章節 6: Chapter 6
It's a miracle she survived. Falling into a raging freezing river and climbing out is already commendable. But walking to a road while carrying an almost dead Dratini is something else.
Now, she was in a hospital bed, specifically, a bed in a Hospital room in a Pokemon Center. Warm bandages wrapped all the frozen parts of her body, slowly thawing them up. Her previously soaked clothes were folded neatly on a nearby table as she was changed out of them. Various tubes flowed out of her arm into an IV drip, keeping her hydrated and fed. At the very least, she was stable.
Pryce and Haku were outside her room, worriedly listening to the doctor's evaluation.
"All in all, she is stable for now. She needs a lot of time in the bed to recover from her wounds. We will assign a Chansey to her to speed up the recovery of her wounds. That is all."
"Thank you, doctor." Haku said.
As the doctor left them alone, a strange silence brewed among the pair. They needed help figuring out how to start the conversation. Gathering up his confidence, Haku asked, "She is an important person, isn't she?"
Unable to hide his surprise, Pryce's eyes were wide open. Carrying a smug smile, Haku said, "Her Pokemon and attire said it all. What regular person would have their first partner Pokemon be a Dratini, one of the rarest Pokemon in the region. Her cape and unique attire spoke volumes of her Dragon Trainer background. I'll go and keep her Dratini company. I am sure you want to do the adult work alone."
When Haku left the room, Pryce sighed. He had grown up so much, much too fast for his good. He is hyper-focused and observant. But I am proud of it.
Whipping out his Pokegear, he dialled a particular number with the Contact Name: Brat. As soon as he dialled, the person on the other side picked up.
"Your cousin is at the Mahogany Town Pokemon Center, I'll brief you when you are here. She is at Level 2, Room 53, so get a move on."
"Wait what! Is she ----"
Before the person could continue, Pryce cut the line and closed his Pokegear. A rude act, but in these circumstances, it was entirely deserved.
Who would let their 9-year-old cousin go out alone on an incredibly snowy day? A day when people dared not leave their houses unless it was essential. It was a failure on the part of the guardian.
Pryce had two objectives today. Allow Haku to buy everything he needs for his Pokemon and help aid in the rescue efforts around his town. Today's snowstorm was unnaturally bad, and it had worsened yearly. Something is brewing. His instincts are telling him that. The only thing he could do was wait patiently while the Johto League were investigating.
His Pokemon were out there, helping those in need while he stood guard for a girl he barely knew. Grabbing a chair, he sat on it and stared at the wall, his walking stick at his side. He knew that person was coming and should arrive soon.
He was right. The door to the visiting room was swung open as a man with a similar attire as the girl entered the room. His face was flushed, a sign of his urgency. His light red hair was dishevelled and covered in snow.
"So, you have arrived, Lance. I'll fill you on the details later but in essence, she is fine. But first, I want to talk to you about something I hold dear. Something about responsibility."
"What do you mean? I just---"
"Shut your mouth. Your cousin almost died today due to your incompetence and inability to manage your clan."
"But I was—"
"No buts! You have failed your cousin. That is it! I can guess that your clan is currently infighting but it does give you the right as their leader to not account for their actions. If I was a few minutes too late, she would not be here now but rather in a grave."
Lance could only clench his fists in bitterness as the now-angered Pryce uttered those words. He knew that Pryce was right. Right to be angry for Clair and at him. He failed his cousin and almost lost her today. He broke the vow with her parents to look after their daughter. Seeing Lance in disarray, Pryce did not want to push him too hard. After all, he was needed to ensure the peace of Johto and Kanto.
"Take it from an oldie like me who has failed his family. At the very least, you did not lose her. Own up for your mistakes. You at least have a chance. Grasp it tightly."
As Pryce walked out of the room, he left behind a now-resolved Lance. We resolved what he always needed to do. With this push, Lance becomes something more significant. But it's a story for another time.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pokemon Center, Haku and Flakes were looking over the injured Dratini. Injured would be what described her earlier, but she had already shed its skin and, thus, fully recovered. It would be safe to say that she was okay. The problem was that she was too afraid of them, choosing to hide in her small aquarium. The Pokemon Center has facilities specially created to house all types of Pokemon. Dratini was given an aquarium for her to rest in. Typically, the Pokemon Center would charge their Trainers money, depending on the circumstances. This time, however, Haku had paid for her and Clair's treatment.
It was a small gift for her and her Pokemon.
Now that I think about it? Where is Dratini's skin? It should have fallen to the bottom of the tank, yet it is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps...
A thought dawned on Haku.
