All you fans of the old probably remember this one. There's have been some major changes here, but it's still basicly the same.
The Project Fails
(Rese City, a small city about twenty miles northwest of Violet City)
(Two weeks after the attack on Ecruteak)
(Alex Murdock's POV)
"MERISSA!" I shouted, literally dragging my lifelong friend as I made my way to the kitchen of my parents' home. "Come on, Alex! You promised! And you're not flaking on me again!" The young blonde still attached to my leg scowled… what I wouldn't give for a crowbar right about now.
"Merissa, this is just plain retarded." I sighed. "Now how about you give me…" I started tugging my leg. "back my…" I pulled harder "LEG?!" I forced my leg out her grasp, ending falling flat on my face. "Ha ha, that's was you get for being an asshole." Merissa taunted getting off of the wooden floor. "Now then tell me, WHY ARE YOU FLAKING?!"
Sighing as I stood back up, I looked at the girl square in her blue eyes. "Merissa, I told you before, I have plans with the guys to head to the battle tent." I explained, heading to the kitchen counter to make me and my disgruntled friend sandwiches to claim down. "Want a sandwich?" I asked holding a slice of bread in my hand. "Don't change the subject! What Pokémon are you going to battle with? You're not a trainer." She pointed out. "…And I would like a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich with mayo." She quickly and hungrily added.
"Anyway, you suck at Pokémon Training. You don't even know how to catch a cold." Merissa giggled. "Yeah that's really funny," I started quickly following up with "almost as funny as the time you fell face first in to manure on my uncle's farm… right in front of your 'future fiancé'…it's that right 'Mrs. Gray Oak?'" I laughed, pissing off my childhood friend while raided the pantry looking for ingredients for our meals.
Her mood became crystal clear when she tossed the remote to the T.V. at my head. I quickly ducked, narrowly managed to evade getting nailed by the device yet I heard some dishes shatter behind me. "Whoa! …Well now that's just great… now how am I supposed to change the channel?"
"Alex, Come on! I've been waiting to see this movie FOREVER!" Merissa whined shoving a newspaper in my face. It was some crappy science fiction movie about how two kids are turned into Pokémorphs by Team Rocket, separated, forced back into the human world and must reunite to find happiness… Can it be any more cliché? I mean I'm getting sick to my stomach just thinking about it.
"Merissa, I didn't think you were into this kind of crap." I stated remembering how much of a tomboy she's been from the first time I met her… to today. "Uh… I-I-I don't… B-but I heard there was going to be a lot of… blood and guts… and e-explosions? Yeah, explosions! Come on Alex, it's like I always say: It's not a movie unless something or someone explodes." The girl nervously said trying to cover up something. I just sighed and focused my attention to making our sandwiches.
"If you really want to go see those movies, than go by yourself, or ask another friend to go with you." I angrily grumbled finishing both of our small snacks. "…W-well… A-Alex… there's been something I've been meaning to ask you… t-tell you is more like it… And I thought seeing that movie may help…" she stammered, blushing a little.
I quickly looked at her, a little confused. "Really? Well what is and why do you think seeing some boring chick flick would make it easier to say?"
She looked at me very uneasily… I even thought I saw her blush. She opened her mouth several times to try and say something, but ended up closing it every time. I shrugged and grabbed the now completed sandwiches. "A-Alex… I…" Merissa began to speak. "I-I think I l-" Before she could finish her sentence, I stepped on the remote Merissa had tossed at me and loss my balance… ending up shoving both plates with the sandwiches on top into Merissa's face. The plates feel to the ground and shattered… while most of two snacks remained all over my friend's face.
"………Alex………Why are two halves of our sandwiches covering my face?" Merissa asked, barely holding back her anger as a slice of Swiss slid down her face. "You have five seconds to respond."
"Five…" She began the countdown. "Merissa, I-I-I-I didn't mean too…" I stammered, desperately trying to save my ass.
"Four…" The pissed off girl continued. "Merissa, i-i-if you please just let me explain." I whimpered.
"Three…" Her hands began to form fists, while I think I might've pissed myself in terror. "C-claim down, after all accidents do happen."
"Two…" Merissa said louder, moving in to kill me. "Come on, Merissa, this is technically your fault, you see if you-"
"ONE…" She shouted, moments away from snapping… "awcrap… see ya." I waved, sprinting for the door. "ALEX!!!" Merissa shrieked behind me chasing after me like a Luxio chasing it prey.
