1:09 P.M. June 8th, Wednesday - Lumiose Badlands, Kalos
"Damnit! Return, Dazzle."
Dazzle was the name of the Helioptile that had just been knocked out in a battle against a Froakie. The trainer muttered a curse under his breath as Dazzle was enveloped by bright red light and absorbed back into its Pokéball. Acer had run into this guy while traversing Route 13, looking for the place mentioned in an advertisement for people looking to trade Pokémon for money. Considering how the Froakie fared in its first battle, along with its enhancements, Acer figured the disobedient Pokémon would fetch a good price. The only reason Acer accepted the challenge in the first place was to test its capabilities as well as its compatibility with him.
As expected, they had no chemistry whatsoever. The Froakie didn’t listen to a single one of his commands. Every time Acer shouted command, the Pokémon just did something else. Instead of dodging, it countered. Rather than use an attack, it dodged. Maybe his understanding of combat was lacking compared to the Froakie. After all, the Froakie ended up winning the battle with relative ease. Acer could tell that Froakie hadn't even been fighting the Helioptile seriously, even with the type disadvantage at the start. Thanks to its ability, the Froakie didn't really have to be concerned about the type advantage for long anyways. In fact, it completely gained the upper hand after using its egg moves. It irritated Acer slightly to watch the Froakie use Camouflage and then follow up with a super effective Power-Up Punch. The Helioisk never stood a chance and it wasn't long before Acer got some spare change in his back pocket from the victory. Unfortunately, the prize money he got from fighting trainers at his level wasn't anything too substantial.
"Good fight," Acer said as he returned the Froakie to its Pokéball before it could even think about running away. There was no way Acer would be able to chase after it in the desert-like conditions they were currently in. His opponent didn't seem too pleased about the loss, which was made evident by his next words.
"Nah. You're lucky you won this battle, but at least I can control my Pokémon, loser!”
With that insult, the trainer scurried away, leaving Acer alone once again. He knew the Badlands were known for being desolate, but this was just ridiculous. There was nothing for miles. Well, there was the Kalos Power Plant, but Acer could barely make it out from his current location in these desert-like conditions. His vision was limited due to the sand being blown around. Truth be told, the reason Acer came this far was because he thought he saw a truck was out into the distance. Yeah, it was weird to come out this far just for some truck that might've just been one of those hallucinations, but that could've been the people he was looking for.
"Fuck, maybe this was a bad idea."
By this point, it was already too late to turn back for him. The further Acer went into the Badlands, the stronger the winds became, which limited his vision. Even weirder was some stench that seemed to smell worse and worse as he moved forward. His legs were growing heavy as he trudged through the thick sand. Soon enough, the teen gasped as he suddenly stumbled and completely fell over. However, this wasn't because he lost his footing. Having been unable to see much of anything in front of him, Acer had tumbled down into a decently sized pit of sand. After coming to a stop, he coughed before reaching out with his hands to help himself up. At first, Acer didn't think much of the feeling of flesh he felt with his hands. He was more focused on the predicament he had fallen into. His heart started to beat faster as the realization that this hole could very well be his grave if he couldn't climb out. However, his heart stopped when he saw what his hands had just touched.
His eyes started to water up as he felt something sickly rise up his throat. The boy couldn't resist the urge to puke after seeing the half-eaten, decomposed body of a human. This was the first time Acer had a dead body, let alone a decomposed body, so he couldn't help himself from reacting like this. Coughing some more after having emptied the contents of his stomach, the teenager looked at his surroundings. There were about a dozen bodies littered all around him. Some decomposed and covered in sand, while others seemed like they had been dumped in there fairly recently. There were also other body parts spread around, probably the leftovers of an unfinished meal of a native Pokémon. Now he knew where that horrible stench was coming from too.
"Wh-what the fuck?! Shit! I-I should probably call someone."
