Soul Ablaze

by Victory3114

Our life can be found in our souls. Our entire consciousness, our thoughts, our feelings. There is a soul in everyone, be it human or Pokemon. And when you fight alongside your partners, your souls will resonate through the link, and burn brighter. They will be set ablaze, and with this power, this bond, this game of death will be cleared. PokeSAO X-over! Multi-POV.

2. Chapter 2: Shadowdance

For a moment, it was impossible to see. The light had simply been far too bright, glowing black dots sparkling throughout Kirito's vision. The circles pounded away at his virtual retinas, an unnatural blindness due to the fact that he could not even see his HP bar in the upper left hand corner of his vision. If it had been the «Blind» affliction, he would have still retained sight of his HUD and there would be a timed icon indicating the duration of the debuff.

But he could see nothing and all he could hear were the screams of surprise echoing in the square around him. He settled into a defensive position instinctively, bumping into several people and startling them, alert for whatever attack would come.

Even after the light faded, the spots left him a few parting punches before fading.

The square appeared darker, blacker, than before. The crimson colors on Kayaba's robes seemed far more faded than before, and the darkness under his hood was absolute. The sun was half as bright, glinting weakly as it slowly hid behind the mountains in the distance.

The monstrous apparition before them simply stared down, not moving an inch. The hole in the world behind it flashed as some kind of energy burst exploded there. Tendrils of nothingness stretched into the cracks in the sky.

The exclamations died out slowly, as people started to wonder what had just transpired. Kirito glanced at the item he held in his hand at an angle; the shiny surface glinted ominously as it reflected the clouds above. The WARNING hexagons in the mirror were inverted, slightly distorting Kirito's focus.

There was a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Kirito-"

The voice was not one he recognized. Whirling around, he had the «PokeLink» up and at the ready, quickly performing the motion to bring out his weapon. But the contraption did not respond, as «Starting City» was under the influence of the «Area Protection Code». Weapons could not be drawn unless a duel was occurring.

The man he was about to draw it on frowned. Momentarily stalled, Kirito shook his head and studied the man's face curiously.

"Eh, sorry, I thought he was right here..."

Spiky red hair slicked upwards. Shallow, thin face with a hooked nose. Hints of a goatee and a rough, outgoing voice. Kirito didn't recognize those.

But the crimson bandanna wrapped around his head, the fey twinkle in those eyes...

"Klein?"

Something was wrong. His voice was a lot lighter than the firm voice he had been speaking in a few minutes ago.

Klein squinted, scrutinizing Kirito's face, before his jaw dropped open comically. "Kirito? You're Kirito?"

Kirito looked down, at the mirror in his hands. The light reflecting off it from the sun seemed to be taunting him as if it knew something he didn't and was purposefully keeping it hidden. Gritting his teeth, he raised it to face level and beheld his features.

He was not the Kirito that had been questing throughout Route 1 but half an hour ago. The handsome, strong features of the future Kirito were gone, vanished. In their place lay the slightly feminine face and messy black hair of Kiriyaga Kazuto, the boy who existed in real life.

The mirror fell from his hands, hitting the floor. It's durability must been rather flimsy to begin with as it shattered into shards of light, melting into the atmosphere. Klein looked down at his own mirror, before yelping, throwing his own mirror down onto the hard cobblestones and grinding the remains with the heel of his boot.

"What-!?" He spluttered out before staring at Kirito's face as if he could not believe his eyes. "Are these our real life appearances!?"

His shout echoed across the square, which had fallen deathly silent. As one, the players who had not checked their appearances in their own mirrors did so, and the plaza filled up again with noise.

In that light, the light that had swallowed up everyone, the appearances of all 10,000 players of Pokemon Universe, whom had been teleported to the central square, had been reverted forcefully to that of themselves in real life.

There were no more fakes in the plaza. Everyone had reverted to what they truly were. Some big, burly men stood around in overstretched female T-shirts; other slim, office guys looked completely incompatible as their glasses and hiking jackets clashed horribly.

One girl couldn't take it anymore; all of a sudden a shrill scream echoed into the air, echoing within the confines of the plaza. The sound of breaking glass resounded, coming from several different locations within the crowd.

As if taking a cue, everyone instantly fell deathly silent.

---

Chapter 2: Shadowdance

---

"You must be wondering... now, why would I, Kayaba Akihiko, do something like this? Trap all of you in this game, and force you to clear the game while making death... permanent?"

The deep calm voice cut into Kirito's stunned consciousness as he, among ten thousand others, directed his attention to the red-robed monster above them. There was no wind; yet the edges of his robes ruffled as if under the influence of a howling gale.

The atmosphere was dyed with anxiety. Somehow the fact that they were exactly as they had been in real life had shaken them, wiped away the last bits of disbelief that remained after Kayaba's chilling announcement that death was both in game and in real life. The shell of anonymity had been shed, and there was nothing left to defend against the looming shadow of death.

Thus they listened with rapt attention, not believing yet believing at the same time.

"The answer is quite simple. I longed for the creation of this world." The bone-white gloves spread open, to gesture at everything in existence. "This entire world, with its inhabitants who fight for their lives alongside the partners they choose. A real world, where one must make choices that influence their very lives. That was my goal. The realization, of a real Pokemon Universe."

Kirito's fist clenched, knuckles whitening against the rest of his skin. His face was twisted into a visage of horror.

That... is your goal...?

"This... is he insane?" whispered Klein. All this? Killing people off? Trapping us here? Just to make this... warped dream of his a reality?"

"I wanted to create this world and watch it grow. Admire it as its creator. Watch it grow, or perish, as the inhabitants, you, decide. That is my purpose, and it has... been fulfilled."

Just barely, the slightest hint of emotion appeared in the man's- no, he should no longer be called a man- the figure's words. A small touch of satisfaction.

Kirito felt an indescribable rage crush his heart within him.

Kayaba...

"This now concludes the official tutorial for Pokemon Universe."

The figure seemed to straighten, lowering its arms to its sides and a sense of finality came into its words. Like a harbinger of death.

"I wish every player here the best of luck."

A death sentence.

With a crack, the avatar representing Kayaba Akihiko's presence in this world appeared to fold in upon itself, as its spatial reality was distorted. Various fractions of the robes switched positions, much like a glitched character, slowly shrinking and vanishing with a wisp into the tear in time and space behind it.

In the second that he could see the world behind it clearly, what Kirito saw didn't make sense. It was a world without reason beyond that portal.

A whoosh of shadows, and the rift closed up with blinding speed, leaving behind the afterimage of a scar in the sky before vanishing completely. There was a loud clicking noise as the WARNING hexagons in the sky dissipated as well.

Silence fell upon the plaza twice as heavy as before, a dampening effect that somehow shrouded everything with a dark aura.

Time almost literally stopped.

---

Panting, Kirito stumbled to a halt down the eastern lane, known as 1st Street, of Starting City. He let go of Klein's wrist, whom he had been dragging all the way, and collapsed onto all fours. He sat there, head spinning and unable to function.

Death is real... this is no longer a game?

Didn't he just say, "I'll be down for dinner" to his mother and sister?

Suddenly seized with a strange energy, Kirito slid his finger down his «Pokelink» and quickly scrolled down to the bottom, hoping that all of this was just a stupid joke. The logout button would be there, he would get out, he would go downstairs and eat with his family and they would all laugh at how silly this event had been-

Nothing.

It just wasn't there. The menu ended at «Options».

His will deserted him, and this time he really hit the ground. Laying on his side, his limbs sprawled awkwardly with no energy to move them, he stared at Klein's booted feet.

Upon reaching zero HP, your avatar will be deleted from the Pokemon Universe memory banks, and any remaining pokemon you own will be set free. At the same time, the sequence in your NerveGear will begin, and your brain will be...

...destroyed.

"Destroyed..." Kirito whispered.

"Oi. Oi Kirito."

A hand roughly shook his shoulder; blearily, Kirito looked up from his position on the ground. Before he even realized it, Klein was pulling him to his feet. He dangled rather pathetically from his grip.

"Kirito. Hey, Kirito!"

We... will die?

THUNK

"OW!? WHAT-!"

"Hey, You weren't responding."

Klein had rammed his head full force into Kirito's, causing a bright flash as the «Area Protection Code» of Starting City negated the damage. Still, there was enough force to snap Kirito's head back and feel some pain from the blow.

"Ugh..."

Klein scratched his head with a tense expression. "...alright, sorry. But Kirito, you seriously need to pull yourself together."

A wave a shame passed over Kirito. He just had a completely uncharacteristic panic attack in front of someone whom he had just met a few hours ago! In this game of death, as a beta tester with valuable knowledge he probably had the best chance at surviving...

Yet he was the one breaking down!

Kirito grimaced and waved his hand. "No... no. I shouldn't have become like that. That was my bad."

The red-haired bandit sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. "I can't blame you. I may look calm and all warrior-like right now but inside, I'm screaming like a little girl. Seriously? I can't believe it. I can't believe we're trapped here with our brains hostage."

