– Chapter 13 –
First Encounter
Roy had planned to go through Mt. Moon the next morning, but the tunnels were closed due to a recent series of cave-ins. The workers in the cave were setting up detours now, but it looked like Roy would have to scratch any plans to explore the deeper areas. Goodbye chances of catching Clefairy. Goodbye chances of finding any fossils or rare stones. Oh well. It sounded like a route to Cerulean at least would be open soon. And he found a Moon Stone in Sandshrew’s burrow, so he wouldn’t walk away from Mt. Moon empty-handed.
Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Even after a night’s sleep, his legs throbbed from all that hiking, so it did him good to rest a few days before trudging through the mountain. He took advantage of the center’s provided facilities to catch up on laundry and take daily showers.
He also got to do some training with his new Sandshrew–who he’d determined was male–and detail the recent escapade with Ben in his journal. The claw marks Sandshrew had left on the inside of the cover irritated him at first, but after thinking about it, he saw them as a sort of souvenir. A mark and memory of his adventure.
Next to the sketch he’d done of Sandshrew, Roy jotted a side note of the mysterious unknown creature that seemed to be following him, sketching a question mark shrouded in shadows. His father always wanted to make a big discovery as a Pokémon Trainer, and Roy had made it one of his ambitions to fulfill that dream for both of them. Was he onto something new already? Unlikely. Guessing by that glistening sound and the general shadow size, it was probably just a curious Butterfree. Though they were normally social, not shy.
But this mysterious stalker may not be his only potential discovery. News reports claimed the recent cave-ins had been the result of an unknown Pokémon passing through, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Could it be the same one that agitated the Beedrill in Viridian Forest? Sakuji had described a Pokémon with a savage aura. Roy tried piecing together what he could, scrolling through several articles, but information was scarce.
No one around the lobby knew much. Way out here, the center enjoyed less business than the ones in town, acting more as a rest stop for travelers passing through Mt. Moon. Most of the people here were girthy, thick-bearded hikers who didn’t seem to realize Pokémon Centers offered free showers. Geared up with monstrous packs and hiking sticks, they sure made Roy feel under packed.
After three full days of rest, Roy’s body felt refreshed, and a path to Cerulean reopened on Palday morning, the first of Mespine. A few Pidgey warbled outside as the light of sunrise beamed through the windows. Roy took that as nature’s wake up call to get going, so he grabbed a quick breakfast and paid the front desk for taking care of his Pokémon.
“All set for the hike?” the nurse asked. “Be sure to bring a flashlight with extra batteries or a Pokémon that knows Flash. It gets pretty dark in there.”
“I’m good to go.”
“Be careful in there. Seems things are getting dangerous around here these days.”
“The news was rather vague about the tunnel damage. You get a lot of people passing through. Have you heard anything about what Pokémon caused it?”
“It came through at night. Only one man was in the mountain when it happened. Miguel. He’s a brilliant scientist. Often works late by himself. He comes by sometimes but didn’t say much. They’re still looking into it. I’m guessing they want to keep news on the down low until they know more.”
The back-room doors slid open, and Chansey came out with Roy’s rested Pokémon.
“Safe travels,” the nurse said. “The detour is open now, but stay alert. A lot of Zubat nest in there.”
Roy thanked her, grabbed a handful of energy bars for the trip, and set off. He stepped out into the cool, crisp morning and took a deep breath of fresh air as he stretched beneath the sun’s warmth. The cave entrance waited a short distance from the center. He reached it in less than ten minutes.
A gaping mouth opened to the inside of the mountain, stretching over ten meters high and wide, waiting to swallow travelers whole. Zubat hung from the top like teeth. But Roy came plenty prepared and marched into the darkness.
As if the entrance wasn’t big enough, the interior was even spacier. Like the tunnels had so kindly kept claustrophobic people in mind. Roomy as it was, it didn’t take long for pitch blackness to swallow everything. Not to worry, claustrophobes, we’ve got you covered. What’s that? You’re afraid of the dark? Well, fuck you then.
