A/N: This one has no David, sorry for those of you who want to know how he's doing. But it does cover something I haven't gone over, and felt that I had neglected long enough. I'd say more, but I don't like spoiling - so read on!
"Keep up, or I'm leaving you behind."
I ran up ahead, only slowing back to a walk when I was next to Umbra. Glancing up at him sadly, I said "But I'm not as fast as you are! You won't leave me alone, will you?" The Umbreon stopped and glared down at me, the scarred eye just making it scarier. Then he smirked.
"You're right. You're not as fast as I am... yet. But we'll change that... wait." He tilted his head, ears twitching for a moment. "Do you have a name?" That made me stop - did I? It seemed like something I should remember but...
"I don't know..." I said quietly, ears drooping. "It's hard to remember things... it gets all fuzzy, and hurts." Something pressed down lightly on my head, and I glanced up again to see Umbra looking at me sadly with his paw on my head.
"Well, that's a shame... a young Eevee, who doesn't even know their own name..." He seemed to think for a moment, then nodded his head. "Maybe I know someone who can help." He flashed a genuine smile, then started walking on ahead. "Come on - you're lucky, she's not too far in this direction." It was weird, how quickly he changed to being friendly - but I wasn't complaining. I had a friend and maybe I could remember something!
I perked up, almost hopping after him. "Thanks, Umbra! You're my best friend!" He slowed down just enough for me to keep up, glancing back at me.
"You're a trusting one. But tell me this - can you fight?" That was a weird question - why did he want to know that? But he was my friend now, so I'd answer him anyway.
"Well, not really... I caught a Rattata once, though!" My answer didn't seem to be what he wanted to hear, but he did laugh. Why was that funny? I worked hard to catch that Rattata!
When his laugh died out, he shook his head. "We have a long way to go. You're gonna have to do a lot more than catch Rattata." Now, that was weird. What was he talking about? I opened my mouth to ask, but he started speeding up again. "We don't have long - if we want to catch her, we're going to have to hurry."
I didn't have time to ask - he could move really fast, and I needed to keep up. Besides, I wanted to see who his other friend was. I wanted to remember everything... although, something told me it might be a bit scary.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me..."
I just wanted to find a computer. That was it - is that too much to ask? Well, apparently it was, because no sooner do I get to one, I got a call. With an irritated sigh, I flipped it open. "What is it?"
"I want you to listen closely. You may save your questions until we meet, which I assure you we will." Fantastic, it was 'Psy' again. Well, time to see what he had to say this time. When I didn't say anything, he continued. "You are already aware that there are creatures you know as Pokémon in your world. What you may not be aware of is an incredibly dangerous one, with an unprecedented combination of abilities, is also there."
This guy was getting on my nerves - not because he seemed to know exactly what was happening, but because he talked like he was superior to me. I didn't even know who the guy was! "Alright, 'Psy', how about you say something clearly? Or maybe explain how the hell you know so much?" To my irritation, I heard his almost amused reply.
"Now, what did I tell you? Save your questions for when we meet."
I was already sick of this, and I'd only been talking for maybe fifteen seconds. "Well, then where the hell are you? Because I've got questions, and I'm gonna get answers!" From the other end I heard a chuckle, the kind that got you worried.
"Very well. I will grant your 'request', human." Hold up - did he just call me 'human'? 'Oh, why do I think I'm gonna regret this?' I immediately felt my hair stand on end, and saw a blue glow outline my arm - wait, what?! I blinked, and inspected my arm - yep, it was definitely glowing. Then I felt something... pulling at me, and I was somewhere else. Just like that.
Now, I'd been in a bloody library of all places - closest intact computer was in the town near the research lab, so I didn't have many options. Where I was now was most definitely not a library - or at least not a normal one. Oh, there were books everywhere; some open, some closed, some lying on the ground and some resting in shelves.
But the shelves were stone - in fact, the entire room was stone. Carved out quite nicely, I noticed, far too smooth to be natural but a bit too rough to be done with usual tools. I was in a bloody cave! Mind you, it looked like someone had carved a room - chairs and table set included - out of the cave. There was even a lamp on a small stone 'desk' jutting out of the wall, which was what lit up the place. All in all, quite a nice place to use as an escape, perhaps.
"I see you appreciate my work." With a yelp, I nearly jumped out of my skin and spun around. What I saw was... well, let's say interesting. I couldn't make out much - whoever it was, they were standing in an area of shadow. But I could see a human-like figure, that much I could make out - the tattered brown cloak they wore obscured almost every detail. That is, until I noticed one very... inhuman thing about them: whoever it was, they had a tail. A long, purple tail.
"W-who the hell are you?" I managed to ask, backing up a step. "Actually, scratch that - what are you?"
In response, the figure took a step forward into the light and shifted the cloak aside. "You know me as Psy. But perhaps you know of my other name as well."
