//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Absolution 2 // by ed2481 //------------------------------// They quickly headed for the center of the gym, where Roxanne was already waiting for them with the ultra ball held anxiously in her hands. “Finally!” Roxanne exclaimed, though Matt could see the smile on her face. “I thought you two would never get here.” “It’s only been about ten minutes since you left our apartment,” Matt pointed out to her as he trudged his way next to her side and leaned onto his crutch. “I know, I know, I’m just excited!” Roxanne replied leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I found a new Pokemon, Matt!” “And you can’t stop thinking how this will boost your career as a Professor,” he said with a small smile. “Well, that too,” Roxanne said with a mischievous chuckle before she glanced down at Cres. “You ready to defend us if she gets out of hand again?” “Of course,” Cres replied, nodding his head simply. “Great,” Roxanne said as she moved the Ultra Ball up and pointed it at the center of the gym, she pressed the center button and unleashing the odd ponyta like creature out in a red flash. “Okay! Enough of that!” a familiar voice rang in Cres’s ears. “By Arceus, no...” Cres moaned just from the sound of it. Applejack’s ears perked up and her head snapped towards Cres. “You...” she said in a low tone as her eyes narrowed upon him. “You did this didn’t you!” “Why? Why? WHY?” Cres growled between clenched teeth before he glanced back at Roxanne. “Put her away! Put her away!” “He’s telling you to put her away,” Matt translated, and it was a good thing he did for not a moment later Applejack burst into a charge towards Cres. The Absol was the only thing standing between her and Matt, and he knew that the man couldn’t take a charge from the brute. So he did what he had to do and lowered himself into a crouch as Roxanne tried to get a bead on Applejack but she was moving too fast. Before the earth pony could hit him however, Cres stepped an inch to the side, the dull part of his blade sliding into her foreleg and allowed him to lever her into the air in the direction she’d come. Applejack tumbled into the ground and rolled about, settling in a mist of dirt from the gym’s floor. The mare hefted herself up, and rubbed a hoof, and before she could manage anything else, a red beam hit her, and she returned to the Ultra Ball. Cres let out a drawn in breath and shook his head. “How in Arceus’ name did she even get here?!” Matt frowned slightly as he walked over to him. “Wait... Cres have you seen her before?” “Remember how Giratina sent me to another world?” Cres asked slowly. “Well, she lived there. She’s a complete salope and despises me. I have no idea why she can go in a Pokeball though... so that’s new to me.” Matt blinked blankly in shock. “I see...” he glances up at Roxanne, or more importantly the Ultra Ball, seeing it rocking back and forth slightly. “Well honey... sorry to disappoint you but... I don’t think that’s a new Pokemon....” “Really?” she asked, her voice sounding rather crushed. “Really... she’s apparently from the world Giratina sent him too...” he replied, his voice still a mix of shock and worry. “That’s... not nearly as interesting,” Roxanne said with a pout. “Well, to me anyways, I’m sure there are a bunch of others who’d like to examine her.” “I really don’t think that would be a wise idea dear,” Matt interjected. “We would be violating her... rights I think... she’s more of a guest than something to be experimented on.” “Fine...” Roxanne said dejectedly. “Well,” in a huff “There goes my latest thesis...” “I can’t believe Giratina would bring her of all ponies here,” Cres growled angrily at his side, causing Matt to look down at him. “Oh no, he couldn’t have brought Fluttershy, or heck, Celestia, oh no, he had to bring crab apple.” “Just calm down Cres,” he told the Absol. “I’m sure we’ll sort this out with Giratina later... but right now... I think we should let her out again... I doubt being held inside the Ultra Ball is winning us any favors.” He glanced up at the still rocking ball in the woman’s hand. “True, bring out Nok please... I don’t want either of you to get hurt by her,” Cres said quickly, his voice full of concern. “Probably a good idea,” Matt said as he wrap his hands over the handles to his crutches and head over to PC. He tap his fingers over the screen for a few seconds before another Ultra Ball