Chapter 10- Vendetta
In which the Legend returns
…
…
Wa…
Wake up…
Wake up.
W…Where…
Where is this place?
You have died way before your time.
Who are you?
You should recognize me. You do, don't you?
…
Ah, you don't seem to recall. Well, here's the deal. You died. Horribly.
What, you think I'd forget my own DEATH that easily?
Ha ha… No. Just reminding you.
Yeah, well, clearly it would be a touchy subject.
Yeah, sorry. I'm new to this whole 'Emotions' thing.
Sucks to be you.
Hmph. Sometimes, I wonder if it really is worth bringing you back.
You can?
Yes. I can revive you.
…What's the catch?
Eh? Catch?
Y'know… Taking one of my lives away, losing half my cash, losing my inventory, something like that?
Nothing. I just like helping people. Do I really need a reason to help?
…I see…
Your duty is still unfulfilled. You need to return, no matter what! I know you hear this whole hoo-hah a lot, but you must not allow Team Flare to take Kalos!
You will fight. But when you fought, you fought alone. In the end, you saw no other way.
Are you calling me cocky?
Did you not charge blindly into battle without any worries?
...Yes. So?
You are not infallible. I'm afraid even you will fail.
No… Team Flare wins? Kalos… Oh Arceus…
...For a while…
"GAAAAH!"
Lysandre looked at the display, stroking his scarlet beard. A grunt approached him, "Sir, why do you wish to see this man? He has eliminated so much of our forces, not to mention the airship. The red-haired man looked down upon the grunt with disdain.
"I wish to meet this man. It was impressive enough that he was able to get this far, let alone fight us for this long." the terrorist boss spoke, as the lift the two rode in lowered deeper and deeper into the shadowy depths of the base. He let a small smile escape, "Tell me. You have no right to question my orders, as you are just a woman under my employ, but truly, what are you fighting for?"
The red-clad girl growled, tying back her deep scarlet ponytail.
"I want a perfect world. One where all can be free, too." She replied, the lights of the elevator reflecting off the silver visor she wore.
"Excellent… You shall be in charge of handling the enemy." the boss handed her a cattle prod and a knife with a phase blade, just as the lift slowed down and came up to the cell…
I groaned, as my eyes slowly came open.
"… Wh...Where am I?" I asked myself, scanning the room I was stuck in. It was dark, concrete, with mud all over the floor. I noted my arms were chained, as was my neck, to the roof. I stood up silently, as the memories of yesterday came to me…
"I'm… sorry...Go..."
A piercing pain rocketed up my back. I fell back down, blood spilling out of my back.
"We meet again… Z."
I looked up. A pair of black-clad legs, and heavy dark maroon shoes…
"Son of a bitch." I cursed, spitting on Lysandre's boots.
I had been captured by Team Flare.
"Z… It's so cold..."
X looked over at the stretcher the unconscious girl, "...Go?"
"Z… Can I… Please… C'mon..."
Y let out a soft sigh, "Oh dear… She's remembering what happened a few nights ago…" X turned to his navigator in confusion, "What… What happened?"
The blonde chuckled, "It's funny, actually…"
A few nights ago…AKA after beating Grant.
Go shivered in her sleeping bag, holding Piku close to her body. She was used to working in an office, or running about inside a gym, so the cold night's air was hitting her the hardest.
She opened her eyes quickly, twin amber orbs scanning the tent she was in. Teeth chattering, she spotted a boy in a green sleeping bag on the other end of the room, sleeping soundly and having weird dreams involving British girls with berets and explosions.
Go bashfully peered around the tent, before wrapping her arm around my sleeping figure, burying her face into her pillow-
I woke up gasping due to the cold, "-FOOOOOOR?!" Go let out a yelp, getting tangled up in her sleeping bag as she rolled away. Unfortunately, she was still holding me, so eventually, we wound up in the middle of the tent, a tangled mess of fabric and flesh.
I looked up at Go, "… Go, are you hugging me?" She shook her head furiously as her blushing intensified, "N…No! I was hu- I mean, I wasn't…!" She took a few deep breaths, before a twinkle appeared in her eyes.
"You are so warm!"
I stared at her incredulously for a moment.
"What."
She awkwardly looked down, "Sorry, Z… It's so cold out here… I just wanted to stay warm, and…" Shyly, Go flicked some hair out of her face. I noticed she wore her hat to bed, oddly enough. One wonders what could possibly be underneath that, though; botched haircut? No hair at all? A flame sticking out of her head? Golden blonde Saiyan hair?
Dismissing these thoughts, I lay back down, "…Haven't you put on a jacket?" Go shrugged, "C'mon, Z! Pleeeease?" She nudged my shoulder repeatedly.
Eventually, I got so annoyed, I turned around to face her.
Puppy eyes.
Her amber eyes were massive and pleading, and she shivered involuntarily. I was a sucker for puppy eyes. Curse you, Bambi!
"…F…Fine." I finally choked. Go threw her hands into the air happily, "Yay!"
Ever spent a whole night being squeezed by somebody who's a lot stronger than you are? Let's just say I felt very faint the next day.
But to admit it…
It was kinda nice.
X rubbed his chin, "Hmm… I thought I was just imagining things that night. So Z and Go…" Y nodded with a sigh, smiling, "They're so close to each other, and they don't even want to admit it! You have to admit, that's so cute…"
The blue-clad Hunter looked down at his fist, "It wasn't enough… Why couldn't she save herself or Z? She could just as easily have come to his aid, or fought Sakura… Or even…" X looked at his arm cannon, "Called for my help."
The blonde girl looked at her neighbor, "X… I'm more curious about Sakura's actions…"
The sniper stood at the opposite end of the room, gun in hand.
"At last, we finally meet, 'hero.'" Lysandre growled, an edge of malice in his voice. I laughed, "If you really wanted to meet me, then you should have let me come at my best, instead to taking all my shit and dumping me in this cell."
Another series of painful shocks coursed through my system. I was too weak to scream, only giving a grunt.
"You are in no position to joke of my power, Z, when you are under it!" Lysandre declared, as the Flare grunt by his side held up her shock stick. I recognized it.
"A cattle prod? Are you making fun of my profession, or are you that low on money?" I smirked. I swear, one of these days, my cockiness would be the end of me.
Electricity coursed through my body. I cried out in pain, "Hah…Ha… You really think I can tell you anything? I've already made the tactical mistake of revealing most of my weapons, and I don't even know how I learnt my sword skills."
