A/N: So how long has it been? 2 years maybe? Well here is the next chapter~ It may not be as long as some would like but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Also thanks for sticking out this long ^^;
Running through the field has never felt so good, the cool breeze rushing against me and through my soft fur, the sun shining down on this wonderful day with nothing by blue skies.
Close behind me trying to keep up are my small little brothers Dash and Pulse. We're playing a fun game of tag while we rest from our journey for lunch and Mt Moon far in the distance leaving that memory behind us.
"Get back here!", Pulse yells with a giggle in his voice as he bolts after Dash and I, unfortunately for them, I seem to be faster but to make it fair I like to let them catch me, every now and again that is.
"You have to be faster Pulse, come on", I smile back to him keeping up my speed, secretly training them as we played.
"You're faster than me!", He pouts turning to Dash hoping to get him instead. Dash looks back curious noticing Pulse closing in on him. He starts to smirk as he starts to zigzag around confusing his brother, "W-Wah?" Pulse slows down trying to keep up to where Dash is, losing him in a blur of yellow fur.
I slow down and look over at them, watching Dash run around Pulse with him unable to keep up, "Now that's just mean" I chuckle walking over. Pulse looking sad and frustrated not being able to keep up with his brother.
"What's the matter Pulse? Too fast for ya?", Dashing hopping around his brother, flattening the grass beneath him.
"Oh C-Come on Dash, play fair", He complains back getting fed up. Watching from the sidelines I cross my arms to watch in curiosity, hoping that Pulse will find a way to keep up with Dash and finally catch him.
"This is fair, I'm just faster" Dash retorts keeping up his speed now just taunting his brother, a high pitched giggle heard from his blurry fuzziness.
Pulse over his 'playing' twitches his ear as he stands up straight, bringing his paw to his lips blowing out a kiss to the blurry mess that is Dash. I watch in shock as he uses Sweet Kiss on his brother. The move pops against Dash as he brushes past, almost stopping him in his tracks as he slides to a stop staring blankly at Pulse, "...Uh.."
Pulse giggles and giddily skips over to Dash and touches his nose, "There, you're it~"
Dash still confused from the move slowly shakes his head, "..uh.. H-hey that's not fair…"
"This is fair, I just know a move you don't" he smirks making fun of Dash, he gets down on all fours and dashes off away from his brother. Dash himself still trying to regain his senses and glares, "C-Come back!" he runs off slowly after Pulse angry with Pulse's giggle echoing in the field.
I laugh happily watching them go back to playing as I cross my arms, "Wow, I didn't know Pulse knew Sweet kiss" A shadow goes over me as I look up to the sky to see what it was. It was Wing flying around free from his ball, he seemed happy. All our pokemon are out and enjoying the day, Tom walks up to my side as we start to have a conversation soaking in the sun.
This day is perfect after all the events that we just went through, however, I wish I knew what was going on right now…
Singed leaves and tattered uniform. Echo has made his way back to Team Horizon's base with his non-stop treck there. Tired, hurt and spent he makes his way down into the underground facility swiping at anyone that stood in his way, he was in no mood to for any chatter or being slowed down.
Just like the short time it took him to get back to base, it didn't take him long to barge into Team Horizon's leader's chambers, flinging the doors open as they swing and impact into the wall. His glare fixated on the leader and another member in his office with him. Gamma standing on the other side of his desk, somehow gotten back already before Echo did. This, only made him more annoyed with life.
"How did you get here.." He asked walking forward towards them. Gamma turns around curious as a smirk crosses her face with Kerr taking his gaze from her to Echo.
"Ah Echo, nice for you to join us. Gamma just got back herself. I look forward to hearing your reports" Kerr remakes curiously. Echo mutters to himself, just sounds but just to let out frustration.
Gamma leans on the desk next to her watching him approach, "Oh please Echo, tell us how your mission went~" she chimes in excited to hear his failure.
He makes it up to the desk and swiftly but lightly hits his fist into the desk glaring at her, his gaze moving over to their leader, "There were complications" Gamma glees excited to hear with Kerr adjusting his glasses.
