Chapter 26 A villain?
Author's Note: Thanks for not hating me you guys. I wrote this longer for you to try and make up for my lateness.
Note- I did not edit this ONE bit…so…..hmmm *Awkward* But it's longer than normal so there!
Oh and have I heard about the remakes? Man I've not heard about anything else since they were announced! My childhood is on the line here, Emerald was my baby! :D
Also the guest who posted about getting their drawing drive back. T-T You hit my feels. If anyone drew anything of their story I'd probably up and marry them. XD
And I swear I'm not finished, I'm still writing this…I just started a year ago. Jesus, it's been that long? Well anyway, onwards!
Fun fact- Arceus's cry was actually written like that. Lelelelelelel~
…
Alice
So this was the pokemon world?
Alice's head had just begun to wrap around the fact. As she stood staring out the window, hands pressed to the glass with eyes wide, she could see the world outside. It was beautiful. She saw no cities or structures besides the castle she was currently occupying but oh man…the view.
High up in the tower Alice could see out far over the landscape. It looked like something out of a painting, vast forests with the cracks of blue making up lakes and rivers that littered across the land in beautiful splashes of vibrant colours. She'd always thought that the world N was from would be beautiful but it was so much more awe inspiring when she saw it for herself.
Alice and N had once discussed colours.
When she found him he had expressed his disappointment in the lacklustre colour pallet of her home. He'd been disappointed with their limited hair and eye colours, he'd been let down by the mundane features of her landscape but he'd told Alice that her black hair was just as lovely as any colour from his home. At the time Alice had merely been embarrassed and dismissed his words but now she compared it to where she was now and…well…he wasn't wrong.
Things changed when she passed through worlds. Her clothes seemed more weightless and only moved in certain directions, her hair sat in a strange way and would part more freely than it had in her world in a weightless sensation. Colours became saturated and the clothes she'd thought passable at best in her world were now bright and full of flare in this world's light. It had taken Alice a long time to realise these changes in herself did not stay only to colour and style of movement. Her body didn't feel familiar and even her eyes seemed to have taken a slightly different shape.
Alice was still Alice but there was just something a little off about this version of her. She'd reasoned it was the process of passing between the two worlds that they did not have the exact same appearance and so she'd merged to fit in with this one without looking unnatural.
It made sense, if N had looked perfectly like he did in his own world he would have turned even more heads back home and the same would have gone for Alice had her form not adjusted to suit this new land.
The whole thing was enough to do Alice's head in but at the same time she couldn't help but feel a small thrill. This was the world she'd adored since childhood, she should be excited to explore. Well she would have been if the door wasn't locked. She'd tried to open the door immediately after being dumped in the room only to find the grunts had locked her in. At first panic had gripped her but she knew it was a waste of time and energy to lose her head trying to escape. She'd bide her time and think logically.
Pushing away from the window Alice looked around her room again. She'd expected a simple little room but instead been given a rather lovely place. The room looked expensive and Alice was hesitant to touch anything, not the picture on the wall, not the lovely wooden desk and chair, hell she was even uncertain about standing on the rug. How could anyone live comfortable in beautiful places they were too scared to risk breaking?
The bed was bigger than anything she'd ever slept on before and she imagined three people would fit happily on it. The bedding was soft and sank under her when she sat on the edge, tempting her to take a small nap like the Eevee she'd brought with her was currently doing.
Eevee had been allowed to stay with her thanks to Ghetsis's kindness and the little pokemon had almost instantly collapsed when they arrived, apparently being far more tired than Alice. She still could not quite believe she was able to see a living Eevee and a white one at that, the little pokemon's fur was soft to the touch and with the gentle rise and fall of its chest Alice could feel the warm beat of its tiny heart. There was simply no comparison between this little guy and her stuffed toy. Though the toy was a gift from Riley so it was still very precious to her.
Alice was pulled free of her thoughts as Eevee gave what sounded like a purr when her fingers scratched the top of his head. Unable to help herself Alice smiled from ear to ear, Eevee was going to do her head in if it kept being this ungodly cute. Despite her strange situation Alice was staying positive, even though the sense of imprisonment began to crawl up her spine and not for the first time escape crossed her mind. It gave her no peace of mind thinking about the separation from N, it would have put her at ease if he'd been with her –it was his home after all.
"He could be my guide this time." Alice laughed nervously, trying to keep her spirits up. She was Australian, it was important that she keep on making some kind of lame joke right? Yeah. Right.
Still humour was hard to come by as her hands were shaking violently by her side and the tight feeling in her chest continued to restrict her. She did what she could to keep her thoughts light however, finding some old books in the bookshelf. Naturally she recognised none of them and found herself wondering just how different pokemon books would be to the books back home. It wasn't long after that stray thought that Alice had buried herself inside of them. Fact and fiction alike, it was all – in a funny way – kind of fiction to Alice seeing as this whole world was like one big fairy tale to her and so she had no trouble pouring over the pages with genuine interest that may have bored children from this world.
N was right, there were no wars like back home. Oh they had fights alright but never once was any bombing or massacre mentioned, the loss of even one human or pokemon was the single most horrific thing any of the books had to show. Alice liked that, a wold in which life was far more valuable must be more peaceful. Ignoring their legalised animal fighting…when she thought of it like that it didn't seem so rosy, still even in those fights there wasn't any real death or suffering.
As her reading continued Alice eventually found herself reading what she guessed was something like a bible for team Plasma, it read very much like holy rules and while some of the things did make Alice think twice about her point of view none of it was enough to sway her in the way of releasing pokemon.
Taking a glance at the Eevee Alice nodded to herself, there was nothing that would convince her abandoning a pokemon or animal was ever going to be acceptable under any circumstances. Alice wondered if N still believed in the liberation of pokemon after having spent so much time with them, after having met Hewie….
Perhaps he had changed his mind?
Alice was stirred from her pondering with a little jump of alarm as a light rapping sounded at her door. Alice's breath caught in her throat as she stared wide eyed at the door, not sure who to expect. Perhaps a grunt had come to get her? Or maybe Ghetsis had made the trip himself, that idea scared her though she still could not figure out for the life of her why. He'd been pleasant enough in their meeting and she only recalled him delivering speeches in the games and aiding N…so perhaps she was being paranoid?
