[Pokémon] The Hand of Arceus

Swift! · Oct 3, 2009

I'd like to start out by thanking Citrinin for betaing this fic, without him I don't think I'd be posting it right now. I'd also like to say that I'm not new to writing, but I'm obviously not the best either. All comments, positive or negative, are welcome. Although, if you choose the latter, please try to be constructive. Thank you.

This fic contains mature themes.

---

Index
Prologue

PART I
Chapter One - Career Day
Chapter Two - Only By The Night
Chapter Three - Things To Come
Chapter Four - Starting To Heat Up
Chapter Five - Dropping A Bombshell (COMING SOON)

---

Prologue

September 18th, 2034 (Monday)

6:02PM

A man walked down the narrow corridor with a disgusted look on his face. It was dark and dingy: leaking pipes running across the ceiling left puddles of water dotted along the concrete floor. Every few seconds a drop of water would land on the man's pristine white lab coat, invoking a huff of displeasure as he wiped it away. Under the lab coat, the man wore a simple light blue button-up shirt and a pair of sepia dress pants, with polished black lace-ups and a matching black leather belt. He also wore a pair of rimless glasses and a strange device, which was stuck in his left ear.

His name was Brace and he was a member of the widely unknown criminal organisation called 'the Eclipse'. Four other men accompanied him, each of them wearing a tight full-body outfit, black and grey in colour with a few hints of venetian red for trim. A handgun was holstered at the side of each suit for quick access in case of trouble. These men were his guards, meaning he was a highly ranked agent and, for whatever reason, he would need protecting.

The clanging of metal pipes on concrete caught Brace's attention and as he looked down the corridor, he could see the light shining in from the room that he and his men were heading to and scoffed. "They've arrived," he commented, not receiving any reaction from the guards, which was the way he liked it. "Wonderful, I thought we'd be waiting around for hours before they showed up. Kantonians are almost always late."

As they reached the doorway at the end of the corridor, all five men entered the large room in a single file, with Brace in the middle. There was light shining through the large warehouse windows and Brace noticed a flock of Wingull flying by; twelve of them, to be exact. He threw his attention back to the matter at hand as two of his men stopped in front of him and the other two lined up beside him.

Brace spotted six men before him and his guards. One of them, the leader, stood in front of a large wooden crate. He had four men surrounding him as well as another standing by the warehouse door. They each held a Kanto assault rifle at the ready, in case something happened to go Wepear-shaped.

The leader of the Kanto men stepped forward and spoke his accent was thick and, to the guards, the words fell on deaf ears. However, Brace was a well educated man and could speak fluent Kanto, albeit without the accent, of course. "We've got the item your boss requested here." He motioned to the crate. "Now, where's your side of the bargain?"

Brace let out a short laugh under his breath and began reaching into his lab coat, which made the Kanto guards hesitate on their triggers for a brief moment. "It's always like that with you smugglers," he joked, pulling out a large wad of money from an inside pocket of his coat. "All business, no pleasure."

The Kanto smuggler returned Brace's laugh and stepped forward to take his payment, "Don't you worry," he began, wrapping his large, dirty fingers around the stack of money. "My boys and I are going to indulge in some of the... pleasure Sinnoh has to offer before we set off back home. Right boys?" The five other smugglers all cheered, raising their guns in the air as they did so.

Brace smiled. "Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you." As his fingers fell away from the money, allowing the Kanto man to take it, there was a moment of complete silence before the sound of bullets filled the air. Brace counted three shots.

The man by the door screamed as all three bullets hit their mark. He fell to the ground with a deathly thud and his blood began to flow out onto the concrete floor. Without another second's hesitation, Brace got behind his men, who already had their weapons drawn and pointed at the warehouse door. The Kanto men also stood protecting their leader and had their own guns pointed at the door.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the warehouse, obviously aided by a megaphone. "This is Captain Scott Davis of the S&S. We know who you all are and what you are doing. If you surrender now, no-one else will have to die."

"Bloody Sword & Shield!" hissed Brace, glancing between the wooden crate and dead Kanto smuggler. "Quick, get the crate and let's get out of here!" The Eclipse guards ran forward and each grabbed a side of the crate with one hand, keeping the other hand free for their weapons. But before they even had the chance to move, S&S agents were storming the building, letting off gunfire without hesitation.

Brace heard another eight shots and watched as all five of the remaining Kanto smugglers fell to the ground... dead, not even given a chance to return fire. Another five shots went off and he looked over at his own men. All four of them took non-fatal hits in either the shoulder or leg before dropping the crate and falling to their knees in surrender. Brace was sure that he'd be next. Suddenly, he felt like someone had grabbed him and was pulling him back, and then... unconsciousness took him.

Misheard Whisper · Oct 4, 2009

As promised. =D

I'm Not Your Hero said:
Prologue

A man walked down the narrow corridor with a disgusted look on his face. It was dark and dingy: leaking pipes running across the ceiling left puddles of water dotted along the concrete floor. Every few seconds a drop of water would land on the man's pristine white lab coat, invoking a huff of displeasure as he wiped it away. Under the lab coat, the man wore a simple light blue button-up shirt and a pair of sepia dress pants, with polished black lace ups and a matching black leather belt. He also wore a pair of rimless glasses and a strange device, which was stuck in his left ear.

Good so far. The description is nice, comprehensive without being a bland list. 'Lace ups' should maybe be 'lace-ups', but otherwise I don't see anything,, and even that I'm not sure about.

His name was Brace and he was a member of the widely unknown criminal organisation called 'the Eclipse'. Four other men accompanied him, each of them wearing a tight full-body outfit, black and grey in colour with a few hints of venetian red for trim. A handgun was holstered at the side of each suit, for quick access in case of trouble. These men were his guards, meaning that he was a highly ranked agent and, for whatever he was doing, he would need people to protect him.

'Widely unknown'. =D I like that. The comma after 'suit' is unnecessary, and the last sentence may want rewording.

The clanging of metal on concrete caught Brace's attention and as he looked down the corridor, he could see the light shining in from the room that he and his men were heading to and scoffed. "They've arrived," he commented, not receiving any reaction from the guards, which was the way he liked it. "Wonderful, I thought we'd be waiting around for hours before they showed up. Kantonian's are almost always late."

Does metal on concrete clang? I remember walking on concrete with football boots as a kid; they made a scrapy sort of crunch sound, if that makes any sense. You also don't need the apostrophe in 'Kantonians'. We're talking plurals here, not possessives.

As they reached the doorway at the end of the corridor, all five men entered the large room in a single file, with Brace in the middle. There was light shining through the large warehouse windows and Brace noticed as a flock of Wingull flew by, twelve of them to be exact. He threw his attention back to the matter at hand as two of his men stopped in front of him and the other two lined up beside him.

Perhaps '...and Brace noticed a flock of Wingull flying by; twelve if them, to be exact.' would make more sense here.

Brace spotted six men before him and his guards. One of them, the leader, stood in front of a large wooden crate. He had four men surrounding him as well as another standing by the warehouse door, they each held a Kanto assault rifle at the ready, in case something happened to go Wepear-shaped.

I love your berry analogy, although it took me a moment to grasp it. That comma after 'warehouse door' should be a full stop, and a start of a new sentence.

The leader of the Kanto men stepped forward and spoke, his accent was thick and, to the guards, the words fell on deaf ears. However, Brace was a well educated man and could speak fluent Kanto, albeit without the accent, of course. "We've got the item your boss requested here." He motioned to the crate. "Now, where's your side of the bargain?"

Again, the comma (after 'spoke') should be a full stop.

