Chapter 3: The Quil Codex

Sniv, recruit of the Beholder, sighed as handcuffs were tightened around his hands. Quil was exasperated to see his best friend go through a grueling Mystery Dungeon in vain, and be taken to the very thing he had been running from.

"What do you even need with us?" Quil was needing answers, and immediately.

"It is none of your concern," the Scizor muttered, fastening Sniv's cuffs tighter. "We will tell you what you are doing with us when we deem it necessary. For now... you're a curious specimen. Grovyle and I haven't seen a Cyndaquil in as long as we've lived. They're supposed to be extinct. They've been that way for fifty years."

"If it's me you want, then why are you taking both of us?!" Quil shouted, pushing his nose into the Scizor's face, "Let the Snivy go!"

"Cut them a bit of slack, Scyzor," the Grovyle jeered, tying Quil's hand behind his back. "They at least deserve to know our names. My name is Slatinash, though my friends just tend to call me Slash. This is Scyzor, my partner."

"That's enough to tell them, Slash," Scyzor growled, pushing Sniv into the brush in a way that said, 'go or I kill you.' Quil sheepishly followed, hopeful not to experience the same fate as Sniv.

"So where do you think they're taking us to?" Quil muttered as "Scyzor" and "Slash" led them deeper into the forest.

"With any luck, just to the beholder's training centers to be trained. Worst case scenario, we're punished by the Beholder himself. He has a knack for being able to hand out the worst punishment. But we did accomplish something. We braved a mystery dungeon as novices. We did something that nobody in my family has dared to try. We succeded!But..."

"It was all for nothing," Quil sighed, then stretched his neck. But in his mind, he felt lament for his captivity. 'That isn't Sniv. It's just an alternate personality. He can't be treated like this... But how can I help. We're both in handcuffs and about to be rectified.'

'But I promised Sniv," Quil thought to himself, "I promised him that I would help him escape the Beholder's soldiers. I can't let that promise be let go. I have to fight back.' Weighing the options, Quil knew that he would probably die, but he had to try and help his friend.

Quil jumped. Quil fell to the ground just seconds after jumping. Feeling his cheek with his paw, he felt a cut slicing into the cream fur on his face. Looking backwards, though hard to see, the Scizor had a puddle of blood on the top pincer.

Quil's blood.

"You might need this later, so don't waste it trying to kill me." the Scizor replied to Quil's actions, "When Cyndaquil are enraged, they tend to light up their tail fire. Yo never had a shot at surprising me. Keep moving." Quil reluctantly obliged, trudging along the path with a shocked Sniv staring at him.

"What in Arceus' name did you do that for?!" Sniv whispered maniacally, flabbergasted at what Quil had done.

"I had to keep my side of the promise. We made a deal that as long as you teach me to be a Pokemon, I would help you escape. I tried to keep up my end of the bargain." Sniv looked touched at Quil's words.

"What are two Pokemon doing in the Crystal Forest at night, anyway?" The Scizor did have a reason to be curious, Quil had to admit.

"Running away from people like you," Sniv shot at the Grovyle, "Because you're here to 'rectify' me into serving the Beholder!" The Scizor and Grovyle looked at each other, laughing like mad. Sniv, confused, shouted, "What's so funny?!"

"Wellll..." The Grovyle had to stop laughing to speak straight, "Let's give you the benefit of the doubt, and just say you're on the completely wrong track. The Beholder knows we exist, and that he is no client of ours."

"He doesn't require our services, and even if he did, we would never employ our skills to his regime." The Scizor remained stoic, not so much as flinching a muscle except his legs.

"So.. you aren't the bad guys?.." Sniv curiously asked.

"Correct," the Scizor said, "We just want to check something out before we let you go. If you pass, you're free as a Fearow. I swear on my mother's grave."

"If we dont?.." That was the only question on Quil's mind.

"We'll discuss that only when is necessary to discuss. For now, come with us. We swear we won't hurt you if you comply. Understood?" Quil, willing to stay alive, walked along, rubbing his face.

'This gash still hurts.' He thought to himself as he trudged into the outskirts of the forest.

