REVIEW CORNER:
-Mockstevenh: You have no idea how much it helps having someone else looking over my earlier chapters. You've earned yourself an insta-fav/follow, as well as my utmost respect. Maybe I'll open beta requests after this story is done...*Pats the "shiny" Umbreon*
POKESPEECH/THOUGHTS:
"Normal Speech"
'Normal Telepathy'/Normal Thoughts'
'Pokemon Telepathy/Pokemon Thoughts'
'Subconscious'
"POKESPEECH/Abilities
DISCLAIMERS: I DON'T OWN POKEMON! IF I DID ASH WOULD AGE INSTEAD OF STAYING TEN-YEARS OLD WITH A DARKENING SKIN TONE EVERY GENERATION. (Seriously check that out, it's REALLY disturbing how he went from being a light-skinned ten-year old to a baked-skinned ten-year old.)
-RUBY CIEL GARNET IS PROPERTY OF "CR0553"
-MICHAEL KRAMER ('half-breed' "shiny" Gallade from my Pokemon Platinum game) IS MINE.
-JESSICA KRAMER ("shiny" Gardevoir from my Pokemon Sapphire game) IS MINE.
WARNINGS: VERY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND EXPLICIT LANGUAGE.
Viridian City Gym: First Floor- Officers Boardroom (One hour and forty-five minutes until BoE meeting)
Normal POV
Gary looked across the room at his most trusted advisors and recruits, as well as those who had just joined. He had a stern expression plastered on his face and, contrary to the aura of power radiating from inside, everyone knew something unprecedented was going to happen.
A curt knock at the door leading to the Officer's room was heard and Sabrina unlocked the door with her psychic powers. The distinct sound of the latch being lifted was all the information Gary and the others needed to know it was someone inexperienced with how things worked around their base of operations.
Whenever somebody requested entry into either the Officer's Boardroom or any of the training rooms they were required to wit until somebody opened the door from the inside. This also applied to if nobody was inside the room, in which case the only people allowed to open the door directly was Sabrina, the Omega Shadow. This was simply a safety precaution BoE had accepted due to the fear that door handles and locks can trip a wire if even the slightest amount of miscalibration occurs when the latch is pulled.
Since Sabrina had practically mastered the art of psychic-induced commands she was the only one in BoE capable of successfully opening a wire-trapped door without tripping it.
When the forms of Jessica and Michael entered the room they were met with hard stares and a few shakes of the head. Michael took this, quite literally, the wrong way and, unaware of a certain someone in the room, boldly made a declaration.
"What? Were we too loud for you to get any sleep or something?"
Michael immediately wished he could take back those words as he noticed another Gallade seated directly across from Gary Oak...
It was his son, Blade.
"Wow, dad! Way to go!~" Jessica hid her face in her hands and could be heard growling as the off color Gallade suddenly had a lot of patching up to do. That would come at a later date as, after a few shocked gasps, jealous glares and playful chuckles and giggles, Gary managed to wrest control of the situation once again.
"Now that we've got the days humor said and done, I am turning the floor to the video projector so that our Tech Specialist, Max Maple, can address the nature of our threat in a way he knows best...Max, the show is yours!" Gary yelled into his Pokenav as the lights in the room dimmed and a large video screen was revealed from a panel behind the wall closest to Gary.
The screen was lit up and the face of Max Maple appeared in stunning clarity.
Everyones' eyes were on the eleven-year old prodigy as a pair of glasses far too big for his face kept falling off every couple of minutes. A gentle giggle from his older sister, Shadow May Maple soon followed after each gaff. Finally, after making sure his own Gardevoir, which was a normal color, was all set Max began speaking.
"Greetings everyone, I am pleased to see you all answered the edicts I sent you in a timely fashion. The reason why you have been summoned, Shadows, Blades and recruits, is because of a recent discovery involving P.A.I.R." Max then turned around to face his Pokemon and everyone watched as her eyes started glowing a fierce sapphire blue. Afterwards everything went black.
