So, the whole deal behind this fanfiction is that I've been working on it since I got out of high school. Sadly, though, everytime I've gotten far into it, I've gotten caught up in the trap of editting and, disgusted at my own writing, rewrote it for the 'better'. Well, it's not doing me any good to be writing and not actually *showing* anyone, so here's the first chapter of Heavy Rain ver. 6.012. I'm looking for a place to post it so if anyone has any suggestions. Also, there are currently 11 chapters written for it, and I'm working on the 12th, though I have to say that I'm at a tad bit of a loss. Warning, though. It's pretty long. Also, if you have any suggestions for me, please feel free to post them! I'll even accept flames as long as they're supported. Sorry but 'You suck, DIAF' doesn't cut it with me. I want to get better, so I'd like constructive criticism when it comes to plot and character development. Grammar and syntax... well, I'm dyslexic, so I rely on MSWord for that.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon was created by Satoshi Tajiri and is the legal property of Nintendo. All characters are copyright of the author. All areas and locations are based off actual places in Hokkaido. This story was written long before information about Diamond and Pearl’s Sinnoh region was revealed, ergo, the events in this story will not completely reflect the new timeline nor the indigenous Pokemon residing there. Please do not claim this story, or any of the chapters comprising it, as your own. Please feel free to email the author questions, comments, and/or criticisms or simply post a review.

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“NO! STOP THIEF!!”

“HALT!!”

“COME BACK HERE!!”

Just the sheer volume and distress in those very shouts sent blistering cold shivers through Batoy Guilderos’ spine. Even if the shouts hadn’t been meant for him, the gruff-voiced man’s call and the shrill shriek of that woman would have caused his heart to skip. But he was the target of that shout, and the young teen’s nonchalant walk suddenly turned into a run. He never did like the word ‘thief’; it was such a cold unforgiving word. Even then, Batoy didn’t think what he was doing was completely wrong; he was just doing what he was told to do. Besides, it wasn’t like he actually took anything. He was just the distraction. Ollie was the one who’d be in deep trouble if he got caught. Whatever it was that his superiors had wanted him to do, he did it. It was for the greater good, he’d been assured.

Sneakers pounding against the wet cement, Batoy took turn after turn, wrapping around building after run-down brick building, and eventually fled into the alleys, where he hunkered down behind one of this town’s many dumpsters. Jubilife City, called the city of joy, was a miserable place. Cold grey buildings, large and imposing, jutted high into the dreary evening sky. Few windows of high-rising apartments and office buildings shown, their dim light the only sign of life. Nobody walked the streets, not in weather like this. The teen shivered as the rain, which had only been sprinkling a little while ago, turned into a heavy deluge. He was wet and cold, and the one thing keeping him from total misery was the fact that he'd succeeded with his part of the plan. No one had been caught. At least, not yet. There were still his pursuers to take into consideration.

Batoy pulled the hood of his dark-red sweater over his head as he pulled his knees towards his chest. He could hear the sound of boots splashing through the rain puddles and hurried voices calling out to each other. He dared not move, at least not for a few hours or until the rain let up. He didn’t dare until he was sure that all was clear. The dumpster offered security from sight, but not from the wind and rain. It wouldn’t have mattered much; he was already soaked to the bone, his carrot-colored hair plastered against his forehead. A dry spot lay to his right that he noticed, but though it was small, he was rather small for a fifteen year old and fit quite comfortably. Now all he had to do was wait and pray that Ollie could find him.

The seconds ticked by painfully slowly, and Batoy shivered. He squeezed his knees to his chest, trying to stay as warm as he could. Hyper-alert, his ears searched for the slightest familiar sound, and whenever he heard something, his stomach would tightened. After fifteen minutes of this agonizing torture, Batoy finally heard a faint crackling, and smile washed over his face. He clucked twice, too low for a normal person to really notice, and the crackling spiked sharply. Dainty yellow paws appeared as a yellow fox-like creature poked its head around the dumpster. Its mane immediately softened as the white spikes returned to being fine strands of fur. ~Jolteon!~ it cried out and immediately burrowed its head into Batoy’s chest, nuzzling the boy as if he hadn’t been seen in a year.

“Shhh! They’re still looking for us, Ollie!” Batoy scolded quietly, his voice full anxiety. The Jolteon immediately silenced and looked at the wet boy curiously, a very relieved look about its muzzle. Minutes passed and the two looked at each other in total silence, but the sound of voices and boots never came back. Batoy smiled and rubbed the Jolteon’s head, his hand gliding past the tiny spines without harm. Ollie gave a purr and nuzzled into the hand. “So, you got it?”

The Jolteon nodded slowly and sat on his hunches. He knelt down and dropped a small object he’d been hiding inside his mouth. Batoy smiled again, repressing the need to squeal as he picked it up. It was a small microchip, covered in a shock-resistance coating, no larger than a quarter. “Awesome! It doesn’t seem to be damaged. Great job, Ollie!” The Jolteon blushed from the praise, and his fur crackled softly with the buzz of electricity. Batoy stuffed the chip into his pockets, barely able to control the grin that covered his face. The exchange done, all the two could do now was wait until either the rain slackened or nightfall, Batoy stroking the Jolteon’s back in the meantime.

Nightfall came first, unfortunately, and the rain had not ceased to fall. Batoy looked up to watch the droplets fall from the dark clouded sky and he grimaced as exhaustion tried to claim him. Though he wanted to sleep, the fetid smell of the dumpster combined with the fear of being caught kept him alert. His body started to quiver. He couldn’t sleep until he was some distance away from Jubilife. He looked down at Ollie, which had long since curled up beside him. He seemed to be asleep, but his long ears were erect, listening for the sound of footsteps. “Hey, Ollie…” Batoy whispered, and the Jolteon rose, as if he had not been asleep at all. “I guess it’s time we try to beat it.”

Groaning from stiffened joints and an aching back, Batoy slowly stood and half-walked half-stumbled towards the corner of the wall and peeked out. He couldn’t go around with his hood raised; people would see the small magma emblem that had been sewn into the forehead. Of course, it was either that or a uniform, and he vastly preferred to remain as ambiguous as possible. Something about wearing that uniform made him sick to his stomach. So he pulled that down, exposing his messy bright orange hair to the pouring rain. There was no one on the street that he could see so Batoy stepped out and his Jolteon padded out on to the sidewalk and broke into a run shortly after.

Of course, just seeing anyone out in this weather was abnormal, and within moments, he was spotted. A female officer, clothed in standard-issue raingear, pulled beside of him on a motorcycle, and Batoy came to a halt. Mentally, he cursed his luck. From a distance, unnoticed, Ollie whimpered and retreated into the shadows of the alleys. Batoy was on his own. “Uh… h-hello, O-Officer…” Batoy clenched his teeth. He couldn’t get the nervous stammer out of his voice.

“What are you doing out here at this time? A boy like you should be in bed; warm, dry and asleep!” Her voice was concerned, motherly. She probably had not been alerted to what had happened at the Global Trade Center. Batoy hesitated to answer; with the rain falling so hard, he couldn’t think. From the shadows, Ollie wiggled his haunches impatiently. His partner’s discomfort agitated him. “Where’re you going? You’re not up to trouble, I hope.”

“N-No, ma’am,” Batoy stammered out. “I was j-just heading out. Ya… ya see, I’m just a trainer… I… uh… I couldn’t find the Pokemon Center, and… and I…” The intensity of the rain increased and the drone became unbearable. The rushing sound of the falling drops filled his ears to the point that he couldn’t even hear himself talk. The nervous crackle of electricity faintly came through over the rain. Where was that coming from? He was losing it and he stopped. Why again? Why did this always happen? Why did he always feel that peculiar lump in his throat when he dealt with officers? He couldn’t afford to be getting so nervous. He’d probably never get another chance to prove himself.

“I’ll give you a ride to the Center. Go ahead and hop on. You can catch a cold if you stay in the rain too long.” The officer’s voice stayed kind, but there was a bit of impatience there, as if there was something that she, herself, wanted to attend to. She pointed to the caddy seat of the motorcycle. “It’s okay, just get in.”

If was only after a distinct snap that Batoy realized the source of the electric crackling sound. He looked passed the officer to see Ollie, crouched and sparking. His eyes went wide and he tried to shake his head, something to tell the Jolteon that he was alright. But Ollie failed to notice, and Batoy scarcely had time to cover his eyes before blinding lightning bolts soared from the fox’s body, striking the officer directly and throwing her from the motorcycle. She was out before she even hit the ground. “Ollie!” Batoy cried, his body shaking with a plethora of negative thoughts. “Darn it, Ollie! I was okay! You didn’t have to do that!” he shouted, and the Jolteon whimpered and splayed his ears. Batoy sighed, breathing in. “It’s okay… I’m sorry… but we gotta get outta here now.” Ollie nodded and trotted towards the boundary of the city with Batoy jogging after him.

Some fifty or so feet lay between the edge of the town and a massive forest. He crossed that and had just entered into the heavy brush when he suddenly heard the sound of barking. Poochyena, Mightyena, and Growlithe, by the sounds. Police dogs. Had the woman recovered that quickly? No, they’d figured out what he’d stolen, probably. Another group, perhaps? They’d find her, and then he’d really be in deep. Batoy cast a quick glance towards his partner. The Jolteon was upset and fright streaked across his face. There was a pang in Batoy’s chest, as if his heart convulsed, guilt from putting Ollie through this. “J-Just a little further, Ollie… We… we’ll lose ‘em soon, I promise!”

If only he could believe that. The branches and brush were getting thicker, and the barks were growing louder. They were being forced upwind where their scent could be more easily tracked. The pounding rain wasn’t making it any easier. “Just a little farther…” Batoy whispered to himself through gasping breaths. The barking grew ever closer.

