End of A Reality

by Blue9Tiger and DarkMutatedBrock

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Rating: Changed to "R" due to gratuitous violence, gore, and other blood-lust induced scenes. :) No lemon. Phew.

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Man 1: Alive?

Man 2: Dead.

Man 1: Wh--what're you doing?!

Man 2: Why--bringing him back, of course. But.....I'll need your help, obviously. If not enough of his tissues are found, there is no way he can return.

Man 1: Let me clarify something. You want to----revive---a dead---colony of cells? Why on earth would you--?

Man 2: You dare to think yourself a scientist? Even one of this order? Why would you doubt the possibility?

Man 1: Why?? Because---restoration is something--imagined, made-up... face it! It's a fairy tale!!

Woman 1: It would be lucrative if we could pull it off....

Man 1: It's been done before. This very..colony of cells..did it before. The end-product of it was a complete success.

Man 1: So..maybe you're right. But why THIS pile of alien guts? Lord knows how long it's been rotting here. Why don't we just leave it dead, and find a---fresher one?

Man 2: .....Because... because......

Woman 1: Wait..there's someone here. Of all the nerve.....they're listening in on our conversation!

Man 2: Do what you must.

Man 3: Hey---stop--no!!

Sound of gunshots.

Man 3: N-no...........

--Conversation tape-recorded on the Sister Ray platform in Sector 8. Tape recorder was found smashed and in the hand of a dead man. An autopsy shows that several bullets were fired into his chest. The tape was salvaged.

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Chapter 10: Death to the Demoness

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"Gone." Butch stated bluntly as his dark brown eyes remained fixed on the pitiful rubble that were the remains of the fallen headquarters. "Whatevuh that thing was, it suhe made mincemeat out of the place."

Jessie stood gasping for air, having run out of the building in a hurry. She looked at the worthless heap of concrete and metal, and just stared, too exhausted to do anything else. Then, she suddenly realized something.

"James..........where's Meowth?"

In their zeal to escape, they had forgotten the little cat.

James had been heaving and wheezing, his hands placed firmly on his knees as he bent downwards to catch his breath. He realized the same thing at the same time and said at the exact same moment as Jessie:

"Jessie.......... where's Meowth?"

"You----didn't---see him?!" The volume of her voice escalated in stark fear. Only escape had been on their minds. Everything was discarded in exchange for getting the hell out of there, but had they abandoned Meowth in the process?

"..... I thought YOU took him!!!!!!" James exclaimed, jumping up in the air in fright. He grabbed onto Jessie's hands and cried: "He stayed behind to help that Persian... AHHHHH!!! What if.... that.... that..... THING..... got him!??!?!?"

She simultaneously grabbed James' hands, and her eyes grew twice their normal size in equal fear. "Don't worry, James---Meowth can make it!! He's part of Team Rocket, after all!!"

Butch wasn't willing to share her optimism. "Face it, you two. He's kaput."

"Kaboom." Cassidy chimed in rather dully, turning towards her rivals. "If Team Rocket Headquarters--" she jerked her thumb rather haltingly towards the smouldering pile of rubble. "--could be destroyed so easily by that MONSTER, imagine what happened to that no-good, bad-mannered, over-indulgent, son-of-a-kitty!!!"

Jessie's face twisted into a snarl and she threw James away, whirling on Cassidy, her pupils two azure flames that towered in her eyes of evident disgust. "Why, you--!!!! What about your overgrown rat?! It was probably too fat and slow to run away!!"

Cassidy grinned wickedly and pulled a PokéBall off of her belt. "Or perhaps not. If you learned about the.... wonders of modern technology, I'm sure YOU would get a lot more DONE for Team Rocket!!!!"

"Grrr...how much can YOU do in JAIL?!" Jessie retaliated, her face contorted with rage as she faced her rival, lines of fury forming on her brow.

"GRRRR!!!!" Cassidy leaned forward, her nose an inch away from Jessie's. "At least we commit enough FELONIES to actually be PUT in JAIL!!!!!!!!"

"Oh, really?!! They don't jail you for felonies anymore, they kill you in front of a crowd! Your felonies are just MISDEMEANORS!"

Butch rolled his eyes. Sometimes... maybe SOMETIMES... those two went on for an ungodly amount of time.

"Oh, boy," James said dryly, sweatdropping. "Here we go again.... Women are so..... petty." He sighed and then looked up towards Butch. He suddenly grit his teeth and stood to his feet.

"HEY!!!!! YOU'VE BEEN GOING TO MY HAIRDRESSER!!!!"

Butch ripped his gaze away from the demolished headquarters and pressed his rather thin face against James' soft one, and protested, "He isn't just youh haihdressuh!!"

It was plain to see that Butch was not the best on comebacks. Though Jessie and Cassidy were evenly matched in terms of wit and flair, Butch was somewhat lacking in either. Luckily, James was even worse than his nemesis. Upon hearing Butch's words, he lowered his fist and blinked in a bewildered manner. "He?! I thought it was a SHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Cassidy's mouth gaped open, as if shocked to hear such vulgar language from Jessie. Then, she exploded.

"OH YEAH!??!?! Well at least MY MOTHER DIDN'T GO AND GET HERSELF KILLED ON A HIKING TRIP!!!!!!!"

Jessie didn't continue the line of petty insults. Her eyes grew hot and angry, and she couldn't say another word, but her clenched teeth and narrowed eyes said enough. The issue of her mother was a personal thing. Once one intruded on sacred ground, the "fun" was over. It was no longer comical, but a matter grave and heavy.

"Wellllll!?!?" Cassidy grinned, her hands behind her back as she leaned forward mockingly. She knew she'd hit a sore spot.

"Go to HELL, Cassidy!!" Jessie spat in pure hatred, and she stormed away, so surrounded by her swelling anger that she didn't feel the muddy ground rumbling underneath her.

And this was the time that Meowth decided to barge in.

"WAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" The small Pokémon cried, dodging this way and that and finally lunging behind James in a mad rush to get out of something's way. "HE----IT'S COMIN'!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Meowth!??!" James exclaimed, as his eyes shot up with joy, sparkling their emerald color. "YOU'RE ALIVE!!!!!!"