Everyone except Michael, Jessica and Blade had remained perfectly still during this series of events. Then again if one were to find themselves surrounded by complete and utter darkness, and were not used to it, they probably would freak out. These fears were quickly squashed however, as Max's Gardevoir began to speak telepathically to everyone in the room.
'I can sense a few minds that are not familiar with how Max operates. All you need to know is that you are perfectly safe here, even in this darkness. All we are doing is transmitting images directly from Max's mind to everyone else.'
Michael and Blade looked at each other with stunned disbelief that there was another human capable of bonding in such a way with their Pokemon. Jessica simply smiled at the nostalgia suddenly washing over her.
'While we both appreciate the compliments, Mrs. Kramer, I would highly advise watching and listening as your services will be needed in the coming days.' Jessica immediately tilted her head back up and sat as straight as she could. Everyone except Michael and Blade chuckled.
A few gruff coughs from Max ended the humorous moment, however. The air was suddenly very tense and images began appearing in everyone's minds.
'As you can see from these images, P.A.I.R. had somehow managed to sneak onto a chart of land known as "Fire Island" and capture the legendary fire bird Pokemon, Moltres. They were then recorded going through this secured hallway to a. Elevator, no doubt leaving to an underground lab. It is there that they have begun experimenting on the incapacitated Pokemon with the hopes of turning it into a Hell Pokemon.'
Everyone in the room who wasn't already aware of what was going on freaked out. That included Michael, Blade and Jessica, who could only stare at the image of an unconscious Moltres before them and wonder how long they had had the bird captive. Gardevoir answered that thought quickly.
'The only bright side to this is that they have only managed to bring it to the base within the last eight hours. Based on our calculations it would have taken P.A. additional two hours just to hook Moltres up to their machines to begin experimentation. Based on the speed in which they have been successfully replicating Hell-Evolved Pokemon we have approximately five days before Moltres' runs out of willpower to fight the machines and succumbs to the corruption.'
"That...is if Moltres has not already been weakened beyond what I was ale to crunch together. Max interrupted his Pokemon as the images faded and the light returned to the room. "Worst case scenario will have Moltres become a Hell-Pokemon within the next seventy-two hours. If that were to happen we would have no time to prepare for a catastrophic scenario involving a Hell-induced Moltres torching half of Kanto within two hours of its "rebirth"
Michael and Jessica shook their heads and all hope had been drained from their faces. This was beyond a disaster, this could very well spell the end of the world if a Pokemon like Moltres fell to the corruption of Hell-Evolution. "Rudely there has to be a way we can...I don't know, delay the process maybe? Destroy the lab before they can finish the experiments?" Michael was grasping at anything he could find in hopes of finding a resolution.
"I'm afraid that wont be possible without a tremendous amount of time and resources spent mapping out the lowest level of their headquarters. In the two years we have been following P.A.I.R. we have never gotten further than the third level of their underground lab. Beyond that we were risking heavy casualties due to sub-machine gun fire and Pokemon already tainted by Hell-Evolution. To put it in lay men's terms...without a legendary Pokemon of our own we would be powerless against a fully-armed armada of grunts capable of mowing us down in seconds." Max finished with a shake of his head and clenched fists. Even he was having issues accepting such a seemingly hopeless outcome.
"Which leads us to now..." Gary began, all eyes now turning to him. "I have all the faith in the world that we can not only stop P.A.I.R. from fully corrupting Moltres but also destroy their headquarters. It will not be an easy task...but that is why I have brought you all here and given you the most intense training of any mercenary organization around! They will hear your name and they will know that no sort of miracle of modern science or technology can prepare them for the battle prowess displayed by the Shadows of BoE!"
Gary was calling his shots in such a commanding voice everyone ho heard him couldn't help but become inspired, even Michael was pumping his fists eagerly for the coming battle.
"As such...I have several squads to prepare and not much time to prepare them in...I will start with our three newest recruits, of which you Shadows should be intimately familiar with already."
Michael, Blade and Jessica all stood together and stood side by side, with Jessica on Michael's right side and Blade on the left.