Kirito shook his head to clear it.

There is only one way to release yourself from this game, as I have mentioned before.

"Kayaba Akihiko..."

"He's insane." Klein said shortly.

Advance through Pokemon Universe's open world, conquer the towers, and advance to Mt. Silver. Fight your way through the dungeon and meet the final boss who resides at the top, and defeat him. Upon fulfillment of these conditions, the game will be cleared.

The man who created this whole world...

"He may be insane... but I believe his words. If I twist my mind around the idea," Kirito looked up at Klein. "I sort of understand what he wants. He's like a mad scientist."

Klein made a hideous face.

"He wants to watch this world as a creator. See how it progresses, and grows. Sort of..." Kirito hesitated. "Sort of like how a teacher would watch their student grow. Except now it's with a god and a world."

"Doesn't really convince me that he's a good-intentioned guy."

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying..." Kirito stared off into the distance towards the central plaza; he could hear the multitude of voices becoming even more frantic. "He probably will set us free if we clear the game. We still have a chance."

"Well, how do you do. My gut says the same." Klein rapped Kirito on the side of the head with his knuckles. "The question is, how are we getting there? Even during the beta testing you guys took over three months to secure just ten percent of the map."

In fact, in the beta, only the southernmost (easiest) four towers had been captured. The players at that time had also secured the areas around uncapturable areas such as the power plant and Mt Moon, but still, compared to the entire map it was a paltry feat.

Securing the entire map would take nigh on three years. Kirito swallowed upon reaching that estimate.

"We still have to try. We can't just give up. Klein," Kirito quickly made up his mind and reached out to Klein. "We'll have to train ourselves up and beat the game. Klein, I know of a quest nearby. It's a little high-leveled but with care we could complete it and get a powerful «Weapons Chip»-"

Klein was already shaking his head. "I can't, Kirito. I have a group of buddies somewhere in that crowd over there."

He pointed towards the central plaza, from which the din of ten thousand people was steadily growing larger. "I can't just leave them. I have to make sure they're okay."

Kirito paused, blinking as he struggled to find words to fill the awkward silence between them. "I-"

"Hey, hey, it'll be fine, alright?" Klein patted Kirito on the shoulder. "I'll make sure they're all okay and catch back up to you afterwards. Here, um..." He slid his finger down the strip of his «Pokelink» and frowned at the glowing interface. "How do you make friends again? Is there an option or... or what?"

The black-haired boy stared for a moment, before chuckling, the sight of Klein spinning the menu around his arm like a top easing his nerves. "Uhn. You can send me one by highlighting me in your vision and selecting the "Add as Friend" in the social menu."

Klein flicked open that menu and then eyed Kirito. A moment passed, then a beep emitted from Kirito's «Pokelink». Bringing his arm up to chest height, a small notice appeared above his arm.

Looking at the first friend request he had received in this game, Kirito pressed the "Yes" option without any hesitation. A small animation appeared as the window containing the friend information was filed away into the machine's memory banks.

"So yeah... um, you're going to go complete that quest right now?" Klein grinned, patting Kirito again on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll see you again soon-"

The only lit circle on Klein's «Pokelink» glowed brightly for a moment, before fading out. At the same time, a summoning portal opened up on the ground between them. A small flash of light accompanied Blaze as he hopped out, back quills flaring.

Klein was flabbergasted.

"Eh? I never let him out. Hey, hey... How'd you get out by yourself?"

The «Cyndaquil» snorted and stared back at Klein through the gap between his ever closed eyelids. The man in question blinked twice, before turning back to Kirito. "He said he likes you. And to not worry, I think. Some things." He concentrated. "The link isn't that clear yet. I can't make out some words."

Blaze let out a meaningful chirp, and waved with his left paw.

Kirito, somewhat stunned, mumbled out, "Uhh... um, thank you Blaze. And Klein."

"Thanks for what?" Klein shrugged. "If anything we should be thanking you. You really helped me get the hang of this link thingy, Kirito."

...

Kirito had never actually helped another player in any other game before; being thanked like this was something new to him. He had no idea how to respond.

Upon realizing how awkward he was feeling, Klein mistook it for lingering doubts and tried to comfort him.

"We'll all be fine and we're all going home. I'm sure, okay? I'll swear it on my cold pizza, and all the food I'll ever eat."

Klein abruptly paused, before putting on a thoughtful expression. Hearing the word, "food", Blaze started to drool comically onto the ground.

"Food... food. Steak. I really feel like... steak. I'd like some right now. Yum."

Despite the tense feeling around his heart, Kirito cracked a small smile, the corner of his mouth lifting up.

"There, you see, that's better." Klein gave an encouraging thumbs-up and turned away. "Go do your quest! Don't worry about me for now. I'll go find my friends and send you a message tomorrow, okay?"

Slightly overwhelmed, Kirito raised his hand meekly and waved in response, watching Klein's retreating back, with Blaze hopping along beside him.

The quest...

Kirito suddenly called out. "Klein!"

Hearing his name, he paused in his stride and turned back, a question on his face.

"Uhh.. uhh..."

In truth, he hadn't really called out for any particular reason. Feeling a bead of sweat run down his face as he desperately searched for something to say, he finally said:

"Your look... I think it suits you! A lot better than the avatar you had."

Klein broke out laughing. Kirito's eye twitched, and he sighed, certain he had just made a social blunder.

"Ha! So do I! You suit yourself better too!"

Kirito could only watch as Klein vanished among the buildings, the red hair bobbing up and down as he chuckled to himself.

---

A release circle formed on the ground, and Zero popped out of it before flopping onto the ground and just lying there, spread eagled. She yawned cutely and stared at Kirito with disinterested eyes. Her tail flicked back and forth, seemingly the only part of her with any sort of life.

Despite him having a different face from before, she seemed to still recognize him as the Kirito that she had met before. She was bound to, as the feel of his mind was undoubtedly the same as before, even if his appearance had changed.

Kirito stared at the furry ball on the ground, and would have quietly laughed at her lethargic appearance had the current situation not been so dire. As it was he managed a weak smile.

I wonder... if she feels scared as well.

Unlike wild Pokemon, when a trainer's Pokemon lost all of its HP, it would fall unconscious into a «Fainted» state. They could not wake up from this, not even when shocked by a «Thunder» type attack. While in this state, there would be a timer counting down from an undetermined amount of time which seemed to vary from Pokemon to Pokemon. Once it reached zero, the Pokemon died. Returning the Pokemon to the link slowed the timer, but without treatment it would eventually expire nonetheless. The only way to cancel the «Fainted» state was to use an expensive «Revive» item or to heal it at a «Pokemon Center».

The Pokemon in this world had always faced this prospect of deletion. Yet, they padded on in this dangerous world where death was so common. In that way, they were infinitely stronger than the people shrieking in the plaza nearby.

And Kirito himself.

Zero looked at him quizzically before stretching. She got up and padded over to him, sniffing around his leg. A clear thought poked him in the head: What's wrong?

He realized, a little too late, that he must have left his mind open and leaked some feelings of worry over to her via the link. Immediately, he shielded his mind, locking his emotions away from Zero. For some reason, he didn't want his partner to be infected by the realization that this was a death game.

The little fox stared at him with a hint of amusement in her face, tilting her head to the side while raising an eyebrow. Their staring contest ended with him swinging his head embarrassingly to the side, which had become a norm for him this day. Zero giggled, and then leapt into the air, weaving another illusion around herself. Upon landing again on her feet, Zero had cloaked herself as the same girl she had when she had first come out of the «Pokelink». Only this time did Kirito notice she had a bushy little Zorua tail flicking back and forth behind her back.

Zero leaned over and poked him in the cheek. Surprisingly, the illusion felt every bit as solid as a real human being. Kirito really couldn't have been able to tell the difference between her and another person, besides the tail.

Silly master. No matter what happened I'll still be next to you, okay?

Kirito started as Zero's mind-voice slyly entered his head. Belatedly, he realized a little late that she had always been crystal-clear while conveying to him emotions. Eh? Since when did...

Did I have such a clear-cut link with you? Zero winked playfully. Dark type pokemon have both a combination of natural body structure and ironbound control over certain parts of their mind that gives them their immunity to psychic attacks. That mastery allows most, if not all, of us to share near-perfect links, second to psychics of course. And... I seem to have a natural affinity with you.

Having a perfect link meant easier time communicating and a closer bond between the two. Usually a pokemon would take weeks to months to develop a clear link with their trainers, as the trainers got used to feeling the pokemon's thoughts mentally and the pokemon got used to communicating with their trainers in such a way. At the most basic level, people would only be able to hear snippets of their pokemon's thoughts and basic emotions. Kirito's link with Zero being that advanced right off the bat was highly unusual.

Although, some factors did contribute to the progress of the link. Psychic types had were, by default, already mentally advanced. Pokemon and trainers who thought the same way naturally synched together well. And some pairs just formed a perfect link for no tangible reason.