As quickly as clouds replace the sun, Jessie's face lit up in a burst of happiness, forgetting Cassidy's malicious hit below the belt. "Meowth!!!"

Butch stood up again, looking around, wary. "What's comin'?"

Another rumble caused the mud to leap up and then fall in a crawling tide, coating the permeated ground with earth.

Meowth was shuddering in fear, and a roar was heard, a deafening roar, as he looked up into the sky that was happenning to be doing just the opposite of Jessie's face; it was darkening.

"The......"

Another rumble.

"The....."

A long, low growl.

"The....."

The mud heaved and rippled, and finally overturned as a hideous reptile rose out of the mud, its flesh completely soaked in the wet dirt. As some of it dripped off from its face, the eyes were revealed... the hideous scarlet quadrilaterals that glowed with the fierce intensity of a blazing forest fire. The growl that had failed to die erupted into a terrifying roar, the sound waves of which caused more of the mud to cascade off, exposing the flesh, that was the color of a starless night, of blackened coal and possibly of death itself. The immense size of the creature was only intensified with the temporary mask of mud, and as it lashed its spiked tail, the reptillian appendage swinging back and forth instinctively. Without warning, it walked foward, its clawed feet sinking into the mud that it seemed to have sprung out of. It fixated its hostile eyes at the Rockets, and roared again, seemingly more out of instinct than want.

James stared.

"IT'S THE MONSTER!!!!!!"

Cassidy's eyes widened.

"IT'S THE CREATURE!!!!!!!!"

Jessie gaped.

"IT'S THE FREAK!!!!!!!!"

Butch could only stare at one point in the plane at first. And at first glance, it didn't seem as if there was anything wrong with him. But his pale skin got paler still, looking like the wax of a candle. The color waned until he had become completely white, and then his eyes rolled upwards, and he fainted unceremoniously into the mud.

Meowth sighed rather calmly.

"It's the Boss."

Jessie immediately grew angry, and she yelled at the little cat for his ill-timed humor. "Meowth, don't make jokes like that!!!"

"It ain't a joke, Jess," Meowth nodded at the beast after a moment of silence, and sighed. "It's him," even as he continued to hold onto James' pantleg for dear life.

"It...isn't...a joke?!?!" Jessie repeated in disbelief, having a hard time grasping the frank truth. Even for all her boldness, she uncharacteristically took a timid, hesitant step foward, and looked into the gleaming eyes of her "boss".

"Sir?"

Its countenance, still dripping in watered dirt, did not change its expression. It didn't even nod. It seemed lost.....lost in the destruction of its ego.

There was something else there as well, dripping from the monster. Human blood......that mixed and blended with the unearthly liquid that was its own.

James was stiff, only able to stare at the.... creature, which seemed strangely placid and confused at the same time. The same creature that had come close to killing HIM. Cassidy gawked for a few minutes, trying to grasp her bearings just as much.... However, being the second brashest of the group, she made the mood-swinging move.

"........Sir, permission to ask a question?" Without waiting for the answer, she took a deep breath and screeched:

"..............WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!??!?!?!?!?!?"

It didn't answer.....God only knew if it could even COMPREHEND her perfectly intelligible speech. It gave an anguished snarl, but it couldn't have meant anything. It was just a sound, after all. And a sound, in its primitive state, could mean anything: there were no syllables to differentiate one statement from the other.

".....Meowth, you've gone crazy," James began backing away from the beast, dragging the small cat along with him. "That can't POSSIBLY be-----"

This was when they saw Persian.

Jessie could hardly believe her eyes. She, James, and Meowth had seen the cat, and it was usually in mint condition, its fur glossy and shimmering and its head held high... but this pitiful excuse for roadkill was something else. Its right eye socket was surrounded in dried blood, and a good part of its fur was gone, coated in corrosive saliva. Surely this was the monster's doing. It COULDN'T have been their boss who had done this barbaric thing.

Persian dragged itself along the soft ground until its claws finally lost their traction and it plunged face-first into the mud. The cat's meow was a sharp minor key, and the chord struck was so dismal that even a human could discern its unmistakable meaning. It approached the reptillian monster with unsteady gait, and the latter picked it up again in its monstrous arms, and for a moment, its eyes lost their ferocious appearance, and became tender while gazing at the cat. That was proof enough.

James stared for a moment, and then fainted right beside Butch. Cassidy's fists were being held in midair as she gazed at the freakish visage in front of her. Meowth could only smile ruefully, walking out of James' way as the blue-haired Rocket crashed upon the ground.

"What'd I tell ya? It's da Boss."

"James!! This isn't the time to be fainting!!" But considering the circumstances, Jessie decided not to wake him up for once, and leave him to his peace, because what he would see when he woke up could probably be worse. Instead she looked down at Meowth, and pointed to the "boss". "What happened?!"

The small cat shrugged. "I dunno."

Cassidy shook the shock off rather quickly and whirled upon Meowth. "You DON'T KNOW?!?!?!?" She resumed her shrieking. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHY THE BOSS IS LIKE A FREAK OR WHY HE DESTROYED THE HEADQUARTERS, OR WHY HE CAN'T TALK, OR WHY HIS PERSIAN LOOKS LIKE A DEAD POSSUM, OR WHY------"

"Grrr... shut up, Cassidy! If Meowth doesn't know, he doesn't know!!" Jessie growled, glaring her rival in the eyes. For the time being, she had forgotten that Butch and James were currently chasing after yellow birdies in their dreams.

The hideous creature had its attention focused elsewhere. Somewhere, a roar was heard, a roar that echoed within its skull and brought up a hundred regrettable memories. What was...... the other... monster coming for? For revenge? Or to simply find out what was happening? Only time would tell------and that time seemed to be now.

Suddenly there was a gust of wind, similar to the gale that Ivy had felt while waiting for "Gemini". There was another roar heard from overhead, and then another, one after the other from the same beast. Then, there was another gust as a dark streak passed over them, and then disappeared into the darker side of the clearing that had once housed TRHQ,

Whoever---whatever---you are... Come alone.

