Blade of Destiny
Chapter 4: Old Buddies
"Are the lines secured?" The voice caused Ash's eyes to snap open, his body jerked upwards as he awoke. "I want this entire city surrounded by our men, understand? Nothing must get through our defenses!" Ash rose to his feet and took in his surroundings; and almost collapsed again. He was positioned on a hill, overlooking a massive city that he had never seen before.
Huge stone buildings and temples dominated the skyline, stretching up into the darkened sky above them. Most of the buildings were so humongous that they dwarfed even the Pokemon League Coliseum in size. "Satoshi! What are you doing!" All Ash could do was stare in disbelief at the metropolis that lay before him, until he was vigorously shaken from behind.
"Satoshi, will you stop? This is not a time to be playing!" Ash didn't get a chance to respond before he was whirled around. A young man, presumably around his age, was staring into his eyes with anger. "We need you on the front lines! You and Kurogane need to support the troops up there; they won't be able to hold the Legacy Beasts at bay for long without your help!"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ash asked, confused. The young man opened his mouth to answer, but soon the wind began to pick up. It began as a light breeze at first, but quickly transformed into a whirling gale that whipped the young man's silver hair across his eyes.
"Damn! I thought we had more time! Satoshi, stop playing around and get down there now!" The skies darkened as the silver-haired man dashed off down the hill towards the huge city below, yelling orders to random people below them. Suddenly, a sound began to well up from around them. It started out as a low whine, but began to grow louder and louder into a piercing screech.
A thin, black line appeared in the horizon, growing with the skull splitting screech that seemed to keep getting louder and louder. Ash collapsed to the grass below him as the sound filled his head, echoing in his skull, and overloading his senses.
The noise was so intense, almost blinding him as he screamed out in agony, only to be drowned out by the horrific screeching around him.
"You're positive that thesword is the same one stolen from the museum?" The officer nodded and leaned against the wall.
"Positive, Agent Waterflower. You couldn't fake an object like that if you tried. We've called Agent Oak for a 100 ID, but that's pretty much formalities for the paperwork. Those two you found are your thieves, no doubt about it," he commented as he pointed through the glass to the sleeping figure behind it.
Misty sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Have you found an ID on them?" she asked, still clinging to shred of hope that those two weren't who she thought they were. The officer shook his head.
"Nope, we've been searching through the database, but nothing's turned up yet. But you know how huge that damn thing is; it could take us two weeks to even find a 60 match possibility."
"Thank you. You can go back up front now, but I'd like to be informed when Agent Oak arrives." The officer nodded and turned, walking down the narrow, white hallway, leaving Misty alone staring through the glass. She sighed again and entered the small room, taking a seat next to the bed.
She examined his body again, trying to find any sign that would tell her if that wasn't who she thought it was. "Dammit Ash, this better not be you. I'm gonna kick your ass if it is," she said to herself quietly, snuggling into her chair. She watched his chest rest rise and fall with each breath, accompanied by the constant beeping of the heart monitor beside him.
Her mind soon filled with memories from when she was younger, traveling around and just going on those stupid adventures, enjoying every moment with her friends. By her last count, it had been eight years since they last saw each other at the Hoenn League Championships. She chuckled as she remembered that last time the whole group was together; how Brock had gotten a taste of a Nurse Joy's taser after he had come on a little too strong for her taste.
The sound of a low groan snapped her from her thoughts as she jerked her head towards the figure on the bed that began to rouse from its sleep. Slowly, his eyes opened and looked around, examining their surroundings, before finally falling on Misty.
Will he even remember me? It has been a long time..., she thought to herself as he sat up in his bed and yawned.
"Um, who are you?" he asked bluntly, causing her to roll her eyes. Obviously not, she thought again, sitting up in her seat. "Well, I am a League Special Forces Agent. You were involved in an accident on the Cerulean Expressway three hours ago. I'm here to ask you some questions."
He raised his eyebrow and leaned back into his bead. "Where is my friend?" he demanded coldly.