Brace let out a short laugh under his breath and began reaching into his lab coat, which made the Kanto guards hesitate on their triggers for a brief moment. "It's always like that with you smugglers," he joked, pulling out a large wad of money from an inside pocket of his coat. "All business, no pleasure."

Nice. You're establishing Brace's character as confident and in control without actually saying as much, something I personally have trouble with. Kudos.

The Kanto smuggler returned Brace's laugh and stepped forward to take his payment, "Don't you worry," he began, wrapping his large, dirty fingers around the stack of money. "My boys and I are going to indulge in some of the... pleasure Sinnoh has to offer before we set off back home. Right boys?" The five other smugglers all cheered, raising their guns in the air as they did so.

I know what you mean. ^_~

Brace smiled. "Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you." As his fingers fell away from the money, allowing the Kanto man to take it, there was a moment of complete silence, before the sound of bullets filled the air. Brace counted three shots.

Comma after 'silence' isn't needed.

The man by the door screamed as he fell to the ground, all three bullets hit their mark and his blood began to flow out onto the concrete floor. Without another second's hesitation, Brace got behind his men, who already had their weapons drawn and pointed at the warehouse door. The Kanto men also stood protecting their leader and had their own guns pointed at the door.

First sentence sounds a bit weird. As if he fell to the ground before the bullets hit him. Might wanna reword that.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the warehouse, obviously aided by a megaphone. "This is Captain Scott Davis of the S&S. We know who you all are and what you are doing, if you surrender now, no-one else will have to die."

Comma after 'doing' should be a period.

"Bloody Sword & Shield!" hissed Brace, glancing between the wooden crate and dead Kanto smuggler. "Quick, get the crate and let's get out of here!" The Eclipse guards ran forward and each grabbed a side of the crate with one hand, keeping the other hand free for their weapons. But, before they even had the chance to move, S&S agents were storming the building, letting off gunfire without hesitation.

Comma after 'But' doesn't need to be there.

Brace heard another eight shots and watched as all five of the remaining Kanto smugglers fell to the ground... dead, not even given a chance to return fire. Another five shots went off and he looked over at his own men, all four of them took non-fatal hits in either the shoulder or leg, before dropping the crate and falling to their knees in surrender. Brace was sure that he'd be next. Suddenly, he felt like someone had grabbed him and was pulling him back, then... unconsciousness took him.

Comma after 'men' should be a period. The next comma after that doesn't need to be there. ', then...' should probably be ', and then . . .'

All in all, this is an ideally reviewable fic. It's got pace, it promises an actual story, and it's set out in neat, equal paragraphs that make quoting easy. It's not riddled with errors to the point where it becomes unreadable, but there's enough errors for me to pick up and walk away feeling satisfied. I'm looking forward to more. Where's Chapter 1? ^_^

Your main problem is runon sentences. I recommend you read up on these before publishing another chapter, as it eliminates a lot of unnecessary mistakes.

*subscribes*

Swift! · Oct 4, 2009

Thank you for the review, SD. :D

Sparkling Dragon said:
Good so far. The description is nice, comprehensive without being a bland list. 'Lace ups' should maybe be 'lace-ups', but otherwise I don't see anything,, and even that I'm not sure about.

Lace-ups sounds right. *fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
'Widely unknown'. =D I like that. The comma after 'suit' is unnecessary, and the last sentence may want rewording.

Comma, gone. And last sentence reworded, slightly. You didn't really say why the last sentence should be reworded though, so, if it still doesn't look right, please let me know.

Sparkling Dragon said:
Does metal on concrete clang? I remember walking on concrete with football boots as a kid; they made a scrapy sort of crunch sound, if that makes any sense. You also don't need the apostrophe in 'Kantonians'. We're talking plurals here, not possessives.

I meant something like metal pipes on concrete, you know the sound? Spiderman 3. When Peter is fighting Eddie and Harry knocks those metal pipes over. That sound. I changed it to 'metal pipes' so it should be easier to understand.

Also, I never grasped the concept of 's at school. I wasn't a very bright kid back then. xD

Sparkling Dragon said:
Perhaps '...and Brace noticed a flock of Wingull flying by; twelve if them, to be exact.' would make more sense here.

Yes, it would. :P *changes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
I love your berry analogy, although it took me a moment to grasp it. That comma after 'warehouse door' should be a full stop, and a start of a new sentence.

Thanks. It took me a moment to come up with. xD Commas and full stops, something else I didn't quite grasp. xP *fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
Again, the comma (after 'spoke') should be a full stop.

*fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
Nice. You're establishing Brace's character as confident and in control without actually saying as much, something I personally have trouble with. Kudos.

Confident and in control is only one side of Brace's personality. You'll see another side of him in chapter one. Although, if you want to ruin the surprise. VVV

Spoiler:

Sparkling Dragon said:
I know what you mean. ^_~

Sparkling Dragon said:
Comma after 'silence' isn't needed.

*fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
First sentence sounds a bit weird. As if he fell to the ground before the bullets hit him. Might wanna reword that.

Ok. *changes* Better now?

Sparkling Dragon said:
Comma after 'doing' should be a period.

*fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
Comma after 'But' doesn't need to be there.

*fixes*

Sparkling Dragon said:
Comma after 'men' should be a period. The next comma after that doesn't need to be there. ', then...' should probably be ', and then . . .'

*fixes all three*

Sparkling Dragon said:
All in all, this is an ideally reviewable fic. It's got pace, it promises an actual story, and it's set out in neat, equal paragraphs that make quoting easy. It's not riddled with errors to the point where it becomes unreadable, but there's enough errors for me to pick up and walk away feeling satisfied. I'm looking forward to more. Where's Chapter 1? ^_^

~~I make mistakes on purpose so that you can find them and feel good about yourself.~~ Thank you very much for the review. I really appreciate it. :D Also, chapter one should be out today or possibly tomorrow, depending on how long Citrinin's betaing of chapter two takes.

Sparkling Dragon said:
Your main problem is runon sentences. I recommend you read up on these before publishing another chapter, as it eliminates a lot of unnecessary mistakes.

I totally agree with you and I'll definitely read up on them. :)

Misheard Whisper · Oct 4, 2009

I'm Not Your Hero said:
Comma, gone. And last sentence reworded, slightly. You didn't really say why the last sentence should be reworded though, so, if it still doesn't look right, please let me know.

Much better. I'm sorry I wasn't more specific. I just have this little radar in my head that goes off when a sentence sounds awkward. Unfortunately, it doesn't always tell me what the problem is.

I meant something like metal pipes on concrete, you know the sound? Spiderman 3. When Peter is fighting Eddie and Harry knocks those metal pipes over. That sound. I changed it to 'metal pipes' so it should be easier to understand.

Gotcha. I thought the Kantonians had steelcap boots or something.

Confident and in control is only one side of Brace's personality. You'll see another side of him in chapter one. Although, if you want to ruin the surprise. VVV

Spoiler:

It's all an act.

Of course I read the spoiles. Spoilers are my Kryptonite.

Ditto.

Ok. *changes* Better now?

Much better. ~~GORE! THERE MUST BE MORE GOOOOOORE!~~

~~I make mistakes on purpose so that you can find them and feel good about yourself.~~ Thank you very much for the review. I really appreciate it. :D Also, chapter one should be out today or possibly tomorrow, depending on how long Citrinin's betaing of chapter two takes.

I always feel bad when my reviewers can't find anything. Then I feel good, because it means the chapter was good. Then I feel bad for feeling good, iykwim?

I totally agree with you and I'll definitely read up on them. :)

Excellent. Looking forward to the next chapter. Oh, and one last thing.

Since when did Arceus have hands?

Swift! · Oct 4, 2009

Sparkling Dragon said:
Much better. I'm sorry I wasn't more specific. I just have this little radar in my head that goes off when a sentence sounds awkward. Unfortunately, it doesn't always tell me what the problem is.

