Welcome to Chapter 3 of Pokémon Re: Dux! A perfect day of Retsuko finally reuiniting with his estranged friends has been cut short by a sudden explosion uccuring right in the center of the plaza! What's going on? How will they react? Enjoy chapter 3!
2027 - Star City Plaza
Retsuko slowly opened his eyes.
"Another attack?" He questioned, wincing as he stood up
Retsuko turned over to the people around him.
"Is everyone alright?!" He shouted, and in return received several nods and yesses in response.
"Everyone seems to be okay," Kyu told Retsuko.
"Good," Via said, walking up to the two of them.
The three of them looked up at the massive muddy vines, supporting the rubble above them.
"We'll run out of oxygen if we stay here for too long," Via said.
"Then we won't stay. Shadow Ball!" Kyu ordered Nagatae, who extended two separate claws from beneath her cloth to generate a ball of purple energy and launched it at a small opening.
The area around them shook, and the attack blasted a hole in the wall.
"Kyu, what the heck were you thinking?! You could have destroyed the pillars and crushed us all!" Retsuko scolded his friend.
"But I didn't. And hey, I created an oxygen pocket and an escape route!" Kyu said optimistically, completely ignoring Retsuko's concern.
Kyu jumped through the hole with Kou and Nagatae.
"I'll help these people evacuate to safety and look for more survivors!" He called out to Retsuko and Via. "You two look for the source of the explosion and stop another one from happening!"
Kyu began to direct people through the hole in groups and went off.
"You heard him. Let's go." Retsuko said to Via.
Via nodded and Vye pulled her stick out of her tail, igniting it.
She burned a small hole through the vines and the pair climbed through it.
"That explosion had to have been some sort of attack. Something of this caliber can't be caused by something like a friggin boiler or valve exploding." Retsuko thought as he and Via ran through the Plaza.
They paused and stopped at a pile of rubble blocking their path.
"Wait. Could this be the work of those Orakuru people that we had that meeting about earlier?" He questioned out loud.
"Aura-what?" Via asked him in confusion.
"Uhh... Don't worry about it."
Kyu Ichinose ran through the ruins of the Plaza, helping families, Pokemon, and groups of people he'd uncovered buried in the rock.
"Damn. What could have caused something like this!?" Kyu wondered as he and Kou helped another mother and her child out of the rubble.
He placed his hands on the walls to search for a weak spot.
Kyu could notice dismembered bodies of the dead buried in the rubble and did his best to ignore it and keep the people he was taking care of in good spirits.
Kyu saw a young blonde girl near a pile of rubble, bawling her eyes out.
She had some cuts and bruises but was relatively okay.
He halted next to her, lowering himself to his knees so that they were eye level.
"Don't cry, don't cry. What's wrong?" Kyu comforted, extending his palm out to the child.
"M-My *Sniff* P-P-Plusle! *Sniff*" The girl wailed, pointing her hand over to the rubble.
A small cry of a Pokemon could be heard from the pile, indicating that the Plusle must have been buried in the rubble during the explosion.
Kyu turned to Kou.
"Use Water Shuriken, but softly. We don't want to accidentally hurt her or the Plusle." Kyu whispered to his Greninja.
Kou nodded and generated a star made completely of water and threw it into the debris, carefully making sure not to hit the girl's Pokemon using the sound of the Plusle's cries to direct the blow.
Kyu ran over to the shattered rocks and moved them using all of his strength, slowly digging out the girl's pokemon.
Kyu lifted the last rock and right underneath it, stood a tiny Plusle, certainly afraid and a bit bruised, but overall fine.
Kyu carefully picked up the pokemon, politely gave it back to the girl, and ushered her back to her mother.
"I'm so damn powerless here!" He thought.
Despite his fit of anger, he heard police chatter in the distance and dozens of vehicles outside.
"We're close!" He reassured the evacuees.
Kou stopped near an apparel shop, and so did Kyu in response.
"Did you find a weak point?" Kyu asked.
Kou nodded.
"Bingo!" He exclaimed in celebration.
"Nagtatae, Use Wood Hammer and aim for the center of the wall!" He told his Mimikyu.
Nagatae jumped into the air and covered her makeshift tail in Forest green energy that formed a hammer shape and slammed it into the wall, leaving a gaping hole where a shop used to be.
Kyu looked outside and saw law enforcement officers, and the I.P.F. everywhere, and they noticed him.
He explained the situation and led the people and their Pokemon outside where they would presumably be taken to safety, and then ran back into the Plaza.
Kyu bared his teeth sourly.
"I normally don't trust the police… But they're currently my only hope for the safety of these people and Pokemon."
Once he made it past the rubble, he began to approach a halfway destroyed hallway, covered in darkness and leading closer into the heart of the mall.
Across the hallway were strips of yellow tape and in the distance stood a group of people.
They wore uniforms plated with protective body armor, and on the right side of the armor was a star-shaped insignia. It was black with 8 colors at each point of the star, and read "Orakuru".
