Itigus had stepped off of the boat. In front of him, the island of Jinko. It was a place that an anonymous informer had suggested he go to. Apparently a large amount of shipments had been made to the island, and several of the inspectors had been bribed into allowing them to smuggle something. Itigus looked back at the now vacant cruise liner. He had always tried to avoid people even when he was sailing. As a result, he was the last person off the boat, looking over the competition. The trainer kept his hood up so that the rim of his hood would hide his eyes. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his crimson eyes taking in his surroundings.
Everything about this was suspicious. There was a suspicious amount of security for such an event, and no spectators arriving. They were promising such a big reward as well, and yet there didn't seem to be any conceivable way they would be able to make the money back. It didn't take a genius to know that an organization had something to gain from bringing so many skilled trainers to one place.
One of the guards barked at him for his identification, and Itigus obliged the guard's order, and pulled out the card that had been provided to him. He did not say a single word, thinking it would be better if no one paid any attention to him.
Of course, the reward, and challenge of this island that was promised was not his reason for being here. The male had grown up in the region of Fortis, a vast expanse of land possessing a gilded society. He knew all too well the mask that evil men would don to trick unsuspecting victims. The feeling he got from this place was uncanny to when he grew up. In a weird way it was almost nostalgic.
As he looked about, he didn't see anyone who shared the same sentiment. They all seemed like trainers who were pumped up about the tournament. To their credit he couldn't blame them. He could sense that each trainer had their own skills, and stories. However, to Itigus they all seemed to be naive fools.
"You all know the plan." He mumbled in a low tone to no one in particular. He walked towards a nearby tree, and put his back to it, crossing his arms over his chest. The guards seemed to make a perimeter around the beach in order to prevent people from going anywhere they shouldn't.
He had made sure to bring the Pokemon that would suit his purposes here. It was obvious that a flying type, or anything in the air would be out, thus he resolved to take Pokemon that worked well in ground travel. Itigus scanned the area to see if any of the guards were looking his way. He planned to covertly release his Pokemon so that they could find out what was really going on in this island. He would be able to recapture them on a later date. There was absolutely no way he was going to trust these people with his Pokemon. The pokeballs would no longer have a registered Pokemon to them, meaning he could simply slip them back into his bag, and pass them off as normal items.
When the coast was clear, he lightly tapped the trunk in a specific pattern.
His Galvantula Incursio would be the first to exit its ball, immediately taking off into the jungle. As it hopped from branch to branch it left behind its electrically charged webbing. The Galvantula had not simply left its webs on just any trees, but ones that were close to the surveillance systems. The webs quickly began to over saturate the batteries, and cause a reboot on their systems. It was a similar effect to an EMP blast, except much more discreet. Such a place was a natural playground for Incursio. Plenty of trees to climb, and swing across. The male did not look back, but he managed to hear how quickly Incursio managed to escape into the jungle. Itigus pretended to be preoccupied with his pokedex, occasionally glancing around to check if anyone was looking. He started a timer on his pokedex. They had a minimum of three minutes before the webs ran out of electricity, and the systems rebooted. The Galvantula's job was sabotage, and reconnaissance. It would be able to create chaos if needed by setting up webs on the roads, and siphoning electricity from their power lines. The Galvantula would also be able to send messages via web patterns. It would make several webs of specific patterns to relay a simple message. An orb web with a branch placed horizontally in it would communicate that Incursio had confirmed suspicious activity. Meanwhile, a vertical one would mean Incursio hadn't found anything. If sticks were crossed in an X shape it would communicate the need for sabotage. A spiral orb with a branch laid across it would tell Itigus that Incursio was close by, and could be met up with. Finally, in the event that Incursio was captured, or something went wrong, a simple long thick strand of webbing between two trees.
The next Pokemon to exit their ball was his Greninja Celario. He had specifically trained the Pokemon for speed, so it was no question that the ninja-like Pokemon was able to quickly Shadow Sneak its way into the underbrush. Celario had not made a single sound in its escape, leaving Itigus to wonder if it had even exited its ball. The Greninja's job would be to quickly and quietly explore more water based areas. Celario was Itigus's most direct line of communication given the Greninja's affinity for stealth, and navigation. Celario would find him first, and would certainly be the quickest to communicate what they've scouted. At the same time, it too would be doing a similar job to Incursio's. Celario specialized in surprise attacks, and raids. Since it was so quick, and could use Shadow Sneak to hide, and even escape situations it was perfect for stealth missions. Having both Celario, and Incursio do recon would make the job go by much faster. The two of them were natural inhabitants of jungles, and would blend in with the other fauna of the forest. As they would follow different paths, they would be able to cover more ground in less time.
Itigus looked at his pokedex. Two minutes had already gone by. Granted, the security systems would possibly take a few seconds to reboot, but Itigus didn't want to assume that would be the case. The webs would last three minutes, and that was his only safe window. The guards occasionally glanced over at him. One of them looked as though they were going to confront him, but a trainer having to be taken away for trying to smuggle in Pokeballs distracted him.
The next Pokemon that would be released would be released in a group. Two of them were much too slow, and did not have the same affinity for stealth as Incursio, and Celario. However, the third one was his fastest, and could easily carry them.
The window of opportunity opened wide, and Itigus quickly tapped the tree trunk to signal his Pokemon.
His Florges Mavis, and his Marowak Ossios forced themselves out on either side of him. Within the same moment, an almost invisible blur of orange swooped by, causing Ossios and Mavis to disappear.
Good work Tenebris, you went just fast enough to not be seen, but slow enough to not hurt your passengers... Itigus thought to himself proudly. His Arcanine was by far the fastest with his ExtremeSpeed, and the only one who could carry passengers on his back. However, Tenebris job was not reconnaissance, and was instead acting as more of a vehicle for the other two Pokemon on his team. While Tenebris would be able to potentially create a forest fire, his main job was to make up for the speed that Ossios and Mavis lacked. The three of them possessed immunities to common offensive types such as Electric, Dragon, and Fire. Meanwhile, Tenebris in particular would be able to deal with Ice, and flying types as well as steel, grass, and normal. His Marowak would be able to deal solid blows to any electric types encountered, and even protect Mavis from poison types. Mavis would be able to directly counter all dragon type threats, and heal the other two, and itself with Aromatherapy, and Synthesis. They were in a group not only to cover each other's weaknesses, but to also deal with any Pokemon they encountered. Their job was to ask the local wild Pokemon about the situation, and attempt to get them on their side. If they met any resistance, the three would be more than capable in a fight, or flight situation.
Itigus put the now empty Pokeballs into his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder, "I know buddy, I'm worried too." He mumbled to the one and only Pokemon left on his belt.
He plucked the ball from his waist, and looked at his Mightyena through the clear top of the Pokeball. "It'll be just you and me for a while, Ajax." He chuckled, "It's almost nostalgic in a way." His Mightyena nodded, looking back at Itigus with a quiet resolve.
The trainer got in line to hand over all his items, and pokeballs. To some people it was the only suspicious thing they seemed to see, but ironically it was in fact the least suspicious part about this tournament. The Battle Frontier, and many others like it followed similar rules to prevent trainers from using a potion in the middle of a battle. No, the suspicious thing was just why, and how this organization got the funding for such luxuries. There was no way that they would threaten to shoot down anyone who had not come by ship, and have such tight security if they didn't expect people to resist for some reason. It didn't make sense to have such a large, and impressive security force with lethal weapons. By the way they walked, they all seemed to have some sort of military training. It almost seemed as though the hosts of the event were preparing themselves for a war, and not a tournament.
Another thing that had briefly come across Itigus's mind earlier was the lack of spectators, and camera crews. Who exactly was planning to watch, and how? This fact also eliminated the possibility that they were hosting the tournament to turn a profit with ticket sales. Perhaps a massively wealthy group simply wanted a private show? Itigus doubted it. Such a massive event would cost an incredible amount of money, and had much too big of a scale to be considered a private show for a small group. Wealthy benefactors do like luxuries, but only when their wallet doesn't suffer. In fact it would be more likely they would attempt to turn a profit. No, there had to be some other motive for doing this. No one this powerful simply gave away such charity without having some ulterior motive planned, and the massive army that greeted them on the beaches led Itigus to believe the benefactors didn't have good intentions.
As Itigus made his way past the desk, leaving his items behind, he rested his hand on Ajax's capsule. It was a habit to make sure that it hadn't been pickpocketed. Growing up in such a bad neighborhood, Itigus had developed many paranoia, and habits that had kept him alive.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, his right hand wrapping around a flip knife. Though it didn't really help too much when dealing with Pokemon, it was a good survival tool; both in the wilderness, and society.
Once again, the male's crimson eyes scanned around, and took in his surroundings. He tugged his hood lower, and attempted to cover his face out of habit. Dreiki made his way to the room he was assigned, and began to search around for anything suspicious. Coming up with nothing he sat atop the bed. His Mightyena forced itself from its ball, and sat next to him.
"I suppose it's only natural they wouldn't leave anything for a random person to stumble upon." Itigus noted, petting his Mightyena. "Let's see if we can get ourselves something to eat yeah?"
Itigus wasn't going to go outside his room with so many people clamoring, and talking to each other. He would wait for his opportunity to do some more searching, but for now he knew that nourishment was incredibly important. Ordering room service, he bought a large meal for him, and Ajax. Within a short time, the food was delivered, and rolled into his room. He thanked the employee with a monotone, and gave them a tip. The tip was the only courtesy Itigus seemed to extend as he then rudely shut the door in their face as they attempted to talk.
When he turned around, Ajax was already sniffing the food. "No poison, or anything unsavory?" Itigus asked, taking a plate as Ajax shook his head. At the very least he would be able to eat without being knocked unconscious by some sort of poison only to wake up in a dark room. To many, it would seem like paranoia to have their Pokemon check his food before eating it, but Itigus had been on the receiving end of such a trick, and hated taking risks he could avoid. He fed Ajax some Pokepuffs, and continued to pet the Pokemon. The bond between the two was incredibly great. Ajax had been his first Pokemon when he'd started his journey, and had always been loyal to him. The two had been through so much together, and were almost like brothers.
This made Itigus think about the rest of his Pokemon. He had so much love for Pokemon he'd captured. His team had become the family that he never had. They all helped each other, and had been there for each other through the hardest times. This is why, now more than ever, Itigus was worried. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had made the wrong decision despite it being the best possible plan.
He looked at Ajax, seeing the worried look on his Mightyena's face. It mirrored Itigus's perfectly. "You're thinking about them too huh?" Ajax nodded. "Well, let's both try to trust in our family alright?"
Ajax barked, nodding as it wagged its tail. The two ate together, and played a few games with each other. Itigus mimicked the faces Ajax made, and groomed him. All the while, Itigus would occasionally perform what looked like sign language, but could pass off as a simple game of charades.
The trainer didn't know if he was being watched, and didn't want to take the chance that he had missed any bugs in the room. He was going over the plan for tonight. When the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and most people would be having dinner, Itigus, and Ajax would slip out of the hotel, and look for any messages from Celario, or Incursio. If things went awry, he would instead search for the group of Mavis, Tenebris, and Ossios.
After a bit more waiting, Itigus saw the world grow dark as night fell. It was a half tonight, and would be perfect for sneaking around. It was bright enough for Itigus to see, and dark enough for him to hide in it. As Itigus left the room, and headed down to the lobby, he passed a blue haired employee. He seemed to be one of the leaders of the guards, but something about him seemed familiar to Itigus.
The male simply kept his head down, and kept the image of his face in his mind. There was no doubt in Itigus's mind that it was a strong trainer, but for some reason he wasn't competing. By looks alone, Itigus knew even he would have trouble beating him.
However, he was not stopped, so there was no need to think of fighting him now. He walked out of the hotel, telling the guards outside he was simply going for an evening stroll. The guards simply informed him that he was not allowed to leave the hotel, and stood in his way.
"Cmon guys, it's not like there's any reason I can't take a walk on the beach right?" Itigus said casually.
"Sir, please return to your room, or we will be forced to--" Before he could finish, a Sucker Punch was delivered to the jaw of the first guard. Itigus rammed himself into the second, and took the pokeball from his belt. Ajax jumped off his back, and used Iron Tail on the guard's head.