Lol, I have the same thing. Although, it doesn't usually go off when I see an awkward sentence in my writing. :\

Sparkling Dragon said:
Gotcha. I thought the Kantonians had steelcap boots or something.

xD No. They're just clumsy.

Sparkling Dragon said:
Of course I read the spoiles. Spoilers are my Kryptonite.

I'll keep that in mind.

Sparkling Dragon said:
Much better. ~~GORE! THERE MUST BE MORE GOOOOOORE!~~

Yay! Sorry, not much gore in part one. It's really just to introduce the characters and the two... organizations.

Sparkling Dragon said:
I always feel bad when my reviewers can't find anything. Then I feel good, because it means the chapter was good. Then I feel bad for feeling good, iykwim?

Lolwut? O_o

Sparkling Dragon said:
Excellent. Looking forward to the next chapter. Oh, and one last thing.

Since when did Arceus have hands?

That's the point...

Spoiler:

Misheard Whisper · Oct 4, 2009

Ahwahwah, I get you now. I had my suspicions as to that, but I had to hypnotise you into revealing the answer. :3

Swift! · Oct 4, 2009

Chapter One – Career Day

September 21st, 2034 (Thursday)

2:57PM

Sunyshore City. It was a beautiful place in the region of Sinnoh: waves gently crashed onto the shores of the surrounding beaches and the inner city was filled with the buzz of daily life. Without a doubt, simply a wonderful place to live... and work, as Sunyshore was the fastest expanding city in all of Sinnoh.

And, to the west of the CBD, on the edge of the city, Sunyshore College. One of Sinnoh's best schools with what would have to be the highest percentage of student graduation rates in the region. So there was no question as to why James Davis' parents wanted him to attend such an esteemed college.

The sixteen year old boy leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms. He had unkempt auburn hair, which reached just past his ears, striking midnight blue eyes, an easy complexion, and stood at about six feet. James' class was one week away from graduation and so the teacher had organized for some of the children's parents to come in and talk about what they do for a living, sort of like a career day. One of those parents was James' father, Scott Davis, who was sitting in a chair beside his son and waiting for his turn to speak to the class.

"-and that's what it's like working on a trawl boat." The man who had been talking to the class, Raymond Garrett, had just finished his long speech about being a fisherman and now it was Scott's turn to talk. Ray smiled at Scott and gave him a friendly nod as he went back to sit next to his daughter, as if to say, "Top that."

Scott had to stop himself from laughing at how ironic it was that he could easily top Ray's speech, yet he knew he had to lie for the safety of the Sword & Shield and his family. Silently he took his place at the head of the class, pausing for a moment as he tried to remember every detail about the fake story he was to use at times like this. The students quickly took in his appearance: short auburn hair, styled with mousse, focused hunter green eyes, lightly tanned skin, and six foot three in height. He also had a smear of stubble running along his jaw line, not that he had forgotten to shave that morning; he just liked it that way.

"Hello," Scott began, his voice calm and friendly. Sure, he was a member of the Sword & Shield, or S&S for short, a secret government organisation set up to stop underground criminal activity and he could easily kill everyone in this classroom with his bare hands. But, he was still one of the nicest people you'd ever meet.

"My name is Scott Davis, I'm James' father," he motioned towards his son, "and I work as a manager at the Sans Corporation." Scott glanced around the room at each pair of eyes, trying to think of what to say next. "My job is to make sure everyone on my floor is working as well as they can."

There was an awkward silence before Scott started talking again. "The Sans Corporation makes all kinds of different products for Pokémon trainers. Such as: Poké Ball's, Potions, and Antidotes. You name it, we make it."

The rest of the speech went on with Scott explaining all the different things that the Sans Corporation made, as well as how his work benefited the company. Every word was a lie.

---

3:04PM

James and Scott exited the school via the front doors and began making their way down the stairs, heading towards the front gate and, subsequently, home. James was in a good mood; the day had gone well and he was one week away from graduation. Scott, on the other hand, had many things running through his mind, all of them having to do with the S&S.

Scott's current mission had him pitted against the most powerful criminal organisation that Sinnoh had ever seen, the Eclipse. The S&S had been fighting them for nearly five years and yet they barely knew anything about them; they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. Every time they thought they were close to catching them they seemed to... disappear, only to reappear again later, stronger than ever.

"Just one more week," said James, almost out of nowhere.

"Yeah," Scott replied, letting himself forget about work and focus completely on his son. "Have they told you which Pokémon you'll be receiving?"

James shook his head. "They won't be revealing them until the day of the graduation, but they said that each one was handpicked especially for each student."

"That's good. At least that way you know that you're going to be receiving a Pokémon that is perfect for you."

"I guess you could say that, but the suspense is killing me."

Scott laughed. "Seven days, son. Seven days."

---

6:58PM

Brace reached out and pressed the glowing elevator button, '0', it read. He was slightly nervous as he waited for the ding that indicated the closing of the doors. He would always get nervous whenever he pressed that button, because he knew exactly where he was going... and it scared him.

"Boo."

Brace jumped as the silky female voice whispered in his ear, sending chills down his spine. He turned quickly to see a woman standing behind him. Raven black hair that reached just past her ears and she had a blonde streak above her left eye, fierce saffron eyes staring straight into his, a pale blemish-free skin tone, and a height of five foot two, short compared to his six foot two. Brace needed no introduction, this was Stephanie. She was, just like him, an agent of the Eclipse, albeit a slightly higher ranked one. And, just like him, she had a strange device stuck in her left ear.

Brace smirked, turning away from the woman, as he readjusted his ruffled white lab coat and fixed up his smart taupe hairstyle. "Hello, Stephanie," he said with a slight twitch in his voice, obviously letting the small hatred he held for her show. "How are things?"

"Good, good," replied Stephanie, the joy in her voice noticeable as she revelled in the fact that she had just scared the smartest man in the building. "I heard you failed your latest mission."

"I didn't fail!" Brace practically yelled back, his anger growing. "I just," he continued, calming down quite quickly, "postponed it."

Stephanie smiled. "Don't worry, Bracey. I'll get it back for you."

"You?"

"Yeah. Why else would you think the boss man would want 'the fastest feet in Sinnoh' to come to his 'fortress of solitude'? He wants me to fix your mess."

Brace quickly became confused. "Then why would he call me to Floor Zero?"

"Beats me. Although, it's probably one of two things. Either, he's going to kill you..."

A lump formed in Brace's throat and he quickly swallowed. "Or...?"

"Or... well, you'll see. As long as he doesn't choose option number one."

Ding. The elevator doors opened and both Brace and Stephanie stepped out. The room they were in was almost completely pitch black, save for four small lights in each corner and the glow of five computer screens on the far side. There was a large swivel chair facing the computer screens, with a dark figure sitting almost perfectly still as if in deep thought.

"Brace," the figure spoke, in a deep and raspy voice that was definitely male.

"Yes, Phoenix?" returned Brace quickly, taking a hesitant step forward and bowing slightly as he waited to hear what the man had to tell him.

"You failed your mission," he simply stated.

"Yes. But, I-"

"Silence!" Phoenix boomed. "You're my head scientist, Brace, and I would have a difficult time replacing you. For that reason alone, you will go unpunished."

Brace sighed in relief, as if a weight had just been lifted off his shoulders.

"That isn't to say that there won't be consequences for your actions. I will make sure that something like this never happens again."

"Yes, sir," Brace said with a bow, taking a step back.

"Stephanie," Phoenix carried on, shifting his attention to the young woman.

"Yes, Phoenix?" Stephanie replied, taking a step forward and bowing, just like Brace had done earlier.

