CURRENT TEAMS:
Lysandre's Legacy
Current Location : Lumiose City - Lysandre Labs
Lumiose City, the crown jewel of the entire Kalos region. Being back in the city where he lived out the most formative of his teenaged years brought on a massive influx of nostalgia for Laurent. There were so many places he could see, his old school, any of his passed hangouts...But the fist place he found himself drawn to was one that was no longer even intact: Lysandre Cafe. It had always been Laurent's favorite of the cafes, the scientific atmosphere made it a wonderful place to study, and Laurent had actually been one of the many people who looked up to Lysandre before, well... you know the old story by now.
He however, wasn't the only one interested in the old café... Jackson stepped through the old secret passageway with the incubator strapped to his back, thankfully Nurse Joy had procured the harness he had requested while he was involved with that nasty Eevee business. This allowed him to wear the unborn pokémons chamber on his back like a conventional backpack. "Damn, this place is a wreck..." He said with a grunt as he pushed away the ruined pieces of what had once been a china cabinet aside. It was a miracle that nobody had even discovered this structure beneath the city, though from the little he had heard of Lysander, he was a man with more than enough funds to cover something like this up.
His foot pressed down with a metallic clang on the once sterile metal floor or the hidden path behind the café. Deep inside the chamber he could hear the clanking of metallic life forms stirring to the noise. He supposed they'd be used to the place by now, his disturbance was no doubt noted by their attuned senses. Still, he was already here... and he needed to be certain that nothing of Cinder remained in the abandoned halls of this hidden building. He had come so far as to sneak passed the sealed quarantine and guards, turning back now wasn't an option.
Still, his momentary hesitation was already proving detrimental. As he heard the café door start to push open. With a panicked swivel he quickly turned and darted down the metal hallway quickly, his footsteps clanking as he went.
Laurent had barely even opened the door of the café when he heard rapid metallic banging and clanging a short distance away. He took in the room in an instant and dashed towards the opening, not even bothering to think until
after he'd dashed through that this must have been an entrance to the old Team Flare base that had been underneath the café. It seemed very likely to him that Team Cinder was related to Team Flare, judging by the names and fiery theme, which meant the footsteps he was chasing after could very well belong to one of those criminals. He passed doorways to other parts of the labyrinth throughout the chase but ignored them and pounded on towards the footsteps, confident that he was starting to catch up to them.
Various clicks and whirs sounded throughout the facility, as if it -or many somethings inside it - had been awoken by the intrusion. Laurent was distracted by the sounds just long enough not to notice the footsteps had gone silent.
With a sudden sidestep, Jackson appeared in front of the doorway that Laurent was running towards and with a sudden jab, drove his fist towards his stomach and slammed it hard against Laurent's abdomen, not immediately identifying the assailant in the dark. He quickly steeped back and rose his fists, Gaspar watching passively from his shadow, ready to intervene when necessary.
Laurent nearly doubled over from the sudden impact, taking a split second to be glad it missed his solar plexus before he regained his composure and stepped into his assailant's space with surprising speed, sending out a few quick jabs before jumping back a short distance himself, fists raised in a nostalgic stance. His left arm stretched out away from him, with his right arm in close, fist by his ribs while he bounced slightly on his feet.
Jackson groaned at his opponent's stance, swiftly shifting left and right while stepping back to avoid the jabs, bouncy, poncey fighters bothered him to no end... and while he couldn't make out his opponents face, there was something about him that just pushed him the wrong way. Feigning a lunge, Jackson side stepped and grabbed an old office chair, kicking it harshly it rushed on its wheels across the floor, aiming to collide with Jackson's enemy at high speed.
A hand gripped the chair as Laurent sidestepped it, rolling it around him in an arc to maintain its momentum and sent it back at his target, then dashed after it. He stayed just behind the chair until the last second, then kicked it from the bottom to upend it towards his oppoenent and quickly jumped to the side to throw a straight at an almost perpendicular angle to the chair.
Jackson quickly raised a hand in either direction, one to block the punch, the other to deflect the chair, but it still stung like hell to have it collide with his arm like that. His eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth. He was just about finished with this guy, tightening his free fist he was ready to take a hit and throw caution to the wind in order to land a decisive blow, all it would take was-
Click.
Jackson held himself back as the lights flashed on and he saw who he was fighting, his expression was still angry, but he seemed moreso confused rather than fiilled to the brim with white rage. "Hessel?" He lowered his hands and rose an eyebrow. "Dahell are you doing here... and who turned on the-" He was interupted as he looked across the room to see Gaspar floating with his hand on a light switch. "Hauuunterr..." He mumbled with a fed up expression and Jackson growled. "You're getting too fond of those hands you larded up halloween decoration..." Gaspar just cackled in response.
Laurent stopped dead at the sight of his old classmate blinking curiously a few times before he spoke. "Jackson? Well, this should be a surprise and yet... it makes sense." He straightened up and dusted himself off and turned to wave at Gaspar. "My thanks, my spectral friend, your senses are quite sharp." He straightened is collar and refocused on Jackson. "I see you still pack a wallop. As for me, I came out of concern about those 'Team Cinder' criminals. We've already seen firsthand how dangerous they are, and if they're up to no good I can't imagine they don't have something going on in Lumiose. All things considered, I'm glad you're the reason my stomach might be bruised, not one of them."
Jackson scoffed. "Yeah, I'd like to say the same for you, but I guess I wouldn't know..." He finished with a sneer as Gaspar dashed back into his shadow with haste. "I guess you and I are on the same page, lots of bad shit goin' down here in the city. Some of our classmates and I have already experienced it first hand..." He trailed off. "If ya ask me, Cinder are to blame, no doubt about it." He looked around the old lab with a vague curiosity, there were doccuments all around with detailed diagrams of something called 'the ultimate weapon'. They were all dusty however... and by the looks of things any and all computer sin the room were broken, most likely by wild pokémon. "I guess anythin' worth lookin' at it is further on though..."
