As promised, here's chapter two! A few more characters are introduced but unfortunately, not much action. Enjoy!
Chapter Two: The Rebellion
The snow quickly turned into a heavy rain and the rooftops became a slippery slush. Still, the Lucario made elegant leaps and landings with Ezekiel on his back. He had considerably increased his speed since their escape from the temple as the police had arrived much faster than expected. As the duo slipped through the tall tower-like buildings that surrounded Arcanum, it was almost like they had entered a new continent. Outside the fast-paced city was a rural town that looked straight out of the middle-ages. The streets and sidewalks were made from a rough, gray rock and looked as if no one had worked on them since their creation. Pot holes— most likely caused by wild Pokemon rather than deterioration— littered the land. Unlike the main city, which glinted in the moonlight, the town rested in the shadow of the tall towers, as if being watched over by a higher force. The houses, which were sloppily put together with wood and bricks, all creaked in unison as the rain slammed on their roofs. But even in a slum like this, the Order (which is what the Sacred Seven called their organization) had its influences. In fact, they governed much of the entire region, but that was soon to change— very soon in the eyes of that rebellious Lucario.
"<This seems like a nice place to rest,>" stated the Lucario as he placed Ezekiel on the wet ground. The rain was washing away the blood spilled by the human, but the stench remained attached to the Pokemon. He wasn't too fond of the smell of human blood but figured he'd be seeing a lot of it soon.
****** Arcanum *****
Sirens could be heard from all corners of the city as police cars raced to the scene of the crime. Countless heads peeked from high windows as the vehicles sped by at an unprecedented speed. Radio and news broadcasts were urging citizens to stay indoors at all costs, unless they had something to lose.
The cars swarmed around the dome-shaped structure known as the Temple of Arceus. Both Pokemon and humans burst from the machines, all wearing a facial expression of terror and uncertainty. A team of Machoke was quickly assembled, and with their grayish, bulky mainframe, burst through the front doors of the temple like a swat team. Their human counterparts followed closely behind, guns gripped in their sweaty hands. The entire force scattered across the building, some staying to scope the first floor while others checked out the higher levels. As the investigation went on, a single man remained outside the doors of the temple. Unlike the officers, he wore a fine black suit and held an expensive looking umbrella just above his bald head. In his other hand was a jet black cell phone pressed firmly against his ear.
"So, how are things going down there?" questioned a male voice from the device in a calmness that could only be achieved by one who faced many years of hardship.
"Not too well, lord Peign. From what my officers are telling me, there was a break-in on the third floor," answered the bald man.
"The third floor? There's nothing but useless books up there!"
"Yes, my lord, but tonight there was something more. A man by the name of Ezekiel Orna was supposed to be here preparing your schedule for your visit. The window above his work station is the only one that is broken and we found traces of blood almost washed away with the rain water. Mr. Orna is nowhere to be found."
"Hmm... this is rather odd. Nonetheless, we can't allow this incident to interfere with my visit. Give the media a cover-up story; we can't let the world know the Order is subject to petty burglaries."
A smile suddenly appeared on the suited man's blank face. "Luckily, Mr. Orna saved his data on a disk that we now have in our possession. Unfortunately, his computer was too damaged from the falling glass and the heavy rain to check its contents. We'll have a professional finish what he started as we search for him."
"Excellent work, my boy. I was right to appoint you as head of the police force. Well, duties call, but feel free to update me on any new findings." With that, the elderly male voice was replaced by a dial tone. And it just so happens that at that exact moment, a police officer frantically burst through the doors of the temple. His long, slender legs took giant leaps as he ran toward the bald man. By the time he reached his destination, he was drenched all over and panting madly.
"Sergeant, you've got to have a look at this!" shouted the officer, but his voice was still overpowered by the monstrous storm. He quickly ducked under the umbrella— accidentally wetting the sergeant's suit— and held up a transparent zip-lock bag. Incased in it was what looked like a small patch of blue fur mixed with some blood.
"Calm down!" ordered the sergeant with an annoyance in his voice.
"S-sorry sir, but look what we found. It fell from the window and right into my hand!" the cop exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"Hmm... this is interesting," whispered the sergeant as he held the bag close to his face. "This is definitely not from a human and according to my research, Mr. Orna's hair is not blue. Get this to the forensics lab immediately; our culprit will be found out soon enough."
With a barely noticeable nod and a small grin, the officer left his sergeant's presence and ran over to a large, white van. The sergeant finally moved away from his black car and walked along the end of the dome-shaped building. He stopped just under the broken window where Lucario had kidnapped Ezekiel only hours before.
