Underground Plasma Castle.
Ghetsis swung his legs back and forth as he lounged on his throne while fingering the wedding ring on his finger. Before him stood an old man with a beard that rivalled Santa Claus and a baseball hat that made him look more like a trainer-wannabe than the worldwide president of the entire Pokemon League.
"Mr Goodshow," the greenette greeted, taking a disinterested glance at the old man. "How nice of you to visit us. So how're things going? Up for retirement soon?"
"You know as well as I that I can't do that," Charles replied in his tired voice. "You've virtually chained me to the League now since I'm the one funding your cruel endeavours and covering your tracks."
"Oh pish posh," Ghetsis tittered in a fake british accent while waving his blue arm at the man haughtily. "We're friends, right? It's only logical that you scratch my back since I scratched yours."
"You clawed my back, Ghetsis. Don't forget that I am only doing this for the sake of my granddaughter whom I have not seen since you kidnapped her eight years ago."
Ghetsis stopped swinging and clasped his fingers together. "So you're still grudging on that, old man? Come on, I'm a man of fairness and justice. I keep my promises don't I?"
"You eliminated two of our gym leaders, sacrificed so many young children, wiped out half of Opelucid, stolen Black's body, taken his sister and held my granddaughter captive so she could be used as a bargaining chip. Ghetsis, you are not a man of fairness and justice. You aren't even a man anymore," Charles hissed, earning an amused tilt of the head from the greenette. "I've done your bidding long enough. The accursed Red Moon Ball has been prepared so you'll have no more need of the League's assistance. Please, let this old man see his only family."
Ghetsis stared at him before closing his eyes and giggling. "Hey Charles, remember the promise I made that she won't become a Plasma grunt?"
Charles stiffened and felt his hands finger the pokeballs in his pockets. "You broke it?"
"Nope. I kept my promise," he replied and at that moment, Aqua strolled into the throne room.
"You wanted to see me, lord Ghetsis?"
Charles took one look at her and felt his arms go limp. "Clarissa..."
Aqua glanced at him and gave Ghetsis an inquisitive frown. "What's a human doing here?"
That sentence gave Charles a good guess at what Ghetsis had meant all this time though he refused to believe it.
"As you can see, she's alive and well and far higher than any lowly, human grunt," Ghetsis laughed coldly and got up before pulling the brunette close. "However, human test subjects for hybrid-creation were so hard to find so I used the first thing available. Her cells were very compatible plus, I had something extra to make the bonding complete."
"No..." Charles murmured, horrified.
"Lord Ghetsis...?" Aqua looked to him and the old man in confusion. "Okay, I'm confused."
"You mean you don't remember me, Clarissa?" Charles asked shakily and was met with a menacing gaze from the woman herself.
"Like I'd lower myself to being the granddaughter of a human," she snarled, making Ghetsis smile wider.
"She's cast away and promptly forgotten her humanity, Charlie. She's evolved," he remarked and tilted her head up...before kissing her on the lips. It was messy, disgusting, very animalistic and showed a lot of fangs...like a dragon's. Sure Ghetsis didn't mean anything but spite by it, but he had sent the message to the stunned president. Clarissa was gone. In her place stood a monster and that monster now belonged to Ghetsis. Body and soul.
"You vile, despicable, cruel excuse for a man!" Charles cried, forgetting the pokeball and instead, grabbing Ghetsis by the collar. Big mistake. Big, big, big mistake.
Ghetsis stared at the hand before narrowing his eyes. "Are you...touching me?"
In an instant, Aqua's arm was on the Charles's collar and in no time at all, he was sent flying across the room. Before he could hit the floor though, he called out his pokemon, an Altaria, an Electivire, a Houndoom, an Empoleon and a Charizard.
"I'll end you here, Ghetsis Harmonia!" he called from atop his pokemon and they began to charge for the man on the throne.
Aqua stepped before her lord and smiled before parting her lips. "Die."
Suddenly, Charizard dropped from the air and Charles felt his mouth go slack as the fire/flying type rolled in agony before stretching out fully and becoming still.
"What did she just-"
Behind him, a scary looking Garchomp with crossed eyes and blunt teeth appeared through the ground and bit into Electrivire before dragging it into the hole. Sounds of screams where heard and thunderbolts emerged through the hole before all went silent again. Tightening his hold on Altaria, Charles pointed to Ghetsis and ordered an Ice Beam, only for Aqua to hold up a hand...and tear the space before her in half, creating a dimensional hole that swallowed the attack and the Houndoom that came too close.
"Hydro Cannon!" Charles bellowed and his Empoleon shot a gigantic ball of water at them. The hole only increased in size and Charles watched as the devastating attack was absorbed like a drop of water.
