Origins: Black Lotus
Welcome to my newest fic! This one is written to accompany my other fic, Pokemon: Soul of Steel; and anyone who has read that fic will recognise one of the characters in this one.
This is being written solely by me, without the usual steady hand of my good friend and editor Peppy at the reins, so don't expect the usual quality. For anyone who has not read my other stories...read and enjoy. A review would be nice too.
Night. The silvery moon partially obscured behind intermittent clouds, lighting the silent streets with an ethereal glow. The light breeze whistling through the empty city, brushing past sparse leaves and discarded trash.
They stood overlooking the disused citadel, the three names whispered only by the few who knew of their existence. Whispered in awe and fear, respect and hatred; Jercho, Astreya and Zashi. They were Black Lotus.
Jericho, tall and thin, exuding an unmistakeble air of authority; his dark eyes swept the city, utterly focused on the job at hand. His long, heavy coat fluttered in the breeze, opening just enough to expose the pokeballs clipped to his belt. A sudden movement to his left drew his attention for a split second, before his focus returned to the tableau before him. He spoke, his dark voice breaking the silence ominously,
"Astreya, must you always do that?". He spoke to the smallest of the group, her short black hair falling across her face as she threw a pokeball up and caught it, rolling it across her fingers and generally fidgeting. She thrummed with energy, grey eyes gleaming as she smiled an oddly disconcerting smile at her leader; despite having the face of a child. She shoved her gloved hands into her pockets and begun quietly humming to herself, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.
Zashi was standing silently, watching Astreya's antics with a blank expression; although no-one had ever seen any sort of real expression on his face. He had a thin chain wrapped around his hand, absentmindedly clenching and unchenching his fist.
Jericho raised his hand, clutching a walkie talkie, and spoke quietly into it; "Check in". He frowned as he heard only static as his reply; "Hmph. Sounds like she failed". Zashi snorted in disgust at his leader's words, shifting his large frame slightly.
"I told you. She is sloppy" he said in his heavily accented voice. At his gruff response, Astreya pouted, "She seemed pretty good to me" she said liltingly, her voice jarringly cheerful compared to the atmosphere.
"Hmm," Jericho hummed thoughtfully, "She was promising. But, regardless, she appears to have failed. Come, let's go". The group turned away from the city and stopped abruptly; standing silently behind them, her long black hair fanning out down her back, black skin tight clothing blurring her outline. Even looking right at her she was difficult to focus on. Spectra, the girl who was previously known as The Shadow; because that's all people ever usually saw.
"Aw, Jericho. You really think that?" she said smoothly, a smirk across her (and even Zashi could admit this) stunning features. In the split second, that Jericho had seen Spectra and recognised her, he had drawn out a pokeball ready to fight. He relaxed now and slipped his pokeball back onto his belt,
"Why is it still up?" he asked gruffly, annoyed at his lapse. Behind him he heard Astreya's sweet voice mumbling something and Zashi answering in his usual grumble; no doubt money had been won and lost. Spectra stretched, entirely unimpressed with his gruff act,
"It's dangerous, Jericho. If I had just blown it up then the entire city would have exploded. So I set it into meltdown" she said, shrugging. At his raised eyebrows she rolled her eyes, "I stayed until it was irreversable" she said, exasperated.
"Hmph". Jericho nodded to her and drew out a pokeball, releasing his Aerodactyl into the night air. Behind him he heard the muted growl of Zashi's Flygon and the quiet coo of Astreya's Swellow; he motioned to his Aerodactyl at Spectra's questioning look.
"Come on. Let's get out of here" he said, watching, mildly suprised, as Spectra jumped confidently onto Aerodactyl's back. Flygon and Swellow took off, speeding into the night sky, as Jericho turned back just in time to see a large, non-descript building suddenly burst into flames. He smiled darkly and jumped onto Aerodactyl, settling just behind Spectra.
Aerodactyl lifted off the ground with a powerful flap of it's wings and shot into the night sky. The moon was covered by clouds as an explosion tore apart the building, the wail of sirens just beginning to echo over the disused city.
Jericho, Zashi and Astreya were sat around a large, circular table, the only light in the room coming from the screen set into the wall, displaying a map of the region. The silence stretched eeriely as the trio thought among themselves. Finally Jericho spoke,
"Thoughts?". As always, Astreya jumped in first, throwing out her opinion without any real thought; though this was often her strength, "I think she's great. Hot too" she said, with a leer. Neither of the men reacted, they were too used to her particular brand of behaviour by now.
"I disagree," Zashi spoke up carefully, his rumbling voice suiting his heavy accent perfectly, "She left the mission in the hands of luck and the incompetency of others." Jericho frowned,
"I'm not so sure that's true, although I agree with your intent. She stayed until the process was irreversable and she was invisible in and out. Overall, it was a difficult mission - no hang on," Zashi attempted to interrupt but was silenced, "It was a difficult mission and she managed to complete it in a way that seemed accidental. That takes subtlety and stealth, traits that we are sorely lacking" he spoke commandingly.