There’d been repeated talk about placing lights throughout the tunnels, but the idea always got struck down, as it would disturb the Pokémon. Instead, workers only set up lamps where they stationed, taking them down at the end of each day, while travelers were expected to bring their own light.
Roy let Ponyta out, and her mane and tail lit up the cave with a blue glow. “Light the way, girl.”
The two walked side by side through the moist tunnel. Zubat infested the place, hanging upside-down to cover the ceiling, as if wanting to hide what it looked like. Most slept undisturbed or fled from Ponyta’s fire. Only three got angry enough to come after them, but Ponyta scared them off with simple Embers.
A couple of Golbat passed by but left them alone, and Roy saw one Crobat hanging amidst the colony. He considered catching it, but that would wake the entire hoard. No thanks. I like my blood where it is, nice and warm inside my body, thank you very much.
Roy could’ve caught one of the lone Zubat, but lacked the desire to. He settled for scanning one to register the data in his Pokédex.
Lots of novice Trainers prattled over the dream of “catching them all!” But those amateurs were naïve and delusional. To be a Pokémon Master–no, even a Trainer of basic competence–meant raising strong competitors and bonding with those partners on a deep level. The greatest Master in the world couldn’t do that with so many.
You either caught only the Pokémon you were interested in training, or you caught more than any one person could handle and ended up focusing on a select few anyway and leaving the rest abandoned and forgotten at whatever care center you’d signed up to watch over the Pokémon you didn’t carry on you. In which case, it’d be better to leave them in the wild.
Sure, it was beginner basics to catch a bunch of Pokémon so you could experiment, learn, and build a full team. And any half decent Trainer knew the wisdom of having a variety of types to keep your options open. But if you didn’t know it from the beginning, you’d realize soon that catching them all was nothing more than a bedtime story meant to encourage new Trainers. An inspiring one, for sure, but a hopeless pipe dream in reality.
Catching every Pokémon simply wasn’t feasible. Especially when so many were extinct, one of a kind, legally protected, or just flat out unobtainable.
So you want to catch ‘em all, do you? What’s your strategy for getting into the Distortion World to catch the Pokémon Arceus had to banish because it was so violent? And even if you do catch it, how do you plan on making it back? And that’s not to mention Arceus himself. Don’t worry, I’m sure God will be happy to let himself be caught by a mere human.
Jirachi only appeared once every millennium.
And hey! Time has existed for over fourteen billion years, and will continue on for trillions to come. But in that infinite time span, maybe you’ll get lucky and Celebi will stop by the infinitesimally short time frame you happen to live in, and will conveniently appear specifically before you, and you’ll have the skill and luck to catch it on top of all of that.
Not to mention all the species no one had discovered yet. In short, catching them all was an idea that became obviously ridiculous if you stopped and thought about it for more than… five seconds. Trainers who attempted it always ended up quitting when they found themselves with far more Pokémon than they could care for. And those were just the ones who limited themselves to the Pokémon native to their own region.
So, no. Roy would leave the Zubat alone.
Bunch of annoying pests anyway. Way too many of the distorted things. Even outside this cave, always flying about at night, screeching like worn tires. How were they so populous? Was someone breeding them day after day only to release them into the wild?
Roy reached the end of the main tunnel, which shrank to split off into several narrower paths. Ladders hung from holes in the wall climbing higher into the mountain. This was where the road branched into a complex labyrinth, with only a few ways leading to Cerulean City, while the rest stretched up and around the upper levels of the interior. The geologists and archeologists focused their research above, where most of the valuables awaited unearthing.
Mt. Moon offered quite the archeological paradise, turning up more fossils and meteorites than anywhere else in Kanto. Arceus knew why Sandshrew bothered nicking things from people when the treasure trove of wet dreams lay right next door.
