The Dark Side of Kanto

Chapter 9 Alpha

                The walk through the Underground Path between Cerulean and Vermillion was uneventful.  The road was empty, aside from some crazy kid on a bicycle who almost ran Flannery down.  She surprised him, and even me, when she sidestepped him and flipped his bike, throwing him off.  She cursed him up and down.  I had never seen such terror in a young boy before, but he quickly apologized and took off.  It was not that long ago when she joined me on this suicide mission to learn how to be tough, and now here she is, throwing kids off their bikes.  Not sure if that is what she had in mind, but it was good for a laugh.  The fire in her eyes afterward was intriguing and, dare I say, sexy.  I found her annoying at first, but in time, I found her company comforting.  I am glad to have her along.  Something about her reminds me of Anna; the red hair, the radiant smile, but there is something more about her, something I cannot put my finger on.

                I never did tell her I had no intention of surviving this mission.  After Mewtwo destroyed the lab, I had lost what little life I had left.  After escaping the devastation of Awaji, I tried to lay low, tried to find that peaceful life I yearned, but it seemed like wherever I went, trouble followed.  I felt cursed.  I had all but given up on life when I learned that I had helped kill Anna, that I was responsible for her death.  I had sunken into a deep despair for several months.  I drank heavily to forget, but I had never forgotten.  Every time I sobered up, her death still hung over me.  I punished myself every damn day for my hand in that war.  It was not until Hagi knocked some sense into me that I threw the bottle into the sea and got the job at the lab.  It was not easy recovering from alcohol addiction, but focusing on the job at hand helped a lot.  After the incident, I had finally cracked.  The anger I had buried for so long had finally found its way to the surface.  I was never the suicide type, but I figured if I could die doing one useful thing in making this world a better place, it would be a worthy death.  I did not really want to die, but a darkness had overcome me, like my shadow was pulling me along.  It was not until Flannery had shined her fire onto my life that the shadow faded.  I felt the stone around my heart crack and I could breathe in the life I was missing out on.  My mission was no longer a suicide mission, but it was not something I could give up on.  This world deserves justice and I planned on being the one to deliver.  I just do not want Flannery caught in the crossfire.  Perhaps I can convince her to go home…

                As we emerge from the Underground Path just outside of Vermillion City, I hear the calamity of business ahead of us.  Vermillion is always its busiest in the morning as sailors ready their ships and stores begin to open.  We walk through the main gates and look around.   To our left, a few Machops are clearing a plot of land, where I assume a new building will be built.  Shopkeepers are reading their stores for the day.  A few sailor stragglers, late for leaving port, hang out by the docks, chatting as they wait.  We pass a billboard with several notices posted.  One flier stands out, because there is a picture of what looks like me and Flannery.  It is a little blurry, like from a security camera, but I can tell it is us.  It must be from Lt. Surge’s gym.  I guess he is still pissed from the ass whooping we dealt him.

                “We need to take care,” I say to Flannery.  “We are still wanted.”

                “Lt. Surge’s balls still haven’t dropped from our last visit, huh?” Flannery blurts out, taking me by surprise.  That feels so out of character, I cannot help but laugh.

                “Just try to avoid the police,” I say.  “We don’t need the unwanted attention.”

                “Says the guy who plans on stealing a boat,” Flannery retorts.  Two for two, damn.