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Doesn't quite line up there, I'm afraid. Something like "He made an effort to calm himself, his chest heaving" would be more correct, though it still doesn't sound right... bah, I dunno.
Gasping, he felt its grip tighten and lift him into the air. His windpipe contracted, and he felt his lungs strain for air.
Instead of changing "will" to "would", maybe you could change the tense of "pushed" instead? I think it's even more ominous that way, though I wonder whether it might become awkward.
"You must learn to survive," it told him. "I can teach you all I can, but you must hone those skills on your own. You must learn how to control the gifts I have given you, and you must become strong. This will need to happen quickly. There is something else I will ask you to do soon, but you would not be able to do it until you have adapted to the form I gave you. However, if we waste too much time, we will lose any chance of completing what we must do, and if that occurs, your species will be doomed."
This is the paragraph where it really starts to get interesting. Well, where Adam really starts to get interesting, because everything else has been pretty interesting too. It's not often you see an alien claiming to have the humans' best interests (or something approximating that) at heart as opposed to being evil or indifferent. Of course, I know it's not going to be that simple; this would be boring if it turned out that easy for Bill. I am a little surprised at what he says he wants, though. There's an ulterior motive in there somewhere, but heck if I know what it is or what it has to do with "saving" people. For one thing, is he really interested in saving humanity as-is, or does he just find the species to be a convenient host option and he doesn't want them to go away for future generations of parasites? Hmm.
Before a single bolt could strike their human companions, the pack absorbed the electricity and dropped to the ground. None of them had so much as a burn on them. Each electrike simply stood on all fours, teeth bared and growls rumbling in a chorus.
Is lightningrod's behavior here intentional, or was this just a slip? A lightningrod electrike/manectric will still take damage from a redirected attack. I mean, I suppose that an actual active lightningrod conducts the electricity without harming what it's mounted on, but for whatever reason that's just not how it works in this case (in game canon, at least; don't know if it's been seen in the animé). If it is a slip, I'd suggest switching the electrike for jolteon or cubone-line/rhyhorn-line pokémon instead.
Poor Abel. All he wanted to do was get away and help Bill. The discussion about communication with Adam and who's actually in control of the body at any given time (and to what degree) makes me wonder about the exact state Abel was in during all this. Nowhere near as lucid as Bill/Adam, obviously, but...
Doesn't quite line up there, I'm afraid. Something like "He made an effort to calm himself, his chest heaving" would be more correct, though it still doesn't sound right... bah, I dunno.
Good idea there. Not sure if I've mentioned this, but repetition is another one of my weak points. XD
Instead of changing "will" to "would", maybe you could change the tense of "pushed" instead? I think it's even more ominous that way, though I wonder whether it might become awkward.
I like your thinking, but I'm considering on going with a compromise. Your idea of changing the tense of "pushed" is great. It makes the sentence flow a lot better either way. At the same time, I like Luphinid's idea of changing "will" because it fits more with the character I'm trying to get across right now and avoids giving too much away of things that won't happen until way into the future. So, I think I'll go with both of your suggestions.
This is the paragraph where it really starts to get interesting. Well, where Adam really starts to get interesting, because everything else has been pretty interesting too. It's not often you see an alien claiming to have the humans' best interests (or something approximating that) at heart as opposed to being evil or indifferent. Of course, I know it's not going to be that simple; this would be boring if it turned out that easy for Bill. I am a little surprised at what he says he wants, though. There's an ulterior motive in there somewhere, but heck if I know what it is or what it has to do with "saving" people. For one thing, is he really interested in saving humanity as-is, or does he just find the species to be a convenient host option and he doesn't want them to go away for future generations of parasites? Hmm.
I'm glad you picked up on all of this because this is exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to get people to think about. With that in mind, I can't give away too much here because figuring out that part is pretty much the plot, so... yeah. ;D
Is lightningrod's behavior here intentional, or was this just a slip?
It's actually one of those places where I slip into the weird way the anime treats its source material. I know. The anime likes to rape game mechanics all the time (*motions to AIM FOR THE HORN*), but it's consistent about a few of the rules it makes up itself. In this example, the rule is that if an electric Pokémon is struck by electricity, the results are, more often than naught, beneficial to the target. Some might take only a little bit of damage, but others (an Electabuzz in an Orange Islands gym episode, Pikachu on more than one occasion, that sort of thing) actually absorb it to power themselves up. Admittedly, I didn't go for the latter extreme. In this case, I tried to represent more of a "this attack didn't do much damage" angle by having the Electrike still standing (a la Lt. Surge's Raichu after Pikachu's onslaught) after Abel's attack. It helped that one strike was split between ten or so individual Pokémon as well.
Short answer is yes, it was intentional. Of course, I could've said this to begin with, but since when have I been capable of giving a short answer? XD
Poor Abel. All he wanted to do was get away and help Bill. The discussion about communication with Adam and who's actually in control of the body at any given time (and to what degree) makes me wonder about the exact state Abel was in during all this. Nowhere near as lucid as Bill/Adam, obviously, but...
Oh yes. Definitely not lucid. And as I've told Luphinid, you can be certain that you'll eventually get a straight answer about how all this works.
All in all, thanks so much for your review! I have to admit, I was actually sort of waiting for it before I went back and edited it to post on my site. I don't think I've found a reviewer as thorough as you, so thanks again for taking the time to go through and point out things I never would have noticed myself.
How long ago did I say I'd get the next chapter up? o_x (Will edit in the changes to seven soon, by the by.)
Anima Ex Machina: Eight
Greater than situation is implication.
SEARCHING...
SEARCH RESULTS CLASSIFIED. ENTER PASSWORD.
TIER 3 ACCESS ACKNOWLEDGED. PLEASE WAIT.
Polaris Institute Employee Dossier
ID NO. #025124202 <PENDING UPDATE: TERMINATED. DESIGNATED PROJECT STARDUST SUBJECT 002: CODENAME ADAM. DESIGNATION AWAITING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM NATIONAL DEFENSE FORCES.>
Name: McKenzie, William H
Clearance level: <CLEARANCE SUSPENDED. DENY ACCESS ON ALL LEVELS.>
Notes: Infected with parasite XP-650A. Quarantine level 5. <UPDATE: ESCAPED. RETRIEVAL PRIORITY 1. TIERS 2 THROUGH 5 NOTIFIED; INSTRUCTIONS ACKNOWLEDGED.>
FURTHER INFORMATION CLASSIFIED. MINIMUM TIER 4 CLEARANCE REQUIRED. ACCESS DENIED.
The cursor continued to blink on a laptop's screen in Viridian City. It was the second dossier that crossed that screen, but it was the one that made the man staring at it drum his large fingers on the surface of the desk in front of him. His black eyes fixed themselves on the other window on his monitor, the one containing a video conference call with Professor Nettle and the Black Tulip. Nettle wrung her hands nervously; 009 stood beside her, stiff and emotionless. For a long while, the man simply stared at them, ignoring even the persian rubbing herself against one of his legs.
Suddenly, the man balled his hand into a bulky fist and slammed it into his desk. The persian withdrew, her cream-colored fur standing on end. With a screech, she darted away and hid herself behind a plant in the corner of her master's dimly-lit office. Quietly, she watched the man with one eye while he spoke in a low tone.
"Do you mean to tell me you let Team Rocket property escape?"
The Black Tulip lifted her chin. "Giovanni, I know this seems like a disappointment, but it's only a minor complication. We can harvest new specimens."
"009, normally, I'm very patient with you," he growled, "but you've already failed me one too many times. I thought you were my finest officer."
In a split second, the agent's face paled, but just as quickly as it happened, she straightened and forced her face to take on its emotionless state again. "Don't worry. I still am. The Polaris Operation isn't over yet."
"That's where you're sadly mistaken," Giovanni replied. "The situation at Polaris Institute is unrepairable. You've called an attack, and many of our agents' covers have been compromised in the process. I have reason to believe that the authorities are aware of our presence within the facility. Security will be at its highest. Access to XP-650 – either form – will be nearly impossible."
"Nearly but not completely! I can still get you two more!"
Giovanni pounded the desk again. "Enough! 009, for the past few years, you have given me nothing but one failure after another for no reason I can understand. I've been growing increasingly tired of your inability to give me results, and now you have the audacity to offer empty promises instead?"
She clenched her fists in an attempt to keep herself from shaking. "Giovanni, this is only a minor setback! I can do this!"
"A minor setback would be if you lost only one specimen without being detected. However, you have alerted the entirety of Polaris Institute to our presence while losing two fully-grown XP-650B. Your incompetence doesn't stop there, either. One of the potential weapons you've created and quickly lost would have been better use to us as a human. Or perhaps you didn't think to get the security codes for the Storage and Retrieval System from McKenzie before you let him escape, did you?"
009 stiffened her body. "Giovanni, I didn't select the targets. I—"
"Who was given command of the Polaris Operation?!" Giovanni roared. "You, 009, were given very simple instructions: select a single target, ensure his infection, incapacitate him after transformation, and transport him out of the facility. You have done only one of these things correctly, and now, you wish to pass the blame for your inability to lead to someone else?! In light of all of this, I relieve you of your position at Polaris Institute. You are as of now reassigned to a mission even you can't screw up."
"Giovanni!" she screamed.
He completely ignored her. "I will be arranging your withdrawal from Polaris Institute under the pretense that you have submitted a request to transfer to the facility in New Bark Town. A transport ship run by one of our operatives will come to pick you up in three days to take you to Hoenn."
"Hoenn," 009 repeated. Her arms went limp as she began to realize just what this reassignment meant. "Giovanni, you can't..."
"Your new mission," he continued, "is to locate one specimen each of XP-650A and XP-650B and contain them both. Transport them to a base Team Rocket officers have established in Slateport City before anyone becomes aware of our presence in the region."
009 didn't respond. Her arms hung at her sides, and she stared at the screen blankly. She couldn't say a word. This was her superior, the man who up until recently, she had wrapped around her finger. Now, he was sending her to a war zone to do a grunt's job. What else could she do?
"Furthermore," Giovanni said, "if you locate McKenzie, you are to capture him and bring him in addition to the samples you've collected. If we can't use him to take control of his system, we can at least use him as part of our army. Is all of this clear, or do I need to repeat myself in simpler words?"
"It's clear, sir," 009 said softly.
"Good. As for you, Professor Nettle..."
Nettle lifted her chin. For the entirety of the conversation, she was busy steeling herself. Part of her was struggling not to show pleasure at the sight of the Black Tulip being reprimanded while another part knew that the next blow Giovanni would land would be on her.
"Yes, sir?" she asked.
"You are to follow her," he told her.
Although Nettle could feel her face grow hot, she tried her best to remain as calm as possible. "Follow her, sir? But haven't I done a satisfactory job with the operation you've given me?"
"From what I understand," he snapped, "it was your fault that Codename Abel was created, and if you must ask about your performance before your blatant act of defiance, your so-called leadership skills have only been an embarrassment to the company as a whole. You're lucky enough that I'm not sending you back to the Ellesmere camp where I found you."
"But sir--!"
"Do you understand your mission, or would you prefer a colder assignment?"
At the tone of his voice, Nettle jumped and bowed her head. "I understand completely, sir."
"Good. Then, prepare yourselves. You have three days." He emphasized the last two words, as if his tone was a hammer that drove each syllable into their skulls like spikes.
They were about to say something in return when one of his thick fingers hit a button on the computer. The window containing their call immediately closed, and his office fell silent. Cautiously, Persian crept out of her corner and padded back to her master. With a smirk, he reached down and stroked her silky coat, smoothing it down with each touch.
In front of his desk was a pair of chairs, well out of view of the laptop's webcam. A red-headed woman in white quietly sat in one of them, her legs crossed and her hands folded neatly on her lap. She watched her superior cater to his pokémon until she cleared her throat.
"Team Rocket has no base in Slateport City," she said.
Giovanni glanced into the red eyes of his executive. "You're far smarter than they are."
"I try, sir."
At her response, Giovanni grinned and stood, turning to face the window behind him. He reached for the blinds and separated two of its plastic bars just enough to peer out into the bright daylight.
"You're correct," he said. "There is no base. However, should they be lucky enough to survive and complete their mission, we can send operatives to pick up their results."
"What about Professor Nettle and 009? Wasn't the infamous Black Tulip your favorite agent?"
Giovanni nodded. "She was, but as you can see from our conversation just now, she's since become incompetent. Professor Nettle was barely useful at all, even as a mole within the Pokémon Symposium. It would be far better to release them in Hoenn. If they don't succeed, we would at least save ourselves the trouble of disposing of two hindrances to our organization." He looked over his shoulder. "What do you think of this, Ariana?"
She smiled. "It's a brilliant strategy."
"Yes," he drawled. "You're far more clever than 009 could ever hope to be. Ariana, I'm reassigning both Professor Nettle's and 009's operations to you. Salvage them, and don't disappoint me."
At once, she stood and bowed. "You can trust me, sir."
---
Looking at John McKenzie, one would never guess he and Bill were in any way related. They had the same shape of face, but while Bill was short and dark-haired (though the latter was artificial), John was tall, with the only hair on his head being his mouse-brown eyebrows, mustache, and goatee. Bill spoke softly, holding his voice back to morph a thick, Goldenrod dialect into something that could be easily understood, but John's voice boomed through a room, his tongue rolling in what sounded like a thick, Scottish accent.
So, while Bill would walk down the halls of Polaris without being noticed when he didn't want to be, John's heavy footsteps resounded off the walls as he joyfully greeted several very startled officers in security. It took him several minutes to pass through checkpoints and file paperwork because of this, but at the end of it, beyond a final metal detector in a long, white hallway, he came face-to-face with two people who made him quiet down: Professor Oak and a dark-haired intern.
"Sam!" John exclaimed as he gave him a firm handshake. "It's been far too long, you arcanine!"
The aide cringed a little – not enough to be noticed by normal people, but John was just as observant as his son. With a laugh, he clapped a hand roughly on the boy's shoulder.
"Who's this?" he asked. "Sam, he looks barely old enough to grow hair on his chin!"
"Tracey Sketchit, sir," the boy croaked under the weight of the hand.
John laughed, the sound echoing down the hall. "No need to 'sir' me! Call me John! You know, you remind me of my son: not much older than a boy but very eager and even more uptight. Relax! Life is beautiful! Ah, that reminds me."
He turned to Oak. All of a sudden, his face darkened, and his smile faded. Tracey shivered and took a step back, but Oak set his jaw and waited for the inevitable question.
"Professor," John said, "where is William?"
---
As soon as Bill opened his eyes, he winced in pain and shut them again. His head felt like someone took a mace to it, and the bright light and stark white ceiling above him weren't helping.
Why does this feel familiar? he thought.
He forced an eye open, and one of his hands tried to move to rub his temples. However, before that hand could go far, something snapped at his wrist and stopped his movement with a rattle. Another wave of déjà vu hit him hard as he opened both his eyes and tried to sit up.
Whatever brought him to that room apparently took no risks. He was on a hospital bed as far as he could tell, but that was the most generous thing the people did for him. Beyond that, his wrists were handcuffed to the rails on the sides of the bed, and his hands were wrapped in mittens made of duct tape. A length of chain wound itself over his torso and under the bed to pin him to the mattress. Another chain bound his legs to the bed while duct tape held his ankles together. Then, if it wasn't enough already, his tail was taped to his right side. Helplessly, he twitched the arrowhead, but it could just barely rub against the edge of the tape.
As a note, I corrected all of the oddities in chapter seven, including an attempt to correct that one line Phoenix pointed out. (The new line is, "Chest heaving, his body tried to calm himself.") But that last one will probably be changed later because that still doesn't sound right.
Anyway, chapter nine, a few days late.
Anima Ex Machina: Nine
What are fears but voices airy?
Ellen Joy, the chief nurse of Mauville City's pokémon center, was more or less like every other Nurse Joy in existence. Her pink hair was drawn into loops, just like the hair of the Nurse Joys in each of the other centers. She wore the same pressed uniform that was standard issue to all Nurse Joys. Her eyes had the same blue color as all her sisters, and she commanded her chansey companions with the same soft voice as her cousins. It would take the skills of only the particularly observant to tell her apart from any other female member of the Joy family. She couldn't explain why her family was like that. It just was.
However, she also knew that a whole list of things separated her from her relatives. Most Nurse Joys faced trainers with a sense of compassion and optimism – an expression that told trainers that no matter how badly their pokémon were hurt, the center's staff would do its best to help the injured pull through. Their smiles were genuine and sweet, but Ellen's, as a result of spending months watching her city fall bit by bit to the aliens outside of it, had to force herself to smile those days just to help boost the survivors' morale. Oftentimes, she would walk down the halls of her empty pokémon center – just one more thing that separated her from the other nurses – not really thinking about anything at all except trying to maintain her hollow grin.
Beyond that, she had more responsibility than her relatives, having been appointed as not only a caretaker for the sick and injured but also a mother figure to the last inhabitants of Mauville City. People, afraid of being on their own in their almost-empty city, had taken up residence in all of the trainers' dorms, and she was the one to offer food, water, and a listening ear to anyone who needed it. This included whoever they found on the outskirts of town.
One of these findings was currently chained up in one of the recovery rooms. She was paused at the door beside her chansey, her blue eyes fixed straight ahead in a blank stare. A tray was in her hands, and on it was a covered bowl and a glass of water. Both rattled as she tried to compose herself.
"Chan," her companion cooed softly.
She glanced at Chansey. Nodding, she took a deep breath.
"Right. It's just like any other pokémon."
The pink pokémon smiled and trilled as she opened the door. Straightening her back, Ellen cautiously stepped inside.
Less than a day ago, the city's Officer Jenny came back with the fishing party assembled to gather food for the survivors. They weren't carrying fish, as they'd promised. Instead, they carried a metal creature, a thing that looked to her like a lizard with a human's face. Officer Jenny offered no explanation as the party bound it to the bed; instead, all she said was that when it woke up and was ready to offer any sort of answer, she was to be contacted.
Right then, Ellen nearly dropped the tray when she realized the creature's dark eyes were open. It turned its head to watch her walk forward. Whimpering softly at the image of its face, Ellen fixed her eyes on the small table next to the bed and tried to avoid thinking about what was in the room. Focusing on the table calmed her just enough to let her approach it and set down the tray without spilling the contents of either containers.
"It's good to see that you're awake," she said. "I'm sorry for all the chains, but I promise I'm here to help you. Are you hungry? I brought you some food. I could leave it here if you're not ready, too."
"Thank you."
She screamed.
Then, when she realized what she had just done, she slapped both of her hands over her mouth, turned towards the occupant of the bed, and took a few steps backwards. It, meanwhile, flinched and turned its head away from her, shivering as it gritted its teeth.
"Could you please not scream again?" it asked quietly. "I apparently have sensitive hearing."
Gradually, she pulled her hands away from her mouth. They were shaking uncontrollably, even as Chansey stepped into the room and put both stubby arms on Ellen's side to comfort her.
"You... you can talk?" she whispered.
The metal creature turned its head back towards her and gave her a strange look. Ellen crept closer, her hands moving over her chest. Chansey remained where she was, watching the two of them carefully.
"M-my name is Ellen. Ellen Joy," she said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Bill."
Ellen paused. Male. This creature was male. Of course, this wasn't the thing that was currently putting her thought processes on hold. It was mostly the fact that she was holding a conversation with a member of a species that had annihilated most of Mauville City, and apparently, the creature in question believed in polite manners. To her, it was simply that trying to focus on that one little fact she had discovered about his gender made her feel slightly more sane than she was five seconds ago.
Bill, meanwhile, was just taking some relief in the fact that he had just spent two minutes in the room with a human being, and that human being wasn't trying to hurt him yet. This idea gave him enough courage to relax and try communicating with her again.
