Well, I finished this chapter faster, but I hope it's not as bad as the second gym battle. It settles the cliffhanger from the last chapter, and it has several more bad jokes! Also, if you're reading, PLEASE review! Gelatino95 and DiZ are great, but I need all the help I can get right now!
Chapter Eighteen: Escapees
FIFTEEN KILLED IN BREAKOUT FROM NACRENE PRISON read the headline. Below it was a mug shot of none other than Kurayami himself. The article was about how security cameras caught several people in the same uniforms of those arrested sneak into the prison, murder fifteen guards, and break out their team members.
“It’s our fault…” whispered Christy. “We put them in jail, and they killed them. It’s our fault those people are dead…”
“Hey, kid!” grunted the man running the newsstand. “If you’re not gonna buy something, take your boyfriend and move along!”
The pair wordlessly turned away and walked towards the pokémon center. Since Castelia City was the biggest city in Unova, it took a good twenty minutes to find it. As they reached the pokémon center, they spoke only to request that their pokémon be healed and to reserve a room. After walking upstairs to their room, they released their pokémon.
“What’s the matter?” asked Stinger, immediately aware of an issue.
“Did Jake do something stupid?” asked Christy’s newly evolved palpitoad, earning him a cold stare from his trainer.
“How about we buy some bacon and it all feels better.” George received a slap on the back of the head from Leaf.
“Everyone shut up and let them talk!”
“Thanks Leaf,” said Christy as all the pokémon stopped talking. “We just found out something terrible. You all remember those Team Legend goons we sent to jail yesterday?” Several nods came to Christy, and she continued solemnly. “They escaped. And not only that. They killed a bunch of people on their way out.”
“What?!” yelled the pokémon in unison, all of whom were astounded at this bad news. Stinger started to cry a little, and even the ever playful George was sad. Paul on the other hand, was seething with anger.
“Those jerks are gonna pay! Once I evolve again, they’re gonna have one angry seismitoad on their hands! They killed those people! Killed them!” With that, Paul walked away muttering darkly to himself.
“Don’t worry stinger,” said Tails, patting the whimpering gligar on the back. “It’s gonna be alright.
John even seemed to acknowledge the news. Munchy looked at Jake, hoping to be told that everything was alright.
“It’s okay everyone,” Jake said. “We couldn’t have done anything to stop it anyway. The best thing we can do now is to keep getting stronger so we can beat them.”
“You’re right,” Christy said, keeping a strong face in front of the pokémon, but Jake could tell she was just as upset as they were. “Where’s the Castelia City gym?”
“I don’t know. I guess if we ask around, we’ll find it eventually. Why don’t we go for a walk?” Jake looked at his pokémon, who looked happy to go back to their pokéballs and get their minds off the prison break.
“Great idea! Why don’t we split up and look around?” Christy said as she returned her pokémon.
“Okay. I’ll take the west side if you take the east side.” Jake retuned his own pokémon, and walked towards the door with Christy.
After a few minutes of walking away from the pokémon center, Christy tried to stop a woman passing by. “Excuse me, do you know-”
“Get out of my way kid,” ordered the woman, shoving past her.
“Okay,” muttered Christy. “No need to be a b*tch about it.” She walked a bit more, and found a man with a brief case walking by. “Hello, sir? Do you know where-”
“Whatever the hell you’re selling, I don’t want it!” replied the man, walking on.
“I wonder if the people down by the pier are any nicer,” she said to herself, and moved down onto the part of the road extending over the ocean.
The pier was beautiful. The water shimmered in the sunlight, and small water type pokémon could be seen swimming around. A few people could be seen standing at the end of the dock, and one old man was standing at the side.
“Hello sir!” Christy said, hoping that this man would be more agreeable than the other people she had met. “Do you know where I could find the Castelia City gym?”
“Oh, of course. It’s on gym street in the far west corner of the city. If you’re thinking about challenging it, you probably have strong pokémon. Would you mind if I see them?”
Thankful that the man was helpful rather than spiteful, Christy was happy to oblige. “Sure! Come on out, guys!” she said, pressing the buttons on the pokéballs on her belt. Leaf, George, Paul, and John appeared in front of her. The man saw George and looked happily at him.