"Excuse me?" That voice didn't put Alice in mind of a grunt and it was far too smooth to be Ghetsis. The tone was polite but filled with excitement and frankly Alice couldn't begin to place the accent, was it British or something? It sounded nice but she hadn't a clue as to what it was. Thought to be fair they didn't have England like they did back home…so how did he sound British? Urg, world jumping logic!
"Doctor who could have a field day with this." Alice muttered dryly.
"Ah, you're in there aren't you?" The voice on the other side of the door continued and Alice found herself annoyed by the level of cheer it held. Somehow it was aggravating.
"Do excuse me. I'm going to let myself in." Alice tensed hearing that and not a moment later she heard the click of the door being unlocked followed by the soft creak as it swung open.
Alice had no idea what she was looking at. It looked like a man but there was this blue….thing, sprouting from his hair.
It looked like a strand of hair itself as it curled around the male's head but it was just so unnatural that Alice found herself openly staring at it in awe.
In a similar fashion the male was looking at her with an excited gaze, as if he'd seen something even more abnormal than that thing on his head.
However that expression changed drastically. It was a sudden flash of emotion that Alice couldn't place immediately. He looked at her as though he'd seen some type of ghost, there was a hint of recognition in his gaze coupled with a melancholy smile. It was the strangest expression Anna had ever seen…or maybe that's just because of the blue thing. Either way it made her uncomfortable, almost as though she had somehow wronged this stranger.
Shutting the door quietly behind him the blonde man took another step into the room, the movement snapping Alice from her staring as she moved back away from him. He did not wear a uniform of any kind that identified him as Plasma and she did not recognise him. That meant he was not someone N would trust automatically and Alice decided that who N would trust would help her judgment and right then she didn't know what to expect of the man with a blue thingy.
"Oh!" The male looked innocently alarmed and quickly smiled in a welcoming manner. "Please don't be afraid. I'm a friend I assure you."
"Who are you exactly?" Alice asked slowly. She'd always believed the good in people sure but she had just been dropped head first into another world, trust was fairly low on her list right then.
"Introductions, of course, how rude of me. My name is Colress, a scientist in this fine facility." As he introduced himself the male bowed his head slightly, still smiling warmly. Alice couldn't place her finger on why his smile and tone bugged her, it was all friendly but there was just something off about it all.
"And you my dear lady?" He asked politely.
"Alice." She responded hesitantly. "Uh…not from around here." Colress chuckled good naturedly and nodded knowingly.
"Yes indeed. Our lord Ghetsis had told me about your predicament and in turn N's as well." He told her smoothly. "I've requested permission to speak with you about it, if you don't mind my asking of course."
"To speak with me?" Alice repeated, not sure why he'd request permission for that.
"Well naturally." Suddenly the scientist was very animated, moving with a certain passion Alice couldn't understand. "I've been waiting so eagerly to be able to interact with a being from the other world, I couldn't believe my luck when you appeared."
"Ghetsis was a hard sale as always, but I was able to convince him. I'm simply thrilled, I have so many questions about you, about your world. You look exactly like we do though when I studied your world it looked different. Did the trip change you slightly? Can you tell me about-" He spoke in a rapid tongue and Alice struggled to pick it all up. He was obviously very excited, so much so that Alice would have felt bad to douse that flame.
"What do you want to know? Ask slowly, one question at a time." It'd be rude to turn him down but some part of Alice still wanted to tell him to bug off. Fighting down that impolite urge Alice smiled nervously.
Clapping his hands together in absolute joy Colress's smile brightened and he took a few more casual and hurried steps into the room, this time Alice didn't back away.
"Marvellous." Alice tried not to laugh when he said that. "Please do tell me, your world is it true there are really no pokemon at all? From what I've studied there are creatures much like them but they are not actually pokemon, correct?"
"Yeah that's right. They're animals, it's a little bit different." Alice explained, feeling reminiscent of the first time she explained the differences between pokemon and animals to N. In fact throughout their conversation she found herself saying a lot of the same things.
Colress was about a good a listener as N had always been, if just a little bit more easily excitable. Colress would ask questions at the same rapid pace that N always did and had she not been trained from her time with N, Alice may have struggled to keep up.
The more they spoke the more Alice relaxed, whatever it was that had disturbed her about the scientist was forgotten.
Well aside from that blue thing. What the hell was it? Alice was going to name it. Yeah, it was going to be Leroy, Leroy the blue thingy on his Colress's head. Leroy the blue thingy. Yep, perfect. Maybe Leroy would pop off if she tugged it or maybe Colress would explode. Maybe Colress was a grenade and Leroy was a pin? Maybe he was a balloon and if she pulled Leroy he'd fly away. Alice should pull Leroy, yeah, that seems like a good idea.
"Ah, Miss Alice?" Colress's voice broke through Alice's strange train of thought. "Are you still listening?" He asked, blissfully unaware of how close he was to exploding.
"Sorry, zoned out." Alice laughed rubbing the back of her head. "To me my world is fairly boring, I mean I'm use to it. This world is far more interesting, I want to have a look around but this room is tiny."
"Oh! Well of course it would be too small." Colress agreed, humming as he nodded with a thoughtful expression. If she'd not been so caught up on Leroy she might have noticed the sly smile that slipped onto his face.
"Tell me Miss Alice." He spoke slowly, a calculating note in his tone. "There are still some things you're not telling me…aren't there?"
Alice tensed and looked away. She'd been holding things back from him and at first she'd not known why but Alice was positive that she should not tell these people some things. To protect N.
From what she didn't exactly know.
"Not in particular." Shifting uncomfortable Alice looked away as if guilty. She should have practiced better lying skills because she was being bleedingly obvious with her evasion. She'd not wanted to mention what she knew about N or any of the linking between their worlds but in truth she was still fairly in the dark about it all, even if she was alright with disclosing that information she couldn't give them much.
Colress smiled in a pitying kind of way and lent a little closer to the girl, finding that even by a child's standards her lying skills were poor at best.
"I'll make a deal with you Alice." He said in a friendly manner though the shine of his glasses obscured the somewhat feverish glint in his eyes. "In exchange for some more information I'll take you outside."
