Intermission 5: The Missing Sun

  “Be advised, suspect has been spotted fleeing on foot down south of Kinderly avenue, over.” said the static-y voice of a radio operator.

  “This is Officer Jenny.” she said through the radio piece, "Don't tell me it’s him again, over.”

  “Same as always. That facility just can’t keep him down huh? Over.”

  Officer Jenny leaned back on the seat of her motorbike and sighed. “I’ll handle it, over and out. Manectric! Hurry, we gotta go!” Manectric, who was slowly enjoying a free ice cream from the nice ice cream lady, swallowed what remained in one gulp. It battled a bit of brain freeze and hopped into the sidecar of Officer Jenny’s motorbike. The sirens wailed and Officer Jenny took off at full speed down the road.

  “Hey Jenny,” the radio buzzed, “I got 5,000 pokedollars on you beating your previous time. 7 minutes is pretty impressive, but I think you can do better.”

  “Over and out, Heidi!” Officer Jenny, shutting her radio off.

  ---

  “Move!” shouted Solga, barging his way through a busy market place. He was wearing a sterilized looking white shirt along with gray sweatpants and rubber slides. Startled passersbys stepped out of the way quickly, some even throwing insults Solga’s way. But he didn’t care, he had to get out of here.

  He remembered the day he died. Poyzyne and Sychic erased his memory, took away everything that made him who he was and left behind only a naive shell of a person. And then, he was given a gift. With a painful snap of his neck from a horrifying mirrored projection of himself, he had a second chance, and much more to boot. An unwavering anger swirled in his gut. A chaotic geyser of hatred that he felt since the day he came back to life. It fueled his desire to escape by any means necessary so that he could point all that hatred at one person.

  Poyzyne.

  Solga stole whatever food he could get his hands on. An apple, bread, meat, nothing was off the table, and he ate each one as if he were a rabid starving pokemon, discarding the scraps behind him.

  Then there was the sound of sirens. That was much faster than usual, he planned this so thoroughly this time. No matter, they would never catch. He couldn’t let them. He dived into an alleyway and climbed the nearest fire escape to the roof. The wavy green leaves of the forest outside of town peered just over the horizon. Freedom. All he had to do was reach for it.

  “Solga!” shouted Officer Jenny through a megaphone, “Give it up! It’s time to go home!”

  “Home?!” Solga growled, “You call that prison a home?! Fuck off! I’m not going to rot in that place just so that they can make me ‘feel better’! I know what needs to happen, and I can’t do it here.”

  “Solga, you know that’s not true! We’re doing more than that, we’re trying to help you!”

  “Then let me leave!” Solga threw a bone from a piece of meat he ate at Officer Jenny. She covered her face with her arm while Manectric snatched it right out of the air, growling angrily. But in that instant, Solga had run off.

  He leapt to the next rooftop, his feet flinging gravel with every step. Almost there, the trees were right ahead. The screams of the siren below made the hair on his neck stand up, giving him dread like a roar from a monster. One leap after another, each one giving the hope that he would finally be free. But his eyes widen and he skids to a halt.

  This next gap was large and dropped far below, cars passing by in the crowded street below. Solga considered finding another way, but those damn sirens were behind him. If he left now, he’d be dragged away again. The only way out is through!

  He stepped near the edge, bits of gravel disappearing into the haze below. Every instinct in his body told him not to do this. But there was no time for useless fear. He grit his teeth and shouted as he made the leap. Officer Jenny drifted around the corner and watched with a gasp. Solga reached his hand out to the ledge, but his eyes widened. He was about a foot short.

  Instinctively, a name escaped his lips. “Sewaddle…!” But there was no string to catch the edge. He fell head first into the fire escape railing on the floor below with a metallic clang, sending him spiraling down to the ground.

  “Use quick attack and catch him!” commanded Officer Jenny. Manectric disappeared in a flash. Solga braced for impact, only for Manectric to swipe him from the air and gently plop him on the ground.

