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[Pokémon] E-Anon (Evil Anonymous)

ShivaDF

ShivaDF

The Scooter-riding Artist
482
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Aug 25, 2017
A/N: I'm alive. Sometimes I need a few weeks to rest from writing, especially since I'm so busy now. Thanks to everybody who's been waiting! I appreciate each of you. ^^

Chapter Nine​

Cyrus slowly got off the floor and stood up. He stared at the far wall, focused on no spot in particular. His eyes were still a bit wide and looked glassy. He looked like a disturbed, badly-made puppet.

Giovanni glanced at Cyrus and looked away again. I can see the gears spinning in his head, thought Giovanni. I hope that he will reboot himself, we'll leave, and I'll never have to refer to what happened in this room ever again.

After what felt like an eternity to Giovanni, Cyrus still hadn't moved. Giovanni wouldn't have been surprised if error messages appeared in Cyrus's eyes. Instead of feeling awkward, Giovanni's anger simply flared again. He walked up to Cyrus and waved a hand in front of his face. "Are you still alive? Do you think you're a Tirtouga using Withdraw? Because I hate that pokémon," Giovanni hissed the last sentence.

Cyrus turned his head sharply to glare at him. Giovanni flinched.

"I have thought of a plan to ascertain our course of action," said Cyrus. "You will follow it."

"Oh, icy as usual, I see." Giovanni glared right back at him.

"By now you must have noti—wait... was what you said just now an attempt at using homophones for the purpose of humor?"

"What? Of course not."

"...Good. Because it would have been a failure," Cyrus said in monotone.

Giovanni wasn't sure whether he should bother feeling insulted or not, and Giovanni detested when he didn't know how to react to something. It's not worth getting angry over again, Giovanni. He's just another crazy person like everybody else. He put his hands in his pockets. "What is your plan," he asked flatly.

"By now, you must have noticed the abundance of psychic-types in this complex. If the staff is supplied with psychic-types, it is logical to assume that they are participating in psychic communication or spying.

"If this is indeed the case, I may be able to create a device to intercept and listen to their communications. All I need are a few simple, commonplace materials."

"And what simple materials would those be?"

"Wires, diodes, a listening device such as an ear bud or headphones, pieces of metal, and a fairly large crystal." Cyrus turned to walk back toward the room's one teleporter. He paused. "...An entire computer system would also be useful."

"That's you idea of simple, commonplace materials?!" Giovanni snapped. "Don't tell me—you expect me to gather these things for you, don't you, you entitled little brat?!"

"If this place has any form of security system, as you should know it does, all of the materials I listed should be relatively easy to find," Cyrus stated without turning around.

"Really, now? And I'm sure that a large crystal is simple to find. Everyone has one of those, I'm sure," Giovanni said sarcastically. "And I'm sure its fair to send the dehydrated man who's twenty five years your senior to do your job!"

"I suppose that it could be more difficult than I first imagined..." said Cyrus, "...if I am unable to find one, I could always kill a few humans and harvest their pineal glands. Since it isn't fair to send you to do so, it would be logical to harvest yours first."

Giovanni blanched. Fortunately for his dignity, his expression was partially hidden by his hat. "Y-You can't be serious! You'll just say anything to get the last word in, you pretentious bastard!"

"Pineal glands are far too small. It's true," said Cyrus. He still didn't turn around. "That was an attempt to understand levity, the type of which you take part in. Ha. Ha." Cyrus sounded like a broken robot mimicking human behavior.

Giovanni stared at him blankly.

"I have just confirmed my theory that humor and sarcasm are overrated. Saying what you truly mean is far more likely to result in successful communication." Cyrus stepped onto the glowing teleporter and vanished with a flash.

Giovanni scowled. Does he really think I'm too stupid to recognize these insults he constantly hurls at me? He walked onto the teleporter and left the room.

====​

Dizzy from the warp, Giovanni took in his surroundings. The teleporter had led to the middle of a vast room with several short halls branching out from the center like the arms of a Starmie. At the end of each hall, unsurprisingly, was another teleporter. Other than the glimmering teleporters, the entire room was stark and empty, and the lighting was harsher than a winter's day.

Before Giovanni could complain, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He took off his fedora with one hand and covered his face with the other. His entire head was pulsing with heat. Why are my eyes burning?!

Cyrus, who was standing in front of Giovanni, suddenly turned and faced him. "Are you being targeted?"

"Targeted by thirst and fatigue, maybe." Giovanni scowled. "I can't believe this. Unova has vending machines everywhere you'd never need a drink, but when you actually need one, they're nowhere to be found."

Cyrus did not say anything for several seconds. "...Why have you not asked to drink water from Luvdisc? That is an extremely simple solution."

Giovanni put his fedora back on. He moved his hand from his face to glare at Cyrus. "Are you trying to trick me into drinking contaminated water? What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"I am not taking you for anything," said Cyrus. "You are a fool if you truly believe that you can't drink water from a pokémon."

"Unless you have a pocket water filtration system, don't taunt me like that," Giovanni muttered as he unbuttoned his double-breasted suit. My shoes, my fedora, my suit, my shirt from the sweat—they must be close to ruined. Who am I? Some rookie trainer who never changes clothes?

"Contaminated water? All humans and pokémon are swarming masses of microorganisms. Luvdisc is a pure water-type, and has extremely simple anatomy. Are you saying that you believe the lies propagated by the government?" Cyrus's brow furrowed. "What is the point of being even mildly sapient if you drift though life blindly, never bothering to—"

"What's the point in blathering on about psychobabble if you know nobody will listen?" Giovanni slung his suit over his shoulder. "Besides, why would I take nutrition advice from a man who clearly has an eating disorder? Your cheekbones are sharp enough to cut glass. Was part of your parents' abuse never teaching you how to cook?"

Cyrus did not say anything.

The sound of an activated warp echoed throughout the room and Giovanni saw the flash in his peripheral vision. At the end of one of the halls a small figure materialized on the panel. It was Lass Mia, and when she noticed the two men, she grinned widely.

"Hi guys!" she said, stretching out the words. "If it isn't the happy couple! How's it going?"

Cyrus immediately glared at her, but Giovanni didn't turn toward her for a few seconds. I wish ignoring people just made them disappear. "Out of sight, out of mind..." what a sweet lie that is. He gave in to fate and looked at her. She had both her Sunkern and Pichu on her shoulders. She must have blackmailed it into coming back, Giovanni thought. He saw something glint and noticed something he hadn't before—Lass Mia had on two small earrings that looked like rubies. She wasn't moving at all, and her mouth was hanging open.

"...Are you... drooling?" Cyrus asked her.

"Duh..." She quickly rubbed her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just—oh, Mr. Giovanni! You're so unbelievably hot!" Lass Mia's eyes were so wide Giovanni could almost see hearts reflected in them.

He and Cyrus shared a look. But Giovanni quickly smirked and turned back to Mia. "Why, thank you," he said sweet as a cancer-causing sugar substitute. "You look quite nice yourself. Especially with those adorable little earrings of yours."

Lass Mia blushed. "Th-Thank you, Mr. Giovanni. I know you're taken and all, but—"

Giovanni bent over to her level. It wasn't very far, considering how short he was. "Nonsense. How could I be incensed over the attentions of such a kind and gentle girl?" I feel like such a pervert, he thought. The first thing I'll do when I get out of here is take a long, frigid shower. "In fact, why don't I give you the sweet Clefairy you wanted? Now it's even better since it's evolved."

Mia gasped. "That's so generous of you, Mr. Giovanni! I couldn't just take it like that!"

Giovanni sighed theatrically. "Well, if you insist, I could accept your Pichu for my Clefable. It's not as if a pokémon of mine is worth much more than that..."

"That's not true. I can just tell that you're a beautiful man inside and out!"

Giovanni stood back up again. "What a compliment." His comment was a bit more flat than he intended it to be. "You know, those earrings you're wearing remind me of... somebody I used to know very well. It's curious."

"I'll give them to you as a gift." Lass Mia bounced on her heels. "It's only fair if you like them so much!" She stopped bouncing and removed her earrings. She held them in one hand, and withdrew her Pichu with the other. She held out the pokéball and the earrings. "Here you go."

Throughout this entire exchange, Cyrus stayed as impassive as a statue. He can probably see how transparent this all is, thought Giovanni. Fortunately for me, this little idiot will just think he's jealous. He took out his Clefable's pokéball and reached to Lass Mia.

Right when their hands connected, Mia pulled back. "Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Well... if you think I'm such a nice girl and all—" She cocked her head to the side. "Won't you do one other little thing for me?'

Dread settled over Giovanni like a dark fog. "And what would that be?" he asked uneasily.

"Take your shirt off."

Giovanni's expression didn't change, but his whole body twitched a little. Nevertheless, he reached up to the collar of his dress shirt and fingered it lightly.

Lass Mia leaned over, prepared to ogle him. She held her pokéball and earrings close. Her eyes grew ever wider with anticipation as Giovanni pulled his dress shirt. As Mia leaned even closer, Giovanni reached out, gripping Pichu's pokéball and the earrings tightly, and before Mia could grab ahold of Clefable's pokéball, he pressed the button on it.

Clefable burst out chirping. Lass Mia took a step back in surprise.

"Clefable, use Sing, now!" Giovanni pointed to Lass Mia, and Clefable sang a soothing song. Before Mia could process the situation, she and her Sunkern grew drowsy and were lulled into a deep sleep.

Giovanni recalled Clefable immediately and pocketed the two pokéballs and the earrings. Without needing to discuss it, Cyrus and Giovanni headed toward one of the portals.

"...You've impressed me. I half-expected you to kill her. Considering the presence of Gothorita and other psychic-types, having a sleeping person in the area will be an adequate distraction. And you accomplished this while still obtaining two—" Cyrus was cut off.

"I know what I did because I just did it," Giovanni muttered. "I need to keep my skills sharp."

Cyrus glared at him. "You wouldn't have to do that if you would drink some water. Your brain isn't working because you're terribly dehydrated."

Giovanni considered it. "I suppose I might try it after forcing you to drink it first. But if it turns out that drinking pokémon water will turn me into a mess like you, I'll have Clefable leave you as a stain on the floor." Giovanni stepped onto the teleporter.

"...Highly unlikely..." Cyrus said quietly as Giovanni disappeared.

====​

After several more warps, the two of them ended up in a vast, dark room with a metal floor that reflected a dim lightsource that Giovanni couldn't see. A deep hum filled the room, resonating with the metal surfaces. Giovanni took a few steps forward and realized he had been standing in a large shadow. He looked up and saw a metal bridge—the room was the same as the one he had been in only hours before.

