– Chapter 17 –
Changing the World
The grand reopening began at nine. They had plenty of time, but Roy couldn’t help rushing Genny. She took forever combing her hair, which she covered with a sunhat anyway. When they finished packing up camp, Roy returned all of his Pokémon, but Genny kept hers out. Did she ever call them back? As usual, she carried Graci in her arms, while Wishmaker walked beside her along the river leading through Route 25 toward the eastern sea.
Roy breathed in the beautiful day. Sun shining, Butterfree out and about, and Poliwag leaping in the river. They passed a fancy house with a hedge maze and flower garden, which had attracted the Butterfree. They had to move aside to let the occasional car pass on the bumpy dirt road. Apparently, most people didn’t want to walk all the way to the grand reopening.
The lab wasn’t far, and they had extra time, but Roy kept a brisk pace, which got a smile from Genny.
“What?”
“I just love seeing you so excited.”
“Of course. We’ll get to see Bill Sonezaki and might learn where he’s been the last few months and what he’s been doing.”
“So if it’s such a big laboratory, why do they call it the Sea Cottage Research Lab?”
“Fair enough. Guess it’s not typical for a state-of-the-art lab to be so far out in the country. When Bill was just getting started in Kanto, he worked alone in his home overlooking the sea. But as his discoveries and breakthroughs made him more famous and he began gathering his own team, they kept adding to the house, building it into the huge facility it is today.”
As they drew near, the rush of ocean waves entered their ears, and Roy breathed his first smell of salty sea air. The sound excited Wishmaker, and the Bulbasaur ran off on his four stubby legs. “Od Oddish!” Graci cried, and Genny put her down to skip ahead as well.
Roy and Genny followed the two to the top of the hill, where the lab rose into view with theatrical drama, perched on the edge of the Cerulean Cape cliff. Roy had seen pictures, of course, but nothing compared to seeing it with his own eyes for the first time. The structure itself was nice, but talk about that location.
Cars parked next to a massive square, white building over ten stories high with rows and rows of giant windows. The entryway jutted out the front with a glass dome ceiling. But on the sea facing side, they could still see Bill’s original humble cottage attached to the corner. The famous Cerulean Lighthouse stood beside it, with a Dragonite statue perched atop, peering out across the sea.
Roy and Genny ran up to the cliff to gaze at the water from the railing. Laying eyes on the endless mass of blue for the first time took Roy’s breath away. The gentle breeze created a sense of easing peace. The river cascaded over the cliff and into the ocean below. A bridge arced across to the southern side of the river, where sat a nice park area with stairs leading down to the beach and dock. Benches offered incredible viewing points, making for an ideal date spot.
After snapping out of the hypnotizing magnificence of it all, Roy had to tear his gaze away before he ended up staring forever like the statue of Maiden’s Peak. They turned their attention to the lab entrance, where a line had already formed, including a few other Trainers but mostly contained Cerulean locals and tourists. Was it just Roy or were there a lot of people wearing trench coats and jackets? Wasn’t it a bit warm for that?
Roy and Genny took their place in line while others got their turn enjoying the view and taking selfies. Roy and Genny snapped some pictures themselves with their phones, and Roy sent a few to his mother. They had good reception out here next to the lab.
Nine o’clock came, and three men unlocked the doors, lifting Roy’s excitement as they gave an enthusiastic welcome to the entire crowd, then began letting people in.
When they got to the front of the line, the ticket taker accepted their tickets, then noticed Genny’s Pokémon. “I’m sorry, but we’ll have to ask all Pokémon not associated with the lab to stay in their Poké Balls.”
Genny’s face sank a bit. “Oh… okay. Sorry, Wishmaker.” The Bulbasaur returned to his ball without complaint, but Genny looked down at Graci with hesitation.
“The Oddish too, miss,” the ticket taker said politely.
“Sorry, it’s just… I haven’t teeechnically caught her.”
Roy stared at her. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but had she really been with Graci since Viridian Forest and not caught her? Even when Pokémon chose to go with a Trainer, they still often gave them a ball to stay in.
“Well, she’ll have to be in a ball or wait outside, I’m afraid.”
“Hang on. Um…” Genny dug through her bag, apologizing to everyone behind them, and Roy noticed she had five unused Poké Balls. The same ones the professor started her out with? Genny took one and squatted to speak to Graci. “Is it all right?”
“Oddish!” Graci tapped her head against the button and entered the ball. It clicked without a single wiggle of struggle.
The ticket taker smiled, then stood aside to welcome them in. “Do enjoy.”
Roy and Genny dashed in, all smiles again, and a big banner overhead welcomed everyone to the grand reopening. The glass dome ceiling filled the place with natural light, creating a bright, inspiring atmosphere, further livened with excited guests. Display tables occupied the lobby, with enthusiastic scientists showing off the latest inventions, breakthroughs, and discoveries. Roy surged with exhilaration. Where to begin? He wanted to see every single point of interest.
New Poké Ball models. Various prototypes of experimental Pokégear. Someone had shipped in a Rotom from Sinnoh and demonstrated new ways they’d discovered of utilizing it for appliances. To the eastern side of the room was a café decorated with potted plants and provided tables for people to rest and eat at.
Some booths offered fun science or brain related games. These showcases were always meant to be fun as well as educational. At one table sat a pink salamander with arms folded behind its back. It wore a red and white ruff around the neck and a spiral form Shellder atop its head. Slowking and Alakazam were often seen in labs for their high intelligence. But this Slowking didn’t work today. Guests were invited to defeat the Pokémon in a game of chess, winning a prize if they succeeded.
“That looks fun,” Genny said.
Roy smiled as he leaned over to whisper to her. “Not a distorted chance. Slowking are brilliant. You’d have to be a world class chess master to maybe have a hope of winning.”
But they did watch for a few minutes as the Slowking defeated opponent after opponent, never taking over ten moves.
As they hurried their way through the booths and tables, Roy felt like a kid in a toy store. Genny giggled at him as she hustled to keep up. People could call him a nerd all they wanted; he was going to enjoy this. Scientific progress never failed to amaze him with the increasing number of things humans could do when they put their minds to it. The ways scientists could improve life for everyone and broaden humanity’s horizon. If taking joy in the progressive betterment of society was nerdy, then someone get Roy a pair of braces and glasses held together by tape and he would wear them with pride.
Genny wasn’t as in the know about the technical jargon, but she showed great interest in some of the new Pokémon care tech for Trainers and breeders. The two of them found it both fascinating and aggravating, as it would be years before any of it became available to the public. Though Roy got his turn to laugh at Genny as he absorbed every explanatory word the presenters said, while Genny nodded along with an expression that said, “ooo, pretty lights.”
After a few hours of darting around, Roy noticed Genny tiring out, so they sat down at the café to grab a bite to eat. Roy ordered a sub sandwich. Genny got an oversized slice of pizza he knew her bird’s appetite wouldn’t finish.
As they ate, Genny’s eyes turned to the wide set of stairs at the north end of the foyer. “Where’s that lead?”
“To the labs, I’d say. But guests like us are limited to the lobby.” Yellow tape blocked off most of the stairs, marking the area as “employees only.”
“So where’s Bill? He’s supposed to be here, right?”
