Into Reality Chapter 19: Into Reality Chp 16 - Lords of the Sky, a pokémon fanfic

Into Reality Ch. 16 – Lords of the Sky...

Author's Note:

I'm not going to write about how hard college has been (it's actually been really fun!). Instead, I just want to wish everyone Happy Holidays (since this chapter is being posted the day before Christmas Day)! This year has been full of some highs and low, but that's life and I'm all in for giving this story an awesome new chapter! After last chapters's attempt at using integrated music, I'm actually posting the inspiration for each section of this chapter at the end. BUT! DO NOT READ THE END FIRST! IT'S FULL OF SPOILERS... sort of... JUST DON'T.

With that being typed... I may be very rusty, but I hope you enjoy!

Previously:

The two of us were mentally broken. So much had happened so quickly and we barely managed. In a matter of hours, Raid and I had realized the extent of our sleep, had to fight for our lives, then repeat the same mess to save Latias.

...

Looking into Raid's eyes, I saw a flicker of light gleam through his into mine. I could feel my frustration melt away. Gasping, I could feel Raid's paw slipping from mine, but he hadn't let go.

...

Resting my head back on the stretcher, I concentrated as best I could. Closing my eyes, my human image appeared on a mirror in a sea of darkness. Turning around he gave me a thumbs up with a smile on his face. Raid remained motionless in the air as light from the surrounding area seemed to rush towards my form, covering me in a blinding light. As the light intensified and peaked, a blast of energy and heat rippled the air forcing the guards surrounding Raid and I to take a step away.

...

Looking down another thought crossed my mind. Shaking my head, I nodded back to Aleks. "Alright. But Raid stays behind."

At this Raid squeaked. Turning rapidly to face me, Raid was cooing harshly with a stern look on his face.

"What?! No! You are not going anywhere by yourself! We need to stick together!"

...

"Go! She needs you more right now!"

...

"Speech" or "Emphasis"

"Telepathy"

(Thoughts/extra information)

*action* or *special cue*

Time: 4:47 P.M.

Coordinates: Somewhere in Niger

Situation: _ Desert HQ – Emergency Evacuation

The engines roared to life down the runway as the plane lifted violently off the runway and into the air. Outside the Hercules, explosions from AA shells exploded in sudden bright flashes of white light, rocking the plane and all one hundred and fifty men and women on board with each ear-shattering blast. All these noises were becoming too much for my sensitive ears. This on top of the stinging pain pulsing through my body kept me on the tips of my tail feathers.

I could feel the plane clawing its way to a higher altitude below me, its engines screaming above the light show going on outside. In intervals, the plane pitched up sharply before leveling off, in an attempt to get away and out of the line of fire.

Kevin came running from the cockpit. "Sam! We're getting shot-up up here and more AAA guns are appearing over the sand dunes!"

"Pilot are we clear!" Sam yelled over the radio in his ear.

"No, sir! Thirty seconds till we're clear!" The pilot yelled back over the intercom.

Kevin laughed, "We won't be here in a thirty seconds!"

"We don't have a choice." Sam pulled out a square-shaped remote trigger from his back pocket. "Alecks, arm remote detonation!"

Aleck's voice appeared over the intercom. "Aye, captain! The trigger is hot."

With his thumb over the trigger, Sam yelled into the radio, "Pilot! Everyone brace!"

I turned away from the rear of the plane and grabbed onto Raid and Latias, shutting my eyes.

*click*

The barrage of AAA gunfire continued to rattle the plane. The explosions seemed unending but we continued to climb away.

Suddenly, only the Hercules' engines roared over the howling wind outside.

"Here it comes!" One man yelled in the cargo bay.

The air in the cargo bay grew tense. Suddenly, the Hercules shook forward violently. A deafening series of explosions shattered the relative silence, stunning me as I lost grip of Raid and Latias.

The engines whine seemed to lower in tone when the pilot's voice reappeared over the radios. "Sir, we've just lost power from both engines! The blast-" The pilot's voice cut off as I started to feel weightless. But, I wasn't using my psychic abilities. Looking around, I could see everyone including several supply crates seemingly floating in the air as the engines whined, choking from the sudden loss of airflow.

I concentrated on my core and strained to use my telekinesis to float. Shutting my eyes, I tried to shut the world out and concentrate. With my eyes closed, the world around me went dark. From the darkness, a series of with vibrant colors of auras lit up the darkness, but a sharp pain in my lower abdomen shattered my view and my concentration.

I gasped for air and grabbed my chest. The howling wind outside continued to grow louder as the plane fell.

"Grab onto something!" The pilot yelled from the cockpit.

The engines started to sputter as air began to flow into them smoothly. The plane jerked forward and rotated down. Just as I reached for the roof fasteners, the floor suddenly flew up at me catching me off guard. Without my psychic levitation, my head slammed hard against the metal deck of the cargo bay.

"Gaaaahhhh!"

Like a light bulb the world went completely dark in an instant and I'd lost all my senses.

…

"H-"

…

A faint voice rang in my conscious.