He resisted his urge to stomp his feet in rage. This is still a different area, and you don't want to attract attention, he thought. Why am I so fed up anyway? I remember ten years ago nothing even remotely frustrated me. She was just an exception. She was worth it. Images from the vision Giovanni's had when he was trapped in Cofagrigus welled up like blood from a deep gash. Wait, what am I thinking? I don't care about the past... no, that's not true, I'm just thinking about completely random things to keep myself sane... no...

"Look." Cyrus pointed to a spot on the wall. Giovanni turned and saw a faint outline of a door. Fluorescent light was leaking from it, leaving it barely visible.

Giovanni walked up to it. He could hear a faint beeping sound from inside. He peered through the crack and saw a swivel chair in front of a work station. A headset was resting on the panel. Monitors with flickering displays lined the walls. There was no other sound aside from the quiet noises from the computer equipment, so Giovanni slowly opened the door.

"This is exactly what is necessary," said Cyrus. Giovanni flinched—he hadn't heard Cyrus walk up to him. "Give me the other materials."

Giovanni handed him the pokéball and the earrings. "What are you going to do with these? You have an electric-type pokémon, but rubies don't even conduct electricity. You can't expect this to actually work."

He and Cyrus walked inside and shut the door tight behind them. "Crystals and gemstones are not prized for their electrical qualities alone. You must be aware of the connection between stones and pokémon evolution. As I was studying pokémon evolution and the energy it releases, I have a particular knowledge about the importance of rare stones and the connection with pokémon. Legendary pokémon, such as the pokémon that took me to the other world, are affected by various orbs which..."

Giovanni tuned out. His eyes were hurting again, and his head was pulsing with fatigue. Without saying anything, he watched Cyrus as he shut off the power and disconnected the computers' wires, then connected them to the rubies in a way too complicated for Giovanni to understand. After a while, Cyrus had set up a circuit connected to a coil of wire, with the two rubies on the end.

"Giovanni, you must now knock out this pokémon." Cyrus held out Pichu's pokéball. His words did not register in Giovanni's mind.

Cyrus took out his other pokéball and pressed the button on it. Luvdisc appeared on the floor. Giovanni looked down at it but was still in a dreamy fog where nothing mattered.

Luvdisc looked back at him and shot a pulse of water right in his face, spraying water and sending it splattering everything in the room. The water got into Giovanni's mouth and eyes. It felt freezing against his overheated body. He sputtered and shook his head but, to his surprise, the cold left him feeling sharper. But he spat onto the floor. "You freak! Diddling around with junk and expecting to make a psychic circuit breaker is one thing, but your disgusting behavior is another! And you deny being a sociopath. Hah." He felt the wet patches of his shirt. "I'll make you pay for all of my clothes when this is all over. I hope for your sake you're rich." He carefully put his suit back on, the water making him feel very uncomfortable. I did wish for a cold shower though. I suppose I should just stop wishing altogether, he thought.

"Knock out Pichu." Cyrus switched out Luvdisc and sent out Pichu. It was squeaking tiredly.

Giovanni sent out Clefable. After one short exchange of moves, Pichu lay unconscious on the floor. Cyrus pulled Pichu over to the device and attached leads to its cheeks.

"Pichu's electrical output is sporadic at best. I am uncertain of the results," said Cyrus. "Simply hold those two wires, one in each hand. You will act as a channeler. Meanwhile, I will use this headset to listen to the psychic communications." Cyrus sat down in the swivel chair and put on the security guard's headset.

"I'll be electrocuted!" Giovanni snapped. "I refuse!"
Cyrus's eyes narrowed. "...You will not. Did you not listen to my explanation of the gemstones' purpose?"

"You couldn't have expected me to listen to your nonsensical speech." Giovanni scowled. "But you know what? I'll do what you said just because I know your invention won't do a thing." He picked up the two wires that weren't connected to anything. He did not feel any different. Why is Cyrus still acting so robotic? Does he think I forgot his little realization already? He wondered.

"There is no point in discussing it." Cyrus's expression changed slightly, causing his face to look more gaunt. "Not all thoughts are worth putting outside you own mind."

Before Giovanni could question what just happened, he saw a bright orb appear in the middle of the room like ball lightning. Giovanni's muscles tightened, and he tried to move away, but he was frozen in place. His feet felt like lead weights. The orb of light grew larger until it encompassed Giovanni's entire field of vision. It was so bright it hurt to look at. Right as was about to turn away, he saw a small dark spot in the middle of the light. Giovanni blinked, and suddenly everything was dim and blurry. He opened his mouth and tried to call out to Cyrus, but the strangest sound came out—a tinkling like a xylophone being played quickly.

"Sentinel, what did you find?" Giovanni heard a woman ask. He looked up, and even with his blurry vision he could make out the face of Inari staring down at him.
 
Last edited:
ShivaDF

ShivaDF

The Scooter-riding Artist
482
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Aug 25, 2017
Chapter Ten​

Giovanni stood stock still.

"Did you find anything?" Inari asked impatiently. She crossed her arms, glaring down at him.

Silently, Giovanni shook his head "no." He glanced down at his uncomfortably tight body. He saw the corner of a white bow. Giovanni's mouth—or his new body's mouth—hung open in horror. I'm in a pokémon's body?! He gasped but the sound came out like tinkling chimes. He put his hands to where his ears should be and felt long, ribbed structures instead. His heart pounded so hard he could hear the echos in his spherical head.

Inari turned away from him. "You know, Sentinel, I often find myself wondering if you're too old for this job." She looked up. "It's a simple task. There must be hundreds of rich men and women in the area who are asleep right now." She glanced back at Giovanni, her glasses shining, looking opaque in the florescent light. "Yet, you were so much better at this when you were still a Gothorita. Would you like to retire, Sentinel?"

Used to be Gothorita... so I'm a psychic-type.... Giovanni took a few steps backward. He looked left and right searching for an exit. There was only one door in the small grey room. It was on the wall across from him, and it was made of metal and had no markings. Damn it, that wench is blocking it! Not that I'd know how to open it with these tiny useless hands anyway. He shook his head again.

"I see." Inari put her hands in her labcoat's pockets. She took out a pokéball and held it up. "Then I'll have to replace you by force. I had this pokémon imported from Kalos, Sentinel. It's said to have the most compelling hypnotic powers of any pokémon, but I can't trust word of mouth." She frowned. "If you can knock it out, I'll let you keep your place on my team. Otherwise, you've seen exactly what I do to ineffective pokémon."

Giovanni steeled his body and held his hands up like he was ready to grapple. Inside he felt like a derailed train falling off a mountain. How am I supposed to know how to fight as a pokemon?! What moves do I know?! All right, who in the PWT owns a Gothielle...some leader from Hoenn, right? Giovanni reached into the recesses of his mind trying to remember the capabilities of that pokémon.

Inari tossed her pokéball. It rolled along the ground and burst open in front of Giovanni. The flash and the noise made him jump. The pokémon that materialized was exactly Giovanni's current height, but the constantly jiggling tentacles on its head and its beady eyes gave it the aura of evil. Instead of a mouth, a hot pink, jagged beak protruded from its face. It had longer, white tentacles for arms that ended in blade-like fins.

Giovanni let out another tinkling cry. What... is that thing? All right, it looks aquatic... must be psychic/water-type. So now how do I use a move?!

"Malamar, use Night Slash!" Inari pointed to Giovanni. Malamar pulled a bladed tentacle back and it became encased in an opaque shadow. Giovanni dove to the right knowing full well what was coming. He wasn't fast enough. His body was too bottom-heavy and he tripped, slamming into the cold hard floor. He covered his disproportionate huge eyes in terror. Malamar thrust its tentacle forward and slashed Giovanni's abdomen like it was using a scythe. He screeched as his body was tossed like a rag doll and he slammed into the wall. He slid to the floor and felt the pulsing pain in his side. Reluctantly he touched the wound, but there was no sign of injury or blood even though it felt like he had been torn apart. He shut his eyes tight.

Giovanni, shaking from the red-hot pain, put his hands to the appendages on his head. Die, die, die, die! he chanted to himself. He felt anger burning through him, a charge coursing after it wherever it went. Suddenly his eyes flew open and a blast of electricity shot from his head. The crackling blast hit Malamar right between the eyes. Malamar slouched as electricity sparked in its body, but after only a few seconds it stood back up and shook off the attack.

"Hm... that's more of an effect than I would have expected. Maybe it was a critical hit." Inari adjusted her glasses. "Malamar, use Hypnosis and make her fall asleep.."

Malamar isn't water-type?! I hate life. Giovanni glared. By this point he felt like he was buzzing with adrenaline, his pain repressed. He struggled to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. That's it. I'm going to tear this hideous abomination apart, then use my psychic power to take those tentacles and tie them around Inari's neck until blood gushes from her every orifice! He brushed his abdomen off. Malamar's psychic pulses rushed toward him and Giovanni just kept glaring. The energy resonated throughout the room. Giovanni pressed through the fuzzy feeling even as his vision blurred. The hypnotic vibration seemed to last for hours. When it eventually stopped, Giovanni was left with a ringing in his head, but he had resisted.

"How is that possible?" Inari was taken aback. "Have I underestimated you? Malamar, use—"

Giovanni clapped his hands together. A pink and purple glow formed between them, and with a mere thought the glow shot forward in an energy beam that struck Malamar. With a shriek, Malamar fell backward, unconscious.

Mouth agape, Inari slowly picked up Malamar's pokéball and returned the pokémon to it. "Now... why can't you use that energy when you're finding people to suck dry?" Inari scowled down at Giovanni, whose death glare hadn't faltered. "If my pokémon were working at this level all the time, I'd be able to brainwash anybody I wanted, whenever I wanted!" Inari's eyes grew wide as she looked up at the ceiling. "Forget stealing their money. I could have an entire army of slaves!"

Giovanni charged at Inari, but without even noticing, Inari took out another pokéball and pressed its button to return Gothielle. Giovanni skidded, trying to stop, but it was too late. The beam from the pokéball touched him, and he dematerialized, his senses fading away. He blacked out.

====​

Giovanni was lying on his side, resting on frigid metal. He could hear the whirring and the intense buzzing of electronics and he knew he had to get up, but he just wanted to sleep. Maybe I am the world's strongest trainer after all... yes, I am the best! Battling as a pokémon myself. But it's probably been done by some crazy monk or something. He scowled, his good mood dead. And now I'm going to make sure my pokémon never get knocked out again. Damn it, even my successes make life harder!

"That is a very egocentric view," said Cyrus. "Even if your effort causes you distress, it does not necessarily affect others the same way. To only reach goals that affect yourself is cowardly, and not knowing how your actions affect others is foolish." Cyrus's voice sounded muffled.

