36: No Pokemon? No Problem (Chapter number is an estimate)
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36: No Pokemon? No Problem (Chapter number is an estimate)
About a year ago, Joe returned to Olivine after visiting his mother. He stepped off the train and walked up the station's stairs, surrounded by a horde of people the entire time. He was funnelled into a large, open structure, glass ceiling letting the sun rain down on him. An abundance of tapping sounds as shoes met tile rang through the building.
He walked through permanently open glass panel doors, holding the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Joe knew where he was going and what he was doing, but he still looked around. An action he did automatically. He always had an eye out for trouble. Always looked for someone to help.
A woman caught his eye. She had striking short, red hair. She was tall for her gender, slightly over six feet, and she was thin like a stick. In her arms was a Pokemon Joe recognised, but he didn't know why it was a different colour. It was brown, had beady eyes, and purple gills on the side of its head. It lacked arms and its thick tail happily swung about as it wore a smile. Wooper.
The woman stood near the road, waiting for a car to pick her up. Joe started to turn away, but a fast, unusual movement out of the corner of his eye got him to stay focused on the red head. Joe saw a man with spiky blonde hair rushing up behind the woman.
Joe didn't think. He let go of his bag and burst into a sprint. Joe was a few dozen meters away, while the assailant was mere meters away.
The thug bumped into the woman and pulled Wooper from her arms, her scream sounding in his ear as she fell back. Like taking candy from a baby. The woman was skinny, to her own detriment. Absolutely no muscle or strength. No way of resisting.
He was going to gloat, but then he saw Joe running his way. A giant of a man with a glare aimed right at the thug. His smug grin was erased as a shiver ran down his back. He spun on his heels and ran into the road.
A white van came speeding up the road, screeching to a halt as someone inside threw open the side panel door. The thug was just moments away from getting in the vehicle. Joe pumped his legs faster, feet hitting asphalt.
The blonde put one foot in the van as his friend grabbed his jacket to drag him in. "Go, go, go!" He shouted. The look on his friend's face was fear, hinting that the giant was closer than the gang would like.
Right as the driver slammed his foot down with all his might, the van lurching forward, Joe reached them. He stepped inside while ducking, ramming shoulder first into the vehicle and colliding with the friend. They hit the other side of the van together, rocking the vehicle as it sped down the road.
Joe took a step back, into the center, bald friend in front and blonde to his side. Now what? Once again, Joe had acted before he thought, resulting in him being in enemy territory. There was only one course of action available to him. Fight.
The blonde thug, with Wooper in one arm, was already ahead of Joe. He'd yanked open a toolbox on the van's floor and grabbed the handle of a heavy-duty pipe wrench. He swung it at Joe as the big man faced him.
Joe struck the inside of the blonde's arm using the outside of his own arm. This stopped the blonde's swing. He sent a quick jab into the thug's face. With the blonde stunned, Joe figured he could just grab Wooper and jump out of the van, but arms wrapped around his neck as the friend jumped on his back. Joe arched forward, put large hands on his attacker's biceps and pulled him down onto the metal floor.
Before Joe could bring a fist down on the friend, something struck his inner knee, forcing him to drop. There was another thug in the back that Joe hadn't seen. A man that'd been quiet in the corner.
Wooper was tossed into the front and cowered in the passenger footwell. This freed up the blonde's hands. He swung the pipe wrench at Joe's head. In such a confined space, kneeling, Joe didn't have many options. He chose to take the hit. He brought his shoulder up as high as he could. The metal wrench struck with force, sending an intense jolt of pain through Joe's arm.
A moment later the van turned hard, shifting them all off balance. If only that had come a little sooner, Joe wouldn't have an arm that felt like it was on fire.
The friend recovered first, aiming the tip of his foot at Joe's chin. Joe grabbed the incoming kick, pulled the thug, and used an open palm to uppercut him. His head snapped back and he fell.
Joe was struck in the side by a heavy object. The wrench again. He recoiled, more pain shooting through his body. He prepared a fist to fight back, but the hidden thug struck again, climbing and entwining himself around Joe's arm, using his body to drag the giant down. Joe saw the guy had a ponytail. He named them. Blondey, the initial thug. Baldy, the friend. Ponytail, apparently a martial artist. And he couldn't forget Driver.
Being grappled was annoying, but there was a big strength difference. Joe had the capability to swing his arm still, so he was going to swing the grappler into the side of the van head first.
