CHAPTER 1
The Pod discharged with a hiss and hurtled off into the distance. He looked about at the vast space. His squad mates' pods kept close together.
The UNSC frigate above was locked in a bitter fight to the death with a Covenant Corvette. Both ships blasted each other like boxers.
He turned and saw, to his horror, the frigate finally give in, exploding in a massive fireball.
"There she blows," came a solemn voice on his radio.
The pod jerked violently as the shockwave hit it, knocking it off-course.
"Oh shit!" he cursed, fighting to wrest back control from the G-forces. The big, blue-green ball of a planet in front of him slowly veered out to the left as his pod strayed away.
"Crap!" exclaimed another squad-mate, "We just lost the new guy!"
"No, no, no, no, no, NO," he begged frantically, urging the thrusters to straighten up. He was helpless as the pod started making a b-line for another planet far off in the distance.
If he could make it there, he figured, he still had a chance for survival.
He turned his head as his squad slowly turned into specks. He could see the pods turn into streaks of white as they entered the atmosphere, and then disappeared.
He tried to calm himself. Eye on the prize, he thought, and get to that planet over there.
The planet loomed over him like a giant. As the pod rocketed along, he could feel the temperature rising. There were flashes of white, yellow and red outside.
He nervously watched the thermometer rise, praying that the pod would hold together. The Pod pulled through with a loud boom, breaking the sound barrier. He held his nerves as the ground raced towards him.
The pod jerked as he reversed the thrusters to slow his fall. There was a vast forest below him. He could see several cities far off in the distance.
He held on tightly as the altimeter crossed 5,000 ft.
The pod slammed into the tree-line. He tensed still, trying to not get thrown about. The pod smashed through several branches before coming to a violent stop. He hit his head on the console. Even with his helmet on, the force knocked him out. Everything went black.
...
...
He made a low moan as he finally came round. He looked at the world around him. His pod was wedged between two thick branches, but the canopy was facing straight down.
One by one, he hit the buttons that triggered the explosive door bolts. The canopy fell to the forest floor with a thud.
He slowly lowered himself out and reached to grab a branch. His grip slipped and he fell. His legs gave way on impact, and pain shot up his leg. He lay there for several minutes, looking around and waiting for the pain to die down. There were trees and shrubs in every direction.
He slowly nursed himself up, leaning on the tree for support. He scanned the area. There were no sign of any Covenant here. He looked up and saw his M7 hanging limp from the pod. He looked about for a fallen twig. When he found one long enough, he poked the M7. It fell out and into his arms and he magnetized it to his back.
There was a city somewhere around here, he thought. If I can get there, I can get help.
As he limped on, a red dot flashed across his motion tracker. He tensed as he turned, and saw a shrub flutter. The dot disappeared. Must be an animal, he figured, relaxing.
He looked about, starting to admire the scenery. What drives the Covenant to destroy places like this? He thought. The light shone through the trees, and the rays painted a pretty picture.
A flock of birds flew overhead. This place probably isn't even aware of what the Covenant has in store when they get here.
Another red dot zipped across his motion tracker. He turned. Okay, something was following him.
He slowly paced to the large shrub. He split apart the branches.
A purple blur launched itself at his head. It obscured his visor, scratching and biting his helmet.
What the hell? He thought as he grabbed a hold of it. He held the creature at arm's length.
It was a small, purple rodent, with large red eyes. It growled as it swiped at him, trying to wriggle free. Funny looking thing, he thought. He dropped it to the ground and it ran off in a flash.
The rats here are HUGE, he thought as he walked on. That thing must've been a foot long. What other weird and wonderful creatures call this place home? He couldn't begin to imagine.
...
He was beginning to think he was lost. He had been wandering around this forest aimlessly for hours. There were worms the size of dinner plates here, and he swore he saw a plant move without a reason.
The local birds pestered him to no end, swooping him like dive-bombers. He quickly became irritated by their antics and made an example of one by catching it mid-swoop and snapping its neck like a screw-top bottle. They haven't bothered him since.
