Book II: Impending Twilight
Chapter 119: Not a criminal
The blaring noises of the TV filled the room. This morning Mr. Hayter settled for the news. As always, it was compiled with dark and downright depressing stories. A man on the TV spoke into a microphone on the city streets of what reminded me of Lumiose. On and on he talked about rising numbers in missing pokemon. With a bit of thought, I wondered if Genesis made a difference on the statics chart on the screen.
At the table, Mr.- John cut a fried egg with his fork. Every now and then he'd sip his coffee, slurping at it in a way that made me cringe in annoyance. Everything he did annoyed me now. How I just wished he'd go already… How I just wanted to go and leave, go home to Flare and tell them I'm okay. Sadly, I'm here for a little while longer. John said the first day of the new year we could leave, then I'd never have to come back.
With a clank of his cup on the table, he stood. "Well, I have work to do. I'll be back tonight, so I'll see you then." He walked near me and crouched down, extending his hand out. I moved back an arm's length from him, staring at him with an unsure look.
"Right," John frowned, standing up and turning to the door. "When you're ready then," he said, sounding betrayed, but he wasn't the one who had been deceived his whole life. John pulled down the door handle, before stopping. His eyes drifted towards his hand as he lingered for a moment. "I know you resent me, that's fine, but later tonight I would still like for you to hear out a favor. So, if you could be here when I get back, that'd mean a lot."
No response, I just let him leave me alone. The door slammed shut behind him, leaving quietness.
Eyes still on the door, I huffed out a sigh. "What could you possibly want from me?"
"So, that's the plan?" Zack paced back and forth in the conference room. Isaac, who had not said a word the whole time, just watched Rhys. The marowak sat at the table, coffee cup in hands.
Inhaling the steam with a sniff, Rhys responded. "That's the plan."
"Ridiculous," Zack shook his head, pushing smoke from his lungs. "You do realize I can't make an alliance with these criminals, right?"
"You can. Besides, times running out, we're out of choices. Ghost will win if you don't do what you have to."
"They're criminals!" Zack spat a flame in his fit.
"Well, after this war, do what you want with them. I never intended to pay any of them to begin with. They're criminals after all"
"Right," Zack snorted. "You're just using them, claiming you'll have all this money. I believe you will have all this money from Genesis, but what's your ulterior motive. I know for a fact you're not just going to step away after all this. So, what is it, let me guess, you want Ghost's spot, or all the money to-"
"Enough," Rhys' cup clanked from a firm hit against the table, spilling drops. "I've already decided I will be taking the majority of that money. With it, I plan to fix as much of the damage as possible. Genesis has torn a lot of lives apart, and I swore to do what I can to make it all be-"
"Just shut up," Zack snapped. "Don't think for a second I trust you. I doubt someone like you had a true change of heart. So, answer me, what are you hiding?!"
A dry chuckle left Rhys. He adjusted the skull on his head, before looking Zack in the eyes. "Revenge."
"Hmmf, believable," Zack snorted, sounding more convinced. "Why?"
"That I am not obligated to answer. But, let's just say I'm getting very sick of living in his shadow."
"Right, because you want to be the boss now."
"Think whatever you want. Either way, tomorrow your troops need to be moved to Snowbelle as I asked. As many as possible"
Scowling, Zack responded, "I already said I would. Just remember who's in charge of my people. Anything you want, you go through me."
"I already said I understood that," Rhys propped his chin up using his hand. The two waited, no words being said. That is until Rhys' eyes flickered to life. "One more thing, through all the other preparations I almost forgot."
"What now?" Zack scowled.
"I have a friend, her name is Lucy. Back in Shalour, Lucy and I were separated. I need you to understand that it is crucial that I find my servine friend. She has something very valuable to winning this war, and if Genesis realizes what she has she'll be dead.
"Like another criminal would make things any worse," Zack scoffed.
Point of View Flare
The wind whipped through the air, cutting into my face. Even with both my arms shielding myself, the winds still hurt. My cheeks had grown numb over the night, my feet stinging from the snow reaching up my ankles. All I wanted was somewhere warm, even as a fire type it was just too cold out. That inner heat did little to fight days of harsh snow.
A scarf wrapped around my neck flapped in the wind. It's azul color offering some contrast to my bright yellow fur. My arms moved to hug the scarf against myself. thankfully, I managed to scavenge something that offered some comfort.
Looking back and forth, I found a narrow alley to take cover in. In the cover of the buildings, the snow was much shallower, and at the mid-point, I slid to my rear against the wall. My tail coiled around my body and I hugged it against me and my scarf. All I could manage were shivers and a few curses at how cold and tortured I felt. How I yearned to be at home in a warm bed, or just anywhere away from the snow.
"Alex…" I whispered to myself, a vista of the human appearing to the front of my mind. How much I missed my human. All these months and all I ever did was trouble him, and now I'm just up and gone like this. Maybe Dawn told him… but I imagined whatever she told him wouldn't have been easy for him or anyone. They probably sent Gray to deliver that message, Dawn wouldn't even care to do it herself.
"Dawn," I tasted the bitter name on my tongue. "I really hate you," I stated, but like she'd care.
No leads had come my way since I declared my war on the absol. I tried looking, I even scouted near the area they had me imprisoned, but I wouldn't dare go back. All that I had left were the WPA members in the city. If I could get information out of one, then maybe I'd have a chance of figuring something out.
"What to do, what to do?" I mumbled. If I knew how to use psychic abilities I could just break into a head and take what I needed, but I wasn't even sure how those powers worked. Sure, it was now my second nature, but I wasn't exactly sure how to access this part of my mind. I tried, I really did, I even attempted to move objects, but in the end, I just felt like a kid trying to discover some power I didn't really have.
