Chapter 17
The Kanto Chronicle I Part 1
The world of the year 3011 isn't exactly what you would expect it to be.
Humanity wasn't as "advanced" as people hoped to believe, various diseases were still considered incurable and they're right in the middle of The Great Biostar War or, as Deryk appropriately put it, World War 3.
Like many other things, time travel was still light-years away from being discovered. Or so Octavio thought. When Matthew's temporal energy reading first appeared, the first thing the doctor did was spit his coffee onto his computer screen. It had been the greatest surge of power since the year 2011, the year of the fourth Super Smash Bros. tournament. Deryk was immediately sent by Octavio to find out what had caused it, only to find the young king of hearts. That much, Matthew knew.
What Matthew didn't know was that multiple temporal power surges appeared all over the globe that day and some were still going off. The only reason Deryk was sent to Matthew's position was because his was the strongest one detected. On a side note, Matthew didn't recall the map of the Earth having more than seven continents...nor did he recognize any of the existing ones, but since the past is technically still changing, he shrugged it off. He could still recognize a few countries and that was good enough for him. Especially under these circumstances.
You see, after finding out about Octavio's little secret a week ago, Matthew came to one realization: the year 3011 was still changing. Events were changing too much and they were ruining the timeline. Though oddly enough, the only thing that remained unchanged was Terren's reign and all the destruction he had caused...
True, this helped Matthew with certain self-esteem issues he's been having, but it still made matters worse. The most logical explanation was Clockwork, obviously, but why? Why would he send so many people into the future? Counting him and the water trio, that made four. And aside from them, Octavio had discovered at least four other power surges. That meant there were more people for him to round up and send back home…
The king sighed for what felt like the billionth time as he strolled into the cafeteria. "Breakfast time..." He thought as he walked over to the piles of food that were on a table. Matthew had no idea why they always prepared so much when their weren't that many people at this HQ. From what he heard, Borneo was the big one in the bunch. He shrugged the thought off as he took a seat while biting a chocolate covered bagel, hoping to have a normal breakfast this morning…Unfortunately, when you're the king of hearts with a cute sounding voice in your head and you have a team of super powered beings on your side, mornings can never be normal. A soft yawn inside his head got his attention. "Finally awake sleepy head?"
"*yawn*…Hurry up and eat…We have training to do." Sol said. This had become a routine for Matthew ever since Team No-Name's first mission. Since Sol had completely awakened from her "slumber" as she called it, Matthew had been training his magical abilities every day. While it had only been a small amount of time, Matthew didn't feel very fatigued anymore whenever he'd use magic. A small improvement, but progress.
"Actually Sol, I wanted to check up with Octavio to see if he got any more info about those time travelers..." He said, earning a groan from the entity. "Before you ask, yes. Again."
"But why~?" She whined. "It's always the same answer. He can't track them down like the smashers Matthew. Why do you keep persisting?"
"Sol, this is serious!" He replied back, silencing her. "You know who Clockwork is, right?"
"Of course I do."
"Then you should know why I'm so worked up about this!" He cried, slamming his head into the table. "This time period's just too messed up! Clockwork would never let time get this insane and yet, this happened!"
"So you wanna find them all and find some way to send them back in the past and fix everything? Including yourself?"
"Yes!...Except for that last part. Clockwork said my fight's here, not in my time period."
"Then you should stop worrying already!" Matthew lifted his head, his face showing obvious signs of confusion. "Matthew, Clockwork had reasons to send you here. Clockwork must also has reasons for sending them here." Matthew looked down and stared at his half-eaten bagel. "It will be alright Matthew. I promise you that I-"
"Sol, what are-"
"Heads up!" Matthew took a quick step back to avoid getting trampled by the resident dark skinned chaos wielding speed demon. Miles quickly assaulted a little bit of everything on the table before tapping his belly and letting out a loud belch. "Ah~ That hit the spot!" He said before spotting Matthew. "Talking to that chick in your head again?"
Well of course Matthew told everyone about Sol. A voice in your head isn't something you should keep a secret. Sure, most people thought he was making it up, but he didn't really mind. At least Miles and Tip believed him...He hoped.
"Yeah...Sol's trying to give me a pick me up." The king whined, earning a laugh from the chaos wielder. Okay, at least Tip believed him.
"Well I can see why. You look terrible dude." Matthew sighed as Miles took a seat next to him. "Raise that chin of yours up kid! You can't stay emo forever." That got a chuckle out of Matthew. "Me and Tip told you already: We'll help you find these guys and fix this temporal meltdown with you." Miles pointed outside. "I'll run around the world thousands of times if it means helping a friend out." Matthew smiled at his friend. It could've been his imagination, but for a split-second he swore he saw a blue hedgehog instead of Miles.
"It's hard finding friends like that Matthew...Just listen to us this one time and I'll tell you everything you wanna know. But later, please?" She said, already knowing what Matthew was going to ask.
"Thanks you two..." Matthew said, taking another bite from his bagel.
"All is for my king." Sol said.
"Two? Oh! Right, voice in your head...You should really see a doctor about that." Matthew playfully punched his shoulder before taking another bite. "Hey! I got something we can do to pass the time!" Matthew, looked up with a curious glint in his eyes. "Wanna check out why that guy over there is such a loner?" Matthew turned at the direction Miles pointed in before swallowing.
"Weird...I don't remember seeing him when I came in here..." He whispered.
"Me neither..." Sol answered back.
