A HEART COLD AS STEEL

CHAPTER ONE: FALSE HOPE

The sound of metal striking asphalt was a chilling one. Scizor's footsteps echoes throughout the cold, damp alleyway as the sound of silence rang in his ear.

This place was deserted; the Pokemon had a more important place to be. Their voices could be heard far away, all blending together with the masses, but Scizor could have distinguished between each and every one of them if he chose to.

As he continued to walk at the same slow pace, the steady chink of his armored feet echoed simultaneously with the beating of his stone-cold heart. A heart of steel, yes. But still a heart.

The alleyway seemed to darken as his passage brought him deeper and deeper into the heart of the city. As he strode through the misty morning, his pace slowly speeding up, he began to pass other Pokemon, lurking in the shadows. A Swalot and a Tangela, begging for food. A Linoone huddling in a corner, prepared to fiercely defend her children. A few Rattata scurried quickly away from a dumpster as something large scuffled around inside; a crusty old Golduck, scavenging for supplies, murmuring incoherently to itself at a feverish speed.

Scizor couldn't help but sigh heavily as he continued through the dark side of town, claws tightening. This city had once been great, pure. A place of new hope and authority. But it had long since fallen, not to warlords or bandits from afar, but itself. To the monsters and demons that lived at its heart, manipulating it, carving up for themselves, all for the sake of money and power.

Greed was a potent weapon, indeed. And Scizor was no stranger to it.

Hell, his own employer was one of the many who had long since sold his soul to control this land through corruption, violence,and money. And him.

A group of Ghastly, led by a large, confident Haunter, rose from the dark shadows as Scizor rounded another rusty brick-layered corner. He did not make eye contact, but was ready for a fight nonetheless.

"Be watchin' yerself, lad…" The Haunter grinned his senile grin as he growled in a heavily accented voice. "There be monsters here, and there be not a soul to protect you…"

Head lowered, still refusing to make eye contact, Scizor only quickened his pace. "Believe me...I know."

The alleyway finally opened up into Main Street, where a huge mass of Pokemon could now plainly be heard, not far in the distance. It was no lighter here, as the sky remained overcast with an ominous gray, but the open air was better than the daunting, eerie alley from which he had just came.

Two metal clasps on Scizor's back quickly unlocked themselves, and his insectile wings unfolded, stretching out tiredly and beginning to buzz at an already-blinding speed. He lifted himself into the air and sped along the roadside, keeping only a few feet from the ground. As he darted toward his quickly-approaching destination, it still amazed Scizor how barren even this part of the city was. There must me more of them there than I thought.

And of course, as he came nearer and nearer to the end of his mission, the inevitable thought managed to push its way into his painfully thick head. Is it worth it?

Which, of course, he responded with a simple Yes. It's always worth it…

An internal argument may have ensued, but luckily a glimpse of the first signs of Pokemon could now be seen, dragging him away from his thoughts. It was time.

"…...And, as a conclusion I'd like to personally express my sincere gratitude to each and each and every one of you, as well as Police Chief Gallade and his associates, for coming here to be with me today. With everybody's cooperation, we can work together to make this city a better–and safer–place for us all."

The massive audience cheered as Mayor Ampharos stepped down from her podium. Turning away from the microphone to Gallade, she smiled politely, sighing with relief "How'd I do?"

He nodded considerately and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did perfect. These people, they love you!"

A deeper voice came from behind him. "False hope."

Gallade rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't mind Lucario. He doesn't believe that words alone can change anything."

"I never said that," The jackal murmured, arms crossed. He closed his eyes, deep in thought. "But only a fool would think that our problems are shallow enough to be solved with speeches and rallies." He then blinked open his transfixing eyes, staring deep into Ampharos'. "Sometimes optimism blinds us. Although you may not be ready to admit it to yourself, the mob has more control over this city than you, and you know it."

The third of the group, Blaziken, spoke up. "Although I don't share Lucario's pessimism…"–the two exchanged exasperated looks– "I cannot help but agree. If we want to restore true order to this city, we must take action. Expect the worst and hope for the best, I always say..."

Scizor was pushing his way through the roaring crowd, trying to expel the claustrophobia as the warmth of so many other creatures irritated him. Their hope, it was pathetic. Could anyone really feel hope for a city such as this, even when their shell of a government failed to do more than give inspirational speeches? The mayor, Ampharos, and her sidekick, Clefable, had no control over these people. Motivation, yes, but no real control; the only ones left with any true authority were the countless mob bosses, and Gallade and his goons.