"As you all know I have strictly forbidden Pokemon from joining the ranks of our organization...however, after having seen the skills and powers these three contain...I believe an exception to this rule can be made. As you all know already, Michael Kramer, the off-color Gallade, has been successful in releasing the dreaded Hell-Evolution from another Pokemon, who happens to also be in this room with us. Her name is Jessica Kramer, the "shiny" Gardevoir you see...she is also Michael's mate. Finally we have their son, who goes by the name of Blade which, ironically, is the rank and file he will be starting out as. Are there any questions regarding the addition of these three to BoE?"
Absolute silence was what greeted them.
"I expected as much, very good! Now, as far as your training partners are concerned..." Gary looked over at Michael and Blade, giving them a stern once-over. "Michael, as much as i know how protective of Jessica you are...I'm going to have to ask that she partner ith somebody else." Jessica and just about everyone else in the room were writing for Michael to lose his cool.
Amazingly he didn't.
"Who will she be partnered with? I assume it is someone I could stake my own life on?" Michael responded cooly, earning a shocked but loving glance from his beloved and their son.
"She isn't called the "Omega Shadow" and "Psychic Mistress" for nothing, Michael. I would stake my own life and leave it in her hands as well that is how much I trust her. Your mate will be partnered with Kanto's best Psychic-type trainer, as well as the third-best agent I have at my disposal in Sabrina. Her training will make Gardevoir one of the not powerful Psychic-Type Pokemon around behind probably only Mewtwo and Mew."
Jessica looked ecstatic to be able to train under such a powerful wielded of Psychic magic. Not only that but she also saw her beloved in a new light. Normally the thought of separating the two of them was cause for mass panic but Michael handled the situation better than she had ever thought he would.
"I take it my son will not be joining me either then?"
"You would be correct in that assumption, Michael. Your son will be under the care of one of Kanto's finest Pokemon trainers for his preparation." Gary trailed while Michael gave him a critical eye for not revealing the trainer by any fancy nickname like he did Sabrina.
"Might I ask who is training my son, Gary?"
"None other than the current Champion of the Kanto region, Ash Ketc-"
Michael was on top of Gary on a heartbeat. "And WHAT, pray tell, would make you put MY son in the hands of an INCOMPETANT, PREPUBESCENT SHITHEAD LIKE ASH KETCHUM?"
There was the anger everyone had been waiting for.
"Do I really have to spell it out for you, Mr. Anger Management? Ash has two of the most powerful Fghting-type Pokemon in Primape and Infernape. Trust me when I tell you-"
"YOU'RE LEAVING HIM WITH A COUPLE OF FUCKING MONKEYS? DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A GODAMN GAME TO YOU SPIKY?"
"IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR MOTHERFUCKING HANDS OFF OF ME RIGHT NOW MICHAEL I WILL RIP THAT CHEST SPIKE RIGHT OUT OF YOU. Calm your fucking tits and listen to what the fuck I have to say! In case you haven't noticed, ALL of us are in the same predicament! Save that anger and frustration for your training partner!"
Michael pulled himself off of Gary and gave him an evil glare. "Dare I ask who the unlucky son of a bitch is that will be training me?"
"That 'unlucky son of a bitch' happens to be yours truly. Now, if you are quite done, GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE AND WAIT OUTSIDE!"
Outside the Viridian City Gym: Courtyard (one hour until BoE meeting takes place)
"I wonder why Gary made us wait outside...it isn't like there was something we didn't need to see, right?" Latias gave Ash a shrug while Pikachu voiced the same confusion.
"Your I guess is as good as mine, Ash, if it were me I'd just use my tail and bust the door down."
"If it were you in charge I would be at the mercy of Gary and his assassins. Based on what he told us at the Professor's lab I don't think I want my career as Kanto Champion to come to an end just like that...right after I earned it..."
"Meh, you just need to be a half-breed like that Gallade! He's the perfect mix of human and Pokemon! Oh! Speak of the devil!"
Ash and Latias turned around to find an irate Michael slashing at one of the support columns for the roof of the Gym in a fit of rage. Despite the half-breed having a powerful set of blades at his disposal he couldn't so much as put a dent in the pillars.
"Wonder what's eating him, maybe you should ask him, Ash?"