"Excuse me. Nurse Joy?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Huh?"
"Could I ask you to let me go?"
"I..."
Chansey perked up and immediately waddled out of the room. Ellen, meanwhile, looked down at her feet. The nurse couldn't quite figure out what she was supposed to do. After all, it had taken her a couple of hours to get over the shock of having the thing – the same species of creature she had seen rip off children's heads in previous attacks – inside her hospital in the first place, and now, he started talking to her like he was just any other human being. Trembling, her knees gave out, and she plopped onto the floor with her legs folded under her.
Bill lifted his head just enough to look at her. "Are you all right?!"
She covered her eyes with a hand, and she could feel tears wet the skin of her palm.
Right then, before Bill could ask her what was wrong, Chansey came back in with a pair of scissors. Hearing the soft cooing of her partner, Ellen removed the hand just in time to see Chansey approach Bill and start cutting off the duct tape around one of his hands.
"Chansey, no!" she yelled.
Bill grimaced again, but before he could say a word, Chansey did instead.
"Chansey chan chan chansey."
Instantly, Bill sat bolt upright – or at least as close to upright as he could get before the chains hit his torso and caused him to slam back into the mattress. Chansey snapped at him sternly and ripped off the first duct tape mitten while he looked from it to Ellen.
"Did... can your chansey talk?" he whispered.
Chansey moved to cut through the duct tape binding his feet and tail. Watching this, Ellen let her hands fall to her sides as something dawned on her. It began as a slow realization that ate its way into her brain before consuming the rest of her thoughts until she focused on it and it alone.
"Why aren't you attacking?" she whispered.
Bill, already thoroughly confused by the fact that he could understand the chansey perfectly (both her words of encouragement to Ellen and the order to stay still), stared at her uncomfortably before letting his head drop on the pillow.
"This is a dream," he muttered to himself. "That's the only way any of this can make sense."
Ellen rose to her feet. Not a single one of Bill's words registered to her. Instead, she approached his bedside as Chansey walked around the bed to take off the other glove. Bill looked up at the human nurse and squirmed at the blank expression on her face. Then, he felt her hand grasp his, and at that, he tried to pull away.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Why aren't you attacking me?" she repeated.
"Why..." Bill furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't want to hurt you."
She stared at him for awhile while she processed what he just said. "You... you don't want to hurt me?"
He shook his head. "No. Not at all. Why would you think I would?"
Her eyes stared into his and studied his expression. Bill squirmed again, but he didn't pull away, not because he physically couldn't but instead because he was starting to see something. There was an explanation behind all this fear she showed him, and the intensity of her stare told him she was very close to letting down her guard a little.
"You're telling the truth," she said.
He nodded. "I am."
She exhaled. Then, after a long pause, she reached over and pressed a button on the side of the bed. Half of it raised, lifting Bill up just enough so that he was, in effect, sitting up.
"I'm sorry," she told him. "We've had so many ixodida atta–"
"What?"
Stopping, she looked at him.
"Ixodida," he said. "What do you mean by that?"
She smiled. "Oh. You must not call yourselves that. Ixodida is what the researchers in Littleroot Town are calling your kind."
"Littleroot Town," he whispered. "Professor Birch's laboratory must be..."
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ellen blinked. "You know who Professor Birch is?"
He nodded. "Yes. I've worked with him before."
"...You still think like a human?"
At her question, Bill stopped. Although he couldn't figure out why she would ask that at first, his mind thought back to Abel and understood. That must have been the only kind of ixodida Ellen had seen, and he must have been an anomaly. It made sense, though. After all, it explained why she was so afraid of him. With his mind lingering on Abel, Bill pictured the creature, how he readily attacked everything in his path, how he communicated in grunts and half-words...
...How he looked when an entire hunting party shot volleys of bullets through him.
Shuddering, Bill nodded and spoke softer than he meant. "Yes, I do."
"You poor thing!" Ellen breathed as she reached up to brush his forehead. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could do something to help you, but..."
She shook her head, reached over to the table, and removed the lid on the bowl. Immediately, the room filled up with a smell Bill couldn't place. It wasn't entirely unpleasant to him, but something about it seemed wrong. Whatever it was, it was a metallic scent, almost like copper, and that overlaid the smell of something sweet. His stomach rumbled as soon as he picked up on the odor, and he curled his toes and clenched his teeth through the hunger pangs that suddenly hit him. All at once, he came to the realization that he hadn't eaten anything since he first woke up as the creature he was now, and he wondered if anyone tried to feed him during his transformation.
"Let me take care of you at the very least. I can tell you're hungry," Ellen said softly. "Here. Eat this."
She picked up the spoon in the bowl and brought part of its contents to Bill's mouth. He glanced at it, noticing it was something red in an equally red broth. Yet, he was too hungry to ask what it was. Instead, he just opened his mouth and took the bite.
Only then did he realize four things. First, the soup was actually cold – stone cold, as if it had been chilled instead of cooked. Second, the broth was actually salty and viscous and had the distinct taste of something bloody. Third, the red chunk was chewy and tough. It took him a few more seconds to come to the final realization: he was eating raw meat.
He would have choked on it right then if he hadn't felt his jaw and throat go numb. Right then, he felt the alien's presence in his head, forcing him to swallow the morsel instead of spit it back up.
What are you doing? its voice drawled. Do not be so rude as to refuse the kindness of a stranger, especially if she so kindly gave us exactly what our body needs.
Bill stared straight ahead, unable to look at the jewel in his chest. We... what?!
Yes. My kind consumes the flesh of the recently dead. What else did you think we eat? Is it not your specialty to analyze the body structure of a pokémon and understand from that how it behaves? Think, Bill! Claws! Fangs! A tongue specially designed to be inserted into small wounds! What else is our body built for other than the hunt?
"Is something wrong?"
Bill snapped out of his daze to look at the nurse. She already had another spoonful ready.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
He tried to force himself to speak, but instead, he shook his head and took the next spoonful. Inside, he felt Adam watching him carefully.
This is wrong, he thought.
How different is it to what a human normally eats? Adam asked. We need to recover our strength. Eat.
There was a variety of things Bill wanted to do: struggle, scream, cry, plead Ellen to stop. No matter how much he tried, however, Adam kept him quiet and compliant. Yet, at the same time, he felt strange. With each bite, he felt a sense of satisfaction, like he was eating the most fulfilling stew he ever had. He wanted so much to shudder at the thought, but he was trapped. Adam was in his head, and as a result, although the parasite didn't think of anything coherent right at that moment, it held every part of his body like a puppeteer.
Oh gods! he thought. What's happening to me?
He could feel himself slip inward, recoiling at the weight of what had been dumped on him for the past two days. It wasn't enough to wake up as something other than a human. Oh, no. He was sharing a body with an alien, that alien could invade his mind whenever it felt like it, he was transported to Hoenn, people kept attacking him, he was being force-fed raw meat, and to top it all off, he almost liked it. His body started to go numb. All he wanted to do was sink down into himself for awhile, if only to figure out how to process everything. Yet, part of him didn't want it, didn't want to process it or let it be his life.
No!
Bill felt something wrap around his mind, like an invisible hand seized it and pulled it back to the surface. The numb feeling gave way to small, stabbing pains all over his body.
You will not, Adam hissed. Did you already forget our deal? This is our life now. You must be strong and embrace it. You have no choice.
I can't, he replied. I just can't.
It will only be too much for you to handle if you let it be. Remember, I know your memories. You studied the monsters you call pokémon by donning their skins, did you not? This is a new skin for you to wear. Let your mind adapt to fit your form. You can, Bill. You have done so before.
Bill closed his eyes. It was hard to force him to want this. The experience felt too natural, as if at any second, he'd slip away from being human and right into becoming an alien. In his heart, the possibility of slipping felt cold and dark, and when he imagined it, he could only think of a hole. He wasn't sure if he would be able to climb back out and come back to being human if he fell into something like that.
Then again, although the things Adam was saying didn't entirely quell his fear of losing his humanity, the parasite had a point. Bill had done this before. He could maintain control of himself if he tried. All he had to do was treat it like his experiences wearing costumes for his research: see the world through Adam's eyes but always remain conscious of what was under the synthetic frame. After all, what was the difference between wearing a pokémon costume and this other than the fact that the costumes had a switch or a button to press to turn him back into a human? Wasn't this just a costume he had to wear for a while longer? If there was a way to turn him into that monster, there must have been a way to turn him back.
Either way, Bill was, in his heart, always a human, and no matter what he had to do, that truth was still there. That was the last realization to dawn on him, and it lingered in his mind for awhile as he mulled it over. He was always a human inside. With any changes that happened to his physical body, he would just have to adapt. He didn't have a choice right now, did he? If he was transformed into a pidgey, he would still have to eat insects to sustain himself, and he would be perfectly all right with that idea. Anyway, he would have gladly eaten raw fish and shrimp in the kabuto costume for the sake of realism, so what made this any different?
Somehow, that thought, as crazy as part of him knew it was, made him relax a little more. It was then that he realized Adam had given him control of his body again, and more importantly, he remembered Ellen was trying to feed him. Currently, his mouth was clamped tightly onto the spoon, and Ellen was tugging gently with a shaking hand.
"Um," she murmured.
He released and gasped. Quickly, Ellen withdrew and put the spoon back in the half-empty bowl.
"I'm terribly sorry," he said.
As if she didn't hear him, she continued, "Maybe we should try this again later. It's clear that you're not entirely comfortable with this."
Bill looked away and tugged on the handcuffs. He wanted to say something to reassure her he was harmless, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't stop her from shaking. Not to mention the handcuffs and chains really put a damper on any plans he might have had.
"Could you let me go?" he asked quietly.
Ellen put the cover on the bowl. "I'm sorry. I can't."
"I promise you I won't hurt you."
She smiled weakly at him. "I believe you, but I don't have the keys."
"Oh. That... that would be a problem."
Gently, Ellen reached down to place a hand on the side of his face. Looking into his eyes, she tried to think of a way to assure him she would do everything she could to free him, but before she could get a word out of her mouth, something else caught her attention. Her hand nudged the side of his face until Bill turned his head.
"What?" he asked.
"Your bruise is gone," she told him.
"My bruise?"
She nodded. "When Officer Jenny brought you in, there was a large bruise on the side of your face. It's not there anymore."
He blinked, struggling to remember why he would have a bruise in the first place, let alone how one might have disappeared apparently overnight.
The circumstances are inconsequential, Adam told him. The results, meanwhile, are those of another gift I have given you.
Bill tried to process those words. He was about to ask Adam about the gift, but as quickly as the parasite spoke, it retreated, slipping away from Bill's mental grasp. All he could do was stare blankly at Ellen as she sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes steady on Bill's tail.
"I'm sorry about all of this," she said. "I'm sure if they knew you were human inside..." Her eyes trailed to his face. "You must have gone through a lot. The people here are good. It's just... it's really what the other ixodida did to this city..."
Bill hesitated. The memory of Abel flashed in his mind again, but this time, he tried not to think about the part where his fellow victim was killed. Instead, he tried to think of the way the electric-type acted. Sure, Abel was feral, but all he was doing was trying to escape... right? He had every right to lash out at his attackers because he was a prisoner.
Even then, it occurred to Bill at that point that he couldn't quite understand what Project Stardust was for, despite all those months at Polaris. Why was there a quarantine? Why was Ellen so afraid of him? Why did the people of Mauville attack him? Could there have been something else the ixodida had done besides transform humans and try to escape? It didn't make sense to Bill. There was something missing in the equation.
Finally, he asked, "What happened?"
"They destroyed our city and killed most of our people," a new voice replied.
Ellen jumped to her feet and turned towards the voice. Only a few feet away, Officer Jenny leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed.
"The guard's spotted several poison-types trying to cross the city from the west. Hunters are dealing with them, but we lost track of two. Be alert," she said, just before looking at her prisoner. "And who the hell took off the tape?!"
Chansey happily waved the scissors above her head and trilled.
Scowling, Jenny took one look at her and growled, "Great. You're lucky that thing hasn't stabbed you both yet."
Ellen stiffened. "He hasn't. What does that tell you?"
"That it's plotting something," Jenny replied.
"I beg your pardon?!" Bill snapped. He couldn't really help it. Being chained to the bed put him in a less-than-comfortable mood as it was, and being talked about as if he was pure evil really didn't help matters. "Officer, I assure you--"
She glared at him. "So, I wasn't dreaming before."
Swiftly, she stepped forward. Bill's indignant expression gave way to wide, frightened eyes as the police officer's hand grasped his neck. Right away, Ellen darted to Jenny's side and grabbed her arm.
"Veronica!" she screamed.
Jenny's eyes narrowed. "I'm just coaxing it to tell us what we need to know. You! Ixodida! Did you lead them here?"
Unable to force his tongue to work, Bill stared at Jenny for awhile. When several seconds passed, he felt her hand tighten around his neck.
"Answer me!" she demanded.
His head turned. He intended on shaking it in response, but as soon as he moved, Jenny recoiled with a scream. Bill cringed at both the sound and the sharp, metallic scent of blood. Opening an eye, he watched Jenny show her shaking hands to Ellen.
"It cut me!" she shrieked. "The bastard cut me!"
"You were choking him. Didn't you see the plates on the sides of his neck?" She sighed and examined her friend's hand. "Chansey, go get disinfectant, lidocaine, and a clean suture kit. This looks deep."
The pink pokémon saluted and waddled towards the door. Before she could get there, however, a chubby, blond man skidded to a halt in front of her. His dark eyes were wide as he looked into the room.
"Officer!" he yelled. "Just heard over the radio! The guards just got wiped out by the two missing ixodida! They're headed this way!"
Aww... no fair. I'm catching up and you update. lol. :D I'm slowly but surely is catching up on your fan fiction. I am currently on Chapter 4 or 5 and is thoroughly enjoying what I have ready. You definitely take the time to explain what you have done within the fan fiction especially explaining the XP494. At first I was kind of wondering why it was named like that until you had a paragraph to explain it. I was like "OHHHHHHHH!"
Sorry I can't give a complete review yet. I like being all the way to where the writer is to give a proper review. Mainly, if I point something out--a later chapter that is already written could explain it such as the whole undefined Pokemon thing. In short, I don't want to look stupid if you already explained the topic.
And then I take forever to respond to you. XD It's also in the middle of the night, so I might be blathering a little. Sorry about that.
Anyway, thanks for the review, Sgt! Yeah, call me anal, but I always like weaving in as much detail as possible so that everything's explained or otherwise tied in with the plot. Makes things neater, I suppose. With that in mind, I've got to say that part about XP-494's name was fun to write, and on top of that, I'm glad it didn't come off as too much information. Judging whether or not the text's got too much information, for me at least, tends to be hard to figure out.
Ladies and gents, the reason why this fic is rated R. As a warning to the squeamish, this chapter contains a lot more violence than usual.
For the brave souls who are going to stick with the story, warnings be damned, hi! Because I happen to have a bit of free time on my hands, I'd just like to say I'm opening up lines for people to ask questions about anything they can think of concerning the series (so long as, you know, you leave a review as well). This could be literally anything, from "What kind of metal is Bill's armor made of?" to "Can I be a part of Professor Nettle's leather-clad army?" Feel free to ask as many questions as you'd like as well. This will totally not end up on a mock-FAQ page on my website or anything.
So, without further stalling delay, how about chapter ten?
Anima Ex Machina: Ten
Violence is a last resort.
Bill was hard-pressed to recall any situation that was more awkward than the one he was in right then. It had been some time since Officer Jenny ordered the pudgy man at the door – who never did reveal his name – to unchain Bill and lead him downtown for negotiations. This involved unchaining Bill, naturally, but it also involved using the chains as a collar and leash to lead him down the empty streets of Mauville City.
Needless to say, Bill tried to focus more on the fact that the streets were empty than his current state.
Mauville reminded him a little of Goldenrod City. It looked modern on the surface, but it had a sort of old-city charm underneath that. Both sides of each wide street were lined with brick buildings. Some of these were apartments, their revolving, glass doors shaded by weather-beaten awnings. Others were stores with windows full of colorful displays.
However, the difference between this place and where Bill grew up – a difference that made his heart feel chilled – was that this place was completely devoid of visible people. Technically, it wasn't completely devoid of people in general; Bill could catch the scraping sound of people moving on rooftops around him. It was just that the streets were empty. Even the man who led him there had subsequently dashed for a hiding spot as soon as the end of the chain was securely locked around a lamp post.
Ignoring this form of company, Bill could tell that there hadn't been crowds on that street for some time. On closer inspection along the way, he had noticed that all of the store displays were coated with thick dust that gave every color a gray tint. The garbage cans didn't even smell like something was rotting in them – as if there wasn't anything left to rot at all. Most of all, the place was quiet: extremely quiet, like the entire city block was gone. He couldn't even hear the buzz of electricity or the hum of traffic in the distance.
Leaning against the lamp post, he waited. He couldn't quite tell what time it was, but the sun hung halfway between the earth and its zenith. For awhile, he watched the shadows by his feet elongate while he wondered what the humans wanted him to do.
How boring. I hope you were not planning on remaining here for much longer, Bill.
At the voice, Bill jolted back into reality. "Adam!"
Did you expect anyone else? Tell me, human, what is your plan?
"Plan?"
To escape, of course. We have things to do. We cannot be chained here forever.
"Are you insane?" Bill whispered. "We can't escape!"
Why? Are you concerned about breaking the chain? I could give you the ability to do so.
"That isn't the problem."
Then what is?
Bill looked up, scanning the rooftops. Catching sight of the corner of a shadow, he turned towards it and leaned back a little.
"Do you see that figure on the roof?"
I can see it through your eyes.
Ignoring the creeping shiver he got from that statement, Bill frowned. "That man is carrying a gun."
A gun?
Balling his hand into a fist, Bill carefully used the back of his wrist to rub the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a headache, but the last thing he wanted was to put out his own eyes.
"Guns," he said. "They're weapons that can kill us both from a distance by firing lead projectiles at us at high velocities."
How primitive.
It occurred to Bill right then that he knew next to nothing about Adam or the rest of his species. He knew that they apparently began appearing around the crater outside of Fortree City in Hoenn, and from that, he guessed that they were extraterrestrial in origin. Other than that and what little data Project Stardust gathered about the way they functioned? Nothing. He didn't know where they actually came from, let alone how they lived before coming to Earth. Adam's comment right then sent an electric shock to his brain – a shock that made him realize he was dealing with something that most likely was far more advanced than he had originally believed.
"Adam," he said, "what did--"
Before Bill could go any further, a howl rose in the air. He felt his nerves prickle under his metal armor, and instinctively, he crouched.
"What was that?" he whispered.
One of us, I should think, Adam replied. Prepare yourself, Bill. We will need to treat this delicately.
"What do you mean by that?" Bill asked.
Before the parasite could say a word, the howling grew close. Looking forward, Bill could see a pair of purple blurs streak towards him. Yelping, he scrambled to run away, but he got no further than a few feet from the post before the chain yanked at his neck. He choked and grabbed it, holding it taut. Although he knew it was locked, he still pulled at it, hoping it would somehow come undone.
A purple hand grasped the chain. Stopping short, Bill felt his breath catch in his throat. Cautiously, he turned his head to find that the purple blurs had stopped, and both of them were standing uncomfortably close to him.
As far as he could tell, both of the creatures must have been teenagers when they transformed. They looked about as young as he was, with smooth, round faces and wide eyes. The long, purple quills all over their bodies rose and fell as they leaned in to study him, and their tails, both ending in spike-studded balls, waved like the tails of a pair of content dogs. One of them – female, as far as Bill could tell from the chest – ran long fingers along his tail to find the arrowhead. The other, a male, looked down but kept his own hand on the chain.
