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Episode 10 - Bandits
🕑 Added 2023-09-18 00:28:30 +0000 UTCBadge verification
Article 4
- Prior to being granted entry into the Champion’s League, each trainer's badges shall undergo a thorough examination to verify their legitimacy and authenticity.
- The verification process shall be conducted by authorized officials designated by the governing body overseeing the Champion’s League.
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I’ve Been Around
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Episode ten – Bandits
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The sun blazed down mercilessly on Callahan’s head as he made his way across the mountain range leading to Emberpeak, abandoning the dry grassland of Harboria and exchanging it for this rough canyon-like area. The dry air clung to his skin, threatening to sap every ounce of moisture from his body. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, and he wiped them away with the back of his hand.
It had been roughly four hours since they had left the safety of Harboria's gate, and the journey was already proving to be quite a challenge. Traversing the bright orange stone that seemed to radiate heat itself was no easy task.
I... underestimated... the heat, Callahan thought.
He stuck his tongue out, hoping it would cool him down, just like it did for dogs.
He looked to his side to see if it was his age getting to him, but Risa, despite her teenage youthfulness, wasn't faring any better. Her body was drenched in perspiration, with sweat streaming down her arms and mixing with the dust that clung to her skin. Each step felt like a battle against the scorching heat, with the air itself shimmering with waves of suffocating intensity.
Although she seemed determined to win the fight, her steps grew increasingly labored with each passing minute, and after another hour had elapsed, both of them simply needed a break.
They settled down against a sizeable boulder and curled themselves up to fit within its shadow. It wasn’t a lot cooler, but any break from the heat was already seen as a blessing. He took out their water bottles and lay some energy bars down.
“Hey… Risa,” Callahan puffed as he waved his beret in an attempt to get even a little bit of relief from the heat.
“Yes… sir?” Risa drawled out, tugging at her collar.
“Do I look that bad at the moment?”
“What are you… talking about?” she managed to say through heaves of breath.
Callahan lifted his finger to the sky, casually pointing at the Mandibuzz that was circling above the duo. Its outline was pure black in contrast to the blinding sun above it. Callahan let an exhausted smile form on his face. “You know. I think that you’d be safe if it decides to come down for his meal. I’ve… got a lot more meat on my bones,” he joked.
“Sir, I think… it would rather have something more fresh,” she joked back. She lifted her hand to her forehead while she eyed the vulture-like Pokémon. “Please don’t come down to bother us,” she said with a tired voice strained from the oppressive heat.
As if on cue, the Mandibuzz above them let out a shrill screech, causing both of them to flinch and look at each other. The Pokémon began to circle lower, its sharp beak gleaming in the blazing sun. Sweat dripped into Callahan's eyebrows as he gulped nervously.
Risa was the first to speak up. “Hey, what do you say about cutting our break short–taking those energy bars for the road?”
“Fair plan,” he puffed. “Let’s go.”
With energy bars in their hands, they set off again; putting some distance between them and the hungry bird. After a while, it had decided that they seemed a bit too lively, opting to find a different prey.
They both sighed in relief, but things wouldn’t be getting any easier from here on out. They had to be quick. They needed to travel as many miles as they could before the sun would reach its peak. That was easier said than done, however.
The higher they travelled, the steeper the mountain got, and don’t let him get started on the reality of the climb. He’d expected the trip to be around the same as on Fula Island, where the trails were well-defined and expansive sceneries reached all the way to the horizon—or where a pleasant change of pace awaited them, like the SilverPeaks had been; to simply circle the edge of a mountain and absorb the wonderful depths that such a hike offered.
That wasn’t what real mountain climbing was about however, and Callahan slowly came to realize that.
Hill up, hill down. The mountain played tricks with them all the while.
Every once or so, Callahan glanced up at the peak before him, its hazy silhouette drowning in sunlight. It was a symbol of the triumph that awaited him. With every faltering step, he closed the gap between himself and the summit. The sun became fiercer, the skin on his arm grew more red and burned despite all the sunscreen that was splattered onto it, and then, when he finally thought to find himself at the top and be surrounded by blue skies and a breathtaking vista, he’d only crane his head up to find another hill before him, neatly hidden beneath the previous one. One that was even larger than the one he'd just conquered.
That was what hiking was truly about.
By now, the straps of their backpacks teared at their shoulders.
