Chapter 3: Genesis

An endless expanse of trees rushed past beneath us as we flew, indicating that the Fossil Pokémon had led us northwest from Pallet Town. Whoever owned that Aerodactyl couldn't be just any regular person, considering the fact that fossils were pretty much unobtainable.

Who would go through all this trouble? I wondered. Real kidnappers wouldn't willingly hand over their victims after they'd just abducted them, and they weren't even after any valuables of some sort, so why bother? The nature of this kidnapping was unsettling, although I wasn't sure why.

An image of Riley's miniature axe suddenly flashed into my mind. Thinking about it gave me the same chills I had received when I had seen the lance dangling from Lance's neck. What was it about those two pendants that made me feel wary? I had an odd feeling that they were somehow connected to these events.

A plume of smoke blew out of Hisa's nostrils as he snorted, twisting his head so that a single indigo iris peered at me from the side. He had the kind of look in his eyes that said, "Don't worry, everything will be fine," as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. He usually did, since we'd been together for almost five years—ever since he was a Charmander. It was hard to imagine that there could be anyone in existence that I trusted more than Hisa. I relaxed, even smirked a little.

"Thanks, Hisa."

A faint screech from the Aerodactyl jolted me out of my thoughts. The Flying Pokémon had picked up speed, as though it were making a final attempt to pull ahead. Hisa snorted again in annoyance and accelerated–he wasn't about to let an enemy get away.

"Let's do this," I muttered, both to myself and to my companion. At that moment, a flash of light illuminated the sky, and had it not been for Hisa, I would've been toast. The air crackled to my left a split second after Hisa abruptly tilted in the opposite direction, and it was then that I realized that it had been a lightning bolt.

Lightning? Wha–

A beam of neon blue energy shot out from below us, which we also avoided thanks to Hisa's sharp instincts. I was almost one hundred percent sure that that was an Ice Beam, which meant that the Aerodactyl had reinforcements. Various types of long-distance attacks began to assault us from the forest below, all of which Hisa was forced to dodge. Thunder attacks fell from the sky like rain, while fire and ice lashed out at us from below.

Did they bring a whole army? This is ridiculous! Well, if you thought about it, we were probably dealing with some pretty ridiculous people. Soon, I noticed that the Aerodactyl was angling towards the forest below, almost losing us in the frenzy.

"There!" I shouted, pointing. Hisa surged forward in response, determined not to fall behind. At last we were able to fly free of the assault just as our target vanished beneath the canopy. Hisa banked into a steep dive, and I found myself squeezing my eyes shut—even on Hisa, I didn't do well with heights. Branches snapped and leaves rustled as we crashed through the undergrowth. I tried peek at our surroundings, but only caught fleeting images of green and brown.

However, as we neared the forest floor, I could also make out several shadowy figures. I automatically tensed in preparation to grapple with them, but as always, things never go as planned. Vines nearly as thick as my arms shot out from below and wrapped themselves around us. They pinned our limbs to our sides and yanked us down to earth. My stomach pitched as we fell relentlessly and landed with a loud crash on the forest floor, the impact of the fall absorbed by my front side.

"Hey!" I yelled, "What the heck..." More vines emerged to bind us, even as Hisa and I struggled against our bonds. A short, harsh chuckle soon introduced itself to our protests.

"Well boys, looks like we got a bigger catch than we were expecting."

The stranger's tone irritated me; it was smooth and arrogant, but challenging and rough. I tilted my head, straining just enough to fit the voice's owner within my field of vision.

A small group of men stood some distance from where we lay, about seven or eight of them altogether. They wore black uniforms consisting of plain pants, a collared jacket, and a red T-shirt. Tied around their heads were black and scarlet headbands, while their shoulders were mounted with gray, dully spiked shoulder guards. What stood out the most, however, were the yellow symbols etched onto the upper arms of their uniforms. It looked like a cross between the letter "V" and a trident, but not quite.

"You there," the voice went on, addressing me. Its owner was a tall man with deep blue hair and dark eyes. Unlike the men around him, he wore a gray variation of their uniform instead of a black one, probably indicating that he was their leader. "That's a nice Charizard ya got there. Wanna hand him over?"

A vibration rumbled beneath me as Hisa growled.

"Tch, like I would hand him to you." I spat. "Why don't you untie us and face us like a real man, huh?"

The corners of the man's mouth twitched in amusement.

"You have guts, little girl," he snickered, cracking his knuckles, "but I don't think you understand your position."

