“Almost.” Ty replied, tightening the screw on his tripod.
Gabby Newsworthy was a name known throughout the media industry. She was known for being daring and courageous, willing to go to risk life and limb for the biggest and best scoops. Well, that was how she saw it anyways. In reality, the rest of the industry thought she was insane. She was known throughout Hoenn as the Reckless Reporter, a name she took as a compliment but everyone else meant as an insult. Several times the network executives considered firing her because she was costing them a fortune in legal fees and medical bills but she was just too popular to fire.
Less well known but still relatively prolific was Ty Topical, Gabby’s cameraman. Rarely seen, given he was always behind the camera, he was most well known for delivering sarcastic comments and trying, unsuccessfully, to reign in Gabby’s chaos. Despite this, he still tended to get lumped in with Gabby as equally crazy due to guilt by association.
Today, the two intrepid reporters were on the scene of a crime. Well, they were adjacent to the scene of a crime, anyways. The police wouldn’t let them into the actual crime scene so they had to settle for Joseph Stone’s office. Still, an interview with the CEO of a major corporation was still pretty big.
“And done.” Ty said, giving Gabby a thumbs up. “We’re all set. Going live in 3… 2… 1.”
Gabby, ever the professional no matter what people said about her, stood up straight. “This is Gabby Newsworthy of Hoenn TV, live with a special interview with Joseph Stone, CEO of the Devon Corporation. Mr. Stone, what can you tell us about the break-in here at the Devon Corporation?” She held out her mic to Joseph Stone.
Mr. Stone chuckled. “It is nothing to worry about. Just a common thief.”
To anyone else, it would seem like Mr. Stone was telling the truth. But Gabby wasn’t anyone else. She’d dealt with plenty of businessmen and politicians and she knew that chuckle. It was a chuckle of lies and deception. There was more to this story.
“And what were they trying to steal?” She asked.
Mr. Stone waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, nothing important. They probably just wanted whatever they could sell.”
“I see.” Gabby said. She could tell this was another lie. “And what about these rumors of vigilantes stopping the thief?”
“I can’t say anything about that.” Mr. Stone replied. “It’s better if their identities remain a secret. I wouldn’t want to put these children at risk.”
“Children?” Gabby asked. Now they were getting somewhere.
“Ah, um, ignore that.” Mr. Stone said, caught off guard by his own slip of the tongue.
Gabby’s mind raced. The thief had been thwarted by children? Now that was a story. She wanted desperately to ask Mr. Stone where the children had gone but she doubted he’d give up that information if she asked directly. She’d have to be clever. She turned back to the camera.
“There you have it, folks. The break-in at Devon Corp was nothing more than a petty thief looking to make money. Next up, the top ten cutest Pokemon of this year.” Gabby fought hard to keep herself from gagging on those words. “This is Gabby Newsworthy, signing off.”
“And… we’re off.” Ty said, shutting down the camera.
“I’ll help you pack it up.” Gabby said, walking over to where Ty was unscrewing the camera from the tripod. Suddenly, she stopped and turned back to face Mr. Stone. “Just one more thing, Mr. Stone.” She said. “If someone were passing through Rustboro, where would you suggest they go next?”
“That’s an odd question.” Mr. Stone replied.
“Well, I was thinking about cashing in some of my vacation days after this interview is over and thought you might have some suggestions, being as knowledgeable as you are.” Gabby lied.
“Well, in that case, I’d be glad to give you some advice.” Mr. Stone replied, clearly pleased by Gabby’s ego stroking. “I’d suggest you travel to Dewford Town on Dewford Island. Very nice beachside town and Granite Cave is truly a wonder to behold. There’s even a gym if you’re interested in the Gym Challenge.”
Gabby nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Stone.” She turned back to the camera. “There you have it, folks. The break-in at Devon Corp was nothing more than a petty thief looking to make money. This is Gabby Newsworthy, signing off.”
The two reporters finished packing up and then left. Once they were outside the building, Gabby sped up to a power walk. Ty had to run to keep up.
“Gabby! Hold on!” He shouted. “What’s going on? You’ve never taken a vacation in your entire career.”
“You’re right.” Gabby replied in a whisper, even though nobody was paying attention. “And I never will. There’s more to this story, and those kids Mr. Stone mentioned are at the center of it. We find those kids, we find the big scoop.”
“So, what? You’re just gonna travel all the way to Dewford Town on a hunch?” Ty asked.
“Any kid with Pokemon strong enough to take on a thief has gotta be on the Gym Challenge.” Gabby explained, unaware that no Pokemon had been involved in the altercation at all. “And Dewford’s usually the next stop after Rustboro. So they’ve gotta be there.”
“The network’s never gonna approve this, you know.” Ty said.
“That’s why we’re not gonna tell them.” Gabby replied.
Ty sighed. “Here we go again.”
Unfortunately for Gabby and Ty, the children in question had long since left Dewford, heading off to Slateport City. According to Brawly, it was the quickest way to get to Mauville City and the next gym. When they arrived, Mare was practically ecstatic. Now this was a real port town. Salty sea air, foghorns, swearing sailors. It was all there and it was wonderful.
Brendan, meanwhile, was kind of miserable. He was still sulking from losing the previous gym battle and also seasickness. Both of these were pretty fair reasons to be upset and Mare felt a pang of guilt for enjoying herself while her cousin was feeling sucky. Not enough to kill her mood, though.
Mare gave her mom a quick call on her PokeNav Plus, letting her know she was alright and all that stuff. Then, the two pre-teens went exploring.
“This place is amazing!” Mare exclaimed. “What should we do first? Wander around the docks and hear stories from sailors? Go to that market we passed?”
“Wh-what about taking a break.” Brendan suggested, still a bit woozy from the boat ride.
Mare snapped her fingers. “Oh! What about the Oceanic Museum!”
“The Oceanic Museum?” A random passerby who happened to overhear them asked. “I wouldn’t bother. Some weirdos dressed like pirates kicked everybody out.”
“Pirates?” Brendan asked.
“Yeah.” The passerby said. “They called themselves Team Something-or-other.”
Mare and Brendan looked at eachother. Since Mare was so short she had to crane her neck to do so.
“Team Aqua!” They chorused.
“Yeah, that was it.” The passerby said. “Anyways, you kids should stay away from the museum until they clear out.”
With that, the passerby continued on their way, their role of video game NPC fulfilled.
“We’ve gotta head to the Oceanic Museum.” Mare said definitively. “Whatever Team Aqua are up to, it can’t be good.”
“Woah, woah, woah.” Brendan said, holding up his hands in a stopping motion. “Are you sure we should be getting involved in this? These guys sound serious.”
“Hey, you were the one who jumped in and fought them last time.” Mare pointed out.
