Chapter VII: Back to Square Zero
"Wake up... I'm not gonna say it again," a familiar voice snarled.
I bared my fangs as I attempted to stand, only to find myself falling back to the ground, wincing in pain.
With the little strength I had, I managed to open my eyes and find myself… Outside.
And apparently quite a distance from the Team Alpha facility.
I looked over at the speaker, my face brushing against the dirt, and scowled at him.
"You… Th-think this…" I gasped as I tried to stand feebly, "Is… Over?"
Sceptile stared down at me, as though not sure what to think of my attitude.
"Go ahead… Fight me. I don't have my team to back me up and I have a broken arm no thanks to you. Surely you can mop the floor with me, couldn't you?" he stated smugly.
I clenched my eyes shut and fell to the ground from the unending pain. It didn't make sense considering I only took a couple of good blows to the head… unless they sabotaged my body while I was sleeping.
Sceptile got in my face now, kneeling down to my level, "Go ahead! Take the hit! That's right, I killed that excuse of a mentor of yours!"
My eyes widened at his response.
"And that kid. Bunnelby was no match for Sableye either. Now unless you want the same thing done to you I suggest you back the hell off and do everything that I say."
He… He killed him…?
I just… Couldn't believe it. These two guys just killed him? Like that?
He didn't get any last words, didn't find his sister… His last moments on Earth… Were protecting me. He didn't even live for much and I just let it happen.
One by one the tears fell down my face, "No… Sir Greninja wouldn't… He would never lose… He would never lose to you…" I sobbed.
Sceptile grinned at me, "Ohh he did. I'll admit he would've been quite the fight for myself if it weren't with the help of Lucario on my side. Ohh yeah, we showed him a thing or two. Don't worry, though… We killed him quickly."
Slowly, I could feel my sorrow building into anger but only somehow stooping back to sorrow again.
With many more sobs to come I replied through my teeth, "I swear on… S-Sir Greninja's life I will kill you. And I'll kill that… Lucario and Sableye too."
"Well if you're gonna do it, now would be the best time cause there's no way in hell you'd beat me otherwise."
Was I positive he'd killed Sir Greninja? No, but there was always the chance. And it was that moment I noticed it. His aura showed no anxiety or fear as he spoke. Which meant he wasn't lying. But then again, I was only judging from his emotions.
I spat on the ground before him, "You're… Weak."
Sceptile simply laughed, "Says the Riolu who's on his last limb."
I hate to admit, he was right. As much as I wanted to fight now, it would've been no good for me. But Mewtwo needs me alive for some reason so killing me isn't an option for this guy.
I'll have to endure whatever he does to me for the time being until I recover. But… Sir Greninja will not go out in vein.
"So… You caught me… And considering I'm alive… What exactly does Mewtwo want you… To do?"
"My orders don't concern you, brat. Now shut your mouth and stand up. We're heading back to my place."
I did my best to stand but even my greatest efforts failed. Sceptile sighed, grabbed me by the wrist and stood me up manually. Doing so caused me to nearly collapse.
"It's no good… You'll have to carry me," I growled.
"I didn't wake you up after running ten miles just to carry you for five more. You're on your own. And if I see you getting too far behind I'll assume you're trying to run from me, which means I'll have to pound your face in. Got it?"
I huffed, showing no intimidation from this guy.
He grinned and stared off into the distance, "Good. Glad we understand each other."
In a blur of motion he was heading North, and although I was exhausted I did my best to keep up with his pace. I was lagging behind exponentially but not bad enough to where he wasn't visible.
With every movement of my body, I felt my body getting weaker. My fatigue growing stronger. And it wasn't long before I merely collapsed.
Sceptile stopped and approached me.
"You have five seconds to get up before I knock you out cold."
I snarled, getting already fed up with his attitude, "Do it then!"
I stood upright, staring him dead in the eyes, "You talk a big game, let's see you hit me! Because here's… Er… one thing that… Here's one thing that Sir Greninja hated that I do too. It's a threat. So if you're gonna hit me you… You better… Better hit me with e-everything you've got…"
Sceptile's scowl became a determined grin, "Persistent bastard. I'll give ya that."
"That's what I thought. You have the nerve to call me weak? You can't even take me on without your friends."
"Please, I'm not wasting my remaining strength on you."
"Well you'd better… Because this is the part where I try to run. After all, your job is to keep me from running away isn't it?" I stated with a smirk.
Sceptile scowled, "You even take one step from my dir-"
I cut him off as I fired a swift aura sphere his direction. Surprised I even had enough stamina to fire that off, I got into fighting stance. Sceptile took the attack to the face, the impact knocking him down. He was quick to get back to his feet.
Sceptile growled, "Alright Mewtwo! I don't care what you say anymore, I'm gonna kill this kid!"
Sceptile paused, the forest being silent between us. Finally he replied, "No, Mewtwo! I'm not listening anymore. This little shit is mine, I don't care what you need him for-"
He paused again, his clenched fists slowly opening as he sighs.
"Oh… So that's why you need him… Well then…"
"What is it? What's he saying?" I inquired.
Sceptile raised a finger to me, "Sorry, Mewtwo. It won't happen again."
He lowered his arm to his side and stared me down, "Come on, kid. Let's get back to my place. I've got some food and whatever else you might need."
Still ready to fight I asked, "What!? You think just because of a talk with Mewtwo I'm gonna let you take me still? You… You killed Sir Greninja. Hurt Buniot… So if you want me to come with you, you're gonna have to kill me first."
Sceptile stared me down, seeming a bit intimidated by my attitude, "Fine. Although the my plan is not to kill you. Mewtwo told me not to make this a fight with you, as you are very important to him. He needs a human who isn't obsessed with catching him."
"This isn't about what Mewtwo needs, it's about what you did to my mentor. My… Friend. I may not have a lot of fight in me right now, but I have just enough to knock that annoying smirk off your face."
"Fine. Mewtwo, I'm sorry but he's not going to give in. I'll try to knock him out… But him and his friend injured me back there, I don't know how much I can do at this rate. I might need you to call in Lucario or Sableye to help me out," he looked me in the eyes, "I didn't want it to to come to this, but if it's a fight you want it's a fight you'll get."
