The Beautifly Effect

Chapter Twenty-Five -- Military Training

Meanwhile, in Goldenrod City...

Richie stood with Abigail outside the military recruitment office.

"I don't want you to go, Richie."

"You know I have to."

"I... better take your Pokémon. Have you decided which one you're keeping?"

"It's gotta be Sparky. I'll miss you Ab. At least Zac's back home. He's a real nice guy. I'm sorry I didn't get to know him better."

"I've got two real nice guys in my life now. You'll get to know each other when you get back."

"You know I might not."

She glanced down. She took a deep breath and looked at him again.

"I wouldn't be able to cope with that," she said finally.

"I have to go."

They embraced and parted silently.

The recruitment "office" was a dingy demountable with less than spartan furnishing and very Spartan looking soldiers.

"Next!"

Richie advanced to the desk. A sergeant with stern features and close-cropped hair looked at him as if he expected Richie to obey his every word.

"Name?"

"Richard Wilson."

The sergeant scanned through some sheets of paper.

"You're from Kanto. Pokémon?"

Richie showed him his sole Poké ball. "A Pikachu."

"Listen carefully, I'll only say this once. Line up at the first door over there for a medical." The sergeant scanned him up and down. "You'll pass, so line up at the second door for your Pokémon. If it passes, go to the table over there labelled Vermilion. If not, line up at that one labelled Pewter. Next!"

Richie wanted to ask what would he do with his Pokémon if it didn't pass, but decided that he better just do as he was told and worry about complications if and when they arose.

Two days later, in Vermilion City...

Major Surge examined the dozen recruits sitting at desks in what was Surge's gym but was now a makeshift classroom.

"Attention!"

Most of the recruits looked at each other perplexed as to the meaning of what sounded like an order. Richie took the initiative and stood up straight. Surge looked at him.

"Name, rank and serial number?"

"Private Richard Wilson, X327V06."

"Let Wilson be an example to all of you," said Surge. Richie didn't want the others to think they were only worse than him, but refrained from showing pleasure or displeasure.

Surge continued. "At ease. Sit down. Alright, I'll be to the point. You have been chosen as an elite group who will infiltrate and sabotage Hoenn. 'Elite' in your case means you'll have an enormous responsibility to fulfill with the bare minimum of training.

"You will pose as Pokémon trainers, you will close in on your targets, and you will carry out a mission that will lead the Johto-Kanto alliance to victory. The nature of your mission will make killing a matter of last resort, but nonetheless you will be trained to kill, and your Pokémon will become lethal weapons. Your mission is dangerous. If you are found out and caught, you will be tortured for information and executed as spies.

"Now, release your Pokémon. It's time to begin training."

Over the next few days, Richie and Sparky were trained, and both did exceptionally well. While Richie turned out to be the only one among the group who had defeated Surge for a Thunderbadge, Surge did not show favouritism and only gave credit where it was due. Richie found Surge strict and hard, yet an amazing teacher, although Richie lamented that that sort of training was necessary.

What Surge promised the first day soon came to be. Sparky's well-trained prohibition against attacking people was expertly replaced by an understanding that it should attack to protect Richie and it should attack whenever Richie gave it the order. It learned how to silently aim a thunderbolt directly into a man's chest, killing him quickly and quietly. Quick attack, thunder wave, agility, all cherished attacks in the stadium, became means of offense and defense in a new battlefield.

On the last day of training, the nature of their mission was revealed. Each agent was assigned a Hoenn city, along with an agent from a similar group from Celadon. The agents would be flown in that night by Swellow. There were only three Swellow in Kanto military service, so the agents couldn't hang on to them. Fearow or Pigeot would have afforded them a return ticket, but had they been seen with them in Hoenn, it would have given them away more easily as Kanto agents.

All twenty-four agents were to pose as Pokémon trainers, or rather ex-trainers returning home, since a ban on training had just been declared in Hoenn. Richie was a better known personality even outside his native Kanto, but fortunately his recent absence from the Pokémon scene meant that a suitable story could be concocted to explain his presence in Hoenn.

That night, the Celadon recruits would contaminate the city water supply with a stun spore concentrate. It would be impossible to add enough concentrate to cause any serious poisoning, but the majority of people would get sick enough to keep them away from work. With power stations and their security services understaffed, the Vermilion recruits would then act and sabotage them using their electric Pokémon. In the disruption, Kanto forces would attack and take over the main Hoenn cities.

Richie was ready, or at least as ready as could be expected, as a military agent with scarcely a week's training. He was woken at 4 a.m. The Swellow would have already sent the Celadon agents over to do their dirty-work. He got dressed, picked up Sparky's Poké ball and made his way to where his ride was waiting. He mounted, a soldier told the Swellow its destination, and sent it off with a slap on its flank. Bracing himself with courage, Richie flew into the cold, dark sky.