Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Pokemon FireRed: Despairlocke	By : Atxdepboy Category: +M through R > Pokemon Views: 4976 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is purely a work of fiction. I own no rights to Pokemon or any of its associated offshoots, nor do I make a dime for any work. Or a nickle. Or a penny. Or any unit of currency.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
CHAPTER ONE: A WAGER, ONCE MADE

What struck him was the heat. The overbearing, sickly scent. The roar of air blasting about him, ripping away his clothing, biting into his skin. He blinked through the pain, staring up at the apex of the mountain. The road to Victory Road wound through the rocks and crags, the fire from the peak rolling in heavy, pulsing waves with the beat of his own heart. He gripped tightly against the jagged rocks, struggling to pull himself just a few feet further. Each pulse brought the same voice to the back of his mind.

“How far are you willing to walk, boy? How far? How far?”

He threw his head back, howled out. “Further!” And then, he woke.

- - - -

Reed had lived in Pallet Town his entire life. His father had lived there his entire life, short as it had been. His grandfather had remembered a time before Pallet Town, but by the time that Reed knew him it had been unclear what came from his mouth was legitimate insight, and what was simply someone else’s memory he’d co-opted. For eighteen years, he’d looked out over her slums, her squalor - watched as her people struggled, starved, and suffered for the amusement of their ‘betters.’ So many of them had accepted it as the way of things, a cruel reality of life led in Kanto. Reed had never accepted it. Reed had been waiting for this day for five long years. The start of the Grand Tour, the first he’d be old enough to participate in.

He woke with a start, the same way he always did when the “climbing” dream came, bolting upright and nearly slamming his head into the bunk above him. He could hear Luca sleeping soundly above. The boy was chubby, and had already developed a fierce, bear-like snore. It was early. The ceremony wouldn’t start for another three hours.

Careful to avoid making the bed creak and waking any of the other three children sleeping in the room, Reed slipped from beneath the sheets - creeping across the floor to the dresser that they shared - sliding open the drawer that belonged to him and dressing in the dark. He was a slight young man - soft-features, baby-faced. Unlike many of the townsman, he’d never truly gone hungry - though his face did carry the somewhat stony look of one who’d lived hard. His clothes were thoroughly worn, but functional - mended dozens of times over by considerate elderly neighbors. He reached up to run a hand through his straight black hair, before shoving a ball-cap over it, nodding once in the dark.

He crept out of the room and down the stairs like a cat. With nine of his family members all living under the same roof, he’d gotten quite good at moving quietly and remaining unseen, unheard. The dust hanging in the air was illuminated by strands of moonlight from the holes in the roof. He carefully tip-toed around the strategically-placed pots and pans, left there from a few nights before when the rains had come. Soon, his uncle would boil the water and run it through a purifier. Other priorities had put that particular project on the back burner, unfortunately. The house itself was cramped with the contents of three different families’ lives all crammed into one space. Two sets of aunts and uncles, along with their children. Another Uncle, single. And him. His mother didn’t stay here, anymore. She hadn’t in a long time. It was deathly still and quiet, broken only by the occasional loud hum of an enforcer’s speeder zooming through the sky in the distance.

He made his way to the front door, silently undoing the deadlock, before sliding out into the night.

“You’re up early.”

The voice nearly made his heart stop. His hand shot out to grip the railing of the wooden porch that wrapped around their home, instinctively ready to vault over. “Haden, for fuck’s sake,”

His uncle leaned against the railing nearby, a cigarette forming an angry red light in the dark, barely an inch and a half from his lips. He smoked them down to nothing. He didn’t have much choice. He put it out against the wood.

“We talked about this.”

“I don’t know-”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t be a shit.”

Haden rolled his shoulders. He was in his early thirties, but looked far older. His eyes were sunken. The stubble that covered the entirely over his face had flecks of grey, as did the chest hair peeking up from underneath his ratty shirt. He tucked what remained of the cigarette into his shirt pocket, shaking his head.

