Setting:
•Outside Slowpoke Well, Johto•
•Late February, After 5 AM•
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Thirty-Five
The Road Between Names
Whenever Dad, Silver, and Repede finally completely vanished from sight, I dragged myself to the Pokémon Center, located the nearest sofa, plopped down, and was dead to the world. As I came to later, I first heard a pesky male voice droning in my ear--or maybe it was nagging. I didn't know for certain, but it was annoying either way. Then the world began to rock back and forth. It didn't bother me too much at first, and I tried my best to ignore it. Eventually though, it grew to be too much of a hassle to ignore.
"Wolfe! Wake up! Come on! Your pokegear has been ringing for ten minutes now!"
At least I knew who the voice was. Gold was desperately trying to wake me up, and he was shaking me back and forth to try and rouse me from a dead sleep. I groaned, and he stopped. It hurt to open my eyes, but I did it. I felt filthy, and I knew I was. My body was stiff, too; I slept hard.
After a minute, I did pick up on the ringing of my pokegear, which I had set on the table nearest my sofa. I groaned again, sat up painfully—my side was killing me—and picked up the damn pokegear. I pressed the accept button just to make the horrible ringing noise stop. I looked at Gold, who appeared to have showered and changed into some fresh clothes, with an envious eye.
"Finally! Damn, are you deaf?" It was Darrius.
"Don't start with me, I was sleeping," I yawned.
"I can hear that. Strange of you to be asleep at three in the afternoon."
"Wait…it's three?! Crap, I really slept in!" I was surprised.
Darrius chuckled on the other line. "Ah, it's nice to see that even you sleep in every once in a while. Good job by the way; the package has been delivered."
"Package?" I asked puzzled with a tilt of my head.
"Yes, the one you had express delivered last night. I received word it arrived about an hour ago." Darrius said slyly.
"Oh, no problem," I said catching on to his code talking. The "package" was Silver.
"Wolfe, I have a favor to ask. Tonight, at around 2000 hours sharp, please wait outside of Slowpoke Well." Darrius asked.
"Umm, okay," I said. "What's supposed to happen at eight?"
"You'll hitch a ride from a friend. I want you to come pay me a visit." He said inconspicuously.
"Oh, sure. No prob, D. Can I go back to sleep until then?" I asked with another wide yawn that hurt my mouth.
He chuckled. "Sure, kiddo. Get your beauty rest. Be sure to be there at eight. Come alone, alright?"
"Umm, you sure I can't bring a friend? He's kinda shadowing me for Professor Elm." I asked as I eyed Gold.
"Well, I suppose I can make a slight exception. We'll drop him off at Professor Elm's lab on the way to my place." Darrius agreed.
"That okay, Gold?" I asked.
"Uh, Wolfe, no offense, but can I just stay in Azalea Town? I want to stay and help all those Slowpoke recover…" Gold said as he rubbed his shoulder nervously.
"Oh. All right. That works then. D, I'll be coming alone, after all." I agreed.
"Sounds good, Wolfe. Go ahead and sleep some more. You sound exhausted." Darrius chuckled gruffly.
"Yeah, I am," I yawned again. "Wolfe out." I hung up.
Gold looked at me with a puzzled look on his face. "So we're splitting ways?" He asked apprehensively.
"'Fraid so, Gold, pal. Just for a little while. I need to meet up with my boss for a business meeting—if you want to call it that. The company Pokémon is going to be picking me up. I'll be back in a week, I bet." I assured.
"Oh, I keep forgetting you have a job," he laughed.
"Yeah. It's all fun and games, but I do have to report to my boss every so often—especially after all that fun last night. Lots to catch up on, if you get my drift." I grinned. "So, what do you plan on doing until then?"
"Like I said, I'll help out the Slowpoke. I talked to Professor Elm earlier today, actually, and he seemed concerned for the Slowpoke. I talked to some of the people around town, too. It looks like they had completely disappeared until early this morning." Gold explained. He must've kept busy while I was sleeping.
"Huh. Interesting. Thanks for telling me that, Gold." I agreed realizing I could add that to my report.
"No problem. I thought you'd like to know. So what happened to that Silver guy?" He asked curiously as he sat next to me on the sofa.
"He's in jail, I'm guessing. Something tells me we won't see him again for a while. Good riddance…" I said a bit under my breath. I didn't even want to touch that one right now. That was too much of a headache.
