Kenta turned and looked behind him, down into the grassy valley. Out in the field’s distance, a massive rustling of tall grass signified a large-scale movement in his direction. Remembering his last encounter with a Magneton from a few days back, Kenta hurriedly returned his attention to Boris. “We’re out of time!” he said forcefully. “This match’ll have to be called a draw. Here’s your Everstone-” He pulled the rock from his pocket once more and strode to the giant hiker’s side, thrusting it into his hand. “Now do the right thing and teach my Salamence that move!”
Boris looked away stubbornly. “Not happening,” he said gruffly. “You haven’t beaten us, so you don’t get nothin’.”
“ . . . Fine.” Kenta turned to Bolt. “Keep yourself safe.” He rushed towards Lee, who was bidding him to hurry with a furiously waving hand. “We’ll do this another time. For now, we need to get to safety!”
Kenta waited impatiently as his bearded opponent jogged a couple yards to catch up with him, then stumbled and fell over. He and Lee rushed to Boris’s sides and hauled him to his feet, and the hiker gave a whine of frustration. “Dagnabbit! This ground’s too unsteady, even for me. What’s with this place?”
Kenta and Lee looked at each other, and Kenta shook his head. “Lost his footing. You know what? I think he’s had too much to drink.” The two of them turned and glanced down at the field in the distance, and Kenta gasped softly as the first few Magneton burst out of the tall grass before his eyes. Lee gritted his teeth. “Tch! They’re coming too fast. How’re we going to get this boozer back to town before they’re on us?”
“All right. All right.” Boris looked wearily at Kenta, a defeated look in his eyes. “You win, laddie. I’ll teach your dragon my special move. It’s the only thing that can contest pokémon of those types at this point.”
Now dozens of Magnemite and Magneton were approaching, and a yellow aura surrounded the swarm as electricity sparked and zapped around them. Kenta felt his heart pound faster; it was easily possible that he and his companions could be electrocuted to death in mere moments.
This guy had better know what he’s doing.
***
Having made it through Henna Villa, Kenta and Hibiki now continued along the dirt path leading east. Kenta pointed up ahead for his to see brother, where the terrain took a steep dive downwards. “That’s where it happened. Right on that spot.”
“So did you win?”
“Win? Oh, no.” Kenta waved his hand, as if brushing off a stupid question. “Boris was too wasted, and Bolt failed to learn the move on time. The Magneton swarmed over us, and everyone except Boris’s Pupitar got zapped to death where we stood.”
“Oh.” Hibiki lowered his head, horrified at what he’d just heard. Then his mind caught up with Kenta’s statement.
“ . . . You ass.”
Kenta snickered, grinning from ear to ear with a rogue smirk. “Ha, ha, you actually believed me for a second! See, this is why I like having you around.”
“Not cool,” grumbled Hibiki. “What really happened?”
“Heh, heh, heh.” Kenta took a moment to compose himself, then cleared his throat. “Sorry. In the end, Bolt learned the super move, and every Magneton coming at us did a U-turn after feeling the force of a Salamence’s strength. It’s like Champion Lance always says: you don’t mess with a dragon. Oh, and speak of the devil-”
Hibiki was amazed at how fast Bolt returned. One moment he was a speck in the distant sky, and the next, he was right on top of the two trainers. With a great flap of his wings, Bolt halted his forward momentum, and Hibiki was nearly blown off his feet from the resulting blast of wind.
Kenta’s former smile was gone, and his body tensed as he readied for action. “What’d you spot, Bolt?” he asked sharply. “Is there some sort of trouble up ahead?”
The Salamence nodded. Kenta’s eyes narrowed. “Can we afford a head-on? Or do we go covert?”
Bolt lowered his head and flattened his wings. Kenta nodded and faced Hibiki, who wore the same wide-eyed look he always did when his brother surprised him. “Break’s over, Hibiki. Keep low. We’re going to move forward, quickly and stealthily, until we can see what we’re up against. Time to move.”
Without another word, he knelt into a crouching posture and shot forward, moving quickly over the slope and downhill into the grassy valley below. Hibiki followed him, feeling highly uncomfortable at the idea of rushing straight into danger. He didn’t speak until the two of them had planted themselves behind a nearby boulder a few seconds later, when Kenta had waved him over.
