Ultra Beast Sanctuary
The night sky was nearly pitch black.
However, rest rarely came for the Ultra Beasts. The sound of excited, busy work was in the air. The Ultra Beasts quickly returned to work gathering resources for the southern settlement. Xurkitree was eager to keep a large stock in reserve in order to keep them placated after the prior day's scare.
And so, the mosquito-like beasts continued to lift stacks upon stacks of wood over their shoulders while the flat ones cleaved off parts of trees. Descending from the tree leaves, the white, feminine looking beasts returned from the Lake of Rage. They carried round, silk containers filled with water for the workers.
However, the buzzing of their wings was not the only sound in the air. Productivity crawled to a halt when the Beasts noticed a different type of buzzing. It was much deeper than their own and seemed to be getting louder.
Suddenly, there was a shrill, panicked cry from another Beast that kicked the others into gear. They raced toward its source, underneath a round clearing of the tree leaves where open sky could be seen. One of the larger Poipole pointed up at the sky, chittering in panic.
Descending upon the sanctuary were two black helicopters, each sporting four propellers. The Beasts roared, hissed and buzzed at them threateningly, unsure of what these strange machines were.
Large doors on the backs of the helicopters shot open, and the soldiers inside quickly exited by the dozen, keeping their weapons trained on the Beasts. This only served to rile them up further. They leapt up and down, the large mosquito-like ones beating their chests threateningly.
However, there was one thing that made the Beasts reconsider attacking. From the larger of the two helicopters, another man slowly waltzed out into the sun. His appearance caused a different type of excitement among the Beasts.
Their chittering became more rapid, but they no longer were as loud or noisy. Shoulder to shoulder, they huddled close to one another, making themselves seem smaller than they were before rather than larger like a moment ago.
This man, that had disturbed the Beasts so, covered most of his body with a large, white trench coat. His boots stomped down from the metal door as agonizingly slow and methodically as could be.
His hands, having once been tucked neatly into the pockets of his coat, emerged to reveal tight rubber gloves. As he stepped from metal to soil, he brought up his hands to fiddle with his inner shirt for a moment and brush up the edges of his coat near his neck.
Yet what truly frightened the Beasts was his face. Or rather, the lack thereof. Where there should have been a head, there was a steep darkness that swallowed all light it touched. It was like trying to see someone in a room that was nearly pitch black. Everything about this man screamed 'danger' to the instincts of the Ultra Beasts.
Upon making it to the front of the soldiers, The Man marveled at the sight before him with an amused chuckle. "I admit," He began, making the Beasts flinch in response to his voice, "I almost did not believe the reports about your existence. It's hard to believe there were any survivors of your kind."
A ways behind the front row of Beasts, there was a commotion. They parted into two groups, allowing Xurkitree to the front. However, when he spotted the insignia upon the suits of these people before him, he froze.
"O-oh! I did not…expect to see your organization ever again." The old Ultra Beast cleared his throat. "W-well, I am sorry that you came all the way out here. There is nothing we have of value to you, but you are more than free to use the remains of Necrozma's ship for whatever you like."
The Man replied, "We've already taken the liberty of repurposing what we could of that ship." Xurkitree seemed to tremble at his voice. "In fact, we're still busy with that. That's why I'm here."
Suddenly, Xurkitree pointed the edge of his copper, wiry finger at The Man. "I-It's you!" His uncharacteristic reaction caused more unease amidst the beasts, shifting uncomfortably and looking upon their leader with either shock or confusion at his outburst. Some chittered between each other and to him, as if asking for an explanation.
"Necrozma is dead!" Exclaimed the old Beast. "Your business was with him, not me! I will have no part in whatever you're planning!"
Now, not even the hardened, trained soldiers by The Man's side could hide their own shock. They gave him similar reactions to the Ultra Beasts. However, unlike the Beasts, none dared to vocalize their worries. Their expressions went either unnoticed or ignored by The Man, who simply reached into his inner shirt collar and pulled up a necklace.
"I disagree."
What was attached to that necklace made Xurkitree shake like a leaf, visibly recoiling at the sight. There was a small black crystal, edged into a perfect diamond shape. Xurkitree immediately recognized its nature. He was shaken even further when The Man reached into his coat pocket to pull out a handgun. On its underside, a glass container with another crystal inside.
The Man explained, "Necrozma's absence has left all he had in his possession behind. Now, it lies underneath my thumb. However, I admit that not all of his technology has been easy to reverse engineer. That…" He pointed the gun at Xurkitree. "…Is where you come in."
Xurkitree attempted to stand as tall as he could and growled, "What do you want from me?"
"I will make my demands clear," Replied The Man. "You will come willingly to bolster the potency and production rate of my technology. Necrozma's chief engineer and right-hand Beast should serve perfectly." He then waved his gun across the Beasts, making them flinch as he aimed at them. "And the rest of your kind will stay put. If there is any intervention, I will leave none of them alive and take you by force."
There was an immediate outcry from the Beasts, making the Nova Branch soldiers cling to their weapons more tightly. They hissed and buzzed and growled in retaliation to the idea of their beloved leader being taken. The Man raised his arm threateningly. All it would take to bring silence was one simple, wordless order.
"Enough!"
The Beasts fell silent, shock upon all of their faces, when Xurkitree raised his voice at them. He turned toward them, dwarfing almost all of them with full height. "I founded this sanctuary because I did not want you all to suffer for the sins Necrozma and I committed!"
Turning back, he solemnly replied, "I'll go willingly, but only if you leave them unharmed. They have no value to you."
The Man nodded in agreement, indicated only by the slight, foggy movement of the shadow that obscured him. "I agree completely." Silently, he beckoned for his men to approach. They gave him a nod before moving in.
