PART 7: Weary of Darkness The Light Shines Through (2): In Exchange For Freedom They Will Never Experience They Give Up Their Lives
Is there ever a point in time when the people think of their futures as they riot? Is there ever a point in time where the well-being of others, not themselves, is prominent in their minds? Is there ever a point in time when they stop watching the news, listening to the tabloids, taking sides on political issues and battling , and sit down and discuss a plan to make the world better? Do these people ever think ahead to a time when they can work together to build the world up, instead of continually tearing it down in order to build something of equal worth in it's place?
The human race, as a species is a complete failure as many scientists would tell you who read science fiction every day and believe that aliens created them. And the sad thing is, these people would be violently assaulted outside of their homes or work places, their ideas would be shunned. And thus they prove their point that as a species, they were failures. A species should be built to help each other and work together to prosper in the harshness of the world, not add to the harshness.
And as these riots took place in the streets, as the army mobilized in the field, as Team Rocket prepared their army in the hollow bunkers underneath the feet of the people with picket signs and screaming for freedom and peace the people raged at themselves now, instead of Team Rocket as they had been just a day before.
And as the streets became clogged with protestors and enthusiasts a scientist watches down on them, lab coat fluttering out behind him in the breeze and a tear drops from his left eye and drops to the ground like rain. As it patters on the exposed pavement of a sidewalk he himself walks off the building and drops, playing a repeat of the scene of the tear. As the tear struck the ground and exploded in a splash, so too does his head.
Gary Oak held his cellphone in his hand, opened up. His grandfather's number had just been dialed, and he was hoping to speak to him on voice mail. But a woman's automated voice responded that the number he had dialed was out of service.
He was fearful for his grandfather. He was wanted and his face was played on the news almost everyday, a large sum of money being paid for his head.
Gary shut the phone and tilted the chair back a little and let his thoughts connect.
The images being displayed on the television were grainy, as if there was some sort of electrical interference. It showed crowds of people in the street, screaming, yelling, fighting. The police were out there in full force, Officer Jenny at the forefront, throwing gas into the crowd. But the crowd was violent, crazy and forced their way over the police line and started beating the authorities. As this was happening, off to the side of the scene the camera was picking up a man dropped to the ground and his head exploded in a gory mess. The bar that scrolled at the bottom of the screen declared this a nightmare, and the woman on the news that was doing the voice over said that she thought the end of the world could be coming.
Rowan turned the television off and threw the remote onto the coffee table that his feet rested on. He sat back in the sofa in his living room, Oak sitting on the other cushion of the seat. Sean was asleep on the floor like a baby and Sillindra and Tsubaki sat in arm chairs, eyes watery as they watched the world turn into a place no one should live in.
"Why do they do this?" Tsubaki asked. It was actually directed at anyone, it appeared to be more a question to herself, but Rowan answered.
"This is what happens when a people are pushed to the edge. Team Rocket has killed their idols. Political killings, especially of this variety turn people into monsters. Suddenly, the political tensions between both parties escalate beyond when one party had a person in office, and politics becomes a cause for civil war. It's rather pathetic really. These people march in the streets, fighting over their ideals as Team Rocket sits back and uses the turmoil of the people to their advantage."
"It's an ingenious tactic." Oak chipped in. "Turn the people into monsters, turn the people into raging fanatics. Make the religions combat each other, make the political parties combat each other, leave open the seats in government and watch everyone give their two cents. The radicals appear as leaders and the radicals tend toward violence more often than not. And Team Rocket hides behind this to send in their leaders, the radicals more than likely. And then these people get political power and Team Rocket owns Sinnoh. Easy."
"Makes me glad I'm not a human anymore." Sean responded from the floor. The complete story had been told to Rowan as they traveled on Rayquaza to his home.
"I just wondered this Mr..." Rowan asked, intent on finding out a last name.
"I don't have a last name, my parents left me in a cave with a bunch of Lucario and a dog tag that said that my name was Sean and they loved me a lot, but they didn't want me to be in the pain they were going through. Call me Sean, though if you started calling me Lucario I would accept that as well. I feel rather happy not being a human anymore."
"Well, let's say your name is Sean Lucario." Tsubaki looked back at Sean and smiled.
Sillindra was smiling to. "Or maybe we should just call him Lucario. If I could be disassociated with these people I would take that chance."
Lucario yawned and sat up. He grabbed his knees close and looked at Rowan. "You were wondering something Rowan?"
"Yes." He stroked the stubble on his chin for a moment. "I was wondering what your intentions were with this group."
"What do you mean?" Lucario tilted his head to the side, perplexed.
"A couple things about your story stand out to me. Why are you following these people? Why are you fighting Team Rocket when you could easily walk away and go find your Lucario family and live the rest of your life away from everything that happens?"
"Because you need my help. I don't think you could stand up to Team Rocket by yourself. They tried to kill me, Sillindra, Oak."
"But you were just collateral, they didn't have anything against you." Everybody was staring at Lucario with wide eyes. They had no idea if maybe this Lucario was set into the group. Maybe it was all a conspiracy.
"Sillindra had given me a home for six months, had given me a roof over my head! She had bought both of me food. She has done more for me than any human I've ever met."