"He is fine; in fact he's in the room right next to you. Do you remember your name?" He rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"Of course, I'm not an amnesiac. It's A-," he abruptly stopped mid-sentence and folded his arms across his chest. "You know what? I plead the fifth. I don't feel comfortable disclosing that kind of information." He smirked and opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by the door opening behind Misty.
"Yo Mist, what's the deal? I got this urgent call about an ID or something," Gary said as he closed the door behind him and glanced at Ash in the bed. "Who's this?" Ash's eyes lit up as the nasally sound of Gary's voice reached his ears, but quickly returned his expression to normal, hoping the others didn't see it.
Misty cleared her throat and sat up in her chair. "Well, there was a huge accident over on the Cerulean Expressway. This is one of the survivors. But you'll never guess what we happened to find there in the wreckage." Reaching over to a table next to the bed, she pulled out a small folder and flipped through the pages. 'Tell me sir, how much do you know about the robbery that occurred at the Pewter City museum a few days ago?"
"Only what I've heard on the news," Ash replied coolly, not liking where this conversation was heading. "Excuse me, but why are you asking me these questions? I'd like to rest and not be badgered by false accusations from some secret agent wannabe, thank you very much."
Gary raised his brow in recognition at Ash's snappy remark. "Hey, you watch your mouth; you are talking to a League Special Forces agent here." Ash scoffed and leaned back in his bed.
"Your forces can't be too special if one man escaped from a fully armed strike team in a locked down building. Maybe you guys should go and find some useful recruits. Now, I'm done with the questions; goodbye," he dismissed with a wave of his hand.
Misty growled and threw the folder onto Ash's lap and rose from her seat. "Then maybe you'd like to explain why the very sword that was stolen from the museum was found in your trunk on the highway!" Photos of Ash and Brock's wrecked vehicle spilled out from the folder all over his sheets and Ash cursed internally. "I'm waiting for an explanation here, Mr. Ash Ketchum."
Misty noted the shocked expression on Ash's face and growled. Gary looked at Misty then Ash with a surprised expression. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell are you talking about, Misty? Ash! As in Ash Ketchum!" Misty shook her head and pointed at Ash's cheeks.
"Those birthmarks...that and your cocky ass attitude are what gave you away. What the hell are you thinking, Ash! What would possess you to do something like this! I never would have thought in a million years that you would even consider doing something like this!"
Ash folded his arms over his chest. "And who the hell are you to dictate to me about my life? As a matter of fact, who the hell are you anyway!" he demanded. Misty sighed and reached inside of her pocket, pulling out an ID.
"I'm Agent Misty Waterflower and this is Agent Gary Oak. Ashton Satoshi Ketchum, you are under arrest for evading arrest, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, battery, and a whole slew of other charges that I won't even dare to bring to bring up. Do you have anything to say before I read you your rights and take you into our custody?"
Ash just sat there, dumbstruck. "You have got to be freaking kidding me."
Max yawned and stretched in his chair, each vertebrae slipping back into its rightful spot in his spine with a loud crack. May turned her head from the glowing screen of the television with a look of disgust. "Do you have to do that? That's so disgusting."
He nodded with a grin. "Yup. I know you hate it, so I keep doing it." He was answered with the rolling of his older sister's eyes and she turned back to the TV, turning it up louder, hopefully drowning out her older brother. "Geez, it's been almost five hours. I know it doesn't take that long to drive out to Cerulean and cut a deal," Max complained as he began tapping away at his laptop again.
"Then call their cell phones, genius. See where they are." Now it was Max's turn to roll his eyes.
"Thanks for stating the blatantly obvious there, May. What makes you think I haven't tried that already? I've been calling them for the past two hours and no answer. I'm starting to get a little worried." May dismissed his notions with a wave of her hand.
"They're probably just screwing around like they always do. I'm kinda enjoying the silence around here. At least I would be, if you wouldn't stop bothering me with your disgusting habits and crap."
"Yeah well, you never hear me complaining with all that noise you and Ash make at night..." he grumbled quietly. May snapped her head in Max's direction.
"What did you say?" Max looked up with surprise from his computer screen, amazed she even heard him.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. What did you say?"
"What are you talking about? I didn't say anything," he insisted.
