Genesis

[Enperuto]

Genesis [Chapter Nine: City Song]

Now and Forever

Genesis

~Walking forward into twilight~​

Hello, I'm sort of new here. I had an account a year ago, but I forgot the password and since my email has changed. Thus, this is me, but a different name. Enjoy.

Rating: Max PG to PG-13.

A/N: I will post every Friday, hopefully.

PART ONE | DAWN​

CHAPTER ONE
BREAKOUT​

Imagine a fortress in the ancient kingdom of Ireland, ramparts looking out on a hostile ice-filled valley. Pokémon circle about the small citadel, and a child stares out at them longingly. He has had but one venture out of the little city-castle, and since has never left. That child, metaphorically, was me until, well… two minutes ago.

Never before had I remembered feeling such a sensation as I stepped out from the lush, rigid hedge running in a diamond shape running around my parents' estate. Parents, only in a legal sense, I constantly reminded myself. Nothing was worse. Six days before, as a 'special gift for passing your ASJAs', I had learned from them the horrid truth. I was too jarred to think about it still, and even now, so long ago that it was, I haven't fully accepted it. And then just after that, they gave me a pokémon, or rather its type, that has haunted my dreams for four years. A Charolt.

Pushing those thoughts aside I walked away from the rigid line of green, fading into clusters of black hidden in between patches of iridescent green. The forest I knew well, and as I walked through it that last time for the summer, I smiled as memories cascaded past my conscience. Fond memories, if some were a bit too sinful to relish… Nonetheless, sinful or sinless, I would never have such memories again. I looked out from the forest, turning back to the manor, my blue eyes catching a glimpse of the burgundy-shingled roof, the highest precipice in the center. Within this tower sat the planetarium, proudly looking up into the heavens and northward over Rio Grande Ridge to the great metropolis below. There were men on Lune, and Mars, and I guess the UN Spacy is thinking of sending a trip out to Alpha Centauri. Often, especially when I was younger, I would sit up there by myself with hot cocoa, dreaming of all the sagas and legacies the stars had seen across their great expanse. Now, though… I would not have such chances again for a long time.

It was to this city I now walked, picking my way through the thickening brush. Thorns tore at my jeans, and my legs did not appreciate the touch of their jagged points. Nonetheless, I moved forward, falling into a trance of sorts. Upon my back, the dull red pack jangled back and forth, contents tightly packed yet nonetheless providing a cacophony of sounds. Leaves crunched between rugged shoe and ancient loam filled the forest, blending with the sounds of birds above and smaller mammals hidden in nooks and crannies of trees.

To this symphony was added the dull ring of my navi. I quickly flipped open the Westwood Royal Systems model and smiled as the sixteen digit code flashed across the main holoscreen. Kody's face lit up the monochromatic projector and I met Kody's smile with an energetic grin. "Hey Kody," I said, smiling at his friendly smile and intently interested eyes.

"Connor, you out?" He asked quickly. For nearly half and hour I had been free, and his statement brought me back to my circumstances. "Yes, I'm out of the manor, and on my way to the route head. But we aren't close to being entirely free of them."

"Amen to that," Kody seconded. Unlike my family, his chose to attend the Anglican Church of Greater Rio Grande instead of just dropping five-thousand hakks into the mail for them each month as my parents did.

"Whatever," I said with a smile. "Anyway, meet at the top of the hour?"

"Certainly, Connor. If you can make it, that is."

"I can. You know it." He nodded, and we both recalled well April 20th, 2012 and the fateful release of Fourth Halo to the theater by the city hall. We had sneaked out spy-style and had managed to make record time to the theater.

"Alright. The top of the hour, then. Oh, Heather is coming with us, right?"

"I guess," I said reluctantly. I didn't like talking about her. She irked me.

"You going to get her, it'll make us late!"

"You can," I said with a smirk. That was nearly as bad as me doing it. Heather shared the exact opposite feelings I had for her. That was a deadly combination.

"No way, Connor. I'm not doing that. Tell me to get you a Charizard from the mart half price, a Blastoise from Tom's shop on 7th with the five finger discount, I'll do it in a flash. But I won't do that."

"You owe me," I replied happily. We jousted like this all the time, throwing words back and forth just for the fun of it. "Remembering two weeks ago – finals?"

"You did save my skin, aye? Alright, but if I looked at it hard enough, I probably have one up you at least. Let's see… Christmas Party, that Independence Day tourney… when you and David 'boxed', and-"

"-and Redwood doesn't, doesn't count at all."

"Amen to that," Kody replied, his eyes shifting uneasily away from me on the holoscreen. The events that had unfolded that day scarred me then as much as being adopted does still now. "I'll do it. I've gathered what you needed me to get, unless that battle on Reach last night distracted you and you forgot something"

"It didn't. After all, those Floridians don't know squat about a good blaster and a good ole' Master Chief Petty Officer."

"Whatever," Kody said.

"Alright then. At three!"

"See you, Connor."

"In a few, Kode." I flipped off the navi and picked my way at a quicker pace through the forest. Thorns tugged at my jeans, and I let them have me, but was quick enough that it didn't matter.

I broke out into a light jog as soon as the forest ended, descending from the ridge above Rio Grande along a path I knew well. I had made it in twenty minutes two years back, but that was still during basketball AND baseball. This year I had only done one, and so the results were telling.

I panted heavily as I finally ended the abrupt descent and stopped for a few minutes to catch my breath. After that, I was off again along the bottom of the ridge toward the beginning of Route 0023-A, shielding my eyes from the sun now cresting its path and descending back towards the west horizon, the way I was headed.

==================================​

The sun shown brightly in Viridian Forest, Kanto. Giovanni Cristos II noted that silently as he looked out from his headquarters, fingering a pokéball. For too long had he been silent as his organization worked like clockwork around him, ticking away. His agents silently garnered a large portion of the funds from Leaf Creek Game Corner Casino with little notice from citizen or ruffian. The same occurred to the south and west in the island province of Hoenn, where agents disguised in blue slipped yen by yen out of the Aqua treasury and into the hands of waiting smugglers. Yes, Giovanni had set the gears within his clock well and their yield had been great.

Unfortunately, that clockwork had to be rewound every once in a while. This, also quite unfortunately, was one of those times. To the north, in Auni, just south of the Rocket stronghold of Sinnoh, the agents had joined up with Nebula and that cursed George Hackley.

It wasn't like Nebula was even worth supporting. As of now, his spies knew from sources in Team Angel and Team Nebula that the former major player in the Alliance War thirty years back had shriveled up quickly and now consisted of less than fifty operating cells.

And then to this consideration the leader must be added. Giovanni II had never liked George. It wasn't even from the three generation rivalry that had traversed the globe with his father's arrival to Japan from Italy and Giovanni Hackley's eager pursuit. It was quite ironic that Giovanni Hackley and Giovanni Cristos shared the same name, for they were so different. The husband of the famed Madam Victoria Bos had managed to garner quite a reputation in the underworld of Japanese yakuza, Italian and American mafia, and even the motorcycle gangs of Sevii Islands, Australia, and Canada. Nonetheless, his untimely death by the left hand man of Giovanni Hackley had left a hole in the rigid organization and caused the split of the Japanese Mafia. Cristos men preferred order and obedience; they wallowed in the begging of the lesser men and in doing so subjugated them to submission. The Hackleys, meanwhile, worked away silently and under the radar of purely evil gang and perfectly benign international organization alike. When the time was right, and only then, did they strike. The results were unexpected and deadly. Giovanni Cristos II knew this well and thus had prepared well for this reorganization of Rocket.

Giovanni's plan had began in earnest twelve years ago when in his personal journal he wrote the following: "In the event that Nebula instigates a revolution in the Rocket chain of order, a New Order will be formed to combat such an instigation and immediately reveal the instigator(s) and possible turncoats." His plan had since evolved drastically, and now as he needed it, he pulled it from memory to suit the circumstances.

"So it ends, Andrew. Your service has indeed been great, but now you die!" Giovanni stated arrogantly. He raised the pokéball and silently opened it. Red light flooded the sturdy platform the hovered softly above the forest, yellow sunlight interjecting into the fray. Giovanni lowered his hand to his pocket and withdrew a gun, cocking it, just in case.

The red light of Giovanni's pokéball revealed a cream lion, red jewel embedded in his skull. Light shot out through the jewel as the Persian searched the platform with loyal red eyes.

"I won't fall to you, Giovanni. You've taught me too much to do that. Dragonite." Andrew raised his pokéball and released an orange dragon. The behemoth soared upward with a roar, small, agile blue-green wings fluttering quickly. The Dragonite lowered his head, antennae bobbing and flickering with an electrical pulse.

"You have made your last mistake." Giovanni exclaimed a string of commands to his Persian and launched into the fray of the battle.

----------------------------------------------

Yes, I realize that the chapters are somewhat short, but they will all be over 1.5 thousand words. Anyway, I'll be posting a chapter a week mostly. Feel free to drop a review!

 

[Astinus]

Okay, so you definitely have a hook to keep readers interested. I want to know how, when, if Connor and Giovanni are going to meet up and what will happen. So I'll be coming back to check this!

A problem that I saw with your grammar was repition. You use the same word twice in many sentences, and it just sounds awkward. Like:

Never before had I remembered feeling such a sensation as I stepped out from the lush, rigid hedge running in a diamond shape running around my parents' estate.

It's bad to do so, as it weakens the word used. Sometimes, with writing, you just want to open up that thesarus and find other words to use.

Personally, I feel that you loaded a lot of information into the first chapter. It was a lot for me to remember at once. So if this information is important later on, I know that I would like a reminder of it.

Other than those things, it's good. I'll be coming back to continue reading.

 

[Enperuto]

Okay, so you definitely have a hook to keep readers interested. I want to know how, when, if Connor and Giovanni are going to meet up and what will happen. So I'll be coming back to check this!

I'm glad you're hooked. That was one of my intentions.

A problem that I saw with your grammar was repition. You use the same word twice in many sentences, and it just sounds awkward. Like:

I think that might be a typo, maybe... You know, thinking too slow for my words and going back a few words. Or its just my mistake.

Personally, I feel that you loaded a lot of information into the first chapter. It was a lot for me to remember at once. So if this information is important later on, I know that I would like a reminder of it.

There definitely will be a reminder of it, at least the important stuff.

Other than those things, it's good. I'll be coming back to continue reading.

Thanks for reading, Hanako, and reviewing. I really appreciate it.

Here's the next chapter:

 

[Enperuto]

CHAPTER TWO
ESCAPE​

I walked silently through the woods, picking my way through the underbrush. I looked down urgently at my watch, and scrambled forward at a quicker pace because of it. Already it was ten after, and already we should have been a half mile out on the route.

It seemed the forest had thickened since the release of Fourth Halo. I sighed as I finally came out of a thicket where the trail had ended into a small clearing with a thin trail jotting off to the west. I followed along it quickly, almost breaking out into a run.

My navi rang. I flipped it open. "Connor here."

"Connor, what's keeping you?" Kody asked impatiently.

"Kody, it's just a bit of thorny paths and such. I'm almost to Richmond Avenue. If I don't show up by three thirty, go forward and I'll catch up."

"Connor, we're already on the route." The warm voice cascaded into my ears. Despite Kody's face still appearing on the holoscreen, I knew for a fact that Heather had spoken.

"What the-"

"Don't get angry, man. We had to. Heather here has the same problem you do, and seeing that they're somewhat closer to the route head than your parents are and a lot less occupied, we did this for the good of all three of us."

"Dang it." I lowered my navi angrily and walked forward at a quicker pace, still holding firmly onto the beige mini-computer. "Alright then, I'll be along asap."

"And then we'll all be free of this stupid deal and on our journey…"

"Amen to that." Oh great, now I was talking like Kody too…

I flipped shut the navi and slid it back onto my belt. I fastened more tightly the strings of my backpack and broke out into a brisk run. I shot past protruding bushes and even a thorn bush without a second glance. It was only at a low-hanging tree branch that I had to slow. I ducked under it, my six foot five frame nonetheless grazing the smooth, paper-like birch.

Finally I caught sight of Westside Park and slowed to a brisk walk as I entered the small playground and crossed it to the final trek to Route 0023-A.

==================================​

Giovanni eyed Andrew Banks vehemently. The Sinnoan returned the favor. He glanced down at his watch, amazed the Galaxy sympathizer had lasted this long. Apparently he had underestimated the regional administrators ability, and perhaps he shouldn't have set his face in stone.

Giovanni shook his head firmly. There hadn't been a choice. A house divided against itself could not stand, King George XXIX had once said. And so as the proverb applied to the British Empire it applied to Team Rocket.

"You have trained your pokemon well, Mr. Banks. I am indeed surprised, though, that your Salamence fell so easily to my Golem. Though I do indeed commend you for defeating Alakazam with that powerful Metagross of yours." Giovanni waved his hand at the solemn psychic type. In return, the blue mecha released a irksome series of beeps followed by a wave of harmless psychic energy. Amateurs, Giovanni thought to himself.

