Uncontained

I left the gym with the Soul badge glittering in my palm. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I pumped my fist into the air. "We did it! Yes!"

Florence and Rose let out a whoop and Isaac cheered. People stared as I walked by. I wasn't sure if it was because I had enormous Pokemon with me or that I was making a scene, but it was probably a bit of both. I didn't care. I'd gotten over half the gym badges. I was practically stronger than half the trainers in Kanto!

"Beau!"

I turned. I wondered who the hell knew me in this town, but then I saw who it was. My heart surged in my chest.

"Malachi, what are you doing here?" I exclaimed.

Malachi's face was somber and then it hit me that nothing was okay. I ran up to meet him by the fence he was standing by. My happy mood dissipated. "What's going on?" My voice was hushed.

"We need to go to Saffron," he said.

"Why?"

"Team Rocket's taken over Silph."

My blood ran cold. "Are you serious?" I whispered. The Silph Corporation was the biggest business in Kanto; it made nearly everything we used. If there as something in this world that couldn't be touched, it was Silph. They had the surveillance of royalty in their headquarters in Saffron. If Team Rocket had Silph, they had everything.

"I'm serious," Malachi said. "It's all over the news. The police have been trying for hours to get in. They're sending over the big government agents now. We need to go."

I stared at him. Had Malachi lost his mind? "If the police can't get in, what makes you think we can?" I demanded. "What about the gym leader? Have they helped at all?"

"No." Then Malachi grasped my hand. The action was so sudden I didn't know what to say. "Alone, I know we can't get in," he said. His voice was low and raspy. "But with you, you're stronger than I am and we can cover each other's weaknesses. Are you with me?"

I thought he was crazy. But then I thought of my mom. My mom baking a cake for my birthday. My mom accidentally setting the thanksgiving turkey on fire. My mom taking me to the hospital when I broke my arm in the third grade.

"I'm with you," I said. "But how are we going to get there in time?"

"That's easy." Malachi gave me his shit-eating grin and pointed to Uriah. "We fly."

---

"You're kidding me," I said.

"Nope," he replied. He clicked one of his pokeballs and his fearow flashed out. "I flew here to get to you. Lucky guess that you'd still be here, huh?"

I didn't know whether to be grateful or offended. "Like Uriah will let me fly on him," I said.

I will, he growled.

I snapped my head around. "What?"

Rockets are dishonorable. It is merely my duty to banish them. He puffed smoke from his nostrils.

"I assume he's willing?" Malachi asked.

"Fuck!" I said. "I don't even know where to go!"

"Follow me, then," Malachi said. "Get on his back."

---

I sent my Pokemon into their pokeballs except Florence, who refused, and clambered up Uriah's shoulder to the spot where his neck met his body. His scales were rough and hot, and his muscles were like iron. Malachi sat easily on the back of his fearow. I swallowed, looking at him expectantly.

"Just don't fall off," he said.

"Fuck you-" but Uriah leapt into the sky. My face smacked into his neck and my stomach plummeted to my feet. I screamed but my voice got lost in the wind. Smashed against Uriah's body, I couldn't see anything, and Florence was tearing my hair out. Uriah's massive wing-beats thundered in my ears.

Then we were weightless.

We weren't climbing anymore. I peeled my face off Uriah's scales and he quivered in excitement. Wind bellowed in my ears and his wings boomed with every beat. Flying on a Pokemon was in no way romantic like in the movies. I realized there was snot on my face but there was no way in hell I was going to let go of Uriah's neck to wipe it off. In the distance I saw Malachi on his fearow. That cocky bastard didn't look terrified at all.

Wow, Florence squeaked.

Uriah's body tensed underneath me. "What is it?" I shouted about the wind, but there was no answer. Uriah swiveled his head to look at me, and he had he most devilish grin on his face.

Then he let himself drop.

I screamed until my throat was on fire and my arms felt like they were going to be ripped from their sockets. All went white and then I saw the tops of trees and screamed louder. Vomit came right up my throat and I didn't have time to think about what poor civilian got rained on by my puke. Uriah was ascending again.

Once again my face was plastered to my back and Florence was literally choking me with her hands around my throat. I gagged and coughed up a mixture of snot, saliva, and throw up. When Uriah flew flat again I thought I was safe until he let out an earsplitting roar and shot fire. I almost added urine to my list of bodily fluids that came out of me. "URIAH!" I screeched.

He looked back and laughed. He really laughed. It sounded like coals grinding and fire. "FUCK YOU!" I shrieked. "FUCK YOU!"

What a time to be alive! he roared.

I swiped all the sum off my face and glared. Thankfully all my bodily substances flew away from my body instead of on it. Malachi and his fearow came swooping up beside me. "You okay, Beau?" He shouted.

"Fan-fucking-tastic!"

I didn't think he heard me. "Come on!" he yelled. "Saffron's ten minutes away!"

Those were the longest ten minutes of my life.