I tapped my foot impatiently on the cold marble beneath me, waiting in line for what seems like an hour just to talk to the bank teller and get a deposit. The line ever so slowly shifted forward, one person seemingly giving up on the wait and walking to the glass doors which served as an exit to the building. I watched them grumble something under their breath, no doubt vulgar and something to do with the waiting times. I was about to grow weary of my watching, but they stopped and stared at the doors, the line of people obscuring my view.
I was about to shift out of line to quickly see what they were staring at but before I could do that they shot to the ground, hands covering their head and lying in a ball on the floor. I heard a scream and a gunshot, the scream dying out quickly while the gunshot rang in my ears. Everyone was now turned to the doors, all knowing what this was, and all hoping it was just a dream.
Another shot was heard and I watched a man slump to the ground, obviously trying to play hero and obviously not succeeding. I pushed my way forward, trying to get to the front of the crowd who were motionless, staring like deer in headlights, unsure of what to do. I saw the man who was causing the commotion, standing easily over 6 feet talk wearing a large T-Shirt with the letter R on it, he was build like a small truck as well but all I could think about was that the rockets are returning. He was standing next to a Scyther who had blood smeared across his blades, undoubtedly not his own either.
As I got to the front I saw the bodies, the guards outside having their necks slashed open, their weapon half drawn out of their holders before they were killed. Inside there were only two bodies, the woman who screamed and the man who tried to play hero, this rocket did not mind mindless bloodshed.
"Everybody get on the ground now!" The rocket yelled, putting his handgun away and pulling out an automatic rifle from gods knows where. "If you are not on the ground in the next thirty seconds you will be shot." He stepped forward, watching people scramble to do what they were told. "If you are on your phones, you will be shot. If you try to play hero," He walked up to the dead man who tried and kicked him, flipping him over revealing a hole in his head, "you will be shot. Follow these simple instructions and you might make it out of here alive, if the bomb doesn't kill you that is." He grinned smugly as he walked, seemingly basking in the unconditioned authority he held.
I slowly got to my knees, the shock sinking in, there wasn't anything I can do, there wasn't anything I could do, so I did the only thing my body was telling me to do, lie down and keep quiet. My mind went into overdrive, surly there must be something I could do, anything even. All I needed to do was to stop the man. Surly, how hard could it be to take down a tank of a man who also happened to be holding guns? The grim reality hit me like a freight train, there wasn't any way I could take him down without another gun, and I didn't have any, but he did. I carefully looked up and saw the man was still basking in his own glory, his handgun on his right hip.
He slowly walked forward and I silently cursed and thanked that I was at the front, it was the best place to stop him, but at the same time it was also the worst. Here he can move back onto more open ground, but for the same reason it makes what I'm planning easier. I took deep, calming breaths, stealing myself for what could happen if this goes wrong, and it can quite easily. I considered backing out, letting him get what he came for, and survive this ordeal but no matter what argument I made my father's favourite quote rang in my ears, "One life sacrificed to save many is not a life wasted. Instead it is a life that will be remembered and worshiped for century's to come." The old man always had a way with words.
The man got closer, his feet only a mere metre away from my face, time seemed to slow and my heart rate skyrocketed, I only had one shot at this and if I failed it was game over, but one life for many is a sacrifice I don't have to think about, even if others did. He stepped in between me and a woman to my right, slowly making his way to the petrified tellers. Before he could even get past the first row of people however I shot up and went to grab his pistol, it was held in place by a strap but I pulled it with all my might and managed to get it free before the man could whisk around and shoot me.
I aimed at his face and I could see the terror in his eyes, the roles reversing so fast he didn't have time to think of what to do, gun fumbling in his hands, seemingly trying to aim and shoot at me. I pulled the trigger and the bullet when flying, hitting its mark dead on, any thoughts of horror or terror he held were now splattered on the people behind him, his body momentarily standing up before falling forward to my feet.
"Scyther!" A woman yelled at me, the bug Pokémon slipping my mind. I turned and raised my gun, only to have his blade slice across my neck, cutting deep enough so blood and air ran into my throat. The pain was unbearable, my brain unable to comprehend the situation at hand, unable to respond. My left hand quickly found its way to my neck, feeling and confirming the damage done, feeling my blood pore out of me and onto my chest and floor. My right hand raised the gun and wildly shot at the bug who was escaping to the outside world. Not sure if I hit it or not I collapsed forward, the blood loss being far too great in such a short time. I felt gentle hands caress me, tying something around my neck; my last wish was to have a second chance at life, a second chance to live.
The ground was cold and hard, my eyes flew open, relieved to be alive, what I didn't count on was everything being pitch black. I looked around then down at myself, I could see myself so why not anything else? I stood up, grasping my neck to see if it was still there, it was and it was open but no blood was pouring out nor did it hurt, was this some sort of dream?
"No it is not a dream. It's more or less what you humans would call 'limbo'. Essentially you're stuck here until I decide what to do with you." Said a slightly girly voice in the back of my head, wait do with me? And where was this voice coming from, I couldn't see anyone or anything.
