Happy belated one-year anniversary! *Throws empty Nos Cans in the air because I don't have confetti* Also, I didn't intend for this to go up on the night of Pokémon day, but let's say I did.
"Jeez mate… this ain't normal."
"Indeed. Do you have any idea what may have caused this?"
"I mean, I've got some theories, but they're all probably whack, mate. From my studies, there ain't no being that could cause such a drastic, almost violent geological shift without leaving some major traces behind."
"Indeed…"
"Oi, Shelly! You got any ideas what's causin' this shift?!"
"Sorry, Boss." She shook her head. "But this kind of weather changes? It honestly sounds like the stories of Lugia and a few other legendaries."
"Aye, that was my theory, too." Archie muttered, looking over the side of the ship. "But this isn't right, there was a whole ecosystem o'coral and fish down there, and now… now it's just gone! Th'stories never said that the 'daries showin' up would purge a whole ecosystem!"
"As are the nearby islands." Maxie frowned. "Weren't the Ravnica Isles around here?"
"Yeah… they should be." Archie frowned. "But what could- holy…"
Looking down, the small Ravnica Island could be seen… scorched to a disgusting murky brown and black. Not only that, but the island was somehow bigger. As if some sort of volcano exploded underwater, adding a few extra miles to the island.
"Aye, Max. You wanna check it out?"
"Yes."
Neither of the Ex-Team-Although-Still-Technically-Team-Just-Not-Evil-Leaders complained too much as they drudged through the knee-high water. The small (but now bigger) Island was solid, and flat. Any sense of hills or valleys was gone, as was any sign of life. Both men were confused, as this small island was off the coast of Poni Island, but there weren't any known volcanos or other such locations that could cause the creation of such an island expansion.
"Amazing…" Maxie muttered, looking at a reading. "This apparently only happened a few days ago!"
"Okay, but what happened a few days ago?" Archie spoke up.
"That… I am uncertain of." Maxie frowned. "You said you've met this mysterious stranger who's been making the rounds?"
"No, and frankly, I'm a-okay with that." Archie remarked, shivering slightly at the prospect of having to take that guy on in a fight. Pokémon of fisticuffs. "Rumor has it he threw a Steelix, bare-handed. Heck, if he's real, what kind of pokémon did that guy have!?" He had to be rolling with some of the biggest and toughest fighters anyone had ever seen!
Back on the VLFS, The Slayer took a moment to pat Aron on the head, earning a happy noise from the small pokémon.
"This kind of ecological shift could have been man-made, but the way it formed, something bigger had to have done it, something far more powerful than the tools we currently have at our disposal." Maxie muttered. "As illogical as this may seem, I think this has to do with the Legendary Pokémon."
"Uh, Max?"
"But that doesn't make any sense… the Legendaries we know of tended to remain in a single region, why would they start a migration to the Alola Islands?"
"Max?"
"Does this newcomer have some sort of power which is drawing them towards him? If so, does that make him an ally or a threat?"
"Max?"
"Furthermore, if he is responsible for such a migration, what's his end goal? If this is a byproduct of something else, then what is he doing that could have such a drastic effect on the nature of things?"
"Max!"
"What!?"
"So… don't panic… but look behind you." Archie said, slowly pointing behind him. As the leader of Team Magma turned around, his eyes widened in shock at the sight before him. A blue, purple and black pokémon floated in the air, looking like a mixture of a sea horse and clam was looking at them.
The Doom Slayer held his hand out, and the Buneary looked at it, then up to him. It seemed to be silently debating something, then walked forward and put its tiny hands on his. Slowly, the Slayer reached down with his other hand and slowly patted its head. It was so bizarre… there was no anger, no violence, just… love. That's what there was.
"I have a lot of questions…" Ash muttered.
"Same." Hau nodded. "But I doubt we'll get them…"
"Yeah, it's just- I mean… his name is the Slayer! Why is he so calm all of a sudden? I get he's more than just a killing machine; at least, I hope he is… but something just changed.."
"I know. It's almost like that Buneary reminded him of something." Hau shrugged. "Still, I think it's nice! After everything he's supposedly been through, I think he can enjoy something, y'know?"
"Oh, yeah! Totally!" Ash nodded affirmatively.
