitting on the counter where Nurse Joy was standing in front of, Chansey behind the counter.
Gary was feeling extremely self-conscious. Taking deep breaths, he relaxed his anger. He looked down to his balled fists and slowly, shakily, opened them. His mind went back to just a moment ago. Exactly what was I arguing in my mind...? I was fighting with myself against hurting the Ranger?
He looked around him again, feeling uncomfortable in this crowd. Normally, he wouldn’t have felt concerned about the onlookers. At least, not concerned like this. Something about the crowd made Gary feel aware of himself. Something about the crowd made Gary feel like it wasn’t about him and Ranger Kai arguing, but about him, personally. He felt certain that only he was the one getting the stares, but he ignored that, since it was entirely likely that was just in his head. “I’m sorry, Kai!” Gary said loudly. He held out a quaking hand and tried to smile. Something’s wrong, he knew. I need to relax. Maybe I need a hospital. But before he could dwell on his feelings any longer, “WHOA!”
Gary’s hand was grabbed by Ranger Kai and shaken wildly as she smiled, her mouth wide open, her eyes closed tightly, delighted. “That’s so great to hear from you, Gary! Sometimes you’re so kind, and other times you’re a pain in my ass! But moments like this, really show me what a great human being you are! Whenever you’re ready, you can find me outside so we can go! I’ll be outside trying to save worms in this weather.” At that, Ranger Kai let go of the child and moved to the counter to retrieve her Swadloon now that she was done snacking, and put her atop her ushanka. In the next instant, she fled the building swiftly.
Gary snickered, shaking his head while reflecting on his school days when he himself used to get worms from the street on rainy days and throw them back into the dirt. When he looked back to the room was when he jumped a little. What the...?
Everyone in the building was looking at him! Still!
He swallowed. What the...? He looked towards the phone booths and then grabbed up June’s bag along with his own before he started moving. When he sat in a booth and set the bags on the floor, he glanced around, seeing that everyone was still looking at him!
One tall guy even sneered right at him and shook his head. His lips mouthed something as he walked off. There were also a couple of other grumbles heard from other people.
His body still shaking, but relaxing noticeably compared to earlier, Gary looked back to the phone and grabbed the receiver from the computer. Before long, he was listening to the ringing. While the ringing continued on, he looked back at the small crowd.
They were always, deliberately, staring right at him!
Gary’s eyes shot back down before returning up to the same scene over and over. This isn’t okay, he knew. Why are they leering at me like that? Even Chansey?
“I’m sorry, this line is currently busy. Please hold or try again later,” a mechanical female voice spoke.
Gary looked to see the blank, black screen with a Wobbuffet on it.
“Wooobb... Wooobb... Wooobb...” the sound went off.
Oh, crap. Is Kiwi really that busy today? Neither her or Prof. Sketchit came to answer? I guess I can just call home. I don’t think I’m ready for my ear to be ringing when Kiwi blasts me for the Larvitar I sent there all injured. He hung up the call and tried to phone home, but this led to an answering machine. The screen went black as Gary ended the call and he stood up, looking immediately at the crowd that still had eyes on him. Yo, what is with them?? the Trainer now frowned. It’s probably best I get out of here and get to Veilstone, after all. Before I get into a fight or something. I didn’t even do anything to anybody! As he got the bags and walked away, he remembered when he had left his Pokemon at the counter with Nurse Joy, and how differently she treated him compared to Ranger Kai.
The woman had been fine to take the Ranger’s Pokemon, but looked with disgust at Gary and rudely told him to just drop his Poke Balls on the counter and she’d get them later. The attitude was unprovoked and was like nothing he had ever seen from a Nurse Joy. Even when he had later asked about how his Pokemon were, Nurse Joy snapped at him to wait, but when Ranger Kai went up only a minute after him, the nurse smiled and returned all the Pokemon to her, including Gary’s! Doing so, she shot a dirty look at the boy!
She definitely doesn’t like me, but it also seems no one here does! Gary didn’t want to think this way, but he couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he was Black, whereas Ranger Kai was seemingly a White woman. Or maybe she just hates kids? Gary considered. That didn’t make as much sense to him as his previous thought, but he hated to just jump to such a conclusion irrationally.
“Hey. Boy!”
Gary stopped walking and looked back. Huh?
A tall man with a light stubble growing in and chewing on a stem of wheat smirked directly at Gary. He was the one guy with a Santa hat on.
