I thought the time it took me to upload the last chapter was insane. Now, I'm just wtfing over how much work got piled on me when school started. The next chapters might also take more time to do :(
Thanks to Gala, hironada, and Grammaguy for reviewing, as well as iLateral GX for favoriting!
The four of them spend their first few days in the Drake Mountains and meet a few interesting 'mon. I'll leave exactly who they are for you to read.
Chapter 16: Indigenous
It was cold in the Drakes. Even though Lamar's tail flame warmed the area around him with a gentle yellow glow, the Latios on the bunk next to his couldn't help but shiver and exhale, watching the hot breath condense in the air. The many other 'mon stuck in the large tent shared his discomfort, all of them finding novel ways to heat themselves. Some, like Sirius, chose to rely on a fellow fire-type, and others without such fortune chose to light a brick of plastic explosives near the tent entrance to generate some warmth instead. The smoke didn't really concern the majority of them; the blizzard winds blowing straight through the closed opposite entrance of the tent chased the toxic fumes out. Neither did the fact that the explosives could possibly destabilize and turn the small campfire into a giant fireball. They could worry about dying from hypothermia first, and they all trusted each other not to do something stupid to upset the fire in the first place, such as dropping a heated cup of coffee on it.
On the bunk above Sirius', Shadrach flipped through a worn field manual for the umpteenth time, having read it to the point where he could almost recite what was on every single page, just like Siria. The skills documented within were vital, though. Out of all the areas where the Halycian Defense had to practice counterinsurgency tactics, Ahan would surely be the area where all of their skills would be put to the test. If the Umbreon had his way, they would all be training right now, but the weather seemed to disagree with his desires. There wasn't a formal CQB training structure erected, either, but the SF and Airborne troops had all the ammunition in the world to spare for practice.
Sirius watched as his "roommate" jumped down from the top bunk and placed the manual in a footlocker. The Umbreon scratched his ear and looked up at the Latios. Of course, out of all the things the dragon could be preoccupied with, it would have to be his game. "Sirius?" Shadrach queried.
He looked up at the black face in front of him. "Yeah?"
"Could you contact Siria again?" The Umbreon crouched, preparing to jump back onto the top bunk.
"About what?"
"Well..." Shadrach paused. He didn't want to directly tell Sirius the somewhat personal message he wanted to convey to the Latias. If the tents weren't gender-segregated, then there would be no problem, but communal bathrooms, showers, and general living all called for practicality over comfort.
It didn't take the dragon long to realize what Shadrach wanted. "Gotcha," he replied with a smile. He tapped into his meager psychic powers, trying to create a solidified link with Siria. The females' tent wasn't too far from the males', so he would have little problems.
Using their in-born bond, he found his sister's rather large psychic presence in no time at all. He reached out to it, first sending, Hey, Siria.
Hardly a second passed when she responded with a quick, What?
Shadrach wants me to say something to you for him.
What? she repeated. The Latios swore that she sat up a bit straighter. He couldn't help but crack an enormous grin at her reaction, knowing that she would become embarrassed or pissed at what he said next. Sirius suspected the latter.
He loooooooooooooooves you.
If the indignant Latias could reach out and slap him from her tent, she would have. However, a slightly toned-down mind crush would have to suffice for now. Shadrach watched interestedly as the dragon below him gritted his teeth, leaned backwards on the bed and clasped his head in agony. "Care to tell me what happened?" he asked the writhing Sirius rather unsympathetically. Chances were that he said something that was either really lewd or really offensive. Hell, for all the Umbreon knew, it could have been a mixture of the two.
"N- nothing," he groaned in response, shaking his head to regain his blurred vision. Arceus, a slap was one thing, but to have his brain feel as if a Ho-Oh was roasting it with Sacred Fire was another!
As Shadrach was going to comment casually on what exactly Sirius said to her, the closed entrance of the tent flew open, allowing a flurry of ice to pelt everybody inside. Several complaints arose in the back, the sudden burst of blizzard killing the 'mons' cooking fire. "Sergeant Shadrach and Sergeant Sirius?" a stocky Walrein called out, completely oblivious to the many glares from the formerly situated 'mon. In contrast to the heavily suited soldiers inside, the ice-type had only an olive-green T-shirt and fatigued pants on, attracting even more of their ire.
Shadrach looked outside at the snowstorm, watching the everlasting screen of white pass through the air. Already all suited up, he jumped down from his bunk and gave a passing glance at Sirius. The dragon gently snarled and threw off the blanket, walking behind the dark-type.
"Sergeant Shadrach," the Umbreon stated. He stiffly saluted the major, who he recognized as the local commanding officer on the first day the 'mon dug in.
The Latios gave a lazy, "Sirius," nonchalant attitude contrasting directly with Shadrach's formality.
The Walrein gave both of them an appraising look before looking outside. "Are the two of you well-dressed?"
Sirius had to repress his urge to belligerently ask, "What are you, blind?" Both of them wore the fatigues they brought with them from FOB Archer, the shipment of winter gear still not having come in. Instead, he nodded in sync with Shadrach, who quite possibly shared the same opinion as he.
"Well, then. Follow me." The Walrein turned around and strode into the storm, obviously unaffected by the sheer cold of the air. Sirius and Shadrach followed, Special Forces mentality shoving down any thought of vocal complaint. That didn't necessarily stop them (especially Sirius) from mentally griping, though. They constantly shielded their faces from the wind, lest a stray crystal hit their eye and cause a nasty little sting. The snow was starting to build on the ground; the two of them had to stomp their way through the foot-high drifts. Most of the time they had no other directional aid besides the ice-type's previous footprints. If they lost track of those, then they would have little idea as to where to go.
However, after two pained, sluggish minutes of marching, the dragon and the dark-type saw the glow of a window through the snowstorm. They staggered the rest of the way, bodies completely numbed from the combination of low temperature and wind chill. Opening the door and rushing in, the two of them sighed and wiped snow off their dress. After a quick survey of the hastily erected command center, they found several others in the room. A familiar Ampharos and an even more familiar Latias at a table and watched them amusedly while a thin, lanky Froslass floated above the ground, conversing with the Walrein. Noticing the two new arrivals, the major motioned for all of them to sit.
