Pokémon: Wings of Beginnings
Chapter 19: Forewarning
August 10th, 2020
9:10 a.m.
WINGS HQ
"Have you seen other Elementforge in your explorations?" Lenna asked.
"Elementforge?" Claus wondered. "I'm reading a book about it, and I've yet to finish it..."
"Mmm." Arubo mumbled something that caused Guy to laugh.
"Ary said that he might try to wield one to save us~" Guy answered. "Swamp-amp may lead us to in dungeons if he can~"
"That's quite a claim..." Brandt scratched his head. "Maybe if I can use one, other girls will like me more?"
"...Isn't... it dangerous...?" Treant shuffled over.
"Mmm." Arubo looked over Swamp for any experiences over those Elementforge.
"From some texts, they state that elementforge is extremely unstable... you'll be handling pure energy of said elements." Swamp explains. "Highly volatile in a sense to say, breaking it will cause a backlash from what was spoken and you can't elementforge depending on the damage done."
He scratched his cheek. "But I've never ever really been able to elementforge at all, so I can't say exact or good estimates..."
"So... has anyone ever... elementforge at all and could tell us?" Claus asks.
The other veteran members shook their heads. "Haven't been able to see one nor use it." Lenna answered.
"Mmm..." Arubo mumbled.
"I would love to Ele-vate mento forge one~" Guy sang and Weiss was unfortunate to hear it. "We just... got back!" Weiss screamed over at him. "What was that!? Ele-vatementoforge!?"
The group of six looked at where that scream came from. Weiss was there with fingers gripping onto his own palms, looking very obviously repulsed.
"...Forge..." Treant looked down quietly. "...forge new weapons and armor..."
She turned around and begun to lumber away from the group. As she passes by a certain Goodra, she rudely pushed him away with a nudge of her shell before continuing on her way. Huh? The others wondered why was she acting rudely? She was never this rude and was mostly docile and quiet all the time. This behaviour got them confused.
"I've never seen her exhibit such behaviour on anyone else. Only Ubis..." Claus spoke. He sighed. "It is very worrying..."
"As if... she is bearing some sort of grudge..." Weiss ponders.
"Ubis..." Lenna wondered. "I've heard that he was supposed to be part of Squad Seven because of his healing abilities for defense. However, he couldn't join in because of the hangover so someone else had to fill in the position instead."
"Mmm." Arubo mumbled and pondered about it. That proxy... Not able to remember them...They all died but just their names. Only those and their badges... were proof that they were there.
But just who was that person when they were alive? Again, no answers at all... Like all those who passed.
"Should I talk to him?" Claus wonders.
"It's most likely that he wouldn't... remember, either." Weiss reminds.
"You mean...Just leave him be?" Lenna asked in shock.
"It's not that we can force an answer out of Ubis if none of us are able to remember why, but..." Weiss turned to her. "...Ugh... It's more complicated than we could think about the past..."
Swamp pondered for a while after hearing 'past' before turning to Brandt and Guy while the others discussed. "Can I ask something? Is it true that the Commander's weapons are literally knives-like wind?"
They looked at him and pondered about the weapon the Commander had.
"Using windy blade knives~" Guy muttered.
"Something like that, we've seen it in action." Brandt answered. "It's something really powerful. Made of wind but strong enough to cleanly slice steel with no effort."
"So... made of wind... incredibly powerful..." Swamp realized. "So, the Commander has done elementforge!"
"Huh, you're really quick into it." Brandt wondered. "He never told us about it but that may be the answer."
"Swamp-amp is awesome~" Guy cheered.
Swamp blushed and scratched his cheek. He didn't know he would crack another case once again. "You're all embarrassing me..." he mumbles. Taking some time to think, he asks. "Is the Commander at Galar right now?"
"Indeed." Came the voice of Iron. The group turned to see Iron and Safka out there to greet them. "Iron, Miss Safka!" Swamp nearly jumped.
"Cornus..." Iron mumbles, also shocked from his shriek. "Yes, he is there to be with the GDF for a while to clear things up and reports of the traitors."
"Hm? Where is Mr..." Swamp wonders.
