Before the chapter starts I just wanted to say one important thing. As I've continued to write this story, I've began to feel more comfortable and felt that I have been improving quite a bit. I plan to edit the beginning chapters of this story because honestly, I'm a little disappointed at how poorly they came out. Make sure to read the author's comments at the end of the Chapter! Also, please Review with any comments, suggestions, or questions you have! It really helps! Enjoy!
It had been about a week since Cynthia introduced the idea of the group's first mission. Since then, they had all been busy learning the basics of the mission, along with beginner training, steadily progressing to more advanced training. While May and Sarah spent the majority of the week training their Pokemon and learning basic survival techniques, Kai was assigned with training his aura and studying the Mission's plan, having to know it like the back of his hand since he was appointed leader of the group, for obvious reasons. The ground team would consist of Kai, Sarah, Lucario, May, Seiya, and a young boy named Silas. Silas was sixteen years old. He had medium length blue hair, which occasionally covered part of his face. Silas stood at about 5'8 and was a bit scrawny. Kai knew not to underestimate the size of the boy, since he witnessed first hand that Silas was fairly decent at hand to hand combat. However, he lacked the experience of real rights, having grown up in a monastery.
The group had gotten to know Silas better since they first met seven days ago. He was a quiet guy for the most part, who sometimes appeared as "spaced out" and not paying attention. While he may appear this way, he was the most observant kid in the room, being able to quickly analyze situations and details many couldn't pick up on. Silas is also a very quick learner, being able to learn skills and information, putting them to use. While the boy had a great amount of potential due to his high intellect, observing nature, and skill in martial arts, Silas lacked experience in some departments and was not a very good trainer. Due to this, the boy would not have a large role in the first mission the group had, most likely staying back and offering support if it was absolutely necessary.
Currently, the group stood in one of the debriefing rooms. In three days, the group would be infiltrating and shutting down one of Chaos's bases in Eterna City. Cynthia touched the transparent computer screen on the board, showing a high resolution layout of what Kai assumed to be as the base of operations. The base wasn't insanely big, but was a fairly large size. It was three floors and estimated to be approximately 30,000 square feet total. The camera first zoomed onto the roof of the base.
"I know we've went over Operation Eterna countless times this week but I wanted to run through the basics one last time. May and Sarah will land on the roof of the base by one of their flying Pokemon. The two will wait for Kai to give them the signal, before entering through the west side door. This will be the safest entrance, considering it is not guarded heavily and provides plenty of cover." Cynthia explained, speaking with an easy understanding of the plan. The computer screen that fit to the large board in front of the group then revealed a garage door at the back of the base.
"Kai, you and Lucario will be entering together through the garage. You will have to deal with a good amount of security and grunts at the front, but should be alright once you reach the garage. By entering the garage, you won't set off any alarms as opposed to a main door on the first floor. Are we clear on that?" Cynthia asked almost rhetorically, knowing that Kai and Lucario had been preparing for this mission constantly. Kai and Lucario flashed a smile, before shaking their heads to mess with Cynthia. Cynthia simply sighed, before moving onto the next part.
"Kai, you will take out as many grunts while remaining stealthy. We can't afford you being spotted right away, alerting the whole building of your presence. While making your way through the building, there will be a couple offices where you need to retrieve important files. I'm sure you know which ones those are. During this time, May and Sarah will be disabling the alarm system with the help of Seiya on the third floor. There will be a some grunts occupying this floor, but not too many. It is important to not be caught before we are able to disable the alarms and communications with other Chaos bases!" Cynthia stressed, her eyes scanning across the people in front of her.
"Once the alarm and communication systems are down, Kai, Sarah, and May are able to use whatever force necessary in any manner to capture and defeat the remaining grunts and agents inside the base. Due to the reconnaissance we have completed over the past month, our organization has no evidence to suggest there will be any high ranking Chaos agents." Cynthia stated, before walking closer to the first row of seats.
"Seiya, you will be inside the Communications Van, monitoring the Ground and helping things run smoothly. Keep the others updated on the grunts present on each floor, the layout of the building, and whatever they need help with." Cynthia finished, expecting an answer from the sixteen year old. Seiya bowed respectfully, before replying.