"As well as some unwelcoming remnants of Team Flare's past activities." Laurent added after a moment of silence allowed them to hear yet more clangs and whirs. Ignoring the hint of annoyance at Jackson's snide remark, he quietly pulled a pokéball from his belt and clicked the button, releasing Apollo at his feet. The Growlithe stretched and yawned but was cut short when Laurent gently placed a hand between his ears and caused him to stand at attention. "I'm confident we can guess what types we're most likely to encounter loitering around an abandoned lab. Besides having an advantage against steel-types, Apollo has an excellent nose. Between his extremely sharp mundane senses, and your Haunter's ghostly abilities, it should be hard for anyone or anything else to get the drop on us. Shall we?" He finished, peeking back out into the main hall, now able to see a bit more clearly thanks to the light Gaspar had turned on in the room of their skirmish.
"Fire types eh?" Jackson nodded in agreement, before pulling his own Inferno Ball from his belt and releasing Fang onto the lab floor. He tensed, his muscular form bulging for a moment as he anticipated a trainer battle... but he relaxed slightly when that wasn't the case. "Fang here is tough enough for the task as well, right pup?" He barked once in agreement and stood vigilantly by as Jackson walked over to the main hall as well. "Hmm... might need some more vision just in case, Gaspar?" The pokémon needed no explanation, moving out of Jackson's shadow to float over the group and set his fist alight, illuminating the path forward. With a slight offhand look to Laurent, confirming he was coming, Jackson trudged down the hallway.
"So... I see you're still alive after the forest fiasco..." He mumbled. "Didja get yourself a badge in Santalune?"
"Of course." Laurent replied. "Nothing will halt my progress towards the League. I've nowhere to go but onwards and upwards. I assume you have one as well?" Jackson gave a small nod in response. "Of course... as if I'd get held up by a bunch of bugs." He winced a little, but kept walking. "I've heard the gym here is closed down for now? Something about Volkner tranferring for a year... do you know much about the Sinnoh leaders?" Jackson mused, thinking back to his childhood. "We're lucky we've got to wait... he's the strongest of them back home, he's known for takin' no prisoners."
Laurent nodded as they walked along, glad they weren't under attack yet. Keeping an eye on Fang and Apollo as they continuously sniffed the air for danger. "I only know what I've read but regardless, I'm glad for the change, personally. I find Clemont....obnoxious. Most just call him 'eccentric' but it feels too friendly a term to me. Volkner should be a much more interesting challenge when the time comes."
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the metallic hallway of the hideout. In the distance, a bunch of whirring Magnemite could be seen flying out of one of the smaller office areas to the side.
Both trainers and their poképuppies started at the commotion and a second later Apollow took a big sniff of the air and let out a single bark before charging into the office the Magnemite came from. "Don't be too reckless, Apollo!" Laurent called after him, dashing into the room right behind him, ready for battle. Jackson didn't move and just nodded down to Fang with a grin. "Show em what you've learned pup, beat em down, then burn em up." Fang howled in anticipation as he charged down the corridor, keeping pace with Apollo as his dark type energy began to fuel his movements. Gaspar's force, Teddy's speed and Wave's maneuverability, all of them contributed to Fang's new attack. Leaping off the ground and kicking off the wall, his head began to glow with a dark purple energy and he slammed his skull into one of the approaching mon, launching it into the wall with the strength of 'Beat Up'. As it swivelled and spun on an axis trying to right itself, Fang quickly shot an ember and engulfed it in a burning flame.
'It's Super Effective!' The Magnemite didn't get up as the others quickly rushed away down the hallways in fright. Jackson tutted as he realized they weren't looking for a fight. He had been looking forward for an opportunity to truly test Fang's skill.
When they stormed inside, they were met by the sight of a figure lying amongst a bunch of broken cardboard boxes, coughing and dusting herself off as she sought the power to stand. Around her flew another Magnemite, but one that quickly followed the others away upon the two men busting into the room.
''Aah, wait, stop, don't attack me!'' She yelled, putting her empty hands out in front of her. ''I'm not... wait... you're not police.''
A woman? Laurent ran to her immediately and offered his hand to steady her if necessary. "My expectations are blown away again! Are you alright miss?"
The girl reacted a little apprehensively at the man's sudden turnaround in disposition, and steadied herself on the desk instead. She pulled her hair away from her face before standing up straight and facing the other person. Surprised, in fact; he was certainly not the kind of person she would've expected to meet in a place like this. A tall, rather handsome young man with blonde hair and green eyes met her gaze and offered his hand. He seemed like the kind of person her father had brought for introduction at his dinner parties before... but that made her suspicious of his polite intentions just as well.
''I'm... fine, thank you. Who are you?'' she spoke quietly, her fearful gaze softening just slightly.
"My name is Laurent, Laurent Hessel, glad to be of service." He responded warmly in his most welcoming voice. "May I ask your name, dear lady?"
"Who dahell are you talking to fancy- What?!" Jackson recoiled slightly as he stepped into the room and saw Laurent standing with... her. "Princess..." He growled, glaring at Odette through squinted eyes and a furrowed brow. "Y'know, I should have guessed..." He near spat his words stepping forward. "...but I went and gave you the benefit of the doubt. Team Cinder seems like just the right fit for someone like you."
"Prince - Team Cinder!?" Laurent's eyes widened and his brain rushed to make sense of what he was hearing. He took another look at the girl, a more serious one this time. "That seems an out-of-place accusation for a young lady we found on the floor, alone with the Magnemite."
Odette's eyes went wide with recognition for a second when Jackson walked in, but hearing the nickname pissed her off, especially after following it up with accusations like that. ''Excuse me?! Who are you to come storming in here and assuming
I'm the bad guy?!'' She waved her right hand in front of her in denial, her arm currently bandaged in like a long, fingerless glove, before putting it in her pocket to grab Grace's Pokéball. ''I should be suspicious of you, running around together with fire-breathing dogs... What are you doing here?''
"My goodness! What happened to your arm, miss?" His hurt at being lumped in with Jackson in her accusations apparently overshadowed by concern.