“Kenta! What if we run into a crazed Magneton in the grass or som-”
“Ssh! Keep your voice down.” Kenta pointed around the side of their boulder. “Check that out. We won’t be going into the tall grass.”
Hibiki looked. The dirt road ran down the incline and into the valley, but it curved to the left just before reaching the tall grass. Parked around the spot of the curve were three patrol cars and one enormous sixteen-wheeler truck. Standing a few feet away, a group of police officers were pointing and shouting at someone standing opposite of them; a young man with spiked gray hair. Even as Hibiki watched, the officers threw pokeballs out in front of them, and the young man did the same. From the cops’ side, pokémon emerged from their capsules, which Hibiki recognized as a Sandslash, Growlithe, Graveler, another Sandslash, a Dugtrio, and another Growlithe. The young man’s opposing pokémon was a metallic bird with sharp wings, which Hibiki identified as a Skarmory.
“Looks like a scuffle between the police and some college-age kid,” whispered Hibiki, glancing up at Kenta. “But why would he challenge six officers like that? He can’t possibly hope to win against those numbers!”
Hibiki was about to say something else, but he forgot everything as he noticed Kenta’s expression. He was standing stock-still, eyes wide and staring, mouth slightly ajar with bewilderment. “Maybe he can,” Kenta barely whispered. “I can’t believe it. Do you know who that man is?”
Hibiki shook his head slowly.
“He championed the Hoenn League until about three years ago. He was a prodigy with Steel-type pokémon! What’s he doing all the way out here?”
Steven Stone.
In a moment, Kenta darted out from behind their boulder and was charging straight down the slope before Hibiki knew it. “Stay there!” he called to Hibiki as he went, putting two fingers in his mouth. Hibiki heard him whistle, and an overhead draft suddenly pushed his body down with its force. Bolt’s shadow swept under his feet, and Hibiki watched in fear and helplessness as trainer and pokémon rushed to Steven’s side.
Kenta skidded to a halt between the two parties about to battle, his hands up in a gesture to keep anyone from doing anything. “Hold up!” he panted, as the wind from his sprint vanished from his gut. “What’s . . . going on?”
So much for going covert.
Nobody spoke for a second, then one of the officers pointed at Kenta. “Look at that. Did he have reinforcements?”
“Brendan!” cried Steven, looking stunned. “What are . . . what are you doing here?!”
Kenta leaped backwards so that he was at Steven’s side, and looked him full in the face. “Quickly,” he said hurriedly, “I need to know what you’re doing here first!”
Steven stared at him. “Wait . . . you’re not Brendan Birch.”
“There’ll be time for that later. Why are you fighting them?”
“Hey! You!” One of the police officers pointed angrily at Kenta. “Get out of here! Celebrity or not, that man is interfering with official business. Stand down at once!”
“They’re burning the wild Magneton out here!” Steven shouted back furiously. “After already fighting them unconscious! It’s euthanasia!”
Kenta lost feeling in his body. For a moment, all he could feel was a dull tingle running up and down his arms and legs.
No . . .
“These creatures are a hazard to the lives of every citizen in Henna Villa!” barked another officer. “For as long as they live, these Magneton will continue to return and wreak havoc. This is the only way to stop them for good!”
“Just because they don’t look like other animals doesn’t make them any less of living things!” cried Steven in return. “Steel-types have always been looked at without pity, because they resemble machines. I’ve seen it all! I know the cruelty of you people!”
“Enough of this,” snapped the first officer. “Graveler. Use Rock Throw on his Skarmory!”
“Sandslash, Slash attack!”
“Dugtrio, Rock Slide!”
In a moment’s time, three attacks were shooting straight at Steven’s pokémon, and that’s when Kenta regained himself.
“BOLT!”
Skarmory wheeled and dodged to avoid its enemy’s offenses, but Kenta could hear scrapes and clangs as claws and rocks smashed against the bird’s steel flesh. They were loud at first, but in a second, they were considerably softer. It was as if the enemy was holding back for some reason.
Steven turned his head, looking astonished at Kenta’s action. “What in the . . . ?”