While two of the men circled around Xurkitree as he approached, the others kept their weapons aimed at the Beasts, making a wall between them and their leader. The furious Beasts could not stop themselves from snarling at the soldiers as they drew near. Meanwhile, those soldiers kept their fingers firmly upon their triggers. It would take only one twitch to usher in their end.
"Be quiet!" Ordered Xurkitree over his shoulder. "No matter what happens, you must not interfere!" In spite of how hard he tried to seem, it was clear that he was trembling. "I know I haven't been your commander since Necrozma's rule, and I have no right to do so now, but this is an order: You will not attack, no matter what happens! Is that clear?!"
Even the largest of the Ultra Beasts found their eyes, if they had them, growing wet. Yet they still nodded solemnly. Some of the mosquito beasts saluted to Xurkitree as he entered the smaller helicopter, and as its door shut, mournful cries rang out from the Beasts.
The Man watched intently as that helicopter took flight. Once it had flown past the leaves and could no longer be seen, he pulled out a brown box of cigars and took one out. Upon lightning it, he took a long inhale, then blew it out into the chilly autumn air.
Wordlessly, he pointed two fingers at the Ultra Beasts, then turned around. The soldier nearest to him nodded before addressing the others. As his boot met with the metal door, there was fire and screaming. Panicked buzzing, furious screeches, and the roar of gunfire filled the air, only to be silenced when the helicopter door closed behind The Man.
New Goldenrod City
Xerneas's visits to New Goldenrod City were once frequent, often stopping by to offer aid wherever she could. This, at first, stemmed from Arceus's desire to unite mankind and Pokemon by having the Legends walk among people. The people were more than grateful when Xerneas turned the blackened wasteland that was left in Necrozma's wake into an emerald green plain. Her visits were marked with great cheer from everybody. In time, Arceus's desire grew to become her own. Recent duties and the Team Rocket threat have prevented her from visiting New Goldenrod recently.
That had now changed. Her duties and her desire to visit New Goldenrod City once more now aligned, for she was searching for someone who lived within it. Though she had come to adore the proud city and its residents, there was only one person she could trust with the knowledge of Palkia's disappearance. Even though Arceus himself did not wish to burden him with this knowledge, Xerneas figured that they needed all the trustworthy help they could get.
As Xerneas approached the city's golden gates on its southern end, she couldn't help but to admire the building at the city's center. Star Tower, as its name suggested, towered over every other building in the city. With how cloudy the night was, she couldn't even see the top of it. It was always funny to her how humans always admired such high places without the ability to fly.
A passing resident within the city, momentarily engrossed with their phone, glanced at Xerneas out of the corner of his eye before returning to what they were doing. It took them a moment to realize what they had seen. "Wait, that's Xerneas!" They shouted, catching the attention of those near. "Guys, Xerneas is back!"
Xerneas's attention was taken away from the tower by the sound of excited voices. All at once, hordes of people from the city rushed to meet her. They surrounded her, offering up hello's, cheers and compliments. Although there were thoughtless requests mixed in with the bunch, Xerneas was still happy to see the people of New Goldenrod again.
"Hello again, everyone," She greeted, over their chorus of voices. "It is good to see you all again. It has been too long."
She chuckled as a young child separated themselves from their mother to run up to her leg. "Hi~!" The child said enthusiastically, just before their mother swiped them up in her arms and backed away. She gave a quick apology, then retreated back into the crowd.
While Xerneas watched the mother back into the crowd, she noticed that crowd moving about to make way for something else. "Excuse me," Someone within the sea of people said, "Pardon me, coming through." They repeated similar phrases until they made their way to the front of the group. He was an old-looking man with white hair and a moustache. Xerneas recognized the image of a glowing star upon the heart of his suit as the same one Mr. Star wore when he entered the Hall of Origin.
"Are you affiliated with Mr. Star?" She asked him. Her head craned down to meet him as close to eye level as she could.
Taken aback by her size, the man stepped back before clearing his throat. "Er, yes, I am. I'm a Chief of Trainer Instruction. Why do you ask?"
Xerneas lifted her head to look up at the city. "I'm here to speak with Ash Ketchum, and I am aware that the two work alongside one another. Would you happen to know where I could find him?"
"Ash is...currently deployed on a mission," Explained the Star Foundation chief, "But he should return some time in the morning. We've already sent out a helicopter to retrieve him and his party."
Humming to herself, Xerneas nodded. "I see. Well, while I am here, is there anything I could do to aid your efforts, or at the very least be useful until he arrives?"
Immediately, hands and chattering shot up from the crowd. They barked at her with so many different requests that it was hard to hear them all. Injured Pokemon and friends or relatives, personal bodily pains, requests for pictures and other things were merely a fraction of all that she heard. The Star Foundation chief shouted at them to quiet down. Xerneas was shocked to see that this actually worked. This man must have had more influence than he thought.
"They seem to respect you," She noted.
This earned a chuckle from the Chief as he turned back around. "Well, most people who live in this city are Trainers. Guess who's the one who shaped them up for fighting Team Rocket? I might as well be their drill sergeant."
Xerneas wasn't sure what a drill sergeant was, but nodded along. "I see. In any case, my offer still stands."
The old man scratched at the scruff on his chin. "Well, there is something you could help a couple other experienced Trainers and I take a look at. You see, there's this odd patch of dead plant life south of here…"
Before long, more men working for Mr. Star had gotten the crowd back inside the city. Xerneas herself was asked to wait outside for a large vehicle. They called it a "humvee," but Xerneas was not exactly educated on what any human means of transportation were supposed to be, let alone their names. She expected them to at least make themselves known to her when they were ready.
Eventually, she heard a rumbling 'roar' that she recognized their vehicles to produce. However, what came out of the city was nothing like the cars she had seen before. This "humvee" was taller than the common cars she had seen. It was more armored, even sporting protective windshields on a standing stage atop its roof.
