Chapter II

It was a cylindrical room, easily thirty yards across and several stories high. Wooden and steel beams poked out from the walls of the chamber at irregular intervals, some far longer than the others and others at odd angles. Mirrored glass encompassed the room at regular intervals, marking out every other floor and observation room. It might have been an enjoyable obstacle course for an acrobat performing for the masses, but the reddish stains on the concrete ground floor told of a different story.

Holding one pincer to shield his eyes from the bright lights, the hybrid gazed up at a small metal balcony extending out from one of the observation rooms. Lowering his hand, he took a good look at it and sighed. His four fingers had melded together, altering the bone structure to look closer of that of a crab. Discolored lines along the hard armor of the claw showed where his fingers would have separated at. It wasn't as pronounced as when he first woke up from his sedated state, even now the serrated teeth were still forming underneath what had been his index and pinky fingers. His thumb, or at least what had been his thumb, flattened and migrated to the middle of his wrist.

Changes were still occurring, always accompanied by a dull pain, and something he couldn't escape. Once tan skin was now taking on a purple tone, always making him look like he was bruising from a beat down. It hardly compared to the constant itching he endured as the black manta-like wings still grew. One final, small, phalange was completing its growth cycle just above his hip to support the membrane as it joined to the upper portion of his tail.

Unfurling one wing from its resting position folded along his back, he played around with it experimentally. He smiled when he felt the larger range of motion, a significant improvement from just a week back when he could hardly do anything with them. Rolling his shoulder, he felt the bone of the lead flight phalange lock into a place in his shoulder, leaving his wing rigid. He quickly followed suit with his other wing.

Startled by a sharp claw jabbing him in the calf, and purely on reflex, he lashed out the scorpion tail he'd grown. Though fast, his diminutive guard was faster and quickly leapt back out of striking distance. He looked down at the sable-furred weasel grinning cheekily back up at him. It licked one claw thoughtfully, toying with its red feathered collar with its other paw.

"Make note that the subject is beginning to make use of the tail for reasons other than curiosity and balance. We'll need to shackle it so he doesn't lash out and strike someone. There's no telling when the venom glands will reach maturity," the guard following behind him radioed. "It's a good thing you're faster than he is Jag."

The weavile, Jag, looked back at the guard and proudly puffed up his chest. He thumped his chest twice with a free paw, and then pranced around the hybrid, taunting him with one claw to make a move. The hybrid knew the little weasel was trying to bait him into striking him and held himself in check.

"Ain't much of a fighter are you Q5713?" the soldier taunted, and lightly hit the hybrid with the butt of his rifle. "I understand; you've only recently been transferred here from the processing facility. You ain't been here long enough to have toughened up. Hear you weren't as violent as some of the others when you came to. You'll come around. They all do. Go ahead and cut his braces."

Jag nodded and clambered onto the hybrid's back. Holding onto the white uniform of Q5317, he pointed with his free claw and chattered incessantly until the hybrid finally raised his bound claw to him. With a quick slash, the restraint loosened and the hybrid shook his claw to remove him. Raising his other hand, the weavile cut it free and leapt down to work on the steel ankle shackles. Twisting his claw inside the keyhole, he unlocked one then went to work on the other. Once free, Q5317 took a few steps forward while Jag dart away and back through a crack in the thick steel door.

He crouched down with his elbows resting on his knees, waiting.

She was led through the barren halls by a disdainful soldier and his equally apathetic raichu. Every twist and turn looked the same to her it was a wonder how any of them truly knew where they were going. She looked back down at her wrists, more specifically the shackles. In the other compound, they hadn't bothered with them; they'd kept her in solitary confinement while she came to terms with her new body. But here it was different; now that she was allowed out, they kept her bound at all times. Hands and ankles she could deal with, but the leather brace around her chest drove her nuts. It pinned her wings and upper arms to her side uncomfortably.

Wing buffet just one guard and…

The electric rodent glanced back at her, cheeks sparking, as he saw her attempt to fiddle with the brace. She stopped. It wasn't worth getting shocked, not before whatever it was they were going to have her do. There would be other times to sneak a potshot in.

A lab technician strode over to meet with her guard. They shared some words in a low tone, too low for her to overhear. However, she caught a glimpse of a clay tablet handed to her guard by the technician. In turn, he handed it off to his raichu to hold. The technician waved farewell and headed down a side corridor.