Some people prefer to be on their own either because they were shy or they simply couldn't stand other people.
Hunter didn't classify himself into any of the two groups. While he enjoyed being on his own, the green bounty hunter was by no means shy, but he didn't hate anyone either. Since Hunter joined, he had only really left his room to patrol outside. The rest of the time, he'd tinker away with his power suit in his room...Needless to say, he was bored. He wanted to get back outside and live his life again, the life of a mercenary...
Unfortunately for him though, turns out being a smasher was a full time job. No more bounty hunting, no new missions...Nothing, zilch, nada.
He sighed in frustration for the billionth time as he poked his eggs with a fork. His power suit was doing a system maintenance check in his room and it would only be finished at night, leaving him with only his plasma pistol and his energy sword holstered onto his waist. After another sigh, the hunter took a bite of his breakfast before playing with it again.
"Maybe teaming up with that kid was a bad idea..." He muttered as he took another bite of yolky goodness. He continued eating peacefully until a shadow covered him and his breakfast. Looking up, the hunter saw Matthew...
About four inches away from him.
The hunter eyed the boy strangely, leaning back as far as he could on his chair. Matthew was on the table, leaning closer the more Hunter backed away.
"Uh~..." Hunter started as the young king stared at him with a serious expression.
"U~m...Matthew? I don't think that's..." Sol started.
"...What I meant by getting close to him..." Miles finished for her. Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Sorry about that...He can be a bit dense from time to time." The twelve year old king shot up and glared at his teammate.
"That's a lie and you know it Miles!" He screamed. Hunter was thankful that the white haired boy finally got out of his personal bubble, but what were they doing here anyway?
"...Can I...Help you two?" The hunter asked. Matthew hopped off the table and sat in the chair in front of him, Miles taking a seat next to the king of hearts.
"Actually, yes!" Miles started before extending his hand. "The name's Miles. The kid over here's Matthew. Nice to meet ya!" Hunter stared at the blur's hand for a second before reluctantly shaking it.
"I'm Hunter." He said, causing Matthew's smile to contort into a completely flabbergasted expression. Miles simply smiled.
"Well hiya there Hunter!" Miles said before putting his arms behind his head. "What are you doing here by yourself? I've seen you around before, but you never talk to anyone. What gives?" The bounty hunter shrugged.
"Guess I'm just not used to being in a team yet..." He said, earning a sympathetic look from Miles. "I'm more used to being on my own. I feel kinda caged in here...And I'm getting bored." The chaos wielder laughed.
"Heh. That makes two of us then." He said, earning a surprised look from Hunter. "I used to be a bit of a loner too before I met these guys. I would always go where the wind would take me...And live it out to the fullest. I'll admit it's not like how I used to live...But after last week's adventure, I think it's gonna be even better." Hunter chuckled.
"Yeah well, I've been here for two weeks. I haven't gotten any missions yet either..." He kicked the floor lightly.."It would be nice to have just one mission to see of it was worth it..."
"Aran." Matthew said, gaining the other's attention. "Is your name Hunter Aran?" Hunter quirked an eyebrow. Apparently, this kid was familiar with him.
"Yes. Why?" He asked, making the young king's eyes widen. His skin paled as he almost fell out of his seat. Now Hunter didn't know Matthew at all, but his reaction to his name was worrisome. "Is something wrong?" The young king started hyperventilating, making Miles and Hunter worry even more.
"Matthew, what's up?" Miles asked before Matthew stood up.
"I-I...I gotta go!" He yelled before sprinting out of the cafeteria, ignoring Miles calling out to him.
"The heck?" Miles whispered as he watched Matthew leave. "What just happened? I've seen Matthew act strange before, but this takes first place." Hunter shrugged.
"Well my family lineage is mostly comprised of famous bounty hunters..." He said, scratching his chin. "Maybe that has something to do with it...I'm not surprised someone would be terrified of my family." Miles shrugged. It seemed pretty logical, but something just didn't add up...
"I guess..." The blur said before letting out a sigh. "Well, tell me a little about yourself. What was your life like before joining?" Hunter smiled. Maybe today wouldn't be so boring after all.
"Matthew! What's wrong?!" Sol yelled as Matthew ran down the corridor. "Why are you running away from them?!"
"Why? WHY?! Don't you remember what that giant monster Meta-Ridley said?!" He yelled back as he made a sharp turn left.
"Uh~ No." She admitted, making Matthew face palm.
"Right, you weren't awake yet..." He said. "Meta-Ridley was a monster I met before Clockwork sent me here. When I first met him, he mentioned Hunter's name...He would've massacred me if Clockwork hadn't saved me."
"...Wait, did he send you here before or after the fight?"
"Before. Why?" He asked. His only answer was her silence.
"You realize you're still gonna have to fight him when you go back, right?" Even though he was still running, Matthew paled. "Time travel can be a pain Matthew. You'll be sent back the moment before you came here, so your fight with him is virtually inevitable." The king groaned, picking up his pace as he dashed down the next corridor. "So did he really mention Hunter?"
"Yeah...I think he mentioned Biostar too, but I was too terrified to pay attention..." A thought came to him. "Hey Sol, how come I got older when I time traveled?"
"Oh! You weren't always twelve?" She asked. Matthew shook his head. "Well, I guess the old rumor is true." Matthew quirked an eyebrow. "You see, legend has it that Clockwork has the ability to make a person stronger at the cost of their own time. The more time he takes, the stronger the person gets."
