Book II: Impending Twilight

Chapter 120: Kana

"Y-You lied to me, again?" An uneasy turning moved through my stomach as I looked at my human. Mr. Hayter sat up from his recliner, rubbing his head.

"I know you must be angry with me. You probably even hate me, I couldn't blame you." Mr. Hayter crouched down in front of me, reaching his hand out, but I stepped back and shrank against the wall.

My human frowned and only shook his head. He stood and made his way towards the door of the room. "Will you at least come with me? I still have something to show you, then after that… You can go home."

My breath stopped, the words repeating in my head as if I couldn't believe it. How could I believe it? He lied to me over and over and over again… And now he wanted my trust? I couldn't go home with him, nowhere with him could be home, even with Alex and the others by my side. I could never feel safe around John again.

"Kana?" John asked as he cracked the door to the room open.

I inhaled a breath. All I had to do was play his game a little longer. If John had wanted to hurt me he would have been able to do it a hundred times by now. This could only mean he wanted something from me, but what?

One shaky step at a time I followed behind my human. From the dim lighting of our room, I stepped out into the blinding white halls of the Genesis base. My face scrunched up as I squinted from the lights, but never did I lose sight of my human.

He walked as he always did. No slouched back, proud like a person with a purpose, someone important. The air around him always gave off that vibe, even when living in Lumiose. Now the air felt as if it pushed me, it wasn't welcoming, just something I couldn't stand to be near.

As I walked down the halls, I couldn't help but notice the fewer numbers of workers. Some still roamed the halls, but at these later hours, it was much more quiet. It made me feel uneasy like I wasn't supposed to be out at this hour. Most of the humans were guards I came to realize.

Mr. Hayter brought me deep into the facility… deeper than I've ever been. Through an elevator, we rode down. The air grew cooler, and the only sound that could be heard were the clacks of John's shoes. The eeriness brought shivers to me.

Through a maze of twists and turns, John guided me to some kind of storage. I glanced around, taking note of all the steel storage. Some kind of locker room filled with vaults.

"Here we are," John announced monotonously as he locked the door behind us. My eyes shot towards him expecting answers. Why here?! Why at this hour?! Why me?! Just why everything?!

The human walked to one of the safes and began spinning a dial back and forth. With a click and a slide of his ID card, the steel door swung open. A light from inside flickered on as John reached his hand in. I leaned in as he withdrew a steel suitcase.

The human carefully placed the case down as he scanned the room, making sure no one was around. In a slow motion, he unclipped the latches and pulled the case open, revealing the contents.

"This is why you're here, Kana." the human held up a cylinder tube attached to a chain necklace.

"What is it?" I asked, knowing that he'd get the idea of what I wanted.

"What you see is a steel container. Inside are two important things." John crouched down next to me, holding the steel cylinder up. "I brought you here because I believed you were the only pokemon I could ever fully trust. I know it's not mutual anymore, but this is the last thing I will ever ask of you."

My head tilted to the side, looking the object still. Just what was it?

"All I need is for you to take this to the WPA and make sure it ends up in the rights hands. After that, everything will be close to an end."

"What do you mean an end?!" Just then a banging came from the door.

"Shit," John muttered as he grabbed me by the neck and dragged me close to him. I cried out as he began fastening the cylinder case to my neck by the chains attached. I pulled and clawed, but it was futile and it was on before I knew it.

"I haven't agreed to anything!" I hissed at him. "You haven't explained enough, I don't understand anything!"

"Shhh," John placed a finger to my lips as he watched the door.

A few seconds of quiet passed, before the crackle of a gunshot went off and the doorknob exploded. The door was kicked open and two humans stormed into the room pointing rifles at John. Joining in the raid a nuzleaf and a krookodile followed in.

"That's far enough, hands where I can see them!" one of the humans demanded.

"What's the meaning of this?" John asked while keeping his composure.

Looking at the rifles I could feel my legs shaking. I backed up a few inches, praying that this wouldn't escalate.

"Quiet!" the other human barked. "Hands up!"

"What's the meaning of this?" John asked while keeping his composure.

Looking at the rifles I could feel my legs shaking. I backed up a few inches, praying that this wouldn't escalate.

"Quiet!" the other human barked. "Hands up!"