And then there it was. His secret base within a large tree. He’d made it two days ago. He scurried inside, down a hollow next to the base of the tree, and he covered it up after the Jolteon had slipped inside. It was dreadfully dark and damp, but he dared not move from his spot. The barking grew louder and then stopped. Footsteps. Sniffing. The Pokemon were tracking the ground for his scent, but the sudden disappearance had confused them. One Pokemon, Batoy thought he saw the coarse fur of a Poochyena, stepped close to the entrance, and Batoy’s breath stopped. But their pursuers found nothing. “We lost him. Better go back. Storm’s gonna get worse later on. We’ll try again in the morning. He won’t get too far in this weather.” And then there was silence.

Neither Batoy nor Ollie moved for the next five minutes. They could still be waiting, trying to draw him out, or perhaps they were listening for a sound. The two gave them no such chance. Finally, the Jolteon gave a low whimper and Batoy relaxed. The Jolteon’s ears couldn’t pick up a trace. Moving from his position, Batoy felt his way for a light. It took a few moments, but he finally found the switch and the secret base was illuminated with a dim glow of portable fluorescent lights, bright enough to see where he was going and perhaps even read if he were ever so inclined.

~Quil!~ Batoy had scarcely enough time to brace himself before a creature leaped into his arms. His dark blue back fur contrasted pleasantly with the sandy yellow fur on his underbelly and legs. His red eyes gleamed joyfully as he buried his head into Batoy’s chest. Batoy chuckled as he scratched the Quilava behind the ears. “Hey, Jet! I hope you weren’t too bored here by yourself.” The Quilava’s warmth was very welcome, and Batoy’s spirits immediately began to rise.

The Quilava hopped from Batoy’s arms after nosing his ear, and Batoy sighed and looked around. The secret base wasn’t much to look at. Functional, it only had an empty bookcase, a table, a chair, and a bed, along with a small laptop close to the entrance. Imprinted on the cover of the laptop was a small flame-like emblem, similar to the one on his hoodie. There was also a dresser for what little clothes he could take with him and an oh-so-small personal refrigerator attached to a tiny electric generator. It was to the dresser which he walked to, after kicking off his soaked sneakers. Ollie trotted to the bed, still whimpering, and after shaking the water from his fur, clumsily made his way on it. He collapsed and buried his head with his paws, his body shivering. Jet sat next to him, laying his head over the Jolteon’s. Batoy pulled off his soaked sweatshirt, cargo pants and socks, leaving him in only wet undergarments. There was no bathroom, but he was comfortable with his Pokemon there. He changed even those, and was soon covered in warm pajamas. His wet clothes were messily discarded into a corner without care, though he had removed the chip before doing so.

He walked over to his bed, and collapsed on it, his head lying on the only unoccupied pillow there. Ollie’s whimpers continued. Batoy grasped the chip and gazed at it with tired eyes. Its interior was hidden by the foggy coating that covered it, but occasionally there was a hint of a blinking light. He twisted it around. “All that… for this stupid thing?” he said with resentment. “What the heck could they want with this?” He glanced at his two Pokemon. Jet twisted his head to gaze at him, whining at bit, and Batoy rubbed his head. “You know what, Jet? I’m done. I don’t wanna do this anymore…” He looked at Ollie who’d finally fallen asleep. “I don’t wanna risk anymore doing this stuff…let someone else do it, I don’t wanna anymore….”

Jet nodded slowly, though his motions were uncertain. He gazed at the chip with particular disdain. But even then, he didn’t close his eyes until Batoy tucked the chip back out of sight. Batoy reached over and scratched behind the Quilava’s ears. “Once we get rid of this thing… we’ll run away…. That’s a good idea, right? Running away?” The Quilava whimpered a bit, but eventually that faded into nothingness as he fell asleep. Batoy sighed before dimming the lights, the sounds of the intense storm seeming so far away. Running away sounded like such a good idea.

It wasn’t until the middle of the next day that Batoy finally woke up. Splayed out across the bed, he groaned as he pulled himself up. His body was sore, and his stomach ached from hunger. The hunger he could deal with, having long been accustomed to that, but he was so sore that even standing was a trial. There was a crick in his neck, and he winced and whimpered as he padded over towards the dresser. He had a green hooded sweatshirt left, along with a pair of dark blue navy cargo pants, baggier than the ones he wore the previous day. He sighed as he slowly undressed and redressed and headed for the little refrigerator. Opening it up, he found a few cans of store-bought animal chow, two cans of tiny sausages, and three remaining bottles of fresh water. He sighed regretfully as he emptied the entire refrigerator. They were completely out of food.

“Ugh… my neck…” moaned Batoy as he trotted over to his pile of still damp clothes and pulled out his collection of red and white Pokeballs, stuffing all but one into his pockets. That one reminding ball he maximized and opened, releasing yet another creature. As the light faded, the Pokemon’s body quickly materialized, revealing a small pale white creature similar in shape to Ollie with a white mane of fur wrapping around her neck. She shook her body irritably before mewing loudly enough to stir the still sleeping Jet and Ollie. “Hey, hush, Meta!” Batoy said softly, trying to quiet the irate Eevee, but she only increased her whine to a screech.

~Jol!~ Ollie barked from where he lay, his eyes glaring disapprovingly at the little Eevee, but she merely turned around and flicked her tail. But her screech had quieted back to a soft mewl and Batoy sighed in relief. With a hiss, the cans of chow were opened, and after dumping the contents into a trio of bowls on his nearby dresser, he set one of them on to floor. The Eevee immediately tore into it, munching greedily as if she hadn’t eaten in days. The bowl scooted across the floor from her ravenous attack. Batoy watched with a grimace. “Come on, Meta… slow down a bit… you’ll get a stomach ache if you eat too fast….” He was ignored. Strands of her fur started to collect beneath her.

Turning away from the sight, Batoy made his way back to the bed. Jet had risen by now, yawning and pawing tiredly at his eyes. He set the bowls of chow in front of the two Pokemon before rubbing their heads. “Ollie, I know I’ve been making you do stuff you didn’t want to do, and I’ve been pretty hard on ya,” he said softly to the Jolteon. “But, I wanna say it’s almost done, and after that… After that, we won’t have to do it anymore. The rest should be easy from here on out.” The two gave reassuring nods before focusing their attention to the meals before them. Though they didn’t attack the food with Meta’s ferocity, they ate eagerly and voraciously, and Batoy could barely stand to watch them. He opened the sausage cans and began to nibble on the sausages, trying to ignore exactly how hungry he really was. The sausages disappeared quickly far too quickly. “When we’re finished, we’re gonna have a big feast,” he found himself muttering before slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

He wanted to stay to relax but it wasn’t safe anymore. Now that the authorities knew approximately where he was, he couldn’t stay for much longer. It was surprising that they hadn’t already come and found him. They had to keep moving. Batoy sighed and stood up before walking over to the computer. The Pokemon continued eating except for the Quilava, who’d been the second to finish. Meta had since curled up on the floor and was licking her paw contently. Jet padded up next to Batoy and looked up at him. ~Quil?~ he asked, a reluctant look upon his face. The city had looked fun, from what little he’d gotten to see of it.

The boy smiled sadly and bent down, patting the anxious fire-type Pokemon. “I’m sorry, Jet, but we gotta move. If we don’t, we’ll get caught. I dunno what the police’ll do to ya if they catch ya. Or me…. Understand? We can’t stay here…” The Quilava nodded slowly, obviously not thrilled about the circumstances. His eyes narrowed on Batoy’s pockets. But it couldn’t be helped, and eventually Jet sighed and looked away, chirping in discomfort. Batoy rubbed the Quilava’s head apologetically and motioned for the three Pokemon to follow him, and though Ollie came quickly, Meta required a bit more encouragement.

Slightly irritated, he groaned silently as he turned back to the laptop and entered in a few commands, bringing up a prompt. [Empty Base?] His finger hesitated, and only by closing his eyes could he actually click yes. Suddenly everything, from the refrigerator to the bed to his wet clothes, disappeared instantly. Even the laptop faded away, a mystery he hadn’t figured out yet. The chamber had been completely stripped, leaving nothing but muddy walls and a root collection that comprised the exit.

“Well…guess we can’t go back guys…” Batoy muttered, more to himself than his Pokemon. The exit leading to open air was filled with a dull grey light, and he could feel the cool air drifting down into the chamber. “Guess there’s nothing left to do but head on out….”

I must say, this was very enjoyable; you obviously have some talent as a fiction writer.

There were a few niggling grammar errors I noticed, but nothing major (just a few semi-colons or hyphens which would've worked better than commas or nothing at all).

One thing I will say is you should try and space out your lines a little more. If a person begins speaking for the first time in a paragraph, it's usually a good idea to start a new paragraph. Case in point:



Would work out a lot nicer as:



Same goes with Pokemon-speak, too.

Now, with regards to your story and characterisation - awesome! You really pulled me into the story - your descriptions are vivid and interesting and you really brought the city to life. Sometimes I felt a little *overwhelmed* with the amount of description, but it's much better to have too much than too little.

As soon as you mentioned Batoy's hoody emblem I immediately became even more intrigued. I'm a huge fan of the teams from Hoenn (and Hoenn in general, actually), so I'm really curious to see where you're headed with it. And the chip! What's with that? What's the connection with the GTS? Is he working for Magma or is he a defector working for another power? You've really hooked me on this one. Already I sympathise with him because, though he's obviously doing something wrong, there's a sense of *desperation* - that he *has* to do it rather than face the consequences.

Not only was Batoy fleshed out well, but so were his Pokemon. I particularly liked Meta - what a total brat! But in the most adorable way possible. I love it! I'm curious if she's related to the Jolteon on Batoy's team?

And that was adorable... Oh yes :D

So yeah, this was a really great start and I'd like to see more from you. Keep it up - you've got a faithful (albeit lazy) reader in me!

I think I'll die if the next chapter isn't posted. O_O; That was great xD I can't wait for the next chapter. I keep getting Batoy's name confused with Baltoy! Interesting names though, that Eevee was annoyingly cute. Jet and Ollie seem to have been with him longer. Nothing wrong I could see. Great story! Keep the chapters coming!

