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Groggily, I lifted my head after it suddenly banged against the wooden wagon floor. I could barely open my eyes; my eyelashes were stuck together from the dried tears. Even so... I couldn't remember why I had even been crying.
Yawning, I wiped my hair out of my face and peered up. Dustin was sitting in the driver's seat.
He twisted around and smiled at me.
"Mornin'!" He said cheerfully.
"Nnnnnh." I mumbled sleepily.
I knew I was awake, but it still felt as if a part of me was asleep. Something was hurting my ankle. I reached down to rub it and my hand came across the large lump that was AJ's pokeball.
"What the-?" I mumbled.
Sorrow came flooding back to me.
I had forgotten to take it out of my knee high before I went to sleep...
I took AJ's ball out and turned it around in my hand slowly, thinking. I almost let him out to apologize, but thought the better of it and placed the pokeball back on my belt tenderly. I knew I wouldn't be able to go on 'being mad' at him like this for much longer.
I blinked back the tears that were returning, squeezing my eyes shut tight. I still couldn't believe he and I had gotten in a fight over something so stupid!
I sighed deeply.
"Cheer up Azu." Said Dustin comfortingly. "We'll be in Saffron pretty soon, I think you'll like it."
I was silent and only gazed over the edge of the wagon at the sun drenched hills in contemplation. For the first time since I had started my journey, I wanted to go home. Considering I had left on very bad terms, this was really saying something.
In truth, I had not really left home planning a pokemon journey. My parents were concerned about me and the way I had been unusually quiet for nearly a year. This was only a side affect from being able to see my parents signals in their head. I didn't need to talk when I already knew that if I did it would spark a highly unwanted conversation.
The night I left home, I overheard my parents arguing downstairs... Over me...
"I'm really beginning to worry about her. What if something really bad happened and that's why she rarely says anything to us anymore?" My mom once said.
"I only think she's giving us the silent treatment because we didn't let her leave on her pokemon journey at age ten like everyone else." My dad once said. "Just give her some time... SHe knows we promissed to let her go when she turns sixteen."
"But that's the thing Richie!" My mom had once blurted with tears in her eyes, her voice shaking. "I don't think she's ready to go! You know she turns sixteen in just a few weeks and... This- WAY- whe's been lately, I think she ought to be at home for just a bit longer."
"Now, let's not worry too much honey... That's going a bit far don't you think?"
"I want her to go back to school when the summer's over- I think it might help her problem!" She paused. "please, I'm really concerned. I don't want anything to happen to her..."
My dad had once hugged her and said "if that's what you feel is best... Then..."
With this I tore back upstairs, they both turned around, realizing I had heard them and tried to go after me. I slammed my door and sat on my bed. How could they do this to me, I thought. I had spent six years planning for my pokemon journey, I even had my pokemon liscence already! I glared at my clock. 10PM. Come 4AM I would be gone, I planned.
When the time of action came, I grabbed my backback, stuffing it with everything I could think of. I opened my window hastily and climbed out onto the roof. I stepped carefully to the very edge, threw down my bag, and slid down the water spout. From there, I fled into the night... That had happened only seven days ago, counting today, I thought gloomily.
As we creaked to the top of a particularly tall hill I could see a miniature version of Saffron in the distance. Golden sunlight had just reached the upper portion of the Silph Building but the rest of the city was still in a cool blue darkness.
For a half hour I watched as the miniature city grew larger and became full scale. The city was full of bright sunlight now and many people were meandering about.
We drove down Main Street slowly. Many people waved at us when we crossed their path. As we passed the Silph Building I craned my neck back to stare up at it. Dustin was peeking at it out of the corner of his eye as if it was an enemy of his or something. I dismissed this as just some odd habit and turned around to take in more of the sights.
A bunch of kids rode past us on bicycles, laughing, with their bird pokemon trailing behind them. It looked as if they had just gotten off the Magnet Train from Goldenrod. I had never been to Johto before.
We soon pulled up in front of a round building with large, pink tinted windows. A Nurse Joy stood outside watering the flowers. The Pokemon Center, I thought.
