Chapter Forty-Three: The Prototype
They walked outside the pokémon center onto the snow-packed sidewalk. Sofia carried Wynette in her arms, the weavile's leg having only suffered a partial fracture, but still a serious enough injury to claim her mobility for the next six or so weeks. The fastest of all of them, she could now only manage a slow hobble with the help of her cast. Nora said that she would accelerate the process the best she could, but Aaron doubted that it mattered at that point. Eleven against one, he thought bitterly. And we only managed a single strike…
They were the best trainers in Unova, and they had been merely toyed with by a single flygon.
"Well…" Brooke murmured, "that sucked…"
"Yeah, no shit." Seth folded his relatively small arms against his chest. A bandage wrapped around his frame, covering a gash made by the single strike it had taken to remove him from the battle.
"Did you guys think I was lying about her?" Pierce asked. "She protected the Desert Resort from the Unovan government. And now she's taking direct lessons from Groudon. What the hell were we going to do against something like that?" Aaron expected Nora to make some sort of encouraging comment, something telling them to persevere no matter how stacked the odds were against them. They had come this far, and only until now had she been over her head. The typhlosion remained silent. Instead, Sofia seemed to have taken that responsibility.
"I think… we may have gotten comfortable." Everyone looked at her in disbelief. They had been fighting Omega for the better part of a year – there hadn't been a single moment of comfort! "Sorry, bad choice of words. What I mean is that we always knew we could pull through some way or another. But… it looks like there are still threats that are way above our level."
"Yeah, only by about double," Pierce said. "She is almost twice my level, and sure as hell ain't a linear increase. We were her playthings out there."
"We need to train more," Sofia continued. "Because clearly all our tactics and everything weren't good enough there." That was putting it lightly; when that flygon struck them, every bit of strategy and coordination went out the window.
"In any other case, I'd agree. But there are less than two months until the three battles. How are we supposed to gain enough combat experience to even contest something like that? In a one versus one fight at that! Because I'm willing to bet that those last three trainers will be on par with that flygon. Especially Nathan's team." Aster's statement received several nods.
"Well what else are we supposed to do? We're all that's left. One of us is going to have to fight him – or that one guy in Kanoma. There's nobody else who comes close at this point."
"Sofia's right. We've gotten our asses kicked before, right guys?" At least, his team had felt the sting of defeat quite a few times during their gym circuit days. "And we always came back. Not a single one of those trainers who beat us then is here now."
"Yeah, but—"
"We're the only shot the world has right now. Even though we're probably going to lose either way, shouldn't we take that?" Sofia asked.
"Fine," Chloe agreed with her trainer. "What did you have in mind?"
"We need to practice in a real arena. Not backyards and the like."
"Well where could we do that?" The stadiums and gyms were pretty heavily locked down at this point. Most battles that took place were fairly casual, and as such, league-official arenas weren't exactly the most common. They were only used for gym battles, tournaments, or the rare challenge to the champion.
"Wait, what about the university?" Marina asked. They had all fought there plenty of times before.
"That sounds like as good a place as any." Brooke didn't seem super stoked about the idea, but she wasn't nearly as quiet and miserable as her teammates.
"Could we even get into there?" Aaron asked. "Pretty sure they went on lockdown from the very start."
"It wouldn't hurt to check. It takes us what? Maybe a few minutes to drive there?"
"Sure. But I think it'd be best if we take today off and rest. I think everyone could use it after that fight."
The frigid wind blew across Hoenn. Nathan stood between Reshiram and Zekrom, none of them needing to turn around to sense the new presence. It was not surprising; many of the legendaries involved had gathered for this. Koraidon oversaw the ancient tradition, one that simultaneously came with sorrow and gladness. The golden latias was still vigorous, beautiful despite pushing ninety, though their kind seemed immune from the signs of aging anyways. The natural flow of time, however, was not what would claim the matron of the herd. A heavy footstep brought him back to reality.
"Why have you come here?" Nathan asked. "You have taken sides against us."
"Have you forgotten our ways? I have no qualms with you or any of the others. I come to pay my own respects. My bloodline gives me as much a right to be here as theirs," Kyurem said. Nathan nodded.
"Forgive me. It was not my intention to imply otherwise."
The lati herd surrounded the two and silently watched the spectacle. Adira closed her eyes as the matron's body began to glow, a light gentle and warm passing from one body into the next. "You have come so far for one as young as yourself. I still remember the day you hatched." Despite the situation at hand, she laughed. "Your father, one who I had deemed without humor or happiness, flew around with the excitement of a child for weeks." Adira giggled. The light continued to pour into her body, increasing in intensity. "It has always been your destiny to spread love and joy wherever you may go. To bring light into the darkness. Though our time together has come to an end, I am glad I had the privilege of seeing you grow."
"Thank you…" The parting was never fun, but it was always expected when it came to the bearer of the mantle. By earthly terms, she had been fortunate to dwell here for as long as she had. Now, she was going somewhere far better. Somewhere without pain or suffering. Somewhere… that the vast majority of mortals would never see.
Not unless Adira had something to say about it.
"I must take my place in the Hall of Origins," the matron said. "Though you will not be able to hear or see me, I will always be cheering for you." As the moonlight bathed the Hoenn countryside, the golden glow overtook it. From within the light, one of the two latias spoke. "Farewell, everyone. Continue to serve our Maker. Continue to fight the darkness of mortals' hearts. I will always cherish the time we spent together, and when it comes time for you to join me, I will welcome you into the divine council." Nathan had to shield his eyes from the brightness. "Goodbye, everyone." The light pulsed out violently, then collapsed in on itself. Golden particles spiraled into the air and vanished. The darkness of night claimed Hoenn once again, and where two latias had once been, only one remained.
