"Heyyy, Kenta-sama, can you pretty please lend me 18000 yen?"
"What?!" Kenta, who now had the newspaper right-side-up, looked up at her incredulously. "You knowingly came in here without any money?"
"(Well I'm not going to make Eusine pay! He drove us!)"
"(He drove us because I gave him a you-know-what to catch you-know-who! It wasn't an act of charity.)"
"It's fine, I got it," mumbled Eusine sleepily, reaching into his pocket. A second later, his back stiffened, and his eyes widened. Hibiki watched him fish around in his pocket, coming up only with his keys. "What the-? . . . Maybe I don't got it . . . where the hell is my wallet? Did it slip out back at the cabin?"
"You lost your wallet?" said Kenta, sounding half-sympathetic, half-exasperated. He put a hand over his face; something that Hibiki noticed he was doing a lot lately. "This is really happening right now. For god sakes . . ."
Machi the Receptionist returned to the counter, looking pale and much more serious. "So . . . how many rooms then, ma'am?" she asked Marina. The latter turned and gave Kenta a pleading look. He heaved a sigh.
Five minutes later, the brothers were sitting on a freshly-made hotel bed, while Eusine pulled the covers over himself, still fully-clothed. The hiss of the shower could be heard in the bathroom. The four of them had all ended up getting the same one room for 9000 yen, as Marina had insisted on staying, though Kenta was adamant about conserving what limited funds they still had. There was a knock on the door, and Machi entered, bearing a tray of four bottles of water.
"Here," she said, with a strange edge in her voice. "Mount Quena natural spring water. Complements of the inn."
"Uh . . . thanks?" Hibiki said, finding it strange that they were being given water out of nowhere. "Hey, uh, I'm not trying to be snobbish or anything, but . . . isn't this sort of thing normally done with wine?"
Eusine gave a tired laugh. "It's your first time in the area, I see," he said, lifting himself into upright sitting position and taking a bottle. "Remember what I told you on the drive in? Mount Quena spring water is famous for its vitamins and minerals. It's world-quality. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I'll have a drink before I drop off."
He proceeded to gulp down the entire bottle with relish, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Refreshing . . . but it tastes a bit funnier than usual. Well . . . good night." With that, Eusine's head promptly hit the pillow, and he was out like a light.
"Geez, dude," Hibiki said, staring as Eusine began to snore. Machi bowed and let herself out of the room with the empty tray.
"Good thing we got off the road when we did," said Kenta, mirroring Hibiki's sentiments. "Hey, Marina! How's the shower water taste?"
"It feels great!" she called in a muffled voice through the door. "Like my body's being recharged and energized!"
"No, taste. Drink it for a second."
"Huh? Uh . . ." There was a moment of just the noise of the shower. "It's also good! Like super water. I . . . hey, what is this questioning all of a sudden? Are you trying to turn my shower experience into one of those creepy phone calls where you ask what I'm wearing?"
"Of course not. That would require you to be wearing something."
"You're imagining what I look like in the shower right now, aren't you? You stop that this instant!" Marina cried.
"You said it, not me," Kenta murmured, unscrewing the cap of his water.
Hibiki grinned. "You're playing it pretty cool for a teenage dude with a naked girl in the other room."
"We teased each other a lot like that back in our early trainer days," Kenta replied, reaching for his newspaper. "But the truth is, I'm a little preoccupied with what I found in here."
"The paper you were reading upside-down?"
"Yeah, after I flipped it over. Look."
Hibiki glanced at the headline, taking a chug of the water. "'Master's Tournament to Commence on March 16' . . . that's less than a week from now."
He looked up at Kenta. "That's neat, I guess. But why are you showing me this?"
"Remember the plan I told you about, on the morning after you came to travel with me?" Kenta said quietly. "Remember how its late stages would involve a whole bunch of trainers battling Silhouette and the forces of G.R.I.P. to get back their pokémon?"
Hibiki nodded.