“I’m sure he’ll come out later for a speech. That’s probably what that stage is for.” Roy gestured to the stage and mic set up in front of the stairs. Right as he did, a mustached man in a suit stepped onto it, adjusting his bow tie. “Speak of the Renegade. Looks like they’re about to start something.”
The man wasn’t Bill, but he tapped the mic to gather the crowd’s attention. “Welcome one and all to the Sea Cottage Research Laboratory grand reopening!” Applause sounded in response. “We’re all happy to invite the public here once more. Please allow me to introduce Bill’s lovely wife, Freya Sonezaki, to give the welcome speech.”
From the back doors, a striking woman with long, wavy blonde hair came down the stairs. She wore a slim white dress and Dawn Stone earrings. She wasn’t alone; two gleeful Eevee pranced beside her. Small, four-legged mammals with brown fur, big pointy ears, bushy tails, and thick scarves of fluffy cream-colored fur around their necks. By all biological technicalities, felines, but with an appearance and demeanor that made calling them foxes or dogs a common mistake. Roy smiled. The image was almost cliché; Bill always had a reputation for being fond of that Pokémon.
The well behaved Eevee stayed at Freya’s side as she stepped up to the mic. “Hello, and welcome, everyone. I know. You’re all wondering why Bill isn’t the one up here. I understand many of you are excited to see him. But while it saddens me to start this speech with bad news, I must inform you that, for personal reasons, my husband won’t be coming out.”
Genny looked at Roy as if worried he’d be disappointed, but Roy was more surprised than anything. Even concerned and confused. It made no sense. Among many things, Bill had a reputation for being cordial with the public. Was everything all right?
“But I am here to give the speech in his stead,” Freya continued. “I offer my sincere apologies, and hope you will forgive us. I know my husband wishes he could be here.
“Nevertheless, I am so happy to welcome the public back to our lab and to once again be holding these monthly presentations. This place is Bill’s passion project. My husband was once a humble man from Johto’s Kogane City, with not a penny to his name. But everything you see here he built from scratch. Bill had no formal education, but greatly cared about understanding these fascinating creatures that captivated him from a young age. It is my husband’s belief that Pokémon hold the answers to the world we live in. We invite you, the people, here as a reminder that anyone, no matter how small or what their background, can make a difference. To encourage everyone to always ask questions and expand their knowledge. Anyone can find the means to educate themselves.”
Inspirational music played as Freya spoke. They were laying the cheese on thick, weren’t they? And fuck, it was working, because Roy couldn’t help but smile.
“Bill believed in making the world a better place through shared collective knowledge,” Freya continued. “For seeking understanding is what science is all about. And sharing all we learn and discover is exactly why we have these gatherings.
“Of course, what we do isn’t easy. There have been some missteps–including a rather embarrassing mishap with a Rattata that I’ll spare you.” This got some chuckles from the audience (mostly the fellow scientists). “Accidents happen, but that’s all part of the process. It can be hard. Bill himself struggles to accept this sometimes.” A hint of somberness laced her tone. She stole a quick glance at the lab entry behind her, as if Bill was currently dealing with a setback, and she hoped he was hearing this. Was that why he wasn’t here? Even so, that still sounded unlike him. “But we press on, despite mistakes, because it is through those failures that we reach success at the end. And it is all worth it. So we will always look failure in the eye and stand back up. But today is not only our grand reopening. It is also the anniversary of the Treaty of Castelia.”
Roy overheard a mixture of opinions. A few hushed groans from the crowd, and some people rolled their eyes with a here-comes-the-preaching attitude. Others gave light cheers or applause.
“The treaty has been in increasing trouble these last few years,” Freya said, “with more and more calling it into question. But my husband and I have and will always support it. While we love and encourage friendly battles between Trainers, Pokémon are not tools to be used by humans in war.” This got her stronger applause, but Roy noticed a few who kept their arms folded or firmly at their sides. “I thank you all and welcome everyone to enjoy themselves. It is our hope that seeing our advancements will inspire you in whatever way it can.”
Freya gave a final bow and Roy and Genny clapped with the rest of the audience. With the speech done, they finished their lunch and continued their exploration around the exhibits, but with a little less enthusiasm, as Roy couldn’t help wondering what personal matters kept Bill from showing.
Halfway across the floor, Genny pointed out Freya among the guests. “Looks like she’s come down to meet and talk with people.”
“I guess she’s doing what Bill used to do,” Roy said.
“Why would he not want to be here? They said he came back. I thought that’s what this whole grand reopening was about.”
“I wouldn’t know.”
Freya’s Eevee followed wherever she went, being friendly and playful with everyone they met. “Aren’t they adorable?” Genny said. “They look like they get along so well.”
The Eevee stopped at once when something grabbed their focus. They both noticed Genny at the same time and ran to her as if she was their owner whom they hadn’t seen in a week.
“Oh!” Genny said, surprised but pleased, and she knelt to pet them.
“Vee vee!”
“Eevee!”
Genny giggled. “That’s right.”
The Eevee’s friendliness toward Genny caught Freya’s attention, and she walked in their direction. Fuck, Bill was a lucky man. Seeing her up close, Roy tried not to stare. He picked up the sweet intoxicating scent of Leafeon perfume on her. “They seem to like you.” Unmarred by shitty mic audio, she spoke in a voice that was near divine.
Genny rubbed the Eevee with enamored affection. “Ooo, he’s got such soft fur.” She turned to the other, which wore a bow of pink and baby blue. “And I love the ribbon in her ear.”
From Freya’s reaction, Roy wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Genny’s specific use of pronouns. “You can tell,” Freya said with an impressed tone.
Though it was an obvious compliment, Genny blushed as if caught doing something wrong. She let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, it was just a lucky guess.”
“Don’t be modest. It’s quite amazing. Pokémon don’t have such clear telling signs like humans do. Many of our experts here struggle to tell the difference. Do you have any expertise?”
The shower of compliments only seemed to put Genny on the spot, and she blushed deeper, speaking with shyness in her voice. “I… I worked under Professor Oak, but it was only in the fields. Really, I just made a lucky guess. L-look, see, the girl has a pink bow in her ear.”
But Genny’s every word only impressed Freya further. “You worked for Professor Oak!”
“We both did,” Roy said, diverting the attention away from Genny. “Together, in fact. We’ve been friends our whole lives.”
“Then let me give you a more personal welcome.” Freya shook Roy’s hand. “It’s an honor to have two of the great Oak’s students. My husband and I used to have regular contact with the professor. Is he here as well?”
“Afraid not. We’re not here on his behalf or anything. My name’s Roy. Genny and I are both Trainers now. We just happened to be stopping by at the right time and got tickets from a friend.”
“I see. Well, it’s a pleasure to have such prestigious students either way.”
“If it’s not rude to ask, how come Bill isn’t coming out? I’ve heard he’s a public, outgoing guy.”
Freya’s face saddened. “You are Professor Oak’s pupils. I suppose I can tell you. But please keep this quiet.”
Roy nodded.