Unfortunately, manmade barriers and police tape blocked off all of those tunnels thanks to the recent incident. Even the main road had multiple paths leading to Cerulean, but most of them had either collapsed, been obstructed by rock slides, or remained wide open but with posted signs labeling them as unstable and dangerous.
But as the nurse and news reports said, a line of arrows pointed Roy down a single detour through the mountain marked as secure. Secure my ass, Roy thought as he and Ponyta passed three spots with cracks splitting along the walls. The occasional rumble made Roy’s heart skip a beat as drops of moisture dripped from above. About as secure as a bank guarded by a Meowth.
Just in case, Roy threw out Sandshrew, who kept his star-shaped sunglasses on despite the darkness. “Lead the way, Sandshrew. Keep an eye out for any structural weaknesses or other dangers.”
Sandshrew saluted and scurried off to scout ahead, scratching at the walls and burying in and out of the ground to check for any notable unseen faults in the foundation.
The hike progressed without incident over the next few hours as the tunnel widened until a dim light glowed ahead. Outside! He picked up the pace, eager to get out of this death trap, but the spring in his step died as closer inspection revealed the weak flame of an old lantern hung on the wall. A second one burned several meters down. Roy and Ponyta followed the trail of lanterns, and growing mutters echoing in the distance became distinguishable voices. Human voices. Pokémon as well. The whirring buzz of various power tools and low rumble of heavy equipment.
Roy, Ponyta, and Sandshrew rounded the corner and stepped into a wide-open hollow of the cave, lit by dozens of work lights, generators providing power to the area.
Construction workers hustled about, hauling away debris from rock slides with the help of several Machop and Machoke, who carried boulders big as furniture like it was nothing. An Onix burrowed through to clear collapsed tunnels or form newer, safer ones with an assisting group of Diglett and Dugtrio.
“You, there! Stop!” A man who looked like someone had spat in his coffee that morning approached Roy, pointing with a thick, meaty finger. “Who are you? What do you think you’re doing down here? These caves are off limits!”
“Uh… I’m on my way to Cerulean. There’s an open detour.”
The worker muttered a curse. “Kent! You were supposed to radio the center that the detour’s closed.”
“We sent a couple groups over this morning to set up roadblocks at both entrances, but it’ll take them time to get there.”
The man groaned and turned back to Roy. “Look, the detour tunnel collapsed shortly after we set it up. Some idiot sent the message to open before we’d properly established its security. The entire mountain is blocked off until we can ensure safe passage. You’re gonna have to turn around.”
“Are you shitting me? I’ve been hiking for hours! There’s no way I’ll make it back before dark. You can’t tell me Cerulean isn’t closer than Route 3. That guy just said you sent people to block off both ends, so there has to be at least one path through.”
“We can’t go making exceptions or granting special passage to every hotshot Trainer who thinks the world is their oyster. Now, until we can ensure the safety of these tunnels, you will not–”
“Excuse me, excuse me. What’s all the ruckus? Is there a prob– Oh, my! Is that a shiny Ponyta!” The voice came from a man who looked like he skipped regular meals in favor of work, dressed in a gray plaid shirt with jeans that didn’t reach his ankles and a pair of big square glasses on his narrow face. His dark hair hung long, scraggly, and uncut. Scratch that earlier thought. He looked like he skipped most basic care needs in favor of work. Probably offered to do people’s homework too without being asked because he enjoyed it.
There were scientists.
And then there were science nerds.
“It is! You simply must allow me to study it!”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.”
The nerd bent to take Ponyta’s face in his thin, greasy hands for a better analysis. “Such beautiful fur. And strong muscles. Wherever did you catch it?” She responded to his attention with a hard headbutt that knocked him on his ass. This only made him laugh. “Strong indeed! She won’t take any of my nonsense.”
He laughed again, but someone else found it less funny. A small pink Pokémon jumped out from behind the nerd. Short and chubby, it had tiny black eyes, a pair of pointed ears, and a swirling tail that matched the swirl of hair on its head.
