Wow, never thought I would get this far. Last chapter was pretty dark. Still, I hunk my new story is coming along rather nicely. I'd like to thank, so far, my only reviewer, thor94. Thanks for your input. With that, lets get underway.
P.S. I think that the 4th wall breakers are gone, for now. Lets see how long that remains.
Chapter 8: A Dangerous Game
Ten'i Village
The scene looked like the remains of a war torn city. Craters rested in several areas of ground. Much the the brick walkway was charred or melted. The fires had long since been extinguished, and the fire control teams had removed the wounded, the dead, and the charred remains of what were once living people. The scene was deserted. Law enforcement and other agencies just didn't know what to do. In their mostly dull careers they had never experienced anything like this! They could do nothing except follow protocol.
The town was evacuated.
Save one. Zero took his hover cart and flew around the blast zone with scanning eyes. He didn't have any concern as to whether or not someone found him in the city. His focus was primarily on the surrounding area. The scene was surprising, but not alarming. He didn't show much, if any, concern for the people afflicted by this attack, which he assumed had been the work of a dragon. A very large, very powerful, very angry, legendary dragon. How Giratina attacked these people had been a mystery, but he would discover the reason in time.
His Magnazone and the surrounding Magnamite army swept the area. Every window was looked into, every door was opened, and every stone was unturned. Despite this, he found nothing. No matter where he went throughout the village, Shaymin would not be found. For that matter, the trainers who accompanied the Pokemon had disappeared as well, he reminded himself.
They would not be foolish enough to stay with the villagers, he thought with certainty. He theorized that they must have escaped from the attack and the ensuring fire. He looked around when he saw it. The charred remains of what had once been a train station.
Somewhere in Sinnoh
Ash held Dawn close as the train continued on its course. They were all very shaken by the previous incident. Giratina was targeting them in a way that nothing else had ever done before. Ash didn't know what to do besides comfort his girlfriend and hope for the best. There was little more he could do anyways. Brock was occupied breaking any mirrors inside the train cabin that had any significant size. Pikachu and Piplup both huddled next to each other with nervous expressions.
Shaymin, meanwhile, was extremely quiet. He never made eye contact with anyone. He couldn't bring himself to. He was dwelling on the children. Their moans. Their wails. Their pleas. He shook his head violently to try to shake out the memories. He wanted to forget. He didn't want to hold onto the painful burden.
"Those people." Dawn whispered as she embraced Ash's stronger figure, "They were dying. They were-
"Shhhhh, its okay. What's important is that you are safe. Nothing is gonna happen to any of us."
"But what about those kids. They were all alone."
To this Ash didn't know how to answer. He realized that the people left behind were hurt. And some where...dead, he admitted. While he hated to use that word, he wouldn't deny the truth. Some people were dead. Could Giratina had really killed them all? he asked himself. The thought terrified him, nearly as much as it terrified Shaymin.
"What if it follows us?" Dawn asked with a frightened expression.
The boy felt a little nervous but he quickly recovered his resolve. This was a question Ash could answer. He stroked Dawn's gentle face and she brightened a little. "Then your boyfriends gonna fight right alongside you."
Dawn relaxed further and let go of Ash. She looked back at the door with newfound resolve. As long as they were together, they would be okay, she told herself. "Your the best, Ash."
"I try." Ash replied with a small smile.
About an hour passed and they managed to let the time fly. During that time, Brock was looking around the room for anything that would tell him where they were going and where they were now. Ash and Dawn engaged in conversation and they tried to put the previous events behind them. After a while, it seemed to work and this was slightly confirmed with Brock's announcement.
"Okay." Broke spoke up. "I broke any mirrors that could possibly be problematic, and while I still don't know where we are, I have a feeling we are heading somewhere far from here. Whatever the case we should be okay. Though for now, we should stay put. We still have no idea what else could happen."
"Yeah, thats probably true, but," Ash began. "We never really ate breakfast, and I'm kinda hungry. Got any food."