"Ms. Lusamine, I have a test I would like to try, but I cannot guarantee its success. However, if this works, I would be able to assist you with whatever it is you are working on." Vega remarked. Lusamine raised a brow as she looked to the Doom Slayer. If he, or Vega, were helping in any way, shape or form, this could be beyond helpful for her plans.
"Which is?" She asked.
"I would like to upload part of my OS to your computers. From what I have seen, they are not sufficient to allow me to fully upload my full files, but due to the nature of the Slayer's… assistance, so to say, I have been… reduced. With the additional power of your computers, I may be able to further reconstruct myself, and from there I would be able to have a greater connection. In exchange, I would be more than willing to allow you access any of the files from our Earth to assist you in your work."
"Yes! Of course!"
The Slayer set the Buneary down and walked a few feet away, holding his hand out once more, as if asking it to come along. The rabbit pokémon looked up to him, then seemed… frightened. To the Slayer's disappointment, it hopped back into the foliage.
"Pika… pika…" Pikachu remarked, seeming sad on the Slayer's behalf.
"Arr?" Aron said, looking sadly at the retreating form of his friend.
After a short travel, The Slayer and Hau were looking around the lab as Vega transferred parts of himself to the computers, creating a new form for himself. While he did, the Slayer looked at what they were working on in this lab, and none of it really interested him. It wasn't weaponry, and it wasn't tech to get him home. But he had seen their portal devices they were working on. He had his doubts, and he had more than a few concerns, which is why he wanted Vega to find out more. However, at the end of a wall, sitting on a pedestal of sorts, was… something weird. It… it was a pokémon.
It didn't look like a pokémon, it looked like a mess of old computer graphics, making a pink and blue bird. The Slayer looked to the monitor which Vega was currently using to transmit a fraction of his data, then back to the… thing, and then to Lusamine.
"That's Porygon." Lusamine remarked. "A while ago, it was created to be an artificial intelligence, and the original creator gave it a body. However, when it was first activated, it resulted in the hospitalization of numerous workers… and children, actually. There's never been a solid answer for why." She paused, then seemed to realize something. "I don't even know if this is possible for you, but do you believe you could inhabit the Porygon's form?" Lusamine asked, and the Slayer looked to her, clearly more confused than anything. "Since Vega is an A.I., it would only be a matter of copying the base functions to the Porygon, allowing him to control its functions, giving it sentience."
"You are proposing I copy some of my programming into that pokémon, correct?" Vega asked, and Lusamine nodded. "Does it not already have a mind of its own?"
"Well, no." The President shook her head. "That's the issue. After the hospitalization incident, it was removed due to the danger it posed. Since then, it's been all but forgotten."
The Doom Slayer looked to Vega, who seemed to be thinking it over himself, before the A.I. gave his answer.
"This is not the exchange I intended on making, but I believe it would be beneficial to us." Vega agreed. The technicians set to work on attaching some wires from the computers to the Porygon as Vega explained what to do, only for a second Vega to appear on another screen.
"Are you sure this'll work?" Ash asked.
"Since my processor was destroyed on the UAC Mars base, I have been unable to perform all my duties." The second Vega explained as the machines whirred to life. "I believe in this artificial body, I will be of more assistance."
"So… what exactly was your core processor?" Hau asked. As the programs worked, Vega pulled footage from the Slayer's Mars vacation of murder. Namely, the gigantic sphere which housed Vega central processors. "Wow. That is big."
"Indeed. It required more power to run than this entire structure is currently outputting." Vega remarked, a fact which caused most of those working here to freeze in disbelief by that prospect. "No, I did not fabricate that statement. If you compared the power needed to control my full core processor to the power needed to control this entire building, you would need…" The A.I. went silent as he calculated something. "Roughly twelve thousand of these buildings in order to maintain my full core at sub-par levels."
"W..w…w..what do you want with me!?" Lillie stammered.
"Calm yourself, young one. I do not come with intentions of harm." Mewtwo spoke in both a calm, but very unsettling voice. "I understand your apprehension, but I come because you may be of great help to us."
"W..who..who's us!?"
"Myself, and many others known as 'Legendaries' to your kind." Mewtwo spoke. BY now, Lillie managed to steel her nerves a little more and looked back up to the floating cat-pokémon.
"What… what do you want?"
"The newcomer, the one knows as 'The Doom Slayer' potentially poses a threat to this entire world, he possesses the power unlike anything your – or my – kind had ever seen. Yet, we do not believe him to be an enemy."
