Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
Well... it's been a long time. Honestly, i thought you guys stopped reading, so I stopped writing and nearly forgot about all of you. Anyhow, I'm a bit more active on my Deviant Art account (link on profile. If it isn't showing, just search up Latios1056.), so you can check there if you wish. I'm still alive and ok, and I'm hoping that you guys are as well.
So. How about we get into the story?
"Speech"
'Telepathy'
Thoughts
Chapter 35- Testing Facility Blues
"… Roses are red, violets are blue, another escape out of the facility… it's black against blue, and violet against red… before you know it, you're already dead…"
"Hey Iota," the Delta commander greeted as he sat down next to the… unit. The entire hall was deserted. There hadn't been much action for quite a while. "How have things been going?"
The unit shrugged. "You know better than to talk to me. Epsilon's rules," Iota replied- not in the threatening tone he usually used- but in a casual and calm one. "Not much has been going on. Without those two, I'm kind of stuck with what to do."
The Delta commander sighed. "Same here. We've suggested tracking down the units we've lost by sending their specific groups, but Alpha team has been going through quite a lot of trouble… I've never seen results that bad since… well… the beginning of time!"
Iota nodded, knowing that it had truly been around that long. He stood up. "Well, Epi's going to get mad at me if I loiter around any longer. He says that Alpha needs some action… or at least someone from this side to talk to."
The squad leader raised an eyebrow from inside his helmet. "You mean Alpha is still a loyal unit?"
Iota hummed in thought. "I wouldn't say completely loyal… but he is still taking several orders from us… and his other employer. I'm pretty sure that the rest have fallen, though. Anyways, we've given him orders, and he's bound to follow them at some point."
"If I may ask, what is he working on?" the squad leader asked as he drew his rifle. It was nearly his turn for guard duty, and the last thing he wanted was for the Commander of the entire facility to see him slacking off and talking to a unit.
"Have you ever heard of the SS High Seas?"
…
Betrayal. Traitor.
"You scum—" Excalibur yelled in anger as he sent another swipe at his former partner, only to be held back by Latios and Latias. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier!?"
"Orders," Alpha replied firmly. He hadn't flinched or moved from his spot since he had broken the secret he had been hiding from his only, true friend.
"Orders!?" the Gallade exclaimed. "HE would never order something like that!"
"But the other one would," Alpha replied calmly. While everyone else tilted their head in confusion, Excalibur just let his mouth drop.
"I thought you knew better than to trust him," the Gallade replied, still gaping that that fact. "You couldn't have stayed with his side!"
"I am not on his side," Alpha replied. "You must understand that—" His words were cut off as he was hurled into the hard, stone pavement by his former friend's psychic.
"You idiot!" Excalibur growled as he stood up, ignoring the cries of the others around him. "You know better than to follow him! We only have one employer!"
Alpha clenched his hand into a fist before letting go. Blu ran over to him, but before he could say anything, Alpha cut him off with his own hand. "I just need some time alone." Time- something that none of them never had enough of.
He turned to Latios and Latias, his glare fierce before relaxing a bit, as if he was sorry. "You already know who planned that attack, and those who fought are here," he told them before sighing. "There was one thing your father wanted to give you two." Without even consulting Lorenzo, he walked back into the workshop, and after some time, came out with some sort of antique box. He handed it to Lorenzo and nodded. The gondola worker nodded back. With that, Alpha simply disappeared.
Lorenzo walked up to the duo, and handed the decently sized wooden box to Latios' paws, who fumbled around with it with some time before placing item down on the stone ground. 'What's in it?' he asked. He had to admit that curiosity was getting the better of him, but he still had to know what the thing was inside. Safety first… although Latias' poking was getting quite annoying.
Lorenzo shrugged. "I'm not sure where Alpha got that box, and even more unsure of what is inside it."
'Maybe something that'll blow up in your faces,' Omega joked darkly as he walked close to Themis and leaned against a tree. He hadn't even looked at her. The Gardevoir looked down in shame. 'Whatever Alpha builds usually has a tendency do that.'
Blu ignored the Gallade and transformed into his Lati form, slowly floating closer to the box. His sister soon followed suite. "There's a lock on it," Latias groaned as her brother tried picking it with his claws. However, there was no success.
"Let me try," Rei suggested, and everyone moved aside to let the little Latias try her luck. She placed her paws on the lock, but before she could even do anything, some mysterious force launched her back through the air several meters. She groaned. "What happened?"
"Maybe it requires a specific user," Blu wondered aloud as he awkwardly flew over to the box's lock, doing a small, unintentional loop along the way. He still needed quite a lot of flying practice.
"What makes you think that you'd be the one?" Excalibur snorted. The small Latios frowned.
"No idea. It probably won't even work," he answered before shrugging. He placed his paws on the lock, and surprisingly, the lock clicked open. There was no machinery behind it; it was as if it was magic.