As it stopped on the road beside Xerneas, one of its black windows rolled down to reveal the chief. "Sorry to keep you waiting," He told her, "I had to find some help and get approval to use this thing. I promise it'll be worth it."
Up close, Xerneas could appreciate the vehicle's size more. The tallest part of the humvee was up to her neck. Even the largest of the other cars she had seen during her visits to New Goldenrod had only ever come up to half her height. "Is this necessary?" She asked. "This looks more suited for battle than investigation. Are you expecting something that I should know about?"
He replied, "It's just precautions as far as we know. Better safe than sorry in these times. If Team Rocket is behind this, we'll need to be prepared." He jabbed a thumb behind him, but the inside was too dark for Xerneas to see what he was pointing to. "I have these boys to take care of too. They're sorry excuses for Trainers, but they're under my command." Xerneas heard protests from within the humvee which he was quick to shut down. "Be quiet, you! You're not getting paid to bellyache."
The old man turned back to Xerneas, then said, "Just follow us. We'll be doing a bit of offroading from here, but I'm sure you're more accustomed to that than we are."
When Xerneas nodded, he rolled up his window. The tires' movement crunched the gravel underneath as they began rolling. They curved, bringing the humvee off of the road before taking off into the plains. Xerneas looked down upon the tire marks left upon the crushed grass and sighed. As she trotted after them, her footsteps infused the ground with life, sprouting flowers along the tire tracks.
She continued after them for longer than she thought. Just how far south was this mysterious patch? Just as she was entertaining the idea of trotting up beside the humvee to ask how much longer they had to go before they were at the patch, she noticed its pace slowing. It turned all of a sudden, doing a full turn before screeching to a halt. The doors flew open and six men in fancy-looking black suits emerged from the vehicle. One of them went left from the main group and placed a black, round device upon the grass.
From it, a beam shot into the air. The beam widened out, forming a translucent dome around them. Xerneas watched as it cleaved a tree in two before meeting with the ground. The areas of the tree it touched lit aflame on contact before collapsing.
So, it was like that. "I'm not seeing any dead plant life around here," She japed, feigning ignorance. Turning her attention upon the fallen tree, she added, "Well, besides that one."
"Give it a few minutes," One of the Black Suits replied. "That much depends on your cooperation."
The last of the car's doors opened and the old man stepped out. He wore the same black suit as the others, now also sporting the same shades over his eyes. The patch over his heart had changed to an exploding star. Instead of saying anything, he tapped a button on the side of his glasses. A projection of light from his glasses formed the image of a man even older than himself. A small, balding man in a labcoat.
That older man waved to Xerneas. "Greetings, Xerneas," He said. "My name is Doctor Benedict Mengele. In case you haven't noticed, you are trapped."
"I am aware."
He clapped his hands together. "Good!" Exclaimed the old man. "That means we can skip any further formalities. I'll make things clear then. By now, you are already aware we have your counterpart, Yveltal, under our control. Surrender yourself to us or it will die."
Xerneas stared into the man's eyes firmly. Even as a hologram, she did not like what looked back at her. "Are you even aware what killing him will do?"
Benedict pulled out a stack of notes on a clipboard. He put on a pair of glasses, flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for, then replied, "According to myth, when Yveltal approaches death for itself, it absorbs the life force of everything around itself to replenish its own."
She said, "His range is quite large when he does it, you know." Sending sideways glances to some of the Black Suits, she added, "If Yveltal is located here in Johto, then these people in front of me are at risk. Not to mention yourself if you're close enough to him to threaten his life."
"And everything within New Goldenrod City," He countered.
Xerneas raised a brow at him questioningly. "Are you not worried for yourself?"
The old doctor merely laughed at that, his belly jiggling like a jug. "Oh, Xerneas. You may be the exception, but death comes for us all." Some of the Black Suits glanced at him uncomfortably, if only for a small moment. "But...I suppose an early death would prevent me from carrying out more experiments. If you want to resist, the choice is yours. However, I cannot imagine the way we would bring you in would be particularly pleasant. Either way, life and death will be reunited."
He reached over to something, then stopped. "Oh, that reminds me. We've found and captured a handful of Zygarde cells as well, so you won't be able to rely on their full power."
And with that, the hologram shut off. The Black Suits raised a variety of weapons against her. From spearguns to regular guns to other things she couldn't even put a name to. None of them looked particularly pleasant. Even the old chief had one hand on the plasma knife on his belt.
Xerneas asked, "How is it that all of you managed to infiltrate the Star Foundation?"
"That was easy," Answered the Chief. "The guy's not exactly picky about who he hires. All I had to put on my application was that I was good at raising Pokemon and then I was in."
Merely nodding along, she overlooked the group of Black Suits. It was smaller than she anticipated an attempt on her life would be. "They sent only six after me?" She wondered aloud. "I can't imagine this was officially sanctioned by your leaders."
The Chief, with a chuckle, replied, "You're smarter than I gave you credit for, but…" With a finger, he drew a circle in the air to motion around them. "Considering where we are, maybe not too much credit."
Xerneas let out an amused hum. "What are you talking about? I'm exactly where I want to be. From here, I am in a perfect position to get Yveltal's location out of you. By your own hand, you have eliminated the chance of escape."
At once, all of the Black Suits barked with laughter. "Really?" One of them asked. "You expect us to feel threatened by the Pokemon of Life? There's no records of you killing anything, and hardly any of you fighting. Even during the battle against Necrozma, you were only there to heal." He aimed the speargun right between her eyes. "No, we're not falling for your bluff, and you're coming with us. Luckily for us, killing you is a lot harder than just making you unable to resist, so we've got a lot of leeway."