John's crossed his arms as he gave the group a look that could murder. "Do you have the slightest clue who you're talking to?"

"Last chance," the human's grip tightened around his rifle.

John muttered something below his breath, before complying and raising his hands.

"And the jolteon, have her taken to the specimen cells. If she resists just kill her."

My legs locked up as the two pokemon moved closer to me.

"Kana," John spoke up. I turned towards him, looking for him to tell me what to do, but nothing. All his eyes told me were that there was nothing to do.

"Mr. Hayter," I pleaded in fear. "What's going on?!"

"Just be a good girl and kindly come with us," the krookodile said.

"Nice and easy," the nuzleaf added.

"Stay away," I begged as I backed away, charging electricity through my body.

"Easy now, we don't wanna fight, we're just doing ou-"

"Just stop!" My eyes clenched as my body discharged the lightning in a bolt. The krookodile leapt in front of the nuzleaf taking the brunt of the blow.

"Now you've done it!" his mouth widened as he lunged at me. I gave out a cry as his body slammed into me, his teeth clamping down. I felt the crunch of bone, the tearing of my flesh as fluids splashed all around me.

"Please, Stop, stop, STOP!" I cried out as his mouth crunched down further, pushing the air from me lungs. I kicked and flailed, discharged electricity. But within seconds I felt the air leaving my screams, my limbs growing numb. My jaw fell open, and with a crack of my ribs everything went into a bloody haze.

"Did you check her?" a distance voice grumbled. It was so far.

I felt cold on the inside. Was I still alive? The pain pulsating through me said so, but never before had I felt so detached from reality.

Shadows moved in front of me, two walking alongside each other.

"Didn't bother, she's dead, or at least about to be anyways."

"Still, it's your job." One of the shadows moved in close, holding something to my neck in the shape of a gun. "She's still clinging," the voice added. "Barely." The tip of the gun pressed against my neck, before beeping.

"See, she has a chip," the pokemon pointed to the scanner? "Even tells you where she belongs. So, take care of it."

"Right," the one dragging me snorted as the other departed.

For a while everything went black, or I couldn't recollect the journey between.

"Hey," my guide began. "I was told to bring this one here. Looks like she's yours."

Another shadow moved, this one quadruped. It inspected me, before brushing a paw over my wounds. A tremor of pain corsed through me as I let out a whimper.

"You may leave now," her voice spoke, and without a word my guide left me with this new pokemon.

Silence followed for a minute as the quadruped shadow walked circles around me.

In the snap of a finger my eyes opened fully. An alluring scent of flowers scenting the air as I took in a clean breath of fresh air for the first time in months. The sun's warmth came down, but only for a small bit before a cloud provided shade. I gave a yawn as I stretched my paw out along the grass, nessling into the comfy soil of the earth like a bed.

"Am I dead?" I mumbled. "I am…"

My paw swished over the grass. It was perfect here, despite being dead I felt content and happy. But why? Everyone wouldn't know what happened to me, I was flat out murdered. Where even is the afterlife? Is this heaven? No, no heaven could ever exist without my friends and family.

"No paradise without friends or family?" an omnipotent voice spoke into the field.

In that instant I jumped to my feet, looking back and forth for whoever it was.

"Who's there?" I asked as I scanned around.

"Someone who's interested in you, little Kana."

"Arceus? No… that's stupid."

The voice laughed at my confusion. "No, no, I'm not one of that significant importance."

"Then who?"

"I told you, just someone who wants to know you, Kana."

My paw stomped into the ground. "Ughh, that doesn't answer anything!" I shook my head in frustration.

"Okay then, I'll answer your question, but in exchange we're going to play a game."

"A game?' I repeated as I looked into the air for this being.

"Mhmm. And if you be good you might learn something about yourself."

Despite not trusting the voice, I couldn't help but find myself curious. Just what kind of game, and what could this voice teach me about myself.

"What kind of game?"

"Simple dear. I ask questions about you, and you just tell me the truth of your feelings."

"Alright, fine," I shook my head. And in the blink of an eye I found myself home.

My jaw dropped from the sight. I was home. Everything was how it was supposed to be. Well, that is if everyone was here. Suddenly a laughter sounded from the front room. I rushed through the house towards the sound where I heard more of the playful laughter.