“Yeah, when there were only two of them.” Brendan replied. “It sounds like there’s a lot more this time.”
“I’ve never let that stop me before.” Mare said, rolling up non-existent sleeves.
“Wha- Mare this isn’t schoolyard bullies!” Brendan protested. “They’re… I don’t know what they are but they’re definitely a lot worse than a bunch of 12 year olds.”
“A bully’s a bully.” Mare said. “And these guys are grade A bullies. Now come on!”
She ran off in the direction of where she was pretty sure the Oceanic Museum was. Brendan sighed but followed her anyways.
The Oceanic Museum showed clear signs of Team Aqua activity. What were those signs, you ask? Well, there were two Team Aqua grunts, a man and a woman, standing outside the door chatting. The way they were positioned implied they were supposed to be guarding it but they didn’t seem to be terribly invested in that job. As such, Mare and Brendan were able to just walk up and engage them in conversation with no issue.
“Hey! What are you doing here!” Mare shouted.
“Buzz off, kid.” The woman said. “This museum is Team Aqua’s now.”
“So you really did storm the museum and take it over.” Brendan said.
“What? No!” The man exclaimed, offended. “We paid the entrance fee and took over the museum! Totally different!”
“We have principles.” The woman said, placing her hands proudly on her hips.
“Storming in is against your principles but taking over a building isn’t?” Mare deadpanned. Mare shook her head. “You know what, whatever. I don’t care. Let’s just skip to the part where I beat you up.”
“Hey!” The woman shouted. “Technically we’re not doing anything wrong!”
“Except forcing everyone else out of the museum.” The man pointed out.
“Shut up.” The woman hissed. Then, louder. “Alright, kid. You wanna fight, you’ve got one.” She tossed out a Pokeball, releasing a Poochyena. “Beat us and we’ll let you pass!”
“We will?” The man asked. The woman shot him a look. “I-I mean! Of course we will! We stick to our principles!” He tossed out his own Poochyena.
Mare growled. Like she’d ever entertain this stupid idea. Why bother with a Pokemon battle when she could just beat them up right then and there.
“We accept your challenge!” Brendan declared.
“What?” Mare exclaimed, caught off guard.
“I wasn’t able to defeat the Gym Leaders, but I can defeat these guys!” Brendan declared, tossing out Twig.
Oh, this wasn’t about Team Aqua. This was about his pride. Mare let out a combination growl and sigh. She grabbed Okami’s Pokeball off her belt and released the Poochyena onto the field.
Mare and Brendan VS. Team Aqua Grunts(Music Box: Battle! Team Aqua/Magma from Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
“Quick Attack!” Brendan shouted, making the first move.
Twig rushed forward, darting quickly from side-to-side in a zig-zag pattern before headbutting one of the Poochyenas.
“Poochyena! Bite!” The woman shouted.
“Okami! Intercept it!” Mare shouted.
Okami did as commanded, interposing herself between Twig and the other Poochyena. Dark was not very effective against Dark so Okami hardly felt anything when the Poochyena chomped down on her.
“They’re open!” Brendan shouted. “Twig! Pound!”
“No wait!” Mare shouted but it was too late.
Twig’s Pound did hit the enemy Poochyena but it also hit Okami, knocking both away.
“Dammit!” Brendan and Mare swore at the same time.
“You okay, Okami!” Mare shouted.
Okami growled in response.
“Fair enough.” Mare replied. “Can you keep fighting?”
Okami growled again.
“Awesome! Now use tackle!” Mare shouted.
“Poochyena! You use tackle too!” The man shouted.
Okami charged at the woman’s Poochyena. Meanwhile, the man’s Poochyena charged at Twig.
“Block it!” Brendan and the woman shouted at the same time.
Twig successfully managed to block the hit, creating a shield of leaves that the Poochyena bounced off of. The woman’s Poochyena wasn’t so lucky, being KOed by Okami’s tackle.
“Twig!” Brendan began but Mare cut him off.
“Hold on!” She said, holding her hand out in front of him. “We’ve gotta work in sync. I have a plan.”
“You have a plan?” Brendan asked, surprised. “That’s a first.”
“Just follow my lead.” Mare replied.
Brendan nodded.
“Alright! Let’s finish this!” Mare and Brendan shouted in unison.
“Okami, use tackle!” Mare shouted. “Brendan, have Twig follow close behind!”
“You heard the woman!” Brendan shouted to Twig.
Okami rushed forward, Twig on her tail. They drew closer to the enemy Poochyena. Closer…. Closer…
“Now!” Mare shouted. “Leapfrog off Okami and attack!”
Twig leaped and springboarded off the Poochyena.
Brendan thrust his finger forward. “Pound!”
Simultaneously, Okami and Twig impacted with the enemy, sending it flying backwards. Once it slid to a stop, the opposing Poochyena tried to stand up but was unable to, collapsing to the ground KOed.
(Music Box: N/A)
“We did it!” Brendan shouted.
“Hell yeah!” Mare agreed, leaping up into the air to high five her cousin.
“I can’t believe we lost to a couple of kids.” The male aqua grunt said, slouching over and letting his arms hang. A sweat drop rolled down his forehead.
“Alright, we won your stupid battle.” Mare said. “Now are you gonna let us inside?”
The female aqua grunt sighed. “Fair’s fair. But I’m warning you, the Grunts inside are a lot tougher than us.”
“Heh, I doubt it.” Mare chuckled, recalling Okami.
“Are you sure?” Brendan asked, spraying Twig with a potion. “There's way more of them than there are us.”
“You scared?” Mare taunted.
“Yes!” Brendan shouted, not so insecure about his masculinity that he couldn't admit that.
“Everything’ll be fine.” Mare reassured. “Just stick close to me and watch my back. Now come on, lets get going before they do… whatever it is they’re planning to do.”
Mare released Kaen and Shiruto from their balls. She explained the situation to them as quickly and succinctly as possible. Then, she pressed the play button on her CD Walkman and they burst through the doors. Every Aqua Grunt in the museum turned to look at her.
“Alright you scum buckets!” Mare shouted. “Prepare to get your asses beat!”
“Well that’s kind of rude.” One of the Grunts said.
“Attack!” Mare shouted, punching him in the face.
“Woah, wait, hold on!” One of the Grunts shouted, holding his hans up in surrender. “We don’t wanna fight!”
(Record Needle Scratch)
“Y-you don’t?” Mare asked, perplexed.
“Oh thank gods.” Brendan said, breathing out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, we’re just here to look at cool ocean stuff.” Another Grunt said. “If you want a fight go upstairs.”
“Oh… uh… okay.” Mare said, slightly put out that there wouldn't be a big brawl. She’d had a kickass fight song queued up and everything.
