Chapter 14

Sam rubbed the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. Apparently, it was nearly impossible to call the offices of a worldwide corporation and just speak directly to the President. Receptionists were hesitant to put a call through to his phone, if they even had that ability at all. It was fast becoming Sam’s experience that they would be more than happy to transfer him. First there was another, equally-unhelpful, receptionist, then the disinterested floor manager, and then, most recently, some idiot in an office with a nonsense job title.

“This is Alberto Rivera, Secretary of Domestic Relations and Image. How can I help you this afternoon, sir?”

Sam sighed audibly. “Mr. Alonzo. I want to speak to Henrique Alonzo.”

“I’m sure I can help you out, sir. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me who you are and what your concerns are with the Phoenix Shipping Corporation today?”

I think I know where the guardians of the Sinnoh lakes are, and I was hoping Mr. Alonzo and I could go check it out so that we can save my sick brother and possibly countless other individuals all across the world, Sam thought but did not say. Instead, he suppressed a grumble in his throat. “Look, I don’t even know what ‘domestic relations and image’ is. My name is Sam Stark. If you just get a hold of his cell phone and let him know I need to speak to him, that will–”

“I’m sure Mr. Alonzo would be pleased to speak to you, sir, but he is regrettably unavailable. In the meantime, I really think I can help you out. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what your concerns are. Did we lose a package of yours?”

Sam smacked the receiver end of his cell phone off his forehead three times before closing his eyes and reminding himself to try to remain calm. “No, you did not lose a package,” Sam spoke very slowly, picturing Mr. Rivera as a small child who couldn’t grasp large, intricate ideas. “Mr. Alonzo knows me. We are acquaintances. He is probably even expecting my call.”

“I’m sure he is,” Alberto Rivera replied. Sam could somehow hear the Secretary of Domestic Relations and Image rolling his eyes. “But, as I said, I can not contact him at the moment. If you feel I can not accommodate your needs in a satisfactory manner, I’ll tell you what I can do…”

“NO!–”

“…I will just transfer…”

“DON’T YOU–”

“…you down the hall to…”

“I don’t want to be transferred again!”

“…the head of our Communications department…”

Sam let out a very primal yell as he pressed the End Call button on his phone as vengefully as he could. He rued modern technology for taking away the old-fashioned ability to slam a handset down into its cradle. 

Having wasted almost half an hour on the phone call to nowhere, Sam pondered his next move. His rental car was probably still parked at the ferry station across the strait from Canalave, but Sam could barely stand the idea of retrieving it. Rowan had gotten the car for him, and that last thing Sam wanted now was to depend on anything having to do with that man. It had been a few days since Snowpoint by this time, and Sam had no idea if Henrique was still there. Still, it was the only lead he had left. Sam turned his phone back on and searched for the number for Snowpoint Resort. He pressed the number when it showed on his phone’s screen.

“Is Henrique Alonzo still available?” Sam asked the lady who answered his call. She placed Sam on hold; with any luck, Mr. Alonzo was still there. If not, Sam’s next best idea was camp out in the middle of the Phoenix Corporation office floor in Canalave until someone put him in touch with their president. 

“This is Mr. Alonzo,” the voice on the other end responded. Sam recognized it and was immediately both relieved and frustrated. He was relieved, of course, that he had gotten through; he was frustrated that he wasted so much time trying to navigate the maze of Mr. Alonzo’s employees before calling the resort.

“Mr. Alonzo, thank goodness you are still at the resort. This is Sam, Sam Stark.”

“Yes, Mr. Stark. Good to hear from you. And, yes, I am afraid the resort has asked me to stay until after my suite’s front door has been repaired. To make sure my security deposit covers the damages.”

Sam swallowed and decided it best to steer the conversation away from that topic. No good could come of acknowledging that. “Yeah, hm. I was wondering if you would be able to meet me at the World Pokemon League stadium in Canalave City. There’s a match there this weekend.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then finally, “I am certain I could, yes. But why would you want to meet with me there? Or even at all?”

“I have information you might want. I think I know where the legends could be.”

—

Three days later, Sam found himself getting more invested in a WPL match than he had been in over a year. On the field, a young man named Alabaster was readying his Kadabra for battle against a World Pokemon League veteran named Cornelius and his Rhydon. Both men were down to their last friend, and the battle had already been raging for over thirty minutes. Sam figured that Alabaster’s Kadabra’s psychic abilities would enable to stay out of range of the upright rhinoceros’ brutal attacks, but he also knew Rhydon probably only needed to get lucky once for the match to be over. 