"Bendind space is, frankly, one of the greatest gifts bestowed upon living beings. So much so that only the deity of space itself can wield it," Ghetsis piped up as Empoleon now engaged Garchomp in combat. "And now, our little Aqua can perform the same act since she now has that god under her control."
The brunette threw a toothy grin. "I could fit this room in a flask if I wanted, human."
"You've turned her into a monster!" Charles spat.
"Correction, I turned her into a deity," Ghetsis corrected coyly and from behind his throne, Terra and Draco stepped forward and together, the four of them gave their signature expressions (red dots for eyes and cannibalistic grins) that greatly unnerved the president. "We're gods now, human and we have seen it fit that humanity's wickedness shall reign no longer on this wretched world."
Charles ground his teeth. "You're all insane. Are you saying you want to destroy humanity?!"
"And rebellious pokemon who stand in our way," Draco remarked and tentacles snaked from his back before shooting forward and grabbing Empoleon. The pokemon squawked and struggled before feeling its eyes bulge as Draco's hold tightened. A sound like crumple steel was heard and the pokemon was crushed completely.
"Only one left," Terra stated and snapped his fingers. All at once, several Gabite jumped down from the roof and landed on Altaria, bringing both the dragon pokemon and Charles down to the carpeted floor. In no time at all, Grachomp joined in and Charles gagged as his prized pokemon was ripped apart and devoured by the land-sharks. Behind him, four shadows rose and Terra held him by the scruff of his neck before picking him up like a sack of meat to face Ghetsis' maniacal expression.
"You're right. I am insane," he slurred and put up a clawed finger to Charles's right eye. "But you're even crazier for betraying your race to a lunatic like me. As a man of justice, I will not accept that."
The old man screamed as Ghetsis dug his finger into his eye. Some seconds later, Terra dropped the man and Ghetsis placed a foot on his head.
"Like he said earlier, we're done working with him," Ghetsis pointed out and grinned. "What shall we do with him?"
"Feed him to Herpy?" Draco piped up.
"Feed him to your abomination," Terra shot back, glaring at the knight.
Ghetsis shook his head. "No, old bones aren't too good for a Garchomp's digestive tract and I doubt Draco's into eating very old people, Drayden aside of course. Aqua, why don't you do the honours."
Charles watched his one and only family member tap her chin and smile broadly.
"He did betray his race after all. Why don't we do something to show the humans that sucking up to us only brings torment."
Her next words made Charles's one eye shrink on horror and as Ghetsis approved and Terra took his collar again, the old man felt his heart shatter at the betrayal, shock and utter confusion.
"By the way, I've sent some parting gifts to the Unova branch to thank them for their assistance and retrieve a very important person to me. Let's just say, you won't be the only person used as an omen to signify the coming of the world's end." Ghetsis waved. "Nice doing business with you, Charlie my boy!"
As Charles Goodshow felt himself being dragged to his horrific end, he took one last glance at Aqua and felt the tears of grief roll down his wrinkled cheeks. He realised he had been a fool all this time, thinking he could put his trust in Ghetsis for his granddaughter's safety. Now not only could she not remember him but she was now also the one to seal his fate completely.
"Curse you..." he growled. "GHETSIS HARMONIA!"
And his last words echoed throughout the castle hall.
Pokemon League, Route 10.
Lightning smacked his fist into the training post before dropping and executing a low kick to the base. Immediately after, he jumped up again and roundhouse kicked the wooden material before spinning and bringing his elbow into it with a short growl. The action repeated itself and Mienshao gave a short click of the tongue before thumping its chest and bringing its hands down slowly.
"I am calm-de arimasu," Lightning replied, still brutally attacking the post.
You're drenched in frustration, distrust and sweat. Take a breather, the pokemon instructed firmly and with a grumble, Lightning left the post and sat down on the cold floor. Currently, he was trying out the fighting-type training facility that Elite Four member Marshall used. Not only had he used the facility to sharpen his reflexes and Mienshao's too but he had also used each post to take out his frustration.
Mienshao strode up to him and held out a cold towel with Lightning gratefully draped over his shoulders. "Thanks. I guess that's all for tonight-de arimasu."
Whatever you say, cowboy, the pokemon replied and returned to the poke ball held up by his trainer. Pocketing it, Lightning sighed and stretched out fully on the floor while looking up to the transparent roof that showcased the starry sky. Suddenly, he felt his mouth grow bitter as he remembered how he and White would sit on the hill in Nuvema and count the stars together.
"Jeez..." he murmured and shut his eyes. "Since when did I get so angsty-de arimasu..."