Everyone held in their breaths as Blu pushed the lid open. And in it lay…
"… Someone's armor? Clothes? A helmet?" Blu called as he took out each individual item. Excalibur did a double take on the helmet and armor. Those were Delta's things. What were they doing here? The only reason they would be in the box was if they wanted Delta to arise again… but no, they couldn't be that cruel, could they?
"Hey! There's something aside all of that junk!" Latias exclaimed, peeking her head over Blu's wing. The items above were tossed away, forgotten, like they were supposed to be.
"Watch it!" Blu yelped in surprise as he began flipping in the air again due to Latias tipping him over. Latios sighed before righting his smaller counterpart with a psychic.
After a bit more rustling, Latias' head came out of the box, a metal device clamped in her mouth. She set it down on the stone path for everyone to see. "What is it?" she asked to everyone else. They all shrugged, except for Themis and Excalibur, the latter who just sighed. It was another invention of Alpha- the first bionic wing he had tried making for Sigma. "Don't touch it. That thing not safe," Excalibur warned.
However, curious as children were, one of them gently poked the device, causing it to fizzle and fall into pieces. "Oops…" Rei whispered. "I think we broke it." Omega face palmed while Themis gently chuckled.
The next item to come out of the box didn't actually come out. That was because no one was willing to touch it.
"Is that a rifle?" Blu asked.
Latios nodded. He didn't know much about guns, other than they were dangerous. "Don't touch it," he warned, before flying over to Bianca and Lorenzo, who had gotten tired of watching and had sat down in some of the benches in the garden.
"I want to touch it…" Blu whispered, slowly reaching his paw towards the weapon. It was as if he knew it somehow… and it was calling for him.
Rei slapped his paw away. "You don't know what could happen if it went off!" she hissed.
"Alright, alright!" Blu replied quickly and retracted his paw back before his sister could do any more. Latias giggled behind the two. Maybe she could try doing that to her brother. She was the older sibling, after all.
Lorenzo walked over to the box and ordered everyone away. The rifle didn't seem to be any hunting rifle or some sort of civilian grade one, but rather one that was more professional and military grade. How they would get it out of the box was one problem. How they would explain it to the police would be another one.
Excalibur sighed at how slow the process was going and casually strolled next to the gondola worker and took the rifle from its box. Everyone jumped back in surprise. Blu gave a loud yelp as his sister held his hand and jumped into a bush, dragging him along.
The Gallade sighed as he inspected the rifle, making sure that the barrel wasn't pointed at anyone. A crude inscription on the side confirmed his suspicions. Delta's rifle.
"Are you sure you're licensed to be handling that weapon?" Bianca asked uneasily, her hand and paintbrush frozen in time and space.
'Of course,' Excalibur replied casually. 'We've used these things back in the facility quite a lot.' He chuckled at the recollection that Beta would always get mad at Delta for beating her every single competition.
"You mean, back when you were being experimented on?" Latios asked.
The Gallade's expression fell. "Yea. When that happened." He brushed the matter aside. "Anyways, I'm still wondering how all of this stuff got here. Everything in this box has been something I've seen in the facility at least once."
"Even the helmet?" Blu asked, his curiosity peaking.
"Even the helmet," Excalibur confirmed. He knew what was coming next.
"Whose was it?" the small Latios asked.
"… A friend," Excalibur replied softly. It was too early for him to know… at least for now. 'It is best to start putting these things away,' he told Lorenzo, switching back to telepathy so that he could understand.
Lorenzo nodded. It was definitely a good idea. "But where?"
"Hey look!" Latias interrupted as she flew over to the box again and dug up something golden… something shiny.
Excalibur set the rifle down and scratched the back of his head. "I don't remember seeing those things."
The said items were necklaces, two of them cut into quarter pieces. They had the same design- Latias gasped- as the ones that Blu and Rei possessed, except for instead of a rusty metal, these had been replaced with an ancient gold.
"Woah!" she cried as she set the objects on the ground.
"Aww… why are these ones shiny?" Blu whined. His sister's sharp glance quickly shut him up.
"Who do you think they belong to?" Latios asked, tilting his head.
"I have no idea… never saw these things before… not this type, anyways," Excalibur commented as he set the rifle against a tree, the barrel pointing downwards.
Theta hummed before speaking. "I might've… I think." She drew in a sudden intake of breath as her father glanced over his shoulder and looked into her eyes. "If you guys want to know about it, I can help."
"Go ahead," Excalibur grumbled. He still had quite a lot to think about.
"I remember seeing these objects back at the facility," Theta explained. "Epsilon showed them to me… he said something about how they were supposed to show the true way to reuniting a family."
Blu hummed in thought. He had Latios and Latias put their golden necklaces on, and he and his sister donned their own. He united his piece with his sister's, and then Latios' with Latias'. They clicked together, sending a small burst of light. Now for the big part.
