Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 81: The First Loss

Klara let Heather and Hessie out of a back entrance. They still narrowly dodged a cup of mushy peas aimed at the Gym Leader.

'That was meant for her, but you're a murderer, too!'

The woman angrily pointed at Hessie.

'And you're an enabler!'

'Get lost!' Hessie snapped, 'Garnet hasn't done anything wrong! I've been with her almost the whole time! She wouldn't hurt a Cutiefly! And you know what? I don't think Klara would hurt anyone, either!'

'Enabler!'

'I'm gonna go out the front,' Klara hissed, 'Go while they're shouting at me! Go!'

Bard had the same problem. They shouted at him for being Klara's grandson and Sugar's nephew. Some even insulted him for being Ruslan's son. He walked with them.

'Are you two off to Spikemuth?'

Hessie was already nodding.

'Yeah!'

Heather wanted to walk there with Pluto under the cover of night, but where was Pluto? She saw Jamie waving from the Craving Books stall. Pluto wasn't there. She glanced at her phone. There was a text. He said there was nothing to worry about, but he would catch up later.

Now I am worried...

If Heather had known that Pluto was on the back of Arlene's Shadow Skarmory, on their way back to the castle, she would have jumped on her Garchomp in plain sight and chased them. She couldn't imagine it was that serious.

Jahzeel sent Arlene to retrieve her future husband. She told him that Team Plasma was descending into chaos in the king's absence. Clotilda took her own life. Pluto's own sister and parents were severely injured – by Cipher's Shadow Pokémon, of course. Even Volo and Jahzeel ended up losing a tooth each. Jahzeel's right wrist was broken.

That was true, but it had as little to do with Cipher as Jahzeel beating Pluto's family did. After politely wishing him a good evening in the hallway, Volo grabbed Jahzeel from behind and snapped his right wrist. He thought Jahzeel was too old to swing the cane around with his left hand. He wasn't.

By the time Pluto returned, Volo wasn't there to tell him the truth. All he knew was that his parents had no chance, because the most formidable man in the castle somehow ended up with a lost tooth, black eye and busted lip. Jahzeel still had more than enough power over Pluto to subtly convince him that his absence was to blame.

'Where are my parents now...?'

'They were so terrified of Cipher that they ran away... I'm afraid I couldn't stop them...'

Jahzeel didn't notice that Caroline wasn't herself, but Pluto did. He had never seen her so pale and visibly vulnerable. She didn't salute him. She didn't even seem to notice that he passed her.

'Excuse me, Your Majesty...'

An unfamiliar voice followed unfamiliar footsteps. Pluto, Jahzeel and Arlene turned to see Zalman, clutching his phone. Pluto scowled.

'You... how dare you show your face here? Be gone!'

'Your Majesty, I'd like to request–'

'Seize him!'

Grunts darted from the shadows to seize Zalman. He sighed. He almost allowed himself to be led away in silence, but if he was going to end up in a dungeon, did it matter? He hardly saw any point in his continued existence regardless.

'Your M... oh, fuck that. Pluto! Listen to me! He's conning you! He's using you! He's full of shit! I've got videos of–!'

The Grunts promptly gagged him. Pluto was so enraged by the sight of Tance's son that he couldn't even begin to consider anything Zalman said. He was dragged away.