Chapter 19
The Kanto Chronicle I Part 3
"Can't this thing go any faster?!" Mecha yelled as he and Hunter rode on top of Deryk's back. The trio were blasting through the trail at full speed, going so fast that Deryk could barely maneuver himself.
"My S-42 is already at its limit!" Deryk shouted over the sound of his engines. "If we go any faster it might die on us!"
"Calm down Mecha!" Hunter yelled, getting the robot's attention. "Everything's going to be fine! How much time do we have?" A little robotic chime was heard as data appeared in Mecha's optics.
"Not much I'm afraid..." He said. He anxiously tapped his fingers on Deryk's jetpack. "If what I saw is true-"
"Mecha, will you shut up?!" Deryk yelled at him, silencing the robot instantly. "No one is going to die! Understand?!" Mecha hesitantly nodded. "Good..." He muttered before bringing his attention back to his flight. "No one is going to die today... not on my watch..."
"Okay boys!" Simon said as he stood in front of the store with his boys and Greninja. "Let's get this started." Unlike his previous heist from the night before, the store was already closed. While it would make things easier, Simon felt somewhat disappointed. It was never any fun robbing a place with no one inside.
But hey, a heist was a heist.
"Boss..." Trevor started, trying to look through the darkened window. "Are you sure about this? What if the guy doesn't show up?"
"Oh, he is going to show up!" Simon spat, making Trevor flinch. "I've heard rumors about this guy. Some vigilante beating up crooks after they make a heist all around the Cerulean City." He reached into his jacket and took out a paper clip. He bent one end of it and stuck it into the keyhole. "At first I thought it was a dumb story, but now I'm convinced."
An echoing click made Simon grin.
"I'm going to be the one to take this "hero" down." He said, stepping into the dark store. "And I'll make him regret ever crossing paths with Simon Dales."
"Ugh... My aching head..." Matthew muttered as he stirred. He tossed and turned himself around, looking for a comfortable position to sleep, but all effort was in vain. Heck, the bed didn't even feel very comfy. Plus all the grass on top of it was starting to give him an itch.
!
...Grass?
Matthew's eyes shot open, only for his blue eyes to see the bright blue sky above him. He sat up and looked around.
He sure wasn't at HQ anymore. Now, he was in some kind of large grassy plain. Okay, large wasn't a good enough word. More like "endless". The terrain twisted into hills in the distance, with a few patches of flowers scattered around. The sky had a few clouds, each one taking some rather... unique shapes.
One of them was shaped like a wolf. Then there were three triangles positioned together to make a bigger one. There was... What was it called again? The Smash symbol? Well that was there too. The rest of them looked a bit alien to him. There was a sword, a star and... an eggplant?
"...How the heck did I end up here?" He asked himself. He jumped onto his feet and scratched his head. "More importantly, where is here?!" He started walking forward, the grass crunching beneath his feet with every step. "The last thing I remember was-"
Matthew heard a small clinking sound and stopped. It sounded (and felt) like he kicked something made of metal. Looking down, Matthew didn't see anything to out of the ordinary...
Just his flute.
"Ah~!" Matthew yelled before running a good ten meters away from the instrument and a behind a rock. How it randomly got there, Matthew didn't know, nor did he care. "What is that thing doing here?!" He yelled. "I left you back in the past! I don't know what kind of possessed demonic entity you are, but leave me alone!"
"Oy! I would prefer it if you didn't call me that!"
Matthew froze. Just where the heck did that voice come from?
"Umm~... Hello~?" He slurred, looking around for anyone. "Is there anyone there?"
"I'm right here your majesty!" The voice said again. Matthew could recognize the voice to be female, with what appeared to be an middle eastern accent.
"Where is here exactly?" Matthews asked, still trying to find the voice.
"Take a few steps forward." Matthew got out of his hiding spot and obliged. "A little more..." A few more steps. "There!" Matthew blinked. He still couldn't see anyone.
"Are you messing with me?" He asked, earning a giggle from the voice. "That's not helping."
"Oh relax! I'm right underneath you!" Huh? Matthew looked down, only to see he had walked right back to his flute.
Blink.
Blink. Blink.
Blink. Blink. Blink.
"...I'm out." Matthew said before turning around and walking the other way.
"H-hey!" The voice yelled, surprised at Matthew's response. "Get back here!" Matthew ignored her and kept walking. "I said-" Matthew choked when he felt something grab the back of his collar. "-get back here!" Matthew had almost no time to react. In an instant he felt himself get pulled back onto the floor and dragged back to the flute.
