Chapter 9: Kintsukuroi
Cinnabar Island was by no means a large island. There was a gym, a research laboratory, a few mansions belonging to some of Kanto’s more reclusive elite, and a small community that clung to their coattails. The Redmond Estate was not the largest mansion on the island, but one could not deny it’s reserved majesty. There were two stories of sun-baked bricks, stacked together for strength in a traditional Unovian style. It would be a bit at odds with the rest of the buildings on the island, were it located with them. The Redmond Estate was actually located on the opposite side of Cinnabar's volcano. It was a treacherous road to travel about the edge of the island to the rest of the town. But this is how Johnathan Redmond preferred it. The easiest way to access his home was by boat. He owns several, which were all docked at his personal dock. Everything was his. He owned the land, the house, the dock, the boats, and when he let himself give in to hyperbole, the island itself.
Madam Kuroi did not travel by plane or boat. With a flash of light, Kuroi appeared on the docks. Saji sighed as the inevitable tax of teleporting across the region took it’s toll. She gladly returned to her Pokéball. Kuroi rolled up towards the mansion with a flick of the wrist and a thought.
“Mrs. Black!” Johnathan exclaimed. They were in his main living room. A fire blazes in the stone fireplace, throwing dancing shadows across rows of hunting trophies. Of all his bizarre choices, Redmond's practice of immortalizing his fallen Pokémon on his wall upset Kuroi most.
A place had been set for her. With a flick of her wrist, the ornate chair she was ment to sit in lifted and gently set itself aside. She rolled up and took it’s place. From nothing, Obsidian appeared, and sat on her owner’s lap. There was a growl from next to Redmond's seat. Fyre, A flareon, and Redmond's favorite partner, stretches from his bed and stood. Obsidian hopped from her perch to land before the fire dog. They circled, growling softly, eyes never leaving the other.
“My offer still stands.” Johnathan comments. “¥20,000 per session if you let me rent her. Plus you can keep half the eggs produced.” Kuroi shook her head. “I certainly don’t need the money, and I doubt Obsidian and Fyre get along...” She says.
“Then, if you are not here to sell your pet to me, Then was is so important that you need to drag yourself all the way here.” He says. “Tactful as ever.” Kuroi comments. “Last year you bought a Pokémon at auction. A chameleon. Last time I checked, you don’t have interest in female Pokémon.”
“You’re correct there. I prefer the stronger version of the species. What of it? Last time I checked you only cared about spooky dead Pokémon, Or those annoying spoon benders.” He says. Kuroi maintains her smile, though Obsidian can feel her displeasure building.
“I want to buy her off you.” She says. “I doubt you have much use for her.”
“Damn right I don’t. The bitch won’t lay an egg. I have had most of my Pokémon take a round or two with her and nothing. I am sure she is just a dud.” He says.
“You can’t treat her like a thing and expect results. You will anger Fate that way.” Kuroi says. “Name your price, and I will take her off your hands.”
“Not a chance you witch, I bought that chameleon fair and square. You don’t like fire types. So what is your angle? Why do you need a chameleon? Who are you trying to deal with?” He asks.
“Very well. The Stone Cutters want her to manufacture Charidite. I have arranged a trade, in exchange for a few mega stones...” She says simply.
“I knew it. You never act without having something up your sleeve, you cheeky bitch. But that Charmeleon isn’t for sale. I will have a damn egg out of her if I have to make it myself.” He says. This removes Kuroi’s smile. “Don’t tempt Fate.” She says. “Fat eis not kind, and he looks upon pigs with disgust.” She says.
“I am no spiritualist lady. You can’t frighten me with your specters and spoons. I will have my Charizard, and that little bitch is going to give it to me.” He says.
“If it’s a male Charmander you want, what about this?” She says. With a flash of light, Torok appeared on the floor at Kuroi’s feet. He held still, ready to move, just as they had planned. Redmund looked down at the Pokémon and grinned. “Where did you get that?” He wasn’t at auction. You caught him yourself. Damn...” He looked at Kuroi with renewed interest. “Alexander...” He says. A typhosion comes forth from a ball on the coffee table. He stands behind Redmond, jets of flame firing from the pours on his back in anticipation.
“Hand over the Charmander, Black. And I will let you walk out of here. I might even give you the Charmeleon, after this ‘mander sires a clutch or two with her.” He says. That was it. That was the point that Madam Kuroi could no longer tolerate Redmond's presence. “I Told You...” She says. “Don’t. Anger. Fate...”
“Last time I counted Black, you got a prevolve and a female. I have two apex fire types. This battle is over before it began.” He says. His smile fades as he finally notices. Madam Kuroi’s shadow dances along the wall with the others. But her shadow is smiling, grinning even. A wide crescent of light shows clearly on the face. But of course physics would not abide by such a thing unless there was a reciprocating hole in Madam Kuroi’s head. The shadow swells, getting closer. Eyes appear alongside the impossible mouth. Then teeth. Impossibly sharp teeth begin to grow. There are far too many teeth. Certainly more than decreed by nature. The fire goes out, the lights also die. And the room is left in darkness. Though the shadow is gone, Redmond can still feel it grinning at him, getting closer.