"Let's see if our parts will go together," the little Latios suggested.
"You sure?" Latias asked.
Her smaller counterpart shrugged. "Well, this'll probably make more questions than answers. Still, it'd be interesting to know that we were part of a family... quite a weird one, actually." Everyone chuckled. After all, what were the chances?
Then, they slowly moved forward to each other, and the two halves linked together.
Blu was happy. He had finally found his family, even if there were many questions in his mind. One bothered him the most, though. Who was Epsilon?
…
Location: Testing facility- Present day
Sigma's pen swiftly flew across the paper. The Director had told him to write down his thoughts and feeling into a journal in an attempt to be more…
… human. He despised that term.
He sighed and placed the writing utensil down and ran his rough hands through his black hair. Green eyes flashed from the paper to a nearby wall, before arriving to the paper again.
On the lined paper were thousands of words and statistics, all of them describing the conditions of the abandoned facility and his constant maintenance on the barrier that hid them from the outside world.
The outside world… he picked up his pen and almost wrote the phrase down. He paused and reconsidered. The Director had placed him here because she wanted him to realize something… maybe… he needed to explore and venture out of the place he knew so well?
There were no windows in the giant library he was in. Burnt and rusted plates of metal that used to hold all information in the forms of a holographic pads now lie strewn across the ground in random piles. All of them had been damaged after the massive explosion that swept through the building the first time around. Actually, everything in the building had been damaged or destroyed except the main control room, where the Director spent most of her days locked up in.
She hadn't talked to him for around a week. She was fine, he knew that much. Perhaps there was something on her mind… maybe about her past. A lot had happened after most of the units escaped from the facility all those years ago…
Speaking of which, Theta. He had received her not about defecting, but the Director didn't seem to want to have anything to do with her. Not at the moment.
He thought of what else he could write. The first cruise ship in weeks after the attack would be arriving back to Alto Mare. Hopefully, nothing horrible would occur… he could only hope. His job was to standby and observe. Military forces around the world had begun to boot up again after hearing the attack. He groaned. What could he write?
Location: Secret Garden
Latias shrieked. "It's glowing! It's glowing!" she exclaimed with excitement as the four pieces connected to create the full circle. The completed amulet was indeed glowing with some sort of ancient power.
The object floated into the air and hovered, before floating back down into Blu's paws. "Uhh…" the small Latios stammered, obviously confused on what to do next. He looked up at his two other family members.
"So we— I mean— I don't…" he sputtered, trying to ask how they were truly a family. He had heard plenty from Sky about the legends of Alto Mare but had no idea they would be his family. He finally settled with, "How!?"
Latios looked as stupefied as his smaller counterpart and squinted his eyes. "I have no idea… I suppose that would explain part of the reason why dad raised you... maybe?" He shrugged before turning to the humans for their opinion. Both looked equally as baffled.
"So… we have two golden pieces belonging to Latios and Latias and two rusty pieces belonging to my brother and me," Rei wondered aloud before shrugging. "I still can't put anything together."
"Well… we are a family, I suppose," Latias replied. It was stating the obvious, but there wasn't much else that could be inferred.
Lorenzo sighed and turned to Excalibur and Thetis. "Do you two have any clue on what this means? They've never met each other before, and only now through a series of odd events."
The Gallade shook his head profusely, trying to think just what was happening. 'I'm not sure at all. Alpha would know more about this, but he isn't in the best mood right now.' He looked up to see Bianca starting to paint a new scene on a new canvas. One about the shocking and happy reunion of an odd family. He suddenly became very worried. 'Wait, isn't she going to expose the legendaries!?' he cried.
Lorenzo shook his head, but it was Bianca that replied. "I've been painting Latios and Latias playing together ever since I could use a brush. I sell some of my work on the market," Bianca explained. "So far, no one has gotten any suspicion about them."
Excalibur rose to protest again. 'But—!'
"Dad," Thetis spoke as she placed her hand on his shoulder. She felt her spine go cold as the Gallade whirled on her, but managed to keep her confident and defiant stance. "They've been living like this for their entire lives. Let's just… let go and let them do what they want, alright?"
The Gallade frowned and glared at his daughter before reconsidering and deciding to set his expression as just a grim one. Perhaps she was right. They had intervened far too many times… in his opinion. 'Alright,' he conceded.
"Also, there's the fact that Lorenzo spends way too much time around the museum. It makes some sense that I would be somewhat interested," Bianca added to finish the argument. That did it. No one would be suspicious.
Hopefully.
'Alright. I get it, although I do have one question,' the Gallade replied. 'Lorenzo, what did you do with the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare?' Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Latios and Latias shiver at the word.
DMA. The very object that had taken Latios' life.
"The machine is still being rebuilt," Lorenzo replied. "Why do you wish know?"