Hehe, one of the things that I was attempting with this story was to create a world that was true to the one in the games and/or anime, while at the same time, somewhat realistic. Obviously, though, there are certain times where I have to request the suspension of disbelief, but that's only because certain parts of the Pokemon world don't make sense, as Broken Luck said in another thread. In future battles, you'll see an unspoken rule. You'll see Pokemon use more than four moves in this story, but in an official battle, you'll only see four. That's how I saw the Pokemon world. It makes no sense for a Pokemon to forget how to tackle something.

I personally thought that a Pokemon could learn all it's moves, TMs and HMs but 'focus' on it's four moves. I also would like to see some battles written by you, the Jolteon's thundershock (I'll safely call it that) had me itching for a battle.

I've never really cared much for fan fiction stories, but even I'm interested. Keep going or face merciless complaints from us.

The clouds hung low in the sky, leaving the day dark and grim. Even though it was almost midday, the mid-July day seemed so cold and bleak that it seemed much like a late November evening. Off in the distance lightning flashed through the air, followed after a brief pause by crackling thunder. Batoy could smell the thick scent of rain almost as soon as he exited his former hiding place. The air was thick and humid yet the draft winds sent shivers down his spine.

“Hey, guys… it might get a little dangerous, so you should rest up…” he said, glancing at the three Pokemon beside him. He withdrew two balls, first recalling Ollie. The Jolteon vanished under the bright flash of light and retreated into his red and white sphere. He glanced at Jet, and nodded. “I promise, I’m gonna get rid of this thing so we won’t have to deal with it anymore, okay? But… I need you to keep it with you in your pokeball, okay?” The Quilava nodded begrudgingly and also vanished in the red light, the chip between his fangs.

That left Meta, who stared at Batoy with indignant eyes. Her paws sank slightly in the moist ground, mud trying to ooze between her toes. She batted her ears and glanced towards Batoy’s waist. “I thought… we could talk a little…” Batoy said uncertainly, and when it became apparent that she wasn’t going to be recalled, Meta threw up her tail in a huff. Batoy sighed and kneeled slightly. “Could… I pick you up?” The Eevee didn’t make a noise, but she didn’t struggle as Batoy looped his arms underneath her and scooped her up. In fact, she seemed almost dead in her lack of motion.

A sense of lost immediately overcame him as he stepped from the base of the massive oak tree. Despite the base having existed among its roots for merely two weeks now, it was still the closest thing the boy could call to home. But now Batoy had to abandon it and move on. Hopefully, he could get to a Pokemon Center without getting caught and contact his mentor Lizbeth, but until then, he had to be on his guard. The ground here was uneven, and though Batoy had traversed these grounds before, he still had trouble keeping his balance, especially with Meta’s weight in his arms. More than a few times, his sneakers slipped on the slick bark of a fallen oak or the loose mud of a shallow incline, sending the youth either tumbling into the wet ground or splashing in a shallow puddle, much to Meta’s chagrin. The small white Eevee leapt from Batoy’s arms and landed daintily on the ground, watching with contempt as he picked himself out of a puddle.

The trees rattled slightly as a roll of thunder rumbled through the thick air. Batoy rubbed his hands together, the cold water numbing them. He glanced towards the Eevee and sighed. “Look, Meta….” His words left him. What could he possibly say? After all, the Eevee’s distrust in him was fairly placed. He’d let Team Magma cause her so much pain with no resistance at all. Asking anything of her wouldn’t be fair. “I’m sorry… I know it doesn’t mean anything, but that’s really all I can say… I wish I could make the pain go away. You know I do….”

The Eevee glanced at him, an ear flicking in annoyance. She raised a paw, showing a balding patch right at the ankle; the rest of the fur around that area was discolored in comparison to the silver and white fur that coated her body. ~Vee…~ she muttered, glaring with accusing eyes. Batoy sank slightly and trudged forward, picking the Eevee up gently. “Balding…you’ve been shedding?” he mumbled. Whatever Team Magma had done to her in their experiments, she was suffering more now. There had to be some way to end it. He moved forward before looking up at the angry sky. “Why couldn’t things just be simpler…?”

~Verree..~ Meta growled, her ears flicking, and not a moment later, a sudden rush of barking filled the air. Batoy uttered a slur before turning and running from the sounds of his pursuers. The brush was thick and whipped at his face, but he powered through, his grip tightening on the little Eevee. Batoy jinked and turned, doing everything in his ability to shake whatever had given chase. But nothing worked; the barks grew louder and closer. “H-How… How’re they keeping up?!” he panted in a hoarse stricken voice. His lungs heaved as he duked and dodged, zigged and zagged. But still they grew closer.

A thick root appeared from nowhere, snagging Batoy’s foot and sending the youth sprawling to the ground, the Eevee flying from his arms. She hit the ground hard, and immediately rebounding, growling at Batoy, her diminutive fangs peeking from her muzzle. Batoy crawled up, wincing. “Darnit…” he muttered as he started looking around. Besides a small black bird that fluttered away as soon as his eyes chanced upon it, he saw no motion. The distance barking seemed to die away. He glanced towards Meta and sighed. “I’m so sorry, girl…” he said, but the Eevee glared at him with livid eyes. Batoy’s shoulders sank as he searched for something, anything, that could alleviate the situation, but he came up blank. If only things had turned out differently… “Come on,” he said softly, and the Eevee begrudgingly obeyed. It hurt to be uncaringly stern.

The trees thinned out and eventually faded to rocky crags. Batoy came to a halt and sagged against a tall spire of rock with Meta trotting and sitting just out of reach. Similar spires aligned a circular field with grooves carved into the ground. Someone must have used this place as a make-shift coliseum, as the markings were roughly similar to those of an official battlefield. One of the spires had crumbled to the ground, probably from a battle between two passing trainers. Close to the coliseum was a moderately high wall of rock carved into a rocky hill with a path working up the face. The path led up around the hill and deeper towards the mountains. “Let’s see… since I’m here, that means… I’m to the south. I could head on to Canalave, that’s closer, but… wasn’t Lizbeth coming from Lake Acuity? But that’s so far....” He looked around and sighed, slumping down against one of the spires and glanced at Meta. “Well… we lost them,” he said, trying to grin, but the Eevee only turned away. Marking that, a lightning bolt ripped above him, and Batoy squeezed his hands over his ears just before a gigantic clap of thunder rattling the area. The air grew thicker.

The boy sat there for a few more minutes before crawling back to his feet. The first droplets of rain patted his head, and he groaned. A sudden flutter of wings caught his attention, and Batoy turned to see the Murkrow settle atop one of the far spires. He glanced at it curiously, and it responded likewise. “Weird… never saw one of those before… eh… I don’t care… I gotta find a way to get outta here before it starts pouring again. Meta?” The Eevee flattered her ears, snarling at the small black bird. Her hackles bristled and her deep brown eyes narrowed. She looked around frantically, her body rigid, before finally spinning as the Murkrow took flight to land on the shoulder of a man leaning next to another far pillar. Batoy’s eyes widened, and he silently berated himself. How had he not noticed him earlier?

“Hmm, orange hair, wiry frame, so you’re probably that little thief… for some reason, I expected a little bit more.” The sharp masculine voice caught the poor boy completely by surprise and Batoy backed up a little. The tall sturdy man stepped forward. He was graced with rich blond hair and a strong chin, and his bright blue eyes focused on the boy in front of him. His arms were bulky with muscle, and his camouflaged clothes were stretched tight across his broad shoulders and large thighs. His face was aglow with a satisfied smirk. “I hate thieves.”

“Wh-wha? Who the heck are you?” Batoy said, his voice quivering. His mind was racing rapidly.

“Heh, not the brightest one, I see…” the man said simply, before pointing towards an insignia on his shoulder. It was a plain thing, hard to notice, a letter ‘H’ with the horizon bar appearing to be a bolt of lightning. “Of course, I could be cruel, not answer your question, and just do my job, but then again, where’s the fun in that?” The man smiled before recalling the Murkrow into a pokeball. The boy’s fright was delicious. “Let’s just say that I’m a Hunter. You can call me Hawk.”

“You… you’re military?” Batoy could scarcely believe what came out of his own mouth. The only member of an armed force he’d ever known of was the American gym leader, Lt. Surge of Kanto’s Vermillion City. But the Hunters were legendary; an elite squad of soldier-trainers that even the country’s government refused to acknowledge. “Well… I guess I don’t need to be getting in your way, then… Meta, let’s go,” Batoy said, sounding braver than he felt. He called to the Eevee, and hesitantly, she turned to move away, casting a wary eye towards the man.

Hawk only grinned, and his hand slid into his pocket. “Sorry, kid, but a job’s a job. Let’s just cut the crass and get on with it,” he said, his face as jolly as could be. “I’d really like to get this over with before the rain starts again.” He withdrew a small sphere that quickly enlarged, revealing a purple body with a white ‘M’ engraved into the top. Even in the dim light, Batoy’s eyes twitched at the sight of the Master Ball. “So, if you’d come quietly? You won’t be hurt if you do.”

Without a word, Batoy turned quickly, grapping a hold to the ledge above his head and pulling himself up. “Meta, let’s go!” he said urgently, not looking at the little Eevee as she broke into a run, and with but a few bounds, she had covered most of the ground between her and the boy. But they had not gone two meters before a bright light materialized in front of them. Meta crouched, growling, as the light faded and pine green armor of a massive Pokemon revealed itself. Its squat legs sank into the rock, creating fractures and the blue patch of armor on its belly rumbled. The Pokemon glared at the two of them before roaring with the might of thunder.

“Allow me to introduce this Tyranitar,” Hawk said jovially, his arms crossed. “He is a relatively recent acquisition. Caught him terrorizing a mountain village while I was on a job. He’s been quite useful, and I must say, he has quite a dislike for kids and runt Pokemon.” Hawk grinned again as the Tyranitar stepped forward. The beast’s eyes narrowed as he towered above Batoy, his claws flexing and relaxing, a cracking sound emanating from them.

