Chapter seven.
Survival. Of. The. Fittest.
The Darwin theory? The physically and mentally strongest survive? Really? You're shitting me.
If he's all so fucking smart, then why's he dead?
'Wakey wakey Mr Black.' It was the woman from when he first woke up.
'Fuck you.' Alex threw randomly as he hugged Haley tighter to his body. She did not object. On the other side of him was Teri, though nobody knew how she arrived, including her. The three of them all cuddled up in a single bed and sharing warmth.
'You don't want to miss out on this Alex. You could call it… a training run.'
'A what?' Alex sat upright, placing Haley on his lap as he did.
'Your breakfast is served.' The loudspeaker announced. 'We haven't put anything funny in there, don't worry. We need you at full strength for today.' Alex stared at the speaker dubiously. Did he really trust it? Hell, did he have much of a choice? He dragged himself out of bed and went over to a table which hadn't been there yesterday. There was a bowl of coco-pops and a couple plates of pokéblocks. They all ate up, having not eaten anything since 8:30 yesterday morning. Fortunately the food wasn't contaminated with anything nasty. After they finished, a door opened in the side of Alex's cell, leading down a dark corridor. 'Down the corridor Alex. Don't be shy.'
'Don't patronize me bitch.' Alex mumbled as he complied reluctantly. The lights in the roof of the place turned on as he went through, and the door closed behind him. At the end of a short tunnel, Alex found himself in a small glass room. The room was beside another room which was similar, and both rooms were inside a giant dome. There were gates at different sides of the dome, and the landscape varied hugely from small bumps to grass to five-metre high cliffs to trenches to a snowy area and there were trees with wires and platforms hanging from them and all else. It was huge, at least one hundred metres radius. 'Where the fuck am I?'
'The training dome.' The speaker told him. 'Now please enter the second room.' The three set off for the second room as the door opened. 'Alone.' Alex gave his Pokémon apologetic looks as they stopped and he continued.
'I'll get this done then get back to you.' A door closed on him as he entered the second glass room, and then another door opened, connecting Alex to the dome. He got the hint, and went out into the massive dome, not having much choice now. 'All right, I'm in your fucking dome! What now?'
'Survive.' The voice seemed to resonate through the entire dome from everywhere.
'What?' Alex's attention was grabbed as a loud rumbling filled the air, seeming to come from everywhere. He could see one of the far gates begin moving, and opening. There was something coming out.
'First wave. Fighting type. Commence.'
'Fighting t-'
'Hitmonchan!'
'Oh fuck.' Alex saw it run for him. It came rushing at him from a gate far away on his left. It ran straight for him. It neared a trench and leapt clear across the gap, and continued running for him. Alex soon realised what he was seeing, and ran like hell. 'SHIT!'
'Fight it!'
'Fuck you!' Alex roared as he sprinted in the opposite direction.
'Hitmonlee!'
'Doublefuck!' He skidded to a halt as a Hitmonlee came from the direction he was running in.
'Remember how it felt! Feel the fire! Fight them!' Feel the fire… Alex turned and looked at Haley, far away in the glass room pawing sadly at the window in fear. She was scared for him. She didn't want him hurt… He couldn't die here… he had to survive… for her. He saw her mouth open, and she washed the window in a small wave of fire. Fire…
'HITMONLEE!' Alex spun around and ducked as an extended leg shot overhead, just missing him. He reached up and snatched the leg before it could come back.
