Red's base camp was a high-altitude cave, probably burrowed out long ago by the region's native Tyranitar. As they walked toward the mouth of the cavern, a familiar roar echoed inside, and Kenta's face lit up in recognition.
"Dragonite! You made it!"
Out flew the bipedal orange dragon, tackling Kenta and giving him a hug in greeting. Red and Hibiki watched with bemused expressions.
"I recognized your team powerhouse," said Red, laughing gently. "And I took it as a sign that I should expect someone else. I've been keeping vigilance ever since."
"Even though you thought I was dead?" said Kenta, managing to free himself from his Dragonite's clutches. "Master Red, the superstituous one. How about that."
"You guys are weird," Hibiki muttered. "This is supposed to be your first real conversation, and yet you act like you've known each other your whole lives."
"It's not quite the first," said Kenta, as they walked further into the tunnel. "It's just that Red gets all quiet before a battle."
Red eyed Hibiki with a searching gaze, finally paying some real attention to him. "So, this is the little Gold. You look just like him, but smaller."
Hibiki felt indignation at the statement. "Hey, why are you comparing me to Kenta? I'm my own person, and I'll have you know it's a perfectly proper height for someone my age!"
"No it isn't!" laughed Kenta. "You're a runt, dude! You just don't notice because all you have to compare to is Kotone."
In spite of the cold, Hibiki felt his face growing hot. "You guys aren't so great," he grumbled, readjusting his backpack.
"Sorry," said Red. "But the resemblance is hard to ignore. If it makes you feel any better, I've had a couple of people mistake me for some other guy with a Pikachu."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that," said Kenta, pulling back so that he was walking alongside Red, "where is your Pikachu? That thing's always hanging around you, or riding your shoulder."
Red gave Kenta a glare. "He's not a thing. And he's helping Bill with the Signal Disruptor."
"The . . . what now?"
"Better to see it for yourself. Hey, Bill!"
They had emerged from the cave tunnel into a wide and spacious rock chamber, with light and warmth emitting from a single creature near the center. Upon closer inspection, Hibiki recognized the orange winged pokémon to be none other than Charizard: the most coveted of the starter pokémon, until Brendan had accidentally made his into a famous meme.
A brunette, somewhat frizzy-haired man with glasses rose from his kneeling position on his floor, and Kenta's eyes widened in recognition. He gave a happy shout. "Bill! Hey man, what are you doing up here?"
Everyone knows each other but me, Hibiki thought with a grumble, as Bill approached, smiling. "Kenta! Well, this is the last thing I expected. Here we thought you had died, and then your Dragonite just shows up out of nowhere, and then . . ." He shook his head. "There's too much I want to say all at once. How did you find him, Red?"
"Find him? Hardly . . . he just invited himself up here."
A thought of recognition suddenly occured to Hibiki. "Wait a second, Kenta!" he remarked. "Isn't this THE Bill, the guy who invented the pokémon storage system?!"
"Yep. And the same guy who gave me my Eevee."
"Are you serious? Did you know who he was when you met him?"
Bill laughed. "It seems everyone here has a reputation. It's nice to meet you, er . . ."
"Hibiki Nyna. It's an honor, sir!"
"Pleasure." Bill shook his hand, looking curiously at him. "Nyna . . . so you must be a brother of Kenta's." His smile returned, and he leaned in to whisper something. "You're welcome to call me Bill, but for the record, it's an alias after Bill Gates. I have a true name which I will not utter here, just like Red and Gold."
Hibiki stepped back, surprised. "You're hiding your name? Why the secrecy?"
"Simple foresight, really. Just in case a day like this were to come." Bill's expression darkened. "And it's a good thing I did. After G.R.I.P. usurped control over my storage system, they attempted to come for me. I managed to escape here, but barely. If Red hadn't already been on Mt. Silver, I may not have survived."
"You speak vaguely," said Kenta, who was now listening in. "So you're a wanted refugee from our government too?"
"How I escaped is irrelevant," Bill said shortly. "What matters is that G.R.I.P. wanted my computer knowledge to hasten their conquest over all the independent pokémon trainers of Japan. They discovered how to limit the standard pokémon team size from six to two, based on the files they managed to recover from my house computers. This was at least four months ago, though . . . by now, I'm sure they could relieve all people of their pokémon, and more."
"More?" repeated Kenta, with the chill of fear in his voice.
"Most likely. Don't you know? Whenever a trainer used to capture a seventh pokémon using official pokeballs, my storage system would warp that ball to its pre-designated holding space. Imagine how it might be, then, if a powerful pokémon could be teleported to anywhere at once, instantaneously? And let's say it's sent there to attack a criminal . . . or destroy the stronghold of an enemy nation . . . or to beat down a civil disobedience rally."
Hibiki's heart raced as he heard the words. He had almost forgotten to breathe.
"I've been saying such things to the pokémon fan clubs I've visited," said Kenta, his body tense all over. "But I never imagined it could go that far."
"If it is possible in theory, it is inevitable in time," Bill replied. Suddenly, a smile crept over his face. "Unless, of course, it is rendered neutral by a counter-measure."