"Ack~!" Matthew winced as soon as whatever was holding him let go. "Ow..." Matthew looked to the side and saw the flute still sitting next to him. "Why must this thing haunt me?" He whispered before sitting up.
There was a brief moment of silence. The voice from earlier had apparently shut up. Geez, what was with him and having girl's voices in his head? And more importantly...
"What's the big deal with this flute?" He asked himself, picking it up and tapping it in his other hand. "I was sure I left you in my room back in the past..." Matthew glared at the instrument. "If I hadn't picked you I'd still be with Barren, Cain and Master Asia..." He sighed. "Meh. Doubt it. Master probably would've sent me away no matter what I picked..."
He sighed. That was another question. Why the heck did Master Asia send him away again? His training was over or something like that? As much as he respected his master's word, it still made little sense. It's not like he knew Meta Ridley was going to attack him in the past, right?
...
!
"Wait a minute..." Master Asia sent him away, weeks before Matthew was sent to the future... Coincidence? Matthew had heard that Master Asia had the ability to speak to Clockwork...
"Agh!" Matthew yelled, falling onto his back. "This is too confusing!" He glanced at the flute in his hands and pouted. "And it's all your fault!" He jumped onto his feet and pointed at the flute accusingly with his free hand. "If you hadn't showed up again, I wouldn't but have doubts about my master!" Matthew paused.
"...Am I really pinning all this blame on an inanimate object?" Matthew thought he heard something giggle, but it was probably just his imagination. He sighed and stared at the instrument in his hand. "Well... A flute is still a flute." He held the flute with both hands and held it up to his mouth. "I wonder if I still got it..." Matthew took a deep and played a quick note...
Only for pink smoke to come out the opposite side.
Matthew jumped back in shock, dropping the flute in the process. "What the-"
"Yahoo!" The female voice from earlier said, much clearer than before. Matthew blinked as he watched a trail of smoke fly around in the air around him. "I'm free~! I don't care if this is just the dreamscape, it sure feels good to be out!" Matthew started coughing as the smoke clouded his field of vision. Man, this stuff was strong!
"Wh-who's there?" Matthew asked, fanning the smoke away.
"Teehee! I told you I was right underneath you before!" The voice from earlier said again.
Even after the smoke died down, Matthew had a hard time seeing. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the stinging out of his eyes.
"J-just give me a minute..." He winced. After a little more rubbing, Matthew finally managed to open his eyes and make out a figure in front of him. He blinked again, just to try to clear his vision a bit more. "Alright, who's-"
Matthew froze. Right in front of him was a young girl, who stared at him with large brown eyes. Her skin was noticeably darker than his and she was wearing various pieces of jewelry, most notably the golden crown on her head . Another uncanny trait Matthew noticed was her clothes, or lack of clothes in his opinion. All she wore was a pair of pink baggy pants with and a pink seamless bra. That and the pointed shoes she had on. Either way it gave Matthew a rather embarrassing view of herself. Her hair was pitch black and tied into a ponytail, a rather long one at that, almost reaching the floor.
But as beautiful as she was, there was one thing that Matthew noticed.
She was floating.
"Ah~!" Matthew yelled, taking a few steps. Unfortunately, he ended up tripping on his own footing and fell over, landing on his back. The girl giggled before floating over him.
"Teehee,! That's always their reaction!" She said . Matthew could only stare as she offered him a hand. "Hello there! It's a pleasure to finally meet you your majesty!"
Matthew shakily accepted her hand and got himself back up. His legs wobbled a little as he lifted his head back up to see her.
"U-um…" He fumbled over his words. "Hi?" The girl smiled.
"Sorry for spooking you earlier, but I've been stuck in there for so long, I just couldn't resist." She beamed before snapping her fingers. She disappeared for a moment before appearing again with a glass cup and a bottle of soda in her hands. "Anyway, my name is Shafiqah!" She poured soda into a cup and handed it to Matthew. She snapped and the bottle disappeared. "Thank you for finally awakening me your majesty!" Matthew tilted his head.
"Awakening?" He asked. "What do you mean?" Shafiqah poofed in front of him, making him drop his cup.
"I'm glad you asked!" She said. Another snap made a chalkboard appear. Matthew found himself sitting at a desk staring at Shafiqah, dressed up as an old professor, even sporting a fake beard. "You see your majesty, I am what you might call a "Djinn"."
"Gene?" Matthew asked. "What's that supposed to-" He paused. "Wait, you mean like the Arabian Nights?"
"Correct!" Shafiqah said, no longer wearing her costume. "You might know my people better as "genies", so I will not mind being called either one." Matthew nodded.
"But... why were you in the flute?" He looked around. "And where are we? And didn't I leave the flute back in the past?"
