Pokémon: Wings of Beginnings
Chapter 12: Bonds of Different Kinds
May 17th, 2020
9:00 a.m.
WINGS HQ: Longue
Aria sat on one of the comfortable couches with the other members resting inside there. She looked over the date today and counted how many days had it been when Fran locked himself in his room since that mission. Four days had already passed...
She could hear Brandt's strained screaming from behind her before hearing the slam of paper. She looked over her shoulder and saw him letting out some visible mucus through his nose, newspaper lying close to him. Right...He got some colds after the mission. She heard that he took the most damage out of everyone during that mission. She wondered about Lenna and Weiss were now after the mission. Were they having colds too like Brandt?
Turning to look around, she didn't see either of the two. Perhaps in their rooms. Being sick...If the Professor were to catch Brandt here in the open, he would scold him for being outdoors that would potentially infect others with this sickness. Aria looked around and saw other members looking at Brandt with digust over him sneezing.
She quickly called him to her direction. He turns to look over at her...
Then he spotted a brown teddy bear blocked his vision of her.
"Commander told me to make this for you." A familiar sounding voice told him, causing him to gasp in surprise and look down.
"Hey, you-" he begins before he turns his head sharply to sneeze. He looked back at the Alcremie.
"I was told about the situation and wanted to help cheer you up." She explained. "I'm sorry for what happened in that mission."
"...Oh... Uh... That... Well..." He looked back at the teddy bear.
It wasn't as terrifying and deformed as the Dulled, it was actually pretty normal and cute. There was a ribbon on the neck saying Mr. Gravel. "Mr. Gravel?" He murmurs.
"Yes, you can have him." Pretzel smiled. "He can help you and I placed some charms to help you recover."
Brandt looked as he held the teddy bear. No tricks and catch this time.
"Okay..." he tried to smile while trying to hold back a sneeze. "Th-thank... you-" he sharply turned and sneezed again. He left while Pretzel smiled at him leaving with the gift she made for him while she wondered about something. "...I wonder about what Weiss and Lenna thought of the gift I made. Is Mr. Killjoybear and Ms. Pirate good for them?"
Aria heard her, so she gave Weiss and Lenna gifts too? She looked back, noticing that Brandt had left the newspaper. She went over to pick it up.
Her face fell as she could see why he threw the newspaper down earlier.
All about that incident and the growing distrust and panic of the citizens regarding their safety. Being unable to trust WINGS for it. There was even some speculation about them, hearing that WINGS forget the dead. The thought of them being seen as cold-blooded soldiers...
"...We aren't like that, right?" She heard Pretzel ask. "They don't understand of the curse placed on us." Aria nearly forgot about Pretzel's presence directly beside her. She had also seen the news...
"...No, we aren't like that. We aren't cold-blooded soldiers. They think we have a choice, but... we don't..."
"...Not one, they can't stop calling me that when they saw my weapon." Pretzel said in angst. "It's cute, not cold-hearted."
Aria looked at her. What was her weapon again? She heard some members calling it Sugartooth. Why was it called like that?
...No, she doesn't remember what sort of weapon did Pretzel have to be addressed as such.
She looked over the board now if there were any missions available. Maybe to have Pretzel join her? She went to it while a dinosaur stood there.
"What should I tell her?" She heard him think out loud. "She told me how she felt about me. Should I return it back? Sir Claus, where are you!? Ubis, did you abandon me!?"
"Hm?" Those names... recruits if she remember correctly, that Claus being one of the oldest recruits, but she heard from Gray about his skill with his shield, surprisingly his primary weapon instead of the sword along with it... and getting beaten for calling him short. And that Ubis... someone who was quite efficient with using a boomerang and there was note of controlling wind currents with it.
And what that dinosaur is speaking... perhaps... Yeah, that's it...