Still struggling to get a grip of himself, Acer managed to pull out his Rotom Phone and quickly dialed the emergency number. That was the only thing he could think of to do in this situation. At this point, he just wanted to get out of the Badlands. After some ringing, an emergency responder finally answered the call. Although his voice was shaking, Acer did his best to explain to the woman on the other side of the call what had happened. The conversation lasted about a minute and she told him that there would be assistance on the way and to just wait there until then. That was enough to calm his nerves and after the call ended, the teen took some deep breaths. He couldn't believe this was happening on his first day. Why were bodies buried all the way out here? Acer could only make some guesses, but it was pretty obvious this was the work of someone trying to cover up some deaths. Whatever the case, Acer changed his priorities to climbing out of this hole. He didn't even consider asking Froakie for help, since the Pokémon would probably be useless in this scenario anyways. Putting all his remaining energy into climbing up the pit, Acer clawed his way up. He had fallen a few times but managed to crawl out of the hole after about five attempts. Acer's breath was ragged as he reached the top, panting heavily after his struggles.
"Yo. What are you doing all the way out here, kid?"
What Acer hadn't expected was there for someone to be waiting for him at the top. The teen looked up to meet the hazel-colored eyes of a brown-haired man. Most of his face was covered by a black and red desert shemagh scarf, probably to protect himself from the harsh conditions. By his feet was what appeared to be a Poliwag. Acer had no idea where this man had come from or even why he was all the way here. Well, he could make some guesses. It couldn't just be a coincidence this guy just happened to appear where all these bodies were hidden.
"You know, I could ask you the same question." Trying to sound confident, Acer stood up and dusted some of the sand off his clothes. He needed to wash them and himself when he got the chance. If he got the chance that is. The man only chuckled after hearing his response.
"What are you trying to say?" Questioned the man, like he had no clue what the boy was getting at. Acer knew it was dangerous for him to press on like this but still did so anyways.
"I-I was out here trying to trade my Pokémon for money, but I ended up finding this gravesite instead. Then you just happen to show up here as well. Care to explain that?" Gesturing towards the pit of sand, Acer glanced back at the man who he believed to be the culprit.
"That's quite the assumption, boy. You know, I could kill you right now if that were the case." The man stated as his voice grew slightly deeper. Acer couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread as he heard the man say 'kill'. This man could very well kill him right now and Acer lost all of his composure at the thought of that. Afraid of pressing onwards, the teen's mouth opened, but not a single word came out. Seeing the fear well up in the aqua eyes of the boy left an unseen grin underneath the facial coverings over the man's face.
"50k."
"Huh?"
"You said you were out here to get some money or something, right? Let's make a bet. You win and I'll let you leave here with 50k in your pockets."
That was, honest to Arceus, the last thing Acer expected to hear from this guy. Perhaps Arceus had provided him with this miracle. One last chance to save himself. Of course, Acer was still very much doubtful as the offer sounded too good to be true. Especially coming from someone he suspected to be a mass murderer.
"And what's in it for you? There's gotta be a catch."
Smirking underneath his facial coverings, the man wasn't surprised to hear Acer's questioning. At least he wasn't foolish enough to believe it was just a one-sided deal. Taking a glance at the Poliwag standing beside him, then back at Acer, the man already knew the boy would agree to his terms.
"You'll owe me 50k that you will have to pay back. I'll be using this little Poliwag here for the battle too. How does that sound?"
Snickering after hearing those terms, Acer knew damn well he didn't have that kind of money. His would-be opponent should have no way of knowing that though. Unless he already did know that and was offering this deal anyways. This guy must just be high then, especially if he was seriously planning to use the Poliwag.
"How do I know you won't just go back and your word kill me like you did those others?" After making his suspicions clear, Acer watched as the man pulled out a Porygon tablet. He took a few seconds, doing some swiping and typing on the tablet, before stepping forwards towards Acer.
"You're quite the assumptive brat, aren't ya? Don't worry about that, we'll sign a contract."