Well? Kirito-kun. Don't you have something to do? Zero flicked her tail and pointed over towards the rising moon, almost invisible due to the glare cast by the setting sun.

Oh... yeah. The quest.

It was a mission tucked away in one of the towns near the «Starting City», «Littleroot Town». It was a quaint place, a small village composed of around ten houses loosely arranged together around a small central fountain. In addition to those, there was a single building twice the size of the others owned by an NPC called «Professor Birch». That facility was the local Pokemon Laboratory, where the inhabitants studied the many mysteries surrounding the creatures.

As a hardcore gamer might have already predicted, that meant it was full of quests to secure research materials. While most of the quests were designed for beginners, there was one that took marginally more time and effort; this was the one that Kirito aimed to complete.

Nearby Littleroot was a small expanse of trees next to the mountains that marked the southern edge of the continent. Dubbed, «Weepinbell Forest» by the beta testers, as one might expect, it was chock-full of «Weepinbell» and its pre-evolutionary form «Bellsprout». As a Stage-1 evolution, Weepinbell were quite powerful and not at all recommended for players just starting out.

Due to a "strange energy" as some players have heard NPCs say, a very small number of the Weepinbell were spawned with lime-green leaves as opposed to their regular deep green colors. «Professor Birch», the quest giver, wanted a sample of the leaves to study. To those who knew the orginal games, the lime-green color was the indication of a «Shiny» pokemon, although the leaves were the only part of the Weepinbell that were shiny. In addition, capturing these "Half-Shiny" Weepinbell only reverted their color back to normal.

Kirito was not after the Weepinbell themselves, however, but the quest reward. In return for the leaves, Birch would offer the quester a special «Weapons Chip» that was powerful enough to not have to be replaced for around twelve levels. Such an item would give Kirito a massive advantage in the early stages of the game.

Thus, after dashing through the path to Littleroot while slaying the odd «Bidoof» along the way, and accepting the proposal from Professor Birch, Kirito ended up along the outskirts of the woods, Zero looking around curiously behind him.

The woods were quiet under the setting sun, save the occasional rustling of leaves. During the beta, Kirito had quested here under the royal din of over thirty other players and their pokemon, each and every one of them hunting for the elusive "Half-Shiny Weepinbell". Fights had broken out over trying to get the attacks on that one Weepinbell as soon as it had been sighted. People even PK'd others to improve their own chances on laying their hands on the leaves...

Kirito shook his head. Forget that for now.

Now, he could see no one else as far as he could see; which wasn't much, considering the thicket of trees right in front of him, but being here so fast after the tutorial he was sure he would be guaranteed an easier time hunting than in the beta.

Duck!

Huh?

Kirito paid the price for his slow response as a Weepinbell flew right into his face, knocking him sprawling. The bell-shaped pokemon, still airborne, twirled around and shot a «Razor Leaf» attack from the air.

The attack was intercepted by Zero, deftly dashing forward and knocking aside the leaves with her arm. Her illusion fizzled, then vanished from the force of the attack. Landing on the ground in her original form, Zero then launched off the ground and spun in the air, slamming her tail on the Weepinbell's face, sending it flying towards the ground.

Before it could make impact, a glowing chrome sword rose up from below. Kirito had already recovered from the surprise attack and swung upwards. A clean shick sounded as he neatly bisected it, chopping it cleanly in two.

Both parts fizzled out and disappeared before hitting the ground.

Heart still pounding from the suddenness of the attack, Kirito lowered his sword, letting it diffuse back into particles and into his «Pokelink».

You suck. Zero looked at him with a mock disappointed expression.

"Hey... I was thinking." Kirito protested.

You don't just sit there and meditate like a monk right next to hostile territory, Kirito.

Even as she berated Kirito, Zero formed up her illusion. Again, it was the same girl as before.

Someday, Kirito thought, I'll have to ask her why she likes that... cutesy appearance.

I heard that. Zero said smugly. Now hurry up and let's start, «Slowpoke». You'll have your tail chopped off as a delicacy someday.

Shuddering at the thought, Kirito pushed aside a low-hanging branch and trudged into the woods.

---

By the seventieth Weepinbell, Kirito had already grown tired of counting.

To be honest, though, he thought were making quick progress. A Weepinbell had stronger «Attack» and «Special Attack» than most of the pokemon in this area of the map, but both of their defensive stats were pretty low. Their attack patterns were also predictable, dropping down from the trees from which they hung and firing off linear «Razor Leafs», followed by a charge and a few «Vine Whips». Although the attack was called "Vine Whip" it was more like them swinging their leaves and lashing out with a whip of green energy.

Occasionally, they would open up with a blast of pollen of multiple colors; yellow for «Stun Spore», purple for «Poison Powder», and grey for «Sleep Powder». The clouds were slow-moving, however; it was easy for both Kirito and Zero to jump out of the way. «Acid» was sometimes used too, which required Kirito to react faster. Contrary to what Kirito remembered, the gloop was spat out at an alarming speed.

Still, the Weepinbell were intended for players a week or two into the game. The cursors above their heads were a darker shade of violet, indicating that they were at a much higher level compared to that of the viewer. As a level two player, Kirito was numerically outmatched by these level six pokemon. A few direct hits would lower his HP to half almost instantly.

Of course, it didn't matter if they couldn't hit you. That was what Kirito was relying on.

Charging through a shower of glinting particles, Kirito threw himself forward under a «Razor Leaf» barrage, his body parallel to the ground. Keeping his eyes on the three targets, he grunted as his stomach made contact with the hard earth, then pushed himself up and launched off with his left foot.

The silver blade in his hand blazed a dark blue as the system augmented his strength, giving him the power to puncture the middle Weepinbell right between the eyes with the «Thrust» skill. Diving backwards to pull his weapon out as well as dodging a spray of acid that one spat out, he rolled over back onto his feet and attacked the one with acid dripping out of its mouth.

Zero!

Even as he sliced the offending Weepinbell into four pieces with back-to-back skills, Zero brutally mauled the other one with a combination of «Scratch» and «Pursuit», tearing into its skin and pounding it with a burst of dark energy as it tried to turn away until its HP dropped to zero. She shook herself all over, dislodging some tangles in her fur. A small light appeared around her as she leveled up, a notice appearing in Kirito's vision.

Level up! Wheeeee. Zero monotonously moaned. The little fox flopped over onto the ground. The fat man needed one with a different color, right? Ughhhhhhh... when will it appearrrr?

Kirito pushed back his hair, sighing as he eyed the HUD in the top left corner of his vision. Since the last time he had stopped to take a break, he had lost around 20% of his health from being clipped by several attacks. Zero had taken several tackles and leaves to the face, and her HP bar hovered at around 75%.

Looking up carefully to check for any nearby Weepinbell, Kirito sat down and leaned back against a nearby tree trunk. I dunno. But it's nothing compared to how long I spent doing this before.

Sliding his finger down the «Pokelink», Kirito opened his item menu and materialized two potions, spraying the first one onto several cuts on Zero's neck and flank. She hissed and drew back. That stings.

"Really?" Kirito asked out loud. Tentatively touching the trigger on the other one, he stared at it as if it were a bomb. A few seconds passed before Kirito shook his head and sprayed it on the gash in his leg. There was no pain; he stared at his rapidly healing wound. "It didn't hurt."

Maybe not for you, but it did for me. Zero sent him the memory: a stinging sensation down her side. Those hurt, she complained childishly. I don't like them.

That's strange...

During the beta neither players nor pokemon had been able to feel pain. Even when being mercilessly beaten to pieces by a high-level NPC trainer Kirito had foolishly challenged, none of them had felt any pain. Other players that Kirito had conversed with briefly about game mechanics also claimed there had been no discomfort to anyone.

But then again... Kirito pondered, ...the AI during the beta hadn't been complete. All the pokemon then could do were follow orders and respond to questions mentally... no actual soul. Perhaps they hadn't been complete enough to feel pain at that time. Sure they had advanced by a lot by the end of the beta, but they still hadn't been able to feel pain.

I feel WEIRD when you think about that. You aren't even remotely trying to shield your thoughts. Please stop.

Kirito flinched, looking over at Zero's annoyed face; sometime while he had been healing himself up she had cloaked herself back in her standard human appearance. His cheeks flamed with shame. Of course, any Pokemon would be touchy about being considered an artificial being. He quickly restrained those thoughts from their link.

Sorry Zero... I should have been more mindful of you.

She only continued to stare at him. Her tail periodically flipped back and forth, left to right, like a metronome. Kirito's heart constricted as he grew even more ashamed.

Finally the girl shrugged, revealing a wry smile. She shifted and awkwardly scratched at the base of her tail. Well, I should be happy enough that you consider me sentient enough to care about my feelings. Not like him...

Kirito blinked. What? What did you just say?

Noo~thing~! Zero neatly dodged the subject and stood up, stretching her arms and bending her neck to one side. An audible crick could be heard. I'm all rested and healed up thanks to those stingy things, and so are you. Let's just get this mission over with so you can get your brand new stick.

