Single post in Angel of the Shadows

Angel reached above her head and gasped in a mix of pain and satisfaction as her back finally popped more than she expected it to. Arms still above her head, right hand on her left elbow, she paused to watch a group of Wingull in the sky as they fought over what appeared to be a Goldeen. From this distance, it almost seemed they squawked the word "Mine". The thought was ludicrous, but it still made her laugh. "Angie! Darling!" At the sound of the captain's voice, Angel brought her hands to her sides and directed her gaze to her friend, who quickly closed the distance between them. Maya's warm hands wrapped around hers. "Yet again, I must thank you for the marvelous stories you share. Your imagination is a truly wonderful thing." Maya squeezed Angel's hands gently. "Remember. "'The Swanna' is only here for a few days. I hope to be the one to take you back home." She removed her hands from Maya's grip only to wrap them around hers. Angel almost told her those stories weren't from her imagination, but, as usual, when the urge hit her, she chose not to speak. People like Maya were a precious gift. There wasn't anything wrong with being a member of Team Rocket, but she knew what most people thought of them. Perhaps she would be brave enough to speak if she ever left the organization. Until then, the fear of losing those few she cared about kept her silent. "My business will take me a while, but I promise if I make it back in time, I'll come straight here so you can take me home." Angel gently squeezed her friend's hands and slowly pulled away. Before her hands completely let go of Maya's, she found herself pulled into a tight embrace. How did she hate being hugged so badly but feel like melting—in a good way—when it was from someone she loved and trusted? When Maya finally drew back a minute later, Angel whimpered softly. Thankfully, Maya was already several feet away as she skipped back to her cabin, happy as a Ribombee. Once Maya closed the door behind her, Angel turned and headed down the landing bridge onto the docks of Vermilion City. The city's layout returned to her so easily that it took her about ten feet to realize she'd started toward the Pokémon Center. It must be a habit from the previous times she'd been to town, as she hadn't expected to see or visit Nurse Joy this time. Not after the last visit, when something Joy said made her feel as if she was only there because of her ability to communicate with Pokémon. Many Trainers could connect to and speak with their Pokémon after some time together. Angel was a Pokémon person and so found it easy to talk to any animal after a little bonding. It was like a different language, and she didn't always understand. Her father and Maya regularly told her she would have made a great Nurse, and she agreed. She would gladly use her gift to help all Pokémon she could. Just not when she felt it was the only reason someone wanted her around. Since she wouldn't stay at the Pokémon Center this time, Angel called ahead to her friend Ally and got permission to crash at her place. Ally lived...Angel spun around in circles a few times as she looked down each street that intersected her position. She sought familiar landmarks, but this part of Vermilion City seemed to have changed from the last time she was here. After the fourth spin, she recognized a small shop and headed down the path. Her mind wandered as she walked, but she paid enough attention to her surroundings to know if danger approached. She thought of how she'd be at the Silph Company in Saffron City tomorrow. If her father knew, he'd be so jealous! Too bad she couldn't tell him. They both knew she didn't have the intelligence to work there, and even an invitation to someone as lowly as herself would have seemed suspicious. Her father naturally assumed she was somewhere on the island in meditation when she disappeared, and that's what she wanted him to believe. The less he knew about what she did, the better off he would be. Not that that would really help much if her association with Team Rocket were ever to become known. Though she truly did believe their hearts and interests were in the right place, she knew what people thought of them. And knew people tended to attack those "guilty" by association. It would destroy everything he worked for. Sometimes, she questioned why she did this when it posed such a great risk to her family and her few friends. Their well-being was just as important as their trust and respect, and all of them would be difficult to repair. But she was taught that the right way wasn't always easy. That was also true in reverse, but... It took several seconds for her mind to register the change in the sound of her footsteps, and as she paused, she shook her head and blinked her eyes several times. When she was fully back in reality, she looked around at her surroundings and gasped when she realized she was in one of the less desirable parts of town. How had she gotten so lost in her thoughts that she wound up here, at least five streets out of the way of her destination? In the distance, she heard a motorcycle as it sped through the streets. When the sound continued to grow, she knew it was headed her way. Angel turned around and sighed, relieved when she saw it was Officer Jenny. She must have heard she was in town and figured she'd stop by for a chat. However, wouldn't Jenny still be on the clock for another hour or so? Even so, it begged the question of why she hadn't just chosen to meet up at Ally's. The only other explanation she could think of was that Jenny had gotten a call from someone out here and that this meeting happened to be a coincidence. Jenny pulled onto the side of the road nearest her, and, as she didn't think much of it, Angel turned around in circles again to get her bearings. After a few spins, she stepped toward her destination, but a hand gripped her left wrist tightly. Angel jumped, and her free hand reached into her pouch for her Cheri spray as she spun around. When she saw that it was just Jenny, she relaxed and exhaled. "You gave me a fright!" Officer Jenny didn't immediately answer, which was strange. Night had fallen during her meander, and the rising moon barely provided enough light to see Jenny's face. A nearby lamp lit up, and Angel glanced at it long enough to see a Litwick perched atop it. When she looked back at her friend, she could make out tight lips and anger-filled eyes. What happened? Anxiety filled her, and