"I haven't fallen to you yet, Giovanni. You know it. Fight while you still can, Cristos, and you will see how pitiful you have become behind your organization!"

"We shall see if you speak truthfully," Giovanni replied with a smirk. He removed a pokéball from his belt and activated it. "Mightyena, Shadow Blast," Giovanni said with a smirk.

Andrew glared at the Rocket mob boss vehemently. Giovanni liked the unregulated attack naming conventions and creation because of that glare. The elements of surprise injected an even deeper strategy into the game.

Giovanni's black and grey dark type released a powerful wall of black energy, purple and grey blots of color flitting in and out of the accelerating attack. The large, powerful wolf howled victoriously as the dark type attack consumed with metallic psychic type.

The Metagross, nowhere close to defeated, shot through thru the wall of black energy. The computer-pokémon emitted a series of beeps before levitating forward, four blue steel legs glowing a light pink. The colored deepened as Andrew's pokémon advanced.

Giovanni frowned unpleasantly. As the independent creation of attacks added an element of surprise, so too did telepathic communication between trainer and pokémon. Giovanni now realized how the man had broken through the secret codes between Giovanni and his thirty-nine private interior investigative operatives. Or, rather, he had jumped to either of the sources as they were breaking the code mentally.

Giovanni lowered his left hand to a button affixed on his black pants pocket, pressing it down. He nodded resolutely and watched in dismay as the Metagross battered his black wolf. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, and regardless of Andrew Banks being psychic, he would not triumph. If Mightyena didn't take care of him, Giovanni would personally, and if the man's psychic powers proved difficult to deal with, EPTF would handle it.

The two pokémon collided, steel rubbing with black and grey fur. The grey wolf released a jet of black energy defensively as the computer-like pokémon hovered quickly away from the force of its charge. Black energy cascaded into blue steel and resonated over Platform 002 and into the surrounding emerald sea of the Viridan Forest canopy. A flock of Pidgeot alighted at the sound and flew into the sky as a horde, wings flashing in the sun.

Nonetheless, the Metagross released a beam of pink energy, the beam resonating through the Mightyena's ears and knocking it out. Giovanni returned the large wolf with a smile.

This had gone on long enough, he thought to himself. Giovanni placed his right hand on the pokéball he would next use and lowered the left hand to his loaded pistol. He raised the red and white sphere first and released its captive.

A radiant beam of red energy pulsated and slowly revealed the form of a Steelix, eyes warily eying its opponent, reinforced concrete cringing under the rock type's weight. "Steelix, Rock Throw!" Giovanni shouted. As the snake-like rock type slithered towards the still-alive Metagross, Giovanni raised his gun and razed the insurrectionist's head with three .30 caliber shells.

Andrew Banks fell to the ground with a thud, and Giovanni walked over to him, removing his katana. Giovanni smirked. Than he had been supporting Aqua as well, eh? Well, Archer would pay for these, he would. Giovanni withdrew the katana and with it impaled the dead agent's head. He next removed the seven pokéballs attached to the body's belt and slit off the backpack the man carried.

He lowered his hand to his pocket. "Theo, I'll need you and Grant up here. Looks like he's an Aqua sympathizer."

"Right away, boss. By the way, we've injected the first specimen. Project Fusion is under way."

"Wonderful, Theo. Oh, and has Grant finished up the new design?"

"Nearly, sir. The Tyrant-class schematics will be on your desk the next morning."

"Thank you, Theo. That will be all. Oh, and could you send Gretchen up to me when you've gotten the evidence against Mr. Banks here. I need to talk to her about a mission I'll be sending her on."

"Certainly, Boss. I'm on it."

"Good." Giovanni smiled as he returned his Steelix and released his Flygon. He mounted the beast and descended through a small clearing in the flowing green sea of leaves down to the forest floor and the main entrance to Viridian Headquarters.

==================================​

I looked up and down the road quickly, praying to God that there weren't any cars. Thankfully, there was only a truck slowly rolling up from the west, and I quickly ran across the paved tarmac and reentered the small path. So far, all had gone well. I had managed to skirt most of the town and made good time. However, it was already half past three o'clock and more than likely they had already left.

Then again, I mused as I quickened my pace, we had always been loyal to each other. I broke out into a light jog, lost in the thoughts of my friends, the hopes and dreams of entering my journey.

Finally, I reached the head of Route 0023-A. There sat Kody and Heather, to my great pleasure. I looked down at my navi's clock, sighing but appreciating it nonetheless. "On the road then," I pressed.

Kody and Heather looked up. Heather got up and turned away from him. Towards me he mimed yawning. I smirked as he too got up from the bench, grabbing his pack.

"To the journey, then?" Kody said.

"Yes."

"Alright then," I said. I laughed. "All for one, and one for all!"

All three of us raised our first pokéballs in the air, the red and white metallic spheres clicking together as they might. We quickly clipped the pokéballs back on to our belts. Or, in my case, on the light chain-link necklace that ran around my neck loosely.

We managed to make it a few feet into the forest on the route before bursting out in fits of giggles.

-------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, now that it has premiered, chapters will be posted weekly on Friday or Saturday.

 

[Astinus]

Whew. Made it with a review before you posted the next chapter. ^^

So Connor and his friends are going to be starting there adventure! Now things will get more interesting. I do wonder what Pokemon they have with them, and what sort of relationship the three will develop as they travel. Especially between Connor and Heather...

Just a few grammar spots:

Giovanni shook his firmly.

Just missing a word here.

I need to talk to here about a mission I'll be sending her on."

Just an extra "e".

I smirked as he to got up from the bench, grabbing his back.

Here, you need another "o" to make it the correct word. I feel no need to launch into a whole explaination. Your grasp of grammar is top-notch.I dunno. You might just need to proof-read more to catch those small mistakes. *shrug*

 

[Enperuto]

Whew. Made it with a review before you posted the next chapter. ^^

So Connor and his friends are going to be starting there adventure! Now things will get more interesting. I do wonder what Pokemon they have with them, and what sort of relationship the three will develop as they travel. Especially between Connor and Heather...

Just a few grammar spots:


Just missing a word here.


Just an extra "e".


Here, you need another "o" to make it the correct word. I feel no need to launch into a whole explaination. Your grasp of grammar is top-notch.I dunno. You might just need to proof-read more to catch those small mistakes. *shrug*

Thanks for reading, Hanako. I agree that proof-reading seems to be my weakness. If you're a top-notch student in school, habits of rushing through everything die hard. Anyways, thank you for your comments. I appreciate them.

The third chapter will be posted tomorrow.

 

[Enperuto]

Chapter Three: On the Road

As promised, Chapter Three. Man, this week has gone fast...

CHAPTER THREE
ON THE ROAD​

We didn't meet many journeyers on the road as we clipped along at an admirable pace. Ms. Wilson would have been proud of us, I mused. The gym teacher had ingrained in us the weightiness of walking twenty miles a day and we had given the first two hours of our journey a wonderful speed. However, we were tiring.

It wasn't so much the physical exertion that tired us. It was the heat of the evening. The sun hung low and the golden rays no longer penetrated the thick foliage of Eastern Fangor Forest. Nonetheless, it was eight o'clock and still the temperature hovered in the high eighties. Beads of sweat poured of my forehead, and I felt pressed down by the dense humidity.

"Wish we had an abnormal weather pattern for once," Kody said rather scientifically.

"Amen to that," I replied.

We fell back into the trance-like silence only broke by the rhythmic patter of shoes against loose dirt and the occasional tree root.

With a sigh, my eyes caught a glimpse of the five mile marker up ahead. "Almost to the spot we'll have to stop at," I said quietly. Kody looked back to me and nodded, and Heather quickened her pace in response, lengthening the lead she had already taken.

Heather had already pulled the tent out of her bag by the time we arrived. We helped her put it up, and smiled at the smartness of it. Then Kody and I pulled out our own slightly larger model. We had it up in a few minutes.

I threw my now-lighter bag into the small green canvassed tent and helped Kody bring the Cook-o-matic Model 7 out of his own pack. Kody carefully lowered the three foot long fold-out cube near the fire pit that had been provided by the park service. I withdrew a package of ultra-food, the official sponsor of the region, and gave it to Kody. Neither I nor Kody had been able to take food along with us, and Heather being totally unprepared, as Kody told me as we divided up the hard fusion of flavors, we had been screwed. Thankfully, I had packed some ultra-food, or we would have been toast. That was one of the only things I didn't look forward to. We couldn't just carry along hot dogs and hamburgers like it was a picnic the whole hundreds of miles we'd be walking. Though pokéballs had been modified to contain structures or food, it was still illegal thanks to the Pokéball Inspection Corps and the Ministry of Nature.

Finally, we had the food cooked and divided the large bread-like load that had risen significantly into six large slices. I slid each of the piping hot pasties onto each of our three paper plates and let the others simmer on the Cook-o-matic M7. We sat down together on a log and picked at the pasty with our forks.

I sighed.

"So, what'll we do about my parents…" I mumbled quietly.

"Well, they should at least know that you're alive, that you're with both of us, and that no one kidnapped you," Kody quipped.

"Connor, why did you get grounded, anyway?" Heather asked. I glared at her. It was quite like my usual look. Ever since third grade we had been friends on paper, but she and I had never been close. Not even 'oh I'll give you a text tonight' cloes. It was the fact that we owed her and that she had been the only other one in our group to ace the ASJA's and receive authorization for training. Ashley had been close though, and if Heather's best friend had only gotten a few more questions correct, it would have been a whole lot better. Besides David. Of course, he had to go to a stupid family reunion, quite like the one I had had to endure over the past weekend.

"Well, why did you?" Heath repeated.

"Oh…" I said, my mind jumping back from our past history into the present one. "Just, just because."

"You sounded pretty upset on Halo last night, you know. I think you're lying," Heather accused.

"I'm not," I repeated. "I swear."

Heather slapped me playfully on my arm. A shiver ran down my spine. Whenever she touched me… "Whatever it is then, Connor, you better let your parents know you're sorry. It's not like they've been living in a rock cave for the past ten years. They have connections."

"I realize that," I replied. My response was calm and thankful, but inside I nearly exploded.

"All right then," Kody concluded. "Guess it's time to hit the hay, aye?"

"Very punny, Kody," I said with distaste. "You're right though. Guess we have no choice but to wait for tomorrow to call the 'rents." I smiled.

"Haven't even called out our pokémon though," Heather said mournfully.

"Ah… what do they care, anyway? It's night. Not like they have a feel for time inside there, anyways."

"Kody, you don't know that for certain!" Heather glared at him angrily.

I smirked. Since her parents had co-founded Dawn Enterprises, fervor had filled them and they had become the leading pokémon rights activists in the province. Heather strongly resembled them now in her political stance. Unionist. Pro-choice. Very liberal.

"Stop talking, you two," I said as I slid my now-empty plate into the trash can placed at the picnic site. Luckily we didn't have to worry about pokémon browsing through our area. Grande Re Province had passed a requirement for areas such as these to have a constant twenty meter square area cleared by a max repel.

I zipped open our small pup tent and slid under by sleeping back. Unfortunately, it was a thin one, and the cool summer evening slipped in through the thin green canvas. I smirked as the irony of it caught me. Just an hour or two ago, I had been loathing the heat. Now, I wished for it to return. The last time I looked at my watch, it stated clearly 0001. Kody and Heather's soft voices still feared my ears.

It was to this orchestra, matched by the caws and squeaks echoing through the forest, that I finally found sleep's warm embrace. Within her firm grasp, my conscience fell into a lovely dream.

==================================​

Aaron Kasul sat quietly in his small room, quietly drawing in shallow breaths. He looked out to the East China Sea mournfully. Back home in the streets of Beijing, he had been happy. Or, at the least, content. Tao Zang had promised reform when he was elected in the socialist-democratic elections and Aaron had managed to land a job as an author. That was nearly the best he could have gotten, being as he was.

That was, until a ring of drug smugglers in the Chinese underworld working at a publishing company had taken interest in him and kidnapped him. He had ended up at an illegal auction block. When Aaron Kasul first saw his new 'master', he figured that it would have been the usual drivel. Clean this, wash that, write this, make that.

He sighed. How wrong had he been? Now, instead of being the usual household slave, the laughingstock and frequent subject of the area surrounding, he was locked up here on Dewford Island. Project Ark, they called it, and he was one of the parent 'specimens'.

He shivered, recalling what they had made him do. His mind went blank for fear, and finally when he recovered from the unstable reaction inside of him, he blew a small ball of water at the painting that hung peacefully on one of the eight foot square walls. The picture shattered from the blast, and Aaron smiled at his Water Gun's strength. A shard fell before his three-toed blue foot, and Aaron kicked it away. He lowered his arms, blue fur rubbing against his tight jeans and butternut vest.

"Alright then," he said to himself. He stifled a tear. Here at Team Aqua… as a morph…

It was hell on Earth.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

==================================​

I was dreaming.

