TEEN: Of Sand and Shadows

[HelloYellow17]

Hey, hi, hello! Thanks for swinging by, and welcome to my first fanfic!

I decided to write about one of my favorite Pokémon games of all time, Pokemon Colosseum. I hope you'll enjoy taking this ride with me as I retell this fantastic story. As this is my first attempt at any kind of novelization, helpful feedback and critiques are more than welcome!

Please be advised that this story will have minor swearing, scenes of violence and death, and depictions of both Pokemon and child abuse. If any of these are sensitive topics for you, please use your discretion.

Last but not least, obvious disclaimer is obvious: I do not own Pokémon, but I do own my OCs.

Chapter 1: Escape​

Some would say that "barren" and "Orre" were the same thing.

It would only take a brief view of the landscape to see why. The desert region sprawled for miles, seemingly without end, with little to no life in sight. The sun blazed down mercilessly on the copper sands as the winds whistled aimlessly across them. The only sign of life was the occasional tumbleweed that rolled lazily on by.

One thing disrupted the flat expanse: a series of cliffs, tucked away from the sands, which formed a narrow canyon. At this canyon's mouth sat a large building—or, at least, something that barely qualified as one. The structure, though massive, almost looked more like a pile of poorly assembled pipes and scrap metal than an actual building. Like its surroundings, this, too, was a quiet and still place, with only the howling canyon winds to break the silence.

It wouldn't be quiet for long.

BOOOOM!

An earth-rending explosion shattered the stillness. Flames burst from a section of the dilapidated building, followed shortly by screams. People in dark uniforms emerged from the blazing building, their faces masks of panic and confusion. Among the chaos, no one seemed to notice one person in particular dashing away from the scene, with two Pokémon sprinting at his side.

"Go, go, GO!" the young man shouted at his companions as he raced for a beat-up motorcycle parked on the desert sand. He sprang nimbly onto the seat, revved the engine, and glanced quickly into the sidecar, where his two partners should have been safely seated—only to find his Umbreon watching him tersely.

He glanced over his shoulder and found his Espeon a few yards away, yipping loudly at the people fleeing the burning building, tail waving triumphantly in the air. He didn't speak Pokémon, but the runaway figured if he did, he would be hearing a choice selection of colorful insults.

"Neo, you idiot-"

"Espi-esp, esp, esp! Es-SPI!?" The Espeon's barks cut short in a yap of surprise as his trainer hauled him off his feet and shoved him under one arm. He sprinted back to the motorcycle and dumped the creature rather unceremoniously into the sidecar next to his brother, ignoring the Pokémon's cries of indignation.

"LEO! I'LL KILL YOU, BOY!"

A terrifying roar of rage sounded from behind the trio, and the trainer turned his head to see his least favorite person in the world: a massive, hulking man with no hair (though he made up for that with an impressive beard and eyebrows), charging straight toward them, his face red and contorted with unfathomable fury. Several others, clad in dark clothing like the rest, flanked him on either side.

Anger and bitter satisfaction alike swelled inside the trainer's chest. He faced his now-former boss with a growl.

"If you're going to threaten me," he said, "call me by my real name." He sneered. "It's Wes, by the way. In case you forgot."

The man roared again, this time too incensed to form any words. He barreled toward the trainer and his Pokémon with a murderous expression, but this wasn't Wes' main cause of concern: a flash of light emerged from a Pokéball at the man's belt and took the shape of a metallic bird. The Pokémon spread its wings, emitted a blood-curdling screech, and took to the sky.

It was time to go.

The motorcycle engine started with a roar, and in one smooth motion, Wes swept astride the motorcycle. He raised his left arm high above his head, sunlight glinting off a strange metal contraption that encased it. Holding a small remote in his hand, he looked his boss dead in the eye, smirked, and pressed the button.

KA-BOOOM!

The second explosion was, if possible, even more impressive than the first, and nearly knocked every bystander off their feet. The giant man's bellows of rage were drowned out by a monstrous roar as the motorcycle kicked into gear. Its rider slammed on the gas and he launched the bike forward, narrowly missing a dive-bomb from the enraged Skarmory, and soon the crowd of people were left in the dust.

Skarmory flew overhead, shrieking horribly as it gave chase. Wes shouted a command to his Pokémon, but he needn't have bothered—his Espeon had already charged up a Psybeam and fired it at his foe.

A metallic clang followed by another agonized screech told Wes that the Psybeam hit its mark. He glanced over his shoulder to see the bird tumbling out of the sky and down to the sands below.

He laughed and let out a whoop of celebration, his companions joining in with triumphant cries, and the trio plowed through the desert until the base and its inhabitants were long out of sight.

——————————————​

The sun was sinking below the horizon and the temperatures had started to drop by the time their destination came into view: an old, rusty, seemingly abandoned train car. Near the door, a wooden sign swung lazily in the desert breeze. On its face, it read: OUTSKIRT STAND. The crusty thing had been converted into a diner, and though it wasn't much to look at, it was a place Wes was familiar with. Most importantly, it was a place where they would be safe for the night.

He hoped.

The motorcycle puttered to a halt as Wes pulled up to the establishment. Dim lights shone through the train car windows as old Western music hummed from an outdoor speaker. Wes stood and stretched his limbs—speeding through the desert for hours did his joints no favors—as his Pokémon followed suit, leaping nimbly from the vehicle and stretching their lithe bodies.

"All right, who's hungry?" He pushed his mirrored goggles off his face and into his sandy hair, revealing a pair of golden-colored eyes, and grinned at the two Eeveelutions. His Umbreon gave a yip of hearty affirmation. His Espeon, on the other hand, squinted at him, then sniffed airily and turned his head away from his trainer.

"Spi."

Wes heaved a weary sigh. He crouched down in front of his Espeon to be eye level with him despite the fact that the Pokémon was pointedly avoiding his gaze. "Neo. Is this about me manhandling you back there?"

The Pokémon, Neo, irritably flicked his tail in response.

Another sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. But there's a time and a place for gloating over a victory, and doing so while escaping from an exploding building is not it."

Neo flicked his ears back and looked at the ground, looking slightly abashed. "Esp." He then looked back up at his trainer with a small glare. "Espi-esp!"

"I know, I shouldn't have been so rough. I'm sorry, bud, really. How can I make it up to you?" Wes glanced at the Outskirt Stand, then back at his Pokémon with a sly grin. "How about I get you a whole plate of bacon and we call it even. Truce?"

Neo's eyes grew wide and he leaped to his feet. "Es-PI!" He waved his tail excitedly in the air, all injuries to his pride forgotten.

"Bri!" There was a reproachful bark from the Umbreon.

Wes rolled his eyes, but was still grinning despite himself. "Fine, fine, bacon for everybody. Don't get used to it though, you hear? This is a one-time deal."

He wasn't sure if they heard the last line, as they were already bounding excitedly to the entrance of the train car. Wes snorted in exasperated amusement, then followed his companions into the warmth of the diner.

—————————————​

Muffled cries, the screams of Pokémon, a child sobbing quietly in a corner - images and sounds flickered and blurred together, one coming right after the other as if in a disorganized photo reel.

A flicker, and there was a dark room, in which a child was sobbing over the limp form of a Pokémon's body. He looked up, tear-stained face twisted with anger. "This is YOUR FAULT!" he screamed.

The scene dissolved into darkness, and a man's husky, menacing voice spoke in a snarl. "It's time you learned this lesson, boy."

Another shift, another dark room littered with Pokémon lying ominously still, limbs splayed out in awkward angles—and there was another voice, a kinder voice, accompanied by a sad, tired smile.

"Do good, kid."

He sat bolt upright with a gasp, drenched in sweat and shivering. Breathing heavily, he glanced around the room. It took a moment to remember where he was: Outskirt Stand. The diner cellar. A night's stay in the musty place, where he and his Pokémon would be hidden from prying eyes.

Safe.

"Dammit—" He buried his face in his trembling hands. Again, he thought shakily. Again. When in Arceus' name will they stop?

He felt a gentle nudge at his arm, and raised his head to see his Umbreon looking up at him with wide, concerned eyes. "Umbri?" The markings on his coat glowed softly, gently illuminating the dark, dusty cellar.

Wes forced a feeble smile and placed a hand on the sleek black head. "I'm okay, Novo. Just some more bad dreams, is all." Beside him, Neo stirred and stretched out his legs before relaxing back into sleep with a gentle purr.

Novo, unconvinced, bunted into his arm again with his head. He placed a paw on his trainer's lap, giving him a stern stare.

"I know it'll help, bud, but I've got to be able to sleep on my own sometime." Wes closed his eyes briefly. He was exhausted, and yet returning to sleep would undoubtedly mean more nightmares, more voices, more things he'd rather forget...he opened his eyes again and looked at his Umbreon. "All right...just one more night," he said wearily.

Novo purred in response and brushed his face against Wes' shoulder. The two sat in silence for a moment, Novo leaning into him as Wes stroked the Umbreon's sleek black fur. He paused at Novo's left side, fingers brushing at old scars that he knew were still there, despite the fact that they were nearly invisible under the dark coat.

More memories flashed through Wes' mind, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that followed. Novo, sensing his trainer's distress, chirped and brushed against him again. Wes sighed and finally laid back down in his sleeping bag, closing his eyes. His Umbreon touched his nose to his forehead and purred gently, using Hypnosis.

Just before drifting off to a dreamless sleep, Wes had one last coherent thought.

The sooner we leave this region, the better.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 2: Interference​

Wes was awakened the following morning by the sound of footsteps and chatter from the diner overhead. He sat up, stretched, and was slowly gathering his bearings when a familiar smell wafted to his nose...

Bacon.

He groaned. "Aw, hell—"

"ESPI!"

He was pushed flat on his back as his Espeon leaped at him, eyes wide, tail wagging in excitement. "Espi! Epsi, espi, espi, espi, espi!"

"No, Neo." Wes shoved the Pokémon off of him with a grumble. "I gave you and Novo plenty of bacon last night. One-time deal, remember?"

At the sound of his name and "bacon" being used in the same sentence, the Umbreon lifted his head and yawned. "Umbri?" He pricked his ears forward and gave his trainer a hopeful look.

"I said no, guys." He donned a teal trench coat that fell past his knees and began to pack up his belongings, pausing only to give them a stern look. "Last night was a special treat, but today we have to get on the road as quickly as possible, which means nothing fancy for breakfast. And that's final."

Naturally, not ten minutes later, he found himself sitting across from his Pokémon in the diner, watching them each chow down a fresh plate of bacon.

Despite all his griping, he did relish the opportunity to spoil his partners. Bacon—or any decent food, for that matter—was hard to come by, and therefore was practically a delicacy. Under normal circumstances, he would have had to resort to swiping table scraps for all three of them, but thanks to the cash he'd snatched from the hideout, he could afford to dote on his Pokémon just a little. After yesterday, he figured they deserved it anyway.

The diner was just as shabby on the inside as it was outside. Still, there was a homey feel about the place, peeling wallpaper and rusty metal windows notwithstanding. The smells of various breakfast foods drifted through the air while the signature Western music played quietly in the background. On the wall across from where they sat was a flatscreen TV, arguably the most modern thing about the place. It was showing some old, obscure cartoon that nobody seemed to be watching.

Through the grimy window next to their booth, Wes could see two men laughing and talking amongst themselves, seemingly rejuvenated after a hearty meal. They continued laughing as they entered their vehicle—an old hover truck of some sort. Neo paused from his feast to watch them intently, his ears pricked forward, eyes trained on a large burlap sack that rested in the truck bed. His gaze remained steadfastly fixed on them, and he only returned his attention to his plate after they drove away and out of sight.

Wes, meanwhile, had turned his attention elsewhere. He ate his breakfast quietly while discreetly scanning the occupants of the place. It was relatively empty, with only a middle-aged woman seated up front, dozing quietly in her booth, and a gruff-looking man stretched out at his own booth in the back, face obscured by his cowboy hat. The diner owner could be heard whistling from the kitchen behind the counter at the very front of the train car. No signs of immediate danger, it seemed. Still, he was anxious for them to be on their way.

"Here's the plan," he muttered quietly to his Pokémon. They both looked up at him from empty plates, licking the last remnants of bacon grease from their muzzles. "We'll head to Phenac to stock up on supplies, and head straight to Gateon from there. It'll take us a handful of days, but if we only stop for occasional breaks, we should make it in good time. And then, if all goes well, I can get a passport there and we'll be out of Orre. For good."

Those last two words felt like a breath of fresh air to him. They were so close now, he could almost taste it. Soon, very soon, they would be rid of this disease-ridden, Arceus-forsaken desert, and they would be free.

Neo chirped softly in agreement while his brother nodded, looking resolute. Wes couldn't help but smile softly and give them each a rub behind the ear. He'd never been much for people, but his partners more than made up for that. As far as he was concerned, there was no need for human company when his Pokémon were far and away better than any humans he'd bothered with.

"We bring this breaking news to you live from Eclo Canyon—"

A female reporter's voice blared suddenly from the TV and interrupted his thoughts. He turned his head and felt his chest freeze: raw footage was being displayed on the screen, footage of a familiar metal building, now reduced to shambles and a pile of smoking debris. The diner owner poked his head from the kitchen and, upon seeing the report, grabbed a remote from the counter and cranked up the volume. The woman up front snorted awake at the noise, and soon everyone present was watching intently.

"Reports of an explosion yesterday have led investigators and authorities to this building, which has now officially been confirmed as the home base for Team Snagem. The scene was already abandoned by the time authorities arrived, and no casualties have been confirmed. The cause of the explosion remains unknown.

"Team Snagem is infamous for its involvement in theft, property destruction, and Pokémon trafficking. Authorities have been unsuccessful in shutting down the organization..."

"Hah!"

Wes gave a start as the gruff man from the back barked out a laugh. "Serves 'em right, the rotten thieves! Shoulda blown the whole lot of 'em away!" He rose to his feet and stretched.

"Aye, I'll level with ya there." The owner nodded approvingly as he spoke, and the woman up front gave a disdainful sniff.

"I don't understand how authorities haven't at least made some progress," she said. "Whoever bombed that shack has done more than they have in thirty years!"

Wes turned back to his plate and inhaled deeply, willing his heart to stop racing so fast. He glanced uneasily at the metal sleeve that covered his left arm from his shoulder to his wrist. The existence of Snag Machines—particularly this Snag Machine—was not public knowledge, and his identity was safe for now.

At least, it should be...the bartender knew Wes as a regular, but not well enough to be suspicious. And, worst case scenario...Wes reached under his coat and brushed his fingers against the hilt of the knife he kept strapped to his belt. Well, "knife" was bit of a generous term for the thing—it was an old Skarmory feather that he'd strapped to a makeshift hilt. Not exactly the most conventional blade, but it had served its purpose on more than one occasion just fine.

The feather itself had come from none other than Gonzap's own Skarmory, and as much as Wes hated that bloodthirsty bird, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction at being able to weaponize part of something that had once terrorized him.

Yes...he, Neo and Novo had fought their way out of hell once, and they could fight their way out of this place if they needed to. Although, there was no need to resort to violence if it could be avoided. All he needed to do was get moving as quickly as possible—

"Howdy, stranger!" A hand clapped on his shoulder, and he found himself jumping again. Inwardly cursing, he turned his head to see the man from the back now standing beside him, grinning down at him. "Those are some mighty fine Pokémon ya got there!"

Wes shrugged off the man's hand and eyed him darkly. "Can I help you?" He growled.

The man chuckled and removed his hat, revealing a surprisingly young-looking face and a head of pink hair—pink hair? He offered a hand to the younger trainer. "Name's Willie. Yours?"

He did not shake his hand. "Wes," he answered curtly.

Willie withdrew his hand, though he didn't seem to take any offense from Wes' rudeness. "Mighty fine name. You come to these parts often?"

What did this man want from him? "On occasion," Wes said curtly.

His terse responses must have given Willie a clue, as he stepped back and tipped his hat to him. "Well, pardon me for interruptin' your meal. Was a pleasure meetin' you." He then walked up to the front counter to pay for his meal, then exited the diner.

Wes let out a breath and slowly eased his hold on the knife. He hadn't even realized he'd been gripping it so tightly.

He finished his meal quickly, his senses now on high alert after the newscast. It wouldn't do for them to stay here any longer.

He stepped into the bright sunlight after paying for his meal, then made straight for his motorcycle with Neo and Novo trotting happily on either side. He was halfway there when a shout stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey, stranger! Care for a battle before you go?"

Wes turned his head to see Willie leaning up against the diner, a cigarette in his hand and two Zigzagoon at his feet. The sunlight made his bright pink hair even more shocking to look at, and Wes quietly snorted to himself in disbelief. Pink hair. Unbelievable. Not that he had much of a right to mock strange hair color—his own was such a light, platinum blonde, it was often mistaken for silvery white. Still, at least he could blame genetics instead of poor decisions.

Willie eyed the metal contraption on his arm, but if the stranger thought anything of it, he said nothing. After all, eccentric fashion choices weren't unusual in Orre. The man did, however, squint his eyes a little as he observed the tattoo on Wes' face; a thin white line that went across the bridge of his nose from one cheekbone to the other. Wes was not unused to strange looks at his face, and while stares in general made him uneasy, he'd learned to shrug it off. Still, he sighed a little at the man's scrutinizing look. Speaking of bad decisions...but no, it was better this way. Tattoo or no, he would have been stared at anyway; his choices had been either a nasty scar or this tattoo to cover it up, and he'd chosen the latter.

Wes looked back at the man and shook his head. "No. We have somewhere to be—"

"Aw, don't be like that! We can make it quick." Willie gestured to his Pokémon. "They could really use the training, see."

Novo perked up his ears, and Neo flicked his tail, eyes gleaming with excitement. Wes supposed it had been a while since they'd had a chance to battle—properly, anyway. He figured battling while on the job for Snagem hadn't really counted, considering the main goal had been thievery and not victory.

But—no. He couldn't afford to waste time, not with Snagem at his heels, and especially not after that broadcast. The clock was ticking.

"I said no," Wes said a little more forcefully. "We don't have time for a battle. Sorry."

Willie looked disappointed, but he merely shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, can't be helped, I s'pose. You in a hurry, then?"

"Yes." Wes hopped on his vehicle and turned to face the man as his Pokémon followed behind. He noticed Neo glancing back at the Zigzagoon over his shoulder and walking with a particular swagger, as if attempting to flaunt his superiority to his would-be foes.

Show-off.

Novo remained calm and stoic as ever, faithfully watching his trainer for any commands as he settled next to his brother with a dignified air.

"Do you know the fastest route to Phenac from here?" Wes asked Willie.

"Phenac, eh? You gonna take on the Pre-Gym there? You certainly look tough enough." When Wes didn't reply, he shrugged and pointed the way. "Head that direction and you'll be there by early afternoon. It's mostly a straight shot."

Wes nodded his thanks. He was about to start his motorcycle when a thought occurred to him, and he turned back to the other trainer. "Hey."

"Yeah?" Willie grinned at him again. Such open friendliness from a total stranger. He was far too naive for this place.

"You should be more careful about who you challenge to battle. Your Pokémon are easy targets, and there are still plenty of Snaggers out there." He pulled his goggles over his eyes and gripped the handlebars tightly with gloved hands. "Don't pick fights you have no chance of winning." With that, the motorcycle roared to life and he drove off, leaving a bemused trainer in his wake.

————————————————​

Phenac City was often referred to as "the jewel of the desert", and it was easy to see why. Laid out in a circular pattern, with the tallest buildings at the northernmost top of the circle, the city gleamed with white stone and crystalline waterfalls flowing along the streets. The desert sun reflected off the sparkling water and white structures, making it blindingly bright to look at.

To Wes, it was a literal eyesore.

Perhaps he simply wasn't used to such pristine buildings and clean streets. His life had consisted of dirt, sweat, and rust, and none of those things seemed to belong in such a perfect place as Phenac. Plus, there was an air of false grandeur about the place that repulsed him, particularly in the way its citizens liked to flaunt Pokémon as symbols of status. Snagem may have shipped stolen Pokémon around like merchandise, but in Wes' opinion, Phenac was hardly any better. He'd preferred to avoid it on his previous missions if he could help it, but today's errands made it a necessary destination.

We won't be here for long, Wes told himself as he and his partners walked to the city gate. Just head to the market, grab supplies, and get back on the road. In and out. Simple.

The desert winds billowed the tails of his blue trench coat behind him as he, Neo, and Novo approached the city gate. Neo swatted playfully at the swaying fabric before bounding ahead to be at the front of the group, where he usually preferred to be.

They had just stepped through the entrance and started their way to the center of town when Wes saw the Espeon stop dead in his tracks. He didn't think much of it and continued walking; random things caught Neo's attention all the time. He did stop, however, when he heard a soft, alarmed chirp behind him. "Spi!"

Wes glanced over his shoulder to see his Espeon standing stiffly, fur on end. He was facing away from his trainer, ears forward, eyes focused on two men in the shadows near the city wall. They were hefting a large burlap sack between them, and were muttering under their breath, glancing about warily.

"Neo?" Wes asked quietly. He approached his Pokémon and knelt beside him, Novo close behind. "What's wrong?"

"Espi." Neo looked at Wes with wide eyes, then back at the men in the shadows. "Esp!"

Wes observed the pair with narrowed eyes. He vaguely recognized the truck parked against the wall and remembered seeing it briefly at the Outskirt Stand. He gave Neo a questioning look. The Espeon continued to stare forward, body rigid, and growled softly.

Perhaps it was obvious, or maybe Wes' personal history had taught him the signs; either way, it was clear to him that these men were not up to anything wholesome, and everything about their demeanor screamed, "shady business."

He got to his feet with a sigh and turned away. "Not our business, bud. We're here to get away from those kinds of people, remember?"

"Es-piiii!" He felt teeth tugging at the hem of his pants and saw Neo gripping the black fabric in his mouth, looking up at him with a pleading expression.

"What's the matter with you?" Wes asked irritably. Since when had his Espeon developed such a strong moral compass? "We can't stop every shady person in town. Leave that to authorities or something. Let's go."

"Bri, umbri." This time Novo chimed in, looking up at his trainer with urgency.

"Both of you, now?" Exasperated, Wes turned one last look at the suspicious men. They had set down the sack and now appeared to be quietly arguing with one another—but they weren't the ones who held his attention this time.

The burlap sack was moving.

"Oh, for Arceus' sake." He ran a hand through his sandy hair and looked down at Neo and Novo. "What, they have a Pokémon or something?" Neo's tail lashed, and Novo flattened his ears against his head. He frowned at them. "Not a Pokémon? Then what...?"

Oh.

He looked at the sack again. Whatever—no, whoever—was in the sack was struggling fiercely, which prompted a bark and a kick from one of the men.

Merciful Arceus, he thought. Kidnappers? In broad daylight? In Phenac City, no less? Even for Orre's standards, it was rather bold. He glanced back at his distressed Pokémon and sighed. They had come here for a pit stop, nothing more. They had a long road ahead, a city to get to, an unforgiving region to leave behind forever. He had absolutely no obligation to interfere in what was clearly a messy situation, especially considering they were in enough hot water as it was.

Let someone else handle it, he thought. Preferably someone who didn't have an entire gang of thugs out for their blood.

"Not our business," Wes said again, and turned away. "Let's go."

He only made it two steps before Neo sprang in front of him, fur bristling, giving his trainer a hard, burning stare. Novo stood cautiously at Wes' side; Wes knew the Umbreon would go along with whatever plan his trainer thought best, especially if it was the safer route. Neo, however, seemed to have his own agenda at the moment.

"Move."

"Esp."

The two glared each other down for a moment, Novo glancing between them. Wes had all but made up his mind to return Neo to his Pokéball when his brother stepped forward, cautiously moving between them, and looked intently into Wes' eyes.

"Oh, for the love of—" Wes turned on his heel and made his way towards the old hover truck, swearing under his breath. "Fine." His every instinct screamed at him to walk away and to never think about those men again, and as much as he wanted to listen, he couldn't bring himself to say no to the pleading stares of his Pokémon. "This is the only time, got it? Don't make me pretend to be some hero."

Neo and Novo chirped and strode eagerly at his heels.

Wes could hear their conversation as he approached. "Wha' do you mean, take a rest? We're almost there!"

"I'm tired, man. An' shouldn't we bunker down till nightfall anyhow? This lil scrap ain't making it easy for us, and I don't want to cause no scene." The second man glared down at the wriggling sack.

"I'll cause a scene!" The first man snarled. His eyes were shielded by his own pair of sunglasses, and some blonde hair could be seen poking out from under his dark beanie. "We're gonna cash in on this haul today, an' I don't care how tired you are! I ain't keeping this extra baggage longer than I have to!"

"Pipe down, Trudly!" his partner hissed. "We can't go around shoutin' our business, someone might hear us—"

"Someone like me, for instance?"

The pair whipped around to find Wes standing a few yards away, arms folded, his companions at his side. The first man, Trudly, addressed him in a low growl.

"Listen, kid, I dunno what you heard, but you best keep to your own business if you know what's good for you."

Wes raised an eyebrow. "Very scary. Consider me intimidated."

Trudly snarled and took a step forward, but his partner reached out an arm and stopped him. "Ain't nothin to see here, stranger. We're just delivery men doin' our route. Now get gone." He glared at Wes through a pair of orange goggles that matched the absurd color of his hair.

"Funny, I don't recall people being a common delivery item," Wes remarked. Both of the men paled. "Would your 'route' happen to include some sort of human trafficking ring?"

The sack wriggled again, and this time muffled shouts could be heard coming from inside. The second man swore vehemently and gave the bag another kick, producing a yelp from their captive. "Damn it all," he spat at Wes, "You just had to stick your nose where it don't belong! We'll make you sorry, boy!"

He stepped forward and summoned his Pokémon in a flash of white light. Two Whismur hopped forward, tensed for battle. Despite their readiness to fight, it was hard to find the pink, rotund things menacing. Wes snorted. "Is that all you got?"

"You cocky little—" The trainer's lip curled, and he bellowed at his Whismur. "UPROAR!"

"Neo, Novo, charge up!" Wes barely had time to give the command before the opposing Pokémon launched their assault. The brothers responded immediately to the veiled phrase, having executed it hundreds of times before.

Neo's forehead jewel gleamed, and a silvery Protect shield formed around him, blocking the Whismurs' attacks completely. Novo, however, braced himself and took the hit - he tumbled backwards, then scrambled back to his feet and howled. Neo's fur bristled and his eyes gleamed as he gained strength from his brother's Helping Hand.

"Neo, Confusion! Novo, Bite!"

They lunged forward. The opposing trainer bellowed commands, and both Whismur hurled themselves at the empowered Espeon. Novo intercepted a Headbutt from one, staggered briefly, then returned a fierce Bite, fangs tearing into the pink Pokémon. The Whismur's battle cries turned to shrieks as the Umbreon flung his opponent and sent it rolling through the dirt. The second Whismur failed to reach Neo before it, too, was sent flying from his Confusion attack.

"Switch!" Wes' voice sounded from behind.

In a synchronized motion, Neo and Novo gracefully moved across the white stones, each one targeting the others' former opponents. The Whismur struggled to their feet as their trainer called for another Uproar. The resulting attack screamed through the air, piercing their foes' ears, but it hardly mattered - the Espeon and Umbreon were already upon them. With a final Bite and Confusion, the Eeveelutions sent their foes tumbling backwards. The Whismur rolled to a stop at their trainer's feet, and this time they didn't get back up.

"HAH?!" Trudly roared in fury at his partner, who stood frozen in shock. "Was that the best you could do against some scrap off the street? You're an embarrassment!"

"You're no better," replied Wes dryly. Neo and Novo trotted triumphantly back to him, and he crouched down to rub their ears. Trudly spat a colorful insult at him in response.

"What do we do, Trudly?" The orange-haired man's eyes were wide with fear as he returned his Pokémon and addressed his partner. "M-maybe we should run—"

"Shut your trap, Folly! Don't throw around my name here! We can't have everybody knowin' who we are!"

"...but you just said my name!"

Trudly blanched. "Aw, hell—"

"What in Arceus' name is going on here?" A female voice drew everyone's attention. A middle-aged woman stood a cautious distance away, watching the scene with frightened eyes. A young man in jogging gear walked up beside her, frowning.

"I'd like to know that myself!" he said.

Wes stood, staring Trudly and Folly in the eyes as he responded to the people behind him. "These guys are kidnappers," he said simply. "And thought they could get away with it."

"What?" The woman cried. "Do you mean—are you sure—oh!" She gasped in horror at the sight of the still wriggling sack.

Folly swore loudly and grabbed Trudly by the arm, hauling him towards the hover truck. "Time to bail, man!" He glowered at Wes, who returned his gaze nonchalantly. "I'll remember you, kid!"

Wes smirked. "Aw, how cute."

The men broke into a sprint and hopped into their truck. The young athlete yelled and started forward, but he only made it a few steps before the truck roared alive and hauled away, plowing recklessly to the city entrance. He turned to Wes in frustration. "We—we have to stop them!"

Wes shook his head. "They'll be long gone by the time we can give chase. No point in that."

"Can you boys help me with this knot?" The woman had rushed to the sack and was frantically pulling at the rope tied around its mouth. The young man sprinted over to help, but Wes hesitated. He had half a mind to walk away right then and there—he'd done his duty, after all—but then decided, more out of curiosity than anything else, that he might as well stay to make sure the victim was all right.

The knot was, in fact, relentlessly tight. Even with two people working at it, it refused to give way. Wes brushed them aside and called for Novo, who stepped forward and gnawed at the rope. Within seconds, the rope was severed, and the woman swooped in to open the sack.

A girl burst out of the sack, gasping great gulps of air. Most of her red hair was pulled up into two pigtails, and the rest of it was drenched in sweat and plastered to her face. In fact, she was almost entirely drenched in sweat—not surprising, as Wes couldn't imagine how hot it must have been inside the stifling burlap.

"Oh, you poor dear!" The woman reached out and pulled the girl's blue and pink jacket from her shoulders in an attempt to cool her off. "Those monsters, how could they do this to you?"

The girl looked around, taking in her surroundings. She seemed incredibly disoriented. "Wh-where—?" She broke off in a coughing fit. The Phenac woman placed an arm around her shoulders and tutted with concern.

"You poor, poor thing—do either of you have water?" She asked Wes and the boy beside him.

Wes shook his head, but the athlete promptly answered, "I do!" He procured a water bottle from his pack, crouched beside them, and handed it over. The girl, still gasping for air, gave him a weak smile and took it from him. She opened it with shaky hands and raised it to her lips.

"You need to take small sips." Wes surprised himself by speaking. What did he care? Why had he bothered to stick around this long? Why hadn't he left already? "You're probably really dehydrated, so don't drink it all at once or you'll make yourself sick."

The girl gave him a shaky nod and did as he advised, sipping carefully from the bottle. Her hands were trembling so badly that the woman beside her reached out and helped keep them steady. "To answer your question, you're in Phenac City, dear," she said kindly. "Would you mind telling us who you are? Perhaps there's someone we can call for you?"

