"W-What..."
Lightning's knuckles had gone white from all the clenching and his expression slightly alarmed Cynthia.
"What the hell is she doing here-de arimasuka?!" he cried, shooting off his seat and pulling out a searmitar from underneath his shirt (how he had managed to conceal such a long weapon still eluded people to this day). Before he could attack though, the blonde champion grabbed his arm firmly and gave him a look that clearly requested for a more matured behaviour.
By this time, Venipede had hidden within Burgh's hair and it was all Cheren could do to not summon his pokemon there and then.
"N. Explain this," Cynthia requested calmly while still holding on to her young protégé's arm.
N nodded and held out a hand to Alphinia. "I understand that she has done some rather…wrong things to you but as I said before, she means no harm whatsoever."
"Like I'll believe that-de arimasu!" Lightning spat and flinched as the girl turned her head to look at him.
"…Lightning?" she echoed and her expression turned to that of slight embarrassment. "Uh…been a while, hasn't it?"
"I'll kill you," he replied flatly and glared at N. "Is this some kind of trap-de arimasu? Are you sure she's not deceiving you? Or do Dragon Knights have hypnotic powers too-de arimasuka?"
N shook his head and put a hand on the girl's head. "This is no trap and I am in the right state of mind to know that. As for why she's here, let's just say Alphinia experienced a technical default."
"Technical default?" Clay asked warily. "You mean like a malfunction or somethin'?"
The greenette nodded solemnly.
"What technical default causes an insanely loyal hybrid to turn against her master?" Cheren asked.
"Quite simple, Cheren. You know how Dragon Knights are only restricted to negative emotions towards humans? Well, that seemed to lock away whatever trace of humanity they once possessed, turning them into murder machines in human skin. So what happens when the hybrid suddenly begins to question its emotions towards humans?"
"They're seal breaks away and their humanity returns…?" Burgh muttered.
"Bullshit!" Lightning barked and pointed his weapon at Alphinia. "How're we sure she's not just pretending to be good so she can kill us before we stop Ghetsis-de arimasu? Or maybe she's spying on us-nya!"
The room was silent and Cynthia slowly took in the girl standing before her while everyone else considered Lightning's accusations. The champion had seen a picture of Alphinia before. It was a little blurry given the speed at which the girl had been moving in her fight against Skyla but there was an extremely-sharp difference between that narrow-eyed, grinning-like-crazy, blood-stained wild child and this big-eyed, happy-go-lucky if not innocent, teenager.
"This technical default…what exactly are its implications?" she asked, training her eyes on Alphinia.
"I can't really explain but I do know that she's on our side now, right Alphinia?"
The girl nodded and bowed respectably before them. "I have no proof to assure you guys of my position in this war but I came here with the firm hope that you'd at least let me assist you in bringing down Ghetsis. I give you my word that you will not regret the decision in taking me with you."
Cynthia stared at the bowing head before slowly rising to her feet. "Alphinia. You understood that walking in here pretty much means death for you since your heinous crimes can't be overlooked. Yet you came anyway and from the look in your eyes, you're clearly ready to lay down your life if need be. I won't say I trust you…but this display of yours certainly is quite bold and goes a long way in determining what kind of aid you'll be to us in the near future."
The knight straightened up slowly and stared at the woman with expectant eyes. "So…I'm in?"
Lightning gawked as Cynthia nodded. "What? No way-de arimasu!"
"We'll have to make the gamble, Lightning," Cynthia pointed out. "But don't worry, she'll be kept under strict watch from now on. If she so much as makes a wrong move...we'll execute her on the spot. I hope that isn't a problem, Alphinia?"
The girl shook her head. "It's not like I could go back to Ghetsis anyway..."
Lightning stared at her before sitting down, still holding tightly to his weapon.
"I trust no one else has a problem?" N asked, ignoring the invisible daggers being thrown at him by Cheren's glare. "Good. Alphinia, you can take it from here."
The blonde nodded and came forward before resting both hands on the table. "In terms of weaknesses, there's only one as N had earlier stated. If some of you have already noticed, Dragon Knights tend to underestimate their opponents and generally lose it when they think they're on the verge of losing. It's at that point that whatever powers they possess amplifies."
That made sense since Lightning always remembered that creepy face Joid had put up after his little acid bath and the sudden boost in speed and power.
"But that's where our weaknesses lie," Alphinia stated. "People often mistake Dragon Knights for near-immortals...but the truth is that our bodies are far weaker than the average human. Our regenerative powers just mask it. When we go mad, like really, really, mad, that boost in strength takes a heavy toll from our bodies since our incomplete souls don't have the necessary requirements for such emotions. For example, let's say Lightning and I were to fight. If I should lose it for any reason, my strength will go up but my regenerative powers will drop, making me almost as vulnerable as an annoyed human. If I should get injured in such a state, I won't recover from it as quickly as other injuries."
The knight lifted her vest a little and showed the stitch on her side. "When Skyla and I fought, her Skarmory blasted us out of the sky and Salamence and I fell into a damaged truck. Unfortunately for me, I got run through with an engine part and I've had this nasty injury since. It took two months to heal this much whereas only a matter of seconds would've been more than enough for such injuries, had my sanity level been kept in check. Also, my regenerative rate isn't as fast as the others so..."
"I see," Cynthia remarked, nodding understandingly. "But two months is far longer than a normal human's though...this toll must be quite troublesome."
"You get used to it after sometime." The blonde lowered her eyes in slight shame. "The feeling of killing often makes us forget that fact."
Cheren leaned back and folded his arms. "So if we hit hard enough, we can inflict enough damage to render them immobilised?"
Alphinia nodded but immediately frowned. "It's risky though as they'll do anything to cover that weakness. You won't be able to land a hit on them easily and the chances of one dying within the next few minutes of a Dragon Knight's madness increases by leaps and bounds."
"So...that's it?" Burgh asked. "Can't we slow their regenerative powers or find some way to get around their powers?"
The knight tapped her chin in thought. "Well...we are pseudo-dragon-pokemon so ice-type moves are capable of slowing our regenerative attributes down. I haven't really seen it happen though. Also, it could work well on me since I've got Salamence-cells but it won't be as effective on Aqua since she's got Kingdra-cells and some other unknown pokemon. Terra's got it bad though because he's got Garchomp-cells."
"And Draco-de arimasu? Which pokemon's cells has he got?"
For the first time in a while, Lightning had spoken up during the meeting and Alphinia secretly heaved a sigh of relief at the acid-less tone in his voice.
"It's Giratina."
Cynthia's expression turned to that of shock. "Pardon?"
"It's true," Alphinia replied blankly. "Though Draco's a very special case. He's more of a walking window to the Reverse World where Giratina resides. That was made possible when Ghetsis administered a liquefied Griseous Orb into Draco's bloodstream via injection. To date, I still don't know how that man had acquired such a substance or the knowledge that performing such an action would grant him power over the Renegade Pokemon. Anyway, that orb gives Draco control over Giratina and he summons parts of it through himself to do his bidding. In actuality, Draco has no strength of his own whatsoever."
"Shit..." Clay hissed. "They've gat a legendary on their side too."
"But we've got one too," N chipped in and held up Zekrom's pokeball. "Also, we've got a champion and a dragon knight on our side, along with you guys. If we train hard, we can raise our chances of victory. But that's only against the knights. Ghetsis on the other hand..."
Burgh cocked a brow. "I'm sure he must be a man of great influence to tame his band of monsters but is his strength that vast?"
"To put it simply, not even Zekrom's Fusion Bolt or Reshiram's Fusion Flare can stop him if he should go on a rampage," Alphinia explained and took the book in N's hand before flipping the pages.
"Did he turn himself into a hybrid too?" Cheren asked, watching the pages flip rapidly. Soon after, Alphinia stopped and held up the book, showing a well-drawn sketch of a gruesome monster-pokemon.