Though only the slightest hint, a small, wry grin rose from Xerneas's face. "Well, of course. Killing you would stop me from learning what I want to know." A potent white glow emerged from underneath her feet. From it, flowers sprouted up and bloomed. "I am the Pokemon of Life. I give only life to things." That light flowed up through her legs to the rest of her body. Her blue horns were suddenly filled with all manner of colors, and those colors swirled around her in brilliant flares. "Including you all, who stand before me now."
One of them spat at her. "As if!" He fired the speargun straight at her head. Before it could touch her eyes, a Protect manifested to catch it. It spun rapidly in an attempt to drill through the shield, but ultimately, the pressure of its own speed and the dulling of its edge against her barrier made it snap in two before falling back at the Black Suit's feet. "...What the...?"
"Open fire!" Ordered the Chief. As they readied themselves to follow his command, he pulled himself to the top of the humvee. Behind the black windshields on its top, there was a large weapon. Bullets came flying at Xerneas from the other Black Suits, but she leapt out of harm's way with surprising speed. "The hell?" Cursed the Chief, hardly believing his eyes. "How did it move so quickly?!"
From Xerneas, endless streams of gleaming energy emanated. The grass around her slowly grew from contact with her alone. "Geomancy," She answered, "The power of the world we share."
Those on the ground opened fire on her once more, but their jaws went slack when an entire tree simply shot up from the ground in front of Xerneas to shield her. The bullets chipped away at its bark gradually, but every wound inflicted upon it seemed to disappear in seconds. A colorful veil of light shielded the tree from taking any permanent harm.
The chief cranked something on the large gun mounted on the humvee, then fired a bolt of concentrated flame from it. It impacted the tree with such force and speed that the tree exploded before having a chance to regenerate. Yet this left a very much unharmed Xerneas with a look of mild irritation. She tapped her foot onto the ground, and a massive swirl of vines emerged, writhing in a path toward the vehicle.
"This is what we prepared for!" Cried the Chief. "Go!"
One of the Black Suits took an odd-looking gun with a rounded cylinder strapped to its top in hand. From it, he sprayed a substance upon the vines that melted away at them before long.
Xerneas narrowed her eyes at this. "Acid. You really did work this all out, didn't you?"
She glanced to her side as one of them slid across the ground with their hookshot before launching themselves at her with a plasma knife. However, they only got so far before they stopped in the middle of the air. A large patch of vines and bramble emerged to keep the Black Suit still. "Damn plants!" They hissed. When they tried to raise their shield to ward off the growth, they found themselves completely unable to pry their limbs from the firm hold of the plants. "What the-?! What is this crap?!"
Another Black Suit shot acid at the base of the brambles that held their ally, only for another swirl of vines to rise up and take the blow. It swiftly blackened and wrinkled before sinking into the ground, yet leaving the original target unharmed.
Xerneas stepped in front of the trapped Black Suit. "Lay down your weapons," She told the others. "There is no need to fight."
Their response was merely to open fire upon her once more. Instead of leaping out of the way and leaving the trapped Black Suit behind her exposed, she raised Protect once more and marched into the fire. Only when their aim was off of their ally's direction did she face them once more. Even with her power, Protect wasn't meant to last for long.
The moment she dropped the barrier, they were on her like ants. One of them tried slashing at her ankle with a plasma knife. Others shot at her relentlessly with acid. The Chief launched bolt after flaming bolt her way. Nimbly, she evaded most of it. Yet all of this was merely to distract her while one of the Black Suits set up an ice mine. The plants she conjured to trap them were quickly dealt with, either slashed, burned or dissolved before they could properly grow to the point they would be effective.
It was no wonder to Xerneas that these people gave those at the island so much trouble. Still, they were a thousand years and an army short to be trying to take her on. Once more, she summoned Protect in order to speak her mind. "We are all denizens of this world. There has been enough fighting and death. Come, let us-"
"Now!"
Xerneas had only a split second to look at the ice mine at her feet before it exploded in her face. She and her barrier were turned into statues in only a fraction of a second. Like their master, the writhing plants on the field fell still without anything to fuel their growth. The Black Suits kept their weapons aimed at the icy globe for a moment, but when nothing happened, gradually relaxed.
"Looks like that's that," Said the Chief as he hopped down from the humvee. "Luckily, it's Xerneas. If anything could survive those ice mines besides Groudon, it'd probably be Xerneas."
"It's a good thing, too," One Black Suit said. "If life comes from her, what'd happen to us if she died?" That question earned dirty looks from the others. He glanced around at them and shrugged. "What?"
Another Black Suit knocked him upside the head. "Idiot. Do you really believe that crap? It's just something the Legends spew to keep people off their backs."
The first one raised his arm to prevent himself from being hit again. "Alright, alright!" He insisted, rubbing his head in the stricken area. "I get it. So, how long do we have to wait before the ice is safe to touch?"
"Should only be an hour or so," Answered the Chief. "More than enough time for a resource pickup to get here and haul it back for us. Even if it wasn't sanctioned, capturing Xerneas is more than enough to get us off the hook. Maybe even an upgrade. Heard Ryder's guys are dropping recently, so maybe there are some open..."
The Chief trailed off as his attention was caught by something within the orb of ice. A small light, but growing by the second. The ice cracked, and just when the Black Suits raised their shields in preparation for shards of ice to come flying at them, the orb simply fell apart at Xerneas's feet and melted into the ground. Xerneas narrowed her eyes at the men, unnerving them.
"How?!" Cried the Chief. "You were frozen from the inside out!"
Xerneas smirked at him. "Life always finds a way. With the help of another Geomancy, of course." She raised her leg, only to gently tap it on the grass. The Black Suits all cried out when plants began growing around their ankles, rising to do the same to the rest of them.