"She got it slashed after she trapped us in a cave and almost got us killed..." Jackson interupted, taking another step closer to Odette. "Laurent, I don't often give you advice, because well, I don't really like you... but that... ugh I don't even know what t'call her! She's bad news! Dahell are you even doing in here Princess?! This place is off limits to civillians."
She rolled her sleeves back down to cover most of the bandages, before crossing her arms. ''I seem to remember
you made the ground collapse below us. I didn't intend to go into that cave in the first place. And I doubt you have permission to be in here either, mister Crane.'' A sigh escaped her lips before she turned to Laurent instead, purposefully avoiding Jackson's gaze. ''And you? Are you friends with this... brute?''
"No." Laurent said flatly, his eyes growing cold at the suggestion. "I can't say the thought appeals to me, and even if I was ready to make such a mistake, he quite vehemently scorns me." Odette's stern gaze was adorned with a slight grin to find Laurent shared her opinion.
"Tch, great..." Jackson muttered as Fang growled from behind his leg, sensing his trainers distaste. "Stuck underground with the Ice Princess AND Fancy Pants... as this could get any wo-" Jackon was cut off by a suden sounding alarm that deafened his ears and made his head spin, a robotic voice started to play with broken ridng over the intercom.
"Zzt- W-w-warniiiiiinnggg, power co-core-ccccccc, malfunctioninininin, wild poké- é- é- BREACH BREACHZZ- Have a nice day."
Jackson twitched slightly and turned back into the hallway that he and Laurent had just entered from. "Well... that's just fuckin' great isn't it?"
"Just wonderful." Laurent agreed grimly, not yet turning away from the girl. Apollo had just approached and looked up at her before barking in a friendly manner. Laurent ignored both the noise and
apparently the danger, keeping his smile strong while he spoke. "I still haven't had the delight of learning what you like to be called yet, miss...?"
Odette removed her hands from her ears when the alarm stopped. She watched Jackson step out of the room before sharing a smile with Laurent, and responded in a more pleasant voice. ''I am Odette...'' she hesitated for a moment, deciding at the last second to omit her surname. ''Pleased to make your acquaintance, mister... Hessel, was it?''
Laurent bowed low at her greeting in lieu of taking her hand, not wishing to be overly familiar in their current setting. "A graceful name befitting such a dignified lady. Please, call me Laurent, the pleasure is all mine~" With introductions out of the way he straightened back to his full height. "I'd love nothing more than to chat further, but we'd best be going before anything else happens." He turned and stepped out the door, then glanced back at Odette with a reassuring grin. "I'm certain a lady strong enough to stand up to the likes of Jackson doesn't need protection, but I'll do my best to keep you from harm nonetheless, if you'll allow me."
"Yeah, yeah... you're so charming Laurent, please tell us more about how you're going to protect the witch whom almost got me killed, it's not like we've got more important thing to worry about." Jackson growled as he stepped briskly down the hall, while Odette rolled her eyes at his comments, but followed behind Laurent. Red flashing lights began to go off on the walls and Jackson could hear the subtle humming of a rather large electrical device the further into the facility they went. Rooms filled with old files and dossiers lined the path, and Odette spied around inside some of them briefly, but there was nothing particularly interesting to be found.
After what seemed like an age... Jackson found himself standing alongside the others in front of a large double door, a subtle beeping could be heard echoing from the other side and a bright flashing red light was pulsing through the glass windows before them. Jackson could also hear something else, just barely, piercing through and echoing over the continuous dull symphony of warning sirens playing on repeat and numbing his mind. It sounded like... metal clanking against metal. "I think... we're where we need t'be..."
"Miss Odette...I think now would be a good time to bring out one of your pokémon, this door makes my hair stand on end." Laurent chimed in, smiling and sounding relaxed as ever, but anyone could see the tension in his muscles, ready to spring at a moment's notice.
Odette looked at the door suspiciously, but disagreed. ''I don't summon my Pokémon unless I need to... and judging from the timid wild Pokémon that have taken residence here, I doubt they will react violently. Unless provoked,'' she said, throwing Jackson a glance. The whirring sound of floating critters could still be faintly heard... including that of one curious Magnemite keeping an eye on the group. ''Well then... are you going to open it?''
Jackson stared daggers at Odette, but he wouldn't waste any more time with words. Fang fell in beside him and Gaspar loomed ominously in his shadow as he carefully placed a hand upon the door and began to very slowly push it open.
The room, as it was revealed, was a large and imposing chamber. Sirens blared and the floors black metallic panels were glowing with a mysterious orange underlight. The walls were brandished by a stylized, curved red flame which Jackson could only assume had been the insignis of the predecessor to Cinder, Flare. At the far end of the room, a computer console, large and covered in static displaying screens, flashing buttons and levers that did who knows what, was sparking and malfunctioning in a technological suicide. Pieces were blowing off and smoke began to rise upwards as the machine suffered more and more damage.
The source however, was not hard to find. There were five wild pokémon in the room, two floating metal arms, with three pointed silver claws. Two floating balls with magnetic attachments, the same pokémon the group had encountered earlier... and finally there was one that appeared to be the leader. The imposing pokémon almost looked like the two metallic arms combined upon a single body, with two piercing red eyes it turned, floating in place and glaring towards the group... the others seemed to move in unison, as if being commanded by their machine leader as one.
Jackson grit his teeth and let out a low sigh. "Yeah.. they seem like a real happy go lucky bunch." Suddenly the large, leader pokémon rose its arm and Jackson rose in eyebrow in response, until he could just make out the telltale rumbling of something approaching from behind. Throwing himself forward and falling flat into the room, he just managed to dodge a small table from the hallway behind them, that had been gripped ith psychic force and flung violently at him from beind, it clattered harmlessly across the floor as Fang and Gaspar rushed to their trainers side and Jackson pulled himself to his feet, all three prepared to fight back against their new aggressors.
