Chapter 18: Strangers In the Night

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(AN: I'm so proud of this community, three chapters today to celebrate, and it definitely wasn't because the odd number was annoying me, definitely not, nuh uh, hope you enjoy.)

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"Come, come, new friends, Bonzo take you to where the business begins, yes, yes!" Bonzo repeated once more, clasping his hands together tight, as he hurriedly moved underneath streetlamps, making sure not to be seen. Even with Sycamore's words of encouragement it did little to boost his confidence, a nervous, jittery wreck of a man. It was starting to become a nuisance, scared of every sudden noise, and even his own shadow at times. However, it wasn't like they could just get rid of him now, he was their only way of finding the stolen Pokémon

"Bad, bad people work in the east end of Jubilife, bad, bad people!" He mumbled, looking about anxiously, and east was the exact direction they were headed. It was only a few minutes before midnight, darkness surrounding the enormous city, and yet it was silent, especially the further they walked. Less and less people, only one or two cars slowly creeping by, it was almost like a ghost town. And, if they had been wondering where the city's poverty was, it was quickly becoming apparent where all of it was localised. The centre of the city was lovely, vibrant and modern, with large skyscrapers and radio towers protruding up out above the city skyline. There was not a crack in the pavement, not a broken window, not a homeless person in sight...

It made sense now. They had all been shoved off to the east of town. And, the dangers of Jubilife were becoming more apparent. Shattered glass littered the street and storefronts were boarded up, with ugly chain link fences and metal grates just barely defending the local businesses. Street lights would flicker on and off randomly, dowsing the street in shadows, before suddenly returning it for a brief period. The black shapes that clung to the walls stretched and morphed in vile amorphous ways that made their Pokémon companion's recoil and growl.

Chimchar held tight against his trainer's leg, like some scared child, his eyes darting all about, practically shaking. [Y/N] couldn't have him be frightened though, what if they were to get into a battle? His fire-type shaken and intimidated before even throwing a single hit, they would lose in an instant. "Hey, bud." He said, scratching the monkey's head. "C-Char..." It whimpered back, his hold only growing tighter. Any more and blood circulation would be cut off for sure.

"Hey!" [Y/N] said, loudly, and he stopped, startling the fire-type. He grabbed him with both hands and placed him on his shoulder, like usual. "How are we supposed to win if you're too afraid to fight, huh?" Chimchar gave a guilty look, turning away. "Nuh uh! You're gonna' be my brawler, right? That means you gotta' be brave for a bit, and show 'em what you're made of, really let that fire burn bright!" And he punched the air in defiance, trying to rally the small monkey's morale.

"Look at Turtwig, and Piplup, and Starly, they're not worried, cause we're a team, nothing can stop us as a team, got that?" It was a little corny but it worked well enough and Chimchar nodded back hesitantly. There was still fear behind his eyes but he tried his hardest to fight it back for now. "That's the spirit." [Y/N] said, marching after the other two. If he wasn't confident then how could his team be? It would've been a lie if he tried to pretend he wasn't even a little nervous, but it didn't matter now. His team looked to him for orders, and that meant he needed to be cool, calm and collected.

- Vagabond - Male Reader x PokémonWhere stories live. Discover now