DEAR GOD I'M SORRY! Work hit me like a train this month and kept me too busy to do much writing. I realized that working on more than one project at a time is really difficult, so don't expect that Xcom fic until I'm done with Shattered Thrones. Uhhhh, On with the show I guess!
"Lady Misty Cerulean, the waterflower herself." The lanky man said, introducing her to the trio of men sitting around the table. "Her loyal retainer, Jason of Pallet Town."he said, motioning for Jay to step forward. "And Captain Martyn Ulysses of the Broken Banners." The mercenaries stepped forward, grim looks adorning their faces.
The man in the middle looked down at them with concern. "Lady Cerulean," He started. "It is a pleasure to see you again. Your mother's death was a tragedy to us all. We offer our deepest condolences." The man bowed his head in respect.
Misty grimaced at the mention of her mother, barely managing to keep her composure. "I thank you my lord. However I've come for more than just your condolences." She looked at Jay, then back up at the rebel leaders. "I'm in need of your assistance." She said. "The Rockets oppress my people. They are suffering." She motioned to the mercenaries, still locking eyes with the man in the middle. "I've already struck a bargain with the Captain Ulysses. The Broken Banners will aid my city in its time of need. Now I ask you to pledge the same. Cerulean stands against the very same enemy that threatens you. Will you join us?"
The man on the left stood up, adjusted his glasses and looked down at Misty. "Child, you must think of what you're asking us. Even with Cerulean and the Broken Banners joining together, there is no guarantee of victory."
The man in the middle stood up, coming to Misty's defence. "Joining with them would give us the best chance of liberating the city we've seen yet. William, think about it. When have we ever had a chance like this to hit the Rockets where it hurts."
The first man cocked his head, staying silent for the moment. "Very well." He stated. "Perhaps this is a risk worth taking." He turned back to the second man. "I must insist that we examine their minds. It is the only way to be certain that we are not being deceived."
The second man nodded and looked down at Misty. "Will you agree to allow your minds to be inspected?" He asked.
Misty nodded vigorously. "Anything you need. We have nothing to hide." She said.
Brock burst out the doors of Daisy's gym to a scene of chaos. The plaza opposite the gym was a field of gutted buildings. In the distance, the rising clouds of dust and furious sounds of battle told him that Ash had released Carris. Slowly and inevitably, Ash and Gary were losing ground to the Rockets' pokemon.
Gary's wartortle had withdrawn into its shell, enduring the brutal assaults of Jessie's arbok. Ash's pikachu was facing off against the lickitung, engaged in a high speed battle in an attempt to wear the much more powerful lickitung down. Only Gary's pidgeotto was having any success, darting in repeatedly to jab at the victreebell with its beak before taking back to the skies before the victreebell could strike.
Brock dropped his hands to his belt, releasing a trio of pokemon. A much smaller onix, graveler, and ryhorn charged into the battle. The ryhorn bellowed a roar and charged the lickitung, burying its horn in the centre of the pink blob. It fell backwards, blood pouring from the hole in its chest cavity. Pikachu took advantage of the distraction, pumping electricity into the gaping wound. The lickitung disappeared in a flash of red light, returned to its ball by a scowling Jessie.
Brock's onix launched itself into the victreebell and clamped onto its body with solid rock jaws. Sawyer swooped in, landing on the victreebell's body and ripping apart the pokemon's eyes with razor sharp talons. The pidgeotto took off, allowing Brock's onix to coil itself around the victreebell and crush the pokemon with its body. An audible crunch and deflated wheeze came from the victreebell, signifying its death.
James released his wheezing, quickly realizing the battle had turned against them. "Give us a smokescreen." He ordered, before turning to Jessie. "Get arbok out of there, we have to retreat." He pulled an arm up to his mouth, covering it and motioning for his wheezing to follow him.
Jessie reluctantly recalled her pokemon. She took off after James, using the smoke billowing from his wheezing as cover.
Carris crashed back into the plaza across from the gym. The machamp leapt atop it, hammering down on Carris' head with its fists. Carris twisted, knocking the machamp to the ground. Before the fighting-type could react, Carris was over top of it, roasting it with blue flames. The machamp attempted to rise to its feet under the barrage of flame. Carris reared up and lunged her head forward. Her jaws closed around the machamp's head, tearing from its body. The machamp's body fell to the floor, a headless husk.