Shafiqah poofed in front of him and put a finger in his lips. "One question at a time please." Matthew nodded and Shafiqah sat crisscrossed in the air in front of him.
"You're the King of Hearts, right?" She asked, earning a nod from the boy. "May I ask your name?"
Matthew nodded again and pointed at himself. "I'm Matthew. Matthew D. Clay."
"Matthew..." She smiled. "Well then King Matthew," She leaned in closer to Matthew. Matthew gulped as he felt his cheeks heating up. She was giving a rather... generous view of her breasts.
"No! Bad Matthew! Stop that!" His mind shouted as he forced himself to look at her face.
"Allow me to tell you the tale from the beginning..." Matthew blinked. "We Djinn are a race from a realm not unlike this one. We have our countries and governments, as well as our normal everyday lives." The king nodded so Shafiqah continued. "Each Djinn lives under a family name, mine being the house of Shirah. And with each family, comes a lamp."
"You mean like the lamp the genie from Aladdin was from?" Matthew asked, earning a nod from the Djinn. "So what? This flute is your family lamp?"
"In laymen's terms, yes." Shafiqah said. "Lamps serve as a gateway from the Djinn Realm to the Human Realm. If a lamp is found by a human, the Djinn has no choice but to grant him or her three wishes, so says the Djinn Law."
"So I get three wishes?" Matthew asked with a sparkle in his eye.
"No. You do not." Matthew's expression fell. "Anyway, by law, the youngest of any family of Djinn is to be the guardian of the family lamp, once they have come of age, which is my case."
"Okay..." Matthew scratched the back of his head. "But why is yours a flute?"
"Well, my family is mainly comprised of nobles, but there is a very simple reason for that. My oldest ancestor was a close friend to the very first King of Hearts." Matthew leaned back in shock. "The first King and him were very close friends and rivals. One day, however, a battle in the Human Realm had the original lamp destroyed. By law, a Djinn who has his lamp destroyed is forced to live in the Human Realm forever, where their magic will be absorbed by the world until they eventually fade away."
"Wow..." Matthew whispered. "Seems pretty harsh... Is it because lamps are so valuable?"
"No, it's because... It's the only way home." Matthew tilted his head, making Shafiqah sigh. "A Djinn's lamp is the only way a Djinn could travel between the two realms. Without one, it's impossible to go back... The only option was to make a new one." Matthew nodded.
"Which is where the flute comes in?"
"Yes." Shafiqah scratched her cheek. "I can't give you the exact details, but the first King and my ancestor preformed a ceremony which allowed them to create a new lamp. The result" She snapped her fingers, making the flute appear in her hands. "was this flute."
"They made a new lamp?" Matthew asked. "How does that work?" Shafiqah shrugged.
"Honestly? I'm not sure. Such knowledge was lost a long time ago, along with many other ancient Djinn secrets. Anyway, since then, my family has served the King of Hearts ever since." Matthew scratched his head.
"Geez..." He muttered. "First time travel, then the Smashers, Sol, and now genies? What's next? Aliens?" He paused. "Wait a minute... Gah! This is getting way too freaky..." He looked up at the Djinn, who patiently waited for his next question with a sweet smile on her face. "Okay, next question: How the heck did my flute get here and where am I?"
Deryk skid to a halt as Mecha and Hunter jumped off his back. Once he stopped, the young soldier took a good look around. The had just reached Cerulean City, so they had to go on foot for now. Some of the public might not take a flying trio of fighters very lightly...
"Where to next Mecha?" Deryk asked as Mecha dusted himself. Without a second thought, the robot took off in a seemingly random direction. Deryk muttered something under his breath before taking off after him.
Hunter, who was about to chase after the robot himself, sighed. "I sure hope that this works..." He said before running after the other two.
However, none of them could noticed the group of eyes, watching them from another plain of existence.
"You did a very good job Oogie." A shadowed figure said to the Boogie Ban as the two watched over the trio. "They're one step closer to finding all of the Smashers thanks to you."
"Don't flatter me old friend." Oogie said as Aristotle wrapped himself around his neck. "This was all just to repay an old debt... Now that my work is done, I'll be taking my leave."
"Leaving so soon?" The shadowed figure chuckled. "How very peculiar. It's not like the Boogie Man to just walk away from a golden gambling opportunity such as this." The Boogie Man chuckled.
"Oh you know as well as I do I can't I interfere with this..." He paused. "Not anymore, at least..." He glanced at the shadow. "I take it you'll be sending me back now?"
"Only if you want too." The Boogie Man snorted.