Giovanni groaned. He didn't feel any pain from the battle, and yet he felt too exhausted to move. "How can you talk like that after what you put me through?" his words came off far less threatening than he intended.

"What do you mean by that?" Cyrus asked. "I experienced everything you felt, albeit with a disconnect. Besides, you agreed to this experiment."

"Wait... what do you mean? You were just listening, weren't you? You weren't the one inside that pokemon's body!" Giovanni rolled over onto his other side.

"Of course not. For me, the psychic link is only working one-way. The effect isn't strong enough for me to lose all sense of individuality, but I can visualize everything you think." Cyrus was still sitting in the swivel chair wearing the headset as before, but instead of just leaving the device on the floor, he was holding the circuitry in his lap. Jet black wires coiled around his body. To Giovanni's horror, Cyrus had wires hanging off his neck, leading to a sparking plug which he was holding in his mouth. Cyrus's eyes were dim but he looked otherwise completely content. He looked down at Giovanni, his eyes shaded by the headset. "...You're disturbed by the adjustments I made. I can feel your heart rate increasing and the sting of cognitive dissonance. Why? By wiring myself right into the console, I have eliminated the part of the electric-type pokémon. This is far more practical."

Giovanni pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the fatigue bearing down on him. "When I said you were a machine I didn't mean it literally, you fool! Take those things off before you kill yourself!" Giovanni rushed over to Cyrus and started pulling the wires off of his body. "Don't tell me, your parents never told you not to use the hairdryer in the shower, did they?" Giovanni hissed.

Cyrus's eyes narrowed. He did not resist as Giovanni pushed the last few wires to the floor. "I do not understand. I've read the most pertinent material related to psychic linking... and this is a perfectly viable method. It can't be much worse than staring at a computer monitor for around ten hours..." he said sluggishly. "I've been doing that since I was eight years old."

Righteous anger permeated Giovanni's mind like a solar storm. His face contorted as if he had been scorched by a red hot poker. "You... no wonder you're a sociopath!" He slammed his fist into the console behind Cyrus. The metal rang like a frightened Bronzong.

Cyrus looked at the wires lying on the floor. "I suppose I don't need to continue this now. After all, I understand this program's goal." He removed the USB-like plug from his mouth, but he left his headset on. "I'm curious. Why are the symptoms of your mental disorder exacerbated in my presence, Giovanni?"

Giovanni took a step back. "What are you talking about? I'm not insane, you idiot! You're the one who's insane here, as this little display just proves!" He gestured to the wiring.

"Right now, you are shouting at me angrily, obviously. Yet the thoughts of yours that I can make out sound anxious and pulsing with alarm. What I mean is, why does your splitting behavior become more intense around me? Around others you remain uniformly frustrated, without rapid shifts in your moods. That is uncharacteristic of Borderline Personality Disorder," Cyrus said in monotone.

Giovanni sighed and tilted his hat down. "You're hopeless. I already told you that I don't have BPD. If you can't remember more than a few hours back, I can't help you." How can he be so smart and so ignorant at the same time? he wondered.

"...Ignorant? Of course not. I remember very clearly. You punched me in the face after indicating that this destructive pattern occurs in your interpersonal relationships. That is just more evidence that you are mentally unstable. Though there may not be any single cause... never mind, I suppose...." Cyrus looked at the floor and paused, as if he was in the middle of figuring out a complicated mathematical equation.

Giovanni turned away, ready to open the door. "You're not making sense, as usual, but that doesn't matter since I'm well aware that you're so low-functioning. Let's go." That idiot. Cyrus can't think it's his place, piling more troubles on me like that. I shouldn't have to waste my time stopping him from suicide, thought Giovanni.

"...Wait, what was that?" Cyrus asked quietly.

"Are you going deaf? I said let's go." Giovanni heard Cyrus rise from the chair and looked back. He saw Cyrus was standing up straight, holding the psychic-link device. Cyrus had finally removed the headset, which he had put down on the console. He was standing very still, his head slightly down. He was glaring at Giovanni with a soul-stealing look in his eyes so arresting it could freeze.

"...What is it?" Giovanni felt like he was stuck in a crosshairs, but he kept his voice level.

"So that is source from which your emotional fluctuations all stem—nothing but vacuous sentimentality... I should have known you were like all the others." Cyrus took a step forward. "That's what it's been the whole time. You pretend to have knowledge, but you're nothing but another useless consumer... No—worse. A useless consumer wearing the skin of someone more wise. You cannot even admit that your anger is born of affection and insecurity. You're a degenerate form of an already-broken reality."

"What?! What are you talking about?!" Giovanni shouted. "Why would I admit to anything? I don't care about anyone! I tried to kill myself, isn't that clear enough already?!"

Cyrus's facial muscles twitched. He took a few steps to the right, like a predator circling weakened prey. "There you go again. That's all you do. Use a defense mechanism. How did I not notice? Was I deluding myself?" He paused.

Giovanni put his hands up, as if he were trying to push Cyrus away from a distance.

"One thing is for certain—I will make you regret ever paying heed to your heart!" He threw the psychic-link device. It hurtled in a straight path toward Giovanni's face.

Giovanni leaped to the right and the device crashed onto the door. The sound of metal on metal startled him, leaving Cyrus enough time to reach for his throat. Giovanni blocked his hands but Cyrus grabbed onto his wrists instead. They were both pushing against each other, unable to move forward. Giovanni was smaller, but far better trained. "Cyrus, I don't want to hurt you!" he snapped.

"That's your problem!" Cyrus was shaking now, sweat dripping down his face. He suddenly stopped pushing back, and Giovanni faltered. Cyrus sharply turned and kicked Giovanni's left knee.

Fortunately for Giovanni, his leg was locked. He winced at the sharp pain. This is the last straw! he thought. Cyrus pulled back his arm and threw a punch at Giovanni's temple. Giovanni did not move out of the way, but just held up his elbow, and Cyrus's fist struck its point. The effect was instantaneous. Cyrus recoiled in pain. While he was incapacitated, Giovanni grabbed Cyrus's left arm and leaped forward. Unable to remain standing, Cyrus fell backward and smashed into the console. The impact of his head broke one of the computer screens and sent shards of glass flying in every direction. It sounded like a miniature car crash.

Cyrus turned his head to the side, his neck limp. Bright red blood dripped down his face from little cuts. He breathed heavily.

Giovanni glared down at him. "Don't try anything else, or I'll send out Clefable and tell it to take a piece of glass and slit your throat."

Cyrus swallowed hard and looked up at Giovanni. "...Now you'll steal my pokemon, no doubt. I see now... that I shouldn't have underestimated you..."

Giovanni put his hands in his pockets. "I see what this was all about, Cyrus. Does being cared about scare you? Is being alone what your entire straw-nihilistic worldview was built around, and I just destroyed it?"

Cyrus tensed up and bared his teeth, but said nothing.

"You know what? I might not have been fooling anybody, Cyrus, but neither were you." Giovanni's glare got even darker. "Now there's only one thing I can do."

"...I can at least face this with dignity..." Cyrus said in monotone. He closed his eyes, waiting for a finishing blow. After a few seconds of not hearing anything or feeling any pain, he opened his eyes again. Much to Cyrus's surprise, Giovanni had done absolutely nothing but simply hold out his hand.

"Here. Get up," said Giovanni.

"I-I'm unable to fight back... I was ready to kill you... and you're giving me another chance?! That is not... that isn't..." Cyrus stammered.

"It isn't logical, you mean? I'm only doing this because nobody else bothered to care about you before. Don't think it's actually because you're special to me or something." Giovanni smiled softly.

Cyrus's expression went back to being utterly cold and emotionless. "That is an incredibly unconvincing denial. You're showing signs of splitting again."

"Splitting? Splitting?! I-I'll split your head open! Get up now before I change my mind, you sociopath!" Giovanni yelled, his face red.

Cyrus leaned forward and took his hand.
 
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ShivaDF

ShivaDF

The Scooter-riding Artist
482
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Aug 25, 2017
Chapter Eleven​

Cyrus stood up. He was still shaking slightly, and for once he did not look completely emotionless. Instead, he was still breathing heavily and his eyes were wide. He awkwardly pulled his hand away and turned to give the thousand-yard stare to the console, as if it held the secrets to the universe.

What is he all rattled about? Giovanni wondered, but decided not to ask. "...Now that we know what's going on here, how will we locate our pokémon?"

Cyrus took his eyes off the console and looked down at the floor. He fiddled with his vest.

Giovanni felt like sighing, but held it in. Poor, stupid robot. Not like I care. But wait, I told him I did care about him, didn't I? What was I thinking?! He felt very uncomfortable, like his clothes were squeezing him to death. What if Cyrus blackmails me? What if he stabs me in the back now that he knows I'm vulnerable? What if—

Cyrus shot Giovanni a confused look, and Giovanni flinched. He turned away.

"Why don't you look through the security feed to see where the pokémon are being kept," he said hurriedly. Giovanni tilted his hat brim down again, trying to appear casual, with a tone as if the idea had just occurred to him after glancing at his watch while waiting for a taxi. "It's not as if we're in a rush. If nobody noticed we were in here after that loud crash, I doubt they'll notice now."

Cyrus nodded and got to work reconnecting the wires he had adjusted for the psychic-linking device. After a few minutes of Cyrus robotically fixing the console, the screens flickered on one by one. They showed various greyed-out videos of rooms in the E-Anon compound.

Apparently the rest of the compound is just as insanely designed. When I put up those metal walls in my Rocket headquarters, at least I did so with a purpose. "You'd think that if technology is really so amazing nowadays, security cameras would have footage in higher quality," Giovanni muttered.

Cyrus didn't say anything. He stood up and pressed buttons on the console, causing the footage on the screens to flip through different viewing angles.

Something flashed on the middle screen and caught Giovanni's attention. "What was that cart?" he asked. Cyrus flipped back to the image. The video showed a shopping cart being pushed by a pokémon Ranger—inside the cart dozens of pokéballs were piled up like a glutton's groceries.

"My pokémon!" Giovanni exclaimed. "They've been right here all along?" He walked closer to the screen and gazed at it, transfixed. The end is in sight. I'll escape this nightmare in no time! he thought. "Now I just need to get there!" Giovanni grinned. "Bring up a map of the compound, Cyrus."

Cyrus hit a few more buttons on the console and a text box popped up on the central screen. The displays of the other screens turned dim.

Giovanni and Cyrus read the text box. It read: "Please input secondary password."

"What?! Why would you need a password for that?!" Giovanni clenched his hands into fists.

