Single post in Angel of the Shadows

Angel sat against a tree. Her legs were bent at the knees, arms wrapped around them so she could rest her head. The knapsack was on her lap to serve as a pillow but also prevented others from stealing it. Wetness dribbled down her left arm. She snorted as she jolted awake, and the first thing she did was wipe drool from her mouth. A glance showed that nobody could have seen, but it didn’t stop her blush, even as she let out a relieved sigh. It would have been so embarrassing to be caught doing that. It had been hours since Team Rocket left, so it should now be safe enough to head back to Vermilion City. Not that she wanted to, by any means. Since she knew that she would likely get arrested for doing so. But Giratina was certain Jenny’s help would be needed, and though she wouldn’t admit it aloud, Angel knew it as well. A few days to weeks in a cell now would be a small sacrifice for the betterment of Pokémon. Ugh! In times like this, Angel wished she knew how to ride a bike. Travel between cities would be so much quicker. Still boring as hell, but the boredom would only last half as long. Maybe if things went well, she’d see if she could purchase a custom tricycle to get around with. Still greatly upset by everything that had happened recently, Angel walked slower than usual, which caused her to take half an hour to reach Saffron City. She could have headed straight to Vermilion City to save some time, but paths existed for a reason. It was too dangerous for even experienced Trainers to stray from the path. Wild Pokémon tended to be apprehensive about places humans treaded often. But when in their territory, one never knew what to expect. So many stories existed of people who braved the wilds and were never seen again. Some say they chose to live among the Pokémon. Others give much darker options. Four hours later, she found herself in Vermilion City, and the streets were busy with people on their way home from work. She wondered if she should sit on one of the benches by the Café to wait for the crowd to thin out since the number of people was too much for her to handle. But it was where everyone was headed that drew her curiosity. What was going down at the Pokémon Center to attract so many onlookers? Angel went through the masses as best she could and was almost there when she heard the sirens. When she glanced to her left, she saw Jenny arrive at the building. For a few split seconds, Angel freaked, under the impression her presence had been detected. But she need not have worried, for her friend ran straight inside as she released her Houndoom. Not long after the initial shock had worn off, she realized how stupid her assumption had been in the first place. She considered summoning Dreamer to provide aid but shook her head when she realized that doing that would only worsen things. Especially when she knew nothing about the situation. Angel also didn’t want to be seen as an enemy when she meant to be the hero. More sirens sounded, and she looked to the road again to see two more officers pull up. They summoned an Arcanine and Mightyena and rushed inside as well. If she waited for this to end, she could probably get in, transfer the Pokémon to her father, and get out before Jenny knew she was there. Unfortunately, she had a strong feeling that Giratina was correct. And even if she wasn’t, Angel couldn’t let a years-long friendship end like this. They should at least try to work it out. After she took a deep breath, she approached the Poke Center. As she made it to the door, it opened to reveal the three Officers and two people in handcuffs. Their perpetrators were both males, slightly younger than herself. One wore fire-themed clothing with an “M” sewn into the middle of their shirt. The other person wore water-themed clothing with an “A” on their shirt. It wasn’t difficult to figure out they belonged to Teams Magma and Aqua. Jenny paused and gasped at the sight of Angel. The gasp was loud enough to cause the two nearby officers to glance at her. They said nothing but must have asked with their eyes if there was a problem. She shook her head and made a ‘stay here’ motion with her hand but didn’t move. From behind Angel came a different siren sound, and she knew the transport car had arrived. The other two Officers headed toward it with their prisoners, but a minute later, Jenny still hadn’t moved from the open doorway. It prompted Angel to speak, amusement in her voice. “That’s a lot of warm air you’re letting escape.” Her friend approached, and the door finally closed behind her. Once beside Angel, she spoke softly. “If I had known this would be a Team party, I’d have brought some cake. What are you doing here? You must be crazy to return, knowing what I must do now.” Angel nodded, then shrugged. “I understand that you gotta do what you gotta do. Just allow me to do something quick.” She stepped toward the building, but Jenny stretched out an arm to block her way. “Let me pass. I’m transferring some Pokémon to my father to prevent Team Rocket from acquiring them.” Her words were soft so others wouldn’t hear, and it would be clear she meant what she said. Unfortunately, after earlier, Jenny didn’t seem to believe her. As she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, her right foot moved slightly toward the door. The act placed her between the building and Angel and was another silent statement. One that said, ‘My arms may be crossed, but if you try to get inside, I can and will take you down.’ Since she knew that Jenny wouldn’t let this go, she motioned for her to follow and headed away from the entrance so they could speak without being overheard. She sat down on the Poke Center garden’s retaining wall and took a deep breath as she began to kick her feet from nervousness. “You were right.” “Naturally. About what?” Surprisingly, Jenny sat beside her on the wall. She turned to Jenny. “Team Rocket. Have you heard about the Shadow Pokémon that have recently been discovered? Most likely. News is spreading rapidly. Anyways. I was told to steal something from Saffron City that related to Shadows. No clue what it was or what all it did, but I didn’t show up at the rendezvous point.” A beep sounded, and Jenny raised her finger to silence Angel while she responded to the call on her walkie-talkie. “Go for Jenny.” After a few seconds, Jenny glanced at Angel, then asked, “How did you make ID?” Before she shut down the conversation, she told whoever was on the other end to “Bring her in for questioning.” Then she gestured to Angel to continue her story. “I was on my way to Lavender Town, where I planned on sending some Pokémon I’d caught to my father and the items I’d taken from the Silph Company. Could have sworn I went inside the city, but the next morning, I awoke sleeping under the roots of a tree outside. Before waking, I had a strange dream of a Giratina speaking to me. She warned me of a possible future if Team Rocket got their hands on enough Shadow Pokémon.” She paused to see if Jenny had anything to say, but her friend shook her head. “Well. The notorious trio of Team Rocket walked by not long after I awoke. We had a discussion, and they agreed to help me.” “Help you with what?” “Oh! I probably should have mentioned in the beginning that two other members of Team Rocket had assaulted me not long after I left here and took Ebony. That’s what Jessie and James had agreed to help me with. Getting my darling back.” “I’m sorry to hear that.” “Flash forward almost back to Saffron City, and the two who stole Ebony from me found us. Jessie, James, Meowth, and I, well, we became friends. They would have helped me then, but they didn’t want what had just happened to me to happen to them.” “What was that?” Angel had to take several deep breaths before she could answer. “Giovanni thought my missing the rendezvous was me stealing from him. I’ve been blacklisted from Team Rocket. I was presented with the choice of: Fight, endanger others, and likely lose. Or give them what they want. Common sense dictated I choose the latter, so I did.” “You what?!” Jenny’s raised voice caused Angel to flinch. “It was my best option!” she hissed. “Besides, they didn’t get all of it. I managed to hide two vials from them. And no, I’d rather not give them to you. I don’t know what they’re for. Team Rocket wants them badly. And no offense, but if the Silph Company can be stolen from, what chance do you have against a retrieval team?” “So much ignorance in those statements,” Jenny said, though there was a smile on her face. “Okay, first. We just took into custody a few Agents who were after someone inside the Pokémon Center. Second, your cell and the entrance have high-level security, and the evidence room is even more. The odds of someone who doesn’t belong there getting them out from beneath our noses isn’t very likely. Lastly, and I mean no offense. But do you think you could protect it from them better than we could?” “Touché. In that dream, Giratina told me to come back here and find you. She seemed to think I would need your connections if I planned on stopping Team Rocket before they could create new super-powered Pokémon using the DNA of the Shadow Pokémon. That’s why I’m here now. I’m hoping to work with you. Against Team Rocket. In the short term, at least. Long term, I hope we can be friends again.” For a while, Jenny remained silent as she processed everything. Finally, she stood and faced Angel. Tears already welled in her eyes as she reached into her back left pocket and pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Before Jenny could speak, Angel interjected. “Please. I have three Shadows with me. I need to transfer them to my father so he can figure out how to help them. They’d be safe from Team Rocket in his lab, what with his multi-layered security system.” Jenny shook her head, and the action caused her bangs to sway cutely. “I can’t. Those are evidence.” Angel leaped to her feet. “How can you say that? These poor creatures were tortured by Team Rocket! They trusted me to get them the help they needed! Surely you can’t be so heartless as to risk them being stolen back to be tested on some more?” “Don’t.” Jenny’s voice broke, and her eyes narrowed at Angel’s words. She reached up her free hand and moved her hair out of her face, though Angel knew she wiped the tears from her eyes so others wouldn’t see. “You know my hands are tied. I can’t bend the law whenever I wish. Doing it even once would be opening the door to a slippery slope. I love you like a sister and would do anything for you. But regardless, I’m going to hold you accountable like everyone else. Not even my real sister would get special treatment. Now, please. Turn around and lace your hands behind your head.” “Why?” “Are you going to continue to make this difficult on me?” Her eyes narrowed slightly, a sign of her impatience and frustration. “No, I mean. Why do you ask people to do that? You’re just going to take my arms and place my hands against my lower back. So why not ask me to put them there and save you the trouble?” Jenny blinked and then laughed. “I never even thought of that. If I remember, I’ll ask my superior the next time I’m in her office. Funny as that may be, I will still have to ask you to cooperate.” “Yeah, yeah. I know. But at least I got you to laugh.” Angel turned around, hands already in the proper position. She tensed as the cuffs encircled her wrists. Not because they were too cold or too tight. But she suddenly realized that she couldn’t hide this from her father. And he was going to be mad when he found out.