“You promised me. You promised your ma-” He frowned, seeing the dark look that overtook the boy’s face immediately. “Go back to bed.”

Reed ignored him, releasing his hold on the railing. “Which one are you gonna pick today?”

The older man reached up, scratching a dirty fingernail through his stubble. “Probably the fire lizard. Heard it gets wings, if you play your cards right. Always did want to fly.”

As if on cue, a speeder nearby buzzed past - a spotlight falling from it over some nearby houses as it passed. Reed raised a lazy finger towards it.

“Could always be an enforcer.”

Haden snorted, before spitting over the railing and into the grass.

“Right. Anyway, I’ve seen some of the pictures. It’s a cute S.O.B.”

The dark look passed, and Reed smiled softly, shaking his head, before moving to step off the porch. Haden’s voice followed him.

“I mean it, kid. Whatever you’re thinking of doing today, you need to drop it.”

The young man turned, his expression unreadable as he walked further into the dark. His studied his Uncle’s face. Haden was his mother’s youngest sibling. The one who always shot straight with him. The one who understand him. And he knew that Haden understood, in that moment, that he was telling a hurricane to calm itself.

“Yeah, maybe.” He said, before walking out into the dark - not bothering to look back, to see his Uncle shaking his head, swearing under his breath.

- - - -

.The sun just barely peeked over the trees, as the citizens of Pallet Town gathered in the square, men and women dragging their yawning children from their beds and dressing them in their finest clothes for the event. Even still, every single person in attendance looked shabby, even the governor. Poverty seemed to be contagious here, as when he’d been appointed to relocate and govern Pallet, he’d been quite wealthy. The middle-aged woman on his arm fared no better. Haden made no effort to meet the eye of his sister, Reed’s mother. There was nothing more to say, anymore. The only exceptions to the shabbiness were the square-jawed bruisers in crisp white uniforms, pokeballs on their belt and helmets pulled over their eyes. Them, and the man currently standing center-stage before a podium, adjusting his tie. He was a stocky one, in his mid-twenties - easily the most well-fed man currently in the town. Still, though there was softness at his gut and his face, his arms and legs quartered no question as to his strength. The muscle there strained against his crisp suit, as he smiled mirthlessly at the assembled crowd. He had a face like a Granbull - no kindness behind his eyes, all sagging frown. His head was closely shaved.

“Welcome, citizens of Pallet Town.” His voice was deep, but not booming. Far more practiced than that. The slightest hint at an accent played at the edges of the sound. “As I’m sure you know, you’ve been gathered here today to mark the beginning of the eighth Grand Tour, graciously sponsored by your Elite. Based on the tribute that your town offered, you have been allotted a single space within the Tour’s docket. I’ll admit,” he said, reaching up to wipe his brow, “we expected better. Especially given your town’s current hardships.”

It was a cruel joke. The town had relied on fishing to sustain it, but pollution from the mills on Cinnbar Island has weakened the local ecosystems. The village was suffering - and the only means of salvation they had was the Grand Tour. But buying slots in the tour cost dearly. A price that they could only barely pay, even for one - with no reason guarantee, or even hope of recompense. Haden stood in the crowd with his family, arm around his niece. He growled under his breath, quiet enough so that she couldn’t hear.

Suddenly, at least by his measure, someone familiar was standing to his right.

“You’re late,” he muttered.

Reed said nothing, reaching up to adjust his cap.

“This motherfucker is real long-winded, eh? Wish we could just skip to the end, everyone here already knows how it’s gonna go.”

Still, Reed said nothing. This was enough to make Haden nervous, though he didn’t push the point.

“Still, a showing is a showing,” the Granbull on-stage said, tapping the podium before him. “I assume that your town has chosen its representative. Before he or she comes on stage, I’d like to summarize the rules for you all - for those young ones joining us here for the first time, and for those of you who believe yourselves ready to volunteer. These are things you should be well-acquainted with.”

As if on cue, Reed and Haden clenched their fists at the same moment.