"Now or never!" Laurent shouted, tossing a pokéball into the air before any of the steel-types could attack and releasing Bernard to stand next to Apollo. There was no time to hesitate, if all 5 of their opponents focused on any one of the traner's pokémon they could get seriously injured or worse. "Bernard, Grass Whistle on all of them! Apollo, Flame Wheel on that Beldum!" At his order, Bernard began to play the hypnotic melody across the arena, leaving Fang and Gaspar uniquely unaffected but causing the Steel pokémon to waver in the air, all seeming to slow down in their movements. Apollo. meanwhile, sprinted full bore at the Beldum floating closest to the Metang and leaped into the air spinning like a turbine with his entire body coated in fire, slamming into it and bringing it to a wall with him.
Odette was taken aback, she didn't expect to be confronted by such a large group of Pokémon down here. The other two trainers sent their Pokémon out without hesitation, but Odette stepped back, considering her options. Grace was still but a Ralts, and she would be at a severe disadvantage against these Pokémon. She refused to let her precious friend come to harm. And her other Pokémon, the Rhyhorn... No, that wasn't an option. The Rhyhorn was still not under her control, and to set such a goliath free in a tattered, confined space like this would be a disaster.
She bit her lip. What could she do? Should she just run away, while she had the chance? She owed her companions nothing... and at this rate she was more of a burden than a blessing regardless.
But then, just behind her, she could hear a familiar hum. Upon turning around, Odette was faced by another Pokémon. One of the magnetic balls that were fighting the men was now floating right in front of her. She covered her mouth in surprise, frozen in fear for a moment, but it seemed... this one was different. It was the one she'd seen whirring around her before, the curious specimen - but now it seemed just as agitated as herself. The Magnemite buzzed in front of her but then quickly flew off back down the hallway, occasionally turning around to look at her again... so after throwing back one more glance at the men, Odette dashed off after it.
Jackson turned his head back to check on the others just in time to see Odette dart away and he snarled after her. "Coward..." He muttered, but it didn't matter now. There were more pressing matters at hand. With as calm a head as he could keep all things considered, Jackson darted his gaze all around the room, searching for a means by which he could make the situation easier to deal with. They were still outnumbered five to four, but Jackson couldn't risk releasing his other pokémon now, not after they had exhausted themselves in the battles from earlier that very day. He thought about the pairs abilities and desperately tried to think of a means of evening the playing field. He ran that new yet familiar phrase through his head over and over, trying to think of the answer.
"Cast your line beyond the horizon... cast your... line... wait a second..."
With a quick ruffle through his bag, Jackson produced the Old Man's fishing rod and examined the hook at the end. Old, a little worn, but made of iron for certain. This could be just the chance he was looking for. If they were drowsy from Grass Whistle then...! "Fang!" Jackson toosed the bobber in his pokémons direction and he caught it, minding the hook, between his jaws. "You have to get close to the ball one! As close as you can got it?!" Fang growled and nodded before turning towards his enemies and charging with a howl. He ducked under Apollo as he leaped into the air and continued charging forward.
The largest pokémon, seemingly the leader of the group, managed to shake off his drowsy state. With glowing eyes he reached towards Fang with that same telikinetic energy and Jackson cursed under his breath... But nothing happened. The move seemed to have absolutely no effect. Jackson's eyes widened as the realization hit him, Fang was a dark type of course! He had dodged a bullet on that one for sure. It wasn't over yet however, as the pokémon let out a metallic shriek, charging in anger towards Fang. He, however, had already reached his mark.
Leaping upwards, Fang released the bobber and the iron hook flew forwards, sticking tight against the panicky magnemites attracting appendage, causing the pokémon to spin around in fright and leading to Jackson grinding his feet into the ground in order to hold his ground. "C'mooon....!" He growled as he tugged on the line and reared back... and with one more jump he sent the Magenmite hurtling through the air towards him. "Arceus please make this shit pan out right..." He muttered as he rose the rod above his head and span it quickly counter clock-wise. The Magnemite, letting out continuous shrieks, span around like and tugged the fishing line to the point of breaking.
This wouldn't last for much longer, so he had to act now. "Gaspar! Tether ball fire punch!" He called out and his partner swiftly rushed from his shadow, rearing back his fist and infusing it with dark flames, he waited for the precise moment during the arc of the swing, to collide the attack hard against the metal ball. The Magnemite launched, switching direction and almost immediately snapping the fishing line as he span haphazardly through the air, smashing hard against one of the now seriously confused Beldum's and sending both crashing hard into the floor below. With only the Beldum rising shakily from the floor.
"Holy shit...!" Jackson cried out incredilously. "It actually fuckin' worked."
At that moment two other Magnemite flew out of a nearby corridor, within moments one began to glow brightly and ran an electric conduit between its two magnets and launched the stream of pure energy straight at Apollo. If there was one thing the Growlithe was confident in, it was his speed and he practically smirked as he jumped up and off the wall, leaving the electric attack to hit the downed Beldum instead. "Show them a bit of fatal attraction with a well-placed Roar, Apollo!" The Growlithe nodded and dashed around the Magnemite in a semi-circle, dodging zap after zap until he was on the opposite side of it, then leaped up into the air and roared right into its single eye. The small steel type buzzed loudly and flailed its polarized appendages, then flew in a panic straight into the Beldum it had just struck.
The Magnemite was quick to recover, but as soon as it tried to move it found one of its magnets stuck to the Beldum, making it appear like some unfinished mechanical monstrosity missing all but its head and arm. "Bernard, they seem a bit stuck, help them out with Vine Whip!" Bernard understood instantly and shot his vines straight to the coiled pair, wrapping one around each pokémon, then prying them apart. Both the Beldum and Magnemite looked relieved at being freed from their first predicament for a moment, just before Bernard slammed them together like a pair of clackers and showed them just how much worse off they were. "Leech Seed!" Laurent called out more plainly this time. Bernard simply launched out a single large seed to sail innocently through the air and land right on the magnet keeping the two stuck together, then practically exploded with tendreils that wrapped around them both and removed any hope of them unsticking while it began to sap their energy.