Lysandre's eyes burnt with fury, "Oh? You honestly think that my true goal was to collect information on you? No… As rough and uncouth to say this…"
The grunt plunged the phase blade into my back, blood spilling out and painting the walls a deep red. I felt that. I let out a scream of pain, falling limp in the chains, as the knife kept slicing up skin and flesh.
"I want to see you broken at my feet."The dark man spoke coldly.
Go opened her eyes. She was lying in a stretcher in a Pokemon Centre, with X and Y sitting around her…
And… Sakura.
"Y…You…"Go growled, weakly reaching out at the sniper, "W…What did you do to Z…?"
Sakura was silent, looking down at the ground, "…" In a slow, solemn moment, she reached over her back, drawing a pistol out from behind her back.
Go was wounded. She was in no condition to programmer, however, didn't even bat an eye as the sniper studied the gun in her hands…
Until she handed it to her.
"…Do it. I've failed everyone… I failed my brother… I failed my family… I've betrayed Kalos… and my own friends…"Sakura choked, "I've loaded it. All you need to do is pull the trigger. Do not hesitate…"
Every Hunter in the room gaped at Go, as she picked up the firearm. Go emotionlessly held it up with nary a quiver in her arm, aimed directly at the Flare Grunt's forehead. A red dot sight appeared, indicating that the lead round would instantly ventilate her skull when the trigger was pulled.
A firearm is truly an amazing device. The culmination of metal, gunpowder and lead, while alone basic ingredients, together, they create a weapon capable of ending a life years long in an instant. It has brought about the end of sword fighting, and the beginning of a new age. An age where all that is required to kill a man was a simple spark in the metal chamber.
A simple spark could end it all. I used to wonder, 'How can something so small have such a big impact?'
The trigger pulls the hammer. It strikes the blasting cap of the bullet. The bullet is launched out from its casing, rocketing down the barrel.
It strikes its target. And it rarely misses. It doesn't care who it is. It doesn't care what kind of life he has led.
It kills.
"I want to see you fall before me."
Several heavy punches and kicks struck me. I was surprised at how strong the man was. Then again, he was a lot larger than me. The Flare Grunt slashed at my arm angrily, and more red flecks of blood stained the wall of the torture chamber.
Sakura quietly closed her eyes. In one single gunshot, her life would leave her body. She would slump over, dead and bleeding, onto the bed. The expended shell casing would clink onto the ground, smoking and warm from the discharge.
She would finish this…
Clink.
"Get up."Go commanded.
"GET UP, FLARE HUNTER! I WANT TO SEE YOU FIGHT ME! HIT ME! HIT ME, I SAY!"
'If you really wanted to fight me, you really should have given me my sword, or at least unchained me first.' I smiled weakly. Clearly, I was not in top condition. And the fact Lysandre himself was using me as a literal punching bag as well as that nameless grunt trying her hardest to electrocute me and butcher me with her knife didn't bode well for my case.
I yelled again, as another electric shock hit me. The nameless grunt seemed to be enjoying the wounds she was giving me, as she began spitting on my body.
I was too vulnerable… But I couldn't escape…
Sakura opened her wet eyes, but did not look up. 'Idiot, she emptied out the ammo!' she thought to herself, 'I told her I already loaded that thing, didn't I-'
A striking pain through her left cheek. But it wasn't the bullet she was expecting.
It was Go's own, gloved fist, making contact with her face.
"I said, get up!"Go ordered, "Killing yourself won't get Z back! The least you could do is help me."
Sakura rubbed her sore cheek, looking upwards. The red mark left from the fist was still there, but now her scarf was beginning to fall. Go folded her arms, "Sak, listen. I know you were ordered to capture Z- Heck, I half expected it. The sniper round in Viola's Gym… How the Flares kept knowing where exactly we were, and all those conversations with your 'boss'." Go spat on the floor, "Lysandre played you. He played you like a damn game. He was planning to break you."
"I want to see you burn."
He kicked me, as the knife attacked my rear. I groaned, feeling faint. The blood loss must have reached critical levels… Couldn't last a second… longer…
The phase blade sliced a high-pressure artery, sending blood spraying all over the walls like some sort of twisted water gun. I almost fainted, heck, I wished I did. Lysandre laughed maniacally. So far from his dark, serious persona.
This was the side the man hid from the press. I came to the decision after seconds of thought.
Lysandre was a psychopath.
"He… I know… but…"
"So the least you could do is quit feelin' sorry for yerself and get the hell up!" Go yelled angrily, "I'm not one for grudges, Flare Grunt. I know you probably had some bad past, but that's the past. What matters now is bringin' home Kalos's last hope; Z. Without him-"
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU NEVER WILL!"Sakura exploded all of a sudden, "I didn't have a bad past. I didn't want to become a Flare Grunt. I just needed cash fast… And I wanted to do it on my own!"
She looked away, before reaching back, "I… I think it's finally time you heard the truth. Who I am… and why I did this."
She untied the scarf, letting it fall away before the shocked Kalosians.
X's jaw dropped, eyes wide as dinner plates, "You… I know you…!"
"My name is Leaf Budwiener. I am the twin sister of Redneck Budwiener, and one of the heroes of Kanto."Leafspoke, "I… I'm sorry… But apologies won't save me. Only my death shall…"
"NOBODY WILL SAVE YOU NOW, Z! YOU ARE ALONE IN YOUR FIGHT! YOU SHALL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER HERO! YOU WILL FALL! YOU CAN DO NOTHING FOR KALOS! I WILL DESTROY YOU, AND EVERYONE YOU LOVE!"
It was too much…
The phase blade bit into my back, slashing four quick wounds open. More blood. Lysandre grabbed me by the front of my torn jacket, throwing me to the ground in a broken, crumpled mess.
"You are nothing, Z. Nothing but a bug that I have squashed beneath my feet."
Leaf looked around the room silently, before looking up at Go.
Go remained silent, the firearm still in her hands.
Then she spoke, and when she did, Leaf listened.
"… I don't care who you are, Leaf. I don't care about what you did in the past. All that matters to me now is that we can change our future for the better." Go spoke, her amber eyes seeming to shine in the sunlight as she tied back her ponytail, "I told you, I'm not one for grudges. All my anger towards you… If there was any, is gone."
"But… What can we do?" Y asked the programmer.