The major, positioned at the front, glanced at the faces down the table before beginning his talk. "Now, you all must be wondering why I called you here."
"Why yes, please tell us," Sirius responded, voice laced with a supreme amount of sarcasm. He winced as his sister kicked him under the table.
Ignoring the disdainful comment, he continued, "As you may or may not know, there is a local resistance movement against the Tamsus forces. Like how we are now, they're based in these mountains and make themselves beyond the militia's reach. I'm also told that they have agents among the local population down in the towns. Is that correct, Luna?"
The Froslass curtly bowed her head in response. "Yes, we do. The RM, or Resistance Movement, as we're called, runs operations from here and attacks targets of opportunity, such as vital bridges and other structures. Of course, we would be more successful in these attempts, but-" She took a moment to glare at the major. "It seems that Halcyian troops have been a bit… lackadaisical in getting here."
To his credit, the Walrein didn't avert his gaze from her eyes. He met her scowl and responded, "There were numerous complications. We had to clear the Trinity Woods and push Tamsus back down to Ahan, which was no small effort."
"Push them back down here so that they can renew their efforts in destroying RM."
"Now, look here-"
Levina cleared her throat, breaking the frosty tension between the two of them. "I don't know about you ice-types, but it wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience for us to tread through the snowfields of Mt. Coronet all the way here. And we don't even get any entertainment for the effort, either; all we get is two 'mon bickering back and forth. Can we get to the point?" As the yellow 'mon angrily took a sip of coffee out of a paper cup, Siria couldn't help but admire her straightforwardness. It sure broke through situations that the Latias would be too timid to diffuse.
Both the Walrein and the Froslass looked down abashedly, suddenly realizing how they appeared to the four enlisted 'mon. "Oh yes," the Walrein feigned to remember. "Well, as we move further into the Ahan region, we will begin to come into contact with some anti-Tamsus forces, such as RM. Although these resistance forces may exist in small pockets, they are powerful allies, and will prove to be of great assistance in taking back the land. We must try our best to coordinate with these brave fighters and strike out at Tamsus."
All four of the briefed 'mon knew exactly what their role was: as Special Forces, they were trained to be liaisons first and foremost, the go-to soldiers when working with unfamiliar allied troops. Their main goal was to take the RM's elite 'mon and train them up to SF caliber before engaging in missions. Of course, the trainees would already be versed in unconventional warfare, so only the refinement of their skills would be necessary.
"If you want the summary without the overly patriotic sentiment," Luna said, earning herself a glare from the major, "We need your help in force projection. Our assumption is that if Tamsus knows that there are Halcyian troops here, especially Special Operations Forces members, they'll clear house, which means we can take back Riyaq."
"Riyaq?" Siria asked.
"The city we used to live in before the militia chased us out about…." She paused a minute to count. "Twenty-two years ago. A pretty long time to be living in the Drakes, if you ask me." The Latias feigned no surprise over the number; they were fighting out of caves before she was even born!
"Riyaq is a strategic target. Intelligence reports that Tamsus uses it as a staging ground for their operations as well as a recruitment center. There are several functional factories in the area, though we do not know what is being produced in them," the Walrein complemented.
"Our informants believe that the factories are for small arms and munitions," the other ice-type rejoined. "We've had a few of ours 'work' in the production lines. You know, sabotaging weapons and bullets so that they explode when fired."
The major leaned into the table and narrowed his eyes at her. "Just how much do you know, anyways?"
"Obviously more than you." Luna smirked. "I can give you a list of all the strategic targets that you'll need to take. Like I said, we've been operating twenty-two years and running. It's been nothing less than a miracle that they haven't found us yet."
"We can discuss that at a later time. What we need, though, is to discuss what we're going to do with your soldiers. We need them integrated into our force if we want to begin tactical missions out in Riyaq. I have part of a squad here today, arguably one of our best." The four 'mon nodded at the Froslass. "Our basic squad format will be four Halycian troops and four RM troops. Obviously, yours will provide intelligence and combat experience from Riyaq, and ours will provide extra training, the guns, and the leadership. Training is expected to begin whenever this storm ends, which should be pretty soon if HQ's intel proves right. A week later, we begin operations and take Riyaq back."
Agreeing with this, she stood up. "The timetable seems good enough. The sooner we hit at them, the better. When this storm ends, we will select our best and send them to you for training. Hopefully you can settle on a strategy to take the city. Well, if you have the required intelligence, that is." Ending with a double entendre, she left the SF personnel in the room,letting in a sharp breeze before closing the door.
"The hell is wrong with her?" Levina cholerically snapped as soon as the door shut. "Was I the only 'mon who got the drift that she hated us?" She looked around at the other faces for any hint of reassurance.
The ice-type shook his head somberly. "Well, Luna is quite bitter, especially with the Halcyian Defense. Care to guess why?"
"Tamsus must have killed a relative or a close one of hers," Siria theorized, the Froslass' attitude distinctly reminder her of Wyatt's.
"Her entire city council was executed in the middle of the city, in front of everybody. And not in the traditional bullet to the head style that Tamsus is so fond of. Shadow Balls, many of them. They pulverized the council members into little more than skeletal remains for their resistance against their agenda. We received the detailed report from an unknown party decades ago. I remember; I was only a private working the radios at the time." He involuntarily shuddered. "I had nightmares for quite a while afterwards. I didn't need a picture to imagine what had happened."
An awkward silence filled the room as the Walrein finished his account. "So…" Sirius said, trying to break the stillness.
His utterance broke the Walrein out of his daze. "Anyways, as soon as this storm clears, you will be assigned four RM troops. As I said before, there's a one-week window between now and when operations are to begin. Thus, time is valuable, and you should make every effort to assimilate those soldiers into your squad as quickly as possible. Now, I selected you four to work together for good reason. As I've heard through the grapevine, each one of you specializes in an area so well that you outclass most of your fellow SF 'mon. Shadrach (those of us in the higher echelons have heard much about you, by the way) is responsible for teaching stealth tactics; Levina is responsible for explosives, demolition, and sabotage; Sirius is responsible for physical, special, and status combat; and Siria is responsible for CQB and urban operations."
