Ghastly Adventures: Cascade 2.8 (ch. 13) (Patreon)

“All things considered, that went as well as it could have,” I remarked, up and out of the hospital bed that I was carted to. I looked in a mirror to see a fresh set of stitches held together my eyebrow from where Vicious tore them with those hamfists he called hands. Despite getting hit with a massive pokemon attack with enough force that I had been rag-dolled and subsequently died afterward in my last life, I was sporting a few bruises and that was it.

“Really?” Marnie asked, not at all impressed with me, sitting in a guest seat in the hospital room while Brawly leaned against a wall. The frown on his face hadn’t left since I woke up about an hour ago. “You almost died.”

“But I didn’t. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” I replied, stepping out of the bathroom, feeling… good. Great even. My brain was absolutely saturated in dopamine and I hadn’t even touched the drugs that were offered. It wasn’t a natural feeling, I don’t think. The anger. The focus. And now this feeling of elation -- as if I had spent all this time being crushed by an impossible burden, only for it to be lifted from my shoulders for a brief time.

It wasn’t natural and I was starting to see what it was.

Every silver lining had a cloud. Nothing in this world, or any other, was ever free. A fresh start in a brand new world? I should have expected that there would be a price tag attached somewhere. I just hadn’t expected for it to be sending me off after Team Rocket like a bloodhound.

The signs were all there in hindsight. How easily I saw Blair’s murder as my own. How easily I gave up my own name and identity.

“This isn’t a laughing matter,” Marnie scowled at my blase answer.

“I’m not laughing,” I retorted. “No one died. Team Rocket is down a base. We rescued a lot of pokemon. A lot of members of Team Rocket are going to end up behind bars for the rest of their days. It would have been nice to get that last bastard, but you can’t win them all. But, make no mistake -- we won.” I told her, making Marnie look away as she chewed on that. She wanted to argue, I saw, but I wasn’t wrong.

There was a knock at the door, cutting the budding argument off. Heading over, I opened it to see that it was Officer Jenny and Karen. Officer Jenny perked up when she saw me, “I’m happy to see you already on your feet. You gave us a bit of a scare when you were carried up,” she said, the two of them entering my hospital room. “Now, officially speaking, I’m here to scold you three -- what you did was very dangerous, and you’re lucky that it turned out as it did.”

I saw Brawly nod at that, his gaze flickering to me for but a moment. Then Officer Jenny continued, “Unofficially, on behalf of the city, we thank you for your service. Over a thousand pokemon will be returning to their homes, trainers, or habitats because of your efforts. We’ve apprehended fifty members of Team Rocket, and we’ve exposed possible collusion between Rocket Gaming Corner and Team Rocket.”

“Publically, I’ll be taking the credit for this one,” Karen spoke up, inclining her head to me. She seemed to hold me in slightly higher regard than she did when we last spoke. “I was the one seen dealing with them. Unless any of you want to step into the spotlight?” She asked, and it sounded like a genuine offer. I only found out after I woke up, but the reason why Karen had been so delayed was that Team Rocket tried to take the casino hostage. To buy time for the pokemon transfers, I guessed.

I shook my head, as did Brawly and Marnie. Karen didn’t seem surprised. “I’ll be forwarding you three any rewards for the stolen pokemon. Keeping things a secret probably won’t help you with Team Rocket. I recommend that all three of you travel together if you aren’t already -- safety in numbers,” she added, looking between the three of us. “They aren’t the type to turn the other cheek.”

I had to fight off a smile at the prospect. “What happens now?” I asked, addressing the elephant in the room.

“For you three? Nothing. Officially, you weren’t there. You’re completely unrelated. Miss Karen will be doing a press release alongside the mayor about what happened. You’re free to leave at any time,” Officer Jenny informed. And that was the biggest difference between our worlds, I thought. A bunch of teenagers attacked a secret criminal base, and we got a pack on the back and a thank you rather than being slapped down with bureaucracy. “However, Blair, Nurse Joy does have something she wished to speak to you about, so I would see her before you leave.”

I nodded and Officer Jenny snapped off a crisp salute, “Thank you again for your service. You can leave the rest to us!” Officer Jenny said, going to leave. Karen inclined her head to me, starting to follow her out.

“Friendship,” I said, making her pause at the door. She looked over her shoulder at me, an eyebrow cocked. “To get your evee to evolve. You have to be her friend and evolve during the night -- it’ll probably work best with some big display,” I told her, upholding my end of the bargain and Karen’s face scrunched up.