A blonde woman right beside him stared at Gary, a kind of sadness in her eyes, and she looked away. Her lips were thick and luscious and heavily coated in red lipstick.
The man rubbed at his chin and snickered. “You alright?”
Gary swallowed nervously and nodded. “Yeah. I’m just leaving.”
The man nodded and looked to the blonde lady, and the two started whispering.
The others in the building snickered and smiled and spoke amongst themselves, watching what was going on.
Why is this place so weird? Gary wondered as he walked to the front doors. Fred moved out here with his family. Did he see this kind of behavior? He was White, but did he see this kind of stuff when he moved out here? I can’t recall what he said about the city. I know he didn’t like it here. Was this why? The double doors slid open when Gary stopped in front of them, and he went outside. He walked through the wet grass, the rain barely coming down anymore, and looked around, scanning the city.
Every building was celebrating the Christmas day that was soon to come with happy, cheerful, joyous decor involving Santa Claus with other humans and Pokemon having fun in snow.
After taking it all in, Gary turned to the towering Pokemon Center building.
It was a tremendous four stories tall, with large balconies on the sides and front. It was bigger than most houses! The decorations on the outside had huge displays of Pokemon and Santa Claus and Nurse Joy. A prop had Chansey, Blissey, Nurse Joy, and many more holding hands around a Christmas tree, the lights not on yet because it was the afternoon.
This place is nice, Gary thought. But I don’t know about the people that live here. His eyes landed on a big building that had intrigued him since he and Ranger Kai first stepped foot in the city.
It was a tremendous structure, entirely white, and for some reason, looking upon it brought him an inner peace he didn’t quite understand. Turrets sat atop the building, one at each end. The top of the building had a dome-shaped design with several blue circles around it getting smaller as they went higher. On the ground, at each side of the building, were green bushes in matching concrete pots.
Now, Gary was in front of the building, not even realizing he had walked over. When it finally hit him where he was, he blinked repeatedly and stumbled backwards. “Whoa!”
There was a sharp cry.
Gary whipped around quickly to see that he had backed right into a woman.
She was in a black dress, a cloche atop her head.
Gary stared at her in shock. “I’m so sorry!” he told her.
The woman looked at him mournfully and shook her head. “Darling, are we all not on the same road, after all. Surely, our moments are fleeting in more than one way. But without meaning, why are we still called to live?” As Gary’s eyes widened, her eyes teared up and she walked away, entering the building.
His eyes still wide, he stared inside.
The doors were tall and stayed open. The several people inside stood or sat in pews.
Gary swallowed nervously and slowly approached, something pulling him in. A desire. An urge. Something was there for him. There was a sought after peace that he knew was home to this place. He stepped inside cautiously, looking throughout the building. Taking in the sights of a place he knew he’d never been, but somehow still felt some kind of distant familiarity with. Have I seen this place on TV? What’s the appeal to me? It’s nice, but why am I so drawn to it? What’s in here?
The floor had a brown carpeting with lighter shades of brown diamond patterns all over. The middle of the carpet had a purple line leading up all the way to the end wall at the front of the building, widening a little at the end. Two lines of orange trailed close to each other inside of the purple, following it all the way down and curving where the purple had widened. The concrete walls were gray, the lower section with fancy patterns. On the three walls in front of Gary were stained glass. A stone pillar each sat at the two corners at the back of the building to Gary’s sides, and in each of the two corners at the front was a matching stone statue of a creature.
Of all the people inside, about half of them were sitting, some with their heads in their hands, a couple others with their hands together in front of their lowered heads. There was sniffling and mumbling heard throughout the otherwise silent building.
Humans were sitting inside the Hope House, some speaking lowly. More humans now.
Gary blinked hard twice and then took two steps back. He looked around, confused, his breathing now harder, his stomach churning with nausea, and he dropped to his knees, his hands resting on the floor. He inhaled and exhaled repeatedly, his gaze on the floor. What is that...? I’ve felt that before, he knew, but couldn’t remember exactly when. I really am sick. I’m... I need to... He took in a big breath through his nostrils and held it. I’ll be fine. I’m fine, he told himself, breathing out harsh as he felt like he might choke. I won’t puke. In fact, I feel better already! He licked his lips and then raised one hand to wipe at his mouth, seeing that he had dripped drool onto the carpet. That’s not normal, he knew, swallowing. He frowned and ignored this, looking up. And then he froze. Huh?