She should have ignored him, like a child should ignore candy from a stranger but her interest was piqued. Outside this luxurious room was an entire world of pokemon, one she'd never believed she could actually stand in and all she had to do was get over her distrust of the man to see it. Alice did struggle with the choice for a while, trying to think for reasons not to agree. Sure trust was an issue but she felt as though it was just paranoia that kept her from answering Ghetsis and Colress. After all they worked for N right? It was only natural they'd look for him.
Hold on a tick. Alice thought with a frown. Am I remembering that right?
Ever since N had appeared Alice had struggled to remember the most basic things about the game he was attached to and neither of them could remember how it ended. This confusion had at first startled them both but somewhere along the way both she and N seemed to be at ease with their lack of memory, it was fairly common in their group apparently.
With that in mind Alice decided she was being paranoid for no reason but she did just have to take one last quick check.
"To you and Ghetsis." She began slowly. "What is N?" Colress looked surprised by her question but the smile returned quickly.
"Why, the king of course. He's been gone for a long time and as a sage, no as a father, lord Ghetsis is determined to have him home and safe again." Colress couldn't have hoped for a better question to be placed. It would be easy to get her talking when she made it so easy to reassure her.
Alice smiled faintly, thinking about that in a fond light. N had been away from home for a long time and as his guide it was her responsibility to see him home. There was no reason to hold anything back from the people trying to help.
"Alright, you have yourself a deal Leroy." Alice said brightly.
"Leroy…?"
"Ah…nothing…."
….
"Shh." Colress murmured, finger pressed to his lips as the two of them remained close to the walls, waiting for some grunts to pass. When she'd been given this offer Alice hadn't realised he meant they'd sneak out. She didn't mind, finding it to be good fun but she didn't fancy being caught either.
The two of them had gotten out easily and not met any resistance. Colress had top level access to every part of the castle. Alice was briefly confused as to why a scientist had such a high level clearance but Colress simply told her that was the way of things. It wasn't her world, she had no reason to argue with their logic. Not to mention she would let just about anything fly with Colress seeing as he was getting her and Eevee outside.
On her back the little Eevee had fallen asleep in a backpack. Colress had offered it to her when she hesitated about leaving the little pokemon. He'd said something about it being fitting that Eevee stay with her. Alice didn't know why everyone seemed to think this Eevee belonged with her but hell…it was an Eevee she wasn't complaining.
"Is this really alright?" Alice asked in a quiet hiss. "I mean…Ghetsis would be mad if he knew wouldn't he?"
"Trust me." Colress responded with a sweet smile. "Don't worry yourself with Ghetsis. Now quickly, there's an opening." Without any more warning Colress took hold of Alice's hand and began to pull her down the hall rapidly. The grunts were damn near everywhere and they had to duck into cover every other moment just trying to navigate down a single corridor.
It actually became more funny than it was terrifying. The two of them would share soft snickering every time they were almost caught or a guard almost noticed her. Logically they should have been afraid of getting caught but somehow it seemed like one big game.
With that said they were still pretty damn careful not to get busted.
"Alright." Colress whispered once they came to a stop once again. "Around that corner is our way out. There will be two grunts at the door."
"So what do we do?" Alice asked with a frown. It didn't help when Colress shrugged carelessly.
"Not a clue my dear." He answered with a carefree smile and shrug.
"What? You didn't think this through?" Alice hissed angrily and Colress merely shook his head with a quick laugh. "Great deal of help you are." She grumbled.
"While we're chatting like this." Colress said casually while leaning back against the wall. "I've been meaning to ask you about something."
"I told you I'd answer your questions once we were outside." Alice responded sharply, frustrated that they were so close to being out and hit a dead end.
"Well you are out of the room." Colress pointed out tauntingly. "So I assume at least one question is in order before we get outside."
"At this rate we won't get outside."
"Tsk, tsk. A young lady shouldn't have such a cold tone." Colress laughed but otherwise ignored her frustration.
"Fine. One question, what is it?" Alice gave a sigh and leant back against the wall with Colress.
"By chance…have we met before?" Colress still harboured that innocent smile as he asked the question and for some reason that smile coupled with that question turned Alice's blood to ice.
She just…stared. It was an innocent question, completely impossible mind you but it was not malicious in any way and yet for some reason Alice couldn't form a response to it.
Alice remembered when he'd first entered her room, that look on his face had confused her back then but now she was beginning to get a grip on this person's character. Only just, but enough to know that this was a trick question.
"You're not actually asking. Are you?" Alice murmured flatly. "What is it that you-"
"Oi!" Both Alice and Colress were surprised by the sharp pokemon cry. Glancing over her shoulder Alice smiled seeing that Eevee had woken up.
"Moring little guy." Alice greeted the white furred pokemon.
"Oui…." Eevee gave her a disgruntle look then snarled at Colress as if to ask why they'd stopped moving.
"The door's blocked." Alice defended with a huff, finding it easy to understand the Eevee. "We can't do anything about it."
Eevee looked unimpressed before stretching from its nap and leaping from the backpack. Once on the ground Eevee darted around the corner and out of sight. Alice almost let out a yelp of alarm as Eevee was about to blow their cover but Colress quickly grabbed her arm to keep her back. Looking back at him in confusion Alice saw a knowing smile on his face as he again gestured for hush.
In silence they waited until the sounds of alarmed voices rang out down the hall, followed by the rapid pounding of feet that slowly grew quieter in the distance.
"Quite the little monster you have Lady Alice." Colress chuckled, releasing her arm. "And it's warmed up to you quiet rapidly wouldn't you say?"
As Colress chittered away he rounded the corner that Eevee had moments ago and when Alice followed she was relieved to see the grunts had gone. Eevee having caused the perfect little diversion for them. Alice smiled when she thought of how clever the pokemon was and just how fond it did actually seem to be of her.
Alice followed after Colress as they approached the front doors, they looked huge and impossible to move from where Alice stood but Colress merely gave a small push and the doors creaked on open, just enough for them to both squeeze through. Turning back to her Colress ushered her forward with a small smirk.