He never got the chance. Ponytail kicked Joe in the face, which caused him to falter for just a moment. Driver, annoyed with the action in the back of his van throwing the weight of the vehicle off balance, grabbed a bulky taser and rested his arm atop the seats.
Two thick pins from a Pincurchin shot out and struck Joe in the chest, sending Arceus knew how many volts through his body. He spasmed, his muscles moving on their own, but managed to stay kneeling. If he fell then it was over. They could mob him and put him out of action.
Light flooded in as the twin backdoors opened by Baldy. Ponytail let go of Joe, twisting in midair to land on his hands and knees. Agile like a cat. Blondey grabbed a rail near the van's ceiling, swung like a monkey and kicked Joe in the chest, above where the taser had struck him. The giant fell back as the vehicle took another sharp turn. Joe fell out of the van and rolled on asphalt.
The gang watched as Joe sat up and rested on his knees. The giant stared at them, pulling the pins out of his body before slamming a fist into the road and standing up. With some effort, Baldy and Ponytail managed to grab the backdoors as they waved about. They slammed the doors shut.
The three members of the gang let out heavy sighs and collapsed on their rears, looking at each other.
"Who was that guy?" Baldy asked, rubbing his chin from when he'd been uppercut.
Having felt the zap of electricity from the taser, Ponytail flexed his toes. Most of the volts went to the giant because the point of a taser with two pins was to send electricity between the pins. But even so, some volts escaped containment and ventured into other parts of Joe's body, which was why Ponytail felt it a little.
"This job better be worth it." The blonde said, looking over his shoulder at the driver.
"Don't worry, this is our ticket to the big leagues." The driver replied.
No one believed him. This wasn't the gang's first job. The driver, their boss, always talked big, but the rest of the group had enough sense to know that taking a Wooper didn't amount to much.
The gang fell into silence. Blondey had done his part. Now he got to rest. His role was that of the initial runner due to his time in sports when he was a student. Ponytail was there for his martial arts prowess, and Baldy was there as a lookout.
Baldy stood up, having had enough of a break, and looked out the back windows to make sure they weren't being followed by police. "...You've got to be kidding me."
Blondey perked up and rose, looking out the window. His brow furrowed, not liking what he saw.
A couple of minutes ago, after Joe pulled the pins out of his numb body and considered how lucky he was that he left the van when it had to slow down for a turn, a car stopped beside him. A man leaned over and opened the passenger door.
"Come on, get in." He shouted to be heard over honking horns and shouting pedestrians, chewing gum between words.
Joe had no clue who this normal looking guy was, but he welcomed the help. He rose and did his best not to appear weak. The taser was still affecting him, making him unsteady on his feet. He clambered into the dark green family car. Tires spun and smoke rose as the man put pedal to metal. Joe was surprised by the speed of the simple car as it darted forward.
"You're something else." The man said, hitting buttons on the dashboard until a radio station broadcasting rock music came on, guitar and drums filling the vehicle. He grinned as he watched the van ahead take a right onto a highway. "I saw you at the train station. Who just runs into a van like that?" He laughed. "You should've seen the look on people's faces."
They reached the highway as Joe looked in the rear-view mirror. He saw a baby's car seat. He turned around.
"Ah, don't worry about that. My kid's with his grandparents. He was with them for the weekend. I was just picking him up when you decided to be a hero." He chuckled to himself. "Mother slapped my arm and told me I better come help, so here I am."
"Well I appreciate it. Tell your mum I said thanks." Joe said as the family car got closer to the van. He suspected his helper was both nervous, hence the talking, but also a bit of an adrenaline junkie. He was just casually chewing gum and enjoying music, thumbs hitting the steering wheel in time with the lyrics. Not everyone had nerves of steel like Joe. Some people had to act despite their worries. The man was doing his best.
Joe eyed the bars on the van's roof. Two metal rods across the width of the vehicle. Typically for a storage box of some kind.
"Two things." The man spoke up. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were headed to the airport."
Joe thought about it as he eyed signs that passed by overhead. The man was probably right. The van was sticking to one side, like it wanted to get off at the nearest exit. This highway connected to an airport in a few minutes. That likely meant the thugs had a quick getaway prepared. No way they used a public aeroplane, it would be too time consuming. It had to be private. This job was bigger than Joe expected. Not just anyone had a plane as a getaway vehicle. "The second?"
"I think you're about to jump onto the van."
"I don't have any other ideas."
The man thought and thought, his frown growing with every second. "...I've got nothing either. Sorry. But if someone can do it, it's you." He looked at the giant from the corner of his eye. "Good luck."