She smiled, rolling out of the bed and pulling on her jacket, "The only thing we can do."
"We fight. Leaf, teleport me to the heart of the base!"
I don't know what Go was thinking when she said those words.
"A…Are you crazy?! There's no way we can beam in there! We could get killed!" I exclaimed, edging back. Maybe the knock on the head was harder that I thought…
"No, I'm not. Leaf, you know where the base is. We can launch a sneak attack on it easily with the location known. Of course, disregard what I just said. The heart of the base is too dangerous to deploy into. So instead, let's beam in a little further from the target. Leaf, do you have Sasha with you?"
Y stared, "Sasha? Who's that?"
I smiled, "It's not a who, it's an it. Or rather, Red's ATV. I don't have that, but I have my ATV. I also got Z's bag, sword and cap. I guess we're going to need them, right?" Go smiled, turning to X.
"Contact any outside help that we may need."
X saluted, "I'll get the Penguin and Kuwanger Units into position for attack if needed."
Go shook her head, "No. A frontal attack by the Hunters would make Lysandre nervous and flee the scene, taking Z with him. We need to be silent and discreet. Instead, I want them to create a distraction from the back, while Leaf and I blow down the front door. Y, can you help us with that?"
Y nodded, running out of the room, "Alright! I'll get my gear."
I turned to Go, "But… I haven't told you where the base is…"
The programmer smirked, "I think I worked it out. The power outages, the need to collect all those stones…"
"The Badlands Power Plant!"
Lysandre looked down upon me once more.
"Nobody can save you. Not even Essentia, the ace in the hole you got. She is our pawn as well."
I looked up, "What the… hell are you talking about?"
"We are the ones who created the Expansion Suit. The ones who deployed it. That is why she runs from us." The Flare Grunt piped up.
My eyes glazed over.
The person skidded to a stop, "Wait, you aren't Team Flare?"
I nodded, "Well, I'm not a fan. They harmed a friend of mine."
"Her armour is one of our innovations, one of which even you cannot combat! Soon, anybody you talk to could be one of us. Our spies will be everywhere. There will be nothing you can do." Lysandre spoke, his eyes shining in the dark.
It wasn't the fact that they could be anyone… It was far, far darker than that.
I spat, "Who the hell did you put in the suit?! Can she take it off?!"
What he said next proved my worst fears, and confirmed his true darkness.
"No. She can never remove the armour."
I stared, "You... You can go invisible?"
She laughed, "I wish! No, the cloaking tech is more like this."
My heart stopped.
"N… No… You mean…"
"She shall never see her true face. And with Xerosic's mind control technology, she shall never know freedom." The dark king spoke. The room seemed to darken.
Essentia…. It translated to 'Essence' in Kalosian… Only now did I realize how true the name was. Beneath the steel beat a human heart. Behind the orange face-shield was a human mind, a human face…
But it was one without an identity, one who never knew freedom. Someone who followed the orders of another. Somebody who would never breathe, never know what it was to love… to feel… to be… happy.
The perfect soldier.
"But what they're doing is wrong. I want to protect people with my power, not use it to steal."
She only wanted to be able to protect everybody…
But now she was just the essence of a human, a walking ghost.
She didn't even have a face or a name.
She was…
I growled, from the depths of my throat, before yelling with all my strength at Lysandre.
"Y…YOU… YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Large rubber tyres rolled across the sands, as Flare and Flare Hunter alike rode at full tilt towards the Geothermal Power Station.
I spoke, a pair of goggles lowered over my eyes to prevent the sand getting into them.
"Kalos Power Plant. This plant harnesses the energy below the ground and converts it to electricity. I can see why Team Flare would want this place. It has literally enough energy to power a city." I motioned to the city, just looming over the horizon of the desert sands of the Badlands.
Go gritted her teeth. She wore nothing but her standard clothes, but Z's rucksack was hanging behind her back. I had insisted on carrying his sword, the hilt safely stowed in my Hammer space.
Don't ask. I promise the answer will make even less sense.
We were blitzing down Route 13, my trusty ATV's engines roaring as we sped onwards. The desert sands were merciless, powerful winds whipping them up into our faces. I was honestly a little worried that we would be knocked over by the gale, but luckily, no such thing happened.
The Flare Hunter on my back tapped my shoulder, "What kind of defenses does this place have? If we're escaping out later, I don't think your Flare ID will cut it."
I gave her my reply. Four large mobile AA batteries up the front. Hundreds of automatic sentry guns that could gun us down in seconds. Snipers, drones…
Go raised her eyebrows, "That's all?"
"Are you kidding me? There is no way that we can easily take on that many, even with my massive armory!" I yelled back at her.
"I'm not intending to." Go gritted her teeth, tapping on her device.
Suddenly, a warning alarm went off inside the torture room. Lysandre growled, looking down at his Holo-Caster, "Curse it all! There has been a breach of security at the back entrance! #21, stay back here and guard the prisoner!"
The grunt gave a smart salute, as Lysandre turned around to walk off. I smiled.
"Go!"
I lowered the binoculars, as ducked behind a rock formation in front of the base. Go turned to me, her gaze looking down upon my wound on my upper arm. I noted this, chuckling, "Looks like I've taken a hit to my Female Grab Area™."
"Wh…What-Oh. Yeah, you have." Go replied quickly. She reached over, her deep amber eyes looking into mine, "Pass me your scarf."
"Huh?"
"I think that I could bandage that. Hand me your scarf." Go spoke. I dug about in my pocket, pulling out the white scarf. It was torn, and parts were burnt off by Z's phase blade in the final confrontation.
I let out a soft moan, as Go gently tied the white cloth around my arm, tightening it, "There. That should do us until you get to the next Pokemon Centre."
Weakly, I chuckled, before standing upright and tearing off my jacket to reveal my true clothing; a light-blue top with a red cargo pants. I loaded my rifle, pressing ahead, "Time to save a protagonist."
While I'm in here, I might as well answer an important question I had to ask the Flares.
I groaned, summoning my strength, "Why… Why did you join Team Flare?" The Grunt turned around to face me, knife in hand, "Why the hell would I know? We don't have freaking Sign-up sheets in this base! Grr… Shut the hell up, anyway!"
Another hit. I didn't falter, simply holding onto the fact that the Flare in front of me had listened. That meant…
I walked up to the entrance, passing by two guards. The first smirked, making a rude gesture, "Hey, here comes the traitor herself. Ya little bitch, I heard you found enough strength to take out the target at last. So, was he hard?"