Batoy slowly backing away, his face mixed with worry and distress. He glanced back at Meta, and then at Hawk, his eyes looking for any avenue of escape, any path that he could take to get out of this mess. None immediately presented themselves. He glanced back at Meta. He couldn’t recall her without instigating the Tyranitar. “So…” he said slowly. “What happens now, huh?” Slowly he edged down the path, keeping his eyes fixed on Hawk.

With but a snap of Hawk’s fingers, the Tyranitar roared, and Batoy halted immediately. “I think you overestimate what little position you have, kid” he said, smirking. “I’m the one holding the royal flush here.” His grin slowly fell, though. “But in all seriousness, you have two choices. You can either come with me quietly, or you can resist. I’m perfectly fine with both choices, but I think it’d be in your best interest to just come without a hassle.”

Batoy quickly glanced back towards the Tyranitar, then to Meta, and back to Hawk. His hands slid into his pockets. There was just no way he could risk Meta, especially in her condition. But likewise, there was no way he could fail this mission. The consequences would be too great. He glanced back at the little Eevee. She had engaged in a growling contest with the Tyranitar, her hackles raised, her fur bristling. “Meta…” he whispered in warning, but she paid him no heed.

“This is your last chance to surrender, kid,” Hawk said. “Tyranitar!”

The massive creature stepped forward, but it was Meta who struck first. Without warning, the small creature leapt onto Batoy’s shoulder, propelling off of it, and moving into a somersault. Her tail shimmered with a metallic glow, and she slammed it into the Tyranitar’s shoulder, a metal clang ringing out through the thick air. The Tyranitar recoiled in irritation, a claw brushing his shoulder as the Eevee landed on the ground, panting slightly.

Hawk raised an eyebrow. “So that’s your decision, huh? Fine, then, more fun for me. Tyranitar, attack!” Almost immediately, jets of sand rushed from the chinks in the Tyranitar’s armor, mixing with the strengthening wind. Batoy covered his face and Meta gritted her teeth as both braced against the abrasive sand stream. Roaring, the Tyranitar spun around, slamming his tail against the side of the wall. Whether or not the tail was meant to strike Batoy or the little Eevee was unknown, but as the thick truck of a tail collided with the stony wall, the force knocked both of them from their feet, sending them to the ground below.

“Ugh… Meta…” Batoy groaned as he crawled to his knees, his hand quickly moving to grasp his right arm, the point which first hit the ground. But Meta had already gotten to her paws, and her steel-cold eyes locked upon the much larger beast above them. Batoy pushed himself all the way up. Meta had landed a decent hit on the Tyranitar earlier. Maybe it was possible for her to win. He nodded, biting his lip. “Alright!” he shouted, his heart in his throat. “We’ll go for it again. Meta, Iron Tail!”

The command had barely been given before Meta took off, a dizzying display of her footwork as she dashed from side to side before leaping up to the level of the Tyranitar and then up one more. Again, the fur on her tail tightened and hardened with a glowing sheen, and once against she pulled into a somersault. But as she lashed out her tail in the final attack, the Tyranitar hunched slightly, and the attack barely grazed his head.

And moments later, Meta was sent flying as the Tyranitar pushed up, slamming his head into her body. She landed haphazardly in front of the Tyranitar, barely managing to stay upright, but the stinging sands caused her to fall. Crawling back to her paws, she glared at the armored Pokemon, squinting her eyes to block the sand. Batoy grimaced as he continued to shield himself. “Nugh… can’t try that again… Meta, Shadow Ball!”

A swirling mass of dark violet energy appeared in Meta’s muzzle, her eyes darkenin0g the same. The mass twisted and warped, eventually creating a sphere just as large as the Eevee’s own body. Reeling back, she thrust her head forward, sending the sphere rushing at the Tyranitar. But rather than block, the mighty beast just stood still, letting the attack hit square in his chest. The resulting explosion only forced it to take a step back, but as the smoke cleared, wisped away by the sand stream, the Tyranitar stood unscathed, his maw locked into a snarl.

Batoy bit his lip. The attack had failed to do anything substantial, and already Meta was already on the verge of fainting. “Come on, Meta, hang in there!” he called, but when a tuff of the Eevee’s fur pelted him in the chest, his eyes went wide. Meta was starting to shed again. ~Veee…~ she crowed miserably, her legs started to quiver. Her right paw had started to bald even more now, and caught in a crevice close by, tugging against the sandy winds, was even more fur. The harsh sands stripped her of more strands with each second.

“You know, I was hoping for a bit more of a show,” Hawk said. “And here I was, just letting you attack, but honestly, this has become quite boring. Three attacks and your Pokemon already looks like it’s going to roll over and die.”

“Oh, god…” Why it’d taken Batoy so long to realize, he’d never know. “I don’t want to give up… not when I’m so close, but… I gotta… Meta, return!” He withdrew Meta’s Pokeball, but as he cast the return beam, the little Eevee broke it, shaking her head. “Wh-what? Meta, you have to return!” Again he tried to recall her, and this time she jumped out of the way. But as she did so, another vortex of violet energy collected in her muzzle, and she hurtled it at the Tyranitar.

But the attack went low, and instead of striking the beast, it grazed off his leg and into the ground right next two it. Fractures appeared in the surrounding stone, and the Tyranitar’s eyes widened just before the ground beneath him gave way and he landed roughly on the level below, on his back and now extremely peeved.

Likewise, Hawk narrowed his eyes. “I see. You want to play like that, eh,” he growled as the Eevee landed on the higher ground. The Tyranitar pulled to his feet, his eyes glowering at the Eevee, who, despite her heavy panting, was grinning with satisfaction. “Tyranitar! Ice Beam!” A misty frost coated the Tyranitar’s muzzle as he sent a thin blue ray soaring towards the Eevee. The Eevee only barely managed to duck down as the beam grazed her ears, coating them with ice, plastering the wall behind her with the same frozen substance. She mewled piteous as she shook her ears free.

“Focus Punch!” The Tyranitar rushed forward, his claw aglow. Meta backed away, but when the powerful attack collided with the wall, the entire wall crumbled around her, threatening to take her with it.

Batoy quickly snapped out of the daze he’d fallen into. “Meta, hurry! Quick Attack!” Just as the ground she stood on crumbled, Meta leapt, gracefully moving from stone to crumbling stone before landing on the level plane behind Tyranitar. But she didn’t stop there. Quickly pivoting on a paw, something that brought a growl of pain, she sped towards the Tyranitar again, her whole body aglow. She swiftly rammed herself against the back Tyranitar’s head just as he removed his claw to look over his handiwork.

Taken completely by surprise, the Tyranitar fell over into the rubble, a chink in the armor where the attack had connected. “Wow… I didn’t know her secret power was that strong…” Batoy mused before coming to his senses. “Great job, Meta! Let’s get out of here!” he yelled, but the Eevee had frozen in place. Her eyes glazed over and her fur hung pale and limp. Her chest heaved as she began to go into convulsions.

But before Batoy could rush to her, the Tyranitar stirred and lifted himself out of the rubble. He turned towards the Eevee, and before Batoy could shout at a warning, slammed his tail into Meta’s body, sending her flying and skidding against the ground. She coughed as her body spasmed, but yet she still climbed to her feet. The Tyranitar started for her.

“Move, Meta!” But it was to no avail. The Eevee took a single step before falling, her tail quivering. The Tyranitar set upon, grabbing her in his massive claw and flinging her towards the rubble. She hadn’t finished skidding before the blue ray rushed through the air, striking her body dead on. The force slammed her into the rubble, and after a rush of cold air, Meta was left encased in an icy chip, jagged rocks frozen inside with her.

Batoy closed his eyes and only squeezed them harder together, as if that would block the sound of the ice shattering as the Tyranitar slammed his tail into the chip. He could only wish he’d never opened his eyes when he did. Meta lay unmoving, half-buried under the crumbled rock. Much of the fur around her legs and belly had been shed. Her paws twitched reflexively, as if random nerves were firing with her last breath. The Tyrantiar loomed over her, golden flames licking his maw. It would be a horrible way to go.

“No, please stop!” Batoy pleaded as he made a mad scramble in front of the giant Pokemon. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want me to do, just please leave Meta alone! Please don’t kill her!”

The Tyranitar cast a glance towards Hawk, who merely shrugged, and the golden flames died down. Batoy could barely look at the Eevee as he picked up her cold body and pressed her against him. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Meta…” The Eevee didn’t crack an eye, but quivered. ~Ee……vee….~ Her voice gargled as if her throat was filled with liquid. It wasn’t much, but at least she was still alive. He clutched her even closer, the urge to cry overwhelming. “Oh, Meta… please… please forgive me….” The stinging sands finally fell, replaced by the first droplets of rain.

I think I might cry, or forever hate Tyranitar. That was amazing. O_O; Great job Goji.
Poor little Meta. *.* It's supposed to faint. Not die!

Goddamnit.

I could never write like this. This is how I write:

His feet touched the floor as he sat on his bed, his torso covered in white bandages. He was thin, and had a smoother look to him than most boys his age. He wore loose, pink boxers. Looking up and smoothing back his short, silver hair, his fiery red eyes scanned the room, which was in chaos with clothes strewn about, a sock on the dresser, boxers on a lamp, a pair of pants hanging off the end of his bed.

See? I'm an artist, not a writer. My friend is a writer.

Artist? I wanna see!

I don't have any of my newer drawings scanned. You'll see them during the summer, when I use the family laptop.


Also: MOAR, DAMNIT.

*jawdrop*
That....that...was..beautiful.....! I must agree with pretty much everything Gazmof said. You could practically go PUBLIC!

“Hey, I’d stay away from Jonas for a little while. He’s really pissed off.”

“What? Jonas is always pissed about something. What’s it about this time?”

“You know those two kids that were brought in? They look so alike that it’s hard getting a positive ID on them. One of them’s being real perky, but that other kid keeps cuddling that wasted Pokemon.”

