Shayla sucked in a deep breath as she awoke. She slowly sat up, a bit disoriented and not recognizing her surroundings. Where was she? Light filtered in through the thin curtains that covered the window to the far right. Shayla rubbed her eyes and slowly began to remember the events from the night before. She was in Ashur's house in Accumula Town. She was running away with the help of a friend of Uriel's named Tyson.
Shayla could smell something cooking from downstairs and immediately realized she would dearly miss Josiane's cooking. Shayla had never really managed to pick up the skill in her time there, other than learning how to microwave instant ramen and waffles that were supposed to be toasted. Josiane had told Shayla that Uriel had the same problem. Unless you could cook it in a microwave, Uriel was pretty much hopeless. Josiane said she didn't really mind though. Smeargles were naturally artistic and Josiane's artistic expression was shown through cooking. Shayla's mouth began to water as she thought about all the creations Josiane had made. Kalos's Prism Tower out of pancakes, a hot fudge sundae made to look like Johto's Bell Tower, and a SS Anne made out of bacon! Shayla sighed happily before climbing out of bed. Oh well, maybe one day she'd be able to have those culinary masterpieces again.
Shayla slowly got dressed into a new set of clothes. She paused at the sight of the clothes she had worn the night before neatly folded on the nightstand. Shayla reached out and noticed that they were warm to the touch. Had Ashur washed them for her? How long was she asleep? With more questions than answers, Shayla packed those clothes back in her bag, hoisted it onto her back, and exited the room.
Shayla followed the delicious scent downstairs into the large living space. Shayla glanced around the room. It had been late last night so Shayla had not gotten a good look around the room. It was pretty much half the first floor. There was a living room area towards the front of the house, the sofa bed unfolded for Tyson. There was also a coffee table, pushed to the side for now, and a mounted television. All of this sat on a very soft looking ornate rug. Across the room from Shayla was the kitchen area. Tyson and Ashur both stood around the stove, their voices low as they had a private discussion. The kitchen area also had a fridge, an oven, and a microwave. There was a counter in between Shayla and the two men, which was currently holding a plate of breakfast foods, a large pitcher of water, and a glass of leppa juice. There was a dining area to Shayla's left, which was where they had entered the house the night before. There was a large table and four chairs, though they appeared to only serve the purpose of collecting dust.
Tyson looked up as Shayla entered the room. "Good afternoon, Boomburst," he said as she approached the counter. "Sleep well?"
"Boomburst? I thought I made it clear we were done with the nicknames."
Tyson shook his head much to Shayla's annoyance. "No can do, Boomburst. I'm a nicknames kind of guy. Ashur has a nickname, I just don't use it much. He's Shy Guy. My little brother is Mad Munchlax. Nicknames all around."
Shayla frowned and narrowed her eyes but didn't protest. "So then why Boomburst? I'm not a noivern or exploud last I checked."
Ashur gently pushed the plate of food towards Shayla. Shayla picked up the glass of juice and plate, nodding her thanks.
"No, but you snore like one."
Shayla’s cheeks turned bright red and she snapped back, "I do not snore!" Uriel had always teased her about this, claiming she snored so loudly that Arceus could hear it in its deep slumber.
"Oh yes you do. Ashur opened the door to your room earlier and it was like an entire trumpet section from an orchestra was practicing in there."
Shayla put down her glass and plate, causing Ashur to slink away a bit."I don't snore, Tyson!" she persisted.
Tyson turned to retort when his eyes suddenly got wide. Then a ear-piercing whine filled the air as the smoke alarm went off. Shayla covered her ears, realizing what had happened. She started to sling her hair over her shoulder when she was suddenly doused with water. Shayla glared at Tyson, the man staring back at her with a smug look on his face as he held the now empty pitcher of water.
"Maybe I should call you Flame Body instead." Shayla rolled her eyes and groaned. She started to look around for paper towels when Ashur rushed forward with a hand towel. Shayla began to dry off her face and hair. "I thought Uriel said you didn't know any fire moves," Tyson added.
"I don't. That was Smokescreen. I have a tendency to let off smoke whenever I get mad." Shayla pulled her hair around and showed Tyson the bottom. It was charred and black compared to the rest of her hair being a dark blue. "My hair catches on fire and released a cloud of smoke. This is the closest I've gotten to learning any fire move at this point."
"I see. Well, I'll see if we can change that by the time we reach Castelia City. Any cyndaquil should know at least one fire move before they take on their world on their own. Now eat up. You and I are leaving as soon as you're finished."
Shayla started to eat a piece of bacon when the statement registered with her. "Ashur isn't coming with us?" The krookodile gijinka had slipped out of the room at some point, leaving her and Tyson alone.
