Alone
Pure
The ear-shattering explosion racked the forest. Miles above the lab I rocked in the shock waves, striving to prevent the debris from hitting my passenger. I grunted as metal hurtled into my body bruising my tortured body. For once I was glad for the survival training the institute gave us. Luke quivered in my grip.
"Jolt!" He cried. At once a shock ran through me and I dropped several feet.
NO!
Even as I watched the boy started to break down and sob. I stared at the smoldering wreckage beneath me stunned into silence. Spotting our refuge I dumped Luke on the ground at Flam's feet and took off.
I flew as fast as I could, screaming in pain and grief, toward the site of the lab. I stumbled as I landed and fell. Scrambling to my feet I screamed desperately.
"Jolt! Jolt! Answer me!"
I listened with all my strength, straining to hear the slightest sound that might give his location away. There was nothing but silence.
"Oh Jolt…" I muttered and broke down in sobs.
He had told me he would stay behind but I had no idea he would stay and go down with the only place he had ever called home. I would never see him again, that cheerful smile, those golden eyes gleaming with their own inner light. My friend.
I have to find him…if not alive…then…his body.
Making an educated guess I chose spot and started digging. I dug for what seemed like hours, tears still streaking down my face. I could remember the day I met him as though it were yesterday.
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My eyes opened to a distorted world. Something white was blurring my view. Did I die? Was I in heaven? Was this the afterlife? Wasn't really what I expected…
A voice called out from beyond the whiteness. "Subject two has awoken. Emotional dampeners are working at 100%. She's stable."
A chorus of cheers echoed.
"Extracting now."
The whiteness began to drain away, revealing a steel gray lab. Instinctively I drew back. I did not belong here among this manmade steel trap. I was meant to be soaring over the icy mountains!
That sounded strange and I didn't know where the thought came from.
Glass hissed open and several hands reached out to help me down. Feeling as weak as a hatchling I hissed and fluffed out my feathers in a threat display.
"Easy now." One muttered.
"Watch out! She has to fight down Articuno's base instincts first!"
I heard the words but didn't fully comprehend them.
Wait.
Feathers?
When did I have feathers?
But it was true. Two dark blue-feathered wings sprouted from my shoulders. Confused, I didn't realize that they had taken me down and were lugging me away. I was still weak so I let them do it. I had no energy to resist anyway.
They threw me into a room so bright it hurt. I whimpered shying away from the light. Everything hurt so much, why wouldn't they leave me alone! Abruptly I heard a harsh voice yell at my captors.
"That's enough! Leave her alone!"
I whimpered again at the harsh noise. Someone knelt next to me.
"Sorry." The person said in a softer tone. "Are you okay?"
"O-kay?" I mimicked. My speech seemed to be eluding me at the moment. I looked up only to meet the warm eyes of a shockingly blond teenage boy.
He inhaled sharply. "Can you talk?"
I opened my mouth and called upon my faint human knowledge. "Bare-ly." I croaked
I tried to tell him why I couldn't talk in my broken speech "Human... over-written...by...Arti-cuno..."
Somehow, he understood. He patted my shoulder. "Just try to organize your thoughts-yeeeeaaargh!"
Rough hands dragged him away from me. More people dragged me to my feet and pushed me forward. I stumbled into some sort of ring. I could see the boy struggling against his captors beyond the arena.
"No!" He screamed, "Leave her alone!"
A pair of handcuffs effectively shackled him firmly to the wall. Something within twitched.
Then a creature appeared in my path. I cocked my head at the strange shrew-like pokemon. I had no idea what it was, honestly. My memories were too messed up to figure out what it was.
Suddenly, it attacked. Acting on pure instinct my wings snapped open and I flipped over my opponent in a single down stroke. Ice fell from my wings onto my enemy felling him in one blow. I landed in a crouch and straightened slowly. Raw power flooded my veins. This felt...interesting.
Then I looked at the boy again, his horrified expression punched all the wind out of me.
"Emotional dampers are at seventy five percent! Something's affecting it!"
They followed my gaze to the struggling boy.
Someone snorted. "Just knock him out."
"That's the Professor's son!"
"So? He gave him to the project. Do you think he cares?"
Silence.
"Knock out subject One."
Somehow I could tell something bad was going to happen. The boy struggled, wide eyed in fear as a white-coated man approached him.
"Emotional dampers at fifty percent...If you knock him out we'll loose her!"
The man withdrew reluctantly. The boy slumped with relief in his bonds.
Across from me was a boy almost identical to the blond one, except with red hair. He looked at me, unsure. One of the men barked a command and he flinched violently before dragging his feet forward into the ring. The one like him cried out to him, as if to stop him.
I glared at him. He was invading my space. He was an enemy.
I took to the air and used my icy wing again. The boy brushed it off. He was stronger than I expected. A flaming tail swept the ground behind him. I did not know whether this was normal or not. A fireball went whistling past my ear. Winds gathered around me, infusing with my snow to form a personalized blizzard. I thrust it outwards, coating the entire room with snow. My opponent lunged through it, striking me a fierce blow in my stomach.
It hurt.
I fell straight out of the sky and hit the ground with a dull thud. I lay there, partially stunned, staring at the ceiling. Another fireball came roaring towards me and I rolled out of the way and got to my feet.
I felt weak. Woozy. My vision was blurring.