"As much as I'd enjoy going back to watch my this little scuffle…" Aristotle slipped into his mouth and he slurped him up like a noodle. "I believe I already have seen the battle before…" The Boogie Man saw the shadow smirk.
"Today is when it all started, isn't it?" Oogie nodded.
"The world's future is my past." He said, walking away from his companion. "Today is that fateful day. The day I first saw my favorite gambling partners. At first they were just puppets, but with each victory they gained over me, the more I grew to respect them…" Oogie smirked. "Goodbye Clockwork." The guardian of time smiled as his friend left him.
"Goodbye Oogie… I look forward to watching how this whole thing unfolds."
"How the heck did my flute get here and where am I?" Matthew asked as Shafiqah hovered over him.
"Well that's an easy thing to answer." She said, poofing in front of him. "I already explained to you how your flute is my family lamp, right?" Matthew nodded. "Well, the flute is a bit different than the other lamps out there. Normally, a person has to find a lamp in order to get their wishes, but the King of Hearts is a special case."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Simply put, the King doesn't have to find the lamp. The lamp has to find the King." Matthew tilted his head. "It's like this. My lamp is drawn to you like a moth to a light bulb. It has been since you first touched it." She crossed her arms. "Although, I'm not quite sure why you're Master gave it to you while you were so young." She huffed. "Honestly! It was my first day on the job and I ended up having to watch a little kid mope all the way home."
Matthew raised an eyebrow. "You were conscious back then?"
She nodded. "Yeah, but you never played the flute, so you never summoned me. And, unfortunately, this doesn't really count either." Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, afterwards, you disappeared and my lamp couldn't find your energy signature anywhere!" The young King blinked. That... did make sense. He technically do travel through time, so it's a bit obvious his Djinn's lamp wouldn't find him so easily. "It wasn't until recently that a huge surge of your energy showed up that it could find you."
"Energy surge?" Matthew asked. The only thing like an energy surge that he could remember was...
...when him and Siren touched hands.
"But" He started. "wouldn't that mean that your lamp traveled through time?" Shafiqah nodded. She opened her mouth, but Matthew hushed her. "Bupbupbup! Let me guess... Clockwork." Shafiqah nodded again and Matthew groaned. "Go figure..."
"Now, answering your third question," Shafiqah said, poofing behind him. "this" She gestured to the endless landscape. "is the dreamscape. A place within the realm between reality and fiction!"
Matthew blinked. "Dreamscape?" His eyes widened. "Dream? Wait a minute! Are you telling me I'm asleep?!"
"Unconscious actually." Shafiqah said, filing her nails. "Simply put, you fainted from shock when you saw my lamp, so I took the liberty to take you here." She gave a bow. "We Djinn have a strong connection to our master's dreamscape, so it wasn't that difficult."
"So~... All this is a dream?" He asked, not quite understanding the situation.
"Not exactly." Shafiqah explained. "Dreams are one thing, but the dreamscape is another. Think of it as a representation of your mind being shown in a different realm." Matthew put a hand on his chin.
"You mean like in Bleach?" He asked, earning a confused look from the Djinn. "You know, Bleach. That anime with the orange haired grim reaper or something like that."
"What does that have to do with-"
"You see, there are a few episodes where the main protagonist has to fight against this white version of himself inside his soul or something. Is it anything like that?" He finished, only to receive an "I am not amused" look from Shafiqah. "What? Am I wrong?... Is it more like the Velvet Room from Persona?"
"...More like the second one really..." She muttered. "Look, the point is I brought you here so I could tell you to release me once you wake up. It's been getting boring inside that flute and I'd like to get out and stretch my legs."
"That's it? Okay than." Matthew replied with a smile. "I don't see a problem with that. The more help we get, the better! What do you think Sol?"
No answer.
"Uh, Sol?" He called out, confused that his companion was ignoring him. "You there?" A giggle to his side made him look at his Djinn friend, who was busy trying to hold in her laughter.
"Teehee! Man, you are clueless!" She laughed, making Matthew pout. "It's actually pretty cute!" And Matthew's pout was quickly replaced with a much more flustered expression. "Didn't I tell you that the dreamscape is a representation of a person's mind in a different realm?"
"What does that have to do with Sol not answering me?" Shafiqah rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers.
A large cloud of smoke poofed in front of Matthew, making him shield his eyes. Thankfully, it died down quickly, letting Matthew get a good look at-
!
Matthew blushed even redder than before. Standing right in front of him was a girl his age with her back turned towards him...
Only in her underwear... and about to take off her panties.