"Ugh," he sighed, sitting down against a tree, "This place sucks". An ODST like himself of all people didn't have a clue as to what to do.
Off in the distance, he heard the rumble of an explosion. "Or maybe not," he noted. He got up and started walking to where he heard the noise come from.
He heard several thumps and the snapping of twigs. What could that be? He was wary as he made his approach. Was the Covenant here already?
He saw three tattered, burnt and sordid-looking figures emerge from the shrubs. There was a young man with... purple hair? That didn't make sense. What a poofter, he thought. There was a young woman with red hair, who was followed by... a cat?
What the hell? He thought as he watched these wrecks drag themselves along, not even noticing his presence.
"Let's use the classic pit-trap, he says!" muttered the red head sarcastically, "Great idea! Next time, I'M coming up with the plan!"
"Hey," retorted the cat, "it was a better idea than YOU idiots will ever come up with!"
He did a double-take. That cat just talked? In perfect English? What a weird, messed up world...
He watched them as they limped off into the distance, arguing amongst themselves. He just shook his head and continued walking.
It wasn't long before he found the sight of the explosion. There was a large patch of burnt ground in a small clearing. What could've caused this? He wondered.
A red blip scampered across the motion tracker. Just another local, he figured, so he paid it no heed. A second blip crossed the screen in hot pursuit. He heard growling as he turned and saw the bushes flutter. The red blips came back up, and the animals burst into view. A large, orange-brown rodent didn't watch where it was going, and ploughed straight into his leg with a thud, knocking its head on his knee.
It looked dazed for a second before looking up at him, allowing him a closer view at this strange creature. It had large yellow blotches on its cheeks and the funniest-looking ears he'd ever seen. They were brown with cream insides and split into two points at the end, with the lower point ending in small curls. It also had a long, thin black tail that ended in a humorously large yellow zigzag.
Its dark-brown eyes met his gaze, although his polarized visor obscured its view of him. Despite being an animal, it was capable of facial gestures, which at the moment gave away its shock at the ODST's appearance.
Both parties stared at each other. He glanced and saw another creature emerge from the shrubs.
This one was much larger. It was red with black stripes, and had a large, cream-coloured mane that covered its entire face except its eyes and ears. Its bushy tail was cream, and there were small cream patches flaring off its legs.
It had a rather pissed-off glare on its face, was crouched low, had its hackles up, and was emitting a low, menacing growl.
He glanced from the rodent to the angry dog. The rodent scampered behind him at the sight of the dog.
He scrambled to put the pieces together as the dog slowly crept forward, still growling. "Wait... what's going on?" he asked.
Stupid question, he thought instantly. This mutt couldn't understand him.
The dog made several barking noises in response, "Arc! Arc! Arc! Arc!"
Or maybe it could, he thought. The rodent at his feet was trembling and whimpering, backing away slowly, he noticed. Either the rodent pissed it off, or the dog is wild and wants a meal. He couldn't simply assume the truth, so he had to tread carefully here.
"Well, if we all just settle down and- WOAH!" he leapt out of the way in time as the dog SPAT FIRE at him in a powerful stream. The blaze scorched the ground in its wake. He looked at the dog in a new sense of fear. A dog that breathes fire like a dragon? What IS this place? If only we had THESE on Harvest... he thought. He saw the mouse scramble up a tree. The dog rushed to the bottom, barking at up the tree at it.
That dog's gonna kill it! He thought. Then again, he killed a bird in annoyance before, so he couldn't really talk. In the tree, the mouse desperately clung to the branch. He saw that it had a very frantic and pleading expression on its face. Please... help me, it seemed to beg.
"Arcanine!" roared a commanding voice.
Everyone turned and saw a Police Officer emerge from the bushes.
Of course! He thought, now it made sense. The dog, whose name seemed to be Arcanine, was a Police dog. It made one last growl at the mouse and walked to its mistress' side.
"Is this your Raichu?" she asked.
