A Surprise Appearance

“Amber,” Jack calls again from the trees.

Amber calls back louder, “JACK,” so she could hear.

After Jack calls for Amber again, John cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Jack we’re over here.”

“Amber,” Jack calls again.

“Should we go look for her?” you suggest, something feeling off about Jack’s response. Maybe she’s stuck or something.

Amber looks from you to John, and when he nods, she says, “Let’s go check it out.” You cling to John’s side, as the three of you walk to the tree line. “Jack?” Amber calls out again.

“Amber,” she repeats back from deeper in the woods.

You continue towards Jack’s voice, several yards in Amber calls out again. You listen intently for Jack’s response, jumping when the leaves rustle above.

A Chatot lands in front of the three of you, it opens its mouth and in Jack’s voice says, “Amber.”

You look to Amber on John’s other side. She looks as confused as you feel. “Jack?”

“They’re over here,” the Chatot says in a voice that sounds familiar, but you can’t quite place it.

“Is that Cindy Hallow?” John questions the Chatot’s voice. Then it clicked, it is indeed Cindy’s voice. She commentated your match against John, which is enough reason to be distracted enough not to listen to her.

The Chatot repeats, “They’re over here,” in Cindy’s voice, before opening its beak to unleash a loud siren noise.

You cover your ears as the sound reverberates through your skull. John and Amber respond in the same way. You see Amber say something but can’t make it out.

You tentatively uncover your ears, the Chatot siren piercing your eardrums. “What’s going on?” Amber shouts, still barely loud enough to be heard over Chatot’s uproar.

Your head is spinning from the overwhelming noise. Where’s Jack? Why is the Chatot screaming like this? The Chatot stops for a moment, silence falling in the forest.

Amber’s eyes go wide, she grips John’s forearm, “It’s a trap.”

You hear distant rustling further in the woods. With silence, you can finally think, piecing together the same clues Amber has already solved.

The Chatot with both Cindy and Jack’s voice. It must be the Laurels, and they must be after Amber. And the messages to meet up with Yuruki and Amber, they must have Jack’s phone. You gulp, looking to Amber unwilling to believe they could have turned Jack on Amber.

“Opal, can you and Amber fly out of here?” John asks.

You reach for your belt, but you’d already changed for the evening. “My balls are at camp.” The Chatot opens its beak emitting the siren noise once again.

The three of you take a moment to glance at the Chatot before sprinting back, grimacing from the noise. You stumble on the way back, but John helps you regain your footing.

A Zebstrika leaps from the tree line, quickly galloping between the three of you and your camp. Cindy Hallow seated upon its back. “Look what we have here,” she says, as the now quiet Chatot lands on Zebstrika’s rear.

John steps between her and Amber, “Leave her alone.”

Cindy laughs, jumping down from Zebstrika’s back. “Oh you sweet boy, but that’s not going to happen. I’m going to beat her, and keep her busy long enough for my team to show up. And who knows who else might show up to take a turn with the cunt. Maybe her little girlfriend will even show up.”

Amber starts to skirt around John, but he stops her with an outreached arm. “I challenge you to a battle,” John says.

Cindy laughs, “Sure right after I beat your bitch.”

“No, now. You never challenged her, so we’re first.”

“You stupid boy,” Cindy snarls, “this isn’t going to save her.”

The two separate with enough room to battle. John lets out his Scizor against Cindy’s Zebstrika. You watch as Scizor barely dodges a huge thunder.

A tug on your arm, you turn to see Amber. She hands you your bag, hers in hand, “We should go.”

“But John,” you start to protest. He catches your gaze, and waves.

“He’ll be fine, a lost battle, some funds, but they can’t do much more to him. Unlike us,” she reasons.

You nod your head, reaching into your bag for Pidgeot’s ball. Amber climbs onto the bird’s back behind you. With a simple fly command, you’re off. You glance back just as Scizor falls to a strike of electricity. “He’ll be fine,” you whisper to yourself in reassurance.