…

"Hel…"

…

I could just begin to hear several more faint sounds around me.

…

"Fir-"

…

(A female voice)

…

(Mom?!)

…

The world around me was pitch black.

…

"NO!" The voice rang out. I could just make out the shuffling of feet in the background. "Let-…er…"

…

The air grew colder and a familiar but unwelcome voice appeared. "….. You're….. not…. ready…"

Hearing this unwelcome chilled the air. The voice repeated itself over…. And over…. And over again, each time becoming louder and more and more pronounced in this empty and dark void.

…

Then…

…

The voice disappeared.

…

"H-" My voice croaked. "Hello?" My words echoing into the dark and empty abyss.

…

"Hello!" I tried again, this time with more energy.

…

"M-" A new faint, female, voice appeared in the distance.

…

"Marlon!"

It was young feminine voice, soft, but full of energy.

…

"Latias?!" I called out to her.

…

Her voice was faint but I could still hear her. "I found you! Hold on!"

…

Not knowing what was going on, a spec of light appeared amidst the darkness. What started as a small spot at some infinite distance away grew in size. With each passing second, the light grew more intense, blinding me as my eyes tried to adjust. I tried looking away but my body wouldn't move. The world seemed to be engulfed by the light as my ears started to ring, and my senses slowly returned.

…

I could just make out the sound of gunfire and explosions in the background. Again, I tried to move my head, this time with some success.

A sharp sting pierced my head. Instinctively I reached for my head, feeling my head throb beneath my fingertips. As I massaged my stinging head, two hands reached under my arms and lifted me up. A familiar female voice faded back into my head.

'Mar-'

…

'Marlon!' A sense of urgency filled Latias' voice. 'Marlon! Wake up!'

My hearing and eyesight were both fuzzy, I could just make out some of the sounds and voices around me.

"He's …..com….. back…. How…..hould…...hel…he's ….…. critical condition!"

Looking around, my vision began to clear. Sunlight filled the cabin. At the rear of the plane, Marines were opening fire with their rifles and pistols out of the open cargo bay door. Others were near the front of the cargo bay tending to others bleeding out. Bullet holes riddled the cargo bay as the sound of whistling air filled the chilled cabin.

As I continued to massage my aching head, Kevin came running up from the rear of the plane, taking a knee in front of me. "M- Marlon?! You awake?!" Kevin had to yell over the cacophony of noise both in and out of the cabin.

"Y- Yah!" My voice croaked as I burst into a coughing fit.

"Easy there! You took quite a hit to the head!" Kevin put a hand on my shoulder.

A sudden explosion nearby rocked the air when I caught glimpse of a flaming object streak by under the left wing.

"Look, I'd ask you if you can fight, but we need all the help we can get!" The sound of gunfire continued in the background

"What's going on?!" But before Kevin could answer, a shower of glimmering red bullets pierced the cabin nearby as the sound of a jet engine roared by. Sparks erupted from exposed wiring overhead as the whining sound of the wind in the cabin grew louder.

"We were halfway through crossing the Mediterranean Sea heading north to a secure Russia airbase when two stealth carriers flanked us! We're getting hammered up here by their drones! The Lati have engaged them but they seem to be having a hard time!"

"I- I'll help!" I tried to stand up, but the sting in my head was unrelenting. Fighting the pain, I forced myself up. The two men beside me helped me to my feet as Kevin reached behind him and passed me a pair of black, clear-lensed glasses with a thick body attached to matching vibrating headphones. As I put the headphones on, they slipped in front of my ears rather than in them. Despite this, I could clearly hear the voices of other marines in my head.

The plane began to list slightly to the left when out of the corner of my eye, a black and gray marked object appeared behind the plane. Realizing the threat, I threw my hands up in front of my face, bracing for the worst.

A brilliant flash of light lit up the cabin.

I looked up just in time to see a blazing stream of violet, red, and blue light tear through the drone, erupting in an expanding ball of fire. Just before the flames burned through the rear of the cabin, a red figure flew into view along with a pink barrier wrapping the rear of the plane.

"Latias!" I cried out.

Hearing her name, she turned to face me. Upon making eye-contact, a huge smile appeared on Latias' face. Immediately, she flew overall the men and women at the rear of the plane to tackled me to the ground.

Stunned (both mentally and physically), she nuzzled the side of my head cooing soft squeals of joy. I had to wrestle her off of me but once she calmed down, she psychically lifted me to my feet again. 'I'm so glad you're awake! Raid and I were so worried when you wouldn't wake up!' Somehow, hearing her soothing voice in my head again made me forget about the sting that persisted in my head.

"Thanks for waking me! It's always great to hear your voice!" I yelled over the machine gun fire.

Latias put on a big smile and floated upright, putting her paws at her sides in a proud looking gesture. "You can thank me later!"

From the rear of the plane, one of the women yelled towards us, "I don't mean to break up the reunion, but we could use some help over here!"

I turned to face Latias and nodded. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on my Lati image.

'No!'

