Secret of the Earth and Sky! Chapter 21- Past and Present
/Kate! Do you copy?/
"Yeah, I hear you," Kate spoke through her comlink while running through the halls of Team Rocket Headquarters, taking down a grunt with a big fist in the face, and defeating another with a blow on the back with one of he swords, blunt side up, of course. She didn't want to deal with blood that day.
/I found that entrance to the final room, but I can't get in. Hurry up, will you?/
Kate chuckled. "Keith, you have explosive knives. Ever thought of using them?"
/I did! I really did use my explosives, but nothing in my arsenal works! None of the Pokemon I could capture could open the thing! We only have five minutes to find out what the leader of Team Rocket is up to!/
"Where's boss?" Kate asked, dodging a bullet, and taking down a grunt who did the failed attempt to shoot her.
/She's stayed behind to defend for me with the others./
"Is she crazy!?" Kate screamed on the comlink. "I can't just teleport there. I'm only halfway! Unless…."
Kate looked at the wall that obstructed her view, and she held her swords at a position to charge. Her ring started emitting blue flames that was spreading on her Styler and her swords, covering both weapons in blue flames that seemed have the texture of water.
"Here I go!" Kate spoke to herself, and she charged at the wall. She broke it, and then found herself surrounded by many fallen grunts.
"I guess you did your job here, heh." She chuckled, and she continued running. She took a sharp turn, seeing her husband struggle at opening a Steel pair of doors. The redhead looked up, noticing that his savior had come.
"About time you came. Three more minutes."
"Out of the way!" Kate yelled, position her swords to charge with blue flames again, and she burst open the door with such force, the person inside was rather shocked at who could break down the door he padlocked and reinforced so well. Kate didn't even wince.
"You bastard…" She growled, with Keith following along. A caped man with black sunglasses approached the two.
"Fufufufu… Always paired with the other, it seems, does it, Kate?" The man lifted his hood to reveal nasty blond hair that was hairsprayed to ugly perfection.
"No more digressions, Kincaid," Kate angrily held her swords up in protection, while Keith took his stash of knives to prepare for an assault as well. "Tell us where you put May…"
"Oh, little May-kun?" Kincaid snickered. "As the boss of Team Rocket I should know where I put my experiments?"
"Ex… periments?" Keith quivered. "What did you-"
"Oh, nothing, really," Kincaid chuckled. "Wait until you should see that I've gain the ultimate power!"
"Idiot." Kate's voice was low and menacing. "You tried to kill Mewtwo, so what the hell did you do to my daughter!"
"See for yourself!" Kincaid took a remote and clicked open a container, but once the lights turned on to reveal a large cylinder of water, Keith had decided that it would be the first to blow up.
Expertly, He threw a knife that spun like a bulleting football at the tank, and upon contact, the container exploded, and water came gushing out, along with a young girl with brown hair. She was only two, and her hair had grown to her shoulders already. Her body was limp, not feeling pain for distress when she heard her parents running at her. She could hear a distant cackling. Her groggy eyes were slowly opening, with a blurred vision of what was going on. Her mother was standing in front of her, her head turned to the man that tried to hurt her.
"You… bastard…" Kate panted angrily, cradling the little girl. "You alone… you alone… I'll never regret killing!"
"What do you mean by that?" Kincaid laughed, but Keith's daggers were at the criminal's neck.
"You've already seen what my knives can do." He smirked. "Now… TALK!"
"Okay! Okay!" Kincaid submissively lowered himself down. "I'll talk!"
"What did you do to May!" Keith's rage was rising exponentially as much as Kate's, but he refrained himself from cutting the guy's neck apart. This man had the information.
"I… I… I transmitted the properties of the Jewel of Life and Mewtwo's DNA into the girl! What else?!"
"Bastard! Tell me more!" Keith pinned the man's arms behind his back.
"Agh!" Kincaid gasped at the pain. And then he cackled maniacally. "I just wanted to take over your family and your little underground world… Your boss wouldn't be too happy, would she? Using your little girl as bait was perfect for bringing the downfall of the-"
"Don't tell me anymore!" Kate stood up, cradling her wet and sleeping daughter. "A bastard like you should be dealt by the Vendicare!"
"Oh? No punishment from you?" Kincaid smiled evilly, while Kate's eyes furrowed and her lips curled into a thin line. "Ethics, eh?"
Keith handcuffed Kincaid and left him hanging from the wall he propped the criminal with. "Yeah. We'll just let Vendicare deal with you…"
He huffed before joining his family. Kate was nearly at shambles at what other injuries Kincaid had done to May. Cuts and bruises spotted the little girl's arms. She had gone through this much, and could still breathe as if it were naptime. Kate was proud at such persistence.
