Author's Note:
No reviews this chapter, but still, shout out to those who've read! :D
Also! We've got one more chapter to go before we switch over to a chapter-every-two-weeks schedule due to a fic that will be published concurrently with this one. Sorry, folks! But my priority is to keep pumping out quality chapters, so hopefully, it'll be worth the wait. And hey, who knows? Maybe if it turns out I can write faster than I thought I could, we could go back to a weekly schedule. It all really depends!
Also, Raye's dropping more Japanese this chapter. A couple new terms (and one old one) to remember:
Nee-san = older sister (a little more respectful than Nee-chan … or, by extent, Nii-chan)
Ikanaide = Don't go!
Daijoubu = don't worry
Remember, use CTRL+F to bounce back and forth between the fic and this glossary, and you're good to go! Enjoy!
Eighteen
D.E.V.A. CLEARANCE LEVEL 1
CLEARANCE ACCEPTED.
DOCUMENT TYPE: AUDIO/VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
DESIGNATION: THE ADAM INCIDENT—SUPPLEMENT A: "THE RAYE TAPES," FILE 02
DESCRIPTION: VIDEO AND ACCOMPANYING TRANSCRIPT RECORDED BY RACHEL ("RAYE") MCKENZIE. VIDEO DEPICTS BEGINNING OF RAYE'S POKÉMON JOURNEY. JOURNEY OF THIS INDIVIDUAL EVENTUALLY LED TO WHAT BECAME THE ADAM INCIDENT.
DATE-TIME: 12/06/00, 09:00 (ORIGINAL FILMING)
[SHOT OF THE BEDROOM OF A YOUNG GIRL. THE BED IS UNMADE AND COVERED WITH PLUSH DOLLS FROM THE HELLO SKITTY FRANCHISE. CAMERA IS FOCUSED ON ONE DOLL: THE EPONYMOUS HELLO SKITTY IN A PINK DRESS. A HAND REACHES DOWN AND GRABS IT TO SHAKE ITS HEAD. AN INTERIOR BELL JINGLES.]
RAYE, OFF-CAMERA
Today's my last day here. I'm supposed to pick up my starter from Papa today, and then he'll take me to the port where I can get on a ferry to Hoenn.
[SHE SETS THE DOLL DOWN.]
RAYE
I'm a little scared. I've never been to Hoenn, and that's scary, but really, I'm scared of going on a journey. What if I mess up? Mama says I shouldn't worry and that everyone has trouble on their journey at first, and really, it's about what you learn on them instead of how good you are at battling. And I guess she's right, but Nee-san and Nii-chan are so much better with pokémon than I am. What if I'm not as good as they are?
[PAUSE.]
RAYE
Oh! I'm doing this wrong.
[THE CAMERA TURNS, AND RAYE'S FACE COMES INTO VIEW. THE PICTURE SHAKES BUT THEN GOES STILL. RAYE RUNS AWAY FROM THE CAMERA AND PICKS UP A PAIR OF POM-POMS FROM THE TOP OF A DRESSER.]
RAYE
Hi! I'm Rachel, but my friends call me Raye. Let's see … I'm ten years old, and I'm from Goldenrod City. I like music and sweet foods and my friends, but most importantly, I want to be a pokémon coordinator! I've already worked out my very first routine. Um … what else can I talk about? Let's see. Oh! If you're watching this, future me, you're probably still journeying. Here's something I made up to add to this video and cheer you up later! You probably remember doing that, but … it's not silly or anything! I just … um.
[SHE DRAWS HER POM-POMS TO HER FACE.]
RAYE
Okay. Here we go.
[SHE LOOKS DOWN AT HER POM-POMS AND BEGINS TO SHAKE THEM.]
RAYE
One, two, one, two, three! Do your best! Do your best! Do your—
WOMAN, OFF-SCREEN
Raye! Breakfast!
[RAYE TURNS TO LOOK AT SOMETHING OFF-SCREEN.]
RAYE
Oh! Coming, Mama!
[SHE DROPS HER POM-POMS AND RUNS TO THE CAMERA. THE SHOT SHAKES FOR A PERIOD OF THREE SECONDS BEFORE CUTTING TO BLACK.
FOOTAGE THEN CUTS TO A SHOT OF A SQUIRTLE STANDING ON THE RAILING OF A SHIP.]
RAYE, OFF-CAMERA
Nearly forgot about this. Say hi, Squirtle!
[IT LOOKS AT THE CAMERA AND TILTS ITS HEAD. THE CAMERA SHIFTS AND PANS OVER A SHOT OF A DOCK CROWDED WITH PEOPLE. SHOT ZOOMS IN TO TWO IN PARTICULAR, A WOMAN IDENTIFIED AS RIKO MCKENZIE AND A MAN IDENTIFIED AS [REDACTED]. RAYE'S HAND APPEARS IN THE CORNER OF THE SHOT, WAVING TO THE COUPLE.]
RAYE
This is gonna be a good journey. Mama's right. So long as we do our best, that's all that matters. Right, Squirtle?
[THE CAMERA PANS TO SQUIRTLE'S FACE, BUT GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE LENS IS STILL ZOOMED IN, ONLY ONE OF ITS EYES IS VISIBLE. IT BLINKS AND GROWLS.
END VIDEO.]
—
Domino had intended on getting out of town. It was the obvious course of action at that point. After all, her ixodida target was already halfway across Mt. Chimney, the leader of Fallarbor Town was very close to sticking a crowbar in key places she would have preferred to keep, and as the cherry on top of one terrible sundae, D.E.V.A. had arrived. So it was really no wonder that she was in a bit of a hurry.
Except she had one last errand to run. One last errand that took her due west of town, rather than east and closer to that experiment of hers.
Or more specifically, one last errand that resulted in her rummaging through a tiny riverside cottage-laboratory owned by the regional storage system administrator.
