Snag'em All

“Welp!” Michael exclaimed, tossing his hands high over his head. “I guess it's time for us to start making our way back down, huh, Veeno?”

The Jolteon sat beside him mrred its agreement, and together they hopped to their feet and began their descent. [Though Veeno had to ride on Michael’s back to go down the ladders.]

At the bottom floor, Michael took out the travel handbook he had for Johto. It was his dedicated guide to exploring the region, and was what had led him to Ecruteak City in the first place. While more bustling cities like Goldenrod or Olivine had more description and the usual tourist trappings, the sheer depth of history and tradition in Ecruteak fascinated him much more. Along with Pokemon and habitable land, Orre also lacked a lot of - well, any - relics to the past, either having been lost in the desert or just never there to begin with. Michael longed to experience a sense of culture, something he never really had growing up, and maybe learn about it as he went; all the pretty sights and sounds were just a sweet bonus.

The handbook also had a section on the gym stationed in the city, but since he wasn’t here to take on the League challenge [yet], he had mostly just skimmed it.

“So, it says here that the Dance Theater’s earliest performance isn’t for another few hours from now,” Michael said to Veeno as they walked to the tower entrance. He stuffed the book away in his pocket and crossed his arms up behind his head, smiling down at his companion. “Think that gives us enough time to find a cafe or something? It feels like breakfast was so long ago, I’m practically starved again!”

The two laughed in unison as they exited back out onto the forest trail, though Michael had to internally wince at the reminder of being hungry. Their earlier breakfast had been rather rushed, and… Honestly, seeing all the holiday decorations over the last few days just kept making him think of what kind of celebrations he might be missing out on back home.

His mother was never quite the festive type, and science labs weren’t exactly much suited for parties beyond the cookie-cutter office kind, but she would still go out of her way to make sure the whole building looked proper for the holidays, and all the treats she’d bake for everyone were to die for.

It made him consider going back to Orre, just to spend a few weeks with his family, but he had made a promise to himself that he would spend at least one full year living independently and see what all the other regions had to offer; he wasn’t about to back out of that now, not just for a sweet tooth.

Lost in thought as he was, Michael barely even registered the strange man standing on the path in front of him before he was about to walk right past. Veeno had already stopped to look by the time he noticed. Belatedly jerking to a halt, he turned a quick questioning smile up - very up, considering the height difference - to the man when he began talking.

It may have just been the lightning, but, as Michael noted, his eyes looked awfully tired under that headband he wore.

“Gooood morning, mister!” Michael enthusiastically greeted back, clapping his hands together and returning the short bow. Veeno mimicked the gesture. “And oh, I sure bet this place is part’a the pride and joy of your city! It’s super neat, if you don’t mind me calling it that. It’s super old, too, like- I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place so old before?? That was still standing, I mean, since ruins are also pretty old but not usually also pretty, like here; they’re usually more kinda crumbly and stuff. So, it is normally this empty in the mornings, then? ‘Cause that’s what you said, but honestly I was surprised by there being like, no one when I went up the tower. The view was just gorgeous, and the whole feeling of being inside it, and how it’s all made of wood and like not at all a regular kind of building and it has architecture and I can’t believe it wouldn’t be more popular especially at sunrise or sunset and, and--

“Aw geez, I’m just rambling now,” Michael chuckled somewhat bashfully. “How about I try that again, but properly this time.”

He jutted a hand out to shake, bouncing a little in place with the jittery excitement of meeting someone new.

Hefting the box of leftovers up and under one arm for keeps, Michael followed close behind him, beaming around the donut he still held in his mouth. He wasn’t exactly one to sacrifice a chance to eat a confectionary delight, hands free or not. This had certainly been a good day, as far as he was concerned, and he was excited to head back out to camp somewhere for the night and polish off the rest of these treats with his Pokemon.

Together, they traipsed out through the front door, and made immediate eye contact with two shady strangers and a mad-looking Luxray.

In the next second, two things happened simultaneously. The extra-particularly-shady-looking-guy, as Michael identified him, started incoherently yelling something about a snitch and a lot of curse words; and Michael’s aura reader went off with a startled beep, indicating the Luxray was a Shadow ‘mon.

He had a moment to process this sudden turn of events-- before the extra-shady-guy ordered the Luxray to attack, the other person called out for him to run away, and the Shadow ‘mon rushed at them.

Michael yelped, dropped the box and his donut, and on panicked instinct pointed at the charging Luxray and shouted, “Veeno! Stop it with a Shadow Ball!!”

Veeno leaped forward with a determined cry, unleashing a ball of condensed ghostly energy that collided with the Luxray’s shadow attack in an explosion of dark light and billowing smoke. The Shadow Pokemon reared back from its attack with a furious, pained roar, sparks flying off it in all directions.

Michael stared wide-eyed as the dust began to settle, frozen in place and still pointing dramatically. Veeno stood stiffly in front of him, seemingly just as shocked.

It was remembering the other guy’s words that shook him out of it. Him, run away? From danger? As if! Scrunching up his face--perhaps a little petulantly--Michael dashed over with Veeno to skid to a halt beside the guy, easily falling into a battle-ready stance. He was absolutely ready to throw-down to rescue this Shadow Luxray; so much so that if he had a hat, he knew he’d flip it around so the brim was facing backwards. He meant business.

“Ha! I’d be more worried for yourself, sir!” Michael grinned confidently. “I’ve done this plenty of times before, I know how to handle myself.”

Briefly taking his eyes off the Luxray, Michael looked to the man he just bragged to-- and about had his heart stop. The sandy hair. The face scar. The amazingly cool and badass-ly designed snag machine.

Michael’s jaw dropped.

“Oh my g- are you-??” He gasped, heart already swelling with excitement of seeing Wes, the Hero of Orre, in person for the first time.

He was about ready to whirl about and unleash a torrent of all the questions and thoughts and more questions he had for Wes, when they were interrupted by the goon and his Shadow Pokemon gearing up to continue the fight. Quickly switching back into serious battling mode, tampering down his childish glee as much as he could, Michael called out, “Veeno, get on top of that Luxray and keep it distracted!”

Veeno nodded an affirmation, and as the Luxray prepared its next attack, he sprinted over the short distance and leaped straight at it. They clashed with a massive surge of electricity, Veeno clinging onto its back as it bucked and kicked and their electric powers locked in a--temporary--stalemate.

Michael side-eyed Wes with an even bigger, but still clearly restrained smile, bouncing a little on his feet, and pointedly glanced to where Wes kept his Pokeballs.