Chapter 11: Division
That night, Jeremy wearily crawled into the clean but musty-smelling
hotel bed at the Trainers' Lodge hotel. Beside him, Eric was already
sleeping, snoring softly. In the other bed, Rose had fallen asleep curled
up and was unconsciously snuggling against Entei. The Legendary Pokemon
was purring contentedly.
Jeremy's mind whirled with the chaotic events of the last few days.
Everything had been going according to plan: he had earned all
eight Gym Badges, and was headed for the Indigo Plateau to battle the
Elite Four and hopefully get his Trainer's Certification.
Then, out of nowhere, life decided to go crazy. In the span of several
days, he ran into his long-lost brother, got mixed up in a Team Rocket
scam, escaped from prison, personally met a ton of Team Rocket members,
made an enemy in Kevin Gold, broke into a Pokemon Center, hid out at
the Team Rocket headquarters, and even battled a couple of nasty Glitch
Pokemon. I never even knew Glitch Pokemon existed a week ago,
he thought wearily. Now I'm helping Eric hunt them down. Life sure
is weird sometimes… Attempting to clear his mind, Jeremy closed
his eyes and gratefully drifted into slumber.
Miles away, 'M's pixels flashed agitatedly as his powerful mind located
Jeremy's floating subconscious. Sifting methodically through Jeremy's
jumbled thoughts, 'M quickly located the ammunition needed to turn these
friends against one another. Grinning to himself, the smarmy Glitch
began telepathically communicating through the trainer's dreams, speaking
in a mock-friendly, oily voice.
Yes, life certainly is weird sometimes, my friend, he began,
the words sliding subtly through the trainer's mind.
"Who… who are…" muttered Jeremy. Beside him, Eric
snored on, oblivious to Jeremy's internal dialogue.
No worries, I am simply a friend. A true friend who can help you
a great deal more than these so-called friends you are currently traveling
with. I can give you much… all these two can give you is trouble.
"Hunh?" murmured the trainer. "But…"
Come now, the smooth voice persisted as Jeremy shifted uneasily
in his sleep. What have these two humans ever done for you? Your
brother… he hasn't bothered to even talk to you in years. Now all
of a sudden, he needs you. And that's the only reason he's even dealing
with you, because you have suddenly become useful to him.
"No… no…" moaned Jeremy, shaking his head. "He's…
not…"
And that girl, what's she to you? You don't even know her, and yet
she's dragged you along on this wild-goose chase. Never mind that she's
already landed you with a criminal record. She can't offer you anything…
but I can.
"Whaaa…?"
Just turn those two over to me, tell me exactly where you are staying
right now, and I'll give you whatever your heart desires. Fame, fortune,
the adoration of all around you… wouldn't that be nice?
Images flashed through the sleeping teenager's mind. He was standing
on a raised platform inside the Indigo League stadium as a large crowd
cheered his name. Professor Oak was shaking his hand in congratulations
as photographers snapped pictures and news reporters rushed around with
video cameras. His mom and dad smiled proudly as their youngest son
and his Pokemon were immortalized in the League's Hall of Fame. Everywhere
he went, girls screamed at the mention of his name. His face adorned
the covers of numerous magazines: Pokemon Trainer's Monthly, Professor's
Choice, Battles Illustrated, even the teeny-bopper magazine Heart-throb
Hunks! The Indigo League was offering him the chance to become a
Gym Leader.
That looks good, doesn't it? the voice asked smoothly. And
just think: you would bring such honor to your family. To finally dispel
the dark shadows cast by your brother's failure…
"But I- I can't…" murmured Jeremy.
What are these Glitch Pokemon to you, anyway? You're certainly not
going to battle with them. Capturing these Pokemon is only going to
destroy your hard-earned Pokedex information, prohibit you from accessing
your stored Pokemon, and obliterate your training records. What will
happen when you attempt to battle at Indigo, and there is no record
of your Gym Battles? Who's going to vouch for you, the disgraced professor
or the Team Rocket member?
Jeremy flinched mentally. Whoever this was, they concisely voiced one
of his worst fears. What if these Glitches really did erase his trainer
records? If he tried to show his badges as proof of victory, without
his registration information, they might he stole them…
Just think it over, won't you? murmured the voice. I'm not
going anywhere…
The next morning, Jeremy was awakened by Eric gently
shaking his shoulder. "Go 'way," he muttered blearily.