“Right…” She had her doubts but she shrugged, “If it works, then I’ll be in touch, Blair. Try not to get yourself killed.” Karen waved over her shoulder, leaving the room. That would be a useful connection to have, I decided. She was a powerful trainer as she was, and in a few short years, she would be a member of the Elite Four. I hoped she managed it and, honestly, I hoped that she managed it soon.

Looking at the others, I saw that they were mulling over the conversation. Marnie glanced at me, then at Brawly, then she seemed to nod to herself. “I think it would be smart to travel together. We seem to be heading in the same direction anyway,” she noted.

“We might as well get our gym badges while we’re here,” Brawly ventured with a slow nod before his gaze flickered to me. “I don’t have any issues with the arrangement, but… Blair. I want you to be honest with me,” he began, his voice unusually serious, earning my full attention. “What happened with you and Team Rocket? I know they stole your pokemon, but…”

“You were scary,” Marnie finished for him. “Not to us, but you were seething. It was like you became a completely different person down there. We saw the aftermath of your battles on the way up.”

I scratched at my chest, at the scar over my heart. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Marnie based on how her eyes narrowed. “Karen knows, but… there’s a special requirement for ghost type trainers. It’s part of why I can connect with them so easily. It’s why I don’t sleep. Or get tired. Brawly… Team Rocket didn’t just steal my pokemon. They killed me,” I said, showing him the scar for the first time. I hadn’t been trying to hide it, but… maybe I had. Knowing the questions that it would stir.

Brawly’s eyes widened and he pushed off the wall, his jaw-dropping. An expression of surprise flickered across Marnie’s face as I continued. “I came back. No idea how. My chest was ripped open, but when I came to, there was just a scar there. I didn’t know how to explain anything, so I lied. I just don’t have the answers that you’re looking for -- I wish I did,” I told them, almost mournfully. “Since then, things have been different. I nearly lost it back at Mt. Moon. And as soon as I found out about the Game Corner, I just…”

I trailed off, not quite sure what else to say. I’m not sure if I could really put it into words. The hate that I felt. How unburdened I felt when I got the better of them.

“I figured you were just a psycho, but it sounds like you have a more valid reason than most to hate Team Rocket,” Marnie said, standing up and offering a small nod. Brawly did the same with a fragile smile.

The conversation wasn’t done. I could feel it being left unfinished, but I could also feel that they didn’t know what to say. I’m sure that they would have some questions when they had a moment to process what they heard. Until then, I suppose I would have to deal with the awkward air between us.

…

Marnie had her gym battle to prepare for that was latter in the day. Me and Brawly both promised to go and watch it, but until then, we were left to our own devices. The very first thing that I did was go straight to the Pokemon Center to pick up my pokemon. As I did so, Nurse Joy perked up upon seeing me.

“Here you are -- all of your pokemon are in perfect health,” she informed, presenting me a tray that had five pokeballs on them. I felt a knot of tension melt away as I picked them up and started returning them to my belt. “There is one thing that I would like to speak to you about. One of the pokemon that you rescued, he’s… well…” She trailed off, and almost as if to answer her, I heard a thud, a crash, the sound of glass breaking, all of it preluding the sound of footsteps and Chansey’s panicked shouting.

A split second later, a riolu rounded the corner with a fierce expression on his face. His eyes narrowed into slits before they landed on me. Then, with a hop and a flip, Riolu landed a three-point landing on the desk next to Nurse Joy. Based on her expression, the word ‘handful’ didn’t begin to cover it.

“Lu,” Riolu nodded to me, making me tilt my head.

“He’s been very insistent that he sees you. He’s quite young -- his evolution line is quite rare, but he seems to be no more than three months old,” Nurse Joy informed, and that was rather young. Pokemon were pretty weird with how they developed. They all came from eggs, and upon hatching, they were mostly fully developed. However, they had about three to six months of development before they were considered fully grown.

Riolu nodded, then he reached out, tapping a paw against my chest. At my scar. His gaze never wavering from mine-

Oh.

“T’is but a flesh wound,” I reassured him, making his eyes narrow and his dog-like expression could best be described as doubtful. “I’m fine. I’m more happy that you’re apparently alright. I didn’t know you would be there, but I’m glad that I managed to get you out,” I said, reaching out to pat him on the head and he leaned into my touch. Nurse Joy looked interested.