Bill pointed with a finger, and all heads turned toward toward a metallic contraption lying on the stone ground. To Hibiki's eyes, it was little more than a tangle of wires, with a mess of antennas poking out at the top. Two wires led away from the machine, to a pokémon that Hibiki had failed to notice up until now. It was a small mouselike creature that had a plump yellow body, red cheeks, and black stripes down its back. A Pikachu, he thought. No . . . THE Pikachu. This has to be Red's signature pokémon, if not Charizard . . .
Red followed Hibiki's gaze. "Yes, Pikachu powers this machine," he said, perceiving his thoughts. "Bill's Signal Disruptor is already capable of stopping any pokeball teleport within the entire area of Mt. Silver." He frowned. "The problem is, we can't seem to increase its range as it is. Bill says we can fix that by making it as big as we want, so that it becomes too heavy to carry, but that would require a lot of risky trips to salvage the necessary parts. More than I've already done, that is."
Hibiki saw Kenta's face brighten, and he could almost imagine the light bulb turning on over his head. "Maybe you don't have to. Perhaps it's big enough already," he said.
Red and Bill looked at him curiously. Hibiki didn't even need to guess what was going through Kenta's mind. There it was again- that obsessed, mildly-crazed look he got when he was forming a plan.
"Red, have you heard about that Master's Tournament that's coming up on the radio?"
The other Master gave him an inquiring stare. "Yes. What are you getting at, Gold?"
Kenta pointed at the contraption on the ground. "I can't help but wonder why two such upstanding people as yourselves are building a Signal Disruptor in direct defiance of our peaceful and honest government."
Red glowered at him. "Are you testing me? Look there- and there!" He pointed at Pikachu, and then at his Charizard, who stood atop a long stalagmite. "Those are the only pokémon I have left. Bill came too late to stop me from losing Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax, and Espeon. The only reason they didn't take Pikachu and Charizard too, was that they were out of their balls with me at the time. Pikachu hates pokeballs, and we needed Charizard's flame for warmth and light. I would have been screwed if they'd taken him."
Kenta nodded. "Good. Just confirming why our feelings on G.R.I.P. are mutual."
"We're doing out part," said Red darkly. "I'm sure many trainers- the good ones, at least- are actively planning as well. Now, get back to what you were saying before."
Kenta crossed his arms, looking Red in the eyes. "Yes, so, the Master's Tournament . . . how do you feel about taking part as a competitor?"
Red froze, still eye-to-eye with Kenta. "You know my immediate response would normally be no. But it seems to me that you have ulterior motives behind that request. What are you planning, Gold?"
Kenta glanced at Hibiki and smiled. "Planning. Exactly. It's time we let you and Bill in on the plan."
"Dragonite! You made it!"
Out flew the bipedal orange dragon, tackling Kenta and giving him a hug in greeting. Red and Hibiki watched with bemused expressions.
"I recognized your team powerhouse," said Red, laughing gently. "And I took it as a sign that I should expect someone else. I've been keeping vigilance ever since."
"Even though you thought I was dead?" said Kenta, managing to free himself from his Dragonite's clutches. "Master Red, the superstituous one. How about that."
"You guys are weird," Hibiki muttered. "This is supposed to be your first real conversation, and yet you act like you've known each other your whole lives."
"It's not quite the first," said Kenta, as they walked further into the tunnel. "It's just that Red gets all quiet before a battle."
Red eyed Hibiki with a searching gaze, finally paying some real attention to him. "So, this is the little Gold. You look just like him, but smaller."
Hibiki felt indignation at the statement. "Hey, why are you comparing me to Kenta? I'm my own person, and I'll have you know it's a perfectly proper height for someone my age!"
"No it isn't!" laughed Kenta. "You're a runt, dude! You just don't notice because all you have to compare to is Kotone."
In spite of the cold, Hibiki felt his face growing hot. "You guys aren't so great," he grumbled, readjusting his backpack.
"Sorry," said Red. "But the resemblance is hard to ignore. If it makes you feel any better, I've had a couple of people mistake me for some other guy with a Pikachu."
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that," said Kenta, pulling back so that he was walking alongside Red, "where is your Pikachu? That thing's always hanging around you, or riding your shoulder."
Red gave Kenta a glare. "He's not a thing. And he's helping Bill with the Signal Disruptor."
"The . . . what now?"
"Better to see it for yourself. Hey, Bill!"
They had emerged from the cave tunnel into a wide and spacious rock chamber, with light and warmth emitting from a single creature near the center. Upon closer inspection, Hibiki recognized the orange winged pokémon to be none other than Charizard: the most coveted of the starter pokémon, until Brendan had accidentally made his into a famous meme.
A brunette, somewhat frizzy-haired man with glasses rose from his kneeling position on his floor, and Kenta's eyes widened in recognition. He gave a happy shout. "Bill! Hey man, what are you doing up here?"
Everyone knows each other but me, Hibiki thought with a grumble, as Bill approached, smiling. "Kenta! Well, this is the last thing I expected. Here we thought you had died, and then your Dragonite just shows up out of nowhere, and then . . ." He shook his head. "There's too much I want to say all at once. How did you find him, Red?"