"It's only right you get the first glance out." He told her while moving back from the partially opened doors, allowing Alice to peer out.
Just as she'd expected, it was beautiful out there. It looked almost normal but something about it was just different to her home. Much like she'd noticed her own form change the world seemed to have shifted slightly, the world was saturated in brighter sharper colours and everything seemed to have a rounded welcoming shape to it. It was not so different it was jarring to Alice but it was enough to catch her interest.
"What do you think? Wonderful, no?" Colress asked from by her side but Alice didn't respond, far too occupied with squeezing herself through the crack in the door and out into her new playground. The second she was out Alice ran down the many steps of the castle and into the grassy plains. Somehow that felt wrong in her mind….didn't the castle have a rocky home? Her brain was too fuzzy to remember and the red of her too excited to try very hard.
It was flawless, there was no rubbish or smell of pollution to be found anywhere in this world. The grass was soft and lacked the annoying itch that the grass back home gave and the sky was full of gently moving clouds. Alice couldn't have been more happy and all she was doing was standing in a patch of grass grinning like an idiot.
Far up above her, still on the steps by the door Colress watched in amusement and mild fascination. To see someone get so worked up over something so mundane made him wonder just how different their worlds were. By his side the Eevee returned, sliding past his legs with an indignant flick of its tail, the Eevee might have liked Alice just fine but it did not seem terribly fond of him.
"Mind yourself little one." He murmured with a wicked grin. "Wouldn't want to let old grievances get in the way, hmm? You might lose another one."
Eevee ears laid flat back against its head as it growled at Colress before darting off down the steps to rejoin with its new human. As he watched the Eevee pounce onto the girl and in return she hugged it tightly Colress couldn't help but frown slightly. Ghetsis had forewarned him about the similarities between this human and that woman but he'd not been expecting such an unsettling resemblance. Their king N had been with the girl all this time…Colress could only assume that was some kind of sick twist in the young king's mind but it all amounted to nothing.
What she looked like and who she resembled no longer mattered to any of them. All that mattered now was the other world, exploring it and conquering it. Nothing less than that would please Ghetsis and nothing more would thrill Colress. Time to get to work.
"So what do you think?" Colress asked as he slowly descended the steps towards the grassy plain. Coming to a stop on the last step with hands in his pockets Colress smiled while looking down on the pair. "Worth your answers?"
"Ah yes, our deal." Alice smiled as she sat herself down with the playful Eevee, looking up at the man with a completely trusting smile, her doubt having faded with their small escape. "What questions do you have?"
Colress walked to Alice's side and abruptly dropped down to sit next to her, watching Eevee playing in the grass. The scientist adjusted his glasses while humming thoughtfully, he wasn't entirely sure where he wanted to begin.
At first Colress asked her seemingly pointless things. What lands there were in her home instead of Kanto or Joto, what kinds of customs they had and how their conflicts were solved without pokemon. It almost bored Alice some of the answers she had to give but the day was too beautiful and the setting too happy for it to really bother her.
The longer they sat together exchanging information he more at home she felt, Alice didn't know why she'd ever felt uncomfortable. Colress was always smiling and never seemed upset or angry…there was no reason to reject him the answers he wanted.
As time passed they did eventually come back to the inevitable question of N.
"Perhaps you'd be willing to tell me truthfully where our king is?" Alice frowned a little bit but she'd already decided to help them out.
"He's been with me for a while now. I've been housing him and teaching him since this all started a year ago." She admitted slowly. "Since he accidently got trapped in my home."
"Accidentally?" Colress asked in surprise.
"Well…yeah. We've been trying to get him home for a while now but he doesn't seem to remember how he got there in the first place."
"I see." Colress murmured, his glasses shinning sharply as he pushed them up gently. He then smiled warmly to Alice. "If it's as you say then your coming here was a stroke of good luck was it not? It'll be much easier to find N now that you're with us."
"Yeah." Alice agreed smiling back faintly. "What else is there you want to know about my home? I couldn't tell you much more about where N is…he's probably gone back to the house and I can't imagine him going anywhere else."
"Actually my dear I have some questions for you." Colress responded smoothly while leaning towards her casually. "About what you know."
"Hah." Alice laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well I can't help much there, I think you'll find I haven't got a clue about most of this."
"And I believe you." He said calmly. "Which it why I want to ask you this, do you understand the link between here and home? Between the people?"
"Well…we can move between them apparently." Alice said dumbly. "Other than that there isn't much I know."
"I expected as much. You've given me lots of material to use in my studies so I'll give you some information in return." Colress smiled again but his tone was a little bit eerie as he spoke to her quietly.
"The link between your world and ours is a little stronger than just a bridge, your home and ours almost mirror one another. Certain places are similar, certain pokemon and animals are almost identical and even the people can share common lives."
Alice listened in silence as what he said began to sink in. He wasn't wrong, even some of the pokemon regions seemed to closely resemble their real lands back home and anyone could see the similarities between pokemon and animals but that wasn't what caught her interest.
"Common lives? What do you mean?" Alice asked quietly, it seemed that suddenly they'd entered a strange conversation. Colress still smiled and spoke eagerly but it almost sounded menacing.
"Oh, it varies. A similar personality or face, sometimes almost a mirror image of their other world counterpart. At times it seems that they can even share similar lives. So tell me, if a person were to die in this world do you think that their counterpart would…hmm –die with them?" Colress was close to Alice now, too close for comfort and there was a darkness in his gaze she couldn't identify properly.
"Why are you saying this?" She asked quietly, leaning back from him and placing her hands back on the ground behind her.
"Answer me first then I'll answer you." He answered teasingly.
"Yes... if they are counterparts…the other would die." Alice answered, it sounded logical to her.
"Heh, a smart answer." He praised her before smirking coldly. "But it seems that's not the case."
Alice had no answer for that. A cold gloved hand brushed against her face and took hold of a strand of her black hair, bringing it towards him while Alice remained frozen.
"Why am I saying this to you? Well…Has anyone told you yet? You look strikingly like a young trouble maker I once knew."
Lots of people…. Alice thought in the back of her mind. Always hinting with similar words…
This is bad, you should escape while you're outside. Alice tensed slightly at that familiar voice in the back of her head. She always heard it, a voice that sounded similar to her own but was just a little off…whose voice was it that kept cautioning her?
