Yosuke broke free. For a moment, Hibiki was sure he would lunge at Kenta, but the young Rocket just looked at him disgustedly before twisting around and marching out of the room. A few uneasy murmurings broke out, and Kenta leaned forward and put his fingers on his temples, his hair covering his eyes. After a couple more seconds of awkwardness, he rose out of his chair and headed slowly for the exit that would lead upstairs. “I don’t have anything more to say,” he said in a tight, croaking voice. “Please excuse me. Hibiki, tell me how it went later.”
And for the first time since the police station incident, Hibiki found himself completely alone with no plan. He sat as still as he could, pretending not to be there, and a few merciful minutes later, the criminal teams around him moved into a voting activity on who should catch what. The Rockets eventually settled on Lugia, which they had once attempted to catch years ago in the Whirl Islands region of Johto. Teams Aqua and Magma, predictably enough, agreed to reapply themselves in their searches for Kyogre and Groudon. Team Snagem would hunt for Ho-oh, and Cipher, Celebi. Galactic would do their best to acquire Giratina. Innuendo had no comment. Perhaps they would go after one of the dragons in the new region.
When the meeting adjourned, Hibiki headed to the surface as quickly and covertly as he could. Emerging from the secret floor hatch behind one of the shelves, he peeked under the shelf legs and spotted a pair of feet standing facing the counter on the opposite side. Taking care to keep quiet, Hibiki pulled himself out of his hole and shut the trapdoor behind him. Pretending to be a customer, he picked a random item (Great Ball) off the shelf and headed to the counter. He was greeted by the nod of the shopkeeper (the undercover Rocket posing as a cashier), and a glance of recognition from a man he had never seen before.
“There he is,” said the Rocket, motioning for Hibiki to put the Great Ball back on the shelf. “Hey, kid, it's cool. This guy’s here for you. Don’t worry about that ball, unless you really intend to buy it.”
“Hello Hibiki,” said the man, giving him a polite half-bow. “Kenta asked me to get you. I’m Eusine.”
Hibiki stared at him. A man probably in his mid-thirties, Eusine wore a purple tuxedo and matching pants, with a white half-cape draped around his shoulders, and a red bow-tie under his chin to bring it all together. It was as if he had just come from a royal Victorian banquet. Does he look like this all the time? Hibiki thought, absently reaching out his hand to shake Eusine’s gloved one. All dressed up and nowhere to go.
Darkness had fallen since Hibiki had gone underground. Once they were outside and walking, Eusine began closely examining a pokeball in his hand, which Hibiki quickly identified as a Master Ball despite the dim light. Feeling timid, but also anxious about what his companion was doing, Hibiki put out his hand worriedly. “Er, Mr. Eusine, sir? Er, are you sure that’s a good idea, to be holding that out in public?”
“My apologies.” Eusine tucked the Master Ball under his cape in one silk motion. “It’s just that I’ve never seen one of these before, not since Professor Elm’s attempt at a replica. Kenta told me that it was crafted by none other than Kurt himself.”
“Is that what Kenta is giving you as payment, then?” Hibiki asked him. Eusine nodded. “He couldn’t promise me Suicune, but he said he’d give me the next best thing. If this ball actually works, it will be the end of a ten-year wild goose chase.” Eusine smiled fiercely. “Normally, my better judgment would resist any snake-oil salesman trying to pass off a painted pokeball for a Master Ball. But I remember Kenta back from the Raikou incident, when he was still around your age.” Eusine nodded to himself. “That kid was spectacular. He and Marina fought off a couple of elite Rockets attempting to catch a wild Raikou using the most unethical methods. But then when they were gone, he didn’t try to take the Raikou for himself, even after it collapsed. And after those Rockets came back to finish the job, we finished them.”
Eusine breathed in through his nose, and let it out with a satisfied sigh. “Good times,” he said dreamily. “I’d like to relive that again a couple times more, before I retire.”