He had a large, dark grey body that resembled a Pachycephalosaurus. He had a dome head that obstructed his red eyes. There were blue stripes around his body, on his wrists, knees, neck, back, and top of his tail. His hands were short but muscular. Like the blue stripes, he had white spikes around with one on each sides of his neck, a small pair on the front and back of his head each, two larger ones on the sides, and smaller ones on his knees.
He wore the same uniform as the rest of WINGS with some blue armor platings on his chest, stomach, shoulders, and limbs.
Aria dragged herself over to the dinosaur. "Hello?" She called out to him.
"No, not that." He ignored her unknowingly. "...Does she like shields? Something as large as Ms. Claire's...No, no, hers are bigger than Ms. Claire's!" Aria flinched a bit. Nevertheless, she tried again. "Hel-lo?"
"How could I not realize that she liked me back when we were children?" He groaned.
"..." Aria didn't say anything, hearing him mouth out his feelings.
Reminded her so much of Iggy... He doesn't even notice her feelings at all to him... She watched him wag his tail while he freaked out. Aria wondered about him and what he was called. Something about a childhood friend of someone.
Finally, she decided to try again. "Hello."
He turned sharply. "Treant! Oh..." it wasn't her.
Treant? That Torterra recruit? Same hometown. It finally connects together, the dots.
Breathing again, Aria spoke. "Are you looking for a mission today?"
"Y-Yes." He muttered. "They said that I should take more missions without Treant. To improve my skills in offense and stop being more defensive." He was actually lying, he wanted to clear his head about the confession.
Perhaps he wasn't ready to further deepen his and Treant's relationship.
She looked at the board. "...Then... how about this one?" She suggests after scanning through, pointing at one mission. He took a look. "Investigation of a missing child?" He read.
"Yes." She confirms to him.
"Okay." The dinosaur nodded. "Maybe I can do that."
"Would you like anyone to accompany you?"
"..." He wondered about it. "Sir Claus is at the training grounds to help some of the newer recruits and Ubis was told about drinking and I don't know how Blitz got stuck in the trashcan."
Aria looked behind her and there, Pretzel threw the newspaper Brandt used in the trashcan and another trashcan with someone inside rolled pass her.
"How do IIIIII get ouuuuuuuut?" A voice echoes from the rolling trashcan. That was Blitz, right? She wonders how he got there.
...Yeah, Blitz doesn't look like a reliable partner with... She turned to him and remembered that she read his name long ago. A childhood friend of Treant...
"Rutile Ore?"
"Y-Yes?" He asked.
"How about Pretzel and I join you in this investigation?"
"Oh, of course." Rutile nodded before he looked at the way Blitz went to. "Wasn't that the way to the training grounds?"
"It should be-"
They heard a scream from there. One that could be identified came from Claus Helmerson. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A BEAN-SIZED RUNT!?" Yes... Maybe Blitz called him something about his size.
They heard a slam with Blitz's exclamation of pain following soon afterward. "...Please make your preparations before the three of us set off." Aria turned to Rutile.
"Oh, okay." Rutile nodded.
Meanwhile, Pretzel looked at the way to the training grounds and spotted a broken trashcan with Blitz curled rather uncomfortably inside of it...
...The brawn of the two brothers indeed...
May 17th, 2020
11:00 a.m.
Dewford Town
"Rocks." Rutile muttered while he and Pretzel looked over one. "They're really lots of odd ones around this cave. I've never been to Hoenn before."
"Too much water around here." Pretzel turned around. "And the weather's hot around here."
Aria looked at this coastal city, the warm rays shining down onto them. And she looked at the ocean...
...The ocean...
It wasn't just the sound of the waves crashing against each other, rocks or onto land... But... for some reason... she could hear... the voice of someone...
Someone...She closed her eyes and tried to remember about it.
...It was a blur... She can't remember her own childhood, but... there was someone else there...
"My little starfish..."
Come to think of it... on one of her birthdays as a child raised by the Commander and Professor, she received a present who called her that.