She knew who Lanette was; that was a no-brainer. After all, Lanette was the second-in-command for the group running the storage system, and geographically speaking, she was the closest administrator not on a do-not-touch list to Rocket territory. In fact, the only reasons why Giovanni had rejected all the plans to kidnap her were: A, she lived in Aqua-Magma territory and B, kidnapping her would very likely make the only administrator on a do-not-touch list do something that would catch D.E.V.A.'s attention.
It was strange, Domino mused as she knocked over a stack of papers. She never thought much about D.E.V.A. until now. Truth be told, up until this point, she didn't even think they existed. Sure, she had heard of them; she was close enough to Giovanni to know that he was terrified of what they could do. He would never admit it, of course, but she could see the look in his eyes when he told her why they couldn't mess with a McKenzie.
But now? Now that she had seen a whole army of them teeming in Fallarbor Town, she couldn't help but be a little afraid too. Because if they actually existed, then what did that mean for Team Rocket? For her?
She had to get that ixodida back to Team Rocket's laboratories, and she had to do it without being detected by the men in black. So to that end, she needed her weapons, and those were taken by a certain red-head.
Unfortunately, ransacking the place proved to be less effective than she had anticipated. She had been there for at least a half an hour, tearing open boxes, knocking papers to the floor, and ripping drawers clean out of desks, but she had found not even a single hint of her missing inventory. Finally, after she had scoured every inch of the laboratory on the first floor, she stopped to rest her elbows on a desk and bury her head in her arms.
"Stupid stupid stupid stupid," she muttered, although it wasn't about herself.
Of course, she would never call herself stupid. Domino knew she was absolutely brilliant, and she had the moves and the strategy to prove it. No, this was towards everything else. Giovanni's failure to tell her that D.E.V.A. was a real organization. Nettle's failure to work with her on securing Anderson properly. McKenzie's insistence on being nosy and the exact person who would incite the most wrath from people better equipped than her. And this girl. This Lanette, who had outmaneuvered her so badly that she had Domino completely disarmed. She—Domino, the notorious Black Tulip, the elegant mistress of the shadows, the finest officer Team Rocket had to offer—was disarmed by a code monkey with a crowbar. It was beyond humiliating; it was the kind of thing that made Domino wish D.E.V.A. would just point whatever weapon they had to her head and pull the trigger.
She balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. "When I get my weapons back…"
"You'll what?"
Domino looked up, and at that second, that very moment in which she moved her head ever so slightly, a crowbar with a sharpened end slammed its makeshift blade into the desk mere inches from her eyes. She stared at it and the white-knuckled hand that gripped it for a second before she cracked a grin.
"Why, hello, Red!" she drawled. "Fancy of you to show up. How long were you standing there? …And, for that matter, how did you get away from D.E.V.A?"
"Fifteen seconds, and they think I'm gathering only what I can't live without." Lanette yanked her crowbar free from the wood and pointed its tip at Domino's face. "What the hell are you doing in my house?"
Domino smirked. "I came by to borrow a cup of sugar."
"I can stab you in the face right now. You do know that, right?"
"Why? Because I'm unarmed?" Domino scoffed. "Please. I'll forgive you just this once because I highly doubt my reputation precedes me all the way to your quaint little region, but suffice to say, you have no idea who you're dealing with. I'm one of Team Rocket's best agents, and believe me, they don't just send people like me onto the field without hand-to-hand combat training. I like my toys, but I can take you down without them."
Lanette quirked an eyebrow. "I took you down with a gloom."
"You surprised me," Domino answered with a shrug.
At that, Lanette leaned in, bringing the crowbar closer to Domino's neck. "And I know you're stalling."
That gave Domino pause. Not because it was true. In reality, it wasn't. Of course Domino knew Lanette was coming back, and the longer she had spent searching for her tools, the closer to inevitable an encounter had become. And in any case, every good Rocket agent had plans for every contingency. Given how obvious of a possibility Lanette's arrival was, Domino had a plan all worked out from the moment she decided to break in.
It was just that the pause gave the plan a little more flair.
"Okay. I'll give you that. You've got the upper hand." Domino reached out and placed her fingers on the edge of the crowbar. "But I've got something else."
"Such as?" Lanette sneered.
"A proposition," Domino replied. Another pause. She tried to make it look like she was thinking—head cocked, lips pressed together, eyes on the ceiling. "Cutie pie's gone, isn't she?"
"Who?"
"You know." Domino pushed the crowbar down to the desk and found that it yielded. She had Lanette's attention. "Tiny thing. Green hair. Wears that cat stuff."
"Raye?"
"Is that her name?"
Lanette narrowed her eyes. "How do you know she's gone?"
"Overheard D.E.V.A. about forty-five minutes ago, while they were rounding you up," Domino replied. "Specifically that other one. Tall. Green hair. Is a catty loser."
"Christa."
"Oh! You know her!" Domino grinned.
"Very well."
Domino chuckled and propped her elbows on the desk. "Intimately? Do tell."
Lanette jammed the crowbar back into the desk and leaned against it. Judging by her tight frown and the fiery look in her eyes, Domino knew the woman wasn't amused. There wasn't any purpose to that move; it was just entertaining to the Rocket.
"Get to the point," Lanette said.
Domino eased out of her position and held up her hands, palms facing Lanette. "All right. All right. Hear me out. Raye's looking for her brother, isn't she?"
"Most likely."
"And her brother isn't someone you want to see," Domino continued.
Lanette's frown deepened. "I don't have a problem with Bill. I have a problem with that thing inside him."
"Oh, so you know Bill intimately?"
"I will kill you."
Domino raised a hand again. "Okay, okay. I get it. Let's get serious." Her smile faded. "Here's what I'm proposing. You want the little cutie pie. I want 'that thing inside her brother.' If you and I were right about Raye, then that means they're going to be together."
