"Son of a bitch…" Sabrina whispered as she took a step back, looking at her Pokemon. "Adler, Powder Snow at his arms! And don't screw it up!"

Attack first, ask questions later. That was the rule she'd committed herself to and she wasn't about to break it when a tall bastard with a scythe appeared in what was supposed to be a pleasant trip towards her next job. The Snorunt spat a cloud of icy mist that made its way towards the three… reapers, she decided she'd call them. However it didn't seem enough to freeze anything, merely to bother them.

The dipshit that was wearing a yellow rope around his waist moved next. From behind his back he grabbed what looked like a folded shuriken, each blade as long as his forearm. Smiling from ear to ear, he jumped forward with weapon in hand, aiming at the one in the middle.

"SUCK MY D-!"

His war cry was cut short as his foot slipped on one of the big pieces of glass, sending him to the ground face first. The shuriken flew off to the side and one of its blades stuck to a nearby chair.

Even the three strangers trying to kill them couldn't help but stare in confusion as the man got to his feet, clothes covered in glass, and looked around with a slight blush on his face.

"Ah… did any of you see my shuriken flying off? It does that."

That was enough to bring everyone back to reality, and those who'd just been staring in disbelief grabbed their Pokeballs, releasing their partners into the shaking wagon.

"Geek, it's your turn!" the redhead yelled. "Pound!"

"Sousuke, these are your opponents." the white-haired man spoke. "Bite."

"L-Ludovic, do your best!" Mycroft ordered, voice shaking. "Quick Attack!"

From the simultaneous light of the three Pokeballs appeared a green, bipedal reptile with a red stomach, a chubby creature with crimson eyes seemingly made of stone, and a canine-looking bipedal Pokemon with black dreads. The Treecko, Larvitar and Riolu threw themselves at the man with the scythe before he had time to react.

"Spearow, cover us!" The cloaked woman yelled.

The flying Pokemon flapped his wings energetically, creating a strong gust of wind that hit all the trainers and managed to throw Geek and Ludovic back. Sousuke, being made of stone and considerably heavier, was the only one to get close enough to attack, but before he could close his maw around the man's leg the Spearow flew down and intercepted it, slamming one of its wings against his nose.

Silver threw his hand forward. "Flancito, throw a… uh… fucking, Dragon Rush or something, at that guy's arm!"

Swablu surrounded her soft wings with a dark red energy and flew towards the one with the scythe. She crashed into his shoulders and almost managed to topple him to the ground, but he stomped back strongly with one foot and smiled under his mask.

"Looks like you know how to defend yourselves…" he whispered, and set his dark eyes on the trainer who'd just ordered the attack. "Good, that makes it all the more interesting!"

He moved so fast Silver almost didn't have time to react. The blade of his scythe cut through the air in an arc, tearing through his shirt and scratching his shoulder and part of his arm as he jumped backwards. He landed next to Sabrina and almost collapsed from the pain and his poor footing. Droplets of blood fell from the folds of his shirt to his hand.

Next to him everyone's Pokemon did their best to try and pierce the psychic barrier the Drowzee had created, while the Snorunt at Sabrina's feet hopelessly spat ice forward, which evaporated as soon as it left her mouth.

"They do know how to play…" the cloaked girl said sarcastically. "I can see why Mullac is interested in them."

As soon as she uttered those words, a wave of psychic energy hit all the Pokemon on their side of the wagon. The Tyrogue, Croagunk and Riolu fell to their knees, grabbing their heads in their hands as they let out a pained cry. The rest flinched but managed to resist it for the most part, although it certainly stopped them in their tracks.

The man with the scythe raised a hand casually. "In any case, I doubt they're good enough to get to Saffron alive. Sorry kids, but it looks like this is your last stop."

Sabrina clenched her teeth, hands closing into fists. She looked down to her own Pokemon and almost heaved at the sight of her pathetic attempts.

This isn't working.

If there was any time to bring out the big guns, this was it. Whatever those robed bastards were talking about was irrelevant; all that mattered was leaving train alive, and that wouldn't happen if she didn't do something. Fast.

Her backpack fell to the ground with a weak thump and she knelt down to open it, smiling at what was inside. Without hesitation she grabbed the heavy, worn out crossbow from its folds and raised it with difficulty, its weight making her arms shake. Even though she couldn't see their faces she greatly enjoyed the gasps of surprise coming from the reapers' mouth.

Weren't expecting this, were you?

"Get back!" she yelled to the rest. "And you, Silver, try not to die! I'm gonna need all of you to get out of this one!"