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No, I didn't. Wait, why the hell am I arguing with you like a five year old? I didn't say anything. Let it go." Soon, both of them began arguing each other back and forth, paying no attention to the small yellow creature that emerged from Ash's bedroom and yawned loudly, smacking its lips and plopping in front of the television.
Pikachu sighed as it scooted closer to the TV, unable to hear from their constant arguing. It was a natural occurrence; arguments broke out regularly, over almost anything. The pokemon watched as the news appeared on the screen, flashing pictures of a huge accident on a freeway.
"This is the site of a massive pileup on the Cerulean Expressway today after the bindings on an eighteen-wheeler snapped, sending over 20 tons worth of steel spindles hurling through the crowded freeway. There have been reports of up to eight deaths, and the injured count is in the dozens," the feminine news anchor reported. Pikachu's ears perked up instantly.
"Pikapi!" the small rodent exclaimed, trying to catch the two bickering humans' attention. Neither of them even cast a second glance, too caught up in their own argument to pay any attention. "Chu pika, ka chu!" It screeched even louder, even waving its arms as it yelled at the two siblings. Still, they would not acknowledge it. Pikachu growled and clenched its cheeks, the bright red spots gathering up electric energy.
"PIKA!" it yelled as it released the electricity, arcing through the air and connecting with the two bodies, eliciting cries of pain and surprise from them. May whirled around at Pikachu and glared at the rodent.
"What the hell is your problem, Pikachu!" she yelled, only to be answered by a loud cry from the pokemon as it pointed a tiny yellow paw to the television screen.
"Surprisingly, the pileup is not the real story in Cerulean today. One of the wrecked vehicles was found containing the sword that was stolen from the Pewter Museum of Natural History. The CPD and League Special Forces currently have the owners of the vehicle in their custody at the Cerulean General Hospital. In other news..."
Both May and Max stared at the TV screen incredulously as Pikachu scampered back into the bedroom. "Oh no. What are we gonna do? The LSF has got Ash and Brock locked down in that hospital. We gotta find some way to get them outta there," May stated as she slumped into the couch.
"Are you insane? That building's gotta be completely loaded with police and LSF agents by now. There's no way we can get them out," Max answered with a sigh. As if on cue, Pikachu bounded out of the bedroom with a small device in its mouth, which it promptly spat out onto May's lap. May looked down; he had retrieved her cell phone. The words "Dialing..." appeared on the bright color screen as she picked it up and placed it to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked, asked Pikachu leapt onto the couch with her.
"Yeah, what's up, May?" the voice replied. May's eyes lit up as she smiled and patted Pikachu on the head.
"Hey Ritchie...can you do me a favor?"
Brock sighed as he stared at the blank white wall across from him for the umpteenth time today. He had completely lost track of all time he had spent in the uncomfortable hospital bed. He had woken up to a group of police officers, all who began questioning him about the events at the Pewter Museum.
Naturally, he kept his mouth shut, and insisted that he knew nothing. Soon, a cute redhead and some guy with an attitude problem burst into his room, demanding all he knew about the sword and the museum. Brock didn't even have to come up with a fake alibi before he was placed under arrest by them and told that he would be transferred to the League Special Forces HQ in Viridian City after he had been thoroughly checked out.
Probably the only highlight of his day had to be the cute Nurse Joy that came in to check him out. Naturally, he turned on the charm, only to be answered with a blunt, "I don't date convicts." At least he had found out that Ash was alright as well. Unfortunately, now they were waiting for some kind of transport to take to him and Ash to Viridian, and they had no way of escaping from the hospital. They had posted two armed guards outside of his door, and while he was sure he could take those two, he had no idea many were just waiting around the corner. He probably wouldn't get two feet down the hallway.
"Crap," he said to himself as the realization of how serious their situation was sunk in. So, all he could do was stare at the wall, waiting for the inevitable call. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, there was a knock on his door. With a creak, the door swung open, revealing an armed officer at the doorframe.
"Let's go, buddy." Brock groaned as he sat up in his bed.
"I don't even get my clothes back?" he asked as he pointed at the thin hospital gown adorning his body. The cop shook his head.
"What, do I look like an idiot?" Brock smirked and pulled himself out of the bed.