Saying that, she got up and bounded off into the trees. Kirito grunted as he hauled himself to his feet, and chased after her. W-wait up, you! Come back!

He received ateasing Nyaaaaaa~ in response. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, he quickly busied his head with his usual ambush check. He looked up; no Weepinbell waiting to drop. He scanned around; no enemies in sight. It struck Kirito as a little odd that they hadn't respawned and trekked across their position yet, but he brushed it aside and ran faster.

"Well, I should be happy enough that you consider me sentient enough to care about my feelings."

Kirito had never really paid attention to Professor Oak's character creation speech, but as he jogged along the woods, following Zero's thoughts, a certain segment of it floated back to him from the back of his mind.

"Of course, there are those who treat pokemon as tools, as nothing more than weapons to fight for them, discarded and tossed aside at a whim."

Kirito remembered some beta players who had treated their pokemon so brutally they essentially mentally wiped some of them with enough mental pressure to reduce them to puppets. They had lost the capability to respond to outside stimulus and basically became empty shells. Others had disowned their pokemon after a loss, blaming them for everything that went wrong while turning a blind eye to their own failings.

He had always hated those kinds of people, being so insensitive to their partners. To him, they were the beings that shared a bond with him. They were just as intelligent as everyone else; to treat them as subhuman was alien to him.

Shaking his head, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind. The situation at hand was the quest. Regaining the trail, he pushed on, hurrying now to catch up to Zero.

He came across her staring down a Weepinbell, gaze fixed upon the Weepinbell's own eyes. Zero was standing in a combat-ready position with one hand half-outstretched,

Her opponent, on the other hand, didn't move or otherwise show any sign of aggression save its piercing stare.

Zero?

This one's not like the others. Zero raised her head slightly and took a whiff. He smells stronger. And...

She passed over to him a memory: her running through the woods, and all of a sudden this Weepinbell burst through the trees in front of her, some fading fragments glinting on the edges of its leaves.

Not letting his guard down for a moment, Kirito broadened his senses while flicking his arm. The system registered the movement, and his sword materialized on his arm. His eyes flicked left and right, alert for an ambush. His ears strained to catch any sounds out of the ordinary.

Then he noticed the green cursor above the Weepinbell's head.

He relaxed, feeling slightly dumb. Ah. This Weepinbell's not-

Something crushed a tuft of grass to his left.

Whirling around towards the source of the sound, he hefted his blade and pointed it at where he estimated the opponent to be. He lowered his center of gravity and prepared to charge. Zero, keep an eye on this Weepinbell. I'll take care of-

"Wait! W-wait!"

The bushes rustled, and a boy around the same age as Kirito burst into the clearing. Dark-brown hair, serious looking face stricken with nervousness as he flailed his hands. Startled, Zero's hands immediately went to her tail and tried to hide it against her back.

Kirito, taken aback, raised his arm again.

"Wait! Don't attack! That's mine! My Weepinbell. I'm sorry!"

"Ehhh?" Kirito blinked.

The newcomer ran past Zero, who was watching him with careful eyes, over to the Weepinbell still prone on the forest floor. It hopped towards him, the light in its eyes indicating that it was obviously familiar with the boy.

"I'm sorry! The anima machine judged me with a green anima, and it gave me a pre-evolved Weepinbell..." The boy looked at Kirito sheepishly. "I was afraid he'd get confused for a wild one here."

He then glared at the Weepinbell, apparently scolding him across the link. In response, the Weepinbell shrugged as much as a Weepinbell could.

Kirito regained his wits and slowly lowered his sword. Mentally, he directed Zero to remain on guard, just in case. "Are you... a beta tester?"

The boy nodded. "Yes. And I would guess, so are you, and you're here for the quest from Professor Birch?" Without waiting for an answer, he added, "My name is Coper. This little guy here is Weed."

Kirito, at loss for words, looked at the Weepinbell, who appeared rather insulted. Well, any «Grass» type pokemon would be insulted if they were named "Weed". This particular pokemon, from his slumped position and sad eyes boring into Kirito's soul, seemed resigned to his fate.

I really, really feel sorry for him. Zero commented. A pang of sympathy emanated from her.

"Nice... to meet you two." Kirito managed. "I'm Kirito, and she's..." He gestured towards Zero, who finally relaxed her stance and stood up straight, though still concealing her tail behind her back. "...Zero."

Coper gave her a quizzical look. "Zero? That's not really a girl's name, isn't it?"

Zero silently frowned in response, looking to Kirito. Is it okay to show him who I am? I can keep up the illusion of being a player if needed.

Kirito bit his lip. I think it should be okay. He doesn't seem hostile. Nor does his Weepinbell. But... well, it's up to you. It's your identity we're talking about. Do you want to?

She blinked in surprise. Me? It's... up to me? I-, umm... I think it's okay. He seems honest enough.

Although he had only known her for around five hours, Kirito had never expected her, as quick-thinking and playful as she was, of all people to stall out like that. Zero? Zero, it's just choosing.

Yeah... Yeah. I know, silly.

"Is she a «Ditto»?"

Coper cut in between their mental conversation, his voice filled to the brim with curiosity. He watched both of them with interested eyes, alternating the target of his gaze periodically.

"You two seem to be communicating via a link, so she's probably a Pokemon. And she looks just like a normal human being, and I can see several features of her face that are really similar to yours. So, the only logical conclusion is a Ditto, and she's copying some of your own features. Am I right?"

He puffed out his chest, seemingly overly proud of his genius deduction. His Weepinbell looked totally uninterested in the proceedings, staring off to the right.

Seriously... both of you thought I was a Ditto.

Before Kirito could react, Zero rolled her eyes and released her tail. She twitched it to the side so Coper could see it, and pointed at it.

There. Zero said with a satisfied smile. That expression is totally worth it.

Ignoring Zero's snickers within his head, Kirito apologized for their delay in responding. "But yeah... she's not a Ditto, she's a «Zorua»."

Coper was silent, staring with undisguised awe at her. Zero eventually shivered under three full seconds of this.

Okay... stop... okay, it was fun at first, but now he's just starting to feel creepy. He feels... he felt trustworthy before but now his gaze is full of hunger.

Hunger? Kirito looked over at Coper, who was still glued to Zero's tail. Other than that, he didn't seem any different. His eyes were just curious now.

Still, the amount of attention was a little too much.

"Um, Coper."

The boy in question stirred as if he had just woken from a deep, deep sleep, and he rubbed his eyes. "Wha? Oh, sorry. Wow, a Zorua. I've never seen one before." He looked back at Zero, a thoughtful expression on his face. "They're really, really rare."

Right as he finished his sentence, a wild Weepinbell dropped from the trees right above him and would have enveloped his head with an «Acid» attack had Zero not blasted the offending pokemon with an instinctive «Dark Pulse». Before the pokemon hit the ground, Weed targeted the flying plant and barraged it with a salvo of leaves, sending it flying an extra meter.

The weakened pokemon hit a tree with a wet Splat, its HP bar flying down with surprising speed. When it reached zero, its outline shivered and it burst into another cloud of particles.

Coper had fallen over in surprise, landing heavily on his behind with a grunt. Next to him, Weed was surrounded by a small halo as he leveled up. He shook himself off, drooling a bit onto the ground.

Zero lowered her outstretched hand, some black energies still rising from her open palm, and poked Kirito in the ribs. Her face, contrary to her teasing actions, looked serious.

We're still in the middle of a quest, you know. Stay alert. And... Zero glanced at Coper, who was now scanning the trees above for more enemies, out of the corner of her eye. I don't trust this boy. Not anymore.

He seems fine to me... well, alright. Kirito coughed to get Coper's attention."Well, I'll be on my way now. You're doing that same quest, right? Good luck with finding the shiny-leaved Weepinbell."

Coper looked back down. "Hrm? Oh, could I tag along with you two? We could clear through these small fry twice as quick if we worked together."

No. Zero mentally insisted, grabbing his wrist and holding onto it. No. Please no. I don't like this guy...

Fine! Fine! Stop it! Kirito shook his head to clear it as he raced for a plausible excuse.

He came up with: "Umm.. Sorry, but Zero's a little shy around strangers. I appreciate your offer but, it would be better for both of us to go separately."

The boy considered his words for a moment, then sighed, ruefully smiling. "A pity... well, good luck to you! I'll see you around."

He ran off through the bushes, probably eager to hunt more Weepinbell. Weed looked at Kirito and Zero mournfully, his eyes a little deeper than before; then he hopped off after his master.

An awkward silence fell upon them.

Shy around strangers? Is that the best you could think of? Zero scoffed, breaking the silence. It was so obvious it was just a lie. If he were as smart as I, I would have seen right through it!

"Quit complaining," Kirito muttered. "It worked. Why didn't you like him anyways?" he asked as he walked off in the opposite direction that Cooper had taken. He flicked his wrist, summoning his weapon and holding it in front of him as he pushed through the undergrowth.