“A Clefairy!” Roy said.
“Oh, that one’s mine,” said the nerd. “Her name’s Aria.”
Roy had never seen a Clefairy before, but he’d studied them. He thought they were bigger. This one measured thirty centimeters, if that. Despite her small stature, she stood fearless before the Ponyta that dared knock over her master, shuffling back and forth on her pointed feet. The Clefairy cried out her name in fierce repetition, three fingered fists raised to challenge Ponyta to (from the looks of it) a boxing match.
“My apologies. She’s a feisty one.”
“How unusual for a Clefairy.”
Aria threw her featherweight body at Ponyta, fist reeled back for a punch. Ponyta delivered a lazy stomp to Clefairy’s head, and she fell to the ground, knocked out in a single hit. Her Trainer laughed and picked her up, rising himself and giving her face a few light taps to wake her. Aria’s dizzy eyes stirred open and focused to glare at Ponyta, struggling in the nerd’s arms and raising her fists as if already eager for round two. Ponyta gave her a disrespectful burr.
The nerd patted the Clefairy’s head. “All right, settle down. Sorry. My name’s Miguel.” Miguel? This was the scientist who saw the Pokémon that caused all the tunnel destruction. Roy retracted his earlier thoughts of the man. “What seems to be the problem here?”
“Just another fool looking for trouble,” the construction worker said. “As I was telling him, he needs to turn around and march back the way he came.”
“What? You can’t do that. He’s already well over halfway to Cerulean. It would be safer and quicker to continue through.”
The worker snarled at Miguel, silent expression saying, How dare you take that completely rational logic with me! “Fine. But you’re going with him, Mr. Hero. Since you know these tunnels so well. And you will take my Dugtrio with you to scout the path for danger.”
“I have a Sandshrew,” Roy said. “Very capable. There’s no nee–.”
“You will take my Dugtrio!”
“Best do as he says,” Miguel said. “Logic doesn’t register well with these hardhats.”
The worker stared daggers at Miguel before grabbing a sign leaning against the wall and shoving it his way. “And stick this at the entrance. With any luck that’ll keep any snooping wanderers out until those fools can set a proper road block up.”
“Yes, yes, will do.” Miguel took the sign. “Well, shall we get going, then, uh…”
“Roy.”
“Roy! Right! Well then, Roy, let’s be off.”
He didn’t waste any time following Miguel–if just to get away from the one with a stick up his ass the size of Northern Sinnoh.
Sandshrew and Dugtrio led the way, though they did more head-butting than scouting as they argued back and forth about the way forward. Aria walked behind them, but ahead of Roy, Miguel, and Ponyta, fists raised and eyes darting every direction as she kept on high alert for danger.
“Sorry about him. He’s a sour one on the best of days.”
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine.” Roy’s focus had been on Miguel’s Clefairy. Even in their home of Mt. Moon, you had better odds of flipping a coin on its edge than seeing one. Which makes her the second rarest Pokémon in this cave, Roy thought with a smile as he stroked Ponyta’s neck.
“She sure is small.”
“My brother is a breeder. He raises a couple Clefable. Aria was the runt of many he’s hatched. He gave her to me, figuring I’d want to study it since they’re so rare.”
Aria kept ahead at varying distances between the Trainers and their two guides, fighting off every Zubat that came near. Really, they just flew past, ignoring her like she wasn’t there. Still, Aria cheered with raised fists each time as though it was her that sent them running.
“She sure has a fighting spirit,” Roy said. “Didn’t waste a second picking a fight with Ponyta.”
“Oh, that’s how she says hello.” Miguel laughed. “Quite the unusual one, she is. Most Clefairy fall on the timid side. Unfortunately, all she ever does is get herself knocked around. Poor thing can’t give or take hit.”