He looked up from his papers and looked directly at them. "Thus, until we take full possession of Riyaq, you will act as the Alpha Team, the first ones in. You will lead the assault and pave the way for other SF units, should the mission assigned to you be a large operation. When we have a terrible fix, we will call upon your resources. When we need a highly sensitive mission executed, your team will be the one to do it. We're not operating at HTR status here, but high security may be required for some of these operations." All of them blinked at the mention of the Halcyian Tactical Response, the most secretive and isolated service of the military. Rumor had it that HTR troops were fighting an entirely different war against Tamsus, though details were incredibly sparse. All that was known for sure was that the soldiers were the best of the best, surpassing even the Special Operations elements of the other services in skill and ability.
As the major continued to drone on, Siria couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at this sudden change of command. She was really looking forward to working with her SF trainees; all four of them, especially Tia, had dramatically improved in the month of training before the 10th SF Group left for the Drakes. However, changes were changes, and she chose that she would do her best with the new RM soldiers.
"…to recap, two days from now, you'll start training; in a week, you'll deploy. Clear?"
"Clear," all four monotonously replied.
"Good. You are dismissed."
Relieved, the four of them got up and filed to the door. Shadrach took hold of the knob and tried to push outwards. However, he met unusual resistance; the door would not budge, no matter how much force he put on it. "Hey," he said. "Are we snowed in?"
Siria walked over to a window, looking outside. "There's only a foot and a half of snow outside. You should be able to open it." The Umbreon tried again, but to no avail.
"Shadrach, move." Sirius laid his hands on his shoulders and moved him to the side. Then, pacing backwards a few steps, the Latios took a running start and jumped at the door, planting both of his feet on it in a flying kick. As the ice crusting the door shattered and gave way, he yelped and collapsed on the floor, apparently having pulled a muscle in the endeavor. The customary harsh, cold wind permeated the interior of the building, causing all but the Walrein to shiver.
Levina looked down at the Latios struggling on the ground. "Hey, Siria, you think he'll be alright?"
"No."
"Do you care?"
"…no."
The Ampharos shrugged, giving Sirius a passing look before tramping back outside. Shadrach, on the other hand, knelt down to him. "Hurt somewhere?"
"Yeah," he grunted in response. "Messed up my tendon, but it'll be fine. Just give me a minute." He tried to get up, but failed, crumpling on the floor again. Siria rolled her eyes and also knelt down. Sure, it would be to her immense satisfaction to leave her brother lying there, but she didn't want to bother the major.
Her hands glowed as she put them to the Latios' leg. "Hold still," she ordered as Sirius tried to recoil. "Or I'll do far worse to you than a stretched leg."
"Fine." As the Latias made a couple of passes over his limb, he exercised it, making sure that his sister didn't play a cruel prank of any sort. Standing up, he looked gratefully at her. "Thanks, sis."
Siria nodded at him before heading towards the door. "You could have just used HP Fire, you know."
"Yeah, but that's not as fun, is it?"
She gave him a sarcastic glance before opening the door again, bracing herself against the blunt chill of the storm. Shadrach and Sirius quickly followed her outside, teeth chattering as they braved the journey back to their tents.
Siria's boots sunk into the fresh snow as she stepped outside. The morning sun in the clear, cloudless sky illuminated the white drifts, newly created by the storm that had just ended hours ago. Her footprints didn't disturb the once-pristine snow, though. The drifts were already marred with depressions caused by wheels, tank treads, and, of course, other footprints of those who began working on construction just as soon as the snowstorm ended. The consistent buzzing of logistics helicopters carrying in all sorts of goods was complimented by roars of flame, all fire-types available working on melting the snow off of the helipads that had been submerged under the snow.
Worrying about what got where and when wasn't her job, though. She made her way to the staging area, seeing a large group of soldiers assembled there. Curiously, they didn't wear Halcian-issued fatigues; their dress could be found in any civilian department store. Based on this small fact, she realized that they were the RM troops that the Walrein had talked about in the briefing. The Latias watched as a gruff Nidoking ordered them to organize, stand at attention, march…. They were then ushered into a large tent, where SF personnel would conduct interviews to omit the 'mon that appeared to pose a security risk or didn't meet the stringent qualifications expected of them. Only then would the remaining soldiers be forwarded to SF soldiers for training and integration.
Siria turned away from the scene, hearing the sound of crunching snow behind her. An Umbreon walked up, paws firmly lodged in his fatigue pockets. "So?" he asked. "How many do you think there'll be at the end?"
"Probably half, maybe a third. Their definition of top-notch is different from ours, so a lot of them will be deferred to the regular Army instead." She suddenly sneezed, the icy climate of the Drakes finally getting the best of her type weakness.
"Why are you out here, anyways? It's pretty cold."
After another sneeze, she managed to work out, "Just wanted to see what they were doing. Command didn't issue any orders yet."
"Not officially, no, but we still need to get everything going. Some of the guys down at communications need their infrastructure set up. C4I and all of that." He motioned to a helicopter on the landing pad a distance away from them, tandem rotors whining loudly as 'mon rolled racks of computers and servers out of the cargo bay.
Agreeing with him, Siria was about to move out when she realized that she didn't have a bearing on where everything was. Noticing the confusion on her face, Shadrach said, "Near the command center we were in a few days ago. Just follow them." He pointed out to the trail of soldiers departing the helipad. The chopper was already flying out of view, undoubtedly returning to a nearby joint base for more supplies.
The two of them began to walk in silence, ambient noise of construction work and shouting filling the air between them. "Siria, what missions are we going to be assigned?" the Umbreon abruptly asked.
Looking at him, she repeated, "Command hasn't given me any orders as of yet, so I don't know."
"Even though you're a Staff Sergeant?"
"Yes," she sighed. "Why do you ask, though? It's probably going to be what's outlined in the manual. We have two weeks, including the one involved in training the RMs, before the main force sweeps in, so we'll need to disrupt vital facilities, supply lines, and anything else that'll facilitate the Army's capture."
Shadrach glanced downwards. "I meant, well, in terms of… safety." Hesitation caused the last word to come out less readily than usual.
The Latias' pace slowed a bit as she considered his statement. This was an entire new dimension to her; she had never viewed the Umbreon as one that would be concerned about safety, especially in an industry where it was possible for an entire squad to be wiped out on a single mission. "What do you mean by safety?"
