-Unknown Location, 3:38 AM, Unknown's POV-
"You failed to protect him."
I failed…
"You deserve worse than death…"
I agree…
"AAAAAAAAAAUGHH!"
Through the haze of pain I see a pair of eyes. What lies within them surprises me, as I thought only cruelty could exist here.
It's a look of pity. Of heartbreak. Of anger. Yet once I lock my gaze upon those eyes they vanish, leaving me to my endless screaming.
Never ending…
"Don't let her go!"
"Heart rate at 320%."
"Good Lord! Sedate her!"
I deserve it...
Darkness.
-Lacunosa Town, 2:10 AM, Alex's POV-
The town is so silent it seems almost unreal. Compared to Castelia City, which was always alive with white noise, the town, more village of Lacunosa is deathly quiet. My footsteps echo on the cobblestone walkways, as do the ones of the Gallade that walks next to me. I can tell that Nicky is extremely upset about the events of the last day, being shut up in his pokeball while we flew the sixish hour flight from Castelia to here, unable to help. But I also know he's terrified, even if he doesn't show it.
Arceus knows I am too.
Soon enough, our silent walk brings us to a small bridge, the one that goes over the main road down below. A dark silhouette stands at the top, looking out over the quiet town. I sigh slightly and look at Nicky. I know he's worried about him, too. I pull a pokeball from my pocket and tap it on the Gallade's arm, returning him with an eye-stabbing flash of red light.
With that done, I slowly approach the person. He makes no notice of me, but it's clear he knows I'm there. After a moment I'm standing next to him. Terry's emerald green eyes stare almost vacantly out onto the town, in the direction of Terminus Cave. I take a moment to work up my courage and speak.
"Where did Zeke go, anyway? I saw him board a different helicopter than us." I say.
"He went to Pinwheel forest to meet up with a General there, supposedly. They're working on helping some of the pokemon that have been liberated from smaller Plasma bases." Terry responds, his voice dull.
I nod. After a few moments of silence, I state gently, "You should get some sleep. We're going into that base tomorrow, and we're stopping Team Plasma for good."
Terry flinches slightly at this, but otherwise doesn't respond. I know I can't do much else, so with that I turn and start heading back to the Pokemon Center.
I'm at the bottom of the bridge when he speaks. "They won't be stopped with just that."
I freeze and turn around slowly. Terry is staring at me, a dead expression on his face. "What are you talking about?" I ask nervously.
Terry sighs, shakes himself slightly and strides down the bridge path and ends up in front of me. He grips my shoulders and speaks so quietly and seriously that it's hard to hear him.
"You cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you. Not Zeke, not Callen, not anyone. Got it?" He asks.
I gulp and nod quickly. He notices my nerves and immediately takes his hands off me. "I'm sorry, I'm just not sure what to believe at this point. I feel like I'm losing my mind." He says. He looks straight at me. "I think Mew visited me in my dreams, while I was unconscious."
It takes me a moment to register what those words mean, and I would have burst out laughing if his expression wasn't so serious. "What? What happened?"
Hearing the explanation of his encounter with the Goddess, I'm sure now that he isn't making it up. It's way too detailed to be fake.
"To sum it up, Team Plasma is in EVERY region, and they're only part of the problem. Their final goal is to dethrone Arceus."
I shake my head in disbelief as we round the corner and the Pokemon Center comes into view. "What do we do then?"
Terry shrugs. "Mew said to do what we can here, as a start. I have a feeling though… I don't think we're the only ones to take part in this battle."
A few moments of silence follows this remark, and after that Terry pats my shoulder and heads inside. I watch from the doorway as he climbs the Center stairs and disappears from sight. Soon enough I do the same, ending up in my allowed room. I lay in bed and stare at the ceiling, wondering how I got mixed up in all this.
And whether or not my friends will make it out alive.
Whether or not I will make it out alive.
-Outskirts of Lacunosa Town, 9:25 AM, Terry's POV-
Concentrating hard, I fling my hands skyward. A dozen large boulders, easily a thousand pounds each, fly towards the heavens as well. I flex and turn my fists in a circular motion. The stones spin like a ghostly merry-go-round, increasing speed until they blur into one large dark brown oval. I keep them like that for a slow count to one hundred.
After one hundred, I bring them to a stop and lower them to the ground. I take a moment to fight through the momentary nausea that overcomes me when I let my concentration slip, but it quickly overwhelms me. I would have eaten dirt, but at the last second a pair of strong hands gripped my shoulders and held me upright. I shake my head and steady myself.
I turn around to stare into the eyes of a Gym Leader, one I had only heard of only recently and only seen on TV. Jasmine seems as energetic as she was during her interview, when she rescued Alex. But she also supports a grim, tired pair of eyes. Standing a few feet behind her is Katie Winters.
"What are you two doing here?" I ask casually, though I think I already know the answer.
"I should ask you the same thing. You're damn lucky you haven't killed yourself out here. You didn't tell anyone where you were, you've been trying, and failing, to practice telekinesis, and you would've landed on your ass if Jasmine hadn't taken pity on you and caught you! You need to get inside and sleep before we head out." Katie retorts, her voice kind but stern.
Part of me knows she's right, but my anger gets the best of me. "Don't tell me what to do! I can't sleep. I've tried. And I'm not strong enough to win, sleep or no. The only thing left to do is train and hope I'm good enough."