"Well, I may have just found my setting. It's a bit earlier than I would have liked, but then again, I've put this off for too long as it is." Kenta set his water aside, apparently too distracted now to drink it. "Here's what I got from the article. It sounds like the population is still angry about losing the epic pokémon battling that existed in the past. So to satiate the masses, it looks like our government's trying to prove that it's all about the trainer, not the pokémon. Everyone who's ever become a pokémon master has been invited to participate, to see who's the Master among Masters."
"So let me guess . . . you're planning on taking part." Hibiki yawned. Normally, this kind of news would excite him, but he was suddenly feeling drowsy. Perhaps he was so used to excitement that he'd become desensitized. "But how? You're . . . supposed to be dead."
"I think I'll be there. Whether or not I'll participate is something I'm still figuring out, but I'm forming a plan . . ." Kenta paused and looked at him critically. "Hey, bro? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, I just-" Hibiki attempted to shift his weight on the bed, but to his surprise, he found his muscles suddenly sluggish and slow. Before he could stop himself, he fell to the floor, spilling the rest of his water. "What is . . . this? My body . . . feels so heavy."
His consciousness was starting to fade, and he heard Kenta gasp as if in recognition of something. There was a shuffling noise, and then a sharp whisper from Kenta.
"Marina! Get out of the shower, but keep it running! Get your pokémon ready, and don't make any noise if possible!"
There was no reply, except for the smallest hint of the shower curtain rustling. Kenta's voice carried an edge of critical urgency to it that Marina must have heard, and knew better than to question. There was another noise of water pouring from behind, and then Kenta was speaking by Hibiki's ear.
"They drugged the water. We didn't noice because Eusine was aleady exhausted, but someone wants us all asleep and vulnerable. I don't know how long they'll wait before coming to retrieve us, but I'm going to play it like they got me too. Don't panic, Hibiki. You're not poisoned, and I won't let anything happen to you."
Hibiki could only gurgle weakly in reply. He had only taken a small drink from the bottle, but it was a fight to stay awake. He was vaguely aware of Kenta lying down somewhere near him, but his vision became so blurry that he could only clearly make out sounds. A minute passed, then two. Suddenly, there was a soft click at the door, and it gave a gentle creak as it swung open.
"Thank you, Machi," came the deep voice of what Hibiki could only imagine was a larger-than-average man. "You've done your country a great service today. Now please leave me to deal with the outlaws."
"You're just going to arrest them, right?" came the young woman's voice. She sounded frightened- no, borderline terrified.
"Of course," came the mystery man's voice. "But I will need five minutes alone, first. Please leave me to do my work. The suspects will be out of your hands in no time."
Machi said nothing else, but Hibiki heard her footsteps fade until they were gone. Then came the quiet-but-heavy footfalls of the man, closer and closer. They paused, and then the man spoke.
"Ah . . . not quite asleep yet, Officer Nyna?"
He opened his eyes? Hibiki thought, panicked. What's he doing?
The man's voice was very close now, but it was even more quiet than Kenta had been. "For the record, I would have loved to hear your story from your own mouth. And I hate having to do this to someone who's still conscious to feel it. But orders are orders, and I'm afraid I only have as much time as it takes your little girlfriend to finish her shower."
There was a metallic zipping noise, and the image of a wire came to Hibiki's mind. Asphyxiation, he realized with ice-cold dread. He's going to kill us!
The next second, he heard a fleshy thud, and an exhale of surprise from the assassin. "Marina!" cried Kenta.
"Water Gun!"
The bathroom door was blown off its hinges by the force of the blast, as Feraligator's pressure hose attack buffeted the would-be killer. He slammed hard into the wall, causing it to crack and leave an imprint as he fell. Marina stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a towel over her body, her face contorted in an expression of mixed fear and anger. In the midst of the action, Hibiki barely observed that he was seeing some things, and only hearing others.
Kenta wasted no time in hesitation. "Send Mismagius out into the hall!" he ordered. "We need a sentry to alert us to anyone else!"
Even as Marina reached for her ghost pokémon's ball, Kenta picked up her pokegear and clicked a few buttons.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Calling the local Officer Jenny. Her family honor is the only part of the police force I still trust. Quick, find where Eusine left his pokeball belt!"
"Uh . . . right. Wani-Wani, keep an eye on that man, and don't let him move a muscle!"