Zero sniffed, following along behind him. His aura flared when he saw that I was a Zorua. It felt a lot different than what his outward demeanor told me. She scratched her cheek, biting her lip. It seemed she had learned that habit from Kirito. I didn't like that. He was hiding something, or planning something.

That doesn't really seem like a good reason... Kirito spoke over the link now, keeping physically quiet so as not to alert any nearby pokemon to his presence. Sneaking up upon a sleeping, low-hung Weepinbell, he dispatched it with two quick skills: «Horizontal» and «Vertical», leaving it in four pieces as he scanned the area for another one. Eh. it's no matter. I never liked partying with other people anyways...

...Sorry.

Eh?

Forget it.

Zero shed her illusion and dashed forward, ducking under a flurry of leafy missiles and latching onto the Weepinbell that had fired it, scratching with her claws. Kirito looked up to find two other Weepinbell falling down from above, looking to attack. As with every single one from before, none of them had the lighter green leaves.

How long had it been? Kirito resigned himself to a few hours of fruitless battle.

I honestly wonder how long this is going to take.

I'm hungry. Zero replied sarcastically.

---

Kirito flicked his left index finger across his «Pokelink», checking the clock in the corner of the interface. His face fell.

Three hours... and that Weepinbell the Professor wants STILL hasn't appeared!

Zero yawned widely, revealing a row of sharp canine teeth. Just come back tomorrow. We're both sleepy.

Then there would be more people here and our chances of obtaining this thing would be even smaller. Kirito grimaced, remembering the beta shenanigans he had went through. It has to be now, else we'll be here for a week to do this. I'll pull an all-nighter if I have to.

She blanched at this. Oh please no.

Well, at least the amount of exp they had both gained while grinding the mobs here made it slightly worth it. Zero had already advanced several levels and was now at level six, which, considering how early it was, was an impressive feat. Kirito was at level three, which again was probably the highest anyone in the game could have gotten so far.

Compared to the original games, where one could speedily train up to level ten within the space of five minutes, leveling in «Pokemon Universe» was a lot slower. It was made so to make the game feel like a real journey, to keep players from becoming bored almost immediately as they sported level 100 pokemon within a week, stomping through the towers and territories with little resistance.

Kirito had added his two new points to the skills tree, "learning" a few new sword skills to use. Technically, he was only unlocking the added «System Assist», as he had used these abilities many times during beta and still remembered the movements. It was just they would do a lot less damage than an assisted skill and thus weren't efficient at all.

However, the satisfaction Kirito got from seeing both himself and Zero level up still wasn't enough to offset the dullness of the farming. It wasn't actual fatigue; that was impossible in the virtual world of Pokemon Universe. They were just tired of the monotonous grinding.

Suck it up, Kirito told himself. You've farmed for hours on an end in other games. You gotta get used to it again.

I feel like someone hypnotized me. Zero murmured as she lay spread eagled on the ground. Her eyes were closed shut, and she looked as if she were out cold. Even though I'm immune to it. It's late. Look, tomorrow won't be any different. Just come here earlier.

Kirito was just about at the end of the rope himself. He realized, a little late, that farming in Pokemon Universe was several times more demanding than a normal computer RPG. As opposed to tapping a few keys to control his character, Kirito was controlling his whole body to slice and dice his enemies. Also, he had been farming in an area several levels above his own, which added more pressure to his situation. He had to be more careful, or risk death.

Death...

Even though we are a lot stronger than when we started, Zero cautioned, we still could get easily killed by the Pokemon here if we weren't careful. Just rest and come back tomorrow refreshed.

Even as hardcore as a gamer he was, Kirito had to admit a bed was a lot more attractive than staying out in a dangerous area all night. He stood there, staring blankly at the setting sun as he weighed the options, then came to a decision.

"All right... all right. Tomorrow."

Hooray!

Kirito sighed, regretting his decision already. His hardcore mindset immediately started bombarding him with reasons why he should be farming all night. Then again, if he had chosen to continue, his lazy side would be tormenting him with pangs of sleepiness.

There just wasn't a way around him regretting his decision. Kirito glared upwards, at the nearest knot of Weepinbell that had just spawned, cursing his own negativity.

"We'll have to be early-"

He froze.

Zero sensed the abrupt pause in Kirito's thoughts and raised her head. Kirito?

Kirito looked back down and fiercely rubbed his eyes before returning his gaze to above. He squinted as if he couldn't see very well, even though everyone had 20/20 vision in the virtual world regardless of their eyesight in the real world.

There's one!

Huh? Zero's ears pricked up.

Kirito charged at the group of four newly spawned Weepinbell, the light of their respawn animation only just disappearing. His focus was on the one on the left; one with leaves a much paler shade of green, though the rest of its body was the same color as the other three.

All four noticed Kirito at the same time. Three of them inhaled deeply, and each sent a different cloud of powder floating towards Kirito; «Poison Powder», «Sleep Powder», and «Stun Spore». The last one, the one with the shiny leaves, opened its mouth and formed a white orb which quickly gathered power and doubled in size.

Kirito rolled over the the side, dodging to the side of a tree and avoiding the slow-moving nebula of death. Zero dodged to the right, and fired a «Dark Pulse» at the nearest Weepinbell, slamming it into its comrades much like bowling pins.

The «Seed Bomb» attack finally finished charging, and the attacker spat it out. The seed-shaped mass of energy shot by under Kirito's arm and smashed into a tree, exploding upon impact. Bits of bark flew everywhere; a few splinters rained against Kirito's back.

None of that mattered to him as he directed Zero to keep the first three busy while he concentrated on the mark. Not missing a beat, his target fired off an «Acid» attack, spraying foul-smelling goo in Kirito's direction. Some landed on Kirito's arm as he dove to the side, but he ignored the drop in his HP.

This one's stronger than the others... but!

Finally up close, he parried a «Vine Whip» attack and sliced off both of the Weepinbell's leaves with an upwards followed by a downwards «Vertical». Ducking under the retaliatory spray of stunning yellow pollen, he drove his blade up between the pokemon's eyes with a single thrust.

Kirito heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the remains dissolve away into the air, including the two leaves that Kirito had cut off. In their place, another set of two pale-green leaves appeared where the main body had been. Despite being so advanced, Pokemon Online still had to follow basic gaming logic.

The leaves blinked out of existence, and a small notice popped up, notifying him that the quest item had been stored in his inventory. Another one popped up immediately after that, cheerfully telling him that the quest, «Special Color Research», had been completed.

We're done! Kirito cheered in his head. We got it!

No response. Then...

Kirito.

The lack of elation on Zero's voice put a hold on Kirito's satisfaction. He paused and turned around; Zero was acting funny, crouching over the remains of her three kills and sniffing the air. Zero?

The air smells funny. She growled, arching her back. It smells... sweet. Alluring.

Sweet!?

Kirito's good mood evaporated almost immediately. He swiped the quest complete notice away and and took a quick whiff of the air. Zero had been right; the wind carried a sickly sweet smell on it.

Zero suddenly stumbled, her legs giving way underneath her. Kirito turned towards her in alarm, but she was back on her feet almost immediately.

I'm fine, she reassured him. This scent... It's too sweet. Zero ran over to his side and looked around cautiously. It was attracting me. At least trying to.

«Sweet Scent»! Kirito realized. Someone's using Sweet Scent.

His gut broiled. It was a move used by «Grass» type pokemon that released a sugary aroma into the air. The strong smell distracted pokemon enough to lower their mobility and control, especially those with strong senses of smell.

It also had the side effect of luring pokemon towards the user, with the pokemon flocking towards the stronger concentration of the scent, which would be directly around the caster.

That means...

The smell is concentrated around here. We're near the center. Zero scanned around them. They'll be coming here.

Zero, run!

He immediately scooped up Zero, holding her under his arm like a carry bag. He could hear ominous rustling coming from his right, a series of thumps as, presumably, a whole group of Weepinbell was thumping towards them. Ignoring her squeaks of protest, he charged towards his left.

Not that way! Zero squirmed in his grip. Ow! Uncomfortable! Respect a lady! The scent's coming from over here, and-

Kirito faltered and nearly dropped Zero. He just caught a glimpse of someone standing idly in a clearing he had bolted by. Sliding to a halt, he ran backwards and shouted out a warning.

"Hey! Someone's used «Sweet Scent» around here, it's dangerous. There's a ton of Pokemon co-"

He stepped into the clearing and stopped dead. There, in front of him, stood Weed and Coper, Coper looking on as Weed released wave after wave of fine pink powder into the air.

"Coper!"

Hearing his name, the boy turned around. His face was smooth, completely expressionless. His eyes regarded them creepily.

"Sorry Kirito." He said in a monotone.

What... Zero's thought processes ground to a halt. No. I knew this. I should have known.

