Equilibrium | By : jvperric Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12523 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1 |
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Nintendo does. I make no claim towards any of the copyrighted intellectual property contained herein. I am making no money from this story in any way. |
*****Chapter V: Embark*****
A journey of a thousand miles begins with still feet.
*****
Jason felt old as he adjusted his grip on his cane. He had been relieved when the doctor had let him out of the wheelchair, and even more so when he had traded in the metal quad-base cane for a more dignified wooden one, but the brace on his leg and bandages on his chest and shoulder provided frequent reminders of how damaged he still was.
He sat on a tree stump in the fields outside Presida City, watching his team run another training battery. Kirlia and Riolu traded blows, but the attacks were weak by design; they focused on effective evasion, although Kirlia’s flourishing ballerina-like style contrasted sharply with Riolu’s more pragmatic movements. Poochyena and Rufflet engaged in a more traditional battle, going claw for claw and holding back from only their most powerful moves.
Watching them made Jason feel his injuries even more. They had a scare the week prior, when Rufflet had torn a long gash across Poochyena’s side. With supplies running low, Jason had limped back to the city limits, where Kirlia could Teleport them to the Pokémon Center. The nurse chastised him for not bringing her in sooner, and the Chansey on duty gave him such a glare that he brought her back an entire case of first aid kits from the Pokémart.
Kirlia’s graceful maneuvering made his bones ache the most. Their frames were more similar than the others’, and for each of his injured bones he could pick out their counterparts on Kirlia’s skeleton. His foot burned when Kirlia spun. When he pulled his whole frame back from a punch, Jason’s rib flared. When Kirlia threw his arms up in victory, Jason’s collarbone throbbed.
Still, he brought it on himself by focusing on Kirlia as much as he did. Every time he noticed Jason watching, Kirlia would add a little extra flair to whatever move he was attempting. It troubled him deeply that Jason winced whenever he went out of his way to impress him, putting more questions into his already hormone-addled brain.
Even after a month as a Kirlia, he felt out of himself in his body, where his sightline was higher than his teammates’ and he could no longer rest on Jason’s shoulder. His new longer hair made it difficult for Poochyena to lick at the crests on his head, now on the sides. He found himself cycling between intense affection and resentment for his teammates, not that he would ever tell them.
And Jason…not a night went by when he didn’t lie awake for several minutes, away from the others, and feel lost, only to curl up next to his Trainer and fall swiftly asleep. The battle high he got from sparring was second only to the rush of good feeling that filled him when Jason knelt down and pulled him into a hug. The hugs were weaker since he had been hurt, but Kirlia still felt the same love.
“All right guys, let’s pack it in for today,” Jason said. “The sun’s setting.”
“How much longer until we can travel?” Riolu asked, fumbling with one of the water bottles Jason had taught them to use. “It feels we’re always out here.”
“We don’t come out on weekends,” Kirlia said defensively, unconsciously moving between Riolu and Jason. “And we can’t go before Jason is better or he could get hurt again.”
“Actually, I’ve been healing better than the doctor expected,” Jason said, scratching Kirlia’s head. His legs shook. “We can set out tomorrow afternoon. As long as I take it easy, we could be down in the Gulf in a few days. Let’s head back to the Pokémon Center. Can I get a hand up?”
Kirlia and Riolu helped him to his good foot, and they set off towards the city, with Poochyena jumping into Kirlia’s arms.
“Carry me!” she said, nuzzling her head into his chest.
“Tired?”
“Yep. I just want to lie down and fall asleep.”
“Why don’t you get an early night? You’ve been sparring with Rufflet almost all day.”
“I think I will.” She looked up at their Trainer. “Jason? Can I go in my Pokéball? I’m tired.”
Rufflet chirped while he hopped alongside them. “Me too, Poochyena’s really tough to fight.”
“Okay, I’ll let you out when we get back to the room.” Jason stopped and recalled then one at a time.
“I guess I’ll go in too,” Riolu said, meeting Kirlia’s pleading look with a quizzical one. He, too, vanished.
“Just you and me, huh?” Jason asked, resuming his slow gait. “Unless you’re tired, too.”
“No! I mean, I like walking with you, and I have to be out to Teleport us. And you would be defenseless if a Ledyba came up and attacked you.”
“You’re real good to me, Kirlia. I thought you’d be begging me for the Dawn Stone so you would evolve again.”
