Pokémon Fool's Gold | Orre & Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 32: Choice

Jovi had fallen asleep at her desk when Hop burst in. Her Pokémon, a Minun and Plusle named Mimi and Pluplu and Joltik named Jolly, sensed something. They looked afraid. Their Trainer, however, was just groggy.

'Now what?'

'Shadow Pokémon!'

The desk shook. He spun his laptop to face her. It was connected to the Aura Detector, a device Jovi and her mom Lily created before she met Hop, which sensed Shadow Pokémon within its range. She squinted through her reading glasses. Pulsing purple circles made their way along Highway 1 to Phenac City.

'They just appeared on the highway,' Hop explained, 'So we were right – there's some kind of signal stopping us detecting them at the lab.'

Jovi rubbed her eyes. 'So they're already in production. There could be hundreds already. Great.'

'Now the question is – has someone accidentally taken them home, or are Cipher planning an attack on Phenac?'

Jovi picked up her phone. She copied a number from a silver card.

'Anabel, we've picked up Shadow Pokémon on Highway 1, heading for Phenac. I'll hook Pierre up to the Aura Detector.'

'We don't know what it's about,' Hop added, 'Whether it's an accident or planned attack on Phenac.'

'Thank you, professors... I suspect it's neither. I'll investigate and update you later.'

Seconds after the call ended, another cluster of circles appeared. They sped the opposite way to Gateon Port. Jovi laughed nervously.

'Oh.'

***

Znider's rage echoed through the prison. He used the P★DA Mayson threw to him to lock his own along with his credit cards. No-one answered his calls. They were all at the briefing led by their head scientist, Coren, who tended to ramble on.

Trip locked himself in his cell before they awoke. There was no point in trying to run. Even if he could make it out of the lab, where would he go on crutches? At the same time as he felt his life was over, that he had no-one, there was one thing to cling to. If Amber had their child, he would be part of a family, one where he felt so welcome and like Leon genuinely cared about him. That hope was the irrational opposite of him urging Amber to have an abortion, because he knew he might never escape, but it was all he had.

Conrad arrived hours later. He grumbled, as always, to the pet Shuppet who sometimes accompanied him. It seemed to enjoy listening to his complaints as he mimicked Znider's accent.

'"I'm Master Znider and I'm so cool with my personalised licence plate..."'

'Conrad!'

At least watching the colour drain from his face was amusing. Trip had nothing else to laugh at.

'...Sir?'

'Get – me – out!'

He hurried to the cell. His hands shook. The bars violently rattled. Znider shoved him aside as he was let out.

'Give me your Pokémon!'

'My... Pokémon?'

'Yes! Your Pokémon! Now!'

Conrad's Shuppet hid behind him. Znider seized it by the neck, only for the Ghost-type to disappear and reappear in a locked cell. He tore the bag from Conrad's shoulder. Shuppet was zapped back into its Dusk Ball.