There would be no going back to Violet City for Kenta and Hibiki that night. Now that they were on Japan’s “Most Wanted” criminal list, everyone above ground level was on high alert for the legendary thief with the Zapdos. After sending Mismagius to inform Marina that they were safe, the Nyna brothers retired to a small room that had once served as a shinobi Black Ops meeting area. With no windows, and only cramped living space, the place was somewhat claustrophobic. However, Kenta wasn’t complaining, nor would Hibiki. They had a door between themselves and the criminal organizations outside, and even though it had no lock, it provided some consolation.
Kenta hummed as he spread out his sleeping bag, showing cheer for the first time since the two had entered the Rocket hideout. Hibiki caught his eye, pleased to see that his spirits were up, and Kenta smiled in return. “We’re back on track, bro,” he said jubilantly, fluffing his pillow. “I didn’t think it would happen so fast. We’ve got our next lead, and Bolt is feeling better already. Best of all, this new task is nice and safe. If all goes well, we’ll be eating lunch with Wes by tomorrow.”
“D’you think he’ll give the Snag Machine to you?” Hibiki asked, settling into his own bag. “I mean, have you thought about what you’ll say to him?”
Kenta turned off the light, but not before Hibiki caught a last look at his face. His smile was still there, but it had faded. “You heard what Gonzap said,” he replied, his voice neutral. “Wes doesn’t let himself be seen with the Snag Machine. He may not even have it anymore. But . . .” The smile returned in his voice. “If there’s anyone who understands how it works, it’s him. We’ve already got his sympathies. All we have to do is convince him that our government has become the new Cipher.”
Hibiki yawned, suddenly tired. “You make this sound so easy.”
Kenta issued a short laugh. “When you rough it for long enough, you forget what hard is.” He heaved a long sigh. “But we do still have one more Herculean Labor to go once this is done, and it’ll be like trying to catch smoke. We’ll need to hire a professional for this one. I just hope Marina never deletes her phone contacts.”
***
The morning sun had just barely crept into the sky when Marina came out through the double-doors of Mahogany Town Pokémon Center. Standing under a lamppost, waiting for her, were two young men in brown traveling cloaks. The taller one nodded a silent greeting to her. Marina stared, then put a hand on her hip, bemused.
“What’s with the getup?” she said in an ironical tone. “Do you guys think you’re cool now, or something?”
“Nah.”
In a dual sweep of hands, both Kenta and Hibiki pushed a pair of dark glasses over their eyes, and grinned identically. “Now we’re cool,” stated Kenta matter-of-factly. Next to him, Hibiki shrugged. “In all honesty, Marina, we need to look bizarre for where we’re going. The Team Snagem remnant and the Cipher dropouts warned us that there were a lot of weirdos in the Orre desert. The best way to avoid trouble is by fitting in.”
Marina looked at them uncertainly. “Okay, then,” she said, brightening up a little. “So, where’s my cloak?”
Hibiki coughed automatically, uncomfortably, and glanced at his brother. Kenta removed his glasses and looked Marina in the eye. “I need you to do something for me, before I leave you,” he said in his most serious voice. Marina looked at him, her face reddening a little, and glanced away. “Wh-what would that be, Kenta?” she asked timidly. Kenta pointed over her shoulder, at the mountains to the east, and his voice became deep and soft. “Promise me you’ll do your best to make it happen,” he crooned. “Only you can do this for me, Marina.”
“Of course,” she said, looking very taken aback, completely red-faced. “Anything for you, Kenta. What do you need me to do?”
Kenta winked and gave her a thumbs-up, and his voice returned to normal. “Thanks, Marina! I need you to find me that guy we ran into, back during the Raikou incident. What’s-his-name . . . Eusine.”
“Uhm . . . oh.” Marina relaxed, looking disappointed. “You’re referring to that guy in the half-cape? Strand of hair constantly in his face? The one who drives like a twelve-year-old?”
“Bad manners? Unhealthy obsession with Suicune? Yeah, that guy.” Kenta tossed his Friend Ball, and a moment later, Bolt’s enormous Salamence body was standing between them. He hopped on, pulling Hibiki along with him. “Find him however you can. Tell him that his goal is within reach. We need to get going- thanks again!”
Then they were in the air, and shooting for the clouds before Hibiki could even fully catch up on what had just happened. However, as he pieced it together, he shifted his weight and kicked his brother in the back of his leg. “Not cool, Kenta,” he said, as the other turned around to give him a what-the-hell-dude look. “You shouldn’t toy with a girl’s emotions like that. You seriously sounded like you were about to propose to her just then, in case things didn’t work out.”
