Change of Perspective Chapter Twelve
Ok this is amazing, 121 reviews is this really happening? I had 101 reviews last chapter, at this rate I may hit dare I say it, 200 reviews which would be like a dream for me on this account!
Reasons for the late update are simple, number one I may have Glandular Fever and number two I received a computer that is 10x faster than my old one, so it took a lot of time to set everything back up.
Thank you reviewers, seriously I am deeply honoured.
Manaphy caught what's next hmmm... onto the penultimate chapter of Day Four we go yay!
Day Four Part Five
As expected the secret exit of the sanctum lead to the sea, more specifically it lead to the beach which was less than five minutes from the summer house. "Whoa I thought we were going to die" Brock said as he removed his breathing apparatus once getting above water.
"Well I didn't!" Solidad said as she looked downwards, awaiting when her friends would also surface.
"You are way too optimistic" Brock commented as Ash, Misty and Pikachu appeared above water, making him sigh with relief.
"Nah you were there so I knew we'd get out alive" Solidad whispered so her friends wouldn't hear, making the former breeder blush with pride, he never expected that he would be held in such high esteem.
"Ah...uh" Brock stuttered as Ash and Misty removed their breathing apparatus.
"We did it" Ash breathed heavily as he looked to Solidad who was giving him a strange expression. "Uh what is it Sol?" Ash asked as Misty grimaced, after all she had pretty much gave their identities away during her battle with Milotic.
"Oh... nothing" Solidad chimed as she looked to Brock as if asking for an explanation. Sadly he was still trying to find some 'smooth' words to say.
"Solidad how about you come back to the summer house, I'll explain things there" Misty said as she pulled Milotic's Pokéball out of her pocket. "Milotic come on out!" she shouted as the beautiful serpent appeared in front of her, screaming its name in a melodic manner before turning to its new trainer.
"Milotic can you ferry us back to land please?" Misty asked, gaining an instant nod from the beautiful creature which offered up its tail to each of them, which they took gratefully. "Thanks" Misty said to her new Pokémon before turning to Ash and miming 'she knows' just as the Pokémon set off for shore.
Once they reached land they headed straight for the house tiredly, pretty much dragging themselves there, this wasn't due to physical exhaustion, not it was mental strain which had caused it. "Remind me to never follow your plans again" Brock said as he looked to Solidad and Ash as Misty opened the door to the house.
"It worked though didn't it?" Ash chimed as he pulled Manaphy's Pokéball off his hip holster and grinned. "I caught a legendary Pokémon" he said with joy as he followed Misty into the house, heading straight for the sofa, collapsing on it once there.
"I guess..." Brock mumbled as he looked down on Solidad who was still waiting for her explanation, she wasn't angry, just curious as to why Misty had said Ash went on ahead. "Go on inside and ask them" Brock said with a smile, gaining a nod from the confident woman who instantly headed for one of the leather loveseats.
"We're finally going to return" Ash said to Misty with relief as he leant back and stared at Manaphy's Pokéball.
"What do you mean return?" Solidad asked as she sat down on the seat, a curious expression on her face as she leant back and allowed some of the strain from the day's excursions to seep out of her.
"..." Ash tried to say something but then shook his head in favour of a more direct approach. "I'll show you" Ash said as he threw Manaphy's Pokéball into the air softly. "Come on out buddy" Ash said affectionately as the prince of the sea manifested, landing on the small coffee table before looking around in a panic.
"Mana?"
"I'm over here" Ash informed softly, making the legendary water-type whip around and smile, diving at him instantly afterwards which made Pikachu squeal with delight.
"Manaaaa!" the legendary Pokémon cried, rubbing its head against his exposed abdomen, gaining a soft expression by those present.
"So... what is it that you're showing me exactly?" Solidad asked curiously not understanding what Ash had meant.
"Manaphy kind of used a special heart swap on us" Misty said as she cut to the chase in place of her ex-boyfriend who was petting his new Pokémon, much to its delight.
"..." Solidad tried to say something, failing in the process. Instead she just ended up having a completely slack jaw. "...Ha"
"Hm?" Ash hummed.
"Hahahahaha!" she burst out laughing causing the two skilled trainers to break out into a heavy blush of embarrassment. "You mean I've been hanging with... Ash?" Solidad struggled to ask through her fit of giggles which just embarrassed the current league victor even further.
"...Yes" Misty answered because Ash found himself unable to talk.
"Pfft...hahahhahaahaha" she began laughing again, this time loud enough that it caught Brock's attention.