The girl lowered the water bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "My name is Rui," she said, her voice now steadying. "Rui Everlin." She looked between the woman and the boy beside her and smiled at them—a surprisingly genuine one, Wes thought, considering what she had just been through and how badly shaken she was. "Thank Celebi you were here to help me...I don't know how to repay you!"

Celebi? Wes frowned a little. He'd scarcely ever heard people swear by that name. He noticed the woman and the boy beside him exchange surprised looks, and wondered if they were thinking the same thing as him: She's not one of those crazy believers, is she?

The athlete simply shrugged. "Well, we didn't do much," he admitted as he turned back to the girl. He gestured to Wes. "He's the one who did all the work and chased those thugs off. It was real impressive, too, you should have seen it!" He gave Wes a look of shining admiration, which made him feel rather uncomfortable.

The girl named Rui looked up at him with shockingly bright blue eyes. She beamed at him with radiant gratitude. "Thank you—thank you so much! And you are?"

Wes paused. Giving out his name to perfect strangers was not on his list of things he wanted to do today—but then again, rescuing a kidnapping victim hadn't made it on that list, either. "Wes," he said shortly. He didn't offer his full name and was grateful when she didn't ask for one.

"I'm Dash," said the young man. He and the woman helped the girl to her feet, and Wes couldn't help but note how short she was—her head barely reached his shoulders, if that. No wonder she got kidnapped. Easy target, I suppose.

"And you can call me Marla, dear," said the lady kindly. "But enough about that—we need to get you taken care of. Who can we call for you? Perhaps we can help you get back to wherever you're from? Oh, we ought to get you to a hospital!"

"No, no, I don't need a hospital, really!" Rui said. "If—if I can get to a Pokémon Center, I can—wait!" She stopped abruptly and her eyes widened as if she'd just remembered something. She turned to Wes with an urgent expression on her face. "Those men you battled—did they have an unusual Pokémon?"

Wes eyed her warily. Unusual Pokémon? Perhaps the heat had disoriented her? "No." He shook his head.

Dash frowned and nodded. "They looked like ordinary Whismur to me..."

"You didn't see a Makuhita?" She looked between the three of them. Wes shook his head again. "Oh..." the girl's face fell and she looked deeply troubled.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about those—those—thugs any longer, dear," Marla fussed. "Let's get you taken to a Pokémon Center and—"

"No, wait!" The girl's face was urgent. "I need...I need to speak with the mayor!"

"The mayor?" asked Dash. He gave her a baffled look. "Why the mayor?"

"Those men grabbed me because I saw something," said Rui. "They had a Makuhita and there was something really...really wrong with it. I need to report this to the mayor so somebody knows about it!"

Marla frowned at her. "I'm not sure what the mayor can do if those people have left town already..."

"They were heading here for something!" Rui said emphatically. Her eyes were wide and pleading. "I think they might come back, and I'm really worried about what they plan to do with that Pokémon!"

Mew above, she's sure passionate, thought Wes. She was awfully fired up and upset, all for a Pokémon she didn't even know. What is wrong with this girl?

"The Center is close to the mayor's house," offered Dash. "We can take you there after we take you to the mayor, I guess...?"

"Oh, would you? I don't know this city well, so that would be really helpful!" Rui beamed at the athlete.

"But you ought to take this young man with you!" Marla gestured to Wes. "If those criminals are coming back, you ought to have someone with strong Pokémon."

"No," Wes said shortly. "I have places to be." He'd taken far too many detours today already.

Marla gave him a pleading look. "Oh, but if those men come back for her...I don't have my own Pokémon, you see, or I would take her..."

Dash rubbed the back of his head. "W-well, I do have my Castform," he said. "He's not a battler, exactly, but...maybe..."

They all looked at him hopefully. Even Neo was looking up at his trainer with pleading eyes. Traitor, thought Wes sourly. Do you want to get to Gateon or not?

A low, harsh, eerily familiar voice rang inside Wes' head. Sticking your neck out for people is what gets you killed, it snarled. Don't be a fool, boy.

Right. He didn't have time for this.

But then he noticed Novo, practical though he was, shift uncomfortably and look up at him. Never once had his Pokémon led him astray. For all the survival instincts Wes' upbringing had drilled into him, he would always trust his Pokémon, his family, more than anything else.

Wes was done in. He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long-suffering sigh. "Fine."

Neo chirrupped happily and Marla beamed at him approvingly. "You're such a kind gentleman!"

I'm definitely not.

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much!" Rui bounded up to him, and for one terrifying second he thought she might hug him. Don't touch me. He was immensely relieved that she didn't.

"That's really generous of you, man," said Dash. He looked relieved. "Maybe we can all go together—"

"No." Arceus forbid Wes get saddled with more unnecessary distractions today. He quickly thought of an excuse. "You two should go to the Town Hall and report this incident. Make sure authorities know about what happened." Not that it will do much, he thought to himself. The only "authorities" in Phenac City were the staff at the Town Hall, and they could do little more than raise awareness and alert the citizens.

Dash nodded. "Alright, good plan."

He and Marla said their goodbyes. Dash left his water bottle with Rui, claiming she needed it more than he did and that he had plenty more where it came from. Rui thanked him and Marla generously for their help, and the two set off in the direction of Town Hall.

Rui turned to Wes with a bright smile. "I'll let you lead the way, then!"

Her bubbly demeanor absolutely baffled him. What kind of person could smile so easily after being kidnapped, for crying out loud? Wes shook his head slightly and sighed again—he'd been doing that an awful lot today, it seemed. "It's this way. Let's go." He didn't even wait for her to respond before setting off in the direction of the mayor's house, Neo and Novo trotting faithfully in tow.

It was already looking to be a long day.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 3: Change of Plans​

Sunlight streamed down on the whitewashed streets and sparkling fountains, and there was no respite from the blinding brightness and burning heat as Wes and his Pokémon walked with Rui to the mayor's home. The girl certainly noticed this, as she commented for what must have been the fourth time on how beautiful the city was.

"I haven't been to Phenac in a long time, but it's even more beautiful than I remember!" she said in awe. "It's so lovely!"

Wes shot her a look—or tried to, but ended up looking over her head. He had to drop his gaze significantly to actually make eye contact. Arceus, this girl was small. Just how old was she, anyway?

"Not for years," she said. She still wore a small smile on her face as she talked. "I was just a kid the last time I was here." Her attention shifted to the Eeveelutions striding at Wes' side. "What are their names?" she asked lightly.

"The Espeon is Neo, and the Umbreon is Novo," he said. She already knew his name, so he figured the names of his Pokémon were inconsequential information to give out at this point.

"They're beautiful Pokémon!" Rui exclaimed, admiring Novo's sleek black coat. Neo looked over his shoulder and chirped happily at the compliment. He was always pleased to be acknowledged.

Wes felt a prickle of unease at her comment. He was painfully aware of Neo and Novo's rare species being capable of drawing attention. Fortunately, in a place like Phenac, rare Pokémon weren't an unusual sight; Wes had seen plenty of Pokémon in his days at Snagem, but even he couldn't identify half the Pokémon trotting at their trainers' heels in this city.

Not that showing off had ever been Wes' motivator for keeping his Pokémon out. Neo and Novo were security, an extra set of eyes, and even though Wes hated the awed looks they received from passersby, it was a necessary precaution with Snagem on his tail.

Neo strayed to a nearby waterfall and swiped a paw through the water before bounding playfully back to Novo, who greeted him with an affectionate headbutt. Rui giggled and looked back up at Wes. "So...Wes, was it? Where are you from?

"Nowhere, really."

"Oh? Did you move around a lot?"

"...yeah."

"That's so fascinating! I've only ever lived in the same town my whole life, so I haven't been to many places."

Obviously, Wes thought dryly.

"So was there a reason for you moving so much? Was it for your parents' work?" Those blue eyes sparkled excitedly as she talked to him.

Too many questions. Nervousness flitted about in his chest. She was entirely too curious, and every question was making him feel more and more threatened.

The familiar, growly voice rang in his head again. The best lies are half-truths, boy.

"I sort of...grew up on the streets, actually," he answered hesitantly.

Rui's eyes widened and the brightness vanished from her eyes. "Oh." She dropped her gaze to the ground. "Oh. I'm...I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

An awkward pause. Taking advantage of the silence to divert the attention away from himself, Wes curtly asked, "And you?"

"Oh, I'm from Agate Village!" She looked up at him again, appearing relieved to be talking about something else. "It's absolutely beautiful there—have you ever been?"

"No."

"Well, you should definitely visit sometime. It's completely different from anywhere else in Orre!"

How would you know?

He was momentarily saved from the agonizing small talk as they rounded a corner and the marketplace came into view. The place was crowded with people and Pokémon alike, dotted with vibrant colors of foreign Pokémon and their trainers. Open-air shops under white canopies lined both sides of the street and offered a wide variety of products that could be found nowhere else in Orre: fresh fruit, imported goods, and a wide variety of fabrics, amongst other things. Vendors, citizens and tourists alike bustled from one booth to the next, and the air was buzzing with snippets of conversation here and there.

"Aguav berries! Hondew berries! Come and get your exotic berries here!"

"How much for this bag?"

"Forty Poké? That's entirely too much, I won't go above thirty!"

"...Wow," Rui breathed in amazement. She quietly soaked in the scene for a moment as they walked, and Wes huffed a sigh of gratitude for the reprieve. It didn't last long, however, because soon she was tugging on Wes' sleeve. "Hey, do you think they'll have Pokéballs here?"

Wes frowned at her. Pokéballs? This girl was just getting weirder and weirder by the minute. "Phenac doesn't sell Pokéballs anywhere."

Rui sighed in disappointment. "They didn't have them in Pyrite, either...oh!" She gasped and was momentarily distracted by a woman who swept past with a sleek, purple-coated feline at her heels. "I've never seen that Pokémon before!"

Wes, however, was still fixated on the first half of her statement. "Pyrite?" he asked in disbelief. He glanced at her outfit: she wore a frilly pink and blue jacket over a dark purple tank top, a white pencil skirt, and pink rubber boots. He had a hard time picturing this girl, neatly dressed and put together as she was, wandering the ragged streets of Pyrite. Not to mention that her bubbly disposition would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Yeah." Rui clasped her hands behind her back and kicked idly at a pebble as they walked. "That's where I was when those two thugs..." She trailed off, a troubled expression overtaking her face.

"That's where you got kidnapped," finished Wes bluntly. That didn't surprise him in the least. Pyrite was not known for its upstanding citizens, after all.

Rui nodded, her gaze still fixed on the sidewalk.

"So, let me get this straight. You're not a trainer. Yet you left your hometown and wandered to Pyrite Town, of all places, to look for Pokéballs...in a region that doesn't have wild Pokémon."

Rui gave a weak laugh and looked at Wes with a wan smile. "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds pretty dumb. But that's the truth, I promise."

"Well, what in Mew's name do you need Pokéballs for?"

"It's for my grandpa," she said. "He's a former Ace trainer, and he's been teaching some of the kids in our village about becoming trainers."

"Pokéballs are useless if there aren't Pokémon to catch them with," said Wes dryly.

"Well, you see, Papi—my grandpa—he's hopeful!" Some of the brightness had returned to Rui's eyes. "There have been rumors of wild Pokémon sightings around the area up north, so he thinks they might be migrating back into the region!"

"First of all, those are just rumors. Second, are you telling me he sent you to get Pokéballs instead of going himself?"

Rui pursed her lips. "W-well. Not exactly."

"'Not exactly?' The hell does that mean?"

She averted his gaze. "I did volunteer to go, but...Papi wouldn't have it. He said it was too dangerous. But he's not exactly young and spry, no matter how much he might think he is, and it had me worried...besides, I'd been wanting an excuse to see the world outside Agate anyway, but no matter what I said, he wouldn't listen, and—" She stopped short, as if to catch herself from rambling, then scowled. "So I just went anyway," she said flatly.

Wes had no idea how to respond to that. Sure, she'd been stupid and reckless to take off like that, but a small part of him respected her resolve, nonetheless.

"Well," he said after an awkward pause, "how do you like the rest of Orre, then?"

Almost immediately a voice screamed at him inside his head. She just got kidnapped, idiot! What kind of a question is that?

But Rui didn't seem to take offense. She shot him an incredulous look, then burst out laughing.

Dumbfounded, Wes could only keep walking as she followed, her laughter continuing for a few minutes until, at last, she was forced to catch her breath between giggles.

"Oh, dear Mew," she gasped, "thank you for that. I really needed the laugh."

Well. He hadn't been trying to be funny, but rather than tell her that, he rolled with it. "...Yeah. No problem."

Rui wiped tears from her eyes and smiled up at him. "I know I'm an idiot for doing what I did, but thanks for not making me feel like one."

He bit back a snort. Well, at least she was aware that she had been stupid...

He was saved from having to come up with a reply as the mayor's home finally came into view. He nudged Rui with his elbow and nodded, and they made their way up the wide stone steps.

True to the atmosphere of Phenac City, the mayor's house held nothing back in terms of extravagance. While not incredibly large in terms of height, it made up for that by sprawling impressively in either direction, showcasing large, gleaming windows and ornate carvings all over the exterior. The front steps led to a wide porch lined with bright white pillars, and the blue double-doors were a sight to behold. Even if Wes hadn't known this to be the mayor's home, it would have been easy to guess.

Of course, the bright banner that stretched across the pillars and read "MAYOR ES-CADE WELCOMES YOU!" was also a slight giveaway.

Rui looked the building up and down with awe. "Are you sure we can just...knock?" she asked in almost a whisper. Wes merely shrugged. He'd never bothered to visit this place himself.

Rui seemed to take this as a yes, as she stepped forward and knocked boldly on the metal doors. Apparently, her recent ordeal hadn't done much to diminish her enthusiasm.

After a brief pause, the doors creaked open and a tall, crisply dressed man with fiery red hair stood before them. He looked down at them with a penetrating gaze. "What is your business?"

"We wish to speak to the mayor, please," said Rui. She met his eyes evenly despite the man's intimidating presence. "It's urgent."

Wes half expected them to be turned away, but the man simply nodded. He eyed the Umbreon and Espeon at Wes' feet. "No Pokémon indoors here. Security policy." Wes begrudgingly returned his companions to their Pokéballs, and they were escorted through the doors.

The cool air inside was a welcome relief from the relentless desert heat. A sparkling crystal chandelier greeted them from overhead, sending multicolored glints of light off the pristine marble walls. A massive flatscreen TV was mounted above a fireplace to their left, and to their right was a handful of plush couches. Straight ahead was a sleek wooden desk, at which sat the mayor of Phenac.

Wes had never seen the mayor personally before, and quickly surmised that he hadn't missed out on much. The man was short—very short—and, like his house, made up for it in terms of width. He was as round as a Jigglypuff, with a puffy mustache and bushy eyebrows to match. His head, though mostly bald, sported two large tufts of gray hair on each side.

"Welcome, welcome!" boomed the mayor. He beamed at them through beady eyes that seemed as though they were stuck in a perpetual squint.

Rui stepped forward and gave a small, polite bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Mayor."

"Oh, please, call me Es-Cade, my dear!" The man chortled. He rose from his seat and walked around to the front of his desk, gesturing them to the couches. "Please, sit! I insist."

Rui did as requested and took a seat. Wes would have much preferred to stand, but upon seeing the mayor's inquisitive look, he sat with a quiet sigh.

"Eldes, would you please fetch our guests some tea?" Es-Cade pleasantly addressed the red-haired man that stood stoically by the front doors. The man gave a curt nod and strode through an exit at the back of the room.

"Now, what do they call you, my dear?" The portly man turned back to Rui.

"I'm Rui, sir. Rui Everlin."

"I see!" Es-Cade said. He looked at Wes. "And you, my good man?"

"Wes." The mayor continued to look at him, as if expecting more, so he sighed. "Wesley Lycas."

"Excellent!" He beamed again. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting you both?"

Rui hesitated. Wes gave her a pointed look. This was your idea, not mine. She cleared her throat. "Well, you see, Mr...Es-Cade, it's not exactly good news."

Es-Cade's smile faded to a concerned frown. His bushy eyebrows knotted together. "Oh?"

Rui shifted nervously before continuing. "You see, sir, I'm here to report an incident. I was brought to this city because...because I was kidnapped."

"Good heavens!" The mayor's eyes widened as far as his beady face would allow. "Are you quite alright?"

"Yes, I am, thanks to Wes," Rui gave the rogue trainer a grateful smile before turning back to Es-Cade. "But...that's not the whole reason I'm here."

She paused and looked at the floor, as if trying to find the words to continue. "You see, sir, I know this will sound strange and you might not believe me, but...I was born with a gift. That gift allows me to see the auras of people and Pokémon."

Es-Cade's eyebrows shot up an inch or two, and Wes didn't even bother to mask his disbelief as he stared at her. Auras? That did it. Not only had he happened to rescue the most clueless girl in all of Orre, she was also certifiably insane.

"Well, I won't pretend that this isn't...very hard to believe, my dear," said the mayor after a pregnant pause. "Are you certain about this...this gift of yours?"

Rui nodded, her face resolute. "I've had this gift for as long as I can remember, sir. I've always been able to see aura."

"Very well," he mused. He raised a meaty hand and rubbed his chin. "Go on."

"Well, I was traveling through Pyrite when I saw these two men. One of them had a Makuhita and was battling another trainer. I don't know how to explain it, but...there was something wrong with that Pokémon. Its aura was...dark. I'd even say it was evil." She shivered. Her face was solemn and fearful as she recalled the memory.

"And you've never seen this, erm, aura before?" Es-Cade asked.

Rui shook her head. "No, sir, never. I've seen auras of many different kinds, but not like that."

"Could it be, perhaps, that you've never encountered an aggressive Pokémon?"

"With all due respect, Mr. Mayor, I've seen aggressive Pokémon before." Rui's voice took on a stern tone as she raised her head and looked Es-Cade in the eyes. "This Makuhita was something completely different. And the way it battled was...horrible. It really looked like it wanted to kill the other Pokémon."

Wes sat back in his seat, absorbing all this new information. This girl was clearly sheltered—that had been obvious from the beginning. He, unfortunately, had seen Pokémon kill on command more than once. While not every Pokémon was willing to kill, there were plenty more that were either eager enough or desperate enough to do so. It was certainly not unheard of, and something that was all too common in Orre's crime rings.

He wondered if the mayor was thinking the same thing, as the man had a skeptical expression on his face as he listened to Rui's story. "You do know that Pokémon can and do sometimes kill other Pokémon, my dear?" he asked gently.

"I know that!" Rui said in frustration. "I do! But they only do so if commanded, right? Well, this Makuhita was on a rampage and was acting of its own accord—its trainer couldn't even stop it!"

"I see, I see," Es-Cade backed down slightly upon seeing her frustration. "That is very concerning, Miss Everlin. I can assure you that I will assign some of my staff to look into the matter—although, if this Pokémon is in Pyrite, there's only so much I can do."

"I...I understand," Rui sighed. She relaxed a little and slumped back in her seat.

Es-Cade seemed to notice her disappointment. "Do you perhaps have a description of the criminals?" he asked kindly. "I can also try to put out a search for them, and see what we can come up with—ah!" His eyes brightened as the doorman reentered the room with a tray of tea. "Perfect timing, my good man! Thank you kindly!"

The man said nothing, only depositing the tray on the coffee table in front of them before resuming his post by the doors.

Wes didn't trust drinks from strangers, so he quietly declined his tea. Rui and Es-Cade sipped theirs as she gave him a description of the two men. Wes only spoke up to give their names and a description of their other Pokémon he'd seen. He noticed the mayor raise his eyebrows as he spoke of the two Whismur; the odd fact that Wes hadn't seen a Makuhita was not lost on him, apparently, and it likely contributed to his doubt. The man said nothing of it, however.

Once Rui had given all the information they knew, the mayor kindly thanked them for their visit and personally showed them out the door with a smile, promising her that he would look into the case at once.

As the doors shut behind them, Wes couldn't help but feel that they had just wasted a massive amount of time. Rui must have sensed this, too, because he noticed she was staring at the ground with slumped shoulders as they walked to the Pokémon Center.

He released Neo and Novo from their Pokéballs. They both stretched and gleefully bounced around Wes' feet, happy to be outside again.

Rui brightened a little at the sight of the Pokémon. She giggled as Neo brushed playfully up against her legs, then looked up at Wes with a sheepish expression. "You probably think I'm crazy, huh?"

Wes shrugged. "Maybe a little." No point in sugar-coating things.

"Well, you don't have to believe me, but I promise I'm telling the truth." Rui glanced at the Eons walking ahead of them. "For example, I can tell by your Pokémons' auras that they are happy and well cared for. They really love and trust you...and it's part of the reason I knew I'd be safe walking with you." She grinned at him.

Wes decided it wasn't worth pointing out that she could have deduced this from Neo and Novo's evolutions—Espeon and Umbreon only got their evolutions from bonding with their trainer, after all. Instead, he shrugged again and said, "It makes no difference to me. You saw something and reported it, and now you can move on."

Rui bit her lip, but said nothing. Whatever she'd seen in Pyrite—or whatever she thought she'd seen—was obviously weighing heavily on her, and their fruitless meeting with the mayor had done little to help with that.

Not my problem, Wes told himself. He'd done more than enough for this random girl today, and wasn't about to take it upon himself to cheer her up. He wouldn't even know where to start, anyway.

Wes was about to head in the direction of the Center when he noticed Rui stop short. What now? He followed her alarmed gaze to what she was staring at and suddenly he, too, stopped walking.

Someone was heading their way. Whoever this person was, they were massively tall, dwarfing every other passerby on the street. Wes saw the long, flowing silver hair and initially thought it was a woman, but as the stranger came closer it was apparent by the square jaw and bulging, muscular figure that it was a man. But the hair was not what kept his attention; there was something visibly wrong with him.

He exuded an air of cold, crisp, precise cruelty as he walked. Wes had seen his share of men drunk with power who thought they had it all—but this man knew he was in charge, and was keenly aware of his own authority. The stranger passed them on the sidewalk, but not before turning his head to glance at them. Wes met the man's eyes for just a second, and felt a chill trickle down his spine; his eyes were red as blood.

A cruel smirk played across the stranger's lips before he turned away and breezed past them in the direction they came from, head held high, eyes straight ahead.

Wes felt Rui step close to him. He noticed she was shivering. "He was...scary," she whispered.

Wes couldn't help but nod in agreement. He was immensely grateful that such a person was only a stranger and nothing more. He had a feeling he would never want to tangle with that man.

He shook his head and rolled the uneasiness from his shoulders. "Center's just up ahead," he said to Rui. "Let's get inside." She nodded nervously, and the two set off for the wide white steps leading to their destination.

The Phenac Pokémon Center was an impressive sight, even to Wes. He had only been here a handful of times, and he was always just as amazed each time as he was upon his first visit. His negative impression of Phenac and its population aside, he had to admit: they knew how to treat their Pokémon.

The building was a large dome with white gleaming walls and a sparkling glass ceiling. At the back of the room, straight ahead from the entrance, was a marble counter in front of a healing machine and a crisply dressed nurse who chimed a cheerful greeting as they walked through the doors.

To the right, a luxurious lounge for trainers held a TV, plush couches, a small snack bar, and ornate bookshelves adorned with all kinds of literature. A row of video-call booths lined the wall near the shelves.

To the left was an enclosed, glass-walled play area for Pokémon. Wes knew from previous visits that the play area extended through a door in the wall to a larger, fenced-in outdoor area. He'd never used it himself, though—the thought of leaving his Pokémon in someone else's hands was mortifying to him.

"Welcome!" The nurse smiled at them from her place behind the counter. "How may I help you today?"

Rui stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back as she addressed the nurse. "Y-yes, um, could I use your video phones?"

"Absolutely! Right this way, I'll get you started..."

The nurse escorted Rui to the phones and Wes wandered over to the couches to sit and wait. Novo followed, looking around with great interest; he, too, always appeared to be impressed with the place whenever they visited.

"Espi!" Neo pawed at Wes' knee and pointed his snout over to the play area, where an Aipom had its face pressed against the glass, wiggling its tail playfully at the Espeon.

Wes shook his head. "Sorry, bud," he said quietly. "We don't have time today."

Neo sat on the tiled floor with a sigh.

"Tell you what," Wes lowered his voice even further as he reached down to rub Neo's ears. "When we get to Johto, you can play with tons of wild Pokémon every day. How does that sound?"

Neo pricked up his ears and kneaded the floor in excitement. "Spi!"

Johto. Wes had only heard stories of it, but it sounded like a beautiful place, so entirely different from the sandy Orre Region. He'd heard about green forests that stretched as far as the eye could see, of giant shining lakes, of mountains that stretched so high you couldn't see their peaks. He'd dreamed of seeing it from the moment he first learned of its existence.

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Soon. Very soon. Just be patient.

Novo hopped into his lap and he idly stroked the Umbreon's head, lost in thought, until Rui returned and sank onto the couch a short distance away from him with a sigh. Novo growled softly at her abrupt appearance, a quiet rumble that only Wes could hear.

"Well, my grandparents are happy to know I'm safe, but that didn't save me a tongue lashing from Nan." She turned to him. "They're so grateful to you, by the way. I'm sure they'd love to meet you if you'd like to visit!"

"Sorry, I have other places to be," Wes muttered. There would be absolutely no more detours until they reached Gateon.

"Oh, I...I figured as much," replied Rui. There was a note of disappointment in her voice. "Well, you're always welcome if you—"

She broke off suddenly, her eyes fixed on something over Wes' shoulder. He turned his head to see what had grabbed her attention, and saw footage of a burning building on the TV. The words MYSTERIOUS EXPLOSION REVEALS SNAGEM HIDEOUT flashed across the screen.

"What—when did this happen?" She breathed in disbelief.

"You're just now finding this out?" Wes blurted. Surely, sheltered though this girl was, she'd have heard something about it already. He was certain that news of the incident had traveled across every corner of the region by now. Uncovering Snagem's hideout would be earth-shattering news.

Rui surprised him by throwing him a withering look. "Yes, I'm hearing about it just now," she said scathingly. "It's not like I've spent the last twenty-four hours in a sack or anything!"

"...Oh." Wes suddenly felt incredibly stupid. "Right...sorry."

Rui returned her gaze to the TV. "I can't believe..." She trailed off and didn't bother to finish her sentence. Wes left her to her thoughts and continued stroking Novo's fur, watching his yellow rings pulse with light.

"They deserve it."

He looked up in surprise at those words. Rui was still watching the screen, but a dark expression had taken over her features. It was a jarring change from her usually smiling face.

"You think so?" Wes asked.

She turned her eyes to his, and he was shocked at the amount of pure hatred he saw there. "Yes," she said quietly. "I hate Pokémon thieves. Snagem had this coming, and they deserve a whole lot worse."

Wes looked at her for a moment before answering. "I agree," he said quietly.

"Umbriiiiii." Novo's whine broke the tense moment. Wes heard the Umbreon's stomach growl, and suddenly realized how hungry he was, too. He rubbed Novo's ear. "I guess it's time we go, then."

Novo leapt off Wes' lap as he stood. He turned to Rui. "The nurses can help you arrange a ride with someone from here. You should be able to make it back to Agate that way."

Rui stood, too, and bowed her head to him gratefully, hands clasped behind her back once again. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Wes. Really. I don't have any way to repay you for it, but...I really am gratef—"

Her stomach suddenly rumbled loudly, and she flushed a little in embarrassment. "Sorry!"

Wes narrowed his eyes at her. "Did you say you were in that sack for a whole day?"

She shifted a little. "Well, I don't know exactly how long it was, but it was a long time..."

Wes took a closer look at her. For all her smiles and cheerfulness, he noticed for the first time that she was still a little pale, and her fingers were shaky as she fidgeted with her necklace. "You haven't eaten."

Rui gave him another smile, but this time he was paying enough attention to see how forced it was. "It's fine! You've done more than enough for me today, I can...figure something out..." She trailed off, not looking very convinced at her own words.

She could figure it out, Wes mused to himself. And yet...he had gone long stretches without food before. He knew firsthand how unpleasant it was, and he was certain that this girl had no means of getting food for herself. There was no way she still had any money on her after being kidnapped.

The low voice came into his head again. Remember this, boy. Don't stick your neck out for nobody.

Anger burned in his chest at the intrusive voice. You don't get to tell me what to do. Not anymore.

"Alright," he sighed, turning to leave. "Come on." He gestured for her to follow him.

"What? Where—?"

"We were going to find a place to eat anyway. You might as well come with us." He looked at her over his shoulder. "But after this, you'll really be on your own. Got it?"

"I—what do you—I don't—are you sure?" Rui spluttered.

"If you don't hurry up, I'll change my mind."

Rui blinked at him, and for a moment Wes thought he saw tears in her eyes. He turned his head away and hoped to Arceus he was mistaken. He had no idea what to do with people when they cried...

Rui bounced up to his side. "Where to, then?" she asked brightly. Any indication that she'd been teary had quickly vanished.

"I've got a place in mind," he said. And with that, they strode through the Center doors back into the sunlight.

—————————————————​

Wes couldn't help but feel mildly impressed at the speed with which Rui was devouring her burger. It made him wonder just how hungry she must have been this whole time.

His restaurant of choice was closer to the edge of town: a small, dingy, hole-in-the-wall kind of place that he'd always preferred thanks to their low prices and low profile. By Phenac standards, it was "seedy," but compared to the Outskirt Stand, it may as well have been fine dining. The blue painted walls and tiled floor, though scuffed in many places, certainly made it feel a lot cleaner than the dusty old train car.

His Pokémon were happily eating their kibble from bowls on the floor. It was no plate of bacon, but it was better than nothing, and far better than what they had been accustomed to at Snagem.

A waiter stopped by to offer drinks, which Wes declined. He'd need to be fully alert for their journey ahead—though after the long events of the day, alcohol was tempting.

The waiter turned to Rui, but she also shook her head. "Not today, thank you."

The waiter left, and Wes narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you even old enough to drink?"

Rui nearly choked on her fries. "Wha—excuse me?" she asked indignantly as soon as she could speak, "I'll have you know, I'm well over eighteen!"

He raised an eyebrow. "By what, a few months?"

Rui huffed at him. "I'm twenty-one, Wes."

Oh. He was genuinely surprised at that. She was much closer to his age than he'd originally thought, only a year younger than himself. "Sorry. You just look younger."

"I get that a lot, actually," she said dejectedly. She picked at what remained of her food.

"It's because you're short," he said bluntly. He immediately recognized his mistake when Rui raised her eyebrows at him.

"Wow, really? I'm short? Thanks for pointing that out to me, Wes, I never noticed," she said with a dry smirk.

Moron. "I—that's—yeah. Sorry."

Rui snorted and waved her hand. "Don't worry about it, I get it all the time. And even if I were taller, I'd still probably look younger."

"Well, the pigtails don't help," Wes blurted. Rui's eyebrows rose even higher, and he mentally kicked himself. Gods. Was it always this hard to have a normal conversation? He grabbed his water and spent a deliberately long time sipping at it, wishing more now than ever that he'd ordered a beer instead.

Rather than take offense, Rui simply gave him a sly grin. "Well what about you, Mr. Tough Guy? You don't look much older than seventeen."