  “Get away from me!” Solga shouted, shoving Manectric aside before running off again. A lasso tied him by the legs before he could get far.

  “Seriously, Solga,” Officer Jenny said, dragging him towards her, “That’s how you thank a pokemon who saved your life?”

  “SHUT UP!” Solga said, struggling desperately. Officer Jenny quickly restrained him, tying up his arms and legs.

  Solga, once again, was reduced to nothing but a squirming mess on the ground. His anger was so overwhelming that he growled like a rabid pokemon with tears streaming down his eyes. And worst of all, Officer Jenny gave the same look everyone else gave him. That same look of pity that drove him up a wall. Like he was diseased, a sorry, unfortunate sight.

  “This is Officer Jenny, suspect has been apprehended, awaiting escort.” Jenny said to her communicator. Solga continued to struggle, his arms and legs burning with strain, until a police cruiser came and hauled him away.

  ---

  “This is Dr. Kara Vroanne, March 17th, 2022.” Kara said into her recorder, “The patient has proved to be the most troublesome individual as of late. Yesterday marked his 6th attempt at escaping the facility, only this time he had massively injured himself in the process. The patient has now been restrained into the confines of his room and every exploit he used to escape has been patched up.

  I will personally take over psychological treatment as Dr. Helen has been unable to make significant progress. Mainly due to safety concerns regarding his violent emotional outbursts. A trait that seemingly appeared after he was… supposedly killed by a strange entity others named ‘a Freak’, then miraculously brought back to life. We are still studying the effects this has had on his body and psyche.

  Honestly, I still can barely believe it myself. I digress. I shall communicate with the patient and see what strides I can make. Wish me luck.”

  Kara stuffed the recorder in her lab coat pocket and opened a pokeball at her side. Makuhita appeared and looked up at her. “Back me up, okay?” Kara hadn’t asked for backup in a long time, so Makuhita smacked its cheeks and nodded.

  Kara entered the room. Inside was Solga, confined within a straight jacket on a hospital bed. Surrounding him were various kinds of monitors spewing out charts and numbers she didn’t understand, all with wires connected to a headpiece Solga was wearing. Representatives from the Lumiose City Gym expressed their desire to monitor Solga's condition after nearly shredding his mind to tinsel with Vertant’s future seeing Crown and his encounter with the Freak.

  Two bodyguards in black suits stood ready near the door. “Could you two please wait outside?” The two nodded and vacated the room. Kara sat gingerly near Solga’s bed and held a pen over a clipboard. “Solga?”

  “Go away!” Solga said with a growl.

  “Solga, this will only take longer if you continue to shut yourself in. Please, find it in yourself to move forward.”

  Solga looked at her, his eyes full of bitterness. Kara’s expression was different from everyone else. She had this determined look in this eye. There was no pity, only a drive to achieve what she has to. Somehow, Solga decided to humor her.

  “Fine…” he said.

  Kara cleared her throat. “Let’s start from the beginning. I’m Kara Vroanne, how are you doing today, Solga?”

  “Fantastic…” Solga said sarcastically.

  “Now, according to statements made by you past acquaintances, we’ve been able to trace you back to the Telin Orphanage in Galar. You disappeared for 2 years before appearing here looking for that Crown. What was it that you were trying to accomplish? What was the bigger picture?”

  “Take over the world. Same thing anyone else would do.”

  “Solga, please take this seriously.”

  “Yeah, well that’s my answer. You don’t like it, you can leave.”

  Kara sighed, “Fine, we’ll move on.” She flipped the paper on her clipboard, “At least explain to me why you are so adamant in running away from this place?”

  “Well the food sucks, for one,” Solga said with a roll of his eyes, “I’m bored to shit all the time and not exactly a very talkative person.”

  “And this has nothing to do with what happened to Sewaddle?”

  Solga gave a fake gasp, “Oh yeah! Who woulda guessed?!” He slumped back on his bed frustratedly.