“The truth is, Bill was against his return being announced and didn’t want a grand reopening. When he returned, he came back… different. He won’t tell anyone what he was working on in secret, which is so unlike him. My husband’s confided in me a bit, but I can tell Bill’s withholding details even from me. He has a difficult time with failures. I suspect whatever he worked on in his absence must have been a major setback. More than that, I worry he thinks he’s done something wrong. In a moral sense, I mean. Bill’s such a kind and pure-hearted man, I can’t imagine what. But it must’ve hit him hard. I’m worried. So are the Eevee. We have a lot running about the labs for evolutionary research, but these two here are Bill’s. I’ve had to take care of them while he was away. Unfortunately, I’m not as good with Pokémon as my husband.”
While Roy and Freya spoke, Genny stayed quiet, squatting low to play with the two Eevee, rubbing, petting, and whispering to them. Freya knelt to pet them as well, and Genny stopped talking.
“Bill loves his Eevee,” Freya said. “They’re believed to be the key to understanding evolution. Bill has always had a fascination with the topic. How Pokémon change or have alternate forms. He even studied to see if we could create new species or versions of Pokémon from preexisting ones.”
That last part snagged Roy’s curiosity like a Magikarp on a hook. “New species?”
Freya opened her mouth to explain more, but got cut off when someone tapped at the mic, sending a whine throughout the room. A sharp voice called them all to attention.
A new woman had stepped onto the stage, drawing a confused look from Freya, who stopped a passing lab worker. “Excuse me. There were no more speeches planned today, were there?” Before Freya got an answer, the woman called for attention once more. Chatter ceased, and all eyes went to her.
Dressed in a burgundy suit, the Kantonian woman didn’t appear to have a drop of Unovan blood in her. Darker skin. Black hair cut in a bob. Behind her glasses were the narrow eyes of a woman not to cross.
“First,” the mysterious speaker began, “I want to thank Mrs. Sonezaki for that speech. It’s clear Freya and her husband love Pokémon. I’d like to praise this lab for the brilliant discoveries it’s made on Pokémon, evolution, biology, and even gene splicing. If there is one thing that binds everyone here, it is a deep love for Pokémon. Unfortunately, not everything can be agreed upon. We all heard Freya’s declaration of her and her husband’s ongoing support for the Treaty of Castelia. Bill himself has always spoken against Pokémon being used in war. How noble.” Just when Roy thought her eyes couldn’t get any narrower, she squinted. “And how foolish.”
Whispers murmured through the crowd. Freya frowned.
“In every war,” the woman continued, “good soldiers die from injuries that could have been healed, are the victims of catastrophes that could have been prevented, lose battles that could have been won. People call it abuse, but they forget Pokémon are intelligent creatures, capable of fluently understanding human speech, regardless of language. Creatures capable of making their own choices! Creatures worthy of the right to serve!
“The treaty bans Pokémon from all methods of service. But how is it abuse to have a Pokémon acting as a nurse, away from combat, healing life-threatening injuries with a simple Heal Pulse? But even limiting it to that would be utter nonsense. With their incredible durability, unmatched powers, instinct for following orders, and ability to recover quickly, it is obvious Arceus created Pokémon for battle. Scientists around the world all accept this consensus. Yet people want to restrain those abilities to casual sport.
“From the day of its signing, the Treaty of Castelia has always been on shaky ground. It is only a matter of time before someone breaks it. And whichever nation does so first will conquer any enemy they want with a superior army the others are unprepared to face! Every day we support the treaty, every day we refuse to prepare, we leave ourselves vulnerable and at the mercy of any nation that decides one day to attack with creatures that can cause earthquakes and rain down thunder! Supporting such a treaty is a fool’s idea! One that will inevitably lead Kanto to ruin! This is why people like Bill and his wife are a threat to national security!”
Boos howled up at her, but between the jeers and hisses were some whispers of agreement. The combining sounds fueled the tension in the air, a wave of unease snaking through the crowd like a venomous Seviper.
“Who is this woman!?” a furious lab worker bellowed.
“Who let he up there!?” said another.
Freya turned to the nearest employee. “Get her off that stage!”
But they were already ahead of her. Two workers had made their way toward the platform, but a pair of strangers in dark trench coats and flat caps moved together to block them like bouncers at a bar. The sight sent goosebumps along Roy’s skin. The woman hadn’t come alone. This was planned.
Roy scanned the crowd. Between the ones booing or whispering agreement, there were at least a dozen people dressed in trench coats or jackets watching with calm patience, as if waiting for something. As scientists and lab workers moved around, trying to shut off the mic, Roy caught some of the coated people donning black flat caps or reaching inside their jackets as if for a hidden weapon. Roy broke out in a sweat, heart rate increasing as the woman continued her speech on stage, cool and composed.
“The treaty could be broken any day. Nations out there could be building their own armies as we speak. Could already have them now. And the first to attack will dominate the rest of the world. But there is no need to fear… My name is Matori Asai! And I represent an organization of progress! One that will rocket Kanto to the new world power as a nation to stand above even the great Unova!” Matori raised her arm. “A new world begins… TODAY!”
In reaction to her declaration, as though it were a signal, people in the crowd threw off their trench coats and jackets to reveal matching black uniforms with blazing red R’s and flat caps. They were armed with assault rifles. Shadows moved above, and the dome ceiling shattered, raining glass as more uniformed cohorts swung down on wires.
The Slowking rose from its chess table and tried using Psychic to stop the falling shards as armed terrorists landed among the screaming venue. Roy put an arm around Genny and pulled her down into a crouch, leaning over her. “Get down!”
Machine guns fired into the air, and a terrorist barked over the crowd, “GET ON THE FLOOR, EVERYBODY!”
Roy tried to keep his eyes down until a whipping sound drew his attention up. A helicopter hovered over the lab. Black armored vehicles pulled in to surround the building, screeching to a halt as more armed terrorists piled out to infiltrate the lobby.
High above, the helicopter’s side door slid open to reveal a woman with dark red hair. A woman whose expression made Roy want to cower under a bed like a child. She raised a megaphone and announced in a flamboyant voice, “Helloooo, all you pigs of the Sea Cottage Research Lab! Thank ya ever so much for the open invitation! Hope ya don’ mind us poppin’ in ta see our ol’ friend!”
More terrorists broke through the front doors, accompanied by dozens of powerful Pokémon, including a Machamp, Arbok, Rhyperior, Primeape, and several Beedrill far more vicious looking than the ones Roy saw in Viridian Forest, armed with unblunted stingers.
Genny trembled on the ground, whimpering in tears, but Roy kept her covered. He felt her hyperventilating through her back. Fuck, why did this have to happen? Why with Genny here? This was too much for anyone, let alone her. Despite his own fear, Roy took a deep breath. Stay strong, he told himself. You have to stay strong for her.
The woman in the helicopter tossed the megaphone aside and swung down on a wire through the shattered roof, landing amid the terrified crowd. Holding the gun one-handed, she fired her M4 carbine into the air, shattering more glass with cackling laughter and getting more screams, which she seemed to delight in. “You fuckers can call me Agent Salazzle! Or just plain ol’ Ariana. I don’ give a fuck!” She spoke with the thick accent of someone from the Saffron ghettos. Roy had thought Matori intimidating, but this woman was downright nightmarish. Her red hair looked like she’d died it in blood. Late twenties, wearing a black flat cap and black uniform that hugged her shape. It had a Salazzle embroidered on the back in a graffiti art style and a smaller letter R over the breast pocket. She had a big, sadistic smile, eyes wide with insanity. Ariana looked like the type who would shoot an infant in the face for fun.