She and Brendan hurried upstairs, past exhibits that she kind of wished she could stop and stare at for a while (What? Just cause she was angry and not that bright didn’t mean she didn’t have interests). But they didn’t have time. They were on a mission.
When they reached the top of the stairs there were only two Aqua Grunts up there, confronting a dapper looking older man in a fedora and suit. His white mustache was immaculately groomed and he was clutching a suitcase tightly as the Aqua Grunts backed him against the wall.
“Look, we don’t want any trouble.” Aqua Grunt 1 said. “Just give us the Suitcase and we’ll be on our way.”
“You’ve already caused plenty of trouble.” The man said, showing no fear. “Storming the museum and chasing away the good people of Slateport.”
“Hey!” Aqua Grunt 2 protested. “We didn’t storm the museum! We paid the entry fee like everyone else!”
“I don’t care if you paid the entry fee or not.” The man replied. “You better get out of here before I show you what an ex-marine can do.”
It was at that point that Mare decided to intervene.
“You leave that nice looking old man alone!” She shouted.
“Wha!” Aqua Grunt 1 shouted.
“You!” Aqua Grunt 2 shouted.
“Old?” The man echoed, somewhat offended.
“You’re the girl from the forest!” Aqua Grunt 2 shouted.
“That’s right!” Mare declared. “It’s me, here to kick your asses again!”
“Hey, what about me!” Brendan shouted.
“Oh yeah, you were there too.” Aqua Grunt 1 said.
“Alright, enough talk!” Mare shouted.
She leaped at Grunt 1, latching onto him and crawling around to his back before using it as a springboard, shoving him to the ground. From here she leaped onto Grunt 2, grabbing his arm and forcing him down to the ground and pinning him, causing him to cry out in pain. Mare, admittedly, felt a bit bad about that but only a little.
Suddenly, the sound of loud bootsteps could be heard coming up the stairwell. They eventually reached the top, where they were revealed to belong to a large, muscular man wearing a wetsuit and pirate bandana. He had a well maintained and incredibly handsome beard, an x-shaped scar across his face, and a fierce look in his eyes. He was clearly a part of Team Aqua and if Mare had learned anything from the cartoons she’d binged in the past six months, it’s that the guys with the unique costumes were always important.
“Wha' do we 'ave here?” The large man asked, his voice booming. “I came t' see wha' was takin' so long jus' t' steal a few parts, 'n I find ye dullards gettin' beat by this kid?”
“I-It’s not our fault, boss!” The Grunt Mare had pinned to the ground protested. “She’s just too strong!” So Mare had been right, not only was this guy important, he was the leader.
The large man studied Mare. He let out a hearty laugh. “That's quite a fierce expression fer such a wee little scamp. That face tells me ye're nah jus' another mindless Trainer brat. The name’s Archie. And, of course, you’ve already met my rough and tumble crew - Team Aqua.” He crossed his arms. “So tell me, girlie… Do ye know that Pokemon, people, 'n all life in this world depend on the sea fer life? That's right. The sea is an irreplaceable treasure fer every livin' thing on this planet. But wit' our selfish extravagance, humanity dirties the great ocean, destroyin' this source o' all life… Day by day, we’re all destroyin' our most precious resource! If we humans suffer from our actions, well, maybe we'll end up gettin' wha' we deserve. But wha' about the Pokémon in our world? The Pokémon that no longer 'ave a place t' live 'cause we looted 'n soiled thar seas? The Pokémon that won't 'ave a home t' raise thar young 'n watch 'em grow? We be creatin' a world in which innocent Pokémon suffer as a result o' our actions… 'n that be somethin' that I can nah forgive! That's why I came t' a decision, see? The foolish actions o' my fellow humans, the seas we’ve blighted, nature itself… I will return everythin' t' its unspoiled beginnings!”
“That’s enough, Archie!” The older man said firmly.
“Cap'n Stern, it's been a while.” Archie said. “How's retirement treatin' ye?”
“Just fine until you and your band of brigands decided to invade my museum.” The older man, Captain Stern apparently, replied.
“Awfully sorry about that.” Archie said. The apology seemed genuine. “Though t' be fair, we did pay the entrance fee.” He shook his head. “Heh! 'tisn't like me t' talk so much. Let's get back t' business. The case, hand it o'er.”
“Never!” Captain Stern shouted. “I know what you plan to do with these parts and I won’t let it happen!”
Archie sighed. “I was hopin' I wouldna 'ave t' do this.”
Before Mare could leap to stop him, Archie grabbed the case and wrenched it from Stern’s grasp. For Stern’s part, he did put up a pretty decent fight, doing his best to keep his grip on the case. But in the end, it was no use. Archie had the case.
“Ye've grown soft in yer ole age, cap'n.” Archie said. “Meanwhile, I've only continued t' grow stronger.” He looked at Mare and gestured to the Grunt she still had pinned. “I'd appreciate it if ye could let my friend here go now.”
Mare actually obliged. The Aqua Grunt scrambled too his feet and immediately ran off, clearly hoping to put as much distance between himself and Mare as possible.
“Thank ye kindly.” Archie said, turning to walk away. “I'll be takin' my leave now. Oh, 'n Little Scamp, don't try t' get in our way again. Ye may be strong but ye won't walk away unscathed next time.”
Mare clenched her fist and growled. Before anybody could stop her, she leaped at Archie and latched onto his arm. Archie, being 5 foot 9 and buff as hell, easily threw her off of him. She flew slammed into one of the display cases containing a model ship, shattering the glass.
Archie almost looked amused by her attack. “Nice try, Little Scamp, but I’m a lot tougher than-” He looked down at his hand, suddenly realizing that he was no longer holding the case. He looked back up to see Brendan, Mare, and their Pokemon booking it across the room, case in hand.
He gave chase but they managed to reach the stairs before he could catch him. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs they were already halfway to the exit and none of the Grunts were doing anything to stop them.
“Well, wha' are you lot waitin' fer?” He shouted. “Get those Scamps!”
The Grunts immediately dropped what they were doing, leading to one Grunt literally dropping the decorative snowglobe she was holding, and made chase.
Only after Brendan and Mare exited the Oceanic Museum did they realize they had no idea where they were going. And what’s worse, when they glanced behind them they saw that Aqua Grunts were hot on their tail. Just for safety’s sake, they returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs.
“What do we do!” Brendan shouted.
“I don’t know!” Mare shouted back. “I didn’t exactly have time to plan this!”
Just then, Brendan spotted something up ahead. “There, the Market!” He shouted, pointing at the entrance to the fenced off area. “We’ll lose them in the crowd!”
“Good thinking!” Mare agreed. Ugh, she couldn’t believe she’d just agreed with Brendan.
