Hey everyone. Long time, no see, huh? Yeah... that's my fault. A lot of shit has been going down lately and I haven't been doing the best job of keeping on top of it. This chapter should have gone up at least two months ago but a combination of life, Coronavirus, and a bunch of other stuff pushed it to here. So, from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry.
Hope you enjoy.
"Soul… the leader of Team Saber. She is dangerous. It's hard to tell, initially, she speaks to you like a friend, like she actually cares. But on the flip of a switch, she can make life hell.
"I- actually, no. No, I shouldn't be talking about this. It's too much right now… Let me get back on track..."
"Alright, run through it again. No pauses or hitches this time," said Brian, letting out a big yawn and stretching his arms out. They had been at this since the beginning of the day.
Matthew sighed, "I know, I just messed up a few small points. Won't happen again."
"Let's hope not," Brian grabbed his mug from the kitchen counter and took a sip of coffee, "Alright, go for it."
He took a deep breath and wracked his brain for all the details. After a few moments, he began speaking.
"I'm going to Cianwood City, keeping a low profile and not letting anyone see any part of me. If I think anyone has recognized my face, I immediately go to a secluded location and teleport back, no exceptions. I'll make my way toward an average hotel or motel, somewhere that not many people will be and is far enough away from a police station."
Brian interjected, "Okay then, what happens if the manager or one of the employees is someone you know?"
"I keep my head down and make sure they don't recognize me. It's unlikely that they will but if they do… I'll have to erase their memory of that moment."
"Okay, now tell me the other conditions."
Matthew nodded, "If the place is too crowded, I leave. If there's more than thirty percent of rooms filled, I leave. Any children, I leave. Any person who is an emergency responder, I leave. Any person who is in need for a place to stay, I leave."
"Alright, good job. Move on."
"I'll get a room, one that has windows that face away from the main streets, I lock the door and shoot the bolt if it has one. Then, I record the message."
"Where are you gonna hide it?"
"Somewhere inconspicuous but could still be found. I also make sure to include a detail that will hopefully convince them not to share it around."
"Now what?"
Matthew cringed slightly at the thought but kept talking, "I pull the trigger at an angle. It'll hurt more but I'll hopefully be able to recover faster while still making it look like a bloody scene.
"After that's done, assuming that the door is still locked and shut, I teleport down to the secluded location and let myself heal fully. I can start walking a bit more liberally now, trying to get Team Saber's attention. Once I think I've gotten it, I don't need to engage, I just need to duck out of sight and teleport all the way back here."
Brian smiled at him, "Alright, let's put this into action."
"Yeah, and if this hair dye would stop being so itchy I might actually get it right," said Matthew, scratching his head, getting his fingers covered in dark brown smears.
His hair was no longer the snow white color it used to be. He and Brian had spent the early morning hours putting dye in, and had used the time it took to set to practice the plan. As of then, his new brown hair looked practically perfect with no sign of it being white.
"Gonna have to deal with it for now. We'll wash it out with shampoo and baking soda afterward." Brian took another sip from his coffee.
"That better work. As much as not getting recognized appeals to me, I don't exactly care for eternal itchiness."
Matthew stood up and stretched his arms, holding back the urge to scratch the itch. Today meant more progress. His second step. With Brian helping him, it would hopefully go smoother this time but all Matthew could do was hope for the best and prepare for the worst. At least this plan was safer than his original.
"So, are you ready for it?" asked Brian.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was completely ready," he shrugged, "But I know I have to do it. And I've already used up so much time as it is."
The detective nodded, "I'll get your stuff. You can wait in the living room but try not to stain the couch."
"Noted." He walked out of the kitchen and made his way into the living room. It would be a rough day, that was certain, but it was progress.
Shali was sitting on the couch, and as he passed into the living room her ears perked and she shifted her gaze to him.
"You're going out soon?" she asked.
He walked over and sat down on the couch close to her. "Yeah, shouldn't be too long and…" He trailed off as he noticed her eyes weren't on his own, but rather looking above him. "Shali, what are you-"
"Your hair. It looks… weird."
Although it wasn't his natural hair color, he suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. "What's so weird about it?"
