Hello everybody, and thank you all so much for your shows of support. Honestly, it means a lot to me. Everyone who sent me a message of support, or a review, you guys are awesome. I know this chapter took a while to get out, and I apologize for that (two parties in a week, and more hours than I've ever been. I'm planning on starting a new project that's got me really excited the details are at the bottom of the story, so please stick around until the end of the chapter.


Ethan spun to his left, barely avoiding the blade of a lunging Rocket. He brought his own blade down in an arc, biting into the Rocket's neck. A second Rocket was swinging before he even had a chance to pull his blade free. Ethan pulled his sword out of the Rocket's neck in a spurt of blood. He brought it up, barely deflecting the incoming blow. Ethan feigned a blow towards the Rocket's head, then lunged for his thigh. The thrust fooled the Rocket, dropping him to the floor as a screaming mess. A third Rocket was on Ethan before he could retrieve his sword. Ethan jumped backwards, avoiding the wild swing.

Before Ethan could pull his knife free of its sheath, a tauros barrelled into the Rocket from the side. The man went down in a heap, the tauros smashing its front hooves through his skull. The tauros brought its head down in a savage blow, spearing the fallen Rocket with its horns.

Ethan winced at the splatter of blood and brain that covered his pokemon's body. The tauros reared up again to land another blow on the Rocket. "Tia!" Ethan shouted. The tauros came back down gently, looking at Ethan with mournful eyes. Ethan smiled and patted his pokemon's side. "Good girl. Try not to lose control like that. You know it's dangerous for you." The tauros hung her head and stared at the ground.

"You know she doesn't like fighting right?" A voice said in Ethan's head. He spun on the spot and saw Eon floating above a mangled corpse. "Odd, considering her species, but she dislikes violence." The xatu sighed in Ethan's head. "A shame that you force her into such a fierce bloodlust."

"I know that Eon. Glad that you could finally join us." Ethan said. "Are those Rockets dealt with?" He asked.

Eon nodded solemnly. "They are dead. The migraine it caused me most likely will last another week."

Ethan held out a ball, returning his tauros. He looked at Eon, then glanced warily at the bodies around him. "Can you sense any more Rockets around here?" He asked Eon.

Eon looked at him with contempt. "For your information, I haven't been able to sense any of the Rockets at all. It's like I said earlier, it's like they've all got some sort of psychic dampening ability." He cocked his head to the side, then spoke in a surprised tone. "I do sense something powerful nearby though."

"What is it Eon?" Ethan asked.

"There is an absurdly powerful psychic presence." The bird replied. "Its mind is hidden from me. All I'm getting from it is anger." The bird paused for a moment. "Strange… The presence is gone, but the anger remains."

Ethan stared at his pokemon. "Show me how to get there?" He asked.

The xatu hesitated for a moment then nodded. It levitated itself off the ground, moving even deeper into the cave.


"Are you sure you can trust those two?" Daisy asked, draining the rest of her wine. "Something about them seemed off to me."

Brock raised an eyebrow. "I think we can trust them. They seem like just a couple kids that got themselves in way too deep. I don't even know the full story though. Those two boys showed up with Misty claiming that they were helping each other. The most I could get out of them was that they're massively important to the rebellion. I haven't the slightest clue how though."

Daisy frowned. "I don't know if the rebellion is something we should be getting involved with. Too many people die because of them, even if they do have good intentions." She dazed at the table, lost in thought for a moment. "Could they make a good bargaining chip to use against Lance?" She asked.

Brock gritted his teeth. "No doubt they would, but are you actually going to consider that? Is there anything wrong with bringing Lance down? The man's a tyrant if there ever was one."

Daisy snorted with laughter. "Only that it's impossible. Lance might be a tyrant, but it's not like anyone can topple him. He's got the civilized half of Johto in his pocket, and Kanto is still so divided from his revolution that it poses no threat. We give him the biggest threat to his rule we can find on a silver platter and hope he's feeling generous."

Brock shook his head. "You might be right, but what kind of person am I if I didn't stand up to right some of the wrongs in the world? Lance killed thousands of years of knowledge and tradition when he killed Agatha. He's trampled every tradition that crossed his path and killed everyone who dared oppose him. Plus, I've fought alongside these boys. They're just kids."

Daisy narrowed her eyes and frowned. "That's my point Brock. He can't be beat. Doesn't it seem weird that the biggest threat to him is a pair of boys from south of Viridian? We shouldn't be getting involved in this shit."

"No." He replied. "He can. My father told me that when Lance was beginning his revolution he tried to recruit my father's aid. My father used the same argument that you're using right now. If Lance could topple a family that dates back farther than anyone can remember, then what's to say that he can't be brought down too?"