"So he traded my "time" to give me a power boost? Does that effect my personality?"
"A little in terms of maturity, but the main core of your persona stays the same."
"Well that answers that question...Now on to another I've been meaning to ask." Even though it seemed impossible, Matthew could've sworn he heard Sol gulp. "What are-Oof!" He shouted as he rammed into something...soft. Whatever it was, it let out a shriek as they both collided to the ground.
"...Saved by the bell I guess..." Sol whispered so quietly not even Matthew heard her.
"O~w..." Matthew grumbled as he tried getting up...Since when was the floor so...Soft and squishy...He gave the "floor" a squeeze, which was followed by a small squeak, confusing Matthew. "Huh?" Matthew said as his vision started getting clearer. He expected to find nothing but the cold metallic floor underneath him...
Unfortunately for him though, he was wrong. Oh so horribly wrong. Instead of floor, Matthew was greeted Siren's completely beet red face. Her eyes were widened and her mouth was slightly agape. She looked pretty spooked for some reason. He didn't know why until he realized he has fallen on top of her. And that piece of "floor" he squeezed earlier? Well it turns out his hands were on a bit more private part of her body...
Her breasts.
"Oops..." He whispered as Siren's face contorted with anger.
"Now you've done it..." Sol said.
"PERVERT!"
A loud slap echoed the halls, followed shortly after by a scream of pain.
"Nine hundred eighty nine...Nine hundred and ninety..." Deryk counted as he did one-armed pull-ups in his room, which looked more like a training facility than a room actually. His shirt was on top of his backpack, which he left next to the doorway. There were various punching bags and dummies scattered all over, as well as targets and a whole bunch if other junk. The room was also notably painted a dark tan color, though it appeared to be stained with gunpowder. There was also a computer on the table next to a small bed covered with numerous pieces of paper. But what really stood up was one of the walls.
It was filled with a plethora of weapons. From fire arms to more medieval weapons such as swords, it was truly one's own museum of weaponry. What a twelve year was doing with such things, you ask? Who knows.
"Nine hundred and ninety seven...Nine hundred and ninety eight..." He growled as he kept exercising.
"Strange. I thought you'd being doing sit-ups by now." Deryk's head turned to the door, only to find Octavio standing, holding a water bottle and a towel in his hands. Deryk grunted and finished his last to pull-ups before letting go and hoping down onto the floor.
"What do you want Octavio?" He said, as he walked towards the good doctor. He grabbed the towel from him and wiped the sweat of his body. He fairly muscular for his age, thanks to his years of training. "It's not like you to interrupt me during my exercise." The doctor chuckled before tossing the water bottle to him, which he caught easily.
"Can't an old man visit his nephew?" He asked, earning a ghost of a smile from the young boy. Though it dropped quickly as he sighed.
"You're not that old...And you're not really my uncle." He said before taking a sip of water. Octavio chuckled, patting the boy's shoulder.
"Not biologically at least." He joked, though it didn't change the boy's expression in the slightest. "I just came to see how you were doing."
"I've been doing just fine Professor." He said, reaching for his shirt and slumping it over his shoulder. "I've just had a lot on my mind. That's all."
"Yes, well, right now I need you for something." The boy quirked an eyebrow.
"An assignment?" He asked. The professor nodded. "Regular or smasher?"
"Smasher." Deryk's expression hardened. "I've been detecting mysterious readings at a small town named Pallet Town in the Kanto region."
"A pokemon?" Deryk asked. "You want me to look for a pokemon? Good luck with that. Get Matthew to do it."
"Matthew had requested a small break in order to train his magical abilities and his team refuses to go without. You're my only other choice." Octavio explained as Deryk walked to his bathroom. "And the readings don't resemble any pokemon I know..."
"I'll look into it..." He said before stopping. "Professor, who's a part of Matthew's team anyway?"
"Only Tip and Miles." The doctor answered. "Why?" Deryk stayed silent. "Is there anyone you'd like to go with you?"
"Just thinking..." The boy said as he stepped into the bathroom. "I might as well give MECHA a much needed field test."
"Look, I'm sorry! It was an accident!" He said as he walked behind an enraged Siren. She had her head down, trying to hide her cherry red face from any passer-by.
"Don't. Wanna. Hear it." She growled. The nerve of this kid, pouncing on her like that! He was only twelve (or somewhere around that age) and he was already such a perv? Geez! "Didn't your parents teach you it's not right to glomp a lady like that?!"
"It. Was. An. Accident!" He screamed, emphasizing the last word. "I didn't mean to grab your breasts! I'm not my friend Cain for God's sake!" Siren raised an eyebrow at the odd defense, but still huffed away, not wanting to make eye contact with him. "What will it take for you to believe me?" Siren stopped and turned to face him. She had her arms crossed as she scanned Matthew from top to bottom.
"Hmm~..." She thought as an idea formed in her head. A somewhat embarrassing idea. Her blush grew a bit as she glanced to the floor, rubbing her arm uncomfortably.
...
"...Did you like it?"
!
It took about three seconds for Matthew to comprehend what she had said before his face turned even redder than hers.
"W-w-what?! N-no!" He yelled, catching Siren by surprise. She was even more surprises when he started waving his arms frantically. "I mean, it's not like I wanted that to happen! I didn't even realize what happened until I saw you on the ground! I didn't mean to feel anything...but not because you're ugly or anything, you're really pretty and uh- Gah! What am I saying?! Sure, you're pretty, but that's not why I wanted to grab your brea- I mean, I DIDN'T want to- A~ww forget it..." He muttered as he brought his attention to the ground, hoping to hide his steaming face from the hyrulian. The floor seemed very interesting all of a sudden...