"I'm sure this is the doing of those damn rebels. I'll see to it that they are punished without mercy."
**********
Ezekiel's eyelids slowly opened for the first time in hours. Almost immediately, an unbearable pain surged throughout his entire body, bringing tears to his eyes. After taking a moment or two to dismiss the throbbing, he tried to examine his surroundings. Whether it be that his eyesight was hindered by the collection of tears, the absence of his glasses, or that the room had little to no light, Ezekiel couldn't see a thing. But he still had a sense of direction and knew for a fact that he was facing the ceiling.
I'm on a bed, he finally realized before trying to sit up. Without warning, another ache shot through his body, and he was painfully reminded of his injured back. However, there was something odd about the sting. It wasn't nearly as bad as it was when he first got hurt and Ezekiel could feel bandages wrapped around his torso.
"Where the hell am I?" he said aloud, rubbing his head. Suddenly, footsteps could be heard in the distance and a door swung open. Light flooded the dark room, illuminating it enough for Ezekiel to notice that he was nowhere special. All four walls were made of stone and at the doorway stood two figures, one of which he recognized instantly. It wore no cloak this time and exposed its beige fur. The being next to it was considerably shorter and was supporting itself with a cane. Even so, it was the one that approached Ezekiel until it was at his bedside. The young man was frozen in terror as a warm hand grabbed his skull forward and the other brought something closer to his face. And so it was an immense surprise when the hand pulled away and Ezekiel opened his eyes to see a new pair of glasses granting him his vision back.
"If my information is correct, that should be the correct prescription for your glasses," stated a raspy voice. Ezekiel looked into the face of man whose white beard and bald head showed that he was at least in his sixties. He wore a cloak similar to the Lucario's from the shoulder down. In Ezekiel's silence, the Lucario moved forward and joined the two humans.
"<Be thankful that you are alive. If it was up to me, you would have been dumped in the sewers.>" The Lucario refrained from using telepathy that time and spoke the words in the language of the Pokemon. Ever since "The Great Plague" (as it was called) humans and Pokemon were forced to have a much closer relationship. The rewarding skill of understanding Pokespeech that most Pokemon trainers possessed was no longer attributed to that profession. Now generations later, the skill was basically programmed in the DNA of all humans. But understanding the Pokemon's comment didn't help to bring an end to Ezekiel's silence, and instead caused him to back up a bit.
The old man shot an irritated glare at the Pokemon and turned back to Ezekiel with a smile. "Please, excuse Lupe's behavior, he has his own problems with humanity, especially those who work for the Order." Amazingly, at the sound of his hoarse voice, Lupe relaxed his face.
"Where am I?" Ezekiel managed to mutter as he tried to sit upright.
"The rebel hideout," answered the elderly man bluntly. The jaw of the younger human literally dropped at the reply. The rebels had most of their influence in the Johto region, where there was great conflict with the Order. Their hideout was always expected to be in heart of Johto, around Goldenrod, and even though Arcanum stood between the two regions, it would be quite the feat to get him that far in such a short amount of time. The only explanation that occurred to him was that the hideout was much closer to Arcanum than anyone could have suspected.
"What do you want from me? The last thing that Lucario said was that I was to be killed."
"Ah, yes, he has a tendency to stray from his main objective. No, Mr. Orna, I can assure you that you will live. That is, as long as you cooperate with us." For some reason, maybe it was the calmness of this man's voice, Ezekiel felt like he could trust him. However, there were still some things that he just needed to know.
"How do you know so much about me? And why did you need that information?"
Lupe jumped at the question and decided to answer, "<Ivan here ordered a few of us to keep an eye on you, and for some time we have. You are a necessity to our plans. And you will soon find out why we needed that information.>"
What the hell is a Pokemon doing siding with the rebels? Do they oppose their own gods? Ezekiel thought, not paying much attention to the Lucario's answer.
"I thought the rebel group was trying to liberate Johto from the influence of the Sacred Seven and from what I can tell, you guys are winning the battle. Now what are you planning?"
"The rebels are not as unified as you might have thought. The majority of us wish to get Johto under our control, but others like Lupe don't think that's enough. They want to liberate the entire world and—."
"— and they'll do it by killing the Sacred Seven. What's wrong with you people!? Those seven priests saved humankind from complete eradication and this is how you thank them?"
Lupe's crimson eyes dimmed an even deeper red as he listened to Ezekiel's outburst. Ivan must have noticed this as he tapped the Lucario on the shoulder and led him out the room.