"And?"
"And what I'm saying, Red, is we should work together."
Silence. Domino figured this was what books would call a "pregnant pause"—the kind that felt heavy and thick. The kind a person thought through. Really thought through. The kind that had to be broken slowly by the other person.
"I have a question," Lanette said at last.
Domino placed a hand on the desk and leaned against it casually. "Of course you do. What is it?"
"If I let you take that parasite, what will happen to Bill?"
At that, Domino's smile returned. "Ohhhh, so you do care about him." Then, she cocked her head. "Rocket scientists have been stealing information from whoever's running the program that's studying the ixodida. We know more about them than even you do. All we want is the parasite, not its host. You let me take him to a Rocket laboratory, and we'll figure out a way to pop that thing off. You can have your cute-but-too-young-for-me boyfriend back in one piece. We think."
"You think."
Domino shifted her weight and held her hand up, palm towards the ceiling. "Well, it's not like I know anything about where our scientists are in the process. I mean, I don't know if they've figured out how the transformation happens in the first place, and if we don't know that, then how do you expect us to undo it so easily?" She waved her hand. "But don't worry about that. The Symposium's not the only organization with top-notch scientists. And given the fact that we don't exactly have pesky things like ethics tying us down, you can bet that if there is an answer, we'd get to it first. So just think of it like this. Worst case scenario, we don't have an answer, and he's stuck as he is but far enough away from you that he's not going to do any damage when his parasite decides to rear its ugly head again. Best case scenario, we pry it off of him faster than the Symposium could, give him a couple Tylenol, and drop him off wherever you want him—in Kalos, for all we care. You literally have nothing to lose." As if to punctuate that last thought, she extended her hand and winked. "So what do you say, Red? You in?"
"No," Lanette said immediately. "I have plenty to lose."
"Oh?" Domino opened her eye and raised her brows at Lanette. "Go ahead. Tell me. I'd love to know what part of the deal isn't iron-clad, if you'll forgive the tasteless pun."
Lanette narrowed her eyes. "First of all, how do I know you're not going to take Raye too?"
And then, Domino's brows furrowed. "Why would I want a ten-year-old?"
"As leverage."
"For Bill?" Domino looked away. "Because I tried that, and if it wasn't for a containment cube, his parasite would have killed me and probably half the people left in your backwater little town too. At least if I shoved Raye onto someone he thinks is safe, I get to take him without having my head bitten off. Literally." She turned back to Lanette. "And anyway, those little metal balls you saw in action? Those are the containment cube I was talking about. They can only generate a force field large enough to contain one person. Any more than that, and they become unreliable. I'm not risking damaged goods or my life just to tick off an alien with knives for … everything."
Lanette lowered her eyes. "Fine. Then we're in agreement about Raye's safety."
"Sure. Whatever." Domino shrugged again, for seemingly the umpteenth time. She wasn't keen on how long this conversation was taking. "So come on. What's your next concern?"
"The obvious one." Lanette lifted her eyes and stared straight into Domino's. "How do I know you're going to release Bill once you cure him?"
And then, Domino's smile came back. It was slow and moved like honey, but she didn't speak until it completely blossomed across her face.
"Good question, Red," she said. "You have no reason to trust me. Why would you? I'm a Team Rocket operative. I've even told you I'm one of the best. But, see, there's something else going on here that's important to know."
Lanette removed the crowbar from the desk and held it parallel to the wood. Her hand tightened around its handle. "And what's that?"
"I've been honest this whole time." Domino slapped the crowbar down, pinning it to the desk. She watched her companion gasp and struggle to pull it free, but she held firmly as she spoke. "Red, come on. I told you that at any time I could've taken you out, and you'd better believe I have enough skills to find my stuff and make a clean getaway, even with D.E.V.A. running around. Why do you think I stopped to have this chat with you? It's not because I need your help to find your pet because spoiler alert?" With her free hand, she reached under her cap to produce her handheld computer. Once it was in the open, she held it up for Lanette to see. "I already know where he is. I don't even think I need to tell you that collar he's wearing isn't just for show, either. So why would I try to cut this deal with you if I could've gotten my weapons and found my way to McKenzie all by myself?"
She stopped, waiting for a response she knew would never come. Lanette was too busy staring, transfixed by the blinking dot on the map of Hoenn. Exhaling, Domino pulled her other hand away, releasing the crowbar. It didn't rise.
"Because McKenzie's an idiot," Domino finished. "You know where that is, don't you? It's the edge of ixodida territory. I have my toys, but if there's a whole bunch of those things, I'm going to need backup. I need as many good men and women on my side as possible, and currently, Catty McLoser out there just rounded up most of my options so they can be herded out to some other hick town. But I guess I'm lucky. Out of all of the options I had, you're the one who would want something out of this." She lowered the device and held out her free hand. "I get the parasite. You get the cutie pie and your boyfriend. That's the deal. Take it or leave it."
Lanette glared at Domino for a second before opening her mouth.
"Red," Domino interrupted, "I swear to all the gods, the next thing out of your mouth had better be either 'yes' or 'no,' not 'he's not my boyfriend.'"
"I was going to say your tulips are in the topmost drawer—the one you didn't clearly ransack yet."
"Fair enough."
Without looking, Domino reached down with the hand she had previously extended to pull out the drawer in question. Her fingers clasped the stems of her baton and several tulips, and with her eyes still on Lanette, she yanked the whole bouquet onto the desk.
"And my other things?" she asked.
This time, Lanette smiled, eyes narrow and grin knowing. She kept one hand on her crowbar as the other opened the pouches on the belts at her waist. Slipping her fingers in, she drew out Domino's metal spheres, her capsules of Sleep Powder, and everything else Lanette had lifted from her.
"I like your toys too," Lanette said. "Now come on. I know a way to get around Fallarbor Town without D.E.V.A. spotting us."