The question was met with silence and Lightning chewed his lip before deciding that the area was far too quiet to sleep in. They were above ground now and the other gym leaders had long since gone home, leaving him, N and that monster- ahem, Alphinia- to stay back. In his mind, he felt there was a good side to all this. He would train at Victory Road and be super-ready for the Unovan Conference Tournament.
But there was also the possibility that humanity would be destroyed before that could happen and the fact that Ghetsis had chosen him to be one of the sacrifices made his heart beat furiously. There was no way he would go for that accursed ball. No freaking way.
But to Lightning...that felt cowardly. He felt that he would just be running away to hide like a brat.
"But what am I supposed to do-de arimasu?" he asked himself furiously. "Those pesky knights'll be there and it'll be more like I'm walking into their trap-de arimasu."
Suddenly, he remembered the ash-skinned Dragon Knight who had nearly killed him back on the train. His condescending smirk never left the blonde's head and he felt the anger well up upon remembering that Draco was responsible for old man Drayden's death. If there was one man he hated more than anything else, it was him.
"Draco P. Quincy," he growled and stiffened. If he was to go to the ball, he was sure he would face that despicable clown and Giratina. For all of Lightning's outward gloating, he knew that the chances of beating Draco in a fair fight was extremely slim. Next to nothing in fact. I mean, he had a god of the reverse world in him and if Drayden couldn't take him then Lightning was sure he wouldn't have much luck either. But he had to beat him, if only to wipe off that conceited grin on his dark face and make him suffer for all the emotional agony he was putting Iris, Elesa and the other gym leaders through.
Some minutes of soliloquy later, he shivered and finally decided to get a shirt as the cool air on his sweaty skin began to get irritating. Hopping to his feet, he dusted his pants before strolling out of the facility and towards the residential quarters meant for the competitors at the conference in a month and a half. Just as he passed the wide hallway between the labs, he heard a small noise and looked to the glass wall beside him. The action was instantly regretted as he found himself looking at the 17 year old blonde sitting near the window with her back turned to him and her eyes locked on the moon while her Natu slept peacefully in her curly mass of hair.
Now Lightning would've left had it not been for the sharp glint he caught at the foot of the desk where she leaned her hands on. It was a chain. Not just any chain though but the super-reinforced kind that could retrain even Cynthia's Garchomp. Alphinia wouldn't be moving her foot soon given its sheer weight and strength but then again, she didn't seem the least bit irritated by the bond on her leg that chained her to the floor itself. She was too busy staring at the moon.
"Quite late to be exercising, you know?" she suddenly spoke up and Lightning cursed before making ready to leave. Conversation with the enemy wasn't something a hero would readily engage in so he had to avoid Alphinia as much as possible. He would've moved off but then he spotted a bandage on her arm and his curiosity spiked.
"Hey. Where'd you get that-de arimasu?"
The girl was quite surprised to find him actually talking to her. "The scientists here needed some blood samples from me for a few tests. They took quite a lot."
"So why're you still wearing the bandage? I thought you monsters- I mean Dragon Knights- had super-regenerative powers and all-de arimasu."
Alphinia shrugged. "I guess it just feels nice having a bandage on your arm once in a while. Helps me think I'm still human."
Getting off her seat, she took a step towards the glass screen separating her from Lightning and the boy instantly spotted the way she wobbled a bit.
"Must've been a lot of blood-de arimasu..." he mused as she leaned on the screen and went into a sitting position.
"I've lost much more. This is nothing," she remarked with a shrug of her shoulders as she took Natu off and cradled it in her arms. "So, mind telling me why you're hanging out with this monster?"
Lightning frowned harder and turned before getting into a sitting position too. Had it not been for the wall, one would've thought they were sitting back to back.
"I don't know-de arimasu. Maybe I wanted to see what it'd be like chatting with freaks," he replied and heard her stiffen a little. "It was a joke-de arimasu."
The girl chuckled a little before fingering the chain on her leg. "I guess you won't forgive me for derailing that train, huh?"
"Hm...Maybe I might. Actually, I already have-de arimasu."
"Huh?"
Lightning drew his knees to his chest. "Fighting you guys made me realise that I had a lot of work cut-out for me if I ever hoped to become a strong trainer and a hero. If your brother hadn't broken my arms then I never would've met Cynthia-sama. She helped me a lot with my training problems and I'm pretty sure I could take you and Salamence in a fight now and win-de arimasu."
"...Yeah. I suppose so," she replied quietly."Actually, I'm not really into fighting anymore. It only causes senseless bloodshed and lots of tears."
He still couldn't trust her words completely but he decided not to press and instead, chose to take a different route. "Who are you exactly-de arimasuka? Alphinia or Felicia?"