Joe nodded and opened the door as the family car sped up, putting it alongside the van. No time like the present. Joe jumped as wind rushed around him. He aimed for the center, grabbing both metal bars, but his hand slipped off the front bar as his chest hit the side of the van. He flailed briefly before gripping the back bar with both hands.
Now steady, Joe held on with one hand while reaching down to the handle on the sliding door. With some effort, he opened it. The door jumped out of his hand immediately, gravity forcing it along the rail. Joe grabbed the corner of the roof and threw himself inside. He panted, catching his breath because it'd been stolen by the wind.
Joe stood up straight and eyed the thugs that couldn't believe how far he was willing to go for this Wooper. They must be thinking Joe knew the woman. Maybe he was her boyfriend or something and he was trying to show off. Not just anyone did what Joe was willing to do.
"So then, round two?" Joe commented.
Once he said that, Ponytail struck first. The fight went roughly the same as before because Joe wasn't used to overwhelming odds. He was just one man. He punched Blondey, who blocked with an arm. Then Ponytail came in with a grapple while Joe had to fend off Baldy. It was a mess. And what made it worse was that the panel door was still open. Blondey almost flew outside at one point, forcing Joe to grab his arm and toss him to the floor. Joe didn't like these people, but the van was moving fast. A fall at this speed would severely injure, or maybe worse.
"Are you guys sure we can't talk about this?" Joe asked, seeing how helping one of them had stunned the other two into inaction. But alas, the fight continued.
The van curved, indicating they were leaving the highway. The airport theory was correct. Driver didn't slow down, racing towards a massive building. He swerved to the side of the airport and drove through multiple layers of wire fencing, tearing them down. He had no choice. This was his time to shine. He had to complete this job. Just get Wooper to the jet. Then he'd finally be on track to be rich. He'd finally be someone.
Driver saw the jet just ahead, but his face switched from joy to horror quickly as the fence he'd rushed through fell and got caught under a tire. The van twisted and toppled, rolling onto its back and skidding to a halt.
Coughing and moaning ensued. Ponytail and Blondey woke up first. They looked around through dazed, unfocused eyes, until they saw Baldy. They moved to him, shaking him awake. The trio looked at Joe, unconscious and bleeding from the head. Blondey, having been saved by the giant not too long ago, leaned down and checked for a pulse. Joe was fine. Good. Blondey didn't want someone's death weighing him down. It was why they hadn't used their Pokemon. Back on the highway, they saw Joe coming. They could've had their Pokemon use various attacks to stop the family car, but the risk of hitting and severely hurting a person meant they refused to act.
The trio stumbled outside and around the van, Blondey to the passenger side and the other two to the driver's side. Blondey ripped open the door and grabbed Wooper. Ground-type Pokemon were known for their sturdiness, so Wooper seemed the most okay out of everyone in the wreck. Ponytail and Baldy gently brought Driver down. Driver had been saved thanks to his seatbelt, but he was shaken up.
They moved to the private jet that awaited them, but they didn't rush. They were battered and bruised and out of energy. That was their mistake.
Joe awoke in the van, vaguely recalling his head hitting metal before waking up on the floor. He touched his head. He saw red on his fingers. He grunted, sitting up as shards of glass fell off him. Add a nasty headache to his growing list of pain.
Joe stumbled outside, cutting his hand on twisted metal as he grabbed a surface. His vision was uneven and shifting, but he saw the gang approaching a sleek silver jet. That woke him up. Whoever was behind kidnapping such an ordinary Pokemon had serious money.
The gang heard metal creaking and turned to see Joe. They started moving faster, but the door that doubled as a set of stairs moved slowly. Glass crunched under Joe's foot as he grabbed one of the interior metal bars. Blondey had used one to kick Joe out of the van earlier.
Joe grit his teeth and planted a firm foot on the van. With some effort, he pulled the bar so hard it broke. He stumbled back, stood up straight, and turned to the jet, metal pipe by his side. Now it wasn't just Blondey that felt fear. The rest of the gang began panicking as they clambered up the staircase that was only fit for one person at a time.
Joe ran, but he wasn't going to make it in time. The door was rising. Closing. If that happened, Joe would've failed. No way was he going to let that woman and her Wooper down. Joe planted a foot and skid forward as he held the metal rod like a javelin. He threw the bar. It sailed through the air and jammed the door right before it closed. The door began to fall again.
