CYOA 2 – To The Victor Go The Spoils – Chapter 37: Going Places (Patreon)

Last time: Hanzo won his 7th Gym battle and enjoyed not only a kind of clearing talk with his father but also a nice hot session of sounding with Cole...

Warnings/content: Hanzo and Cole fighting; unintentional gaslighting

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Hanzo has been watching King since they left the Hanamura Gym. He seems in very good spirits, running ahead and then waiting for them while sniffing at the ground and making it look like he hasn’t been waiting *for them* at all.

His time with his herd has done him a ton of good, it seems. There is a new pep in his step and, walking a very familiar path indeed, Hanzo can’t help but compare him to the last time they’ve been on this very road: King so young he’d barely known how to use those very long legs of his but already having a personality too big for his little body.

He looks beautiful in the sunlight; his gray fire glittering and fur nice and sleek. Hanzo is so focused on watching King that he startles when a hand lands on his back just shy of a slap.

He almost jumps, head snapping around to stare at Lúcio who has been walking to his left for the most time, having an idle conversation with Cole on the other side. He… believes. He hadn’t paid too much attention to what’s going on around them, if he’s being honest.

“Excuse me?” he says after a moment of gathering himself.

Lúcio nods toward the back of them where most of their Pokémon are trailing along while saying: “I asked if you ever noticed that Alfonse and Politoed were really close. Like best buds, if you ask me.”

That has Hanzo come to a stop as he turns completely to stare at their entourage of colorful Pokémon.

“...Alfonse?” he asks, brain still a bit hung up from being startled moments prior. His eyes search the group. “Who is Alfonse?”

Finally he sees Politoed toward the end of the pack, hopping along to the beat of Lúcio’s music playing gently through his speaker. Next to him is Sliggoo wobbling along at his own pace.

“Are you talking about Sliggoo?”

“Sure thing, man!” Lúcio is laughing at him mischievously.

“You named one of my Pokémon?” Hanzo asks incredulously.

Lúcio shrugs one shoulder, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Yup! You were taking your sweet damn time and honestly, Alfonse fits him pretty well.”

Hanzo frowns, watching the two Pokémon approach while the rest of them are walking past them already.

Cole who had been typing on his phone and just walked on a few more steps, tucks his phone away and trudges back.

“Wait… are we namin’ his Pokémon now? Then let me think of somethin’ good for Rotom.”

Hanzo grinds his teeth together, reminding himself that he has to be nice to those two.

“I would prefer it if you left the naming to me, thank you very much.”

“Why? You named ‘im after my boy,” Cole says, waving his hand toward King who has moved farther ahead yet again. “An’ you kept his name, which was given by me. If I may remind you.” He points toward Maddox who lopes along next to the path and looks like he’s about to beg to be let into his Pokéball so he can just relax and be carried to their destination.

Hanzo can feel the tips of his ears flushing a soft pink.

“Well… that is true,” he murmurs, albeit reluctantly.

Cassidy is grinning now, patting him on the back. “Then just let me think of somethin’, right? An’ Lúcio did a great job with Alfonse, here. Fits ‘im to a T. Just accept your fate, babydoll.”

Hanzo exhales, lowering his shoulders and his head for a moment. “Very well, then. But I will veto it if you come up with something ridiculous.”

Cole is laughing at him but knows better than to argue with Hanzo so instead they resume their walk.

It’s quiet for a little bit with only Lúcio’s music as a backdrop before Lúcio pipes up again: “They are best buds, though. And I think your girly is pretty jealous of that.”

Hanzo, pulled out of his thoughts, turns halfway to look behind him yet again while they walk. Sliggoo… or… Alfonse is still right next to Lúcio’s Politoed in the back of their little group. Or so he thinks. As he watches the two of them just happily be with each other, he notices a movement at the edge of the forest.

Focusing on it, he can see Kikuri lurking in the shadows and hopping from one tree to the next, her eyes fixed on Sliggoo.