"Yeah, I guess. By the way, Wolfe, the showers are really great here, if you want to get washed up. No offense, but you look kinda, uh, well, bad." Gold said sheepishly.
I laughed as I looked at my clothes, which were caked in dried mud. "Yeah, I guess I do look like a mess. Really, I'm out of good spare clothes. I should've packed more—or been a little more careful. Thanks, Gold. I guess I should go do that before thinking about getting another nap."
"Good idea. I'll go call Professor Elm to let him know what's up," Gold left for the videophones in the corner of the main room we were in.
Meanwhile, I headed down the narrow hallway, which led to the bathrooms and shower rooms. The girls' shower room was empty, so I had a pick of any stall I wanted all to myself. Really, it was pretty nice. The door actually locked with a real lock, and there were no embarrassing holes or anything to where someone could peep inside.
The first part had a bench, a mirror on the door, some hooks for clothes, and a mat on the floor. I looked into the mirror to see a disaster. My hair was bedraggled and obviously dirty; my eyes had black circles underneath them, and it appeared that I forgot to take out my contacts the night before, which explained why they were not only bloodshot but hurt like crazy.
My face had a few scratches on it, but it was nothing too bad. My jacket looked like it was caked with mud, and the sleeves were torn. My shirt was ripped, and it was still a little wet. My jeans? They were completely ruined. They sagged very baggily and were sliced all over, and the ends were frayed. My tennis shoes were still soaked, and they smelled grungy. Everything had caked mud and dirt on it.
As I undressed, I took into account the injuries on my body. My left arm was a little bruised, and my right one was scraped. I took a gander at my right side, which was the side that took the impact of the fall from the well. It was a lovely shade of purple all in my rib area, and I winced at the sight. I gingerly touched my ribs to see if I could find out the damage; all I knew was they hurt.
My legs were a little nicked and cut from where the jeans had ripped, but at least my feet were okay. My hands were a little bruised and cut from the well and Union Cave, and my perfectly manicured nails were chipped and tattered.
First thing I do when I get to headquarters, I'm taking care of myself. Darrius' debriefing can wait. I need new clothes, new contacts… Damn, I need a lot of new things.
At least my bag was still in good shape thanks to the material it was made from.
I stepped into the shower, closed the glass door, turned on the hot water full blast, and allowed the water to wash away the grime of the previous day. It felt soothing, though the needles of water really hurt my ribs. I suffered through it and let my ribs get a full beating from the hot water, hoping that maybe it would help a little. I scrubbed every inch of grime off, and I did the best I could with my hair.
After what I thought was hours, I finally got myself out of my sauna feeling 100% better. I decided that even though my other clothes were all dirty and destroyed, at least I could change into some different pants. I took out my half-baked/half chopped pants from when Chika and Hino had the fight that felt like ages ago and put those on. I ended up throwing my other pants in the trash.
I made do the best I could using the hand dryer as a blow dryer for my hair. It worked well, though I did have a wind blown look afterward. A brush fixed that for the most part. Satisfied that I was feeling cleaner, I finally left and returned to the main room of the center.
Gold looked at me with wide eyes. "Wow. You've been in the shower all that time?"
"Yeah, why? I'm a girl. Girls take a while." I shrugged.
"Oh, well okay." He said clearly wanting to drop it.
I looked at the clock and realized what Gold was talking about. It was five in the afternoon. My stomach grumbled when I realized the time.
When's the last time I ate, anyway?
"I figured you'd be hungry, so I asked a Chansey to bring you some food when you came back. I hope you don't mind." Gold seemed to read my mind.
"Wow, thanks a lot, Gold! That's pretty thoughtful of you. I don't think I ate since yesterday morning. I'm famished." I admitted with a grin.
Gold laughed. "Yeah, I figured that. Just trying to help out where I can!"
"Well, thanks," I said as I sat at a booth, where a Chansey promptly brought me a huge salad, a drink, and a burger with some fries. I managed to eat all of it pretty quickly, and I was quite content afterward. "I take it you already ate?"
"Yup. I ate earlier." Gold nodded as he sat across from me.
"Ah, figures. Well, now that I'm done with that…I wonder if the gym is open." I wondered aloud.