In my dream, the sun was low over the sky, colors flooding the cloudless dawn. I looked down at the city below, a large one, blackened by the dying night. I shifted my body to the right and met another.

"It's okay," I heard myself saying.

"You don't understand, do you?"

"She was everything I ever wanted in a friend. She was like my sister – the sister I'd never had."

"Things will get better," I solaced.

"No, they won't. They can't." The woman looked at me, my eyes admiring her curly umber locks. Our eyes met, my blue ones staring into her own blue-green ones.

The crisp breeze strengthened, tossing my cap off towards her. She picked it up and handed it back to me. Our hands met, my rough hands rubbing her soft, tender ones.

"I love you," I said.

She smiled. She nodded.

As the sun broke up from the ocean beyond the city, it found us kissing as hard as anyone ever could.

I awoke, shivering. She was beautiful… Outside, the Crickoons chirped softly and the moon made her way just through the thin green canvas of our pup tent.

I looked over at Kody. He was sound asleep. Glancing at my watch, I quietly unzipped my thin sleeping bag and ever more quietly zipped open the door to the pup tent.

Outside, it wasn't very dark at all. The stars mingled in the sky, following their nightly paths. I looked at the plough and my eyes traced the line to the north star. Polaris. How often had I spend nights in the planetarium, wishing on that star so bright. Polaris was constant, and had been my special way to release my prayers to my Heavenly Father.

Now… Polaris was still constant, and always would be until I had long been buried. It was to it now that I whispered my fears and anxieties.

"Help me, please," I whisphered.

"I don't know what to do…

The dreams. They haunt me.

And the last one, a dream of love.

It is so confusing."

Silence.

==================================​

I hope you enjoyed it. And if your are reading this, feel free to drop me a piece of crit, aye?

Anyways, Chapter Four: A New Day, premieres next week Friday. The first gym battle (note I did NOT, NOT say badge) will be in Chapter Six.

 

[Astinus]

Well, things just keep getting interesting, neh? I love how you don't reveal everything at once, but instead just keep giving little snippets of other scenes. Like with Aaron in this chapter, and Giovanni in previous ones... I want to know how they are all related!

And now Connor has these dreams. So many secrets to be revealed...!

No mistakes here that I could see, so that's a good thing, right?

Don't let it get you down that there aren't as many reviews here compared to...say...SPPf. This section was pretty dead before. But, alas, you will have me reviewing!

 

[Frostweaver]

Hey I read it (at work) but just that I don't have my spiffy review guide with me to fill in right now. I read the thing already, so it shouldn't be hard to pull a review within today actually ^^

(note that I won't be quoting... it just takes SOOO long if I do. I need to summarize more and make things a bit more general so that reviewing goes faster.)

 

[Enperuto]

Well, things just keep getting interesting, neh? I love how you don't reveal everything at once, but instead just keep giving little snippets of other scenes. Like with Aaron in this chapter, and Giovanni in previous ones... I want to know how they are all related!

And now Connor has these dreams. So many secrets to be revealed...!

No mistakes here that I could see, so that's a good thing, right?

Don't let it get you down that there aren't as many reviews here compared to...say...SPPf. This section was pretty dead before. But, alas, you will have me reviewing!

I'm glad you like it. Thanks for reading, and reviewing. And I'm glad you like the subtlety of having those little snippets.

Hey I read it (at work) but just that I don't have my spiffy review guide with me to fill in right now. I read the thing already, so it shouldn't be hard to pull a review within today actually ^^

(note that I won't be quoting... it just takes SOOO long if I do. I need to summarize more and make things a bit more general so that reviewing goes faster.)

Hey, thanks for taking a look-see. I appreciate it.

 

[Enperuto]

Chapter Four | A New Day

Here's the next chapter - much longer than the prior three. However, it actually has some substance to it...

CHAPTER FOUR
A NEW DAY​

Silence permeated the air as I looked up at the stars. I stood there, transcending my human existence to a feeling. The feeling cupped me and raised me higher, and I was illuminated by the stars. The constant sentinel of the Earth, Lune, in her full radiance, shot through the forest, bathing our campsite in golden light.

I sat down on the cool green grass, laying back and watching the sky through the small area the campsite provided. Lost in my thoughts, time seemed to stand still. My eyes gazed at nothing in particular, and I heard a couple of Pikachu yipping cheerfully along with Pachirisu and Chippo. All three pokémon ran rampant in the area.

I felt once more the pokéball upon my chest. I raised my head and looked at the pokéball. If it hadn't been for that Charolt…

I sighed. Fire types… Ever since that Charizard had attacked Kody and me in Redwood, three years back… The nightmares still filled my nights often.

The stars slowly faded as I sat against the dewy grass. I thoughtfully fingered my only pokéball filled with the essence of life. Charolt, a colt not much bigger than I, sat within the small white button, waiting to be called out. How I wished to take the pokéball, walk to a nearby river, and toss it in to let the seas have her way with it. However, I couldn't do such a thing. First because it was illegal, second because if I did so I was without a pokémon; I was left with no choice.

I forced myself to open the pokéball, letting my index finger lightly touch the small white button in the center of the sphere. The ball opened, red and white halves splitting apart, and red light shot out. The red light quickly took the form of a pokémon. I admired the wonderful strength and well-bred ability it looked to contain. Almost by habit, for we had done so many times in Professor Trillium's laboratory during lavishly expensive lessons, I lowered my eyes from the colt's sleek red-brown hide to the area between the main portion of the belly and the tail.

He, I corrected myself. His gender decided, I walked back to where the pokéball was and now picked it up again. I smiled as the warmth of the fire-type faded from my bodily feeling. Nonetheless, my eyes still saw the flickering red, orange, and yellow light. Even some blue, I noted cautiously. That meant he could really spray heat, if already as a low-level fledgling he had a high temperature.

I slowly crawled backwards, withdrawing slowly. I realized that since I had been attacked by that Charizard, I had only had one exposure to fire types besides this Charolt – a dinosaur pokémon used by my fifth cousin Arthur Brinks. That made it all the worse.

In the bowels of my mind came the thought that I would have to face my fear or never be a true trainer. For a trainer was, according to Team Trainer, the leading organization of trainers in the world, a person that loved and utilized, or at least the latter, all types known to the world. If I ever wanted to get into that group, that is, which was the best way to get into the Elite Trainer Organization.

However, the majority of my mind stated that I wouldn't be able to do that now, or for a long while, at least. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to deal with it in such a way. I needed to deal with it now. I raised my pokéball and recalled the red-brown colt. Red-brown pastels were consumed by bright red light as the Charolt became a stream of particles and reentered the ball it had left only minutes before.

I sighed. This journey was going to be harder than I thought it would be.

The stars finally blinked out as the golden moon lowered below the line of trees. The sun bathed the sky in a harmonious blend of colors as she rose slowly from the east horizon. At home my parents would have just woken up, and now would probably truly be feeling the emptiness that came with a manor filled only with two old companions and fifteen servants. Even more heavily came the feeling that they would not be eager to let me escape and evade their punishment.

"We better get a move on it," I said quietly.

"What, Connor?"

I turned around. There was Heather. I fumed inside, though I still managed a smile on my face. The girl looked at me, and my blue eyes met her greenish ones. We were in an eye lock of death, and I was the one to turn away first. "Hey," I murmured nonchalantly.

"You ready to go?" Heather asked.

"Of course not," I replied. I almost chuckled. "Kody isn't up yet, and we haven't even gotten a bit of breakfast."

"Not that, silly," she replied. She was the one to chuckle. "I meant to go out and train. Remember – you promised we would last night when Kody was off in the woods and we were cleaning up the site."

"I did, didn't I?" I cursed myself vehemently. That Heather… I probably hadn't even been paying attention. "Alrightey, let's go then."

"Yep." Heather walked away from me and left the camp site, pokéball in hand.

"Just a second," I said. I quickly withdrew a notebook and scrawled a quick note. "Just so Kody knows where we are, aye?"

"Alright!" Heather said impatiently. "Come on, Connor, let's see what you're made of!"

"Alright," I said slowly. I sighed. I didn't want to do this! Drawing in breaths with frustration, I ran after Heather, unclipping the pokéball from my belt.

"Go, Felurn!" Heather shouted from ahead of me. I winced. That meant she had a fire type as well. Great… now it was two out of the three of us, and Kody wouldn't tell me what he had.

"Charolt," I said dully. I raised the pokéball and activated it, releasing my colt. The red-brown colt materialized, four-colored flames dancing along his spine, feet, and tail.

"Felurn, Ember!" Heather shouted. Her cream and red-orange striped feline bounded forward, short stubby tail and bulbous head consisting mainly of two large, cheerful eyes bouncing back and forth.

"Tackle," I countered. My colt nodded as if he understood, as if he trusted me. Well, I guess it made sense, as he had only seen me this very first time. Charolt were a powerful domestic species bred in California, and for many years they had been revered for their loyalty.

Charolt slammed against Felurn, his bony head pushing Felurn by her soft belly towards a tall, thin beech.

I watched in amazement as a tirade of small red balls shot out from the cat's mouth in self defense. They shot every which way, and I cringed. I dropped to the ground immediately in fear. A single ball of fire reached where I had stood before, and as it shot past, color fading, cooling, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, my. I'm sorry," Heather said, gasping in fear.

"That's fine," I remarked. "I'll have to get used to doing that twice a day anyway. Practice doesn't hurt."

"No really, Connor, I mean it," she replied. She walked slowly over to me and extended her arm. I grabbed it, and she pulled with all her might, muscles tensing, loose light-blue short-sleeve taught against her arm, jeans and the body with it leaning backwards.

I finally released my hand from hers when I managed to get up, eyes looking down at my comfortable butternut hiking boots. She went tumbling back into the green-gold grass with a thud.

"See, now were even," I said, chuckling.

"Whatever," Heather replied. "Anyways, I think we need to get Kody up anyway."

"Yeah, or are you just afraid to lose to my awesome skills?"

"And you're going to use who, Charolt?"

I stared down at my feet, my colt still standing patiently by the Heather's striped kitten. I prayed he didn't understand a thing. "Well, if I have to…" This wasn't going the way I wanted it to… I quickly recalled my colt and walked back to camp.

Heather followed suit, but I was too far ahead to see her.

==================================​

The sun shone down on the three of us as we walked along silently. That was what bugged me about this whole journey – the silence of it. Silence permeated the air, and it seemed some of the max repel from our campsite had rubbed off on us. No pokémon could be heard.

But I also enjoyed the silence. I reveled in the time it gave me alone, just to think. And the tough, hard-to-follow trail my thoughts had taken for the past three hours had left me lost inside.

I thought of the journey ahead of me for the first few minutes, but after that my mind had wandered away into the folds of time. The future. I knew not what it held, and still even now the future eludes me. But then, I was day dreaming of the girl of my dreams – a list that had not yet been able to be tailored to an individual – and to the job of my dreams – an agent for the Pokémon Trainer Organization, alongside Team Trainer. The daydream lasted for the rest of our walk, until Kody stopped resolutely at a picnic area.

The faded wooden sign etched over and over again with knives, could barely be read. However, I was able to decipher the "Midway Picnic – Mile 22.5". I sighed. Ten miles in the past four hours. That wasn't exactly the best pace. Then again, it was our first full day…

I trailed off as Kody called cooking duty. The proud exclamation rang sour in my ears. It meant another wonderful meal – Cajun style, of course. I sighed as Kody and Heather voted me to get water. I followed the crude sign to a nearby creek, filtered for a stretch, and drew the ice-cold liquid into the pail. I took it back and when Kody, self-proclaimed master of all meals, gave me no command, I slowly found my way wandering back to the creek.

Finally, I sat down, removing my shoes and socks. I slid my feet into the cool water and breathed a sigh of relief. Ah, now this was what I could enjoy. The slowly flowing water lapped against my muscular legs, the flow washing away the small caches of mud that already had found their way onto my body. I let my hands fall into the water, and soon felt compelled to jump all in.

I surveyed the creek. It seemed deep enough to wade in, to me, anyhow. I slowly lowered in and sighed in relief. Water now came up to my knees, just touching my thin blue jean-shorts. I thanked Arceus that I had brought those, or I'd have been burnt as much as our lunch meal was likely to be already. That was hot that I meant, not sun-burnt to a crisp. I cursed myself for the sixtieth time that day, and lightly rubbed water over my arms and face to try to soothe the pain. The sun block, I almost knew, was sitting happily on my desk at home, enjoying its time all along. Or one of the maids had already found it and tossed it into a garbage can. Either way, it was happily unaware of my pain.

I sighed as I heard Kody's rough voice from the picnic area and slowly began to wade out of the water. "Connor!"

My foot slipped and moments later my whole body was afloat in the creek. I cursed silently and arose. My blue-jean shorts clung heavily to my legs, as did my shirt advertising the best football club in the nation, the Rio Grande Rangers. My hat was even worse, and now was a soggy mess, not even close to appreciated by the brown-black curls of hair underneath. They too glistened in the sun.