About the height of a tall man - I would guess around six and a half feet tall, or something close - he was mostly grey-skinned. I could barely see the strange tube that connected the back of his head to just below his neck, which I never understood the purpose of. It had been a few years, but I knew when I was looking at a Pokémon. After a moment of surprise, I was able to get out one word "Mewtwo..."
He nodded his head slightly. "Yes, that is correct. I appreciate you heeding my warning - more is happening in this world than you may notice." Once I knew who it was, I figured out what was happening - I remember Mewtwo having telepathy, so hearing his voice in my head made sense.
"First, I've got questions. One, how did you manage to talk through a phone?" My reply was an almost superior-sounding laugh. It was odd - hearing someone without seeing them talk.
"That is simple. I never was - I did call you, but the rest was disguised telepathy. Humans will go to great lengths to make something unusual 'fit in' with what is possible." Mewtwo fell quiet after answering, almost smugly waiting for my next question. This guy had one hell of a superiority complex, and it was gonna get on my nerves.
"Alright, smartass - here's the next one. How do you know so much about what's going on?" It probably wasn't smart to insult him, but hell with it. I lost my job and most of my friends since we all worked in that lab - I was irritated, to say the least.
This time, the Legendary seemed to hesitate. He almost seemed like he was debating whether to answer me. "I have an interest in remaining alive. It is only intelligent for me to keep track of events here." That made sense, but why was this world - it was weird, thinking about that bit - so important? Ultimately, I asked him as much - it was more important than the fact that he dodged my earlier question.
Before answering, he let out an audible sigh. "The simple answer is that our worlds are soon to merge. And this is going to be the 'base' of whatever is the result." That should have shocked me more than it did - maybe I was just numb to impossible ideas by now. The fact that I was talking to Mewtwo made the concept of 'impossible' fly out the window anyway.
But I did have one more question. "What do you mean... merge?" In response, he waved a three-fingered hand and I was surrounded by a blue glow again. This time, though, I just floated over to one of the stone chairs and was dropped into it.
"This will be quite the explanation."
-Hall of Origin-
"Master Arceus. Regi Drones have lost connection. Ability to control nonexistent." This was getting worse by the day... if the Regi golems were to go wild, then whatever... 'merge' this world underwent, there wouldn't be much of it left in the result.
"… Regigigas, new orders - neutralize Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. By any means." The series of beeps my psychic image of the master golem replied with made my heart sink further.
"Will attempt... if possible." I released the connection and relaxed - no, I couldn't relax, but I loosened up slightly. I was losing what little control I had over this situation... who else would suffer because of my neglect?
-Pokemon World-
"Kairi, you need to calm down." It had only been a day since we lost David... and honestly, I could understand the Gardevoir's state. She blamed herself for losing him - after all, it had happened when she teleported us away from 'Sandgem Ruins' as I was calling it. Unfortunately, understanding it didn't change the fact that when a Psychic Pokémon was that badly upset, things started going badly.
Kairi whirled around and gave me a glare more intense than I thought possible from her - it legitimately worried me. "Do not tell me to calm down, Jagged! I lost him. He could be dead!" In response, I shot her a glare of my own.
"I'm aware of that. But you need to calm down before you accidently kill us!" I growled, gesturing around us. Her... emotional state was causing her abilities to go unchecked, and all around us debris was floating in a psychic grip, slowly circling us and gaining speed. More worrying, however, was the fact that the air was visibly distorting - a Gardevoir's abilities could be heavily influenced by their emotions, and Kairi was one distraught Gardevoir.
Despite that, my words seemed to cut through whatever haze she was seeing through - I could see surprise and shame flicker through her face before she finally seemed to settle down. When she fell to her knees, I knew that at least for now she was in control again. "Now you listen here, Kairi." She didn't look up at first, so I repeated myself with an irritated growl. "Listen. To. Me."
When I had her attention, I glanced back at Verden, who'd been silent the entire time. "You too, Veteran. And Kairi, I'll need you to translate for-" I stopped mid-sentence - something was missing. Hold on... "Where's the kid?" Immediately all three of us were looking around - David would have our heads if we lost the little guy too.
"Wait - I think I found him!" It was a relief to hear that so quickly, but there was something uncertain about her 'voice'. "And he's with... something else? It doesn't feel right..." I didn't need to hear any more.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get the kid!" She nodded once, and prepared to teleport us again - was he really far enough away to need that? For just a second, I saw her hesitate, but then we were gone. Not a second later, we were standing... in a cave? 'Just where the hell did this kid go?' Before I could comment on how dark it was, Kairi formed a small orb of light and threw it into the air; what we saw made even me step back, intimidated. Because I knew exactly what stood in front of us.
A being made entirely out of stone, with club-like arms that almost reached the ground. I towered over it, but that meant nothing. The strange crystals that served as its 'H' shaped face blinked rapidly as it seemed to think over our appearance - but they were a dark, almost dead grey, and I knew that wasn't right. It didn't take long for Regirock to make its decision, however, which happened to be tearing a chunk out of the rocky ground and throwing it our way.