"Complications..?" He turns around to face the wall of monitors behind him, each screen playing something different. Some showing rooms and halls from his base but most were displaying sections of the outside world, towns, paths, caves. Spying on the populace of Kanto, one such screen fixed on Sora, him standing there next to Tom as they talk. The quality is blurry only means that whatever is taking this footage is far enough away the team can't see it, "We had a plan. To get two blood samples when both the subjects were converging on Mt. Moon… a swift and easy operation to advance our plans" He adjusts the glasses again, the shine from the monitor wall gleams off them leaving them pure white, "Echo was supposed to get a sample of Mew's blood that we've been after for so long.. And Gamma was supposed to get a sample of Sora's to advance our research"
The two hybrids glance to each other for a few seconds before glancing back to Kerr as silence fills the room, "...How is that complicated" He turns to face them, his expression was blank, plain, "..What could have possibly happened"
Standing up straight Echo crosses his arms with his constant frown still on full display, "Team Rocket showed up to capture mew" Instantly Kerr raises his arms up and start rubbing his temples.
"You are a trained fighter made to kill, Team Rocket has nothing on you. You were to get in get out you should have been back long ago-" Kerr gets cut off swiftly by Echo before he can even continue his thought.
"They weren't the problem, is was the Child Sora who was the problem…" He glances over to Gamma who clearly didn't do her job. Kerr stops rubbing as his eyes fixate on Gamma, "Sora.. he should have never made it to Mew in the first place.."
Clearly sensing all eyes on her Gamma leans forward and starts tracing a finger on the table doing circles with it, "As soon as he reached the mountain he ran straight in and directly to Mew, there was nothing I could do"
Now slamming his fist down into the desk harder, Echo burning glare driving into her, "HE shouldn't have been there, he's starting to become more a problem than he's worth!" Tilts his head towards Kerr, "We should just kill him already we can progress easily with a corpse" His tone more demanding for this to happen towards Kerr, rather than suggesting.
Closed eyes having had enough with these two, he steps closer to his desk and stops up against it, "Clearly even you are having trouble with him, just look at the state of you Echo.." He shakes his head disappointed that his creations are inferior to that which is out there on the loose, "You both disappoint me.." Before another sound is even heard from either one of them Kerr's eyes widen and flash open with an ominous glow. The same glow appears around Echo and Gamma as they with shocked get flung back across the long room into the far wall where the door is, with an impact into the solid foundation that makes up this base. Both of them releasing a gasp of pain having the wind knocked out of them.
Kerr steps around his desk and starts slowly walking towards them, "A simple mission, to take blood from a pink runt and a child.. And you BOTH couldn't even stand up to the child of all things! Look at you both battered down by a weak little thing" With each step he begins leaving behind a glowing footstep as the foundation under it starts cracking and rumbling.
Gamma and even Echo have looks of fear and terror as their boss approaches them, "H-He was much stronger than what any one of us thought, he was so weak but then randomly he starts moving and fighting differently!" Gamma squeaks out being crushed against the wall against Kerr's incredible psychic power.
"T-The same happened to me, one moment he was crying and the next he was fighting like a monster!" Kerr stops now that he has arrived before them, an energy flowing off his body.
His eyebrow raises curious as the energy and even the force he was applying to Gamma and Echo eases up, "Really now, he just changed.." Kerr raises his hand and strokes his chin thinking.
Echo chimes in disturbing his thought, "Yes sir and as per my mission, I got Mews blood as you requested" Kerr turns his head towards Echo as he lets go of him causing Echo to slide down the wall back onto his feet with a slight tumble. Echo dusts off his already tattered clothing and pulls out a vial of blood from his pocket, "Here"
A smile appears on Kerr's face happy that something went right, "Ahh perfect. Good job, even with your failings. You know who to take it too" Without moving his head his gaze moves to Gamma who he now lets off the wall allowing her to slide down back to the ground, "And you?"
Gamma rubbing the back of her head from the blow against the wall straightens out her back and turns to Kerr, "The boy is tricky, I lost him and couldn't track him. Once he left the mountain I figured better to just come back" Kerr moves his hand from his chin and moves it towards Gamma, a rage building up within him, Echo just smirks hopeful she gets splattered.
However, Kerr moves his hand back towards himself, stroking his chin again, "..No.. that's fine, leave the boy for now, we'll go for him later. You're both dismissed"
Echo frowns disappointed Gamma seemed to have gotten off scot-free. He storms out the already open doors with the Vial in hand. Gamma bows to Kerr and leaves his office thankful nothing more came of her failing her mission.
Kerr thinking to himself as he turns around and slowly makes his way to his desk. The large doors to his office close as he walks and his desk starts sinking into the ground. The monitors all focus on the camera feed of Sora and co enlarging the image across all the monitors.