Everyone inside was looking right at him, frowning and mumbling.
One old man was actually walking towards him. He walked with a cane and moved very slowly.
By the time he reached Gary, the boy was on his unsteady legs and had managed to get his balance back.
“Are you alright, young one?” he asked very quietly in a typical old man’s voice.
Gary swallowed again and then nodded. “Yes. Thank you.” He looked to the people scowling at him, most of them looking away.
“You’ve come here for a reason, haven’t you? We don’t get many like you around this city. This must have been an important journey.”
“Like me? I’m a Pokemon Trainer. Do you mean since Fantina retired and moved? Because there’s no Gym here anymore?”
The man stared at him silently for a moment before nodding. “Yes. Something like that. Well, take care and good luck on your journey, my friend. There’s no Gyms here so there’s no reason for you to stay long.”
Gary watched the man walk off. He seemed very friendly and polite, but something about what he said felt like it had more meaning to it, and in a bad way.
The guy stopped at the front of the building, in front of the huge, beautiful artwork depicted on the stained glass sat in the middle of the wall.
It was hard to tell what it was exactly, but it looked like it depicted a mountain. Over it was a tremendous ring of light encircling a gigantic, bright star.
The man stopped at the glass and lowered his head. His body shook repeatedly.
Is he crying? He is, Gary realized. In a place like this, everyone must be praying or mourning or something, right? Perhaps I should leave. Or... Is this - exactly where I oughta be? Why do I feel like this place has something for me? There’s something about here that’s... What is it? He took a step, stumbling in the process as he hadn’t fully decided if he’d go further inside or not, but he caught himself and was now walking with intent, heading for the front of the building.
One of the many noteworthy things about this building was that there were no fancy lights or boisterous decor, even for the holiday season. It was as simple as could be, and devoid of anything extravagant.
Acknowledging this, Gary actually considered this a good idea, and appreciated it. He stopped a fair amount of space behind the old man and looked about, staring at the two statues. Statues of Pokemon? Or...? He couldn’t tell what they were. His eyes returned to the stained glass in front of him, and he took in the mountain. It’s nice, he thought. But what does it mean? What is it for? I’m sure it has a purposeful message.
He inhaled some bravery to replace his nervousness and walked up to a pew that only had two people in it. Gary sat June’s bag on the ground gently before straightening up slowly. Feeling eyes on him, he looked to his right, to the only two people who were in the pew with him.
There was an old man and old lady sitting next to each other. Both of them were glaring at him.
Gary’s eyes widened and he smiled a little, nodding politely. “Sorry,” he whispered, though he wasn’t sure why. I didn’t do anything, he told himself. Or, I don’t think I did, anyway. Maybe I made some noise I’m not aware of.
The couple had an open book in each of their hands. They closed them and stood, the lady grabbing her pocketbook, the man patting down his pants. They looked at the seat to check that they hadn’t left anything behind and moved to a pew in another area.
Gary looked down. Whoa, soooorry. He closed his eyes, not wanting to admit he felt a little hurt by that, because he had no proof it was him that made them move. He didn’t know what their story was. Maybe they would have moved if anyone had sat in the pew, regardless how far away from the couple they were. Or they might just be having a bad day.
Shooting a look over to them again, he saw that the pew they were in actually had another three people in them, and the closest person to them was far closer than Gary had been with the couple.
Gary also noticed that people from other pews were now looking at him again, a couple of people shaking their heads, others just scowling, everyone eventually looking away.
It’s nothing, Gary. You must have made some noise. You made the old people leave, and that caused a disturbance and it’s all your fault. Just relax. Maybe just... He closed his eyes. Maybe you ought to... He surrounded himself by the silence of the building, almost nothing else audible. It brought some self consciousness to himself, but it also gave him focus. He noticed his body wasn’t trembling anymore, and this allowed relief to flow throughout him easier. Maybe I oughta do this more often... Gary thought. Take time to really put my thoughts together. Really concentrate on where I am, and what it took to get me here. I should meditate more. Electivire does that sometimes. Maybe we could do that together more when I get out of this place. I really need to get out of this city. There’s no Gym, and I don’t feel exactly... liked here. And... I’m pretty sure everybody I’ve seen in this city is White... He almost opened an eye to see the people in the building, but instead, he shook his head hard and narrowed his eyebrows, shutting his eyes even harder. No. Stop that. That doesn’t matter or prove anything. You can’t confirm that. Don’t think like that. Relax. Let’s focus on something else. While we’re here. In all my life, never have I stepped place - here.