"What's going on in..." Brock started to ask until he noticed the expressions on Ash and Misty's faces which made him almost smirk. "So you told her?" Brock asked gaining a nod from the duo who didn't even try to look his way, they were that embarrassed. "Hey Solidad... do you really need to laugh at them that much?" Brock asked as he watched the current woman of his affections burst into tears of laughter.
"So-sorry" she panted through the laughter. "I just think of the situation and it's kind of funny, especially with how Ash was hit on and all!" Solidad remarked, bringing up the incident from when they went shopping together.
"Please don't talk about that..." Ash practically begged as Manaphy and Pikachu watched the scene with much interest.
"I'll try not to" Solidad said as the occasional giggle escaped her lips, it was all very amusing to Brock but he didn't let it show on his face.
"Anyway" Misty said as if she was getting annoyed at the laughing. "We needed to catch Manaphy so we could turn back, which has happened so..." Misty started as she turned towards the small blue Pokémon. "Could you please... turn us back?" Misty asked the Pokémon, ignoring Solidad's occasional laugh.
"Mana?" Manaphy looked up to Ash as if asking him.
"I'd like that as well Manaphy" Ash told the Pokémon which smiled and hopped off his lap as a result, staring at them as if he was asking if they were ready.
"Wait before you start let me close the curtains" Brock stopped them abruptly much to everyone's surprise and curiosity.
"Uh what?" Ash asked bluntly, confused as to why Brock would suggest such a thing.
"Apparently it's a very bright light that Manaphy lets off, we don't want any beacons for Hunter J now do we?" Brock asked wisely, slightly impressing those present since they had all forgotten about J due to what had happened in the sanctum.
"... That would be a good idea" Ash conceded as Brock walked off and closed the curtains which made the room turn rather dark, though since it wasn't that late the light still filtered through the curtains slightly.
"So... what now?" Misty asked as she stared at Manaphy.
"You two should probably stand face to face about a metre apart" Brock suggested as the two got to their feet and walked to their respective positions, during this moment Solidad and Brock stole the sofa for their own, much to the duo's annoyance.
"Hey you did that on purpose didn't you!" Ash cried as he turned to his long-time best friend, making the pink-haired coordinator giggle once more.
"No you really had to stand apart, so we decided to take the seats" Brock cut in, which didn't impress Ash in the least but he lived with it.
"Fine whatever" Ash huffed as he turned back to Misty, gaining a smile in the process which made him subconsciously return the gesture. "So... Manaphy will you?" Ash asked the Pokémon which looked side to side and observed them for a moment before smiling, clearly having sensed something that wasn't visible to someone without his sensitivity.
"Mana!" he chimed as his twin antennae began to move, eventually appearing above his head before pointing to Ash and Misty respectively. "Manaaaaaaaaaaaaa" it chanted loudly as the ends of the antennae turned bright pink, firing off a pink energy which reached the chests of both Ash and Misty.
"Just like before" Ash said as the pink light intensified, seeping outwards to brighten the entire room in a light pink hue, the sheer intensity of the light forced everyone bar Ash and Misty to cover their eyes, clearly they were the only ones who were unaffected, probably because of their unique position.
"So bright" Solidad gasped, clearly dazzled by the sight in front of her whilst at the same time looking visibly impressed that Ash and Misty had no complaints.
"Manaaaaaaaa! Manaphy let out one last cry as the energy intensified a little more before dimming before disappearing completely.
*Thud*
Two loud bangs caught the ears of the two childhood friends as they removed their arms from their eyes to see Ash and Misty face first on the floor, unconscious much like they had been when Brock found them last time.
"Ash, Misty?" Solidad asked the two in a mixture of panic and anxiety, this however was quickly soothed by Brock who put his hand on her shoulder.
"This is normal" Brock stated as Manaphy looked over to Ash's body and ran over to it with a look on concern plastered on its face. "That's a good sign" Brock said with a smile as Manaphy prodded Ash's face, much like Pikachu was.
"Why?" Solidad gasped in confusion.
"Well Manaphy seems to really like Ash so he'd naturally go to check on him first" Brock deduced as he continued to stare at their unconscious forms. "We should do something about them, I doubt it's comfortable" Brock said as he made his way over to Ash's body.
"You deal with Ash and I'll deal with Misty then" Solidad suggested as she got up and walked over to Misty's body. "Think you can handle the carrying?" Solidad teased affectionately, making the older male blush before lamely flexing his bicep.
"Easily" Brock said shakily, unable to make himself sound cool, but that didn't matter to Solidad because she knew he could deliver when it counted, today had proven that in her eyes.
"Ok I'll leave him to you" Solidad said with a wink as she hoisted Misty up. "I'll take her to her room" Solidad told the man before walking off to leave the doctor in the company of two Pokémon and his best friend.