Behind me, I could still hear the faint sounds of a news station coming out of the T.V. set from my living room. "In other news, the death toll of the mysterious Ecruteak city attack earlier on this month has climbed higher today as two more of the survivors admitted to the Goldenrod Sliver Cross Hospital have been confirmed dead, bringing the death toll to roughly about six hundred fifty. The Ecruteak City gym leader Morty fears that that number may soon rise. He also fears this attack was just the beginning of something far more worse to come. For details we go to David Taylor who is speaking with the gym leader as we speak."
(Meanwhile)
(Unknown military complex, Johto)
A man wearing a white lab coat enters an office to speak with an older looking man in a general's military uniform sitting behind a large desk. "Uh… s-sir?" The young man asked the infamous general Akashi. "What is it?" The man responded. "……W-well sir," The man began "W-we have the results from the latest tests."
"And?" Akashi asked. The scientist gulped and wished he was somewhere else… of all people, why was he the one to be picked for this? "W-w-well sir… the experiment……… the experiment…" "Out with it, man. You are wasting my time and patience!" The general shouted, almost frightening the timid scientist to the point of fainting. "Ah! theexperimentfailedsir!" The man quickly and nervously shouted.
Upon hearing the entire situation report, the general's eyes filled with anger. "WHAT?!" Akashi man shouted at the top of his lungs pounding his fist into his desk, farther frightening the messenger. "What do you mean the project failed?"
The messenger panicked and quickly reread the sheets of the paper he had in his hands. "W-we-well sir," The man stammered scared out of his mind. "It appears th-that the chemical is still too unpredictable… subject A was unaffected by the chemical… while subject B died a slow and painful death before anything worth recording could happen and subject C was shown some signs of progress b-b-but at this stage it is difficult to confirm." The timid scientist reported to man.
The general cursed his luck, got up from his desk and turned away from the scientist, disgusted and disappointed in these latest testings… no good has come from them… his best scientist have yet to recreate his dream that was almost a reality over a decade… a reality the members of the Johto Security Force had quickly put an end to… he cursed them for their intervention years back… if it wasn't for them, he wouldn't have to have had to start from square one again.
Speaking of the JSF's meddling, Akashi was still upset and angry with his men for letting the JSF team that slowed them down five years ago escape. The small team that had killed an entire army and ended their occupation of the capital city was in their grasps… but one screw up was all it took.
The boss just sighed and thought about the situation. "Alright then, just get a hazmat team to dispose the chemicals in the forest like the last time." He said, never looking back. "B-but sir," The scientist meekly protested. "What about the JSF? I-I think-" "Did I ask you for your opinion?" The general asked, turning to glare at the man. "N-no but-" "Then do as you're told!" The general roared, drawing a gun and pointing at the scientist.
The man raced out of the general's office and headed to find a team willing enough to go… upset and a little worried at the fact he never mentioned anything about the Johto Security Force… or how they may catching on to their plans.
(Speaking of the JSF)
(Johto Security Force general headquarters, Goldenrod City, Johto)
"So let me get this straight," A man in his mid twenties said to a military major, just outside of the JSF main base. "You guys are paying me to follow some truck around?" The Major simply nodded while placing a suitcase on his desk. The man opened the case to find it with stacks of money. The man's mouth basically hit the floor when he saw all the green. The man reached to grab some of the money, when the major slammed the case shut, nearly slamming the lid on the younger man's hand.
"Now, now, Jason, you of all people should know how this works…" The younger man rolled his eyes. "Guess you didn't get the memo… Either I get paid in advance or I don't do the job." Jason sternly replied, crossing his arms. "With a reward like this and all you doing is tailing a truck… you'd be insane to pass this up." Major Tyron smiled, knowing he has the mercenary in the palms of his hands.
Jason Miles carefully thought about this. it was true… never in life as a mercenary has he been offered a contract with such a large reward before and been required to do almost nothing it seemed too good to be true.… but still… the last time a job this good came his way, his contractor turned on him and attempted to kill him once the job was done.
"…What's the catch?" Jason simply asked the older man, narrowing his eyes. "The catch is we want you to find out what their transporting." The Major responded. "We've been watching this truck come and go, in and out of the New Bark Woods for quite some time now and I wanted to send a unit of our own to investigate… however my superiors will not authorize it. They think of it as nothing more but a college prank." Tyron growled not even trying to hide the anger in his voice.
"As you know, soldiers aren't paid a lot of money…" The major began to say. "But a guy with connections makes a hell of lot more than the average Johto officer does, am I right?" Jason finished for the Major. "Yes… I honestly don't trust whatever that truck's transporting and I have feeling that whatever they are carrying can't be a gallon of alcohol stolen by college freshman."
"That truck can be filled with girl scout cookies for all I care." Jason remarked. "As long as I get paid." The mercenary said reaching for the suitcase full of money on the major's desk. The major quickly pulled the case behind his desk and placed it by his seat. "Jason, please. This isn't a hard assignment. You're money will be waiting for you here when the job has been completed."