"I have some stuff I need to take care of today." Dustin said to me. "Just enjoy the city for now. At midnight, make sure you meet me at the Magnet Train alright? It's really important!"
I clambered out of the wagon, he waved, then kept going up the road. I stared after him for a while, then I walked into the pokemon center for some breakfast.
On my way to the desk, I was stopped though.
"Be a dear and hold this would you?" A green haired man said as he slapped a large wrench into my palms.
He and another man were working on the computer storage system apparently. I just stood there like a big dork with the wrench in my hands, staring at the dismembered computer.
"I think we've got something here." The green haired man's partner said.
Then sparks suddenly began to shoot from within the computer. The men scrambled back, knocking me over.
"Quick! Get it!" The green haired man ordered the other guy.
The other man carefully stepped forward and did something, but I couldn't tell what.
The lights in the building started turning off and on crazily and the sparks were absolutely spewing now.
"My god!" The green haired man shouted as he dove away from the nutty computer. The partner had run outside, yelling.
I dropped the wrench and ran to the power box. I flipped open the case and slammed the main power switch down. The lights turned off, the sparks ceased, and I heard the air conditioner winding down. I heaved a sigh of relief.
The green haired guy stood up, grabbed something off the floor, and came over to me.
I took a step back. My eyes widened. It- Was- Bill! Bill, the famous pokemon researcher! Bill held out his hand with a smile and I shook it.
"I can't thank you enough." He said. "You're a pokemon trainer right?"
I nodded.
"Well, then, please take this as a token of my appreciation. Bill opened his hand that was clenched around the somthing he had picked up off the floor. It was some sort of complicated computer thing with wires poking out everywhere.
He pressed a tiny button on the side of it, a compartment in the middle burst open, and white light flooded from inside and onto the floor. The light faded into what I knew to be a porygon.
"This was running loose inside of the circutry of that computer over there. I figure it escaped from Silph Labs." Bill said. "Please accept it or I'll have to take it back to the laboratory."
I was still overwhelmed at the fact I had saved a famous person and was now recieving a gift from him. "Ok." I said, nodding stupidly.
"Thanks again." Bill said, packing up his tools, waving, and walking out.
I looked at the porygon. It looked at me. Woah, I thought. The porygon cocked it's head innocently.
'Hi.' I said in pokemon.
It floated to me slowly and rubbed against my leg. 'I like you.' It said, almost child-like.
I was a little suprised at this, was it possible I had a young porygon? 'What were you doing in that computer?' I asked.
Porygon looked up at me. 'I was escaping!' He said triumphantly.
'From Silph Co.?' I asked.
'Yep.' He said in that child-like voice of his.'They would test me everyday. They tried out new TMs and HMs on me and hooked me up to strange, cold machines. The wanted to see how organic the man-made pokemon had become.' He said bitterly.
It astonished me how much this kid of a pokemon knew. 'Were they bad to you there?' I asked.
'No, not really, There were others like me there and the scientists were always kind... It's just, they were going to test a potentially dangerous prototype on me and I didn't want to end up a mangled test specimen like so many others before me!' He sighed. 'I'm sure the product is much safer now, considering I've been away from the lab for over three months and they've had time to improve it, but, I'm sure you understand...'
'What was it exactly?' I asked curiously.
'The Ultra Upgrade. An enhanced upgrade that was meant to produce more powerful Porygon2s.' He said a little sadly. 'I wanted to evolve, but, I didn't want to become a vegetable if something went wrong, ya know?'
I nodded. 'So, did they have a name for you at Silph?'
'Pegasus.' He responded.
I smiled at him, quite a fitting name, I thought.
'I thought so too.' Pegasus said with what looked like a smirk on his face.
I just gaped at him. 'You--?'
'Can read minds? Yeah.' Pegasus said. 'Side affect of- something or other, I guess. Are you going to capture me or not?'
'Uh. Kay...' I touched my yellow pokeball to the back of his head and he was sucked inside. 'Wow.' I whispered.
It was only 10:45 AM. I still had a whole day, I thought sighing. It was then I remembered there was a pokemon gym here. The only problem was that I had no supplies, and no money to buy them with. In fact, I hadn't had cash on me since...