The girl in question froze once she realized she wasn't where she previously was, but she was downright mortified once she noticed Matthew's and Shafiqah's presence. Though, between the two of them, her attention was focused more on Matthew. She turned around just to get a better look at him. The King could see her trembling as she took one hand off of her panties and covered her mouth. She stared at Matthew with wide eyes.
Matthew blinked. He noticed a few traits about the girl. Her skin was noticeably paler than normal, practically snow white actually. Her eyes were crimson red and her hair was bleach white. But there were two thing that really caught his attention.
One was the large sun tattoo she had on her back. What a girl her age was doing with a tattoo, he'd never know. But what really surprised him was what she had one top of her head...
A pair of white wolf ears.
Everyone just stood still. The girl, still trembling and staring at Matthew with tears welling up in her eyes. Matthew, who just kept staring, both admiring the girl and trying to wrap his head around who she was. And Shafiqah... well, she was just floating a few feet away with an amused look on her face.
Matthew blinked. Who the heck was this girl? She sure as heck didn't look familiar, but... it felt like he knew her. White hair, wolf ears, sun tattoo-
!
Wait a minute.
White hair...
White wolf...
Sun...
A white sun wolf...
...Wasn't Sol's full name "Amaterasu Sol"?
He felt a bit crazy coming to this conclusion but...
"Sol?" He asked, making the girl tremble even more. She took a deep breath... and screamed.
"KYA~!"
SMACK!
Romi grunted as she slid through the air duct of the gem store she was trying to "rob", as she put it. Admittedly, she did not expect this way in to be so complicated. It always seemed so easy on TV...
But still, if she could get the vigilante to come after he, she could try to convince him to give her back the gem he took. All she had to do was mess around with a few things here and there, and he was bound to show up eventually.
...Olay, so it was a bit of a stretch- Scratch that. A very big stretch. But it was worth a shot!
"Just stay focused Romi..." She whispered as she kept crawling. "It's not like something is gonna happen that throws a monkey wrench in this whole thing."
Thump!
Romi froze as she felt the air duct jerk downwards. "Oh spoot..." Instantly, the duct underneath her ripped open, sending her plummeting into the store, landing ungracefully on her stomach.
"Ow~..." She whined as she sat up. She shook her, trying to regain her senses. She had landed right in the main part of the store. She sighed in relief as she stood.
"Hey boss! I heard something over here!"
"What is it Trevor?"
Romi froze. Was it her, or did that Scottish voice sound just like...
She quickly hid behind a gem case as four figures came into the room. To her horror, they were none other than Simon Dales, his goons and his Greninja. Many thoughts rushed through her head, but there was one that could easily describe how she felt right now.
"Oh come on!"
Hmm...
Well this was... peculiar.
A few blocks away from the jewelry store, a lone figure twisted and contorted his way through the shadows, trying to reach said jewelry store.
This had become a bit of a routine for him. Every night he'd go around the town looking for any store that might have any suspicious activity. Simply put, he was on a night patrol.
Things had been like this for awhile now. He wasn't complaining, but he wouldn't mind a little excitement every once in a while. It would help keep his mind off how meaningless his life actually was.
...
Hehe... Well what do you know... Looks like the store was getting robbed after all. The figure let out an amused chuckle before heading towards the store. It was probably just another small robbery like last night. This would be easy.
His only real concern would be remembering to collect his paycheck later... but that could wait.
"Ow~!... How is it that a slap hurt so much when this is a dream?!" Matthew muttered as he rubbed his cheek from his comfortable position on the floor. Shafiqah floated a few feet away from him, unable to control her laughter any longer.
The young King glared at the Djinn as she laughed. "Hahaha! Oh my! That was even better than I had expected!" She wiped a tear from her eye and floated over to him with a rather smug look on her face. "Didn't your mother ever teach you that peeping at girls getting changed is wrong?"
"Can it woman!" He spat back, sitting up. "You're the one who brought her here!" He heard a low growl before looking over to a large rock. The girl, who he was pretty sure was Sol was getting changed behind it, out of Matthew's sight. "Why the heck does she have to get changed here of all places? Can't she just poof up her clothes like you probably can?"
"The Dreamscape may be a representation of your mind, but the rest of this realm isn't. The Dreamscape is only one small part of it. The rest is a world just as real as yours." Shafiqah explained. "Simply put, only certain people are allowed in this middle plain."
"So it is like the Velvet Room from Persona!"
"How do you even know what that is? I thought Persona was rated M?"
"Cain let me play it. Master Asia said it was okay considering the fact I had already gone through a lot worse. Three times to be exact."
"Are you two done bickering?" Matthew turned around, only to see the girl from earlier, standing over him while wearing some kind of robe. It was kind of hard to tell really. It was white and had a few red and orange markings on it, but Matthew hard a hard time describing it.