Cyrus said nothing and shrugged. He typed something into the input, and the screen flashed a red error message—incorrect password. Without pausing, Cyrus inputted another password and got the same result. He began inputting a password for the third time.

Giovanni frowned. "Wait, what if doing that triggers—" Giovanni was cut off by a sharp buzzing noise. The screen turned bright red and did not change color. A new message had popped up: "Incorrect password. Security personnel have been alerted to your position."

Giovanni winced as if he had been punched. "What the hell did you just do?!" he shouted.

Cyrus turned around but didn't say anything. His eyes were wide.

"Never mind." Giovanni back away until he hit the door. "We have to leave this instant!" He pushed the door open and ran outside. The darkness of the vast room shocked his senses and he couldn't see straight. Everything was a blurry outline. Over the sound of buzzing electronics, he could hear a pounding noise, like hundreds of people marching toward him.

Cyrus followed Giovanni out the room, looking left and right.

He's probably disoriented as well, Giovanni thought. That's what he gets for staring at blinding computer screens all day. He looked to the right side of the room. He couldn't see clearly, but he could make out a darker area of the wall which looked like a doorway. Giovanni grabbed Cyrus's left arm and ran toward the dark area.

"Stop dawdling, you idiot!" Giovanni snapped, dragging him along. The two of them ran closer and the doorway came into sharp view. They ducked into it, but the pounding noise would not cease. It was neither quieter nor louder. They must still be approaching us, Giovanni thought.

The hall had no lights anywhere, and Giovanni couldn't see more than three feet in front of him. But in his peripheral vision, he saw a silhouette of something spiky jutting out of the shadows. The pounding suddenly stopped.

Giovanni slowed down and let go of Cyrus. It's quiet. Too quiet, Giovanni thought. After a few seconds, his vision grew blurry once more. A bright light flashed on like a spotlight, startling him. It was a red light that was affixed to the ceiling and appeared to be rotating.

Giovanni looked up at the ceiling. "Isn't that a police rotator?" he asked, confused. "If that's meant to signal a state of alert, why did the guards stop chasing us?"

Cyrus pointed down the hall. One of the metal panels that formed the floor was sliding away, revealing a dark pit of spikes. Giovanni and Cyrus shared a look before peering into the pit. The spikes looked sharp as the horns of an Aggron, and they looked at least as tall as Cyrus. The spikes glinted bloody red in the spinning red light.

"This can't be real! What idiot would waste money on a trap like this? It's a complete cliché!" Giovanni took a few steps back.

Cyrus didn't move. He kept staring down at the spikes with a dead, empty look in his eyes. He stood up tall and took a step forward, and another, one foot hovering close to the nearest spike.

Giovanni leaped forward and grabbed Cyrus by the shoulders, yanking him backward. "Don't you dare die on me!" Giovanni yelled.

Without saying anything, Cyrus kicked one leg out and stepped right on the point of a spike. Like a desert mirage, the image of the spike pit rippled and faded away. The red light above followed suit.

Giovanni, still holding Cyrus, looked down the hall. In front of them stood five, motionless Stantler. As soon as Giovanni looked up at them, the one in the middle made a coughing sound and all five turned and leaped back down the hall, their hooves banging on the metal floor.

Stantler? They must have been projecting those images with their antlers. "How unfair. Those aren't even psychic-types, but they're still playing with my mind," Giovanni hissed. He released Cyrus and glared at him. "I'll let it slide this time, but I'm keeping my eye on you."

Cyrus's expression did not change, and he turned and resumed walking down the hall.

How dare he try and commit suicide not once, but twice? It makes me want to murder him! Giovanni's eyes narrowed as he walked after Cyrus.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, they reached the end of the hall. Past that point they could see a small room with a Pokémon Ranger standing guard next to a single door.

"I can take care of this easily," Giovanni said quietly. He took out Clefable's pokéball and tossed it so that it rolled across the floor. Halfway to the Pokémon Ranger, Clefable burst out of the pokéball chirping.

Cyrus and Giovanni ducked behind the corner so the Pokémon ranger wouldn't notice them. Giovanni gestured to Clefable, signaling it to attack.

Clefable pulled back its arms and got into a ready stance when the Ranger looked at it. "Hey little pink man," she said. "You look plenty sweet already, but you wanna get even more sweet, over here?"

Giovanni scowled. That Ranger has the accent that only the most grating people in Unova have. He signaled Clefable more quickly, but it wasn't watching him.

The Pokémon Ranger took a bright pink PokéPuff from her belt and handed the treat to Clefable, who snatched it and munched on it vigorously.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" The Ranger took several more poképuffs and threw them on the floor. Clefable pounced on the pile of them with a dreamy look in its eyes.

"Damn it," Giovanni muttered. "Now what, sociopath? Do you have any idea?" He turned to Cyrus.

Cyrus gave him a strange look.

"Wait, you don't want me to distract her the same way I distracted..." Giovanni trailed off with mounting discomfort.

Cyrus cocked his head to the side.

"I refuse!" he snapped in a hushed tone. "You just want me to take my shirt off, don't you? You pervert! I'd never take my shirt off for somebody who looks fifty but isn't even thirty."

Cyrus's brow furrowed slightly.

Giovanni scowled. "I'm not stalling! I just don't want to do something so degrading!"

Cyrus pointed to the Pokémon Ranger.

"Don't look at me that way! It's not that I don't know how to treat a woman. After all, most of my lovers were women. But just because I wanted to look good in my twenties doesn't mean I want to be famous for that now—oh, never mind." Giovanni sighed and turned to stare contemptuously at the Ranger. Several possibilities for false compliments ran through his head. Hair, eyes, gentle manner... those options are all nice and hackneyed. I don't even want to try to put thought into this. Giovanni resigned himself to fate and turned the corner. He walked up to the guard, who stopped handing Clefable the PokéPuffs. The guard stood up, and looked at Giovanni confusedly.

Giovanni adjusted his hat and smirked. "Hello, miss. I was just admiring—"

The guard leaned to the left, gazing at the corner with wonder. She had caught a glimpse of Cyrus, who was watching from behind the wall. "Who is that handsome man?"

Giovanni's smirk fell. "Excuse me?"

"He's so wonderfully brooding. Just look at those bedroom eyes. He's going to be mine, over here!" She grinned and sauntered over to Cyrus. Giovanni was too shocked to try and stop her.

When she stepped close to Cyrus, he visibly recoiled even though his expression remained the same. He tried to step back, but the Ranger put one hand against the wall and leaned over him, forcing him to look up at her. "Hey babe, what's an amazing guy like you doing in a place like this?" she said.

"I will never agree to a romantic relationship with you," Cyrus replied icily.

She waggled her eyebrows. "Now now, I didn't say anything about romance." Her grin grew even more wide.

Cyrus's eyes narrowed. "I do not even know how to recognize sexual attraction."

"You're not attracted to women, you mean?"

Cyrus said nothing.

"'Cause you don't need to worry about that. I can totally be a man in the sack. Now tell me, what's your name, what's your sign?"

Giovanni tried to shake off his disgust. How could she be attracted to that gaunt-faced, sociopathic, anorexic automaton when I'm standing right in front of her?! Has she watched too many of those robot love stories, or what? He turned around and went over to the Pokémon Ranger. He yanked her sleeve and pulled her away from Cyrus. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Get away from him this instant!" Giovanni snapped.

The Ranger wasn't fazed. "Oh, is he your boyfriend?"

"He is not my boyfriend," Giovanni muttered without thinking. Wait, if I tell her we're in a relationship, maybe she'll leave and the path will be clear. "We prefer the term 'partner.' 'Boyfriend' sounds disgustingly juvenile. And that pick-up line of yours hasn't been used in decades," he hissed.

She looked back at Cyrus and winked. "You could do so much better." She turned back to Giovanni and looked down at him.

"Listen, shorty, nobody cares about your crap New Age term. Run along now so I can pick up this guy in peace." She waved her hand in a "go away" gesture.

Giovanni bared his teeth before catching himself. "Insulting my height? How mature of you," Giovanni said sarcastically. "My partner and I will be going now. I don't have time for any catfights. Run back to your Ranger friends and go get your hands dirty elsewhere."

She threw her head back and laughed. "Hah! Don't kid yourself. Who would stay with a decrepit old man like you anyway? Definitely not such a handsome man!"

Giovanni smacked the metal wall. The clanging noise reverberated throughout the hallway. "Cyrus would never take a perverted wench like you!"

"So Cyrus is his name then? I guess I'll call him Cy for short. That'll be real cute."

Giovanni growled like a cornered Arcanine. He and the ranger were so distracted that neither of them noticed Cyrus walk by and swipe a pokéball from Giovanni's pocket. Cyrus slunk over to Clefable, who was still happily munching away on the stockpile of PokéPuffs. With the press of a button, Cyrus recalled Clefable to its pokéball.

Giovanni and the Ranger heard the unmistakable sound of a pokémon being recalled and they turned to look at the door. Cyrus held up the Clefable's pokéball and turned around slowly with a cold glint in his eyes. He was glaring, but Giovanni could not tell whom exactly he was glaring at.

"Hey, babe, step away from that door now, would you?" the Ranger asked shakily. "I don't wanna have to hurt you, over here."

"Hurt me?" Cyrus asked quietly. "I doubt that I will be the person in pain by the end of this."

The Ranger held up her hands. "Okay, okay. I'll battle you if you really want to." She took a pokéball from her belt and threw it. It ricocheted off the floor. "Go, Swadloon!"

A little green insect-like pokémon with big leaves wrapped around it appeared. It made a murmuring sound.

Cyrus, without saying a word, took out another pokéball and released his Luvdisc.

Giovanni's eyes widened. Has he gone even more insane? Can he not see his obvious type disadvantage?! he thought, but he was relegated to the sidelines. With Cyrus holding Clefable's pokéball, Giovanni had no pokémon on hand.

"I'll take it easy on you. Swadloon, use Sticky Web!" The Ranger pointed to Luvdisc. Swadloon pursed its lips, its mouth filling with a sticky substance. It was about to spit when Cyrus gave Luvdisc an order.

"Dodge it by using Bounce in that direction." As he spoke, Cyrus pointed to the Ranger. Luvdisc obeyed and bounced off the floor. It leaped through the air and landed behind the Ranger and Giovanni. Before the Ranger could order it to stop, Swadloon turned around and spat a wad of silk at her and Giovanni. The silky strands from its mouth transformed into a web as it hurtled through the air. Just before it could splatter all over him, Giovanni jumped to the side and the web smacked into the Ranger, gluing her to the wall. She tried to call for help, but a few strands stuck to her lips, sealing them shut, and all she could do was mumble.