Daisy stared at him then slowly shook her head. "Enough of this pointless argument. We are to be married, are we not? Put these thoughts from your mind for the moment, and enjoy yourself."

Brock sighed and broke in to a grin. "I suppose you're right. I apologize my lady, I have behaved improperly and beg your forgiveness."

Daisy snorted in laughter again. "There's no need to be so proper Brock."

He smiled back. "Good, because I fucking hate talking like that." He shook his head with a smile. "Makes me sound like my dad."

"And me sound like my mother." Daisy said back, raising her empty glass for Brock to fill again. "A toast… To becoming our parents. Mew knows they were better at our jobs than we were."

Brock emptied the bottle into her glass and pushed it back towards her. "I'll drink to that my lady." He raised his own half full glass in a toast. "Our parents!"


"This is the rebel base?" The merc asked incredulously. "We combed every inch of the place when we found it. There's nothing here, it's just a run down old lab. Plus, the last contact we had with the rebels was well to the east of here."

Misty shook her head. "This is the place. My mother was in constant contact with them. She used this lab as their meeting place." She stepped into the lab, Jay right behind her.

"Misty are you sure this is the place?" He looked around at the dilapidated equipment. "It looks like it's been abandoned for years."

Misty smirked at him. "That's the idea Jay." She stepped up to one of the many consoles that covered the walls. She tapped a command into the computer, then turned to Jay. "It's supposed to look like shit."

A loud series of clicks and knocks came from behind the console. The computer split in half, opening to reveal a staircase that lead down into the earth. Misty turned back to the mercenaries. "After you, gentlemen."

The two mercs that had accompanied their commander looked at him nervously. His hand dropped to the pommel of his sword, a nervous reflex. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat and nodded to his men. The three men started down the staircase, followed by Jay and Misty.

"I hate to be the one to say this." Started Jay. "But we're going into a secret underground bunker with three people we probably shouldn't trust. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Misty smirked at him. "Jay, the worst ideas often end up becoming the best with hindsight."

Jay shook his head and sighed. "Doesn't mean it's not a fucking stupid idea in the first place." He stepped off the last stair and into a bare room. "Now what?" He asked.

The wall opposite the staircase slid open. A dozen soldiers rushed out, surrounding the group with their weapons at the ready. The mercenaries ripped their swords from their scabbards and backed up against each other. Jay started to pull his blade out, but a sharp look from Misty stopped him.

A tall, wiry man wearing glasses pushed his way through the circle of soldiers. "Captain Barrett, stand down." He turned to Misty and bobbed his head in a bow. "I apologize for this my lady. Mister Barrett is overly zealous when it comes to defending this complex." He smiled at Misty serenely. "I trust that miss Cerulean's guests will not be a problem?"

"I give you my word." She responded, pointedly glaring at the mercenaries. "They won't be a problem at all. Will they?"

The merc captain gritted his teeth and slowly lowered his sword. He sheathed it, glaring at the rebel captain. "Put your swords away boys. We're not fighting today."

The lanky rebel looked at him with concern. "Oh dear. I'm afraid that I have to ask you to hand over your weapons." He looked unsurprised by the mercenaries' immediate outburst. He stepped back, allowing the rebel soldiers to threaten the mercenaries into silence. "There's really no need for any of this." He said, head poking over the ring of men surrounding the mercenaries. "I give you my word that you will not be harmed. It's only a precaution. After all, you are part of the mercenary company that is combing over Cerulean Cape for this very base."

The captain hesitated for a moment. "I can't believe I got myself into this mess." He muttered under his breath. "Should've just killed the damn kids." He looked to the two men with him and shook his head. "I want these back as soon as possible. You get that?"

The rebel smiled at him and spoke in the same serene voice. "We'll do everything in our power to make that possible." He pointed to the sword still strapped to the mercenary's belt. "Now if you would just place your weapons on the ground for us."

The mercenaries reluctantly dropped their weapons. The rebel soldiers rushed forward to collect them.

The same rebel that spoke before walked over to Misty and Jay and held out his hand. "I'm afraid that I must ask the same of you as well. It's just a precaution."

Jay held out his blade, Misty repeating his motion beside him. The rebel with glasses took their weapons then bowed again towards Misty. "If you would follow me, I can take you to the people in charge."


"Eon!" Ethan exclaimed.

The xatu turned to look at him with what Ethan could have sworn was a devilish grin. The rocket grunt in front of the pokemon dropped like his strings had been cut. Blood seeped out of the man's nose and ears, his brains scrambled by psychic power.

"What is it human?" The xatu spat. "Do you want to find out what's going on down here or not?" It levitated forwards, into Ethan's face. "You annoy me, puny human. The disturbance I felt gave me power. I feel more powerful than ever. Do not test me or I will flay you alive with my mind."