“Haaaa… Haaa… Haaa…”
Risa leaned on her knees, which trembled from strain.
She gave him a look by only moving her pupils, like moving anything else sapped her strength. “Do we have enough water?”
“Yeah,” panted the man.
Risa threw her backpack down and fetched her water bottle, pouring half of it over her head.
Callahan watched her in the background, before he thought, screw it, and did the same.
“Ah, something cold,” exclaimed Risa while she threw her hair back. “I-I thought that I’d burn up.”
“You got that right. Should’ve bought ourselves some caps. Mine’s making things only warmer.”
“Well, at least you don’t have as much hair to worry about as I do.”
“Hey,” groaned Callahan as he threw her a look.
To be concise, he did in fact possess most of his hair.
Checking his watch, it was still only one o’ clock. Still seven hours to endure until the sun would set around these parts. Looking back, he was again met with a gigantic hill, making him unable to guess how much they had progressed. Standing on his tiptoes, he could peer over the hill before them and see a rocky valley stretching out, with a tiny creek miraculously winding its way down from the steep mountain behind it.
“Break?” Risa asked.
We took one an hour ago... But… “Fine.” He fetched his binoculars from his neck and handed them over. "You just keep a look out. If you see anything strong, we're making a run for it."
“Roger,” said Risa, half-serious, half exhausted. They quickly made their way over the hill. Throwing off her boots along the way, Risa clambered onto the boulder beside the creek and cupped her hands, collecting the crystal-clear water. She took long, refreshing sips, and Callahan followed suit.
The lukewarm water revived their spirits, however slightly. They sat together at the water's edge, soothing their weary feet and legs in the lukewarm water, and gazed out at the sprawling, yet empty landscape.
She simply enjoyed the break, looking around every now and then. The peaks before them were being erased by the glaring glow of the sun, making her see dots all around her vision whenever she gazed at it for too long.
As Risa's gaze fixated on a distant speckle on the hill, she was pretty convinced that it was just another of those spots. That was until she realized it wasn’t floating around. Her exhaustion momentarily forgotten, a flicker of concern crossed her face. She pointed towards the approaching figure, her voice strained with urgency.
"Callahan, look! Someone’s coming towards us," she called out.
Callahan, still absorbed in his own physical strain, glanced up briefly, his brow furrowed. "What's so strange about that? We're on a hiking trail, people pass by all the time."
But as the figure grew closer, Risa's eyes widened with realization as she zoomed in. "There's something off about him. Look, he seems distressed, he's limping. Shit," Risa cursed and grit her teeth, "he's bleeding."
Intrigued and concerned, Callahan finally took notice, pulling on his socks and boots. As the boy drew nearer, his face etched with anguish, it became evident that he was battered and bruised, tears streaming down his dirt-streaked cheeks.
Without a moment's hesitation, Callahan's sense of compassion overtook his caution. He rushed to the boy's side. "Hey! Are you alright?! What happened to you?"
The boy's voice quivered as he struggled to speak between sobs. "A...a group of people...they jumped me...stole my Pokémon. I...I tried to--" His words were drowned in a coughing fit. His shoulders shook. He coughed something up. Tiny specks of blood spattered across the rocks.
Callahan, now fully engaged, knelt beside the boy, seriousness etched on his face. He gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Take a deep breath. You're safe now. We'll help you." He gave a glance to his companion. "Risa."
Risa nodded. She took out a mug and poured it full with water before she retrieved some medicine and sprayed a good dose of it into it before handing it to the boy.
"T-thank you."
"Don't talk. Just drink. Everything's going to be alright," Callahan said.
He gulped it all down. They waited a little for the pain reducing medicine to kick in before Callahan finally spoke again.
"Tell me what happened."
The boy took a shaky breath, his voice quivering as he mustered the strength to speak. His eyes darted between Callahan and Risa, his words laden with a mix of fear.
"I... I discovered their hideout," he began, his bloodied hands shaking and clutching his pants. "I sneaked in– they had a whole room filled with Pokéballs, all gleaming and ready for... for who knows what. And... and there were other Pokémon, trapped in cages. I couldn't just leave them there."
Callahan and Risa listened intently, stealing each other a look. Callahan reached out and gently squeezed the boy's shoulder.
"That was incredibly brave of you," he said. "But what happened after?"