“This,” the man said, reaching into the pocket of his suit jacket and withdrawing a pokeball, tossing it onto the stage - the ‘crack’ sound echoing around the square as a burst of light surged forth, exposing a small, orange, bipedal lizard - standing roughly up to the man’s mid-thigh - it’s tail tipped by a small, healthy flame, “is a pokemon. It is one of the tools that challengers on the Grand Tour will use to prove their superiority.” The creature gave a loud, animal screech - before the man sneered, pointing the pokeball at it and pulling it back within, returning it to light. “Challengers will be granted one pokemon, of three available choices, to begin their journey. They will use this companion to help them travel the dangerous backroads of this, our fair nation. Designated stops around this country have been set up to grant them the tools to catch more. Their goal is to challenge the eight testing centers around the country, earning ‘badges’ as recognition of their power. If they achieve this, they will earn the honor of facing myself and other members of the Circle of Lords, to prove their aptitude and their right to serve as one of the Elite. If they are successful, the city or town they hail from will receive the full support of the Elite for the next five years.”

No one said a word. Everyone assembled knew the rules. Haden glanced sidelong, wanting to read his nephew’s expression. To his surprise, the boy was gone.

“However, this will not be easy. Participants may request challenges with new opponents at any time, for any reason. Such battles will be signaled with one of these,” he reached into the pocket opposite the one that held the pokeball, retrieving what looked like a particularly ugly watch - black metal, rounded red plastic on the face. “An enforcer will arrive via speeder within thirty minutes time. Any pokemon defeated in-battle with another trainer, or in a testing center, will be seen for what it is - weak- and it will be turned over to the Elite. Trainers will be give the opportunities for ‘farewells’ - but they will be rather brief. If a trainer loses all pokemon in this manner, he or she too will be considered forfeit - and property of the elite.” He nodded off-stage, where a pale young man stood - dressed in a white tunic, head bowed and shoved. One of the elite’s shock-collars around his neck.

“You may, of course, surrender at any time. As long as you still have one pokemon left, an enforcer will be happy to escort you to your home - and your spot will forfeit for the remainder of the tour. Now then, who will it be? Who from Pallet Town will make this place proud, will show the rest of the world what you are capable of?”

Haden felt his stomach clench. He took a deep breath, before raising his hand. “It’s me,” he barked out over the crowd, as the others glanced backwards and began to shuffle to the side, to allow him to pass through. “I’ve been chosen as this town’s representative. I’ll go.” He walked towards the stage, trying to look cool and confident, trying to convince himself that he had this under control. That he wasn’t afraid.

The Granbull smirked at him, making bile rise in his throat. “Very good, my friend.” The bile rose a little higher. “Please-” he gestured to the podium, in which sat a briefcase. “Open it. Choose your starting companion, so that they can see.”

Haden didn’t hesitate. He reached inside, unsnapping the clasps on the case and throwing it open - finding the one labeled “Charmander.” When he picked it up, he was surprised at how warm to the touch it felt. He pressed the switch in its center - allowing a burst of light and a creature that looked much that same as the one that the present had summoned earlier to appear on the stage. The assembled people clapped, for a moment, purely out of obligation.

“Very good, very good,” the present said, nodding, “I’m happy that we were able to-”

“Wait!” A voice cut through the crowd, and Haden felt his stomach drop. Reed came from the crowd’s left, rushing the stage, ducking under the arm of one of the enforcers. “I want to participate too. I want to be in the Grand Tour.”

“Reed,” Haden hissed through his teeth, jerking his head back at the crowd - his expression desperate. The best they could hope for, at this point, was that Reed would get a severe beating and learn some damn humility.

“I’m sorry, perhaps you hadn’t heard,” the Granbull said, his tone suddenly chilly. “Your town could not afford the tribute for two participants. Rules will be rules, you know. Perhaps you should find your family, before they miss you.” The threat was obvious, in his tone.

“And when have the rules ever applied to an Elite, eh?”

Gasps came from the crowd. In that instant, Haden was certain his nephew was a dead man. And still, the boy just kept going.