  “Why not just let the police handle it?”

  “Pfft, that's what everyone’s been telling me my whole life. If you want to solve your problems, you have no choice but to do it yourself.” Solga was initially dismissive, but he saw Kara’s eyes light up as her pen skated across her paper.

  “They failed you at some point, once before? When? What happened?” Kara asked delicately.

  “Typical orphan sob story. Was randomly dropped off at the doorstep of an orphanage at the age of 4, bawling my eyes out, unsure why my parents would do such a thing. Don’t even really remember their names. Police tried finding them, and found nothing. Friend of mine got lost in the forest, Police tried finding them, care to guess what they turned up?”

  “Nadda?” Kara said.

  “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!” Solga shouted, the anger oozing from his teeth. Kara gasped, but tried to regain her composure. Solga smiled, finding joy in scaring Kara like that.

  “The last time was about 4 years ago now. Called the cops on a bully after the new shitty Head Caretaker wouldn’t do anything about it. They said only to call for a “real” emergency. But believe you me, it was a real emergency. And that was the first time I took something into my own hands. That bully found himself with a cracked skull at the bottom of two flights of stairs. Got my fair share of a juvie for it, but when I came back, those bullies refused to touch anyone else as long as I was there.”

  “It wasn’t self defense?” Kara asked.

  Solga realized he slipped up and sighed. “Heh, well, suppose you’ll assume that a “good” person deep inside, huh?”

  Kara stopped writing and leaned close. “I won’t assume anything, Solga. I’m sure you know yourself well enough to make your own conclusion.”

  Solga smirked. “Then I’m the hottest dude in town. All the chicks love me. I courted a princess the other day if you can believe it.”

  “Whatever you say, Solga.” Kara resumed writing on her clipboard, “Though through your brief history, I do see a clear pattern you exhibit.” Solga raised an eyebrow. “You do seek connections, and you do value them. So much so that you’ve even sought to protect them by any means necessary. With very consistent and recent examples if your story is anything to go by.”

  Solga looked away. “Now you’re overthinking it. I just want to kill Poyzyne, nothing more.”

  “Because he stole Sewaddle from you?”

  “Because he tried to kill me! ‘Think it’s time I get my revenge and repay him the favor.”

  “Revenge is a very tricky slope to navigate. The organization Poyzyne works for is now being monitored closely for any movements. Why not wait for them to bring them to justice?”

  “Because Justice moves too slow! Hell, that Greninja and Zygarde didn’t even know they existed until you told them!”

  “Your options are limited, Solga. Without any pokemon, revenge is a fool's errand, surely you know that. Why can’t you accept that?”

  Solga leaned forward as far forward as his cables would let him, “BECAUSE I WAS LEFT BEHIND AGAIN!”

  The atmosphere in the room froze.

  “Solga…” Kara tried to say comfortingly, but she slipped. Solga saw that same face plastered on everyone else's. That damn pitiful look. Almost as if it were mocking him.

  “Get out!” he said with a growl.

  Kara stood up. “Solga!”

  “I said get out!” Solga tore his arm right out of his restraints and started tossing whatever was nearby at Kara. A mug, a book, computer equipment, whatever he could get his hands on. Makuhita smacked each one away before they reached Kara, who was forced to retreat back out the door.

  “You think you know me?! You think feeling sorry for me would make it all better?!” Solga ripped the computer harness off his head, tore every cable out of it, and tossed it at the door window. “You’re just like everyone else!”

  Kara took a sigh of relief on the other side of the door, hearing the clunking of objects on the other side. “Make sure he doesn’t leave that room.” she said to the guards. They nodded and stood with their hands crossed.

  As Kara walked down the hallway, Makuhita gave her a worried look. “Don’t worry. We’ve gotten a lot more out of him than I expected. Progress takes time, it will just be up to him how fast he does so.”