"You will go to the Sword & Shield to retrieve the experiment."

"Of course."

"However!" Phoenix added. "Try not to get yourself killed, for you too would be quite difficult to replace. That is all. You are both dismissed."

Brace and Stephanie both bowed to their master as they headed back to the lift, which Phoenix had opened with the press of a button. The two remained silent as they stepped inside and waited for the doors to close, until Stephanie spoke...

"And so the game begins."

---

8:21PM

Later that night, the Davis family were all sitting down to a late dinner. Scott at one end of the table and James at the other, with Rebecca, the loving wife and mother, sitting at the side. She was a nice lady, who owned a flower and berry store in Sunyshore Plaza and, yet, still managed to take care of a secret government agent and an adolescent boy.

Rebecca, or Becky for short, had flowing maize coloured hair reaching past her shoulders, pretty azure eyes, a light complexion, and stood at five foot four, towered over by both her husband and son. The family remained quiet as they ate dinner, Scott busy thinking of what to do about the Eclipse and James imagining all the fun he'd get to have at Coronet Academy, which is where he'd by heading after his graduation from Sunyshore College.

"So," began Rebecca, hoping to strike up conversation. "How are my two favourite boys? Was the career day fun? Anything exciting happen?"

Scott and James exchanged glances and smiled at one another. Rebecca was always asking too many questions at once, probably from being cooped up in such a small place all day and not getting to see much of the outside world. Both father and son shook their heads.

"Pretty boring, actually," said James.

"Yeah, nothing worth talking about," added Scott.

"Oh," whispered Rebecca, slightly disappointed as she returned to eating her dinner in silence.

All of a sudden, a familiar tune started to play and both James and Rebecca looked over at Scott. It was his work phone. "I'm sorry," he apologised, getting up out of his chair and looking down at the still ringing phone. "I've got to take this."

Without waiting for a reply, Scott headed into the next room and answered the phone. "Yes?" he questioned in a low whisper. The voice on the other end began to talk, causing Scott's face to quickly change to a look of anger, confusion and annoyance, all rolled into one. "I'll be right there."

Scott hung up and dashed into a connecting room, his study, only to return seconds later. He grabbed his long russet coloured coat from the hook it was hanging on and headed back to the kitchen. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, repeating the words he had said earlier. "I've got to head back to the office. I don't know how long I'll be."

"What's it about?" asked Rebecca, hoping for an answer before her husband could get out the door, but he was already gone.

Swift! · Oct 8, 2009

Chapter Two – Only By The Night

September 21st, 2034 (Thursday)

7:42PM

Stephanie kept silent and motionless as she remained perched upon a tree branch in Sunyshore Park. The branch she was clinging to hung right above the edge of the park, which allowed her to keep an eye on her target. The Sans Corporation building.

For nearly half an hour she had waited there, simply watching as people went in and came out of the building. Over the thirty minutes or so, the sun had almost completely set and she was waiting for the perfect time to strike. Then she saw it. A cleaner was making her way towards the elevator and, by the size of her cleaning trolley; she would take a while to get inside.

Stephanie smirked, her eyes filling with determination and then... they began to glow. They were a bright yellow: radiating and sparking fiercely. It was beautiful, but also deadly at the same time. Ding. The elevator doors opened and Stephanie leapt from the tree. Her speed was incredible. To anyone watching she would have been nothing but a blur, that is, if they could even catch a glimpse of her at all.

In mere seconds she had sprinted through the sliding doors, across the lobby, in the elevator and then had burst through into the shaft. Her eyes stopped glowing as she readjusted the panel that she had disturbed upon entering; she left it slightly ajar so that she could keep an eye on anyone entering the elevator. And then, she waited.

More than thirty minutes passed and, for the whole time, Stephanie kept her eyes focused on the elevator doors, examining each person who entered and what they did once they had. Finally, a woman entered. Her black hair done up in a bun, and her copper eyes were covered by thin black rim glasses. Carrying a clipboard and wearing a white lab coat, she would have seemed like an ordinary scientist.

What made this woman different was what she did after the elevator doors had closed. Instead of simply pressing a single button, she pressed nearly ten different ones. As if she was putting in a code. Once the last button had been pressed, a panel on the left hand side of the elevator slid upwards, revealing a card swiping system. The woman, who must have been a scientist or maybe a doctor, pulled out a card and swiped it. There was a loud rumbling and then the elevator began lowering, despite being on the ground floor.

This was exactly what Stephanie had been waiting for. The Eclipse knew that the S&S headquarters were hidden beneath the Sans building, but they didn't know how to get to them. Until now.

Ding. The elevator doors opened and the woman exited in a brisk motion, Stephanie waited until the doors began closing again and made her move. Once again, her eyes glowed yellow and she shot down with inhuman speed. This was unknown territory: enemies could be anywhere, but hopefully her speed would be enough to save her if something went wrong.

She darted down the first hallway. It was a bland concrete grey area about fifteen feet long and six feet wide, with pillars providing support... as well as a good hiding spot. No-one in sight, except for the woman she'd seen earlier. Perfect, she thought, a smirk curling on her lips.

The woman continued down the next hallway. As soon as she turned the corner, Stephanie dashed forward, taking cover behind another pillar. If this woman truly was a scientist, or a doctor, she'd probably be heading exactly where Stephanie needed to go. Therefore, the Eclipse agent could simply follow her.

---

8:13PM

Her name was Penelope Parker. The woman with the black hair done up in a bun and the copper coloured eyes covered by thin black rim glasses. She was a scientist. One of the best in Sinnoh and she worked as the head researcher for the Sword & Shield.

For the past couple of days, Penelope and her team had been monitoring an experiment which had been confiscated from a crime scene. It was the bulb from a Bulbasaur, which had been genetically engineered to survive without being attached to said Bulbasaur, now living in a terracotta pot. Very advanced science indeed. And it was up to her to figure out why the Eclipse wanted it and what they wanted it for.

Penelope had been called back to work after hours, for her team thought they had discovered what the intended use for the bulb was. She stopped in front of a large metal door, slightly more metallic than the walls, which was its only give away. Anyone could easily have missed it completely. There was a card swiping system to the right of the door, much like the one in the elevator. She swiped her card in one swift motion and the door slid open, granting her access.

Inside the room three scientists were working quietly, each one with their own designated task. The room was full of all sorts of scientific gear, machines, and test tubes filled with Arceus knows what. And, sitting upon a stand in the middle of the room, the bulb. "Professor Parker," one of the scientists said, a skinny man with a head of messy brown hair and bland grey eyes. "You made it."

"Of course I did, Brent," replied Penelope, adjusting her glasses and approaching the bulb with an inquisitive look. "What is it that you wanted to show me?"

"Yes," began the scientist, Brent, as he picked up a piece of paper and brought it over to Penelope. "Look here." He pointed at a chart on the paper that showed the plants vitals. "It's still producing PoisonPowder, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore."

"And?" questioned Penelope, peering over at Brent.

"It's not just a science experiment," said Brent, meeting Penelope's gaze. "It's a weapon."

Penelope looked over at the bulb, which was still moving, and clenched her fist. She truly hated the Eclipse and something like this only made that hatred worse. "Good work, Brent," she said, taking the piece of paper from him and attaching it to the clipboard she had brought in with her. "Continue with your work."

"Yes, ma'am."

Penelope yawned as she made her way to the door, she was obviously tired from the long day she'd had and the fact that she had been called in after hours didn't help. She swiped her card, hoping to get home before she collapsed of exhaustion. But, there was one more thing she hadn't counted on.