"Yes ma'am. I won't let you down." the dark colored hair teenager stated determined. May smiled at Seiya, respecting how polite and determined he was. Cynthia then turned to Silas, who was staring at the ground rather than the board or Cynthia. Knowing the teenager was paying attention, she continued.
"Silas, I want you to be in front of the base, 500 feet between the Communications Van and the base. Since you're still inexperienced like Seiya, I need you to serve as backup in case something goes wrong. There's a high probability that Seiya will need you to to complete something for him, or that someone is in a tricky situation inside the base. This is where you can help the team succeed." Cynthia told Silas, who finally looked up at her once she finished talking. Silas nodded at the Champion, before replying with, "Yes Ms. Shirona. I understand."
Since Silas was new to Project Giratina and he was still very inexperienced, he completely understood why he had such a little role. It was normal. Even though Seiya was inexperienced as well, the tall teenager excelled with computers and Communications, making him valuable for "Communications."
"That is all I have for you today. Kai, I need you and Lucario at the sparring field immediately. The committee and a few important people have requested to see your aura skills. You guys are welcome to come spectate if that's alright with Kai. I'm also curious to see how you have improved over the past week in regards to your aura training." Cynthia remarked honestly, curious how Kai had gotten better. Over the past week, Cynthia had seen Kai train nonstop and like a madman, improving himself and his aura skills. Kai had been everywhere from the weight room, to training his Pokemon, to sparring with Lucario. The young man had even been spending countless hours preparing for Operation Eterna by studying the building's layout and the plan Cynthia had been lecturing them about.
Kai nodded, before Cynthia left the room, leaving the group in the briefing room together. Kai had stood up from his chair, ready to leave to the sparring field with Lucario before being stopped by May.
"You nervous?" May questioned smiling, even though she already knew the answer to her question.
"Excited. Lucario and I have been training hard to get better. Looking forward to impressing all the "Big Guys" watching." Kai told May, saying "big guys" in a mocking manner. May laughed at this, crossing her arms together while looking at Kai.
"Well, you know we'll all be there to watch and support you. " May told Kai before uncrossing her arms, taking a step forward and hugging him. Kai returned her hug, happy that they would be watching him.
"Master, are they aware that you are going to lose this sparring match? You've only bested me twice this past week. I don't know if you should have your girlfriend come to watch you lose." Lucario commented out of nowhere, facing Kai and May smirking. May blushed at being called Kai's girlfriend, while Kai threw a pencil at Lucario's head, glaring at him during the process. Lucario laughed, ducking underneath the pencil, before leaving the room quickly, wanting to avoid any more projectiles being thrown at him. Kai left the room soon after, leaving May, Sarah, Seiya, and Silas to chat for a bit.
"I'm really excited to see Kai spar against Lucario. It will truly be a phenomenal battle, regardless of who wins this sparring match." Seiya said to the group, excited to finally see Kai use his aura skills. Seiya and Silas had yet to see Kai sparring while using aura. While the two of them had wanted to see this for the first time, it was Silas who had the most interest in this, even if he didn't show it.
"Well get ready Seiya cause it starts in ten minutes! Are you excited too Silas?" Sarah questioned the short boy.
Silas stared at the wall when replying to Sarah. "Um I guess so. I believe I'm more eager to finally see Mr. Ledger show off his fighting skills. It will be helpful to my own fighting techniques and skills. Hopefully, I can pick up a few things from him." Silas stated neutrally, his face not expressing much emotion. The group rolled their eyes hearing Silas address Kai as, "Mr. Ledger", but smiled nonetheless. They understood that Silas was an extremely formal teenager who was a bit awkward and socially unaware. They still accepted him nonetheless. Seiya and Silas also had very similar personalities, making them quickly become friends. They both were very gifted intellectually. They both are respectful and formal individuals, creating another similarity for the two trainers to bond over. Finally, they are both inexperienced, making it easier for them to relate to each other.
The two sixteen year old's weren't the only ones who had bonded over the past week. Sarah and May have become increasing closer due to working closely for Operation Eterna. They both admired each other and due to being the only girls in the group, they hung out often. While the two of them got along pretty well now and considered each other as friends, May still tended to get jealous at Kai and Sarah's interactions. Kai had noticed this, thanking Arceus for May not knowing about their moment in the hot tub. While Kai could be completely wrong when thinking May would be upset, he realized that maybe he gave himself too much credit. There was not a lot of evidence indicating May even liked Kai. Due to this, Kai was completely uncertain about how both girls truly felt about him.