"Colress!" Alice flinched at the sound of a furious shout. Colress merely sighed and dropped his hand away from Alice's face, turning to face the source of the voice.
Standing at the head of the stairs was a very unhappy Ghetsis. Alice cowered a little bit when she saw that furious red eyes gaze land on the two of them. By his side there stood three figures that Alice vaguely recognised as the shadow triad.
"Good evening Ghetsis." Colress called cheerfully though they'd been caught red handed. "Lovely evening is it not?"
"I gave you permission to speak with our guest." Ghetsis growled as he looked down on them. "Not to take her from the castle!"
"You never said such a thing was out of the question either." Colress pointed out smugly but Ghetsis saw absolutely nothing funny about this.
"My patience has worn thin, with you and this whole operation." With a single nod of his head the shadow triad surrounded them and while Alice jumped Colress only looked a little irritated.
"Are you not going to play the welcoming host card anymore Ghetsis?" He asked calmly. "I thought you intended to use trust not force. I have gotten quite a bit of useful information by putting faith into trust and hospitality.
"As I told you Colress. My patience has been wasted on this. Come, it's about time we made some real progress." Ghetsis turned away from them heading inside. The shadow triad worked without speaking and began to herd both human and pokemon back towards the castle. Alice expected them to be rough but if they had to touch her it was only done with the upmost care.
"Colress, give me what findings you were actually able to get, prove to me you've not completely wasted my time." Colress took a sneaking glance back at Alice who was rightfully shaken and smiled brightly while speaking in a hushed tone.
"Looks like you've run out of time. He won't be as kind as I am so try not to upset him, after all it wouldn't be the first time something bad has happened to you in this world would it?" With that Colress broke away from the triad and Alice wandering off ahead of them with a casual wave over his shoulder.
Alice didn't like this world as much as she had before and timidly followed after Ghetsis and Colress seeing as there was no other alternative. They walked in silence as Colress spoke rapidly to Ghetsis up ahead of them, speaking quietly so Alice could hear nothing in the conversation.
Eevee was still in her arms, growling a constant low sound with ears flat against its head as they walked down the hall. Alice began to wonder if she'd made a mistake in speaking so freely and was still reeling from the conversation that they had shared. It never used to be this confusing or dangerous when N first appeared but with him came a lot of complications.
And Alice feared this complication would mark the end to their encounter and perhaps just a little bit more.
Ghetsis rose his hand to stop Colress's speaking and turned back to face the triad and Alice. Whatever hospitality or tolerance he'd displayed before was gone as he stared down on the young girl with cold eyes.
"To my chambers, I'll get what last scraps of information I can from her myself. No one disturbs me unless they had either my son or that link up and running." He ordered calmly and without any need for confirmation the triad carried out the orders, ushering Alice away from the main hall and towards the bedding chambers.
Once they reached a particularly large room and opened the door Alice expected to be left alone but the three lingered by the door, one with his hand outstretched. For an amusing second Alice considered giving them a tip or something but that inner joke died when she realised they were going to remove Eevee from her.
Eevee realised it too and began to snarl and swipe at the outstretched hand, managing to scratch and draw some blood though the male did not even flinch at the contact.
"Hey, hey…" Alice murmured quietly, not daring to think what would happen to the Eevee if it caused Ghetsis to become angry. "It's just for a little while, I'll see you soon alright?" Eevee made a pitiful sound of complaint but after a small stare off between human and pokemon it begrudgingly allowed itself to be taken by the triad. With Eevee in his arms the male bowed his head in silent thanks before all three vanished, the door shutting and locking as they did.
Alice was left staring at the door, shaking in her boots as it was. She wasn't enjoying this anymore, she wanted to go back home and back to N. Inching back from the door Alice gradually looked around the unfamiliar room it was huge and vastly more expensive looking than hers had been and Alice had already been blown away by the amount of money in her room as it was.
It felt like if she touched anything she'd get into trouble so Alice found herself standing like an idiot in the middle of the room, waiting for something to happen.
"I wonder…how N is doing…?" Alice murmured quietly as she stood all on her own.
"Haa…he might not even have noticed I'm gone right...?" Laughing Alice tried to console herself though it only made her feel more depressed. "He…has noticed hasn't he?"
Alice was becoming rapidly aware that soon N would be gone, one way or another they wouldn't be spending any more time together. She was certain he knew this as well so there was no reason for him to pay any more attention to her.
"N-No, I'm just feeling a little down." Alice scolded herself, shaking the thoughts away. "There's no way he'd be that absentminded. Well….I suppose N always a little bit of an air head…ahah..hahah."
"You'd be wrong." Alice damn near jumped out of her skin at the sound of the cold voice behind her. Spinning around with rapid steps back Alice ended up facing Ghetsis. When he'd gotten there she had no idea, he'd been too quiet for her to even notice his entrance.
"N is a whimsical child, barely human by any standards. I doubt he'd recall any one he has met." Ghetsis stalked closer to her and Alice kept on backing up.
"That's…not very nice to say about your own son." Was the best reply she could come up with.
"Not nice? It's kind to call him anything less than what he is, worthless." Ghetsis spat the word and Alice's insides turned cold.
She stopped backing up, becoming rooted to the spot as she stared at the advancing male and despite the obvious danger her body refused to move.
"Worthless…?" She repeated quietly. "Why would you say that? Why would you say something so cruel to N?" Alice's eyes were wide and her heart pounded wildly away in her chest.
Words like that, useless, worthless, rubbish…they made Alice see everything in monotone shades. The colour drained from the world around her until she was left in nothing but the unnatural world of black and white. Ghetsis was speaking, saying something awful about N but Alice couldn't hear him.
Stop! Calm yourself! That irritating voice in her head urged by the white noise began to drown even it out.
Alice could barely hear anything over the white noise that screeched inside of her brain, the static like sound blocking out the current, colourless world.
In her eyes Alice's vision blurred and shook along with the echo in her head and in the corners of the colourless world she could see him. Standing there watching her from the corner of the room was that boy but Alice wasn't surprised to see him. Not even a little bit.