"Just... it doesn't look like your hair. I like your regular hair."
"Ah, okay then. That's fair." He was about to lean back but remembered in time what Brian said about staining the couch. "Just so you're aware, the white hair you see isn't really my actual hair either."
"I know, I just prefer how you look naturally."
A blush arose in his cheeks and he quickly turned his head away to hide it from Shali. "W-well… thanks."
"When you go out there, be safe, okay?"
He looked back at her, the blush effectively gone, "I will. If all goes well I should be in and out without a scratch on me. Well… maybe a little scratch."
"I'll hold you to that."
He paused and then went forward with his question. "Shali, are you worried about me?"
With little hesitation, she answered, "Of course I am. Friends are allowed to worry about each other, right?"
He grinned, "Right. But you don't need to worry that much, it's nothing too dangerous."
"You say that, but I'm still going to worry. I'm sure Brian will too." She looked at him squarely, "I only ask that if you have to make a choice between finishing whatever mission you're on and getting yourself out of danger, you pick the latter."
He gave her a solid nod. "I promise I will."
Shali looked at him more closely. He could tell what she was doing without looking at her raised aura sensors.
"Okay, Matthew."
Brian walked into the living room, catching their attention. With him, he carried a backpack which looked unsuspicious on the surface. "I gave it one last check. Everything is accounted for." He stood in front of them and held the backpack out to Matthew, "Try to take it back with you this time."
"Heh, will do." He stood up, took the backpack and walked to the open part of the living room. "Well, I suppose I should be going."
"Good luck," replied Brian.
"Be safe," said Shali.
He nodded to the both of them. He closed his eyes and started concentrating where to go. The area around Cianwood was not unknown to him, he had come around many times before.
He pictured the surrounding cliffsides, beaches and rolling waves. His concentration grew, surrounding him in blue light. And within a few moments, a flash doused the room in light. After that, when the light dimmed, Matthew was gone.
Soul was walking at a brisk pace down one of the many halls in the Deity lab. Two guards held the lead while two others trailed behind so she was defended on both sides.
She had been notified that something had happened with Colvin. He had broken the lights in his new room. A minor issue, certainly, but standard protocol opted for discipline.
It wasn't her job to deal with matters like this, any number of guards could have taken her place and would have dealt with the situation. But this was different. This was Colvin. If it had been anyone else, she wouldn't have bothered.
Something just didn't sit right with her about Colvin getting hurt unnecessarily. There were other methods of making him understand his wrongdoing without laying a few blows on him. She was going to make sure that he was treated right.
The guards in front of her came to a stop. On the left was a white door, one that opened up to a room much nicer than the containing cells. She took a step towards it and pulled out her master key card.
"None of you will accompany me inside," she said, with a tone just sharp enough to convey her seriousness.
One of the guards spoke up, "Ma'am, I'd have to advise against this. NH-4 could possibly-"
Soul replied without looking back, "You don't need to worry. There won't be any trouble." She raised the key card up to the scanning panel and heard a light beep. "Make sure no one disturbs us."
"Understood."
The door slid to the side and revealed the lightless room. She could hardly see the opposite wall from where she stood. And yet, without fear or hesitation, she stepped inside.
Without looking back, she reached behind her and pressed the button to seal the door.
Once the last sliver of light was snuffed out, she could no longer even see the floor of the room.
"Wh-Who's there?" a quiet voice spoke.
Soul turned her head, and with her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark, she could make out a shape huddled in the far corner of the room. She stepped closer, and now the shape began to take the form of a person. "Hello, Colvin. My name is Soul."
"S-Soul? That name, it…" His head turned up to her and his eyes went wide. "Boss! I… I've only heard your name and… and…" He came out of his corner and went onto his hands and knees, "Please, boss… you can do whatever you want to me… just don't put the lights back… It hurts…"
Looking down at Colvin, she felt a twinge of discomfort. There had been many before who had grovelled on their knees in front of her. But for Colvin to do this, it felt wrong.
She slowly went down onto her knees, reached a hand under his chin and tilted his head up. Despite the dark, she could easily see the distraught expression that seemed embedded on his face.
"I won't hurt you. How are you?"
