Hello everyone! A struggle with this chapter, but I have chapter three up now! Still only own Dakota Jaeger! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Three: Deadly Arrival

The moment Dakota walked through the portal, she felt a warmth rush through her body and a tingling feeling against her skin. Her steps felt light, while a bright light blinded her for a brief few moments. When her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she could see blue and yellow wisps through the air and the ground. There seemed to be nothing solid around her, which made her steps seemed to be in air itself. Thousands of portals were around her, pure white with wisps around it, giving them the air of mystique. She recalled the first time she learned of this realm, back as a child. It was a realm between worlds, a bridge that connected them altogether. While not near as old as other ancient realms, it was one she learned of the most due to the connection it had to her homeworld. The name for the realm, she was told, was Tărâmul Lumilor. She even learned of the name of the portals that were scattered around all the worlds: Ruptură. When she stepped into a ruptură, she needed to be careful to not be lost. It was so easy to do so, with the realm's connection to all the worlds in the Overworld itself.

Luckily, she had traveled through Tărâmul Lumilor so many times that she knew which rupturăs were the ones she traveled through before. She walked past several ones while her gaze flickered around her. The others kept close behind her; she could feel their presence. She was relieved they did, as she and Simon never took them to this world before. With a soft sigh, she looked around a few moments more before she finally spotted her target. From a distance, she could see images of a world filled with strange creatures. It morphed to different sceneries, such as the forests, the fields, the coast, and the mountains. Quickly, she walked toward it, and she reached out to lightly touch it. As her hand brushed against it, it felt like she touched the water's surface.

"...Alright, you guys know the drill?" Dakota asked, turning at the others.

Gambit nodded as his lips curled to a grin. "Always, chere. Dis is the part ah like of our travels to new worlds." He joked. Then, he reached toward her and added, "Alright, lets get dis show on da road!"

Simon rolled his eyes before he took his other hand. "Are we sure there is a ruptură there?" He asked, his gaze flickering toward Dakota.

She briefly returned the glance and nodded herself. "I've been through it once during one visit there. Luckily, its right by the city itself, so we won't have to travel far." She explained, taking Gambit's hand gently.

"...How has no one else stumbled upon it?" Hotaru asked curiously, while she took Kakashi's and Laurel's hands.

"It's stuck in a cavern, off the coast. So...do prepare for some swimming." With that, she closed her eyes and focused clearly on the destination in mind. She could see the cavern itself, small in size water splashing in and out. In the distance, she could hear talks of people and the sounds of fighting. Her destination in mind, Dakota opened her eyes and stepped through the reptură. A bright light covered her sight once more, but for a lesser time than it did before. Within seconds, darkness replaced most of the light, and the once airy ground beneath her feet was replaced with a rocky surface that she could barely stand on. The salty water hit her legs, and she felt it sloshed against her feet. The ceiling was somewhat low, and she had to dunk her head slightly to avoid hitting it. "Brace yourselves!" She called out in a warning tone.

Swiftly, she stepped upon the rocks and kept herself steady so she would not slip. She stepped toward the crack against the wall. It was large enough for one to squeeze through, but she hoped they would all be able to squeeze by. As she let go of Gambit's head and hastened her steps, she heard him cry out with a loud, "Ow!" She turned to face him, and she witnessed him rub his head with a groan. "Ow…"

"...I did warn you…" Dakota said, her lips curled upward to a grin.

"You coulda warn better, chere." He deadpanned. "Some of us ain't short as you."

That caused her eyes to narrow, her eyes glowing amber for a moment. A growl rumbled from her throat while her face fell flatly. "REALLY, Remy?" She asked dryly. Of all the time to mention her own height, he had to choose now? He simply threw her a toothy grin and folded his arms over his chest. His eyes lit up, as if to say "it's the truth, suck it up". She really hoped he could not fit through the crack.

"Come on, Remy, now is not the time!" Simon retorted from behind as he pushed Gambit forward slightly. His voice was slightly raised, almost exasperated.

"Guys, I rather not be stuck here for long!" cried out Laurel.

"Keep moving!" Cassandra added.

Dakota shook her head for a moment before she turned to the crack. She began to push herself through it, almost with ease due to her petite form. The waves brushed against her leg even more, before she managed to get out and faced a vast range of the deep blue sea. She breathed in the salty air and headed toward the coast to her right, which was luckily only a few steps away. When she faced the coast and the city before, an eerie feeling fell upon her. The usual chatter and fighting was not there. Her heart raced in fear at the sudden thought that something had happened in the two hours they took to prepare themselves and rejoined. She hurried onto the shoreline and moved toward the city. It was still small as she remembered it, with one large building towering over it all. It was the size of a stadium, which made sense for what it was used for...to battle against one of the leaders of Johto.