The electric rodent bounded over to her and offered the tablet up, standing up on his tiptoes. She grabbed it with her human arm, sliding it down to rest on her forearm, and traced a line with her deformed hand. She wanted to scream when she first saw it and tried desperately find the stitches marking where they had frankensteined the leg of a pidgeot on. There was no way the bony, taloned thing that was supposed to be her hand could be hers. Yet there were no stitches, complete in all of its bird-like glory. She was thankful thought, that it was still able to function much like her more human hand.

She'd lost her pinkies in the process, only the faintest bump of one remained on her right hand. It wasn't the only thing she'd lost. Her vocal chords had shifted, and with the beak she now had, severely cut into her ability to speak outside of a few choice words. Her caretaker had been by everyday to monitor if she'd been able to master speech. It was frustrating to be unable to vent her anger and hatred in words, only coming out as a furious squawk. However, after two weeks with no change, they had issued her a small clay tablet with which she could write on.

Lost in the events over the past couple months, she barely noticed as her guard led her through a heavy steel door on the left. Brushing her thoughts aside, she could see the room was circular in nature as she gazed around. It was a little larger than the previous one she spent her time in. Her foot talons kept getting stuck in the small holes of the metal grate they stood, and she shifted her weight from foot to foot trying to find a place her talons wouldn't poke through. A small platform, no larger than a foot and a half square, sat on the far corner of the walkway.

"Cover me Radi, I'm going to remove her bindings," her guard said, kneeling down to unlock her ankle shackles. "If she tries anything, incapacitate her."

Nodding, the raichu set off a flurry sparks from his cheeks and scowled at her. With her talons, she awkwardly scratched out the words No hurt and tilted it down so her guard could see. The forged steel restraints fell to the grate with an audible clang.

He brushed the tablet away and stood up and unlocked the restraints around her wrists, but left the brace around her chest in place. "Empty promises mean nothing."

Take off brace too?

"So you can use your wings to knock me off, D8371?" he snapped and unslung his rifle. "No, that's Radi's job."

She peered over the side and saw a tiny figure down below. She then scribbled Fight to win? and displayed it back to him.

"That's the entire point now isn't it?"

Understood.

He strode past her then spun around struck her hard in the shoulder with the butt of his gun, forcing her to crouch down. She spun around, her clawed hand raised with which to strike him and rend his flesh. Something touched her feathery thigh and she stopped. Looking down, she saw the raichu's tail brushing up against her feathery thigh. He grinned maliciously. She lowered her arm and turned back towards the end of the platform. She swore to herself the first chance she could catch him away from his raichu and she would rip those smirking lips right off his face.

Once her guard slipped through the door, the rodent removed his tail from her body. She hopped up onto the metal plate, grasping the edges with her foot talons and her bird-like hand. She rested her human-like arm on her knee while Radi scuttled up on the railing next to her. He wrapped his lithe, lightning shaped tail around the railing to keep his balance. His deft brown paws moved swiftly around the restraining brace, tracing a claw along the lock. The brace fell away, clanging against the railing as it fell below.

With a screech, she dove over the side at the white clad figure below.

"Sir, are you sure this is proper? We're pitting an omega against an epsilon," a soldier commented as the pidgeot hybrid dove by their observation window. "It's not exactly a fair fight."

"A pidgeot and gliscor hybrid, both capable of some form of flight, thus it is a fair fight. It's not like he is facing an alpha. We've come far from those days. However, I am not expecting him to win," the commanding officer replied. "No one stays an omega, private. His fight here will determine which class he will join and I expect he will place higher than a Sigma. All he has to do is survive the first few minutes and then we can see which class is most suited for him based on his performance."

"What if he doesn't sir?"

"As part of the fighting group, if he can't hold his own enough to pass the threshold, he will be made an example of. If he survives the first round."

He raised one pincer up and blocked the savage claws of the other. She moved to use her human hand to catch him in the side of the face, but he ducked and grasped her hand between his claws. She shrieked and lashed out with both of her feet, using her wings to keep her balance. The gliscor hybrid tried to leap back, but the talons from one foot ripped through his white uniform and grazed his skin.