She looked at it as it materialized in front of her. A flute, which she used as an instrument and a tool to protect herself and her allies. The way it was made was unknown but it contained powerful magic. She touched it and held it. Every time she held a flute, a strange nostalgic feeling of the unknown washes over her.
Oddly, it felt... warm...
She wondered about the one who gave it to her before she heard Rutile scream. "What is that thing!?" He exclaimed.
"It's Sugartooth." Pretzel answered. "Isn't it cute?"
"More like badass and cool!" Rutile looked. "Double chainsaw spear? Really nice touch."
Aria looked at the attention Rutile had been drawn to this 'Sugartooth'. "...Ah..."
It was as he described it. A double-bladed spear but the blades were replaced by chainsaws. It looked like a two-ended lollipop if there was a candy-theme.
Either way, it should still work as a weapon, right? By a form of mechanism?
She looked at the way Pretzel added of her magic into some kind of cartridge inside the shaft near the spot she held it. That thing was the reason that made the rubberblades of the chainsaw rotate constantly. It seemed it can be split in half when she looked at the lock at the middle of it.
"Hmm, oh..." Aria went to them, putting her flute by the side.
"The mission is..." Rutile asked while he looked at the mission. "Over in that cave?"
"It should be." Aria ponders. "There isn't much to explore around at Dewford Town."
"Okay." Rutile went forward as he took out a shield. "I'll take the front." So that was his weapon. A shield that is body-sized for Rampardos' standards.
"I'll be at the back, in case there is a pincer attack." Pretzel told her.
"Then... that leaves me in the middle." Aria said.
The trio entered the cavern, ready for what lurks in there. Aria also wondered about their skills. Rutile, who's species was based on only offense, was mainly defensive and Pretzel was stated to be fast and nimble with the creative use of her weapon. Aria looked ahead.
The area became darker, Aria wondered if she needed to provide some lighting. It might be harder to see around but it might alert some unwanted attention.
And who was to know that if they get into battle in the dark, the easier chances their attacks can end up hitting each other? She looked at Pretzel eating some carrots. She remembered about the article of soldiers eating carrots navigate the night.
So, she's learnt about that to be able to view through total blackness...
She looked at Rutile and learnt about his species that dated back in the old times. His vision might be advanced to be able to see in the dark.
Then, as for her... Being a sea lion meant she could see deep in waters. It worked out well, being sharp even on land. Though slightly different.
She prepared her flute they advanced quietly. Rutile looked around the area with the shield up for anything about to strike them head-on and Pretzel raised her spear for anything to leap at them. They are all not speaking, for sound in a cave is an easy indication of presence. And when they do get in a battle, it will be more than easy to not attract more attention with her flute-playing.
She made they way silently as Rutile stopped. "I think I hear something." Rutile whispered.
"It's not just you." Aria answered back.
"A Dulled?" Pretzel asked.
"I don't remember what this sound is." Rutile listened. "So could you, Ms. Aria?"
"Hmmm..." Aria focused.
Training onto sounds were more advanced even for WINGS members, but Aria could familiarize herself with the many sounds. She could identify the sounds, they were...
"...Vampiric Bats." She listened again. "...Not only those, there could be some Gatlingtoises..."
She held her flute. "Get ready... they're about to fire... now!"
"Okay, Three Wall Dome!" Rutile exclaimed and slammed his shield forward and created a dome around them. At that moment, energy bullets sprayed around them, bouncing away from the barrier Rutile created.
"When will they stop?" Rutile asked.
"Gatlingtoises will usually fire off all of their rounds for thirty seconds at minimum." Aria explains. "And... as Sunai states, they will have to reload for ten seconds, but they can still fire while hiding in their shells."
"Then that means we need to rotate positions but I cannot move while I hold this defensive position." Rutile explained.
"Hold on, Pretzel. Let me..." Aria held her flute to her mouth, playing a tune. As her teammates listened to the music she played, they both felt more energized for movement.
