You know, I don't think anything particularly important will happen in this chapter. I mean, it's pretty short, right? And Shinji and Warhammer 40k updated recently too.
Also, Shrill-tastic just completed his homage to my story, Fairly English Story. That's right, My fanfictions are so good that they get their own fanfictions.
But yeah. Short chapter today, and throughout the rest of the week, but NEXT week you have two double chapters in a row followed by R2!!
Also, Varanus is taking his exams this week, and we have just enough beta'd buffer to last until friday, since he's been studying, so no double posts this week. Wish him luck, regardless!
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Lelouch, a Britannian boy, must choose between two paths. On one hand, it the path of the past, which would lead to avenging the death of his mother. The other is the path of the future, which would lead to the creation of a world where his sister, Nunnally, may live in peace.
Lelouch stands between the fork between the past and the future, and only he can decide whether he shall choose the path that destroys the world, or the one that creates it anew.
'My wounds have healed, I've gotten my pokémon back, my equipment is repaired, C.C. has returned from China, and Rivalz is ready to join the Black Knights.' Lelouch pondered to himself. 'I honestly cannot delay this any longer. Zero has to go out again soon…'
"Hey, don't move your face Lulu!" Rivalz complained. "It's hard enough writing with a robo-arm as it is…"
"Eh?" Lelouch asked, shifting slightly in his stool. "O-oh, sorry." He was currently acting as a model for the art class, and Rivalz was going to milk all his newfound female attention for all it was worth.
Lelouch got back into the previous position. "No, no, it was more hunched over." Rivalz complained.
Lelouch moved. "Like this?" He asked.
"Nah, that's too much." Rivalz groaned. "A little higher."
"Like this?"
"Dammit Lulu…" Rivalz growled, standing up from his easel and walking up to the model himself. "Your expression's completely different from before!" he reached out his human left hand and began moving his skin. "A little of this, lift this up, this bit down, this over here… perfect!"
Lelouch was now wearing a perfect Charming Smile.
Rivalz popularity plummeted back to zero. "It's completely different now!" Was the general consensus. "I liked the scowl better!" was the minority vote.
"Why! He looks hilarious now!" Rivalz complained as Nina walked into the classroom and asked what Shirley was doing in that class since she had mathematics that period.
"I skipped it, since it's Prince Clovis's Art Appreciation Week." Shirley explained.
Then Lelouch's pokénav rang. "Sorry!" He apologised. "Just give me a sec…" Ohgi.
"Sorry, I gotta go." Lelouch apologised, ditching the class that second and running out of there before anyone could stop him.
"So, the four Heavenly Blades require our help in rescuing Toudou?" Lelouch asked him, summarizing the conversation. "Tell them we accept."
_\_ "You sure?" _\_ Ohgi asked.
"The Black Knights are allies of justice." Lelouch reminded him. "Of course we'll help. Use distribution pattern B-13, have Silver lead a distributed contingent of trainers from position 18. Make sure everyone knows what to do."
Lelouch then hung up as C.C. walked up to him in a school uniform and pigtails. "Today's the day I capture two invaluable allies." Lelouch told, her, glancing out the window to see Suzaku washing something in the outside taps below. "Three, if all goes well."
That afternoon, Lelouch was pondering how to get Suzaku to join the Black Knights while on the field of battle as he lounged on his porch, talking with his friend and Nunnally. He supposed that, had he not been aware of Suzaku's role in the army like he was supposed to be, then he would try to convince Suzaku to stay and protect Nunnally from any more psycho's like Mao.
That role had to be pushed back, however. Suzaku's Lancelot has something strange about it, and it seems to like both Suzaku and Lelouch, so he may be able to switch sides, if the pokémon even saw them on different sides at all.
"Suzaku!"
Lelouch and Suzaku both turned to see a woman with short blue hair run up to the villa in a brown military uniform. "Lloyd says to come quick!" She panted, running up the steps.
"Who's that?" Lelouch asked as Suzaku stood up from his chair.
"She's from the army." Suzaku explained in a whisper.
"Are these your friends?" Cecile asked, glancing at Lelouch and Nunally.
Suzaku glanced at Lelouch with a smile, before answering "Yes!"
She smiled. "I'm sorry, but I'll be borrowing Suzaku for a while." She told Lelouch and Nunnally.
"But—"
"It's fine Suzaku." Lelouch interrupted. "I told you, that psychopath won't be coming back without the rest of his head."
"Brother!" Nunnally shouted, sounding horrified.
