Pokémon XYZ: Life, Death, Order, and Chaos (book 2 of the HBoD series)

Chapter 24: Personal Reflection

I walked on the stone sidewalk as rain poured down buckets. Drops of water dripped down my hat, the chilly air of the new year seeping through my trench. I lifted my gaze, looking through the rain and darkness to see my target. 

Caren Wright. Age 39. Former Team Rocket Executive. Thought to have been dead for ten years. Now Giovanni wanted her dead. I felt the gun in my inside pocket, feeling a sort of comfort when I gripped the handle slightly. I withdrew the hand a second later. Now wasn't the time.

I hid myself in the shadows when Caren stopped twenty feet ahead of me. She looked around before climbing the steps up to her house amongst all the others. She unlocked her door and slipped inside before shutting it. I went up to the door and slipped a key into the lock. Turning it, I stepped inside the open door. When I closed it, the thrum of the rain faded away to background noise.

It was dark in the entrance hallway and there was a rain soaked coat hanging on a rack. The lights turned on and I turned my gaze to look at Caren. She had long white hair and sharp blue eyes. She wore her old white Team Rocket uniform and appeared to be alone, several pokeballs on her belt. A hallway was to her left and the kitchen to the right.

She regarded me with a cold look. "Giovanni's son. I knew he would end up sending you after me once he found out I was still among the living."

I smirked. "Yet you still let me in the house. Basic mistake."

She sniffed. "Unlikely. You may look like Giovanni, but only he could beat me. You're nothing."

She lifted her head slightly. "How did he even realize I was still alive?"

I shrugged. "We decided to go through old files. We investigated the ones who had suspicious deaths and one of them lead me here."

"Fair enough," Caren nodded. "But you know you won't be leaving here alive."

"On the contrary," I said, reaching a hand into my trench. "I'll be perfectly fine."

For a second, we just stared at one another. Then I flung myself towards the kitchen as a Gengar flew down from the ceiling above. He turned towards me, flinging a ball of shadows at me. Withdrawing a pokeball, I leaped to the side, staring straight at Caren who just stood and watched.

I was in her living room now, so now I had room. I clicked the pokeball and Charizard appeared. His head brushed the ceiling as he roared at the Gengar, flames licking at the corners of his mouth.

"We could've done this the easy way," I reminded Caren. "You chose this."

She grinned widely, a hint of madness in that smile. "Bring it kid. Let's see what Giovanni's spawn is made of!"

"Let loose!" I roared.

Charizard lunged forwards, flames roaring around him, setting the surrounding area ablaze as he crashed into the wall where Gengar had been. Smoke quickly filled the room and Caren was no longer in sight. I jumped over Charizard's tail as he managed to get a hold on the Ghost type, claws elongating. I walked down the hallway, holding my trench with one hand to block the smoke while pulling out my gun with the other. 

One door stood at the end of the hallway, slightly ajar. I kicked it open and immediately swung myself behind the wall as a gunshot rang out. I heard several loud crashing noises as Gengar was slammed through the front door and out in the rain. I breathed slowly, before tossing a smoke bomb into the room. Instantly it filled with smoke, mixing with the smoke from the fire. It was thick and heavy, but I stepped into the room regardless. I ducked as another gunshot rang out, then stepped to the side. I aimed and fired, something sparking now.