"This..." Rutile gasped.
"Okay, can I go in!?" Pretzel cheered while Aria watched the barrage die down.
"...Now!" Aria commands.
The dome faded while Pretzel jumped over Aria and Rutile used his shield as a springboard. He pushed foward and Pretzel spun her spear above her while the chainsaws came to life. She charged in the Gatlingtoises, spinning her weapon around with such skill with the boost she got from Aria that the Dulled's heads were sliced off their shells before they could retract them. She slid on the ground while spinning her spear like a hellicopter's blade.
Rutile looked up to see the Vampiric Bats charge at them and ran around Aria as he swatted them away from her. She played her flute while he protected her and Pretzel took down the ranged support.
Some unfortunate Gatlingtoises had retreated into their shells, but Pretzel drove the ends of the spear into one of their many turrets. She let the blades spun and sliced them from the inside before she retracted the blades out and did a backflip to evade the other bullets firing. She looked up and ran around to evade the bullets fired. She looked and separated the spear. She spun one of the spears and threw it. It spun around with the chainsaw whirling. The blades were enhanced by her magic and managed to tear those shells to shreds. She charged at the other group and used the spear she had to slice them with one swing before retreating to evade some shots Aria made.
Rutile jumped with Aria on his back. He slammed his shield on one Gatlingtoise and blocked the bullets fired at Pretzel. Aria jumped down.
"Thanks." Pretzel thanked while the other half of her spear returned and grabbed it.
"Okay..." Aria looked at a group of Vanpiric Bats flying towards them. "...You might want to cover your hearing..." She warns them.
Both of them nodded and covered their ears as Aria began to play her flute. Very horribly.
The dissonant sound formed bursts of magic, catching the incoming Vampiric Bats by the sound combined with magic. After a few more of those 'musical' blasts, the Vampiric Bats had their cores burst from the sound and faded off. Aria gave them the signal to stop covering their ears. They looked around to check if there were any Dulled left.
"...Coast's clear." Aria tells Rutile and Pretzel.
They nodded but she advised them to keep their weapons there. They might still need them since she could hear one more Dulled inside. Based on the breathing it made, it was...weakened.
She wondered about this while she could hear the shaking of Pretzel's weapon against the ground.
"...Hold on..." Aria informs Pretzel.
"...Are we really going to kill a cutie?" She asked.
"Ms. Pretzel?" Rutile gasped.
"...That's why... we need to take a look first."
They moved inside carefully with their initial positioning until they found a door. Rutile seemed shocked at first but the other two knew that this was a Secret Base. Behind this door, the sound grew louder.
"...Alright... Let's see what it is..." Aria looked at Rutile. ".Rutile."
"Okay." Rutile affirmed and kicked the wall open and they entered to see a child crawling back and a Dulled roared at them while covering the child to protect her from them.
The two went back while Pretzel went forward. She looked at the Dulled, its identity was a Ferial. A bestial form of rather intelligent Dulled compared to most others. Noted, they have been observed to have a protective nature...
Towards a mortal child...Something that they inherently are supposed to kill yet it was protecting her from them. Pretzel looked at the wounds it had, several of them made by the Dulled they recently killed as she had observed. It growled at her but she gently shushed it to calm down and held the head gently.
"It's alright...We won't hurt you." She comforted. Aria looked at the eyes of this Dulled. While an aggressive glare was still present, they seem to hold some suspicion that these beings could just be trying to get this child.
"Cure." Pretzel solemnly declared and casted some healing spells on it.
The Ferial's growls were of confusion as it still bore that suspicious glare, but allowed Pretzel to do as she wished. Aria looked as the wounds around it slowly closed. She knew about the healing potency of Alcremie, being one of the better healers but based on the skill Pretzel showed, she was more of an offensive type than a support type most Alcremie members that joined WINGS.