Letting go of her hand, Q5713 spun around, whipping his scorpion tail around to strike back. She hopped back and crouched down, wings flared and hands at the ready. Taking the momentary respite, he sprinted back to the lowest steel beam and swung himself up. Seeking higher ground, he continued to leap from beam to beam. Not about to let him get away, D8371 launched herself up and beat her wings in close pursuit.

She had an easier time navigating the maze of supports and she knew it. She watched as he struggled to climb higher. Landing on a wooden support above, she needed to rest. Flight was tiring still, and she needed to conserve energy if they fought in the air. After a short pause, she hopped to the side of the room where various crevices in the concrete allowed for climbing, not all of them shaped by the Kantoan military. It was awkward with her inverted leg structure, but doable.

He glanced down and noted that she was climbing up the various nooks on the opposite side of the room, for that he was glad. At least she wasn't harassing him on his way. "I never should have approached those strangers at Silph," he muttered to himself. He glanced over his shoulder at his wings. "No better time to see if these things actually work."

The nagging fear he was being an idiot for taking a risk when it could just as easily get him killed sat at the back of his mind, but it was either this or waiting for the other hybrid. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. With one last glance at the other hybrid, he pushed off from his perch, fully expecting to fall.

When he didn't immediately plummet, he gave a cry of joy. An awkward experimental flap to try and gain altitude only confirmed to him they lacked the muscle structure to be anything more than a tool for gliding. Dipping his left wing he slowly banked to the left, but not fast enough to avoid brushing up against the concrete with a wingtip. Pushing off with one foot, he glided a little higher up and out to the central area of the room, ducking under a beam.

A screech from above made his blood run cold – in his moment of joy, he'd forgotten to keep track of the hybrid girl. She slammed down onto his back, piercing his wing membrane and digging into his back with her foot talons. She beat her wings furiously, slowly their descent in her assault. He threw his claws behind him to protect the back of his neck and head from her raking claws. She squawked angrily as her hand talons bounced off his claws, leaving only the faintest scratches behind. Instead she pecked at it in hopes of being more effective than her talons.

He flailed with a claw trying to fend her off and felt the faintest wisp of something brushing against his wrist. He blindly lunged for it, grabbing whatever it was and yanked hard. She shrieked and released him, but not before he scored two hits with his tail on her backside and leg. He corrected his fall and took a moment to look at the long red and gold hairs he pulled from his opponent before discarding them. He went on the defensive and glided down to a thick steel beam.

Not about to let him get away with striking her, she flapped twice to gain altitude and went into a steep dive. Foot talons outstretched, she struck at his face again, but he ducked and snapped back with his claws, ripping out a pair of feathers from her wing as she dove past. She squawked in surprise at a pain in her backside and turned to see him cheekily holding up one of her red tail feathers. Wheeling around, she flew higher and alighted on a beam.

She glared down at him as he waved the feather at her. It was a small victory for him, but one she intended to make short-lived. She paused for a moment to rest, while he did the same. Neither one made a move towards the other.

If she could get him on the ground and keep him grounded… Yes, she needed to insure he stayed out of the air. On the ground he would be easier to deal with and only a fool would dare climb the supports higher to get at her in the air. Risky, but well worth it if she succeeded.

Turning her gaze towards the ceiling, she looked for the easiest path for her plan. The maze of beams was a blessing if she needed to fight defensively, but a curse if she wanted one straight shot like she wanted. Lifting off, she flew up to the highest beam. Looking back down, she saw the gliscor kept his distance and had not tried to follow her. Instead, he appeared to fortify himself.

Launching herself off, she tucked her wings in close to reduce her drag. Touching down on a lower beam on all fours, she pushed off again to another beam. Repeating the process, she leapt from beam to beam seeking out the speed denied to her by freefall. With one last push, she flapped her wings and sped right for him.

He readied himself, planting his feet his feet firmly. Snapping his pincers, he held them out defensively in front of him. She came close and then suddenly disappeared. Surprised, he dropped his hands and knelt down to see where the pidgeot hybrid went. A screech from behind him made him swear under his breath. He turned and raised one pincer to ward off the vicious talons as she slammed into him.

Her foot talons lashed out at him, ripping his wing membrane to shreds. He yelled in pain and struck back with his tail, driving the twin barbs deep within her side. She let him go, talons red with blood, and spread her wings to check her speed. He twisted around to get a pot shot as she did, but only grazed her midriff. He tried to twist back around to try and slow his fall, but it was too late.

