(A/N:) Current Music: The Fruits Basket soundtrack, and it's NOT helping me at all. Bah bah bah bah, bah bah, bah bah...
And no, despite how much I'd like to I don't own Pokémon.
Lunatra: Intriguing. Fascinating how you managed to stuff me into the plot...somehow...
Darkest: You're important in this fanfic.
Lunatra: I think I see how.
Darkest: Shut your cakehole then. I'm trying to concentrate.
Lunatra: I'm trying to intensify the genre.
Aerocky: BOOM! WAHAHA!
Lunatra: Get out...you're ruining the atmosphere...
Giovanni paced his office once. He paced it a second time. The air was silent, as if there was nothing else that was alive, or nothing else that had a soul, on the entire planet. The Team Rocket Leader breathed out heavily and approached his solid oak desk in the corner of the office.
The black clad soldiers by the doorway leaped into the air at the unexpected violent collision of a fist on wood. Giovanni seethed with a glare towards them.
"Well? Are you going to work for your team, or lounge there until the world blows itself up? What the heck do you think you all are?"
"Sir..." one of the Rocket members announced nervously, "Should these Elites truly be taken that seriously? If there was a false alarm...sir?"
Giovanni ignored him and slitted his eyes as he turned to look through a gap in the blinds.
"Of course I don't trust them, you fool." he snarled back. "But I don't trust their 'beloved mother' either."
The Rocket gaped slightly in confusion, but accepted the answer unsurely. Giovanni set off on his monotonous daily stroll again. The previous silence was established in the air once more. All the soldiers stood tensely by the door, still left suspended by their boss' reply. Giovanni suddenly made the next unexpected action by slapping the sensor pad on the nearest wall.
A screeching wail commenced to ring right around the area.
"The alarm. Excellent thinking, boss."
"Shut up. I told you all to make yourselves useful. Get out and bring them back to me!" They hurriedly swarmed out of the door. "Don't you dare aggravate me again! I'm a very patient man!"
The shadows stretched as their owners' steps approached. The six Elites froze whilst they watched them creep across the ground.
Wallace turned his eyes upwards slightly, breathing in slowly before he acted.
"I'm getting out of here." he muttered in a distant voice. With one stride he began thrashing out at the nearby door, which was obviously completely jammed into its frame.
The footsteps quickened.
"Open...open...please..."
The rest of the group remained in their stunned positions, still watching the shadows reach out to touch them. They appeared to be torn between whether they should attempt to restrain him or try to help.
"There's no other way...please...let us through..."
Will snapped out of his trance and stepped in to help. He turned to the others with an icy look that not even the mask could hide, telling that he could sense something...
"It's definite..." he breathed, "There's something coming."
"We know that, you dolt!" Kamon snapped.
There was a shout from the Rockets who turned the corner to discover the sight, along with the crackle of several radios. All six of the hunted threw themselves against the door in desperation and there was a crack as a component of the lock broke, sending them tumbling into the open space beyond.
Red quickly slammed it shut again and fumbled with the broken lock, twisting the metal to improvise what it once was.
"Nice going, people." Steven said; eying the bodies sprawled hopelessly across the small room. "William, next time offer some more recent news please." he added, gaining a well earned glare from the psychic.
"It's seventeen feet long," Will continued as if nothing else had happened between the time he had finished and started drawling on, "extremely angry, winged, heading towards the corridor outside at a 25 degree angle, and is due to release its fury in the form of a violent collision within the next 20 seconds. I have also successfully calculated that if we don't begin to ascend that ladder within the next 10 seconds," – he pointed to the said ladder leading up through a long chute in the ceiling – "the impact will definitely decapitate us all." He leaned back against the wall, satisfied that he had finished giving away the results of his brain's processes.
Wallace immediately got to his feet, pointing out the fact that he was going to lead the way again. Steven's frustrated expression was wiped away again and he hid the replacement look of sorrow, watching his partner scramble up the intended escape route.
"Steven, let's go!" Kamon hissed into his ear in panic. The now uncommonly serious teenager closed his eyes and climbed after, his heart pounding with the distant sweeping sound of the great legendary beast. He knew what was coming – a pokémon like a time bomb, waiting to hit...a pokémon like a time bomb...
A time bomb's a human machine...
The enormous physical force collided; a creature which soared away, taking half of the floor below with it.
Lugia emitted an unearthly screech which silenced the alarm and the yells of those caught up in its furious attack. The Elites clung onto the loosened ladder for dear life whilst it swung in the gust of wind that arrived as an aftershock. They dragged themselves up to the top, where they watched the situation through a handy window that had been smashed into the wall.
The beast of the sea slowly circled its 'prey' above the churning waters. Further off was a group of pokémon screaming out their angry calls. An eerie sensation of energy being pulled out of the air ran straight through the six of them observing the scene.
A Hyper Beam that was unleashed upon another part of the oil rig deprived them of their balance and they collapsed. Wallace gazed over at the angry surfing pokémon out in the sea.
"No...why do you have to...have to be so violent..." he muttered, "No, why? Don't do it!" He was pushed back again by the weakening shockwaves of a Psychic attack as it ebbed away. Steven helped him to his feet, still wearing the sorrowful expression and the group continued without a word to ether of them.