"I was just thinking about a few days ago, in the convoy from Archer to here. After that attack, I lost sight of you for half an hour, and then when you return both you and your brother were covered in blood. Although saying this will probably make me sounds weak," he said with a twisted expression, "I was a bit worried for you. The first thing I thought was that you got hurt in some way."
Siria blinked in sudden recognition. Out of all the things she carried out of that disgusting experience, how the Umbreon would feel never really occurred to her. "Don't worry about me," she reassured, trying to set his mind at ease. "You're not the only one who can pull his own weight."
"I know, but it's just that… what if on one of these missions-"
"One of us gets left behind? Or injured? Or even killed?" He widened his eyes as he considered each situation. Noticing this, Siria said, "Shadrach, I thought you saw everything realistically, especially since you've been doing Special Forces longer than I have. But," she continued in consolation, "I'll try my best to stay alive. Just don't worry about it. Focus on keeping yourself alive first."
The Umbreon sighed and looked away, his mind filled with many conflicting thoughts. Sure, her reassurances warmed him a little, but as she said before, he couldn't detract from the sheer probability of either one of them being gravely wounded or lost in battle. Then he turned as he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Shadrach," the Latias said sternly, hazel eyes focused on him. "I think the same things you do every time we go out on a mission or even a patrol. But remember the promise you made?" He nodded slowly; how could he forget such an event so quickly? "Just keep that in mind. I know I will"
The Umbreon looked back at her, taking note of her earnest tone. In spite of the seriousness of her demand, he couldn't help but grin, stowing his reservations away and deciding to trust the girl besides him. "Alright, Siria."
"Good!" she exclaimed in response. The two of them now stood in front of the communications center. The large building was already constructed, but its interior was not so organized. 'mon bustled here and there, carrying equipment from several carts in a corner and setting them in various places. A Feraligatr with a clipboard stood in front of the carts, checking off items on a clipboard.
Looking outside, the water-type noticed the Umbreon and the Latias. "You two! Get in here and help!" he shouted. Heeding the call, they entered the building. "Take these," he said, roughly shoving a pair of large cables in Shadrach's hands, "Hook these up to the server over there and link them to the comps over there. Sai will help you if you got any questions."
"Say what?" A voice came out of a computer that a Murkrow was carrying, nearly scaring him into dropping it. Shadrach shot the Feraligatr a quizzical look.
"Porygon," he hastily explained. "Don't ask."
The computer spoke again. "I'm just doing software updates, dude. Nothing else."
"Yeah, when you're on duty, that is. Arceus knows what you do in your spare time."
"Axe, that internet history was not mine, I swear. It was…."
Not wanting to hear the rest of the discourse, Shadrach led Siria over to the server, trying to match the cable plugs with the proper receptacles. "Hmm… do you know how to do this?" he asked her.
"Red goes in slot four. Green goes in slot six. One and three are reserved for other protocols. Five is for encryption," she rattled off.
"Oh, ok, thanks." Shadrach began to look for the openings she mentioned. As he lodged the red cable in, he then realized who he was talking to. "Wait, what? How did you know that?"
"I read some manuals a few years ago. I was one of the IT's at my school as well, though nothing they had compares to the military's technology." Shadrach took all of this information in. Factoring her photographic memory in with her previous work experience, it would only make sense that she was good with military-issued computers.
The two of them worked laboriously until the clock struck two, pushing terminals here, connecting wires there, installing a fresh OS in a set of malfunctioning computers, and consistently tuning out Sai and Axe's bickering. As they walked outside, they were for once glad for the cool wind of the Drake Mountains. The temperature inside the hardly ventilated building was almost intolerable.
Shadrach sat on a large rock, taking a packet of rations from his pack. He sliced the paper seal open with a knife, spilling out the contents of the bag in front of him. Sifting through the various packages, he noticed that the portable chemical heater was not included. The food was arguably uneatable even when heated, but if he had to choose between a cold inedible meal and a hot one, he would definitely favor the latter. "Siria, can I get a favor?"
The Latias sat cross-legged on the ground. Actually, "sitting" would be a misnomer; she chose to float a couple of inches above the detested snow instead. "Yes?"
"Can you light this?" He held the paper bag up. "I guess the machines forgot to give me a heater."
She silently put her fork down and generated a tiny fireball, flicking it at the bag Shadrach placed on the stone surface before him. It caught fire, creating a warm fire. "Thanks Siria," he said gratefully. However, another problem then struck him. The heater in question was actually a bag that he could put his plastic food tray in; he only had to add water and seal the heater to warm the entrée. The Umbreon had no other way of heating his food besides hanging it over the fire or chucking it in and seeing how much melted plastic he could consume before his intestines clogged up. He didn't have anything that would let him heat it with the former method, though.
As he wrestled with this slight problem, a Nidoking approached the two of them, leading four other 'mon behind him. "Staff Sergeant Siria?" he asked of them formally.
The Latias in question stood up and saluted him. "Sir." Meal forgotten, Shadrach watched them with interest.
He stood aside and let her get a better look at the four behind him. "These are the four RMs assigned to you." Looking from left to right, she saw a Gabite, a Vaporeon, a Leafeon, and a Tropius. She was a bit puzzled, seeing that three of the four mountain-dwellers were weak to ice.
She stepped forward to the Tropius, who appeared to be the oldest of the group. "I'm Siria," the Latias said, extending a hand. The Nidoking took the opportunity to retreat quietly, not wanting to disrupt the initial meeting.
The grass-type took her greeting, rustling his leaves as he did so. "Talal," he lightly replied. Motioning towards the other three, he continued, "Din and Jul, the brothers." The Vaporeon and Leafeon bowed their heads. "And she's-" The Tropius let out a string of syllables that neither Siria nor Shadrach could fully comprehend.
"Could you repeat that again?" Siria said calmly. She knew better than to appear confused; giving off that first impression to 'mon of any culture would undoubtedly make her efforts at connecting with them far harder.
Talal grinned at the Gabite and shrugged. "We just call her Nuwai because I'm the only 'mon who knows how to say her full name. It means 'little fire,' which fits her current status."
The blue dragon glowered at him, fins reddening slightly. "Talal…."
"Don't worry about it," he returned. "When you finally evolve to a Garchomp, your name will change to reflect that."