The trainer then immediately sprinted forward, and made his way into the jungle. No doubt they would be after him now, but Itigus hadn't planned on participating in the tournament anyway. It was clear to him that this was a trap. There was no reason they would force their contestants to stay within the hotel unless they had something they wanted to hide.
The night was dark as Itigus expected, and was only illuminated by the moonlight. He looked at the Pokeball in his hand, seeing a Rhyperior inside. Itigus didn't have any doubt in the potential threat the Rhyperior might've had against him if he hadn't disarmed it from the guard. He wasn't sure if it would help him, but Itigus kept it just in case as a last resort. He could never be too careful. As he got deeper into he forest he slowed his pace, and controlled his breathing. They would probably have some sort of Pokemon tracking him when they found the unconscious guards. "Alright, let's see if we can find everyone else" He whispered quietly.
The Mightyena being the only Pokemon he kept with him was not a decision solely based on favoritism. Ajax had the best nose out of the team, and knew everyone's scents. If they were within a mile of something touched by his Pokemon, or the Pokemon themselves, Ajax could find it. Not only this, but Ajax acted as Itigus's eyes in the dark. Using the light of his pokedex was an option, but it was something that could easily get him caught. The Mightyena stayed by his right leg, looking around in the darkness.
In a sudden moment, Ajax growled lowly, signalling Itigus to stop; they had reached the border of the surveillance system.
Itigus's eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness now. He looked around for something that could help him. Eventually, he pointed to a nearby tree, and gestured towards Ajax. "Iron Tail."
The Mightyena obeyed, hitting trunk of the tree, and causing it to tumble down onto the surveillance system. It knocked the camera out, and although the break in the tree looked natural, Itigus doubted they would simply not search for the cause of it. Itigus, and Ajax quickly ran past the line.
The Mightyena led the way, sniffing the air, and leading Itigus through the underbrush of the jungle. He needed to hide his scent now, and he didn't have any items on him that could do that. After a few minutes of running, Ajax stopped, and barked wagging its tail. As Itigus approached Ajax, he understood that they were nearby. His Pokemon would not come out to greet him unless he gave a signal. The male knocked a rhythm on a tree and stood by for a few seconds. Eventually, Ossios, Mavis, and Tenebris came out of their hiding spots. "Alright, Mavis, use Aromatherapy on me, Ossios, dig a tunnel, and Tenebris..." The male took off his hoodie, handing it to the Arcanine, "Put this somewhere far away, and come back in two minutes." The Arcanine nodded, and accepted his hoodie. Meanwhile, his Marowak began to quickly dig a hole. Ajax began to pitch in by grabbing some branches, and laying it across the tunnel's entrance. Finally, his Florges used Aromatherapy on him, masking his scent.
Both his hoodie, and the tunnel were decoys. If they had tracked his scent they would have been led across the island. Meanwhile, if they managed to find the tunnel, and follow it, they would be met with another dead end, or perhaps even a cave in. When the preparations were complete, and Tenebris had come back, Itigus left. "Back as you were, be careful they are now on high alert." The three Pokemon nodded, Mavis, and Ossios taking their place on Tenebris' back before vanishing in a gust of wind.
"Let's see if we can find Incursio's webs." He told Ajax, getting low to the ground, and carefully walking through the forest. Even though he knew the webs would tell him nothing new, he would still be able to give the Galvantula orders by manipulating the web. After an hour of slow careful movement, and hiding, Itigus managed to find the web. Just as he'd suspected, an orb web with an X pattern on it was present symbolizing the need for sabotage. The male pried one of the branches off, and stuck it deep into the ground. This would communicate a confirmation that Incursio was now allowed to sabotage.
With this, Itigus once again got low to the ground, and left. He now needed to find a place he could hide for a while. Some sort of cave, or hidden grotto. However, it seemed as though the search for shelter had to wait because the bright lights of a search party began to shine. Itigus quickly flattened himself to the ground, his entire body completely hidden by the leafy underbrush of the jungle.
He looked towards Ajax, and saw the Mightyena had done the same, its ears pulled flat. Its entire body was tense, as if ready to run, or attack at any given moment.
It was impossible that they had found him through anything less than mere chance. Itigus breathed lightly through his nose, concentrating on keeping his heart from beating out of his chest. All he had to do was sit and wait for them to pass by. They could not see him, smell him, or hear him. He was safe; or so he thought.
"Over there!" One of the guards shouted, holding something in his hand. Itigus looked closer, and saw that it was some sort of device, but what for?
Itigus's heart sank into his stomach when he heard a beeping nose coming from his hip. The Rhyperior's Pokeball had a tracking chip on it!
With wide eyes, grabbed the Pokeball from his hip. They were too close to him now for him to hide somewhere nearby. He had to run now.
The male shot up, "Fire Fang!" Ajax sprung into action, and bit the underbrush, causing it to erupt in flames at his pursuers feet. The male threw out the Rhyperior, and stomped its pokeball to pieces. However, he wasn't surprised that the Rhyperior proceeded to attack him instead. Itigus quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding a Rock Wrecker to his head. The tree behind him was cleaved in two, forcing the male to jump out of the way when it fell. Out of sheer luck the tree fell in the path of his pursuers, delaying them. Ajax took advantage of the situation, and hit the Rhyperior with Iron Tail before using its body as a launch pad to run. The massive Pokemon began to rampage without its trainer to command it, knocking down more trees before being KO'd by one of the guard's Pokemon.
By this time Itigus had managed put distance between him, and the guards. His Mightyena ran by his side. As they both sprinted through the forest, Ajax barked, stopping dead cold. Itigus immidiately did the same, feeling his foot slip off the edge of a cliff. Ajax pulled his shirt, and prevented him from falling.
"Thanks, let's start climbing this before-" It was too late, they were already here. "Sucker Punch!" The male shouted in reaction, Ajax immediately attacking the ground, and revealing a Gengar that had attempted to hit him. The super effective move, and Gengar's naturally weak defenses allowed for a clean KO. Ajax began to glow, his Moxie ability kicking in. With his back against the wall, his only option now was to fight. He did not have the heart to kill Pokemon here as they were only following their trainer's orders. It served Itigus no purpose to be a murderer.
Before the next trainer attacked, he felt a gust of wind behind him. He grit his teeth at what he saw.
A man standing atop a shiny Salamance, the very same one he'd passed in the hall of the Hotel. "I guess these are your men?"
No answer.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Again, no answer. It seemed as though they were not the types to simply tell their plan. "Suppose it was worth a shot." Itigus could only see one way out at this point. He jumped off the cliff, and landed on the Salamance, "Ajax! Play Rough on its wings!!" He commanded, his Mightyena slamming into the Salamance, and causing its flight to be skewed. The Salamance fell down the cliff, breaking the fall by gliding through the air. Meanwhile all Itigus, and the blue haired man could do was hold on for dear life.
The Dragon type hit the ground hard, causing Ajax, Itigus, and The Dragon Tamer to fly off. Itigus's vision was spinning, but he knew he had to get up. He needed to fight for his survival here, and now. The trainer pulled the knife from his pocket, and launched himself at Drake.
"HRYYAHHH!!" he yelled out, slashing at the dragon tamer, and seeing the knife cut through the fabic of his shirt, and into his skin. It was certainly not a deep enough wound to help him. In fact, it would probably heal in a week. Before Itigus could go for another stike, Itigus felt his ribs break. The dragon tamer had delivered a powerful blow, and was definitely a more experienced fighter. Even though Itigus was no slouch, he was no master either. Pure survival instincts only went so far in the face of a man with formal training. The blow brought him to his knees, to which he was greeted to the sight the dragon tamer's leg hurtling towards his face. Itigus felt the hit make contact, causing his vision to spin. Meanwhile, he saw that the other guards were now closing in on their flying type Pokemon.
In such a situation, Itigus had no doubt this was his end. To this, Itigus had always resolved to be grinning if he was killed. The male looked up at the Dragon tamer, and grinned, only to black out from a hard kick to his jaw.
Itigus did not dream, nor did he die. Soon enough, he woke up in an unfamiliar place, wearing unfamiliar clothes, and surrounded by unfamiliar people.
His first reaction was to touch Ajax's capsule. To his relief, the Pokemon was there, alive and well. However, after this brief moment of happiness, Itigus was met with a question; Why was he still alive?
As if they had read his mind, a hologram appeared, revealing some sort of scientist, and the blue haired man who had captured him. Just looking at him made Itigus's ribs, and jaw hurt.
The man with the glasses spoke his voice was smooth, powerful, and confident although it had a noticeable hint of madness to it. “Welcome to the Dark Tournament trainers. I suppose that you are just now realizing that it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind.” The man let out a small giggle as if amused with his own joke. Then he coughed and began talking again. “There are many different diverse species of wild pokemon on this Island. A rather fascinating mixture of different species I might add. A newly created retrovirus has been dispersed via airborne means across the entire Island.” He gave a large smile that seemed to encompass his whole face, “It does some rather fascinating things involving the adrenal gland and the medulla oblongata.” He shook his head, “anyway let me make it rather simply explained out for you. All of the wild pokemon on this island are going to be more hostile than any pokemon you have ever encountered, they will attack you on sight, fight to the death, and they are bigger, faster and meaner than they were before.” He turned back to look down at everyone on the ground below, “That’s right, my little lab rats….”
Itigus's heart sank, and his body felt cold. No... they will be alright... He attempted to assure himself. He knew Ajax had also realized it; their friends were potentially infected now.
Itigus watched as one of the trainers attempted to rebel, getting on top of his Pidgeot, and yelling out in defiance before being made an example of. The harsh quick death set everyone into a frenzy of panic.
The damn fool... He didn't even take in his situation before he tried to escape...
Itigus looked around, seeing multiple guards with their Pokemon. They would no longer simply capture those who attempted to resist, that was clear now. The guards were now ordered to kill rebellion on sight.
“As you can see this Island is heavily defended and I assure you standard escape is quite improbable.” He gave another sinister smile, “Of course you are always welcome to try.” He laughed again at his own amusement, “Now where was I. Oh yes, you are now test group B. I mean we can’t very well release this weapon on all of Cerulean City without making absolutely sure it works now can we?” He spun in his wheeled chair, “the name of the game kids is survival. Yours to be exact.” If you can survive on this Island for one week then you get to live.” He smiled once more, “oh fuck it I will even throw in the promised tournament reward to any survivors. I mean after all I don’t want to be called a liar now do I.” He giggled wildly for a moment before stopping. One Pokemon, no items, no pokecenters, oh and just to make it more fun there will be random patrols of our men wandering the Island. We have to keep the boys on their toes now don’t we.” He held his arms up straight into the air, “so without further ado let the games begin!”
So that's their game... Team Rocket huh? I've definitely heard of them before. Itigus found himself angered that he wasn't able to figure out their goal. There had to have been something he did wrong. If only he hadn't taken that Rhyperior with him, or maybe if he'd told everyone. No... he couldn't possibly blame himself for that. He had no way of knowing they had a tracker on the Rhyperior, and he would've been laughed at if he had tried to tell others. He had done everything in his power, and prepared for so many different situations, and yet he was still bested. These criminals were definitely formidable.
As he heard the sounds of rabid Pokemon approaching, Itigus's body moved on its own. He began to run in the opposite direction. If there was a chance, even a chance that one of the Pokemon was his, he didn't know if he would be able to gather the resolve to fight. He didn't want to see the result, and he didn't want to see the horrors behind him. He abandoned the group, their focus on the incoming wild Pokemon.
Itigus's mind raced a million miles a second. He needed to find his team, and regroup. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, crying in frustration. Even now, he was still running from his own weaknesses. Even now, with all his strength, and experience, he was still overpowered, and forced to run.
The male ran as fast as he could, for as long as he could before collapsing on the jungle floor. With his lungs burning, and his ribs providing a sharp pain with each breath, Itigus laid gasping in the dirt. Ajax forced itself from its ball, and sat next to Itigus to comfort him.