Kenta turned away, with an odd smile on his face. “You obviously don’t know Marina,” he said, “even after all those times you talked with her on the phone. If I hadn’t put her on the defensive back there, she would’ve gotten really indignant over the fact that we weren’t taking her.” He shook his head, still smiling. “Marina may act happy-go-lucky, but she’s actually quite a competitive battler. In fact, I almost regret not bringing her.”
“Really?” asked Hibiki, feeling confused. “So what’s the issue, here?”
“It’s the same dilemma that Osama Bin Laden faced,” mused Kenta. “We can travel in numbers for safety. But we travel in limit for stealth. If we get caught, I can only hope that we wouldn’t need Marina’s extra strength to get us through.
“Let’s just pray that Wes is with us, if things get bad.”
***
Hibiki expected, as any logical person might, that the Orre region would be on top alert after yesterday’s incident in Krane Laboratories. While he was certain that this wasn’t the first time somebody had tried to steal the Snag Machine, or for that matter, anything else in Krane Laboratories, he doubted that any other thieves had overpowered the security staff with a legendary pokémon. People talked about the legendaries all the time, but it was another experience altogether to see one in person.
Kenta’s watch read about 11:30 by the time Bolt landed behind a rock by Outskirt Stand that marked the boundary of the Orre Region. As Kenta was recalling his Salamence, Hibiki peeked around the corner of the boulder. As Gonzap had told them, the diner somewhat resembled a steam locomotive, with a lone gas pump sitting directly in front of it. Scattered around the place, half-buried in mounds of desert sand, sat rusted metal relics resembling school lockers and grinding gears.
How sad, thought Hibiki as he and Kenta pulled their hoods over their heads, this place is a dump. And . . . do I hear music? Over the moan of the wind and the hiss of scattering sand, he detected faint melodies of a harmonica issuing from the stand. As he and Kenta approached the Stand, the music became clearer, and he noticed it was coming from a young man sitting on a ramp that led to the diner’s entrance. The musician was dressed in cowboy leather pants, and while he seemed to have dyed his hair red, it had faded into a more pinkish color. When the brothers reached the gas pump he stopped and glanced up.
“Well, howdy strangers. When did you get here?” His tone carried a hint of suspicion, but Hibiki was relieved to hear an overall friendly manner in his speech. Kenta smiled politely. “We flew in by pokémon. We were just getting something to eat.”
“Pokémon, huh? Hoo-ee!” whooped the musician, hoisting himself to his feet and slapping his knee jubilantly. “I say, not a whole lot of people around here can do that. We’d have to at least’ve caught a rare Trapinch and trained it up to a Flygon!” He thrusted out his hand, smiling. “My name’s Willie. Are you folks from out of town?”
“You could say that,” said Kenta, returning the grin as he shook Willie’s hand. “To be honest, we’re here to visit someone.”
“Is it for a pokémon battle?” asked Willie excitedly, shoving his harmonica into his pants where Hibiki suspected the gun would be kept. “I know a good trainer when I see one. I can tell by their eyes. Whether you’re from here or out of town, you must’ve been traveling on one big animal to carry the both of you!”
He was now jerking Hibiki’s hand up and down. Hibiki smiled nervously, hoping he didn’t look suspicious. On first impression, Willie seemed like a simpleton, but his trainer’s intuition was worrisome. He was relieved when Kenta pulled a folded-up piece of paper from his cloak that Gonzap had given him before their departure, which drew Willie’s attention. It was a picture of Wes when he was sixteen, back when he still served Team Snagem. Willie’s eyes widened as he viewed the picture, and Kenta’s narrowed in understanding.
“I take it you’ve seen this man before?”
“Sure have,” said Willie, looking at Kenta in astonishment. “Everyone’s heard about him! It’s been six years since he thwarted Evice Cipher’s first attempt to take over our land with his pokémon minions.”
“No, I mean . . .” Kenta turned around and waved his hand at the endless stretch of desert surrounding them. “Have you actually seen him in person? Does he come out from wherever he lives to visit this place?”
Willie’s face was blank for a moment, and then a beaming smile lit up his features. “You do mean to battle him!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Boy, you must really be something else to track him this far. Ol’ Wes comes here to avoid the mobs of people who want his autograph!” Willie lowered his voice. “Or his head on a stake. You know. Since he got all those Cipher creeps arrested.”
“Does Wes show up often?” asked Hibiki, a nagging idea occurring to him. What if we’ve already missed him?
“More and more frequently,” answered Willie, leaning lazily against the railing on the ramp. “The food here isn’t anything spectacular, but his girlfriend is the waitress. She’s had to keep her head low too, you know. They were both together in defeating Cipher.”