The Slowking tried to defend the lab, fighting back with Psychic. Tables, chairs, and broken glass glowed pink as they rose off the floor. But as it went to launch the attack, a terrorist raised a gun to fire an electric wire that wrapped around the Slowking’s neck like a collar, shocking the gentle creature and bringing it to its knees. Any other Pokémon were put down by the terrorists’ stronger fighters. More people screamed.
“Now why’re there still some folks standin’?” Ariana said. “Thought we toldja all ta getcher asses down!” She fired several shots into the air, and everybody hit the floor with hands over their heads. Silence choked the room. “That’s better.”
But one brave woman refused to back down. “Who do you people think you are!?” She spoke fiercely through stuttered words, hand shaking on a Poké Ball at her side.
Ariana smiled and approached, but the woman stayed on her feet, though she trembled from head to toe. “Now, now. Don’tcha get no ideas a heroism.” She tapped her gun at the woman’s Poké Balls. “Wouldn’t wanna put down any a those little friends a yers, dig?” Pow! Arian put a single bullet in the woman’s foot, and she crippled with an air piercing shriek.
“Dear!” a furious husband cried. “Why you!”
But his voice wiped off Ariana’s smug attitude. Her expression flipped a 180, and she turned on him, pure loathing contorting her face as she pressed the barrel of her gun between his eyes. “I WASN’T SPEAKIN’ TA YOU, PIG!”
Roy held his breath, certain she meant to shoot the man. Instead, Ariana drove a hard foot into his groin, which she seemed to take greater pleasure in as he crumpled to a fetal position, hands between his legs. She went to kick him again, but a fellow terrorist caught her ankle on the backswing to stop her.
“Wah!” Ariana fumbled to regain her balance.
Roy recognized the man that had grabbed her. Agent Sunne. The thief he encountered at Mt. Moon.
Archer.
“Remember why we’re here,” Archer said.
Ariana jerked her leg free of his grip. “Hmph. Piss off, pig.”
Archer calmly addressed the crowd next. “I apologize for the theatrical introduction. There is no need for anyone to be afraid. We seek only one individual.”
Ariana stepped forward to take control again before he could say more. “You know who ya are! Get out here if ya know what’s good for ya!” She fired more bullets into the air, to the response of more screams and whimpers.
Matori had come down from the stage. She stopped next to Archer and spoke to him in a low, biting tone. “The boss told you to control her.”
Under Roy, Genny wept, shaking with violent hyperventilation as she suffered a severe panic attack. Why did this have to happen? She had enough trauma.
Ariana paused when she overheard Genny crying, and she looked in their direction. Oh, for the love of Arceus, please no. Ariana’s eyes locked on Genny and her smile grew. Roy held Genny tighter. No. Not her. For fuck’s sake, please just leave her alone. Ariana came their way, and Roy grit his teeth, eyes shut tight. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!
“Hey, hey, what’s the matter, girl?” Ariana said, voice filled with malice.
Roy put a hand on a Poké Ball, prepared to defend Genny if need be. Ariana stopped right next to them, leaning down and opening her mouth to speak.
Sssshhhhhhllllllllllttthhhhhhhp.
A loud, drawn out slurping sound came from the other side of the room. As the noise dragged out, Roy and Ariana turned their heads in slow unison, both of them with dropped jaws. Everyone had gotten on the floor except for one girl sitting over at a café table, sipping a drink. About Roy’s age, she paid no attention to the terrorist attack going on around her.
Her hair was the color of fire.
Ariana’s smile widened enough to split her face. “Yo! Check out this cocky bitch!”
The redhead didn’t even look up at Ariana as she approached.
“Keep to the plan, Agent Salazzle,” Archer said.
She flipped him the bird and went over anyway. Ariana slapped a loud hand down to lean on the table and smirk at the redhead, who still didn’t spare her a glance. Legs crossed, cheek resting on her fist, she simply stirred the ice in her drink with a straw.
“Yo! Don’tcha know it’s rude ta ignore someone who’s talkin’ ta ya?”
Finally, the redhead spoke. “You’re loud and obnoxious.”
Ariana snickered. “Feisty. I love it.” She lowered her M4 and pulled a serrated hunting knife from her belt, putting the flat of the blade under the redhead’s chin, tilting her head over to make the girl look at her. “What a pretty face ya got there.”
The redhead smirked back. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Such beauty’s a curse where I come from.” Ariana chuckled. “The Saffron pigs’d tear yer pretty little cunt apart. Maybe I oughtta do ya a solid n’ rough that mug a yers up a bit.” She pressed the knife closer to the girl’s cheek.
But the redhead just smiled, matching her cockiness. “You wouldn’t want to mess with a face as famous as mine.”
Ariana’s smile faded, only looking confused as she cocked her head sideways. “Who’re you?”
The redhead frowned, vein bulging in her forehead as if insulted.
A massive purple shuriken spun in from the side as if from nowhere, flying between the two women and knocking the knife from Ariana’s hands. She yelped in startled surprise and jumped back, landing on a café table. The shuriken stuck itself in the ground, standing upright on three of its points. Not a shuriken at all. A one-meter-tall ten-pronged starfish, limbs the color of amethyst, with a red jewel encased in gold in the center of its body like an eye. The Starmie gave a low hum.
The redhead resumed sipping her drink.
Ariana wagged a finger side-to-side. “Ah ah. Big mistake, missy.”
Several machine guns took aim, but before any of them could even threaten a finger on the trigger, the redhead shot to her feet in defiance, raising a Poké Ball high and throwing it down.
White light exploded upward, rising in a massive column that reached over six meters high. The light solidified into a serpentine sea dragon with blue scales and white fringes along its back. Its long, gaping mouth shook the lab with a tremendous roar, and fear doused the terrorists’ faces as they stared into the menacing red eyes leering over the crowd. Body coiling around the redhead, the mighty Gyarados stood at her command.
Machine guns opened fire on the Pokémon, but the girl had already called out the move Protect, and the bullets bounced off the transparent force field that manifested as a sphere of iridescent glass.
“Aqua Tail!”
Water materialized around the colossal serpent’s lower body. It swung across the floor and sent terrorists flying, giving them a turn to panic. Gyarados brought its tail smashing down at Ariana, but as the crash flipped the table she stood on, she kicked off of it, leaping away to avoid harm.
“Hoo hoo! I dig this bitch!” Ariana raised her gun arm and unloaded a string of bullets, but Gyarados blocked them with another Protect. She continued firing. “That ain’t gonna last forever!” Sure enough, cracks appeared as the shield weakened from extended use, and a few rounds snuck through, pelting the leviathan’s body. The Gyarados roared, but Roy knew it would take more than that to topple such a hardy beast. It swung its tail at Ariana again, knocking her back this time, and she dropped the machine gun.
