The squad began to grow restless, and they disagreed on what to do next. For a while, they lingered in Lavender Town and stayed apart.
Dux wandered to the southern docks and tried to spar with some of the local hockey players, but he was soon ousted from their group after starting one too many fights.
Big Dig spent many afternoons lying in the sun. Having expelled so many tormented souls from the Pokémon Tower, his mind was finally put at ease for a while.
X-Cabbage relearned to play Mr. Fuji’s flute. With each tune she learned, she gained a fresh perspective on her childhood, and with enough maturity, she evolved into a Gloom. She used the ink of a Tentacool to tattoo the name X-Cabbage on her arm. And when she returned to town, the others saw the image of her that was most fitting to her personality.
Abba Jesus spent many nights out in the country, thinking of where he would be if Abby were still with them. In complete darkness, the Helix Fossil would give off a soft glow, and he would ask it where they should go next. Eventually, after hearing news that Giovanni was taking over Saffron City again, he decided they needed to go southeast, to Fuchsia City, to recruit more radical leftist rebels. With no enthusiasm from his squad mates, his quest to Cinnabar Island would have to wait, if it was ever to happen at all.
Before departing, X-Cabbage played a farewell tune on her flute, which caused the sunlight to dim. They heard accompanying sounds swell up from the ether, and a Gastly emerged and began belting lyrics to an epic pop song about how none of them were strangers to love. She was so taken aback that she stopped playing the flute, but the music continued so loudly that they could not hear anything else.
He was the spirit of a deceased pop singer, with a thick mane of wavy blonde hair and an ethereal microphone permanently hovering in front of his mouth. He did nothing but sing. They could assume from the engraving on the microphone that his name was Rick Gastly. They fled south as quickly as possible, though Dux had a bit of a skip in his step as he could not resist finding the tunes a bit catchy. They came upon a Snorlax on the southern docks, who they heard had been sleeping in deep hibernation for years. A single high-pitched melody played by X-Cabbage roused him slightly, which was good. Abba Jesus did not want to upset him. He was hoping this gigantic monster might be friendly enough to take them to Cinnabar Island. But after another melody from the flute, they came to discover Rick Gastly was following them. One shrill chant, and the Snorlax jumped to his feet and swung his arms, knocking X-Cabbage and Digrat into the water. Then he leapt out toward the horizon, and within a minute, he was just a faint dot in the distance. With that, X-Cabbage vowed never to play the flute again unless circumstances were really dire.
They arrived in Fuchsia City, a warm southern city where the air was full of the thick scent of nectar, and the streets were packed with trees. Abba Jesus could not gain entry to their coveted Safari Zone until he proved his strength within Mr. Koga’s gym, which he did with ease. The people had no other reason to doubt his strength. By then, word had spread all over Kanto that he was their savior, but he did not want to be seen that way. Instead of letting others think he was a prodigy, he began asking everyone to follow him. “We will save Kanto together,” he said.
That was the message he carried into the Safari Zone. As soon as the squad entered, a crowd of Venonats formed around them, drawing the attention of all those who held back with a bit of skepticism. For six months, Abba Jesus took up a perch in the open grass field of the area and preached about their commitment to anarchy, to ending the Rocket Party’s existence, and ousting Blue from his position. With time, he gained the following of five families of Nidorans with undying loyalty, two Paras who knew every talking point of political theory and all the secrets of Saffron City, a group of Exeggcute that would be immensely powerful once they became an Exeggutor, a Rhyhorn ready to bash through any newly built barrier to the city, and twenty Venonats. He came to a conclusion that he had recruited a strong enough city to take over Saffron City, but he wondered aloud, “How will we keep this convoy together?”