"Smoo~th tiger." Sol remarked.
"Shut up Sol!" He screamed back. Man, talk about first impressions...Geez, he could only imagine the look on Siren's face...
Thankfully though, her expression wasn't anything he imagined. Instead of being angry, Siren actually looked like she was trying to stifle her laughter. It was a vain attempt however as she started giggling soon after.
"Teehee! Wow, you don't talk to that many girls, do you?" She asked with a playful smile. Matthew turned away, blushing. No way this kid did it on purpose. He was just way too innocent. It was so cute! "A~ww! Don't be like that!" She said, pinching one of his cheeks. "You're so innocent that it's completely adorable!"
"Ow!" Matthew exclaimed as Siren tightened her grip on his cheeks "Knock it off!" She let out a small laugh before extending a hand towards him.
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier. But after that little show, I'm pretty sure you didn't have any naughty intentions." The young king of hearts blushed. "My name's Siren. It's nice meet you." Matthew turned back to her as his blush died down. She looked a lot different now that she was smiling. She just seemed so cheerful compared to before.
"Well it's common for a girl to get angry when some random guy grabs their breasts." Sol nagged.
"Must you ruin the moment?" Matthew asked, unamused. He shook his head and gladly reached for the hyrulian's hand. "I'm Matthew. It nice to-" As soon as their hands came into contact, Matthew felt an incredible sting surge through his body, like lightning. His hand sparked with yellow electricity and he was pretty sure Siren's did too. The both winced in pain as the lightning forced their hands to separate, pushing them onto the floor. "Gah!" Matthew said as he gripped his hand. Man, it felt like it was on fire! "O~w...Huh?" Matthew looked at his hand. His crest was glowing a burning red color as lightning flashed through it from time to time.
"What the...?" He heard Siren say. Looking back at the hyrulian, he expected to see her staring at his crest. Too his surprise, he saw her staring at her own hand. "What just happened?" She asked herself as Matthew noticed a golden yellow glow coming from her hand. He wasn't so sure, but he could've sworn he saw a picture of three triangles stacked into a pyramid on her hand. She turned her attention to Matthew, who looked just as confused as she did. "What...?"
"Just happened?" He finished for her, earning a nod from the heroine. "To be honest, I have no idea..." He said, glancing at his hand as the glow died down. "Strange...I've never..."
"Seen it do this before…" Siren thought as she stared at the glowing triforce on her hand. "Weird..." She brought her attention to Matthew, who was getting himself back onto his feet.
"I'd help you get back up, but I don't wanna risk having to watch another light show." He said as he dusted his pants. Siren nodded, understanding his caution as she got back up. But out of sheer curiosity, Siren tapped Matthew's right hand with her own, making the king jump. They both expected another surge of lightning, but oddly enough, nothing happened.
"How strange…" Siren whispered as he repeatedly poked the white haired boy's hair. "Nothing's happening now…" Matthew stared at their hands strangely. She was. They didn't feel anything different this time. They were just touching their hands together…
And Matthew started blushing again. Thank Clockwork Siren didn't notice. She was beautiful, that was true, but come on, get real here. Matthew was twelve. She was like, sixteen or seventeen years old. That's one romantic fantasy that will never see the light of day…
A loud rumbling noise interrupted Matthew's train of thought.
"Matthew, didn't you finish eating?" Sol asked, wondering how he could still be hungry.
"That wasn't me!" He said, not sure where the sound came from. He was puzzled for a moment until he heard the rumble again. And seeing as how Siren was blushing every time it happened…Well, it's not that hard putting two and two together. "You hungry?" The girl nodded.
"I haven't had breakfast yet…" She sheepishly admitted as she played with her hair. "And then when I bumped into you, I guess I kinda forgot to go eat…." Matthew smiled sheepishly as he turned around.
"Well, I don't wanna keep you here getting hungry." He said. "I guess I'll catch you later." Siren smiled at him, which made his heart flutter…Just a little…Okay fine, it practically soared.
"Bye uh…Matthew! I'll see you around." She said before walking down the hall. Matthew sighed before going in the opposite direction.
"That went well." He thought as he kept walking.
"A little too well for my tastes…" Sol said with some kind of venom in her voice. Matthew raised an eybrow at the harsh tone.
"Geez Sol, what gives?" He asked, earning a growl from the voice.
"Oh nothing..." She spat as Matthew kept walking. "I just...Don't like seeing my king waste his time with...Concubines..."
"What's a concubine?" Matthew asked, tilting his head in confusion. He must've been going crazy again, because he swore he heard her face palm.
"I just...Don't like it when you talk to...other girls..." She said. Matthew was probably even crazier than he thought. She sounded...Bashful when she talked to him. Was she sick or something? Was that even possible?
"Hey Matthew!" A voice called out, stopping the king in his tracks. Siren was running towards him, holding something in her hands.
"What's up Siren?" He asked as Siren stopped in front of him. He heard a small growl inside his head, but he shrugged it off.
"Matthew, I think you dropped this." Siren said, holding out what she was holding.
"Dropped wha..." He trailed off when he saw what she was holding.
A flute.
His flute.
The one he left in the past.