'COME GET SOME!' He wrenched the Hitmonlee towards him by the leg, pulling him clear off the ground and into the air. As he flew towards him Alex ran and jumped at him, his leg ablaze and kicked back at the Pokémon, hitting it square and sending him flying. He spun in mid-air as the Hitmonchan leapt up at him with a sky uppercut. Alex jerked himself sideways as the punch just missed him, and grabbed Hitmonchan's arm as he soared past, spinning him around and seismic tossing him into a Hitmontop who had come from nowhere. 'Fuck yeah bitches!' He hollered with excitement at his sudden crazy new strength and speed. He landed and dashed for the two Pokémon before they could recover. He jumped high above their heads and flipped with superhuman agility and fired a charged blast of fire into them. The fire blast exploded in their midst and sent them flying as the Hitmonlee came back. He felt it building in him… he felt the power… it was in his heart… his spirit… like he told Haley. He was the fire. She was the fire. Now things were about to get hot. Alex was the thing he thought he loved above all else. Fire. He could feel it inside him, like Haley had. It was fire. 'Here we go!' He threw his mouth open with the last word and his breath came out as a scorching wave. The Hitmonlee stopped short and turned tail, but the wave swept over his body and engulfed him in the burning sensation. Alex shut his mouth with grin, licking his lips and shaking with power as the Hitmonlee collapsed. Fuck that was amazing! He thought as he felt ecstatic. He could feel the fire in him, a burning warmth from deep within… it was him… inside him. And he could control it. He could control fire. Aagh! Fuck-fuck! He grimaced at a pain in his stomach. Clearly that move was a little too much to be using at this stage.
'Nice start Alex. Nice start. Good to see you're enjoying yourself.'
'This is just for starters!' Alex barked into the air as he breathed heavily, trying to catch his short breath after that heat wave. 'When I'm done with these clowns, I'm coming for you next.'
'Second wave. Flying.'
'Bring it!' Alex held a thumbs up to Haley and Teri. Teri imitated him with a half-hearted feel; Haley barked excitedly and licked the glass separating them.
'Commence.' Alex heard the gates open once more, then there were squawks of bird Pokémon. They all seemed to come from one this time. The one furthest away. 'I would suggest using the landscape to your advantage.' The speaker suggested. 'The trees.'
'Oh, right.' Alex set into a sprint headlong for the trees as the Pidgeottos shot around above his head. They suddenly got louder. He spun around to see them flying for him and threw up a hand, shooting embers into them. They suddenly separated, splitting off and diving around the wave. 'Crap! They're fast!' He turned back and ran for the trees as the birds regrouped for another attack. 'C'mon c'mon…' He hit the side of a tree with something highly experimental. Fortunately, it worked. He ran straight up the side of the tree and leapt into the air off it into the bird Pokémon, fists ablaze. He swung a few times and caught two out of the air, dropping them as he flew out through the group and landed from a great height without damage. 'Shit! I'm like superman!' He looked back up at the group as it circled around again. About a dozen of them left. Alex noticed that the trees seemed to have ladders up the side. He wondered how far he could fall without injury… and went for it. He jumped clear up the first dozen rungs with ease. Then the next dozen, then the next. He was flying up them at a great speed, and he was loving it.
'Pidgeotto!' He made a second rapid leap up another three rungs as a Pidgeotto shot underneath him, barely dodging it. He went back to his climbing and managed to reach the top without any hindrance.
'All right, I'm here.' He observed, looking around at the foliage blocking out most of his view. 'Well let's get rid of some of this.' The threw open his mouth again and loosed another heat wave, singeing and burning leaves just as the Pidgeottos happened to come crashing through the foliage into his attack, frying themselves and dropping. 'Huh… look at that…' Alex observed the falling Pokémon over the edge of the platform he was on. Lucky shot much.
'You got lucky that time. Let's see how you handle this. Wave three. Ground.'
'No problem.' Alex spat confidently. 'Fire owns ground any day.'
'Commence.' Alex felt himself almost fall suddenly as the tree swayed under him.
'What the fuck?'
'RYDON!' He felt the tree lurch again as the Rydon crashed into it again, down below him.
'Just this one huh?' He observed as he looked around, but failed to see any other Pokémon. An idea came into his head. He looked directly down at the Rydon, just wondering if he would… if it would work. 'Question, how far can I fall and survive?'
'That would be inadvisable.'
'But could I survive?' The speaker was silent for a few seconds.
'Yes, but-'
'This'll be fun.' Alex shook his hands and jogged on the spot as he fired himself up, cloaking his entire body in fire as the tree rocked again. 'You know, I've heard of recoil damage, but this is fucking ridiculous.' He looked down one last time, and leapt over the edge. Falling straight for the Rydon. 'FUUUUUUUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEES!' He screamed wildly as the air rushing past him fanned his flames. 'FLARE BLITZ MOTHERFUCKER!'