Her gaze flickered around, and she noticed a crowd not far ahead. Her eyes widened slightly before she turned to face the crack. Gambit had managed to squeeze through, same as Simon, before they joined her, panting. Laurel slid through the crack herself, grunting slightly. "Alright firefly…" She said, turning to face the crack.

Dakota nodded softly before she turned to look at the crowd, while Simon spoke up, "You don't think that guy Looker spoke of turned, do you?"

"...Pray that he didn't…" She mumbled, gulping. Again, she saw the image of people with decaying skin, gray in color, while their eyes were milky white. Cold. Dead. Her body shuddered as she closed her eyes for a moment. She fought back against the memories, the fear that built inside her, in hopes to keep herself focused for the mission.

"...Keep steady, Kota."

Her eyes shot open in shock before she glanced to the left, where Kakashi stood, his calm gaze meeting hers. She stared at him for a few moments before she sighed deeply and nodded. He was right, she needed to keep steady. She forced herself to focus on the mission at hand; with swift steps, she made her way toward the crowd. Her nose twitch at the different scents that hit her, but she took note of one particular scent...the scent of decay. Her stomach twisted itself in knots as her steps became quicker. Something was wrong, she could sense it, and that sense became stronger as the smell became stronger. The chatter conveyed her own feelings, only there was a mix of confusion within it. There were merely whispers, while some strained themselves to see what occurred.

Dakota wasted no time to push through them, despite the protests a couple individuals made. Once she reached the front, she noticed a group of police officers who blocked the crowd from moving any further. "Stay back!" One ordered, before his gaze fell upon her and she pushed her back gently. "You too! You need to stay back!"

Her lips pursed together. She attempted to stand on her toes to see what happened, moving her head to look passed him. The police station seemed intact, but the entrance was blocked with two creatures standing in front. From what she could see, they appeared to be Machop and a Growlithe-Pokemon. The smell of decay resonated from there, and she heard the growls from the small dog creature. When she spotted Lance, who was talking to one cop, her eyes widened. "Lance!" She called out.

Lance turned to face her. The stress on his face was quite visible, almost screaming, but relief tried to permeate through it. He hurried toward her and placed his hand on the cop's shoulder. "She's with me." He reassured him. Then, he looked at her and asked, "Kota, where's your friends?"

"Coming up now." She explained. "Lance, what's going on?" Dakota looked around the area, but there was no other familiar sight. An unsettling feeling settled in her stomach. "...Lance…?"

He seemed hesitant to answer. His gaze shifted downward while his cape fell passed his arms. Dakota did not like that, and the twisting in her stomach became worse. When he looked at her, he replied quietly, "The cop who came back...him and his Pokemon changed...they began to attack. They managed to kill a few of our officers, and then Agent Looker suddenly locked the place down. I tried to go in, but...he told me to stand down..." There was anguish in his gaze, regret and guilt that he obeyed such a command.

"..." Her body froze as her eyes widened. Her mouth was dry, and she could see the images again. It lasted for a few moments before she shook her head. "How long?" She said, in a forced calm voice.

"...Since we got back…"

"Nearly two hours ago then?" Simon stepped beside her, his own expression frozen in shock. When Lance nodded, he exhaled loudly as his gaze turned to face her. "...Kota?"

Dakota licked her lips for a moment before she walked forward. "Simon, only me and you go in. We should be able to contain this easily. We go in, get all of the survivors out...we make sure the infection doesn't spread." She replied.

"What about us?" Gambit asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You two goin' in alone is stupid."

"...If all of us go in there, going all out, we'll be risking a lot of lives, including our own." She explained. "...You guys remain out here and make sure none of them get out. We need to make sure none can get out. Once we're inside, you need to barricade the doors."

Cassandra joined them with the others, before she looked over the building. "...And if you two go in alone, you are putting more of a risk on yourselves to being killed."

"...Better that risk than risking this city." Dakota shuddered at the thought of one escaping. All it took was one to cause an outbreak; tales and her own experience taught her that.

Hotaru turned her gaze toward the building as well, her lips forming a frown. With a small gulp, but her gaze turned into determination, she looked at the two and nodded. "I can help heal any of the injure you bring out. If any of them are infected, it might keep the virus at bay."

"This also might be a time to bring in your friends." Kakashi spoke up. "At least for the back up and any vaccines they have."

