Dark and Light

It's a fact that Charizards very much dislike the rain. My Charizard only affirmed this as he flapped on through the downpour that proceeded to drench the both of us. And even as I sat perched on his back, I could still clearly hear the begrudging grumble that vibrated up through his chest.

"Shut up," I growled, not particularly impressed at being so soaked either. "If Feraligator had wings, I'd be flying him."

The thought of feeding him the flying type test tube did cross my mind…

Headquarters appeared through the trees. From up here I could barely make out the road that lead up to it and beyond, all the way to a large house that sat on the hillside. That was my father's private residence. No one was allowed there. I'd seen it once or twice, but even my admittance was strictly invitation only. I could only hope that this evening would be one of those rare occasions that he was actually there and not still at the office.

I checked the time on my phone which read just after midnight, time for the security shift changeover.

As was custom, I went to direct Charizard to the roof but then realised I would be better off to simply walk right in the front door. I did have the clearance after all.

Needless to say, the guy watching the door got the fright of his life when we landed only feet from where he stood.

I slid off Charizard's back and recalled him back to his pokéball, casting a glance at the doorman. "You going to open that or make me stand out in the rain all night?"

Working in a wet uniform was less than ideal. My plan? I was going to get back into my father's lab and destroy that Dark sample. The last thing I needed was someone running around with that kind of ability. But my first stop was HR- the uniform room to be precise.

The lights were all off in the admin block, which was a good sign, it meant that Giovanni was either at home or back at the gym. Either way, he wasn't here and that made for a much smoother operation for yours truly.

Fumbling around in the darkness, I found my way to the storeroom where the Team Rocket uniforms were kept. The one I went for wasn't designed for mere level one grunts however. Special ops agents received particular skin tight jumpsuits especially equipped to allow for plenty of movement.

Making the switch, I changed and emptied the pockets of my wet uniform before dumping it in the laundry basket. Because of the style of the suit, I didn't have pockets, meaning that I'd have to either clip my accessories to my belt or leave them in the office. I grabbed my pokéballs but decided it wise to leave my phone, it wasn't like anyone was going to call me at such an hour anyway. The last thing I went for was my swipe card only to find it wasn't there.

"Shit," I cursed. I must have left it back in my wet uniform.

But when I looked, it wasn't there either. To be safe, I toppled the entire laundry basket but still came up empty handed.

"Where is it?" I hissed, checking again, unable to believe that I could have left it at home.

But I was sure I'd left it in my pocket and it had been there since my father handed it to me. I'd left work late and never even bothered to change out of my uniform.

Well this was going to complicate things…

I checked Wendy's desk but she was the sort that took her gear home with her, leaving me with no other choice, I was going to have to break into my own father's lab.

My mind started to race through my options. Would I have to steal access from one of the night watchmen? Did anyone have clearance that high? Or was I going to have to do something drastic like scale the elevator shaft?

Then my brain clicked.

Why didn't I just teleport my way down? Granted, it did take the fun out of everything, but this particular night, all I wanted to do was get in and out as quickly and painlessly as possible.

I wondered how far my ability would allow me to go? To be honest, the idea of teleporting and finding myself trapped in a wall or worse did not appeal to me at all.

I closed my eyes, visualising the laboratory, focusing on nothing but that. I told my mind that was where I wanted to be and that I needed my body to take me there.

I felt my body reacting, disappearing into the place that resided above time and space. Again the chords that connected all things together were all around me, only this time I didn't pull them like with telekinesis. They grabbed a hold of me and pulled me, taking me along to the place I wanted to go. And within the blink of an eye, I was standing in a darkened lab.

I took in a steady breath, relieved at my own success. Teleporting was actually not one of my more difficult powers. It only involved moving me, not using this separate outer-verse to create energy like many other psychic attacks required. Humans like Sabrina the gym leader in Saffron City possessed these abilities. Mere mind tricks and little games - child's play when compared to something like the skills of an Alakazam.

Carefully treading in the darkness of the lab, I slowly made my way over to where I saw the line-up of samples. I switched on the desk lamp, but even then, the sample I was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

I frowned. This really wasn't my night for locating things. Where could it be?

I checked the samples again, only just noticing a used syringe sitting on the bench, and underneath it, my swipe card. The final drop of Dark ooze hung from the needle tip, and I knew right then that someone had used my clearance to gain that Dark ability! But who? I didn't need to think on that for long, the realisation hit me like a brick in the face. I let my head drop, cursing no one but myself. I'd just been played.