was teleported next to the machine. Matt grabbed it and toss it out. “Come on out, Nok!” The Ultra Ball popped open, and the large Aggron emerged onto the gym floor. “Uggh, it’s good to be out of ball,” he said in his deep, rolling accent which sounded slightly as if it had been flavored by vodka. He stretched his mighty metal shoulders around while cracking his neck from side to side. “So, what is it you want of me?” he ask, craning his eyes down at Matt. “Just stand guard.... we have a visitor who is a bit... hostile at the moment,” Matt said. Nok tilted his head in confusion. “I’ll just iron tail her into submission if she gets past me,” Cres added sharply. “No, just block her path,” Matt overruled firmly. Nok glanced between the two, his head still tilted in confusion but he shrugged his shoulders and said “I really don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll keep ‘guard’ like you say Matt.” He nodded his head at the man and began to walk forward to Roxanne, his tail dragging against the ground. “Thank you Nok,” Matt said while giving Cres a sharp look. “She trapped me in a pit,” Cres replied indignantly. “And that’s just the start...” “You know, I really wish I could speak Pokemon, I feel so left out sometimes,” Roxanne muttered just loud enough for Matt to hear. Matt shook his head as he began to head back to the center of the gym. “Well whatever happened between the two of you, I need you to not let it stir up anymore strife between you two. We need to help her, not make her day any worse.” “Bah, as if I’m any way at fault,” Cres said with a snort. “May I release her again?” Roxanne called to her husband. “You may,” Matt called out as he stood up straight and took the pose that a gym leader would take when a challenger entered the building. Roxanne smiled slightly despite her mood, she loved when Matt stood like that... it was so very attractive and full of confidence. She tapped the ball again, putting Applejack out a good distance away from her husband and Cres. “I’m really getting tired of you doing that to me!” Applejack roared before her eyes widened and her face drop when she spotted Nok standing in front of her. “Sweet Celestia....” she uttered as she took a couple steps back out of instinct. “That’s Nok,” Cres said, drawing her attention. “You probably shouldn’t try and attack either Roxane or Matt, he wouldn’t like that much, would you Nok?” “Ya,” the Aggron rumbled out, lifting his tail and letting it fall to the ground with a shaking ‘thump’. Applejack swallowed a lump in her throat before regaining a bit of her confidence. She then glared over at Cres. “So this how it is now? You kidnapped me and take me prisoner!?” she demanded. “No. If it were up to me you’d be lying dead in the middle of whatever road Roxanne found you on,” Cres replied flatly, getting a flat look from Matt. “I have no idea why you’re here or who brought you. Now shut up and stop glaring at me.” “Why should I? You probably were the one who brought me here!” she stated with a stomp of her hoof. “Cres... are you able to communicate with her?” Matt asked. “Yes, she’s being her typical self, argumentative, arrogant, and accusatory,” Cres replied, looking away from Applejack for half a second. “Actually, why am I doing the talking? Can you not understand her?” “Not in the slightest...” Matt replied with a small frown as he rubbed his chin. “The only thing I can make out is the accent... it sounds like an accent I heard up in Unova.” “Huh, strange,” Cres said before glancing back at Applejack who was still glaring at him. “Once again, I didn’t bring you here crab apple, stop glaring at me.” “And why should I believe you?” she asked with a snort. “Because why on Earth would I want you here?” Cres asked with a raised eyebrow. “I despise you, but I wouldn’t want to make Celestia, or Arceus forbid, Discord, angry by bringing you here. That and your company is appalling.” “Well too bad for you, ‘cause once my friends realize I’m missing, Celestia will be here and-” “Yes, they’ll probably show up in three months or so snorting and angry,” Cres stated flatly. “Time flows differently between my world and... ‘yours’,” the Absol added with a roll of his eyes. “Actually, if I remember correctly, that made you laugh when I was missing months with Belle...” his eyes narrowed at her. Applejack growled in anger. “Why you little varmint... you’re just yucking this up aren’t you?” “No. If I was ‘yucking it up’ then Nok would have already crushed you,” Cres said flatly, glancing at the Aggeron who still looked rather confused, yet keep a stance to whirl into action. “Or I’d have just slit your throat myself.” “Cres...” Matt said flatly with a judging look, while Applejack only growled low in anger. “Remember what I said, we don’t need any more strife between the two of you.” “I’m not the one causing strife,” Cres replied. “She is.” “Not from the way I’m seeing it,” Matt stated as he glanced over at the mare. “I don’t think saying how you would’ve liked to kill her is helping,” he said, glancing at the Absol with a sharp look. “Put the past behind the two of you.” “She’s accusing me of kidnapping her, I’m simply explaining what I would do if I had kidnapped her, which I haven’t,” Cres replied irritably. “And it’s not helping us... you don’t just say something like that to others Cres...” Matt said with a hard sigh as he rubbed his forehead with the tip of his fingers. “Whatever, what would you prefer me to tell her?” Cres asked with a small frown. “Just ask her if she knows anything about how she came into our world,” the man replied. “And do it polity, and don’t snap back if she says anything hostile to you, just let it go.” Cres rolled his eyes but turned back to Applejack. “Dearest Applejack, my master Matt here, has asked me to inquire of you if you are in possession of any information pertaining to how you came to be on our world,” the Absol asked, his voice dripping with false politeness. Applejack scowled at the two. “And why should I assume you will actually ‘help’ me? For all I know you’re behind this,” she stated. “Because simple Applejack, it would get you out of my fur,” Cres replied with a small shrug. “Besides, Matt wants to help you so I may as well assist him.” Applejack glance between Cres and Matt, a debating look crossing over her face. Finally she glanced away and let out a hard, steam, sigh. “I don’t know... all I know I went to bed and woke up here exhausted....” “Well... that’s not very useful,” Cres said before glancing up at Matt. “All she knows is that she went to bed and then woke up exhausted.” Matt frowned and rub his chin. “Ask her if she’s sure if she felt anything during the night, or heard something.” he told the Absol. “Did you feel anything during the night, or maybe heard something else when you woke up?” Cres asked Applejack. “I didn’t feeling anything during the night... but....” She frown slightly as she closed her eyes in thought. “I think I did hear someone... talking to me as I was waking up.” “Who? What did they say?” Cres asked, pressing forwards without Matt’s advice. “I can’t really remember what happen... it feels like... a nightmare I can’t remember..” Her body began to shiver slightly uncontrollably before it pass. “All that I can remember is... it sounded male and... didn’t sound very... natural...” “That certainly clears things up,” Cres said dryly before glancing up at Matt. “Apparently she remembers thinking that she had a nightmare of some kind and that when she came too she heard someone’s voice that sounded unnatural and male.” Matt frowned as he closed his eyes and continued to rubbed his chin in thought. “Mind giving me an update sweety?” Roxanne asked archly as she leaned against Nok’s side, sensing that the danger had passed. “Because at the moment, I’m getting about as much as he is,” she added, tapping lightly on Nok’s side. “We got ‘Applejack’ to tell us what she knows about how she got here,” he replied, pointing a finger at the mare. “At the moment, she’s a bit clueless, and the only thing she remembers is going to bed, feeling as if she had a nightmare, and hearing a male voice as she woke up.” Roxanne frowned for a moment. “It sounds familiar for some reason... I feel like I’ve read something similar that happening to others....” she trailed off for a moment and shook her head. “I’ll check my databases when we get home.” “You do that... though in the meantime, I think we should probably get Applejack home,” he said, bringing his hands down and glancing over at the mare. “I’ll bring her to the summit on Mt. Coronet, and have Giratina transport her back.” “And there goes our romantic weekend,” Roxanne lamented jokingly. “Would you like me to come with you at least? I’m not that pregnant.” “I think it’s best if you stay and search your hunch... maybe if you find something I can tell Giratina and he can