"What should we do, boss?" Kate asked eagerly at May's sleeping body, while a figure on the leather chair wheeled at her direction.
"I believe," The shaded figure kindly suggested. "That she will have to be considered one of the Gifted, I'm afraid. I'm sorry to have involved you, no, not just you, but all of my subordinates to participate in such a bloody matter, but it can't be helped. Reborn-san was the one to tell me to do this."
Kate's eyes understood. Her boss was always blaming herself for all the horrible things she was forced to do. She didn't mind fighting sometimes if it meant her family, but still, she was human, one with very high ethics.
"I see," She got up from her seat in the office. "Then I'll accept the mission to Mount Chimney-Top then. Vendicare's said they didn't come quick enough to pick Kincaid up. He's been seen at that place, and the Union wants me and Keith to go."
"Okay, then," The figure turned away again. "But you know well that this is May's Trial, so just set it up for her. Don't do anything silly."
"Yes, boss." Kate bowed, and she and her daughter slipped away from the room.
"Here we are," Keith sighed to himself. "Chimney-Top Mountain."
"Yeah…" Kate sighed as well, looking at the ring that wasn't on her finger anymore.
"Kate?" Keith's voice was rather nervous now.
"Yes?" Kate looked at him.
"If we don't live after this…" Keith was rather weak in voice. "Let's just remember that May will be with us forever, right?"
Kate hesitated. Keith. He was energetic, cheerful, and daring. He would help, take risks for her, as she would to him. That is why she loved him.
"Yeah." Kate smiled, and they shared a quick kiss before entering the cave.
"So… What are we going to do today, Aunt Dawn?"
The navy blue haired woman smiled weakly.
"Hm…" Dawn thought out loud. She didn't feel that May needed to do a combat course that day, nor should she be hitting the books.
"Let's teach you how to delve!" Dawn clasped her hands together. The nine year old stared at her teacher questioningly.
"Delving?" May asked. "What's that?"
"Allow me to demonstrate." Dawn said, readying her fingers. "Please, sit down."
The girl did as she was told.
"Now," Dawn said. "Close your eyes. This won't hurt a bit. Your journey's in two months, and I felt that you should know this before you go."
"Uh…" May hesitated when she felt a cold touch on her forehead. Then the freezing feel turned to a warm tickle. Dawn smiled at the result.
"Now, think of something, anything, really," Dawn instructed.
"How about… the time you took me to Sinnoh?" May suggested. Dawn agreed.
Her eyes still closed, May thought hard of that trip. Then she could see in her mind vivid pictures of Snowpoint Temple, and Sendoff Spring.
"You can open your eyes now." Dawn's instruction came through, and the warm touch was gone. May looked up, seeing Dawn smiling.
"Good job." Dawn smiled. "I was able to see what you were thinking. Of your past experiences."
"Really?" May was surprised. "Can I try it?"
"Um… not yet…" Dawn hesitated. "You have to wait until you can stabilize that purple energy into something better."
"Keith…" Kate thought when she had finished the story. May's eyes were trembling after she had finished hers, summarizing her journey.
Then the training room door opened with several more people coming in. Kate smiled to see who it was. Several other people accompanied Wes and Rui. Kate wasn't at all surprised.
"Crow! Jack!" Ruka and Rua were running to who was the door. The orange haired man hugged the two teens while the blond spiky haired man looked on.
The other man looked rather surprised at the vastness of the room. His brown messy hair was the same to his ruffled lab coat.
"Oh great…" Gary Oak tried to tidy himself up. "On an important day like this, I had to be messy!"
"Gary?" Kate looked at the scientist, and then the man noticed her.
"Kate!" He yelled. "You're actually alive!"
"Yes. I am." Kate smirked. Crow and Jack came along.
"We were really worried about you, really." Jack gruffly commented.
"But Yusei and Aki wouldn't tell us anything!" Crow shouted. "Then we were DEAD worried about you!"
"Well, hehe…" Kate nervously laughed. "Keith's not back yet…"
Gary gave an understanding look, but then he stared at May's eyes.
"It's been a while since I saw you, May!" Gary smiled. May only stared, slightly smiling. Her shaking hands were still clutching the sheaths of her twin swords that were once her mother's.
"Well. I guess we're here to help you, right?" Crow asked. Kate nodded.