Hanzo’s brows lift and he turns back around before she notices them noticing her. Lúcio doesn’t seem to want to open that particular jar of worms as well since he is following his example while quietly laughing.

“Maybe she thought he’s her minion or something. But I expected her to grow out of that once she evolved, to be honest.”

Hanzo lifts one shoulder, unable to keep the bafflement out of his voice as he replies: “Whatever it is… we should keep an eye on all of them before Politoed mysteriously ‘vanishes’.”

Lúcio makes a soft, alarmed sound in the back of his throat but from the expression on his face it’s safe to say that he thinks this is all pretty fun.

“I didn’t know you could make jokes, Hanzo. Did Cassidy finally find that stick up your ass and-” Lúcio has thrown his arm around Hanzo’s shoulders to jostle him playfully around but is interrupted by Cassidy who slaps his hands together and exclaims: “Byte!”

Hanzo frowns. “That’s the best you can come up with?”

“What do ya mean? It fits perfectly. Let the li’l guy out so we can tell him.”

“What do you mean ‘let him out’? He’s been in your phone the whole time.”

Cassidy’s face does some weird acrobatics at that. He fumbles for his breast pocket where he usually slips his phone in. “What? When? I was texting with someone, you know! That’s private!”

“So? If you weren’t sending pictures of your nasty big dick, you have nothing to hide, do you?” Hanzo watches as Cole tries to turn on his phone but instead of the screen lighting up, only Rotom’s face appears. He shakes his hand as if trying to dislodge the Pokémon from his phone.

“Awe, come on buddy – these things are private, ya know?”

Hanzo and Lúcio share a look but Lúcio just shrugs a shoulder.

Changing the subject while Cassidy pleads with Rotom next to them, he asks: “So we’re going to the last gym, yeah?”

“Yes. There are a few that qualify but I chose the Dark Type gym of Mister Reyes in Lavender Town. He and father have been… on good terms.” He is loathe to say ‘friends’ as he does not think his father has ever had any friends. Other than Mister Rutledge – and the less Hanzo thinks about that particular friendship, the better.

“Lavender Town is at the foot of Mt. Silver, which coincidentally-”

“Is the seat of the Pokémon League.” Lúcio whistles softly through his teeth. “You don’t do things in half measures, do you? You want to speedrun becoming the Champion? You know that you will have to beat your big hairy boyfriend there, don’t you?”

Hanzo has pulled out his phone to look at the map and show Lúcio the route they’re about to take. “He will be the least of my worries for now. I have to focus on one fight after the other. Reyes’ Gym is as tough as they come. And Mt. Silver is no laughing matter, either. It is full of powerful Pokémon. If we want to get to Lavender Town from here without a two month detour, we will have to go through Mt. Silver.

And once I have gotten my last badge – we will have to climb it.”

Lúcio isn’t replying; he is just staring at the route Hanzo shows him with his finger on the screen of his phone.

“I heard of Mt. Silver. Pretty dangerous place. You think we’ll be fine?”

“We are three people with excellent teams. I think we will be able to manage,” Hanzo replies mildly while tucking his phone away and continuing on the path.

“And anyway: I wouldn’t deserve to become a Champion if I died in some random mountain.”

.oOo.

It takes them two days of walking and riding their Pokémon to reach the foot of the mountain. There is a beautiful, paved path leading toward the entrance and a small guard station next to it.

As they cautiously approach, the man inside the station comes out of his cubicle and waves at them with a smile.

“Welcome to Mt. Silver; the final obstacle and path to victory. May I see your badges? You are headed to the League, yes?”

“Not yet. I am first headed to Lavender Town,” Hanzo replies while pulling his backpack in front to get his badge case out.

“Ah yes, I see. Many trainers choose Mister Reyes’ gym for his location. He sends a lot of them back home.” The man has a big smile on his face while he says that. “But I am sure you will be able to best him, sir.”