Cyrus returned Luvdisc and walked over to the door. He pressed against it, and it creaked open. He stood there for a few seconds, and then glanced at Giovanni. Cyrus gestured to the door before going inside.

Giovanni took off his hat and wiped sweat from his brow. His heart was beating fast. To think I was worried he'd throw me under the bus, he thought. I guess I forgot for a moment that I trust him. Not like anyone would blame me. He walked to the door, but paused before following Cyrus inside. I can't believe how stupid I was! Partner? Really?! Could I have been more unconvincing? Giovanni made a fist and then unclenched his hand quickly. He took a deep breath and shook his head. Wait. I need to be calm in order to find my pokémon. He went inside and shut the door behind him.

The room was cramped and dimly-lit, illuminated only by a flickering florescent light from above. Two shelves, each about twice as tall as Giovanni, stood on either side of the room. Every bit of surface area on each shelf was covered by boxes filled to the brim with pokéballs. On every box was a hastily-scrawled label with a person's name.

Yes! thought Giovanni. He was about to smile but quashed the feeling. Wait. I can't let myself get too enthusiastic. What if my pokémon aren't here? What do I do then? What if some are here but some are missing? He walked down the aisle, making note of all the names as he passed. While he was distracted by looking at the labels, he bumped into Cyrus.

Cyrus had been carefully inspecting something on the shelf. After Giovanni got his balance, Cyrus turned his head sharply to stare him.

Giovanni took a step back. Why is he giving me the evil eye?! Wait, no, that isn't the evil eye. Damn it, how am I supposed to know what he means if he won't talk to me? Giovanni's thoughts whirled as he tried to think of something to say. "These boxes... are in alphabetical order," he said awkwardly. He glanced at the box Cyrus had been looking at, and noticed that it had Cyrus's name written on it. "Are those your pokémon?" Giovanni asked. The idea that the missing pokémon could be right within their grasp seemed surreal. He quickly turned back to Cyrus, who gave a shallow nod.

"Really?!" Giovanni put his hands to his chest. His heart was beating fast again. "Are... all of them here?"

Cyrus nodded, but his expression was not any brighter.

What's the correct thing to say in this situation? Giovanni wondered. I can't just say, "that's wonderful," or "I'm happy for you." That would just make me sound ignorant! When was the last time I felt happy because of somebody's good fortune? I know I have to say something. His thoughts raced as fast as a herd of Rapidash. The last time I felt happy for someone was years ago, and I couldn't bring myself to say a thing... He frowned. "...Good," he said quietly, unable to look Cyrus in the eyes. He looked away and stared at the space between the shelves. What am I doing? I can't just stall here! Giovanni pushed past Cyrus and started walking down the hall without giving him a second look, then he broke into a run, passing dozens of boxes. He moved through the alphabet, desperately waiting to hit the correct letter. How many pokémon have they stolen?! I don't have time for this! Giovanni didn't have the faintest idea why, but he knew he had to rush. He did not want to know what he had to get to so quickly, or get away from. He was vaguely aware of Cyrus walking behind him as he ran.

Giovanni noticed a "G" and he skidded to a halt. He looked every which way in a daze. When he couldn't see his name anywhere, he knelt down and grabbed the outer boxes, pulling them off the shelf. Pokéballs spilled from the boxes as he pushed them away. Part of him knew that this was needless exertion, but his every impulse was bent on finding his pokémon. He leaned over, peering at the back of the shelf. It was completely in shadow, but he reached for the box that was pressed up against the wall in the very back. Knowing my luck, it would be the one hardest to reach. It has to be here somewhere! He crawled onto the shelf and grabbed both sides of the farthest box. He pulled back as hard as he could and hit his head on the shelf above. He muttered a curse. This is so humiliating. Here I am, failing to move, with my body half in, half out of the shelf. He paused, almost releasing the box. But it doesn't really matter how I look right now, does it? Nobody cares about what happens to me anyway. No, wait. That's isn't exactly true anymore—damn it, I don't have time to think about this! He crawled backward and pulled the box out of the shelf. It fell to the floor with a resounding THUD. Giovanni stood up, not even attempting to pick it up off the floor. That might put my back out, he thought. I'm a wreck. I think I partially crushed my fedora, and I have pulls in my jacket. I don't even want to know how that's possible. He closed his eyes and sighed. He opened one eye and looked at the label, and then opened both of them in shock. The label said "Giovanni" in bold letters.

He fell back to the floor on his knees. He rifled through the box and pulled out one of the pokéballs. He saw that not only were the boxes labeled on the outside, but the pokéballs had the names of pokémon written on them. The one he was holding said "Nidoking." Nidoking? The same Nidoking I've used in all my Gym battles? He took out another pokéball, and another, and another. He read the names off of each of them. Rhyperior, who I always lead with, Persian, who always watches over me, the Beedrill I skewered my mother's head with... they're all mine again! In a flurry, Giovanni grabbed each of the over twenty pokéballs and stuffed them into his jacket. The very last pokéball he removed was Rhyperior's. He stood up and smiled at it as he put it away. "Rhyperior can crush through the walls of this compound as if they were tissue paper," Giovanni said smugly to nobody in particular. He looked up at the ceiling and laughed the way he used to laugh over a decade ago when his Team Rocket grunts would tell him how they had outwitted the authorities.

Even after his laughter had died down, Giovanni was still elated. He turned around and saw that Cyrus had been standing behind him, waiting patiently. To Giovanni's puzzlement, Cyrus was holding out a pokéball. Giovanni was about to ask why he was doing that, but then he noticed that the pokéball had "Clefairy" printed on it—it was Clefable's pokéball.

"That's very kind of you, Cyrus, but you should keep Clefable," said Giovanni. "You need a pokémon who's strong and not weak to rock-types at the same time and besides, it's technically yours anyway. It's not as if we officially traded," he said with a soft smile. "Go ahead and keep all three of the pokémon we obtained here. If you want to know how to avoid getting caught for carrying more than the legal number of pokémon, I can always give you advice."

Cyrus nodded and pocketed Clefable's pokéball. His expression defrosted a little, leaving Cyrus looking neutral. He looked down, lost in thought. After a long silence, so long it became awkward, he finally spoke. "...Giovanni, I have great affection for you," he said in utter monotone. He reached out and grabbed Giovanni's right shoulder robotically, clamping down so hard Giovanni thought it would break.

Giovanni smacked Cyrus's hand and stepped back. He grabbed his shoulder, which throbbed with pain. "What the hell is wrong with you?! What kind of mixed message is that, you sociopath?!"

"...I don't understand your reaction. Humans show affection through words and gestures. The combination of the words I chose with that gesture should result in the other party showing... approval. Why is your reaction not one of approval?"

Giovanni glowered at him. "Cyrus, were you refusing to speak to me this whole time because you were trying to figure this out?"

Cyrus looked at the floor. "...Yes."

"Nobody in his or her right mind shows affection by trying to break somebody's shoulder!" Giovanni's eyes narrowed. "And nobody ever announces that they're showing affection while doing just that. Unless showing affection isn't really what you want to do. Do you secretly want me dead?"

"No. If I did, I would kill you in a far more effective way. Why would I bother breaking your shoulder?" Cyrus's expression became ice cold again. "...If you find the method I chose disagreeable... how am I supposed to show affection? By imitating your method of doing so?"

Giovanni took off his hat and inspected it for damage so he didn't have to look Cyrus in the eye. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"This." Cyrus paused for a few seconds. "Giovanni, you know that I don't want to show affection because I actually care about you or anything like that," he said, deadpan. "It's only a social experiment to satisfy my curiosity about human nature."

Giovanni looked back up. "Excuse me?!"

"You know exactly what I meant, you idiot." Cyrus pulled his arm back and slapped Giovanni across the face hard.

Eyes watering from the pain, Giovanni turned back to Cyrus, who had pulled back his other arm. Before Cyrus could slap him again, Giovanni caught Cyrus's wrist. "I do not act that way, you idi—" Giovanni's words died in his throat. Blood rushed to his face. He released Cyrus's wrist.

"Tell me, am I supposed to show affection that way?" Cyrus asked. "It seems like wasted effort."

Is it wasted effort? I must do it for a reason. Giovanni put his hat back on and tilted it down. "I only do that because you're so infuriating," he muttered.

"In any case, answer my original question. How am I supposed to show affection?"

Giovanni felt like sighing again. I can't believe have to teach an adult about feelings. "Do you actually feel affection? Do you have any idea what it's like?"

Cyrus looked to the side. "Not exactly... for instance, happiness, anger, and heartburn all feel very similar to me. Emotions are needlessly complex."

"...You idiot," was all Giovanni could say. He looked away. I don't understand. Just a few minutes ago, I was happy. Happier than I've been in a decade. Why do my moods sway like this? Maybe Cyrus is half-right, and only my emotions are the ones that are needlessly complicated. Giovanni did sigh. Why can't I just be happy? I should be happy, shouldn't I? Somebody is trying to be kind to me... at least I think that's what's happening. Otherwise I wouldn't feel so embarrassed right now. I should just relax... I don't want to act the way Cyrus portrayed me. I don't want to be an angry, insane, hypocritical liar. But I shouldn't have to avoid doing that! I shouldn't have been pushing people away like that in the first place! Damn it, now I'm angry again! Giovanni's thoughts kept swirling and looping back around like a hurricane. I don't want to ruin this the way I ruined everything else I ever cared about. I don't want to be alone again!

"Look at me," Cyrus said.

Giovanni looked up, but he was still dazed. His eyes hurt— they felt like they did before a thunderstorm. "Wh-What is it?"

"You appear to be on the brink of bursting into tears, which would be detrimental to our plan to escape. I recommend not following up on this conversation until after we are far away from this building."

Giovanni rubbed his eyes on his sleeve, but they still hurt. "Fine. But I wasn't about to burst into tears," he muttered. "I'm tired. You can't blame me for that." But if he's saying that, does that mean he won't leave me after—I should stop thinking. "We'll leave this room, and I'll use my Rhyperior to break us out of here!"
 
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ShivaDF

ShivaDF

The Scooter-riding Artist
482
Posts
14
Years
  • Seen Aug 25, 2017
Chapter Twelve​

Cyrus gave a sharp nod. He and Giovanni turned around. As they walked toward the door, Giovanni looked to the side at the boxes, but continually glanced at Cyrus's back.

A pressure was building in Giovanni's chest and throat. There's something I should say, but I have no idea what it is, he thought. It must be the damned light in here that's making me all rattled. It's even worse than in my hotel room. He took out Rhyperior's pokéball and looked down at it while holding it tight. The flickering florescent light turned the red of the pokéball a sickly orange. Never mind. I know I'll be in a good mood after breaking out. He smirked at the thought.