"Maybe Ebony could have helped me out," I said to myself. Although, Ebony visited a trainer twice a week to train under him or her. I never met this person, but from what I've seen this person made good progress with her. Wish I had the money to hire someone to train me. Maybe I'd have to get a job, I could save for a pokemon residence… Maybe I could just live a new life, no one would ever know if I changed my name.
For a while, I thought about a new life. I found a bit of comfort from that, and after a while I found myself lying on my side, drifting in and out of sleep. It was still too cold to sleep, but just closing my eyes and trying felt better than nothing. It felt like forever until I actually fell asleep.
Point of View Annie
"Zylen, you really shouldn't be up!" I pushed both arms against the zoroark, trying to force him back in bed. But, with a firm grip on both wrists, he yanked my hands off. Feebly my arms hung limp in his possession, both his icy eyes stayed on me.
"I said I've had enough." His voice was still that of a ghost. Thin, no air, and sounding dead. Zylen bit down as he stood with a long groan of pain. Releasing me, he gripped at the wound on his lower left torso. Red started to spread from under the bandages.
"Zylen!" I cried. My eyes weighed heavy as I watched my closest friend torture himself. No matter what I couldn't let him do this, his wounds hadn't healed enough.
"I-I'm fine!" His voice whipped at me. I stepped back. In the end I knew I didn't have a right to boss him around... It was me who got him in the position he's in now.
"Look." Zylen propped himself against the cabin wall, already short of breath. "I've been a lot worse before. Yeah, it's rough, but there are other things to worry about right now."
"Like what?!"
"Genesis and what they're planning. Let's also not forget that WPA is also most likely infuriated with us."
"And Flare," I whispered, remembering how I've neglected him during Zylen's recovery. For all I know WPA could have killed him already.
"Him too. Although…" Zylen stopped, seeming as if he couldn't bring himself to speak.
"Although what?"
"It's been a bit, who knows whether WPA thinks we ran away or not. And if they do think that… I don't know what they'd do to your brother."
"Then we have to get to-"
"We've already lost a lot of time. I don't know if we can do anything."
"We have to try! He's my brother, I have to at least know he's safe, it's because of me that he'd be in trouble because I fell out of line!"
"Don't get me wrong, I intend to help track down your brother. But, I can't predict what has happened over the time you were nursing me back to health. Dawn might have gone for him, or maybe she just left him out of it. Who knows?" Zylen rifled his hand through his mane, searching for something. "Dammit, just when I needed one," he muttered.
"What?"
"Smokes, we'll have to hit up a store when convenient. All this stress and crap has me dying for one."
I placed a hand on my hip. "Usually, I'd advise against your bad habit, Zylen." Zylen shrugged at me, having no plans of changing. "So, you'll come with me to find my brother, right?"
Zylen nodded. "I planned to, so you'll have to deal with me a bit longer. But one thing, maybe it's best if we don't go straight to Flare."
My eyes snapped up at Zylen. "Wait what?!" I stared at him, blinking in confusion.
"I said we should wait to see Flare. I got a theory that if we go to WPA with our information we might be able to stop WPA from thinking we're defecting or whatever conclusion they've drawn."
"And what if it's too late and they think we're against them or running away?"
Zylen shook his head as he gave a distressed sigh. "Sorry Annie, but I don't know if Flare's still in good hands if that's the case. We've been gone for far too long, whatever they wanted to do with Flare they would have done it already. But, if there is still a chance then maybe talking to them can fix things."
"Maybe…" I said thoughtfully. "You're probably right, but where would we find Dawn?"
Zylen gave a smirk, "Leave that to me, I know a guy who knows a guy."
"As always…"
Point of View Flare
I jolted up with a deep breath. My chest rose up and down, I panted, feeling as if I almost suffocated in my sleep. For a moment, I laid on the ground, reflecting back to the dream I had. Already I had almost forgot it, but what I did remember was of Dawn. I just remembered being a fennekin, and being forced to face Dawn alone. In it, I was powerless, couldn't even produce a small spark of a flame. I shook the thoughts from my head.
Feeling groggy, I let out a yawn as I stood up. I stretched my limbs out and rubbed the grogginess from my eyes. With an inhale, I noted how awful the alley smelled. Last night I never took notice, but it was beginning to make my nose twitch from the rancid stench.
Not wanting to stay any longer, I walked down the alley. It wasn't until at the end of it that my foot crunched against something. A burn ignited in the padding of my foot and I let out a yell as I fell back on my rear, clenching my bleeding foot. A paw print in the snow revealed a glass shard stained in blood. No, it was a mirror shard. Looking to the left, a broken mirror leaned against the alley wall, just next to the dumpster.
"Crap," I sucked in a breath, still feeling the sting. Blood stained the snow beneath me. I examined my cut, thankfully there were no mirror shards in it. After a few minutes I pulled myself up using the wall as leverage. I kept my hand on the wall and stood up on one foot. My eyes caught the mirror image of myself. Two redish-orange eyes stared back. Truthfully, I cringed at the sight of myself, I didn't look like me. Granted I didn't know who 'me' was. It was as if the moment I became a braixen I was no longer the same pokemon. Really, I didn't feel like Flare anymore, I felt like ashes of the old me… Maybe Cinder, but whatever was left, it wasn't much.
Drops of blood fell from my foot, adding a contrast of red stains in the snow. The red that did wetten my foot was masked by my black fur. My golden-brown fur was a mix of dirt and whatever else was on it. No longer was it soft and fluffy to the point your hand would just glide through, but instead it was clumped together in spots as a dry tangly mess. The white fur at my jaw had stains of food that I was unable to clean off with my resources. The only thing that did remain in good shape was the blue scarf I had acquired, seeming to be almost new.