Holding out the tablet, the man offered it over to Acer. On the screen was a long-ass contract, stating the terms and conditions that came with agreeing to the bet. Although he knew better, Acer still just skimmed through the wall of text since it seemed like all the important details were already mentioned. It seemed like this guy was really serious about this. Holding the tablet now, Acer scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the page and found an area he just had to sign. By this point, the teen already knew he was going to agree to the deal. After all, how could he forfeit a win-win scenario? What this guy didn't know was that the police were on their way to this very location. Whether he won or lost didn't even matter. If Acer ended up winning, that was 50k in the bank and he didn't have to worry about being backstabbed. Then if he so happened to lose, the police would be here in only a matter of time and all Acer had to do was show them the bodies that lay scattered about. Not that Acer was concerned much about losing. Judging from their previous battle, even though he had next to no control over Froakie, the frog-like Pokémon was definitely skilled enough to handle a little Poliwag. This would be easy money.
Using the stylus that came with the table, Acer only hesitated for a split second before going through with signing the contract. He could hear another chuckle escape the man as he did so. Once he returned the table to the man, Acer pulled out his Pokéball and released the Froakie. The frog-like Pokémon did a front flip as it landed right in front of the Poliwag. It tilted its head slightly at the opposing tadpole Pokémon and after some brief communication, the Froakie didn't seem too interested in it. Acer guessed that it was probably because the Poliwag was a male.
"Hey, Froakie. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Just win." Acer said cooly to Froakie, who turned around to acknowledge him briefly. It seemed to appreciate that Acer wasn't going to order it around. At least, that's how Acer interpreted its side-eye.
"That's quite the confidence you have in your partner. You can just call me Ricky by the way. I hope you're ready."
"Thanks, but this is the first and last time we'll ever talk, Ricky."
"We'll see about that haha. You can go first."
That was all the Froakie needed to hear as it leaped into battle. It launched a barrage of bubbles at the Poliwag before suddenly blending into the environment while its opponent was occupied with the Bubble attack in front of it. A spray of water launched out of its mouth as it didn't have much time to completely dodge the attack if it wanted. The Water Gun was enough to create a hole in the flurry of bubble, allowing the Poliwag to avoid being hit by it. However, the Bubble had only been a setup for the real attack. Using Camouflage, the Froakie was able to sneak up to the Poliwag undetected. At least, that's what Acer thought until he realized that if he could see the footprints in the sand next to the Poliwag, then so could Ricky.
"Use Hypnosis on your left, Poliwag."
Ricky muttered the command calmly, causing the Pokémon to close its eyes and turned to the left. A soothing sound could be heard coming from the Poliwag soon after. Acer muttered a curse under his breath as he saw Froakie reveal itself and miss its attack. Judging by the slow movements of the now drowsy Froakie, it was clear that the Poliwag had landed a direct hit. Fortunately, the Froakie was able to barely tumble over to the side and avoid an attempted Pound from the Poliwag. It seemed capable of using attacks on its own, with direct command only coming at necessary times. Most trainers usually trained their Pokémon to be able to act on their own like that by teaching them how to act in certain situations. Of course, most Pokémon naturally knew how to navigate a battle themselves as well. As seen by his talented Froakie. Yet, talent didn't seem like it would be enough here as the Froakie was struggling just to stay awake at the moment. However, while Acer was starting to get concerned about Froakie, he had left himself completely wide open and suddenly felt the air get knocked right out of him as a stray Water Gun struck him directly in the chest and blasted him backward. Acer fell onto his back and clutched his chest as he struggled to gasp for air. It took a few moments for Acer to catch his breath before he could actually react to the uncalled-for attack.
"Wha-What the fuck?! Wh-why the hell are you attacking me?!"
Coughing some more after doing his best to question Ricky's motives, Acer managed to sit up and find Froakie. Fortunately, his Pokémon was still standing. Meanwhile, Ricky started to laugh in response to Acer's questioning. However, it soon stopped, and judging by the look in his hazel eyes, Ricky seemed to be a bit displeased.
"You sound like a bitch. That's how Pokémon battles in the real world are, kid. None of that Pokémon League p**** shit. You're supposed to fight with your Pokémon. Unless you think Pokémon are slaves for your enjoyment. Hm?"