“I don’t evolve again for a while,” he said. “I have to be a Kirlia for a while before I get to be a Gardevoir.”
“Oh, did…did they not have Gallade where you grew up?”
“Gallade?”
Jason stopped again to take out his Pokédex. He showed Kirlia a picture of a Gardevoir and Gallade side by side.
“If you evolve by growing, you become a Gardevoir. But if I give you the Dawn Stone I have in my bag, you’ll become a Gallade, a Psychic/Fighting hybrid. I just thought you knew.”
“No, both of my parents were Gardevoir. Why did you think I would want to be a Gallade?”
“Well, I think they look cooler, they have moves that can hit Dark-types, and…um…everyone assumes all Gardevoir are female.”
“So? You know I’m not.”
“I know, but there was this thing a long time ago that made it not okay for a male Trainer to have a Gardevoir always at his side, and I know how much you like to be out of your Pokéball.”
“What happened?”
They realized they were at the city limits. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s go back to the Pokémon Center.”
Kirlia nodded, wrapped his arms gently around Jason’s waist, and enveloped them both in a bright blue light.
*****
Jason’s room was in its usual state of pandemonium, with meal tins strewn about the floor and Pokéballs all over the room. Poochyena stood on the TV remote on the bed, pressing random buttons in an attempt to understand the workings of the television. Riolu swung from Rufflet’s perch, much to the bird’s dismay, making him swap constantly between feet to avoid Riolu’s hands below him. Kirlia sat by Jason, cuddled up beside him and watching the screen of Jason’s computer.
“How do you remember what all those symbols mean?” Kirlia asked, pointing to the words on the screen.
“You just have to learn the letters first and practice them, and then you learn what each word means,” Jason said. “It gets easier as you go along. I could teach you, if you want.”
“Would you?” he asked, beaming.
“Sure. Not tonight, though. I want to get an early night and get you guys used to sleeping in your Pokéballs. Just in case there’s not enough room on the road one night. Bedtime, everyone. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.”
The others groaned, but eventually found their Pokéballs and brought them over to Jason before pressing the recall button on them. Kirlia was the last one, and Jason reached over to the nightstand and offered him his Pokéball.
“Wait, you said you would tell me why you didn’t want me to be a Gardevoir.”
“Oh, right. Okay.” Jason turned off the television while Kirlia switched off the nightstand light. He cuddled up to Jason. “About six years ago, there was this Trainer from Kanto, named Jack Harris. He was a League Champion and almost never lost a battle. I remember walking all the way across town in a snowstorm one time to buy a new video of his Championship battles. We did one of the training batteries he developed today.”
“What happened?” Kirlia asked, sensing his Trainer’s apprehension.
“His most powerful Pokémon was a female Gardevoir, and when he went to Hoenn in ninety-four he got caught…with her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“They were having sex,” Jason said, blurting it out in an effort to get past it. “It was a huge deal because Hoenn is a lot more conservative than most countries. There was a trial, but he was acquitted after a month. And after all of that, he killed himself. Since then it hasn’t been a good idea for male Trainers to have Gardevoir as their out-of-ball Pokémon. That’s why I was hoping you’d want to be a Gallade.”
“Humans and Pokémon can do that?”
“They shouldn’t, no one ever should, but some people aren’t quite right in the head, and most of the time the Pokémon feel obligated to obey their Trainers. It’s…happened to a lot of Gardevoir, unfortunately, because of how loyal they are to their Trainers and the way they look like human females.”
“No they don’t. Gardevoir have white skin and green hair and they’re much thinner.”
“All right, it’s a stretch of the imagination, but I don’t know why those people think like they do.”
“I don’t want to cause any trouble for you,” Kirlia said, scratching his arm. “I’ll be a Gallade.”
“Do you want to be a Gallade?”
“Everyone became a Gardevoir. My parents were Gardevoir, my sister was a Gardevoir…it would seem weird.”
“Well, think about it. We can talk about it more tomorrow, now we should get some sleep.”
“I’ll do it…but could you do something for me now?”
“Sure, what is it?” Jason asked.
“Could you massage the crests on my head? I’ve been using them all day.”
“Yeah, how should I do it?” Jason slid his thumb across one of the crests and Kirlia felt the space between his legs throb.
“Ah…could you put them between your thumb and finger and rub both sides?”