Lelouch cringed. "I'm sorry Nunnally." He apologised, then turned to Suzaku with a sheepish grin. "But seriously. Go."
"Alright." Suzaku sighed, stepping out from under the porch. "See you!"
"See you later Suzaku!" Nunnally waved as he left with the woman from the army. "It's nice that he's so active."
"Oy, be careful with her!" an Indian woman shouted as Tamaki rammed bird feed down ho-oh's throat. "Honestly, I was a hundred more delicate when I was raising her."
"Who the hell do you think you are, lady!?" Tamaki shouted.
"Her mother." She replied haughtily.
"So you raised ho-oh."
The woman turned to the approaching cloaked figure and tapped some ash from her pipe. "So you're Zero?" she asked. "It's nice to meet you- your reputation precedes you."
"As does yours, Rakshad." Zero complimented, offering her his hand to shake. "I've been reading about your work into medical cybernetics."
She laughed shallowly. "I don't like to dig up the past." She stated.
"I was actually considering asking you looking at one of our newer recruits." Zero asked her "He has an auto-mail arm, and wishes for a more… combat appropriate model."
"Hmm?" Rakshad asked, glancing over at Rivalz, who waved. "This young man with the claws?"
"I am confident that, if you were sufficiently motivated, that you could create something… fun, for Rivalz?"
Rakshad tapped her pipe to her cheek as she pondered her options for a moment. "How does nuclear decomposition blasted from the palm sound?"
"I have no idea what that means, but it sounds cool." Rivalz piped in, knowing they were talking about him.
Lelouch grabbed his face. "If I had the arm Rakshad was suggesting, you would now be all over the walls."
"Nice!" Rivalz declared, turning to Rakshad and putting his hands together and bowing to her. "Pleasepleasepleasepleasee—"
"You can all discuss it later." Zero announced as the four heavenly blades walked up to him in their new uniforms. "As for now, here are your pokémon: regirock, regice, registeel, and suicune."
"You're just giving them back?" the old man of the group asked with surprise.
"I shall ride Toudou's pokémon for him." Lelouch announced, fingering the heavy ball in his hands. "We attack at sunset."
Once the attack began, Lelouch made his way to the roof, letting the Black Knights cause as much chaos and confusion as possible while he crept into the prison corridors.
He knew when he found the right cell, because there was a Britannian soldier about to shoot the man inside. "Kururugi couldn't make it, I'll be your executioner instead." The soldier said, leveling his rifle. "Any last words?"
"I have already given up my life." Toudou explained. "I do not grieve for it."
"Well then, I shall take it off your hands!"
"WHAT!?" The guard reeled around as the wall of the prison crumbled, revealing Zero standing atop a behemoth of a pokémon. Regigigas tore through the rest of the wall, obliterating it and the puny soldier in one blow before wrenching open the door to Toudou's cell.
"Zero." Toudou noted as the masked man entered the cell.
"Toudou Kyoshiro." Zero sneered. "The man who managed to stand victorious against the Britannian forces in the war seven years ago."
"You mean the miracle in Sootopolis?" Toudou asked, before turning to calm anger, understanding Zero's intent. "Do you want a miracle from me as well?"
"That was no miracle." Lelouch told the man. "It was nothing more than good information gathering and wise decision making. Victory through strategy. That is why I want you."
"Enough." Toudou groaned. "Giovanni Laguada, who I pledged my allegiance to, has died, and so have I."
"STOP SCREWING AROUND!"
Toudou's head snapped up to see Silver Laguada ride in on his entei. "You gotta accept responsibility for that miracle of yours old man." The red-haired boy told him, a snarl twisting his face.
"Area 11's resistance is so strong because Japan surrendered with the bulk of its strength intact." Zero explained. "Without ever seeing the completion of the dream promised by the miracle in Sootopolis."
"Then it was all my fault?" Toudou asked.
"Just Look!" Silver snarled, grabbing Toudou by the neck of his prisoner's robes and forcing his head out of the hole in the wall, making him see the battle below. "The idiots in this country are living in a dream promised by some so-called 'miracle'. That's why they love Refrain so much, get it?" He asked. "But that's also why they fight so damn hard for you, to keep that dream alive."
"Fight on, Toudou." Lelouch ordered a shocked Toudou. "Keep on splashing until the bitter end, and die from the recoil of your own struggles. Fight until the name of Miraculous Toudou is utterly broken and soiled."
"And only then will the Japanese be able to accept their defeat?" the warrior asked him, looking down at the carnage.
"It is necessary, for the people." Zero agreed. "Unless, of course, I make that dream of theirs a reality."