Even Zashi had to concede that he had a point, Jericho could be sneaky when he wanted to but he had doubts that any of them could have snuck in to that place at all. Jericho looked around the room noting the looks of acceptance, "Well then. Zashi, you're up" he said.
Spectra stood confidently, facing the hulking Zashi from across the courtyard. It had been cleared especially for this, her final test, the surrounding barbed wire fence had been put back up; the blinding sun lit the whole scene in a harsh light. Jericho and Astreya were sat on part of a collapsed piece of rubble, Jericho watching closely, Astreya tapping out a rhythm on her knees.
"Choose your pokemon" Zashi rumbled, grasping a pokeball in his hand, the other hand was preoccupied with his customary chain. Spectra smirked as she drew out a pokeball of her own from a small pocket attached to her hip and threw it onto the cleared area between them. Zashi threw his at the same time and a blinding light erupted out from the mock battlefield, petering down into two shapes.
Standing in front of Zashi was a stalwart Venusaur, crouched low and ready for battle; in front of Spectra stood a Charmeleon, its claws spread and the tip of the tail a furious blaze. Jericho nodded in appreciation of Spectra's choice, a well-trained Charmeleon retained the quick feet of a Charmander but gained the physical presence of a Charizard;
"A good choice" he mused, beside him Astreya hummed in agreement, running her tongue along her teeth as she stared at Spectra lustfully. Jericho rolled his eyes at her behaviour and turned his attention back to the stand-off.
Suddenly, with no urging from Spectra, her Charmeleon leapt forward, charging at the Venusaur furiously. "Vine Whip!" Zashi barked; Charmeleon leapt to the side as Venusaur launched two vines at the charging pokemon. Even with Charmeleon's excellent reflexes, the vines barely missed, clearly shaking the confidence of the now wary fire-type; Spectra allowed a slight frown to mar her features, a subtle tightening of the lips accentuating her dismay. After a moment's thought she snapped her fingers twice in quick succession; Charmeleon instantly began to circle the hulking Venusaur warily, staying on its toes.
Jericho watched on with approval; she had clearly trained her Charmeleon to react to a different set of commands then the usual spoken word. Interesting, he thought, Very interesting. Zashi, after watching her Charmeleon circle with annoyance, suddenly glared at Spectra,
"Are you planning to attack any time soon?" he growled, frustrated at her seeming lack of enthusiasm. At the exact moment he began to speak, Charmeleon had begun to slink forward, using Venusaur's bulk to hide his movement from the now distracted Zashi. Jericho raised his eyebrows in appreciation of the maneuvre, this Charmeleon suited Spectra's particular style perfectly. Spectra let the silence ring for a moment, allowing Charmeleon time to get into position, before barking out a command,
"Flamethrower!". Zashi, his eyes widening as he realised his error, desperately attempted to spot Spectra's Charmeleon; in this weather any fire based attacks would be much more effective. He glanced around, brain moving into a higher state of awareness, as it often did in the critical moments of a battle.
No sign of it.
So it must be underground or on Venusaur's other side.
Fire-types are weak against water and ground type attacks.
Excellent.
"Earthquake!" he called as Charmeleon threw its head forward to release a large stream of flame, glowing a deep red in the morning sun. Even with its uncanny speed Venusaur was hit by the attack before it could get it's Earthquake technique away, it gave a roar of pain as the superheated flames broke against its side; a second later it slammed down on the ground, knocking the Charmeleon off balance as the ground rumbled ominously.
As the Charmeleon teetered wildly on the shaking earth, its Flamethrower masterfully interrupted, Zashi and his Venusaur crouched low to the ground. A second later it became clear why as the ground began tearing itself to shreds, throwing Charmeleon around roughly; on the opposite side of the battlefield, Spectra struggled to keep her balance as the ground heaved and rolled under her.
This continued on for just under half a minute, an exceptionally long time for an Earthquake attack, before the ground calmed leaving the battered and bruised Charmeleon lying in the middle of the courtyard. After a moment's silence, during which Spectra silently pleaded her pokemon to rise, the Charmeleon slowly lifted himself off the ground, standing on shaking legs and facing its foe.
Spectra breathed a silent sigh of relief before turning her attention back to the battle; Zashi was already planning on an easy win from here. Narrowing her eyes at his arrogance, she clapped her hands sharply, two claps then a pause followed by a third. Without a glance back, her Charmeleon lunged forward, jaws already beginning to trail flames; Zashi snorted in disgust,
"Again." As Venusaur heaved its front legs off the ground, Charmeleon leapt into the air, leaping high above the ground. As Venusaur slammed into the ground, it twisted in mid-air and slammed a silvery tail onto Venusaur's back; a sharp 'smack' echoed over the ruined courtyard, closely followed by Venusaur's cry of pain. Regaining its feet awkwardly on the plant-like back of Venusaur it unleashed it's pent-up Flamethrower attack directly onto the back of Venusaur's head.