He slammed down hard onto the concrete, feeling something snap beneath him. He bounced and skidded along the floor, leaving a wispy trail of red. Pain shot all along his side, but nothing was as intense as the searing pain in his left wing crumpled under him. He rolled over onto his forearms and knees, and knew something wasn't right. Chancing a glance under his arm, he soon regretted it.

Membrane hung in tatters, utterly useless. Shattered ends of cartilage jutted out at awkward angles of his second and third spines. "Guess this is really is reality then," he said to himself with a weak laugh. He slowly got up onto his feet, holding a pincer to his left side. Looking up, he saw the pidgeot hybrid crouched on a beam. "I'm not out yet."

As if she heard him, she dove from her perch, taloned hand lowered for an undercut. He danced out of the way, lashing out with his tail. It was a sloppy and wide strike, but enough to force the girl away from him. She flapped her wings and flew up, digging her talons into nooks in the concrete. Her wings were starting to ache from prolonged use, but she pushed the dull pain aside.

Without warning, a blast of forked lightning raced down, striking pillars willy-nilly. D8371 skittered to the side as an agitated raichu bounced down from support to support. He landed on all fours next to the pidgeot hybrid, looking at her and growling, cheeks sparking merrily away. Gazing back down at the gliscor hybrid, Radi unleashed a flurry of lightning bolts without concern.

Q5713 closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack, but opened one eye to look around when the electricity failed to strike him. Icy lancelets pierced the bolts, shattering into a hailstorm of shards as they took the brunt of the electrical force. A small black and red form cart wheeled and back flipped in front of him. The familiar face of Jag looked cheekily back over his shoulder at the hybrid.

"How'd you get back in?" he asked the weasel. Jag arched one eyebrow as if to ask why the hybrid why he asked a silly question, but he humored him and quickly gestured from where he came. The gliscor hybrid followed and caught a glimpse of the heavy steel door closing again. "So I guess you're here to help me?" The weavile crossed his arms and shrugged, looking back up his opponents.

The raichu cried out and pointed a paw at the weavile. Unfazed, Jag put on a great show of yawning and waving his claws dismissively. The action infuriated Radi as he unleashed another wild barrage of lightning, snapping and shattering wooden supports in a display of power. However, Jag simple crossed his arms and tapped his foot. He chattered something back and proceeded to dance from foot to foot, waggling his claws by his ears and making faces at the raichu.

Furious at such a display, Radi sent a concentrated bolt down at his rival. Both hybrid and pokémon rolled out of the way as lightning blasted a small crater in the concrete floor. Q5713 flinched as his broken cartilage snagged in a groove on the floor and ripped further out. He looked up, hearing the pidgeot hybrid screech as she took the opportunity to strike him while distracted. He hunkered down, waiting for him to slam into him.

The blow did not come, instead, Jag had rushed to his aid and leapt onto the girl's back. She veered off to the side, trying to shake the little weasel off. Ice crystals formed around his claws and he drove them deep into her shoulders, chilling flesh and freezing nearby feathers. She shrieked from the intense cold and she tumbled to the ground. Radi tackled Jag off, pummeling him with electrified paws. Retaliating with razor sharp claws, Jag thrashed around, scoring several bloody gashes across the rodent's chest.

Seeing his chance to get a good strike in, Q5317 sprinted towards the other hybrid. Negative energy gathered between his pinchers, trailing faint lines. He raised his hand to strike when something knocked him to the ground and onto his back. He looked up into the angry eyes of the raichu.

Radi crouched on all fours over the fallen hybrid. Digging his tiny claws into the uniform, he wrapped his tail around the hybrids leg. Sparks flew from his body as he unleashed another wild burst of energy, sending both the weavile and pidgeot girl dodging for cover. The pain wasn't anything like he expected as the electrical power surged through him. He could feel the snapping and crackling as the current grounded itself, leaving small burn marks where it arced from his body to the ground.

He felt the raichu jump off his body and heard the screeching he could only assume was the weavile trying to fend both of them off. His whole body twitched involuntarily as he tried to move. Sighing in frustration, he laid there, trying to tune out the horrific shrieks. Yet at the same time, he just couldn't let the one creature that didn't seem totally out for his blood fight alone. Rolling over, he got to his knees. Darkness crept in around the edges of his sight as he stood up. He wobbled on his feet and unable to shake free the sensation, knelt back down.