Zero-X seemed drawn to the telepathic voice, and it left despite Persian's weak protests. The monster followed the sound of the roars, keeping its head down so as not to be blinded by the merciless light, and headed towards the clearing, that stank of burnt flesh and the odor of blood. It then halted, and its crimson eyes darted apprehensively, watching for the owner of the voice to come out and show itself.

The voice came first.

What are you? Where are you from?

Silence. The reptile raised its disfigured arm hesitantly and motioned to the smoking heap of what was left of the grand Team Rocket headquarters.

There was a long moment of silence. A shadow slowly walked out from behind a pile of rubble. Two bright points of red light seemed to disappear, then narrow, then intensify with anger.

...............What did you say?

Zero-X again pointed with its clawed hand, that was rinsed in human blood, to the pile of concrete....and bodies, corpses strewn across the wreckage like festive bulbs of death. A curious growl arose from its vocal chords, and it watched the swelling shadow that had appeared with undivided attention.

The shadow paused, then walked forward, slowly, haltingly. ......They created you.... here....? ....Or are you like me?

The muddy lizard turned its revolting visage away in shame. How could it possibly answer this higher being that obviously posessed a higher intelligence?

.......Everyone's scared of me. There was a long, low sigh. Even my friends think I'm a freak..... What about you? Can you even talk? You don't even know English, do you....?

Zero-X shook its head several times, indicating "no" to every question. The shadow struck vague familiarity in its brain, but it couldn't place a name.....

But.... wait..... The shadowy figure came even closer, outstretching a clawed hand in curiousity. If you just answered my question........ you shook your head......

The red orbs of the smaller being widened, and it ran forward into plain sight.

It was Gemini.

Giovanni's..... "weapon".

You were human, too, then! What'd that Ivy do to YOU....!? Are you another Pokémon that bastard made?

The "bastard" suddenly felt sick. It gave out a distorted growl, and attempted to walk away from the former "weapon", that actually was more intelligent than him..... how the tides turned. How they turned and drowned the one who was so far away from the shore. The forlorn irony was too much to absorb: it turned tail.

But----hey!!!! Wait!!!!!! Why are you.... running..... away......?!?!

Gemini chased after him, gritting its teeth. I swear, I'm not gonna hurt you!!!!!!!! I mean----I was scared of everything too----I----is it because I can talk?

There was a moment of silence.

Yeah.... that's what it is, isn't it?! Well.... you know, it's just.... thinking. Just think the words, and.... and pretend you're speaking them.

Brock gave out a growl, and dodged in front of what he considered to be "his own kind".

Try it!!!

The larger reptile felt strange, uncomfortable doing what it was told, yet it was so normal, so normal to submit.... It closed its flaming eyes, concentrating on the words.....those words that he had used so much in the past, and which were now more important than ever. He formed the syllables in his brain, each letter connecting to another to form a word, and finally, being brought together in a complete sentence.

I'm your enemy, not an ally.

Brock's eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, leaning in and.... sniffing the beast as he circled it. There was something.... unpleasantly familiar, a subtle odor of cigars and something else---the smell that is detected when bringing a crisp dollar bill to one's nose. What do you mean?

The scaled beast could narrowly see a shadow circling it, the dark demon-like creature placed against the hateful light, scrutinizing it with his blood -colored eyes. It couldn't take it. The larger monster snarled savagely, its acid-laced tongue whipping out of its acrid jaws, and it brought its clawed hand foward, trying to ward the other off. But the ebony-colored demon still persisted. It growled, unnerved by the Pokémon's very presence, and tried to flee again. But the light...it was so strong......he couldn't escape the other's blood-red eyes. It whirled upon the other and unleashed a roar from the depths of its hideous throat. The tone was almost...demanding.

Stay away.......Gemini!!! I----I destroyed you once, and I'll do it again!

There could be no doubt in the devil-tailed Pokémon's anguished mind who had been drowned in that inescapable pool of inhumanity. There was a long moment of silence as the smaller, humanoid monster went rigid, its claws clenched at its sides as it tensed and stepped back. The look in those crimson eyes was of pure, undeniable disbelief.

But------------NO!!!!!!! It can't----YOU can't----------HOW COULD----?!?!??!

You doubt it's true? The bulkier creature took an awkward, slanted step foward, like a drunkard, for it was still blinded by the abominable light that still pervaded the area and illumined it with relentless brilliance. It brought its claws into a fist.

Ivy....that......bitch..... Its roar was perturbed, knowing that the name of the twisted villain was not just any other name. The hulking lizard dug the claws into its palm. The dark, opaque blood flowed in divergent streams. This....blood.....

Zero-X inexplainably glared at the humanoid Pokémon: one would think that it would have been the other way around, after the unspeakable horrors that it had put the other through. I didn't need a transfusion....

Gemini continued to stare, too consumed by horror, shock, and even.... fear, and his anger refused to rise. You.........CAN'T.......be....... The mental voice was weak. It was pure denial in which the smaller creature was acting; the larger creature's behavior, aura, and its own inaudible voice, that had forever been muted by its inhuman vocal chords.....

They all belonged to the man whom he had come to loathe so dearly. But the man was dead. Killed by its own impetuosity. What stood in his place was a monster that defied the limits of horrific nightmares. A gleam from its mouth arose: the long, cruel fangs, that hung like stalactities from a cavern. Brock gulped on the remains of blood that were at the back of his throat, and he found that he was backing up into a tree to avoid the hideous visage, the horrible abomination.... For a moment, even HE forgot about his own deformities as he gazed upon those of..... Giovanni. The demon Pokémon DID have good reason to avoid the other: if looks were lethal, he would be dead. The monster was a creation of the horrors of twisted nightmares, made into gruesome reality, a fearsome predator that fed upon the species that created it.

There was a long silence for a moment, as crimson glared into vermilion. Then, a cold laugh, a growl of chuckling irony.