It just…made sense. He would appear in a moment like this wouldn't he? It was just in his nature…
"You're cruel…." She breathed quietly, eyes wide but unseeing as the words slipped out in a monotone whisper. "How could you say that…about your son?"
Alice was aware that she must have lost her mind, that somewhere along the way this chaotic mess of black and white had been triggered by the man in front of her.
She was so caught up in the turmoil of her own mind and the static in her eyes that Alice hadn't even realised Ghetsis was right in front of her before she felt his hand on her shoulder. Flinching Alice looked up at the man but his face blurred, blocked out by a smear of grey in her eyes and as he spoke his voice mingled with something from a memory.
"That boy is no son of mine."
Snap.
Alice's pupils shook violently and shrunk down to the size of a pin head as her body broke out in a cold sweat, without so much as a word Alice's hand balled into a fist and she struck Ghetsis. Even when he stumbled back from her in surprise, obviously not expecting the heavy handed blow from such a small and apparently timid girl, Alice was not satisfied.
"I hate you." Alice whispered raising her fist again and slamming it into the shocked adult's temple a second time. Her body was small compared to his and the only reason she got in such effective shots was purely a mix of his confusion and her inability to register the pain each punch brought her hand.
"You should die. Just die." Alice reached out blindly for something to use, finding one of the expensive vases she'd been too scared to touch before. Once she had a grasp on it she threw it at the male but he was quickly regaining himself and once he did Alice was not going to get another shot it.
….so she'd better kill him quickly.
The vase shattered though it narrowly missed Ghetsis's head and only a few of the flying shards caught him while one flew past Alice's face, cutting open her cheek as it skimmed along her face. Alice didn't feel it though, she felt nothing in this colourless world, everything she did was on autopilot and constantly with that boy in the back of her eye watching.
Alice caught a glint from the corner of her eye, laying next to her side was the shard that had cut her. The only other colour in this world other than black and white was red and her blood was quite bright on the sharp shard of vase. Gradually Alice dropped to her knees, picking up the shard in her hands delicately while at the same time Ghetsis regained his footing.
"So this time….this time I'll…" Alice glanced up at Ghetsis, his face swimming in and out of view. In the moments he wasn't Ghetsis he was someone else…Alice couldn't entirely remember that person but she hated them. So much.
"This time….I'll fucking kill you!" The monotone voice was broken as Alice screeched the words, running toward Ghetsis with the shard firmly clasped into her hands, cutting her as she held it. All she had to do was shove this into his throat and he'd not be able to hurt N with those nasty words ever again.
As she raised the weapon up with every intention of murdering the man her static world blurred violently, blocking her view and when it cleared the boy was standing in front of Ghetsis. Alice's attack stopped just before it hit him, frozen as he blocked her path.
The boy smiled when he looked up at her, arms outstretched defensively in front of Ghetsis.
"Never will I ever." He whispered with that remorseful smile. "Never will I ever hurt another."
Alice's arms trembled as she looked down at the smiling boy but her distraction ended up being her downfall. A hand suddenly shot through the boy's face and like her black and white world he shattered, as if he'd never been there in the first place.
The hand roughly grabbed hold of her shirt, jerking her forward before throwing her down. Hitting the floor with a sickening thud Alice didn't get a second before the hand that held the shard was pinned down as well. When she opened her eyes again the world had returned to colour and her reasons behind the sudden outburst faded to the back of her mind and she found herself staring into the furious red gaze of Ghetsis….this time he didn't fade out of vision.
"As much as I enjoy a bit of fight." He growled in an overly annoyed voice. "That's just a little bit far don't you think brat?"
Alice cried out as Ghetsis gripped a fist full of her hair, slamming her head back against the ground adding another unsettling cracking sound to the list of sounds she'd have to investigate her body over later.
"She had it to." He commented angrily while tugging on her hair. "That troublesome fight. It caused me no end of grief before…I won't allow it to happen again."
With those words Ghetsis's hand began to push its way under Alice's jacket. It didn't take her long to figure out he planned on removing it.
"H-Hey wait a second!" Alice shouted trying to back away only to have herself pinned down by one large hand around her throat. Choking Alice's hands tried to claw the hand away but he seemed completely unfazed by her attempts and to make matters worse it seemed she might have broken something in her hand from where she'd struck him.
"Silence." Ghetsis snarled softly. "I let the last one get too out of hand and in the end it cost me greatly. This time I won't make the same mistake. You'll be educated appropriately."
The jacket was now nothing more than a pool of cloth around her waist and Ghetsis didn't seem interested in leaving it at just that. His hand tightened slightly around her throat as Alice began to kick and squirm in protest when his hand began to bunch up the material of her shirt.
Tears budded at the corners of Alice's eyes as she felt those calloused fingers ghosting over the flesh of her stomach, pulling the shirt up further out of his way. His knee nestled in between her legs and uncomfortably pushed against her most private place.
"S-Sto-" Alice choked out still trying to squirm away from him but found he only jammed his knee more painfully against her core.
Desperately Alice placed a hand against his chest and the other against the ground under her, trying t push him away though he seemed unaffected by her meek attempts.
"This time." He murmured in a sickening whisper against her ear. "I'll break you properly, White."
Huh…?
Knock, knock.
"What?" Ghetsis barked, infuriated when someone tapped at the door. "I said I was not to be disturbed!"
"A-Ah…yes my lord but…" A timid voice on the other side of the door spoke. "It's just that, the link is being opened now. Colress sent for you."
Ghetsis sat up straight, looking at the door with narrowed eyes. His gaze shifted back down to the terrified girl under him and then he gave an agitated sigh and stood.
"We'll finish your education at a later date. This is more important than your insignificant existence. Get up." He ordered while walking to the door, throwing it open with a disgruntle growl at the grunt. Apparently don't shoot the messenger didn't fly here.
Shaken and struggling Alice managed to stumble to her feet. Ghetsis was impatient however and when she didn't move fast enough her grabbed hold of her arm and began to drag her. She didn't dare speak, didn't dare ask a thing in fear he'd turn around and do something worse.
This man was N's father…? How could that be, N was so lovely the complete opposite of this man.
Ah…was that true?