“Did you know each other before?” She asked, and that was the clincher. Technically speaking, we hadn’t. At least on my part.

Riolu, however, nodded at the question. This was the pokemon that I had been murdered over. I’m not entirely sure what happened just yet -- maybe I had been hiding him from the registry, or maybe we stumbled across each other and then Team Rocket stumbled across us. I didn’t know. What I did know was that Riolu was there. He saw the whole thing.

He saw my murder.

“You could say that,” I hedged before looking down at Riolu. “Do you want to come with me?” I asked him directly, and Riolu offered a resolute nod. He would put me at six out of six pokemon until I got my stable rights sorted out, but he was important for a number of reasons. What he witnessed. He might be able to help me out with my Aura. And, in general, he was a pretty strong pokemon.

I would need to find the right stone for it, but Mega Evolution was a possibility. There were a few places where I’m pretty sure I could get some in the Kalos region -- it was a starting point, even if it only narrowed down the haystack from literally anywhere to a region of the world.

“He hasn’t been flagged as registered, so Riolu is a wild pokemon. We have the pokeball that he was stored in and we can arrange for it to be registered to you,” Nurse Joy offered and I nodded, patting Riolu on the head again before he jumped up, landing on my shoulder. Ah… Mimikyu was going to get mad.

Behind me, Brawly chuckled, “Are you ever going to capture a pokemon the normal way?” He asked me and I chuckled right back.

“Probably not,” I admitted. I know pokemon were generally okay with getting beaten up and captured by a trainer -- something about strength -- but this felt better. They got a say, and offer, and they knew what they were signing up for when I brought them on board. Nurse Joy handed me the pokeball, and I went back to the terminal to register him under my name.

Taking a seat, I fed in my trainer card to pull up my profile-

Blair Wych

Age: 15

Years as Trainer: 0.0

Matches: 77/0/1

Gym Badges: 1

Account funds: $50,008.22

Registered Pokemon:

Mimikyu

Trevenant

Litwick

Mankey

Dreepy

Riolu

Something about my account was a little different, and it didn’t take me long to zero in on it. Brawly leaned over my shoulder, “You’ve had seventy-seven battles?” He questioned, looking down at me like I had a problem and he was concerned as my friend. I had some questions because I feel like that was the least surprising thing about my account -- I gained fifty thousand dollars. How much money did he have in his? Wait, no, I don’t think I wanted to know.

“It sounds about right, I think?” I tried while Brawly just shook his head at me. “You were there for a chunk of them,” I added, not sure why he was so surprised.

“It hasn’t even been a month. You’ll probably crack a hundred before then,” he sighed and I just rolled my eyes as I finished registering Riolu. With that done, I checked my inbox to see I had a few messages.

“Sponsors?” I said, looking over the offers. I didn’t recognize any of the brands, and even in my uninformed eyes, the offers they were making kinda sucked. Wear these pants, eat this product, and mention this brand name in an interview for a couple bucks here and there. Well, a hundred here or there. Maybe my perspective was skewed to major celebrities who got paid hundreds of thousands to millions for a name-drop, but it didn’t seem worth the hassle. However, that opinion might change if my bank account neared zero again.

“I’m not surprised you’re getting them already, you battle nut. They have you as a shoe-in for the gym circuit, and we’ll be on TV for all of the major badges. You can get some decent stuff, discounts, and stuff -- honestly, I don’t know that much about it. Might be worth checking out for you, though,” he offered and I shrugged. I starred the message, knowing that I would be perfectly willing to sell out for a big enough pay day. It was just a matter of how many zeroes were in the cheque.

I might check out the brands while I was out and about. We still had time to kill before Marnie’s gym battle. I needed to get some training weights for Riolu and figure out his diet. Not to mention, there was… a talk that I needed to have. I was putting it off a little bit, but I was keenly aware of Mankey’s presence in the pokeball at my hip. Not to mention Phantump’s evolution.

“Might let them sweat a bit and come at me with a better offer,” I said, getting up from the terminal. My gaze lingered on the messages for a moment -- I didn't have anything from anyone else. So, my father and brother hadn't made any attempts to reach out. The internet didn't really work like it did in my world -- there were no gamer tags or user names. Your online ID was connected to your ID. So, there were no messages from Dad, Brother, or whatever other siblings I might have.