With a smile, Roy took out the journal under Ponyta’s light to sketch Aria and write of her curious behavior as they walked. Roy also liked sketching the unique individuals he met and was halfway through a drawing of Miguel beside the Clefairy when the scientist caught him. “Sorry.”
“No, no, that’s quite good.”
“They’re just doodles. My father was a much better artist.”
Aria finally caught the attention of a passing Zubat, which landed to inspect her, standing on its thin needle legs with its wings folded behind its back. With raised fists, Aria shuffled on her feet, shouting what Roy assumed was trash talk at the Zubat’s eyeless face, but the blue bat remained relaxed and unresponsive. She threw a tiny fist at the Pokémon, which responded by backhanding her with its wing, knocking her out in a single lazy hit before flying off and surely thinking it had wasted its time.
Miguel shook his head with a smile and picked the Clefairy up, carrying her as they walked on. A rumble sounded in the high up distance of the mountain that Roy guessed was the weakened structure of a tunnel caving in.
“So,” Roy said. “The Pokémon that caused all these collapses. I hear you’re the only one who saw it.” Roy readied his journal and pen as he awaited the scientist’s response.
Miguel shrugged. “Never got a good look. It fled as quickly as it came. I have a habit of staying late by myself to study the fossils and meteorites we dig up. It’s what I love to do. It looked like a Pokémon, but not one I’d ever seen.” Struggling to carry both Aria and the roadblock sign, Miguel rummaged in his pockets. “Didn’t catch any details of its appearance, but it left these behind.”
Miguel revealed two stones with the size and appearance of marbles. Perfectly spherical, iridescent with mysterious swirl patterns inside. Both swirl shapes were lavender, but one included a streak of blue.
“Curious.” Roy took a single marble and held it under Ponyta’s flame for a closer view in the blue light. “They almost look like Mega Stones.”
“Exactly what we’re thinking. But they’re only found in Kalos. What would a Pokémon be doing with them here? And without a Trainer?”
“Anyway,” Miguel continued as Roy handed the stone back. “Please keep this quiet. These are technically classified as evidence for now until we learn more.”
“Why show it to me?”
Miguel shrugged, eyeing Roy’s journal as they walked. “You strike me as a smart lad. With age, we form biases that can blind us to the obvious truth. People often underestimate the valuable insight of a young mind. When that Pokémon damaged the infrastructure of the mountain tunnels, I got trapped between the debris. Luckily, my coworkers showed up the next morning to get me out, and I told them everything I saw. We set to work at getting detours up and running as fast as we could, but evidently there are still some safety checks to do. Good thing you arrived when you did. No telling how long Mt. Moon will be blocked off now.”
The scientist continued to eye the stones as they neared the exit. “That Pokémon, though… It seemed like it was in pain. As if trying to escape from wherever it had come from.”
A light shone from ahead as they approached the end. “Ah,” Miguel said. “Out at last.”
Roy sighed at the orange hue of dusk and called Sandshrew back to his ball. “Thanks for leading me out.”
“My pleasure.” Miguel held up the road block sign. “I suppose I should get this set up before anyone else– Oh? Speak of the Renegade.”
The light of outside hovering ahead darkened as a man rose over the horizon, the outline of his silhouette eclipsing the twilight. He stood between them and the exit like a looming, ominous guard, his features indistinguishable by the backlighting. Then he moved forward in slow steps, making soft echoing squelches on the damp cave floor. His image came into focus as he entered the blue glow of Ponyta’s flames. He kept his head tilted down and wore a black trench coat with a matching flat cap pulled low over his face. Roy’s mind flashed to the shadowy figures in movies always found in dark alleys, selling weapons on the black market, and his body instincts made him break out in a cold sweat.
A Kingler followed at the figure’s side. One that glowered at them with frigid eyes as it crab walked alongside the man with its disproportionately sized claws raised high, as if looking for a head to snip off.