Carris threw her head back and roared a challenge that went unanswered. Ash held out her ball, recalling the massive rock snake.
Brock strode up to Ash, pulled back his fist and swung a punch that took him by surprise. Pikachu's cheeks sparked, but the presence of Brock's pokemon kept it from acting. "What the fuck were you thinking?" He roared. "A brawl in the streets of Cerulean? Was me telling you to keep your fucking heads down not clear enough for you?"
"They came after us." Ash complained. "We had to make a break for the gym."
"So you let out a murderous onix that levelled an entire plaza?" Brock rounded on him, yelling. "Did neither of you think? Did you have a plan at all?" He looked back and forth between the two incredulously. "You could have done anything else, and it would not have fucked things up as much!"
"How did we fuck things up?" Ash asked, earning himself a smack from Brock for his question.
"They were waiting for us in front of the gym." Gary said. "They drove us out of the centre, and waited for us."
"So you didn't think to go around them?" Brock shot back. "Do you not understand that we are in a precarious situation?" Brock shouted. "We don't have enough men to hold off a siege for long, and unless you can pull a few thousand men out of a hat, you've fucked things up so badly that I doubt anyone of importance in this city lives out the week."
"How many men do we have?" Gary asked.
Brock shook his head. "Not even close to enough." He held his head in his hands and sighed. "Just get in the gym. We're gonna have to move fast if we want to win this fight."
Misty grimaced as the alakazam's mind probed through hers. It whipped through memories, processing them far faster than the human mind could even dream of. It was not gentle with its probe, caring little for the human's well being. The only thing that kept the psychic from tearing apart her mind like it was a growlithe's chew toy, was the careful observation of its human masters.
"She is an honest soul." It said telepathically, withdrawing from Misty's mind. "She does not seek to deceive you."
William nodded at him. "Now the mercenaries." He ordered.
The alakazam nodded and bowed. It rose off the ground, crossing it's legs. "Do not resist if you value your sanity." It boomed in their minds.
"Well boys, I'll go…" Started Martyn.
Without warning, the alakazam invaded his mind. Martyn dropped to one knee, stabilizing himself with one arm. For what seemed like an eternity, the alakazam examined every corner of the Captain's mind, searching for any hostile intent. Satisfied with its findings, the alakazam pulled itself out of Martyn's mind, causing him to wince in pain.
"Surprisingly, he does not seek to destroy us." The alakazam said. "He will honour the agreement he has made with the Lady Cerulean." With barely a flicker of effort, it examined the two other mercenaries. "His lackeys are clean."
Jay gulped nervously. He knew that he would pass the test. However, his visits to the afterlife were still fresh in his mind. The alakazam would no doubt find those memories. Fear dominated his mind, sending it racing along progressively worse paths.
The alakazam's presence smashed through the meagre resistance Jay mounted. Angered by the human's insolence, the alakazam resolved to teach it a lesson. It started at his moment of birth, racing through memories Jay couldn't even recall. Every thought Jay'd ever had, every feeling he'd ever felt, all of them were forced through his mind faster than he could possibly handle.
Jay dropped to the ground, curling into a fetal position. Incomprehensible babbling came streaming out of his mouth.
"He is resisting." William said. "A poor choice."
"Help him!" Misty shouted. She took a step towards the alakazam and was halted by a wall of psychic energy. "Recall the alakazam." She ordered.
"I will do no such thing." Said William. "We have not survived for so long by being lax in our security measures. His mind will be examined, the same as yours."
The alakazam extracted himself from Jay's mind, ripping memories with it as it went. It turned away from him, leaving the boy crying on the floor. "He does not seek to harm us. However I would suggest a guard keep a close eye on him. The boy has been touched by ghosts. Even now, their presence still lingers in his mind. I doubt the boy even knows that they are there."
Misty piped up at the mention of ghosts. "We were attacked several times on our journey from Mt. Moon to here." She looked back at Jay, feeling a pang of pity towards him. "Could that have been the presence?" She asked.
"It is possible." Said the alakazam. "Whatever left the presence was extremely powerful. Once again, I would suggest that he is kept under guard while here."
"So the kid's gonna be fine?" Martyn asked, with something resembling concern.