Adira lifted her head. Her senses were dialed up, the very atmosphere around her speaking its secrets. She looked towards her mate. Feathers that had once been crimson were now golden.
"Kyurem," Nathan said without looking away, "you once selected a champion of your own. Surely you must plan to do so again."
"You already know the answer to that."
"Of course. But I have to wonder. If I am both the champion of truth and ideals… deemed morally righteous by the legendaries… then what will your champion be?"
Aaron found Nora floating in the bathtub and staring at the ceiling. Steam arose from the water, her fur clumped together as everything but her head was completely submerged. "You know, typically it's polite to knock."
"I mean it's not like you're naked or anything," Aaron said, taking a seat on the edge of the bathtub. "Well, I mean, I guess you are. Technically."
"What is it Aaron?" Her eyes didn't so much as move when she spoke.
"I think I should be asking you the same thing."
"Very funny." Aaron looked expectingly, making it clear that he wasn't about to leave without some answers. "I feel like the biggest idiot in Unova right now. Maybe even the world," the typhlosion stated. "I encouraged us to do all this. And now…" She shook her head.
"So what? We lost our first fight in almost a year."
"That wasn't a fight, Aaron. That crazy bitch was toying with us. With Unova's eleven best chances at stopping Nathan. I was the only one who could even so much as scratch her – and a lot of good that did! Last thing I remember was her throwing a damn bus at me."
"Well… half a bus." Nora glared at him, clearly not amused by his response. "Look, I've lost more battles than I can count before you. Nobody wins them all. You're the one who kept the fire lit under my team all this time. When I wanted to quit – multiple times – you wouldn't let me. What kind of person would I be if I didn't return the favor?" She sighed.
"And I love you all the more for it. But if eleven of us can't take down a single flygon, how can any of us defeat Nathan's team? Especially Adira…"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that I'm not about to let you sit around and mope. If I remember correctly, you wouldn't let me do the same after we found out that our friends were leading all this. And I was doing pretty well, too."
"Actually you had just been killed by an absol." Aaron rolled her eyes as she laughed victoriously. He grinned.
"Look," he said, "I can't pretend to understand what all of you must have felt back there. But I know you're capable of anything. There's still about two months left for us to figure something out."
"Alright. But first, I'd like to finish my bath. I feel like I've earned it after getting sand stuck between every hair on my body."
"Fine." Aaron's eyes darted to the handle over the faucet. "But it seems a bit hot in there." He made a move for the lever and pulled it, pouring cold water into the tub.
"You jerk!" Nora sat up, sending droplets flying everywhere, and smacked it back into place before glaring at him. But then a diabolical grin stretched on her face when she realized he was wearing gym clothes. She telekinetically shoved him into the tub with her, sending cascading waves that nearly spilled over the edges. Aaron rose his head from the water, nearly his entire body soaked and his hair clustering over his eyes. It was a good thing the translators were waterproof. Nora laughed as he scrambled over her.
"What the hell?! I have shoes on!"
"Well don't look at me. What's that saying again? Oh yeah – play stupid games, win stupid prizes." He slung water towards her as she playfully batted his arm away. The chaos died down and Aaron was left leaning over her, his shirt sticking to his body like glue.
"I bet you're so proud of yourself," he murmured.
"A bit, yeah." He glared at her but eventually cracked a grin. "Thanks, Aaron."
"For suddenly joining you in the tub against my will?"
"That too," Nora said, rolling her eyes.
"I've told you before – I've made more than a few mistakes in my life. There's a lot of things I regret. You have never been one of them. If we've come this far, I'm sure we can figure this out." She smiled and pecked him on the cheek as water still dripped from his body. "But for now…"
"No!" she shrieked as he spun the typhlosion over. Nora put up a struggle but was quickly overpowered as he pinned her down within the cramped space. Trying to wrestle her way free, Aaron splashed a bit of water in her eyes and earned a swift jab to the ribs. Their laughter carried on as they eventually settled down, the typhlosion resting her head on his chest.
Sofia walked towards the door and knelt down beside it. With a single hand, she lifted what had been a chain with a lock, only to find the former cut. "Well, I guess we're open for business." Nora grabbed it and inspected the end. Bolt cutters, clearly, but then she pointed something else out.
"It's rusted."
"So whoever cut it did so a while ago," Aaron deduced. What was in the university gym that would entice someone to break in? Given the fact that most facilities that offered services had shut down over the invasion, perhaps some people still wanted to get their workouts in. But when they walked into the massive room full of weights and equipment strewn about, the two teams found that they were alone for the time being.
The three battlefields downstairs showed even greater wear. Someone had definitely used these facilities – and not too long ago at that. The waters around the stages were calm, algae having grown over from a lack of cleaning, and craters and clumps of dirt littered the fighting area. But everything still seemed in order.
"That water looks disgusting," Brooke commented. "Even I have better standards than that…"
"Well it's the water we've got to work with for now," Aaron said before turning his attention to Sofia. "So, how're we planning to do this? Single battles?"
"I was thinking something different, actually." She folded her arms and stood in front of the pokémon. "I think it'd be best to break into groups based on the roles we fulfil on our teams and go from there."
"So attackers, defenders, tacticians and the like?" Aaron asked. Sure, it was a good idea in theory; it would be unfair to judge a defender by their ability to sweep an entire team. Training pokémon with similar roles with one another seemed ideal to some extent. When he played football, it was only fair that he, as quarterback, did not have to perform hitting drills against lineman. But at the same time, it wouldn't hurt to revisit some of the basics again. They would just need to do so quickly with less than two months to go. "Fine. Who's getting matched up with who?"