"Gotta get up now, Jer. The breakfast buffet will be available
soon. You don't want to miss the fruit Danishes, do you?"
Jeremy felt terrible. He had slept fitfully, the insistent voice filling
his mind for hours, tormenting his rest. He slowly sat up and threw
his t-shirt over his head.
"Hey, Kid, are you okay?" asked Entei. "You look like
hell."
"Who asked you?" snapped Jeremy, running his fingers through
his disheveled hair.
"Have some coffee." Eric Stone suggested his solution to most
of life's problems. "Trust me, you'll feel better."
"Trust you," thought Jeremy irritably. That's what
got me into this mess in the first place - trusting you and your ridiculous
schemes.
Just then, the bathroom door opened and Rose skipped into the main room,
wrapped in a brightly-colored beach towel.
"Anyone wanna go swimming?" she asked cheerfully. "I've
heard this place has a delightful indoor pool. I'm sure my Blastoise
will just love it."
Entei stared at her, a silly grin on his face. He was hoping to catch
a glimpse of what was underneath the towel. "I'll come along, Rose."
"But Fire-types can't stand water," she answered, oblivious
of his intent. "It's not going to be much fun sitting around a
pool you can't even swim in."
"Don't worry, I'll find some way to occupy myself."
Rose shrugged, tossed on a pair of sandals, and stepped out into the
hallway.
"I thought Legendaries didn't breed," remarked Eric dryly,
arching an eyebrow.
"Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?" Entei winked mischievously
and scampered after the Team Rocket girl.
Eric just shook his head, looking out the door for a
moment before detailing his plan for the day. "I suggest that after
breakfast, we head across Fuchsia City toward the Safari Zone. There
are always people training there, so if the Glitches really have traveled
in this direction we'll have proof."
Jeremy still sat motionless on the edge of the bed, barely hearing what
his brother was saying. He was still mulling over that mysterious voice
he'd heard last night. Was it even worth chasing those Glitches down
after all?
"…and if that doesn't work, we should check out Saffron City
next. Being such a large metropolis, any word of strange new Pokemon
will certainly have reached… hey, are you even listening to me?"
"What's the point?" Jeremy muttered. "Those things are
long gone by now."
"Jeremy? What's the matter?" Eric looked at his brother, concerned.
"I thought you wanted to help me track down the Glitches."
"And then what? We can't catch them. They couldn't even be caught
with Master Balls."
"I'm sure we'll think of something," Eric answered, trying
to sound confident but failing miserably. "We'll just keep following
them, and perhaps after some further research…"
"I've had it with this hopeless mission," Jeremy said angrily.
"Maybe I've got better things to do than chase down your mistake
Pokemon that might destroy my training records."
"Destroy your… They won't-"
"How would you know? You don't really know anything about these
things. For all you know, they could totally wipe out my trainer data
and make me look like some kind of Pokemon thief. Why should my reputation
be destroyed because of your past mistakes?"
Eric's face fell. "I… I understand. I'm sorry I ever imposed
on you."
Jeremy felt an awful twinge of guilt in his stomach.
"Eric, I- I'm sorry. I didn't…"
"No, forget about it. It's important to speak your mind, and I
completely understand. You're under no obligation to travel with me
any longer. I appreciate all you've done already. If you don't mind,
I'm going to breakfast now."
Miles away, 'M smiled. One down…
An hour later, Jeremy wandered into the Trainers' Lodge lobby
and plopped down onto one of the comfortable-looking plush chairs. Eric
and the others had already left for Fuchsia City, and now Jeremy was
at loose ends. He planned to head to Victory Road for some additional
training after lunch, but now he wasn't feeling motivated to do much
of anything. That twinge of guilt kept gnawing at his stomach, making
him wonder whether he should have abandoned the Glitch-hunting mission
or not. It's not my fight, he told himself. I have nothing
to do with this.
The trainer absently watched a Pokemon battle unfold on the small video
monitor set high on the lobby wall.
"We interrupt Great Moments at Indigo to bring you a special
bulletin," intoned an official-sounding voice as the video image
abruptly cut off.