Upon saying that, they heard a loud motor revving up from behind the brush, then a four-wheeled Venomoth exploded out, in a mess of leaves and branches. It skidded into the dirt and stopped right in front of Abba Jesus, who stood still and blinked for a moment to ensure he was seeing clearly. The Venomoth was of mutant size for its species—some three or four times larger than what was normal—but its wings had not grown to be proportionate with its body. Thus, scientists had decided to fashion it with four high-tech mechanical wheels. Everyone in the city called it All-Terrain Venomoth. If the squad could build a crate atop its seat and have it haul a trailer, it would easily be able to carry all of the Venonats and Nidorinos.
A Nidorino with the most suave hair and a custom leather jacket jumped off the All-Terrain Venomoth and pointed at Abba Jesus. “Ayyy!” He had a deep voice, cool swagger, and the utmost confidence that they had the necessary force to take down the Party. As the oldest and strongest of the Nidorans, and the one with all the charisma, he and his best friend, All-Terrain Venomoth, would lead the Safari Zone group. He was The Fonz.
Thus, they began their month-long journey back up the eastern docks, into Saffron City. On many nights, Abba Jesus lay awake and looked to the sky. One night, Dux noticed him with his eyes open and said, “What’s up? No sleeping?”
“I just really wonder if that bird is out there,” Abba Jesus replied.
Dux laughed. “Stop being delusional. Even if he’s out there, he’ll never help us.”
He could never bring the topic up without someone arguing with him. The idea of flying out to search for the bird, to actually speak a word to him, became a completely insular fantasy.
As they approached the route leading into eastern Saffron, he grew anxious. This was the site of Abby and Jayleno’s death. It had been almost five years since that harrowing ordeal, but the sight of the boulders along the dry grassland still gave him chills. He made sure to stop by the same home of the caretaker who had given them the fluffy, innocent-looking Eevee. There, they had X-Cabbage lure Rick Gastly with a song, and they buried the flute in the backyard, expecting the spirit to never wander far from the instrument. As they left, the Gastly stayed, and they saw the silhouette of a man in the bedroom, already tormented by the overpowering singing.
He led the caravan far to the south so that they could avoid walking past the site where the False Prophet went up in flames. But as he flew above, Abba Jesus could make out in the distance the crimson boulder that stood out from the rest.
At the gates to Saffron, the Rocket Party had been expecting them. In their efforts to make themselves look like champions of the people, the Party welcomed them in and said they would have jobs for all. Abba Jesus said, “We’re not here to obey. We’re here to protest. Now take me to see Giovanni.”
The party did not oblige, but over a period of many weeks, the squad increased tensions throughout the streets. They led fierce demonstrations against the Rocket Party, which people of the city began to join, and Party members began to inhibit them with smoke grenades. Within a few weeks, the city seemed saturated with conflict, and in a moment of instability within the headquarters, Abba Jesus flew above the roof and burst through the skylight windows, pouring shattered glass onto Giovanni himself. Abba Jesus would have killed him if he were able, but the same Rhyhorn and Kangaskhan came to his aid. For the first time ever, the Party seemed to understand that the myth of him being Bird Jesus might actually be true, and they brought their strongest forces to the top of the Silph Co. Headquarters to stop him, but not in time to prevent him from ransacking his way into Giovanni’s office. There, he found on prominent display a golden Master Ball. He had only heard of one of these objects from Abby, who had heard from Professor Oak, that these objects could tame the will of any Pokémon in the world. He felt the Helix Fossil growing hot against his neck. He snatched the object off the desk and fled through the crowd of guards trying to block his exit. As he escaped, they resorted to firing a single bullet, which hit his left wing.
Abba Jesus struggled to stay in the air but did not falter back to the ground. He crash-landed in the hideout he had built with Dux and Cabbage near the outskirts of the city. When he showed them the Master Ball and explained its function, Dux immediately shook his head. He said, “You are obsessing over a Pokémon that you don’t even know how to find, that we don’t need.”
X-Cabbage was neutral about the idea of looking for the legendary electric bird.
