Indigo scratched his palms, watching the few people around as closely as the people he was with. They’d made an agreement before entering the city. At an impasse each person had one vote, and no vote was greater than another. Though, a word only went so far these days. Indigo’s pupils shivered. His breath was shallow and rapid. Sam’s shoulders were poised. Bo’s stride was swift. Indigo knew, though, they were afraid as him. Being a rat in a maze did that to a man. Even if they were a group of three rats, they were still rats. The passages were narrow and there was only one exit.
Indigo took the rear and allowed the other two an advance position. His eyes shifted to the side, looking to the back of Woods’ head. They hadn’t spent enough time together for Indigo to really gauge any sort of his character. On top of that he seemed quiet, or perhaps wary. Maybe both. His Pokémon, a Makuhita, was a strong addition to their current roster. A fighting Pokémon was difficult to defeat in physical combat. With supporting attacks from Growlithe and Nidoran♂, her punches would become nigh unblockable for a single Pokémon. For that to work, though, they needed security in each other. They and their Pokémon, each of them needed to know what the other was to do as it occurred. Such as a trainer has a relationship with their Pokémon, so it must be in a team battle. There is no talking, no mistakes, simply execution. Three stranger rats in unknown territory had to work in absolute coordination. And there was that last part of that bond, the most important thing to consider: trust. They shared about two days of travel and a loose coalition they followed. Indigo pulled on his collar and cleared his throat. If somebody had noticed, they hadn’t said anything.
Eyes between blinds shot glares at the trio as they walked through the rougher parts of the city. Their gazes pierced Indigo’s own. Trash rolled across gutters. Mangy animals hid in dark alleyways. They knocked over cardboard boxes and hissed from yellow, glowing eyes. Maximillian maneuvered between Indigo’s shoes, taking three steps for every one Indigo made. The Nidoran’s♂ ears turned and twisted in unheard of directions. Maximillian looked up to Indigo, who returned his glance with a faint smile. His eyes arched upward beneath his black, square frames, and his heart could be heard thumping against his chest. Maximillian nodded, and continued to adjust his antennae ears. Indigo didn’t like the idea of Maximillian being outside of his pokéball in such a dangerous area, but it was necessary. Indigo needed to hide the technology from the Regime, but he also needed Maximillian’s hearing capabilities. It might be the difference between an ambush and an escape. Indigo still traced the outline of the sphere in his pants pocket, but he didn’t dare grasp it.
Indigo’s mouth began to dry as they approached Manhattan bridge. Some invisible force pushed down on his chest, and he was visibly paler. Indigo’s palms shuffled against his purple suit coat. He felt a scrape against his pant leg. Indigo looked down to meet Maximillian’s stare. His pupils vibrated and his neck swiveled, motioning forward. Sam and Woods continued to walk farther forward, but they hadn’t noticed Indigo’s pause yet. Maximillian stomped on the ground twice with his front two legs, and swung his head from side to side, unleashing a flux of air from his nostrils. He revealed his neck and stood high upon his front legs, vibrating pupils boring holes into Indigo’s face. Indigo swiveled his head, looking at the crossroads sign toward Sam and Woods and back the way he came. Indigo made hours out of moments. His lips tucked inward and he nodded at Maximillian, rushing to catch up to the now distant Rebels.
Civilians and Regime alike contained the trio. Indigo did not mind the feel of a city, but this was worse, much worse. It was like the boot of an officer permanently stuck digging into your stomach. People knocked against Indigo, sending him into others, into others. Indigo saw Regime in every citizen. He profusely apologized in-between knockings and goings. Indigo felt another scrape against his pant leg, and he took a deep breath. There were no more apologies. Sam gave a sort of signal, and as he merged with another tide Indigo figured the trio were to split up. Indigo and Maximillian ducked and weaved within the heavier rapids of the crowd. Even if they were spotted by the Regime as outsiders, they would need to traverse difficult terrain. Despite their efforts of blending in with numbers, scarce amounts of Regime became visibly suspicious. Maximillian noticed before they acted. His superb hearing was able to differentiate the different voices in the sea of sound, and he picked up on Regime conversation. They’d been detected. There was a light push against his inner, left ankle. They were to the west, far enough but still approaching. Indigo’s tall form ducked beneath the waves of heads and began maneuvering toward an alleyway on the same side of the street. Leaping from the crowd, the two sprinted into the alleyway as they heard a shout, again to their left. They rounded a sharp corner. Spikes shot from Maximillian’s body and covered the floor and walls of the turn, glowing purple even in the dim light. The two navigated through narrow passages and avoided dead ends. Indigo had studied this route. No, that was a dead end, take a left instead. That led back to the street. Right, left, straight, hold, okay keep going. They leapt over trashcan hurdles, murky puddles, and climbed over chain-link fences. Eventually, their breath in unison merged with an exit, just as Woods came careening from another path, and Sam from the opposite way.
The three fell silent to collect themselves. The world held it’s breath, and then it screamed. The sound and the fury of a golden storm erupted from the sky. Glass erupted from street lights as Indigo crouched over Maximillian and covered his own face with bent arms. Maximillian’s ears turned every direction, head swiveling, front legs pacing in place. A shadowy fist clenched the city as almost all light ceased to be. The only remaining illumination came in intervals, lightning striking down from furling clouds.
“What’s happening?” Indigo said, still in his hunched position. His eyes widened as his neck arched upward. The sky became bright with another strike. No, it couldn’t be. But this storm was so sudden. The sky challenged the earth in a battle to the death. Or perhaps something challenged them all. Indigo’s thoughts became interrupted by the world screaming once again. Thunder surrounded them, deafening, on all sides. Sam sprinted off down the street randomly, and Woods soon after. Indigo exhaled incomprehensible babblings before following soon after, Maximillian leaping as lightning may between each stride.
Indigo travelled by the storm’s strobe.
“Wait, wait, stop running!” Indigo said, unable to scream over crashing thunder. A flash of light revealed Sam was turning into an alley way, and Indigo was close behind. He nearly crashed into Sam and Woods as the brightening of the sky revealed others, one of them in Regime uniform. Indigo hunched over, hands on his knees, and his chest heaved repeatedly. His neck craned forward and his eyes bobbed up and down. Three people, four Pokémon, two evolved. Maximillian remained silent but his spikes vibrated against the leather of Indigo’s shoes. The encounter was too tense for words, not yet. Any wrong action could lead to an all-out brawl that they could very well lose in this enclosed space. And just as Sam ventured into the silence, Indigo’s raven hair stood on end all about his body. A static charged permeated his skin and navigated around goosebumps.
The sky came down. It was true. Nobody could catch a storm, even if they wanted to.
Golden undulations of energy radiated out of its brilliant form. It was jagged as its power, wings piercing the dark veil around it. Each flap of its wings caused the sky to scream and the clouds to furl. God gave man fire, and now it was to give them lightning. Meek dots trailed in its wake, ants trailing conveniently amongst a king. Indigo looked up as the entirety of a city did.
“Why here? Why now?” Indigo managed to stand and arch his neck, but kept his torso facing the opposite party. His chest contracted slowly, breath travelling slowly out of his mouth.
“We can’t stay here,” said the speck of dust.
