Opal & Topaz

S1 Ep5: Fellow stalker

Waking up was easy this morning. The bed was shit and the pillows felt like concrete. He couldn't wait to get up so he could spare his back the agony of laying there. As he descended the stairs the usher offered to make him a coffee. He declined, for one, he wasn't a coffee person. Secondly, he had places to be. Where exactly, he wasn't sure, but he was determined to find out.

The guy who insisted on giving him a new Pokémon kept yapping about some 'team aqua'. So, he assumed that was his mission; to find and take out this 'team aqua' group. While he didn't have a definite idea of who they were, he had a good guess. He assumed it was those hippies that attacked that odd guy from his hometown. It made sense. They looked like they were in pirate cosplays and only used water Pokémon.

'A good thing for me.' He thought, as he glanced at Sparks. It seemed like Sparks didn't get much sleep, either. He looked as groggy and sleepy as a Pokémon could be, with his eyes drooping and the occasional yawn. That didn't stop him from turning to growl at a noise as they walked out the building. Hank looked too, curious to see what had him so riled up.

Another Froakie. He wondered if it was the same one from last night, before he shrugged it off and continued down the path. The sand wasn't getting in his boots any less, which was annoying, but he figured here was as good as anywhere to find one of these 'team aqua' people. For being a 'threat' to the region, they definitely weren't very subtle with their name.

He patrolled around the city, taking hours at a time to walk from one end to the other. He started getting some weird looks. He wondered why, before realising he must've looked like a creep. People don't usually patrol around towns for shits and giggles, after all.

So, he moved to walk through the alleyways and dodgy backroads instead. It didn't make him look like any less of a creep, but now less people would give him weird looks. He heard something shatter on the ground behind him. He turned on his heel, seeing a broken pot plant with a yellow flower spilled out across the dingy street. He looked up, trying to track the source before he saw a flash of blue. It stood still for a second before disappearing into the gutters. It was the Froakie again. He tilted his head, wondering if it was following him.

He heard Sparks growl again, a low, rumbly growl. He wondered why this Froakie had him so pissed off. Hank gestured for them to keep going, however Sparks stood his ground, eyes glued to the roof. Sighing, Hank crouched down next to him.

"What is it?" He stroked Sparks's mane, while trying to track what Sparks was seeing. He couldn't find anything that would be particularly distressing to him, however he did see a ladder. So, he got up, standing on the bottom rung to test if it would hold his weight. It shook slightly, but stayed firm against the wall. Though, he still climbed slowly, trying to shake it as little as possible. Just in case.

There was nothing to see as he peeked over the top. Granted, there were vents covering the other half of the roof, but as he looked down Sparks was still fixated on the roof with his teeth bared. He hesitated, before taking out the pokeball and retrieving Sparks, who disappeared into it with a red bolt. If there really was something dangerous up here, he wanted Sparks by his side.

With a heave he pulled himself to the top of the ladder, keeping his grip firm on the side bars as the thought of falling backwards came and went. He stepped slowly, lowering himself to keep his balance centred. His hand pressed against the side of the vent, though it was flimsier than he expected and it collapsed inward with a metallic 'fwomp'. He cringed at the noise, stopping dead in his tracks as he strained to hear anything. Nothing. He stepped forward a little faster, peeking past the vent to see an empty rooftop.

Sighing, he looked at Sparks's pokeball. "You just had to scare me, didn't you?

He gently threw it up and caught it as he glanced at the town below, idly scanning over the shore. A gentle wind blew through the air, bringing about the overpowering stench of salt water. Though, something new was cutting through the white noise of crashing waves and distant tourist's chatter. Hank looked to his right, walking briskly to peer over the edge. Just as he thought, some tourist had been cornered in the alleyway and were being mugged. He'd usually let it play out, there was no use picking fights if he didn't know who the muggers worked for, but he knew these ones.