"You're thinking about challenging Bugsy?" Gold seemed curious.
"Yeah, before I go. You know where the gym is?" I nodded.
"Yeah, it's near the Center, but, Wolfe…Bugsy isn't taking challengers right now. He ran into me a little while ago while you were taking your shower. It appears he wants to help out the Slowpoke, so he's turning his gym into a recovery center for them for the time being. Once their tails are grown back, he'll reopen the gym to the public." Gold informed.
"Oh, that's cool. So you'll be working with him?" I grinned.
"Yeah! He's around my age, too, so it's pretty awesome. Oh, yeah, Wolfe. I have two someones I want you to meet!" He fished around his trainer belt.
"Huh? You got new Pokémon?" I blinked wondering when he even had the time.
"Yeah. I rescued them from those, err, guys last night while you were fighting the boss. They were wild Pokémon, so I caught them." He grinned.
"Oh, cool. Show me, then." I grinned eagerly.
"Alright, Dennie and Hermit, meet my friend, Wolfe!" Gold selected two pokeballs and let the Pokémon out.
The first Pokémon, Dennie, appeared to be a Mareep. I figured it was a female because of the nickname. She was a cute little electric sheep. Her face and legs were all a navy blue in color, but her bushy fleece was a brilliant yellow.
"Maaaa!" She baaed.
"Cool, a Mareep. They have really soft wool. Electric Pokémon are pretty cool, too," I commented.
The second Pokémon was something I used to come in contact with often back in Mount Moon—a Paras. The small reddish Pokémon looked up at me. It looked like an average Paras, all right. It had large eyes with white irises and huge pupils situated above a circular mouth, which had white fang-like teeth that pointed downward. It had two large front pinchers much like a crab, but it had four other legs that reminded me of a bug. It had a segmented body; each segment was circular. On its back were two red mushrooms with yellow splotches on them. I heard once from Silver years ago that those mushrooms made good herbal medicines, and they grew annually.
"Ah, a Paras. Cool!" I commented. "Nice to meet you guys." I smiled.
The two Pokémon smiled back. Apparently, Gold had befriended them when we were in the well. Either way, he was starting to have a pretty diverse team, which was good both for him as a trainer, but also as a researcher in training too.
Hino, the fire type, was a mammal that belonged to a family similar to weasels, though its evolutionary line placed its habitat in volcanic environments. Zuku, the normal/flying type, was an owl. Thanks to that, he was probably more of a nocturnal creature. Dennie, the electric type, was also a mammal, though she was one you'd find in a field since she was a sheep. And Hermit, the grass and bug type was some weird crab-bug that often occupied deep caves or dark forests. Truly, Gold did have quite a nice selection of Pokémon from different walks of life. It'd provide a pretty good learning opportunity for him.
Gold recalled his two new Pokémon. "So, now what?"
"I guess I can make my way to the Slowpoke Well and just hang out there. Care to join?" I decided as I got to my feet.
"Sure." He agreed as he stood as well.
We left the center, headed east, and exited town. Five minutes after leaving town, we arrived at the well. I sat under a tree on a giant root, happy that the root at least was dry, though my shoes were getting muddier. Gold sat down next to me, opened his bag, and took out the egg Professor Elm entrusted to him. He held it on his lap as we enjoyed the rest of the lovely afternoon.
"So, that thing still hasn't hatched yet, huh?" I asked as I looked at the white egg with the red and blue triangle pattern on it.
"I don't even see signs of it hatching," Gold sighed.
"Maybe it'll just take some time. I'm sure it'll be hatched by the time I come back," I replied kindly.
"Maybe. I doubt it. I still don't see why Professor Elm wanted me to have the egg instead of you. He gave you your Mudkip, and it hatched really fast; your Charmander hatched fast, too." Gold sighed.
"Yeah, but remember, Gold, Professor Elm said it'd be a rare Pokémon inside; maybe that's why it hasn't hatched yet. Maybe it really is supposed to take longer." I supplied.
"You know, I didn't think about that. I guess you could be right." He seemed reassured.
"Oh yeah, Gold." I dug in my bag and grabbed what money I had left. "Here, take this."
Gold took the money with an odd look. "What's this for?"
"I told you yesterday I was going to reimburse you. It's not all of it, but I'll pay back the rest when I come back—with interest," I grinned.