'Alex! Alex wake up!'
'Ugh… gimme a second you bitch…' Alex groaned as he regained feeling in his legs and began standing slowly, not noticing the K.O'd Rydon beside him. 'Just keep the next wave off for a second can you…' His stomach hurt like fuck and he was having trouble breathing as he stumbled around.
'There isn't another wave! We're under attack!'
'Under… attack?' Alex wheezed sceptically. 'By who… wait… Nonono, you're under attack. I'm not with you.'
'No Alex, you're under attack! The cultists are here to kill you.'
'Well so are you by the looks of things.' Alex retorted breathlessly with a shrug.
'We were never going to kill you. We were going to extract your D.N.A. to create people to use as a weapon, but leave you living. These people want you dead, and they're going through us to get to you!'
'And?' Alex tapped his foot against the ground as he looked around for the speaker.
'You have to help us or we could all die! There's a potion in your back pocket, use it!' Alex did, spraying the thing on his stomach. It suddenly eased up with miraculous speed.
'Let Haley out.' Alex told her. A few seconds later, the glass doors Alex had exited from unsealed with a hiss, and Alex's two Pokémon came rushing out to meet him.
'Vulpix!' Haley barked happily as she leapt into Alex's arms and he hugged her.
'Did'ya miss me?' Haley replied with an affectionate lick to the chin and by wagging her tails.
'Alex!'
'Fine then. Where to?'
'Head through that gate you're facing, and hurry! Anybody wearing white, kill them.'
'Wait, kill them?' Alex was taken aback as he ran for the gate. 'Not, stop them or halt them on incapacitate them?'
'Kill them or they kill you. You've already killed that boy in your class.' Alex froze.
'He's dead..?'
'You're strong! Of course he's dead! You kicked him right across the room!'
'Vulpix.' Alex looked down to find Haley rubbing against his leg to comfort him.
'Everybody makes mistakes, but now's not the time for reflection!'
'Fine then. Kill them, got it.' Alex started up again just as three men came rushing around the gate.
'There it is! Kill it!' The men all raised assault rifles.
'SHIT!' Alex dived sideways into a roll as he chucked a fireball their way. The fireball exploded near them and knocked the three off their feet as Alex went for them. 'We're in for the kill! Alright?' Alex's Pokémon nodded grimly as they chased him. 'Ember! Mega punch!' His Pokémon attacked two of the grounded men as Alex went for the third. He raised his fist in a fire punch and swung it into him, breaking a rib on impact. 'Come on! Keep moving!'
'Left up here!' Alex went left and ran straight into a couple of white men. He swung both fists simultaneously and hit each in the face, knocking them clear off their feet as he ran past. 'Stairs on the right!'
'Got it!' Alex ran into a stairwell to his right and ascended them quickly, leaping dozens at a time as his Pokémon struggled to keep up. He just rounded a corner in the stairwell and found himself faced down by a man with a gun. 'Shit!' He ducked back around into the stairway he came from as the man opened fire from higher ground. Alex took in a deep inhalation of air as he hoped to hell this would work, and blew it out. His exhalation came as a cloud of smoke, obscuring the stairway and the man's view. 'And where there's smoke...!' He loosed an ember up the stairs after the smokescreen. He only heard the man's pained screams as he was set alight, he couldn't see anything. He rushed ahead into the smoke and around the corner to the next staircase, not looking at the man.
'Now left here!'
'Flamethrower!' Alex skidded through the doorway after Alex, firing a flamethrower into the group who were spinning around to face them.
'Look out! Incoming!' Alex threw his head left as the ground shook, and swore.
'Ryperior!'
'Run it!' Alex sprinted straight ahead, scooping up an AR from one of the white men as he passed.
'Left here! Quickly!' Alex ushered his Pokémon through a doorway as the Pokémon closed in, a rock in one hand. He pulled himself through as the rock hurtled past at a great velocity and exploded at the end of the corridor with an almighty crash. 'Now this door here! Get ready because there's a giant gunfight, you're right behind the enemy lines so get in and take them out before they see you!'