"Monarch," she whispered. "Tail. Look."
She pulled Bill's tail closer to the male. He blinked and glanced at the tip between her fingers. Then, before Bill could struggle to get away, the male put his hands on Bill's shoulders and gently pushed him downward.
"H-hey!" Bill cried. "What are you--"
He couldn't finish. His mouth immediately closed, and he could only watch as the male touched his nose to one of Bill's horns.
Stay calm, Adam said. This is how the drones of my species identify a monarch.
Bill glanced upward, as if Adam was above him. A what?
I have no time to explain it to you now. Listen very carefully, Bill. These drones will free you. Once they do, follow my instructions exactly, and do not question me. Understood?
Yes, but--
The female growled, "Chain."
With a grunt, the male lifted a hand. His claws began to glow bright violet, and with a quick swipe, it sliced cleanly through the metal links. The ends of the chain clattered against two metallic surfaces.
Right then, Bill found he could speak again.
"Thank you," he said.
Both of the creatures bowed. The female took several steps and lifted her eyes to the sky. Bill wondered if she already knew about the people on the rooftops. He opened his mouth to ask her a question when all of a sudden, a shot rang out. There was a burst of blood, and the female fell onto her back with blood spurting out of a gunshot wound in the side of her head.
Bill felt his throat constrict, not just from the shock of the site but also from the gravity of the realization that just hit him.
Bait. They were using me as bait!
Adam stirred. Bill, the other one!
Looking up, Bill watched as the male dashed for one of the buildings. Bounding upwards, the poison-type sank his claws into the structure's brick facade and began climbing towards the roof.
"No!" Bill yelled. "Wait!"
More shots filled the air, forcing Bill to duck and take cover in a the building's doorway. Glancing back towards the street, he froze.
What he thought was the corpse of the female sat up. Bullets hit her, biting off parts of her body little by little. Her shoulder was ripped open. Several holes went right through her torso. Parts of her brain were exposed to the open air, and some parts of it were ripped completely out of her skull. Yet, she still stared at Bill with the same expressionless face, and keeping her wide, blank eyes on him, she stood without a problem.
Sinking to the ground, Bill felt his mind go completely blank. He couldn't think of a single thing right then, except for the thought that he really wanted to scream.
Change your expression.
He kept his eyes on the female. His entire body felt numb, not because he was losing control but instead because he couldn't sense anything else but the image of the girl with her brains in full view. He had no idea Adam was trying to communicate with him.
Bill. I gave you an order. Change your expression.
Closing his mouth, Bill tried to push himself backwards. His body shook as the girl knelt in front of him and stared with her wide eyes.
Bill. Listen to me. Humans express their emotions on their faces. My kind does it by other means. A human who has recently become a drone struggles with transitioning from one mode of expression to another, but a monarch is in control of their body language at all times.
"What?" The word stumbled out of Bill's mouth so softly he almost believed he had imagined he said it.
You are putting us in danger by staring at her the way you are! Change your expression!
Although Bill heard him, he couldn't comply. All he could do was continue to stare at the girl as she reached down and grabbed his chin. He felt her slick, cold fingers grasp his face tightly, the claws stinging his skin.
"Rogue," she rasped.
She knows.
Bill couldn't make sense of either voice – the girl's or Adam's. His eyes fell on the female's free hand as she drew it back. She pressed her fingers together, each one glowing with a bright, violet glow. Then, her arm shot forward, aiming directly for the red jewel in Bill's chest.
Acting on its own orders, Bill's hand reached up to grab the girl's wrist just before the strike connected. Suddenly, Bill's expression blanked, and all of it wasn't even his doing. After all, he felt himself slip backwards, as if all of his body had gone numb for a completely different reason.
"Bill," Adam said, using his mouth, "I want you to watch what I do. Let this be a learning experience."
Then, the parasite bent the girl's arm until it snapped. Kicked backwards into the street, she shrieked and grasped her broken arm frantically. Adam rose from where it sat and walked forward. It extended one of its hands, spreading its claws to prepare for a strike. Each finger took on a white glow as the muscles tensed to the point where it felt like all that existed in that appendage was pure steel.
Above them, Bill could hear the male's shriek, but whereas he would have reacted a second too late, Adam twisted and thrust the glowing hand upwards. The male fell, intending on ambushing Adam, but before he could so much as plant a claw on the steel-type, its glowing claws stabbed into his stomach. Turning, Adam threw its victim back into the street, letting him slam into the pavement. The female bent over him and whimpered as he curled on his side.
"Lesson one," Adam said. "When engaged in battle, always be aware of your surroundings."
The shots stopped. By then, Adam could see people gather on the edges of buildings with their guns lowered and their eyes fixed on the scene on the street. The female rose and lifted her arms in front of her. Each quill that ran along her forearms stood and pointed themselves at Adam. Calmly, it turned its head back towards her and shielded its face with its own arms. For a second time, Bill sensed that the muscles of his body tensed as his armor began to glow with a white light. Pins shot from the female's arms and struck Adam's with a volley of clinks; not a single one of them pierced armor.
Behind it, Adam's tail stiffened and began to glow. As soon as the attack finished, it lunged forward, crouched, and spun. Its tail whipped around it and sliced cleanly through the girl's legs halfway down her thighs. The rest of her body smacked back into the pavement and fell still, her mouth open in death. However, one of her amputated legs twitched. Adam bent down to pick it up.
"Lesson two," it said, "locate and destroy the core. The core is our source of life. Our host may be decapitated, and we can still control its body to fulfill our needs. However, if the core is broken, we die."
It turned the leg over and found the female's crimson jewel embedded in her heel. Adam's fingers dug into the flesh surrounding it, cutting through the spindly threads that anchored the parasite to its host. With a rip, Adam yanked the creature free from the leg. The parasite squealed and thrashed its tentacles as the rest of the leg was tossed onto the girl's body. Adam held it up, studying it for a few seconds. Then, metal fingers gripped the parasite in a palm until its exoskeleton cracked. The squealing abruptly stopped, and the red body flashed several times before bursting in a splash of blood and acid. Opening its hand, Adam licked the blood.
Without warning, a purple arm wrapped around his shoulders. Another hand lashed forward, its claws ripping across the exposed flesh of Adam's throat. The steel-type rasped, feeling the blood run from its neck and the cut in his windpipe.
Taking advantage of my distraction. Using Slash instead of a venomous move, Adam thought. This one is intelligent. However...
It reached over its shoulder. The five claws on its hand began to glow white again. Taking notice, the male grabbed Adam's hand and wrapped his tail around its waist. Adam struggled to free its wrist, but the male held on with a crushing grip. The glow faded before Adam could do anything with his second Metal Claw.
But then, it stabbed the male through the shoulder with the arrowhead tip of its glowing tail. Instantly, the parasite on the poison-type's back burst, and the creature shuttered. Withdrawing its tail, Adam pulled itself free from the man's weakened grip. It looked at the infected human as he dropped to his knees. Bringing a hand to its throat, Adam felt the wound across it heal, and with that, it coughed.
If he wanted to cripple me, he would have broken my horns, Adam continued.
It finished its victim off by whipping its tail through his neck. The man's head fell off his shoulders with a thud, and the rest of the body collapsed sideways.
Walking into the middle of the street, Adam looked towards the rooftops. Every single human stood there, still as people in a photograph. A few of them still held guns, but these remained at their sides. Adam had nothing to say to them.
"No contest."
Turning its head towards the whisper, Adam caught sight of three familiar faces. The first was the chubby man who had led Bill to that spot, and the second and third were Officer Jenny and Ellen. All three of them were standing at a street corner several feet away, but although Jenny whispered, the place was silent enough for Adam to hear her voice.
"Two ixodida in less than ten minutes. I... I don't believe it."
Bill, take over, Adam thought. They do not intend on attacking us, and I have spent too long outside as it is.
There was no answer.
Bill?
Still, there was silence.
Jenny started forward. Her face was pale, and her movements were sluggish, as if someone had sapped all her energy. Without a word to her, Adam turned away, dropped to all fours, and started running.
Internet back up and running, albeit with a cap this time, and I thought I'd return to AEM because it's been a learning experience analyzing your writing. Yeah, I do do that from time to time with most pieces of fiction, just to get the hang of writing certain types of scenes.
Anyway, rambling aside, I'll get straight to the review. I read through the whole fic once more and managed to find a few parts which I missed the first time round or parts which I didn't quite understand. Bear with me as I go through them.
Chapter 1 said:
Bill hunched over the sink in a bathroom down the hall. Moving his hands beneath the silver faucet, he watched the red censor blink and click.
Not taking into consideration American spelling, isn't the word you're looking for sensor? While Malaysian English does use American pronounciation and British English spelling, I've never seen the word censor used in the context of a device that detects.
Chapter 4 said:
Immediately, the janitor began to scream and thrash, but just as he predicted, the interns held him tight, even twisted his arms to get him to stop.
Present Continuous tense maybe? Or maybe adding a 'they' before 'even twisted'. I don't know, it just doesn't sound right to me.
Chapter 5 said:
He twisted where he lay and tried to swallow to keep himself from throwing up, and right about then, he realized something was wrong. For one, he couldn't actually move his arms or legs. For another, his chest was pinned to what felt like a mattress, too.
'Too' just seems kind of out of place here. The sentence would still work well without it.
Chapter 5 said:
Before he could make sense of the message, he felt a pair of hands force him to unfold himself. The feeling of all his organs being clenched subsided, and he let himself be coaxed into lying flat on his back. He was still panting. The pain had only diminished from blinding to dull but still irritating.
"Who was given command of the Polaris Operation?!" Giovanni roared. "You, 009, were given very simple instructions: select a single target, ensure his infection, incapacitate him after transformation, and transport him out of the facility. You have done only one of these things correctly, and now, you wish to pass the blame for your inability to lead to someone else?! In light of all of this, I relieve you of your position at Polaris Institute. You are as of now reassigned to a mission even you can't screw up."
What's your stance on using both the exclamation mark and the question mark together. I ask because I've noticed this in a few places in the fic before.
Chapter 9 said:
"It's good to see that you're awake," she said. "I'm sorry for all the chains, but I promise I'm here to help you. Are you hungry? I brought you some food."
"Thank you."
She screamed. Then, when she realized what she had just done, she slapped both of her hands over her mouth, turned towards the occupant of the bed, and took a few steps backwards. It, meanwhile, flinched and turned its head away from her, shivering as it gritted its teeth.
I don't know, but it just seems a bit jarring the way you described it when Ellen screamed. I can imagine the scene alright, but the wording seems a bit sudden. maybe add a "Taken aback/shocked, she screamed."
Either way, the sentence is fine, but it cuts the flow a bit more than is comfortable.
chapter 10 said:
However, the difference between this place and where Bill grew up – a difference that made his heart feel chilled – was that this place was completely devoid of visible people. Technically, it wasn't completely devoid of people: Bill could spot out of the corners of his eyes shadows perched on rooftops around him. The streets, meanwhile, were empty. Even the man who led him there had subsequently dashed for a hiding spot as soon as the end of the chain was securely locked around a lamp post.
Yeah, that just seems a bit redundant to me. Maybe try, "It wasn't exactly empty" or some variant?
Onto the plot and pacing aspects of the fic, I like how you changed Adam's personality from snarky, animalistic parasite to suave, bored, logical and cold. It gives him a certain bit of class which, I admit, makes him a shade more interesting than last time and actually, from a psychological standpoint, fills in the gaps in Bill's confidence issues so that it balances nicely.
Ellen's reaction in chapter 9 was interesting, to say the least. A bit of denial and kindness in good doses coupled with the general Joy-ish naivety. Also, I assume that other person is also making a comeback because I vaguely recall that she was close to Joy in the previous version and I have yet to see her. Or maybe Ellen has that effect on everyone, meh.
Also, I see that this time you've introduced the monarch, drone, rouge concept a bit earlier than you did last time. Kind of as if you had thought of it halfway through the previous version of AEM. This makes me wonder, are you like some of us who barely do any planning at all? I ask because I always find that planning is a bit constricting so I only outline major plot elements.
One last thing. I did quite enjoy Chapter 10's fight scene. The 'violence' warning at the top, in my personal opinion, was a bit unneccesary because the fight wasn't that violent. Then again, I'm not exactly squeamish or horror-shy so I don't know how normal people react to this level of violence in a fic. To be honest, I also put those warnings on my gorey parts, but only because I don't want to be sued (or the forum equivalent, infracted for negligence.)
That's it for now, and I'm sure you tire of hearing this but, keep up the good work!
You know, I'm pretty sure someone pointed this out in the last version as well, but for some reason, that word tends to trip me up. I think it's because I've been on forums too long.
Present Continuous tense maybe? Or maybe adding a 'they' before 'even twisted'. I don't know, it just doesn't sound right to me.
'Too' just seems kind of out of place here. The sentence would still work well without it.
Thanks! I'll try playing around with these to see what sounds better, although I have to definitely agree with you about the word "too." It's redundant thanks to that sentence's beginning anyway.
What's your stance on using both the exclamation mark and the question mark together.
Personally, I think it's okay so long as you don't overdo it with how many of each you put. The reason why is because it's actually technically kosher in informal writing. As in, one question mark and one exclamation point used together aren't actually that uncommon in print to express more excitement in a question than normal. They even invented a punctuation mark to handle that kind of situation, although double punctuation is still more common.
I don't know, but it just seems a bit jarring the way you described it when Ellen screamed.
It was actually supposed to be. Strangely, that was in its own line, but then, I added more to it. However, looking at it now, I think the rest of the paragraph causes that line to lose the effect I wanted to get it to have (namely, the punchy, abrupt kind of feeling). What do you think? If I put that in its own paragraph, would it get that effect, or would you still suggest a rephrase?
Yeah, that just seems a bit redundant to me. Maybe try, "It wasn't exactly empty" or some variant?
Hmm. I'll give it a shot. It does sound a bit redundant to me, too.
Onto the plot and pacing aspects of the fic, I like how you changed Adam's personality from snarky, animalistic parasite to suave, bored, logical and cold. It gives him a certain bit of class which, I admit, makes him a shade more interesting than last time and actually, from a psychological standpoint, fills in the gaps in Bill's confidence issues so that it balances nicely.
Awesome. I have to admit, Nurse Joy is still a character I haven't quite gotten used to working with, so it's really cool to hear that Ellen's recognizably a Joy.
Also, I assume that other person is also making a comeback because I vaguely recall that she was close to Joy in the previous version and I have yet to see her.
Officer Jenny or the man? If you mean Officer Jenny, definitely. That would be Veronica from the last version. I'll have to admit right here that she won't be playing as big of a role as last time around because there's going to be a lot more in the party than just her, Rose, and Bill, but she'll definitely be a main character again.
If you meant the man, yep to him too. In the last version, he was Thompson, the guy who originally tried the "choke the thing with knives melded to his neck"stunt, but even if he was a background character, I liked his concept so much I wanted to bring him back with a better role. You'll see him again, too.
Also, I see that this time you've introduced the monarch, drone, rouge concept a bit earlier than you did last time. Kind of as if you had thought of it halfway through the previous version of AEM. This makes me wonder, are you like some of us who barely do any planning at all? I ask because I always find that planning is a bit constricting so I only outline major plot elements.
Sort of. I came up with the concept of a drone, a monarch, and a rogue pretty early in the planning stages of the fic because the entire plot centers around those concepts even if it doesn't seem like it. I just didn't know the mechanics of the Ixodida society, and there's still a few things I have yet to work out. So, basic concepts I usually get down pretty early, but the finer details of those? Develop as I go along.
As for plot (including when I come out with these details), that's a different story. I have a rough idea in my head as to where I want the plot to go, but yeah, I don't make lots of plans, either. It's sort of because I think it's too constricting, too. More specifically, though, if I plan every little detail of a fic out without actually writing it as I'm doing it, I lose interest pretty quickly because I know exactly what happens already. If I have a vague idea of what I want but make up details whenever I come up with good ideas for plot twists later on down the line, it just seems more exciting for me.
One last thing. I did quite enjoy Chapter 10's fight scene. The 'violence' warning at the top, in my personal opinion, was a bit unneccesary because the fight wasn't that violent. Then again, I'm not exactly squeamish or horror-shy so I don't know how normal people react to this level of violence in a fic. To be honest, I also put those warnings on my gorey parts, but only because I don't want to be sued (or the forum equivalent, infracted for negligence.)
Admittedly, the warning at the top was just because I like to see myself talk. XD I never really expect anyone to read my notes, and I'm always surprised to see when they actually do.
That's it for now, and I'm sure you tire of hearing this but, keep up the good work!
Thanks for the review! I never get tired of ego-stroking readers' comments. :D
Also! For anyone happening by, keep on the lookout later on today or tomorrow. The next chapter is almost ready to be posted; it's just up to whether or not I'm feeling particularly lazy today.
O hai thar, new chapter in the middle of the night! :V
A couple o' notes about this one. First, I'd like to take the time to remind you that half the fic isn't exactly serious business. It might seem like it, but it's designed to have strings of in-jokes for those of us genre-savvy, trope-savvy, or generally geeky in any potential way. With that in mind, yes, there are going to be lines in this one that aren't as serious as the surrounding material. Yes, that was intentional. Whether or not it works, however, is what I'm curious about.
And yes, I'm sort of thinking about getting a TVTropes-like page to list off the references and tropes consciously used all over this fic for those of you playing at home. If not an actual page on TVTropes if I'm feeling that egotistical/would like people to add on tropes they spot that I didn't actually intend on putting in/forgot completely about.
Also, as a warning, this is the last of the pre-written content. As in, I haven't actually finished the next chapter yet. So, it might be a bit before the next one comes out. Sorry about that.
With all that blathering aside...
Anima Ex Machina: Eleven
In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate.
A young woman stood on the edge of a cliff enveloped in fog. The fog wasn't so much the byproduct of the area as it was the result of her presence: fog emitted in wisps from her indigo skin while dark purple clouds shrouded most of her body. Her eyes glowed with a soft, blue light as she gazed through the mist.
Suddenly, she gasped and shivered, and the glow faded from her eyes.
Behind her something stirred. "My lady?"
Looking over her shoulder, she made out the silhouette of a second ixodida standing a few feet away.
"I sense a rogue on this island," she said.
"Does that worry you?" the male replied. "It is not wise to concern yourself so much with something like that. We have identified multiple rogues on this planet, and all of them are weak. It is the mind of this world's dominant species, my lady. While it may be intelligent, it lacks the ability to adapt to the transitional process. Many of them will die shortly after creation, and those few that survive will either lack the power to be considered a threat or be killed by their own follies."
"You underestimate the earthlings," she replied. "Besides, this may not be any ordinary rogue. I feel its presence already. Whatever it is, I sense that it may be powerful and clever. It killed two of Venom Clan's drones and disappeared..." She narrowed her eyes. "...as if it was mocking me."
The other ixodida straightened. "My lady, the likelihood that we fell to the same planet as--"
"Nonetheless," the woman interrupted, "please investigate it. I will not rest well until I know for sure what this rogue is."
Without further questioning, the other ixodida bowed. "Yes, my lady. It will be done."
Straightening, he turned and walked away from her. She waited for awhile until she heard the buzz of his departure. Then, she lifted a hand and glanced at the pink silk lotus she held in her palm.
"If you did indeed follow us to this planet--" She gripped the flower in her hand. "--then for the sake of our kind, I will not allow you to live."
---
Adam entered the gray forest easily. For its kind, it wasn't difficult at all to access a host's mind. After all, the ixodida and their hosts were one being. Everything that was part of the host was also a part of the parasite. So, everything that Bill's brain contained was just a casual thought away for Adam, even the parts that Bill himself had long forgotten.
