Pokémon: An Unexpected Odyssey

Chapter no.28 Witnessing Evil

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Austin let out a long sigh as he gazed up at the night sky. Team Rocket had turned Mt. Moon into a fortress of danger; it was a death trap for the uninitiated. At times like these, his extensive knowledge of Pokémon, his so-called "Fountain of Useless Knowledge," really came in handy.

He was just a kid when he played Pokémon Red, his first dive into the world of Pokémon. It had sparked an obsession, a thirst for every shred of trivia about this universe. His brother used to tease him for it, but who was laughing now?

The entrance to Mt. Moon loomed ahead, a menacing maw in the mountainside, surrounded by jagged rocks reaching up like claws to the heavens. Sparse tufts of tough grass clung to the soil at the rocky base.

Austin spotted Pokémon rangers at the entrance. Or more accurately, Team Rocket grunts in a poor disguise. One had an Arcanine by his side, looking like he smelled something vile.

They really must want Vee back, he thought, noticing a flicker of confusion on the nearest grunt's face.

And why wouldn't they be confused? There he was, draped in a bedsheet that dragged along the dirt. It was ridiculous, really. Underneath, he was on makeshift stilts made of Rattata and Spearow—who he had bribed with belly rubs and chia seeds to agree to this. He even threw on a Team Rocket uniform over his clothes to look bigger, older.

Austin knew this disguise was terrible.

But it didn't have to be perfect—it just had to get him into the mountain.

So, how was he going to pull this off? Simple. He'd spew bullshit—with all the confidence of a politician.

That was Plan A.

If it failed, Plan A2 was ready to go: attack and dash straight into the mountain's depths.

'Please, Arceus, let Plan A work,' he thought. He'd rather not have Team Rocket know that he was here.

"Why is your Pokémon out?" the grunt demanded, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes as he stared at the Zubat circling Austin. Its distinguishing large fangs suggested it was male—a detail Austin noted absently as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest.

"Safety," Austin responded, trying to deepen his voice to a convincing grunt, hoping it masked the rapid thumping in his chest as he edged closer to the group.

"And the bedsheet?"

"I fell down," he said, adopting a casual shrug that belied the mounting panic inside. "Into something... unpleasant."

"What?" The grunt's confusion was almost comical.

"Well, Executive Arianna issued an order to capture Pikachu and Spearow," Austin started. "And while I was chasing them, I kinda accidentally fell into a pile of feces." He lifted his sleeve, still carrying the pungent odor of his desperate ploy.

The grunt recoiled instantly, the authenticity of the smell doing more to convince him than any words could. Inside, Austin was cringing at the lengths he'd gone to for this plan.

"And the mask?" the grunt questioned further, skepticism still lining his features.

"Smell," Austin replied sharply, with no hesitation.

"Right..." the grunt dragged out the word, glancing back at his comrades who merely shrugged, apparently satisfied with Austin's explanations. They relaxed slightly, and Austin felt a fleeting sense of relief.