"Thank you. Though I don't know if I'll ever get there…."
The Vaporeon looked at her and smiled. "Just give it time. Practice makes perfect, as they say. Not to mention you're quite young to have such aspirations; you're years ahead of any other Gabite I've known in my life."
She had obviously heard Din's reassurances before, though. "You've always told me that, but it never happens! I know I'm rather young, but do you know any other Gabite that's stayed in their second stage for so long? I train every waking hour when I don't have operations, but I haven't changed at all."
As he was about to respond, Talal cut him off. "Now Nuwai, I think we've had this discussion about your evolution before. Most of your species evolves to the third stage when they're twenty to twenty five, and you're only fourteen! Take Din's advice and give it some time. And besides, we're ignoring our gracious hosts, aren't we?" Siria blushed; apart from offering a culturally correct greeting, she hadn't done anything else to make them feel welcome.
Shadrach, having packed up his meal during the discussion, slid off the rock and walked up next to Siria. "Have you eaten lunch yet?" he asked them. "If you haven't, there is a dining hall near here. The only meals we have are field rations, though. My apologies, but we haven't been able to receive anything but the bare necessities since the development of FOB Fearow."
"Thank you for the offer, but we have our own food." The Tropius reached into his pack and showed him a large chunk of bread wrapped in paper. "This, as well as the other supplies we carry, lasts us for up to a week without assistance."
Both of them nodded at the information. "Well, then," Siria said. "Since that we're all ready, shall we begin assessment?" She glanced towards the Umbreon besides her. Sorry Shadrach. I promise I'll make it up for you later, she communicated telepathically to him, adding a hint of playfulness at the end. Looking towards her, he nodded and smiled a bit.
All four of the RM troops nodded, the Gabite especially eager to beginning training. However, what they were about to face was not like anything the expected. Shadrach, one more thing. Can you start off with tactics? I need to call my brother to get himself and Levina here. We can't start the physical part without them.
The Umbreon nodded. "So," he began, as Siria wandered away. "Let's suppose that we want to enter a room house and rescue a hostage. It is known that there are, at maximum, five enemy combatants inside. How would you do it?"
The RMs blinked for a minute. They had been expecting physical tests or marksmanship assessments, not a question. Talal, the aged one of them, was unsurprisingly the first to recover. Chuckling softly, he asked, "How many soldiers are we allotted?"
"Four soldiers."
"What weapons platforms?"
"Any small arms, any grenades, any explosives, and any special attacks."
"What are the enemy's weapons platforms?"
"The same thing."
"Are there any windows?"
"No."
"What is the door's structure?"
"Wood, one bolt, one knob."
"How many tumblers does the lock have?"
"Five."
"Is it locked?"
"No."
"Last question," the Tropius asked, still grinning widely. "What is the construction of the building?"
"Standard concrete." Shadrach was at a loss as to why Talal would ask so many questions. Few of them were pertinent to the mission….
The grass-type put a paw to his chin. "Hmm, based on that information, I could form a possible response. But," he continued, beaming at the Gabite besides him, "I'm sure you could answer it best, Nuwai."
As the dragon scowled at him, the Umbreon then understood Talal's near-useless questions. They were designed to entrap her so that she would be confused as to what procedure she would have to utilize.
"Well..." she began, eyes narrowed in concentration. "I suppose that we could first use Din to leak some water under the door and freeze their feet to the ground. Then we could enter as they're trying to get themselves unstuck."
"Wouldn't the enemy choose to kill the hostage if they knew you were coming for them?" Talal pointedly asked before Shadrach could comment.
The Gabite thought again. "Use explosive charges to blow off the door and stun the enemy while we kill them?"
"The shrapnel may kill the hostage, and the surviving enemies will if that doesn't."
"How about… we open the door and use your Sweet Scent to make them less aware?"
The Tropius knew that flash-bang grenades were the best weapon of choice, but he didn't want to rob her of the educational lesson. "That could work. Continue."
"Then we go in and kill them," she succinctly finished.
"Kill them how?"
"Just go inside and start attacking targets of opportunity."
"Ah, that may also work," Talal commented. "But when you do that, there's a 'mon hiding in the corner. He shoots you dead. What is your next course of action?" He grinned humorously at her flustered features.
"Well…" she trailed, persistence never wavering. "Well…."
The grass-type sighed. "Although you may be a 'little fire,' you certainly put up a valiant struggle. The probability that you will arrive at the best answer is small." He passed off the glare she gave him with a knowing smile. "Nuwai, I hope you've learned something from this; it's something I told you some time ago, but I believe that you've forgotten. You can have all the power in the world, but you will fail without tactics. After all, power is not all there is to battle. What good is a rifle if you do not know how to use it? As it was once said, 'To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence. Supreme excellence consists of….'" He peered at her, expecting the Gabite to finish the sentence.
"'...consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting,'" she finished, disappointment written all over her face.
"Correct! I'm glad you remembered at least a bit of what I've told you. Anyways," Talal said, glancing at the Umbreon. "I apologize for the little conversation, but I'll answer your question now." He cleared his throat. "The four 'mon will stack up against the wall first. Then, the second 'mon will take a flashbang and toss it in when the first 'mon opens the door. After it detonates, the first 'mon will sweep down the right; the second, the left; the third, the left center; and the fourth, the right center. They will call out 'Contact!' when they see an enemy, and engage them in the millisecond thereafter. When there are no enemies to be seen, they will call out 'Clear!' Did I miss anything, Sergeant?"
Shadrach blinked at the concise explanation, a little more than impressed by Talal's tutelage and explanation. He knew better than to underestimate the RM 'mon, but the Tropius could completely trump him in terms of teaching, not to mention earn a high-ranking position on Special Forces. "No," he replied, completely nonplussed. "You got everything perfectly."
"Good. We usually don't have the force of numbers to carry out something like that often, but it's a nice trick to know." He smiled pleasantly and looked out at the mountains behind him, leaving the dark-type with a multitude of questions regarding Talal's background and education.
Siria came up next to Shadrach. "Well, what do you think?" she asked rhetorically. Of course the Latias watched the entire thing from the distance, herself duly impressed with the Tropius' abilities.