"Apollo, make sure our friend Metang doesn't feel left out!" The order was fairly unnecessary, the Metang hadn't been content to merely sit and watch the fight. Apollo had taken it on himself to distract the enemy leader, and was running continuous circles around him and doing his best to dodge all the lab equipment and rubble thrown his way. "Bernard, let's see your best pitch!" Without further delay, Bernard hooked a vine into the vampiric brambles around the Beldum and Magnemite and throw them with all his strength at the Metang.
Running after the Magnemite, Odette was led into one of the office areas they had passed through earlier. ''Where are you taking me!? I've been through here, there's nothing to be found!'' she said, but the Magnemite ignored her. It swiftly flew between some of the file cabinets, leading out to the back of the room, where a long desk was placed. Papers and files were scrambled all over it, grave documents that detailed descriptions and diagrams of the Ultimate Weapon, and how they would harness it... but apparently, that wasn't what the Magnemite wanted her to see. Next to the desk, tucked away behind another cabinet, was a large, rusted lever. The Magnemite sat atop it, trying to push it down, but it wouldn't budge an inch. Odette nodded, and walked over, pulling on the lever, eventually trying to hang from it with all her weight as she tried to get it to move, but it took the Magnemite banging on the edge of it for it to suddenly sink down into a downward position.
The loud clank echoed through the silent chamber, but was likely muffled away completely by the sounds of battle... until suddenly, a deafening cranking noise started to resound through the entire facility. Something had been set into motion, giant gears were grinding away within the walls. Far away from Odette herself, in the midst of the battlefield, the floorboards grinded open. Concealed underneath was a large machine, that slowly rose up to the surface. A prototype, it seemed... of the Absorber. Odette had read about its intention in some of the files she managed to plough through before encountering Laurent and Jackson. Able to fire a beam that could drain the life force of Pokémon, into something they called 'Infinity Energy'. The Absorber itself looked like a cannon secured to the floor, with its barrel undeniably shaped in the floral form of the Ultimate Weapon.
Jackson took a step back at the sudden appearance of this strange machine. His eyes widening with shock, awe and a sudden, indescribable sense of danger. His ability to sense danger like a scent was going haywire as the room suddenly began to stink up a storm... and without a moment of hesitation he quickly recalled Fang and Gaspar to their pokéballs before they could object. "Hessel... I think it's time we got outtta here...!" He quickly shouted out, over the grinding noises of machinery and the loud claxon of a new and almost deafening warning siren, before beginning to back away cautiously towards the door. Laurent had already reclaimed his own pokémon and bolted alongside Jackson towards safety.
The office, too, had been lit up. The desk flipped over, and on its surface now were a great many buttons, while one of the computer screens had fired up with a feed of the battlefield. Odette walked over and tried to make sense of what was happening. The two trainers she left behind were now in a room with the Absorber ready to fire. As that realisation dawned upon her, she stepped away from the keyboard. ''No... No, what are you doing?!'' she screamed, but the Magnemite just looked at her confusedly. It floated over to the side of the desk, where the mechanical section extended on to the side, and seemed to attach itself to it. Closing its eye, the Pokémon's connected appendage began to glow, the red and blue becoming brighter alternatingly as it sent a number of interruptive currents into the mechanical keyboard stretching out over the desk. Odette's eyes went wide as she could see the Absorber start turning, and glowing of its own. She rushed over to the Pokémon, trying to detach the Magnemite from the machine, but its magnetic pull to the metal construction was too strong. Sent into a panic, Odette tried to look over the desk to see if there was any way she could cancel its operation... but when her eye fell onto a microphone tucked away to the side of the monitor, she picked that up instead, desperately hoping her voice would carry to Jackson and Laurent.
''If you can hear me... Please,
find cover!''
"Princess?!" Jackson cried out with a mixture of rage and confusion. Had she made this thing appear? Arceus be damned, there wasn't any time to think about that now, it was active, it was glowing and it was turning to take aim at something, Jackson didn't feel like waiting to find out once. "Fuckin'... gah!" Jackson cursed as he dashed and slit out the door, throwing himself down behind the wall as the machine began to whir louder in the room beyond.
Laurent slid in next to him moments later, fighting to catch his breath. "Is there going to be chaos like this every time we encounter one another?" He said to no one in particular. Jackson sneered in response, as he braced himself one last time. "Assuming we get out of this to meet up again? I certainly fuckin' hope not!"
In the command room, Odette breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the other trainers recall their Pokémon and run outside. She could see them, but not hear, so once they left the sight of the camera she was looking through, she could only hope they were safe. Meanwhile, on the keyboard, the keys themselves seemed to shift into the creation of a hand symbol.「OBLIVION DRAIN: AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED」the screen read. Magnemite began releasing a series of encouraging noises, without leaving the input area on the side of the desk.
Though some of them seemed alert enough to notice something was amiss, most of the wild Pokémon in the area were still enraged and enthralled by the electrical currents hanging in the air. Paying the umpteenth strange electrical appliance they had seen pop up in their time here no mind, a large number got back up to regroup. Magnemite's noises grew ever more urgent, but Odette hesitated... until the group let by Metang recovered enough to give chase to the trainers. She placed her hand down on the pad, and with another few zaps by the Magnemite, the screen turned green, and the Absorber started to whirr. The group of wild Pokémon stopped in their tracks, but before they full well turned around, the cannon before them went haywire. It shot an immense black and red beam, horizontally cleaving the room, narrowly missing the trainers as it passed the door opening. Each of the Pokémon was suspended in the air momentarily... but as their life drain was complete, they all fell to the floor... wholly incapacitated.
Odette was shocked, witnessing the power of the prototype Absorber, and stepped away from the desk. The Magnemite that guided her here finally detached from the circuit as well, and slowly floated back up to Odette's side. She glanced at it tiredly, but the Pokémon itself seemed to bob about excitedly. A slight smile adorned her lips in turn, relieved by the outcome, before they started making their way back to the others together.