What? He wondered, looking at the rodent. He met its pleading gaze. "Uh..."
What had this...Raichu... done to cross the law? He certainly didn't want anything to do with a trouble-maker. It could be faking its 'Help me' performance, for all he knew. Several scenarios started flashed through his head.
"Hey you! Answer me!" growled the Policewoman.
He snapped from his thoughts and shook his head.
"Alright, do you know if it belongs to a trainer or if it's wild?" she continued.
What the heck is a 'trainer'? He thought. He shrugged his shoulders.
"You don't know?" she asked sceptically. He nodded.
"Do you even speak English?" she asked, slowly this time. He nodded again.
"Then I'm going to conduct a test. I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! If the Raichu is yours, it will respond to your commands!" she declared.
Wait...what? What the heck is a Pokémon battle? What the heck's a Pokémon? His mind swirled with questions and confusion.
"Uh...what's a Pokémon battle?" he asked sheepishly.
The Officer stared at him. "You...don't know?" she asked, dumbstruck.
"Wouldn't have a clue," he said.
"Well, if you're with him," she declared pointing at the Raichu, "then you could be FAKING not knowing!"
"What? No, I seriously don't know anything," he said.
"Well then," she said with a sneer, "You're about to have a crash-course in battling then. Arcanine!"
Arcanine snapped to attention.
"I choose you!" she commanded.
The large dog jumped in front of her, making a battle pose.
He glanced at the mouse in the trees, which visibly gulped.
"Uh...this is probably gonna suck" he said.
The Policewoman stared at him. "Well, order it in already!" she said impatiently.
"What, like you did?" he asked.
"YES already!" she yelled, "Now quite procrastinating and let's GO!"
"Well...here goes nothing...Raichu."
The mouse looked at him.
"Let's do this," he said, gesturing it down.
"Catch," said the Officer, throwing him a small electronic device.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It's a Pokedex," she replied, "If you seriously don't know ANYTHING about it, then this will help you. Scan the Raichu with it and it will give you the information you clearly need".
He examined it closely. It flipped open and the dual screens lit up. He held it in front of the mouse in the trees.
It spoke in an electronic voice, "Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon. It can lose 100,000-volt bursts of electricity, instantly downing foes several times its size".
The screens showed him a picture of it and several graphs that made no sense at all to him. There was a box that said 'Moves', with the words Thunder, Focus Blast, Quick Attack and Volt Tackle.
"What the heck..." He muttered.
"Are you done?" she asked. He nodded and threw back the Pokedex.
"Now let's get this over with!" she demanded.
He nodded in her direction.
"Alright Shorty," he said to Raichu, "Let's see what you can do".
...
They spread themselves apart in a small clearing. The Policewoman stood on one side with Arcanine and the ODST stood on the other with Raichu.
"Alright!" said the officer, "Let's go! Arcanine, use Flamethrower!"
Arcanine repeated his fire-spitting technique from before and the blast hurtled towards Raichu.
"Dodge it," He said frantically.
Raichu was eager to comply. The blast narrowly missed. Now, let's see what you're capable of, he thought.
"Raichu...attack with Thunder".
The mouse complied and tensed itself. A blast of lightning emitted from the yellow spots on its cheeks, which engulfed Arcanine.
When Raichu finished, the dog convulsed in pain for several seconds. Electrical sparks criss-crossed its body. Soon, the effects wore off, and Arcanine shook it off, still standing.
"Trying to go for paralysis, eh?" remarked the cop, "Are you sure this is your first battle?"
"Paralysis?" He asked confused, "What's that?"
"Never mind. Arcanine, use Flamethrower again!"
Let's try this, he thought. "Raichu, Quick Attack!"
As Arcanine launched its attack, Raichu rushed towards it, leaving a white contrail in its wake. It slammed into Arcanine's chest in a tackle as the fire-blast left its mouth. The dog reeled back under the force of the blow, but other than that, seemed unfazed. The fire-blast barely missed Raichu's head.
Raichu retreated back, as Arcanine regained its footing.