  ---

  *Five days later*

  Solga found himself alone on a cafeteria bench looking at a soggy, tin foil wrapped burger, soft fries, a cup of oatmeal, and the tiniest apple he’s ever seen. Another day in this shithole. He missed the few bites he took of outside world food.

  The conversation he had with Kara still weighed heavy on his mind. He couldn’t believe he actually began to trust her. That Ekans put up a front, only to reveal her true colors later. Typical. It was just the story of his life really. Poyzyne, now her. Now all there was to do was eat. Feeling hungry was way worse than not enjoying a meal. He reached for his apple, but it was gone.

  “Hows’it goin, Solga Boy?” asked a decrepit old woman on the bench opposite him. She had a crazed look in her eye, a jagged grin, and wispy white hair so thin that Solga could count the individual strands. She had his apple in her hands near her mouth, which was missing much of her teeth with only four visible.

  “Lady, if you value keeping what’s left of your teeth, I’d suggest handing that back to me, now!” Solga said with a growl.

  “Okay! Here you go!” the wispy woman said with a smile, plopping the apple right back on his tray.

  Solga rested his head on his palm. “Well good, glad we’re clear on that.”

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to see fireworks.” the wispy woman said, “I heard that there was going to be a town fair tonight to the east of here. Oh, my son always wanted to see the fireworks.”

  “Good for you, now leave me alone.” Solga said dismissively. He reached for his apple, only to see that it had disappeared. The Wispy Woman was pondering it like it was a historic relic. Solga slammed his hands on the table, “You need to stop fuckin’ with me lady because I am so close to kicking your ass!”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “My, such a temper on you, Solga boy! You could scare poor Dr. Farlander’s Furfrou. I even hear that it uses moves in its sleep.” The Wispy Woman said with a wink.

  Solga didn’t take the hint. “Give the damn apple back!” He reached over and grabbed the apple and yanked it away with little effort. “Now shut up and leave me-” The Wispy Woman was gone without a trace, “...alone.”

  Solga whipped his head around the whole room. There was no evidence of anyone sitting across from him. Just tired guards and depressed patients. He clutched the sides of his hair and physically sank onto the table.

  “I gotta get the hell outta here…”

  ---

  Another night came. Solga was shifted into his room by a doctor and put to bed. His head harness sat inside a cardboard box, broken to pieces. Once the doctor left, Solga stared at the ceiling for a while. His mind drifted back to when that Greninja and Zygarde of all Pokemon were there.

  He admittedly didn’t act in the greatest manner. But in his defense, a whole flood of memories came back into his mind. His whole life was reconstructed in the manner of a couple seconds, along with some new memories from that thing they called, “Freak Solga”. Needless to say, he was experiencing a whole bunch of good and bad emotions all at once, so he wasn’t particularly consolable. He won’t blame them for what they did.

  But what happened afterward made him bitter to no end. Nothing. That was what happened. No one would tell him anything, yet no one would let him leave. Not important to know anything that’s going on, yet too important to let go? It’s like he’s being just kept around “just in case” something important came up and he was needed. They try to act like nothing happened, but he sees the computers, their looks of pity. Something bigger is going on. If Poyzyne was involved, Solga needed to make sure he was a part of it.

  But he couldn’t leave. The whole damn police force made sure of that in all 6 of his past attempts. What could he do differently this time? No matter how hard he ran, he would always fall short of escape. Without Sewaddle, it was practically impossible. He couldn’t go fast enough without it. It was no use…

  “Ah, Dr. Farlander. Are you turning in for the day?” Solga heard muffled voices outside. He stood up and discreetly observed who they were outside the doors tiny window.

  “Yes, I think it’s time I turn in. All this paperwork is overwhelming. That Solga is quite the nuisance, and whatever that thing was that damaged the facility. I don’t see any of it ending anytime soon.” Dr. Farlander said. A Furfrou stood beside him, sleepily lulling side to side slightly.

  “Well then, good night sir.” said the nurse in front of him, “You’ll be here for the staff pizza party, won’t you?”