Excalibur stiffened and gritted his teeth. 'It is supposed to be destroyed!' he cried. 'Why is it being rebuilt!?'
Lorenzo's eyes narrowed. "Even past what has happened, that machine is still what protects this city."
'Protect? Protect!?' Excalibur screamed incredulously. 'That thing nearly destroyed the city!'
The gondola worker paused as he considered what he had just said. "How do you even know of that incident?" Lorenzo asked in a low tone.
A tense atmosphere settled over the garden.
Excalibur sighed. 'Latios' and Latias' father still had some communication— enough so he could see what happened… even during that night when his children were kidnapped. Alpha and I were given orders on our next mission.'
"And you think that getting rid of the DMA will solve all our problems?" the gondola worker snapped back.
'In matter of fact, I do,' Excalibur responded.
"Says the one that broke out the very murders themselves from a maximum security prison!" Lorenzo shot back. "The DMA has been in this city for generations, and has been part in defining what Alto Mare is. You are not just going to destroy it!"
Some distance away, Bianca had halted her painting to hear what the angry conversation had escalated to. "Grandpa seems to really want to hold onto the DMA…" she whispered to herself.
"The DMA has been cared by your family for numerous of generations," a voice beside her spoke. Bianca looked to the origin and found the Soul Dew and a holographic Alpha. "Old things are hard to release."
"I thought you left," Bianca commented.
"Yes, well, this issue is far too important to stay out of. I will intervene when necessary," Alpha replied.
'The DMA is not a defining part of the city, the Pokémon who live here are! The Legendaries and the common are all part of it, not the DMA! That is only a weapon… nothing more, nothing less. It has already taken the life of one; how many other times does this need to happen?' Excalibur argued. He sighed. 'Even Sky despised the machine. It was built by your family without the guidance of his.' Excalibur paused and looked at the other Eon Pokémon. 'It never protected the Eon family, did it? Only for your city, but not their family.'
It was this point in time that Alpha intervened. "Lorenzo, I suggest you stay away from the museum tonight. We have been given orders from our employer, and any attempt for you to stop us will be futile," he warned. "And what of the Eon Pokémon? What do they think of it?"
Lorenzo's eyes filled with guilt before he looked down. He couldn't look back at Latios and Latias— how could he? He just supported keeping a weapon that had killed Latios once… and maybe even Latias.
Alpha nodded, acknowledging the fact that the conversation was over.
…
"Sigma," the Director's voice came over the intercom. "Set up a portal.
"Agent Theta," he called out, as a portal opened from the side of the garden. "The Director has agreed for you to move. It is your choice if you wish to remain with us or to move away."
Theta blinked several times at the portal. It seemed to be dark… mysterious… and… scary. Did she really want to go? The Gardevoir looked back at her father. It had been too soon since the two had reunited. She wanted to meet and talk to her father again… but did he even want her?
Excalibur had a sad look in his eyes before looking away. The choice was hers, not his.
"I… I wish to stay here with my family," she said. All of the people here were her family. Latios… Latias… Alpha… Excalibur… all of them.
The portal closed shut.
…
Dinner that day was odd… well, more odd than compared to usual dinners. Lorenzo had poured the Eon Pokémon food pellets into their bowls, but made sure he made no eye contact.
He didn't even talk to them.
Meanwhile, Latias, Latios, and Rei were all chatting excitedly about the prospect of being one, large family. Blu watched respectably and ate his own food, bit by bit— he was still getting used to the taste.
He wasn't talking, mainly because he had other thoughts on his mind. Iota and Epsilon… then Theta. He remembered hearing their names before… as if they were lost in his distant past. Theta seemed innocent enough. She was Excalibur's daughter, and had been lied and deceived to for all her life. He turned his head towards the duo, who were currently sitting at the roots of a tree, exchanging small talk. It would take a large amount of time to rebind the relationship that had been separated by the experiment. His inwardly groaned in pain. Why did the experiment feel so familiar to him?
"Hey, Blu," Rei interrupted his thoughts as she softly elbowed him. "How do you think we fit into the family tree?"
Blu was startled, but took the time to think about the question. "Perhaps… Latios and Latias could be our uncle and aunt… they certainly are older than us," he thought. "They can't be directly related to us, or else Bianca's family would know something of it…"
Latias nodded as she thought. "I want to ask Alpha about it, after. Just think of it! This is one big, happy reunion!" She waved her paws crazily in the air as if there was a party. Her brother simply shook his head before resuming eating his food. Even if his sister was biologically older, she would always be his little sister.
"At least this dinner isn't as crazy as the last one…" Latios commented.
Blu's face filled with dread. "Please… don't even bring that up…"
"Too late!" Latias replied before giggling. "I still remember… when Blu was trying to eat Pokémon food for the first time…"
"H-hey… it's not funny!" Blu said, his feathers turning hot pink with embarrassment. "I didn't know!"