"AAAAH!" Hearing the kid's scream - I didn't have time to look for where he was, but the sound confirmed he was behind us, thank Arceus - I lunged forward and smashed the boulder to pieces, leaving them to clatter against my armor. Unfortunately, me being the first to act seemed to make me the new target, because Regirock glowed blue for a second, raising a small cloud of sharp stones out of the ground and flinging them at me.
I focused energy into my claws, lengthening and coating them in shining metal, and managed to thin out the cloud, but what managed to hit me did a lot more than sting. My armor-like plates dented and cracked from the sheer force of it, and I was sent skidding back. 'I'll be damned... that actually hurt! Well guess what, Rocky... now it's my turn.' This Legend looked almost as tough as me... time to test that.
Let it be said that I am, indeed, a large and heavy Pokémon - let it never be said that I am slow. One of the first things I'd learned was to use that weight, and make it move fast. I rushed right up to Regirock, focusing energy to harden and sharpen my tail, and spun around to slam it right into its rocky arm. For just a moment I let myself think I could actually pull this off, because the arm shattered into pebbles clattering to the ground. Then, not even noticing the loss, the golem swung its arm right into my chest, sending me crashing into the wall behind me - this thing was strong!
But I quickly saw that wasn't my only problem when it dug into the ground, pulled out a series of rocks, and literally rebuilt its arm - right in front of us! It suddenly looked no worse than when we had first arrived. It appeared ready to try crushing me into a metallic paste, when it was interrupted by a storm of razor-sharp leaves cutting across its 'face'.
From what our trainer had taught us, that should have at least given the thing pause, but its only response was a silvery orb of energy launched at Verden, sending him skidding back a few feet. Even worse, something about the Regi changed - it seemed... denser, somehow. I had a distinct feeling this just got even harder to deal with. 'Maybe too hard...'
"Don't even think about it, Jagged..." I had to smirk at Kairi's foresight - she knew exactly what I was gonna say. There's no way we can fight this thing, let alone win. And running wasn't an option - she needed to concentrate to teleport us, and literally running would leave the kid behind. 'Sorry, but there's no other choice.' "Veteran, Kairi, get the kid and go!" I roared, pushing off of the cave wall and outright tackling the shorter golem. At that point, sturdiness had nothing to do with it - I was heavier, and moving faster, so the Legend fell to the ground.
When I glanced back, I saw that the kid - Joey, I think - was hiding behind Kairi. Verden looked ready to stand his ground, and the Gardevoir had a shadowy orb suspended above her hand; they weren't leaving. 'Well, like it or not, they are.' Kairi 'heard' me and shot me a glare, but I just growled. "This is not a question! We can't outrun this thing, and we sure can't beat it! David'll have our heads if that kid gets hurt, so just GO!" I didn't have any delusions of victory - not this time.
But when Kairi released the energy she'd been holding, and used that hand to wave at me, I knew I wasn't going down for nothin'. "Goodbye, Jagged." As she put one hand on Joey's shoulder, and one on Verden's leafy back, I forced out a rumbling laugh.
"Goodbye? Damn, don't get sappy. I'll see you all after I deal with Rocky here." I glanced back down, and saw Regirock slowly pulling itself back up. A light flashed behind me, and I knew they were gone - safe, I hoped. "Alright, you walking mountain... let's finish this." For my taunt, I got a silvery-coated stone fist to the chest, throwing me back again. This time, I could feel my plates buckle, making it harder to breathe. I wasn't going to last long against something this strong...
By the time I'd caught my breath and stood up, the golem had done the same. Actually, it had done more than that - its arms were held out, and an orange orb had formed between them. '… Ah, Arceus help me...' Before I could even think of dodging, a beam of energy streaked out of the orb and slammed full into my face. I could feel air against my neck, which was worrying since there was supposed to be plating there. 'I've got one last card to play, as my trainer would say...'
"I'll bury you with me!" With a wordless roar, I charged into the Legendary one last time, slamming it into the opposite wall. I saw its arm glowing again, but at this point it didn't matter - I stomped the ground as hard as I could, even slammed my tail against it for good measure. Cracks immediately spread out from where I was standing, reaching under Regirock and up the walls of the cave. Then it started crumbling down, the ceiling falling around us.
As the golem moved to smash me aside again, I caught its arm with both claws. "Let's see you put yourself back together... after this." With a growl of effort, I crushed its arm into dust again - the same one I'd broken once already. A chunk of rock fell on my tail, but I didn't care... I already knew I was done. The wall behind it splintered into another cloud of dagger-like rocks, and they slammed into me full force.
The stones tore through my weakened chestplates, and dug into my skin underneath. I roared in pain that time - I could feel the jagged stones tearing my skin, digging through muscle until they finally stopped. And I saw something that I rarely, if ever, saw - blood. My own blood, dripping onto the ground between me and the golem. I faintly heard cracking and a weird series of electronic beeps, then I glanced up.
Even as the mountain I'd lived in for years before joining my trainer collapsed in on me, I laughed. "Looks like... I win..." Then everything was black and pain.