  “Of course,” The two said goodbye and went their separate ways.

  Solga thought back to what that Wispy Woman said to him.

  My, such a temper on you, Solga boy! You could scare poor Dr. Farlander’s Furfrou. I even hear that it uses moves in its sleep.

  Solga jiggled the handle of his door and saw that it was unlocked. Staff here really suck at their job huh? He stepped out and discreetly followed Dr. Farlander.

  He approached his office, where Dr. Farlander was giving his Furfrou a Poke Puff. “Furfrou, are you sure you want to stay here? The new couch has surely been broken in know.” Furfrou gave a few protesting barks before hopping on the raggedy couch against the wall with sunken cushions and peeling pleather. “Still not comfortable enough for ya huh? Okay, I’ll see you back here bright and early.” Furfrou barked happily as Dr. Farlander left down the hall.

  Solga was watching near the empty reception desk, his eyes now focused on the door to the office. He walked up and cautiously poked his head around the side of the window on the door, only to let down his guard to find Furfrou already asleep in the most ridiculous position possible. Its head was hanging off the side and its legs swam in the air above it.

  Solga stepped back, ready to burst through the door in an attempt to startle the Furfrou, but a wave of thought washed over his mind. What the hell was he doing?! Every other escape attempt he made was done with careful planning and opportune movements. Here? He was really just going to trust the whim of a batshit insane woman, who appears and disappears as they please? Solga wasn’t even sure she was real.

  But the skin on the back of his neck crawled once he heard voices just about to round the corner. And here he was just standing in the middle of the hall like a dumbass. Oh well, what else is there to lose?

  “HEY!” he shouted, kicking down the door. Furfrou awoke with a yelp and fired a dark pulse straight at the wall, demolishing it in a big cloud of concrete dust. The facility alarms blared with red flashing lights pouring on everything in the room. Furfrou was too shocked to even move.

  Solga walked past it and gave it a little bow. “Thank you,” he said sarcastically before hopping out the hole. All Furfrou could think of was how much trouble it was going to be in tomorrow.

  Solga sprinted across the grass, his mind racing wildly. This was crazy! Just blow up a wall and run?! This was never going to work. Every step he took, he listened acutely for the sound of approaching Sirens. It was only a matter of time before Officer Jenny would show up. So what could he do?

  The grass turned to asphalt under his feet as he took his first strides into town. The roof was the obvious answer. But he stuck out like a sore thumb and he didn’t know the layout of the town enough to know where he could avoid pitfalls. The sewers would be the next bet. But there was now way he was getting a manhole cover off without any leverage. Come on, there had to be something.

  Then, a cluster of lights caught his attention. Off in the distance he found the street lined with brightly lit vendors and string lights. That must’ve been that Festival that woman was talking about. How did she know all this crap?! Questions for later. If there was anything he hadn't tried yet, it was hiding in plain sight..

  He ducked in the alleyway to avoid the attention, where he came across a small truck conveniently with some clothes hanging off the side of the trunk. They were sandy, damp, and were about a bit big for him. But something was better than nothing. He was sure they wouldn’t mind if he commandeered them for the time being.

  Solga now walked in the crowd wearing a large brown coat, dark green scarf, deep blue jeans, and a gray ivy cap. He wasn’t lucky enough for shoes however, but the length of the pants should keep his slides hidden. The strange thing was how calm he felt. Pretending to be someone else, going incognito, gave him a sense of confidence. It was just another heist, he thought to himself.

  The worrying tension was still there. But he always felt best working in chaos. Solga cursed himself however as a wave of amber alert style alarms went off. Everyone took a look to see.

  “Warning: A highly dangerous suspect has escaped custody of nearby Kara’s Mental Institute. They are possibly in possession of improvised explosive devices and are highly dangerous. Please report any sighting to the Camphrier Police Department.” said a snide teenager. “Yeah right, like I’m just gonna stop everything I’m doing to find this guy.”