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Is that really you Sol?" Matthew asked. Sol blushed and looked the other way, scoffing.
"Of course it's me. Is there anyone else you know who lives in your head?" She asked. Matthew scratched the back of his head.
"Well, I-I never thought you actually had a body..." He shyly admitted. "I figured you were just a spirit... I didn't think you'd be in my Velvet Room..."
"Dreamscape."
"Whatever." Sol sighed before running a hand through her hair.
"Well now you know." She said. "But the fact I have a corporal form is the least of our worries. Matthew, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be able to come in here without another being's assistance."
Matthew stood up and opened his mouth the talk, but Shafiqah appeared in front of him. "That would be my doing. I was starting to get bored inside my lamp so I brought him here to help me out and release me."
Sol just stood there, her eye twitching.
"...Who the heck are you?!" She asked, surprising Matthew.
"I'm Shafiqah!" The Djinn said before poofing to Matthew's side. "I'm the King of Hearts' Djinn!" Sol blinked.
"...You're kidding me, right?" Shafiqah rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Oh come on! Do you know any other race of creatures that dress like this?" She asked, gesturing to her attire. Sol shook her head and crossed her arms.
"Oh please. Do you really expect me to believe that?"
"Do you really expect me to believe you're a sun goddess?"
"I never said that. I am not a goddess, I am a sun spirit."
"Um... Girls?" Matthew said, earning him the girls attention, though Sol kept glaring at him. "I don't mean to interrupt, but... how do I go home?" Shafiqah frowned and latched onto his arm.
"Aw~, You're leaving already?" She whined with an adorable puppy dog face. Matthew blushed as he felt her press her breasts into his arm. Sol flushed and took a step back.
"W-w-what are you doing?!" She yelled. What the heck was she doing?!
"Plea~se don't leave me here all alone with this crabby little girl!" Sol felt a vein pop at being called crabby. Matthew blushed even more as he felt Shafiqah push herself closer to him. "As much as I'd enjoy being let out of my lamp..." She put a hand and Matthew's chest. "I wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with the King of Hearts..." Matthew could practically feel smoke coming out of his ears.
"Olay, now that's enough!" Sol yelled before marching towards the Djinn. "How dare you do something so uncouth and perverted to the King of Hearts!"
"What's the matter?" Shafiqah taunted. "Are you jealous?"
"What?!" Sol stepped back, her face redder than before.
"It's a real shame..." Shafiqah started eyeing Sol's figure. "Not everyone can end up with a body like mine. It must be tough to have to deal with such a flat figure..."
Oh, she did not just go there.
"Matthew..." Sol appeared in front of the King instantly, her eyes shadowed by her hair and she had a rather terrifying aura around her.
"Huh-"
"Wake up."
BONK!
"Okay, calm down Romi!" Romi yelled in her head as she hid from Simon and his gang. "I-It's a pretty big coincidence that this guy would be trying to rob this place too. I-I guess Jenny and the others didn't mange to find them after last night..." She gulped.
"This is bad..." She whispered as Simon and the rest walked into the store's main room and looked around. "If they find me, I'm dead!"
"You heard something here Trevor?" Simon asked his henchman, who nodded ecstatically. Simon whistled to Greninja, who turned the lights on immediately. Simon looked around, not seeing anything to out of the ordinary...
Besides the gaping hole in the ceiling and the debris on the ground.
Simon smirked. Looks like something made it's way in. A certain tall vigilante perhaps?
Either way, it was proof someone else was there with them.
"Keep your eyes open boys..." Simon whispered, reaching into his pocket. Romi gulped from her spot before peeking from her hiding spot. She blinked in confusion once she saw what he took out of his pocket.
"What is that?" She whispered once she saw the strange device. To be more precise, a strange looking collar. "A collar?"
"Just wait and see boys..." The three men and the Pokémon each prepared themselves, looking from side to side, watching the shadowed parts of the store. Romi gulped as she could feel the tension in the air rising.
Time felt like it stopped...
Until Simon heard something behind him.
He smirked before jumping forward, a hand barely missing him as he dashed forward. The hand's owner seemed surprised and quickly tried to recoil, but Greninja appeared in front of him and hit him with a water shuriken.
The figure grunted as he felt himself get thrown into the wall. He tried to get up, but was pinned down by the Greninja.
"Grenin!" He shouted. Simon quickly threw the collar to Luis and Trevor, who pressed a button on it, causing it to expand into a large red ring. Before the figure could do anything, the two threw the ring over him, causing it to shrink and bind his arms, while at the same time it electrocuted him.
He let out a yell when he felt the burning feeling that surged through his body. Red sparks flied out of the collar around him as it constricted around him. Greninja jumped back to his trainer, who watched the scene unfold with great pleasure.
After a few moments, the electrocution stopped, leaving the figure slumped against the wall, panting.
It was only them that they managed to get a good look at him.
Simon stared at him in disbelief. His Greninja was puzzled and his two men... well, they were busy wetting their pants.
The first thing the noticed was how long the body was. He was tall! At least ten feet tall, if not more! He was wearing a rather fancy looking black suit, though it did seem rather worn. Plus there was- Hey, was that his fedora?! Anyway, this guy was so thin, it looked he hadn't eaten in years!
Which kinda made sense, seeing that he didn't have a mouth. Or eyes. Or any facial feature really. His head was as blank as a white canvas. Even so, Simon could tell he was in pain, noting that his "face" was slightly scrunched up.
Still, it raised a fair question...
"What the bloody heck are you?!" Simon worded somewhat loudly. The figure ignored him and squirmed around in his bindings.
"Boss, what..." Luis stared. "What is that?!"
"How should I know?" Simon said before walking up to the figure. The faceless man tried to stand, but was quickly shocked again. Simon crouched down in front of him, glaring at him. "I take it you're the one who got me and my boys last night?"
"..." The man said nothing as the two had a stare down. Well, Simon couldn't tell if he was actually looking at him or not, but he could tell he wasn't too happy.
"Well? You gonna answer me or not?!" He shouted, spitting in the white man's face. Again, no concrete reaction from him, aside from the slight scrunch his face contorted into. Probably a grimace or something.
Simons sneered and stood up. "What? You too good to talk or something?"
"...Why are you still here?"
Simon took a step back in shock as the faceless man's voice rang through the air. He wasn't expecting him to actually talk, considering the fact he didn't even have a mouth. Talk about a biological mystery.
"I gave you a chance to leave peacefully, and yet you still came back..." He chuckled. "You're either brave or a complete idiot. I'm pretty sure it's the later though." Simon growled and stomped on the man's long leg, making him wince in pain.
"Don't act cute." Simon spat before taking out something that made Romi's face pale.
A knife.
"And I wouldn't struggle either. The more you move, the tighter that thing on you gets." He had rather demented smile on his face. "You know, I'd shoot you right now if you hadn't trashed my gun last night. But..." He played with the knife. "Where's the fun in that?"
The faceless man let out a grunt as Simon finished playing with his soon-to-be murder weapon.
"Boys, go ahead and grab as much loot as you can carry!" He order them, who quickly obliged. He kneeled back in front of the man and raised his knife. "Now, how am I going to do this..." He hovered the weapon over his chest. "Should I start with the heart? Or maybe I should just keep stabbing randomly til you start coughing up blood?" He pause. "on second thought, I'm not quite sure that second one's possible."
If the figure had eyes, he would've rolled them. "...Do as you wish." Simon blinked.
"What?" He deadpanned. "You're letting me kill you? Just like that?" The man nodded.
"I have no ways to defend myself." He said simply. "As much as I hate to admit it, there is nothing I can do. I'm bound by this device, you're not the least intimidated by my appearance," Okay, that wasn't true. Simon was a bit freaked out. "I can't do anything." He lifted up his head. "My existence itself is unnatural..." His voice sounded sad... Melancholic even. "I accept my death with arms wide open."
Simon blinked. "You're weird."
"I've been called worse."
Simon rolled his eyes before his creepy smile came back. "In that case, I guess I'll have to do more than just stab you to death." He placed the knife next to the man's neck. "How would you like it if I cut you up into tiny little pieces? Consider it payback for stealing my fedora."
Romi gulped as she watched the scene unfold in horror. Simon, the same man who almost raped her last night, was about to commit murder right in front of her. The victim? Her savior from last night. Albeit, he did steal from her, but he still saved her from losing such a precious thing.
"What am I gonna do?" She whispered. She watched as Simon raised up the knife. This was it. He was gonna kill him...
No. She couldn't let that happen. While he did steal from her it was better losing one gem than an entire store full of them and her chastity! Siding with the lesser of two evils may still be siding with evil, but she didn't care!
Finding whatever courage she had, she stood up and-
"Boss!" Luis yelled, running into the room. Simon looked up before he could land a single blow and saw Trevor running in behind Luis and barricading the door with anything he could find.
"Oh for God's..." Simon swore under his breath and stood up. "What now? I-" He was about to continue until he noticed a young woman wearing a skintight suit and a black mask standing a few meters away. "...Who the heck are you?"