Alphinia scrunched up her brows in thought. "I actually don't know anymore. Her memories kept overlapping with mine after I came to my senses and got my humanity back."
"Why is that?"
"...Well, as far back as I can remember, I had always had a bad heart. Draco and I used to live in an orphanage before and I'm pretty sure my condition was causing the patrons a lot of trouble. It didn't take long before we got dumped somewhere. It was tough after that. Draco had to do some odd jobs to keep me alive and all...but we managed. I was even strong enough to join him sometimes. And truthfully, it was fun. It was me and him against the world, depending on no other person but each other. He probably won't remember those days though since his memory got wiped when he became Giratina's living window. Anyway, my condition suddenly worsened one day and it was obvious that I was gonna die soon. Draco was seventeen then so he couldn't exactly make enough money to get the more expensive medicines. And that was where Ghetsis Harmonia came in. Apparently, I resembled Felicia a lot so he took us in to join Team Plasma. I got her heart to replace mine and we've been grateful ever since. Though I had forgotten all that when I got turned into a hybrid, my gratitude forever remained and I would be eternally grateful for him giving me a new, albeit different, life."
Lightning mulled over her statement and fiddled with his towel mindlessly. "So that's your history-de arimasuka?"
"I just remembered it when I looked at the moon tonight. You're free to believe it if you want. After all, I'm just that untrustworthy monster sitting in the corner and trying to be of use."
Silence passed for a few minutes before Lightning's cat ears wiggled.
"You're weird-de arimasu. You say you're grateful to him and yet here you are, giving us info that I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted us to know. That's a bit like betrayal, don't you think-de arimasuka?"
Alphinia shrugged and looked down with a wry smile. "It's Felicia's will that he be stopped. It hurts us to see Ghetsis in such a state. After all, she loves him and...I guess I love him too. Or at least I did before Scarlet came."
The cowboy stiffened. "You liked that baldie-de arimasu?"
"...Baldie? I never recalled Scarlet being-"
"It's a nickname but don't change the subject-de arimasu."
"Then yes, I do like him. Who wouldn't, really? Handsome, sarcastic and yet possesses a strong sense of duty to the people he can tolerate. In short, I guess was smitten in my own way. Sure we had our little fights here and there and sure my version of love was ripping his head off but the fact still remains that I still like him a lot. Maybe I tell myself that just so I can assure myself that I'm still me. Not a reminder of Ghetsis' broken past."
She didn't see it but the boy behind her was biting his finger in slight jealousy. "Not one but two girls under your belt, nya? Pretty smooth for a dead guy-de arimasu. But one day, Scarlet. One day I shall create my own harem and surpass your legacy nyahahahaha-"
"Hilbert...you're ranting."
"Gomen'nasai," he murmured and his eyes suddenly widened. "Hey! How'd you know my name-de arimasuka? And who gave you permission to use it in the first place-de arimasuka?!"
"I had my sources. Apparently, everyone else get's it wrong," she laughed, unconsciously making the cowboy ease up a little more.
"I know, right? White always called me Gilbert or Filbert while Scarlet...well, let's not start on his choice of words-de arimasu," Lightning piped up, finding himself giggling along with her. Strange, how did they get so free all of a sudden?
The joking continued a little before Alphinia gave a yawn.
"And that brings our little chat to an end-de arimasu," Lightning remarked as she rubbed her tired eyes.
"Hey Hilbert, thanks for staying. It kinda gets lonely having no one but Natu to talk to and Salamence is too big to fit in here freely," Alphinia murmured a bit shyly, something the cowboy found disturbingly cute.
"A hero always looks after the well-being of the people...even bad guys-de arimasu," he replied and got up. "I suppose I'll lower my suspicion for now but don't think you're off the hook-de arimasu. I've got my eyes on you. With that said, I hope you're really telling the truth cos that'll make beating Ghetsis a whole lot easier-de arimasu."
Alphinia nodded and pressed a hand to the glass. "Before you go...there's something you should know. Ghetsis might send some people after me so for your own safety, I suggest you move me to somewhere far from civilization. I don't want countless people dying because of my presence here."
"I wouldn't worry too much. This is the most secure place in Unova with the Champion and Elite Four just next door should something bad happen-de arimasu."
"...That's the same answer N and the rest gave. I guess I'll swallow that but don't say I didn't warn you guys."
Grinning, Lightning thumped his chest. "Like I said, don't sweat it-de arimasu! If all else fails, I, the hero, shall save the day once again-de arimasu!"
Throwing a defeated sigh, Alphinia put up an amused smile that made Lightning wonder where that crazy girl from the train had gone. "I've got a request, if you don't mind. I'm only telling you this because I feel you're the only person I can relate to freely here."
"And what is it-de arimasu?" he asked curiously.