"He took the worst cells imaginable," she replied. "Kyurem. The one known as the Strongest dragon in the world. Feared for its carnivorous tendencies and unique type. A legend in Unova told only to children to scare them."
"So it's real..." Cynthia murmured to herself. "Black was right..."
Lightning scoffed. "So he's got Kyurem's cells, big deal-de arimasu. If we pool our strengths together then I'm sure we could take him-"
"Down? Not likely," Alphinia interjected and felt her fingers tremble. "He's what you'd call the perfect hybrid. Complete in every sense of the word. His regenerative rate is second to none and using ice-type moves on him is as good as using ice-type moves on Kyurem itself. Dragon pokemon are pretty much at the mercy of his touch and don't get me started on what he'd do to humans."
"So...he's got virtually no weakness?" Cheren asked.
"I don't know. He's only ever fought against Scarlet in Dragonspiral so Brycen might have some info."
Lightning tilted his head. "Scarlet fought him? Why?"
The knight shrugged. "All I know is that he and Ghetsis have some issues in the past. Also, Ghetsis needed his soul for his plans so he left for Dragonspiral to assess his strength...and it ended horribly for Scarlet as some of you might've guessed."
The group went silent again to think over everything Alphinia had disclosed. Though the info seemed valuable, they were still unsure whether to take it as true or not.
"Before we go any further," Cynthia spoke up. "What exactly caused this default of yours?"
Alphinia put a finger to her own forehead and smiled. "My memories. Or more like Felicia Harmonia's to be exact."
S Block.
"Felicia...Harmonia?" Scarlet echoed. The scenery had long since morphed and he and Black were on a rowboat floating on a vast, still ocean that might as well have been a crystal-clear mirror as it reflected the endless purple sky and the flying Wailord above them. "Who is she and how does that help with facing my fear of Kyurem?"
"To know thy enemy's power, one must know thy enemy himself...or something like that," Black quoted goofily and admired his sailor uniform from the ocean's reflection. "That name is very essential to Ghetsis. So essential that you could send him into a frenzy just by mocking it."
Scarlet nodded and waited for the boy to stop admiring himself and get to the point.
"Let me tell you a story, Scarlet. Brace yourself."
With that, Black grabbed the sides of the boat and, to Scarlet's horror, flipped it and thus them, over. With a splash, the boys fell into the water and the alarmed redhead struggled against its heavy pressure, doing his best to hold his breath.
"Jeez man, you're dead remember?" Black remarked, floating lazily in the water. "You don't even need to breath so quite holding your non-existent breath. Makes you look like a Qwilfish."
Hesitantly, Scarlet complied and was surprised to find Black's theory to be correct. Also, why was he dressed in a Tentacruel outfit?
"Look," Black (dressed as a Kingler) called, pointing forward and Scarlet found himself facing a big screen. "The story's about to start."
...
"Ghetsis! What're you up to this time?"
17 year old Ghetsis chose to keep silent and continue on his school experiment, ignoring the blonde girl standing at the door with a Deino by her side.
Pouting, she took a book and gave his head a short rap, making him lose his grip on the test tube and drop it. It was interesting to know that the floor where the liquid had splashed on melted instantly.
"Felicia," he groaned and took off his goggles. "That makes the thirty-third experiment you've ruined. Unless you've got something really important to say, please leave me alone."
Felicia shook her curly hair and grabbed his arm. "You've been cooped up in the school lab all day and I think you need some fresh air! Just look at how pale your skin is!"
"Last time I heard, pokemon weren't allowed in the school building. This isn't Trainer School you know," he deadpanned, easily resisting her weak attempt at dragging him off. "What're you doing here anyway?"
The blonde gave one last failed tug before sighing and letting go. "So it's wrong to see my best friend once in a while now?"
Deino playfully butted her leg and Felicia smiled as she scooped up the pokemon and began to baby it with words that went something like, "Best human friend," and other things Ghetsis felt unnecessary to hear.
"I'm not your friend. Hell, I barely know you," he stated.
"But I know you!" she replied coyly and stabbed a finger into his chest. "Ghetsis Harmonia, 17 years old. Teen prodigy in Pokemon Biology and all-round playboy in school. I know how many love-letters get stuffed in your locker since I'm the one who clears 'em all. And no, I am not a stalker."
The greenette sweatdropped. "Your actions say otherwise. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a project to finish."
"Don't be so mean, Ice!"
A tick mark formed on the young man's head. He was always told off for his cold attitude towards his peers and Felicia had taken it upon herself to give him that senseless nickname that never failed to piss him off. Shooting her a glare, he returned to the work table only for the annoying blonde and her Deino to jump on his back and send them all sprawling on the ground.
"Take us on a date!" she cried.
"I don't date stalkers and I don't date pokemon! Leave me alone already, ditz!" he hissed, struggling to get up. However, her position on him disallowed such an action and she laughed haughtily at his annoyed expression.
"Deino and I want ice-cream and you won't get up until you promise to get us some, right buddy?"
Her pokemon snickered mischievously and the greenette rolled his eyes before nodding. School had closed anyway and he probably needed to return home.
"But nothing too expensive. Unlike you, I've got no parents to spray me with money," he cautioned and the girl smiled triumphantly before getting off. Her pokemon followed suit and Ghetsis picked his satchel before letting Felicia grab his hand and lead him out of Driftveil's Premier Pokemon Academy he was currently attending on scholarship. True he was extremely smart when it came to the study of pokemon and that had landed him a place in Unova's top school for future biologists and pokemon-professors-to-be but to be frank, he was bored. Bored with all the constant praises over his top marks and tired of those annoying scouters constantly begging him to consider their job offers. Hearing of his parents' recent death in a car accident made things even worse and that was why he secretly enjoyed these two's company as they made him do things he normally wouldn't do. Like...
"Hey Ghetsis! Let's head for the pier and see if we can catch some Basculin!"
"Driftveil is a no-fishing area, ditz," he replied, swinging his bag over his shoulder and making sure to leave some space between him and Deino. That pokemon just loved biting his leg. "If you so much as toss a pole in, it's straight to correctional for you. Though frankly, an asylum would be better-ow."
"Fine then. How about we sneak into the cold storage and make off with some Casteliacones?"
"You steal?" he asked, slightly baffled at the way she said it with such an innocent face.
"Nope. But it wouldn't hurt to try once in a while," she answered and nudged him. "You have a part-time job there so I'm sure you sneak some off too."
Ghetsis scowled and looked away. "It's complicated."
"Change of plans. I want a Casteliacone!" she ordered and winked at him. "Or else I'll tell everyone in school that honour student Ghetsis Harmonia is a kleptomaniac."
"That's an extreme way to put it," he deadpanned. "You're quite conniving for an innocent-looking girl."
Felicia laughed and latched onto his arm, enjoying their evening walk on the pier. As Ghetsis took one look at her face, illuminated by the sunset, he couldn't help but notice how her silly grin sparked a single feeling in his cold heart.
Desiderium. Latin for desire.
...
"Why the hell are we looking at Ghetsis' history?" Scarlet asked as Black paused the movie. The scene had gone cinematic and though the boys were still dressed like aquatic pokemon, they were now in a movie theatre, sitting on reclining seats and chewing popcorn.
"Because his back story is what will help you sit up and realise how restricting your fear is...and what'll happen if you don't let go of it," the brunette whispered back and pointed to the smiling blonde on the screen. "Rings any bells?"
Scarlet peered at the image before feeling his mouth go dry. "Is that...Alphinia?"
Indeed it nearly was. With curly hair and grey eyes, Felicia looked almost like Alphinia except for the happier expression and general playfulness radiating off her frame.
"Let's continue shall we? Maybe a few years into the future perhaps," Black offered and snapped his fingers.
...