It sounds like a line the guy has said a million times but Hanzo supposes it is well meant so he just doesn’t react to it at all while showing him his badges.

“Wonderful. Wonderful.” He turns toward Lúcio. “Sir?”

Lúcio throws Hanzo and Cassidy a look before shrugging his shoulders with an apologetic grin at the guard. “I’m not on a Champion journey. I just accompany my friend here…”

For the first time, the guard’s smile starts to falter and frown lines appear on his forehead. “Well in that case I think I won’t be able to let you into Mt. Silver, sir. I am very sorry-”

“Excuse me?” Hanzo feels mildly alarmed at the thought of leaving Lúcio behind. Or maybe very alarmed. “You can’t bar him from entering the mountain – we aren’t even going to Victory Road.”

“I know, sir. But the Pokémon in there don’t care for any signs we put up. They will move wherever they please – so it would be far too dangerous to let an inexperienced trainer – or one with Pokémon that have not been trained accordingly – into the premises. It is why there are guards stationed at every entrance and exit of the mountain.”

Hanzo, slightly at a loss, takes a step back, exchanging glances with Lúcio who, for once, has a faint line between his brows.

On his other side, Cole steps forward and hands the guard his ID. “Well, I think-”

“Wait.” Three pairs of eyes land back on the guard as he pushes his hat back a little and holds Cole’s ID close to his face. He turns it this way and that, repeatedly checking Cole’s appearance with that on the picture. “You are the current champion?”

Cole grins crookedly. “Sure am.”

“I have order to-” the man cuts himself off before he can continue, straightening his cap and thrusting the ID back at Cole’s chest. “You’re good to go. All three of you.”

Hanzo’s mouth opens, then closes it again. Next to him, Lúcio asks haltingly: “You mean… I can go as well?”

“Yes.” The guard claps his hand on Cole’s shoulder. “There shouldn’t be a problem with the Champion being in your group. Travel safely and don’t stray from the designated path through the mountain. Have a good day.”

.oOo.

“What did he mean by ‘order’?”

“What d’you mean?” Cole mutters. He is currently searching in his backpack for a flashlight until Hanzo, annoyed by his disorganization, calls out King. He gestures impatiently at him. “He will be our flashlight. Now pay attention. What did the guard mean by having an order? By whom?”

“No idea, babydoll. Does it matter?”

“I think it does,” Lúcio chimes in. “It’s plain weird. It felt like those were orders specifically for us, you know? Like someone knows we’re coming and sent word out. Actually… scratch that. It’s not weird, it’s creepy.”

Hanzo nods along. He exchanges another look with Lúcio, seeing his own worry mirrored on his face.

Cole, meanwhile, does not seem to share their worries. He shakes his head as he settles his backpack on his back once more. He grasps one of his Pokéballs – a rare instance in and off itself, as far as Hanzo is concerned – and unleashes the Pokémon within.

Once the blinding light clears, an Umbreon is standing in front of them. Hanzo remembers it from his trial on the island and can’t help but be immediately suspicious of the thing.

“His nose is the best. He’ll figure out if something – or someone – is up ahead far before we can see them. So just calm your pretty li’l tits and lets be on our way, right?”

.oOo.

Hanzo does not like to admit it, but Cole seems to have the right of it. Their way through the mountain is exceptionally smooth between King’s fire offering them ample light and Cassidy’s Umbreon scouting the path ahead to either warn them of incoming Pokémon or scare them off before they even reach them.

They make it over halfway through Mt. Silver in just a few hours. As they put up their camp just next to the designated path, Hanzo muses aloud: “If we keep this pace up, we will be in Lavender Town around lunch time.”

“I don’t mind,” Lúcio mutters. He had turned his music off for the trip and be rather quiet. He had probably been remembering their last time through a mountain and their subsequent run-in with the baby Whismur.

It’s doing exceptionally well in his care.

“Don’t think anybody’d mind,” Cole replies, though he has been the most unbothered out of all of them.