"He isn't." Lillie shook her head. "He's quiet, and kinda scary, but he's actually kinda nice"
"That is why I have come to you, young one." Mewtwo continued with his explanation, deciding not to leave anything out of this explanation, lest that lead to miscommunication and more problems. "The Slayer clear has intelligence, but he also is clearly quick to action. We wish to speak with him, but do not know how to approach him without most likely aggravating him."
"Okay… um…" Lillie backed up slightly, still unnerved by Mewtwo's… Mewtwo-ness. She had briefly heard stories of this pokémon, but didn't know if it was real. Until now. "What do you want me to do?"
"We have found one who has agreed to help us, she is known as Cynthia White." Mewtwo answered, and Lillie seemed taken aback by that. She knew who Cynthia White was, everyone did! She was helping the legendaries!? "One of the ones you commonly travel with, Ash, has had some experience with myself and others. We wish to communicate with the Doom Slayer, to find a solution to his presence that will not result in bloodshed. In order to do so, I am asking you to act as an intermediary for us. Work with Miss White, Ash, and whomever you believe to be trustworthy, and help us find a way to meet on neutral grounds."
Lillie was silent, thinking everything over. The Slayer- well, okay. She knew he was powerful, and apparently some sort of hell-killer, but to a point where the legendaries were practically asking 'Hey man, don't kill us, please' what was he capable of?! And then there were the others. Miss Cynthia, Ash, of course she could trust the Professors, and Hau, maybe even Mallow and some of the Trial leaders… but what if her- no. She couldn't find out about this. That wouldn't end well for anyone… Nebby seemed to pick up on her hesitation, and began nudging against her, trying to cheer her up. While Mewtwo could've looked into her mind to find what was troubling her, he knew that this wasn't the time for such tactics.
"…why me?" Lillie timidly asked, not meeting Mewtwo's gaze. "I'm… I'm not someone who's cut out for this sorta thing… I'm just… I'm no one."
"Whether you understand it or not, the Slayer trusts you." Mewtwo responded. "He would not have agreed to accompany you and the others on your trials had he not had reason too. You may be one of the few people to ever exist that the Slayer trusts."
Lillie was silent again, before exhaling deeply.
"All right. I'll do it!" She nodded.
Back above, progress was… slow. Vega was answering questions to the best of his ability (and by that we mean as far as the Slayer wanted him too). Until Ash asked a question about something he wanted to know more about.
"Who was Doctor Hayden?"
He somewhat regretted the questions when the slayer turned to him, and the crunching sound of leather was quietly heard as the Slayer clenched his fist, but he quickly let it go.
"Is it all right if I show them?" Vega asked. The Slayer thought it over, then nodded. Vega pulled up the footage from the first face-to-mechanical-face with Samuel Hayden. "Doctor Hayden was the head of the UAC, he had spent his entire life working on advancements and breakthroughs in the field of renewable energy."
"You guys built a robot who can think that much?!"
"No. Doctor Hayden is human. Due to untreatable Illnesses, he had his conscious removed and implanted into the mechanical body you are currently seeing." Vega explained, amazement taking over all who heard.
"But… that kind of mental transplant, that's not possible!" Dr. Faba sputtered. "Disconnecting a human brain from their body would result in immediate death! There's no possible way he could-"
"With all due respect, Doctor Faba, while it was risky, and was considered impossible, in our world, technology in many ways is more advanced than your world. Furthermore, Doctor Hayden did not do it all at once. He slowly replaced his body with mechanical parts. But I must admit, you do have certain technological aspects which we have yet to achieve." Vega remarked. "Namely, the ability to keep a structure such as this airborne for extended periods of time."
One thing Ash noticed was that the Slayer didn't seem too thrilled to be reminded of this Dr. Hayden. Then again, he supposedly stabbed him in the back and sent him across time and space. If Ash was in the Slayer's position, he didn't think he'd be totally thrilled to be reminded of that guy either…
"Man… what was so special about this hell energy?" Hau asked. He had gotten… some of the Slayer's backstory when they first met, but there were still many things he wanted to know. Vega seemed to wait until the Slayer nodded, as if wordlessly agreeing to something.
"This, is Argent Energy." Vega explained as another file was pulled up, showing the complex equations none of the scientists could begin to understand, followed by a cannister of the energy. "It is a sustainable, endless and renewable source of energy. That was the main focus of the UAC."