Technically, the same relationship existed in reverse. Everything that was contained within Adam's mind could just as easily be accessible to its hosts as their mind was to it; the host just needed to be willing to explore. This openness was most of the reason why Adam's kind typically overwhelmed and trapped the host's mind within itself upon infection, but there were certain advantages, as Adam had discovered long before coming to Earth, to having multiple minds in one body. Amusement, for one. Although Adam hoped that Bill would never discover that the link between them went both ways, the parasite was already making a game out of seeing how long it would take for one of the brightest minds humanity could offer to figure the ixodida out.
However, humanity had its weak points, and Bill's were beginning to test his parasite's patience.
Adam found its host sitting against a tree. His arms were resting on his knees, and his face was buried in them. He didn't say anything. He didn't even move.
"It would be a problem if you have already broken after witnessing your first real battle," Adam drawled. "I would need to find a new host, and I have no doubt you would die wherever I left you, either from the gaping wound in your chest I would leave behind or the fact that the tentacles I have planted all over your body would secrete acids to liquify all your internal organs in a matter of hours."
Still, there was no response.
"Get up," Adam said.
Silence.
"Bill. Get up."
After awhile, Bill shook his head and whispered, "That girl... I don't understand..."
It wasn't a question, but Adam knew from their bond what Bill was trying to say. The most unfortunate side to humanity was, quite simply, the fact that the human brain frequently failed to process whatever was well outside of their normal understanding of the world. For example, on Earth, getting shot multiple times in the head killed a person. The dead did not get up and walk. People were not normally dismembered in broad daylight. A rational human who previously claimed to be a pacifist did not rip another living being apart with his own bare hands. All four facts combined left Bill, despite all his intellectual abilities, overwhelmed to the point where his brain shut down. He was no more useful, therefore, than a mumbling idiot.
Knowing this, Adam's answer was quick.
"I did nothing that was not necessary for our survival."
Bill clenched his fists. Evidently to Adam, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "Did you kill her?"
The question didn't surprise Adam. In fact, it knew Bill would eventually ask, just because he was human. What surprised Adam was the fact that the question came clearly, even though Bill could barely process a thing just a few seconds ago. The human was recovering – or had decided to recover a long time ago. A part of Adam felt relieved, if only because Bill's ability to grab onto whatever sounded like sanity and climb back up made things easier. Not much easier, but at least Adam didn't have to explain the basics again.
"It was necessary, Bill," it said. "She intended to kill us."
"A-and the other one?"
"Necessary as well."
"Oh gods..."
Bill turned his head and covered his eyes with a hand. For a while, Adam simply watched him, waiting for him to look at it. When that never happened, Adam flexed its fingers, each joint clacking with irritation.
"You cannot face my kind with the fear you displayed before our battle," Adam said. "The second you hesitate, our enemies will rip you apart, and I mean that literally. That female may have been weak against us, but she still possessed the ability to tear us limb from limb if we did not defend ourselves. Imagine what will happen if a stronger member of my kind encountered us."
Still, Bill said nothing. After a moment of this silence, Adam lashed one of its hands downward. Bill felt a metal hand grab his hair and yank it, pulling his head backwards. With another hand, Adam grabbed its host by the neck, pulled him to his feet, and pinned him to the tree behind him.
"Human, are you listening to me?" it asked.
Bill glared at Adam. His eyes were red and wet.
Flicking its tail, Adam tilted its head. "Are you mourning the deaths of our enemies?"
"I don't want to be a murderer," Bill mumbled.
Adam's tail flicked again, this time kicking up dirt behind the parasite as it leaned close to Bill. "What was that, human?"
"They're just like me, aren't they?" Bill said. "They're... they're just victims. We need to help them, not kill them."
"Even if they wish to kill us?"
"No. That's you... isn't it? That's why that girl could get back up, and that's why she attacked us. The ixodida. They're controlling us, ar--"
Adam threw him across the clearing. He slammed into the ground, yelping as pain shot up the arm he had landed on. Unfortunately for him, he had no time to think about it. Adam was on top of him a second later, hands pinning Bill's shoulders to the ground and tail wrapped around his legs.
"Perhaps they are, but not one of those hosts have the power to reject my kind. More importantly, most of my brethren would try to kill us instantly if they knew what we were. Did you hear that female call you a rogue? Do you know what a rogue is? It is nothing more than an ixodida who defies the natural order of our species. They are anomalies, and if they threaten to disrupt our survival as a whole, then every member of our species will do everything they can to eradicate us. You are no friend to the ixodida, Bill, just because you exist."
Although Bill's expression faltered, revealing a flash of uncertainty, it was erased in seconds by a glare of determination.
"So, you want me to be a traitor as well as a murderer?" he snapped.
"No," Adam replied. "I want you to fight."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't kill another living being, and I certainly don't want to have anything to do with threatening the existence of an entire species."
"Our contract, Bill. The consequence of violating it is death."
"Kill me, if it means that much to you!"
The words echoed throughout the forest. Bill was shocked he had even said them, and because of that, he stared at Adam with a blank expression. Of course he was terrified of the thing pinning him to the ground – or whatever it might be doing to make him feel as if he was being pinned – but right then, for the first time in his life, he felt enough motivation to fail at caring. He knew he was most likely about to die, but he took a certain pleasure in the idea that if he did, he would at least go out with as clean a conscience as he could get.
So, when Adam lifted a hand, Bill did nothing to stop it. Just as the claws on the parasite's fingers began to glow silver, he closed his eyes and waited. Any second, he knew everything would be over.
The blow never came.
Opening one eye, Bill realized that the glow had dissipated. The claws lowered, and Adam carefully pulled away.
"In all my travels across this galaxy, I have never met a creature with such open audacity," it said as it stood. "You humans may be weak, but you are at least... interesting."
Bill sat up. "I... uh. Thank you?"
Adam scoffed and turned away. "If you will not fight to defend yourself, fight for the sake of humanity, then."
Any confusion Bill had over what just transpired immediately vanished. Keeping his eyes on Adam, he furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"
"This city is empty for a reason," Adam replied. "Something is compelling the ixodida to attack humans. I feel that the purpose of this goes far beyond just survival. I can sense it, but I cannot pinpoint its source." It looked over its shoulder. "That was your area of expertise, was it not? Deciphering why a pokémon acts the way it does? I can only wonder how long it will take you to figure it out – how many people will die while you stand by and simply observe."
Hastily, Bill scrambled to his feet. He held his sore arm with one hand as he stared at Adam's back. For the second time in their conversation, Bill remained silent, waiting for Adam to continue. This time, it wasn't out of defiance. Rather, it was out of the fact that he had no idea what to say.
Meanwhile, Adam began walking away, into the forest. "I have given you the power to protect your kind. Everything you could ever need is now within you. You simply need the will to use it. Think about it, Bill."
With that, Adam disappeared beyond the trees, leaving Bill alone in the clearing. Backing up, Bill found the nearest trunk and leaned against the bark. He closed his eyes, his mind sifting through everything Adam had just told him. Him? Defend humanity? He couldn't possibly... could he? As far as he was concerned, his only purpose in life was to stand back and observe. He was a researcher, a source of information – someone to help the plot along at the very most, if he compared his life to a story. Naturally, he would be more than happy to help a hero, but to be cast into that role himself? He just didn't think he was born for that kind of duty.
With this in mind, he opened his eyes, expecting to see more of the gray forest.
---
What he saw instead was the sideways view of an empty room. Blinking, it took him a moment to realize he was actually lying flat on his stomach on a hard floor. He groaned and flipped over, bringing a hand to his head. The sharp scent of blood filled the air, and he gasped and pulled his hand away from his face.
His vision was monochrome. At first, he couldn't tell why, but after a second, the dark background and the sharpness of every light tone around him – namely, the tones of his hand – caused something to click in his head. Night vision. It had to be.
Of course, at that moment, he didn't bother searching for Adam to get a confirmation. That was the least of his concerns, after all.
Evidently, Adam was kind enough to lick most of the blood off his claws before he awoke, but despite that and the fact that Bill could only see in a limited spectrum of colors, he still caught dark patches on his joints and at the tip of each claw. His hand shook as he stared. The patches were dry and crusty, with some parts flaking off each time he moved a finger. As a result, his joints felt stiff and dirty.
He couldn't remember most of the battle, but one image kept coming to mind: the girl. Her brains exposed. Her body rising up and lurching towards him. Her expression blank. Her mouth open. Her eyes dead...
Bill closed his hand. Don't think about that.
Breathing in, he meditated. The girl was dead. There was nothing he could do about it. Yes, it was alarming, but he had to maintain his composure. He knew it wouldn't be the last time he would see a zombie-alien-girl getting--
Don't think about that!
Sitting up, Bill shook his head and buried his face in his palms. His entire body was trembling.
I can't do this. I just can't. There's no possible way I can.
Moving his hands from his face, Bill pushed off the floor and stood.
I'm not a fighter. I'm not a killer. What do I do now? ...What is that smell?
His tail whipped back and forth behind his legs. Each joint along it felt just as stiff as the ones in his hands, and he smelled blood every time he moved it. It even crackled with dried blood flaking off its surface. Wrapping one of his arms with a hand, Bill shifted a foot and placed it gently on the arrowhead tip of his tail to get himself to stop moving it. The entire appendage tingled, and a sharp pain radiated from its base. Yelping, he let go, and his tail went back to wagging behind him.
"Water," he murmured as he held his head. "I need to clean myself up. Then, maybe I'll be able to think straight. Where can I get water?"
Looking around, he took in more of the room. It was, for the most part, empty. A bench sat on one side, and along the walls, a balcony hung. Other than that, there was nothing interesting about the space except the markings on the floor: a large rectangle with boxes attached to the shorter ends.
A battlefield, Bill thought. Why on Earth did you bring me here, Adam?
As expected, he got no response. Sighing, Bill gave up on trying to contact the parasite and started for a door in the corner of the room. He figured that it was probably better that no conversation happened, given what he had experienced in his dream. Besides, he didn't particularly want to know what Adam was expecting him to do on a battlefield.
Approaching the door, he placed a hand on it. It occurred to him that the door seemed a little unusual. It was made of metal, and by the sound it made when he knocked on it, it was thick. Yet, to make matters even more interesting for him, there was no doorknob or door handle, and it didn't budge when he pushed it. Looking up, he tried to find a window large enough for him to fit through or another door, but there was nothing around him except that single entrance.
He furrowed his eyebrows as a single thought entered his mind. How did I get in here if I can't get out?
Briefly, the idea of shouting for help crossed his mind, but then, two problems occurred to him. First, he had no idea if anyone was actually within earshot. Second, he didn't want to know what would happen if someone found him like that, what with the way that his body looked at that moment and the fact that he was covered in blood. Backing up, he fixed his eyes on the door. If calling for help wasn't an option, he had no other choice.
What attacks do I know? he asked himself.
Raising his claws, he concentrated. One of the attacks in his head had to do with them. That much he knew. But how was he supposed to use it?
Breathing out, he pulled back his hand. He supposed he had nothing to lose when it came to experimenting. As far as he could tell, after all, he wasn't about to use Explosion or something like it, so what was the worst that could happen?
Swinging his arm, he brought his claws across the metal door. Scratch. It was a basic attack for most pokémon, so it didn't surprise him that much to learn that this was what he had in his arsenal so far. What actually surprised him, though, was the fact that the second his claws scraped across the door, the metal underneath them screamed. Crying out, he pulled his hand away, covered his ears, and dropped to his knees. There was still a ringing in his head long after the cause of it stopped.
Scratching metal on metal. Brilliant idea, Bill, he thought.
As if he didn't endure enough pain, the lights suddenly blasted on. Flinching, he felt a wave of pain rush through his head as his eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden light. Even after his vision cleared and his eyes finally picked up color, his head ached from the double assault. Shaking it, he stood and blinked until the pain subsided. Then, he looked up at the source of the lights, the rows of fluorescent lamps in the ceiling.
"Hello?" he called. "Who's there?"
Silence answered him. A cold feeling crept through his body, and he turned back to the door. The sooner he was out, the better, he figured. Reaching for the door, he intended on prying it open, but before he could touch it, it slid apart with a whir. Behind it stood a tall, yellow and white creature. It bared its long fangs as it stared at Bill with glowing, red eyes. Electricity crackled off its muscular body as a tiger's growl rumbled from its maw.
One of the more noteworthy aspects of Johto was the fact that, because the region held a deeper and darker connection to its own folklore than most of the other regions barring maybe Sinnoh, every person who came from there was by default something of an expert in the matter of the regional legendary pokémon. As such, Bill could easily recognize a raikou when he saw one, not because he was a researcher but instead because he had spent a little over half of his life being told the stories about how encountering one would mean the thundering wrath of the gods would be inflicted upon the unwitting traveler shortly afterwards.
Knowing this, Bill immediately took the bravest course of action he could think of: dropping to the floor and screaming.
It would appear I'm exactly three months too late for my return to PC . . . Anyway, I've been wanting to read this for a long time, but I always seem to get distracted somehow, so this is the perfect opportunity. I'll just drop a relatively nonspecific view of the chapters posted so far so that I can review chapter by chapter as they come out from now on.
In Four, I really love your depiction of Bill's detached suffering. The thought of watching that happening to yourself as of from outside your body while feeling no pain the whole time sends shivers down my spine, and sounds so much more deliciously horrible than actually feeling the pain. Maybe I'm just sadomasochistic.
At Five, I'm really enjoying your original use of biblical and mythological codenames. I'm getting tired of 'Subject X' and 'Operation Barbarossa' and the like. After meeting Abel, I'm wondering if we're going to encounter Cain - or Eve, for that matter.
Early in Eight, I noticed this paragraph:
In a flash second, the agent's face paled, but just as quickly as it happened, she straightened and forced her face to take on its emotionless state again. "Don't worry. I still am. The Polaris Operation isn't over yet."
The use of the adjective 'flash' doesn't sit right with me, somehow. I think I see what you're trying to go for by using it, but in this context, I don't believe it makes sense.
Still in Eight, I'm really enjoying your use of the raw meat. I think it's a good way to represent Bill's conflict and confusion on a physical level, right down to his semi-acceptance (albeit with some disgust). Cleverly done. Oh, if only I'd read this before my English exam yesterday.
I'm opening up lines for people to ask questions about anything they can think of concerning the series (so long as, you know, you leave a review as well). This could be literally anything, from "What kind of metal is Bill's armor made of?" to "Can I be a part of Professor Nettle's leather-clad army?"
Ten was wonderful. Violence is fun - that's really all I can say here.
"I have given you the power to protect your kind. Everything you could ever need is now within you. You simply need the will to use it. Think about it, Bill."
This line sounds almost freakishly familiar. I could almost swear I've heard it before somewhere, or something very like it. Is this one of those geeky references you were talking about?
Knowing this, Bill immediately did the bravest course of action he could think of: dropping to the floor and screaming.
Does one 'do' a course of action? Isn't the usual verb 'to take' or 'to follow'?
Overall, I am loving this fic, and will be subscribing, rating five stars, etc etc. I'll be reviewing in more detail from now on (if I can make my internet work, grr) and I really look forward to more.
Gah, this makes me want to write fanfiction fanfiction, if that makes any sense. At any rate, whatever I write for the next week or so will most likely be ixodida-flavoured, no matter what I try to do. Grar.
Thanks. :D Random side information: In the rough drafts, I had him be conscious for all that (a la classic transformation fics and a bit of The Fly), but my beta back then told me it was a bit on the dry side. So, I tried to mix things up a bit. Betas are awesome!
and sounds so much more deliciously horrible than actually feeling the pain. Maybe I'm just sadomasochistic.
At Five, I'm really enjoying your original use of biblical and mythological codenames. I'm getting tired of 'Subject X' and 'Operation Barbarossa' and the like.
Thanks. Admittedly, the codenames were mostly inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, so... yeah. (This will also explain a tiny bit more about Adam if you happen to know much about the Angels.)
After meeting Abel, I'm wondering if we're going to encounter Cain - or Eve, for that matter.
Y'know, I haven't actually planned a Cain, but there will definitely be an Eve. (I'm just not sure if I'll get to her in this book or if I'll have to split the story -- and her part -- into a second one.)
Early in Eight, I noticed this paragraph: The use of the adjective 'flash' doesn't sit right with me, somehow. I think I see what you're trying to go for by using it, but in this context, I don't believe it makes sense.
I think I get what you mean. It was meant to be a substitute for the phrase "split second," which I suppose I could switch back in. I was just a little uncertain as to whether or not it'd sound like a cliché.
Still in Eight, I'm really enjoying your use of the raw meat. I think it's a good way to represent Bill's conflict and confusion on a physical level, right down to his semi-acceptance (albeit with some disgust).
This line sounds almost freakishly familiar. I could almost swear I've heard it before somewhere, or something very like it. Is this one of those geeky references you were talking about?
Overall, I am loving this fic, and will be subscribing, rating five stars, etc etc. I'll be reviewing in more detail from now on (if I can make my internet work, grr) and I really look forward to more.
Quick plug, but for those of you curious about behind-the-scenes/Word-Of-God stuff, I've started a fandom-centered journal with a tag exclusively to AEM. The tag itself is linked in my sig, and you can check it every Monday for either extras or blatherings about fandom.
Anima Ex Machina: Twelve
We're all in this together.
Bill could feel his heart pounding. It was the kind of pound that practically shook him with each throb, the kind that thumped against his ribcage and felt like it was going to break something. At the same time, his mind was going through a quick succession of emotions.
First came fear. This stage was fairly natural for several reasons. To begin with, there was the fact that the creature right in front of him was at least twice as large as him, and it was equipped with fangs and claws that could have - and it should be noted that Bill conveniently forgot about his built-in armor right then - ripped that throbbing heart right out of his chest. Beyond that, there was the fact that Bill knew all too well what the stories surrounding Raikou were, how it called down massive bolts of lightning from the skies to roast the unworthy where they stood. In Johtonian mythology, the creature was called by several different names relating to this fact, including Lord of Storms, Heaven's Thunder, and a number of other ones that would have easily told Bill he wasn't supposed to be screwing with the thing in front of him.
Second came awe. Bill was most definitely a scientist, and as such, he lacked the sense of caution most normal people had. So, after sitting there in terror for a few seconds, he gradually rose. Rather than run away - which was what a normal, sane, well-adjusted person would have done - he stepped closer. As he crept near the raikou, he realized he wasn't just looking at a rare pokémon. He was looking at the Lord of Storms, one of the creatures that inhabited the ancient, war-torn worlds of Johtonian legends. A part of him also realized what kind of frenzy he would stir in the Symposium if he had a chance to study a raikou thoroughly - if only because he was, after all, a scientist.
Third, however, came something more difficult to describe. His eyes found Raikou's, and in his wonder of how magnificent the creature looked, he felt something nag at the back of his mind. Initially, he thought it was just Adam, but it wormed its way to the front of his consciousness in the form of the kind of instinct he had developed through years of research. Something wasn't right about this creature, and he could tell, even if he didn't know exactly how at first.
Starting from the eyes, he noticed that there was something dull and lifeless about them, though they glowed red with an inner light. The way they glistened reminded him more of glass than of something actually wet. Once he noticed that, he listened to the way it was growling at him. Although it would have no doubt fooled anyone else, he had heard enough recordings of pokémon calls to catch the subtle difference in sound quality. It sounded just slightly muffled, as if it was actually coming from deeper inside the creature than it should have. Even if the recording was a high-quality one, what added to the feeling of artificiality was the fact that, as Bill realized right then, the creature's posture was all wrong. It stood up straight and stiffly as it growled instead of crouching and bearing more of its teeth, and its fur was flat instead of on end. No wild pokémon attempting to assert its territory looked that calm, and Bill knew that.