Hanzo narrows his eyes, watching Cole put up a small tent that will let them sit underneath a bit of protection during the night hours. He wanders closer, lowering his voice a little as he says: “You seem to enjoy yourself. Like cave crawling?”

Cole tests the tension of the line before getting back to his feet and throwing Hanzo a confused look.

“...Huh?”

“You’ve been so happy since we stepped in here. You were almost running.”

“Was I?” He grins crookedly and, Hanzo has to admit, very charmingly. “Nah, I’m about as psyched about being here as the two of you. But I’m excited about Lavender Town.”

Hanzo’s brows shoot up. He steps a little bit closer, all but whispering: “You are excited? As far as I’m aware it is only famous for a Pokémon burial ground and a Pokémon orphanage. In fact, there’s quite a bit of news that…” he trails off as Cole’s eyes suddenly zero in on his face with a lot of interest. Realizing what he had been about to say, Hanzo closes his mouth quickly. “Nevermind.”

But Cole stops his retreat with a hand curling around his elbow, his mouth stretching into a grin. “No, no wait… Were you talking about those rumors that Lavender Town is haunted? Do you actually believe that?”

Hanzo can feel himself flush but that won’t be visible in the darkness of the cave. He doesn’t jerk his arm out of Cassidy’s grip but he pulls it out firmly, try to gather his dignity around himself like a cloak.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just trying to figure out what makes you so excited about our destination. You haven’t been this excited about anything else on our journey.”

“Except for you, you mean,” Cole croons smoothly. He steps so close that their fronts are touching, arms coming around Hanzo.

It is very distracting.

He also doesn’t answer Hanzo’s question, which is very frustrating.

Hanzo rolls his eyes and pushes him away to help Lúcio setting up the fire. The faster they can go to sleep, the faster they can be on their way tomorrow and leave the cave behind them.

He hates mountains.

.oOo.

Hanzo doesn’t know what woke him up but suddenly his eyes are open and he stares at the ceiling of their little tent. Everything is quiet… except it isn’t. The acoustic in these mountains is always weird; echo-y yet muffled.

There’s the murmuring of a far off river and the scraping and thumping of Pokémon all around them going about their own business. Now that he focuses on it, though, it is decidedly creepy. The little hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he tries to imagine what kind of Pokémon are lurking around them. He can’t even hazard a guess about their typing; he’s heard even Dragon types like to make their nests in these dark spaces where no human would be likely to disturb them.

Then there’s also a different kind of sound. A human one. It sounds like speech, though it is too soft for him to properly make out.

Sitting up, he sees that Lúcio is sleeping next to him. That means that Cole is on guard right now; and sure enough, he is sitting at the fire, his back turned toward the tent and the occupants inside it.

He is talking.

Hanzo can feel goosebumps rushing over his body. He sits there, trying to wrap his head around the situation as the last vestiges of sleep still cling to his consciousness.

He can’t see who Cole is talking to; but he also doesn’t see him holding his phone. There wouldn’t be any reception in the mountain anyway.

Either the bastard is going insane – or Hanzo is.

He starts to crawl out of his sleeping bag. The rustling must alert Cole because he visibly jumps before twisting around to peer into the tent. He is blinking owlishly, his eyes probably having a hard time adjusting to the changed light after staring into the fire for so long.

“Hanzo? Everythin’ alright?”

“Who were you talking to?”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

Hanzo narrows his eyes. He finally fought himself free of his sleeping bag and is stepping toward Cole who tries to look oh-so innocent.

“Don’t try to play me for a fool. You were talking to someone. Who?” He looks around but feels extremely foolish doing so. There is nobody there of course; not even a Pokémon. Other than Cole’s Umbreon, that is, sitting quiet vigil across from them just inside the cone of light from their fire.

The markings on its body occasionally light up slowly which looks eerie in and off itself. Hanzo is getting goosebumps.