As the plants grasped at one of their wrists, they shot acid at it and pulled their wrist back. They had expected the acid to melt through the part that grabbed them, but the plant resisted it. The sheer amount of life flowing through it prevented the acid from dissolving it. Instead, the act of pulling back against the bramble ended up bringing their own acid down upon them. Xerneas's eyes widened. She tried to free him to let him raise his shield, but it was too late.
The acid splashed upon the Black Suit. He fell to the ground clawing at his face and eyes as he screamed. While his comrades could only watch on in horror, Xerneas leapt into action. The colorful sprites of life that surrounded her sent a wave of life over the Black Suit. The acid was washed away into the ground where it dissolved into nothingness. The Black Suit, meanwhile, continued to claw as his face, not realizing that it was still there until the lack of pain finally registered.
He shot back to his feet with a gasp, and when he saw the acid sprayer, kicked it away. "The...the hell…?! What in the...what?" As he tried to find his words, he continued to touch his face, hardly believing that it was still there. Though it was the most horrible thing he had experienced in his life, he realized that he could no longer even remember the sensation of pain. With wide eyes and a ragged breath, he turned his sights upon Xerneas.
"Why?" He asked. "Why did you save me? We're enemies!"
Gently, Xerneas shook her head. "We are not. This world is ours, together. I like to at least imagine we are both fighting for something we care for. Though your wills and mine are opposed, there has to be a reason that you consider Pokemon your enemies."
Slowly and with steps so gentle she hardly disturbed the grass, she walked toward the Black Suits. "I would like to learn this reason. Our world has seen far too much unnatural death. I will not usher in any more. Rather, I would like to know you. If I can learn to see your perspective, it is not impossible for you to see from mine."
Without any shades to obscure his face or shield to hide behind, Xerneas could see the wheels turning in the Black Suit's head through his expression. Thought became inner turmoil as his sense of duty wrestled with his sense of gratitude.
"…Alright," He answered. "I'll hear you out."
At that, the Chief thrashed against his bindings. "What?! The hell are you thinking?!"
The Black Suit whipped around, exclaiming, "It saved my life! You heard the doctor. He doesn't care about us at all! That old piece of Muk waste would have killed us for the sake of it!"
His face becoming pale, the Chief lashed out at the plants with more vigor than before. "You don't know what you're doing, boy! Don't you get close to that thing or we'll all regret it!"
In response, the Black Suit reached up to the patch over his heart and tore it off. The sound of Velcro made the old man wheeze as if he had been hit in the chest.
"No!"
Tossing the insignia to his commander's feet, the Black Suit said. "Forget it. I'm not going to work for an organization that would let its members die if it suited them. I quit."
He had expected a whirlwind of curses, spitting and accusations of treason from the Chief. When the old man began to whimper and shake his head, a sense of unease washed over him.
"You shouldn't have done that," The Chief wheezed weakly. "Don't you get it? At this level, we don't just get to quit."
The Black Suit raised an eyebrow at him. "What-?"
His body spasmed all of a sudden as the back of his neck lit blue. This occurred for the rest of them. They writhed in their bindings only for a split second as their necks and heads lit up like firecrackers, and before Xerneas could have reacted, they collapsed.
Xerneas gasped and tried to let life flow into them, but was shocked to find that it was too late. The shock from whatever was in the back of their neck had gotten to their brain, ending their lives almost instantaneously. They were dead, and their souls departed, too weak to cling to their world when separated from their mortal shells.
"No…why?"
The Chief's glasses fell from his head and clattered at the ground. From them, the holographic image of Doctor Benedict appeared. "That was a close one! A few more seconds and they might have spilled something they shouldn't have. Loose lips sink ships and all that."
Xerneas shot a fury-filled glare at Benedict. "You!" She seethed. "How could you do something like this to your own people?! Your allies?!"
To that, the hologram glanced at the discarded patch by his feet. "Allies? No, what I killed was a loose end."
"And what of the rest of them?" She demanded. "They were still loyal to you?"
Benedict wagged a finger at her. "Tisk, tisk," He chided, narrowly hiding the amusement in his voice. "All it takes is one domino to make any number of others fall with it. Just the same, any idea of treason can spread unless it is silenced."
"And that was enough to warrant their deaths?"
Without missing a beat, the doctor nodded. "Indeed. We have more bodies to throw at future projects. This was a rogue operation either way, so perhaps silencing them was for the best in the end." He shrugged. "Oh well. It really seemed like Yveltal wanted some companionship too. Not to mention the new one we dragged in."
Xerneas leaned forward intently. "New one? What are you talking about?"
Benedict slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oops! I've said too much. Farewell, Xerneas. Given what is about to happen, I'd say we won't be speaking to each other again."
Before she could question him further, the hologram shut off. Shortly after, all of the sunglasses adorning the Black Suits sparked before the glass itself cracked.
Xerneas could only sigh in disappointment at herself for not seeing this coming. Now, there was only one thing she could do for them. The plants trapping them pulled them toward the ground and grew outward.
Droves of flowers and vines grew over the area, even overtaking the humvee. Large, thorny stems encased the barrier-generating device that trapped her and crushed it. Xerneas sent one last mournful, apologetic glance at the people she couldn't save before a veil of flowers consumed them completely. Then, she turned toward the gleaming city in the distance and began walking.
"…The sun is rising," She noted. "Ash may have returned by the time I get back."
Patiently, Ryder stood next to the desk of his master, awaiting his return to break the news regarding Launcher and Heavy. His helmet jerked up when light filled the dark office. As The Man entered the room, the door hissed shut behind him. He flicked his finished cigar into a trash chute to his left as he made his way toward his desk.
Ryder bowed his head. "Sir." He acknowledged. "I trust that your errand went well?"
"Seamlessly," He replied as he walked past Ryder. Slowly, he planted his hand upon his desk and turned on his heel to face Ryder. "Given how ferocious they were under Necrozma, I expected the Beasts to put up a fight. Xurkitree tamed them quite nicely. Because he ordered them not to retaliate, they just stood there while we made Beedrill hives out of them."