"No, its okay. Keep your money." He gently pushed it back towards me.
"Nah, take it. You need it more than me. When you've seen as much money as I have, you can either take it for granted or get sick of it. I'm pretty sick of the stuff." I admitted. I would be in Kanto soon enough, anyway, so I could always visit a bank.
"Oh, well, thanks." He agreed as he pocketed it.
"Don't mention it," I replied as I yawned. I was still tired. I ended up dozing off, and Gold let me.
The next thing I knew, something wet was running against my cheek. That something then snorted. I cracked open an eye to find a pale-white muzzle in my face and hot breath caressing my hair.
Startled, I jumped back a little. Gold seemed pretty surprised as well. I could feel heat coming from the creature. I looked up and smiled. "Well, hey, old pal!" I stroked the muzzle of the creature, which snorted again.
"You know that Pokémon?" Gold asked.
"Yep. He used to be a pet. He's a retired police horse," I said proudly. "Gold, meet Gallop, my Rapidash."
The horse Pokémon neighed in greeting. It really was a surprise seeing my fire horse here. I supposed he was supposed to pick me up. He hadn't changed a bit. His red eyes were still alert and sharp as ever. His pale-white body shined; he must've been groomed recently. His sturdy legs were muscular, and his hooves looked to be in good condition. His mane and tail, made of fire, burned brightly and hotly. The fire coming from the back of the ankles above his hooves was hot and a brilliant orange in color. The horn on his head, which reminded me of a unicorn, looked sharp as ever, and his pointed ears were up, alert.
"Wow, a Rapidash. I've heard they're really fast." Gold marveled as we both got to our feet.
"Yeah, Gallop is. He's retired, but he still can run really well. He's got a lot of stamina, too, for his age. He can run nonstop for hours on end as long as he's not going full speed. Full speed, he can hit 150 MPH, though I'd never dare ride him when he's going that fast. That, and thanks to his age, he'd tire out quickly, too. His pace speed is around 50 MPH. Thing about Gallop, though? He hates saddles." I grinned when realizing that he wasn't wearing a saddle.
"I don't get it, how do you ride him exactly? He's on fire…" Gold looked at the large horse curiously.
"That's the cool thing about Rapidash and their pre-evolved form, Ponyta. They can control their flames. If Gallop doesn't want to burn you, he'll make the flames cool. They'll look like fire, but actually they'll be cool to the touch, allowing you to ride him. If you get him angry, though…it hurts," I laughed. I learned that the hard way through experience.
"Wow, that's pretty cool. I'd love to go for a ride," Gold's eyes glistened with excitement. He was nothing more than an excited kid.
"Well, I suppose we could go for a little canter. What do you say, Gallop? Mind giving Gold a short ride?" I asked.
The Rapidash neighed in reply while nodding his head.
"Awesome! Uh, how do I ride though?" Gold looked at the Pokémon then back to me.
"I know! I'll drive while you hold on. Sound good?" I offered.
"Okay. How do I get on?"
Gallop, being the tall horse he was, was as tall as us. His back reached my shoulders.
"I'll help you up since there's no saddle or stirrups. Gallop, kneel down for Gold just a bit, please?" I asked politely.
The horse snorted as he lowered his front side just enough for Gold to swing one leg over his muscular body. I helped Gold keep his balance as Gallop stood up again. I then put my arms around the horse's neck and flung myself on his back in front of Gold, forgetting about my bad ribs, which caused me to wince from the sudden shock of the pain. I ignored it as I patted the horse on the neck, forgetting just how much I missed his soft fuzzy fur.
"Alright, Gold, hold me just like that, and don't let go." I placed Gold's hands on my sides, though I had to be careful with placing his right hand since my ribs smarted when I accidentally touched them.
Gold seemed a bit apprehensive.
"Don't worry about it," I replied.
I then leaned forward, as to hug Gallop's neck. That was always how I rode him or Repede—almost flat forward. That way, there wasn't much wind resistance. "Okay, Gallop, let's do a quick canter around."
The horse sprung into action, reaching a nice speed in about ten steps. Gold was holding on for his life; I laughed.
"This is nothing," I replied to Gold behind me. Gallop couldn't have been doing more than 30 or 35 MPH.
"Still, wow! I've never ridden a Pokémon before! So fast! I want one!" He laughed back in exhilaration.