The Feraligator gave a deep-throated growl.
"What?!" Kenta, who now had the newspaper right-side-up, looked up at her incredulously. "You knowingly came in here without any money?"
"(Well I'm not going to make Eusine pay! He drove us!)"
"(He drove us because I gave him a you-know-what to catch you-know-who! It wasn't an act of charity.)"
"It's fine, I got it," mumbled Eusine sleepily, reaching into his pocket. A second later, his back stiffened, and his eyes widened. Hibiki watched him fish around in his pocket, coming up only with his keys. "What the-? . . . Maybe I don't got it . . . where the hell is my wallet? Did it slip out back at the cabin?"
"You lost your wallet?" said Kenta, sounding half-sympathetic, half-exasperated. He put a hand over his face; something that Hibiki noticed he was doing a lot lately. "This is really happening right now. For god sakes . . ."
Machi the Receptionist returned to the counter, looking pale and much more serious. "So . . . how many rooms then, ma'am?" she asked Marina. The latter turned and gave Kenta a pleading look. He heaved a sigh.
Five minutes later, the brothers were sitting on a freshly-made hotel bed, while Eusine pulled the covers over himself, still fully-clothed. The hiss of the shower could be heard in the bathroom. The four of them had all ended up getting the same one room for 9000 yen, as Marina had insisted on staying, though Kenta was adamant about conserving what limited funds they still had. There was a knock on the door, and Machi entered, bearing a tray of four bottles of water.
"Here," she said, with a strange edge in her voice. "Mount Quena natural spring water. Complements of the inn."
"Uh . . . thanks?" Hibiki said, finding it strange that they were being given water out of nowhere. "Hey, uh, I'm not trying to be snobbish or anything, but . . . isn't this sort of thing normally done with wine?"
Eusine gave a tired laugh. "It's your first time in the area, I see," he said, lifting himself into upright sitting position and taking a bottle. "Remember what I told you on the drive in? Mount Quena spring water is famous for its vitamins and minerals. It's world-quality. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I'll have a drink before I drop off."
He proceeded to gulp down the entire bottle with relish, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Refreshing . . . but it tastes a bit funnier than usual. Well . . . good night." With that, Eusine's head promptly hit the pillow, and he was out like a light.
"Geez, dude," Hibiki said, staring as Eusine began to snore. Machi bowed and let herself out of the room with the empty tray.
"Good thing we got off the road when we did," said Kenta, mirroring Hibiki's sentiments. "Hey, Marina! How's the shower water taste?"
"It feels great!" she called in a muffled voice through the door. "Like my body's being recharged and energized!"
"No, taste. Drink it for a second."
"Huh? Uh . . ." There was a moment of just the noise of the shower. "It's also good! Like super water. I . . . hey, what is this questioning all of a sudden? Are you trying to turn my shower experience into one of those creepy phone calls where you ask what I'm wearing?"
"Of course not. That would require you to be wearing something."
"You're imagining what I look like in the shower right now, aren't you? You stop that this instant!" Marina cried.
"You said it, not me," Kenta murmured, unscrewing the cap of his water.
Hibiki grinned. "You're playing it pretty cool for a teenage dude with a naked girl in the other room."
"We teased each other a lot like that back in our early trainer days," Kenta replied, reaching for his newspaper. "But the truth is, I'm a little preoccupied with what I found in here."
"The paper you were reading upside-down?"
"Yeah, after I flipped it over. Look."
Hibiki glanced at the headline, taking a chug of the water. "'Master's Tournament to Commence on March 16' . . . that's less than a week from now."
He looked up at Kenta. "That's neat, I guess. But why are you showing me this?"
"Remember the plan I told you about, on the morning after you came to travel with me?" Kenta said quietly. "Remember how its late stages would involve a whole bunch of trainers battling Silhouette and the forces of G.R.I.P. to get back their pokémon?"
Hibiki nodded.
"Well, I may have just found my setting. It's a bit earlier than I would have liked, but then again, I've put this off for too long as it is." Kenta set his water aside, apparently too distracted now to drink it. "Here's what I got from the article. It sounds like the population is still angry about losing the epic pokémon battling that existed in the past. So to satiate the masses, it looks like our government's trying to prove that it's all about the trainer, not the pokémon. Everyone who's ever become a pokémon master has been invited to participate, to see who's the Master among Masters."