I cursed a second time as I slowly immerged fully from the creek. Buckets of water dripped drop by drop from my clothes and body. I walked back and smiled when Heather met me and threw out a sneering remark. "Didn't know there was a swimming hole back there, Connie."

"Don't call me that." I fumed. "And I didn't realize it either. Heck of a place, though, once you find it between the regular parts of the creek."

"I bet it is. Anyways, Kody's made us a wonderful batch of soup on the Cook-O-matic. Perfect, as far as he's shown so far."

"I know what you mean," I replied. Half of me screamed at myself for letting it get this comfortable between the two of us. The other half, the one most of my consciences prayed was the one that jumped up on your left shoulder, red pitchfork blazing, razor-sharp horns atop the head, remained silent. "Anyways, to the second – no, third- burnt offering of this journey!"

==================================​

Slowly, I shoveled the softly-boiled broth into my mouth, fishing out a noodle or two and worshiping it as it too went in. It was thin. That was all I could think as the three of us ate, silence as we had been for most of the walking in the morning.

I sat in a fresh pair of jeans, full-length, this time, and cursing myself for it, along with a different t-shirt that instead of recommending the Rangers as the best team in the Premier League, was a plain red with two white stripes running down the sides and a number on the back side. It was the kit of the national team, and I wore it even more proudly than the Ranger shirt.

I spooned another load of broth into my mouth, this time catching a prized piece of chicken. I must admit that all three of us were rich, but I was convinced that all three families had a huge strain of Dutch frugality in their veins. Either that, or that rumor I had read somewhere about Dawn Fashion Corporation going red were true, and the co-founders, Heather's parents, were in a heap of trouble. Otherwise we had just all been in such a rush and picked up the off brand. Or, in my case, rely on my friends, who I now glared at, to get the food themselves.

I sighed. It wasn't like it mattered. Soup was soup, and there was no reason we had to have at the beginning of stinking December. After all, it was bloody 2014. According to Kyle, my dad, they had predicted we'd have at least a colony on some extra-solar planet. They'd been wrong, though not off their mark. They'd also predicted that the pokéball would have been able to contain six pokémon instead of just one, and that it would be able to hold a few refrigerators, and maybe even a car or two. Well, they'd been wrong with that too, at least mostly. The ones that did work were only a small fraction less than the original mass of the objects contained. I would have preferred to carry a one-hundred pound pokéball around everywhere if only we would have been able to have hot dogs…

"Connor, what about that, then?" Heather asked.

I looked up from my thoughts. "What?"

"We're just discussing the plan to send a group to Alpha Centauri. Kody just downloaded the article onto his navi, thank God there's a connection out here."

"You check up on your Jihad site, Kode?" I asked all too unkindly. Kody's favorite show almost got as much criticism as Animalia did. I figured it was because both were from England. They thought they had everything under their paw, still ruling Ireland and Arabia. Thankfully, we had escaped that fate – Hakkou independence had followed shortly after the United Provinces of America had been granted freedom. Nonetheless, the mark of England that had settled on our nation still remained, despite the five centuries that had passed since.

"Anyways, what do you think of it," Kody said, handing me his navi. I quickly skimmed it, smiling curiously. If they could do this, then maybe I'd have my hot dogs next year after all…

I handed the navi back to Kody when I had finished, all too tempted to bring out mine and scan for Rio's latest match. I knew they had beaten Freede Provincial Athletic, it was nonetheless fun to see how badly. No doubt the team in Freed would get regulated to National B next year. I resisted. It was one of the bargains I had made to myself to even out running away from home. Along with it were others – not killing Heather every time she annoyed me, for one.

"Well, what do you think of it?" Kody repeated.

"Its interesting, I guess," I said, not wanting to say anything more. I guess it was just one of those moments, one of those days, when you thought too much, wanted to be alone.

"Hey, you're rookies, ain't you," came an accent I knew all too well as American. Western, to be particular.

"Yeah, what of it," I said, whirling around.

"Well, it's just I've got this Dratini here, and by the looks of it, I'd say you left a day or two ago." I stared at him and nodded. If you studied it closely enough, you saw that difference between he and Kody, for instance. I studied his face, noticing the deep, noble eyes matched with a cape of blue-violet that ran all around his body, lending little other facts to the rest of his figure.

"So you want to battle three noobs?" Kody asked matter-of-factly.

"Pretty much. Jason Gates, by the way." The man, probably just twenty, with a light beard, extended his hand. Kody coldly left it hanging.

"Alright, I guess," Heather said. I smirked. She was always going to be the one, wasn't she? The one to take the initiative?

"What about you, Connor?" Kody asked.

I grimaced. That meant he was on board. Well, I guess that meant they'd go on without me. I threw my hat in the ring. "Just for the heck of it," I smirked, unclipped Charolt's pokéball from the necklace it was clipped too.

"Chieceul, go!" Jason released his pokémon. I admired the blue serpentine dragon for a second or two, mesmerized by the majesty of its two wing-like ears and large, noble eyes flanking a large circular nose before the name of the Dratini finally registered in my mind.

"What the heck?" I said. I fought back fits of laughter. "Charolt, I guess."

I released my colt, letting red light materialize into red-brown hide with four-colored flame on legs, mane, and tail.

Heather followed suit. "Felurn, go!"

I sighed as Heather's cream and red-orange striped cat emerge, short stubby tail bouncing up and down. The kitten raised her bulbous head and questioned her master with eyes so cute I almost liked how they looked.

"You ready, girl?" Heather asked.

The cat, affirmed by her master, nodded and cheerfully bounced around.

"Arbon, go!" Kody shouted.

What in the world? I thought to myself. But there emerged his first and only pokémon, a Herbine. I could have guessed as much. Kody had a fondling for the element of grass as much as I loved water and earth. Nonetheless, I did appreciate the look of his canine. The dog-like creature growled, revealing short silver fangs, and looked at the Dratini, whose strange name (was it French) I still couldn't get used to, with his small black eyes. The dog furiously wagged his tail, whip-like and at least a foot long, with a club-like arrow on the end. I smiled as the canine let the sun show the full glory of his sleek black coat of heavy fur, mottled with a green truer than any emerald I had ever seen.

And the name? I smirked. I had had the feeling that Kody would name his pokémon after characters from Jihad of the Gods. Well, I guess he could if he wanted too. He had his rights, even if they were… amusing.

"Alright then. Though, I'm still not sure that this is fair. You do know where I'm from, don't you?"

"Of course we do, I replied sarcastically. You're from some kingdom in the middle of the ocean." I smirked.

"Close, but no cigar," Jason replied. "Redmond Region, if you've ever been to it. In the UPA."

"You know we do have basic geography classes every year in this country, don't you?" That was Heather. Nothing less than I'd have expected. I hated it.

"Well, I guess. Anyways, on with the battle!"

"Alright," I said. I smiled quite enthusiastically. The total sum of experience I had in battle came to, about, zero seconds. However, that didn't mean I hadn't watched and read. Heck, I had done three hours a night on Fridays when Heather, Kody, David, and a few others that we were close to met with the local Professor Trillium, a lecturer at Rio Grande College. Not like research did anything when you got down to crunch time. If three years as a sixth man on the academy's basketball team, I knew that stats and research were only good for prep talks. Once you got out there, it was attitude and experience fused with enthusiasm that did anything. "Here's the plan. Charolt and Felurn will assault the dragon from the front while Herbine flanks him."

I beamed as Kody and Heather commented on my plan. And my mom had told me that Divide and Conquer was a crappy game not worth my time. I had basically pulled the flanking movement out of it.

"No advantages either, dang it," Kody added in. "Looks like we're toast if he can pick us off one by one."

"You noobs ready?" Jason asked.

Man, these Americans didn't have any respect for us Hakkans, did they?

"Yep, we're ready." I quickly looked out at Charolt, appreciating the time we had studied under the Professor the attacks able for a pokémon to perform without training, called natural techniques. This was one instance that appreciated studying.

"Alright," Jason replied. "Chieceul, Twister – take your pick!" Jason shouted. The blue and white dragon hovered above the ground and slowly descended towards Charolt and Felurn. The two fire-types stood together, perhaps talking in the language scientists had only begun to understand.

Fear gripped me as I realized the Dratini was attack my Charolt. The dragon's tail rapidly rotated, a just-visible vortex growing upon it.

"Felurn, Ember!"

"Charolt, Ember!" I sighed, half expecting this thing to be over in about ten seconds. We had had no experience, at least I had only had a little ten minute session.

"Arbon, Vine Whip!" Kody shouted.

Our three pokémon took action all at once. Our two fire-types stood side by side, falling small balls of flame at the white underbelly of the draconic beast. The dragon, revenge coursing through his veins, released the twister upon the two fire-type pokémon.

However, as the miniature tornado descended upon our two fire-types, Herbine's attack came through. Two thin, supple vines taunted the Dratini, darting back and forth over the hovering dragon.

While the Dratini departed from above our two fire-types, the technique it had released did not. The vortex of silver air crashed against the two pokémon, first knocking the small kitten into the stomach of my colt and then both of them together into the ground.

Yep. That was pretty much how I expected it to happen. With both our pokémon so young… I quickly recalled my red-brown colt, hating it all the while for its type.

Heather did not follow suit. Instead, she let the Felurn slowly awake as Kody's dog, a Herbine, and the Dratini still fought on.

Quickly however, with a command from Jason, the blue and white dragon quickly head-butted the Herbine off its feet and finished the dog off with a whip from his thin tail.

Kody conceded and sorrowfully returned his pokémon.

Heather approached her kitten, now just awaking, and lifted it up into her arms. She petted the kitten's forehead softly, just between the large teardrop ears, and slowly the cat released an exhausted yet happy purr.

"I see. Well, my Dratini has benefited, so I'll be off. Yuri, go!" Jason shouted. As he returned his small, blue dragon, a Salamence emerged. The caped American mounted the blue gigantic dragon in the crook between the two large orange wings and yipped in a way I had never heard. The dragon leapt into the sky, wings swooping downwards, nearly smothering us.

"He was rather full of it," Heather stated.

"Amen to that, I wondered why you wanted to battle him," I replied.

"Wait a minute, we all hated him? Then why did we…"

"It's not like it matters," I replied. "Anyways, my clothes are probably dry by now, and maybe that American won't wet his pants tonight like he probably would."

"Um… okay…" Kody said, a bit confused.

Heather broke out into laughter, and Kody and I quickly followed suit.

 

[Astinus]

It's nice to see the trainers get some battling experience early on. And at least it was a better battle then some random encounter with a wild Pokemon.

Just something I was confused on. In some sentences, it seemed like Connor really didn't like the idea of Kody cooking. At other times, he couldn't wait to eat it. It was confusing for me. I don't know if that's my fault or what.

Looking forward to more chapters, of course!

 

[Enperuto]

It's nice to see the trainers get some battling experience early on. And at least it was a better battle then some random encounter with a wild Pokemon.

Just something I was confused on. In some sentences, it seemed like Connor really didn't like the idea of Kody cooking. At other times, he couldn't wait to eat it. It was confusing for me. I don't know if that's my fault or what.

Looking forward to more chapters, of course!

Eh... that's one of my problems. I contradict myself. Well... I guess you can dread food, but... it's still food (and, quite frankly, the only food they have). Meh... thanks for pointing that out. And I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

As for the next chapter (Chapter Five), it will be posted Friday.

 

[Enperuto]

CHAPTER FIVE
UNDER THE SUN​

I looked out of Mist Valley Pokémon Center, my eyes catching the first rays of the sun to the east, over my home of Rio Grande. No, not my home, I corrected myself. My home was unknown. Thanks to my damn parents, I had found out I was adopted. I sighed. That was one of the things I vowed to correct over this journey – to find out where my true home was.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kody asked.

"Ain't it," I replied. "Anyways, breakfast?"

"Already on it. Ordered it from the 'center. Ten times better than anything I would have made," Kody said all too cheerfully.

"Wait a minute, you're not trying your best?"

"I am. It's just that, well, my best really isn't that much. I love cooking and all, and you'd think it be simple enough with the 'o-matic, but I still suck. Sort of like basketball for you, ain't it. You love the game, but haven't started since we only had one team."

"Yeah, except I still don't make people suffer," I punched him jestingly and stood up from the sill I had been sitting on. The sun caught my eyes, and suddenly I fell into a daydream.


The sun shone down on me like a pot of gold, radiance overwhelming the small town I looked into. Upon my chest I cupped a pokéball, colored pure black. My eyes looked at it, almost into it, and suddenly the ball was done. Or was it me? I couldn't tell. The man I looked upon was old and worn, at least fifty. His raven black locks were long and fit perfectly with his gruff beard.

I, or whoever it was, sighed, and walked towards the village. Suddenly, he lowered his hand to his belt and raised a small pistol.

I shivered over. This had to be a nightmare.