The two dived into the crowd, using their small (in Mare’s case, really small) size to bob and weave through the crowd. Meanwhile, the larger Aqua Grunts had to shove their way through the crowd, aggravating quite a few people and slowing them down considerably.
“Split up!” Brendan shouted. “They can’t catch both of us!”
“How are you being the smart one here!” Mare shouted. “You can’t even Pokemon Battle!”
“Hey, I’ll have you know I placed first place in the School Cleverness Contest!” Brendan protested.
“What?” Mare shouted, taken aback and confused.
“Nothing!” Brendan shouted quickly. “Now split!”
They did just that, splitting off in two different directions, forcing the Grunts to split too. Most of them went after Mare who was still clutching the briefcase tightly but some went after Brendan.
Mare ran as fast as she could. Getting through the crowd was easy because of her small size, though she wouldn’t amit it. On the other hand, the Cabbage Cart in front of her wouldn’t be so easy to get around. The crowd around it was too tightly packed. She wouldn’t let it stop her, though. She picked up speed and vaulted over the cart, but she didn't vault high enough and accidentally knocked it over.
“My Cabbages!” The guy who owned the cart shouted.
“Sorry!” Mare shouted back.
She didn’t know what was in this briefcase but if these guys wanted it they couldn’t be allowed to have it. Zinnia had told her about Team Aqua’s plan to flood everything but it seemed a lot more real when that Archie guy said it. Looking at the intensity in his eyes she could tell he had meant every word. And yet, even despite that, she kinda liked him. To paraphrase a movie that won’t come out for 9 years, he was a bad guy but he didn’t seem like a bad guy.
“Hey, Girly!” A voice shouted from off to the side.
Mare looked over in the direction of the voice, somehow managing to still weave through the crowd despite not looking where she was going. The person who had spoken was Zinnia, running across the top of stands in full Blaise attire.
“Zinnia!?” Mare shouted, surprised.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Zinnia shouted back. “I’m working, we don’t use that name while I’m working!”
Mare rolled her eyes. “Okay, Blaise! What are you doing here!”
“Helping you, obviously!” Zinnia explained. “Now toss me the case!”
“Why would I do that!” Mare shouted.
“So I can lead Team Aqua away from you, duh!” Zinnia replied.
“And how do I know you won’t just take this case to your boss!” Mare rebutted.
“You’re just gonna have to trust me, alright!” Zinnia shouted back.
Mare looked at Zinnia. She looked at the Aqua Grunts behind her. She looked at the crowd in front of her. She made a decision.
“Alright, fine!” She shouted.
She tossed the case to Zinnia, who caught it easily. She then leaped off the stands and into the crowd, causing a bunch of people to scatter and the Aqua Grunts to stop in their tracks.
“Yoo-hoo!” She called out to them. “Looking for this?” She waved the case enticingly.
“Hey, that’s ours!” One of the Grunts shouted. “Well, it’s not really ours but it’s gonna be! Get her!”
“Betcha can’t catch me!” She taunted, vaulting back onto the top of the stands and running the opposite direction of Mare.
The Grunts immediately turned around to follow her, leaving Mare free to go. Even so, she still kept running, not stopping until she literally slammed into Brendan, causing them both to fall to the ground.
“Owww!” Brendan complained, rubbing his head.
“Wha- Brendan!” Mare shouted, standing up. “I thought you said split! What are you doing here!”
“Guess the paths reconverge here.” Brendan said, also returning to his feet. He glanced back and saw that they had apparently left the market, the north gate behind them. “So did you lose the Grunts?”
Mare nodded. “Yeah”
“Cool.” Brendan said. Then he noticed something. “Wait, where’s the case?’
“It’s safe.” Mare promised, though admittedly she wasn’t sure if that was true or not.
Brendan nodded. “Yeah, okay, sure.” Then he clutched his head. “What the hell did we just do!”
“I’m… not exactly sure.” Mare admitted. “It was a spur of the moment thing. I just… I dunno. Whatever that guy was talking about sounded bad so I grabbed the case and ran.”
“We’re 11!” Brendan shouted. “These guys are, like, hardened criminals or something!”
“I’m 12.” Mare reminded him, somewhat miffed.
Before she could bite him for the “crime” of forgetting her age, happy. peppy music began blasting from somewhere nearby, overpowering the chattering of the crowd. Out of curiosity, the two kids pushed their way to the front of the crowd, not hard since they were small.
The source of the music was a large, bright, shining building with massive speakers and spotlights. Out in front of the building, and the main source of the crowd’s attention, was a teenage girl in a striking blue and white outfit clearly modeled off of the Altaria floating at her side. Several film cameras were aimed in her direction.
“No way.” Brendan breathed. “That’s-” Before Brendan could finish his sentence, the girl began speaking.
“Hiiiiii, ev-er-y-bo-dy! 
” She shouted, sing-song. Her voice was full of sunshine and despite the fact that she didn’t seem to be wearing a mic her words carried across the entire crowd. “Lisia here! Me and my Altaria, Ali, have come to Slateport City's Contest Spectacular Hall for a bit of FUN! ”
“Is she vocalizing sparkles?” Mare asked incredulously to no one in particular.
Lisia’s Altaria, Ali, let out a beautiful cry.
"Well then, watch me as I dive right in again today!" Lisia shouted. She spun around gracefully and struck a pose. Some members of the crowd, including Brendan, spun around with her, though most of them lacked Lisia’s grace. “Dazzling, dizzying, doldrums defying! Lisia's…Miraculous…Contest Scouting! ”
The crowd cheered. One called out to her, asking her to “scout [him] as [her] next boyfriend” but his voice was, thankfully, lost in the cheering of the crowd. Mare could only stand there with a baffled expression on her face.
Once the crowd quieted down, Lisia continued speaking. "All righty! I'm going to bring another fantastic Trainer into the wild world of contesting! ” She scanned the crowd. “Eenie… meenie… miney…” Her gaze landed on Mare. Oh no. Before Mare had a chance to react, Lisia zipped over to her. "You there, watching me with that baffled expression on your face! Hi! Have you never joined in a contest?”
“Wha- huh?” Was all Mare could manage to say in response to that.
“That's just what I want to hear!" Lisia cheered.
She grabbed Mare by the wrist and began dragging her up front. The poor girl tried to break free but to no avail. It seemed Lisia had an iron grip. In one last desperate attempt to escape, Mare grabbed onto Brendan, leading to them both being dragged up front. Lisia didn’t seem to notice any of this.
"Then let's get this show on the road!” She shouted. “This is the Trainer I'm gonna scout today! And her name is…”
“Wh- uh, Mare.” Mare answered on instinct.