"Hey G! What's up?" Felicia greeted and 20 year old Ghetsis put up a cocky smirk.
"I'm surprised an airhead like you landed a place at Providence Labs. What're you working as, a janitor-OW!"
"Idiot," she hissed, retracting her fist and the Deino on her head stuck out its tongue as the greenette rubbed his arm. "I'm an assistant for Professor Cedric Juniper."
Ghetsis arched a brow. "Me too. I wonder why he's got two people working under him though."
Felicia looked up in thought before putting up a sly grin. "Maybe he wanted to bring us closer together."
"H-Hey! This isn't the environment for such things and who said we're close?!" he stuttered, ashamed of himself for blushing fiercely.
"Haha! Ice finally blushed! You like me, don't ya?" she jeered, getting right up to him and staring into his eyes with that cocky expression on her face. Again, the young man cursed himself for glancing at her cleavage, owing to how tall he was.
"Grow up, Felicia. And don't you have work to do," he muttered, growing slightly embarrassed as the passing scientists threw either snide or downgrading glances at them.
"You mean 'Don't we have work to do'?" she corrected, looping an arm around his own and pulling him off towards their boss's office. Ghetsis later found out that she had applied for this position and this position only just to be with him. Talk about hardcore stalking. But he was happy that she and her annoying pokemon were here and even happier that Cedric had approved, owing to how well she excelled at field work. She was crappy at the more scientific stuff and as Ghetsis laughed at her for mucking up another formulae on the chemical components of a Galvantula's web (electrifying herself in the process as she mixed the wrong chemicals again), he couldn't help but notice how cute her angry pout seemed.
Another emotion sparked in his cold heart.
Amicitia. Latin for Friendship.
...
Scarlet folded his tentacles and stared at the screen. "So..."
"This is just like you and White, isn't it?" Black remarked, catching him off guard before snapping his fingers again.
...
24 year old Ghetsis walked into his apartment and was thoroughly surprised to find a blonde woman in his kitchen, chopping vegetables while her Deino greedily scoffed on pudding. HIS pudding.
"Oh! Hi G!" she exclaimed, surprised upon finding him standing at the door and gawking like a Magikarp upon looking up. "I didn't think you'd be back so early."
"What're you doing in MY apartment, cooking MY food, wearing MY apron and eating MY pudding?" he asked, dropping his bag and taking off his tie. "I thought you called in sick today."
"My tummy-ache cleared so I decided to spend the day off at your place," she replied, earning a quizzical look from her friend.
"You called in sick because of a tummy-ache?" he deadpanned and sighed as he slumped on his couch. "Fraility, thy name is woman," he quoted mockingly.
"You read Shakespeare, huh?" she called from the kitchen with a laugh. "What a geek."
The greenette shrugged. "Whatever. Get out of my kitchen please."
"Too late. Soup's almost done!" she sang and stepped out of the kitchen counter. "Hey Ghetsis, do you want your food first or a bath. Or perhaps,"
Ghetsis turned his head and felt his jaw go slack. She had been wearing an apron...and nothing else.
"You want me instead-MMF!"
"Get dressed," he stated as she tore his shirt off her face. "It's bad enough that you're still stalking me at this age but subjecting me to the sight of your fairly modest chest only makes it worse."
Felicia felt her face go red and Deino happily watched as Ghetsis got repeatedly bashed on the head with a frying pan.
"What a piece of work is a man," the blonde hissed, retracting the slightly-bloodstained pan and heading back to the kitchen. "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none, especially a woman."
"I was joking, dammit." Ghetsis massaged his bump before realising something. She had just quoted Shakespeare. "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"
"Hear my soul speak:The very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly to your service."
"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite."
Ghetsis was surprised. So to further confirm his assumption he decided to try something else. "Sometime all full with feasting on your covered sight and by and by clean starved for a naked look."
At first all went silent...until a frying pan sailed out of the kitchen and got him right in the forehead.
"I knew it! You do like me, pervert!" she barked triumphantly.
"And the airhead reads Shakespeare," he groaned as swirls replaced his eyes. "Wonders shall never cease."
And as Ghetsis tumbled into oblivion, another emotion sparked in his cold heart.
Amare. Latin for Love.
...
"I admit, that part cracked me up," Black sniggered as Scarlet gave him an exasperated look.
"Now I'm confused. What are you really trying to help me get from all this?" he asked.
Black stopped laughing and sat up straight. "Still haven't gotten it, have you? Oh well. It's still the first step anyway in getting you to face your fears."
"I fear Kyurem. Not Ghetsis," Scarlet spat acidly.
"You also fear the possibility that you won't be able to destroy it like you promised yourself years ago when you escaped," Black pointed, looking at him with his big, yellow eyes the way White did whenever she went logical mode. "You've got more than one fear, Scarly. I've identified two. We're looking at the third one and that is the fear of the man who took your family from you."
"But-"
Black held up a hand- er, pincer- and used the other to form a Haxorus' Tusk.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow as the boy's face went shadowed. "Hey, what're you-"
"Walk, run, stagger, fall. Keep trying, keep failing and keep losing all hope."
The redhead froze as Black's expression reflected that of Ghetsis's on that horrible day when he got carved with a chainsaw. The poem still sent chills down his spine.
"For you'll never touch the blue sky above you, Scarlet. That's your destiny."
Suddenly, Black cried "BOO!" and watched him fall off his chair in fright. Scarlet panted before growing angry as the boy's innocent expression came back laughing at his reaction.
"T-The hell was that for, bastard-"
"You're afraid of Ghetsis. Watching this movie might help you quell your fear," the brunette cut-in and relaxed on his seat again. "Now then, let's continue."
...
Wedding bells rang. Various guests cheered. Unknown family members gathered. And Deino startled everyone by catching the same bouquet thrown by the ever-smiling Felicia. 27 year old Ghetsis gave a remark about how bouquets were meant to be signs of good fortune and not food for gluttonous dragon-types but his voice was obviously drowned by the champagne popping, merry making and whatnot.
Now that he thought about it, Ghetsis Harmonia had gone quite far in life. Graduated from the best school, worked under the best professor and got hitched to the best friend he never openly admitted to having. The good news, he would get to listen to her bell-like voice everyday. The bad news, her Deino was moving in full-time so the young pokemon biologist would have to set aside a budget for the Irate Pokemon's near-abyssal feeding. He couldn't have cared less though. After all, both he and his wife were successful now and had more than enough money to live like the spoilt couple they made themselves to be. Also, Deino tended to experience longer gaps between hunger phases if overfed so Ghetsis resolved to stuffing the pokemon to near bursting point if it so much as parted its jaws for something to eat.
Honeymoon was fun. Felicia almost got Ghetsis killed by a Sharpedo when she dared him to surf the safe-looking waters. But you can overlook a broken arm when you're in love, right?
Soon after, they returned to their work and Ghetsis soon found himself a new hobby. Legendary Pokemon. With the help of a famous professor from Kanto, he was able to discover a scientific breakthrough on Mew's existence, a pokemon thought to be the ancestor of all pokemon. Aided by Felicia, he effectively that rumour true upon passing the fossilised cells under a scanner that compared its components to that of the other 640-something pokemon out there. It was tedious but their research proved true and the young biologists did their country proud, though not many people knew as Ghetsis had chosen to stay anonymous, letting the professor from Kanto take most of the credit. Being a quiet man, he didn't really mind and chose to delve more into his research on other legendaries with his loving wife and her fat Deino helping him every step of the way.
"Keep going at this rate and you'll be head scientist in no time!" Cedric had laughed as he clapped the modest man over the shoulder for another job well done. "Perhaps my daughter can learn a few things from you."
"Ghetsis? Teaching? I'd love to see that," Felicia had scoffed and Ghetsis sweatdropped. Though she was right in the sense that teaching people wasn't something Ghetsis enjoyed, she didn't have to make him sound like some sociopathic mad scientist.