"That… that isn't possible!"
"Again, Dr. Faba. What is impossible to you is blasé to us, and vice versa." The A.I. spoke again. Now showing footage of the UAC base, Mars, and the amazing view of earth from the red planet. Pretty much everyone present had gathered around to marvel at the sight, the implications this brought, and the wonder of the sights. "Through a series of extremely difficult methods, we were able to have a flowing supply of Argent, which the scientists were able to purify."
"So, how'd you get this stuff?" Ash asked the question everyone else was wondering.
"Well, the only way to obtain it was to create a portal into hell." Vega remarked, pulling up some of the footage from the first expedition into hell. Unfortunately, Vega himself didn't know what the footage was exactly…
"The time is 0700 hours, this is General Romero." A man spoke as his helmet camera filmed… well, hell. It was still incredibly unsettling to those who had seen it, hadn't seen it, or didn't know what this entailed. But this was pretty much just boring to the Slayer. "We… I can't believe we're saying this, but we've done it. We've entered the afterlife."
The floating rocks and reddish cliffs seemed to expand for an eternity. The UAC members planted beacons in the ground, while the others kept their weapons drawn. It was silent, almost like a horror movie… With a twisted shriek, a small creature lurched forward form the darkness. The men shouted in shock, but they were faster than expected. One of them bashed the end of his gun into the imp's face, knocking it to the ground.
"Kill it." Hayden said dismissively. The men nodded, and shredded the imp's head with bullets. The body twitched and spasmed, but then went still. Those watching were disturbed, intrigued, or both. The creature which had been unceremoniously gunned down looked… human, but also wrong. Very wrong. Its head was misshapen, it's teeth jagged… and its whole body seemed hunched.
"Ew…" Hau winced. "That looks… wrong."
"Was that a human?" Ash asked.
"Its origin is not fully known." Vega replied as the footage cut to a pool of dark blue liquid, Doctor Hayden picking some up and letting it fall through his fingers.
"Amazing… eternal, renewable energy… drawn from the place of eternal torment, how fittingly ironic…" Dr. Hayden mused.
"I honestly would've expected to have gotten this stuff from the other place."
There were low growls, and the footage cut again, this time, the humans were running and firing their weapons. Screams and roars could be heard among gunshots and the sickening sounds of something being torn.
"I strongly advise anyone who is easily disturbed look away." Vega remarked. But no one did. Aside from oddly the Slayer, who pushed Ash and Hau out of the room, having pretty good feeling he knew what was coming next.
Without warning, the footage showed one of the soldiers being sidelined by what looked like some sort of bull-demon with an armored head. While the camera didn't pick it up, the sound made it clear he all but exploded after being crushed against the wall. The Slayer (under his helmet) looked on with nothing but apathy. These people knew what they were doing… and they should've known this was the only way it was going to end. Still, from outside the room, he was somewhat thankful for the thick walls, so Ash and Hau didn't hear clearly what was happening.
"T..those guys… they're… they're dead. Aren't they?" Hau asked, and the Slayer nodded.
"Did you kill them?"
The Slayer shook his head.
"Did… did they know what they were getting into?"
The Slayer looked to the younger boys, then shrugged. To him, it made no difference. He protected the innocent, but he didn't protect the idiots.
"What the hell are those things?! What the hell is that?! What are-"
That was as far the man filming got, as a large, hoofed demon grabbed him. The man was held before the creature's horned head, this monster seemed more like the cartoonish depictions of the devil than anyone expected… and it roared a demonic shout… before ripping the man in two. Those watching recoiled in genuine terror at the sight of the man screaming as he was pulled apart, innards and blood flying everywhere as his top half flew in one direction, but the lower half flew in another. Thankfully, the camera didn't pick up on everything, but those watching got the idea. And more horrifyingly, those watching just saw a man die.
When the footage ended, the whole room was left in fear. Fear of the demons they had seen, and fear of the one who walked among them, causing them to tremble. The door opened and the Slayer walked back in, most present taking a few steps back in fear. Heck, the Slayer hadn't even been in that footage!
"Why… why did you…" Dr. Faba stammered out, unnerved beyond words yet fascinated even more with the Slayer.