"Mare!” Lisia shouted in delight, as if hearing Mare’s name was the greatest thing that’d ever happened to her. She struck a pose. “When I took a good look, I could easily see that Mare is a powerful Trainer, with several Badges of her own already!"
“How did you-” Mare began but was immediately cut off.
Lisia raised her hands into the air. "Mare! You can enjoy Contest Spectaculars at the Pokémon Contest Hall right here. ” She held her finger up like she was scolding a naughty child. “Now listen up, because I don't just want to see you making your Pokémon strong. I want to see you bringing out a whole new brilliant side of them to show off! ” Out of seemingly nowhere she produced a card and some sort of container and shoved them into Mare’s hands. “So here you go! Take these! This is a Contest Pass, which is the first thing that anyone needs to take part in a Contest Spectacular! And this one is a Pokéblock Kit, which will let you make Pokéblocks for your Pokémon out of Berries!"
“I-” Mare said, trying in vain to get some sort of word in edgewise.
“Your story begins today!” Lisia shouted, somehow even louder than before. “Yep! And this chapter should be titled…” She waved her hand around and then struck a pose. “A Sudden Encounter! Miraculous Contest Scouting!” She giggled. “That's what I'd call it! Now, everybody out there watching… You'd better expect great things from Mare, because I do! That's it for today's Lisia's Miraculous Contest Scouting! See you all next time!”
(Music Box: N/A)
Lisia waved at the crowd and they began to disperse. The camera crew who had been filming her began packing up. Eventually, all that was left was Lisia, Mare, and Brendan.
Lisia giggled. “Wasn’t that fun! Now c’mon! The Contest Spectacular is about to start!”
“What? No!” Mare said, finally managing to pull her hand away from Lisia. “I don’t wanna be in your stupid contest!”
Lisia blinked in confusion. “You don’t?”
“No!” Mare shouted, stomping her foot. “I’ve been trying to tell you!”
“But… you’d be so good at it.” Lisia said as if that was a known fact.
“Listen.” Mare said, growling. “I hate all this sparkly frilly girly stuff. I don’t want any part in it.”
Lisia seemed to be at a loss for how to proceed. It seemed like she had fully expected Mare to go along with her.
“E-excuse me, Ms. Lisia.” Brendan stuttered, speaking up for the first time since Mare had accidentally dragged him up there with her. “I-I’d like to be in a contest. If that’s okay.”
Lisia’s eyes lit up brighter than they already were. “You would!” What’s your name? Tell me, tell me!”
“B-Brendan.” The starstruck boy stuttered out.
“Well come on, Brendan!” Lisia shouted, grabbing him by the arm. “We’ve gotta get you ready! ”
She dragged him away and into the Contest Hall. For a moment, Mare stood there stunned before running in after them. The inside of the Contest Hall was just as bright as the outside and almost as crowded. Mare made her way through the various people milling around within the space to the much quieter hallway of dressing rooms.
It wasn’t hard to find Lisia’s dressing room. It was the one all the way at the end featuring a star with Lisia’s name on it. Standing outside the dressing room was a rather beefy looking security guard, complete with black suit and earpiece. That wasn’t enough to scare Mare, though. She was confident she could take him if she had to.
“Hey buddy, let me through!” She yelled. “I’ve got business with what’s-her-name!”
The guard looked down at her, looking like he was suppressing a laugh. “I’m sorry, miss, but nobody’s allowed in Miss Lisia’s dressing room while she’s preparing for a Contest.”
Without hesitation, Mare grabbed the guard’s arm and bit down hard. The guard cried out in pain, clearly caught off guard (no pun intended) by her attack. Mare used this to her advantage, rushing past him and into the dressing room, closing the door behind her, where she found Brendan rocking a brand new red and black outfit and looking more confident than ever. Beside him, Lisia was absolutely beaming with pride.
When the two saw her enter, they had entirely different reactions. Lisia seemed absolutely delighted while Brendan seemed surprised and maybe a little embarrassed.
“Maresy!” Lisia squealed, clasping her hands together. “Did you change your mind!”
“Wha- no!” Mare growled. “And don’t call me that ever!”
Before the conversation could continue, the security guard burst into the room, still clutching his bleeding arm. His face was beet red with anger.
Lisia gasped. “Reginald! What happened to your arm!”
“That little brat bit me!” Reginald shouted, pointing at Mare.
Lisia looked at Mare with big, sad eyes. “Maresy is that true?”
Mare crossed her arms and growled. “Yeah, it is. And I'll bite you too if you call me that again.”
“But why?” Lisia asked overdramatically.
“He wouldn’t let me in.” Mare explained.
“Because you’re not allowed in!” Reginald shouted. “I was given orders not to let anyone into this room without permission!”
“I just wanted to talk to my freaking cousin!” Mare shouted.
“Nice try, but we’ve heard that one before.” Reginald said. “We know all of Lisia’s family and you sure aren’t part of it.”
“Not her, him!” Mare shouted, pointing exasperatedly at brendan, who raised his hands as if to shield himself.
“Huh?” Reginald huh’d, surprised.
Suddenly, Lisia struck her signature pose. “Everybody listen up! It’s time for Lisia’s dazzling conflict resolution! ”
“Wha-” Everyone else chorused.
Lisia held up her finger like a parent scolding a child. “Now Maresy, biting people isn’t nice. Apologize to Reginald.”
“But-” Mare began.
“Apologize.” Lisia repeated, puffing out her cheeks.
Mare let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry for biting you.”
“And Reginald, you should have let Maresy in.” Lisia chided. “Does she look like she wants to hurt me?” She gestured to Mare, who was growling. “Not at all. Now, go get yourself cleaned up.”
Reginald let out a deep sigh. “As you wish, Ms. Lisia.” He left, grumbling about “kids these days.”
Lisia jumped up and down in jubilance. “Yippee! It worked! Lisia’s dazzling conflict resolution never fails!”
“Can I just talk to my cousin now?” Mare asked, clearly done with this entire situation.
“Yep yep! ” Lisia sparked. “Starlight, Maresy wants to talk with you!”
Brendan's face flushed when Lisia called him Starlight. He was immediately snapped out of this when Mare grabbed him and slammed him into a wall.
“Ow! What the hell!”
“Sorry.” Mare said, rubbing the back of her neck. “I meant to do that more gently.”
“What about not doing it at all!” Brendan protested.
“I had to snap you out of your trance somehow.” Mare explained.
“What trance?” Brendan asked.
“Your weird, Lisia induced trance.” Mare elaborated. “You saw Lisia and your brain basically stopped functioning. And what’s up with this Contest business?”
Brendan groaned. “I knew this would happen. I knew you’d judge me. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”
“Okay, okay, back up and start from the beginning.” Mare said.