"Really?" Asked an intrigued Ryder. "I am surprised to hear they were so loyal. With their leader still alive, we could have used that loyalty to bolster our own forces, couldn't we?"
As The Man laid back in his chair, he let out a satisfied sigh. "No," He replied, "The Pokemon threat is enough. We don't need them throwing a wrench into things."
He rotated his chair to face the back wall. "Besides, Xurkitree is just as loyal to them as they were to him. If he thinks they're still alive, he'll cooperate with our orders. That's all we need." Realizing something else, he raised a finger and added, "Not to mention what would happen if word of the Beasts' existence got out. The first wedge has already been driven between people and Pokemon. We can't give them a common enemy."
The armored man bowed once more. "Your wisdom yet again dwarfs my own. You're always thinking ten steps ahead."
The Man chuckled. "Those ten are simply the ones I admit to thinking of."
"I do not doubt it, sir," Ryder replied as he stood back up. "In any case, would you like the report of Launcher and Heavy's mission?"
The Man turned his chair to face Ryder again. "I had forgotten about that, what with everything else going on," He admitted. Almost lazily, he gave a slight wave with his hand still on his arm chair. "Go ahead."
Forgotten? Ryder was surprised to hear that his master could do such a thing. "…The mission was a complete failure. Launcher and seventy-two of the one-hundred and fifty men sent to deal with this threat fell in battle. Neither of the targets were neutralized, and Heavy…" Ryder was unable to contain the mirth in his voice when relaying the news. "…Deserted the mission. His last location was approaching Ecruteak City."
Placing an elbow upon his armrest, The Man lowered his head onto the flat of his fist as he mulled this over. "Is that so?" He asked with moderate disinterest. "Well, just set off the self-destruction of his suit and that will be the end of that."
Ryder clasped his hand into a fist. "I apologize, sir, but Heavy forcibly removed the remote resonator that would respond to a remote detonation, along with his tracker. We would have to hunt him down personally.
With a resigned sigh, The Man replied, "As it stands, we do not have the spare resources to do away with him. Any effort not being spent on weapons production and training staff to use them is going toward research of the Legends. Besides, even if he has removed his tracker and self-destruction unit, he cannot remove his conditioning. It is not as if he will have any desire to help our enemies even if he is not our ally. He can be dealt with once the dust settles."
Kneeling before his master, Ryder placed a solemn hand upon his chestplate. "I could cut down that traitor personally!" He offered. "There could be fewer greater honors than neutralizing a traitor."
"Would those greater honors be beyond sticking to my orders?" The Man asked with a dangerous tone in his voice.
Shuddering, Ryder bowed his head as much as his neck would allow. "N-no, sir!"
To that, The Man grabbed a remote from his desk, turned toward the back wall, and replied, "Good. Because I'll need you on standby to carry them out soon. And to that end…" Upon clicking on the remote, several holographic screens gave the room its only light source. "I have taken the liberty of preparing your newest upgrade."
Ryder lifted his head to see the screens. Upon them, several schematics of his suit were detailed. Yet there were several more icons of his blade shown than usual. Some of which seemed to have fire or lightning on them. Then, he spotted it. Within the hilt of his blade, there was to be a Necrozma crystal.
"Another one, sir?" He asked, unsure.
The Man nodded. "Yes, though for a different purpose than the last time." He clicked a button on the remote to zoom in on the crystal and hilt. "You'll notice that this one is not within your armor. Though your armor will be getting an upgrade as well, the crystal will be focusing purely on offense."
Hearing that, Ryder almost felt relief. "So, I take it there will be no barrier this time?"
Once more, his master nodded. "While the barrier was instrumental in the capture of Mewtwo and all the information Marshadow has been able to pry from the mind of its host, I recognize that it conflicted with your fighting style."
He opened a recording from Ryder's helmet, which he recognized as his battle against Giratina. The angry roars of the renegade dragon boomed throughout his domain. Ryder could still recall feeling those roars shake his body from the inside out.
"It was through this battle that I…re-examined your value," The Man explained, clasping his hands together as he watched the duel. "Even I did not expect you to last so long in a duel against Giratina. Yet I could not help but notice that, in spite of your best efforts, you could not inflict any damage. I designed this new upgrade to change that in future battles, although one against Giratina may not be necessary."
Ryder asked," Why is that, sir?"
The Man merely brushed off the question. "Potential plans for the future, not yet set in stone. All you need to know is that this upgrade will not tack on needless defense. Your offense will be your defense."
Nodding, Ryder said, "Understood, sir. Yet…I do not mean to question your judgement, but are these crystals not better suited for use with other weapons?"
To that, The Man stood up from his seat, opening a drawer on his desk. He pulled out a small case, hardly larger than his hand, and set it on the desk. When he opened it, there were a dozen vials. The Man pulled one up with his finger, revealing yet another Necrozma crystal shard.
"Ryder," He began, "Necrozma's crystals at their full size stand at three feet tall. One of them shattered into three-hundred and twenty-seven different pieces. The other one is still in one full piece."
He gave the slightest of chuckles as he closed the case in front of the dumbfounded Ryder and set it back in his desk drawer. "We do not even have half that number in bases all around the world. The new weapons do use data already acquired from experiments with the crystals, but those crystals are not always needed for their operation."
"I…believe I understand, sir," Ryder told him. In truth, he was still wondering why he was even being given an upgrade while his squadron was deemed unimportant. His master's thought process was something he could never understand. Yet, that was part of what made him so worth serving.
Ryder bowed his head and asked, "When will it be ready? I wish to use your generosity to better serve you as quickly as possible?"