“You can bend the rules, you do it all the time. So I want to make a wager - give me one pokeball. They only work once, right? I bet I can catch a pokemon in one throw, no weakening required. If it works, you grant me a spot in Grand Tour. If I can’t . . . I’ll obey the rules of the Tour. I won’t have any pokemon left. I know what will happen.”

Everyone in the square was silent for a long, long moment. Easily the longest of Haden’s life. He couldn’t see the man’s expression, as he stared the impulsive boy down, but he could hear when the man give a quiet laugh.

“Heh, alright. Fine. I’ll admit, you have me intrigued.” He nodded to one of the Enforcers, who approached the stage. “Hand this young man a pokeball. If he can catch himself a pokemon, let him compete.” He raised a hand. “Come on, boy. Lead the way. Show me what you can do. But remember - a wager, once made, cannot easily be taken back.”

Reed took the pokeball with hesitation, giving a dark look at the enforcer, before nodding to the man and hopping off the stage. The Granbull followed, signaling two enforcers to flank him. “Keep these people contained,” he muttered to another, before looking over his shoulder to Haden. “The boy belong to you, eh? Come along then, I think you’ll wish to watch.” The older man, to his credit, wasted no time in returning his Charmander to its ball and following suit.

The walked along in relative silence for fifteen minutes, further and further from the town square, until they came right up along the boundary to the town.

“You know, it quite illegal for a citizen to leave the confine of their home sector without permission,” the Granbull said, amused.

“Do you want to settle our wager, or not?” Reed countered, tone showing how deeply he detested the man following him. Haden felt his heart skip a beat.

Again, they were silent, as they neared a strip of trees just past the border, before finally stopping.

“I hope whatever’s out here is worth it.”

Reed turned, grinned, and said nothing at all. He took five steps forward, before giving a deep call from the depths of his belly, scaring a flock of nearby Pidgeys from their roost. But it wasn’t the Pidgies that had his attention. It was the grey-skinned humanoid that came from the tree-line. It was shorter than Reed, already fairly short himself, but not by much. It was naked, and corded with tightly packed muscles on a relatively lithe frame. A small, plump set of male organs bounced between its legs, looking relatively undeveloped. It strode confident, until it was a few feet from Reed. And, as if rehearsed, it stopped, dropped into a recognizably human fighting stance, and kicked a nearby clump of earth up, sending it flying off to the side of their small party.

“A machop, eh? I’m surprised to see one this far from a mountain range.”

“You ready?” Reed ignored the suited man entirely, voice calm and friendly. More friendly than Haden had ever heard it. He’d never imagined that this was where the boy has been stealing off to. Had he been feeding this thing? A wild pokemon that could easily have killed him? It made his stomach upset just thinking about it.

Reed, however, did not seem concerned. He retrieved the pokeball he’d been given from his pocket, giving one small look back at them, before giving it the lightest, most casual toss forward - bouncing it off the Machop’s chest. The kind of throw that wouldn’t even catch a sick Pidgey. The grey-skinned Pokemon grunted, but didn’t move, as its form was turned to light and absorbed into the ball. It didn’t even shake.

The party was speechless, save for Reed, who walked over to the Pokeball and picked it up, tossing it casually in the air.

“There we go, then. I believe I’ve bought my entry into the Elite’s tour.”

The suited man stared at the spot where the machop had been, his mouth stretched thin, before cracking into a smile. For the first time, the expression was genuinely. And profoundly unsettling.

“Not so fast. Being that you’re now a participant-” he reached into his pocket, withdrawing the Pokeball from earlier. “You’re obligated to accept battles from any challengers, especially Elites.”

Haden stepped forward. “Wait a minute, you can’t-” He was stopped by a solid blow to the gut from one of the white-clad enforcers, dropping him to his knees.

“I believe it was your charge here who said it best - I’m an Elite. I don’t need to follow the rules.” He twirled the pokeball in his hand. “What say you, boy? Ready for your tour to set a record in brevity? Ready to assume your proper place?”

