Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 9 - Continental Cup Draw

Kiria handed Caleb over to Kudou and told him what had happened. The Coach was rightly appalled, and made it clear that he would be sitting down with the boy immediately. In the meantime, he left the training for the day up to Darragh, and the second-in-command led the rest of Aegis out onto the pitch, their Pokemon all prepped and ready.

*

Caleb, still unconscious, was propped up in a chair in the same room that the Poipole was sleeping in. The Ultra Beast had pulled its blanket over its whole body and was still yet to wake up at all. Kudou took a seat opposite Caleb at the table and clasped his hands together, waiting for the boy to regain consciousness. Kiria had told him that the sedative would wear off soon. In truth, he hadn't been surprised when she said she had knocked him out – after all, Kiria had openly revealed her mission to Kudou long before the tournament started. He knew that she had been sent to keep watch over him due to his loose involvement in the case of Japan's missing Prime Minister, and he knew that she had some form of covert combat training. If anything, he was glad that the young woman had been at the scene of the incident, because if she had stuck close to Kudou the entire time, he might have just had actual blood on his hands today.

The Coach took a deep breath and looked around. By the sounds of it, he was going to have to expel Caleb Akio from the team, a mere two days before the squad was due to attend the draw for the Continental Cup. Replacing him wouldn't be difficult – it would just be a hassle. There was no telling what fuss the boy would kick up when he was told – but in truth, that didn't matter. Kudou had seen potential in his battling style, but the boy's short temper and violent disposition had betrayed him. He already had several replacements running through his mind, including previous Japanese representatives such as Ix or Sol.

"It needs to be done..." He mumbled to himself, straightening up in his chair.

"Does it...?" The familiarly cold voice whispered into his ear. Kudou's hairs stood on end and he was immediately tense.

"You. Why are you here?"

"I like this boy... Keep him."

"What...? He tried to kill one of my-!"

"That's why I like him." The voice chuckled. "Such bloodlust – it's good for the soul..."

"He's a danger to the others as long as he's on the team." Kudou frowned. "I can't in good conscience-"

"Oh, you will keep him." The fiend hissed, a cold breeze sweeping across the room. Though unseen, the phantom had an undeniably assertive presence. "Need I remind you that you swore to follow my demands? Unless, that is, you don't care about that one in the hospital anymore...?"

"Don't you dare!" Kudou gritted his teeth.

"Don't raise your voice at me." The voice growled, and a cold whisper blew against Kudou's cheek. "Keep the boy. He entertains me. Am I clear?"

Kudou ran it through his head. Caleb was clearly a danger to the rest of the team. That had been proven. Keeping him on the team would only make the others question his judgement and make them feel unsafe. But if he complied, then he protected somebody else from harm.

"I understand." Kudou sighed.

"Good. See to it."

The overwhelming pressure in the room eased up, and Kudou wiped his forehead. His only choice was to listen to the demands he was given. There could be no other way.

He brought his hand down and saw a drop of blood on his finger. The breeze that had brushed his cheek had been a warning shot, as evidenced by the very shallow cut that dribbled a couple of small droplets of blood. He wiped them away as Caleb began to stir.