"He's probably as good as us, if not better," the Umbreon honestly replied. "That Gabite girl, though… how did she make it past the interviewers? She obviously doesn't have the experience of the others."
The Latias shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps Talal was able to convince them about her. From what I gather, he must be a guardian of some sort of hers, considering how closely they interact for those of their society. As for the girl, I can sense that she has a lot of potential inside her. It's just that…." Siria frowned. "She doesn't know how to access it. She's using the wrong approach, and she'll never get to it if she doesn't change her practices."
"So…." Shadrach exchanged glances with her, not needing to state their mutual goal.
The Latias nodded. "Yes, that's what we're going to do. In this week, we're going to take her from this into a better, more able-"
Her inspiring monologue was suddenly cut off by an outburst above them. All of them looked up, seeing a winged blue figure wrestle with a yellow one.
"Hey, stop moving-" Sirius' request was cut short by a deft smack upside the head as he tried to hug the struggling Ampharos to his body.
"Stop moving? I might as well just let you grope me all over the place. Screw you!" Levina doled out another strike at him, completely unaware of his efforts in not letting her fall into the snow.
The Latios groaned, knowing that he couldn't keep the two of them up for much longer. "Hey, you agreed to this," he countered.
"You never said anything about touching me all over the place!"
"How else do you expect me to fly you? Not on my back; you're too big!"
"Too big, huh? I'll show you!" She let a charge of electricity run up his blue wings, causing them to flatten in paralysis.
Sirius widened his eyes. "What the hell did you d-" Then he went into an uncontrolled dive, unable to use his body to steer his flight. The Latias couldn't help but wince as her brother faceplanted straight into the snow, throwing up a white flurry around him. Levina, somehow completely unharmed from the fall, emerged from the cloud and sent a bolt of electricity back into it for good measure. The unabashed Ampharos made her way to her other two squadmates, who had their mouths gaping in sheer disbelief. Forget the damage that had been done to her brother; RM 'mon judged based on first impressions! Who knew what they thought of the Halcyian Defense now?
Levina was, as usual, obvious to their reactions. "Sorry we were late. Someone had to make a few unwise moves in the middle of flight." As the Latias heard this, she couldn't help but feel that the electric-type had slightly misconstrued her brother's good intentions. Sirius knew better than to try anything risky like that in flight; the last time he flew carelessly, he spent half a month recovering in a medical ward.
Disconcerted, Siria turned back to the four 'mon. "I'm so sorry that you had to see that. We normally don't operate this way; those two had to be called from a remote location, so they tried to get here as fast as possible." The red dragon didn't know if the RMs bought the story as they nodded in seeming understanding.
Her brother walked up besides her. "Hello. I'm Sergeant Sirius. I must also apologize for my misconduct. I hope it won't strain relations between us." Like Siria, he shook hands with Talal, but he also extended his greeting to the three others. Even he knew that if there was a good time to make amends, it would be now.
"Apology accepted," the Tropius said, chuckling.
Din added, "It wouldn't be the first time we saw something like that. Nawai had something similar with Basil one time…."
"Quiet," the Gabite snapped, face turning a shade of purple. She had tremendous respect for Talal, but far less of it for other 'mon not four decades beyond her own age.
"Manners, Nuwai," the sagacious grass-type reprimanded.
"Sorry."
"Anyways," the Latios said. "I'm the 'mon who's supposed to teach you in combat." Right? he asked Siria. She relayed a quick "yes" back to him. "But first, I need to know where each one of you stands in terms of combat. It'll just be an informal battle, probably two or three minutes maximum so that I can get a basic grasp of what we need to work on. So who's first?"
Jul, who had never spoken a word before, stepped forward and volunteered himself. Sirius motioned towards a field some distance away, its surface peppered with only a mild amount of snow. The two of them walked there in complete silence, neither one saying a word to the other. After putting a bit of space between them on the plain, the Latios looked at his opponent. "Ready?" The grass-type assumed a battle stance, paws before his face as he bent his knees.
Sirius started off aggressively to test Jul's defensive skills. He shot an Ice Beam at the 'mon, who erected a Protect shield in response. While the grass-type defended against the super effective blow, the Latios used his incredible speed to attack Jul's rear, readying a Dragon Claw for attack. Just as he brought his glowing claw down, he felt a stinging sensation on his chest, causing him to renege on his attack and withdraw. The Leafeon swung at the dragon with his tail a second time, the normally leafy appendage becoming razor sharp with a Leaf Blade.
Ok, so he knows his close combat, Sirius relayed to Siria. She sat on the sidelines, memorizing the entire battle before her. Shadrach and the other three accompanied her, watching the fight unfold between the two 'mon.
The Latios then attacked from a distance, trying to see how the Leafeon would deal against his special attacks. As he let Dragon Pulse after Dragon Pulse rip, Jul managed to dodge every one, practically darting from one target to another as he moved up closer to the Latios. Once close enough, the grass-type used Razor Leaf, letting out a barrage of leaves at Sirius. The dragon knew that his type resistance wouldn't matter in the end; the main intent of the attack was to cut him and force blood loss, possibly turning the tide in the opponent's favor. Snarling, he fired off an HP Fire, fireball incinerating the incoming leaves and threatening to hit the Leafeon. However, Jul was no longer there, the Latios' attack exploding harmlessly on the ground.
He didn't even get a chance to breathe before he felt the wind of the Leafeon's movement behind him. Quickly turning around, he saw Jul swing the blade on his arm at him. He met the attack with a Dragon Claw, seeing the sparks play off of the two sharpened edges as they clashed together. Then, he saw the ground come up quickly to him as the grass-type unceremoniously shot out a leg to kick the Latios down. Sirius had hardly a moment to roll before an X-Scissor attack shredded the ground where his head had used to be, throwing up dirt everywhere.
The next time Jul repeated the action, the Latios was ready. As the Leafeon swung at him again, Sirius avoided the blow, swiveled on his back and planted his feet firmly in the grass-type's chest, sending him sprawling backwards. The dragon didn't give him a chance to get back up; unsheathing his knife, he lunged and jumped on him, holding the sharp blade up to his neck. As he looked at the Leafeon's eyes, he saw something a good measure of what he assumed to be hatred swirl in them.
"Kill me," Jul spat. "Why don't you do it? You're so close."