Brawly stayed behind to talk to his folks back in the Hoenn region, and I took the opportunity to head down to the beach for a team meeting. Riolu sat on my shoulder, gaping as we walked through the city. Pokemon were capable of fighting pretty much as soon as they hatched, but they still had some growing up to do.

The beach was a little more crowded than I would have preferred, probably because we had been cleaning it up, but the people were a reassurance in a way. Team Rocket would strike in such a crowded place. Finding an empty spot, I tossed my pokeballs out and unleashed them all.

“Kuuukuuu!” Mimikyu instantly zeroed in on Riolu on my shoulder and, like I expected, he was less than pleased.

“Trevenant…” Trevenant uttered, his voice a lot deeper and heavy with his evolution. I patted him on the trunk, spotting Mankey cowering into himself. I didn't want to draw attention to it while the others were here. It felt like a private conversation.

“You look good, buddy,” I told him and his branches shook with delight. I hadn't anticipated him evolving so soon. It messed with my plans a bit, but not so much that they had to be scrapped. Honestly, it might work out better this way. Especially when he had showed off an I trusting ability -- part of his body had been intangible to avoid a blow while he maintained his grip.

Dreepy was similarly scandalized to see Riolu hanging off of me so first order of business first. “We have a new addition to the team. Everyone, this is Riolu. He’s young, but with your help, he’s going to become strong.” Riolu reminded me of a kid being forced to introduce himself on the first day of school.

“Lu?”

“Kukuukkk…” Mimikyu seemed to deflate. Dreepy was standing her ground though, circling down to take her place ontop of my head. I didn’t see it, but based on how Riolu growled, she was throwing some serious stink eye his way. I swallowed a sigh and placed Riolu on the ground, along with Dreepy. At the rate we were going, I was going to need more shoulders.

“Today, we’re taking the day off. No training,” I continued and the reactions were a little mixed. I think Brawly’s battle junkie comment carried more weight than I thought. “We had a big day yesterday. A lot of rough fights, but we got through them because of your hard work. So, work hard, play hard -- the whole day is yours. We’ll do whatever you want to do.” I regretted saying that pretty much as soon as I said it because I saw the look in Litwick and Dreepy’s eyes that said their intentions were everything but good.

Mimikyu approached Riolu, who stiffened. They exchanged a few words back and forth before they left to play in the sand. Riolu sent a glance back at me and I just nodded, glad that there was at least one pokemon on my team that I could trust without reservation. You really were best boi, Mimikyu.

“Trevenant,” I continued, looking up to my new evolved pokemon. “How are you feeling? Good?” I hoped and Trevenant beamed. He couldn’t be more pleased with his new form. I smiled lightly, “Today, I want you to get used to your new body. You won’t be able to float anymore, and that’s going to be a big change. So, get used to moving around -- tomorrow, we’ll take it from the top with your training.” I promised him and he seemed pumped as he went off to join Mimikyu and Riolu.

I looked at the troublesome duo and I swallowed a sigh. “Please don’t get me in trouble with the law. I don’t want to cash in a get-out-of-jail-free card just yet,” I requested.

“Dreepy.” “Litwick.” No promises, huh?

Which left me to the final pokemon, who wiled under my gaze as those two flew off with Litwick riding Dreepy. I dropped to a knee in front of Mankey, who turned away from me. I was putting it off until this moment, but looking at him, I wasn’t entirely sure how to start. “I understand why you froze,” I told him and Mankey didn’t react. “I do. I don’t hold it against you. I’m not mad. That man murdered your trainer. It’s normal to be afraid of him.”

Makney stomped his foot, so he was listening to me. “You also lost control of your anger before you ran into him,” I continued and his foot stamped again, harder this time. “We’re still early in our training. I don’t expect you to have mastery yet. I expect slip ups. You haven’t disappointed me, and you haven’t disappointed yourself beyond your unreasonable expectations. So, I want you to take the day off and I want you to think.”

There was a beat of silence. “Mankey?” He asked and I gave him a soft smile.

“Sure. Let’s meditate,” I said, taking a seat in the shade of a tree that overlooked my pokemon playing in the sand. They were getting some odd looks from the other beachgoers, but that just gave them more room to play in. I took in a slow breath with Mankey seated next to me, and with that, I began to meditate. Focusing on searching for my aura.

In hindsight, meditating in the day, on the beach was a terrible decision.

I got sunburnt, which was a thousand times worse than anything Team Rocket did to me.