Tyson shook his head. "Ashur is not the type to draw attention to himself. Those of us in the trafficking business generally try to avoid getting him involved in this sort of thing. He helps from time to time because he can’t say no, but…” Tyson trailed off and stared at the stairs. “Some people are meant to dwell within the world of crime. Ashur is not one of those people.” After a moment, Tyson gestured with his hand for Shayla to continue eating. “How about we play twenty questions or whatever like you requested last night,” he suggested, obviously trying to change topics. Shayla swallowed the piece of bacon she was munching on and nodded.
“Okay, fine. Basic information, let’s go,” Shayla demanded before taking another bite of bacon.
Tyson crossed his arms and shrugged a little. “Alright. As I mentioned last night, my name is Tyson Jonas, and I’m a professional smuggler. Though for all intents and purposes, my job is a mechanic. I’m twenty-eight, my weapon of choice is a chain, and I have a younger brother named Leon and a husband named Alain. Plus two kids, Nikolas and Pearl. Oh, also, I’m a steelix gijinka, in case you were wondering.”
Shayla raised her eyebrows at that. “A Steelix? In Unova? I get we’re on a prison island but I thought your kind never ventured outside of the Kanto and Johto provinces.”
“Yeah, I know. My brother and I were actually born in Alola. Our parents are from Kanto. They moved to Alola shortly before I was born. And before you ask, I got arrested and was sent here with my brother. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I thought they weren’t shipping prisoners to Unova anymore,” Shayla commented.
Tyson shrugged as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “Publicly, that’s what the Arceuian Authority claims. But there’s been several shipments of prisoners since I arrived. Apparently, this is the overflow area for prisons now. It’s why those rebellion groups like Team Plasma have gained a lot of traction lately.” Tyson blew off his coffee and sighed at Shayla’s confused expression.
“Team Plasma?” she asked. The name sounded familiar but Shayla couldn’t quite place why.
“Those guys with the weird costumes that keep marching all over the place chanting about liberating Unova.” Shayla nodded her head in understanding. She had seen them protesting in Nimbasa when she and Uriel had visited. She hadn’t realized they were such a big deal in Unova. Barely ever leaving the smallest town in the region had that effect. “They want to open Unova’s borders and free us from the Arceuian Authority. Personally, I’m not a huge fan. The Arceuian Authority is a pain, yeah, but we’ve got a thriving society here in Unova partially because of them. Why would you change that now?”
“That’s… a fair point.” Shayla scrunched up her nose a little. “But I kind of agree with them. The Arceuian Authority just threw a bunch of people here for no other reason other than they didn’t want to bother us. Just because we decided to not follow directions for once in our lives. It’s like Father Arceus doesn’t want our free will to exist or something,” Shayla snarled out.
Tyson stared at her, his expression unreadable. He took another drink from his coffee then said, “Well then, you’ll fit right in here. Other than that ‘Father Arceus’ thing. Don’t know if that’s a Sinnoh thing but we don’t call him that here. It’s disrespectful to call him anything other than the Original One.”
Shayla flushed a little and let out a nervous laugh. “Right, got it. The Original One. Sorry… it slipped.” Tyson shook his head, as if to say it didn’t matter.
Silence lapsed over them until Shayla finished her breakfast. Ashur had managed to stay busy upstairs the whole time, and as Shayla and Tyson packed to leave, it felt wrong to leave without a goodbye.
Thankfully, Tyson had a similar inkling.
“Hey Ashur! Get down here so we can say goodbye!”
There was a thumping upstairs before Ashur finally appeared at the top of the steps. He scurried down and smiled at the two. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were leaving.” He paused for a minute, unsure of what to say, his eyes darting around the room a moment before looking at Shayla. “Stay safe, okay? Tyson’s a great escort, but once you’re outside Unova he can’t protect you, so take care of yourself.” Ashur hesitated again before looking at Tyson. “That goes for you too. And Leon. With Team Plasma rising up, all the wardens are on edge, and you’re right on the edge of the pyroar’s den living in Striaton. I’d… be really sad if I found out you got caught smuggling.”
Shayla saw Tyson smile a bit and pat Ashur’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about us. Didn’t you say your sister, Eclipse, is visiting soon? You should get the house prepped for her arrival! We’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll even come visit you.”
Ashur looked between the two before slowly nodding his head. “Okay… just stay safe.” Ashur turned his attention to Shayla. “You’re welcome back any time,” he said quietly before walking over to the door. He fumbled with the locks for a moment before opening the door for Tyson and Shayla. “Good luck.” Tyson saluted to Ashur before stepping out.