“You must’ve dreamed,” Cole says to him with that infuriatingly gentle cadence. “Try to go back to sleep. I still got a while to go in my shift.”

Hanzo throws him a murderous look that makes Cole’s mouth snap shut with an audible click. “Don’t play me for a fool,” he repeats, slower this time to make it sink into that idiot’s skull. “I don’t know what you’re up to but-”

A small stone hits the ground just a few inches from Cole’s right boot, skipping across the floor. Hanzo’s breath hitches. He turns toward the location from where it came, one hand at his belt – where no Pokéballs are. He’s left them in the tent just a few feet behind him.

Breathlessly he asks: “What was that?”

“What do ya-”

“Stop that,” Hanzo hisses. “It’s not funny. That stone was thrown.” He takes a small step forward and asks a bit louder: “Who’s there?”

Another stone hits the ground, just behind him. Jumping, Hanzo whirls around, peering into the darkness where he can’t see a thing. He only notices that his hand has curled into Cassidy’s hair when the other hisses in pain. Slowly, Hanzo lets go and crouches down behind him, still peering from one side to the other. Since Cassidy has decided to be an absolute idiot, he does not ask again what that was.

On the other side of the fire, Umbreon is still just holding calm vigil as if nothing has happened.

Is he going insane?

A prickling feeling of deja-vu is crawling up his spine. He’s felt like this just a few days ago… What-

“Byte…” he whispers, then stretches to look around for the telltale crackling of electricity. “Byte? Is that you?”

Cole carefully reaches for Hanzo’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Go to bed, babydoll. It’s nothin’, really.”

But even as he says that, someone is laughing just outside the ring of fire. It’s low and echoes around their immediate surroundings making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location of whoever is stalking them.

Hanzo rips his hand out of Cole’s and takes a step back toward the tent, eyes flicking around the premises. “Who is there?! Show yourself!” he barks, forcing his back to remain straight.

Another stone is thrown from the side but the next laughter comes from directly behind him. Hanzo’s breath hitches and he whirls around, his hand once again going to his empty belt.

This couldn’t be Byte. He does not think the Pokémon capable of making these sounds – and he also hasn’t felt this malicious kind of joy from it when it had played around with the light fixtures.

From the corner of his eyes, a large pair of inhuman eyes briefly blinks into existence in the darkness; but when he turns toward them, they are gone already. His blood is running cold. Looking toward Cole sitting there so calm and innocent while his Umbreon who should be keeping watch is not even flicking its ears, is infuriating Hanzo endlessly.

“You’re both absolutely useless, I don’t know why I even brought you here if all you do is try and gaslight me, you damn, lazy oaf of a man!”

He can see Cole’s mouth open in an O of surprise and dismay. He lifts his hands, ostensibly to calm Hanzo further down and tell him that he’s just imagining things which brings Hanzo’s blood to boil.

Yet before he can lay into him more, there is a touch. On the back of his neck. Cold and slimy wet, dragging from beneath the collar of his shirt up and over the back of his head.

Hanzo’s whole body stiffens in horror; and something else very unpleasant. A feeling of some kind of static that slows down his movement and makes him briefly think of Winston’s experiments.

As if he were in a dream, Hanzo is only able to turn his head to peer behind him, seeing a huge, grinning face peering up at him with a long, fleshy tongue wagging from the mouth.

It takes him quite a bit to realize that what he is looking at is a Pokémon. A Gengar, to be exact.

But… how? Mt. Silver is home to strong Pokémon, yes, but a Gengar?!

“Hanzo, don’t-”

But Cole is interrupted from telling Hanzo whatever he is not supposed to do by his phone levitating into the air, crackling electricity arcing around the device.

“Oh for the love of- what is this now?!” he whines, trying to grab for it. As his fingers close around it, Byte pops out of the phone and rushes on a jerky lightning bolt over to Hanzo and the Gengar.

In the background, Hanzo can hear Cole cursing about the Pokémon having been in his phone the whole time but he does not pay him much attention as he watches Byte fearlessly jump onto the Gengar’s lolling tongue, shocking it quite badly.