"I know you're here," I spun on my feet, talking to the blackness that was the remainder of the lab.

Movement caught my eye. He was leaning on the doorframe to one of the conference rooms. Watching me.

I threw the used syringe back onto the bench, casting him an angry glare. "You set this entire operation up, didn't you? You sent me on that search for the Mew paw, knowing that my father would delve into harvesting those powers."

He chose not to say anything.

"And now that you have what you want, you're going to destroy the remainder of Team Rocket's research."

"That's my mission objective," Lance confirmed. "Humans aren't meant to possess Pokémon abilities."

I scoffed at this. "Sounds a bit hypocritical coming from you, don't you think? How long has it been? When did you take the serum?"

"This afternoon, after I followed you and your father to the lab, I took the sample and I took your swipe card. I knew you would be back this evening to destroy it."

I was such an idiot. He had been there with me the entire time! "I didn't ask to have these abilities, Lance."

"I know," he said sullenly. "But now that you do, I know your father wants nothing more than to develop them. Having someone like you running around with that sort of power… it's just too dangerous."

"So is someone like you, Lance,"

He didn't deny it. "I need you to step aside, Kair. That research needs to be destroyed."

I stepped forward from the bench, meeting him in the lab's central workspace. "Then you're going to have to get through me first."

The Pokémon Master reached for the first ball on his belt but in a single hand motion, I used my telekinesis to send it flying away.

Lance's frown turned to a glare. "You know, either way Kair, I am still stronger than you. I don't want to hurt you."

Using my mind, I focused on random objects in the lab and hurled them at the Dragon Master. Pencils, notebooks, glass beakers. It didn't matter.

Lance quickly ducked for cover, pulling his cape over his head before suddenly he disappeared.

I stopped short, reeling on the spot… how did he do that? I didn't even get the chance to blink before he was suddenly in front of me, his palm going into my chest with the force of a Taurus. I staggered back into a wall, winded and dazed, giving him the chance he needed to make a dash for the sample desk.

I bolted on after him, skidding for the floor and kicking his legs out from beneath him.

He hit the ground beside me and I was instantly on my feet, the heel of my boot finding its way to his throat.

"I don't want to hurt you either, Lance."

He didn't think twice about it, he grabbed me by the ankle and twisted my foot, sending me tumbling into him where he tackled me back to the floor. He struggled to his feet but I took a hold of his cape, wrenching him back and using the momentum to get on my feet. He reeled, yanking his cape back behind his shoulders and sending me tumbling into him. Body hid body, and he grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me back into the wall.

"This isn't a game, Kair!" he bellowed.

"But the fun is just getting started," I leered in kind, stealing a kiss before kneeing him in the gut.

"Oof!" The Dragon Master keeled and I took the chance to slip from his grasp, bolting for the alarm. His faint attack beat me to it and another sucker punch to the gut sent me reeling into a workstation.

Jars and lab equipment smashed all over the ground and there I was, lying on the desk, wheezing… concentrating on the storm that began to develop in my head.

Pulling myself upright, I called on the power that I knew was there, drawing it into one great bubble just as I had done when I was in battle with my father and the Masked Marauder. But instead of releasing it in one big wave, I focused it all into my hands where there I pushed it out of me in a single blast of psywave energy.

But what would have knocked a normal man right off his feet, did nothing more than pass right through him. Lance just stood there, unflinching… unmoving.

BOOM! The Psywave hit the wall behind him and immediately dispersed.

"Like I said," Lance stated. "I don't want to hurt you."

I straightened, only able to watch on as he started to draw in his own sort of energy… a dark energy that made distorted waves in the air around him. I didn't even stand a chance. In a single motion, he released it in the form of a dark pulse that rippled right through the lab. I couldn't escape it. I copped the pulse full force.

The world around me was suddenly spinning and things like logic, time and space became distorted. Dazed and confused I staggered, falling back into a wall before sliding down it. Thoughts… were rushing through my mind like a mighty hailstorm, my greatest fears coming to light… I wasn't in control anymore…

He was kneeling in front of me, hands touching my face. He kissed me and suddenly I felt the force of another kind pushing its way into my head space. But unlike the light and the energy that came with my ability, this one was dark and chaotic. Like a star gone supernova, a black hole formed in my mind, Lance's Dark Void attack sucking every little piece of my consciousness into it…