What if she was afraid as someone had invaded her space? That might be the case. So where could it have gone?
As he pondered about it, a nurse and doctor entered the room.
"Hello, Mr Haku could you leave the room. I would like to examine the Dratini."
As those words left his mouth, an individual suddenly lifted him from the ground. That individual was Flakes, who was standing guard for Haku.
"Let me go! Mr Haku, please tell your Pokemon to let me go this instance!"
Try as he might, the doctor was not getting out of the grip of Flakes. Meanwhile, the nurse was horrified at this turn of events and was about to rush out of the room before Haku said, "Go get security, I would like to speak with them."
And thus, she did, running out of the room. Facing the doctor, Haku locked eyes with him and smiled—a wicked smile at that.
"Did you know that Ghost Type or even Psychic Type Pokemon can sense malice? Especially from those who have accumulated a large amount of sins. You aren't getting out of here without handcuffs you know."
"Let me go! You will pay for this. I will see you in court. Let's see how you fare there!"
Unfazed by those threats, Haku continued to smile as the doctor hurled tens of curses at him. Soon, the sounds of footsteps reached the room. In the next moment, the door was kicked open by a guard.
"Raise up your hands if you don't wanna get hurt." A guard yelled. However, Haku had no plans to follow their instructions as he mysteriously stared at a wall.
"You done acting yet, Doctor?"
"What do you mean? I am not acting! I am in danger of losing my life now."
"You sound too confident for a hostage. Do you know something interesting?" Haku confidently proclaimed as he continued to stare at a wall. Seeing the doctor not answer his question, he locked eyes with him again.
"The biggest liars are full of shit." As he said it, a Shadow Ball was flung towards him from the wall. Confident as ever, Haku smiled as Flakes flew towards his side.
The guards watching this situation were shocked and tried to stop it. In the end, they were too slow as a cloud of smoke emerged from Haku's position. From the smoke, Haku was unharmed as Flakes used Protect to guard him. With their attacker's position exposed, Flakes flew towards the wall. A few seconds later, a Kecleon was in her arms as she flew back. A simple Thunder Wave and Hex combination immobilised it.
Staring at the doctor, who was on the floor, Haku checked his pockets and found a few vials full of a blue liquid.
"You are really a piece of shit." Haku said.
As the dust dissipated, Haku could see the guards running towards him in worry.
"What happened?"
"We just found a scumbag."
"What do you mean?"
"This." Haku said before pointing to the vials of blue liquid. "This is a few vials of Dratini blood. Our little doctor here is collecting the Dratini's blood for his own personal use. Did you know? A simple vial of its blood can go up to 1,000,000 dollars."
As they listened to Haku's explanation, their animosity shifted to the doctor. Immediately, a cuff has placed on him as he was escorted out.
"Kecleon! Attack them…. What are you doing? Attack THEM!" The doctor shouted.
"It appears your partner is unconscious now." Haku said while pointing to the defeated Kecleon in Flakes's arms. The doctor's head hung low; he knew he was done for.
"We'll take it from here. Thanks, kid, for apprehending this criminal. He will be in jail for a long time." A guard said as his Machoke took the Kecleon from Flakes' arms.
When the guards left the room, Haku finally sighed in relief. It was close. He could have died there if Flakes did not react in time. But he placed his trust in her.
*Sigh*
Grandpa is so going to ground me for this. I followed my heart and acted foolishly. But I can't help it. Dratini was injured due to the doctor's greed. And if Flakes was not here to warn me about him. I can't imagine the harm that might have been done to Dratini. It makes me sick to the stomach.
Based on his actions, he was probably from the Hunter's Guild. A secret organisation that specialises in the illegal capture of Wild Pokemon. However, they occasionally attempt to harvest high-quality materials from Trainer's Pokemon. In this case, someone notified the guild that a Dratini had been spotted in a Pokemon Center. Thus, they sent one of their agents to try and attempt to harvest some Dratini blood and skin.
Dratini's skin is valuable as it is commonly used to make high-quality clothing and accessories. Due to the low amount in the market, it is highly sought after and can fetch a hefty price in the Black Market.
On the other hand, Dratini's blood is quite interesting. No one, not even the finest of researchers, knows what it does. All they know is that it is valuable. Why would anyone set the price so high? Perhaps it is a fabrication, or does it hold a secret? A secret so hidden that only a few know about it. Only time will tell if it holds the potential to be something more significant.
But first, calling Pryce would be the most complex thing he had done today. He could imagine the rage that Pryce would feel. Hopefully, Pryce would not go overboard.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票