Gary sat motionless, absorbing the silence. Basking in it. Recalling everything rapidly and in a jumbled mix. One moment he was helping June to her feet to help them escape from the police of Gringey City, the next he was at Prof. Oak’s funeral. Next, he was watching Gym Leader Tera drop dead, and after that, he was battling random Trainers with names he couldn’t remember. He thought of battling Rog at the Indigo Plateau, and soon after that he was fighting off Beedrill on Route 1 to protect his Charmander. Ranger Kai was being tossed off a mountain, Arbok was lunging for Gary, Rael was fuming at Gary over something, Prof. Cynthia was giving Gary, Aly, and Robin their Pokedexes, Robin’s Catherine, as a Squirtle, was refusing to battle Gary, Aly was about to get shot by-
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Gary’s eyes popped open. But I saved her... It makes no sense, but, factually, I saved her. Somehow... And yet. Yet, I didn’t think I had saved someone. I thought Isaac killed someone. And even Isaac noticed something about it. But he’s dead now. With him gone, how will I ever know what we were thinking? How could Isaac have any idea? I should be nothing but happy that he’s gone, but there’s a part of me that wishes, if only I could get the answer to that question... If only... Then, maybe... Maybe... what? What would it do? I misremembered something, and it just confused Isaac. Maybe, but that doesn’t explain...
Gary tightened his right hand. My right hand, he continued thinking. It was hurt. It was busted. It was out of shape. And once I was tossed off that cliff by the monster, I woke up in Team Solace’s helicopter and everything was just fine. That’s just plain impossible. Is there a connection? How? What? The monster, Team Solace, that weird memory. What does it all mean? What if it means nothing? What if my hand is just fine?? And that’s it! It just was never that injured to begin with!
How does any of this help me find June?? I’ve run into that monster, and I haven’t seen June at all. How can I get her back at this rate? I can’t even fight that thing off, and neither can my Pokemon right now. Tears were rolling down Gary’s cheeks, and he shut his eyes tightly, pressing his palms into them. He didn’t cry out loud, but he wanted to. Nothing was making sense, and for all that he was suffering through, he wasn’t even strong enough to save his friend.
That thing is a monster, Gary told himself. June was put into a... thing! Some evil contraption that resembles a Poke Ball, and must be dead by now. That monster kills! There’s no reason to have kept her alive. And I’m just haunted by these... damn nightmares all the time!
The child could have burst out in a loud rage in that quiet building, and it took all he had within him not to. June... Please be okay. I know I never showed it, but I should have. I should have told you how much I cared and cherished your friendship. To have someone who puts up with me. You could have left at any time, but you didn’t. Why? Why were you also so impressed by me and wanting to be my friend? Why not stay home, in Gringey City? Fred... Fred... Are - are you two together, now...? Gary’s shoulders slumped and even more tears slid through his eyelids. Damn it... June... There was nothing I could even do when you were taken. I just stood there like a stunned coward. No. Just a coward. No excuses about being stunned. I did nothing. I let you die right in front of my eyes and watched.
His body shook repeatedly from sniffles and whimpers starting to slip out against his will, accepting the death of his friend. So that’s it, huh? This is... the cost of being a Pokemon Trainer... If you don’t lose your own life, you lose the lives of your Pokemon, or your friends, even... His mind went over to his Hitmonchan, and then his sister’s Absol, finally leading to Melissa herself... This is just the kind of ammo Team Solace needs. And yet... Hitmonchan... That was at the hands of Team Solace! Absol was a Pokemon attack, but Melissa herself was killed by that monster that isn’t even really a Pokemon! And then June, too. He breathed out tiredly, and his hands fell from his face. His arms on his legs, he just let his hands hang and he blinked out another pair of tears. This isn’t helping me at all, Gary thought.
Suddenly, Gary’s tears and sadness seemed to vanish in an instant. He just sat there like a dummy, not moving, not crying, not doing a thing. Waiting, maybe? No, he told himself. But, what is that? Footsteps walked into the building, and at the same time, a shiver ran down Gary’s back, making him straighten up and flinch. He looked back to see someone enter. He hadn’t even realized it yet, but he was already standing.
