AN: So! NANOWRIMO! I will admit I have never actively participated in this event, despite all the years I've been writing, but this year I'm trying. I may not succeed, and I'll warn you now not all of my wordcount will go into this story, but I am trying to focus on here. As such, I'll warn you ahead of time chapter 15 is shorter, but chapter 16 is at least 5K. I kept waiting for the perfect evil cliffhangar, and I finally reached it, so it's probably going to stay at that length. I'll get started on chapter 17, and then I'll probably post 16 after that. I doubt this story is going to have more than 20 chapters, but still, I hope you've enjoyed it so far.
MAJOR THING! I think I mentioned in the really early chapters that 'By Blade or Hilt' was a working title. I've now (finally) figured out the final title. Which is why when chapter 16 is posted, you'll be getting an update for 'An Adventure of Life and Death'. I figured since this is my 'Adventure-verse', and the first story is 'In Which There is An Adventure Through Hoenn' and the prequel is 'The First Adventure', I might as well title this one similarly. So keep an eye out for that, and don't be surprised!
This chapter's a little quieter, but not extremely quiet. As I've said before, I hope you enjoy it, and look forward to the next one! /AN
Chapter 15: Declaration of Intent
Michael honestly wasn't surprised the next morning to find Darius still unconscious, though it looked like Ayashii had at least wrapped him in the blanket he'd fallen asleep on. The Pokémon herself was curled in an armchair in the corner of the room, one red eye blearily open and watching Michael who just shrugged and closed the door quietly. It was still early morning, so the young agent decided to head down to the lounge and see if there was any food around.
Several hours, a bagel, and two cups of coffee later, Michael heard the sound of familiar voices coming from the stairwell, and glanced over to see Dawn chatting animatedly at a drowsy-looking Darius, while Lucas trailed along, looking less tired than his blue-haired counterpart, but not by much. He waited until they'd had a chance to pick from the breakfast bar (a bowl of cereal for Dawn, a bagel for Lucas, and a giant mug of coffee for Darius), before he waved to them, catching Dawn's attention first.
"Lucas told me what happened yesterday!" Dawn exclaimed once she'd sat down on one side of the sofa, while Lucas took the other side. Darius just stood in the archway, both hands wrapped around the coffee mug and eyes vaguely focused on the dancing flames trapped within the hearth of the central fireplace.
In response to Dawn's exclamation, Michael just shrugged, which led to Lucas snorting.
"I told you he's been hanging around Stellon too long." The dark-haired researcher told Dawn, who swatted at him, though she was smiling slightly. Michael, for his part, was trying to figure out if that comment had been intended as an insult or not. And if it was, who it had actually been directed at.
Dawn smiled over her bowl of cereal as she watched the three boys eating breakfast with her. Darius had finished his first mug of coffee while still leaning in the archway, and had refilled the cup before settling down in the second armchair across from the one Ark had been curled up in. Lucas hadn't given her all the details the previous day about what had happened, but she could tell from watching him now that his animosity against Darius had lessened, if only slightly. She was a little worried about the concerned glances Ark kept shooting at Darius, but she chalked it up to the blue-haired agent's exhausted look, which still had yet to fully disappear.
"So Team Flare was looking to harness a Pokémon's inherent energy in addition to the electricity taken from the Power Plant?" Lucas mused, frowning.
"Darius told me Team Galactic had been looking into the energy expelled during evolution as well, but they had no way to harness it, so he cut the research." Ark said with a nod, blatantly ignoring the token glare Lucas sent toward the ex-commander in question. "However, from the way that woman was talking, it sounded as though they might have actually found a way to harness that power. At the very least, they know how to measure output."
"It still seems fascinating in theory." Darius mumbled just loudly enough for the other boys to hear him. "But from what my and Saturn's research revealed, that energy is essentially life force. Humans have it too, but in much smaller quantities. We thought it was what allows certain Pokémon to evolve as they do, though from my understanding, Rowan still doesn't know why it's only some, correct?" A glower from Lucas, but the researcher nodded in confirmation anyway, and Darius continued. "Either way, to take a Pokémon's life force, to cripple their ability to evolve or worse, it's not a method I'd ever support using."
Lucas and Darius continued talking, but Dawn tuned them out in favour of watching a strangely pale Ark. It only took Darius a few seconds longer to realise something was wrong with the youngest in their group.
"What have you thought of?" He asked, frowning when Ark didn't respond. "Michael?"
Ark, or Michael as Darius had called him, blinked in surprise at the name, glancing up at Darius before glancing down at his belt, where Dawn could see 4 Pokeballs clipped securely.
"I was just thinking about the date." He muttered, rubbing his thumb over a pure-red Pokeball. "I think it's time we asked Looker to start looking into you-know-who."
"Who?" Lucas demanded, frowning in confusion. The other boys ignored him, and Darius frowned.
"That will almost positively tip him off that we know. He might try going to ground, or worse, advance his plans."
Ark shook his head, folding his arms across his chest and shivering slightly. "I know that. But he already knows you and I are onto him, and that member in the café's almost definitely told him you're working with Looker as well. Besides… I believe we're running out of time." Darius hesitated, but nodded all the same, digging into his pocket with one hand as Ark spoke again.
"Have him investigate the stone formations in Geosenge town as well, and the stones along Route 10; I remember those being very important, but I didn't have a lot of time to gather data." Darius nodded, still ignoring the dark glare he was receiving from Lucas. Dawn, for her part, was just looking between Ark's expression, pale and nervous, and Darius's, set and determined. The latter of the two had apparently managed to find his PokeNav, but he paused when his eyes landed on the screen.
