Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 19 - Unorthodox Training

Early the next morning, Midorima was out on the training pitch with a shovel. He and his Excadrill took it upon themselves to clear the pitch of snow before training got started in order to ensure everything went smoothly. It was by no means a quick process, but eventually, the majority of the snow had been shovelled up alongside the grassy slopes, leaving the field almost spotless, save for the gentle snowfall that struggled to settle when it hit the ground.

"Hah..." The captain stood for a moment, admiring his work, his breath visible in the early morning air. "Good work." He said as his Pokemon walked up beside him. "You had better get warmed up again before training begins." Midorima returned his Pokemon to its PokeBall.

Meanwhile, Kiria emerged from the team building, surprised she wasn't the first one out. She had a sealed envelope in her hands and slid it into her jacket upon spotting Midorima down on the pitch. Rather than make her presence known, she opted to duck out of sight, behind a row of tall potted plants along the edge of the building.

Midorima climbed up the steps and made his way back inside, completely unaware.

Kiria stepped away from the snow-covered foliage and made sure nobody else was around before making her way slowly towards a group of Pidgey that were gathered by the main road into town. Running into someone wouldn't be the end of the world, but she would have preferred to keep herself hidden nonetheless. She approached the wild Pokemon and took out a PokeBall, opening it up onto the snowy pavement.

A Pidgey of her own appeared, near identical to the flock sitting a few feet away. Without a word, she pulled out the envelope she had concealed and tied it to her Pokemon's foot tightly with string. Her body hunched over the creature hid her actions from the eyes of any onlookers.

"Go join those others. Goodbye, Pidgey." She said to the little pigeon Pokemon and it nodded back before walking over towards the rest of its species, the white envelope concealed beneath the snow as it dragged it along.

"What are you doing out here on your own?" A cold and ominous voice whispered into her ear.

It was the same malevolent spirit that she had encountered when interrogating Kudou. She had agreed to fulfil its wishes in return for their safety, though its true intentions were known only to Kudou, it seemed.

"I'm setting my Pidgey free." Kiria responded calmly, putting the empty PokeBall back into her jacket pocket. "The weather's too cold to keep it around. I'm letting it migrate with those other ones."

"Hmm..." The spectre was focused on her, judging from an unknown place. If it suspected her of doing something shady, it would undoubtedly take her out. After all, it had sealed the Prime Minister's fate easily, and wouldn't hesitate to take her out of the picture if it deemed it appropriate.

"Gracious of you," It finally laughed. "But the creature cannot escape the inevitable. Before long, there will be nowhere to hide from adversity."

And with that, the force disappeared, satisfied for now.

Kiria watched the Pidgey greet the newcomer that had intruded on their leaving party. The Pokemon were her only hope to deliver an urgent message now. With a mighty demon breathing down her neck, phone calls, texts and emails were a no-go. Old-school carrier pigeon delivery was her last resort.

After breathing into her cupped hands, Kiria turned back towards the dorms, shutting the door behind her.

Several minutes later, the flock of about twenty Pidgey began to take off. They were sick of the cold and were going to fly away in search of warmer climates. The swarm of flapping feathers provided the perfect cover for Kiria's own Pidgey to blend in, and it flew in the centre of the pack, the little white envelope tied to its leg and clenched in its talons.