Invisible by Marvech93

Chapter 27: One survives

Just a warning, this one may cause some tears towards the end.

What's wrong? You guys seem a little worried about Blue's fate since last week. I wonder why?

I assure you the title of this chapter is absolutely nothing to worry about.

Chapter 27: One survives

Broken chunks of concrete, twisted pipes and shattered glass and pieces of furniture lay everywhere. The few neon lights that hadn't been destroyed by the explosion flickered uselessly. A thick cloud of dust floated like fog inside of the building.

It was easy to guess where the explosion originated from. The half of the second floor that was furthest away from the main entrance, where Blue's office used to be, was completely gone, leaving a gaping hole in the back of the building and essentially eliminating the separation between the two levels. The place was eerily silent.

Giovanni brought the muzzle of his fully loaded handgun right under Blue's chin, ready to put him down like a sick old pokémon. A bullet through the skull. The current Viridian City gym leader would go down exactly the same way his Alakazam did.

The cruel man grinned victoriously, his finger on the trigger. "I'll make sure to send my condolences to your old man."

"Don't," a voice interrupted Giovanni firmly just as he was about to pull the trigger on the fallen gym leader. "It's me you're looking for."

Giovanni looked up towards the figure standing a few meters from him. He raised a curious eyebrow. As the dust settled, the newcomer's features became more and more clear. A young man, seemingly in his early 20s, brown hair, dark eyes and a tell-tale red cap. Standing next to him, a large and powerful charizard, the flame on its tail burning fiercely. Casting a quick glance down at the blonde boy he held at gunpoint, Giovanni thought it should have been obvious, in restrospect...

The one who had his Mewtwo wasn't his replacement. It was that very same red-capped kid who had foiled his plans at Silph Co over a decade ago.

"Of course..." Giovanni snickered, keeping the muzzle of his revolver right under Blue's chin. "Of course it would be you. Not that arrogant little brat. That kid... (he glanced down at Blue again for a second or two) This is old Oak's grandson, isn't it? Just as foolish as his old man..."

"Let him go," Red ordered, trying hard to hide his nervousness regarding the very real possibility of his friend getting a bullet through the skull at any second. And that was not even considering the other possibility of getting shot himself. He wanted to protect Blue but Blue was in no position to protect him. "He doesn't know where Mewtwo is. Leave him out of this."

Despite his best efforts to hide it, Giovanni knew how nervous he was and he obviously wouldn't give up his advantage so easily. He had the gun. He had the hostage. He made the conditons.

"I don't think so," Giovanni challenged, giving the fallen gym leader a provocative little backhanded slap in the face. Red's fist clenched. "From where I'm standing, it looks like our little friend here (he backhanded Blue in the face again, harder) is the key to you giving me what I want. What do you think?" he then asked, pushing his gun's muzzle deeper under Blue's jaw.

"If you hurt him, you'll never know where your pokémon is. I'm the only one who knows."

And just like that, the two old ennemies found themselves in an impasse.

Red was getting increasingly anxious and frustrated. He couldn't get a good look at his friend from where he was but he could see he was bleeding profusely and that he was completely unconscious. He didn't so much as stir ever since he landed his Charizard in the tattered remains of the gym. Blue would have tried to defend himself against the criminal, even if just verbally; he wouldn't have taken a slap to the face from him with to reaction. But his friend was lying down, completely unmoving; so much so that Red feared it was already too late. But if it wasn't, they were wasting precious seconds while Blue was in dire need of urgent medical attention. He had to do something, fast.