'Shock troop. Got it!' He ran for the door and kicked it out with full strength, slamming it clear off its hinges and into a man in front of him, hiding behind cover which was a fancy coffee table upturned. They were in a lobby. As Alex fell through the door he opened fire with the AR, taking out a couple of surprised white suits and a Magmar as Haley set to work with an ember on an Ivysaur and Teri took out a Meowth with an aura sphere.
'Shit! It's the kid!' A man in a black suit shouted from the other side of the lobby as he looked over his own cover which was a pot plant. 'Quick! Get over here!' Alex made a run for the men as his Pokémon trailed behind. There were several black suit men there, as well as a Pokémon for each.
'What's going on here?' He demanded, raising his gun threateningly.
'Hey, take it easy!' The black suit man said, holding his hands up innocently. 'We're on your side.' He turned around and pointed to a metal doorway behind him where a man was fiddling with an electronic panel beside it. There was an electabuzz guiding him as he did it. 'Damn cultists shot out the door function on the elevator and we can't get it open.'
'So the elevator's there then?' Alex asked with curiosity. The man nodded. 'Couldn't we pull it open?'
'Maybe if we had a Ryperior.'
'RYPERIOR!' Everybody spun to see the Pokémon crash through the doorway behind them.
'Crap!' Alex turned and ran for the elevator doorway and shoved the electabuzz aside.
'Oneside!' He slammed one fist into the gap between the doors and buckled it a bit. He shoved his hands through the gap he made and pulled outwards on them, dragging them apart. 'C'mon…c'mon… faster you piece of shit…'
'HEADS UP!' Alex dived aside as a rock came flying and crashed into where he had been just a few milliseconds before, smashing the elevator doors open.
'That works!' Alex grabbed the rock and dragged what was left of it out of the elevator, ushering the men in as they returned their Pokémon and jumped in.
'We're going up!' Alex leapt into the elevator behind them just as it began to rise.
'Shit shit shit faster…' Alex murmured as he watched the numbers go up, from 2 going to G.
'What's the rush for kid? We're out of there.' A black suit commented as he saw Alex watching the numbers.
'G!' Alex dragged his Pokémon out of the elevator with him as soon as the outside doors opened. The black suits followed more casually.
'Jeez, what's his-'
Bang!
'-aaaaaaaahaahh…' The voices trailed off as the men fell to their deaths in the elevator shaft. Only one man had managed to jump out after Alex before the Ryperior's rock crashed into the bottom of the elevator, snapping the cable holding it up. The man leapt to his feet and chased after Alex, calling to him to slow down.
'Firefight ahead!' Alex ran for a door which automatically opened in front of him.
'Oh… Arceus…' It was a hangar. A giant airplane hangar. On one side, Alex's right, were the white suits, and their Pokémon. On the left were the black suits and their Pokémon, everybody firing back at one another.
'Down here!' The black suit man called as he ran left.
'Not shit Sherlock!' Alex cried as he ran after him, keeping low to avoid being shot as bullets and Pokémon moves went everywhere.
'Out here!' The man hit a sharp left and ran out an exterior door into the sunlight. Alex shut his eyes briefly as the sun burnt his eyes, but managed to get them open again to find himself seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The ground was grassy green and they were in the middle of a forest, and there was a road. Alongside the road was a black SUV parked up.
'Over here!' A man in the SUV called and motioned to them. 'Hurry, or they'll find us!' Alex and the man made a dash for the vehicle as the sounds of gunfire became louder. 'In the car! Hurry!' The man in the car threw a door open and Alex jumped in with his Pokémon, following the other black suit who had led them out here.
'Get us out of-'
There was a gunshot.
'Sorry buddyboy.' The man beside Alex spun left as a bullet shredded through his shoulder and the seat he was in, fired from a gun held through the driver's window. That voice… the vehicles door swung open and a hand yanked the shot man out. 'Hey kid. You miss me?'
'MR MERLIN?' Alex was aghast as Mr Merlin grinned at him, an SMG in one hand and holding the door in the other. Mr Merlin winked and placed himself in the driver's seat.