I looked down at my friendship bracelet. I gulped. I knew what I was thinking and I didn't like it one bit. No more crime, I told myself. No stealing... Not during the day atleast... Hey! No stealing, not at night, not at day!
Then I thought it was stupid for me to have to talk myself out of it like that and walked outside. My feet were already carrying me to the Poke-Mart before I knew it. "Atleast AJ would be proud of me..." I muttered quietly.
I crept into the hedges around the shop and went around to the back where there was a small basement window. It was already propped open for ventilation and I just slid right on in. With my heart pounding, I walked hurriedly over to a crate of superpotions and grabbed a few, shoveled a couple handfuls of pokemon collars from another box into my bag, and hoisted myself outside.
I sprinted down the street as fast as I could, not looking back, and not planning on stopping. AJ would say I was being stupid, I thought gloomily, so I stopped.
Panting heavily, I looked around. People with shopping bags were moving along normally. No one saw. I walked to a bench nearby and sat down, releasing Barbie, Pegasus, and Benny. I fixed Barbie with a silver collar, Benny with a yellow collar, and Pegasus with a pale, pale blue collar.
'Well, hello Azu. Good Morning.' Benny said politely.
'What's the deal Azu?' Barbie asked curiously. 'I like this new collar, but what's the occasion?'
Pegasus gave me a rather sly look; he knew. I just barely smiled.
'Who feels up for a battle?' I asked them.
Benny gave me a frightened look. Barbie hopped up and down and said: 'Me!'
'It's settled then!' I said as I recalled Benny and Pegasus into their pokeballs. 'Let's go Barbie.'
And with that, we walked off. The gym was a rich sort of orange-brown with huge wooden doors. There were ancient symbols and pictograms of psychic pokemon carved into it. A sign next to us told me that the door was a replica of a stone tablet they had found in the ruins of Pokemopolis. I drew a deep breath and reached out to push it open, but, before I could even touch it- the door opened.
'Spooky.' Barbie said.
We went in and walked the long, dimly-lit hall lined with metal doors. I peeked through a window and saw a young boy lifting a bowl of rice and making each grain float into his mouth just with his mind. I remembered reading how this gym was a training place for many psychics. We kept walking.
Finally, Barbie and I reached the bright red door leading to the battle room. 'The door will only open to those who Sabrina senses as a worthy opponent...' I read aloud from a gold plaque mounted on the wall.
Barbie glanced up at me confidently. I waited.
The doors slid open quickly. I could see a green haired girl lounging on a tall, golden throne with an abra in her lap.
"Come in, you must be Azu." Sabrina said in a friendly, but quiet voice. "Two on two."
I nodded, and nudged Barbie with my ankle slightly. The vaporeon leapt onto the field. Sabrina then threw out a pokeball and an alakazam came out.
A bell rang to signal the start of the match.
Alakazam began to levitate. Barbie watched his movements carefully. Then, without warning, alakazam zoomed straight at Barbie and knocked her across the room.
Barbie landed on her feet and began running at alakazam. She shot an icebeam from her mouth, but only managed to freeze alakazam's arms to its sides. However, it didn't really seem to slow him down at all and Barbie had to jump out of the way of another quick attack.
Alakazam went at Barbie for another attack. This time, Barbie didn't try to get out of the way, she faced him on the spot. When he was just inches from her face, Barbie blasted out a hydro pump right smack into his head. Water splattered everywhere and Barbie was nowhere to be seen.
Alakazam was shaking his head vigorously.
"Recover." Sabrina said.
Alakazam started to glow a pale green, but before recover could take affect, a pool of water behind him burst up into the air. The water splooshed onto Alakazam's back and morphed back into a vaporeon, an acid armor attack! Barbie latched on with all her might; biting alakazam's ears and slashing at his shoulders.
Alakazam unlatched Barbie's legs from around him with his psychic powers, but her teeth were still clamped down on his ears.
Alakazam was making little whining noises and flinging his head around wildly. Barbie was getting slung all over and desperately trying to hang on.
Just when it seemed Barbie couldn't hold on a second later, a misty, white aura was forming around her. I watched as Ice crystals began curling their way over alakazam from the tips of the ears down. Barbie unclenched her jaws from alakazam's ears and landed on the ground shakily.