Pregnancy was pretty much the happiest and saddest time for 28 year old Ghetsis Harmonia. Happy because he was going to be a father, carrying his own child in his arms while beaming from ear to ear like a Gengar. Sad because he would have to endure 9 months of mood-swing Felicia before such a dream could happen. She barely paid much attention to the issue at first, jumping around like a child and attending to her field work like it was nothing. But as expected, she had to slow down as the bump got bigger and bigger until Ghetsis insisted she stay at home until the baby came. Sure she would be bored of doing nothing but watch TV, read Shakespeare or play with Deino but she decided to endure it, talking to whatever was forming in her and threatening it to come out sooner lest she go for C-section herself. As expected, her fierce threats paid off and Ghetsis got a phone call at work one day to hear the most shocking news of a married man's life (other than his parent's dying or his wife cheating of course).
"Hey G! My water broke. Should I panic?"
Ghetsis Harmonia did not reply. He had long since passed out. At the hospital, he paced so hard on the waiting-room floor that a passing nurse would've been sure he'd have dug trenches with his feet had it been possible. Seeing as he needed something to take his mind off the fact that his jumpy blonde was screaming in the Labour Room, he resorted to counting off all the two hundred different cell-anomalies responsible for an Eevee's genetic instability. A good idea as time flew right by and the same nurse ushered him into the labour room where his tuckered out but grinning Felicia held not one but two baby girls in her arms. One was just as blonde as her mother while the other had bubblegum pink hair. Either a genetic anomaly that resulted in all those pink-headed anime girls one would see on TV...or a recessive trait passed down from one of Felicia's great-great-great-grandparents. He didn't have the right to complain though as he had green hair, making him a freak in his own right.
"Who cares? I'm a father," he remarked, taking everything calmly like he always did though his heart literally burst upon holding his angelic twins.
"Anthea and Concordia," he murmured. "Goddesses of love and peace."
"I was going for Autumn and Summer but yeah, we'll go with that too..." Felicia remarked weakly and laid back on her bed. "Man, that was intense. I'm never going to get pregnant again."
A year later, Natural Gropius Harmonia was born and Felicia solemnly swore that that was the last time she'd give in to Ghetsis's puppy dog eyes. Then again, she was happy for having a tiny Ghetsis-lookalike in her arms and something about his sleeping face made her get the feeling that something big would happen later in his life. Ghetsis himself had never been more happier in his entire life. His world was complete. He had the perfect family, perfect job and even the perfect pet. All he needed to do now was live his life to the fullest and devote himself more to his work so he could provide for them and keep them happy.
And as Ghetsis Harmonia celebrated the newcomer with his wife, daughters and Deino, another new feeling sparked in his warmer heart.
Felicitas. Latin for Happiness/Good fortune.
...
Black paused it again and turned to Scarlet. "What've you seen so far?"
"...The life and times of Ghetsis Harmonia? You know, I still don't see the point in all this." Scarlet crossed his arms. "Though...from all indications, he seemed like a pretty normal guy. Definitely not the psycho he is now."
"So in retrospect, Ghetsis was just as normal as everybody else and never meant any harm for people and pokemon," Black remarked.
"That doesn't mean I won't forgive him," Scarlet grumbled and arched a brow as the brunette smiled. "Oh hell no. Is that what this is about? You want me to forgive him for killing my family?"
"If it's necessary for that fear and hatred in your heart to go then so be it," he replied and pointed to the screen. "You and Ghetsis were somehow alike in attitude. Cold on the exterior but quite soft on those who mattered most to you. Consider his life an extension of yours if you and White had continued together. But...there's a bit of a twist from here. I know it'll be difficult to get over your hatred of Ghetsis but perhaps this might make you see things from his point of view. Beware though...some of it could get quite graphic."
"Graphic?" Scarlet echoed and suddenly found himself in a lab coat, standing behind a work table and listening in on a conversation. "Great. Where am I now?"
"Providence Labs. Experimental Block," Black replied, also donning a lab coat over his clothes. "Currently, our protagonist is having a conversation that just will change his life in the near future."
...
"For the last time, Ghetsis. Please, consider this opportunity!"
Ghetsis didn't reply at first. He seemed too concentrated in the project he was working on at the moment to listen to his colleague. Only after he heard a sigh did he turn and shake his head.
"Let me get this straight. You claimed that there's an unknown legendary dragon thought to be the strongest in history and its cells are worth investigating. But to awaken it, we have to perform some bloody ritual or something like that? And all this has been arranged with the Pokemon League and without Professor Cedric Juniper's knowledge or authorisation? You know you're not in a position to conduct such research. Also, based on the far-fetched requirements I've heard so far, I don't think such a pokemon should be unleashed on this world."
His colleague frowned. "This could change history, Ghetsis. The legend says this pokemon is capable of miraculous regeneration and can fuse its cells with that of two other powerful pokemon as they came from the same origin. We simply need your backing in the matter and perhaps some assistance in researching on its cells-"
"Are you driven by the sheer curiosity of this pokemon or do you have some other intentions," Ghetsis cut in, noticing the shady edge in the man's tone. "Why do you want to sacrifice so much to study a pokemon?"
His colleague smiled darkly. "We can rule the world, Ghetsis. We can stand above others if we obtain such a pokemon-"
"You're insane," the greenette interjected bluntly and returned to his work. "Perhaps the work is making you lose your head. Take a day off and come back when you've completely rid yourself of such fanatical fantasies."
The man's expression stilled before morphing into that of anger. "You pompous smartass...you choose not to believe because you're afraid my research will overshadow yours, am I right?"
"Don't kid yourself," Ghetsis remarked, still facing his experiments. "My refusing to agree to your crazy ideals has nothing to do with that and I'm sure you know it. Though frankly speaking, this clearly illegal project won't really amount to much plus, the chances of you failing will be very high."
"Don't give me that crap!" the man barked, slamming a fist on the table. "Just because you're so successful in this field doesn't give you the right to look down on me! You think you're all that? You are human, just like everyone else, bastard!"
"I never said I was anything else," Ghetsis replied calmly and turned to face him with a condescending glare. "But if you're so bent on surpassing me then you're more than welcome to try. I won't fret though. I have no need to since, given your current progress rate and IQ, you'll never amount to half of what I am anyway."
That struck hard. With an angry hiss, the man stormed off and Ghetsis resumed working, not really giving it a second thought though he did report his offer and behaviour to the professor who confiscated the man's license, having him forcefully take some weeks off to 'cool' down.
Two words. Bad Move.
Now snitching never pays off, no matter how much one looks at it, especially if said snitch happens to be a level-headed smart-ass who mentally outclasses his colleagues in almost every way and, unsurprisingly, gathers a large amount of secret haters.
Ghetsis knew that much but he made the mistake of underestimating people. He thought that at most, they would avoid him and all but not go as far as to do something extremely stupid for the sake of revenge. That would be immature and the green-haired man felt that scientists didn't have the capacity for such rash behaviour.
How wrong he was.
The nightmare began when Ghetsis Harmonia lost track of time one day and found the day to have been far spent. Felicia had long since gone home, leaving him to finish his research with Deino for company. In all honesty, Ghetsis would've stayed even longer had the Irate Pokemon not grown bored and promptly took a nip of his expensive lab-coat. Seeing as it was 11:06 PM, long past Deino's dinnertime, Ghetsis decided to stop for the night and head on home. Just as he was clearing all his documents into his briefcase, he found an old, weathered book on the table. Where it had come from or who had put it there in the first place escaped the puzzled man but one thing was for sure. It had mystery literally oozing from its covers. Something warned Ghetsis not to touch it but being the inquisitive man that he was, he dispelled such unnecessary fears and picked the book to have a look.