His eyes, still fearful but less than before, met hers. "I'm… so sorry, boss… the lights were too much…" He broke away from her eyes and pointed his head down to the floor.
"Look at me, Colvin. I'm not mad at you." She placed her hands on his shoulders, they were trembling. "Just tell me what happened, okay?"
The trembling slowed and eventually ceased. He got up from his hands and sat only on his knees. Yet, he did not make contact with her eyes again.
"It wasn't so bad at first… I woke up and felt fine but then…" He clenched his fists hard. "I don't know why but the light, it just started… burning."
Soul kept her hands on his shoulders, beginning to draw him in closer to her with minor resistance. "What about yesterday and before then? You fought well without much issue and there were lights everywhere."
"That's… I just don't know, boss. I wish I did, I really do." His voice dropped in volume, "Just please don't put the lights back. Please, boss."
The little resistance he was giving Soul crumbled away. His body caved into hers and although he weighed a considerable amount, she managed to support him.
She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I won't put the lights back," she whispered to him.
He trembled and managed to sputter out a few words; "Thank you," he said.
A grin spread upon her face. This was what she wanted. Colvin close to her, completely at her mercy and-
No. Stop thinking like that. He is not yours to control. You will treat him right.
She took her hand and gently stroked his white hair. "Look up at me, Colvin. I want to see you."
He peeked upwards at her. Even though he was a high-ranked mercenary with several years experience, he still became lost in Soul's deep blue eyes. Without realizing it, he had gotten closer to her as well, lightly wrapping his arms around her.
"Are you feeling comfortable?" she asked.
He nodded, "Yes, boss. I am."
"I would prefer it if you called me Soul. I don't think such formalities are needed in situations like this."
Colvin gave a weak chuckle, "Okay… Soul."
Hearing her name being uttered from him sent an excited shiver through her body. As of then, she was perfectly content of where she was.
"Boss? The Doctor wants a word outside," her earpiece buzzed.
Her smile faded and she regrettably stopped hugging him. She could have easily denied the request, but there was something more on her mind that she needed to deal with.
"I have to leave now. I will make the arrangements so you don't need to deal with the lights anymore."
His arms tightened around her for a moment and then loosened completely. "Will you come back again?" He moved his hand forward and lightly held hers, "Please?"
A small bit of her smile returned, "Of course." She stood up from the ground and pulled her hand away. "Goodbye, Colvin."
"G-Goodbye, Soul."
She turned around, resisting the urge to give him one last hug. If she had done it, there was little chance that she would have left on short notice.
At the door, she held up her key card and with a light beep, the door slid open. The bright lights gave her a shock but she adjusted to them easily. But that triggered a sudden worry and she jerked her head back.
The light, thankfully, did not reach where Colvin was. With a sigh of relief, she continued out of the room.
"Soul, I must say I'm surprised to see you here," The Doctor said, peering up at her.
"Well, I am. And we're done here," she replied curtly. She closed the door behind her and walked briskly by The Doctor.
He quickly caught up with her pace, "I take that you've disciplined him accordingly."
"I have not."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"There was no need." She reminded herself about what she needed to deal with and stopped short. "He said the lights were burning him, just out of the blue. Do you know anything to do with that?"
The Doctor paused and went into thought. "That does make sense. Typically the human body needs some time to take in the full effects of the Neo Gene. And considering he gained the dark type Neo Gene, something like this happening isn't unsurprising."
"Hmm, I see." With a swift motion, she swept her hand around and slapped The Doctor with such force he toppled to the ground.
Clearly shocked by what had happened, he raised a shaky hand up to his now bright red cheek. His mouth opened, attempted to speak, and then closed.
"I believe I told you yesterday. Colvin deserves to be treated well. I don't think being willingly ignorant about the potential effects is treating someone well." Soul let her still-stinging hand rest at her side, "If you don't do better, I might do something I'll regret." She turned on a dime and continued on her way, leaving The Doctor behind.
As she walked down the hallway, the stinging sensation eventually passing, her smile broadened. Everything was going perfect and if things continued in a similar manner, she would reach the light at the end of the tunnel with ease.
Matthew slumped against the side of a building and clutched the side of his head. The incessant throbbing of his relatively fresh wound pounded like a bass drum in his ears. He could feel sticky blood adhere to his fingers as he pressed his hand down.