But more importantly than anything else, he was standing in front of the beast for almost a minute, and it didn't so much as spark. If it was growling at him defensively, why wasn't it attacking?
Cracking a grin, Bill reached out and touched the raikou's chest. Squeezing, he felt the plush exterior, and one of his claws wormed its way through the cloth material covering its shoulder. Inside, he felt a little embarrassed. He was used to dealing with artificial pokémon thanks to his costumes, and here, he couldn't even tell the difference between a real raikou and a fake one as soon as he saw it.
"Hey! How'd you know it was fake?"
Yelping, Bill scrambled to turn and run, but in the process, his claws dug deeper into the shoulder of the mechanical beast and ripped a large chunk of it out. Whirling around, Bill stumbled towards the battlefield as his eyes locked onto the newcomer.
Emerging from behind the raikou doll was the same bulky man who led Bill down the streets of Mauville City on a chain, but this time, he wasn't giving Bill a cold glare. Rather, his dark eyes sparkled, and a friendly smile stretched across his round face. He planted his large hands on his wide hips as he stopped just beside the raikou doll.
"You're good!" he exclaimed in a deep, rumbling voice. "Most people don't know this isn't the real deal without being told first! How'd you do that?"
"I..." Bill stepped back.
The man's grin faded slightly. "Huh? Oh! You don't have to be nervous or anything. We got off on the wrong foot, right? You're an all right guy, it turns out, so I won't hurt ya! ...Not that I was going to in the first place, but, uh."
He stopped and glanced at the ceiling for a second. Then, he burst into a loud, booming laughter that echoed off the walls. Bill literally jumped at the sound, and one of his hands flew to his chest. He could feel his heart pounding again, just as much as it had when he first saw Raikou.
"The name's Thomas. Thomas Wattson, but everyone calls me Thom. 'Cept maybe Officer Jenny, but her opinion doesn't count," he said as he extended a hand. "This is my grandpa's gym. His mecha raikou, too, and let me tell you, he would've loved the look on your face when you first saw it!"
Bill stared at the hand. After what happened to Officer Jenny - which, strangely, he wasn't entirely guilty about - he was hesitant to take this man's hand for fear of what he might accidentally do in the process of just a handshake. Luckily, his companion interrupted him before he had any chance to respond anyway.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?" he asked. "That's all right. Hey, listen, why don't we go back to the pokémon center and get you cleaned up? No offense, but you look like hell."
Blinking, Bill looked at his tail as it curled around his ankles. He had forgotten all about the dried blood, but somehow, it didn't seem to matter anymore. This was probably because Thom decided to cut him off again.
"That was awesome, by the way."
Bill looked up. "I'm sorry?"
"The fight. You know. Between you and those two ixodida. How they jumped you and then POW!" Thom made a fist with one hand and punched the palm of the other. "Both of them are lying in pieces on the ground! Man, we had our doubts about this entire plan. Sorry we tried to use you like that, by the way."
Flicking his tail, Bill realized two things. First, his hunch about how the city was trying to get him killed was correct. Second, they thought of the ixodida as pests. Neither revelation made Bill feel any less awkward than he already had.
"Those were people at one time. Technically, that would make me a murderer," he said quietly.
"Huh?" Thom blinked. "Hey, look. Don't feel too bad. They would've gotten us if you hadn't done something."
"That wasn't the point."
Thom shrugged. "Then what is?"
In response, Bill looked at him with a serious glance. After a beat of hesitation, he replied, "When I transformed into an ixodida, I didn't do it by choice. It was an accident, and I have no doubt it was for the others as well. To make matters even more complicated..."
Stopping, he looked to the side. He had no idea how Thom would react if he told him about Adam. In the ensuing silence, Thom frowned.
"Look, I know that, and I'm sorry." Pausing, he lowered his tone. "But those things? They'll kill us if we don't kill them. There's only a few of us left. Officer Jenny says the city's been reduced to less than ten percent of the population it had before the invasion. They're monsters, you know. They're not like you."
Bill closed his eyes and shuddered. He didn't want to say anything more, but he felt he had to get Thom to understand. "They don't have a choice in what they do, either. There's something inside us that makes us act that way. We're stuck in our own minds whenever it happens; we can't control what our bodies do."
Thom furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm saying..." Bill looked at Thom as his mind struggled to find the best words. "When you saw me kill those ixodida, that wasn't me. I share my body with the ixodida parasite, and he has the ability to take it over at any time. I can't control what happens when he does." He lowered his head. "We have a deal that allows me to do whatever I'd like, but when that fight occurred, it was the parasite who killed them, not me. I couldn't do anything to stop him. As for the others... they're most likely trapped the way I was all the time."
For a long while, nothing else was said. Bill glanced at Thom with a bit of reluctance, only to find Thom staring at him with curiosity.
"So, let me get this straight," he said. "You're telling me you don't want us to thank you for saving a bunch of innocent people from a couple of ixodida who would have killed us for reasons the researchers can't figure out yet, and this is because you think that the other ixodida are just people who can't control themselves, and that all somehow justifies the fact that they've wiped out most of our city?"
After a beat of hesitation, Bill replied, "If you put it like that, it sounds uncomfortably complicated, but essentially, yes."
Thom sighed. "Guess I don't have much of a choice. Come on."
He turned and motioned for Bill to follow him. In response, Bill shifted his tail but remained where he was.
"Where?" he asked.
"I wanna show you something," Thom answered.
With that, he disappeared down the hallway. Bill watched him for a short while, uncertain of what to do. Then, finally, he started walking.
---
Veronica Jenny, formerly the deputy of Mauville City and more recently its chief of police, felt like she could have used a stiff drink right then. She didn't used to drink, but after monsters appeared from out of nowhere and reduced the population of the entire city to a mere fraction of what it was for no apparent reason, she thought it would be a nice habit to take up. Veronica had no doubt this and her generally less-than-perky attitude was the only thing that set her apart from all her sisters and cousins, but unlike Ellen Joy, she didn't particularly care about that, even before she became a brooding alcoholic.
Then again, Veronica didn't care much about her family at all. The problem with the Jenny clan was that, as far back as anyone could remember and as far back as anyone bothered to trace their family tree, every single female Jenny did two things: protect and serve. There were no exceptions. So, everyone expected Veronica would become a police officer as well, simply because she was born into that single family. In that sense, she felt a strong connection with Ellen Joy: the nurse was born into her calling as well thanks to the Joy family. However, whereas Ellen liked being a nurse and accepted her fate, Veronica was a little less eager to assume her role.
Of course she liked it at first. She used to get a thrill from chasing down bad guys and busting crime all over the city. For a few brief months after she joined the force, it made her proud to see a criminal in handcuffs. But then, the novelty wore off, and Veronica realized that she was forcing herself to enjoy her work because everyone expected her to be a police officer. The trouble was that if she wasn't an officer, what would she be? The word "Jenny" was synonymous with "justice"; no one in the history of the family ever really questioned that.
This all happened long before the invasion. When that happened and when the ixodida killed most of Mauville's population, that just aggravated a problem that already existed for years. Now, instead of just being dispassionate about her position, she was incompetent, unable to fulfill her duty to protect the population. She had to watch almost all of the city die because she had no idea how to protect it from the ixodida.
In short, she really needed that drink.
Gingerly, she flexed her bandaged hand as she walked back to the pokémon center from the police station a block away. Her other hand rested on her belt, three fingers on the poké balls clipped to the holders attached to it and two on the holster of a gun hanging from its side. She knew that the scouts she had organized reported no other ixodida in the city besides the one who killed the poison-types, and she knew the fact that she was hearing from them at all confirmed this. However, the smooth feel of the spheres on her belt made her feel just a little safer, as did the weight of her handgun in its holster.
The rest of Mauville didn't even need that much. Directly outside of the pokémon center, half of the survivors were gathered. A small group of children were playing with pokémon - mostly oddish, electrike, and zigzagoon. Groups of adults clustered around them, chattering over sandwiches and drinks. Between each group flitted Ellen and her chansey, distributing food and water to whoever wanted them. Looking at her, Veronica noticed an expression on Ellen's face that wasn't there yesterday: a light smile, one that wasn't entirely forced.
That's when Veronica noticed something else about the group: laughter. The children, most of them orphans, hadn't so much as smiled since the ixodida came, but now, they were playing soccer with each other on the street outside of the center. It was their laughter that she noticed first, the screeching sound tingling her ears. The adults, who used to talk in hushed whispers to one another about whether or not another wave would be coming, were now chattering in louder voices, swapping stories with one another and laughing at the occasional joke. Outside of both circles, Veronica stood there and blinked and felt a lot like an astronaut in the middle of an alien city. Not a single one of them seemed to notice her as she watched them. Instead, she was left alone to listen to their noise. Was it a success? Did this mean she wasn't a failure? She couldn't tell.
Suddenly, the adults fell silent, and Veronica caught the sound of low pokémon growls. Snapping out of her meditations, Veronica looked up to notice all of the adults' heads turned towards the street. Glancing in the same direction, she saw Thom standing in the street only a few feet away from her. Next to him was the steel-armored monster, the same one she and the hunting party had found outside of the city and the same one she had watched tear apart two ixodida.
She couldn't figure out why its expression looked so distant to her.
Thom didn't seem to notice the adults, or if he did, he was completely ignoring them. Instead, he smiled broadly and looked directly at the children. The monster was following his gaze, and there it stood, staring at the game.
Eventually, the children began to notice, probably because their pokémon companions were no longer interested in the game. One by one, they stopped, eyes falling on the ixodida with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Thanks to their lack of concentration, the ball they were using was allowed to skirt past one of the goalies and roll towards the two bystanders. The ixodida knelt, reaching down just in time to stop the ball with one of its hands. At the same time, a small child ran past the other children, beyond the hands of the oldest, and straight to the creature. She ignored her friends' harsh whispers to come back and stay away from the thing until she nearly ran into it. Stopping short, she lifted her eyes towards it, and her smile disappeared. The creature looked down at her and blinked.
Drawing in a breath, Veronica stepped forward. Her hand moved to the gun holstered on her hip, but before she drew it, she caught sight of Thom. He was flailing his arms behind the creature almost comically, signaling for her to stop. Although she felt a little hesitant about trusting his judgment — in part because Thom wasn't normally known for making sound choices — she still let her hand rest where it was as she watched the creature carefully.
It didn't attack the way she thought it would. Instead, it picked up the ball and looked at it as if it had never seen a soccer ball before then. After a few seconds, it held the ball out for the girl, keeping its claws spread as far as they could go. The girl quickly grabbed the ball, held it to her chest, and bowed.
"Thank you!" she said.
Then, as quickly as it happened, she turned and ran back into the game. The other children closed the gap behind her. Within a few seconds, the sound of the ball being kicked across pavement rang out, and the children went back to shouting and laughing with each other. Taking this as a sign to relax, the adults slowly went back to their own conversations, and the pokémon darted back into the game.
Veronica's hand fell to let her arm rest. Cautiously, she turned towards the children but inched towards the ixodida and Thom. She tried to make it look like she was watching the game with the hopes that it would make the alien and the gym leader's grandson think she wasn't eavesdropping on them.
"A lot of them don't have parents anymore, you know," Thom said. "A lot of the people in this city died, either protecting us from ixodida attacks or, you know, getting attacked."
"Is that so?" the ixodida said quietly.
"Mmm. Yeah. It's pretty bad. But you're here now, so we think we'll be all right."
There was a beat before the ixodida replied, "How would my presence make a difference?"
"Oh, that's easy. We've tried everything to keep the ixodida from attacking us. Keeping guards posted at all times, ganging up on them when we saw them — you name it. When we first caught you, we thought we could use you to bargain with them. You know, a 'don't kill us because we have one of yours and we'll let him go if you leave us alone' kind of thing, right? But then, you actually killed two of them! By yourself! You did what a lot of us died trying to do — twice!" He paused. "Or, well, you know... that thing did."
"It was a fluke. I told you."
Thom scoffed. "You don't get it, do you? Let me spell this out for you. Over there are a bunch of orphans. Their parents died trying to protect us from aliens that keep attacking us for who-knows-why. You've got the power to help us. You can be a hero to those kids, you know. You already are for some of us."
The ixodida's voice dropped in volume again, almost to the point where Veronica wouldn't have been able to hear it. "I'm not much of a hero, Thom."
Thom growled in frustration. "Bill, I know it sounds like I'm asking you to do a lot, but look at those kids again. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see them?"
There was a long silence. Veronica turned her head slightly to glance at the ixodida out the corner of her eye. What she saw made her turn her head completely towards him.
Him. She suddenly realized she was thinking of the creature as something more than a monster, but at that point, it just fit. His face looked more human than even some of the survivors'. As he stared at the children, his eyes looked a little misty, and his expression, with the corners of the mouth turned down and the eyes wide open, looked saddened. Veronica felt something twitch inside her, a small pain in her heart. Maybe she was just crazy, but she had a feeling she knew exactly what was going on inside the alien's head.
"The ones to the side over there," he said. "The older ones. How old are they?"
Thom shrugged. "Ten. Eleven. Some of them are trainers who got stuck here 'cause the routes are all closed, and others would've started their journeys a few months ago if the League hadn't frozen Hoenn's circuit."
The ixodida looked down. "I have a sister their age."
"Huh. A sister?" Thom asked. "She's not in Hoenn, is she?"
Bill didn't answer. Instead, he looked towards Thom.
"Okay," he said. "I'll do it."
"Do what?"
Turning towards him, Bill straightened. "Protect them. Protect everyone here. I don't know how well I can fight, but I'll try."
"Are you sure?"
Bill nodded. "I have to. They need someone to help them. If you say I have the power to do it, there's no way I can say no."
Instantly, Thom's face lit up. "Great! Just wait 'til I talk to a few people. We'll get you all set up here with a room of your own and someone to help train you and..."
Thom turned and started walking towards the adults. He hadn't stopped listing off things he would give Bill; he just assumed that the ixodida was following him within earshot. Naturally, he didn't realize that the creature was exactly where he left him, standing on the sidewalk with his tail curling around his feet.
"You heard all that, didn't you, Officer Jenny?" he asked.
Veronica froze. After a few moments, she replied, "How honest are you?"
Bill shook his head. "I'm being completely sincere when I say I want to help you. I don't want to fight, but..." He glanced towards the children.
She sighed. "I'll tell you the truth. I don't trust you, but you haven't tried to kill anything except other ixodida. I can't even begin to understand why. But... we need your help."
"I know that." He closed his eyes. "I know."
His voice was cracking, and his hands, already balled into fists, were shaking at his sides. Inside her own head, Veronica cursed eloquently.
"Nurse Joy's more sympathetic than I am. Sorry," she said. "But I can tell you're scared, and if it helps you at all, I can say one thing."
The creature opened his eyes and looked at her. "What?"
Veronica was taken aback for a second. The expression on his face made him look vulnerable, like he was a puppy that had just been kicked. Yet, she could tell he wasn't making that face at her just to buy her sympathy or manipulate her into letting her guard down. No, there was something there, in the way his mouth looked and the way his eyes glistened, that told her that everything she was seeing was real, and if it was, he was somehow more human than a lot of criminals she had put away before the invasion.
It was this sign of humanity that made her let her guard down just a little. So, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said the most comforting thing she could think of.
"If you **** up and get the rest of the city wiped out, I'll kill you myself."
Without even looking at the expression on his face, she turned and started for the pokémon center.
Anima Ex Machina: Thirteen
Fire and gunpowder do not sleep together.
Fact #1: Scotch on the rocks is, by definition, as simple a drink as one would imagine. It involves one glass, half its volume of ice, and half its volume of scotch. The end result is a drink intensely bitter in taste but roughly half as bitter as it would be at room temperature; the cold of the ice dulls the taste of any alcoholic beverage.
Fact #2: All alcohol had been banned from Polaris Institute from the day it opened. It was agreed years ago by the first director that allowing alcohol would distract the resident scientists from the pursuit of progress. Professor Samuel Oak – who, one must remember, was at the time of Project Stardust the director of Polaris Institute – agreed with this notion and upheld it whenever possible.
Fact #3: Professor John McKenzie, former leader of the New Bark psychology team, was drinking a scotch on the rocks in front of Professor Samuel Oak.
Oak had nothing to say about the matter. For one, he knew John. The two of them went way back: they were colleagues when they first went into the field of pokémon research together, graduates of the same class at the same school and protégés of the same mentor. Oak already knew about McKenzie and exactly how effective it would be to tell him that the institute had a rule against alcohol. For another, as much as he didn't want to promote favoritism, he actually liked the man. John had a certain charisma about him that made him difficult to handle. No matter how stern Oak wanted to be (not that he would find this easy anyway), that all dissolved because, simply put, John had a way of making people like him. It wasn't just Oak, either. John was simply the kind of person who could sell someone the Brooklyn Bridge and get away with it if he wanted to do it badly enough.
For a third, Oak already felt a sense of guilt. This was because after hours of dodging, of insisting that John get settled and briefed on his new position in Polaris Institute, there was no way around telling him the truth, and to do that, he sat down with the man in an empty break room to explain everything. So, Oak couldn't blame the man for wanting a drink. He was just expecting John to want it after he told him everything. That is, Oak hadn't said a word yet, but there John was with scotch poured from his own canteen in a glass of ice provided by the Institute, as if he already knew it would be a good idea.
Waiting for Oak to say something, John leaned back in his chair with one of his hands on the steel table in front of him and the other on the drink. Oak, still composing the words in his head, held a cup of coffee and kept his eyes steady on his colleague's face.
"So," John finally said in an effort to start the conversation. "William's one of those things now."
Oak nodded. "I'm sorry, Profesor McKenzie. We don't know how it happened."
John waved a hand in the air. "I wouldn't put it past my son to want a closer look at the little bastard. But that isn't the important part right now, is it? When can I see him?"
"You... won't," Oak replied. "There was an accident just before you arrived. Bill and a second XP-650B escaped." He let his shoulders sag a little. "I'm so sorry."
John peered over the edge of his glass. "Any idea where they might have gone?"
"Not yet. We didn't think we'd need to tag either of them with tracking devices, and there haven't been any sightings."
"It's an island. How far could they've gotten?"
Oak shifted in his seat. "Apparently, Abel can fly. You can look at the security footage as soon as you're ready to get started."
"Fly?" John took a sip of his scotch. "Now that's interesting. It could explain why no one's found Pandora either."
"You know about Pandora?"
John nodded. "The Committee's released the video a week ago, and everyone in New Bark has had a look at it already. We've gotten the reports about Abel and William, too."
"I see. In any case, Professor McKenzie, I called you here with the hopes that you'd be taking Bill's place on the psychology team. We need someone to help push that part of the project forward, and I thought you would want to work closely with Bill."
John squinted over his glass. "There sounds like there's a but there."
Oak leaned back. "Professor Nettle, the current head of the psychology team, will be transferring to another facility. Because you were a team leader for the Johto arm, I'll have to ask--"
"Yes."
Oak hesitated, clearing his throat. "Right. I thought you'd agree. You'll be short-staffed and without an example of XP-650B, though. We haven't received any new recruits yet, and the Committee insists – and I agree with them – that creating another XP-650B would be unethical."
Looking at John's face, Oak could swear that he saw a slight change in expression. It happened extremely quickly: a flash of a frown and a dark glint in the man's eyes. After that, Oak felt a little cold, even though John smiled a second later.
"Ha! Is that what you call a challenge?" John asked. "Don't you worry. I can work with whatever you've got."
Oak forced himself to smile. "Great! We'll introduce you to the rest of the team and get you started tomorrow."
He started to stand up, taking the Styrofoam cup of coffee with him. However, before he could turn to walk away, John placed his glass on the table and spoke.
"They're in Hoenn."
Oak turned towards his colleague. "What?"