Jackson slowly peeked out to look at the massive scorch mark covering the lab floor and doorway. He wasn't too keen on thinking about what could have happened had that machine hit him. As he stepped back into the room he saw that the beam had struck horizontally, hitting ever single aggressor and darting wildly along the floor and walls. What kind of power was contained in that machine, that it could do something like that? The wild pokémon didn't seem to be deceased either, in fact no physical mark was present on their bodies whatsoever. "What... what dahell was that supposed t'be?" Jackson asked in shock, however he was cut off from an answer as the machine began to sink slowly into the floor once more, revealing behind it another object rising up. "Some sort of doomsday weapon, perhaps?" Laurent added
A single pedestal with a lone button upon it, labelled... "playback". Jackson turned cautiously to look at Laurent. "What...? Do you think I should... press it?"
Laurent scratched his chin and looked at the button for a moment. "Considering our luck so far I can't really say, if you want to, go ahead. But I recommend we take cover afterwards." Jackson frowned as he stepped in front of the button and stared at it for a moment. "Well... we came all this way... might as well make sure we see it through." And just like that, he pressed his finger cautiously to the button presented before him... and watched with trepidation as a wall panel slowly slid down just above the main console and began to flicker to life.
Then, as if in recognition of this event, every working screen in the laboratory switched to a static display, generating nothing but white noise and empty imagery for but a few moments, before finally the image cleared and Jackson's expression darkened as the man whom stood center screen was one he vaguely recognized. A man with a lions mane of burning red hair, intelligent and knowing eyes and a black and orange suit.
"Allow me to welcome you, to my laboratory. My name is Lysandre and if you are watching this recording then I am most likely dead." The statement was calm and concise, rather abruptly reaching a dark and unnerving point. "The facility in which you stand is condemned now as our final preparations in Geosenge are finally drawing to a close. The goal of immortality and a new world order is finally starting to enter into this reality." He rambled on for a moment, before staring off screen, his expression was troubled and lost in deep thought.
"Today, I plan to bring an end to the world I so desperately wanted to save. Today I turn back on every remaining shred of the man I was in order to become the man I have to be... and yet..." He stopped once more, to consider his words carefully. "...and yet it is the will of two children that stands in my way. Not their battles, not their pokémons strength, it is the fire in their eyes that burns for a better tomorrow. That which burns with the passion to stop me."
He held a single glowing stone in his hand, upon retrieving same from his pocket. Jackson's gaze widened with surprise and confusion, it was the same type of stone he had seen upon the glove of Crimson's outfit. "Until now I have rejected the bond I once had with the pokémon that still so desperately reach out to me... that serve my will without doubt, despite their own nature's being righteous and mine... mine barely held on the brink of insanity." He stared long and hard at the screen for a moment. "I will not turn back. I have made my decision... and yet this little part of that is reached by the passions of those whom I fight... it knows that I am wrong. It knows that I am merely a coward whom has taken an easier route to victory. A coward that has chosen to restart an entire world, a slice of existence itself, due to his inability to fix it...!" He grit his teeth and clenched his fist, emotion seeping into his voice before he regained composure.
"I do not know whom you are... but if you are here then I have already lost, the fact that you stand there, in my foundation of madness, is a testament to such defeat. I have died for what I chose to believe, but in doing so I finally understand that I was wrong. If I was correct then... well... this recording does not exist, not any longer."
There was a palpable silence as his expression darkened, his face angled against the light to obscure his eyes, as he tucked the Mega Stone back into his pocket. "Leave the prototype alone... Please...!" He began, barely able to contain himself any longer. "I know now, as the King of this land once did... that the result of using such power isn't the title of savior, but a monument to ones own arrogance and refusal to accept that they alone cannot change the fate of this World... leave it here, leave it all-" A soft beeping interrupted the monologue, as Lysandre pulled a holocaster from his pants pocket and accepted a call, a rather large Scientist was seen on the other end, as the two exchanged words too low for the recording to hear, it seemed as if Lysandre was being summoned away for what was to be his final confrontation.
"Here and now I leave my doubt behind... in my new world it will be eradicated and never again will my mind bear witness to it." He winced slightly. "But should it remain here and be found after my departure... then please..."
"Leave my legacy to rot."
Without another sound the recording cut off, the screens shutting down and the entire lab being plunged into darkness for just a brief moment as the lights flickered off and on in response to the strain being put on all of the old systems.
Jackson was left without words to say, his features agape with speechlesness. That machine... was an early version of the Ultimate Weapon? It really was a device built to destroy the world. His gaze hardened as he scowled at the creation now sunk beneath the ground, he'd destroy it then and there had he the power to do so.
"You... know what this probably means right?" Jackson started, turning with a grim expression to Laurent. "There's no way Team Cinder don't know about all of this..."
"We can't leave it here...no matter what." Laurent replied grimly, Jackson heard his voice shake for the first time since they'd met. "It's still hard to believe I used to have so much respect for him...almost everyone in all of Kalos did...and to think there was still a shred of that man people idolized left at the end..."
''The higher they climb, the harder they fall.'' Odette's solemn voice came from the doorway as she'd watched the broadcast in silence from there. She stepped further inside, walking up to the other trainers, the Magnemite still in tow. ''Are you two... alright?''
"Alive... barely..." Jackson muttered with an edge of spite. "There was no way you could have helped us without shooting a doomsday weapon in our general direction?"
Her expression darkened, and she averted her gaze to the floor. ''... I apologize.'' She bit her lip momentarily before continuing. ''Still... without it, you might've been outnumbered, and we wouldn't have found its existence, or that recording, so I think some thanks to my new friend is in order as well,'' she spoke quietly, gesturing to the floating magnet Pokémon.
Laurent wiped a hand up his face and pushed his bangs away from his eyes and let out a relieve sigh. "I'm just glad nobody is hurt. Thank you kindly for your assistance." He finished, gesturing to the Magnemite. The Pokémon cheerfully whirred around Laurent for a moment in response. A second later Laurent's face grew more wistful and he stepped over to the group of unconscious pokémon and pulled out his last empty pokéball, then tapped it against the Beldum Apollo had tussled with. "Just because the remnants of Lysander's madness need be lost to time doesn't mean you should be too...Let's give you a brighter future." Just as he returned to the other to trainers they heard the last of the vibrations and the solid 'click!' of the pokéball becoming still. "Sorry for being sentimental, I...I would like to take something pleasant away from all this. Now, what do you two think we should do to eradicate this machine?"