Go jumped out from the rocks, bashing one over the head with a hook. The second tried to raise his gun, but Go backflipped, throwing the womanizing guard into the other one, before stealing their guns.
I whistled, "Not half bad. Go, sneak in behind me. Let's just say I have a little score to settle with some of these bastards."
The grunt guarding the doors to the base sighed, pouring himself some more coffee to stay alert, "I don't get paid enough for this…" A clanking sound could be heard behind the building's doors. He raised an eyebrow, "What the…"
Generic Boom.
The bulkhead blew off its giant metal rails, a flying piece of rubble knocking the guard unconscious. When the dust cleared…
I stood above the shattered metal and concrete, dual rocket launchers in my hands, "CHEW ON THIS, YOU FLAMBOYANT FREAKS!"
I tried again, "Not why the others joined… Just you."
"Hey, what's it matter to you?! Trying to make me like one of you filthy Hunters?!" She spat, striking me again. I flinched as blood splattered out from this wound. That's right. I just needed to keep pushing.
"… You don't seem like one who would join the Flares." I commented. The Flare Grunt kept hitting me, growling, "SHUT UP!"
More and more wounds. I knew most of them would vanish when I sprayed Potions over them, but some would most likely become scars on my back that would remain there, long after this battle…
"I want to know. You aren't what you seem to be."
The attacks stopped. A gunshot rang out. I waited for the end.
I dashed through the base, guns blazing. Several Flare Grunts ran at me ineffectually, but they were soon taken out by Go's furious attacks. I grinned to myself, remembering Red's own run through the bases in Kanto.
Back then I was weak, a mere damsel in distress. Nearly got barbequed to death. But not now.
We ducked into a small store room to hide from the gunfire. By now, the Flares would have sounded the alarm, and they would flee the base. We had to hurry, or our chance to save Z would be lost. We needed more men…. Or Pokemon.
Damn, never was there a better reason to type 'Pokemen' than now.
I turned to Go, "We need backup." Go smiled, "Good. I bet she was getting bored of being cramped up in a tiny ball, too! Chris!"
The Lucario landed in corporeal space… Right in the line of fire. I winced.
The blue hound yelped, clutching her beret and ducking into the corner with us. She hissed at me, "What the heck is SHE doing here?! She killed Z!" I groaned, "No time to talk, Luc. You gotta help us now! I'm really sorry about Z, I am! Please, lend me your strength!"
The Lucario's left eyebrow raised, "Hmm… Fine." She jumped out into the hallway, summoning a disc of Aura into her hand and throwing it. It slammed into every Flare Grunt, knocking them all out. I whistled, "That was unnecessarily flashy."
Then a loud voice echoed throughout the hallway, and my blood ran cold.
"EMERGENCY ALERT! PREPARE TO REPEL INTRUDERS!"
Go cursed, "Dammit! They will be swarming on our position now!" Chris glared at me, "I don't know how, but I'm pretty damn sure this is your fault! Why is it so dark in here! Where are we even, anyway?!"
I smirked, "Oh, you'll find out soon enough… For now, let's go!" I drew my shotgun, charging onwards, "FOR THE REBELLION!"
Go and Chris exchanged glances, shrugged, and ran after me.
A shattering sound, before sparking. A blown out security camera hit the floor.
"…You really want to know?" she spoke again, crouching before me.
"When I was younger, I was the youngest of three sisters. I didn't really fit in like the rest of them… They really wanted to be musicians, clothing designers… All those silly childhood aspirations." the Flare Grunt's lip quivered. Either I really hit her hard, or she was a really good actor.
…Screw it, it's probably the second.
"Me? I wanted to join the Pokemon Rangers. I wanted to protect everyone. I wanted to live in a world where… where…" she shuddered, tears beginning to fall. I nodded, "Continue. I obviously want to comfort you with a hug right now, but it appears I'm a little hung up at the moment."
She smiled tearfully, "Y…You're funny, Z…"
"I… I wanted to live in a world where peace reigned. A world of everlasting peace."
So..is that what she's fighting for?
I kicked open the door to a room, covered in red. Go walked out behind me, angrily attacking herself with a towel, "WHAT ON ARCEUS GREEN EARTH POSSESSED YOU TO BLAST THROUGH A ROOM FULL OF RED PAINT CANS?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD THIS WILL BE TO CLEAN OUT?!" I laughed, before becoming serious, "Sorry…"
Chris walked in, taking off a suit of armour she had created to stop the red paint covering her fur. The red paint splattered on the concrete floor around her.
I turned to face the Flare Grunts in the room, weapons raised, "Two options, guys. Surrender right now, or I'll be forced to do something that may make this story's ratings go up." The Flare Grunts growled, pulling out guns, "Try us!"
I pumped my shotgun, "Very well…"
Gunshots rang out in the room, as bullets zipped past me. I smirked, as time seemed to slow. I twisted around epically, matrix dodging every bullet before lining up my own shots and firing my shotgun at the Flares. Go ran forwards, her fists slamming into the grunts. Chris drew a sword, slashing her way through the guards.
When the dust cleared, all that were left were several scientists and workers in uniform. They must've been captured and being held hostage when Team Flare took the Power Plant… Go let out a soft growl.
So, is this why Z and Go are devoted to stopping them?
I nodded to them, "Get out of here." The civillians nodded, running out the door I had blown open. Go turned to me, "Those Flares… C'mon, this battle's far from over!"
"So… So I joined Team Flare… And… My sisters became what they… they wanted to be… I wish… I could be like everyone else… At the end of the day, there was no other way for me." She held up the phase blade, looking down at it, "Even here, I'm treated like a nobody. It's exactly like at home… So I just pure gave up on everything. If humanity needs somebody to stand for it… It can stand for itself, can't it?"
The cold metal chain ground against my bare wrists, and it was only then that I noticed they had neglected to remove my Mega Ring. Little late for that now, though. I can't even use it properly…
"I… I don't know any other way this could have ended for me. My history has been strife with all these errors and dark doings." A soft hand touched mine, "I dropped out of the Academy. I barely scraped through my last job. I never found the world I was searching for. It became too much, I guess…"
I nodded, "So how does anything you do now bring a 'World of Everlasting Peace'? Team Flare almost shot and killed Viola. They steal. They put innocent lives at risk."
"Is this the world you wanted?"