Jason did so, and Kirlia had to work very hard to keep from going limp and writhing in pleasure. He gripped the pillow behind him tightly and gently rocked his hips back and forth, all the while making a contented moan.
He let his Trainer continue until a powerful spasm shook his body and he felt hot, thick liquid coating the inside of his legs. Kirlia sighed and fell against the pillow, taking his head crests away from Jason’s hands.
“Everything okay?” Jason asked.
“Yes, yes, they feel much better. Thank you. Could I stay out with you tonight? Please?”
“All right, but don’t tell the others.”
“Of course. It’ll just be between…you and me.”
Jason gave him one more scratch on the head and closed his eyes. Kirlia pressed his body against his Trainer and fell into one of the fantasies his new mind had concocted weeks before.
*****
“What do you mean, I have to take a bus?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sato,” the doctor said, standing on the other side of the exam room. “You’ve healed at a remarkable rate, but the path down to Gemsea Town is rugged. I can’t advise you to go it on foot.”
Jason sighed. “Fine.”
“You can check the bus depot for a schedule, it’s just down the street.”
“Yeah. Thanks, doc. How long should the braces stay on?”
“At least another four days. I think that’s everything, then. If you have any problems, visit one of the clinics in Gemsea Town. Have a nice day.”
The doctor left, and Kirlia handed Jason his cane back. He got up from the exam table and they left, Jason muttering under his breath all the while.
“How can I train you guys on a bus?” he asked. “And how can a bus get down such a ‘rugged’ path? It’s a road, it’s not like I’m running cross-country.”
Kirlia walked beside him. “Shouldn’t you listen to the doctor?”
“I guess. Here, hop in your Pokéball. I’ll let you back out in Gemsea Town.”
Kirlia recalled himself and Jason went to the bus depot. He bought himself a ticket to Gemsea Town and sat at the videophone bank on one wall. Professor Bayberry’s phone rang for a few minutes before he picked it up.
“Jason, I haven’t heard from you in weeks! How are you?”
“I’ve seen better days, Professor. I took a tumble off Greenpeak Mountain last month when Scion took all those hostages.”
“Yes, I heard about that. Terrible business, but I’m glad you’re all right.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Jason said, showing his cane. “Got a few busted bones on the way down. That’s why I’m taking a bus to Gemsea Town.”
“Better to give up a few days of training than risk worsening your injuries. What are you going to do once you get down there?”
“Probably catch a boat into the gulf, challenge the Redrock Town Gym, maybe check out the Air Spire.” He left out his search for the Air Gem until he could prove it existed by having it in his hand. “I might head to Callport City to try their Gym, too.”
“I’m sure both Gyms will be a pittance for you.”
“Thanks, Professor. Oh, my bus is boarding in a minute. I’ll give you a ring when I get down to the Gulf.”
“Good luck, Jason.”
He hung up the phone, picked up his cane, and went to the boarding station. Jason took a seat near the front of the bus, and they set off once all the seats were filled. He was close enough to the driver’s mirrors to watch Presida City’s skyline slowly shrink and vanish below the horizon. When there was nothing but road, both behind and in front of them, Jason put his head against the window and thought about his team.
Didn’t expect to get a Flying-type so early. Still, it’ll be a while before he’s big enough to carry me. I’ll focus on getting him more powerful. He’ll lead if we go to the Callport City Gym.
I hope the others don’t think I’m neglecting them in favor of Kirlia…I’ll keep Poochyena or Riolu out most of the time in the gulf. Have to be careful to make sure he doesn’t think I’m putting him out, though. Raising Psychic-types is tough.
The bus moved slowly, almost ambling through the countryside of Route 302. To the southwest rose the Garagin Range, the semicircular chain of mountains surrounding Greenpeak Forest to the south and the east, protecting it from the Sepris Gulf. When Jason looked through the window on the opposite side of the aisle, great sand dunes greeted him, built up over thousands of years from the beaches on the far side that bordered the Iaptic Ocean.
In front of the mountains was a cluster of smaller forests, starting sparse near the road but thickening as they continued southwest. Jason could see Pokémon crawling and walking openly near the empty footpath beside the road.
Forget this.
Jason pulled the cord over his seat and the bus slowed to a stop. The doors opened and he hobbled toward the front, cane in hand.
“You’ll break your leg out there, kid,” the driver said.
“Better than sitting in here,” Jason said under his breath as he exited the bus. The doors closed behind him and the bus puttered away, picking up speed until it disappeared behind a bend in the road.