“Fyre… Alex…” He says weakly. The Typhlosion hesitates, staring up in fear at the non-existant shadow. Fyre attacks. A ball of flame spreads apart into a 大 monogram. It glides over Kuroi’s head at the shadow. Obsidian lowers her head. The ring on fer forehead glows bright and three dark ball of energy shoot out. Each baleful orb is surrounded by a ring of rainbow light. They strike Fyre and knock him onto his back. He flinches.
A Sphere of purple miasma appears above Madam Kuroi. Two arms and two legs popped out of it, and then a face formed. A pair of keen red eyes shown down upon everyone. A slit opened to a wide grin, like a child who has been given bugs and told that he can crush them. Fate, the Gengar, looked down at everyone in the room, and began to laugh.
* * *
Izumo looked around the room. Johnathan was being carried out on a stretcher. He was very pale, and non-responsive. The medical personnel had ruled it a heart attack, or at least some sort of cardiac event. A tape sat on the coffee table with Izumo’s name and badge number on it. It contained Redmond’s confession to a number of crimes, including the purchase of illegally poached Pokémon. Izumo noted that the auction was not mentioned anywhere on the tape. Johnathan’s registered Pokémon team was missing, but underneath in the basement they had found several caged Pokémon. Each was in very poor health. The golden Charmeleon was among them. As soon as he saw her condition, he ran her to the Pokémon center himself. He was painfully aware of the document sitting in his car. The document that he signed, transferring ownership of the Charmeleon over to Madam Kuroi. He prayed that this deal would be worth it.
* * *
Orderly Sugai Yoshino looked at his computer screen. It was an interesting evening. Or as interesting an evening as a Pokémon Center that services less than 150 Pokémon could have. There was collection of Pokémon brought in by the police. Some sort of drug raid or some such. Nothing happens on Cinnabar Island. Maybe the occasional trainer will come to challenge the gym. And the gym members themselves had the odd injury every now and then. Sugai Yoshino looks through the list of Pokémon. There is a Charmeleon, a shiny Charmeleon no less. Sugai makes a note to visit her later. It was a sight that many people only saw once or twice in their lifetime.
A woman rolled up to the counter. She was in a wheelchair. She was very old, probably mid nineties, by Sugai’s guess. He looks her in the eye to greet her. He freezes. Hands trembling, he looks down at the computer before him. There is an error. There is an error and he must correct it. He pulls up the records for a recent patient.
<No Name>
Spieces: Charmeleon♀
Age: 8 (approx.)
CT: Johnathan Redmond - CT-ID: UNV-012-51232
Catch date: 08/05/2001
Catch Location: Cinnabar Island - Kanto
Class: A-1 (destructive)
Assignment: None
This was wrong. This was all wrong. There was an error. There was an error and he must correct it. He types furiously, before the error is noticed and he is blamed.
Kin’iro Kuroi
Spieces: Charmeleon♀
Age: 8 (approx.)
CT: Kerra Kuroi - CT-ID: KAN-000-01212
Catch date: 10/11/2001
Catch Location: Mt. Moon - Kanto
Class: A-1 (destructive)
Assignment: Saffron Institute of the Mind
Orderly Sugai Yoshino looked at his computer screen. It was an interesting evening. Or as interesting an evening as a Pokémon Center that services less than 150 Pokémon could have. There was collection of Pokémon brought in by the police. Some sort of drug raid or some such. Nothing happens on Cinnabar Island. Maybe the occasional trainer will come to challenge the gym. And the gym members themselves had the odd injury every now and then. Sugai Yoshino looks through the list of Pokémon. There is a Charmeleon, a shiny Charmeleon no less. Kin’iro Kuroi. What a beautiful name. Sugai makes a note to visit her later. It was a sight that many people only saw once or twice in their lifetime.
Madam Kuroi rolled into the waiting room. Head nurse Anzai Tomomi comes to greet them. “I am here for Kin’iro, the Charmeleon.” Kuroi says. “She is being prepped for examination now. I am afraid she can’t see any visitors.” the Nurse says. She reconsiders as soon as she sees the worried Charmander sitting in Kuroi’s lap.
