Percy's arms pumped at his side as he ran down the street. He couldn't run too fast, for fear of leaving Kushida behind, but his body language indicated he wanted to move faster. "You can leave me behind, I'll be there a little after you guys." Kushida offered. She was getting tired after just a couple of blocks.
Jasper shook his head. "Their battle is already over. Us arriving faster would not change the situation. We'll arrive together." He said. Percy had to agree with him. Unless Misty didn't have much time left, there was no reason to leave Kushida. He didn't even want to think about it.
"Would you take a piggyback ride?" Percy offered.
Kushida's brows furrowed. She and Percy weren't close. She hadn't even hugged him before. "Sure, but just for a little so I can rest." She reasoned. They came to a stop, and Kushida got on his back and threw her hands over his neck.
Percy grabbed under her knees and began running. He wasn't running as fast as possible, but it was a little faster than Kushida's running speed, and she could save some energy so she wouldn't slow down. Percy took great care to touch her as little as possible. As they ran through the streets, evidence of Team Rocket's invasion was everywhere.
Many vehicles were stopped in the middle of the road where people had fled from a damaged government building that had been a target of TR. Kushida had her Pokédex open as Percy carried her. "They went to the Pokemon Center. Misty's being taken care of by nurses now. Let's meet up with Ash. Everyone else should be on their way as well." She directed.
Percy nodded as he gritted his teeth. His legs were burning with effort, but he only had a few blocks left to run. He'd be getting his fair share of sleep after all of this. His breath became ragged as the pokecenter began to come into view. There were a few pokecenters across Viridian City. This pokemon center was a sleek, modern building with multiple medical floors and a couple of floors with room and board.
Kushida was set on the ground as they ran up to the building. Groups of people were gathered outside as the city had its hands full with injured pokemon and people. Percy's eyes scanned for familiar faces. It seemed the less injured were waiting outside for their turn. After seeing no one, Kushida led the group inside.
They were soon flagged down by Ash, who waved his hat above his head. He sat in the corner of the pokecenter with a makeshift sling over his shoulder. His eyes were tired. They quickly approached him, the look of nervousness apparent on their faces. "It's good to see you guys weren't spared, heh." Ash joked.
Percy had a black eye forming, and Jason had a large bump forming on his forehead from the suitcase he'd been struck with. Percy would need a week to be 100% again. Jasper ignored Ash's joke, "What happened? Is Misty okay? Are you okay?" He questioned.
Ash's face went solemn, and his nose quivered. "When Misty and I split off from the group, we stumbled onto this battle between this group of clan trainers and a larger group of Team Rocket. We got Team Rocket's attention, but those trainers took off, leaving us to fight them severely outnumbered. Never even saw their faces or clan uniforms up close. We didn't stand much of a chance. An Arbok had gotten to Misty and was squeezing her. I remember..." Ash choked on his words.
Kushida laid a hand on his arm. "It's okay. If you don't want to recall something, you don't have to tell us." She calmed.
Ash shook his head. "No, that's not necessary. When the Arbok squeezed her, I remember hearing her bones break. I screamed. It was blurry, but the next minute, Pikachu and I were able to save her from its grasp and create an opportunity to escape. At some point, I think I dislocated my shoulder, but the pain only came after I ran Misty a couple of blocks away. We were able to place some trainers between us, and Team Rocket didn't pursue.
Thankfully, Misty and I avoided having any pokemon stolen. I got some nurses to take her in. She was struggling to breath when I got her here, not to mention groaning in pain the entire time. The Nurses took her back a few minutes later, or a few minutes ago." Ash finished. His mouth was dry. He smacked his lips and looked toward a vending machine.
Percy glanced at Ash as he pulled his Pokédex from his pocket. "What do you want?" Percy asked.
Ash smirked, "I'd like a cherry soda." Percy tilted his head down as he walked to the vending machine. His mind was muddied by the anger that had been building. What clan dared to abandon trainers being attacked by Team Rocket?
Clans were generally willing to serve the public to curry favor. Clans grew stronger when the public liked them more. More government support befell the most beloved clans. But some clans operated with no care for civilians. Percy pressed hispokedex to a pad on the vending machine and chose cherry soda. He walked back and handed Ash the soda.
The black haired boy smiled. "Thank you." He said. Percy waved off the thanks.