Horrified, Kirito spluttered, "What... what are you doing!?" He switched his gaze to Weed, who had just pumped out a last puff of particles and looked at them. The pokemon's eyes were full of sorrow, and Kirito could see the message "Run!" in them.

"No time to explain." Coper flattened himself against a tree and seemingly activated a skill. He frowned at Kirito and Zero and flicked a hand. "I suggest you run now... or rather, don't. It won't matter. They'll be here in a moment."

Starting from the feet up, Coper's body started to vanish. The cloth of his pants took on the color and pattern of the tree behind him, and a few seconds later even the outline of the clothes were erased. The camouflage traveled up his torso and eventually covered his whole body, leaving behind no traces.

«Concealment». It was the first skill one would gain if they added a few points into the «Hiding» Skill tree of the support skills. It offered complete visual concealment, although someone with a «Detection» Skill level of equal to or higher than that of the Concealment would be able to see past it.

With that, Kirito knew what Coper was planning.

Monster PK. A tactic where one drew enough enemy mobs and set them upon their target to kill them. It was a nasty form of «Player Killing» that allowed the killer not to dirty their hands, especially since killing in Pokemon Universe permanently switched a player's color to orange, the color of a criminal.

He... he... Zero was shaking in his grip, with fury or fear Kirito could not tell.

Coper was trying to lure the entire area's population down on Kirito while avoiding death himself by using Concealment to protect himself from the horde of Weepinbell.

"Upon reaching zero HP, your avatar will be deleted from the Pokemon Universe memory banks, and any surviving pokemon you own will be set free."

Kayaba Akihiko had said that. "Set free" meant they were capturable again.

Coper was after Zero.

As a bonus, if Zero «Fainted» while trying to defend Kirito, she would be summoned to the field upon his death in a fainted state, extremely easy to capture.

That, and Kirito had the extremely rare «Strange Weepinbell Leaves» quest item in his inventory. Upon death, his corpse would drop it onto the field and leave it free for Coper to pick up.

Upon his certain death.

Fear suddenly seized Kirito's muscles, and he ran away.

Ran as fast as he could.

---

The edge of Kirito's sword flashed a dark blue as Kirito cleaved through another «Weepinbell», dicing it with rapid back-to-back skills. With a cry, he slashed one last time and spared no time charging through the shower of light signifying its death.

Beside him, Zero was tearing through another one with her teeth, ripping off its leaves and scratching its eyes out. Running past it to join up with Kirito, she unleashed a «Dark Pulse» behind her as she ran, depleting the last of its HP.

The speed at which they dispatched the two was impressive, but none of it mattered once Kirito sensed at least five times that number ahead of him.

Kirito growled in frustration. "Darn it... we're completely surrounded!"

Both he and Zero had tried to escape to safety, but the «Sweet Scent» wafting throughout the area was attracting every single mob that smelled it. They had been near the center of the forest when Weed had spread the attack; now, Weepinbell were approaching from every direction in large numbers.

They had tried to run in every direction but forced away when they encountered unsurpassable odds. The Weepinbell were traveling in large packs of over ten at a time, and all spread out far enough that Kirito knew they wouldn't be able to sneak past them in time. Contrary to one might think, the plants could move incredibly fast by hopping over or using a powered-down «Vine Whip» against the trees to propel themselves forward.

And in addition to the ones surrounding them...

Above you!

Zero tackled Kirito from behind with surprising strength, sending them both tumbling over the hard ground. Right where Kirito had been, three newly spawned Weepinbell dropped down and hit the floor with several loud thumps.

All three of them raised their leaves.

Kirito grabbed Zero's rolling body by the scruff of her neck and threw himself behind a nearby tree. He hugged her close to her body, making sure that no parts of his or her body were exposed. Pressing hard against the trunk, he waited with baited breath.

There was the sound of several projectiles penetrating hard wood. One leaf stuck deep enough go through all the way, nicking Kirito's left shoulder. Immediately, his HP dropped by about ten points.

He hissed at the dull sensation in his shoulder, dropping Zero reflexively.

Dealing with this encirclement of Weepinbell is hard enough, but with random mobs spawning right above us as we run-! Darn Sweet Scent, increasing the spawn rate of mobs as well!

That Coper... Zero could barely contain her anger. I will rip him to pieces. INTO THE PIECES.

There's no need to... Now! Dark Pulse that one!

The three that had attacked them passed by their trunk at surprising speed; Kirito lashed out with a «Horizontal» and one folded over his blade, bisecting itself with its own momentum. Following his orders, Zero blasted a second with a mass of black energy, quickly draining its HP and sending it flipping into a tree.

The third one had enough time to fire two rounds of «Bullet Seed» that Zero nimbly dodged before Kirito leaped at it and stabbed it through the eye. He wedged it in deeper, widening the wound, until the pokemon's HP was depleted. He threw the body aside as it shattered into multi-faceted polygons.

Behind!

Kirito didn't look back at what kind of attack was being thrown at him, instead opting to dash to the side and take off. Zero ran after him, spewing massive amounts of curses directed at Coper through their link.

Even after dispatching over ten more Weepinbell, Kirito still sensed over forty more in the area around them. They were spread out over a wide area, slowly closing in like a noose. There wasn't any clear way to escape.

The situation was compounded by the fact that at Kirito's and Zero's level, they would take massive damage from direct hits. Taking on three at once was already pushing the limits of what he could handle.

Ten was suicide. Forty was what most modern internet trawlers called a "WTF Moment".

But looking at how things were going, Kirito was going to have to experience such a "WTF Moment". Every angle of escape was blocked. The amount of room they had was slowly shrinking. Help was not forthcoming; Kirito had specifically ran to complete this quest before other players so he could farm alone. There was no one around to help.

There was still Coper, but Kirito could expect no help from him. Nor would he be able to; although «Concealment» was visually perfect, Weepinbell relied on more than just sight to see their surroundings. At such a low level, Coper's Concealment would not be advanced enough to fool their sense of smell. He was probably just finding that out.

The thought gave Zero some sadistic pleasure, but it didn't help their current situation at all. Having taken some glancing hits from dispatching the previous mobs, Kirito's HP was loitering at around 75%. Zero's was slightly higher, but not by much.

Kirito grimaced as he watched the fifteen-odd violet diamonds in the distance advance towards him. The main bodies were still hidden by the trees, but Kirito could still locate them via their cursors.

This way is blocked off too.

We've already traveled a full circle, Kirito! There's no way out!

"We can't just give up!" Kirito ran as fast as he could in another direction. "There has to be one hole in their line-"

The trees suddenly stopped appearing in front of him; Kirito burst into a clearing. He immediately recognized it; it was the one where Weed had been piping out the «Sweet Scent». They had somehow stumbled back into the center.

Kirito whirled around, but could not run back the way he came. The cursors denoting the mob of Weepinbell were fast approaching. He dashed to the side, around the edges of the grassy expanse; no good. Wherever he went, more markers appeared in his field of vision. All the way around the knoll, 360 degrees.

They were surrounded. Kirito backed up unsteadily to the center of the area, holding his sword at the ready. Zero took his back, forming up her illusion of the same human girl. She charged a «Dark Pulse» in her hands, holding it to her chest, at the ready.

Slowly, the mobs filtered through the trees and into the clearing. All of their eyes were slightly blurred and unfocused due to the effects of the «Sweet Scent», but they all still looked more than ready to battle. Kirito tried to do a quick count, but the fear he was feeling caused him to lose count. His heart pounded, etching a tattoo on the inside of his ribcage.

Of course, it was only his virtual body feeling that way, but it felt like his actual body was hyperventilating as well.

Is this the end?

He had dared to enter a higher level area knowing the risks. Even though this was due to another person's fault, he should have been prepared for this scenario.

Even so, his grip on his sword was trembling. He glared at the line of Weepinbell, daring one of them to come close.

It will be fine, Kirito... It'll be fine. I'll protect you.

Zero tried to comfort Kirito, but he ignored her. He took a deep breath, then raised his blade into a ready position.

He felt Zero's alertness as one of the Weepinbell pushed through its comrades and smacked its leaf against one of them throwing itself at Zero. She pulled back the black energies in her hand, ready to launch them at the attacker-

Weed?

Kirito blinked. Huh?

The Weepinbell landed beside Zero with a Thump. Kirito immediately raised his sword, about to slice downward, before noticing that the Pokemon wasn't attacking him; he was lying on his back, facing down the wild Weepinbell.

Covered in scratches, Weed looked a lot worse for the wear. There were large tears in his right leaf, and a cut below his left eye. The stem on the top of his head had been cut short. The main difference, however, was the violet cursor above his head, exactly the same as that of the wild Pokemon surrounding them.

Weed was classified as a wild Pokemon. That could only mean...

The bastard's dead. Zero said with some grim satisfaction. Great. He deserved it.

Kirito was about to respond, but was interrupted when he noticed the line of Weepinbell inching closer out of the corner of his eye. He hefted his sword at them and stared them down in the eye. Several of them backed down, intimidated, but the rest of them continued to close in.