“Is that so?” muttered Kenta, mostly to himself, his hand on his chin. After a moment of silence, he perked up. “Well! Thank you for your help, Willie. I hope you get to see that awesome pokémon battle you crave, despite G.R.I.P.’s decrees.”
“Righty-ho!” called Willie cheerfully after them, as Hibiki followed Kenta into the diner. “And I’ll be glad to take you anytime!”
Kenta hummed as he spread out his sleeping bag, showing cheer for the first time since the two had entered the Rocket hideout. Hibiki caught his eye, pleased to see that his spirits were up, and Kenta smiled in return. “We’re back on track, bro,” he said jubilantly, fluffing his pillow. “I didn’t think it would happen so fast. We’ve got our next lead, and Bolt is feeling better already. Best of all, this new task is nice and safe. If all goes well, we’ll be eating lunch with Wes by tomorrow.”
“D’you think he’ll give the Snag Machine to you?” Hibiki asked, settling into his own bag. “I mean, have you thought about what you’ll say to him?”
Kenta turned off the light, but not before Hibiki caught a last look at his face. His smile was still there, but it had faded. “You heard what Gonzap said,” he replied, his voice neutral. “Wes doesn’t let himself be seen with the Snag Machine. He may not even have it anymore. But . . .” The smile returned in his voice. “If there’s anyone who understands how it works, it’s him. We’ve already got his sympathies. All we have to do is convince him that our government has become the new Cipher.”
Hibiki yawned, suddenly tired. “You make this sound so easy.”
Kenta issued a short laugh. “When you rough it for long enough, you forget what hard is.” He heaved a long sigh. “But we do still have one more Herculean Labor to go once this is done, and it’ll be like trying to catch smoke. We’ll need to hire a professional for this one. I just hope Marina never deletes her phone contacts.”
***
The morning sun had just barely crept into the sky when Marina came out through the double-doors of Mahogany Town Pokémon Center. Standing under a lamppost, waiting for her, were two young men in brown traveling cloaks. The taller one nodded a silent greeting to her. Marina stared, then put a hand on her hip, bemused.
“What’s with the getup?” she said in an ironical tone. “Do you guys think you’re cool now, or something?”
“Nah.”
In a dual sweep of hands, both Kenta and Hibiki pushed a pair of dark glasses over their eyes, and grinned identically. “Now we’re cool,” stated Kenta matter-of-factly. Next to him, Hibiki shrugged. “In all honesty, Marina, we need to look bizarre for where we’re going. The Team Snagem remnant and the Cipher dropouts warned us that there were a lot of weirdos in the Orre desert. The best way to avoid trouble is by fitting in.”
Marina looked at them uncertainly. “Okay, then,” she said, brightening up a little. “So, where’s my cloak?”
Hibiki coughed automatically, uncomfortably, and glanced at his brother. Kenta removed his glasses and looked Marina in the eye. “I need you to do something for me, before I leave you,” he said in his most serious voice. Marina looked at him, her face reddening a little, and glanced away. “Wh-what would that be, Kenta?” she asked timidly. Kenta pointed over her shoulder, at the mountains to the east, and his voice became deep and soft. “Promise me you’ll do your best to make it happen,” he crooned. “Only you can do this for me, Marina.”
“Of course,” she said, looking very taken aback, completely red-faced. “Anything for you, Kenta. What do you need me to do?”
Kenta winked and gave her a thumbs-up, and his voice returned to normal. “Thanks, Marina! I need you to find me that guy we ran into, back during the Raikou incident. What’s-his-name . . . Eusine.”
“Uhm . . . oh.” Marina relaxed, looking disappointed. “You’re referring to that guy in the half-cape? Strand of hair constantly in his face? The one who drives like a twelve-year-old?”
“Bad manners? Unhealthy obsession with Suicune? Yeah, that guy.” Kenta tossed his Friend Ball, and a moment later, Bolt’s enormous Salamence body was standing between them. He hopped on, pulling Hibiki along with him. “Find him however you can. Tell him that his goal is within reach. We need to get going- thanks again!”
Then they were in the air, and shooting for the clouds before Hibiki could even fully catch up on what had just happened. However, as he pieced it together, he shifted his weight and kicked his brother in the back of his leg. “Not cool, Kenta,” he said, as the other turned around to give him a what-the-hell-dude look. “You shouldn’t toy with a girl’s emotions like that. You seriously sounded like you were about to propose to her just then, in case things didn’t work out.”
Kenta turned away, with an odd smile on his face. “You obviously don’t know Marina,” he said, “even after all those times you talked with her on the phone. If I hadn’t put her on the defensive back there, she would’ve gotten really indignant over the fact that we weren’t taking her.” He shook his head, still smiling. “Marina may act happy-go-lucky, but she’s actually quite a competitive battler. In fact, I almost regret not bringing her.”