The man stepped into the village, and the villagers – of all size and color – came out of their huts. They were pokémorphs. All the colors the world had ever witnessed shone as the group – just shy of a hundred or so – approached the man. He raised his gun and leveled the closest of the villagers, a Vulpix morph. The rust colored humanoid fell to the ground, small tail twitching as death gripped her. Another soon followed, this time a Pikachu morph, thunderbolt tail pulsing, red electrical sacs almost able to release a string of thunder. The others scattered, but the man was too fast for them and only a handful escape.

Finally, the man raised the gun on his own head and pulled the trigger. He fell to the ground, gun hitting the loose gravel with a thud that echoed through the village. The sound reverberated against the hollow shells of lives, against their poor excuses for homes, and came back to the man.

But before the man could fall to the great, death had already gripped him and he disappeared. Were seconds ago a murderer had been now lay a brown leather cloak and black pants, along with the pistol, colored ebony. Ominously still cocked.


"Connor!" Kody shouted.

"What?" I asked as I opened my eyes, startled.

"Hello, anyone in there?" Kody said, unsure.

"Certainly is. He just got caught up in a nightmare. Would you mind calling him back in a few minutes?"

"Shut up, Connor. Come on, Heather said breakfast has come. After that, we can get a move on. Going to have to make good time to get to Freede, maybe won't have lunch."

"Well… I see…" I said and quickly followed Kody out the lobby to our room where breakfast awaited.


"Project Ark. What a terrible name," Giovanni mused.

Theo looked at him, adjusting the turban upon his hade. Giovanni sported a similar one, though slightly less trashy. His was a finer grade of linen, and Rocket had been able to obtain an emerald from Arabia before Giovanni and his hand-picked squadron would leave to treat with Archer.

Thanks to Rocket-al Tarjiim joint intelligence, Archer and his elite group of commandos had been traced to a small oasis in the middle of Sinai Peninsula. It was to this secret base that Giovanni and his assistants now skimmed atop the water. The newly christened ship, Tyrant, had managed to make good time. The Surskit-like body, two large pontoons on either side, a pilot cab mounted to the intersecting latticework of steel twelve feet off the ground, was the greatest design Giovanni had ever seen for shore patrol, let alone invasions. Giovanni thanked God for his connections in the Americas. The similar class of patrol craft, the Surskit class, would be released in two months by the Continental Navy. As always, the UPA proved unreliable.

Giovanni sighed; he made sure a clip was still in his gun. It was this part of the game that he loved – the taking of an enemy base when they were shriveling up, and the killing of turncoats. Especially privateer turncoats. It wasn't the fact of the betrayal that irked him. It was the fact that they had violated the contract, and thus the good pay. The very good pay.

Giovanni sighed once more. He knew for a fact that he should not be here, revealing himself to American feelers still remaining from the recent Third Gulf War. He had done so too much in the past few years, and before he new it United Nations Security Forces would be on his tail, ready to shoot him up. Well, he would make sure the damn snob-headed Brits wouldn't take him that way. He smiled vilely as the Tyrant neared the coastland of Sinai.

The Red Sea, caught between Saudi and Egyptian waters, was as peaceful as well… there never had been a more peaceful seen. The sun shone brightly, dry heat scorching the men aboard the Tyrant, and a light breeze playfully pushed the water, forming little whitecaps. Nearly four millennium ago, Moses had delivered his people out of Egypt, a people that had fostered the Catholic faith. One that, despite all he managed to violate the ten orders of his Lord, Giovanni Cristos nonetheless followed.

"We are nearing their base, sir. Our helo' is on the way, ready to drop the battalion you requested – 28th Marine Combat. All is ready for Archer and Project Ark with it to fall."

Giovanni shifted his wait, grunting. "Theo, remind me not to do this more than I need to – go out and deal with enemies myself. I'm getting far too old for it."

"I'll remind you sir; would you like to see a memo on your desk tomorrow morning?"

Giovanni chuckled. "You know, that's what I like about you. You're always so willing. Anyways, let's go show them Hell on earth, aye?"

The sixteen hand-picked men, not including Theo and Grant, and the two pilots of the ship, shouted a resounding "Amen!" and went about putting on the final touches and prepping mentally for battle, murder, and, quite possibly, death.


I sighed as we walked along, the wonderful breakfast still appreciated in my stomach. The sausage, egg, and toast still lingered, though we had left our plates to be taken by the cleaners nearly five hours ago.

The sun now hung high over the sky, bathing the path we walked on and the forest all around in golden light. The forest was capped in green, green of all shades, and let little light strain through. It was only on the path that we were able to see the full glory of the Hakkan wilderness. Of course, that also meant we were the only ones susceptible to sun burn.

I sighed, feeling the red area along the ridge where my neck and my back neck. It wasn't only the itching of it that bothered me; it was that it had infected me like some terrible disease. Already the burn had 'spread' to most of my arms, now revealed by the light white tank top I wore. It, once again, proudly proclaimed loyalty to the Rio Grande Rangers.

"Time to eat, you think?" I suggested. I had broken the silence. Pervading for nearly two hours, Heather, Kody, and I finally awoke from it. It was like the emptiness of it had faded our minds into a trance.

"Sure," Kody replied. "Next area we find, we'll take a half hour break."

"Those sandwiches looked good when we made them. Come on; let's just eat them on the go!" Heather argued.

"No," I said. I clenched my hands in frustration. "It's not like you'll die from hunger."

"I might!" Heather exclaimed. I looked at her, and our eyes met. I shivered once more. This time, it was in disgust. It was like she was looking into me, trying to see if I looked into her the same way…

I severed that line of thought, the inevitable conclusion hanging gloomily in my mind's eye. What if… once again, I severed the thought, shivering all over. The only person I had ever had a crush on was a girl a year my junior from England. She had now left for a chain of islands called Cabos just south of Kita and Japan. I had nearly forgotten about her since she left the last day of school before Christmas Break. I should navi her some time, I thought to myself. Emily, the thought rang in my head. She wasn't exactly beautiful. Nonetheless, I had been compelled to ask her out to the Yule Dance. Thankfully, she had been much more of a dancer than a beauty.

I sighed as the thought passed. Good times.

"What the hell, I guess we can," Kody burst out. He slowed to a stop and unzipped his backpack. "Here you go, Heater; hope you like it. Been complaining about it enough."

Another thought passed through my head. What if Kody and I were wrong about Heather? What if in reality she didn't like Kody like all the obvious hints had stated. Maybe, maybe she was in love with me… I shivered all over as Kody unwrapped my sandwich from the container. I severed another thought, this time one entirely unpleasant and emitted a sigh.

This whole journey thing was more work than they had said it would be.

I sighed as I quickly began to eat my sandwich. The lukewarm ham, though less pleasant than it had been on our toast in the morning, proved to still be succulent, and flanked my cheddar and provolone cheese as well as two leaves of lettuce and a squirt of mustard, proved to be delectable. It seemed seconds after I had bit into it that my sandwich was gone.

"Man, Kode, compared to your cooking, these 'wichs are dang good."

"Very funny, Connor. Anyways, we better pick up the pace. Port Re is a long way off still, and that's about the only place we'll be able to sleep come night."

"Alright," Heather said, finishing off her sandwich.

The three of us broke out into a fast walk, almost a jog, and fell into the pervading silence we already knew all too well. I sighed and slowly lowered my conciense into the vastness of my mind, secrets all too well showing.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed a few minutes later. "I forgot to call my parents."

"Man, Connor, you're screwed," Kody replied.

"Yeah. Guess you'll have to wait till we get to Port Re, though," Heather added.

I shook my head as Kody and Heather broke into a conversation. I remained silent as we hiked along the brown-red path, trees lining it and stretching out throughout the hilly landscape. I looked to the south, and through a spot of forestless land caught a glimpse of the far-off Ranger Mountains. Their jagged precipices remained white even in the heat of December. My eyes followed the lowering line until the trees once again hid them from view. The west was where my eyes now lingered, and I noticed the trees fading and growing smaller. Slowly, the pines and junipers were shrinking and shriveling into low-sitting oaks and elms.

I smiled. We were nearing the coastal plain of Port Re.

 

[latioslegends]

Nice Fan fic I will be reading more.

 

[Enperuto]

Nice Fan fic I will be reading more.

Thanks, and I'm glad you like it.

 

[Astinus]

There were a lot of typos in this chapter. Nothing too huge that distracted me from the story, but they were there. Most were just a matter of you probably typing so fast that "head" became "heda". :< And "Heather" became "Heater", which I laughed at.

Giovanni is definetly turning out to be an interesting character. I especially enjoyed the idea that he breaks all Ten Commandments, yet is still a devout follower of the Christian faith. Fascinating stuff right there.

 

[Enperuto]

There were a lot of typos in this chapter. Nothing too huge that distracted me from the story, but they were there. Most were just a matter of you probably typing so fast that "head" became "heda". :< And "Heather" became "Heater", which I laughed at.

Giovanni is definetly turning out to be an interesting character. I especially enjoyed the idea that he breaks all Ten Commandments, yet is still a devout follower of the Christian faith. Fascinating stuff right there.

Thanks for pointing that out. I really need to slow down... Man I have problems with that stuff.

Anyways, I'm glad you like Giovanni. Non-practicing Catholics, of sorts, are very intersting to write about, in my opinion. And since he has an Italian name, I just connected the dots...

Anyways, I'm glad you like it.

 

[Enperuto]

Chapter Six | The Challenge

CHAPTER SIX
THE CHALLENGE​

The alarm clock roared to life in the darkness of morning. I sighed as I slowly opened my eyes, there hardly being any need to. It was still pitch black outside. I sighed as I hit snooze and closed my eyes again. Only to be hit with a pillow from above.

"Get up, sleepy head!" Kody shouted. "Time for breakfast!"

"Shut up, Kode!" I shouted. The lack of sleep roared in my head. Well, I would pay today for my insolence. Last night in Eastside Pokémon Center, where we now slept, Kody and I had played Halo on our navi's for at least an hour. Actually probably more – the clock read 0010 when I closed my eyes. Well, apparently Kody wasn't in favor of sharing his energy drinks.

He hit me again with his soft white pillow square on my back, and I slowly rose from my sky-blue bed. Kody flipped on the light, flooding the room in golden-white iridescent light. I blinked rapidly for about a minute, until my blue eyes were able adjust. "All right, I'm up. Turn off that dang light though, please!"

"No can do, Connie. Up!"

"Alright," I said, rising up from bed. I threw on a shirt and jeans and quickly fitted the belt through it. Smiling, I walked past Kody. "And don't call me that," I smirked as I ran down the hall.

"Whatever!" Kody said as he followed me. We immerged into the main lounge, the large room painted in dull tones of pink and white.

A small diner adjoined the lounge, which littered with couches and a few tables of computers. Heather sat at one of the booths, rolling a straw in her fingers. In front of her sat a plate covered in cheesy eggs and grilled sausage, as well as a glass of cream white milk.

"Hey," Heather greeted us.

Kody smiled in return. I tried to, but to no avail.

"What'll it be, boys?" asked the waiter. She quickly withdrew a notepad from her light grey apron that was strung around her neck. It was on top of a heavy green top and blue jeans. Since the pokémon centers were state-run and funded, she also had a nametag with the symbol of the Pokémon Center Corps as well as her name, Madelyn Johnson.

"Well, Miss Johnson, I'll take the Spanish omelet with a side of toast and sausage links." I smiled as she took my order with a firm script and then slid the menu out from under my elbows. "Thank you."

"And you, sir?" she asked, pointing with her ball-point pen to Kody.

"An egg sandwich looks to fit my likings. I'll take it with a side of sausage and a boiled egg as well as a glass of chocolate milk."

"Okay. If I got it right, Spanish omelet with toast and links, and for you: egg sandwich with links and a boiled egg."

"Yep," I said. "Oh, and I'll have chocolate milk as well."

"Okay. Your total comes to forty hakks, and the girl's meal is a twenty as well. That's three notes," she said, and whirled away, notepad in hand.

"Well, looks like they hiked the rates from the textbook," Kody mused.

"Yeah," I piped in, "by a zillion percent." It wasn't like it was bad – twenty hakks for something that anywhere else would catch at least a hundred, or more than fifty dollars, was a good deal. It used to be that the meals had been nearly free. Well, I guess you can't be picky on a journey when you have little to no money. "And probably by a lot more by the end of the year."

"Prime Minister Los should know better than to let the rate of inflation run rampant," Heather said. "But, Unionists will be Unionists…"

That was another thing about Heather I hated. Her stance was staunchly Liberal Nationalist. While the centrist-left view was fine in a few instances, the Nationalists where always cutting corners with the Unionists. In fact, I'm pretty sure that when Heather does get to vote in six years, she'll be more Liberal Democratic, as I am. The left free-rights view is what I'm sure will carry Minister Los out of office.

"Amen to that," I said, agreeing. "But he only got elected because of the LN alliance with the Unionists."

"Which, if I had had a choice about it, I would have opposed. The Nationalists in parliament are too far behind what should be the great centrist party."

I nodded. Yep, definitely more Liberal Democratic. "Whatever," Kody said. "Liberal Greens are going to get all of you some day. Then Hakkou will be as it should."