Alakazam stood in freeze frame as the ice crystals covered his entire and grew thicker and thicker. He was hopelessy encased.
'Victory!' Barbie sang.
'Good thinking with that blizzard attack!' I whispered in pokemon.
Sabrina returned alakazam to his pokeball and threw out another. An espeon appeared from within it.
The bell rang and the two eevee evolutions flung themselves at each other, snarling.
They met in the center clawing and biting at one another. Barbie whipped espeon with her finned tail and he staggered to the side. Barbie used this pause to try hydro pump, but espeon was still too fast and ziiped out of the way.
A psybeam fired out of espeon's forehead jewel and began relentlessly zapping Barbie.
'aaaaAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!' Barbie screamed painfully.
Espeon wasn't stopping and Barbie didn't have the strength to break free, my only choice was to recall her and use my next pokemon. "Return." I called as I strectched out my pokeball. Barbie turned into red energy and was sucked back in. I threw out Pegasus' ball next; I had the feeling he might have a few tricks planned.
As soon as Pegasus appeared he blasted across the room at espeon causing me to jump in alarm. Espeon sidestepped clumsily and was only grazed across the cheek by Pegasus' attack. Then, Espeon hunched its head down and his eyes began to glow.
'Be careful Pegasus!' I called.
But it was too late. Pegasus had barely turned his head around to face me when espeon let loose with a psychic blast that looked more like nuclear wind. Pegasus was slammed into the wall by the wave; there was a crater from the impact.
'Pegasus!' I yelped.
The porygon slumped out of the hole in the wall and tried to make his way to the field. There was a bleeding pressure wound on the side of his head.
Espeon hissed and launched his self at Pegasus, however, he was engulfed in flames before he reached his target. I looked at Pegasus in astonishment, there was fire blasting out of his beak.
'A TM.' He panted as a smoking espeon was left in his fire's wake.
Suddenly, espeon was back on his feet like it never happened. "Recover..." I grumbled angrily in english.
Espeon used his psychic attack once more, catching Pegasus totally off guard. This time, he didn't get up.
I ran to my fallen pokemon's side, wrapping my arms around his injured body. 'Are you alright?!' I asked in pokemon.
It was Sabrina who answered. "Unconsious." A white light suddenly engulfed Pegasus and I, "Train well and retrun..." I heard Sabrina's voice echoe as we were transported to the pokemon center.
An hour later, while Pegasus and Barbie were both in the recovery room, I was busily formulating a new strategy for beating Sabrina. No matter what angle I approached my problem at though, it always ended in using my strongest pokemon, AJ. Unfortunately, we were still fighting and all...
It was then I realized it was better to just get it over with and apologize for keeping secrets from him, even if it was my right to... But, just as my hand reached for his ball, it sprung open on its own. AJ appeared from inside only looking at the tiled flooring and not at me.
'Hey.' He said quietly.
'Hey.' I said back just as quiet. 'So... Uh. *cough*...'
'I'M SORRY, I just---' We blurted at each other.
'I mean, you--' AJ stammered.
'And I should've told---' I blubbered back.
We just smiled at each other then.
'That was a stupid thing to fight about now wasn't it?' AJ said grinning.
'I'm glad its over. By the way, you should've seen the fight I was just in. I lost, but, it was a good fight.
'Oh yeah?' AJ said suspiciously. 'You wouldn't be, askin' for my help for the rematch now would you?'
'Well, yes.' I shrugged.
'Count me in!' He said. 'Who're we fighting now?'
'Sabrina and her psychic pokemon.'
'S-Sabrina?!' AJ gasped. 'Count me out!'
'What?!' I said,'You were itching to battle a little while ago! What's the matter with you?'
'I.. Just don't like psychic pokemon, that's all!'
'Aww, come on! They're just like all the others!'
'How do you know? Have YOU ever fought one?! They know what you're gonna do befor ya do it, and if do you manage to land an attack, they recover!' AJ explained.
I sighed. 'Barbie and Pegasus didn't have that rough of a time with them...'