"Filing the reports~" Safka answered and coiled herself around Iron. "I am letting my hubby do the work to put out some stress while I spend some time with our son. Iron will love to look around."
"Son..." Iron murmured with a downcast look. "...I feel like she is my older sister since we're just a few years apart."
"Son..." Lenna muttered.
"Mmm..." Arubo mumbled with a weird look as to why she was calling him her son.
"Uh... why, though?" Swamp asks.
"Well, 'cause we are married!" Safka confessed but somehow, Zakh heard it and the entire HQ's intercoms rung out with his scream of "WE'RE NOT MARRIED!" The building echoes slowly with feedback from the scream...
"...Umm, he says otherwise..."
"..." Iron shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Have you seen my brother?"
"Huh? No..." Swamp answers.
"Me neither." Lenna adds.
"Mmm." Arubo mumbled and pointed at an aircraft by the window which was being... "piloted" by a familiar UFO.
Iron gawked. "Blitz!" He exclaimed as the aircraft swerved about from where they could see. It made some odd flips before it went down out of view... They heard a crash afterwards. However, they knew that he will be fine for his brain was not as fragile as his body. He could walk it out but the cost...
Iron looked back at the tablet he held... he needed to calculate all... again... and also remind Blitz of his next partner...
"He'll be in a mission with Ms. Bacon."
"Scorch?" Swamp confirms. "But the two always have been..."
Everyone nodded. "I'm still a bit worried..."
"Yo, whatcha guys talkin' about, ah?" They watched Gray come over with quite obviously no clue.
"Hey bro~" Guy greeted.
Swamp looked at Gray. Lenna looked at Gray. Arubo looked at Gray. Iron looked at Gray. Safka looked at Gray. Everyone here looked at Gray.
"Hah? Somethin' on my face, ya'ow?" Gray asks.
"You..." Lenna began.
"...don't~..." Guy continued in a sing-sang voice.
"...Huh?" Gray asks again.
"Are you free?" Swamp asks.
"...Yeah?" Gray answers.
Iron looked at Safka and back at Gray. "Hm...Want to join my brother and Ms. Bacon for this mission?"
"Hah?" Gray turned to look at the Metang.
"It's simple to do." Iron continued. "All you need to do is..." He showed the details of this mission. Gray looked at the tablet for a while... "Can you?"
"...Course I can, ah!" Gray answered.
"Sure thing..." Iron muttered as he inputted his name.
"Okay, your mission will be..." Safka refreshes to him.
August 10th, 2020
10:19 a.m.
Wyndon
"How is your neck?" Gardious asks, looking at the bandages wrapped around Cloudia's neck.
"It is alright." Cloudia assured. "You were so fast to block something. To protect me."
Gardious nods quietly, looking at the room they stayed in for him to monitor her. "They knew what they were doing... and moles in the GDF... again..."
He took out a file. "What will happen to the moles?"
"They were arrested and stripped of their position they had in the GDF." Cloudia replied. "Everything they ever dreamed of taking, taken away from them forever. They lost their power and brought shame to their family and name."
"I see..." Gardious flipped the file open. It was some reports from Claus and Fran. Encountered people identified as Loss and Shame. Their identities unknown but they spotted something about them. One might be a Grimmsnarl, the other a Scizor. However, because of Fran getting knocked out and Claus not being able to observe much and only heard their voices... He breathed out quietly, wondering of them and their affiliation.
Just who were they, really? These mysterious Pokémon...
He hadn't noticed Cloudia examining him while he studied the file with full attention. He hadn't worn his coat, so his features could be seen more easily...
She tried to look away but she could see those curves around his wings. He had certainly done a number around on his figure despite that normally piercing look in those red eyes and generally fear-inducing appearance. He was still as handsome back in the days before. Even when he aged and got that scar... She shook her head. She knew what they said back then and knew that they can always stay as friends.
Gardious sighed as he puts the file down to take a breather. His eyes looked over at the fireplace in the room. The warmth, bright fire... The flames... It'd always been a blur, but he remembered when flames licked onto his throat...
To never forget them. Those three graves...