The body that entered was wrapped in a black cloak, a hood over the head, nothing seen of them except for their bright white feet, which look absolutely terrible. Gary kept his eyes on the individual and they stopped and looked around the room. The body jolted for a moment, and then seemed to look about more frantically.
Who’s this? A bum? Gary wondered. Maybe seeking offerings or something. He wanted to look away and ignore whoever this was, but he couldn’t get over those feet.
The toenails were absolutely disgusting, cracked, and long enough that they were curved and touching the ground!
Gross! Gary kept to himself. He finally was able to look away, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what had just been branded into his mental eye. That was like- Gary tried to think up something comparable but ended up giving up -nothing I’ve ever seen. He shook his head. Or, have I...? Wait, Gary finally saw. I’m standing? When did I get up? Against his will, or, maybe there was a fifty percent influence of his own, he looked back to the person again, staring down to their feet. But his eyes went back up immediately, the face of the person now revealed due to the hood being lowered.
Gary didn’t hear the cries that turned into screams. He didn’t hear the footsteps stomping the floor as people ran. He didn’t see the people shoving each other out of the way and trampling over one another to escape.
Gary wasn’t aware of what was going on around him as he stared into the face of the monster!
The being, the new species, the evil creature, that evil entity that had kidnapped June, that Gary had run into so many times already, stood past the entrance to the building. The tall monster’s skin was bright white, like snow, practically glowing. The hair all over her body was white-blonde except for the long black hair on her head. The diamond patterns all over her body were dark red. In an instant, her skin changed to pitch black as she looked around, walking forward one step at a time as the building emptied out behind her. The hair on her body now matched the black hair of her head, and the red diamond designs weren’t dark, lightening to a more neutral shade.
“You,” Gary managed, struggling to stay standing on his now quaky legs. Do I have time to grab a Pokemon? he wondered.
As if in a response to his thoughts, a beam of light came out of June’s bag, and Electivire appeared!!
At the same time, another beam of light came out from Gary’s belt, and Charizard arrived!
Gary gasped.
The monster looked at the two Pokemon with surprise and then narrowed her eyes. Her skin turned white instantly. “Please. Not here!” The monster spoke with a voice that gurgled and floated through the air, kind of as if she were speaking from underneath water. Her voice came out in several differing volumes and tones. She looked behind her and then looked back in. “Out. Side. Anywhere but here. Please. Understand.”
Gary swallowed hard. She wants to go outside? But, why? “Guys, don’t attack! Not here!”
Gary and the monster locked eyes briefly, but she then focused back on the two Pokemon as she moved slowly, walking backwards, heading for the doors.
Gary, Electivire, and Charizard watched her but didn’t move, the two Pokemon growling and flexing their fingers.
Why does she want to go outside? I may not want to fight inside of here, but what does it matter to her? We probably shouldn’t follow her at all, then. That means we’re safer here, right?
Suddenly, the monster stopped walking, right at the entrance, still facing them.
Charizard roared while Electivire snarled.
Say, where’s the Infinity Energy? Gary remembered. Where’s the Legendary Pokemon? The Regis!
The monster then smiled, making Gary gasp for no real reason. Her teeth were a mix of pointed sharpness and broken discoloredness. Her smile went away as her disgusting eyes went over to Gary, and they seemed to focus on him, the spaced skin around them tightening in a dark leer. “I see you have defiled this place.” Her voice now sounded clearer and more normal, but it still echoed.
Gary’s mouth fell open. Can I speak to her? Gary! Say something!
The monster then looked more gently to the Pokemon. This time, her voice returned to the underwater sound with several voices. “Please. I am here for your own clarity. Your freedom. Oh.” She looked behind her, and then back again to the two Pokemon. Her eyes were widened with a kind of innocence. “You don’t understand, yet... No?”
“THIS IS THE HEARTHOME CITY POLICE!!! WE WILL BE ENTERING!! WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE MONSTER IS SAID TO UNDERSTAND HUMAN SPEECH!!!” a voice outside shouted over a megaphone. “THEREFORE, WE WILL BE TREATING THIS SITUATION AS SUCH!! ANY REMAINING HUMAN PERSONNEL, ON MY COUNT, GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!!!! TO THE MONSTER INSIDE, REMAIN STANDING AND WITH YOUR HANDS UP!!! DO THIS BY THE TIME WE COUNT TO FIVE!!! FAILURE TO COOPERATE WILL RESULT IN US FIRING OUR WEAPONS!!!”