Wes choked and spluttered on his drink. "I—what—seven—?" He stopped short when he saw that Rui had erupted into a fit of laughter.

He scowled at her. "That's not funny."

For some reason, this only made her laugh even harder and she was forced to grip the table for support. Neo and Novo looked up at her from their meal in alarm and Wes began to feel uncomfortable as heads turned in their direction. Why was this girl so loud?

"S-sorry," she gasped as her laughter subsided. "I honestly didn't think I'd get a reaction out of you, with you being so stoic and all, but that was funny."

Wes grumbled darkly under his breath. Rui snorted and bit her lip in an effort to keep herself from laughing further. Her face held a lot more color now that she'd eaten, and she was, if possible, even more lively than before.

Having finished their meal, Wes stood. "Let's go." Rui and his Pokémon followed him as he paid for the meal at the counter up front and stepped outside.

The sun was horrifyingly low in the sky, and Wes inwardly groaned at the sight. They were behind schedule, but no matter—they'd be on the road soon enough, and all their troubles with Phenac (girl included) would be left behind.

"Briiiii!" Novo yawned and stretched happily in the sunlight, his yellow markings glowing contentedly. Neo padded up between Wes and Rui and let out a soft burp. He blinked sleepily up at his trainer with a lazy purr.

The corners of Wes' mouth twitched into a smile upon seeing them so content and peaceful. For the first time since escaping the Hideout, he allowed himself to relax a little. All that was left to do was stock up on some supplies and hit the road now. It should be smooth sailing from here, he thought.

And then he heard a voice that turned his blood to ice.

"Keep your wits about you, ya hear? He's in this blasted city somewhere."

Wes swore under his breath and grabbed Rui by the arm, pulling her around the building into a side alley. She squawked in protest. "Wes, what're you—hey!"

He ignored her and listened closely. He heard the rough cadence of three all too familiar voices across the street, causing his heart to race.

How could he get out of this without raising suspicion? He looked at the redhead. If she found out who she was… He remembered her face in the Center as she spoke about Snagem. The anger in her eyes, the righteous fury. There was no way she would let him off if she knew. Not a chance.

"Are we sure he's still here?" another voice drawled from where the first one had come from, just across the street. Wes turned his head to listen.

"Shut your trap and quit whining!" the first voice barked. "The faster we get moving, the sooner we'll find the damned rat."

There was no mistaking that gravelly voice. Wes had heard it all too many times before, usually before facing an unpleasant punishment. Wakin, Gonzap's second-in-command, had always loved to dole out the punishments himself whenever he could. Wes glanced nervously at the metal sleeve on his arm.

If Wakin found Wes now, he was a dead man.

Wes' mind raced. He scrambled to think of a way to get out of this city without setting off Rui's suspicions. He certainly couldn't tell her what was going on, nor could he merely bolt away—what if she started calling after him? Caused a scene? Drew attention from those menacing voices across the street…?

A crazy, half-baked idea occurred to him, and he tightened his grip on Rui's arm as he looked back at her again. She was apparently oblivious to the conversation taking place across the street. She seemed much more concerned with Wes' odd behavior and his grip on her arm. He decided to take a chance on her naivety.

"Hey. You said you needed Pokéballs, right?"

"Y-yeah?" Rui attempted to tug her arm out of his grip. She looked frightened. "Wes, can you let go of me?"

"Sorry," he said quickly. He released her and took a step back. Breathe. You need to stay calm. He met her blue gaze evenly. "I know a place where we can get you some. I just thought of it."

Rui frowned at him. "You do?"

"Yeah, but it's...not here. It's a bit of a drive. But I can take you there." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he even had time to think them through.

"That...that would be really helpful! But I don't have any money—"

"Don't worry about it." Damn, he was panicking. Stay calm. Don't show fear. "I'll cover for you. But we need to get going now if we want to make it there at a decent hour."

"Are—are you sure? You've done so much for me today already—"

"I'm sure, let's go." He almost grabbed her by the arm again to drag her with him, but remembered the fearful look she'd given him and decided against it. "Come on, I'll show you to my bike."

He stepped cautiously out of the alleyway, looking around for any sign of Wakin and his grunts. Rui stood a few paces behind him, mumbling in confusion. "Bike...?"

"Neo. Novo." Wes kept his voice to barely more than a whisper. They pricked their ears and stood at attention. "Keep a lookout."

He motioned for Rui to follow him, and they stepped out into the open.

Wes was sure that Rui would hear his heart trying to escape from his chest. He hated having to walk in the open, hated that he couldn't move any faster than a brisk walk, but he knew that darting through the shadows would only raise her suspicions. He could not afford to be caught. Not now. Not like this.

He was grateful that they had at least made it to the edge of the city already for their lunch. They were able to reach the city entrance relatively quickly, and made it to his bike shortly after that.

Rui looked at his monstrosity of a vehicle with wide eyes. "Okay, when you said 'bike', I had a very different image in my head," she said as she took in the massive engine and rusty exterior.

Wes didn't bother to reply to this remark. He'd crouched down to his Pokémon and was muttering a hurried apology. "Sorry guys, but there isn't room for all of you in the sidecar. You're gonna have to go in your balls for now."

Neither Neo nor Novo were very pleased with this arrangement, but he didn't have time to reason with them before returning them to their Pokéballs. They would get over it. What mattered now was getting as far away from this city as possible.

Wes gestured for Rui to get in the sidecar as he slid into the driver's seat. She climbed in awkwardly and nearly fell over in the process.

The engine bellowed as he brought it to life. He thought he heard Rui trying to say something, but couldn't be sure. Rather than wait to find out, he slammed on the gas and the motorbike lurched forward, kicking up a cloud of dust as they flew out of sight and left the blinding white city behind.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 4: Questions​

Rui wasn't entirely sure this wasn't all just some sort of fever dream.

In the span of just over a day, she'd seen a crazed Pokémon, been kidnapped, had nearly suffocated in a sack, was rescued by someone who acted for all the world as though he'd rather have left her there, and was now flying across the desert in a crazy death trap of metal with said stranger.

It had been a weird day, to say the least.

Wes didn't speak at all as they sailed across the sands. Rui was actually quite all right with this, as most of her concentration was spent shielding her face from the sandy winds and trying not to panic at the absolutely terrifying speed at which Wes was driving.

Rui peeked at the driver underneath her hands covering her face. Despite his gruff demeanor and the begrudging manner in which he'd helped her, Rui did sense that Wes was a kind person under all the rough edges. His aura, a pleasant blue color, seemed to indicate so, at least. And he didn't have to escort her all over Phenac and treat her to a meal, least of all take her somewhere to find Pokéballs. His actions seemed very contradictory to his attitude, and she had to admit she found it a little amusing.

She pulled her gaze away from Wes to glance at her surroundings; at one point, she thought she saw some town ruins in the distance, and despite the desert heat, she shivered. Wes would probably scoff at her for it, but she hated even thinking of Noctis ruins. They were a bad omen.

The hours ticked by in silence as the sun slinked lower and lower in the sky. Rui's ears gradually adjusted to the dull roar of the engine, and she found that if she ducked her head at just the right angle, she could keep most of the sand from her face. She still found herself wishing for some goggles like the ones Wes had, though.

After what felt like ages, the bike started to slow. She looked up, hopeful to see their destination—and saw nothing but more desert and an old abandoned train car. What?

Wes rolled the bike to a stop. Bewildered, Rui glanced around again, thinking that maybe she missed something, but the scenery remained desolate and unchanged. She started to feel a little uneasy. Surely Wes hadn't dragged her out here with ill intentions...?

"Are you coming?" His voice made her jump. He'd already started for the old, worn down building and was impatiently looking at her over his shoulder. His Umbreon and Espeon had been released from their Pokéballs and were already waiting outside the car's entrance.

"Um...where are we, exactly?" Rui asked nervously.

Wes didn't answer, but jerked his head to the train car. It was only then that she noticed there were lights on inside the thing, and the dim strains of Western music reached her ears. So it wasn't entirely abandoned, after all.

Rui clambered awkwardly out of the sidecar, once again nearly face-planting into the sand as she did so, and followed Wes as they headed into the...whatever this place was.

It was a diner, apparently.

Rui blinked in the dim lighting as she surveyed the dusty interior. This place was very different from home, but it was also very different from Phenac. Most of the places she'd seen had tried to flourish despite the lifeless desert, as if trying to fight against their surroundings and prove to be something more. This place embraced the empty sands, the lawlessness of the desert, and made it a home—a creaky, grimy, dilapidated one, but a home, nonetheless.

Wes approached the sleepy-eyed man behind the counter, who could only be the owner of the place. He rubbed the back of his head as he addressed him. "Hey, Grogan. Got any Pokéballs in stock?"

The man, Grogan, gave Wes a bleary-eyed stare. "Pokéballs?" he grunted. "The hell do you need those for?"

"They're not for me, they're for her." Wes nodded at Rui.

Grogan looked her up and down. He raised an eyebrow at Wes. "Who's this, your mail-order girlfriend?"

Rui felt a wave of indignation at the snide remark. She was about to offer a stinging reply when Wes answered. "She's just a lost traveler. I'm doing her a favor."

"Awful long way to come for a favor."

"We're looking for Pokéballs, do you have them or not?" An edge crept into Wes' voice.

Grogan waved a dismissive hand. "Sure, sure, I got the old things somewhere." He turned and headed into the kitchen. Rui noticed a somewhat startled expression on Wes' face.

"You look pretty surprised he has Pokéballs," Rui observed. "I thought you knew he had them?"

Wes turned to look at her, his surprised expression melting into a smooth, unfazed one. "Well, yeah. This is the only place I've known in Orre to ever sell them, so he doesn't always have them in stock."

That makes sense, Rui thought. She began to feel slightly ashamed of herself for doubting the trainer. So what if he was a little guarded? He'd saved her life in more than one way today, and she ought to be grateful.

Grogan returned to the counter with a bag in hand. "Got 'em here," he grunted, and then unceremoniously dumped out the bag's contents onto the countertop.

Rui blinked at the little balls rolling across the dingy surface. There was a much greater variety than she'd expected; red, blue, yellow. She stared at them all and realized she didn't have the slightest clue what the difference was between them. "Uh."

Wes heaved a weary sigh beside her. "Just all of the regular ones," he said. "And maybe a few Great Balls."

Grogan obliged and packed about half a dozen red Pokéballs and about four blue ones. "Will that be enough?" Wes asked Rui.

"Yeah, those should be fine," Rui mumbled. She dropped her gaze to the floor and shuffled awkwardly, feeling acutely embarrassed at her complete lack of knowledge. She'd expected this to be a relatively simple errand, but clearly she had been utterly unprepared for it. No wonder Papi was hesitant to let me go. I have no idea what I'm doing...

To make matters worse, Rui quickly realized that neither she nor Wes had a bag to carry the Pokéballs. Grogan merely waved a hand and let her keep the old canvas tote he'd brought the balls out in. "I've got plenty of space for the rest of these old things, and that bag was just collectin' dust anyway."

Rui thanked him profusely and stuffed the balls into her new bag, feeling even more abashed than before. She heard Wes saying something more to the diner owner, but she wasn't paying much attention anymore. She leaned against a wall with a sigh, and felt something brush her hand.

She jumped, and then looked down to see Neo nosing at her fingers. He blinked up at her with dark, inquisitive eyes. Rui couldn't help but smile at the innocence reflected in his silvery aura. He'd done this same thing just hours before, when they were at the restaurant, and he was just so darned cute she couldn't possibly resist showering him with affection.

Rui crouched down to his level and the Espeon allowed her to stroke his fur with a purr. "You're a glutton for attention, aren't you?"

Neo shamelessly purred louder in response.

She noticed Novo watching from a safer distance. He sat primly at Wes' feet, crimson eyes narrowed distrustfully as he observed her. She'd attempted to pet him, too, at the restaurant, and his only response had been to snarl at her. Unlike his brother, Novo's aura was a lovely shade of lavender—and it spiked every time she addressed him.

"Novo, was it?" Rui asked softly.

The Umbreon answered with a growl.

This caught Wes' attention. He looked over his shoulder and glanced between Rui and Novo. "What are you doing?"

Rui smiled up at him sheepishly. "Just trying to make friends."

He gave her an odd look, but said nothing. Rui was sure he thought she was crazy—although, given the day's events, she couldn't entirely blame him. She sighed and stood, despite Neo's soft protest for more attention. "I guess your Umbreon doesn't like strangers...sorry about that."

Wes merely shrugged. He nodded to Grogan and made for the door. "Let's go," he said.

Rui blinked. "Go...where?"

"It's too late to go anywhere else, so I booked us a place for the night." He didn't wait for her reply before pushing his way out the door, so Rui quickly followed him before giving a hurried thanks to the diner owner. She stepped out into the desert air and was surprised by how cool it already was - the temperatures were rapidly dropping now that the sun was almost below the horizon.

"S-sorry, but I'm just confused," she said as she tried to match Wes' brisk pace. "Where exactly are we staying? This place doesn't look like it has any rooms..."

Once again, instead of answering, Wes simply kept walking until they reached the back end of the train car. He kicked away a layer of sand to reveal what looked like some kind of cellar door, then wrenched it open and, to Rui's disbelief, gestured for her to step inside.

This is exactly how you die in horror movies, Rui.

Still, Wes hadn't given any indication that he planned to hurt her in any way, and she felt a little better upon seeing his Pokémon dart down the creaky steps as if they'd been here before. She took a deep breath before glancing briefly at Wes.

She couldn't help but notice that the golden rays of the setting sun matched his eyes. Rui balked at this sudden thought. What is wrong with you? she asked herself sternly. She shook her head slightly and then ducked into the cellar.

It was pleasantly cool in the place, if a little dank and musty. The only source of light was a tiny window right near the ceiling and an old, dim lightbulb that hung so low she nearly hit her head on it. The walls were covered with shelves of stored food, and the only thing on the floor was a small mattress and quilt.

The cellar door slammed shut and Wes stepped into the room behind her. "It's really not much," he said, "but it's the best option available out here." He must have noticed her eyeing the tiny mattress, because he then added, "You can take that. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Are—are you sure?" Rui turned to him uncertainly. She felt as though she'd been asking that question a lot today.

"I prefer the floor anyway."

The weirdest thing about that statement was, he seemed to mean it. This baffled her a little. What kind of person liked to sleep on the floor?

She sighed and flopped onto the mattress, only to cough and gag as a cloud of dust puffed up into her face.

Wes grimaced a little. "Sorry. Should have warned you about that."

Rui, still coughing, just shook her head and indicated it was fine with a wave of her hand.

The trainer gestured to some water bottles sitting near the steps on a crate. "Some water, if you need any," he mumbled, then he went about setting up his space.

Wes removed his blue coat, revealing a black tank top underneath. Rui couldn't help but notice a variety of faint scars across his arms and shoulders. Overwhelming curiosity made her want to ask about them, but she'd gotten the distinct impression that the man hated questions, so instead she held them back.

But then she saw Wes push a large crate up against the wall under the small window, and she couldn't help herself. "What's that for?"

"It's for Novo," he answered simply. "He likes to watch at night."

As if on cue, the Umbreon hopped up onto the crate and peeked at the steadily darkening world through the grimy window. He turned to his trainer and bunted him happily with his head. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Wes' mouth as he rubbed Novo's chin.

Rui couldn't help but smile a little herself. Gruff though he may be, this odd stranger was certainly soft on his Pokémon.

Wes waited for Rui to get settled on her mattress before turning out the light. The dim lights from the train car overhead filtered through the tiny window, but they were left in almost complete darkness save for Novo's gently pulsing rings.

"Um, goodnight, I guess," Rui said awkwardly. What did one say in a situation like this?

There was a pause, and for a moment she thought he wouldn't answer her. Then he heard his mumble from his place across the small cellar. "Night."

Rui settled down onto the mattress. She'd never stayed in a place like this, and wondered if she would ever be able to fall asleep. But then the events of the day caught up to her, and her exhaustion pulled her under.

—————————————​

She couldn't be sure what time it was when she woke.

It was still dark outside as Rui sat up. She promptly stifled another cough as more dust swirled up from the mattress at her movements. So much dust everywhere...the first thing she was going to do when she got home was shower.

Still, though...Rui glanced around the dark cellar and shook her head to herself in disbelief. It was wasn't an ideal situation, but it was far better than wherever she might have ended up if she'd never been rescued from that sack…

A shiver rippled down her spine at the memory: the suffocating heat. The mens' voices and rough hands as they tossed her around like merchandise. The paralyzing terror as she had started to wonder that maybe it didn't matter where they were taking her because she was going to die of heat stroke before she got there…

Rui's hand flew to her necklace. She grasped it tightly, forcing herself to take deep breaths and keep her hands steady. She could feel the edges of the black crescent moon pendant digging into her palm, and the sensation grounded her a little.

You're fine. You're fine. Everything is fine. She closed her eyes. You're safe. You'll be home soon.

Her panic gradually eased and she relaxed her grip on the pendant. Yes, everything would be alright. Soon she would be back home, and everything would be back to normal…

And yet...did she want things to go back to normal? She certainly had no desire to repeat the experience of the last couple days, but Rui's yearning to see more of the word outside of Agate was still as fervent as ever. She opened her eyes and looked down at her palm, where a crescent moon-shaped indentation had formed from her tight hold. She'd always wanted to travel the region—and maybe even the world someday—ever since Rui's mother had told her stories of her home region of Hoenn...Rui sat quietly for a few moments, lost in a swirl of thoughts and memories.

A soft glow caught her attention. She spotted Novo sitting on his crate by the window, ears pricked, eyes alert as he watched the world outside. Rui couldn't help but wonder if there even was anything to see out there.

All the same, the Dark-type Pokémon brought a small smile to her face. Rui raised a hand to her necklace once more as fond childhood memories of her mother's Pokémon, another Dark-type, rose to the surface. She watched Novo for a moment, running her thumb over the smooth pendant.

Her mouth felt dry and sticky, and she remembered what it was that caused her to wake. Breaking from her stupor, she slowly rose from her mattress to grab one of the water bottles that Wes mentioned earlier.

The trainer in question was, indeed, on the floor. He'd apparently rolled up his coat to serve as a pillow, and Neo was curled up against his trainer's chest. One arm was loosely draped over the Espeon, and the two were fast asleep. Rui smiled a little at the sight. There had been a time when she thought she would be traveling around, with a Pokémon to sleep beside at night...

She shook these thoughts from her mind and was making her way past the sleeping pair to the crate near the door when a low growl met her ears.

Rui glanced over her shoulder to see Novo watching her every move with narrowed crimson eyes. His body was stiff, hairs on the back of his neck raised. She noticed him glance between her and his trainer.

"It's...it's okay, Novo," she whispered slowly. "I'm just getting some water. I won't hurt your trainer, I promise."

Novo continued to stare, but his growls subsided at her words.

Rui moved cautiously to the crate, grabbed a water bottle, and tiptoed past Wes and Neo back to her mattress. Novo again growled softly as she stepped past his trainer a second time, but remained where he was.

She settled back on her mattress with a quiet sigh. She gave the Umbreon a tired smile. "See? I'm harmless, I promise."

Novo gave her a hard look that plainly said I doubt that very much before returning to gaze out his window.

Rui downed the water greedily and was just about to get back to sleep when she heard another sound.

She lifted her head off the pillow. Through the dim light of Novo's glow, she could see Wes twitching in his sleep. His breathing became labored, and he started to mumble something in distress.

"No...please...no—"

Rui paused. Should I wake him? she wondered anxiously. She was pondering what to do when Novo, without a sound, slipped from his perch atop his crate down to the floor below, and stepped up to his trainer.

The room brightened a little as his rings filled with light. He bowed his head, touching his muzzle to Wes' forehead, and a soft hum filled the room. After a brief moment, the sound faded, the lights dimmed, and Wes fell back into peaceful slumber with a quiet sigh.

Novo silently stalked back to his crate without sparing Rui so much as a passing glance. She could only stare at him in wonder. What was that? Was this a common occurrence? She'd never seen a Pokémon use Hypnosis on their trainer before...

Rui rested her head back on her pillow. It seemed the more time she spent with this unusual trio, the more questions she had. She was pondering these many questions when she finally drifted back to sleep.

—————————————-​

Wes could not believe that, a full day later, he was right back where he had started.

Not only that, but instead of his Pokémon sitting across from him in their usual diner booth, it was this girl.

He'd figured they could all do with some breakfast before returning to Phenac, so here they were, morning sunlight filtering through the dirty windows, waiting for their food to be ready as Neo and Novo downed their kibble at Wes' feet.

He put his head into his gloved hands and sighed. It's like Arceus himself doesn't want me to leave this place.

"Es-piiiii?" Neo peeked at him from under the table with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Neo, you're getting regular Pokémon food today, and I swear to Arceus if you whine to me about it, I'll put you in your ball for the rest of the day," Wes growled.

Neo looked thoroughly mortified at this answer, but he knew defeat when he saw it. He slunk back to his place under the table with a pout.

Rui giggled at the sight. "He must love human food, huh?"

"Mostly just bacon," Wes muttered. A small part of him regretted the day he'd let the two brothers try some. What a pair of monsters he'd created.

Rui placed her elbows on the table and leaned in a little. "So we're going back to Phenac today, yeah?"

"That's the plan."

"Do you have a P*DA or something? I'd really like to find a way to contact you and pay you back when I can..."

"I don't give out my number to people I don't know. Sorry."

"Oh?" She cocked her head at him, a smile dancing across her face. "You don't give out your number to strangers, but you'll rescue them from kidnappers, escort them around the city, and give them food and a place to stay for the night?"

Wes felt a small tinge of warmth in his face. "That's...different."

"It's very different from just giving out your number, I agree." She smirked.

"Look, I didn't—I don't—"

Rui laughed, and the sound filled the small diner. Wes was grateful that there weren't any other customers to give them weird looks this time. "I'm teasing, Wes. You don't have to give me your number if you aren't comfortable. I just want to pay you back, that's all."

"Well...don't worry about it," Wes mumbled in response. He'd much rather send this girl on her way and never have to contact her again. It was simpler that way.

The call for their order came, and he was grateful for the chance to end the conversation, if only briefly. He knew she would likely pepper him with more questions once he returned with their food—and, lo and behold, he was right.

"So, where are you heading?" Rui asked him around a mouthful of omelette.

"Pyrite, actually." Wes had pondered a few false answers to give her, so as to prepare for the onslaught of questions.

Rui's eyes widened in shock. She hastily swallowed her bite of food. "Pyrite? But...why?"

Wes shrugged. "Thought I might take on the Colosseum challenge there."

"Ohhhh!" Rui suddenly leaned forward in excitement, putting her face far too close to Wes' for his comfort. "That's so cool! Agate doesn't have a Colosseum, so I've never seen any Colosseum matches before!"

"Um, yeah." Wes leaned away from her to regain some breathing room. Not for the first time, he wondered what in Mew's name was wrong with this girl. Had she never heard of personal space?

Thankfully, Rui sat back in her seat with a resigned sigh. "If this trip has taught me anything, it's that I really haven't seen enough of Orre. So much of it is so different from what I'm used to."

It's about time you realized.

"You could always change that, you know," said Wes as he picked at his plate. "You shouldn't wait too long to leave a place." Like me, he thought ruefully.

"I would, but...I probably shouldn't go alone." Rui gave a slightly bitter laugh. "I mean, we both know how that went when I tried it."

"Then go with someone."

"I don't really have anyone to go with."

"What, you don't have trainer friends?"

She dropped her gaze to the table. "No, actually," she said hesitantly. "I mean, Agate is mostly full of old, retired Ace trainers and maybe a few young families that are related to them. There wasn't anybody my age growing up, so...I didn't really have any friends." She grinned at him sheepishly. "Sounds kind of pathetic, huh?"

No, Wes thought, It sounds...lonely. For once, he thought he could relate to her, if only just a little. "Well, get yourself some Pokémon, then. Be a trainer. You're probably safest that way, anyway."

Rui laughed again. "Come on. You and I both know Pokémon aren't easy to come by. They haven't been since the Kantonian War." The smile faded from her face a little. "I...I don't do Pokémon, anyway."

Wes frowned at her. "Why not?" She certainly seemed to like them enough.

"I just...don't."

It was the first vague answer she'd given. Wes took the hint and didn't press the issue further. They finished their meal soon after and headed out to Wes' motorbike.

Neo had warmed up to Rui quite a bit over the last twenty-four hours. Wes had a suspicion that it had to do with the fact that she was always showering him with attention and praise whenever the Espeon so much as looked at her. He narrowed his eyes as he watched Neo rub up against her legs with a hopeful mewl.

"Oh my gosh, you're so adorable!" Rui giggled as Neo brushed against her. He answered with a happy chirp. She grinned over her shoulder at Wes. "I think he really likes me!"

"He likes everybody," Wes replied dryly, although he knew that wasn't exactly true.

Rui didn't seem to hear his remark and walked ahead to the motorcycle with a spring in her step. Wes glared down at his Espeon. "Stop sucking up to her. She's not staying."

Neo's only response was to blink smugly at his trainer before sauntering ahead, tail held high.

Brat.

He once again had to return Neo and Novo to their Pokéballs to make room for Rui in the sidecar. Neo was more willing to go along with it this time, but Novo seemed more sour about it than ever. Wes sighed quietly to himself and wondered how long his Umbreon would hold this against him.

Once they were both seated, he heard Rui speak up from beside him. "To Phenac, then?"

Wes nodded and gripped the handlebars. "To Phenac." And then, finally, to Gateon. And beyond.

He roared up the engine, and they were off into the desert once more.

——————————————​

Neo liked the new girl.

He had decided so almost immediately upon seeing her emerge from that stuffy brown sack. Even though he'd sensed anxiety and fear rolling off her in waves, he also sensed something else: kindness. Gentleness. Sincerity.

He liked that. It reminded him of his trainer.

Her vivaciousness made itself known as they walked around town, and he liked her even more. Her bright spirit added a new dynamic to the trio that Neo had not seen before, and it was fun. Novo was always serious and alert, and Wes always made an effort to remain composed and impassive. Neo loved them, but Mew above, being the only energetic one of the group sometimes got downright boring.

Her energetic enthusiasm, while thrilling to him, only seemed to agitate his trainer. She peppered him with questions, laughed a lot, and walked with a bounce in her step all while irritation quietly emanated from Wes in spades. Neo found this highly entertaining to watch.

But aside from her odd red hair, her loud laughter, and her bubbly personality, there was one reason above all others why he liked the girl so much.

She was a total pushover.

He'd discovered this as they sat at their booth in the Phenac restaurant. While his trainer spoke with the girl, Neo had cautiously leaned forward to sniff her hands from his place at Wes' feet. Her scent was pleasant yet unfamiliar, and it stoked his curiosity. She must have felt his whiskers, because suddenly her attention was on him and she was stroking his head and cooing at him all the while, telling him how handsome and beautiful he was.

Well, she clearly had good taste.

He tested this a few more times, and sure enough, each time he brushed against her, he was showered with her affection. She seemed absolutely thrilled every time he paid attention to her, and she was more than willing to return the favor.

They were at the Outskirt Stand when Neo decided to test this even further. He was pouting under the table after he'd given Wes the Begging Eyes and was told a hard no. The smell of bacon wafted tantalizingly in the air, and Neo chuffed and gloomily laid his head on his paws. He couldn't believe his trainer sometimes. Who could possibly deny him, Neo the Great (and Handsome, according to the redhead) Espeon, when he put on the charm? Apparently his stone-cold trainer could. Hmphf.

His eyes rested on the pink pair of boots across from him, and he had an idea.

He waited until near the end of their meal when Wes briefly left the table to pay for their food, then slunk over to the girl and rested his head in her lap. He let his ears and tail droop, then looked her straight in the eyes and blasted her with Irresistible Cuteness, utilizing his Begging Eyes to the max.

It was a sight to behold. Her face crumbled, her resolve wilted, and she glanced quickly about before discreetly slipping him a piece of bacon under the table.

"Don't tell Wes," she whispered.

Neo devoured the meat with gusto. He could feel his brother's stare of disbelief on the back of his head and could practically hear him asking where his dignity went. Neo chose to ignore this, and instead licked the last remnants of bacon from his muzzle and settled down smugly at Wes' feet when he returned. Score one for the Espeon.

Yes. Neo liked the new girl very much.

—————————————-​

Novo was very unsure about current events.

True, he did help his brother pressure Wes into stepping in to rescue the girl, but he hadn't expected her to stay. The longer she stayed with them, the greater the anxiety was that he could sense from his trainer. And Novo disliked anyone who set his trainer on edge.

Which was basically everyone that wasn't him and Neo, but that was beside the point.

This girl. She was naive. And boisterous. And loud. Her laugh grated on Novo's ears, and he thought her voice was loud enough to draw attention from two streets over. Hadn't the plan been to blend in and go as unnoticed as possible? In fact, wasn't the plan to be well on their way to Gateon by now?

Novo sensed from Wes' quiet tension and frustration that he was having the same thoughts as the Umbreon. The mounting anxiety to be on the road almost made him regret begging his trainer to save the girl. Almost. Much as he disliked her, he was sure that sack had not been a comfortable place to be, and kicking those men and their Whismur to the curb had been fun. Still, her bubbly demeanor rubbed his fur the wrong way.

His opinion of the girl lessened even further when, at the restaurant, she'd tried to pet him. She'd stretched out a cautious hand, as if to touch his head, and he snarled at her. Sure, she didn't seem like a threat—far from it—but if Wes didn't want her to get close, then Novo wouldn't let her get close to himself, either. It was that simple.

Nonetheless, he suffered through their annoyingly long stay at Phenac City. Once the girl was set, she would be on her way, and they would be on theirs. No more invasive questions or weirdly bright smiles.

But for some reason, she followed them as they finally made their way back to the motorbike. Wes had picked up the pace considerably, and Novo felt joyous at the prospect of moving ahead as planned. Yet...the girl was still here. Did she not understand? Was she that naive? Surely—surely—Wes wasn't planning on bringing her along?

Novo's shock was immeasurable when Wes crouched down to level with him and told him he would have to go in his Pokéball.

What?

His trainer seemed displeased at the idea, too, as he mumbled an apology to him, but Novo's shock only deepened further when he saw the redhead make for the sidecar.

What?

Not only was he being forced back into his Pokeball for the second time today, he was being booted out of the sidecar? His spot? The spot where he loved to watch the scenery fly by and feel the wind in his fur? All for this—this girl? This girl, of all people?

The feeling of betrayal was palpable. He made certain Wes knew this by cramming every fiber of his wounded pride into a piercing glare before he was sucked into his Pokéball.

This girl.

Novo did not like this girl.

—————————————————​

Chapter 4, in which we get some new POV!

Here's some trivia for you all that has absolutely no bearing on the plot whatsoever but I'm going to share it nonetheless:

The "mail order girlfriend" comment was inspired by chuggaconroy's LP of Colosseum on YouTube.

In the main anime, it is canon that "Pika-pi" is Ash's name in Pikachu's language, so I decided to do something similar in this story. Neo's "Espi" and Novo's "Umbri" are them saying Wes' name. Again, not relevant to know, just a fun little detail

Stay tuned for next chapter, where things get...interesting!