"Find him? Hardly . . . he just invited himself up here."
A thought of recognition suddenly occured to Hibiki. "Wait a second, Kenta!" he remarked. "Isn't this THE Bill, the guy who invented the pokémon storage system?!"
"Yep. And the same guy who gave me my Eevee."
"Are you serious? Did you know who he was when you met him?"
Bill laughed. "It seems everyone here has a reputation. It's nice to meet you, er . . ."
"Hibiki Nyna. It's an honor, sir!"
"Pleasure." Bill shook his hand, looking curiously at him. "Nyna . . . so you must be a brother of Kenta's." His smile returned, and he leaned in to whisper something. "You're welcome to call me Bill, but for the record, it's an alias after Bill Gates. I have a true name which I will not utter here, just like Red and Gold."
Hibiki stepped back, surprised. "You're hiding your name? Why the secrecy?"
"Simple foresight, really. Just in case a day like this were to come." Bill's expression darkened. "And it's a good thing I did. After G.R.I.P. usurped control over my storage system, they attempted to come for me. I managed to escape here, but barely. If Red hadn't already been on Mt. Silver, I may not have survived."
"You speak vaguely," said Kenta, who was now listening in. "So you're a wanted refugee from our government too?"
"How I escaped is irrelevant," Bill said shortly. "What matters is that G.R.I.P. wanted my computer knowledge to hasten their conquest over all the independent pokémon trainers of Japan. They discovered how to limit the standard pokémon team size from six to two, based on the files they managed to recover from my house computers. This was at least four months ago, though . . . by now, I'm sure they could relieve all people of their pokémon, and more."
"More?" repeated Kenta, with the chill of fear in his voice.
"Most likely. Don't you know? Whenever a trainer used to capture a seventh pokémon using official pokeballs, my storage system would warp that ball to its pre-designated holding space. Imagine how it might be, then, if a powerful pokémon could be teleported to anywhere at once, instantaneously? And let's say it's sent there to attack a criminal . . . or destroy the stronghold of an enemy nation . . . or to beat down a civil disobedience rally."
Hibiki's heart raced as he heard the words. He had almost forgotten to breathe.
"I've been saying such things to the pokémon fan clubs I've visited," said Kenta, his body tense all over. "But I never imagined it could go that far."
"If it is possible in theory, it is inevitable in time," Bill replied. Suddenly, a smile crept over his face. "Unless, of course, it is rendered neutral by a counter-measure."
Bill pointed with a finger, and all heads turned toward toward a metallic contraption lying on the stone ground. To Hibiki's eyes, it was little more than a tangle of wires, with a mess of antennas poking out at the top. Two wires led away from the machine, to a pokémon that Hibiki had failed to notice up until now. It was a small mouselike creature that had a plump yellow body, red cheeks, and black stripes down its back. A Pikachu, he thought. No . . . THE Pikachu. This has to be Red's signature pokémon, if not Charizard . . .
Red followed Hibiki's gaze. "Yes, Pikachu powers this machine," he said, perceiving his thoughts. "Bill's Signal Disruptor is already capable of stopping any pokeball teleport within the entire area of Mt. Silver." He frowned. "The problem is, we can't seem to increase its range as it is. Bill says we can fix that by making it as big as we want, so that it becomes too heavy to carry, but that would require a lot of risky trips to salvage the necessary parts. More than I've already done, that is."
Hibiki saw Kenta's face brighten, and he could almost imagine the light bulb turning on over his head. "Maybe you don't have to. Perhaps it's big enough already," he said.
Red and Bill looked at him curiously. Hibiki didn't even need to guess what was going through Kenta's mind. There it was again- that obsessed, mildly-crazed look he got when he was forming a plan.
"Red, have you heard about that Master's Tournament that's coming up on the radio?"
The other Master gave him an inquiring stare. "Yes. What are you getting at, Gold?"
Kenta pointed at the contraption on the ground. "I can't help but wonder why two such upstanding people as yourselves are building a Signal Disruptor in direct defiance of our peaceful and honest government."
Red glowered at him. "Are you testing me? Look there- and there!" He pointed at Pikachu, and then at his Charizard, who stood atop a long stalagmite. "Those are the only pokémon I have left. Bill came too late to stop me from losing Blastoise, Venusaur, Snorlax, and Espeon. The only reason they didn't take Pikachu and Charizard too, was that they were out of their balls with me at the time. Pikachu hates pokeballs, and we needed Charizard's flame for warmth and light. I would have been screwed if they'd taken him."
Kenta nodded. "Good. Just confirming why our feelings on G.R.I.P. are mutual."
"We're doing out part," said Red darkly. "I'm sure many trainers- the good ones, at least- are actively planning as well. Now, get back to what you were saying before."
Kenta crossed his arms, looking Red in the eyes. "Yes, so, the Master's Tournament . . . how do you feel about taking part as a competitor?"
Red froze, still eye-to-eye with Kenta. "You know my immediate response would normally be no. But it seems to me that you have ulterior motives behind that request. What are you planning, Gold?"
Kenta glanced at Hibiki and smiled. "Planning. Exactly. It's time we let you and Bill in on the plan."