"That was kind of obvious," Rei stated. "Still… you somehow managed to get all of your feathers dirty with food… somehow."
"And then Lorenzo had to give you a giant bath…" Latios finished, smirking, before frowning. Lorenzo was silently working in the workshop, but he had refused to communicate at all with them ever since the conversation about the DMA broke out.
The others quickly noticed the change in the atmosphere and also frowned. "Brother," Latias said. "How did it feel like after that night?"
Latios grimaced. "It felt like hurt… a lot… and then I felt nothing. It's weird. I could barely hear your voices as I felt my soul being lifted from the Earth," he described. "I missed you for a long time."
Latias smiled and gave a silent hug.
Blu observed his surroundings. "Where did Bianca go?" he questioned the others.
"Somewhere," Latios said. "She needs a tutor for something called 'school.'" He snorted. "If you ask me, it sounds ridiculous. Going there and sitting to hear some person talk about math and reading the human language."
Blu blinked. "What do you mean ridiculous? Math is the science of numbers, quantity, and space that can be applied to fix and solve certain problems. As for reading and writing, that is used as a main form of communication between humans when vocal communication is not available," the small Latios explained.
The other three blinked back uncomprehendingly.
"Wh-wha—!?" Latias asked. "You mean, you know what Bianca is learning?"
"Umm… possibly?" Blu answered in a slightly quizzical tone. "I'll have to see a worksheet or something, but of course, there is no way you have one of those—"
Latias flew to a bush and produced a sheet of white paper.
"Sis?" Latios asked as he studied the worksheet. "Is this the same one Bianca said was missing 3 days ago?"
"Uhh… that's not relevant!" Latias jumped in, trying to cover up her actions. "I just want to see if Blu can do it. Honestly, I can't understand a thing it says."
"Hmm… 5 times the square root of negative one…" Blu wondered to himself as he read over the questions. Before long, he had completed the entire worksheet, writing absent mindedly with a pencil also "borrowed" from Bianca.
"… and the square root of 64 is 8!" Blu exclaimed as he awkwardly fumbled with the pencil to write a crude looking answer onto the worksheet. The others simply stared at him with amazement.
"How— what!?" Latias yelled as she looked over the now completed sheet. Her golden eyes scanned the incomprehensible numbers and letters. "You need to teach me! Wait, no, actually—" she reconsidered. It took too much time, and according to Bianca, was too hard. "Let's just show Lorenzo. Maybe Bianca when she gets back."
Latias nodded. "This is quite the talent." He paused, and curious, asked Rei, "Have you learned of this "math" before?"
Rei simply shrugged. "Dad talked about it once or twice. He never got deep into it, though."
Blu saw the amazed reactions from the others. "H-hey, listen, it's nothing special, alright?"
"Sure, sure," Rei said, rolling her eyes with slight envy. Blu cringed.
"Well…" Blu declared, dropping the work supplies for the others to observe. "I'm going to go see Lorenzo. You can do whatever with that sheet." With that, he left the garden and headed back into the workshop.
…
"I need forty millimeter emplacements here… no, that's not right." The figure threw the holographic design into the garbage bin. "That's going to interfere with the landing strip."
"Alpha," a voice called, sending shivers down the figure's spine. "How is the ship going?"
"Working on it, Sigma!" the disguised soldier called back. He turned in his chair to meet face to face with a green, holographic soldier. Of course. He wasn't actually here, but his presence could be felt strongly enough.
"Estimated time?" another voice asked sharply. This was coming from a purple hologram of a different soldier. Unlike Sigma, whose armor was smooth and meant for training, this soldier's armor was sharp and aggressive. It matched his character quite well. "We need to know how much longer it will take, Alpha," it continued.
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Alpha cried, spinning to see his work. This was the hardest project he had been assigned with, and also the most important. The entire mission and people's lives counted on this ship.
"Well, work faster," the figure with sharp edged armor warned. "We have deadlines. All of us. Even if we don't agree on many things," – he glared at Sigma – "we'll have to work together on this one. Alpha, if you need any supplies –"
Alpha waved him away. "I know. I'm almost done with the ship. When will your team launch the attack?"
"Wait, attack?" Sigma asked incredulously. "What attack!?"
"1400 hours, whenever you're ready," the purple soldier replied, ignoring Sigma. "Be ready by then." With that, he faded away.
"Attack!? ATTACK!?" Sigma screamed. "What are you planning to do!?"
"It must seem that the ship is needed for the city's survival and protection," Alpha replied. "Even if we must sacrifice some for the greater need."
Sigma grimaced before his hologram disappeared.
"You will regret this…" Alpha heard Sigma say before he left completely.
"… Yea, I know," Alpha spoke as he continued the plans for the ship. "I will, but I need to do my part in this final assignment."
