Matt stayed down, taking his time to roll this whole body onto its side. Struggling to do the smallest movement, he tried his best to stop his hands from shaking. His brown eyes met the shroomish's for a few seconds. Chen shivered as he saw that the man's struggles were real. Too focused on pulling himself together, Matt was unaware of everything going on around him. Looking around him, the shroomish noticed the fennekin smiling at Matt's demise, as if he was secretly pleased to see him suffer, to see him get what he thought he deserved. Kira, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about his current state, as she seemed to be more vigilant of her surroundings and of a possible threat.
She's probably wondering what Renee is doing here, he guessed. She doesn't know who she is, so that could explain that.
Looking back at Matt, Chen saw blood dripping from his face. The man was now staring at him, and the shroomish knew that he was truly watching him this time, observing him to guess what would be his next move. At this very moment, Chen felt a little guilty inside. He wondered if they had been too quick to accuse him of his alleged crimes. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on what had happened since then, and he found nothing. He felt like something had been growing in the back of his mind and that he had tried to shut it off for all this time. In a single lucid moment though, he finally noticed what the feeling was all about.
At first, he had thought that this could've had something to do with his nature as a pokémon. After he had been captured by Matt, he had thought that his fate was to serve a human until he would die, and that this was the reason he had always had that feeling. When he met those pokémon at the village, that's what he first thought of. He thought that if they wanted to put themselves on the same status as humans, they would have to mimic them. Though now, it seemed to be something much deeper than that.
He felt like this was all an act.
Looking back at the events, he had always felt like he had been the puppet of someone, and that he had played the role of being a pokémon, or at least what he thought being a pokémon was like. He had never been himself, and he had never tried to assert himself so far. He thought that being a pokémon would give his life some meaning, but it hasn't. Before, he had thought that finding his parents would bring him back to the way things were before, but he was now aware that this wouldn't happen. In the back of his mind, he thought that even if he were to find his parents, they would think he was someone that was trying to scare them off or torture them emotionally by impersonating their son.
Matt doesn't deserve to die for such a reason, he thought. We don't even know the whole story. I don't see how I could judge him without seeing the whole picture. If I want to ever assert myself, I'll have to tell them how I feel about this. Maybe I'm not outspoken because it's not who I am, but maybe I'm far from knowing everything there's to know about myself.
The shroomish now looked at Matt from a different light. He was not a pokémon trainer, who wanted him to battle for his own benefit. Now, he was a friend whose hopes had to be fulfilled. At this moment, he remembered what the man had told them about pokémon trainers. From Matt's perspective, they were supposed to do their very best to make this world a better place.
That's what Matt wanted all along. It's really sad to see that Guts doesn't see him the same way I do. At the same time, I understand him. He had been enslaved by a trainer earlier in his life, then saved by a bunch of thieves. The only one here who is able to make things right is me. I can't let them command my life and let an innocent friend suffer by not doing anything.
“Guts, please,” Chen pleaded. “Stop all of this.”
The krokorok turned back to face the shroomish, “We can't let him get away after all the lies he's perpetrated in our presence. Would you want another pokémon to suffer the same fate as us?”
“Please let him say what he has to say. We probably don't know the bigger picture. I'm sure he has a reason for doing all of this.”
“He's only motivated by his own benefit,” Aiden interjected. “There's no other reason for him to be so secretive about it. You've been with him through all of this, and he's yet to show you his true nature.”
“We'll know what his reasons are as soon as he stands up,” Chen said, glancing at Matt. “Just let him get up, at least. After that, we'll know what he's all about.”
“Fine, then,” the krokorok replied. “I'll give you what you want, but don't come crying to me when it turns out I was right all along.”
Guts grabbed the man and picked him back up. Once he was up, he let go of him. Matt stood up with great difficulty, his feet wobbling.
“Get him some food,” the shroomish proposed. “That'll give him some energy.”
The krokorok went to the man's bag, and he took out an oran berry, which he gave to him. The man accepted it without complaint and ate it in small bites, taking his time to savor the meal in front of him. Chen waited patiently for him to finish, Aiden tapped one of his paws on the ground in impatience, Guts crossed his arms, and Kira remained vigilant of her surroundings, looking out for anyone that might spot them. When Matt finally finished eating the berry, he had no trouble standing anymore.
“So,” Guts started, “why did you want to become a pokémon ranger?”
“I wanted to become a pokémon trainer at first, but a ranger came up to me and told me the Ranger's Association would give me a better salary. He even told me I would have a much easier time becoming a doctor that way. All I had to do was to travel from my hometown to their headquarters in another city. That's why I went on this journey.”
