Chapter 17 – Splat

Chapter 17 – Splat!

“Damn it, you’d think we’d find something big and important here, but no!” complained Gallavant as he and Fearow walked through the halls of Silph Co.

“I mean, wasn’t there a Master Ball here in the games? Wasn’t there a damn Lapras here? Why is there nothing?”

Fearow cawed back at Gallavant in response. Gallavant and Fearow had been walking around Silph Co. for nearly 3 hours, and Fearow was already getting antsy to get outside. It didn’t like being cooped up like this, in the small, sterile corridors of Silph Co.

It couldn’t even fly! The hallways and rooms of Silph were entirely too small for a bird of Fearow’s size. With a wingspan of nearly 8 feet, Fearow was forced to pull its massive wings close against its body to squeeze through some of the smaller hallways. It wasn’t having fun, and it let this be known by cawing irritably at Gallavant.

Gallavant turned to Fearow. “Oh, come on. There’s got to be something here. I mean, they create Pokemon products here in the game. There has to be something here.”

Fearow cawed at him, and Gallavant turned back around and continued down the hallway, stopping at each doorway to peek inside each room. He was getting irritated with his lack of success, also growing more and more stubborn along the way. He was 100% certain that something was inside Silph that could help him survive, it was almost stupid for a Legendary not to be hidden inside Silph. It was a massive, gigantic skyscraper with thousands of rooms, plus it had some importance in the video games.

“There has to be something here,” Gallavant said as he poked his head into another office room. “I’m going to find something good in here, then I’m going to get out of here and head back home, away from these psychos.”

Unlike the rest of the contestants, Gallavant knew nobody from GameFAQs. The reason for this was quite simple.

He was a twin.

His identical twenty-year-old twin brother was the one who posted and chatted on GameFAQs. They were both identical in nearly every way, shape, and form. Even their parents and closest friends had trouble telling them apart! Due to the rushed drugging and capturing of GameFAQs users by Fedora’s goons, Gallavant was taken by mistake because the goons believed him to be his brother.

Gallavant did know a little about GameFAQs, but not that much. His brother told him about a few users, but since Gallavant never saw any pictures he couldn’t put a name to a face. His brother also told him about Jeff Veasey, and how he was such a complete and utter genius when it came to all things computer related.

“Forgot to mention that he wasn’t above capturing people and putting them into a death match, bro.” Gallavant mumbled to himself.

All things considered, Gallavant took the entrance into the CEPBR3 quite well. While he was mad about the mistake, he quickly realized that he’d much rather be here fighting than his brother. While strong, his brother wasn’t as prepared for such an intense physical test as a Royale. Also, Gallavant knew that he’d end up trusting someone and getting himself killed. His brother was a trusting, kind man who’d never kill anyone, even under these circumstances.

Gallavant, on the other hand, was prepared to kill in order to get himself out of the game. Even with him being a fish out of water, he wasn’t just going to lay down and cry. He was prepared to fight with every single inch of his strength in order to survive this thing and get back to his family. Just thinking about them filled him with strength and resolve, and he walked through the hallway with more energy and strength than before.

“Don’t worry, bro. I’m gonna’ get out of here.” Gallavant said to himself.

He and Fearow both continued to walk through the hallway, each peeking into offices and cubicles for anything they could use. They both walked down the halls together for another 20 minutes before they came to an elevator.

Gallavant looked at Fearow and shrugged, and pushed the call button. Instantly, the doors slid open. Gallavant and Fearow both stepped inside, and Gallavant instantly turned to inspect the control panel.

“What floors have we been on?” Gallavant asked Fearow.

Fearow shrugged and stared at the control panel. When it say the large button labeled “roof”, it didn’t hesitate at all. It leapt forward and pushed the button in with its beak. Gallavant frowned as the elevator doors closed and the elevator began moving to the roof.

“Jesus, man,” Gallavant said. “This is like, 90 stories high or something. And hiding anything on the roof would be too obvious, don’t you agree?”

Fearow shook its head and eagerly hopped up and down in front of the elevator doors, excited to get outside. The elevator stopped and the doors opened and Fearow was instantly off the ground, flying out off the rooftop of Silph. Gallavant stepped out of the elevator and grinned at the setting sun and the warm air outside.