I turned to position my back on the wall. I uncoiled the scarf from around my neck and rose up my foot and started wrapping my scarf around it. Within seconds the scarf I had grown to like was a mix of reds and blues, looking as if the user had been murdered with it on. When secured, I tested my weight on my foot. A stab went up my foot, but it was going to have to do.
When I was on the streets limping, most humans were up and moving about. Most of the streets were occupied, filled with flourishing activity and the chatter of people. Many eyes were set on me as I struggled along the walls of the buildings. Most were taking notice of my wound, or just thinking I just needed to be put out of my misery.
It wasn't long until my stomach was grumbling in pain. "Food" it cried to me, and that was all I could think of. What I would give for a nice big juicy steak, some puffins , even kibbles wouldn't be too bad, just anything.
After a bit, I wandered into the market of Lumiose where many vendors were setting up their concessions. Most were farmers from the country. They sold a variety of fruits, veggies, meats and crafts. Of course, I was only here for one thing.
I couldn't believe I was going to do what I was thinking, it was so risky and against everything Alex had taught me. Even my own sister had taught me better. Still, none would be against it if they knew how miserable I was and that I needed it.
I scoped out the area, looking for a simple vendor to rob until I set my eyes on an old man selling fruits. About five baskets were filled to the brim with fruit of all kinds. Casually, I walked in the direction of the vendor, trying not to draw attention to myself. When a few yards from the vendor, I bolted at his merchandise. My foot burned, but I did my best to ignore it. With a strong leap I jumped up onto the vendor's booth and grabbed the first thing I could get, an orange. Both of the old man's eyes shot open wide in utter shock as he reached out for me, but I leapt away from his hands.
"Stop, that bastard is robbing me!" He screamed as I hurried away. I ran as quickly as I could, pushing through the crowd of people. No one had realized what had happened by the time I was on the next street. Each step sent a wave of pain up my leg, and halfway down the next street my foot gave out. I fell in the middle of a crowd, crashing onto the brick ground. My grip on the orange loosened and the orange rolled into the sea of humans, where it was taken by the kicks of their feet.
"Dammit," I muttered as I got up and limped in a hurry. I didn't stop running until I was sure I was in the clear. By that time, I was already lost in the heart of central Lumiose. I rested on the stairs leading up to the entrance of an apartment building. My foot throbbed, my lungs felt inflamed and my stomach ached from hunger. At this point, I felt there was no hope.
"This is freaking ridiculous," I growled below my breath. "Why is this happening to me?" I had to ask. With all my being, I wanted to know why I was always dealt the short end of the stick! Well, I knew the answer but didn't want to accept it. It was Dawn's fault, all hers! She's the one who antagonised me, the one who messed up my life, the one who took my sister and even exiled me from my life.
I pressed both of my palms to my face. At any moment I felt like I was going to snap. Firmly pressing my hands against my face felt like I was holding in all the pressure that was ready to burst free. A minute passed before I released myself, but when I did something caught my eye across the street. My eyes narrowed in on the pokemon walking by himself, a croagunk.
"Tyson," I whispered. I watched for a few seconds as he strutted along. I sat there blinking in complete surprise until the croagunk was almost gone from sight. In a quick jolt, I sprang up to my feet. Quickly, my pace increased as I walked after him. No way was I going to let him slip through my fingers, I was getting my answers.
I followed behind him, staying a good distance. Not once did he ever look back, or do anything to show he suspected me. I tailed the croagunk for miles through the city until we were at the shady side of Lumiose. The population of humans and pokemon thinned out and it became just me following him down an empty street. The entire street was under constructions and new buildings were being built. It was Sunday though, so no one was working at the moment.
Tyson made his way into the open buildings. No walls had been put up yet, just the skeleton of a building. I waited for a minute, before walking in after him. Inside, he grabbed an electronic lantern that had been waiting for him. Tyson examined the lamp, and with a flick of a switch, a light was summoned. Tyson scanned the vicinity, before setting his eyes on a stairway leading down. Without hesitating, he headed down the steps into an abyss of darkness. Moving as fast as I could in a limp, I moved to the stairs. When at them, I made my way down, taking it one slow step at a time.
Down below everything was pitch dark, save for the illumination of Tyson's distant lantern. The air had also become damp and cold. My arms hugged against myself in the freezing air.
"You're late," a crackling voice started from the dark. Two looming eyes of crimson illuminated in the dark. Never once did the blink as they became an ominous light that dwelled within the shadows.
"I've been busy," Tyson dryly replied.
"Right," the other pokemon said with equal attitude.
A purple foot stepped out from the shadows followed by a pokemon in the form of an egg. Sharp, pointy teeth you'd only see on a monster formed a smile. And two bloody eyes burning through the dark, looking Tyson up and down.
"Let's cut to the chase, do you got the money?" The gengar held out a plastic bag, containing a white powder that looked like flour (Was it?). No, they weren't here to exchange cooking ingredients, it was drugs… Cocaine?
"Of course," Tyson reached into his glove, pulling out a roll of money.
The two both exchanged possessions and stepped away. The gengar undid the band on the money and began to count, while Tyson held his drugs up in the light.
"Well then, I'll be sure to contact you when I'm in need again," Tyson smirked. Tyson turned to leave in my direction.
"Right," the gengar nodded. "Just one question though?" Tyson stopped in his tracks, looking back at the gengar who now frowned at him. "Why didn't you come alone this time?"
"Right." The gengar shook his head. "There is a kid hiding in the darkness right in front of you. I can see him as clear as day, is he not with you?"