“In a way, wouldn't it have been easier for you to become a trainer? This journey seems pretty dangerous to me.”
“He told me that I would have to do a similar challenge if I wanted to join the Trainer's Federation, which is why I didn't join them. Also, I didn't know that the PLF had been in the region at that time.”
“And you trusted him anyway? What if he lied to you so that you would join them instead? This man might have purposely steered you down that road, knowing full well that it was suicidal. And how come you didn't know about the PLF?”
“I don't see what reason he could have for lying to me. Their group has already garnered enough of a bad reputation in the past that lying wouldn't get them any more people. If they were to be labelled as liars, their reputation would be completely done for. I didn't know about the PLF because we're not that well informed about the outside world down there.”
“Down there?” the krokorok asked, genuinely interested.
“Have you ever been in a human city?”
“Well, no,” Guts answered, shrugging. “It's not like your cities are open to pokémon, after all.”
So Guts never went to a human city, even when he was someone's pokémon? That seems weird.
“Good point,” he acknowledged. “So, is that all you wanted to know?”
“There's still something I want an answer to,” Aiden inquired, walking up to him. “How come Renee told us she belonged to your father, while you told us she wasn't anyone's property?”
“I have no idea why she said that in the first place,” Matt confessed. “Sometimes, she seems so confused; I don't know what has gotten into her.”
“Come on, Matt. That's all you got? How are we supposed to believe you when all you can do is claim that she's insane? She doesn't seem insane to me.”
“I know what I'm talking about,” he said. “She's been in the family for many years, and I've decided to take her with me so that she could finally be free.”
“That makes some sense, but I have a final question for you. What was all of this medicine for?”
“It was in case any of us were seriously injured. Fortunately though, we haven't needed any of it up until now. Is that all you wanted to know?”
“Yes. That said, I'm still not convinced I can trust you.”
“That's alright,” the human replied, annoyed by Aiden's persistence. “I'll try to work on that, and if you ever want to part ways, you'll always be able to do so.”
Matt gave them what they wanted. Now, all it would take for them to realize that Matt wasn't who they thought he was, was time. If Matt gets to become a pokémon ranger, we'll all be able to make this world a better place. I'm so glad we can finally work towards a similar goal. Maybe that's what I needed all along, a bigger goal to strive for. Since this misunderstanding is out of the way, I'm sure we'll be able to find my parents, help Guts gets his revenge on the PLF, and help Matt become a better person.
Suddenly, the yanma rose up into the air slightly. Matt turned his head towards her, worried about her unusual behaviour.
“What's the matter?” he asked.
She has finally noticed Renee. Now, I guess she'll have to come out of her hiding spot. I hope she won't be really upset about Matthew implying that she's weird. Let's just hope she doesn't-
“There's a zoroark heading our way,” Kira stated, “and he'll be here in about ten seconds.”
“Alright,” he responded, taking his knife out of his pocket. “Everyone, stay behind me.”
They all obeyed him in silence, anticipating the zoroark's arrival. Chen glanced at the krokorok, who had decided to remain fairly close to Matt. The human raised his knife up to his neck, readying for a surprise attack.
Why is he telling us to stand back? He shouldn't be on the front line; there's no way he would be able to defeat the zoroark coming our way. Please, please, tell me this isn't Cicero. There's no way we'll be able to defeat him. The last time, we only got away by chance; there's no way we'll be able to get away twice.
When the mysterious zoroark came out of the bushes, the whole earth fell under the shroomish's little feet. He trembled, seeing before him the last person he ever wanted to see again: Cicero. Trying to recollect himself, he glimpsed around the campfire, looking for the leavanny that had been following him ever since their first encounter. She was nowhere to be seen, which crept the shroomish out. He preferred to see her then to be left wondering if she wasn't looking over them, like a predator stalking its prey.
“Cicero, leave,” the krokorok commanded. “You won't get anything out of us. Nobody here will join the PLF, no matter what trick you might use to force us to.”
“You still don't seem to get it, Guts,” he started. “I'm not coming here as an enemy, but as a friend. I wanna help set you free from this man.”
“I'd rather live free with a low-life like him than to live a lie with the likes of you,” Guts said, clenching his fists.
“That's why I've decided to let go of my past as a thief,” he replied, his voice starting to gain a hint of hostility. “You, on the other hand, have decided to group up with people just like you: thugs with no aspiration for a better future. It's really sad to see someone waste so much of their potential by stooping so low.”
“You think you've got the moral high ground,” Guts growled, “yet you're the one responsible for all of these dead Thornorians.”
“Do you want us to talk about that xatu you've killed earlier?” he asked, grinning. “Face the truth, Guts, you're just like me. Before you accuse me of being a monster, you should look in a mirror.”