The boy's gaze dropped to the ground, his voice barely a whisper as he recounted the violence that had befallen him.
"I... I tried to free the imprisoned Pokémon," he continued, his voice choked with emotion. "But they caught me, outnumbered me. They... they beat me up, and I could only escape when they thought I was no longer a threat."
A pang of anger seemed to shoot through Risa as she clenched her fists. "And you weren't able to save your Pokémon?"
"N-no. They weren't in the cages. They must've been in one of the Pokéballs."
"How many of them were there?"
The boy couldn't say no more, as another wave of sobs rocked his body.
Callahan could only stare. This sucks, but there's nothing that we can do. We're weak. We merely have one Pokémon, and our walking stick doesn't seem the most capable when it comes to a brawl.
That's when his pupils dilated, and all sounds fell quiet around him as he realized what he'd said.
Not capable enough…
It almost felt like time stopped and the entire temperature grew icy.
He chewed at the joint of his index finger in thought. That's bad. Really bad. We're only what? Two days away from the Fire Gym, and I only have one Pokémon I can't even win a fight with. If they see that, they probably must think that I'm joking. They probably won't even let me enter! And even if they do... His eyes flickered towards the magnetized Pokéball that hung on his utility belt.
Then, he thought back about what the boy just said, and time unfroze itself, letting the sudden breeze flutter his hair through the air. "That's it!"
The boy flinched as Callahan enthusiastically raised his arms in the air. Risa only flinched slightly, probably already used to his antics, although sharing him a confused look all the same.
"They won't get away with this! We'll make sure justice is served and your Pokémon are returned to you! You are in luck, my friend, because you just happened to run into the greatest trainer there ever was! This will be a breeze– I faced threats way bigger than this in my years." He halted before the kid, his shadow stretching over him. "Tell me, where's that base? I'll make sure that you'll get those buddies back in no time."
The boy's eyes met Callahan's, looking somewhat more uncomfortable at his sudden outburst of enthusiasm. "I don't know... I mean, there were so many of them... I...I should go to the authorities. They need to know what's happening," he stammered, raising himself shakily on his knees. "But it'll take time... Please, avoid the area for now."
"Oh, don't be like that, look," he slapped the boy hard on his back in a 'friendly gesture' which made the boy stumble back onto his knees, "you can hardly stand! You shouldn't push yourself like that. Nope, I won't be having it. C'mere."
"Woah!"
Callahan lifted him up in his hands and carried him towards a shadowy place behind a boulder. He dropped him none too gently, dust flying from beneath the boy. "There, just you wait. You'll just relax, wait a bit, hell, even go and take a nap. Afterwards, you can go to the cops all you want. We can't have you fainting on us in the middle of the sun, now can we?"
"I..."
"Just tell us where it is, and we'll be back before the authorities have arrived. Trust me."
"Well... I-if you insist."
He told them. It was a place far away from the main path, an eight hour walk at minimum to an area north-east. Callahan followed his finger towards the mountain in the distance, which almost appeared to resemble a face laying upwards.
The boy looked at Callahan, gratitude and hope shining through his tears. "Thank you... thank you so much. But please be careful. They're dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Callahan nodded solemnly, his gaze unwavering. "We'll take every precaution. Your trust means a lot to us. You rest here and regain your strength. We'll do everything in our power to retrieve your Pokémon."
With that, he twirled on his heels and strode off.
"W-wait! Don't you wish to know what kind of Pokémon I have?"
"O-of course! I just got a little too excited!" He awkwardly scratched through his hair. "What kind?"
And the answer to that went one ear in and the other ear out. They were in a hurry; there was no way that he would walk all the way back to Harboria in order to deliver some stolen Pokémon. The Jennies would take care of all this trouble. All he would have to do was to get in, get out, and remain undetected. And hurry as well. If the police would get there sooner by using flying Pokémon, then he could kiss his chance of getting new Pokémon goodbye.
With a mix of determination and concern etched on their faces, Callahan and Risa prepared themselves for the arduous task ahead. They shared a silent understanding, their shared mission fuelling their spirits as they set out to confront the thieves and reclaim the stolen Pokémon!
...At least, that's what it looked like from the outside.
Once they were out of range of the boy, Risa stole him a dry look.
"You're totally thinking about stealing some Pokémon."
"I'm totally thinking about stealing some Pokémon."