In seconds, Quil's surroundings changed. The forest trees around him shrank until they didn't exist, barren land stretching as far as the eye could see, with a small cliff just above the horizon.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Quil whispered to Sniv. "You okay?"

"Meh, so-so," Sniv muttered wearily as the flatlands seemingly moved past them, "At least the fact that they aren't allied with the Beholder is one less problem to deal with..."

"The Beholder," the Scizor snorted as they strolled in the brisk dawn, "He is the mortal enemy of me, myself and I. Only eight years ago, I escaped his grasp, and ended up where I am."

"Holy Arceus!" Sniv was short of breath when he heard the Scizor speak his words, "You escaped?! How?!"

"Is it any of your concern?" the Scizor glared at Sniv, it's second set of eyes intimidating Sniv.

"Actually, it is.." Quil trailed off, stepping up for his Snivy friend, "Sniv was supposed to be punished for standing up to the Beholder's soldiers by being turned into a soldier himself."

"Ah, I am most sorry for my harsh attitude. " the Scizor said. Turning to the Grovyle, he murmured, "Another one to fight for personal reasons. Should we tell them?" The Grovyle nodded, the duo turning to their captives. Unlinking the chains binding their arms, the Scizor spoke in a much deeper tone.

"As you know, this Grovyle is named Slash, and I am Scyzor. We are members of an underground resistance force. We are, divided, members of an Independence Team."

"Independence Team?" Sniv folded his arms in thought, then looked up and gasped. "Wait! You literally fight against the Beholder?! That's just... wow!"

"There are three divisions spread across Rastere: Black, Orange, and Diamond. Even though we're allied, we're spread thin enough that we can't communicate. Though we are basically one large Independence Team, we operate in up to fourteen-mon guerillas to avoid suspicion of a large network. The Beholder has yet to know this, and we intend to keep it that way."

"This is near the location of our base, which houses the orange division. It's hidden in the cliff not half a mile from here." Slash was

"So... can we can stay with your division for a few days... to hide from the Beholder's radar?" Sniv looked on the verge on pleading for hospitality.

"That can be provided, but this is not a relief service." Scyzor was looking at the two younger Pokemon with sympathy, "Unless you were to join the resistance, you can only stay for a few days."

"I want to join the resistance, if it means I can fight the Beholder for everything he's done. Quil, how about you?" Sniv was almost pressuring his friend to join him in his trek. Quil turned away to create more thoughts.

'I've gone deeper than I thought I would, but it's coming way to fast for comprehension. I need to find a way to find my original identity, and this is the most efficient way to get close to that goal.'

"You wanna do it, I'll do it too." Quil's stance was determined, ready to fight if necessary in the near future.

"Awesome!" Sniv was again giddy, much more than last time, "We're going to be one of the best teams in the resistance, in just a matter of months, I guarantee it!"

"Don't get too excited," Slash warned, "The life of an Independence Team is very difficult. When you set out on a mission, you have everything about the resistance on your back. If they capture you, they get access to all of our intel."

"Nevertheless," Scyzor pondered, "We never turn down a willing fighter. You two seem like excellent candidates for the fight. We welcome you to the resistance. Come. We have much to do. But first, we must locate the base and give our bodies a long rest."

"Eh... I don't see anything that looks like a base entrance." Sniv was looking around, confused about why they were in the middle of the ravine.

"It's this way for security. Once you can see him, you can thank our sentry and technician for making sure that we're safe from invasion." Scyzor pushed his hand against a small panel, which scanned his pincer.

"Ah, welcome back Scyzor," a voice cackled, "It's good to see that Team Spearhead's leader was not Killed in Action."

"Oh, come on, Fres," Scyzor chuckled, "You know me well enough to know I don't die that easily."

"Says who?" The voice revealed itslelf to come from a Gengar, which slipped out of the wall to wave to the two young recruits.

"Cyndaquil, Snivy, this is Fres, our sentry. He's responsible for making sure anybody unauthorized stays out of the base."

"A pleasure to meet you too," Fres smiled and shook both of their hands excitedly, "I suppose that I have new faces to remember. Hope you enjoy what free time you have left!" Cackling his unusual laugh, he went back into the wall and pulled open a large stone door.