A scream. Multiple screams. Ghetsis Harmonia heard them reverberating through his head but he knew it wasn't coming from inside the building. No. It was the book? Was he hallucinating?
"Intriguing..." he murmured and turned the book to view its title. A SIMPLE MONSTORY.
"Monstory?" he echoed. "Wonder what that word means?"
Seeing as he didn't have to time to consider the meaning, he simply opened to book to a random page...and held back his lunch at the horrific depictions. Was this supposed to be a horror graphic novel or something? No...the images looked to real to have been done by some petty artist. Plus, there were pages with mere scribbles on it so it was more like a storybook. Nevertheless, Ghetsis quickly scanned the pages and felt his eyes widen.
"There was once a blue, other-worldly beast that devoured man and pokemon in its maniacal lust for contentment. Its power was such that it could freeze hell over completely..." he murmured and turned the pages again. "It ravaged the lands and plagued the people and pokemon, though, of the 1000 unique souls it devoured every eight years, two were especially savoured..." Another flip of the page. "One of complete innocence, cloaked in brilliant white...and another soaked through with blood and guilt like a dirty criminal awaiting hanging. Two sides of the same coin, totally different but cannot live without the other. Obtain such souls and you shall gain complete control over the monster..."
More horrific depictions. This time, it showed a large, dragon pokemon opening its mouth wide and swallowing people being poured out of an upturned city.
"Such a pokemon would not stop devouring until those special souls and an offering of 908 other ones are found and given up for sacrifice. There is no other way to defeat such a beast. However, for the safety of the world, the twin heroes battled it and by a stroke of luck, got it to accidentally encase itself in ice after rendering a hole in its chest. Its icy prison was moved to a deep, unknown cavern that was known for shifting each time the earth's bowels rumbled. That didn't mean it was over."
Ghetsis turned the page and found himself looking at a sword. "By absorbing souls with a blade crafted from the bones of several ghost-type pokemon and infused with some of the monster's own ice, the dragon can still be called upon by injecting such souls into its prison via the sword (also known as the Soul Flayer). Then, under the influence of its new master, dubbed the Dragon Knight, this monster shall rise once again to torment the world and subject it to an icy hell."
The greenette slowly turned the page and came face to face with a head. A big, black and blue head with large, lower jaws and big, yellow eyes with its mouth wide open. Underneath, it read, "Will you be the lunatic capable of resurrecting such a beast? Will you go through the horrific task of soul-collecting to grasp the world in the long run? If so...then refer yourself to the last page. A word of caution before you do though. Your sanity will be at risk should you choose to take this path of ice."
Ghetsis arched an eyebrow. "Okay...Perhaps this is what that crazy man had been spouting all along..."
Deino bit his leg and Ghetsis immediately closed the book before giving the pokemon a slight pat on the head.
"I guess we'll go now," he stated with a smile and beamed the pokemon into its pokeball before picking his bag. He gave the book one last glance.
Check it, his inner voice chanted. Check it, check it, check it.
Giving one last sigh, he picked the book again and casually turned to the last page. He was greatly surprised to find a mirror.
"Huh?" He was just about to close the book again when something incredulous happened. Blood-red frosting began to form on the dusty glass and the man watched in horror as some words began to form.
Congratulations. You have taken the path of madness and will undergo an event that will claim your sanity very shortly, giving you the reasoning you need to awaken the beast. Enjoy yourself...Ghetsis Harmonia.
Ghetsis froze. Did the book just spell his name? What sort of trickery was this?
As the man dropped the book in the nearby trash can, another feeling sparked in his trembling heart.
Timor. Latin for Dread.
...
Scarlet watched the memory flit away and he turned to the trash can where the book had been dropped.
"That's how he found out huh?" he remarked and bent to pick it, scowling as his hand merely phased through.
"Sorry but this is just a replay of the past projected to us by Arceus' will. We're mere ghosts here," Black advised, sitting on the table. "Important stuff like that can't be touched by us unless Arceus willed it."
Scarlet nodded and pocketed his arms. "Is it me or did that book seem alive or something?"
The brunette shrugged. "No one knew the author. It's also been around since ancient times too. Quite creepy when you look at it." A moment later, the scene began to change again and Black's expression went grim. "This is gonna be the last memory. It will show you how the insane monster we know now was born. Brace yourself and take a lesson."
Nodding, Scarlet steeled his mind for whatever was coming next. In no time, they were in the streets of Driftveil and were just in time to see Ghetsis leaving the building.
...
It was nearing midnight and Ghetsis Harmonia scolded himself for wasting time on that book. It must've been a prank played on him by his junior colleagues. Surely no book could call up your name unless there was a ghost-pokemon there or something. That thought however made it worse and the man shook his head to throw the vivid story descriptions off.
"Felicia's going to kill me if she finds out I stayed to late again and not fed Deino. Maybe I'll go to the store and get some pokemon food," he mused, turning in the direction of the nearby store before remembering something. He needed to get a specific type of feed for the pokemon as Felicia had once requested. Trouble was, he couldn't remember what brand it was. Whipping out his phone, he proceeded to call his wife and asked, only to be met with an answering machine. Strange, Felicia never switched off her phone, even at night.
Shrugging, he dialled the house number and was surprised to hear a sleepy hello from the babysitter.
"Felicia's not back yet..." she mumbled with a yawn upon inquiry and Ghetsis frowned in thought. Where could she have gone at such a time?
Unknown to Ghetsis Harmonia, a shadow snuck up from behind and promptly jabbed a fist against his neck, knocking him out instantly. The pokemon, a Sawk, quickly lifted his unconscious body and threw it into a car where its human masters were waiting. With a quick nod, the pokemon was returned to its ball and the car sped off, disappearing in the cold darkness of the city.
Some time later...
Ghetsis Harmonia awoke to find himself strapped to a chair and facing a familiar face looming over him.
"I take it you're kidnapping me for the sake of revenge or something, Fraud," he mused and Fraud, the man who'd gotten suspended because of Ghetsis' reporting, ground his teeth in annoyance.
"Defiant as ever, aren't we..." he growled and tapped a button on the chair, sending a large, but not potentially lethal, current of electricity through the greenette's veins. "How do you like it when you're the one who's under my mercy?"
Ghetsis took the pain with a hiss before giving a pained smile. "Sorry Fraud but my Eelektrik pretty much gives me this everyday so I'm quite used to this."
"Why you-"
"Boss. It's ready."
The men looked to the side and saw a man and the familiar Sawk coming into the dark room.
"Boss?" Ghetsis echoed and stared at Fraud inquisitively. "So the rumours were true...You do run the Driftveil Plasma Gang."
Fraud smirked. "Surprised? I hope you now know how dangerous it is to look down on me-"
"Actually, how did a thug like you manage to get yourself into Providence Labs?" Ghetsis cut-in.
"That Cedric Juniper puts too much trust in people," Fraud scoffed with a haughty shrug. "I just needed a good alibi and lots of connections to get me the CV I needed. Old fool fell for it faster than a brick in mid-air. Besides, I'm smart too you know."
Ghetsis stared at him before sighing. "So what do you hope to gain from holding me here?"
"Since gentle persuasion doesn't get your attention then I'll have to resort to more forceful methods." Fraud pocketed his hands and locked eyes with the greenette. "I'll say this only once. Join us and lend us your research on legendary pokemon. I'm very sure that with my influence and your smarts, we'll find a way to awaken the monster pokemon."
"Sorry but I'm not the least bit interested in psychologoically-impairing people or developing serums to awaken monsters. Besides, my wife would probably kill me for that. Speaking of which, I think this discussion is over. I should probably be heading home now." Ghetsis replied nonchalantly.
"Is that so? And what gives you the confidence to say that?" Fraud asked smugly.
"Well, since I've clearly refused your offer then you've got no use for me, right?" Ghetsis asked and smirked. "Unless you're planning to kill me seeing as I've ascertained your notorious position in society."