I laughed as well. "Well, you do know that you could train Zuku to fly you around, right?"
"Yeah, I should try that. Flying sounds cool, too!" Gold yelled excitedly from behind me.
"It is! Though land travel with these guys is really fun, too."
Gallop was showing off for Gold, jumping over high shrubs and even a small tree. I knew he could clear much higher distances, but Gallop, being well trained, didn't want to scare his second passenger. Only I was crazy enough to have Gallop do half the stunts he knew. He wasn't a police horse any more, but he was a good trick pony—literally. He was a damn good battler, too. I'd hate to take a Megahorn from him going at 150 MPH.
We rode around for a while, then Gallop returned to the Slowpoke Well and stopped. "Well, I guess this is good-bye for now, Gold,"
"Guess so. Thanks for everything. C'ya around."
"Sure thing," I grinned.
"Uh, how do I get down?" He asked apprehensively as he was trying and failing to sling his leg around the horse without hitting me.
I laughed. "Hold up, I'll help you."
I jumped off, took Gold's hand, and helped him down. We then stood eye to eye. "Well, good luck!" He said with a grin.
"You too," I smiled as I jumped back on Gallop.
As Gold walked back to Azalea Town, Gallop took off, quickly managing a speed around 50 MPH. I held on tightly and watched the scenery flash by. Soon enough, we were at Union Cave. Gallop surprised me by jumping on the rocky terrain above the cave's entrance.
So we'll be doing a little rock climbing. Typical. Rapidash do naturally live in the mountains, after all.
That part didn't take too long at all. The sun had just set as we raced through Violet City's main street. Before I knew it, we were home in New Bark Town. Gallop stopped at my house and snorted.
"Thanks, Gallop. I guess we're stopping here, huh?"
The door opened, and my dad walked outside.
"Oh, hey Dad! I didn't know you were home already." I hopped off of Gallop and approached him.
Dad laughed. "Yeah, for a few minutes. Repede is Repede, after all. I'll be swapping Gallop for him for you. Repede knows the terrain of Mt. Silver a little better. Be sure to feed him extra well tonight; he's been running all over today thanks to your boyfriend there."
"He's not my boyfriend, Dad… He's not even my friend any more…" I hung my head thinking of Silver.
"He could be if you gave him a chance. By the way, he said he was bluffing about collapsing the well. I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk to him; I think he wants to talk to you pretty badly, actually." Dad surprised me.
Silver wants to talk to me? What the hell for?
"Kay, I'll do that, Dad. So you're still on leave?" I asked genuinely curious.
"It was supposed to be up in a few days, but I got an extension thanks to everything that's happened. Even I need a vacation sometimes. Besides, I'm helping your mother unpack. It'd be nice if you could put stuff away in your room sometime," he laughed good-naturedly.
"Dad! I'm never home; I don't even use my room!" I whined.
"And I am?" He chuckled.
"Got me there. Poor Mom must get lonely from time to time. I'm glad Pepper is there for her." I admitted. Dad still worked in Kanto, and I was rarely home...
"Well anyway, thanks, Dad. Guess I'll be heading off…" I said quietly.
"Dressed like that? You look pretty ragged. I didn't want to say anything last night in front of your boyfriend, but if I were you I'd get some new clothes." Dad chuckled softly.
"I know, I know!" I exasperated. "I'll buy some new clothes when I get to Viridian, okay?"
"Just as long as they're decent," he joked and handed me Repede's pokeball.
"Argh, I don't even want to know your definition of decent. You're too over-protective," I joked back.
"Only because I don't want any guys harassing my lovely young daughter. It's a father thing; you won't understand," he smiled.
"Whatever, Dad. Guess I'm out. See ya on the way back I guess—or over there, or something." I called Repede from his ball, and he did his routine licking thing before I was able to get on his furry back.
"Sure. Take care of yourself, sweetie."
And with that, the two of us headed eastbound. It felt really good to be riding solo on Repede again; it felt like old times. His orange, soft fur on his back was very comfortable, and it actually helped my ribs since it absorbed the shock of him going 60 MPH. For being the size of a horse or larger, Repede was very agile. The bushy mane of fur on his head made a great hand hold and pillow, too.
