Chapter 9
This chapter may include some profanity, depictions of mental illness and self-injurious behavior.
Years ago, in a faraway land unbeknownst to the world…
He shivered from the cold.
The thin cotton of his hand-me-down hoodie did little to provide him some warmth. He rubbed his palms together until the friction slightly warmed his fingers.
"Resistance to the heat and cold is necessary for survival when you're out in the open world," announced a voice. The tone was deep; it exuded authority even if what was uttered only spoke of a truth.
He turned to the towering man walking a few feet ahead of him. "I-I'll train well, m'lord!" he exclaimed with certainty, only betrayed by a hint of anxiousness in his tone.
"An acceptable answer," the man responded succinctly.
Silence fell between them. Only the echo of their footsteps—his own light patters and the man's steady taps— resounded against the dull, grey walls of the corridor. He had no clue as to where they were headed, but he could care less at the moment.
His current musings mostly involved the intimidating presence ahead of him. A man who was the epitome of power, in every sense of the word.
There was power in what the man wore. He was garbed in the testimonies of his valor and gallantry; a crisp, black regiment uniform bedizened with medals of gold, silver, and bronze.
There was power in his bearing. The man carried himself with absolute dignity and honor, garnering respect even from the most hostile oppositions.
There was even power in the man's strides. Each decisive step was paced with military precision, a gait conditioned by years of experience in the battlefield.
Power was even in his voice. It was deep, whole, and commanding. A voice that spoke in peace, and the same voice that called for war.
"I will be leaving you shortly in the company of a top expert in the field. However, you may expect my return," the same man announced, coming to a stop in front of an expansive metal door. He turned slightly to the boy standing beside him, awaiting an answer.
"Yes, m'lord," the boy replied as he made eye contact with authority incarnate.
For the first time in his young life, he was seeing the nation's leader up close. He could physically make out the years of gained wisdom through the man's dark hair with nigh whites and greys. The fine wrinkles on his features conveyed mortal longevity against the many prayers of a nation wishing for his immortality. The dark irises that stared back belonged to eyes that oversaw a history of destruction, suffering, loss, and the eventual healing and restoration.
The boy watched as his now-superior opened a panel hidden on the wall. He entered a series of codes before the metal door parted and slid open with a hiss.
It was a large room— or laboratory, the boy realized upon studying its dark interior. The place was dimly lit by bluish fluorescence emanating from luminous rods situated at different corners. Cords and wires hung loosely in tangles on the ceiling. Several machines and computers were positioned on one side humming and whirring in silence. Somewhere to an opposite area stood cylindrical tanks that contained root and plant-like specimens floating in translucent fluid.
The boy was immediately in awe upon seeing the structure at the center. A large glass enclosure housing unusual species of plants stood on a metal platform. Streams of light entered the structure from above.
"That is a terrarium. A sort of microenvironment for plants, although this is more of a large-scale structure," a voice spoke out of nowhere.
Then, a tall man dressed in slacks and a lab coat approached them from behind. "I can see that we have a new recruit. A protégé, perhaps?"
The boy stared at the crimson-haired man that now stood in front of him. "I'm Luca," he introduced himself.
The man adjusted his lab coat and outstretched a hand. "Pleased to meet you, young Luca. My name is Sidero,"
Luca reached for Sidero's hand in a brief handshake.
"Sidero is our nation's leading expert in plant science with a field experience in toxicology. However, he was once a Lieutenant under the Specialist Division," the nation's leader explained.
"Specialist Division? That's where I was recruited for training!" Luca chimed in excitedly. Despite the prominent figures in his presence, he could not contain his youthful enthusiasm.
"How old are you, young one?"
"Seven," he replied, holding up 7 of his small fingers.
"That young? Surely our exalted Lord over here has the heart to wait until you are at least ten years of age," Sidero remarked as he side glanced his superior.
"Times are changing. Seven years of age is old enough," the leader stated. "A moment, Sidero?"