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 5: Stirring Shadows​

Wes couldn't help but grumble a little once Phenac City came into view.

Yesterday he had hoped to never have to lay eyes on this city again, and yet here he was, shielding his eyes from its brightness even with his shaded goggles on.

He parked in his usual place outside the city wall, released Neo and Novo immediately, and stalked back through the city entrance with Rui close behind. He'd alerted the two brothers to stay close and be watchful; he didn't think Wakin's impatience would have kept him in the city for very long, but he couldn't afford to be careless. Especially not since he still had the Snag Machine...he spared a glance at the metal sleeve.

"Wes! Rui!"

Someone was shouting their names. Wes cursed quietly under his breath; having someone shouting his name in a busy city was not an idea he was fond of. He looked for the source, but Rui had spotted them first—Dash and Marla, running towards them from across the street.

"Oh my goodness!" Marla panted once they'd reached them. She was looking at Rui with dismay. "You...I can't believe you're still here! You should have left by now, dear!"

"W-well, we technically did leave, but—" Rui began.

"That's not important now!" Dash frantically waved his hand. "Rui, those men that took you—they're back! They're here, and they were headed to the mayor's house!"

Rui's face drained of color. "Are...are you sure it was them?"

Dash nodded solemnly. "I'm sure. Positive. It was definitely them." He looked between her and Wes with worry. "I-I'm really worried for the mayor! You told him about them yesterday, right? What if they found out and...and..." He trailed off and gave Wes a pleading look.

Wes was rubbing his temples in frustration. Another distraction. Another. Damned. Thing. He sighed yet again. Rather than fight it this time, he figured if they could power through the issue quickly, then he could still be heading to Gateon by the end of the day.

He raised his head and fixed Dash and Marla with narrowed eyes. "All right, here's the deal. We'll go check on the mayor and make sure everything is fine. Maybe we can even report that you two saw those men back in the city. And then we'll get going, because we really need to be on our way."

He could have sworn Marla had watery eyes as she thanked them. "Such incredible young people you are!" she sniffed. She and Dash said they would continue to look for the suspects before they parted ways.

"Do-do you think the mayor's okay?" Rui's face was taut with worry as they made for his home. "What if they did find out and they're here to do something to him?"

"He'll be fine," said Wes shortly. "First of all, those two thugs had less than one brain cell to share between them, and second of all, we're talking about the mayor. He'll have security with him. Remember that doorman?"

"Yeah...yeah, you're right," Rui said. She relaxed a little. "He should be fine—but I am glad you offered to check on him. I'll be glad to know for sure." She smiled at him. "You're a really good person, Wes."

No, I'm not, Wes thought with annoyance. He felt ready to sock the next person who needed a favor in the jaw. He wanted to get. Out. Of. Here.

They made it to the mayor's house in good time, largely due to Wes walking so fast and Rui almost needing to jog to keep up. The massive estate looked very much unchanged from the day before. Wes snorted and shook his head. Such a waste of time.

Still, they marched up the steps. Rui bounded forward to knock on the door with her usual enthusiasm—

And the door creaked open.

She let out a gasp, and Wes felt an unpleasant sinking feeling in his stomach. Certainly there was an explanation. The doorman had just forgotten to shut the door tight and lock it...right?

Rui hesitated, then pushed her way inside.

"What—Rui!"

But the girl had already stepped through the doorway. Wes could see that the lights were out inside, and he uttered a few more curses under his breath. Did this girl have a death wish?

He hastily followed her inside with Neo and Novo at his heels. She had only ventured in a few steps and was now looking about the room. Wes grabbed her by the arm with a growl.

"Are you stupid?" He hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Rui turned to look at him with horror in her eyes. "Wes..." she whispered. He could feel her trembling in his grip.

Wes noticed their surroundings, and he immediately understood her fear.

The office was unrecognizable from the day before. Not only were the lights out, but the room was destroyed; papers were scattered all over the floor, the fireplace was shattered, furniture was upended everywhere. Wes noticed the tea set that had been used to serve them yesterday was smashed into pieces on the floor.

"Rui," he said slowly, "we need to get out of here. Now."

He was just about to drag her back outside when the door at the other end of the room burst open.

At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at. For half a crazed second, as he saw a massive ball of red and white, he thought he might be looking at a bizarre Pokémon. And then he realized it wasn't what he was looking at, but whom.

The man that stood before them was tall, lanky, and dressed in some kind of ridiculous bright yellow track suit. His face was covered with gaudy shades, and he was adorned with flashy jewelry. But most noticeable of all was his hair; a massive afro that, for all intents and purposes, looked as though it defied the laws of physics just by how big it was. But the absurdity didn't stop there - the hair was dyed two colors and split evenly down the middle, one side white, the other a fiery red.

Wes briefly wondered if this wasn't just a hallucination. What did he have for breakfast, again...?

Afro Hair was apparently talking to someone else as he entered. His high, nasally voice carried a lilting accent that was almost as obnoxious as the fluff on his head.

"Now, now, darling, ain't no need to get your hair worked up in a frizz. Why, that lil' gal can't have gone far, can—oh!" He squawked in surprise upon noticing Wes and Rui in the room. "Boys, I think we have company!"

Two more men stepped into the room from behind him, and Rui gasped in terror. She grabbed Wes by the arm and stood close to him. "Those—they—they're—"

"I know," Wes replied. He looked Folly and Trudly up and down with disgust. So these men had the nerve to come back to this place?

Neo and Novo stepped forward and faced the three men with bristling fur and low growls.

"Gah!" Trudly barked in alarm and pointed an accusing finger at Wes. "That's—that's him, boss! He's the one who ran us out of town yesterday! An' that's the girl, there!"

The "boss" placed a hand on his hip and cocked his head to the side as he surveyed the newcomers. He scoffed and turned his head back to Trudly. "Are you boys tellin' me you lost to this lil' scrap?"

Trudly shuffled awkwardly. "Uh, Folly battled him, sir," he said quickly.

"What're you throwin' me under the bus for?" Folly snapped. "You'da lost, too!"

Wes had started to inch toward the door, pulling Rui along with him. If they could just make a break for it while they were arguing amongst themselves—

The strange man's gaze suddenly snapped back to Wes in his escape attempt. "Oh, I don't think so, sonny boy!" he said. "Trudly, care to prove to me you're not a pathetic lil' sap like our dear Folly over here?" Folly made a noise of indignation, looking highly affronted.

"Sure thing, Boss!" Trudly barked. He whipped two Pokéballs from his belt and hurled them onto the floor.

Two beams of light faded to reveal a Duskull and a Spinarak. Wes almost shook his head at the pitiful Pokémon. Did these thugs really think they stood a chance against Neo and Novo?

But getting into another messy situation was not on today's agenda. He took another step closer to the door—

A web shot from the Spinarak's mouth and stuck to the door over Wes' shoulder. With a fierce tug, it was slammed shut.

"Oh-ho!" the odd man cackled. "Tryin' to run away, now? And here I thought you was some gentleman lookin' out for this girl!" His eyes rested on the redhead as he mentioned her. Rui shivered and took another step closer to Wes.

"Here's the deal, sonny! You hand that girl back over to us, nice an' easy, and we let you go free! How do that sound?"

"What do you want with me?" Rui snapped. She was quivering, but her eyes were fierce.

"Well, lil' gal, we was hopin' you could tell us." A sneer slid its way across the man's face. "What are you doin, goin' around and seein' things you're not supposed to see?"

Rui's eyes widened in horror. "So you did do something to that Makuhita!"

A sudden ringing interrupted the exchange. The man gave a start and giggled. "Whoops-a-daisy! Pardon me, boys and girls!" He pulled his P*DA out of his pocket and answered. "Hellooooo?"

There was an incredibly awkward silence as he listened to the other side of the phone call. Nobody else in the room dared to speak. Folly was seething with anger near the opposite doorway, and Trudly was growling at Wes, clearly itching for a battle. Neo and Novo stood planted firmly, growling at the men and now Trudly's Pokémon. The Spinarak and Duskull were shifting in front of them, eyeing their opponents warily.

Wes discreetly slipped his free hand under his coat and felt for his knife. Not that he thought he would need to use it, not when Neo and Novo would be able to mop the floor with the other Pokémon, but remembering he had it on him was somewhat comforting, regardless.

"W-Wes..." Rui spoke in a frightened whisper. "I'm so sorry—we shouldn't have come here—I shouldn't have barged in—"

"You think?" he growled. Rui bit her lip and ducked her head; Wes could still feel her trembling. Despite his annoyance, he felt a small tug of sympathy for her.

"I won't turn you over, if that's what you're worried about," he mumbled back to her. Rui kept her gaze on the floor, but she tightened her grip and nodded.

"You...think we can get out of here?" she whispered.

Wes snorted. "Please. Neo and Novo will take care of this."

But even if we escape, what happens to the mayor? he wondered. There was no indication of where the mayor might be. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't actually home and they hadn't come for him after all, but something else...?

It was a small thing to hope for, but he did anyway.

"Ah, just lovely! Goodbye, darling!" The man with the afro ended his phone call with a flourish of his hand before returning the P*DA to his pocket. He turned to the grunts behind him. "Well, boys, I'm off to Pyrite now! Ta-ta!"

"Wh-what?" Trudly spluttered. "You're just gonna leave us to deal with this alone?"

"Yes indeed, darling," his boss drawled with a wink. "I have frightfully important business to attend to, so I'll be on my way. But I do trust you'll have the girl with you the next time we meet." His last sentence, though still drawled in his light, lilting voice, suddenly contained a cold and dangerous edge to it.

Trudly paled in fear and nodded. "I-I'll do it, boss!" he stammered.

"See that you do." The man glanced back over his shoulder at Wes and Rui and winked. "Was lovely meeting you, darlings!" He sauntered off through the back door and was gone.

"Was he for real?" Wes mumbled dazedly. Rui gave a nervous laugh.

"All right, boy," Trudly snarled. His face was twisted with fierce hostility, but there was something akin to desperation in his eyes. "You heard the boss! He needs the girl back. Pronto. Hand her over and nobody gets hurt."

"No, thanks," Wes said coolly.

Folly glanced between the two of them nervously. He sidled towards the door.

"You wanna do this the hard way, then?" Trudly roared. "FINE! Hard way it is!" He addressed his Pokémon. "String Shot and Shadow Ball!"

"Neo, Confusion on that Spinarak!" Wes barked. "Novo, keep that Duskull away from him and Bite whenever possible!"

The Eeveelutions acknowledged their orders with a bark. Novo was immediately tied up in a String Shot, but he gnawed his way through the sticky webs with Bite as Neo dodged the Shadow Ball and plowed into Spinarak with Confusion. The spider screeched as it was thrown into the opposite wall and fell motionless to the floor in one hit.

Duskull fired another Shadow Ball, and this time it struck Neo's shoulder with enough force to send him tumbling. Neo yowled in pain, but before the Duskull could launch another attack, he was yanked out of the air by Novo's jaws. The Umbreon had leaped onto the desk to reach his foe, and now hurled him down to the ground with a fierce tug. Duskull wailed and shot another Shadow Ball at the Pokémon; the attack rolled off Novo's shoulders with barely any effect whatsoever. He lunged and ended the scuffle with a swift Bite.

Trudly roared and raged. "You—you PATHETIC LITTLE—" he swore vehemently and returned his fallen Pokémon to their balls before turning on Wes. "I'M NOT FINISHED YET!"

Rui's eyes widened. "Wes—"

"Not now, Rui." Wes focused intently on his opponent.

"But—Wes—"

She didn't get to finish her thought. Another beam of light filled the room as Trudly unleashed his third and final Pokémon.

A Makuhita.

Rui choked a cry from behind Wes. "That's the one, Wes!" she cried. "There's something wrong with that Pokémon!"

Wes looked the Makuhita up and down; it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with it. Sure, its tense posture and fierce growls were aggressive, but he didn't see how—

Without a command, the Makuhita hurled itself at Novo with terrifying speed. Novo scrambled to get out of the way, but he'd been caught off guard. The Makuhita slammed a fist into the Umbreon's side and sent him flying into the lounge area, crashing into a knocked over couch.

Wes hissed through clenched teeth. This Makuhita was fast. No matter; it was still outnumbered, with a type disadvantage to boot. "Neo! Confusion!"

The Espeon was back on his feet and ready to rumble. He blasted a wave of Psychic energy at the Makuhita. Wes could hear Rui shouting in alarm, but he didn't listen. What was she so worried about? This battle would end quickly soon enough, they were fine—

The Makuhita barreled straight through Neo's Confusion. Wes blinked. That was new.

Neo let out another howl as his foe tossed him effortlessly to the side and kept gunning forward—straight at Wes.

Oh.

He barely had time to react. He ducked and dove to the side, but he wasn't quite fast enough to dodge the entire blow. The Makuhita's fist glanced off his right shoulder, and Wes felt something pop, followed by a thrill of pain shooting down his arm as he crashed to the floor.

Rui's screams filled his ears. The Makuhita lunged for her next, but Novo rammed it out of the way with a Return. The Pokémon tumbled across the floor, then scrabbled to its feet with another snarl, and Wes got a good look at its eyes.

He felt a shiver go down his spine; he'd never seen such empty, such soulless eyes in a Pokémon before. He'd seen more than his fair share of abused and neglected Pokémon during his time in Snagem, but none of them had been quite like this. This Makuhita was filled with nothing, nothing at all, except pure, unfiltered hatred.

"Rui—Rui!" Wes shouted, sitting up and trying to put some distance between him and the Makuhita. "The bag! Give me the bag!"

"Wh-what?"

"Just give it to me!"

She did as told, and tossed the bag into his lap.

The crazed Pokémon lunged at Wes again; Neo blocked it this time with a Protect, then another Confusion. Though the Espeon's Psychic-type attacks should have greatly weakened the Fighting-type, it seemed hardly fazed at all—anything, it was even angrier than before. Both Neo and Novo lunged at their foe, only to be thrown aside yet again.

Makuhita locked eyes with Wes, and launched at him a third time.

Wes' instincts kicked into overdrive.

He was hardly aware that he had dug into the bag and was now holding a Pokéball in his hand. The machine on his arm came to life, soft orange lines glowing as they ran all the way down to his fingertips. The Pokéball in his hand glowed and hummed as the machine did its work.

The Makuhita bore down on him, and Wes threw the ball.

The Pokémon vanished in a beam of light. The ball fell to the floor with a light thunk, then shook once...twice...three times.

Click.

A stunned silence filled the room, only to be broken by Trudly's shout.

"WHAT?!"

The ball flew from its place on the floor to Wes' open hand - the one with the machine. He stared at it numbly, unsure of what to think or feel.

"WHAT DID—HOW DID YOU—THAT'S MY Pokémon!"

Trudly was practically foaming at the mouth. Wes looked up into the man's eyes.

"Not anymore," he said bluntly.

Trudly took a step forward, looking about ready for murder, when Neo and Novo limped out from under the wreckage of the battle. Neo's forehead jewel gleamed menacingly, and Novo's rings pulsed with anger.

"Doesn't look like your friend is here to back you up, either," Wes added.

Folly was indeed nowhere to be seen. Trudly balked, glancing at the advancing Pokémon and where his friend should have been. He shrieked a volley of insults at Wes before retreating hastily through the door.

Wes' shoulders slumped in relief, and he stared at the Pokéball in his hand. Never, not once, had he seen a Pokémon behave in such a way before...

A shuffle from near the door caught his attention. He turned his head to see Rui backing away from him, her face white with shock. "You...how...how did—"

Wes staggered to his feet and sucked in a sharp breath at the pain that laced through his shoulder. Something was definitely wrong with it. He grimaced at Rui. "I'll explain later, okay?"

Rui continued to stare at him. "You...you just...you just stole—"

Wes didn't have time for this. He grabbed Rui by the arm and made for the door. "I'll explain later. But for now we need to get out of—"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Rui's voice was shrill as she wrenched her arm away from him. "Not until you explain to me what just happened! Right now!"

Wes clenched his jaw and took a long look at the girl. If he told her the truth, would she understand? Would she allow him to continue on his way without turning him in? Or would she give him away to the authorities in a fit of rage?

He thought of her face in the Pokémon Center when she spoke of Team Snagem, and he knew the answer.

He heaved a long, weary sigh. "Okay. Okay. I'll explain. But can we please go somewhere else? I don't want to be here when authorities get here. It won't look good for either of us."

Rui seemed to accept this answer, as she tersely nodded her head after a moment's pause. "Fine."

They took the back exit to avoid being seen, and Neo and Novo were returned to their Pokéballs until they could be taken to the Center for their injuries. Wes made an effort not to let his own injury show, partly out of attempts to avoid suspicion from curious onlookers, but mostly out of habit. He led Rui to a bench that was tucked away next to a few artificial waterfalls; their conversation would be safe here, with the rushing water to discourage potential eavesdroppers.

Rui sat far away from him, on the opposite side of the bench. Though she'd been clinging to his arm just moments earlier, now she wanted nothing to do with him, and was putting as much space between them as possible. She fixed him with a burning glare. "Well?"

Wes took a deep breath. He would have to be careful, very careful, on how he approached this. The low voice spoke in his mind once again, repeating words from yesterday: The best lies are half-truths, boy.

And as much as Wes hated that voice, he listened to it.

"I...I told you I grew up on the streets, right?" He started slowly. Rui narrowed her eyes at him and nodded. "Well...I associated with all kinds of people. Living that life, you have to make connections to survive. I had...had some close friends who got caught up with Team Snagem."

Rui's hands curled into fists as they rested atop her knees. She said nothing, so Wes continued.

"I didn't like what Team Snagem did. I never liked it. But these friends of mine...they did what they thought they had to do to survive. So they stayed with Snagem for a long time, until something happened." He paused and stared hard at the ground. "They...killed one of my good friends and his team."

Rui's eyes widened and the color drained from her face. "Arceus...what happened? Why would they do that?"

"Because he broke one of their rules...I don't know all the details." Wes ran a hand through his hair. "I just know that they killed his team and made him watch before they killed him." Anger started to rise in his chest. Horrifying images, ones that plagued his nightmares, began to flicker across his mind. He shook his head and pushed them back as he took another deep breath.

Not now. Keep it together.

"So," he pressed on, "I got together with a couple of friends and we decided to do something about it. We rigged up some explosives and infiltrated the base. That explosion that happened a few days ago? That was me."

Rui's mouth dropped open. "That...was you?"

"Yeah." Wes gave her a bitter smile. "Best damn thing I ever did."

She stared at him in shock for a moment, then her eyes went to the machine still on Wes' arm. "That doesn't explain that, though."

"I stole it before I—we—blew up the base. Snagem had a whole bunch of machines made to convert Pokéballs for stealing, so we set the bombs off in all the rooms that held them. We destroyed them all...except this one." He looked down at the metal contraption. Sunlight glinted off its many curved surfaces. "This one is the only portable Snag Machine in existence. I stole it because...well, I'm actually not sure. Part of me wanted to use it against them, I guess. Somehow."

"Then how did you automatically know how to use it?" Rui's voice hardened with suspicion.

"I had a general idea of how they worked from what my friends told me. Plus, it's pretty straightforward. You just throw a Pokéball with that arm." He raised head back up to meet Rui's eyes. "That's the story."

Rui scanned his face as if looking for any traces of falsehood. "So...you were never part of Team Snagem yourself?"

"No," Wes said firmly. "Never."

"You've never stolen a Pokémon?"

"Today was the first."

She sat still for a long time, staring hard at him, fists still clenched. Wes tried to calm the pounding in his chest as he met her gaze evenly. Please let her believe me. Please.

"Okay." Her voice was quiet. "I believe you."

Wes allowed himself to breathe a tiny sigh of relief. Thank. Arceus.

"But...what does this all mean?" Rui leaned back with a sigh. "That Makuhita...I don't know what they did to it, but it's badly scarred, and dangerous. You saw for yourself."

Wes nodded.

"And I'm apparently the only person who can see them...that I know of, at least." She tipped her head back to look at the sky. "I've never met anyone else who can see aura...but then I just happened to find a Pokémon with a corrupted aura…" Her forehead scrunched.

Wes wondered what she was thinking. "What are you getting at?"

"It's kind of...convenient, isn't it?" Rui sat up on the bench, angling to face him. "Anyone could have come across that Makuhita, but I was the one who did.. Maybe it means I have my ability for a reason, maybe I'm meant to do something!"

He stared at her blankly. "Do something? Like what?"

"Save those Pokémon!" Rui waved a hand excitedly. "Whoever those people in the mayor's house were, they're part of something. Some kind of gang. I heard them talking while I was in the sack. It's not just the Makuhita, there are lots of corrupted Pokémon out there. Whatever they're doing to those Pokémon, it's wrong, and it's horrible, and—" She broke off, her voice quivering with emotion. "And I want to save them," she finished. Her hands had clenched into determined fists and her eyes were bright with resolve.

Wes sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. Of course this girl, with no knowledge of how the world worked, would want to go charging in to challenge some underground crime ring on the off chance she might save some random Pokémon she didn't even know. Really, why did he expect anything different?

His arm twinged painfully, and he held back a wince.

"Look." He raised his head again. "That's a nice idea and all, but you're completely out of your depth. You don't have any specifics, and even if you did, what do you expect to do about it? You don't even have a Pokémon. Tell the cops what you know, and let them take it from there."

"But what can they do?" Rui huffed. "They haven't done anything about Orre's crime rings! I mean, you did more to hurt Snagem than they have ever done, and you're just one person!"

She had a point there, Wes had to admit. Orre's lack of a central government was precisely why crime was so high. Pokémon trafficking, among other things, was pathetically easy in a region where you could simply hop from one city to the next to evade arrest—and then there was The Under, Orre's underground criminal hotspot and a hotbed of corruption that was far too powerful for any measly law enforcement.

There was a reason Snagem thrived so well in Orre, Wes thought bitterly. Justice was little more than a pipe dream in this desert.

He realized Rui was looking at him almost hopefully. She couldn't possibly expect—

"Look, I've done my part, all right?" Wes' words came out more harshly than he intended. "I did what I could to destroy and expose Snagem, I hit them where it hurt the most, and now I'm a dead man walking if any of them catch me. I'm also pretty sure that blowing up buildings is still a crime, whether it belongs to a gang or not. So there's that. I'm not in any position to...to play hero, or whatever, and neither are you. I just want to lay low and live the rest of my life in peace." He shot her a hard look. "And if you want my advice, you should do the same."

Rui bristled. "Are you saying I should just—just ignore everything we saw today?"

"I never told you to ignore it, just to leave it to the police."

"Which is basically the same thing," she said with a scoff.

"Fine, ignore me," Wes snapped. "Get yourself thrown in a sack again or worse, and see if I care." Another pang shuddered through his shoulder and down his arm, and he hissed in frustration. Why, why, why couldn't he have just ignored his Pokémon yesterday and let someone else rescue this crazy redhead? He got to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to heal my Pokémon and get my shoulder looked at, and then I'm leaving this place. You should too. And if we're lucky, we won't run into each other again."

Rui had also risen to her feet and was frowning at him. For a moment Wes wondered if she'd even heard what he said. "You...hurt your shoulder?" She looked concerned.

"A crazy Pokémon tried to kill me, in case you didn't notice."

"I-I didn't realize you were hit! I'm sorry—"

"Doesn't matter." Wes turned away on one heel. "I'm going now." He marched off in the direction of the hospital.

"Wait!" Rui rushed up beside him. "At least let me go with you to the hospital!"

"What the hell for?" he spat. "I don't need you. Go away."

"No! You got into this mess because of me, and the least I can do is make sure you're okay!"

"I'm fine, and I'd be even better if you'd leave me alone."

"At least let me go with you. Okay? Then I'll leave and I'll be out of your hair, I promise."

Her face was so sincere as she looked at him. Wes found it so damned infuriating. How in Mew's name could this girl possibly have the energy to care so much about absolutely everything? Didn't she ever get tired? Like a normal person?

Wes grumbled in defeat. "Fine." And with that, he made for the hospital with Rui in tow.

 

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

Hello there! I'm here with a review for the first five chapters of this fic. I first encountered this story relatively early in its life on Fanfiction.net and I intended to read it, but other things got in the way at the time. I can see that it's grown quite beyond the five chapters that are present here, but since it's here, I took that as an opportunity to finally read this, all without the pressure of having to read through so many chapters. So with that said, I'll begin below!

To start, I'd like to provide some background with my experience as a kid with Pokémon Colosseum, how that contrasts with my perspective now, and how both relate to your fic. I was approximately ten when I first played it, having rented it out of curiosity to discover what a Pokémon game on a console would be like, specifically one with that much-talked-about story mode. There wasn't nearly enough space for me to save the game on the GameCube's pathetically small memory cards, so I didn't progress very far. I did, however, end up watching the opening at least twice or more, and man was it an opening to behold! A dark, brooding hero for a protagonist? Two badass Eeveelutions by your side? Blowing up the evil team's base... a team that you were a member of? And then riding away in a badass hoverbike across an arid desert landscape, all like a total boss? Hell yeah, that was awesome! And I'm sure for many a ten-year-old used to playing as the relatively dry, goodie-two-shoes protagonists of the mainline Pokémon games, seeing a protagonist like Wes do all of that, all in the very first minute of the game, was like watching the epitome of cool.

But with your story, however, that iconic opening scene is... different. The whole badassery of the scene remains (it's kind of hard to remove the sheer awesome of blowing up your former employer's evil base, even through an adult lens), but Wes in particular is different. He's no longer that avatar of everything that our ten-year-old selves wanted to be; that total badass that not even Red himself could match in cool factor. Instead, he's human. Rather than use that scene to glorify Wes as the original game pretty much did, you instead wisely use it to give us a better sense of why Wes would want to do all of this, and what's going on in his mind in general. And surprisingly, we can see that while he's certainly getting some serious satisfaction of out what he's doing, he also seems kind of afraid too! Almost as if there's a part of his mind somewhere that thinks that he might actually fail. Through this scene, it's established from the very beginning that while this will certainly be one of those adaptations that will be "darker" and "more mature" than the original, it's the kind of "darker" and "more mature" that actually lives up to the weight of such terms, rather than simply throwing a bunch of blood, darkness, and violence at everything (although it's clear that the latter two will definitely also be in play, just not excessively so).

That said, the above isn't actually what led me to continue reading. After all, even a darker and more mature take on Colosseum isn't exactly something that hasn't been attempted before, with it and its characters and setting being very popular in the fandom. And although I've never played through Colosseum in its entirety, I do know what happens in the story, which means that novelty alone was never going to be enough to make me stick around for something that (at first!) appeared to follow the plot of the original game pretty closely. So what made me stay?

To my own surprise, it's because this fic is actually really, really funny! Really, half of the time I had a smile on my face, barely keeping myself from breaking out in constant laughter. Not at all what I would've expected from an Orre fic! But how? Well...

...there's Rui, who, like Wes, is rather different here. She's much more of an airhead here than I remember her being in canon, almost to the point of being kind of an idiot, honestly. Specifically because she's in Orre, a place where lacking basic survival instinct will get you into trouble very, very quickly (and indeed, she does get herself kidnapped). That said, she's also sympathetic in that she's quickly established as coming from a much less crime-infested part of the region, thus giving the impression that she's actually quite sheltered and wouldn't have any reason to fully understand what you "do and don't do" in Orre. And then there's the scenes where Rui actually lampshades her own stupidity (the one where she questions the wisdom of spending the night alone in a dark cellar with a guy she met mere hours ago being a particularly darkly hilarious example). All of which clearly demonstrates that she's not really an idiot, just rather naïve and perhaps a bit quick to follow through on what comes to her mind. And that latter quality is arguably a quite admirable and even heroic trait in some ways, especially given her other qualities — particularly her strong sense of justice — that I'll bring up later.

Now, what makes Rui's... naïveté, I'll call it, so great for the narrative is that it makes her a good foil for Wes — the anything-but-naïve veteran who knows exactly what you "do and don't do" in Orre — whose plans she constantly ruins with her sympathetically silly antics, and whose sarcasm and (seeming) apathy towards the world is constantly interrupted and challenged by her pure, sincere curiosity of both him and of the strange new world around her. If not for Rui, actually, there would really be no plot, because then there would be nothing stopping Wes from getting to Gateon Port by chapter three and then the story would basically be over! But that would be boring, obviously, so instead what we have here is (so far, at least) almost kind of a dark comedy where the dark, brooding hero's quest for freedom from a world of misery is constantly derailed to hilarious ends by one pesky, annoying, yet highly likable girl. This type of foil has been done before, of course, but there's a reason why people keep using it: because it's freaking funny, as it most definitely is here.

That said, there is the question of how well this lighter side of the story fits in with "darker" and "more mature" side hinted at in the first scene and through various scattered moments in subsequent chapters. After all, there's obviously little that's funny about having nightmares about your dark and troubled past torment you every night, or about hearing your (likely abusive) former boss's voice in your head, tempting you to give in to your lesser nature. To the story's credit, it does give these moments the weight and respect that they deserve, and it does it all without completely snuffing out the light from the less serious ones. The fic is neither too light nor too dark at any one given point, instead switching between moderates of the two when appropriate. And they arguably even play off each other a little in that the the back-and-forth between Wes and Rui produces conversations that shift naturally into brief spurts of darker, character-developing territory. It's almost like a dance, one that your fic does quite gracefully. But with that in mind, how can Rui's plot-derailing antics be funny, instead of disturbing or frustrating? How is Rui likable, instead of highly unsympathetic for putting herself and Wes in constant danger and keeping the latter from escaping a place that literally haunts him at night? Well, I think that it's because for all of the darkness that hangs over everything like a cloud, threatening to rain down on Wes and Rui at some point down the line, we know that nothing bad will really happen to them at this early point in the story. It's all just a fun ride! Mostly, and for now.

Now, no discussion of Colosseum — or an adaptation of it — is complete without bringing Wes's Eeveelutions into the spotlight, or in your fic's case: Neo and Novo. And man, are these two awesome! As well as extremely important to the narrative; more so than even Rui, I'd argue. From the very beginning, these two establish the more lighthearted side of this fic with their antics, especially the former's (with Neo's figurative flipping off of Team Snagem in the first scene in particular just straddling the line between, "oh, how cute, Neo!" and "what the hell, Neo!?"). They bring constant humor and light to the story (I never thought I'd associate the words "bacon addiction" with an Orre fic, haha), and they're arguably the heart of the fic in many ways, as well as possibly the "heart" of Wes himself. They're the only characters whom Wes shows consistent, unconditional love and care for thus far, and for a decent stretch of the fic, they've been the sole means through which we've been able to see Wes's "true" side beneath his hard, tough-guy, don't-give-a-damn exterior. They're also the ones who convince Wes to rescue Rui against his initial instincts, acting almost like a morality chain to him in that sense. And actually, I have to say that it's quite refreshing to see that instead of having Rui be "that girl" who singlehandedly saves Wes from a life of darkness and apathy and who brings out the purer, kinder side of him that only she can see. Instead, through Neo and Novo, we're able to see that Wes is already quite decent; he's just not always inclined to decency thanks to the mentality that a place like Orre demands, as well as the trauma from his dark and troubled past. But perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise to see Neo and Novo in that kind of role because, as mentioned by many others before, those two evolved for a reason (happiness). It makes sense that they'd be the first ones to "open up Wes's heart", and it feels more natural that way versus having the resident female lead do it (even if Rui will almost certainly have her own role to play in "opening up Wes's heart" too; she just won't be the only player, and that's a good thing!).