Kyu lowered his eyebrows in suspicion, recognizing the Logo that wasn't one of the Police.
Kyu and Kou ran up to the tape, with Nagatae floating beside them.
One of the people stopped him where he stood with an attack from a liepard.
"We can't allow you to progress any further." One of the guards semi-aggressively recommended.
Kyu took a hard look at the man in front of him, checking him out.
An enthusiastic but twisted smile crept onto his face and he looked at the man.
"Was that a challenge?"
2027 - Star City
The boy from Kion's call sat on a chair in front of a total of 7 Monitors with two supercomputers powering his setup.
In his darkroom, only illuminated by the light of his monitors, stood Madame Asther in front of the doorway.
The boy noticed her walk in.
"The subjects are currently engaging in combat with the enemy. The authorities still have no idea about what Orakuru's goal is this time. No signs of Burst energy from any of the Gijinka at the scene." He informed Madame.
Madame Asther placed her hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Keep monitoring the subjects. Their untapped potential to use the Burst isn't the only thing unique about them. Focus on the subjects. Their abilities as Pokemon Trainers are second to none. If this experiment fails, we should find an external solution." She said, waving off his comment.
The boy ignored her and focused himself on the computer monitor.
"Useless." He mumbled.
2027- Unova, Star City Plaza Hall
Kyu smirked at the man in front of him, evaluating his appearance.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna need to get to the center of the plaza. Specifically the main hall." Kyu explained.
"Then we're going to have to stop you!-" The guard began to respond but was immediately plunged into a wall by a powerful impact from Kou, using a blade of shadow energy that he'd generated.
"Hey!" Another grunt retaliated, reaching for his belt and throwing a Pokeball at Kyu.
Before the device could activate and release the creature inside, Kyu swatted the device away using the back of his hand.
A crustle popped out of it but was rolled over on its shell and unable to do anything.
Two of Nagatae's claws slowly manifested from beneath her cloth, signaling them that Kyu had no intention of leaving.
"Stop him now!" One of the grunts ordered and called out her Liepard.
"Shadow Ball! Stop him before he gets any further!" She yelled in fear.
The grunt's Liepard leaped into the air and generated a ball of dark energy in its mouth.
It flung the ball right at Kyu, completely disregarding Nagtatae.
In response, Kyu effortlessly dodged the attack by tilting his head quickly.
"That's all you got?" He asked.
"Attack him at once!" The grunts ordered their Pokemon simultaneously.
Following their orders, Crustle, the Liepard, a Purugly, and a Crowbat all charged their attacks and fired them at Kyu and Nagtatae.
Kou leaped out of the darkness of the hall and sliced up the attacks so that none of them hit Kyu or Nagatae, and Nagatae grabbed all of the Pokemon with her claws.
"Thanks, Kou. Nagatae, use Wood Hammer," Kyu ordered.
Nagatae began to brutally slam the group of pokemon into the ground repeatedly, causing major damage to them.
She then pinned the group to the wall and focused her attention on the Trainers.
Kou used another Water Shuriken to send the 3 remaining trainers into the wall with their comrades, leaving all of them unconscious.
"Come on now guys, that was too easy," Kyu said in disappointment.
He looked around and found that there was nobody left.
Nagatae made a very distorted noise which Kyu seemed to understand, as he nodded.
"It looks like you still haven't found your salvation." A voice from beyond the shadows of the area spoke.
The owner of the voice walked into view.
Kion Diaz, the second most powerful trainer in Unova, and highest-ranking trainer in the region had arrived.
Kyu glared at the latter in shock, and Kion looked at Kyu with a look of utter scorn.
"You." They both said bitterly.
Retsuko and Via continued further into the mall, running down a flight of barely functional escalators, and into the center of the plaza.
Retsuko looked at the gate that separated the main mall from the center, and then over to Kuu.
Kuu plucked two feathers from his wings and focused energy on them, as they began to glow green. With two swipes, the gate burst open, leaving a hole big enough for Retsuko to climb into.
They looked around and noticed that the entirety of the section was destroyed.
The building seemed to have imploded and had collapsed inwards in a funnel shape.
This had to have been the source of the explosion.
Retsuko took a step forward but was interrupted by the sound of the clashing of what seemed to be two blades.
He and Via turned to the left to see Khan and Kou clashing, Khan's seamitar against Kou's Night Shade.
"No. No. No. Not now. No." Via mentally panicked.
Kion, the top-ranked Pokemon trainer of Unova, and Kyu, the current champion of Kanto we're having a battle during a literal terrorist attack.
"Why are you back here!? I thought you ran off because you were too much of a bitch to face us after the shit you pulled!" Kion spat. "How dare you show your face again after you nearly got everyone in that arena killed!" He shouted, as Khan lifted his seamitar into the air and brought it down onto the ground.
"OH, LIKE BEING KIDNAPPED AND TORTURED WASN'T ENOUGH!" Kyu shouted back as Kou grabbed a piece of rubble and threw it at Khan.
"DO YOU STILL NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'VE CAUSED SOME OF US TO ENDURE!" Kion shouted angrily.