She was silent.
Today, the sands of the Lumiose Badlands roar with anger!
X ran forwards, Mega Arm charged. Bullets bounced off his cyan armor, wave after wave of flamboyant red-clad men advancing on his position.
The Hunter pointed ahead, "Drive them back to the Power Plant! Get them trapped in a pincer formation!" Marisso nodded, using his powerful fists and Seed Bombs repeatedly to thin the herds of enemies. Croaky jumped out from behind a rock, summoning a katana made of water and slashing at the enemy repeatedly.
Y radioed in, "X! I managed to get air support! They should be deploying into the base any second now!" Overhead, several helicopters hovered over the base, lowering cables. More green Hunters jumped into the Power Plant.
The Blue Hunter growled, blasting out his charge shot, "I really hope this is actually doing something! Z better be thankful for this!" He pulled his Gym Badges out of his pocket, slotting them into his arm cannon, "Time to see what these do! BUG BADGE!"
(A.N. Never was there a better time to play the Ruby-Spears Megaman theme song.)
WEAPON GET! FREEZE FRAME!
X fired the special weapon, and a white flash of light stunned all the Flares in the area. The blue hunter felt his armor power up, now colored a light green.
"THIS… IS MY DESTINY!"
He dashed through the army, Mega Arm blazing with yellow fury. After a few seconds, all the Flares slumped over.X whistled, "Woah… I was moving so fast, time seemed to stop!" Y gasped, "BEHIND YOU!"
A Flare grunt jumped over the Hunter, a large knife raised over his head! The Hunter gasped, slotting in another Badge; The Cliff Badge.
WEAPON GET! ROCK SHIELD!
CLUNK!
X opened his eyes, realizing a rotating shield of hard light rocks was rotating around him. Also, his armor was now pink, oddly enough. Y cheered, "GO X! SHOW THEM THE TRUE MEANING OF POWER!" X smirked at the grunt, ineffectually holding a bent knife.
"Looks like you just got ROCKED, MAN!" X declared, dispelling the shield and blasting the rocks at him, sending him flying. X slotted in his next badge, the Brawn Badge.
WEAPON GET! SPEED FIGHTER!
X's arm cannon vanished, revealing his fist. However, his suit pulsed with blue energy lines, changing into white suit with red highlights. X smirked, bringing his arms back and charging up energy. The Grunts kept running at him, firing their weapons.
"HADOUKEN!" X yelled, bringing his palms forwards and launching a massive blue ball of energy! The Grunts gasped, as the ball blasted through their lines. A grunt ran up to the front of Calem, but then he performed an uppercut, flames bursting from his fist, "SHORYUKEN!"
"WE CAN GET HIM IF WE SURROUND HIM!" a grunt yelled, and his comrades circled the Hunter. But these flashy fiends have forgotten one fact…
"Never hunt the hunter!" X jumped into the air, "HELICOPTER KICK!"
He began spinning around rapidly, blue energy around his outstretched foot. This foot slammed into the grunts repeatedly, breaking their formation. Then, just as they thought he was finished off…
"LET'S SEE THE LAST ONE! GRASS BADGE!" Xavier yelled, pulling Ramos's badge from his bag and slotting it into his Mega Fist. He had beat the gym last night.
WEAPON GET! VINE GRAPPLE!
The Mega Arm returned, and his armor changed color to a darker green color with lime green highlights. A long vine blasted from the Mega Arm and wrapped around the leg of a Flare, and X simply flicked his wrist upwards and sent him flying into his fellow grunts. The Hunter laughed, "Why you hitting yourselves?" Y gasped when she caught a glimpse of X's face. He was genuinely happy! Now that was an expression she had not seen him with for a long time… Despite the circumstances it appeared in.
X switched back to his standard armor, grinning. He charged up his Mega Arm, activating the Air Shoes and dashing behind a massive Rhyhorn that was dashing at him and firing the blast. The Flares wisely began retreating, and X stood above the battlefield proudly.
"YES! VICTORY… IS MINE!" X dunked his fist.
I continued, "I'm not scared of death now, you know. I had a father in Team Plasma. I'm pretty sure some grunts probably died when I took out that airship, yup, I've done shit. But when you really know someone…. You can begin to remember…" My consciousness began to fade.
"Stay with me a little longer, Z…" The grunt whispered, "I don't want… Team Flare's world… I just… I just wanted to make my family proud. I wanted to get a job they'd approve of. They never approved of my ventures with the Rangers… So… I wanted to tell them I did something."
"So what are you doing?"
"…" she looked down at the ground, before speaking once more.
"…Ragnarok. It won't be long now."
I shook myself awake. This could be important.
"Ragnarok is Lysandre's codename for his attempt to re-fire Final Weapon. He's captured the Legendaries Yvetal and Xerneas to power it." The Grunt spoke, voice wavering, "At the same time, in Unova, Team Plasma is trying to get their trump card, N, elected as president. By doing so…"
"They'd have literal and political leverage over the world." I gasped. Unova was head of the United Regions. If Team Plasma controlled that, then… And Final Weapon was literally a weapon so powerful, it was legendary itself.
I gritted my teeth. I was in deeper than I thought.
"Eeexactly." The girl grimly smiled, "The man behind this operation is apparently based in Johto, but I'm not too sure. They call him the Master, but I can't be sure of what he's doing… Z, can you keep all this secret? Our meeting here…? Don't even tell Go."
"…Huh? Why?"
"I want to be forgotten."
I stared for a few seconds at her, before nodding, "I… Okay?"
"As soon as you escape… I will too. Near the coast is a small boat. I can go home using it…" The girl gritted her teeth, as I felt my body growing weak, "But… before you go…I… It's nice of you to have friends like Go and X… Isn't it?"
My world faded to darkness. But before it did, I felt a soft, pale hand wrap around me.
"My name is Ka-"
I kicked down the door, guns raised, "WHAT UP, BITCHES!"
The room was empty. Go grunted, "Shame to have to waste such a dramatic intro on air." I pouted, lowering my weapons, before noticing what looked like a metal door in front of me.
I approached it, pulling out my RPG, "SUCK ON THIS! YAAAAAH!" The metal tube blasted hundreds of missiles at the doors, but barely anything happened. How dare this door show me up in front of the readers!