Eventually, May, Sarah, Seiya, and Silas left to the sparing grounds. They arrived shortly, seeing Lucario and Kai stretching before the fight began. The sparring field looked extremely similar to a Pokémon battlefield. It had a dirt floor and bleachers around the field. The one major difference was that the sparring field was drawn as a circle with a line across the middle. The sparring field also had a large room in front of it, stretching out to at least 500 square feet.
The room contained a window panel facing the field, rather than a wall. Inside the room, members of Project Giratina and famous figures chatted inside, anticipating the start of the sparring match. Cynthia's committee she had built to help run Project Giratina, we're all present ( About 20 men and women). There were several Sinnoh gym leaders, elite four members across the world, and more present. Most surprisingly, however, was the Champion of Kanto and Johto l, chatting with Cynthia by a bar. The two were friendly with each other, smiling constantly and laughing. Soon, everyone took a seat or stood near the panel when Lucario and Kai squared each other up, ready to fight.
"Don't go easy on me friend." Kai told Lucario while smirking, before bowing in respect to his opponent. Lucario nodded and bowed as well, before speaking.
"Of course not Master. One final piece of advice. Trust your aura skills. You are more capable than you believe you are. Good luck." Lucario said, with the two of them bowing one last time before assuming fighting positions. Everyone watched inside the glass room, excited for such a rare experience of witnessing an aura user. Seiya, May, Sarah, and Silas stood next to each other, eager to watch the fight.
"Wait! Hold on Lucario!" Kai shouted suddenly, with everyone watching confused as Kai stood straight up again. The trainer then proceeded to take off his shirt, before throwing it to the side, revealing his well toned body, making a few girls blush and a few guys jealous. Cynthia rubbed her forehead with her fingers, not believing why Kai was doing this at such a serious moment. Others didn't take it as seriously, laughing and whistling at the shirtless boy. Kai winked at the crowd, before resuming his fighting position facing Lucario. The two didn't move, watching each other intensely.
After fifteen seconds, it was Lucario who moved first. He used extreme speed, sprinting towards Kai. Only a few feet away from him, Lucario used close combat on Kai, hoping to overwhelm him with the flurry of strikes. Kai stayed calm, sensing Lucario's quick movements by utilizing his own aura. Determined, Kai was able to block most of the strikes, while dodging the rest of them. Kai was holding his own against his starter Pokemon. This continued on for about thirty seconds. Lucario relentlessly attacked Kai, who continued to defend himself flawlessly. Until Lucario noticed an opening in Kai's defense. Lucario threw one final strike towards Kai's head, before using a Low Kick on Kai's lead leg. Kai barely had time to block the strike, but managed to by holding his arms in front of his face, creating an X. The low kick connected, however, sweeping Kai off his feet and into the ground. Kai looked up at Lucario, noticing the Pokemon preparing to use force palm while his trainer was down.
"This just got bad really quickly." Sarah whispered to the group, worried for Kai. The group silently agreed, hoping for Kai to be able to turn the fight around. Cynthia gritted her teeth, not wanting the fight to end so quickly. She knew how strong Kai was and she had only seen a few glimpses of his aura skills. She needed Kai to turn this around and prove to the Committee alongside other league figures just how important this young man was to Project Giratina. "C'mon Kai. Turn this around and show everyone what you're capable of." Cynthia thought to herself, watching the scene unfold.
Kai stared up at Lucario, running through every possible way he can get out of this situation. It was too late for him to dodge the strike; Lucario was just too quick and skilled. As Lucario began to strike downwards towards his trainer, Kai thought of an idea. While he had been practicing this move, it could either go really good, or very, very bad. "Screw it!" Kai said to himself, before pushing his hands and arms forward as if to catch the strike. Instead, a blue shield appeared in front of Kai, blocking Lucario's force palm. Not only did it completely protect Kai, but also sent Lucario flying through the air, before he gracefully completed a backflip and landed on his feet. Kai laughed out loud, shocked that his aura shield worked perfectly. The shield he held in his hands dissipated, before he pushed himself back up to stand. The whole crowd cheered, including Lance, who was amazed at what he had just witnessed. Cynthia really wasn't joking when she said this kid was special. Special would be an understatement. The young man was one of a kind.