As soon as the door opened, Penelope was shoved back by an unseen assailant, falling onto the ground with a thud. She looked up just in time to see a blur of black fly straight over her. Quickly, she rolled onto her stomach cocked her head up to see an unknown woman, dressed in a plain black tank top and a pair of black lycra tights, standing in front of the bulb.

The three other scientists in the room each pulled out a gun, pointing them at the woman with a look that said they were ready to fire at any moment. Penelope also reached for her gun, but, when she felt only the fabric of her pants, she realised that she had forgotten it. Stephanie glanced at the three armed agents of the Sword & Shield and then smirked.

As quick as a flash, the three men fell to the ground, each of them disarmed and clutching their sides in agony. Stephanie laughed to herself and grabbed the bulb. "This was easier than I thought," she exclaimed, thinking aloud to herself. But, before she could leave, a sharp pain struck her and she found herself clutching the back of her head.

"No-one messes with my lab," growled Penelope, glaring furiously at the Eclipse agent, a hint of content in her expression after the glass flask she had thrown had hit its mark.

Stephanie spun around and looked at her hand, where blood was smeared across her fingers. She cursed the scientist and reached for a knife strapped to her ankle.

Penelope didn't have a chance to move, before the knife had been hurled at her. Striking her in the right shoulder and staying there, stuck. The scientist gasped in pain, looking across at the handle of the knife, which was the only thing left visible. She looked up to say something to her attacker, but, when she did, she saw that the woman was already gone.

---

8:43PM

Scott stood idly by as the clean up team swept the last of the shattered glass away. The injured scientists and Professor Parker had already been taken to the infirmary, but the latter's blood was still visible on the white linoleum floor. "How did this happen?" he questioned, turning suddenly towards a man dressed in a black suit with gold trim, holding a hat styled the same way.

The man's hair was grey, combed neatly towards the back of his head, his eyes were an emotionless emerald colour, his skin weathered from the many years he had seen, and he stood an inch taller than Scott. His name was Arthur Wilcox and he was the man in charge of the entire Sword & Shield. "It's dark; there was minimal security and someone to lead her straight to the lab. Even if she wasn't an agent of the Eclipse, she still wouldn't have had a hard time getting in here," he replied.

"It was a woman?" asked Scott, walking over to his boss and crossing his arms as he awaited a reply.

"Yes. Miss Parker confronted her face to face."

"And you know for sure that she was an Eclipse agent?"

"How else would she have known the bulb was down here? Only we and the Eclipse knew about it."

Scott didn't reply, he just turned around and watched as Penelope's blood was wiped from the floor. He sighed, letting his arms fall to his sides as he made his way out of the lab. "Set up interrogation in the morning," he said as he left. "I want to 'talk' to the prisoners."

---

8:47PM

James Davis tossed under the covers of his bed, he couldn't get to sleep. The excitement of graduation was too much for him. He sat up, yawning, as he reached for the pulley system the blind worked on. He yanked at the string and the blinds flew up. It was too dark to see anything directly outside the window, but from his bedroom the Sunyshore CBD was visible.

He looked over at the Sans Corporation building and smiled. He knew his father was there and he knew how proud he was that his son was going to Coronet Academy. With another yawn, James lowered the blinds, before falling back onto his pillow and allowing sleep to finally take him.

Sgt Shock · Oct 8, 2009

I think you earned this review have you not. :) I promised that I would come back and you sneak two chapters up.

First off, I find your description skills amazing. When you use colors you tend to bring a specific color (such as saffron, maize, emerald) as well as when you used generic colors you explain them (as dull or bright etc.) That's very appealing. I just wanted to get that out before I forget it. :p

On to the story shall we. Things are getting pretty interesting pretty earlier with the S & S and the Eclipse. You established the characters well.I'm liking Scott for some odd reason. A real nice father as well as a master at killing has been appealing point to me. James is going to make a very curious character. I want to see how he evolves because this forum and their characters evolves expansively (you know who I'm talking about. :P. cough cough *citrinin* cough cough).

I've seen an growth between the prologue and chapter 1. That is great that you are improving. I'm excited seeing your growth.

Anyway, like I said, I think that you are meeting my must read fan fiction list. Can't wait to see how everything goes.

Swift! · Oct 8, 2009

Sgt Shock said:
First off, I find your description skills amazing. When you use colors you tend to bring a specific color (such as saffron, maize, emerald) as well as when you used generic colors you explain them (as dull or bright etc.) That's very appealing. I just wanted to get that out before I forget it. :p

Thank you. Amazing, huh? xP The specific colours are just so that each character gets to be unique, instead of share the exact same colours with everybody else. Seeing as there are going to be quite a few characters in this fic. xD

Sgt Shock said:
On to the story shall we. Things are getting pretty interesting pretty earlier with the S & S and the Eclipse. You established the characters well.I'm liking Scott for some odd reason. A real nice father as well as a master at killing has been appealing point to me. James is going to make a very curious character. I want to see how he evolves because this forum and their characters evolves expansively (you know who I'm talking about. :P. cough cough *citrinin* cough cough).

You may like Scott now, but just you wait til his character develops a bit more and the story progresses. And James, well there's a lot to learn about him. So, you had better keep reading. fufufufu

Sgt Shock said:
I've seen a growth between the prologue and chapter 1. That is great that you are improving. I'm excited seeing your growth.

Well, I hope to improve even more. :)

Sgt Shock said:
Anyway, like I said, I think that you are meeting my must read fan fiction list. Can't wait to see how everything goes.

That's a goal worth reaching. I hope you like what I have in store. :D

Misheard Whisper · Oct 8, 2009

Won't be quoting everything here, just pulling out glaring mistakes and things I like . . . or otherwise.

One of Sinnoh's best schools with, what would have to be, the highest percentage of student graduation rates in the region. So, there's no question as to why James Davis' parents wanted him to attend such an esteemed college.

All three commas here are unnecessary, and 'there's' should be 'there was', as you're writing this in past tense.

He had unkempt auburn hair, which reached just past his ears, striking midnight blue eyes, an easy complexion, and stood at about six feet.

You did not just use 'striking' and 'midnight blue' to describe his eyes. T_T I can't tell you not to, because there's nothing wrong with it, but it just seems a bit OTT.

The students quickly took in his appearance: short auburn hair, styled with mousse, focused hunter green eyes, lightly tanned skin, and six foot three in height.

ZOMG dude you did it again. I quite like this one, though.

You name it they make it."

Wants a comma. And don't you mean 'we'? He is pretending to work for them, after all.

James was in a good mood, the day had gone well and he was one week away from graduation.

Semicolon here, not a comma.

Brace reached out and pressed the glowing elevator button, '0' it read.

should be something like '. . . button; '0', it read.' Or something like that. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work.

"Boo."

Lulz.

Raven black hair that reached just past her ears and had a blonde streak above her left eye, fierce saffron eyes staring straight into his, a pale blemish free skin tone, and a height of five foot two, short compared to his six foot two.

ZOMFG what is it with you and describing eyes? Anyway, the 'had' should be removed and replaced by something like 'She had' at the beginning of the sentence; otherwise this whole sentence makes no sense. 'blemish free' should have a hyphen, really, and the last comma would maybe do better as a semicolon.

"Hello Stephanie,"

Whenever someone is addressed directly in a sentence, there needs to be a comma on either side, like:
"Hello, Stephanie."
"Stephanie, have you seen my Blue Eyes White Dragon? I think I left it at your place."
"By the way, Stephanie, you look absolutely ghastly in that. As a matter of fact, you'd look better without-" *slapped by Stephanie*

Er-hem. You get the picture. >_>

The room they were in was almost completely pitch black, save for four small lights in each corner and the glow of five computer screens on the far side.