Abba Jesus emphasized that they may have been gaining ground in Saffron City, but Blue was nowhere to be found. He was probably off on the Indigo Plateau, surrounded by elite guards. And the Party members in Saffron City were about to resort to the use of guns.
After a few nights of indecision, with his wing healed, Abba Jesus decided to fly off by himself. He could move quickly, and he would return as a true savior.
He flew as the Helix Fossil guided him toward the northeast and came upon a building that seemed like a castle with a moat. In reality, it was an abandoned power plant so far outside of civilization he wondered why people would have ever built such a place. Maybe it was all a dream, a hallucination brought about by his obsession with the Helix Fossil. But he could at least be certain the Magnemites and Voltorbs he encountered wanted to kill him. He fought his way through to the top floor, into the darkest of hallways lit only by the sparks of wild Pokémon. After a couple of hours, he came upon a great hall where a golden bird calmly spread its wings.
Abba Jesus reached for the Master Ball on his neck chain, but the bird took off, out the open balcony, and flew straight toward the stratosphere. Abba Jesus pursued, though he could hardly see anything. They flew above the tallest mountains, above the clouds, so far up Abba Jesus struggled to breathe or to grasp air with his wings. He could see the sun breaking above the horizon. He called out to the bird, saying, “You must save us. I’ve seen you in my dreams. You are the Archangel of Justice!”
The bird seemed to slow down, but he didn’t turn around. Abba Jesus knew this moment was his only chance, and he hurled the Master Ball and hoped.
Miraculously, it hit the bird. Then a portal opened and consumed the bird and the ball, leaving Abba Jesus stranded.
He almost fainted, but he remembered seeing that exact type of portal when The Keeper had banished the False Prophet to another realm. The bird was there. But Abba Jesus didn’t know how to get there, or where The Keeper was, or how to ever find it.
He was breathless and hungry, while dark clouds loomed over and flashed with electricity. But he was also excited and nervous, for if he could find the Archangel of Justice, then they’d put the Rocket Party away for sure. Praying his absence had not led to Saffron City’s demise, he rushed to find the bird by the end of that Sunday.
He returned to Saffron City, asking around if anyone had seen Red or a guru-like Drowzee known as The Keeper, but he was hardly paid attention to. The Safari Pokémon, along with Saffron civilians and other activists from outside the city, were staging their biggest protest, marching down Derry Lane. The streets were so noisy with chants, drumlines, and car horns that no one could hear the words of Abba Jesus. He had lost control of the masses—if he ever had it to begin with—and now all he could do was witness the burgeoning conflict. He wasn’t sure if the protestors noticed the military personnel taking to the rooftops with sniper rifles. A Party official took to the city’s PA system and shouted through speakers on every other block, “You’ve been asked to stand down. Return to your lodgings or suffer consequences.” The protestors did not listen, and at the end of the street, they ran into a barricade and began banging against it. The Fonz, riding atop All-Terrain Venomoth, led the charge and stoked the rage of the protestors more than anyone. He pointed to one of the balconies and shouted that he could see which Party member was shouting at them through the speakers. A few seconds later, there was an explosion at the opening of the balcony doors, as if someone from below had hurled a grenade up there.
Bullets rained down on the streets, and the chants turned into cries.
Abba Jesus did not know what he was seeing until a spatter of blood hit him in the face. He took cover against a building and watched, knowing he couldn’t possibly save the fallen. The best he could do was look to the tops of the buildings. He shouted, “You bastards! None of these protestors are armed!” But his words were useless. He spread his wings and dashed for the balcony where one soldier was still firing even after everyone in the crowd below was fleeing for their life. He sprang upon the man and slashed him open with his talons, with all the rage of seeing innocent lives slain.