In a quick motion, Tyson threw the lantern in my direction. The plastic object bounced up off the ground before rolling along the ground towards me. As the light revealed me, I stood from my crouched stance.
"Who are you, why are you following me?" Tyson growled, shifting to a fighting stance.
"Don't remember me?" I said, kicking the lantern with my good foot back at him. The light rolled along the ground till Tyson was illuminated once again.
"No, I'd remember some punk ass brai-" Tyson stopped himself. A grin forming on his face as his guard dropped. "But I do remember a punk fennekin. So you evolved now, huh?" Tyson laughed to himself. "Well congratulation, but you're still some kid that I'm going to have to take in."
I held up my palm to my face and a bright ember formed in it, casting a faint red light over my face and upper chest. "Where's Dawn?"
"What?" Tyson burst into a laughter, his gut expanding out as he laughed. "You really think you stand a chance against her, kid? You only escaped by luck."
"I don't care about any of that," I snapped, the ember in my palm growing into a flame. "What I do care about is her getting what she has coming to her. I won't let her hurt anyone else!"
The room fell silent as Tyson looked me in the eyes.
"Should we just kill him?" The gengar snorted. "This kid just seems like a headache."
"It's looking that way," Tyson sighed. "Here I thought today was going to be decent, but now I got to clean up this crap."
"You're a criminal just like Dawn," I muttered.
"It's my job to put you down. You're a danger to societ-"
"Yeah and I'm sure it's your job to be snorting coke too," I snorted.
"Heh, I never claimed to be a paragon." Tyson shrugged. "I mean, deep down Dawn's a good person, you just don't know that side of her. Me though, I'm far from good myself. Sure I play on the good guys team, but I've done too much bad stuff to ever be considered a hero or anything. Didn't Dawn ever tell you, everyone on her special unit was a criminal?"
"My sister wasn't a criminal!"
"Oh, so you did get something out of her." Tyson chuckled to himself. "Well sure, your sister was never a criminal, and I never broke the law once either. Like you too Flare, you're not a cri-"
"Stop!" The flame in my palm exploded into an overwhelming torrent as I tossed it right at the croagunk. Both him and the gengar leapt out of the way. A storm of hissing flames exploded into the ground, sending a flurry of embers everywhere.
"Still got that temper I see," Tyson stated. "Face it kid, you're like me, a criminal. Only a matter of time before you're taken in."
"I'm not anything like you, nor is my sister or Zylen!"
"We're not different?" Tyson smiled. "What if I told you I was once a part of Genesis?"
I stopped right there. All at once my anger faded as I stared at the smirking croagunk, unable to even blink for a moment. "that's different," I stuttered.
"Really, what was so different? Both organizations killed, both experimented, plotted for domination, hardly anything was different. You're just ignorant and in denial, kid." Tyson cracked his knuckles. "Enough chit-chat though, about time I finish you." Tyson rose up both of his fists as his feet spread apart.
"This is your deal, so leave me out of it," the gengar nonchalantly stated, as he crept back into the shadows.
"Why don't we take this upstairs," I suggested. "Neither of us have an advantage down here."
"Fine by me," Tyson agreed.
The two of us both kept our distance as we went up to the first floor. A silence lingered in the room as we both faced each other from our own corners. We both waited for the other to move first, not taking our eyes off each other for a split-second.
In unison, the two of us both sprung into action at the same time. Tyson bolted at me, as I leapt back with a fireball in my palm. Cocking my arm back, I tossed it. Tyson spun around the attack, keeping his speed. The croagunk leapt at me, tackling me. All the force went onto me as I scraped against the ground.
"Having fun?" Tyson slammed his fist into my cheek, banging my head into the concrete. For a second, everything went black, and the next thing I knew Tyson had both his gloved hands firmly around my neck. I grabbed both of his arms trying to pry them off, but the pressure on my neck increased. Each second my grip on him grew weaker and my vision grew blurry. Instinctively, my right hand rose up and grabbed Tyson by the cheek. My palm reddened as Tyson let out a loud yell and smoke started to come from between his skin with the sizzling of cooking flesh. Both his hands released me, but I never let go of him. My other hand rose up and grabbed him as I brought him to the ground with me.
"Mother fucker let go!" Tyson screamed out, punching at me repeatedly. One firm punch on the nose, and I heard a crack and blood began gushing from my nostrils and trickling down my throat. My hands released the croagunk and I scurried to my feet and created a gap between us. Both my hands clenched over my bleeding nostrils. A current of blood gushed down the back of my throat, so I leaned my head forward in an attempt to stop it..
Tyson remained on the ground, rocking back and forth, holding his scarred face. A bit of smoke came from him as he whimpered in pain.
Guilt welled up in me as my stomach turned. Never had I hurt someone on this level, I always toned back my flames to avoid severe damage to my opponents. This was the first time I actually aimed to kill.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Tyson cried out, removing his hands to show the damage. He crawled onto his hands and knees as he looked up at me. Charcoaled skin flaked from him as a web-like pattern of deeper burns and melted skin made me gag. I placed a hand over my mouth, finding myself unable to breath.
Tyson removed the gloves from his hands. "Get over here!" Tyson launched himself off the ground, cocking back his fist.
Jumping back, I evaded out of his path and followed up with a flaming punch. Blue at the core of my knuckles, my fist erupted in a violent explosion. Tyson flew across the room until he was skidding along the ground with traces of burnt flesh that had torn off.
Tyson didn't move this time, instead, he remained on the ground, panting in his raspy breath. I walked up close to him, stopping with a small gap separating us. The croagunk shifted to his back, looking up at me.
"Shit," he spat out. "Got me pretty good with that." His entire hip to the left side of his chest was covered in charred skin. "I'd fucking lay you flat if I could move, but I'm about to pass out," Tyson's voice became weak.
