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The Dark Type	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 36309 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
- 32
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Arc 4: Paradox Lost
Chapter 31
Unexpected Conflagration
Part 1: Spark
—————
“It’s coming around again, Umari! Get ready!” Allan called to his Pokémon from the challenger’s side of the battlefield.
A fair amount of spectators had gathered in the brightly-lit gym to watch as he competed for his third league badge, though Allan suspected that most were just there to escape the summer heat. The two-on-two match had been going in his favor until the Gym Leader brought out her ace in the hole: a Miltank that had made quick work of his lead Pokémon. Now, the outcome of the battle rested on his own Normal type.
‘This is the move that took out Xutan. Watch carefully, and wait for your opening. We can still win this.’
She replied audibly, momentarily forgetting that her words were lost to him. ‘Alright, but this is getting annoying. If all it keeps doing is rolling around, then I can’t get a good hit in. How can—?’
She had to leap to the side as the bovine came barreling towards her. Once it finished another round, she planned to go on the offensive.
This is taking too long. I can’t keep dodging forever, thought Umari.
She was running out of breath and growing weary from avoiding such high-speed attacks. The Miltank had completed another cycle of Rollout attacks, and stood waiting on the opposite end of the field.
At the word of its trainer, it started running towards the small Eevee.
‘Umari, it’s going to use Rollout again. We can’t let it gain too much power, or you’ll be worn down in no time. Try to knock it on its side just as it reaches you,’ he paused a moment, contemplating any sort of edge they could exploit. Allan blurted out the first idea that came to mind, “Try a Sand Attack! The less it can hit us, the better!”
Umari ran out to the center of the battlefield to meet her opponent. The distance between the two Normal types closed rapidly, each one not willing to break away from their charge. Umari kept watching for her opportunity; Allan had left it up to her judgment to decide when to attack.
Her moment came once the Miltank was only feet away. It dove forward to begin its Rollout attack. Just as it started to roll up, Umari turned and kicked what dirt had accumulated on the gym’s floor into her opponent’s eyes. The Gym Leader’s Pokémon recoiled and fell face-first onto the floor. Umari took the opportunity to land a Quick Attack before the Miltank got back on its feet.
“Mil Mil, keep your distance from it,” Whitney called to her Milk Cow Pokémon, “back away and try Rollout again!”
Disoriented from being temporarily blinded, the Miltank regained its composure and backed away enough to avoid any more close range attacks. It then began to run in circles around Umari, gaining momentum before rolling up into its attacking position. It circled the silver-furred creature a few more times before going in for a strike.
Luckily, thanks to the Sand Attack, the Miltank had trouble making the turns it needed to hit the more agile mammal. Going off the instructions Allan had been sending her, Umari prepared a Take Down attack. “Once the Miltank missed another pass”; that’s when she would execute the maneuver. If things went as planned, it would be just enough to knock the Miltank off its angle of rotation, and coupled with its ever-growing momentum, the resulting crash may be enough to end the fight immediately.
Unfortunately, even the best plans can fail. The next pass Miltank made was right on target, and hit Umari with full force.
“Umari!”
The small Eevee flew backwards with tremendous speed, and tumbled to a crash a few feet away from her trainer. She tried to stand, but after taking such a harsh blow, her legs kept ignoring her commands. The rough landing from the impact had dirtied her silvery-white fur and her vision was starting to blur from exhaustion. The Miltank had returned to its trainer’s side of the field, confident that it had finished off its opponent.
“Listen kid,” Whitney called from her end of the field, “I love Normal types too much to see this continue. Quit now, and try again later,” she made to reach for her Poké Ball, but Allan stopped her.
“Don’t count her out just yet, Whitney. We’ve come out of worse situations than this,” ignoring the enraged comments from the Gym Leader. Allan turned his thoughts to his Pokémon. ‘Umari, are you alright?’
‘I’ve been better. That really hurt...’ After a few moments, she sat up and shook her head, trying to regain her composure.
‘Are you hurt anywhere? I won’t risk keeping you in battle if you’re not up for it. Only if you think you’re able to.’
‘It’s up to me?’
‘Of course it is. It’s always been up to you. We just got back on our feet, so I’m not expecting any landslide victories anytime soon. You’re worth more than some gym badge.’