In return, Domino smirked. "See, this is why I like you, Red. I can tell this is gonna be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
—
Surrounded.
They were surrounded.
Bill sat in the center of the stone circle with his arms and tail wrapped around his sister. He focused on steadying his breathing. Breath in. Breath out. Slow and deliberate. All the while, his mind was running hot.
Lists. Lists would help him grasp what was going on, and he knew this. Organization meant command. Command meant control. Control meant balance. So he made a list of what he was seeing.
Breath in. First, there were the ixodida. The obvious threat. From his angle, Bill couldn't tell how many there were, but the exact number was a moot point. There were a lot of them, and he was only one person. Simple as that. This meant that even though he knew he had a type advantage, given that he was steel while they were rock, directly confronting them wasn't an option. Even then, what did he know? Protect, Magnet Rise, Metal Sound, Bullet Punch. Only one of them could be used to fight effectively, but how far could it go?
Breath out. In any case, he was a terrible battler. It wasn't that he didn't know what each move did—he had the entire library of League-approved moves memorized to the point where he could tell what a pokémon was about to use just by glancing at its stance—but it was the pressure that got to him. During all the battles he had participated in as a trainer, he would panic, slip up, use the wrong move at the wrong time, sometimes even leave himself open. There was no way he could take down that many ixodida at once. So fighting directly absolutely wasn't an option.
Breath in. Fleeing wasn't either. There were too many ixodida, and they formed a perfect circle outside of the rocks. And the rocks themselves would take time to get past. If he tried carrying his sister through the floating boulders, the process of navigating through the barrier would give the ixodida enough time to congregate and strike. And flying? He already knew why flying was right out. One Smack Down to the head told him that. And with that many ixodida, it wouldn't be difficult for them to fire Smack Down after Smack Down to ensure that he wouldn't forget why flying was absolutely not an option.
Breath out. And what about Raye? She was a trainer, right? So she had pokémon. But if he asked her to summon a pokémon, then that would trigger Stealth Rock. Bill could take a hit from the boulders. He knew he could. He was a pokémon—and a steel-type with regenerative powers at that. But Raye? She was human. One smash to the skull, and she was dead. That was the last thing Bill wanted, so asking her to summon another pokémon—
Stop. Another pokémon. Another pokémon. Raye already had a pokémon out. She had two. And they…
"Oh no," Bill whispered.
I was wondering when you would remember them.
"Don't even—" he hissed.
"Nii-chan?"
Bill looked down at his sister. "Not you. I, ah." He pressed his eyes together and took a breath. Then, opening them again, he said, "Raye. Wartortle and Abby."
She paled. Then, she squirmed, crying out softly before her brother wrapped a hand over her mouth and calmed her down.
"Shh," he said. "I know. But they haven't attacked yet, and we hadn't heard them when the ixodida appeared. Abby's a smart absol, isn't she? She's probably got Wartortle under control. But we've got to get to them somehow."
Lifting his chin, he squinted at the gaps between the rocks at the ixodida. With his newfound lucidity, Bill realized something. Something important.
The ixodida hadn't moved since they had arrived. They simply stood there, facing the stone circle with blank expressions. What did they want?
Think, Bill, Adam drawled. They have struck down their prey. They have erected a cage. They have set up a guard. What could they want?
I really wish you'd be a little more helpful than that, Bill replied. Come on, Adam. I can't do this alone.
Adam's presence twisted to the back of his head, forming a cold ball in his skull. Yes, you can. You may have been trapped, but they gave you what you need. Talk to me. What is your plan?
He squeezed his eyes tighter. I don't know! I can't do this!
You must, Adam told him. Think backwards. Look forwards. What is your goal, and what did they give you?
Bill opened his eyes and blinked. He stared straight ahead at the gaps between boulders. What did they give him? What did Adam mean?
And then, his vision shifted. He didn't move his head, but his eyes refocused from the ixodida … to the rocks. Floating boulders that orbited slowly around him. They blocked his view of the ixodida and ensured that he wouldn't receive help from Raye, but in that second, Bill realized they did more than that.
They blocked their view of him.
I need to find the monarch, Bill thought. That's the end goal, isn't it?
Adam's presence spread like warm honey across his brain. Yes. Good. Now how do you get there?
I need to… Bill took another deep breath. I need to get to Wartortle and Abby. Wartortle knows Water Pledge and Water Gun. He can … he can hold off the ixodida while I look for the monarch. And Abby's precognition can keep Raye safe. She'll lead Raye to a safe spot away from the battle.
Good. Now how do you get there?
I … I need to…
Here was the one thing Bill couldn't figure out. How was he supposed to find two pokémon if he couldn't fly or escape? With his eyes on the boulders, he flicked through what he knew again. This was a trap, not a challenge. If the ixodida's foremost goal was to fight, then they would have by then. But they didn't. They simply stood there, staring through the boulders at him.
Second, it was a trap for him, not Raye. Bill had thought when the barrier was first erected that they wanted Raye as a potential host, but he was the one who was a threat. They were standing on a field of dead ground-types. Surely they knew what had happened there and who was partially responsible, especially with the slaughtered ground-type monarch scattered on the ground mere meters from them. More importantly, he had a type advantage. If they wanted Raye, then it would make sense for them to pull him away and get rid of him or take Raye and run. There were definitely enough of them to do either. But they didn't. They waited. They set up Stealth Rock so that Raye wouldn't interfere. So it was him they wanted.
Which meant that it was him they would pay attention to.
"Raye," he said.
She looked up at him with wide eyes.
"We need Abby and Wartortle," he told her. "Abby's a very loyal pokémon, isn't she?"
Raye nodded.