Chris restrained me, as I fired the Shining Laser at the door repeatedly, "WHY! WON'T! THIS! DAMM! DOOR! BLOW! OPEN?!" Go facepalmed, raising her Pokepad to hack the lock open…
"The password is MM2 1A, 2B, 4B, 1C, 5C, 1D, 3D, 3E, 5E."a soft voice whispered from behind the bulkhead, "…Please, hurry…"
Go wavered, "Z…"
"He's in here. Rescue him… and get out of here! Save… Kalos! Save the dream!"
Approaching the door, a small grid appeared. I tapped the corresponding spaces, muttering to myself, "Who the heck even uses red dots as the password? You just can't put as much dramatic meaning behind it!"
The door opened, revealing…
A bloodstained figure, slumped over unconscious. On his back and arms were hundreds of wounds and cuts. A girl wearing the Team Flare uniform kneeled by his side, a phase blade knife tucked in her belt.
Go's lip quivered, "…This is…!"
"Z!"
The girl looked up weakly at Go, "He's yours now. I don't want to fight you!" Go raised her gun, "Y…You just can't hurt Z and calmly stroll out like that! What the hell did you do to him?"
"Lysandre ordered me to-! I had no choice!"
"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF-"Sakura harshly pulled Go back.
"Go, don't harm her. We're just here for Z. If she wants to surrender, we let her."
"WHAT?! AND JUST LET HER…!"
"…Yes."
The Flare Grunt stood up, looking up at the two Flare Hunters. She seemed to look into Go's enraged eyes, but it was hard to tell with that visor on.
"…Bye."
She ran off as Sakura dropped Go. Out of the base, into the blinding daylight. In the dust of the conflict, no Flares noticed one of their own running for a dirt bike...
Now without hesitation, Go ran to Z's side, gasping, "Z! Speak to me! Say something! Anything!"
Sakura gritted her teeth, plucking the broken security camera off the ground and helping herself to the memory of the camera, "Go, we can worry about his wounds later. For now, we need to get the HE-double hockey sticks outta here!"
Go looked down at the broken Flare Hunter silently, "…But his wounds… If we move him, we could wind up hurting him more…!" Sakura silently closed her eyes, before digging into her bag and pulling out a small device…
Her hand glowed with a soft cyan light, and she rubbed her partner's wound softly. Sakura, far from feeling pained or wounded, felt a warm sensation wash over her. She looked up in amazement at her partner, whose visor still hid her true emotion.
"I… I did it…" she whispered after a while, removing her hand slowly, her voice breaking, "Sak…Sakura, are you okay?"
"…Leaf?"
The sniper shook, "Sorry, sorry. I think my Healer should do the trick. One second."
Gunshots began to ring out in the room. Go gasped, pulling out her own gun and firing in reply, "Ah!" Sakura gasped, "A…Ah! Flares! Did they return to the base?! But…!" Chris took a hit, falling back, "AAAH!"
Leaf jammed the healing device into my back, "HEAL! ACTIVATE!"
Nothing happened. Leaf gritted her teeth, looking down at the small monitor on the device. All her hopes died at that very moment.
[0%. HEAL DEACTIVATED]
As mentioned in Pokemon Redneck, Leaf carries about a SOLAR Team Healer. However, she had been sneaking about in darkness for so long, the healer was unable to recharge. Without power, the highly advanced technology in her hands was nothing more than a fancy trinket.
It was all her fault…
"E…. Even after we made it… this far…"Leaf gasped, filling with dread, "…We… We can't save him?!"
"D…"
"DAMMIT!"Leaf screamed out loud.
It was no use.. This was how it had to end? In a gunfight against Team Flare, the last hope for Kalos, the rebellion against Team Flare… Against Lysandre… The only man who would be able to do something… He was dead
Leaf had pulled the trigger. She had made a suicide pact to storm the base alone, accompanied only by a steel-type and an overworked programmer, to save Z. A mad dash to save Kalos, nay, the world.
Only to have their last hopes crushed with an empty lithium battery.
It was all her fault…
"Take this!"
…So she was going to fix it.
Go tossed a small black device over to her, "Cut open the back! Hurry yourself up!" Leaf stared at the metal box in her hands, as if it were solid gold, "Your… Your Pokepad?! Are you sure?" The programmer took another bullet to her shoulder, but she gritted her teeth and still stood strong.
"I figure my tech is worth sacrificing for the guy who taught me so much…"Go smiled grimly, reloading and resuming fire, "Now, HURRY YOUR ASS UP!"
Leaf saluted, "R…Right!"
The duo began working hard in reversed positions; Go taking out the grunts with her shotgun and Leaf splicing wires open with a phase blade knife she conveniently found lying on the floor of the cell. It was a race against time literally bring back the dead. Charlie Willow, sadly, did not have Protagonist Powers, so she was running low on ammo. Leaf, on the other hand, was blessed with the powers bestowed by the Author himself, and was busying herself with soldering wires back together, the Pokepad's battery to her healer's . A lucky shot managed to strike the tablet computer in her hands, shattering it in half.
Go reached back onto her belt, trying to pull out yet another shotgun shell, only for her hand to grasp empty air.
"OUT OF AMMO!"she cried. A bullet struck her yet again, and Go felt it this time. All of a sudden, a high-pitched whining sound resonated throughout the cell, distracting the Grunts. Leaf punched the device on Z's back, and it sparked into life, "THEN EAT DEUX EX MACHINA, BITCHES!"
[190% WARNING! HEALING DEVICE MAY OVERHEAT! WARNING!]
Go gasped, huddling over me as Leaf pulled out a Gatling gun from her backpack and firing it at the enemies like a madwoman, "THIS IS FOR CALLING ME A FAILED ABORTION!"
Go pulled me closer, the warm wounds on both of us staining our damaged clothing, "Z…"
From afar, a black figure stood atop a building on the outer walls of the city, observing the battle from afar. She gritted her teeth, flicking a small MP3 player she had installed in her helmet on and listening to one of her favorite bands.
(The Protomen- THIS CITY MADE US)
(A.N. This song's a little long, so I may paraphrase a bit. Nevertheless, it is still quite good.)
She refused to stand and watch. She had to fight.
There was a moment in the darkness…
Just before the blinding light.
I was floating in a vast void, not feeling anything. I was no one. No memories of who I was, who I am, nor who I was to be…
The Hunters were surrounded, Flare Grunts holding off their position in the plant. Bullet after bullet ricocheted around the room, each side refusing to relent, to surrender. They were low on hope and lead, their commander outside trapped.