Toudou grinned. "Untie my bonds."
Silver slipped out a knife and cut the straps tying Toudou's arms behind his back. "EVERYONE!" He announced. "WE ARE FOLLOWING ZERO!!" He shouted. "ZENGETSU! COME!!"
His regigigas hurled him onto its shoulder and leapt from the tower, crashing into the concrete below and charging into battle.
"You sure do have a way with words, don't you?" Silver asked.
"You're not so bad yourself, Silver." Zero told him, sending out his raikou. "But for now, we have a battle to win." Silver nodded in agreement, and his entei rushed out of the prison, bringing them back to the battle.
'Right now, the only thing left is… speak of the devil, here he comes.' Lelouch thought, seeing Suzaku charge in his white armour, floating at speed alongside Lancelot the mewtwo.
_\_ "Zero, what is that thing?" _\_
"It's the strongest pokémon that I know of, but I've worked out a way to beat it." Lelouch explained. "Q-1, alternate between Gurren and ho-oh to deal damage while constantly moving; switch if it gets chance to use a super-effective move. Tyranitar and steel types are also good counters, but our only option right now is to surround it and over power it, and whatever you do, don't let it use a super-effective move on your pokémon, because this thing can two-hit-kill an entire army if you're not careful."
"The first attack will come from the front." Zero instructed as Gurren dodged the aura-sphere. "If it misses, it will keep moving to avoid you from hitting it in the back. Watch its movements." Lelouch grinned as Suzaku did exactly as he was supposed to. "S57!"
A regice burst from around the corner, ramming mewtwo back. "That's it." Zero nodded. "Now he'll be forced to move back and regain some distance. Now he's on X23." Lelouch smiled as Lancelot was struck by regirock's Super Power.
Mewtwo was knocked back from Suzaku as Lelouch guided the remaining two blades, on their registeel and their suicune, to beat down Lancelot and knock it out.
'So it is beatable…' Lelouch smiled to himself as his raikou flashed down to the ground where Suzaku was slumped, white helmet broken off.
"SUZAKU!?" A running, helmeted Rivalz shouted in disbelief.
"Well, my white knight. Separated from your Lancelot and surrounded by opponents. You are certainly in dire straights right now."Zero sneered, offering Suzaku a hand up. "That said, you needn't worry. In fact, I would like to re-iterate my offer and invite you to join my ranks."
Suzaku grabbed Zero by the wrist and roared as flames erupted around them. "Wh-what?!"
"Dragon…" Suzaku grunted, ramming into Zero. "RUSH!!"
The force from Suzaku's attack launched both him and Zero into across the field. They hit the ground hard, and Zero felt at least a few of his ribs fracture from the impact. Raikou quickly rushed to his aid and plucked him from the ground, standing over the masked man protectively as Zero stared in disbelief and confusion at the soldier, who was doused in black flames. "COME ON!!" Suzaku roared, fire burning from both wrists, waving at Zero to come get him.
A wall of crimson fire rose up between them as entei rushed with it's trainer to Zero's aid. "We got company." Silver pointed out, trying not to look worried.
Lelouch looked to the sky to see a horde of flying dragons approaching the prison. 'A perfect excuse to retreat then.' Lelouch grinned from behind his mask. "ALL UNITS RETREAT! WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR TACTICAL OBJECTIVE SO LET'S GO!!"
_\_ "I see you know the difference between an unwinnable battle and a battle lost, Zero." _\_ Toudou chuckled over the radio as he returned his pokémon and ran over to the nearest teleporter.
Zero stripped down from the waist up for his ribs to be treated, even though he kept his mask on while they did so. "Man, that kid sure did a number on you, didn't he?"
"I didn't expect a human to use a pokémon attack." Zero admitted. "We're going to have to find out why the hell that can happen. Rakshad, do you know anything?"
"Only that it could only be the work of that man." The Indian woman groaned. "The Earl of pudding. He worked with me for a time, then went onto the Mewtwo project. If anyone is stupid enough to try and teach a human a pokémon attack, it would be him."
Somehow, Lelouch wasn't convinced.
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I would apologise for the short chapter, but I think that the twist was worth it.
Varanus: For future reference, this is the point where IT JUST GOT REAL. The twist was a pre-meditated move, a hint at the larger mysteries at play in this universe. Plus, you know. Poké-zaku. Don't lie to yourself, you know it's going to be awesome
For the record, I did not just ruin the story there. As Varanus will tell you, this is the part that makes this story awesome. Hell, I might even manage to out-do Fairly English Story with this one.