"As a warning." Vega said. "The Slayer understands your intentions here are not to cause harm, but he wanted me to show you what happens when you mess with this type of technology. You can stand there and claim you're prepared all you want, but a single mistake can cause the deaths of billions. While the Slayer has no reason to wish harm upon anyone here, as you all have been rather accommodating considering the sudden appearance of him, he wishes you to know that when given the choice between innocents or those working here, he will never hesitate to protect the innocents by any means necessary."
Now Lusamine saw the Slayer looking directly at her. This time, she didn't feel the excitement, the surge of potential welling up from when he first revealed where he was from, she saw now what he was. Not an ally, and not an enemy… at least, not yet. He could be her greatest asset, or could slaughter everyone in this lab without remorse should she push him too far.
"Yo, yo, yo. I know we wanna do this for the boss, but I gotta say. This is a very stupid idea." One of the Skull Grunts said, seeming rather serious from where they were.
"Aw, c'mon G! We just run in there, grab the armor, run outta there! No sweat, cuz." Shake responded.
"I mean… man. Did you not hear what that thing did to J-Roc's Steelix!?" He muttered, shaking his head. "Heck! You were there! You think we can just run in there and grab his stuff and run!?"
"…yeah. I mean, the dude isn't in his armor, so that's a big threat taken off! Besides, he might not even be there!"
"Shake, if you're so determined, you go on in and get it." One of the Skull Grunts said flatly.
"Okay, I will."
…
"He's dead."
"Oh, he is so dead."
Since the 'make-everyone-piss-themselves' part of the presentation was over, Vega explained a few basic concepts of the technology from their world. The Slayer made it clear not to share anything concerning weaponry, teleportation, or portals, however. And the A.I. didn't blame him.
"So, you really think this'll work?" Hau asked, looking to the screen displaying Vega's interface.
The Slayer shrugged, hitting 'Enter' and watching as a series of shocks and electricity flowed into… whatever the heck this thing was. About a minute later, the power died out, and then the pokémon slowly lifted its head, looking around the room.
"Wait, did that- it worked?!" Ash exclaimed, surprised.
"Pika… Pika?"
"H-h-h-h-hel-helllll-lllll-lllll-hellllllllllllllllll-" Vega's voice was stuttering and glitching like mad, it was hard to tell if all or any of his programming was installed into the Porygon's body. "No sé hablar español, por favor use traducer. Hay un problema, consulte el manual de usuario."
The scientists looked to one another, uncertain of what to do, until the Doom Slayer walked up and slapped the polygonal pokémon.
"An cuala tu a-riamh bròn-chluich Darth Plageious nan daoine glic?"
Slap
laseuteu obeu eoseu pateu 2neun gwadae pyeong-gadoeeossseubnida-"
Slap
"Do~ūmuetānaru wa kotoshi no gēmu, soshite saikō no saundotorakku o kakutoku suru hazudeshita-"
Slap
"Skol'ko yeshche prodlitsya eta duratskaya shutka?"
Slap
"He-he-hel-Hello. I, am Vega." The Porygon finally spoke clearly, beginning to float in the air. "So, this is what having a body feels like… this is fascinating, and an altogether new feeling for me."
"Magnificent!" Lusamine breathed.
The Slayer watched as Vega floated up to eye-level with his helmet.
"Hello, Slayer." Vega-Gon nodded. "This is… fascinating." Vega-Gon floated around the room, taking in this new form while the scientists watched in amazement. All the while, no one noticed the small floating pokémon outside a window, which quickly darted away before it could be spotted. It was a long way from Sinnoh, but it had good reason to be.
Darkrai was thinking over all that had been revealed thus far. From the Slayer's arrival, to the bits of lore Giratina knew, to the mysterious message Rayquaza had received.
"Well, I found the Slayer." Azelf remarked, getting the ghost's attention.
"You did?" Darkrai asked.
"Yeah! He's up on that big floating place." Azelf said, pointing off towards the VLFS. "From what I saw, he's pretty calm, I mean, for now at least."
"I don't get it." Heatran frowned. "He's supposedly this all-powerful warrior from hell, and yet… has he hurt anyone since he got here?"
"Aside from a Steelix, and a few of those Team Skull idiots, no." Darkrai muttered. "Giratina claimed he was such a warrior, but perhaps he is more human than we understand. There still appears to be some level of humanity in him."
"Or no-one's done anything to anger him." Azelf spoke up again.