Then she came.
The world was standing there before you.
Just out of sight.
I gritted my teeth at my wounds, feeling too weak to stand. To fight. To defend. To do anything. I could see vague images before me… But I didn't know what they were.
Until it happened…
You feel the thunder start to move you.
A black bolt of lightning. The twang of plasma echoed in the arena. Each Flare fell to the ground, twitching in electrified heaps. The leader of the Hunter squad raised his visor, looking at the person who saved them.
Or rather, the machine.
You feel your pulse begin to rise.
Warm heartbeats filled the ether of silence. A warm lime green aura flared up around my body. Flare… Flare Hunter…
The night's a shock that cuts right through you.
The leader turned to the black-armored figure, who was blowing off one of her guns, "Who are you?"
Beneath the amber visor, she flinched. That was a question she had to answer herself…
But for now…
Power surged through my veins. The energy enveloped me in a warm embrace. A familiar sensation, yet one so distant and far-away. Déjà vu?
And you come alive.
She chuckled, biding time. She didn't know these people, but she knew they meant no harm. And they needed someone to look up to as well in their desperate hour. A machine to give them hope, to keep them free.
She came up with her name.
All of a sudden, it came back to me. Who I was. Who I am. Who I was to be.
This City made us…
I was Z. The Flare Hunter, Z. The one who would defend Kalos.
"I know this plant like the back of my hand. Follow me. Getting the generators back online is our first priority. The city needs us. As for my name… Call me…"
"I…I am…"
This City gave us life!
"FLARE HUNTER Z!"
"ESSENTIA!"
[MISSION START!]
In a flash of blinding green light, I roared, standing tall over my enemies. Chains snapped around me. The healing device on my back burst into green flame, six green tongues of fire lashing out like wings on my back. The grunts in the hallway gasped.
I flexed my wrists, and I stood tall in solidarity.
I was free.
It was a crash that broke the silence!
A thousand voices called my name!
"Z…Z!" Go cried, tears beginning to form in her amber eyes. I looked down at her, and she let out a gasp. My eyes were slightly green, and a small lime green and grey scarf made of hexagonal energy seemed to form around my neck. I closed my eyes, too wounded to speak…
But words came to my mind anyway. Words I could not place nor name.
Proto-Z Armor
10% Forme
Sakura tossed me a gun. I gripped it in one hand with a smirk, charging down the hallway.
And like a moth into the fire,
I had to find the flame!
Essentia dashed down a hallway, stun shots blazing from twin pistols. Behind her, the amazed Kuwanger Unit running behind. The girl in the suit gasped, her heartbeats increasing. All thought of danger faded away as she kept running down the hallway, a faint blue trail of energy behind her.
This was where she belonged. In the fight.
"WARNING! INTRUDER ALERT! PRISONERS ESCAPING. ALL GRUNTS TO EVACUATE NOW. ENEMIES IDENTIFIED AS FLARE HUNTER Z AND MODEL E 'ESSENTIA'. BACKUP REQUESTE-Fzzz."
The girl laughed, blowing out the speaker with a charged shot, before resuming her run.
This City made us…
This City ate us alive!
I blasted grunt after grunt, a green hue tainting my vision slightly. A Grunt swung at me with a shock stick, but then time seemed to slow, my vision becoming fully green. A massive red spot appeared on my body. I instinctually bent back, dodging a stab before countering with a powerful punch.
It was only then that I realized my hand… was covered in green stuff. Some sort of weird green goop covered my fist, pulsing and glowing. Lime green and grey hexagons floated on its surface. I didn't think much of it, until time slowed again.
Another red flash behind me. I ducked, and a bullet whizzed over my head. I swung my feet back, kicking someone into the air.
I'll give you one more word of wisdom,
When you stand and face the gates of hell!
X ran into the base, Mega Arm burning. Another Dragonite dashed at him. Marisso rammed into him, throwing him aside. The Hunters were waiting inside, and they needed their leader, no matter what.
And… Z needed him.
He fired Freeze Frame once more, dashing through the units with ease, before blasting through a wall.
You're on your own!
You're all you've got!
Essentia smashed through a massive bulkhead that resembled a garage door, then another, before facing an almighty foe. The Hunter Leader behind her gasped, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" The girl's visor began scanning the massive mechanaloid, analyzing every last part of its construction. It was shaped like a massive scorpion, with a laser cannon mounted on its 'Stinger'. Heh, how ironic. And its massive claws looked like no slouch, either.
And it was guarding the Power Plant's control panel. Lovely.
She motioned ahead, "Work on those panels! I'll handle big and ugly here!" The leader gaped, "Hey, who are you to give us order-"
A burst of lasers blasted away at the platform they stood on. The leader let out a yelp, "I WANT A FULL EXPLANATION WHEN THIS IS OVER! KUWANGER UNITS, GET MOVING!"
Meanwhile, Essentia faced down the behemoth, "Now they're outta the way… LET'S RUMBLE!"
[WARNING!]
Our heroes fail us!
Without the veil of night!
I ran down the hallways, as hundreds of doorways began to close, trying to seal us inside the base. I smashed through each barricade in a blind rage, red dots populating my vision as bullets zipped past my head. They were moving so slowly, I felt as if I could outrun them…
Eventually, we were inside of a massive alcove, and Go gasped as the doors locked behind us. Sakura was anything but surprised.
Above us, the sounds of battle echoed. But then, all of a sudden…
A massive dark blue mech landed before us, piloted by a red Flare Grunt. I cocked my pistol, preparing for a fight I knew I couldn't win…
Then, I heard a familiar cry.
"ZZZZEEEEEDDDD!"
This City now!
Will fade away!
Essentia dodged laser fire, transforming into Z. She drew the sabre, deflecting bullets back into its stinger. A claw shot out to slice her in half. She smirked, swinging down and cutting off its hand, "Sorry to CUT you off, but that's not SLICE at all!"
Oh, she slayed herself.
The machine seemed more enraged, as hard-light bombs burst out of its mouth. She cut through each one with ease, transforming back to her original form and blasting madly at it, charging up a larger shot with her second gun.
She gritted her teeth, firing the charged shot. It pinged off its armor.
"Okay, so my guns can't harm you… And I'm crap with the Z sabre too… I have an idea!"
She did something the machine never expected; She barreled straight towards it.
It's crying out!
It's much too late!