…
"… Lorenzo?" Blu asked. He tapped the idle gondola worker's shoulder. "Are you feeling ok?"
Lorenzo sighed. "I suppose not…" He paused and hummed in thought. "The DMA has always been looked at as a device of protection, but it has never been used that way, has it?" The small Latios shook his head. "I don't even know…"
"It'll get better," Blu advised somewhat cheerfully. "That's what dad used to say."
"Dad…" Lorenzo thought. "You do know that Sky is not your true father, correct?"
Blu sighed with sadness. "Yea, I know…" He suddenly had a thought. "What happened to Latios' and Latias' mother? They have well documented reports of dad— err, father— sacrificing his life for his children and city, but what about the mother?"
Lorenzo's eyes quickly scanned the area. "Promise not to tell the others?" Blu nodded, and Lorenzo relaxed in his seat. "My ancestors say that one day after Latios' and Latias' father had died, and when the two were still in eggs, their mother suddenly disappeared. Perhaps abandoning them." Blu winced. A secret truly better hidden away than exposed.
"Are you sure that's what the records say?" he asked, not quite believing the gondola worker's words.
"No one truly knows, but that is what they speculate. The best I have are old journals written by my ancestors." Lorenzo pulled from under his desk a box filled with dusty books, perhaps decades old. "You may read them if you wish, just do not show them to the others." He saw Blu's odd glance of why. "I trust you more than them, and even then, there is quite a lot of sensitive material inside them. Read carefully."
Blu nodded as he picked up a book from the box and began to carefully flip through the fragile pages with his claws. Lorenzo, seeing the young Latios occupied, left the workshop for the night and returned home, his mind still lingering on the creation that killed his friends.
…
Night had descended over the water city.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" a heavily armed guard asked as he and his companion darted across Alto Mare's rooftops, their bodies casting looming shadows across the ground.
"Positive," his blue friend replied as he looked down and fired a cylinder. "We're going to carry out the mission, no matter what it takes."
The two swiftly snuck themselves into the museum's entrance. As expected, it was empty, with the exception of the occasional night guard. The duo carefully made their way in the shadows until they reached behind the DMA.
"Time to blow this thing to kingdom come," Alpha mumbled as he attached small explosives to the most critical parts of the device; they didn't need much, and the last thing they wanted was to attract attention. He placed one in the Soul Dew holder, and several around the rings that had held Latios prisoner. Perhaps more than several, just to be safe. "How is it on your side?"
"Got it," Omega reported as he pulled out of the massive machine a small golden orb, the jewel that caused manipulation of the city's water. Also the one of all their troubles… and soon to be, solution. The armored Gallade stashed the orb into his satchel. "Let's move."
"Freeze!" a sharp voice cried out. Instantly, dozens of high intensity search lights inside the museum were focused onto the duo, who were caught in the act. "Place your weapons down!" Officer jenny ordered. There was a numerous amount of armed soldiers, stationed at the museum's entrance and the balcony where Bianca often used to paint, all aiming their weapons at them. After the first attack on the city, the usual sight of a happy officer and her Growlithe had easily transformed into the sight of armed guards, pacing around the street and canals, searching for any wrongdoers.
"Easy, easy, man," Alpha said as he stood up and placed his hands behind his head. His companion soon did the same. "No need to rush."
"You, idiot!" the police officer taking charge of the operation yelled at Omega. "Disarm the bomb!"
Omega reached down to one of the supposed bombs and hit a button on it. Several canals away, the cylinder Alpha fired exploded. The shockwave caught the police off guard, allowing the duo to dash through the front doors and blow the second set surrounding the DMA.
A massive explosion rang, but all the officers would survive. Alpha knew it all too well.
"That… selfish idiot told the police we were coming!" Alpha cursed as he leapt onto the rooftop of a nearby building. "I'll kill Lorenzo!"
"That's only if we make it out unnoticed and uncaptured," Omega murmured to himself as he spotted police boats swarming the canals, their search lights beaming.
"There they are!" Bright lights filled the night sky. "Open fire!" Rifle bursts rang out in the once calm city.
Alpha darted desperately across the rickety roofs, noticing most of the glaring lights were being focused on him. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted his partner successfully hidden in the shadows. Lucky Omega. Alpha had never trained so much in his physical abilities, but rather, with mental. He slipped as one of the pieces of the old roof gave way, and he fell towards the canal. A lucky bullet managed to penetrate his armor, detonating a spare explosive on his back. He gave one last cry before his body fell limp on the cold ground. As he looked up, he thought he saw the silhouette of his old partner. Omega seemed to laugh and say, "Sorry, orders," before melding away into shadows again.
…
"Officer Jenny!" a police officer yelled over the panic arising in the city. "Are you alright?"