"When they wake up I really have to thank them for taking me on this holiday" Brock said as he picked up Ash with ease, after all he was still taller than Ash.
"Mana Mana!" Manaphy cried to protest as Brock started to carry Ash away, only for Pikachu to tell the Pokémon that it was all right and that Brock wouldn't hurt him, well at least this is what Brock thought Pikachu was saying.
"You can follow if you want" Brock told the two Pokémon which looked to each other before scampering over to him, hopping onto his shoulders to add even more weight to his strong frame.
"Mana"
"Pikapika" the two Pokémon said in unison, Pikachu went a step further and pointed towards the stairs.
"I'm even being dragged around by Pokémon now" Brock mused in his mind, after all he had always played a bit-part in most of his adventures even if he did lead the group through his maturity. "Right off we go" Brock said as he dragged the future Pokémon master in the direction of his room, mind already focusing how he would spend his 'alone-time' with Solidad.
As one problem faded into non-existence another was starting to make itself a little more prominent. "What do you mean you can't find it?" the harsh silver haired woman practically roared at one of her nameless subordinates.
"L-like I said sir, t-there have been no sightings of the target within the last twenty-four hours" the man quaked in fear. He like the rest of his fellow co-workers knew that J never accepted failure and he most certainly knew what she did to those who weren't performing their job.
"And why didn't you find it before it 'disappeared'?" J demanded in a chillingly cold tone, one that would make even the most hardened soul tremble a little.
"..." the man tried to speak but he had no explanation. "I could go lie" the man thought as he edged backwards a little. "No she abhors lying" the man thought as he broke into a cold sweat. "I could say it was someone else's fault" he then thought as he looked up to her eyes which were covered with her traditional black visor. "..."
"Well?" she barked aggressively, earning the man a few sympathetic glances the crew who were operating machinery on the bridge of the airship.
"I-I... it was down to an error on my team-leaders part sir" the man trembled, looking to the side to gain a violent glare from the team leader who was present. "H-he told me not to tell you" he said feebly as he pointed at the leader of his squad who was also J's 'second-in-command' if only in name, he held no true authority to be honest.
"Oh?" J queried as she flipped open a small compartment on her seat before turning to the man who was being blamed. "Is this true?" she asked, not as strongly as she did to the other man, mainly because she already knew the grunt was lying, she was just taking time to instil some hope in the man, it was more enjoyable that way.
"No sir, I had given no orders since the information was unreliable at the time" the second-in-command reported in a manner which showed his respect for the woman, he did this because he'd known her for a long time and thus knew how to not get on her nerves.
"I see" J said coldly as she turned back to the grunt and stared down on him. "Is this true?" she asked gaining a fervent shake of the head from the poor man who was scared out of his wits. "Hm" she hummed gruffly as she continued to bore into the man with her cold gaze. "I guess that's that" she then said as a look of relief appeared on the grunts face.
"Y-yes sir, I-I'll be on my way then" the man said in a tone of disbelief thinking he had pulled one over on the infamous Pokémon hunter as he started to walk towards the door.
"Who said you could leave?" J asked threateningly, not once leaving her seat.
"B-but you-"
"I said that's that" J stated as she finally got to her feet and turned around. "Tell me what do I do with people who fail to fulfil their duties?" J asked, a small, dark smile reaching her lips when the man in front of her turned white as a ghost.
"N-no" the stammered, looking side to side as if to beg for assistance but no-one moved an inch, all sympathy having been erased by his cowardly actions. "Please" he pleaded but J's expression remained stagnant, she didn't care for people in the slightest, the only person that mattered to her was herself and the only thing she cared about was her bank account.
"What?" J asked expectantly, hoping to see some display of grovelling from the man, not that it would change her mind, in fact it would probably make her even more annoyed which would only hasten his inevitable end.
"..." he tried to speak but instead he trembled, knowing that there were only two options for him now, fight or flight.
"Thought so" J said sadistically as she pulled out a Pokéball which made the man's eyes go wide, he knew he was going to be killed if he didn't escape, it was just a shame that he was trapped on an airship.
"Crobat might be able to take me out the airlock" the man thought optimistically, ignoring the fact that his Crobat probably couldn't withstand his weight. "Run" he then thought as he turned tail and sprinted through the automatic doors which made the woman grin.
"Just as expected" she commented as she walked after the man, seeing no need to run, after all he wouldn't get far. "Seal blocks thirty-two through thirty-eight" was J's last words as she exited the bridge, leaving her more obedient grunts to quickly fulfil her orders which caused two steel doors to fall to the floor sealing the route which the grunt was running on, effectively cornering him.