That was right... he wasn't completely alone here. Itigus punched the ground in anger, "DAMN IT!" He growled, still breathing heavily.
Ajax sat across from him, whining, and licking his face.
Itigus adopted his usual poker face once more, "Sorry, I needed to at least get that out of my system..." He told the Pokemon, taking a deep breath.
His Mightyena had brought him back to reality. He needed to think calmly now. There was no benefit in panicking and getting angry.
The male pushed his hand through Ajax's fur, feeling a slight bump on his skin. "I guess they've put a chip inside huh? No doubt they've probably had you swallow a second one just in case..." Itigus patted down his clothes, seeing that he no longer had his knife. In fact, it didn't seem they had allowed him anything except his Pokemon. Perhaps this happened with everyone, or perhaps this was his punishment for being so difficult to catch. "I suppose I can't cut it out... I'd risk infection if I did it with something I found lying around too..."
It looks like we're forced to participate in this little game of theirs... Itigus thought spitefully. He looked at Ajax as he started whining. "You're worried about everyone else right?" The Mightyena nodded. Itigus began to walk forward. "I know how you feel, but first we need to make sure we can survive on our own." Itigus rubbed his ribs, still being bothered by the pain.
Such a shitty situation he found himself in this time. Although, to say it was the worst scenario he'd been in wouldn't be entirely true. As for this new disease that they had released on the island Itigus did not have any first hand experience.
In his home region of Fortis, many of the wild Pokemon were incredibly powerful ex-trainer Pokemon that had been released. If these Pokemon were a step above that he would have to avoid a fight at all costs.
Another matter was the fact that Ajax would not be able to be healed. Sure, a good night's rest did restore some health, but any grave injuries would be unable to be patched up. If he was going to battle, or even hunt, he would need to be absolutely certain he could win in one or two hits.
Perhaps he would be able to meet up with the rest of his team. He knew Incursio, and Tenebris in particular were good hunters. However, Itigus truly didn't know if he was ready to see if they were okay.
For now he needed to find water. Itigus was thankful he had eaten such a large meal the night prior. He would be able to survive without food for a week, but at the same time he could not neglect nutrition. Especially considering he might have to fight, or run.
"Alright, let's see if we can find a river to drink from." Ajax nodded, following Itigus as he headed towards a random direction.
The male's crimson eyes proceeded to analyze his surroundings. His attention to detail was one of the main strengths he possessed as a trainer.
Itigus was looking for tracks in the mud. He knew that following them would most likely lead to a water source. However, he needed to make sure that multiple tracks were present, as that is what determined a potential water source. At the same time, Itigus would also stop and close his eyes, listening for anything that sounded like rushing water. Ajax did the same, sniffing the ground, and listening with him as they traveled.
After a long hike through the woods, Ajax's ears perked up. The Mightyena barked, and proceeded to run forward. As Itigus followed, the two came across a flowing river. The male gave a grin, "Good job buddy." He jogged over, and inspected the water. It seemed safe, but he had spent enough time in the wilderness to know that eyeing the water was not a guarantee of safe water.
The male walked a few feet from the bank, and began to dig a hole. Ajax began to help as well. Itigus even managed to dig up some clay, which he put to the side for later. After a few minutes, he could see the water seeping through the dirt, and filling up the hole. It was a natural method of filtering the water from any diseases. Just to be absolutely certain, Itigus dug a second hole near it in order to further filter the water.
In the time that he would wait for the water to fill the holes he dug, he began to fashion a shoddy bowl from the clay. Itigus formed the basic shape of it, using Ajax's Fire Fang to dry it out, and harden it.
Even if he didn't have any axes, or knives, he still had Ajax. Itigus scooped up water from the seep he'd made, and began to drink, Ajax sipping directly out of the hole itself.
While the bowl was good for drinking out of it wouldn't be able to carry water very well. If Itigus had his hoodie still he might have been able to use it as a way to carry water by absorbing it into the fabric. As he drank, he looked around once more. He spotted a few rocks with moss growing atop it. The trainer proceeded to peel the plant off of the stone, and put it inside his seep. The moss expanded slightly and absorbed the water. He squeezed out some of the water so that it wouldn't leak out when he carried it. The trainer looked around once more as he left.
It seemed as though, for now at least, he would have to settle for the moss as a way to transport water. If Itigus could find an animal, and kill it, he might be able to turn the stomach lining into a water jug. It would be rather difficult to do so, however, without a knife.
Following along the river, Itigus picked up a few chunks of quartz. When he had filled his pockets, he looked around for a heavier rock with at least one flat side. Once he found these items, he ventured into the nearby jungle, and looked for any rocks that were embedded in the ground with a flat surface.
Itigus crouched down, and spent the next few minutes placing different quartz stones on the embedded stone, and hitting it with his heavy rock. The quartz would shatter, and provide sharp edged stones. He sorted out which ones were useful, and which ones weren't. Of course, he couldn't spend all day making a single larger knife, but shattering the quartz was a fast, and effective way of getting sharp cutting tools. Itigus filled his pockets with the stones he deemed fit, and headed further down the river. The male reasoned that following it would eventually lead to a pond, or the beach, so he made sure to stick close to it. Getting out of the jungle would provide less of a chance of being ambushed by a Pokemon. Along the way, he managed to find a relatively straight branch. While he would need to sharpen it to make it into a hunting tool, it worked as a waking stick for now. Meanwhile, Ajax continued to sniff the ground, and keep watch of their surroundings.
After a few hours of walking Itigus heard something rustle in the underbrush. Itigus brandished his stick and circled to the outside as Ajax circled to the other side. This was a potential chance to get some food.
Ajax pounced on the bush, causing a Bunnleby to shoot out. Itigus quickly smacked it with his stick, and left it dazed. This was for survival, as much as Itigus hated to do so he had to kill this Pokemon. Ajax took advantage of the Bunnleby's confusion, and dizziness, clamping its jaws onto its neck, and rapidly whipping its body back and forth until it fell limp. "Great work Ajax!" He complimented as the Mightyena laid down the Bunnleby's corpse.
Itigus kneeled down beside it, and offered it a moment of silence before picking it up by its hind legs, and carrying it with him.
As the sun began to set, Itigus heard the sound of crashing waves. He jogged forward, and saw that he had made it to the beach.
He had survived his first day without a scratch. However, from the long trip he'd had, and lack of meal, Itigus was weary. He began to gather a few twigs, and kindling from the forest floor. He used one of the sharp rocks in his pocket to shave some bark into thin pieces. "Alright Ajax, Fire Fang" He told the Mightyena, whom promptly lit the kindling. The rest of the twigs caught fire, and Itigus began to put larger, and larger wood on the flame to keep it alive.
With the fire roaring, Itigus began to skin, and butcher the Bunnleby. While it was rather difficult with the sharp rocks he'd made, it was much easier than having to do it entirely by hand. He laid the pelt out to dry, and with a bit of difficulty, cut out the stomach. As he looked inside he saw mostly grass inside; good, he would be able to use the stomach to carry water after all. He placed it near the fire, and the pelt in order to dry it out. After doing so, he would clean the insides, and dry it out in the sun during the morning. As for the rest of the Bunnleby, he snapped its hind legs off where a good portion of the meat was. Since Ajax could consume bones, and raw food he didn't need to cook any of it. However, Itigus didn't want to take the chance that this Pokemon he was eating was infected with the virus. He found a few more twigs, and poked them inside the fire to kill any bacteria on its bark. Once he did this, he began to skewer each piece, and cook them over the fire. He didn't care how sophisticated the virus was, it would not be able to survive a thorough cooking.
While the fire roasted the meat, Itigus got up, and headed into the forest, leaving Ajax to watch the flames.
He looked around for anything that he could eat, and was surprised to see such a diverse array of fruits. Oran Berries, Leppa Berries, Nanab Berries, Mago Berries, and even some Pecha Berries.
Itigus took off his shirt, and tied the openings shut creating a temporary bag to carry the berries inside. The eighteen year old's body was physically fit, yet he was not imposing. He had the body of a person who did a lot of calisthenics, and body weight exercises as opposed to lifting weights. Along his left side the purple bruise of where he'd been kicked showed. Various other bruises from the fighting he'd done the night before were also present, but Itigus didn't worry about them. He slung his shirt over his shoulder, having filled it with berries, and carried it over to the campfire.
As he approached the fire his heart jumped into his throat. There were signs of a struggle in the sands that trailed off into the forest. Something had attacked Ajax as he had left to get the berries. Itigus immediately dropped the berries into the sand, and took off in the direction of the struggle. He stopped in the edge of the jungle, and whistled three times. He waited; listening for something. Nothing came, so he ran deeper, and repeated it.
Cmon Ajax... where are you... Itigus felt his heart beating faster as his body began to have a panic attack. He took deep breaths, and calmed himself. Panicking won't help Ajax... calm down...
In this instant, he heard a howl from Ajax to his right. The male sprinted in the direction of the sound, hearing a second howl, and then a third. It was definitely Ajax.
He came to a clearing in the jungle, seeing Ajax cornered by a rabid Garchomp. Itigus quickly assessed the situation. Parts of Ajax's fur showed blood, mainly around the paws, and its mouth. This Garchomp had Rough Skin, and was pissed off. Without thinking, Itigus picked up a nearby rock, and chucked it at the dragon type. "Hey!" The Garchomp turned around, and roared angrily. Itigus bolted off in the opposite direction, hoping that the Garchomp would follow. He knew he wouldn't be able to outrun it, but at the very least he would be able to help Ajax escape. If one was going to die, he would rather it was him.
He felt a large mass slam into his back, sending him to the ground. His back felt as if a million tiny razor blades had raked across it. The adrenaline in his system numbed the pain, but he could still feel the blood coming from his back. He rolled across the forest floor, gasping for air.
Every survival instinct he had kicked in, he was not going to give up, and die here. He jumped quickly to the side, narrowly avoiding the Garchomp's second strike. Itigus's legs felt like jelly. He had been hiking all day, and had eaten very little. The only reason he was still standing was through sheer force of will, and adrenaline.
The Garchomp lunged forward once more. Itigus attempted to move, but found it to be like walking through molasses. Just when he thought it was over for him, Ajax rammed its head into the Garchomp's side with Play Rough. The super effective move sent the dragon type flying to the side, but also caused Ajax to start bleeding from its head.
Itigus looked over to the Garchomp, and saw that the last attack had done the job properly. A massive hole in its side, and blank eyes signaled that the Garchomp had passed.
Ajax then stumbled, and fell on its side. Itigus rushed over to inspect the damage, his own body feeling as if it might collapse at any moment as well. He looked over the wounds, seeing that Ajax had sustained a lot of cuts, and had lost a lot of blood. However, none of the injuries seemed to be grave.
Even Itigus's back was not gushing blood, and was already scabbing over. The extra physical activity of Ajax having to fight the Garchomp possibly caused the blood to flow quicker, and bleed out more. Itigus returned the Mightyena to its ball, and stood up. He stumbled back to the beach, occassionally taking a rest on a nearby tree. When he finally got back, the flames of his fire were waning. While Itigus's body hurt, he knew he wasn't in danger of dying. His vision was not tunneling, and he could still feel everything. Although, that in itself was bittersweet. He hadn't lost too much blood, and was simply fatigued.
He needed to get food inside of him, and Ajax, so that their bodies could replace the energy and blood that they had lost. Itigus poured out the berries from his shirt, and began to tear it into strips.
The wound on his back was not deep enough to need dressing, but he would need to cover it up. He proceeded to rip the sleeves, and bottom of the shirt off. He took the clay bowl that he'd crafted earlier out, and proceeded to put an assortment of berries into it. Leppa, Oran, and Pecha. The Leppa would help with the fatigue, while Oran would help the wound heal faster. The Pecha berry's acids were known for helping to cure poisons, and diseases. It was a natural disinfectant to the berry blend he made. It was no magical cure, but at the very least it would help. He took one of the rocks from his pocket, and used it to grind the berries up into a paste. When he had finished doing so, he spread the paste over one side of the strips he'd made from his shirt.