Unknown date, 1993
Unknown time
Somewhere in Galar
Gardious hacked out a good amount of blood as he felt the strike on his belly, finding himself shot over from the impact.
He could hear continuous static combined with footsteps as an unidentifiable figure walks over to him. Or rather... he forgot what the figure looked like.
As his vision refocused, he looked at one 'hand' of the figure raised and bout to strike. Flames wrapped around their hand as static continued and they swung at his bare throat.
He felt the flames burn through any leftover feathers on his throat, licking onto his flesh... Gardious screamed out from the searing blow. Fire never hurt him that badly before... But experiencing it, he could feel the heat travel across his body and his organs felt it more easily.
Through the pain, he thrusted his knife forward. Impaled the silhouette before him. A moment of silence passed before he heard some static. The silhouette fell with a thud.
His throat hurt so much as he staggers back, resting himself onto a rock.
His eyes could see the heavily burnt flesh spread around his throat, where his beard feathers would be at... The pain...
His head was desperately clinging onto consciousness while his body couldn't move any longer the moment he laid himself there...
His eyes looked over at two still, 'featureless' bodies before they began to drop shut, the pain finally tearing his consciousness down...
...
...
...It stopped... hurting... a lot?
He wondered why, until he saw that... someone was close to him. He screamed out static, finding himself surprised of how he was able to speak without his throat writhing in agony that much.
More static came and that was when his eyes began to feel moist and his vision turned blurry. He couldn't stop it before that silhouette became heavy on his wings. He continued to cry, then covered the tips of his wings with blood and used it as an ink to the ground.
His wings scribbled something, then again, with him struggling to know what he should tell himself. It didn't help as the 'message' was sprayed apart by his flowing tears.
The only thing he could remember from that point onward is his scream of despair ringing out before he felt something strike behind him and all went black...
"Gardious?" Cloudia snapped him back to reality with her concern.
"Hm?" He looked at her.
"Is something wrong? You've been staring at the fireplace for a while now."
"..." Gardious shook his head. "Nothing's of issue. At the very least, it isn't bugged either." Cloudia looked at him, he was definitely lying but his focus on that fireplace was a lot... That scar...It appeared to be grazed by fire. Never healed and treated and hurt upon touch for years. If it had been left more extremely damaged, it would hurt to even swallow.
Should she try to ask him more about this? No, he didn't know anything about those who passed. She knew how it hurt him so bad and didn't want him to get hurt more thinking about it.
"If it will hurt, then I won't ask further." Cloudia told him, Gardious looked at her as if she understood his plight. A friend who looked out for him. She didn't see him as a heartless soldier.
"...Thank you." He says after a moment of silence.
"It's alright and how long had you kept the Professor waiting back in HQ?"
"..." Gardious walked over to his coat and took out his comm. "...Professor." he began.
"Yes, Commander?" Pentaster's voice came.
"I will be returning back to HQ in due time." Gardious tells Pentaster.
"Alright, everything's alright here and relations with other organizations are still well." Pentaster assured. "I've did every tasks that were needed to be done, along with preventing trojan horses and spyware from being leaked into out databases. I just had to cut the pay Blitz Polarize had for trashing another aircraft again."
There was some silence before a sigh. Again, that UFO...
"Where is he now?"
"On a quest with Flashrost, Gray and Bacon. It is a punishment with those two taking care of them."
"I see..."
"He may be a troublemaker in our days, but I know Flashrost, Gray can handle this. Bacon can too, I do not know why but I trust her just as Flashrost, Gray."
Gardious breathed quietly. "I understand."
"...Although, I had some pressing matters." Pentaster let out a breath his body could make. "...It seems that the relationship between Gaian and Ripplen is no longer friendly. She refused to take any missions with him."
"Is there any reason why as of now?"
"Unfortunately, none."
"How about notice of behavioural change since how long?"
"Since a couple of days after...Squad Seven..."
He trailed off...Gardious knew this event affected him just as much it affected him. "..."
"Commander?"
"...It's nothing..."
"Understood. I'll be having a meeting soon, so I apologize in advance that I won't be taking any calls for the next 7200 seconds."