Hanzo takes a quick step back, watching as the Gengar vanishes from the spot in the blink of an eye only to reappear once again a few feet to the side. It’s perpetual grin has turned upside down as it carefully wiggles its thick pink tongue and arcs it to stare at the burned spot.

It goes from cross-eyed to looking over to Hanzo and Byte, the latter who is bouncing between his trainer and the enemy Pokémon as if he were so much larger than the length of a hand.

There’s an angry buzzing sound in the air that Hanzo only slowly realizes is coming from his Rotom.

“No- come back,” he hisses. Byte might have gotten a hit in but a Gengar is completely out of his weight class – and it really does not look happy at all, standing there motionless and just creepily staring at them.

There is some shadow energy starting to waft off of its body. Hanzo slowly inches his way over to the tent and his Pokémon team inside their Balls, when Gengar’s gaze briefly flicks behind him and once again within the blink of an eye – the Pokémon is gone.

Hanzo jerks around, peering around himself to see their attacker in the darkness, but he can’t make out anything; other than Cole sitting there like the useless idiot he is.

He also clearly has been the one the Gengar looked at before vanishing.

“What is your problem?!” Hanzo hisses at him. He sits down in the cone of light – but good and far out of reach of Cassidy. “Are you trying to scare me, do you think that’s funny or something?”

“No, I-”

Hanzo’s hand jerks up to cut him off. Luckily for Cassidy, his mouth does an audible click as it obediently shuts again.

“Don’t bother. I’m not going to believe anything you say right now. Idiot.”

The rest of their night in the mountain continues very quiet and in an icy atmosphere… but at least the Gengar does not make a re-appearance.

.oOo.

Lúcio can obviously tell that something is up but seems to decide that it’s the safer option not to directly ask. Instead he just throws Hanzo and Cole curious looks while they don’t talk to each other as they make their way along the designated trek.

It takes them inordinately long until they can finally see the light… or maybe that’s just what Hanzo feels like while he stomps ahead of the two, stewing in quiet anger over Cole’s behavior. And the fact that Cole has the gumption to be angry at him. For what?! He was the one behaving weird and trying to gaslight Hanzo.

What an idiot.

The light from outside the entrance is blinding. They all squint and shield their eyes as they finally step out of the darkness and into blessedly fresh air. Everything looks wet and it smells like rain. It feels like they had been completely cut off from the outside world during their travel through Mt. Silver.

“There you are. Took you long enough.”

Hanzo has to profusely blink. It takes his eyes still a little longer to fully get used to the new lighting all around. There’s a tall dark spot in the middle of the road with a large black spot right next to it.

Finally, his sight becomes clear enough to make out a tall man standing in a pose that oddly reminds him of military. His face is set practically in stone as he watches them emerge.

Next to them is… a Gengar. The Gengar, bouncing from one foot to the other, tongue lolling out of its broadly grinning mouth – and a large burn right in the center of it where Byte had gotten it a few hours before.

Hanzo just stops in his track, staring at the man and his Gengar.

“Hey Gabe,” Cole says on a sigh. He sounds relieved.

Hanzo bristles, looking from him to the man who looks over the three of them, apparently assessing the situation in seconds as he steps closer and thrusts out a hand toward Hanzo.

“The name’s Gabriel Reyes. I’m the gym leader here. Whatever this idiot did… just forget about it for now. Come to my house. Got some hot coffee for the three of you.”

Hanzo hesitates for a moment but when he sees that stupid puppy dog look on Cole’s face, he straightens his back and just grabs on to Reyes’ hand. It’s big and rough and warm, calluses tugging on Hanzo’s skin and making a shiver run down his spine.

“Please lead the way, sir.”

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Next time: Hanzo stays angry at Cole and the best way to get back at him is to play with the man he respects the most... right in front of his face. Also... last gym battle fight...??