"If you say so, Kode," I mused.

"Here you are," the waitress said as she walked forward, balancing a small tray with her hands, a few minutes later.

"Thank you," I said, as I took my platter off her hands.

"And thank you," Kody added, as he took his platter.

We set them down, unwrapped our silver ware from the napkin they were bound in, and dug in. The savory cheese-covered egg slid down my throat, accents of milk, creamy white, matching.

==================================​

Aaron Kasul looked out of the small hut he had fastened for himself. Well, more like a cave, he corrected himself mentally. His eyes flashed an angry blue hue, mingling towards a fiery red.

The rage… It welled inside of him, and he cupped a growing of watery energy in his silky blue hands, orange whiskers flaring. He had to get rid of this addiction.

He slowly rode from his bed, pain riveting through his brain in thin yet painful tendrils. His hands threw the watery ball down at it shattered against, throwing vapory-shards every which way.

His eyes rose to the small box that sat against a ledge in the cave. He grabbed it with his hand, unscrewing the safe lock. He flicked open the cover and reached for what was inside.

Aaron raised the thin, clear glass bottle. It quickly lost its top and found itself upside down, entrails being poured out into the maw of the Chinese hybrid. When he was finished, Aaron lowered the bottle. He sighed and let the bottle slide out from his grip. The glass shattered into hundreds of minute shards when it hit the floor. Aaron quickly swept them into the corner with a water gun and stepped out of his room.

He had to lower his head to get through the door, and still his furry body brushed against the sides and top of the door. He smiled at two of the men he had met as they walked with him to the cafeteria hidden in a passageway.

Through a shaft he caught a glimpse of the South China Sea, a sea which, every day before his capture, he had looked out at for most of his day. Now, it was but a glimpse. But, that was better than it had been two days ago. Now, at the least, he was able to freely take a glimpse.

Aaron arrived at the cafeteria, and as soon as they were in line, struck up conversation with two that he had befriended. "Hey, Cameron, Gianni. Fancy where Seymour is off to?"

"We don't know," Cameron said. The Vaporeon morph leaned forward. "Rumor has it we're going to be joining up with a group of privateers and mercenaries called Aries Corporation. Seems they're in need of a good amount of military and auxiliary men, and Seymour thinks we'll be able to fit right in."

"Sounds good," Gianni added in. He was one of the few here that had been with Seymour when he carved out this site, overlooking the far side of Dewford Island, and subsequently the island citadel that housed Project Ark, as a refuge for those that were able to escape. "Better than being here. That Aqua facility still scares me. Though," the Ursaring morph said, leaning forward, "word has it that Archer's facility was raided by Giovanni and his gang. Seems like Project Ark might cease to be, and maybe that facility will be gone. I doubt it, though. Archer will probably just go back to being a privateer. And we'd be with him again, in the same boat."

"Sounds great, either way," Aaron said. He balled his hand in a fist. "I just want to do something. Kill someone. Do something. Do anything."

"Or anyone?" Cameron said, nodding in the sort-of way Aaron had seen before.

"No." Aaron shook his head firmly. "I was one of the surrogate morphs at the facility. It has lost all its pleasure. In fact, I'll probably never want to again."

With these solemn words falling over the trio, they took their trays and filled them with the sloppy goop that passed just so slightly for food at Mount Seymour.

==================================​

I sighed as I finished my meal, tasting the last bit of egg. "That was delicious!"

"Amen to that," Kody said. "What now? Move on, explore the town, challenge a gym?"

"The gym," I said quickly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Heather added, "what about your parents?"

"Oh…" My mind filled with dread, I nodded. "I guess we'll have to do something about that. Not yet, though. At least give me a chance to gather my thoughts…"

"Whatever. Oh, I think I'll go take a look at the mall over on Sixth Street. I hear it's got the best shoes this side of Paris. Enjoy your call, or whatever," Heather said. She rose from the booth and left.

"Okay…" Kody said.

"Yeah, we're free!" I shouted excitedly, half joking, when the glass doors behind Heather closed. "Yeah… I'll just go navi my parents, then," I said in reply to Kody's silence.

Solemnly, I left the dining room. Walking down the hall to our room, I slid my keycard the through the terminal. The green light went on. I slowly, softly opened the door and entered. I walked to the opposite corner of the bunk beds to our gear to find myself in this condition: I was jittering like crazy and sweat was pouring down my face.

I slowly, nervously slid out the sleek navi from its pouch on my bag.

With a resounding beep, it flicked on. I paused, and thought and bargained with myself for what seemed like hours. Finally, I came to a decision, of-sorts, and sooner than I expected found myself dialing my home phone. I twiddled my thumbs, waiting for Charles to answer the ringing.

Finally, the butler's face filled the holo projector. I met his smile with one of my own, however fake it was.

"Connor," he said. "How nice. I trust you'll be wanting to speak with you mother?"

"Ah… no," I said quickly. "Just you is fine."

"Alright," Charles replied. A smug smile spread suspiciously across his face. It struck me as rather too smug. I shifted uneasily and moved to sit down on the lower bunk.

"Actually," I began, "I'm fine. Kody and I are getting along fine enough. As for the leaving – I didn't want to do it. You can be sure of that. But, you can tell them that I felt as if I had to. As for Charolt, I'm sure my father will be happy to know that he's all right and everything. Just don't worry about me. There, that'll be what you can tell them."

"Oh," Charles replied smugly, "I won't have to. Your mother heard it directly from the source. Would you like me to put her on?"

I shook my head, and was about ready to flip of the navi when my mother's face filled the projection.

"Hi," I said quickly.

"Morning, sweety. I trust you're getting along well enough?"

I stared at her, then nodded quickly. She was utilizing a tone I knew all too well. I stared at her, interpreting the raised ears and deeper than usual eyes but also the joy in her eyes.

"Well, then I'm guessing you won't be returning for a while?" My mother asked.

"Nope."

"Well, but you will have to come here to challenge the gym." That was a statement, not a question, as far as she was concerned. The only other option I had was declaring her gym some weird case and that they disturbed me, which the courts definitely wouldn't buy.

"Of course. But not for a long while. By the way, how's Dad enjoying my escape?"

"Oh Connor, he does really love you, even if he doesn't show it. But as for you running away… he isn't too happy about it. Neither am I, you do realize. But at least he'll have the satisfaction of knowing that Charolt is okay."

"So when did you figure out I was missing?"

"When you didn't return for breakfast the morning before. Oh dear, I'll have to order the detective off the case… Oh well…"

"Really… you hired a detective?" I cringed. A detective cost money. And publicity. Not like my parents were scraping bottom for either. But they still did feel it, however minimally.

"So how far did he get on me?"

"Just that you weren't kidnapped or murdered. Rape was still up for grabs, though. Really, I almost knew you had run away. While you may not have my blood, I've certainly rubbed off on you. So has your father."

I smiled. Many times had I heard the story of his running away, and how my mother had run away from her hometown in Hoenn to travel to Hakkou. And how, quite by chance, they had met each other on the first day of their journey.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," I began.

"Wait one second, mister. First, we must talk details… You are to call me every Friday, including the forthcoming one. Also, you must pay a visit to your cousins in Fog Pass for Christmas. I'll be there, expecting to see you. Finally, you must return to our house to challenge us by the end of February. Do you have any questions, Connor?"

"No, Mom," I replied sullenly.

"Good. Have a nice journey, honey."

"You too mom…" I replied, and flipped off my navi before she could extend the conversation.

"Well," I said to myself, "it looks like we're free."

==================================​

"Quite the amount of reports we've got here," Grant Jefferson said to his boss, Giovanni Cristos II, over the constant noise of Rocket agents mulling through the messy rooms Archer and his group had left behind in their frantic escape.
"He had quite the control of portions of Wall Street, Hong Kong. Even the National Exchange of Stock in Metropolis, Hakkou. It looks like we'd've had to have intervened sooner or later."

"What? He had control of the NES? How does he do that? The NES is supposed to be the most secure exchange in the world! Oh, if we could learn his secrets…"

"There's more sure," the Dutch inventor said, smoothing over his trim blonde hair. "It seems they're more advanced on than ours when it came to mecha research. However, the amount of data they have here will reduce that difference in due time."

"I trust your group will be able to crack their OS?"

"Certainly sure. We haven't hired them from MIT for nothing."

"Good. Why don't you get right on that, then?"

"Certainly, Mr. Cristos. I'm on my way." The Dutchmen departed, datastick holding Aqua's research in hand.

"Now," Giovanni said, clasping his hands together, "where did Archer go?" The Rocket leader looked around. This room was filled with banks of computers, all surrounded in an astounding amount of sensors and security cams.

"Sir," said an agent, black cloak whirling around his muscular body. "It seems that preliminary investigation has found that Archer has gone back to sea. Most likely, it was via the Persian Gulf by heli. However, there is a chance he deployed from an Aqua facility along the coast of the Red Sea."

"Thank you. What is your name again?"

"Neo Bush, sir," replied the man. He was young as Giovanni's men went. However, he packed firepower. Three pistols were strapped on his waist, along with four pokéballs. Additionally, an assault rifle was strapped onto his back along with a Texan drawl that ran deep in his veins.

"Thank, Mr. Bush."

"Your welcome, boss," Neo replied, before leaving.

"Good, very good, men!" he shouted. His rich, deep voice rolled over the serious attitudes each of his men held and released. "It is time for us to leave. Intel will take care of the rest. After all, you were tasked as a strike force. It is a fine capacity for you." The Italian boss left the headquarters, ducking to exit. Trust Archer to make all the doors only accessible to sailors – short and squat, or at least used to ducking. Giovanni quickly made his way through the halls.

"We should almost use this for ourselves," Giovanni mumbled to himself. He shook his head. No, that would not do. UPA intel probably had it marked already. He would give it to al-Tarrim as a reward for their cooperation… Yes… that sounded nice.

"Sir, would you like us to fire up the heli's?" one of the pilots asked.

"Certainly," Giovanni replied. He examined the helicopters, untouched, untainted it seemed, by the elements. Good, he thought to himself. The pokémonite shielding had done its job. His gaze followed the whirlwind the helicopters created to the desert beyond. All around lay sand: orange, gold, yellow, white, even hints of blue and red, on occasion.

"Wherever Archer is," he said to himself, "we'll get him."

===================================​

I looked up at the building. It had a stately appearance to it: four glass doors rose resolutely from the ground, shined to a clearness of exceptional quality; meanwhile, the gym squatted squarely in line with the curving streets, their curve matching it's own; finally, the sign amazed me – hand painted, it read:
"Port Re Bayview Charter Gym, Official Gym of Grande Re 1992-202; Official Gym of Port Re 2007- . Established 1989." It wasn't just the words that it had, but the ornate detail wrapped around them. In each corner of the sing were orbs of gold to complete the masterful art piece the building entailed.

"Yep, this is it," Kody said, after the first wave of awe pasted.

"And what a beauty it is," I said.

"And what a beauty it is," Kody repeated.

"Old as well," I added.

"You got that right," Kody said.

I nodded. While training technically did exist in the sixties and seventies, it was in the nineties that it had really taken off. This gym was formed in the eighties, when only the elite few took to training. Among them, my parents.

"A quarter century of battling…" Kody began, speaking in an awed voice. "If these walls could tell what they have witnessed – the hallowed champions that have walked through these doors to challenge the leader here."

"And the crack jobs that never got a second badge," I added, half joking, half serious.

"Yes, and even they have stories to be told," Kody said, not frazzled by my comment.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" I asked.

"Indeed," Kody replied. He raised his hand to a button that sat atop a trashcan placed directly in front of the doors. The blue button slid into the stone cylinder and released a gasp of energy. Slowly, the doors lowered into the floor, silent as could be. We walked inside when they had lowered.

Inside, the gym was even more amazing. A fountain bubbled water out and down a series of depictions of pokémon, all exquisite. On each of the walls, up and down, was printed the names of challengers that had gained a Sun Badge. Furthermore, those that had went on to champion a league had their picture placed in a gallery that ran into a separate room. The walls all curled towards a circular desk that sat in the far end, a glass door on either side.

"Hello," I said, when we had reached the desk. The secretary quickly minimized a game on her computer (was it Minesweeper?) and smiled at us.

"Welcome to Port Re Bayview Gym. I'm assuming that both of you are here to challenge Master Andrew Derks?"

"Just one, ma'am," I replied.

"Good. The leader is not busy at all today, so he will be with you shortly. Actually, I'll page him and he'll take you directly to your challenge. Oh, license and registration, please?"

"Certainly." I withdrew my trainer card from my pocket and a sheet of e-paper, which had the information I had filled out this morning at the pc on it, from its roll on my belt.

"Thank you," she said. She quickly looked to her computer and blazed my information onto a form.

"You are Battle #789213, Battle #231 of the season. I trust you will be taking the public style challenge?"

"Uh, well, what do you think?" I asked Kody.