“Oh, thank you! I do love pokémon. I couldn’t help noticing you have a pansear. A friend of mine sent me a box of leaf, water, and fire stones many years ago. I was a scientist back then, and I used to study evolution. I still have all of them, and I was wondering if you wanted a fire stone. It can evolve pansear, you know.”
“What? You’re just gonna give it to me?” Christy asked, surprised by the man’s generosity.
“Of course! You need it more than I do!” said the man, pulling a strange rock with a flame pattern out from his pocket. “I just have one favor to ask. Could you evolve him here? It’s been so long since I’ve witnessed an evolution. I’d love to see one again.”
“Okay, but only if George here agrees,” replied Christy, looking at her pansear.
“Yeah! I wanna evolve! Pass me the stone!” replied the pokémon.
“I guess that answers my question. Here we go.” Christy accepted the fire stone from the man’s hand, and handed it to George, who pressed it against his forehead. The stone began to glow white, and the glow spread over George’s body. He grew taller and more muscular, and the flame-like tuft on his head appeared to burn higher until it stopped at twice its original size.
“Cool!” George said, looking at his hands. “I’m a simisear now! Nobody can beat me!”
“Thank you sir!” Christy yelled over her shoulder as she ran off towards the west side of the city.
***
Jake couldn’t find anyone who could help him. Everyone either pushed him out of their way before he could talk to them, or yelled at him for trying to sell him something. Note to self: never move to Castelia City. He was walking down an ally in hopes of finding at least one person who wasn’t a total as*hole.
“Hey!” called a man behind a dumpster in a trench coat. “I can tell you what you need to know. Just come over here.”
“Thanks!” said Jake, happy that at least one person was helpful. He walked over to the man, who smiled at him.
“OOGA BOOGA!” yelled the man, and pulled open his trench coat.
“Oh god, my eyes!” screamed Jake, pulling out Tail’s pokéball.
“Kill it! Kill it now! Leaf blade!” Tails jumped up and slashed at the flasher, causing him to run off screaming and bleeding.
“You just had to order an attack that makes contact,” said Tails, obviously disgusted at having touched the man. “I know energy ball too, you know!”
“I panicked, okay!” Jake’s pokénav started ringing. “Hyello?” he answered.
“Do you really have to answer the phone like that?” asked Christy on the video display.
“Yes.”
“You’re a nerd.”
“But a sexy nerd. What did you have to say to me anyway?” Jake asked. Christy rolled her eyes.
“I found out where the gym was, and a nice man gave me a fire stone that I used to evolve George.” Christy smiled and then noticed that Jake looked like he had been mentally scarred for life recently. “What happened to you?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it. Where’s the gym?”
“It’s on the far west side of town on Gym Street.”
“Gym Street? How the hell did we not figure that out before?” Jake said angrily.
“Well, it’s too late for a gym challenge today. We might as well go to sleep early tonight so we can get up early tomorrow,” Christy suggested.
“Good idea, Christy. We’ll meet back up at the pokémon center.” Jake hung up the phone, and headed back towards the pokémon center.
***
Christy was closer to the pokémon center, so she made it back first. As she sat down, she saw a man in a trench coat crying as he was pushed bleeding into the emergency room on a gurney. It’s times like these when I question the logic of having a hospital and a hotel in the same building.
“Hey, Christy,” Jake said as he pushed open the door and walked into the pokémon center.
“Hey Jake,” she replied as she stood back up and they walked towards their room. “Some guy in a trench coat was just crying his head off in the hospital. He was cut up really badly. I guess he got mugged.”
“It was self-defense, okay?!”
“What?” Christy replied as they walked into their room.
“Nothing. Let’s get some sleep.” With that, Jake plopped down onto one of the beds, and Christy jumped into the other one.
“Whatever, psyduck boy.” Jake didn’t respond to the nickname, and the two went to sleep.
Author's Note: The flasher was actually featured in pokémon black and white. He jumped out from behind a dumpster, yelled 'OOGA BOOGA' and gave you the flash tm.