There was a bemused laugh. “Are you serious? They really can’t tell them apart?”

“Yeah. Still, that kid with the Eevee, I feel sorry for him.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“He hasn’t said hardly a word since we picked him up. Whatever that military guy did to him messed him up pretty badly. That Eevee was half dead.”

“Oh, sucks. Those military guys are hardcore. Wouldn’t put my Stunky against one to save my life.”

“Thing is, from what I saw, I think that guy was Hawk from the Eastern Branch. You know, the one from Leena Island?”

“Oh… damn…. sucks… But it’s been a week, they still haven’t found out who did what?”

“Dunno, seems really weird, honestly.”

The voices began to decline, and Batoy sighed miserably as he huddled closely next to the door of his cell. He’d been taken to one of the penal centers in Canalave City, several kilometers west from the coliseum close to Jubilife, and confined in one of the corner rooms. A small window marked the two outside walls, their bars cold and wet from the constant rain. He sighed again, bringing his knees to his chest and hiding his face behind them. The room was dark, lit only by the grey light filtering from those tiny windows. Reluctantly, he reached down and rubbed the dead Eevee beside him. “I’m so sorry, Meta…” he whimpered quietly.

Over the past week, Meta’s health had steadily declined, and no signs of recovery showed themselves. Bones broken from the fight with the Tyranitar refused to heal, and a fever claimed her body as well. Each day, she grew hotter, squirming around and whimpering, with each movement sending razors through her tired nerves. Finally, the pain proved just too great, and as Batoy cuddled her close to his chest, Meta fell into a comatose state. Despite his efforts, he could not wake her. His cries for help had gone unanswered.

That had been a few days ago, and the tears had dried up on Batoy’s tired face. He shifted around so that he was sitting with his legs to the side, turning away from the Eevee’s motionless body. The room was completely barren with the exception of a single wire frame bed jutting from a corner. The whole place had a foul odour about it. The air was dank and suffocating, though not warm at all. Batoy could hear the pitter-patter of raindrops falling outside. He cringed before looking back down at the unmoving silver-white Pokemon. Much of her fur had shed, leaving a patched mane and hackles, a thin, rough tail and barren ears. Her waist and legs seemed almost completely devoid of fur, and the touch of his fingers against her pale, moist skin brought fresh tears to his eyes.

The boy continued to gently caress the Pokemon, and his fingers made their way up to the Eevee’s neck. Batoy paused and frowned. For a brief second, a desperate smile came to his face. In the recesses of his mind, he could hear the faintest thump-thump, as if her heart still beat a weak, but living cadence. He could feel the smallest raise of her chest, slow like a sleeping creature. “If you can hear me…” Batoy said softly, his eyes seeing but not, “please… please wake up. Don’t leave me alone here…please, just wake up. Let me see your eyes again….”

He felt pathetic, moreso than when he was cowering in front of Hawk, holding Meta as if she’d disappear if he’d let go. He had felt the man’s apathy radiating down on him, and he remembered the anger that surged through him, stopped only by the realization that there was utterly nothing he could do. He had only stayed there, huddled in the rain until heard the sirens of the police and the footsteps as the man just walked away.

A similar sound appeared, and Batoy looked frightfully towards the door in time to see it slide open, and a pair of men clothed similarly to the officer he’d met earlier walked through. Instinctively, he rose to his feet, his hand hesitant to leave Meta’s body. Batoy immediately looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. One of the officers had been rough with him earlier, and Batoy did not wish for an encore of that performance. “What… is it this time?” he asked meekly as handcuffs were latched around his wrists.

The first officer, a dark-eyed man with jet-black hair and a look of contempt, only glanced at him, but the other, a slightly lighter eyed and lighter-haired man, gave him the benefit of a single word. “Interrogation.” Then he was led out of his cell. The hallways of this jail were incredibly bright and clean, and Batoy couldn’t help but wonder how such a clean facility could have such miserable cell. The hallways were lit by series of florescent lights. The three walked briskly for several moments, turning down one hall and moving up another. Eventually, they came to stop in front of a door. The door led to a small, moderately lit room with a long table and several chairs. He was led inside.

There Batoy waited, silently resting in one of the padded chairs at the end of the table where he’d been sat down. His fingers drummed softly on the table as he waited. No one else was in the room. “I wonder… what they’re gonna ask me now….” It hadn’t been the first time he’d been interrogated, and the last time, his answers had infuriated those questioning him. His cheek stung slightly at the memory. Batoy could only hope that his responses were more satisfactory this time.

The door across the room slid open, and two men walked through. The first he recognized as the nicer of the two guards, but the other seemed strange. He wore a black suit and tie, both pressed very neatly, his dark brown hair was trimmed and organized, but despite his air of professionalism, Batoy caught sight of something on his face; maybe a smirk or something. The man took his seat two away from Batoy and gave him a pleasant smile, a thin stack of papers in front of him. “So… Batoy Guilderos?” Batoy gave a slow nod. “Let’s see… age 15, hometown… Lavaridge, eh? You’ve quite a ways.” Batoy only looked away. The man continued. “Hmm… you left your birth-date blank. Why is that?”

“…I don’t remember….”

“You don’t remember your birthday? Not even the month? Season? …Year?” To each, Batoy shook his head. It wasn’t a lie; he simply did not know that information. “So just your age, then, huh? That’s peculiar,” the man said, jotting something down quickly. “But not a cause of concern. We don’t need that information. What about now? Where’re you living?”

“Nowhere….”

“Nowhere? Well, that’s silly. Don’t you live with your parents?” Batoy stayed silent but frowned. “No parents, then? Heh, so I’m dealing with an orphan case. Were they killed when Mt. Chimney erupted?”

As the man scribbled, Batoy glanced up. “I didn’t say that….”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then I suppose you were kicked out, then.”

“I was not!”

He stared at the now standing Batoy, whose agitated expression turned to tears soon after. “Now, now, take your seat. Let’s be good and civil here. My name’s Hulett. I’m going to ask you a few questions and you’re going to answer them truthfully and honestly. If you lie, well… I won’t guarantee anything. Understand?”

Batoy gave a slow nod as he slid back into his chair, wiping his eyes. “Y-yes…”

The man gave another grin and sat back in his chair. “Now, first question. Approximately a week ago, we received positive IDs marking you at the scene of two different crimes. I need you to tell me what you were doing in Jubilife City.”

“I… I don’t know…” Batoy stammered, refusing to make eye contact. “I…” His stomach rumbled violently. “I… I’m hungry….”

“Hungry?” Batoy nodded slowly. “Would you like something to eat?”

The offer was incredibly inviting, and though Batoy knew he should’ve refused, his stomach overrode his judgment. “Y-yes, sir… I haven’t had anything but scraps for the last few weeks….”

Hulett made a page, and a few moments later, a steaming bowl of torchic soup was brought to Batoy. The boy quickly tore into the meal, shoveling the broth into his mouth and not bothering to hide his immense satisfaction. Hulett watched him and made notes before finally speaking. “You’ve been very helpful to us, Batoy. You’ll be returned to your cell now. But before you go, I have one final question.”

Batoy was only partially paying attention. The soup was the most delicious thing he’d had in ages. “Uh… huh?”

“Do you know about the Global Trade Center?”

“Yeah, I guess….”

“If someone stole millions of Pokemon, would you be upset?”

Batoy finally stopped eating and looked at Hulett with a confused look. “Yeah…. I guess I would…. But why’re you asking….?”

Hulett shook his head. “It’s not a big deal. Just a hypothetical question. You may go now.”

Batoy bit his lip and looked away again. “B-but wait! I wanna know where my Pokemon are.”

Hulett crossed his arms, but a grin was still about his face. “Oh, they’re fine. I assure you no harm has come to them. They’ll simply be stored until something happens.”

“Something?” Hulett gave a shrug. “And… then… what will happen to them?”

“Nothing, really. Pokemon are usually loyal to their masters, but they aren’t bad creatures. They won’t be punished for your actions.”

“But, I…”

The man glanced at his watch. “Well, I’m afraid our time for today is done. Perhaps I’ll see you some other time. Wonderful talk with you, Batoy.” As Hulett stacked his papers and rose, Batoy only gave a grunt, his mind elsewhere. Something? What something was supposed to happen? It wasn’t until he’d been escorted back to his cell that he snapped back into reality. He found himself on the bed, staring absently as the ceiling.

All sense of time had left him. As Batoy looked out through the outside bars of his cell, the sky looked at dark and turbulent as ever. What time was it? Morning? Evening? How many hours had passed? He didn’t know anymore. “Why’s it have to be like this…” he mumbled to himself. “Why am I even here? What did I do? I don’t understand at all….” He looked away from the bars and stared at the ceiling. He’d only been doing what he’d been told, hadn’t he? Did he make a mistake? What had happened? The wind howled, blowing droplets in to occasionally splash against his cheek, which he brushed away with a groan. It was cold, very cold. He briefly contemplated ramming his head against the bars until it split open, only to resign himself to the fact that he’d never have the gall to actually kill himself.

Hours passed, and Batoy resigned himself to an uneasy sleep on the small bed. For the first time in ages, his sleep was nothing, devoid of the adventures he wished he could have. Journeys to take, Gym Leaders to fight, places to explore, friends to make. He wanted that. But here there was nothing. Unceasingly, the rain came down hard, mist floating through the open bars and coating everything with little droplets of water. The air was chilly, and in his sleep, Batoy shivered.

The sound of an opening door stirred Batoy into awakening. “H-Huh? What now?” Two uniformed men stepped through, their boots smacking on the wet floor. “What… do you want?” he asked, a nervous tingle growing in his stomach. The two men beckoned him to rise. “We’re going to gather your belongings. You’re being bailed out.”