"'cause that's not my job," Sirius retorted. "I have no reason to kill you anyways."
"If you knew what I've done, you'd have more than enough reason." The grass-type chuckled darkly, keeping perfectly still against Sirius' blade.
Sirius laughed softly in return. "Then it's wouldn't be the best of ideas to tell me, would it?" He withdrew his weapon and stowed it away in his sheath. "Get up," he ordered, extending Jul a hand.
The Leafeon looked condescendingly at the offer for a moment, as if he were contemplating whether to slice it off or not. However, after a quick judgment call, he decided not to, taking the hand and pulling himself up. Sirius led him back to the other 'mon, whose expressions ranged from looks of mildness to those of shock. He glanced at Siria. You might want to check his psyche out. He's a bit unstable.
I've noticed, she replied dryly. The Latias was beginning to have more reservations about the interviewers; usually someone as deranged as Jul would have immediately been thrown out as a candidate.
He asked more publically, "Who's next?"
Din got up. "Well, since Jun already went, I guess I'll go. Sirius nodded and led the Vaporeon out to the field.
As the two began to fight, the Latias studied Jul. He seemed to stare out at nothingness, far removed from the real world. As she tried to figure him out, she felt someone sit next to her. "Wondering about him?" Talal asked.
"Yes," she replied. Siria didn't choose to say what exactly she was wondering about in fear of offending the Tropius.
"Hmm… you think he's unfriendly and cold, don't you?" The response made Siria blink in surprise. "And now you're confused!" he laughed. "Siria, I've spent a lifetime reading faces. You might want to keep a check on your expressions; that's how we got a lot of the Tamsus 'mon we interrogated to crack." She flushed at his admonishment. The Latias had known that she would learn a bit from the RM 'mon, but what she didn't expect was a 'mon who was adroit as Talal!
Siria started, "Well…." She still was wary of offending the aged grass-type.
"I'll take that as a yes. Anyways, you don't want to know why. Trust me on that fact. Just stay with the fact that he's a very good fighter. If you want something killed or destroyed, he can probably do it more efficiently than anyone else you ask." Siria was certain that several Special Forces wings as well as HTR would like to contest the claim, but she kept her mouth shut.
A squelching noise caught their attention. Both Sirius and Din walked back to the group, the former soaked wet from head to toe. His boots made the strange sound every time he took a step, and his clumped down stuck out at many odd angles. "Who's-" The Latios sneezed, obviously colder than usual. "Who's-" Another sneeze. "Who's next?" he finally managed to complete before a third sneeze.
"Already, Din?" Talal asked.
The Vaporeon grinned lazily and sat down next to them, slapping his tail fin on the ground. "I lost, but I got a Hydro Pump right in his face. That alone was worth it."
He can hold his own against normal 'mon, but he's obviously not combat-oriented. It's better to try to work on his support role than to further build on his attacks, Sirius told his sister. She fully agreed, committing the assessment to memory.
Nuwai, who was silent the entire time, stood up and faced Sirius. "I'll fight you," she asserted, no small amount of competitiveness apparent in her voice. The Eon dragon made no effort to reciprocate her statement, instead turning around and marching back out to the field. His squelching boots completely belied the serious façade he attempted to project as the aggressive Gabite followed him, claws clenched in anticipation.
The two stood a few meters from each other on the plain. Sirius began, "Same drill. Two to three minute assessment; when I call time, it's over. Got it?" His opponent tersely nodded. "Ok… go!" he announced.
Not a nanosecond after his announcement, Nuwai surged forth with a Dragon Rush, her entire body glowing a dangerous blue as she madly charged at the Latios. He quickly sidestepped to the left, dodging the inaccurate move and allowing her momentum to carry her past him. He loosed a weakened Energy Ball at her back not to damage her, but to see what her reaction would be.
To Sirius' surprise, she made no effort to dodge the green pulsating sphere. She bravely turned around and charged into it, the glow dissipating on her rough blue hide as she revved up with another Dragon Rush. The Latios smirked and prepared to dodge her frenzied attack again. As he stepped to her left, though, she quickly diverted her path and followed him.
SHINK CLANG.
Sirius, having unsheathed his claws, held Nuwai's glowing talons an inch from his throat with his own. He had hardly seen the blur of her Dragon Claw approaching him; his reaction had been based on pure reflex. Then he ducked as another one of her talons slashed at the air where his face once was, the speed at which she attacked creating a distinct whistle. The Gabite was relentless, slashing at him at every opportunity she got.
Duck down, sidestep, hold the attack to reposition the body, duck again…. The Latios continued to dodge and retreat, not "getting" a chance to counter. He knew that he could if he wanted to, but he didn't want to find out how deep of a cut Nuwai's Dragon Claw would create. Moreover, Sirius desired to see how long she could keep at the endeavor.
The backing dragon then felt a bump behind him. Looking behind him for an instant, he saw that his back was against one of the few large boulders curiously scattered on the field. Then he looked back forward at the roaring Gabite, arm swung backwards for another strike. Having no other option, he ducked down as she struck the stone, carving a deep gouge in the rock. As he felt the pebbles strike his head, the Latios blew a gentle Ice Beam at her feet, encouraging ice to grow on them and lock her to the ground. Then, he again darted out of the way as Nuwai brought another scathing slash down on his position.
The Gabite turned to the side to continue assaulting her enemy, but then she felt a solid sensation binding her to the ground. Confused, she tried to lift a foot, but found them frozen to the dirt below her. As she growled and tried to break the ice, Sirius stood a distance away, folding his arms and smirking.
Something about the Latios really ticked Nuwai off. She wasn't sure if was the nonchalantness by which he so easily disabled her, the confident look he constantly wore, or the way he never directly struck out and attacked. The Gabite channeled all of the anger into her struggles, internally rejoicing a bit as she heard a faint cracking in the ice. She strained further and further, hearing more and more pops below her. Sirius didn't seem to take notice; from that distance, all he saw was a finned dragon hopelessly working against her binds.
Nuwai roared mightily as the rest of the ice gave way, shattering into mere crystals as she stamped on the ground and initiated another charge. The Latios looked surprised at first, suddenly aware of the fact that the angry dragon he had trapped was once again on the loose. As she ran at him, she saw that the bastard was coming up close. The Gabite readied her razor-sharp talon in front of her, preparing to slash upwards at him. He was within striking distance now; they were so close that she could hear his breathing. His relaxed breathing.