I slid to a stop as I shook my head as if I was seeing ghosts. It couldn't be, me and Alex?

A child played with his young puppy jolteon in the room. The child and jolteon both pulled with all their might for a rope toy. Both were happy, the human laughed, as the jolteon gave a playful growl of excitement. With a yell the human lost his grip and they both flew back. The child Alex flew into the couch, and the jolteon… I was up on the human in seconds. I nuzzled and nipped at the human as he tried to resist with his laughs.

"Kana, stop," he snickered. And just like that the scene froze as if they were statues.

"What is this?" was all I could manage.

"It's you and your human," the voice started.

"I get that… but-"

"So, tell me, who was this human?"

"My human, he was my trainer as well, and like an older brother."

"I see. And you love this human?"

"Of course! Alex has always been there for me. He's kind, gentle, caring, just about everything that you'd look for in a human."

"And did you sometimes ever want more from him than just to be friends?"

"Wait… umm you aren't implying-…No! He's like a brother! And I wouldn't look at a human that way, ever!"

"It was just a question, deary. But tell me more about your human and your sibling-like relationship. Maybe how you grew up alongside him your whole life."

"How I grew up with him…" I started. "It's not too complicated really. When we were younger we played a lot, then we mellowed out with age. That doesn't mean we drifted apart though. Alex always spent time with me, every day almost. I was really happy to see him every day. And one day he even took me on his journey to collect gym badges, which was scary but fun."

"He sounds like a caring friend. But what about this one?"

In the blink of an eye the scene changed. This time though it was with Grayson. Alex pulled at the absol by the horn, trying his best to move him from the couch. The pokemon snarled and snapped his teeth at the human as if he was about to murder my human.

"C'mon Gray, it's been weeks, you can't just sleep all day!" In a violent roar, the absol lunged off the couch and tackled the human to the floor. His red eyes pierced into the human, devoid of emotions, completely broken and wanting to be left alone.

The scene paused again, frozen as Gray held the human down.

"And what about Grayson? How would you describe him?"

"Grayson…" I froze on the spot. How would I describe the absol? I hardly got to know him, and he only started to change after we got our second badge. "He was different," I started. He was distant, I learned that fast when I met him. I tried to get along with him, but after a while I decided it was best just to give him his space."

"And did this ever change?"

I reflected more on recent events. He did, even if it was just a start of a new leaf. "I think so. He started becoming more vocal and didn't always keep so much distance from everyone. He was still quiet, but less detached."

"I see. And I would assume because of his distant nature you never really bonded or became anything more than friends or even acquaintances."

"Ummm no…" I awkwardly replied.

"Now for the next. This one I feel you had a more complex relation with."

The scene took a much more extreme turn, this time bringing us into the open streets of lumiose. It was just outside Alex's home in the morning. A deep layer of snow had come in from the night before.

Both Flare and I walked along. The fennekin would puff flames from his mouth as he shivered. I on the other hand appeared to be more used to the snow and more happy.

"It's cold and this sucks," Flare complained as he blew smoke from his nostrils.

"But it just snowed," the past me joyously replied.

"Yeah and I'm sure some guy got shanked on the other street, wanna go play in his blood and guts since he just died?"

"Eww gross, that's a bit different!"

"Yeah yeah," Flare scowled as his eyes rolled.

The scene stopped there. I couldn't take my eyes off the fennekin. How I missed Flare. All I really wanted was to see him. I have so much to tell him, and I'm sure he'd be happy to know I'm alive. I also needed to know he survived that night too.

"So, what about this one?"

"That's Flare," I stated. "He's probably my closest friend, I've told him almost everything."

"Hmmf, doesn't seem like he considers you a friend there."

"That was before he changed. You see, Alex adopted him and Gray from some rescue program. Flare was from some abusive owner. Flare was more around my age, so it was easier for me to bond with him, and over time he changed into a friend. There isn't anything I haven't told him."

"Yes, you said that. But tell me more about your relationship with him."

"Well, we did everything together. I helped him get over his past life, we spent time together every day, then we got to go on that journey together and faced some really scary stuff together. But now we're separated, and I'm not even sure if he's alright." My ears flattened against my head from the thought.

"As close as you two were, did you ever become more than friends?"