A look of surprise claimed him. “Wha… bailed out?” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. How long had he been in here? A week, right? Hulett had mentioned eight days. It might have been August already. Had that been enough time? “What belongings?” Batoy mumbled to himself. He had nothing but what he carried in his pockets. Instead, after a moment’s hesitation he scooped up the Eevee into his arms as gently as he could as if not to wake it. She was limp. “…Meta…” he mumbled, yet the Eevee did not even twitch. A wave of disappointment fell over him. It smelled pungent. He trudged out of his damp, dank cell, escorted by the men, a dark shadow draped over his face.

They passed through the halls again, but Batoy slowed for a moment. He could hear voices, loud, shouting. They were coming from a door that was partially ajar. As they approached, the voices became clearer.

“…Not going to ask you again! Where did you hide the PGTC-012x chip?!”

“I didn’t take anything! I told you, I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“Don’t lie to us! Red hair, red hoodie, an electric Pokemon, you’re the one who’s been matched to these crimes. There is indisputable evidence supporting this!”

“But I didn’t do it!”

As Batoy walked by, he caught a glimpse though the door before it was closed. The boy sitting in the chair could have posed as his twin in a look-alike contest. Red headed, he seemed to be a few inches taller than Batoy, and his eyes were a striking emerald green. For a second, their eyes locked, and Batoy felt an immense shiver flow through him and quickly looked away. In that one glance, there had been so much hatred and contempt, as well as utter helplessness. They walked off, Batoy trying to shake the linger feeling.

This time it wasn’t an interrogation chamber which Batoy was led to, but a well-lit reception room. The entrance doors were made of glass, and he could see the outside drizzling lightly. There weren’t many people around, at least not many that were Batoy’s age. There was one spiky dark-headed boy about eighteen who caught his eye. He was close to the side, silent while an official spoke to him. But that wasn’t what interested Batoy the most. There on the boy’s sleeve was small, almost unnoticeable emblem, a circle with two ‘bones’ sticking out underneath it and a small point on the top. Suddenly, the boy glanced up, and their eyes met. A shiver passed though Batoy and he turned his head and continued walking. He’d seen those eyes before, but didn’t know where.

He was led into a small waiting room where Hulett and a brown-haired woman in a maroon blouse and tunic were waiting, sitting at a circular table. On that table was a tray, on which were four Pokeballs he instantly recognized as his own, though two others were missing. As he approached, Batoy ducked his head and avoided the woman’s sight. He was directed to a seat right next to her, and he sat down, the Eevee still cradled in his arms. Hulett took a seat opposite of them. “You’re a very lucky boy,” he stated calmly, though his right brow twitched slightly.

Batoy bit his lip and glanced up sheepishly at the woman beside him. She did not return the glance. “Thank you for finding and taking care of Batoy for us. I assure you, his actions will be met with the appropriate consequences,” the woman said without a rise in emotion, causing Batoy to shy away. He sighed and reached forward, pulling the tray closer to him. The Pokeballs were quickly pocketed.

An exchange between the official and the woman went on for a few moments before Hulett began to rise. He seemed troubled about something, yet kept it covered for the most part. “Remember kid, theft gives you a pretty bad record, regardless of the reasons. No matter how you think your home life is, you can’t run away from it. Hope things look up for you, kid,” he said. Batoy nodded.

The woman turned to leave and Batoy followed suit. The woman moved swiftly, and Batoy trotted behind her until they’d reached the outdoors. There were heavily wooded mountains surrounding the center, the farthest of which were hidden by the thick thunderous clouds over the horizon. Winding about those mountains was a single road. The skies overhead had broken up considerably, and the sun shone brightly through the mixture of low cumulus and high cirrus clouds. Batoy sighed as he soaked up the warm rays. “Wow… it feels wonderful out here…” he muttered softly to himself, but there was a bit of emptiness inside.

“Batoy, come on!” The boy snapped out of his daze, and scampered over to the woman. She’d already taken her seat in a sleek blue convertible. He slipped into the passenger seat, the Eevee in his lap, and they took off with great speed. Within moments, the Penal Center was out of sight, and the hover-car was racing away from the low mountains and over water. For several hours, they rode in silence, passing in and out of Jubilife City. New mountains appeared in the horizon. A growing anxiety grew within Batoy’s gut.

“L-Liz?” he asked nervously, glancing up at the expressionless woman.

She responded neither with speech or look for several moments. Her massive amount of deep black hair whipped in the winds of the open-canopy vehicle. Finally, without a glance, she spoke. “How’s Meta?” she asked without the least bit of concern audible.

Batoy glanced down at the unmoving Pokemon. “W-Well… I don’t know… she needs medical attention really badly. Can’t we please go to a Pokemon Center? They wouldn’t heal her!”

The woman, Lizbeth, went silent. The road tamed a bit and began to incline. “Did she fight well? Did you log her progression?”

“She was in pain!” Batoy said, his face scrunched up in hopeless anger. “She hated me for letting you do that to her!” He tightened his hold around the Eevee, holding her to his chest.

“You’re the one who volunteered her,” Lizbeth said blankly, and there was silence again. She glanced down. “Why do you always do this?” she asked eventually, the answer already known to her.

The boy glanced down, shame radiating from him. “I don’t… know what you’re talking about.”

The woman shook her head. “Batoy, don’t try to fool me. You keep volunteering for these things and then backing out of them, making things hard for everyone. Did anyone stop you from retrieving the Pokemon Castform?”

His head went down. “Well… no, but…”

Lizbeth sighed, and gave Batoy a quick glance, and for once Batoy wished she hadn’t. “You’re young, I know, and I’m sure you mean well, Batoy, but my superiors are getting very impatient with your lack of success. I don’t know why you chose to release that Castform rather than turn it over, but such things effect my reputation as well as yours.”

“B-But, Liz!! I’m really, really trying! I know I screwed up over Luft, but I just couldn’t let them do to him what they did to Meta! It just hurt so bad to think that he’d have to go through the same thing…” Batoy said, his fingers starting to dig into the Eevee. “I didn’t mean to mess up, but I…!”

His pleading was silenced by a stern look from Lizbeth. “I’m holding my neck out for you, Batoy, did you know that? These jobs are not subject to your emotions. You’re volunteering for them, and you need to see them completed. Now, I know you. You’ve always been good at hiding things. Where’s the chip?"

Butterflies fluttered in his gut. "I… I stuffed it into one of the inside pockets of my pants…." Batoy said meekly. He felt sick. Why hadn’t he told her where it really was? “Um… Liz… what happened on Leena Island?”

Lizbeth was silent for a moment before casting another half-glance towards Batoy. “Where’d you hear about that?”

“Well… back at that place… I overheard them talking about it, but… I don’t know where it is….”

“Well…” Lizbeth licked her lips. “Leena Island is… or was… a small island south-south-west of Cinnabar Island. It wouldn’t have been noticeable, really; a small village population, an extinct volcano, tropical fauna and whatnot, except there was an abnormally large Magmar population there. But unfortunately, Team Aqua caught wind of our plans to establish a base there, and contacted the military who… somehow managed to erase the island from the map. When we arrived, there was total devastation. Half the island had disappeared beneath the waves. No one survived, and what remained above the surface had been scorched. To survive an encounter with the military is a blessing by the grace of God.”

Batoy clutched Meta to his chest. “One of us, at least… what am I gonna do now?”

“Well, you’re going to have to deliver that chip to Brand. He’s in Eterna City at the moment. It’s on the north end of these mountains.” Batoy’s eye twitched slightly, something she caught rather easily. “I know you don’t want to, but that’s who you must report to. Don’t go to anyone else, and don’t give that chip to anyone else.”

The car slowed to a halt along the side of the road. The wooded areas had returned; the massive pine trees reached high into the air. A sweet aroma drifted through the air. Batoy glanced around, unsure of why they’d stopped. “Huh? What’re we doing here? What about Meta?” Lizbeth motioned him out of the vehicle; he complied reluctantly, the Eevee cradled in his arms. She circled around the back, pulling a backpack out.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take you into Eterna City, so you’ll have to go through this forest to reach it. We’re just outside Floaroma Town. I need to head south to take care of business.” She handed the backpack to Batoy. “Just head northeast from here and you should reach it within a day. The backpack has food for you and your Pokemon. You should be okay. And take care of… that. It’s dead,” she said, pointing towards the Eevee.

He tried to say something, but the words got caught in Batoy’s throat and he could only nod, clutching the Eevee tightly against him. He pulled the backpack up on his shoulders; it was only slightly heavy, something he could get used to in a few moments.

Lizbeth made her way back into the car. “Don’t get caught, Batoy. Our jobs are on the line.”

Batoy watched as she disappeared from sight. “I won’t… you wouldn’t care anyways….” The sudden quiet left him feeling insecure and lonely. He glanced up at the mountainous terrain around him and stared at the giant trees. The trees were spaced apart, and their trunks were thick, their branches high. It’d be easy to progress through if he kept to the natural trails. The haunting song of the wind as it passed through the canopy reached Batoy’s ears, and after shivering, he started forward. Did he know where he was going? No. But if he just kept going forward, he’d reach someplace eventually.

Is Meta dead or not? =[ There hasn't been a straight answer! Can I be there for the burial? :c

Once again never ceasing to amaze us. More now! =D

Meta needs a max revive. Not even Kit suffered like that. And she's died a couple of times. You're pretty rough on your characters.

And I love it. >:3

Just one, you said characters implying that she abuses all her Pokemon! Only Meta :c

I mean (s)he makes things hard on his/her characters. The meanest I've ever done was have Guro, Kit's uncle, kill a lot of people. Violently.

I name my characters accordingly.

I've had mine participate in a large scale battle. That's as violent as I can get without someone saying I'm crazy. :c So has they're been a trend of releases can we expect next week? :D

A day had passed, marked clearly by the darkening of the canopy and the faint twinkle of those few stars whose pale light managed to slip between the rough barriers of the branches. And then, as Batoy sat against a tree and watched, the dark skies lightened again, pearling with the rising of the sun. The evening showers never came, though their thunder towards the west constantly loomed, threatening to overtake him with a violent deluge. But as Batoy climbed back to his feet and trekked on, he couldn’t help but feel that gnawing, unnerving gut-burning feeling that he was being watched.