Terrorists threw out their Pokémon, but the Gyarados swept them aside with another Aqua Tail. It lunged to Crunch down on a Golem and lifted the three-hundred-kilogram rock monster with ease, whipping the length of its body like a slingshot to toss it out the window.
Ariana staggered up with insane laughter. “Oh ho ho, I’m gonna love breakin’ that beast!” She flung a Poké Ball with a sidearm throw, and Roy was surprised at what came out.
A fat, pink bipedal amphibian with a round head, standing over a meter tall with a thick, swollen tail almost the same size as its body. It opened its mouth, and a long tongue spilled out like an unrolled carpet, drooping to the floor with a wet splat. It spoke in a nasally whine. “Tuuuuuunnngg.”
A confusing choice to take on a Gyarados with. Lickitung didn’t have the fiercest reputation. But the soulless look in that salamander’s small, beady black eyes chilled Roy’s bones like a creature out of his scariest nightmares.
What had she done to it?
“All of you, stop it!” Archer bellowed. But Ariana ignored him, and her Lickitung attacked the Gyarados, lashing out with its long tongue. Meanwhile, other terrorists engaged the redhead’s Starmie, which fended off multiple opponents at once.
What was Roy doing!? Now was the time to get people out while they were distracted! Genny still suffered a panic attack under his arms, eyes closed to the terror around her. Wishmaker and Graci must’ve come out at some point, because she held tight to them while the two Eevee hid under her as well.
Roy gave her shoulders a light shake. “Genny. Genny, can you hear me?” She shuddered in his hold, trying to block everything out. “Genny, please!” She hesitantly opened her eyes and met his. “You need to get out of here.” He nodded to her Pokémon and the Eevee. “You have to get them to safety.” She looked at her Pokémon, and this seemed to bring her back a bit. Roy turned to Freya. “Please. Can you help her?”
“Leave it to me.” Freya took Genny’s shoulders into gentle hands, talking her up with encouraging words while Roy grabbed a Poké Ball.
With Freya’s assistance, Genny rose to her feet, and Freya guided her, Wishmaker, Graci, and the female Eevee toward the exit. But the male Eevee remained scared and clung to Roy’s leg, refusing to move despite Freya’s calls.
A stray terrorist attack came the girls’ way, and Freya called the female Eevee to use Protect. As the girls defended themselves, the male Eevee stayed at Roy’s side. A terrorist’s Magneton deflected an Ice Beam from Starmie, diverting the attack in Roy’s direction. Roy grabbed the Eevee and turned his back, huddling over to shield the Pokémon, preparing to get hit.
But it didn’t come.
Roy opened his eyes to a shadow looming over him, and he looked up at a towering marsupial. Bulky and brown, with light ears and armored plating over its head and shoulders. It held a thick, protective arm over Roy to block the Ice Beam.
What was a Kangaskhan doing here? He hadn’t seen it before. Had someone released it?
“Eevee!” Roy looked down at the Eevee, which smiled up at the Kangaskhan. “Vee! Vee!” He seemed so joyful to see this Pokémon. All of his trembling had stopped. Roy looked back at the Kangaskhan.
It was no longer there.
Instead, a Pidgeotto hovered over him. The bird winked at him and the Eevee then flew out the window and vanished. What the…
“Roy!”
Genny’s voice drew him back to her and Freya, who didn’t seem to have noticed the strange appearance and disappearance of the Kangaskhan, now nowhere in sight. A group of terrorists blocked the girls from escaping.
“No one’s going anywhere!” Three terrorists aimed assault rifles at them, alongside a Raticate, Golbat, and Graveler. Roy reached again for a Poké Ball, but the male Eevee leapt forward. All of a sudden, he wasn’t afraid. Something about seeing that Kangaskhan had inspired him. But why? Bill’s Eevee looked at Roy with confidence, ready to battle beside him. Roy smiled back.
“Double Edge!”
Eevee charged, headbutting the Raticate in the gut harder than Roy expected from the small Pokémon. Terrorists raised guns and Genny screamed, ducking down. But Freya yelled at the female Eevee to use Protect, which blocked the bullets.
Wishmaker and Graci jumped forward to defend their Trainer. Two vines slithered out from underneath the bulb on Wishmaker’s back, lashing out with a Vine Whip to pull a gun out of the terrorist’s hands. Graci sprayed a sparkling Sleep Powder to make the opponents drowsy.
Roy noticed dust on the ground from the damaged building. “Sand Attack!” Though not his Pokémon, the male Eevee obeyed again, and kicked sand in the terrorists’ eyes. In their dizzy, blinded distraction, Freya gathered the small group of Roy and Genny and waved a few others over to guide as many toward the exit as she could.
“Get everyone out!” Roy yelled. “I’m staying behind.”
Freya tried to argue against it, but he’d already turned back toward the fight.
Ariana and the redhead remained locked in battle. The Lickitung held its own against the Gyarados, using Disable against its moves one by one, gradually depriving it of its abilities. The Lickitung showed no mercy, while the redhead’s Gyarados struggled to avoid hitting innocents in the crossfire or doing more damage to the lab.
“Try this, fucker!” Ariana drew what appeared to be a taser gun. Just like with the Slowking, it launched a glowing yellow wire that wrapped around the Gyarados’s neck and electrocuted the Pokémon, putting it down with a destructive crash.
Over a dozen armed terrorists surrounded Freya’s group before they could take five steps to the exit. For as long as it had held out, the enemy’s powerful Pokémon overwhelmed and subdued the redhead’s Starmie. Roy raised a Poké Ball to provide backup, but a hand grabbed his wrist, and Roy looked up at Archer. “You!”
Archer had asked for his name back at Mt. Moon, but Roy never expected him to actually remember it. “Roy, for your own Pokémon’s sake, do not draw Ariana’s attention to yourself.” There was urgency in his voice.
Roy tried to jerk free as the redhead sprinted over to her suffering Gyarados, but Ariana got there first and seized the girl, holding a knife to her face. And this time, the redhead did look afraid.
Still restraining Roy by the wrist, Archer barked across the room at Ariana. “This is not what we came for!”
“Ah, shut it! I don’ take orders from no pigs!” Ariana gripped the girl’s head tight in her hands, leaning in millimeters from her face, knife pressed to her cheek. “I know who we’re here for, but he seems shy. Maybe a little blood shed’ll get our friend ta come out.” She pressed the blade closer to the redhead’s throat, drawing a trickle of blood.
A voice–course and imperative–called out. “Agent Salazzle!” The speaker drew Ariana’s attention with much greater success toward a new man entering the building.
He dressed in a black trench coat, but unlike the standard flat cap, he wore a fedora, in which stuck a black feather that seemed to radiate a shadowy aura. At his side walked the cream-colored feline, Persian, standing at waist height with a red jewel on its forehead. The man’s presence brought stillness back to the room, calming the chaos and replacing it with an air of mystery surrounding him.
Archer let go of Roy and approached the man. “Boss. My sincere apologies for all of this.”
But the man Archer called boss dismissed it with a calm wave, displaying no anger toward him.
“I knew bringing her was a mistake,” Matori muttered.
“Agent Salazzle,” the boss said. “Release the girl.”
Ariana grumbled, but did as told. The redhead ran to her Gyarados and tried to pull off the collar hurting it, but only received a hard shock that threw her back. “Let him go!”