"Maybe... should... rest..." he muttered to himself, giving in to the welcoming darkness and collapsing onto the floor.

Another blast of electricity scored deep grooves through the concrete as Jag cart wheeled away, drawing the fire away from his teammate. He held one paw to his side to staunch the flow of blood from the other hybrid. Tossing some choice insults at Radi, he turned and scampered away as a lightning bolt sailed over him. Chancing a glance above, he saw the pidgeot hybrid crouching comfortably above, sitting and waiting.

D8371 knew she could get involved, but her 'teammate' was something she could barely label him. At least the weavile was trying to help his hybrid, unlike the electric rat below that barely reined in its attacks. A blast of energy shot past her, too close for comfort and she dove off her ledge. Gliding along, she screeched a warning down to the raichu.

Angered the hybrid would dare try and order him, he halted his pursuit of the weasel and instead turned his full attention on the hybrid. He growled menacingly and released another wild display of power. Splinters showered down on her as the wooden beam she ducked under exploded. Seeking range, she flapped her wings and raced towards the ceiling. She squawked in surprise when the rat leapt up onto her back.

Radi dug his tiny claws into her feathers and wrapped his tail around her lower body. Every time she reached around to swipe her, he sent a jarring course through her body. Seeking a different way to remove the pest, she plummeted down to the ground. Using her momentum, she shot back up for a steel support beam. Seeing what she was aiming for, Radi swung himself under her a moment before he would have been scraped from her back.

Seizing the opportunity, she savagely raked at the raichu with her taloned hand. He ignored the searing pain she inflicted on him with her claws, waiting until the time was right. His reluctance to fight back spurred her further, taking wing to the highest of the beams. A quiet giggle from the raichu made her blood run cold. She looked down and saw the mischievous grin on the rat's face. He bared his tiny fangs and unleashed a violent blasted on energy as she sought a good spot to ground herself.

Her muscles felt as though they were on fire and numbing her senses as she bore the full force of the attack. Panic set in as she realized her paralyzed wings would not save her. She mental swore as she felt the vague sensation of something pulling away from her and caught a glimpse of golden yellow landing daintily on a steal I-beam. Slamming down hard across her midsection on a wooden support, she could hear the amused squeaking of the raichu as she started to slide back. The accursed rodent was laughing at her. Forcing her way the numbing paralysis, she dug her talons into the hardwood.

She froze as a brown paw was placed over her arm. Looking up, she saw Radi beaming down at her. His head was tilted to the side and he smiled benevolently down at her. Looking down his nose, he dug his foot claws into her scaly arm as sparks arced across his cheeks and down his body. There was no sign of mercy in his eyes she could see, only total superiority.

Another round of searing pain shot through her. She felt the snapping and crackling of electricity in her fingertips and feathers. Unable to hold on through the onslaught, she felt herself slide off. She fumed as Radi poked his head over the edge and waved his paw at her with a smile. He backed away and bounded down to the concrete floor.

With an audible thump, she landed hard on her back, a crumpled heap of feathers. Colored dots swarmed her sight as she tried to move her arms and legs. Her fingers and talons twitched involuntarily as she tried to control them. Cursing silently once more, she laid her head back and closed her eyes for a moment. A foot nudged her head, but she had no desire to open her eyes. It nudged harder. Opening her eyes slowly as her muscles twitched, she saw Radi standing beside her.

And he smiled. And he waved.

"I've already sent word to send Rico over. Infirmary crew is already in place removing the girl to the flight ward. Should we send a medic in to stabilize the gliscor as per protocol?" a young soldier asked, removing his headset and placing it on the desk. "The monitors indicate he's likely within the twilight zone of consciousness. He's lost a fair amount of blood and-"

"There'll be no need for that," the commanding officer replied sternly. He looked down at the unmoving body of the hybrid below and leaned against a nearby wall. A four man team in white lifted and placed the pidgeot onto a stretcher. Securing her in place with thick restraints, they began to wheel her out the main steel door.

"Sir, he could be at risk of going into shock."