"Well, then, we're better with Yusei, but let's begin!" Jack clasped his hands together. "Oh, we brought Rua and Ruka's Duel Boards."
"Excellent!" Wes shouted. "A little training room for racing is just up ahead to the right!"
"Oh, thanks, man!" Crow waved graciously, and the four residents of New Domino City were away from the room. May could only imagine how big the underground training facility was.
"It's rather big, May," Kate said as if she could read May's face. "If we have time, I'll let you see the whole thing. Now, let's go to training, okay, May? Drew?"
The two nodded, and Kate led them out of the room, and through a little passageway.
"Alex, have you done any hand-to-hand combat?" Jaime asked curiously.
"Of course I have!" Alex readied her fists. It had been decided that a sparring match would start the training.
Without any hesitation, Jaime charged at his sister to punch, but Alex dodged slightly to the side with ease and grabbed the hand he used to throw his punch. Jaime's footing was messed up, and his sister took the chance to sweep him off his feet so he could fall flat on the floor. His back ached slightly. Come on, he endured better than this. Man, now he understood why that Sven guy who trained had to be harsh. Getting up, he chuckled.
"Good one, Alex," Jaime gave her a thumbs up. "But now that I know your speed level. We have to make it faster to passing level. So…"
Alex's eyes were full of worry. What was he going to do?
"I'll have to make you dodge these." Jaime reached into his pockets, and showed her something that obviously made Alex blanch.
"Eh?!" She cried. "Dynamite! What kind of brother would keep dynamite in his pockets and throw them at their older sister!?"
"A brother who is a Combat Ranger." Jaime smiled evilly. "Let the sibling fights begin."
"Oh, you're so getting it." Alex readied her feet, knowing that in the future she'll be blown off her feet.
"Hey, relax a bit," Jaime teased and reached into his pockets again, and showed his favorite weapon. "Next time is knives."
Alex could only gulp, but this was for the sake of getting stronger.
"Hey, I wonder why we're in the same room…" Tory twirled his staff absentmindedly as he looked at Rafe, who was swinging his nunchuck to see if the thing worked for him.
"Maybe…" Rafe then started swinging his weapon expertly, missing Tory's nose by an inch. "We're here to spar. Each other."
"Uh-oh," Tory gulped as he could see the sudden fighting aura around Rafe. "This isn't good. Mitsumi barely even taught to fully use this thing! Unless…"
Tory took out his favorite Pokemon, Jolteon.
"Okay, can you try to zap this little tip on the staff right here?" Tory asked gently. The little electric fox jumped delightedly, sending a spark to the lightning bolt emblem on the staff, and engulfing the whole stick in a field of electricity. Tory was rather surprised himself.
"Huh?" He moved his hands up and down the staff. "I can't feel any pain from the stick, even if it starts sending sparks at my body."
"It could be that ring that Kate gave you." Rafe suggested. Tory looked at the ivy-engraved silver jewelry.
"Yeah… it should be…" Tory then looked up. "Ready?"
"Always ever," Rafe smiled spinning his Nunchuck with one hand. "I just found out this Nunchuck doesn't conduct electricity. It'll be a little hard for you to land that pole on my body, though."
"Okay, then!" Tory began expertly twirling his staff, charging as he did so. "Mitsumi thankfully taught me how to fight, so let's start."
"You do know that I become a monster in fighting." Rafe reminded. Tory smiled back.
"So are you two dating?" Kate asked like any mom would do. They were still going down a corridor.
"No, mom, hehe…" May nervously answered. Drew then smirked.
"We are together, though," Drew emphasized 'together.'
"Oh?" Kate turned around so she was walking backwards. "You guys remind me of me and Keith. We always said that. You'll be perfect together."
"Mom…" May groaned in embarrassment.
"Okay, then, May." Kate smiled as she turned. "Here we are!"
She stopped in front of some automatic doors, which slid open. May and Drew clambered in, noticing it was yet another empty room. Well, not really. The room was a great resemblance to a dojo. The bamboo floors were everywhere, so the three of them had to take off their shoes.
"Okay, now." Kate took back the swords. "Mind if I borrow these, May?"
"Okay." May allowed permission, and Kate pulled them out. Drew then looked at Kate's excellent handling of the swords.
"Let's see how well you can do with your sword." Kate smiled. "I don't know your sword fighting style yet, so you get an advantage."
"Okay." Drew stepped up, and pulled out his katana, which was in such beautiful condition anyone could admire it. Kate slightly winced for some reason.
"Let's begin." Kate readied her swords. "I'll use the backs of my swords, so no one gets hurt."