As the pokémon were divided up to the best of their abilities, both Aaron and Sofia ended up taking a seat at the bleachers. Everyone knew their drills and opponents and was left to make their own calls. It was often those split-second decisions within the battle – those tiny fractions of a moment where a pokémon had to act without their trainer's call – that actually determined who the victor was. As Aaron looked at his team, he was again reminded of one of its greatest weaknesses: though Aster served as an all-arounder, they had no dedicated defenders. Wynette bitterly watched from the sidelines and murmured under her breath. She blamed herself for the broken leg. With any luck and with Nora's help, she might be up in time for the fight, but even then she was missing out on invaluable time.
Two pairs of trainers opened the metal door and stopped in their tracks when they saw all three battlefields open. One of the guys nodded towards Aaron, who motioned back in kind, before they spoke among each other and left. "We definitely aren't the only ones using this gym," Aaron said. They'd likely only be at it for an hour or two per day, so with proper planning, they could avoid times when the other trainers might be using it.
Role-based training continued for the rest of the week. Aaron felt that they were wasting their time engaging in drills rather than actual fights, but he knew that Sofia knew what she was talking about with this matter, too. Her team had been carefully constructed with each member having specific niches; his had been put together on the fly without any such consideration.
Today they were going to hold an actual battle. Though the two teams had trained with one another throughout the past ten months, this would be the first proper battle. Five against five. After all this time, they would finally learn whose team had the edge. But any competent trainer knew that, even if they won a single fight, that didn't make their team better. There were always random variables that could throw a fight. The wrong matchup here, a missed attack there – victory often came at the summation of infinite tiny factors. But over time and with enough data, a general consensus could be made. As the first of March drew near, the day when that very first of three matches would occur, Aaron and Sofia would learn just what their teams were capable of against each other.
They got to the university a bit earlier than usual. The orange light crept between the skyscrapers of Nimbasa, reflecting off of thousands of windows as morning embraced the land. Aaron and Sofia stepped out of their cars and locked the doors. A sense of apprehension had settled within both teams. Allies in the fight for Unova, the matter of pride was on the line, and if Aaron had learned anything about either team over these past months, they weren't about to willingly forfeit that pride. The two most powerful trainers in Unova would soon learn which was better.
As they quietly walked towards the gym, a motion to the side caught Aaron's eye. A door drifted shut from one of the numerous buildings on the campus, one that he had class in years ago at that. He stopped and looked towards it. "What's wrong?" Sofia asked. "Not getting cold feet now, are you?"
"Someone just went into the Gatlin Building…"
"And? We've already established that we aren't the only ones on campus." Aaron shook his head.
"The gyms I get," he stated. "But what would anyone else need in the chemistry department?" Sofia and the others went silent, pondering the issue when Aaron headed in that direction.
"What are you thinking?" Aster said. "Whatever is, stop thinking it!"
"That building was shut down at the start of the invasion. Staff was dismissed from the university. So what the hell would someone be doing in there?" The pokémon cautiously followed the two trainers. Maybe he was being paranoid. After all, Omega's knights were never too far away. Surely they had scoped the area out by now. Or maybe it had been one of their own members infiltrating the building for whatever reason. Whatever the case, Aaron found himself at the door handle. He cautiously opened it and stepped inside.
Several people moved back and forth, carrying carboard boxes with chemical labels. One guy had a large bundle of keys at his side and pushed a large metal container with frost along its side, connected to a supply of frozen nitrogen. "What the hell are you idiots doing?" he snapped. "Did you just come in through the front door?"
"Uh… yeah? So did one of these other guys."
"Those fucking idiots," the man spat. Aaron narrowed his eyes. He hadn't seen him here before, but from the attire and keyring, it was clear that he had worked at the university. "Well? Don't just stand there. Both you and your pokémon grab some of this shit and get downstairs."
"…Oh, sure." Sofia said, acting like they belonged there after all. Both she and Aaron followed the general group into one of the labs, and as they drew nearer to a crowd of younger trainers, Sofia halted and pivoted around. "We need to return our teams! Now!"
"What?" He glanced at the group, trying to figure out what she was so concerned about. Several apparent trainers helped carry chemicals downstairs towards the biochemistry department. They looked normal enough until he heard them speak. And that's when he realized, between the faded hair dye and the occasional rainbow armband, exactly what they were dealing with.
They had stumbled into a Delta hideout.
The university – they had been the ones using it all this time. Both trainers swiftly returned their teams so as not to draw attention to themselves before receding into one of the numerous labs. "Okay," he admitted, "Aster might've been right."
"Well what are we supposed to do now?" she asked. "There's no way those people won't recognize us." It certainly didn't help that their trainer ID pictures were up by their names in the global rankings, or the fact that both had appeared on the news several times. He paced around the room and looked throughout the equipment. Most the items from the glass cabinets were missing, though a few of the more specific chemicals and powders had gathered a tiny layer of dust. He quickly fished through the drawers, most of which held beakers or other measuring apparatuses, until he found one with latex gloves and medical masks. Those along with the lab coats on the wall wouldn't be a bad disguise.
"Put that on," he said, motioning to the smaller of the two coats.
"That's way too big."
"Well I guess tuck it in." He tossed her one of the masks before getting to work. If he could stop Alpha, then the two of them together were more than a match for Delta. Most of the members were wimps unless they had numbers, in which case they simply mobbed their opponents. Both of the times they had done so against Aaron had failed, so he felt that there was nothing to fear in terms of their own safety. They quickly released their teams. "I've got no idea what the hell Delta is doing here," Aaron stated, "but if I've learned anything about them over the past decade, we know it's not good. I'd say we put a stop to it."