At Venusaur's screech of agony, Zashi's face hardened even more than usual; So that's how it ends, Jericho mused. Nobody challenged Zashi when he got like that. Nobody was that stupid; too late for Spectra. Zashi's eyes flashed as he roared his order viciously,
"Solarbeam!" Under the hot sun, Venusaur's bulb absorbed the necessary energy required for the attack almost instantly, unleashing a massive burst of energy at the unsuspecting Charmeleon planted directly over the bulb. The attack sent Charmeleon soaring through the air, trailing smoke, quite clearly unconcious. Spectra flinched as her Charmeleon slammed heavily into the ground, heavily damaged by the furious attack.
"Enough," Jericho's voice cut through Spectra's slightly stunned silence; Zashi recalled his Venusaur, staring thoughtfully at the pokeball for a quiet second, before slipping it into one of the various pockets on his heavy coat. Spectra walked over to where her Charmeleon lay and knelt down next to its prone form; she lay a hand gently on its head before returning it to its pokeball.
Jericho approached Zashi, motioning for Astreya to follow him; they reached the massive man at almost the same moment. Jericho raised his eyebrows, "Thoughts?"
Astreya giggled, "I thought she did great!" she said happily. Jericho's eyes darkened, "Silence, Astreya" he growled; she needed to learn some form of restraint, preferably soon.
"She is suprisingly good." Jericho was abruptly tugged back to reality by Zashi's rumbling tone, "How so?" he asked, for once curious. Zashi thought for a second, carefully constructing his answer, and spoke again.
"Her battling style suits her. It focuses on stealth and misdirection. Even I was caught off guard. But it's more than that. Her Charmeleon is well-trained, and she can clearly think on her feet. Also, her coded commands are...off-putting."
Jericho nodded, entirely unsurprised that Zashi had seen all that in such a short battle, he was the master after all.
"Excellent. Incidentally, congratulations on the win. It's been a while since I saw you like that" Jericho said, a small smile crossing his face as he looked into the eyes of the giant. Zashi nodded, not allowing any form of expression to cross his face, and raised his eyes to where Spectra stood waiting for the impromptu meeting to end.
Jericho turned, leading the other two members of Black Lotus to where Spectra stood, an impassive expression on her face. The trio silently observed Spectra for a second before Jericho's dark voice broke the silence,
"Well done. You really are worthy."
Spectra frowned in confusion at his words. "But...I lost" she said uncertainly, feeling like she was missing something important; though it was difficult to think with Astreya openly ogling her. Jericho chuckled lightly at her uncertainty,
"We didn't expect you to win. Zashi is a master of battling, it would have taken all three of us at once to take him" he said easily, slipping his hand into his pocket. Spectra glared at the trio angrily, "So you asked me to throw one of my pokemon in to a fight it couldn't win?" she snapped; Jericho seemed to be taken aback by her ire.
"Well, like I said, Zashi is a master. He knows when to stop" he said, frowning at the fuming girl in front of him. She shook her head, her long silky hair casting waves down her back. "Whatever. So am I in or not?" she said snippily, half turning away.
Jericho narrowed his eyes at her, focusing on her with a sharp gaze. "While you are under my command, you will not use such a tone to address me. Is that clear?" He suddenly seemed to radiate a sense of power and authority, unquestionable and dark; Spectra had clearly crossed some invisible line with the infamous leader of Black Lotus. Nevertheless, she met his gaze head on and held his glare for as long as she dared before answering,
"Of course, Jericho. It won't happen again" she said, steel in her voice. Jericho held her gaze a second longer before he relaxed again; it was only then that Spectra realized how he had seemed to grow in stature with his cold anger. She would have to be careful around him. As she pondered this, Jericho had pulled his hand out of his pocket clutching a small chain with an oddly shaped pendant on it. Of course, Spectra knew what it was, she had created forged copies of it often enough.
The Lotus pendant, the single item that could cause more fear than anything else on the planet...in the right circles. And that was the point, to mean something to the types of people who would want to hire Black Lotus but nothing to anybody else. And as Jericho handed it to Spectra with a silent nod of approval, she was able to see just how poor her forgeries had been. The chain was solid silver, thin yet strong, with fine links that caught the light in the most fascinating of ways. The pendant part was in the shape of a blooming Lotus flower, carved exquisitely to show all the fine details, the whole thing dyed the purest black; there was no way to copy this without years of training.
She quickly hooked the pendant around her neck, as if by waiting it would disappear before her eyes, and looked up, suddenly shy in the presence of her new comrades. Jericho, Astreya, Zashi. They all looked upon her with a mild sense of pride and camaraderie. Jericho looked upon her and spoke.
"Welcome to Black Lotus."