“Well, you’re certainly bound for some adventure,” Hibiki replied, watching as Eusine reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Did Kenta tell you which pokémon he was after?”
“Of course. That’s why we’re headed to my Range Rover.”
Eusine pressed a button on his keychain, and in a parking lot just ahead, a large vehicle chirped loudly and flared its four-way flashers. The inside lights came on, revealing Marina in the back seat, and Kenta with his hood on, and face in shadow. When Hibiki opened the door to take the front passenger seat, Marina put a finger to her lips in a “shh” indication and pointed at Kenta. Understanding that he was asleep, Eusine started the vehicle, and they drove in silence for a few minutes. He didn’t speak until they had pulled into a gas station, where he muttered “Back in five,” before shutting the door behind him. Hibiki turned around in his seat and shot Marina a grateful smile.
“That was quick,” he whispered. “How’d you find Eusine so fast?”
“He happened to be in the area,” Marina replied. “I think he was drawn by the rumors that Ho-oh had come back, and was still searching when I found him. The clothes were a dead giveaway.”
“Okay. Uh . . .” Hibiki looked at Kenta. “Should I wake him up? Kenta told me to fill him in on the meeting.”
“We’d better not,” said Marina softly. “Kenta was a wreck when I saw him. He was feeling guilty about some things that he’d said, and he looked so upset that I had to hold him until he’d calmed down.” In the shadow of the dark car, Hibiki could not quite make out Marina’s expression, but her voice was quivering with pity. “He cried himself to sleep, right here in my arms. To be honest, Hibiki, I think the pressure is becoming too much for him.”
“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” muttered Hibiki, recalling the Bible scripture in his mind. “We’re up to our necks in his plan by now, but the last stretch is still a distance away. We’ve freed Kurt and duplicated the Master Ball. We’ve ralled trainers and criminals alike to prepare for war. And we finally managed to get hold of the Snag Machine- and used it against the authorities.” Hibiki pulled back the folds of his cloak to show Marina his left arm, where the Snag Machine was still firmly attached. “Ah,” she whispered, impressed. Hibiki covered it back up. “We’ve stepped on so many toes and committed so much treason by now, that we might be executed on sight,” he said bleakly. “We haven’t even been listening to the radio lately. I know we should, but I’m afraid of what I’ll hear.”
“Well . . . how much more do you have to go?” prodded Marina inquisitively. “Surely there can’t be that much left to do. The next step is catching a legendary pokémon right?”
“I don’t know about catching, but we do need to find one,” affirmed Hibiki.
“Did Kenta tell you which one?”
“Yeah.” Hibiki turned to face the front again, and pulled his seatbelt tight. “Mewtwo.”
***
Nobody spoke for the remainder of the drive, mainly because sleep overtook the passengers. Hibiki wondered at his own incredible exhaustion. He had no idea how long he was out, or how far they had traveled, but it might have been longer if he hadn’t suddenly been shaken awake. A sudden shift of balance caused his whole body to smack against the side door, and he immediately jerked upright, fully awake. Next to him in the driver’s seat, Eusine plowed on, undeterred. Hibiki looked out at the road ahead, wondering if the car’s sudden shaking had been because of poor construction work. However, there were no potholes to be seen; only a great mountain wall to the left, and a guardrail on the right. They were climbing a slope.
All at once, the car rocked again, and this time Hibiki adjusted in time to avoid banging his shoulder. Behind him, Marina yelped, but Kenta didn’t even stir. For a moment, Hibiki wondered how he could sleep through these conditions. Then again, he supposed that he shouldn’t be too surprised. If there was anyone who needed rest from his labors right now, it was Kenta.
“I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about these high winds,” muttered Eusine in a flat voice. His eyes were drooping slightly. “Even with the Range Rover, there is a small chance that we could get blown right over.”
Hibiki’s heartrate sped up at these words, and he looked a second time out at the guard rail, which was all that separated them from a 300-foot-drop. He glanced at Eusine. “Are you kidding me? It’s just the WIND doing this?”