This was only enough effort to buy time for some to escape. On Main Street, the protestors who heard of the firings tried to retaliate with pipe bombs thrown at the Silph Co. entrance. Abba Jesus flew to the area, but he couldn’t reach it soon enough to stop the soldiers from firing. From up high, he witnessed three soldiers firing upon a pack of Nidorans and Venonats, all who were fleeing from the barricades. At the same time, shots rang out from two more spots in nearby streets. Amid the chaos, as Abba Jesus searched for Pokémon he could try to carry to the nearby Pokémon Center, if it wasn’t already overrun, he was blessed to find Dux. They convened in an alley, with barely a moment to speak, and Dux said, “Those bastards shot Cabbage and Digrat!”
Abba Jesus cried, “No!”
He spread his wings, ready to fly toward their hut to save them, but Dux grabbed him and said, “Abba, get out of here. They want you more than anyone. They’ll shoot you on sight with no remorse.”
Dux’s words materialized, just as a Nidorino was coming to warn them which direction soldiers were moving in from, and a soldier at the end of the block raised his gun. A shot pierced the entire body of the Nidorino and entered Dux’s torso. Dux fell limp into Abba Jesus’s wings, still breathing.
He grabbed his small friend into his talons, lamenting that they had to leave behind the hockey stick, and flew through the streets.
Five men rounded the corner and took aim straight at him. Their sergeant said, “That’s the one they call Bird Jesus. Fire!”
Abba Jesus had to pull away. From one of the rooftops, he could see the Pokémon Center was jam-packed with Pokémon, gripped with panic. Blood was running through the gutters into the drains. He had no hope of getting in.
“I’ll fly you to Erica. Just hold on.”
“Abba, she’s too far,” Dux said. “Just save the others. Avenge us.” Within seconds, he died in Abba Jesus’s talons there on the rooftop.
Back at their hut, he found Cabbage face down at their doorstep with three bullet wounds in her back. At the edge of the yard, a trail of blood ran from Digrat’s favorite hole.
The civilians of the city spent weeks cleaning up the streets and counting the bodies. All told, they knew of the deaths of thirty-three Nidorans, twenty-one Venonats, one family of Exeggcute, seven Paras, and one Geodude.
The movements against the Party died off, and Abba Jesus spent a year wandering the outskirts of the city, alone and in misery. He spent all his time trying to understand why the Archangel of Justice had disappeared, where he had gone to. He wondered if his pursuit of more power had been the reason for his friends’ deaths. He searched for Red in areas where he was safe to roam, asked for the whereabouts of The Keeper, but no one knew the names of those two. He spent entire nights staring into the Helix Fossil, asking for answers, but it gave him nothing.
Abba Jesus was more alone than ever. And on three occasions, he made the decision to toss the Helix Fossil. He flew high above the Pokémon Tower and tossed it away, but a gust of wind blew it right back to him.
On the docks near Fuchsia City, he threw it into the water, but the waves surged and spat it back onto the docks.
Out in the grasslands, he threw it into a bush, but it hit the head of a Mankey who angrily threw it back at him.
Finally, he took it to the outskirts of Saffron City and threw it into the streets. He watched the circular object spin along its edge then roll away. It went up a slight incline and around a corner, with more momentum than gravity could possibly allow.
He could not prevent his curiosity from forcing him to follow its path. It kept rolling uphill, on a night with no wind, nothing else that could be pushing it along. He followed it past several markets, through the waning streetlights, to the outskirts of the city and up to the stoop of a large palace guarded by two Alakazams. They would not let him in without a fight, and after a couple of attacks, they subdued him with psychic forces. Sabrina, the child prodigy with the strongest psychic powers in Kanto, came to address the commotion and allowed Abba Jesus to be escorted to her quarters.
The fossil had been brought to her desk. She examined it with such intensity that the spoons around her desk twisted up into tiny pellets. Then she looked at him and laughed, “Did you come to retrieve this?”
“Yes. It’s mine.”
“Do you believe this thing has mystical powers?”
“I know it does.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you throw it away?”
“I didn’t try to throw it away. I wanted to know where it would lead me.”
“So you really do believe this object is powerful?”