"Maybe I will...I owe it to him to at least apologize for not checking on him or anything."
Ash had no idea how badly he would regret doing this. As Ash approached Michael a sinister aura began radiating from the half-breed and
"Michael! What's wrong with you? You seem upset about some-"
"ASH WATCH OUT!"
Ash barely managed to dive out of the way of a charging Gallade named Michael, his blades both fully extended and aiming to decapitate the Kanto Champion. Pikachu's warning gave Ash enough time to roll out of the way. If he hadn't his head would be rolling on the ground right now. Pikachu and Ash both looked at Michael with fear etched on their faces and anger blazing in their eyes.
"YOU! The so-called "Chosen One" finally shows up to met out the will of Arceus, eh? I didn't think your balls would ever drop, Mr. Kanto Champion!"
"First of all, what the hell is your problem?! I have done nothing-"
"THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT, BOY! You have done EXACTLY THAT! NOTHING!"
Michael was seething with rage as Pikachu was doing everything he could to keep his lightning packed inside his cheeks. He knew, should worst come to worst, he would need a lot of power to bring the half-breed down before any harm befell Ash.
"I was laying on a hospital bed DYING while you were hiding your face and listening to that stupid fucking presence inside your godamn head! My beloved had to watch me in such a terrible state and it was only because of Celebi that I'm even alive now!"
Ash looked at Michael with deep sorrow in his eyes and reached out with his right hand perilously close to the half-breeds left shoulder. give but the enraged Gallade cut him off.
"No, don't bother me with your fake tears. Right now I have to live with the fact Gary is giving my son to you to train...and mark my words, Ketchum...if so much as a single drop of blood is missing from his being...if you let those damnable monkeys let my son get injured in ANY way that doesn't involve training..."
Michael trailed off before making a slicing motion with his blades and then pointing to Ash's scrotum.
"Not even your Latias will be able to stop my wrath."
Ash looked genuinely terrified as Michael ran back to the entrance of the Gym and proceeded to slash at the support pillars again and again. Meanwhile Latias was standing in front of her mate with claws at the ready in case Michael tried anything.
'Ash! I told you he was bad news! Why won't you let me put that Pokemon in his place? It's obvious he's trying to hurt you and I don't want to lose you...I've already lost my brother and I don't think I could handle another loss like that...' Ash merely waved his hand dismissively before wrapping his arms around Latias, tears flowing from the raven-haired boys' gold-hued eyes.
"I shouldn't have been moping around...now Michael will probably never forgive me AND I have to be extra careful with his son or...I don't even want to think about it..." Latias looked directly into her mates' eyes and gave him a worried look. "Even if he was wrong in attacking me I still should not have let it get to this point." Latias looked at Ash and then at Michael, her golden eyes shimmering as she searched inside the Gallade's mind. She was shocked with what she found and Michael's sudden onset of rage suddenly made sense to the Eon dragon.
'Ash...they...have another on the way...'
Ash closed his eyes and began speaking telepathically to Latias.
'What do you mean "another?"'
'I mean exactly that, Ash...Jessica will be having a third child in four months time. I am reading Michael's thoughts and...apparently Sabrina is going to be training Jessica. Ash! That means-'
'Not only will his mate not be with him but neither will his son...' Ash finished for the legendary Eon dragon. 'Here I am complaining about having to fight alongside others and here Michael not only has his mate, son and daughter to worry about but also the possibility they could get hurt in the upcoming clash. He is fighting for so much...I can't let him down now! I don't know how I'm going to train Blade, though...I've never trained a Gallade or any Pokemon from the Ralts family line.'
'What are you going to do, Ash? Do you want to train his son or give the responsibility to someone else? I really don't want to fight Michael while he is enraged but, if he tries to harm you I will not hold back.'
Ash pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration while watching the still-irate Gallade slash at the support column of the Gym. All of a sudden a distinct cracking sound could be heard coming from Michael's general direction. Within seconds of the sound the mighty pillar came crashing down, causing the roof of the Gym to move around somewhat.