Alice thought about all the times N seemed to snap at her and himself, as though he was occasionally struggling with some sort of demon. Could this man be responsible for that?
What was more unsettling was her own reaction to him, she'd just gone blank and actually been fully willing to murder him.
Alice wasn't a bad person, she wasn't even a particularly mean or strong hearted person…but there'd been no doubt in her mind that she would have killed N's own father in that moment had the boy not appeared.
How twisted did she and N have to become before it all ended?
All this ran through Alice's mind as she was roughly 'escorted' deeper into the castle depths. As they walked the castle became darker and less inviting until they were essentially walking through dungeons. Ghetsis didn't utter a word to her and Alice had no intention of striking up a conversation with him either.
However as they travelled to where ever they were going Alice did begin to take notice of a strange sort of…sensation.
It revibrated in her legs and up into her chest, sending tingles down her spine and into her finger tips. She could feel a pressure weighing down on her as though something powerful was bearing down on them every step closer they took to their end goal.
And then came the sound.
The soft beeping and buzzing of electronics echoing through the hall and many hushed but hurried voices reaching her ears.
And then came the big sound.
"Dodogyuuun!"
Alice stopped mid step as the sound blasted around the walls around them, all but shaking the ground with its force. The sound beat down on them with the weight of not only the volume but the power behind it. But despite the impressive roar there was a painful note to it that gripped Alice's heart and the worst part was…she knew that roar.
"Arceus…!"
Without really thinking about the punishment to her actions Alice broke away from Ghetsis and ran down the hall that the sound came from. To her surprise Ghetsis made no attempt to subdue her or even catch up to her as she bolted down the path as fast as her legs would carry her.
The sound echoed around her again, louder, closer and most definitely in pain. Alice grit her teeth together as she ran, knowing something was wrong with that cry. It sounded like the familiar sound of the legendary god like pokemon but something was changing it. Something wasn't quite right with it.
There were a pair of doors at the end of the hall where the most sound came from and Alice flew right at them, not slowing as her outstretched hands slammed against them, stopping her abruptly before she threw them open, crying out the pokemon's name one last time.
What she saw made her call catch up in her throat.
Bound thoroughly in chains and ropes was the unfamiliar form of Arceus…a twisted form.
Larger than it should have been with a silver colouring was a creature that resembled Arceus but was like no pokemon that Alice had ever actually seen before. The longer she stared at the almost god like pokemon the more her stomach churned. Something was wrong, unnatural in this picture but as she tried to back up gentle hands clapped onto her shoulders.
With a jump and shout of alarm Alice turned to see herself faced with the smiling face of Colress.
"What do you think lady Alice?" He asked cheerfully. "Isn't it simply magnificent?"
"What…is it?" She asked, staring at the creature as it writhed in obvious agony. With a shake of it' head against the chains the Arceus thing gave out another roar but this time Alice knew it was one of pain and sorrow, it was a chillingly anguished sound.
"That my dear is a marvel of science." Colress mused in a happy sigh. "The legendary god like pokemon Arceus enhanced by Kyurem! With this the link that Arceus is capable of making between your world and ours can be stabilised, with this we can open a door to the other side!"
Spinning around to face Alice the mad scientist threw his hands out in delight, a crazed grin on his face as he stood before the monstrosity.
"This is our greatest fusion! Our greatest achievement and now our salvation." He cried in mad delight.
"It's as the fool says, this is our weapon on your world. Does it please you?" Ghetsis's cold mocking voice asked from behind her but Alice couldn't look, she couldn't rip her eyes away from the struggling beast before her. The cables and chains they had hooked up to it seemed to almost bleed in places and the agonised look in its eyes made her heart ache in her chest.
If N could see this…his pure heart would shatter… to see that this was all his goals accomplished. To see his very own organisation doing this monstrous thing…. Alice bit her lip but she could only barely suppress the tears she wanted to cry. She could never let N see…never.
"Alice!" A voice cried from behind them all.
When Alice turned her eyes widened in horror. In a similar fashion to the monster Arceus, Riley sat bound up tightly in chains, beaten from head to toe.
"B-Big brother!" Alice looked horrified but when she tried to step closer to Riley she was held back by a set of gloved hands. Colress smiled down at Alice as he stopped her from going to Riley's side, she didn't like that smile anymore.
"What's this?" Ghetsis scoffed, turning to walk closer to Riley who responded with a simple glare. "The first words you speak since arrival and only to greet a friend? Pathetic." Colress covered Alice's eyes but she had seen Ghetsis raise a foot and she heard the impact of it on Riley's already beaten body and the loud hacking that followed.
Alice's legs began weak but Colress kept her up, still blocking her view of the beating that Riley received from Ghetsis. If it was a kindness on his part or some kind of teasing Alice couldn't be sure but she wasn't inclined to think highly of the scientist right then.
"It'll do you no good…." Alice heard Riley gasp out with a hallow laugh. "You'll never get enough men to make any difference in our world…things run differently there. Your plans are useless."
"I do not need an army, I only need one." Ghetsis spoke calmly, a smirk in his voice and Alice realised very quickly what he meant.
"N….you're going to try and use N." She murmured softly before gritting her teeth together roughly. "You can't! I won't let you!"
"Won't let me?" Ghetsis barked out a cold laugh, the sound cruel and mocking. "How rich, a child is going to be my downfall is she?"
"Wouldn't be the first time." Colress's snickering voice murmured from behind Alice as his hand dropped away from her eyes, just in time for her to see the scathing look he directed at the scientist.
"You hold your tongue." He snarled before looking to Alice with a gloating expression. "Your world is weak. Guns will be no use against pokemon and all I need is a link between this world and yours to use them. Just as he was in this world N will serve as my tool to gain control of the people's minds and everything from there will be a simple matter of control. Your world will have no chance."
"He'd never…" Alice began but Ghetsis cut her off.
"He did here and he will there and you my dear." He spoke sweetly while walking towards her. "Will be the perfect bait to have him do as I say."
"What are you talking about?" Alice snarled at the male as he glared down on her.
"It's very simple really. This whole mess is that heartless creatures doing, with the correct bait and punishment he'll be easy to control." Ghetsis offered no more than that as he turned from Alice.