Her gaze lowered for a moment. The vaccines...last she heard, there were many in storage, yet only a few allowed to be used for a time. She felt aggravated that she already told herself that she was not going to drag her other friends in, and now she had to. However, with the plans now altered by this new development, he brought up a good point. Right now, Cianwood City needed all the help they could get, to make sure they stayed safe. She gave a soft nod before she turned to Laurel and tossed her phone toward her. "Call Jill...let her know what is going on. See if she can get a few vaccines here."

Laurel caught the phone with ease before she nodded and replied, "On it! You two just be careful, or else I am busting in and saving your asses!"

"...We'll be fine, Laurel." Simon said, rolling his eyes. "...Come on…"

Dakota exhaled softly and pulled out her bow. "Let's do it quickly. We still have an island to take care of…" The island...two areas of undead was not how she wanted this day to go. With her grip tightened, she stepped toward the door. "Ready?" She asked, glancing at him.

He calmly pulled out his handgun. "Let's get this over with…"

With that, she pushed open the door with ease and quickly stepped in. The lobby was a clear mess, no doubt from the scramble of the attack. The desk and chair were thrown to the side while papers covered the ground, along with dirt from the broken pottery of the plants. There were footprints embedded in the dirt, spreading it further along the lobby. In addition, glass from the lightbulbs littered the ground, which cracked under Dakota's feet as she walked forward. Outside of their footsteps, there was no sound. She could smell rotted flesh and blood all around her, while her body shivered. Was it fear, or was it a warning of the danger ahead? Deep down, she accepted both of them as the reason.

She breathed in deeply before she scanned the surrounding. Her bow was gripped tightly, while her body was arched forward slightly, ready to strike if need be. She sniffed the air once more, and her head toward the left. There was a group of scents that stood out from the death around her. However, her face fell at the scent of fresh blood that was mixed within it. "Sh…" She cursed under her breath. Someone was hurt...which meant they needed to move even quicker. Carefully, but quickly, she moved toward the door and opened it.

There was a couple bodies on the ground, while there was blood stained against the ground. Amongst the people, she could see one Pokemon on the ground, a black furred canine with curved horns on top of its head. Dakota's stomach twisted again, but she steadied herself, before she began to walk forward. Cautiously. "...Three dead on the ground…" She whispered. "One's a Pokemon…"

"...Great…" Simon mumbled sarcastically.

"...Could be worse…?" She slowly replied, her voice quiet while she tried to sound lighthearted. However, she remained calm, and her gaze kept on on the bodies. Her breath seemed stuck in her throat, but she carefully stepped around them. The skins were pale with a grey tint to it. On one body, there seemed to be a gaping hole on his neck, while the other seemed untouched. The Pokemon was another who did not look different, but its mouth was open, its teeth shown. "...I hate zombies…" She mumbled softly.

Suddenly, her foot touched a hand, and she shivered. "...IT'S TOUCHING ME…" She groaned.

Simon snorted, while he kept his gun pointed toward the bodies. "Way to kill the tension…" He joked, flashing her a grin.

Dakota rolled her eyes before she finally made it passed them. The light flickered on and off above them, as if whatever fight ensued in the building had harmed the electricity. With boards on the windows, there was barely any sunlight coming through. If the lights went out...she did not want to be fighting the zombies in the darkness. She kept moving through the hallway, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip. The scents became stronger as she honed in on them, and then she came by several doors and a wider part of the hall. Suddenly, she heard munching sound...and the shiver she felt before intensified.

As she looked ahead, she noticed more bodies, only they appeared to be mauled. Blood splattered all around the floor and walls, while the bodies were chewed up. One of them even looked to had his organs ripped out of his stomach. The killer was not a human zombie, she noticed. No...it was a Pokemon...a Growlithe whose fur was matted down in blood. There was a chunk of flesh missing from its legs, while its tailed seemed to be ripped. From what she could tell about its face, it seemed to be missing flesh there as well. Her stomach churned again. Silently, she sighed and went to pull out an arrow. When she placed it upon her bow and drew back, she went to aim straight for the head for a quick kill. Luckily for her, it did not seem to hear her. Grateful for the mindless part of a zombie, she focused a strange energy upon the arrow, which glowed a silvery blue, and then released it.

True to its target, the arrow embedded itself into the Growlithe's head, and it fell the ground with a slight cry. Dakota's lips curled into a grin of satisfaction. Then, as soon as the feeling hit her, it went away the moment another one growled from the room beside the carnage. "Shit!" She cursed. She pulled out another arrow as soon as the other Growlithe ran out. Before she could strike, it opened its mouth and launched a huge burst of flames toward her. What caught her off guard was not the fact it could still use its abilities. Oh no, she had an inkling feeling it might. What she did not realize was the explosion that came with it, which sent her flying back. She felt her feet leave the ground, before she landed and rolled several times. A cry of pain left her lips as she felt intense heat. Flames lingered against her outfit, but she managed to quickly pat them away.