A quirk of modern safety measures. If the hydraulic door sensed an obstruction, then not only did it stop, but it also opened. There was some machinery with similar systems. If a hand came into contact with a saw, the tool shut off so quickly it couldn't even cut skin. It was like magic to someone like Joe who didn't understand how something could react and stop so quickly.
Joe once again seemed to have absurd luck. This jet in particular had a safety protocol that, if the door was blocked, it would open fully and give people time to remove the object. This protocol couldn't be overwritten. Joe saw, as he sprinted at the door, Ponytail mashing buttons on a panel. He had kicked the metal bar out of the way and was desperately trying to bring the door back up.
Joe scooped up the metal bar as it clattered to the ground. Keeping his momentum, he leapt up the steps multiple at a time, barging into the jet and knocking Baldy into the opposite wall, his head bouncing off the jet.
The cabin was open, as expected. Private jets had few occupants, and those rich people wanted the luxury of being able to move around freely. There were about ten seats in total, mostly close to the cockpit.
Joe stood surrounded, breathing heavily and looking at them all. They still looked ready to fight. "Really, guys? Round three?"
With the door closing again, the jet started moving. As Joe parried the wrench that Blondey brought with him and ducked a punch from Ponytail, he marvelled at how his first time aboard a fancy vehicle was to fight some thugs. Joe spun, struck out, and dodged his way through four attackers. He saw the sad Wooper standing near the cockpit, shivering.
His objective. If Joe could just grab the Pokemon and bail, he'd win. Easier said than done, though.
Driver joined in now that he couldn't pilot a plane. He pointed his taser at Joe and fired. Joe stepped aside and the pins embedded themselves in Ponytail. Another stroke of luck, the martial artist was the biggest threat. Having him sizzling, taken out of the fight, was helpful. Joe swung low, clipping Driver in the leg with his makeshift weapon. Metal to shin didn't go over so well. Driver collapsed, shouting. Joe felt the pain. He'd taken a few hits to the shins before. Always unpleasant. Oh well. No one cared for the complaints of criminals. They were just getting what was coming to them. Joe had no sympathy for bad people.
Joe approached Wooper, but he was too late. Hearing trouble in the cabin, the pilot opted for a steep ascent. The jet's nose aimed at the sky, causing the occupants to fall. Everyone grabbed seats, Joe making a mistake by holding the metal base of a seat with his injured hand. He could feel the blood moving down his wrist. He used his good hand to reach Wooper before the animal fell to the other side of the jet. Joe placed the Pokemon on a seat and soon the plane levelled out. Joe rose, as did his foes.
Joe looked at the seat Wooper was sitting in. A plush armchair he would love to sink into right about now. "Don't worry, I'll get you back to her soon." Joe said, patting Wooper's head.
Joe turned to face the gang again when a mighty roar sounded from outside. Jets were, at least on the inside, designed to be quiet so their rich owner could rest between work, or perhaps work with few annoyances. Joe looked through a small window and saw a blur of bright blue and red. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that was Jasmine's Salamence.
He was going to grab Wooper, charge through the gang and jump out the door, but Driver stood in his way, Pokeball in hand. Joe's face hardened.
"I'm not losing this!" He shouted, throwing the ball and letting out a big grey Pokemon with bulging red arms. It wore what looked like black underwear and had something like rows of hair. Machoke.
Joe was tired and injured, but sure. He strength remaining. He had already dropped the metal bar when the plane left the ground so it was an unarmed fight. Wasn't the first time Joe personally fought a Pokemon either. Sometimes they need to be put in their place, for one reason or another. It was no different from using a Pokemon to beat a troublemaker animal into submission.
People, compared to Pokemon, were weak. Joe was at a disadvantage for simply being what he was. If anything, a person fighting a Pokemon wasn't as bad. Machoke seemed hesitant at first, but when Joe looked ready to fight, his face stern, Machoke accepted the challenge.
They met in the middle, their hands clasping in a pushing contest. Joe didn't care for it. He lashed out, kicking Machoke's leg out from under it. The Pokemon began to fall. Joe grabbed one of Machoke's arms with both hands and, with all his might, letting out a heavy grunt, swung Machoke into the side of the jet.
Machoke fell to the floor, just missing some nice chairs. It sprung up and tackled Joe into the opposite side of the jet. With clenched fists, Joe brought the side of his hands down on his foe, pounding Machoke to the floor. Machoke swiped, tripping Joe. Joe fell onto his back and Machoke attempted to get on top with the goal of punching Joe in the face.