A smirk slowly starts forming as he lowers his hand and brings them behind him, holding them in place staring at Sora, "...Hmhmhm… So you're still there.. After all this time I thought surely you would have perished. This changes everything…" The monitors flicker and grow brighter and brighter with the sounds of electricity starting to overcharge and the monitors explode and shatter.
The room goes dark with only his body being silhouetted by his glow, "I'll see you soon, son"
Deep within the forest between Pallet Town and Viridian City lay a large structure, a fortress where Team Rocket was based out of in Kanto. Large and imposing to anyone who stumbles upon it, red-topped roofs with a white finish along the outside. No one knows what goes on deep within this structure but it's not something good.
Walking down its halls, Simolena travels all patched up already and cleaned up. Also heading to report to her boss about the events that transpired up in Mt. Moon.
Sim reaches for the doors leading into where her boss is as the doors suddenly fling open almost smacking her in the face as she reels back to avoid the swaying doors. Standing there frozen she stares off into space, "...Uhh.." Out comes a man wearing Team Rocket uniform as you would expect. Almost like a storybook of tall dark and handsome he turns his head towards Sim curiously as he smiles standing still crossing his arms, "Ahh Simolena~"
She still just standing there staring at the doors he pushed open, "...T..Those aren't supposed to swing that way…" The man glances back to the doors confused.
"Hm? Oh, yeah don't worry about that everything moves for me, even doors" He commented, standing arms crossed, not in any treating manner but more like a model posing for a picture. Sim just raises her hand and runs it down her face pulling on it just annoyed and utterly stunned.
"Clover you.. What are you even doing in the bosses office. You're not even supposed to be here" Clover's smile turns into a smirk as he lowers his arms and flicks his head to the side moving his hair.
Hands on his hips he focuses his gaze with hers, "Simmy I've already finished my job in the Hoenn region. I've just returned to find out that you of all people had the opportunity to catch Mew, how rare~!" He claps his hands together faking excitement for her, "Where is this cute fluff ball?"
Rubbing her cheek she glances away, embarrassed by her failure, "Well things happened and I was unable to capture-"
"Mew? Oh, you poor thing you couldn't even do your job.. I'm not even shocked" He cuts her off as he steps forward putting his hands on her shoulders, "Shame I wasn't here, would have brought that Mew in no problem"
Anger rises within Sim, frowning and pushes him off her, "It wasn't that simple, Team Horizon was there and that kid Sora showed-"
Again cutting her off Clover chimes in on her excuses, "Oh yes I read all your reports. Team Horizon, Sora.. really sad you got beaten by a kid really. Dragging Team Rocket's good name through the dirt with your actions. You're Team Rocket, you had many other members there with you to take Mew in and you all turn up empty handed"
Sim only growing more pissed off with Clover activates the gauntlet on her arm, it hums to life as she uses Mega Punch, making her whole fist and the machine itself glow with power, forcing it all forward in a powerful punch, "Shut your mouth!" She exclaims done with his nitpicking of her performance. Her fist impacts something before reaching him, the sound of energy on energy radiates the hallway for a second.
A shimmer of green flows around Clover, raising his arm and showing off a similar device on his arm. He has used Protect to stop her attack, smirking while it shimmers, "Tsk tsk Simmy I thought you were more levelled headed than that" Glaring at him keeping her fist in place for a minute as they stand there in silence. Before long she eventually sighs and lowers her fist, the machine turning off. Clover joining suit as the protect lowers and his gauntlet turns off.
"You were tasked with dealing with the Team Horizon annoyance, yet you have done nothing to complete this mission yet. Figuring giving you the Mew mission and capturing the thing would raise morale and make that mission move along, but nope… so disappointing" Clover twirls his hair as his head tilts just fed up with her failures.
Crossing her arms and turning to her side Sim knows she screwed up but she's the only one that knows how much harder this has been, "This hasn't been easy despite how simple it sounds from the outside" Turning her head her gaze turns to him, "You think you're all hot stuff, why don't you join on the mission and you try to get somewhere. Cause ever since that boy Sora turned up doing anything involving Team Horizon has been extremely hard"
"Ah yes, Sora" Clover mentions as he walks past Sim before stopping, "Sure I'll join your mission, we also have a new objective. Capture Sora, he's too special to not take for ourselves"
Sim turns completely to face him surprised, "Capture.. Sora? But he's nothing important" She walks and turns to face him face to face, "It's Team Horizon we want to take down and gather all their research. Sora is just a small bit of that"
Clover puts his hand on her arm and moves her out of his way, "Still a part of it and very important. I will catch him and deal with this Team Horizon mess. Something you clearly can't do" He starts walking down the hall again, "Oh and Giovanni isn't here so don't bother going into his office"
Staring and watching Clover leave and turn the corner of the hallway, Sim stares on confused, "..But then.. Why were you in there" She thinks for a moment, maybe he could have been video calling Giovanni but he would never video call someone in his own office, only from our personal transponders. Sim backs up and turns into Giovanni's office. A large window fixated in the back wall overlooking the large forest beyond it. A large impractical desk near it. Sim walks over to the desk looking around curiously.