AJ picked at the mortar between the tiles in the floor with his claws. 'If you must know, this is where my last pokemon journey ended... Where I was abandoned.'
I shut up immediately. 'Sorry.'
'I couldn't beat those psychic types, so he ditched me for that higher level nidorina...' AJ stuttered.
I could see the tears just barely balancing on the edge of his eyelid, a little more and they'd come splashing down his pinkish face. I knelt down beside him and hugged him tightly.
'I would, NEVER, abandon you. Even if you were the biggest loser on earth. We're partners in crime remember?'
'Yeah...' He sniffed. 'I know. I---' But he stopped and looked away in the direction of the recovery room window.
I gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and sat back in my seat. 'I need another plan then...' I muttered in contemplation.
We sat quietly for moment, then AJ said: 'You could always get an upgrade for Pegasus...'
A strange little idea began to worm it's way into my head then. An upgrade... Maybe... An Ultra Upgrade?
'Azu?You okay?' AJ asked when I was silent.
'Yeah, yeah, yeah... yeah...' I mumbled absentmidedly.
The Ultra Upgrade. How would I get a hold of that? If its inside of the Silph Company Labs, then that would mean I'd have to bust in... And for once, my conscience didn't have to butt in and tell me otherwise. My first solo heist (even if it was a tiny one) had made me confident, plus AJ would be with me and he was practically an expert!
'Did you come up with a plan?' AJ asked curiously when he saw the smile on my face.
'AJ, what if I told you I would be needing your assistance in a crime of some sort.'
His face lit up. 'Now that's more like it! What did you have in mind?'
'The Silph Building, there's a special upgrade inside.' I explained.
'That's going to be difficult... We need a really good plan for this one.'
I let out Pegasus, his inside information would be needed.
'Listen up.' Pegasus said immediately (I figured he already knew our idea because of his telekinetic power), the upgrade is on the 5th floor. The place is covered in security guards so there's no way you could ever get in through the front or back door.' He deliberately made severe eye contact with me, 'The way you two will get in, my friends, is through the roof.'
'Okay, and how're we going to--'
'A psychic pokemon, it can teleport you to the top. Either that, or a flying type to fly you up there. And remember, this place is the leader in science and technology, count on them to have the best security. You'll need to be fully equipped, gloves and all.' Pegasus lectured in his young voice.
'Yes master.' AJ said sarcastically.
'Where exactly on the 5th floor is the Ultra Upgrade located?' I asked.
'I don't know, you'll have to count on your own wiles there... Another thing, this will all have to take place in the dead of night. Silph closes for the day at 7:30 PM and a quarter of the guards go home at 10:30 PM. 11:30, is your best bet.'
'The gym will be closed by then...' I whispered in disappointment.
'I still wanna do it!' AJ said, 'Wouldn't it help you out in your journey anyway though?'
'I never said I didn't want to do it!' I blurted.
'You'd better get going then,' Pegasus said, 'It's 1:32, you have lots of preparations to make. Not to mention, a flying or psychic pokemon to capture!' And with that he tapped the button on his pokemon and went inside.
Three hours later after stealing our equipment from the department store (well, what did you expect?), AJ and I found ourselves in the woods, searching for that vital pokemon. An hour into the search, we were scratched from briars, dirty, and very tired. In the next hour, I had fought battles with two pidgeottos only to have them flee the scene, and an abra that led us on a wild chase only causing us to become utterly lost. AJ and I were near the end of our wits and neither of us though it was worth it anymore.
'Owee!' AJ cried as he stumbled over a rock and scraped his knee, 'Azu, can't we go now? We been in this forest forever and we haven't found jack-squat!'
I sat down on a rock with a sigh and began picking the twigs and leaves from my hair. 'I guess so... It's probably best that it turned out this way, we would've got caught anyway...'
'Uh...' AJ mumbled.
I licked my index finger and began trying to rub off the dried blood around a long scratch on my arm.
'Uh.. A-Azu.' AJ mumbled more urgently.
I looked up. There in the bushes in front us was a pair of glowing red eyes. A houndour? Then, two more, larger red eyes appeared above the small ones. And houndoom? I gulped.