“You sound surprised. But the area around Mount Quena notoriously dangerous. Even tour buses have been known to blow over around here.”
“Then how can you be so calm?” This time, it was Marina who voiced what was on Hibiki’s mind. Even as she said it, the vehicle shuddered violently again. Eusine shrugged and smiled. “Nobody’s ever been reported to have died, or even been injured, in spite of these circumstances. Every potential victim has come out of their crisis miraculously unharmed. It’s as if a guardian spirit lives in this area, watching over the welfare of passerby.”
“A guardian spirit, huh?” Hibiki thought about their mission. “So you think it’s Mewtwo?”
“To make a long story short, yeah.” Eusine stifled a yawn with his hand, and rubbed one of his eyes. “Of course, rumors alone aren’t enough for people like me, who make a profession out of searching for legendary creatures. But part of the reason I agreed to help Kenta with this task so soon, is that I’ve been to this area of Johto before. The water around here was once renowned for its mineral goodness, so I arrived with expectations of finding the elusive Suicune.”
Eusine yawned again, and while Hibiki picked up some definite enthusiasm in his voice, he could tell that the man was fighting to stay awake. He had driven all night, and they would not be able to go much further. Thankfully, they wouldn’t need to.
“Well, Suicune never appeared to me. I did, however, see something unusual while I was hiking along the river: a Pikachu with strange, blotted markings all over its fur. And here, of all places. What are the odds of seeing a marked-up Pikachu out of its natural habitat?
“I reasoned that it might have belonged to another trainer, but it acted feral. And I later found out that those markings were astonishingly similar to those of the creatures in the file photos of the Mew Clone Project.” Eusine smirked at the memory. “But you know what REALLY inspired me to look into the Mew Clones afterward? Raw power. That one little rodent blew my Alakazam halfway to hell with a single Thunder attack. I’ve never even seen trained pokémon deliver that much force before.”
Hibiki waited for him to say more, but Eusine remained silent for a while. Eventually, Marina spoke up again.
“So how’d you get away from that dangerous situation?”
Eusine laughed humorlessly. “What else could I do? I fled for my life. I ran fast as I could, without looking back.”
And for the first time since the police station incident, Hibiki found himself completely alone with no plan. He sat as still as he could, pretending not to be there, and a few merciful minutes later, the criminal teams around him moved into a voting activity on who should catch what. The Rockets eventually settled on Lugia, which they had once attempted to catch years ago in the Whirl Islands region of Johto. Teams Aqua and Magma, predictably enough, agreed to reapply themselves in their searches for Kyogre and Groudon. Team Snagem would hunt for Ho-oh, and Cipher, Celebi. Galactic would do their best to acquire Giratina. Innuendo had no comment. Perhaps they would go after one of the dragons in the new region.
When the meeting adjourned, Hibiki headed to the surface as quickly and covertly as he could. Emerging from the secret floor hatch behind one of the shelves, he peeked under the shelf legs and spotted a pair of feet standing facing the counter on the opposite side. Taking care to keep quiet, Hibiki pulled himself out of his hole and shut the trapdoor behind him. Pretending to be a customer, he picked a random item (Great Ball) off the shelf and headed to the counter. He was greeted by the nod of the shopkeeper (the undercover Rocket posing as a cashier), and a glance of recognition from a man he had never seen before.
“There he is,” said the Rocket, motioning for Hibiki to put the Great Ball back on the shelf. “Hey, kid, it's cool. This guy’s here for you. Don’t worry about that ball, unless you really intend to buy it.”
“Hello Hibiki,” said the man, giving him a polite half-bow. “Kenta asked me to get you. I’m Eusine.”
Hibiki stared at him. A man probably in his mid-thirties, Eusine wore a purple tuxedo and matching pants, with a white half-cape draped around his shoulders, and a red bow-tie under his chin to bring it all together. It was as if he had just come from a royal Victorian banquet. Does he look like this all the time? Hibiki thought, absently reaching out his hand to shake Eusine’s gloved one. All dressed up and nowhere to go.