Enraged, the krokorok charged at Cicero without restraint. The zoroark kept his smile while taking a step back. Readying for the krokorok's attack, he put one of his arms in front of them, showing his sharp claws. Chen wanted to close his eyes, but he feared that the zoroark could take advantage of him if he did.
“Guts, stand back,” Matt warned him as the pokémon went past him.
Ignoring the man's advice, he kept going as fast as he could towards Cicero. He went on and prepared to punch his old friend in the face. As his fist collided with the zoroark's body, the krokorok went right through him and stumbled on the ground. The shroomish saw the illusion dissipate as Guts fell on the ground.
At that moment, Cicero appeared besides the krokorok, a brown-colored ball in his right hand. The zoroark didn't wait a second; he threw it with all his force onto the fallen krokorok. As he received that attack, Guts emitted one of the most atrocious sound Chen had to hear in his short existence: the groan of an agonizing friend. Seeing the krokorok in such a state, Cicero stopped smiling, suddenly realizing the gravity of his own situation.
Cicero looked down at his old friend, frowning, “I'm sorry, Guts. You don't deserve to go through all of this. This focus blast wasn't meant for you. That said, there's still hope. You can still join the PLF and become a better person. Please stop all of this nonsense.”
Lying down, the krokorok turned his head towards the zoroark's general direction. From afar, all Chen could see on Guts' face was misery. Blood was running down his cheeks as he did his best to catch his breath. He struggled to turn his head slightly towards Cicero.
“Why... why are you still... going with that...Cicero?” the krokorok muttered in the silence of the woods. “You already know my answer: for the fellowship, for freedom.”
He raised his hand, ready to strike, “You leave me no choice but to end your life. I hope you'll be able to meet all of your fellow Thornorians in the afterlife. Farewell, Guts.”
All of a sudden, a red beam of light hit the krokorok, englobing him. Glancing at the source of the light, Chen saw that Matt had Guts' poké ball in his left hand. Once he got the pokémon inside, the human swiftly tossed it behind him, where it rolled on the grass towards Aiden. The human raised his knife and stared at Cicero, waiting for him to make a move.
Matt just saved Guts... again. What can we do now? It seems clear that he's too strong for us. I don't even know if Kira could have a chance against him.
“Kira, take the poké ball and leave this place,” he commanded, not looking back at them. “I'm the one he wants. You can all survive if you leave now.”
“No,” Chen said. “We can't leave you here. We can't abandon you like this, after all you've-”
“Chen, just go. You owe me nothing. I've always wanted to become a doctor to save people, and I'll stick to that goal, even if it means dying alone in a forest or being tortured by the PLF to save a few.”
So I had been right all along. He really cared about us all this time.
“Don't worry, human,” Cicero interjected. “We won't torture you; the PLF is far from being a group of barbaric pokémon. That said, we might give you an unfair treatment if you don't tell us which family you belong to.”
“I'll make sure you never find out about that.”
I can't let him die without doing anything. I can't leave him behind. Not after all he's done for us.
“We'll find out about that soon enough,” he taunted before dashing towards Matt.
Chen glanced at the yanma, who happened to have grabbed the poké ball earlier. Seeing that she returned the glance, the shroomish ran towards Matt, ready to help him.
I know how we could take care of Cicero. I hope Kira knows what she'll have to do now. We'll use the only technique Matt has ever told us about, and I hope she's ready to follow me on that one.
Glancing at the zoroark, Chen saw that he hadn't noticed him yet. His whole attention had been focused on Matt, waiting for him to make a move. Staring at Cicero, he ran past Matt.
Matthew, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for disobeying you, but I just can't let you die without fighting back. I was wrong for believing that you were a bad person. You've always been my friend, and I just didn't bring myself to believe it. However, in my heart, I already knew you were a good person.
Cicero was now reaching for Matt with his claws, like a predator ready to strike his prey. Without hesitation, Chen jumped to protect the man.
Please...
The shroomish felt the cold edge of the zoroark's claws piercing his tender skin.
Please forgive me, Matt.
I... I can't believe it, Renee thought.
She watched them afar, as terrified as everyone who were at that place. Matt's eyes widened, which was something she hadn't seen in a long time. His pokémon shared the same feeling the man had, and the zoroark also seemed to have been taken by surprise. Suddenly, the shroomish let out some spore, which Renee immediately recognized as stun spore. The yanma immediately flapped her wings in his direction, which drifted the spore towards the intruder. He let go of the corpse and started coughing violently. A few seconds later, he fell on the grass and remained there, paralysed. Once Matt recovered from his momentary surprise, he fell on his knees. The misdreavus decided to go towards them, hoping that she could help them in some way.