"You could have just answered my question. I didn't want to fight," I replied, trying to keep the disgust out of my tone.
"Then how else would you have vented all that hate?" Tyson snorted. "True what they say, fire types really are hotheads."
I shook my head, ignoring that statement. "Where's Dawn, help me and I'll call an ambulance."
Tyson gave out a feeble laugh. "Think I'm afraid to die, kid? Besides, I'd deserve to die after everything I've done," Tyson's voice went to a whisper.
"You becoming remorseful now?" I crouched down onto one knee, balancing myself with one hand.
Tyson closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Look at what you did to me. I can't see it, but I can tell by how you're looking at me. I look disfigured now, don't I? How bad is it?"
I never responded. I couldn't.
Tyson's fake smirk faded away. "Like I said, not like I don't deserve this. I worked for Genesis, I've done awful things with my life. Which is why I'm also so annoyed to see kids like you hiding from who you are."
"I don't hide, I've accepted who I was. I've also accepted that I don't have to be that person anymore. Someone special to me taught me that, it's a lesson I'll forever cherish. I almost forgot it over the months."
"Is that so? Cute," Tyson joked but showed no emotion in his words. "You know I was around when Dawn became scarred?"
I looked at Tyson with curiosity.
"I've been with Genesis since I was a kid. When I was a lot younger, Genesis wasn't independent yet. They were a branch in some underground government operation. Anyways, I was trained from birth for security in this facility and well, one day Dawn was brought in. She was just a kid, about five years older than me. I was ten at the time." Tyson shifted in his spot, before letting out a moan of agonized suffering. "I didn't know why at the time, but she was part of some resistance. She had information, and because of that they were torturing her and her friends. Looking back at it, it really was sad, from what I saw of the old her, she was sweet, and tried to keep her friends safe. She lasted longer than I thought, but…" Tyson became quiet, his eyes opening to look at my expression. "They did a lot to that young girl. I never laid a hand on her, but I was present a lot when she was tortured. When it wasn't the trained humans doing the work, my colleagues were doing it just for kicks. They were raised to be vicious killers, they enjoyed every second of it. Hell, at times I thought it was funny…
"They beat her, verbally tortured her, telling her what an ugly person she had become. They even preyed on her when she was too weak to resist... I watched it all happen, and because of that, Dawn became who she was." Tyson's jaw tightened as his fists trembled. "So you may hate Dawn, but she was molded into who she is. Because after her friend broke, and the torture was for nothing, she was taken far away from her homeland. It was a long time before we met again, but from what I was told she was experimented on after she was taken away."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because, you want to kill her so badly yet you don't even understand who she is. You may think Dawn is exploiting pokemon, but really she's trying to redeem them."
"What?"
Tyson let out a dry laugh at my confusion. "That's why I'm here. WPA raided a Genesis facility and we met again. She recognized me instantly and beat me half to death. She didn't finish me though, instead, she took me in. For whatever reason, pokemon like me, she believes should pay for what they've done. Now here I am, working to make the world a better place to fix what I've done. She's not the bad person you think she is, she's just different if you don't know her."
My jaw hung agape from Tyson spilling out his guts like that. I wasn't really sure of what to make of all this. "Dawn took my sister," I responded, at lost for any other words. "I just wanted her back, and now I don't even know where my sister is, or if she's still alive."
"There is something I never told you," Tyson started. "Two weeks back, your zoroark friend was found on a security tape in a pokecenter."
"He was?! Why didn't you-"
"It's too dangerous," Tyson cut me off. "The head of Genesis took him, he wasn't killed but we aren't sure what happened to him."
"I don't care, you need to tell me where he was, it's a lead! Tell me this, and I promise I'll reconsider things with Dawn, all I really care about is finding my sister!"
"Snowbelle," Tyson answered. "That's where we saw him."
I gave him a nod. "I'll send medical attention." I stood up from the ground and got ready to run from the scene before a burn ignited in my back and I collapsed to the ground. The sound of water spraying to the ground caught my ears as a warm liquid rushed from my backside.
"Jason," Tyson whispered.
"I thought you had this covered, guess I overestimated you." With my entire backside burning, I looked up to see the gengar looking over me, both his red eyes peering into me.
"I got careless," Tyson admitted. "The kid was a joke a week ago, I guess I didn't expect him to do this."
"Hmmmf, like I care," the gengar muttered. "What I'm more interested in is the fact that you're some WPA pig. Ever thought to mention that to me?" The gengar pressed his foot onto tyson's chest, digging his foot into his burns. Tyson let out a yell as his eyes and mouth clenched shut. "I've lost two of my little brothers to you WPA pigs. So, I think it's only fair if I repay the favor, don't you?"
"Don't," I muttered as I reached a hand out to Tyson. I tried to form an attack, but I was too weak to do and damned thing.
"Just getting what you have coming," the gengar raised up his hand, a dark energy forming. "People like you, are just making it harder for guys like me to make a living."
"Do whatever you're going to do, but nothing's going to bring back your bro-"
Jason brought his hand down. A red mist sprayed into the air as the gengar ripped into his chest. Tyson never even let out a final breath as his face went blank. I yelled out at Tyson, but I already knew it was too late. The gengar dug around in his chest, tearing up his internal organs with his shadow claw. With a yank, the gengar pulled his hand out, splashing blood all over the ground.
"Tyson, no," I whispered as I pressed my head against the floor, unable to believe what had happened.
"Now for you," the gengar panned his view towards me, blood spattered all over his face.