He soon found that the Pokémon he had seen from the bus were laughably weak, and most of them ran away as soon as he appeared. The ones that stood their ground only needed a few seconds of consideration before bolting. Jason ventured a bit deeper into the woods in hopes of finding something stronger for his team.
Unfortunately, the interior of the forest contained no strong Pokémon, just more of the same the outskirts. The strongest-looking Pokémon, a Butterfree larger than all the others, seemed more interested in chewing on leaves than battling. He was beginning to reconsider the wisdom of leaving the bus.
After an hour’s disappointed walking, Jason heard the rustling of large shapes through the trees ahead. He hid behind a yew tree and looked out slowly, but there were no Pokémon. Instead he saw two men clad in fatigues with pistols at their sides. They were facing west, towards the road. He was well hidden behind the tree.
“Baseplate, this is Bandit One-Five actual,” one of the men said. “We’re starting our patrol of grid square Delta Seven-Seven.”
“Solid copy, Bandit One-Five actual,” a tinny voice on their radio said. “Finish your sweep and get back to the roadblock. We have to keep the road to Gemsea Town closed off. Baseplate out.”
Guess I made the right choice, Jason thought. He watched the two men walk towards the road, spreading out as they did. Jason moved as quietly as he could in the opposite direction. Those are Army uniforms, but that’s not the Army’s phonetic alphabet. Who are these guys? Why is Gemsea Town closed off?
Eventually the two men vanished in the undergrowth, and Jason found a small clearing where he could consult with his Pokémon. He released all of them and they were happy to be able to stretch their legs and wings.
“Guys, I had your sensory perception on, you know Gemsea Town’s looking like a no-go,” Jason said, sitting on a fallen tree. “There’s nothing there that I’m interested in, but there aren’t a whole lot of other ways to get to the gulf. Any ideas?”
“I’ll fly us there,” Rufflet said, flapping his wings from his perch on a branch above them.
“Well, I’ll keep that in mind. Anyone else?”
“Maybe a Water-type would bring us out into the gulf,” Riolu said.
“I thought about catching one on the shore here, but the Pokémon around here aren’t strong enough to make that trip with me as a passenger.”
“So we need a boat?” Kirlia asked. Jason nodded. “Let’s find another town with a boat.”
“That’s looking like the best option. The Garagin Mountains don’t go all the way to the water, there’s probably a strip of beach or something we can follow to Callport City. Give me a minute to check.”
Jason took out his laptop and opened a satellite-imaging program he had downloaded in Presida City. He zoomed in on Sedera, and then the area just west of Gemsea Town. The mountains extended well towards the water, but a small patch of beach stretched along the length of the sea. He measured it with the program’s scale; it was wide enough for them all to walk comfortably.
“All right, we’re in business. The last mountain is right here, so if we follow it south, we’ll get there in no time. And it’s big enough for all of us to walk on.”
“Let’s go,” Poochyena said, starting to run off. Jason scooped her up and gave her a pat on the head.
“First, south is the other way. Second, I can’t keep up with you. Now listen, guys, there’s no information on this area. It’s not a route and there’s probably a reason it’s not marked. I don’t know what kind of Pokémon we’ll find, if any. Everyone stays on their guard the whole time, okay? Even while we’re sleeping. We’ll take turns watching. Now we can go,” Jason said, setting Poochyena down. He picked up his cane and stood up.
The five of them walked along the edge of the mountain, which rose steeply beside them. Rufflet would fly above the tree line every so often and tell the others how far they were from the water; unfortunately, his units of measurement consisted of variations of ‘not too far,’ ‘close,’ and ‘even closer now.’
After walking for the better part of an hour, small spots of blue began to appear through the endless green and brown of the forest. They hurried, with Jason hobbling behind them. Riolu bounded ahead of his teammates and was unable to stop himself in time; he fell off the sheer cliff at the end of the forest and towards the rocks below. Rufflet dove after him and clamped him in his beak, leaving Jason to see only one of his Pokémon bringing up another.
“Don’t rush ahead like that,” Jason said, rubbing a growing blister on the palm of his cane hand. “You’re really lucky Rufflet’s with us.”
“Sorry,” Riolu said.
Kirlia pointed to their right. “There it is!”