Cyrus tried the door, but it wouldn't open. He put his weight against it, but the door did not budge. After a few more tries, he stopped and tried to pull, but that did not work either.

"What's the matter, Cyrus?" Giovanni asked cloyingly. "Are you up against a mental block? Quick, tell me your blood type and I'll try to diagnose you."

Cyrus stopped trying to open the door, but he didn't turn around. "My blood has nothing to do with this. Something is preventing the door from opening," he said in monotone.

"It was a joke, you idiot. This just proves that if you want something done right, you have to make somebody competent do it for you." Giovanni pushed Cyrus aside and reached for the door. Just as the tips of his fingers brushed against the cold metal, the door swung open and Giovanni stumbled forward. A figure in silhouette stood outside. Giovanni blinked and the shadows became sharper and more defined, revealing Inari.

"You!" Giovanni bared his teeth. "Now that I have my pokémon, I'll crush you like the disgusting parasite you are!" He pulled back his arm and threw the pokéball. It ricocheted off the hard floor and rolled past Inari.

There was a flash of energy from outside as Rhyperior materialized right behind her. At over seven feet tall, the pokémon towered over Inari, but she wasn't at all intimidated. She turned around and calmly felt for a pokémon in one of her pockets.

"Why aren't you attacking?!" Giovanni yelled at his pokémon. "Smash her into the floor with Hammer Arm!"

Rhyperior held up one of its arm-cannons and thrust it at Inari like a battering ram. Inari deftly dodged by leaping to the side and drew her own pokéball. Rhyperior missed her and slammed its arm into the metal floor which shook the building like a Magnitude 8.

The shockwave made Giovanni lose his balance and he fell backward into Cyrus's arms.

"Go, Meowstic," Inari said after everything stopped shaking. She dropped her pokéball on the floor, and with a burst of light, her Meowstic appeared, hissing disapprovingly. "Meowstic, crush them," Inari said, disinterestedly. Meowstic's ears flipped up, revealing its secret eyes which glowed an eerie crimson, growing brighter by the second. Meowstic was glaring as if were concentrating so hard it was in pain.

"Hah, you ignorant fool! You're attacking Rhyperior with that pathetic little plush toy of a pokemon?" Giovanni could hear a creaking noise echoing through the room. He pointed to Meowstic. "Rhyperior, use—" He was cut off by the pain of Cyrus grasping him tighter.

"Giovanni, we must leave this room immediately," Cyrus said.

Giovanni struggled against Cyrus's grip. "I'd have to be an idiot to leave now, and I don't see you helping me out, you sociopath! This is the perfect opportunity to attack since that wench isn't even making her pokémon do anything—"

"Stop yelling and trust me!" Cyrus shouted. He let go of Giovanni and shoved him toward the door.

Giovanni cursed but ran outside anyway, Cyrus following right behind him. Inari stepped back, startled, and let the two of them run past her.

Giovanni skidded to a halt and whirled around. "Rhyperior, use Ice Punch on the woman! Now!"

Rhyperior pulled back one arm, readying itself, and a freezing fog emanated from its arm.

"Meowstic, use Psyshock to protect me," said Inari.

Giovanni turned to Cyrus. "You made me lose my great opportunity. I detest trust," he muttered. Cyrus didn't answer him.

Meowstic suddenly turned around, but it kept its ears straight up. Its hidden eyes were bright as lasers.

A horrible screeching noise, metal grinding against metal, resounded throughout the room. It sounded like a Steelix biting down on a screaming Klinklang. The sound was so overpowering that Giovanni, Cyrus, and Inari all covered their ears. With one more deafening crash, the doorway crumpled like tinfoil, and shrapnel, including metal shavings and pokéballs, shot out of the storeroom. The shrapnel hit the floor and the loud noises stopped.

Everyone, even the pokemon, paused.

Inari crossed her arms. "Well, that experiment was not a success."

"I take back what I said about trust..." Giovanni said quietly.

Cyrus drew a pokéball. "Meowstic has enough power to grind metal to dust. It was a near miss," he said in monotone.

"How observant of you. Meowstic, use Psyshock on Rhyperior, for real this time!" Inari gestured to the pokemon. Meowstic hissed again.

Giovanni sighed, tilting his fedora down. "I don't have time for this. Rhyperior, ignore it and smash through the far wall."

Rhyperior turned and lumbered away, while Meowstic, psychic powers glowing, chased after it.

Without saying anything, Cyrus pressed the button on the pokéball he was holding, and his Weavile materialized on the floor in front of him. It held out its razor-sharp claws, awaiting orders.

"Weavile, intercept with Night Slash," Cyrus ordered.

Weavile grinned, showing its fangs. It rushed forward as fast as a whip. Meowstic spun around and blasted Weavile with a multicolored psychic pulse, but Weavile didn't even slow down. Its claws glowed indigo like the sky at midnight. It slashed Meowstic, who screeched and fell back.

"Meowstic, return," Inari said, annoyed. Meowstic was enveloped by red light and returned to its pokéball.

When Rhyperior reached the wall, it held up both its arm-cannons, and its red eyes narrowed as it took aim. With no warning, a craggy rock shot out of each cannon and slammed into the metal with a resounding bang! The wall was dented and twisted, like a pond rippling after a stone is thrown into it. Rhyperior reached out and used its claws to tear at each side of the dent. The metal squealed as it bent.

Inari frowned. She whirled around and threw another pokéball. "Go, Sentinel! Stop them from breaking anything else!"

Inari's Gothielle burst out of its pokéball and twittered. It looked up at Giovanni with a confused frown.

Giovanni put a hand over his face. "Oh, it's you..." he muttered.

Inari raised an eyebrow. She did not understand his reaction. "Sentinel, use Signal Beam!"

A pink and purple glow formed between Gothielle's hands. When the glow grew large enough, Gothielle held up her arms, preparing to launch the beam.

Cyrus pointed to Gothielle, and Weavile dashed toward it. Weavile leaped forward and its claws turned dark again, but at the same instant Gothielle fired the Signal Beam. In a blast of purple and indigo, Weavile and Gothielle were knocked back by the recoil. Weavile covered its eyes and shrieked while Gothielle just fell back, hit the floor, and rolled over.

Inari put her hands on her hips. "Sentinel, why can't you fight like you did against Malamar earlier? You have no sense of priorities. Oh, well, I don't need to keep promises to my personal tools. I'll have you cooked and made into a treat for my other pokémon as an example!"

When Weavile wouldn't stop shrieking, Cyrus returned it to its pokéball.

Giovanni was growling through all of this.The battling, Rhyperior, and that stupid crazy woman. Damn it, it's just noise, noise, noise! At least it's not as bad as the screaming crowds at the PWT. Maybe I could stand that if they were cheering me on, but I know that would never happen, Giovanni thought. He noticed that the noise was quieter than before. He turned his head and saw that Rhyperior was standing still, awaiting orders, and that there was a hole, large enough for a person to walk through, in the wall. Giovanni turned to Cyrus. "Don't bother trying to finish off the wench when we can escape right now!"

Cyrus nodded. He and Giovanni ran to the hole in the wall. Giovanni held up Rhyperior's pokéball and returned the pokémon to it, leaving Giovanni and Cyrus enough space to slip through. Behind the wall was a stairwell with small metal stairs leading upwards.

"What if our situation only becomes more dangerous when we reach the upper level?" asked Cyrus.

"Don't bother with theories!" Giovanni snapped. His voice echoed throughout the shaft. "Anywhere is better than here!" He grabbed Cyrus and ran up the stairs as fast as possible, his shoes gripping the slippery metal. When he reached the top of the stairwell, Giovanni looked down and saw Inari, who had just squeezed through the hole.

She paused at the bottom of the stairs. "It should be against the law for a fifty-three-year-old to be so athletic," she said sarcastically. "If I can not rely on Sentinel, I'll do my part as well," she said, taking a small device that looked similar to a garage opener from one of her pockets. She pressed a button on the device.

Giovanni grinned and reached for another pokéball. "Garchomp can deal with her eas—" He was cut off by a shrill vibration like the beating wings of a horde of Ninjask. "That's a dirty trick!" he yelled over the sound. He took out Garchomp's pokéball and pressed the button, but it only made a hollow sound. He pressed it harder. Nothing happened.

"It is a signal that jams pokéballs..." said Cyrus. "...aside from the user's own."

"Precisely! My, are you a smart one. It's a pity that I'll have to brainwash you." Inari adjusted her glasses. "Well, at least I can make you my personal slave. Sentinel, use Thunderbolt!"

Gothorita hopped past Inari and held up its hands. With a blinding flash, a crackling bolt of electricity shot up the stairs, ricocheting off the walls. The Thunderbolt attack curved toward Giovanni, nearly searing his face. He jumped away and suddenly fell backward. He slammed into something cold and hard.

This had better not become a trend, Giovanni thought. He was about to stand up when suddenly the object supporting him fell away, and he slid to the floor and landed on his back with a thud.

Giovanni pushed himself off the floor and stood up as quickly as possible. He brushed off his coat and turned around. In front of him was was the door that had swung open. Past the door was a dark corridor. Giovanni took one step into the corridor but hesitated until he heard the echoing sound of Inari's footsteps getting louder and louder. He ran into the shadows with Cyrus and shut the door behind them.

As he and Cyrus walked down the corridor, Giovanni could just barely make out another, distant doorway that light was leaking through. He could hear a strange hissing noise emanating from past the doorway. That isn't... sizzling, is it? Was this a horrible mistake?! Are there people being burned alive in there?!

"You appear distressed," said Cyrus. "Are your mood swings the reason you are so ignorant of your surroundings, Giovanni?" Cyrus asked without inflection.

Giovanni scowled. "You have no right to ask, considering you can't even touch somebody's shoulder properly, sociopath." He forced himself to use a hushed tone. At least I'm not afraid anymore, he thought. "You know, Cyrus, you're an idiot and a sociopath, but at least..."

"We must leave now. There is no time to talk." When he was close enough, Cyrus grabbed the door's handle and turned it, but the door didn't open.

"I was going to say something nice, you idiot!" Giovanni snapped. "But I must have been out of my mind. How could I forget? You're so ignorant that you can't even open doors!"

Cyrus was about to say something, but suddenly a bright beam shot over his head and blasted the door. Cyrus released the handle. With a cracking sound, the door blew open and the beam faded.

Damn it, I hate it when he's right about things like this, thought Giovanni. Not like I'd ever let him know he's right. He ran through the doorway and his eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light.