That pissed her off more than anything else before. It was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. The Gabite screamed and attacked, dragging her Dragon Claw upwards at his chest. And as she saw the white talon flash before her eyes, Nuwai suddenly felt a light sensation on her neck. Then, her felt her body virtually turn into a block of lead, becoming heavier and heavier. The Gabite saw the Latios' sober face grow more and more distant. Then, as her vision started to blur, she realized that she was falling, falling, falling….
Sirius knelt down to the unconscious dragon. The pressure point trick worked on any 'mon, no matter what the species was. He congratulated himself on knowing this small fact before picking up the once-ferocious Gabite, carrying her back to the other watching 'mon.
Talal stood up to receive Nuwai. "Impressive," he commented, nodding at the Latios. He bowed his head in return to the complement. "Nuwai's always a feisty one. I thank you for showing her that strength isn't everything."
"It's been a while since someone took her down a few pegs," Din added. "She beats me up all the time, even though I'm her senior by ten years." He pretended to sniffle before grinning again. Jul didn't partake in his brother's humor, instead remaining in the same position as before.
The Latios nodded at both of them before focusing on Talal. He wanted to get the assessments done as quickly as possible; the RMs still needed to get acquainted to base life. The Tropius met his eyes and slowly rose from his seated position. The two of them, just like the rest of those before, walked out to the field.
No words needed to be spoken between the two; the Latios immediately recognized that Talal had been in more than his fair share of battles. Both of them silently assumed battle positions, keeping a firm eye on each other.
Sirius struck out first, leading with a Dragon Claw. He halted, however, when the Tropius blew up a maelstrom of snow and dirt in his face with his leaf-wings. As the Latios wiped at his eyes, he clumsily erected a Protect barrier as he sensed Talal coming up close for a paralyzing Body Slam. The dragon darted up into the air, with the grass-type hot in pursuit.
The Latios enjoyed being in the air; it was his natural environment, where he had full command of where all of his attacks would go. He took advantage of this, aiming a spearing Ice Beam at the Tropius below him. Talal, despite his age, nimbly dodged the attack and returned a Silver Wind. As the bug-type attack passed hardly an inch from his body, Sirius created a web of electricity in the air in an attempt to paralyze the grass-type. Talal appeared to fly straight into the net, hundreds of volts coursing through his body. However, to Sirius' surprise, the body then poofed and disappeared. As the dragon realized that he was witness to a Substitute attack, a slight flapping behind him caused him to instinctively dive downwards.
As the Latios made contact with the ground, he shot Ice Beam after Ice Beam up in the air, almost looking like an antiaircraft cannon with the frequency with which he attacked. The Tropius dodged every attack, though, simply twisting his leaf-wing a bit to slightly change his trajectory each time a beam rushed up to greet him. Siria watched with rapt attention; she didn't know if she herself was capable of such maneuvers in such a rapid dive.
Talal's body grew green as he appeared to charge a Leaf Storm. The Latios dodged as a torrential rain of leaves hammered his position, courtesy of the landing Tropius. Seeing an opportunity, Sirius leaped forward and, just as he did to Jul, unsheathed his knife to end the battle. However, in mid-flight, he fell victim to a set of vines as the rose from the ground and curled around his body. He grunted as he fell with a thump. He hid a Leech Seed in that Leaf Storm! he rationalized before charging a HP Fire. The fireball quickly incinerated the sapping vegetation.
As he got up from the ground, he again felt the Tropius' presence behind him. Still wielding his knife, he quickly swiveled and brought it up to the grass-type's neck. "Your choice, Talal," he breathed.
"And yours too." The grass-type chuckled, to Sirius' initial confusion. Then he felt an equally sharp blade against his neck: Talal had extended one of his grassy wings over to the Latios' neck, forming a dangerous Leaf Blade with it. Both of them stared at each other with stern faces, neither showing any signs of doubt or reservation.
Both of them then simultaneously relinquished their weapons and stood at attention, laughing at the ludicrosity of the situation. "Thank you for going easy on me," the Tropius said. "I won't be the optimist and say that I'm 'aging;' I'm fully aware that my skills are tarnished because of my oldness." The Latios simply nodded at this. Although the battle had ended quickly, it was one of the few times in his extensive history of battling that someone had tricked him like that. He had fully expected the grass-type to counter his knife with a Leaf Blade, but he overlooked the Leech Seed hidden within the other attack.
A slightly tired Talal and an extremely exhausted Sirius met the others once again. Well? Siria asked the latter.
Very good. Better than the rest; almost as good as me. She could hear him add a slight chuckle at the end.
Good. He'll probably need the least amount of training, which means we can focus on the other three more. Siria looked over to the four RMs, who were chatting amongst themselves. They were undoubtedly talking about Talal's battle, with Nuwai mimicking a cutting movement at her neck and the Tropius nodding slowly.
"So, Levina," the Latias asked. "You're doing munitions tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah," she responded. "Rifles, demo, C4, calculations, the whole run. Do they know how to do mathematics?"
Siria rolled her eyes. "Yes, Levina. None of them could have been selected if they didn't pass an exam. Don't underestimate them." The Ampharos absorbed this information and gave them another glance.
"So, if we're doing munitions tomorrow, what are we doing the rest of the day then? CQB structure's not up yet, and I don't think HQ's intent is for us to drive them to their knees with exercise."
The Latias gestured at Sirius, who quickly got Shadrach's attention. "We're going to orient them with everyday life here. Facilities, dining, etcetera. I'm as lost as the next 'mon, so Shadrach can take the lead." At the cue, the Umbreon got up and walked over to Talal, striking up a chat with them.
As the four RMs got up and followed the dark-type, Siria pondered the events of the day, recalling all of the observations she made and the notes Sirius provided her with. After a short thought, she came to something of a conclusion. The four of them had one week to teach an extremely motivated but quite temperamental Gabite, a disturbed Leafeon, a surprisingly normal Vaporeon, and an erudite Tropius. It was a strange troop, yes, but a certain part of her actually looked forward to it. After all, what could possibly go wrong?