"Alright." Gardious nods.
There was a click and the line went off. Gardious let out a breath to calm himself for everything that happened. He turned to Cloudia. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?" He asks her.
"I didn't live to this day when I can't." Cloudia quipped with a smile.
"Fair point taken."
"After all these years, it is great to see you again." Cloudia looked out. "But now, I have to say goodbye to you once again."
"Indeed." Gardious nods. He headed over to the door, a balcony present in the room which he could fly out of. "...I wish you well and safe, Cloudia."
"Same goes for you." Cloudia replied back as Gardious took his coat and unfolded his wings. Cloudia watched as Gardious flew out of the balcony. She watched as he soared into the blue skies, only a black feather leaving his body.
She looked at the feather that landed before her. The last friend from her younger self, she wondered if she'll see him ever again.
August 10th, 2020
2:57 p.m.
Kanto
Why did he ever told Iron that this mission was no problem!?
"Do you have to put my red pants in your white shirts!?"
"What? What?"
"Your uniform is pink!"
Gray stared at the two bickering...Again. He could only gawk at how quick these had happened per minute. "What did you do with my bra back in the laundry!?"
"I put it on!"
"You're using them as sleeping masks!?"
"They felt soft!"
Boom!
Gray felt some heat pass him while Scorch huffed. What did Blitz even do with some pair of bra? Then again, on her body type, Scorch's Cs were comparable to a normal human's. How did they fit Blitz's face?
"Ya okay, ah?" Gray decides to ask.
"...This UFO..." Scorch sighed. "Doesn't he know any modesty?"
Gray shrugged. "He does know that he's an idiot, ya'ow?"
"I do not know and it is ironic coming from you." Scorch agreed. "Maybe just smarter than him."
"Hah? What's that s'pposed to mean?" Gray asks. He took out his tablet and showed Scorch his grades in every subject. He showed his physical exams first. "I got my physical exams good, ah!"
Scorch looked carefully and then scrolled around the tablet and looked over the academic grades. History, Mathematics, Science, Kalosian, et cetera. Those were... uh...
"Hah? Scorch?"
She was staring at those rock-bottom grades... "Well..." Scorch looked over her own tablet and showed him her grades in academics. He was shocked to see that they were above-average.
"The hell!" He shouts.
"Hard work matters." Scorch laughed. "You just need to put in some effort."
"I put in effort, ah!"
"Really now?"
Gray looked over his own and went to Blitz's profile of grades while he wobbled at the distance from the attack. Gray stared at Blitz's grades from his tablet.
"Huh? Why're you looking at my grades?" Blitz asks. He then 'puffs' his body up. "...Oh! You must think how great my grades are, huh?"
"...Ya got 0 in all of the academic tests, ya'ow..."
Blitz's body lost its momentum and slouched. If he had a visible mouth, it would drop.
"...But ya physical exams..." They were pretty impressive. However...Even with these grades, if he had no brain, then what use would brute strength be if he didn't have the smarts to utilize it? He looked over the comms. Only Zakh was there. Right, Iron was having a day-off today.
"Yo, Zakh." Gray calls out.
"Yeah?" Zakh answers.
"Ya're gonna command Blitz around today?"
A sigh as Zakh took the note Iron gave him to manage his brother. "Yeah... Iron told me what to do and what to not do... Have to control this..."
"UFOlish?" Scorch finished.
"Sure. Whatever." He grunts. "You sure you'll be alright, Bacon? You're with... two, to be frank, idiots..."
Scorch looked at the two spoken of. "I don't mind, I haven't met those people who are more free to experience life without the need of restrictions." Scorch replied. "Besides, being with idiots can be fun and thrilling." She skipped beside them and nudged them close to her. Both were surprised of her impressive strength.
"Come on, let's get going and go home early once this mission is done!"
"Huh? Sure thing!" Blitz announces.
"Wait: I gotta keep ya two in check, ah!" Gray shouts.
The three continued on their trek, Scorch stopped before Blitz went onward and hit a hidden rope. A net appeared and trapped Blitz inside of it.
"Aaah!" Blitz yells. He trashed about. "Who puts things in the air!?"