Everything, at least so far, had been smooth sailing. He had gotten to a hotel, taken a room, recorded his message and did the deed. If the increasing sounds of sirens were any indication, the cops were called.
The hardest part was over.
He took his hand away and wiped the blood and hair dye off on his sweatpants, feeling the weight of the backpack slung on his shoulder jostle back and forth. It was time for the next step and thankfully, it should be much easier. He pushed himself away from the wall and started walking at a slow pace.
It was only Team Saber's attention he was looking for. No contact, no conflict, nothing. All he needed to do was walk and wait for the hint that they were following.
His wound was healing at a steady rate, and once it wasn't visible anymore, he would turn onto a much more populated street.
C'mon, just stop throbbing so much. I can deal with some blood but not that constant pounding, he thought.
"Did you know…" a voice rang out in Matthew's ears. "Every time you've pulled that trigger on your head, you would have died had it not been for my power."
He stopped walking and sighed. "Neo, we'll talk later. I just need to do this."
Matthew took one step before the form of Neo appeared in front of him. His hair remained white and he had no injury on his head.
"It's just that I find your way of thinking so… paradoxical."
"Yeah? And I guess that's a problem?"
"Surely you realize that you won't be able to keep a balance, right?"
Matthew looked at him quizzically, opened his mouth, then decided against questioning him. He had a job to do and he wasn't about to let Neo distract him from it.
He kept going forward, through Neo and continuing onward, clutching his head. It was, at the very least, starting to feel better.
"You won't ask? Fine then." Neo appeared by his side, walking with him. "If you think you can simultaneously get your messages out there while also living well with your friends, you're wrong."
He resisted the urge to think about why that was so, knowing it would only give Neo more to spit about.
"You can't just take the best from both worlds and manage to keep them away from each other." Neo looked straight at him. "Sooner or later, they'll come together. And I don't think I need to go into detail about what might spark from that."
Matthew gritted his teeth behind sealed lips. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore Neo's diatribe.
"Oh? Perhaps I should then." Neo smirked, "Maybe it won't happen today, tomorrow, or even a few weeks from now, but I can tell you that it will happen."
Shut up. The thought was instinctive and foolish. Neo's voice now grew more invigorated.
"You'll never expect it. The moment will come and you won't be able to do anything about it."
Shut up, Neo! Again, instinct had caused him to think that.
"I bet it's hard to think about, the idea of Shali and Brian coming into contact with Team Saber. I wonder what would come of it?" He leaned in close to Matthew's ear and whispered, "It would be a shame if they were somehow cornered, completely unable to defend themselves and you couldn't do anything but watch. And then, they will d-"
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, NEO!" he exploded. "I don't need to hear it! I don't need to hear your bullshit! I'm not going to let you keep putting these fucking thoughts into my head!"
Although his exasperation was still burning with fury, he looked to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut.
Just calm down, Matthew. This is what he wants. He sucked in a breath…
...And a bullet ripped through his shoulder.
He stumbled and fell onto one knee, not hearing the yell of pain he had just produced. He shot a look back. What was there didn't surprise him.
Four Team Saber grunts were a half-block away from him, all with guns drawn and pointed at him. As soon as they saw him, they began charging.
He took a step up and began running, grimacing as the wound on his shoulder tore at him, only just beginning to heal. Because of the injury, the grunts were gaining ground fast. He needed an escape route and fast.
There was a corner to an alley and he took it, a bullet grazing his arm as soon as his head was behind the wall. The alley was a dead end but he didn't think much about that. All he needed was some time.
Matthew put his back against the cold brick wall of the alley, ignoring the puddle of slush he had just put his shoes into, and concentrated hard. It would only be a short teleport, just to the cliff where he had started.
And just as the first grunt came around the corner, Matthew disappeared.
Suddenly, the support of the wall was gone and Matthew fell backwards onto the frosty grass. He laid there for a second, looking up at the light blue sky and catching his breath, then sat up and brushed his back off. To his left, he could see the quiet city he had just escaped from. It came to him then that he had finally done it. Another step of progress. Perhaps minor in the long run but it was still something, and it had gone over almost flawlessly.