So, what happened to YOU? Brock sneered, bitter with hatred and suppressed anger. Did you land in a vat of acid or something? Maybe Ivy thought she could make some money by selling you off to the circus....

The larger monster's inhuman eyes radiated colors of inexpressible shame, and it shoved its head foward, roaring into the other's defiant face full of righteous hatred. That is NOT funny, Gemini!! It clamped its jaws shut as it bit the air, the fangs clipping together like a bear trap. By the way it was acting, there was infallible truth in Brock's thoughts: Giovanni was truly an animal.

It wasn't supposed to be. Another grin, a bit more haughty than Brock's emotions should have been. You mean---Ripley's got to Ivy before Barnum? How much did they offer? Two, three, a HUNDRED million?

You're trying my patience, boy. The other growled threateningly, its mind racing. Something was troubling it. Usually it would have come up with some sort of retaliation worthy of note by now. But.... there was nothing. It brought its claws to its massive head, digging them into his flesh. Its thoughts were crawling along at staggered speeds. What was wrong with his mind????

Boy....? Brock's eyes suddenly narrowed, losing any kind of sarcasm they might have held. BOY??!?!?!?!?!?! HAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And here I thought I was a "WEAPON" with no "EMOTIONS", which doesn't have any "CIVIL RIGHTS" and which is only meant to "WREAK HAVOC AND SPREAD TERROR ACROSS_THE_POKÉMON_WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

There was a roar of anguish and hate, as the smaller monster dared to step forward, bringing itself but one INCH from the lizard's flaring nostrils. The sarcasm was biting and corrosive, and Zero-X could do little but growl in distress. It didn't have anything to say. What COULD it say? Technically, it couldn't SAY anything. This... new life had completely silenced it.

WELL!?!??!?! Brock screamed mentally into the other's face. SHOULD I??!??!?!?! I'll bet I could slam YOU against a tree just like I did with TOMMY, HUH?!??!?!?! YEAH!!!!!! JUST_LIKE_WITH_TOMMY!!!!!!!

A pang of guilt rang through the larger creature's blackened heart, but it tried to keep that rare emotion hidden, and it snarled viciously, attempting to block out this madness. But the haunting words of Brock's tormented soul were persistent; it echoed through its reduced brain.

You hear that!??!?!?! Brock stepped backwards, his fists clenched at his sides as he roared in accordance with his words. YOU'RE IN THE SAME BOAT NOW, ROCKET!!!!!!!!!!!!

It did not want to admit that it was true. But there was no denying it: it was on the identical ship, that was sinking...sinking......into the depths of inhumanity, never to emerge...the ship would disintegrate at the very bottom, leaving the both of them trapped forever in Hell. The lizard gave a weak growl, and turned its ugly visage away..away from the equal that had once been its inferior.

..........So. Brock suddenly calmed, and he leaned against a tree, looking into the foreboding darkness around them, punctured here and there by painful light. I guess she gave you a name....?

Yes. The ebony lizard hesitated, and its eyes assumed a depressed, subdued glow, weakened by the persistent shreds of light. Zero-X. If you can call a letter and a number a name.....It growled feebly in shame.

Huh. The other continued to look away, his eyes darting here and there across the forest. Your REAL name probably wasn't any better.

What, may I ask, does that supposed to mean?! It raised its scale-covered head, the scarlet tongue drying up the sea green drool that continuously dripped down its lower jaw.

I'm not sure----but unless I've been speaking the wrong way for half my life, you should be saying "What IS that supposed to mean?" My, my, Zero-X.... you've changed since I last saw you. Brock finally looked towards the monster with a strangely.... superior gaze, full of bitter hate which was causing him to act so... unBrockishly.

Zero-X hardly noticed the other's sarcasm, buried under the oppressive mound of hate. It hated this feeling of being completely outdone .....especially to someone who had so recently been its own Pokémon. It hated it...it was so new, so strange, so inconcievable. And it HATED it.
It wanted to strike the other down: the urge was inescapable, unavoidable. But it was weighed down with the indomitable yoke of shame.

That is not my name!! I am Giovanni!!! It roared in unision with its thoughts, and brought its claws downward, but only succeeding in slashing the air: the light impaired its sight.

NOW look at yourself. Some kind of HUMAN you are. So, MASTER., what should I do NOW? Destroy more homes? Kill another bunch of children or more? MURDER ONE OF MY OTHER BROTHERS?!??!?!?!?!? And Gemini isn't MY name either, so you can call me BROCK, if you don't mind. Brock bared his teeth and snarled. You got me into this mess, so you'd might as well treat me fairly.

No.....I REFUSE to call a POKÉMON by a HUMAN name! The lizard hissed obstinately, folding its scaled arms in stubborn defiance......stupidly so. It was too feeble-minded to realize the hypocrisy of his protests, and surrounded itself with the false shield of refusal to accept the laughing truth.

Brock arched an eyebrow in exasperated manner, gritting his teeth at the utter stupidity of the creature before him.

You ARE a Pokémon, idiot. His eyes narrowed. So don't try and call me a name that I wasn't born with.... because you're just the same..... You're just a hypocrite in denial.

No.....I'm not a Pokémon.....a hypocrite, maybe, but not a Pokémon........ One would think why it would continue to deny it. There was no doubt that it was not human. But it was interpreting it differently: not in the present, but in the past. And why did he vehemently deny it?

Because it was beginning to doubt.

Because of the blood.

The reptile looked down at its rough, scaled arm: completely the opaque color of ebony. And underneath that, the same color. For all those years that black blood flowed. Was it merely Ivy's doing, or was it something else? Something that went further back? It couldn't deny that currently, it was a Pokémon. It COULD deny that a long time before, that it was the same.

Not a Pokémon?!? Brock was oblivious to his enemy's mentality, and scoffed at the statement. Look at yourself!!! You're anything BUT human!!!!! If you call ME a Pokémon.................... I AM human!!!! I WAS human, at least........... And I'll change myself...... back!!! I know I will!!! Brock nodded vigorously, his eyes wavering down towards the ground, where they stopped in their tracks. Giovanni only seemed to notice his words..