Khan deflected the rock and jumped backward, Kou doing the same.
"I have. More than you will ever understand." Kyu said as he turned away from Kion.
Kion scoffed. "You're pathetic," Kion mumbled.
"You're one to talk," Kyu answered.
Before they could continue, they both noticed Retsuko and Via.
"I think we went in a circle..." Retsuko said bashfully, scratching the back of his head.
Kion and Via locked eyes for about seconds that felt like an hour before Via turned away and rubbed her arm awkwardly.
Kion paused and lowered his head in submission.
Retsuko and Kyu sat in silence that spoke louder than words in the atmosphere.
Retsuko took a slow breath and spoke.
"I think it's obvious that after this is all over, we need to have a long talk. But now isn't the time. I think the plaza is under attack." He said uneasily.
"It's the Orakuru. This was a premeditated attack. I know it." Kion said, acknowledging Retsuko's concerns.
Kyu jumped up and crossed his legs, closing his eyes.
Kou followed his actions and they both clapped their hands together.
"What are you doing?-" Via began but was stopped by a buzzing sound.
Kion edged up in anticipation of another battle opponent, and Retsuko and Via did the same.
"Kou and I sense a Pokemon in this room with us. I feel like it's blocking our perception of something here." Kyu told them.
"Do you know the area it's coming from?" Retsuko asked.
Kyu paused, focusing on finding the source of the sound. "Hold up…" He pointed up directly above them. "I can't tell, all I know is that it's floating above us."
"I don't need an exact location. Just an idea." Retsuko replied confidently, as Kuu plucked a feather and drew an arrow.
Kuu fired it blindly, and the arrow quill danced about, gaining speed as it tracked it's target. It eventually hit a Brownish Pokemon who was launched into the wall by the force of the blast and knocked out.
A powerful psychic barrier came down and revealed a massive crater in the middle of the explosion had occurred, and revealed another corridor of the mall that had been hidden.
"Nice. Decidueye never miss a shot, and Kuu is an expert!" Kyu said, complimenting the Owl Pokemon.
Kyu looked over to the Pokemon that Retsuko had knocked out and thought for a bit.
"It's wild," Kion said, looking at it.
"They were using a powerful psychic type to cover their tracks but they couldn't mask the sound or damage of the explosion," Kyu said, pulling out his phone and scanning it.
"How long has that been there? And what was a wild Pokemon doing working for the Orakuru?" Kion asked Retsuko.
"I'm not sure. I thought team plasma was against using Pokemon as tools." Retsuko said, just as confused as he was.
"An Alakazam." Kyu noted.
Via sat, staring at the crater in front of them.
"Is nobody going to acknowledge this massive crater in front of us!?" She screamed in frustration.
Kion turned his attention to it and scanned it on his phone.
"This hole looks familiar. Like the dens from the Galar Isle of armor." Kyu said.
"Never heard of it." Retsuko quickly, and obliviously replied.
Before Kyu could react, He and Kou sensed an incoming danger and jumped back.
"TAKE COVER NOW!" He exclaimed.
A second explosion went off, just as powerful as the first and everyone was blasted back.
"BLAST BURN!" Via shrieked, as Vye slammed her stick into the ground in an instant.
The implosion caused by Vye, and the second explosion canceled each other out before anyone could be affected by the attack.
"Via!" Retsuko shouted, as he jumped over and caught her before she fell into the second crater.
"There they are! Attack!" A voice said.
Retsuko looked up to find them surrounded by Orakuru grunts In every direction, and there were dozens of Pokemon around them, ready to attack.
"Shit!" Kyu shouted.
Kou leaped in front of Retsuko and Via and used his Night Slash attack to deflect an oncoming barrage.
"They just set off an explosion! How the heck are they here so quick!"
Kuu used Spirit Shackle to take down one of their attackers but was in response attacked by a flurry of shadow balls.
"What the heck is this?!" Retsuko shouted out, stumbling away from the crater.
On the inside, there seemed to ancient temple buried under the plaza, with a small chest in the center on a pillar.
"That.. is our goal."
Everyone turned around to find an adult man sitting comfortably atop a stone pillar, right next to the dozens of soldiers.
"Who are you!?" Kyu yelled as Nagatae and Kou prepared to attack.
He wore a long white coat that extended down to his feet and wore a suit of the same color. His tie was red and the lining of his suit and jacket were both black. He had lightly tanned skin and dark green hair. His most notable features were his red and white mask, which resembled the face of a rabbit-like Pokemon, and his red eyes, with black sclera.
The man raised his hand slowly.
"You may call me.
Ascent."
This concludes Chapter 3 of Re: Dux! I have a few more comments to make. I don't have a preference for how Pokemon are spelled with capitalization or not, I just do either or every time and I don't feel like changing it. As for the spelling of the word Pokémon, I also frequently forgot the special è. (but at the same time, who the frick actually remembers!?) This first "arc" should wrap up around chapter 6 if I don't end up combining the first two chapters, and I will see you again in Chapter 4!