Point of View Aiden
"Dope," I mused, flipping a page in my book. Already halfway through, I continued to be absorbed in a book someone had thrown away. I mean who in their right mind, right? This is knowledge we're talking about!
I continued to giggle, flipping through the contents of my story. Lucy and I both found a bench in the middle of a park. Off in the distance, a large number of children romped on a playground, screaming, laughing, and crying out as they pulled on each other's hair. It'd be cute almost if it didn't give me a raging headache and get in the way of my reading.
I flipped another page, my jaw hanging agape at the conclusion of the chapter. "Oh my god!" I said in astonishment, hands trembling.
"Okay, what're you doing?" Lucy scowled, casting me an odd look.
"I'm readi-"
"That's not reading, it's a comic and you can't even re-"
"It's a manga thank you, get your facts straight. Secondly, a good manga can tell the story just through the pictures. Like look, this guy I decided to name Bob in this story just got betrayed by Billy, see-see?!" I pushed the picture book inches from her face.
"Get that crap outta here!" Lucy snapped, grabbing the book with a thorny vine.
"No, wait, I was at the end!" I clung to the book, and with a loud tear all the pages scattered into the wind. I gave a gasp, holding a hand over my mouth. "Lucy… what have you done?"
"Doing you a favor. Like you should be reading that nerdy crap. Besides, we need to be searching for Rhys, not reading comi-"
"Manga!"
"Whatever." Lucy's eyes rolled. "Anyways, I'm going to get something out of the vending machine. Want anything?" Lucy dug through her backpack, pulling out a few dollars.
"Chips, or if you really want to say you're sorry you'll get me some cheese puffs."
"Better be cheap," Lucy muttered as she walked off to the vending. As she went away, I began scraping together the remnants of my manga. Already most of the pages had blown off into the wind, but I managed to salvage a good third of the story. I shuffled through them, trying to make sense of it, before giving out a defeated sigh.
"Now I'll never know what happens to Bob," I pouted, as I let the wind carry away the pages. For a moment, I watched them on their journey into a brave new world of being scrap paper, before I noticed a page snagged on Lucy's bag.
I looked back in the direction Luce left in, seeing that she was just now at the machine. A devilish smirk formed on me as I unzipped the bag. "Okay Lucy, what're you hiding from good ol' Aiden?" My paws rifled through the bag until my hand touched something cold and hard. I felt at it for a second, before realizing it was a case. "Gotcha," I chimed, pulling out the forbidden fruit. Both my hands fumbled around with the latches, trying to unhook them.
"Hey, stop!" Lucy's voice screamed. Faster than I realized it, Lucy slammed herself into me, somehow not breaking the sound barrier in her lightning speed. The saliva spat out of my mouth and I gave a cry as I tumbled to the snowy ground. Before I could even move, one of Lucy's vines coiled around my wrist and yanked me onto my back side. With her other vine she held my other hands. The thorns hiding with just peaked out, barely cutting into my skin.
"Ow-ow-ow. Not the thorns!" I pleaded as Lucy sat over my stomach and leaned in close. I gulped as her two eyes burned into me like a heat I never felt before. Out of fear, I stated the first thing that came to my mind. "I've ummm… I've seen enough anime to know where this is going."
"What?" Lucy's head cocked to the side.
"It's a umm manga thing… Well more of the internet, but it's usually with tentacles instead of vines and umm- wait why am I explaining this?!" I cried out as I realized what kind of dark stuff I was getting into. "You're too innocent!"
"I'm innocent now?" Lucy flinched before sneering. She began to wringing out my wrists.
"Ow-ow-ow!" I cried out, cringing at the discomfort. "I'm sorry, I was just curious, I won't do it again!"
Lucy examined me for a second before her vines released me. "Hopefully, you're smart enough not to, or next time it'll be your neck."
"Heh, kinky, some people would enjoy that," I joked.
"What is wrong with you?" Lucy said, not moving off of me.
"I don't know, I've been asking that for a long time," I said with a smirk." Now, unless you feel comfortable there, can you please get off me, you're umm… never mind."
Lucy looked down at me as if she never noticed me, and quickly pushed herself off of me. I inhaled a deep breath as air could properly move through me again. while Luce just picked up her secret little box.
"You ever going to show me what's in the box?"
Lucy growled, "I told you, you braindead dinosaur, not until after I find Rhys."
"Right, zorua guy. And where is he?"
"I don't know. He'll be around soon, I know it."
"So faithful," I dryly stated, before pulling myself up.
"Let's just go, we've got to search to make sure he hasn't arrived."
"Aye," I nodded.
Lucy led the way back into the city. Our search went like any other search. Lots of banter between us, no success, maybe a few near death experiences from the psycho servine. She is a piece of work and I'd hate to meet Rhys if he's like a father to her.
As Lucy and I walked down a street, I snacked on a bag of cheese puffs. Lucy on the other hand snacked on a bag of trail mix, going around anything that was unhealthy, like the M&M's. I questioned her about it, then she gave me some long speech about properly fueling her body and how she had to keep her figure. She even told me I was going to get fat when I got older because my metabolism would slow down, but it won't and if it does I'll just burn any extra fat. We fire types are good at burning things.
Along the way, there were a variety of shops, and I even saw a bookstore up ahead on this human filled streets. Just maybe Lucy would repay me for my manga she destroyed. Just as I started to ponder how I'd ask her, I noticed a shimmering a few feet ahead of me. I stopped in my tracks, cocking my head in confusion.
"Hey Lucy, either my eyes are going bad or the air right there is all weird," I pointed at it, and Lucy turned to see. Just as I did point a white figure took shape out of thin air. My jaws dropped as a long slithery monster launched at me. I screamed at a high pitch as a snake wrapped around me multiple times. The force of its muscles crushed against my ribs, making me barely able to read.