Miguel set Aria and the sign down as he stepped forward. “Excuse me, sir. I’m sorry, but the tunnels are closed. I’m afraid we can’t assure their safety for the time being.”
The man kept his hands in his coat pockets, but took one out just enough to glance at what looked like a photo he held inside before slipping it back in and raising his head. “Not to worry,” he said in a calm and collected voice that sent a shiver down Roy’s spine. “I’m actually looking for Miguel. That’s you?”
“Yes. And who might you be?”
“My name is unimportant. You may address me as Agent Sunne.” His eyes found the two stones Miguel still held. “And what have we here?”
Miguel held the items back. “Classified pieces of evidence.”
“So it’s true. You saw the Pokémon that flew through here.”
“Yes, but we’re not disclosing–” Miguel paused as he caught himself. “How do you know the Pokémon ‘flew’ through here?”
The man calling himself Agent Sunne smiled at his own slipup. “Just as you have classified information, so too do I.” He stepped forward. “But that’s not important. Those stones are the property of my boss.”
Miguel held tight to the marbles, sensing the same nefarious intentions Roy did. “What do you know about that Pokémon?”
“That’s not for me to disclose. Now hand them over.”
“I refuse.”
“I’m afraid I must insist.”
The Kingler scurried forward at an astonishing speed and seized the scientist by the throat, pinning him against the cave wall.
“Miguel!” Roy shouted.
The stones fell from his hand, and Agent Sunne retrieved them.
“Clefairy!” Aria cried as she leapt to defend her master, raising a fist to the Kingler. But Agent Sunne’s Pokémon batted her away with its free claw, knocking her out in a single hit.
Ponyta whinnied in laughter.
Whose side are you on? Roy thought with a glare at her.
Seeing the strength of the Water-type crab, Dugtrio buried its three heads underground and the trailing mound of dirt moved west as it fled in the opposite direction. Great. Real reliable Pokémon that guy gave us.
Roy stepped forward. “That’s enough. Let him go, now!”
“Absolutely,” Agent Sunne said, as though it were a simple favor. “I have what I came for.”
The Kingler released Miguel, who dropped to the floor, clutching his throat and gasping for air. Roy ran to his side. “Are you all right?”
“Aria,” he said through strangled breath and crawled over to pick up the defeated Clefairy.
Agent Sunne turned to walk away, and Roy saw the white lion head of a Solgaleo embroidered on the back of his trench coat.
“Stop,” Miguel said as fiercely as his choked throat allowed. “Give those stones back.”
“No can do.”
Roy sprung to his feet. “Ponyta!”
The fiery foal whinnied and sprung to place herself before Roy in a battle ready position.
Agent Sunne glanced over his shoulder with unconcerned eyes. “Stand down, kid.”
“Give those back,” Roy said with firm resolve. Ponyta wasn’t a good match against the Water-type Kingler, but she was already out and rearing to go, and Roy knew no one could deny her after that.
“Your Ponyta’s strong. I can see it in its eyes.” Agent Sunne gave a tired sigh, then turned around fully, keeping his hands comfortable in his pockets. “My position requires me to insist you hand it over.”
“Sounds like Pokémon theft to me.”
“In law, yes. But illegal isn’t always immoral any more than legal is always moral. Best I can give you is the consolation your Pokémon is being conscripted for a greater purpose.”
Roy smiled. “Conscripted, huh? You’ll find my Ponyta doesn’t take orders too well.”
Ponyta counted at the ground, rearing to fight. Agent Sunne looked into her eyes, and an icy smile curved across his pale face. “I like your spirit. But I can tell you’re a novice Trainer who’s been away from home a couple months at most. You should choose your battles wisely.”
“I am.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to learn the hard way how cruel the world is.”
Roy’s mind flashed to Genny and her family. “I already have. Ponyta! Ember!”
“Bubble Beam.”