“Looks like a one-way drop,” Jason said, going over to the edge where the grass ended and the sand began. It was fifteen feet down easily, so steep as to be almost vertical. On the beach below large rocks lay next to the mountains, forming the right-hand border. What smelled like low tide would flank them on the left, where the sand looked wet and heavy and bits of shells and seaweed lay scattered about. There were no Pokémon in sight, but the telltale signs of Krabby and Kingler holes dotted the sand in some places.
“Can you go down that far?” Riolu asked. “With your leg and all.”
“I can float you down, Kirlia said. “And Teleport us back up if we needed.”
He looked down at the beach path again. It was uninviting in a way his conscious mind had difficulty grasping. It was no idyllic place to spend a hot summer afternoon like the beaches north of Presida City he had seen on his way down from Duskwind; it had been returned to nature. It had known blood. The feral Pokémon that claimed it would not suffer interlopers gladly, and they had no way of knowing how strong they were or in what numbers they would encounter them.
“Poochyena, Riolu, check it out,” Jason said, taking his weight off his cane. His foot ached, but he steeled himself and the pain dulled slightly. “Rufflet, go with them. Bring them back up if anything big pops out.”
“Let’s go,” Poochyena said, approaching the drop. Excitement rushed through her. Her first scouting mission for Jason, just like the ones she and her father would go on, prowling for fresh hunting grounds. She looked up at Jason while Riolu joined her and he smiled back at her. The memories of her family were still painfully fresh in her mind, and she spent several nights awake and crying, but Jason and the others were…acceptable surrogates. Maybe even more than that. “Ready?”
She and Riolu jumped. They hit the stone wall, intending to slide down, but the incline proved too steep and they began tumbling. Rufflet swept down again and scooped up Poochyena, dropping her gently on the sand while Riolu fell the whole way.
“Thanks, Rufflet.”
“Hey! Why didn’t you get me, too?”
“I already did before.”
Riolu got himself up and shook the sand from his fur and they started down the path. The air was choked with sea salt, and Poochyena’s nose tickled and shook until she began breathing through her mouth. They started walking down the path, Rufflet hovering above them. It was eerily calm, the only noise the break of the surf beside them. The sand warmed their feet beneath them. Riolu stepped on a piece of seaweed and jumped away, wildly slapping at his foot in an attempt to dislodge it.
“Calm down, you baby,” Poochyena said.
“It’s all slimy!”
Riolu ran ahead, hugging the dry side of the path. He disappeared around a corner and Poochyena sped up to catch him.
“He’s going to run right off of something else,” she said. Rufflet squawked in agreement.
Poochyena rounded the corner and bumped into Riolu, knocking him to the ground. With him out of the way she could see the half dozen Trapinch looking at them with wild hostility. They snapped at the trained Pokémon, and when Rufflet made a hard landing next to them and kicked sand at them, the two in front charged.
Riolu had recovered, and landed an aura-enhanced punch on one of the Trapinch’s undersides. He felt its breath on his face as the air came out of its lungs. The Trapinch flew backwards and landed upside-down, its limbs flailing wildly in the open air. Poochyena tackled the other one and Rufflet grabbed it while it was on its side and disoriented, flinging it into the water. A shapeless predatory mass under the water enveloped it, and after a struggle, the Trapinch disappeared. A Carvanha poked its head up through the red splotch in the water, scouting for more food.
The next line of Trapinch came at them. Riolu charged and wrestled one to the ground, laying a flurry of punches and kicks on its carapace. Rufflet dogged the other, throwing Air Slashes at its backside until it got to Poochyena. In the absence of any appreciable neck, she lunged at its leg, clamping her jaws around it and moving her jaw from side to side. Blood spurted from the cracks in its armor, and it snapped its jaws uselessly as it fainted.
Poochyena dashed forward in a frenzy, blood dripping from her muzzle. The rest of the Trapinch ran away, scuttling to an alcove in the mountain wall where a large Flygon sheltered them under a powerful wing. Poochyena slowed down and growled at them from a distance; the Flygon glared. She stopped, barked loudly, and turned back to her teammates. She was trotting back to Riolu and Rufflet when a flash of white light burst out of her fur.
“Are you tired?” Jason asked Kirlia, who was resting his head against Jason’s hip.
“No, I just like being close to you.”
“Oh. Okay.” Jason rubbed one of his head crests.
“Are you sure they’re all right?” Kirlia asked, peering down the path.