Darkness had fallen since Hibiki had gone underground. Once they were outside and walking, Eusine began closely examining a pokeball in his hand, which Hibiki quickly identified as a Master Ball despite the dim light. Feeling timid, but also anxious about what his companion was doing, Hibiki put out his hand worriedly. “Er, Mr. Eusine, sir? Er, are you sure that’s a good idea, to be holding that out in public?”
“My apologies.” Eusine tucked the Master Ball under his cape in one silk motion. “It’s just that I’ve never seen one of these before, not since Professor Elm’s attempt at a replica. Kenta told me that it was crafted by none other than Kurt himself.”
“Is that what Kenta is giving you as payment, then?” Hibiki asked him. Eusine nodded. “He couldn’t promise me Suicune, but he said he’d give me the next best thing. If this ball actually works, it will be the end of a ten-year wild goose chase.” Eusine smiled fiercely. “Normally, my better judgment would resist any snake-oil salesman trying to pass off a painted pokeball for a Master Ball. But I remember Kenta back from the Raikou incident, when he was still around your age.” Eusine nodded to himself. “That kid was spectacular. He and Marina fought off a couple of elite Rockets attempting to catch a wild Raikou using the most unethical methods. But then when they were gone, he didn’t try to take the Raikou for himself, even after it collapsed. And after those Rockets came back to finish the job, we finished them.”
Eusine breathed in through his nose, and let it out with a satisfied sigh. “Good times,” he said dreamily. “I’d like to relive that again a couple times more, before I retire.”
“Well, you’re certainly bound for some adventure,” Hibiki replied, watching as Eusine reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Did Kenta tell you which pokémon he was after?”
“Of course. That’s why we’re headed to my Range Rover.”
Eusine pressed a button on his keychain, and in a parking lot just ahead, a large vehicle chirped loudly and flared its four-way flashers. The inside lights came on, revealing Marina in the back seat, and Kenta with his hood on, and face in shadow. When Hibiki opened the door to take the front passenger seat, Marina put a finger to her lips in a “shh” indication and pointed at Kenta. Understanding that he was asleep, Eusine started the vehicle, and they drove in silence for a few minutes. He didn’t speak until they had pulled into a gas station, where he muttered “Back in five,” before shutting the door behind him. Hibiki turned around in his seat and shot Marina a grateful smile.
“That was quick,” he whispered. “How’d you find Eusine so fast?”
“He happened to be in the area,” Marina replied. “I think he was drawn by the rumors that Ho-oh had come back, and was still searching when I found him. The clothes were a dead giveaway.”
“Okay. Uh . . .” Hibiki looked at Kenta. “Should I wake him up? Kenta told me to fill him in on the meeting.”
“We’d better not,” said Marina softly. “Kenta was a wreck when I saw him. He was feeling guilty about some things that he’d said, and he looked so upset that I had to hold him until he’d calmed down.” In the shadow of the dark car, Hibiki could not quite make out Marina’s expression, but her voice was quivering with pity. “He cried himself to sleep, right here in my arms. To be honest, Hibiki, I think the pressure is becoming too much for him.”
“The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” muttered Hibiki, recalling the Bible scripture in his mind. “We’re up to our necks in his plan by now, but the last stretch is still a distance away. We’ve freed Kurt and duplicated the Master Ball. We’ve ralled trainers and criminals alike to prepare for war. And we finally managed to get hold of the Snag Machine- and used it against the authorities.” Hibiki pulled back the folds of his cloak to show Marina his left arm, where the Snag Machine was still firmly attached. “Ah,” she whispered, impressed. Hibiki covered it back up. “We’ve stepped on so many toes and committed so much treason by now, that we might be executed on sight,” he said bleakly. “We haven’t even been listening to the radio lately. I know we should, but I’m afraid of what I’ll hear.”