"Well done Master, but let's see you handle this!" Lucario shouted, forming a bone from his aura, likely preparing to use Bone Rush. Suddenly, Kai formed a Bo staff the size of a longsword, holding it with both hands. Over the past week, Lucario had taught him how to form several objects made from aura. Kai was able to perfect a few of them, the fighting staff being one of them. (If you're confused what this looks like, search up Robin fighting staff). While Kai had managed to form a sword and use it a couple times, he hadn't perfected it as well as other weapons or his aura shield. Besides, he wasn't trying to kill Lucario. It was just a sparring match for Christ's sake. Kai rushed towards Lucario first, swinging his Bo staff down. Lucario bent down on one knee, holding the bone over his head to block the strike. The two exchanged strikes with their weapons for a minute, before Kai got the upper hand. The trainer pushed the staff into Lucario's chest, knocking the air out of the Pokémon's chest. Stunned, Lucario couldn't do anything about the aura sphere that was launched towards him, pushing him across the floor until he hit the wall. The spectators cheered loudly, fascinated with the entertaining sparring match they watched. Seiya's glasses shined with interest, May and Sarah jumped up and down ecstatic, and Silas jotted down notes at a rapid pace, wanting to capture everything he could about Kai's battling style and techniques.
Kai sprinted towards Lucario, throwing another aura sphere at him before jumping into the air, hoping to land a kick at the canine's head. What Kai didn't expect was Lucario to catch the aura sphere, before throwing to right back to his trainer. Due to being midair, Kai could not dodge the strike, or lift up an aura shield in time. The aura sphere hit Kai in the stomach, sending him flying into the glass panel the others were watching through. The glass cracked slightly but didn't break. The spectators gasped, backing away quickly when the trainer made impact with the window.
"Fucking show off.." Kai said out loud, speaking about Lucario. He still lay on the ground on his stomach, rubbing his back with his left hand, before using his hands to push himself up. Kai and Lucario were a bit shaken up due to having been sparring for about ten minutes. They were nowhere near done, however. The two began preparing their own aura sphere to send to the other. They both kept charging up their aura sphere, making it increasingly bigger over time. Soon, each other's aura spheres were the size of their body, crackling with electricity and power.
"Ok. This is definitely not good." May stated nervously, twiddling her fingers. While the rest of the room besides May seemed mesmerized by the sight, it was also Cynthia who recognized the danger of the fight at that moment. The Champion of Sinnoh rushed out of the room into the sparring field, before throwing out her Garchomp just as a precaution. Cynthia's Garchomp stood next to her in a fighting stance, ready for whatever Cynthia ordered.
"Both of you, stop! We've seen enough!" Cynthia screamed over the sounds of their aura spheres crackling. Although it took a second, Kai and Lucario turned to her, their faces in shock that she exited the room and was calling the sparring match off. The two let their aura spheres dissipate, before turning to Cynthia, expecting her to say something. Cynthia smiled at the two, impressed with the skill the two showed the spectators and herself.
"You've both showed everyone watching what your capable of. The committee and Project Giratina staff, along with our allies, are extremely impressed. Great job you two. While it would have been entertaining seeing the rest of the battle unfold, I don't need anybody dying at the hands of you too." Cynthia finished, smirking at the two with her arms crossed. Kai rubbed his head embarrassed, while Lucario bowed at Cynthia in understanding. Lance entered the sparring field, before walking up to Kai. Lance offered his hand in greeting, to which Kai accepted.
"That was pretty impressive you two. I look forward to working together in the future. Your future is very bright young man." Lance told Kai, patting his shoulder. Lance wore his typical cloak, with his hair spiked up. "I have to return to Johto due to the work piling up over there, but thank you for this opportunity Cynthia, I'll be in touch." Lance stated before bidding farewell, exiting the training field.
Kai grinned at Cynthia, before speaking one final time.
"I think we're ready to kick some Chaos ass."
Chapter 10 everybody! I put a poll about the story that I wanted to get the readers input on. I'm not sure yet if you are able to see the poll on my profile though. If you guys can let me know through a review or PM that would be great! One last thing! Next chapter will be the first mission. It's my longest chapter yet, being 5K words! Tune in and let me know if you liked it! Please REVIEW or PM me any suggestions or comments you have about the story, it's extremely helpful! See you all soon!