Well, aside from the part about not engaging them, he thought. He laughed and shook his head. It won't happen again, he promised himself.
It had all been Neo's doing. Him rambling on about having to pick a side. At the end of the day, it was all just a bunch of bullshit that he spouted to get on Matthew's nerves. Good job, it worked, I got shot. Hope that was fun for you.
He shrugged the thoughts off, his bitterness could wait until he was back.
He stood up, swaying dizzily as the throb in his head intensified, then eased. With a steady form, he began to concentrate again on teleporting.
He thought back to the grunts. In hindsight, it was odd that Team Saber didn't send any electric pokemon considering they knew it was effective against him. All they had done was throw a bunch of bullets his way. What was their goal?
The picture of Brian's living room began building in his mind. He felt the first bits of energy run through him.
It occurred to him that Neo's intentions for getting on his nerves most likely wasn't about Matthew getting hurt or noticed by Team Saber. As far as he knew, Neo still despised the idea of being anywhere near them. Had he really just been winding him up for the entertainment value of it? It didn't strike him as unlikely.
As he felt more energy gather around his body, he stopped thinking so hard on it and kept focussing.
The light shined from his body in a blinding blue ball. It brightened fervently-
-And then it dimmed.
Matthew fell to the grass on his knees, hollering in pain and clutching the shoulder that had been shot.
Something was still in there. Something burning.
He brought his hand close and bit down on his knuckle hard. If anyone heard his screams and decided to check it out, there was more to worry about.
After waiting an eternity for the pain to subside, he took his hand out of his mouth. White-outlined tooth indents ran along the knuckle of his index finger, some had a few pinpricks of blood that quickly disappeared.
He looked at his shoulder. It seemed completely fine, no sign of injury anywhere. And yet, at the touch of his finger, it felt like there was hot magma just below the skin.
The bullet had gone clean through. He knew that. He had felt both sides of his shoulder heal. Was there a fragment lodged inside?
He enveloped his hand in magenta energy and carefully moved it over his shoulder, very lightly pulling at his bones and muscles to find the potential fragment.
Before long, he felt it. It was hard not to, because he nearly knocked out his front teeth by how fast he shoved his knuckle back into his mouth. The pain was so severe that his teeth dug in and let copper taste flood his mouth.
He groaned around his bloody hand. The fragment was on his nerve. Of course it fucking is.
He took a sharp breath, readying himself. He took a firm grip of the fragment inside with his psychic.
A sharp pull. A muffled yell. And at a blinding speed, a shiny piece of shrapnel exploded from his shoulder and shot into his open hand.
His hand dropped limply from his mouth, bleeding profusely until his healing got the better of it.
But it was out. He could feel relief flushing his system, and let his head hang from his neck. He spat out the blood in his mouth.
What a bugger. That hurt more than the actual bullet.
The glare of the sun against the fragment brought his eyes to it. In his palm, it appeared so innocent. A piece of metal was all it was. A tiny square piece of lead.
And… although it may have just been due to his brain still recovering from the pain, it looked like it was… flashing at him?
No.
He brought the fragment close and saw there was a little red LED on a corner of it, flickering on and off.
This isn't a bullet fragment.
All at once, his heart dropped and a vehement quake wracked his body.
It's a tracker.
He crushed it with his psychic, not feeling the small shock it emitted, and let the dust fall to the ground. His breath had been ripped away, and he was only getting it back in raspy, struggling wheezes.
Two seconds. That's all it would have taken. Two seconds and he would have teleported back to Shali and Brian with a tracker in his shoulder.
His eyes widened. The grunts. They weren't there to attack or capture him. They wanted to track him.
And if they did, and if they actually came to Brian's house…
Neo's words reverberated in his head:
"You can't just take the best from both worlds and manage to keep them away from each other. Sooner or later, they'll come together."
His hands raked through his hair. taking short breaths that made his chest sting. Regardless of what Neo's intentions were, he had been right. Neo had known that something like this would happen and Matthew had ignored it.
Something wet ran down his face and disappeared into the grass. He knew it was tears. He didn't bother wiping them.