"Umm why does this keep coming up?!" My voice rose up as I felt a burn on my face.

"So you did?"

"N-No! We were just friends. Besides, he's kind of short to be with…"

The voice chuckled to herself. "Heh heh, I see, dear."

"There is just one more friend I wish to ask about."

Suddenly the world flickered and the swishing of the ocean filled the world as my feet sank into the sandy ground. I looked around the scene.

"Why are you acting this way," a familiar umbreon's voice asked in frustration.

The past me stood there batting her eyes for a second. "Acting like what?"

The umbreon sighed as his foot pushed into the sand as he bit down on his lip. "I get it now. You're afraid of me."

The past me tilted her head, I'm not afraid of you, I'm just worried about you after your little breakdown and you are honestly making us question your mental stability."

Black sucked in a deep breath as his eyes clenched shut. "Just say it."

"Say what?"

"I know what you're all thinking, you all think I'm some psychotic umbreon that's mentally unstable and that I'm a danger to have around!" the umbreon shouted, and that's when the scene paused, in mid yell.

"This one's a little dramatic."

"A little…" I admitted.

"So, what do you have to say about the umbreon?"

"Well, that's Black, the newest addition to our team. Hmmm, he came with a bit more baggage than any of us were ready to handle."

"Go on, tell me about your time with him."

I sighed as I pictured the shiny umbreon in my head, and his red eyes. "Well, if I had to anything about him, I'd say I felt terribly bad for him." I paused as I thought of how to explain things. "He's the reason everything bad has happened to us, yet I still felt like I wanted to help him. When I met him he was so afraid to be friends with anyone, he tried acting like a tough guy, but really I found out he could be a crybaby at times… but with everything he had on his shoulders I couldn't blame him."

"And tell me about how you spent your time together."

"Black and I actually got along pretty well. He opened up to me a lot, and I always found it fun to talk to him about human world stuff because it confused him so much. I found it funny how mad he'd get in his confusion on the concept of something like a zombie, or cyborgs. Him being a wild pokemon he just didn't know anything about the modern world."

"And this one is the only eeveelution in the group. Surely you felt something for him?"

"Seriously, why do you keep bringing that stuff up? It's weird and I don't like it."

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, while I found him cute and easy to get along with when he was stable, he had his eyes on another pokemon. Now, why do you keep bringing up my relationship status, if it makes it easier I've been single my whole life. Happy, is that what you were trying to get me to confess?"

"Someone's romantic interest in others can show a lot about personality. I merely ask to learn about you. After all, intimacy with others is one of the the most primal basics of nature. Food, which has been giving to you every day by your humans, shelter as well, social outputs, water, dominance. Which I can tell you never strived to be dominant, because I can read that you're more docile. I can already read a lot from you, just some things I wished to hear from you."

"Why though?"

"Next question." The world switched back to the field of grass I originally awoke in. "How do you feel about yourself?"

"Ummm me? I'm not really sure, I've never really thought about that."

"Are you proud of who you are?"

"I guess I would say so. Maybe not proud of where I ended up in the end, but I don't think I turned out bad or anything."

"Do you regret anything in life?"

"Hmmm, other than how I ended up getting dragged to the Genesis base, I don't regret a lot. I was content with how life was going, excluding the messed up stuff that kept coming up. But that was out of my control."

"The continuous disasters that repeatedly transpired were all within your control, Kana."

"How could it be? I didn't send mercenaries after us, nor did I do anything to make Genesis target us."

"But you kept the umbreon Black around, you all did. The only member in the group who knew what was best was shunned for speaking the truth that he had to go."

"Gray did that out of malice, he hated Black."

"And you don't?"

"No." And why would I? Black was a part of our family now.

"Heh heh, amusing. This umbreon came to all of you and clung never wanting to let go, even if that meant everything that took place. You might die because of this umbreon, your friends might all be dead, your family, yet you don't feel one bit of hatred towards Black? Because what, you felt bad for him?"

"It wasn't his fault though!"

"It was all his fault, Kana. But everyone's as well. You were all too weak to cut him off, to protect yourselves over 'the right thing to do.' but where did your morals get you?"

"I don't care, Black was my friend!"

"He used every one of you."