Joe rushed to sit up and headbutt Machoke, causing the Pokemon to recoil. He tucked his legs in and wrapped his arms around Machoke's waist. He sprung up while arching backwards, slamming Machoke's head into the floor. Now Joe could say he'd performed a suplex on a Pokemon.
Machoke fell sideways as Joe rose. The Pokemon didn't get back up. That fight went a bit too well. While its Trainer wanted to stop Joe, Machoke was a species of immense strength. It had enough strength to break bones upon punching. It had held back the entire time, and also faked being knocked out. Machoke could easily go for more rounds, but it really didn't want to harm a person.
"Now then, do you want me to loose a Gym Leader on you, or can I walk away with Wooper?"
At this point the gang believed this was more trouble than it was worth, even if they were surprised to see a genuine private jet awaiting them. Everyone but Driver, the leader, stepped back. The job was over, they failed.
Joe tucked Wooper under his arm and went to the door, brushing past Driver. He raised his other hand to mess with the panel and lower the stairs when he felt something hit his side. He looked to see Driver with a twisted bit of metal. Joe's metal bar he'd dropped earlier. The end was sharp enough to pierce him.
Driver looked up and grinned. Joe grabbed Driver's face, turned and slammed his head into the door panel repeatedly. Driver was soon knocked out, going limp. Joe tossed the man aside, suddenly feeling very weak. His injuries were catching up with him. Joe, his mind in a jumbled state, reached for the piece of metal sticking out of him, but Blondey shouted.
"Don't!"
Joe blinked at his enemy, not quite seeing him. But that word... Right. Joe shouldn't pull the metal out. He left it alone and nodded to Blondey. Joe gained some respect for the man, thinking perhaps he could change if he tried.
The entire plane shook as another roar rang through the air, Joe having to lean against the wall to stay standing. The dragon outside, or more like the Trainer, was done with waiting. Salamence had grabbed onto the side of the plane. Scrapping could be heard as shining silver claws broke through a corner of the door.
Joe pointed at the unconscious Driver. "Grab him." He said as the wind picked up in the cabin due to a breach. Blondey and Baldy grabbed Driver and buckled him into a seat. Ponytail woke up and acted on half asleep instincts, following suit.
With a crunch, the door flew off, revealing the white armoured belly of a dragon. Salamence poked its head in, stretching its long neck. It turned to see Joe, its angry eyes calming, blue fins on the side of its head wiggling from happiness. Joe smiled and patted the dragon. The recently retired dragon of Jasmine's personal roster. Salamence had fought enough, now choosing to rest unless it was absolutely needed, like now.
Salamence moved away from the door and spun around so its back was ready for Joe to jump onto, revealing Jasmine in a long white dress, light brown hair flying all over due to the winds at this speed.
Jasmine, being a Gym Leader, was contractually obligated to be a peacekeeper. She had fought a few gangs in Olivine whenever she was called upon. She didn't think much of today's peacekeeping duties, until, as she prepared to take off, she heard the problem started at a train station. She got a bad feeling since Joe was due back around this time, so she demanded more information. Sure enough, a big man was seen in pursuit of the criminals. That had spurred her to action faster than normal, and she'd been able to get Salamence out of retirement just for this because the dragon liked Joe.
Joe jumped aboard between curved red wings, ignoring Jasmine's panic from seeing her good friend so heavily injured. Her hands hovered around him, her eyes darting from one wound to another. Whatever she said, Joe didn't hear. His injuries were getting to him, and he was also thinking about how, after a weekend away, this wasn't how he expected to be reunited with Jasmine.
As Jasmine flew them away, Joe turned to see the jet slow, its altitude decreasing. Of course, with a missing door, they needed to land.
The dragon flew close to the ground, moving fast. Joe needed medical attention. As they approached the airport and saw various vehicles, Joe spoke up.
"Take us down here." He pointed.
"What? But you need a hospital..." Jasmine complained, not agreeing with Joe.
"Take a closer look."
Jasmine did so, seeing flashing lights. During a situation like this, all three members of emergency services were summoned. There were multiple of every vehicle, including ambulances. Medics were on standby.
Someone on the ground pointed at the approaching dragon. When it was close enough, there was a collective sigh of relief as the people saw Jasmine. Tense shoulders relaxed as Salamence landed, creating a wind that forced people to raise their arms.
Joe hopped off and stumbled, going down to a knee. Jasmine let out a cry and freaked out. She tried to help him up with her feeble strength, grabbing his thick arm.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just need a moment."