"Trapwire." Scorch showed it. "Must be some intelligent Dulled appearing around here."
"I'm gonna get out of this net!" Blitz tells them.
Scorch looked below her before she took a pebble out from the ground. She kicked it to the net and singed some of the net that created an opening for Blitz to fall down.
"Aah-oof!"
"Reason you need to watch where you are flying." Scorch reminded. "Sunai's books told me a lot. Okay, I'll put you at E for Blitz without curves."
"What!?" Blitz shouts.
"In Husbando tier."
"Husbando?" Gray asks.
"Luigi is still at the top. Sensei too." Gray thought about them carefully, having a fit and muscular build... and then the age gap between them both.
"...Yo, what's my rank?"
"Hmm..." Scorch pondered for a moment and finally revealed. "D!"
"D!?"
"D-Tier." Scorch nodded. "Three tiers below your older twin."
Gray could hear Guy saying... "Hahaha, I am at A-tier, bro~ At Weegee's level~"
"Huh!?" Gray gawked. She thinks Guy is better than him!? "Y-Y-Yo! What about the other guys I know!?"
"Later when we're done."
"...'Kay..." Gray breathes out and looks around again. He spotted something on Scorch's tablet as she turned it off. Before the screen turned black, he spotted a particular snowman's picture at the position of... B.
"...the fatso's B-rank!?"
Even when he said that, back in HQ... "Arubo?" Weiss asks with the sudden pause.
There was some silence from the snowman, topless from being in a training session with Takan.
"..." He looked down at the belly beneath him despite having a muscular and fit build.
"Nifil, are you ready to continue?" Takan asks as he comes over.
"..." Arubo rushed in with no questions asked. While he did this, he fired an icicle into the distance.
"Hm-oh!" The insectoid drew out a katana in a near blink after a sheathe.
The icicle redirected and Weiss stared as it disappeared.
"Grr..." Arubo snarled.
"..." He got a feeling why.
Back to the trio, a couple of moments after Gray exclaimed that word, Scorch and Blitz looked to see a speeding projectile headed their way.
"!?" Blitz reeled back. Scorch jumped back and the speeding object whizzed over to their spot and a giant eruption of ice bursts from there.
Gray was at the center of it. Covered in a pillar of ice.
"Enemy attack!?" Blitz shouts.
"...Nope." Scorch threw a ball at the ice and it let out some fire out to melt the ice. "It is the ice Arubo uses."
As Gray was defrosted, she looked at the direction of where the icicle came from. "Back from Sinnoh to Kanto." She analyzed. "Okay, he remained his spot there."
"...Brr!!!" Gray shivered as he is finally free from the ice.
He stared down. How could he lose to that silent snowman!? He looked over that Cinderace again about her taste in men. She found him more attractive than him! How!?
"Alright, how about we recover this stolen property." Scorch declared before she took out a floorplan. "I've got this from Sunai about this hideout of bandits taken by Dulled."
"Oh... 'kay..." Gray and Blitz went over to read the floorplan. The floorplan if it could still be called that, was one, but it has been written with more additional information such as detection of booby traps and structures and places which could be used that it felt more like a guide than an actual layout.
"Seems he scouted ahead before this mission." Scorch spoke out. "Though he needed an expert on exploring this kind of things. Must be he brought Swamp along. However, we need some strategy to go in."
"Yo, we mostly need Sunai for these sort of stuff... But then he'd explain too much that I still won't get it, ah..." Gray grumbles.
They looked at the direction of the hideout...
"So, with this here, we-" Scorch began as she turned to where Blitz was. Broken lines that outlined him blinked. "..." Scorch looked back to the front and heard Zakh screaming in the comms. "Dammit, Blitz! Stop charging ahead!"
Two Dulled that stood on-sentry looked ahead before both were steamrolled by Blitz's powerful charge. Both disappeared into black mist instantly.
"...Polarize, Blitz has charged into enemy territory, again!" Zakh shouts to Scorch and Gray. "Pursue right this instant before that shiny piece of metal brings himself into more shit!"
"Got it!" Scorch nodded and called out a ball. Gray looked at it. "A soccer ball?" Hr asks.