"You're awfully calm about this," Fraud growled.
"Maybe because the Driftveil Plasma Gang aren't particularly known for killing people," Ghetsis scoffed and leaned back. "Now untie me and let me be on my way. I suppose I won't squeal if you don't trouble me any further."
The man before him blinked before suddenly grinning. "Hey...have you ever heard of the Dragana Theory?"
Ghetsis arched an eyebrow. "Doesn't that speculate that dragon pokemon DNA can be grafted into that of a human's? Not a bad concept but it supposedly went bust along with its test subjects since the immune system violently rejected the procedure..."
A cart was suddenly wheeled into the room and Ghetsis' red eyes widened as he saw spotted several neat syringes lined on the carts surface. Interestingly enough, each one was filled to the brim with bubbling, deep-red liquid.
"Did you know that in medieval times, dragon's blood was forced into a human's body as a method of torture? Apparently, it burns hotter than coal when exposed to the antigens in the human bloodstream."
As Fraud's henchman took a needle, Ghetsis remembered what the book he had read earlier had said and swallowed a little before putting up a poker face.
"You will submit to us, Ghetsis," Fraud's voice rang as the needle pierced the greenette's arm. Almost instantly, Ghetsis's pupils began to contract and dilate rapidly and he screamed as he felt raw magma run through his veins.
30 minutes later...
"Quite the strong guy we've got here," one man remarked, looking at the panting greenette beside him. Ghetsis' hair was scattered all over now and blood was oozing from his eyes, lips and nose.
"I know right? Fraud laughed. "We've emptied four of those bad boys and yet he still refuses. I'm sure he's gonna lose his mind soon."
Ghetsis slowly lifted his head and was surprised to find his nearly all his colleagues from work standing around him.
"Frankly, I just wanted to see Mr Smart-ass suffer," one of them jeered.
"How do you like it when we're looking down on you now, you proud bastard?!"
"Not so high and mighty, huh? Guess your intelligence can only take you so far."
Ghetsis actually wasn't too surprised at their jealousy. He was more surprised at the way they were taking it out on him. Weren't these equally intelligent men of upstanding background who should see maturity and logic before useless emotions such as childish envy?
"You're all hopeless..." he murmured and laughed weakly. "Only teenagers do these sort of things..."
That remark earned a blow to the face and another needle which rekindled the fire in his blood. The men around him laughed as he trembled violently, screaming like an animal (unknown to them, his teeth had fanged over completely). In ten minutes flat, the greenette looked far worse than anything they had ever seen and Fraud gripped his hair before lifting his face up.
"As you can see, almost everyone at Providence Labs is in on this plan. Join us Ghetsis. It's pretty much the old fool and the juniors who're ignorant of our plans. We won't readily admit it but your brain might be the key in all this. Now be a smart man and accept this offer. Aren't you the least bit curious as to how everything will play out?"
Ghetsis coughed before putting up a smile. "3 litres..."
"Huh?"
"I've successfully taken 3 litres of Dragon-pokemon blood without exploding or losing my mind, far more than the exceeded limit on any test subject," he elaborated and grinned. "Just thought you should know... That, and the police will be here any second."
Fraud's eyes narrowed. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said, Fraud. I'm sure you never noticed but the ring on my finger has a chip which sends out a distress signal to the police unit in case I should ever get kidnapped. Of course, it only activates when I clench really hard, courtesy of pain, so I thank you for giving me the chance to try it. On a happy note, that so-called old fool suggested the idea to me just in case something unexpected happens."
Suddenly, the door slammed open and some men rushed in with frightened looks on their faces.
"Boss! It's the police! They're heading straight for our hideout!"
"What?!" Fraud barked and glared at the smirking greenette. "You..."
"And intelligence wins again. Sorry Fraud but it looks like your dream of world domination might take a backseat," Ghetsis laughed though it was cut short by a blow to the head from the enraged Fraud.
"You cocky, meddlesome fool! Are you trying to destroy my plans?!" the man spat acidly and grabbed Ghetsis by the neck, intending to strangle him. "I'll kill you-"
"Boss, we should get outta here!" one of the men barked, pulling Fraud back. Grumbling, Fraud gave Ghetsis one last glare before grinning.
"I want this place burned. And with this bastard in it," he ordered and his henchmen nodded before leaving the room. Turning to Ghetsis, he gave a sadistic grin. "I'll still fulfil my dream, Ghetsis. Mark my words, this world shall be mine."
At once, there was a huge explosion and in the blink of an eye, everything was up in flames. Fraud waved before exiting and Ghetsis promptly found himself in a bind. Sure he had put up appearances but deep down he had no idea of how he would get himself free of his binds.
"Felicia..." he murmured and felt his fists tighten up again. He wasn't going to die here. He would live. Live to see his smiling family. "Think. Think. How am I going to get out of here..."
Suddenly, he took notice of the weight in his pocket and mentally facepalmed for not remembering Deino. But to get it out, he'd need an arm and his limbs were currently tied to the chair. However, he could shift his weight to the side where Deino's pokeball was and, with luck, push the button needed to open it. With a quick prayer, he began to bump his side against the seat and in some seconds, got the pokeball to enlarge. Giving one final bump, the pokeball's button was pushed and the Irate Pokemon was beamed out, looking quite angry at the fact that it still hadn't been fed. The anger washed off however as the searing heat made it panic.
"Deino! Help me get these bonds off!" Ghetsis ordered quickly and the pokemon nodded before sinking its fangs into the ropes. The process was a little slow given the fact that his bonds were quite strong and one or two times, the pokemon accidentally bit into his wrists, drawing blood, but in time, Deino successfully bite off the ropes and Ghetsis got to his shaky feet before returning Deino to its ball for its safety.
Coughing at the smoke that was now invading his lungs, the greenette began to make his way out of the room. Finding himself at a hallway, Ghetsis' steady walk turned into a run and he passed through the flame-filled area, finding himself in more and more hallways. The place was like a damned maze and as the temperature got even hotter, Ghetsis cursed and continued in his mad search for the exit. Where was this place anyway? The building seemed too big to have been in Driftveil itself. The outskirts, perhaps?
"Like I have time to dwell on that!" Ghetsis grumbled, stepping onto the wooden stairs that led to the floor below.
CRACK!
The greenette's eyes widened as the stairs underneath him fell away and he suddenly remembered an important rule when it came to escaping from burning buildings. Never cross the stairs if wooden. Ever. Common sense should've told him that but being partially delusional with all that dragon-pokemon blood had made him forget his own reasoning.
"DAMMIT!" he cried as he plunged into the fiery space beneath. It didn't take long before he hit the floor and the burning debris above fell on him completely with one particular steel rod plunging towards his face. Everything went into slow motion as the object made its way down on him and Ghetsis went shock still as he realised what was coming next. In a moment, the hot steel rod fell heavily against his right eye, burning it completely and making the man scream as he felt the aqueous humor inside virtually bubble. Then he passed out.
Ghetsis awoke in a world of black and found himself staring at a reflection on the icy floor. Since when was ice black?
"Ghetsis Harmonia."
Ghetsis looked back to find a...thing...staring at him. It resembled a glowing human but differed in that it sported a tail...and no head. There was also a massive hole in its chest and icicles projected from its back.
"Who...are you...?" the baffled and slightly creeped out greenette stuttered, stepping back. "And where am I? What happened to me?"
The thing's neck tilted a little. "Why, you're dead of course."
Ghetsis could've sworn his heart skipped a beat...if his heart had actually been there. He couldn't feel it, neither could he feel warmth or breath. Nothing at all.
"No..." he murmured, feeling his legs go weak. "No...it can't be..."