'That's me kid. Now buckle up. I've got a hijacked ride rearin'-' Mr Merlin stopped short as another gun poked its barrel through the window. 'Well look here. We're getting hijacked now. Ain't that funny…' Alex saw a white suit pointing an SMG through Merlin's window. Merlin dropped his gun to his feet as the white suit opened his door and took it. Haley looked at Alex with a scared look of confusion, and Alex just shrugged back, not understanding this himself. The white suit dragged merlin out of the car, and raised his rifle… only to hit him. Right across the head. Alex was so shocked he couldn't even move as the white suit dragged Merlin's unconscious body around the front of the SUV and threw it in the passenger seat. The white suit then took his place in the driver's seat and started the engine. Alex finally came to his senses as he did this and went for him just as he turned around. Alex stopped short of reaching the white suit's neck. The white suit smiled at him. Like, some strange knowing smile, and he winked as he turned the steering wheel hand and hit the gas.
Behind them, there was still a man. Coughing and spluttering, the black suit picked up his radio transmitter and pressed a button on the side, breathing huskily into it.
'They got him…' He wheezed.
'What? Who got him?'
'The cultists.. this guy hijacked the SUV, cultists hijacked that guy, and took off with him…' He spluttered a bit more. 'We've failed… they have him…'
'Mr Merlin What the FUCK is going on here?' Alex demanded over the front seat. He had one arm wrapped around Teri, who was staring at her paws and shaking.
'Settle down Alex.' Merlin assured Alex as the white man drove. 'Stop just here.' The man in white pulled the car over on the side of the road as Merlin unbuckled his seatbelt.
'Those guys said these guys are trying to kill me!' Alex pointed at the driver, ready to attack him at any second.
'They are.' Merlin confirmed. 'But this isn't one of them.'
'Smeargle.' The driver said with a nod, grinning at Alex over his shoulder. Alex recoiled a bit as he became even more confused and looked between both for answers.
'Derrick?'
'Smeargle.' Derrick answered with a nod. Suddenly his body began changing, contorting into a mass of colours and then shrinking down into the much smaller frame of a Smeargle. Derrick. Merlin's Smeargle, who happened to be capable of using transform.
'I am so lost here…' Alex muttered as he facepalmed. 'Please tell me this is a dream…'
'I'll explain everything later. You have other things to attend to first.' Alex's confused gaze followed Merlin's finger to rest on Teri. Her big soft eyes were trembling as she shook, staring at her palms, speckled with blood.
'Oh no… Teri…' Alex pulled the arm around Teri's neck, pulling her into a hug as he wrapped his other arm around her. 'Come here… come here…' He whispered into her ear as she buried her head in his shoulder crying, clinging to him tightly. Alex felt Haley too, standing in his lap with her paws up on his body and licking his face sadly. He wrapped one arm around Haley too, stroking her. 'Don't worry you two… it's going to be okay…' He leaned down and kissed Teri on the head, then to Haley and kissed her awkwardly on the snout, surprising her. 'It's all going to be okay…'
During the trip back Teri had fallen asleep against Alex, as had Haley in his lap. He couldn't feel wrong like this. He had just put them through that… they were entitled to what they wanted. Alex was still awake of course. He was looking back and forth between Derrick and Merlin with wonder and confusion.
'I suppose you want an explanation now.' Merlin asked eventually with a sigh.
'I really would.' Alex nodded. 'But first question, how are you involved in all of this?'
'There are other things you need to know first.'
'All right then, I have another one.' Alex glared at merlin as he looked at Alex over his shoulder. 'You said on Thursday you knew what I was, what am i?' Merlin swore and looked away briefly, then back.
'You're asking me the wrong questions.' Merlin murmured. 'I'll get to that later. First things first, the black suits. What do you know about them?'
'Government.' Alex said with confidence. 'Found out about what I did to those guys at school and dragged me to whatever that place was. Made me fight against Pokémon with… whatever this thing with fire is…' He held up one hand and lit a small flame in his palm. 'They told me they were going to extract my D.N.A. and use it to create some weapon.'
