"I have to wonder how it is that you get into more trouble in this world, than you do in mine," Alakazam said in my mind.
"I blame the DC universe screwing over superhumans," I said back.
I was driving through the city with Kalini, the two of us alone now. Gurdurr and Tyrunt were in their pokeballs to rest. I'd had Kalini drive us close enough to Alakazam that we could reconnect, then simply leave.
Deadshot was likely still close. If I could have Alakazam remain a secret weapon for now, watching and waiting from on high to intrude on any fights, we would have more of a chance to survive an attack. So he stayed at the bare edge of his mental range to me, moving along nearby and keeping an eye on us. I couldn't say I was surprised Alakazam couldn't sense Deadshot near us. The guy was likely a mile off, aiming a rifle at a bunch of panels he'd bounce a bullet off to kill us or something. Or was that just the Suicide Squad movie?
Whatever the case, I had Alakazam stay out of sight, keeping up a psychic barrier around him. He was also ready to switch places with one of us if needed. Ally Switch, basically a rougher version of teleport that could only be done close range.
"Kid, can you please talk to me?" Kalini said, drawing my attention to him. His knuckles were tight around the steering wheel, sweat dripping off his face. "I'm kind of freaking out. Who the hell was that guy?"
"Deadshot. One of the best mercs in existence. He's a damn strong bastard. I think there was something about a death wish in there."
"So he wants to die?" Kalini sounded hopeful.
"Yeah, but he uses that to become even more badass. No plan is crazy if you don't give a fuck if it'll work," I sighed. "I'm more worried about his boss. Who the hell wants a piece of me?"
"Everyone? Maybe they think you have alien tech hiding somewhere? Is your ship around?" Kalini asked.
"Yeah, I left it in a volcano," I said sarcastically.
Kalini turned to look at me.
"I didn't come by ship, I came by a portal," I said with a sigh. Well, a portal and a divine llama.
"Can you not be sarcastic?" he said, glaring at me. "I'm dealing with a lot of crazy shit here man! I'm trying to help you, so you-"
"I know, I know," I sighed, shaking my head. "Believe me, I get it. I just tend to lean on anger and sarcasm when I want to deal with things. It helps me focus better than fear does… We don't know what the boss wants from us," I leaned forward, thinking aloud, Kalini and Alakazam listening in different ways. "But he wants something. That means we might have some negotiating room to keep a bullet from entering our heads. It depends on what they want of course, but it's an opening."
"You think they want to capture you?" Kalini suggested.
"If they do, they had their opening. I'm worried about Deadshot killing us, but if he tries to capture me, it's gonna be a lot harder now that we're wary. And he could have killed us earlier if he wanted us dead. So we have something this guy wants, and he doesn't want to kill or capture us to get it… Okay. Here's the plan. Hold this," I took Tyrunt's ball out. "As we go in. Tyrunt being away from me gives us an unexpected angle of attack."
"How do I let him out?"
"You don't. There's a safety that only lets me release him deliberately. But Tyrunt will come out when I call. When we get to this place, stand well behind me."
"Are you sure?" he said uncomfortably, wiping away some sweat as he turned the car to go left. "I mean, you're a kid."
"I can also tank bullets," I reminded him, feeling some pain from my shoulder as I said that. Man, the wounds in my chest and back were still painful as well. "You can't. If I get shot, then I'll make a good shield to keep you alive."
"That's not- Kid, that isn't a normal thought to have!" he said, staring at me until the car behind us honked for him to go.
"Of course it isn't," I rubbed my eyes. "If that does happen, I'd hope I have one of my Pokemon stopping the bullets. But we aren't dealing with normal, we're dealing with bullshit. So our solutions are going to be shovels."
"That's a terrible analogy," Kalini mumbled.
"Yeah well, this plan is all we've got. Go in, be ready to fight, hope to escape with our lives and souls intact. Got it?"
"You always operate with that weak a plan?" Kalini asked.
"Not weak. Flexible," I said with more confidence than I felt. "If things go wrong, I would rather we don't fall apart because not every last part of our plan went our way. A simple plan doesn't break as easily."
"Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense," Kalini calmed down. "That's how a lot of my jobs went well. Too many guys try to get clever with stuff."
"...Well, we have some time. Wanna talk about yourself?" I asked.
"Not really. I wanna hear more about your world."
"Mine?"
"Yeah. Not often you hear a lot about an alien world," Kalini said with some awe. "What was it like?"
"Like Earth, but with Pokemon," I said, thinking of the world he would actually be thinking I was from. "Well, not quite. Different tv shows and other media. We have a universal form of currency, and our tech is both more and less advanced than the stuff in this world. But the big difference is the Pokemon."
"Really now?" Kalini sounded interested. "So there are a bunch of those little guys you can bring out with those, whatcha ma call em?"
"Pokemon. And yeah. They're like animals. Just, you know. Sentient. Or sapient, I could never tell the difference. Traveling in the wilderness there was a real adventure."
Kalini nodded slowly. "Sounds dangerous."
I thought about that, leaning back, wincing as my now cleaned, shoulder and back wounds shouted at me. "I mean, it was dangerous. But only as much as any other wilderness environment. Well, yeah, a lot of Pokemon have weird powers and abilities, but as long as you don't intrude on their territory like an idiot running into a wolf den, you're fine."
Not strictly true of course. But still… I'd been so focused during my journey across the Pokemon world. My Pokemon and I had traveled across plains, mountains, deserts, cities, and deep in caves.
"There was this time," I said softly. "Where I stopped to make camp in a place called Eterna Forest. And I only had Mudkip, Mimikyu, and Gurdurr then. We sat in the forest, and a bunch of Dustox and Beautifly, these moth and butterfly looking Pokemon, were flying around together that night. The moon was really bright, and uh, we ended up drawing the attention of other people. Some trainers. And we didn't really talk. Just, sat in the moonlight, with all of our Pokemon out, watching the Beautifly and Dustox dancing around together, coming down and playing with our Pokemon."
Why had I forgotten that? That moment in the moonlight, sitting with Pokemon trainers and Pokemon, watching Mimikyu and Mudkip play with other Pokemon, laughing when Gurdurr ended up in an arm-wrestling match with a girls Primeape. Why'd I forgot…
"I wish I had been there," Alakazam whispered in my mind. Startled, I reached out to him mentally, but he didn't add anything to that.
"That sounds beautiful, brother," the older man said, smiling softly. "Me and my wife, before she died. We had a small cove we would go out to together. Just sat in the boat, fishing together. Making, well, something you're too young to hear about," he turned and gave me a wink, which I returned with a grin. "Ah, ku-uipo. I miss her… It is good, hoaloha," he said. "To have these memories with those you love."
"It is," I admitted. I chuckled. "Actually… I do have a few funny stories too. Like uh… Well, Tyrunt's awesome. He's always got my back. But he's a prideful little shit, and I love him for it. And one day, that kind of led to him making a huge mistake."
"What did he do?" Kalini asked.
"Well… he was out in the forest, on his own. And he found a big stack of what he describes as 'obviously food set aside for an alpha.' And clearly, Tyrunt was an alpha. So he ate it. All of it. Next thing I know, Tyrunt comes sprinting out of the woods, roaring at me that he did nothing wrong. Then I hear the stomping footsteps. All of a sudden, a tree explodes apart. And-"
I hesitated, thinking of how to describe the Pokemon that appeared.
"Ok. Imagine mixing a panda with a gorilla. Add the shape of a sumo wrestler. Now, make it 7 feet tall and able to shatter trees with a punch and tank anti-tank rounds like candy. That is a Snorlax. Damn thing chased us right up until we jumped in the lake. And to this day, Tyrunt still thinks he did nothing wrong."
Kalini laughed, shaking his head. I laughed as well, but on some level, I was also thinking. Despite everything… Well, the Pokemon world was a hell of an experience. Maybe I'd be able to make some here. Before I went home.
If I survived the next encounter.
We came upon the area closest to the address given to us. I stared up at it.
"...That hotel is too nice," I decided after a moment.