"Professor modified it to be augment my skills." Scorch explained. "It is made up of some special matter that allows it to reform after it was used. Although it can be limited, I had to make them count."
She showed some core. "They're made from this but each can only handle a few times."
"Ah..." Gray nods. They looked back at the entrance and hurried into the hideout. Scorch looked above and jumped to kick a ball into the enemy Dulled ahead. It caused a large explosion and separated them out while Gray swung his staff around.
"Oraaa!" He shouts and bats one across to the other side, smashing it into a wall which it then dissipated from the impact. Scorch spun in the air and kicked a Dulled at the head as she somersaulted and kicked a ball to a trap that caused a reaction of boulders falling and flattening Dulled along. She threw a pebble with her feet that made all boulders turn into fireballs.
"Yo, duck!" She heard Gray shout over to her.
She did and ducked. Gray's staff shot over and smashed into the head of one about to attack her.
"Nice shot." Scorch complimented before she kicked the ball to a Dulled as it turned to ice upon contacting with the ball. Scorch became an Ice-type from that. She grinned. "Thank you, Professor!"
"Yo, we gotta find that UFO!" Gray shouts over.
"He entered further in front of us." Scorch told him before the ball turned into a ball of spectral energy. Her Libero ability activated and Gray looked as she phased through the wall. He looked over his staff. There were some dents over it. That Dulled that tried to attack Scorch had some toughness into it. He should change it soon and use a new one before something else happened.
He flicked his hands and his staff disappears from his hands. He had to focus quickly for this one... '...kay, got it.' He breathes and looks as a staff appears in his hands. While it wasn't the staff he regularly uses, this one had a more strange feel of an odd type of metal, appearing like brass.
Gray gave a practice spin and he nods, turning over to follow Scorch... She was seen arguing with Blitz once again. "Remember to stick to the plan!"
"We're supposed to completely pulverite the enemy!"
"We aren't an entire army! Sure, each of us are strong but we're just three mon against a hundred inside here!" Scorch threw a ball with natural energy that grew vines to impale rock-made Dulled.
"It's our job to beat these things!" Blitz rapidly punches some of the Dulled nearby with literally iron hands and did a spin, swinging his arms like a spinning top.
"This and our own lives!" Scorch had land form around the ball and kicked them to blind some Dulled. She charged in at the discharges of electricity that didn't do any damage to her before her ball returned and kicked it to destroy the Dulled around her.
"...YO!" Gray yells out to them as he leaps and lands between them.
"Hey, this is all UFO's doing." Scorch explained. "Just went in to help up."
"I can handle them!" Blitz argues. "I don't need babysitters!"
"..." Gray raised his staff, turning it perpendicularly to the ground before slamming the blunt end onto the floor. In an instant, a large field appeared around the trio. Dulled came to attack, but found their attacks having no effect at all on them.
From that brief moment of bickering, he could remember these sort of things being caused by him before... Always charging in, causing trouble for the team. Not coordinating with them. Always called the 'problem' member of the team back then... and possibly even until now...
However, with Blitz being another one, he wondered if he could be as amazing as Guy could be. Always ignorant and oblivious to things but... if Gray could put it in better words, an incredible elder brother.
He should make him proud, that detection of a strong attack from a rare Dulled signal he gained from Zakh's calls.
He looked as the barrier took in one more attack and after a while, finally expiring and faded off from view.
"Huh?" Scorch looked at the part where the Dulled fired that attack. She reached for the comms about the analysis Zakh got. "That one should be the ringmaster of the Dulled that overran this hideout." Zakh tells them.
"Is it like a queen bee?" Scorch asked.
"In a way, yes."
"Alright, take it out..." Scorch began as she formed some rocks into her ball, turning herself into a Rock-type.
"And the others will go down shortly."
"Let's rock!" Scorch announces and kicked the ball toward the Dulled's leader.
"C'mon!" Gray held his staff and ran over as the identified Mother Seamstress dodged the ball. Mother Seamstress... Spoken to have incredibly strong strings and while sharper, could use their strings for the wildest reactions possible.