A foul, pungent odor wafted up from Eevee, and it took everything in Batoy’s power to ignore that terrible stench and refrain from tossing the dead creature. It would have been simple, of course, but his other Pokemon hadn’t been alerted to this development. In truth, Batoy didn’t want them to know. He imagined the look on Ollie’s face and shook his head. Wouldn’t it have been so simple to pretend it had never happened? No, they had the right to know. Better now than later. Batoy shook his head. He was disgusted at his own thoughts. It wasn’t right. This had been his fault, and he had to suffer the consequences of it, whatever they might be.

Biting his lip, Batoy came to a halt and set the Eevee down next to a wilted sapling that had sprouted too close to the base of its parent tree. He backed away before taking a deep breath, withdrawing two Pokeballs and releasing the Pokemon inside. The first to materialize was Ollie. The Jolteon flicked his ears before yawning, stretching out his back, the hairs on his back bristling as a surge of electricity rippled through his body. The second was an Eevee like Meta, yet had the natural colors of the species. The Eevee sat on his haunches and pawed lightly at his ears, doing a quick grooming session before looking around curiously. It wasn’t often that he was called out.

There was no easy way Batoy could have told the two Pokemon about the death of their sister, but any way would have been better than what happened. The Eevee’s nose wrinkled at a strange and terrible scent, and he turned. ~V-Vee…?~ the little Pokemon stammered, his voice caught in his throat. Curious at the actions of his brother, Ollie turned as well, and Batoy only closed his eyes at the dreadful yelps that followed. His heart beat quickly, and he couldn’t even imagine the depth of their pain.

The sizzle of electricity caught his ears, and he looked up to see Ollie desperately shocking the Eevee’s body. ~Jol! Jolte!~ he cried, blue waves of crackling energy washing over the little fox’s body. “Ollie…” Batoy sighed, but the Jolteon only tried harder, increasing the flow of electricity. He paused to pant, before trying yet again. Batoy moved closer, and as gently as he could, wrapped his arms around the spiky Pokemon’s neck. His body went numb from the electricity, but he only pressed harder against the Jolteon, the furry spikes sharply pricking against his body. “It’ll be okay,” Batoy whispered into his ear, the numbing pain washing over his body strangely comforting. Maybe this could be his punishment. He could die and all the guilt would go away. “It would be easy…” Batoy’s vision slowly faded to white.

The skies had darkened considerably when Batoy finally awoke to a semi-moist nosing in his ear. “Urgh… huh? Manual?” he stuttered as the Eevee pulled away. The boy slowly rose to his knees and rubbed his head. Had he really been out so long? He gazed passed Manual and looked at Ollie, who sat unmoving, perched over the Eevee’s body. The Jolteon’s ears folded back and it gave a low whimper that sputtered into nothing. A ripple of electricity surged from his back to between his ears before flickering out. The Eevee sighed and approached his older brother. ~Vee~ he cooed, nuzzling against Ollie’s leg, and the Jolteon shivered.

“Hey…” Batoy started, but he was uncertain how to continue. He felt clueless and impersonal. The two Pokemon looked at him. “If… you hate me… you… can do whatever you want. I’m so very sorry….” Manual only blinked, but it was Ollie who stood up and went to him. The Jolteon trudged slowly, his head and nigh invisible tail hung low, and when he reached Batoy, laid his head on the boy’s arm. Batoy scratched gently behind Ollie’s ears. The Jolteon’s fur had softened again, and Batoy pulled him into a hug again.

“I know…” he said softly, “that there isn’t anything I can say… or do… that would make this easier… I know I could’ve done more… or done something differently. I just… hope you’ll forgive me….” Batoy tightened his hug around Ollie’s neck, and the Jolteon sniffled, but nuzzled against him. Batoy smiled softly, his eyes tearing again. “Thank you so much, Ollie.”

Manual splayed his ears as he made his way back with the other two. His young mind hadn’t quite comprehended the fact that his older sister was gone forever, but his heart ached terribly. ~Ee…vee…~ Tugging both Pokemon close to him, Batoy sighed. A cool breeze passed through the trees, and he couldn’t help but shiver. How long had he been out here? A day? Two? Brand would probably be peeved at him again. “I really don’t want to go there…” Batoy moaned as he stood up. He just had the sudden urge to be out of the mountains. “I’m just gonna get yelled at again. But I guess I gotta go there. C’mon, guys….”

Reluctantly, Batoy began to head north again, and Ollie and Manual followed. Not one looked back towards the Eevee, and though Manual tried, a soft bark from Ollie set him ahead again. Manual teared up and bounded in front of them in a huff, leaving Ollie to sigh and shake his head. ~Jolt…eon…~ he murred, and Batoy only stayed silent. Both refused to turn around. If they looked back, they’d never leave.

The sky darkened, and than began to grow lighter as the three moved through the mountains. By the midday, Batoy was beat, and the two brothers were panting heavily. “Hey… think we should… take a little break?” he asked between breaths, and both Pokemon nodded. Batoy collapsed against a particularly tall tree, his mind already threatening to drift. He stifled a yawn, and glanced up at the high branches of the canopy. Through the leaves, he could see the faint glow of the sun through thin almost misty stratus. A large brown owl sat on one of the lower branches, its eyes closed. The crest on its forehead waved with the gentle wind. “Heh… Noctowl…” Batoy mumbled. When was the last time he’d seen one of those? He zoned out and slept dreamlessly for a few hours.

Waking again, he glanced around, looking for other wild Pokemon. Here and there, attached firmly to the bark of an oak by tight silk strands, were cocoons of all colors, green, yellow, white and purple. How had he not noticed them before? The cocoons were high, not easily reached by the passing ground-dweller. The faint flutter of wings caught his attention, and he looked to see a Beautifly tending one of the white cocoons, probing at it with her proboscis.

Suspended from the lowest branches, he could see the cones of the conifer trees, and among those, odd teal ones that shivered occasionally. “Pineco,” Batoy said, grinning. He’d never seen one before. Other than in the Safari Zone back home, he didn’t know that they were found anywhere else. Close to one of the Pineco, an orange-red bug, Paras, shuffled along slowly, the mushrooms on her back scattering small yellow spores. The Pineco began to spin and the powder was dispersed.

Not too far away from the Pineco, suspended from the lower branches of some of the lesser developed sapling oaks, were a bunch of creatures Batoy had never seen before. With grayish bodies surrounded by browning pine needles, they swayed gently from the branches with curled tendrils. Burmy were their names.

It was while watching these Pokemon that Batoy noticed something rather peculiar. On one of the branches, staring in his direction was a white bird with small blue stripes on its large wings and a long yellow beak with a black tip. “What the… that shouldn’t be here…” Batoy muttered as he stared at the bird. A sense of anxiety climbed into his gut. Wingulls weren’t forest Pokemon; they weren’t well equipped to fly without the thermals found out in open sky over the sea. But yet, here was one, and it was staring at him.

“Um… hey, guys?” Batoy said softly, looking at the two brothers. Both were asleep, Manual on top of his brother, and only begrudgingly did they rise from their exhausted slumber at Batoy’s voice. ~Jol…~ Ollie moaned as he yawned, and Manual flicked his ears and wiped his snout with a paw, rolling off the Jolteon. “I think we better get out of here… I’m starting to get a bad feeling about this.”

But as Batoy rose to his feet, the Wingull suddenly made an awful cawing, a cawing that started and did not stop. Gritting his teeth, Batoy growled at the source. “Hey! Cut it out!” he yelled, but the gull continued its raucous noise. Those Pokemon that could move, the Beautifly, the Paras, the once-sleeping Noctowl, all moved away; even the Pineco and Burmy began a migration to another tree. Batoy growled again. The gull did not seem to be stopping. “Ollie! Try to take it out! Thundershock!”

Annoyed by the bird’s caucus racket, Ollie leapt into a crouch, his dark violet eyes glowing yellow as a tiny sparks leapt across his spines, a popping sound growing louder with each second until his entire body was aglow with a flicking aura. He arched his back, and with a great snapping sound, sent three static bolts racing towards the Wingull. But the bird leapt from its branch, cawing even louder now, and the sparks of lightning passed by its wing, sailing into the sky. “Try again, Thundershock!” But the Wingull just circled around, dodging attack after attack, before finally making a pass. A blue orb collected in its beak, and as the Wingull passed over the Jolteon, it released several pulses of water in the shape of swirling rings which collided with the yellow fox, knocking him on his side.

Growling at the attack on his brother, Manual stepped up, watching the Wingull’s pattern before he ran forward towards a low hanging branch. Leaping on that, he took to the trees, leaping from branch to branch until he’d gained some ground on the Wingull. The ocean bird swung underneath, and the Eevee leapt off with a sharp cry, his claws aimed for the Wingull’s back. But the bird banked suddenly, and Manual grunted as he landed roughly. The Eevee made his way next to Ollie, who was climbing back to his paws. The Wingull began to swirl around the two Pokemon, its wings glowing in a cyan light. It moved faster and faster, kicking up dead pine needles, until a raging twister surrounded the two Pokemon, battering them with debris. Batoy grunted, holding an arm out to protect his face from the wind and flying objects. “C’mon, guys! You can break free! Manual, Focus!”

His paws sinking into the ground, Manual growled and an orange aura began to creep around his fur, almost like it’d been set on fire. The Eevee’s eyes narrowed as they shimmered. “Alright, go, Quick Attack!” The Eevee sprang forward, bursting free of the whirlwind. With supernatural speed, he sprang from limb to limb, headbutting the Wingull and knocking it off course. The twister immediately dispersed, and Manual sighed in relief. The flying bird squawked bitterly before gliding off. Batoy made his way to Ollie, who’d been cowering with his paws over his head, whimpering. “Shh, shh, it’s okay now Ollie. It’s gone now. Do you want to go back inside your ball?” The shivering Jolteon climbed to his feet and shook his head, sparking angrily at the Wingull.