The man in question motioned for the boy to stay in one corner. "Behave. Do not touch anything if you want your body parts to remain intact,"
With that, both men left the laboratory.
Luca checked his surroundings for any presence before approaching the terrarium at the center. He keenly observed the artificial environment housed by the enclosure. It was reminiscent to the deep jungles near the small community where he grew up. Jagged rock formations stood amongst lush greens, foliage and some overgrowth covering the damp soil, and tree canopies providing shade from the stream of light.
His attention shifted to the grass-like species with jointed stems. He instantly recognized them to be reeds, but was puzzled to see the absence of streaming water. Reeds were normally aquatic plants that grew near lakes and marshes.
Perhaps there was a water reserve beneath the soil? It was even more unusual how every reed was situated beside rosette formation of leaves on the ground.
Luca lightly tapped the glass with a finger. The light flickered inside the terrarium until it went out completely. He panicked and began searching for a light switch on the metal platform.
Then, a sudden movement inside the enclosure caught his attention. The boy rubbed his eyes before squinting at the area where a tall reed stood. He stared at it for several seconds until the plant began moving, uprooting itself using jointed stems. Before it could completely free itself from the ground, the rosette leaf formations beside it began to move as well. A human-shaped taproot emerged and seized the reed in a swift motion, burying it along deep into the soil.
"Ah!" Luca stumbled backwards in surprise. He saw light return into the terrarium, further shocking him.
"Hey there, little man," someone called out groggily a few moments later.
The boy let out a startled response, "Ah! I didn't touch anything! I don't want to lose my finger, please!"
A lanky man with unkempt hair stood under a metal doorway beside the work benches. A towel hung on his shoulders and the muscle shirt he wore was lightly stained. "Huh? Doesn't sound like it concerns me,"
The man placed the empty mug he held on a nearby tabletop before hoisting himself up on its surface. "Haven't seen you around this place. Are you related to one of the workers?"
"Not really. I was recruited by His Lordship. He said I'm a Synergist,"
"A Synergist? Hey, you're one of us!" the man enthusiastically replied in a raspy voice. "I go by the name Bastion, by the way,"
"Pleased to meet you Bastion. My name is L-Luca," the boy replied.
"You don't sound convinced. 'Luca' is the name they gave you, right? Well, it's not surprising since all of us in the military are obliged to abandon our birth name and identity upon recruitment," Bastion remarked as he began stretching.
The boy momentarily brought his attention back to the terrarium. "Are you helping Mr. Sidero with his research?"
"Nah. I'm here because I was badly poisoned by an enemy during an area scout. Those bastards shot me at every angle with their poison needles," Bastion recounted, "I managed to survive and was brought here. Sidero has been treating me at the small infirmary over there for the past three days,"
The familiar hiss of the metal door caught both of their attention. A man and woman dressed in suits entered the laboratory.
"You guys, are you checking to see if I'm okay?" Bastion beamed at the newcomers.
"No, I was checking to see if you died. Perhaps then they would replace you with someone less irritating," the woman stated monotonously.
"I'm very elated to see you too, dearest," Bastion replied playfully despite his strained voice.
"You have bags under your eyes, your stubble is getting scruffy, and you're as pale as the porridge they served this morning," the other man took note of his comrade's appearance.
"THIS is the face of recovery, my good man,"
Luca listened as the three adults exchanged banters with one another. He slowly stepped back to give them some space, but the woman caught his movements.
"Who is this kid?" she asked.
"Ah! That's little man Luca. His Lordship recruited him for being a potential Synergist," explained Bastion. "Hey kid, let me introduce you to these people I got lumped with,"
Despite his weak condition, the man hopped down the tabletop in agile feet. "This guy over here is Obelisk. A true ladies' man, but an absolute monster in the battlefield—"
The boy looked up to the towering man with messy jet-black hair. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. He had an obviously muscular built despite the suit he wore.