My claws sank into the grass as the fur on my neck stood. I tried to take long breaths in an attempt to calm myself. I knew I didn't blame him. I couldn't, he was a victim of all of this. I could never just tell him to scram, he was a friend and he didn't use me!

"All of you were just something to fill up the empty void in his heart. His family was gone, he had no friends and he was desperate to fill that hole, even if he didn't want to admit it. And just like his last family, you were all torn up, and even though he had many chances to leave and do the right thing, he was too selfish. Doesn't that upset you?"

"Stop it…"

"Or maybe look at Shalour. So many pokemon died that night, many permanently damaged. Think of all the families that were ruined because of Black, like your situation now where your family was ruined, he ruined hundreds more."

"Just be quiet!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "What do you want me to say!?"

"The truth," the voice echoed.

I clenched my eyes just as I pressed my head into the dirt ground. I wasn't really sure how I felt. All these things were being thrown at me at once, I never looked at it all like this. Black… Black was the reason things went the way they did. If he really never was around we would still be on our journey. We probably would have been much further without his life slowing us down. Was he to blame?

If Flare or Alex had been hurt would I be able to forgive him? I shuddered at the thought. Flare could already be dead. I don't know for sure, I've just pretended this whole time that he was fine, like I knew it. Yet it was a lie, lots of pokemon died that night and I never saw him after. Not just Flare though, anyone could be dead, Alex, Gray, Ebony, Hesh, Naomi, anyone!

"Honestly…" I began, my voice a whisper. "I'm terrified of him."

"Why?"

I swallowed the bulge forming in my throat. "Everything that happened because of him being in our lives. You're right, he is responsible. Everyone might be dead now because we wanted to protect him… I don't think it was the right choice anymore, I really don't. I'm afraid if he stayed with everyone then they might be dead, or others might have gotten hurt."

"In this world, Kana, you either hang onto your morals and die, or you do whatever it takes." My head rose up. "All this time you and your friends failed to realize this, all except the umbreon who chose to use all of you for protection. If you were all strong enough to turn him away, then you might not be in the situation you are now."

I didn't respond. I only reflected on the past few months. My eyes began to weigh down from each thought, my acceptance of my stupidity. I really do wish I never met him, I really wish anything would have happened to him to take this away. I didn't care anymore, where have my morals got me? I always tried to be some saint, but in the end here I am, the cruel are pressing their heels into my throat.

"I've made my conclusion," the voice spoke. The world faded to a darkness, but within it pictures formed. All moments of different parts of my past. From early childhood, to the darker moments in my life I hated.

"You've displayed a full palette of unique traits, personality, culture, interests and mistakes. Just as any living being would. You're the type of pokemon who would cast herself in a fire to keep others warm, and would continue to tell herself everything is going to be alright when that's not the case. Too weak to assert yourself, too shy to confess your feelings to anyone, you're just a fragile jolteon."

Again, I gave no response, just silence. I didn't have anything more to say, I felt dry of emotions.

"Anyways, during this whole session I've been using my abilities to keep your life stable. As of now you're out of the danger zone and you can awake. I have gotten everything from you I wanted, and the culmination of all these years was fascinating. Now, awake."

All at once the photos around me began to melt away, and a much larger picture began to take place, the real world. It was all a haze, the setting dark. I moved my body, getting an ache of pain. But I was happy to feel this pain, it made me feel alive.

Back in reality I found myself in a large room full of tubes. Inside were living specimens, but I quickly turned my stare towards the pokemon standing before me. I gave a cough as I tried to speak, but the espeon went first.

"Welcome back."

"W-... Who are you?"

"Well you referred to me as Arceus earlier, but you may call me Nora."

"Where are we?"

"Still at Techvivre, my deary."

My throat tightened up, unable to say anymore. If I really was still here, then my life was still forfeit.

"Don't worry, little Kana, I'd never kill someone who came out as successful as you."

"What do you mean?" The espeon wore a blank expression, making her hard to read. My stare drifted away from her further into the room, towards the tubes. Inside something floated, hooked up to cords and a respirator attached to its mouth. At times the quadruped pokemon inside would give little jolts. My eyes strained further, making out the spiky yellow fur, the slender body.

"A jolteon," I said, realizing that all the tubes were filled with them.

"Yes, all Jolteon's," the espeon agreed.