Walking around to the other side of the desk she inspects it to look for any tampering, however, all looks clear and in place, "...Hmm.." She flops backwards landing in the large chair behind her resting and thinking, "...Clover, I don't trust you, but I guess you have a better chance of doing something with Team Horizon than I do" She turns in the chair to overlook the forest thinking to herself about the events to come and apparently the new orders they have about Sora, "...He's a good kid but… orders are orders.." She sighs leaning on the armrest to think a bit more, leaning on a keypad. Pressing some buttons without knowing, resting her head on her hand, "...Man…"
A voice starts sounding from the desk as a monitor raises out from it, "..X-Ray, what is it?" Sim blinks confused as she stares out the window, "...X-Ray?" She turns the chair to face the desk sitting up, seeing on the monitor displays a dark yet illuminated Kerr. Never seen this person before Sim tries to inspect them the best she can.
"..Hi, uh… who are you?" She responds to the man, looking down to the armrest apparently she must have hit a redial button. This is what Clover was doing.
Kerr glowing eyes narrow, "..I should be asking the same of you"
Sim gets up from the seat, the monitor adjusts and raises to meet her eye level, "Who are you and why were you speaking to Clover. Answer me, you don't want to test with Team Rocket" Staying affirming she tries her best to get information out of this person.
"Ahh Clover… Team Rocket.. I figured this would happen sooner or later. Don't you worry small fry you don't have to worry about me" Kerr says as the screen darkens and he stops glowing.
Sim puts her hands on the monitor holding it tightly, "Hey come back here!"
"I'm afraid you know too much" A voice behind the monitor chimes as she tries to lean over to see how it was. Before she can the monitor snaps in two, the middle second shattering into many little bits as a figure emerges, grabbing hold of her and slamming her into the chair behind. A tight grip on her arms.
"AH-What the…!?" Her vision blurry for a split second from the sudden smashing and slamming back, but focuses again as she sees Clover pinning her down. A sense of annoyance of seeing his face and panic mix together, not sure what's happening.
Clover holding tightly, his body shimmers and changes as his hair grows out and body morphs. To Sim's surprise, he starts to look nothing like what he was before she can even respond to the changes happening Clover's hand swipes down her arm clawing it up deeply and slices the gauntlet she had on in two. She screams in pain with her arm bleed out with two huge gashes running down its length, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this"
A few tears escape Sim while his grip tightens on her, picking her up with ease and kicking the chair away. A smirk appears as he looks deep into her eyes, "Told you not to come in here didn't I.." With what seems like an easy push for him but a forceful and powerful one for anyone else. He flings Sim back into the window shattering it into thousands of pieces, this glass that's supposed to be reinforced breaks with ease as she flys out the building several feet and starts plummeting to the ground.
Eyes wide as her heart sinks, the knowledge of what's happening and what's about to happen makes her scream for dear life as she falls several stories down to the ground.
Clover walks to the edge looking down to Sim, he raises his hand and rubs the wrist with his other hand, "..No evidence" Shadowy darkness starts pulsing and flowing off his hand. Pointing downwards towards the descending girl. His hand suddenly flexes and the power the was brewing within it pulses and shoots out to her. Dark Pulse firing to destroy any evidence, destroy her.
Pupils dilate seeing this flow of power fired at her. With her gauntlet gone she has no one out of this, Clover intends to get rid of her, "N..NOOO!" She screams out reaching for her belt, managing to take a Pokeball off it and flings it away before the Pulses reaches her. As it does it surrounds her and eats away at her mind and body. Her skin tearing and bleeding out while the arm that was already gashed up tearing itself apart. The mind she once had been torn to pieces by the dark moves influence before… BAM!
Sim impacts the ground hard with the attack in tow, as they both strike down an explosion of dust, shadowy energy and red mist flow out from the point of impact. A thick layer of dust covering the area.