That said, things are indeed getting interesting in the story as of late. Already in chapter five, I can see that — the inevitable appearance of a certain infamous character aside — there's a lot less humor and light in this one, with the consequences of Rui's foolishness in particular being played painfully straight this time. We also get to see Wes in an especially bad mood here, to the point where he nearly successfully pushes Rui away before her kindness pushes its way through to him yet again. And finally, we get to see Rui as a bit more than "that annoying tagalong" as she puts her foot down and declares her rather admirable, if perhaps also slightly naïve, convictions... convictions that threaten the entire foundation of her relationship with Wes (unbeknownst to her, yet). The rainclouds seem to be getting darker now, and with that lie especially — one even worse than the one Wes goes with in canon, which I believe was more of a lie of omission — there's the makings of an all-out storm of darkness and misery here...

...one that I look forward to reading about in future chapters! Because, as you can probably already tell, I really like this story, it being one of the better Colosseum adaptations that I've come across with some very nice surprises throughout. As I mentioned before, I know that the FF.net version is already quite far ahead of this one, but if you intend to keep posting chapters here, then I'll certainly continue reading it here. So even with the lack of reviews here (rather surprisingly, given this fic's apparent reputation elsewhere), you'll at least know that I'll be reading, haha.

I hope that all of the above helps you!

 

[HelloYellow17]

AaaaaaAAAAAAA

Don't mind me while I just squeal and read this extremely lovely, thoughtful, insightful review over and over again!! And you even cross-posted it to FFN?! You are a saint. Bless you. I adore you.
Honestly, your timing could not have been better. Things have been rough for me lately irl, and your review was a VERY appreciated and needed pick-me-up. I really have read it over a couple of times now to cheer myself up, haha! (And don't worry, things are better than they were a few days ago, it's just been one of those weeks!)

Allow me to share some specific thoughts!

Spoiler: Line Quotes

Through this scene, it's established from the very beginning that while this will certainly be one of those adaptations that will be "darker" and "more mature" than the original, it's the kind of "darker" and "more mature" that actually lives up to the weight of such terms, rather than simply throwing a bunch of blood, darkness, and violence at everything (although it's clear that the latter two will definitely also be in play, just not excessively so).

Indeed! This will certainly be a darker and more "mature" story, but I'm not a fan of simply throwing in a thousand levels of angst and blood and gore just for the sake of it. I'm hoping to be able to keep a good balance of dark and serious, while also maintaining the lighter, more hopeful themes.

To my own surprise, it's because this fic is actually really, really funny! Really, half of the time I had a smile on my face, barely keeping myself from breaking out in constant laughter.

I'll be honest, this was a surprise to hear! (Though a very pleasant one, of course.) I've really never viewed OSAS as a comedy, and while I did slip in humor here and there, I genuinely did not think readers would find it all that funny because I tend to think I'm much wittier than I actually am. xD So I really loved hearing this! Honestly, the fact that my writing can make even one person laugh out loud makes me...really really happy. Aaaaah!

But that would be boring, obviously, so instead what we have here is (so far, at least) almost kind of a dark comedy where the dark, brooding hero's quest for freedom from a world of misery is constantly derailed to hilarious ends by one pesky, annoying, yet highly likable girl. This type of foil has been done before, of course, but there's a reason why people keep using it: because it's freaking funny, as it most definitely is here.

Oh man I am so glad you like this dynamic, because I've been having WAY too much fun writing it! Wes and Rui are incredibly entertaining to bounce off of each other. I'm glad to hear that it wasn't overdone, either!

(I never thought I'd associate the words "bacon addiction" with an Orre fic, haha)

LOL I am involved with the TR community and OSAS' bacon gag has achieved full meme status over there. It's wild. I honestly did not expect people to latch onto the joke so much. xD

They're the only characters whom Wes shows consistent, unconditional love and care for thus far, and for a decent stretch of the fic, they've been the sole means through which we've been able to see Wes's "true" side beneath his hard, tough-guy, don't-give-a-damn exterior. They're also the ones who convince Wes to rescue Rui against his initial instincts, acting almost like a morality chain to him in that sense. And actually, I have to say that it's quite refreshing to see that instead of having Rui be "that girl" who singlehandedly saves Wes from a life of darkness and apathy and who brings out the purer, kinder side of him that only she can see. Instead, through Neo and Novo, we're able to see that Wes is already quite decent; he's just not always inclined to decency thanks to the mentality that a place like Orre demands, as well as the trauma from his dark and troubled past.

Yes, yes, yes! Sadly, a lot of Colosseum fics I've seen tend to shove Umbreon and Espeon (and other Pokemon) to the side or simply make them background characters. However, even as a kid, I felt like these two Eeeveelutions definitely had a deep and close bond with Wes. For starters (heh, no pun intended), Espeon knows Return at full power at the very beginning of the game, and in the "how you met" section of their summary, they are both referred to as "Wes' old friend." Clearly these two have played a significant role in his life, and they deserve more of the spotlight! I'm very pleased you picked up on this because, yes, a lot of Wes' morality and humanity can be credited to these two hooligans. And while Rui will certainly play her role later, Neo and Novo are his biggest motivation behind the things he does.

Wow, this really was an incredible review, and it just might be one of my all-time favorites! I want to print this out and put it on my fridge or something. It just makes me smile. I will say, that if you intend to read further on FFN, I suggest stopping after Chapter 7 because I am doing some major overhauls on chapters 8 and 9. But if you plan to read on here, then no worries! All chapters will be fully updated before I post them here.

Thanks once again for this review! You are wonderful.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 6: Lockdown

"Why the hell is this taking so long?"

Rui glanced at Wes, who sat beside her, and held back a sigh. The trainer had made no effort to hide his frustration at the length of their hospital stay—apparently, he'd expected it to be a quick in-and-out procedure, and nothing more. However, their appointment had taken two hours from start to finish, and Rui had only barely managed to convince him to wait a little longer for his pain medicine.

"You don't have much experience with hospitals, do you?" Rui asked carefully. "This is fairly normal."

Though she had to admit, it was a little slower than she was used to, at least from her few experiences with the hospital back home—but then again, the hospital in Agate was much smaller, and therefore less crowded.

Wes merely responded to her question with a mutinous grumble. She sat back in her seat with a small sigh.

Not that she could blame Wes for his sour attitude, given the day's events. Rui glanced at the sling on his right arm; she couldn't believe he'd had a dislocated shoulder ever since leaving the mayor's house. Good as he was at masking it, there was no way he wasn't in pain. She shook her head to herself. What kind of person brushed off a dislocated shoulder like it was nothing?

At the very least, they'd stopped by the Pokémon Center to heal Wes' team before coming to the hospital. Irritated as he was now, she had noticed his aura calm significantly once his Pokémon were treated.

Rui looked around the room. She couldn't help but notice there was a tense atmosphere in the clinic. Nurses and doctors were muttering to each other in worried, hushed tones, and clients were whispering to one another. News about the break in at the mayor's estate must have been reported and was spreading around the city. Rui just hoped the mayor would be found safe and sound...she sighed again and slumped lower in her seat. She found herself wishing she could do more, so much more.

At long last, the nurse emerged with the medication and they were able to get on their way. "About damn time," Wes muttered as they finally made their way to the exit.

Rui bit her lip hesitantly as they walked out the door. She knew she'd told Wes that she would go her own way after this, but she couldn't help but wonder if those men, Trudly and Folly, were still in the city. They were still after her, and the thought of being left alone was terrifying...but she couldn't possibly ask more of him. He'd made it clear that he had his own plans, and he'd sacrificed so much for her already...

She blinked in the sunlight as they stepped outside. The hospital was near the upper elevations of the city, so they had a clear view over the sloping buildings and cascading waterfalls. The sun was getting low in the sky, tinging the light blue with gold and glowing off the city below. Rui basked in the breathtaking sight; bad memories of Phenac aside, it still managed to impress her.

She shot Wes a sideways look. "I...guess this is it, huh?"

"Yeah." He wasn't looking at her. Rui wondered if he was having the same thoughts as her about Trudly and Folly, but if he was, he said nothing. Instead, he sent Neo and Novo out of their Pokéballs. "All right, guys. Time to say goodbye."

Novo cast her a sideways glance, chuffed, then turned his head away to look out over the city. Rui smiled wryly. She'd been expecting as much from him.

Neo's eyes widened in dismay as he looked from his trainer to Rui. "Esp? Spiiiii?"

"It's time for us to go, bud, and she needs to get home. Say goodbye, okay?"

Neo's ears drooped in disappointment. Rui crouched down, and he wandered over to place his head on her knee with a loud sigh.

Wes rolled his eyes. "Such a drama queen."

Rui chuckled at the Espeon. "I'll miss you too, Neo," she said as she stroked his head. "It was fun to get to know each other, wasn't it?"

Neo rubbed his chin against her knee. "Spi."

She got back to her feet. "So, um...thanks." She looked down at her feet and clasped her hands behind her back.

"...Yeah." Wes mumbled and shifted awkwardly. "Well, uh, see you, I guess—"

"Umbri!" A bark from Novo made them both jump. The Umbreon was on his feet, ears pricked in the direction of the city gate. He turned to his trainer with an anxious growl. "Bri!"

Wes raised a hand to his face and let out a growl. He looked as though he might throw something. "For Arceus' sake," he said weakly, "What now?"

As if in answer to his question, a loud, booming voice echoed through the streets, making them both jump. Rui glanced around for the source of the sound and found it was coming from speakers all throughout the city.

"This is a public announcement to all citizens of Phenac!" Rui perked up - that was the mayor's voice!

"All citizens are to return to their homes immediately. All visitors are to take shelter in the Pokémon Center. We ask that every individual remain indoors until further notice. There will be no exiting or entering the city at this time. We thank you for your cooperation."

Rui couldn't help but let out a breath of relief. Ominous announcement aside, at least it confirmed the mayor was safe and unharmed...

She heard Wes groan beside her. "Well. Fantastic. We chose a great day to come back here." His voice was dripping with annoyance.

"What do you think is happening?" She turned to face him, anxiety creeping into her chest.

"Probably trying to chase down whoever broke into the mayor's house...which doesn't put us in the best position," Wes replied grimly.

"Why not?"

"Because we were there. If anybody saw us going in or out and reported it, we could be suspects."

"We can just tell them the truth, right? And I bet if we could find Dash or Marla, they would vouch for us!"

"You're forgetting that I stole a Pokémon while we were there. If that gets found out..."

"...Oh. Right..." Rui bit her lip. "Then...what do we do?"

Wes didn't answer immediately; he seemed to be wondering this himself. Then he turned and looked at her. "We're getting out of here."

Rui blinked. "'We'?"

"You're welcome to stay here for hours and possibly get arrested, but personally, I have other things I'd rather be doing."

"O-okay, but how are we getting out? The mayor just said—"

"Forget what the mayor said. We can at least check out the entrance and see if we can sneak out somehow. It's not like they have a police force to guard the exits."

Rui frowned at him. "All right...but if we can't find a reasonable way to get out, I think we should go to the Center and wait things out."

Wes scowled. He clearly didn't like her counteroffer, but rather than argue, he simply sighed. "Fine. Deal."

They headed towards the southern entrance. Rui had to admit that, her rising anxiety and pounding heart aside, she was grateful they hadn't parted ways just yet. It was nice not to be alone, and, gruff though he was, she was starting to enjoy Wes' company. She watched Neo and Novo weave around their trainer as they walked, and she felt a little more at peace in their presence.

They eventually rounded a corner and the south gate came into view. Four men stood in front of it, forming a human blockade of sorts. One man in a white and gold uniform stood in front of the other three and was repeating directions into a microphone.

"All citizens please return to your homes! There will be no leaving or entering this city until further notice! I repeat, all citizens return to your homes immediately..."

There weren't many people in the small square, but those who remained were quickly hurrying about in varying directions to their homes. Rui caught a glimpse of a few faces as they bustled by; each one looked tense, worried, and fearful.

She then got a closer look at the men standing in front of the entrance. They each wore distinctly colored uniforms and carried an air of authority in their posture.

"Are those...officers?" Rui asked uncertainly.

"The guy in front is some kind of Town Hall member," Wes answered as he surveyed the scene, "but I don't recognize the ones behind him...they can't be officers, I know Phenac doesn't have..." He trailed off with a frown.

Rui then made a prompt decision and approached the man with the megaphone. She heard Wes hiss her name behind her, but she ignored him. She hadn't been with him that long, but figured that he would probably come up with something brash and reckless to get them out of here. Rui, however, had a little faith in the power of negotiation.

"Excuse me!" Rui raised her voice in an attempt to be heard over the megaphone. "Can you tell us what's going on?"

The man lowered the megaphone and threw her a thoroughly disgruntled look. "Look, lady, I can only repeat myself through this damn cone and be ignored so many times. Now get gone. Go home."

"Please, sir..." Rui put on her best pleading face. "I'm just a tourist, you see, and I don't live here—"

"Bah!" He waved a hand in frustration. "Then go to the Center or something!"

"Care to tell us why we can't leave the city?" Wes surprised Rui by stepping up beside her and addressing the man sharply. She held back a sigh; she'd been going for the sweet and innocent angle, but Wes' glare would quickly ruin that.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rui saw one of the three men nudge his neighbor and whisper in his ear.

The Town Hall member turned to scowl at him, but then quailed slightly under Wes' fierce gaze. He huffed and shook his head. "Look, I'm not at liberty to share details, but I have it on good authority that there's an armed and dangerous criminal in this city, and nobody's going anywhere until we find the culprit." His face darkened. "You've heard the orders from the mayor and myself, so stop wasting my time and get inside somewhere!"

"Excuse me." One of the uniformed men stepped up. His face was obscured under a helmet with a dark visor. He wore a scarf around his neck, a crisply fitted button-up uniform, and thick gloves. Every piece of clothing, from his visor to his boots, was a solid oceanic blue. His two companions behind him wore identical uniforms, except that one was in all red, the other all green.

He seemed to be glancing between Wes and Rui—she couldn't see his eyes, so it was hard to tell for certain. He then clapped a hand on the Town Hall member's shoulder. "You can go on home now, sir. We'll take it from here."

The man balked. "But—as a Town Hall official—"

"No need to worry, this area's been cleared of civilians save these two. You've done your duty."

The staff member sighed in relief. He pushed past Wes and Rui further into the city, and she thought she heard him grumble as he passed, "Don't get paid enough for this."

The man in blue turned his head to Wes. "You, sir. I'm going to need to see your trainer I.D."

Wes narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"No worry, it's only a precaution. We've got a Pokémon thief running somewhere through this city, so we need to be sure no trainers are carrying unregistered Pokémon."

Rui's heart raced in her chest. Wes had tucked the Makuhita's Pokéball onto his belt, next to the other two...

"My Pokémon are right here," Wes said cooly, and gestured to the Umbreon and Espeon that stood loyally at his feet.

"I'm sorry, but I still need to see your I.D."

Wes raised an eyebrow at him. "And who are you, exactly? I don't remember Phenac having officers."

"We are volunteer transfers from Pyrite who have offered their services to keep Phenac safe." An edge crept into the man's tone. "Now, for the last time, show me your I.D., or things will get difficult."

Rui glanced nervously at Wes. What do we do? What do we do? But he merely sighed and shrugged his shoulders. His face was perfectly calm as he reached into his coat and handed his I.D. card to the...officer? Supposedly? Rui still wasn't exactly sure what to call these men. She'd never heard of authorities transferring from Pyrite before—but then again, she supposed she didn't know much about a lot of things.

The man in blue pulled out his P*DA and scanned the card. After a moment's pause, he read aloud, "Wesley Lycas, twenty-two, native Orre citizen, three registered Pokémon. An Espeon, an Umbreon, and a Makuhita." He pocketed his device and handed the card back to Wes. "Looks like everything is in order. You're all clear, but we still can't allow anyone in or out of this city until we do a thorough search."

Wes huffed in exasperation. Rui could tell from his clenched jaw that he was trying very hard to maintain his patience. "Look, we really need to be on our way. Can you just let us go?"

"Sorry, sir. No exiting or entering until the lockdown is lifted."

Wes looked ready to argue, so Rui quickly stepped in. "Thank you," she said, "we'll be on our way now!" She grabbed her companion by the arm and pulled him away.

"I can't believe this," he mumbled under his breath as they turned to go. "We are never getting out of here..."

But we aren't arrested, either, she thought. She looked up at him and was about to ask what sort of stunt he'd pulled when she heard a series of distinct sounds from behind them:

Several Pokémon being unleashed at once.

Wes stiffened. "Oh, hell—"

Rui was suddenly wrenched to the side as he dove, pulling her down with him. She didn't even have time to shout before she heard Wes call to his Pokémon. "PROTECT!"

And then everything around them exploded.

A maelstrom of Pokémon attacks engulfed them. Rui heard herself scream as she saw flames, leaves, water, psychic energy—but none of them reached her or Wes.

Neo and Novo flanked the two of them on either side. Novo's rings flared as Neo's jewel gleamed, a white silvery shield forming around them. The attacks subsided, and the shield evaporated like mist.

The dust settled. The three uniformed men stood with empty Pokéballs in their hands. Five growling, rumbling and snarling Pokémon loomed right in front of them—

Rui choked out a cry.

Dark. Angry. Black.

It was Pyrite all over again—but worse. Much worse. Rui trembled as she took in the sickly sight of purple-black flames engulfing the aura of not one, not two, but three of the five Pokémon before them.

A Quilava twitched and clawed at the ground erratically as though trying to get at an itch she could not scratch; a Bayleef breathed heavily with raging hatred in his eyes; a Croconaw snapped her jaws and looked horrifyingly eager to tear something in two. A Spoink and a Grimer flanked the three creatures on either side, and although their auras were clean, they were tense and ready to fight.

These men were certainly no officers.

There's more of them, she realized as she took in the corrupted Pokémon with growing horror. Lots more. Then she realized something else.

We are so, so dead.

"So this is how you want to play?" Wes was back on his feet and roaring at his opponents. "Just who the hell do you think you are!"

The man in blue smirked at him. "Play dangerous games, win dangerous prizes, my friend." Wes snarled a curse at him.

Rui rose shakily to her feet. "W-Wes—"

"What!" He snapped his gaze to hers, and Rui flinched a little; he looked thoroughly pissed.

"Those—those—those Pokémon are like that Makuhita!"

He stared at her in disbelief. "You're joking."

"The—the—" Fear made her words jumble together. "Quilava-Croconaw-Bayleef!" She hoped to Arceus she made some sort of sense in her panic.

"Briii!" Novo stalked forward with a growl, utterly undaunted by the number of foes. One of the Pokémon, the Spoink, squealed a challenge back at him.

A volley of cries reached Rui's ears as each of the men hollered commands at their Pokémon. Rui ducked, Wes shouted for another Protect, and this time the shield barely held against the vicious barrage.

She was not convinced it would hold a third time.

"Novo, Dark Pulse on that Spoink! Neo, Confusion on the Grimer!" The brothers lunged into the fray at the command, and chaos ensued. Wes ripped the third Pokéball from his belt and unleashed the Makuhita.

The Pokémon's aura was no different from before. The darkness shifted around him eerily, unnaturally, like a sickly specter. The Makuhita blinked as he took in his surroundings, and the dark flames of his aura burned higher as he noticed the fighting.

"Makuhita, Vital Throw!" Wes called from behind. The Makuhita turned to give him a blank stare.

"Does...does he know you're his trainer now?" Rui asked nervously. The sounds of the battle raged in front of them, and she heard Neo shriek in pain.

Wes must have heard this, too, because his jaw clenched. "Dammit, we don't have time for this—" He stepped up to the Makuhita. "Look, I'm your trainer now. Long story. I need you to fight for me now or we are all dead."

The Makuhita seemed to understand this. He blinked and nodded his head slowly.

"Right, then—Vital throw!"

Makuhita continued to stare.

Wes growled in frustration. "For the love of—you know what, I don't care what you do, just get in there and throw down, and don't hit the Espeon or Umbreon. Go!"

The Pokémon didn't need to be told twice. As if a switch had been flipped, Makuhita went from a blank, lifeless slate to a raging machine. His head snapped to the battle and he lunged into the chaos with a terrifying bellow. "Ma-KU!"

Things were not going well for Neo and Novo. The Espeon was panting heavily as he clashed with the Bayleef, Quilava and Grimer all at once. He finally landed a solid Confusion on the Grimer, launching it several feet and taking it out of commission, only to be buried beneath the attacks of his other two foes. He wailed as the Bayleef battered at him with his vines—and then said Bayleef was blasted off his feet as Makuhita slammed into his side with terrifying force.

Novo was snapping his jaws at the Spoink with the Croconaw hot on his heels. He finally landed a Bite on her tail, and while the Pokémon shrieked, he knocked her out with a Dark Pulse before flinging her away from the battle. The Croconaw was upon him immediately, and the two engaged in a whirlwind of fangs and claws.

Shouts rang across the battlefield as one command after another was called. Rui heard one of the men, the one in green, laugh smugly. They knew who would win this fight; they had made sure of that before the battle had even begun.

The playing field was even now, but Wes' starters had taken a beating. Neo's fur was charred from the Quilava's flames, Novo was limping badly, and both of their attacks were rapidly weakening. They would not last much longer.

Makuhita, on the other hand, was thriving.

He slammed the Bayleef off his feet once more. The grass Pokémon let out a cry that was cut short by another brutal blow—then another, and another. The Bayleef's cries transitioned from ones of frustration to screams of pain.

Rui noticed this with horror. "Wes, stop him!" She shrieked.

Wes had left Makuhita to his devices as he called commands to his struggling Pokémon. At Rui's cry, he followed her gaze and swore at the sight.

He had a Pokéball in his hand with lighting speed; Rui caught a gleam of light as the machine on his arm lit up and emitted an orange glow along its seams and edges. With a fluid motion, Wes lunged forward and hurled the ball at the Bayleef, and the Pokémon vanished in a beam of light.

She heard one of the men shout in alarm.

Makuhita barely seemed to notice that his foe had vanished. He immediately hurled himself at the Croconaw with a roar, and Rui saw his aura bursting with aggression.

Rui didn't hear the ball click in all the chaos, but she saw it fly back to Wes' hand. No sooner did he tuck it away than he hurled another one, this time at the Quilava. The fire Pokémon had barely disappeared into the ball before he chucked another at the Croconaw.

The trainer in red roared; his companions balked in fear and confusion at the sudden turn of the tables. He lunged forward—and Makuhita, fresh out of opponents, charged at him.

"Holy—" Wes choked as he fumbled for Makuhita's Pokéball, but he wasn't quick enough. There was a loud thud and a scream as the fighting Pokémon landed his blow and threw the man back ten feet. He landed hard on the white stones and moaned in pain as his companions backed away with shouts of terror.

He's out of control, Rui thought as she watched in horror. And Wes just caught another one like him! Merciful Arceus—

Makuhita bore down on him again, black aura billowing about him, but Wes managed to return him just before he could slam his mighty fists down on the man's chest.

"That Pokémon," he said shakily to a pale Rui as he tucked away the ball, "is insane."

"You know," she replied weakly, "you're not wrong."

Crack!

The ominous sound rang out like a gunshot. Quilava reappeared in a burst of white light, snarling with dark fury. The flames roaring from her neck and tail contrasted starkly with the black cloud of aura around her.

She fastened her eyes on Rui and lunged.

Rui stumbled backward with a yelp. A black-and-yellow blur shot from the side and rammed the fire Pokémon, sending her rolling across the stones. The Quilava staggered to her feet and faced Novo with a bellow of rage.

Rui felt a hand on her arm tug her back and away from the fight. She heard Wes' voice beside her. "Dark Pulse!"

A wall of dark energy flowed from Novo's pelt as he charged at his foe. Quilava belched flames at him; Novo darted under them, and his Dark Pulse knocked her onto her side.

Another crack: the Croconaw burst from her Pokéball and immediately lunged at a weakened, barely standing Neo.

"Novo, Bite! Neo, Return!"

"Es-PIIII!" Neo yowled as he launched his assault on the rapidly approaching Croconaw. His pelt gleamed with white energy, then blasted from his forehead jewel into the other Pokémon's chest. Croconaw bellowed as she was sent sprawling across the white stones.

The trainer in blue screamed at the Croconaw as she struggled to rise to her feet. "You pathetic little—SHADOW RUSH!"

"Shadow Rush?" Wes scoffed. "The hell kind of move is—"

Rui wasn't listening. The moment the trainer gave the command, she watched in horror as the Croconaw rose unsteadily to her feet. The black aura pulsed brighter, stronger, bigger...

And then consumed the Pokémon.

For a moment, it felt as though time had slowed. Rui saw the sickly flames flickering around the Croconaw as she rushed at her opponent. Dark, black tendrils snaked about its body, as though binding her, suffocating her. Rui's chest ached.

Wrong. Wrong. Whatever had been done to this poor creature, it was wrong.

The Croconaw slammed into Neo. Rui heard him screech in pain as he was sent flying through the air, then landed with a gut-wrenching thud.

Wes moved past her in a blue blur as he launched another ball at Croconaw. She disappeared once again into the ball, and this time, after several shakes, she did not reappear.

The ball had barely flown back to Wes' hand before he launched yet another at Quilava. Novo staggered away as his foe was sucked into the Pokéball, his fur singed.

Click.

The third and final ball landed in Wes' hand. He shoved them both into the bag with a furious mutter.

A roar rang out. "YOU!" The trainer in blue screamed at Wes. "HOW DARE YOU!"

Wes gazed back at him in cold fury. "Play dangerous games, win dangerous prizes, I suppose," he spat.

The blue trainer looked ready to lunge at Wes when a moan came from his companion lying on the ground. He snarled at him before turning away to help his fallen comrade.

"Es...pi..." A weak mew reached Rui's ears. She and Wes turned to see Neo limping to his trainer. He looked up at Wes with dull eyes before collapsing to the ground.

A quiet, frightening rage appeared in Wes' eyes. "Alright," he hissed as he returned his Espeon and Umbreon, "That. Is. It."

The tails of his coat streamed behind him as he turned and, without a word, stalked for the front gate.

"W-Wes?" Rui followed him cautiously. His anger scared her a little.

"Come on," he said crisply. "We're leaving this damned city."

They strode past their attackers; the two men were busy helping their wounded colleague to his feet. Rui turned her head away from them and continued after Wes.

He didn't say anything as they walked to where his bike was parked. Rui hesitated as they approached it. What was the plan now? Where would they go?

"Let's go." Wes' voice made her jump. He was already on the bike, pulling his mirrored visor over his eyes. She noticed he'd already ditched his sling, and she vaguely wondered when that had happened.

Rui took a shaky breath. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere that isn't here."

It was a good enough answer, for now. Rui climbed into the sidecar once again, still only just managing not to trip, and once she was settled in, they were off across the sands once more.

 

[System Error]

Okay let's read. Just the first two for now,

C1:
- Initial description of the building is a bit shaky
- I thought one of the two was waiting for him in the seat after he blew the place up?
- Shoutouts to his two different names
- Well this friendship soured intensely, especially considering the history between Gonzap and Wes
- What a weak Skarm to go down in one single hit
- Uhhh I guess someone really did leave the background music on?
- Neo and Novo? So is he going to name his first capture Naveen? Novak? Maybe Newfangled?
- Bacon-loving Pokemon?
- Oh uh I guess that Gonzap stockholmed the hell out of Wes in your version of the story?
- Bleh, anti-shoutouts to awkwardly replacing God with Arceus. It's just not as snappy sounding, it's awkward even.

C2:
- Insert Spongebob narrator voice here.
- You know why do people with fussy walking Pokemon in fics never recall them?
- It's the same tune here, always, on loop.
- Oh I guess Gateon already exists
- It's still smoking after all this time, huh?
- I guess Wes isn't edgy enough to actually kill.
- Now what's wrong with pink hair? Dude's got white hair himself. Which, I guess you made platinum blonde just to have it be more normal, I guess? It looks pretty gray/white/silver to me.
- Well RIP the first battle, then.
- That feel when Pokemon suddenly decide to be heroes
- More insulting of hair colors. I almost get the feeling that his hair is in fact gray or white or silver and he's just insulting others' anime hair colors to feel better about his own, even though this is anime land and odd hair colors are the norm.
- Helping Hand only works right away, unless it doesn't,
- Heh, shoutouts to Pokemon grunts being comic relief, which they are
- Okay thank Celebi amused me. Still, screw making Arceus the Judeo-Christian God.
- Pretty contrived that he's being forced into this by his Pokemon. As if the people asking weren't enough.

All right, good start so far. Adding and expanding on the Colosseum plot. Don't have much to comment on that I haven't already done so. So for now I'll just say, looking forward to reading more whenever I feel like reading something that isn't a book.

 

[System Error]

C3
- Say it out loud. Arceus, this girl is small. And then say: God, this girl is small. Which sounds better? Why I typically hate Oh My Arceus.
- Not sure how to feel about making Rui a huge idiot.
- With a wan smile, though?
- Okay I guess Rui is an even bigger idiot. Great. At least she acknowledges it?
- Suddenly they start cursing in Mew's name?
- No Pokemon indoors for security, but concealed weapons? Don't even bother looking.
- Aside, the guy's name is Es Cade. No hyphens. Presumably first name Es, last name Cade
- WESLEY??? Making me think of Clone High, which is never a bad thing.
- And rebranding her ability as able to sea aura is sensible.
- You know randomly, I never did like the implication that all Pokemon are pure and are only violent when humans make them that way
- Saying that line about them only evolving with a strong is sensible, except this is the game series where you can just use a shard to accomplish the same thing.
- Oh hey it's that guy who was Cipher's not-leader with the freaky hair who I only really remember for having no battle music
- The badass edgy guy, afraid of the Sephiroth ripoff?
- Wonder what Rui is going to think of Snagem's top Pokemon snatcher?
- You'd think she'd notice hunger sooner instead of it just popping up to ruin a moment
- Huh, wasn't expecting that much of an age-up. Wes totally seemed like an edgy teenager.
- And here I thought Wakin was a joke.
- Now how is she going to ride in the sideseat when those damn foxes always have to be out of their balls? Oh, I guess that's how. That's going to be awkward every time.