FIRST CITRININ AND NOW YOU? What is it with evil masterminds and their dark rooms?!

Later that night, the Davis family were all sitting down to a late dinner. Scott at one end of the table and James at the other, with Rebecca, the loving wife and mother, sitting at the side. She was a nice lady, who owned a flower and berry store in Sunyshore Plaza and, yet, still managed to take care of a secret government agent and an adolescent boy.

Three words. 'Show, don't tell.' You say she's nice, but we prefer to work things out for ourselves.

Rebecca, or Becky for short, had flowing maize coloured hair reaching past her shoulders, pretty azure eyes, a light complexion, and stood at five foot four, towered over by both her husband and son.

asdfghjkl if you describe any more eyes I will *censored* Just kidding. But when you do this for everyone, it really stands out. And if Dad has green eyes, and Mum has light blue, how does James get midnight blue? o_O

"Pretty boring actually,"

Wants a comma as well.

Overall, a pretty damn good chapter. I'll review the next one at another time, PC is screwing up bigtime now and I'll be lucky to even get this posted.

Swift! · Oct 8, 2009

Misheard Whisper said:
All three commas here are unnecessary, and 'there's' should be 'there was', as you're writing this in past tense.

Yep, yep. *fixes*

Misheard Whisper said:
You did not just use 'striking' and 'midnight blue' to describe his eyes. T_T I can't tell you not to, because there's nothing wrong with it, but it just seems a bit OTT.

Misheard Whisper said:
ZOMG dude you did it again. I quite like this one, though.

D: That's how I describe things. Leave me alone. xP

Misheard Whisper said:
Wants a comma. And don't you mean 'we'? He is pretending to work for them, after all.

Oh, I can't believe I missed that. Thank you. *fixes*

Misheard Whisper said:
Semicolon here, not a comma.

Not one of my strong points. *fixes*

Misheard Whisper said:
should be something like '. . . button; '0', it read.' Or something like that. I'm not sure how that's supposed to work.

Hmm... I don't know how that should go. :\ I'll use your way for now.

Misheard Whisper said:
Lulz.

Yes, she's that kind of person. xD

Misheard Whisper said:
ZOMFG what is it with you and describing eyes? Anyway, the 'had' should be removed and replaced by something like 'She had' at the beginning of the sentence; otherwise this whole sentence makes no sense. 'blemish free' should have a hyphen, really, and the last comma would maybe do better as a semicolon.

ZOMFG! Leave my eyes alone. xD *fixes everything else*

Misheard Whisper said:
Whenever someone is addressed directly in a sentence, there needs to be a comma on either side, like:
"Hello, Stephanie."
"Stephanie, have you seen my Blue Eyes White Dragon? I think I left it at your place."
"By the way, Stephanie, you look absolutely ghastly in that. As a matter of fact, you'd look better without-" *slapped by Stephanie*

Er-hem. You get the picture. >_>

Oh, and she would. *snaps fingers* :P Also... *fixes*

Misheard Whisper said:
FIRST CITRININ AND NOW YOU? What is it with evil masterminds and their dark rooms?!

It's just how things are. Imagine a dark mastermind in a bright room with sparkles and sunshine and unicorns and flowers and... well. You get the point.

Misheard Whisper said:
Three words. 'Show, don't tell.' You say she's nice, but we prefer to work things out for ourselves.

D: She's only a minor character (for now). I'm not sure if I'm going to have time to show how nice she is. We'll see.

Misheard Whisper said:
asdfghjkl if you describe any more eyes I will *censored* Just kidding. But when you do this for everyone, it really stands out. And if Dad has green eyes, and Mum has light blue, how does James get midnight blue? o_O

Uhm... *shifty eyes* Grandparent?

Misheard Whisper said:
Wants a comma as well.

*fixes*

Misheard Whisper said:
Overall, a pretty damn good chapter. I'll review the next one at another time, PC is screwing up bigtime now and I'll be lucky to even get this posted.

Yay! 'Damn good'! Thanks for the review and take your time on the next one, I don't mind. :)

Swift! · Oct 11, 2009

Chapter Three –Things To Come

September 22nd, 2034 (Friday)

8:11AM

James jumped down the last few steps. He was on top of the world; setting off on what would be his last Friday at Sunyshore College. However, he did still have four more days next week, but that didn't matter to him right now. He was about a third of the way to school and had just descended the stairway which lead from the path above to a narrow walkway below. He'd always said how it was the 'short way to school'.

As he trotted along down the walkway, he began to think about what Pokémon he'd be receiving before leaving. He knew it was going to be a Pokémon native to Sinnoh, so that narrowed down his daydreaming. A Chimchar would be cool, he thought. Maybe a Sneasel, or even a Gible! He was so caught up in his own thoughts he didn't even notice that a girl, the same age as him, was now walking alongside him.

"Lost in your mind again, James?"

James nearly jumped when he heard the voice, but then he saw who it was. "Hey Evi," he greeted. Evelyn Miller (or Evi, as her friends call her) was James' best friend and had been for as long as he could remember. They met way back in primary school at the age of seven. Evi had lovely golden hair, just reaching her shoulders, a pair of caring and joyful carnation pink eyes, the softest peach-yellow skin you'd ever seen, and stood a full head shorter than James.

"So," Evi began, looping arms with James and squishing in closer to him. "You going to tell me what you were daydreaming about?"

James smiled, keeping his eyes focused on the path in front of him. Something which he should have been doing earlier. "I was just wondering which Pokémon I'd be receiving at graduation."

"And? What did you come up with?"

"Uh... Chimchar, Sneasel, or Gible."

Evi nodded, thinking about what she'd like to receive. "I'd like either a... Piplup, Shinx, or..." she paused to consider what the third Pokémon would be, "a Buneary. They're all just so cute."

James laughed. Predictable choices. The two friends continued walking, remaining in silence as they did. The route they took overlooked the ocean and the sun, which was still low in the sky, caused the sea to sparkle. It was truly beautiful.

When they were about three quarters of the way to school, James and Evi both spotted something, or more accurately, someone that caught their attention. It was a boy, the same age as the two of them; he had slick black hair, which hung over his left eye, cold decisive carnelian eyes, a wheat coloured skin tone, and was the exact same height as James. His name was Mark Taylor, a student from the same class as James and Evi.

A black hoodie covered most of his face with shadow, but enough was exposed to make it look like he was watching them. Although, he probably wasn't. Mark wasn't the most social person around and he could usually be seen sitting by himself at school, as if he was trying to shut out the world around him. James felt sorry for him, while Evi just found him creepy.

"You think we should talk to him?" asked James in a low whisper, then wondering why he was. "No-one has even tried to get to know him and that's probably not going to change when we get to the academy, unless someone stands up and does something now." You could thank Scott for giving James this side of his personality.

"I don't know," whispered Evi in reply. "He just gives off a weird vibe. It's creepy."

James was still concerned, but he wasn't about to make his best friend feel uncomfortable by going over and talking with Mark. Maybe later.

---

11:48AM

Scott tossed the still bloodied knife onto the cold metal table. The sound it made echoed in the small room and caused the man sitting with his head down to jerk in surprise. He looked at the knife and smiled. It was an evil smile; void of any remorse for whoever's blood stained the blade. The man's face was dirtied and his hair greasy, he obviously hadn't washed for a few days. Four, to be exact.

He was an agent of the Eclipse and had been captured by the Sword & Shield not too long ago, along with three other men. There were shackles around his wrists, connected by a chain that ran down and joined to another chain connecting the shackles around his ankles. In all, he wasn't very mobile at the moment.

"He's made his move." The agent looked up at Scott, the evil smile still plastered on his face.

Scott slapped his hands down on the table and stared at the man with fury in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"It's your turn."