"I don't think we can... after all, we don' know enough about it t'just go smashin' it up." Jackson sighed as he walked slowly over to the console at the back of the room, it was smashed to pieces and sparking somewhat, it made it difficult and dangerous to get near. A sudden realization sparked in Jackson, could these pokémon have been attacking this console to prevent it from being used? Was their purpose... to act on Lysandre's last wishes? He scowled and cursed under his breath. He didn't understand it, why a man hell bent on destroying the World would care about it so much. It didn't make any damn sense to him.
"Eventually the authorities are gonna have to give this place a proper search over right? We could pretty easily have 'em tipped off about-" He froze mid sentence as he spied the edge of the broken machine. A single scrap of metal was jutting out... and it was dripping with a red liquid, still fresh. "Blood...?" Jackson asked with a concerned expression, as he examined the area further... and found a torn scrap of a black suit.
Team Cinder... they had beaten them to the punch, had the wild pokémon attacked the machine because the Cinder member had accessed it? Was this the result of an injury attained during their escape? "This is bad... very very bad..." He muttered. "You two... get over here and check this out."
Laurent's eyes widened at the bit of clothing and the blood, but what he saw when he took a step past Jackson brought out an audible gasp. There was a relatively untouched, sealed folder lying next to a more beat-up box. "Something's been left behind!" He blurted out, kneeling next to the box and lifting up its lid. "There's a uniform in here, not a Team Flare uniform, but one for those Cinder miscreants...And some sort of machine, I think it may be some sort of drone, but mechanical science was never my area of expertise." Jackson shrugged a little in response as he stepped by Laurent and examined the piece of tech in his hands. "I dunno... looks like junk t'me... Sycamore was into that sort of thing but I never touched the stuff..."
Odette crossed her arms pensively when she saw the items contained in the case. ''If they dropped this after the struggle with the wild Pokémon... it could be valuable to them.'' She walked over towards the console, and knelt down to pick up a folder that seemed to have been abandoned similarly. It too was emblazoned with the characteristic fiery symbol, and below it an ominous title. ''Cinder Dossier Report: Initial Requirement Acquisition, Project Z...'' Odette read aloud, walking on towards the desk and opening the file to examine its contents more thoroughly. Having read a decent amount on the technicalities of Team Flare's plans, she was curious to find exactly what Cinder was planning... while her befriended Magnemite excitedly floated around the drone Laurent was examining, shifting its curious gaze from the machine to his face and back continously.
Jackson slowly approached Odette from behind, peering curiously over her shoulder at the pages in front of her. He wasn't surprised to see that their contents didn't make any sense whatsoever to him, however even he noticed something was off. There were numbers mixed into the text, characters of varying case and even font in some places. It wasn't like normal wrtiting where he could idnetify a few syllables... this was completely alien to him in every sense. It didn't even look like a proper language. "What dahell... it's gibberish, ain't it?"
Odette quickly looked through each of the pages, but Jackson was right... every one of them was fully covered in a strange script. ''This is certainly not normal.'' she muttered somewhat absent-mindedly. It wasn't readable like this, but Odette was convinced this was not unintentional. ''How curious... I'll examine it more closely later.'' She closed the file after a few more seconds, and placed it in her bag. ''What about you, Laurent? Any ideas concerning the suit and... drone, you said?''
Meanwhile, Magnemite was eagerly inching ever closer to the machine on the floor, still occasionally glancing at the man kneeling beside him, to see if he was onto it... but when he looked up to respond, the Pokémon saw its chance! Magnemite quickly latched onto the machine on the floor with its right magnet, and immediately made off with the drone---- or it would have, if it wasn't so darn heavy! Buzzing determinedly, first dragging the drone over the floor to get behind Laurent, and then struggling to lift it up into the air twith all its might!... and finally managed to start moving towards the door with the drone at a snail's pace.
"Hold on little one, hold on!" Laurent stammered out, chasing after the Magnemite in a hurry. When he caught it, however, h simply put his hands underneath the drone and supported most of its weight. "I believe our new friend has an idea why don't one of you grab the box and we see what its got to show us? I can't make much sense of the drone myself, but I can think of plenty of ways we could make use of those files and that uniform."
Irritation was visibly building on Odette's face as she watched the Magnemite try and make off with another new toy. She quickly stepped over to Laurent and grabbed a Pokéball from her bag. ''I'm afraid you're giving this rascal entirely too much credit, mister Hessel... I'm quite sure the only thing it's interested in is adding new toys to its collection. Here, why don't you play with this instead?'' she told the Magnemite, pressing the Pokéball to its forehead and absorbing it inside. The Magnemite's eye went wide at the sight of another technological marvel, but it turned to a panic in the split second before being sucked in, leaving the drone to fall limp in Laurent's hands. ''I
am curious what exactly you were planning to use the other items for, though,'' she continued, throwing Laurent a suspicious glance.
"For infiltration, of course!" Laurent responded jovially despite the sudden jump in weight on his arms. "That seems like an active uniform to me and Jackson and I are both well acquainted with a man who might be able to help us with those coded files."
Jackson stroked his chin for a moment to consider what Laurent was saying. "You.. mean the professor? I did hear he was in Lumiose, but I dunno that he could work something like that out..." Jackson mumbled, his words laced with doubt. "In the movies... Shit like this needs some sorta key or cipher right?"
''I think so too... and if you don't mind, I'd like to examine this file a little closer myself.'' Odette said, placing her hand over her bag protectively. ''If you're so close to Professor Sycamore... Perhaps you could have him take a look at that 'drone', instead. You said he was into that sort of thing, yes?''
"I was thinking more along the lines that he might know somebody who *could* help us." Laurent explained. "He has an impressive network of contacts."
Jackson frowned and shook his head. "Unless one of those contacts is in Team Cinder and willin' t'blab... I don't think he's gonna get us anywhere." He looked aside for a moment, considering his words. "I don't want him involved either way... These assholes already got reason to go after Mal, all the shit we've been giving them... avoidin' havin' the professor directly involved with their business might be their only reason to stay away from Aquacorde. No way in Hell I'm riskin' that changin'."