The thing before came closer. "It's true. You're dead...your sense of awareness as a human being, that is. I took it since it'll be needed to awaken Kyurem. After all, your humanity restrains your insanity. And without insanity, you won't have the will to see the icy clear truths and ideals of the world. And Kyurem will never awaken or be tamed without it."
"I don't understand," the greenette whispered and held his own head to keep himself steady. "You're not making any sense...I don't want to die..."
Sighing, the being before him held up a blue hand. "Ghetsis. You changed your fate when you picked up that book. You have become something else now. Why else could you assimilate the dragon blood pumped into you? Don't you see, Ghetsis? Fate has chosen you to play an active role in the world's future. War, misery, pain. All shall be at your mercy once you realise your purpose in this world."
"Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!" Ghetsis babbled as strange thoughts and words began to fill his head to bursting point. "What's all this? Why am I seeing so many strange things? Eh? Blood...so much blood? Screaming...they're screaming...It's so loud. Shut up...my head...if they scream any louder, my head's going to burst!"
Feeling his legs give way, the greenette fell to his knees and screamed as his head swelled with everything and anything that could fit in.
"You are unlocking every human and pokemon memory situated in the S-block. By the time you are through, don't be surprised to find yourself odd."
"S-block..." Ghetsis groaned, expression maddening from pain. Just as he thought his body was going to split open, the process stopped abruptly and he fell flat on his back while panting heavily. "What...did I...just see...?"
"History. Fate. The world's collective knowledge itself." The being crouched to reach his lever and locked eyes- er space- with Ghetsis' red orbs. "What have you seen, Ghetsis Harmonia?"
For some reason, the answer came naturally. "The world is wicked. Life is unfair. Incompleteness. As a result of the world's folly, a monster was born out of its mindless innocence, terrible strife and dreaded guilt. This monster therefore sought to fill its incompleteness by devouring the souls of humans and pokemon alike. Kyurem needed a hero just as two other dragon pokemon possessed theirs. A hero to fill its void with his endeavours and emotions...It still does."
The being nodded (I think) and extended a hand. "Will you be the hero, Ghetsis Harmonia?"
Ghetsis finally caught his breath and stared at the hand before promptly brushing it off. "No way. I can't just bring up some beast!"
"Then what is your goal, Ghetsis Harmonia?"
The man remembered his beloved Felicia and put up a determined expression. "To go back to my family. I want to live."
Silence.
Silence.
"Should that goal be reached or stunted...feel free to come back here."
Suddenly, the flames returned and Ghetsis awoke to find himself still covered in debris. This time though, his strength had returned and though his right eye had gone dark, he could still make out an exit sign just ahead. With a growl, he pulled himself out and quickly dashed for the exit, bursting through the door and landing on the grassy field in the cool night air.
"I'm alive..." he whispered, gripping his face and revelling in his solidity. "We're alive, Deino!"
Beside him, several firemen and police mean with their Herdiers and Seismitoads were working hard to either douse the burning building or catch the criminals scurrying to and fro. One thing was for sure though. Driftveil's Plasma Gang had finally lucked and Fraud's men wouldn't be seen any time soon.
Not wanting any attention for the time being, Ghetsis hurried out of the area and soon noticed that he had indeed been on the outskirts of the city in one of the abandoned labs.
"Wow...that was some adventure," he remarked as he started his long jog home. "I'd better come up with a good excuse for when Felicia sees me like this...and I still haven't fed Deino too."
Now this would've made for a suitable ending...but then Ghetsis wouldn't have been the man he is today had it not been for the sight he saw when he finally reached his home.
Fire.
His house was on fire and the stunned Ghetsis quickly rushed in, praying that his family was alright and wondering as to how all this had come about.
"Felicia! Anthea! Concordia!" he called though his voice was drowned by the roaring fire. He was lucky the house didn't use stairs as he didn't want a repeat of what had happened earlier. Crossing the living room, he went down the hall until he got to the children's room. Locked. "Deino! Heabutt!"
Swiftly, Deino broke the door down and Ghetsis rushed in to find his trembling daughters huddled in a corner with his baby son asleep between them.
"Thank Arceus," he breathed, hugging them before opening the window and taking them into his arms. In time, he had moved them to the lawn far from the house and promised to be back.
"Mama," Anthea lisped.
"Don't worry. I'll get her," he replied and ran back into the burning house calling Felicia's name. She had to have been back by now, right?
"Let go of me! No, stop!"
The voice was a little faint, owing to the distance but Ghetsis recognised it clearly and he bolted with only the bedroom in his line of sight.
"Heh! Feisty little thing aren't you?! Consider this payback for sidling up to that pompous bastard!"
"Please stop! Don't!"
The voices were growing louder as Ghetsis drew closer to the room and he kicked it open to be met with a sight that was forever imprinted on his memories like a hot-iron brand.
Felicia. Was being violated. By Fraud.
"Oh great. He's alive," the man remarked and his expression maddened. "Damned devil. How did you escape?"
Ghetsis' hand clenched. "How dare you...How could you..."
"You ruined my life so I'm ruining yours," Fraud replied with an indifferent shrug, not showing the least bit sympathy at Felicia's sobs which only infuriated Ghetsis more.
"Fraud..." he growled, expression growing into that of a mad man as he made to rip him to shreds. " FRAUD!"
"Sawk. Restrain him," Fraud ordered casually and his blue fighting type came from nowhere before grabbing Ghetsis and forcing him onto the ground. No matter how hard he struggled, Ghetsis couldn't get free and he cursed as Fraud laughed again. "I wonder how it must feel for you right now, Ghetsis. This is a classic example of out of the frying pan and into the fire, don't you think?"
"Let her go, Fraud! This is between you and me!"
"Indeed it is," Fraud replied and seized Felicia's hand before drawing her close and looking in Ghetsis' direction. "To attack an enemy, you go for his weak points, no? Felicia's pretty hot by the way."
"You insane bastard," she spat, struggling to get free. "Ghetsis, I'm so sorry...I..."
"I didn't give you permission to apologise, slut," Fraud cut in and smirked at Ghetsis. "I want to see that expression of horror on Ghetsis' face. Don't you?"
Ghetsis' eyes widened again and he struggled even harder as the villain forced himself on the poor blonde again. And Sawk held his head up to make him watch every passing second of the vile activity.
To say his mind broke would've been the biggest understatement of the century.
"How the mighty have fallen. See Ghetsis, this is why I'll never get married," Fraud piped up after some time and held up a gun. To Felicia's forehead. "I'm a kind-hearted soul though so I'll only ask one more time. For the sake of your wife's life, join me. I can still rebuild our gang and I've even got a lot more members in every nook and cranny of Unova. Do the right thing, Ghetsis."
Ghetsis' expression had long since become unreadable but with the way he started to grit his teeth, it was obvious that he would give in soon enough.
"Fraud..." he murmured. "I...I'll-"
"Don't do it."
Ghetsis looked up to see Felicia's stern expression.
"I heard the rumours of all the crazy things this guy is gonna do and I won't forgive myself if I'm indirectly the cause of this. Don't join him, Ghetsis."
"Huh? What're you saying?" Fraud sneered, pressing the muzzle to her head. "Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"If my death will save this world then I don't care what happens. I will not be used as a bargaining chip and I certainly won't become my husband's weak point," she replied in a tone that made the man shudder. Turning to Ghetsis, she sighed before putting up a tired smile. "I'm sorry for being so weak, Ghetsis. I just hope you won't have to remember something like this in future and think less of me..."
"No! I never did! It wasn't your fault," Ghetsis objected strongly. "I can't let you die, Felicia!"
"I love you Ghetsis. Take care of the kids," she stated and faced Fraud. "He's not agreeing. Shoot me if you must but Ghetsis won't bend no matter what."
Her eyes were intimidating now and Fraud found his gun hand trembling a little.
"What's your final answer, Ghetsis? Spare your wife or spare the lives of our living stepping stones to world domination?"