"That fool! He'll kill everyone in there! What the hell is he think-"
Ash's words were cut off as a cloaked figure burst forth from the doors of the Gym. The bearer of the cloak was shrouded from the waist up and fierce red eyes glared from the darkness of the hood at the one responsible for tearing down the column.
"I warned you, 'half-breed! I advised you to wait outside and let us handle the deliberations! Now you have damaged the very headquarters of BoE!" a sinister voice called out from the cloaked figure and the chilling aura surrounding him made Ashs knees weak.
"What I do is none of your concern, Gary! I may be reckless and my actions may come across as foolish but if you think I'm going to just let you hand my family over to the wolves you have another thing coming! I respected your wishes with Jessica, I feel like I can trust Sabrina due to her immense psychic power. What little I have seen from the so-called "Chosen One", Kanto Champion, Ash Ketchum...I have only seen a scared little boy running from his problems instead of tackling them head on!"
Ash flinched at the hurtful words, however true they were.
"So you casually decide to endanger the lives of your son and mate?! Nothing you are saying makes any sense and it is high time I put you in your place, half-breed! Defeating Alpha Shadow Ruby was one thing, I am worlds outside of your league, you fake-Pokemon!" Gary shouted with rage and authority before revealing two oni-Blade katanas.
The truly remarkable thing was that Gary was holding one in each hand with little effort.
Ash and Latias both gasped at the sight.
"That fool, he'll kill Michael with those! Those are some of the sharpest blades in the world! Plus a Gallade can only use one of its blades at a time while in its normal form...Michael won't stand a chance unless he thinks of something really clever..."
A/N: For maximum battle intensity make sure "Darkness- GRV Music" is playing in the background.
"So, what is it going to be, half-breed? Are you going to at least make my time spent battling worth my while?" Gary turned around as the doors to the Gym opened and, there in the doorway, stood Jessica and Blade. Both of their heads were turned in Michael's direction and Gary merely smirked at the timing. "Ah, good! Your mate and progeny get to witness you fall by my hand~"
"It won't end that way, Gary! You may be the one training me but I will not let you just walk all over me and make a mockery of what I've done over the years! If you don't bring me your best you will find yourself without a head!"
Michael let loose a fierce battle cry as he held his arms out at his sides and extended his blades to their maximum length.
"Now we shall see who is the true 'Half-breed' spiky!"
Gary merely chuckled before lowering his head and holding his dual-blades in a thrusting position.
Just seconds before Michael could go on the offensive Gary suddenly vanished, his signature completely disappearing from Michael's field of vision.
'You will regret those words, Michael~' Gary whispered, his words being carried by what little wind was blowing.
Michael maintained his stance, attempting to find Gary amongst the shadows that were cast around them from the treeline of Viridian Forest. Without warning a sharp object penetrated Michael's left shoulder, creating a terrible gash that curved into the shape of a large blade, the end nearly reaching the jugular in his neck.
'Tell me...how can you fight that which you cannot even see!?'
"Coward! Show yourself you bastard!" Michael screamed as he could have sworn he saw a glint of light reflect off of a large object before vanishing again. Seconds later his other shoulder was slashed but another attack connected with his right ankle, tearing through the armored flesh and piercing the bone. Another terrible cry of anguish left Michael's lips as he fell down on his one good leg. "You truly are a master of the shadows, eh Gary? That won't help you when I'm able to track you!"
Michael closed his eyes and activated the accuracy-enhancing ability known as Foresight. Moments later the cloaked figure known as Gary Oak was revealed, but that wasn't all. Surrounding Michael were countless clones created by Gary and they had vanished slowly, buying the leader of BoE enough time to cloak himself in the shadows again.
"What the fuck is this? You're a human! How can you use Double Team?!"
'There are many things about me you don't know, half-breed, there are things i've seen and done that would make your blood run cold as the grave! Your pathetic powers can't save you from my battle prowess and subterfuge!' Gary shouted into Michael's mind once again. Michael had to give the leader of BoE credit, through disrupting his mental concentration Michael was unable to accurately predict Gary's movements.