With a finger, The Man directed Ryder toward the exit door. "It has already been prepared and is waiting in laboratory B-17. I have several doctors waiting to make the procedure. It should only take an hour or two at most to change your armor."
Apparently pleased with himself, he added, "I took some inspiration from Launcher's grenades, but I'll brief you more on that once you're fitted."
That reminded Ryder of another detail. "Sir?"
"Yes, Ryder?"
"Our conversation was taken in another direction before I could relay this to you, but it is in regards to the targets of Launcher's and Heavy's mission." He looked up at The Man, awaiting a response. His master silently beckoned him to continue, so he said, "Not only did they survive, but they are currently en route to New Goldenrod City. They will likely be searching for us, and will arrive by morning."
The Man's arms shot out to his sides. "That's perfect!"
"Sir…?"
Excitedly, The Man stood up from his chair. "This stage of the plan would have taken another week of capturing Pokemon at least," He explained, "But if those two can overcome Launcher and Heavy, they should have no problem tearing the city apart in their search for us. This provides us with the perfect opportunity to begin the final stages."
He clasped a hand on Ryder's shoulder. "Quickly, go to your new upgrade. From there, you will oversee the city."
Ryder's head suddenly shot up, realizing what his master was getting at. "That stage? So soon? Is everything in place?"
The Man nodded. "I will see to it that everything will be. It may not adhere to their schedules, but I will make sure everything is as planned."
He clicked another button on his remote. Several images of New Goldenrod City were shown upon the screens on a bird eye view. "Come morning, our men will set the retrained Pokemon upon the city. The people will think that those two Pokemon are leading them."
Tracing his finger along the streets, The Man told Ryder, "You will overlook the city during this to guide those who control our Pokemon. Have them ignore any Pokemon owned by trainers within the city, but to attack anything else. Keep our Pokemon aligned in such ways that no one can escape the city. I'll handle things from there."
Ryder nodded obediently, hound that he was. "Acknowledged. However, for future stages, would it not be possible to utilize Marshadow's host as a source?"
The Man looked at him. Ryder could not tell what expression laid behind the ever-present shadow obscuring his master's face, but it chilled him all the same. "Not exactly," He answered. "Recently, Marshadow was able to pry an interesting bit of information from Mewtwo's mind: Mewtwo was created partially with human DNA."
He turned toward the exit door, folding his hands upon his desk. Staring down at the picture of the Legendary Pokemon he had managed to procure over the years, The Man could feel them leering up at him with disdain. That was fine. They could not match the one he gave back to them.
Especially to Mew.
"No," He said, taking the knife he had implanted into the picture of the mother Pokemon months ago in hand, "A mimicry will not suffice. Perfection cannot be rushed. If we are to complete our goals, we will need a more…" He shoved the blade down through the wood. "…Pure strain."
Authors Note
Pokextinction Fact of the Day: Black Suits, also known as Black-Suited Men, rank just underneath Ryder's armored squadron in terms of the Nova Branch hierarchy. However, the higher you rise within that organization, the more tightly the organization clings to you. At high levels, the information you know is too valuable to simply be let go. Thus, the organization takes certain...precautions to make sure the information cannot be used against them should any agent go rogue. Heavy managed to escape this. While Black Suits merely have the implants in their necks to their spines (whether or not they themselves know this), the procedure is different for Ryder and his squad. They are not exactly fully human, which is why The Man is seeking to replace them except Ryder himself.
That armor doubles as life support because their enhancements were so damaging to their human bodies. Thus, the suit is essentially their body. Wires are veins. Tubes are organs. Metal is flesh. Instead of an electric shock straight to their spine and brain, the suits have commands to shut down and cease moving before exploding to make any information that could be gathered from their suits unusable. Heavy ripped out the part of his suit that would receive the signal to initiate this sequence, as well as the tracker on his suit.
The Creator- Figured I would write Xerneas battling the same way we all used her in the games: by spamming Geomancy. This chapter, we get to see a little more of The Man. It seems he's always a step or ten ahead of the game. No stone unturned. No loose end left out. Well, besides Heavy.
Hydra- Well this was a shorter chapter. I really loved coming up with the Xerneas scene. She lives up to her ideals even in the face of the enemy and it seems like her logic holds more merit then her enemy's. Had Dr Death not killed the black suits they would've likely seen reason and changed their ways, but when you're a part of the Nova branch you can't exactly leave.
G- Good chapter, was interesting to see more of the hunting of Genesect toward the Team Rocket and Nova Branch, as now she upgraded her body with new technology, data, gear and advanced arsenal, making Genesect far more powerful, versatile and lethal to fights against her enemies. And being honest, to considers that the new body of Genesect was based in her deceased leader, the original Red Genesect, i guess that she simply chose this design to honors the memory of her leader and family.
Also, i was notably impressed for the nanotechnology that Genesect included in her new body, to the point of be capable to morph any weapon, gear and accesory available to her combats, adding that she also can repair herself almost instantly thanks to this nanomachines, making her almost invincible. Being honest, this nanotechonology reminds me to the Iron man's nano armor of MCU Infinity war movie, in the sense of be capable to morph any weapon that the user needs, adding that even harbors a notable self-repair capabilities, making this new nanotechnology more versatile than the previous models.
Nevertheless, talking about MCU, i wonder if exist the possibility that Genesect end becoming from a Punisher, to the pokemon version of Ultron, as she is basically an artificial being that ended considering some kind of human beings like a threat for the life, and maybe starts to plans a purge against all the mankind eventually, because even if Genesect is only targeting the Team Rocket and Nova Branch, is only matter of time to that she begin to considers that even if the Team Rocket and the Nova Branch are finished, could exist the possiblity that other humans can continues the objectives of this villainous teams, making that Genesect, like Ultron, end concluding that to achieves the peace and prosperity in the world, the mankind should be eliminated, a scary prospect in my opinion, because the heroes already have a lot problems with the Team Rocket, the Nova Branch, some inner conflicts and even with the recent finding of the surviving Ultra beast, to includes in their list of problems, a pokemon version of Ultron.