"Kinda, yeah." The officer's face darkened at his smart-ass remark and pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs.
"We got about four other guys just waiting outside this door, so don't try anything, got it?" he retorted as he snapped the handcuffs around Brock's wrists. Brock grinned.
"Wouldn't dream of it. The handcuffs are a little tight, buddy." The cop narrowed his eyes at him and pointed towards the hallway.
"I'll remember to report that to Officer Like I Give A Damn," he snapped. "Let's go." Brock shook his head and walked out into the hallway, where he was quickly surrounded by four other armed police officers.
The lead officer nodded. "Where's the other one?" The cop that handcuffed Brock shook his head.
"We decided to transfer them at separate times. Ol' Squinty here's going first." The other officers chuckled at his statement as the lead cop shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright. Let's go," he directed as the group began to escort him through the winding hallways of the building. For forever it seemed, and down hallways that looked exactly the same, they escorted him to his transport. "Right around this corner," the lead cop directed, and the group rounded the corner, stopping in front of a large set of double doors.
The lead officer pulled out a walkie-talkie and clicked the button. "We're outside the garage. Is the transport there?" he inquired. As he released the button, all that replied was static. "I repeat, we are outside of the garage. Is anyone out there?" Still nothing but static.
"What's going on out there?" The group fell silent as the lead officer decided on their next course of action. "Hey...what's that beeping sound?"
"What are you talking about?" another officer answered.
"Something's beeping. It's really faint, but I can hear it." The officers grew quiet as they searched for the sound. Faintly, a beeping sound drifted through the wall in front of them. "What the he-," he said before the wall in front of them exploded, sending plaster and debris flying through the hallway and the group soaring through the air and crashing to the hard tile of the hallway floor.
"Shit! Call backup!" an officer exclaimed as he reached for his gun. Suddenly, a loud crackling sound floated through the air, and a large stream of electricity surged through the air and struck his body. Instantly, the man's body froze in place, his surprised eyes the only part moving.
"Everybody fall back! Henderson, call for backup immediately!" A voice broke out through the dust fallout of the explosion as a figure stepped through the newly made hole in the wall.
"Brock, duck!" Instantly, Brock dove to the floor and covered his head with his handcuffed hands. "Sparky, Thunder Wave!" the voice ordered, followed by a loud squeak.
The crackling sound of electricity filled the air again, and a large wave of energy washed over Brock and struck the other four standing officers directly. Their bodies also froze immediately, fixated in one spot. "You alright, dude?"
Brock shook his head as the figure broke through the smoke, revealing a face that had a remarkable resemblance to his own best friend. A small Pikachu scampered up to his side, a small tuft of hair hung over its hazel eyes. "Ritchie! How the hell did you know to come here!" he exclaimed as he hopped to his feet.
Ritchie brushed a hand through his brown hair and chuckled. "Eh, I was just in the neighborhood, so I decided to drop by." He reached behind his back and tossed a pistol to Brock, who promptly caught it. Ritchie slung the submachine gun around his shoulder as Brock cocked the weapon and fired a bullet at the chain connecting his handcuffs, snapping it instantly.
"Nice outfit," Ritchie sarcastically commented, glancing at Brock current state of dress.
"Shut up."
"So, where's the other one?" Brock shrugged.
"I have no clue. We're gonna have to look for him." Ritchie groaned and started dashing down the hallway.
"Well, let's get going. Our ride's gonna be here real soon."
"How soon?" Ritchie glanced at his watch, and turned back to Brock.
"About three minutes. So, at least got a general idea of where he might be?" Brock rounded a corner, and skidded to a halt on the tile floor. Ritchie dashed right behind him and stopped also, bumping into Brock. The hallway in front of them was filled with at least gun-wielding police officers, all of their weapons set on the two of them.
"Oh boy," Brock commented.
"Well, at least we know we're going the right way. Sparky, Flash!" The small Pikachu nodded and released a huge amount of electricity, generating a blinding light that filled the narrow hallway. Brock and Ritchie turned their heads and shielded their eyes from the blinding glow as the surprised yells of the now sightless police officers echoed through the hallway.