"...Kill me."
Later that night, a troubled Lightning recalled the disheartening explanation for her odd request. Though she had been reborn in a sense, her thirst for blood hadn't been quite been quenched and she told him that at any point in time, her draconian tendencies may overshadow her humanity once more, albeit for a short while (the amount of time needed to create complete chaos). Plus, Felicia's memories gave her a new look on humanity but didn't exactly give her the proper amount of self-control needed to keep her sanity in check. She wasn't completely human anyway and she would eventually snap back into a malicious beast engineered for destruction, perhaps even more dangerous than before. That was why she requested that he do something specific to end her life if she should eventually go insane again. He was too haunted to recall what it was but the request was one that he had suddenly found hard to accept. But he placed the good of the world before the knight and accepted it nonetheless.
"Thanks," she had said in relief as she went back to her bed. "You're a great friend."
"I'm sure I'm her only human friend," he mused quietly and pulled the covers over his head with an exasperated sigh. "Jeez, being a hero is so hard. I wonder what Black would've said at a time like this-de arimasu."
S-block
"So what is this last problem of mine, oh great and wise ghost of Black's?" Scarlet asked sarcastically as they stepped up to a large door with several latin inscriptions on it.
"Possibly the biggest one of all," Black replied and stabbed a finger on his chest. "Yourself."
Scarlet sweatdropped and tilted his head. "I don't get it. I'm not afraid of myself. That's just weird."
"Yep. It is." And with that, Black pushed the large doors open and Scarlet came face to face with darkness. "Come on. It's gonna be a long walk."
Scarlet gingerly stepped in after the brunette and shivered a little at how cold everything felt. "What is this, Route 217?"
Black surprised him when he replied. "Nope. It's your heart."
All at once, the duo found themselves in a dark forest and Scarlet jumped as a Banette skittered past his feet. It had fright in its eyes and Black watched it dart away before gesturing for them to continue.
"To be more precise, it's all the emotions and memories given form," he elaborated.
"And that's this dark forest?" Scarlet asked skeptically. "I'm not that cold-hearted."
"When you lost your family, this resulted. Now wait and see what happens when we cross that bend."
To the redhead's surprise, the scary forest was slowly thinning and in time, they came to a country-looking field where a few ghost pokemon played about.
"As you grew, your dark emotions toned down a bit. As we go on ahead, you'll soon see how layered you really are," Black explained as they crossed the grey, flowerless field and came to a brook. Everything seemed too grey for the redhead's liking and he felt a little relieved to see the slightly more colourful hue in the water, even if it had Magikarp skeletons splashing in it.
After a few minutes of walking, they came to a bridge and upon stepping on it, Scarlet began to feel strange. Next thing he knew, the setting had changed. The environment was still there...but it was like someone changed the art of the area. As in, the trees were more like sticks with green splotches at their tops and everything felt so stiff. Him included as his body wasn't as curved as before. Taking a look at himself in the brook below, he looked more like something out of an abstract painting.
"You were interested in Freudian-like art when you were younger, remember?" Black, a stick figure with brown hair and a cape piped up as he continued walking down the bridge. "This is simple another layer."
Scarlet nodded and swatted away the papery Ghastly hovering too close for comfort. Just how many layers did he have?
43 apparently. That was what he found at as time passed and he was a bit awed at how complex the human thought could be. One second, he'd be in a relatively normal world and then be flung into some other layer with conflicting styles and environments. He even passed that torture chamber he had seen in his dreams and shuddered when he still caught sight of the lifeless Emboar hanging off the meat hook. At least White wasn't there.
"We're almost there," Black spoke up after what seemed like forever. "You're gonna have to steel yourself for what you'll confront. Be firm, stand strong keep your eyes trained on the sight before you."
A little confused but deciding not to press, the redhead nodded and soon saw a castle in the distance with scarlet clouds hanging above it. Coming to a moat brimming with blood and red Sharpedo, the boys stopped at the foot of the drawbridge and Black thumbed the large door to the castle.
"The final stuff to do is right behind that scary-looking door. Right now, this creepy setting is what's been locked up inside you for a while. So long in fact, that you never realised you had it in the first place. This, Scarly, is your true fear pooled together to confront you. I can't do anything to help you so..."
"Whatever," Scarlet muttered with a small huff and crossed the drawbridge before touching the door. "This is gonna be hard isn't it?"
Black nodded and grinned. "Keep your head."
"What's that supposed to mean," the redhead scoffed, pushing open the doors...and ducking sharply as a gigantic, horibbly-drawn Crobat flew out with its razor sharp wings slicing the air as it let loose shrill screams of fright. "What the hell!?"