Matthew's eyes twitched, his breathing halted and his body stiffened...
"What the heck?!" He yelled before passing out on the spot.
"And that's how I learned how to use my first gun." Hunter said as he retold his adventures to Miles from the beginning. And by beginning, I really mean, the beginning. Miles himself was snoring in the chair in front of the bounty hunter. Now normally he would've felt offended, but since this had already happened about six times, he shrugged it off. He lightly clapped his hands, waking up Miles instantly.
"Got anything, oh I don't know, "cool" in that satchel of adventures of yours?" He asked immediately after waking up. Hunter rolled his eyes at the blur's apparent boredom. He wanted to hear his stories, he got them.
"Hunter Aran." A young voice said, getting both of their attentions. Deryk walked towards them, completely clothed and with his hands in his pockets.. He was scanning Hunter from the ground up as he walked in front of the two.
"Deryk." Hunter replied back. The hunter motioned for the boy to take a seat, which he obliged without a word.
"Yo Deryk." Miles said with a wave, though his only response was a nod from the child soldier.
"What brings you here?" Hunter asked. Deryk grabbed an apple off table and took a large bite. "You just hungry or are you here because you need me for something!" The soldier glared at the hunter, who smirked at his annoyed expression.
"Professor Octavio found another smasher." Deryk said, getting both of their attention. "It's in the Kanto Region. I believe it's the descendant of a pokemon smasher, but some of the readings of the energy source don't add up."
"Kanto?" Miles asked, tilting his head to the side. "Where's that?" Deryk sighed. Apparently Miles still had a few countries to see.
"Kanto is one of the main pokemon regions in the world." Hunter explained. "It's a pretty beautiful place. One of the few that haven't gotten mixed up in the war yet." Miles whistled.
"Wow!" He said. "Maybe I should check it out one day."
"I came here to invite Hunter along for this mission." Deryk said, prompting the bounty hunter to raise an eyebrow. "I've done my homework on you Hunter. You're an ace bounty hunter and you've had more than enough missions in Kanto to know your way around there better than I do." The green bounty hunter put a hand on his chin.
"True..." He said as Deryk stared at him impatiently. "Alright. I'll go." The hunter stood up from his seat. "Better than sitting around here all day, that's for sure." Deryk smirked as he stood up.
"Glad to see you're excited." He said, with a small hint if sarcasm in his voice. He glanced at Miles, who had his feet on the table and was watching the two with a smile."Would you like to come along Miles? I have room for one more on my party." The blur playfully rolled his eye, his smile never fading.
"Thanks, but I'll pass." He said, taking his feet off the table. "I was thinking of going back to the Mystic Ruins and talk to Plato...Either that or find Tip and Matthew and film ourselves doing something stupid with shopping carts." Deryk and Hunter sweat dropped.
"Er~...Okay? That was a bit random." Deryk said strangely before walking away. "Guess I should be expecting even more randomness, considering the fact I'm looking for the descendants of the smashers...Oh well. Come on Hunter." Hunter nodded, following a few steps behind him.
"So it's just you and me?" The green hunter asked. "Cause Kanto has some pretty dangerous wildlife. You sure about this?" Deryk snorted.
"Of course not. I'm not stupid enough to go to Kanto without the necessary firepower." He said as he walked out the cafeteria, Hunter in tow. "I'm bringing along one more person."
"Siren?" The hunter asked. Deryk shacked his head in response.
"Nope." He answered. "Siren still needs to recover her injuries from when she was held captive. Both fiscally and mentally." He glanced at the hunter, who was looking at him with an expression that read: "Well who's coming with us then?" Deryk chuckled before answering. "Someone who's in a dire need for a field test."
Ah~ Night time in Cerulean City.
Not Kanto's largest city mind you, but still beautiful neathertheless. Located almost halfway across the reformed temporal globe from Brazil, the place was known for having a beautiful...Well, everything.
Beautiful city, beautiful water type pokemon, very beautiful gym leader...This place literally had a little bit of everything. Clothing stores, great restaurants, jewelry store with the purple chaos emerald sitting in the window case...
Say what now?
Oh yeah! I forgot about that part...
Cerulean Gems. A small jewelry store located right on the edge of the city. While there were other jewelry stores in the city, ones with much more expensive *coughcheapcough* gems, many people bought their sparkling accessories here for it's simplicity and their affordable prices.
And right now, the sole store clerk inside sighed in happiness.
"Closing ti~me!" She sung as the clock struck 10:30 PM. An odd time to close a store on the edge of the city, seeing as almost no one passed by at that time, but hey. It was her boss's decision, not hers.
She hummed a happy tune as she finished readying her things and organized the shop for tomorrow. Her boss left her in charge of closing tonight, so she had to do a good job a keeping everything neat and tidy. She wiped the jewelry cases clean, she re-organized the cash register, heck, she even took the time to polish some of the most expensive gems at the store. Oddly enough, she did all this in less than two minutes. And as much as I'd love to give you a scientific explanation as to how, all I can say is: Magic.
Said store clerk isn't what you'd expect her to be either. She looked about twenty one years old, maybe twenty two. She had bright yellow hair that went down to her back. She wore a white shirt with a blue vest over it that tightly hugged her body, showing off curves that would make any girl jealous. She wore white pants and a pair of pink all-stars. Her eyes were emerald green.
She sighed happily as she finished polishing the last diamond. Man she loved this job. Good pay, nice boss, near her home. What more could a girl want?