He tried to remember what the strings functioned and how they should be destroyed. Scorch looked as the rocks on the ball hit the string and they bent. Gray saw more strings shoot out from directions wildly.
"...! Yo, move to the left!" He yells.
Scorch nodded and did a flip to the left while using Acrobatics. It turned her into a Flying-type and allowed her to move in the air quickly. From her earlier spot, she could see the ground receiving sudden slashes. She gritted her teeth. Need to remember the attack patterns this Dulled had. Those strings were sharp as they appear. Swift and thin, the versatility they have would be difficult to avoid along with this Dulled's intellect.
"Watch it, UFO!" Scorch screamed before using the ball to create a pillar of steel to stop the strings from hitting Blitz. Another to prevent the bending parts to hit him from the side. Scorch landed on the ground quickly with her type changing and rolled on the ground while turning the ball into nature energy. She jumped across some strings and looked as Gray spun his staff, flipping around as he noticed that the Mother Seamstress was directing most of their attacks at him while using more strings to keep Scorch and Blitz busy. It may look infinite but everything has a limit. "It'll run out of thread in a bit of time, then we can strike it, ya'ow!" He tells them. He jumped to avoid a sweep of the large needle held by the Mother Seamstress, then quicky swung up to the left, stopping one incoming string released at him.
"Hey!" Scorch screamed. "Wide open!" She kicked the ball of flames. The Mother Seamstress was able to block it but didn't know that Blitz used the momentary blindness to swing the steel pillar Scorch created earlier, slamming by the side. He reared his arms and prepared to strike. He let out a battle roar and did a barrage of rapid punches. The last punch shot the Mother Seamstress in a staggering spin, disoriented from the blow. Gray looked at the downed Dulled. He reached for his comms as Zakh ordered, "Unleash your Tension Drive!"
Gray nodded, knowing of his heartbeat's acceleration for one as he felt a familiar surge coming into him. "Ya, got it, ah!" Gray announces loudly as he brought his staff to the side, red energy coming out of his right ear. It wasn't Dynamax energy to be exact.
"!?" Blitz saw that energy just as Scorch did.
"Is it really here?" Scorch gasps. "The power to break through the limits of mortal limitation. To break through reality, to live one's own desire against the odds. The one called..."
"Tension... Drive!"
They hear Gray's shout as he slams against the Mother Seamstress. He whirled around, slamming the ends of his staff down onto the ground, creating cracks that shoot right towards them. The cracks seeps out energy but the appearance was just enough to cause the ground to tremble.
Scorch backed away from the attack while Blitz watched with awe. She scowled and grabbed Blitz's scarf.
"Come here, UFOolish!" Scorch yanked him back away from the attack.
"Wah!" Blitz yelps.
Gray continued to strike the ground nimbly, the tremors growing more intense. "Ain't over yet!" He warns, the ground beneath the Mother Seamstress filled with cracks. After another quick spin, he slams the staff diagonally down in front of him, which causes the ground the burst into large pieces of land that raise around the Mother Seamstress.
"Impact Fissure!" His announcement of that had the land shoot over to the Mother Seamstress. The massive pieces of land smashes against them, building until it drops onto the ground and energy bursts from within.
Scorch fired a ball infront to block the impact of the attack. She then gathered spectral energy in the ball and phased behind Blitz.
"Whoah!" Blitz shouts. They quickly moved back as the energy begins to ebb from the release. They felt the released energy start to lessen...
"Whoa..." Scorch exclaimed as she looked back at Gray. "Tension Drive...I thought it was a myth."
"Yo, ain't a myth. But it really, really is like..." Gray thinks for a while. "So... ya're like, need to feel so tensed, then something after that you need to really fight a lot and have that feeling... and then ya let it all out... Ya got any of that, ya'ow?"
Blitz shook his body.
"...What?" Scorch exclaimed. "It sounds mixed up than what Commander told us. Still haven't known how to use it when we used Dynamax more often. This is the first time I've seen one."
Gray groaned. How would he explain this? His brain really wasn't the brightest. "...Uh..." he scratched his head.