"Will, Pandora, and Abel," John answered. "They're in Hoenn."
The other researcher raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"Think about it, Sam. Some of them can fly, and Hoenn isn't that far from here. Why haven't we seen any outside of captivity anywhere else yet?"
The realization hit Oak hard. He never thought about it, but John had a point – a very important one at that. For whatever reason, the creatures he knew as XP-650 had infested an entire region... but only an entire region. In the months they've been on Earth, they haven't moved past the region's borders.
"That must mean..."
"They're flocking back to Hoenn. All of them."
Oak sat back down to let the revelation sink in. Why didn't he think of it before? The aggressiveness of Abel. What Bill said about the creature trying to escape. The fact that there wasn't a single sighting of XP-650 outside of mainland Hoenn. It had to be true: the creatures weren't leaving the island. But why? What could be there that drew all of the aliens to one place?
John stood this time. Turning away from the table, he leaned the small of his back against its edge and took a nice, long drink.
"By the way," he said, "I wouldn't trust the Committee if I were you. They've been hiding a lot of important information from all of us, and it doesn't make any sense why they would. Something's going on with them."
Oak stared at John's back. He knew there was something suspicious about the Committee already. That thought came to him as early as the moment he found out about the Pandora video. It was just that he didn't have a choice but to trust them at the moment, but he wasn't about to tell John that. Instead, something else came out of his mouth.
"Professor McKenzie, there's something else you should know about Bill."
John didn't even look back. "What's that?"
"He's not like Pandora or Abel, as far as any of us could tell," Oak told him. "He's lucid. He has the same personality as he did as a human, and he recognized us. For all intents and purposes, I'd say inside, he's still the same Bill we all know."
The other researcher didn't say anything. Instead, he took another long sip of his scotch.
"I thought you'd like to know," Oak continued, "so you wouldn't think you've lost your son yet. And if it means anything, John, it's good that he's lucid. Bill's sharp. He'll take care of himself until we can find a way to help him. You don't have t--"
"Lucid," John repeated. "An XP-650 that's lucid."
He started for the door. For a long while, he didn't say anything. He only finished off the rest of the scotch, the clink of the ice cubes against glass providing the only sound in the room. Then, placing a hand on the door knob, he said two words without even looking at Oak.
"That's interesting."
With that, he turned the knob and walked into the hallway.
---
Blue lightning hit the dirt with a crack. Dust swirled upwards in a brown cloud, and a coppery smell hung in the air. Bill landed on all fours, his claws digging into the earth to anchor him. Wincing, he crouched in a patch of tall grass and peered through the blades to his opponent. Several feet away, a manectric stepped forward, his teeth bared in a growl. Sparks crackled off his blue and yellow body as his nostrils flared to catch any sign of his metal victim.
This is bad, Bill thought.
Inside his mind, he felt Adam's presence. Do humans normally state the obvious?
Now isn't the best time for sarcasm, Adam. What should I do?
On the contrary. Now is the perfect time. As for what you should do, is it not obvious to you? Get up and fight. Use the new moves you have discovered.
Bill groaned. Stiffly, he forced himself up and held his claws out to his sides. The muscles in his fingers tensed against his armor while his skin began to glow white. On the other side of the field, the manectric lifted his muzzle to the sky and belted out a long, loud howl. Bill hesitated, trembling as he watched the dog arch his back and bare his teeth just a bit more.
Now, Bill, Adam ordered. Its guard is down. Strike now!
Without thinking, Bill launched forward, his glowing claws sweeping low. The manectric watched him with steady eyes, but he didn't move from his spot.
Why isn't he moving? Bill asked himself.
Although the thought crossed his mind, he pushed forward. With more speed than he thought he had, his hand swung down, fingers slashing across the crest on manectric's head. The dog yelped and emitted a burst of sparks, but he stood his ground and Bill stumbled to the side and fell to one knee.
A miss, Adam growled. Get up and do it again.
Nodding, Bill tried to stand, but suddenly, his body went numb. Crying out, he dropped back down, planting his hands on the earth. He winced and forced himself to look at his arm as electricity arced off his skin.
Static, he thought. I should have seen that coming.
What is that? Adam asked.
Pokémon on this planet have different special abilities. The manectric species... there's a chance some of them have Static. It induces paralysis.
Paralysis. Does that mean...?
It means... Bill struggled to move, but his body was locked in place. It means that I can't move.
A bark pulled Bill's attention back to the battle. With some effort, he lifted his chin enough to look directly forward. There, the manectric stood, panting and smiling like a puppy. Then, his mouth pulled towards the front of his muzzle while electricity gathered in a dome of sparks around him. Bill felt cold; he recognized the stance right away.
Thunder. No!
Struggling against paralysis, Bill forced his mouth open, but he wasn't quite quick enough to say a word. All of the electricity surrounding manectric surged through the air in a golden beam, and with so little space between the canine and his target, Bill took the full hit in a matter of seconds.
He couldn't even scream. One moment, he was kneeling in front of manectric. The next, he was lying on his back, lips parted slightly and eyes wide open. He was pretty sure he would have felt an overwhelming amount of pain if he could feel anything at all besides a tingling sensation all over his body.
You, Bill, are an embarrassment, Adam drawled.
While Bill felt the parasite recede from his mind, his canine opponent padded around his head and sniffed at Bill's face. A few seconds later, Thom peered over the two of them.
"Wow," he said. "You're really out of it this time."
Something landed with a thump next to Bill's head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blotch of brown, an object he knew to be Thom's bag.
"Now, let's see," Thom said, his hands rustling through his bag. "I know I have a revive in here somewhere..."
"Thomas Wattson!"
Thom yelped and jumped to his feet, knocking his pack to the ground. Whirling around, he came eye-to-eye with Ellen, who was storming towards them with Chansey not far behind her. On the crest of the hill above them, Thom could see Veronica watching them with a growlithe by her side.
"What did you do?!" she demanded.
"Uh, um..." Thom reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Training?"
"Training?" Ellen's voice grew shriller as she stood just inches from Thom. She placed her hands on her hips, and her lips were drawn tight. "Look at him! He can't even get up!"
She dropped to her knees beside Bill and passed a hand over his nose and mouth.
"He's still breathing. That's a good sign." Looking directly into his eyes, she added, "Bill? Can you hear me?"
It took him awhile to muster up enough energy to speak, but when he did, he replied hoarsely, "Oh, hello, Nurse Joy. Daijoubu da."
Ellen threw a glare over her shoulder at Thom before turning to Chansey. "Chansey, he's just conscious enough for Softboiled to work. Would you please?"
Chansey trilled and saluted. Stepping forward, she pulled her egg out of its pouch as it began to glow yellow. A small orb of light pulled away from its smooth surface and drifted towards Bill. He felt its warmth touch his metal skin, and slowly, the rest of his body began to feel warm as he gradually began to recover his energy. Still, although the feeling of weakness was starting to ebb, the numbness in his body persisted.
Noticing that he still wasn't moving, Ellen said, "Bill? Can you do me a favor? Can you wiggle your fingers?"
Squinting, he concentrated his energy on moving. His fingers remained still, and he still couldn't feel them.
"He's paralyzed," Ellen murmured. "Chansey, use Heal Bell, please."
Stuffing her egg back into her pouch, Chansey brought her arms close together and began to sing in a series of high-pitched, long notes. Her body took on a blue glow as ripples of light ebbed off her body. Bill closed his eyes completely and allowed himself to relax. The music seemed to seep into him, as if he wasn't just listening but absorbing it into his muscles. It left him feeling an unpleasant, tingling sensation through his limbs, like the feeling he got after his foot fell asleep.
"Try flexing your fingers now."
Bill opened his eyes and realized that Chansey's music had ended. Keeping his eyes on Nurse Joy, he tried moving the fingers of his right hand. Without any trouble at all, each one of them curled into a fist. Smiling, he sat up, but as soon as he did, he swayed and nearly fell backwards. Ellen grabbed him by the arm and gently supported him.
"Careful! You're still recovering," she told him. "You should be fine if you take it easy for the rest of the day."
Nodding, Bill shifted to sit up on his own. "Thank you."
Ellen smiled, but as soon as she turned to Thom, her expression turned ice-cold. Thom froze, backing up slowly as his manectric whimpered.
"Using a gym leader's manectric against a low-leveled pokémon. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" she snapped.
Thom held up his hands. "It was an accident! I was gonna go easy on him, but I just got, y'know, a little carried away."
"You induced paralysis on him and then proceeded to electrocute him. He could have died!"
"Ah, Nurse Joy," Bill said, "if I may, aren't you being a bit harsh on--"
Ellen didn't seem to notice, opting instead to move towards Manectric. She stooped down with her back towards Bill, who instantly fell silent. All of the nurse's attention went towards the dog for a few moments, examining his underside, his paws, his legs, and everything else she could go over in a few seconds. The dog waited obediently, mouth open and tongue lolling out of his muzzle at the attention he was receiving. When the examination was complete, Ellen sat back on her heels and put a hand on Manectric's crest.
"Chansey, Softboiled should be enough to take care of this cut. Otherwise, he didn't seem to sustain any other injuries, but give him another look over to make sure I didn't miss anything." Then, she stood and turned her icy glare back towards Thom. "As for you, Thom, how long have you been battling like this?"
While Chansey trilled and got to work, Thom looked skyward. "Uh, since this morning, I guess?"
"It's past three in the afternoon! You're telling me you've been battling him nonstop for hours?"
"Hey, not nonstop!" Thom protested. "We've had breaks... here and there."
"Thom, how could you?" Ellen replied. "We don't know anything about the ixodida or their limits, and you know Bill's new to this! He doesn't know how strong he is or how much he can take!"
Bill sat a little straighter. "Nurse Joy, I--"
"You can't go too hard on him," Ellen interrupted. "If he gets seriously hurt, I don't know how well I can fix him up."
Veronica crossed her arms and moved forward. "You know, maybe Thom has the right idea. Growlithe!"
The puppy stepped forward. Veronica took off her hat and bent down to put it firmly on her dog's head. Then, she stood, turned, and put some distance between herself and her pokémon.
"Bill," she said, "there are a lot of ixodida on this island, and they can attack at any moment. Therefore, we need to make sure you're ready to fight them." She turned and motioned to her dog. "If you can get my hat away from my growlithe, you'll earn my respect. If you can't, then Nurse Joy will just have to clean you off the hill. Growlithe, have fun. Got it?"
The dog barked and lowered her head. Her lips pulled back, revealing rows of sharp, white teeth. Already, orange sparks flicked between each of her fangs.
"Veronica," Ellen hissed. "What are you doing?"
She smiled. "Relax. I'm going easy on him. Go on, Bill."
Bill looked down at the growlithe, who was still snarling at him. He forced himself to his feet and fixed his eyes on the hat. Walking forward, he noticed that the growlithe wasn't moving, wasn't putting an obstacle between him and her. He almost called Veronica's task easy, if he wasn't so suspicious of it thanks to the officer's opinion of him.
Even with this in mind, he stooped down to reach for the hat. Before his fingers could get within an inch of its blue fabric, Growlithe lifted her head and spat out a ball of fire that hit Bill's shoulder. Although Bill could recognize it as Ember (and not a full Ember at that), he still felt searing pain radiate from where the ball struck him. Reeling back, he sucked in a breath through his teeth and covered his shoulder. Under his hand, he could feel his skin soften, and beneath that, it felt like his muscles and bones were on fire.
Of course, he thought. I'm a steel-type. I'm weak to fire. But I shouldn't be this weak.
"What's wrong, Bill?" Veronica asked, her eyes narrowing. "Afraid of a little fire?"
He glanced at her. "What? No! I..."
Setting his eyes back on Growlithe, he sighed. Then, he swept himself downward and swiped for the hat as quickly as he could.
He didn't notice the sparks in Growlithe's mouth until the Flamethrower hit him in the stomach.
Screaming, he flailed backwards and hit the ground with a bang. Closing his eyes, he tried to will away the burning sensation crawling across his torso. His fingers dug into the earth, ripping through clumps of dried grass. Only a couple of feet away, Growlithe opened her mouth again and released another stream of fire, this time using her tongue to twist it into a spiral headed straight for her target.
The next thing Bill felt was pain and heat. His eyes snapped open, and all around him, he saw orange light. Growlithe's fire twisted around him like a serpent, rising higher and higher until it obscured Bill completely in a towering inferno. Inside, Bill could only scream; even if the Fire Spin didn't bind him to the spot, his body refused to move thanks to the sheer amount of pain he was feeling. It felt like the fire had entered him and was cooking him from the inside out. Every nerve screamed, every muscle burned under his bubbling skin.
Over the roar of the fire surrounding him, he heard one other sound: a bark, a single loud bark that penetrated his brain. Right away, his bones felt chilled, and without thinking, he burst out of the fire cyclone and hit the ground just outside it. The fire dissipated shortly afterwards, and Bill was left shaking where he was on the ground.
In the ensuing silence, Veronica took her hat back from Growlithe and glanced towards Ellen's way. The nurse was staring at the blackened circle where the flaming tornado had been a second ago.
"Veronica," Ellen whispered. Then, shaking her head, she started forward. "Chansey! Quickly! Use Softboiled!"
Nodding, the happiness pokémon pulled her egg free from her pouch again. Raising it high in the air, she watched as it began to glow bright yellow. Just as it had not too long ago, the egg spat out a ball of yellow energy that floated gently towards Bill. It gently touched his half-melted skin and spread over his body, enveloping him in a yellow light. He felt the pain gradually recede, his skin reinforce itself and smooth itself out, and his energy come back to him until he was finally able to lift his head.
"I failed, didn't I?" he rasped.
"Like you wouldn't believe," Veronica replied.
"Hey!" Thom yelled. "What's the big idea, anyway?! I thought you said you were gonna go easy on him!"
"I did," she told him. "Compared to the ixodida, anyway. You keep babying him, and he won't be in any condition to fight. You've seen ixodida. They don't show any mercy when they battle. If he's not prepared to give it his all, then he's useless."
Bill sat up. He had nothing to say, but he knew Veronica was right. If he couldn't learn how to fight against any normal pokémon, how could he expect to protect anyone?
"Besides, we just got a radio message from the Caravan," Veronica continued. "They're staying at the Winstrate Estate right now, and they should be here within the next few days. If that thing isn't ready to prove to them that he'll be an asset to our side, then I'd hate to see what they'd do to him."
Instantly, Thom's eyebrows went up. "The Caravan? They're coming for us?"
"Of course they are. There's people here, and they don't abandon refugees for any reason."
"The Caravan?" Bill whispered as Thom went off on another list of questions.
Ellen nodded. "They're a band of strong trainers that travels all across Hoenn. They stop in places like Mauville to protect survivors and take them to safe places at the edges of the region. They've been through here once, but they couldn't take all of us then."
Bill turned to look at Ellen. For a long while, all he did was study her face, tuning out the conversation Thom and Veronica were having around them. Ellen's expression softened, and she gently grasped Bill's arm.
"Come on. We should get you back to the pokémon center. You've been hurt pretty badly, and Chansey's Softboiled can only do so much."
With some effort and her help, he rose to his feet. "Nurse Joy..."
She offered him a smile and whispered, "It's okay. Don't listen to her. There are people at the center who have already figured out a way to get the Caravan to take you with us."
He could only give her a confused look as she led him past Thom and Veronica.
More than a month between entries, and this one happens be rushed because...
*flailflailflail* HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILL.
Yes, folks, I am so creepy a fangirl, I celebrate the birthday of my favorite character by abusing him via fanfiction.
Also:
Spoiler:
I can't tell you how long I've waited to write this chapter. Seriously. I've had Lanette's entire scene written up in OpenOffice since the beginning of the rewrite. As in, yes, as soon as I started writing the entire reboot, I have had almost that exact scene in a side document.
And if you'd like a visual aid, I'd also like to say that her design was actually inspired by this image. As if you need anything else to convince yourselves she's going to be a badass.
So... yes. I have no idea if anyone's still reading, but enjoy the chapter (because I certainly did)!
Anima Ex Machina: Fourteen
I know your face.
"Damage report."
On the wall of a board room, a screen lit up. Black-and-white stills filled every inch of it, each one detailing a different shot. Some of them were of a group of people in lab coats crowding a nondescript hallway. Others were of two alien creatures – one standing upright and the other crouched in a fighting stance. Still others showed two different battles: one between the second alien and the army of scientists and the other between the remaining humans and a security force. The last few were photographs of a hole in the roof, the debris beneath it, scorch marks, and bodies – growlithe and people with their mouths forever open in dead screams.
Five individuals sat behind a long table. Each one of them looked roughly the same: pale skin, black suits, eyes fixed on the images in front of them. Most people involved with Project Stardust would never meet them, but these were the Committee, the five individuals who watched over every last activity within each of the government-sanctioned research institutions.
As such, they were hardly pleased to know what happened to Polaris Institute.
At one end of the long table, the man known as Fifth cleared his throat and began, "Our staffing procedures neglected to filter out several members from the organized crime syndicate known as Team Rocket. Their specific goals and the extent of their reach within Project Stardust remains unknown to our own officers, but it is absolutely clear to us now that they wish to acquire both forms of XP-650."
In the center seat of the table sat the head of the Committee itself, a man simply known as First. Frowning, First laced his fingers together and propped his elbows on the table.
"Are they aware of the threat XP-650 poses to humankind?" he asked.
"It seems," Fifth replied, "that they want to use it to their advantage. We have reason to believe that they were behind the creation of Adam, and we are almost certain they were responsible for Abel."
"I see. Is there anything we can do to prevent further activity from them?"
On the other end of the table, a woman, Fourth, spoke, "Investigations have been underway since Abel's creation. Team Rocket has hidden its operatives well within our ranks. Finding them and expelling them will take far too much time, and we have very little of that already."
Without turning his head, First slipped his gaze to Fourth. "Then, what would you propose we do?"
"Allow them to continue their own operations," Fourth proposed. "So long as they fail to escape our facilities, we could use their experiments for our own purposes. After all, while we cannot violate any of our own code of ethics, Team Rocket does not subscribe to the same. They can create the specimens we need to fully understand the XP-650 species."
First exhaled. He knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. After all, he could clearly see what kind of damages an ixodida could induce.
"Very well, then," he said. "We will allow Team Rocket to continue operations. Additionally, we will send teams to repair Polaris Institute and outfit the complex with security suited for containing XP-650. The next one to be created will not escape."
"Thank you, sir," Fourth replied.
"Yes." First turned his head to the woman sitting next to him. "Second, do you have the status of the indexed XP-650?"
Second reached forward to press a button on the table. Instantly, the stills disappeared, and in their place was the image of a young, pale woman in a chair.
"Stardust Project: Subject 001, Codename Pandora," she stated. "Operatives in Hoenn have spotted her flying above the meteorite crater near Fortree City known as Point Zero. She was heading east, presumably for Mt. Pyre. Due to the concentration of XP-650 in that particular area, we lost contact with her shortly thereafter."
Her fingers hit the button again. This time, the image that appeared was a black-and-white shot angled down towards part of the nondescript hallway. Standing close to one side of the photo was an armored ixodida. One of his hands was on his head while the other was braced against the wall. He looked forward with a concerned expression on his face; he didn't seem to notice the camera at all.
"Stardust Project: Subject 002, Codename Adam," Second continued. "Shortly after the attack on Polaris Institute, Adam vanished along with Abel. The last sighting of him was over one of the NDF's bases in Fallarbor Town. It has been reported that Abel was carrying him southward, presumably to the same point as Pandora. Unlike the other registered XP-650, this one seems to be what is known in their species as a rogue – an XP-650 capable of independent thought most resembling the host. Because of this, his retrieval is priority one. We have not been able to identify a true rogue throughout Project Stardust until Adam, and we need to understand how one is created more than anything else."