"Last one! And then it's back home!" She said herself as she polished the gem. It was a very beautiful aquamarine that would probably make the most amazing necklace of all time. There was no doubt that it was the most beautiful gem in the store. "Well...There is one that looks even prettier…" She thought as she gazed to the purple gemstone sitting on the window case.
She didn't know where her boss found that thing, but it didn't really matter to her. It was amazing! She was pretty sure it was an amethyst, seeing as how it was purple and all, but there was something different about this gem. It seemed to glow with some kind of powerful energy. At first she thought it belonged in some kind of museum, not a tiny jewelry store.
"Heh. Boss's decision, not mine." She said to herself as she put the aquamarine back in it's case. She stretched her arms over her head, letting a yawn. "Man, I'm beat. I gotta get home and get some well deserved beauty sleep." She said, putting the rag she was using behind the counter. While there however, a little bell rang behind her. "Someone's coming in here at this hour?" She thought. "Sorry sir, but the store's-" She turned around...
She almost wished she didn't.
"...Closed..." She trailed off. Standing right in front of her was a man, a little older than her maybe, dressed in a grey trenchcoat and wearing a matching fedora. She could see two other guys outside, but she didn't really pay attention to them.
No, she was too busy staring at the gun the man had pointed at her forehead.
Said man at her expression. Complete terror. Just the way he liked it.
"Hello there lassie." The man spoke with a notable scottish accent, but the poor girl was too terrified to pay attention to that.
"H-hello sir." She said, leaning as far back on the counter as she could. "W-what brings yovu here at this hour of the night?"
"Oh, not much..." The man said as his two compatriots came in, each carrying large burlap sacks over their shoulders and metal baseball bats in their hands. "Just about everything you have in the store." One of the men raised their bat up and smashed the glass of one of the jewelry cases. The girl whimpered as he and the other one started filling their bags with as many gemstones as they could carry.
"S-stop!" She cried, only for the apparent leader press his gun closer to her. "P-please...Just s-stop it!" Tears were already welling up in her eyes as she heard another case break.
"You know, I'm actually surprised no one's robbed this place yet." He said, looking around at the nice interior. "Gold colored wallpaper, bright red carpet, huge sign outside..." He trailed off, glancing at the terrified store clerk with a smile that made her skin crawl. "A very sexy store clerk..."
Even though she was at gunpoint, she couldn't help but blush a bit. However it quickly died down and was replaced with that feeling of pure horror. The way he looked at her, she could only see one thing in his eyes...Lust.
"You know..." He said, leaning in closer to her. "I might not take everything in this place..." He cupped her face with his free hand. "If you let me have some fun with that nice body of yours..." She paled as he gripped her waist with his other hand. In all honesty, she'd rather get shot than lose her virginity to this scumbag. She struggled in his grip.
"L-let go of me!" She yelled. She felt the man recoil a bit, almost as if he was surprised at her retalliation, but his grip tightened as she heard him laugh. "What's so funny?!" She spat as he kept chuckling.
"Ooo~ Feisty!" He said, licking his lips lustfully. "I like that in a woman..." She shuddered as she felt his hand trace circles on her hips. This was not happening to her! "Boys, take what you got so far to the truck. I'll catch up with you guys in an hour or so." This was definately not happening to her! She watched as the two nodded at their boss, both with smirks that made her shudder even more.
"Have fun boss!" One said as he opened the door, letting his comrade through. He slammed the door shut, both of them laughing like maniacs. Oh wait. They are maniacs.
"Now..." The boss said, getting her attention. She whimpered as he felt his hand slide up her stomach and stop near her chest. "Where was I?" He joked. The girl gulped. This was it...First time she gets robbed and this happens. She tried breaking free from his grip, but he was just too strong.
"Please...Someone help me..." She thought as the man was about to violate her. "Please..."
A pair of screams outside made the man stop. He had only undone one of her vest's buttons before it happened. And he recognised those voices very well.
"Boys!" The boss yelled, letting the clerk go. She sighed in relief as her captor scanned the area. "What's going on out there?!"
No answer.
"Boys?!" Still nothing. "Trevor! Luis! What's wrong?!"
The girl looked outside as the leader kept shouting. Wierd. By the sound of their screams, it sounded as if they were attacked by something, which made it even more wierd. There weren't many wild pokemon on this side of the city, so what could of happened. The man growled before taking something from his pocket. From the look of it, it looked like a...
"Greninja! Come on out!" He yelled as he threw the pokeball on the ground. The ball opened as soon as it hit the ground and the water pokemon appeared, kneeling in front of it's trainer. The girl recoiled in shock.
"A Kalos Region pokemon?!" She screamed in her head. "And a Greninja no less! Where on earth did he get that thing?!"
"Find out what happened out there, now!" He ordered.
"Grenin." The pokemon nodded before charging outside. The man growled as he waited for the pokemon's return. He glanced at the girl, who was slowly tying to tiptoe to the back door.
"Where do you think you're going?!" He yellwd, making her freeze in her tracks. "As soon as I'm done here, you're mine! Ya got th-"
"Greni-" A shout was heard outside as Greninja's voice was muffled. The man took a step back in shock. This was impossible! His Greninja was the strongest pokemon he had! What was going on?!
"Ugh~! Fine! I'll do it myself." He yelled before grabbing his gun and storming outside. "As soon as I find the chump who's messing with me, I'm giving him a gut full of led!" He yelled as he slammed the door shut.
