The Darkness Rises (Part 2)

By: Scizor

"Person talking".

Person thinking.

*Person speaking telepathically*.

{**}

The man stood with his gun to Misty's head.

"Misty", Ash yelled, trying to get past two men who were holding him back.

The man smirked and tightened his finger around the trigger.

Suddenly a muffled shot was heard. A bullet hole appeared in the man's chest, knocking him backwards.

One of the men turned, trying to bring his shotgun to bear on where the shot was fired. A bullet caught the man through the head, killing him instantly and causing his gun to fly out of his hands. Ash caught sight of the person who was firing. It was Talon, A small pistol with a silencer clutched in his hands. Even as he watched, he saw Talon fire off two more shots, killing two more men. The men turned and began to fire on him. He ducked back behind the wall.

Ash saw that all the men had their backs turned to the trainers, instead trying to get Talon.

The trainers began to run out of the building.

{**}

Talon shot a quick glance around the corner and saw that the trainers had ran out of the building.

"Alright, anytime your ready", he thought.

One of the tables suddenly levitated off the ground.

Talon ducked as the table flew out of the room, crushing 3 men who had been trying to get into the room.

He ran out of the room and began to fire, still running, catching the men off guard. 5 of them fell before they began to fire back. It was only then that he noticed that Ash, Misty, Brock, and Nurse Joy were still inside, pinned down by the fire from the mercs.

He turned and ran towards the group, firing at the mercs while he ran. He tackled the group and knocked them under the cover of an overturned table. He reached under his trench coat and pulled out a thing that looked like a hockey puck with a button on top.

"Cover your ears", he said to the group as he pressed the button and threw it along the floor.

The group covered their ears just before the grenade went off, causing a bright flash of light and a loud bang. As soon as the grenade went off, Talon jumped out of the cover of the table and began to fire on the mercs, who was either covering there eyes or there ears. After A few seconds it was all over. All of the mercs except one were either dead or dying. The remaining merc was unconscious. Ash, Misty, Brock, and Nurse Joy looked out from behind the table to see Talon putting his Pistol back in a holster under his trench coat. He glanced back at the group, as if sizing them up. He then turned back to the bodies of the mercs and began to dig through their pockets, pulling out their wallets and putting them all in his pockets.

"What are you doing", asked Misty?

Talon just glanced at her and emptied out the last man's pockets.

He got up from where he was kneeling, throwing the unconscious merc over his shoulder, and walked towards the door.

"Hey, wait", said Ash.

Talon just scowled and walked out the door.

He just stood there for A few seconds, as if waiting for something.

"Are you coming or not", he said to the group, not even looking at them?

The group looked at each other, undecided.

A nearby explosion made up their mind. Better to travel with Talon then get caught in the fighting. The group followed him along one of the streets. A group of people ran by, looking like they might attack them, but one look at Talon and the unconscious merc changed their minds. They continued to run down the street. Talon led them down an alley to a military truck. The drivers compartment was completely tinted. Talon led the group to the back, where a tripod mounted machine gun pointed out the back and crates lined up against the walls. He jumped up into the back.

He glanced at them.

"Get in", he said impatiently.

The group climbed into the back.

Talon banged his fist against the back of the drivers compartment.

The truck began to move.

Talon sat the merc against the wall and slapped a pair of cuffs from one of the crates onto his wrist and feet.

Talon then sat down on one of the boxes, leaning against the back of the truck, and pulled out his pistol. He released the clip it had loaded and slapped in a new one and reholstered the pistol, all in one smooth motion.

He leaned back and closed his eyes.

The others watched him and the street nervously.

"Um, Talon", said Joy nervously?

Talon opened one of his eyes and looked at her.

"What", he grumbled?

"What's going on", she asked?

"What does it look like", he said impatiently. "Were trying to get out of the city. But with all the wandering looters and mobs, we may have some trouble".

"But why are you helping us", said Ash?

"And where did you learn to fight like that", asked Misty?

Questions, questions, always questions", Talon grumbled. I'm helping because I'm being paid to, no more, no less".

"By who", asked Brock?

"Let's just say that there more powerful then should be humanly possible", said Talon, A small smirk crossing his face.

He looked back out of the back of the truck and saw that they were out of the city.

"Ah, we should get home soon", he said.

After A few minutes they stopped.

Talon got up from where he sat and jumped out of the truck and walked over to a rock outcropping just behind the truck. The others got out, all except the driver, and looked around. There was nothing here, just a scattering of some trees.

"But...there's nothing here", said Brock said, looking around the area.

"That's because you're looking at the wrong place", Talon said as he pressed his hand against the outcropping. Suddenly, A panel slid down, revealing a keypad.

Talon typed a quick sequence on the pad and closed it again. Suddenly the ground began to shake.

"What's  happening", yelled Ash in shock?

The ground under them suddenly began to lower. It was a hidden elevator.

"What, what is this", stuttered Joy.

"The entrance to Phoenix City", Talon said, a grin crossing his usual stony features.

After A few seconds, the elevator stopped and revealed a wonderous spectacle.

It was a city, deep underground. Massive buildings rose all the way to the roof of the massive underground cavern. Huge parks were scattered through out, including A large lake in one corner and forest scattered everywhere. The city seemed to go on forever. But that wasn't the strangest part. The strangest part was that there were no humans around. All they saw was pokemon. Hundreds and thousands of pokemon were here, but there wasn't a single human in sight.

"Where is everybody", asked Misty, perplexed?

Talon glances at her and chuckles.

"Why, there all here", he said.

"But, I don't see anything but pokemon", said Ash.

"Exactly", said Talon.

"You mean there's no humans down here", said Joy, shocked.

"Uh huh, just pokemon", he said. "I like it that way. It's quiet".

The lift stopped and Talon jumped out and walked over to a pair of Machoke and A Machamp waiting nearby.

He gestured to the truck.

"Take the merc inside to the confinement cells at the Administrative District. Well take care of him there. Let me know the moment he's conscious".

The Machamp nodded and the two Machoke climbed into the back of the truck and picked up the merc and carried him down one of the streets.

Talon turned back to the Machamp.

"Tell the Assembly I'm back and on my way", he said to the pokemon.

Again, the Machamp nodded and ran off.

"I thought you said there are no humans here", said Brock.

"There aren't", said Talon.

"Then who's this Assembly", asked Brock?

"You'll see soon enough", he said quietly.

He lead the group down the street towards A massive tower at the center of the city. Once they were out of sight the door to the truck opened and A figure stepped out. All of the pokemon around the truck stopped and watched as the tall creature walked down the street after the group.

(**)

Well folks, I'm BACK. Thanks to Talon, Ahs and his friends were saved. But what is Phoenix City? Who is the Assembly? Who is the mysterious figure who is helping Talon? You get three guesses. Check the next chapter to find out.