Scizor made his way to the front of the stage, where Ampharos had given her speech just moments before. She was now backstage, presumably chatting with Gallade and Clefable. Perfect.

He made his way to the police line, where dozens of sunglass-wearing Machoke were repelling the over-excited group of citizens. Of course, getting around them would be mere child's play. A quick Double-Team, and dozens of his makeshift clones littered the group. If any of them directly assaulted the guards, then he would surely be given away, but Scizor had a feeling he could get away with aggravating the citizens just enough to give him a distraction.

Sure enough, a few light pinches and Head-buts here and there, and a small riot had quickly broken out. As the wall of intimidatingly large Machoke broke up, trying to subdue the fight, the copies dissolved, unnoticed, and the real Scizor slid past, too fast to see without actually looking.

Sure enough, Ampharos stood just behind the stage, and she and Clefable were about to mount a Rapidash and Ponyta, respectively, as one final appearance before they went back to City Hall. If Scizor waited until then, it would be too late, and he would have failed. It was now or never.

The problem was her escort, the Police Commissioners. Chief Gallade and his goons, Lucario and Blaziken, were still surrounding the mayor. If Scizor didn't time this perfectly, he would be spotted, and it would all be over.

A huge, heavily armored Bastodion lumbered towards the group, just behind Rapidash and Ponyta, and the commisioners proceeded to mount it. Apparently, they planned to follow Ampharos through the parade. Scizor saw his chance.

The timing was almost perfect. As a considerably large Machoke helped a shaky Clefable onto Ponyta, everyone had their backs turned to Ampharos for but a split second. In that instant, Scizor lurched forward. He was still unseen as one menacing claw wrapped around Ampharos' mouth, and the other struck her back.

It happened in a flash; yes, the timing was almost perfect. Almost.

But as time seemed to move in slow motion, Lucario sensed something was amok at the last second. He spun around, his Aura detecting the danger.

It was too late for Scizor to turn back; it was time to do or die. As soon as he attacked, left claw muffling Ampharos' scream as the right one pierced her flesh, he was gone. Wings igniting the air, he spun around, taking off at a mind-mending speed.

"NO!" Lucario called out, leaping forward to catch Ampharos' falling body.

Blood flowed from the wound as she hit the ground in slow motion, still held by Lucario's powerful arms. Ampharos moaned in anguish, while the others had only just begun to comprehend what had happened. Clefable arrived at the fallen body next, and Lucario took off in the opposite direction. He hadn't seen the killer's face, the attack had been timed so well that it wasn't even possible to tell what sort of Pokemon it was. But Lucario had sensed them attack, and could now sense them making their escape at a speed he had never imagined possible for a creature of that size. All he knew was that it was his duty to follow this killer relentlessly, and fight them to the death. So that is what he did.

Scizor's wings beat furiously as he darted trough the thick buildings of downtown. "No, no, no, no no!" was all he could mutter as he made his escape. The mission had been accomplished, but not everything had gone according to plan. Had Lucario seen his face? No, it was impossible; Scizor had been moving too fast. But what Lucario's peripheral vision–and his aura, for that matter– had seen was enough to give chase. Now Lucario's long legs were pounding against the rooftops above him, moving at a breakneck speed nearly as fast as Scizor.

Of course, there was no way for Lucario to catch him at this point. But one glimpse was all it took for Scizor to become a wanted Pokemon. One glimpse was all it too for him to be Public Enemy Number One. One glimpse, to effectively end his life.

And as Scizor darted back through the dark alleys which had spawned him on this dreary day, he could not help but think about how even the slightest act, the most minuscule upset in the balance, could change everything.

My name is Jay. Jay, the Scizor. I am a Mercenary, and I know my place in this world. An assassin, a contract killer. Employed under Alfonse, a rich and powerful Honchkrow; a mob boss. I do whatever is necessary to make money, from killing figures of great authority, to stealing valuables, to simply helping citizens with everyday life. I am not good, and I am not evil; although lately I can't help but question the ethic of my work.

I have had a hard life, and I know there are greater challenges to come. But when I evolved, I swore to make something out of myself. Now, I've come to this godforsaken, once-great city, and if coming to power means helping to tear it up just a bit more, I'll happily oblige.

My name is Jay, I am a mercenary, and I know my place in this world.

Or do I?