The boss ignored her demands, staring at the beast as it growled in pain, unable to move. The boss snatched the gun from Ariana and lowered the shock’s intensity–though he didn’t remove the collar–leaving the weakened Gyarados to whimper in its injuries.
With all eyes in the room on him, he spoke. “See how this Gyarados took down all these men armed with machine guns? See the benefit Pokémon could give us as sldiers?” He turned to face the crowd. “Everyone can calm down. We’re simply here to apprehend a traitor. And to conscript your strong Pokémon for the army that will raise Kanto to a world superpower.
The redhead fired up again. “You’ll take Gyarados over my dead body!” She whipped another Poké Ball from her belt, but the boss turned the intensity up, and the Gyarados roared in pain as the collar sent shocks through its body. The redhead let go of the Poké Ball. “Stop it!” She again tried to pull the collar off, only for the shock to repel her. “Please! Just stop!”
But the boss continued to torture the beast with a flat expression.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Everyone turned to the back of the room to see who had shouted, and Bill came down the stairs, dressed in tan slacks and a lavender polo. One horrifying glance, and Roy understood why he hadn’t wanted to show himself.
“Mother of Mew…” Roy mouthed.
Third degree burns covered Bill’s arms and a large portion of his face. He looked like he’d barely survived a house fire. From the shocked expressions of everyone except Freya, no one else knew about them either. Not even several of the lab workers. The burns looked recent. What happened? Was this related to whatever he’d been working on in secret? Roy had never met Bill, but for a man he admired almost as much as Professor Oak, he may as well have seen the scars on one of his own family. Roy’s anger, stress, and fear melted under a deluge of sorrow.
“Looking for me, Giovanni?” Bill said to the boss.
They knew each other?
Giovanni sneered. “Well, look at you. You’re looking good.” He said this as an obvious mockery of Bill’s scars, but there was a subtler tone suggesting he too hadn’t expected to see them. Though he smiled like it was a pleasant surprise.
Bill’s eyes scanned over the terrorists spread throughout the lab. “You’ve got quite the following.”
“Much larger than you’d think, right?”
Bill scowled, though it seemed less directed at Giovanni and more a self-berating scowl. “Employing terrorist methods against the Treaty of Castelia,” he said with disgust.
Giovanni sighed out the nose. “You’re correct. It’s not optimal. I wish Pokémon could volunteer to join the military, without conscription. But sometimes force is the only way.” He paused before continuing. “Do you know how hard it is? When you know you’re right, but the world insists on sitting on its hands? When the truth is so obvious, yet the incompetent government refuses to act? I tried reasoning with them, but the fools wouldn’t listen. So I’ll save this country myself.” Giovanni picked up a dropped assault rifle. “With the invention of modern artillery, humans have stopped using Pokémon as weapons.” He admired the gun. “They are invaluable tools, for certain, but they are not a replacement. That Gyarados has demonstrated well what the true ultimate weapons are. The first nation to figure that out will have an overwhelming advantage, while the rest of us play catchup, teaching Pokémon to fight people.
“The current world is united under a signed truce to never use Pokémon in warfare. Not even for medical purposes or rescue operations. But will that hold so long as such powerful creatures lie right before us on a silver platter? Wake up! It’s only a matter of time before someone breaks the treaty. I simply want Kanto to be the first to get ahead of the game.”
Giovanni turned to address the lobby. “As citizens of Kanto, ask yourselves! Do you want to dominate!? Or be dominated!?”
He turned back to Bill. “We wish to create an effective military for Kanto. As such, we’ll need powerful Pokémon. This lab has strong specimens for study, of course. This Slowking and Gyarados shall make fine additions. But a Pokémon army is not enough. Every country has its fair share of exceptional species. Sure, the first will have an advantage, but once the rest of the world catches up and forges their own Pokémon army, that will just level the playing field once again. The nation that reigns supreme will be the one with a… secret weapon, shall we say. A Pokémon more powerful than any other to lead their forces.” Giovanni approached the stage with a smile, the Persian never leaving his side.
“You think I’d know where to find something like that?” Bill said.
“Come now. Bill Sonezaki? Mr. Pokémon himself?”
“I’d never tell you anything. My love for Pokémon surpasses any threat you could make. I would never support them being used as tools for war.”
“As you’re always saying. But I’m not here to debate.”
The Persian sprang onto the stage, clawing at Bill’s leg and bringing the researcher to his knees.
“Bill!” Freya cried, rising to her feet, but a Machamp restrained her, its four arms easily pinning her face-down and covering her mouth.
“Freya!” Bill turned hostile eyes back to Giovanni. “Let her go!”
Giovanni vaulted onto the stage and stood over him, pressing a handgun to Bill’s forehead. “Where is it?”
“You honestly believe I have it?”
“Reported sightings claim it came this direction. You wouldn’t let such information stand by. I think you know exactly where it’s hidden itself.”
“You can’t control it. No one possibly could.”
“Not to worry. We’re working on that. Now tell me.”
“I would rather die.”
A long silence hung over the room.
“So be it.” Giovanni raised his voice for everyone to hear. “Those who continue to defend the Treaty of Castelia are traitors to Kanto’s national security! Let the world receive this message! Kanto will surpass Unova and stand as the new superpower! Hear and remember the name of the ones who will bring Kanto to such heights! Team Rocket!”
BANG!
Time slowed as, in front of everyone, Giovanni put a bullet through Bill’s skull. As the moment played out in slow motion before Roy’s eyes, he became increasingly certain this had to be a terrible dream. Everything seemed to have dulled to a muted black and white, highlighting the bright red splash from Bill’s forehead. Roy’s ears vibrated with the sound of the gunshot echoing through his mind, burning into his memory as it stole Bill and his every future contribution from the world. Head of evolutionary study. Creator of the Pokémon Transfer System. Symbol of an idealistic future.
A scientist.
A man.
A husband...
Dead before the thud of his body hit the floor.
And the world became a little less bright.
Freya screamed first, the sound muffled by the Machamp covering her mouth. Bill’s two Eevee cried out in anguish. Soon the entire lobby erupted in panicked terror, shocking Roy back to reality.
The redhead got to her feet before anyone else. She snatched up a dropped gun and fired not at but toward the Pokémon restraining Starmie to scare them off. Back on its legs, the Starmie spun at Giovanni.
Archer threw out his Kingler, and the crab deflected the attack by batting the Starmie away with its massive claw. Starmie landed and fired and Ice Beam, destroying the collar firing gun in Giovanni’s hand.
The electrical yellow glow around Gyarados died down, and the sea dragon rose, roaring in anger as the collar fell from its neck.
Unable to stand by any longer, Roy threw out Ponyta and Squirtle. The action inspired scientists and other Trainers to follow suit, and they released theirs as well, rage fueling their will to battle. If murdering Bill was supposed to break their spirits, it had the opposite effect.
A Team Rocket member aimed to fire another collar at Gyarados.
“Squirtle!” Roy yelled and the tiny turtle Rapid Spun to knock the gun from the Rocket’s hand, then Skull Bashed him in the stomach.
“Not bad, kid,” the redhead said.
