The trio ran as fast as their feet could carry them, panting heavily, chests heaving, they couldn’t stop, if they did the Team Rune wanna-bes would get them. The trio jumped into bushes and just for a moment they lost the Runes. Voices shouted and instructed directions how to capture the pre-teens. Suddenly the Caterpie, that Steel failed to realize that she ran off with, was crawling on Brass’s arm, he flinched staring down at the bug pokemon in complete and utter horror. Galvin and Steel realized the boy was about to scream as it crawled up his arm and onto his shoulder, the two friends slapped heir hands over his mouth, muffling his girlish scream. Not a Rune noticed them. Steel only groaned in distain.

“I cant believe this, I just can’t… an evil Team Rune?”

“We don’t… really know that this Rune is evil…” Galvin whispered back, removing his hand from his friend’s mouth and used it to prop his head, at least after wiping the stray slobber on Brass‘s back, Steel followed the motion and sighed.

“Then why would they freak out and try to get us, they sent a bunch of grunts to get us!” Brass whispered hysterically looking at the bug, its tiny eyes stared back, creeping him out further.

“I don’t know…” Steel responded, she side glanced to the ground in front of Brass. She noticed his arm were trembling, more than it was a few minutes ago, Galvin raised a brow, together they gazed at their friend to see the Caterpie was on his face. “Oh god!” they couldn’t cover his mouth, the caterpillar pokemon was covering that. Brass shrieked like a girl, the Caterpie was sent flying and tumbled out of the bush, Steel hurriedly stuck her arm out of the bush to collect the poor pokemon.

“What the hell was that?!”

“Go inspect it!”

A grunt was already coming, the trio scrambled away, Galvin muttered curses under his breath, Brass just running away from the Caterpie and his female friend, Steel held out in front of her body as she ran.

“For Arcus’s sake just put the damn thing down!”

“But I want it!!!”

“Then catch it, Brass is freaking the heck out over it!!” as she ran Steel managed to pull a pokeball out, she tapped it on the pokemon’s head. The Caterpie sat in her arms, without a struggle it was captured. Steel made a squeal of delight! It was a her first pokemon!

“Awww!! I’m so happy! I’m going to name her Kate!”

“…It’s a boy…”

“Still Kate.” Steel glared at Galvin, he just shook his head and looked around when a female voice cried out.

“THERE YOU ARE!” Startled, Steel dropped her poke ball, it rolled to the foot of the grunt, she scowled and picked up the pokeball. Inspecting the pokemon through the clear red covering, the creature trembled and an amused look crossed her face.

“A Caterpie huh… you three must be new trainers then… no experienced trainer would waste their time on something as weak and useless as this thing…” the woman looked around as she fixed her brown jacket. Steel scowled, this uniform she was wearing was the same exact one females wore when Rune was under her parents control. A white headband, tank top along with a skirt with a brown strip down running down the length of the hips, long sleeved brown jacket and ankle boots.

“Don’t give me that look!” She spat, Steel suddenly jumped up to her feet and tackled the woman, wrestling her to the ground. “Whoa! What the hell are you doing!?”

“Give me back Kate!!!” Galvin started stupefied, why was she doing this?! This woman was dangerous, or at least had pokemon that could easily kick their butts and here was Steel trying to beat the woman up for her Caterpie. He knew Steel was crazy but this was ridic-

Galvin winced as the grunt was punched in the face, the woman slowly touched her cheek with trembling hands, her eyes were wide open.

“You… hit me…” she clenched her teeth and jaw, Steel swung again, this time the woman dropped the captive poke ball, Steel snatched it and quickly reached into her bag and pulled out another one, Seaa’s. the sea horse pokemon was in Steel’s hands and pointed at the woman like a gun.

“Don’t make me do it!!”

“She’s gone crazy!!!!” Brass wailed in horror.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“Smokescreen!!!” the pokemon spout out a heavy black smoke from its snout, blinding all in the surrounding area. She quickly returned the pokemon, grabbed her friends by their shoulders and ran as fast as she could.

“You braaaaaat!!” the woman hacked violently, tearing up she grabbed her walkie-talkie and brought it up to her mouth. “They’re on the run! They’re heading towards the exit, stop them!”