'Well that's about it.' Merlin confirmed. 'There isn't much more to it than that. Just another secret government division looking for yet another super-weapon to use. Use it to "better the world". Or rather, control it.'
'Just like all governments.' Alex shrugged. 'But what's with the white suits? They called them "cultists", and said they were trying to kill me.'
'That's true I'm afraid.'
'So are there more?' Alex asked as he sat upright. 'More like me?'
'No.' Merlin shook his head. 'An entire company of operatives dedicated to killing you and you only.' Merlin paused in thought for a second. 'Well, actually there is another target, but yes. They're solely after you right now.'
'Cool.' Merlin stared at Alex with shock.
'You really don't have a good grasp of this situation.'
'I reckon I do.' He shrugged. 'Shitloads of guys chasing after me trying to kill me. Sounds like an interesting change from the shit I call my life right now.' He suggested. 'So who are they then?'
'They call themselves the Salvation legion.' Merlin explained. 'All you need to know is they're a group of cultists trying to kill you. That's it. They're well-funded by somebody we don't know of yet.'
'So they're trying to kill me because I can do stuff with fire?' Alex demanded with a confused shake. 'Why aren't they killing off fire Pokémon left right and centre?'
'That's not quite it.' Merlin clarified. 'There's another reason for it.'
'What reason then?' Alex demanded with frustration. 'Don't hold shit back on me! How am I going to understand this if you won't tell me things?'
'All you need to know Alex, is that you are very powerful.' Merlin warned darkly. 'And anybody as powerful as you is going to be targeted by somebody.'
'Wait, that powerful?' Alex's eyes widened as the flame in his hands grew larger. 'I probably shouldn't be doing this then…'
'No, by all means go ahead.'
'What?'
'Go ahead.' Merlin encouraged Alex with a grin. 'Look, I had a dream Alex.' He began reflectively. 'Arceus spoke to me. Arceus told me "one day you will find that boy. That boy who will hold the golden fire. You must guide him, train him, and keep him safe, lead him to his destiny", I'm going to do that.'
'I have a destiny?' Merlin reached one hand out to Alex and gently placed it on his forehead with a serious look. He tilted Alex's head downwards. The fire in his hands was different. It was a sparkling gold and orange. Merlin moved his hand off Alex's head and into the fire before Alex could react.
'Look…' Alex stared in shock as merlin held his hand in the flames for a few seconds, then removed it for inspection in front of his face. He wriggled his fingers and touched the hand with his other. 'Smooth as a baby's ass.'
'How did you do that?' Alex's voice wavered as his body shook in disbelief, staring at his fire.
'I didn't, you did.' He explained as he sat back in his seat. 'Fire isn't just for destruction. It has more noble purposes.' Alex noticed Veilstone city approaching on the horizon. 'As for who you are, that is what the fire is.' Merlin said with the same reflective tone. 'When you understand the fire, you understand yourself.'
'What is the fire?' Merlin grunted with amusement.
'Well there's that, the simple way out…' He muttered. 'The fire is whatever you want it to be. It's power is great. Its potential in endless. If you can fuel it, it is infinite is possibility.'
'Spirit.' Alex said as he looked into his flame.
'Alex, you are the fire.' Merlin said as Alex felt something strange. 'You are the fire in all senses, but I cannot explain it to you. You must discover what it is, discover it and discover yourself.'
'Why..?' Alex murmured as his eyes closed slowly, something overtaking him and dragging him into sleep. 'Why… is the fire my destiny…?'
'It isn't Alex.' Alex fell asleep as soon as Merlin opened his mouth. 'The fire is our destiny. Yours is to discover it…'
Alex didn't just wake up from sleep. He drifted from one state to the other slowly, passing through a number of middle realms, each containing various amounts of awareness until he finally realised he was awake. Awake with his Pokémon on either side of him. He must have been tired. He eventually became aware of how he was lying. It was growing on him, being like this. Teri with her arms wrapped around him and against his side with Haley's head resting against his neck. It was gradually becoming less strange and was now rather welcoming. Welcoming knowing he had somebody there for him.