Brendan took a deep breath. “Okay, so you know how I told you I was the best battler in my school? That was a lie.”
“No shit.” Mare replied.
“Oh come on, at least try to act surprised.” Brendan sulked. “Anyway, I wasn’t the best battler but I was the best Coordinator.”
“And a Coordinator is?” Mare asked.
“It’s… someone who does contests.” Brendan looked away, blushing and rubbing the back of his head.
Mare raised an eyebrow. “So why’d you try to pretend you’re good at battles? If you’re so good at it, why hide it?”
“Because…” Brendan took a deep breath. “Because all the kids at school made fun of me for it. And I knew you would too. So I have to be good at battles. Then they won’t make fun of me.”
Mare grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him down to her level. “Listen, I’m not going to make fun of you because you like Contests, I’m going to make fun of you because you’re my cousin and a total brat. And who cares what some random kids think, if this is something you’re good at and like doing then you should just do it.”
“Are you sure?” Brendan asked.
“Course I am.” Mare said. “You should never try to hide who you really are. I mean, come on, imagine if I tried to hide who I really was.” To prove her point she flashed a cocky grin, showing off her incredibly sharp canines. “Sides, you know your parents’ll support you no matter what you do.”
“Starlight, Maresy! Are you done talking!” Lisia shouted. “The Contest’s about to start!”
“Starlight?” Mare echoed.
Brendan flushed. “Its her nickname for me. She said I have stars in my eyes sparkle.”
“Well, its time for your big debut.” Mare said, gesturing towards Lisia.
“I dunno, I’m not sure about this.” Brendan said, avoiding eye contact.
“Dude, you can’t back out now.” Mare rebutted.
“But-” Brendan began.
“No buts.” Mare cut him off. “Tell you what.” She turned her head to look at Lisia. “Hey, Lisia! I’ve changed my mind!”
Lisia gasped in delight. “You have!?”
Mare sighed. She was going to regret this later. “Yeah, I have. Now how fast can you get me into one of those contest out-”
Apparently the answer was very because in one consecutive movement, Lisia pulled Mare behind a privacy screen, helped her into a contest outfit, and shoved her back out into the open. From seemingly nowhere, a spotlight shined on her.
“How did-” Mare began but thought better of finishing.
She examined her new duds and blushed profusely. The whole thing was just embarrassing. Sparkly and pink like a pop star. Why couldn’t she have gotten something more like Brendan’s, kickass and rocking.
“You’re really gonna go on with me?” Brendan asked.
“With you?” Mare echoed. “No, I’m going on against you.”
The show opened with a Exhibition Performance from Lisia. As was expected from a Top Coordinator like herself, she gave a dazzling, dizzying performance that certainly defied doldrums. After that, there were a few performances from other Coordinators and then the main event: the two trainers Lisia had scouted.
Mare was up first, partnered with Kaen. Kaen had, understandably, refused to get dressed up, something Mare dearly wished she’d also been allowed to do. But alas, life’s not fair and neither are contest costumes.
“Alright, uh…” Mare said.
It occurred to her that she hadn’t actually gone in here with a plan. This was such a last minute thing she had no idea what she was going to do. But that was fine, she did her best work when improvising. Right?
She glanced offstage to see Lisia and Brendan peeking out. Lisia patted her side and gave Mare a thumbs up. Mare moved her hand to the same place Lisia had patted and found her CD Walkman. She knew what she had to do.
She tossed the Walkman to the guy in charge of the speakers, who just barely caught it. “Plug that in and hit play!”
(Music Box: Rock Star from Hannah Montana)“Alright, Kaen, two Embers right in the air!” Mare shouted.
Kaen, obliged, tilting his head back and firing upwards.
“Now! Get in the air and Double Kick downwards!”
Kaen leaped high up, right above the Ember shots. He kicked one dowards and then the other, both landing to either side of Mare. Mare then leaped backwards as Kaen landed where she had previously been.
“Time for a fire dance!” Mare shouted. She had no idea what she meant by that but hopefully Kaen would come up with something. And come up with something he did.
Kaen thrust his arms out to the side and grabbed the fire. He did a spin and then engaged in a fight with an imaginary opponent. The crowd loved it.
“There we go!” Mare shouted.
Unfortunately, things went wrong. Kaen went for the big finish and signaled for Mare to jump in beside him. She did so, putting her all into the leap despite the embarrassment… and accidentally got a bit too close. As Kaen activated a Flame Charge, Mare’s skirt caught fire. And then the rest of her costume caught fire. She handled it about as well as you’d expect someone who’d just caught fire to handle it.
She screamed and fell backwards, doing her best to put the fire out. Everybody else also panicked. Before someone could pull the fire alarm, Mare managed to muster the presence of mind to grab a Pokeball and toss it, releasing Shiruto onto the stage. Shiruto didn’t even need to be told what to do, he saw his trainer on fire and spat water until she was put out.
(Music Box: N/A)
Mare breathed heavily and everybody else slowly began calming down as well. Brendan and Lisia ran out to see if she was okay and assess the damage.
“Maresy! Are you okay!” Lisia shouted, missing her usual sparkle.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” Mare breathed, a slight growl to her voice. “And don’t call me that.”
Brendan inspected her wounds. The costume was fairly intact, albeit singed beyond recognition, but her skin was… wait, was it…
“The hell…?” Brendan shouted in shock.
“What?” Mare and Lisia chorused.
“Look at your burns!” Brendan said.
Mare did so. What in the world? They were fading, and fast too. Eventually, she was burn free.
“Woah.” Mare said. “I’m magic.”
“Maybe we should just end the Contest now.” Brendan said, concerned.
“No.” Mare snapped. “We’re not ending anything until you get on this stage and kick ass! You got it!”
“What!?” Brendan gasped. “Are you sure?”
Mare grinned audaciously. “Hey, if I get to make a fool of myself you do too.”
“Well alright then! ” Lisia shouted, striking her signature pose. “The show must go on! I’ll get everything set back up, you guys get ready!”
Brendan offered Mare a hand to help her up but she waved him off, standing up on her own. “Great, I can finally get out of this wretched thing.”
“But it brings out your eyes.” Lisia pouted.
“My eyes are blue, how does pink bring them out?” Mare asked.
Lisia winked. “The ways of fashion are a mystery.”
It took a hot minute to get everything back up, meaning the live broadcast of the Contest needed to go on a lengthy commercial break, but eventually everything was ready and Brendan could take the plunge. He stood onstage with Twig right by his side. Despite his previous nerves, Brendan looked confident standing there in his rockerboy outfit.