Change yourself.....back? How will you do that? The mental question wasn't of its usual mockery, condescension, flaunting of superiority, or anything else save for an inquiry. It walked foward, leaving enormous clawprints in the scattered mud.

Brock was... looking down at a puddle at his feet. The surface was relatively calm, and he could--for the first time--see his.... reflection.

Pointed, elf-like ears.

Scaled face.

Black, bloodstained lips.

Vampiric teeth.

The blood-red eyes.....

The EYES......

He stared into his own eyes, his own turmoil.... no... those COULDN'T be his EYES, those demonic orbs of RED that burned of their own pain and desire.... NO!!! It was impossible... IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!!

It couldn't be him... Brock... maybe ugly enough so that girls wouldn't go out with him, but a MONSTER? Never..... never...... No, it couldn't-----

He slowly, shakily brought a hand to his cheek.

The monster did the same.

He took the same hand and slowly ran it through his matted, filthy hair.

The monster copied his motions exactly.

And then, as he saw a tear form in the eye of the abomination on the surface of the water, and crawl down and fall off of the creature's chin.....

The surface of the water was disrupted by a single drop.

The other creature watched the awakened surface as the ripples diverged outward toward the edge of puddle, distorting the already frightening reflection of the younger mutation. Had it been in its heart, it would regret its actions entirely, but there was something deep in the coal black chambers of that heart that kept it from swallowing its pride and apologizing for everything....all the pain that it had inflicted on the undeserving victim: every scream, every terror-filled moment that would stay with Gemini until his dying day, and every physical and emotional insult. But it simply could not.

.........I......WILL.........get my.......my......BODY..........BACK....... Those eyes darted up towards Giovanni's, filled with self-loathing and self-fearing. I will. I swear I will. I don't care if I die in the process-----I SWEAR I'll get back to normal......... I SWEAR!!!!!!!!

Ha. How will you supposed to accomplish that? It locked its own blood-colored eyes with Brock's, and for a moment, reverted to its normal, arrogant mentality, trying to forget its own plight.

Brock seemed to be too distressed to correct the other creature's grammar. I..... I'll do it..... there HAS to be a way..... back.... right? He looked down at the puddle once more, staring at.... that.... CREATURE which couldn't possibly be him. I mean-------my-----REAL------body-----I'm not a freak.

He growled down at the puddle, his eyes burning.

I'm_NOT_a_FREAK.

He gave out a snarl and plunged his foot into the puddle, destroying the mocking reflection.

HOW DARE YOU!??!?! STUPID WATER!!!!! I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT!!!!!!! I
NEVER HAVE AND I NEVER WILL--------NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At this point there were tears streaming down his face, as he snarled and hissed at the puddle that was being mercilessly torn and splashed through by his claws.

I'M NOT..... A..... MONSTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look at who is in denial, now.... The monster began to laugh coarsely, in brisk growls, conveying its visible disgust at the self-loathing creature. Brock was only lying to himself, and the lies weren't changing anything. He was still a monster. A monster that was capable of massive destruction, and up till now had only been used for that purpose. But now....what was left?

"Gemini" stared down at the empty, muddy ground for a moment. 'Cause.... I'm not..... I wasn't....... I WAS a human.... and----and I still AM!!!!! ......Right.....? He slowly fell to his knees, his arms being the only supports between his head and the ground. I've killed.... a lot.... of people, and now my own... FRIENDS think that I'm.... some kind of.... stupid.... animal.... But I'm not..... I can think.... just as well.... I CAN......... It's just these stupid.... stupid...... VOICES----ringing---TELLING me what to do......... WHY WON'T THEY STOP!??!?

The creature gave out a choked snarl as he put his claws to the sides of his head.

WHY_WON'T_THEY_STOP?!?!?

Don't listen to them. It was an easy hypothesis for Giovanni to make. There were no voices going through its own head: it wasn't mentally tormented: definitely disillusioned, and carrying a wounded ego, but hardly any concept of Brock's agony...that scorching agony burning in his young soul......at least............not yet.

It turned to look, past the hated light, at the demolished remains of the headquarters. It scented human blood...death that it had caused..that struck its black heart again, and again it felt guilt, and it no longer felt proud, needless to say no longer trying to make light of Brock's anguish.

However, there was something else that could be scented....

Brock slowly, slowly, raised his head. His nostrils were flaring, and his eyes were narrowing as he struggled to his feet.

Do you smell that? It's kind of like...... lysol. He whirled around. I think we'll have company, soon....

It nodded its head sluggishly, taking its hellish eyes away from the site of devestation. It rotated its girth around, facing the hostile scent. That odor of.....whatever it was, was bitterly sweet, hiding behind a false veil of nicety. But both knew that Satan was behind that facade.

There was the soft sound of singing from not-so-far off. "Mary had a little lamb.... little lamb..... little lamb..... Mary had a little lamb.... with blood as black as coal...... Hm......"

Brock staggered backwards, nearly tripping into Zero-X.

It's...... HER.... she's headed this way...........

"Everywhere that Mary went.... Mary went.... Mary went..... Everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go......."

She's.... she's..... A dull light slowly overtook Brock's eye, and his head nodded forward as his muscles relaxed. He was reminded vaguely of the Pied Piper.... and then his mind was gone.

"Grrrraarrghh......" He began to step forward, searching for the source of the voice in a trance. Mistress...... The voice was dull, monotonous as Brock marched trudged forward through the deep mud. The poor boy didn't even seem to know where he was going.... Mistress.... I'm here...... With another.... we are ready to serve, Mistress...

Boy, what has gotten into you? Zero-X's red eyes widened with heightening fear at Brock's sudden submissiveness, and heaved itself foward through the soaked soil, hurling itself blindly into the light in sluggish pursuit of the hypnotized mutant. Its reptillian tongue hung out of its mouth as it growled to get the other's attention.

"RROARGHHHHH........" Gemini, come to your senses!!

The smaller shape was still advancing to the clutches of Satan.