When Ricky put it like that, Acer didn't really know how to respond. Glancing at Froakie, was that what it was thinking? Wondering why it should be battling for people like him instead of itself. Was it wrong for trainers to just use Pokémon to fight their own battles? But that's what Pokémon battles were, though. Pokémon battling Pokémon for sport with trainers commanding them. Perhaps he had underestimated the choice Pokémon had when they joined a trainer. The choice was all theirs. Even then, was it right that the trainers were the ones who got to avoid all the harm? Acer didn't know and now honestly wasn't the time to think about that. Right now, he was more concerned about Froakie, who seemed just about ready to doze off.
"End it now, Poliwag." As Ricky said that, the Poliwag's right hand began to glow white before it charged at Froakie. It aimed to end the match with one last Pound. This was all his fault. If only he was a better trainer, one Froakie could respect, they wouldn't be in this predicament. He had to change something right now. Clenching his fists, Acer used whatever willpower he had remaining to force himself up.
"Damnit, I can't lose like this! Froakie use-"
His sentence was left unfinished as the Poliwag pounded Froakie so hard, the frog-like Pokémon was sent flying straight into Acer, knocking both of them down in one hit. Acer had been too late. Froakie was already sleeping soundly, a rest only deepened by the knock-out blow. Meanwhile, Acer just laid on his back, defeated and in pain. He could hear the chuckles from Ricky as he waltzed up them. Acer had been prepared to lose battles. He expected losses and knew they were a necessary part of any trainer's journey. Yet, this first loss wasn't any normal one.
"Looks like you owe me big time now, kid."
Carefully brushing the slumbering Froakie off his chest, Acer slightly raised himself up as he glared directly into the hazel eyes of Ricky. The bastard had gotten him. Acer could admit that. However, it wasn't over for him yet. He still had an ace up his sleeve and just needed to stall a bit longer for time.
"Nah, I don't owe you shit. I don't even got 50k to give you right now." Trying to sound confident again, Acer fessed up to not having the amount of money that had been bet. Of course, he figured Ricky already knew this. Something which was proven correct by some snickering from the man. He didn't even seem bothered by that information.
"Hey kid, you know what? I'm gonna teach you another lesson. Wanna know the best weapon to deal with a Pokémon?" Bending over slightly, Ricky brought his right hand around his back and attempted to pull something out. Acer was surprised by the somewhat tone, but his eyes grew wider when he saw Ricky pulled out.
"A gun."
The weapon was pointed directly at Acer. The teen couldn't even breathe. He just sat there, frozen in fear, as he saw his life flash before his eyes. What can go wrong, will go wrong. That's exactly what had happened today. This had been the worst possible start to his Pokémon journey. Perhaps the worst start by any trainer in all of history. This was literally like the worst possible outcome. There was no way this was happening. This had to be a dream, yet the pain in his chest told him it wasn't. Just as Acer had told his parents, he had wanted a regular Pokémon journey. Was it their fault he couldn't have that or was it his? He might not ever know. Acer just closed his eyes and waited for it to end.
A large gust of wind suddenly blew through the area, forcing Acer to hold on to the tip of his cap. A hole in the sandy skies suddenly appeared, allowing a ray of light to shine through it. Floating downwards, like a deity from the heavens above was a dragon. Even as it descended, every flap of its large, turquoise wings caused the wind to pick up. With its large, teardrop-shaped ears that seemed to resemble loudspeakers, this draconic creature was unlike any other. As it landed on its feet, it graced both Acer and Ricky with a noble presence befitting that of a mighty dragon. Opening his eyes, Acer got his first look at a Noivern. Its fierce, yellow eyes scanned the area, first finding him, then Ricky.
"Finally."
Smirking, Acer knew this was going to end just as he expected it to. Hopping off the large Noivern were two officers and a Growlithe. The puppy Pokémon stood nearby the much younger, blonde-haired officer, while the older one pulled out a gun instead. He pointed it directly at Ricky, wordlessly threatening to shoot him if the man attempted to make another move.
"Ricardo Descartes. Wanted man in three different regions with a list of charges so long even I can't even name them all myself. To think you were still roaming around here even after all these years." The elder officer stated as he stared down the wanted criminal. It took a few seconds for Acer to recognize the face, but he soon realized that the man speaking was none other than the Commissioner of the Lumiose Police Branch, Charles Thayer. It couldn't get any better than him. Even Ricky seemed to know the Commissioner was, which was only a testament to his well-respected reputation.