"...Damn, shit" he cursed as he reached the steel-plated door which had the number thirty-two painted on it. "Why" he then practically cried as he punched the door, damaging his knuckles at the same time as the sound of steps reverberated through the steel hallways.
"Ariados out now" J commanded roughly as the poisonous spider materialised at her feet, which just gave the grunt even more noises to hear, noises which signalled his end was nigh and that was truly frightening.
"Please don't" the man begged as J stopped ten meters away from him.
"Use string shot" J commanded as she ignored the man's pleas, all she did was watch as he his body was completely restrained by her spider-like Pokémon's durable thread. "Return" J then said as she placed it back inside her coat, pulling out another Pokéball afterwards, throwing it to the floor to unveil Drapion.
"Carry him towards the bridge and feel free to handle him however you like" J said as she turned around, smiling as the sound of a rib breaking and agonised screams reached her ears.
"P-please stop" the man begged as J walked back towards the bridge as the steel door of block thirty-eight raised.
"Am I hearing something?" J asked as she entered the bridge, gaining a 'no sir' from all present, clearly they were hardened to such experiences and thus saw them as the norm. "Didn't think so" J remarked as Drapion carried a bleeding man through the door, stopping in front of J's seat which she made her way over to before sitting on it.
"H-help" the man pleaded, hoping that someone would save him, but after his actions of betrayal he was sure no-one would care.
"I'll ask you again, what happens to those who don't fulfil their duties?" J asked forcefully as she stared down on her subordinate who was pretty much close to death at this point.
"..."
"I guess you wouldn't answer because the answer was so horrifying for you" she said as she eyed the small compartment she opened earlier, reaching into it to press a button which opened a hole right under where Drapion was holding him, this made him flail his legs with the little energy he had left.
"Please don't"
"Drop him" J ordered and with that Drapion loosened his grip, dropping the man through the hole making him scream out, knowing that he was about to die once he made impact with the ground and with that J pressed the button again to close the hole. "Return" she said once more, calling back Drapion as she placed the ball back into her pocket.
"Sir" J's second-in-command started as if nothing had happened, much like the crew who had all returned to looking at their workstations.
"What is it?" J asked a little gruffly as she turned to face him.
"I was going to report some new information before that... display" the second-in-command informed his boss who raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"Regarding what exactly?" she queried, removing her black visor in the process revealing her steely blue eyes and fine facial features.
"Location of our target sir" the man said the words which were like music to the seasoned criminal's ears.
"Where? Tell me all the details" she said with intrigue and impatience which made the second-in-command think for a moment before replying, after all saying the wrong words to J could be fatal as well.
"The information said that our target is spotted on the hillside region at night so I suspect there is some kind of 'nest' where it sleeps" her most experienced subordinate said in a straight-forward, no-nonsense manner which J not only expected but also appreciated.
"How reliable is the source?" J asked as she laced her fingers together, this time sounding a little less angry than she normally did, after all good news pleased anyone, even the infamous huntress.
"I'd say we can believe this one" the man said confidently gaining a small smirk from J, she could tell that he wasn't lying.
"Good, if you're wrong you know what'll happen" J said sternly gaining a nod from her longest serving subordinate.
"I won't be sir" he followed up, knowing all too well that J liked confidence after all she was an independent woman and she expected other people to be like her.
"Good, dismissed" she told the man, receiving a salute before he walked away, once gone she turned her gaze to the main pilot and stared into the back of his skull. "Set a course for the hillside region, we'll dock for the night so land somewhere that's open" J said as she got to her feet.
"Yes sir!" the pilot replied just as the woman walked through the automatic doors and towards her personal chambers all the while wearing a satisfied smile.
(End Chapter)
So this chapter got to showcase some of J's ruthlessness for those who have never watched the D/P series, personally I haven't seen the entire series but J's episodes were always so intriguing, she is a strong, sociopathic woman who I interpreted her as such.
Day Five is J's day and some more shippy moments so I think it'll be good for those who enjoy romance, though I think you shouldn't get your hopes up since I seem to be writing more adventurish which kind of contradicts the whole genre this is aimed at but hey oh well.
So Ash and Misty have returned to their bodies... in truth it wasn't my original plan but I thought of something and decided Ash and Misty returning would be better for the plot, especially for what comes next, it also gives me more options for free exploration during day five, because onwards things get real!
Once again I would like to send my thanks out to all the reviewers, it really helped me muster motivation for this chapter since it is the transition into the 'darker' part of the story, but don't worry the story won't get too dark.
I hope you enjoyed and please LEAVE A REVIEW so it can continue to inspire me and maybe just maybe make me reach 200 reviews!
Happy Manaphy Hunting
-Aquilon