"Good. That means she'll follow you if you run." He pulled Raye close and leaned down to whisper as quietly as he could into her ear. "Listen carefully, little one. I'm going to jump on these rocks and get the ixodida's attention. As soon as I do, run that way." He stretched an arm across her, in an angle slightly to the right. "Keep running until Abby catches up to you. She should be bringing Wartortle with her if I'm right about what those two are doing right now. If she doesn't, help her find Wartortle. Work quickly because I'll need him. Once you find him, send him into the fight and tell him to use every water-type attack he has to keep the ixodida at bay. As for you and Abby, find a safe place to hide. I'll come for you when I can."
Raye shook her head and twisted around to face Bill. As she clung to him, a whimper escaped her lips.
"Ikanaide," she whined.
"No. No. Shh," he murmured as he gently pulled her hands away. "It's okay. I'm an ixodida too, remember? I just need to keep them from hurting us."
She shook her head again. "Ikanaide! Ikanaide!"
"Raye, listen to me."
He placed a hand at the back of her head and pushed her to look into his eyes. Raye sniffed and hiccuped, but she followed his lead until they locked gazes. For a second, they stayed like that, frozen in one tense moment.
"Listen," Bill repeated. "I know I haven't been the best at keeping my promises to you, but this one, I absolutely intend on keeping. I'm going to do everything I can to win this battle, and when I do I'm going to come get you. You are the most important thing to me right now, and I swear to you, I'm not going to leave you behind. Understand?"
There was a long moment of silence between them. Then, slowly, Raye nodded and loosened her arms. Her brother gave her a reassuring smile and rose to his feet, pulling her with him. His hands gave her wrists one last squeeze.
"Remember," he said. "Everything's going to be fine, but you have to run as soon as I go."
She nodded again. After a second of hesitation, Bill turned to face the rocks. He took a deep breath and lifted his eyes to the sky.
Adam, he said.
Yes, Bill?
In our contract, you said you'll do whatever's necessary to ensure my survival. That's still valid, right? he asked.
Of course, Adam answered.
Bill closed his eyes and took one last deep breath. Good. I want to honor that promise I've just made to my sister.
You will. Believe me, Bill. Now go.
Snapping his eyes open, Bill crouched and leapt. His hands latched onto the nearest boulder, and with some effort, he pulled himself up to perch on its swaying top. All around him, the ixodida erupted into panicked chattering and surged forward. In that second, Bill's heart spiked with panic, and he glanced out of the corner of his eye, just in time to see a flash of green scramble past the ixodida. None of them went after her. None of them reached out to catch her. All eyes were on her brother, and for that, Bill relaxed—but only slightly. Raye was safe for now, and it was his job to keep it that way.
Bill.
He gripped the edge of the rock, his claws digging into stone. Make it quick, Adam.
Do as I say, the parasite replied. Act on commands I give you. We will do this just like a trainer commanding their pokémon. That is how you will win. Understand?
Bill couldn't help but smile. Of course. The last thing he imagined ever doing in his life was be commanded by a trainer, but somehow, it simply seemed right at that particular moment.
Let's do it, he said.
Good. Disorient them.
He didn't need further explanation. He already knew what it meant—because he already knew what Adam was about to say.
So he opened his mouth, pushed the metal in his throat together, and shrieked as the high-pitched scream of metal-on-metal erupted from his body.
In response, the howls of the ixodida echoed through the valley, even after Bill closed his mouth and fell silent. He bobbed on his perch but kept his eyes on the horde. Before him, they were doubled over, hands clawing at the sides of their heads. None of them moved to strike back. And more importantly, none of them were distinguishable from one another. As in, from where he sat, he couldn't possibly tell which one was the monarch.
Stay calm, Bill, Adam said. Use Bullet Punch next.
Obediently, Bill reared back, cocking his arm back to ready a punch. Warmth flowed from his heart to his shoulder and into his curling fist, and even with his glove still on, his entire arm took on a metallic, silver glow. With that, he sprung off the rock and shot down to crash into the nearest ixodida. His fist struck stone, and the creature crumpled beneath his touch with a crater in its chest.
Channel the same energy to our tail and attack.
Nodding, Bill drew the warmth out of his arm and sent it down his spine. He could feel each segment tense and pulse with its own energy, but his eyes remained on his enemies. The ixodida were regrouping, and a circle was rapidly forming around him. Just as they were about to close in on him, he whipped his body around, sending his tail clean through his attackers. Ixodida fell in halves all around him, with legs and waists collapsing beside writhing torsos. He didn't have time to look, didn't have time to think, didn't have time to watch what Iron Tail was doing. The next ixodida were already surrounding him, their feet clamoring over the bodies of their fallen brethren.
Quickly. Another Bullet Punch. Then pool the energy into your palm and fire.
The energy flowed like mercury through him, and as soon as he thought of it, Bill could feel the fire wash up his spine and back into his hand. Before he could think about it, his feet launched forward, and his glowing fist smashed into the face of another ixodida. He skidded to a halt behind it, planting his claws into the earth as he turned.
Still no time to think. Flinging his hand up, he bit down on the finger of his glove and yanked his claws free. As soon as his hand hit the open air, he threw it forward, spreading his fingers as the light pooled from them to the garnet in his palm. An orb of silver-blue light swirled in front of the jewel and expanded to the size of a poké ball. It was then that Bill hesitated. He knew this move.
"Magnet Bomb," he murmured.
Yes, Adam replied. Think of the monarch. This is your key to finding it.
His fingers closed around it, and his expression resolved into one of determination. But before he could do anything, the ground beneath him exploded. Rock spikes launched him into the air, and his limbs pinwheeled through nothingness. The Magnet Bomb, meanwhile, slipped through his fingers and flew into the crowd—to whom, he couldn't tell. All he could see was the world thrash around him in a blur of brown before coming to a crashing halt. Boulders slammed down onto his body without giving him time to recover, let alone scream.