Umari continued to catch her breath while she considered her trainer’s words. She wasn’t sure if she could defeat the tough opponent she was faced with, but was driven by what Allan had said. She wanted to prove her own strength in this fight. She had been carried around and protected when they faced the terrifying Pokémon in Ilex Forest, and she caused Allan a lot of pain when he rescued her from the swarm of Beldum.
She glared at the Miltank across the field. I am worth more than this.
‘I— I can keep going, Allan. I wanna win this.’
‘Are you sure? I’m not sure what else we can try. That Miltank just might be too strong for us right now.’
‘It might be, but I don’t care. You taught me “Psychics never give up”, didn’t you?’ Umari shook herself once more and stood up straight, staring defiantly down the battlefield at her opponent. ‘I’m not going to start now.’
“Umari…” Allan whispered, only loud enough so his Eevee could hear. “I thought you hated that silly catch-phrase that Will uses.”
‘It’s starting to make sense now,’ she told him. ‘It’s like you said; we made it through much worse than this. Why should we quit when we can just win?’
“You’re going to make a great Espeon, you know that?”
‘Of course I am. I’ve had you training me all this time. Now, let me prove that I’m better than that fat cow.’
Allan had to stifle a joke at Whitney’s expense, ‘That’s my girl.’
He turned his attention to the ever-impatient Gym Leader, “Sorry Whitney, but we’re not done yet. Umari wants to keep fighting until she’s been deemed unable to continue. Do you have any objections?”
“Don’t go making decisions you’re going to regret later. How do you know she wants to keep fighting? I have half a mind to disqualify you for negligent treatment of your Pokémon!”
“I’m a Psychic type trainer. What more do you need to know? Now, do we have a battle, or not?”
“Fine! Mil Mil, finish them off! Rollout!”
Wasting no time in contemplating the command, Whitney’s Miltank began to run straight for the other end of the battlefield. Umari took a defensive stance as her opponent rolled up and started speeding towards her. The next clash would end it.
‘Well Allan, it’s now or never. When should I attack?’
‘Do you trust my judgment?’
‘Of course. You’ve never let me down before. I’m sure you can think up a way out of this.’
‘Alright. Here it comes, get ready!’
Miltank was closing in. Only feet separated the two normal types when Allan called out the attack, “Now, Umari! Return!”
Umari sidestepped the Miltank just before its attack hit, then pivoted and rammed hard into the side of the spinning bovine. The power of the Return brought the Miltank out of its curled-up form and, due to its previously-acquired momentum, sent it crashing into the far wall of the Gym. When the dust cleared, the once-energetic Milk Cow lay unconscious on its back, which prompted a response from the referee.
"Gym Leader Whitney's Miltank is unable to battle! The round goes to the challenger's Eevee, and the match is over! The winner is Allan Relmstead, from Ecruteak!"
Umari felt an immense sense of pride swell in her as she heard the cheering of the spectators and watched the Gym Leader tend to her downed Pokémon. Unfortunately, she could also feel her legs starting to give out on her. She began to fall, only to be caught in the arms of her trainer.
“Easy, Umari. I’ve got you,” He knelt by her and laid her down. “Are you alright?”
‘I’m fine. Just dead tired. I did good, didn’t I?’
“You did great,” Allan gently stroked the fur on her head. “That Return of yours won us our third badge. I’m proud of you for sticking it out.”
‘I’m glad,’ she said as Allan pulled her into his arms. She cuddled into his chest and closed her eyes as Allan carried her over to Whitney. ‘I’m going to rest a bit, okay?’
“Take your time,” Allan took care to walk as smoothly across the auditorium as he could.
The Gym Leader had already recalled her Miltank and set it in the gym’s recovery machine.
“You know,” Whitney said with an annoyed tone, “I don’t usually care for reckless trainers like you, but you were good enough to beat me. It takes a special kind of trainer to bond with their Pokémon enough for Return to be that powerful. You win.”
“Thanks,” Allan carefully held his Eevee in one arm and shook the leader’s hand. “Bet you wish we threw in the towel after all, huh?”