"You think this is some kind of twisted game!?"

"Oh, but it is."

Scott had to stop himself from doing something he'd regret. He grabbed the knife and turned his back to the Eclipse agent. His teeth were gritted as he looked down at the knife in his hands; Penelope's blood was completely dried onto the blade.

"Better move fast, Captain," the prisoner said, breaking the silence and causing the tension in the air to rise. "It may be your turn. But my boss likes to cheat when it comes to games."

That was all it took. Scott yelled at the top of his lungs as he turned and started advancing on the man. He raised the knife in the air and brought it down with a powerful thrust. The Eclipse agent screamed in pain as he stared in disbelief at the knife that was now stuck in his right hand. Scott had managed to pierce the metal of the table, so the man's hand was now pinned.

The door burst open and two Sword & Shield agents stormed in with weapons drawn. When they saw the knife in the man's hand their eyes widened. There was blood covering the table. The prisoner had a disturbing look of pure agony on his face and his chest was heaving furiously, while he kept his teeth clenched shut.

"Take him and the rest of the prisoners to the PDR," Scott said blankly, making his way out of the room.

PDR stood for Prisoner Disposal Room. It was where prisoners were taking once they were no longer of any use. To be executed.

---

1:39PM

James stretched. His class was doing the last bit of work they'd ever see at Sunyshore College, a review of things they'd need to know for their trip to Coronet Academy. After this, the last four days next week would be all about organising the journey that all thirty students would be taking.

The idea was to take a ferry to Pastoria City with their teacher before travelling on their own, by foot, to Hearthome City. Which is where they'd meet up with the teachers of Coronet Academy. The Academy was situated about halfway up the side of Mount Coronet, so the students and teachers would ride cable cars the rest of the way. All in all, the entire trek would take about eight or nine days to complete.

"Why didn't they tell us to remember this the first time they taught it to us?" questioned Evi in a low whisper, leaning over to James' desk. "I've nearly filled my entire notebook and it's brand new!"

James laughed and bent down to get something from his backpack. "If you hadn't lost the books you wrote this stuff in the first time, you wouldn't need to re-write it." He pulled out a blank notebook and handed it to Evi. "Here."

"You're the best!" exclaimed Evi, taking the notebook and kissing her friend on the cheek.

"James! Evi!" called Mr. Wicks, the teacher.

"Sorry," the two apologised in unison.

James and Evi both went back to doing their work. The aforementioned only having to review, while the latter wrote everything down as quickly as she could.

After a short while, James' mind began to wander. A side of his personality you could thank his mother for. He started looking around the room, not at anything in particular. Not until his eyes found Mark Taylor. The boy was by the window; sitting slumped in his chair and looking out at the clear blue sky.

James had spent just about four years in the same class as Mark and, yet, there'd barely ever talked. Let alone had a full blown conversation. He hardly knew anything about the black haired boy. Now that he thought about it, there was nothing he could remember right off the top of his head. This has got to change. James didn't know why it was that, after four years, he suddenly felt compelled to get to know Mark. He just knew that he should.

---

11:56PM

It was nearing midnight when Brace was called to Floor Zero. All the agents in the building were asleep, save for the aforementioned and his team of scientists. They were working hard to produce as much PoisonPowder, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore from the bulb as they could. It wasn't exceedingly difficult, but the time it took was putting a strain on all of them.

Brace tapped his foot as he descended to Floor Zero in the elevator. What's going to happen? He had been increasingly nervous since Phoenix had told him there would be consequences for his actions. It was the thought of what these consequences would be that kept him up at night.

Ding. The elevator doors opened. It was the same scene he'd seen many times before. The dark room, barely lit, with Phoenix sitting at a large swivel chair and facing a set of five glowing computer screens.

"Brace," spoke the mysterious cloaked figure.

"Yes, Phoenix?" he replied in question, taking a step forward and bowing slightly.

"How is your work going?"

"Uh... good. We've produced a healthy amount of the three substances. Although, I guess in this case they would be 'unhealthy' amounts."

Phoenix let out a nearly inaudible laugh, something that didn't happen very often. "Well, I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, sir."

"Firstly, get a Weezing from the garden. You're going to need some of the combustible gases it produces. Also, a Magmortar flame to use as an ignition."

"What exactly is it you want me to make, sir?"

"A bomb."

Brace's eyes widened. "A bomb?"

"Three, to be exact."

"Yes, sir. I'll get my team right on it. Is that all?"

"Yes, you are dismissed. However, don't think I haven't forgotten about your last mission. The consequences for your actions will be revealed soon."

"Yes, sir. I understand." Brace turned to leave, but then stopped and turned back. "Sir, may I ask a question?"

"What is it, Brace?"

"What are the bombs for exactly?"

Phoenix let out another of his laughs. "We're going public."

"Public?"

"Yes, Brace. We're going to blow up Sunyshore City."

Sgt Shock · Oct 12, 2009

I'm becoming increasingly curious on what James' Pokemon is going to be and now you made me think of how Mark is going to be. I think I'm going to like him but I have to see the conversion. :D I like Evi by the way.

The Eclipse is making their move now, on Sunyshore City at that. Good idea of the bomb idea with Magmortar's flame and Weezing's Smog (could you call it smog? It's probably smoke). It's not going to be good for the people of Sunyshore City.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

Swift! · Oct 12, 2009

Sgt Shock said:
I'm becoming increasingly curious on what James' Pokemon is going to be

Well, I've already got one picked for him. And Evi. And Mark. :P So, you'll just have to wait and see.

Sgt Shock said:
and now you made me think of how Mark is going to be. I think I'm going to like him but I have to see the conversion.

I'm hoping to have a lot of fun with Mark's character. He's going to fit into the main story in more ways than one. ;D

Sgt Shock said:
I like Evi by the way.

Thanks. I really like her character as well, but I'm not too sure how she'll handle becoming part of this huge battle between two secret organisations. xD

Sgt Shock said:
The Eclipse is making their move now, on Sunyshore City at that. Good idea of the bomb idea with Magmortar's flame and Weezing's Smog (could you call it smog? It's probably smoke). It's not going to be good for the people of Sunyshore City.

Indeed they are. The idea for the bomb just came to me, it will be explained in further detail in chapter five or six.

Sgt Shock said:
I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

As am I. :)

Swift! · Oct 16, 2009

Chapter Four – Starting To Heat Up

September 23rd, 2034 (Saturday)

9:35AM

James came speeding around the corner on his bike, nearly clipping the curb as he did so. He wasn't in the best mood at the moment. Last week Scott had promised to spend this weekend with the family, but he was too busy with work. Rebecca decided there was nothing she could do and simply went to work herself, despite having a day off.

And James. Well, he went for a bike ride. It was all he could do to calm himself down. Anger wasn't an emotion he experienced a lot, but his father choosing work over family was an occasion that called for it. What could be so important at a trainer products manufacturing company that he couldn't put off?

James sped past the entrance to Dawson Road Park and clenched down hard on his brakes almost immediately. Backing up, he looked into the park and saw the one person that couldn't be further from his mind at this moment. Mark Taylor.

Now's as good a time as ever, James told himself. He hoped off his bike and began wheeling it into the park as he approached Mark. There was a rule of no bikes, skateboards, scooters, and the like, in the park and James wasn't one to go around breaking rules.

Upon reaching Mark, who was sitting in the grass with his back against a tree, James saw that he was wearing the same hoodie he'd seen him in yesterday and had a skateboard lying next to him. So he decided to talk about that. "You skate?" he questioned simply.

Mark raised his head enough to see who it was that was talking to him and James caught a glimpse of his red eyes, which caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. "Yeah," he spoke coldly. "So what?"