Kin’iro was laying out on a bed in the exam room. They had cleaned her from head to toe, but there was clear evidence of wounds, both old and new across her body. Torok was laying beside her, not moving, as if the moment he lets her go, he will lose her again. Nurse Tomomi pulls out an ultrasound and passes it over Kin’iro’s back and belly. Torok wags his tail and sniffs at the trans device curiously. Tomomi smiles. “It’s ok. We just want a look at her insides. See?” She gently passes it over Torok’s side, and points to the screen. She pauses, and moves the scanner to the left. “Hmmm.” She says. “Hmmm?” Kuroi inquires. Tomomi points at the screen. “See this dark circle here? There is a hard mass in his liver… right… here.” She gently pokes Torok’s belly. While the gesture seemed innocent enough, Torok roared, and clamped his mouth down on Tomomi’s arm, biting deep into her skin. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. “It’s ok. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you...” She says. Kuroi gently holds the Charmander, and after some soft works and petting, he releases the nurse’s arm. “I was going to ask if that hurt, but I think I have my answer...” She says. “Liver stones happen in fire types. It’s probably a byproduct of his turpentine production that he failed to pass. But given how big it is, I suggest we get it out of him as soon as we can.” She says. She quickly cleans her arm and applies a few band-aids. Then she gets back to scanning Kin’iro. “This… I don’t like this.” She says, looking at the screen. “I think she has some sort of internal tear… here.” she points at the screen. “We need to get her into surgery.”
Madam Kuroi sat in the waiting room. She disliked waiting. On more than one occasion she had let her mind drift into the operating room, but she found only the intently focused minds of the doctor and nurses within. Madam Kuroi hated waiting. She hated being unable to assist or to do anything.
Nurse Anzai Tomomi stepped out of the operating room. Her face spoke more loudly than any words she could say. “Torok First...” Kuroi said, slowly rolling to her. “The operation was a complete success. We pulled this out of his liver.” the Nurse is holding a small smooth stone about the size of a walnut. “It’s an everstone. They are normally formed like other evolution stones. But for it to form naturally inside him, he would have had to have an intense desire not to evolve. All Pokémon are psychic to a minor degree. And his feelings created this stone. If you take it to a jeweler they can fashion it into a necklace or bracelet for him to wear. As long as he keeps it on his person he won’t evolve.” Kuroi nods. Tomomi nods as well. She is stalling. She doesn’t want to say what she has to say. She has said it, or words just like it over a hundred times, and it never gets easier.
“We… We can’t save Kin’iro. There is internal bleeding in at least two separate locations. Super potions and surgery just won’t be enough to save her...”
“How long?” Is all that Kuroi says. “Hours. Maybe a day. If we suspend her in a Pokéball she could last a week, but she wouldn’t survive re-materializing...” Tomomi trails off. After a moment of silence, Kuroi speaks. “I don’t care about cost, or risk or ethics. Give them as much time together as you can. Wake her up, and let them say goodbye...”
Torok slowly opens his eyes. His side hurts. His head hurts, and his limbs feel heavy and loose, as if they are not fully there, or are floating away. But that doesn’t matter. She is there, in front of him, smiling. Several tubes are connected to her in places. She is covered in bandages and blood, her own blood. But that doesn’t matter. She is there, in front of him, smiling. He wants to say so much. He wants to say so much. He wants to say so many things and ask so many things more. But he can only say one word to her. “Sorry.” He says, and that is enough to make him cry. She takes his hand, holding it in hers. The effort pains her immensely, but that doesn’t matter. She whispers to him. She speaks to him so softly that only he can hear. Then she closes her eyes. Torok cries. He cries and shakes. Slowly, his claws drag across the cot they are on, cutting gashes in it. His tail flame starts to grow. It starts to burn a crimson purple color. It is a baleful, unsettling color. Electricity sparks from his tail, cracking in the air. His eyes glow bright red. He screams.
Madam Kuroi rolls over and takes hold of the Charmander. The thrashes in her arms, biting and screaming in rage. Flames form in his mouth only to die again. “Look at me Torok.” Kuroi says urgently. “LOOK AT ME!” Torok looks, and he stills. Slowly the red fades from his eyes. Slowly the flames on his tail shrink and return to normal. Kuroi looks over at Nurse Tomomi. Her hand is locked in Kuroi’s psychic grasp. Her finger was inches away from the button for emergency alarm. Slowly the pressure eon her arm is released. And she bows in apology. “What arrangements would you like for her body?” Tomomi asks softly. “Cremate her...” Kuroi says, as she gently strokes Torok’s head. “It is a fitting end for a fire-type. And I will not have anyone exploit her in death…
* * *
Madam Kuroi placed Kin’iro on the mantle above the fireplace. The urn was plated in gold. On the front, “Kin’iro Kuroi” was imprinted in black letters. She looked down to Torok, to find that he wasn’t there. His rage was growing harder and harder to quell since they returned home. His everstone necklace lay on the floor where he was standing. Kuroi heard the back door open, then slam shut. There was a tree in the back yard, It was now on fire. Terrible purple flames roared in the night sky. Electricity arced from branch to branch to branch as they were consumed. They fell to the ground around the base of the tree. Obsidian, Saji, and Noctua were there. They were not fighting the flames, merely containing the fire and preventing it from spreading further. The flames eventually subsided. The tree was reduced to a spike of charcoal. Torok walked back to the house. His skin was red. A horn rose form his skull. He looked Madam Kuroi in the eye. “Charmeleon...” He growled.