“Don’t be an ass— I’m serious. Your little Eevee is strong. She’s gotta be if she has to put up with you.” She reached into her pocket and revealed a badge in the shape of a simple beige diamond.
Whitney cleared her throat and, steadying her voice, declared, “Allan Relmstead, I hereby award you with the Plain Badge of Goldenrod City.”
Her voice fell back into its usual casual tone as she passed the pin to him and continued, “Now, before I kick you out of my gym forever, you should take care of your Pokémon. Especially this little cutie.”
She patted Umari on the head, who shifted about in Allan’s arm at her touch. “You can use the facilities here once my Pokémon are all better.”
“Excuse me?” called a voice from behind them. “Can I talk to you?”
Allan and Whitney turned to see a young girl with brown hair pulled into a ponytail walking along the sidelines toward them. Following along at her side was a Growlithe, his head held high and eyes wide open, diligently surveying the area. Even after his trainer had come to a stop and he had sat down beside her, the Fire type Pokémon did not relax his rigid posture. Not far behind the two new arrivals was an older woman with the same colored hair as the girl.
“That was a really good match, Mr. Allan,” the young girl said. “Do you remember me?”
Umari turned her head up to see who had come over to them, her eyes lighting up in surprise.
‘It’s her!’
“You’re Valerie,” Allan said, tensing up. He hadn’t seen her since rescuing her from the swarm of Beldum. He guessed the woman who had come with her was her mother. “How’ve you been?”
“Better.” She looked around nervously. “Listen, I didn’t really get the chance to say this, but… You and your Pokémon are really amazing. Thanks for coming back for me.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, feeling suddenly more on display than he had been in the challenger’s end of the battlefield. Allan forced himself to look up at her mother’s face. “I’m sorry I—”
“Don’t,” she shook her head, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiling kindly. “You got my little girl home safe, that’s all that matters. You did all you could, and I can never thank you enough.”
“I’m glad you’re back training again,” Valerie spoke up. “I’ve been… really nervous about it. If you can do it, then I know I can too.”
“Look at you,” Whitney said, slapping Allan on the back. “You already got a fan club!”
Allan stumbled forward a step from the hit, quickly holding Umari close to his chest before she tumbled to the ground. The startled Eevee groaned, both at being thrown around in her current state and at the human who had caused it.
“I’m surprised you know what one looks like,” he shot back, earning an annoyed look. “Seriously though, I just wish I could have saved more than two people.”
“Two’s better than zero, you know.” Whitney turned back to the recovery machine and removed her Pokémon. “All yours.”
“Well, we’d best get going,” Valerie’s mother said. “I’m glad we could catch you today. Please don’t let what you could have done weigh you down.”
“Thank you, I’ll try and remember that.”
‘I’ll remin...d you if... you for...get,’ Umari said, her mental words beginning to lose their clarity.
Allan smiled, gently petting her head. ‘I know you will,’ he told her privately.
“Uh, well, thanks again… Allan.” Valerie smiled sheepishly and waved, then looked down at the tired Eevee still cradled in Allan’s arm. “And you too, little Eevee. I know you helped a lot too.”
He waved goodbye to Valerie and her mother—letting them both know that Umari gave them her best wishes as well—and then turned back around.
“Alright then, see you in a few minutes Umari,” Allan recalled her to her Luxury Ball, and placed it, along with Xutan's plain one, in the machine. He watched as energy danced over the colored spheres, revitalizing the creatures within.
“You know,” Whitney said, leaning against the wall. “If your attitude didn’t suck, you’d probably make something of yourself.”
“What, you think I won’t?” he challenged her.
“You got plans?”
“I might; what’s it to you?” Allan asked, crossing his arms.
“Nothing much,” Whitney pointed to the girl and her mother still exiting the battle arena. “But you mean something to someone. That’s something, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” Allan shrugged. “But what are you trying to get at?”
“I’m just saying you could be more than just some trainer who thinks he’s funny. Think about it.” She moved past Allan—bumping into his shoulder on purpose, he suspected—and left the auditorium of the gym.
A few minutes later, his Pokémon were fully recovered thanks to the treatment. He released Umari back into the open world.
She noticed his quizzical daze, ‘Allan, what’s up?’