Latias put her paws on my shoulders and shook me.

'Raid and I looked over you while you were unconscious. Your head doesn't look very good so you shouldn't shift right now!'

"I feel fine Latias!" I reasoned with her.

'No! The last time you tried to shift when you were injured like this, you got caught in an explosion during the shift!' Latias cried back, a stern look in her eyes.

Thinking back, I had no memory of the event. But, I trusted Latias. No need to put another hole in the plane.

Another series of searing red tracers poured into the front of the cabin setting fire to nearby supply crates.

'Uh… Latias… help?!' Raid cried as a blur of blue zipped by the rear of the plane.

(Well. There's not much else I can do.) Looking up to Latias I pointed to the rear of the plane. "Go! Let's go back to basics!" I could feel Latias presence in my mind. We both exchanged a warm hearted smile as Latias cooed in joy and swiftly back flipped out of the rear of the plane.

*As Latias left my side, the stinging pain returned, this time stronger than before. Shaking my head, I forced my way to the rear of the cabin as the plane banked from side to side, avoiding tracer fire, as drones thundered by. Men cleared the way to let me through to the rear. Once there, I could see Latias and Raid each diving and weaving through each other, firing individual beams of dragon pulses at the drones while trying to evade flak from the carriers below and gunfire from both the drones and the men and women beside me. Shutting my eyes once more, I took a deep breath and concentrated on my heartbeat, feeling its thumping presence in my chest. Then, I thought of Raid and Latias, trying to feel theirs.

In a heartbeat, I could feel two new distinct beats in my chest, each racing at a much higher pace than mine.

(Come on guys, calm down, and work with me.) I thought to myself. I knew that without my Lati form, I couldn't connect with them properly… But, if I could just connect my spirit with theirs, we could still work effectively as a team.

'Marlon! I'm ready' Latias called out as she slashed through another drone. I could sense her movements and feel her heart calming down to match mine.

Raid zipped past the rear of the plane once more to catch a glimpse of me. I smiled as he flew by and while I couldn't see his expression, I could feel Raid smiling back.

Our hearts were all in sync. As I took a deep breath

…

I could feel Raid and Latias do the same.

…

"So, terrorist organization P.L. drones challenged us to a battle!" Opening my eyes, I pulled one leg back and punched the air in front of me.

"Well?! Let's do this!" I yelled into the sky.

A flicker of light to my left caught my attention. Three drones diving from above guns blazing down at our flight of Hercules.

I swiped my hand in front of the drones. "Raid catch those bullets!" Out of my line of sight, Raid's paw lit up in a pink flame of psychic energy as he mimicked my movements and swiped his paw in the direction of the drones. Through Raid's eyes, I could see the bullets stop in mid-air.

"Nice catch!" In one fluid motion, I turned around and with my free hand, punched the air in the direction of where the drones would be using Raid's perspective. Raid followed suit, and with a bit of psychic, the bullets formed a stream that flew off into the distance and tore through three drones as they passed overhead.

"Three down!"

Shifting my gaze to Latias in the distance I could see four drones trailing her. "Latias, airbrake to steel wing."

I could feel Latias waiting for the right moment as she banked hard to the left. The drones pulled up and over to follow her through the maneuver. Using Raid's eyes, I noticed one drone shift slightly too far left just behind Latias. Latias felt this realization and immediately snapped back to the right, extending her wings and body flat to the wind, rapidly decelerating right in front of the drone. With her right wing glowing sparkling white, the iron-infused blade of light tore through the center of the plane as it raced by underneath her.

Immediately, I through my right hand forth and clenched the air. "Latias, use the wreck!"

Throwing a paw forward, Latias's eyes glowed as a pink aura engulfing the wrecked drone before being crushed, torn apart, and scattered in front of the remaining two trailing drones. As the drones flew through the debris field, their engines sucked in the floating scraps and immediately exploded into giant fireworks. Latias through her other paw forward and caught the additional wrecks.

I extended both of my hands in front of me. "Raid! Ready?"

'Bring it!' Raid cried into the lead-filled air.

I slid my right foot back and spun my hands around an imaginary sphere in my hand.

Immediately, the debris around us began to spin around the flight of Hercules. As the debris picked up speed, drones foolish enough to get too close collided with the float scraps. In seconds, the sound of drone wings tearing themselves away from their fuselage filled the sky; engines screeched as they sucked in debris, and exposed fuel and sparks created from multiple collisions around the flight created a series of massive makeshift fireworks.

"Hahah! Independence day came early this year!" I smiled crossing my arms. "You see guys, it doesn't take a lot of energy to adapt to a situation. Min-"

'Minimal energy use.' Latias finished my statement.

'We know.' Raid added.

The pilot yelled over the radios. "The debris is giving us a lot of interference on the radios! We're flying blind up here!"

"Good! They may be able to see us, but without a strong lock missiles are useless!"

'I can see more drones climbing to greet us!' Latias called out from below.