I looked closer, something about them was familiar. I couldn't place my paw on it, but I knew those children jolteon's somehow. But how was what I couldn't fathom. But then all at once it dawned on me, these jolteon's looked like younger me's!

In desperation for a closer look, I forced myself up onto my feet. I yelled out in pain as I limped towards them, splashing my blood all over the cold floor. I stumbled around until I fell against one of the containers, using it for support. Looking all around, all the jolteon's were the same, every last one!

"What is this?" I asked, unable to look away from the horror.

"These are your brothers and sisters, little Kana."

"You're cloning me!" I screamed as my body gave out and hit the floor.

"My-My, calm down deary. It's not you we've been cloning all these years, it's been another jolteon. Someone who's been long dead."

"Then why do they look exactly like me?!"

"Because, they're your brothers and sisters! Like you, they're reanimations."

"I don't believe you!" I cried out as my throat swelled up. My eyes began to grow heavier by the second, giving out streams of tears.

"Kana, don't be in denial, haven't you ever noticed? You were always unusually quick for a jolteon, because we made you that way. You were a field test. How would one of our genetically modified jolteon's grow and live in a normal life like you did?"

"You're lying! I know you are!" But really I wasn't too sure. I was fast, everyone knew that. And John… How could I have never thought of that. He worked for these monsters! Of course he was using me for some extra money! Was Alex in on it too?! How much has everyone been deceiving me?!

"Anyways, as I said, I've gotten everything from you I wanted. I just wanted to give you a psyche exam. Despite not being an actual pokemon, you act just like one."

"I'm a pokemon," I whispered below my breath. "I am, I know I am, I'm not a reanimation, I know I'm not."

"And this is the part of the test that always breaks the speci-"

"Don't call me that!" I screamed as I darted off the ground at her. The espeon barely flinched before I shot into her, sending us both tumbling to the ground. With a kick, the espeon pushed me away as the gem on her head illuminated. Just then I felt myself yank up from the ground and I was thrown into the wall.

Nora gave a grunt as she pulled herself from the ground. "No need to be in denial," the espeon spoke. The force of her psychic abilities pinned me to the ground. "Let me tell you some more things about what it means to be a reanimation."

"I said I'm not one!"

"Well for starters your lifespan is one third shorter, once you hit a certain age you'll just putting on yea-"

"Please, just stop!" I pleaded, wanting to just cover my ears.

"Next, you probably don't have a soul, and if people find out your little secret they'll view you as an object, not a person. Oh! Since you're a much older reanimation you aren't able to produce children, we only managed to perfect that in the newer ones. So you won't ever know the joy of being a mother. And once reanimations like you are integrated into society you probably won't have any rights, because you're just a science tool-"

Just then I couldn't take another second of it. I gave out a yell as my body discharged a wave of electricity. The espeon was caught in the violent hisses of my storm, sending her seizuring to the ground.

The weight on top of me released and I quickly sprang up to my feet. The espeon laid limp, until I placed a paw over her side. Tears were still falling from my eyes, but I never looked away from this monster. I wouldn't forgive her for this. The gem on her head illuminated, but before her attack could take effect I sent a powerful surge of electricity into her. Her body shook violently as she cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes as she squirmed beneath me.

"Y-you're not going to k-kill me, are you? No… you don't have what it takes, you're too soft."

"Just tell me how to get out of here," I demanded. "Or I may do it."

"T-top floor, but you'll never get past security."

"I don't care, I'm not staying here another day," I stated as I sent another shock into her, this one knocking her out cold. Taking my paw off the unconscious scum, I turned towards the exit, the necklace John gave me still dangling from my neck. While I had no intent on fulfilling his wishes, if he had something to help WPA, then I'd see it through just to watch Genesis burn.

Chapter End

Author Note: Hey guys I'm back! Sorry, it took me a little longer to get this new chapter done than I anticipated. I started writing this chapter, hated it so I started from scratch and did it differently. My biggest problem was that I started this chapter before I went on break, then came back and it was just too difficult jumping back in mid-chapter. So it was easier to start from scratch. Anyhoo, if anyone wants to know about my personal problems, well, things are getting better I guess, or I just came to terms with them.

Special thanks to genericgamer207 for editing this chapter.