The people still left inside with Gary were staring towards the doors, crying, whimpering, unsure of whether to just run out or get down.
There were numerous armed officers outside pointing their weapons inside.
There were also a ton of civilians outside, watching from a far distance behind the cops.
They’re gonna shoot us all dead, Gary was sure. I’m dead. My Pokemon.
“ONE!!!”
Did he say the count of five, or three? Gary panicked as the people in the building screamed out and spoke in horrified tones.
“TWO!!!”
It doesn’t matter now!! Gary freaked out, the other people either falling to the floor and covering their heads, or running to the wall and begging for help.
The monster made a motion, still staring at the two Pokemon in the building.
Electivire and Charizard stirred, ready for whatever the monster would do.
Gary wasn’t even able to tell his Pokemon to calm down or get down, panic and terror in his throat almost stopping his breathing entirely! What do I do?? This isn’t-!!
“THREE!!!”
Don’t panic don’t panic don’t panic!! Gary told himself amongst all the constant screaming from everyone else. They should be able to see you! They know you and your Pokemon are innocent! He swallowed. Just wait. Nothing’s happened yet.
“FOUR!!!”
OH MY GOSH!! Gary’s mind was gonna EXPLODE!!
The monster smiled. “I won’t let them defile this place. I will return for you, my friends.” She turned and, casually, strolled out of the building!!
“FREEZE OR WE WILL SHOO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!”
There was a blinding flash of light that blinded everyone, and soon the air was filled with screams from officers, as well as the regular civilians both inside and outside of the building, including Gary.
He wailed out helplessly as what felt like lightning had come from the sky to electrocute him continuously, but he just wouldn’t die.
The next thing he knew, the pain was gone, and there was just the sound of sirens in his ears. He just laid still, his eyes closed, feeling worn out and sore, breathing hard, awaiting the coming help. “Wait,” he whispered weakly, suddenly remembering something really, really bad, and his eyes opened.
*
Gary’s time with the police officers here took a lot longer than he was used to. By the time he was released, the sun was rising.
The cops at the precinct just refused to stop questioning him, asking the same things over and over, and then switching officers who would proceed to repeat the same things as the previous cops!
“Do you know where the monster is?!”
“Are you working with the monster somehow?!”
“Do you know the origins of the monster?!”
“Is this monster your personally owned Pokemon?!”
“So the monster is a Pokemon?!”
“What were you after in the Foreign Building?!”
“Where is the monster at right now?!”
“Are you meeting with the monster should we release you?!”
“Do you have something against Christmas?! Why do this at this time of year?! Are we to believe this is just a coincidence??!”
“Are you plotting another attack here or elsewhere?!”
“Are you a crisis actor?! Is all of this planned attacks?! Why do you keep appearing in so many of these tragedies??!”
It was as if they just wanted Gary to confess to something he didn’t even do!
The child was down to tears, no matter how hard he had tried to keep them away. When he finally was let go, he was still crying, but he was also frowning. He ended up at the Pokemon Center to pick something up that had been left for him.
She had all of Gary’s and June’s Pokemon, since they had been confiscated from him during all the interrogating, and gave them to Nurse Joy.
After dealing with Nurse Joy’s attitude, Gary got everything back and left, now walking through the city. I can’t believe those cops just put me through all that. Sniffling, he then wiped at his nose and then eyes. A crisis actor? Seriously?? That’s how you treat someone who’s come face to face with death on numerous occasions? As the criminal? The orchestrator? The compliant- The compliant... No, the participant! Yeah, that’s the word. I just wanna go to bed.
Overwhelmed with a growing feeling of rage, Gary ran. He left the city of Hearthome and charged into a bunch of trees and grass, getting away from the busy, bustling city, lights, Christmas emphasis, and buildings, replacing it with nothing but nature. Thanks, Ranger Kai, Gary thanked his friend. She must have left by now. I’m done with her. Thank goodness. I just need some sleep! I’m just gonna sleep, and as soon as I wake up, I’ll get out of here and head for Veilstone. I’m done. But, first.