“Really?” asked Hibiki, feeling confused. “So what’s the issue, here?”
“It’s the same dilemma that Osama Bin Laden faced,” mused Kenta. “We can travel in numbers for safety. But we travel in limit for stealth. If we get caught, I can only hope that we wouldn’t need Marina’s extra strength to get us through.
“Let’s just pray that Wes is with us, if things get bad.”
***
Hibiki expected, as any logical person might, that the Orre region would be on top alert after yesterday’s incident in Krane Laboratories. While he was certain that this wasn’t the first time somebody had tried to steal the Snag Machine, or for that matter, anything else in Krane Laboratories, he doubted that any other thieves had overpowered the security staff with a legendary pokémon. People talked about the legendaries all the time, but it was another experience altogether to see one in person.
Kenta’s watch read about 11:30 by the time Bolt landed behind a rock by Outskirt Stand that marked the boundary of the Orre Region. As Kenta was recalling his Salamence, Hibiki peeked around the corner of the boulder. As Gonzap had told them, the diner somewhat resembled a steam locomotive, with a lone gas pump sitting directly in front of it. Scattered around the place, half-buried in mounds of desert sand, sat rusted metal relics resembling school lockers and grinding gears.
How sad, thought Hibiki as he and Kenta pulled their hoods over their heads, this place is a dump. And . . . do I hear music? Over the moan of the wind and the hiss of scattering sand, he detected faint melodies of a harmonica issuing from the stand. As he and Kenta approached the Stand, the music became clearer, and he noticed it was coming from a young man sitting on a ramp that led to the diner’s entrance. The musician was dressed in cowboy leather pants, and while he seemed to have dyed his hair red, it had faded into a more pinkish color. When the brothers reached the gas pump he stopped and glanced up.
“Well, howdy strangers. When did you get here?” His tone carried a hint of suspicion, but Hibiki was relieved to hear an overall friendly manner in his speech. Kenta smiled politely. “We flew in by pokémon. We were just getting something to eat.”
“Pokémon, huh? Hoo-ee!” whooped the musician, hoisting himself to his feet and slapping his knee jubilantly. “I say, not a whole lot of people around here can do that. We’d have to at least’ve caught a rare Trapinch and trained it up to a Flygon!” He thrusted out his hand, smiling. “My name’s Willie. Are you folks from out of town?”
“You could say that,” said Kenta, returning the grin as he shook Willie’s hand. “To be honest, we’re here to visit someone.”
“Is it for a pokémon battle?” asked Willie excitedly, shoving his harmonica into his pants where Hibiki suspected the gun would be kept. “I know a good trainer when I see one. I can tell by their eyes. Whether you’re from here or out of town, you must’ve been traveling on one big animal to carry the both of you!”
He was now jerking Hibiki’s hand up and down. Hibiki smiled nervously, hoping he didn’t look suspicious. On first impression, Willie seemed like a simpleton, but his trainer’s intuition was worrisome. He was relieved when Kenta pulled a folded-up piece of paper from his cloak that Gonzap had given him before their departure, which drew Willie’s attention. It was a picture of Wes when he was sixteen, back when he still served Team Snagem. Willie’s eyes widened as he viewed the picture, and Kenta’s narrowed in understanding.
“I take it you’ve seen this man before?”
“Sure have,” said Willie, looking at Kenta in astonishment. “Everyone’s heard about him! It’s been six years since he thwarted Evice Cipher’s first attempt to take over our land with his pokémon minions.”
“No, I mean . . .” Kenta turned around and waved his hand at the endless stretch of desert surrounding them. “Have you actually seen him in person? Does he come out from wherever he lives to visit this place?”
Willie’s face was blank for a moment, and then a beaming smile lit up his features. “You do mean to battle him!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “Boy, you must really be something else to track him this far. Ol’ Wes comes here to avoid the mobs of people who want his autograph!” Willie lowered his voice. “Or his head on a stake. You know. Since he got all those Cipher creeps arrested.”
“Does Wes show up often?” asked Hibiki, a nagging idea occurring to him. What if we’ve already missed him?
“More and more frequently,” answered Willie, leaning lazily against the railing on the ramp. “The food here isn’t anything spectacular, but his girlfriend is the waitress. She’s had to keep her head low too, you know. They were both together in defeating Cipher.”
“Is that so?” muttered Kenta, mostly to himself, his hand on his chin. After a moment of silence, he perked up. “Well! Thank you for your help, Willie. I hope you get to see that awesome pokémon battle you crave, despite G.R.I.P.’s decrees.”
“Righty-ho!” called Willie cheerfully after them, as Hibiki followed Kenta into the diner. “And I’ll be glad to take you anytime!”