A sweet and greasy smell permeated the room. Giovanni saw the source of the sizzling noise—dozens of machines. They had metal screens on top of them and they were about as long as grand pianos. Lying on the screens were seemingly endless rows of doughnuts, shiny with oil.

Giovanni felt like his stomach clench. "The kitchen? Really?! It's as if this place is taunting me, if it wasn't already!"

As if to ask what he meant, Cyrus gave Giovanni a blank stare.

A tinkling sound like bells rang out behind the two of them. Giovanni and Cyrus whirled around. Casually leaning against the doorway was Inari, her Gothorita right next to her.

"I know, Giovanni. The final showdown happening in the kitchen is a bother," said Inari. "I mean, who's going to remove your disembodied limbs from the oil after they're fried? Not me, that's for sure."

Giovanni gawked.

"Why would you bother frying his disembodied limbs?" asked Cyrus. "Wouldn't the process be made simpler by feeding his limbs to your pokémon without frying the limbs beforehand? And why his body parts and not mine?"

"Don't be so presumptive!" Inari stood up. "I might want to eat some, too! And you look like your mind would be nice to break, so I want you around. From Sentinel's report, Giovanni just sounds like another boring, lonely misanthrope."

"The word is 'presumptuous.'" Cyrus glared at her. "...And all people all boring. Everyone is born, suffers, and dies."

While Cyrus and Inari continued to argue, and Gothielle patiently awaited orders, Giovanni backed slowly away. He took out a pokéball and clicked the button repeatedly. Why is one of these insane freaks my friend?! Why?! The pokéball still didn't activate. Damn it, that jamming device is still on! I don't want to have to wrestle with that wench and steal it from her!

"...Well, this has gone on too long," said Inari. "It's been fun, but I'd like to get back to my psychic experiments now. Sentinel, bend their minds with Psychic!"

Gothielle's eyes rolled back in its head. The whites of its eyes glowed bright pink and the space around its head seemed to warp and twist. A cold, eerie pressure filled the room, like the walls were slowing collapsing inward. Giovanni reached out and grabbed Cyrus's right arm and yanked him to the side. Gothielle's psychic blast grew and hit Giovanni dead-on.

For a moment, time seemed to stop and everything blurred together, and when Giovanni's eye's refocused and he could feel again, he saw that he was lying on his side. Damn it, falling on the floor is a trend. Giovanni glanced up at Cyrus, who appeared to be unharmed. No wonder Cyrus is still standing. I mean, if he were a pokemon, he'd be dark-type. Ice/dark, I'm sure. Yes, that fits. All of Giovanni's senses felt fuzzy, like his body had been stuffed with cotton. The buzzing from Inari's remote control sounded much louder than it had before, to the point where it was like standing right next to a radio tower. Giovanni's vision became bathed in red, as if candles made of red wax were melting all round him. He felt like he was in bed and was about to begin dreaming. "Red... red... pepper in soup tastes good. Stir it, curl it like Ariana's hair was curled at the ends. Same color, too," Giovanni mumbled, drool dribbling from the side of his mouth. "But I don't smell spice, I smell sugar. Come to think of it, a doughnut that's cut in half looks like a pokéball, and..." Giovanni kept babbling. He could vaguely hear Inari laughing and Cyrus yelling about something, but Giovanni couldn't make out any words. That's weird. Cyrus doesn't yell. Not really. Anyway, what was I thinking about? Right, pokéballs. Mine aren't working, because of that jamming device that's buzzing like so many Beedrill. The device doesn't work on Inari's pokéballs, so they still... work... wait! Giovanni's eyes flew open. He hadn't realized he had closed them. "...Clefable's pokéball still works! It's owned by E-Anon!" he cried out, as loud as he could.

Giovanni glanced up and he and Cyrus shared a look. Giovanni still couldn't see very clearly, but he saw that Inari had crossed her arms and looked perturbed.

Cyrus took out a pokéball and pressed its button. With a pop and a flash, Clefable materialized in front of Cyrus. Clefable was murmuring and its eyes were wide.

"Clefable, use Cosmic Power," Cyrus ordered. Giovanni was able to understand the words, his senses sharpening. Clefable, on the other hand, just looked confused. In a daze, it looked left and right.

"That's just pathetic. Sentinel, use Psychic!" Inari pointed to Clefable.

Gothielle's eyes lit up again. When Clefable noticed Gothielle charging, it used Cosmic Power on its own. Clefable glowed the colors of starlight, rings of sparkles circling its body. Gothielle shot the psychic blast at Clefable, but the starry sparkles dissolved most of the attack. Clefable just looked bored.

"Where did your power go, Sentinel? You only fight when your welfare's in danger, hmm? Maybe you're the one I should be frying." Inari adjusted her glasses.

With Clefable in front of them to act as a shield, Cyrus turned around to inspect Giovanni. "How are you feeling?" Cyrus asked.

Giovanni pushed himself up to a seated position. When he tried to stand, his head felt like it was spinning, so he remained sitting. "You can see how I am by looking at me!" he snapped.

"...I see. Would you like help, considering that our fellow humans often offer help to other beings that they care about?" Cyrus reached down to Giovanni, offering him a hand.

Giovanni glowered up at Cyrus. Still, there are worse things I could do to ruin my reputation, Giovanni figured. He leaned forward and took Cyrus's hand. With his help, Giovanni stood back up.

Inari cocked her head to the side. "What is this, some sort of an Evil Best Friends Club?"

"Of course not, and you know it, you fool," said Giovanni.

"Yes, it is," Cyrus answered at the same time. Giovanni glared at him.

Inari shrugged. "Whatever. Now that none of your pokémon can battle, I'll defeat you soundly!" She punched at the air.

"What are you talking about? Clefable's standing right..." Giovanni trailed off. Clefable was no longer standing in front of him He heard a quiet peeping noise to his left. Giovanni turned to look, and saw Clefable sitting on top of one of the doughnut machines, happily munching away on five doughnuts at once.

"What the hell do we do now?!" Giovanni yelled. He put his head in his hands, his hat slipping over his face. Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?!

With one smooth motion, Cyrus quickly withdrew Clefable and took out another pokéball. He pressed the button and sent out Pichu. The pokémon squeaked. It eyed the half-eaten doughnuts.

"You're kidding, right?" Inari smirked. "Sentinel, use Signal Beam."

"Pichu, Fake Out," Cyrus said, with assurance.

Pichu dashed forward as Gothielle held out its hands and begin to charge the attack. Before it could blast anything, Pichu clapped it hands hard over the appendages on Gothielle's head. Gothielle was shocked out of its attack.

"You're just delaying the inevitable, you know," Inari said. "Sentinel, use Signal Beam, and this time don't you dare flinch."

Gothielle hunkered down and started to charge up again. Pichu nervously flattened its ears.

"Ignore the Gothielle," Cyrus said. "Use Thundershock in that direction." Cyrus pointed to Inari.

Pichu's cheek-pounches let out tiny sparks. Suddenly, an electric current shot through the air and up through Inari's labcoat. He hair stood on end, and she cried out in surprise, but then she just sneered and ran her hand through her long hair to smooth it back down. "Oh no, I'm going to die," she said sarcastically. "Did you really think such a weak attack would do anything?" She turned to Gothorita. "Sentinel, put the weakling out of its misery."

Gothorita fired a bright magenta beam that blasted Pichu. Pichu flew backward and slammed into one of the machines, sending oil splattering all over the floor. It was one-hit knock out. Cyrus returned Pichu to its pokéball. "You do realize that your jamming device shorted out... do you not?" His tone was icy.

The room does seem much quieter, doesn't it? thought Giovanni, his expression twisted, becoming a smirk. "Get ready to experience a world of pain," he said happily.

"Oh, please, don't think you've won." Inari recalled her Gothielle. She put her hands in her pocket and held out two pokéballs. She dropped them, and they bounced off the floor, releasing two pokemon—a Beheeyem and Malamar.

Cyrus took out a pokeball and sent out his Houndoom. It looked up and let out a long howl that sounded like an air raid siren.

"You again," Giovanni hissed when he laid eyes on Malamar. "This time I'll strangle you with your own tentacles!" Giovanni adjusted his fedora and fished around in his pockets for a pokéball. What's the best pokémon to murder that abomination... aha! Perfect. He pulled out a pokéball and pressed the button. The distinctive noise of the ball activating imbued Giovanni with a sense of power. "Even when I lose a battle, my opponent knows to fear me. I'll make you fear me, Inari!"

From Giovanni's pokéball, his Beedrill appeared with a flash of light. Beedrill hovered in the air, right on the level of Giovanni's face. Even though the buzzing from Beedrill was overpowering, it made Giovanni more pleased.

"...Are you kidding me?!" Inari threw her head back and laughed. "Beedrill is never used, and for good reason! It's more fragile than a twig!" She pointed to Beedrill. "Beheeyem, use Psyshock, on Beedrill, then give Cyrus some nice flashbacks to his childhood or something."

Giovanni stood stock still, a blank expression on his face. "Beedrill, use Tailwind," he said calmly.

Beedrill flew in a circle, vibrating its wings so fast that the buzzing was too high to hear. A whirlwind formed in the center of the room, ruffling everyone's clothing and sending even more grease spattering everywhere. Houndoom's tail flicked in the wind.

"Not even an offensive attack? Really now? Oh, well, it's easier on me," said Inari.

The lights on her Beheeyem's arms blinked different colors. It flashed faster and faster until a bright beam that shimmered like an aurora shot from the lights and slammed into Beedrill. Beedrill floundered in the air, clearly wounded, and crashed, ricocheting off the floor. But Beedrill did not faint. It crawled across the floor and beat its wings a few times.

"Beedrill, you know what to do!" Giovanni shouted. Beedrill lowered its head, as if nodding. It beat its wings faster, catching the room's air current. A greenish-blue light surrounded Beedrill as it dashed forward, spinning like a corkscrew with its stingers at the tip. In a split second it sped across the room and jabbed its sharp stingers into Malamar's flesh, making a squelching sound. Just as quickly Beedril made a U-turn and flew back to Giovanni, who returned it to its pokéball at precisely the right time.

Inari's Malamar cried out and fell to the floor. She returned it to its pokéball. "Do you take some kind of sick pleasure in beating others with weak pokémon?"

"Perhaps." Giovanni grinned.

"But its doesn't matter. I have plenty more pokémon. But before I send out any more, I'll finish this round—Cyrus, you must have figured out that many of my pokémonknow Signal Beam. Why use a Houndoom?"

"What attacks your pokémon know do not matter in this case," said Cyrus he pointed to the left of Beheeyem. "Use Will-O-Wisp, Houndoom."

Houdoom opened its mouth wide enough to swallow an Arbok whole, and four eerie blue fireballs floated out. The fireballs drifted close to Beheeyem, but Beheemyem stayed still and the fire went right past it.