  Solga took a sigh of relief, but he grit his teeth in anger. They’re saying he made a bomb when it was clearly a pokemon who blew a hole in the wall? Liars, just like everyone.

  He picked up his pace as he entered an area with mobile amusement park rides, temporary show stages, and vendors selling even more stuff. But before he could make it across, he stopped dead in his tracks. There was Officer Jenny, scanning the passersby closely. Manectric was at her side, looking opposite of wherever she was looking. Just his luck, she was already ahead of him.

  “Officer Jenny, what’s your location?” her radio said.

  “East of the Institute. This was where the suspect was heading, correct?” she asked.

  “Just got a call in. Someone just swiped some clothes off a civilian's car.”

  “I don’t have time to go after that. Make Jasper do it.”

  “Institute scrubs were found there. It looks like he made a wardrobe change.”

  Officer Jenny looked at Manectric. “We’re on our way.” The two hurried off. Solga didn’t expect someone to report those clothes stolen. And now it's only a matter of time before they have a description, or even worse, his scent. Manectric may not be the best tracker pokemon ever, but it's certainly good enough to find him in a place like this.

  He moved fast, desperation fueling his pace. He has to make it out this time! He’s already wasted so much time here!

  “Whoa!” shouted a boy in front of him. Solga tried to stop last second, but accidentally slammed into the child's drink of colorful Slurpee, splashing both of them with bits of ice mush. Solga was about to blow up on the kid, but he remembered that he needed to be discreet. But before he could move on, the boy offered his hand. “Are you alright, mister?” he asked in a slight southern Unovan Accent.

  “I’m… doing just great,” Solga said, trying to hide the venom in his words.

  “I-I so sorry fer getting in your way like that. How’s about I take you over to my house to make it up to ya?” the boy said.

  “I’m kinda in a hurry…”

  “No offense sir, but you look quite dreadful. Almost as if you're a castaway that just washed up on the beach.”

  Solga gave an unamused look. “Thanks…”

  The boy grabbed him by the hand. “Come on sir! My Ma makes a killer stew. You’ll love it, I promise!” Solga tried to resist, but the opportunity to have anything other than institute food took all his logic away.

  ---

  “Ma! I brought over a friend!” the boy said after bursting through the front door.

  His Mom peered around the kitchen door. “Braydon, not again… You know what I said about bringing random strangers home.”

  “But it was for a good reason this time Mom!” Braydon said, “I accidentally spilled my Slurpee on his clothes. I thought we’d offer him some dinner as an apology.”

  His Mom sighed, “At least your head is still in the right place,” she faced Solga, “I’m sorry, I tell him over and over not to pressure others to come over. You don’t mind havin’ a bit of stew, do ya?”

  “That sounds great,” Solga said truthfully.

  A little while later, Solga slurped a spoonful of orange broth and a bit of carrot. It was heavenly. At least compared to what they served at the institute.

  “Mom says you’re not supposed to slurp at the table.” Braydon said.

  The Mom slammed her hand on the table. “Braydon, you be respectful of our guest now!”

  “It’s okay,” Solga said with a raise of his hand. He took additional care to not slurp his delicious stew.

  Braydon rested his head in his arms, “So what were you doin’ rushin’ like that around the festival Mr…?”

  Solga thought as fast as he could. “Aglos…” he said unconfidently, “I was… trying to meet up with my sister before she left. She has to get up bright and early for the new job tomorrow.”

  “Aglos? That’s a weird name.” Braydon said.

  “Braydon Malky!” his Mom growled.

  “I-I meant, not weird, just… one I never heard before!”

  “I get that a lot. It’s fine, just gotta roll with it.” Solga said, inhaling another spoonful of stew. “What were you doing there, Braydon?”

  “Oh! I was goin’ around selling cookies I made! Look!” Braydon pulled out a bunch of change and crumpled bills, totaling to just about 1,100 pokedollars. “I’d ask you to try one, but they’re all gone already.”