“People acting strange, nothing new.”
After recovering his Natu, Allan left Goldenrod Gym one badge closer to the league. At once, he felt the scorching summer heat assail him as he left the air-conditioned building.
‘Allan, what are we going to do now? We were going to head home soon, right?’ Umari followed the leisurely pace of her trainer through the city.
Now that he wasn’t calling out battle strategies, he could speak freely to his Evolution Pokémon, “Well,” he said, “that was the plan, but I think we deserve break after this morning. Let’s stay in the city and enjoy ourselves for the rest of the day. How’s that sound?”
‘Sounds great! Where’re we heading to now?’
“The underground of the city. There’s a few places down there that I want to check out before heading home. Plus I want to stay out of this heat.”
‘I’m perfectly fine out here. You’re just being whiny.’ She jumped up and took her regular spot on Allan’s shoulder as they reached the entrance.
“But you’re wearing fur. I can’t imagine how you’re so used to this heat.” The two entered the covered stairwell, and made their way down into the underground.
—————
A short while later, Allan was sitting in a chair at the Goldenrod Barbershop. He had surprised Umari with an appointment to celebrate their victory. Allan had made the reservation earlier that day, deciding that Umari deserved something nice whether they won or not. It had been a while since they last treated themselves to anything. Aside from the trip to the salon, he had stopped at a few of the other stores that caught his interest. Umari had spotted the photography store, and had vehemently insisted on a victory picture with Xutan. He was absorbed in a magazine on Steel type Pokémon, looking for any useful tips for his newly caught Beldum, when a voice seized his attention.
“Excuse me, Mr. Relmstead?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve finished grooming your Eevee,” the young barber said with a hint of pride in his voice. “I have to say; it was really nice to work with her. Eevee with her color are a rare sight.”
‘How do I look?’ Umari asked, hopping up into an empty chair next to Allan. She pranced about and posed to show off her freshly cleaned coat of silvery-white fur.
“You look amazing, Umari.” He lightly stroked her head, immediately impressed at how much softer she felt.
“You did a great job,” Allan said to the salon worker, before reaching for his wallet and asking “what do I owe you?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to charge you for getting to treat a Pokémon like yours! This one’s on the house, but don’t tell my brother,” he laughed, “he hates when I give freebies.”
“I’d feel bad if I left without giving you something. And yes, I do have to.”
After a few more compliments and persuasions, the young hairstylist finally accepted his money. Allan and Umari left the barber shop with the afternoon ahead of them. A good deal of which Allan hoped to spend in the air-conditioned comfort of the Underground. Checking the time on his PokéGear, he noticed it was almost time to pick up their victory picture from the photography store.
From a distance, Allan noticed many people crowded around the entrance. He worked his way through the crowd to try for an employee’s attention. After several unheard calls, the employee apologized that their order was not ready, and would be a while longer. With little else to do, he and Umari took a seat on one of the benches that spanned the length of the Goldenrod Tunnel.
“Umari,” Allan said after a few minutes of people-watching, “Given the choice, what would you like to evolve into?”
‘That’s a dumb question. What else have we been working for all these years? I want to be an Espeon. Why would you even ask that?’
“Well, like I said, if you were given the choice. You could be anything you wanted, but you would want to be an Espeon?”
‘Of course. I want to be useful to you and help the rest of the team. I feel weak as I am now, but when I evolve, I can finally stand on my own.’
“Cut that out, you know full well that you’re just as useful on our team as any of the others, and you aren’t weak, no matter how you feel. Don’t forget that it was because of your strength that we were even able to win today. Now, are you sure you want to be an Espeon?”
‘Why are you asking me this? You still haven’t told me.’
“I— Well,” he paused, “I’ve been thinking on it lately, and if you wanted to, you’re welcome to be any of your possible evolutions. I would accept you no matter what you chose, but I didn’t want you to choose because you just want to impress me, or think you’ll be less of a valuable teammate as something else. It’s your choice.”
‘What’s the matter? You’re making it sound like you don’t want me to be an Espeon.’ She had lowered her ears, and had a hurt expression that looked as if she had been betrayed. All she wanted was to be the best she could be for him, but it seemed to her that he was hiding something.