"Hah, you missed by—" Inari was cut off by the roar of a flashfire. She whirled around and saw that the entire row of machines and most of the floor engulfed by crackling flames. The fire licked at her labcoat, as if it was trying to pull her in. She took a step back into the hallway, saying nothing. Beheeyem's lights were flashing in a hypnotic pattern

"What the hell?! Do you want to kill both of us?!" Giovanni snapped at Cyrus.

Cyrus recalled his Houndoom before turning around. "Do you have any pokémonthat know Fly, Giovanni?" he asked in quiet monotone. He had no outward reaction to the blaze behind him, despite it beginning to creep across the floor and onto the walls. "If not, I can lend you one. My Crobat and Honchkrow both know that move."

What is he going on about? Why would he be asking me that, unless—oh. "...I see. I have a Honchkrow already, in fact. I'll take care of everything else," he whispered.

"Hey, it's rude to exclude other people from your conversation!" Inari shouted. By this point, the fire had almost formed a wall between the two sides of the room.

Giovanni turned to face her. He looked right in her eyes. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he said, voice sickly sweet. "And I'm even more sorry that you don't have any water-type pokemon. It's very hot in here, you must want to cool off. It's such a shame."

"Don't mock me!" Inari snapped. "After all, you're wrong. Go, Starmie!" She threw a pokéball and a Starmie appeared in the middle of the flames. It looked dry but otherwise unaffected.

Giovanni noticed that Cyrus was holding a pokéball, so Giovanni took it as a cue to take out his Honchkrow's.

"Starmie, use Surf!" Inari ordered. Her Starmie's gem glowed scarlet, and a ball of water magically appeared in front of its body. The ball of water until Starmie turned sharply and launched water at the doughnut machines. Inari smirked as the ball of water flew.

The water splashed into the source of the blaze. Suddenly, a fireball as large as half the room flew upward and lit the ceiling. Within seconds, burning shrapnel was falling down toward Inari, who could barely move fast enough to avoid debris. She covered her head and backed away farther into the dark corridor. "H-How could you do something so horrible?!" she yelled.

Fortunately for me, Houndoom makes a nice fire shield. I have time to kick her while she's down. Giovanni grinned. "Well, as you're lovely little program points out, I'm a recovering evildoer. You can't blame a man for a short relapse, can you?" He laughed darkly. "Besides, how could you do something so stupid? Who puts water on a grease fire?!" Hm, I haven't laughed at someone I want to murder in a good long while, now have I? "Go, Honchkrow!" He sent out the pokémon. Honchkrow, looking somewhat unnerved, appeared behind Cyrus's Houndoom. "Shoot the ceiling with Dark Pulse!" Giovanni ordered.

Honchkrow gave a low squawk. It flew up to the ceiling, its flapping wing sending ember flying every which way. The tips of Honchkrow's wings glowed purple, and it shot rings of darkness straight up. The barrage of rings battered the ceiling until, with a crack like a resounding gunshot, some rafters gave way and wood splintered and ignited, leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling.

Giovanni looked up at the hole with a manic grin, the fire reflected in his eyes. Ah, how I love a happy ending, he thought. Or, since that's not available to me, at least an ending filled with destruction, screaming, and pain.

Cyrus gestured to the fire, his pokéball in his hand. "...You're ready to leave the area... aren't you?" he asked Giovanni.

"Just one thing." Giovanni turned to Inari. "Give me your Gothielle's pokéball to me this instant, or I'll have my pokémon throw you into the fire!" he yelled. "I deserve a reward!"

Inari scowled. Giovanni could barely see her through the flames. "Fine. I don't want her anyway!" She threw a pokéball right at him. A split second before it hit him in the face, Giovanni caught the pokéball, one-handed.

"Wonderful." He smirked, and tipped his hat below one eye. "Kill you next time."

====​

After flying south for less than a minute, Giovanni and Cyrus spotted city lights. They landed and dismounted their pokémon next to a gate near a path of cracked, mossy cobblestones. Rows of bushes and trees lined each side of the path.

There were no lampposts in sight—a rare thing for a city in Unova. Usually the cities in this region are filled with useless light and noise, thought Giovanni. The only lights that he could see were the nearly-invisible crescent moon and the faint, orange light of houses in the distance. It must be early morning. Otherwise more buildings would be lit. He unconsciously looked down at his wrist to check the time before remembered that the E-Anon workers had taken his X-Transceiver and watch. "Damn it..." he muttered.

He and Cyrus glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. The two of them walked up to the nearest sign. It was large and sturdy, and carved into it were the words "Opelucid City: Time's Dividing Line."

There was a city just south of here through those woods the whole time?! Giovanni felt an urge to kick the sign, but decided to keep his rage bottled up. He just scowled.

"I suppose that explains why it's so quiet." Giovanni turned back around to face the gate, which he realized was the gateway to Route 9. "You stay right here and don't move, Cyrus. I want to check the marquee and see how much of my life I wasted in that hellhole," he said, without turning back. "At least I can take comfort in the fact that everyone I saw there is a pile of ashes."

"That is highly unlikely. No matter how ignorant, a person's instincts demand that he or she run from an unmanageable, rapidly encroaching flame," Cyrus said,

"Nobody asked you for your opinion, you idiot." Giovanni stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked to the route gate. The illumination from inside looked bright as noonday sun, and Giovanni had to cover his eyes with his hat for shade. He walked through the gate onto the tiles, which felt much harder under his ruined shoes than the cobblestone. As Giovanni walked by, the woman behind the counter in the gate gave him a blank look.

I must look incredibly shady, he thought. But that doesn't give her the right to stare after all that I've been through! Giovanni walked up to the electric billboard and glared up at the marquee. The weather report, pokémon outbreak news, and an announcement regarding who would be participating in the PWT. Giovanni was surprised that his disappearance wasn't mentioned, but that feeling quickly faded. Nobody in the circle would care what happens to me. Unless Blue wrote some news article where he gloats about taking my Gym, he decided.

After what felt like an eternity to him, the day's date rolled around: "August 1st…" Giovanni tuned out after reading those two words. August... first? That can't be. It's too damn ironic! Then again, the universe loves taunting me—never mind. It's not worth thinking about. He spun on his heel and, at a brisk pace, walked out of the gate. When he stepped back into the Opelucid City street, everything looked shadowed for a moment as his eyes adjusted.

"I hate Unova. Why do they use those awful lights that hurt my eyes?" Giovanni crossed his arms over his chest.

"They are widely believed to conserve energy," Cyrus said quietly.

Giovanni looked up suddenly. "Wh—I mean, once again, I never asked you!" That's odd, he thought. Why am I surprised? I ordered him to wait here, after all, and anyone who disobeys an order from me gets punished, so why...

"What is today's date?"

"August... first. I wasted nearly a week of my life in that accursed place!" Giovanni snapped. His shoulders tensed up, and he clenched his hands into fists. But instead of continuing to rant, he just let out a long sigh and looked at the ground. Great, now I'm feeling that awful pressure all over again. What the hell is wrong with me? he wondered. Maybe I'm just thirsty. There should be a vending machine—no, I don't have my money. Damn it, now I have to go to a Pokémon Center and get it!

When Giovanni did not say anything else, Cyrus walked over to him. "Does the first of August hold a particular meaning for y—"

"I-It's nothing! Not like I'd tell you if it did mean something to me, but it doesn't, because that would just be stupid, and I am not stupid, you idiot!"

"...Is today your birthday?"

"Maybe it is, but it's not like I care about birthdays! I don't even care that it means I've wasted another year of my life." Giovanni's face reddened. "After all, I've had fifty-three—no, fifty-four years to let that fact get drilled into my head!" Why am even I bothering to get angry over something so trivial? It's not like I don' t already know how much of an idiot he is.

Cyrus paused, almost as if he could hear Giovanni's thoughts. "...Now that we are free... perhaps we can continue our conversation about the correct methods for showing affection." Cyrus glanced up at the moon for a second, before giving Giovanni the thousand-yard stare again. "...For instance, I have put much effort into recalling the social conventions I have seen in practice, and due to the fact that you no longer slap me, I feel that it is appropriate to wish you... happy birthday, Giovanni." Cyrus did not once break monotone.

"I only stopped smacking you because your head is so hard, it—wait. What did you say?"

Cyrus blinked, but his expression remained otherwise the same. "Happy birthday."

Giovanni felt his chest tighten even more. More blood rushed to his face. Damn it, damn it, damn it! I have to say something, but what? I can't tell him I'm grateful, because it's not as if I could be or anything, because he's a complete sociopath, but I don't really believe that do I? Well, even if it's not true it's not like it matters for my purposes or anything, because nothing like that affects me, but then why am I even thinking this, if— Giovanni's thoughts kept circling, only growing faster. After an infinitely long half-a-minute, he broke. "What are you still doing here, staring at me for?!" he yelled at Cyrus, who had no reaction. "Why haven't you left yet? It would be in your best interests, wouldn't it? Just what are you trying to pull? Whatever it is, I'm not falling for it!"

Cyrus didn't say anything, but just stiffly put his arms forward, like a robot trying to pick up a box. His facial wrinkles looked more pronounced, as if he were doing something incredibly strenuous.

"What are you doing?! I can almost hear your joints creaking," Giovanni said, more confused than angry.

"After much thought, I have come to believe that such an occasion calls for the human social custom known as a 'hug.'"

Giovanni just glared at him. "...There is nothing that I wish to say to you," he said icily.

Cyrus nodded slightly, and started to turn away from him. But before he could walk away, Giovanni rushed forward and clasped him tightly. A few seconds later Giovanni pulled away and shoved Cyrus back, hard.

Cyrus twitched like a malfunctioning robot. "Y-You... actually hugged me?! But... the reasons you pointed out for not doing so were completely logical!"

"I'm not very logical. Haven't you noticed by now?" Giovanni muttered. Yet another dethroning moment for me. Height difference, bad timing, wrong person... my life is hell. "If an Italian can't teach you how to hug somebody, you're hopeless." Giovanni turned away and stared at a bush as if it were the most interesting object in the universe. "And this isn't even goodbye! I have this bottle of red wine that I've been saving for a special occasion, but there never are any. It's not like this is one either, but I need to drink it at some point."

"I don't drink," said Cyrus.

Giovanni just looked at him.

"...but this may prove an appropriate occasion to start."

"At last, I've done something right..." Giovanni took out Honchkrow's pokéball.

"...Did you misspeak? You meant to say 'you've,' not 'I've,' correct?"

"Shut up! That's what I said and you know it, you idiot!"

THE END​
 
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