With Weed here... we have a better chance. Kirito recalculated their odds. Slightly better... but not enough.

He clenched his fist, knuckles standing out in stark relief against his skin, and got ready to fight.

I'm not giving up!

"I'... sorry."

Huh?

Kirito froze as a new voice echoed in his head. A quiet, gentle male one.

A voice full of sadness.

You're not Zero... wait, Who are you? What-

Weed? No, Weed! Zero cried.

Kirito turned and watched, unable to react, as Weed launched himself right past his face, at the knot of Weepinbell in front of Kirito. Mid-flight, he flung a massive «Razor Leaf» attack forwards, cutting deep into the skin of several enemies.

He was still standing there, staring, as Zero tackled him down, narrowly dodging the three «Acid» missiles that whizzed harmlessly above him. His head banged against the ground, and for a moment Kirito saw stars.

Hurry! Move! Zero shouted.

The impact had jarred her illusion, her arm fizzling out of existence temporarily, but Zero managed to retain it and regenerate the limb. She yanked Kirito to his feet and ran forward with him, dodging two other attacks. In front of them, Weed rocketed forward, hitting several of his own species with a «Slam» attack, knocking them aside. He then released a cloud of white powder into their face, causing them to roll over snoring.

Zero charged through the gap in the line, gritting her teeth as a blob of acid landed on her arm; this time, she couldn't regain it that easily. She shook Kirito roughly with her remaining hand. Get a hold of yourself! Go! Go! Go!

Kirito jolted as if he had awoken from a stupor, and began running again with control of his own legs, Zero guiding him. He looked back and watched, uncomprehending, as several of the Weepinbell launched seed-shaped balls of light at him with incredible speeds.

What he did comprehend was the small figure that leaped in front of the «Seed Bombs», intercepting them with its own body. The HP bar that wrapped around it shrank down to the red zone as it fell to the ground, smoking.

His throat constricted. His vision blurred.

Weed...

Move... it, move it! Zero's voice had a steely edge to it. Don't look. Don't look back. We need to get out of here.

Kirito squeezed his eyes shut and put all of his strength and willpower into running blindly forward. Somewhere far, far away from the mob rampaging behind them.

Zero steered him past several trees, got him to hop a creek, and under several low-slung branches. The sounds of pursuit were always present, a series of whacks as the Weepinbell used random surfaces to keep themselves moving. They were constantly there; Kirito felt like a mouse in a cathunt.

They couldn't escape their range either. Kirito couldn't outrun them, and they had a lock on his cursor. He would be hunted down as long as they could sense it with their enhanced smell.

Kirito finally opened his eyes once he could not stand running blindly anymore. He squinted under the half-light of the rising moon, shadows and moonlight alternating drawing streaks on his face.

He was passing through unknown territory; he didn't recognize the layout of trees around him here. This worried Kirito slightly, but not as much the knowledge that the mass of Weepinbell right behind him was ready to kill him. He flicked his eyes to his left, noticing Zero was still guiding him with one arm with difficulty. Her other limb ended halfway down the upper half, a dark light glowing at the end of the stump. Sweat rolled down her focused face, her breathing hard and laboriously. One eye was shut in concentration.

He straightened up, drawing energy from some secret cache, and placed his arm around Zero's shoulder. Almost immediately, Zero seemed to lose all her own power, leaning heavily onto Kirito. Supporting her now, he ran full pelt, trying to get away from the mass of thumps behind them.

It wasn't really the time, but he was surprised that she felt so light despite her illusion being just as large and solid as he.

Finally, he leaped forward over a brush and into another clearing. The sudden lack of trees and uneven terrain surprised him; he stumbled, throwing both himself and Zero across the ground. Kirito grimaced as the rocky ground tore into his stomach as he slid to a stop.

Are... His brain took a few seconds to kick-start back into gear. Are we safe?

Kirito...

Zero was struggling to her feet in her normal form, her illusion having finally broken. There was a slight acid burn on her flank and several scratches down her front left arm, but otherwise she looked okay.

Kirito, we're trapped.

Huh?

Kirito blearily looked up, then his eyes widened. In front of him was a fifty-foot wall of stone stretching about as far as he could see in either direction. He looked left and right just to confirm that, then rose to his feet and hammered on the rock.

What... what!? Since when-!?

Then it hit him with the force of a «Rhydon», and Kirito's stomach dropped out from beneath him. He slid to his knees and stared at the hard, unforgiving surface.

Of all the places... of all the directions we had been running, we had been running South!

«Weepinbell Forest» lay at the map's rock bottom. There was literally nothing below it, hence the giant wall that lay in front of Kirito. They were at the end of the world, essentially.

Kirito yelled out loud in frustration and slammed the rock with all his might. A small purple notice appeared on the surface of the stone, reading «Immortal Object» before closing itself a few seconds later.

Kirito felt like crying. Even after Weed's sacrifice, they still weren't able to escape.

It wasn't Weed's fault. Weed couldn't have known that the direction he had been breaking a hole in was South. The fault lay with Kirito; he should have turned slightly as they ran, to keep on changing direction while still keeping ahead of their pursuers.

Then again, in the dark, along with the cover of trees, it had been impossible to tell that they were running towards an insurmountable obstacle.

In the end, it came down to a combination of misfortune and horrible timing.

I guess... this is the end?

He could hear the leaves rustling as the mob finally caught up to them. Wearily, he stood up, still facing the wall.

Kirito. Kirito-kun.

Zero...

It wasn't her fault either.

"This is my fault." Kirito spoke out loud, staring up at the top of the rocky ledge. Out of the corner of the eye, he could see the rising moon. "I should have known. I should..." His grip tightened around his weapon. "...have known."

I'm not going to give up, Kirito-kun. Zero said quietly.

He turned around, scanning the huge horde in front of him. A quick estimate of around thirty to forty enemies; overwhelming odds.

Kirito didn't try to think about that.

I'm not going to just die here without a fight though. Zero... I'm counting on you to take my back.

...Roger.

Without pretense, he charged right at the nearest Weepinbell, screaming at the top of his lungs. He had hoped it would startle them long enough for him to close the gap, and it worked.

He tore into the flesh of that one, piercing it right through like a shish-kebab. Instinctively sensing the attacks behind him, he swung the body around, blocking several «Razor Leaf» attacks and a single glop of purple with the carcass. The force of his swing slid the body off his blade, sending it flying into two others.

Zero was next to the pile immediately, stabbing at the pinned Weepinbell with cat like swiftness. A few relatalitory «Vine Whips» were made, but she dodged them nimbly and returned the favor with a rapid «Fury Swipes» on both of them. All three of them shattered at the same time, their HP spent.

Kirito ran to cover Zero, activating «Horizontal» as he leaped over her. The dark blue slash intercepted five different blades of green light, and the combined power broke through his «Sword Skill». He managed to block the majority of the damage with his blade, but the force of the whips pushed him back, sending him into the ground with a hard "Ooof!". Immediately, he scrambled to his feet and threw himself to the side, tackling Zero out of the way as well as a shower of status-inducing powder fell upon the area he and she had been moments ago. A few Weepinbell that had been flying forward to land close-ranged attacks were caught in the rain; some of them fell asleep, some of them twitched and fell over, and some of them looked a little green.

We need to get up close. That way they hit each other with their area-of-effect attacks!

Throw me into them!

Kirito picked up Zero with his left hand and threw her as hard as he could with a non-dominant limb. At least she didn't have to fly very far; she landed right on the face of one of them and drilled into it with a point-blank «Dark Pulse», leaving an ominous smoking hole in it and dropping its HP to red.

Before she could finish it off, though, she yelped painfully as a nearby Weepinbell laid her across the back with a green slash from its leaves, knocking her off her dying target along with around 10% of her HP. The attack, however, also hit its wounded comrade, killing it. Zero squirmed out to the side and smacked the attacker with an empowered «Payback», dealing twice the damage she normally would and sending it flying. A flicker of light danced over it; It had been paralyzed by Kirito's passive skill.

Kirito similarly engaged seven Weepinbell at once, the others now wise to friendly fire and not daring to use their ranged attacks. Every time he attacked one, the others would immediately seize the chance and release some kind of move at his unprotected back. He tried as many intricate moves to narrowly avoid the attacks, but more often than not, he couldn't completely negate the damage.

Somewhere in the fighting, Kirito ended up with his back against the wall marking the edge of the continent. It was a lot easier, allowing him to parry the «Razor Leaf» projectiles as well as the «Vine Whips». Their enclave also made it harder for the other Weepinbell to hit Kirito with big, inaccurate moves such as «Acid» and the status powders without hitting their own members as well.

The problem was, Kirito just wasn't holding up. He had taken a total of seven direct hits in the battle, which was nigh on impressive against so many enemies. The HP bar hovered slightly above midway in the yellow zone, blinking every ten seconds to attract his attention.