As the last of the wounds are closed up, the Ferial still continued to look at the trio that didn't try to attack it. Pretzel looked at the girl and she sat down and offered a treat to her. The child looked at it and at her.
"I made sure no lethal dosage are there." She assured. "It provides the nutrients needed." She looked at the Dulled. "If it is alright, maybe I can give you some food when I got the time. I'll go here once per month to provide you the necessary stock to go for the month."
The Ferial looked at her for a while, reading her...
After several seconds, it curled away from the child and remained at it's spot.
Pretzel nodded and turned to her team. "Mission complete." She declared.
"But...What are we going to tell command?" Rutile asked.
"The child is safe and that we don't need to kill any Dulled that would threaten her life." Pretzel looked back. "Since this Dulled made her life better than in the orphanage, now having a parent who can protect and love her."
"Will it really be alright?" Aria reconfirms. "I'm rather concerned that it could end up in its' last fight."
"If it's alright, I made this." Pretzel showed a figurine. "This can help ward off hostile Dulled but not them. Only need to return once a month to replenish it." She looked back at the Dulled playing with the girl. "I don't know why I know this but it helped me how to make these."
Aria nods. "Maybe... that is a good thing. We all have our own abilities unique to us, do we not?"
"Yes." Pretzel confirmed as they leave the room.
"I didn't know." Rutile looked back. "There are actually benevolent Dulled."
"They are so rare." Aria murmurs. "I mean, we only fight them... and fight... and fight them who threaten lives..."
She looked back at the Secret Base. "...But nonetheless. Pretzel's right. We did complete the mission."
"Okay!" Pretzel cheered and reached for her purse and there... "Would you like some Ferial plushies?"
They both jumped. When did she...!? They were there the entire time...When did that purse appear heavier...? ...And they are also perfectly sewn too...
"How did you?" Rutile asked with total shock.
"I did it before getting her." Pretzel answered. "It's easy when you know how to make them."
In just mere seconds?
"Then..." Rutile looked around the one he was given. "H-How did you...The stitches are perfect and not made in a rush!"
"My secret~" Pretzel sang.
Rutile turned to Aria. "I don't really do sewing. I don't know." She answered.
Rutile looked between them with a clueless expression before staring at a distance with a stupefied expression, mouth open wide.
May 17, 2020
3:21 p.m.
WINGS HQ
Lenna just went out of her room after the sickness faded and found Aria holding a plushie. The same Ferial plushie.
"A-Aria!?" Lenna exclaimed. "Is that..."
"...Yes. It's a Ferial plushie. Pretzel gave it to me." Aria told her.
"Pretzel?" Lenna asked. "Is she that Alcremie implied to raised by Dulled and the reason the higher-up questioned for what Dulled are?"
"...Yes." Aria answers.
They could, from a distance, see Guy knock on a door. "Weiss-iss~" He called out. "I have a plushie for you~ Pretski made it!"
"...NO!!!" A loud scream came from the room.
"Then again..." Lenna muttered. "Pretzel's belief of benevolent Dulled is a reason several treated her like an outcast. Like Weiss seeing her as one."
"Yes..." Aria noted. "We are all different, and we need to accept one for their own parts. Eventually..."
"But people like Pretzel makes others hard to understand her." Lenna thought. "But she's really a nice person."
"Maybe it's nice to be able to have company who knows each other..." Aria murmurs. "For her to be able to be understood easily..."
"Yeah, not someone as troublesome." Lenna added.
"...Yes...?" Aria felt a pang hit her for some reason. An unknown uneasy feeling...
"Like them pairing me with a Swampert." Lenna muttered. "I mean, am I fit to date someone not of my Egg Group and Water/Ground-types usually faint when they try to be affectionate with me?"
She wondered why she had to be specific with a Swampert.
"Lenna?" Aria asks.
"Yes?" She answered.
"Is there anything you have in mind with a... well, Swampert being with you?"