"With time." The alakazam replied. "I was not gentle with my probing. He will most likely require several hours of sleep at the moment. When he wakes, he will have to face the memory of feeling everything he has ever experienced at once. Increased irritation and aggression, along with a decline in his decision making abilities are the expected symptoms. Full recovery will likely take months"
"Great…" Martyn muttered. "And he was the reasonable one."
A man dressed in mottled green combat fatigues ran into the room, panting heavily. "Generals!" He shouted, saluting the men. "Word from our informants in Cerulean. A battle erupted in the square outside the gym. The Rocket agents were driven back, with two of their Pokemon killed. The Rockets manning the checkpoints inside the city are already massing to strike Daisy's Gym. There's already an army marching on the city from the Rocket base to the north."
"What of Cerulean's response?" William asked.
"Almost nonexistent." The man replied. "Lady Cerulean and her sisters are rallying whatever troops they can at the gym. Lord Galbert is the only banner that has answered her call, and by all reports he is moving to secure the northern gatehouse. But they will not be able to hold the gates without aid."
"Nobody else?" William asked. "Daisy has thousands pledged to her."
The man shook his head. "At least at the moment, Lord Galbert is the only one."
William looked down at Martyn, grimacing. "It seems that Cerulean requires our aid. Shall we answer together?"
The mercenary nodded, a vicious smile gracing his face. "Aye. Let's go save the redhead's sister."
Lyra stepped through the door to her room, exhausted beyond reasoning. She'd been training non-stop since Ethan had returned, trying and failing to keep her mind busy. Her pokemon had thrown themselves into their training just as hard as she had, pushing themselves to the brink of collapse almost every day. She unstrapped the belt holding her pair of pokemon and dropped it onto the floor, too tired to care about keeping the room tidy.
"What are you?" Eon's voice said, popping into her head.
Lyra spun on the spot, instantly spotting the psychic. The xatu was perched on the chair that sat next to her window. "How did you get in here?" She asked.
"I asked a question first. Common courtesy is to answer before you ask your own question." He said. "What are you? I will not ask again."
"A human, I guess." Lyra said, confusion seeping into her voice. "Why're you asking that?"
The xatu paused, obviously contemplating his response. "Because you are the second person I've met that has a shroud over your mind. I cannot see your future. It is hidden."
"What do you mean?" Lyra asked, even more confused. "You can't see my future? Should you be able to?"
The xatu sighed. "My species is capable of seeing the entire life of each person we meet. It is an incredible strain on the mind, and most xatu choose to live in isolation because of it. However, there are some like myself who choose to live among others." He shook his head. "The point is, your future is hidden from my sight, and I would like to know why."
Lyra shrugged. "I don't know why you can't. Maybe it's just a rare ability?"
Eon laughed sarcastically. "Do you think I have not considered that? Silly human, do not think that you will solve this mystery with your puny intellect. Even the most ancient xatu are unable to fathom the reasons behind this. What makes you think that you can?"
Lyra shot back an angry look. "Fuck off bird. I was just trying to help."
"You are strange, human." He shifted his weight, then spoke again. "I apologize. Perhaps I will question you again once you have regained your strength.
She flopped onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. "Thank you. Now get out of my room."
The xatu stared at her in silence. She rolled over, facing away from him. She heard Eon shift his weight, then pop out of existence. A smile spread across her face as she drifted off to sleep stop her blankets.
"Get back!" Brock roared, shoving a Rocket soldier back with a powerful kick. "Back to the gym!" He turned back to the gym, shouting madly while he ran. A Rocket stepped in front of him and brought the pair down in a heap. Brock abandoned his sword and hauled himself on top of the Rocket. He pulled he knife from his belt and stabbed it through the Rocket's throat. He looked up at the gym and screamed a command. "Archers! Fire at will!"
A pack of men broke off from the fight, making a mad dash back to the gym. Brought stumbled to his feet, retrieving his sword in the process. He took off after the militia, easily overtaking them. A barrage of arrows peppered the Rocket forces, giving the Ceruleans time to retreat. The Rockets ignored them, reforming their formation in the ruined buildings across from the gym. A row of archers stepped out from the ranks, nocking their arrows.
"Ash!" Brock shouted, scrambling up a pile of debris and into a second floor corridor. "Get pikachu to cover them!"