“I’m sure they can handle anything that comes up.” The sounds of battle reached them. “But maybe we should check on them. You can Teleport us all back up if there’s a Garchomp or something. I’ll catch you once you float me down.”
Kirlia nodded. “I can only slow your fall, I can’t stop it.”
“That’s fine, I’ve fallen before. I’ll get as low as I can first.”
Jason moved to the edge of the grass, tossed his cane onto the sand below, and sat down, his feet dangling in the air. He threw his midsection over the edge, turning himself around as he did and grabbing the ledge with his strong hands. Kirlia looked down at him.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I could hang here for a while if I wanted. I’ll let go on three. One, two, three.”
He loosened his grip and fell. His stomach tightened up as the air rushed by him, and then suddenly he was slowing down, floating through what felt like a much thicker section of air, almost the consistency of water. Jason looked up and saw Kirlia’s head crests glowing brightly, and after a moment he touched down on the sand with his good foot. The air cushion dissipated, and Jason stepped back from the ledge.
“Thanks. Jump down towards me when you’re ready. Or you could float yourself down, too.”
“No, I trust you. I’m ready.”
Kirlia hopped into the air, tucked his legs in, flipped forward once, and came right down on his Trainer. Jason caught him and his arms wrapped around into a hug. He stumbled back from the impact and fell into the sand next to his cane. Kirlia panicked and looked into Jason’s emotions, looking for pain signals, but instead he began laughing.
“Maybe I should put you in a gymnastics class,” he said, rubbing Kirlia’s cheek.
Kirlia smiled and nuzzled his face into Jason’s chest when a bright flash of light burst out from around the bend. Kirlia stood up, pushing his skirt down to hide his half-opened sheath, but Jason was more interested in the light radiating from beyond the corner. Kirlia helped him to his feet and they went towards the light, but it faded before they turned. Riolu appeared, his feet moving faster than his body, and he ran right into Kirlia’s leg.
“Riolu, what was that light?” Jason asked.
“It’s Poochyena,” he said, gasping for air. “Something—something happened to her.”
“What? What happened?”
“I don’t know, you have to see.”
Jason picked him up and they went around the bend, where Rufflet was hovering over Mightyena, standing proudly while tossing her head back to move her fur. She barked happily and rushed to Jason, jumping up and planting her front paws on his chest. Her wet tongue lapped at his face and he ruffled the fur between her ears.
“How’d you get so big?” Riolu asked.
“She evolved,” Jason said once Mightyena got off his chest. “You will too, eventually. Haven’t you ever seen a Lucario?”
“A what?”
Jason took his Pokédex from a jacket pocket and brought up a picture of Riolu’s eventual form. “Once you get stronger you’ll look like this and you’ll be half Steel-type.”
“Cool,” Riolu said, pushing buttons on the Pokédex. He accidentally shut it down and Jason put it back in his pocket. “When do I get like that?”
“Well, you don’t have a set level where you evolve, like Mightyena or Rufflet. You evolve once you’re happy enough with me as your Trainer.”
Riolu turned around his Jason’s arms and hugged him. “I love you. Can I evolve now?”
“I don’t think that’s how it works. But I love you too, buddy.”
Jason hugged Riolu tightly and Kirlia felt a pang of jealousy. His eyes narrowed when he saw the large smile on Riolu’s face, but he tempered himself; he didn’t want Mightyena to pick up on his emotions. Instead he focused on the picture of Lucario on Jason’s Pokédex. The legs looked strong and lithe, same as the arms. Even the abdominal muscles showed through the fur. Kirlia felt his sheath opening up again and he blanked his thoughts as fast as he could.
Mightyena trotted over to him and circled him, brushing her fur against his skin. “What do you think?”
“You’re…much bigger now,” Kirlia said, stroking her cold fur.
“So is my tongue,” she said, dropping her voice. “Maybe I could use it tonight.”
“Maybe.”
Mightyena pouted and took up her place by Jason’s side. “So what made you evolve?” Jason asked.
“We were fighting a bunch of little orange things with big mouths,” she said. “They all ran over to that cave.”
“Probably Trapinch—and that’s a Flygon,” Jason said, looking over to the alcove in the mountain wall. “Wow. I was planning on getting one before we got Rufflet. It’s probably the mother of those Trapinch. We’ll get a face full of Dragon Breath if we get too close.”