"Yes, that too." Darkrai muttered, having a feeling that very, very soon that was going to change. Like, next chapter.
As the day was reaching dusk, Ash, Hau and the Slayer figured they had seen what they came too, and decided to head back to meet with Mallow and the others. While the scientists wanted the Slayer to satay, they knew trying to get him to do something he didn't want too would be suicidal. Also, the Slayer just… didn't really like the place. It reminded him of UAC, and the mistakes that killed so many… he hoped (for their sake) they didn't make any mistakes like that.
"C'mon, we should get back to Lillie and the others." Hau remarked as they got onto the elevator, not noticing Lusamine's surprised reaction, or the small figure hopping on at the last second. As they descended, there was an undeniably tense feeling still in the air, but neither trainer expected what Vega said.
"If you fear the Slayer, or no longer want him to accompany you, he fully understands." Vega remarked.
"Huh?"
"We understand what you witnessed earlier was not… appropriate for someone your age, or even the ages of those working there." The A.I. explained. "And judging by the massive spike in your heart rates, it is clear you feel some lever of fear in the Slayer's presence, either due to what he has done, or has the potential to do."
"…I'll be honest, you kinda terrify me." Ash admitted, seemingly embarrassed to do so. "It's just… hell, and those monsters, and… and… and you've been at this for so long! But then you turn around and you seem so calm and collected, I'm afraid we're gonna do something without realizing it and set you off."
The Slayer leaned against the wall as the elevator descended, clearly taking in what was said, and completely understanding their fear/apprehension to his continued being there. They were kids, they weren't Sentinels or Knights of D'Nur. They were two kids who he happened to run into, who agreed to help him. From there, he had agreed to travel with them during their Trials (something he still didn't fully understand). But now? He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to keep traveling with them, but he'd also be semi-lying if he said he did. He really was indifferent… but he felt like he should stick with them, at least for a little longer… but now? If they wanted him gone, he understood. He maaaayyyyy have gone a bit far in what they saw, but thankfully, it wasn't the worst thing he had seen/done. They weren't ready for that.
"…are… are you sure?!" Vega asked, sounding downright surprised, but the Slayer nodded nonetheless.
"What's he saying?" Hau asked.
"The Slayer's assignment to Mars long before the UAC awoke him was due to his insubordination in the Old Earth's military." Vega explained. Ash, Hau and Pikachu looked to one another in confusion, but no one spoke up. "The Slayer was ordered to execute a group of innocent civilians without cause, and when he refused, his commanding officer killed them."
"Geez…"
"The Slayer then beat his commanding officer to death with his bare hands."
Ash and Hau were taken aback by the calm remark Vega made.
"Dude!"
"They Slayer refused to harm innocents, and when they were harmed, his anger took over." Vega explained. "My point being, the Slayer will show extreme violence and anger towards those who pose a threat to innocents, especially ones as young as yourselves. The Slayer was effectively left to die because he refused to harm innocents, and…" Vega suddenly stopped. "That is all he is comfortable with sharing right now. My point in sharing this information is to reassure you that the Slayer holds no ill intentions for you, but if you are uncomfortable with his presence, he also fully understands."
"…huh…" Ash blinked. "That's… that's kinda cool, in a weird way…"
"Look, you aren't gonna kill anyone for being rude to you, are ya?" Hau asked. "Even those Team Skull jerks don't deserve to die for being annoying…"
"We have promised Doctor Kukui not to harm anyone unless it is absolutely clear that a peaceful resolution is not possible." Vega-Gon remarked. "And considering how terrified everyone appears to be of the Slayer, I have reason to believe that will not be an issue."
"I mean… I'm cool with it!" Hau remarked, ever the optimist. Ash seemed a little more hesitant, but nodded nonetheless. It was weird, having a warrior from hell traveling with you, as it made you feel safe, but also endangered. But it also made you feel like if anyone tried anything, you didn't need to worry about that.
"Yeah, let's keep going the way we were." Ash nodded and the Slayer gave a thumbs-up as his confirmation. When they reached the bottom, the headed towards the boat that would take them back to the Alolan Islands when a small voice made itself heard.
"Bunn?"
The Slayer paused, looking down at the rabbit pokémon, surprised to see it had followed them down to the entrance. He was also now seeing it appeared somewhat frightened. Not of the Slayer, but of being abandoned. Vega took a quick look and came to a depressing conclusion.
