Chương 9: Chapter 9
Luka looked down at his bandaged right hand, now missing a pinkie. It hardly affected his day-to-day life, but it was still strange.
Some time had passed. Luka looked toward the device that Dr. Braggs had made for Trubbish. The man seemed to have some form of personality disorder, often switching between personas and talking to someone imaginary he frequently confided in.
The device he had made for Trubbish was, in some words, fucking genius. He had made it within a day, and its function was perfectly refined to suit a Trubbish.
He called it the Toxic Refinement Respirator (TRR)—a repurposed oxygen mask that fit over Trubbish's mouth. Small tanks were fitted on the Pokémon's back, connected by several sensors powered by a surplus of batteries owned by the doctor. It was foreign to Luka, someone without even basic electricity, to see something so high-powered made from such unorthodox materials.
The whole point was for Trubbish to release its toxic gases into the mask, with the TRR rating how effectively the small bin-bag Pokémon performed. Near the mask was a small oven-temperature dial, used to adjust resistance. Turning it up increased the difficulty, forcing Trubbish to work harder to expel its poisonous fumes by adding breathing resistance.
It could be strenuous for Trubbish, but the small Pokémon knew this was what it needed to do. In just a few weeks, Trubbish had completely doubled the amount of poisonous gas it could release.
Luka held up a small vial of condensed liquid. Although it wasn't yet potent enough to be expelled mid-battle, Trubbish now had the capability to condense poison outside of combat. It had its uses for now and could serve as a tool for Luka to protect himself. After some deliberation, needles were chosen as his weapon of choice. They were light, easy to conceal, and had enough piercing power to deliver the poison effectively.
Luka wasn't complacent either. The money allowed for a better diet, improving his strength and stamina. Although he tried his best to convince Ms. Quaker to take some of his earnings, she always refused. She said her ethos as a trainer didn't allow her to accept bloody money.
Luka pushed himself up and down, feeling sweat drip down his body. His actions served as a reminder to Trubbish that the pain of training would ultimately serve them both, motivating the small bin-bag Pokémon to push itself harder.
More time passed, and during one training session, a commotion broke out.
Luka was reading one of the books Dr. Braggs had reluctantly given him after much pestering. The sound of fighting broke his focus. He quickly went over to Trubbish and removed the TRR, storing the tank and mask in his bag before shutting off the device.
Walking over with Trubbish beside him, Luka approached the source of the commotion. Two people were slumped in the river as a girl fought against five men, with two already incapacitated. But what drew Luka's attention was the small Pokémon at the girl's side. His brow furrowed.
What is that Pokémon?
The Pokémon was relatively humanoid, with blue-gray skin. It had three brown ridges on top of its head, large red eyes, and a flat face. On either side of its chest were three thin, rib-like stripes. Its feet appeared to have no toes, while its hands had five fingers.
The girl had blood dripping down her face as she fought the men. She shouted:
"Machop, use Karate Chop!"
She wielded a pipe in her hand, blocking a man attempting to strike her with a chair leg. Luka observed silently, his hand brushing against the hidden needles on his arm before sighing.
He would observe the situation first. Intuition was the weapon of a street rat.
The Machop demonstrated incredible physical strength, dodging a thrown glass bottle and straightening its glowing hand with precision. Luka watched as it struck one of the men, sending him flying several feet. The injured man landed near Luka's feet, groaning.
"Please... help... us..." the man whispered, reaching toward Luka.
Luka bent down, noticing a patch on the man's clothes.
The Ember Blades?
What was one of the most violent gangs doing in Dune Rats' territory? Luka's eyes narrowed as he slowly reached into his bag and pulled out his mask, adorned with a single musical note. He then retrieved his flute.
This could be good training for Trubbish—learning to fight alongside another Pokémon.
"Go."
Luka watched as Trubbish shot forward with newfound speed, the result of its agility training with weights. The small Pokémon darted behind one of the men, its arm glowing with a gray light as it delivered a sharp slap, sending the man flying. While not as far as the Machop's strike, Trubbish's precision was impressive for its size.
The girl noticed Trubbish's presence as Luka played a soft, mellow note.
The chaos distracted the remaining men. "Shit! She brought backup! We need to get out of here!" one of them yelled.
Before they could escape, the Machop swiftly incapacitated another with a brutal punch, while the girl took advantage of the distraction to kick away the man with the chair leg. She leaped on him, slamming the pipe against his head. Blood spattered across her face as she breathed heavily, turning to focus on Luka.
"Who... who are you?" she muttered, her pale, tired face freezing as her body gave out. She collapsed to the ground.
Machop immediately rushed to her side, only to turn and lunge at Luka, sensing danger.
"Non-lethal," Luka commanded as Trubbish intercepted the blow. A thick cloud of poisonous gas enveloped Machop, the exhausted Pokémon succumbing to sleep.
The west bank wasn't far from Luka's home. He'd take the girl there and seek Ms. Quaker's opinion.
Looking back at the bodies strewn across the area, Luka groaned. This was going to complicate things. If the Ember Blades' bodies were found in Dune Rats territory, it would only worsen the already hostile relationship between the two groups.
For now, though, he needed to figure out how this girl had such a strong Pokémon.
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