Won't you listen to me?! Stop before-----It advanced, and halted, overcome by immense mental pain that attacked all surfaces of its reptillian brain. It felt its free thought weaken, buckle under the pressure of this invisible aura that radiated from its wicked source.

Before----.....

And then it left entirely.

"....Followed her to school one day...... school one day.... school one day.... followed her to school one day....."

Ivy slowly appeared before the two mutants... not that they could see her, of course. Perhaps the monsters WERE thinking underneath the mindless facade, but when Ivy began to walk towards them.... there didn't seem to be much they could do. The evil woman smiled at the both and then walked towards the larger of the two.... "lambs".

"But..... blood......"

She put her hand on the muzzle of the beast, and she leaned her head towards its face, her pupils drilling into its retinas.

"Was against..... the rules........"

She smiled, looking deceivingly innocent. "Then they threw him out, didn't they? And he didn't follow me anymore.... now you will, Vanni.... Zero-X.... you'll protect me forever.... you have no choice in the matter.... yes, always by my side..... You'll never abandon poor little Belle again, will you?" She stroked the side of the lizard's scaled face with an underlying, dangerous tone in her voice. "Will you?"

It growled softly, without any will to resist, at the caressing. Had it been in its right mind, it would squirm and protest, but it had no other alternative, being completely mindless. Thus saying, the giant creature suddenly rolled over onto its back, wriggling like a massive, oversized puppy who liked getting patted on the head: it was a pitiful sight that only caused more pleasure on Ivy's part, as she stood back and watched the huge.... lizard.... act as if it had come from the pet shop.

"....Hm," after a few moments, the smile dimmed and she crossed her arms in a bit of disappointment. "It isn't as fun when you are mindless...." She snapped her fingers. "REMEMBER----and just to be safe, OBEY."

At the sound of Ivy's slender fingers rubbing against the other, sending a resounding crack through its mind, Zero X sprang awake, and the empty matter of its brain was once again filled with consciousness. It threw its head upwards, releasing a roar of unrestrained hatred. Its crimson eyes, now filled with disconcerting awareness, fell upon the woman that had destroyed him.

IVY.

Automatically, the giant lizard attempted to charge, only to find itself planted to the spot. What is this?! Its eyes flared up in heightened despair as it desperately tried to move foward, but it was somehow...frozen, as if only Ivy's word could bring it to walk or to run. It was as if she was the puppeter and it was attatched to the strings, or she was a tamer and it was a bear at the end of the chain. She was in charge of its destiny.

Brock simply stood there, his body rigid, his eyes dull and focused on somewhere far away as Ivy continued the torment.

"Awww, Vanni.... You awake? I'm just having a little fun, is all......." She giggled and continued to stroke the frozen monster's face. "You WILL always protect me, won't you....? From ANYTHING?"

Never!! A tremendous roar leaped up from its marred vocal chords, but that was all it could do: make those animal sounds in depreciation of Ivy's wanton mistreatment. But it could do little else besides that: its sister had it in the palm of her womanly hand. Both it and the boy.

"Really?" Ivy frowned at the roar. Although she couldn't hear the monster's thought-speech, she assumed that the guttural cry wasn't a positive one. She backed away from the monster. "Then.... I suppose.... you will need to be disciplined, eh?"

She looked towards a gap in the trees, through which the silhouettes of several familiar Rockets and two felines could be made out. "Kill them. Then we'll see how cocky you truly are....."

No.....I don't want to murder...anymore.....not them...HAVE MERCY!!!!!! Its mind screamed as Ivy's command moved its muscles on their own, and independent of its brain, pushed the beast towards the humans and the two feline Pokémon...charging across the ground, the mud leaping up behind it and splattering down with each scrape of the claws against the ground, hurling it over land towards the unaware Rockets, its own employees, to send them to their premature demise.

*~*~*

"Jess, are you SURE the Boss went THIS way?" James was whining, leaning against a stick between his hands. "Maybe we've been going the wrong direction the whole time!!!!!"

"Shut up, bonehead!" Cassidy snapped backwards at the blue-haired man staggered forward. "I'm SURE that JESSIE would be leading us in the right direction, or else she would most obviously be MENTALLY IMPAIRED...."

Jessie whirled her head around, her dark blue eyes boring into her rival's violet ones."Shut your mouth, Cassidy! You wouldn't know north from south on a compass!"

"OH, YEAH?!??!?"

Meowth sighed and looked towards Persian. "Dose humans can shure be annoyin' sometimes.... Anyway, do YOU know where da Boss is?"

"Mreowwwww......" No..... It padded foward, stopping occasionally to nurse its scarred visage. A few more steps foward. It raised its furred head, hissing softly. Master...?

Persian quickened its pace, leaving its round tracks in the mud, that was drying with the intensity of the sun. It emitted excited meows as it sensed the presence of its monstrous owner, and a slow walk broke into a limping run.

"Hey....." James blinked at the larger cat. "I think the Persian is onto something!!!!!"

"Wait up for-------!!!!!!!!" Meowth rushed after the other feline, below the branches, across the fallen leaves, through the tall trees, and into a clearing, where he witnessed a sight straight from the destruction of the TRHQ.

The human Rockets stopped in front of the decimated structure alongside Meowth, with Persian near the hulking skeleton of the massive building, looking upwards with its one eye. It mewed weakly, feeling its master's presence everywhere, but unable to find it.
And then, like a flash of lightning on the horizon, it was there. The ebony-hued beast, its eyes engulfed by the controlled aura, but within, its mind begging and pleading it to spare the Rockets.

But its orders were clear.

Persian's eye lit up with immense joy as soon as its gaze met the monster's, and it slunk towards the beast with a joyous expression, on the peak of elation. "Mreowww!!" Master!

But the kindness was not requited. Though the movement was lumbering and slow to execute, Persian found no time to dodge the colossal blow that struck out its remaining eye. The retinal juices spattered onto the ground, the jelly-like eyeball rolling across the soil. Persian released a screech of complete pain as its eye left its socket, and it stared up blindly, searching with its paws for the violent creature that had just took out its.....ONLY eye. The other Rockets could only stare in absolute shock as the creature outwardly showed no regret for this barbaric action, and it devoured the eye in a gulp, and then rushed upon the eye's owner, and was about to bury its cruel fangs into the Pokémon's chest, beneath where the center of life...the heart, pumped that pulsating liquid of existence...

"RRROOOOAAAAAAAARRRGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Like a vengeful demon, the other monster was upon it, a black streak in the painful light as it slammed its shoulder spikes into the beast's leathery side, through the flesh and embedding themselves within the ribcage. It continued to fly into the other, until the beast was slammed into the ground and into a boulder. The smaller.... monster, gave out a snarl as it ripped its spikes from the opaque scales of the controlled beast, taking chunks of flesh with them. It then backed away and leapt backwards, landing firmly in front of the VERY shocked and disillusioned band of Rockets.

It then brought up the claws of its right hand, as a sphere of black energy crawled down its neck, through its arm, around its wrist, and into its fist. It gave out another snarl, baring its teeth in aggression. Although it didn't seem to have grasped its bearings enough to speak telepathically, it had recovered enough from Ivy's power to get across a single syllable:

Don't.

Jessie stepped backwards, filled with terror at the sight of seeing her...boss being overpowered by the bigger TWERP, that had swiftly pummelled it inot submission: it left her gaping and simultaneously shuddering from terror. A hoarse squeak from Butch didn't change her bewildered expression. There was so much BLOOD.....that frightening black blood that stained the ground, seeping into it like deadly toxins. Persian was very near it, clawing at the air, despite all that had been done to it, still searching for its master. And the latter.....was laying on its side amidst the rubble of boulders that had dispersed when it landed onto it. It was bleeding heavily from the tear in its flesh, and its blood blended with the scales. The light had increased its intensity tenfold due to a dissipating cloud, and it hissed in pain.

Boy......I have to thank you.

But its thoughts contradicted its words. It rose up again stiffly, trying to regain its footing on the solidified ground. Its tail lashed threateningly, and the blood flowed freely as it planted its arm on the soil.

"He's coming back!" Jessie exclaimed in fright as she latched on to James, too terrified to think about her image this time around. The reptile unlreashed a bellowing roar as it dragged itself back to its opponent, and all the while, its mind racing.

Gemi-----It stopped itself, and addressed the other by his proper name. Brock, stop me..... I cannot resist...... in the name of all that's sacred, STOP ME!!!

There was a slight hesitation as the smaller creature stared at the charging creature. Ivy.... didn't......want......him to stop the terrible monster from accomplishing the terrible deeds that he had been ordered to do..... But no.... this was a.... justified way to get revenge on this.... other monster, for ordering BROCK to KILL, to DESTROY, to MURDER_IN_COLD_BLOOD.......

Fine. Was the staggered, emotionless reply.

Giovanni never knew what hit him. There was a gust of cold wind, and then a stinging stab as claws punctured the flesh of his neck, causing the huge beast to hack and wheeze as it ran. Then another tear of tendons in its tail, a small rip in one of its thigh.... Slowly but surely, "Gemini" was weakening the hulk of teeth and muscle, causing the midnight-black blood to rush into the air, flowing in streams across the wind and then diving into the mud-laden ground.

Well done.......... Brock..... The massive reptile went down into the earth, striking it hard, widening the rupture in its throat walls, as black blood collected around it. It roared in physical agony, but its eyes burned with that mesmerized glare.....it HAD to obey...it HAD to........

The unnatural glow of its eyes intensified, sharply contradicting the sunlight around them, and it heaved itself up, a fountain of blood pouring from its wounds, and came rushing at, not at the Rockets this time, but at its attacker. It gained speed despite the yawning gashes in its leg, throat, and back, driven by a power that wasn't its own. It neared the demon-like creature, closer, and closer, and closer......

Until only one lunge separated it from the mutant's head.

It was then that Brock became paralyzed, staring into those eyes, so controlled by rage, by mindlessness, which masked a perfectly..... well, prioritized mind. At this moment, Brock himself was consumed by fear. His own pupiless eyes were alive with terror as his hands suddenly dropped to his sides, and he stared into the face of his demise.........

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A yell was heard, a panicked, rather low-key scream. "NONONONONONONO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ZERO-X, STOP AT ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The command fell upon its ears just before the fangs ripped off the deformed head, and losing balance, tumbled onto the earth, leaving the print of its bleeding side in the dirt below. It growled weakly, and its snapped its eyes open upon seeing its Mistress.

Inside, it was burning with unspeakable rage.....and fear.

Ivy......leave me alone...I want to be free..... even as this.... creature, I'd rather have my own will..... no more blood...... It turned its red eyes towards its superior, blinking slightly as it growled submissively in acknowledgement of its......owner.

"Hm.... hah-hah-hah..... I forget that you're still in there, Demoni. I suppose you're screaming.... waiting to be let out.... waiting... waiting.... Hah-haaaa.......... I also suppose that."

"GRRRAAARRRRGGHH."

Ivy paused, suddenly rigid as she felt a hot, angered breath at her neck. She turned around.

"Gemini.... I'm surprised at how quickly you've learned to break from my spells..... unusually fast----but then again...." She smiled secretively. "That isn't a surprise, seeing that-----well------you'll find out for yourself, soon enough. Hm-hm. As will...." She turned around once more. "Zero-X."

It was astounding. She didn't fear either of them in the slightest, even as Brock had broken free, and Giovanni was nearing sanity.....

What?! What will I-----we--- find out?! It roared weakly, its heavy breathing ragged as it staggered upwards from the ground, seemingly waiting for the next command, its eyes emanating nothing, but its brain racing, fully aware that Brock had broken free from both mental and physical enslavement, but it was still dominated in the body by that irrepressible will... of its kin. Jessie, James, Butch, Cassidy, Meowth, and Persian faded into hazy objects in the background in its sight: only Gemini and Ivy, amidst the insistent light, were discernible in its view. Its roar intensified, its mind willing its body to break free from this control, straining against the seemingly unbreakable spell, focusing everything it posessed to move again......