The brunette behind him whistled in slight amazement as his yellow eyes followed the fluttering bat pokemon over the horizon. "That's some nightmare you got in that castle. The Crobat ghost you just saw had never been scared of anything until now."
Resisting the urge to shudder, Scarlet took a peek past the door and took in the surroundings. The interior resembled that of a grand, victorian house in the early 19th century. A Chandelure-shaped chandelier hung from the high, oddly-painted ceiling and dark red flames burned from its black candles. Or was that a Litwick sitting in one of the candle-holders? Other than that, the glassy floor was clear of anything else except for a grand staircase leading to a dark, open-doored room on the first floor. Save for the Duskull diving in and out of the shadows every few minutes (and the Litwick, if the candle was alive) the castle was devoid of life (but then again, are ghost pokemon actually living?).
Strolling in, the boys crossed the stairs and entered the dark room, finding a long hallway filled with pictures, each showing bits and pieces of Scarlet's life history from after the Kyurem incident. Not stopping to admire, Scarlet quickly came to a door labelled "DANGER" and couldn't help but feel a bit chuffed that his own fears outclassed so many others that it needed a warning sign.
"It's behind there," Black stated and Scarlet noticed the way his face had gone solemn. "Are you ready?"
"Just so long as I can get this over with." And with that, Scarlet pushed open the door and cautiously walked into...space. A big, reddish room of nothingness that sported dolls, test tubes, wine glasses, sketchbooks and quite a lot of other items ranging from clearly childish to what-the-hell-is-that-doing-here stuff.
And sitting in the midst of that space was a gigantic, furry, three-headed Jolteon that stared intimidatingly at him with bloodshot eyes before giving a deafening, blood-curdling roar that dissipated most of the items in the way.
Scarlet unplugged his ears and looked it up and down, a bit frightened. "Is...that my fear?"
Black shook his head and pointed to the beast's central head. At the same time, the greyish fur around its neck crinkled and a small figure rose, yawning tiredly.
"What's with the wake-up call, Jell? I was having a really good dream too. Don't tell me that stupid Crobat is back for..."
The kid was young. About seven years old to be exact and his blood-red hair, emerald-green eyes and black streak reminded Scarlet of someone he knew too well.
"Me?" both Scarlets echoed and the younger one gasped before hopping off his beast and flinging himself at his older self, grinning broadly.
"Finally! I get to see Scarly-nii!" the child cried happily, sticking to his shirt like glue.
Said boy pointed a confused look at Black and asked, "What the hell is this?"
"The cause of all your fears," he replied solemnly, making sure to keep some distance.
"So my true fear, the accumulation of all the nightmares and the cause of everything...is this little runt version of me?" Confused? Yes. Surprised? Definitely.
"I'm not a runt!" the child shrieked and kicked him in the shin. Now Scarlet had been kicked there a lot of times by equally nasty children but this was the first time he heard an audible snap, signifying a broken leg. Luckily, he was already dead so the fracture disappeared. However, he wasn't in heaven or anything so the excruciating pain still remained and Scarlet winced as his leg screamed murder.
"What the hell, brat?!" he barked, grabbing the kid by the waist and holding him up. "Black! Explain!"
Black stared hard at the child before opening his mouth and saying two words. "Good luck." And with that, he disappeared, much to Scarlet's shock and annoyance.
"Hey! Where'd you go?! Don't tell me you're gonna leave me here with-"
"Looks like the annoying wench bailed on you huh, Scarly-nii."
Something about the brat's tone made him shudder and Scarlet looked to the boy in his arms, arching an eyebrow as he showed that familiar expression the Dragon Knights showed whenever they went crazy. "Oi...what's with the look?"
"You know, Scarly-nii, I always wanted to see you in person," came the reply and Scarlet found himself holding a toy Machamp in his arms. To his confusion, the little runt was sitting on his shoulders, laughing like he hadn't had a care in the world.
"I won't bother asking how you did that," the teen deadpanned and dropped the toy before prying his younger self off. "And why're you putting nii at the end of my name? You're literally calling me my own big brother in Jhotonese."
"...Maybe because you ARE Jhotonese?"
Silence. "How did you know that?"
Suddenly, the child was standing behind him, twirling and prancing around while whistling a deathly familiar tune.
"We've got much to talk about, Scarly-nii~" he sang and stopped before dropping into a sitting position. "And for the record, call me Merkyu."
"Merkyu...?" Scarlet echoed before deciding to follow Black's instructions and keep himself at distance. "Fine then. So..."
"So..." Merkyu cooed and giggled. "I'll get straight to the point then. Who do you think I am, Scarly-nii?"
"My...fear?"
"And memories. And desires. And self."
Scarlet tilted his head. What did Merkyu mean by that?