"I doubt you'd be able to complete the obstacle course. And as for the three junior trainers? I'm not sure. However… I do think that we should hurry. I did some research last night, and apparently the ferry accepts boarders at four. They leave at five thirty. And, they are quite the elite thing here, so everyone traveling to Freede, Botantine, or even Guantahn will want to get on. Furthermore, we don't really know where Heather is, so finding here will take at least two hours."

"So the private style?" the secretary asked.

"I guess," I replied. "Though I really ought to do the public style."

"Oh well," Kody said.

"Yeah, oh well," I seconded.

"Great! I've page Master Derks, and he should be here any second."

"Yeah, I guess," I replied.

"Well, Connor, wanna' Halo?"

"Certainly," I replied, withdrawing my navi from my backpack and flicking it on. Kody did likewise and we immersed ourselves in the game.

Finally, the leader arrived through one door.

"Welcome to my gym!" the man said. He extended a large, sweaty hand, and I shook it firmly.

"I trust you're challenging me," the man said, looking at me with pale blue eyes.

"Yes, that's right," said the secretary. "Andrew, you should get along with the battle, it seems they're in a hurry."

"Okay. Certainly. Just a second," he said, smiling. His smile spread from ear to ear, each ear surrounded in curly brown hair.

"Connor O'Brien, here," I said, smiling. Behind this smile I hid a mound of fears higher than I had seen in a long while.

"Ah… an O'Brien, then? Well, I'll be glad to defeat you."

"Okay… I'll be glad to lose," I replied with a smirk.

He led us through the left door, glass sliding into the ground, into a long hallway. As long as it was, there were only three doors. The first was directly after the entrance, the second halfway down on the other side. The final one looked out into a courtyard that housed a battle court.

"If you were to take the public style challenge, or even my personal style – Bay Style, I would have you go through the first door. However, since you've chosen the private style, I'll just have the battle in the court. Unfortunately, since you're an O'Brien, it'll be short."

I eyed him angrily, and then continued to follow him silently. If he had a problem with my family… well… that was that, right?

"I resent that," Kody said. He looked at me and mouthed 'why didn't you say something'. I just shook my head in reply.

"Well, good thing this little O'Brien doesn't."

"Just shut up, and we can get on with the battle," I said, frustrated.

"If you say so, little O'Brien," the leader replied before opening the door and walking through. He turned to the left and approached the semi-circle on that side. I did likewise for the right side, eyes constantly glaring at him.

"Alright!" Andrew Derks began. "This will be a one-on-one, yes?" I nodded. "Battle between Connor O'Brien of Rio Grande and Master Andrew Derks, Leader of Official City Gym, Port Re Bayview."

"Are you ready, little O'Brien?" Andrew asked. His hand cupped around a red and white sphere.

"Why, indeed I am… Charol!" I shouted, dreading every minute of it. This was going to be hell…

"That's fine. Jolteon!"

Each pokéball hinged open, releasing the aura it held inside.

Mine was the first to complete the release. Charolt, red-brown hide shining in the sun, erupted in flames on the spine, mane, and tail. The colt whinnied, nodding to me as if he was sentient. He hoofed the ground impatiently.

Meanwhile, Andrew's pokémon was released. The gold and yellow cat immerged, tail jolting, eyes beady and glaring. Examining the cat, I could tell by the shape of the face, and thinness of the body and legs, that this cat was young. Maybe, just maybe, that was a point in advantage for me. For once.

"Begin!" Andrew Derks shouted.

"Jolteon, Charge!" Andrew shouted.

I nodded. That was expected. Quickly, lightly, I mulled over the choices I had. They were slim. At best. However, a strategy formed in my mind. Should I take it? Did I even have a choice?

Andrew looked at me, grinning smugly. I grinned right back. It seemed to worry him.

"Okay, Jolteon," he said a minute or two later, "get close to the Charolt!"

The cat quickly ran forward, reeling in the distance between it and its challenger.

I nodded resolutely. Any second now, he would be within range.

"You have to do something, Connor!"

"I am doing something, Kody," I replied.

"Perfect! Charolt, Ember!"

"Jolteon, Volt Tackle!" Andrew shouted.

My colt nodded, opened his maw, and released ball after ball of fiery elemental energy. Each shot towards the young cat, and each was escaped from with a quick bound to the left, a roll to the right, a pause, or a jump.

I cursed under my breath as the Jolteon came with ten feet of my colt. There was little I could do. "Ember!" I repeated.

The colt ran ball after ball of fire down the path the Jolteon was taking, but each was missing. I cursed once more. He had little enough experience as is, let alone against a moving target – a small moving target at that.

I sighed and raised my pokéball.

There was hardly any choice.

 

[Enperuto]

Chapter Seven | Something

*Prods thread*. Yeah... this is sort of dead. I'm sorry for that, but I went out East and then just procrastinated till July 4th and now... But no more. Here's the next chapter.
​

Chapter Seven | Something

​

The S.S. Greenback bobbed next to Dock 82 in the Western Maritime District of the city. All around, shouts and squeals filled the air. I sighed, wishing that it wasn't so loud. I mean, the pomp and circumstance of the place was nice, but the ambiance that was allegedly a large portion was missing.

I turned my gaze from the sleek blue ferry-cruise liner to the city behind us. The jagged outline was comforting, skyline almost identical to that of Rio.
I could even catch the outline of the American Dragonite store where we had found Heather, lugging around three bags. We had been forced to drag her out of the store all the while making sure her precious merchandise wasn't damaged. I sighed and cursed her under my breath.

If I had disliked Heather before the journey had started, I was certainly getting close to hating her.

"There opening the gate!" Kody shouted excitedly. I shifted my gaze from the city back to the ship. The firm blue lines of the ship were capped with the command bridge and a series of glass towers. A grin spread across my face. Battle courts.

"Finally," Heather replied with a sigh of relief. She walked forward quickly, cutting me off from the entrance when we came to the gate.

"Hey!" I shouted.

"Oh… ah… sorry?" Heather said innocently, whirling around to look at me.

"Whatever," I replied. "Just move along."

"Hello, and welcome to the liner S.S. Greenback. May I take your tickets please?"

We each handed her our tickets, and got back only a portion.

"Thank you," she said after we got back our stubs.

"-sure you do not jump into the ocean.

"Once again, welcome to the S.S. Greenback. Part of Orion Marine-Space Transportation, this cruise liner-ferry hybrid prides itself in providing journeymen and women from Port Re the quickest non-aerial transportation to the Western Islands top cities - Freede, Botantine, Guahtahn, and the Pearl Island cities.

"Also, we at Orion pride ourselves in the quality of customer service we provide. We are rated five stars by the Journeymen's Journal, Diaries of a Trainer, and the Freede Union. For example, tonight we will be holding a casual dance at seven o'clock in honor of the beginning of our seasonal daily service. You may now reach Freede, Guantahn, and Delta City daily. The dance will occur on Deck AAA, at the bow, with a beautiful view of the Saint Islands at sunset.

"Furthermore, we have battle courts in operation daily. Our courts are regulation size and feature state-of-the-art specialization of terrain and conditions. Our referees all have aced the examinations of quality and each received Hakkou's Order of Grant from the Ministry of Journeying.
"Remember that most of all, we keep your happiness as our top priority. If you have any questions or comments, drop a note card in any comment box - there is one and each bedroom as well as in many other locales. Most of all, be sure to enjoy your ride of Orion Marine-Space Transportation Corporation's S.S. Greenback."

"Ah… a dance!" Heather said, looking at Kody. It was more than a hint. I sighed. Here we go again, I thought to myself.

"Whatever," Kody replied. He glared at the redhead. She innocently twirled her hair with one finger, staring at Kody.

I almost cracked up.

"There's no chance!" Kody shouted. He turned and walked away, indifferent.

"Well, that sucks," Heather replied. She turned to me. I looked at her, and could see that she was almost tearing up. I smiled warmly. Er… as warmly as I could. "You want to battle?"

I quickly looked at my options. "Sure, why not?"

"Okay. Let's go find a court."

"Um, what about our bags?"

"Oh… I forgot about those. Connor, could you please bring them to our rooms? Pretty please?"

I slowly turned my gaze to her. Her green-brown eyes shone with humbleness. She looked as pathetic as a puppy. And so I relented. "Well, I guess."

"Thanks a million times over, Connor. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I know what I'd do with out you," I mumbled under my breath. As I picked up her bags, I sighed. Just pretend it doesn't matter, I thought to myself.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh… nothing," I said. I slowly lifted her backpack and shopping bag.

Thankfully, she only had wanted to bring one bag. I had a hunch who would be carrying it until we got to Freede was. And then, finally, she could go along her own way, per her request. "But you owe me."

"I sure do," she said with a smile.

I sighed. What in the world was I doing? Did it qualify as flirting if you had a strong hate for the person? Well, I had just done so, so I guess it did. Here I was in the middle of the ship, carrying a ton's worth of bags for a girl my friend disliked and I nearly hated. What the heck was wrong with me?

I shook my head as I rounded a corner and shuffled down a flight of stairs, trying to find our two rooms. I didn't know. All that I could do was continue to live, and wait for the right cards to come my way. And then when I did, do all I could to play them in the right way.

I sighed. Girls. You can't live with them, and you can't live without them…

===================================​

"This will be a double battle match between Heather and Connor on one side, and Chloe and Zak on the other. The match will be un-timed. Any violation of the aforementioned ferry battle codes will result in a fine of a centurii hakk. The match will begin at my whistle, after all four pokémon have been released.

"You ready?" Heather asked me. She leaned against the back rail of the small battle platform we shared. In my opinion, it was far too small.
I nodded, not even looking her way.

"Pikachu!" Chloe shouted. The tall girl raised a pokéball, her blonde-brown hair shimmering in the early evening sun.

"Tailow!" added Zak. The heavy-built boy unclipped his pokéball from his belt, long grey shirt rubbing against the other five pokéballs.

Both their pokémon emerged. The first was a small golden mouse with red electrical sacs, and the second an energetic blue, red, and white bird. The bird soared through the air excitedly. I stared and stared. Pokémon like those were rare, halfway to the South Pole from Japan. The only reason I even knew what they were was that we had a very thorough science program at the academy back in Rio.

The bird filled the court with its caws. I was almost tempted to look it up in my dex, but resisted. Mr. Reynolds had always said that we would need info like that anyway. It was time to put that knowledge to good use.

"Not like we had a choice anyways," Heather said with heavy sarcastic overtones. "Felurn!"

Heather's pokéball hinged open and released her plump red-orange striped kitten with a cream underbelly and a short stubby tail that twitched excitedly.

I did likewise. My red-brown colt greeted me with a whinny.
"Pikachu and Tailow versus Charolt and Felurn! Ready, set, go!" the referee shouted. He lowered two golden flags to waist level, and then raised them over his head.

"So," Heather said, "what's our strategy?"

"What? I thought you were the one that was supposed to get together one. After all, you were the one to suggest battling."

"That may be," she said, glaring at me, "but back against the weird American, you were the one to make up the three pronged whatever you called it."

"Just a second. Charolt, Smokescreen!" I shouted. "That strategy was one of the first ones we read with Professor Trillium, you of all people should have been interested in battle tactics!"

"I didn't even read that, Connor. Remember? I planned on being a coordinator."

"Oh yeah…" I shrugged. "Give me just a few minutes and I'll have one. Charolt, Smokescreen again!" I shouted.

My colt opened its red-brown maw and released a steady stream of black-grey smoke. The cloud spread, gathering in the center of the battle court, hiding our opponents, and also their pokémon, from view.

I quickly thanked God that I had spent a few hours last night studying Charolt's dex entry, and then slowly began to go over the tactics I had learned through the past two years under the kind eye of Professor Trillium.
Finally, I had a general idea of one. "Okay. Now that we've got some time" I began, "here's what we'll do…"

===================================​

Aaron Kasul dug his oars into the water vigorously. He didn't really understand why he, of all the morphs Seymour could have picked, had been chosen as the leader of this "flotilla". He looked back and all around him. His was the lead boat, and held seventeen morphs, all crammed into the back while he rowed in front. Of course they hadn't been able to get motors. And anyways, those would have made things all too easy for the Aqua artillery and machine guns to shoot them down. Those in the boat were, thankfully, a small group. They consisted of, mostly, the fire type, as well as some other species that, due to their "minor elemental strains", had a weakness to water. Whatever that meant.

Aaron sighed. Maybe it was a good thing that he had been chosen. It was a sign that Seymour trusted him. Or that, and this one was more likely, he was that Seymour didn't think he was worthy of being part of the "distraction" that they were currently running towards the Aqua citadel in the middle of the Great South Bay.

So here he was, in the middle of the bay, blisters popping up on his fingers, with only a pistol to defend himself. But that was all that could be spared. And it wasn't like it would work, anyways. Not against the large granite citadel the Aqua agents where housed in. Along with the pitiful, dreadful conditions of the pokémorphs under that. Aaron shivered all over. He was still having nightmares.

On paper, Team Aqua existed, much like Magma, Galaxy, Storm, and Fist, as merely a group of civil servants pledged to the sciences and the betterment of mankind. If that meant a few morphs having to go through horrid conditions…

Well… they were only morphs.