Michael held out his right arm and blocked an overhead slash by Gary's left katana but his other blade grazed the Gallade's left cheek, causing Michael to flinch and kick back on his one good leg. Gary refused to let up the pressure, digging his heels into the ground and vanishing again.
'You have yet to land even one attack, half-breed, yet you boldly declared I would be the one without a head...so tell me...' Gary suddenly rematerialized behind Michael with his twin katanas crossed in front of Michael's neck. 'Why is it that you are the one about to lose their head?' Gary trailed before bringing his blades towards himself. The katana's sliced through Michael's neck with ease and the off-colored Gallade's head fell off of his shoulders.
Ash and Latias stared at the motionless form of Michael and then at Gary, who calmly watched the head of the Gallade fall and roll without a sound being made.
"If you think I will fall for a cheap Substitution you are sadly mistaken, half-breed! You have only the power to hide and buy time that will not save you in the slightest! Now, come out of hiding and face your fate!"
Out of the shadow of Gary's own figure a being emerged with an arm outstretched in the shape of a scythe. Gary sensed the danger and dashed to the side but was unable to prevent the end of his cloak from being slashed. The being fell back into the ground and its signature was completely lost to Gary and the others.
The only one aware of where Michael was located as Jessica but she wasn't telling a soul.
"Heh, so you learned a new trick, have you? I must admit I wasn't expecting you to be able to use a Ghost-Type attack. I believe its called Shadow Sneak! That one attack may enable you to land a hit or two on me but..." Gary suddenly pulled his right katana back into his cloak and brought a jagged dagger glowing with psychic energy. "When that advantage is lost I shall have the upper hand once again!"
Gary drove the dagger into the ground and closed his eyes. An immense darkness covered the air around the leader of BoE and tense moments of silence followed. Suddenly, from out of the shadow belonging to Gary the same being materialized and attempted to thrust through his chest with a blade.
He had been waiting for that and he brought his katana down hard on the attacking figure, causing its form to solidify into that of Michael. A massive gash covered his neck and everyone realized that Gary could have decapitated him if he had finished his swinging motion. "You fought decently, half-breed, but Future Sight did you in this day. I expect MUCH better of you in the future...so don't you dare let up...also, I expect you to pay for the damage you did to my Gym."
Gary finished his statement before sheathing his dagger and katana back inside of his cloak and turning his back to the motionless Gallade.
A gunshot. Everyone turned their head in the direction of it to find Michael no longer there.
"GARY!" They heard a blood-curdling scream as a psychic Barrier had been erected to the leader of BoE's left side. A massive impact spark was generated from what appeared to be a snipers bullet but the barrier held true, saving Gary's life. "THEY'RE IN THE WOODS! THERE ARE THREE SIGNATURES!" Michael was standing directly behind the barrier and in front of Gary, who had only just realized that an attempt on his life was made. He quickly barked out an order.
"Shadows! PURSUIT!" He cried out before bringing out his twin katanas once more.
Gary immediately activated his cloak and all of the other Shadows followed suit. Seconds turned to minutes as the silence that followed was lifted by a harsh shriek followed by more gunfire. What sounded like blades slicing through flesh echoed through the darkness and the entire affair was over just as quickly as it had started.
Jessica had come before Michael with Blade in tow, casting Recover on her beloved's injuries. 'Michael...you did very well considering-'
'No...I didn't, Jessi...if I can't beat him what right do I have trying to protect you?' Michael trailed his thoughts as Blade walked up in front of him and held out his arms in a sparring stance.
"Great! That means I'm getting closer to beating you, dad!"
Michael and Jessica were finally able to chuckle before rustling could be heard coming from the nearby tree line. The two of them figured it was Gary and the other Shadows. They were not disappointed.
"We killed two of the snipers but the third took his own life when we tried to capture him. Looks like interrogation is not going to be an option for now..." Gary trailed as he looked Michael over. "Thank you...for saving my life back there. You may have more potential than I originally thought..."
Michael took the compliment in stride as he knew getting much else out of Gary would be like asking for miracles.
"I guess you're right...by the way, where is Ash? I...I want to speak with him...one on one..."