She raised the weapon to her shoulder and took a deep breath, which wasn't easy in the middle of such a commotion. She focused her eyes on the man's hand and pulled the trigger. He tried to move out of the way but the bolt was too fast and it lunged into his skin, right above the middle knuckle. Letting out a cry of pain, he let the scythe slip through his fingers, as his two companions stared at him in horror.

"Nice one, Flaca!" Silver let out a high pitched laugh. "I owe you one!"

And before anyone could stop him, he ran forward and threw himself to the floor, grabbing the ghastly weapon with his right hand. The cloaked man attempted to step on him but he managed to roll to the side and get on his feet without much trouble. Something that surprised the rest of the group as he still had a pretty ugly wound on his shoulder.

"Agh, no!" The robed man screamed, taking a couple steps backwards. "How did you…!?"

"Come on dumb-ass, you're gonna wet yourself 'cause I stole your toy?" He brandished the scythe with a strange familiarity, pointing it at its previous owner. "Party's only getting started and I ain't leaving without your head as a trophy!"

Everyone stared dumbfounded at his bravado, and even Sabrina couldn't help but whistle.

Siegfried took a step forward and pointed towards the two Pokemon still obstructing them, "Itsuki, destroy that barrier."

The Tyrogue didn't need to be told twice. With a strong punch he shattered the psychic wall in front of them, sending a jolt of pain through the Drowzee's body, who fell to one knee and almost crashed against the ground. She had one eyed closed, and her breathing was irregular.

"L-Ludovic, finish that abomination, s'il vous plait!" Mycroft ordered.

"That's what I'm talking about! Keroro, to the bird!" Rhin followed.

Riolu disappeared in a flash and materialized behind Drowzee. With a resounding kick that must've broken something, he sent her a few feet forward, where she hit the floor hard. Meanwhile Croagunk jumped with his powerful legs and buried one of his thin hands in the Spearow's gut, throwing him to the ground.

Burning anger could be seen through the holes of the leader's mask, and his two partners stared at each other worriedly as their Pokemon fell before them.

"This… can't be happening…" he spoke between gasps, grabbing his own bleeding hand. "How did Mullac find these trainers before B… no, it doesn't matter. None of you will leave this train alive!"

A few of the trainers smiled at his words. A couple of them furrowed their brows and took a step backward, and Vard simply threw his palm to the skies again as he spoke.

"Evil beings who dare importunate Vard and his incredible friends…!" his voice broke through the cold entering through the wagon, filling everyone with a strange kind of warmth, "you will suffer the wrath of this rapacious breeder!"

He pointed at the three robed creatures, and everyone followed the scream that came out of his mouth.

"Attack!"

All Pokemon with the exception of Digda jumped forward, and the combined power of their assault almost destroyed the wagon they were in. Screams of agony came out of their opponent's mouths as they all collapsed to the ground, covered in blood and barely breathing.

As soon as the three of them stopped moving, the train came back to life. The sudden jolt put all of them in alert and ready to fight, until they saw the landscape passing by through the windows. Mycroft and Rhin let out sighs of relief.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Well, that was convenient," the red haired girl said. "Think we were supposed to kill them?"

"Looks like it."

Ñako started walking towards the three presumed corpses. For a moment most of them thought he was about to loot them, but he simply knelt next to one of the seats and grabbed the strange shuriken stuck to its side.

"Agh, there we go..." He smiled as he pulled it out and made it spin on his hand. "So… there's eight of you, and with me it'd be nine. In my town we call that a pretty nice group."

He folded it back to its original size and hung it on his back, turning towards the rest of them.

"And speaking of my town…" he smiled. "The name's Ñako, and I'm from Fuchsia."

The rest of them with the exception of Vard exchanged looks of Is this really the time?

"You might have heard of me; I used to flirt with Koga's daughter every chance I got. I was also feared by the local mafias and had the title of sex symbol." Most of them raised an eyebrow at his words. "That's all a lie of course, except the flirting part. Anyway, my point is that it's a good time for introductions and stuff."

A few of them shifted in place, unsure if it really was the time for such a thing, especially with what they assumed were three corpses still in the same wagon as them. After a few seconds of silence the owner of the Tyrogue took a step forward and spoke with a calm, low tone.

"I'm Siegfried, from Viridian." He performed a short bow. "I think it would be wise to tend to the wounded, especially our friend with the scythe."

The man with the disheveled white hair spoke next, holding a small revolver on his right hand. Everyone close to him silently wondered why he hadn't used it during the fight.

"Wolfswift," he whispered. "Ready to break this party."

"My name is Mycroft." The sharply dressed man introduced himself again. "I'm from Violet, and I'm traveling towards Saffron. You already met my Riolu, Ludovic, and… I think that's it. Any questions?"