Ash nodded, relaying the order to his pokemon. Pikachu dashed out of the cover of the crumbling front wall of the gym and blasted the Rocket lines with electricity, bringing screams from their ranks. The archers ducked back into the ranks of men, hiding from the bolts of lightning that brought down several of their comrades. The Ceruleans outside the gym scrambled back into it, finally back under the cover of its walls.
The Rocket formation tightened up, shields locking. They advanced, shields held high to defend against the onslaught of arrows and electric attacks.
Then the Rockets were on them, pressing into the gym as fast as they could. The Ceruleans were quickly forced back, crushed under the Rockets sheer numbers. They split into two groups, forcing some of the Ceruleans down the hallway away from Brock and Ash.
Brock stepped back, giving himself space and released his ryhorn. The beast appeared in a flash of light and materialized beside him, taking up most of the corridor. The floor creaked, groaning under the strain of the massive pokemon. "Charge." He ordered, all emotion drained from his voice.
Ash immediately understood his intention, screaming a warning to the Cerulean militia. He flattened himself against the wall, barely avoiding the charging pokemon.
The ryhorn plunged into the mass of humanity, crushing Ceruleans and Rockets alike. It plowed into the wall at the end of the hallway and cracking it. A surviving Rocket leapt at the ryhorn, stabbing his sword into a gap in the ryhorn's natural armour. The pokemon roared in pain and slammed itself into the wall, crushing the attacking Rocket. It turned and charged back down the hallway towards Brock and Ash, slamming into the walls several times.
Brock turned and tackled Ash to the ground, barely avoiding the ryhorn's wild charge. It slammed into the wall and splintered it, showering the two with a hail of debris. It bellowed again and charged into the remains of the Rockets. The floor finally gave out, dropping dozens of bodies onto the first floor. The Ceruleans still holding the first floor and the Rockets fighting them were almost immediately crushed under the falling debris and bodies.
"Return that thing! Before it kills us!" Ash shouted, barely audible over the sounds of the building crumbling.
Brock hauled the teen to his feet and shook his head. "We don't stand a chance without it." He grabbed an abandoned sword off the ground and pushed it into Ash's hands. "Where the fuck did your friend go?" He asked.
"He was on the first floor." Ash replied.
"Fuck." Brock swore. "Come on, we've got to warn the others."
"What about Gary?" Ash asked. "We can't just leave him!"
Brock shrugged callously. "If he's still alive he'll dig himself out. We don't have the time." He returned his ryhorn and started off down the ravaged hallway.
Ash hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. He turned his back on Brock and jumped down to the remains of the first floor. Pikachu landed beside him. They looked at each other and nodded. Pikachu took off into the debris, only pausing to dispatch a surviving Rocket. Ash did the same, combing through the wreckage for his friend.
Jay could feel himself floating again. "Fuck! I swear to whatever God you believe in, I will rip you a new asshole if you bring me back here." He opened his eyes and saw the old lady on her rocking chair, floating in the void beside him.
"Is that any way to talk to an old lady?" She asked. "I've done you no harm. In fact, I believe that I saved your life on one occasion. Your only feelings toward me should be gratitude."
"I've had enough of ghosts fucking with my mind. It's starting to get a little old." He answered. "Why did you bring me here?" He asked.
"Because you are important. You will bear the weight of millions, and I intend to make sure that you succeed."
"The fuck does that mean?" Jay shot back angrily. "I've had enough of this. I want you, that asshole with the evil voice, and any other ghosts who think I'm important to leave me the fuck alone."
The crone laughed. "Such powerful spirit. You do not understand yourself. I will not leave you in peace, because your path does not end in peace. You require aid, someone to tutor you in this world and the real one."
Jay opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by a wave of energy from the woman. "I will not be disrespected by a runt like you." She boomed. "You will go to Lavender Town. There, you will discover what you truly are." With that she exploded into a stream of black miasma and blasted Jay across the void. His eyes closed and he blacked out once again.
So there you have it. The Cerulean arc is coming to a violent close and the Azalea arc is wrapping up. There might be a time skip in the next few chapters, just to get the ball rolling again.
I want to know who everyone's favourite characters have been so far. So either leave me a review or check out the poll on my profile. Squarecircles out!