"Alright, Neo, I get it!" he cried out, sending the Hoothoots in the nearby trees fleeing. "I fucking get it! You were right! Are you gonna fucking call me on that!?"
The silence was heavy. There was nothing to be heard.
Neo had said his piece.
Soul tapped her desk lightly, like a pianist playing a classic tune. She was in her office, alone.
The office was completely white, only contrasted by the black furniture of her desk, chairs, along with statues and artwork that she summed up as gaudy and worthless.
She disliked it. She disliked every bit of it.
But she was kept from alluring beckons of boredom by Colvin. Just the thought of him being there. Being in that room with him. Talking to him. It didn't matter how he was there, just being there in any way was more than enough for her.
She needed him. And today, she saw that he needed her as well. Was it for the same reason? Most likely not, but they didn't need a common reason, only the common need.
It had taken so long but finally her patience had paid off. What she had been striving was now in her grasp.
She had finally found an equal.
Before she was Soul, she was Samantha Browns. Young, in Eterna City University in Sinnoh, and on track to living a perfect life.
She had excelled in everything she involved herself in with only the most minor mistakes. She had been seemingly unrivaled in nearly every way. Whenever there had been a test, it wouldn't surprise her when she heard that she had gotten a perfect score. Whenever a university event had been coming up, it wouldn't surprise her when boys flocked to ask her out. That was the way things had always been.
As her parents had put it, she was their 'Flawless Soul'.
Had that way of thinking gone to her head? She supposed it had. A sort of complex she had built up over the many years of constant praise. She had tried to remain humble, but with so many assuring her that she was this pristine being, that effort had proved worthless. And because of that, the problems started to unravel.
A feeling had snuck up on her. The feeling of loneliness. The feeling that because she was nearly perfect, she would never meet anyone else like her. Perhaps it was the issue of the complex, or some other inexplicable psychological feeling she couldn't discern. For whatever reason, she felt that she could never be satisfied with just another person. It had to be with someone like her, someone who was on the same level as her. She didn't want common ground, she wanted equal ground.
It had become quickly clear that there weren't many who could simply rise to her level. But that was all okay. In order to help, she had started bringing herself down. Purposefully making mistakes, lashing out against people who hadn't done anything, it hurt to do it but she made due.
Of course, it hadn't taken long for many to catch on. And once again, the persistent shower of praise kept reassuring that she was perfect. It was sickening.
After so long of dealing with it, she left everything all together. She gave no warnings to her friends, family or anyone.
It was a new life on the streets of Eterna City for her. And although the first few weeks were among the scariest and most dangerous moments in her life, she had felt that she had struck a nerve. It didn't matter who you were or what you did, it was anyone's game.
After months of weaving in and out of near-death situations, she had made a few friends. Friends that didn't see her as the 'Flawless Soul', but just as Samantha. Together, they made a little group and called themselves 'Gang Saber'.
It didn't mean much at first, nothing more than a group of friends that stuck together. But territory was a vital part of living on the streets, and several rival gangs took an aggressive stance to a newcomer on their land. Territory wars started becoming the norm before long.
Although they were a smaller gang compared to the ones they faced, Samantha showed a great deal of leadership in that time. Without it, Gang Saber would have fizzled out before it even had a chance to grow.
With her as the appointed leader, Gang Saber began dominating the streets of Eterna City. But on the horizons of expansion, they had hit a brick wall. Moving throughout the city was simple, but to expand to another city entirely was much more complicated.
That was the case, at least, until Team Galactic began crumbling. The leader, Cyrus, had suddenly disappeared. Some speculated that he was sealed in the Distortion World with Giratina.
But that wasn't the part that was important to Samantha and Gang Saber. Many of their outposts and warehouses were still operational, but they had no leaders to back them up. It was a golden opportunity.
They made their move, and with swift action and a bit of luck, they were able to claim several of the outposts with little drawback. If anything, it seemed the Team Galactic grunts were more than ready for a change in leadership.
Their grip on the Sinnoh region was now secure. From then on, they stopped calling themselves Gang Saber and became Team Saber.