He paused for a moment, looking at Odette's protective posture, before raising an eyebrow questioningly. "I ain't gonna deny we worked together today... But I still don't exactly trust you... You're not involved with this mess either, not properly. Why dahell do you want the dossier?"
"None of us has any more right than either of the others, are we going to squabble over who takes what this quickly?" Laurent said, raising an eyebrow questioningly at both of them.
''Oh, so the danger is gone and we're back to hostility, is that it? I came here for information, and this is the first interesting piece I've found. It's not like you can read it either, so do you have to be so difficult?'' She paused, considering the others' words a moment longer, and her eyes narrowed. ''Exactly how are you two...
involved with Team Cinder anyway?''
"We worked with one of our classmates to stop one of their disasters." Laurent said proudly.
Jackson grimaced at the chipper pride in Lauren's voice before shaking his his head with a sigh. It had been a long day... And he wasn't even close to being finished. It was time to wrap this up. "We knocked out one of their Admins in Santalune Forest, during the fire." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny new holocaster, he had purchased the device shortly before coming to the labs and had already found a use for it, it seemed.
"I don't like you... But you saved us just now. Sure I'm hostile but like it or not we're all going to be tied up with Cinder's bullshit now." He glared at Odette awkwardly for a moment, before holding out the device in his hand. "You've got one of these, I saw you use it for light on Parterre way. Keep the dossier... But you've gotta call me on this if you figure anything out, so let's register each other now, that a deal?" He paused, before shooting a glare in Laurent's direction as well. "I guess you too, posh twat like you has got to have one right?"
"Of course, how else would I keep in contact with such wonderful friends?" Laurent offered.
Odette looked from Jackson's face to Laurent's, trying to discern the honesty in their words. Eventually she let out a quiet sigh. ''Fine, I'll believe you.'' She took her own, white Holo Caster from her bag and opened it up for registration, typing on it quickly as she continued. ''Don't count on me finding anything out anytime soon though. It's only a couple pages too, so it could be that there's nothing interesting in here anyway, alright?''
Jackson quickly touched an open port on his Black Holocaster to Odette's and the two proceeded to register automatically. "...thanks." He muttered, waiting for Laurent to do the same.
Laurent withdrew his own holocaster and tapped it to each other trainer's in turn. Smiling at the beep of recognition each time. "Looks like we're all together on this now, cheers."
Jackson sighed with relief before shoving the Holocaster in his pocket...before approaching the abandoned supplies and snatching the Cinder Uniform into his in bag. "I get the feeling I'm gonna need this..." He muttered, before standing up again, his footsteps upon the cold metal floor now echoed about the facility in a cacophonous echo piercing an eerie quiet.
"Well, Hessel, Princess... Gotta say, absolutely great to see you again, loved every minute..." His voice wasn't dripping with, but soaked through in sarcasm. "...much as I'd love to stay and chat with you... I got plans anywhere but here. I've had enough of this musty old place to last me my lifetime, stinks o' trouble all over in here."
He walked passed the other two rather swiftly, in no mood for formality or waiting any longer at all. "Y'both snuck in here right? Dirty 'lil troublemakers just like me... I betcha can find your own way out." He sneered and walked a little further until his hand touched the doorway and he found himself looking over his shoulder again, much like he did in the forest before. "You're gettin' better at this Laurent... Better keep it up, I don't want to be disappointed." His gaze shifted to Odette. "And you.. Princess." He prepared another snide comment, ready to lash out with more verbal abuse... But as he thought of the events that just occurred, he stopped himself, glaring somewhat bashfully at the floor before turning away again.
"Thanks for savin' m- ... OUR lives. Get back to me soon about that dossier, tch." With that he stormed off, his limit reached with those two... It pissed him off that he felt ever so slightly fonder of them now.
Laurent found himself smiling quite genuinely after Jackson left. "Well well, if my translation skills are worth anything at all, it sounds to me like we just got the Jackson equivalent of a 'nice working with you fine folks'." He turned more directly to Odette and his smile grew warmer. "it was absolutely a pleasure meeting you, miss Odette, circumstances be damned. Could you tell me, which do you prefer: café or tea?"
Odette huffed as she watched Jackson leave, but didn't bother shouting after him anymore. ''I believe you're right, though he'd never admit it.'' She sighed gently once more, before meeting Laurent's gaze instead, smiling back slightly in a polite reflex. ''But yes, I was delighted to meet you as well, mister Hessel. As for my preferred beverage, while I can enjoy both be they of sufficient quality, I must say lately I've been partial to coffee. But why do you ask? Could it be... you're inviting me out?''
"I apologize deeply if I'm being too forward but being back in Lumiose absolutely fills me with nostalgia." Laurent answered. "And meeting someone with a genuine touch of refinement and grace gives me a powerful itch to sit and enjoy a bit of time together. We couldn't possibly have a real conversation around Jackson, and I'd like to get to know you - if only a bit - before we both head out." He rubbed the back of his head, a bit surprised himself he'd come to this decision. "And I intend to stay here a bit longer than most of my stops in cities, so there's time."
The girl was somewhat surprised, she'd never been approached so directly before, but it had something intriguing. Was this how normal people dated? Her initial awkward smile grew to one of amusement, and she crossed her arms coyly. It had been a long day, after all... ''Perhaps taking a breather with a local wouldn't be so bad.'' She took a few steps towards the door, wordlessly inviting him to walk outside with her. ''When should we go? I trust you know the best places to visit?''
Laurent followed along happily. "How about a few hours from now? We'd both have time to relax a bit, prepare, and we could be out and enjoying ourselves before sunset, and relax in the twilight afterwards. I know all the best cafés, we could meet up at the pokémon center and go from there, have a nice walk before we settle down." Odette thought about it for a moment, but eventually agreed. ''Sounds perfect. I'll see you then, mister Hessel,'' she finished with a smile, before the two parted ways.