C4
- You know now that I think about it why didn't they kill her immediately? I have some very disturbing thoughts as to why. And realize that the plot could've only happened because they wanted to kidnap her and torture/worse instead of just killing her. Or making her suffocate because the grunts were too dumb to understand air holes.
- So Wes is tsun?
- Why would he not have them in stock? I mean Snagem customers. But then where does he get them from? Mail-order delivery?
- No Premier Ball as an added bonus for buying 10 Poke Balls?
- Why is she surprised at the desert temperature? Unless she's that sheltered.
- Bishie sparkles, kind of?
- So uh, serious question time. If Novo watches at night and is out walking with Wes all day because this is a guy who must have his Pokemon out of the Poke Balls at all times, when does Novo sleep?
- Would figure Rui would have a bit of PTSD from the experience. But, a pendant on a mysterious girl?! That's not good news.
- Novo's disdain seems to come out of nowhere here. Had no problem, or at least not mentioned before.
- Well it seems Rui doesn't have a monopoly on PTSD in this party.
- But Umbreon can't learn Hypnosis. Did Snagem steal Lance's Gameshark?
- If this is his usual diner booth, you'd think he'd not want to be here, given it'd be one of the first places Snagem would look.
- Ah explaining it away with a war. That probably had like nukes. And didn't seem to have much of a point because there's no one occupying it and they blew away all the resources. Uhhh what was even the point of the war then?
- And Neo worships Mew, who apparently watches above? Will say this, it's infintely better sounding than Arceus.
- Well that is not at all creepy for the Pokemon to think of the human as a pushover. Seems more cat than fox.
- No response from Novo from Neo getting bacon when he didn't?
- Fun personalities from the two foxes, at least.
- In regards to Pokemon language in the postscript comments, I do think it's neat. I never really liked Pokemon saying their own names due to all the implication complications it creates with having them be different names in different languages. That said. there's a problem here: syllables. Ash's Pikachu has a lot of different mixups of his name for different words, but they match. Pi-ka-Pi is Sa-to-shi, for example. For some reason Wes' Pokemon use two syllables to refer to him. Unless they're both calling him Wesley (and that is his real name, he seems like the type that'd use an alias).

Things continue to chug along, choo choo. But the pain train is soon, where all will be revealed. But will Rui get angry or still think of Wes as her Knight in Shining Armor in this version of the events?! It shall remain to be seen.

 

[kintsugi]

the legendary reverse-reverse crosspost lol.

---

Orre fic!! So hard to come by; always a treat.

I always forget that Colo begins with buildings exploding and a trenchcoat guy literally yeeting off into the sunset. It's certainly a catchy opening and it lets you introduce a lot of compelling questions: who is Wes? What does he want? Where is he going? Did our protagonist really open with blowing up a building, and if so, why? It's a great way to draw readers into the action right away, but I also think closing on the quieter note with Novo helping him fall to sleep is an important one: stories are ultimately about characters, after all.

I really like how you give the pokemon a bit more agency and personality here! Game novelizations are always tricky to pull off, and I'd say Colosseum in particular would be a pain since a lot of the middle plot is just going to various buildings and battling--it's not even a question of making things surprising for readers, and it's more a question of just how to make this sprawling plot kind of interesting from a non-playable perspective. You have a few major plot beats to go off of at the beginning and the end, and the character designs are certainly spectacular, but the middle is just so big and empty--a nice blank slate that I think has to be carried by the weight of Wes + friends' characters here. I really like that you give Neo and Novo their own little moments here, and how Neo even acts in a way that freaks Wes out! Wes spends so much time without other human companions that I think it'd be hard to build a compelling story without giving him someone to bounce off of, so I'm glad that you're setting up his pokemon to fill that role.

Looking forward to seeing how you flesh this story out!

some line-by-line thoughts below; incredibly brief; lol; hire me as beta??

Spoiler

The desert Region sprawled for miles, seemingly without end, with little to no life in sight.

I like the characterization of the region here + in this chapter in general--it's easy to write Orre off as a non-descript desert, but desert biomes are really interesting! Taking the time to outline the rocky canyon where the Snagem base is really helps set up the immersion a little bit.

Among the chaos, no one seemed to notice one person in particular sprinting from the building, with two Pokémon sprinting at his side.

The double "sprinting" here was a bit weird to me. Perhaps replace one of them with a different verb, or just change to "Among the chaos, no one seemed to notice one person and two Pokemon in particular sprinting from the building".

“Go, go, GO!” The young man shouted at his companions as he ran straight for a massive hunk of metal that vaguely resembled a motorcycle. He sprang nimbly onto the seat and glanced into the sidecar to where his two partners should have closely followed.

Likewise there was a lot of "sprung/sprang between this sentence and the one before it. I also thought that "vaguely resembled a motorcycle" is kind of a tricky description--Wes surely knows what the real name is, his bike doesn't really look like a motorcycle, and the narration later refers to this as a motorcycle anyway, so the uncertainty here didn't feel necessary.

The second explosion was, if possible, even more impressive than the first, and nearly knocked every bystander off their feet.

I wish we had a little more scene-setting here! This was the first time I realized there were bystanders beyond Gonzap.

The Pokémon, Neo, irritably flicked his tail in response.

Another sigh. “Look, I’m sorry. But there’s a time and a place for gloating over a victory, and doing so while escaping from an exploding building is not it.”

I really really loved these bits of characterization here--as mentioned before, I think the meat of novelizations are ironically when people stray from the script. What personalities will these guys have? I love that Neo's got a little sass, and Novo's doing his best to support Wes through all of this.

Neo’s eyes grew wide and he leaped to his feet. “Es-PI!” He waved his tail excitedly in the air, all injuries to his pride forgotten.
“Bri!” There was a reproachful bark from the Umbreon.

accidentally dropped a paragraph break here I think

He forced a feeble smile and placed a hand on the sleek black head. “I’m okay, Novo. Just some more bad dreams, is all.” Beside him, Neo stirred and stretched out his legs before relaxing back into sleep with a gentle purr.


Novo, unconvinced, bunted into his arm again with his head. He placed a paw on his Trainer’s lap, giving him a stern stare.

and I think the extra one landed here!

 

[kintsugi]

and then just chunking these together

Ch2

I like the character motivations that start getting introduced in this chapter--Wes just wanting to get out is really interesting, since I assume that's not going to work out really well for him. I wanted a bit of a better sense of what exactly he wanted to run from (there are definitely many options): is he done with Snagem? Orre in general? I loved the details about Johto that come up in a later chapter, and how he's wistfully thinking about green trees and oceans, but I wanted a sense of urgency for what he's trying to either run to or from (even though we know that this isn't going to work out).

I don't know if we needed the Zigzagoon battle in this chapter. In the games it makes sense as a combat tutorial before the more serious fights, but from a narrative standpoint it starts really abruptly and then ends quickly. I thought the moment at the end was really nice, where Wes grudgingly decides to offer some nice advice despite his better instincts, but I don't think the extra fight before it added much to the chapter (which already had quite a bit going on outside of this). I think if you wanted to give a primer on combat, the battle would function better if it were longer, and we could see strategy/teamwork from Wes and his team; as it is, it's pretty short here and it feels unnecessary since the second fight in this chapter is more important both from a plot and character perspective.

“I said no, guys.” The traveler donned a teal trench coat that fell past his knees and began to pack up his belongings, pausing only to give them a stern look. “Last night was a special treat, but today we have to get on the road as quick as possible, which means nothing fancy for breakfast. And that’s final.”



Naturally, not ten minutes later, he found himself sitting sitting across from his Pokémon in the diner, watching them each chow down a fresh plate of bacon.

!! A really lovely detail haha. I love how this looks in light of later chapters, where Neo thinks that Rui's the pushover--but clearly Wes isn't that much more stern himself.

“I don’t understand how authorities haven’t at least made some progress,” she said. “Whoever bombed that shack has done more than they have in thirty years!”

ooof, this is a really interesting issue that's kind of relevant today--how do people react when seeing their political enemies suffer? The vicious glee here is kind of horrifying to see, even when it's directed at people we feel might deserve it. I kind of wanted a better idea of what Snagem is doing to other people and its general impact on Orre, to merit this kind of reaction.

Willie was standing leisurely in the desert sun, hands in his pockets. The sunlight made his bright pink hair even more shocking to look at, and Wes quietly snorted to himself in disbelief. Pink hair. Unbelievable. Not that he had much of a right to mock strange hair color - his own was such a light, sandy blonde, it was often mistaken for silvery white. Still, at least he could blame genetics instead of poor decisions.

I thought this bit was interesting too! Is there a difference between genetics and hair dye in this one? Orre has some very batshit character designs that wouldn't pass for regular humans, but also Espeon wouldn't pass for a regular cat so I can see some suspension of disbelief being an option there. Or are they all purposefully playing to some sort of part and purposefully going for outlandish (ala Miror B)?

“What’s the matter with you?” Wes asked irritably. Since when had his Espeon developed such a strong moral compass? “We can’t stop every shady person in town. Leave that to authorities or something. Let’s go.”

I like how his pokemon are the ones that spur him into action here! They've got hearts of gold even if Wes is still struggling with his haha.

“You need to take small sips.” Wes surprised himself by speaking. What did he care? Why had he bothered to stick around this long? Why hadn’t he left already? “You’re probably really dehydrated, so don’t drink it all at once or you’ll make yourself sick.”

I kind of wanted a bit more answers to these questions actually--why does Wes care and why is he sticking around? I think the answers are almost there; he's really in denial when he says he doesn't care about helping people, but I wanted more of him actually confronting these questions.

Ch3

Haha I forgot that they warn the Mayor who is super a good guy and not a bad guy. I'm sure nothing will go wrong here!

Most of my thoughts kind of got fragmented across this chapter, so skipping straight to line edits for this one:

“Not for years,” she said. She still wore a small smile on her face as she talked. “I was just a kid the last time I was here.” Her attention shifted to the Eons striding at Wes’ side. “What are their names?” she asked lightly.



“The Espeon is Neo, and the Umbreon is Novo,” he said. She already knew his own name, so the names of his Pokemon were inconsequential information to give out at this point.

I wasn't quite sure what his thought process was here--is it that Wes thinks he's the only person whose name matters here? Why does he answer her then?

“Pyrite?” Wes asked in disbelief. He glanced at her outfit; she wore a frilly pink and blue jacket over a dark purple tank top, a white pencil skirt, and pink rubber boots. He had a hard time picturing this girl, neatly dressed and put together as she was, wandering the ragged streets of Pyrite. Not to mention that her bubbly disposition would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

Wes had never seen the mayor personally before, and quickly surmised that he hadn’t missed out on much. The man was short - very short - and, like his house, made up for it in terms of width. He was as round as a Jigglypuff, with a puffy mustache and bushy eyebrows to match. His head, though mostly bald, sported two large tufts of gray hair on each side.

In general I really like your scene-setting but this one was particularly effective. Clever way of describing the building and the character at the same time!

“Wes.” The Mayor continued to look at him, as if expecting more, so he sighed. “Wesley Lycas.”

Butterfly last names? Does I smell themes of transformation and redemptive change?

He wondered if the Mayor was thinking the same thing, as the man had a skeptical expression on his face as he listened to Rui’s story. “You do know that Pokemon can and do sometimes kill other Pokemon, my dear?” he asked gently.



“I know that!” Rui said in frustration. “I do! But they only do so if commanded, right? Well, this Makuhita was on a rampage and was acting of its own accord - its Trainer couldn’t even stop it!”

Orre has always fascinated me as far as pokemon ethics, since it's the first game that implies that pokemon sort of have souls, you know? And to me it shows this dark mirror into pokemon battling as a player really is experiencing it--commanding a soulless entity around that only wants to inflict harm on others for meaningless victories. It always made me ask a lot of weird questions about what we really seek to gain out of simulated violence.

But I sort of struggle to see the evilness here as pitched by Wes and the Mayor. It sort of looks like the dichotomy is "regular pokemon will kill when humans tell them to" (fine) vs "shadow pokemon will kill even if humans don't tell them to" (bad/must stop)--which pitches that the main difference between the fine/bad-ness is that in the second case, pokemon are making the choice to kill/that humans aren't the one choosing which pokemon live and die. Which doesn't really feel like the main problem here, or at least the one that I'd think would be the biggest focus morally.

And I think that leads into some really interesting questions--for instance, if we replace "pokemon" with "gun" here it would make sense that "guns will kill when humans shoot them at things" vs "shadow guns will kill even if humans don't shoot them at things" then, yes, it makes sense that the shadow guns are bad, because guns are objects that we expect to respond purely to our commands and it's bad if they don't. So if pokemon are viewed purely as objects, then the dichotomy between regular pokemon good/shadow pokemon bad becomes logical, but that sets up a lot of different questions for Neo and Novo, and how Wes sees them in general--he certainly treats them as friends/companions rather than objects or tools ("I'd better open the window before bed because my gun likes looking out the window" isn't really a common thought), and they seem genuinely attached to him.

She turned her eyes to his, and he was shocked at the amount of pure hatred he saw there. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I hate Pokemon thieves. Snagem had this coming, and they deserve a whole lot worse.”

I think this adds into a really interesting question springing from the last one re: pokemon being seen as objects or people. Rui's reaction seems to treat them as people, since (to borrow the example from before) I don't think anyone is like, "I specifically really really hate gun thieves, they are the worst and deserve to be blown up". And I think there's a really interesting case to be made that Rui is way more morally-driven than Wes (which this chapter does make), but it's pretty fascinating to see how it permeates beyond just "we need to help people" and really digs into who each protagonist defines as a person.

Wes couldn’t help but nod in agreement. He was immensely grateful that such a person was only a stranger and nothing more. He had a feeling he would never want to tangle with that man.

Evice is very spooky here. I think the paragraphs around this could've been a little condensed, since we get so many details about what's wrong with him--he's got this menacing aura, he's super tall, his hair is weird, his eyes are bloodred--it's kind of like in a horror movie where a lot of the horror revolves around not showing the monster, and letting the tension speak for itself rather than showing all of these details at once.

How to get out of this without raising suspicion? He looked at the redhead. If she found out who she was...he remembered her face in the Center as she spoke about Snagem. The anger in her eyes, the righteous fury. There was no way she would let him off if she knew. Not a chance.

Oooh, really fun plot drama here. I love how you have Wes's past playing against him as he trying to make a new start, and how Rui's good heart, which so far seems like what's going to redeem him in the end, is totally playing agsint him here. Really good use of character dynamics.

“I’m sure, let’s go.” He almost grabbed her by the arm again to drag her with him, but remembered the fearful look she’d given him and decided against it. “Come on, I’ll show you to my bike.”

(thought this was a cute moment where he remembers to be considerate for her)

ch4

I really liked this chapter since we got to see into all the non-Wes heads! It goes a long way in letting us see how they think and recognizing them as characters in their own rights. Neo and Novo are really cute POV's here and I'm glad that we get to hear from them--hopefully they'll continue to speak up!

Rui wasn’t entirely sure this wasn’t all just some sort of fever dream.

Oooh! POV switch. This is fun.

She began to feel slightly ashamed of herself for doubting the Rogue Trainer. So what if he was a little guarded? He’d saved her life in more than one way today, and she ought to be grateful.

I think it's kind of weird to capitalize "Rogue Trainer" here? Not sure. Most normal professions or titles that we give people aren't really capitalized either (doctor, gangster, runner).

“Yeah, those should be fine,” Rui mumbled. She dropped her gaze to the floor and shuffled awkwardly, feeling acutely embarrassed at her complete lack of knowledge. She’d expected her entire trip to be a relatively simple errand, but clearly she had been utterly unprepared for it. No wonder Papi was hesitant to let me go. I have no idea what I’m doing...

Haha yikes! I wonder if Papi knows what he's doing either, since "get some of the red ones and some of the blue ones" seems like the first thing you'd tell someone when you're asking them to run errands. Also interesting that Rui has parents in this one (is that new? I haven't played the games in a while)--I wonder what he'll think about all of this.

She noticed Novo watching from a safer distance. He sat primly at Wes’ feet, crimson eyes narrowed distrustfully as he observed her. She’d attempted to pet him, too, at the restaurant, and his only response had been to snarl at her. “Novo, was it?” Rui asked softly.
The Umbreon answered with a growl.

Dropped a paragraph break here.

And oh! Novo has Thoughts on this. I liked that he and Neo take different approaches.

As if on cue, the Umbreon hopped up onto the crate and peeked at the steadily darkening world through the grimy window. He turned to his Trainer and bunted him happily with his head. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of Wes’ mouth as he rubbed Novo’s chin.

Rui couldn’t help but smile a little herself. Gruff though he may be, this odd stranger was certainly soft on his Pokemon.

And this is a really sweet detail as well! It's good that Wes cares about someone and I'm glad that you're taking the time in these early chapters to establish how he cares about Novo/Neo--boy's gotta have something he loves! Pokemon as mirrors for their trainer's inner thoughts is always really fascinating to me and I think this is a great use of it here.

All the same, the Dark-type Pokemon brought back pleasant memories of her childhood. Her mother’s starter had been a Dark-type, and Rui had always had a soft spot for them.

More parents! I kind of wanted more detail here--maybe the species of the pokemon is being concealed for ~~reasons~~, but I wanted to know what about Novo reminds her of her mom's old pokemon?

Neo liked the new girl.

Neo POV too!

Well, she clearly had good taste.

Hahaha I really love him. It's fun to read this in light of the previous chapters, where he's shittalking the Snagem hideout and prancing around--he's got a really well-defined character here and it's a lot of fun.

Who could possibly deny him, Neo the Great (and Handsome, according to the redhead) Espeon, when he put on the charm? Apparently his stone-cold Trainer could. Hmphf.

but will anyone tell him who is a good boy???

then looked her straight in the eyes and blastedher with Irresistible Cuteness

dropped a space here

His Trainer seemed displeased at the idea, too, as he mumbled an apology to him, but Novo’s shock only deepened further when he saw the redhead make for the sidecar.

What?

Not only was he being forced back into his Pokeball for the second time today, he was being booted out of the sidecar? His spot? The spot where he loved to watch the scenery fly by and feel the wind in his fur? All for this -this girl? This girl, of all people?

And I love that Novo takes the opposite approach! It's fun that they have different personalities and opinions on what's going on around them--they definitely feel like people over objects in these chapters. I wonder what they think about Wes's time in Snagem and his plans to move out of Orre? Will they start to feel jealous as Wes gets more pokemon??

But for some reason, she followed them as they finally made their way back to the motorbike. Wes had picked up the pace considerably, and Novo felt joyous at the prospect of moving ahead as planned. Yet...the girl was still here. Did she not understand? Was she that naive? Surely - surely - Wes wasn’t planning on bringing her along?

Imagine Novo’s shock when Wes crouched down to level with him and told him he would have to go in his Pokeball.

I think "Imagine Novo's shock" doesn't quite work in a POV chapter that's so closely focused on Novo--it would make more sense to describe Novo's shock, since he's the narrator here.

Ch5

Miror B in this chapter! And also the first real foray into seeing shadow pokemon. I'm curious to see how this will work; right now it's really exciting that Wes has this murder juggernaut in his back pocket that he doesn't really trust, but I imagine at some point he'll start trying to reason with the Makuhita, and I'm curious to see where that ends up going. Objects vs people again.

And the cleanup scene at the end is really cathartic too. The buildup to Wes and Rui having this fallout has been a great trainwreck to watch, so this argument was really fun to me. I also like how this doesn't really get resolved perfectly in one argument (since nothing ever really does), and Wes really isn't doing his cause any favors with his decisions this chapter. But they do make perfect sense and it's great to watch him keep making bad decisions one after another.

The man that stood before them was tall, lanky, and dressed in some kind of ridiculous bright yellow track suit. His face was covered with gaudy shades, and he was adorned with flashy jewelry. But most noticeable of all was his hair; a massive afro that, for all intents and purposes, looked as though it defied the laws of physics just by how big it was. But the absurdity didn’t stop there - the hair was dyed two colors and split evenly down the middle, one side white, the other a fiery red.

Ah yes, here to answer my questions about why people are dressing up in absurd ways! Orre is this delightful mix of grim and horrible settings paired with vibrant, larger-than-life characters--really excited to see this played straight here.

“Yes indeed, darling,” his boss drawled with a wink. “I have frightfully important business to attend to, so I’ll be on my way. But I do trust you’ll have the girl with you the next time we meet.” His last sentence, though still drawled in his light, lilting voice, suddenly contained a cold and dangerous edge to it.

I didn't quite buy why he left here, since the guys seem super incapable, and if it's so easy that these guys could do it, then he could do it really quickly instead? Rui seems to be the crux of Cipher's plans here and they're determined to recover her at all costs, so I'm not sure what's so much more important that they couldn't just wait the extra few minutes now that she's right in front of them?

“Rui - Rui!” Wes shouted, sitting up and trying to put some distance between him and the Makuhita. “The bag! Give me the bag!”



“Wh-what?”

The battle is delightfully chaotic, but I think you did a great job of making sure that what Wes is trying to do is clearly explained--the bag! He's got a plan.

She did as told, and the canvas bag was tossed into his lap.

lil' phrasing nitpick; I think active voice would suit you better here--"she did as told, and the canvas bag landed in his lap" or "she did as told, and tossed the canvas bag into his lap"

Wes took a deep breath. He would have to be careful, very careful, on how he approached this. The low voice spoke in his mind once again, repeating words from yesterday: The best lies are half-truths, boy.

And as much as Wes hated that voice, he listened to it.

</3
But I really love the choice not to have him tell the truth here. He's digging the hole deeper and pushing the problem later down the line, and that makes sense for someone who just wants to yeet out of Orre and run away from the rest of his problems in general. And it really feels like this mechanism has been drilled (unhealthily) into him by Gonzap/someone from his past, so it's clear that he's not really able to free himself mentally from his bad decisions even if he's trying to do so physically.

Which makes Rui's decision to forgive and welcome him even! more painful hahaha. It's really rough, seeing everyone act in the ways they think are best for each other, but we know that these are horrible decisions. Great setup here.

“I didn’t like what Team Snagem did. I never liked it. But these friends of mine...they did what they thought they had to do to survive. So they stayed with Snagem for a long time, until something happened.” He paused and stared hard at the ground. “They...killed one of my good friends and his team.”

lmao "asking for a friend"

Something tells me that this is just Wes with extra steps lol.

“Well, we cant all be a hero, all right?”

I think "Well, we can't all be heroes, all right?" would fit better. Dropped apostrophe in "can't" either way.

Ch6

A lot of fun action in this one! I thought the free-for-all sequence at the end of this was really, really slick. Lots of things flying around, attacks everywhere--I got the feeling of chaos but I was able to understand what was supposed to be happening. The progression as Wes keeps snagging their pokemon, the desperation as the attacks get worst, Makuhita just whaling on everyone and the horror that Wes and Rui feel witnessing that--all really good stuff.

(Do people just not hear or see this? It feels like someone would notice)

“All citizens are to return to their homes immediately. All visitors are to take shelter in the Pokemon Center. We ask that every individual remain indoors until further notice. There will be no exiting or entering the city at this time. We thank you for your cooperation.”

She heard Wes groan beside her. “Well. Fantastic. We chose a great day to come back here.” His voice was dripping with annoyance.

This has some fascinating implications about the city actually! If his reaction is just like, "oh, great, another curfew" instead of "I can't believe we're being commanded to go indoors; how can the Mayor declare that being outside is illegal" that really says a lot about the level of authoritarianism going on behind the scenes, haha. I thought this was interesting.

“The guy in front is some kind of Town Hall member,” Wes answered as he surveyed the scene, “but I don’t recognize the ones behind him...they can’t be officers, I know Phenac doesn’t have...” he trailed off with a frown.

I wasn't sure what a Town Hall member is? I'm used to Town Hall just being like, a place where any citizen can go to see issues of the town, so I'm not sure what membership would entail.

Supposedly?Rui still wasn’t exactly sure what to call these men.

dropped a space after the question mark

And everything around them exploded.



A maelstrom of Pokémon attacks engulfed them. Rui heard herself scream as she saw flames, leaves, water, psychic energy - but none of them reached her or Wes.

I liked the chaoticness of this scene and the battle that follows--things going wrong, Wes shouting a command, boom!, bad things--really feels like things are happening all at once, but in really vivid detail. I think it might've helped to better understand the malestrom of attacks though--how does it feel? Look? Smell? How do they feel in response to this explosion, and what do they notice about it?

---

Overall, wooh, things are certainly picking up! As always I like in particular the additions that you made to the Colo plot--I think it's genuinely hard to build suspense when retelling an existing game, but the new moments like Wes/Rui's dialogues really help make this feel like a new (or more fleshed-out) version of the story that I already know. Looking forward to seeing where angry Wes storms off to next!

 

[System Error]

C5:
- Er did they just not notice this whole time his sleeve was hiding metal
- Wes is tsun
- And the ariba man himself arrives on the scene
- Forgot he was an idiot here. Or was that you inventing it
- Did that Duskull actually have Shadow Ball? I don't think it would've
- WHAT EYES? Makuhita's are perptually shut!
- Oh the machine can get over here to balls. That's convenient.
- Ms Overreacting Just a Bit at how she was saved. Stark contrast to knight in shining armor
- Well Snagem got upgraded from petty thieves to mustache twirling villains. I worry Cipher's going to get overshadowed
- Kanto not finishing the job in that war they seemed to wage for no good reason against a region with no central government
- Rui is either ridiculously caring about anything worth caring about, kind of a mood swinger, or both.

C6:
- Hospitals. They're like jail. No, they actually are.
- Well I am surprised that Wes doesn't think this is suspicious whatsoever
- Oh hey it's the discount power rangers
- Don't turn your back...
- Like the descriptions of the shadows, and implication the others aren't comfy about it
- I'd laugh if the reason Makuhita didn't use Vital Throw was because it didn't know the move and Wes was being an idiot in assuming it was. In fact, that is my official headcanon.
- Man are these XD shadows or something. Must be since they're hitting trainers too
- Well I guess they were weakened way more than the narration made it seem because those catches were ezpz
- Worse Rui, he caught another THREE.
- Or well, two.
- Well I take it you jettisoned the four move "limit", curiously and sanity check?
- I guess we're catching all three Johto starters
- Wes the blue blur? Gotta go fast!
- And leaving so fast he isn't even healing his Pokemon. Hopefully not unwise!

And now having come to the end of this, I can say: would you kindly post more here? Or are you still updating? Either way, standing by until then.

 

[HelloYellow17]

Chapter 7: Noctis Mortem​

The crumbling old house left much to be desired in terms of comfort, but Wes supposed it was better than nothing.


They'd made it to the ruins of a tiny old town about two hours northwest of Phenac. Night had officially settled over the desert, and the winds brought a sharp chill in the cooler temperatures.


Rui had major hesitations at first, once she saw where they were headed. Wes didn't entirely blame her—staying the night in an abandoned town, full of decaying houses and sinister creaks, would make any regular person nervous. This was even more pronounced for Orre natives, as even small children knew to stay far away from Noctis Ruins such as these. As a result, most citizens avoided these places out of fear and superstition.


Wes was not "most citizens," however.


"It's perfectly safe, trust me," he'd said to her as she planted her boots firmly in the sand and refused to move closer.


"How do you know that?" Rui looked at him with fearful eyes, the dying light of the sunset fading behind her. "How do we know there aren't still traces of—of the—"


"I know because I've stayed here before. Several times. Do I look dead or sick to you?" he asked curtly.


Rui pursed her lips. "O-Okay..." she said nervously.


Now they sat in what appeared to be an old inn of sorts; they'd settled in a room with two small beds for the night. The desert breeze rattled a rickety window across the room, and the house groaned quietly. It was one of the few buildings left that had a more-or-less intact roof overhead, and it was the only one Wes trusted not to cave in on them in the night.


He patted as much dust out of his mattress as he could while he set up his space, then noticed Rui glancing at her own with a wary eye.


He sighed. "Look, you're not going to get sick by staying here. Noctis never worked that way."


"I—I know." She slowly sat on her mattress. "It's just...this place is so creepy. To think it used to be a place full of people and families not that long ago, and now it's...like a graveyard."


"They're just empty buildings now. Don't get too worked up over it."


She didn't answer, and instead curled up on the mattress as if trying to retreat into herself. Wes held back another sigh. He supposed he ought not to be too judgmental; places like this had been routine for him as he traveled for his Snagem missions, but he was well aware he was an exception. It was part of why he'd resorted to staying in these towns in the first place—they kept unwanted visitors away, and guaranteed he would have privacy.


He sat on his mattress and pulled out the canvas tote, ignoring the painful throbbing in his shoulder. That battle had not done his injury any favors, and he would look at it later, but his Pokémon were his first priority.


Wes was immensely grateful that he'd kept a small store of healing items tucked away in his bike, as he'd never had the chance to get supplies in Phenac. And that was the only reason I went there in the first place, he thought sourly.


Neo was first. Placing a flashlight on the floor for light, Wes revived and healed up the Espeon and was relieved that, while he'd been thrown around quite a bit, none of his injuries were serious. Neo curled up beside his trainer with a tired sigh and promptly fell asleep as Wes rubbed his ears. "You did great today, bud," he said quietly.


Next was Novo. Wes hadn't got a good look at the Umbreon before returning him, so he wasn't sure what to expect - and he certainly wasn't prepared to see blood dribbling down his foreleg. Novo looked up into Wes' eyes with a weak mew. "Bri."


"Oh, gods—" Wes fumbled through his bag until he found a roll of bandages, another thing he made sure to always have on hand. He sprayed Novo down with more potions, then pulled him into his lap as he gingerly bandaged the Umbreon's leg.


"I'm so sorry, Nov," he said with a grimace. He clenched his teeth. Damn those guys, attacking them with five Pokémon at once...


Novo blinked up at him and rubbed his chin against Wes' shoulder (thankfully, his uninjured one). "Umb." He gave a tired, throaty purr.


Wes finished bandaging Novo's leg and let him curl up next to his brother. He wouldn't be watching out of any windows tonight; he was far too exhausted from their earlier battle. Though "battle" was too dignified a word, Wes thought. That had been an ambush.


His thoughts wandered as he pulled an old comb from his bag and began working through some of the knots in Neo's and Novo's fur. How had things gone south so quickly back in Phenac? They had no evidence that he'd stolen the Makuhita—the Snag Machine's ability to overwrite the former trainer's I.D. with that of the Snagger had made sure of that. And yet, they somehow knew exactly who he was, and wasted no time in trying to snuff him out.


Wes clenched his feet and gently tugged the comb through a stubborn knot behind Neo's ear. So much for calling themselves officers—not that he'd ever bought that lie in the first place. But who were they, where did they come from, and...did they know about the Snag Machine?


"You take really good care of them." Rui's voice jolted him out of his thoughts; she'd been so quiet, for once, he'd almost forgotten she was still there. She was curled up on the mattress with her back against the wall, watching him tend to his Pokémon with a small smile.


Wes shrugged—and immediately regretted the action when his shoulder gave another painful throb. "Of course I do. They're…"


He paused. He glanced back at his sleeping Pokémon and finished, a little more quietly, "They're my family."


"Family, huh?" The smile faded from her face a little. "Do...do you have other family, or parents...?"


"No."


"...Oh." Sadness flickered in her eyes. "I'm...really sorry."


Wes almost shrugged again, but he knew better this time. "It's fine. I don't really remember them."


Truth be told, at times he wished he could remember more—and other times he was glad he didn't. He thought he might have vague memories of his father's face or his mother's laugh. A part of him thought he could remember that she liked to sing...but he couldn't be sure about any of it. Perhaps he'd only dreamed such things.


"Were you really young?" Rui was looking at him intently.


"I was five," he said.


"Oh, gods—" Her eyes widened, her face appalled. "That—that's so young—and you've been on your own ever since?"