"That's because I'm currently not in that plane of existence, I had to wait for your soul to settle, for it to stop lashing out at me." Realisation sunk in, limbo, soul and everything happening suddenly made sense, I'm dead.
"You hit got the money in the pot, well done. Most people who end up here take longer to realise where they are, let alone why they are here." I sat down on the black floor, staring off into the distance, what now? Do I go to heaven or something?
"Well, it's hard to say actually. Normally, you would but you're a special case, see you died before your time. You were meant to die old and with your wife, you were meant to have kids and grandkids and tell them stories. You were meant to live a happy life, but obviously that didn't happen." A life, a wife, and I got stuck with a bad roll of the dice.
"Granted had you waited half an hour the police would have showed up and you would have lived, mind you a couple of more people would have died. Unfortunately the timeline has a way of fixing itself in these situations; one of them is already dead in a freak car crash." So I died for naught? Mine and other people's lives are on set rails?
"Well no, peoples and Pokémon's lives aren't on rails but more or less a trail. You can deviate from the trail but sooner or later you will come back to the trail." There was a slight pause before the voice continued. "You know you really are intriguing. Most people cry, some sit there stunned and some beg for another chance. Yet your still thinking of everything else, doesn't it concern you that you're dead?" I chuckled at that, albeit reluctantly.
For the first time since I arrived here I spoke out loud to the black void. "What can I say? I can't change the past nor can I alter the future. My only concern is that I died for nothing; I died so others may live only to find out they still die and I miss out on a lifetime of happiness. What can I say? I have nothing to say."
The voice inside my head fell silent, I wasn't sure whether it could hear me talk out loud and I started to wonder if I had to think it before it spoke up. "Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect? It's a theory you humans came up with." I vaguely remember a theory by that name. "Close enough. You see the theory goes that when a butterfly flaps its wings, in a hundred years time a cyclone will form because of that butterfly. By sacrificing yourself you made your own butterfly effect." I waited for the voice to continue, eager to take my mind off the recent developments.
"I think you get the general gist but as I said by sacrificing yourself you saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives into the future, more than if you didn't." I stood up and dusted myself off, not that I needed to but by force of habit. I really was starting to get annoyed with the creature reading my thoughts.
"I'm getting tired too but at the moment this is the most convenient way to talk, I'm currently in the middle of something important. Or well something that is currently deciding some important things." I shrugged it off, knowing now that I wasn't going to see who I've been talking to.
"So what now 'voice in my head'? Do you send me to hell or something, heaven perhaps?" I asked the voice, wanting answers and not wanting to stagnate in this boring place.
"Well if I had a choice I would send you to heaven, but that choice isn't up to me, I can only recommend you. I can however, do something that would fulfil your wish." My wish? I didn't remember making a w... I suddenly and vividly had flashbacks of what I assumed were my final moments of life, lying in the arms of a lady in a pool of my own blood. And... I remembered what I wished for, a second chance at life.
"Well that was un-needingly vivid and un-pleasant to watch, but yes, after that refresher how could I not remember my 'wish'" I started to walk in one direction, waiting for the answer from the voice that up until now had been quick to answer. I walked and walked, growing impatient and bored; surely I didn't say something wrong, did I?
After what felt like eons but were only mere minutes the voice returned. "Yes, it can be arranged. How do you feel at a second chance at life young one?" Young one, I wasn't that young only 21, and what did it mean a second chance? There was going to be a catch wasn't there.
"As far as I'm concerned there are no catches, you may do as you please but we will be somewhat linked psychically so you can ask me questions when you come to, it's not like I have anything better to do." Surely there must be something, like no telling people or something like that.
"That's just common sense; if you do I have no idea what they might do to you and I won't be in a position to help you out." That makes sense, in a morbid way. Telling other Pokémon would be an adventure on its own.
The void started getting lighter, the pitch black being replaced by grey and I'm assuming I'm leaving this place. "Wait, before I go, may I ask why you're doing this for me? Surely I'm not some sort of 'chosen one' or something like that because that would just be absurd."
The voice chuckled, seemingly finding what I had to ask funny. "No no, you're not some sort of 'chosen one' you're just interesting. It's not every day the timeline is altered like this, heck it's not even every decade the timeline is altered like this. You're special and interesting case and I enjoy our little chats, even if we have only had one but it somehow feels like we have had more."
The void was getting progressively whiter, speeding up from a slow change to one I could visibly see. "Wait, I didn't catch your name, I can't just keep calling you 'voice in my head'?" I asked the void, suddenly desperate to know who my 'savoir' was.
The voice seemed to break whatever seriousness it was trying to convey by giggling before answering. "My name? Now that's something I haven't shared for a long while but if I recall properly you humans call me Celebi." Celebi? Where have I heard that name before? "I am the legendary Pokémon that..." I was suddenly feeling very light headed; only really hearing the name of the voice before everything went black again.
Welp, this is something I whipped up in a day and a bit. It (obviously) a rebirth fic if you haven't gathered that yet. I hope you enjoy. Also chapters are probably going to be longer after this one, first chapter you know, don't want to bore you to much about mindless dribble.
And with all first chapters i dislike bits of it, but you cant be an author without that it seems.