He sent out Ajax, and began to dress the Mightyena's wounds. While it was not nearly as effective as a full restore's medicinal properties, it would at least do well to prevent his beloved Pokemon from dying. Midway through, Ajax woke up, and licked Itigus's hand.
The male chuckled, continuing to wrap the cloth around his paw, tying it at the top to keep pressure on it. "I should've known you wouldn't have run." He said aloud. "I suppose we really are too much alike huh?"
Itigus took a bite of one of the berries. The bunnleby he was cooking was charred, and burnt, but at the very least there was still some salvageable meat. If there was any doubt that the meat could infect him if he ate it, it was all but completely gone now. After a few minutes, Ajax finally got the strength to stand, and proceeded to knaw on one of the charred remains of the Bunnleby.
Itigus watched as the Mightyena bit down, and crunched through the bones of its meal.
He couldn't help but remember the first time they had gone out on their adventure. The region of Fortis was unforgiving. The gym challenge was considered by many to be an impossible feat. Not only was it difficult to make money, but Pokemon Centers cost an arm and a leg. The region's economy depended solely on the higher class, and crime organizations that controlled the region. Everything was expensive, right down to the simplest of luxuries. Itigus had repeatedly been in a situation where he had nothing but the clothes on his back, and his Pokemon to survive in the wilderness.
He laughed spitefully. He never thought he'd be thankful for his home region forcing him to sleep through so many cold and hungry nights. To appreciate the paranoia and trauma he had been forced to endure because it kept him alive today. He looked over to his Mightyena once more. He thought about the rest of his team. Both Incursio, and Celario were on their own. In this unforgiving island, could he even hope that they were still alive? At the same time, how could he be sure they weren't infected by this virus? What would he do if they were?
It was something that Itigus had pondered for the whole day. He could never seem to answer any of his own questions it seemed.
If he was met with the situation, he knew then that he'd have to make the decision.
When the male had finished eating, it was straight back to work. He recalled Ajax, and went into the jungle to find anything that could help to build a shelter. He used the stones in his pocket to cut vines, and slung them over his shoulder. He then searched around for a proper place to build the shelter.
After a few minutes of searching, he managed to find a hilled area. Itigus stomped the ground, and saw it was rather stable. He looked around for any signs of this being a Pokemon's territory. Claw marks, piss, fur, excrement. To his luck, he had found none nearby. He dropped the vines in a pile, and left to see if he could gather any branches to use. For now he'd have to sleep in the grass, but at the very least he'd be able to put a roof over his head. As he worked, the moon began to creep out over the canopy. The male was tired, and it was incredibly dark. At the very least it didn't seem as though it was going to rain tonight. He fastened a frame of branches with the vines he'd found, and covered the frame in leafy branches. In the event that it did decide to rain, he would be safe from hypothermia.
With the leftover wood, and bark Itigus began to build another fire. Even though it wasn't exactly a cold night, that could change at any moment. Not to mention, it would keep away most predatory Pokemon. At least ones who were not fire types.
Itigus sent Ajax out once more. The Mightyena seemed to have been healing rather quickly. Most Pokemon tend to heal faster than people after all. Itigus laid down in the grass underneath his shelter. Ajax proceeded to take his place under its trainer's arm.
There were several reasons to keeping Ajax out of his ball while he slept. One reason being that the two's body heat would keep them from freezing to death in their sleep. One more was the fact that Ajax would be able to sense danger, and wake Itigus up should there be a possible ambush. The third was to protect Ajax from being stolen from Itigus. It was much easier to take a Pokeball off his hip while he slept without waking either Ajax, or him up. As Itigus felt the warmth of his Pokemon next to him, the fatigue, and mental strain suddenly hit him. After having had a rather large meal, and having been surviving all day his body could no longer keep itself conscious. Itigus immediately fell asleep.
The scene shifted for a moment, showing Itigus the sight of a bloody, and beaten Poochyena. It had been abandoned a long time ago in the forest just outside the city. The very same forest that took so many lives, and ended many trainer's dreams right then, and there.
The Fortis region challenge required that if they lose against the first gym, they must release their Pokemon. While the trainer could possibly recapture them, Pokeballs were incredibly expensive. Each trainer taking the challenge was only allowed to bring 3000Poke, and that was just enough to cover two Pokeballs. To the boy, seeing this abandoned Poochyena was not a new sight. Many Pokemon had been abandoned, and even abused by their previous trainers. The only difference now was that this time Itigus had saved up enough money to buy a Pokeball.
With this weakened Pokemon in front of him, he tapped the ball against the Poochyena's side, and captured it.
Itigus's viewpoint changed, he was now outside of his body looking in. "So you were abandoned too huh? I guess that means we have a lot in common." He heard himself say.
The scene shifted once more, showing him his younger self, and a healthy Poochyena at his feet. He remembered this, it was the first day he'd started his journey. He had spent an entire year prior preparing, and nursing the Poochyena back to health. He'd even had to steal some money from new trainers to the region. They had been such easy targets. Itigus still felt guilt to this day about it.
You ruined his life. Before he even had a chance, you crushed that trainer's dream. The words came so naturally. Ones he had repressed for a long time. Itigus did not know for sure what happened to the trainer he'd stolen from, but he knew that it was useless to hope that he was still alive and well.
The scene shifted once again. This time, the trainer had a Mightyena at his heels, and three Pokeballs on his belt. Pokemon were the only ones Itigus could open up to. The only ones that were loyal, and did not trick him for their own motives. Itigus was not starry eyed here. He looked at his younger self, and saw the stress clear on his face. He'd had to do something unspeakable that day. It seemed that the more adventures he had in his home region, the less moral lines he had left to cross.
The face that Itigus was treated to was his own. The face of a murderer. One who'd had to kill another human in order to survive.
The Mightyena seemed to have noticed its trainer's distress, and attempted to distract its friend.
Ajax was always the one to bring Itigus out from the pits of his despair. He knew that as long as they were together he'd be fine. The Mightyena had always been stronger than everything that seemed bigger than him. It was the reason Itigus had decided to name the Mightyena Ajax. Just as the Ajax of legend was stronger than Greece, and had fallen fighting, his Mightyena never stopped fighting.
In a way, it had shaped Itigus's own survival instincts. He never stopped fighting even if he was about to die. His Mightyena had always taught him how to be strong in the face of adversity. He had always brought Itigus back to his senses, and had always been the reason he continued to push on. Through the effort they put in together they had met many more friends. They had built a family of Pokemon who had been abandoned just like them. Itigus was never truly alone. Right by his side without fail, Ajax was there for him.
However, as the scene changed for a final time an overwhelming sense of dread washed over the trainer. He felt as though thousands of needles were running along his back. He was treated to the sight of each, and every one of his Pokemon laying dead on the ground. Their mangled eviscerated corpses were piled high, and on top he saw a twisted version of himself, and Ajax. He looked at his own hands, and saw the skin begin to peel off, and seep through with blood. The male thought he'd throw up. All the friends he'd made, the family he'd built, destroyed by his own hands. He blinked, only to now see from the perspective of the monster standing atop his deceased Pokemon.
To his side, he saw Ajax begin to foam at the mouth, and go wild. Itigus backed up, only for Ajax to creep forward with a growl. The Pokemon began to talk. You did this to us... You killed us all, and you're next
The pile of mangled corpses began to speak wearing the faces of his Pokemon. You did this... This is all your fault...You're not good enough... You've killed us... Why didn't you come to save us?!... You abandoned us!
Itigus woke up with a start, nearly screaming at the sight of the Mightyena beside him. His breathing was rapid, and uneven. His ribs, and back ached, and his mind was still weary.
It had definitely not been a good night's sleep, but Itigus couldn't dwell on it for too long. Once he gathered his composure, he crawled out from underneath his shelter, and glanced at the sun. It was probably about eight o'clock. Every time he bent his back, he felt the scabs open up, and therefore resolved to not do it too often.
Itigus placed dirt across the smoldering ashes of his fire, and stomped it down before leaving. After a while, he heard Ajax bark at his side, and run in a circle as if he wanted Itigus to follow. Itigus obliged, "Did you catch one of their scents?" He asked, to which Ajax nodded excitedly. Itigus nodded, running after the Mightyena. Soon enough, they found exactly what Ajax had smelled. It was a long thick strand of web between two trees.
Itigus's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this meant Incursio was in distress, and needed assistance. Ajax sniffed the air, attempting to track the Galvantula's scent, but proceeded to whine, and continue walking in circles. Ajax was not able to track Incursio, but this was definitely the Galantula's web.
Itigus placed his hand on Ajax's head. Just as the Mightyena had done for him, Itigus was now the one to calm his friend down. "There's still a chance he's alive... Incursio was taught to mask his scent when he's in danger, so maybe that's why you can't find him." Itigus hoped with all his heart that was true.
The Mightyena nodded, trusting in his trainer. Itigus then began to pry the webbing from the trees. Itigus used some nanab berry leaves to touch the sticky strand. It would at the very least make for good material. The webbing was made of several strong fibers, and could be boiled to eliminate its sticky surface. He would be able to fashion clothing, or a bag from it. A chuckle escaped from Itigus's throat. Even now his Pokemon were still helping him. He would never have been able to survive like this without all their help, and yet he could not return the favor. He folded the strand into a pile, and wrapped it in the large nanab berry leaves He continued through the forest, using the stick he'd found the previous day to walk. Along the way, Itigus took his shirt off to prevent the fabric from rubbing against his back. The male wrapped the shirt around his head. If he found a water source again, he'd be able to soak it in there, and prevent himself from overheating. The island was hot, but it was also incredibly humid, so this was more for comfort than anything.
Ajax walked alongside him, sniffing the air occasionally as its ears shifted around. The Mightyena was an incredibly diligent guard. As an hour passed, Itigus took a break from walking, and sat down on a nearby rock.
Without rest, the male began to scrape his walking stick against the rock, and sharpen it to a point. The sharp rocks he'd created earlier were much too small for attaching to the stick. He would have to form a longer stone blade eventually, but for now he needed to quickly make a weapon. After thirty minutes of rest, and sharpening, Itigus continued to walk forward. Ajax began to test its legs more, and more. The Pokemon was steadily healing. It gave Itigus a sense of hope to see this.
It meant that his partner was no longer in pain, and to Itigus that was all he could really ask for. He couldn't help, but smile warmly at the Pokemon. Pretty soon, Itigus would have to change the dressing on the Pokemon's wounds, and resolved to use the rest of his shirt for that if he could manage to find anymore berries.
His goals for today were as follows.
Find a new area to set up camp. With guard patrols, staying in one place was a bad idea.
Find food, water, and medicinal plants. He had only had enough to dress Ajax's wounds, but the cuts on his back were more bothersome than Itigus had first thought.
Find the rest of his team. Even though Itigus still feared the worst, the trainer was certain that the longer he delayed it, the more of a chance there was of the worst happening.
If he could achieve these goals, Itigus knew he would be able to survive well over a week.
Even though the web that Incursio left still bothered him, Itigus knew the Galvantula, and his other Pokemon had to be alive. However, whether or not they had turned due to this supposed virus was another matter.
Before Itigus could think any further on the matter, Ajax stopped, and gave a low growl. The trainer immediately stopped, and looked at the Mightyena.
Ajax gestured forward, and Itigus nodded. The two crept into the underbrush, and moved forward. The male began to crawl on his stomach with his Mightyena. When he came to an opening in the bushes to look through he saw a Pangoro, and what looked like a girl. The two both looked injured, but the Pangoro seemed to be keeping watch over the girl.
Itigus kept his breathing slow, and calm, keeping himself as flat as possible to the ground. He made a few hand gestures at Ajax to ask the Mightyena if he thought they were dangerous. To this, Ajax shook his head. In this moment, a loud thunderous boom shook the ground that the two were lying down in. Itigus's head whipped over to the source of the noise only to see a group of trainers to appear. It seemed as though they had just finished dealing with another rabid Pokemon. The stress on the girl's face was obvious, even at a distance.
There was another girl who was either too ignorant to her situation, or trying to trick her fear with enthusiasm. Meanwhile a few others backed her up. Itigus simply stayed waiting, and watching. The last thing he wanted to do was show himself to these people.