  “You sure you didn’t eat some out there, did you?” The Mom asked teasingly.

  “I didn’t! I swear!”

  The Mom chuckled. “I know, baby. You did a good job.” Braydon gave a big smile of accomplishment. As Solga watched, he couldn’t help but feel a bit envious inside.

  The time flew by as they gave more small talk. By the end of it, Solga had finished three bowls.

  “Time for bed, Braydon.” The Mom said. “And make sure you stash that cash of yours.”

  “I will Mom!” Braydon said, “You wanna come see my room, Mr. Aglos?”

  “I really should be going,” Solga said.

  “Oh please mister! I wanna show you some cool stuff.”

  The Mom leaned over to Solga’s ear, “Humor him for a bit, will ya? 5 minutes, that’s it.”

  Solga sighed. “Sure, but just for a little bit.”

  “Yes! Come on!” Braydon said, beckoning him over.

  Solga stepped into his room. It was filled to the brim with little knick-knacks. Toys lined the shelves, glow in the dark stickers lined the walls, and his carpet and bed sheets were all Tyranazilla memorabilia. Braydon fished a box out of the corner of his room, but tripped and fell, spilling a whole host of money all over the floor. Easily over 100,000 pokedollars.

  Solga was shocked to see all of it. Braydon scrambled to clean it all up. “Aglos, please help me put this away before Mom sees!” Solga wasn’t going to say no, especially when he can easily snag a few thousand for himself.

  “What’s a kid like you rolling around in so much dough for?!” Solga asked before placing the last coin in the box, making sure to pocket a few.

  Braydon went silent. He looked around before leaning towards him. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Well… I don’t exactly have a track record to pull from. But sure, why not? Is it for a console? A huge toy? It ain’t for a specific kind of ‘magazine’, is it?”

  “It’s… for my Mom.” Braydon said sheepishly.

  A wave of guilt washed over Solga. “Oh…”

  “Last summer, she bought me this console for my birthday. At the time, I was so happy. But after a while, I noticed that she started to act differently. She would stay at work longer. She would serve me dinner without havin’ any herself. And she was always tired. She tried to make it look like we have enough money to go around, but I can tell. I’m not a little kid anymore.

  I offered to help her once. But… she got angry. No, angry isn’t the right word. But she told me that my money was my money and mine alone. She was thankful, but anything I made, she wouldn’t accept. So I had an idea. I would gather as much money as I could and give it to her. So much in fact that she would have no choice but to say yes. Do you think it’d work?”

  Solga gulped. “Hard to say. But I will say this. Anything you do, you do for yourself. Never for others. You get me?”

  Braydon gave a confused look. “Huh? But I’m doing it for my Mom. How would I do it for myself?”

  “Well, it doesn’t have to be selfish. It’s more like, do it because you owe it to yourself as a person. Not for gratification from someone. Everything you do should be for you.”

  “Huh… I think I get it.” Braydon said. He then looked at the clock showing 10:50 pm and gasped. “Oh my gosh! I have to go to bed or Mom’ll kill me!”

  “W-Wait!” Solga blurted out, somewhat not meaning to. Braydon stopped and looked at him expectantly. “You uh… forgot some of this.” Solga held out his hand, revealing the bit of change he stole in a small pile of coins.

  “I did?! Thanks for finding it!” Braydon put it back in the box and shoved it back towards the corner of the room. He dove on to his bed and snuggled under the sheets. “Goodnight, Mr. Aglos. Will you be heading home?

  Solga scratched the back of his head. “Not exactly… I don’t really live here.”

  “Will you ever visit again?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe if I ever show up again.”

  “Awww...” Braydon said sadly.

  “You’ll be fine. Looks like you bring enough friends to your house already.”

  “Hehe!” Braydon laughed.