“Oh no, no, it’s not that, it’s just that, since evolutionary stones are so expensive, what would you do if you evolved into an Umbreon instead?”
‘That’s easy!’ she leaped up to Allan’s pack, and began to root through one of the pockets. She brought out a small, dull rock, and laid it in front of him. ‘I’ve always carried this Everstone around whenever it gets dark. I don’t want to be an Umbreon; I don’t want to be anything else. I want to be an Espeon. And that’s my choice.’
“Well, if that’s what you want, then I’ll support you.” He leaned back and sighed, running his hands through his short blond hair. Well, there goes that idea…
‘Allan, really, what’s the matter? You’ve been acting skittish ever since our battle at the Gym. You take me out to celebrate and everything seems alright, then you ask whether or not I want to evolve into an Espeon, which I know you initially wanted. What’s changed? Don’t dodge my questions anymore. What’s been bothering you?’
She was desperately trying to probe his mind with what feeble psychic abilities she had developed, and it was some time before he could face her. She had a concerned look on her face, and her insistence on knowing what he had on his mind only cemented his fears.
“Listen Umari, I’m—”
“Excuse me sir? May I have a word?”
Allan, a bit angry having been interrupted, looked up to see a mustached man wearing a worn leather coat, and carrying a briefcase to match. He had an energetic look in his eyes and a tone of urgency in his voice.
“What is it? I’m busy.”
“My apologies good sir, but that is a very attractive Eevee you have there. Not too many have that pelt. I was wondering if you were interested in a trade, or perhaps a sale.”
Just what I needed right now - a shark, he thought.
The downside of having what had become known as a “shiny” Pokémon was the near-constant trade requests and sales pitches.
“No. Now please leave us alone.”
“Are you quite positive? I’m sure that I can set you up with a very generous offer. I am a salesman, a dealer, a trade organizer - all at your service. Now, how high should I place the starting bid?”
“Let me save you some time, alright buddy? Not now, nor will I ever, want to trade or sell my Eevee. She’s a valuable member on my team, and I would in no way benefit from any offer you could ‘set me up with’,” Allan’s angered words carried out to the surrounding crowd of people, causing some turned heads, “Now, please do us a favor and kindly leave us alone.”
“Now, now sir, there’s no need to be upset. Being a trade organizer is only one of my many talents. Now then,” he held out his briefcase and opened it to Allan. Its contents glittered in the artificial light of the tunnel, gaining some awed comments from the slowly gathering crowd. “I have a wide variety of stones for sale, as you can plainly see,” he seemed to not notice Allan’s expression shift to one of pure anger.
‘Allan, let’s just leave.’ Umari tried to pull her trainer’s attention away from the man but her words failed to reach him.
“Now, what could I interest you in?” The salesman continued his routine, expertly showing off his wares to his potential customers that continued to gather. “A Water Stone? I think a Vaporeon would suit you very fine. No? Well, how about a Thunder Stone? A Jolteon would have quite the advantage against any Flying type you might run into. How about a Moon Stone? They say it can evolve an Eevee into an Umbreon, though—”
“Shut your mouth, dammit! It was bad enough when you were trying to buy and sell off my Pokémon, but now you’re flat-out lying to try and pawn off some of your overpriced stones! A Moon Stone wouldn’t do a damn thing to an Eevee and anyone who trains one would know that!
“Now listen to me, and hopefully my words get through to you this time. Leave me and my Eevee alone, unless you want to know what it’s like to be tossed around like a ragdoll for a few hours.” Allan hadn’t noticed that he had stood up during his rant, or that the entirety of the crowd around him was fixed on the scene. The immediate area of the underground mall was nearly silent; a few echoes could be heard from further down the tunnel.
Umari had never seen him this angry, even after all the annoying offers and suggestions they’d dealt with in the past. Something must be deeply troubling her trainer, she thought to herself.
“Well then, I can see you’re quite adamant about denying yourself a wonderful business opportunity. I believe I will take my leave now. Are you sure that—?”
“Get out of my sight. Now, before I—” he stopped. Allan was alerted to a heightened sense of fear and confusion coming from down the tunnel, and could hear screams as whatever was causing the commotion came closer.