Everything about this was suspicious. There was a suspicious amount of security for such an event, and no spectators arriving. They were promising such a big reward as well, and yet there didn't seem to be any conceivable way they would be able to make the money back. It didn't take a genius to know that an organization had something to gain from bringing so many skilled trainers to one place.
One of the guards barked at him for his identification, and Itigus obliged the guard's order, and pulled out the card that had been provided to him. He did not say a single word, thinking it would be better if no one paid any attention to him.
Of course, the reward, and challenge of this island that was promised was not his reason for being here. The male had grown up in the region of Fortis, a vast expanse of land possessing a gilded society. He knew all too well the mask that evil men would don to trick unsuspecting victims. The feeling he got from this place was uncanny to when he grew up. In a weird way it was almost nostalgic.
As he looked about, he didn't see anyone who shared the same sentiment. They all seemed like trainers who were pumped up about the tournament. To their credit he couldn't blame them. He could sense that each trainer had their own skills, and stories. However, to Itigus they all seemed to be naive fools.
"You all know the plan." He mumbled in a low tone to no one in particular. He walked towards a nearby tree, and put his back to it, crossing his arms over his chest. The guards seemed to make a perimeter around the beach in order to prevent people from going anywhere they shouldn't.
He had made sure to bring the Pokemon that would suit his purposes here. It was obvious that a flying type, or anything in the air would be out, thus he resolved to take Pokemon that worked well in ground travel. Itigus scanned the area to see if any of the guards were looking his way. He planned to covertly release his Pokemon so that they could find out what was really going on in this island. He would be able to recapture them on a later date. There was absolutely no way he was going to trust these people with his Pokemon. The pokeballs would no longer have a registered Pokemon to them, meaning he could simply slip them back into his bag, and pass them off as normal items.
When the coast was clear, he lightly tapped the trunk in a specific pattern.
His Galvantula Incursio would be the first to exit its ball, immediately taking off into the jungle. As it hopped from branch to branch it left behind its electrically charged webbing. The Galvantula had not simply left its webs on just any trees, but ones that were close to the surveillance systems. The webs quickly began to over saturate the batteries, and cause a reboot on their systems. It was a similar effect to an EMP blast, except much more discreet. Such a place was a natural playground for Incursio. Plenty of trees to climb, and swing across. The male did not look back, but he managed to hear how quickly Incursio managed to escape into the jungle. Itigus pretended to be preoccupied with his pokedex, occasionally glancing around to check if anyone was looking. He started a timer on his pokedex. They had a minimum of three minutes before the webs ran out of electricity, and the systems rebooted. The Galvantula's job was sabotage, and reconnaissance. It would be able to create chaos if needed by setting up webs on the roads, and siphoning electricity from their power lines. The Galvantula would also be able to send messages via web patterns. It would make several webs of specific patterns to relay a simple message. An orb web with a branch placed horizontally in it would communicate that Incursio had confirmed suspicious activity. Meanwhile, a vertical one would mean Incursio hadn't found anything. If sticks were crossed in an X shape it would communicate the need for sabotage. A spiral orb with a branch laid across it would tell Itigus that Incursio was close by, and could be met up with. Finally, in the event that Incursio was captured, or something went wrong, a simple long thick strand of webbing between two trees.
The next Pokemon to exit their ball was his Greninja Celario. He had specifically trained the Pokemon for speed, so it was no question that the ninja-like Pokemon was able to quickly Shadow Sneak its way into the underbrush. Celario had not made a single sound in its escape, leaving Itigus to wonder if it had even exited its ball. The Greninja's job would be to quickly and quietly explore more water based areas. Celario was Itigus's most direct line of communication given the Greninja's affinity for stealth, and navigation. Celario would find him first, and would certainly be the quickest to communicate what they've scouted. At the same time, it too would be doing a similar job to Incursio's. Celario specialized in surprise attacks, and raids. Since it was so quick, and could use Shadow Sneak to hide, and even escape situations it was perfect for stealth missions. Having both Celario, and Incursio do recon would make the job go by much faster. The two of them were natural inhabitants of jungles, and would blend in with the other fauna of the forest. As they would follow different paths, they would be able to cover more ground in less time.
Itigus looked at his pokedex. Two minutes had already gone by. Granted, the security systems would possibly take a few seconds to reboot, but Itigus didn't want to assume that would be the case. The webs would last three minutes, and that was his only safe window. The guards occasionally glanced over at him. One of them looked as though they were going to confront him, but a trainer having to be taken away for trying to smuggle in Pokeballs distracted him.
The next Pokemon that would be released would be released in a group. Two of them were much too slow, and did not have the same affinity for stealth as Incursio, and Celario. However, the third one was his fastest, and could easily carry them.
The window of opportunity opened wide, and Itigus quickly tapped the tree trunk to signal his Pokemon.
His Florges Mavis, and his Marowak Ossios forced themselves out on either side of him. Within the same moment, an almost invisible blur of orange swooped by, causing Ossios and Mavis to disappear.
Good work Tenebris, you went just fast enough to not be seen, but slow enough to not hurt your passengers... Itigus thought to himself proudly. His Arcanine was by far the fastest with his ExtremeSpeed, and the only one who could carry passengers on his back. However, Tenebris job was not reconnaissance, and was instead acting as more of a vehicle for the other two Pokemon on his team. While Tenebris would be able to potentially create a forest fire, his main job was to make up for the speed that Ossios and Mavis lacked. The three of them possessed immunities to common offensive types such as Electric, Dragon, and Fire. Meanwhile, Tenebris in particular would be able to deal with Ice, and flying types as well as steel, grass, and normal. His Marowak would be able to deal solid blows to any electric types encountered, and even protect Mavis from poison types. Mavis would be able to directly counter all dragon type threats, and heal the other two, and itself with Aromatherapy, and Synthesis. They were in a group not only to cover each other's weaknesses, but to also deal with any Pokemon they encountered. Their job was to ask the local wild Pokemon about the situation, and attempt to get them on their side. If they met any resistance, the three would be more than capable in a fight, or flight situation.
Itigus put the now empty Pokeballs into his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder, "I know buddy, I'm worried too." He mumbled to the one and only Pokemon left on his belt.
He plucked the ball from his waist, and looked at his Mightyena through the clear top of the Pokeball. "It'll be just you and me for a while, Ajax." He chuckled, "It's almost nostalgic in a way." His Mightyena nodded, looking back at Itigus with a quiet resolve.
The trainer got in line to hand over all his items, and pokeballs. To some people it was the only suspicious thing they seemed to see, but ironically it was in fact the least suspicious part about this tournament. The Battle Frontier, and many others like it followed similar rules to prevent trainers from using a potion in the middle of a battle. No, the suspicious thing was just why, and how this organization got the funding for such luxuries. There was no way that they would threaten to shoot down anyone who had not come by ship, and have such tight security if they didn't expect people to resist for some reason. It didn't make sense to have such a large, and impressive security force with lethal weapons. By the way they walked, they all seemed to have some sort of military training. It almost seemed as though the hosts of the event were preparing themselves for a war, and not a tournament.
Another thing that had briefly come across Itigus's mind earlier was the lack of spectators, and camera crews. Who exactly was planning to watch, and how? This fact also eliminated the possibility that they were hosting the tournament to turn a profit with ticket sales. Perhaps a massively wealthy group simply wanted a private show? Itigus doubted it. Such a massive event would cost an incredible amount of money, and had much too big of a scale to be considered a private show for a small group. Wealthy benefactors do like luxuries, but only when their wallet doesn't suffer. In fact it would be more likely they would attempt to turn a profit. No, there had to be some other motive for doing this. No one this powerful simply gave away such charity without having some ulterior motive planned, and the massive army that greeted them on the beaches led Itigus to believe the benefactors didn't have good intentions.
As Itigus made his way past the desk, leaving his items behind, he rested his hand on Ajax's capsule. It was a habit to make sure that it hadn't been pickpocketed. Growing up in such a bad neighborhood, Itigus had developed many paranoia, and habits that had kept him alive.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, his right hand wrapping around a flip knife. Though it didn't really help too much when dealing with Pokemon, it was a good survival tool; both in the wilderness, and society.
Once again, the male's crimson eyes scanned around, and took in his surroundings. He tugged his hood lower, and attempted to cover his face out of habit. Dreiki made his way to the room he was assigned, and began to search around for anything suspicious. Coming up with nothing he sat atop the bed. His Mightyena forced itself from its ball, and sat next to him.
"I suppose it's only natural they wouldn't leave anything for a random person to stumble upon." Itigus noted, petting his Mightyena. "Let's see if we can get ourselves something to eat yeah?"
Itigus wasn't going to go outside his room with so many people clamoring, and talking to each other. He would wait for his opportunity to do some more searching, but for now he knew that nourishment was incredibly important. Ordering room service, he bought a large meal for him, and Ajax. Within a short time, the food was delivered, and rolled into his room. He thanked the employee with a monotone, and gave them a tip. The tip was the only courtesy Itigus seemed to extend as he then rudely shut the door in their face as they attempted to talk.
When he turned around, Ajax was already sniffing the food. "No poison, or anything unsavory?" Itigus asked, taking a plate as Ajax shook his head. At the very least he would be able to eat without being knocked unconscious by some sort of poison only to wake up in a dark room. To many, it would seem like paranoia to have their Pokemon check his food before eating it, but Itigus had been on the receiving end of such a trick, and hated taking risks he could avoid. He fed Ajax some Pokepuffs, and continued to pet the Pokemon. The bond between the two was incredibly great. Ajax had been his first Pokemon when he'd started his journey, and had always been loyal to him. The two had been through so much together, and were almost like brothers.
This made Itigus think about the rest of his Pokemon. He had so much love for Pokemon he'd captured. His team had become the family that he never had. They all helped each other, and had been there for each other through the hardest times. This is why, now more than ever, Itigus was worried. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had made the wrong decision despite it being the best possible plan.
He looked at Ajax, seeing the worried look on his Mightyena's face. It mirrored Itigus's perfectly. "You're thinking about them too huh?" Ajax nodded. "Well, let's both try to trust in our family alright?"
Ajax barked, nodding as it wagged its tail. The two ate together, and played a few games with each other. Itigus mimicked the faces Ajax made, and groomed him. All the while, Itigus would occasionally perform what looked like sign language, but could pass off as a simple game of charades.
The trainer didn't know if he was being watched, and didn't want to take the chance that he had missed any bugs in the room. He was going over the plan for tonight. When the sun disappeared behind the horizon, and most people would be having dinner, Itigus, and Ajax would slip out of the hotel, and look for any messages from Celario, or Incursio. If things went awry, he would instead search for the group of Mavis, Tenebris, and Ossios.
After a bit more waiting, Itigus saw the world grow dark as night fell. It was a half tonight, and would be perfect for sneaking around. It was bright enough for Itigus to see, and dark enough for him to hide in it. As Itigus left the room, and headed down to the lobby, he passed a blue haired employee. He seemed to be one of the leaders of the guards, but something about him seemed familiar to Itigus.
The male simply kept his head down, and kept the image of his face in his mind. There was no doubt in Itigus's mind that it was a strong trainer, but for some reason he wasn't competing. By looks alone, Itigus knew even he would have trouble beating him.
However, he was not stopped, so there was no need to think of fighting him now. He walked out of the hotel, telling the guards outside he was simply going for an evening stroll. The guards simply informed him that he was not allowed to leave the hotel, and stood in his way.
"Cmon guys, it's not like there's any reason I can't take a walk on the beach right?" Itigus said casually.
"Sir, please return to your room, or we will be forced to--" Before he could finish, a Sucker Punch was delivered to the jaw of the first guard. Itigus rammed himself into the second, and took the pokeball from his belt. Ajax jumped off his back, and used Iron Tail on the guard's head.
The trainer then immediately sprinted forward, and made his way into the jungle. No doubt they would be after him now, but Itigus hadn't planned on participating in the tournament anyway. It was clear to him that this was a trap. There was no reason they would force their contestants to stay within the hotel unless they had something they wanted to hide.