She nodded before coughing. "All the breach troopers are fine. It's as if the attacker didn't wish to harm us… either way, the DMA is lost." She glanced back at the burning building. Incendiary explosives. "I have no idea why anyone would attack a museum… they're just legends and myths…"
"Well, we caught one of them. Not sure about how much we can get out of him right now, but I'll leave him to you," the officer replied. Alpha, in his tattered armor, was dragged in front of Officer Jenny.
She stared at the hostile trooper hard in the eye, and after a little bit of relenting, he looked back. "What are you doing?" she asked.
The blue soldier gasped greedily for oxygen before replying, "Fulfilling the final assignment." He passed out.
…
For Bianca Flores, her entire life had gone down in spiral since she had met those two new Eon Pokémon. She had nothing against them, but it seemed that where ever they went, trouble followed.
And now that trouble was in her town.
And it had just gotten a lot worse.
A massive explosion just outside. She jolted herself from her bed and quickly grabbed her clothes on. There's a fire she thought. No, the smoke is too thick and the explosion? She swept the thoughts away for now and marched down the stairs to barely see Lorenzo up from his cot, having the same emotions of shock and confusion as her.
"Out of the house, now!" he ordered. The two quickly filed out and into the alleyways. Suddenly, out of the black night, a dark figure landed in front of the two, its eyes and dagger illuminated with an emerald green. It blinked at them once before trying to dart off somewhere else.
Its split moment of hesitation and recognition, however, cost it dearly.
The city's armed guards swarmed around the alleyway, their weapons drawn and ready. Omega was cornered on both sides, but so were Bianca and Lorenzo.
"That's the Flores family," one of the troopers gasped in recognition. "They run the museum!"
Lorenzo's eyes darted to the where the museum was. Other tall buildings were blocking his direct line of sight, but he could see the thick smoke and soft light being emitted from the general direction. What in the world is going on?
The Flores family quickly fell back behind the safety of the armed guards, who kept their aim on the glowing green soldier. Omega flipped the dagger in his hand several times but made no motion to attack.
"Listen," a gruff voice rang out among the ranks. It was a voice of superiority and experience. Omega was willing to listen. "I don't know what you and your friends are doing in this city, but I suggest you stop." The massive figure stepped out in front of the ranks and faced the enemy. He was tall and had a muscular build, sporting triangular sunglasses, a green tank top, metal dog tags, army style boots, and desert camouflage khakis. His spiky, blond hair shifted slightly in the wind and even through the dark sunglasses and in the hazy smoke, Omega could make out a pair of menacing, blue eyes.
"Lieutenant Surge?" one of the troopers called out tentatively. "I don't think you should get that close. We have no idea what else he could be armed with."
"I am aware of that," the Lieutenant replied before turning to Omega. "I ask you to drop your weapons. I will not hesitate to give my men the order to open fire." Bianca let out a small gasp. Excalibur… a friend for so long… they would be willing to kill him? She wanted to speak up, but all the came out of her mouth was a small whimper. She felt useless and scared.
Omega gave no reply, and 30 tense seconds passed. "Very well," the battle hardened Lieutenant said with a pang of regret and he stepped back behind the lines. He hated killing anyone. Everyone did, but these were very different times. "Fire!"
Dozens of rifles fired once.
And Omega remained unscathed. He lowered his arm, which had been raised to block his sightline from his impending doom. There he saw a Gardevoir, her arms stretched out and a defiant look on her face. Around both of them, a green shield was formed. All the bullets had been deflected. She lowered her arms and put them around her father.
'Are you ok, father?' she asked in a small voice, not knowing his reaction.
'Thanks to you, I am,' Excalibur responded gratefully. 'But you shouldn't be here.'
She shrugged. 'Teleport. You need to learn to love and hate it,' she explained before turning back to the gunmen. 'Please, stop,' she told them. 'Violence never solves the problem. My… friend. He never meant harm to anyone.'
"… Lieutenant?" the soldiers looked up to their commanding officer.
There are never evil Pokémon. Just evil people, he thought to himself. Could he trust this Gardevoir? "Alright, we'll take him into custody."
However, the duo, in a flash of light, were no longer there.
…
The morning sun rose the next day, as with it, much chaos and panic. Most of Alto Mare's museum's main structure had been burned badly. The books seemed to be untouched, as if the fire was deliberately planned to only ravage the DMA. Officer Jenny took all of these factors into account as she strolled down the police headquarters and into the dull interrogation room. It was time to find out.
"Alright," she started, speaking to the blue soldier. "Let's start off. Who are you?" She gave him a quick glance over. His armor, although tattered, was still mainly intact; no skin could be seen. Also, the others hadn't been able to pull the mysterious trooper's helmet off. The reflective blue of the pilot helmet's visor shined her reflection back at her. He wore dark black jackboots, tipped with a blue accent at the front. There was a sort of airplane pilot related chest gear and suit that covered up the rest of her body—either way, it didn't look familiar… or friendly.