Clover staring down watching his handiwork happen. He turns to the desk to Kerr who is still there, while the monitor is destroyed the call still going on through microphones and speakers, "..Sorry about that Sir. I'll be on my way now"
"See that you do.." His boss responds before a ping sound happens to indicate the call has ended. Clover walks around the desk to the doorway of the office, tugging at his shirt he rips it down the middle and pulls it off. His form shimmers more, hair out and colours black and red. This is one of the 26 Hybrids of Team Horizon. X-Ray the Zoroark Hybrid turns out from the office with a large smirk on his face, with a chuckle happening as he shimmers and fades.
Just outside the base. High up a broken window of the bosses office, down below a creator and a mess that was Sim. Team Rocket members standing around and inspecting the horror trying to make sense of it all. Off to the side in the forest, a Pokeball shakes violently as it breaks open and in sprew of bright light out comes a Sneasel, Snowy. Having heard and knowing some from within his ball runs to the edge of the complex to see what had really happened, but it doesn't need much to know the end result. His soul broken, stepping back into the foliage not wanting to be caught. He turns and runs tearing up and crying.
My eyes flutter open to the warm glow of sundown, "..Ah" I cover my eyes from the harsh orange light with my furry arm, "..What happened.."
"Sora!" I hear the familiar voice of Pulse exclaim as he runs to my side with his brother, their little pitter pattered paws sounding next to my ear, "You're okay!"
I slowly sit up rubbing my head as it still throbs in pain slightly from before, "..Yeah I'm always okay, don't worry you two" I say before lowering my paw and petting them, their pleased smiles happy to be receiving pets from me once again. A shadow blocks light from hitting me as I turn my head and stare up. Tom walked over to me blocking the setting sun for me, "...Tom"
He shifts around and takes a seat at my side saying nothing. A bit of a way off is a campfire and all our stuff with Tabatha other there already setting things up. I glance down to Pulse and Dash, "Uh, give us a moment you two, please"
Their ears flick backwards but nod, padding away on all fours away from us. I know they want to spend time with me after I yet again passed out but after what just happened I really need to talk to Tom.
"...I'm sorry" I hear Tom say, my ear flicks as I turn my head to him surprised to hear him say, "..I know how much you want us to just continue our lives even with all this crap happening, while I want to hide and be scared about whether or not we will be alive tomorrow"
I nudge him with my arm, "..Hey, that's a fair thing to worry about. However we should just focus on that, we have our own dreams right? We should keep going for them no matter what happens" I bring my knees in and hold them, staring off at the setting sun, "I know it's scary… but I'm no weak kid, I have very real power... And I will use it to make sure you're all protected, I don't want you to worry about this anymore than you need to. I want you to focus on your dreams, alright?"
He sighs thinking to himself, I hope he was listening to me and understands how much moving on is doing for my own sanity. I changed a while ago and vowed I wouldn't be moppy anymore, I won't budge from this, "...Okay, you're right. I'm sorry brother, I really am" Tom leans over and rests against me really feeling bad, "You won that fight, you tried so hard and you toppled over… I..-"
"Tom that wasn't your fault, that was me pushing myself too far" I lean my head and lay it on his, "I hope I didn't make you worry more over that fight more than it convinced you that I can't protect us"
"No no you convinced me with how well you and Coal work.." he lightly shakes his head side to side staring off into the sunset as well, "Just seeing you fall over crying out in pain and passing out never gets any easier for me. You will make sure we stay safe well… I'm going to make sure you stay safe" He speaks with such confidence in his voice, his sadness and doubt seeming to be gone from his speech.
I chuckle lightly believing him wholeheartedly, "..I know you will and I put my faith in you dude" He just loudly huffs smiling staring off along with myself. This talk went much better than I expected and I'm glad we're both in good spirits despite what happened before hand, but thinking about that only brings up another thought, I passed out cause I was having a change but I don't feel anything different, I feel just like me.. Mostly.
I close my eyes wondering if anything changed at all. Maybe like last time it's only mental or internal, either way, I won't know what it is till a bit later but for now… I need some quality bonding time with my brother.
Dear Journal,
Despite still being embarrassed eating pokemon food in front of the others, today was oddly a successful day in terms of all of us understanding what really is important.
Time flows on and things in the world always change, and you change with it. I'm a bit of an extreme case but even still.. I don't know what Team Horizon or Team Rocket are going to do next but we're ready, I'm ready. No one will touch us again… I promise.
~Sora