Romi squeaked before paling. Really? Why was the universe so against her?
"Boss!" Trevor yelled, getting the man's attention away from the woman. "Help us barricade the door!" Simon growled.
"Okay, first, you're not in charge here Trevor, I am!" He roared. "Second, incase you haven't noticed" He pointed at the faceless man. "I'm a little busy with this guy" He pointed at Romi. "and apparently with some chick that just showed up out of nowhere!" He glared at the woman, making her shrink. "But seriously, who the heck are you?"
"But- Oh wow. There actually us a woman in here." Trevor shook his head. "N-no! Boss! Someone's coming!" The leader raised an eyebrow.
"And why exactly do we have to barricade the door because of that?"
"Becau-"
Simon blinked as a small sound rang out through the building. Everyone stopped as they stared at the barricade door...
Only to jump in surprise once they heard beeping.
"Oh crap- Hit the deck!" Luis yelled before doing just that, the others following suit. Simon shielded his eyes with his fedora as Romi let out a shriek. This was so not a part of the plan.
"Excuse me..." A voice said as the dust died down. Simon stared in confusion as a figure made itself present in the doorway. No, make that three figures.
Deryk strolled into the room with Mecha and Hunter by his side. Mecha's arm was transformed into a canon, Hunter had his gun out and Deryk held one of his blades in his hand.
"But I'm going to have to ask you to leave the Smasher alone."
Simon and his boys backed up in confusion as the the faceless man stared at the trio. He couldn't put his finger on it but something about them seemed... familiar.
Romi took a few steps back and whimpered. She had no idea who these guys were, but just looking at these guys gave her the willies! Especially the one in the middle. There was something about the glare of his that felt... evil. Still, if they thought she was with Simon and his gang there's no telling wht they'd do to her! How was she-
!
That's it!
"T-that's right!" She shouted getting everyone's attention. She quickly dashed her way next to Hunter and pointed at Simon. "Surrender now or face our fury!"
The heroic trio just stared at her.
"...Who the heck are you?" Hunter asked before Romi covered his mouth.
"Please play along." She whispered, earning a confused glace from the trio.
"Oh for God's..." Simon growled before stepping away from his hostage, who let out a breath of relief he didn't even know he was holding. "Who the bloody heck are you supposed to be?"
"Smashers" Hunter said simply, only earning an eyebrow raise. "Look, we don't want any trouble. Just hand over that man by the corner and everything will be alright." Simon sneered.
"Fat chance." He huffed. "I got beef to pick with the chump." He whistled and his Greninja jumped in front of him. "Boys. Pokemon. Now!" The two men nodded before taking out their pokeballs.
"They have Pokemon too?!" Romi yelled in her mind as the two tossed out their Pokemon.
"Come on out Snivy!"
"It's your time Charmeleon!"
Both Pokemon appeared in front of their masters, looking ready for battle.
Simon rolled his eyes. "I always forget that those two didn't evolve as much as my Froakie did..." He shook his head. "You'd better take care of those two, ya got that?!"
The men nodded. "Sure thing boss!"
"Good." He turned back to the tri- er... quartet. They all looked somewhat confused at the strange mix of Pokemon. "What's the matter? Appreciating the wonderful Pokemon?"
"Three starters from completely different regions?" Deryk started before growling. "You're must be one of the Pokemon poachers, aren't you?"
Simon blinked before glaring. "Oy... Don't go comparing me those Team Rocket morons." He said, surprising the group. "I'm a criminal, yes, but I care for those Pokemon with all my heart..." Memories resurfaced. How he got lost in the wood. How those wild Beedrils attacked him...
How he met a Froakie in place miles away from it's native region.
"I don't know who you are..." Simon snapped and Greninja readied himself. "But I ain't letting you guys get in my way!"
Deryk smirked and readied himself. "Hmm. In that case, we'll just have take him by force. Ready boys?"
"R-Ready!"
"Mission acknowledged."
Deryk glanced at Romi. "Oy." She jumped, turning to the you soldier. "You want our help, you had better pull you own weight." He gestured to the robot beside him. "Help out Mecha. You two have the least experience, so it should balance it out." Romi looked at the robot before looking back at Deryk. She nodded and made he way next to him.
Was trusting her a wise choice? Not in the slightest. But Deryk had learned a thing or two about reading people. And this girl sure as heck was no threat to them. He smirked and readied his.
All the while, the man in the suit stared with his nonexistent eyes. Smasher... Were they talking about him?
...
If he had a mouth, he would've smiled. An image of a strange black creature carrying a small bell making rather bizare noises formed in his head.
...Maybe his existence wasn't as meaningless as he thought it was.