I grabbed the deck fastener at the edge of the rear gate and looked out over the edge of the plane. A blast of 400 mile-an-hour wind greeted me head on, but the glasses did surprisingly well to let me see. Down far below, I could just make out several specs of gray with trailing blaze of afterburners racing up to us.

(Great. You take a few down, twenty more come to take their place.) "Alecks! Ideas?!" I yelled into my earpiece.

There was no immediate response. Maybe he hadn't heard me. Kevin ran up beside me and yelled into his microphone. "As long as those carriers are active the P.L. know exactly where we are!"

Looking down at the two carriers following us I couldn't think of a way to get around them. "It won't matter, as long as they have radar along the coast…"

(Unless-) I turned around and ran back inside the bullet-hole-riddled cabin. The men and women receiving medical attention all turned to face me. I couldn't read their minds but there were looks of fear and doubt etched on their faces. All I could do was put on a weak smile.

(If we remove those carriers' radar, the coastal radar will be quick to take over and pinpoint our location.)

'Marlon! Can we use the debris?' Raid cried out from overhead.

(As projectiles, they won't do much good… But… as makeshift chaff! Brilliant!)

I turned back to the open door at the rear of the plane. (But how to deal with those carriers? Raid and Latias don't have enough experience to engage a carrier, let alone two.) Explosions erupted outside once more as burning wrecks blasted by the cabin.

'Marlon! Watch out!' Latias cried out over telepathy.

"What!"

But before she could respond, what looked like an engine smashed through the rear portion of the cabin, knocking me straight off my feet and flat on my back. I quickly got to my feet and looked around. There was a gaping section in the rear of the plane. Wiring and scraps of the plane tore away as sparks lit exposed fuel lines and lit a flaming trail behind us.

(Oh this can't be good.)

"We're hit!" One pilot yelled into the radios.

"I've just lost the rudder and most of the elevator!" The co-pilot added over the sounds of drones exploding all around us. Then, a screeching sound of men and women filled the air as the rudder tore away from the plane. The plane jolted sidewise knocking some of the men and women at the rear off their feet only to be sucked out of the plane. I reached out my hand trying to pull them back to the plane with psychic, but I forgot I was in my human form.

The plane continued flying level but was beginning to fall towards the earth. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my bag up against a crate. I ran over and slipped in on. "Raid! Latias! We are out of options!" I said, pulling the straps tight against my body.

I turned back to the cockpit and yelled into the microphone. "Pilot! Sam! You need to land the flight on the carriers!"

Kevin was first to respond. "What?! Did you forget their hostile?!"

"I know! You want to live, grab a weapon and follow me!"

I ran to the rear of the plane and jumped out through the flames.

In the freefall, I splayed my arms and legs out to catch the rushing wind. Looking back, one by one, men and women who could walk and run jumped out of the plane. 'Raid! I need you to guide the flight down to carriers! Do whatever you have to to protect them! Latias, keep those AAA guns occupied!'

'I've got you covered!' Latias cooed racing past us, straight for the carriers.

I'd caught up with the marines that had fallen out. Several of the men and women had raced down to my sides and nodded, their rifles by their sides. Kevin was among them.

"A HALO JUMP WITHOUT A PARACHUTE?! I HOPE YOU'VE GOT A PLAN FOR THIS!" Kevin yelled over the blasting wind.

"READY TO BE A PIRATE?! WE'RE TAKING THOSE SHIPS!" I yelled back.

Dozens of marines' voices appeared over the radio, "OORAH!"

I glanced back to see a cloud of people freefalling behind us towards the two carriers.

Looking down, I saw streams of white light coupled with flashes of explosions across the deck of one of the carriers.

(Attagirl.)

"LET'S GO!" I tucked my arms and legs in and bent down towards the carriers. The air was really pounding at my face. It felt like the wind was trying to tear my face apart, but the men around me seemed just fine.

With about two thousand feet to the ocean's surface, I was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. Without a wing suit, we were falling short of the carrier.

"Latias!" I yelled over the roaring wind. But there wasn't a response. 'LATIAS!'

One thousand feet above sea level.

The ocean floor rapidly approaching below us… MUCH faster than I was comfortable with!

Just as the ground came racing towards us, I shut my eyes, fearing the worst.

…

But the impact never came. The wind continued to whizz past us.

I opened my eyes to see a two big amber eyes staring right into mine. 'Gotcha!' Latias cooed in delight tapping her muzzle against my nose. 'What? Did you miss me?' Latias joked, chuckling as she caught and carried all of the men and women over the surface of the ocean towards to smoking carriers.

From the dive, Latias had kept us flying at terminal velocity just below the deck of the carriers. Latias put me beside her and the rest of our makeshift army behind her.

'Try not to get too sick back there!' Latias cooed to the squad.

"They can't understand you Latias!" I yelled up to her.

'We'll see about that.' Latias smirked back.

"Marlon! We need to take the bridge first! As long as they have radios, the P.L. will know exactly what we're doing!" Kevin radioed into his headset.

"Got it!" Latias and I exchanged a nod.