They all knew better than to ask of each other's dark sides...
The alarm had stopped now its circuit had been destroyed and the entire structure lay in a dusty darkness. Their footsteps clattered along the corridors.
Another doorway opened as a result of their frenzied bashing and the Elites piled into another room...
"Oh dear LUGIA! If you pardon the irony..."
Kamon earned Will's second glare of the hour, despite the fact that his reaction to the scene was perfectly natural. The bodies of several fallen Rockets were scattered around the room.
"Their brains were incinerated by the Psychic attack." was Will's conclusion.
"You think you're so AMAZINGLY clever, don't you?" Kamon replied scathingly. He wandered over and began searching one of the corpses, managing to steal the Rocket's pocket-knife. A Hyper Beam screeched its way through the oil rig again.
"Let's go..."
Lance paused. His eyes had caught onto an object lying by another of the deceased. He snatched it up at a split second decision and slipped it into an inside pocket of his jacket.
"Evil, evil creation..." he cursed.
"Lance, come on!" The words that were screamed almost drowned out underneath another roaring beam of elements which ripped through the structure nearby. Burning fire.
Sprinting footsteps clattered down the next corridor, leaving Ho-oh's war cry behind them with the growing flame.
"You've all done quite well, haven't you?" Giovanni's voice crowed. He stood behind a cloud of dust and a huge fissure in the corridor.
"Oh bloody hell, haven't you died yet?" Kamon rolled his eyes.
"It's lovely to see you all, I'll have you know. What do you say I escort you all out of here?"
"Not a chance..." Steven began to rant again, but Will stopped him.
"I suggest you move." he added.
Giovanni raised an eyebrow, but before he could open his mouth to comment he had disappeared behind – or should it be inside – a dense wall of flame. It thinned out to reveal a very scorched wall, but nothing more.
"Is it safe to teleport without him tagging along after us yet?" Red asked in his pretend naïve way. Lance smirked for the first time in a while.
With a pop they disappeared, leaving the enraged legendaries to finish off the remains of the Rockets and their hideout.
Team Rocket... Ninetales pondered, Our trainer never had anything to do with Team Rocket.
Be glad of that then... Sneasel answered, closing its eyes. Cruel, cruel society. Even lately, when they've joined elsewhere to make good use of their skills, there are members who secretly continue their previous activities...
Sounds awful. How about your trainer?
Sneasel snapped another twig. He was involved for a little while. He didn't intend to be. Kidnapped. Even though he was a harsh trainer...and maybe not the best to treat me right...but what he decided to do to make up for his wrongs was enough for me to admire him forever.
They watched the shadows return to the cave from the gloom. The magnificent birds bowed their heads to Celebi with the report of their success. They spoke of the victory over Team Rocket.
Good... Sneasel sighed. I'm glad my trainer is safe from that one danger now...
The ground trembled again, causing the contents of the Elites' hideout to creak and moan. Steven growled as he spilt his coffee.
"Honestly, you think you're out of the predicament and finally able to grab some peace when the Earth starts tossing and turning again. Some life."
Lance sniffed and gazed at the ceiling. "I guess. It'll all be over soon."
"That's not the response I require right now, Lance." he replied.
The rest of the group was staring blankly at different points in the room. Wallace looked distraught and fatigued. He stood up and wandered out of the room. Steven put his head in his hands.
In the adjacent room, Wallace sat and contemplated everything. When was it truly time to tell? Time to tell the world...everything?
It pains me to see him so...unhappy...
My name's Steven Stone. I am one of the World's Elites, representing Hoenn with my partner Wallace Drinkwater. There's nothing special about me really, as a person in general or an Elite member. Sure, I have a darkened past, but everyone in the Elite group does. That's one of the things that make us Elites.
I was the one who chose Wallace as my Elite partner, because we got on so well. I never expected him to go through such pain. And of course, foolish and stupid as I was back then I thought that being someone he can love and be loved by would tie up the loose threads...he loves me and I love him but this job as Elite hurts him so bad...
He doesn't show it half the time but today...that's how he shows it; desperation for his survival. He's not himself when it happens. I want to see him happy, and cool about these situations. I hate to see him get worked up and panicked because that's when it happens, that's when his dark side shrouds him again.
So I try to reassure him...it's ok, it's alright...
We're going to be fine...we'll get out of this together...I care about you and you only until...
But it's not true, I've been so selfish...dragging him into this...then the half of me that's not caring for him is only caring about myself...part of me doesn't want him hurt because it rebounds on me...why am I like that? Why?
In my past, I've done so wrong...
Wallace has helped me so much...to teach me not to hurt those I want to love. He's one of those people that you could never intentionally hurt.
I didn't mean to, but I still did it, it's still my fault he's in such pain...
I've done it before, and that person ran away...and when he told me how he felt, it hit me how cruel I had been...
No, I'm sorry...I've never meant...I can go back, I can try again...
But I couldn't go back...I could only turn around...I could only turn away from what I'd done...and see a new face...a person to take me by the hand...and show me how it's meant to be...a person who wants to care...and wants me to care...those trusting sparkling blue eyes...that I'll eventually break...
I still want to be with you...I want to see you smile like always before...it pains me to see you so...unhappy...
I still love you...