They started with an energetic fan dance with fans made from leaves generated by Twig. Partway through the dance, Twig leaped onto Brendan’s head and the duo began to twirl. They twirled faster and faster, kicking up a twister of leaves. Twig leaped onto the leaf storm and rode it all the way to the top. As he rode the twister, he began glowing and shifting, growing in size. By the time he reached the top he was no longer a Treecko but instead a Grovyle. He had evolved. Twig the Grovyle spread his arms and legs midair, proudly presenting his new form to the crowd.
The twister collapsed, dumping leaves everywhere on the stage. Twig landed on the ground next to Brendan. Both of them bowed proudly as the crowd clapped.
Backstage, Brendan was giddy with excitement. Mare didn’t think she’d ever seen him so happy before.
“I bet you feel really stupid for being all nervous now.” She said, taking a bite out of a donut.
“Nope, I don’t feel stupid at all!” Brendan said proudly. “Because I finally did it!”
“Been your true self?” Mare asked.
“No, I finally found something I’m better at than you!” Brendan declared.
“Hey! I didn’t do that bad!” Mare protested.
“You set yourself on fire.” Brendan pointed out.
“But it was cool before that!” Mare protested.
“You placed last.” Brendan rebutted.
Mare crossed her arms. “It was rigged. Not that I care. Still hate all this frilly sparkly stuff.” She uncrossed her arms and took another bite out of her donut.
“Did you eat the entire snack table?” Brendan asked, eyebrow raised.
“So what if I did?” Mare asked defensively, mouth full of donut. “I’m hungry. That whole performance took a lot of energy out of me.”
“Glutton.” Brendan snarked.
Suddenly, Lisia ran up from behind Brendan and grabbed him in a big, sparkly hug.
“You did so well, Starlight! ” She shouted. “You’d make a great Top Coordinator!”
Brendan blushed. “You really think so.”
Lisia struck a pose. “I know so! If you stick around, I can teach you anything and everything you’d ever want to know about Coordinating!”
Brendan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I dunno…” He sighed. “I want some time to think on it. I’m not sure if this really is what I want to do.”
Mare raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were super happy you finally found something you’re better at than me?”
“Yeah but… I’ve spent my whole life figuring I’d take on the Gym Challenge and I’m not sure I want to give that up just yet.”
“Brendan, I’m gonna be blunt with you, you’re shit at battling.” Mare said, deadpan.
“Yeah, but I did pretty well against those Aqua Grunts.” Brendan pointed out, he turned back to Lisia. “Can I please have some time to think about it?”
“Sure thing!” Lisia said with a thumbs up. “Take as much time as you need! I’ll give you my number so you can call me any time!” He handed her his PokeNav Plus and she put her number into it.
Mare opened her mouth to add that she wanted to leave now but before she could, a shrill voice rang out across the hall.
“WHAT!?!” A pompous looking blonde guy in a blue suit marched over and pointed accusingly at Brendan. “Lisia, who is this!”
Mare wrinkled her nose in disgust. What an asshole. Only she was allowed to be mean to Brendan. Lisia, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice.
“Hi Chaz!” The Contest Idol said cheerily, giving a big wave to him. She zipped over to his side and put her arm around his shoulders. “Starlight, Maresy, this is Chaz! He’s my best friend!”
“I am not your best friend.” Chaz insisted, disentangling himself from Lisia’s side hug. “I am your greatest rival!”
“You’re so silly, Chaz!” Lisia said. “Contests aren’t about rivalries, they’re about having fun!”
“I am your rival!” Chaz protested, seething. “Now answer my question, who is this pipsqueak who deigns to attempt and usurp my position!”
“This is Brendan!” Lisia said, zipping behind Brendan and placing her hands on his shoulders. “Didn’t you see him on stage! He was marvelous!”
“What’s your problem, man!?” Brendan snipped.
“My problem is you!” Chaz declared. “You are insufficient to become Lisia’s rival! Only I, Chaz, have what it takes to be her one, true rival! Ever since we made our debut together in Lilycove! We stood on the lighthouse together and swore we would do our best to win! We talked from dusk till dawn! Well, actually we only talked for 40 minutes, but that is besides the point!”
“Dude, I don’t want to be her rival!” Brendan protested. “I don’t even know if I really want to do contests, yet!”
“Y-you don’t?” Chaz asked, confused.
“No!” Brendan affirmed. “Skies Above.”
“Well, should you decide to take on the world of contests, know this!” Chaz declared. “I am Lisia’s one true rival and you will never surpass-”
It was at that point that Mare had had enough. This guy was a jerk and he needed to be put in his place. She balled her hand into a fist and delivered a striking uppercut, knocking the pompous jerk on his ass.
“Wha- hey!” Chaz shouted, rubbing his jaw. “How dare you hit me! This violence is uncouth you impudent brat!”
Mare ignored him. “Let’s get out of here, Brendan.”
Mare was relieved to finally be out of the Contest Hall. The salty sea air of Slateport was refreshing after the stuffy, artificially scented air of the Contest Hall. And the darkness and silence of the night was a nice change of pace from the bright lights and loud crowds.
“So you’re really sure you wanna keep going on the Gym Challenge?” Mare asked as they walked towards the Pokemon Center.
“For a little while, at least.” Brendan replied. “Who knows, I might still become Champion.”
Mare snorted. “Yeah right. And I’ll get to meet Ho-Oh.”
“Shut up!” Brendan snapped.
“I think she should keep talking, actually.” A voice said from seemingly nowhere. “She’s got a very pretty voice.”
Out of the darkness and shadows stepped Zinnia in her Lorekeeper garb. She had a smug smirk fixed on her face as usual.
“Who the hell are you!” Brendan shouted, stumbling backwards a bit before stopping.
“It’s a secret.” Zinnia singsonged, wagging her finger.
“Brendan, this is Zinnia.” Mare said. “She’s, uh, she’s a…” She trailed off, not sure how to designate Zinnia.
“I’m her best friend, obviously!” Zinnia said with a massive grin.
“No, no you’re not.” Mare replied, even though she got a bit of a warm fuzzy feeling from that. “You’re the weird girl who’s been following me around.”
“Hey, I’m not that weird!” Zinnia protested, putting her hand over her heart. “Wait, no, I am pretty weird. I like to think its part of my charm, though.” She winked.
“So is that whatever it is case safe?” Mare asked.
“Wait, you gave the case to her?” Brendan asked.
“Didn’t have a lot of other options.” Mare replied.
“The case is safe.” Zinnia replied.
Mare narrowed her eyes. “And you’re telling the truth?”
“One hundred percent. Cross my heart and hope to die.” Zinnia said, doing just that. “I gave it back to the old guy. Well, I left it on his desk. Couldn’t really give it to him myself since its better if my face isn’t seen since I’m wanted by the authorities, thanks for that by the way, and I definitely couldn’t show up in my Magma uniform.”
