Pokémon Fool's Gold | Orre & Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 52: The Ultimate Shadow Trainer

Guards in the underground prison scattered. April's Shadow Liepard streaked down the corridor. A man yelled.

'I'm not helping you! Torture me all you want! I refuse!'

It was Jamal, Jaxon's dad. Coren wanted him to work for Cipher as an aerospace engineer. He promised to pay him well. When bribes didn't work, he had Jamal whipped and beaten, first by subordinates and then by his own freshly converted Shadow Pokémon; but that didn't work either.

'I'm not here for you, you twat.'

April unlocked Anabel and Looker's cell. Looker's eyes scanned the corridor as April steered Anabel out. He still had Rui's knife. His fingers closed around the cold handle.

'Don't bother, Looker.'

'What?' April demanded, 'Don't bother what?'

'He wants to come with me.'

'Hmph. This isn't the hospital.'

April was satisfied with the lie. She marched Anabel out of the jail. Liepard led the way. The cowering guards straightened up. They boarded The Under's extended subway. Some of the sleek trains only contained seats and poles to cling to. Others, the Shadow Liners, were crammed with cages and scientific equipment. It was one of those April and Anabel boarded. They were alone. April pulled Anabel with her to the driver's controls. A train pulled in to the opposite platform. Commuting scientists and Peons abruptly looked down upon spotting April. She waited for it to leave before turning the key.

'Psst. Whatever your name is.'

'Anabel.'

'You're a police officer, aren't you?'

'Yes?'

'I'm not a real Shadow Trainer.'

'We figured.'

'Look, I can help you. I sat in while they did it to Rui and saw a load of simulations when they were trying to do it to me.'

'Thanks... but I believe the process will be instant for me.'

'Well, yeah, but I know a way around it. They all step out when they put you in the thing. Being around normal people interferes with the process. But they think I'm a Shadow Trainer. So if I stand there – which I will – it holds it up. I didn't realise at first. It prolonged things for Rui. Poor sod.'

The train lurched forward. There were no more prying eyes in the murky tunnel. April turned to Anabel.

'If you can pretend the process is successful, I'll cover for you. What do you think? We've got about five minutes to decide.'

April's offer seemed to good to be true... but she wasn't a Shadow Trainer. There was no aura. Any conditions she might impose were probably related to Leon... though maybe a supervised meeting would actually convince her to leave him alone.

'It would have to be supervised... but if you help me, I can arrange for you to meet Mr Fayed.'

The bright, artificial light gleamed on April's visor. 'I just want to get the fuck out, but I'll hold you to that, thanks.'

She grinned. Anabel was confident now she wouldn't betray her. Not because she actually cared, but because in exchange for her loyalty was the most coveted prize she could possibly offer.

'Right. We'll deal with how you need to act in general later. For now, let's just cover how you'll get through this. You'll be strapped to a table. It's pitch-black – the scientists won't be able to see you. I'll hold your hand. They will be able to hear, so don't say anything that gives us away. I'm supposed to release a load of Shadow Pokémon, but I've stolen some normal ones. I'll just have them make a racket. You need to start screaming. Try to sound scared at first. Then angry. Hateful. Everything that's ever pissed you off, everything you've ever hated, you need to scream for it all. This can go on for hours. OK?'