Guilt Trip

Roz packed the last of her belongings and surveyed what had been her home for the past several weeks. There wasn’t much to gather; just a few food items that would last her for a couple days at best. She considered leaving Terry a note of some sort, but doubted he’d take anything she could possibly say well. 

No, simply disappearing was the best option. Roz hefted her backpack onto her shoulders and teleported out the window into a surprisingly strong, cold wind. She contemplated checking the mail one last time, but decided against it.

She still had one more day before the Rangers expected her to return to work, and no idea what she was supposed to do with it. It would probably be another four or five days before Terry made it back to town, based on how long the trip to the Great Canyon had taken. She could stay at his house for a few days and he’d never know, but that didn’t feel right. Shivering, the Elgyem wandered off into the gray, cloudy morning.

Her meanderings eventually brought her to the Tiny Woods. She made her way to a specific clearing and set her feet down on the forest floor. Idly, she levitated a tree branch and wondered where it all went wrong. 

Not her relationship with Terry, but rather the fact that she’d even met him in the first place. She was never supposed to land on the planet’s surface at all. She now knew where her ship had ended up, but how had it gotten there in the first place? The fact that she’d popped up halfway across the continent was explained easily enough by the emergency escape systems, but what had triggered them?

“Roz? Is that you?”

“Oh. Hello Peter.”

The Caterpie in question scuttled up beside her. “Whatcha doin’ out here by yourself?”

“Just thinking.” She threw the branch into a nearby tree, where it snapped neatly in half with a satisfying *crack*.

“Woah! That was awesome!” Peter gestured to a much larger branch. “Do that one next!”

Roz shook her head. “That one’s too large.”

“You mean you can’t pick it up?”

“I can lift it easily enough. But it’s too thick to break.”

“How do you know?”

“I know my own abilities. I’m not strong enough to break it.”

“But how can you know you’re not strong enough if you never try?”

I suppose I’ve got to admire his determination. Roz extended her hand. The lights on her fingertips pulsed slowly and the branch floated off the ground “I have enough experience to know what I can and cannot do.” She made a violent slashing motion with her arm, sending the branch spinning into a tree. It impacted at the perfect angle. Bits of bark fell off both the branch and tree, but both were otherwise none the worse for wear.

Peter looked disappointed. “Oh.”

“I’m not all-powerful Peter, or even close to it.”

“Does that mean you can’t stop the disasters?”

Roz’s fingertips slowly dimmed. “Me personally? No. But maybe I can still help.” Assuming they ever let me. The lights turned off entirely.

“Where’s Terry? I haven’t seen either of you for a while.”

“Terry had to leave town for a few days,” Roz eventually answered. “I apologize, but I must be going.”

“Oh…okay.”

Roz shook herself as she flew back to town. Regardless of her personal feelings, there was still work to be done. Unfortunately, she had to be back to work tomorrow. That would likely mean more manual labor. She still hadn’t seen any of the Head Rangers since the morning they’d stripped her of her disaster research duties. Should she talk to them? This was important after all. If she couldn’t confirm her suspicions, there was really no point in even staying with the Rangers.

Roz materialized in front of headquarters. A small crowd of Pokémon were filing out and making their way toward town square. Not in the mood for dealing with them at the moment, she kept going to the bluff overlooking Crosswind Bay. The sea heaved, but no more so than would be expected in this wind. Then again, she had no idea what would be considered normal. Was this wind normal for this time of year?

Roz heaved a sigh and turned away from the cliff. She really couldn’t put this off any longer. Just as she was about to enter headquarters however, the door opened, revealing Dulce.

“Oh! Hi Roz! You’re back a bit early. Where’s Terry?”

“He is…still at home,” Roz lied. “I am here for personal reasons.”

“I see. Don’t you want to at least hear the announcement first though?

“Announcement?”

“Yeah, there’s going to be a big announcement in the square for the whole town. Didn’t you check your mail this morning?”

“It must have slipped my mind.”

“Oh. Well, it said there was a breakthrough about what was causing the disasters!.”

Roz started slightly. “Really?”

The Steenee nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! Finally some good news! Let’s go!”

A sizable crowd had already gathered in the square. Roz couldn’t see who would be speaking over them, and floated upward to get a better view. Of course. If something sounded too good to be true, it probably was. From the center of a ring of Pokémon, Specter made eye contact with her. The Gengar floated off the ground and raised his arms for silence. The buzz of conversation faded.