"What stake do you have in this war? People don't protect each other for petty reasons like that. She was thinking of the scientific implications of discovering why you turned into a Lucario and you knew it. She was after money, she knew it would pay tenfold for your costs in the end."
"That's not true!" Sillindra yelped.
"Rowan..." Oak grabbed him by the shoulder.
Lucario stood, fire in his eyes. "You just come along and save us, we don't even stay in your house a night and you are already trying to start problems. Are you sure you yourself aren't an agent of Team Rocket since that's basically what you are implying? If you people believe that I'm a nuisance, that I'm a loose cannon, that you can't trust me, than you can thank me for saving your asses multiple times when we meet in hell. The only difference when we meet is the fact that I'll have lived out my life after this happened. All of you will have been in hell since I left and Team Rocket killed you all."
Tsubaki ran up to Lucario and grabbed him. "Don't go, we don't believe that." She looked at everyone, staring at her. "At least, I don't. You saved us a bunch of times and beat those two bad Team Rocket guys." She tried to avoid the word "kill".
Lucario looked at everyone else. "Then follow me and we can go destroy Team Rocket. I don't need people on my side who are too busy second-guessing me to care about everything that happens." He looked down at his leg. The glass had been removed an hour before the conversation started.
"Rowan, what the hell are you trying to do?" Oak stood, glaring at his companion in science.
"I'm only trying to protect you. Everyone's stakes in this war seem worthy, except for that Lucario's. He could be the death of you if you don't watch your back. In this war you can't trust anyone." Rowan stood as well and got into Oak's face.
"Then how do we know we can trust you Rowan?" Tsubaki asked.
"I saved you back there, I helped you get out of that tight spot, I helped destroy the armada."
"Collateral damage." Sillindra looked up from her chair and had a menacing smile on her face.
"So we can't trust Rowan." Tsuabki said, still holding onto Lucario's arm.
"Precisely." Lucario muttered. He shook Tsubaki off his arm and in one giant leap landed twenty feet away, right in between Oak and Rowan.
"I've got a family!" Rowan was on his knees now. "They threatened to kill my wife and daughter if I didn't follow their precise instructions."
"What was tearing us apart going to accomplish?" Lucario asked menacingly.
"Assassins were going to take up positions all over and pick you off one by one. You would be captured and taken to the man in charge of Team Rocket..."
"Who leads Team Rocket? What's his name?" Lucario grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him off the ground. "WHO'S BEEN PULLING THE FUCKING STRINGS!"
Suddenly, in a split second, the window exploded in a shower of glass and Rowan's head exploded all over Lucario.
The girls looked away and screeched. Oak pulled the pistol from his trousers. Lucario threw the body to the side and licked the blood from his lips. His whole face was red.
And then a little girl walked into the house. She saw her dead father, and ran to him, slipping in his blood and falling on her ass.
Lucario walked out. "Sorry kid. You don't want to join him, I'd advise staying low."
The little girl turned her tear streaked face to the Lucario. "THEY KILLED MY MOTHER!" She ran at the Lucario and punching his leg where bandages had been applied from the glass. He fell to the ground and grunted. "YOU'RE ONE OF THEM! I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"
Lucario stood. Tsubaki was crying, Sillindra just watched on. Oak was checking his pistol.
"Hate me kid." He ruffled her hair. "When you're old enough and feel ready, leave a message in this exact place. Tell me a place to meet you and we'll settle it. How old are you kid?"
"Twelve."
"I'll see you soon enough. I'm sorry kid. I'm sorry you were brought into a world like this." Lucario turned around and walked to the door.
"You promise to meet me?" The kid asked.
Lucario looked over his shoulder. "Yes." He then grabbed the door handle.
"What are you doing?" Oak asked. "You want to kill us all?"
"I heard a train stopping at the station. I'll create an aura shield that will get us over there safely. Hop on board, cover my ass because by then I'll more than likely be passed out. That's gonna suck a lot of power from me."
And that's what happened. As they hid in the shield, as bullets bounced off it, Sillindra looked at Lucario, disgusted. "You basically sealed the death of that little girl."
"I've decided I more than likely won't be alive enough to meet her when she feels ready."
They got on the train platform and ran onto the train. Lucario made the shield disappear and lay against the back of the car they had gotten on to.
Sillindra and Tsubaki threw out their Pokemon and looked back at Lucario.
Tsubaki thought his intentions were righteous and that he was the person he said he was.
But Sillindra was growing doubts. And how he dealt with Rowan's kid just helped seal the deal. Maybe there was something more to this Lucario who used to be a man.
Or maybe there wasn't and his intentions were pure. But at the moment, they needed to focus on the problem at hand. The train started to move and they all knew the assassins would not quit their job until Sillindra, Tsubaki, and Oak were dead, Lucario was captured; or the assassins themselves were killed.
"They fell for Rowan like idiots. He was about to rat us out anyway. Do as I instructed and you will be handsomely rewarded." The masked man hung up his phone and looked across his desk at Daylan.
"You usually have problems like that?" He asked.
"The problem will be eradicated soon enough."