Roy turned his attention back to the leader, Giovanni. They had to stop that murderer. “Ponyta! Ember!”
The horse spat a fiery bullet, but the Persian leapt to deflect it, swiping the flame aside with its claws.
An all-out brawl between Trainers and scientists against Team Rocket ensued. Bullets and attacks of various Pokémon types shot every direction, sparks flying from machinery, energy exploding. Gunfire shattered glass. A Machamp Dynamic Punched a Pidgeot in the beak. A Flareon bit its Fire Fangs into a Magneton. And Roy’s Ponyta trampled over and burned past several enemies in a blaze of blue glory.
Ariana walked through the chaos as if on a peaceful stroll through the park and hopped onto the stage to stare down at Bill’s body with disappointment. “Aww, I wanted ta cut’im up.”
“That’s enough,” Giovanni said. “It’s time for us to retreat. Apprehend any powerful Pokémon you can.”
“You know yer orders! Get ta work, pigs!”
Team Rocket members surrounded Giovanni to defend their boss as he sauntered out of the building. Several fired the electric collars at the scientists’ and Trainers’ Pokémon. They launched nets to ensnare the immobilized creatures and dragged them away, including the lab’s Slowking.
One of them smirked at Roy’s Ponyta. “Nice Shiny, kid.” He shot a collar at her, but Ponyta ducked the yellow wire and swiveled to kick the grunt in the stomach. She then turned to spit a powerful Ember at a Nidorino that came for her, hitting it point blank and putting it down.
“Freya!” Roy shouted, and Ponyta spat an Ember in the Machamp’s face to make it unhand her. “Get Genny and everyone out of here!”
The female Eevee went with Genny and Freya as they gathered people to escape while the scientists and Trainers fended off Rocket members.
A grunt aimed his machine gun at Roy, but the male Eevee sprung up to bite his arm. He shook the Pokémon off and crouched to hold his wound.
The male Eevee landed in front of Roy, crying out in confidence to communicate his will to fight for him. Roy smiled. “Squirtle! Go help Genny!”
“Squirtle!”
The Pokémon ran off, then Roy pointed at the Rocket grunts stealing people’s Pokémon. “Eevee! Swift!”
“Eeeee!” He opened his mouth and shot a meteor shower at the retreating Rockets and their Pokémon. Glowing energy bullets shaped like stars pelted their bodies, pushing them back with great effectiveness. He was strong for a small Eevee. Bill had raised him well. Now Roy would make sure he avenged his partner.
The redhead’s Gyarados stretched its mouth wide, and a geyser of water erupted downward in a powerful Hydro Pump that washed dozens of Rockets away, the Starmie spinning to cut as many nets as possible.
Outside the lab, Giovanni stepped into the helicopter. Roy couldn’t let him escape! He ordered Eevee to fire another Swift attack out the broken window at the boss, but Ariana’s Lickitung slapped the starry bullets aside with its tongue. Ariana boarded the chopper behind Giovanni and the propellers whirred to life as it took off.
Team Rocket loaded stolen Pokémon into their armored trucks and drove off, one by one. Gyarados stretched its mouth again, generating a glow of surging energy in its maw and firing a Hyper Beam. But Archer’s Kingler blocked it with a Protect. The man caught a last glimpse at Roy before hopping into his vehicle and driving away with the rest of them. Fuck!
As Giovanni’s helicopter rose overhead, too far out of range, Ariana looked down on them as she unclipped a gadget from her side. “Suck on this, motherfuckers!” She hurled the device down at the lab.
KABOOM!
The blast wave threw Roy to the floor, and more of the roof collapsed under the force of the explosion as Ariana laughed from above.
“Are you out of your mind!?” a Rocket grunt yelled.
“Restrain her!” said another, and Ariana continued to laugh as her own team held her back.
The trucks and helicopter escaped, but as Roy groaned to his feet, checking Eevee to make sure he was okay, he realized they had a bigger problem now. Ariana’s bomb had set the lab on fire. A steel beam broke free and fell toward Squirtle. Roy cried out, but the redhead’s Starmie sprayed a Water Gun to push the turtle out of the way and send it washing into Roy’s arms. He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you!”
“We have to get everyone out!” the redhead said.
“Eevee! Ponyta! C’mon!”
People hustled outside to safety while Roy and the redhead covered them, using Squirtle, Gyarados, and Starmie to douse the spreading flames. More of the lobby collapsed as the structure weakened. Roy coughed, struggling to breathe through the smoke as the increasing heat suffocated him, drenching him in sweat.
Starmie hummed, spraying a clear path toward the exit before spinning out the open window to escape.
“We gotta go!” the redhead shouted.
She had the right idea. Arm covering his mouth, Roy looked around, trying to determine if everyone had gotten out, but the smoke hindered his sight. As far as he could tell, no one but them remained.
Gyarados swerved down to nudge Roy, Squirtle, and Eevee up onto its back. “Ponyta!” Roy called through choked breath as he raised her Poké Ball and fired the red beam to recall her. The redhead leapt onto Gyarados, and Roy held tight to Squirtle and Eevee with one arm, trying to grip Gyarados’s dorsal fin with the other as it slithered out of the building, moving like a roller coaster as it carried the last of them to safety.
The beast broke through the glass doors and emerged into the fresh outside air. Roy rolled off and hit the ground in pain. He coughed and opened his arms to check on Squirtle and Eevee. “You guys okay?” They both coughed on smoke, exhausted but otherwise all right.
Roy sucked in a clean breath and pushed himself up through aches and pains, looking back at the burning laboratory. A massive column of smoke rose hundreds of meters.
Not done yet.
With a weak throw, Roy called out Sandshrew, ordering him and Squirtle to use Sand Attack and Water Gun to douse the flames. Gyarados unleashed a Hydro Pump stream while other Trainers used any Water or Ground attacks available. The redhead grabbed two more Poké Balls and sent out a Vaporeon and Politoed alongside her Gyarados and Starmie, working together to put out the fire.
As they sprayed water and threw dirt on the flames, Roy looked around. Did anyone get left behind? Most people wept or mumbled as they fought to get control of their panic and anxiety. He scanned and scanned the crowd but didn’t see…
“Where’s Genny!?” He turned back to the fire. “Genny!”
Three seconds later, she and Freya limped out of the building. Genny helped Freya as she struggled to carry Bill’s body over her shoulders. Wishmaker and Graci huddled under the women, desperate to shield their Grass bodies from the flames. Genny supported Bill with one shoulder while she cradled Eevee in her other arm. Blood ran from her shoulder. Roy rushed forward to help carry Bill, and the three of them got clear of the building.
They laid Bill down and all collapsed on the ground. “I didn’t see anyone else inside,” Freya said. Genny leaned against a boulder to hold her arm as she tried to inhale fresh air through harsh coughs.
Sirens sounded, and the fire department and police arrived. Fire fighters and officers stepped out, each accompanied by their own Pokémon teams. Out of the red trucks jumped five Squirtle, all wearing black jackets that read “Squirtle Squad.” The one that appeared to be the leader wore a pair of angular sunglasses. From the cop cars came a group of trained Growlithe, the orange and white firedogs hustling to their human partners’ sides.