The clerk whimpered as she was now left alone.
"At least you didn't get raped Romi...But still, he's bound to come back eventually..." The girl, now known as Romi, thought as she gazed at the pile broken glass on the floor. "All those beautiful jewels...gone." She wiped the tears from her eyes. This hadn't been the first time the store was robbed. First time it was robbed with her in it maybe, but not the first time in general. She shook off all the negative thoughts and realized something. If she didn't act fast, that guy would show up again and she did not want to risk losing her purity again. Without a second thought, she grabbed her things and dashed towards the back door as quickly as possible.
But not without hearing a scream outside. The voice? The same as the guy who tried to rape her.
She froze, breaking into a cold sweat. Just what was out there? Whatever it was, it managed to beat up three grown men and a freaking Greninja for God's sake! If she went out there, it would probably massacre her! She gulped as her hand hovered over the doorknob.
"...Well, here goes nothing..." She said, summoning all her courage before turning the doorknob. "And by that I mean: Here goes everything..." She opened the door just a little, just so she could peak outside.
And what she saw outside really confused her.
On the floor, a few feet away, were both of the sacks those two thieves were carrying. Neither them or their boss were anywhere near it nor was the man's Greninja. Romi, seeing that the coast is clear, decided to take a few steps outside.
"What the heck?" She whispered as she walked towards the sacks. She sacnned around for anyone that might be around, but she couldn't see anything. She crouched down and opened one of the bags. Completely full. If they did leave with anything, it was nothing compared to what stayed behind. She stared at the "stolen" gems for a minute before feeling something rush past her. "Wah~!" She yelled, jumping to her feet. "Who's there?!"
No reaponse. She gulped before picking up the sacks off the floor.
"I-I'm just gonna put these back now, 'kay?" A soft rustling of leaves made her shudder. "Okaythanksbye!" She said quickly before taking off into the store at full speed, slamming the door as she scremed in terror. She was definately not going home tonight...
In fact she was so scared that she failed to notice two things.
One. A tall figure carrying four unconcious bodirs. Three human and a another pokemon. The figure chuckled as he watched Romi run away screaming. A newfound hobby? Maybe. It was fun scaring people silly like that.
The other was the fact that the amazing amethyst that was previously inside the window case wasn't there anymore...It was inside the figures pocket.
"So MECHA is a robotic version of that white haired kid?" Hunter asked as he followed Deryk to Octavio's lab. "Sounds like a wierd design choice if you ask me."
"I was just as confused as you are." Deryk replied while making a turn. "Though from what I've seen in his training files, he seems to be quite the fighter."
"Training is one thing." Hunter reminded him. "An actual battle is another." Deryk smirked as he stopped in front of the doctor's door.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." He said as the door opened. Both warriors stepped into the laboratory...Only to see Octavio crouched underneath a table, the tablecloth revealing only his legs. "...I would like to say this is the wierdest thing I've seen the professor do, but if I do, I'd be lieing." At the young soldier's voice, the professor shot up,only to hit his head on the table.
"Ow!" He yelled as the two walked in. The doctor crawled out from underneath the table rubbing his head. "Ow~..." He moaned before noticing the two entering the room. "Deryk! You're here earlier than expected...I thought you'd only come later tonight, seeing it is the middle of the night in Kanto right now..." He quickly glanced at the table before looking back at the two.
"I'm not here to leave yet professor." Deryk said, glancing at the table behind the good doctor. "I'm just making the necessary preparations..." He looked around the room. Where's MECHA?" He asked, making the professor gulp.
"We believe MECHA's firepower will help us on this mission professor." Hunter said. "Could you please tell us where he is?" The doctor sighed.
"There's no need. He's right here." He said, confusing the two by pulling the tablecloth off. Sure enough, MECHA was underneath the table, his face burried in his legs as he whimpered. Both warriors quickly became confused.
"MECHA?" Deryk asked, getting the bot's attention. The soldier noticed something coming out of those robotic eyes of his, something pitch black. It looked like...oil? Was he leaking again or...was he crying?
"He's been like this since I told him he was going with you." The doctor took a step closer to the robot, who shrunk in his seat and scooted away. "He's completely terrified at the thought of leaving on his first mission so soon." The soldier raised an eyebrow before walking towards the trembling robot.
"What do you mean he's terrified?" He asked, crouching underneath the table. "MECHA, get out from under there." The robot whimpered and scooted more to the side.
"No..." He said. Now that he had emotions, his voice sounded like Matthew's, only with a noticable robotic slur to it. "I'm too scared..."
"By giving him the heart chip, MECHA did become a smasher..." The professor trailed off, staring at his crying "son". "Unfortunately, it also gave him the emotions of a shy and timid child..." He explained while Deryk got up from underneath the table.
"So he's utterly useless?" Deryk asked coldly. The three were pretty sure they heard MECHA whimper a bit at Deryk's harsh tone, but they discarded it.
"I wouldn't put it like that..." The professor said.
"He just needs time Deryk." Hunter said. "Everyone gets scared when they're doing something for the first time...That and he's technically only had his emotions for a week, so I guess he's still kinda mentally unstable."
"And there's the fact he's only been activated for a week." Octavio finished for him. "He's practically just a baby."
"But you said he was fully capable of fighting already!" Deryk said, earning a sigh from the good doctor.