X blasted through a vent, landing in front of me in a marksman's crouch, cannon charging. The massive armor clunked up and down, as if it were laughing at us. The pilot yelled at us, "SURRENDER, FLARE HUNTERS! I AM FLARE ADMIN INEPTE, AND YOU HAVE NO HOPE TO DEFEAT ME!"
Xavier scoffed, "Guess again." I stood up, raring to fight, when X pulled me back, "Not now. You are too wounded to handle this guy. I'll take him on myself!"
"THEN PREPARE YOURSELF, HUNTER X!" the grunt declared, dashing towards X.
And so they fought. The clash of metal reigned throughout the darkness. It was a hopeless fight for the Hunter. His plasma shots bounced off his armor, his Hadouken only scratched the machine's paintwork, and the Rock Shield only dented the mech. Vines tore and broke, and the Hunter was sent sprawling on the ground by a powerful electric shot.
The machine marched forward slowly, its rider laughing slowly, "I would say it was nice to meet you, but it wasn't."
I dashed forwards with a roar. It was time to finish this.
This City now!
Won't last the night!
Don't let it die!
Without a fight!
The girl smashed a fist into the steel, glowing white. When the dust cleared, she stood before it once more with a smile on her face. The Scorpion roared, swinging its tail forwards-
CLANK!
Only to strike its own tail.
For Essentia had copied its weapon data.
She raised her arm, which had been transformed into the stinger, and smirked, "NOW I GOT YOUR POWER!"
She dashed forwards, roaring, "TIME TO FINISH THIS! STING CANNON!"
This City made us!
No one can save us now.
I jumped onto my enemy's back, before speaking my first words outside of my torture.
"M…Maybe… BUT I'M NOT THROUGH YET!"
I charged up my gun, firing it at point-blank range at the mech's power core, and the resulting flash of light blinded me for a few seconds. When my vision finally faded back… I was lying on the ground, weakened by my wounds and coughing blood. X looked at me in shock, then at the destroyed mech. Go rushed over, cradling my head in her arms. She was wounded as well, having several gunshots in her arms.
She weakly smiled, as I let out yet another quip with my ailing strength, "Hah…Hah… I guess there's nobody else's arms I'd rather die in…" Go chuckled, her wounds bleeding out and eyes drooping shut, "Yeah. I hope we don't end up like this… in…"
Then there was darkness once more.
X and Leaf stood in the arena, tying up the Flare Grunt, before looking over at us. Leaf spoke first, stating an obvious question.
"So… who's going to carry them back up?"
MISSION COMPLETE!
Leaf got To Carry Z And Go!
"DAMMIT!"
The Hunters stood in single file before X and Y, the leader saluting, "SIR! We have gotten the power plant back up and running!" X looked at the leader, "At ease. My mission was successful. Flare Hunter Z and Go have been rescued from the base as well."
A Hunter stood forwards softly, looking down at Go's limp body, still holding tightly to mine, "With what they've gone through… They may as well have been doing our job for us…" The Hunter Leader nodded slowly, looking down at me, "Heck, they have… And we're the ones unscathed."
Y sighed, "Is what we're doing right?"
"Also… X, we were helped by some girl." The leader spoke again, "She seemed to have some sort of copy ability similar to yours, but… So different…" X raised an eyebrow, "Hmm… Odd… As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one who has this ability… Could she be a Flare Grunt? Anyway, that doesn't matter now. Where is she?"
"She…Beamed out before we could ask her to properly to identify herself. However, she called herself… Essentia."
"Essentia… Essence…."
X waved his hand, as Leaf walked up, "Guys, enough talk. We've all had a long day today, what with all the hunting and stuff, so let's head to the nearest city and spend the rest of the night chilling, eh? Drinks on me."
"Yay!"
"With purchases."
"Dammit!"
The Hunters drove off towards the city silently, another mission complete. There was laughing, joy, happiness and glee between them, as Leaf shared some stories of her brother. A far cry of what was to come…
Lysandre looked down at the base below, watching the Hunters drive off in their vehicles. His cloaked helicopter remained unseen, as he smiled to himself.
"Fools… What they have destroyed is only my temporary base. My true operation remains intact." He spoke softly, as the aircraft flew higher into the air. With a small smile, the dark man opened a communicator on his wrist, talking to his head scientist on the other end.
"Xerosic… We have abandoned the Power Plant Base. I am heading to base Omega now. Do you still have control of Essentia?"
The man on the other end of the device nodded, "Indeed, Lord Lysandre. We have even gained the trust of the Hunters. Testing of the O-Power within her suit has proven successful. We are awaiting your orders."
Lysandre smirked, a dark gleam in his eyes, "Then break her."
Unseen to even the eyes of Lysandre, a smaller vehicle roared away from the base; a dusty red dirt-bike. The rider wore a simple red jacket. She had removed her visor, and her ponytail trailed out behind her as she rode into the sunset.
She knew this couldn't be the end for her history with the Flare Hunters. She knew that one day, she would have to face her past once again…. The Shadows of her past…. And the Signs that one day she would be a Guardian for all….
The cold winter sun set over the horizon…
(A.N. Subtle hinting is subtle.)
After Essentia beamed back into the city, she knew her work was far from done.
The shock of those Hunter vehicles must have startled the population into a panic, for the streets were empty, probably hiding in the subway in fear.
'Heck, knowing them, they'd probably believe a full-scale war had begun.' the experiment chuckled to herself, approaching a nearby Metro entrance and calling into it, "They're gone! It's safe out here!"
She dashed off, knowing this was the first of her tasks for the night. She had noted several life-signs in the alleyways, so that was probably important. If they were lost, she would have to help them find their way.
After all, it's only the natural thing to do.
Before approaching the life-sign, she paused, hidden under a mask of shadow. She couldn't reveal her true form just yet. So, using faded memories, she attempted to reconstruct what she could remember was under the black armor. Skin colors flickered, before settling on an orange-dark brown. Her hair became black, and a torn and weathered lavender skirt appeared around her body (She noted to add a bodysuit under her clothing for future transformation sequences to prevent her nudity in public) and finally, light-purple eyes.
She checked her reflection in a puddle, dunking her fist, "Nailed it."
Then, once more, she vanished into the night, a mere spectre to the curious onlooker.
"All done! Again."
The man wearing the brown trench coat sat back down at the desk, "The Looker Invesigation Enterprises Society is ready!"
He glanced around the room, before letting out a sigh.
"What am I doing with my life?"