"Do you wanna know your deepest memories? Your forgotten past? I can spell it out for ya if you want?" Merkyu asked, a slow grin forming on his face again.
Something made Scarlet's heart skip a beat at that question and he slowly nodded. What would be the harm? This was himself after all so it wasn't like-
"Scarlet. Previously known as Vincent V. Quincy."
Scarlet froze. "...Q-Quincy...? Does that mean?"
"Felicia's last name before she got married was Quincy. Apparently, she had a younger brother who got married some years after her death. The Von Quincies were originally from Kanto while the fiery-redhead he married was from Jhoto so that's how I knew you were part Jhotonese. Don't worry about Alphinia and Draco. You're not related in anyway since Ghetsis just gave them that last name as a reminder of his late wife."
That made him sigh in both shock and relief. "Weren't the Von Quincies an influential family? If so, what happened to me? How come I'm not living in some grand mansion right now?"
The grin froze and Merkyu tilted his head. "Ghetsis Harmonia wiped out the Von Quincies three years after you were born. Your parents were slaughtered and you were taken to be a candidate for the position of the Guilty One. It was also on a whim of Ghetsis's."
That struck Scarlet a bit harder than he thought. So that maniac had turned on his own in-laws and killed them off? So he had ruined his life from the very start?! "That bastard..."
Merkyu's expression hooded. "He is, isn't he? Makes you wanna rip his head off and drink his blood, yes?"
The question was out of the blue and only then did Scarlet remember that he had come to face his fears and not sink back into them by answering such a question.
"What else do you know, Merkyu?"
"...That you weren't immediately handed off for torture just yet. Instead, Ghetsis handed you over to an orphanage in Accumula Town for two years. Having seen so much blood around you as a three year old affected your mentality and in no time at all, you became a loner. Haplessly wandering off to stare at the blue sky and dream. You always had this habit of trying to reach the blue sky thinking you could illuminate your dark world. It was useless though and by the time you hit five, grief had eaten at your heart, leaving you empty and silent. Then you got carted off to an unknown area with lots of snow where your mind was further broken for a good two years. Luckily, you wer saved when you met Jade and Jillian who took you in and helped you gain a mind again. Your true self was beginning to come out again. Then it got ruined by Ghetsis again and the rest is history, right Scarly-nii?"
"..." Scarlet was too busy quelling the previously-dying anger in his heart to answer. How could he possibly forgive Ghetsis for all that he did to him?! If he was ever brought back to life, he was so going to-
"But you couldn't beat him even if you tried your absolute hardest, Scarly-nii."
Suddenly, Merkyu was in his face with a dark look in his eyes. "You're simply too weak. You can't possibly face up to me and let go of your fear and hatred for Ghetsis and Kyurem. You couldn't save your family, you couldn't save the girl you loved. Hell, you can't even save yourself since that meddling brunette had to do it for you. All because you're too weak."
Merkyu reached up and cupped Scarlet's cheeks in his little palms. "Do you know what your real fear is, Scarly-nii? It's you. You've been afraid of yourself all this time. You were worried about how destruction seemed to follow you ever since you were born. I'm sure you noticed that some city or important structure always got destroyed in everyone of your fights, right? I guess that shows just how much of a monster you really are."
"That's not true-"
"Oh but it is, Scarly-nii," the child butted in and laughed. "You should stop lying to yourself. You think locking me away here and trying to rebuild your life would somehow redeem you? What a joke! You can't do anything about this, Scarly-nii. You're too scarred, to incomplete, to unstable to amount to anything good. I guess that's the reason that Boss of yours incorporated you into Pokemon hunting. Your cold heart easily overshadowed your guilt and the pain you got was nothing compared to the one in your heart so you made the perfect machine part."
"Shut up!" Scarlet spat, pushing Merkyu away. "This isn't me! The real me wouldn't be trying to bring his self-worth down like this! Are you trying to drive me insane?!"
"Then what is the real you?" Merkyu asked, looking genuinely confused. "Haven't you lied too much to yourself to remember? Scarly-nii, I am you. I am everything you are. Your true desires, your strength, your weakness and your fears. You cannot deny me, neither can you totally reject me...or let go of me."
"Quit talking like you've got a mind of your own," his counterpart growled, tightening his fists. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to torture me. All those nightmares I had, it was you wasn't it? I also noticed you had this horrible trend of devouring me at the end. What does that mean, huh?"
Merkyu stared at him before looking down and giggling hysterically. "So you found out, huh?"
Suddenly, the three-headed Jolteon behind Scarlet smacked its gigantic paw down on the unsuspecting teen, effectively pinning him to the icy ground that had mysteriously formed below them.