"I'm sorry, but that is classified material, Officer Jenny," the trooper replied. "Perhaps you would like to ask other questions?" It seemed that after his rest of being knocked unconscious, he was as calm as ever.
"Well, then why did you destroy the city's museum?" the officer questioned accusingly. "And why did you steer those unauthorized ships into our city and detonate them!?"
Alpha licked his lips before coolly replying, "I am sorry to tell you that once more, those two events are classified. However, my colleague and I are not responsible for the suicidal ships."
Officer Jenny blinked uncertainly. This was the only soldier or person, along with the other escaped trooper, that had any malicious intentions on such a large scale and could be accused of Alto Mare's first attack. "Then who—"
"That is what I am trying to figure out as well," Alpha replied before moving his hands in front of him and standing up from his chair. Jenny's eyes grew wide. He was supposed to be tied down. He awkwardly fumbled with her pistol and aimed it at the free soldier. She wasn't used to weapons. It just didn't feel right. To her horror, her only clip was in his hand. "I have plenty of intelligence that your agency lacks. In return for my freedom, I will give you what I know of all crime in this city and help carry out any operations you need help with." He paused, allowing the information to sink in. "I understand the first cruise ship in a month is coming next week? This city's economy relies heavily on tourism, if I understand correctly. Might want to make it safe, Officer. For the city and for the people."
She reluctantly moved her pistol down. He was correct on all of those things.
"Ok, tell me what you have," she demanded.
"Very well," he said gladly, sitting back in his seat and crossing his arms. "I suggest you sit as well, Officer. It is a very long story."
…
"YOU WHAT!?" Lorenzo screamed when he confronted Excalibur in the Secret Garden the next day.
"We told you to stay away from the museum that night," the green soldier replied furiously. "And then you tip off the police. Now Alpha's captured. Do you know how much he holds in his mind!? If those secrets are loose, this entire town is dead!"
"What choice did I have?" the gondola worker replied. "You destroyed my entire museum. You destroyed my life."
Excalibur turned his back. "Just be glad we didn't end it. The grenade we dropped next to your house was a smoke one, not a fragmentation. For all I know, both you and Bianca could be dead."
Lorenzo took several steps towards him, but Bianca was quick to block him. She had tears in her eyes, but she shook her head. It wasn't the right time to cause conflicts. Not now. They observed the sleeping Eon Pokémon.
"Are they still sleeping?" Lorenzo whispered softly.
The Gallade nodded. "Yes, a peaceful sight. Blissfully ignorant to everything that happened last night."
Bianca and Theta were both quick to notice Blu was missing from the group. Last night, Rei, sensing his absence, and gone and slept on the same tree with the guardians of Alto Mare. It was a nice sight, but it raised an important question.
"Where is Blu?" Bianca asked.
"Still in the workshop, reading," Excalibur replied nonchalantly. "He's taken very detailed observations and drawings of what happened during his study last night." He wasn't sure what the last part was for, but it was a fact. The kid was pretty smart.
"Still?" Lorenzo asked incredulously, trying to ignore the last part of the Gallade's sentence. "Most of the books are simply observations. Numbers. Statistics. I don't see how this would be helpful."
"In more ways than you can imagine," the Excalibur replied. Bianca looked on with slight confusion, not understanding what sort of books Lorenzo was talking about. Evidently, the Gallade had figured out. "We should probably pull him into a bed before he passes out."
…
Journals. Records. Blood samples hid in a cut away part of the book. All sorts of information relating to the history of the Eon family. He felt interested. Blu checked the time again. It had been a straight 6 hours, yet he didn't feel tired.
Looking up, he noticed the faint trails of smoke. There was a large fire, and he had missed most of it… yet, there had been an entire pile of notes describing the events. Blinking tiredly, he decided to ignore the sheets. He grimaced and stood up from the seat, stumbling a little. His vision started blurring. The books that Lorenzo gave him.
They didn't tell the full story.
He was fast asleep on the floor.
I must know…
For Dad…
…
Excalibur carefully carried the sleeping Blu into the garden and set him against the base of the Eon's tree. He had been in human form all that time… he sure had a unique way of living.
"You know," Lorenzo informed, "we have a cot on the second floor of the workshop." Even when they had arguments, it was a family they both cared for that kept them together.
The Gallade took off his helmet and scanned the scene. "No, I think he'll sleep better when he's next to his family." He smiled slightly as he saw Rei slowly inch towards her brother and give him a soft hug.
"A family together…"
"All families will be rejoined… All secrets will be revealed… and all will be destroyed."
That'll be it for now. I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to send me messages asking about anything- I'm happy to reply! I'd especially like to hear what you think is coming up in the next chapter. Future chapters might be a little shorter, but that means I can write more of them. Hopefully. ^^ Bye everyone!