The night was dark as Itigus expected, and was only illuminated by the moonlight. He looked at the Pokeball in his hand, seeing a Rhyperior inside. Itigus didn't have any doubt in the potential threat the Rhyperior might've had against him if he hadn't disarmed it from the guard. He wasn't sure if it would help him, but Itigus kept it just in case as a last resort. He could never be too careful. As he got deeper into he forest he slowed his pace, and controlled his breathing. They would probably have some sort of Pokemon tracking him when they found the unconscious guards. "Alright, let's see if we can find everyone else" He whispered quietly.
The Mightyena being the only Pokemon he kept with him was not a decision solely based on favoritism. Ajax had the best nose out of the team, and knew everyone's scents. If they were within a mile of something touched by his Pokemon, or the Pokemon themselves, Ajax could find it. Not only this, but Ajax acted as Itigus's eyes in the dark. Using the light of his pokedex was an option, but it was something that could easily get him caught. The Mightyena stayed by his right leg, looking around in the darkness.
In a sudden moment, Ajax growled lowly, signalling Itigus to stop; they had reached the border of the surveillance system.
Itigus's eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness now. He looked around for something that could help him. Eventually, he pointed to a nearby tree, and gestured towards Ajax. "Iron Tail."
The Mightyena obeyed, hitting trunk of the tree, and causing it to tumble down onto the surveillance system. It knocked the camera out, and although the break in the tree looked natural, Itigus doubted they would simply not search for the cause of it. Itigus, and Ajax quickly ran past the line.
The Mightyena led the way, sniffing the air, and leading Itigus through the underbrush of the jungle. He needed to hide his scent now, and he didn't have any items on him that could do that. After a few minutes of running, Ajax stopped, and barked wagging its tail. As Itigus approached Ajax, he understood that they were nearby. His Pokemon would not come out to greet him unless he gave a signal. The male knocked a rhythm on a tree and stood by for a few seconds. Eventually, Ossios, Mavis, and Tenebris came out of their hiding spots. "Alright, Mavis, use Aromatherapy on me, Ossios, dig a tunnel, and Tenebris..." The male took off his hoodie, handing it to the Arcanine, "Put this somewhere far away, and come back in two minutes." The Arcanine nodded, and accepted his hoodie. Meanwhile, his Marowak began to quickly dig a hole. Ajax began to pitch in by grabbing some branches, and laying it across the tunnel's entrance. Finally, his Florges used Aromatherapy on him, masking his scent.
Both his hoodie, and the tunnel were decoys. If they had tracked his scent they would have been led across the island. Meanwhile, if they managed to find the tunnel, and follow it, they would be met with another dead end, or perhaps even a cave in. When the preparations were complete, and Tenebris had come back, Itigus left. "Back as you were, be careful they are now on high alert." The three Pokemon nodded, Mavis, and Ossios taking their place on Tenebris' back before vanishing in a gust of wind.
"Let's see if we can find Incursio's webs." He told Ajax, getting low to the ground, and carefully walking through the forest. Even though he knew the webs would tell him nothing new, he would still be able to give the Galvantula orders by manipulating the web. After an hour of slow careful movement, and hiding, Itigus managed to find the web. Just as he'd suspected, an orb web with an X pattern on it was present symbolizing the need for sabotage. The male pried one of the branches off, and stuck it deep into the ground. This would communicate a confirmation that Incursio was now allowed to sabotage.
With this, Itigus once again got low to the ground, and left. He now needed to find a place he could hide for a while. Some sort of cave, or hidden grotto. However, it seemed as though the search for shelter had to wait because the bright lights of a search party began to shine. Itigus quickly flattened himself to the ground, his entire body completely hidden by the leafy underbrush of the jungle.
He looked towards Ajax, and saw the Mightyena had done the same, its ears pulled flat. Its entire body was tense, as if ready to run, or attack at any given moment.
It was impossible that they had found him through anything less than mere chance. Itigus breathed lightly through his nose, concentrating on keeping his heart from beating out of his chest. All he had to do was sit and wait for them to pass by. They could not see him, smell him, or hear him. He was safe; or so he thought.
"Over there!" One of the guards shouted, holding something in his hand. Itigus looked closer, and saw that it was some sort of device, but what for?
Itigus's heart sank into his stomach when he heard a beeping nose coming from his hip. The Rhyperior's Pokeball had a tracking chip on it!
With wide eyes, grabbed the Pokeball from his hip. They were too close to him now for him to hide somewhere nearby. He had to run now.
The male shot up, "Fire Fang!" Ajax sprung into action, and bit the underbrush, causing it to erupt in flames at his pursuers feet. The male threw out the Rhyperior, and stomped its pokeball to pieces. However, he wasn't surprised that the Rhyperior proceeded to attack him instead. Itigus quickly ducked, narrowly avoiding a Rock Wrecker to his head. The tree behind him was cleaved in two, forcing the male to jump out of the way when it fell. Out of sheer luck the tree fell in the path of his pursuers, delaying them. Ajax took advantage of the situation, and hit the Rhyperior with Iron Tail before using its body as a launch pad to run. The massive Pokemon began to rampage without its trainer to command it, knocking down more trees before being KO'd by one of the guard's Pokemon.
By this time Itigus had managed put distance between him, and the guards. His Mightyena ran by his side. As they both sprinted through the forest, Ajax barked, stopping dead cold. Itigus immidiately did the same, feeling his foot slip off the edge of a cliff. Ajax pulled his shirt, and prevented him from falling.
"Thanks, let's start climbing this before-" It was too late, they were already here. "Sucker Punch!" The male shouted in reaction, Ajax immediately attacking the ground, and revealing a Gengar that had attempted to hit him. The super effective move, and Gengar's naturally weak defenses allowed for a clean KO. Ajax began to glow, his Moxie ability kicking in. With his back against the wall, his only option now was to fight. He did not have the heart to kill Pokemon here as they were only following their trainer's orders. It served Itigus no purpose to be a murderer.
Before the next trainer attacked, he felt a gust of wind behind him. He grit his teeth at what he saw.
A man standing atop a shiny Salamance, the very same one he'd passed in the hall of the Hotel. "I guess these are your men?"
No answer.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Again, no answer. It seemed as though they were not the types to simply tell their plan. "Suppose it was worth a shot." Itigus could only see one way out at this point. He jumped off the cliff, and landed on the Salamance, "Ajax! Play Rough on its wings!!" He commanded, his Mightyena slamming into the Salamance, and causing its flight to be skewed. The Salamance fell down the cliff, breaking the fall by gliding through the air. Meanwhile all Itigus, and the blue haired man could do was hold on for dear life.
The Dragon type hit the ground hard, causing Ajax, Itigus, and The Dragon Tamer to fly off. Itigus's vision was spinning, but he knew he had to get up. He needed to fight for his survival here, and now. The trainer pulled the knife from his pocket, and launched himself at Drake.
"HRYYAHHH!!" he yelled out, slashing at the dragon tamer, and seeing the knife cut through the fabic of his shirt, and into his skin. It was certainly not a deep enough wound to help him. In fact, it would probably heal in a week. Before Itigus could go for another stike, Itigus felt his ribs break. The dragon tamer had delivered a powerful blow, and was definitely a more experienced fighter. Even though Itigus was no slouch, he was no master either. Pure survival instincts only went so far in the face of a man with formal training. The blow brought him to his knees, to which he was greeted to the sight the dragon tamer's leg hurtling towards his face. Itigus felt the hit make contact, causing his vision to spin. Meanwhile, he saw that the other guards were now closing in on their flying type Pokemon.
In such a situation, Itigus had no doubt this was his end. To this, Itigus had always resolved to be grinning if he was killed. The male looked up at the Dragon tamer, and grinned, only to black out from a hard kick to his jaw.
Itigus did not dream, nor did he die. Soon enough, he woke up in an unfamiliar place, wearing unfamiliar clothes, and surrounded by unfamiliar people.
His first reaction was to touch Ajax's capsule. To his relief, the Pokemon was there, alive and well. However, after this brief moment of happiness, Itigus was met with a question; Why was he still alive?
As if they had read his mind, a hologram appeared, revealing some sort of scientist, and the blue haired man who had captured him. Just looking at him made Itigus's ribs, and jaw hurt.
The man with the glasses spoke his voice was smooth, powerful, and confident although it had a noticeable hint of madness to it. “Welcome to the Dark Tournament trainers. I suppose that you are just now realizing that it wasn’t exactly what you had in mind.” The man let out a small giggle as if amused with his own joke. Then he coughed and began talking again. “There are many different diverse species of wild pokemon on this Island. A rather fascinating mixture of different species I might add. A newly created retrovirus has been dispersed via airborne means across the entire Island.” He gave a large smile that seemed to encompass his whole face, “It does some rather fascinating things involving the adrenal gland and the medulla oblongata.” He shook his head, “anyway let me make it rather simply explained out for you. All of the wild pokemon on this island are going to be more hostile than any pokemon you have ever encountered, they will attack you on sight, fight to the death, and they are bigger, faster and meaner than they were before.” He turned back to look down at everyone on the ground below, “That’s right, my little lab rats….”
Itigus's heart sank, and his body felt cold. No... they will be alright... He attempted to assure himself. He knew Ajax had also realized it; their friends were potentially infected now.
Itigus watched as one of the trainers attempted to rebel, getting on top of his Pidgeot, and yelling out in defiance before being made an example of. The harsh quick death set everyone into a frenzy of panic.
The damn fool... He didn't even take in his situation before he tried to escape...
Itigus looked around, seeing multiple guards with their Pokemon. They would no longer simply capture those who attempted to resist, that was clear now. The guards were now ordered to kill rebellion on sight.
“As you can see this Island is heavily defended and I assure you standard escape is quite improbable.” He gave another sinister smile, “Of course you are always welcome to try.” He laughed again at his own amusement, “Now where was I. Oh yes, you are now test group B. I mean we can’t very well release this weapon on all of Cerulean City without making absolutely sure it works now can we?” He spun in his wheeled chair, “the name of the game kids is survival. Yours to be exact.” If you can survive on this Island for one week then you get to live.” He smiled once more, “oh fuck it I will even throw in the promised tournament reward to any survivors. I mean after all I don’t want to be called a liar now do I.” He giggled wildly for a moment before stopping. One Pokemon, no items, no pokecenters, oh and just to make it more fun there will be random patrols of our men wandering the Island. We have to keep the boys on their toes now don’t we.” He held his arms up straight into the air, “so without further ado let the games begin!”
So that's their game... Team Rocket huh? I've definitely heard of them before. Itigus found himself angered that he wasn't able to figure out their goal. There had to have been something he did wrong. If only he hadn't taken that Rhyperior with him, or maybe if he'd told everyone. No... he couldn't possibly blame himself for that. He had no way of knowing they had a tracker on the Rhyperior, and he would've been laughed at if he had tried to tell others. He had done everything in his power, and prepared for so many different situations, and yet he was still bested. These criminals were definitely formidable.
As he heard the sounds of rabid Pokemon approaching, Itigus's body moved on its own. He began to run in the opposite direction. If there was a chance, even a chance that one of the Pokemon was his, he didn't know if he would be able to gather the resolve to fight. He didn't want to see the result, and he didn't want to see the horrors behind him. He abandoned the group, their focus on the incoming wild Pokemon.
Itigus's mind raced a million miles a second. He needed to find his team, and regroup. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, crying in frustration. Even now, he was still running from his own weaknesses. Even now, with all his strength, and experience, he was still overpowered, and forced to run.
The male ran as fast as he could, for as long as he could before collapsing on the jungle floor. With his lungs burning, and his ribs providing a sharp pain with each breath, Itigus laid gasping in the dirt. Ajax forced itself from its ball, and sat next to Itigus to comfort him.
That was right... he wasn't completely alone here. Itigus punched the ground in anger, "DAMN IT!" He growled, still breathing heavily.
Ajax sat across from him, whining, and licking his face.
Itigus adopted his usual poker face once more, "Sorry, I needed to at least get that out of my system..." He told the Pokemon, taking a deep breath.
His Mightyena had brought him back to reality. He needed to think calmly now. There was no benefit in panicking and getting angry.