"...Like liking pirates like I do? Maybe swear a lot and are tough."
"That... could be possible."
"Swamperts are mostly like that, right?" She asked. "Must be because of how protective they are to their young and being able to lift tons when they're still a Mudkip."
"They could be."
"Anyways...You were on a mission with her and the other recruit." Lenna guessed. "That Rutile guy?"
"Yes." She held her fins together. "Hopefully... Today, he'll be able to."
"You talked him into giving him his answer?" Lenna asked.
"Oh... yes. Yes, I did." Aria sighed afterwards. "...Now if he could be able to see..."
Just then, they heard a familiar screaming. They turned to see a Shiny Metang riding a bicycle with another on top of him. They whizzed past them and crashed at a distance.
"Ow!" The one riding the bike shouts with a burly tone.
"With that, my higher ups would lower my pay." The other snarked with a gentle tone.
"Iron and Blitz?" Lenna asked Aria.
"Yes." Aria nods. "...Brains and... brawn."
Somewhere else at the training grounds, Rutile stood behind a tree and took in deep breaths. He peeked out and hid back behind the tree.
He could see her... Well, easy because of her giant figure. And while he was pretty tall himself, she was still wider and more muscular. What a wonderful figure. He shook his head and held it.
'Come on, they told me to accept her feelings. I can't back down now.' Just as he was about to go out...
He saw a crystallized statue carrying one on his arms. Then a bird appeared before him, wishing to grant him and his friends power.
He froze. What was that-
Treant holding his bloodied hand. She smiled while tears fell down her eyes. She stayed close to him. Never to leave him.
"What?" He exclaimed. "What...was that?"
"Rutile...?"
Oh no, those ruined his chance for surprising her. He looked down to greet her. "Oh, Treant." He awkwardly greeted. "How are you?"
"I... am fine..." Treant replied. "You... came back from a mission...?"
"Yes, with Ms. Aria and Ms. Pretzel." He answered while his tiny arms did some weird motions. "Just like a normal mission. Yes, normal."
"...Oh..." she murmured.
"Anyways...About last night..." Rutile muttered. "I finally got the answer. I know it will be hard but..." He knelt down and caressed her face affectionately. Got near and kissed her. Treant's face brightened up with the kiss he made onto her large maw. He was too and he parted.
"It will be hard and didn't know you kept it hidden after all this time." He looked down. "After everything happened on that day was too fast."
Treant was still quiet as Rutile continued to speak. The soft red on his dark grey face...
"It is going to be hard than just being friends." He continued. "We'll fight and hurt each other along the way but...I'll bear those things for that's what relationships are."
"...Mhm..." Treant nods. She sounded... so happy... "...Again, but... I love you... Rutile..."
"Yeah..." Rutile made some weird arm movement and smiled back. "I love you too."
They leaned close once again and kissed. They stayed in each other's embrace. Meanwhile, Takan and Pentaster looked at some crates.
"...Who ordered these beverages?" Pentaster asked while he looked at the brand.
"Hmm..." Takan pondered. "It wasn't me..."
"..." Pentaster looked up to see Gardious fly down before them. "Commander?"
"..." he stared at the crates. "...Ah." he understood and sighed. "Lainuiki, we will be bringing these to the food storage."
"Some members wanted this?" Pentaster asked.
"Yes." Gardious replies. "I believe about a celebration."
"Hm..." Takan reached out and hoisted a crate each with his forearms.
"Of what?" Pentaster asked. "I didn't receive anything about this."
"In about a few hours' time." Gardious states.
"I don't mind carrying the heavy stuff." Takan states. Pentaster stared at him.
"But...this..." He muttered. "Will you at least be concerned of how addictive they can be? I remembered the one time Lenna became drunk."
"...I would say as long as they can manage, but..." Gardious pauses for a while. "...Once they get drunk, there's no stopping them."