And the only reason Aqua claimed to need armed forces of any sort was that the rival groups hired mercenaries to attack and raid Aqua research vessels. Anyone that had ever been into the facility, except maybe a few of the low grunts, knew what a bunch of hogwash that was.

"Mommy, look at the strange fishy!" squealed a Vulpix morph excitedly. Her voice wavered, and it was hard to tell if she was enjoying it or hating it. Her mother, a loving Ninetails morph dressed in scraps of grey cloth, nodded and cuddled her child.

Aaron smiled. They had gotten back out together. Others hadn't been so fortunate. Aaron knew nearly everyone had left someone. He was an exception. They had got him separately - his parents had already been killed in a morph revolt. His brother had joined the Chinese National Army and subsequently been killed while digging trench works for the real soldiers.

But what of that fish?

Aaron peered over the side of boat. To his great horror…

It isn't a fish, Aaron thought to himself.

"Code 42! Code 42!" Aaron shouted into the cheap walky talky set they had managed to get.

Quickly, the periscope rose, submarine following. The sleek black frame was hardly noticeable in the thick of night.

"God save us all," whispered a morph behind him.

"Oh, God," Aaron seconded. Nervously.

===================================​

"… and finally we go in for the kill," I said, outlining the plan that had quickly formed in my mind. "Got it?" I asked her.

"Yep," she replied.

I smiled and turned to the battlefield. A thinning layer of smoke hid the far half of the court from view. Luckily it did the same to our opponents. We had needed to renew the cloud three times. However, it still had done as it was intended to.

"Now you two," I said, beginning our strategy, "go forth and Ember!"

The two fire-types looked at me with a strange expression and walked forward slowly. Each opened their mouths, preparing to spew fire.

Maybe they hadn't understood it. I bet they didn't. But they had heard the word "Ember" and so they let the balls of fire loose into the cloud of ever-thinning smoke.

What came back in exchange was a muffled counter attack. "Pikachu, Quick Attack away" and "Tailow, Wing Attack away the cloud."

I could barely make out our two pokémon, let alone the opponent's pokémon. However, as the blue, red, and white bird finally was able to clear, or at least thin, the cloud, I could barely see four shadows of the four creatures battling it out.

The three-colored bird rose and fell, rose and fell. Its wings glowed silver as it dove, and it cawed a fierce cry. The smoke quickly spread through the whole entire court.

Heather coughed, muffling the sound with her arm. "I guess that makes it somewhat easier to see," she commented.

I smiled and giggled. "Definitely," I replied, straightening my face. "Charolt, Ember!"

"Felurn, Quick Attack on Pikachu."

"Yeah," I added, "do it on Pikachu as well."

Felurn and Charolt charged. The first ran ahead, growling at her opponent. The second provided suppressive fire, shooting ball of flame after ball of flame.

Squealing in terror from the entourage of fire, the golden mouse looked to its trainer for help. The blonde haired girl nodded. The mouse squeaked in reply and rolled to one side, and then bounded towards his opponents.
My colt's flame traced the Pikachu. However, he did so poorly. Each flaming ball of energy was either too low, too high, too far to the left or right, or too slow and thus easily escapable. However, one was able to nick the Pikachu's lightning bolt tail.

The mouse yelped in pain and shifted its eyes from its trainer to my colt. It charged, jumping out of the way of the kitten's attempt to jam her body into its soft golden fur, and sent a bolt of electricity towards my colt.

"Tailow! Gust on Felurn!" shouted Zak.

The red, blue, and white bird dove, small vortex of wind pushed forward by its wings.

"Charolt, try to dodge it!" I said quickly. Once again, here I was, with Charolt's "strain" type or whatever being weak to "strain" type white. While the "strain" types did explain some stuff, like why certain pokémon had advantages when the typage said they didn't. Still, the troubled more than helped.

My colt whinnied and galloped away form the mouse on the soft, grassy loam. But the mouse followed, much more agile and more experienced. Bolt of electricity followed vengeful bolt of electricity. However, the Pikachu was just as wonderful at aiming elemental energy as Charolt was, and so missed every time.

However, he was just as lucky. The sparks made contact, finally, when a bolt of thunder pulsed through the tail, forking for each leg, and running up the spine.

My colt moaned in pain. His beady eyes met mine, and his pupils filled with the loyalty that I had only seen in cheesy journey flicks. Finally, the colt fell to the ground with an echoing thud.

"Charolt has been defeated!" the referee shouted over the cheers Chloe and Zak displayed so eagerly.

"You can still win, Heather," I whispered to her encouragingly. "Just try to separate them so that they both can't attack at once."

"Right," she said, and tried her best to think up a strategy.

"You can do it," I repeated as I returned Charolt. Through my mind their ran a thousand questions, and they all were answered with this poor excuse: this was getting far too close to not be a sympathy call. I sighed. I was too far deep in this situation to get myself out. That much was obvious. However, I would make sure that wouldn't be the same case next time.
I sighed, and went on watching Heather battle. She fought bravely, but all too poorly against the two pokémon.

"Felurn, Ember!" Heather shouted in desperation. For about the tenth time. The kitten jumped up and splayed ball after ball of fire at her opponents.
Finally, two connected on the diving Tailow near its right wing tip. The smell of singed feathers tickled my nostrils as the bird spiraled downward. Before it could make contact with the ground, however, a pale red beam of light caught it and held on. The bird was sucked back into its pokéball.
"Tailow's out!" shouted the referee. This time, it was my turn to cheer. And cheer I did. Until Chloe ordered a Spark from her Pikachu in a quick attack that sent Felurn spiraling into the air.

Heather sighed, unclipped her pokéball, and caught the kitten in a beam of pale red light.

"Great, now we've got to pay up…"

"It was a pleasure to battle you two. I bet we'll see you tonight at the dance, right?"

I looked down, and realized I was holding Heather's hand. I quickly withdrew it, and raised it to my cheeks. They were burning up.

"Ah, no…" Heather said quickly, "we're just friends."

"Oh, I see… well, the denial phase is always fun," said Zak. He smiled at Chloe and kissed her on the cheek. "You'll get over it eventually.

"We're not in anything," I said. I glared knives at him.

"If you say so…" He shrugged, and along with his girlfriend left.

"Good riddance," I mumbled under my breath as I shelled out a centurii to the referee. The 100 hakk bank note was gleefully ripped from my hand. The referee mumbled a thank you and went back to the office of-sorts that was situated behind the referee's stand.

"You don't think we are…, do you?" Heather asked.

"Heck no," I replied quickly. Was it too quickly? Was the things they said really true? I knew what the answer was in my conscious mind. But in my subconscious? Ah… there was where the mystery lied. I guess I'd just have to wait and see.

===================================​

"I still don't know why they thought that…" she trailed off, pausing to take a lick of her vanilla cone.

I did likewise, sliding my tongue over the cold, chocolate ice cream that filled the bowl I had bought. I leaned against the railing and looked across the deck: Kody was no where to be seen. He wasn't really even answering his navi. I had a hunch where he was though. Playing Halo. With a slurpy.
In his room.

I smiled. Yep. Or, he was: visiting a Jihad site, with a slurpy, in his room.
Either dreadfully poor way of putting it into Clue form, he was enjoying himself. And also very depressed at the same time. That was what puzzled me about him sometimes. It seemed like the only coping strategy he knew was to let himself immerse himself in a game or fandom. Either way, it ended up failing more often then not.

"So, you want to battle someone else?" Heather asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. Not only are we low on money, but with our pokémon as they are… well, you get the picture. I've been seeing a few signs about some training courts below decks. Maybe we should go practice instead?"

"Sounds like… fun," Heather said kindly.

"How about it then?"

"Sure!"

===================================​

Giovanni Cristos II looked out over the Persian Sea from the command bridge of the RSS Raider. The average sized destroyer rolled lightly in the breezy sea - by no means gale force windy, but by no means calm either. All around the ship buzzed tiny Tyrant-class patrol craft, moving quickly like the Surskit they looked like.

For the first few hours of the search, he had worried that he would get in trouble with the UN, or the UPA, or even Britain. However, the Rocket Naval Corporation was privately owned and operated, and the only relation they had to the mafia-like organization called Team Rocket was that they shared the same name. Or so the UN thought. Or at least wanted to think. And in some ways it was true. After all, the RNC was paid by Rocket's leader. It just so happened the leader of RNC and the leader of Team Rocket were one in the same.

Giovanni smiled. The hunt for Archer was progressing rapidly. Nearly all of the Red Sea had been cleared for the Aqua boss. After all, most in Africa and Arabia were still under the UN order to stay away from the coasts due to the evolution of pokémon, and so the scouring of the sea had been easy. Apparently, the electric types had severed all connections, because they still followed that command. Heck, they probably hadn't even gotten the re-invention of the pokéball, even though it had been out since 2310 - over one hundred years. Well, that was what isolationist policies yielded.

"Sir," said Grant Jefferson, "it seems that the treating with Jupiter has gone well. Galaxy wishes to join us, and only request they remain an independent - that they aren't consolidated."

"Good, Grant. Have you already sent our surveillance psychics in?"

"Yes sir! SPTF Teams Bravo and Charlie have made it to Sinnoh and by the end of the day will be in Galactic installations."

"That's good."

"Giovanni, we will continue to consult mercenary and paramilitary organizations, as well as the many motor cycle gangs of America, Hakkou, and the Sevii Islands."

"We don't need them any more."

"Yes we do sir. Most of them still pledge their forces to Hackley. We cannot let their pokémon genetic manipulation and cloning technologies pay a group ten times larger than their actually main cell. Besides, they are weak. We have eliminated or scattered four of the fifty-some remaining Nebula cells. If we take out the main group that Hackley still controls, there is no longer a Nebula to deal with, but separated factions numbering under one-hundred agents total. With the MC's, PMC's, and other teams as our allies, there is little chance their fall will be take longer than a week."

"But they still have the skill to beat us - the talent that remains in only a handful of our most elite officers."

"But our grunts alone outnumber them ten to one, Giovanni. Isn't that enough?"

"Size matters not, numbers count for nothing," quoted Giovanni from a monk he had met in the Kingdom of Tibet while going on his journey. "You of all people, Grant, should at least remember that. Do you remember where I found you?"

"Yes sir. The Sinnoh Underground."

"Do you want to go back there? Try to survive against a scrawny kid, half your size? Would you do it with three grunts?"

"No, sir," Grant quickly replied. He saluted Rocket-style and left.

===================================​

The sun hung low in the western sky, outlining the small peninsula that held the larger portion of the Indian Ocean from us. I looked back, hardly able to see the larger city that only hours before had loomed menacing and gigantic to me.

A collection of rocks in an arc were just behind the wake of the ferry. And they called them islands. I chuckled. What a joke.

"You ready for the dance?" Kody asked, walking over to me and leaning against the back of the deck, looking out over with me from a trio of pools to the large wake the ferry formed.

"What? Oh, yeah… I guess."

"Heather told me that you promised to dance with her." Kody stretched his arms out and sighed. "Thanks."

"No problem, I guess. She really irks me though." I glared at Kody. "But when you stormed off like that, she was sort of sad. And then… well, I don't know. She just… wasn't as weird."

"Ah…" Kody said jestingly, "you're in wuv!"

"No, I'm not," I replied angrily, glaring once more at him. "I just think that, maybe - and just maybe: I'm not really sure about this - she's not a total moron. I'm just seeing something about her that I never noticed before." I looked at Kody coldly. He smiled back. "Just maybe," I repeated.

"What do you to do together anyways? When I was off somewhere else, I mean."

"We just battled a couple. Got some ice cream. After that did some training. You didn't miss much. It's probably more fun to look up your Jihad site, anyways. Though you did miss Felurn and Charolt frying each other with their ember attacks.

"You really do hate fire-types, don't you? More than you dislike Heather, I would think."

"Ten times more," I replied, shivering automatically. Automatically? The thought rang through my head. If this was just a whole charade and I didn't dislike fire types because of that attack in Redwood forest by that Charizard, then what? I silently, guiltily knew the answer. I rubbed my hands against my stomach, seeing where a scar still rose, running up my side. Here I was, being a Liberal Democrat, and fearing fire-types because of something I hated but was supposed to agree with. Well, I did agree with it. It was just hate… they were… weird. And how they used pokémon to find pleasure… I shivered all over.

Was it the fault of that Charizard that I had began to fear fire-types? I shook my head…

Maybe it was time to let the old wounds heal. Maybe… Time to let my Charolt be my friend and not a tool. Am I truly ready yet? I though I wasn't ready to talk to Heather again… And yet I did, and yet it wasn't as bad as I thought it would. Maybe it wasn't a fear at all, the fire-types, just a fill-in so that I wasn't a hypocrite. Unionists where hypocritical, not liberals of any kind.

But maybe I'm not ready… Maybe I still hate Heather… I know I still hate fire-types.

Honestly, I don't know.

But I know how to find out.