"If you value your life, watch what you say around that one. He is extremely passionate about his cause, albeit I doubt it can be accomplished. He insists on doing things his own way, and if I had ordered anyone else for your capture, I'm sure you'd be in much less pain," Ivan said with a faint smile and Ezekiel's state of mind was beginning to fall apart.
This has got to be a nightmare. I'm just a normal commuter who works for the Order, and even though I have a closer relationship with the Sacred Seven, it's not as important as one of their personal guards. And now this guy is casually talking to me as if we were old friends!
"I bet by now you're wondering why you're so important to our— or at least Lupe's— goal. In truth, you're the only one on the inside willing to join our cause."
"Join? The rebels!? You're out of your mind, old man! I work for and follow the Order! They are the ones who brought peace to this world!"
Ivan's eyes drifted from left to right as his younger counterpart spoke. With a heavy sigh, he slowly walked over to Ezekiel's side with a hand digging through his cloak. Expecting a weapon to be revealed, the young man was fairly confused when Ivan pulled out a yellow envelope. A deep frown had replaced his usual smile as he handed it to Ezekiel.
"Peace, you say? Yes, from where you're coming from you can call it that. But what they don't tell you is how they enforce that peace. Anyone who speaks against them is an enemy to their empire and must be dealt with. That envelope describes how they dealt with your father," said the geezer rather coldly.
His words hit Ezekiel like a freight train as he began to catch on to what Ivan was implying and ripped the envelope open.
They told me he died in a car accident! His mind was racing as to what this document could possibly hold. He nearly jumped off the bed as he read the trop of the document:
The Assassination of Milus Orna. Right in front of him was the plan to kill his own father and at the bottom was a very familiar signature: H. Peign.
Ezekiel had seen that signature so many times that he could tell a fake from an authentic one, and this was definitely real. The bewildered man quickly read over the document, stopping at phrases like "rebellious leader" and "a menace to all we believe in." He must have read the entire thing three times before he finally came to reality. The Order of which he praised and glorified nearly every single day of his life sentenced his father to death.
"Your father worked in the Johto region, so it was easy for them to cover up the story. The photos you received were fakes; there are copies in that envelope." Ezekiel dared not look in the envelope, as he no longer doubted Ivan. Ideas popped in and out of his head, ideas that the Order made sure none of its true followers even pondered. Contradictions and paradoxes arose in his mind and he began to feel light headed. For the first time in his life, he couldn't tell which side were the good guys.
"I know this is a lot for you to take in, so I'll leave you alone. When you are ready, ask anyone for Ivan and I'm sure someone will show you the way to my room. If you still side with the Order, we'll find a way to get you out of here without letting our see our exact locations, so think hard." Without anything more to say, Ivan left Ezekiel to contemplate.
**********
Ezekiel had decided the best way to clear his mind was to get some rest, and was just waking up from his sleep. Truth be told, he knew which side for once he saw the evidence, but the entire ordeal had left him weary.
That Lucario— Lupe— he's right. This Order problem will never truly be solved unless the head is taken out. I'll do whatever I can to make those bastards pay!
Obviously forgetting about his injuries, Ezekiel jumped out of the bed, only to fall back to the ground in an overwhelming pain. He quickly made a note not to try that again. Someone from the outside must have heard the loud thump he made and the door creaked. There stood Lupe, bathed in the light from outside. The Lucario looked at the human with emotionless eyes, and if Ezekiel wasn't mistaken, a bit of hate.
"I apologize for earli—."
"<Get up and follow me,>" he ordered with a glare. Whether or not he noticed Ezekiel was hurt, it was apparent he had no intent on helping him. With whatever strength he had left in him, Ezekiel forced himself to get up and stand straight. As soon as he got to his feet he tilted over again and his face slammed into the cold, stone wall.
"<All you humans are useless,>" Lupe grunted as he walked over to Ezekiel. He ruthlessly swung the human's arm over his neck, ignoring his wounds. The two slowly walked out of the room, into a hallway constructed of the same cold, gray stone. Aside from the wooden door on the other side of the hallway, no features stood out in the plain setting.
"You call this a hideout? How do you accomplish anything is such a small place?"
"<Heh, you haven't seen anything yet,>" said Lupe with a smirk. As they got closer to the other door, noises from the other side could be heard. It got louder and louder until finally, Lupe reached out, turned the knob, and pushed it open.
"Wow."
That was all Ezekiel could manage as he feasted on the sight before him. Hundreds of beings— a mixture of Pokemon and humans— swarmed around an immensely large chamber. The usual stone walls were covered by colorful drapes and murals of absolute beauty. It resembled an oversized bar as rows of tables and chairs were set up, and Pokemon and humans laughed and joked as if belonging to one species. At first glance, it looked like uncivilized chaos. But living in the shadow of the Order could cloud anyone's judgment, including Ezekiel's. No, this wasn't chaos. This was true peace.