"..." Pentaster thought of that day. "She stole ships to find the Golden Magikarp."
"...It was manageable when she was found before things went much more out of hand."
They nodded as they went inside the HQ to store the beverages, both of them not knowing what would happen next.
????
????
????
"What was that thing? Tower of Babel...Why are you doing this?" A Garchomp muttered while he used his spear like a walking stick.
The Garchomp wore a black and red hood with a black jacket underneath with dark blue accents and pants the covered much of his body. There were seven belts around him, each of them kept hidden items for their missions. His now torn cape blew by the winds and his wounds were visible through the torn fabric of his uniform. He watched a catastrophic battle happen before him and a large planet high above the clouds was above them.
The winds blew his hood off and he looked so much like Luigi but was not him but bore the resemblance of him.
"Pendragon, can you answer me?" He talked over the communication device strapped on his left breast. "Pendragon, come forth! What's happening!?"
He could hear heavy breathing from the device. The speaker must be crawling toward the device on his end. From that side, blood was everywhere when a cloth arm held the device and a sword was dropped, blood staining it. The one who got impaled covered the wound and reached for a first aid kit to dress his wound.
"Come on Grouchy Sword!" The Garchomp screamed in desperation. "Don't let that sword that impaled you and hit your spectral body stop you! Status, give me status of everyone. Everyone should still be alive!"
The one he talked to looked at the screen for vitals. The screen was cracked, no vitals were shown, even the Garchomp's. The trackers...There must be something wrong with them.
Just then, the Garchomp was about to get some pills on the pouches of his belts when...He felt for his tracker. He took it out and saw several pieces of machinery. There was...no way for him to track down his allies and know if they were still alive.
His eyes widened...His friends...Everyone...He heard something fell to the ground on the other line.
"Hex?" He called over the phone. "Hex, come in! Are you there? Hex!"
There was no response... until there was... a gargled voice, but from how it sounds... it... wasn't even registering his presence.
He looked around, where are they? There was a crack and then something was dropped into the sea. He didn't see what it was but he felt the power of Alpha and Omega explode. He looked up to see someone fight the God who caused all this. With his wounds, he couldn't fight now but watch. Watch as a friend overcome this God and kill him. With the God's death, they'll finally be free.
However...
"What are you doing?" The Garchomp cried. "Kill him! Kill him now! Don't delay it!"
His cry was unanswered while this friend of his made this God last longer to deliver back this sorrow he felt. Becoming a monster himself. The Garchomp wept as he felt his attachment to this world was getting separated. The world he loved, he was being pulled away from it. He saw that friend deal the final blow...But it was too late.
"No..." He muttered as he wept in despair. "Why? We didn't do anything."
He continued to weep.
Personal feelings... it can hinder 'proper' action to be made...
Human intelligence...
While it gave them the ability to understand things through experience and make porper judgement...It can make one do foolish things.
Why were they given this? He held his heart as his body and soul disappeared from this world and flew into space. He opened his eyes, seeing himself pass the passage of time and space.
He looked around and spotted his friends passing it with him.
His friends...the ones he went through all his life...
Are they going to where all passed souls head to?
He watched as a rift in the passage was ripped out. Several souls were flung into that world but him? He felt being thrown away from them. He flew out and saw that the theories of worlds out of their world existed. There were so much of them. That was when...
His head hurt. This knowledge...Too much knowledge, his brain wanted to explode.
"This is too much!" He cried and held his head. "Stop! Enough! I can't take them anymore! Keep them away from me! Argh!!"
From a distance, a figure watched his soul break through a barrier.
"Twinkle twinkle little star." The figure sang. "How I wander where you wonder a far. Up above the spaces so nigh. Like a foolish soul of youthful innocence. Twinkle twinkle little soul, how I wonder what shall soar."
The Garchomp screamed in pain and agony as his body was burnt and torn apart. He looked as his eyes melted that rendered him blind. More pieces of his body burnt until he flew pass a barrier...