Ponyta spat a fiery bullet, but the stream of bubbles that shot from Kingler’s mouth doused it, pushing through to pepper Ponyta’s body, each bubble bursting against her skin with the energy-filled force of a tiny explosion. Her mane hissed as water made contact.
“Crabhammer. Then Vice Grip.”
Water surged around Kingler’s larger claw as it rushed forward and smashed the liquified pincher against Ponyta’s body. Before she hit the ground, it grabbed her in a Vice Grip and slammed her down with the impact of a truck. Ponyta’s whinny of pain rang off the cave walls.
“Ponyta!”
“Had enough?”
Roy snarled. “Stomp it, girl!”
She kicked up from below, striking Kingler in the face. It made a gurgling sound and stumbled back, claws moving to protect its front.
“Flame Wheel!” Ponyta flipped onto her feet and charged, blue fire surrounding her body. She rammed into Kingler for a powerful blow, but it shook off the weak Fire attack.
“Not bad, kid. Mud Shot.”
Kingler dug into the ground, shoveling up a chunk of earth that it soaked in its water producing claw, then fired a blast of mud at Ponyta.
“Agility!” Ponyta blurred as she dashed aside to avoid the attack, which splattered against the wall instead. “Go for a Stomp!” Ponyta ran around the opponent up along the cave’s curved form and kicked off to land behind it.
“Guillotine, Kingler.”
“Look out!”
Ponyta ducked the instant knock out move as Kingler snapped its claw shut over her. Keeping low, she turned and double-barreled Kingler from underneath, launching it upward. With a deep breath, she spat a powerful Ember up at the crustacean while it hung vulnerable in the air.
Kingler fell, crashing into the ground.
“Get up!” Agent Sunne shouted.
“Stomp, then Fire Spin!”
As Kingler tried to rise, Ponyta reared up and stomped it back down with both front hooves, following with a point-blank range blast of fire that swirled around Kingler to trap it in a vortex of blue flames.
“Kingler!” Agent Sunne cried.
The flames disappeared and Kingler lay on the ground, trembling and covered in burns. It raised a weak claw and tried to shoot a Bubble Beam, but the few bubbles that came out popped pathetically before they even reached Ponyta. Kingler’s outstretched claw thudded to the floor, and the Pokémon passed out.
“Ha!” Roy shouted. “How’s that for a beginner!?”
Agent Sunne stood across the cave, eyes wide, mouth open in astonishment. But the reaction melded into a cocksure grin. “You’re rather quick to celebrate.” He reached into his coat for what Roy assumed would be another Poké Ball, only to pull out a gun instead and point it at Roy, wiping the smile from his face in an instant.
Silence deafened the cave as fear turned Roy and Miguel to statues. Roy’s legs shook as he stared down the barrel of death aimed between his eyes, wondering if he would get to feel the warmth of sunlight beyond the man who held his life in a single finger. But Roy swallowed, clenching his fists and holding his ground, resigning himself that if he was to die, he would do so with dignity.
Agent Sunne squeezed a leather gloved finger on the trigger. Held it for about ten seconds. Then he smiled. Then he laughed. “Very good, kid.” And he stowed the gun back in his coat pocket. As he did so, Roy caught at least three other Poké Balls on his belt that he could’ve used as well, yet chose not to.
Instead, Agent Sunne tossed the two stones over to Roy, which he struggled to catch in his shaking, sweaty hands. “Take them. Along with my respect.”
Roy checked the stones to make sure the man had indeed given them back.
Agent Sunne withdrew Kingler into its Poké Ball. “Doesn’t matter anyway. That thing’s powerful enough without them. Keep that Ponyta of yours too. It’s better off in your care.”
Anger returning with his steady breath, Roy clenched the marbles in his fists. “I don’t need your permission.”
Agent Sunne beamed brighter as he tipped his hat to Roy. “No, you don’t.” Then he turned and walked away, stopping at the mouth of the cave to peer over his shoulder at Roy one last time. “What’s your name, kid?”