He had none to spare, however. The amount of concentration he had exerted just to dodge all the attacks up to this point had drained him mentally. At times, he had even performed backflips, which he definitely couldn't do in real life, to avoid the green whips of light. Each time, his focus diminished even further. He couldn't sense any feeling in his fingertips. All of his mind was focused on his own stance; he could spare none for Zero.

To make matters worse, the Pokemon that were left had become far smarter than any of their late processors. Watching Kirito fight, their self-learning AI absorbed the knowledge and now they were fighting much more conservatively and with greater care.

There were nine of them left.

Kirito held his sword up and at the ready, panting hard. His eyes moved back and forth, striving to keep all of them in his vision, alert for any moves. The Weepinbell had learned greater teamwork in this short span of time; if Kirito attacked one of them first, several others would immediately move in to attack his back or sides, while others kept Zero busy. He had to win by countering them.

His arm trembled, the pressure finally getting to him.

One of the Weepinbell took it as a sign, and attacked, raising a glowing leaf for a «Vine Whip». Kirito immediately countered, sidestepping the swing and striking back, burying the weapon in it up to the hilt. The offender could only watch as its HP was quickly depleted, even after Kirito yanked it out.

Before he could turn around, a braid of grass reached out of the ground below him and tied itself firmly around his right foot, anchoring it there. It began to compress, draining his HP bit by bit.

-«Grass Knot»?

Kirito retaliated, turning around as best as he could, but his return stroke was met by a whip of green light. Their attacks ricocheted off of each other, the glows around each of them breaking apart from the force. Recovering first, Kirito attempted to attack again, but was met by an attack from another Weepinbell, once again cancelling out his skill.

Then Kirito was sent flying as Zero crashed into his back, ripping Kirito out of the grass rooting him and sending them both tumbling out into the dirt next to the trees. He cried out in surprise, rolling several times before coming to a complete stop. Zero bounced off the ground several times more times, limbs limp like a rag doll's, before finally laying still.

Ugh... Kirito struggled to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Weepinbell turn towards them, several of them with leaves still glowing an extremely bright green.

That's not Vine... P-... «Power Whip»... a combined attack...

A warning light flashed in the corner of Kirito's vision. The HP bar underneath his, the one with Zero's vitality, had shrunk to almost nil. The counter below it read 2/278.

Panic seized him. Zero... Zero! Your HP!

Nggh! I... I can't... give up...!

Zero twitched, though it was clear that she could not reliably move anymore.

Kirito took three steps towards her before something impacted strongly against his right leg. He collapsed as it gave way, striking the ground with enough force to rattle his teeth. His sword flew out of his hands, spinning away into the darkness somewhere.

His HP dropped to under 10%.

"Gaaaaagh!" he cried out, the sound echoing off the nearby walls.

Kirito!... you... your leg...

Zero weakly sent Kirito what she was seeing: everything below his left thigh had been melted away by a barrage of «Acid» attacks. His leg ended in a stump, red polygons slowly detaching from his body.

Kirito ignored the image and slowly propped himself up with his arms, gasping with the amount of effort it took. Bits of his spittle flecked the ground. Little by little, he crawled towards Zero's body. He could sense the Weepinbell watching him.

Her fur was matted and torn in places, leaking red particles. There was a large wound running down her flank. At some point, a stray leaf had pierced through her tail; it was now shorn off at the middle, and it was clear that she was in even greater pain because of it.

His breath hitched as he laid a hand on Zero's side. Zero...

I... can't...! I have to- ugh!

With a massive amount of willpower, Zero heaved, standing up shakily on her four legs. Her face was a mask of determination, despite the fact that she looked more dead than alive. If someone were to compare her to a zombie from a Pokemon fanfiction, there wouldn't be much difference. She took a few steps forward, standing between the Weepinbell and Kirito.

Zero... no...

She bared her teeth painfully and growled out to the Weepinbell, You... aren't getting past me!

They regarded her curiously, as if they could not believe she was still standing. For some reason, they hadn't attacked yet all this time.

I won't... Zero faltered, shaking. She already appeared to be out cold, with her eyes closed and body swaying from side to side. Let you... hurt...

Regardless of her bravado, she offered no resistance when Kirito wrapped his arm around her and lifted her up. He hugged her gently against his chest, and she sighed, finally slipping into unconsciousness.

Zero... I'm sorry.

No response.

...Thank you.

Zero was on the verge of «Fainting», and both mechanics wise and literally. He was in the red zone, and his leg could not be regenerated until he returned to the «Pokemon Center», or if his natural regeneration took its course over around ten hours. They didn't even have a minute left.

Strangely, he felt calm. All the fear from earlier had deserted him.

The Weepinbell apparently got tired of waiting and moved forward, their leaves scraping against the ground to create an ominous rustling sound. Arrogantly, they strode into close range.

As soon as one got close enough. Kirito flicked his wrist, causing his «Short Blade» to appear once again in his hand. Lunging as best as he could with one leg missing, he managed to pierce it through between the eyes; its weak point. He rolled over as he collapsed, landing on his back to avoid any damage to Zero.

The weapon clattered to the ground as its temporary sheath exploded into a cloud of multi-faceted polygons. Kirito tried to reach for it, but it was now out of his range. One Weepinbell flicked it into the bushes behind them with its leaf as it advanced. Six of them remained.

He pulled himself upright again, angling his body and presenting his back to them so he could shield Zero. It wouldn't amount to much, but Kirito just did it anyways.

...Suguha... mom. I'm sorry...

He angled his head to face the Weepinbell and glared at them defiantly. One apparently didn't like that kind of thing, and thus raised its leaf. It glowed a violent green, the color indicating that it was a «Power Whip» and not the weaker "Vine" variety. Its brothers moved back to let it do the honors.

Kirito stared it down, determined to face death with dignity. He clutched Zero's body closer.

He waited a long time.

Then he noticed something was strange; the Pokemon's eyes were bulging. It twitched as if someone shocked it. The HP bar wrapping around its head was falling down, from green to yellow to red, with remarkable speed.

Then its eyes leaked blood and it toppled over, shattering like an ice sculpture.

Neither Kirito nor the rest of the Weepinbell understood what was happening. None of them moved an inch.

A loud CRACK rang out from above them. All six of them, human and Pokemon, looked up.

Kirito blinked.

Wha-

All five of the Pokemon were driven comically into the dirt as a large tree branch dropped from the sky on top of them with the force of a speeding truck. A large cloud of dust plumed up, obscuring Kirito's vision and breathing. He coughed, hacking, trying to clear his system. The lack of his leg caused him to lose his balance as well, falling over onto his back again.

When Kirito opened his eyes again, the dust had settled. Particles were rising from underneath the fallen branch: all that remained of the Weepinbell.

What... what?

The sheer randomness had completely stolen Kirito's wit away from him. The amount of crazy things that had happened that day had taken its toll on his mental strength, and all he could do was sit there with his mouth open.

All was quiet save the settling of the dust.

Then: Are you okay?

Kirito jumped, looking every which way. Then he realized the voice had come from within his own head. Carefully, he checked all angles before broadcasting his thoughts.

...Did you save us?

Yes. The voice replied steadily. It took most of my powers to wrench the branch free of the tree and to drop it right over those Weepinbell. I was never as mentally strong as the rest of my species.

It sounded as if it belonged to a young boy, yet the steadiness behind the words showed much mental control. The two attributes combined to form a strange feeling; like a genius was sprouting intelligent babble in a baby voice.

Kirito breathed out. Suddenly he felt so weak; not a single muscle in his body responded to him. He was still alive. Zero was alive too.

They were...

Thank you. Thank you so much.

...don't mention it. I was, for the lack of a better word, intrigued.

By what? Who are you? Where are you? Kirito looked around the clearing; he could see no one. He looked up; there was the broken stump at the end of a tree, where the branch used to hang. I don't see-

A tap on his shoulder.

Kirito turned around and came face to face with two large eyes half concealed by a green bowl cut. One red pupil and one orange pupil; Heterochromia iridum.

He blinked, then widened his focus. Two large red horns; the larger one splitting the green hair in two, and another smaller one, Kirito was sure, at the back of its head. The body and legs looked like a pure white dress, though dusty. One arm rested on Kirito's shoulder.

The «Ralts» tilted its head.

Who am I? My name... You can call me Raphael.

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Author's Note

Heyo everyone! Vic here. Thank you for reading! I'll be updating a lot more frequently now.

So after a year of hiatus I've finally found the time and drive to write again. Senior year was pretty hellish for me. Homework, activities, exams, SATs, APs, and lots of other time-taking things took up most of my time. Other drama and life happenings drained my will to write.

But I've graduated! I guess I'm an adult? And I feel better now. So I'm back with a vengeance.

As always, please leave a review with constructive criticism. Help a newbie improve.

Also, if any of you have ideas for a Pokemon that you think a character in the Sword Art Online universe must have, please leave the suggestion in your review or PM me. Any SAO character! I'll probably try to include everyone.

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I do not own Pokemon nor Sword Art Online.