'Let's run.' AJ whispered.
'I agree.' I said, scrambling off my rock and running in the opposite direction. I could hear AJ crashing throught the brush behind me, 'It's gonna get me! It's gonna get me!', He kept saying.
There was a wild thrashing sound and suddenly the four red eyes were straight in front of us, glaring.
'AH! Oh celebi! Watch over me!!!' AJ prayed.
I probabaly would have too, but I happened to forget who my pokemon god/goddess was at that moment. The eyes' glowed more fiercely now. AJ and I held onto each other for dear life.
'Don't be afraid!' An echoing voice said.
'Celebi?' AJ yelled.
'Don't be silly, you little pokemon!' Then the four eyes in front of us came forward into a patch of moonlight.
I could have slapped myself. It was a xatu the whole time! It's eyes and the eye spots on its chest were what we mistook for houndoom and houndour!
'I can tell you're in need of my assitance so I'll keep the pleasantries short. I'm Claudia, go on and capture me so we can get down to business.'
My heart was still pounding insanely and AJ was still sprawled on the ground in shock. I pulled out one of my pokeballs and threw it at Claudia the xatu. The light signaling capture went on promptly and I snatched the ball up off the ground.
'Let's get out of here before some real houndoom come!' I said.
'Yeah, I'm starved!' AJ said back.
By the time we got out of there, it was already 8 PM. We stopped for a nice sitdown dinner to kill time until the 'operation', plus, it gave me time to wash off the crusted dirt that had accumulated on my face in the forest. At eleven o' clock sharp we walked outside and started toward the tallest building in town, Silph Co. Right then I remembered about Dustin, he said we had to meet him at midnight! That only gave us thirty minutes to get in, find the Ultra Upgrade, and get out. It was cutting it close.
The crowds were starting to thin out by this time of night, but there were still a good amount of people about. Carefully, AJ and I snuck around back of Silph and hid in a bush farthest from the back door. I slipped on my gloves and tied a hankerchief around my mouth (the best we could do supply-wise). Then I noticed there was a security camera whirring back and forth slowly.
AJ gave me a quick wink and shot a poison sting attack at the camera. It burst into pieces and sparks shot out of the dangling wires.
'Good work.' I whispered as I took Claudia's pokeball from my belt and released her.
I recalled AJ and Claudia latched onto my shoulders with her talons. She flapped into the sky with me dangling like prey and we reached the top of the eleven story building in about a minute. Once my feet were securely on the roof, I returned Claudia and let AJ back out.
We ran to the door to pick it open and get inside, but it was already unlocked, already open a crack too. The security camera above the door was even already broken for us.
AJ and I exchanged meaningful looks, but crept inside the stairwell anyway. We made our way downward, passing doors with the floor number on them until we got to floor 5; I turned the knob and we walked in slowly. I looked side to side cautiously, seeing no one, AJ and I hurried along. We passing doors with small window above their handles; labels above each one told us what the room within were used for. AJ and I walked past 'meeting', 'storage', and 'advertising', before I noticed 'product development'.
I pointed in the direction of the room to show AJ and we ran over to the door. The lock was a card key type, so we couldn't pick it open.
'Blast it open.' I whispered to AJ.
He only nudged me in the side and motioned toward the door window. I looked in and noticed a security system wired to the door.
'What're we gonna do now?' AJ grumbled.
I shrugged and leaned against the wall in thought. Then I saw it, straight in front of me, in the middle of the room. There was a metal pedestal of somekind with a glass case on top. I hurried on over to it, AJ followed.
On the metal stand, there was a plaque that read: 'The Silph Company's latest and Greatest Innovation, The Ultra Upgrade. Science Team: Charles Mocker, Susan Hamilton, Frederick Beers, Leonardo Nun, and William Arizona.' Under that glass case rested a small, yellow cardboard box with a handle at the top. A pokeball was emblazoned on the side of the box and Ultra Upgrade was printed next to it. Instructions were on the back in english, spanish, french, and japanese. Hesitantly, I lifted the case and set it on the floor. I reached my hand for the handle of the upgrade, but I heard someone coming and ducked down behind the metal stand.