With the newfound resources that Team Galactic provided, expansion became much easier. They went from region to region, conquering what they needed, but always keeping a low profile to avoid investigation by authorities. It was a difficult balance to keep, but with Samantha as their leader, they succeeded in gaining bases in most of the major regions of the world. From there, they installed cameras and wiretaps in every place imaginable. Once that was done, and all those who had suspicion of them were disposed of, Team Saber was the most powerful force in all the world.
But Samantha felt something wrong. Throughout her journey of taking Team Saber from its humble beginnings to what it was now, she always felt a slight gnawing feeling. And as she thought more on it, she realized what had happened. She was at the top again. And this time, she was higher than ever.
She nearly had a breakdown when she finally realized it. The friends that had never once saw her as flawless were now putting her up on this pedestal. A pedestal that she had made herself. Like oil added to water, she seemed to separate and rise to the top.
It hurt her deeply but she knew she couldn't abandon the situation like she had before. She cared about Team Saber and didn't want to see it implode as a result of her being absent.
So she gritted her teeth and accepted it. She would be the 'Flawless Soul' of Team Saber.
It was at this time that the Neo-Human Project began taking shape. It was housed in the Deity Lab, a massive facility housed underneath Mount Mortar in the Johto region.
The prospect was very intriguing. The idea of giving humans additional traits and powers had been attempted by many other research facilities with minor success. Human half-breeds had been shown to hold passive traits relating to the type of pokemon their parents had been, such as hardened skin or a resistance to heat, but could not replicate moves a pokemon could use such as flamethrower or thunderbolt.
However, Team Saber was not one to follow typical practice. The Doctor tested on humans who were suspicious of knowing inside knowledge of Team Saber and were deemed risks. And without the bounds of morals and ethics, results were much more profound than those found in ordinary labs.
The very first Neohuman was a thirty year old woman by the name of Amelia Sanders and she was given the fire type Neo Gene. For the first few weeks, things appeared to be fine. Unfortunately, at the end of the first month, she spontaneously caught fire and died. It was uncertain whether it was a freak accident or suicide. Either way, the fire type Neo Gene would never be used again.
The second Neohuman was a twenty three year old man named Gustav Bolton. He was given the electric type Neo Gene. Similar to Amelia, the first few weeks were without issue and seemed promising. But it followed the same pattern, and a problem arose before long. Gustav had attempted to escape by channeling all his energy and shorting out all the Deity lab's electronics at once. The act had left him drained and barely able to walk. He was shot and killed without much effort. This had sparked the production of the inhibitor chips. After this failure, it was decided to expand the age range and see if a younger age would affect results.
It was then that Colvin came into the picture. She hadn't felt anything for him then. She had barely even seen him up until recently. He was tasked with kidnapping three high school students to be used in the experiments.
And then there was Matthew.
With all the data The Doctor acquired, Matthew was the most successful result of the Neo-Human Project. There were little to no problems. Some close-calls, but nothing that prompted Matthew to be killed. Everyone who put work into it was ecstatic.
Samantha, now going by Soul, didn't pay attention to Matthew at first but as time went on, she started having an increasing fascination with him. She wasn't sure what it was at first, but it became clear soon after.
This new being, this Neohuman, it was her key. There was someone who could rise to her level and perhaps even beyond that. She had a hard time convincing herself that it was real but there was no denying it. She had found an equal.
She tried to coerce Matthew into being interested in her. She often visited him in his cell and attempted to manipulate him but he simply didn't respond and refused to look at her. Her mind couldn't take that as an answer. So she began indirectly hurting him; Suddenly turning on his inhibitor chip during his training so he couldn't defend himself, not allowing food to be given to him for extended periods of time and giving him electrical shocks at random points during the day. But she always gave him the option to be with her and end his suffering.
He refused all of it. If anything, he shrunk away from her even further. Soul understood that there was no way that Matthew would be with her, so she accepted that and moved on. It was very convenient that Matthew escaped not long after she made her resolve.
They wanted to shut down the project by then, all the hard work built up over four years had gone to waste. She didn't let them. She said to them then that Team Saber's pledge was to improve the lives of all humans by giving them the Neo Gene. Of course, this was nothing more than a cheap spiel to hide her intentions. If they knew what she really wanted, there might be a revolution, even if she was the 'Flawless Soul.'