"I forgot I had set this thing on mute when we were in the Ice Caves." He muttered, glancing up at the three curious stares he was receiving. "I have 26 missed calls from Johnny in the past hour." He said by way of explanation. Then he blinked down at the screen again. "Make that 27." And he activated the speaker.
"Arceus Darius, you'd better damn well pick up soon." Johnny was growling, obviously having not yet noticed the line had connected.
"I'm right here Johnny; what's so important you had to call 27 times?" Darius demanded, though he was grinning slightly. That grin quickly vanished however at Johnny's next words.
"Lysandre's made a public declaration of intent for Team Flare."
"Damn." Ark growled, clenching his hands into fists. "He's early."
"Michael? Archangel? Whatever you want to be called, that you?" Johnny called, apparently having heard Michael's voice over the speaker. Ark (or Michael, or Archangel, Dawn was really getting rather confused) nodded before replying.
"It's me Johnny. I suggest informing the cops in Lumiose and Geosenge; Lysandre's lab is hidden underneath his café in Lumiose, but their secret main base is somewhere in Geosenge."
"Which one do we need to hit?" Darius asked, his eyes on Michael, who hesitated before speaking again.
"Most of the higher ranking members will be in the laboratory in Lumiose, but we should probably hit the one in Geosenge; I don't remember everything from the briefing, but that's where the machine is hidden. If we can sabotage either the power source, or even the auxillary hookup, it won't matter if the thing activates because neither Xerneas nor Yveltal will rampage."
"And while stopping Team Flare is one thing, protecting the citizens is primary." Darius concluded with a nod. "Johnny, you and Looker grab the best of the local police and any backup you can get within the next hour and take the Lumiose base. Michael and I will deal with the Ultimate Weapon."
"What about us?" Lucas demanded, glaring at Darius and Michael in turn. He was ignored by both.
Johnny hesitated a moment before speaking again. "Darius, kiddo, I know you know what you're doing, and from the Academy reports, Archangel's not much of a pushover agent either, if still a little wet behind the ears, but we need to know." Another pause. "Just what are we up against here? I know Archangel knows some stuff, and you know usually I wouldn't push one of your sources, but we need to know how accurate this information is."
Darius and Michael shared a look; Darius frowning and Michael shivering. However, slowly, the dark-skinned teen nodded, gulped, bit his lip, and spoke.
"Team Flare was led by Lysandre, the creator and owner of Lysandre's Labs, which invented the Holocaster. He thought the world as it is was unsustainable, and desired to 'cleanse' it. To do this, he uncovered a 3,000 year-old legend in the Kalos region, about a king who created a machine to bring a Pokemon back to life, which he then turned into a weapon. Lysandre captured the two Legendary Pokemon of Life and Death; Xerneas and Yveltal, intending to use their energy as a power source to activate the machine. However, he couldn't restrain both of them, and they escaped, where they then proceeded to rampage in pain. It was estimated that over 97,000 people died across Kalos in the span of 24 hours alone. It was estimated that the damage was even more extensive than that first count however, though nothing was known for sure.
"Two days after Xerneas and Yveltal retreated into the mountains, the International Police sent agents Watcher and Tower to investigate the catastrophe. Paperwork was being rushed, so the junior agent that had been assigned to their team only a week before was sent along with them." Here he paused again, but the assembled listeners were too stunned to interrupt. "Watcher and Tower were doing the bulk of the research. My main job was to move through Lumiose each day and help the survivors sort out the living and the dead. We were only there for three days before I saw a strange flash of light, and woke up in a hedge maze. When I finally made my way out, I realized I was just south of Lumiose City… several months before Lysandre made his move."
"I did research after we met up and I had a bit of information to work with." Darius continued, once Michael had finally fallen silent and curled in on himself. "I have reason to believe it was the Time Travel Pokemon; Celebi. The source I asked agrees. Life and Death were raging across the region, and it wasn't just people who were affected. Many large, old forests were wounded as well, and Celebi's other name is the Voice of the Forest."
"Are you seriously trying to tell me he" and here Lucas pointed at the quiet Michael, "time-travelled so he could stop Team Flare, and didn't tell anyone until now?"
"You know how pushy legendaries can be." Darius said with a smirk and a shrug. "He didn't have much choice in the matter. And besides, he found me, didn't he? On second thought, don't answer that." He smirked at the scowl on Lucas's face. "Anyway, I think we have a plan. Johnny, you grab Looker and anyone else on the force who can hold their own in a battle, whether it's a duel or melee style, and Michael and I will strike their main headquarters. Good luck, and let's hope no one wakes up in a hospital again."
"You mean you?" Johnny asked in a teasing voice seconds before Darius hung up on him. The agent took a few moments to tuck his PokeNav back into his pocket before turning his attention back to Michael.
"Ready for this?" He asked seriously, waiting until Michael looked up at him. Michael nodded.
"Not really, but I'm even less ready to face what will happen if we don't act now. Let's go."
And with a flash of psychic light, they were gone.
AN: Again, sorry this one is kinda short-ish, but next chapter is the storming of the bases! Like I said, I'm writing this for NANOWRIMO, so I'm going to apologize if upcoming chapters seem scattered or rushed, since I'm not taking my usual amount of time to go over them again and again to smooth things out.