"So we're going to change our plans and willingly put ourselves in danger? Just like that?" Aster asked.
"We were thinking about it, yeah." The serperior rolled his eyes at his trainer's response.
"I'm in," Seth stated, pumping his hand. "Let's kick some libtard ass!"
"Or…" Sofia said, lowering the ampharos' arm, "we could play things carefully and just look. Let Omega do all the heavy lifting."
"Eh, that's no fun."
"But it keeps us all alive," Aaron agreed. "We'll do it your way, Sofia."
Everyone was returned to their balls for the time being and the two trainers stepped outside with their masks up. Aaron flipped up his hoodie for good measure; it was cold in the building without the HVAC systems working, after all. Sofia, having no such attire, simply unbound the ponytail she'd stuck with for years and straightened her hair a bit. It would have to do.
They merged in with the crowd and scanned the scene. People within this lab were passing off chemicals, clearing the room out completely. "Why don't they just take what they need?" Sofia asked. "Or make it here, for that matter?" Several crates sat unopened in the room, though, as jars and boxes were distributed amongst the helpers. Aaron turned on his PDA, started filming, and slipped it into the shirt pocket of the lab coat. Eventually they were handed boxes that were taped shut. He barely had time to glance at the label before they needed to fall in line with the others heading to the basement floors. Cholecalciferol, he mentally read. What the hell that meant, Aaron wasn't sure, but the box was heavy.
The Delta members made light talk as they carried on with their tasks. They passed the first basement floor and continued descending. Most of the rooms were shut and locked here, requiring card keys to open, but the room that they seemed to be headed towards was not. Electronic doors were locked in their open position, the windows to the room faded and obscure. Everyone seemed to be dropping off their supplies here, and when it came time for them to do so as well, Aaron and Sofia glanced through the room. Several tanks were filled with a transparent, bubbling liquids and were stirred by a mechanism in the bottom. One scientist directed everyone. "That goes by the incubator," he told Aaron.
"Gotcha."
He carried the box towards its designated place while Sofia was shown where her own items went. A much younger biochemist was monitoring a laptop screen when Aaron approached. "Just what I was looking for. Took you guys long enough."
"Sorry," Aaron said. "…What is it?"
"Adds vitamin-D to the nutrient solution." That was as much as he said about the matter. He went to set it on the countertop but the scientist shook his head, pointing to the side opposite where there were several other containers. Aaron's eyes fell to a card at the edge of the keyboard. He only needed a second.
"Need me to grab anything else while I'm down here?"
"I'm fine. See if Clara needs help. They keep forgetting to bring back the damn pipets."
"Sure thing. Which one is she again?" The biochemist stopped typing and gave Aaron a strange look, so he elaborated. "I'm one of the trainers. Haven't really been down here much."
"Understood." He turned around and motioned towards one of the women on the opposite side of the room. Aaron looked where he pointed, but not before silently slipping the card key to his side.
"Appreciate it."
Aaron located Sofia outside the room and motioned for her to follow him. When they were sure they weren't being watched, they slipped around a corner instead of going back upstairs. "Find anything?" she asked.
"Stole a keycard," Aaron whispered.
"Oh, nice. Any idea what it opens?"
"Probably most of the doors in the biochem wing." He glanced over his shoulder again. "He mentioned nutrient solution. Why the hell would they be making something like that?"
"Beats me," she said. "The miserable bitch I was speaking to said like five whole words to me." He went to one door and held the card in front of the scanner. A quick red light flashed. Not that one. They moved down the hallway, scanning each door as they went, until one went green and unlocked. They quickly went inside. It was dark, a few monitors providing the only source of light until Sofia found the switch. The room was filled with large, refrigerated slide-out cabinets. The trainers separated and started peering into the containers. Petri-dishes with frozen samples were a common sight, labeled with scribbled writing that he couldn't read. Another held vials underneath an empty centrifuge and an unplugged pair of microscopes. Whatever had been researched here was already done.
Sofia pulled a massive drawer open and gasped, backing away quickly as though the contents might leap out and attack her. Aaron worked his way to the corner of the room and found himself speechless.
Sealed within a frigid sheet was a brain and its entire nervous system. The nerves, seemingly the muscular ones in particular, were clustered into several particular sections with no other organs present. Several tiny mechanical devices had been attached along various points, though whether to monitor or control something, Aaron couldn't tell. "Arceus," he muttered. "What are they messing with?" Sofia managed to catch her breath from the unwelcome surprise.
"It… It doesn't look human." He nodded in agreement. The brain had some tiny notable differences, not including the various computer-like components coating its surface, but something else about the system struck him as odd. Whatever they were looking at was nearly eight feet tall.
And that was when Aaron recognized that there were several other drawers of equal size directly under this one. "They're screwing with something they really shouldn't be."
"I don't give a shit if we're going against them," she stated. "We need to call Omega. Hopefully they'll burn this place to the ground." Aaron went to shut the drawer until he noticed a tag on the top corner.
"Sofia… this is over twelve years old. They were doing this shit when we were still in middle school…"
"I feel like I'm about to throw up." He shut the drawer and they backed away from it.
What did any of it mean? Was their own university in bed with Delta? Or had this been something that the college had done on its own accord? Any research of this sort was extremely illegal; that was not an animal's brain in there. As much as they might be against Omega, he was ready to give every detail as to what he had seen once they had reception.