Almost as quickly as it came, the light waned and disappeared, revealing the police officers blindly groping about, struggling to find their way. Ritchie grinned and plowed through them, swinging his fist into any man unfortunate enough to venture close to him. Brock and Sparky followed close behind, clearing a path through the hallway; Brock using his strength to swing the poor souls into the walls, knocking them out instantly, while Sparky let bolts of electricity fly through the confined space.
Ritchie turned around to view the group's handiwork; all ten of the cops were lying on the floor, unconscious. He glanced at his watch, and cursed. "Come on! We got about two minutes left!"
"Where are we being picked up at?" Brock asked as he led the way through the labyrinth of white hallways, trying best he could to remember the way he came from.
"We're gonna give out a signal, and we'll get picked up. But I told them that if don't give the signal in...," he looked at his watch, "two minutes and fifteen seconds, that I was probably captured and to get the hell out of here." The duo rounded another corner, Sparky scampering behind them.
"Ok, if I remember right, our rooms should be right around this corner," Brock gasped between gulps of air.
"And if we're not in the right place?"
"Then this will be the last time you'll see the outside of a prison for a long time." The both of them looked at each other for a moment, and nodded, breaking around the corner in a full blown dash. Brock grinned as they saw a group of armed guards standing outside of a door.
They still had about another two seconds before the group would realize the two figures tearing down the hallway at them, which was all the time they needed. "Sparky, Quick Attack, now!"
Instantly, the small yellow rodent pumped its legs even harder, easily passing up the sprinting humans and quickly approaching the armed police officers. The world around it blurred as it reached inhuman speeds, zooming down the hallway. The red spots crackled and sparked as the Pikachu gathered up electric energy into its cheeks.
As soon the first cop turned around, Sparky leapt to its right and rebounded off of the nearby wall before spinning around and smacking the guard in his face with its tail. The guard flew back and slammed into the floor as Sparky bounced off of the opposite wall and landed on the ground, releasing the electricity onto the stunned men, incapacitating three more of them.
As the two remaining cops raised their weapons, they never saw Brock and Ritchie close in from behind. Brock reared back and landed a crushing blow to the base of the man's skull, knocking him out instantly. Simultaneously, Ritchie placed his palm on the other man's face and slammed his temple into the wall, knocking him unconscious also.
"Wow," Brock commented, his whole body shaking from the adrenaline that was rushing through his veins.
"What?" Ritchie asked, panting heavily while Sparky stood by his side, doing the same.
"That was fun." Ritchie chuckled and pointed towards the door that the officers were guarding.
"This it?" Brock shrugged.
"I guess so," he answered as he viciously kicked the door open, almost sending it off of its hinges. Ritchie entered and laughed at the shocked look on Ash's face as he was leaning over the open window, tying a rope made from ripped bed sheets.
"Did you really think that puny ass rope was gonna get you down five stories, Ash? Thank god we got here when we did. Otherwise, you'd be hanging out the window with your bare ass flapping in the wind in that bed sheet you're wearing."
"Ritchie, what the hell are you doing here! And Brock, how'd you get out!" Ash exclaimed as Ritchie reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small silver disc.
"We can explain all that crap later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here. You guys stand back," he instructed as he slapped the disc onto the window and pushed a series of buttons. The small disc beeped loudly as Ritchie ran back and shoved Brock and Ash behind the bed, shielding them as the disc exploded, sending glass and plaster hurtling into the air.
The bed flew backwards from the shockwave of the blast, almost falling on top of the trio huddling behind it. All three of them cautiously peeped over the bed, examining the damage. A whole section of the wall was completely obliterated, with rubble and shattered glass littering the floor.
"Where the hell did you get those things!" Ash exclaimed.
"I made 'em. They're as powerful as C4, but with a chemical timer built into the explosive itself, so you don't have to worry about someone disabling the detonator. And they're extremely portable, so I can carry a bunch of them without having to worry about being slowed down by their weight." Ritchie turned to Sparky and pointed towards the newly made hole. "Give them the signal!"
Sparky nodded and dashed to the hole and performed its Flash attack, illuminating the night sky with its radiance. Ritchie checked his watch and grinned. "Perfect, and with fifteen seconds to spare. Watch the glass, guys. Our ride should be here in a few seconds."