  “Alright, I’ll be seein’ ya.” Solga said with a wave. Braydon waved as well before Solga left down the stairs. Once he got to the bottom, the silence made the ends of his hair stand. He snapped his head to his left to see the Mom leaning against the kitchen counter, giving him a serious look. He saw a mega stone on a ring in her crossed arms, but the pokemon was nowhere to be seen, which made him nervous.

  “You’re the kid that fought with that future seein’ crown, weren’t ya?” the Mom asked.

  “I was just leaving.” Solga said, reaching for the front door handle.

  “I wouldn’t touch that.”

  As soon as Solga did, he recoiled his hand from how sheer cold it was. A Gengar popped out the door, looking to bite Solga’s entire hand off. He swung at it, only for his fist to phase through it. The Gengar flew to the Mom’s side and giggled mischievously.

  Her gaze remained unfazed. “I’m not particularly fond of invitin’ criminals into my home. What exactly are you plannin’?”

  Solga pressed his back against the door. “To move far far away. Is that a good enough answer for you?”

  “Depends what yer gonna do once you go far far away. I’ve lived long enough to see people's lives ruined by repeat offenders.”

  Solga gave a suspicious look. “Depends? You haven’t reported me yet? Why?”

  “My son. A dirty criminal would’ve never given him the time of day. He’s happy enough to trust you, so I’ll give you only one chance to convince me not to turn you in.”

  Solga tried to think of a way to get out of this. But considering how cornered he was, all his pride needed to be put to the wayside. He sat on the ground and looked away. “Your son reminded me of myself back when I was that age.”

  The Mom remained stoic, but there was a slight sparkle of trust in her eyes.

  “Back then, I had lots of friends and I always looked out for them, but,” Solga had flashbacks to a group of kids backing him into a corner with mocking laughter, “Some made bigger promises than I did. After that, I knew the only person to trust was myself. No one was going to stand up for me. I left home, lived on my own, did what needed to survive. Had my first taste of crime during that time. And that was when I ran into the one thing I could trust.

  Sewaddle. We tore the streets up like no tomorrow. No lone thief could ever outperform us. And it was fun, damn fun! And the one time I decide to trust someone again, my mind is torn to shreds, Sewaddle is stolen from me, and a monster that stole my face killed me in my own bedroom.”

  The Mom gave a look showing that she barely believed anything he said.

  “You believed in a future seeing crown. The other two should be believable enough.”

  The Mom took a step towards him. “So you leave, what happens next?”

  Solga stood up and gave a determined stare. “I get my revenge!” his voice flared with anger, “Kill the asshole who decided to betray me and get Sewaddle back. Plain and simple.”

  “If only it were so simple. Our sins catch up to us. Eventually.” There was a flash of regret in the Mom's eyes. “You will die, Solga Telin.”

  Solga’s eyes widened, but he tried to remain composed. “Then so be it. I sure as shit ain’t selfish enough to continue living without keeping my promise to Sewaddle.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  The door then swung open behind Solga. “Leave,” the Mom said sternly, “And don’t ever come back.”

  “Yeah, for sure. But hey, take good care of that kid of yours. He really cares about you.” He stepped out, but the Mom cleared her throat.

  “There's a garden in the alleyway behind us. In the shed, pull the tarp out. Should get you where you need to go.”

  Solga nodded in understanding and took off.

  ---

  Solga creaked open a door on the edge of town. The grassy plains were just a few feet away from him, and Officer Jenny was nowhere to be seen. He did it. He was finally free! He stepped out and almost did a twirl towards the night-ridden path. Goodbye Camphrier! It was the worst vacation he’s ever been on!

  He stopped for a moment. That Mom had a secret passage out of the city. If what she said about debts were true, he could be running for the rest of his life. But he didn’t care. He’ll run to the ends of the earth as long as Sewaddle was at his side.

  So what happens next? He didn’t know. Surely future him could come up with something. For now, all that mattered was that he put as much distance between him and Camphrier as possible. He ran into the night, never looking back.