Other rooms were far less exciting, and after what they had just seen, that was something they were both grateful for. One towards the end of the hallway, adjacent to an elevator, opened when the card was scanned. This room was far more cluttered than any of the others they had seen. While there seemed to be a refrigerated section in the corner, most of the space was dedicated to workbenches and power tools. The lights were already on here but nobody was inside. Aaron walked by one of the tables and brushed his hand along some thick, fibrous material. It was grey and heavy, connected to heavy metallic supports. Aaron picked the system up, noticing that it bent with great effort. His brows furrowed, and when Sofia approached from behind, they both were on the same page.
"Aaron, that looks like—"
"I know." Chemistry had not been his strongest class, but as a pokémon trainer, biology had been something he understood decently.
It was a synthetic joint.
Their eyes fell to the corner of the room. Another refrigerated section, but this one had a door that opened into another separate section. Aaron held the card key in his hand and paused in front of the scanner. Mentally fortifying himself, he scanned it and opened the door. Several frozen samples were contained, mounted within massive trays that slid outwards from their shelves. He took the liberty to bring one out. Porous metallic bones were covered in the fibers – synthetic muscles, tendons and ligaments – and integrated with segments of vasculature and nervous systems. A pump-like device completed the circuit, though it had spent a long time inactive as evident from the blood frozen in place. What looked to be an arm of sorts ended with three digits. At the bottom corner of the display was a label.
CEM-3A4, R. Arm Var. 2
"…What the fuck…" A feeling of dread began to set in. This was well beyond them – well beyond the university, even. What would Nimbasa have to gain from conducting research like this? And how was it still going on despite a global invasion that had shut nearly everything else down? They looked through the frozen displays and found other iterations of arms, legs, then what looked to be a tail. The final display held an opened torso. The right half of the pectoral muscles were completely absent, leaving the silvery ribs to scantly guard a lung and what looked to be a technologically modified heart. "We need to get the hell out of here and call them," Sofia said, backing away towards the door. Aaron slid the display back in place before joining her.
He pulled out the PDA and went to call. It was then Aaron remembered one of the quirks about this building: a basement encased in concrete got horrible reception.
"Fuck," he muttered. "No signal. We need to get back to the ground floor." They did their best to leave everything the way they had found it and slipped back into the hallway. Aaron's hands instinctively stayed next to his belt as they snuck towards the stairway. The sound of feet approaching echoed from above. Shit. His eyes darted around. Nowhere for them to go but down – or back into the open hallway behind them.
"Aaron?!" She whispered. "What the hell do we do?!"
"I… I guess we go down. We'll just take the elevator back!" he said in a frantic, hushed voice. WIth seconds to make their decision, they went around the staircase and descended to the depths of the building. He had never been to the third basement floor; both it and the second were exclusively for research, and everything was locked away from the students for good measure. But when they got there, Aaron realized what a bad idea that had been. The hallway was slender and only went from the elevator to the staircase with a single door between. The footsteps were still approaching and the elevator would take too long to arrive.
"Aaron! Try this door!" He fumbled nervously for the card key, dropping it once before franticaly holding it in front of the scanner.
Green light.
They swiftly opened it and closed it behind them quietly, scrambling underneath a computer desk as the Delta members entered the room. Sofia covered her mouth to stifle the sound of her breathing as the footsteps sounded mere feet away. "Nothing's been tampered with," one woman said.
"Who gives a shit?" Aaron recognized the voice as that of the biochemist he had spoken with. "I'd never seen that guy before, but I'm certain he stole my key. Whatever the hell he's seen, he can't be allowed to leave." The other scientist made a quick call into her earpiece.
"Skim through the security footage over the past half hour. Hurry." With that, they left the room and shut the door behind them. Both trainers released a heavy exhale. After a few moments they crawled out from their hiding place. Aaron crept towards the door, and after what felt like an eternity, lowered the handle and cracked it open the tiniest amount. He didn't hear anyone on the other side. If they were going to make a break for the elevator, now would be the time.
"…Aaron?" Sofia said, her voice barely above a whisper. This time, though, it was not so much a measure to remain quiet as it was out of fear. He turned around and froze in place as he stared through the dim room.
"…Holy shit…"
Massive cylindrical containment units lined the walls, filled with a clear and bubbling fluid. The specimens twitched in place, some sort of visor encapsulating their heads, and their limbs were bound tighlty. Various wires and tubes had been fed into their bodies, and doing a quick count, there were at least thirty of them.
They were all mewtwos.
"Holy shit… holy shit…" Aaron repeated. "Let's get to the elevator – now!" When the coast was clear, they rushed to it and Aaron hit the button. The entire facility could be on alert by now; when they made it to the ground floor, they may very well have to make a break for it. Both trainers readied their pokéballs. On the ride up, he noticed the signal, albeit weak, was restored, and made the call. It rang only a few times.
"What is your emergency?" the Omega operative asked.
"It's Aaron Calloway – Nath… er… Alexander knows me. I'm at Nimbasa University – Delta's been cloning mewtwos. Get as many people as you can spare over here now!" He heard the operative yell something in the background before returning to the phone.
"Word will be sent to Alexander. We'll have reinforcements over there within minutes." Aaron nodded as though the other person could see it and hung up. Again, they weren't fond of the idea of having to call their very adversaries for support, but they didn't have much choice given the situation they'd put themselves in.
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Several Delta members who had been frantically searching stopped and stared straight at Aaron and Sofia. For a split second, everyone was too stunned to move – until Aaron flung Nora's pokéball. What followed then was nothing short of chaos. Multiple pokémon were released from both sides as the two trainers raced towards the door. He heard screaming as the typhlosion sprinted ahead, hurling humans and pokémon alike into the walls with her psychic powers. Someone pulled out a gun and fired before Seth's lightning coursed through his body, making him writhe and yell as he slumped against the wall. Aaron snatched the pistol from his locked fingers and kept running. The front door was blown off its hinges; just a few more steps before they were outside and could drive away from this cursed building.