“Well . . . how much more do you have to go?” prodded Marina inquisitively. “Surely there can’t be that much left to do. The next step is catching a legendary pokémon right?”
“I don’t know about catching, but we do need to find one,” affirmed Hibiki.
“Did Kenta tell you which one?”
“Yeah.” Hibiki turned to face the front again, and pulled his seatbelt tight. “Mewtwo.”
***
Nobody spoke for the remainder of the drive, mainly because sleep overtook the passengers. Hibiki wondered at his own incredible exhaustion. He had no idea how long he was out, or how far they had traveled, but it might have been longer if he hadn’t suddenly been shaken awake. A sudden shift of balance caused his whole body to smack against the side door, and he immediately jerked upright, fully awake. Next to him in the driver’s seat, Eusine plowed on, undeterred. Hibiki looked out at the road ahead, wondering if the car’s sudden shaking had been because of poor construction work. However, there were no potholes to be seen; only a great mountain wall to the left, and a guardrail on the right. They were climbing a slope.
All at once, the car rocked again, and this time Hibiki adjusted in time to avoid banging his shoulder. Behind him, Marina yelped, but Kenta didn’t even stir. For a moment, Hibiki wondered how he could sleep through these conditions. Then again, he supposed that he shouldn’t be too surprised. If there was anyone who needed rest from his labors right now, it was Kenta.
“I have to admit, I’m a little nervous about these high winds,” muttered Eusine in a flat voice. His eyes were drooping slightly. “Even with the Range Rover, there is a small chance that we could get blown right over.”
Hibiki’s heartrate sped up at these words, and he looked a second time out at the guard rail, which was all that separated them from a 300-foot-drop. He glanced at Eusine. “Are you kidding me? It’s just the WIND doing this?”
“You sound surprised. But the area around Mount Quena notoriously dangerous. Even tour buses have been known to blow over around here.”
“Then how can you be so calm?” This time, it was Marina who voiced what was on Hibiki’s mind. Even as she said it, the vehicle shuddered violently again. Eusine shrugged and smiled. “Nobody’s ever been reported to have died, or even been injured, in spite of these circumstances. Every potential victim has come out of their crisis miraculously unharmed. It’s as if a guardian spirit lives in this area, watching over the welfare of passerby.”
“A guardian spirit, huh?” Hibiki thought about their mission. “So you think it’s Mewtwo?”
“To make a long story short, yeah.” Eusine stifled a yawn with his hand, and rubbed one of his eyes. “Of course, rumors alone aren’t enough for people like me, who make a profession out of searching for legendary creatures. But part of the reason I agreed to help Kenta with this task so soon, is that I’ve been to this area of Johto before. The water around here was once renowned for its mineral goodness, so I arrived with expectations of finding the elusive Suicune.”
Eusine yawned again, and while Hibiki picked up some definite enthusiasm in his voice, he could tell that the man was fighting to stay awake. He had driven all night, and they would not be able to go much further. Thankfully, they wouldn’t need to.
“Well, Suicune never appeared to me. I did, however, see something unusual while I was hiking along the river: a Pikachu with strange, blotted markings all over its fur. And here, of all places. What are the odds of seeing a marked-up Pikachu out of its natural habitat?
“I reasoned that it might have belonged to another trainer, but it acted feral. And I later found out that those markings were astonishingly similar to those of the creatures in the file photos of the Mew Clone Project.” Eusine smirked at the memory. “But you know what REALLY inspired me to look into the Mew Clones afterward? Raw power. That one little rodent blew my Alakazam halfway to hell with a single Thunder attack. I’ve never even seen trained pokémon deliver that much force before.”
Hibiki waited for him to say more, but Eusine remained silent for a while. Eventually, Marina spoke up again.
“So how’d you get away from that dangerous situation?”
Eusine laughed humorlessly. “What else could I do? I fled for my life. I ran fast as I could, without looking back.”