Gary went through trees, grass, vines, and a few flowers before he tripped, falling to his knees in the middle of a clearing. He wasn’t bothered by the fall. He removed June’s bag from his shoulder and then got his backpack off of him, digging into it. After yanking out several items, he got what he wanted, pulling out his golden .50-calibur Desert Eagle pistol with a sigh of relief. It’s still here. As crazy as she is, I’m sure glad I’m friends with Ranger Kai, Gary admitted. She appeared at just the right time, and I convinced her to take the bags from me just in time without explaining the gun. The police may have patted me down, but they wouldn’t pat a White- No. Gary shook his head. They didn’t pat down a fellow worker of the law. That’s what it was. They assumed the bags were hers and left her alone. She left the bags with Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center, and luckily no one got nosy or suspicious, because of her occupation.
He looked around him, wanting to be sure he was far enough from the city and had a better chance of not being heard well. Off of built-up desperation, and far too many other emotions, Gary pushed down on the safety, cocked the weapon back, and held out the weapon, inhaling with fury. And he froze.
Off to the side, Gary saw two people!
Underneath the bright moonlight in this particular spot was a tall guy and a short lady. The guy was looking right at Gary with wide eyes, while the woman had her legs wrapped around one of the man’s legs, grinding against it and grunting repeatedly.
Gary’s eyes widened, not believing what he was seeing, nor fully understanding it.
BANG!
“AAAAAHHH!!!” Gary screamed in horror and stumbled backwards.
Both the guy and female also screamed, the little lady collapsing and scrambling, the male falling away.
Gary finally fell, his hands still gripping the gun but flying up over his head from the recoil. He hit the ground, groaning.
BANG!
Gary screamed and tried freeing his hands from the gun that went off again. He collapsed on his back, his hands in the grass over his head while still holding the gun. He was afraid of letting off another round and blowing his own head off! His body just froze. “Ouch...” he groaned lightly. My hands hurt. This thing is a weapon!
“Whoa!” the male voice called out.
“What was that??” the female cried. “Was that a gun??”
Gary was afraid to look to even see those who had spoken.
“No way! That you, son?”
Son? Gary’s body jerked and he looked around as best as he could while trying not to move too much.
“It’s way too dark. There’s no way. It’s you!”
Dad? Gary wanted to ask. No. Stop it. That’s not his voice. Right? He finally slipped his fingers out of the gun and slowly sat up. Quickly, he turned to stare at the gun. Seeing that it was sitting alone in the grass, he turned to get a better look at the two people and his eyes widened, recognizing the guy!
“My nigga!!” Standing tall as a mountain was none other than, Ish! “Dude, what are you doing out here in Sinnoh??” He ran up to Gary and held out a hand to help him to his feet.
Gary’s ears were still ringing from the gun, and he was still terrified that it might go off, but he was also so grateful to be seeing Ish!
Even in the dark, the kid’s face looked swollen and bruised, just as usual from his exploits working with various Pokemon.
For Gary, it was a familiar sign of the heart Ish had, in contrast to his abrasive choice of words. “ISH! What’s going on, here?! What are you doing here?”
“Nigga, I told you I work out here. You’re right by Drive Hill. By my PokeLand Discounts.”
“Oh my gosh is that you?? Gary!!” The short lady ran up to Gary, beaming under the moonlight.
She’s really cute, Gary thought. Wait. His eyes bulged. “Psychic Tiny?!”
Indeed, it was Psychic Tiny!
Ish was in tight, dark-blue jeans with a black button-up shirt and a lightweight, dark-blue jacket. His boots were black and white, like his humongous backpack, and he had a white beanie on his head.
Psychic Tiny had on light-blue jeans that maybe were even too small for her miniscule frame, and a snug black coat, the fur-lined hood down, and standing in white sneakers. She was only about half the height of Ish. “I can’t believe we’ve run into you again!”
“I know! But, I’m going for Badges! What has you out here, Tiny?”
There was heavy rustling and bright lights shining through the woods that made everyone turn.
“Shit.” Ish moved swiftly and went for the ground.
Something burst into view! “OH!”
“Ranger Kai!!” Gary pointed.
“That’s me, but who are you??” A bright light shined, blinding everyone and causing them to turn away. “I can’t see who you are! Can you please look directly at the bright light, please?”
“KAI!!” Gary yelled agitatingly. “We can’t! Lower it or something!”
“Oh,” she replied, lowering her flashlight.