Everything stopped the moment they reached daylight. Aaron gasped, having felt like he'd run into a wall before his feet were lifted off the ground. His eyes looked for the culprit while adjusting to the light. Everyone else was similarly dangling in the air. "You know, this part of the building was designed to have a single exit. That was intentional," a voice said. His eyes adjusted as heels clacked against concrete. The gun was snatched from his hand.
"Elesa…" Aaron spat. "What the hell have you done?"
"What have I done?" she replied. Her face could not hide all the wrinkles that came with age, though she had undoubtedly tried. But her hair had remained its same golden blonde, neatly cut at shoulder length. "The two of you snuck around in my base." It was then that he noticed the massive creature to standing off to the side, its arms poised and holding all of them effortlessly. The mewtwo was nearly eight feet tall, a menacing figure in every sense of the word, but didn't share every resemblance to the one he'd seen in textbooks and articles over the years. Elesa traced his line of sight and released a single laugh. "Fine work, isn't he?"
"What is this all about? Why are you making mewtwos?" Sofia asked.
"Me? I didn't make them," Elesa said with a shrug. "This program predates my involvement in it. We only inherited it when the invasion started." She walked towards the colossal feline and ran a hand along his outstretched arm. The mewtwo didn't blink or budge. "Giovanni – though he was a bit before your time – made the first one. He broke out and killed everyone in the facility. But the notes… those survived. All that data. Where Giovanni went wrong was by giving something so powerful the opportunity to fight back. Others tried different means with similar results. But a simple tweak was made. One that fixed everything." Elesa held out her hand, lifting up part of her coat when she did so. A master ball was clipped alongside her regular team, and on her wrist was what looked to be an electronic watch. She smirked and patted the creature. "There's all sorts of technology within that powerful brain, including a tiny chip with one of the deadliest neurotoxins known to man. Surely he would kill me if he had the opportunity. It's in their very nature." The mewtwo remained silent, glaring straight ahead. Elesa motioned to the device. "This monitors my pulse. If that goes, so does he. If I so much as push that little button on the side… same thing."
"You sorry bitch," Sofia said with a laugh. "You went in front of cameras and accused your political opponents of every sort of vile thing imaginable. And here you are, making your little slave army."
"You know, I almost like you. You remind me of… well, someone familiar. Even look like I did at that age."
"Don't insult me." The Delta leader smiled.
"Definitely talk like I did." Some of the other members laughed at that comment. "All the same, when you're trying to rid the world of fascists, you have to be somewhat flexible."
"Of course," Aaron stated. "And by fascists, you just mean anyone who doesn't agree with you."
"Mmm… something like that. Call it what you will. For you, it won't matter. I only need one of you alive for that last fight." She nodded towards Sofia. "And I've already chosen my favorite."
"Forget it," Sofia snapped. "If you touch him, you can have fun finding one of your pathetic supporters to get their ass kicked by Alexander."
"Well that's a bit disappointing. Maybe we should ask what your parents think about the matter? We could head over there right after this. Just you, me – and my friend here." Elesa looked towards Aaron and his team. "And it's a shame, too. I think your team might have even stood a better chance. Stopping Clay's team was no easy feat. But it's your fault that we're hiding here instead of roaming the streets. Had you not stopped that redneck, our mewtwo would have ridded the world of his kind for good."
"You wanted the attack to happen?" Aaron asked in disbelief.
"If it meant putting an end to Alpha? Absolutely."
"Innocent people would have been caught in the crossfire."
"They always are," Elesa replied. "But when there is no more war… when Delta has finally put down the right… we won't have to worry about that ever again." From his peripheral, he saw Nora struggling to break free from the mewtwo's mental grasp. Though he was quiet and composed, it was clear that he was focusing most of his strength on her. His hands trembled slightly.
"Unbelievable."
"We could have ended it then and there. But you had to intervene." Cold, hard eyes fell on Aaron once more. "And I haven't forgotten that you and your little psycho typhlosion killed Olivia and her team."
"Well maybe they shouldn't have attacked us," Aaron snapped back. She motioned with a few fingers towards the mewtwo. "So that's it? You'll just do whatever she says? You'd rather live your life on a leash than strike her down?" The creature didn't immediately respond, casting one hand aside and forming a thin, purple blade. A variant, the trainer realized, of pyscho cut. But he had no doubt that this would be far more fatal.
"I may not disobey a direct order," he replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. "You and your team must die. If it is of any solace, know that I feel nothing one way or another in the matter."
"Yeah, that's really comforting." His breathing became faster as the mewtwo walked towards them. Eyes darted to the sky where a portal had opened. Aaron laughed. "Hey Elesa? You know what I find funny about both you and Clay?" The Delta leader seemed disinterested and shrugged.
"What's that?"
"Both of you are too full of yourselves to realize when someone's stalling for time." A blast caught the mewtwo in the back and hurled him through the building. Immediately they fell to the ground and the ten pokémon took defensive stances. Aaron raced for the gun.
The golden dragon roared as the airships lowered towards the ground. Knights raced out with their weapons poised and aimed at the Delta members. A sound like a jackhammer was heard as the mewtwo sprinted, cracking the concrete underneath him as he raced towards the armored opponents. One ran forth and struck him in the face, sending him straight to the ground. He shot up and thrusted his arm through the center of the suit, denting it inwards and launching the soldier into several others. The thermal beams struck his body but he kept going.