"...More or less."


There was a brief silence. Rui shivered a little and pulled her jacket more tightly around her.


"Noctis?" she asked quietly.


Wes gave a bitter snort. "What else?"


She dropped her gaze to her boots and fell silent.


Noctis. Wes was too young to remember the mysterious illness that had swept through Orre and devastated its population, but he'd heard the stories plenty of times from older adults at Snagem. They spoke of its effects in low voices, usually when they were several bottles in: how it turned skin white as bed-sheets, blackened eyes and veins, how the seizures and screams of agony would last for hours, sometimes days, so that when death finally came, families wept in relief.


The disease moved swiftly. Wes had heard stories of healthy, thriving communities turned desolate and corpse-ridden in a matter of days. The screams often began in the night. They'd go to bed fine, he remembered an older Snagger whispering, his eyes haunted, and they'd wake up like ghosts.


Noctis Mortem. Night Death. It was appropriately named.


Even before the illness, Orre was a rather hopeless excuse for a Region. The nuclear war with Kanto seventy years earlier had already ensured that the area wouldn't be suitable for wild Pokémon for many years—if ever again—and many people speculated that the nuclear after-effects on the population were a big factor in the massive Noctis death toll.


Wes didn't care to know all the facts and details. They didn't matter to him anyway, not now when everything was said and done. Nothing would change the fact that his parents were dead, or that he lived on the streets for a year after that, or that he was picked up by Snagem and subjected to daily horrors for the rest of his life after that.


All of that was supposed to change, he thought bitterly. He was supposed to be on his way out of Orre for good, heading to a better, brighter place with his Pokémon beside him, catching his first opportunity for real happiness...


As if to spite him in his thoughts, his shoulder throbbed again. He clenched his teeth. Of course that had all been too good to be true. It seemed he'd been doomed to perpetual misfortune from an early age.


"How's your shoulder?" Rui spooked him out of his wallowing thoughts. She was looking at him with concern.


"It's fine," Wes lied.


She raised an eyebrow at him, then dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out the meds he'd been given at the hospital. She tossed them to him, the bottle rattling as it flew. "Here. You should take some."


"I don't need—"


"I don't care who you are, Wesley Lycas, nobody dislocates their shoulder and then walks it off." Rui huffed and folded her arms. "So take the stupid pills already."


Wes stared at her. "Did you just...scold me with my full name like a parent?"


"Yes, and if you keep acting like a child, I'll keep parenting you!" she snapped.


Wes shook his head and popped the bottle open with a grumble. "You're unbelievable."


"Thank you."


"That wasn't a compliment."


"I'm aware."


He swallowed the pills with a shudder; he'd always hated taking the things. Medicine wasn't too common a commodity at Snagem, and to be caught taking it was to be made a target. Any sign of weakness or injury made one easy prey for the other kids who were desperate to prove themselves.


You're not at Snagem anymore, he told himself. You don't need to hide. She's not a threat. Not a threat.


Still, he didn't look at her as he shoved the meds back into the canvas tote. There was a moment of silence.


"I lost my father to it, too."


Her voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear her. Wes glanced at her and saw that she'd pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring blankly as though lost in memory.


"Noctis?" he asked. She nodded.


"He was a scientist, actually. When the Noctis hit, he was working in the labs for days on end trying to find a cure. He eventually caught it from one of the patients. I was almost two."


Wes wondered why she was sharing this. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.


She gave him a wan smile. "It's all right...I don't remember anything about him, I was so young." She brightened just a little. "But even so, I'm proud to be his daughter. He was fighting to save lives, and that makes him a hero in my book."


Wes didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent for a moment. He vaguely wondered about her mother, but he thought he could see a faintly haunted look in her eyes as she returned to her thoughts. He decided not to ask.


After a moment, she seemed to come back to the present. She blinked and looked up at him, then gave a nervous laugh and sheepishly fiddled with her hair. "Sorry, I don't know why I got into that. You're probably tired of hearing me talk all the time..."


Wes shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. "I don't mind."


He was surprised to learn he actually meant it—well, sort of. Mostly. He still wasn't used to so much conversation with another person, but he supposed it wasn't all bad.


Rui gave him a more genuine smile this time, and somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that, for all her obnoxious optimism, smiles quite suited her.


He cleared his throat. "We should probably get some sleep. We have a long ways to go tomorrow."


She cocked her head to the side. "Where are we going?"


"Pyrite. It's the closest town, and I know a few people there that can get you to Agate."


"I see." Rui relaxed her shoulders with a sigh. Her eyes rested on the canvas tote beside Wes. "What are you going to do with...them?"


Wes followed her gaze to the bag, inside of which the four Pokéballs rested. "No idea."


He wouldn't ever admit it to her, but the thought of those Pokéballs made him extremely uncomfortable. He'd gone out of his way to leave Snagem and all its ways forever, and yet, just two days later, he'd Snagged not one, but four Pokémon. Granted, he supposed he could justify it as self-defense, but the way he so naturally and quickly reverted to his Snagger instincts was not lost on him, and it disturbed him greatly.


And...why had he bothered to take the Snag Machine? Why hadn't he destroyed it with all the others? On the surface, Wes had told himself it was a backup plan, a last resort; if he couldn't scrape up the funds for a passport in Gateon, then he could have sold the thing in the right part of town for a solid price.


But a tiny part of him whispered that maybe, just maybe, he'd been afraid to leave behind something that had been so integral to his identity for so many years.


He hated that thought almost as much as he hated Snagem itself.


Rui spoke again, and her interruption was so sudden he nearly jumped. Arceus. How many more times was she going to do that?


"We really should see if there's a way to help them," she said. "Those poor Pokémon are really suffering, Wes. I could see it."


Her use of "we" grated on Wes. Did she think they were some sort of team?


"Those 'poor Pokémon' would have killed me or you in a heartbeat," he answered dryly.


"Yes, but I don't think they want to." She raised her eyes to his again with an urgent expression. "They weren't born like this, it's too...unnatural. Someone made them this way. Which means there's got to be a way to fix them."


Ever the optimist.


Wes shook his head and sighed, moving the bag from his mattress to the floor and gathering up the flashlight. "We can talk about it later," he said, although he wasn't sure he had any intention of doing so. He didn't like to think about it. "For now, let's get some sleep."


He fully expected her to argue, but instead she just nodded her head wearily and laid back on her mattress. "Yeah...okay." Her voice finally betrayed her tiredness. "Goodnight, Wes."


"...Yeah. Night." He found he was very unused to having someone—a human someone—say goodnight to him. Was it always this weird to be around people all the time?


Wes was about to lay back on his mattress when he caught sight of Novo curled up beside his brother, rings pulsing gently in the dark. He hesitated, wondering if he needed Novo's Hypnosis again...but no. It had been a far too long and eventful day, he was worn out, and the pain in his shoulder was subsiding now, thanks to the meds. He would be fine.


Probably.


He settled down, and he didn't even have time to reconsider before sleep overtook him.


***********************************


He was crouched behind a cluster of sagebrush, scoping out the targets ahead as the sun beat down mercilessly on his dark clothing.


Two young teens, a boy and girl, strode hand in hand to their parked hover car outside the walls of Phenac. A Poochyena and a Shroomish darted happily about their feet, squealing and yapping, utterly oblivious to the predatory eyes upon them.


He swallowed past the panic rising in his throat and tried not to show his reservations.


"Your move." A voice growled over his shoulder and he could practically feel Wakin's cold eyes boring into the back of his head. "You got about twenty seconds before they reach the vehicle."


He nodded, took a deep breath, but his feet refused to move.


"The hell are you waiting for?" Wakin snapped. The boy turned his head to look at him. I can't do this, he thought. I'm not cut out for this.


Then a cruel sneer curled across the man's face. "You scared, Leo?" he taunted.


And the boy knew what that meant. He had hesitated, had made a costly mistake. Hesitation meant fear. Fear meant weakness.


And weakness meant death.


Without a word, he darted forward. He might die someday in this Arceus-forsaken desert in this Arceus-forsaken region, but it wouldn't be today. Not today.


He barely made it in time; the young couple noticed him just as they were almost to their vehicle. The girl saw him first and pointed with a gasp of surprise as he came closer.


The male teen eyed him warily, but not without a hint of concern. "You, uh...you lost, kid? You need some help?"


"Y-yeah, I'm lost," he replied. He tried to put on his most innocent face—not that he really needed to. The torn clothing, the dirty smudges all over his face and arms told his false story well enough. "Could you...help me into the city?"


They exchanged a nervous glance. "Well...yeah, sure," the older boy replied after a pause. "But where are your parents? Do you need us to call them for you? And you're probably dehydrated, we should take you to a hospital, yeah?"


He tried and failed to quash the guilt screaming at him from inside. These people were too innocent, too kind, too trusting...why hadn't they learned by now? Didn't they know better?


"Don't move."


The harsh growl sounded from behind them. Over their shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Wakin's snarling face, the viciously triumphant eyes, the gun in his hand.


The girl let out a shriek and the boy moved protectively in front of her with a cry as their two Pokémon sprang in front, growling. But no amount of screaming would save them here; they were too far from the city wall, and Wakin always made sure never to pull a heist like this where strangers could intervene.


"Give me your Pokémon and I'll let you go free."


"P-please, we're just travelers!" the girl cried. "We've never done anything wrong, just let us go! Please!"


Wakin growled. "I don't give a damn who you are. Now return them and hand them over, or I shoot the girl first."


There was a pause, and then they shakily returned their Pokémon. The girl broke down into sobs as they tossed the Pokéballs at Wakin's feet. The boy held her close.


"There, you got what you wanted! Happy?" The boy seemed like he was trying to look brave and defiant, but the tremor in his voice gave him away.


Wakin sneered. "Almost." His eyes shot to the young boy behind them. "Leo!"


He was already one step ahead of his boss. Leo had taken advantage of the distraction and had closed the distance between himself and the couple. He met Wakin's eyes and raised a hand with three more minimized Pokéballs inside it. Pickpocketing was easy when the targets were more concerned about the gun pointed at their heads.


The girl's wails and the boy's cries pierced him like a dagger. He ignored them.


The rest was a blur. Wakin said something to them before letting them go. They sped off through the desert, and he thought he might have heard the boy shout something over his shoulder, but he didn't catch it.


He did, however, catch the gleam of hatred in his eyes.


Wakin stepped up beside him. It was a job well done, he thought. He started to feel hopeful about a reward; maybe he'd get to have a decent meal, for once—


Wham.


He was not prepared for the unexpected blow. He staggered as blinding pain shot through his head. He raised a hand to the wound, and when he pulled it back, found it covered in red.


"Your little dramatic pause nearly cost us the whole mission, you brat!" Wakin roared at him, but he refused to cower under the man's terrifying fury. No fear. No weakness.


"I'm willing to let it slide this time, only because Gonzap seems to have a special interest in you," the man snarled, "but I'm warning you, boy. You pull another stunt like that, and I won't hesitate to pull this trigger. Got it?" He articulated this threat by spitting into the sand at the boy's feet.


He nodded, which made his head hurt more, but he refused to let it show. He hastily blinked the tears away; pain was weakness. Weakness was death. "Yes, sir."


"Good." Wakin turned on one heel and marched in the direction of their hidden motorcycle. He didn't wait for the boy to follow him.


But he followed, nonetheless.


The scene changed. Desert shrubs and sands blurred together and were replaced with a dark, blood spattered room. The lifeless bodies of several Pokémon were strewn across the room, and one man was slumped on the floor against the wall, his breaths rattling painfully in his chest.


"No!" The scream tore from his own lips as he struggled to reach the dying man, but his captor held him fast. "No—please—NO!"


"It's time you learn this lesson, boy." A low, gravelly voice rumbled from the shadows across the room. A hand raised, and a large, steel-feathered bird stepped out from beside him, wings spread from its side like swords.


The injured man coughed, resulting in blood cascading from his mouth and down his front. He looked at the boy with a weak smile. Those eyes, though dull and fading, still held fondness.


The only pair of eyes that had ever regarded him with kindness.


"Do good, kid."


The command was given, the bird lunged with wings spread, and the sickening sound of impact was masked by the boy's screams—


"Wes—hey—Wes! Wake up!"


Someone was shaking him. He shot upward with a strangled gasp, nearly slamming his head into Rui's as he did so. He coughed and gagged, trying to rid the smell and taste of blood from his senses—


Then something soft and warm leaned against him, and Novo's worried trill met his ears.


Dust. Moonlight. An old inn. He remembered where he was.


He buried his face in his shaking hands, breathing heavily. Neo came up on his other side with a concerned, "Espi?" His Pokémon leaned against him, comforting him with their warmth, their presence.


A timid hand brushed his shoulder. He flinched at her touch and shoved her away with a snarl. "Go. Away."


The mattress across from him creaked as she sat back down on it. "Do...do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.


He didn't answer her and instead swore shakily under his breath. Like hell he wanted to talk about it...


Rui seemed to take this as an answer, as she said nothing more.


He laid back down, his Pokémon curling tightly around him. Novo was nosing his arm urgently. "Bri, briii, umbri..."


Wes pulled the Umbreon close to him and closed his eyes. He didn't know if Novo would take that as permission to use Hypnosis or not, and he didn't care. He just needed to feel his Pokémon close to him, and maybe his heart would stop pounding so hard...


A lump formed in his throat and he immediately swallowed it. He crushed the broken feeling rising in his chest. He would not cry, dammit, he would not. Not now, not ever, and especially not in front of this girl, this stranger.


To cry was to be vulnerable, and to be vulnerable was to be weak, and weakness was—


A familiar humming met his ears. He felt Novo touch his muzzle to his forehead. He thought he heard Rui murmur something, but before he could catch the words, he was plunged into darkness once more.

 

[OrionTheAbsol]

Looks like I'm trudging back to the desert once more! With that said, my knowledge on Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness is elementary as I didn't grow up with them as a kid. Please forgive my tomfoolery.

Chapter 1: Escape

• I always wondered if there is a lore reason for Orre being so barren, to the point where you can't even find Pokémon like Sandshrew or Cacnea in the wilderness. Maybe very few places with food, water and shelter.
• Not gonna lie, your description of the environment is quite apt.
• I read the BOOOOM! in Sr. Pelo's voice
• People in dark uniforms emerged from the blazing building, their faces masks of panic and confusion.
  • This clause is worded strangely.
• Wes'
  • Should be Wes's.
• And I read the KA-BOOOM! in the TF2 Heavy's voice.
• Skarmory going down with one Psybeam? And the one owned by the boss of Team Snagem himself too. Seriously? :/
• I'm curious to just how Wes knows of the Outskirt Stand. Did he hang around it when he was still a part of Team Snagem? Or did he know of it even further back?
• I like how the Espeon has a bit of a sassy personality.
• Bacon? There's bacon in this world? Oh no, I hope the Spoink/Grumpig population is doing fine, lol
• Ah, nightmares. The convenient way to bring up the protagonist's bad memories! I guess the nightmare is going to imply why Wes decided to betray Team Snagem.
• When in Arceus' name will they stop?
  • Ah, the days when Pokémon didn't have a creation god. It's funny how Arceus is mentioned in a story based on a GEN 3 game. True irony.
• Aw, Novo is such a sweetheart.

Chapter 2: Interference

• Again, I appreciate that the Espeon and Umbreon have actual distinct personalities. One of my pet peeves with Pokémon fan fiction is when the Pokémon themselves have no character outside of being obedient to their trainers. Just an absolute waste of potential.
• Bacon—or any decent food, for that matter—was hard to come by, and therefore was practically a delicacy.
  • Is that right? I wonder how much money he spent on this one meal alone then. Got to be very expensive if it's a delicacy.
• Oh, a burlap sack? I wonder what's in there. Surely, can't be a girl in there.
• Man, Wes is sure hellbent on leaving Orre. I guess leaving Team Snagem wasn't enough. Does he have a plan on what to do outside of the region?
• Arceus-forsaken
  • Gonna have to agree with System Error on this one, lol. Replacing "God" with "Arceus" is such a strange, but silly, cliché.
• 30 years? What is up with the Pokémon world and incompetent police forces? Why is it always the vigilante child who has to do all the work?
• The feather itself had come from none other than Gonzap's own Skarmory, and as much as Wes hated that bloodthirsty bird, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction at being able to weaponize part of something that had once terrorized him.
  • Damn. That's actually pretty badass.
• pink hair?
  • Apparently, we live in Cyberpunk 2077. Nothing shouts "badass!" like bubblegum pink hair.
• Well, so much for subtlety, Wes. When you tell WIllie those things, he's going to notice something about you for sure.
• Well, it's clear who wears the pants in this little family. Seems like the Espeon has a stronger moral compass than his trainer.
• Thank Celebi? Celebi is a god now?
  • She's not one of those crazy believers, is she?
    • Oh, nice. Cults.
• Mew above
  • I guess we worship Mew too, then. Ha, see what I did there?
• Wes showing more edge than his Skarmory knife.

Chapter 3: Change of Plans

• "So was there a reason for you moving so much? Was it for your parents' work?"
  • Kind of a weird question to ask a kid in uniform. I guess Wes does kinda blend in with the crowd after all if his trench coat isn't enough of an indicator.
• Poké? We're using Mystery Dungeon currency?
• Ah, bringing up the concept of "aura" before it even officially exists. I guess Rui's ancestor had a fateful encounter with a Lucario once.
• It's nice to acknowledge that Pokémon themselves can be evil or do evil things without the need to be Shadow Pokémon. I never liked this whole angle of Pokémon being perfect little angels as the series tried to keep shoving into your face. Animals in real life can be malicious and vindictive too.
• Going to Johto, huh? Great choice.
• Well, damn, Rui is pretty vindictive, lol
• Oh, now we got burgers too. The Tauros and Miltanks are not going to like this...
• Is Wes even old enough to drink alcohol in this region?
• lol, Wes has no chill. Dude can't help but leave a nasty burn behind when talking to people.
  • Ohhhh, so he doesn't like being on the receiving end himself. How'd it feel, Mr. Tough Guy?
• Hmm. I don't remember Wakin being that intimidating. You sure Wes's Pokémon couldn't handle him?

Solid read overall. Clearly established characters with distinct personalities, clear goals and motives and an interesting plot that takes liberties with the source material. Interesting choice in making Wes into a reluctant hero instead of someone who really wants to do something about Snagem/Cipher. Not bad for a first fanfic!

 

[HelloYellow17]

Howdy hey, about time I reply to these reviews!

Spoiler: SirSystemError

Shoutouts to his two different names

Eyyy, glad you caught that little Easter Egg!

Uhhh I guess someone really did leave the background music on?

Ok it took me way too long to realize what you were talking about here, lol. Then I realized you were commenting on the music that’s briefly mentioned. Yeah, it’s a little shoutout to the game’s music, but also it’s a diner, so it’s not out of the ordinary for them to be playing music.

You know why do people with fussy walking Pokemon in fics never recall them?

I say it’s a case-by-case thing. For one thing, if you consider your Pokémon your friend, then you’re not exactly gonna foster good feelings of trust and friendship if you just call them into their balls whenever they’re a minor inconvenience. That would be like shoving your pet dog into a crate any time they bark, which. Doesn’t really give great vibes, ya know? And considering the bond Wes and Neo and Novo share, it’s especially taboo here.

Oh I guess Gateon already exists

Ye!! I went ahead and established the existence of the Gateon locations in this story, since there’s only 5 years between this and the events of XD and a whole port town isn’t likely to spring up within that time. Makes sense to have it already exist.

Now what's wrong with pink hair? Dude's got white hair himself. Which, I guess you made platinum blonde just to have it be more normal, I guess? It looks pretty gray/white/silver to me.

Bahaha listen, I never had anything against pink hair! Wes is just a judgmental snot, heh.

Pretty contrived that he's being forced into this by his Pokemon. As if the people asking weren't enough.

Eh, I don’t find it contrived at all, personally. These two are his family, and of course he’s going to value their opinions even if they frustrate him. And Pokémon are allowed to have opinions, too!

Saying that line about them only evolving with a strong is sensible, except this is the game series where you can just use a shard to accomplish the same thing.

Ehh, fair, but that concept wasn’t introduced until XD and let’s be honest, it was just a gameplay mechanic so that they wouldn’t have to deal with day/night cycles for the evolutions. So I’m not gonna be implementing that here.

You'd think she'd notice hunger sooner instead of it just popping up to ruin a moment

It’s not so much that she didn’t notice and more so that she didn’t want to ask more of Wes, so she tried to play it off/ignore it.

You know now that I think about it why didn't they kill her immediately? I have some very disturbing thoughts as to why. And realize that the plot could've only happened because they wanted to kidnap her and torture/worse instead of just killing her. Or making her suffocate because the grunts were too dumb to understand air holes.

Heheheh. Why didn’t they kill her? They definitely wanted her alive. And there are reasons for it, which will come to light...eventually. >

Why is she surprised at the desert temperature? Unless she's that sheltered.

Keep in mind that Rui is from Agate, which is an entirely different climate! So she wouldn’t be accustomed to desert temperatures.

So uh, serious question time. If Novo watches at night and is out walking with Wes all day because this is a guy who must have his Pokemon out of the Poke Balls at all times, when does Novo sleep?

Good question! Novo does take frequent naps in the afternoons, either inside his ball or while riding in the hover bike. And while he does keep watch at night, he’ll still get some shut-eye then, too.

But Umbreon can't learn Hypnosis. Did Snagem steal Lance's Gameshark?

OMG. So you’re the first person to point this out and when I read it, I was SHOOK. I really thought Umbreon could learn Hypnosis, but a quick Google search tells me they cannot! Welp. Too late. I ain’t changing that. Novo is just special I guess.

Ah explaining it away with a war. That probably had like nukes. And didn't seem to have much of a point because there's no one occupying it and they blew away all the resources. Uhhh what was even the point of the war then?

Oh, the war is significant and isn’t just there to explain why Orre is the way it is. There’s a reason why it’s mentioned. And to answer your question, the war started as a scuffle over resources. Orre was a mostly barren desert even before the war, and the war just, y’know, screwed them over even more.

In regards to Pokemon language in the postscript comments, I do think it's neat. I never really liked Pokemon saying their own names due to all the implication complications it creates with having them be different names in different languages. That said. there's a problem here: syllables. Ash's Pikachu has a lot of different mixups of his name for different words, but they match. Pi-ka-Pi is Sa-to-shi, for example. For some reason Wes' Pokemon use two syllables to refer to him. Unless they're both calling him Wesley (and that is his real name, he seems like the type that'd use an alias).

I’ll admit, I didn’t think about syllables, but honestly I don’t think I’ll be too fussed about them. If I try to make it so that everything a Pokémon tries to say lines up with human speech/syllables, that will get annoying very fast.

Things continue to chug along, choo choo. But the pain train is soon, where all will be revealed. But will Rui get angry or still think of Wes as her Knight in Shining Armor in this version of the events?! It shall remain to be seen.

Pain train indeed! Though it will be a while before the truth comes to light.

And the ariba man himself arrives on the scene

This comment made me lol. “Ariba man” haha

Forgot he was an idiot here. Or was that you inventing it

Eh, he’s quirky and odd, but I don’t think that equates to him being an idiot. I was just channeling his eccentric personality in the game, lol.

WHAT EYES? Makuhita's are perptually shut!

HAHA OKAY I DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF THIS. Now it’s gonna bug me and I’m gonna have to go back and fix it sometime.

Well Snagem got upgraded from petty thieves to mustache twirling villains. I worry Cipher's going to get overshadowed

Oh don’t you worry about Cipher getting overshadowed. Snagem is a nasty gang, but Cipher is on a completely different level.

Kanto not finishing the job in that war they seemed to wage for no good reason against a region with no central government

Aghhhhh okay so I THOUGHT I had fixed it but I guess not...ugh. Anyways, the war has been changed and instead of Kanto vs. Orre it‘s Johto vs. Orre. Yes, this is important. Sorry about that, heh.

Man are these XD shadows or something. Must be since they're hitting trainers too

Actually, shadows attacked their trainers in Colo too!

Well I take it you jettisoned the four move "limit", curiously and sanity check?

Yeah, I don’t abide by that. Though I do head canon that a four move limit is imposed in official matches still, but Pokémon can learn more than that.

And now having come to the end of this, I can say: would you kindly post more here? Or are you still updating? Either way, standing by until then.

Will do! I’ve got chapters 1-7 here so far; I plan to post the rest, but I want to make some edits to chapters 8-14 first before I crosspost them here. I’m gonna be working on that next month!

Spoiler: OriontheAbsol

• I always wondered if there is a lore reason for Orre being so barren, to the point where you can't even find Pokémon like Sandshrew or Cacnea in the wilderness. Maybe very few places with food, water and shelter.
• Not gonna lie, your description of the environment is quite apt.

Fun fact, there is ZERO explanation in canon for why Orre is like this! So I did come up with my own lore for it, but none of it is canon. There isn’t so much as a hint as to why there are no wild Pokémon in Orre. Nintendo really glossed over that one.
And thank you! I’m glad you liked the description!

Wes'

• Should be Wes's.

Another fun fact, I actually googled this at some point and apparently either one is correct! So I went with the former because I just like the way it looks more than the latter.

Skarmory going down with one Psybeam? And the one owned by the boss of Team Snagem himself too. Seriously? :/

Eheh...yeah, this is the result of me rushing through edits so when I added in this little chase scene I didn’t take type advantages into account at all. I’ll fix this eventually.

I'm curious to just how Wes knows of the Outskirt Stand. Did he hang around it when he was still a part of Team Snagem? Or did he know of it even further back?

This is another thing I plan to implement in edits because I didn’t really establish it with what’s already written, but yes, this was a place he’d often stop at during his days in Snagem.

Ah, the days when Pokémon didn't have a creation god. It's funny how Arceus is mentioned in a story based on a GEN 3 game. True irony.

Okay, so you are not the first person to bring up that this is odd for a gen 3 game and I have to admit...I simply don’t follow this argument at all.
This is a novelization, so game mechanics are gonna be thrown out the window. This story takes place in an entire world, so yes, the other regions beyond gen 3 exist here, as do the Pokémon. I’m not sure what this argument is trying to say, exactly? Am I supposed to just pretend that only gens 1 through 3 Pokémon and regions exist? Am I supposed to pretend Sinnoh and the other regions don’t? I figure that everyone in the world would at the very least know about Arceus, considering they’re canonically the god of all Pokémon. Whether or not they believe in and worship them is a different story, but I consider it similar to our world in which plenty of people say “Oh my god” regardless of whether they actually believe in one.
Anyways, sorry if I sound aggressive here, I just. Really don’t follow this logic and it baffles me, lol. To ignore everything outside of gen 3 in a written story like this would just be poor worldbuilding, in my opinion.

Again, I appreciate that the Espeon and Umbreon have actual distinct personalities. One of my pet peeves with Pokémon fan fiction is when the Pokémon themselves have no character outside of being obedient to their trainers. Just an absolute waste of potential.

YES THANK YOU. I have read wayyyy too many pokemon fics where the Pokemon are little more than plot devices, which honestly frustrates me to no end! This is a Pokémon story, after all; they should at the very least be acknowledged as living creatures and be written as such.

Man, Wes is sure hellbent on leaving Orre. I guess leaving Team Snagem wasn't enough. Does he have a plan on what to do outside of the region?

1. Leave Snagem 2. Leave Orre 3. Hightail it to Johto and live a secluded life in the woods 4. PROFIT

30 years? What is up with the Pokémon world and incompetent police forces? Why is it always the vigilante child who has to do all the work?

You know, this is an excellent question, lol. The police force is truly hopeless anywhere you go in the world. It’s no wonder every region has had at least one giant terrorist group that tries to take over the world and nearly succeeds. At least in Orre, I can say this is because the region is so deeply corrupted, there’s just very little the police can actually do.

"So was there a reason for you moving so much? Was it for your parents' work?"

• Kind of a weird question to ask a kid in uniform. I guess Wes does kinda blend in with the crowd after all if his trench coat isn't enough of an indicator.

Hm, Wes isn’t in uniform though? His coat is a personal item. The rest of his getup is fairly standard black clothing. But also, this is Orre, and the fashion really do be wack anyways. XD

Is Wes even old enough to drink alcohol in this region?

I realized after I quoted this message that you probably wrote this before getting to the line where his age is revealed, but anyways: yes. Legal drinking age is 18 in Orre, Wes is 22.

lol, Wes has no chill. Dude can't help but leave a nasty burn behind when talking to people.

• Ohhhh, so he doesn't like being on the receiving end himself. How'd it feel, Mr. Tough Guy?

Hahaha loved this commentary. Wes doesn’t intend to be a snarky little snotwad (at least, not all of the time) but he usually is anyway.

Hmm. I don't remember Wakin being that intimidating. You sure Wes's Pokémon couldn't handle him?

Snagem is a bit of a joke in the games, so I altered that here and made them into an actual threatening organization. Wakin isn’t the strongest battler ever in Orre, but he’s no pushover, either. You have to be at least pretty decent if you’re good enough to become the second in command. Plus, Wes only has 2 pokemon currently, and Wakin has several people with him. The numbers would not make for a good outcome on Wes’ end.

Anyway, thanks for all your thoughts! I’m glad you seemed to enjoy what you’ve read so far, and if you continue to read on, I hope you like what I have in store!

 

[System Error]

C7
- What are they afraid of? Ghosts? Radiation poisoning?
- Biggest disadvantage of being out of the ball at all times, stuff like this.
- Oh, it's not just the guy from Final Fantasy XV or a word for night, it's a plague of some kind. Seems sus.
- Rui has never met someone with a high pain tolerance.
- "I CAN FIX THEM."
- Stay hydrated.
- Not needing a machine to snag there...
- Well somebody's a mustache twirling edgy villain.
- And somebody else has serious PTSD.

Not much to say about this one, at least at this hour. Plot and character expositing. Looking forward to more.

 

[Ryoma Maser]

So, hey we’re both writing Orre fics and had some downtime, so let me give you a review I should’ve done months ago. Expect some comments, jokes and whatnot.

Chapter 1: Escape

"LEO! I'LL KILL YOU, BOY!"

Oh at first I thought this was a typo referring to Neo, the Espeon but it’s actually Wes. Must’ve been a codename of sorts, didn’t expect that.

The sooner we leave this region, the better.

Yeah, about that Wes.

Chapter 2: Interference
I just like the art here, it reminds me of the cat meme for some reason with Wes in the cat’s place.

On the wall across from where they sat was a flatscreen TV, arguably the most modern thing about the place. It was showing some old, obscure cartoon that nobody seemed to be watching.

Ah, this is similar to what I do as well. Have Orre be a bit behind on tech from other regions, despite the prevalence of hover tech in the region.

"We'll head to Phenac to stock up on supplies, and head straight to Gateon from there. It'll take us a handful of days, but if we only stop for occasional breaks, we should make it in good time. And then, if all goes well, I can get a passport there and we'll be out of Orre. For good."

Wes, there’s no day-night cycle in Orre. You’ll get there in a day in no time.

Those last two words felt like a breath of fresh air to him. They were so close now, he could almost taste it. Soon, very soon, they would be rid of this disease-ridden, Arceus-forsaken desert, and they would be free.