He hesitated before answering. “Roy. Roy Ackerman.”
“Roy. I’ll remember that. I told you to call me Agent Sunne earlier. But you may call me Archer.” He glanced at the stones in Roy’s hand and sighed. “I’ll get an earful for this, but they’re of little importance. Keep your wits about you, Roy. The world is about the change. And I am but a small part of something much bigger.”
For the final time, Archer walked away. As he did, Roy glimpsed inside his coat at a black uniform underneath. Over the breast pocket, he saw a red letter R.
Roy called back Ponyta and returned the stones to Miguel.
“Thank you.”
“Just what are those?”
Miguel looked down. “Honestly, I don’t know. But this is only the latest in the recent increase of crime reports. And I have a feeling whatever group that man belongs to will return for these. I’d love to keep them for research, but…” He dropped the stones to the ground and crushed them to dust beneath his boot.
Roy winced, wondering if that was the right decision. Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Perhaps they’d never know.
Miguel nervously adjusted his glasses. “Don’t… tell anyone I did that. I’ll be in trouble enough for ‘losing’ them.” Aria stirred awake in his arms, and he set her on the ground. “Now. Let’s get you out of here.”
They reached the mouth of the cave and stepped into the glow of twilight, the sky glowing a blended mixture of orange and pink. The hill gazed out over the lush landscape. After such a long hike through canyons and dark caves, green had never looked so inviting. Gentle rivers flowed in smooth, winding streams down from the mountain. Roy wanted to rip his heavy gear and sticky clothes off and dive headfirst into the cool, refreshing waters, all leading toward the city of Cerulean, shimmering in the distance.
“There it is.”
“Off to challenge the Sensational Sisters, aren’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“Best of luck. And thank you again for your help. Who knows what would’ve happened if you weren’t here.”
“Will you be all right getting back on your own?”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Miguel said as he stuck the road block sign in the dirt outside the cave entrance, hammering it down with his flimsy, worn shoe. “I don’t expect any trouble going back. Perhaps you’re the one who should be cautious going forward.”
“I suppose I’d best get to the city soon. Thanks for guiding me out.”
“Wait,” Miguel called as Roy started down the hill. “Before you leave, I have one last favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
Miguel knelt to rub Aria’s head with an affectionate hand, a sad smile on his face. “You’ve seen how this little one loves to fight. But… I’m a scientist, and my work keeps me too busy to give her the care and battling she needs. Aria needs a proper Trainer to take her out into the world and give her the action she craves. And you’ve demonstrated such capable skill for a beginner. So…”
“Do you mean…”
“Will you be that Trainer for me? For her?”
Roy’s gaze fell to the Clefairy, small and weak, yet eyes burning with a passionate desire for battle. Roy stared deep into those eyes and saw a potential yearning to be brought forth. “I’d love to.”
“You hear that, girl? How about it? Do you want to go with Roy? He’ll give you lots of battles all the time and help you get super strong. Does that sound good?”
Aria looked back and forth between Roy and Miguel, giving the scientist a long heartfelt look before blinking away tears and clenching her first with a firm nod. “Clefairy!”
Miguel smiled as tears filled his eyes and he lifted his glasses to rub them before taking the Pokémon in a last hug. “Be a good girl, all right? Don’t cause him too much trouble.” Aria nodded, crying into his stomach as he patted her on the head. “Goodbye, my friend.”
Fighting to keep herself together, Aria turned to walk over to Roy. Miguel picked himself up and handed over her Poké Ball. “Take care of her.”
“I promise.” Roy accepted the ball and knelt to the Clefairy. “Welcome to the team, Aria.”
“Clefairy!”
He tapped the ball on her head, and she disappeared into it in a red light.
“Good luck,” Miguel said as he wiped his eyes again.
“You too.” And Roy took his first step down the mountain, filled with a mixture of sadness, excitement, and honor at the trust placed in him and his new partner.
To be continued...