“HEY, HEY! MAKE WAY!” A young man was speeding through the underground pass on a bike, with a few security guards failing to keep up a ways back. As he rounded the corner, the salesman didn’t have the time to react to the incoming speeding rule violation. The cyclist clipped the salesman with his bike, causing him to fall forward onto Allan. The man on the bike managed to keep his balance and continued through the tunnel, soon to surface on the other side. As the salesman fell, his open briefcase spilled over the floor and the benches that Allan and Umari had been sitting on.
Before Allan could get the dazed peddler off of himself, he heard Umari cry out in shock.
‘Allan! Get it off me!’
He pushed himself up off the ground as quickly as he could and looked to the bench. One of the Fire Stones from the man’s case had landed on her, glowing a brilliant, orange light.
Allan lunged forward to try and grab the stone, but it burned with an intense heat that caused him to pull away. He could just barely see Umari’s silhouette just through the blinding light.
‘Allan, help me! Please!’
“I’m trying!” Allan reached out with his hand again and attempted a telekinetic pull like he had when fighting the swarm of Beldum, but the effort shot a jolt of pain through his skull.
Umari struggled to make a desperate move towards her Everstone that sat in Allan’s empty seat, but cried out again as the light intensified, and her body began to change.
She grew taller—nearly three times her original height—and much longer from head to tail. Her ears elongated and her fur became unkempt, growing out and becoming wild. Her collar and tail became a light cream color, as did a newly-formed tuft of fur on her forehead. The rest of her fur changed from once silvery-white to a brilliant, glimmering golden shade.
Once the light faded away, Umari stood up, and looked down to see that she was far larger than she had been previously. To her right were the smoldering remains of the Fire Stone that had struck during the confusion, its elemental energy spent and transferred to her.
“Umari?” Allan choked out her name, his heart beating heavily. “Are you alright?”
She didn’t respond, merely continuing to look around at herself and her surroundings.
“You can still speak to me, can’t you? Use your mind! Don’t forget everything we worked on,” Allan pleaded.
A small burst of fire escaped her mouth, giving her a slight start. The crashing realization of what had happened finally dawned on her.
‘A-Allan… Did… Did that just—? Did I just evolve?’
“Yeah… you did…” he said, almost a whisper. Relief that she could still communicate mentally with him washed over him. He absentmindedly pushed the salesman, who was nursing an injured shoulder, so he could be next to her.
She was on the verge of crying.
‘I— I just breathed fire…didn’t I? I evolved into a-a Flareon didn’t I?’
“Yeah, that’s what it looks like. Are you—?” Allan couldn’t finish his sentence; she had broken into tears, and was refusing any contact from him. He tried to calm her with his mind, but she was shutting him out completely.
“Ah, a Fire Stone. Quite the fine choice if I do say so myself,” the salesman picked himself up off the floor, admiring the newly evolved Umari.
“I do believe the evolution went rather well, such a beautiful golden coat of fur. An improvement, if I were to give my humble opinion. Now, sir, if we could discuss a method of payment.”
Allan got to his feet, and calmly reached for his back pocket, “I guess I do owe you something.”
A flash of light revealed a metallic, three-clawed arm with a single red eye. It slammed into the man’s neck, pinning him to the wall, leaving just enough room to breathe.
“Do you have any idea what just happened here?! How could you even think that I would give you anything for this? I never wanted any of your damn stones, and now my Eevee evolved by accident. She was going to be an Espeon! There’s no way in hell that I would ever pay you for what you’ve done to her. And,” he punched the smug man in the stomach, “that’s for making her cry!”
He ordered Sontos, his Beldum, to release the man onto the floor. The crowd was silent and standing in a full circle around the scene, not wanting to interfere or make a sound. The man writhed on the ground for a bit, before stumbling to his feet. He seemed to try and find his voice, but a sharp glare from Allan stayed his tongue.
“Not. Another. Word. You piece of shit. Get out of here with your stolen goods and fake credentials before you see what I do to people who continue to hurt those close to me…”
“B-But, h-how did you know they were stolen?” he choked out.