There were nine years that passed. Nine years that passed without her getting another chance of coming into contact with another Neohuman. She wished that she didn't need to, but she needed to wait until their technology improved more. She needed to be certain that the next Neohuman the Deity lab produced would be under her complete control.
And now, finally, she had gotten what she wanted. Colvin was her equal. She would not make the same mistake with Matthew.
Soul touched her right hand, the one Colvin had held. He wanted her, she was almost certain of it. Maybe… maybe she didn't need that controlling apparatus.
No, she would keep it for now. Only until there was zero doubt in her mind. But controlled or not…
She would treat him right.
Shali tossed and turned in her bed. It was nearly the middle of the night and she was still struggling to fall asleep.
Matthew had teleported back into Brian's house and told Shali and Brian that the message had been delivered. Brian immediately went to ask him questions about it. She had initially felt relief that he was unharmed but one look at his aura told her there was more than she could see.
The first few questions were about how Matthew delivered his message and he answered them all truthfully. When Brian asked him if he had made any contact with Team Saber, he had said there was no engagement with them, but his aura said that he was lying.
She wanted to ask him why he lied, but then she saw the deep-rooted shame hidden in his aura and bit her tongue. If she had mentioned it, and Brian had dug into him further, things might have gotten worse.
After Brian finished his questions, he and Matthew went into the bathroom. They came out and Matthew's hair was white once again. After that, he had gone straight to him and Shali's room.
Brian had chalked it up as being tired from teleporting but Shali knew that wasn't the case. Matthew was hurting, and he was trying his hardest not to show it.
She sat up and looked to the side. Matthew was lying on the blow-up mattress that Brian had brought out earlier that day. He laid on it with no blankets or comforter, leaving his body exposed to the cold night air.
It was obvious that he wasn't sleeping. Someone who is sleeping would never have an aura this active. He was just putting up a facade.
She looked into his aura again, the shame was still very prevalent. Virtually nothing had been changed since he had gotten back. She felt a sudden twinge in her heart, she hated seeing Matthew like this.
Shali swung her legs over the bed and got up. The floorboards creaked a little bit, and she saw Matthew twitch in response to it. He knew she was there, but that didn't deter her from approaching further.
She reached his side and went down on her knees. She put her paw on his shoulder and shook it gently. "Matthew," she whispered, "Are you awake?"
He said nothing and shrugged her paw off of him. He turned his body away from her and faced the wall.
It wasn't the response she was hoping for. But she couldn't force him to do something. Not something he felt so much unrest about. If she did, then he would just close her off. She knew that's what would happen, it was what happened with her and her father.
"Matthew, I know you're awake but it's okay, you don't need to reply." She looked down at the floor. "I know that something happened today. Brian might not have picked up on it but I did.
"I really don't mind that you lied to him, but I'm worried about just what happened. You can't just say that you're okay and expect me to believe it. Whatever you're trying to prevent me and Brian from hearing, it's not going to get better unless you open up to us. I'm not saying that you need to tell us everything here and now, but we aren't strangers, right? Brian's your friend, I'm your friend, and we only want to help you."
Shali looked at the blankets that were piled up next to the mattress. She picked up the largest one she could see and draped it over him. "Whenever you want to tell me what happened, I'll listen."
She was just about to get up when she felt something land in her paw. Her eyes landed on Matthew's hand, jutting out from the blanket. His grip was very light but steady.
He rolled over and looked at her with softened eyes. "Just stay a little more, please. I… I do want to tell you it's just… a lot."
She smiled, "It'll be okay, Matthew. You don't have to tell me everything."
"I think I have to. Maybe... you can help me understand it more."
"I'll help as much as I can."
He sighed and let the tension release from his body. His grip on her paw increased. He felt the connection and let himself smile back at her. "Thank you, Shali… really, I mean it." He sat up and brushed his hair out of his face with his free hand.
"Okay… here goes..."
I hope you enjoyed the long overdue chapter. I've been getting into writing a lot more as of late, so I do hope that the next chapter is up much quicker.
Please leave a follow or a favorite if you enjoyed and feel free to review! I love reading all comments and criticisms.
Peace!
-Minusbomb