"Aide-" Lucy shouted before a white sableye held her into a military style neck hold. She kicked and screamed as her vines withdrew, but with a strong jerk from the pokemon Lucy ended up nearly fainting. Her vines fell limply to the ground as she flickered in and out of consciousness
"Cry and scream all you like, you'll find that all eyes are blind, and all ears are deaf to our presence," a man spoke in a cold voice.
In my struggle, I turned to the man, finding him to be staring at Lucy and not me. The human wore a thick black winter jacket with fur lining the hood. His hands were gloved and he held a cigar in his right hand.
"You…" Lucy's voice became terrified as the man knelt down in front of her.
"Hello, Lucy." The man didn't show a single emotion on his face. On his left cheek, I could make out severe scarring around his mouth area, like the skin had been torn up.
"How did you-"
"I have my sources," the man spoke, before taking a hit from his cigar and blowing out a cloud of smoke directly into Lucy's face. The grass type gave out a coughing fit as her lungs rejected the smoke. Reaching out to Lucy, the man grabbed at her backpack and yanked the bag from her. He unzipped the contents and pulled out the metal case Lucy had been guarding this whole time.
"How foolish of you to blindly follow Rhys. Did you really think I was too foolish not to see what was happening?" the human opened the container, only to toss it to ground. "Where is it?" The man growled, grabbing Lucy by the jaw, forcing eye contact.
"Very far from here," Lucy answered. The human just sighed, before raising up his cigar and pressing it against Lucy's neck. Her eyes shot wide open as the cigar burned against her skin. She screamed over the sizzling of her skin as she flailed about, trying with everything to free herself.
I fought against the Seviper holding me and yelled, "Stop it, leave her alone!" The human stopped and turned back at me curiously. He stood from his spot, leaving Lucy alone as she teared up in pain. A throbbing red spot of seared off skin stuck out from her neck.
"Someone, don't just ignore us, help!" I yelled out to all the humans that just walked past us like nothing was happening. None even bothered to glance, it was like we didn't exist to them. I turned at them, yelling out to them, but they continued on their merry ways, not even caring. "What's wrong with all of you?!" I yelled out.
"You don't get it, do you?" the human knelt down next to me. "They can't see or hear you right now. You might as well be a ghost right now, because right now that's what we are."
"Ghosts?" I repeated. "That's bull!" I yelled out, trying to fight my way free from the snake's body, but it only tightened against me.
"Think what you want," he said. "But, maybe you know where it is, do you?" the human leaned in close.
"I never even knew what was in that box! Why don't you look again, maybe she's hiding some magical secret string that you missed!"
"Hmmmf, how amusing. It's always the jokers who break the easiest, because that's all your personality has as a defense, little remarks that don't stand for much. In the end, when push comes to shove, your personality type snaps like a twig." The human stood up, turning his back to me. "Take them both back to the base."
"I'm not going-" Before I could finish the seviper started to squeeze against me. All at once I felt the force of my ribs breaking, the air being pushed out of me, and darkness falling over my eyes.
Point of View Flare
In and out of consciousness, I struggled to cling to reality. I laid in a pool of my own blood, only able to see the faint illumination of the lantern Tyson had left. The gengar dug at the ground with a shovel, making a pit big enough for two. A few feet from me, I could see Tyson lying in the dim light of the lantern. His eyes were wide open in shock, blood all over his lifeless face.
I Struggled to move, but my body wouldn't budge more than a few inches. The pain in my back from the wound no longer ached, instead, I just felt numb everywhere. I didn't have any energy left in me, all I could do was struggle to see things to my imminent death.
"Done," the gengar said, tossing the shovel aside and walking towards Tyson. Grabbing his foot in one hand he dragged him into the shadows towards his grave. I heard the sound of dirt shifting and the thud of Tyson's body in the pit.
The sound of light steps approached me until two red eyes glowed inches from my own face. "Don't do this," I pleaded with the little strength I had left.
"And why would I do that?" the gengar grabbed me by both of my wrists, dragging me along the ground. With a strong pull, I was thrown onto a slope and rolled down into a small pit. I landed on top of something bulky, and when I felt at it I realized it was Tyson.
"Please, we can-"
"Just shut up, you have nothing that'll make me stop," the gengar snapped. "I can't have pokemon like you running around crying to the police that I killed a WPA agent. So, you're just going to rot in the ground here, under the construction of this building. All I'll have to do is replace the cement on this spot of the ground and no one will ever find you. No one will ever even know what happened to you."
Both my fists tightened on what I presumed to be Tyson's arms. I could hear the gengar lifting his shovel back up and stabbing it into a pile of dirt. The dirt was then flung on top of me, getting into my wound, making it burn like salt in my wound.
'Someone, please!' I yelled in my head, but I didn't have the energy to even speak. My breathing picked up as the dirt continued to pile on me, but soon the weight was beginning to make it hard to even breath. I tried to push myself up, but my hands would hardly move an inch. This was the end, I had no doubt about it.
"That's far enough," a voice stated firmly through the darkness. The gengar's two eyes turned away from me and to whoever had come.
"Great, who are you?" he growled. No response came, only the sound of something cutting through the air, and a grunt from the gengar. Something fell to the floor, and I could feel blood spilling down into my grave.
"Everything is going to be alright, just hang in there," The voice urgently called to me. I let out a breath of relief. The voice had sounded familiar, and knowing that it was a friend I allowed myself to give into unconsciousness.
A strong light burned against my eyes lid, taking me from my rest. For a moment, I fought it, but the sound of voices caught my attention. Both of my eyes opened to the sight of a blurred figure leaning in over top of me.