"He is capable of fighting Deryk." He said, picking up a clipboard from a nearby table. "He's scored a perfect score on all long-range and short-range weaponry tests and he's been training non-stop for the past five days." He motioned to the shaking robot, who was watching everything unfold through his tear-filled optics.
"But he won't be able to do anything if he just sits around and cries all day..." Hunter deduced, earning a sad nod from the professor. "Well now what are we gonna do?"
"Easy, we go without him." Deryk said bluntly.
"What?!" Everyone in the room yelled at the same time. Even MECHA
"If he won't be of any use to the mission, there's no point in him coming along." The soldier explained. Hunter opened his mouth to say something, but he imediately closed it.
"...You know he's got a point..." He admitted, earning a sigh from the doctor.
"Very well then Deryk." He said. "Though it is still pretty earlier to go...Are you sure you don't want to recon-"
"We're leaving now." He said while walking towards the door, earning a confused look from his teammate. "The transporter can't take us there. We'll have to take a plane to Cerulean City if we want to reach Kanto by morning." He walked out the room, but not without saying one last thing. "Half an hour. That's all I'm willing to wait. If you show up during that time, I'll let you come along." The robot nodded and Deryk and Hunter left the room.
"MECHA..." Octavio said, crouching underneath the table and next to his "son". "What's wrong? This your big chance to prove your worth as a smasher! Why are you so scared?"
"Because I'm not a smasher..." He said, burying his face in his hands. "I'm just some cheap knock off of one...I'm nothing like ROB was. He was brave, fearless and he always knew when to do the right thing..." A melancholic smile formed on the doctor's face, which did not go unnoticed by MECHA. "What?"
"You know MECHA, the Robotic Operating Buddy started off just like you." He said, making the the robot's optics widen in shock. "During the third Smash Bros. tournament he thought he wouldn't fit in with the other smashers. In his own words, he thought he was "obsolete" compared to powerfull smashers, such as Meta Knight and Link." He watched as MECHA wiped the tears from his eyes, and then looked at him, as if he was pleading for him to continue. "He was helped out in the third tourney by Samus Aran, that brunette's ancestor...But it wasn't until the fourth tourney he learned to become braver. One smasher pulled him out of his slump and turned him into the ROB I knew..."
"Who was it?" MECHA asked, tilting his head in confusion. The professor scratched his chin.
"I can't remember his name..." He admitted, makung MECHA's enthusiasm falter a bit. "But I am positive it was a newcomer." MECHA sighed, staring at his oil stained hands.
"I still don't know..." He said.
"You want proof? Here." The doctor placed a small tablet on the bot's lap. The robot boy stared at the device for a moment before a small red light flashed on top of it.
"HEART CHIP SIGNITURE COMFIRMED" The device spoke as the words appeared on the screen "WELCOME ROB" MECHA's eyes widened. He stared at the professor, who smiled at his expression.
"That was ROB's personal journal...He gave it to me for safe keeping until he came back from the Mystic Ruins..." He trailed off, he expression becoming solemn for a moment. "As you know, he deactivated there, so I could never return it to him...So I figured I'd give it to you." MECHA stared up at him and than back at the tablet. Out of sheer curiosity, he tapped one of the icons that appeared. A video appeared on the screen.
A video of ROB.
"GREETINGS." He said in the video. "I AM THE ROBOTIC OPERATING BUDDY, ALSO KNOWN AS "ROB". THIS IS MY PERSONAL DATABASE RECORDING LOG. IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO ME." The video ended quickly and more icons appeared, each with their own labels. Out of sheer curiousity, MECHA pressed the one on the top. "COMMENCING JOURNAL ENTRY NO. 001."
"Five minutes left. If he doesn't show, we're going without him." Deryk said as he leaned against the door of one of the HQ's transportation planes. Hunter was currently fixing his gun as he patiantly waited on the ground.
"It is a shame though." The bounty hunter said, getting the soldier's attention. "I was hoping to see him in action...Oh well. How much time now?"
"Four minutes." He said, as Hunter got up. "Make that three."
"I don't think he's coming..." Hunter said as he went inside the plane.
"Two." Deryk said as he watched his comunicator's watch. "One-"
"Wait!" A voice yelled, getting his attention. Hunter poked his head outside the plane to see what was going on. To their surprise, MECHAS was running towards the as fast as he could. He stopped in front of them, panting. His hinges making a small robotic sound whenever he breathed in and out. "*Pant* D-did I...*Pant* Make it in time?" He asked. While Deryk did notice he still looked a bit scared to climb aboard, he did say he would let him go if changed his mind...He sighed.
"Get in." He ordered, making MECHA gain a large smile.
"Oh thabk you sir! I promise I won't let you down!" He exclaimed, bowing down in front of him in respect. "Thank you very much!"
"Just climb in before I change my mind." He ordered coldly, makubf MECHA gulp.
"Y-yes sir!" He squeak before climbing into the plane and being greeted by Hunter. Deryk sighed, a small ghost of a smile on his face. MECHA wasn't what he was expecting, but there was something about him that interested him...
"Reminds me of me when I first started off..." He thought before hopping into the plane. If he had the same luck as Matthew, this would be quite the mission.
Back in Octavios's lab, the man was re-organizing the files he accidently spilled on the floor when he showed Deryk and Hunter where MECHA was hiding. He sighed as he picked up the files from the ground until he remembered something. He chuckled a bit as he stared off into space.
"Oh yeah!" He thought. "I rember now! The smasher who helped ROB in the fourth tourney was a young boy named Barren."