Pterrorkin

We retraced our steps through the alleys and streets, trying to get back to the museum. It wasn’t all that far from Main Street. Each step felt slow, assuming the Starlight Gang would be coming sooner or later. That became clear as the museum finally appeared in the distance, the tall, decorative lights around its perimeter flashing like little stars over the street. A short man with a bowler cap and a blue-and-yellow fleece jacket leaned against the side wall of the alleyway, a cigar hanging from his teeth. His legs were crossed, and he smirked as he saw us, “I was starting to wonder if you got completely lost somehow. Pleasure to properly introduce myself. Name’s Pete.” He held his hand out.

“I saw you before,” Zane backed away from him.

“Be a gentleman and shake my hand, Kid.”

“You’re a criminal.”

“Heh. Guess I am,” he blew thick, black smoke out from between his lips, “I figured you’d come this way if Mary didn’t already tear you to bits. You must’ve given her the slip. How?”

Zane tapped his foot on the ground. “I beat her fair and square.”

“Oh? You beat a master in an even battle?” Pete reached for a Capture Ball at his side. He didn’t open it, electing to just spin the ball on his fingertip like a basketball, “Your Capmon must be exhausted, then. You should be heading to the hospital, not the museum.”

“I still can beat you, too.”

“Yeah, I know,” Pete shrugged, “I’m not a soldier. I’m not a competitor. I have a different job.”

Zane walked past him, “If you’re not going to battle me, I don’t…”

“Stop, Kid.”

Zane stopped. “Aren’t you like sixteen?”

“I’m twenty-two.”

“And, you can’t battle?” Zane snickered.

“I did not say that I am unable to battle,” Pete laughed inwardly, “simply that I am less interested in it than my comrades. If Mary asked me to, I’d have been fighting you alongside her.”

“What do you want, then?”

“To congratulate you, of course,” Pete clapped slowly, “you really did best us, you know. And, your little… thing… evolved, too. Adorable. But, hey, I’m not a fighter, I’m not a battler, that means my job is just to give you positive encouragement. That’s all I’m here for!”

“Oh, wow!” Zane beamed, “Th-thanks! I didn’t think the Starlight Gang would…” I pinched his ear. “Owww!” He turned to me.

Pete winced, “You actually believed that. I am a researcher; that is my role. That Capture Ball you took is very special. You stole it while calling us criminals, how ironic. Anyway, if you were hoping to tell the police about what happened, I sure hope they wouldn’t confiscate that new, little toy. It is my life’s work after all. I’d rather it in the hands of somebody who knows how to use it, somebody special like you, Kid.”

“You’re saying not to give it to the police?” Zane blinked, “I can’t ever use the Capmon inside if I don’t ever show people the Capture Ball.”

“Show it to them. Who cares?” Pete crossed his arms, “But, don’t ever let anyone think it’s something special. People look closely at things they think are important.”

“I bet you just don’t want me going to the cops. Mary wanted to…”

“Yeah! Wipe your memory!” Pete walked along after him, leaning forward to speak directly into Zane’s ear, “She can say crazy things. It’s best not to overreact, but we already know how much you’ve gone and overreacted. Mary’s really just an acquired taste.”

“Sure.”

Pete tapped Zane’s shoulder, “Well, I can’t go much farther. Have to get back to base,” he cleared his throat, “If you ever need help, do simply ask the champion. I know she’s gotten you out of quite some tough situations already. Hasn’t she?” I watched him carefully, sparks hissing against my cheeks.

Zane scratched his head, “I-I guess she did one time.”

“Only once?” Pete guffawed, “I don’t know if you’re bad at giving credit where it’s due, or if you’re simply more oblivious than the common, young trainer.”

“What? I’ve only ever met her twice.”

“The latter, then. Ignore me. I tend to babble on about things I don’t know anything about.”

Zane shook his head, “Yeah… All right.”

“These are the kinds of things the boss should tell Mary, but he doesn’t,” Pete yawned and started walking away, “and I can’t be bothered to do his job for him,” his voice trailed off.

Zane walked the rest of the way to the museum. He tilted his head toward me, “That guy has no idea what he’s talking about. Don’t tell them? The cops need to know all of that!” In principle, I agreed with him. He marched right up to the police commissioner, holding the special Capture Ball up, “I got one of the fossils back. A bit too late, they already revived it.”

The commissioner scratched the back of his head. “Just the one?”

“I bet someone else from the Starlight Gang has it,” Zane admitted, “the goons we found only had this one. They probably already revived it and ran away before I could get there.”

The commissioner nodded once. He called out into the line of officers, “Captain Night, look for where they could have gone from there!”

“W-wait! Me?” Night shook. She clenched her fist, a wide smile crossing her face, “Yes! Sergeant Lime, bring the explosives!”

“No!” Commissioner Bartholomew stomped his foot on the ground, “No loose cannoning tonight… Only as a last resort, Captain.”

“Copy that!” She flicked her middle finger up into the air, laughing wildly.

The commissioner’s mouth hung open slightly. He turned back to Zane, “When she takes it seriously, she’s very, very good at her job. I feel like I have to justify that.”

Zane opened the special Capture Ball, watching the little creature materialize at his feet. Its body was a wide sphere covered in red-and-white, downy feathers. It had a jagged beak at the front of a tiny head. Two red-and-black wings pressed against its back, and it stood on too-small, pointed talons. Its eyes narrowed on Zane, and it immediately started pecking at his foot while making loud peeps and screeches.

“Ouch! Ow! Stop!” Zane pulled his foot away, and the little Capmon pursued.

“I see…” Bartholomew studied it, “It really is the revived fossil. I didn’t think it would be so adorable.”

“I’ll recall you if you don’t stop!” Zane insisted, “Uh… What do I call you?”

“This species is called Pterrorkin,” Bartholomew recited, “a myth type and the immature form of Pterrordox.” My ears perked up as I listened to him. Myth was the rarest type of Capmon, and unlike electric or sea or flame, it was naturally resistant to all of the major elements. Even most champions only had one or two Capmon bearing the myth type.

“Pterrorkin…” Zane thought out loud, “That’s the species. So, I think I’ll call you James!”

James was recalled as quickly as he was sent out, simply refusing to stop pecking Zane’s shoes. For something that had been extinct for eons, it was rather noisy. Maybe that’s why it went extinct in the first place.

“In any case,” Bartholomew waved to the other officers, “if one of the fossils is already… mostly recovered, there’s little cause for me to keep everyone here all night. You should head to bed, Kid. Nice job. Really.”

Zane shook his head, “First, I want to battle you. You’re a Badge Trainer, you said.”

“I’ll do you one better,” Bartholomew held up a badge, “you can just have it.”

“No way!” Zane gritted his teeth, “It doesn’t count if I don’t battle you for it.”

“You know. You might actually get somewhere,” Bartholomew smiled, “I’ll have Charlie Circle Stadium open for us at dawn. If you’re late, I’ll leave the badge for you to take. I’m too busy to wait around for you.”