James ignored Mark's attitude and took a seat next to him. "I tried skateboarding when I was younger. Skinned both my knees pretty bad, so my parents decided that I would be a biker." He smiled at Mark, who didn't seem very joyful. "So, what are you-"

"Do you want something?" Mark asked, cutting James off.

James was slightly taken back by Mark's words. "Uh. N-no, I just..."

"Then what are you doing sitting here trying to make conversation?" Mark turned to James and pulled the hood away from his head, revealing a large bruise on the left hand side of his face, near his eye. "How about you mind your own business?"

James was once again taken back. "I'm just trying to be friendly."

"Yeah?" questioned Mark, relaxing slightly. "Well maybe I don't want you to be my friend."

"How did it happen?"

"I got hit."

"By who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Was it... well, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"The percentage of parents who abuse their children has grown in the past-"

"My father?" he hissed, cutting James off again. "My father is never around. And when he is, he hardly has time for a hug let alone... this." He pointed to the bruise on his face. "I got into a fight with a bunch of guys at the skate-park."

James was silent for a few seconds before replying. "I'm sorry."

"About the skaters?"

"About your father. My dad hasn't been spending much time with me either."

Mark looked up at the clouds in the sky. "I don't need your pity, James." He got to his feet and grabbed his skateboard, leaving down the path James had come in along without another word. James stayed by the tree for a few more minutes before leaving too. His mind now filled with more things for him to think about.

---

12:04AM

"This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated!" boomed a voice from behind a closed door at the Sword & Shield.

"I was just-" spoke a second voice, this one quieter.

"Don't!" There was a pause. "Get out of my office, and don't try to take control like that in the future."

The metallic door slid open and Scott stepped out, his face red with bottled up anger. His boss, Arthur Wilcox, was standing in the room behind him with a stern look on his face. The door slid shut as quickly as it had opened and Scott was left by himself in the cold metal hallway.

Scott headed down the corridor and turned a corner, this hallway was empty too. He screamed as all the rage poured out of him at once. His clenched fist found the wall and a deafening crack reached his ears. "Dammit!" he cursed, letting the wall take his weight as he leaned back and then fell to the ground. He sat with his head hanging down for a few minutes, and then he heard a soft voice.

"Scott?" it questioned caringly.

Scott looked up and saw Penelope standing a few metres away from him. "Oh," he began, using his uninjured hand to help him to his feet. "I didn't hear you coming."

Penelope came closer. "I'm not surprised," she said, referring to the man's screaming.

Scott smiled. "Right."

Penelope smiled back and then turned her attention to Scott's swelling fingers. "Do you want me to take a look at that?"

"I thought you were a scientist," he joked.

Penelope ignored the joke and grabbed him by the wrist. "I am. But it doesn't take a diploma to tell whether a bone is broken or not." Without waiting for a reply she examined each finger separately, pulling and twisting them to her heart's content.

"Ouch!" Scott pulled his hand away from Penelope and glared at her. "Ok! They're broken."

"I've got something in my lab that will help with the pain."

"It's alright. I can just walk it off."

"Please, Scott. You don't have to act tough around me."

"I'm not acting!"

"Alright then," she said in surrender, turning to head back to her lab. "But don't come crying to me when you change your mind."

---

5:17PM

The sounds of heavy working filled the halls of the Eclipse hideout. And Stephanie wasn't happy about it. She stormed down a corridor, stamping her feet loudly, before turning into a room to her left. "What's the big idea!" she yelled.

There were two people in the room, Brace, and another man, Vince, both of whom were sitting at a small table. The latter had a head full of purple taupe hair, which was all somehow spiked straight up; his eyes were a dark amethyst, his skin a lightly tanned peach, and he stood at nearly six foot two, not including his tall hairstyle. The two men were playing a game of poker (modified for two players), without any objection to the sounds of work going on in the building.

"Sorry?" Brace replied to Stephanie's question, as he wasn't quite sure what she was talking about.

"Your men have been working non-stop all day. How much is it to ask for a little peace and quiet? And what are they working on anyway?"

Vince quickly answered on behalf of the two men. "Phoenix asked Brace here for a few bombs. Blowin' up Sunyshore he says."

"What?" questioned Stephanie, slightly taken back. "Why was I not told about this?"

"You're not goin'," said Vince coolly. "Phoenix is only sendin' Brace and his guys."

Stephanie turned her attention to Brace. "Well, we know how well that went last time. Don't we?"

Brace piped up. "Phoenix said he was going to make sure something like that never happened again, but he hasn't told me how yet."

"Beats me," replied Stephanie, looking over at Vince to see if he had any idea what it could be.

"Who knows when it comes to Phoenix?" said Vince with a mysterious tone to his voice. He flashed a glance at Stephanie and, as he did so, his eyes glowed bright purple for a split second.

Stephanie understood what Vince meant and turned back to Brace, smirking. "Well, I guess that mystery is solved." With that, she exited the room to let the two men finish their game.

"What?" asked Brace after Stephanie had left, not having seen Vince's gesture. "I don't understand."

"You will soon," replied Vince, laying his cards down on the table. "Full house."

---

6:23PM

The metallic door slid open and Scott peered into the lab. "Penelope?" he questioned, looking around for a while before spotting the woman sitting at a bench on the other side of the room. She was so caught up in her work that she hadn't even heard Scott open the door or say her name. Scott decided to just enter the lab anyway.

"What are you working on?" he asked upon reaching her, catching her by surprise and invoking a slight jump.

Penelope spun around on the stool she was sitting on and glared at him menacingly. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Scott took a seat next to her. "Sorry. I just... you didn't hear me come in?"

"No, I didn't," she began, turning back to her work. "Maybe you should speak up next time. What are you doing here anyway?"

Scott hesitated for a second, looking down at his swollen red and purple fingers. "I'm afraid I've come crying to you."

Penelope laughed. "I thought you might." She stood up, making her way over to a rack of what must have been medicines, as there was a red cross painted above it. She picked out a small jar filled with a dark goldenrod paste and brought it over to Scott.

"What is that?" he asked.

Penelope twisted off the lid of the jar. "It's Stun Spore mixed with Octillery slime. It's used to dull the pain of, well, broken bones in your case."

Scott stared at the putrid substance. "I understand what the Stun Spore is for, but the Octillery slime?"

Penelope stuck her fingers in the paste and fished out a healthy amount on her two middle fingers. "Well," she began, wiping the goo onto Scott's fingers. "That's so that it sticks."

Scott, once again, pulled his hand away. "Ugh! You could have warned me!"

"It works, doesn't it?"

Scott calmed down and looked at his hand, the pain was subsiding. "Wow! It does work!" He began rubbing it in and, the more he did, the more the pain lessened.

Penelope put the jar away and then returned to her stool. "No need to thank me. Although, you're still going to need to go to the infirmary for a proper examination and bandaging."

Scott nodded. "Alright." Without another word he left the lab. Leaving Penelope to work without distraction, by herself. She turned on her chair and watched as the door slid shut behind Scott. With a sigh, she returned quietly to what she had been doing earlier.

[Pokémon] The Hand of Arceus

More options

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Misheard Whisper

[b][color=#FF0000]I[/color] [color=#FF7F00]also[/c

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Misheard Whisper

[b][color=#FF0000]I[/color] [color=#FF7F00]also[/c

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Misheard Whisper

[b][color=#FF0000]I[/color] [color=#FF7F00]also[/c

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Sgt Shock

Goldsmith

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Misheard Whisper

[b][color=#FF0000]I[/color] [color=#FF7F00]also[/c

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Sgt Shock

Goldsmith

Swift!

The Swiftiest

Swift!

The Swiftiest