Another figure looked up from his book. He foresaw this soul's arrival.
"...So, this is it..." He closes his book. The Garchomp flew down and the figure looked over the world...He knew what this world was while the soul flew there...
"...May the radiance of the Crystal... light all your ways."
May 17th, 2020
10:00 p.m.
WINGS HQ, Communications
"Everyone's partying so much..." Iron leaned on the table. "Ms. Safka slipped out and how long will I be here?"
Zakh continued to type on the screen and looked at the rookie beside him. He wondered about why he wasn't joining his brother drinking his fourth bottle.
"I am not much of a social butterfly like my brother." Iron told him.
"Ahh, guhahahahahaha!" Blitz's voice rang out.
"How about you, Mr. Zakh?"
"...Not really." Zakh answers. "I'd like alone time more."
He resumed typing back onto the keyboard while drinking some water. There was some fizzing in there, aspirin.
"And what's with this?" Iron pointed at a bottle of beer. "It doesn't taste good yet they, even my brother, likes it."
He heard him laugh and challenged a drunk Gray to an arm-wrestling match.
"Comeoncomeoncomeon!" Blitz announces.
"Bring it, ya'ow!" Gray somberly growled. "I can name all regions Marble UFO, ya'ow!"
"..." Zakh looked back at the desktop with Iron. He took out one of the communication devices. "...Professor. Any progress?"
"..." Silence before a hiccup. "...I love you..."
He sighed...Who forced the Professor to drink? He put the device away and sighed. "It's just us then."
"...Yeah, just us." He leaned back onto his seat. "...Let me take a look at security." He kicks over to push himself to another desktop and typed in a few commands. Iron watched as the display presented most of the HQ, inside about many of the primary rooms. There were even also some inside the members' rooms. "...Still in the room tonight."
"Fran?" Iron asked.
"...Yeah."
"I see..." Iron looked down. "It is contradictory of what Sunai hypothesized about this gift we had during training. I've read from the reports that Fran froze during battle."
"..." Zakh tapped onto the keyboard. "...And once again... Luigi is trying again."
"...Are those two brothers?" Iron asked. "I've read from the DNA tests but theirs don't match."
"Adopted family, from what we know."
"I see..." Iron looked at the screen again. "Not like Iron and I...But we don't know about our parents and our other siblings."
"That's to be... expected."
Iron watched the screen some more and went around the ocean. "Still, had you guys looked around the ocean using the satellites?" Iron inquired.
"Ocean works. Did you see somethi-" He gasped about some high form of magic radiating there. The readings of it were off the scales, higher than he had ever seen. "-what the hell!?"
It was falling down...and continued to fall.
"It's between Hoenn and Unova." Iron read the coordinates.
"Take the exact coordinates..." Zakh rapidly typed onto the keyboard to record information. Great. Is it another unknown lifeform they can register as a new Dulled?
...No, not some Dulled. "...A Pokémon!?" He took some readings and was stunned to see the records.
"Wh-What!?" Iron exclaimed. "Then, Rayquaza? Deoxys? Jirachi?"
"...No... I don't think so." Zakh murmurs.
It continued to fall and fall...Until it landed on a deserted island.
"And... it's not moving there."
"...Then...What are we supposed to do?" Iron looked up the list of available members. "All of them won't be available until tomorrow at the afternoon and the number of hours to get there is..." He read the coordinates and looked at where Sinnoh was. If he were to count it, the estimated time to get there was...
"...12 hours..."
"..." Zakh put a hand on his forehead. Uncharted area meant that they can't just try and hyperjump to there. And hyperjumping is still in the works despite some outdoors usages.
What if the one they encountered there was dangerous. He couldn't take it as a risk. He looked at a list and began assigning those best in exploring unexplored areas and exact amount of who would be placed.
He wrote the name Squad Seven.
Chapter 12 Concluded