+ + +

The three huffed and puffed, they needed to get out of here, they couldn’t keep running… Steel tried to scrape together some kind of idea… She knew what pokemon each of her friends had, Clef Star, Brass’s beloved Clefairy, probably wouldn’t be of any help, Flamin’ Billy could with his fire attacks or could burn a lot of things with it’s master’s bug phobia, Galvin’s Bulbasaur might not be of much use… but his second pokemon was his prized Scyther from his parents, it could clear a path if necessary and was probably the strongest pokemon out of all six in their group.

“Galvin,” she heaved “You need… you need…”

“Need to what…?” he huffed glancing up to her

“Get Scyther out… I think… I think he can help us out!”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, he could clear us a safe path out of here…” Galvin let out a sigh, he reached for his belt, grasping the sphere it opened up. A red light flooded out taking shape of a giant bipedal mantas with scythe like arms, its wigs buzzed as it looked to it’s trainer for instructions on what to do.

“Look boy, we are in big trouble here, but Steel has an idea how to get out of here. Are you willing to listen to her?” the pokemon glanced to the girl and the back to his trainer. The pokemon nodded. “Good,” Galvin returned his attention to Steel “now, what is this plan of yours Steel?”

“We don’t have much other than a rush and an attack to get out of here, Scyther is the strongest and he could easily clear a path for us but cutting down shrubs and trees.”

“I guess so,” he nodded. “Let’s get going then, everyone let out their pokemon.” Trembling Brass let out Clefa Star and Flaming Billy, Galvin let Bulbasaur to join Scyther, and Steel released her two pokemon.

“Ready?”

“Do we even have a choice?”

“No, not really…”

“Good then lets go!” they gave each other a nod and started down the path of the forest. All most tauntingly the exit building to the city could be seen between the trees, but so many grunts waited down that path for them. Steel pointed to a shriveled up shrub, Scyther already knew what to do, he chopped down the shrub with a swift slice barely creating a sound. The pre-teens walked through the newly cleared path, they wouldn’t be noticed unless a Rune looked behind them.

“I haven’t seen those kids, are you sure they are coming this way?”

“Hey, I was the one who got the call in the first place, I know that they are coming this way!”

“Geez, calm down. You can be so uptight…”

“Shut up and pay attention, they can appear at any time.” silently the friends walked past, keeping a close eye on the grunts as the went until one sneezed. A flinch and a pause as the male grunt wiped his face cleaned with his jacket sleeve, the female wrinkled her nose in disgust. She smacked the boy in the face sending his hat flying.

Behind him.

They were totally exposed as the male turned around to retrieve his hat. He eyes went wide, he pointed to the group.

“There they are!!!” the female spun around, she gasped and reached for her poke ball, Steel quickly acted, commanding Seaa to perform a smokescreen. A thick black smoke flooded the area, the group made a quick run for it until a shrill “Pidgey use gust!” wind was wiped up into spirals, clearing the area. The grunts were once more visible and their mini army of Pidgeies.

“Pidgey! Attack, use tackle!” in union the birds flew up then swooped down, slamming them selves into the trainer’s pokemon.

“Clefa Star, Sing!!” Brass commanded, Steel followed up with a string shot from Kate. The birds were lulled to sleep, they fell to the grounds with a series of thuds and were bounded together by the bug pokemon’s threads.

“You stupid Pidgeies! Get up!” the woman shrieked infuriated, but the birds did not stir in the slightest. Galvin pointed to a near by tree, Scyther easily sliced it in half, the severed tree tumbled down with a loud crash and a chorus of snapping branches, effectively blocking the path.

“This is out chance!!! Run!!!” swiftly the trio and their pokemon made a mad dash for the building, the doors flew open, the guard was suddenly startled awake by the noise.

“Hey! Don’t-” but at last he was too slow, the kids and their pokemon burst through the door waiting on the other side of the building, startling the sleeping trainers in the building. The sleepy trainers shrugged it off and returned to their sleep, unaware that there ever were any Rune grunts in the woods at all. As for the three heroes ran until they were in the city, in a populated area like Pewter city they would be safe. Safety in numbers was their best bet after that whole stunt.