'Morning Haley…' without opening his eyes, Alex placed a hand on Haley's head and touched her affectionately. 'Morning Teri.' Teri responded with a grunt, pulling tighter on Alex. She's a bit messed up now… he remembered with guilt. Guilt… so much guilt… he had instructed her to attack a human, and she had killed him. Dried blood was still on her hands. He could feel her aura on him, wrapping him up in her own and holding him there. She was trying to attach herself to him, but he kept her back a little. She was a nice Pokémon, but there was something which was stopping him from confessing any feelings he had surrounding Teri. It was weird, sure, but there was just something else that stopped him from leaning in and kissing her right then and there. Something deep down. Alex decided to let Teri have her way for a few more minutes and lay beside her and Haley, but eventually he had to wake up.
'Are you awake Alex?' That did the trick.
'Yep.' Alex nudged Teri a bit and woke her up, startling her as he did so, but he shushed he gently. 'I'm sorry Teri.' Was the first thing he said as he placed a hand on her cheek. 'I'm sorry I made you do that. I'm sorry I did that to you. I'm so sorry.' He rolled over to Haley now, who was also awake. 'And I'm sorry Haley. I put you through that, and I shouldn't have. Haley merely licked at Alex's hand as she stood again. Alex sat up and rubbed his eyes as Mr Merlin came into view in the doorway.
'Looks like you've had a good rest then.' He commented with a nod. 'Alright. It's ten o'clock. You have until five PM today to get anything and finish up with anything you need to do. Then we're leaving.'
'Leaving? For where? Why?' Alex demanded as he looked around the room with confusion, observing his new surroundings.
'I led the Sector, the black suits, to believe you were taken by the legion. The legion won't be fooled though, and they'll be about town. You can't stay here, so we're leaving for Solaceon soon. There I can begin leading you to your destiny.' Merlin threw Alex a bundle of clothing. Alex unfurled it with growing shock. What appeared to be a heavy pair of white shorts, a white singlet, underwear, socks and a pair of shoes. 'All flame retardant, should you get into trouble. A very expensive and rare material, so don't ask me where I got it.'
'Wait, you're not going to advise me to stay low and not use my powers or something?' Merlin laughed and shook his head with amusement.
'Not at all. I encourage use of what you can do when you have to. I'm not going to tell you to try living normally and staying low. Use your strength. Discover what you can do.'
'Sweet…' Alex muttered as he pulled the jacket on over his shirt. Merlin grinned and left Alex with his Pokémon, closing the door behind him. Alex jumped out of the spare bed in merlin's house (as far as he could imagine) and pulled on the rest of his clothes, then checked his new threads in a mirror.
'Vulpix!' Haley barked approvingly. As he did a quick twirl with a grin.
'Pretty cool huh?' He headed back to the bed and scooped Haley up in his arms, petting her as she smiled and murred. 'Let's get going Teri.'
'Lucario…' She said quietly as she followed Alex out the door. Alex felt her presence strongly behind him. It was heavy feeling on him. He stopped and confronted her as he headed out the doorway into the Lounge.
'Teri, are you alright?'
'Lucario.' She said with a faint nod. Alex frowned and shook his head.
'No you're not. You're lying.' Teri's head drooped and she whimpered. 'Teri. Come on…' Alex sighed stepped towards her and put a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look at him with her sad eyes. 'Teri it's okay. If you aren't feeling alright you can stay here.' Teri lunged at Alex and grabbed his arm, shaking her head wildly and leaning against it, clinging to him as Haley watched on from the ground. 'I'll come back for you, I promise…' Alex said as he gently pried her off him and took her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes. 'I promise I'll come back for you.' Teri sniffed and nodded as Alex let go of her. 'Now go back to bed and sleep. Rest easy. I'll be back for you, okay? I'd never leave you like that.' Teri nodded and backed into the bedroom again, watching him was she closed the door slowly.
'(She's got problems.)' Haley advised Alex with a little nudge to the leg, curling her tails around it as Alex gazed deeply at the doorway.
'Your Lucario's a bit off, you know that?'