I bristled at the words "little girl", but hesitated as there was a loud rustle in the undergrowth, accompanied by the thud of heavy footsteps. The forms of three large Venusaur emerged from the shadows, stepping into the daylight to reveal their turquoise bulk. They glared down at us with their crimson eyes, the origins of the vines disappearing into the colossal flowers on their backs.

Darn, I thought, gritting my teeth as I cringed slightly. This isn't good! Unfortunately, Pokémon vines were just as strong as chains—if not stronger.

"You can't threaten us with Venusaur," I responded, smirking. "If you think you're so tough, then why don't get your sorry be-hind over here instead of jeering from a distance, hm?" I felt the vines tighten around us as the man laughed.

"You really don't understand your position, little girl. I will be the one asking questions here, not you."

I bristled again—provoking him only seemed to be backfiring. In a fair fight, Hisa and I could have probably won...probably.

"Tell me, little girl, why are you here?"

That's a stupid question, I thought, but said instead, "To find out why a coward like you would kidnap my friends and stop them while I'm at it?"

"Oh? And you believe you are capable of doing so?" The man asked with a chuckle. There was a smug smile on his face, which aggravated me even more. Hisa growled and shifted beneath the vines.

"You think we can't?" I challenged.

The grin on the man's face broadened, and I saw similar expressions spreading across the faces of his subordinates. A soft chortle escaped from his lips.

"Little girl, do you know what aura is?"

Aura... I thought. The only thing that rang a bell were tales about the ancient Aura Guardians. According to legend, they had existed tens of thousands of years ago and were the greatest warriors to ever walk the earth. They were said to be fearsome because of their supernatural powers, which was kind of ridiculous if you thought about it. In any case, I kept my mouth shut.

"Sounds familiar, doesnt it?" he went on. "Here, little girl, let me show you just exactly what aura is. Gentlemen, if you would."

His men parted, exposing a strange, cylindrical contraption. It looked like a machine, but it was black and had purple lines carved across its surface. Bound around the sides of the contraption were Tracey and Amber, along with a few other people I didn't recognize. All of the hostages seemed to be unconscious, their bodies bound with what looked like dark purple tentacles that pulsed continually.

"What is that?" I almost burst, feeling a sudden urge to hurl. There seemed to be a vile presence emnating from the machine, if you could call it a machine.

"You'll see soon enough," the man replied, and approached the contraption. He pulled out a small, crystalline object from his pocket, which was about an inch and half long. It was pale, bluish-purple and had a lustrous coat. I flinched at the sight, feeling power radiate from it. Familiar chills began crawling up my spine.

To my surprise, purple tentacles emerged from the body of the device and wrapped themselves around the man's hand when he proffered it. He began to mumble something incoherent in a monotone voice. As he spoke, the stone began to emit a kind of light that grew steadily brighter. Its presence strengthened and expanded with the glow. It was alive.

"And now, feast your eyes on this glorious sight."

A loud crackle suffused the air, and suddenly the entire machine was aglow with wisteria-colored light. Each captive's eyes snapped open as their screams pierced the air, a bone chilling sound that made my body stiffen like nothing else could. Their faces became translucent, some of their veins becoming prominent as though they were about to explode. The vines around them pulsed, a steady glow enveloping the man's body as though gallons of steroids were being pumped into him. His subordinates watched with confident, almost admiring faces.

Monsters! I yelled, clenching my fists in fury. Hisa snarled in disgust.

The victims' bodies went limp as the ordeal ended. Their faces were deathly pale and their eyes wide with what seemed like a fatal shock. I couldn't tell whether or not they were dead or somehow simply unconscious. I felt myself tremble, more with anger than with fear.

"Tracey!" I shouted. "Amber! Wake up, dang it!"

A chuckle escaped into the air from the man, turning into a demented cackle that echoed through the trees. He turned around, his mouth twisted into a satisfied grin.

"This, little girl, is aura." He let out another guffaw, holding out the stone in his palm. It glistened brilliantly in the sunlight, flaring bright with power. "Still think you can defeat me?"

"Screw you!" I spat. "You're gonna pay!" I writhed wildly, almost managing to slip out of the vines. But just as I began to inch out, they tightened around me once more, and I was grounded. I heard laughter break out from among the group of men.

"You're up next!" one of them jeered, pointing a crooked finger in my direction. The Venusaur automatically hoisted us up in the air, and something instinctively sparked in my mind.

"Hisa!"

The Flame Pokémon roared, and began spewing fire in every direction, blasting the Venusaur and singeing the vines that bound us. Angry roars of pain shook the atmosphere as the Grass Pokémon took damage, backing away as they withdrew their vines. We fell with a thud on the ground, immediately picking ourselves up.