It was tall, around 30 stories, with all the hallmarks of a building that guys with my constant income felt nervous about walking into, the sort of place where even entering the lobby had me worried a security guard would jump me.
"Maybe there'll be food?" Kalini said, pulling up to the door. I passed him Tyrunt's pokeball. As we came out, a valet gave us a skeptical look. Then a man stepped over to him.
"Take the keys," the man said confidently. "They're guests," the small comment was followed by the valet apparently taking him at his word, taking Kalini's keys quickly. As the valet rushed off, I looked the man up and down. He was a black man, with very tight dreadlocks on his head and freshly pressed suit. He nodded to us. "Right this way, fellas. He's on his way."
We shared a look.
"Well? Come on," he said, eyeing us.
We followed him. Through a lobby full of overly fancy types. To an elevator, where we waited as it went up an uncomfortably high number of floors. And finally, out to a large room.
The place looked like it belonged in a magazine. It must have taken up an entire floor, with marble floors and exquisite, but not over the top, furniture. In the back was a balcony, with-
"Food!" Kalini rushed forward, his teeth flashing as he rushed forward to take in the bounty before him.
There was a whole bevy of dishes there, a flash of colors all across it. A weird mix too. There were Italian dishes like spaghetti, cannoli, some Hawaiian things I recognized and even some Japanese foods like sushi. All placed for the best possible display that made them look delicious and beautiful. I ignored it, despite a small growl of hunger I felt. I stayed back and away from the balcony.
"Boss is gonna be here soon," the black man said casually. "I'm gonna head out. You two have a good day."
"Any chance you gonna tell us who your boss is?" I asked before he could say anything.
He gave me a look. "You don't know?" when I shook my head, he laughed. He was very condescending, looking at me the way you would someone who was just way behind in every way. "Well, you'll find out I guess. Later, brat."
I grumbled at the reminder that I was a teenager as the chuckling bastard walked out. He entered one of the elevators, and headed down.
"...Hey, you want some of this?" Kalini asked me.
"Not until I know I'm safe," I said immediately. "Last thing I want during a fight is to have seafood bouncing around in my belly."
Kalini looked over at me. "Kid, I-"
The elevator opened again. I watched them carefully. Deadshot came out of the elevators. He was wearing a hat and trenchcoat over his armored costume, presumably as a nod to the art of disguise in a public place.. For a moment, I felt annoyed I hadn't simply attacked as the doors open, before dismissing the thought as overly reckless.
The assassin looked around carefully. After a while, he nodded behind him.
A man followed him. He was wearing a trenchcoat and a hat, both a dark inky black. I couldn't see his face, but he was only slightly smaller around than Deadshot was, meaning he must have been pretty damn built. The two of them came towards us, Deadshot slightly behind and to his right. The man spoke.
"Gentlemen, a pleasure to meet you both," his voice had a hint of a growl to it, just enough to make me worried. He sounded… I don't know. Intimidating. He reached up for his hat and swept it off his head, smirking at me. His hair was cut close to his head. His eyes were narrow, focused, like arrows, flinty black pupils taking us in.
"No fucking way," I staggered back, slamming against the table. I stared at him. "W-What!?"
"Yes, I suppose I am a surprising sight to you," the man said smugly.
"How are you even here!?" I shouted, unable to control myself as I clenched at the table behind me, feeling my knuckles fill with pain, my eyes wide.
"Believe me, I would not be here if I had a choice."
"Uh, excuse me?" Kalini said, sounding worried. "Who are you?"
"Ah, my apologies," the man tossed his hat onto an empty spot on the table, walking over to grab a piece of sushi off the table. "I forget, sometimes, that my reputation isn't quite what it once was," he unhooked some buttons on his trenchcoat with one hand and swallowed the sushi in his other hand with a smirk at me.
"My name is Giovanni," he removed his trenchcoat, placing it on a chair, before sitting down and spreading his arms slightly in an inviting gesture. "Now. Let's eat."
Author's Note: Nothing I write in this spot will matter. We know what you wanna talk about. See you guys later :D
And thank you again for your support. I love you guys. My Pa tre o n is available as always if you guys want to support my work and see it earlier than the rest of the world.