“Follow Pokémon of Crosswind Town and beyond,” Specter proclaimed. His voice carried surprisingly well, especially with the wind blowing. “For the past month, we have suffered under mysterious disasters. While we have called them natural, I think most of us would agree that they are decidedly unnatural.”

Specter paused to allow the crowd to murmur amongst themselves before continuing. “We, the Rangers, have done everything in our power to understand these incidents, but to no avail,” he said with a theatrical shrug. “We approached the gods for help, only to be violently turned away time and again. In truth however, we have known the cause of the disasters for years.”

The crowd’s mutterings were louder this time. “You all know about what happened 300 years ago on this very continent. They came. The humans!” Specter flashed a sinister grin. “They conducted their vile experiments, abducted, and enslaved us! But we were stronger!” The Gengar raised his fist in the air, accompanied by a roar from the crowd. Those with arms raised them with him, those without stomped or beat their wings.

“We drove them off, but they managed to take some of us with them,” he continued with a scowl. “And before they left, they swore they’d return one day to finish what they started. And recently, we learned what they did with those Pokémon they took with them, didn’t we, Roz?”

Roz was still in shock. The very worst-case scenario she’d worked so hard to avoid was playing out right in front of her. “W-what?”

“Keh. Not good with crowds, huh? Well, don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. Y’see, Roz here is one of the Rangers’ new hires. She jumped in, eager as could be at the chance to get to the bottom of these disasters. So ol’ Archimedes took her on specifically to do so. Except, she didn’t find a thing. And do you wanna know why?”

Roz dropped back into the crowd to escape the dozens of stares aimed right at her. “Roz, what’s he talking about? You know what’s going on?” Dulce asked her.

“She wasn’t trying to figure out what was causing the disasters; she was sent by the humans to make sure we couldn’t!”

Dulce shot her a confused look, begging her to deny it. The crowds emotions rose to a fever. Roz could barely think straight.

“The humans set up these disasters to wear us down so we’ll be easy pickings when they come back!” Specter floated above the crowd with his arms outstretched above his head “And she’s here to tell them when to strike!” He pointed straight at her, face twisted in malicious glee.

Other members of the crowd were closing in. “I…” she barely dodged a swing from a Bewear. “No…no, of course I’m not…” Roz clutched her head. There was plenty of confusion and disbelief mixed in with the anger, but all of these strong emotions in such close proximity were too much. Her fingertips flashed at blinding speed. 

“Traitor!” yelled the Bewear. She somehow managed to dodge a swing from it. It’s next hit connected hard, knocking Roz onto her back. The Elgyem curled into a ball and tried to  focus, but it was impossible under these conditions. She needed to be somewhere, anywhere but here. She rolled out of the way just before a Tropius could stomp on her and took to the air. The bluff overlooking the bay was her only hope. The crowd surged after her, likely trampling each other in their zeal.