"Gah!" Scarlet coughed as he felt the wind literally rush out of his lungs. Sure he didn't need to breath but he nevertheless felt suffocated by the immense weight on his back. Merkyu looked down at him with a condescending smirk and bent to tap the scar over his nose.
"You're smart, Scarly-nii. Too smart for your own good, just like Ghetsis was," he lisped and his expression suddenly maddened. "Scarly-nii. I want out."
"Huh?"
In an instant, Merkyu's hands had developed claws and he sank one into Scarlet's shoulder, eliciting a sharp scream from the teen. "You're a bit of an idiot though. Locking me within the deepest recesses of your heart only deepened the amount of hatred and disgust I had for you. And now you came to S-block and gave me a personification so that you could face me? Bad move, kid. And I blame Black for that. I'm sure he forgot to tell you or trusted too much in you to figure it out on your own but among those numerous desires I hold within me, a prominent one is self-loathing. Actually, I hated you since I first formed within you but that self-loathing gave me the further strength I need now to actually stay tangible. It helped me hack into your nightmares too and look for a way out."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Scarlet growled, struggling to get out from underneath the monster pokemon's paw.
"You mean you still ain't got it yet?" Merkyu asked, putting the clawed hand to his own chest and ripping it open, revealing an ice shard underneath. A shard that eerily resembled the same one that had sunk into the original's face eight years ago-
"Wait...does that mean..." the baffled redhead stuttered as Merkyu's shape changed to mirror Scarlet's current form except with no scar on his face, blue hair, yellow pupils and slightly darker skin.
"Read between the lines, Scarly-nii," the being before him mocked in Scarlet's tone as he put a fingernail to the floor in front of Scarlet and scratched the words MERKYU on it. Slowly, he put a nail to the section below it and inscribed K before crossing out the letter in his corresponding name.
"You see, the monster pokemon back then sent that shard at you for a reason, Scarly-nii."
Y.
"His cells are parasitic after all and he wanted to continue living despite his body being re-frozen again. So that shard he shot was supposed to have taken over your soul and body completely. However, that stupid Black pulled it out before he could perform a full take-over."
U.
"As such, whatever little bits and pieces remained weren't enough to change your sense of self but they were enough to merge with your soul and become part of who you are, manifesting as either nightmares or insanity."
R.
"You get it, right? I am those cells, Scarly-nii. That's why its safe to say that I'm you and at the same time I'm something else."
E.
"You had balls, dragging your feet all the way here and all. I commend your effort. But Black made the horrible mistake of assuming you'd be strong enough to subdue me. He didn't tell you the consequences of losing to me."
M.
Scarlet's eyes widened as he read the lone word that sent shivers down his spine. "No way..."
"It's true," his counterpart stated, rising to full height and grinning darkly. "I am Kyurem, Scarly-nii. And I will take your body for my own."
"But...why...?"
"Because you are the hero, Scarlet," Merkyu-no, Kyurem- replied. "The lonely hero that shuns Truth and tramples ideals, encrusting them both in the block of ice known as your heart and leaving them to disappear into that bottomless hole known as your guilt. I have chosen you, Scarly-nii, to be the true Dragon Knight. But your self-awareness was too great. That's why I'll take your body and erase your consciousness completely. That's why I'll devour you, Scarlet. Body and soul, after which I shall return to my original body and join Ghetsis in destroying humanity."
"...So I'm a monster after all...?" Ice was beginning to coat Scarlet's legs and the three-headed Jolteon moved its paws as the blue substance snaked up the teen's waist. "I can't amount to anything good after all? I'm not capable of saving anyone no matter how much I try? I'm destruction personified...?"
"And you'll be forever alone, Scarlet. Forever alone."
Darkness began to cloud Scarlet's senses as the ice reached his chest and a solitary tear rolled down his right eye as he realised just how powerful that last statement meant to him. Forever alone. Forever in darkness without a single light to show him the way to the blue sky were happiness awaited him. Ghetsis' poem was right. He would never reach that sky no matter how hard he tried. He was fated to stumble and stay stagnant for eternity, alone.
The ice had gotten to his neck now and Kyurem waved and turned as the darkness completely overwhelmed Scarlet now, dulling everything around him. He was losing whatever humanity he had left and with a small start, he realised that he was going to die for real now. But it was too late. He couldn't move. He couldn't fight. He couldn't do anything. Nothing...nothing at all.
"White..." he murmured and closed his eyes as the ice enveloped his face. "I'm an idiot..."
And just as the ice had nearly sheathed him completely, Scarlet had a memory.
Preview.
A Raid. Destruction. Massacre. Blood. Memory. Ice. Resurrection. A Raid.
Next time: Scarlet Remix.