Sighing, Batoy looked in the direction in which the Wingull fled. There were no bodies of water nearby, so only one possibility for this strange occurrence existed. “Okay, we gotta get out of here,” he said, more anxious than before. The two Pokemon nodded. But the three of them had only taken a few steps before a blue orb, almost blindingly fast, shot past them, slamming into one of the giant oaks and splattering it with a chocolate-colored mud. Batoy turned to see a pale blue creature with small beady eyes and a large, flat tail and gulping mouth. Behind it stood a large red crab, a yellow star on its forehead which also brandished several wicked looking horns. Three humans stood there as well, two men and a woman in the lead, all dressed in blue slacks and blue vests with a white undershirt. On the woman’s outstretched copper-skinned arm, the Wingull perched, munching on a yellowish Sitrus berry.

“Did this little brat hurt you, my little Gully?” the woman cooed, just loud enough for Batoy to hear. The Wingull gave a pathetic screech, and Manual growled. He hadn’t managed to land that damaging of a hit, and yet that Wingull was clowning around like it’d seen death. The woman glanced back towards Batoy, a smirk on her face. “You know who we are, and we know who you are,” she said, stepping forward. “You have something I want, and you’re going to give it to me. If you don’t, well…you won’t like the consequences.”

“Aqua… what’re they doing here? I don’t have time to deal with this…” Batoy muttered to himself before looking at Manual. “Hey, think you can make a quick distraction?” he whispered, and the Eevee nodded before crouching. The Quagsire and Crawdaunt stepped forward, but their advance circumvented when a brown streak shot by them, slamming into the woman and knocking her to her back. “Okay, cool!” he said as the Eevee retreated beside him. He grinned before turning and running. Ollie followed, and moments later, Manual as well.

The woman cursed, holding her gut where the Eevee had rammed her. “Nugh… damned Eevee… I’ll kill that thing.”

One of the men stepped forward, offering his hand. “Ms. Alisha, ma’am, he cannot head far in that direction. If we give pursuit, we may be able to corner him on the plateau.”

Alisha nodded, climbing to her feet. “Right. Take Quagsire and approach from the eastern direction. I’ll come from the south with Crawdaunt.”

Scuffling through the undergrowth of the oak forest, the two brothers leaping in stride, Batoy finally pushed into the open area of the plateau. What would have been a magnificent sight under any other circumstance came into view, but Batoy was far too bothered to noticed the gorgeous snow-capped mountains and deep ravines. The only thing he saw was, nestled next to the forest, a vast collection of buildings and homes. “Is that it? Eterna City?” he asked no one in particular. It didn’t seem too far away. Of course, that was as the Pidgey flies. It would take him another day to find a path down into the ravine. And he just didn’t have that kind of time.

“Now, you know you’ll get a really good view if you step forward,” the woman’s voice suddenly called out, and Batoy started so suddenly that he nearly lost his balance; something that would have sent him careening over the edge. He turned to see the woman posed, a smirk on her face. Just in front of her, its claws snapping menacingly, the Crawdaunt stood, its eyes stuck in a glare. “Let’s end this right now,” she said smugly. “You won’t escape from us, so you might as well spare us both the time and energy.”

Batoy turned towards the east, but that direction was blocked as well. The Quagsire, its flat tail thumping against the ground, strolled to meet with the Crawdaunt, blocking any possible avenue of escape. “Who… who are you? What do you want with me?” Manual strolled in front of him, crouched low, his ears flattened. His fur bristled. Behind him, Ollie whimpered. Batoy winced at the noise and lowered, rubbing the Jolteon’s back. “Don’t worry, Ollie,” he whispered. “You don’t have to fight. We’ll find some way to get through this.”

“Honestly, must we really go through such introductions? Fine. My name is Alisha. You needn’t remember it. You have something that we want. I’m here to retrieve it. It’s really that simple.” Alisha snapped her fingers, the loud pop reverberating around the mountains. The Crawdaunt stepped forward, one of its sharp forelegs piercing the ground. “So you really only have one choice, which, I suppose, isn’t much of a choice at all.”

Batoy gritted his teeth. “Well, Manual… I guess it’s about time we used our last resort…” he whispered. The Crawdaunt took another step forward, and that was all Manual needed to start the attack. His haunches rose into the air before he kicked off, racing towards the Crawdaunt at impressive speeds. But that approach was put to a brutal halt as the Crawdaunt’s claws swirled with a light blue light. The Eevee’s rush was met with one of the large claws, sending Manual flying backwards with a pained yelp. The Quagsire, already quick on the action, intercepted Manual as he was knocked back, his large tail slamming into the poor Eevee. Manual was flung back towards the Crawdaunt, who brought its other claw to bear, and with that powerful Crabhammer, sent Manual hurtling back towards Batoy. The Eevee crashed and skidded against the ground, flipping and tumbling haphazardly. He landed at Ollie’s paws, totally unconscious and unmoving, a slight amount of blood trickling from his muzzle.

Batoy had scarcely sank down to scoop up the Eevee before Ollie leapt forward. His fur sparked angrily as he fired his Thundershock, but the Quagsire merely took the attack, sparks glancing harmlessly of its body. Crawdaunt strolled to the sides, its pincers opening and a thick stream of bubbles pulsing outwards. Ollie crouched to leap, but as he did, the Quagsire’s maw opened, spitting out several blue orbs that quickly collided into the Jolteon, exploding into a shower of mud as they did so. The Bubblebeam from the Crawdaunt slammed into the ground close to Batoy, nearly causing him to teeter back. Ollie landed haphazardly, barely able to keep his balance on the mud, but a combined attack of Mud Shot and Bubblebeam slammed into his side, sending him sprawling next to Batoy in not much better a condition than his brother. Batoy hunched down, laying a hand on the Jolteon, his mouth agape and his eyes wide and shocked. “Ollie, not you, too?! Guys, are you alright? C’mon, hang in there!”

Alisha gave a sigh as she snapped her fingers again, and the two water Pokemon suddenly pulled back. “See, what did I say?” she said nonchalantly as Batoy tried to rouse his fallen Pokemon. “This wasn’t necessary, but oh well.”

Failing to awaken either Pokemon, Batoy recalled both of them. By this time, he was distraught. He gritted his teeth and stood up, backing up slightly. The edge of his heel grazed the edge of the ravine, bringing him to a forced stop. Any further and he would have toppled over the edge. A good five stories separated him from the tops of the lower oaks. Only with luck could he live through such a fall. “Darn it…” he muttered, his hand reaching into his pockets. There was no way Jet could handle two of them at once, not two water types. “Fine, I give up… what do you want?”

“We’ve been over this before,” Alisha said, her voice sharper with annoyance. “Can’t you at least pretend to have some intelligence? Give us the microchip you have in your possession and we’ll be on our way. There’s already been muss and fuss, and I rather not deal with it anymore.”

How did they know that? How did they know where he was? Batoy’s fingers stroked Jet’s ball inside his pocket. He’d come so far, Eterna City was just a few kilometers away. He could see it. He couldn’t give up now. “I…” A low rumble, almost like distant thunder, cut off his sentence. The ground beneath him began to quiver as fractures spread through the ground from where the Bubblebeam had connected. And before he could take a single step from where he stood, the ground around Batoy gave way, sending the boy down the side of the cliff with an avalanche of rocks. As he fell, he heard a sharp, angry cry of frustration.

A grim calm overcame Batoy as he watched the canopy race towards him at increasing speeds. It seemed almost like slow motion. There was no way he’d be able to grab a hold of the cliff without breaking his arms. Even if he managed to land in one of the tall trees, he’d be so high that he could never get down. He squeezed his eyes closed. He didn’t want to see death come. Even when he heard one of the larger rocks shatter against the cliff underneath him, he didn’t open his eyes.

A very rough landing met him as Batoy fell on something hard and metallic. He opened his eyes to find himself on the head of a massive steel snake, a Steelix. Had that been what he heard? But yet the serpent was still airborn, and rather than wonder how he’d gotten here, Batoy hung on for dear life as they passed into the canopy. His ears heard the splinter of wood against the heavy and huge beast. And then impact! Batoy was tossed from the Steelix’s head and landed roughly on his back, grunting but other than an aching pain that already started to fade, he was no worse for the wear. He picked himself up. “Nugh… what happened…”

“Well, had it not been for my Steelix, you probably would’ve been dead.”

The voice caught Batoy’s attention and he turned to see a familiar face. “H-Hey… you’re that guy from before…you were at the jail, weren’t you?” Though dressed in a pair of jeans and a blue polo shirt, Batoy still recognized him as the same guy. The one from the room that had given him such a hateful look.

“That would be me,” he said, his eyes dark and unreadable. “You’re the one who’s to blame for me staying in that horrible place.” Ignoring Batoy’s falling expression, the boy raised a blue sphere with two red stripes and recalled the Steelix.

Finally looking up, Batoy nodded slowly. “…Uh… sorry about that, I guess…” he stammered, honestly at a lost for words. “Um… anyways, thanks a lot, pal, but I gotta get going.” He took a moment to regain his sense of direction, but just as he took a step, the boy moved in front of him. “What the… Hey, c’mon, get out of the way… I really gotta go….”

“Your name’s Batoy, huh?” The boy’s dark eyes flickered. “I guess I kinda see the resemblance… so it wasn’t their total stupidity that got me confused with you,” he said, his arms crossed. Batoy grimaced, biting his lip. “I don’t know what you stole that got me into so much trouble, but if you give it to me, at least that would be worth something.” He smirked a bit.

Batoy lifted his eyes towards the canopy. He felt almost giddy now. “I really, really should’ve guessed… What’s with everybody and this damn thing anyways?!” he asked, his elation falling now. “How does everyone keep finding me? What do you all want with me?”

The boy gave him a look of contempt. “I’m surprised you don’t know. But then again, I guess if you did know, you wouldn’t have stolen it. What do you think it does?”

“I don’t care! I just wanna know why everyon