"So let me guess . . . you're planning on taking part." Hibiki yawned. Normally, this kind of news would excite him, but he was suddenly feeling drowsy. Perhaps he was so used to excitement that he'd become desensitized. "But how? You're . . . supposed to be dead."
"I think I'll be there. Whether or not I'll participate is something I'm still figuring out, but I'm forming a plan . . ." Kenta paused and looked at him critically. "Hey, bro? Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, I just-" Hibiki attempted to shift his weight on the bed, but to his surprise, he found his muscles suddenly sluggish and slow. Before he could stop himself, he fell to the floor, spilling the rest of his water. "What is . . . this? My body . . . feels so heavy."
His consciousness was starting to fade, and he heard Kenta gasp as if in recognition of something. There was a shuffling noise, and then a sharp whisper from Kenta.
"Marina! Get out of the shower, but keep it running! Get your pokémon ready, and don't make any noise if possible!"
There was no reply, except for the smallest hint of the shower curtain rustling. Kenta's voice carried an edge of critical urgency to it that Marina must have heard, and knew better than to question. There was another noise of water pouring from behind, and then Kenta was speaking by Hibiki's ear.
"They drugged the water. We didn't noice because Eusine was aleady exhausted, but someone wants us all asleep and vulnerable. I don't know how long they'll wait before coming to retrieve us, but I'm going to play it like they got me too. Don't panic, Hibiki. You're not poisoned, and I won't let anything happen to you."
Hibiki could only gurgle weakly in reply. He had only taken a small drink from the bottle, but it was a fight to stay awake. He was vaguely aware of Kenta lying down somewhere near him, but his vision became so blurry that he could only clearly make out sounds. A minute passed, then two. Suddenly, there was a soft click at the door, and it gave a gentle creak as it swung open.
"Thank you, Machi," came the deep voice of what Hibiki could only imagine was a larger-than-average man. "You've done your country a great service today. Now please leave me to deal with the outlaws."
"You're just going to arrest them, right?" came the young woman's voice. She sounded frightened- no, borderline terrified.
"Of course," came the mystery man's voice. "But I will need five minutes alone, first. Please leave me to do my work. The suspects will be out of your hands in no time."
Machi said nothing else, but Hibiki heard her footsteps fade until they were gone. Then came the quiet-but-heavy footfalls of the man, closer and closer. They paused, and then the man spoke.
"Ah . . . not quite asleep yet, Officer Nyna?"
He opened his eyes? Hibiki thought, panicked. What's he doing?
The man's voice was very close now, but it was even more quiet than Kenta had been. "For the record, I would have loved to hear your story from your own mouth. And I hate having to do this to someone who's still conscious to feel it. But orders are orders, and I'm afraid I only have as much time as it takes your little girlfriend to finish her shower."
There was a metallic zipping noise, and the image of a wire came to Hibiki's mind. Asphyxiation, he realized with ice-cold dread. He's going to kill us!
The next second, he heard a fleshy thud, and an exhale of surprise from the assassin. "Marina!" cried Kenta.
"Water Gun!"
The bathroom door was blown off its hinges by the force of the blast, as Feraligator's pressure hose attack buffeted the would-be killer. He slammed hard into the wall, causing it to crack and leave an imprint as he fell. Marina stood in the doorway, wearing nothing but a towel over her body, her face contorted in an expression of mixed fear and anger. In the midst of the action, Hibiki barely observed that he was seeing some things, and only hearing others.
Kenta wasted no time in hesitation. "Send Mismagius out into the hall!" he ordered. "We need a sentry to alert us to anyone else!"
Even as Marina reached for her ghost pokémon's ball, Kenta picked up her pokegear and clicked a few buttons.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Calling the local Officer Jenny. Her family honor is the only part of the police force I still trust. Quick, find where Eusine left his pokeball belt!"
"Uh . . . right. Wani-Wani, keep an eye on that man, and don't let him move a muscle!"
The Feraligator gave a deep-throated growl.