The red haired girl nodded slowly, "I'm Samantha, or Sammy if you'd like. I'm here because of a letter I received."

The boy with black glasses spoke next, smiling brightly.

"Of course, how impolite of me! My name's Rhin, and I'm from Viridian City. I'm a tarotist by trade and my amphibian friend here is Keroro!"

Silver was barely listening, eyes fixated on the Swablu flying around him. Both his scythe and shoulder were dripping with blood, though he didn't seem to mind.

"The fuck are you looking at with that stupid fucking face?" he asked, shaking his head. "Think I forgot about that Dragon Rush that did nothing!?"

He realized everyone was staring at him, and promptly let out a nervous laugh.

"Ah… can't be the only jerk who doesn't say anything." He scratched the back of his head. "They call me Silver and I'm from the Orange Islands. Came to Kanto for a vacation after they kicked me out of my old job."

Without prompting, Vard took a step forward and, as he'd done twice already, he raised his palm toward the ceiling. Those who had previously met him expected him to break into a poetic spiel, but he only said three words.

"I… am Vard!"

Only one left. The girl with the black beanie felt everyone's eyes fall on her. She had to take a few seconds to think the situation over. Did they really want her to…? Judging by the looks they were giving her, they did.

I must look like an antisocial dick, she thought to herself. And they say appearances lie.

She didn't want to associate herself with these people, even if they'd just helped her survive a horror movie situation. Still, it was possible she'd need them in the future, so she didn't have much choice. Even the weird guy with the shuriken (why did he look so familiar?) had introduced himself. She let out a deep sigh.

"Sabrina. I'm from…" She smiled to herself. "Let's say I'm from Saffron, why not."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes as she felt the tension evaporate from the air. As if knowing these people's names could ever make her trust them.

As soon as she thought that, the sound of coughing reached them from behind. They turned quickly towards the pile of bodies, where the leader was slowly pushing himself upwards with his bloodied hands. There was a strange gleam in his eyes, a mix of hatred and relief.

"You… you're all a bunch of talented would-be trainers, aren't you?" He laughed through the blood spurting out of his mouth. "It's a shame you'll never make it to Saffron. This train isn't gonna stop, and when… Once it reaches the last station…"

Light shone inside the wagon, and everyone turned towards the windows. Through it they could see the outline of a gigantic city in the distance. They were approaching fast.

"It'll crash…" the man struggled to keep himself conscious, still smiling. "You'll all die with it."

And with that he collapsed, and didn't move again.

The trainers stood frozen for a couple seconds, until Ñako took a Pokeball from his belt. From its light appeared a yellow creature with closed eyes and thin limbs, who appeared to be sleeping.

"Well, that sounds lovely but…" he said with a nervous smile as he grabbed the Abra by the arm. "That ain't the end I want. See you later suckers! Ah… you come with me."

Without further explanation he grabbed Mycroft by the shoulder and urged his Riolu to do the same.

"Paja, Teleport!"

The four of them disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the rest understandably startled.

"We need to jump!" Siegfried raised his voice for the first time, walking towards one of the doors and forcing it open. "The train has to slow down when it nears the station, even if it won't stop. That will be our chance!"

He threw himself forward, his Tyrogue hanging from his back. The rest of the trainers stared for a couple heartbeats before they started running around the wagon and prepared themselves. Sabrina, not caring about keeping appearances anymore, ran to the pile of bodies and grabbed the chubby psychic Pokemon laying down on the floor, still unconscious. Silver and Wolfswift followed her example, stealing the Spearow and one of the Sneasel respectively.

"Adler, we're going. And you pal, you'll come with me," Sabrina said, the Drowzee hanging on her back. "As for the rest of you… Hey, it was fun."

"Alright! Spearow in hand, scythe with daddy…" Silver recounted, smiling to himself. "That's what I'm talking about."

Vard laughed, "Excellent! Everything went according to plan, except for the firefighters falling to the train in parachutes!" he steadied the Diglett on top of his hair and pointed to the exit. "Now we must fly, my friends!"

With their new Pokemon in hand they ran to the door and jumped, bracing themselves for the impact. Vard covered himself with his pink cape mid fall, though it did little to protect him from the ground as he slammed into it. Sabrina was ready to suffer a similar fate, but just before her body reached the platform a purple glow surrounded her and she landed as if she'd only taken a short hop.

The rest didn't have as much luck, and after they painfully got to their feet they saw that Ñako, Mycroft, Sammy and Sabrina were the only ones unharmed.

The train sped through the station, leaving them behind. Between them and the rails was a tall, metal fence. A white envelope hung from it.

"Wh-what happened!?" Rhin jumped in place, eyes wide open. He looked extremely confused, and his eyes had returned to normal. "How did I get here? What happened to the fight in the train?"