Abba Jesus let his mind rest and tried to decipher if this psychic was playing a cruel and lengthy prank on him. But he stuck to his will and said, “Yes.”
“Then you’re here for a reason. So ask me a question.”
“Where is The Keeper?”
“The Keeper?” She looked at him—past him, really—and said, “Are you asking about that old Drowzee shuffling around behind you?”
Abba Jesus was startled and turned around to see The Keeper right behind him. He could not make sense of why he had finally found the guru here in the psychic palace, but nevertheless, there he was, just as calm as ever, still with blazing fires in his eyes.
Abba Jesus said, “Where is the Archangel of Justice? I tamed him, and he disappeared to your dimension. Help me find him!”
The Keeper said nothing and just gazed back at him.
Abba Jesus gazed at the fire in his eyes and knew in his heart he was destined to take the Helix Fossil to Cinnabar Island or die trying. He would go alone if he had to.
He snatched the fossil from Sabrina’s desk, grabbed The Keeper, and flew to the shore. He peered off to a dark horizon, uncertain how his wings would carry him the distance. As he spread his wings, ready to plunge into the depth of the air, the sound of a familiar motor caught his attention.
“Ayyy!” The Fonz shouted as he rode up on All-Terrain Venomoth. “Where you goin’? There’s nothing but sea in that direction.”
“To Cinnabar Island,” Abba Jesus said.
The Fonz laughed. “No, really. What’s in that direction besides ancient sea creatures?”
“Cinnabar Island. I’m going.”
The Fonz dropped his smile. “Bird Jesus, come on. There’s Pokémon in those waters that will swallow you whole. You’ll never make it.”
“Then I could use your help. I’ll be stronger with friends than if I go alone.”
“What—with All-Terrain Venomoth!? It can’t travel through water.”
“I will carry you.”
The Fonz looked at him, then at The Keeper, then thought of his fallen friends who had died trying to bring this mission to its conclusion. He snapped his jacket taut and said, “I may be a Nidorino punk with my little scooter here, but if Bird Jesus asks me to come, then I’m comin’.”
With that, The Fonz and The Keeper hopped on All-Terrain Venomoth, and Abba Jesus carried them in his talons. With the weight of the motor and the wheels, he would have had a much easier time fulfilling the promise he had made to Abby that he would one day carry her, but he had to take the companions fate had offered him.
Even after the sun broke above the horizon, they saw nothing but sea. All of them were terrified, except Abba Jesus. He could not think of anything except to thrust his wings and hope. Even as he grew tired and nearly fainted, he refused to give up.
But eventually, his wings gave out, and they started to plunge downward. The Fonz cried out in horror and clung to the handles of All-Terrain Venomoth, who began revving his wheels out of desperation. They looked down and saw a black pool of hopelessness, until they realized they were seeing the dark form of a creature rising to the surface.
They fell directly onto the back of a Lapras as it broke above the surface. Its shell was so large that even Abba Jesus was dwarfed by its size. This was a legendary creature The Fonz had heard of in many of his childhood bedtime stories: Air Jordan, the Prince of the Sea. The creature did not eat them; it kept carrying them toward the island.
After two more days of travel, The Keeper slowly began to hover above them. Abba Jesus tried to jump up and grab the guru, but he suddenly shot into the sky. A portal opened up and sucked him in, then a flash of blinding light erupted. When they could see again, the Archangel of Justice was there, flying high above them. Abba Jesus’s heart swelled with joy.
“He’s here! Do you see him?” He looked at The Fonz, worried for an instant that he was still hallucinating. “Do you see that bird?”
The Fonz struggled to look up as he clung to the shell of the Lapras, riding through rough waters. “Do I see the gigantic bird shooting electric beams across the sky? What else is there to see, Bird Jesus!?”
Abba Jesus laughed and shouted, “Hallelujah!”
The Archangel of Justice stayed along their path, ready to fight with them, ready to help them save Kanto.