'Here we goooo!' Latias cried, straining as she pulled up sharply a hundred feet away from the deck of closest carrier.

At about 20 feet above the carrier, Latias released her psychic grasp over everyone and dropped us onto the carrier's deck. After a short fall, my feet hit the deck hard and I rolled forward. Kevin tossed me a handgun and immediately, the squad advanced and began opening fire on anyone and anything on the deck.

"Non-lethal stun rounds!" Kevin yelled over the ensuing chaos on the deck.

Right behind Kevin, I saw a flash of light reflecting off a gun scope.

"Kevin!" Acting on instinct, I ran to push Kevin out of the way, the gun drawn level with my eye. A breath escaped me as I pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back like someone had punched my hand, and a gas cartridge ejected from the gun. A bead of sweat fell from my face as I saw the man pointing the rifle light up like a Christmas tree.

"Nice shot. Let's go and secure that tower!" Kevin patted me on the back and a squad formed around us.

Our squad of fifty or so people rushed behind exposed paneling on the carrier deck and behind blast shields.

Latias had taken the other half of the squad to the other carrier and based on the explosions lighting up the other deck, she'd taken initiative and began creating quite the distraction for the enemy.

The sound of gunshots filled the deck as glaring white tracers flew across the length of the deck. Flashes from gun barrels erupted along the rear end of the runway. But there were much fewer shooting at us than the other way around. Kevin, the squad, and I ran from one bit of exposed paneling to the next. As I slid behind some cover, I could feel my heart racing in my chest.

(Welp, it's do or die trying.)

"PUSH UP!" Kevin yelled to the squad. We each stood up and pushed forward, the marines forming an advancing wave of gunfire across the deck. With my pistol raised to eye level and both hands across the grip, I had one eye down the iron sights. With the enemy in my crosshairs, I pulled the trigger smoothly and put rounds down the deck. With each click, the gun kicked back. With each shot, bodies lit up and fell to the ground. I quickly moved from cover to cover and continued to switch targets, putting more and more men down with each step. In a series of flashes, the opposite end of the deck lit up from the barrage of stun rounds.

"COVER!" Kevin yelled once more. Immediately everyone ran for cover. I rolled behind a fallen jet fighter.

Just overhead, the roar of jet engines gatling guns filled the air. A shower of red bullets fell from the air all around us before three drones rocketed overhead. A second later, what looked like a bolt of white lightning in the form of an ice beam flashed across the sky, closely followed by Latias.

"I bet you they weren't expecting this!" One of the marines laughed over the radio. Several of the guys laughed in response as they quickly swapped magazines.

"Well, they ain't seein' this either! Let's move marines!" I watched as Kevin fearlessly stood up raising his rifle to his eyes. Bullets whizzed by his body, sparking off the exposed paneling surrounding him. Just as he stood up, everyone in our line stood up and followed him forward. I followed close behind and continued the push down the deck towards the tower. As my gun clicked empty, I rushed behind another toppled jet. I pushed a button next to the trigger with my right thumb and the magazine clip fell out. Right on cue, Kevin tossed me a new magazine and I slipped it straight into place. The clip clicked in and I jumped straight back into line and continued the push.

Shot after shot, I honed my aim and watched as tracers flew to their targets and zapped the unlucky victim on the receiving end. We kept the pressure on and made our way over to the tower. The enemy mostly stunned at the unexpected event unfolding before them fell back to the furthest end of the deck. We were about 100 feet from the tower's base when the deck hatches began to fold down, exposing us directly to the enemy.

"PRONE!" Kevin yelled.

I dropped to the floor and continued to aim down the deck at exposed arms and legs. Bullets flew over my shoulder from both in front and the marines behind and the area in front of us lit up in a series of flashes. With each shot, bodies lit up with electricity and subsequently dropped to the floor.

I cried out into the air. 'Latias, cover!'

Upon calling for her name, an explosion detonated on the opposite carrier. A sonic boom rang out over the two carriers accompanied with a high-pitched combat call from Latias as she flew high over the deck. Overhead, a ball of sky pink, blue, and white light formed and condensed between her paws.

Roaring into the air, Latias hurled the ball towards the deck. Upon impact the ball detonated into a raging firestorm that sent a shockwave throughout the deck, blasting anyone standing clear off their feet and straight into the sea below. The ship rocked and then listed to one side from the blast. Following the detonation, the smoke quickly turned to a white misty fog that covered the other rear half of the deck.

"Nice mist ball Latias! Now, destroy the radio antennas and help secure the other bridge!"

'On it!' In a red flash she zipped off.

"Let's GO!" I yelled to the squad.

"You heard him Marines! Move it!" Kevin joined in.

At the base of the tower, one marine bashed the door open with an ax while dozens of marines flooded their way into the tower; some went downstairs while others went upstairs. Some remained outside and proceeded to clear the deck of remaining P.L. grunts. I followed behind Kevin as our squad of ten rushed up the stairs. As the squad rounded tight metal corridors, the men in front rapidly cleared rooms and forced their way upwards to the bridge.