In the ensuing seconds, Bill lay beneath the avalanche, listening to the shrieks of the ixodida all around him. He wasn't in pain, save for a dull ache; his armor thankfully held up against the assault. But he couldn't move either—couldn't push the rocks off of him. Even as he pressed his hands to the boulders above him and shoved as hard as he could, it was no use. The moment he lifted one, two boulders took its place, either by way of being thrown there or by way of being shoved there by a team of ixodida. In a word, he was trapped. Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes tightly and shuddered. His hands slipped from the stones above him and rested beside his face, and he grimaced.
Adam, he pleaded. I'm so sorry. Please, help me!
Wait, Bill. You are not done yet, but you must wait.
As soon as Adam said that, there was a crash of a different kind. Of a tidal wave smashing against stone. Water streamed through the cracks in the rock and splashed Bill's face, and his eyes fluttered open to stare at the boulder directly in front of him.
"Water," he whispered. Then, he sucked in a gasp. "Wartortle!"
Placing both his hands on the boulder, Bill pushed. Water cascaded onto him for a few seconds and soaked his face and chest, and perhaps because of the presence of that much water, the boulder shifted easily. The moment he moved it, he hesitated, waiting for another rush of boulders, but they never came. There was no ensuing rock slide, and there were no ixodida there to pounce and shove the boulder he held back into place. With a smirk, Bill let the boulder roll away and slam to the mud around the makeshift mountain that had buried him. Then, he crawled into the open, just in time to see Wartortle rearing back and firing a swirling, blue ball of energy at a group of ixodida. The ball engulfed them and expanded into a watery mass before exploding and sending Wartortle's targets tumbling to the earth. Wartortle's feathery ears perked, and he turned to throw Bill a toothy smile before firing a Water Gun at him. Bill dodged, whirling around to see the jet of water pass and strike an ixodida just behind him.
Move! Adam barked. Combine Magnet Rise and Bullet Punch to get back to the hovering boulders.
Bill furrowed his eyebrows. "But—"
Smack Down is not a concern. Go!
Swallowing his reservations, Bill flung his arms out to his sides and let his golden aura erupt once more. Energy flowed into his fists, and his feet sprung off the rocks. He had to trust Adam. Even if he realized it would be foolish to believe Adam was a fully benevolent entity, he knew the creature was a parasite. So this had to be a good plan. It just had to be. Adam needed him.
So he followed. His body skimmed the short distance between the fallen rocks and the still-hovering boulders at a pace that made the world blur around him again. He could feel the white orbs of Smack Down whir by, swirling the air by his tail and back. But true to Adam's word, not a single one of them hit him. So he cut through the air easily until he slammed his fists into the side of a boulder and scrambled to its back. There, he clung to it as it bobbed and shielded him from view.
"Okay," he whispered. "Now what?"
Use Magnet Rise. Pull the boulder with you. Use it to your advantage. When you reach a suitable point, seek out the monarch with Magnet Bomb.
Nodding, Bill took a deep breath and dug his fingers deeper into the boulder. The jets of energy at his back burst to life, and the golden aura intensified around him. He could feel his entire body repel against the earth itself as he rose quickly. Below him, the ixodida screeched, half out of the agony of Wartortle's constant watery barrage and half out of indignation towards Bill's escape. Smack Downs glittered to life and flew from the crowd on the ground towards Bill, but following Adam's direction, he twisted in the air and blocked each one with the boulder he carried. When he rose high enough to see the entire battlefield, he hovered and carefully rose to his feet on the floating rock. His toes anchored the boulder to him as he reared back and swirled his hands together. Another ball of silver-blue light flared to life between them, growing larger and larger until it reached the size of a basketball. Then, with one last deep breath, Bill closed his eyes and pictured the monarch. He didn't know what the creature looked like, of course, but he knew enough. Rock skin. Arrowhead tail. The distinct cry of a monarch ordering its troops. Those three images pooled in his mind to form a hazy figure, and as he captured that thought in his head, Bill clutched the ball and slid his eyes open.
"Here we go," he murmured.
With that, he released. The ball spun from his hands, curving in a quick arc to the crowd below. His mind spun with silent prayers for the attack to work as he watched it zig-zag between the ixodida. Even as Smack Downs flew past his head or crashed into his boulder, he kept his eyes locked on the silver projectile.
And then, it smashed into one of them.
Watching it reel, Bill narrowed his eyes and shoved himself off the boulder. He didn't need Adam to know what to do next. His hands hardened into another Bullet Punch, and without another word to his partner, he dove straight for the still-recovering ixodida. Cutting through the crowds, Bill caught up with his target, hooked his arms around the creature, and extinguished his aura. The two of them went tumbling into the mud until the creature pinned Bill to the earth. Glancing over its shoulder, Bill caught sight of the arrowhead tail flicking behind its body in agitation. Satisfied that, by some miracle, he was correct with his aim, Bill glanced back at the monarch and stared hard into its face.
Or, rather, his. For a brief second, Bill marveled at how human that face was. Older but rounder—the visage of a businessman or someone else who was unused to the hardship of a trainer's journey. He wondered for that second what this man's story was, but the thought was immediately dispelled by Adam.
We will have time to wonder later, it said. Quickly. You do not have much time.
"Right," Bill said. "Before we begin this conversation, I think it'd be convenient to introduce myself." Then, snapped his tail around the monarch's waist. "Hi. I'm Bill. I'm a rogue, and I'm fantastically curious as to why you've wanted to trap me here."
Seemingly unaware of Bill's tail wrapped around him, the monarch snarled, "Order that monster to stop attacking."
Bill's eyelids fell to half-mast as he said, "Well, that's rather impolite. You were the one who attacked me first. It's only fair that I get to counterattack. In any case, haven't you noticed that I'm not telling Wartortle to do anything? As you can see, he isn't mine to command."