'Yeah.' Alex reluctantly turned around to find Merlin standing there.
'She can't handle the heat.' Alex cocked his head a bit and asked:
'What do you mean?'
'She's too frail Alex.' Merlin explained with a sigh as he walked past Alex and placed one hand on the door. 'You're changing a lot. You're going to be travelling soon. You're going to be running and fighting and hiding. Can she live like that?'
'I don't know…' Alex confessed as it dawned on him what things would be like with Teri clinging to him all his life if he was going to become a traveller.
'I can wipe her Alex.' Alex looked up with confusion as Merlin placed a hand on his shoulder. 'Derrick. He can perform a memory wipe on Teri. Wipe out her memory of her life. Wipe out all the pain we both know she's been through and still can feel, wipe out all the sadness, guilt, everything.'
'What? No!' Alex stammered as he stepped away. 'I can't do that to her!'
'Leave her with somebody nice.' Merlin suggested. 'Somebody stable and nice who she can be happy with. She will be safe. No danger.' Alex would have protested if he had the slightest bit of evidence why that wasn't a good idea, but with his mouth half open he realised he had nothing. He closed his mouth again as his own head hung. She had been abused her whole life. She was broken. She was mentally broken by it all, and she had been left weak by it. And now she had killed somebody… it was only worse…
'I said I'll come back to her.' He stated simply. 'I will come back this afternoon. Then I will decide what to do with her.'
'So be it.' Merlin said with a nod. 'I'll get her some food if she becomes hungry. Go do what you have to do.'
'Thanks Mr M.' Alex said gratefully as he headed for the front door.
'Call me Tim.'
'I still can't believe that just happened…' Alex murmured as he walked across a street separating two blocks. 'I can burn things… I can use fire…'
'(So can i.)' Haley grunted as she followed closely. '(Big deal.)'
'Are you jealous Haley?' Alex asked with a grin at her. 'Jealous I can use fire as well?'
'(No.)' She muttered as she followed him.
'Are you grumpy now?' Alex teased with a grin.
'(I'm not grumpy.)' Alex prodded her with a foot lightly.
'Grumpy-grumpy-grumpy.' He continued infuriatingly.
'(Stop it…)' Haley smiled a bit and went red. Alex stopped suddenly and crouched down. He caught Haley off guard and pushed her, rolling her onto her stomach. '(What are-)' Haley rolled and wriggled, laughing as Alex tickled her stomach. '(Stop it stop it stop it!)' She laughed as she swatted at his hand. '(Stop it!)' She burst into a fit of giggling as Alex stood back up and let her. '(You suck.)' She grinned as she stood and followed after him.
'So I was thinking.' Alex began as he continued walking. 'I've got some stuff left at home I'm going to pick up, after that I thought we I might go to the mall for a while.' His brow furrowed a little as he continued to plan out his day. 'I've also got some business to take care of.'
Alex reached his block after a twenty minute walk. As he approached his house he cursed to himself. Shit, I should have seen this coming. There was a crowd around the entrance to his house, and yellow tape keeping them back. Alex moved in and waded through them as they watched silently, occasionally whispering to each other harshly.
'Behind the fence please.' An officer warned as Alex came to the front of the group.
'What… the…' the police officers were emerging from the house in a line. Each one was carrying a Pokéball In each hand. Alex remembered the tape recorder now. He had confessed to that woman with the tape recorder. The police had raided the house. Alex could see the looks on the faces of the police officers as they emerged, looking sick and disgusted by what they had seen, some red faced after crying. Alex had never been in the basement before. He knew better than to do so. 'Psst!' Alex tugged on a man's shoulder, who was standing beside him. The man turned to him slowly, still focussing his eyes on the police officers.
'Huh?'
'Did they get the guy who did this?' Alex asked inconspicuously. The man shook his head.
'They say he ditched before they could get him.'
'Fuck…'
'The whole family was fucked up though.' The man continued as he watched the officers. 'Even the son was arrested for manslaughter a few days ago...' the man paused briefly as an image entered his head from what he had seen in the paper. 'Hold on…' He spun around suddenly. Alex was gone. He had left already.