she tried to pull her hand away, but Jenny only tightened her grip. Had someone discovered her ties to Team Rocket? She remained silent because she didn't want to reveal something she shouldn't. Eventually, Jenny spoke. "Alexandria Flamel, you are under arrest for the destruction of The Swanna. Speak wisely, as anything you say goes into the records. You have the right to a representative. If you don't have one, we will assign one to you. Do you understand your rights as I have spoken?" For a while, Angel stared at Jenny, mouth agape, as she tried to process her words. Thoughts of Maya filled her head, and she made a mental note to check on her friend before returning home. She tried to pull her hand free again. This time, Jenny reached into one of her pouches and brought out a pokéball that was sure to hold a Mightyena. "Look...I don't know what you're talking about. When we arrived at the Port, I departed and instantly left. It took me," Angel looked up at the sky, then back, "a little over an hour to get this far. You have the wrong person." "We have an eyewitness who says otherwise. They saw someone matching your description flee from the port as the boat caught fire." "'Matching my description'. Not confirmed. You know me. And you know that Maya's a dear friend—of which I have very few. I would never do anything to harm you, Maya, or Ally. Ever. Even though I'm probably the only young'un with silvery hair in the city, the witness must be mistaken. There's no way I could or would have done it. And you know it." The grip lessened, but Jenny didn't release her hold. "I—" Jenny closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. After a few seconds, she exhaled, and when her eyes opened, Angel could see she fought back tears. "I'm sorry, but I'm just doing my job. Please don't make this harder on us. Just come with me for questions. There's no doubt in my mind we can work this out." "I've already given my story! Isn't my word enough?" Angel didn't give her time to respond. "Even you know that you have the wrong person. Why insist on formalities and by-the-books when it's a waste of both our time and energy? After all, instead of arguing with me after I told you I'm innocent, you could have left to make progress on finding the real culprit and making them pay." After she said those words, Angel turned and walked away but didn't make it far. "If you walk away from me, I won't protect you any longer." Curiosity caused Angel to pause and turn around, and Jenny continued to speak. "I—I know your secret. Have for a few years now. Why, Feathers? How could you align yourself with the likes of Team Rocket? Your skills are too good for them. You should use your talents for something that will have a positive benefit." Feathers. Now, there was a name she hadn't heard since she was young. All because she had climbed a tree to see a bunch of newly hatched Taillow. The Swellow hadn't much cared for her presence and chased her through the forest. When she arrived back in town, covered in mud and feathers, she was still as excited as she could be from her adventure. Word of it earned her that nickname. Angel shook her head to make herself focus on the problem at hand. "You've put me in a difficult position. I have important business to attend to, and—" Before speaking next, Jenny crossed her arms. "Is it something to do with Team Rocket? Because if so, it's not more important than our friendship." "Our friendship?" Angel scoffed. "You want to arrest me for something you know I didn't do. I know you're just doing your job, and I don't want you to lose it. But I also don't want our friendship to end. In the past, I've suffered for things I didn't do, and I refuse to allow that to happen ever again." Jenny sighed and shook her head. Some tears in her eyes flew outward. "You're not the one in a difficult position. I must take my best friend in for a crime she didn't commit or get reprimanded and possibly lose my job. Or let her go, knowing that any future actions for Team Rocket would be on my hands and conscious. If others knew of your association with Team Rocket—a fact which I would have to make note of—your family would suffer." "Enough!" Angel forcefully swung her right arm through the air as a gesture of anger. The rare outburst caused Jenny to take a step back. "I'm so sick and tired of hearing about how evil they are. They have good intentions. I know it. It's not their fault some of their members have made grave mistakes and poor judgment calls. They're just misguided and misunderstood. Besides, even if you arrested me, nothing says you must mention my association with Team Rocket." "Oh, you poor, naïve soul. Come to your senses! Why can't you see not all people are as pure in heart as you want them to be? As much of a heroic trait as that is, it is also a serious flaw. Your blind and undeserving trust in people will one day be your downfall. Please, for the love of Arceus! Come to the Light and fix this mistake before it becomes a regret." "Shouldn't you love that about me? After everything I've been through, I still see the good in people. I allow myself to be hurt time and again because I can't accept the fact that there are individuals out there who thrive on the pain they inflict on others." Angel squeezed her eyes shut to hold back her tears. It didn't. She felt her fingers tremble but forced her arms to remain at her hips. After several deep breaths to calm herself, she trusted herself enough to speak. "Tell you what. If I ever discover I was wrong, I will turn myself in and accept responsibility for everything I did with Team Rocket. But you must find a cover story that won't affect my father." "That...That's not going to alter my decision. Since that day, whenever something happened while you were in town, I covered for you as best as possible. If you walk away from me now, I won't make excuses for you anymore. I won't let myself go down to protect someone incapable of seeing the truth. Even though it angers me to know that you would make a mockery of everything I've sacrificed for you." "You mean to tell me you automatically assumed that I was behind every problem that occurred while I was in town? How dare you stand there and lecture me on friendship when that statement makes you sound like such a jerk? Goodbye, Officer Jenny." The two fell silent, uncertain of what to say or do next. After what seemed like an eternity, Angel ran off, unable to handle being in her now ex-friend's presence any longer.