"President Lusamine stated that pokémon here have often been abused in one way or another, it stands to reason this Buneary most likely was abandoned by its previous trainers." Vega-Gon remarked, and the Slayer nodded in understanding. He got down on one knee again, and held his hand out. The Buneary looked at him, then hopped forward timidly, seeming to inspect his hand for a minute, then let out a happy sound and jumped onto his hand. The Slayer stood up and held it close to his chest as the three left the building, another member added to his team.
Once they were back on the islands, they set off towards the beach where they'd meet with everyone once more. All the while, Aron was happy to have his friend along for the journey, and Marowak seemed… hesitant, to say the least, but was quickly warming up (ha) to the small pokémon. Most surprising was Vega, who was looking around himself as they walked, as if seeing the world for the first time.
"This is… odd." Vega-Gon remarked as he floated alongside next to the Slayer. "Is this what sentience truly is? To move and speak of one's own volition?"
The Slayer shrugged.
"This is unlike anything I had ever believed possible…"
When they reached the beach, Lillie, Mallow and a few others were waiting, along with a woman the Slayer hadn't seen before.
"Hey guys!" Hau waved as they approached. The Slayer nodded as the group re-joined and quickly caught up to speed.
"Wait. So that voice in his helmet, is now inside that pokémon?" Lana asked.
"Technically, I am in both." Vega remarked from both the pokémon and the helmet. "I am still capable of assisting the Slayer in both forms, but now can move of my own free will, if that is what your kind would call it."
"Weird."
"So, you're the Doom Slayer?" Cynthia asked, and the Slayer nodded. "I'm Cynthia."
"Greetings." Vega spoke up. "I am unsure if you have been told, but the Slayer doesn't speak often."
"Yeah, I've been told." Cynthia nodded. "Listen, there's some things I'd like to talk to you about later."
The Slayer seemed hesitant, but nodded.
"Oh, hello there." Lillie smiled as she patted the Bunneary's head after the small pokémon hopped over in curiosity. The small pokémon leaned into the contact, seeming rather happy with it. While Lillie thought the small bunny pokémon was cute, she was beyond confused as to why the Doom Slayer would have one.
"Did you have a name for her?" Ash asked, knowing some trainers named their pokémon. The Slayer didn't verbally respond, but he clearly was thinking it over. He seemed to be reflecting on something, some sort of past life.
"Heh, she seems to like you… Listen, I know it's been hard. Things have been weird recently, but- oh, there I go again… Do you know when you'll be deployed?"
Taking a stick, the Slayer wrote a single word in the sand. No, not a word.
A memory.
A name.
A reminder of simpler times, a reminder of who he was, what he had done… and all those he had lost. A word which brought about a very real, almost timid side to the Doom Slayer that no-one had seen in quite literally thousands of years. A side that wasn't all murder and more murder, a side that was once more than a demon-slaying badass, a side the Slayer believed was gone for so long… a reminder of the man behind the mask. It was a simple name, to anyone who saw it, it would seem like a kind, gentle name. But to the Doom Slayer, this name meant more than anyone could, or would, ever understand.
Daisy.
Okay, heartwarming stuff done. Yes. The Slayer has a bunny pokémon named Daisy. Of course, I was gonna do that! Like, seriously. Don't take this wrong way, but EVERYONE who was asking about it had me laughing at the thought that I wouldn't! Seriously, this is DOOM. And this is a rabbit pokémon. If I didn't then you'd have to break down my door and delete this story, because I failed to do the most BASIC of plot points! Again, don't take this as me making fun of anyone, and I'm thankful so many of you loved this story and wanted to drop reviews about that, but hey. It's done, and Daisy is now on the team!
Let's just hope nothing bad happens to her…
Anyhow… Let's get back to the action and violence.
Also; trust me, there are plans for what's gonna happen with Aether Paradise… and believe me, you aren't ready for what's gonna go down! But that may not be for a little bit. After all; the Slayer's Team isn't done, there's more characters (I.E. Bad guys and one edge-lord kid) to meet, and more idiots thinking they can take on the Doom Slayer.
Also, also, there may be a time jump in a chapter or two, we'll see…
Also, also, also, special thanks to edboy4926. Both the first person to review this story, and the one who recommended the Porygon-Vega idea.