“You’re with those red weirdos!?” Brendan exclaimed.
“I’m pretending to be with those red weirdos.” Zinnia corrected. “Anyways, I’m just here to check up on my new favorite Girly and her cousin who I guess is also here.”
“Hey!” Brendan protested.
Meanwhile, Mare blushed. Zinnia said she was her favorite.
“So, where’re you headed next?” Zinnia asked.
“Not sure.” Mare said. “Brendan, where’s the nearest gym?”
“Mauville City.” Brendan grumbled, still a bit annoyed at Zinnia’s casual dismissal of him.
“Mauville City it is, then!” Mare said.
“Blech, Mauville. Terrible place.” Zinnia said, making an exaggerated disgusted face. “You should just skip that and go straight to Lavaridge. Way better. Oh! And Meteor Falls, too! Best place in Hoenn to watch the stars!” She looked a bit dreamy at the prospect of stargazing then shook her head. “Anyways, glad to see you’re doing okay. You really tore it up on stage.”
“Thank you!” Brendan said, proudly placing his hands on his hips.
“Not you, Mare.” Zinnia said, pointing at the aforementioned girl.
“What!” Brendan shouted. “She set herself on fire!”
“And she looked great while doing it!” Zinnia declared, going to proudly slap Mare on the back before seemingly remembering how Mare reacted to being touched and backing off. “I should get going, now. Got tons of research to do before we can make our move. But we’re close, Aster can sense it.”
“Make your move?” Brendan asked, confused.
“Didn’t Mare tell you?” Zinnia asked. “We’re gonna save the world together!”
“Huh?” Brendan asked, eyebrow raised.
“Zinnia thinks I’m some sort of Chosen One or something.” Mare explained. “Which is obviously a lie.”
“Well, yeah, of course that’s a lie.” Zinnia replied. “I’m the Chosen One. You’re the cool girl who’s gonna help the Chosen One.”
“Highly doubt that.” Mare deadpanned.
“Aw come on, Girly, would I ever lie to you?” Zinnia asked. “Actually, don’t answer that.” She put her hands together like she was praying. “But I promise I’m not lying to you here. After all, you’ve been having those dreams too.” She looked down at her wrist as if she was wearing a watch. “Ope, look at the time! I’ve gotta get going! Lots of research to be done and Orbs to be found! Good luck with whatever it is Gym Challengers do!” She gave a wave and then retreated into an alley, wall jumping until she reached the rooftop and then dashing away.
“That was weird.” Brendan said, stating the obvious.
“Yeah, she’s weird.” Mare agreed. “But pretty.” She sighed dreamily.
Brendan rolled his eyes. “So what was that about dreams and saving the world?”
Mare let out a long, heavy, not at all dreamy sigh. “It’s a long story…”
“And that's what happened.” Gunther the Aqua Grunt concluded.
Archie sighed. Following the failure of an operation, Team Aqua had retreated to a hiding spot just outside of the city. There, the Grunts Archie had sent chasing after those kids recounted what had happened.
“N’ ye’re sure ye saw her toss th’ case t’ a Magma Agent?” Archie asked.
“Yes sir.” Gunther affirmed.
Archie stroked his beard. That was strange. Was the Little Scamp working with Magma? She didn’t seem the type Maxie would hire. He couldn’t imagine her taking orders from anyone.
“Alright, you lot!” Archie shouted, holding his hand in the air to attract the Grunts’ attention. “Th’ operation may 'ave been a failure but don't let that get ye down! We'll 'ave plenty o' chances t' get wha' we need! Fer now, ye all 'ave t' return t' base!”
There was a chorus of aye ayes, yes sirs, and all sorts of affirmations. Team Aqua was a rowdy bunch, not ones for conformity or rigidness. Individuality was their bread and butter and they relished in it.
“What about you, sir?” Gunther asked.
“I'll catch up.” Archie said. “Thar's somethin' I 'ave t' do first. Now wha' are ye waitin' fer, get a move on!”
“Yes sir!” Gunther said, saluting.
With that, all the Grunts began heading towards Lilycove in different manners. Some of them chose to walk, others chose to fly, and many chose to go by sea. Eventually, only Archie was left. He let out a long, drawn out sigh and took a PokeNav, not a PokeNav Plus, a PokeNav out of a hidden pocket on his wetsuit.
He let out a long, heavy sigh. “I promised meself I'd ne'er do this.”
He opened the Nav’s contact list, selected the only number registered, and waited. Part of him prayed that it would just go to voicemail. Then he could say “oh well, I tried” and move on to more important things. Alas, life is unfair and the Nav was answered.
“Ah, Archie.” Maximilian Matsubusa said. “I assume you’re calling to finally admit the truth. That I’m right and you’re nothing more than a fool.”
“Oh put a cork in it, Max!” Archie snapped. “Ye know that's nah why I’m callin'!”
“Then why are you calling?” Maxie asked curtly. “I’ll have you know I’m quite busy and don’t have time for nonsense.”
“Well, since ye're so busy I'll cut t' the chase.” Archie replied. “Is Lil’ Scamp one o' yers?
“Is who what?” Maxie asked, confused. “What are you blabbering on about?”
Archie sighed. “The girl. The one who keeps showin' up 'n gettin' in our way. Is she one o' yers?”
“Ah, I see.” Maxie said neutrally. “I can assure you she is not. She has been just as much a thorn in my side as she has been in yours.” There was a pause. “What could have given you the impression she worked for me?”
“One o' my Grunts saw her give somethin' t' one o' yer Agents.” Archie answered, keeping it vague to avoid tipping Maxie off to his location or plans.
“That’s strange.” Maxie said, sounding a bit surprised. “I never sent any of my Agents out to retrieve anything recently. And I certainly never sent any to rendezvous with that girl. Tell me, did your Grunt give you a description of this Agent?”
“Nope.” Archie replied.
“Hmm… this is troubling.” Maxie said. Despite not being able to see him, Archie knew he was rubbing his chin. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Archibald. Now, like I said before, I’m very busy so if you’ll excuse me…”
“Max, wait.” Archie blurted impulsively.
“Hmm?” Maxie hmm’d.
There was a horrible moment where neither of them said anything. Archie had felt the pressure of the ocean bearing down upon him but that was nothing compared to the pressure of this silence. Finally, he responded.
“Don't think ye're goin' t' win. I will return the world t' its unspoiled beginnings 'n thar's naught a thing ye or that Scamp can do t' stop me.”
“Hmph.” Maxie hmph’d. “We’ll see.” With that, he ended the call and Archie breathed a sigh of relief.
Author's Note: I realize its four years too early for Rock Star but it fits.Archie can be a girly if I want him to be.
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