Rogue (A Pokemon Fanfic)

Chapter 8: A Flash of Red

Ren and Emma stood triumphantly at the head of a waterfall flowing through Couriway Town. Far to the right, a train rattled on the tracks as it sped off bearing the gang of poachers the two had just nabbed.

After they'd arrived there from Dendemille, they'd had a stakeout at one of the tributaries and caught the criminals preparing to take off on the waterway with a batch of illegally caught Basculin.

The ensuing battle was one-sided. Emma's Crobat used Haze to lower the visibility for the opponent's fierce Dodrio, Pangoro, Swalot, and Whirlipede. Under the cover of this fog, Skarmory and Growlithe combined Air Slash and Flame Burst for devastating effect. A concise Sky Attack and Take Down brought all the criminals Pokemon down. Confused, the poachers ran, but Emma appeared in the haze and expertly slapped handcuffs on 2 or 3. The rest had received their new steel bracelets from Ren.

Turning the band into the local authorities, the duo had ended up by the waterfall, above the town to appreciate their work. It had been a good night, sleepless but successful.

Emma referred to the sound of the departing train, "Easy peasy!" She smiled at Ren. They had made a great team.

"I don't know how you look at it when you go out and stop criminals like this, but Looker always said it was about doling out justice and working for the good of people. So I like to think that we're helping. I want to give back to Looker and to Kalos too for everything they've done for me." Emma finished her short soliloquy with a content expression. "Why don't we get some rest and then get something eat?"

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After the meal, the two had split up, with Emma heading off to the Couriway Canal Museum (a building with a bronze statue of Bouffallant and Workmen hefting packs of stones inscribed "Construction of Kalos' Greatest Canal: Built with the Combined Effort of Humans and Pokemon").

The rest of Ren's day was consumed with activity. She hiked with Skarmory and Growlithe up to the crest of the cliffs. Looking down she saw the majestic falls spilling out of a fissure in the rock. Anywhere the water touched or splattered was a spot of fertile green. Suddenly, there was a rush of air and Skarmory had taken off into the sky, swirling on invisible wind currents. The Armor Bird Pokemon flew alongside a pair of specks. Ren squinted. After a few loops, the specks traveled closer until the green-haired trainer could make out what they were. A Noctowl and a person wearing a tight blue and white aerodynamic suit landed on the ledge with Skarmory following. The figure pushed up their goggles and scrutinized Ren.

"Your Pokemon joined us out there," the girl commented while nudging back a tangle of her neon pixie cut. "Diddya wanna fly too?"

Ren's apprehension melted away. "You have an extra suit?" She referred to the Sky Trainer outfit with the air-catching flaps.

"You like red?"

"Who doesn't?" She slipped on the sky suit and propped her goggles on the bridge of her nose, protecting her eyes. With a bit quick instruction, Ren followed the Sky Trainer to the edge of the cliff and jumped.

Wind rushed past her face until the flaps on the side of the suit activated and scooped up air. The green-haired trainer settled into a glide and was carried higher and higher. Her braid flapped in the breeze like a bird's tail feathers. The landscape stretched out infinite and tiny below her. This is what Skarmory saw. With each pump of her heart, electricity surged through her veins. This is what Skarmory felt. She looked around to see where the Sky Trainer was and veered to the right to join the woman, her Noctowl, and Skar. This was freedom.

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"It's been a long day." Emma reflected as she heard the door of their Pokecenter room click open. Ren took a step in before closing the door and moving to the window.