With the fire department, Squirtle Squad, and combined efforts of the Trainers’ Water Pokémon, the flames soon died out before spreading to the rest of the lab. Roy could only hope they hadn’t lost too much irreplaceable technology. He collapsed to lean against one of the nearby cars parked outside and at last caught his breath, wanting to pass out right there.
After fighting through another coughing fit, he looked around to check on everyone again. Some minor injuries, but he saw no deaths aside from Bill. Roy still struggled to accept the sight even as he watched the police cover him with a white sheet.
As the last of the flames hissed out, ambulances pulled in–some for people, others for Pokémon. Medics spread out, and one stopped by Roy to check on him. He had a few bruises and light scorches, but was otherwise fine. The medic left to tend to others, and the redhead sat next to Roy. Despite faring so much more, she looked better than he did. No burns, and the cut on her neck had already stopped bleeding. Where she’d shown such a ferocious temper and confidence before, she switched to an affectionate girliness as she bent to pet Roy’s Squirtle. “What an adorable Water Pokémon you have.” She spent the next few minutes fawning over his Squirtle, complimenting the turtle on his bravery. “That was some impressive skill you showed yourself back there,” she said to him. “Thanks for the help.”
“Thank you,” Roy said. “Your mastery as a Trainer is something else. It takes a strong character to train a Gyarados alone. Plus, the way you commanded multiple Pokémon at once and stood up to those Team Rocket terrorists was inspiring.” Roy looked over at Genny, still helping Freya with making sure everyone was accounted for, despite her own injury. “She deals with a lot. Who knows what might’ve happened if you hadn’t drawn that psycho bitch away when you did?” He met the redhead’s eyes, giving her a sincere look. “Thank you.”
The redhead stared at him. For a moment, he wondered if he’d said something wrong, then she responded with, “I have a boyfriend.”
“Uh… okay?” He hadn’t been flirting with her though. Roy thought back to how she’d talked to Ariana and figured this girl had a high opinion of herself.
The commotion of arguing and resistance entered Roy’s ears from across the lawn. His spirits lifted by a satisfying fraction when he saw the police had apprehended a single Team Rocket member, who they’d cuffed and shoved to his knees. Thank fuck they hadn’t all gotten away. Wait, Roy recognized that grunt. He was the one Eevee bit earlier.
A final car–slim and black–pulled up, and a man in a dark brown suit and tie under a tan trench coat stepped out, approaching the captive Rocket. Hang on, wasn’t that the same investigator Roy saw outside Viridian Gym? The man rubbed at his clean-shaven chin as he looked down at the terrorist with narrowed eyebrows. Roy guessed from his outfit he was a detective, though he kept his hair rather untidy for one. Unlike the other cops, he didn’t wear a Kantonian badge–nor any kind of badge, for that matter. As if he served no single nation.
“So here we finally are,” the investigator said. “I’ve been looking into Kanto’s increased crime rate and the rumored organization behind it for a while now. How unlucky for you I happened to be in the area today. Why don’t we start talking?”
The terrorist laughed, and it made Roy want to march over there and kick his teeth in, but he lacked the energy for it. “What’s there to tell? These people heard it loud and clear from the boss himself. We are Team Rocket. We’re here to raise a Pokémon army that will propel Kanto to becoming the world power to surpass Unova.”
“As someone who’s worked and traveled all over, let me explain that part of being a superpower is responsibility. A proper nation doesn’t pick needless fights and violate international peace treaties.”
“Heh. We have no interest in starting a war. Simply establishing an army to provide national security.”
“In using Pokémon for your terrorist organization, you’ve already violated the treaty. Fortunately, this remains a Kantonian matter. Assuming you haven’t attacked other countries. Pokémon are not to serve in any military position. In attempting to create an army alone, you threaten the peace between nations.”
“Wars happen with or without Pokémon.”
“Maybe so, but the primary reason for the treaty is protection against abuse and endangerment.”
“Abuse and endangerment, huh?” The grunt glanced at the Squirtle Squad and Growlithe team. “And yet you allow them in the police force.”
The Rocket and investigator stared at each other with silent hostility. “We’ll continue this conversation later. I assure you, my friends will have many questions and much to discuss. Take him away.”
Police shoved the grunt into the back of their car and the investigator retreated to talk in private with a woman in a black suit, her lavender hair tied in a ponytail.
“Roy!” Freya called. “It’s Genny!”
A sudden last reserve of energy sprung Roy to his feet, and he hurried over. The redhead followed. Genny sat against a boulder, weak and woozy. The blood on her arm streamed from two puncture holes, which had turned the surrounding skin green. Now that he got a closer look, Roy recognized the type of injury.
“I was trying to protect Eevee and got bit by an Arbok,” Genny said, embarrassed at knowing they’d be frustrated with her for not saying so earlier.
“An Arbok!?” Roy said. “Fu–” He bit his tongue, telling himself not to raise his voice.
“We have to get her to a hospital,” Freya said, but Genny looked too dizzy to move.
The redhead stuck two fingers in her mouth to whistle at the medics, waving them over. Roy recalled Squirtle and Sandshrew, telling them good job for their hard work before returning his undivided attention to Genny.
A couple of medics hurried over and knelt beside Genny to inspect her arm. “What happened?”
“Arbok bite,” Roy said.
Not needing to hear more, the medics brought forth a stretcher and rushed Genny into the back of an ambulance. When Roy started to climb in with her, one raised a hand to stop him. “Who are you?”
“Her brother,” Roy lied, figuring it would let him ride with her.
“Very well.” The medic waved him in, and Roy climbed in behind Wishmaker and Graci. The male Eevee stayed at Freya’s side, but the worried female Genny protected cried out, wanting to go too, and Freya had to hold on to her.
A medic gave Genny a quick shot in the arm. “That will hold her over for now. She’ll be okay, but we need to hurry.”
Genny barely maintained consciousness on the stretcher, her breathing heavy and wheezy. Roy looked back to thank Freya and the redhead, but the ambulance wasted no time closing the doors before he got a word out. He never even learned the redhead’s name.
The ambulance drove off. Out the window, Roy watched the two women shrink behind them. Freya continued her work helping the injured and traumatized, impressing Roy at how well she held herself together. How strong she remained, assisting others despite having witnessed her husband’s murder.
Bill really had been a lucky man.
The vehicle bumped along the dirt road to Cerulean, and Roy sat down to ride with Genny, rubbing his sweaty hands as he listened to her raspy breathing. Her two Pokémon stayed close, Wishmaker huddling under the stretcher, while Graci snuggled beside Genny on the cot. “You’re going to be okay, Genny,” he said, both to her and himself.
As they rode along Route 25, Roy’s thoughts drifted to Bill.
He… he was really gone.
This would make headline news across the world. Not just an attack on the lab or the murder of the famed researcher. A Kantonian terrorist organization had declared war against the Treaty of Castelia itself. Other countries would have reactions to this.
Roy tried not to think about any of that and keep his focus on Genny. But as he watched over her, listening to her heave each struggled breath, he clenched his fists. Perhaps he was selfish–Freya had it harder than anyone–but he couldn’t stop shaking with a mixture of worry for Genny and burning anger toward the terrorists who did this to her.
To be continued...