Also, talking about emotional conflicts in the Legendary pokemon, regarding to your question Hydra, i also noted that tragically many legendary pokemon were notably affected by the war against Necrozma, as many of them are not only scarred and broken physically, but also emotionally and psychologically, to the point of that many of this legendary pokemon, ended becoming more ruthless and bloodthristy to deals with their enemies, like Reshiram, whom used to be a peaceful and philosopher pokemon that preaches the truth, but after her trauma by the attack that she suffered, Reshiram was twisted in a prone to violence pokemon, to the point of even leaves her counterpart Zekrom shocked, not pun intented. Also, the obvious case, Lugia, whom i guess that used to be a wise pokemon and even maybe a mediator and arbiter among the Legendary pokemon, only to ended becoming like other aggresive and hothead pokemon as result of all his loses and humilliations, to the point of lacks any mercy to spare the lives of his enemies. I guess that this notable changes in the personalities of the Legendary pokemon, are the results of the tragic consequences of the war, after all, the wars can leaves us scarred, physically and emotionally, to the point that any people involved in this conflicts, could end suffering a severe case of PTSD, that i guess that many of the Legendary pokemon could end suffering. Well, i just hope that their emotional scars don't get worse, otherwise, this could end being the beginning of the end to the pokemons.
And regarding to your specific question Hydra, about Keldeo, being honest, i thinks that perhaps he still has some slightly hope, as Keldeo do not showed the same level of hatred and scorn like Lugia and Giratina, even after all his loses, adding that i thinks that help the fact that Keldeo didn't caused a notable questionable action, like the cold blooded murder of Lugia, or the rampage of Reshiram, showing the possibility that perhaps Keldeo didn't fall too deep in the dark side yet. Being honest, i even could compares him like Latias, in the sense of that both loses their last family members; Coballion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Latios, yet Keldeo and Latias kept some of their original teachings and moral code relatively intact, making that even if both become more distrustful and aggresive in some level, Keldeo and Latias are still capable to control themselves, even in stressful situations, showing that they have their moral intact in some level, unlike Lugia and Reshiram that could causes a bloodshed without remorse. So, perhaps Keldeo still has hope to be the same pokemon that was prior to lost his family.
To finishes, i wonder what will happens with Palkia, he will be somehow rescued just in time, or he will become a nasty experiment of the dr Death? As i am worried about him, especially as he is only a child, he do not deserves this grim fate, especially as he still has a very long life to lives.
Keep the good job.
The Creator- While the new Genesect model does resemble the Red One, it's got some other details too. Some jagged edges on her face instead of a mostly round one, silver parts of her body, and the ever-present unrelenting hatred of course. Plus, the red hides most of the messes she makes.
Yeah, Iron Man is pretty similar to her in terms of nanomachines. At least in the MCU. The difference is that she can't shrink or grow in size. She can just move them along her body to create different shapes and weapons.
Unlike Iron Man, her nanomachines cannot detach from her main body. Because the machines are so small, their energy reserves are small too. They'd just fall apart if they left her. So they're always sticking together to keep transmitting energy from her interior generator like a heart does with blood to veins.
As for Genesect's opinions on humanity, well, she's only had to deal with Nova Branch and Team Rocket guys for now. It remains to be seen how she'll perceive normal people. It may depend on whether or not they're in her way. Tune in for more.
Do you think she could beat the Burned Man?
Hydra- I agree with you on your points about Keldeo. I think he has come dangerously close to becoming like Lugia especially when he almost killed Pierce, but because Ash was able to stop him in time he prevented it from happening. I can only imagine what a bloodthirsty Keldeo would be like. I kinda imagine him being an antihero, striving to do good but going about it in a brutal way. Genesect has only been targeting Nova branch soldiers for now, but how would she react if she were to go into a city full of humans that weren't even affiliated with the branch let's hope we don't find out. Oh wait… uh oh
SilverWolf1130- I'm not gonna lie. When I saw this title, I thought it meant two Legendaries were gonna die this chapter but nope.
Damn. Genesect's better at fighting these guys than the actual Legendaries…
And Heavy, probably hoping to make some Legendaries run with their tails between their legs, is fleeing the scene with his nonexistent tail between his legs. Wonder if he'll somehow make a comeback after this…
Finally! Seems like the Legendaries are actually getting somewhere against Christopher Lee and his forces. Though I doubt it's anything too serious because, to quote Machine Head from Invincible, "He's got moneeeeeeey"
I don't think this victory will last long though. Order 66 for the Legendaries is coming… I can sense it…
The Creator- Many Legends are in dire situations, but a lot of major ones are still kicking. We've only seen them in small scraps with Team Rocket, besides Giratina and Lugia. All in good time. But, as you've figured out, the power of money is a terrifying thing. How can gods compete with the market? Dark times indeed.
Hydra- No no no SilverWolf you are quite right, the legends are on the way to winning. I mean they literally just killed Launcher and they sent Heavy running for the hills. Team Rocket is really in a rut so I don't see how they're gonna be able to combat the likes of some of the major legends. We already saw how it went when they tried to fight Garatina and I don't even want to imagine what would happen if they tried fighting Mew or Arceus. They should just surrender and give up now…. Don't you agree?
The Creator- Next chapter…we'll leave it a surprise. This is the first of the final dominoes.
Hydra- Well quite a lot happened this chapter in a short amount of time. Everything is starting to come together and as I said earlier things are not looking too good for Team Rocket and it's starting to look like they might be way in over their heads. Every operation has ended in failure and it doesn't look like it's gonna end anytime soon so until next time thanks for reading!