This young shroomish... sacrificed himself for Matt. I still can't believe it. Earlier, he was about to leave him there, and next thing you know, he dies for him.
She saw Matt punching the ground below him. Tears fell from Matthew's cheeks as he let his body fall onto the ground. Renee looked at him with sorrow. She had almost never seen him so shaken in her entire life. She went up to him, hoping she could do something about it.
“Matt, are you alright?” she asked innocently, trying to see if he would even answer her.
Staring at the grass, he didn't answer straight away. After a few seconds, the human looked up and as soon as he noticed her, Matt wiped the tears off his face.
“I'll be fine... I'll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” she asked again, more insistently.
He stood up once more, taking his bag, “We'll have to reach the city as soon as we can,” he said, ignoring her question. “We'll be able to heal Guts there. That's what Chen would've wanted, after all.”
He covered his face with his hand, trying to stop himself from crying. He walked towards the poké ball and picked it up.
“Are you sure you'll be fine?” she inquired once more.
“I'll have to,” he replied.
He doesn't wanna talk about it, she guessed. I should leave him to think about it for some time. He didn't even seem surprised to see me, so I guess he isn't that well right now.
He walked up to the edge of the clearing. Kira and Aiden remained there, looking at him with the same kind of sadness that he was experiencing.
“We can't leave him there like that,” Aiden started. “A brave pokémon like him should have a proper funeral.”
He turned back and looked at them, thinking about what they should do about it. Renee bit her lips, knowing that this conversation could end up badly.
“Travelling around with his corpse will only slow us down. Just burn him down, and we'll make sure to honor his memory by remembering what he did.”
Lowering his head, the fennekin thought about Matt's proposition for a few seconds, and decided to go along with it. Aiden spat an ember on Chen's corpse, lightening it. All of them gazed at him for a few minutes, waiting for his tiny body to turn into ashes. Glancing at Matt, Renee noticed that he was holding back all of his tears.
That's something I've never truly understood about him. It seems to me like he always feels the need to suppress his own emotions. He should not feel ashamed of crying over the death of a friend; he has given his life to save him. Maybe he was trying to stay strong, because that's what the shroomish would've wanted him to do. Or at least that would be what he thinks.
“Matt,” Kira began, “we need to move. Fast. There's a kadabra who's going to arrive any second now, and there's no way to tell if he's friendly or not.”
“What about the zoroark? We can't let him survive after what he's done!” Aiden exclaimed.
“His death won't bring Chen back,” Matt explained, “and I'm not willing to risk my life for a scum like him.”
As the shroomish's corpse started smoldering, Matt ran away from there, followed by the three pokémon.
Before they delved into the forest, Renee looked at the shroomish's corpse for one last time. All that remained was a pile of ashes she could barely see from afar. However, there was something else that she could clearly see. Standing on a branch, an infernape was looking over them. Once he saw that she noticed her, he waved his hand back at her. She blinked out of panic, and as she did, she noticed that the infernape had disappeared.
A man and a kadabra arrived at a clearing, coming silently through the bushes. Wearing a black coat and white gloves, the man held up a poké ball in one of his hands. As soon as he noticed the zoroark, he glanced at his companion, who smiled in return.
“That's who I was looking for, but it seems like we were late on that one,” he muttered to himself. “I wonder who came there first.”
It doesn't matter, the kadabra said telepathically, remaining on his guard despite their discovery. Before jumping to conclusions, you should make sure he's wearing that armband.
“It's not like there are a lot of zoroark running around Vastwood,” he objected. “Just look out for nearby pokémon instead of telling me what to do.”
Yes, sir.
Once the man arrived to the zoroark's body, he examined it thoroughly. Finding the armband, he smiled to himself. Taking his knife off his pocket, he cut the piece of clothe and buried it in his coat's pocket. He finally threw the poké ball at the pokémon, who showed no resistance due to his profound paralysis. Grabbing the poké ball, he stood up and turned around. His kadabra was looking at something the man had overlooked: a handful of ashes on the ground.
“What is this?” the man asked, wondering why this had grabbed his pokémon's attention. “Are these ashes meant for a ritual of some sort?”
No, Keith. These are the remains of a pokémon, he revealed solemnly.
Taken off guard by that answer, he raised his eyebrows. After a few seconds, he thought about what this might have to do with Cicero. He raised back his head to face the kadabra.
“We'll leave the ashes here,” he decided. “If this has anything to do with the zoroark, I'll make sure we get a hold of that information by questioning him. Now, let's get out of here.”
As you wish, sir.
Putting the poké ball in his pocket, Keith touched the kadabra's skin, and they both teleported away.