"What do you want, Pancakes." Brock grinned slightly.
"That would be awesome!"
"Well your gonna have to settle for this." Brock said as he reached into his backpack. He pulled out a granola bar and tossed it to Ash. The boy looked at it with slight disappointment, but figured that he was lucky to be alive so he ate it. Brock and Dawn also fed themselves and their Pokemon as Ash got a second. Shaymin didn't notice and didn't dare speak up. He didn't know what terms he was on after the attack at the station. He wasn't hungry anyway.
As Brock zipped up his backpack he had a question on his mind. "Hey, Ash, how did you exactly get on the train. I can't imagine that you ran. When you jumped, we must have been going over thirty miles an hour.
"Um, you know how some Pokemon can use...extremespeed? Well, that might have had something to do with it."
"I mean, I know you can you use aura but I never thought that you could do that!" Brock replied with some astonishment.
"I don't remember you ever doing that before." Dawn spoke up.
"I'm thinking that maybe it had to do with the stress of the situation. Maybe you falling out of the train triggered something intense in my mind and then it just...happened." Ash explained, though became a little embarrassed after speaking his thoughts so freely. He looked at Dawn and saw that she was blushing a little. "Whatever the case," he stammered, "We made it."
"No argument there." Brock replied.
"Thanks, Ash." Dawn whispered as she moved alongside him. Ash smiled and let out a sigh of slight relief.
That relief wouldn't last long.
Above them, was a small boxed intercom that was normally used by the conductor during the train ride. At first, it was ignored. This immediately changed when a loud piercing sound began to screech out of the speakers. When the sound ceased, a familiar vile voice came through. Ash and the others tensed as the villainous box continued with an announcement. Unfortunately, this announcement was going to become an ultimatum.
A few minutes earlier
Further up the train, a man was sitting on a bench. He wore a brown trench coat and dark brown pants. His hair was combed straight and it arched over his stern head. His fingers tapped the cushioning as his eyes fell on the beautiful landscape. All around him, trees rushed by the windows and the mountains created an incredible background. It looked like he was reading a photographers journal up close.
He also noticed other passengers around him. There was a young couple, a small family with several kids running around, a big woman reading a map, a few men talking about something on TV, and several others. Looker was keeping to himself and he didn't attract a ton of attention, save for one man who decided to sit next to him. He looked calm and smiled cheerfully.
"Hell of a ride, eh?" The man asked. "Names Evan."
"Uh, John." Looker greeted.
'So, where you headed?" Evan asked.
"Jubilife." Looker replied honestly. Evan smiled and seemed slightly surprised.
"Your the city type, eh? You a business man?"
"Something like that. Jubilife is where I need to head. Got a dispute between corporate executives that I need to handle. Also, I may end up having to disprove a claim made by the opposing corporation."
"Sounds like fun." Evan replied with clear sarcasm. Looker watched as the man fiddled with his buttoned shirt and smiled ahead. How naive he was, Looker thought.
The corporate executives he was evaluating was Team Galactic. While they claimed to be devoted scientists aimed at making a better world, Looker was among the few who questioned the validity of such a claim. More often than not, these corporations were corrupt and focused more on self gain than public charity. Looker was telling Evan the truth of what he was doing, from a certain point of view. What he didn't say, was that he was an international police agent who was investigating possible criminal activity in the Team Galactic Jubilife Division. While they ensure the authorities that they are not taking part in any such activity, Looker couldn't help but wonder how credible these "scientists" were.
In these days, it was hard to know the difference between the good scientists and the ambitious ones.
"So, where you heading?" Looker finally asked.
"Towards Eterna. Thats where I call home." Evan replied. "Nice little place."
"Indeed." Looker nodded. The man started to look out his window as Evan continued to talk about his hometown. He was getting bored, and figured that he couldn't pay attention to every single detail. He was feeling quite calm when he saw a lone Magnamite fly by his window. He saw several more and a Magnaton come by as well. His interest peaked when he saw even more come by. It looked like a small swarm. The sun was shining and reflecting off the steel bodies and Looker was actually feeling captivated by the sudden sight. Evan didn't really seem to notice and Looker felt pleased.