Ghetsis stared as his emotions roiled. On one hand, he could accept and see Felicia alive, though she'd hate him and herself forever...or he could decline and watch his beloved blonde die.
"Felicia...I love you..." he murmured. "I...decline..."
Felicia smiled happily as Fraud's expression morphed into that of anger. As the clock struck 1:00 AM and he pulled the trigger, one sentence escaped from her lips.
"Happy birthday, G."
BANG!
That single sound brought everything crashing down on Ghetsis' emotional and psychological state as the love of his life fell back dead.
"What a waste of time," Fraud mocked and aimed the gun at Ghetsis himself. "Maybe you should join her too."
Ghetsis wasn't listening to him anymore. He had lost himself to his tumultuous emotions and only had his glazed eyes locked on Felicia's face. At that moment, he returned to his black world and was standing before the headless being.
"Sooner than I expected. Your goal has been achieved, yes?"
Ghetsis pointed his half-lidded, dead eyes at his reflection below. "I understand everything now...It's the fault of man..."
"Hmm?"
"Had it not been for man's wickedness, the world wouldn't have been soaked in strife and incompleteness. Kyurem wouldn't have been born, Pokemon wouldn't have been used for evil, Fraud wouldn't have become what he is now...and Felicia wouldn't have had to die..."
A shadowy mass wafted from the figure's neck and formed a smiley face, strikingly similar to that of the Dragon Knights. "Oh? Is that so? And what do you suppose we do about this monster known as humanity?"
Ghetsis looked up and a mad grin overtook his face. "Destroy it. Destroy all humans...every last one of their desperate wickedness shall be gone. All...gone..."
Laughing, the figure came closer and pointed a scaly arm at him. "Good answer! But you're not ready to achieve it yet. I'll make you a deal instead. Humans can be destroyed but there must be a greater existence necessary to maintain the universal balance. Bring me a solution and the world shall be at your mercy. Shake on it?" The being extended its scaly arm.
"Indeed." Ghetsis grasped it and nodded. "Kyurem."
Fraud and Sawk were promptly surprised to find Ghetsis starting to laugh maniacally.
"Hey...what's so funny?"
Ghetsis stopped abruptly and gave a very toothy grin at Fraud. "The heart of man is desperately wicked and joyfully seeks to do evil. Are you satisfied now at your apparent heartlessness, human?"
Suddenly, a great roar rang through the flames and Deino, looking more rabid than ever, burst through the wall right beside Fraud...and chomped his hand clean off along with the gun.
"Oh yeah. I forgot to feed the poor thing. Did you know that Deino turn on humans in times of food scarcity?"
Fraud screamed as blood sprayed from his gory injury ans Sawk promptly got off Ghetsis, ready to fight the little dragon off when Deino stopped at Felicia's body and gave a low howl. It was mourning...and going crazy as its fur bristled and large fangs erupted from its jaws. Normally, Deino have hair covering their eyes but Felicia's Deino had its own shifted to the right now, showcasing angry red dots that screamed pure blood lust. The next moments were the bloodiest as Fraud's pokemon was smashed, chomped on and pulverized by the Irate Pokemon and Fraud could only watch as the fighting-type was devoured by the little menace.
"Monster..." he murmured.
"Indeed. We are monsters now," Ghetsis remarked and grabbed the man's now-incomplete arm before putting it into the flames nearby, eliciting an agonised scream from the man. Ignoring his pleas, the greenette turned towards Deino and thumbed Fraud. "Up for desert?"
Deino was more than happy to oblige and in seconds, Fraud was reduced to a mass of bloodied bones and guts.
Ghetsis nodded satisfactorily before kneeling beside Felicia's body and taking her head in his arms. "Still died with a smile on your face...Felicia...But don't worry. Your death shall not be in vein. I will cleanse the world of the very humanity that took you from me. You shall rest in perfect peace...but I'm gonna need a keep sake from you, babe."
10 minutes later...
Ghetsis stepped out of the burning building and knelt to view the children sleeping on the bench. The fire department hadn't even come at all. Another show of humanity's uncaring nature.
"I brought your mother back at least," he muttered and looked down to see the cylindrical glass tube in his hands containing a beating heart suspended in a weird fluid. "Now then, about how we'll destroy humanity..."
...
"And that, Scarly, is how the current Ghetsis Harmonia was born," Black remarked as they watched the man walk away with his children. "And the rest, we can say, is history. When he tried using N the first time, he really wanted to have all pokemon for himself so he could destroy humanity not control it. When I busted that, that's when he found the solution that Kyurem's spirit was looking for."
"A Dragon Knight," Scarlet spoke up and sat down with a ragged sigh. "Black...what the fuck did you just show me?"
"The life and times of a normal human being who went off the deep end after losing a loved one. You can sympathise with that...can't you, Scarly?"
Scarlet recalled Ghetsis' face after all the turmoil. It was one of insanity, anger and deep hurt. Just like his... "So all this time, I've been scared of a broken lunatic, huh?"
Black sat beside him. "I suppose so. Ghetsis is human, just like you. There's nothing to fear even if he's buffed himself up with Kyurem's cells and my body. If you can acknowledge that then beating him will be a piece of cake. I'm not saying you have to see him as the victim in all this either. He's clearly made the wrong decision and is hurting everybody else and as such, must be stopped. All I just want you to do is let your family's death go and that shackle he has on you will finally shatter."
Scarlet kept silent before growling as Black bopped him on the head playfully.
"We're almost done, Scarly. Just one more thing before you're ready to head back," he cheered and got up before taking his hand. "It's the thing that'll finally unlock your true self and give you the strength and will to defeat Ghetsis and save White!"
"At least let me rest a bit. A bad guy's back story is a lot to take in," Scarlet grumbled as he was dragged off towards Arceus-knew-where.
Pokemon League, Route 10.
Lightning chewed his lip uncomfortably as he mulled over Alphinia's recollection from Felicia's point of view. Clay and the others simply put up poker-faces but each one knew deep down that they all understood things a lot more clearly now.
"So he probably wants to destroy humanity," Cheren speculated. "How radical...but then again, I'm not too surprised."
"Me neither. That's probably what the Dragon Knights are for," Cynthia remarked and folded her arms. "So how did you come about, Alphinia?"
The blonde shrugged. "Our memories got messed up when Ghetsis implanted Dragon-pokemon cells into us. As I am now, I don't know where I came from...I guess I'm just a doll with Felicia's heart in it and loads of dragon pokemon cells too."
"You're not pulling our legs, right-de arimasuka?"
Everyone looked to Lightning's shadowed expression.
"No. You're free to not believe me. I wouldn't put my faith in a monster either," the blonde remarked and straightened up. "On a final note, the Red Moon Ball will be the day Ghetsis' plans shall start. Those of you with S on your invitation cards...are part of the 908 living sacrifices meant to be given up to Kyurem for complete awakening."
Cheren stiffened and looked away with a "Tch!" while Cynthia sighed.
"I should've known...but I never read anything on Kyurem before."
"The book's a one of a kind," N piped up and held it up. "Written by nobody but a big curse to all as it gives some nasty secrets about the past. Alphinia's pretty much summarised it but be rest assured that if your analysis team can work on it then we'll achieve some results."
"Understood. I contact a friends of mine from Kanto and Hoenn to take a snag at it," Cynthia offered and looked to Alphinia. "We'll keep you here but you're gonna be kept under strict surveillance. Behave."
"Thank you," she replied with a bow and Lightning immediately got up before leaving the room quietly. The group watched him go before following suit and leaving the meeting room. Unknown to them, a dark shadow sat at the ledge on the window and pressed a hand to his ear.
"We've found her, sire."
"Very good. Return to base, Shadow Triad, and get the pokemon ready for the raid tomorrow."
"Yes, your Highness."