Ritchie smiled as the loud sound of flapping wings filled the air outside the hole. "They're here. Let's go." Sparky leapt out of the opening, disappearing from view. Brock and Ash looked at the opening cautiously, eliciting a chuckle from Ritchie. "Don't worry about it. Just jump, you'll be fine."
"There they are! Open fire!" The group whirled around towards the door, only to find a large group of heavily armed LSF agents at the doorway, lead by a Beretta wielding Misty. Ritchie cursed and pulled the submachine gun off of his shoulder.
"Guys, jump!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger on the gun, sending a spray of bullets in the agent's direction. Both Ash and Brock took off towards the opening, carefully trying to avoid the glass that covered the floor. Almost hesitating, Ash hurled himself out of the window and surprisingly landed onto a soft surface, accompanied by a loud growl.
"Geez, Ashy not so hard, would you? Zippo isn't a rock, you know," a soft voice chimed from behind him. Ash turned around, and met the green eyes of a beautiful face. Long violet hair cascaded down past her shoulders, which were covered in a light training jacket.
"Duplica!" She giggled at his surprised expression.
"Long time no see, Ashy. I hope you haven't forgotten me." Ash shook his head. There was no way he could forget someone as attractive as she was; in fact, long ago, he had considered asking her out once. He examined his surroundings and found himself on the back of a massive red dragon, its huge red wings flapping the sky. It was Zippo; Ritchie's prized Charizard.
"What are you doing here?"
Duplica smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but quickly grabbed Ash and pulled him close to her. "What are you doing?"
Brock landed onto Zippo's back fiercely, drawing another roar from the large dragon. "Oh I'm sorry; I didn't realize you wanted all 260 pounds of Brock on top of you."
Brock shook his head and apologized to the large dragon. "Jesus Christ, it's insane up there. That redhead is crazy; she just started shooting all over the place and almost hit the oxygen tanks! The whole room could have gone p in flames at any time!"
"Where's Ritchie? Is he ok?"
"BOMB!" a voice cried from inside the room above them as Ritchie's body appeared from the opening and landed onto Zippo below.
"Zippo, go now!" Zippo roared and flapped its huge wings, quickly gaining distance from the hospital. They barely got twenty feet away when the room exploded, sending spinning fireballs and debris crashing to the streets below.
"Misty!" Ash yelled as he scrambled towards the edge of the dragon's body.
"What the hell are you talking about!" Brock exclaimed as he grabbed the back of Ash's neck and pulled back towards the center of Zippo's back.
"That redhead you were talking about; that was Misty!"
"Misty who! You mean the Misty we used to travel with!"
"Yes!" Brock eyes widened as he slumped onto the dragon. Ritchie laughed and lay back on Zippo's neck.
"You've got to freaking kidding me. Misty Waterflower is an LSF agent?" He laughed out loud again. "Oh well, nothing to worry about, she's fine."
"And how would you know that?"
"'Cause I threw the bomb under the bed. That contained a lot of the explosion. They probably just got hit with the shockwave. Nothing to be worried about. So word on the street is, that sword you guys lifted is fetching quite a pretty penny on the black market."
Brock's eyebrow was raised at his comment. "Just how much is it worth?"
Ritchie chuckled. "Oh, nothing big. Just about sixty million bucks."
"That thing is worth sixty million bucks?" Brock exclaimed. Ritchie nodded.
"Of course, when May first gave me a call, I was gonna bust you guys anyway. But when Duplica told me that thing was worth sixty mil, I decided that the least you guys could do was give me a cut of the profits. So, where is it?"
"At League Special Forces headquarters in Viridian City," Ash stated bluntly. "And I want it back. Those guys who were chasing us were after more than money. There's something special about that sword, and I want to know what it is."
Duplica scoffed. "So wait a second. You're suggesting breaking into what is quite possibly the most heavily fortified building in the world, which is inhabited by not just police officers, but heavily armed LSFagents, and steal a sword out from under their noses?" she asked increduoulsy. Ash shook his head.