The male pushed his hand through Ajax's fur, feeling a slight bump on his skin. "I guess they've put a chip inside huh? No doubt they've probably had you swallow a second one just in case..." Itigus patted down his clothes, seeing that he no longer had his knife. In fact, it didn't seem they had allowed him anything except his Pokemon. Perhaps this happened with everyone, or perhaps this was his punishment for being so difficult to catch. "I suppose I can't cut it out... I'd risk infection if I did it with something I found lying around too..."
It looks like we're forced to participate in this little game of theirs... Itigus thought spitefully. He looked at Ajax as he started whining. "You're worried about everyone else right?" The Mightyena nodded. Itigus began to walk forward. "I know how you feel, but first we need to make sure we can survive on our own." Itigus rubbed his ribs, still being bothered by the pain.
Such a shitty situation he found himself in this time. Although, to say it was the worst scenario he'd been in wouldn't be entirely true. As for this new disease that they had released on the island Itigus did not have any first hand experience.
In his home region of Fortis, many of the wild Pokemon were incredibly powerful ex-trainer Pokemon that had been released. If these Pokemon were a step above that he would have to avoid a fight at all costs.
Another matter was the fact that Ajax would not be able to be healed. Sure, a good night's rest did restore some health, but any grave injuries would be unable to be patched up. If he was going to battle, or even hunt, he would need to be absolutely certain he could win in one or two hits.
Perhaps he would be able to meet up with the rest of his team. He knew Incursio, and Tenebris in particular were good hunters. However, Itigus truly didn't know if he was ready to see if they were okay.
For now he needed to find water. Itigus was thankful he had eaten such a large meal the night prior. He would be able to survive without food for a week, but at the same time he could not neglect nutrition. Especially considering he might have to fight, or run.
"Alright, let's see if we can find a river to drink from." Ajax nodded, following Itigus as he headed towards a random direction.
The male's crimson eyes proceeded to analyze his surroundings. His attention to detail was one of the main strengths he possessed as a trainer.
Itigus was looking for tracks in the mud. He knew that following them would most likely lead to a water source. However, he needed to make sure that multiple tracks were present, as that is what determined a potential water source. At the same time, Itigus would also stop and close his eyes, listening for anything that sounded like rushing water. Ajax did the same, sniffing the ground, and listening with him as they traveled.
After a long hike through the woods, Ajax's ears perked up. The Mightyena barked, and proceeded to run forward. As Itigus followed, the two came across a flowing river. The male gave a grin, "Good job buddy." He jogged over, and inspected the water. It seemed safe, but he had spent enough time in the wilderness to know that eyeing the water was not a guarantee of safe water.
The male walked a few feet from the bank, and began to dig a hole. Ajax began to help as well. Itigus even managed to dig up some clay, which he put to the side for later. After a few minutes, he could see the water seeping through the dirt, and filling up the hole. It was a natural method of filtering the water from any diseases. Just to be absolutely certain, Itigus dug a second hole near it in order to further filter the water.
In the time that he would wait for the water to fill the holes he dug, he began to fashion a shoddy bowl from the clay. Itigus formed the basic shape of it, using Ajax's Fire Fang to dry it out, and harden it.
Even if he didn't have any axes, or knives, he still had Ajax. Itigus scooped up water from the seep he'd made, and began to drink, Ajax sipping directly out of the hole itself.
While the bowl was good for drinking out of it wouldn't be able to carry water very well. If Itigus had his hoodie still he might have been able to use it as a way to carry water by absorbing it into the fabric. As he drank, he looked around once more. He spotted a few rocks with moss growing atop it. The trainer proceeded to peel the plant off of the stone, and put it inside his seep. The moss expanded slightly and absorbed the water. He squeezed out some of the water so that it wouldn't leak out when he carried it. The trainer looked around once more as he left.
It seemed as though, for now at least, he would have to settle for the moss as a way to transport water. If Itigus could find an animal, and kill it, he might be able to turn the stomach lining into a water jug. It would be rather difficult to do so, however, without a knife.
Following along the river, Itigus picked up a few chunks of quartz. When he had filled his pockets, he looked around for a heavier rock with at least one flat side. Once he found these items, he ventured into the nearby jungle, and looked for any rocks that were embedded in the ground with a flat surface.
Itigus crouched down, and spent the next few minutes placing different quartz stones on the embedded stone, and hitting it with his heavy rock. The quartz would shatter, and provide sharp edged stones. He sorted out which ones were useful, and which ones weren't. Of course, he couldn't spend all day making a single larger knife, but shattering the quartz was a fast, and effective way of getting sharp cutting tools. Itigus filled his pockets with the stones he deemed fit, and headed further down the river. The male reasoned that following it would eventually lead to a pond, or the beach, so he made sure to stick close to it. Getting out of the jungle would provide less of a chance of being ambushed by a Pokemon. Along the way, he managed to find a relatively straight branch. While he would need to sharpen it to make it into a hunting tool, it worked as a waking stick for now. Meanwhile, Ajax continued to sniff the ground, and keep watch of their surroundings.
After a few hours of walking Itigus heard something rustle in the underbrush. Itigus brandished his stick and circled to the outside as Ajax circled to the other side. This was a potential chance to get some food.
Ajax pounced on the bush, causing a Bunnleby to shoot out. Itigus quickly smacked it with his stick, and left it dazed. This was for survival, as much as Itigus hated to do so he had to kill this Pokemon. Ajax took advantage of the Bunnleby's confusion, and dizziness, clamping its jaws onto its neck, and rapidly whipping its body back and forth until it fell limp. "Great work Ajax!" He complimented as the Mightyena laid down the Bunnleby's corpse.
Itigus kneeled down beside it, and offered it a moment of silence before picking it up by its hind legs, and carrying it with him.
As the sun began to set, Itigus heard the sound of crashing waves. He jogged forward, and saw that he had made it to the beach.
He had survived his first day without a scratch. However, from the long trip he'd had, and lack of meal, Itigus was weary. He began to gather a few twigs, and kindling from the forest floor. He used one of the sharp rocks in his pocket to shave some bark into thin pieces. "Alright Ajax, Fire Fang" He told the Mightyena, whom promptly lit the kindling. The rest of the twigs caught fire, and Itigus began to put larger, and larger wood on the flame to keep it alive.
With the fire roaring, Itigus began to skin, and butcher the Bunnleby. While it was rather difficult with the sharp rocks he'd made, it was much easier than having to do it entirely by hand. He laid the pelt out to dry, and with a bit of difficulty, cut out the stomach. As he looked inside he saw mostly grass inside; good, he would be able to use the stomach to carry water after all. He placed it near the fire, and the pelt in order to dry it out. After doing so, he would clean the insides, and dry it out in the sun during the morning. As for the rest of the Bunnleby, he snapped its hind legs off where a good portion of the meat was. Since Ajax could consume bones, and raw food he didn't need to cook any of it. However, Itigus didn't want to take the chance that this Pokemon he was eating was infected with the virus. He found a few more twigs, and poked them inside the fire to kill any bacteria on its bark. Once he did this, he began to skewer each piece, and cook them over the fire. He didn't care how sophisticated the virus was, it would not be able to survive a thorough cooking.
While the fire roasted the meat, Itigus got up, and headed into the forest, leaving Ajax to watch the flames.
He looked around for anything that he could eat, and was surprised to see such a diverse array of fruits. Oran Berries, Leppa Berries, Nanab Berries, Mago Berries, and even some Pecha Berries.
Itigus took off his shirt, and tied the openings shut creating a temporary bag to carry the berries inside. The eighteen year old's body was physically fit, yet he was not imposing. He had the body of a person who did a lot of calisthenics, and body weight exercises as opposed to lifting weights. Along his left side the purple bruise of where he'd been kicked showed. Various other bruises from the fighting he'd done the night before were also present, but Itigus didn't worry about them. He slung his shirt over his shoulder, having filled it with berries, and carried it over to the campfire.
As he approached the fire his heart jumped into his throat. There were signs of a struggle in the sands that trailed off into the forest. Something had attacked Ajax as he had left to get the berries. Itigus immediately dropped the berries into the sand, and took off in the direction of the struggle. He stopped in the edge of the jungle, and whistled three times. He waited; listening for something. Nothing came, so he ran deeper, and repeated it.
Cmon Ajax... where are you... Itigus felt his heart beating faster as his body began to have a panic attack. He took deep breaths, and calmed himself. Panicking won't help Ajax... calm down...
In this instant, he heard a howl from Ajax to his right. The male sprinted in the direction of the sound, hearing a second howl, and then a third. It was definitely Ajax.
He came to a clearing in the jungle, seeing Ajax cornered by a rabid Garchomp. Itigus quickly assessed the situation. Parts of Ajax's fur showed blood, mainly around the paws, and its mouth. This Garchomp had Rough Skin, and was pissed off. Without thinking, Itigus picked up a nearby rock, and chucked it at the dragon type. "Hey!" The Garchomp turned around, and roared angrily. Itigus bolted off in the opposite direction, hoping that the Garchomp would follow. He knew he wouldn't be able to outrun it, but at the very least he would be able to help Ajax escape. If one was going to die, he would rather it was him.
He felt a large mass slam into his back, sending him to the ground. His back felt as if a million tiny razor blades had raked across it. The adrenaline in his system numbed the pain, but he could still feel the blood coming from his back. He rolled across the forest floor, gasping for air.
Every survival instinct he had kicked in, he was not going to give up, and die here. He jumped quickly to the side, narrowly avoiding the Garchomp's second strike. Itigus's legs felt like jelly. He had been hiking all day, and had eaten very little. The only reason he was still standing was through sheer force of will, and adrenaline.
The Garchomp lunged forward once more. Itigus attempted to move, but found it to be like walking through molasses. Just when he thought it was over for him, Ajax rammed its head into the Garchomp's side with Play Rough. The super effective move sent the dragon type flying to the side, but also caused Ajax to start bleeding from its head.
Itigus looked over to the Garchomp, and saw that the last attack had done the job properly. A massive hole in its side, and blank eyes signaled that the Garchomp had passed.
Ajax then stumbled, and fell on its side. Itigus rushed over to inspect the damage, his own body feeling as if it might collapse at any moment as well. He looked over the wounds, seeing that Ajax had sustained a lot of cuts, and had lost a lot of blood. However, none of the injuries seemed to be grave.
Even Itigus's back was not gushing blood, and was already scabbing over. The extra physical activity of Ajax having to fight the Garchomp possibly caused the blood to flow quicker, and bleed out more. Itigus returned the Mightyena to its ball, and stood up. He stumbled back to the beach, occassionally taking a rest on a nearby tree. When he finally got back, the flames of his fire were waning. While Itigus's body hurt, he knew he wasn't in danger of dying. His vision was not tunneling, and he could still feel everything. Although, that in itself was bittersweet. He hadn't lost too much blood, and was simply fatigued.
He needed to get food inside of him, and Ajax, so that their bodies could replace the energy and blood that they had lost. Itigus poured out the berries from his shirt, and began to tear it into strips.
The wound on his back was not deep enough to need dressing, but he would need to cover it up. He proceeded to rip the sleeves, and bottom of the shirt off. He took the clay bowl that he'd crafted earlier out, and proceeded to put an assortment of berries into it. Leppa, Oran, and Pecha. The Leppa would help with the fatigue, while Oran would help the wound heal faster. The Pecha berry's acids were known for helping to cure poisons, and diseases. It was a natural disinfectant to the berry blend he made. It was no magical cure, but at the very least it would help. He took one of the rocks from his pocket, and used it to grind the berries up into a paste. When he had finished doing so, he spread the paste over one side of the strips he'd made from his shirt.
He sent out Ajax, and began to dress the Mightyena's wounds. While it was not nearly as effective as a full restore's medicinal properties, it would at least do well to prevent his beloved Pokemon from dying. Midway through, Ajax woke up, and licked Itigus's hand.
The male chuckled, continuing to wrap the cloth around his paw, tying it at the top to keep pressure on it. "I should've known you wouldn't have run." He said aloud. "I suppose we really are too much alike huh?"