A sudden thought occurred to her, and Roz started weaving back and forth, just in time to dodge a stream of boiling water. She darted the other way and a seething ball of dark ectoplasm flew past. Roz teleported to the edge of the cliff and fell over the edge. Several fliers followed, but she was nowhere to be found.

~~~

She fell to the floor, panting. Roz experimentally touched her hand to her chest where she was punched and hissed. Probing delicately, she deduced that at least none of her ribs were broken, but there was some swelling. She shakily rose to her feet.

“What do you think you’re doing here?”

Roz gasped and turned around, coming face-to-face with a scowling, helmetless Cubone. “Terry…” Roz panted. He was sitting on a chair in his front room at the edge of his seat with his club on the floor next to him. His bag lay in the middle of the floor.

“Yeah. And?”

The Elgyem took a moment to catch her breath. “Terry, they’re trying to kill me.”

Terry cocked an eye ridge. “Who’s trying to kill you?” He shook his head. “No, not again. Get out.” Terry rose from his seat and walked toward the door.

“No!” Roz floated into his path.

“Get out of my way!” Terry raised his arm to push her aside.

“Terry, listen to me,” Roz bagged. “There is a mob in the square who knows I’m from offworld and thinks the disasters are a human plot. If they find me, I’m as good as dead.”

Terry hesitated for a moment before shaking himself again and pushing past. Roz hissed when he put pressure on her chest. “Oh what now?!” the Cubone huffed. She lowered her arm from the injury and Terry took a closer look. “What happened?” he asked with a sigh.

“I got punched by a Bewear.” Terry’s fists clenched and his brow furrowed even more. “I understand if you don’t want to help, but I need somewhere to go.” Terry opened his mouth to protest, but Roz continued. “Can you at least suggest somewhere I could lay low?”

Terry walked back to his chair, plopped into it, and heaved a sigh. “Specter’s behind this, isn’t he?”

Roz almost answered “yes”, but stopped herself. What if he was just testing her to see if she’d take the easy cover story. “Why would you suspect that?”

“It seems like something he’d do, doesn’t it?”

Roz’s potential answer was interrupted by a knock on the door. <Terry, do not answer that!> she pleaded.

<Does he have something to do with this or not?>

<Yes! He’s the one who gave the speech that riled everyone up. That’s probably someone looking for me!>

“Terry, are you home?” It was Lily, Terry’s Lombre neighbor.

<Don’t answer! Please! Just tell me somewhere I can go!>

<I’ll help you.>

Roz blinked.

<Let’s be clear; I’m doing this to figure out what that Gengar’s up to, not for you. Got it?>

“Terry?” More knocking.

<I said “got it?”>

Roz nodded.

<Good. Now takes us to Greenmetal Village. Don’t question me, just do it!>

The Cubone and Elgyem clasped hands. Just before they disappeared, the door buckled under a shoulder tackle from a Tyranitar. Terry and Cliff only locked eyes for a brief instant before Roz’s Teleport took off.

~~~

Most of Roz’s food was smashed when she landed on her back. The Rangers could have a teleporter here to spread the news any minute. The pair stocked up on supplies in Greenmetal’s market while doing their best not to look hurried. By the time they finished, Terry had bought enough food to last for about a week. He refused to answer any of Roz’s questions until they were out of town. As far as either of them could tell, no one was chasing them yet.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Terry said once the village was a good way behind. “I overheard Specter talking with Stella and Cody about an unusual Ninetails who lives in Zephyr Village once. If anyone can help us figure out what he’s up to, it’s him.”

Roz pulled out her map. The Zephyr Tundra was at the northeast corner of the continent, weeks of travel away. “Are you sure it’s worth going all that distance on a hunch? It’s all the way across the continent.”

“No,” Terry admitted. “But I don’t see what other options I have. Besides, you need somewhere to lie low until all of this blows over.”

Assuming it ever does. “Do we have enough supplies for this?” Roz asked.

“I bought everything I could carry, but no, I’m not sure we do. We’ll pass by the Berry Forest tomorrow though, maybe by the end of today. We can supply more there.”

Roz still wasn’t entirely sure why Terry was doing this. Could she even trust him right now? Not that she had any right to hold a lack of trust against anyone else.

~~~

Gloria looked over the wanted poster in town square. “Roz Elgyem and Terry Cubone, wanted for fraternizing with humans.”

“Mom, is Roz a bad person?” The butterfree looked to her son.

“I–I don’t know what to think Peter.” And what about that Cubone, Terry? He’d been so eager to help that day in the Tiny Woods. Someone like him couldn’t be a bad person. Right?

~~~

So, everything in those dreams was real afterall. They really are coming back.

“I told you it would work.”

Archimedes Alakazam started slightly and turned to face the intruder in his office. “I believe I made it clear that I expect you to knock like anyone else, did I not Specter?”

“Kekeke. Yeah, but c’mon, I earned this one,” the Gengar retorted with his signature grin. “The entire Ranger Corps turned against her. When she ran off without defending herself she proved her own guilt. Though I have to wonder why you didn’t act sooner. I mean, you found out what, the first day you met her?”

Archimedes stood up and walked around his desk. “Yes,” he replied, not facing his guest. “That’s what she told me anyway. But I had to be sure. She isn’t the first person to make such claims, but she is the first to have any evidence to back them up.

“Of course,” he turned around. “That assumes you were truthful with me.”

“Oh come on.” Specter rolled his eyes. “Why would I lie to you about something like this?”

“You tell me. You have some sort of grudge against Terry, and going after Roz is a convenient way of hurting him. It’s getting increasingly difficult covering up for you, you know.”

“Hey, you know the deal: I deal with threats from humans, my other affairs are my business.”