"Pretty much, yeah." Duplica turned to Ritchie and back to Ash and Brock with a wide smile plastered over her face.
"When do we start?"
"Anytime," Brock shivered as the cold wind rushed through his thin hospital gown. "But can we go get some clothes first?"
Dr. Leto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "So, Agent Summers, explain to me again what happened, because I am finding it very hard to believe that two people...two goddamn people, could get out of a trap orchestrated by over twenty personnel! And not only get out with their lives, but the sword in their possession!" he yelled, slamming his fist on the large conference table.
"Doctor, there's nothing to worry about-"
"Nothing to worry about!" he exclaimed loudly. "I have four days to present evidence of my research to the Board or my whole project is scrapped! And I will not let that happen, not even if I have to leave this god-forsaken center myself and find that sword!
"Look, you can yell at me all you want, but before I got here, you didn't even have a damn clue as to where that shield was, so don't take all your anger out on me!" Roxanne shouted back across the table, rising up from her seat. Their angry voices echoed off of the walls of the empty room as Roxanne sat back down in her chair.
"Where is the sword now?" he asked quietly as he slipped his glasses back on.
"It's in the headquarters of the LSF. Thankfully, this has played into our hands. Our associate in the LSF will direct access to it, and we will be sending a squad disguised as a clean-up crew there in a few days to pick it up."
"And that is all?" Roxanne nodded her head. "You'd better not screw this up this time, understand?" Roxanne growled and reluctantly nodded her head. The room soon grew quiet as the both of them fell silent.
"What exactly is Doctor Riley researching?" Roxanne inquired, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Genetics. He's been experimenting with the DNA of humans and Pokemon alike, trying to combine the two. He had been failing for the past two years, and the Board was about to cut off his research. Then something big happened." He leaned forward in his seat, narrowing his eyes.
"He had successfully combined the genetic code of fighting pokemon into our own beloved Director Steadman. Steadman experienced a five hundred percent increase in strength, agility and endurance. Now he is trying to bond the elemental abilities of pokemon with the human genome. Even though he had succeeded with the bonding of Steadman's genetic structure, we thought it was impossible to implant elemental control into a human being.
Then Agent Blue was born. Somehow, he had found the way to bond the elemental control of water into one of our Select Agents. Now Agent Blue could not only manipulate water in his surroundings, but he could generate water attacks from within his own body. Of course, he would have to consume massive amounts of water before or during this process, otherwise he would become significantly dehydrated. He then went on to create Agents Green, Red, and Yellow; each one containing the abilities of vegetation, fire and electricity respectively. Now he is not only searching for a way to incorporate the other remaining pokemon types into human beings, but he is trying to find a way to mass produce them, so we can completely fill our ranks with these soldiers." Doctor Leto smiled and folded his hands.
"My project however, could not only improve upon this idea, but will almost render it useless." Roxanne gave him a surprised expression as he chuckled and continued. "There are serious flaws in Riley's design. For the soldiers to exert control over their corresponding elements, they have to concentrate intensely. On the battlefield, where bullets are flying, there is no chance to do this. Not only is that, but the energy to generate their own element resource-consuming and hazardous to their health. Take Agent Yellow, for example. For him to generate his own electricity, he must rely on the electricity created from his own brain synapses. Extensive use of this could potentially cause brain damage and render the soldier useless in battle.
But imagine a person who can manipulate their element with little to no effort with training, and can endlessly generate their own energy? And not only the elements, either; consider a powerful psychic that could level and entire building with just a thought, or person that could control and direct the immense amount of insects that populate the world. They would be literal gods walking on this earth." Roxanne scoffed and laughed.
"You're joking, right, Doctor?"
"I once thought just like you, until I started seeing the evidence that something is brewing in the pokemon world. The appearance of Lugia and the other Legendary Birds in the Orange Islands, that massive crystal wall in Johto, a Deoxys in Hoenn, and too many other events to keep track of. Something is calling these pokemon that were once thought to be a myth out of hiding."
"Please. I'm surprised the Board has allowed you to go this far with this crackpot theory of yours." She rose and headed towards the door before being stopped by Dr. Leto.
"You will believe, Agent Summers. One way or another."