A large explosion rang through the corridors as one of the main radar dishes came crashing down onto the deck. The corridors were poorly lit, but this didn't seem to trouble the marines in the slightest. Ahead of me, gunshots seemed to light the way. With each turn, we passed over paralyzed bodies and continued our push for the bridge.

As the squad rushed through the tower, we rounded one last corridor that led to the lower levels of the bridge. Everyone waited at the door until the last men formed up behind us. We each took aim. Then, the lead man kicked the steel door open.

One by one, the men and women flooded into the room and opened fire on everyone. Flashes of gunfire lit up the small room and the sound of gunshots along with men screaming at the onslaught filled the hallways. One by one, men collapsed onto the floor smoking from their 'shocked' state. Once I got inside, I turned to clear a corner. In a fraction of a second, I saw a man raise a gun towards me. Before I could blink, a gunshot rang out and the man lit up in a flash of electricity. I turned behind me to see a female member of our squad with her rifle raised, smoking at the barrel. "Gotta be ready for anything little marine."

Before I could say anything, Kevin yelled to the squad, "Stairs!"

Immediately, everyone ran for the stairs and pushed their way up to the upper levels of the tower. Looking out the deck windows, there was smoke coming out from lower levels.

Men were radioing in from below. "Light resistance on lower levels!"

An explosion erupted from one of the carrier's main elevators below the deck.

"Maintenance deck cleared!"

"Level 2B cleared!"

"Level 3B almost clear!"

"Deck 5B almost clear!"

"Making our way through level 6B!"

In minutes, the ship had gone from being a formidable threat to a potentially very powerful tool. Gunshots continued to ring throughout the ship as sections continued to be cleared of every last P.L. grunt.

A man's voice appeared over the radios. "The lower levels have been secured! All lower level teams are moving to secure the engine room!"

(Wow these guys are fast!)

Kevin's voice appeared next. While not as calm, he certainly seemed composed. "Understood, the bridge is almost ours. One level remaining."

I rushed up the stairs, my pistol raised, to meet the rest of our remaining 10 man squad. As the last one in line to form up, I nodded up to Kevin who was in front. Unlike the previous rooms, the bridge was heavily guarded with a steel bulkhead separating us from the bridge. Kevin took a few steps back and ran towards the door. Jumping with both his feet off the ground, Kevin kicked the door as hard as he could, but to no avail.

"Any ideas? Makeshift blow torch?" Kevin asked the squad.

As if on cue, the squad turned to face me.

"Uhh." I was a bit taken back at so many stares. I can't shift until Raid and Latias give me the all clear. (So what now) I thought to myself.

I walked to the front of the group with my ear against the bulkhead. The hallway went completely quiet. The sound of gunshots below the deck rang out but I couldn't hear anything inside the bridge.

'Latias?' I asked over telepathy.

No response.

Uncertain about what to do, I did the next best thing.

*Tap*

…

*Tap*

…

We waited, but there was no response. I was about to turn back to Kevin when a loud screeching noise filled the hallway. The bulkhead lock had switched open. Immediately, everyone brought their rifles to bear on the door. Doing the same, I raised my little pistol to my side and slowly pushed the door open, hearing it audible creak as it slowly swung open.

I could feel a bead of sweat running down my face as I remembered I was at the front of the group, so I was the most exposed to potential gunfire. Manning up, I put force into the door and swung it completely open, I rushed in first straight into the bridge. Everyone followed close behind me and brought their guns to bear on every inch of the bridge.

Sunlight showed through the downward-angled glass windows, illuminating the entire bridge. Some electronics surrounding the perimeter of the bridge were smashed, with exposed wiring sending sparks into the air. In addition, metal that used to make up one of the walls was warped inwards in what looked like an explosion, revealing a gaping hole in one of the walls. In the middle of the room, in front of a series of levers, paddles, and a small steering wheel, there were 6 unconscious men tied up with electrical wiring. Beside it was an empty rotating chair.

I was about to take a step forward to inspect the men when a screeching noise came from the rotating chair. Startled, everyone threw brought their guns to bear on the chair.

The gunshots had stopped firing from down below and a female voice came over the radios. "The engine room has been secured, all lower levels are clear."

Kevin brought his hand up to his earpiece and radioed back. "Glad to hear it! Now I need those on the maintenance deck to return to the flight deck to make way for the Hercules'." Lowering his hand, Kevin took a step towards me, but I raised a hand for him to stop.

I looked back at the chair. Everyone else still had their guns pointed at the chair. I tilted my head to one side and noticed a slight diffraction of light, seemingly floating in air.

"Latias?"

…

The chair started swiveling to the left and right, accompanied by a high pitch squeal.

'YAY! You found me!'

What appeared to be an empty chair was actually Latias using her refractive feathers to bend light around herself, making her seem invisible to an untrained eye. In an array of colors, a fuzzy rainbow flashed over the seat to reveal Latias swiveling around in the chair.

Upon realizing who they were dealing with, everyone lowered their weapons and scattered around the room to clear the area for themselves. I walked up to Latias and raised a hand to pet her.