Aaron ran towards Elesa and shot twice, both missing as she ducked around the corner of the building. Aster hurled a razor leaf attack as her zebstrika leapt towards them while Aaron slid underneath, coming to a rolling stop before he continued his pursuit. When he rounded the corner, though, he froze as the blinding light reflected from the windows. Elesa was paralyzed on the ground as golden bindings formed around her. 'Do not worry. She will go no further.'
Aaron and Sofia's teams held off Delta while the mewtwo continued his onslaught, unaware that the very person who held his fate in her hands was no longer a threat. One of the knights pulled out a pokéball. Aaron stopped in his tracks as what appeared to be a shiny latias was released. He roared out his challenge and formed a psychic blade. The latias moved faster, picking him up and slamming the mewtwo into the wall. He slowly raised his head as beam of pure light contacted his body, crying out as the flames engulfed him. She ended the attack just as fast. Burns coated his body and blood seeped along his arms. But the wounds mended themselves shut within seconds.
"Elesa has been contained," the latias stated. "There is no reason for you to fight." The glowing aura around his hands flickered to a halt. Most of the fighting had wound down as Omega stormed the Delta trainers. With heavy steps, he walked towards one of the windows and faced it.
Aaron and Sofia returned their pokémon as the arrests resumed. His eyes fell to the golden latias, a terrifying sight indeed, until he realized something familiar about one of the knights. The black and white shoulder plates. "Great," he said under his breath. "Nathan came."
"That's Adira?!" Sofia asked.
"I… think so. But she was red last I saw her…"
"Huh…" Several of the soldiers brought Elesa to the middle of the scene, her hair matted with sweat and a deathly scowl aimed at Aaron. That melted into terror, though, when the mewtwo formed a psychic blade in front of all of them without turning around.
"Do not move. Should the range between us grow significant, the chip in my head will activate and end my life."
"I'm sure we can fix that," one of the knights stated. "Come with us." The mewtwo looked at his reflection and studied it intensely. His eyes narrowed.
"There will be no need for that." He held one of his hands towards his head and everyone looked at him with confusion. His three digits began to glow as his focus intensified. The slimmest of constructs appeared behind the left temple, and while those looking at the scene tried to figure out what he was doing, the tiny blade pressed inward. He grit his teeth but kept going.
"What are you doing?!" Sofia asked. He spread the region of the skull as blood began to seep down his head. Nora looked away and grimaced, but Aaron continued to watch despite the fact that it made him feel sick. The mewtwo's fingers trembled from the pain. After nearly a minute of self-induced torture, a device the size of a small coin was withdrawn from the incision. It fell to the ground and the opening sealed itself shut. The mewtwo turned around and crushed the chip underfoot.
"Well… that's certainly one way to do it…" Aaron said. The massive psychic watched as some of the Delta members were directed towards the airships.
"Ten years subjected to torture and chains," he said, the spite dripping from his voice. He glared at one of the soldiers. "Take your people and go but leave them for me."
"And why would we do that?" he asked. The mewtwo's glare fell on Elesa.
"Because I have desired nothing more than to make them experience the pain they inflicted upon me. They ripped me apart and put me back together time after time. Now, I will repay them as such."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Nathan stepped in.
"I wasn't asking." Adira closed her eyes and sighed.
"You have been hurt. Deeply," she said. "But vengeance will not heal you." He clenched his fingers together and took a step towards Nathan, but the latias put herself between the two.
"I will not ask again. Step aside and leave them. I have no qualms with killing any of you." Necrozma and Adira readied themselves should he make a move. Aaron backed away, not sure that he wanted to be anywhere near the scene if a fight were to occur.
The mewtwo flew between the two legendaries, aiming for the airship. A blast of light caught his chest and sent him rolling. His eyes darted to the latias – a necessary culprit if he wanted to get to Delta – and sent a psychic slash in her direction. A shield was formed, and much to his shock, stopped the razor-thin construct completely. Adira blocked another slash before striking him in the chest, knocking him into a concrete pillar. The mewtwo shielded himself before impacting, cracking the surface where he had hit. He growled as he got up.
A violent pulse shot out in every direction, making all but the two legendaries clutch their heads and go to their knees. He yelled before striking viciously, trying to land powerful blows wherever he could, but each strike merely contacted Adira's barrier. "That's not possible!" he yelled.
"You do not have what it takes to kill me," the latias said, lifting him and slamming him into the ground. Immediately she was over him, her form hidden by the sun, and a scorching golden beam engulfed his body. He cried out as fire consumed the outer layers of his flesh, trying his best to stand once again but failing to in spite of the tremendous force and heat. Adira halted her attack. Just as before, his wounds mended themselves within seconds. "I am sorry for what they have done to you. But I cannot let you senselessly murder people."
"I am what they made me to be," the mewtwo said, smashing concrete with his fist as he slowly stood up. "You cannot stop me from taking what it rightfully mine." Adira closed her eyes and slowly nodded. Her hands readied another attack.
"Very well." But before she could make another move, Necrozma stepped in front of her. The latias lowered her hands, the light fading from them.
"Accompany the others and help them rescue the clones. I will handle this." The latias nodded and flew towards the building. A portal formed in the air, catching the mewtwo's attention for the briefest moment.
"What are you doing?!" the psychic asked before his body was hoisted up. "Release me!" As powerful as a mewtwo may have been, though, he was no match for a legendary of Necrozma's power.
"I shall do just that." He was hurled through the portal but stopped himself in midair.
"NO!" The mewtwo flew towards them right as Necrozma closed it, trapping him in some untold destination. Everything went quiet.