Mycroft gulped and looked at Ñako, not quite understanding why he'd been chosen to be saved by him.

"T-thank you. I don't know why you got me out of there but…" he smiled, though not very enthusiastically. "Mycroft doesn't forget these things. I owe you one, je suppose."

They made their way towards where the others had fallen and saw as Sammy walked to the fence and grabbed the letter stuck to it. She opened it and coughed as to grab everyone's attention.

"This must be from the person who sent us here," she exclaimed. "Did he want us to jump to this exact place?"

"Why are you not hurt?" Ñako asked.

Sammy ignored him, "Here, the letter says…"

If you made it to Saffron, that means you deserve both my praise and trust. You have also earned the right to work under me.

Do not be frightened by what you saw; I simply needed to know you were capable of surviving a test before I could reveal to you who I am or why I'm doing this.

I can assure you that you will be rewarded handsomely if you wish to take on my offer, as I've mentioned in my introductory letter.

I will wait for you in the tenth floor of Silph Co, in the center of town.

Good luck.

Silence covered the station for a few heartbeats, until Ñako broke it.

"Well… judging from those dipshits in the train, we can assume that whatever work relationship we might have with this guy has an expiration date," he said. "Still, it's not like I have anywhere better to go, so I think I'm gonna follow this letter."

He then grabbed the collar of his jacket, and sighed.

"By the way, do you think I should buy a scarf? They say they look good on ninjas."

Okay, now they were definitely staring at him weird. He gulped and blamed it on his performance anxiety.

"What? Can't you tell by my clothes?" He gesticulated towards his garish outfit. "I'm a ninja!"

Sammy rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the letter. Everyone else simply looked at him as if trying to determine what kind of drugs he was on. He supposed it was a good time as any to change topics.

"Oh, by the way, it's very likely one of us works for the guy who left this letter here." He pointed toward the piece of paper on Sammy's hands. "We should find out who they are, hit them, torture them, get information out of them, steal from them, kill them and then say they died in a boating accident."

Siegfried took a step forward and cleared his throat, wanting to get attention to the current issue.

"I agree, and I also think we should visit this strange person, even if we don't trust him," he explained, calm as always. "I'm sure most of us don't have a better alternative, and as they say… unity makes strength."

Sabrina laughed. A low pitched, dry laugh so full of disdain she regretted it as soon as it left her mouth. Everyone turned towards her and she silently cursed for not being able to contain herself.

She muttered something under her breath and nodded, which was enough to make some of them turn their heads.

God, why does this have to happen to me? she lamented herself, sighing.

All she wanted was some easy cash, enough to get her off this rotting region and towards somewhere nice and warm where they would never find her. Perhaps Dewford or Pacifidlog. The beach would certainly fit her.

She was so focused in her own fantasy that she barely noticed Adler grabbing her by the ankle. Looking down, she noticed wetness appear on the small creature's eyes.

Oh no…

And then she began to cry. Really fucking loudly at that.

"Wait, no! Adler!" She took a bag out of her backpack and showed it to her. "Look, food!"

But it was in vain. The Snorunt kept wailing with all the strength in her tiny lungs, and Sabrina could feel everyone's eyes on her again. Her cheeks turning red, she lowered her head and whispered low enough for only her Pokemon to hear.

"You… you did well." She heaved as she said those words. "You weren't completely useless."

Adler stopped crying immediately and, forming a huge grin she grabbed the bag of food and shoved it into her mouth. Sabrina gave her a look colder than the night around her and shook her head. She'd catch the first Pokemon she encountered, even if it was a Togepi. All so she could get rid of this waste of space. She returned her to her Pokeball as soon as she stopped eating, heading to where the rest of the group was. They seemed to have reached some sort of agreement, since they were all looking towards the distance past the fence, where the outline of Saffron could be seen.

Sabrina felt a tug inside her chest, and her fingers curled into fists. To think she'd have to come back to this place…

"Uh… Vard?" Ñako's voice took her out of her thoughts, and she turned around to see the guy with the stupid pink afro staring at the stars. "You haven't said anything yet. You coming with us to meet this guy?"

Vard closed his eyes for a second and breathed deeply, as if considering his options carefully.

"Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos."

Without another word he headed towards the door of the fence, leaving eight confused people behind.

"I… guess that's a yes?" Ñako shrugged.

And with that the rest of the trainers followed him, walking towards something that could easily be both a chance at a new life or a death sentence. Sabrina had experienced more than her fair share of both and had managed to fuck up said opportunities wonderfully.

She took a deep breath and raised her gaze towards the city, eyes full of determination.

Not this time.