“We can’t get around it, though,” Riolu said. “The path isn’t big enough. Rufflet’s the only one who could fly over the water. And we can’t swim to the other side.”
“Why not?”
“One of the Trapinch fell into the water and it didn’t come back up,” Riolu said, pointing to the fading puddle of red in the water. “An angry little thing poked its head up and looked at us.”
“Carvanha. They’ll rip us all apart.” Jason pondered what to do, twirling his cane between his fingers. The sun shone brightly, and its reflection in the water hit his eyes. He regretted not picking up a pair of sunglasses before he left Presida City. Beyond the Flygon the path curved south again, like a small natural harbor. The other side was clearly visible, across the killing fields hidden under the water.
“Rufflet, can you carry Kirlia?”
“I can try, why?”
“I want you to bring him over to the other shore, past the Flygon. Once he’s been there, he can Teleport back here and bring us to the far side.”
“All right, put your arms out, Kirlia.”
“I have to go over the water?” he asked, watching the psychic silhouettes of the Dark-type Carvanha beneath the placid sea. “What if Rufflet drops me? They’ll eat me alive!”
“Don’t you worry,” Jason said, kneeling down to look at Kirlia. “Rufflet, I want you to carry Kirlia over the sand instead of the water. Bring him up high enough so the Flygon won’t care when you go past it.”
Rufflet took off from the sand and hovered over Kirlia. He put his arms out and felt Rufflet’s talons close securely around them, near his torso.
“You’re a little heavier than when you were a Ralts,” Rufflet said, straining with upward force. Kirlia tried hovering under his own power, and Rufflet was able to bring him up into the air. “That’s better. Hang on, and keep that hovering going.”
Kirlia’s head crests shone as they ascended into the air and began moving forward along the shore. It was slow going, but their progress was visible. The Flygon watched them from its den, displaying the claws on the ends of its hands. Some of the Trapinch it had sheltered climbed on top of it, growling at them.
“You’re doing good,” Rufflet said, still straining to stay aloft. “Just a little farther.”
They were over the Flygon’s cave when Kirlia glanced at the water. A large dark mass had gathered near the shore, drawn by his psychic energy. A few Carvanha jumped out of the water, snapping their jaws, and it frightened him enough to disturb the small cushion keeping him light enough to lift. Rufflet dropped several feet, and the shock caused Kirlia to squirm in fear. His left arm came loose, then his right, and he plummeted to the sand below.
The sand, combined with a hasty emergency barrier, prevented any serious injury when he landed facedown. Kirlia rubbed the side of his head and spat sand out of his mouth, focused on his discomfort, when a loud snarl reminded him where he was. He looked up and saw the Flygon’s tail coming right at him. Kirlia crawled away as quickly as he could, turning onto his back as he did. The tail came down just short of his legs, scattering sand all around him. He backed up even further, and it was not until his hips were in the water that he felt wet.
Kirlia looked over just in time to see Jason running over, Mightyena and Riolu positioned defensively between him and the Flygon. He stood up, relieved, when he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in the most embarrassing place he could imagine. Jason grabbed him and ran down the beach, giving him time to see a Carvanha with its teeth sunk firmly in his backside.
“Ow ow ow! Jason, it hurts!”
They rounded another bend lost sight of the Flygon. None of the Trapinch pursued them, and there were no Pokémon on the new stretch of beach. Jason slowed to a stop and set Kirlia down on his chest. “Stay still, this is going to hurt.”
The Carvanha shook furiously, torn between the dual impulses of eating and getting back to the water to breathe. Jason rifled through his bag while Kirlia sobbed in pain and pounded his hands into the sand. He found what he was looking for, a small butane lighter. Jason lit it and placed the flame under the Carvanha, using his other hand to firmly grab the fish’s rough tail. It let go after a few moments and Jason threw it back into the water. Riolu hit it with an Aura Sphere in mid-air and it flopped back into the water to rejoin its pack.
“Okay, it’s off,” Jason said, rubbing Kirlia’s back and examining the wound. “At least it didn’t get your leg, right? No arteries.”
“Please just fix it,” Kirlia said, blushing a very deep red.
“Nice butt, Kirlia,” Riolu said, snickering.
“Shut up!” Kirlia said, still crying. Mightyena smacked Riolu in the back of the head.
Jason pulled out his first aid kit and removed a bottle of styptic and a disinfectant swab. “This is going to sting. Sorry.” He applied the styptic and disinfectant, cringing as Kirlia shook and whimpered.