I really dislike using Pokémon in place of God, since it really doesn’t roll off the tongue as well as other stuff.

"I don't understand how authorities haven't at least made some progress," she said. "Whoever bombed that shack has done more than they have in thirty years!"

Huh, Snagem is thirty years old. Wouldn’t expect that, considering how fast they crumbled in base game and in my fic which is twelve years after this just gone.

The existence of Snag Machines—particularly this Snag Machine—was not public knowledge, and his identity was safe for now.

Does this refer to those giant ones you see in the post-game at the Snagem base compared to the arm-sleeve one Wes uses?

The feather itself had come from none other than Gonzap's own Skarmory, and as much as Wes hated that bloodthirsty bird, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction at being able to weaponize part of something that had once terrorized him.

I really like this, using steel feathers as a weapon considering how insane some Pokémon are. Like a steel bird, using its feathers as a knife makes a lot of sense. Security checks would probably be insane.

He did not shake his hand. "Wes," he answered curtly.

Willie withdrew his hand, though he didn't seem to take any offense from Wes' rudeness. "Mighty fine name. You come to these parts often?"

What did this man want from him? "On occasion," Wes said curtly.

There are a lot of curtlys here.

"This is the only time, got it? Don't make me pretend to be some hero."

The irony oh the irony.

"I'm tired, man. An' shouldn't we bunker down till nightfall anyhow? This lil scrap ain't making it easy for us, and I don't want to cause no scene." The second man glared down at the wriggling sack.

Wow, one of these idiots gained some intelligence. Too bad they're about to lose it.

Wes raised an eyebrow. "Very scary. Consider me intimidated."

I appreciate the snark Wes has been given.

"Neo, Confusion! Novo, Bite!"

Now I know moves aren’t that big for us writers. But didn’t Neo already have Psybeam, do they both have Confusion and Psybeam? Kinda overkill if both.

"You need to take small sips." Wes surprised himself by speaking. What did he care? Why had he bothered to stick around this long? Why hadn't he left already? "You're probably really dehydrated, so don't drink it all at once or you'll make yourself sick."

Ah, the signs of romance….I mean what!?

"My name is Rui," she said, her voice now steadying. "Rui Everlin."
Love this surname, might steal it for myself….What? I said nothing.
"Thank Celebi you were here to help me...I don't know how to repay you!"

I love the last name you gave Rui. Also, ironically, I think this “Thank Celebi” sounds better than the Arceus lines.

Chapter 3:

Wes shot her a look—or tried to, but ended up looking over her head. He had to drop his gaze significantly to actually make eye contact. Arceus, this girl was small. Just how old was she, anyway?

I know you headcanon Rui to be much shorter than Wes, but weren’t they close to the same height in Colosseum? Like maybe like a foot or two smaller, but not this short.

She averted his gaze. "I did volunteer to go, but...Papi wouldn't have it. He said it was too dangerous. But he's not exactly young and spry, no matter how much he might think he is, and it had me worried...besides, I'd been wanting an excuse to see the world outside Agate anyway, but no matter what I said, he wouldn't listen, and—" She stopped short, as if to catch herself from rambling, then scowled. "So I just went anyway," she said flatly.

Interesting change. Though I remember Rui was stated to be visiting her grandparents in Colosseum, but considering we don’t know much about her parents, hometown and stuff (it could also be taken that she lives out of Orre though who knows), it’s an understandable change.

Wes had no idea how to respond to that. Sure, she'd been stupid and reckless to take off like that, but a small part of him respected her resolve, nonetheless.

Yes, Wes this is how you fall in love.

"MAYOR ES-CADE WELCOMES YOU!"

Was there a dash in Colosseum? I thought it was one word.

"Eldes, would you please fetch our guests some tea?" Es-Cade pleasantly addressed the red-haired man that stood stoically by the front doors.

EYES SHOOT WIDE OPEN Eldes!?!? Right in plain sight. Wes and Rui will be kicking themselves when they return after Gale of Darkness in this universe.

"Wes." The mayor continued to look at him, as if expecting more, so he sighed. "Wesley Lycas."

I like this last name too. I went with the boring name of Thompson (though I could change that since I’m revising my current chapters).

I was born with a gift. That gift allows me to see the auras of people and Pokémon."

I guess seeing other auras would explain the Shadow Aura. Kinda like Lucario and Riley in DP, it’s a good explanation for something that wasn’t explained in the game.

Chapter 4:

In the span of just over a day, she'd seen a crazed Pokémon, been kidnapped, had nearly suffocated in a sack, was rescued by someone who acted for all the world as though he'd rather have left her there, and was now flying across the desert in a crazy death trap of metal with said stranger.

Well, that’s one way to explain Wes' hoverbike.

"Hey, Grogan. Got any Pokéballs in stock?"

Hm, I don’t think that shopkeep ever had a name. I thought it was Gorgon from Gale of Darkness for a minute.

"Just all of the regular ones," he said. "And maybe a few Great Balls."

Wes, you only take the Great Balls. There’s no point for the former.

It’s a bit weird seeing Novo and Neo’s perspectives but interesting changes.

Chapter 5:

No, I'm not, Wes thought with annoyance. He felt ready to sock the next person who needed a favor in the jaw. He wanted to get. Out. Of. Here.

Sure, Wes, just wait.

"Now, now, darling, ain't no need to get your hair worked up in a frizz. Why, that lil' gal can't have gone far, can—oh!" He squawked in surprise upon noticing Wes and Rui in the room. "Boys, I think we have company!"

Perfect Miror. B dialogue.

Also I’m just realizing we haven’t had the Snagem encounter, so Rui doesn’t know Wes was Snagem. We barely got it in the last chapter, but Wes got out dodge before it happened.

"Neo, Confusion on that Spinarak!" Wes barked. "Novo, keep that Duskull away from him and Bite whenever possible!"

WES NO! Bug is super-effective on Psychic Types too you know!!

Wes didn't have time for this. He grabbed Rui by the arm and made for the door. "I'll explain later. But for now we need to get out of—"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Rui's voice was shrill as she wrenched her arm away from him. "Not until you explain to me what just happened! Right now!"
And now the more sensible reaction from Rui compared to the games. Kinda makes it a lot more neat in my opinion.

"I didn't like what Team Snagem did. I never liked it. But these friends of mine...they did what they thought they had to do to survive. So they stayed with Snagem for a long time, until something happened." He paused and stared hard at the ground. "They...killed one of my good friends and his team."
Hm, another interesting change. Wes was a member of Snagem in the game, but here he’s just an associate.

"This one is the only portable Snag Machine in existence. I stole it because...well, I'm actually not sure. Part of me wanted to use it against them, I guess. Somehow."

Nice to know some motivation for that awesome escape in the beginning of Colosseum.

"It's kind of...convenient, isn't it?" Rui sat up on the bench, angling to face him. "Anyone could have come across that Makuhita, but I was the one who did.. Maybe it means I have my ability for a reason, maybe I'm meant to do something!"

Brain: There's only one word to describe such an amazing stroke of luck. Pinky: Contrived? Brain: Exactly. Pinky: I got one right!

Rui bristled. "Are you saying I should just—just ignore everything we saw today?"

"I never told you to ignore it, just to leave it to the police."

"Which is basically the same thing," she said with a scoff.

Ah yes Pokémon, where Adults and Police are useless! And have flashbacks to SwSh Police Trainers those...faces… Why did you think I made Wes commissioner in my fic?

Chapter 6:

"You don't have much experience with hospitals, do you?" Rui asked carefully. "This is fairly normal."

Don’t remind me, please…

"Are those...officers?" Rui asked uncertainly.

"The guy in front is some kind of Town Hall member," Wes answered as he surveyed the scene, "but I don't recognize the ones behind him...they can't be officers, I know Phenac doesn't have..." He trailed off with a frown.

Oh hey, it’s the starter trio! Took me a few seconds to realize.

Wes had left Makuhita to his devices as he called commands to his struggling Pokémon. At Rui's cry, he followed her gaze and swore at the sight.
Always forget the consequences of handling a Shadow Pokémon. But it usually only took the call command, but here it’s portrayal has losing moral thought and is hard at seeing friend or foe which makes sense when stuff like that is locked away.

Makuhita barely seemed to notice that his foe had vanished. He immediately hurled himself at the Croconaw with a roar, and Rui saw his aura bursting with aggression.

Oh hey, this must be Hyper Mode.

The third and final ball landed in Wes' hand. He shoved them both into the bag with a furious mutter.

Hmn, all three in this retelling. Well, post game is tedious anyways.

Chapter 7:

This was even more pronounced for Orre natives, as even small children knew to stay far away from Noctis Ruins such as these. As a result, most citizens avoided these places out of fear and superstition.

Oh, a ruined town. Also why isn’t it named like a gemstone!? Just kidding, but it’s a theme, I don’t know if Noctis is one.

Even before the illness, Orre was a rather hopeless excuse for a Region. The nuclear war with Kanto seventy years earlier had already ensured that the area wouldn't be suitable for wild Pokémon for many years—if ever again—and many people speculated that the nuclear after-effects on the population were a big factor in the massive Noctis death toll.

So an illness and a nuclear war with Kanto. Interesting way to explain why the region is what it is, though mine’s going to be different when I get to it in Orre: The Desert. I know GameFreak loves forgetting the Orre games and shoving Kanto in our faces but this is too far!!

"I lost my father to it, too."

Her voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear her. Wes glanced at her and saw that she'd pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, staring blankly as though lost in memory.

"Noctis?" he asked. She nodded.
"He was a scientist, actually. When the Noctis hit, he was working in the labs for days on end trying to find a cure. He eventually caught it from one of the patients. I was almost two."

Oooh, new twist.

Hmn, so the flashback is another reason why he left. Another interesting twist, though the adaptational villainy to Snagem is something I didn’t think we would get for being small-time Pokémon thieves before Cipher happened which was what implied the reason Wes left in game.

And that is everything up till now. Hope to see more so I can steal your ideas for mine, just kidding been really liking it so far. Hope to see you in my corner of Orre as well

 

[InfiniteBakuphoon]

@HelloYellow17
Hello there! You might remember me for my review of the first five chapters of your fic that I posted last year. I’m back to review the final two chapters that you’ve posted here at Bulbagarden so far, this time as part of the February reviewing challenge. Apologies if this review is a bit less extensive than the last one, but the event carries a 12 AM deadline for each review and it’s currently less than three hours away for me, so… yeah. Plus, we’ve pretty much got introductions and discussions of the fic’s sweeping themes out of the way with the first review, so I figure that I can afford to go more “laser focus” with the chapters in this second review. So with that said, let’s begin…

…with Wes and Rui finally parting ways!? For real this time!? You wouldn’t!
…
…
…yeah, of course you wouldn’t.

This first major event in Chapter 6 is probably one of these scenes where pretty much anyone who reads it knows that things are totally not going to go the way that Rui thinks and that (a part of?) Wes might hope. Really, the only question here was how they were going to magically find their way back together again, and in this case we just happen to have Phenac City close its borders at nearly the very moment that Wes and Rui are able to separate! I mean, really, it’s almost like destiny itself is intervening to keep them together at this point… and technically speaking, it is, because you’re the one making it so, haha. I’ll admit that my suspension of disbelief went down just slightly for this scenario, given how utterly, shamelessly coincidental it is, and how the more critical side of me kind of wonders if there was maybe a more elegant way to handle this scenario, or at least a potentially more interesting one like, say, allowing Wes to reach Gateon Port, perhaps, before being forced back into Rui’s world by something else... his budding heart, maybe? Or another nudge from either Neo or Novo? Or both, even? Not that I’d know exactly how to pull something like that off without causing more problems (I’d imagine that pacing would be chief among them), but this is all just wishful thinking, really. And after all, if this “coincidence” is the only thing even resembles a significant narrative mishap in over five chapters — and in all honesty, it really isn’t in the grand scheme of things, especially if you consider that maybe destiny is intervening to keep Wes and Rui together, haha! — then I guess there’s not much reason to ponder too much on that.

Now on the next major event here, which is… another battle!?

I’ll admit that I wasn’t quite expecting another battle quite so soon after the last one. And I’ll also admit that this is probably the first time that I’ve kind of felt fatigued by your fic, given that said battle felt like more of an escalated version of the previous one rather than its own challenge, with the primary difference being: “more this time”. We get three Shadow Pokémon to face instead of one, we get a small army of formidable human adversaries instead of two relative losers, and. All of which is fine, but nothing spectacular on its own. Now, it does feel much a lot different on an emotional level (which I’ll elaborate on shortly) given just how utterly outmatched Wes and his Pokémon are initially and just how badly the latter are hurt during the battle’s darkest moments. but in between those gut-punches, I found that a lot of the details are kind of glossed over as focus is instead placed on how Wes’ Shadow Makuhita, which is understandable given how I’d imagine that readers would want to know how commanding a Shadow Pokémon goes (myself included). But since said Shadow Pokémon aren’t really shown to have much of a personality so far besides “really angry” or “really freakin’ tough” — Shadow Makuhita included — I’ve found that my level of interest in what they did; perhaps seeing how Shadow Pokémon behave outside of battle first could’ve helped with some set-up in that regard? But in lieu of that, I found that the main thing I got from the flow of battle was: “Neo and Novo get their asses kicked, and occasionally use Protect”. Which is fine, and arguably appropriate given the significantly increased threat present here, but not again not spectacular to read about if the battle itself is something that you’re really concerned about.

That said, what kept me going is my investment in your characters, which is a testament to how well you’ve done in making Wes, Rui, Neo, and Novo highly likable and sympathetic (probably more of the latter in Wes’s case at this point in the story, though). For all of my concerns about how relatively little I cared about the actual battling, it is a truly nasty battle; far more so than the last one which was itself no cakewalk. With Wes and his Pokémon being so utterly outclassed here, and the latter experiencing some serious injuries just to defend their trainer, let alone get any hits in, there’s a legitimate fear that perhaps Wes and the others might not get out of this as cleanly as their previous battles, or that at least one member of the party might have to pay a major price in order for their companions to escape with their freedom, or even their lives. And while, again, much of the focus was placed on the Shadow Pokémon and just how unnaturally powerful and vicious they are in battle (which is indeed demonstrated here in quite chilling fashion), the part that probably had the most emotional impact on me was watching Neo limp towards Wes at the end, having just barely succeeded at defending his friends and having taken a serious beating in order to accomplish that. Wes’ reaction to this is telling, once again giving us a glimpse of his heart even as it’s drenched in rage and darkness (both fully justified in this case) and reminding me why it’s so easy to care about him in spite of said rage and darkness.

And then after all of that, we get a much-needed “breather” in the form of Chapter 7, where Wes, Rui, Neo, and Novo finally get some modicum of peace (and so do we!). With this chapter coming immediately after an epic and intense one like Chapter 6, this gave me the chance to compare them directly to each other, and I can definitely say that these types of “quiet” chapters are probably among my favorites. There’s plenty of room for quiet conversations and contemplation in chapters like these, which provides opportunities for both exposition and character development (with the revelation of the chapter’s titular Noctis, and its connection to the fate of both Wes’ parents and, rather surprisingly, one of Rui’s own parents, being one of the better examples of those two mixing together nicely, providing the two with something of a shared experience). But of course, what’s a breather for us readers isn‘t necessarily always a breather for the characters, as Wes demonstrates here with more of his signature nightmares revealing more of his dark and troubled past, which also provide more hints of his better nature (albeit that from long ago, but as the last chapter and other little moments previously shown demonstrate to us, it’s definitely not all gone yet).

I think that’s about all I have! Now, with this being the final chapter posted to Bulbagarden, I suppose that means that I’ll have to go the FF.net version in order to read the other ones? Not that I’d mind, although given this fic’s quality and its deserved reputation elsewhere, it certainly wouldn’t hurt for this fic to gain an even greater audience with continued crossposting here, especially given that it’s seemed to have gained some fans here, haha. In any case, I look forward to seeing how Wes and Rui’s relationship develops during the rest of their adventure (and how a certain lie still in play will affect things). Thanks again for posting your fic here! It’s most definitely been worth the read so far.

 

[Spiteful Murkrow]

Heya, it’s not quite Nameless, but offsite Review Roulette has spoken and deemed it fit that I take a look at OSAS proper before I go off getting neck-deep into your supplementary materials. So let’s try and give you an incentive to bump your story's version on this site, and jump right in and see what all the hoopla is about:

Chapter 1

Some would say that "barren" and "Orre" were the same thing.

s / “barren” / “cesspool” and then you’re a bit more accurate. :V

It would only take a brief view of the landscape to see why. The desert region sprawled for miles, seemingly without end, with little to no life in sight. The sun blazed down mercilessly on the copper sands as the winds whistled aimlessly across them. The only sign of life was the occasional tumbleweed that rolled lazily on by.

But there is life, right?

One thing disrupted the flat expanse: a series of cliffs, tucked away from the sands, which formed a narrow canyon. At this canyon's mouth sat a large building—or, at least, something that barely qualified as one. The structure, though massive, almost looked more like a pile of poorly assembled pipes and scrap metal than an actual building. Like its surroundings, this, too, was a quiet and still place, with only the howling canyon winds to break the silence.

I pulled up the Colosseum intro in the background to cross-reference this, and… yeah, that’s a pretty accurate description. Will make a mental note to self that whatever’s described here generally tracks whatever’s depicted in the games, but it’s a nice touch.

It wouldn't be quiet for long.

BOOOOM!

Is said pile of pipes and scrap metal even going to exist past the next paragraph? ^^;

An earth-rending explosion shattered the stillness. Flames burst from a section of the dilapidated building, followed shortly by screams. People in dark uniforms emerged from the blazing building, their faces masks of panic and confusion. Among the chaos, no one seemed to notice one person in particular dashing away from the scene, with two Pokémon sprinting at his side.

"Go, go, GO!" the young man shouted at his companions as he raced for a beat-up motorcycle parked on the desert sand. He sprang nimbly onto the seat, revved the engine, and glanced quickly into the sidecar, where his two partners should have been safely seated—only to find his Umbreon watching him tersely.

Novo: “-... Wes, you do realize this would’ve been easier to pull off if we’d waited until night when everyone was asleep, right?-” .-.
Neo: “-Ah, live a little, Novo! We’ve got an intro cinematic to act out! Besides, it’s more fun this way…-”

He glanced over his shoulder and found his Espeon a few yards away, yipping loudly at the people fleeing the burning building, tail waving triumphantly in the air. He didn't speak Pokémon, but the runaway figured if he did, he would be hearing a choice selection of colorful insults.

So, what are the odds of that triumphant tail wave being some variation of the Stadium Flareon taunting animation?

Neo:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfeOFVe6ADw

Novo: “And that’s why this story isn’t translating our dialogue for the readers.” ^^;

"Neo, you idiot-"

"Espi-esp, esp, esp! Es-SPI!?" The Espeon's barks cut short in a yap of surprise as his trainer hauled him off his feet and shoved him under one arm. He sprinted back to the motorcycle and dumped the creature rather unceremoniously into the sidecar next to his brother, ignoring the Pokémon's cries of indignation.

Neo: “-Wes! What the hell?! Things were just getting good!-”

"LEO! I'LL KILL YOU, BOY!"

A terrifying roar of rage sounded from behind the trio, and the trainer turned his head to see his least favorite person in the world: a massive, hulking man with no hair (though he made up for that with an impressive beard and eyebrows), charging straight toward them, his face red and contorted with unfathomable fury. Several others, clad in dark clothing like the rest, flanked him on either side.

Wes: “... I mean, we haven’t been shot at yet during all of this, so he’s probably not armed right now?”

Novo: “-... Neo, keep that Protect or whatever it is you know for a deflecting move ready.-” ._.;

Anger and bitter satisfaction alike swelled inside the trainer's chest. He faced his now-former boss with a growl.

"If you're going to threaten me," he said, "call me by my real name." He sneered. "It's Wes, by the way. In case you forgot."

Neo: “-... Wait, but I thought your name was ‘Leo’.-”
Novo: “-I thought it was ‘Seth’.-”
Wes: “Look, can you two not get into arguing about my bar aliases right now? Also, it’s a story for an Anglophone audience, so my name’s going to be ‘Wes’, alright?” >_>;
Novo: “-‘Seth’s technically an alternate default name in the English localization, so…-”

Wes: “Novo. It’s ‘Wes’, okay?” >.<

The man roared again, this time too incensed to form any words. He barreled toward the trainer and his Pokémon with a murderous expression, but this wasn't Wes' main cause of concern: a flash of light emerged from a Pokéball at the man's belt and took the shape of a metallic bird. The Pokémon spread its wings, emitted a blood-curdling screech, and took to the sky.

It was time to go.

Neo: “-Eh, it’s just a Skarmory. All we’ve gotta do is zap or fry it and we’ll be in the clear!-” ^^;
Novo: “-Neo, do we even know any Fire or Electric-type moves?-”

Neo: “...”

The motorcycle engine started with a roar, and in one smooth motion, Wes swept astride the motorcycle. He raised his left arm high above his head, sunlight glinting off a strange metal contraption that encased it. Holding a small remote in his hand, he looked his boss dead in the eye, smirked, and pressed the button.

KA-BOOOM!

Neo: “-And this is why we’re doing this in the middle of the day. Try and tell me with a straight face that that wasn’t totally badass, Novo.-”

The second explosion was, if possible, even more impressive than the first, and nearly knocked every bystander off their feet. The giant man's bellows of rage were drowned out by a monstrous roar as the motorcycle kicked into gear. Its rider slammed on the gas and he launched the bike forward, narrowly missing a dive-bomb from the enraged Skarmory, and soon the crowd of people were left in the dust.

Novo: “-Talk about your close shaves. I still say we could’ve done this at night while everyone was asleep.-”

Skarmory flew overhead, shrieking horribly as it gave chase. Wes shouted a command to his Pokémon, but he needn't have bothered—his Espeon had already charged up a Psybeam and fired it at his foe.

A metallic clang followed by another agonized screech told Wes that the Psybeam hit its mark. He glanced over his shoulder to see the bird tumbling out of the sky and down to the sands below.

I know that you made a note about how taking Skarmory down with a Psybeam is a bit of a meme and you didn’t want reviewers harping on it too hard, but honestly even with the poor type matchup, I think you’re like two or three sequences of added detail away from everything currently in this sequence making perfect sense since…

Wes is on his unholy abomination of a motorcycle and picking up speed. His winning condition isn’t necessarily to defeat Skarmory, it’s ultimately to stall it long enough to floor the accelerator and get too far away going too fast for Skarmory to catch up, even if it’s with a not terribly effective attack.

To that end, a well-placed Psybeam at the equivalent of a carpal joint, or in Skarmory’s case considering its anatomy, the base of one of its wings, would mess with its flight and make it lose balance/altitude. Same principle as a leg sweep, but for a flier. Do that while Skarmory’s flying low enough, like say… during the middle of an attempted dive to attack, and it’ll hit the ground before it can even out in the air.

By the time Skarmory rolls to a stop on the desert floor and gets reoriented assuming it’s still in fighting condition afterwards, Wes is likely far enough away and going fast enough that it can’t really do anything other than make salty, angry Skarmory noises and the equivalent of a fist shake as Wes rides off with his cats into the sunset.

Some food for thought if you have second thoughts about that Confuse Ray route you’re planning on dropping in in the future, anyways.

He laughed and let out a whoop of celebration, his companions joining in with triumphant cries, and the trio plowed through the desert until the base and its inhabitants were long out of sight.

Neo: “-Ha ha! Suck it, stupid bird-!-”
Novo: “-Neo, be professional. We’ve got another scene coming up.-” >_>;

The sun was sinking below the horizon and the temperatures had started to drop by the time their destination came into view: an old, rusty, seemingly abandoned train car. Near the door, a wooden sign swung lazily in the desert breeze. On its face, it read: ‘OUTSKIRT STAND’. The crusty thing had been converted into a diner, and though it wasn't much to look at, it was a place Wes was familiar with. Most importantly, it was a place where they would be safe for the night.

He hoped.

Translation: you won’t be safe there for the night if you have to ask yourself the question.

The motorcycle puttered to a halt as Wes pulled up to the establishment. Dim lights shone through the train car windows as old Western music hummed from an outdoor speaker. Wes stood and stretched his limbs—speeding through the desert for hours did his joints no favors—as his Pokémon followed suit, leaping nimbly from the vehicle and stretching their lithe bodies.

Novo: “-Hey, I’m feeling limber right now.-”
Wes: “Yeah, yeah, great for you. I wasn’t the one sitting in the sidecar that was roomy and comfy for my body.” >_>;

"All right, who's hungry?" He pushed his mirrored goggles off his face and into his sandy hair, revealing a pair of golden-colored eyes, and grinned at the two Eeveelutions. His Umbreon gave a yip of hearty affirmation. His Espeon, on the other hand, squinted at him, then sniffed airily and turned his head away from his trainer.

Wes: “I mean, we should probably be a bit more worried about Team Snagem tailing us, but… meh. We’ve got a decent enough head start on ‘em to kick back for a while.”

"Spi."

Wes heaved a weary sigh. He crouched down in front of his Espeon to be eye level with him despite the fact that the Pokémon was pointedly avoiding his gaze. "Neo. Is this about me manhandling you back there?"

Neo: “-Gee, what do you think there, buster?-” >:|

The Pokémon, Neo, irritably flicked his tail in response.

Yeah, I figured.

Another sigh. "Look, I'm sorry. But there's a time and a place for gloating over a victory, and doing so while escaping from an exploding building is not it."

Neo: “-No, no, that’s exactly the time and place when you want to stop and gloat about your victories--” >_>;
Novo: “-Neo, let Wes finish his point first before backtalking.-” -_-;

Neo flicked his ears back and looked at the ground, looking slightly abashed. "Esp." He then looked back up at his trainer with a small glare. "Espi-esp!"

"I know, I shouldn't have been so rough. I'm sorry, bud, really. How can I make it up to you?" Wes glanced at the Outskirt Stand, then back at his Pokémon with a sly grin. "How about I get you a whole plate of bacon and we call it even. Truce?"

Neo's eyes grew wide and he leaped to his feet. "Es-PI!" He waved his tail excitedly in the air, all injuries to his pride forgotten.

Neo’s blood cholesterol numbers must be stratospheric if he gets that sort of treat on anything approaching a regular basis. ^^;

"Bri!" There was a reproachful bark from the Umbreon.

Wes rolled his eyes, but was still grinning despite himself. "Fine, fine, bacon for everybody. Don't get used to it though, you hear? This is a one-time deal."

Novo’s too for that matter.

He wasn't sure if they heard the last line, as they were already bounding excitedly to the entrance of the train car. Wes snorted in exasperated amusement, then followed his companions into the warmth of the diner.

This is absolutely not going to be the last time those two get a plate full of bacon, I can tell. I’m pretty sure this wasn’t the first time that it’s happened either.

[ ] Muffled cries, the screams of Pokémon, a child sobbing quietly in a corner - images and sounds flickered and blurred together, one coming right after the other as if in a disorganized photo reel.

A flicker, and there was a dark room, in which a child was sobbing over the limp form of a Pokémon's body. He looked up, tear-stained face twisted with anger. "This is YOUR FAULT!" he screamed.

I know that you mentioned the lack of a transition going into this dream sequence is another meme criticism that you get, but honestly, I don’t think you need to add a whole lot to even things out. Something as quick and dirty as: “It was the same dream again…” as a standalone paragraph at the very start would already set the stage that we’ve exited real life and into someone’s memories.

The scene dissolved into darkness, and a man's husky, menacing voice spoke in a snarl. "It's time you learned this lesson, boy."

Another shift, another dark room littered with Pokémon lying ominously still, limbs splayed out in awkward angles—and there was another voice, a kinder voice, accompanied by a sad, tired smile.

"Do good, kid."

Well that got really ominous really fast. Wonder who figures 1 and 2 from this dream sequence were.

He sat bolt upright with a gasp, drenched in sweat and shivering. Breathing heavily, he glanced around the room. It took a moment to remember where he was: Outskirt Stand. The diner cellar. A night's stay in the musty place, where he and his Pokémon would be hidden from prying eyes.

Safe.

I do wonder if you should’ve hard-separated the end of the dream sequence from Wes snapping back to reality with a scene cut. Perhaps it’s just bias from me watching a ton of media handling the end of dreams with scene cuts, but the two feel different enough in setting in premise to consider something similar here.

"Dammit—" He buried his face in his trembling hands. Again, he thought shakily. Again. When in Arceus' name will they stop?

Never. That’s PTSD for you, Wes. Scars like those fade and can be managed, but they never fully go away.

He felt a gentle nudge at his arm, and raised his head to see his Umbreon looking up at him with wide, concerned eyes. "Umbri?" The markings on his coat glowed softly, gently illuminating the dark, dusty cellar.

Wes: “... Wait, how much of that did you see again, Novo?” ._.;

Wes forced a feeble smile and placed a hand on the sleek black head. "I'm okay, Novo. Just some more bad dreams, is all." Beside him, Neo stirred and stretched out his legs before relaxing back into sleep with a gentle purr.

Novo: “-Neo, are you serious right now?-” >:|
Neo: “-... Yes? Not everyone’s a creature of the night like you, Novo. Besides, I’m sure Wes will sleep things off.-” ^^;

Novo, unconvinced, bunted into his arm again with his head. He placed a paw on his trainer's lap, giving him a stern stare.

"I know it'll help, bud, but I've got to be able to sleep on my own sometime." Wes closed his eyes briefly. He was exhausted, and yet returning to sleep would undoubtedly mean more nightmares, more voices, more things he'd rather forget...he opened his eyes again and looked at his Umbreon. "All right...just one more night," he said wearily.

Narrator: “It will absolutely not be just one more night.”

Novo purred in response and brushed his face against Wes' shoulder. The two sat in silence for a moment, Novo leaning into him as Wes stroked the Umbreon's sleek black fur. He paused at Novo's left side, fingers brushing at old scars that he knew were still there, despite the fact that they were nearly invisible under the dark coat.

Novo: “-... Um, Wes? Can you stop that? Pretty sure that most people and Pokémon find it awkward as hell to have their scars poked and prodded at.-” ^^;
Wes: “Look, I’m trying to be reassuring here, and I frankly need this right now, Novo.” >_>;

More memories flashed through Wes' mind, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that followed. Novo, sensing his trainer's distress, chirped and brushed against him again. Wes sighed and finally laid back down in his sleeping bag, closing his eyes. His Umbreon touched his nose to his forehead and purred gently, using Hypnosis.

Oh yeah, that’s totally a healthy to get some sleep. Not that I can’t deny that it’s effective.

Just before drifting off to a dreamless sleep, Wes had one last coherent thought.

The sooner we leave this region, the better.

Careful what you wish for there, Wes. Though I suppose he gets his wish in the long run if you’re sticking with canon since… yeah, something had to happen with Wes and Rui for Michael to take center stage in XD with those two being nowhere to be seen.

And moving right along into Chapter 2, since that was honestly a pretty gripping Chapter 1, but a wee bit short for me to turn that in for Review Roulette in good conscience. In a separate post, since I'd like to keep more of the image embeds.