Sam had long forgotten how much he enjoyed the WPL–both watching it and participating in it. Over the course of the last year, his entire life had been dedicated to caring for Tommy and finding a doctor who could offer a more promising prognosis. Sam must have forfeited dozens of matches in that time, and he certainly did not have it in him to sit down and watch a battle and let it remind him of what he was missing. This day was different, though; Sam was as close to the end of this tunnel as he had been since he began his undertaking. Nothing was set in stone, no, but he finally had a solid lead. He knew that he had been hopeful before, but that was when he was being deceived by others. This time, he had started figuring things out on his own. He just needed resources and manpower.

That was where Henrique Alonzo came in. If anyone had not only the resources that Sam required but also the drive to help Sam achieve his goal, it was the president of the Phoenix Corporation. Sam had been feeling so giddy over the possibility that he even agreed to buy Mr. Alonzo a ticket to the matches and leave it at will-call so they would have seats together. The match between Alabaster and Cornelius was the first of the afternoon, so there was still plenty of time for Mr. Alonzo to show up. Confident in this, Sam allowed himself to keep enjoying the match.

On the field, the orange-and-brown humanoid Kadabra twirled its spoon around in his clawed hand. It had thus far seemed content to hang back and force the gray, rock-skinned Rhydon to initiate combat. Cornelius seemed too clever for this tactic, though, and had Rhydon steadily waiting rather than attacking half-cocked. Despite the excitement of the opening minutes of the match, the crowd was growing restless at the timidity both pokemon were displaying. Sam knew firsthand that a vocal and unhappy crowd could really affect an inexperienced trainer’s concentration and ability to stay on-point. He focused his attention on Alabaster to check him for any signs of wilting under the pressure of the audience, and, sure enough, the younger trainer was wrinkling his nose and sweating hard. He was, perhaps, getting as annoyed at the crowd as they were at him. Conversely, Cornelius’ face betrayed no signs of frustration as he kept his eyes focused on the Kadabra’s movements. Sam heard Alabaster call out to Kadabra to try a psybeam attack, and Cornelius yelled back for Rhydon to dig a hole underneath its own feet. Kadabra closed its eyes in concentration and thrust out its palms while Rhydon smashed its thick fist into the ground beneath it. The battlefield beneath Rhydon erupted in a cloud of debris, dust, and rubble as the audience, Alabaster, and Kadabra all lost sight of it. As the dust faded, there was a large hole in the ground where the rhinoceros had previously been standing, and Rhydon was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh man. Sucker,” Sam chuckled aloud.

“Do you suppose so?”

Sam glanced to the voice from over his right shoulder and saw Henrique standing there. Figuring it would be the proper thing to do, Sam stood and shook the man’s hand. It couldn‘t hurt to butter him up a bit.

“Good to see you got the ticket I left you.”

“Yes, this is interesting. I haven’t sat in the crowd in ages. I usually get box seats when I come to these.”

“Oh,” Sam said while nodding. He felt an odd mixture of embarrassment and anger that someone would so flippantly imply the seats were not up to his usual standards, but Sam decided to swallow those feelings. He motioned back to the arena. “Do you not suppose the Kadabra just fell into the Rhydon’s trap?”

“I think that trying to hide from a psychic is a foolish idea.”

Sam couldn’t help but agree that it made sense, but it also came down to just how effective the psychic was. From the battlefield, Sam heard Alabaster call out for a telekinesis attack from Kadabra. The ground rumbled for several seconds before the hidden Rhydon was pulled up just feet away from Kadabra. As Rhydon emerged from the ground and was lifted into the air, it seemed to struggle against an unseen force moving it against its will. Rhydon hovered above the broken ground for a moment and then was slammed chest first into the battlefield by the invisible power. The battle was far from over, but both Sam and Cornelius had learned not to underestimate the fresh-faced trainer and his Kadabra.

“As much as I enjoy a good pokemon league match, I do believe you called me here with,” Mr. Alonzo smacked his lips, “somewhat more pressing matters.”

“Yeah, and I figured we should meet in public this time.”

“Fewer doors for you to destroy?”

“I’m sure I could find some if that would make you feel better.” Sam would let Mr. Alonzo think the meeting was public for whatever reason he wanted; Sam knew it was because he was not yet sure if he could trust Henrique.

“I think we will have to pass on that. To the point, I am curious how you suddenly have information on where…,” Henrique looked around at the crowd. As engrossed in the match as they were, he seemed to want to ensure no one around understood the subject at hand, “…where they could be.”

“Simple deduction, really,” Sam answered as the crowd let out a unanimous gasp around them. Rhydon had just barely missed Kadabra with a horn attack. “Rowan is incredibly forceful about protecting them, especially since the whole Cyrus thing. So he took them and hid them away, right?”

“I already know this, Mr. Stark.”

“But follow along here. The trio themselves… they don’t really know any better. They are just pokemon, after all. Their base instinct is always going to be to return to the lakes. That’s their homes; it’s all they know. But, as you’ve already found out, they aren’t there.”

“So the professor put them elsewhere; I already know this.”

“But why haven’t they returned, is what I’m saying. It’s because he had to leave them with someone. Someone who would guard them and convince them to stay. And for him to do that…”

“It would have to be someone the professor trusts. Someone close to him.”

Sam snapped his fingers. “That’s right. It dawned on me when I was at his office and saw his desk. There were pictures of him with his nieces and nephews and with some friends and possibly with a…,” Sam stopped as he thought about the next word. Girlfriend? Sounds immature for a man of Rowan’s stature. Lover? Sam shuddered at that thought. Finally, he came up with an alternative. “A paramour.”

A roar erupted from the crowd, and Sam looked down at the battle to see Rhydon had finally connected with some attack; Kadabra was down on all fours and wincing in obvious agony.

Mr. Alonzo was apparently oblivious to this excitement. “How is this helpful? We don’t know where these people are.”

“The family shouldn’t be that hard to find. Professor Rowan is a public figure, so someone’s got to know where his sisters live. His friends, well okay; that will be a bit harder, but still workable. The ladyfriend of his, though, she’s got to live at a higher elevation. There was fog in the background of the picture, and I think I saw a pretty obvious mountainside view.”

“Celestic Town,” Mr. Alonzo mused.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. “If you say so. I haven’t studied the whole region.”

“So why are you telling me this? You certainly have not seemed like my biggest fan up until now. Now that you know what I stand for, do you see I have everyone’s best interests at heart?”

“Your ‘best interests’ can go blow,” Sam stated, shaking his head. “I came to you because you have the resources and the desire to help me meet the trio. We get their help, first thing is first, and that’s that I help my brother.” Sam was not sure Mr. Alonzo even knew anything about Tommy other than from the fit Sam had on Barry back in Snowpoint. “After that, I don’t care if you bring them back home or making everyone happy all the time or dress them up in doll clothes. Doesn’t matter to me.”

Sam stared expectantly at Mr. Alonzo who seemed in no hurry to respond. Sam, feeling particularly proud of the posturing he had just done, turned his attention back to the field. Rhydon was shaking its head in either frustration or agony; the Kadabra was recovered and back on its feet several yards away. Sam assumed a full-on psychic attack was being executed from across the distance and wished Bree had the mental prowess to be able to unleash her psychic attack from so far away. Cornelius yelled out for Rhydon to attempt an earthquake attack, and the large, grey pokemon responded by jumping as far off the ground as it could and slamming both of its feet into the battlefield. The resulting shockwaves knocked Alabaster’s Kadabra from its feet. Sam thought that perhaps distance was overrated after all. 

“So what do you think we should do from here?”

“Well, if you think the one place was Celestic Town, let’s start there. Set me up with one of your little excavation crews. We’ll get a sense of whether they’re there or not–hopefully with 100% less blowing-crap-up than your men have enjoyed in the past–and get in touch with you on how to proceed if they are. If they aren’t, we’ll move on to the next place he might have stashed them. While we’re searching, you can use your contacts to figure out where that next place might be.”

Mr. Alonzo nodded. He seemed as if he were about to reply when the crowd burst out in cheers. After a hard-fought battle, Kadabra was declared by the judges to be unable to continue battling. Cornelius won the battle. Mr. Alonzo smiled at the result and turned to Sam. “A good lesson, I think. No matter how young, enthusiastic, and driven a competitor is, he’ll always lose out when he challenges someone older with more experience.”

Sam wrinkled his nose and said nothing.

“Come to my building tomorrow, Mr. Stark. We’ll set you up with a team and get you on your way to Celestic.” Mr. Alonzo bowed pulled himself out of the seat and bowed his head. “Have a good evening until then.”