A furious roar sounded as if from a distance. The yellow boy barreled between me and my opponent, somehow free of his bonds. Raw energy cracked along his skin.
"Stop it!" He roared.
A powerful blow connected with the side of his head and he went flying into the far wall.
Something snapped.
"L-leave him alone." I growled.
"Stop hurting people."
My ice coated the room. I felt as though a fog had lifted.
"Dampeners at zero percent! We've lost her!" A panicked voice called out.
"Flare. Take her out."
The red head nodded briefly glancing with worry towards the unconscious boy lying slumped against the wall. I never knew what hit me. All I heard was the sizzle of flesh smoldering and the acrid smell of me burning. Darkness ate away my vision and I passed out.
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Eventually I hit gold when I removed the rocks covering my discovery I almost started to cry again.
Flare.
Sure he was a right old bastard but he was one of us. I started to feel worse when I spotted Jolt's jacket underneath Flare. I dragged the Hybrid carefully out of the hole and was ecstatically surprised to find Jolt, relatively unharmed (Well, aside from the claw marks, bruises and broken bones).
"Jolt!" I screamed.
I dragged him out and rested him next to his brother. Nervously I checked his pulse. It was there, a little fainter than usual but it was there. I cleaned his bloody face with the edge of my shirt and a block of ice I summoned. I ran a hand through his tousled hair and kissed his cheek. Though unconscious I could see his face relax in a more peaceful expression at my touch.
Then I turned to Flare and a tear of regret dripped down my face. From how I had found them there was one possible solution as to why Flare ended up there. He shielded Jolt. The other Hybrids regarded him as a traitor and treated him as such. Flam was the only one close to him, they shared the same love of fighting. Every so often they would have a duel that would last for hours. Everyone else didn't like him much. Every time the topic was brought up Jolt would get a melancholy look in his eye.
Why Flam would choose to sacrifice his life for his brother's I would probably never know. Perhaps I'm asking answers. Perhaps he saved Jolt because he was his brother, but that didn't stop him beating the crap out of Jolt on numerous occasions.
It was all too confusing.
His injuries were worse than Jolt's. Both of his legs were shattered from the building falling on them. Luckily the rocks fell at an angle so his spine was still intact though his back was badly bruised. Metal wires had sliced straight through the leather fighting gloves leaving bloody red marks over his arms and back. His face also bore deep scratches from debris.
"Thank you." I whispered. To my surprise his eyes fluttered open. He turned his head to his brother.
"Jolt…" He croaked and a tiny tongue of flame sparked from his fingers and caressed Jolt's arm. Slowly his golden eyes opened. He blinked.
"Pure?"
I hugged him, hard, like I would never let him go again. I only let him go when he groaned in pain. It was only then he noticed his brother's bruised and battered body next to him.
"Flare?" He said confused. Flare laughed shakily.
"I'm sorry. Even after everything I just couldn't let my twin die. You were right..."
"Flare…"
"Jolt, he saved you…"
Shock was visible on his face.
"I always envied you two together… I couldn't let you die so foolishly…you had someone to return to. I…didn't." Flare said quietly.
"Brother…" Jolt began "You will always have someone to return to."
Flare smiled weakly. "Thank you…but where I'm going…you cannot help me. I will join mother…"
His breathing was becoming ragged and forced. Horror showed clearly on Jolt's face.
"Jolt…" I said uneasily "What's he talking about?"
"He's dying…" Jolt whispered.
I felt my heart drop again. Wordlessly I hugged Jolt to me; he needed me there to comfort him. His golden eyes clouded over in a mixture of pain and grief.
"Why?" I croaked.
A familiar smirk graced his face. "I have a…life cease program, incase I ever betrayed them. The scientists engaged it and now I pay the price."
Flare's scarlet eyes were drooping and dimming. With his last breath he whispered.
"Fare…well…brother…"
The redeemed hybrid closed his eyes and his body went limp. His chest did not rise again. The fire faded from his tail and sparks faded from his hair. The fighting gloves that had been his life fell apart as if to morn their master's passing.
"Flare! Flare! Wake up! FLARE!" Jolt howled.
I stood there, paralyzed by shock, a hand over my mouth to stop my sobs not even feeling the tears running down my face. He was dead? No. That couldn't be possible. Having Flare not there to terrorize us was like the sea without fish. Just like that we were free from the lab? The price was too much.
"This can't be happening."
Jolt crawled towards his brother.
"Flare you idiot! I can't let you die on me now!"
He grabbed Flare's shirt.
"I won't let you!"
He raised his hand; summoning what power he had left. I nearly stopped him; overuse of his electricity would hurt him. I didn't. He needed to try and save Flare otherwise he'd never forgive himself.
"THUNDER PUNCH!"
As his hand hit his brother's chest electricity crackled through Flare's body. A second passed. Then another. A miracle happened in that moment.
He breathed.
Jolt slumped against me, spent. Everything he had was used in that desperate attempt. With no energy to move a finger he blinked blearily at the ground. I ran my hand through his hair and rested his head on my lap. He gave me a weak smile and closed his eyes. Exhaustion caught up to him, finally claiming its victim.
And when the sun cast its dying rays upon us I knew we were going to be all right.
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R&R
Nice, sappy ending for these guys...Whoo!
I can contiune it or just leave it, If nobody really reviews or tells me what they think, I'll just assume no one wants the story to continue.
I have other fics to deal with!