"Alex? I mumbled, as the human took shape. A warm smile radiating from him.
"Thank God, you're awake," my human said, placing his hand over my own.
"How did I?" I started to ask but remembered he couldn't understand.
With a quick glance over the room, I realized I was in a pokecenter. I gripped the sheets of my bed, remembering how much I missed the feeling of a bed. I wanted to go back to sleep right here, but I wouldn't allow myself. I wanted to know what happened more than I wanted sleep.
"You have had us all worried sick, Flare. You just disappeared out of nowhere, and then I get a call today saying you're here," Alex began speaking. "I looked all over for you, we all did, non-stop. I was afraid I lost you too, but thank God we found you."
I gave a frail smile, "Sorry."
Alex stood up from his spot, "I need to get the nurse, be right back." He then proceeded towards the door and left.
"You're up, that's good," A voice sounded through the room. A white blur stood from the back of the room, and after straining my eyes I saw that it was Grayson.
"Gray?" I said in surprise. "What're you-"
"It's alright, I'll explain. For now, save your strength, you've lost a lot of blood and shouldn't really be doing anything but resting." The absol used his two forepaws to help him stand up next to my bed.
"Did you save me?"
Gray gave a nod. "I did."
"How did you-"
"Shh, I said to rest, I'll explain." I did as Gray said, and didn't speak. "Dawn sensed a danger, and at the time she was tangled up in something else, so she sent me."
I stopped breathing at the mention of Dawn. If she sent Gray, then she knew I was here, and she'd probably kill me when she had the time.
"Sadly, I wasn't fast enough to save Tyson… I didn't expect him to be dead when I arrived on the scene. But there is one thing I've been meaning to talk to you about, but now I have two things on my list. One: I saw what happened to Tyson, and I realize you wouldn't potentially do that, but Dawn won't be happy if she realizes you did it." Gray exhaled a frustrated breath. "But, I told Dawn there was another pokemon on the scene, and that he escaped after I killed the gengar."
"But why?" I nervously asked, almost too afraid to hear his motive behind this.
"Because, I know a lot more about you now, and this gets into number two. I know your little secret. You're Ex-Flare." All the fur stood up on my body as I looked Gray in the eyes, unable to breathe. Not once did he blink, but I could see the seriousness in his eyes. "I get why you did what you did now, Tyson told me everything after you were originally imprisoned. You were just trying to find your sister that was taken from you long ago, and they were hiding things from you. You being Ex-Flare explains a lot as well, from your friendship with the blaziken, to your depressed attitude when in Geosange, and how you'd never talk about your past. It all made sense when I figured out the truth."
I remained frozen, not knowing how to respond to Gray. He wasn't wrong, and there was no doubt in his words or expression, he knew he had the truth. "So, you're going to tell everyone and turn me in?" I looked away from Gray, not able to take his stare another second.
"Only if that's what you want," Gray replied. I turned back at him in surprise.
"But I'm Team Flare, I'm a criminal, I should be dead right now for that!"
"Shut up, Flare," Gray rose his voice. "You were just a kid from what I heard, it's not your fault, and it shouldn't be held against you. I am upset that you lied, but at the same time, I can see why you would lie. I'm not telling anyone, and I'm not turning you into the WPA or the police, nor will I expose your secret to anyone."
I bit down at my lip, unable to process what him knowing this even meant, even if he did pledge his silence. "Don't you hate me?" I said without thinking.
"Why would I?" Gray looked confused, but still kept his monotonous look.
I turned away from him again, finding it too hard. "We're natural enemies… I was born into Flare, and WPA and Team Flare hated each other. There would have been a time where I would have gladly tried to hurt you, even kill."
Gray didn't answer at first, and just simply thought about what I said, until he was ready. "It doesn't matter. You did lie, but my feelings, our bond, none of it has changed. You're still you, and never once did I feel you were a danger to anyone."
"But-"
"No, just let it go, Flare. Don't get lost in the mess of your own past, I made that mistake and believe me, you'll regret living in it."
I exhaled a sigh. "Alright," I nodded once.
Point of View Kana
It wasn't until much later in the night that John finally came back. With a slam of the door, I was startled awake. My head shot up from the couch cushions as I looked at the source of the noise. John gave a sigh as he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes and took a seat at the recliner across from me. He leaned back into it lazily as he held his head with his left hand, as if he was coping with a headache.
"Mr. Hayter?" I nervously asked, unsure if the human was about to pass out on the spot.
"Sorry sweaty, long day," he simply answered, before leaning forward. He gave one final rub against his eyes before speaking up. "Thanks for staying awake, I know you'd usually be in bed by now." I waited patiently as John continued on. "I need something from you Kana, it's the reason you were brought here."
"Wait, the reason I was…" I stopped mid-sentence, searching my mind for something that'd make sense of this. "What do you mean, I was brought here by mistake, wasn't I?"
"Sorry," John began. "I lied to you again, but not without good reasons. I need your help, and you're the only one I could trust to do this."
Chapter End
Author Note: Once again my chapter comes out a bit late. I apologize, but I've been busy. Had a wedding to attend, so I lost a weekend, lots of school stuff to wrap up, and I had to set aside A LOT of time for Dark Souls 3 :). Anyhoo, hopefully I can flip that around. One thing I will mention though is that I'm graduating high school next month in May, and after that I'm starting a full-time job for our family business to help save up for college and stuff (I'm taking a year off to save). So what I'm getting at is that I don't know what my schedule will be like, from the way things are described I'll be working an average of 50 hours a week and it's a hard labor job. So I'm hoping to keep the usual schedule, but I can't say what'll happen. But I do plan to finish this story one way or another.
Special thanks to genericgamer207 for editing this chapter.