"I'm well aware of that. Leave him there. If he regains consciousness, then he is to be assigned to this station." The officer held out a folded slip of paper. "If not, toss him in the boneyard. He lacks the heart of a true fighter, but there's a place for those types nowadays. Personally, if I were to run this operation, those weaklings would be thrown to the alphas."

The young soldier grimaced. It was one thing to have blatant disregard for an enemy civilian, but for a Kantoan citizen? He shifted uneasily in his seat, an action that did not go unnoticed by his superior.

"You disagree?"

The young man blanched. He opened his mouth to quickly refute his unspoken opinion when another form joined them. He sighed in relief as an alakazam strode over to stand off to the side between the two.

"What is it you ask of me?" Rico asked, his tone devoid of any emotion. He turned his head slightly as he glanced down at the young solider then quickly turned to regard the man in charge.

"Keep an eye on that hybrid. As much as I'd rather send him directly to the boneyard, he's to be given an hour's chance." The officer placed his hand on the door latch to leave. "I will see to it the hybrid girl gets a reward."

"So tell me major, what is the life of a fellow Kantoan, one who you should be protecting regardless of their own weaknesses, worth?" The young soldier's eye darted between the two, realizing the psychic had broached the subject he was too afraid to ask.

The military officer quickly spun around to backhand the psychic. He was taken by surprise when Rico blocked him with the back of his own hand, glaring dangerously at the man from the corner of his eye. Rico narrowed his eyes as a faint blue glow came to them. With a sweep of his arm, instilled with psychic energy, he flung the major back through the heavy metal door, ripping it off its hinges in the process. The major grimaced as he clutched the back of his neck and slumped against the wall.

Bystanders from nearby halls came running to see the commotion. They stopped a respectful distance away as Rico walked out of the room, clenching his iconic spoons tightly. He placed on foot on the major's chest and leaned in close, locking eyes with him.

"Lay a hand on me again and we'll see if you can fly when I drop you from the aerial grounds."

Q5317 opened his eyes, his entire body in aching pain. The room was eerily quiet and he distinctly remembered Jag taking on both pokémon and hybrid. The room around appeared out of focus and he shook his head to clear himself as black spots still clouded the outer edges of his vision.

"Ah, you are awake. This is good. They were afraid you might have died when you passed out. Shame, it would have been much better for you if you had."

He bolted upright into a sitting position at the sound of the voice, heard yet not heard. Immediately he regretted it as pain lanced through him again. Darkness threatened to overwhelm him again, but he forced himself to say conscious. He looked over to his side and saw an alakazam crouching nearby, idling twirling its spoons in its hands.

"What, you're saying you actually wanted me to die?" Q5713 gasped between the throbbing pain.

"Want? Hardly. I have watched the same events over and over these many years. It's a miracle that someone like you has survived. Times have changed though. Especially from a blast from Radi. He doesn't pull his punches usually. Maybe for a 'teammate,' but not a foe. Perhaps you're finally developing some earth attributes. You're reaching the stage when any traces of the elements will begin manifesting."

"You certainly know a lot."

"That would be my job."

"And what did you mean by times have changed?"

"Only the ruthless survived. It wasn't too long ago you would have been killed, even if you had survived your classification fight. You are not a ruthless person, this I can sense. Refreshing really. Which is why I am here to give you this." The psychic opened one clawed hand. Above its open palm, an orange folded uniform shimmered into view. "Omega you are not. You are now a Theta Class B. Inside the pocket of your new uniform, you will find a slip of paper and a piece of charcoal. Scribe the names of a few species you wish to raise and give that to your infirmary aide. You will need them as much as they need you."

"Wait!" the hybrid cried, raising one pincher to catch the psychic's attention. "You're not like any of the other people or pokémon here. Is there a name I can call you by? Will I see you again?"

The fox-faced creature turned and smiled a little as it looked down at the gliscor hybrid. "You may refer to me as Rico; I am the dedicated go between for many of the staff and prisoners. I am chained and I am free." Rico turned around and raised one hand, spoon betwixt his fingers, in farewell. "Welcome to Hell, enjoy your stay."

Closing comments:

Brainz…

Big thanks to Imagination Domination and HouroftheRaven for allowing me to use and abuse their characters. And to you all for being patient with my lazy self. This chapter brought to you by sleep deprivation. Please send me a pm or whatnot of major typos and such.

I've a commentary dump with some ramblings on my forum.