"Dakota!" Simon cried out. Without wasting a moment, he took aim and fired shots at the Growlithe. It cried out as blood poured from the wounds, and then one shot went through its nose. The effects of the bullets, blessed with holy water, took effect quickly to kill the creature, while the final shot helped finished it off. Once it fell to the ground, he rushed toward Dakota and helped her sit up. "Are you okay?!" He asked, his eyes flashing in deep concern.

Dakota nodded with a groan. "Yeah, I'm fine…" She said, before she pushed herself to her feet. "Okay...I...was not expecting that…" Her dark brown orbs fell upon the two Pokemon, and the carnage before her, and it was all she could do to keep herself steady. "This...if this is a taste of what's going to be on that island…"

Simon did not reply. He did not need to. Both of them looked at each other, and they came to the same conclusion. The island was going to be true hell with the Pokemon no doubt infected there...and how many it possibly could be. After another moment and she felt her burns ease away slowly, she grabbed her discarded bow and quickly moved forward. They could not stand another moment longer. They had to find the other survivors quickly and get them out. One thing that scared her...were they still even alive?

She could not think of that. She did not have time to, when she heard more moans and growls. Dakota's head shot up as she looked around. "There's a few more…" She whispered. "Pokemon and human alike."

"Maybe we need to split off…?" Simon glanced at her, while his grip on his handgun tightened.

"...No...we stick together. We watch each other's back." She looked at him. "If we split up, then the zombies have a better chance of killing us."

He sighed as he looked back at the hallway, where the bodies still laid. "Well...just to be sure…" He suddenly fired shots at them. "JUST IN CASE."

Dakota chuckled before she sniffed the air. "Come on…" She then walked ahead as she looked around. She made sure she held an arrow in hand, readying her bow. When she passed by one door, she focused on the scents...but nothing. So, she kept moving and kept on the trail; then, she heard a soft banging. When she turned around the corner, she noticed a zombie beating against a door, trying to break through. Quickly, she took aim and placed her energy within the arrow, before she launched it through it's neck. It created a hole, but all the zombie did was cease its banging and turned toward her.

The sight of its white, milky color eyes made her tremble slightly. For a moment, her mind drifted to the time she first met such a gaze. The chills it gave her, and the fear that gripped her heart with cold fingers. She pursed her lips together, and she quickly fired another into its head. This time, he fell to the ground. With a sigh, she hurried forward to the door; however, when she went to open it, it seemed to not budge. Her eyes widened. "Agent Looker?" She called out. "Agent Looker, are you in there?"

There was a gasp of pain, followed by, "In here…"

"How many officers are with you?" She hastily asked, relief washing over her.

"...Four…" There was a grimace. "Move the furniture!"

Within the next few moments, she heard feet movements on the other side, before there was the movement of furniture. There were scrapes against the ground, the sounds muffled from the door and walls. Afterwards, the door opened, where she came face-to-face with a female officer. There was a terrified look in her eyes, while she looked around. Dakota placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she hurried inside. The room had several desks with one by the door; no doubt it was the one used as barricade. As her eyes scanned the area, she found the other three officers near Looker, who sat against the wall. Sweat poured down his face as he gripped his arm, where crimson blood poured from it.

Her eyes widened before she hurried toward him. She knelt down and examined the wound. "You okay?" She asked.

"Peachy." He groaned. "The officer...he was the one who bit me...his Pokemon...his Pokemon had bitten the others…" There was a weak look in his eyes, due to the blood loss, but she knew another reason. The pale skin, the sweat, his eyes...the color from her face drained. "...That bad?" He asked, noticing the look.

Dakota said nothing. She grabbed his arms, saying, "C'mon…" She helped him to his feet, before she looked at everyone. Her own sickness was pushed back, now focused more than ever. She needed to get Looker help, before the virus took over. "...We're getting out."

Before they began to move, there was an inhumane growl. Her eyes widened as she turned her head at the other door, where it rattled. "Dammit…Simon!" She hastily said. No..no there was no way...

Simon hurried inside, his eyes widened as he looked around. "Kota, what's wrong?" He asked.

"...Our problems...they just got bigger…" If they got bigger now...she did not want to know how the island would be...if they survived this.

What is behind the door you ask?...You'll see...thanks for the support guys! Read and Review!