"Wow!" Sniv gasped, taking in the moment, "I never realized that Pokemon had such advanced technology! I thought only humans were capable of this!"

"It is," Scyzor laughed, "But Fres once met a human who taught him technology inside out. That's how our base is so well protected."

"You'll love the base, but it's a lot more than the door's tech. Just wait." Slash had a warm smirk on his face, trying to stop from bursting out laughing, Light shone ahead, prompting Quil and Sniv into a jog.

The light dissolved away as Quil took in his immediate surroundings. Metal platforms rose meters above the main floor, which bustled with many Pokemon getting back from missions. Elevators brought the teams from their rooms, ready to eat or leave for a second mission.

"This.. this is incredible!" Sniv squealed in shock. "This is far more advanced than anything I've ever seen!"

"You'll be staying in our quarters tonight, but we're not sure for how long. That determines how long the Upper Command permits room and board with us." Scyzor, Slash, Quil and Sniv walked into an elevator, Slash pressing a button to the B15th floor.

"How many floors are there?" Quil whispered to Sniv, who was already way ahead of him, counting down to the basement floor. Looking up, he was pale white below his green skin.

"One hundred twenty, not counting ground zero, storage that takes up three floors, and a training floor. In total-"

"One hundred twenty five floors." Scyzor was not fazed by Sniv's reaction, who almost passed out, had Quil not helped him up. A small ding and the elevator doors clanged open, blue light flooding into their eyes.

"The Spirit Torches in the base have a time setting, thanks to the Ghost- types that power the base doors and floor traps. Red means dawn, orange means dawn, yellow mid-day, light-blue is evening, and purple is when NightCrawlers are hunting. Those can't get in, thanks to the psychic barrier that the sentries placd when we rebuilt the base. When any fire type, including you, activate their back's fire, it will be the same color." True to Scyzor's word, Quil's back flame was an invigorating red. "Now, time for some rest." Scyzor and Slash walked wearily to the door at the end of the short corridor. The metal door split and a war-weary Chandelure levitated over them.

"Welcome back, my good leader," the Chandelure said, intent on making Scyzor comfortable. "We heard of your MIA listing, but we all know too well that-"

"I don't go down that easily." Scyzor laughed, "Yes, Blake, Fres just said the same thing moments ago." Turning to Quil and Sniv, he announced, "Team Spearhead, these two will be staying with us tonight. Tomorrow, they begin their fight for independence beside us!" Multiple members of Team Spearhead, including an Eelektross, a Furret, and a Heracross cheered in unison.

"In that case," Blake half bowed, "let me tae them to the guest quarters for tonight. You look exhausted." As Blake extended two of his flames and dragged Sniv and Quil away, Scyzor grabbed Blake by the top of his flame.

"They will be staying with Slash and I tonight." Scyzor growled, almost ready to threaten his teammate if it called for a fight.

"But-"

"No. Buts. They will. Be staying. With us tonight." Scyzor was now shrinking his eyelids, intimidating Quil and Sniv, who both looked on in fright, but Blake simply dropped the two from his grip, letting the new recruits fall to the ground.

"Very well," the Chandelure muttered, glaring at his leader, "I will stop harassing your judgement. You have my word."

"Come," Scyzor barked to Quil and Sniv, who quickly followed him and Slash into their quarters. Beside the wall opposite the bed, there were two small cots, small enough to fit each of the new recruits.

"Have a good night's rest," Slash muttered, crawling into his own bed, "You're going to need it tomorrow." As Quil slimed his way into his cot, and the moment he closed his eyes, he heard Slash say, thinking Quil was asleep-

"Scyzor, I think you were right. The Cyndaquil may actually have the Dimensional Scream."

Quil really closed his eyes this time, and began to think about what Slash had just said. Maybe he wasn't here by fate. He must have been there for a reason. Promising to think about it the next day, he shut off his brain, and let his soul seep into the darkness of his body.

A/N: So there you have it: Chapter 3 is up early. Yeah, forget the last part of Chapter 2's AN. I decided this would be my Christmas Present to you guys, and post this chapter early. Hope you guys enjoy, and the next chapter will be named "Entering the Fray". Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us, Everyone!