The weight that sat heavy in the air only continued to grow and there was an electricity to the air Alice couldn't entirely explain but she knew it came from the poor bound pokemon. As the power grew so did the link between worlds.
"Better take a comfy seat." Colress chimed, ushering Alice over to Riley in a surprisingly gentle manner. "Now stay right here." He advised while sitting her down next to Riley, chaining her arm up as well. "Don't move a muscle you got it?"
"Like I could if I tried." Alice replied bitterly but Colress only smiled in amusement and left the two there as he returned to what appeared to be a work panel.
Alice watched as he fiddled with a few buttons and handles that meant nothing to her but seemed to do something with the equipment attached to the pokemon. As she studied him she noticed that there were a set of large gears moving down below the counter. It looked like he was starting them up and while Alice was no expert she imagined they were the core mechanic to the set up.
"You noticed it to?" Riley asked in a hushed whisper. "Those gears?"
"Yeah…looks like if we were to take one out…"
"The whole operation would collapse." Riley confirmed. "We need to break those gears."
"What about Arceus?" Alice asked quietly, careful not to let Ghetsis or Colress hear them speaking. "What happens to it if we break them?"
"Arceus is a strong pokemon. Most of this is to stop it from separating with Kyurem."
"It can do that all on its own?" Alice asked in astonishment.
"Yeah." Riley nodded once. "Arceus might be one of the only pokemon capable of forcing a separation like that but he can do it. He's told me."
"You two…speak?" Alice looked at the pokemon as it growled and roared in agony, it didn't look like it was exactly in a chatting mood.
"It's able to speak inside its own mind with what power it's got left. Alice, listen carefully to me…" Riley turned to her and stared at her with bright eyes, Alice's breath caught in her throat as she saw the strange shade of crimson they glowed…he looked a lot like…Red?
'Certain places are similar, certain pokemon and animals are almost identical and even the people can share common lives.'
Alice remembered Colress saying that before…did that mean that Red and Riley were…? Well if the boot fit.
"Pay attention, this is important." Riley whispered urgently, regaining her attention. "Arceus is almost able to stabilise the link. When that happens you must get through the link, you will find N and you will stop Ghetsis from getting him back. I'll take care of the gears but you must be on the other side when I break them –do you understand me?"
"But if you break the gears…you'll be the one on this side." Alice whispered. Riley didn't deny it and instead looked at her with a firm gaze.
"Do you remember what I said to you?" He asked quietly. "I won't be there forever…so make sure you surround yourself with friends. No more hiding okay?" Riley smiled faintly and pressed his forehead against Alice's as she bit back tears, knowing this was his way of say goodbye.
"No more hiding in the dark, no more forgetting anyone. Promise me, you'll remember me even if I'm gone. N and all the others too and promise me you'll finish that picture. It's about time you remembered even him don't you think? I bet he's lonely without you thinking of him." Riley lent up and gently kissed Alice's forehead as a few tears slipped free.
"I'll try…" She managed a meek whisper.
"That's my good little sister. Whatever side N ends up on you must stay in our world, you have to stay with everyone and stay with your brothers. You have to run soon…get ready." Riley told her gently as the pressure continued to grow heavier on them, thickening in the air.
"I'm sorry but there's no telling where or when you'll come out the other side." He said gravely. "Even if you enter before Ghetsis there's a chance he'll come out the other side before you. More importantly…if you linger too long the two worlds are going to melt together, I can't guarantee that I'll have the gears out before that happens. If the worlds do blend your only goal will be to get out of range. No heroics, no nothing, just get home and leave everything to me."
"But what if…" Alice began to protest.
"No. Alice if you get trapped between the two it'll be a coin toss between which world you'll be sealed off in. Your most important job is to get home."
"I understand…" Alice agreed quietly.
"Good. When I give you the order you run for the opening Arceus makes, I'll have your chain off by then and you must run as fast as you can. Careful to keep your eyes shut or his last roar will blind you. Don't let anyone stop you and make sure you beat Ghetsis there." Alice nodded firmly, forcing herself not to cry for her big brother. She had to grow up a little bit more.
"And Alice, I'm sorry." Riley smiled though he seemed to be close to tears himself. "We couldn't make a happy ending to this story. At the very least we'll end this story by keeping who we can safe."
"I'll make a happy ending." Alice whispered as the ground under them began to tremble. "I'll find the happy ending where the past me failed." The air around them lost its weight slowly and parts of their clothes and hair began to fly and float above them but Alice only stared at her brother with a serious expression.
"Where White failed, I will succeed. I am going to give everyone the ending they deserve." Alice grinned brightly. "So that in every world we all keep on smiling, even N."
Riley smiled back but it was a sad expression, he wanted to believe her words but he was an adult…he knew better.
Arceus gave one last almighty roar and light flooded the room blinding everyone that did not keep their eyes shut. Alice kept hers tightly closed and suddenly the weight of the chain left her wrist and a soft voice whispered to her.
"Now. Go."
Immediately Alice kicked off the ground, forcing her eyes to open past the incredible light that the link gave off, it was nothing like the dark hole that had swallowed her up before and instead this time it was a bright tunnel of glittering light she ran into as she ran back towards her home and N.
The only problem was that the link was not favouring her and already the two worlds were bleeding together by the open link….Alice didn't have much time to find N and even if she did find him she couldn't be sure Ghetsis wouldn't reach him first and if that happened Alice had no idea what to expect.
With a hand reached out Alice threw herself through the link, the sounds of the agonised Arceus leaving her far behind.
…..
Alice: "Hmm…hey this chapter didn't follow the script? What gives?"
Me: "Well I realised I backed myself into a corner for the ending." *Guilty.*
Alice: "What?! Is that why you haven't been writing! You don't know how it ends!?"
Me: "Uh….uhh….yeah." *Faceplants.* "I accidently messed up the last few chapters so now the ending is all messed up."
Alice: "You're useless…."
Me: "Do you want me to let Ghetsis rape you? I'll do it!"
N: *Quietly looming.*
Me: "Ah…ahah….j-joking… B-B-But look! I made this l-long! Ahah…haha…don't kill me. T-T *