Aaron and Sofia tended to their teams' wounds. More soldiers came and inspected the lab, carrying out equipment and finishing their arrests. A particularly pissed biochemist glared at Aaron as they were loaded onto the airship towards the dying world. This would surely complicate things, they realized. Elesa was supposed to be one of the three great dissenters – and here she was being arrested. What did that mean for the final battles? Only time would tell. But as Nathan and Adira left the scene, the former holding a sealed capsule full of newly-filled pokéballs, Aaron knew that they had to keep going.
Three days passed. The base had been completely emptied and the doors left open. Aaron and Sofia returned to the training facility to finish what they had initially sought several days ago. Elesa's points still remained, which was strange considering that everyone else who had been arrested lost theirs. If she did, then that trainer from Kanoma would likely face off in place of her.
Either way, it was out of their control. Just like everything else over the past year, Aaron thought to himself. Nora touched her head to his shoulder. 'Hey.'
'Yes?'
'You seem a bit off. Hope you aren't getting cold feet about this.' The trainer rolled his eyes while opening the door for everyone.
'Aren't you all the ones who should be worried? You're the ones doing the actual fighting.'
'Pfft. I'm pretty sure I can take most of her team.' He raised an eyebrow.
'Oh? Cocky, aren't we?' She giggled.
'More like confident. I've trained with them for years, Aaron. I know their strategies. And they know that I'm more powerful than any of them. So as long as our team doesn't get swept and leave me to fight all five, I think we should be good.'
Aaron and Sofia took opposite sides on the least-destroyed field. They decided to take random chance out of the first matchup. Brooke and Marina were roughly equal in skill with neither possessing a type advantage over the other. After this, anything went. The two pokémon readied themselves when the crash was heard outside.
"Oh, come on!" Brooke snapped, turning to face her trainer. "What is it now?" The rest of the team was released. Omega had already cleared the area – and it sure as hell wasn't like them to just go shooting stuff without reason. They cautiously walked outside of the gym, ready for a fight, when they saw the dust and debris. A crater had formed in the middle of the campus, brick and concrete having shattered like glass. The figure within panted heavily as he worked his way back onto his feet.
It was the mewtwo.
He pivoted and glared at them. "Where are they?!"
"W-what?" the vaporeon asked.
"My captors! And the people who took them! Where did they go?!"
"I don't know," Aaron said. "They could be anywhere. That legendary you saw helps them travel anywhere in the universe pretty much instantly." The two teams stood ready to fight should they need to.
"They… stole what was rightfully mine." The mewtwo clenched his fist. "You two seemed to know them. You called them." He took a step towards the trainers, indifferent to the fact that he was outnumbered. Somehow, Aaron doubted that mattered. "What do you know of them? Speak, and I will leave your bodies intact."
"The name of the guy running Omega is Nathan… my friend," Aaron stated. It still felt weird to actually say that sentence aloud. "He's… well, grown tired of how bad the world is and has decided that humans no longer need to be in charge of it."
"Then perhaps he is no fool after all."
"Well his solution is to topple every human government, so…" Sofia trailed off.
"I do not care for your conflict," the mewtwo said. "But I will have what is rightfully mine. If this Nathan will not hand them over to me willingly, then I will take them by force."
"Yeah, well good luck with that. If you haven't already seen, he has an entire army of his own – not including all the legendaries. So if you're expecting me to just call him and bring him back, it'll probably just end with you getting captured or… thrown to the other half of the planet, I guess." But he didn't seem like one they could convince otherwise, so Aaron didn't feel like risking it.
But apparently Sofia did.
"You know, if you really wanted Elesa… the easiest way would be to help us stop Nathan."
"What?" the mewtwo asked. "Explain yourself, human."
"My name is Sofia…"
"I do not care." After an awkward pause, she continued.
"Well, Omega has given the world one chance to stop them. Three battles will be held less than two months from now, and if we can win the majority of those, then all the regions that didn't willfully submit to them get to retain their independence. My guess is that captives from each country will be transferred to local prisons after this is all said and done." Aaron shot her a concerned look. Was she actually trying to convince him to join them? To fight alongside them? What was scarier was the fact that the mewtwo went silent in contemplation.
"Just a minute," Aaron said, walking towards the gym and taking Sofia with him. "What the hell are you thinking?" he whispered. "That… thing could murder us all."
"Well that 'thing' might just be our best chance at stopping Nathan." True as that may be, was it worth risking their own lives in the process? The mewtwo looked as though he may attack any one of them for even the slightest provocation. "And I think right now we could use all the help we can get." Aaron sighed; that was certainly true. But this seemed extremely risky. He relented.
"Fine. I still think this is a bad idea – the guy looks like he's one wrong comment away from murdering all of us. But… if he's the only shot we've got…" He sighed. "Let's just keep our guard up."
The trainers returned to the courtyard where their pokémon nervously stood before the mewtwo in question. He looked at them; his gaze was one that lacked emotion one way or another. Aaron felt his uneasiness was justified. The few that had ever been made tended to kill everything around them, after all.
"You have reservations," the mewtwo stated.
"That obvious?" Aaron asked. "Look, I just don't want anyone here getting hurt."
"My fight is not with you. So long as you keep it that way, nobody will be harmed."
"Well… that's about as much as I could ask for."
"I will fight with you. But make no mistake: this alliance only exists because our goals seem to align for the time being. I am not your friend." The mewtwo's eyes fell to the other pokémon. "And I definitely am not one of your pets." He walked towards the gym. Everyone remained still for a moment, exchanging glances with one another.
"I guess that's that…" Brooke muttered.
"I will test you myself," he stated, "so that I may see how much work we have ahead of us." Swallowing their uncertainty, the two teams followed him into the darkened gym.
As the door closed behind them, a cold breeze drifted across Unova.
A/N: Special thanks to FuryWrites for beta reading this chapter.