"Great job Latias! But what about the other bridge?" I recalled asking her to secure the other bridge.

Latias was about the answer when a voice came through the radios. "This bridge is secure on the second carrier. Uhhh… the Latias cleared it out." The man's voice seemed a bit confused walking likely similar to the one we were in.

Latias let out a yip before resuming her unfinished nuzzling. "I know. I'm the best!" I combed my hands back over her head and scratched her on the back of the neck. Latias let out a joyful coo and continued nuzzling me. By now the intensity of gunshots had died down but remained ever-present.

We smiled at each other and almost forgot about one important detail.

'Uh, guys? Latias! A little help here!' Raid cried out over telepathy.

My attention snapped straight out the bridge's windows towards the flight of Hercules' approaching from the rear of the carrier. The mist from Latias' mist ball had faded but a quick look over the deck revealed an array of jets engulfed in flames and debris scattered across the runway. Marines worked frantically, tossing as much as they could carry over the edge of the ship while others manned forklifts and pushed debris off the deck.

Even from a distance, I could still see a series of drones engaging the flight of Hercules'. Raid was shooting down drones as best he could with beams of dragon pulses. I turned back to Kevin to see him and the rest of the squad already trying and find a way to shut the drones down.

'Hang in their Raid! We're going to clear the runway!' I immediately turned to Latias. "Latias, I have one last job for you."

Latias' ears perked up. She eagerly responded, "Not unless you're there beside me!"

I smirked back at her. "Fair enough." I opened one of the doors alongside the bridge and, without hesitating, jumped off the railing 4 floors towards the deck. Latias caught me under the arms at the last second (as usual). With the sound of the Hercules' engines growing louder, I ran towards the front of the flight deck with Latias following close to my left.

"Kevin, I need you to get everyone off the flight deck!"

"But, we're trying to clear the runway!" Kevin quickly responded.

After a short sprint, we both turned around at the edge of the bow of the ship. Together Latias and I responded.

"We'll take care of this."

Without asking Kevin shifted his attention to clearing the runway of everyone.

I turned to Latias and we both nodded. Latias smiled and tapped her head with mine.

"Let's do this!"

As I put my hands at my sides, Latias did the same. Raid was about a mile away leading the crippled Hercules' in for what was likely be a series of crash landings.

We each closed our eyes, took a deep breath and slowly, and together we raised our arms up. While I was only human, I could feel Latias transferring some of the load over to me, to help reduce the strain. Once more a similar stinging feeling from before reemerged. I could feel the weight of each of the jets and chunks of debris scattered across the deck being dropped on my shoulders. Latias grunted under breath and I quickly followed suit. Beads of sweat re-formed across my forehead as we slowly lifted what felt like 60 jet fighters off the deck.

Despite our eyes being closed, I could see outlines of psychic energy wrapping each of the larger chunks of debris scattered across the deck. "Deep breath Latias!"

'Right!' Latias promptly replied. As I took a deep breath, the mental load felt more like a tons' worth of sandbags weighing me down. But, after glancing at Latias and her unwavering concentration, I felt a sense of power course through me. I fought the pain pulsing through my body and slowly forced my hands up in front of me.

Looking up, the burning jets and debris floated in air. With a combined crescendoed yell, I took a step to the right and slowly swiped my hands across the deck (as if trying to push a cart carrying dozens of elephants over the side of the deck).

"NOOOOWWWW!" We both cried with one large effort, tossing the debris clear of the runway and making way for Raid and the Hercules', now just several hundred feet off the deck. The pain in my head was growing again that I had to reach up and grab my head. While synced, Latias also felt this pain and equally reach for her head. But as the sound of the Hercules' whining turbofans grew louder and louder, out attention snapped up at the massive oncoming planes.

Latias pulled me back to her side and we both focused on the oncoming behemoths. Gaping holes riddled both of the plane's fuselage and the tailless first one was coming in way too fast to land properly on the short deck.

"Latias! Catch it!" I ordered.

Latias cooed into the air as her eyes flashed with a pink aura. A faint outline of pink psychic energy wrapped the crumbling Hercules. Still linked, I put my hands up with Latias and together we fought the plane's momentum to slow it down. The force was so great, Latias and I were being pushed back towards the edge of the deck. I lowered myself to the deck and pulled one leg back, trying to find traction.

In a matter of seconds, the tailless Hercules slammed onto the deck, breaking off its landing gear and tearing its wings off. The body of the plane grinded its way to the front of the deck with alarming speed, sending sparks in all direction.

Latias and I held our ground and pushed as hard as we could. But, as I glanced up, the plane wasn't slowing down fast enough.

Then, a new presence entered my mind. 'Looks like you could use some help!' Raid cooed to my left.

With Latias on my right, we yelled to the top of our lungs and thrust out hands/paws forward.

Metal screeched as it grinded across deck. The Hercules had slowed but was still approaching us rapidly. Without warning, Raid and Latias took off from my sides towards the Hercules. Together they cried into the air, 'WE said STOP!'