"Ho-how have you been keeping this a secret?" Ezekiel stammered, still stunned by what was just revealed to him.
"<We're underground, just west of Arcanum,>" answered a feminine voice before Lupe had a chance. Ezekiel quickly looked over his head at the sound of another Pokemon. There stood a creature no taller than his waist with skin as black as night. A red, fan-like appendage jutted out from her head and it leaned over her forehead like bangs. She held her clawed hands behind her back and fashioned a childish grin on her face. If Ezekiel didn't know any better, this Weavile was trying to act human.
"<Lucy, what are you doing here?>" Lupe asked softly. Ezekiel would have been surprised by the casual talk if it wasn't for the fact that Lupe had previously told him that he'd die at the hands of someone named Lucy. To his satisfaction, the Weavile barely noticed his presence.
"<I want a word with you! You went on
another mission without me!>"
"<I told you already, I work better alone. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have an appointment with Ivan.>" Before the Weavile could even make another remark, Lupe quickly spun around and led Ezekiel through the dense crowd. All conversations seemed to stop as the two walked by, and countless eyes watched as they approached a pair of doors covered in red paint. Ezekiel noticed the Weavile was silently following them, but didn't bother to bring it up at the risk of upsetting Lupe.
"Come in," called Ivan's voice before they even reached the door. After taking a short breather, the two— three if you counted Lucy— entered the room and the eerie silence immediately ended. This room, although nearly the same size as the one Ezekiel was put in, was much different from the others. Newspaper articles and various pictures covered the walls, only leaving room for two large light bulbs to dangle. In the middle was Ivan, seated at a desk facing a black laptop. The only other thing on the desk was a stack of CDs, some of which Ezekiel immediately recognized.
"Have you come to a decision?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the screen.
"Ye-yeah, I have. I don't want anything to do with the Order, and the only thing that really tied me down to Arcanum was my job, but I'm guessing you already knew that, right?"
"You seem to be catching on, and we're glad to have you on the team. I'm sure you've seen the life style of us rebels, but it's nothing compared to that of those at the Johto base. Would you rather I transfer you there, to avenge your father and all?"
Transfer, Ezekiel thought to himself while letting out a small chuckle.
These guys really take this rebellion thing seriously. With a slight push, he released himself from Lupe's grip and staggered closer to Ivan's desk. "No, I want to help with Lupe's cause. Liberating Johto isn't enough; we need to bring the entire world to light."
"Courageous words spoken for a new recruit, but you're very predictable. I've already created a file for you in the database, and your room will be tidied to your liking. I used to be the researcher for Lupe but in truth, I support the rebels fighting for Johto. So from this point on, you will be his new researcher," Ivan instructed before shooting a warning glare at Lupe, whom of which was probably about to make an objection.
"Thank you," Ezekiel said in a daze, amazed at how organized the rebellion was. These past few hours had brought a lot of "firsts" in his life, and the newest one was that he saw a group that could actually oppose the Order's power.
"Don't thank me just yet," Ivan said, picking up a stack of the CDs on his desk. "You've already failed your first mission; none of these CDs hold the schedule for Peign's visit. I did a little research and it seems it's been taken to the police department. But that's not the worst of it. Lupe, let me see your leg."
"<Excuse me?>"
"<Just do it!>" Lucy ordered, pushing the Lucario forward. Ivan stepped out of his seat and pointed at Lupe's left shin. To the Lucario's surprise, there was a rather large patch of fur missing.
"Soon they'll know a Lucario was involved, and there aren't that many around Arcanum. Lupe, I want you to go to the police department as soon as possible and get that CD. And I want Lucy to join you, to make sure you don't do anything rash again."
Ezekiel looked at Lupe, expecting some sort of outburst, but the Pokemon simply nodded and turned around. Lucy, on the other hand, eyed Ezekiel suspiciously. Those deeps blue orbs appeared to battling with his green one and the two feverishly tried to understand what was going on in the other's head. Finally, Lucy averted her eyes and focused them on Ivan.
"<I hope you know what you're doing,>" she said before following Lupe out the door.
"Will they be okay?" Ezekiel asked worriedly as he turned to face Ivan.
"Don't worry, his methods may be brash, but Lupe has yet to disappointment me. It's his ambition that makes me wonder if his cause is truly the only solution."
***** End of Chapter Two *****