"—and this daunting woman over here is Citadel. She—"
"There's no need for that. It is not a requirement for him to know each of us. He might not even survive the initiation," she interjected condescendingly.
Surprised at the strong remark, Luca jerked his head to meet her gaze.
She was a tall woman with a slender figure, fair complexion, and platinum blonde hair that reached past her shoulders. However, he could not make out the color of her eyes; she too wore a pair of sunglasses like Obelisk.
"Don't get the wrong impression, boy. I'm only being honest on what you should expect in the coming weeks," Citadel explained. She approached Luca and leaned slightly to whisper something in his ear. "Some of the young recruits in bunkhouse number 9 were sent to scout for enemies in the mountains. If you happen to stumble on a full bunk with no available beds tonight, wait until they start laying flowers on one. Chances are the owner is dead. You can have the bed thereafter."
Citadel straightened up and adjusted her suit jacket. "Just a tip from one Synergist to another,"
Present Time…
The white walls of the corridor stretched out endlessly. The muffled sounds of shouting, crying, and manic laughter reached his ears. When a coin fell from his pocket, he stopped briefly to pick it up.
"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! THERE IS NO ESCAPE! JUST KILL ME AND MY FAMILY, PLEASE! DON'T MAKE US SUFFER ANY LONGER!"
The ear-splitting cries of a woman caused him to stagger backwards. His hand instinctively reached for a Pokéball, but resisted at the last moment. This was no place to call out a Pokémon.
He met the gaze of a woman on the other side of a glass panel. She was inside a room with cushioned walls, movements restrained by a straitjacket. Luca felt uneasy as her eyes bore into his soul, screaming the same words over and over.
There is no escape…
All is doomed…
Kill everyone…
No more suffering…
The woman's screams turned into fits of rage as she repeatedly slammed her head into the glass, causing the material to crack and her forehead to bleed. Two men appeared from behind the woman and carefully tried to strap her into a chair.
"Sir! What are you doing here? Only those authorized are allowed entry in this wing!" someone called out from the other end of the corridor.
"My apologies. I made some donations earlier, but I might've lost my way around the building," he explained nervously.
It took several minutes of explaining his unauthorized presence to the security. Fortunately, they reluctantly allowed him to leave with only a warning, considering what had transpired with the woman. He was relieved to hear that she was fine after such ordeal. However, he couldn't help but feel guilty.
That guilt remained even as he exited the building and met up with a familiar platinum blonde.
"We keep telling you to be more cautious, especially when you are in the Unified World," a woman explained in the shadows. "Look what happened. Consider yourself lucky that they believed your foolish excuse, and didn't bring it to the authorities. You would've almost blown your cover,"
Luca leaned further into the tree trunk, feeling the rough surface against his back. "I know. I just… It's still hard for me to believe that Sidero is the cause of all this," he replied weakly.
Silence descended between the two.
The wind blew and leaves rustled.
Twigs snapped and a Starly chirped.
Luca was the first to speak. "Citadel, Sergeant?"
"The Sinnoh Champion League already started. Get everything prepared at the assigned conference room. Bastion and Obelisk are already at the venue,"
"Affirmative, ma'am. I'll meet you all there," he replied weakly.
I hope you all still remember Luca from the previous chapters. He is an original character who debuted around Chapter 4 and appeared alongside Lance.
New characters have also been introduced. (I don't want to spoil much, but expect Bastion, Citadel, and Obelisk to play certain roles later on).
Also, this was a bit shorter than usual. I mentioned last chapter that this was supposed to be about the Sinnoh Champion League. However, the original draft for Chapter 9 was a bit bulky, so I decided to split some parts (and because I wanted to at least update before New Year, hahaha). I'll try to update again after my upcoming finals in early January, but I can't promise anything. Although you can expect the story to start picking up the pace next chapter. In fact, we're only chapters away before Garnet Stone finally takes the reins!