"Of course," First replied. "But continue. What of the others?"
Second pressed the button again. Another shot of the nondescript hallway appeared, this time with a spiky-skinned ixodida crouched in the center. Electricity arced off its skin, and its mouth hung open.
"Stardust Project: Subject 003, Codename Abel," she reported. "While Pandora and Adam are both monarchs, Abel is what is known as a drone. His behavior is violent and erratic, far more than even Pandora's; however, while Pandora was more dangerous because of her ability to be calculating, Adam was simply mindlessly destructive. He was responsible for the collateral damage to Polaris Institute as well as the deaths of a small portion of the security staff. His status, as far as we know, is the same as Adam's."
She hit the button one more time. This time, the screen blanked completely. Instead, a sound filled the room: the sound of a woman singing. At first, it was simply that, but as it continued, a low, almost demonic rumble began under her vocals.
"Stardust Project: Subject 004, Codename Lilith," Second continued. "Point Zero recently received this transmission from her. We currently have no further information concerning Lilith or who she is."
First leaned forward, and for a long time, he simply stared straight ahead. The others waited in complete silence; it was difficult to tell whether or not they were even breathing.
Then, he finally spoke.
"I see."
Second swallowed. "Sir? Your orders?"
"Notify the NDF of Lilith. Advise them to send forces to Point Zero," First replied. "She may be the one we will need to watch the most."
"Is that all, sir?"
Another silence lapsed between all five members of the Committee. First's hand slipped to a button in front of him, and as soon as he pressed it, the screen flared to life. A single image remained on it, that of the metal ixodida standing in the otherwise empty hallway.
"Codename Adam," First said. "A steel-type. Curious. We have no documentation of any other steel-types on this planet."
"Sir?" Second asked.
"Nothing," First replied. "Yes, Second, that will be all."
He pressed the button again, and instantly, the room plunged into darkness.
---
Early mornings in Mauville City typically involved a thick, chilled fog rolling in from the nearby river. Most residents knew this was a dangerous time to be outside. Human senses weren't adapted to fog, but the ixodida had no trouble traveling in those conditions. So, to the residents of Mauville, fog meant one could never tell if an ixodida was lurking just beyond what human eyes could see.
As a human's pokémon, Chansey knew this very well. She had to treat far too many careless trainers than she cared to count, and she knew that her kind was nothing more than prey to the ixodida. It was a great risk for her to be outside, but there she was, padding along the road with her small eyes looking from left to right. Her feathery ears twitched as she scanned the seemingly empty street.
Behind her, she heard a soft scratch, the slight sound of something scraping lightly against concrete. Turning, she was just in time to see a white glow swing backwards and form the shape of five glowing, sharp claws. She pulled her stubby arms over her head and crouched as the arm swung forward, but before it could strike her, her soft body compressed itself and shrank, melting into a smaller version of her natural form.
"GAH!"
Her attacker's arm flailed through the empty air above her head. The rest of his body followed, and before he could process what was happening, Bill tumbled head over heels into the road beyond his target.
When he came to a stop, he forced himself to sit up with a wince. His claws stopped glowing as his hand reached for his head.
"I should have seen that one coming," he mumbled to himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another white light. Looking up, he watched as an egg-shaped object rolled towards him and came to a stop right by his feet. It took another second for him to realize what a glowing egg meant.
A few feet away, Chansey watched with a small, triumphant smile on her face as her Egg Bomb exploded, sending dust and debris sky high. The egg itself sailed out of the cloud in a neat arc before Chansey reached up and caught it neatly. Shoving it back into her pouch, she glanced towards her opponent with a trill.
As soon as the dust cleared, she was surprised to find that he was still kneeling exactly where he was without so much as a dent on his body. His arms were crossed in front of his face, and a faint, blue aura surrounded him. Slowly, he lowered his arms as the light faded.
"I can't believe that actually worked," he said.
Neither can I, Adam quipped.
"I told you Iron Defense wouldn't be a worthless move."
I never said it would be. I was referring to the fact that your speed is abysmal.
Bill frowned. "You don't have to put it that critically."
Hm. Bill, behind you. The battle is far from over, and it appears our opponent has realized that.
Turning, Bill narrowly dodged the happiness pokémon as she barreled right at him. A streak of gold energy followed her pink body like the tail of a comet, and when she struck the pavement, the road indented beneath her, leaving cracks and a crater where she fell. Seconds later, she picked herself up, one of her paws clutching her side while she panted and stared at her opponent.
Double-Edge. A risky maneuver. She must be getting desperate, Adam commented.
"Not exactly," Bill whispered. "With Softboiled, she makes up for whatever health she loses."
A fair point. What do you plan to do now, knowing this?
"What I usually do in this sort of situation," Bill replied, a little too calmly. "Make things up as I go along."
For a second time, Chansey pushed off the ground with both feet and launched at her target with a burst of speed. A golden streak stretched behind her, and she braced herself for impact. As quickly as he could, Bill crouched, shielding his face again with his arms. The same, faint aura that he had produced not too long ago surrounded his body just before Chansey slammed directly into him. His armor took the blow, refusing to bend beneath her strike while his hands lashed out to grab her. Each of his fingers encircled the feathery appendages on either side of her head, stopping her right where she was.
"Got you!" he exclaimed.
Good job, Bill, Adam said. Now. How should we finish her?
"I've got just the thing."
Bill lifted his tail as it began to glow. He could feel the muscles in each segment tense against his metal skin until the appendage was stiff and heavy. In one quick motion, he let go of Chansey and spun around, swinging his tail in a circle around himself.
The challenge in mastering many steel-type moves, as Bill would shortly learn, was that every last one of them needed the user's utmost focus to use. Even a split second of hesitation would result in complete and utter failure.
For example, just before Bill's strike landed, part of him wavered. Would it be too forceful of a strike? Would it actually seriously hurt her? She had just used not one but two Double-Edge attacks, so she was already weak. These thoughts, as quickly as they came, were just enough to cause Bill's tail to relax just a little. It lost its glow a split second before it hit its target, and as a result, it smacked the side of Chansey's head with just that: a smack, not a blow.
Blinking, Bill looked over his shoulder as Chansey opened her eyes. The pink pokémon gave him a mischievous grin as her hands reached up to wrap around his tail. Bill bristled, straightening as every part of him tensed in anticipation for the inevitable ending strike.
Yanking him closer to her (which itself elicited a loud yelp from Bill), Chansey extended one paw and smacked him across the face repeatedly. Then, to add insult to injury, she seized his tail in both hands again. With strength Bill didn't even realize a chansey could possess, she jumped into the air, yanking him off the ground with her. Once airborne, she swung him in a complete circle beside her like a yo-yo and released him mid-swing to send him sailing towards the ground. Her Seismic Toss lasted only a few brief seconds, and at the end, Bill landed with a crack on the pavement. He didn't bother to stir after that.
Just the thing, Bill? Adam scoffed.
Bill didn't respond. He simply stared upwards at the gray sky. The fog was lifting, and the morning sun was filtering through the remaining wisps. Above him, Chansey's face – now a normal size for her species – appeared to give him a sympathetic glance.
"Chansey chan?" she muttered.
She pulled out her egg while it took on a yellow glow. Light from its surface bathed her former opponent, and he closed his eyes and relaxed. Gradually, his mind began to clear enough to let him think straight.
"I'll be all right," he said quietly. "Thank you for your concern."
After a few moments, he sat up and rubbed the back of his head. Chansey took a step back and stuffed her egg into its pouch again.
"Chansey chan chan-sey," she told him.
"You don't have to apologize," he replied. "It was better that you attacked me that vigorously. At least I learned Iron Defense this time around."
"Chan. Chan chan chansey chan. Chansey chan."
"Clear my mind when I use Iron Tail?" He shook his head. "Yes, but I can't help it. Every time I'm about to hit you, I can't stop myself from thinking I might hurt you."
"Chan," she replied sternly. "Chansey chan chansey."
"You're starting to sound like Officer Jenny," he muttered as he gave her an awkward look. "But you're right. If I'm going to help any of you, I need to stop letting myself be preoccupied with that." Glancing upwards at the sky, he squinted. "Perhaps, then, we should try one more time. I need to learn at least one steel-type attack before the Caravan arrives. Just give me a few minutes to rest, and we can begin."
Chansey reached up to pat him on the shoulder. She didn't say anything, opting to let her companion sit and breathe quietly until he felt well enough to stand. In the meantime, the fog slowly lifted, revealing buildings block by block until the street was almost clear. Right about then, the low hum of chatter began to filter from the pokémon center as the survivors of Mauville gathered in its lowest floor. Bill listened to this for awhile before he stood and flicked his tail. He needed to do this for them, and he knew that.
"Right," he said. "Are you ready?"
Before Chansey could respond, the two of them caught the sound of shoes against pavement and the bark of a manectric. Turning, they saw Thom and Ellen run towards them with Thom's manectric leading the way.
"Bill! Chansey!" Ellen called. "Oh, thank goodness! I've been looking all over the center for the two of you! Why would you come out in the fog?"
Straightening, Bill replied, "I'm terribly sorry. I should have asked to borrow Chansey this morning. She was helping me train."
Chansey nodded vigorously and chirped to confirm his explanation. Ellen glanced from her partner to the ixodida and back and frowned.
"I know you're new to this area, Bill, but it's extremely dangerous to go out when it's foggy," she said. "You never know if any hostile ixodida are out."
"Is that so?" Bill asked, his shoulders slumping slightly. He hadn't thought of the possibility, and already, he was feeling a little foolish for it.
"Never mind that!" Thom said excitedly. "How far did you get in your training? D'you think you'd be able to hold your own against Manectric?"
Turning a confused glance towards Thom, Bill replied, "Ah... Well, I mastered Slash and Scratch, and I learned Iron Defense. So, not very far, I suppose. But... why are you so excited about fighting me again?"
"Are you kidding?!" Thom exclaimed, leaning towards Bill. "I've got to do some training too! Just think of how many ixodida I'll be able to kick around once Manectric's all revved up for it!" Then, he paused and leaned back. "Uh, no offense or anything."
Bill shied away from Thom. "I'm... honestly not sure how I should be reacting to that."
"Seriously, Thom," Ellen whispered harshly.
"Oh come on!" Thom protested. "I'd really go easy on him this time! Honest! And it'd be for a good cause!" His voice lowered into a mumble. "And it's not like I was actually saying I'd kill him or anything."
Ellen opened her mouth to retaliate, but before she could, a green glow caught her eye. Gasping, she turned towards its source and stumbled out of the way.
"Wait!" she cried. "Look out!"
Thom, Manectric, and Chansey dove in opposite directions to get out of the way of the incoming beam. Bill, meanwhile, whirled around and stumbled backwards, just in time for the green and yellow beam to slam into the pavement where he had been standing a second ago. He stared with wide eyes at the crater it left behind a moment before he heard the sound of something thumping against the pavement. Lifting his gaze, he noticed a figure running directly at him. However, before he could get a good look at the newcomer, she swung at him with a long, metal object. Reflexively, he blocked the object – a crowbar, apparently – with his forearm, but this left his legs wide open for a boot to sweep his feet from under him. He slammed onto his back, and seconds later, the girl was sitting on his stomach, the crowbar pinning his chest to the ground.
"Run!" she screamed.
"What's the big idea?!" Thom exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Saving you!" the girl snapped. "Run before it breaks free!"
"He's not going to hurt you!" Ellen explained. "He's a friendly ixodida! He thinks just like a human! Just ask him!"
The girl turned back to her captive and glared coldly at his face. In the meantime, Bill lay where he was. He was stunned, but it wasn't because of the attack.
It was because he knew her.
From what he could tell, the woman had been through Hell. Her green dress was ripped halfway up its skirt, revealing legs bound tightly in thick leather boots. The bodice was bound with leather belts crossing her waist and chest, but judging by the knife sheathed on her hip and the poké balls clipped to one of the strips crossing her torso, they weren't for show. Her arms were bound by torn, green sleeves, but even though they covered most of her pale skin, Bill could see scars he knew she didn't have months ago. Even her face looked harder. Her red eyes glared icily at him from behind half-moon glasses, and her mouth formed a thin line as she pressed down on the crowbar a little more.
In the pause as she glared at him, her altaria descended, ruffling her cloud-like wings as she stood and waited for her mistress's next command.
"You have ten seconds to prove her right, or I'll order my altaria to end you right here," the woman drawled.
Ten seconds. In that time, Bill deliberated back and forth between whether or not he should reveal who he was to her. The newcomer was smart, though, and he had no doubt she would recognize him eventually. Besides, it would certainly make things easier for him to have an ally like her on his side. Yet, on the other hand, he didn't particularly want her to see his body the way it was – not her, of all people.
Fixing his jaw, he prepared to speak. If it would get her to trust him, the easier way won out.
"Hello, Lanette," he said.
Ellen stepped back and exchanged glances with Thom. Both of them recognized the name, and why wouldn't they? Lanette wasn't exactly a common name in that region, and the one that came to mind for the both of them had her name attached to the regional Storage and Retrieval System. Neither of them had any idea what she was doing there, looking like an amazon ripped from a dystopian comic book, let alone one with a crowbar pressed firmly against an ixodida's chest.
Lanette had no idea that they were staring at her in curiosity. After all, she was busy staring at the ixodida with her own sense of wide-eyed surprise.
She sat a little straighter. "How did you...?"
He opened his eyes and gave her a pleading look. "It's me. Bill."
The look of shock on her face immediately dissolved into a fierce glare again as she pressed down on the crowbar. "Who?"
"McKenzie," he choked as he squirmed under the pressure of the bar. "I'm your partner!"
"Liar!" she snapped. "The Bill I know is in Kanto. I don't know where you got that name, but--"
"It's true," Bill interrupted. "Lanette, there was... I was involved in an accident. It's a very long story, but the end result is, well..." He gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm here. And I'm stuck like this. Please believe me."
"Why should I?"
She pressed down a little harder. Bill coughed, feeling the pressure of her hold against the jewel in his chest. Adam stirred in his mind with a low growl.
Bill, do something, it hissed. If my core breaks, then we will both die. Therefore, if you allow her to continue, I will be forced kill her myself.
For a brief second, Bill paused to think about what Adam said. He didn't need to be told twice, especially when it concerned a friend. Resolving himself, he shifted just enough to let his tail slip out from under him. Lanette gasped, looking over her shoulder to watch the appendage rise, but before she could do anything to ward it off, it moved across her back and pushed her down to lie against him.
At the same time, the altaria screeched and reared back, opening her beak enough to let a greenish-yellow light form at the back of her throat. However, there, she stopped, waiting for something to happen. She knew she couldn't do anything without hitting her mistress, and her mistress was busy staring in bewilderment at the creature holding her close – particularly when nothing happened.
"As you can see, if I meant any harm to you, I would have done so already," Bill told her. "Besides..."
Tilting his head towards her, he whispered a password into her ear. She inhaled and pulled away to sit up on him again. He let her, watching her carefully as she stared at him with a startled expression.
"Bill," she whispered.
He nodded once. Lanette's lips parted, but she said nothing to him. Instead, she scrambled to her feet and took a few steps backwards. The crowbar rested at her side, much to Bill's relief. Taking pleasure in the lack of pressure, Bill sat up and kept his eyes on her.
"It's good to see you, Lanette," he said.
She turned away and began walking back the way she came. Her hand motioned for her dragon to follow her, and with a sweep of cloud-like wings, the altaria closed her beak and fluttered to her mistress's side. Still, Lanette was silent as she swung a leg over the altaria's back.
Bill blinked. That was what he would call an unexpected reaction. He scrambled to his feet and started after her, leaving Ellen and Thom behind and completely lost. Of course, he didn't notice; he was busy devoting his concentration to the fact that the only person he knew on this island before its quarantine was about to take off.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
Swiftly, she turned around and blocked his way with her crowbar. He stopped short, staring at the pointed end close to his chest.
"Stay away from me," she growled.
"What? Wait, Lanette!"
"You have no idea how much trouble you're in right now," she told him. "I've got to go back to the Caravan and notify them of you."
"The Cara--"
Bill darted in front of the altaria and placed his hands on the bird's neck. The dragon squawked indignantly and shook her head, trying to shrug the ixodida's hold off her shoulders. Ignoring this, Bill leaned towards Lanette.
"You're not talking about the band of refugees, are you?" he asked.
"Yes," she snapped. "Now get out of my way."
He shook his head. "Lanette, please. I want the people of Mauville to go with the Caravan."
"And they will."
"You don't understand. The people of Mauville want me to go with them."
Her eyes narrowed. "Out of the question. Get out of my way, Bill."
He transferred hands to the end of her crowbar and gripped it tightly. "Lanette, I can help you. Just convince the Caravan to take me with them, and I can help protect the Caravan wherever it goes. I have nowhere else to go anyway; I doubt I would be allowed back to Kanto looking like this."
"How long have you been in Hoenn?"
"Only a few days. Why?"
She huffed. "Allow me to teach you something I doubt you learned in Polaris Institute. You may be able to think like a human, but ixodida have a way of finding one another. If you travel with us, they'll sense you and come to us in droves to see why you're here. In other words, you'll be trouble for us just by existing. Now, for the last time, get out of my way, Bill. I don't want to hurt you."
He let go of her crowbar and let his arms drop to his sides. What she just said slowly sank into his skull. The ixodida could sense him. No matter where he went, they would know where he was. He was smart enough to realize this meant he'd be a danger to the Caravan, but the thought of being left behind to face masses of ixodida scared him, too. Lifting one of his hands, he stared at the claws. He didn't yet know how to fully defend himself, and he needed Lanette's help – or anyone's, for that matter – to understand what he was.
A gust of wind signaled that the altaria had taken off. Looking up, he reached out for Lanette before she or her bird could get far.
"Lanette!" he called.
She pulled on her pokémon's shoulders to get her to hover. When the dragon stopped, Lanette gazed at her former partner once again.
"What will the Caravan do once they know about me?" he asked.
"If you're lucky, they'll drive you into the wilderness and order you not to follow us."
"And if I'm not lucky?"
For a brief second, Bill saw a flash of a sympathetic look cross her face. A second later, it was gone, and Lanette kicked the sides of her bird. Far below, Bill shivered in response to her glance and watched her fly away.
When the quarantine came down on Hoenn, the Japanese government didn't count heads. It was too much in a rush, too preoccupied to realize that there were hundreds upon hundreds of people who never got off the island by the time the restrictions on the ferries and planes were announced. The people of Hoenn already knew about the threat of the ixodida, of the red parasites that traveled in waves to consume every pokémon in their path and of the humanoid beasts that slaughtered humans for no apparent reason. Some people even watched it happen with their own eyes. Once the news broke out within the region about the alien creatures, the public naturally panicked. Riots broke out in Slateport and Lilycove as citizens became desperate to leave the island as soon as possible. More people died in the rush than in the ixodida attacks, yet the increasing number of disappearances in the heart of Hoenn made the crushing crowds at its port cities preferable to waiting in the wild.
The Japanese government knew about the stampedes, but there was nothing they could do. Each city could only hold so many ferries, the airports could only field so many air crafts, and the military helicopters could only lift so many people out of the region. At the same time, the ixodida sightings steadily increased, and the military feared that they couldn't repel the alien swarms as quickly as they appeared.
They hadn't even thought of the quarantine for this reason. If everything was going exactly as they were in the months after the news broke out, the government would have simply continued and evacuation until the entire region was uninhabited. Instead, something else occurred that no one could have predicted, something that completely changed the game: the St. Lucia Incident.