Jasmine looks nervous, but Katie just snorts. "And if you're not?"
"As long as I get her to safety, it doesn't matter what happens to me." I respond, my voice cold.
Katie shakes her head, almost laughing. "Oh bullshit. You and I both know Angel would be heartbroken if you died. If you get yourself killed, I guarantee you she will commit suicide. And you know I'm right." She pauses for a moment to take out her Alakazam's pokeball and release him. She takes Jasmine's hand, then looks at me and speaks again. "And if you don't, than you're a horrible excuse for a trainer, a psychic, and a boyfriend."
With that, Katie grips Charlie's arm and the two female trainers vanish in a flash of purple light.
I stand there in the dirt, my mind completely blank. After several minutes of staring at the spot where they teleported away, I vigorously shake myself. A nearby creek flows lazily through the underbrush, so I take a moment to freshen up. My face holds a determined look. Only one thought flows through my head.
I won't lose you.
-Plasma Admin's Private Office, 11:34 PM, Unknown's POV-
I sit alone in my office, on the brink of a new era. That blasted Gardevoir and Braixen are in my possession, and within 30 minutes the procedures will begin. My oak desk is scattered with papers, as are the two peg boards hung on either side, dangling from the walls close by. On top of a particularly messy stack sits my phone, already encrypted as ordered by myself.
A crash sounds off in the distance, causing me to jump. My left arm hits the left pegboard and sends it smashing to the floor, scattering papers all over creation. Before I can even pick up the phone to yell at one of the blasted Admins I hired, the speaker crackles to life.
"Apologizes, Mr. Ghetsis, Sir." It's an elderly voice belonging to Zinzolin. He's nervous. "We're under siege by a large force. It seems to be a combined effort from the Unova Military and the Sinnoh Company. We have an easy bottleneck for them in the entrance to the cave, however. Our forces are easily holding them."
I scowl deeply and click the button next to the speaker. "Good. But just in case, lock down the inner doors."
"As you wish, Lord Ghetsis."
With that I push my chair over to the fallen pegboard and sit down heavily in it. "Blasted thing…" I mutter to myself as I start reattaching the board to the wall. One by one I replace the fallen papers as I wait for the phone to ring. And soon enough, it does.
I pick up the receiver. "Ghetsis…" The caller says, his voice slick with venom.
"Hello, Hades." I state quietly. "How are you?"
The man snickers. "Getting along. Last mission went a bit sideways, unfortunately. That stupid Gallade jumped in the way of my bullet." He sounds almost depressed. Then he perks up. "At least he bled a lot. Sounds pretty spicy up there, too."
It's my turn to laugh. "You could say that. Do you have a rendezvous point?"
"Of course," he replies. "Just make sure our… cargo is securely contained. I will expect to meet you soon. I have no need to stay in Hoenn anyway. My boss has things under control."
I smile. "Good. See you soon, old friend."
"It will be my pleasure."
I hang up the phone and am just about to leave when I notice a stray piece of paper that I missed from the pegboard. I hunch over and pick it up.
It's a picture of a 14 year old boy blowing out some birthday candles. I stare at his eager face.
"My son…" I whisper to no one. "I am doing the right thing. I promise."
The boy's emerald green eyes say nothing back, so I simply drop the photo on my desk and whisk out the door. As I'm walking out the door, I grab my mic.
"Start the procedures."
Soon you will understand, son. Soon.
-Route 18, 11:25 PM, Terry's POV-
"Alright, you all know the drill." Benjamin Cunningham stated, his voice low but authoritative. His White Coat Rangers jacket, whose pins marked him as Leader, fluttered as he paced. He addressed myself, as well as Alex, Callen, Zeke, and a small group of men and women, some with m16s, others with pokeballs.
"These kids are Terry Collins and Alex Gates. Both have seen combat but have minimal training. Both are strong trainers." He continues, flashing an approving look at us. "Respect them. Now, Zeke will be taking his crew, and Alex Gates, whom have already been debriefed, to help on the front lines. We'll be bashing down Team Plasma's front lines and keeping the fighting there. On the other hand, Scott Jefferson will be leading a team in behind enemy lines. That's you guys. Your main objective is to liberate all hostages, especially any Shiny pokemon, before they are injured. All personnel must be considered hostile. You have permission to kill on site." He glances at me. I nod, so he continues, gesturing a hand at me. "Terry here is the strongest human underage psychic on the planet, and probably the strongest in general, too, from what I've seen in notes and recordings. He'll teleport you all into the kitchens, of which he has already been shown in blueprints. Protect him, he's your strongest resource your only way out." Benjamin finishes.
The White Coats nod at me. Scott comes forward and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Glad to have you on my team, kid. But you know the scene in all the movies where the hero bails from the team and goes in alone? Don't do that please. I like having my six covered." He says cockily.
I snort, glad that I finally got some sleep. "Like I would need you all to help me blow up a Plasma base," I joke.
The White Coats exchange laughs. Scott grins. "That's the spirit, kid. Let's go save your girlfriend.
(Author's Note: How are you all liking the plot twists? I have many, many things in mind. Stories tend to tie together, after all. Sorry this took so long to get out! I've had problems getting myself motivated. I swear, that will not happen again. I plan to have chapter XX out by August 10th at ABSOLUTE latest. Good luck, and Happy Reading/Writing! -Orthros)
(PS: THANKS FOR 8,200+ VIEWS!)