Itigus took a bite of one of the berries. The bunnleby he was cooking was charred, and burnt, but at the very least there was still some salvageable meat. If there was any doubt that the meat could infect him if he ate it, it was all but completely gone now. After a few minutes, Ajax finally got the strength to stand, and proceeded to knaw on one of the charred remains of the Bunnleby.
Itigus watched as the Mightyena bit down, and crunched through the bones of its meal.
He couldn't help but remember the first time they had gone out on their adventure. The region of Fortis was unforgiving. The gym challenge was considered by many to be an impossible feat. Not only was it difficult to make money, but Pokemon Centers cost an arm and a leg. The region's economy depended solely on the higher class, and crime organizations that controlled the region. Everything was expensive, right down to the simplest of luxuries. Itigus had repeatedly been in a situation where he had nothing but the clothes on his back, and his Pokemon to survive in the wilderness.
He laughed spitefully. He never thought he'd be thankful for his home region forcing him to sleep through so many cold and hungry nights. To appreciate the paranoia and trauma he had been forced to endure because it kept him alive today. He looked over to his Mightyena once more. He thought about the rest of his team. Both Incursio, and Celario were on their own. In this unforgiving island, could he even hope that they were still alive? At the same time, how could he be sure they weren't infected by this virus? What would he do if they were?
It was something that Itigus had pondered for the whole day. He could never seem to answer any of his own questions it seemed.
If he was met with the situation, he knew then that he'd have to make the decision.
When the male had finished eating, it was straight back to work. He recalled Ajax, and went into the jungle to find anything that could help to build a shelter. He used the stones in his pocket to cut vines, and slung them over his shoulder. He then searched around for a proper place to build the shelter.
After a few minutes of searching, he managed to find a hilled area. Itigus stomped the ground, and saw it was rather stable. He looked around for any signs of this being a Pokemon's territory. Claw marks, piss, fur, excrement. To his luck, he had found none nearby. He dropped the vines in a pile, and left to see if he could gather any branches to use. For now he'd have to sleep in the grass, but at the very least he'd be able to put a roof over his head. As he worked, the moon began to creep out over the canopy. The male was tired, and it was incredibly dark. At the very least it didn't seem as though it was going to rain tonight. He fastened a frame of branches with the vines he'd found, and covered the frame in leafy branches. In the event that it did decide to rain, he would be safe from hypothermia.
With the leftover wood, and bark Itigus began to build another fire. Even though it wasn't exactly a cold night, that could change at any moment. Not to mention, it would keep away most predatory Pokemon. At least ones who were not fire types.
Itigus sent Ajax out once more. The Mightyena seemed to have been healing rather quickly. Most Pokemon tend to heal faster than people after all. Itigus laid down in the grass underneath his shelter. Ajax proceeded to take his place under its trainer's arm.
There were several reasons to keeping Ajax out of his ball while he slept. One reason being that the two's body heat would keep them from freezing to death in their sleep. One more was the fact that Ajax would be able to sense danger, and wake Itigus up should there be a possible ambush. The third was to protect Ajax from being stolen from Itigus. It was much easier to take a Pokeball off his hip while he slept without waking either Ajax, or him up. As Itigus felt the warmth of his Pokemon next to him, the fatigue, and mental strain suddenly hit him. After having had a rather large meal, and having been surviving all day his body could no longer keep itself conscious. Itigus immediately fell asleep.
Itigus was back in his home city. The city he had grown up in, and been trapped in for years. It was a port city, and the only starting point for trainers wanting to challenge the region's gyms. Itigus saw himself, or at least a younger version of himself. A Poochyena, and a male no older than fourteen. The Poochyena walked with a limp, but still seemed happy as the two played together.The scene shifted for a moment, showing Itigus the sight of a bloody, and beaten Poochyena. It had been abandoned a long time ago in the forest just outside the city. The very same forest that took so many lives, and ended many trainer's dreams right then, and there.
The Fortis region challenge required that if they lose against the first gym, they must release their Pokemon. While the trainer could possibly recapture them, Pokeballs were incredibly expensive. Each trainer taking the challenge was only allowed to bring 3000Poke, and that was just enough to cover two Pokeballs. To the boy, seeing this abandoned Poochyena was not a new sight. Many Pokemon had been abandoned, and even abused by their previous trainers. The only difference now was that this time Itigus had saved up enough money to buy a Pokeball.
With this weakened Pokemon in front of him, he tapped the ball against the Poochyena's side, and captured it.
Itigus's viewpoint changed, he was now outside of his body looking in. "So you were abandoned too huh? I guess that means we have a lot in common." He heard himself say.
The scene shifted once more, showing him his younger self, and a healthy Poochyena at his feet. He remembered this, it was the first day he'd started his journey. He had spent an entire year prior preparing, and nursing the Poochyena back to health. He'd even had to steal some money from new trainers to the region. They had been such easy targets. Itigus still felt guilt to this day about it.
You ruined his life. Before he even had a chance, you crushed that trainer's dream. The words came so naturally. Ones he had repressed for a long time. Itigus did not know for sure what happened to the trainer he'd stolen from, but he knew that it was useless to hope that he was still alive and well.
The scene shifted once again. This time, the trainer had a Mightyena at his heels, and three Pokeballs on his belt. Pokemon were the only ones Itigus could open up to. The only ones that were loyal, and did not trick him for their own motives. Itigus was not starry eyed here. He looked at his younger self, and saw the stress clear on his face. He'd had to do something unspeakable that day. It seemed that the more adventures he had in his home region, the less moral lines he had left to cross.
The face that Itigus was treated to was his own. The face of a murderer. One who'd had to kill another human in order to survive.
The Mightyena seemed to have noticed its trainer's distress, and attempted to distract its friend.
Ajax was always the one to bring Itigus out from the pits of his despair. He knew that as long as they were together he'd be fine. The Mightyena had always been stronger than everything that seemed bigger than him. It was the reason Itigus had decided to name the Mightyena Ajax. Just as the Ajax of legend was stronger than Greece, and had fallen fighting, his Mightyena never stopped fighting.
In a way, it had shaped Itigus's own survival instincts. He never stopped fighting even if he was about to die. His Mightyena had always taught him how to be strong in the face of adversity. He had always brought Itigus back to his senses, and had always been the reason he continued to push on. Through the effort they put in together they had met many more friends. They had built a family of Pokemon who had been abandoned just like them. Itigus was never truly alone. Right by his side without fail, Ajax was there for him.
However, as the scene changed for a final time an overwhelming sense of dread washed over the trainer. He felt as though thousands of needles were running along his back. He was treated to the sight of each, and every one of his Pokemon laying dead on the ground. Their mangled eviscerated corpses were piled high, and on top he saw a twisted version of himself, and Ajax. He looked at his own hands, and saw the skin begin to peel off, and seep through with blood. The male thought he'd throw up. All the friends he'd made, the family he'd built, destroyed by his own hands. He blinked, only to now see from the perspective of the monster standing atop his deceased Pokemon.
To his side, he saw Ajax begin to foam at the mouth, and go wild. Itigus backed up, only for Ajax to creep forward with a growl. The Pokemon began to talk. You did this to us... You killed us all, and you're next
The pile of mangled corpses began to speak wearing the faces of his Pokemon. You did this... This is all your fault...You're not good enough... You've killed us... Why didn't you come to save us?!... You abandoned us!
Itigus woke up with a start, nearly screaming at the sight of the Mightyena beside him. His breathing was rapid, and uneven. His ribs, and back ached, and his mind was still weary.
It had definitely not been a good night's sleep, but Itigus couldn't dwell on it for too long. Once he gathered his composure, he crawled out from underneath his shelter, and glanced at the sun. It was probably about eight o'clock. Every time he bent his back, he felt the scabs open up, and therefore resolved to not do it too often.
Itigus placed dirt across the smoldering ashes of his fire, and stomped it down before leaving. After a while, he heard Ajax bark at his side, and run in a circle as if he wanted Itigus to follow. Itigus obliged, "Did you catch one of their scents?" He asked, to which Ajax nodded excitedly. Itigus nodded, running after the Mightyena. Soon enough, they found exactly what Ajax had smelled. It was a long thick strand of web between two trees.
Itigus's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this meant Incursio was in distress, and needed assistance. Ajax sniffed the air, attempting to track the Galvantula's scent, but proceeded to whine, and continue walking in circles. Ajax was not able to track Incursio, but this was definitely the Galantula's web.
Itigus placed his hand on Ajax's head. Just as the Mightyena had done for him, Itigus was now the one to calm his friend down. "There's still a chance he's alive... Incursio was taught to mask his scent when he's in danger, so maybe that's why you can't find him." Itigus hoped with all his heart that was true.
The Mightyena nodded, trusting in his trainer. Itigus then began to pry the webbing from the trees. Itigus used some nanab berry leaves to touch the sticky strand. It would at the very least make for good material. The webbing was made of several strong fibers, and could be boiled to eliminate its sticky surface. He would be able to fashion clothing, or a bag from it. A chuckle escaped from Itigus's throat. Even now his Pokemon were still helping him. He would never have been able to survive like this without all their help, and yet he could not return the favor. He folded the strand into a pile, and wrapped it in the large nanab berry leaves He continued through the forest, using the stick he'd found the previous day to walk. Along the way, Itigus took his shirt off to prevent the fabric from rubbing against his back. The male wrapped the shirt around his head. If he found a water source again, he'd be able to soak it in there, and prevent himself from overheating. The island was hot, but it was also incredibly humid, so this was more for comfort than anything.
Ajax walked alongside him, sniffing the air occasionally as its ears shifted around. The Mightyena was an incredibly diligent guard. As an hour passed, Itigus took a break from walking, and sat down on a nearby rock.
Without rest, the male began to scrape his walking stick against the rock, and sharpen it to a point. The sharp rocks he'd created earlier were much too small for attaching to the stick. He would have to form a longer stone blade eventually, but for now he needed to quickly make a weapon. After thirty minutes of rest, and sharpening, Itigus continued to walk forward. Ajax began to test its legs more, and more. The Pokemon was steadily healing. It gave Itigus a sense of hope to see this.
It meant that his partner was no longer in pain, and to Itigus that was all he could really ask for. He couldn't help, but smile warmly at the Pokemon. Pretty soon, Itigus would have to change the dressing on the Pokemon's wounds, and resolved to use the rest of his shirt for that if he could manage to find anymore berries.
His goals for today were as follows.
Find a new area to set up camp. With guard patrols, staying in one place was a bad idea.
Find food, water, and medicinal plants. He had only had enough to dress Ajax's wounds, but the cuts on his back were more bothersome than Itigus had first thought.
Find the rest of his team. Even though Itigus still feared the worst, the trainer was certain that the longer he delayed it, the more of a chance there was of the worst happening.
If he could achieve these goals, Itigus knew he would be able to survive well over a week.
Even though the web that Incursio left still bothered him, Itigus knew the Galvantula, and his other Pokemon had to be alive. However, whether or not they had turned due to this supposed virus was another matter.
Before Itigus could think any further on the matter, Ajax stopped, and gave a low growl. The trainer immediately stopped, and looked at the Mightyena.
Ajax gestured forward, and Itigus nodded. The two crept into the underbrush, and moved forward. The male began to crawl on his stomach with his Mightyena. When he came to an opening in the bushes to look through he saw a Pangoro, and what looked like a girl. The two both looked injured, but the Pangoro seemed to be keeping watch over the girl.
Itigus kept his breathing slow, and calm, keeping himself as flat as possible to the ground. He made a few hand gestures at Ajax to ask the Mightyena if he thought they were dangerous. To this, Ajax shook his head. In this moment, a loud thunderous boom shook the ground that the two were lying down in. Itigus's head whipped over to the source of the noise only to see a group of trainers to appear. It seemed as though they had just finished dealing with another rabid Pokemon. The stress on the girl's face was obvious, even at a distance.
There was another girl who was either too ignorant to her situation, or trying to trick her fear with enthusiasm. Meanwhile a few others backed her up. Itigus simply stayed waiting, and watching. The last thing he wanted to do was show himself to these people.
Last edited:
