Devil's Got A New Disguise

	“Dammit, we just can't shake her!”
	“Dragonite, you have to go faster!”
	Despite his trainer's urging, Dragonite was already flying as fast as he could. It wasn’t enough; however, and the trailing Milotic managed to get off an Ice Beam, which was enough to get the already weakened dragon to slow down and begin descending.
	“Ethan!”
	The Pikachu on Red's shoulder sent a Thunderbolt at the Milotic; it connected, and the Milotic began to plummet to the ground. Now with a temporary respite from danger, Red ordered his Charizard to fly down to Ethan's Dragonite on the ground.
	By the time Red landed Ethan had already recalled his Dragonite. Red did the same as he ran over to Ethan.
	“Are you all right?” He asked him
	“Yeah I think so.” Ethan sent out his Arcanine and climbed on its back, “Why’d you call back Charizard? We can't stay, we have to hurry.”
	Red just looked back in the direction they were running from.
	“No, you go on without me, I’ll buy you time.”
	“But Red, that’s-“
	“No, they’ll just keep coming; we’ll never get away like this, but if I just hold them back for a bit you might be able to escape. Only one of us needs to get away, once you’re safe you have to keep looking others who she might go after.”
	“Are you sure about this? What if I stay?” Red was basically Ethan's only friend at this point, and he didn't want to leave him behind.
	“No, your Pokémon are already weak. It has to be me. Hurry up! Get going, you're wasting time!”
	Ethan debated on trying to convince Red to change his mind, but decided against it, spurring his Arcanine and speeding off. He heard Red’s Snorlax bellow behind him, as if to finalize that Red wasn't planning on running. He clutched onto his Arcanine’s mane as Arcanine sped up to its top speed.
-	-	-	-	-
	Ethan woke with a start. He was breathing heavily and was sweating.
	“Again...”
	Ethan sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Every night since it happened Ethan kept having nightmares of when he had to abandon Red. He sighed, considering not going back to sleep, knowing his next nightmare would be much crueler. He walked over to the window and stuck his head outside, breathing in the fresher air. These nightmares of his might not go away soon, he might be better off just trying to get used to them, he thought to himself. After a few minutes he went back to lie on the bed, and try to sleep again. He had a big day to tomorrow; after all, he was taking a boat off to Hoenn. Red had told him that a boy had been crowned champion there not long after him, and he might be the next target. He shut his eyes, and tried to brace himself for the upcoming nightmare, eventually drifting off to sleep.
-	-	-	-	-
	"Red, we have to meet her now!” Ethan stared indignantly at his partner, tightly holding on to the dirty hat in his hand— the hat that belonged to his oldest friend, Lyra.
	“That’s exactly what she wants! I know you want to save Lyra but if we don’t plan out what we’re going to do we’re just going to get us all killed.”
	Ethan wanted to argue, but he knew Red was right. They already had lost Red’s friend Blue due to carelessness. Ethan mentally berated himself for his weakness, Lyra is his friend, and he should be able to protect her. She’s not even an actual Pokémon trainer, she shouldn't have to be involved in this. Ethan sat down, and without softening his glare said to Red,
	“Okay, so what are we going to do?”
-	-	-	-	-
	Ethan approached the meeting place alone. In any other situation he would probably be afraid of doing this alone, but this was the only way he would be able to save Lyra, and so he had no choice but to face this without hesitation. He turned passed a bend in the path, and found himself staring into a clearing. He surveyed the area, but now that the sun had begun to set it was too difficult to see through the dense tree cover surrounding the clearing. It wasn’t until he finished scanning the perimeter that he noticed what seemed to be a body laying in the middle of the clearing. His heart sank as he approached it, knowing who it most likely was.
	“L-Lyra?”
	The body stirred. Ethan let out a sigh of relief knowing that at least she wasn’t dead. After a few more steps he could make out through the darkness that he was indeed looking at Lyra.
	“Lyra? Are you all right?” He wanted to run over to her, but knew it would be too dangerous to let his guard down like that. He kept a slower pace, making sure to stay aware of his surroundings.
	“E-Ethan? Is that you? W-what’s going on?” She sounded weak. She turned around to face him.
	Now only a few feet away from her, Ethan had a clear view of Lyra— and her dirty, wounded body. She was badly scraped and bruised, and the way she looked to be covered in dirt hinted that she has been dragged a rather large distance. Those scrapes and bruises were nothing compared to her more urgent wounds. She was covered in severe lacerations, and from the look of it— to Ethan's horror— bite marks. It looked like something had ripped out chunks of her hair and her clothes were badly torn.
	This was his fault.
	“Lyra... I-I’m sorry.” He began to tear up. Forgetting his prior cautiousness, he quickly closed the distance between them, and knelt at her side. He tried helping her sit up, but she was too weak, and couldn't balance herself. He settled for resting her head in his lap until he could carry her to safety.
	“Ethan? Where are we? What's going on?” His explanation would have to wait until he knew they were safe.
	“I can’t tell you yet, but I will, don’t worry. I'll make sure to get you home; I won't let anybody else hurt you.”
	Still no sign of Red or Lyra’s kidnapper. Maybe Red found the kidnapper already, and was fighting already? Ethan couldn’t know for sure, but the sooner he got Lyra to safety the better. He carefully picked her up, trying as hard as possible to avoid agitating any of her injuries. Of course, she was too thoroughly beaten for Ethan to pick her up painlessly, and every time she whimpered was like a dagger through Ethan, who continued to blame her injuries on himself. He slowly and carefully stood up, before beginning to walk back the way he came. He walked as quickly as he dared, which wasn't actually very fast, as he was taking care not to disturb Lyra’s wounds more than necessary. He was almost out of the clearing when he heard footsteps behind him. The hair on the back of his neck tingled in fright, and his entire body quickly trembled with goose bumps. He turned around to see the person who had joined him in the clearing.
	It was a woman, Ethan was terrible at guessing ages, but assumed she was probably in her mid-to-late twenties. She had long blonde hair, which contrasted against her all black outfit. She had a smile on her face that was simultaneously friendly and frightening.
	“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. Has your friend told you my name? I’m called Cynthia.” Her voice was very smooth-sounding, but despite the friendliness of her words, there was a hint of venom behind what she said. This was Ethan’s first actual encounter with her, and he already could tell that Red hadn’t exaggerated at all. This woman was dangerous.
	“What do you even want from us?! Why did you kidnap Lyra?!” Ethan was letting his anger at this woman get the best of him.
	“What do I want from you? Your life energy, of course!” That didn't make any sense to Ethan. She probably could tell, because she continued, “Surely your friend has figured out how long I’ve been doing this? I’m much older than I look. When I first took control of this woman people and Pokémon had yet to begin forming bonds.”
	“You’re lying!”
	“It doesn't matter if you don’t believe me.” She slowly began approaching Ethan, “You’re both going to die here, regardless.”
	Ethan wanted to turn and flee, but was cemented in place, by some power of this woman, perhaps? He tightened his grip on Lyra— despite her weak complaints— in fear of dropping her. The woman was now halfway across the clearing. Ethan could do nothing but stare at her defiantly while internally begging his legs to listen to him and run away. Before long she was directly in front of Ethan, staring right into his eyes. Ethan was terrified. Time seems to slow to a stop.
	Suddenly, quicker than Ethan could even blink, the woman grabbed Lyra out of his hands, and had retreated backwards, almost back at the other end of the area. Lyra screamed, as the woman was far less gentle with her than Ethan had been, not even carrying her, but dragging her by her arm.
	“Don’t be so rough with her!” Still without control of his legs, Ethan was powerless to rescue Lyra this time. He was going to miss the rendezvous planned with Red at this rate, but if Red realizes something went wrong soon, he might make it in time to help him save Lyra.
	“So you care about this one a lot, I see.” She yanked Lyra up as she spoke. Lyra let out another yelp, and was now sobbing loudly. The woman began laughing softly, “In that case, I hope you don’t mind if I play with her a bit.”
	She released Lyra’s arm and let her fall to the ground. Ethan was now trying with all his might to run over to save Lyra, but still to no avail. Cynthia knelt down onto Lyra’s shoulder; she didn't care to be gentle, and in fact seemed to put as much weight on her as possible. She grabbed Lyra's arm with both hands— at the wrist and at the elbow. Ethan knew what she was going to do.
	“Stop it!” He yelled. He knew that shouting would likely do nothing to stop her, but it was the only thing he could do. He looked away, and braced himself.
	The only thing louder than the snap of Lyra’s arm breaking was the scream she let out as it broke. Ethan couldn’t take any more— he had to save Lyra, immediately. He focused all his willpower on his legs, commanding them to obey him. He felt himself begin to move— it was working! His legs were sluggish at first, as if he was trying to run through molasses, but as he forced himself to move they became more responsive. Before he knew it, he was sprinting across the clearing, directly at Cynthia. At this point the only thought on Ethan’s mind being “get Cynthia away from Lyra”, he didn’t even consider sending out a Pokémon, instead choosing to throw himself at Cynthia. He was successful in getting Cynthia away from Lyra, but almost immediately he realized the flaw in his lack of planning. There was no way he’d be able to get away from Cynthia like this, especially not with Lyra. Nevertheless, he quickly got to his feet. He reached for a Pokéball, but before he could grab one Cynthia had her hand tightly wrapped around his throat.
	Forgoing sending out a Pokémon until he could breathe again, Ethan grasped at Cynthia’s hand with both of his. Cynthia apparently wasn’t satisfied with finishing him off like this; however, and casually tossed him aside. Instead she walked back over to Lyra, picking her up by the throat much the same way she had Ethan just moments before. She held Lyra out toward Ethan, making sure he had a clear view of her as she tightened her grip. Lyra began trying to gasp for air as she feebly tried freeing herself with her unbroken arm. Ethan jumped to his feet and rushed to Lyra’s aid. He grabbed Cynthia’s arms and tried to separate them, but it was as if she had superhuman strength, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get them to budge. Frantic now, Ethan quickly surveyed the ground around him, looking for something that could make a quick, suitable weapon. He noticed a rock; it was a decent size— surely a blow to the head should get Cynthia to release Lyra. As fast as he could, he grabbed the rock, then, with all his might, swung it at the back of Cynthia’s head.
	He missed. Cynthia had anticipated his movements, and dodged him effortlessly. Ethan prepared himself for another attack when he noticed that it was already too late. Cynthia had repositioned Lyra between the two of them, giving Ethan a clear view as her eyes rolled back in her head and her limbs went limp.
	Ethan let the stone in his had fall to the ground. He stared at Lyra’s lifeless body in stunned silence. This couldn’t be real, he refused to believe it. He was so lost in his emotions that he was unable to react as Cynthia tossed Lyra’s body aside and once again came at him. This time; however, she didn’t attack him, only tenderly placed her hand on his forehead. The cold feeling of her hand was enough to shock Ethan into a moment of clarity, and he remembered what Red had told him about her power. He quickly swatted her hand away, before she could suck out his life energy, and stepped away from her as quickly as he could. He grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and threw it between Cynthia and himself. The ball bounced off the ground and let out a flash of light, revealing Ethan’s Feraligatr. Cynthia studied the Pokémon for a moment— Ethan wondered if she was planning on fighting it herself— before reaching for her own Pokéball.
	“So we’re going to settle it like this, then?” She tossed out her Pokéball, revealing a Roserade. Ethan considered what to do with apprehension. Obviously in an ordinary battle he’d be best off switching out, but for all he knew Cynthia may send her Roserade on him as he did. It hit him— this wasn’t an ordinary battle. He could send out his Arcanine before recalling Feraligatr!
	“Feraligatr, use Ice Punch!”
	As Feraligatr charged at Roserade Ethan sent out his Arcanine. The Roserade managed to dodge Feraligatr’s attack, but before it could retaliate Ethan had already recalled it.
	“Flare Blitz, Arcanine!”
	Arcanine rushed at Roserade— it wasn’t going to dodge this. The attack connected; Roserade wasn’t going to get back up. Cynthia recalled it, and reached for her next Pokéball. She let out her next Pokémon— Milotic. Once again at a disadvantage, Ethan found himself struggling for a strategy. There’s no way she’d fall for the same trick twice, but what choice did he have? He couldn’t afford to lose Arcanine here. Nervously staring down Cynthia’s Milotic, Ethan quickly recalled his Arcanine, while simultaneously sending out his Ampharos. Fortunately the Milotic didn't come after him. Ethan’s mind wandered to Red. He should be coming soon, right? All Ethan needed to do was stall, and he should be able to escape. Sure enough, he heard footsteps coming in his direction from behind.
	“Ethan!”
	Cynthia’s attention shot to Red, and Ethan took his chance to attack.
	“Thunderbolt, Ampharos!” Ampharos sent a bolt of electricity at Milotic. Milotic cried out, but the attack was far from powerful enough to finish it in one blow. Red had reached Ethan.
	“Ethan, we have to go!”
	“But I have to... Lyra-”
	“She’s dead, Ethan. You can’t save her. I know it sounds cruel, but her body will only slow us down.” Ethan turned to face Red.
	“Are you kidding me?!” He couldn't believe Red would even suggest that.
	"Look, in any other situation I would never even think of doing something like that, but this is life or death, we need to be able to move as fast as possible to make it out of here alive.” Ethan wanted to punch him. No, he was ready to kill Red for this. He was disgusted, because he knew he was right.
	“We... can’t...” Ethan was in denial. There had to be some way they could escape with Lyra’s body. Red grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him roughly.
	“We. Don’t. Have. A choice.” Red sent out one of his Pokémon, Charizard, “You have your Dragonite, we’ll escape in the air.”
	Ethan could tell he had lost. He silently sent out Dragonite and climbed onto its back. Understanding what he must be going through, Red wordlessly did the same with his Charizard and the two were off. Milotic chased after them, Ethan didn’t know that Milotic could even fly. Ethan took one last glance down at Lyra’s body. He felt tears forming in his eyes; Lyra’s death wouldn’t go unpunished.
-	-	-	-	-
	Ethan woke up the next morning as the sun began to shine through his window. Having to relive Lyra’s death each night was torture. Trying to push it from his mind, he looked at the clock on the wall. Six o’clock. The ship wasn’t to set sail until ten; leaving Ethan with nothing to do for four hours but stew in his bad memories. He groaned weakly as he covered his face with his hands. He was never going to get over this, Lyra and Red were his two closest friends, and until Cynthia is defeated he had no choice but to keep their killer on his mind. A new dilemma crossed Ethan’s mind: he can’t tell anyone what happened to them. He knew of Cynthia’s reputation even before she began hunting him, and she was well respected in her field of archaeology— nobody would take his word over hers, especially when his words were completely insane. Ethan pondered for a bit. He could not say anything— Lyra’s family and Red’s mom might ask questions though. Well, Lyra’s family might. Red’s mom was probably used to Red not checking for long periods of time, judging by how nonchalant she was about not knowing where her son was when he first met her. What to do about Lyra though? Maybe he could lie, call up Lyra’s parents and ask if they had heard from her, because he hasn’t in days; they got in a little fight is all, but she’s been gone for so long he was getting worried. It would probably work. Ethan felt sick to his stomach. He couldn’t believe he was going to have to hide his best friend’s death from her own family; it made him want to see Cynthia dead more than ever. He decided he would call them about an hour before he left, using the fact that she didn’t show up to see him off as the set up for his call. Ethan stood up and stretched. He had no idea what to do for these next few hours, but if he let himself sit around he might find himself think about Lyra and Red, which he would rather not do at the moment. Ethan decided to worry about what he was going to do later, and decided to get ready for the rest of the day.