"Aww…" said Jeremy. Now it looked like even that minor
distraction had vanished.
A purple-haired reporter appeared on screen in front of what looked
like the Safari Zone. Behind her, smoke poured from the entrance of
the park itself. Chanseys and Nurse Joys loaded injured Pokemon into
a large ambulance while police officers questioned a crowd of bewildered
bystanders. Explosions continued to rock the area.
The reporter smoothed her jacket quickly before speaking. "Just
moments ago, the Safari Zone was attacked by a pair of mysterious ghostly
creatures. The actual damage is yet unknown, but many wild Pokemon were
injured in the attack. Speaking with us now is Mr. Fields, the Safari
Zone warden known to visitors as 'Slowpoke'. Now, Mr. Fields, can you
describe what you saw before the explosions began?"
Jeremy craned his head upward, intently watching the breaking news.
It couldn't be those Glitches, could it?
An angry-looking, gray-haired man appeared on the screen. "I've
already told you what I know," he snapped.
"Yes, I understand, sir," replied the reporter in a strained
voice, trying to keep her patience. "As I told you before, sir,
I need to interview you on-camera. Would you kindly repeat what you
told me before?"
"Oh, fine then. I was tending the Safari Zone, as I always do,
when these two odd-looking Pokemon appeared in front of the entrance.
Before I could get a close look at them, there was some kind of explosion."
"You're certain they were Pokemon?"
"Don't you question my judgement! They looked like Pokemon to me,
and I've been at this since before young pups like you were even born!
One of those things looked something like a ghost, and I can't begin
to explain the other one. Some kind of glowing shape…"
The camera snapped back to the reporter as Mr. Fields' voice trailed
off. "Everyone is urged to vacate Fuchsia City immediately. If
your Pokemon were injured in the attack, you are encouraged to administer
first aid until trained professionals can assist you."
Suddenly, the reporter placed a hand to the headset on her ear and her
eyes widened. "I have just received word that several trainers
and an Entei had entered the Safari Zone moments before the attack.
It is unknown whether they were near the site of the explosion. Medical
staff are now searching for…"
Jeremy was on his feet and out the door of the Trainers' Lodge before
the emergency bulletin had even ended. He had the awful suspicion that
he had been tricked into leaving the group somehow. If those b*stards
hurt my brother, I'll make them pay, he vowed angrily, ripping Windslicer's
Poke Ball from his belt and hurling it into the air.
***
Eric, Rose, and Entei had been walking around the Safari
Zone for about fifteen minutes when Eric felt a slight tremor beneath
his feet. "That's odd, I didn't think there were fault lines running
through Fushcia…" the Professor mused, when suddenly the party
was rocked by a quake that knocked them off their feet. Rose's Meowth
fell off her shoulder and hissed angrily.
"What's going on?" asked Entei. "You know anything about
this, Professor?"
"No, and I don't like it," Eric answered, quickly gathering
up some of his belongings that had fallen out of his pockets. "Something's
wrong here."
Another quake shook the ground, stronger than the last, accompanied
by an audible boom, almost like an explosion.
"Call me crazy, but it feels like these quakes are zeroing in on
us," added Entei, bracing himself against the blast. "We've
got to get away from here."
"Let's go now before anything worse happens!" cried Rose as
she recalled her Meowth into its Poke Ball. The bomb-like explosions
seemed to be getting closer as the group ran toward the main gate of
the Safari Zone.
"Both of you, climb on," Entei said, running beside his human
counterparts. "I can get us out of here a lot faster."
As the Volcano Pokemon raced toward the entrance, Eric thought he caught
a glimpse of a hovering, ghostly shape following them. Before he could
get a closer look, the shape seemed to smirk before it vanished.
Entei screeched to a halt outside the Safari Zone gates, then leaped
over the purple-haired reporter and her entourage. The crowd of onlookers
gasped as Entei dashed north toward Fuchsia City's exit.
"What the **** was that?" demanded Mr. Fields.
The Legendary Pokemon froze as a mocking voice rang through the city.
"Ding-dong, your Safari Game is over!" In a brilliant flash
of light, Entei, Rose, and Eric disappeared from the city.
'M chuckled to himself. "The game might be over, my friends, but
the fun is just beginning!"
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