make sure this won’t happen again,” Matt told her as he walked over to her. “Okay?” “Fine, fine,” Roxanne said before she gave him a short kiss on the lips before handing him the Ultra Ball. “You’ll need this then, I don’t think she’s going to be able to avoid attracting attention if she’s out and about.” “True...” Matt said with a small frown as he as slightly toss the ball up and down in his palm. He glanced over at Applejack who was looking over at them, her eyes narrowed slightly at the man. “Though I don’t think that will be easy to do...” He turned around and walk back to Cres. “Cres... I need you to explain to her we might have a way to send her back home, but in order to get there, see needs to be inside the Ultra Ball.” Cress let out a sigh and rolled his eyes as he turned back to Applejack. “We might have a way home but in order to get you to there you’re going to have to get in the Ball,” the Absol explained slowly, as if he was talking to a toddler. “Oh no, I am not getting into that.... thing again!” she exclaimed, pointing a hoof over at Matt and the ball. “Oh, so you’re not going to abide by our laws,” Cres drawled in a fairly good imitation of Applejack’s accent. “I guess I should be forgiving of that because you’re not from here but if y’all are anything to go by, I shouldn’t bother.” Applejack’s eyes narrowed at Cres, clearly unamused at what he was doing from both the mimic of her accent and using her own words against her. “And here I thought you weren’t yucking this up...” “My dearest Applejack, I wouldn’t dream of it,” Cres replied, still drawling. “In fact, I’m simply replying in kind to the hospitality you gave me.” Cres felt a small tap against his side. “Let it go, Cres,” Matt said to him as he straightened his crutch. “Anyways, you really do have to get in the ball,” Cres stated. “And why should I?” the mare asked with a hard huft. “How do I know you not going to toss me over some cliff or in a river?” “Because Applesnack, while I would do that, my Master is much, much nicer than me,” Cres said calmly. “Now then, allow yourself to go back in the ball or I will treat you like I would any other rebellious Pokemon.” Applejack growled at the Absol. “I’d like to see you-” She was stop when Nok slammed his tail into the ground. Applejack stumbled about a bit, while Cres deftly stood through the shock. “I might not know what is between you two,” the Aggron said, glancing at Cres and Applejack. “But if you do wish to fight, it will be two against one,” he continued, looking back at the mare. “Not good odds for you I think.” “Not to mention that I’m a hundred times stronger and faster then I was when we last ‘talked’,” Cres added smugly. “So even if it was 1 on 1 you’d still go down, hard.” “Not only that, but I don’t want to start a fight,” Matt said, mostly looking down at Cres. He glances back up at Applejack. “I only wish to help you, and the first step in doing so is returning back into ball.” Cres sighed and then translated his master’s words for Applejack. The mare frowned as her eyes darted between everyone with distrust. “If you can’t take the Numbskull words, take mine,” Nok said, gesturing his head at Cres. “Matt keeps his words, he’s a good man.” Applejack closed her eyes and let out a hard sharp sigh. “Fine... but you better not be lying,” she said reluctantly. “Once again, why bother?” Cres replied before nodding to Matt. “She’s ready, Master.” Matt nodded his head and held the Ultra Ball out in the air. “Return.” The red beam shot out from the center and hit Applejack, condensing her down to energy and bring her back inside. The ball shrunk in the man’s hand, and he clip it onto his belt with some of his other Pokeballs. “I still can’t believe that she’s here,” Cres said, his eyes narrowing. “Well she is, and we need to help her get back home,” Matt said as he pulled out another Ultra Ball and pointed to Nok. “Nok, return.” The Aggron was caught up in the beam and returned to his ball where the man placed it next to Applejack’s on his belt. “It’s the right thing to do.” “Bah,” Cres replied, shaking his head but he said nothing else other than. “Let’s get to Mt. Coronet as fast as we can so that Belle and Xav don’t miss me tonight.” Matt nod his head. “Right.” He grabbed ahold of his crutches from beneath his shoulders and started to head out to the gym where Reva was patiently waiting for them. Cres followed behind, his mind troubled and dark.