Ethan responded by returning the xatu to its ball. He slipped it back into the holster, shaking his head. The bird had torn through the first Rocket trooper he had found, drawing more Rockets. Instead of freezing and complaining about the future, Eon tore into them with ferocity that took Ethan by surprise. They hadn't even been able to touch him. Every man that came close to him dropped to the ground with blood pouring from every orifice. All the while the bird was shrieking in Ethan's mind about affronts to nature and things beyond human comprehension.

Ethan shook his head, dispelling any of his concerns. Right now he had to focus on the task at hand. One of his two pokemon that actually fit in the tunnels had gone mad. The other was barely more than a child. Ethan sighed reluctantly. Slowly, he realized that his mission had gone horribly wrong.

He was deep in an enemy stronghold, with no backup save for the six pokemon that sat in balls on his belt. He knew he needed to get out of the well before more Rockets showed up and overwhelmed him. His lone psychic had gone power mad, and he had no idea which tunnel would lead him out.

Ethan spun on the spot, attempting to figure out which tunnel would lead to the surface. He hesitated, realizing that he didn't actually know which tunnel would lead out. Ethan let Torch out of his ball, and knelt down on the floor in front of his pokemon. "Torch, I know it's a long shot, but can you lead me out of here? Eon isn't in any shape to help me right now."

The cyndaquil nodded excitedly, and happily scampered down one of the tunnels, oblivious to the carnage around led Ethan down the tunnel, nearly running out of his trainer's sight at several points.

Angry voices bounced off the walls of the tunnel. Torch recoiled at the sound, looking up at Ethan nervously. Ethan ducked against the wall of the tunnel, immediately taking cover. Torch's flames died, dropping the pair into darkness.

"This failure is on you Proton. Because of your incompetence, the subject escaped yet again." A woman's voice rang through the tunnels. "Lord Sakai will hear of this. I doubt he'll tolerate your failure much longer."

"What failure?" Answered a man. "The chances of capturing the subject were always slim." He chuckled. "Besides the bodies, I'd call this operation a success. We confirmed that the creature is affected by our new toys, and managed to inflict more damage than any previous operation could have dreamed of. With more men, I can have the subject back under our control the next time it surfaces."

The woman laughed. "No, you don't understand. You've been reassigned. Subject ninety-two is no longer your assignment." Ethan heard the sound of a pokemon being released from its ball. "Lord Sakai wants a personal report on this cell's operations. He's expecting you within the week."

"And how the fuck am I supposed to get to Viridian in a week?" The man asked.

"Not my problem. Goodbye Proton." The telltale pop of a pokemon teleporting away echoed down the cave.

"Fucking bitch." Proton swore. "I'll fucking show her." Ethan heard him grunt, then struggle to move something. Something heavy shifted, then fell back onto the floor with a thud. "Ah shit." Proton said.

Ethan decided to take a peek around the corner. What he saw would give him nightmares for years. Dozens of mangled bodies were strewn across the chamber. Some were human, some were pokemon. All of them looked as if they had been ripped apart from within. A blue haired man was pulling the remains of a human body off a clearly dead fearow. A literal lake of blood covered the floor behind the man. Ethan recoiled in horror, ducking his head back around the corner.

"Good for nothing bird. Why'd you have to go get yourself killed?" Proton asked, berating the corpse. "Now how am I getting to Kanto?"

Ethan had heard enough. He knew that the man was a member of Team Rocket, likely a high-ranking one if the woman was to be believed. Or rather, a formerly high-ranking member. Regardless, Ethan steeled himself for a fight. If he was going to figure out what was happening, then the man would need to be captured. He nodded to Torch, then slowly and silently pulled his sword from the scabbard.

He stepped out from the tunnel, sword raised. Torch bounded out after him, puffing up the flames on his back. "Put your hands on your head. Lay down flat on the floor." Ethan ordered, striding forward. "Scorch him if he tries anything." He ordered to Torch.

The man stood up and turned to face Ethan, his face a mask of pure malice. "I wouldn't do that if I was you." His hand dropped to his hip, resting on the sword that sat there. "The last guy who threatened me ended up choking on his own cock."

"Try it you freak." Ethan retorted.

"I won't have to try."


Alright everyone, at the top of the chapter I said I was working on a new project. I recently bought Xcom Enemy Within on my phone. In less than a week it became my go-to time waster. I checked out the Xcom section on this site, and didn't really find any great fics. With Xcom 2 on the way, I decided that I should take a crack at writing my own Xcom fic. I haven't meshed out all the details yet, but I'm looking to see if there's any interest in that kind of fic. Leave me a review or drop me a pm to let me know what you think of his idea. If I do end up writing it, you guys probably won't see it until the new year, but I'm very very excited about this. Sqcircles out!