The soldier for hire sneered and he left the room. "Alright than… I'll let you hold on to that case… for now." Jason chuckled. "But be warned… Jason Miles doesn't work for free. And if I don't get paid… You won't live to regret it." The mercenary threatened the JSF officer.
The major was alone now, left in silence with his thoughts. He looked at the map of Johto that was spread out on his desk, paying special attention to the forest that the words "New Bark Forest" labeled over a section of trees. The forest was a big and relatively secluded place to be. Even the Pokémon Trainers don't pass through there too often… The only city close to the forest was…
The major quickly turned on the vid-phone got on the line with the leaders of the Delta team and the Mirage team. "Delta, Mirage, you and your teams are to be ready to deploy in an hour, understood?" "Yessir!" The Delta Team leader quickly responded.
"Deploy? We're still in the middle of a training exercise, sir." Captain Array told the major. "We're trying out some new tactics and we can't just-" The major quickly spoke up. "There's been a change in plans, Captain Array. Now I want you and your team ready for combat ASAP. Your destination? Rese City."
(Meanwhile, in the New Bark Woods)
(Alex's POV)
'Must… keep… running… can't stop… Merissa gonna kill me…' These thoughts kept telling me as I dragged my tired body trough the New Bark Woods in an attempt to outrun and escape the enraged psycho killer also know as Merissa Bell, my childhood friend.
"Alex, you little bastard! Get back here and die like the man you're pretending to be!" She's still following me?! Oh dear God! Someone, anyone, HELP!
I forced my body keep running until I collapsed from exhaustion… Merissa just kept running and ended up tripping over and landing right on top of me. "OW!" We both shouted as her head slammed into mine. "What the… Ha!" Merissa yelled, quickly wrapping her hands around my neck. "Now I got you!" She started to strangle me. "(Gag) Merissa!" I barely managed to gargle. Her grip was too strong, I can barely breath!
"Hey careful with that, you useless retard!" A voice shouted from behind us. "What?" Merissa asked in an angry voice. She stopped strangling got up and ducked behind some bushes. "What the…? A-Alex! Come here!" She silently yet urgently called. "What? You were just strangling me five seconds ago, now you want to-" She quickly pulled me by my arm. "Just shut up and look!"
She forced me through the bushes and made me watch some people dressed like soldiers wearing gas masks unloading barrels off of a large black truck, the guns that were strapped to their backs slightly moved as they struggled with the dark brown barrels.
"Is that the last of it?" One of the two asked his partner. The partner just nodded, looked at the barrels and went to enter the passenger's seat of the truck cab. "Alright then… time to get the hell out of here." The other said heading to the driver's seat.
As we watched the mysterious truck drive away… we noticed a green mist coming from one of the barrels. "W-what the hell?" I asked in shock. "Looks like they weren't all too care full with those things after!" Merissa shouted grabbing my arm. "Come on! We have to get back to Rese and warn everyone now!" I nodded and followed Merissa back home.
I looked back to where the barrels were dumped only to find the unwelcoming site of the gas come toward us. It was quickly spreading through the entire forest! "Merissa!" I shouted. "The gas is right behind!" I warned my friend. "Well then don't stop! Keep running!" She yelled back. We rushed home, jumping over fallen tree branches and plowing through bushes, running as fast as our legs could carry us, the gas still following behind, slowly closing in on me and Merissa. This made me question whether or not we could out run it let alone reaching the city in time…
Unfortunately, I suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. I tried to get up but I felt pain in my leg preventing me from getting back up. "Merissa!" I shouted, desperately trying to get up. "Merissa, Merissa help!" I cried out, hoping that she'd hear me and not leave me to die.
The girl quickly backtracked and came to help me when I noticed the gas was creeping closer to us. "Merissa! Forget me! Go! Get out of here and save yourself!" I shouted hoping she would listen to me. "Are you Crazy?" My brave and foolish friend asked me. "I'm not leaving you behind!" She responded running back to help me.
Unfortunately for us, the wired gas finally engulfed us… it filled our lungs… and caused us both to feel light headed… Merissa tripped and stumble to the ground right next to me, knocked out cold, while I tried to maintain conscious for as long as possible and call of help. I opened my mouth to scream for help… but no sounds came out…
My whole body felt strange… I felt numbness followed by a dull pain and itchiness all over… What's happening to me? It didn't take too long for me to lose consciousness as well.
What could be happening to Alex and Merissa? (Like people don't already know.)
Next chapter comes the good stuff, the transformation... oh joy. -_-;
As Always
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