‘Try and figure it out, I’m sure you’ll catch on soon enough…’ Allan’s sudden intrusion into his mind startled the man. ‘Also, I bet that the police would love to catch you, wouldn’t they? They’ve been on your trail for some time, from what I can see inside your slimy head. Good thing they’ve sent a few officers down here to investigate the disturbance.’
Allan watched as the thief tried to make his escape through the crowd, frantically scooping up what fallen stones he could as he went. Allan caught a momentary sense of amusement as the man was apprehended, having run directly into a police officer who had been in the crowd. The remaining people watching the scene unfold soon dispersed and left the trainer with his distraught Flareon. Allan recalled Sontos, and knelt down in front of the seat Umari was in.
She was facing the back of the bench, with her paws covering her face.
‘Umari. Can you hear me?’ Allan asked her.
‘Yes…’
Allan was glad that she answered him so quickly, though the sound of her mental voice had changed. It was now clearer to him, more confident, and despite her current state, held a certain fire to it.
‘Are you alright?’
‘No… just no.’
‘Come on, Umari. Look at me. Please?’
She reluctantly turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. ‘I’m so sorry, Allan!’ she leapt at Allan and redoubled her crying into his chest.
‘Why are you sorry? There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop this. If anything, it’s that idiot on the bike, or that bastard salesman’s fault. Hell, I could’ve done more. I could’ve reacted better, but I didn’t. Blame me, blame them, but never blame yourself.’ He brushed the tears from her face and brought her into an embrace. She continued to cry softly for a few moments, before looking back at him.
‘So… you’re not disappointed? Now I’ll never be an Espeon for you… I know, I said I wanted to be one for me, and I meant it, but I also wanted to make you proud of me…’
‘Umari, what were we talking about before all this happened? Don’t you remember what I said? In no way could you ever disappoint me. I said that you could be anything you wanted, and I would be proud of any of your choices.’ He brought her closer to him, and softly said aloud, “Now please, stop crying. I can’t bear to see you cry anymore. Let’s get out of here.”
‘Okay…’
Allan picked Umari up from the bench, gathered his pack, and began to head out of the underground.
“Excuse me, sir?” Allan turned to see who it was that interrupted him. Thankfully, his preemptive rage was wasted. The clerk from the photography store cautiously said, “Here’s your order. I’m sorry for the wait.” She handed him the package and the frame he had picked out. “Also, if it means anything, I’m sorry for what happened here.”
“Thank you,” he said. He gave the clerk some money, not checking to see if he overpaid or not, and turned away from the scene. He carried Umari in his arms as he reluctantly made his way back into the blazing heat.
—————
[MAIL]
[From: Prof. J. Elm]
[To: Cartographer ID: B. I. Thomas (53142)]
[Subject: Newest Acquisition?]
[Mr. Thomas, it’s great to see that you’re active once again after your harrowing experiences. Your report of Woobat and relatives in Diglett’s Cave were quite the surprise last week. I hope things are going well for you and your family.
[Getting to the point, if you’ll excuse my bluntness, what exactly did you just catch? Your Pokédex registered a new capture late last night, but it is having trouble identifying the species for some reason. The device had been fully up-to-date when we gave it to you, in addition to any new information pooled together from other Cartographers.
[Project Cartographer was always designed to monitor shifts in Pokémon habitats and monitor potentially invasive species, but it was always a possibility—and admittedly a small dream of mine—to find a brand new species as a result of our efforts. If you’ve actually accomplished this, Professor Oak and I would very much like it if you would bring them into one of our two labs (Pallet Town isn’t too far from your last recorded location).
[I hope this isn’t just some glitch in our OS or something less exciting like that.
[Still, all the best!
[P.S. I do realize the Kanto-Johto gym circuit is rather appealing, but as of late we’ve only had 1 active Cartographer in Johto. A. J. Wingborne hasn’t been keeping up with regular reports for some time, and C. M. Altswalder has expressed frustration at being the only trainer in the region “pulling their weight”. I understand that the two of you have had your fair share of incidents, and we are sympathetic to that fact, but we would greatly appreciate it if you would traverse some of the less-traveled routes of Johto if you could find the time. Kanto has its own team of Cartographers, so rest easy knowing the region is in capable hands.
—Elm]
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To Be Continued in Part 2: Burn…
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The Dark Type