Hesitating, the ixodida stared into Bill's face. Then, he looked up, towards the ring of rocks. Taking this as his cue, Bill snapped one of his arms out of the monarch's grip and smacked his hand over the creature's mouth.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. "You've put yourself in range of a steel-type, and I can tell you're a rock-type. This should be a problem for you." He pulled himself up, drawing his face closer to the monarch's as he shifted his hand down to the creature's neck. "Now. Tell me. Why did you attack us?"
The monarch bared its fangs once more and leaned down. "Do you think you scare me, little rogue? I am Goliath, of Her Majesty's Guard. This is but a fraction of my ar—"
Bill frowned and held a hand up to the ixodida's temple. He channeled another wave of silver-blue energy into his palm, and another Magnet Bomb flared into existence within the thin space between his fingers and Goliath's head. The monarch stopped, shutting his mouth as his eyes shifted towards the ball.
"That's odd," Bill said. "My partner said your kind didn't have a high regard for names. I didn't think any of you chose one, much less one that's obviously of human origin. Are you a rogue too?"
"Certainly not!" Goliath barked, shifting his eyes back to Bill. "Your partner has failed to teach you many things if it did not tell you that much. It is such a shame that you shall die ignorant of our ways."
Bill tilted his head. "That's the funny thing. You still haven't answered my question. Why are you trapping me here? You clearly don't want to attack us. Or me, in any case. You've had me pinned for the past several minutes, and as invulnerable as most of my skin is, you should know that my face is not as resistant to your rock fists. So, what do you want?"
Goliath chuckled. "Oh, little one. If only you knew. All right. I shall tell you." He leaned down a little more. "Our forces are in the process of telling Her Majesty about your existence. She will pass judgement unto you, and should she find you to be dangerous to her cause, you will be eradicated. We are merely hindering you on your travels until we hear from her."
"Wouldn't it be awkward if it turns out I'm harmless?" Bill replied with a smirk.
"You are of the Gray Rebellion. No one among your kind is harmless to Her Majesty."
Bill closed his eyes and shrugged. "Well. You have a point, I'm afraid." Opening his eyes once more, he smiled. "Of course, I'd be your enemy either way. Your lot has made it clear you're not interested in peaceful negotiations, and … well. Not to put too fine a point on it, but your presence here has been rather inconvenient for the native species."
He paused. In his silence, he tilted his head back to glance towards the floating rocks. Goliath followed his gaze, but the two of them knew it wasn't the circle Bill was so interested in. It was the quiet. There was not a single sound. Not even the cries of the other ixodida.
"Oh dear," Bill said. "Sounds like your army's been defeated."
Bill looked back at Goliath. He unwrapped his tail from the monarch's waist, and his hand moved to Goliath's chest.
"That's a shame," he finished.
He released the energy pent up in his hand. Goliath screeched but couldn't dodge, and the Magnet Bomb exploded across his chest and sent him flying. A jet of water pierced the air and slammed into the rock-type with full force, knocking him to the right with a jolt. But before he could sail much further, Wartortle's shell spun into view and smashed into Goliath's stomach. The monarch came crashing down mere feet from Bill in a heap, and Wartortle drew himself out of his twirling shell.
Flipping onto his stomach, Bill scurried on all fours until he reached the monarch. His hands turned the creature over roughly so he could examine his face. That was the least damaged part of Goliath's body, and because of that Bill made it a point to look at it instead of at the gaping, geode-like hole in the creature's stomach. He studied the monarch's shut eyes for a second, making sure Goliath wasn't about to recover soon. Then, he got to work, searching the alien's body for his core.
"Adam, I understand why we need to get rid of the parasite, and given the fact that Raye is so close, I wouldn't mind doing it this time," Bill said as he ran his hands over Goliath's arms and legs. "However, is it really necessary to eat it?"
Yes.
"May I ask why?"
You earthlings are too gentle. You consider defeat to be when one of your pokémon makes the other faint. My kind considers defeat to be when one of us completely destroys the other. Consumption is both a ritualistic metaphor for annihilation and a literal means to ensure that our enemy cannot seek revenge.
"All right. Forget I asked."
Bill flipped Goliath onto his back and found the core attempting to unbury itself from its host's neck. With a quick swipe, he latched his claws into Goliath's flesh and ripped the parasite free. Lifting it into the air, he stared at it, at the eight, tiny legs it flailed beneath its bulbous body. Then, after a deep, steadying breath, he popped the flailing creature into his mouth and bit down. The parasite's carapace shattered and released its sour bodily fluids in a burst of acidic displeasure quicker than Bill had anticipated, and he gagged but forced himself to swallow nonetheless. As soon as the parasite was gone, he pressed his hands into the earth and coughed. Behind him, he could hear the crash of the rock barrier falling.
We will need to work on your tolerance, Adam commented.
Bill waved him off. "No! No, I'm all right. But what if you take over for this part next time?"
No.
Casting a wince to the side, Bill replied, "I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be your partner, Adam."
Likewise. Now, if you are quite done, I do believe you have a promise to fulfill.
"A prom—oh."
Rising to his feet, Bill turned to face Wartortle. The pokémon sat a few feet away, his legs crossed and his back turned to his companion. Upon approaching him, Bill could see the exceedingly bored look on the turtle's face. Pausing briefly, Bill slipped his hand back into his glove and offered it to the turtle.
"Wartortle, you did very well," he said. "Come on. Let me take you back to Raye."
The turtle looked up with a rough grin and a chuckle before reaching to take Bill's hand. As soon as the pokémon grasped it, Bill gathered Wartortle into his arms and pushed off the ground with Magnet Rise, and within seconds, they were skimming the battlefield. It didn't take long at all to find Raye after that. She was hiding yards from the main part of the battlefield, just over the crest of the hill where Bill had devoured the headless machop. The corpse was thankfully out of Raye's line of sight, not that she would have noticed anyway. After all, she sat with her knees drawn to her chest and her face buried in her crossed arms. Abby sat next to her, motionless and quiet until Bill and Wartortle approached. As soon as they were close, the absol turned her crimson eyes to them and emitted a low bark. Raye drew her face up and looked at her brother with teary eyes.