-	-	-	-	-
	Now slightly after nine-thirty Ethan found himself walking aimlessly on the top deck of the boat. He had ridden on ships before, but never on as long a trip as this one, and his nerves had him on edge. He stared at his Pokégear, knowing he had to call Lyra’s parents soon. He took a deep breath and sighed— might as well get it over with. He dialed the number, and held his Pokégear to his ear. He hoped nobody would pick up, but sure enough after ringing a few times someone on the other side did;
	“Hello? It’s Ethan.”
	“Oh, Ethan! I’ve heard about your trip to Hoenn from your mom!”
	“Yeah, um… Have you heard from Lyra lately?”
	“No, why? She’s not with you? I’d assume she’d want to see you off.”
	“Yeah, me too, but we got in a fight the other day. I didn’t think it was that big a deal, but I haven’t heard from her since.” Ethan wanted to tell her father what happened, but even if he believed him how would it help? Ethan would probably have to stay in Johto as the police investigate, leaving either him or the boy in Hoenn (possibly both, even) in grave danger.
	“That’s strange; it doesn’t sound like her at all. To be honest since I heard about your trip I’ve been expecting a call from her begging to let her join you!”
	“Um, Yeah.” Ethan wanted to be done with this conversation. His knowledge of Lyra’s true fate was making talking to her father torturous.
	“I have to ask though, what was your fight about? If she’s ignoring you as you’re about to leave it must not have been as small as you think.”
	Ethan hadn’t been expecting that question. His mind raced to find a suitable answer; he needed something believable, but what? After a few seconds— which to Ethan felt like hours— he came up with what sounded like a convincing lie.
	“Well, it actually was about the trip, sort of. She didn’t want me to go, but this is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I told her to come with me, but she said there was no way you’d let her.”
	“Oh, I see; I think I know what she’s trying to do! She’s trying to trick you out of not going, like in some old romance movie. Right before your ship is about to set sail, you’ll see her come running, begging you to stay! She’s not mad at you, so don’t worry.” Her father’s leap of logic was rather strange.
	“I… Y’know, I bet you’re probably right. Thanks, I’ll come by to visit first thing when I get back.” Ethan barely waited for Lyra’s father’s response before ending the call. He was shaking, tears flowing from his eyes. She’ll show up any minute, right? Ethan would gladly jump right off the deck if she came running for him. It wasn’t going to happen though, because her lifeless body was still lying in that forest at the base of Mount Silver.
	Ethan wiped the tears from his eyes. He had to steel himself, his ordeal was far from over and until Cynthia was defeated, he didn’t have time to mourn. He had heard that the ship he chose had a small computer library; hopefully he could use it to find information on the Hoenn champion. At the very least he needed to keep himself busy, lest his mind wander back to Lyra, so he made his way to the lower deck where the library was supposed to be.
-	-	-	-	-
	Ethan had spent hours scouring the web looking for information on the Hoenn Champion. He learned his name, Brendan, his hometown, Littleroot, and that his father was a gym leader in Hoenn, Norman. As far as his whereabouts; however, he seem to be just like Red— and Ethan himself for that matter— constantly traveling, and never staying in one place for long. It would make his search difficult, but it would also mean that if Cynthia was after him she would have the same trouble finding him.
	Now in his cabin, Ethan laid himself down on his bed. He was a little hungry; he had missed dinner while engrossed in his research. The ship wouldn’t get to Hoenn for a few days, and unless he wanted to spend that whole time wallowing in his memories he would need to find a way to keep himself occupied. He closed his eyes, deciding to sleep on his decision, and also bracing himself for another round of nightmares; his last lingering thoughts before he finally drifted off to sleep quickly fading away.