Before anyone had the time to approach and help, Joe stood up and began walking. And that's when he saw her. The woman. Wooper's owner. He'd been a little out of it when he rode on Salamence, not noticing there were normal vehicles around too. He'd simply been drawn to the flashing lights. The woman had arrived with her driver after hearing the situation had reached the airport.
Joe stood up straight as she ran to him. Or more like ran to Wooper. Joe shifted, holding Wooper out for the woman. "Here you go, ma'am."
She took Wooper from Joe's hands and hugged the Pokemon tightly, then turned to Joe. Unlike many women, she didn't have to arch her head back to look at him. "Thank you!"
Joe simply started walking as Jasmine stood there, flustered. She nodded at the woman a couple times and ran off to Joe's side. Joe had eyed medical staff. Saw them rushing to grab boxes of supplies. He figured he'd make their jobs easier and go to them.
"Thank you!" The woman called out again.
Joe raised his good hand without turning, accepting her appreciation silently.
A couple of days later, Joe left the hospital all stitched up. He'd have to be careful for a while because he has had multiple light fractures and his body needed to make a fresh batch of blood. As he slowly walked outside, the woman with the Wooper approached, now with long green hair reaching her ankles. Sharp red eyes softened as she looked at him.
She thanked him again. Introduced herself as Rika, a model. She was in Olivine for work. A themed photo shoot tour, starting in the modern Olivine and Goldenrod, and going back through time to the old Ecruteak.
Rika's photographer had also come to give thanks to Joe for helping her friend. They shook hands and, at her insistence, Joe, Rika and Wooper took a picture together outside the hospital.
Once he got home, Joe looked into Rika. Saw a beautiful woman in various situations, in different styles. Short white hair, bunched up red hair, long green hair. Joe wondered what the real Rika looked like, outside of model work that changed her constantly. He didn't know he'd seen the true Rika upon exiting the hospital. Long green hair was what she liked. The way she wanted to be.
An important detail stuck out to Joe. Rika was a model worth millions. That explained this whole ordeal. Blackmail or extortion. Although did it explain that someone with a private jet was involved? That seemed like an odd detail to Joe. There was more to this, but now it was in the hands of the police.
* * * * *
Many miles away, a man in a suit sipped expensive whisky. He had to stop himself from throwing the glass at a wall when he received news of failure. It should've been a simple job. Take Rika's Pokemon. That's all they had to do.
The reason? Petty revenge. This man had started her modelling career, and yet she had abandoned him and gone to a different talent agency. All that money should've been his. In return for Rika's abandonment and a loss of wealth, the businessman wanted to inflict emotional distress on the woman. Maybe take what was rightfully his through extortion, if he could get away with it.
He put his short tumbler glass down and moved to stand in front of ceiling high windows overlooking nature. For now he'd lay low. There shouldn't be any connections to him. The idiots that failed to complete a simple job had no idea who hired them. Praise be to handlers. The middlemen that kept themselves secret but did an excellent job connecting those with underhanded desires to people willing to execute such plans.
As for the private jet, it wasn't his. It was hidden behind a number of fake companies. Shell companies. On top of that, it was decommissioned some years ago. It'd secretly be put back in a junk yard. He would be surprised if the police could find a defunct jet in some random pile of junk, hidden behind a handful of pointless companies.
The man considered the future. It might take a month. It might take a couple of years. But when the businessman's need for revenge spiked, he'd come up with some new plot to get back at Rika. He was certain of that.
- - - - -
Author's Note
A couple things. Yes, Rika from Paldea. I like the idea of characters working to their position from the games. This was a year ago so Rika is currently, but very slowly, working through the Gym Challenge. Eventually she'll earn her Elite title. Think Karen being in the League, not an Elite yet. Or Katy exploring the world looking to train under the best bakers so she's not a Gym Leader yet.
This chapter will make more sense when we get there. There's a set up right before it, but this was actually alluded to in the Amethyst tournament. Erika mentioned it as one of the few things Jasmine spoke about to her. And there is further pay off, the chapter after will recall some of the aftermath.
After a few weeks off writing, I just wanted to write something fun. This chapter is what I want to do with Joe in the long run. Make him a menace to villains because he's relentless. I'm still setting things up so conflicts are slow at the moment, but when things get going, Joe will constantly be like this chapter. As soon as his team is done and he can easily go after gangs, he's going to be a nightmare for villains. Not to get ahead of myself, but there are certain key books, like 3 and 7, that I can't wait to write.
With this action chapter off my chest, it's back to proper story telling and a ramping up of stakes. Finishing Talonflame and getting to Pewter.