"Well, look who it is. Been a while, Charles! How you been?"
To the surprise of the younger officer, Ricardo seemed to regard Commissioner Thayer as an old friend. Considering how serious the Commissioner seemed to be, they must've had many encounters in the past. It was strange to even think the Commissioner had failed to bring a criminal like this Descartes guy in, but now that he was here, maybe things would be different. However, the younger officer was also concerned about something else.
"Are you sure it's alright to use a gun in this situation, Commissioner?! You could hurt the boy if you miss!"
The younger officer shouted to the Commissioner with concern evident in his voice. It was a justified concern. Should he miss horribly, Acer could be shot. Even worse, that could give Ricardo a chance to freely retaliate. Yet, with all that in mind, Charles didn't even budge on his stance."
"I won't miss, Louise. Trust me."
In a calm manner, the Commissioner reassured the young officer. With how sincere he sounded, Louise had no choice to believe him. It would be a disservice to the entire police force if he couldn't trust the man he and so many others looked up to as the leader in their pursuit for justice. On the other hand, Ricardo just started to laugh after hearing those words of confidence.
"So the great Commissioner Thayer needs backup now. You must be getting old!"
Calling out the Commission for what may be a sign of weakness, Ricardo seemed to raise the gun towards Acer's head. The situation seemed to be growing tenser as each second went by. One misstep by any of them and Acer could very well end up dead. All he could do was put his faith in the Commissioner, just like Louise. Taking one look at Commissioner Thayer, his calm and composed demeanor made Acer feel like he was in safe hands.
"Please. You know well enough that I don't need any backup." Without a second of hesitation, Charles then turned to his right and pointed the gun at his fellow officer.
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
Louise had no time to react as three bullets were suddenly planted into his chest at point-blank range. The impact of each shot caused him to move backward before falling onto his back. The man must've been in shock as his bloodied hands were visibly shaking as he looked up at them. His breaths grew increasingly heavy as he struggled to keep on breathing. It was tough with his own blood choking him.
"C-C-Ca-Car..."
Shock was the only thing that coursed through Acer as he watched Louise cough up blood during his dying breaths.
*BANG*
He didn't even react when Charles shot the gun again, this time putting a bullet into the head of the Growlithe. The yelp by the puppy Pokémon was replaced by a dying cry before it soon passed away.
*BANG*
All Acer could do by now was watch as Charles then put one last bullet into Louise to silence him for good before turning to Ricardo with a disgustingly wicked grin plastered over his face.
"I'm old-fashioned. What can I say?"
Then they both laughed. He listened to them laugh like Mightyena. He watched as flames erupted from the Noivern's mouth and down onto the poor Growlithe. He watched as the Flamethrower roasted the Pokémon and turned it into a fresh meal. He watched as the Noivern picked up the Growlithe, piercing it with red claws, reddening them more with blood, before it began to devour its meal. He watched as the two animals disguised as humans began to chop it up like old pals. He watched Ricardo kick Louise down into the pit to rest alongside the remains of the other dead bodies. His vision started to go blurry. Acer could feel his entire body shaking with the rage welling up inside of him, but also fear. He wanted to act, to do something, but he knew the effort would be fruitless in his current state.
'I need to run. I need to run. I need to fucking run!'
Breathing heavily, all he could think to do now was run. With all of them distracted, Acer had to take advantage of this opportunity however he could right now. The first thing he did was return Froakie to its Pokéball, before getting up and attempting to scurry away. Of course, both of them couldn't miss his attempted escape, so Acer did the only remaining option he had left. Something any person would usually do in a frantic situation such as this one. He shouted hopelessly for help.
"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Hearing the panicked screams of the teenager running for his life was more than enough to put a smile on their faces. Ricky then took the initiative by aiming his gun at Acer once more and firing.
*BANG*
*BANG*
After hearing those gunshots, the last thing Acer felt was a sharp pain in his left shoulder before everything went black.