The tone, lascivious and eager, made Reed’s skin crawl, but he betrayed no fear. He brandished the Pokeball before him. “Eager, even.”

The two men threw the spheres in unison, the grey-skinned Machop and bright-orange Charmander bursting forward in flashes of light, flying at each other almost as if by instinct. The Charmander, Reed guessed, was purely for demonstration - something to be trotted out for the masses to see. It wasn’t used to battling. His suspicions were confirmed when, rather than spitting fire, the creature instead charged - using its sharp claws to attempt to tear at the Machop. But its reach was shorter, and the Machop landed a square kick to its center - sending it sprawling away.

The suited man’s face twitched. “Charmander, play defense,” he said, voice perfectly calm. The Charmander picked itself up, growling and lashing at the grass with its tail, sending sparks flying. Machop wasted no time, charging. It was inexperienced as well. The charmander caught it unaware, digging into its thighs with its claws, raking along the length of its legs and leaving bright red streaks of blood as the Machop fell past it.

Reed felt his heart catch, his teeth grit almost painfully as his Pokemon stumbled to its feet, limping slightly. It wasn’t prepared for the Charmander to charge, pushing it back with a series of scratches, forcing it to stumble backwards. No time to react, no time to retaliate. More and more red streaks appearing on its skin. And then, it fell.

“Do it, Brax!” Reed’s voice surprised even him, how strained and furious it was. The machop fell - but to the side, not back. And with a twist of its hips, a foot hooked around - catching the Charmander in the side. The blow knocked the lizard clear off of its feet - sending flying head first into a nearby tree. When it hit, it dropped. Limp. Its tail still burned. Unconscious.

The Machop struggled to its feet, limping to Reed and falling against him. He caught it, wrapping his arms around it as drops of red streaked his clothing. “You did it.” Brax. It was a good name. At least he thought so. He returned the creature to his ball to heal, as the suited man walked over to the unconscious Charmander, returning it to his own.

“Aren’t you gonna give him to your friends here?”

The man turned, that same grin on his face - filling Reed’s stomach. “Remember what you said about the rules? No, I’m not done with this one yet.” He moved faster than Reed expected - mere inches from him in a matter of seconds - close enough to feel the man’s breath on his face. “I’m not done with you, either. I’m going to be monitoring your progress very closely, Mr. . .”

“Reed.” The man’s breath stunk, the scent of spices that sat too heavy on the palate. It made him nauseous.

“My name is Orson Drake,” the man said, his voice almost soft for a moment, before stepping away. “I’d suggest you remember it. You’ve made a powerful friend here, today. Now come, let’s get back to the gathering. I’m sure your town will be delighted to know that it has two champions.”

Unsurprisingly, the man’s tone did nothing to dissipate the ice water that had settled in the stomachs of either Reed or Haden. Reed, in particular, had never imagined that the word ‘friend’ could sound so poisonous.

- - - -

“Stupid. Goddamn selfish and stupid, that’s what it is.”

“I had to.”

“The fuck you did.”

Haden was leaning against the railing of the porch, smoking the last dregs of his cigarette. His Charmander sat in the yard before him, its fiery tail wagging gently and lighting up the night. Brax the Machop sat a foot away, watching the tail lazily drift, almost hypnotized. “You put yourself in danger, today. More danger than you can even imagine. I can’t imagine what could have possessed you to do something so selfish.”

Reed sat on the steps, staring up at the sky. “What, so it’s selfish for me to, but not you?”

“That’s different. I don’t have people who depend on me. You have your mother, you have-”

“That’s bullshit.”

Haden was quiet, for a long moment.

“You can’t keep crucifying her for the choices she’s made. She did the best she could with what was-”

“No, I mean. It’s bullshit that - I mean-” He paused, before dropping his head. “I need you. You’re the only one here who understands me. And for better or worse, I’m committed now. So I’ll need you even more, going forward.”

Haden sighed. The last of his cigarette was gone. He flicked what was left away.

“Get some sleep, kid. We leave tomorrow.”
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Pokemon FireRed: Despairlocke