Gallavant looked at the rooftop of Silph, and was very impressed at what he saw. The rooftop was obviously designed to be a sort of relaxation spot, with a large row of vending machines alongside the very far edge off the rooftop, directly across from the elevator. A large display of different plants and small tress scattered about the many small tables, chairs, and benches gave the rooftop area a very warm and friendly feel. Gallavant grinned and decided he could take a break just for a few minutes while Fearow flies around.

“Take your time!” Gallavant cried to Fearow, who cawed back. Gallavant watched Fearow majestically soar across the skies, marveling at the beauty of the Pokemon he was given.

He walked over to a bench by the vending machines and sat down on it, wondering if the machines worked. Of course, he had no money. He also wasn’t hungry, and doubted if he’d actually get hungry inside this game. He quickly wondered what the selection for the machines would be like. Did they have Pokemon food? Or did they actually have candy bars and the like?

Curiosity overtook Gallavant, and he got up off the bench and strolled to the last vending machine in the row. He first noticed the very small railing that was keeping them from falling off the rooftop and plummeting to the ground. He shrugged that off and eyed the choices available, realizing that they all were candy bars that were actually sold outside the game.

He shrugged and casually pushed the button that had a picture of a box of Junior Mints on it. He suddenly heard rustling behind him, and he spun around to see if perhaps Fearow had landed. He looked up to the sky and saw it was still casually flying about, not paying attention to him at all.

He stared at the group of trees and plants next to him, and he thought he saw something odd about one of them. At the trail of that thought, a box of Junior Mints fell from the vending machine and onto the rooftop floor. Gallavant figured the noises were just the wind, and turned around to pick the box up.

At that precise moment, the Sudowoodo that was hiding in the trees leapt forward from its hiding spot and grabbed Gallavant. It quickly lifted him above its head, taking Gallavant completely by surprise. It cried out loudly, and flung Gallavant directly over the vending machine and off the rooftop.

KatThePoet instantly ran out from behind the elevator, silently thanking God for Gallavant not checking behind the elevator and for Fearow not paying attention to the rooftop at all. He very easily could’ve been dead had they found him.

Gallavant quickly the air slamming into his body as he fell towards the ground, which seemed to be very far away. He spun in mid-air, trying to find anything to grasp onto to save his life. He screamed loudly, causing Fearow to pause in mid-flight and immediately start flying towards him.

Fearow dive-bombed towards Gallavant, hoping it’d make it in time. They were still just about 80 feet or so off the ground, but that meant Gallavant would be road kill probably in less than 6 seconds. Fearow closed its eyes and reached out with its talons, hoping that it’d grab its master in time.

Against all odds, Fearow managed to reach Gallavant and grab both of his arms with its claws. It cawed loudly, flapping its wings, adjusting to this new weight. Gallavant screamed triumphantly overjoyed at the fact that he had survived. He felt extremely giddy and excited, and figured it was just the adrenaline.

“My God!” Gallavant cried to Fearow. “You are awesome!”

Fearow cawed back, flapping its wings slowly in order to soften their landing on the ground. Gallavant was surprisingly heavy, and Fearow strained in order to keep from dropping him. It cawed out and glance up back towards the rooftop and quickly realized that it should’ve let Gallavant fall.

The falling vending machine hit Fearow hard, breaking nearly every bone in its wings and back. Gallavant felt a sudden weight on his back and saw Fearow’s blood rain down from above him. He cried out, as the ground suddenly became much, much closer. His last thought was about his brother and how much he’d miss him.

Gallavant hit the ground in a shower of blood and guts. The vending machine crashed onto him and Fearow, tossing Fearow’s feathers into the air. The mess of blood and bone didn’t even resemble two separate creatures at all. As Fearow’s feathers slowly began drifting down to the ground, Kat smiled down at the mess from the rooftop.

“Damn, that thing was heavy.” Kat said, panting and wiping the sweat off his face.

Sudowoodo gave him an annoyed look, and Kat grinned.

“Well, I know you did the most of the pushing, but I helped, right?”

Sudowoodo shook its head, and Kat leaned up against a nearby vending machine and laughed. Sudowoodo stretched its arms and sighed as Kat suddenly stopped laughing and began gasping for air.

As soon as it started, it was over. Kat took in deep breaths and coughed, frowning.

“These damn flashbacks,” Kat muttered, shaking his head. “Mega and Jeff are going to learn not to play God.”

Sudowoodo frowned and looked down at its master. Kat saw the look of concern on its face and grinned, pointing to the vending machine.

“I’ll be okay,” Kat said. “Hey, want a Junior Mint? They’re delicious!”