The duo tackled the nose of the plane head-on, crushing it inwards. In an instant, the giant wreck came to an abrupt halt on the deck with loosing hanging scraps flying off to our sides.

Raid and Latias flew back and rejoined my sides letting out a victory cry.

…

They both turned to me and Latias resumed her nuzzling.

"Geez! Latias! Cut it out!" I cried out, trying to defend myself from the unrelenting attack. Raid, not content with missing out on a chance of affection, joined in and nuzzled me from the opposite side. They both cooed in delight at my struggle. I tried to resist for few seconds but quickly realized how futile my attempts were.

Instead, I reached my hands up and scratched them behind the ears. Immediately, their onslaught dampened and I had turned the tides. Looking at them both, Raid and Latias were both panting heavily.

(They must be exhausted at this point.) I thought to myself. After a fair amount of scratching, both Raid and Latias yipped their approval.

Kevin's voice reappeared over the radio. "I can't believe I'm saying it but both carriers are under our control." At this over a hundred people cheered into their radios.

Kevin continued, "We're sending the remaining marines aboard the Hercules' to scout the remainder of the ship. Fantastic job marines!"

(Speaking of the remaining Hercules.) The crumbling plane in front of us continued to burn as I ran around the side towards the open rear of the plane. Clouds had formed overhead and it was starting to sprinkle across the deck. I could see three of the other Hercules' landing on the other carrier, while the remaining two landed on ours. Each one touched down with rockets blazing in front of them - the rockets acting as emergency brakes to make the short runway landing. Raid and Latias flew ahead of me and created psychic spheres around some of the exposed flames on the Hercules in front of us, starving them of air, and allowing other marines into the cargo bay to carry the wounded out of the burning plane. I ran in to help. Some were able to limp out, but others had to be carried on makeshift wooden stretchers. It was a horrific sight with traces of blood scattered around the front of the cabin and bullet holes making the walls seem like swiss cheese. I instructed Raid and Latias to wait outside… I didn't want them to see this. Everyone looked to be in critical condition. I ran deeper into the cabin, but just as I got too far from Raid and Latias, a burning sensation overwhelmed my head.

The stinging from before had returned in force. I yelled in pain and reached to grab my head. But, my arms didn't respond. Instead, I felt my legs go limp and the rest of my body fall. My vision blurred dramatically and my ears rang wildly. In a short freefall, my body fell forward onto my knees. Just as I felt someone grab my hand, I blacked out. The last thing I saw was a blurry outline of Latias' face.

Primarily inspired by (and in the order of influence with respect to the chapter's development):

Pokémon Sun/Moon - Vs. Lusamine Remix ~ watch?v=dYSzJD3WYoE

- Vs. Drones

Pirates of the Caribbean - He's a Pirate ~ watch?v=yRh-dzrI4Z4

- Carrier takeover

Gunfire sound effects - watch?v=fwAkkIbRbRE

- Also Carrier takeover (it's actually quite interesting to listen to both "He's a Pirate" and this at the same time)

Pokémon - Battle! Wally "Epic Metal" Cover/Remix (Little V) ~ watch?v=jMbSPBN4zbo

- Flight of the Hercules

I may not be the best at writing or storytelling, but I liked how this chapter came out. In this chapter, on top of getting back to storytelling, I wanted to push the plot forward and get the trio closer to their ultimate goal. But, after looking at how dark the previous chapters seemed to be, I wanted to try and lighten the mood a bit and have some fun with some of the moments. Moreover, I really wanted to drive home some of the main story and power-limiting elements that will be prominent in future chapters like

*cough* *cough*

- Marlon's inability to shift when critically injured

- The mysterious and reappearing phantom that seems to haunt Marlon

I like to think of it as setting a limit on the trio's powers. I say this despite having just wrote a chapter where Marlon and Latias are able to fight off two carriers, a hoard of drones, a bunch of P.L. grunts, and clear a debris-filled runway in the span of about thirty to forty-five minutes. A very different approach to how I'd normally approach these chapters, but an experiment nonetheless.

*audience stares*

What? I didn't say I thought this whole thing through! Or did I?!

This is the part where I ask a bunch of question in a dramatic voice that you all can't hear.

*clears throat*

With two of the P.L.'s carriers under the control of the resistance, our trio is faced with a grand new obstacle to face and mysteries to unravel. Who is the mysterious phantom that seems to haunt Marlon? How will the P.L. respond to having their carriers taken right in front of them? Where was Sam during the carrier takeover operation? Where are the waffles?!

I DON'T own the idea/theme of Pokémon. I DO HOWEVER own the character Marlon and Raid the Latios and their names I also own the idea and the theme/name of the Eon Squadron. It's all © by me marcturbo1. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND/OR HAPPY HOLIDAYS (DEPENDING ON WHEN YOU READ THIS! HAVE AN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING DAY!

P.S. Some of the eagle eyed among you will realize I haven't said anything about Marlon's family... *cue sinister voice*... in due time..