Bolt was hovering right over Kenta’s head, wings fully extended, bearing claws and fangs, and uttering a deep-throated growl full of threat. His Intimidate ability had kicked in, and on the opposite side, the Ground-type pokémon cowered back in fright at their immense new foe.
Boris looked away stubbornly. “Not happening,” he said gruffly. “You haven’t beaten us, so you don’t get nothin’.”
“ . . . Fine.” Kenta turned to Bolt. “Keep yourself safe.” He rushed towards Lee, who was bidding him to hurry with a furiously waving hand. “We’ll do this another time. For now, we need to get to safety!”
Kenta waited impatiently as his bearded opponent jogged a couple yards to catch up with him, then stumbled and fell over. He and Lee rushed to Boris’s sides and hauled him to his feet, and the hiker gave a whine of frustration. “Dagnabbit! This ground’s too unsteady, even for me. What’s with this place?”
Kenta and Lee looked at each other, and Kenta shook his head. “Lost his footing. You know what? I think he’s had too much to drink.” The two of them turned and glanced down at the field in the distance, and Kenta gasped softly as the first few Magneton burst out of the tall grass before his eyes. Lee gritted his teeth. “Tch! They’re coming too fast. How’re we going to get this boozer back to town before they’re on us?”
“All right. All right.” Boris looked wearily at Kenta, a defeated look in his eyes. “You win, laddie. I’ll teach your dragon my special move. It’s the only thing that can contest pokémon of those types at this point.”
Now dozens of Magnemite and Magneton were approaching, and a yellow aura surrounded the swarm as electricity sparked and zapped around them. Kenta felt his heart pound faster; it was easily possible that he and his companions could be electrocuted to death in mere moments.
This guy had better know what he’s doing.
***
Having made it through Henna Villa, Kenta and Hibiki now continued along the dirt path leading east. Kenta pointed up ahead for his to see brother, where the terrain took a steep dive downwards. “That’s where it happened. Right on that spot.”
“So did you win?”
“Win? Oh, no.” Kenta waved his hand, as if brushing off a stupid question. “Boris was too wasted, and Bolt failed to learn the move on time. The Magneton swarmed over us, and everyone except Boris’s Pupitar got zapped to death where we stood.”
“Oh.” Hibiki lowered his head, horrified at what he’d just heard. Then his mind caught up with Kenta’s statement.
“ . . . You ass.”
Kenta snickered, grinning from ear to ear with a rogue smirk. “Ha, ha, you actually believed me for a second! See, this is why I like having you around.”
“Not cool,” grumbled Hibiki. “What really happened?”
“Heh, heh, heh.” Kenta took a moment to compose himself, then cleared his throat. “Sorry. In the end, Bolt learned the super move, and every Magneton coming at us did a U-turn after feeling the force of a Salamence’s strength. It’s like Champion Lance always says: you don’t mess with a dragon. Oh, and speak of the devil-”
Hibiki was amazed at how fast Bolt returned. One moment he was a speck in the distant sky, and the next, he was right on top of the two trainers. With a great flap of his wings, Bolt halted his forward momentum, and Hibiki was nearly blown off his feet from the resulting blast of wind.
Kenta’s former smile was gone, and his body tensed as he readied for action. “What’d you spot, Bolt?” he asked sharply. “Is there some sort of trouble up ahead?”
The Salamence nodded. Kenta’s eyes narrowed. “Can we afford a head-on? Or do we go covert?”
Bolt lowered his head and flattened his wings. Kenta nodded and faced Hibiki, who wore the same wide-eyed look he always did when his brother surprised him. “Break’s over, Hibiki. Keep low. We’re going to move forward, quickly and stealthily, until we can see what we’re up against. Time to move.”
Without another word, he knelt into a crouching posture and shot forward, moving quickly over the slope and downhill into the grassy valley below. Hibiki followed him, feeling highly uncomfortable at the idea of rushing straight into danger. He didn’t speak until the two of them had planted themselves behind a nearby boulder a few seconds later, when Kenta had waved him over.
“Kenta! What if we run into a crazed Magneton in the grass or som-”
“Ssh! Keep your voice down.” Kenta pointed around the side of their boulder. “Check that out. We won’t be going into the tall grass.”