Gary wiped at his eyes and he shook his head as he adjusted his vision. He squinted, looking at the Ranger, and then past her, seeing that there was something more coming through the trees.
“I heard gunfire and ran down here with-” Ranger Kai started explaining.
“NOBODY MOVE!!”
The sources of stomping footsteps and more beams of light were revealed to be the police! Several of them swarmed the area with guns drawn!
“WAIT! PLEASE!” Ranger Kai held out her hands and waved them desperately, her flashlight blinding a number of officers. “IT’S OKAY!”
BANG!
BANG!
BANG! BANG!
Gary and his friends all hit the ground together, covering their heads and screaming.
The shots came to an echoing stop, and Gary stayed down, trembling with terror.
“YO, what the FUCK??!!” Ish was heard raging.
“WHY DID YOU SHOOT??” Ranger Kai looked mortified.
Psychic Tiny was whimpering.
“You blinded me with that flashlight, woman!!” an officer shouted.
“And that means you shoot at innocent children??” Ranger Kai cried in disbelief.
“Hey, I heard a shot, so I shot back,” a different officer said nonchalantly.
This guy’s tone was so calm, it made Gary, his whole body quaking, manage to look up.
The officer was staring right back at him. He pointed at Gary! “I thought he had a gun or something!” He then casually shrugged.
My gun?! Gary didn’t move his head, but his eyes went around the area for a couple of seconds before returning to the cop. No! Don’t look for it! Did he see my gun? Is that why we got shot at??
“After all, we are here for those shots we all heard together, so,” another cop shrugged.
“Yeah, don’t make this into something it’s not,” yet another officer sneered.
Ranger Kai stood up and dusted herself off. “Look, I know Gary and his friends. They’re all good as gold! They don’t carry weapons. I was just with them all not long before I ran into you guys. They were having a Pokemon battle and I guess things just got out of hand. Just leave them alone.” Ranger Kai was frowning and put her hands on her hips.
Whoa. She’s lying for us? But she doesn’t even know Tiny and Ish. They could have been the shooters. She’s sticking out her neck for people she’s never met.
“Yeah, yeah. Fine.” An officer that was looking suspiciously at Ranger Kai approached her. “Boys, I’ll see you back at the precinct. I just have a couple more questions for this group.” He stopped in front of Ranger Kai and smirked. “If ya know what I mean.” He adjusted his pants and then crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Ranger Kai rolled her eyes. “Ugh...” she groaned.
The other officers snickered and mumbled, some shaking their heads while smiling before leaving. “We’ll see ya at the precinct if you’re gonna take too long just getting rejected!” one officer called back and laughed.
The officer in front of Ranger Kai waved him off without looking back and then gave Ranger Kai a sinister smile. “So, how about we continue on with our conversation before we were interrupted by these brats and their Pokemon battle?”
“I already told you I’m taken, and not interested. Leave me alone.” Ranger Kai turned and took a step towards Gary, but she ended up gasping as her arm was grabbed and she was yanked back.
“Now, now, pretty lady,” the cop had leaned forward, getting into Ranger Kai’s face with a hard look. “Kai, wasn’t it? Are you half Asian or somethin’?”
Ranger Kai groaned again, looking disgusted by the man.
He laughed heartily, leaning back a little. “That’s a joke! Yano, ‘cause we’re in Japan?” Seeing his joke wasn’t working, he laughed again shortly. “Listen, I just wanna know more about cha. But,” he let go of the woman and she stumbled backwards, tripping and hitting the ground, “if you’re not interested, I can just use that time with your little pals here instead and question them on the gunshots we all heard loud and clear. The shots we also heard from them towards us, leading us to fire back.”
“That’s not what happ-!” Ish was on his feet, infuriated.
But Ranger Kai held out a hand to him. “STOP!” She shook her head, her eyes staying with the officer. She inhaled deeply through her mouth and then let it go. “It’s fine, kids. It’s no big deal.”
“Hey, I’m kind of a big deal!” the officer laughed. “I’m not a bad guy. I think we,” he looked past the Ranger, “and we, just got off on the wrong foot, yano?”
Gary and Psychic Tiny remained on the ground, watching what was going on, Ish glaring at the officer furiously.
They’d just been shot at for no reason, and now Ranger Kai was being forced into an uncomfortable position via blackmail.
But everyone knew there was no other way out of this situation.