Ferries from Slateport City carried Hoenn residents to two places besides interregional transport: Pacifidlog Town and Dewford Town. Besides Mossdeep, Ever Grande, and Sootopolis, those were the largest settlements outside of mainland Hoenn, so they were deemed safe areas by the government – safe havens where the region's citizens who had nowhere else to go could relocate until the military stabilized the mainland. However, only a few months after the evacuation began, one of the trainers, one who had traveled from Fortree after learning that his home had been annihilated, carried with him a seemingly innocuous backpack. Inside, it held the usual supplies for a trainer: food, water, his pokémon... and an ixodida parasite.
He wasn't aware that it was there, of course; he couldn't begin to guess when it might have crawled inside. Of course, he would never have time to guess. The parasite fed off his food supply without him knowing, and at the bottom of his pack, it laid eggs.
One could only come to the logical conclusion from this.
The ferry, known as the St. Lucia, went down in history the day that single trainer opened his backpack. A sea of parasites erupted from within it; he was the first to be infected. Thirty-seven other passengers fell victim, and the captain, a small portion of his crew, and several terrified civilians barricaded themselves in the control room. This small band of survivors lasted for two weeks on whatever supplies they shared between them while outside, an ixodida army began forming. The captain kept in contact with the military through the radio, and although he and the others could see part of the NDF's naval fleet outside their window by the third day, no help for them arrived.
At the end of the second week, as supplies gave out, as several of the survivors descended into insanity, and as the fully-formed ixodida began pounding on the doors, the remaining sane members of the tiny band said their goodbyes and asked the NDF for relief.
The St. Lucia took a torpedo to the side of her hull and sank a safe distance from Dewford Town. 400 civilians, twenty crew members, 387 infected, zero survivors. This single sinking was considered the worst maritime disaster in Hoenn's history, and the details surrounding it were instantly classified.
After the event, thereafter known as the St. Lucia Incident, the government realized that no ferry could be safe without vigorous security measures. For this reason, the quarantine fell. No one within the region could leave the island without being checked at the militarized Slateport or Lilycove. This meant days of quarantine as units checked every passenger thoroughly. Ferries were strictly organized, and everything going into and out of the region was categorized. There were still hundreds upon hundreds of people stranded in the heart of Hoenn, and the ability to leave was suddenly reserved for the very few.
That's why the Caravan began. In Rustboro, a group of survivors led by the former sailor known as Mr. Briney realized that no one official was about to help the last remnants of the region, so they gathered everything they could. Buses, trucks, cars – all filled with clothes, tents, medical supplies, and people who knew how to use them. Their goal: to collect as many survivors as possible, defend them from the ixodida invasion, and deliver them, if they met government standards, to any of the military bases around Hoenn. Some of them would be carried to safety. Others were assimilated into the Caravan's army to help defend the rapidly expanding mobile settlement.
They found Lanette Chastain not at Fallarbor Town, as she usually was before the quarantine. Rather, she was several miles to the east, closer to Fortree. With the Hoenn League virtually frozen at the height of the evacuation, Lanette's storage system was shut down, and most pokémon were distributed among Japan's other regional networks. Lanette herself was summoned with her sister, Brigette, to a place called Point Zero. Their mission: to investigate the strange pokémon that had appeared around the area.
Unfortunately, the Chastain sisters never made it.
Lanette never spoke about what happened west of Fortree during that time, and even months later, she couldn't recall how long she spent in the wilderness. Either way, the Caravan found her dehydrated, half-starved, delirious, alone, and covered in blood. Strangely, she wasn't infected.
It took her a week to recover physically, and once she was physically stable, she regained her sanity slowly but surely. Nonetheless, she never recovered from whatever happened those weeks ago. She was cold, distant, and most of all, intent on eradicating every ixodida she saw. The Caravan accepted her as part of its own military force, and she quickly climbed the loose ranks it developed until she became Briney's right-hand woman. Within the Caravan, they knew her as their strongest warrior and most brilliant adviser. Whatever she said, the others listened to her every word. Whatever she did, the others followed. They trusted her to protect them, and she never let them down.
That was why, when she landed at the Caravan's camp on the outskirts of Mauville, members of the Caravan immediately took notice of the expression on her face. She strode forward in the usual manner: straight-backed, head held high, a small frown on her lips. Yet, there was something else in her red eyes, a glint of an emotion no one had ever seen from her. Or perhaps it was the fact that her face was just a little paler than usual that tipped people off.
Whatever it was, as soon as she strode towards the center of the camp with Altaria in tow, a young, green-haired man looked up and started forward, his smile fading as he looked carefully at her expression.
"Vito," Lanette said firmly, "it's clean. Spread the word to have everyone pack and move out."
Her companion hesitated. She eyed him with a cold glance.
"Well?" she asked.
"Lanette, you..." Vito tilted his head. "What did you find?"
She bowed her head. Of course, she thought of Bill, the familiar face attached to an alien body. She had been thinking about it since the moment she left him standing on the streets. He thought like a human. That was the Bill she had always known. Yet, he was an ixodida. The rules were strict about his kind.
So, she would just have to deal with him herself. It would be cleaner that way. No fuss.
A hand wrapped around her wrist. She yanked her arm towards her chest and lashed her hand towards the neck of her would-be attacker. Vito instinctively tilted his chin back, allowing Lanette's fingers to brush his skin. The researcher stopped there, relaxing as soon as she realized who had just touched her. Her hand dropped to her side, and she turned her eyes away from the trainer. Vito watched her movements for a few seconds. Then, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't reciprocate, opting instead to leave her arms limp at her sides with her hands clenched into fists.
"Something's wrong in that city, isn't there?" Vito asked.
"Nothing dangerous," Lanette admitted. "There is a small colony of human and pokémon survivors located at the center of the city. The ones I was able to spot look ready to travel. We should have enough room on one of the buses for the majority of them, but the city is otherwise empty. If we need further supplies or transportation, we have a large selection."
"No ixodida?"
"No." Lanette's answer was quick and firm, even though her eyes narrowed a little at the lie.
Vito held her a little closer. "Lanette... you know if you need anything, you can tell me, right?"
Lanette's body went slack just a tiny bit. Her normally stiff and straight posture slouched slightly, and her fists loosened until her fingers dangled at her sides.
"Where is Hope?" she asked.
"Where she always is," Vito told her. "On the school bus. Julie's looking after her."
"Good," Lanette responded. "When we stop in Mauville, I want her to stay there. Have Julie watch her closely."
Vito pulled away from her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You know she doesn't get off the bus anyway. Why would you need anyone to keep an eye on her?"
"Just make sure it's done," Lanette replied.
She pulled away from Vito, keeping her eyes on the camp in front of her. Her hand rose in a small motion, and Altaria fluttered to her side. Vito lifted one of his own hands, intending on grabbing her shoulder one more time. Instead, Lanette cut him off before he could say a word.
"Now, notify the rest of the Caravan that we're moving," Lanette ordered. "We should arrive at the Mauville Pokémon Center before nightfall so the scavenger party can get to work safely."
Vito lowered his hand. Although he wanted to say something more, instead, his voice uttered two words softly, almost beyond his control.
"Yes, ma'am."
---
In the middle of a field just north of Slateport City, a black helicopter lifted off and rose quickly into the blue sky. The wind from its blades made the sea of grass dance violently, but the two people standing beside a black jeep nearby hardly felt phased. Neither of them moved until the helicopter was well out of sight, when the wind died down into a calm, warm breeze.
The older of the two was the first to pull her eyes away from the sky. She scoffed and turned, the hem of her silver long coat whipping around her legs so hard that the stiff material smacked the white leather of her boots. A brown bag slipped off her shoulder as she opened the door to the passenger side of the jeep and sat down. Her blonde companion looked towards her and watched her pull out a black laptop.
"What are you doing?" 009 asked.
"Getting to work," Professor Nettle replied.
She opened the laptop and waited for the screen to flare to life. As soon as it did, it revealed that she already had a program open: a map of Hoenn with a single red dot on its face. There was no other information save for a set of numbers in the top right-hand corner.
"We need to go to these coordinates," she said.
"Hold on," 009 snapped. "Just what is that, and why do we need to go there? Giovanni ordered us to capture an XP-650, not go sightseeing."
Nettle glared at her. "If you would get it through that simple mind of yours to wait, I would be happy to explain."
009 opened the door on the driver's side and slid onto the seat. Slamming the door behind her, she turned and waited for Nettle to say something.
"Well?" she asked. "What is it?"
Nettle smirked. "While you were busy attempting to order me around in Polaris Institute, I took the liberty of attaching a small tracking device to McKenzie during his transformation. No matter where he goes on this island, I'll know exactly where he is so long as the device is still transmitting. And because Giovanni explicitly told us to capture him..."
009 reeled back. Her hand slipped under her hat and pulled free the key to the jeep. As she pushed it into the ignition, she couldn't help but smile.
"For once, Professor Nettle, I have to compliment you on your genius. I suppose you have a plan for what to do once we find him?"
"Of course."
Nettle reached into her bag for a second object. 009 looked towards her just in time to be presented with an object the size of a ping-pong ball. With a click of a button on its face, Nettle expanded it to reveal a purple and silver poké ball. Two pink bubbles protruded out of its violet hemisphere, and a silver M was etched between them.
"You plan to capture him with a poké ball?" 009 muttered.
"Not just any ordinary poké ball," Nettle answered. "You wouldn't know what this is, would you? Allow me to enlighten you. The Silph Company has always been a close partner of the Pokémon Symposium. Our finest members have been employees of Silph, and Silph frequently designs tools for Symposium scientists. Several years ago, Silph sent the Symposium's top researchers these: special poké balls meant for only the most powerful pokémon. I've kept it since then to wait for the perfect opportunity to use it. I believe now would be that time."
She reached over to 009 and pulled one of the girl's wrists towards her with one hand. The other placed the ball in 009's palm. Once she was released, 009 pulled the ball close and examined it with scrutinizing eyes.
"Take this," Nettle said. "Your stealth and battling skills will enable you to use it on McKenzie when he least expects it. I would myself, but I doubt he would allow me to come anywhere near him."
009 moved her eyes to her partner. "I still don't get it. What's so special about this ball?"
"That," Nettle replied, "is the Master Ball. It has the ability to capture absolutely any pokémon without fail."
---
To the east of Mauville City, the warm breeze characteristic of Hoenn burst into a gust of cold wind. The water in the river that divided Hoenn neatly in half churned, and its blue surface rose into white peaks. Just beneath the waves, a magikarp swam lazily, its blank stare on the waves above it. Because of its own distraction, it didn't see the four carvanha darting out of the dark depths of the river.
The only warning it received was a flash of red and blue just at the edge of its peripheral vision, but by the time it twisted itself to look at its attackers, four pairs of jaws sank their teeth into its sides. It cried out and lashed its tail from side to side in the closest thing to an attack it knew, but in response to the Splash attack, the carvanha simply ripped away from the carp. At once, the magikarp stopped struggling and turned until it floated belly up on the surface of the water. Its gills pumped frantically as its mouth flapped, taking in gulps of water it didn't process. All around it, the river began to turn pinkish red from the spurts coming from the four deep wounds in its sides.
Each of the four carvanha swallowed its own mouthful and glanced at the rest of its group. They twitched their tails in preparation for another attack. The fish darted towards the magikarp, jaws open and ready for another bite.
Right before they sank their teeth into their prey, three pairs of claws lashed into the churning water to grab most of the school. The last one stopped just before striking. Its eyes focused on three blurry objects just above the surface as it backed away. Then, it turned and darted into the darkness, leaving both its hunting party and the dying magikarp behind.
Above the water, three white ixodida hovered. Snowy, bird-like wings extended from their backs and flapped at regular intervals to generate bursts of wind. Each gust played with the white feathers covering their bodies and the long, white hair that cascaded from their heads. Golden claws on their feet brushed the surface of the water, and the matching set on their fingers clutched the fish in their hands. Their tails, each ending in a blunt tip, wagged happily as they brought their catches to their mouths. The carvanha screeched and lashed as the harpies' lips parted to reveal long, sharp fangs. Then, before the fish could slip away, the bird-women bit down into their prey, fangs sinking deep into flesh.
Almost immediately, the fish fell silent and still.
The harpies ate in peace for awhile, consuming every last scrap of the fish – bones, rough scales, and everything else. After a few minutes, they paused as a new gust of wind blew over them. Their heads turned towards the sky to see another feathered ixodida stare steadily at them with a pair of black eyes. As he watched them, his long tail swung beneath him, its arrowhead tip cutting through thin air. Upon spotting him, each of the harpies dropped the remnants of their fish and bowed their heads low in respect.
"I have a task for you three," he said.
Craning his neck, he glanced towards the horizon. The three birds lifted their heads and turned to see the skyline of a city not far away.
"Within that human settlement, there is one of our own," the male told them. "I want the three of you to go there and find him. If he is a member of the Iron Clan, use any means necessary to bring him to me. Is that understood?"
The three harpies swiveled their heads towards him and screeched. Their wings extended, and with a flap, they ascended until they floated above him.
"Good," he said. "Go quickly before we lose him."
All three of them opened their mouths for a second screech as they twisted themselves in mid air. Before long, they shot towards the city, putting as much distance between their superior and themselves as possible.
Speaking generally, I really enjoy this story. It achieves what all of us older Pokemon fans want, bringing that usually happy fluffy little world of Pokemon into a mature setting. And boy does it work.
One thing that I particularly enjoy is that way in which you characterise people and creatures in your story and then develop them. Especially Bill, he's gone from being a member of the PokeVerse I barely thought of to someone I'm rather loving. xD And I love the irony of him actually being a pokemon now.
You managed to keep me gripped, not wanting chapters to end and getting excited when I see a new chapter up. I think it's just the brilliant plot executed with well written prose.
One thing I noticed however,
Before long, they shot towards the city, putting as much distance between their superior and themselves as possible.
Maybe I shouldn't advertise my fic in the fic updates thread. XD I seem to get reviews when I completely forget to do that.
Anyway, thanks for the review, Daydream! ♥ I'm glad to hear you enjoy the fic and that you're excited to see a new chapter. That seriously means a lot to me.
One thing that I particularly enjoy is that way in which you characterise people and creatures in your story and then develop them. Especially Bill, he's gone from being a member of the PokeVerse I barely thought of to someone I'm rather loving. xD And I love the irony of him actually being a pokemon now.
*le bow* And that I consider a mission accomplished right there. (Seriously, part of the reason why Bill ended up being a main character is because I wanted to take a shot at writing him completely in character for longer than a one-shot.)
Is the comma after "Before long" necessary? The next part doesn't seem like it's a subordinate clause and doesn't make much sense as one.
This is actually a really good question because comma rules tend to be a little bit hazy when it comes to that. The answer is it's actually an optional comma. Basically, the rule is that a comma can go after most types of introduction words, phrases, or entire clauses that come before the independent clause of a sentence. I say "most" here because that's where it starts getting a bit fuzzy. One-word introductions tend to have commas after them, and introductory clauses or phrases are required to have them if they're longer than four words. Any introduction phrase that's shorter than four words could have a comma after it, depending on the writer's own preference.
Myself? I just like putting the comma in because it serves as a nice separation between the independent clause and the introduction. Because I'm weird like that.
Thanks again for the review! I'm hoping to have the next chapter out soon, so hopefully by the end of this month, you'll see another update.
All right, I'm going to post my reviews here for this story now because you won't post them in your forum! XD Finally, able to get caught up after real life stuff brought to my attention, haha.
For chapter twelve, I should have known that Raikou was fake and Wattson is behind that. Also, love how the gym leader was very excited over the fight Bill did earlier. I can see him like that, haha. Pretty much in this chapter I love your portrayal of Thom . You have his quirks from the games and anime, but you also have put your own spin on him by expanding his personality.
Next part I really like Veronica's thoughts there over her not overly excited being a police officer. Oh, and yay for Bill willing to protect everyone! \O/
Onto Chapter Thirteen, I thought the backstory between Professor Oak and Bill's father quite nice and I like the conversation the two had. Shows a bit more of John.
Second part, interesting that Adam didn't know about Pokemon abilities, but too bad Bill lost. :P I felt sorry for him though after he got even more badly hurt by Jenny Growlithe.
All right, before I continue with saying my thoughts over Chapter 14, I want to just say:
A few feet away, Chansey watched with a small, triumphant smile on her face as her Egg Bomb exploded, sending dust and debris sky high. The egg itself sailed out of the cloud in a neat arc before Chansey reached up and caught it neatly. Shoving it back into her pouch, she glanced towards her opponent with a trill.
*coughs* Anyways, haha really love Chansey and Bill's battle. It's reasonable Bill didn't want to hurt Chansey very badly, but it's still funny he got owned by that Pokemon. :P Also, Chansey telling him to not chicken out is very cute. XD And woot, Lanette! Too bad their reunion didn't go smoothly. D:
For chapter fifteen, first off the St. Lucia incident sounds very intense. Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! >.> Lanette's backstory as to how she got to the Caravan and her interaction with Vito are very nice, though.
Again, love Domino and Nettle together there, but once more I have to complain over you not using Domino's name. XD; Maybe it's just me, but I thought '009' has been overused a bit and thought using Domino's name could add variety. You don't have to agree with me on this though as I don't want to sound like I'm forcing you to change the way you describe the Rocket agent, but I guess this is something you can think about.
Overall, things are really getting interesting now, so looking forward to the upcoming chapters!
I couldn't resist. ;D I mean, not only is it hilarious that Wattson likes scaring the crap out of people with fake Raikou, but I can't miss an opportunity to have Bill freak out about facing something his family told him would eat him show off his l33t researcher skeelz.
You have his quirks from the games and anime, but you also have put your own spin on him by expanding his personality.
Thank you, although I have to admit you give me too much credit. XD; Thom is Wattson's grandson, although there's a lot of Wattson in him. I'm not sure why I didn't just use Wattson himself, save for I figured a younger character might be easier for Bill to relate to.
Next part I really like Veronica's thoughts there over her not overly excited being a police officer. Oh, and yay for Bill willing to protect everyone! \O/
*le bow* I just hope I'll be able to do more with Veronica. I've been shafting her a lot lately... even though, y'know, she was a main character in the last version and all. o_x
Onto Chapter Thirteen, I thought the backstory between Professor Oak and Bill's father quite nice and I like the conversation the two had. Shows a bit more of John.
Thank you! I'm really starting to like John. He's such a jerk, but my headcanon's built up this really nice backstory for him that I hope I'll be able to get to later on down the line.
Second part, interesting that Adam didn't know about Pokemon abilities,
inorite? Chansey needs to be used as a battling Pokémon more often in fics. I checked out its movepool while doing some research for this chapter, and I was like, "Holy crap, it can learn that?!" And that is, in a nutshell, my reaction to Seismic Toss.
tl;dr, guys, Chansey and its evolutions are a bunch of badasses.
Also, Chansey telling him to not chicken out is very cute. XD
Thank you! It just sort of came out. I mean, I'm not usually that great at giving Pokémon characterization, so I'm really proud of that conversation right there.
And woot, Lanette! Too bad their reunion didn't go smoothly. D:
Thank you! I'm actually thinking of writing a one-shot side story for the events of the St. Lucia, just because I had fun coming up with it and all the little details surrounding it. Like it was some kinda zombie film combined with real-life disasters. And that made no sense, but the short of it is I need to stop reading Wikipedia.
Again, love Domino and Nettle together there, but once more I have to complain over you not using Domino's name. XD; Maybe it's just me, but I thought '009' has been overused a bit and thought using Domino's name could add variety.
You know, I have to agree with you about using 009 so often in this chapter. I'm just hesitating about using Domino in place of it because I'm not sure if that was her real name or if it was just a cover. On the other hand, I probably could still get away with it because most fans know her as Domino anyway, so... I'll definitely have to think about it there.
Overall, things are really getting interesting now, so looking forward to the upcoming chapters!