Shayla offered a smile, unsure what to say that would comfort Ashur. “Our paths will cross again, one day, I promise.”
Ashur smiled back and nodded as he said, “I’ll wait for that day.” Ashur closed the door behind Tyson and Shayla.
As they descended the hill, Shayla noticed there was a large crowd gathering in the square. It took her a moment to recognize the Team Plasma flags and uniforms. It appeared they were hosting a rally.
Tyson noticed it too. “****,” he muttered, “we’re going to have to wade through the crowd to get to Route 2.”
Shayla cocked her head to the side. “Huh? Isn’t that a good thing? It would provide good cover, wouldn’t it?”
“Not really, we’ll be the only ones not participating. Plus, no doubt this rally held up the police. They were supposed to be at Striation by now, but at this rate they could just be reaching Route 2, which is really bad. But we can’t linger with Ashur anymore either, it risks him getting caught with us, which I am not having happen.” The steelix gijinka heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head.
“Looks like we haven’t got much choice then,” Shayla answered.
Tyson bit the inside of his cheek then glared at Shayla. “Let me make this clear. You do not talk to anyone. You do not make eye contact with anyone. Just follow me. Got it?” Shayla nodded her head and Tyson led her down the path into the belly of the beast.
People were marching around in a large mob, some holding signs while others were just shouting along with the chants. Tyson forcefully pushed his way through the crowd with Shayla close behind. Shayla could hear the main spokesperson of the event giving a speech from a mounted platform in the center of the crowd.
Tyson suddenly stopped and signaled for Shayla to do the same. “Head honcho is about to make a speech. It’ll look really out of place if we keep moving now. Just hold up.”
Shayla did as Tyson said and took the opportunity to turn her attention to the man on the raised platform not too far away. His face was relatively hidden behind a large silver hood, though she could make out one red eye. He wore large puffed up robes with what appeared to be a crown at the top in silver and blue. It was a peculiar outfit, with what appeared to be a thin silver circle with a solid dot in the center. From this dot, lines extended out in the four cardinal directions, forming smaller dots where the lines met the circle.
“People of Unova, I, Ghetsis of Team Plasma, thank you for coming out today. Truly, it is an honor to see how many of you stand with us against the horror from the castle in the sky. After the tragedy that caused the civil war, the Arceuian Authority has truly fallen. It is time Unova frees itself from this regime. We all deserve to be free!” Cheers began to rise up from the crowd. Shayla did not mimic the sentiment. The man brought of valid points, but there was something that felt off about what he was saying. Shayla could feel it. It was almost as if his presence itself caused her to immediately distrust him. “We have Team Plasma representatives stationed around the rally. Please consult them if you wish to join Team Plasma. I thank you for your time today, but I must be off for now. I hope to see you again soon, hopefully standing by me.” More cheers rose up as Ghetsis moved off the stage and was quickly surrounded by several attendants while he was escorted away.
The crowd began to shift as people began to make their way towards the Team Plasma attendants. Tyson grabbed hold of Shayla’s arm and started to lead her through the crowd but there were just too many people surrounding them. An individual with a pink and blue color scheme bumped into Shayla, causing her to drop her bag. It clattered to the ground and sent all of its contents sprawling.
“Hey!” Shayla shouted, but the stranger was already gone. Shayla huffed before bending down to quickly pick up her things. Shayla scrambled to pick up everything before it got trampled, though she started to panic when she realized something was missing. Her wallet was gone! Shayla desperately looked around for it but it quickly became apparent that the guy who had bumped her was a pickpocket. “Well, that’s just my luck.”
“Looking for this?” Shayla lifted her gaze to see a man wearing a black shirt with a white one on top and khaki pants staring down at her with her wallet in his hands. Shayla frowned a little, trying to place what gijinka he was. Something about him seemed… familiar, like she had encountered a gijinka of his species before, but she could not place it. Gallade, perhaps? No, his hair was too… poofy for a Gallade. But she wasn’t sure. Shayla noted he was wearing quite a bit of jewelry, a black ball for a necklace and bracelets on both wrists, on top of the void cube clipped to his belt. “I saw the guy bump into you then run. Your ID was on the inside.”
“Yes, thank you.” Shayla stood up and took her wallet back, stuffing it into her bag. Well, it sounded like her ID passed the test of fooling regular people.
The man extended his hand down to Shayla. Shayla eyed it for a split second before taking it and standing up.
“Were you watching the announcement?” the stranger asked quietly as he released Shayla’s hand.