Until the Magnazone flew by.
It was at this point that Looker was sensing that something was wrong. A couple Magnaton floating by were one thing. They weren't completely uncommon and it made sense that they would be together. Electric types always stick together. However, Magnazone almost never come down to lower altitudes unless something strange was happening. Another theory, was that these Pokemon were not wild at all, but rather, the trained Pokemon of a trainer. This implication was severe. There must have been over thirty Pokemon outside; if they all belonged to a single trainer, it was a considerably threatening force.
Before Looker could think further, he saw that the men were complaining about the television set. It was static and their sport, whatever it was they were watching, was not seen on the monitor. The anger turned to shock when a mysterious figure appeared on the set. His hair was white and spiked, and his eyes grinned with fierce determination. The man began to speak.
"Today, you are all going to be witnesses to a very special gathering. My name is Zero, and you don't know me yet, but rest assured, you soon will. Right now, you may notice the many Magnamite and Magnaton swarming about this train. Let me assure you, these are not wild. They are mine. Right here, and right now, I am capable to sending you all to a quick and cataclysmic doom. Should I command it, I will order my steel army to use Magnet Rise on your train, lift you off the railing, and order my Pokemon to release the train."
Everyone who was listening was in shock. Looker himself realized that this man was not joking about any of this. The normally peaceful train ride had escalated into a deadly game with a dangerous man. Some people shivered, some clenched their fists, Looker stared at the face of this enemy with determination.
"You are probably asking yourselves, why I am doing this. You see, I am a scientist and I have some very bold plans. However, in order to make these plans come true, I need your assistance. I'm sure, some of you understand the extent of damage that occurred in Ten'i Village almost an hour ago. That was the work of this creature."
A screen lit up and it showed the picture of a large dragon type Pokemon. The creature looked malicious and evil and there were several whimpers and gasps from the passengers. "This creature is called Giratina. It is powerful, stealthy, and above all else dangerous. In order to find and hopefully capture this creature, I will need a certain Pokemon returned to me."
A second image popped up. This one showed a small green Pokemon that looked strangely familiar. Looker swore that he read about this Pokemon in an intelligence report. When he did was a mystery, but it was clear that this Pokemon was rare. "This Pokemon is called Shaymin, and it belongs to me alone. Unfortunately, a group of insubordinates have unrightfully hidden this creature from me on your train." Three faces appeared on the screen and Zero continued with his announcement.
"You will heed to my command and find this Pokemon and return it to me. You have an hour to complete this task. Any sympathy shown towards this Pokemon and/or the trainers associated with it will be a direct defiance to my command. When the hour expires I blow up your train. If, however, you give up Shaymin to me I will leave you in peace. The question now is this. What is more valuable? Are you going to save yourselves by compiling to this honorable request or are you going to become selfless martyrs? The choice is yours. But do note, this train is completely under my control. Any of you try to flee, the train explodes. Any of you try to decrease speed, the train explodes. If any of you try to attack my forces, the train explodes! You will continue your course during your hour of either compliance or resistance, and as for your conductor...will not be joining us during that time." With this he laughed like a maniac and the passengers became clearly frightened. Looker tensed as he realized that the conductor had not been taken prisoner. He was an example.
"As a final note for the three trainers safeguarding my Shaymin, this last announcement is for you. You might want to make a decision quickly. If you try to delay time and hide from the crew I am certain that those said passengers will not be quite so sympathetic to your cowardice. You may want to make a decision first before the crew makes a decision for you. The timer is counting, and your hour begins. Now."
With that the screen faded to black and a long silence hit the many cabins on the train. The clock had started to tick.
Wow, I can't believe I wrote all that. I'll be honest, I got some inspiration from the Dark Knight when writing this. As for Looker, I thought he would be fun to have for these next few scenes. Enjoy and be prepared.