The steps came slowly and softly, very close by... Then they stopped. AJ and I sat still as stone with bated breath; our backs against the cold metal. Everything was dead silent. Finally, I felt safe enough to draw a fresh breath.
I sat a minute, waiting for a sign of someone around. I eventually decided I would just reach my hand up and grab the upgrade real quick, then make a break for it. I slipped my hand up slowly and grasped the handle- then something grasped my hand.
I gasped and yanked my hand down. My eyes wide, I heard a someone on the other side of the metal stand panting hard like me. I looked at AJ for help, but he had the same shocked expression I had.
I reached my hand up to grab the ultra upgrade again, but my hand grabbed something warm and moving instead. I pulled my hand back down in fright again. My chest was heaving and my heart felt about ready to explode any second.
Slowly, I turned around and clutched on to the edge of the stand with both hands. I pulled my self up so I could just barely peek over the edge.
Eyes were peeking back at me!!!
I gasped and fell backward, as did the person on the other side. Then, I scrambled to my feet, and snatched the Upgrade before I knew what I was doing. I turned toward the stairway and started to run my brains out.
"AZU?!"
I came to a screeching halt and whirled around; the Ultra Upgrade toppled from my grasp.
"DUSTIN?!" I yelped. "This is your secret?!" I hissed.
"Let's just get outta here!" He cried.
I snatched the Ultra Upgrade off the floor, Dustin grabbed my arm, and we ran to the roof with AJ alongside.
Dustin picked up a thin bag from the corner of the roof (why hadn't I seen it before?) and unzipped it. From the parts inside the bag, he hurriedly assembled a grey hang glider.
"Come on!" Dustin yelled as he clipped the metal hook hanging from the hang glider to a harness around his waist.
I recalled AJ and joined Dustin. He gripped the hang glider bar with one hand grabbed me with the other.
"Oh no! Oh god!" I Squealed as we plunged over the side of Silph Co. The wind rushed past my face, the city lights all became a blur, tears were flying up from my eyes, and I was clutching the Ultra Upgrade so tightly I'm surprised it wasn't busted. Then, we were suspended by the air. We glided gracefully over the homes and shops. The sidewalks were bare and the moonlight shone on the streets below. Ahead was the train station, then it hit me.
This was why Dustin wanted me to meet him at the Magnet Train at midnight! We were going to skip town and go to Johto!
Somehow, Dustin landed the glider without killing us, packed it up clumsily, and pulled me onto the midnight train to Goldenrod City. The door squeezed shut behind us and he plopped heavily into a seat.
I fell into my seat beside Dustin and slipped the hankerchief off my face, breathing heavily.
Time to destroy the evidence, I thought, releasing Pegasus.
"Hope you weren't planning anything with this." I said to Dustin, motioning to the Ultra Upgrade.
"Not anymore." He sighed hopelessly.
I smiled, opened the box, and and read the instructions. Although dissapointed, Dustin watched with interest. I pulled out the four coiled wires from inside the Ultra Upgrade and attached the electrodes as instructed; two on Pegasus' back, one on his chest, and one on top of his head.
'I hope you know what you're doing...' Pegasus mumbled nervously.
I smiled and pressed the red button on the left inside panel. Pegasus' eyes went blank white and a whirring sound came from inside the upgrade box. I scanned the instructions to see if this was normal; 'pokemon downloading new info'. I watched with worry, the proto-type could potentially ruin him...
Then, Pegasus' body began to glow a blinding white. He was getting bigger and changing shape before our very eyes!
"Wow." Dustin breathed.
The glow subsided and there was Pegasus looking all regal. He looked just like any other Porygon2, except that where each electrode was attached, there was a white starburst shape on his skin.
'It worked! Awesome!' Pegasus said happily.
I reached down and patted his back, then tightened the limply hanging collar around his now skinny neck. 'It's pretty excellent, eh Pegasus?' I said in pokemon.
"Sorry I stole your, uh, thing you were going to steal." I said to Dustin.
"Huh?" Dustin said, snapping out of a daze apparently, "No problem, I was only going to sell it. You made much better use of it."
I grinned real big and leaned against his shoulder. He sighed sarcastically.
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