"Ash, do you remember what color their uniforms were?" Jasper asked.
Ash shook his head. "Not really. I know it's a dark color. Maybe a brown, or a forest green. It could be darker blue, too." Ash guessed. Percy sighed slightly. The info they had to get justice was limited. Maybe Misty knew more.
"Where's Pikachu?" Jasper asked Ash. Normally, the Pokemon was always out, hanging on his shoulder or something.
"The nurses took him away, too. He was in rough shape from what he had to do to save Misty. But we've been through worse." Ash replied.
"Luna and Grace are close. Should someone go outside to bring them here?" Kushida commented.
Percy raised his hand. "I got it." He volunteered. He didn't like being in the packed Pokémon center lobby. He lurked out of the poke center and stood next to the front door, leaning against the wall. He scanned the people outside for a group of dark uniform wearing trainers. This was the closest Pokemon Center to where Ash's battle had taken place, so if the group in question needed to go to a Pokemon Center, they'd come here.
But first, he looked for Luna and Grace. Thinking of Luna made him uncomfortable, seeing as she was the reason for his latest mental breakdown. He shook off his feelings and watched people flock to the Pokémon center. There were all kinds of people coming. Injured civilians, injured trainers, trainers with injured Pokémon, and any civilians who didn't feel safe away from a government building.
Trainers stood out, and Percy looked for Luna's signature style to pick the two prodigies out of the crowd. If he found Luna, Grace would be with her. Suddenly, a round of applause broke out from the other side of the crowd in front of the Pokémon center. Percy tried to look over heads, but he couldn't see the cause of the celebration. His curiosity grew as he weaved through the crowd.
He pushed past the front line and saw a group of trainers dragging Team Rocket members behind them. They had broad smiles and reveled in the applause. They were dressed in clan uniforms, with a Paras and a Spinarak on the front and back, respectively. Their jackets had a camo pattern that alternated between brown and green. It would blend exceptionally well into Viridian Forest, which is the biggest point of interest near Viridian City.
Percy watched the clapping bystanders with narrow eyes. He didn't want to jump to conclusions yet. Percy turned to one of the civilians as he slowly clapped. "What clan is that?" He asked.
The woman looked at him, surprised, "Are you not from around here? That's the Paraspin Clan. They're one of the mid tier clans in the city! They've been protecting us for over 30 years." She explained.
Percy put on a smile and broke forward, his body bent forward in a slight bow. He reached out to shake the leader's hand, "Thank you! What's your name?" He said. His face conveyed a fervent admiration.
The man, a few years older than Percy, smiled and clasped his hand on Percy's shoulder. "Phil Leak of the Paraspin Clan. It's our honor to bring these criminals in." He smacked a Team Rocket member over their head as he spoke.
Percy smiled, "Did you encounter any other members?" He asked. Percy's aura flared up slightly as he waited for an answer.
The man laughed. "If we had, we would've brought them in!" He said. A lie. The man's aura signature rumbled slightly as he answered. Percy could feel it. He bowed out and receded into the crowd.
"Phil Leak. What a stupid name." He sneered as he looked for the two girls he was supposed to be looking for. Over the increasingly large crowd of people Percy spotted two heads that stood out. He weaved through people and gently tapped Grace on her shoulder.
She turned quickly, her eyes panicked. "Percy! Where's Misty and Ash?" She asked. He gestured for them to follow him as he created space to guide them into the Pokémon center. He shouldered his way through the front doors and arrived before his friends. Grace and Luna quickly began asking questions. Percy glanced back before disappearing into the crowd. Jason watched his friend's determined stride leave the group and followed after him.
(AN): Hi! I've created an Instagram profile where you can communicate your thoughts about the chapters and see behind the scenes. (@genericguy3005) There will be Q&As as well as polls to help me steer the story to a place its readers are really happy with. You can text me in my dms, I'll answer anyone. The point of this platform is to show as much appreciation to the fans as I can, so please check it out! Throw the account a follow, and a question or two. Even if you just want to ask when the next chapter is coming, you are more than welcome. All it takes is a single person with a good idea, and you can influence the story. If we reach 25 followers, I'll do a week of a new chapter every day. With each follower, I'm more likely to post more. Seriously. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy the content! (@genericguy3005)