"Nii-chan," she said.
Bill landed and let Wartortle hop out of his arms. Then, he knelt beside Raye and placed a hand on top of her head.
With a broad smile, he said, "Well. It's about time I kept a promise to you, isn't it?"
She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, and to that, he chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
"You fought all those ixodida," she murmured.
"Mmhmm." Bill lowered his head. "Were you scared?"
She shook her head. "You killed them, though. Didn't you?"
Then, Bill froze. With those words, what he did during the battle finally hit him. He did. He killed someone. And not only was he in control, but he also had no qualms about what he was doing. His mind flicked back, back to the feeling of using Iron Tail on his own for the first time. All of those ixodida he had cut in half…
Bill set his jaw. He wouldn't have done it as a human. That much he knew. Yet something about this felt odd. He knew he should have felt an immense amount of guilt and revulsion, but although he did feel a little disgusted with himself, it wasn't the same. He wasn't screaming on the inside the way he had in the basement of the pokémon center. He wasn't freezing up like the time after he had dismembered the ground-type monarch. No. He was guilty and disgusted, but at the same time, he felt removed from it. Like it was a thing he had to do. A job.
He swallowed. What's wrong with me?
Nothing, Adam said. You are simply adapting.
Bill slouched, relaxing his muscles a little. It wasn't an act of relief or comfort. It was an act of uncertainty. He tried not to shake, not to shudder, as he placed a hand on the side of Raye's face and pushed her to look at him again. Gazing down at his sister, Bill felt as if his mind was slowly grounding itself—as if he was coming back down to Earth.
Yes, the ixodida were dead. Yes, he killed them. But he had to stay together. He couldn't think about what that meant for him. Not now. Not with Raye depending on him.
"Listen," he said. "Raye … I know what I did was wrong. Scary, even. But I had to do it because you were in danger, okay? Everything I'm going to do from here on out, I'm doing it so I can protect you. Please believe me when I say I'm not changing, and I would never hurt you. Understand?"
Even as he said them, Bill knew that the words sounded hollow—like they were more for himself than for her. Yet they just felt like the right things to say. A mantra more than a vow. He was doing this to protect her, and that was why it was justified. He was not a monster. He would not be a monster. He was who he always was.
Still, the look Raye gave him made it clear she knew why he said what he did. Her frown deepened slightly, but her eyebrows furrowed in concern. She tightened her arms as much as she could as her frown dissolved into a small, reassuring smile.
"Daijoubu," she said. "I know."
Bill shut his eyes and rested his chin on his sister's head. "Raye … I'm sorry. I really am."
Raye drew herself up, her fingers tangling in her brother's shirt. But before she could respond, her absol craned her face to the sky and howled.
Immediately, Bill turned his attention to her. A chill ran through his body as the howl echoed through the canyon.
"Abby?!" he cried. Standing, he pulled away from Raye and looked up towards the hill. "What is it?"
The dog growled, and in his head, Bill translated it into, "They're coming."
"They're coming? Who?" Bill cast his glance back to the absol. "Abby—"
And then, he noticed it: the teeming, red spot rushing up the hill. All at once, something in his brain clicked, and he knew what he was looking at. The ixodida—the parasites. He realized then that he had forgotten to do the one thing Lanette told him he had to do.
He didn't kill the parasites.
Bill yelped and whipped himself around to put his body between Raye and the approaching wave. Shutting his eyes tightly, he erected a Protect and braced himself. It was too late to summon Magnet Rise, too late to escape. But he wasn't about to let them infect his sister.
There was an explosion behind him, followed by a series of pops. Opening one eye, Bill glanced over his shoulder and found a manectric standing on the crest, staring down at the splattered remains of the parasites. The manectric turned his head and barked, and suddenly, Thom appeared, standing on top of a hovering magnezone.
"Good job, Manectric! Return!" he called out.
Thom held up a poké ball to draw his pokémon back to safety. As soon as Manectric was off the field, Thom sat down, hooking his legs around the magnezone's antenna.
"Bill! Rachel! Good thing I found you guys!" he said. "Come on! You don't have much time! You gotta recall Abby and Wartortle and get out of here!"
"What?" Bill blinked at him. "Thom, what's going on?!"
"It's the ixodida!" he replied. "Their parasites are detaching!"
"Yes, I can see that!" Bill answered.
"No, you don't understand! That wasn't all of them! The rest are at the bottom of the hill, and Bill, there's gotta be close to fifty left! You're gonna get swarmed!"
Raye cried out and yanked herself away from her brother. At his side, Bill could hear the sounds of a pair of poké balls whirring to life, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Thom. How did he know where they were? What was he doing there? A thousand questions flooded Bill's mind right then, enough to dull the shock of what Thom had actually said.
"Hey!" Thom shouted. "Bill, snap out of it! We gotta get Rachel out of here! I'll explain everything later, okay?!"
The boy is right, Adam said. We failed to check the others. If we do not move, that will prove to be the gravest mistake we have made together. Now go!
Bill's body whirled around to face Raye just as she recalled Abby and Wartortle, and his armor flashed with Magnet Rise. At that point, he finally shook off the shocked feeling keeping him rooted to the spot.
"R-right." Then, shaking his head again, he pushed off the ground and reached for Raye. "Right! Raye, come on!"
Without question, Raye jumped up to grab her brother's hands, and as quickly as she could, she pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around his chest. He adjusted his hold on her before flicking his tail behind him and rising to join Thom. Seconds later, the magnezone clipped through the Hoennian evening, leading both trainers and the ixodida farther and farther east, away from the battlefield.