"Anyways, we need to get that heirloom!" Scorch cheered and went ahead carefully as every Dulled disappeared by the death of the Mother Seamstress. They followed her, traversing through the now enemy-free hideout. Just then, over a table, something flashed from the dimly lit room from the creak on the wall, the only source of light. They looked over there and saw an accessory resting there.
"A bracelet?" Blitz asks. They looked over it. This bracelet was adorned with a single ruby at the front, made of some sort of shiny metal. Scorch remained silent and took it. She let out a sigh and looked at the two. The two wondered about her usual silence before she spoke.
"You two head back to HQ. I'll return this heirloom to the owner."
"Huh?" Gray and Blitz said in unison.
"I won't steal it, I promise." Scorch smiled. "We're WINGS, right? Not some petty thieves."
"...Ya're right. We ain't thieves, ah." Gray nods. "Just... be safe, ya'ow?"
"I will, I am not a UFOolish." Scorch assured.
"What!?" Blitz starts.
"Yo." Gray stops Blitz.
"I'll see you guys later."
August 10th, 2020
6:01 p.m.
WINGS HQ: Communications
Zakh looked over some files he had and looked over Scorch's file. "Scorch Bacon..." he read.
It detailed every basic information one had to know about her. Birthday, age, gender, blood type, Ability, species, and day and place joined. Her background before joining wasn't filled out, like she wanted to leave it like that. He looked over some information of a family with Bacon on them.
"...Hmm..." He read about them. Nothing to see among those with sports. He scratched his head, nothing with that name. Bringing home the bacon, he thought she belonged to a family of sports but none could be found there. How she got the Dynacrystal? Not specified.
This was so, very strange. Information needed to be dug up about this. Why did she leave her life before joining blank? There must be a reason. Should he try asking her? No, she would disclose it.
Zakh looked over where Safka brought Iron to with the surveillance camera.
He was a few years younger than her, yet...why was she...? He was more of a little brother to them than a son and seemed to be matured too. Wait, what was he thinking of seeing the rookie co-worker as a brother!? Maybe a son? Nope!
He quickly shook his head to banish those thoughts out of his head. Safka was more of a little sister to him. Wait, what!? No way! Those thoughts...!
He then slapped himself with his regular hand.
"Mmm." He heard someone call him.
He turned. "Arubo?"
He seemed to be done training with Takan since he was no longer shirtless and looked over some map at the side. Frostforge...
"You want to go there?"
A nod. Arubo felt some feeling, one will betray them.
"...Alright. I'll file a notice."
A nod as Arubo tried to remember what he saw. The feeling of déjà vu like the rest experienced. He felt that they'd be attacked by an unknown, shady figure... feeling so much odd overwhelming force...
He didn't know who but they needed that thing. Arubo turns to see Zakh pass a keycard to him. "You're clear to go." He tells the snowman. Arubo nodded and looked at the time he'll depart. The next day around 0300 hours. "Have a good re-"
The HQ shook. "Mmm!" Arubo exclaimed as he held on one of the desk to maintain his balance.
"The hell!?" Zakh held his desk.
The earthquake shook for a couple of seconds before it stopped. The two wondered what it was, Zakh looked over the magnitude it had. "That was an instant 9..." he read. He scanned over the damages done on the HQ.
"...Medical Bay...!" He read that the seismic force originated from there. And in an moment, heard a call, quickly answering it.
"Communications!" One of the doctors screamed in. "Find any whereabouts of Duonter!" Arubo gasped, Luigi? Luigi...was...
"It happened too fast, Duonter glowed then...This happened. Every patients and staff are alright but the damages done on the Medical Bay's..."
"Shit..." Zakh cursed, touching his forehead with his prosthetic arm. He rapidly tapped onto the keyboard with his other arm before his prosthetic arm soon joined with the rapid-fire taps. He looked around, there were some damages around but not too much to fix. Only one that received much damage was the Medical Bay. He tried to look for the Garchomp but he wasn't there.
"Damm, no traces of Duonter there..."
What happened?
He looked over Arubo scanning the cameras, nothing. "...I repeat, no traces of Duonter present anywhere..."
Chapter 19 Concluded