Hibiki looked. The dirt road ran down the incline and into the valley, but it curved to the left just before reaching the tall grass. Parked around the spot of the curve were three patrol cars and one enormous sixteen-wheeler truck. Standing a few feet away, a group of police officers were pointing and shouting at someone standing opposite of them; a young man with spiked gray hair. Even as Hibiki watched, the officers threw pokeballs out in front of them, and the young man did the same. From the cops’ side, pokémon emerged from their capsules, which Hibiki recognized as a Sandslash, Growlithe, Graveler, another Sandslash, a Dugtrio, and another Growlithe. The young man’s opposing pokémon was a metallic bird with sharp wings, which Hibiki identified as a Skarmory.
“Looks like a scuffle between the police and some college-age kid,” whispered Hibiki, glancing up at Kenta. “But why would he challenge six officers like that? He can’t possibly hope to win against those numbers!”
Hibiki was about to say something else, but he forgot everything as he noticed Kenta’s expression. He was standing stock-still, eyes wide and staring, mouth slightly ajar with bewilderment. “Maybe he can,” Kenta barely whispered. “I can’t believe it. Do you know who that man is?”
Hibiki shook his head slowly.
“He championed the Hoenn League until about three years ago. He was a prodigy with Steel-type pokémon! What’s he doing all the way out here?”
Steven Stone.
In a moment, Kenta darted out from behind their boulder and was charging straight down the slope before Hibiki knew it. “Stay there!” he called to Hibiki as he went, putting two fingers in his mouth. Hibiki heard him whistle, and an overhead draft suddenly pushed his body down with its force. Bolt’s shadow swept under his feet, and Hibiki watched in fear and helplessness as trainer and pokémon rushed to Steven’s side.
Kenta skidded to a halt between the two parties about to battle, his hands up in a gesture to keep anyone from doing anything. “Hold up!” he panted, as the wind from his sprint vanished from his gut. “What’s . . . going on?”
So much for going covert.
Nobody spoke for a second, then one of the officers pointed at Kenta. “Look at that. Did he have reinforcements?”
“Brendan!” cried Steven, looking stunned. “What are . . . what are you doing here?!”
Kenta leaped backwards so that he was at Steven’s side, and looked him full in the face. “Quickly,” he said hurriedly, “I need to know what you’re doing here first!”
Steven stared at him. “Wait . . . you’re not Brendan Birch.”
“There’ll be time for that later. Why are you fighting them?”
“Hey! You!” One of the police officers pointed angrily at Kenta. “Get out of here! Celebrity or not, that man is interfering with official business. Stand down at once!”
“They’re burning the wild Magneton out here!” Steven shouted back furiously. “After already fighting them unconscious! It’s euthanasia!”
Kenta lost feeling in his body. For a moment, all he could feel was a dull tingle running up and down his arms and legs.
No . . .
“These creatures are a hazard to the lives of every citizen in Henna Villa!” barked another officer. “For as long as they live, these Magneton will continue to return and wreak havoc. This is the only way to stop them for good!”
“Just because they don’t look like other animals doesn’t make them any less of living things!” cried Steven in return. “Steel-types have always been looked at without pity, because they resemble machines. I’ve seen it all! I know the cruelty of you people!”
“Enough of this,” snapped the first officer. “Graveler. Use Rock Throw on his Skarmory!”
“Sandslash, Slash attack!”
“Dugtrio, Rock Slide!”
In a moment’s time, three attacks were shooting straight at Steven’s pokémon, and that’s when Kenta regained himself.
“BOLT!”
Skarmory wheeled and dodged to avoid its enemy’s offenses, but Kenta could hear scrapes and clangs as claws and rocks smashed against the bird’s steel flesh. They were loud at first, but in a second, they were considerably softer. It was as if the enemy was holding back for some reason.
Steven turned his head, looking astonished at Kenta’s action. “What in the . . . ?”
Bolt was hovering right over Kenta’s head, wings fully extended, bearing claws and fangs, and uttering a deep-throated growl full of threat. His Intimidate ability had kicked in, and on the opposite side, the Ground-type pokémon cowered back in fright at their immense new foe.