And then it did.

It charged for Ivy, its eyes ablaze with anger, and even more so with terrible vengeance. Its animal gaze locked with Ivy's human one, barely meters away from her visage of unflappable confidence.

Ivy's eyes widened as she saw the fury-filled hulk speed towards her at amazing speeds..... Reaching out with its unnaturally large claws...

"GEMINI-----!!!!!" She suddenly screeched, still staring at the abomination as her body turned in the opposite, and she began to run. "GEMIN----UMMPHH!!!!" She grit her teeth as she crashed into something cold and metallic, and she gave out a groan as she fell backwards and looked upwards to the object that blocked her way.

Brock stared back, the glare from his firey eyes seeming colder than the arctic wind.

"..........Ge---GEMINI!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ivy yelled once more, throwing a hand backwards and glaring upwards at the humanoid Pokémon as she pointed towards her attacker. "KILL IT!!!! USE YOUR DARK ATTACKS!!!!"

Silence. Icy, stiff silence.

"....WELL!???!?" Ivy continued, her... completely human blood freezing in her veins partly because of that look.... and partly because of how the sound of Zero-X's roar was quickly greatening..... "ARE YOU GOING TO DISOBEY YOUR
MISTRESS?!??!?!?"

Another bout of silence from the Pokémon, as it looked downward, its gaze becoming contemplative, thoughtful.

Then, without a growl, a roar, or even a word, it lunged at Ivy, whirled her around, and held her in a headlock. She gasped, she choked, and yelled incoherent curses, until she opened her eyes..... and saw Death incarnated into the visage of her creation.

By all accounts, "fuck" is reported to be her last word.

It took no visible notice of the shocked stare of horror on Ivy's face as it rammed its horn into her chest, the deadly point smashing the ribcage, drilling into the lungs, puncturing the heart, the spray of blood collecting into the ripped lungs. The horn ceased at nothing, penetrating the back, normal blood spewing out of the gaping wound. The woman was dead on impact.
It...he raised the corpse upwards in unison with tilting its head, the bloody thing still impaled on the projecting horn.

The Rockets, who had witnessed the whole spectacle, were frozen in dismayed horror.

It took him three whole minutes to realize what he had done.

I...killed...my...sister.

The.... sister..... herself laid limp from the projecting.... HORN, her still-warm hands dangling over the creature's face and brushing against his eye, as if she continued to haunt him..... torture him in his nightmares forever, EVER more.....

Giovanni then realized..... he had killed her, yes, but it was HOW he had killed her that was so.... REVOLTING. Not a poison, nor a stab, nor an assasination, a gunshot, perhaps even---EVEN a push off a high building-----these were the manners in which murderers accomplished their heinous deeds. But..... he----------IT------had.... IMPALED her..... Of course, soldiers did barbaric things, Vlad the Impaler---hence his name--drank human blood..... But he drank it from a CHALICE. A CUP. He impaled them upon spears, gates, sticks..... But the creature that was now Giovanni...... He had CHARGED. He had used his HORN in the most.......... INHUMAN....... manner possible...... It was not pre-planned, nor pre-meditated..... no..... he had done it in a fit of rage, and had USED animal reflexes, ANIMAL instincts........

But then, the question remained....... The question that Ivy, even in the moment of her DEATH, had now planted into his mind, a seed, a seed that, now watered with her own blood, spilled by Giovanni, was growing into a ghostly, ghastly question of his nature.

How had he known how to use them?

Indeed---he had been a-----creature for a shorter amount of time even than the boy, and now.... he was..... SKILLED with these alien sensations? It was mind-boggling..... an IMPOSSIBLITY.....

And yet, the dead hand that batted at his eye, that seemed to crawl across his skin like a wave of nauseating realization..... it conveyed the legacy that Ivy would forever leave with him.

How.....?

HOW?

The single word echoed in his brain, over, and over, and over again. He raised his pupiless eyes, only to zee Ivy's frozen gaze meet with his. The black heart beat erratically in the depths of his heaving chest. Again, that plaguing question that the dangling corpse relentlessly asked him, even with the dark gag of death upon her.

HOW?

The beast's body began to quake, thrown into convulsions, on the edge of a nervous breakdown. The air was punctuated by intermittent growls, muffled by the dirt as the monster hurled himself onto the ground, gripping his head, and the brain within, in utter turmoil. It was as if Ivy was ddriving a jackhammer into his skull with that one question. One word of eternal importance, those three letters ringing like funeral bells, their persistent gong driving him...... mad.

Jessie approached the creature, that was now still, on his backside. Her eyes were wide with expectancy.

"Sir?"

Without warning, the creature leaped upwards, the ground below him quivering slightly as he landed. His eyes were consumed with a crazed glare, unrestrained, uncontrolled, as feral as any untamed beast that never knew captivity. From its throat lunged a teriffic roar that pained his own brain.....a brain that was now silent.
It advanced, charging over the dirt, the sunlight no longer an obstacle as the rage-consumed creature drew nearer to a certain city that had been dealt more than its fair share of punishment..............

*~*~*

B9T: Thanks for reading chapter 10. ^^ Warning to all Vincent fans: Hojo is coming.^_^

DMB: Hey!!!! I *LIKE* Vincent!!!!

B9T: *Glare*

DMB: Uh... but... Hojo is better... uh... yeah.... ¬.¬ ::Paranoid glance:: Anyway, much, MUCH gore in the next chapter, with many, MANY disturbingly violent scenes. If you don't enjoy imagining death and carnage, don't read ANY MORE of this fic. STOP RIGHT THERE.

DMB: .....Ah, hell. Go on. You know you want to. :)

TO BE CONTINUED.................

P.S. From DMB: I'm officially Cid-obsessed. Wait, did I say OBsessed? Sorry. I meant POSsessed. MUAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Uh. Yeah. ^_^;;;;

Oh yeah, and guess what?!?!? All development on Kingdom Hearts has been CANCELLED!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

.......Unfortunately, not. _ APRIL FOOLS!!!! ^_^;;;;;