Most sane people wouldn't ride an Arcanine going top cruising speed without a saddle; I loved it. My legs draped off his sides, and his furry head blocked the wind pretty well, so really I barely felt a breeze. It was almost like traveling in a car—if the car could jump and gallop.
Before long, we approached familiar territory; it was the foot of Mt. Silver—the harder way of crossing from Kanto into Johto but the shorter route. Luckily, Repede knew this route in his sleep. We took it often, though never really from this side of the mountain. Repede leapt from craggy rock to craggy rock as he made his way around the mountain. After a few hours—Mt. Silver was a very large mountain—we made it to the other side of the foothills; the side that the old schoolhouse was on.
Overcome with nostalgia, I slowed Repede as we approached the area where the house used to be. I was overcome with a sense of emptiness. The wreckage had been cleaned a little, but there was a charred, empty frame left of the once beautiful large wooden house. The battlefield out back was overgrown with weeds, and the scoreboards I had placed stood like lifeless giant skeletons.
Repede walked over to my favorite reading spot—a maple tree out in front which gave the perfect amount of shade; it was also a great view of the nearby lake outlet. My heart skipped a beat when I realized there was something under the tree: a tombstone.
This is just freaky. My own grave? Why put it there? Not that I mind, it's a nice spot…
Silver. He was the one in charge…
"Repede, go a little closer to the tree, if you don't mind." I wanted to read what was on the stone for curiosity's sake.
The stone was blue marble; I knew it must've been Silver who picked it. Blue was my favorite color. The stone read: In loving memory of Amber Allison Neilstone. Age 17. Beloved daughter, savior of Kanto, and devoted friend to people and Pokémon alike.
Savior of Kanto? That's…an interesting title. Something tells me Silver didn't have that put down; probably the company put it.
People knew I fought Team Rocket… It feels so eerie, seeing my own grave.
At the base of the marble slab was a withered flower. On the other was a half-burnt candle.
Interesting aesthetic touch… Urgh. I need to move on. This is interesting, but it just makes me feel even guiltier for screwing over Silver—and all my other friends for that matter.
"Alright, boy, let's get a move on again. The sooner we get to the station, the better."
With that, we left the foothills of Mt. Silver and journeyed east. That part of the trek wasn't too long—only about fifty miles or so until we reached my old neighborhood. From there, we traveled northeast for a few blocks until finally, the lights of Viridian City outlined the horizon.
I glanced at my pokegear to find that it was a little past 12:30 in the morning. Repede got us to the station quickly; I dismounted, patted the furry dog on the head after telling him he did a good job, returned him to the ball for rest, and strode into the station. It was just as I remembered it.
I had visited the station many times as a kid; my father worked there for a long time. I often snuck to work with him and hid under tables. Little did I know that his supervisors knew and chuckled at my behavior, saying "kids will be kids," or "I see a future police woman, there."
I grew up around a lot of the older people there, and most of us went on a first name basis. Chief Greynald, my father's boss, had been the chief for many years. He and I got along well; he reminded me of a grandfather type of figure, though he was only in his early fifties.
Darrius was equivalent to his status in the Ops, so one could say my job really was like being in the police, only a more secretive, more elite branch that was more military. And to top it off, I was one of the highest ranked members in the Ops. Because of that, everyone pretty much respected me.
I knew my death was a secret, but a few people in the station did know I was still me, and they cheered me on. It was only a select few, though. I still had to watch myself so I wouldn't blow my cover. Darrius made it clear that my cover couldn't be blown no matter what.
I already bent that rule a little with Bill, Liza, and Gold, but I had absolute trust in them. I wished I could tell Silver, too, just to end his downward spiral. I knew better, since Silver was a vital chess piece being the son of key members of Team Rocket.
If they were to find out I was alive, then I'd really be dead. As long as I was Wolfe, I had a somewhat low chance of immunity at least. Sure, I was certain Proton would tell the other Executives about a girl who was trying to defeat Team Rocket, but I had allowed him to trap us on purpose, even if his actions at first did take me by surprise. I figured that if he, the Executive, figured me to be a novice, I could scurry onward for more investigation—even though, I didn't have a lead now…
I entered the main office of the station, located the graveyard shift's head, asked if Darrius was in, found out he wasn't yet, and took a seat in the break room while watching the giant wall clock tick away the seconds, minutes, and soon enough, hours.