Shayla brushed some of her hair from her face and shrugged. “Kinda. My friend and I were just leaving Accumula and happened to be passing through. It was interesting to hear though. I’ve been somewhat sheltered since I arrived in Unova, so I never really got to hear about Team Plasma’s stances on everything. I feel like they line up quite nicely with my own beliefs.” The stranger’s green eyes sparkled with interest and he opened his mouth to say something else when Tyson’s hand landed on Shayla’s shoulder. Shayla winced quietly as he gripped her tightly.
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation,” he said, obviously not actually sorry, “but we need to go. Now.” Tyson nodded his head in the direction of the stranger. It took Shayla a moment to notice, but those uniforms were hard to miss. Four bisharp gijinkas in bright red were inspecting those in the crowd. Not good.
“Ah yes, look at the time. We do need to go. I’m sorry, maybe we’ll meet again someday.”
The stranger seemed a bit upset that Shayla had to leave so soon but kept up his soft smile. He extended his hand to Shayla again. “Yes, hopefully we will meet again. I’m N, you are?”
“There! The cyndaquil gijinka in the middle of the crowd!”
Shayla quickly shook N’s hand and winked. “Shayla, pleasure.” With that, Shayla and Tyson took off through the crowd, shoving people out of the way as the bisharps charged after them. “Excuse me, excuse me, pardon me, please move, thank you. Hey! Move your a** I don’t want to die today! Thank you!”
After a few shouts and rough shoves, the rest of the crowd seemed to get the memo and moved out of the way as best they could. She and Tyson emerged from the crowd within sprinting distance of the gate exiting Accumula Town. Shayla started to take off when a loud screeching assaulted her ears. Shayla cried out and covered them, but it was too late, her senses going all wonky. The sky was pink, the ground was a rainbow, and all the buildings were giant unicorns. Shayla collapsed to her knees and glanced up as a giant candy cane approached her. She could hear muffled shouts and a long licorice whip smacked the candy cane, causing it to stumble back.
“รђคץɭค! SHAYLA!” Tyson shouted, shaking her out of her daze. The crazy world melted away in an instant and Shayla blinked a few times as her senses reoriented themselves. She lifted her head towards the formerly candy cane shaped man and was surprised to find not only was he not actually a candy cane but he was also not a bisharp!
The man wiped some blood from his face, a gash open on his cheek from Tyson’s chain. He glared at us with his bright yellow eyes through his thin glasses as he smoothed his blue hair back under his police cap. His two antennae bobbed as he straightened his hat, the bulbs at the end giving off an eerie red glow to signal the man’s very obvious anger. The air crackled around him as sparks of electricity let off loud pops. Wearing a solid black uniform with three medallions on it and patches on both his shoulders, it was obvious this guy was no ordinary soldier, he was the leader of the bisharp battalion in the area.
“Halt! You two are under arrest for multiple accounts of smuggling and trafficking. Force can and will be used against you if you choose to resist. My orders only dictate the girl be brought in alive.”
Tyson leveled a glare at the police captain and stepped forward, his eyes scanning the ground around them as the bisharp guards surrounded them. “Where's Chief Juniper? Doesn't she usually run these kinds of operations? I want to speak with her about this.”
The almost sadistic expression that crossed the opposing man’s face sent shivers down Shayla’s spine. He began to laugh, causing Tyson to shift his right foot back a little as confusion crossed his expression. “Oh you’re one of Juniper’s customers, hm? Well, so sorry for you, she’s not chief anymore. If you’re lucky when we need to make you disappear you can join her in the bottom of the river in Pinwheel Forest.”
Tyson’s grip tightened on his chain. “That’s disgusting,” he snarled, “besides, what proof do you have of us being smugglers? Can’t arrest without probable cause.”
The man straightened a little and pushed up his glasses. “Well, for you, it’s quite easy. You’re Tyson Jonas, older brother of Leon Jonas, and a steelix gijinka mechanic that works out of Striaton City. You were arrested with your brother in Alola and deported to Unova on charges of gang affiliation and vandalism. Despite the massive decrease in the use of cars and motorcycles in the area, somehow you’ve managed to keep a steady income and been able to pay for your brother’s medical bills since you arrived. Plus, you’ve already been caught at a checkpoint once with TMs, which are explicitly illegal in any province of the Arceuian Authority.”
The police officer turned his gaze to Shayla, causing her to shrink down a little. “She is Shayla Perkins, a cyndaquil gijinka, and foster child of an emboar and smeargle gijinka that live in Nuvema Town. She is a peculiar case, sent to Unova just last year for classified reasons that even my clearance couldn’t access.” Tyson turned his head towards Shayla, the terror obvious in her expression. Whatever it was that this police officer was talking about, Shayla obviously didn’t want it getting out. “She is also the only high profile prisoner in the Striaton City district, and as such, cannot be allowed to escape. I hope you understand.”