"Arcanine," said the cop, "let's finish this with Crunch!"
Arcanine rushed at the small rodent in front of it.
His mind buzzed furiously. How could he find a way to work his military training into this? If he could teach Raichu some techniques of his own, he could take it with him when he leaves this place, and they could make a deadly team!
Raichu seemed to be a fairly intelligent creature. He'd seen some strange shit in his short time here, so it could be possible.
Time seemed to slow down as his brain kicked into overdrive. Focus on this fight, he thought. Arcanine was still a fair distance away, but the gap was closing. An idea came to mind. Hopefully, this mouse could pull it off.
"Raichu," he said, "When I say 'jump', you jump, ok?"
Raichu nodded.
Good, he thought, it can at least understand me.
The gap between Arcanine and its target was closing in as it bared its fangs. Raichu looked at him uneasily, waiting for him.
3...2...1... "Now!" he yelled.
Raichu jumped straight up. Arcanine seemed to sail underneath, just as gravity kicked in. Raichu landed on its back. Arcanine stopped and started shaking about in an effort to get it off.
"Now, use Focus Blast!"
Raichu clung on tightly with its feet, as a small, pale-blue orb appeared in between its stubby arms. The orb rapidly grew in size until it was about the size of a soccer ball. It raised the ball above it, the orb magically floated in space as it followed its movements.
Arcanine turned its head and looked in shock as Raichu rammed the orb down on its head with all its might.
There was a blinding light and a resounding explosion that threw Raichu into the air. Dust flew everywhere. The ODST and the Officer shielded their eyes.
When the dust settled, Raichu had landed nearby. Arcanine was lying on the ground, struggling to get back up. Slowly, but surely, the dog shakily got to its feet, determined to beat this rat.
"You've got some promising skills," remarked the Policewoman, "But I'm not losing this! Arcanine, let's finish this with Flare Blitz!"
Arcanine eased into a jog, which became a full sprint. Suddenly, it burst into flames.
He was shocked at the sight. Arcanine could set itself on fire, and survive? That was new. If only the others could see this!
He blinked from his trance and conjured another idea.
"Raichu, use Volt Tackle and aim for its legs!"
The mouse took a deep breath as it stared down its opponent.
It started sprinting at the blazing dog, and as it did, became alight with raw electricity, leaving a yellow contrail.
It seemed to hug the ground in its sprint, as he instructed, compared to Arcanine which made big, leaping bounds.
The two blazing creatures smashed into each other at full sprint. There was another blinding light, followed up with an explosion that shook the ground. He was almost thrown back when the shockwave struck him.
He reeled back, shielding his eyes.
The dust cloud took fifteen nerve-wracking seconds to dissipate.
The two combatanants stared each other down, several metres apart. Both were covered in dirt and grime (somehow) and were panting heavily.
Finally, Arcanine collapsed.
The Policewoman stared in shock, "You...won".
His chest filled with pride. That's right bitch, he thought, don't fuck with ODSTs. We'll kick your ass any day, with anything!
Raichu ran over to him, hugging his leg. "Rai-rai!" it exclaimed happily. It had a husky voice for a mouse.
The defeated cop wandered over. "Since you won, I'll let you off...for now," she said. She straightened up, "But if you cause any more trouble, I will beat you and arrest you!"
She held up a small ball from her belt. It was red on top and white on the bottom, and had a small white circle where the two colours met.
A red beam of energy flashed from the circle which struck Arcanine's limp, unconscious form. It also turned into energy, which then retracted back to the ball.
"What's that?" he asked. He'd never seen a device like that in his life.
"It's a Pokeball," she explained, "it's used to capture and store Pokémon".
With that, she turned and left.
...
He closely examined his new companion, which was strolling along side him. From behind, it had two brown stripes across its back.
This strange creature was almost unreal to him. He was never told anything about animals capable of supernatural powers back in school, not even in SOSE or anything like that.
To see it take down an opponent easily 3 times its size was incredible. If only these types of animals were present during the Reach campaign...