“Yes,” Archimedes glared. “But ‘your’ affairs are starting to become mine.”

“Well, alright. If you don’t want my help–”

“I didn’t say that,” the Alakazam said hurriedly. “Just…use more discretion.”

“You got it boss!” Specter gave a mock salute. It was Archimedes’ turn to roll his eyes.

“Dismissed.”

~~~

“I didn’t want to go this far, but you’ve forced my hand. Gengar! You’re up!” The human tossed a Dusk ball with a malevolent grin. It split open, releasing a stream of dark energy that materialized into a Gengar. The Ghost-type chuckled menacingly. 

“You still refuse to learn your lesson.” The human’s opponent was not another Trainer, but a Ninetails. A light blue-colored Ninetails with wispy fur that spoke.

“Yeah, whatever. Gengar! Sink into the shadows!” The ghost obeyed, vanishing from sight.

The Ninetails watched its surroundings. The snowstorm it had called into existence prevented it from casting a shadow of its own, but the Gengar could emerge anywhere.

“Sludge Bomb!”

Gengar rose from the ground directly in front of Ninetails with its cheeks puffed up, before spewing a vile mess of toxins. Aurora Veil offered some protection, but the Fairy-type still keeled over, pollutants caking his once pristine fur.

“Excellent. And now…you’re mine!” The human lobbed an Ultra ball. Ninetails’ form converted into pure energy and was pulled in. The ball fell to the ground and immediately popped back open, releasing its captive.

“Never!” Ninetails panted defiantly. He shakily rose to his feet. “I don’t know what you’ve done to those Pokémon, but I will not be a part of it!”

The human clicked his tongue and pulled out another Ultra ball. “I can keep this up all day.”

Suddenly, the storm’s intensity increased to whiteout conditions. The human covered his face. “Gengar, put a stop to it!” he ordered, assuming this was Ninetails’ doing. Just as quickly as the winds picked up, they died again. The human, Gengar, and Ninetails now stood in a sort of dome free from the swirling snow. In their midst stood a new figure. A golem made of ice.

Ninetails bowed its head to the golem. “Lord Regice.”

So this is how you repay our hospitality.

Even Regice’s voice was enough to make the human shiver. Unbelievable. A real Legendary Pokémon, right in front of him.

We welcomed your people among us.  A needle-sharp icicle floated in front of Regice.

“Woah! Hey! Isn’t that a bit extreme?!” the human protested.

I will not kill you. Your people should be more than capable of treating this wound. But if you face no repercussions from your actions you will simply repeat them. The icicle flew straight toward the man.

 Gengar rose from the shadows just in time. Or perhaps at just the wrong time. Had it hit the human, it would’ve pierced into his calf. It would’ve hurt like hell, but the medics could’ve treated it, guaranteed, especially with the cold slowing the bleeding. It didn’t hit Gengar’s calf. In fact, with the Ghost-type’s less-solid composition, it pierced straight through.

A mixture of ectoplasm and toxic purple vapors leaked from both the entrance and exit wounds. Gengar lay on its back, looking at its master. Even as it lay dying, that signature grin never left its face. The human stood frozen in place momentarily.

“Why…would it do that?” Ninetails panted.

The human turned and ran. He scarcely made it ten steps before a wall of ice grew from the ground in front of him, blocking his path. I was going to leave a nonlethal injury that your people could easily treat, said Regice. The Legendary Pokémon seemed to glide over the surface of the snow, barely touching the ground. But after that act of cowardice, I believe I shall have Zygarde assist me with a different plan.

“No! No! Stop! I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again, I swear!”

I know. Frigid energy washed over the human, trapping him in solid ice.

After all these years, finally, it was time to leave all of this behind.

~~~

Sier placed his wingtip on the wreckage of what had once been what that strange Elgyem had called her “ship.” He had of course tried to use his abilities to learn the cause of these disasters. His impressions were unclear. A figure appearing and disappearing. Pokémon writhing on the ground. Was it literal or symbolic?

Try as he might, the Xatu still couldn’t get any clear vision of the future either. There were too many key events that could affect how these disasters resolved themselves. All he received were vague impressions. Suffering. Corruption. The best he could do was watch and hope his actions pushed events in the right direction. Terry and especially Roz had a role to play though, that much was clear.

Stay safe you two. A storm is brewing.