“I don’t have any sutures, just bandages. It’ll hold until we get to a Pokémon Center. I’ll patch you up and put you back in your Pokéball, okay? You’ll get a little painkiller and some rest.”
“Thank you, Jason.”
Jason wiped the remaining blood away with a clean cloth and placed butterfly stitch bandages across the bites. He then took a larger square bandage and fastened it securely over the wound.
“There we go. Let me just check and make sure I didn’t miss anything.” Jason took out his Pokédex. “Oh, I have to give you a transtype rabies shot. Just a precaution, don’t worry. Now where’s the best place to inject it…oh, right here. Stay still just a little longer.”
He took a syringe from the first aid kit and pushed the needle into a bottle of clear liquid. He filled it up to one of the lines and gently pushed it into a vein on the other side of Kirlia’s behind. He winced.
“All done. Let me get your Pokéball and you can get a good rest.”
Kirlia shoved his skirt down to his legs and turned on his side, away from his teammates. He was still red-faced when Jason recalled him. Jason gave his other Pokémon a stern look.
“No jokes about this. Understand?”
They all nodded and started down the path.
*****
It was well after dark when they got their campfire going. They had been gathering driftwood all day long, but it was a pitiful amount, and what they did have was wet from the surf. When it had finally dried enough to burn, they were working by the light of an electric lantern. There was one piece that was too waterlogged to work with, and Jason stuck it in the sand for Rufflet to use as a perch.
A soft, mournful saxophone played on the shortwave radio next to Jason’s bag. Empty meal tins were lined in a semicircle around the fire, with only scraps remaining. There was no signal on Jason’s Pokénav, and no way to know the weather for the night, but the sky was clear and he decided not to set up his tent. Instead his sleeping bag was laid out next to Riolu, who had one of his legs sprawled over it.
Kirlia and Mightyena were on the other side of Riolu, lying down and facing the fire. Jason had given him a fresh bandage after dinner, and Mightyena was situated between him and the water, putting him at ease.
“Let’s turn in, guys. I want to get moving before sunup. I’ll take first watch with Mightyena. We’ll wake up Riolu and Rufflet in a few hours and Kirlia will rotate in tomorrow night.”
He turned off the radio and put it back in his bag. The fire still burned cheerily in the cold spring night. “Goodnight, guys.”
“Goodnight, Jason,” they all said, and exchanged goodnights amongst each other.
*****
“Wake up, Doctor Szilard.”
The voice roused him, and he slowly opened his eyes. Wherever he was, it was dark, lit only by the clean white light coming from behind a pane of frosted glass ten feet above him. Dark silhouettes moved behind it.
“Where am I?”
“That isn’t important. You’re a metallurgist, correct?” The voice was deep and unrecognizable.
“Yes, I’m a metallurgical engineer…who are you? How did you find me?”
“My name is Doctor Curtis. I’m an electrical engineer. My employer asked that we procure your services for a project.”
“What makes you think I’ll work for you?”
“Your wife has beautiful eyes,” another voice said, almost indistinguishable from the first. “Your children, too. We thought you would be with them in Presida City. It took quite a bit of digging to find your mistress’ home. We turned Gemsea upside down looking for you.”
“If you hurt them, I swear—”
“Your family will come to no harm if you cooperate. What we require from you is very simple, so I’ve been told. The room you’re in now has everything you’ll need for the next week, including a landline. Call your family. Make something up. Tell them the truth and you won’t have enough of them to put in a matchbox.”
The lights blazed to life, revealing an elaborate laboratory setup around Dr. Szilard. Along one wall was a living space, with a bed and kitchenette. On the desk in front of him was a large manila envelope addressed to him. He broke the seal and took out the paper inside.
In the observation room above, Dr. Curtis and Xavier watched him. “How long did it take your team to find him?”
“Ten hours,” Xavier said. “We had the road and ports blocked off, and even without anyone coming or going we didn’t find him until after sundown. He had better be worth it. What’s he supposed to be doing, anyway?”
“I wasn’t told,” Dr. Curtis said. “I thought if Richard would tell anyone, it would be you and Erica.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Xavier turned the intercom back on. “Can you do it, Doctor Szilard?”
“Yes,” he said. “I have everything I need here. But why am I refining this?”
“That’s our concern, not yours. Get to work.”
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