"Don't get cocky now, little girl," the man warned, although his smile had faded. Meanwhile his men took up a formation around him.

"Shut up, coward! Hisa, take care of them!" I called, referring to the Venusaur. I launched myself forward, already planning out my attack route. Seven adults were a lot for someone small like me to take down, but I didn't have much of a choice. I had to make it back to Pallet Town and tell everyone what was going on; I couldn't become another victim.

"Get 'em, boys."

The man's subordinates reached for the Poké Balls on their belts, sneers spreading on their faces.

"What's that for?" I spat, lunging and taking them out with critical blows to their weak spots. They clearly weren't prepared for a fist fight, since their Poké Balls flew out of their hands before the creatures inside could be summoned. Pathetic. I landed a heavy punch in the last man's midsection, and he keeled over in pain and collapsed. I spun around to confront the leading man, but surprisingly found that he was no longer there.

"Looking for someone?"

I whirled around, only to feel a rough hand grab me around the neck and lift me up into the air. I clawed at it vigorously, but its grip was as hard as steel. A booming laughter exploded inches from my face.

Dang it...when did he move?

"What was that again about me being a coward?" he mocked. His body began to glow lavender, and I felt an overwhelming presence begin to choke my throat. "We'll see who's laughing in the end."

I turned my head as an enraged roar caught my attention. The remaining two Venusaur had muzzled Hisa and pinned down his wings with their feet. Both suffered severe burns, but they managed to restrain Hisa with their vines.

"Hisa!"

"You should be more worried about yourself," the man growled, his grip tightening around my neck. "I'll destroy that arrogance of yours once and for all, little girl!"

"No!" I yelled. I couldn't lose here. The stone vibrated, and the glow around the man's body intensified. Excruciating pain suddenly seared through my body as an invading evil tugged at my mind sharply, like it wanted to tear out my guts. I bared my teeth to hold back the scream that rose in my throat, wanting to separate myself from the force. But no matter how hard I fought, the cords of power leeched off of my being, rewarding me with more and more pain. In the distance I could hear Hisa growling in frustration.

The man's voice reverberated through my mind, although I couldn't hear his words. My vision began clouding over in darkness, and I could feel my consciousness fading, being devoured by the overwhelming power that must have been "aura". Images flashed through my mind, of Tracey, Amber, Hisa, and the other victims of this mysterious power. No one would remember what happened to them when they woke up, and neither would I. My body fell limp as its strength was drained. Would I live? Would I forget everything? Another surge of pain dulled my thoughts, and sleep called to me like Pallet Town had while I was in Almia. Yes...sleep...

And then, I rebelled. I rebelled against the pain, against the force that sought to absorb me. I latched myself onto the power that was stealing my soul and absrobed it into my own body, strength pouring into my limbs.

"Wh-what is this?" the man exclaimed, trying to regain control. But the energy already suffused my body, flaring white all around it.

"You...are going to pay," I growled. The power that had accumulated within me blasted outwards, hitting the man so hard that he flew across the air. I landed on my feet, stretching out an arm.

"Who are you?" he demanded, the glow fading from his body. He got shakily to his feet, clearly afraid as he pulled a gun from his belt.

"You care about that now?" I hissed. "You should've thought of that before messing us."

I felt something flicker in my palm and grasped it, feeling it soldify in my hands.

"You little girl...you're a disgrace!" he shouted, taking aim. "DIE!"

I charged at him, wielding my held item in both hands. I didn't remember ever feeling so light. I closed the gap between us before he could pull the trigger, restraining his gun arm with my left. His eyes widened.

"Oh by the way...don't call me 'little girl'." I said, and thrust the object in my hands forward. A flash of white light exploded from it and blasted the man back once more, his steaming body slamming into a nearby tree. Behind me, the Venusaur bellowed angrily and launched vines in my direction.

"Don't even bother." The remaining power in my body exploded towards the two Grass Pokémon, blowing them back and knocking them out at the simultaneously. Afterwards, it began to receed slowly from my body until it had completely vanished.

My knees buckled, and I found that I no longer even had the strength to lift a finger. I hit the ground hard, my heart heart beating wildly. It was then that I bothered to look at what had materialized in my hand.

My fingers were still partially curled around the silver hilt of an iridescent, double-edged sword. The blade itself was pure white, and had a black symbol etched near the cross guard. Similar patterns were carved into its handle.

A sword….?

Even as I watched, the weapon began to glow and sizzle, shrinking until it was barely pinky-sized, a simple chain attached to its hilt. Lance's lance. Riley's axe.

Well then.