“Oh I understand perfectly.” Tyson snapped his chain at one of the nearby bisharp guards, the metal weapon striking him right across the face. “If she means this much to you then I’m gonna have to ask for my pay to be double, no tripled, once I deliver her safely to the smuggling point.”
The police officer shook his head, laughing a little. “Tsk tsk tsk, Tyson, and here I had hoped you’d be a reasonable man. I guess we’ll have to resort to… other means to get your compliance.”
“Officer Cheren!” a female voice called. Shayla lifted her head and turned to see a girl dressed in a uniform very similar to Officer Cheren’s coming down the hill. She had green hair with a small sprout poking out through a hole on the top of her hat. Shayla recognized this gijinka immediately, the species being native to Sinnoh. This police officer was a turtwig gijinka. The female officer stumbled and took a tumble down the hill, landing at the feet of two of the bisharp guards. She quickly stood up and saluted. “The house has been set ablaze as your requested.”
“Good, glad to hear it, Officer Bianca. And is the inhabitant inside?”
“He refused to come outside so we presume he is still inside.”
Officer Cheren turned his focus back to Shayla and Tyson, the sadistic grin returning to his face. “Good, the rotten smuggler deserves it.”
Tyson stiffened suddenly and turned his gaze back up to the hill, the realization dawning on him. Shayla followed his gaze and gasped. Smoke was coming from the direction of Ashur’s house. “Ashur!” Tyson shouted, running to the edge of the circle and trying to shove his way through the guards, but there was no budging those bisharps. The only reason they weren’t skewering him right now was because they hadn’t received the order yet, but they appeared eager to do so.
Shayla’s breathing started to come quicker, panic setting in. “You can’t do that to him!” Shayla spat out at Cheren, his hands tightening into fists. “He just offered us a place to stay. He doesn’t know anything about me and he has nothing to do with any of this.”
“Oh but he does. He’s an accomplice. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, my dear. Now, be a good girl and put your hands behind your head, or else we might toss your escort into the fire with his little friend.”
Shayla’s fists began to shake and she saw some of the bisharp guards step back at her visible anger. She had no doubt she was letting off a lot of smoke right now but she couldn’t help it. She was so angry, she felt like she was burning from the inside out. For the second time in her life, all she wanted was to leave and she was getting punished for it. But this time, two people were about to die for her and there wasn’t any way she could save them. It would be impossible for her to beat all the bisharp guards plus the two police officers and get up the hill in time to save Ashur.
Shayla felt her heated anger grow in temperature with each passing second as she stared at Cheren’s smug expression. He took a step towards her and held out his hand, charging some sort of water attack to fire at Tyson, the steelix now restrained by two bisharp guards.
“Leave him alone!” she screamed.
Several of the bisharp guards on her side stumbled back as a weak wave of flames burst from Shayla’s body. She growled at the guards, her arms now covered in flames. Three bisharp guards try to charge her but Shayla didn’t back down, sprinting straight towards them with her arms out in front of her. One bisharp successfully managed to dodge, but the other two were struck by Shayla’s flames, causing their uniforms to catch on fire as well. Shayla lunged at the other guard, tackling him to the ground and slamming a foot into his midsection, causing the wind to leave the bisharp.
Shayla started to get up when two more guards grabbed hold of her. Shayla tried to burn them, but they seemed unphased at the flames. She quickly noted they were wearing different uniforms, their clothes and gloves much thicker than the others. They had come prepared for a fire type it seemed. Shayla kicked and struggled, but these were trained professionals. The fact that she had gotten the surprise attack on the other three was a miracle to say the least.
Cheren approached Shayla, electricity crackling between his fingers. “Sorry dear, but if you’re not going to comply then I’ll just have to deal with you now it seems.” He started to reach out towards Shayla when the ground began to shake. Cheren took a step back as a whirlwind of sand began to close up around him.
“Tyson! Shayla!” a familiar voice called out. Shayla saw Ashur running down the hill, the krookodile looking quite flabbergasted. “So, so sorry! Don’t take it personally!” he shouted as more sand tornadoes began to form around the bisharp guards’ feet, rooting them in place.
“Hey! Get back here!” Bianca shouted but found she was rooted as well. Ashur ran over to Shayla and pulled her free before she was sucked into one of the tornadoes too.
Tyson approached, not impacted by the sand at all. “We need to move, let’s go,” Tyson said before taking off into a run. Shayla and Ashur didn’t hesitate in following, exiting through the gate and leaving Accumula Town behind in the dust.
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